LOKE- A RWBY story

Chapter 17- Bare White Fang

Third Person POV

Baron the Ranger watched as team LOKE made their way to him. Of course he had to be assigned with complete novices. What the hell was Ozpin thinking sending these kids into the forest? The mission was to investigate an apparent mercenary camp by Mt. Glenn, not picking flowers in the meadow. But Ozpin insisted they were qualified for the job. Baron just hoped he was right.

Ehwaz's POV

I could already tell he didn't like us. Baron, our assigned Huntsman, was sitting in the airship carving something with a huge hunting knife as he watched us approach. He was tall and clad in loose green robes and hunting leathers and he had a serious looking bow on his back that made Kuana's look like a toy. He had shoulder length dark hair and a well trimmed beard, and also had an expression on his face that made him look like he hated the world, and us at that moment. Not that it mattered, we had grown up in the forests of Vale, it was like home to us compared to the city. And if he was judging us before he saw us in action, he was in for a surprise.

We were about six feet from him before he stood up. He pocketed whatever he was carving and sheathed his knife before he addressed us.
"So," he said with obvious criticism, "This is team LOKE."

He looked at us from Lena all the way down till me, where his eyes narrowed. I had my wide brimmed hat on and my tail was tucked away in my coat so he shouldn't have been able to tell I was Faunus. But he still looked at me a little longer before returning his gaze to the rest of my team.

"Our mission," he began, "Is to locate and investigate a rumored mercenary encampment deep in the forest a short distance from Mt. Glenn. The mission is in a dangerous part of the forest with a high concentration of Grimm. We will constantly be moving, and will encounter Grimm you may have never seen before. You are to stay close to me at all times unless told otherwise. Is this understood?"

None of us spoke. He nodded and climbed into the airship and we followed. The airship rose into the air and started towards our destination.

Later, deep in the forest

It was almost dark by the time we got to the drop point. Baron had us set up camp immediately and by the time we were done the moon was up.

I sat in an old oak tree above the camp where Lena and Kuana were talking animatedly while the flames of the fire danced in tune to Kuana's gestures. Baron sat on the other side of the fire carving- well, whatever he was carving.

I stared up at the moon as I felt Oris glide up to the branch and sit next to me. Without looking away from the moon I asked her, "Do you remember that story Artaq told us about the moon?"

Oris blew my hat off my head playfully and caught it.

"Yeah," she said, "I remember. There were two gods who were brothers. One created humans and the other gave them magic. One day, humans rallied against the gods, believing they were powerful enough to overthrow the gods. The gods took back the gift of magic and left the world, destroying the moon in their wake as a reminder that we a remnants of what we once were. Even our semblances are remnants of magic according to Artaq."

We sat there together staring at the moon, not saying anything.

"It won't always be like this will it?" Oris asked, breaking the silence between us.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We won't always be together. We won't always be going on adventures like we used to when we were little. Nothing is ever going to be the same."

"Oris..." I began to say, before she cut me off.

"No!" she cried as tears started to well in her eyes, "You don't get it!"

She started sobbing uncontrollably. I reached for her but she pulled away, crying even harder. I had only seen her like this once before, the night of the dance.

Seemingly reading my thoughts, she said, "You want to know why I was crying that night you found me? Because I saw Lena and Kuana sitting in and empty class room together. And then you! I saw you with that Ruby girl! You looked so happy together! Why couldn't it have been us?! Why did you fall for her and not me?! She's a stranger! I know you better than anyone! Why Ehwaz? Why?!"

Was I hearing her right? How long had she felt like this? My ears began to droop like they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Oris was beyond sobbing at this point, so I reached for her and pulled her close. She fought for a moment and then sunk into my arms and chest, repeating, "Why?" over and over again as I stroked her hair.

"Nothing is going to change Oris," I said reassuringly, "We are a family, all of us. I love you Oris, but as a sister, not as you wish. I like Ruby, but it's not set in stone, anything can change. Who knows? Maybe she'll get bored of my bad jokes?"

Oris giggled through her tears and looked up at me with a tear streaked smile and said, "You really think so?"

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yes," I said, "Anything can happen."

That night I kept dreaming about that woman, Cinder. She was following me through my dreams, she was asking me over and over in a playfully cold voice, "Do you believe in destiny?"

I woke up and had to pee. My scroll said it was 3:34, not that it mattered, I could already tell it was to damn early. I walked a short distance into the woods and found a nice tree to pee on. So I dropped my drawers and began relieving myself when I heard a grunt to my left. I stopped peeing and pulled my pants up. I walked over to the bushes and parted them and saw...What the hell?!

A woman with reptilian skin in a White Fang uniform looked up at me from a squatting position, probably also trying to relieve herself, considering her pants were at her ankles, and her mask lay next to her.

Half asleep, and still processing what I was seeing, I smiled sheepishly and said, "Hey, you done yet?"