Chapter Text
The mountain was cold with winter gusts, howling through the bare tree branches in the pitch black night. Two feet of snow coated the ground in a white blanket of unique flakes, expanding out as far as the eye could see without a footprint in sight. A soft flurry had started up only wanting to add to the land of snow. The mountain was always quiet during the winter, serene, almost eerily so especially at night, not a sound but the wind whistling away, carrying ice flakes with it. Mountain Glenn was almost always uneventful, having little people occupying its space at the base of its enormity, but tonight was different, a fragile soul was wondering its darkness, its frigid chill.
The small, fragile woman quaked with every shiver that traveled her spine, arms hugging at her sides in a meek attempt to keep some body heat. Her clothes were tattered to the point of being dirty rags, rips, and tears everywhere, splotches of dried blood, and dirt. Her feet were bare, numbed by the cold snow she was slowly trudging through, weakly trying to walk, legs weak, dehydrated, lacking much strength to even stand. Desperation is what drove her to keep moving, the thoughts of being caught weren’t ones she particularly liked and she would rather try her chances out on her own than where she had come from.
The woman’s vision blurred with every agonizing step she took, shoulders shuddering with every shiver as the wind blew harder. She could see where she was going, but in that direction, there was nothing but open mountain land with scattered trees, no civilization to be seen. Hopelessness was seeping into her being, there was no hope, she was weak and starving, she couldn’t possibly go on. All she could feel was pain and cold as her body finally gave out, collapsing on her side into the thick snow, shivering had become weaker. As she lay there watching the snowflakes fall her pain was disappearing, turning into a numbness as her body shut down, the only warmth she could barely feel was the blood coming from her side and leg. Lungs that were previously pumping quickly to draw in satisfying air were slowing, becoming nothing but a faint fog as she exhaled. Amber eyes started to close slowly, a tear escaping her eye only to freeze on her cheek. This was it. She was going to die, nothing was going to save her now. A part of her was still hoping for a miracle, but another didn’t want there to be a miracle.
Darkness surrounded her more completely now, the cold taking her body in an icy embrace of impending death, but it wasn’t before she drifted off that there was the faintest sound of footsteps, so faint that even her Faunus ears barely picked them up. One ear twitched weakly before she finally let the blackness take her from her suffering.
A female figure cloaked in black walked along in the snow, thoughtfully twirling a dagger around in her hand. This was a good place as any, right? Nobody left to find the remains of someone she barely recognized anymore. Nobody to know the pain she had suffered from the heavy burden that weighed upon her shoulders like a goliath carcass. What remains will be covered and hidden by the snow by the time someone comes along, who was she kidding, no one would find her. This mountain was a wasteland, dangerous for civilian travelers, and unnecessary for any Huntsman or Huntress’s attention. It was perfect.
She stopped, eyes cast down at her hand that held the sharp, gleaming blade. Silver eyes hard with debate, hand gripping the handle tighter. How could they possibly blame me? They knew that I would never hurt them! Everyone refused to believe me, refused! ‘Just stop fighting it’ they said, ‘accept the punishment’ they said. I didn’t do it, I didn’t! I couldn’t have, could I? No, no, of course not. You just failed them. Yeah, that’s it. Everyone is against you! Well, damn them! I’ll just make it easier for all of them! Her mind screamed out as salty tears pricked her eyes, slowly cascading down her cheeks, turning cold when exposed to the winter weather. Her hand gripped the dagger roughly, quickly lunging it at her throat, moving her head to look up and allow more access for the blade to pierce the flesh on her smooth neck. She was fully prepared, ready for her impending death, ready for the end, but something caught her eye. The blade halted, just pricking her skin with its pointed tip, a small drop of blood escaped the miniscule wound.
Her silver eyes squinted through the flurry, spotting a small black lump of sorts laying in the snow a bit of a walk away from her position. She couldn’t really tell what it was, but as she observed the unmoving object, her hand slowly lowered taking the dagger with it. “What…?” Her thoughts didn’t finish before she was speed walking her way over to whatever it was that had stopped her. As she drew closer her footsteps got faster, a strange sense of desperation was tugging at her chest, pulling her toward the object of her attention. The black cloaked figure stopped right next to it, a small but shocked gasp escaping her chapped lips, pants fogging in the air.
It was a woman, a very sick woman from the looks of it. Her body was bone thin, hair matted, face covered in little cuts and bruises, blood seeping from some bigger wounds, and dark blotches on her ragged shirt and revealing underclothes. The unconscious woman was barely wearing any layers that would keep her warm in this unforgiving weather, the majority of her skin open to the frosty nip of the wind. The cloaked woman was slightly relieved of her panic to see faint fog escaping the sickly woman’s lips, meaning that she was still breathing, for now. What happened to her? Where did she come from? How did she make it here in this condition? What did this to her? Who did this to her?! Panic was creeping back into her system, but with a quick shake of her head she tossed it out on its ass, knowing that it wasn’t time to ask questions. She needed to act, and act quick.
Without any hesitation, she scooped up the pitiful looking woman in a bridal position and saw something that both amused and shocked her. There were cat ears atop raven hair. Is she a Faunus? Did some of the Faunus haters do this to her? Dammit, stop asking questions and help her! She screamed at herself, pulling the woman closer to her so she could wrap her black hood around her dangerously thin frame to provide some sort of protection from the falling snow and low temperature. The faunus’s body reacted on instinct, cuddling into her shoulder for warmth, maybe even protection from whatever did this. Don’t worry, I got you. You’re safe now. Ruby’s got you. In a burst of rose petals, she was speeding off to shelter, easily holding onto the female faunus.
She felt like she was flying, her body limp but the air rushed around her, running through her hair. Faintly, she could feel the warmth radiating into her side, but she couldn’t open her eyes, too weak, but she pushed herself to snuggle further into the heat that felt so good against her cold body. Her ears picked up the sound of mild panting from above her, though it could be her imagination playing tricks on her. When the faunus had nuzzled closer, the distinct feeling of being held, and the smell of roses overwhelmed her senses. Roses were always the prettiest flower in her mind. Before anything else could cross her thoughts, everything in the world disappeared once more.