Scorching Roses

Chapter 2

A Beowolf! Little Ruby jumped behind a tree, cringing at the crunch of leaves beneath her feet. They laid in large piles beneath the great oak, like landmines waiting to be tripped. It was almost impossible not to give into the temptation to sink into them as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. They shook uncontrollably, knocking together in such a way that they made a terrifyingly loud sound. Or was that her chattering teeth? Either way, it only added to her erratic heartbeat, so unimaginably deafening in her ears she was sure the Beowolf could hear it too. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to calm down. It was to no avail as her breath continued to come out in short, panicked gasps.

Ruby's hands clawed at her shirt, but they were trembling so badly it was impossible to get a grasp on the fabric. When she finally got a grip she held herself as tightly as she could. It did nothing to aid the fact she was shaking like a leaf. "Ha!" she thought to herself. "Like a leaf, ha ha...ha...I'm so dead!" She shook her head, trying hard to banish that thought from her mind. She had never known this level of fear before; consuming her inside and out like fire. No, it was as if she had a Grimm fighting inside of her, fiercely trying to get out and alert the Beowolf to her presence through tears and screams. She bit her tongue, tasting blood as she forced the whimpers back down her throat.

Oh, why did this have to happen to her? Her semblance was supposed to help her, not get her lost and eaten by a Beowolf. At the very least it could have given her a better way to get back home!

To make a long story short she had long lost the trail of rose petals, all scattered in the wind until nothing remained. For a solid twenty minutes, she had frantically searched through the large piles of leaves until it looked like she had been here for years. She had kept picking up individual leaves and bringing them to her face, hoping for the familiar scent of roses to come wafting up her nostrils. Instead, it left her with nothing but the stench of decaying leaves, and a slug that had crawled its way onto her bottom lip. It had taken forever to force it off, and in her panic, she had run straight into a tree. Even now she could feel her nose throbbing uncomfortably. She was sure it was bruised, if not broken. She could also still taste the slugs disgusting juices in her mouth, and she had to force herself to resist the urge to spit every other minute.

With only the moon as her guide, she had decided to keep going in the hopes of finding her way home before morning. Instead, she found the Beowolf.

Its large form had been almost invisible amongst the dense trees, a perfect camouflage in the dark forest. She had been mere feet away from it, not even realizing it was there until it had raised its bloody maw to the moon, releasing a piercing cry that shattered the quiet of the night and chilled Ruby to her core. She had somehow managed to leap behind a tree; how she had no clue. Considering the fact she had run for so long she wasn't even sure where she got the energy to move at all. At present, she continued to shiver with angst against the cold bark. The Beowolf was going to eat her, that much she knew. A Grimm's stomach was never-ending, or at least that's what Yang always told her. A tear cascaded down her cheek, freezing before it could hit the ground. "Oh Yang," she whispered quietly. She wished now more than ever that she was at home with her; Uncle Qrow and her Father too.

They would have had dinner by now, probably one of Ruby's favorite stews. Afterwards, Yang would have played cards with her by the fire as Qrow told them stories of his adventures as a hunter (usually involving a female interest, much to their dad's annoyance). After Qrow left her dad would have reminded them to brush their teeth as they got into their pj's, and then right after that she would have gotten into her nice warm bed. And finally, her favorite part of the evening, right before she went to sleep her Dad would have read her one of her favorite fairy tales as Yang snuggled close to her...

She shivered, rubbing the goosebumps that ran up and down her arms and legs. Thinking about her warm home had only made her feel colder, and now she felt twice as miserable. She was shaking really hard now, whether out of fear or her steadily dropping body temperature she did not know. Also, during all of this sweat had continued to drip down her face and cloak, making her even colder still. She cursed her semblance, wondering why she had ever wanted it in the first place. If she hadn't begged her father to help her unlock it she would never have gotten lost. Then she wouldn't be out here in the freezing cold, covered in multiple cuts and bruises, the Beowolf about to, to...

Her uncle Qrow's calm voice came to her then, reminding her what the most important thing to know about the Grimm was. "They can sense your fear Ruby," He had told her when she was about eight, clutching her dog Zwei as she sat on his lap, listening intently to what the trained hunter was telling her. "Without a soul to feel happiness, the only thing they can even sort of feel is anger and hate. Fear creates those two emotions and therefore will draw them to you pretty quickly. Even faster than you to cookies!"

She couldn't help but smile at the memory of tackling him after he said that. Yang had joined in a few moments later, knocking all three of them and Zwei off the couch and into a dizzy, laughing heap on the floor.

Her happiness was short lived however as she heard leaves crunching, alerting her to the fact that the Beowolf was still there and moving around.

The shattered moon hung low overhead, giving her just enough light to see the Grimm's shadow from behind the tree. Its large form was only made bigger in the darkness of its shadow, cutting through the moon's peaceful light like a knife. It's shadow snaked past the dense shrubbery, doing so in such a way that she was sure it would grab her at any moment.

She didn't think it had seen her, but she could be wrong. It was moving around slowly, although much to her relief not in her direction. She watched as the shadow grew smaller and smaller, indicating it was leaving. She leaned back against the tree, sighing as she allowed herself to sink into the ground.

Suddenly, a loud crack pierced through the night, making her jump. She stared down in horror at a branch that had been invisible to her before. Her heart fell to her shoes as she heard the Beowolf pause, sniffing the air intently. It gave a small whine, making Ruby's skin crawl. Its jaws cracked together, causing her to involuntarily cry out in fear. It barked at the sound, picking up its pace. The ground shook as it moved, or maybe it was just her constant trembling. She could hear it coming closer, closer...