A red-cloaked girl dashed first left then right with lightning speed, nimbly dodging the incoming gunfire. She pointed her own weapon, a large sniper rifle, at her attacker, a red haired girl in gold armor wielding a short rifle with a round shield strapped to her left arm. Ruby Rose leaped backward firing her sniper rifle at the shield wielding Pyrrha Nikos. The force from the blast propelled Ruby backward at great speed. Pyrrha, having ducked to avoid the shots from Ruby's rifle, reared her left arm back, twisting her upper body to match. The gold armored warrior let out a powerful grunt as she spun her arm forward releasing her shield, launching it into Ruby as she was coming to a stop.

Ruby let out a high-pitched yelp when the shield impacted her stomach. As the shield returned to its master, Pyrrha took a moment to glance at her scroll. Displayed on the rectangular handheld device was a picture of both Ruby and Pyrrha with a green bar under each picture. The green bars represented the fighters' remaining auras, acting as both their protective shield and the source of their powerful Semblances. Both Pyrrha and Ruby's auras were growing critically low. Because of this Pyrrha knew this demonstration duel was going to end soon. Using her speed semblance Ruby catapulted herself toward her opponent. She fired her weapon behind her to enhance her momentum. The girl in the red cloak spun her weapon forward as it unfurled into a seven-foot long scythe intent on delivering a devastating slash to Pyrrha. As Ruby rapidly closed the distance between them, Pyrrha darted toward Ruby whilst her rifle transformed into its spear mode. When Ruby neared Pyrrha, her target raised her left hand slightly, activating her magnetism control semblance to lift Ruby's scythe, and Ruby along with it, high enough for Pyrrha to duck under it. Ruby came to rest just behind where Pyrrha had skidded to a stop. Using what momentum she had left Ruby spun her scythe in a large arc striking its blunt end into the back of Pyrrha's head launching her across the stage.

A buzzard rang out. "Match." Called the blond haired Professor Goodwitch. "Ms Rose is the winner."

"Good job Ruby." Said Pyrrha as she lifted herself up.

"Thanks Pyrrha, you too" Replied the energetic Ruby.

"Go Ruby!" Yelled the excited Yang, Ruby's big sister and member of her team.

Ruby then gleefully pranced off the stage to her awaiting team. Team RWBY.

All the other students gave the customary round of applause while Goodwitch started lecturing about what each competitor did right and wrong. Except for Pyrrha's teammate Nora. The girl in pink playfully stuck her tongue out at team RWBY.

"As a reminder children," Goodwitch spoke to her class, "the Vital festival is fast approaching and if you wish to represent Beacon I would encourage you all to train much harder. That is all for the day."

Team RWBY exited the lecture hall with the rest of their classmates, Ruby gleefully skipping ahead of the group. 'Always with the boundless energy' thought Weiss, Ruby's teammate and partner.

Later that evening teams RWBY and JNPR were sitting down together as per their usual in the Beacon dining hall. Yang was picking at her food. She had not been feeling well for most of the day and wasn't very hungry. She only came down here under Blake's strict orders. Nora was recounting an overly embellished tale about her and Ren's past exploits, while Ren would occasionally interject to correct her more outlandish claims.

"... and when we returned the amazed towns folk held a parade!" Nora exclaimed as she finished up her tale.

"No they didn't" Ren calmly interjected. Not that Nora gave it any notice.

Now that Nora's grand story was over Weiss straightened up in her seat, cleared her throat and stated to the group in the authoritative manner her team came to expect from an heiress of her status. "Now that the tournament is coming up I feel that as a team," She paused to place her hand on her chest and look around at her team. Blake was reading one of her books while Yang and Ruby watched the girl dressed in white give her speech. "We need to seriously consider spending more time practicing. This is our chance to show the world that Beacon is indeed the premiere combat school."

"Weiss, you just want to show off to all the other competitors." Responded Ruby.

"And so what if I do? It is still our duty as Beacon's newest class to represent it in the festival and you three are spending too much time dilly dallying." Retorted Weiss.

"A little more practice wouldn't be a bad idea." Said Blake as she looked over the book in her hands.

Pyrrha looked to her team leader Jaune and said to him: "I think Weiss here makes a good point. Your combat skills are still lacking." Jaune responded with a sheepish grin.

"Does this mean we are gonna have to waste our weekends training?" complained Yang.

"If it means we'll be better huntresses its not a waste." Blake calmly replied to her partner's comment.

The girl in the hood responded to the conversation. "Na, team RWBY is already awesome!" Ruby stood on the bench and placed her left foot on the table. "We are already the coolest and best fighting huntresses ever." She said while mock boxing an imaginary opponent to accentuate her point. "Especially their fearless leader Ruby," She placed her hands on her hips in her attempt to strike a hero pose. "The best female team leader Beacon has ever had!" Her teammates rolled their eyes in unison. "Ohh they put out fresh cookies!" Exclaimed the young leader as she sped off using her semblance to disappear in the blink of an eye.

Weiss looked at her remaining teammates. "That girl is way too overconfident. She needs to learn that she is not as great as she thinks she is."

"She's just excited that's all." said Yang.

"I don't know Yang, overconfidence like that could lead to her getting hurt in the field." Replied Blake.

"We just don't want to see our teammate getting hurt that's all." Said Weiss.

The next day team RWBY found themselves and their classmates riding an airship deep into the Emerald Forest. Professor Port insisted on taking the students on what he called a "simple field trip."

Yang, feeling worse than the day before, much to her disappointment, decided to forgo the excursion and stay in bed.

Ruby was visibly excited by the prospect of encountering some creatures of Grimm. She could hardly sit still on the airship and spent a good deal of the trip humming to herself.

After landing in a large clearing and disembarking the airship, the class was treated to Port regaling them with a tale of another one of his grand exploits. When he finally finished his story the professor addressed the class about why he had taken them all the way out here. "To truly be a hunter one must know their prey. Including how to track them. In this area there have been reports of a small pack of Beowolves. While they should pose no problem to up and coming huntsman and huntresses such as yourselves. Your real challenge however, will be finding them. You and your team will need to use all your skill and cunning to track these beasts in their environment. Good luck." He finished, waving his blunderbuss ax for effect.

Ruby was enjoying this trip. A chance to go out and hunt some grimm with her best friends. She gleefully skipped ahead of her two companions.

"Ruby," Weiss called out to her, "do you have any idea where we're going?"

"To find the beowolves."

"And do you have any ideas on how to find them?" Replied a slightly annoyed Weiss.

"Um... I guess we look around until we find them?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at her leader's response. But she couldn't help but be amused with Ruby's attitude even as she feigned annoyance. That girl was always plunging headlong into danger whether or not she even had a plan, always certain that things would work out. Weiss knew this ever since their first trip into this forest when Ruby charged headlong into a deathstalker and Weiss had to rush to her aid.

While her leader may not be quite so impulsive as when they first met Ruby's attitude still worried her. Weiss was scared that the young leader may soon get herself seriously hurt.

'This is fun.' Thought Ruby. 'Three huntresses, alone, just them and their leader versus the forces of darkness.' A moment of sadness hit Ruby as she remembered her sister. 'Yang would have loved this. She never misses a chance to beat something up.'

Lost in thought Ruby failed to notice her teammates' hushes conversation taking place several yards behind her.

Blake and Weiss stopped near the top of a wooded hill.

Weiss folded her arms and called to her friend.

"Ruby. Can we talk?"

Ruby sprinted back to her friends. "Sure. What's up?"

Weiss continued, "Blake and I have been talking and...well you see..."

Blake cut into Weiss's pause, "you've been acting to recklessly lately. "

"She means to say that you act like nothing can hurt you."

"I am not" Replied Ruby.

Blake and Weiss gave Ruby disapproving looks.

"We're worried about you that's all." Said Blake. "You act like you're invincible all the time and its going to get you hurt."

Ruby spat back, "What about you? You see Torchwick with a small army and you still charge in. How is that not worse than what I do?"

"That's different and you know it."

"How is it different Blake? I can handle my self just like you can."

Weiss shook her head and said to Blake, "See, I told you this would go nowhere."

She gestured toward Ruby as she spoke. "Ruby, since you're so sure you can handle yourself, prove it!" Weiss reached down with her left hand and grasped the handle of her weapon, a rapier with a rotating cylinder just above its handle. Myrtenaster. With her left foot and elbow forward Weiss pointed her weapon at Ruby and shot herself forward as if gliding on air. Before Ruby could react Myrtenaster struck its target sending Ruby catapulting into a nearby tree. Shattering its trunk. Ruby let out a soft "oof" as she landed on her butt at the base of what once was a tree. Her aura absorbing most of the impacts.

When Ruby regained her footing she gave her friends a smirk and drew her own weapon in its scythe form and impaling its blade into the soft forest floor. "If you two want to play."

Blake just rolled her eyes and unsheathed Gambol Shroud in its sword from from her back.

Ruby sprinted at Weiss and swung Crescent Rose at the heiress, slicing through a small tree in the process. Although Weiss blocked the hit with her rapier its impact still caused her to slide toward the hillside.

Using her clone semblance Blake leaped in the air in an attempt to vault the newly freed tree that, thanks to Ruby, had started its roll down the hill. Unfortunately Blake failed to see a large limb coming off one side of the oncoming tree. This limb smacked into the faunus sending her flying into the canopy of a nearby tree.

"Look, kitty's stuck in a tree." Weiss remarked when she saw Blake come to rest in the branches.

Ruby couldn't help but grin at her friend's lame attempt at humor. The hooded girl swung her scythe at Weiss who leaped sideways to avoid the hit causing her to slide down the embankment on a glyph she quickly created beneath her. Ruby gave chase. Seeing this Weiss used Myrtenaster to fire streaks of white light at her pursuer. Ruby dashed left then right to avoid the oncoming fire. This caused Weiss's attack to strike several trees behind Ruby, adding to the rapidly growing number of trees barreling down the hill.

Blake shot part of Gambol Shroud into a tree down the hill and pulled on its attached ribbon to quickly send herself ahead of where Weiss currently was. Ruby quickly spun her weapon behind her and fired a round, launching herself into the air and allowing a tree to roll under her. She then landed on another tree. With lightning reflexes Ruby began sprinting backward to keep herself on the rolling trunk. Seeing Ruby's precarious predicament Weiss once again fired Myrtenaster at Ruby. Without many other options Ruby flung herself right off the log to avoid Weiss's attack. Using her scythe Ruby sliced through several trees as she passed hoping to slow down her descent.

A wave of logs was rapidly closing in on Weiss. She leaped into the air landing on a newly placed glyph allowing several trees to pass under her.

A shot rang out as Blake launched Gambol Shroud into a standing tree just ahead of Ruby, leaving its ribbon across her path. Ruby didn't have time to react before she was close lined by the faunus's weapon. She flipped backwards crashing into the ground.

"You okay Ruby?" Asked Blake as she returned Gambol Shroud to her hand.

Smiling Ruby returned to her feet. "I'm alright. All according to plan."

"Watch out!" Shouted the heiress.

Ruby turned up hill to see a group of logs barreling toward her. She only had time to raise her weapon out in front of her to act as a shield.

The mass of fallen trees crashed through the girl in the red hood, seemingly uninhibited by the young huntresses.

"Ruby! " Weiss called out in a panic as the wave passed over her friend.

As soon as the last of the logs finished passing over, Weiss dropped down from her glyph perch. As she landed Ruby returned to her feet. "Are you okay?" Weiss shouted.

Ruby only replied with a smile as the bruised girl readied her weapon for another attack.

'That girl doesn't know when to quit.' Thought Weiss. She had to admit that was something she admired about Ruby.

Upon seeing Ruby beckon her with Crescent Rose, Weiss readied herself in her combat stance.

'She sure is crazy.'

"Sorry Ruby, but you asked for it."

Weiss launched forward ready to send Ruby flying and end this duel.

'Something... didn't feel right.' The thoughts in Weiss's mind raced through her at a million miles a second.

'This feels wrong... This impact should have been harder.' She could see Ruby being hit with Myrtenaster with; strange red objects coming from her. 'Is she using her semblance to avoid my attack? It does look like roses.'

The heiress felt the mysterious objects touch her face.

'They're wet? They can't...' The horrible realization struck her like a freight train.

'OH GOD NO!'

Author's notes:

This is my first time so be gentle. I was influenced by "The Red Queen" and "the Grimm's Rose" by Dravyn LeCrux. (Side note, it wasn't until I wrote that last sentence that I realized both stories were written by the same author.) They are fantastic check them out.

This is an idea I have been playing with for a while now and I decided to write it down. Hopefully I will have chapter two ready for you guys soon.