I know you have questions about Yang and Weiss, and I apologize taking so long, but we'll get there eventually. I promise it'll be worth the wait.

More importantly right now, how will Blake and Ruby get out of this one? If you were paying enough attention, you might already have an idea...

4. Bounty Hunters

Neo pushed the archer to the floor and chained her to the wall just like her cellmate, before leaving. Now alone, the two girls started to try and piece together how they had come to that situation.

"Blake, are you hurt? Did they do something to you?"

"I'm fine, Ruby. Hungry and tired, but fine. She didn't torture me or anything. We've simply been here for a few days, waiting for something, though I'm not sure what."

"I think... you were waiting for me. They said someone paid for our capture, because we fought a witch and survived."

The lycan made a weary sigh, slumping her shoulders down.

"Weiss Schnee? That mess just won't leave us alone, will it?"

"Someone really wants us to remember… Anyway, more importantly, we need to get out of here. Can't you just transform out of those cuffs?"

"No, they're made of silver. I'm weak to silver, I can't do anything while they're on me." Ruby raised an eyebrow at the explanation. "What?"

"You never told us that..."

"Well, it's not like you were rich enough to have anything made of silver. I just never saw a reason to." When Ruby didn't appear upset at all, she felt free to continue. "But these guys, they're professionals. I was tracking a lead, trying to find you, when the little one showed up. She knew exactly how to bait and imprison me. If what you say is true, then they're probably bounty hunters, the lowliest of scum there is."

"Whatever they are, they must make mistakes, right? There has to be a way to escape."

"Unless you have any, say, knives up your sleeve, I don't think so."

"I don't, I used it to try to cut Roman's face off." She didn't specify who that name belonged to, but Blake was smart enough to figure it out. "So what do we do?"

"For now? Get some rest. If they're going to move us someplace else, they won't do it before dawn. Which gives us time to sleep for a bit. If we get an opening tomorrow, we'll need all the energy possible."

Ruby wasn't satisfied with twiddling her thumbs, but her partner was most likely right about their lack of options. Blake took her own advice to heart, and closed her eyes. Her breathing started to slow down not soon thereafter.

The exhaustion from the previous day, and all others before it, started to take its toll, and Ruby felt her own eyes grow heavy, desperately wanting to sleep. It had been a long journey, despair and adrenaline had kept her up thus far, but the overdue rest finally caught up with her. She bobbed her head up and down, trying to stay awake to come up with a plan, but just remaining conscious was all her concentration could muster. Her mind started to wander, frolicking aimlessly between past and present. Through scantly-open eyelids, she saw a little brown bunny jump in through the outside window. How had gotten in to the second floor? Was it actually really there? She didn't know, but she felt an overwhelming need to pet it. When had been the last time she had seen a rabbit and not thought to kill it for food?

When the small animal suddenly transformed into a beautiful girl, the huntress became sure she had lost her mind. She had fallen asleep and entered a strange but vivid dream, such was the only plausible explanation. Closing her eyes, she wondered what her imagination would have in store next.

A hand shook her shoulder violently, breaking her off the trance and restoring adrenaline to her veins.

"Ruby? Ruby, wake up!" The voice was real, as was the hand and the girl. She hadn't been dreaming, despite how surreal it still felt.

"Velvet?" The brunette fumbled with the handcuffs behind her back, and they released with a loud clank.

"Yes, it's me. I need you to unlock Blake's cuffs, I can't touch silver and I didn't bring gloves." She handed the archer a pair of lockpicks. "You know how to work those, right?"

"Not really."

"Oh, bollocks."

The shifter gave her a quick run-through of the mechanics, before moving on to wake up the raven-haired woman. Ruby fumbled with the tools for a while, trying to apply the theory to action, until eventually the lock surrendered with a satisfying metallic shriek.

"Velvet? What are you doing here?" Blake rubbed her wrists, reveling in the sensation of freedom.

"I told you I was chasing a bounty hunter down. Well, imagine my surprise when I find Ruby just hanging out with him!"

"He seemed nice..." She rubbed the back of her neck, still disappointed in herself for being tricked by Roman's mischievous charms.

"He's a dangerous man, and plenty of people would like to see him pay for what he's done. But I assume you already got that, right?" There was no trace of malice or anger in the shifter's voice. She was calm and in control, an attitude Ruby admired considering the situation.

"Yep. Do you have a plan?"

"I go down there, restrain him and bring him in. You two leave this place and run. How's that sound?"

Blake seemed eager to accept the suggestion, but Ruby still had unfinished business with the dirtbag.

"No way, we're coming along. There's two of them and three of us, don't throw away the advantage. Also Torchwick has something of mine that I need back."

The brunette nodded reluctantly.

"Fine. You two take him, I'll handle the partner. No killing, I need him alive. He's just a human, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. No offense to you, Ruby."

"None taken."

"Wait, is the partner a threat? I thought she was human too." Blake manifested surprise at the plan.

"Honestly, we don't know much about her, so it's just a precaution."

They all nodded in agreement, ready to start the fight. Ruby became acutely aware that she had no weapons, both the bow and knife stored downstairs, and would therefore not be of much use until after retrieving them, especially when teaming up with two creatures of fighting prowess.

The three girls motioned towards the stairs, and Velvet suddenly vanished out of thin air. It took them a moment to notice the tiny butterfly flying ahead. Certainly a peculiar choice for a brawl, but the shifter no doubt had her reasons, and so Blake and Ruby resumed walking downstairs.

Neo and Roman were sitting with their backs turned, creating a convenient opening. The archer located her tools and quietly gestured that she would go to retrieve them. One step after another she tiptoed across the wooden floor, trying to keep it from creaking as much as possible. Her breath itched and she froze when the planks under her feet cried out, but neither one of the kidnappers seemed to notice, meaning they were asleep. Ruby neared the table at last, and quickly grabbed the bow and quiver. She failed to see the knife slipping out from the table until it was too late, promptly falling on the ground with a loud noise just as she was about to grab it.

The pink-haired woman jumped from her chair and rotated towards them. Leaning down, she produced a slender fencing rapier from the inside of her left knee-high boot, where she no doubt had a hidden sheath, otherwise the small blade would bite her skin with every step. Before she could attack, however, the little insect that had taken flight in that direction turned back into human-form whilst mid-air, tackling the bounty hunter at high speed. The two of them crashed together against the nearest wall, breaking its wooden planks with the force of the impact. The whole structure creaked and shook, foreshadowing its demise.

Seeing the impending collapse of the building, crumbling without the much needed support of the destroyed wall, the short-haired youngster picked up the hunting tools and ran, along with Roman and Blake, trying to get outside to safety as logs fell from above their heads. It didn't take long before the building had been reduced to rubble, and the three survivors silently stared at it, a truce fed by worry about their comrades trapped underneath.

The remains of the shelter roared and rumbled, before a large brown bear leapt from within. Neo was holding on to its mane with her legs, punching it in the face at every opportunity. The huge animal charged away, and the two fighters disappeared over the horizon.

Once peace had been disturbed, and the shock about that strange sight dispelled, Blake jumped to the floor and transformed into a panther instantaneously, ready to pounce at her prey. Ruby pushed an arrow against the bowstring, and pointed it to the foe, who was nervously backing up.

"Ladies, we can work this out! It was just a job, no hard feelings, right?" He kept backstepping until he hit the rubble, cornered between them and the house.

The lycan roared as a response and ran up to him baring her teeth. Unfortunately, the man wasn't as trapped as they were led to believe, and he retrieved a sizable chunk of wood from behind, which was promptly used to bludgeon the approaching animal in the face. She whimpered in pain as the hit sent her tumbling back.

Next, he dodged to the side just in time to avoid the sharp projectile that was aimed at his leg. The chuckle that followed made the silver-eyed girl's blood boil. There was a twisted smile of superiority on his lips, like he was enjoying the sadistic rush provided by the fight. He was toying with her! She swore to make him regret thinking she wasn't a threat.

The black-furred beast learned her lesson and moved in with caution, avoiding the large club. She was crawling near the ground, waiting for the opening the man refused to provide. He held the makeshift weapon defensively, content to play the waiting game with them. He might've even been confident that his partner would soon return to help.

If no opportunity was given, Blake decided to create one. Leaping forward, she feigned an attack that would obviously miss, baiting the foe into assuming she was vulnerable. He fell for that exactly, and lifted the log behind his back, but before it could come crashing down a single arrow struck it, disturbing his movement with enough force to break the grip he had on it. The stick fell, and disarmed he was unable to prevent the panther to jump at him, pinning his body to the floor with her immense weight.

"Blake! Velvet said we need him alive!"

The lycan groaned in dissatisfaction, like a kid that lost their favorite toy, before striking his head with a clawless paw, knocking Roman out cold. After the satisfying sensation of removing that monstrous smirk from his face, she climbed out and moved away from the body.

The red-hooded huntress ran to the fallen enemy's side, desperately scouring through his pockets. Behind her, she heard her friend shift back to human and then get dressed again, as nudity was the unfortunate effect of transformation. Ruby kept digging, trying to find where he had stored the trinket. If it wasn't in his person, then it would be under the demolished building, therefore chances of finding it were next to null. Luckily, just before her hope had completely drained, she felt a protrusion on the side of his jacket. And there it was, a hidden inner pocket, and the amber-colored stone inside.

Ruby blew a wisp of air onto the crystal and placed it down on the floor in a hurry, kneeling in front of it. She counted every second until the magical transmission began, each one weighing further in her heart. She needed to check on her friend, assure her everything was fine and assess the damage caused by the ginger man. When the image appeared, she discovered she wasn't ready for what it revealed.

"WHAT DO YOU WA-" Penny stopped screaming as soon as her mind registered who it was on the other side. Her eyes widened, revealing intensely red pupils. Her face was still wet from the tears that had recently rolled down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, but not as much as she was. "R-Ruby? Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me, Penny. I'm right here. I don't know what Roman told you, but it was a lie."

"I thought you were..." The girl began sobbing again, incapable of enduring the memory.

...dead

Something broke inside of the huntress that moment. She had never seen the redhead cry, and it was more than she could handle. It took all her willpower, and then some, not to join Penny in her tears.

"It's okay. I'm okay. Nothing happened to me, he was lying. I'm safe, you don't have to worry."

"I don't have to worry? What else can I do but worry? Ruby, I'm begging you, please come back home." The girl paused to breathe, and a hiccup fled her throat. In that storm of emotions, she was no longer weeping, but was still shaken beyond measure. "I'm so tired. Tired of waking up every morning alone in this house. Of spending the entire day wondering where you are and if you're okay. Of knowing you're putting yourself in danger for me. I don't know if I can keep doing this."

"I can't give up now, I'm so close!"

"And what if you don't make it? What if next time someone captures you, you can't escape? How would I even know if something happened to you?" The archer couldn't find it in herself to answer, every one of those words crushing her spirit even further. She wanted nothing more than to return, to stop chasing shadows and simply lead a calm life back home. But if she gave up now, then all the pain and hardships they had endured would've been for naught. And Penny would still be...

Blake, who had been listening from a distant corner, took the silence as an opportunity to join the conversation. She didn't want to intrude, but those two clearly needed a level-head to help sort out those emotions, so she took a few steps forward until the stone's magic could detect her face.

"Nothing will happen to her, Penny. I'll make sure of it." Her voice was confident, contrasting with the frail tones heard thus far.

"Blake? It's you! Oh, I'm so glad you're there!" The lycan and former-statue shared a peculiar bond, creatures living amongst humans, even if one had forsaken the heritage.

"We just met up. And if Ruby says we're almost there, I promise I'll keep her out of trouble for a little while longer." She smiled warmly, reassuring the pleading girl. However strong the huntress might be, having a massive panther by her side made any journey far safer, as they all knew well. If the raven-clad woman had made such a promise, neither of them could argue in return.

"Hey, Ruby, mind if I have a word with Blake alone?"

The short-haired archer nodded and stepped away. Roman was still knocked out on the floor. She swallowed her resentment, suppressing to will to kick him in the ribs and run the risk of waking him up. Luckily a new noise came to distract her.

Velvet was returning from afar, dragging with the inert body of her opponent. She was bruised, and had blood stains on multiple body parts, but otherwise looked fine. She even bore a victorious smile.

"She was a tough one. Hadn't faced someone who put up that much of a fight in a long time." The shifter looked happy, like the brawl had been a much-needed workout.

Blake appeared from the back, and returned the crystal to its owner without a word.

"All right, good job, ladies. I can take it from here. Thank you." The brunette pointed to the unconscious duo, suggesting that the girls could leave, and she would handle the rest on her own.

That business was beyond them, so Ruby and the lycan shared their goodbyes, eager to start the hunt again, this time together. But not before one last piece of banter.

"Hey, Velvet, how's that bartender woman?"

"Oh, she's wonderful. You were right, I should've asked her out sooner."

The panther-girl's eyes bulged out in surprise.

"Wait, you and Coco?"

Penny put the gloves on and strapped the satchel over her shoulder, ensuring it was secure. Inside were the basic provisions and necessities required for the task ahead. Breathing in the refreshing air outside, she stepped forward, closing the door after her.

She glanced at the home she was leaving behind with a tinge of regret. It had been the place that had given her hope, sheltered her when she was lost, and offered a friendly hand when she knew no one in that harsh and unforgiving world. She had created many joyous memories in that building, yet they weren't because of the house, but the people that had once inhabited it. And she no longer wished to be the sole resident of those now sad empty walls.

She would no longer stand by while others risked skin and bone for her sake. Confident, the ginger girl walked on and didn't look back.