Hope you guys like it! Things get even spicier this chapter, let me know what you think :) every bit of feedback helps!

Days passed. Weeks. Yang, Ruby and Blake were in agony from their previous injuries. They group had been forced to make camp in the barn until they could find something to at least numb the pain slightly, as Ruby could barely move without screaming, every tiny little movement sending jolts of pain searing up her fractured arms. They had to keep constant watch on Yang because she was having a lot of trouble breathing, both her nose and jaw heavily damaged from the clash with the SS-Class Beowolf. Ren and Weiss had gone out on a routine food and supply search, while Nora and Blake kept watch over Ruby and Yang. Their conversations had grown very thin as of late, a thick tension growing in the atmosphere since their argument. They tried to pretend it didn't exist, but it only got worse with each passing day, until finally Blake spoke up.

'Are we just going to be like this forever? Are we going to be arguing and acting like children like this, every single day? We're fighting for our lives here. We can't afford to be so stupid at a time like this.'

Blake's words struck a chord with everyone present. They all knew that she was right, but none of them wanted to admit it. They didn't want to admit their faults. Deep down, they all realised they were still just children, children who thought that they knew the world. Children who thought they were adults.

'Let's just put our differences aside, and agree to work together to survive. Any objections?'

Yang and Ruby shook their heads, and Nora replied with a timid 'no.'

Hours passed, and still no sign of Ren or Weiss.

'You don't suppose anything happened to them, do you?' Nora worriedly asked Blake, who shook her head.

'Nah, they're strong enough to handle themselves. They can always run from an S-Class, and there are only a small handful of SS-Class Grimm around. Even less of the higher ranks. They probably just ran into a large group of Grimm, that's all. They'll be back soon.'

Even with her words, however, night quickly came. Nora began to grow frantic, pacing backwards and forwards with Magnhild, the stress on her face evident.

'Blake, I'm going to go look for them,' she quickly blurted out.

'What? That's insane, Nora. It's going to be pitch black soon! You go out there alone, and you won't survive the night. We can't just leave Ruby and Yang, and there's no way they can come with us in the condition they're in!'

'I'm going to go alone, Blake. I had no intention of taking you with me. Stay here with them. Look after them. I'm going to find Ren and Weiss, no matter what.'

Blake stared at her in disbelief. The resolve written on Nora's face told Blake she was serious about this. She wanted to go with her to make sure she was safe, but she couldn't abandon Ruby and Yang. Fighting an inner conflict that she would lose either way, she eventually gave in.

'...Fine.'

Nora's face lit up at Blake's approval.

'Go. I won't stop you. But you'll be alone. As long as you know that, you can go.'

'I'll find them, Blake. I promise,' Nora said confidently, her usual cheery smile returning to her face for the first time in weeks.

Nora set out on her journey, heading the direction that Ren and Weiss took, Magnhild in hand.

'I'm coming for you... wherever you are... be safe,' she whispered to herself, heading out into the night.

Meanwhile, somewhere along the way...

'Boss, what do we do with these guys? They're not Grimm.'

The White Fang officer took a quick look at the bloody, bruised bodies of a certain dust wielding huntress and pistol using hunter before responding.

'We take them. The girl looks like she'd be a good fuck. As for the guy, we can put him to work cleaning the shit out of the toilets or something.'

Picking up Weiss and Ren, they hauled the two beaten teens into the back of a cart, filled with several Grimm and human corpses alike.

'This is gonna be a good night,' the grunt chuckled to himself sadistically.

Nora must have walked for hours, her feet beginning to drag through the dirt as she walked when it hit her. She hadn't seen or heard a single Grimm the entire time. Now it could have been that she had simply been daydreaming as she walked, but she had a suspicion that that was not the case.

That's not right. Even if it's Ren I'm thinking about, no, especially when it's Ren, I'm always completely alert. If there were Grimm nearby, I would know. But Weiss and Ren surely couldn't clear all of them out... could they?

Despite her usual ditzy nature, Nora was actually one of the more intelligent students, her knack for uncovering the truth being a major factor in being accepted to Beacon along with her skill with Magnhild. She immediately knew something was fishy about the situation. In a place like this, where it was fairly easy to reach unlike the mountains, she knew that there was no way that there wouldn't be any Grimm at all. Unless someone dealt with them. And as much as she respected Ren and Weiss' strength, she knew they were nowhere near strong enough to defeat entire hordes of them stretching for miles. Someone else had been here and killed them all. But who? That was the question that was plaguing her mind. And she knew if she could figure that out and find them, it would most likely lead her to her friends. On guard now, she noticed something. Looking around, there were footprints, far too many to count. Her own footprints were behind her, but these must have been numbering in the hundreds, along with the occasional line of a wheel leaving its mark on the ground.

'Ren, Weiss, what happened?'

Her now frantic worry took control of her emotions as she sprinted forwards, following the tracks closely, only looking up every few seconds to make sure there were no Grimm – or possibly even worse – no humans around.

I'm going to find you, she thought to herself. Just you wait. I'm going to find you and save you. I promise!