My name is Opal. I'm 16 years old, and I live with my little brother Cyan and our Dad, in a cottage in the woods. Dad carves wood for a living. He builds chairs, and tables, and wardrobes, and in the winter he carves the most amazing statues. Nothing much happens around here, but me & Cyan keep busy helping Dad with his work. And when things do happen around here, they're almost always an adventure.

This is the story of my biggest adventure yet: the time a team of Hunters helped us rescue Dad.

"You'll never take me alive!" Cyan yelled, shaking a fist in the air. A snowball whizzed up past the wall of the snow fort and struck his fist, eliciting a yelp as he tumbled out of sight.

"You wanna bet?" Opal said, tossing a snowball up and down in her hand.

"Daaaaad!" Cyan wailed.

"The council of nations declines to intervene in the snow fort war at this time," their father replied, not looking up as he brought the silvery steel of his axe down on another round of firewood.

"Come out and fight like a man!" Opal teased.

"I'm not a man, I'm a defenceless little boy!" Cyan retorted from behind the wall of the fort.

"Alright," Opal said, dropping the snowball and raising her hands, "I accept your unconditional surren-" Opal spluttered as a rapid flurry of snowballs pelted her. Stumbling into a snow drift, she fell over on her back as Cyan continued to throw snowballs. "That's cheating you little-"

"Language," their father called in a stern, resonant tone. Opal and Cyan both stopped and looked at their father guiltily.

"Sorry Dad." Opal and Cyan stood there awkwardly for a bit, the fight sucked out of them. Their household didn't have many hard rules, but their father was quite strict when it came to those rules. "Come on," Opal said, kicking a path through the snow, "Let's get some kindling." The two children made their way around the bare hill their log cabin house was built on. As they left the snow-covered road behind and came around to the forest edge, Cyan perked up again, and started surreptitiously rolling up a snowball.

"Don't even think about it, buddy."

Cyan deflated and tossed the snowball back to the ground. Opal trudged out of the snow and onto the cold, bare ground underneath the trees, kicking her foot through the pine needle carpet to unearth some twigs.

"But can we go back to playing snowball fights afterwards?" Cyan asked as he began to collect twigs as well.

"Sure - just don't cheat this time."

"Hey, that was not cheating," Cyan retorted, pointing a stick at Opal. "There's no rule that says you can't pretend to give up so the other side drops their guard."

"Well, there ought to be."

"How about we vote on it?"

"Okay, I vote yes, and I'm the oldest so my vote counts for two. I win!"

Cyan stamped his foot. "Hey, I was going to say Dad needs to vote as well!" His voice caught in his throat and he began to tear up. "That's not fair!"

"Hey, hey now," Opal said, dropping the bundle of twigs and rushing over to Cyan. "I'm sorry, I was teasing." She gave her brother a reassuring hug. "Tell you what, how about we make it a rule that if you do that trick, you have to wait until the other person wins a game before you do it again?"

Cyan sniffed a little and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds fair."

"Now, let's finish collecting the-"

There was a loud snapping noise in the distance, and Opal whirled round, trying to pinpoint where it had come from.

"What was that?" Cyan asked nervously. Opal didn't reply. She squinted into the gloom, trying to make out anything between the bushes and shadows of the forest.

"We should head back," Cyan said. Opal nodded.

"Yeah, we should."

No sooner had Opal turned to leave, than there was a sudden crashing noise. She whirled back around, and her blood turned to ice as she saw the bone-white crest with glowing red eyes, towering over her as the midnight-black form burst out of the undergrowth. Cyan screamed, and the Beowolf snarled its rage at the sky, brandishing its claws to the side as it got ready to leap. Opal tried to call for help, to pick up her brother and run, but she was frozen in fear.

There was an ear-splitting crack, like thunder, and the Beowolf staggered. Opal looked back and saw her father, the barrel of his shotgun smoking as he pulled back the pump-action and loaded another shell. The Beowolf roared, turning its attention to the new threat. Their father stepped forward, face impassive as he twirled the shotgun barrel around in his hand. The stock unfolded with a sharp 'snickt-shing!' of metal, and the silvery blade of the axe head snapped into place mere moments before he swung a blow at the Beowolf's head. The Beowolf swiped the axe away with one paw, before sending its opponent flying with the other.

"Dad!" Opal screamed in panic. The Beowolf cocked its head and looked straight at Opal, momentarily distracted by the noise. That moment of distraction turned out to be all their father needed. He charged back in, lopping off one of the Beowolf's legs below the knee. The monster howled as it fell, looking up just in time to see the axe finish transforming back into a shotgun, before Opal's father pulled the trigger. The white mask of the Grimm cracked as the shell found its mark. The massive body of the Beowolf twitched once, then went still, black flesh beginning to evaporate like smoke as the victor of the fight stepped over the corpse.

"Are you alright?" their father asked as he unfolded his weapon back into an axe and slung it at his side. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," Cyan sniffled, holding out his arms as his father knelt down to pick him up.

"I'm sorry Dad," Opal choked, tears of fear still fresh in her eyes. "I should have told you we were going to get kindling, I should have-"

"Sssshh, ssshh," their father said soothingly, holding out an arm and pulling Opal in with Cyan for a reassuring hug. "It's okay, you're safe now, that's the important thing." He looked out at the forest and frowned. "I should probably do a quick sweep though, make sure there aren't any more lurking out there." He put Cyan down and put a broad, callused hand on each of his children's shoulders. "You two, go take the firewood inside, I'll be back shortly."

"Be careful," Opal said, gripping onto his hand tightly.

"I promise," he said with a smile. "See you soon."

Opal bit her thumb nervously, looking out the frosted window at the last of the evening snowfall. Behind her, the hearth crackled with fire, the warmth flooding out into the living room of the two-story cottage that she, her brother and her father called home. The room was filled with ornately carved furniture. A coffee table with fluted legs and a floral pattern carved into the edge. A rocking chair with a high back, the gaps in the wood making a fresco of trees. Above the fireplace, the mantelpiece was lined with knick-knacks, puzzle boxes and other assorted curios their father had carved over the years. Their father sold most of the furniture he made at market, but he kept a few pieces around the house - more so after their mother had passed away. Cyan barely remembered her, but Opal was old enough that she had plenty of fond memories to hold onto. Their father didn't talk about her very much - Opal suspected it was because he didn't want to burden his kids with his own loss. She'd often come close to telling him it was alright, that he'd done a fantastic job on his own, but it never quite seemed the right time.

Opal scanned the forest line again, waiting expectantly for their father's tall figure to stride out of the trees any second. He was late. It shouldn't have taken this long for him to do a 'quick sweep'. The lack of gunshots was the only thing stopping Opal from running out right this second.

"Opal, I'm hungry," Cyan called from the couch.

"I think there's some ham in the fridge," Opal replied absent-mindedly. She heaved a nervous sigh and closed her eyes. No, it was fine, everything was fine. Their dad was an ex-hunter after all. He knew how to look after himself. There was no way a lone Grimm, or even a few Grimm could be a problem.

"He's fine," Opal said quietly, hoping that if she repeated it enough she'd start believing it. The clouds shifted, and Remnant's shattered moon cast its light across the snow, causing it to take on a luminous quality. The sky quickly darkened, and by the time Cyan had finished up his ham sandwich, it was a deep navy blue. When the first stars began to wink into existence, Opal had made up her mind.

"Get your coat, Cyan," she said, pulling the curtains across and getting down from the window seat.

"Where are we going?"

"Dad's late," she said, going out into the foyer and opening the wardrobe. "He's way too late. Something must have happened."

"But... he's Dad. He'll be okay, right? He's always okay."

Opal struggled into her coat, thick fur lining snuggling up against her ears. The light, sandy tan of the fur made her own dark complexion and midnight-black bobcut hair stand out - all the better, she didn't want their father to miss them in the dark.

"Opal?"

Opal looked down at her brother. He was looking up at her, a worried expression on his face.

"Dad's going to be okay. Right?"

"...I hope so," Opal replied eventually. "But it's dark, and it's only going to get colder. We need to make sure he's alright."

Cyan nodded, grabbing his own coat and pulling it over his shoulder. Opal smiled.

"Alright then - let's go."

"Daaaad!" Cyan called as he climbed over a large tree root. Opal cupped her hands around her mouth and called out as well.

"Dad, where are you?!"

The trees seemed to swallow the sound before it went more than a few yards. Opal looked behind, reassuring herself that she still knew the way back to the house. She was beginning to have second thoughts. This deep inside the forest, Opal was acutely aware of how vulnerable they were. She'd never been a fighter. She hadn't needed to be one, her father had always been there to watch out for her. But now...

"Opal!" Cyan whispered, tugging at her coat. "Over there!"

Opal felt a knot of fear bundle up in her stomach. The hunched, almost-humanoid form of a Beowolf had appeared through the trees, pacing across the snow. It stopped at each tree, leaning a paw against the trunk as it sniffed, seeking a trail of some kind.

"Stay close," Opal whispered back to Cyan, gripping his arm tightly. "If we circle round, we should be able to get past-"

A second Beowolf appeared, this one out to their right. This one was sniffing at the air, twisting its head back and forth as it searched for something. And behind it, Opal could just make out the form of the third. Oh Dust, they'd walked right into an entire pack of them. Opal began to back away. The Beowolves still hadn't seen them. If they moved now, maybe they'd be able to get away.

Opal's heart leapt to her throat as Cyan's foot caught against a root buried in the snow. Nerves already wound tight, he let out a shriek of panic. The Beowolves responded with a chorus of blood-curdling howls.

"Run!"

Opal dragged Cyan to his feet, stumbling into a sprint as the Beowolves began to bound through the trees towards them. Her world became narrow and sharp; there was the empty space ahead, her brother starting to cry beside her, and the sound of heavy paws rapidly approaching. She didn't even register how completely hopeless the situation was - all she could focus on was trying to keep the Grimm away for as long as possible.

The first thing Opal heard was the sharp crack of a rifle firing. Then, there was the thick, heavy sound of metal sinking into Grimm flesh. A half-second later she felt the rush of wind as something flew past her at high speed. There was a flash of red in her vision, and Opal screamed, dropping to her knees and covering her head in her hands, sobbing as another rifle shot deafened her. She felt a thud as something hit the ground nearby, then felt a shudder run through the ground - an explosion, somewhere to her left. One of the Beowolves howled again, but was cut short in mid-howl, plunging the woods into ringing silence. Opal flinched as the snow in front of her crunched - someone was walking up to her.

"You guys okay?"

The small, high-pitched voice sounded completely out of place in the wake of the fight that had just happened around Opal. She peeked out from behind her arms, looking up at the speaker. A round, kind face looked back at her, the pale skin framed by darkly-tinted red hair. It belonged to a girl, who couldn't have been much older than Opal herself. A large, bright red cape billowed out behind her, and in her hands she held a contraption that dwarfed its wielder. It took a few seconds of looking at the panels and blades to realise it was a massive scythe.

"Uhh... umm..." Opal stammered, still reeling from the shock. The girl stepped back, twirling the scythe around and folding it up in a short cacophony of sliding metal. Stowing it in a holster at her back, she knelt down in the snow and offered Opal her hand.

"My name's Ruby."

Hesitantly, Opal put her hand in Ruby's, letting herself be pulled upright. Once there, she looked around. The bodies of the Beowolves were already evaporating. Over them stood three other strangers - a tall, blond boy with a sword and shield, a thin, dark-haired boy in a green tunic, and a girl in a pink skirt, idly twirling a massive hammer in her fingers.

"Who... who are you?"

"We're hunters," Ruby replied, giving Opal a reassuring hug around the shoulder. "We're here to help."

Once Opal had explained what she and her brother were doing out in the woods at night, the four strangers immediately agreed to help them with their search. She'd introduced her brother, and they in turn had given their names - the blond-haired boy was Jaune, the dark-haired one was Ren, and the girl with the hammer was Nora. They'd been getting ready to make camp for the night, when they'd heard Opal scream, and immediately come to her aid. Or rather, Ruby had immediately come to her aid, and the other three had scrambled to catch up.

"That's Ruby for you," Jaune said with a grin. "Charges in first, asks questions later."

"Well duh!" Ruby replied. "When you hear someone call for help you don't stop to think about it, you just go!"

"Why are you here anyway?" Cyan asked, having quickly perked up after his scare.

"We're heading to Haven," Ruby replied.

"You visiting friends?"

Ruby looked off in the distance and gave an odd expression. "Not exactly."

"Huh? That doesn't make sense. Who are you meeting?"

Ruby and Jaune looked at each other, and Opal thought she saw something... painful in their expressions. Nora seemed to see it too, as she skipped up past the two and crouched down next to Cyan, sitting on her heels.

"Do you like piggy-back rides?" Nora asked, giving Cyan a grin.

"I love piggy-back rides!" Cyan replied excitedly. Nora scooped the little boy up in one arm, hoisting him up on her shoulder.

"Alright little buddy, you keep watch up there, let me know the minute you see a Grimm!"

"Okay!" Cyan wrapped his arms around Nora's head, bouncing as she sauntered on ahead. Opal looked back at Ruby and Jaune. Their expressions were back to normal now, as if nothing had happened. Strange.

"How far does your father generally go when he's checking for danger?" Ren asked. Opal thought on it.

"Half a mile, half a dozen miles; depends how thorough he's being."

Ren nodded sagely, stroking his chin. "Jaune, Opal, you stay with Nora. Ruby, loop round to the west for a quarter mile. Look for signs of combat, footprints, anything of that sort."

"Will do, Ren," Ruby said, giving him a salute and pulling out her scythe. The two hunters split off from the group, fanning out to either side and disappearing through the trees.

"They're not going to get lost, are they?" Opal asked Jaune.

"Those two? Nah, they're two of the best hunters I know."

"So... you'd be from Beacon, right?"

Jaune nodded. "That's right." Opal bit her lip, shyness fighting with curiosity.

"I hear there was a really big fight there a few months ago." Jaune looked at Opal curiously.

"You mean, you don't know?"

"We're pretty isolated out here. Dad makes sure we have plenty of books to read, so we know all about Beacon, and Huntsmen and so on, but we really only get current events when we go to market to sell Dad's work every few weeks." Opal looked down at the ground and pouted. "I know something bad happened a month or two ago, but whenever I try to listen to the grown-ups, they go all quiet and stop talking about it." Opal looked over at Jaune for confirmation, but Jaune seemed to have zoned out - he was looking off to the side, a sombre expression on his face.

"...It's been that long already?..."

"Hmm?"

"Sorry... yeah, there was a fight at Beacon Academy. Grimm invasion. A really big one." Jaune heaved a sigh. "The CCT tower went down - took out communications across the whole kingdom. Things have stabilized now but... well, Beacon's lost. Overrun with Grimm."

"So, you all went to Beacon?"

"Yeah. We're all classmates, actually."

"Oh, you mean you're all on a team together?"

Jaune didn't answer.

Ren met back up with the group shortly after Ruby.

"I've found something," he announced, beckoning for everyone to follow him. He led them between the trees, back the way he had come. The ground grew increasingly treacherous as they advanced. There were dells and ridges hiding under deep snowdrifts, waiting to snag toes and roll ankles. Cyan meanwhile was having a great time - Nora didn't even seem to be struggling with his weight.

"She's really strong," Opal commented to Ren as Nora lifted Cyan over a branch with one hand. Ren smiled.

"She always has been."

"Oh, you two know each other well then?" Ren gave Opal a puzzled look. "Well, we are on a team together."

"You are? But Jaune said... well, I mean, he didn't say yes when I asked if you were a team."

"Well, Ruby's from a different team," Ren explained.

"So, why's she with you then?"

"The rest of her team was..." Ren sighed. "We were all in the Battle of Beacon. Ruby's team... well, they all made it out, but they got hit pretty hard. Ended up going their separate ways."

"But..." Opal looked ahead at Ruby, who was striding out ahead of the group, "why's she so happy and friendly then?"

"She's like that. Never lets life get her down. Keeps everyone's spirits up." Ren quickened his walking pace, closing up to the front as the group reached a ridge. "Careful everyone," he said loudly. "It's a big drop."

"What do you mean a big..." Opal gasped as she came over the ridge. A sudden wave of vertigo hit her as she looked down the sheer cliff face in front of her. The open, snow-covered meadow below blended in with the cliff edge - in poor weather, it would be easy for someone to stumble over into empty space before they realized what had happened.

"Over there," Ren said, pointing along the cliff. The group turned to look. A dozen yards away, there was a trail down the cliff face. There were gouges and broken bushes all the way down, ending in a small pile of debris. And though the snowfall earlier that evening had covered most of it up, there was a small dark stain soaked into the ground, standing out against the luminous white of the moonlit snow.

"Oh no..." Opal's hands came up her mouth as she gasped in shock. "Dad..."

"Those marks on the cliff were caused by something sharp," Ren stated, "and given the size of the blood pool, whoever fell can't have lain there for more than a minute."

"So we get down there and follow the trail?" Ruby asked. In answer, Ren flicked his arms out to the side and a pair of deep green sub-machine guns with blades curving down from their muzzles dropped out of his wide sleeves and into his waiting hands.

"Nora, you get Cyan and Jaune down," Ruby instructed. "Opal, you're with me."

"Hey, it's not like I can't get myself down there," Jaune said indignantly. Nora cocked her head to the side and folded her arms, nodding her head down at the drop. Jaune leaned over the edge, gripping and ungripping the handle of his sword. Finally, he admitted defeat. "A hand down would be nice," he conceded, holding an arm out to the side. Nora ducked down underneath it and hoisted Jaune up off his feet. With Jaune on one shoulder and Cyan on the other, she hopped down the cliff, heels skidding against the cliff face as she controlled her descent. Ren followed, zig-zagging down the cliff in a series of catlike leaps, finding the almost invisible ledges with his feet and changing direction with precise braking motions from the guns' blades against the solid earth.

Ruby positioned herself at the cliff edge, hooking the tip of her scythe into the ground and hopping over the edge, as if about to abseil. "Come on," Ruby said, holding out a hand to Opal. Opal shied away, nervous at the prospect of scaling the sheer drop. "Don't worry," Ruby reassured, giving her a gentle smile. It was such a disarmingly innocent smile, so sincere, that it washed away Opal's reservations. Swallowing and giving a firm nod, she took hold of Ruby's hand and climbed down, hugging tightly as Ruby wrapped her free arm around her passenger. The huntress gave a light kick with her feet. The scythe dislodged from the cliff face, and Opal experienced a terrifying moment of freefall before the blade bit into the cliff face and began braking their descent, so that by the time they reached the ground, they had slowed almost to a stop.

"See?" Ruby said, "Safe and sound." Opal nodded dumbly, breathless from the experience.

"That... that was actually kinda fun," she said once her breath had returned. Ruby beamed.

"There's a trail here," Ren said, kneeling down to brush away some of the snow. "They were bleeding, but they were able to walk." Standing up, he scanned across the meadow at the treeline that formed a semicircle around them. "There." Ren pointed to the left, where the cliff face jutted out to meet the forest below. Nestled against the trees, Opal could just make out a small cave entrance. For the first time that evening, she felt a surge of relief. Dad might turn out to be okay after all.

"Hellooooo?" Nora called into the entrance, leaning her head in while balancing on one foot. "Anyone hooooome?"

"Dad?" Opal joined in, nerves beginning to return. The cave was pitch-black after the relative brightness of the snow outside. The six of them cautiously clambered in, feeling their way across the stone floor as their eyes adjusted.

"Look, over there!" Jaune pointed at a corner of the cavern. There was a figure slumped up against the wall. It was worryingly still.

"Dad!" Caution forgotten, Opal scrambled across the cave, coming up to the unconscious form of her father. He was breathing, but he was deathly pale. Blood seeped from a wound on his head, which had been clumsily bandaged with fabric torn from his trouser leg. Opal took hold of his shoulders, gripping tightly. "Dad! Dad, come on, wake up!" She felt, rather than saw the others arrive. She briefly resisted when Jaune pulled her away from her father, but relented when she saw Ren and Nora hoisting him up on their shoulders.

"Hypothermia's going to set in soon," Ren said, shifting the adult's weight, "we need to get him back inside, fast."

Ren and Nora began to move; but they had barely walked three feet before a sudden rumbling made everyone pause.

"What was that?" Opal asked nervously. The hunters didn't reply.

"Ren, Nora, keep moving," Jaune said, drawing his sword and lifting up the scabbard. There was a short 'shickt!' as the scabbard expanded into a shield, followed by a longer 'shik-shickt-shing!' as Ruby unfolded her scythe. The rumbling paused for a moment. Then, the far end of the cavern burst apart. Jaune lunged sideways, crouching over Opal and covering her with his shield as rocks flew across the confined space. Opal peeked out over the shield, and immediately wished she hadn't. A large, flat oval of a head was sinuously sliding out of the newly opened tunnel, a wide mouth opening to reveal gleaming fangs. A low, rattling hiss filled the cavern, and though the eyes were solid red, with no pupil to be seen, Opal felt sure that the creature looked directly at her.

"King Taijitu!" Jaune called. "Move, move!" He pulled Opal to her feet, making sure she got out ahead of him with the others. Ruby braced her scythe against the ground and began unloading round after round at the massive snake's nose. Once everyone had cleared the cave entrance, a final shot launched Ruby, scythe and all, out into the snow with them.

"Get the kids to the treeline!" she called. "Try to circle round-"

It should have been impossible for something that big to move so fast. The Taijitu shot out of the cave entrance, body continuing to slide out as it curved and found purchase on the snow. The powerful belly muscles pulled the monster along even faster, and before they could react, it had circled them completely, cutting off their escape.

"Hard way it is then," Jaune said, bracing back to back with Ruby, sword arm held high. Nora and Ren deposited their burden and readied their weapons. "Ren, you and I defend the kids, Ruby, Nora, tear it to pieces!"

"Got it!" Nora replied with a salute, folding her hammer up and launching a salvo of grenades. Crackling pink explosions engulfed the Taijitu's head. Opal, knees threatening to give out underneath her, grabbed hold of Cyan, pulling him in close as the young boy began to cry. She hated this. She hated being defenceless, unable to do anything except cower and hope that someone else would save her. She flinched as the Taijitu lunged out of the smoke, head striking against the ground as the hunters scattered. Ren leapt across Opal as the coils of the serpent tightened, unloading a long burst from both guns into its flank. Jaune braced his shoulder against his shield and lunged forward, deflecting the head away by mere feet as it attempted another strike. The circle the Taijitu had closed them in broke as it writhed around. As it twisted its head around, rearing up to get its bearings, Ruby and Nora exchanged glances, simultaneously nodding as they saw the opportunity.

"Heads up!" Nora called, unfolding the hammer once again. Jaune lifted his shield above his head, bracing on one knee as Nora jumped on top of it. An upward thrust, coupled with a well-timed blast, and Nora went sailing into the air. The Taijitu looked up, trying to get a good look as Nora began to fall, accelerating with another burst of recoil. On the ground below, Ruby switched hands on the scythe handle, holding it upside-down as she chambered a round. As Nora's hammer made contact with the flat forehead of the Taijitu, Ruby launched herself into the air. The head snapped down with the force of Nora's blow, and the neck met Ruby's scythe blade hurtling up. There was a brief moment of resistance, and then Ruby's weapon decapitated the Grimm like a guillotine.

Opal breathed a sigh. "You did it," she said in relief. "I can't believe it, you actually did it."

"Not yet," Jaune replied, readying his sword again. "There's still the second-"

Opal let out a piercing scream that caused everyone to spin round. While everyone's attention had been focused on the first head, the King Taijitu's second head had finished pulling itself out of the cave, and had gone for the one human who wasn't actively being protected - Opal's father. Opal felt herself go numb as she watched her father's limp body be plucked off the ground by the snake's teeth. Her scream of despair seemed to be coming from someone else, from a body that didn't belong to her. As it died off, choked by the tears welling up in her eyes, she wondered briefly why she could still hear screaming. Then, a line of red streaked across her vision and connected with the side of the Taijitu's head. Her father went tumbling out of the snake's mouth, falling into the deep snow with a soft 'flump'. The Taijitu hissed in rage as Ruby drove the point of the scythe deeper into its eye.

"Not this time!" she screamed, ripping the scythe out and hacking at the Taijitu's head again. "Never again! Never again!" The Taijitu thrashed, trying to throw its attacker off, but Ruby held tight, rending the scythe across the back of its skull. She dropped down, and the scythe was in rifle form before her feet made contact with the ground. A sniper round buried itself in the Taijitu's chin. And another. And another. And another. Finally, the punishment exceeding its limits, the Taijitu fell to the ground with a crash.

"Ruby!" Jaune called as the small girl ran up to the now-still head and unfolded her weapon again, continuing to slash at it in a blind rage. "Ruby, stop, it's dead! The battle's over!" Ruby stopped her mad swinging, entire body shuddering and heaving with rage. As the adrenaline left her system, she dropped to her knees, letting the scythe fall in the snow.

"Not again..." she repeated, voice now thick with tears. "I won't lose another one. Never again..."

Jaune walked up behind Ruby, putting away his sword. Wordlessly, he knelt down next to the small girl, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Ruby leaned in and clung to his chest.

"I'm sorry," Opal heard her whisper through the sobs. "I'm so sorry." Jaune just hugged her tighter, squeezing his eyes shut to hold back his own tears.

"...What's wrong with her?" Opal asked in concern to Nora. For the first time since they'd met, Nora looked sad.

"You know how hunters band together in teams?" Opal nodded. Nora breathed a sigh. "We were on a team called JNPR. Jaune, Me, Ren... and Pyrrha."

"Who's Pyrrha?"

"Pyrrha... Pyrrha was amazing. The best fighter in the entire school. But then... during the Battle of Beacon she..." Nora wiped the moisture out of her eyes. "She fought to keep Vale safe. Right up 'till the end. And Ruby... Ruby tried to rescue her. But she got there just a second too late. She noramlly doesn't let it show, but sometimes... well, that's how it is when you lose a friend. You always blame yourself."

Opal covered her mouth with her hand, chest hurting in sympathy as she watched Ruby continue to cry into Jaune's arms.

"We should go," Ren said, drawing everyone's attention as he hoisted Opal's father up on his shoulder. "We need to get this man in front of a warm fire, now."

"Once again, I can't thank you enough," Opal's father said as he sipped the cup of hot tea Ruby had prepared for him. The group had retired to Opal's home for the night, and once her father had regained consciousness and was out of immediate danger, he'd invited them all to stay the night, and for breakfast in the morning.

"Ah, we were happy to help," Ruby replied with a diffident wave of her hand.

"Should have known better than to go out on my own while it was snowing," he said, pulling the blanket around him and shifting his feet closer to the fire. "Never heard the Beowolf coming before it jumped me from behind. Didn't even have my weapon out; rookie mistake."

"Still, that's going to be a story to tell people," Nora piped up. "I mean, wrestling a Beowolf barehanded and then you kill it by falling off a cliff and pulling it with you? That is so awesome!"

"Paid for it though," Opal's father replied, gingerly touching the side of his freshly bandaged head. "Don't think I've ever burned through my Aura so quickly. I need to get back in practice."

"You have any colanders in here?" Jaune called through from the kitchen.

"Just above the measuring bowl!" Opal's father called back.

"Got it!" Ren replied. "Supper should ready in another five minutes."

"I'll set the table!" Cyan volunteered, running out into the kitchen to get the plates. Opal cast her gaze around the room, smiling as she looked at them all. She'd spent the last several hours being cold, scared, terrified and miserable; but right now, right here, it had all been worth it. She'd never been more grateful for their warm, cosy little cottage on top of the hill, in the middle of the woods.

"We can't stay very long," Ruby said. "We've still got a lot of ground to cover before we get to Haven."

"Just for breakfast," Opal's father said in agreement. "Least I can do."

"You feel up for some food?" Ruby asked as she followed Nora over to the dining table.

"I think so, yes."

Opal came up to her father, giving him a hug as they were briefly left alone in the room.

"Aren't you going to get some supper?" he asked.

"I am, yes. But I wanted to ask you something first."

"What is it, Opal?"

"Once you're better again... do you think you could start teaching me how to fight?"

Her father looked at her curiously. "What's brought this about?"

"Out there in the forest... I didn't actually do anything. These hunters, they were doing all the work and I was just dead weight." Opal looked down at her feet. "If they hadn't come along when they did... me and Cyan wouldn't have made it out of the forest alive." She looked up into her father's eyes, her own eyes burning with a newly ignited ember of passion. "I don't want to be defenceless like that anymore. I want to be able to protect myself. To protect you."

Her father considered her for a long time. Then, with a warm smile, he pulled an arm out from under the blanket and gave her a hug.

"I'd be honoured to teach you," he said, giving her a loving kiss on the forehead.

"Love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Opal."