Ghosts of hurried breath faded against the forest's frozen landscape as bullet cases plopped gently into the snow. All around a young woman adorned in a black attire trimmed in red—a metallic silver cross hanging at her waist—corpses of what used to be a pack of bone plated, pitch black, bipedal wolf-like creatures dissolve into rose petals, something she's always found peculiar. Everyone else's kills turn to ash, why do hers' become roses? Question of the ages, she decided, before her scythe collapsed with the press of a button and she rested it on its hanger beneath her cloak.

Now that that interruption was over, which way was home again? After she mentally berated herself for leaving her scroll on her nightstand—it was charging, though that was her only excuse—the goth-themed girl turned away from the cliff face and strolled into the forest, drawing her blood red cloak back in on herself to ward away the cold.

Ruby stopped dead in her tracks at a sound she couldn't place. After a few seconds she moved on, only to hear it again on her next step. Like… dogs whining. Starving, in fact.

The girl's overly empathetic heart drew her away from what she assumed was home and in the direction of the noise. Not even ten feet away was a hole in the snow, barely wide enough for her to crawl in should she want to, but too dark to see down. Cautiously, Ruby looked around. Not a foot- or paw-print to be seen, and this is fairly old snow. At least two weeks since the last storm…

At the next whine Ruby threw caution to the wind and popped an unspent round from Crescent Rose. She ripped the bullet off the top with her teeth and dumped the red dust into her palm, a slow burn ignited with a quick shot of her red aura—a trick Uncle Qrow drilled into her head. The extra light revealed three wolf pups barely a few weeks old and thin enough to be a concern. One completely albino wolf, another with a yellow gray coat, and one final pup that donned completely black fur.

Ruby reached out with a hand—the one that isn't currently a makeshift flashlight—and pets the head of the closest albino pup. At simply her contact, it calmed down in its fitful rest and snuggled into her palm with a wolf approximation of contentedness across its face. Something in Ruby yelled at her to take care of this dying pack, almost as if a child whining for a lost mother. Without fully thinking, she made up her mind on the matter, silencing the odd whine leaving her mind relaxed again. Carefully, she dumped the burning Dust at the back of the den, and lifted the wolves into her arms without waking them.

'I should've taken that jerky I saw with me,' Ruby yet again chided herself, before she set back home in a new, seemingly more random direction.

Ruby wasn't sure what to be more amazed of, the fact she made it home so quickly after finding that den, or that Zwei was the only living being in the quaint little Patch cabin when she returned. All the lights were off, and it's only nine in the evening. Usually even the porch light is left on when her family heads to town, leaving her be on Mom's... anniversary.

With pups still in arm, she carefully clambered up the stairs towards her and Yang's shared bedroom. She set them down atop her own bed—taking a moment to admire the red of her comforter—before she rushed down the stairs to find food for them. On the way out the door, Ruby caught a glimpse of Zwei jumping up onto her bed. On the way to the kitchen, Ruby's mind took her down an admittedly important train of thought; how will everyone react to the pups? Qrow will probably be fine with there now being wild wolves to take care of, considering he doesn't actually live here. Dad and Yang's reactions are harder to guess though, they'll either stand on the side, or do whatever Raika says. Again.

Oh! And she needs to name them! If they're gonna stay, she'll need a way to identify them beyond their admittedly very different fur coats. Closing the fridge door much harder than anticipated, Ruby ran back up the stairs at full semblance speed with various foodstuffs piled up in her arms. Being honest with herself, she's not quite sure what wolves like to eat.

The topmost step jutted out further than fast-Ruby expected, and she tripped over herself, her cargo spilled across the hallway, various bags of berries and tupperware containers of leftovers dotting the hall like a minefield between her and the door—all accomplished with a small squeak of surprise. Definitely not an "eep!" Nope. Not this Ruby Rose.

At least that's what she says every time Yang calls her cute in that... infuriatingly teasing voice.

She also did not expect the pack of wolves to come bounding out of her room towards Ruby as if she were in danger. Even in their malnourished state they manage a defensive circle around Ruby and look threatening in a feral yet cute way.

Ruby lasted a whole three seconds before freaking out that her pups—yes, they're her's now. Nothing anyone can say to tell her different—wobbled a bit from the lack of energy. She stood up and with a few flashes of rose petals, picked back up the food she dropped and stacked it on her bed. One final flash and her scroll is in hand, trying hard not to typo while looking up the diet of a wolf.

'Big game, berries, mice birds and fish!' is all she really registered before grabbing some grapes and the leftover salmon from yesterday. After a second glance over the list of foods the wolves usually would eat, Ruby caught a side note about how they are usually more aggressive when food is involved, so it's unwise to approach them while feeding. That kept in mind, she laid a few bits of salmon and berries at the door before dashing behind her bed to watch.

The commotion attracted the black coated pup first, who began sniffing everything real close. Probably to determine if it's dangerous. As soon as he bit in, the albino-white pup came up and grabbed a grape, then the yellow-gray one jumped in between to nibble on the salmon.

Watching from the safety of her bed, Ruby starts thinking more about how to name her pups… The black coated pup looks and acts like one of the wolves from Mom's old stories, what with how it began shredding through the food once it gave an all clear, batting away the other two so it could eat more. What was his name…? Fe… Fen… Fenric? No that's not right…

"Fenrir." That's more like it. That'll be black-coat's name then, she decided before moving on.

The albino wolf acts a bit more reserved than its pack mates. It seemed content to simply feed off the berries that rolled away. Must be lower in the pack hierarchy? Ugh, add that to the list of things she needed to look up later. After it's had its fill of food, it trotted towards Ruby's hiding spot carefully. The little wolf didn't feel like it was exuding bad intentions, so she let it in, only to be surprised by how cold it felt to the touch. In fact, the white one matched the description of another wolf from Fenrir's legend.

"Hati." Ruby said aloud, stroking the admittedly cute wolf cuddling into her. Two named, one to go.

"So that leaves Sköll." The last wolf yipped at the sound of it's new name, bounding toward Ruby without the caution Hati had. It jumped up and into Ruby's arms where it lays down content. It even feels like Yang's semblance, vastly contrasting the colder than cold wolf cuddling against her legs.

Fenrir stayed at the food, living up to its namesake as the devourer. As it seemed to feel finished, it pushed the better scraps of salmon and berries toward Ruby, almost like an offering. Like thanks. Though she's full from dinner before her trip to the cliff, she picked up a few berries and ate them, anyway. Fenrir made a happy noise and climbed onto Ruby's bed, before patting it to signal Ruby get up.

"Come on Hati." She softly commands. Sköll still in arm, she hops into bed still dressed in her combat attire. Hati and Fenrir both snuggle into her sides, and help their alpha relax.

Incessant buzzing pulled Ruby from an oddly content nap. She yawned loudly, upset by the early morning light on her face. Another buzz draws her attention towards the nightstand.

Five missed messages.

What could Yang and Raika have wanted so early?

YXL - Ruby wake up before Raika does

Attached is a picture of the living room with three wolf pups cuddled together on the leather couch downstairs. Ruby groaned. She knew exactly what the problem was and didn't even bother to read the next few messages. Throwing the comforter off, she noted in the back of her mind she crashed in her combat outfit. Those wrinkles will be hard to get out.

With another yawn, she stepped off the stairs to a… shall we say strange image. Her stepmother—the blue haired, black soul'd she-devil that Dad still thinks was a good idea—is absolutely steaming and red with rage. Yang is doubled over laughing at something the short reaper can't see yet. Dad, predictably, is stood off to the side, torn between supporting his wife and laughing along with Yang.

Ruby raised a single eyebrow in question at Qrow, who had just emerged from the kitchen, a bowl of water in hand. Her uncle simply pointed at Raika's 'spot' on the couch where Fenrir stood atop a pillow, attempting to defend his perch from Sköll and Hati. Claws were clearly being thrown, but the couch had not been harmed. Fur flitted through the air before it landed along the length of the leathery battlefield of their playfight.

Another swat from Fenrir caused Hati to stumble and fall off. The albino wolf shook her head to rid the feeling of disorientation, and must've caught a glimpse of Ruby, cause as soon as she saw the red clad reaper she barked and ran up, her brothers not far behind. All three started yipping up from Ruby's heels, clearly wanting the love Ruby is far too willing to give them, as she crouched down.

"So Ruby," Qrow starts, which drew her attention from the wolves, "where did you find them?"

"Ummmm… In the woods?" Ruby replied questioningly, watching Qrow put down a bowl of water for the pups.

"Well obviously, I think he means where in the woods, Rubes." Yang managed between deep breaths, finally recovered from the pups play fighting on the couch.

"I dunno." Ruby shrugged her shoulders to emphasize her confusion as her voice slightly raised with nervousness and unease. "I was lost, heard them, and they brought me home."

"It doesn't matter where she got them! I just want them gone!" Raika shouted, earning a glare from Qrow and growls from the pups. She hardly flinched in response. Ruby can't help but feel her wolves are too cute for those growls to be effective for very a long time.

Qrow returns his attention to Ruby, "they brought you home? How would they have known?"

Ruby thinks about it for a bit, trying to rationalize what happened in her own head as well. "I don't know. I started walking where I thought was home, found them, and when I picked them up something told me home was the other way." Qrow hummed at the new information, before he turned the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"What are their names, Ruby? You found them, I can only guess you've named them already." Ruby lights back up, forgetting entirely about the earlier enigma.

"Well, the black one I named Fenrir," Ruby purposely ignored Yang's and Tai's flinch at the reminder of Summer's story, "because he ate everything I gave him. It only felt right to name the others from those stories too. It helped that this one," Ruby reached down to nuzzle Sköll's little head, "is really warm, and this little one," Ruby made sure Hati got the same affection to clarify who, "is freezing. So Sköll and Hati just fit." Ruby giggled as Sköll and Hati nuzzled into her, and Fenrir tried to act indignant about the fact he was only named as such because of his tendency to eat a lot, but the more he looked toward the pack huddle, the more he wanted to join. Eventually he shook his head and leapt towards Ruby, whom allowed the force to push her onto her back.

"You seem to have it under control," Tai spoke up, "why don't you raise them, Qrow?" Ruby's distress at the mere idea of separating seeped into the pups, causing them to curl against her. Hati and Sköll wine, while Fenrir got up on all fours to growl.

Seeing the beast raise in defense, Qrow lets out a faint chuckle. "No can do Tai, they seem to be Ruby's."

"Good two birds one stone, get rid of the mongrels and the girl!" Everybody sucked their breath in at Raika's harsh words, more shocked she said them out loud othan them actually having existed at all.

"Now that's too far!"

Seeing the turn of events, Ruby turned to her loyal defender and rubbed Fenrir's head a little as a surge of confidence scorched through her. Finally, she could be free of this hole. Finally, she could get actual training in with Qrow. The scene before her quickly changed from one of defense and hiding, to her being in power, an alpha in her own right.

"No she's right. I should go. It'll be easier on all of us, and besides, you can finally help me with Crescent Rose." Turning to Qrow, Ruby gave her most convincing smile as she stared her uncle down.

Sighing to control his anger, Qrow looked down at his favorite niece. "I feel neither of us should be the one to have final say in this Ruby, but considering what I just heard, I agree with you. Now, go pack up while I have a chat with your father."

Yang walked into her and Ruby's shared bedroom to find a veritable storm of rose petals that sparked from the girl's forced, sharp movements. Angry muttering could be heard from her mouth—certain words Yang could've sworn her sister wouldn't have been able to muster forth—calling Raika and Dad all sorts of names. The wolves followed close behind, seeing where Ruby stops, walking over, and repeating the process each time their 'mother' blinked across the room. Suddenly Ruby sat down on her bed, sighed, and flopped backwards.

"Ruby?" Yang called out, which received a priceless reaction from her sister, if she were only in the mood. As is, only a small smile shined through on the older's face, before it reverted back to something between shock, pride and anger. "I didn't think you had it in you, to just leave like that."

Ruby sighed and flopped backward once again, "I didn't either." A small silence flitted between the two sisters.

The brawler began wiping tears away from her eyes as she tried to figure out how to feel. "Just… Just stay in contact, okay? I don't want my baby sis growing up just yet."

Walking up to her sister, Ruby gave Yang the strongest hug she could manage, revealing how much she is shaking in panic over what all has happened. "I'll try not to sis."

Feeling the younger girl's tumultuous emotions, the wolves began circling the girls before curling up around Ruby, an action that brought comfort to the nervous wreck.

In a wash of confidence, Ruby squeezed Yang one last time before standing up. "I should finish packing though."

Snapping her arm out, Yang pulled the little girl back to her. "Don't leave me here…"

Ruby's hand halted its turning on the knob of the mahogany door at Tai's firm yet careful touch. "Ruby, I'm sorry for Raika, you know how she is," Tai chuckled, "sometimes she just needs… reminded… of the fact this is a family. So please don't go?"

"It's too late, Dad," was all that she said before the crimson clad girl—no, young woman—stepped into the field of alabaster, as a fresh snow covered the landscape yet again. Feeling her pack close behind, a hooded Ruby began her trek into town towards Qrow's apartment, anticipating everything that could come from this. Not everything is as bleak as it first appears, the caped-girl's optimism prevented her from being blind to the silver lining. Sure, she already missed Yang, but being able to keep her wolves—unofficially-officially her pups—and the training she can get from living with her uncle and mentor would make this all worth it.

Whatever it is.

Oh, and there is the satisfaction of hearing her old man kick that bitch out of the house. That was well worth it.