Authors Note: This is probably going to be quite a long story. With that said, read and make your own opinions. :3

There was a faint breeze blowing through the trees, barely enough to unsettle the leaves. It was almost the middle of summer, and heat was an issue on this cloudless day, pushing the majority of the creatures of the forest into the shade. It also meant anyone traversing these trees would inevitably make a lot of noise, for the ground was scattered with various rocks, branches and plants. It'd be impossible to move without a sound, and yet someone was.

Each footfall was expertly placed to avoid any conspicuous noise, yet attention was not focused on being silent. She was completely absorbed in one of the few things she enjoyed, a book. Absent-mindedly weaving between trunks as though it were second nature, Blake Belladonna was utterly engrossed with her reading. Pathfinding was almost instinctive for her, and so was awareness. She knew she was being followed, but she made no attempt to alter her behaviour to suit. She merely continued on her winding way, occasionally stopping for a brief second to take in her surroundings. Whoever was behind her was most likely unaware of her observational talents, and therefore assuming she was as perceptive as the average person.

It took her a moment to form a makeshift schedule, she was due for class in an hour. First, she would spend a leisurely 10 minutes or so reading, and then confront her pursuer through the best means she had; stealth. Relaying her plans in her mind, she would announce her destination seemingly to herself, and then unintentionally lose her tail.

Whoever it was would automatically head to where she had intended to go, and Blake knew that fact full well. She would get there her own way, and position herself in such a manner that she could pinpoint her pursuers hiding spot and set herself up accordingly. It would almost be fun, if she found being tailed enjoyable.

She arrived at a small clearing, ringed by various shrubs and bushes, and stood dead center in the middle of it. Closing her book with one hand, she stood still for a second. Sighing with false displeasure at her time constraints, she muttered just loud enough for her watcher to hear. "Well, I suppose I'd better start heading back. Maybe take the mountain path this time. The sooner I'm done with classes today the better."

And with that, she continued on her way, the tiniest of smirks dancing across her face as she heard a slight rustling back to her left, far too hushed to be anything threatening, yet far too large to be something that wasn't a human. It was time to act.

Blake scouted the area ahead for potential places where she could slip away undetected, and settled on a cluster of ferns between two average sized tree-trunks. The fronds were easily as tall as she was, so once through them vanishing from sight would be easy. She would wait for the inevitable 'loss', and stealthily make her way to the foot of the path at the bottom of the cliff-face overlooking the forest, well before her mystery follower would arrive.

She spent much of her time in the trees, agility was one of her fortes, along with imperceptible reflexes and a calculating mind. She performed the action flawlessly, and heard the unmistakable sound of stifled cursing. She took several moments to listen for any signs of company, and once satisfied she was alone, she began to make her way back with a purposeful speed. The branches hardly bent under her weight, as she was experienced in weight management. It wouldn't have been a very good idea to advertise her presence to the various Grimm that inhabited the area.

While moving eerily quietly from treetop to treetop, her mind began to wander back into her books. They gave her the freedom to imagine whatever she wanted, to immerse herself in the world that someone else had created. She felt like a part of it, even if she was only an observer. They brought her happiness, and that was a rare thing to have.

It didn't take long for Blake to arrive at her destination, and she was confident she had ample time to set herself up in an optimal position before company arrived. The area was largely enclosed, with little light reaching through the gaps in the leaves to the forest floor. It was shaded, and darkness was her friend. She knew exactly how to react to it, that it gave her a safe haven and a large advantage.

It took her a moment to get into position, perched on a fork between two branches, with her back brushing against the old wood. She had a superb viewpoint from here, as the leaves below her would shelter her from below, and the natural openings in the foliage allowed her to survey a large amount of the immediate area at once. It was silent again, the wind had died. No matter how skilled, whoever came here would make their presence known, intentional or otherwise. Blake was sure of it.

While waiting, she contemplated the possibilities. Just who would have reason to follow her? Attempt to hide themselves from her? Ruby was far too inexperienced in the stealth field for that. Blake highly doubted that Weiss would attempt to make conversation, let alone tail her through a forest in her own free time. She most likely had far more important things to be doing. No, neither of those. She had watched the entirety of JNPR make their way towards combat practice before she left, and that only left one person.

Yang was certainly not the best at subtlety, but neither was she the embodiment of loud. Sure, she was a very open and outward person, and she had a tendency to act on impulse, but never just because she could. Blake settled somewhat on the assumption that Yang would be the most likely suspect. Assuming such, what would she be doing? There was no fathomable reason for her to be hiding from her partner, so why would she be acting this way?

Blake was pulled from her thoughts by a movement in her peripheral vision. Almost right on cue, she caught a shadowy figure in the corner of her eye, walking very slowly and very quietly towards the beginning of the path, where grass gave way to dirt and rock.

Whoever it was, they were not too conspicuous. They also took to the shelter of the upper branches before Blake could pinpoint their appearance. They resided in an undersized, fairly young tree some distance from the rockface. The forest resumed behind them, while open ground surrounded their front.

Blake silently slid down to the ground, then half-crouched, half-ran in a wide arc around the back of the area, paying extra attention to the various objects littering the ground that could betray her position. Nothing calmed Blake more than dead silence. She found tranquility in the lack of noise. It soothed her. She paused briefly to grasp a small stone, half the size of her fist. She held onto it firmly in her left hand, and gently pressed herself against one of the boulders that lay half buried into the earth.

The ambusher was just ahead of her, and was about to become the ambushed. She gently threw the stone in a low arc, watching with held breath as it sailed through the air, making a muffled whump as it made impact with the grass. Immediately, the foliage above her rustled, attention had been focused on her distraction.

She took her chance and scaled the trunk, making as little noise as she could. Within seconds she had placed herself directly back and to the right of her pursuer, they were perched precariously on an already bending branch, only just thick enough to support their weight. Blake silently took Gambol Shroud from her back and withdrew the katana from within. She positioned it according to the angle of the wood that was slowly buckling, and swung upwards in one clean motion.

A very audible crack tore through the silence, followed immediately by a loud thud, as Blake retreated to the left of her previous position, utilizing an opening in the branches to gain a clear view of her quarry. She was looking at the back of someone, of a moderate size and build, most likely female from the way they righted themselves. And certainly someone who was quick to act, for no sooner had they stood were they sprinting towards the lonely pathway, either startled or embarrassed; Blake could not tell which.

They moved with purpose, but the instant they bolted into the sunlight, Blake knew who had attempted to tail her. But not why. It begged the question, and she would find out in her own time. She slid down effortlessly back to the dirt, and spent a relaxing five minutes sitting at the base of the tree. She pondered her options and possibilities.

She was gently reminded of more pressing matters, as she tilted her head gently at a faint tapping sound. It was gradually followed by another, then another, in rising pace. She glanced upwards, and noticed a bank of dull grey cloud had rolled in overhead. As much as she would've loved to remain where she was, to listen to the harmony of rainfall, the path would become treacherous very quickly. The rain would, and regularly did dislodge loose rocks from their dirt holdings. She had no choice but to make her way back to Beacon.

Sighing with slight reluctance to leave one of her favourite pastimes, she rose to her feet and began scaling the winding trail with haste. She was by no means rushing, but she wasn't about to linger when her climb was getting more risky by the second. As she rose above the canopy of the forest and approached the roof of the stone cliff, she considered a thought. "How do you hide something where nobody will find it?"