"Did you know that we're split into generations?"

"We are?" This was the first Weiss had ever heard of it.

"Yes." Hayden sipped his juice. "Each generation of Hunters is given a specific moniker to describe their characteristics."

"Really? What's ours?" Yang asked, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"The Heroes Generation." Galath replied. "The Warriors that fought for justice and goodness during the Battle of Beacon."

"Very romantic then." Hayden grinned at Yang. "Right princess?"

"I'm pretty sure you'd be the princess in our story babe." Yang pecked Hayden on the cheek. "Plus, I took out a lot more Grimm than you did."

"True."

"So, what was Winter's generation called?" Weiss asked, trying to act casual.

"The Golden Generation." Hayden sipped his drink. "Winter Schnee. Cassian Gray. Erebus Throne-"

Galath tensed at the mention of the last name.

"-and the ill-fated Team DDRG. The generation thought to be blessed with the ability to bring about a golden age for humanity."

"Very different from the Beast Generation." Yang said, eliciting a snort from Hayden.

"Yeah, those guys were something else."

"The Beast Generation?" Weiss wondered why she'd never heard of these monikers before. Probably because they were unofficial. "Who are they?"

"Also known as the Worst Generation." Galath explained. "The generation famous for producing hunters of immeasurable power, but horrible personalities. Many of them didn't become hunters, instead pursuing other careers which may not be the...respectable."

"Ferris and Fenris Iscariot's generation." Yang looked at Weiss, trying to see any reaction to the names and the implied criticism. "The members from Beacon included Heylel and Scathath."

Now those were names Weiss recognised.

"Heylel de Luc? The [Peerless Knight of Remnant]?"

"Yes." Galath tore a piece of bread in half and dipped it into a plate of oil. "And the [Shadow Goddess] Scathath Walwein."

"But didn't those two become respectable hunters?"

"They did. For a while." Hayden replied. "But during an important expedition they suddenly disappeared."

"The Crimson Forest Expedition?" Weiss remembered seeing reports on it. The SDC had significant stakes in that expedition, due to the large amounts of dust discovered in the said forest. "It was a success though."

"Yes, and that was due to Scathath and Heylel. But there is no question that they disappeared for no apparent reason. Desertion is desertion, regardless if it had no negative consequences."

"So where are they now?"

"That's the big question." Hayden leaned back in his chair. "Rumor is they opened a village somewhere in the Mistralian Forests, where Hunters can go to rest and escape from the world."

"Sounds like a resort."

"It is, especially since none of the four kingdoms have any jurisdiction in it. It's an autonomous region directly under Heylel and Scathath's administartion and protection. And no kingdom wants to mess with those two."

"So in other words, it's a place to disappear to."

"Exactly." Hayden placed his empty drink onto the table. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if people went there in secret and were later assumed dead."

"I always thought Camelot was a myth." Cassian muttered. He and Ferris were currently trekking deep within the Mistralian forests. Cassian held a map in one hand, with the location of Frost Schnee marked in black marker. A route to the location was marked in red, with a list of instruction scribbled at random intervals. "I mean, I always heard it was here somewhere, but-"

"You never bothered to check it out? Yeah that's kinda the point." Ferris took a sip from his waterskin. "I'm pretty sure it's one of those 'open secrets'."

"So everyone knows where it is?"

"Not exactly. Everyone knows that this territory is under Heylel's jurisdiction. And that Camelot is rumored to be here somewhere. A secret hidden in the open, I suppose."

"So Erebus' information is valuable."

"Super valuable. Even the SDC doesn't know exactly where Camelot is. The crazy Grimm that roam the forest, along with the weird interference that covers the region makes remote scouting impossible. Sending an expedition team into this place would be suicide. So a set of instructions describing the only safe route to the bloody place is infinitely valuable."

"How the hell does anyone get here in the first place then?"

"Hell if I know. I don't know anyone who's been and returned."

"Really? You don't? Despite all the secret operations and stuff?"

"Your black operations file is just as large as mine."

"That is...a fair point."

"So, how far are we from-yah!" Ferris yelled as the ground broke under his foot, sending him tumbling down a hole.

Cassian, moving like lightning, drew Damocles and deflected the projectile fired right at his face.

"Come out!" Cassian shouted, holding his blade in the air. His eyes darted around, trying to locate the attacker. "I know you're there!"

"I'm OK!" Ferris shouted. "But damn, this is a deep hole."

"Keep your guard up Ferris." Cassian slowly rotated his sword. "We're under attack."

"Well unless they're planning to attack me in this hole-" Out of the corner of his eye, Cassian saw something fly into the hole. "-I think I'll be fine-woah!?"

The explosion caused Cassian to temporarily lose his footing, just as another projectile homed in on his face.

Twisting, Cassian dodged the attack before slashing the air with Damocles. The aura wave cut deep into a tree, but failed to strike his assailant.

"Ferris! Status!?"

"Uninjured!" Ferris responded. "Though a bit shaken up."

"Well get the hell up here and help me locate the attacker!"

"Give me a second." A moment later, a shriek of pain tore through the forest. In the next, something fell from the tree behind Cassian. "There we go."

"Wait, what-" Cassian watched as Ferris climbed out of the hole and dusted himself off. "What did you-"

"Oh I knew we were being tracked three kilometers ago." Ferris replied, showing Cassian the numerous wires extending out of his weapon. "I was just waiting to see if they were harmful or not."

"And you didn't think to mention this to me?"

"I thought you'd noticed." Ferris pulled on the wire, eliciting a curse from the lump. "Though this one was very difficult to snare."

In the next instant, both Cassian and Ferris' hands blurred.

Cassian effortlessly caught the projectile, while Ferris slashed it into bits with a wire. Neither one of them seemed perturbed by the sneak attack, having expected one.

"An arrow?" Cassian muttered, observing the weapon. "So you didn't disarm our attacker."

"No I invaded their nervous system with the string." Ferris twitched his finger, causing their attacker to shake. "Any sort of movement should cause mind-numbing pain."

"Then this person is rather impressive then." Cassian went over to their attacker, his body language indicating his readiness to intercept any more attacks. "Let's see who we're dealing with."

Bending over, Cassian pushed the lump over, revealing a black haired woman staring at him with hate-filled amber eyes.

"Hello there." Cassian said, giving the woman a smile. "Care to tell me why you were following us?"

The woman's answer was to spit in Cassian's face.

"Oh boy." Ferris let out a sigh. "This is going to be a pain in the ass."

"I think the date went well." Galath said, giving Weiss a peck on the cheek. It was the morning after their double date, and the two were back in her apartment. "Don't you agree?"

"Mmm…" Weiss hummed, her head resting in the nape of Galath's neck. "I guess."

Galath played with Weiss' hair, softly straightening it with his hands. It was an act that the both of them enjoyed, a physical representation of the bond they shared. To them, the time they spent doing this was incredibly intimate.

"Weiss...when can I meet your family?" Galath felt Weiss' body stiffen. "I...see."

"...Galath, you know what my grandfather is like." Weiss pressed herself closer to her boyfriend. "He's difficult."

"I know but-"

"Oh!" Weiss' eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. "But you may get to meet Winter soon!"

"Really?" Galath knew about Weiss' older sister, seeing as both her immense strength as well as her romance with Cassian Gray were legendary. But he had never met the woman.

"Really." Weiss smiled, sensing that Galath was a bit happier now. "She's very interested in meeting you."

"I look forward to that."

The silence returned again, though the atmosphere was noticeably less tense than before.

"How about your mother then? May I meet her as well?" Galath asked, not realising the weight behind his question.

It was only when Weiss began to convulse that he realised he'd said something very, very wrong.

"Scathath." Heylel muttered, his attention drifting from the fishing rod in his hands. He was currently sitting on the edge of a pier that extended a good one hundred meters into the centre of a large lake. "You sensed that yes?"

"Yeah." Scathath Walwein, a gorgeous woman with carnelian hair, looked up from polishing her spear. She was seated in the shade of a small shack nearby. "Two-no three individuals with significant aura levels."

"The first one has been prowling around here for a while, no doubt trying to find the pathway.." Heylel glanced at his scroll, which remained asleep. "The second one seems familiar. But the third...I don't recognise it."

"Will you deal with it?" Scathath gripped her spear, Stygian Halation. It was dark gray, with black cracks running through it. As Heylel watched, white light began glowing through the cracks. An ominous sound filled the air, almost as if the spear itself was singing. "If you don't, I will."

"..." Heylel was silent for a moment. "...I think it may be best to leave them be for now."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I am curious who those two are." Heylel's attention returned to his fishing rod. "And regardless of what happens, I can deal with it."

The moment those words left Heylel's mouth, everything around him began to shake violently. Air, earth, water, nothing was spared from Heylel's show of power.

"This is completely unnecessary." Scathath muttered, rolling her eyes. "Stop showing off."

And in an instant, it was over.

"Sorry." Heylel said, letting out a small laugh. "I couldn't help but have some fun."

"Well, you scared off all the fish."

"Damn it!"

"Well that was rude." Cassian muttered, wiping the spit of his face. "I thought I was being polite."

"Cut her some slack." Ferris said, walking over so he stood next to Cassian. "I did invade her nervous system. I would be pissed as well if I was in her situation too."

"I suppose." Cassian looked at the woman lying on the ground. "Though...don't you think she looks kinda familiar?"

"Hmm?" Ferris gave the woman a look over. "Actually, now that you mention it, she sorta resembles that crazy White Fang member we called Ghost. You know, the one who used arrows?"

"That's right! I knew I'd seen that face somewhere." Cassian leaned down so that he was looking the woman right in the eye. "Ghost. The unstoppable assassin who murdered several high-profile government officials in an attempt to destabilise the Mistral government, she was supposedly killed in a joint task force raid."

"Guess they screwed up." Ferris sighed. "Not surprising, considering how powerful she was."

"So then, what's she doing in the middle of the Mistralian forest?"

"More importantly, why did she try to kill us?"

"Maybe cause we killed a lot of her allies?"

"Fair enough." Cassian turned his attention back to the woman. "So, are you out for revenge?"

"..."

"Not much of a talker are you."

"..." The woman rolled her eyes. "..."

"...Ferris."

"Hmm?"

"Is her mouth still paralyzed?"

"Oh. Did you want me to undo it?"

"Yes."

"Sorry." With a twitch of a finger, Ferris undid the bindings on the woman's mouth. "Kay, she should be able to talk now."

"Now then, let's start from the beginning-" Cassian's eyes widened as the woman spat something out of her mouth. Only his well-honed reflexes allowed him to dodge the needle that had been aimed at his eye. "Sweet Oum!"

"Woah…" Ferris let out a low whistle. "She's tenacious, to say the least."

"She nearly killed me." Cassian checked to see if the needle had grazed him. Luckily, it hadn't. "Was that really necessary?"

"No, but it made me feel better." The woman replied. Her voice was low, sultry even. "I knew you'd dodge it."

"So Ms. Ghost." Ferris smiled. "Why were you following Cassian and I?"

"I want to go to Camelot." Ghost replied. "Take me with you."

"You just tried to kill us and now you want us to co-operate?" Cassian let out a low chuckle. It wasn't a humorous one. "You must be crazy."

"I am." Ghost glared at Cassian. "But I must find my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Ferris and Cassian shared a look. "She's in Camelot?"

"I don't know." Ghost admitted. "But someone there knows where she is."

"Is that so." Cassian looked at Ferris. "What do you think?"

"I'm just here for the ride. It's your call."

"...do you promise not to attack us?"

"I do."

"Very well." Cassian nodded to Ferris, who flicked his wrist. "Now then, what's your real name?"

"Cheshire." The woman known as Ghost replied, as she stretched her muscles. As she did, a black cat's tail suddenly popped out from behind her back, having been hidden underneath her cloak. "Cheshire Belladonna."

Well my laptop is finally fixed~

And now you know why this story is called Lost Snow! (Cause Schnee means snow in German and Winter and Weiss' mother is a Schnee-yeah I think you get it.)

Review what you think!

Ferris