Welcome all, to Penumbra, a study in what might have happened following/during the events shown in the season finale of volume 3. Initially conceived as a minific prompted by Dishwasher's excellent artwork Wrath, this concept will branch out with continued stories of Badassery, hurt, comfort, and hopefully a bit of love to fill in the long hiatus to come. I hope you all enjoy, and please don't hesitate to critique me. This kind of writing is a far cry from the technical documents I usually prepare!

RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. To Miles, Kerry, all the voice actors, and assorted CRWBY, I thank you for all the blood and tears you've poured into your show. I can't begin to express the positive impact the show has had on me, personally. God speed, you glorious, evil bastards!

"They see you as small and helpless. They see you as just a child. Surprise, when they find that a warrior will soon run wild."

Cinder Fall stood at the top of Beacon Tower, looking down toward the last bulwark the "great" Ozpin could conjure.

"Do you believe in Destiny?" the girl breathed, voice trembling with exhaustion and pain.

Destiny? Of course she believed in Destiny. Salem, the Dark Lady herself, had chosen her as her representative in Vale. Above all others, she was to receive the stolen powers of Fall and call the Lady's Winged Ravager, Izhar, to his new home atop the lonely, infuriating spire.

The girl had fought well, she deserved an honest answer. As Cinder drew her bow for one final shot, she deadpanned.

"Yes"

As she watched the arrow find its mark, she felt an ecstatic chill flow through her body. Years of planning, all the time and effort had finally come to fruition. She walked slowly toward the dying warrior, pitying her final, agonized gasps. With a call to the spark within, she willed a merciful bolt to form in order to give her opponent a dignified death.

Except the power of Fall responded strangely. Instead of the familiar heat of her obsidian shard bolt, she felt the power rise with a warm, unnatural heat. Cinder struggled to make sense of her hand being drawn minutely toward the bronze halo adorning the girl's head. As her fingers brushed along the metal, the heat became an inferno, and Cinder watched, amused, as the girl dissolved into golden motes.

Same result either way, she supposed.

Turning toward Izhar the Ravager, she called out soothingly, "This is your home now. You-"

Her order died in her throat, interrupted by a agonized shout of rage emanating from across the blasted ruin of a tower. Cinder spun, expecting to be met by a desperate attack from some pathetic friend of the girl she had executed. She saw a familiar red-cloaked girl and watched as the scythe she carried fell from the tower as the girl cried and balled her fists in rage. Briefly, she smirked.

Until she felt it. The crimson huntress' aura pulsed like a clap of thunder caused by a bolt of lighting striking too close for comfort. As her feeling of triumph was burned away by the blinding light bursting from the reaper's eyes, she managed one final, desperate cry.

"WHAT?!"

Slowly the world came back into focus, and Cinder searched for her new found opponent, eyes scanning the blasted tower and the now petrified Izhar. Tornadic winds whipped around her as her eyes found the crimson form standing on the damaged Beacon crest. The Reaper's face appeared perfectly calm as she stood stoic at the center of the hurricane, one foot directly in front of the other mimicking the fencer stance favored by her white-haired partner. The wind Ruby conjured blew her cloak and hair out behind her as she stood resolute across from Cinder. Moonlight streamed from her eyes in flickering tails.

Only the lunar tears rolling down her cheeks stood testament to her rage.

As the Reaper began to walk toward her, Cinder stared and felt her stomach drop as the charge from the Reaper's aura began beating against her own reserves. She felt her own rage deepen, exclaiming, "HOW?! How do you have this much power?!"

The Crimson Reaper paused, as if thinking of a suitable reply. Cinder waited, letting her own powers build within in anticipation of the inevitable clash. Eventually the Lunar specter in front of her answered with a question.

"Do you know why wolves howl at the moon?" Ruby said, voice even and deep.

Cinder's eyes widened. "...What?"

"They howl in remembrance of those taken before their time. They howl to the realm of unbound souls, calling to loved ones forced from this realm before they had a chance to truly live. They howl to give hope to the sacrificed that their deaths were not in

vain... They howl so that lost, banished souls may rise from the shards and fight in this Remnant once more!"

Cinder watched in horror as the Reaper's spectral light flashed first silvery-red and then gold as it flowed like mercury down the girl's right arm. The liquid light jumped from her hand, forming an incandescent shaft while heavily booted feet began to rise off the ground. Soon the light completed the pole-arm, creating the shining, moonlit scythe now grasped firmly by calm hands.

For a brief moment before instinct kicked in, Cinder could only gape at the billowing form before her.

Cinder bellowed, "DIE!" as she released the power she had been storing as one single, impossibly-sharp shard bolt, which lanced forward with incredible speed. Cinder felt triumph build in her chest again, believing that no hunter alive could dodge a bolt traveling so quickly.

She was right. The Reaper didn't dodge.

As the bolt came within arm's reach, Ruby's left hand moved in an instant, shattering Cinder's bolt with conjured moonlight. Cinder half-gasped, only to to have the wind knocked out of her by a scythe blow from the suddenly in-range Ruby. She fell to her knees, reeling from the force of the blow. The Maiden summoned her blades and struck low-to-high at crimson legs in front of her, only for her swords to find nothing but empty air. She felt a metal heel strike her from behind and embed itself in her ribs. Bone cracked as Cinder flew sideways into a pile of ruined clockwork.

As she struggled to her feet, Cinder was greeted by the sight of the lupine storm that was Ruby Rose slowly stalking toward her, scythe held insultingly low and right. Cinder coughed and spit up blood. With a desperate cry, Cinder hurled herself point-first at the specter in front of her.

The Reaper didn't move. She watched, her white eyes fixed on Cinder's frantic golden yellow. The very moment before Cinder's obsidian blade struck her chest, Ruby's lips curved into a confident smirk as she flashed to the left.

Her perfect pirouette counter would have made Qrow proud.

As Ruby's lunar scythe connected with her right arm, Cinder felt a chill deeper than the darkest winter night envelop her. With widened eyes, she screamed in wordless agony, forced to watch her hand and forearm go sailing off the edge of the tower. Ruby's scythe handle caught her roughly as Cinder lost her footing, halting her fall with unyielding hard light. Her whole body trembling, Cinder felt the Reaper's head near her own, and trepidation filled her as she slowly turned her head to meet Ruby's moonlit gaze.

"That was for Yang," the Reaper whispered into her ear, and released her support.

Cinder collapsed, shaking and holding her ruined stump. She screamed, her voice high pitched and fearful, "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

The Red Reaper looked down into the once glowing eyes below her, and answered. "I am Remnant's wrath given form. I am the moonlight blade that cuts through all darkness", she responded, cold and aloof. Ruby pinned Cinder down with a booted foot as the false Maiden attempted to crawl away. "I am a reminder to the simple, honest people of this world that there is always light despite any shallow darkness you may summon." Ruby dug the haft of her scythe into Cinder's back. "To you, however, I am the white wolf come to avenge my pack with tooth and claw."

Ruby held out her left arm as a perch for the crow now circling above the two warriors. As the raven landed on her arm, she smiled and spoke once more.

"An omen for your future, Cinder Fall," she said, gesturing at the crow, and kicked Cinder hard toward the tower's edge.

Sliding to a stop mere feet from death, Cinder panicked. With animal strength alone, she crawled and scrambled away from the daemon hunting her and the edge it seemed so intent on throwing her off. She dug desperately in a pouch attached to her belt and found a small, cylindrical device. Eyes wide with terror at the slowly approaching white, black, and red woman, she quickly twisted the top of the device with her teeth.

A baleful red eye formed beneath her, swallowing her whole and leaving only Ruby behind.

Exhaustion took Ruby as she watched Cinder disappear. Before loosing consciousness, she heard one final thing.

"I gotcha, kiddo. I gotcha."