Running With the Wolves

"The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives." - Sansa Stark: Game of Thrones

Chapter 11

Oscar was not a fan of Mondays on a regular basis. Monday meant the start of a new school weak and that weekend homework that had been forgotten was due. Monday after Homecoming? It managed to be even worse by making you overly exhausted on top of forgetting homework at the start of the new week. Oscar had spent all morning trying to complete the Cell Organelle chart for Ozpin's class before the hour started. He had meant to complete the assignment on Sunday, however, he found himself wandering the woods instead to avoid his aunt and her prying questions about the dance.

Recently, he had started to see a rather large dog wandering around the woods. The first time he saw the wolf had been after a hard day at school. It was his first day when the bullying started, and he was having a hard time that day. Jaune was stuck in his own head and so he didn't really have anyone to talk to. Everyone in his grade thought he was weird and couldn't understand half of the world out of his mouth. As a result, he was an easy target for Cardin.

The bully had made his status in Oscar's life very clear and the poor kid would have a miserable freshmen year of high school. That day had been particularly had. He had been locked in his locker until the janitor had finally heard him and let him out of the locker. Oscar hated to admit he was crying, but he didn't want to go home right away. Instead, he found himself in the woods as he nursed his wounded pride.

The dog had been large with a reddish black coat. Oscar wasn't sure the breed but it seemed friendly enough. They stayed with him the whole time he was in the woods. Since then whenever Oscar was in the woods he kept an eye out for the stray. Sometimes he saw them in the distance, but they didn't come over. That weekend he didn't see the dog at all and while it was a little disappointing (He had bought treats for them) he shrugged and when home at night, only to completely forget about his homework.

The lead to Oscar's current predicament as he now glared at the last little organelle on the sheet that he couldn't figure out. It was mocking him as if reminding him that if he was looking at his textbook at home he would have this all figured out already.

"What'cha doing Oscar?"

"Nothing Ruby just trying to figure out this last question," Oscar answered before suddenly his lungs forgot how to inflate with air. His head shot up as he looked at Ruby, her silver eyes wide and excited. "RUBY! You're talking to me!"

"Uh yeah," Ruby said with a giggled as she sat backward in her chair. "We are friends after all."

Friends? Friends? Oscar felt giddy and bouncy in his seat at the words. Did she see him as a friend? He wasn't just some kid in her class? However, a little part of his brain that wanted to ruin the mood reminded him that it meant she probably didn't see him as anything more but he pushed that part back. He would take what he could get.

"Also, that's the mitochondria."

Ok, maybe he still shouldn't procrastinate on his homework that much.

…

Ruby sat in biology class that day bored out of her mind. The weekend had been fun sure, but she was too busy worrying about her new packmates to be focused on how the weekend went exactly. She was particularly worried about how they would manage to keep their instincts in check. Pyrrha, in particular, had started to show some pretty irregular emotional reasonings. Nora was pretty easy, don't touch Ren and she was perfectly happy. Pyrrha was different. She had decided on someone to protect who didn't necessarily want to be theirs.

Ruby had remembered uncle Qrow explaining the urge to find someone to protect, but she never had really paid attention. Romance or anything was never her top priority. Her family was all she needed for forever. And, currently, it was still the same.

"Now class, remember I want you all to have partnered for the science fair at the end of the semester," Ozpin said as his eyes scanned around the room of younger high school students. His eyes paused on Ruby. Or Oscar, she really couldn't tell. "And I expect to be impressed by your class. So be vigilant and choose wisely."

Just as he finished the bell rang for the day and Ruby shot up from her seat to try and get her stuff together quickly. She hated history, but if she was even a few seconds late Oobleck was going to give her a third late-slip and that would mean a detention. She really didn't need to explain to her father why she got a detention.

"Headed to history?" Oscar asked, trailing quickly behind Ruby as she was walking out the door of the classroom.

"Yeah, you have PE with Port next right?"

"Yeah, but it's on my way so I was wondering if you wanted to be my partner for the science fair?"

"Sure," Ruby didn't even bat an eyelash when Oscar asked the question. She kind of assumed it would happen since they really only talked to each other in the class. Oscar lit up like the fourth of July though when she agreed. It was so cute she had to fight off the urge to squeal.

"Then if it's alright with you, can we exchange numbers?"

"Yeah, find me during lunch and I'll give it to you," Ruby said with a smile. She almost couldn't believe they didn't have each other's numbers already.

"Cool," Oscar said and they finally reached their split-off point. "I'll see you at lunch then."

"See you," Ruby said and she walked down the hall with a little bit more of a skip in her step then she previously had.

…

Ozpin sat in his classroom during his lunch break as usual but today he was particularly troubled. His coffee, usually gone by now, sat untouched on its coaster while his fingers laced together in front of his face and he eyed the screen in front of him. The outline of the woman on the screen was troubling enough, but the company of three other's youths was enough to make his stomach turn.

"Everything alright Ozpin?" Ozpin peaked up through his bangs at Glynda Goodwitch who stood in his doorway with worried eyes.

"We need to get Ironwood on the phone," Ozpin stated as he looked out the window. He could see Ruby Rose and Oscar Pine, eating lunch with a few friends—the two texting each other while talking to the others. "Qrow's pack isn't going to be enough anymore."

And Oscar isn't ready yet.

BRK: Sorry, it's been a while. My weekends were too hectic for a while but I'm back now... just three weeks before school starts. Have some fluff for these trying times.