It was Yang who led the small group of Huntsmen into the woods a week after the attack. The party consisted of her, Weiss, Xavier, Ren, and Nora. All had their blades sharp and partially out of their sheaths. Today, they would be hunting werewolves.
The unauthorized hunt had been Xavier's suggestion. He had guessed correctly that such an excursion would help bring Yang and Weiss out of the depression they had fallen into. One more day of listening to Weiss's quiet whispers of "I never told her. I can't believe I never told her." would have driven any of them to tears, and Yang's quiet, dead-eyed expression desperately needed the excitement and vengeance that a hunt would bring.
It wouldn't bring Ruby and Blake back, but it would at least grant their souls some satisfaction.
Ren took the lead once they were out of the village. He had always been the second best tracker out of all of them. After Blake's death, he became the best overall.
They followed him for an hour before he slowed down, finally spotting something. He knelt in the grass, eying the slightly-damp ground. "Deer tracks," he muttered. "They go for a little while before suddenly turning. They started running, as if they were spooked by something."
"Werewolves or Grimm?" Xavier asked, glancing around apprehensively. While Huntsmen were trained to fight both Grimm and cursed beasts of the wild, it was generally an easier fight when facing ordinary beasts. Grimm could kill a band of Huntsmen in a heartbeat.
If a Beowolf Leader was involved, the survivors of a battle would likely become werewolves. Only a scratch from that specific monster was enough to transform any human or Faunus. The werewolves were a cursed blend between the civilized world and the godless realm of the Grimm. They were an unholy mix of the two, and everyone knew that they had to be killed just as surely as any other creature of the night.
A quick inspection of some brambles revealed tufts of fur. "Werewolves," Ren replied. "Though we should be on the lookout for any Grimm." With the lingering sadness they were all feeling, any Grimm in the area would likely be attracted to them.
"I packed several vials of Dust for each of us," Weiss spoke up, her hollow voice containing some of its former spirit. "Since the ground is wet, I thought it would be safe enough for Fire Dust." She quickly passed out the tiny vials, which were immediately tucked into their pockets. Dust gave Huntsmen an edge against Grimm. More importantly, the slightest amount was lethal to werewolves.
The group fell into formation with Ren and Yang taking point, Xavier and Weiss flanking on either side, and Nora keeping an eye behind them. As they walked, they keenly felt the absence of their friends. Blake was usually on point with Yang. Ren would flank with Xavier, and Ruby would keep an eye on the rear while Nora flanked alongside Weiss.
After a few more minutes, Ren noticed more fur. "They were heading North." He checked the ground. "Strange. The ones we tracked after the attack went more to the East."
If that was the case, these weren't the ones that had attacked the village. Not that that mattered. They'd have to die, anyway.
As that thought went through his head, Xavier felt a familiar pang as a memory from his childhood surfaced. He remembered that night when he had let a werewolf pup go free. He remembered the intelligence that had been in the creature's gaze and the way it had nodded its head in response to his demand that it not attack Vale. Had the beast kept its word, or had it been partially responsible for the deaths of Ruby, Blake, and countless others?
If it did kill them, he thought grimly. I won't make the same mistake twice.
Eventually, they reached a torn-up deer carcass. Ren wrinkled his nose. "This has been here a few hours. They're pretty far ahead."
"Should we turn back?" Xavier asked. "They usually run pretty fast after a hunt. We might not catch them, even if they're in their human forms now."
"That's probably best," Ren sighed. "We shouldn't wander too far from the village."
"Can we at least find some Grimm to kill?" Yang asked, clenching her hand over her sword's hilt. "I'd like to fight something today."
"We could try the clearing," Xavier suggested, suppressing a sigh of resignation. Truthfully, he would have preferred to go home. If they couldn't get revenge on the beasts that had killed Ruby and Blake, what was the point in looking for another fight? But, he could tell that the others, especially Yang, needed this.
"Good idea," Nora said. "There's usually a Boarbatusk or two there."
The group fell back into formation as they approached the clearing. They heard the Grimm before they saw them. To everyone's relief, there were no Beowolves, only a few Boarbatusks, which they made short work of. Yang personally gouged three with her blade and punched a few of them in the face with her special spiked gauntlets, stunning them so that the others could get some hits in.
Afterward, they walked back. The usual exhilaration that came after a battle was muted, and the excited banter that normally would have followed such a fight was entirely absent. They focused on their formation and keeping an eye out for more monsters, some of them hoping that more would appear.
As they reached the border of town, they met a patrol of Huntsmen led by Yatsuhashi. Though their excursion had technically been forbidden, he only nodded once at them before leading his group out.
Xavier watched them go. "The Elders should be letting him focus on rebuilding his and Velvet's house," he muttered, shaking his head. "Actually, they should be doing it for him. It's their stupid anti-Faunus talk that caused Cardin and the others to burn those houses."
Yang huffed. "Since when have the Elders given a damn about the Faunus? If Ruby hadn't been killed along with Blake, they probably would've brushed over the whole thing or used it as an excuse to preach some anti-Faunus propaganda."
Weiss averted her eyes. Her own father was in the Council of Elders, and was one of the most outspoken against the Faunus population.
Noticing her friend's expression, Yang quickly softened. "Sorry, Weiss. I know you're taking this hard." She didn't voice the other thought in her mind: that Blake and Ruby might have stood a chance if the Faunus district of Vale had been given more protection.
Weiss nodded in acknowledgement, her eyes still on the town. "I think…I'm going to visit my sister."
"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Xavier asked.
"No. I'm fine. Thank you all for taking me on the hunt. It helped. Somewhat." Weiss nodded at the group before walking toward town.
Xavier watched her go, frowning slightly. His frown deepened when Yang said goodbye and made a beeline for the nearest pub. He looked at Ren and Nora, who both shrugged wordlessly. Xavier sighed. "I wish we could do more to help them."
"People find comfort where they can," Ren rationalized. "Yang takes comfort in doing things that keep her from thinking about her feelings, while Weiss takes comfort in her sister and the Church."
"You can't pray and drink your life away, though!" Nora protested before pausing thoughtfully. "Wait…You probably can, huh?"
"I say we let them do whatever works for now," Xavier said. "Let's see if they get better on their own. If it gets to be too obsessive, or life-threatening in Yang's case, we'll try talking to them. For now, as long as they can hunt, there's no real issue."
"Still, one of us should accompany Yang to make sure she gets home safely," Ren pointed out. "Strong as she is, I'd feel better if she had company while intoxicated."
"I'll take care of her," Nora immediately said. "I think I have the best chance of carrying her home if she gets drunk enough. You guys should head home."
Xavier and Ren looked at each other and nodded. "Be careful, Nora," Ren warned. "And don't walk home alone. I'll come over to Yang's house if you're still not home after dark. Wait for me there."
"Okay, 'Dad.' Anything else?" Nora drawled sarcastically. "Come on, Ren. I'd be more worried about you walking home alone at night." She tapped her friend playfully on the nose before walking off in the direction of the pub.
When she opened the door, she was immediately aware of the loud, boisterous talking coming from the bar. At the center of it all was Yang, who seemed to be in a drinking contest with the burly man next to her. She was already halfway through what looked like her third tankard of mead.
Nora groaned and rolled her eyes. This is gonna be a long night…and it's only the afternoon.