Chapter 3
The dromedon seemed like they were easy to take down, not that Yang could say anything.
Ruby cut the head off of one before it could even charge up its spit, sending it to the ground, and it disintegrated into dust a couple of seconds later.
Weiss conjured black glyphs under two of the approaching dromedon, freezing them in place. Blake launched herself at the grimm, dodging their acidic spit as she did. She dug her sword into the head of one of them, and Weiss summoned an ice spike to kill the other.
But that still left one more. And it was coming straight for Yang.
She didn’t know why, but for some reason, every muscle in her body felt frozen. She couldn’t move; she couldn’t look away. All she could do was stare at the grimm as it got closer and closer.
“Yang!” Blake cried out, her eyes going wide in fear. But Yang could barely register her. All she could focus on was the grimm coming at her.
Yang tried to move. She really did. Come on, move! She thought to herself. But she was still standing there, frozen to her spot. She thought she was done until a bright silver light flooded her vision. And suddenly, the dromedon wasn’t there anymore.
Whatever had been stopping Yang from moving suddenly disappeared, and she stumbled back. But she could barely bring her thoughts together when a big red blur ran into her.
“Yang!” Ruby shouted, looking over her, worriedly, “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I-I don’t know,” Yang replied, shaking her head and trying to clear her head even a little bit. “I just… froze.”
“We could see that. But is there any reason as to why you froze?” Weiss asked as she walked over, Blake not far behind.
Yang shook her head again, this time doing it in reply. “I don’t know. When I went to dodge, it was like every muscle in my body decided not to listen to me.” She shivered at the memory.
Blake looked over Yang for any sign of injuries, carefully avoiding touching her hair. Once she seemed satisfied that Yang didn’t have any major injuries, she stepped back.
She didn’t even make eye contact with me.What if she’s disappointed in me? Yang pushed the thought to the back of her mind, taking a step back from everyone.
“Don’t worry, guys, I’m fine now. Let’s focus on finding th-” Yang started but was cut off by the sound of something flying at them.
They all turned to look at the noise, and Ruby cheered once they could see what, or who, it was.
“Penny! They found us!” Ruby cheered, backing up as Penny landed in front of them.
“Salutations!” Penny greeted, a bright smile on her face, “We couldn’t reach you on your scrolls, so I flew around to see if I could find you.”
“We’re glad you did! I don’t know what we would have done if you didn’t.” Ruby said, running up and hugging Penny once she had fully landed.
“Agreed. Thank you, Penny.” Weiss came up and joined the hug, a small smile on her face.
Penny hugged them back tightly, lifting them off the ground in the process. “You’re welcome!” She set them down, not noticing how Weiss and Ruby struggled for breath. “We should probably get back to the others now. They’re all worried about you.”
Ruby nodded, finally catching her breath. “Yeah. Lead the way, Penny!”
Penny turned back towards where she came and started to walk back. “This way, everyone!”
Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other for a moment before following her. They had matching smiles on their faces.
Blake walked after them, only looking back at Yang to make sure she was following them as well.
Yang waited for a second before following them as well. She drifted back into her thoughts.
What was up with me back there? Why did I freeze up like that? That was so weird. Yang kept her eyes on the ground. I couldn’t even defend myself. Or even get out of the way. What's wrong with me?
Something flashed in the corner of Yang’s eye, and she turned her head to look at it. A black raven sat on the sand a few feet in front of her. Watching her. Yang blinked, and it was gone.
Shivers went down Yang’s spine. What was that? It looked like… She shot that thought down quickly, focusing on the ground beneath her feet again. It was probably just a shadow. That’s all.
Then why did it feel like something else?