ARC 1, PART 3: Outside Dona

Adonna wouldn't let Davy out of her sight so as to hold him to his promise.

So,

It was left to Klein to locate Davy's contact within Dona. It didn't take long for him to knock on the back-alley door Davy addressed him to.

Someone slid open the mail slot of the rusty iron door. "State your business!" Demanded the stern voice at the other side.

Klein gulped a deep breath so he wouldn't stutter. "Looking for Stally Raja."

"Ain't no Stally Raja in here. Piss off!" The mail slot was rammed shut.

Klein banged the door again. It slid open again.

"Please. He did business with an individual named Davy days ago. Supposed to have been back today. We are in need of his services once again."

"Ain't no Stally in here! If there were, he'd need full down payment to know you're not with Constabularies or individuals that may wish him harm. 3000 Meridian Notes."

"What? 3000? Why not ask for double since we're being outright reasonable?"

"Great idea." The mail slot slammed shut again and won't open for all his knocking or calling.

So Klein was left with no choice but to end up under a window of a single-storied house. Most people would miss the long string along a wall of the house due to how well it was painted to camouflage with the ashen colour of the house. When Klein tugged on it, it rang a bell within a room and Rwby's head soon peeked out from the window overhead.

She didn't require long convincing; she tossed out her loaded bag for him to catch, afterwards she roped down from the window.

The both of them went banging on that rusty iron door again.

"I've got your money!" Said Klein.

Only then did the mail slot open again.

Rwby passed over a small satchel through the slot. The moment it was slid shut, she passed Klein her other gas mask as they backed away from the door.

"So… the pirates that took Bear. How many are they?" She asked after the explosion popped from behind the rusty door.

"No idea."

"So… do they have a plan even if they do make it outside Dona and actually find them?" She asked again whilst purple smoke slipped out through narrow gaps around the door.

"I would be a bad plan – no doubt."

"I see. So you're going with them outside Dona too?" She continued over muffled coughs of the person behind the door.

"Will you explain to my mum and dad why this is important to us, Rube? They'll think I went away to see the Astrids."

Expected screaming replaced the coughs from behind the door.

"My dad wrote to Officer Feal. Looks like he won't be back for some more years. So I'll be staying with Feal for a while. I am coming with."

Stally finally stormed outside, falling right at their feet. "What – what is this?!" He raised his purpled fingers shuddering.

"Poison. You'll come with us." Rwby offered him a pair of gloves.

Same Rwby bowing her head to apologise at the Port Market, where Stally met Davy once again. This time around it wasn't for business, Davy asked for a favour and promised he'd get the Citizen tag back to him one way or another.

Stally scratched the back of his head. "Alright." He agreed. "Now you owe me, Captain Pebbleton."

They shook hands.

Soon after,

Davy, Adonna, Klein and Rwby were riding in one of the steam trains always navigating Dona's maze of infrastructure up to the very last station

None of them except Davy had ever seen outside Dona's walls. Only the wealthy could gallivant in and out of Dona freely as only they could afford the hefty sum extracted by the city's unbribable Gatekeepers.

The others followed Davy's lead down an old dried up well now used for dumpster; through a crawlway and out a hollow oak on the other side of Dona's walls.

There, they stumbled upon a Gatekeeper taking a leak around the wall right after.

No one chased after them however. Not Gatekeepers atop the walls that pointed at them. Not those at the titanic gate. While some wanted to, their captain instead ordered them to locate the hole they accessed their exit from. Knowing what dangers the youngster would encounter outside Dona. "They'll beg to come back." He vowed. 

People you would've found yesterday crowded around the gates now all gone.

They ran 'til their lungs burnt. Strolled barren land 'til their legs sored. Aside from the four of them, the entire horizon seemed otherwise swept of all lifeforms – from the terrain to the starry night sky.

"Are there no people outside Dona?" Rwby couldn't help but ask. Her arms folded because of the chill in the air while she fiddled with the zipper knob of her woollen jacket.

"That's a dumb question coming from you, Rwby." Replied Adonna. "Where else would people who come for the Carnival be from? Or Davy for that matter?"

"You're missing her point." Klein stopped. So did they all in front of him then looked up the same way that he did. "Not even a single bird since we left. Just what happened here?"

"Who knows?" Davy shrugged. "But there's nothing to be afraid of because there's literally NOTHING out here… in these parts at least." He pointed their eyes farther ahead to the colossal silhouette of a mountain. "Rest of the Consortium of States starts behind there."

Between Dona and the mountain named Last Station, only things they found in motion was the winds, perhaps the desolate soil it swept and most notably a field of geysers puffing weakly at long intervals.

They made it to the other side of the mountain at exactly 11:21 of the night according to Rwby's clock. Not that they needed it to tell time with the large clock which greeted them in Last Station. At first glance it resembled the train stations of Dona with grand arches, polished brass fixtures and warm lights of hanging lanterns. However, anyone from Dona would quickly notice themselves breathing in clean air here, unlike the throat-tickling smoke that charged atmospheres within Donnan Train stations. Their eyes soon picked out the reason why:

Iron railings separated the platform from the tracks where the very first Astrid beasts they would encounter on their journey were stationed.

Reindeers bulky as stallions, standing about 6-7 feet tall at the shoulder and additionally crowned with the most regal antlers that'll make any human – no matter how tall – have to raise their head to behold. And characteristic of Astrids, their bushy fur blue like the skin of Oxford blue.

'Til Davy went off, got them all ticket, all three of them stood gawking at the Thunderhoofs. "You haven't even see why they're called Thunderhoofs." He said.

At midnight the air was so quiet and serene except for echoes of Adonna's and Rwby's footsteps reverberating the station as they explored around.

Davy approached another group of late-night travellers awaiting departure, whiling away boredom with a dice game. He challenged them for their map.

Klein watched uniformed attendants equip the Thunderhoofs with heavy metal gears connecting them to a 24-coach train.

Only two Thunderhoofs to pull that many coaches? He couldn't believe it 'til they were sat inside.

Rwby's eyes were stuck at the ceiling. Fans spun and bulbs glowed brighter once the train began moving.

Thunderhoofs galloped with the speed of wind. The thunderous rumbling of their stride denied many passengers sleep. Their fur and crown of their antlers charged with electricity, somehow harnessed to illuminate both inside and outside the train while it tore through miles in the night within seconds.

It took constant stops however. Sometimes to replace the Thunderhoof gears that easily succumbed to wear and tear, other times at other stations to replace passengers and restock gears.

Everyone had slept off except Rwby scribbling down her observations, mumbling to herself about how the train's technology stored generated electricity or harnessed electricity that's probably why the lightbulbs were lit even before they began moving. She already knew how to generate electricity, now she looked to understand how to replicate battery to store it for longer-term usage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

24th November. Exactly 12 noon, they got off the train.

Klein was doing a long stretch. Adonna rubbing her sleepy eyes. Rwby pointed a finger to the Thunderhoofs. "I'm going to ride those." She declared.

"Countless died trying. Forget about it." Davy yawned past her.

Scent of pastries in the air made their stomachs growl – however a pair of snobbish twins younger than them accompanied by their standoffish guardian in a waistcoat had just bought the last of everything.

Right outside the Rail station, all except Davy were stunned still to the sight of a few number of carriages moving on their own without drought horses – rather puffing steam as they navigated around.

"Now that's that look when typical Donnans see outside of their walls for the first time." Davy chuckled. He called those automobiles. They weren't too common around the Consortium of States yet, therefore those few must be personal vehicles of one Fief Baron or another.

For them however, they had to leg it for the rest of the way.

Rwby couldn't quit raving about the endless possibilities with electricity during their foot journey. As if she's the only one who got a wink of sleep during their ride. As if she didn't require breakfast to conjure full energy. 

"How much further?" Klein groaned.

Davy opened his map.

"How much further 'til we catch up to Bear?" Adonna grumbled.

"Actually we are not catching up to anyone. They will catch up to us." Davy paused a moment before explaining further. "We're barely within the Consortium now. This is the Outskirts. Small towns, no authorities, fewer eyes. Captain Deron sends and receives messages through these parts. Using the Quick Trains, we crossed the entire Consortium in hours, but it'll take 4 days at the least for any ship. More than enough time to await them at this town: Ona Crossing."

"More than enough time to explore the wilderness!" Klein welcomed the sight of a forest across the jagged plains.

Not just him though.

"You people fawn over everything." Sighed Davy. A howl of breeze snatched the map off his hands. The farther he chased after it the faster it fluttered away. Adonna and Klein followed.

Left behind, Rwby sighted the looming disaster first as the air cooled and the atmosphere darkened. It all unfolded in front of her eyes as a sudden windstorm spiralled and spiralled into a great tornado from afar.

"THE TREES!" Davy yelled.

Everyone raced toward the forest.

Rwby tripped against her own foot and crashed.

The twister raging on.

She got up in time to continue her run towards the trees so towering they were much farther than they appeared.

She was last to reach the mouth of the forest, only to then stop the moment he felt the weight of her clock missing from her wrist. It dropped back where she fell and she didn't hesitate for a second to turn around despite the deadly tornado dancing onwards.

The dusty air didn't let Adonna notice. Klein and Davy however, raced after Rwby once yelling her name failed.

They managed to grab her halfway there.

The dancing wind didn't even get to the clock in the end. Instead veered towards the forest as if after them intentionally.

They could hardly see each other, much less hear over the whooshing winds clogging their ears.

Klein had a misstep that sent him tumbling down a gully.

Adonna must've caught his scream that she stopped. One moment was all it took to find herself all alone.

The tornado dissipated. After breaking few trees, forcing a clearing and even uprooting weaker ones out the soil, it all finally went quiet.

Davy found himself all alone.

Rwby wound up at another end of the forest.

Adonna wandered the woods crying everyone's name in vain.

Daylight was depleting; her stomach growled of emptiness; she found herself returning to the same stack of flat rocks she'd passed by once before. A vicious growl echoed the forest right about the hour of sundown. That couldn't be her stomach. Shivers throbbed through her spine.

Just minutes before then,

Rwby came upon a horse carriage in a ravine while strolling along the forest's edges. There, she recognised those snobbish twins from back in the Thunderhoof Station who beat them to buying the last croissants.

Both twins sported short, ginger hair slicked back in the same style that the only things distinguishing the boy from the girl was her hairpin, attire, and of course sound of voice as the girl argued on and on with their guardian like a proper brat.

"I want to go home! Take us home now! I order you to take us home right now, Cravat!" She stamped her foot. "The storm is gone – take us home!"

"Can't do, Miss Ironsides." The guardian refused. "I know this Fief better than most, Miss. And I don't trust we have seen the last of that storm. Safer to stay off open road – especially at this hour." 

The boy twin sauntered around unbothered about whatever decision they'd agree on.

Rwby's appearance there diffused the tension between the girl and their guardian as both began questioning her from her name, where she came from to how she got there.

Once she explained, their defensive glares softened.

"Excellent thinking fleeing to the forest. These sturdy trees have always served as wind-breakers. That's why it's more advisable to take the ravine shortcut. Windstorms form daily around these parts." Said the guardian.

"Your group must have a terrible guide. Anyway, I'm Lilyan Ironsides. That is my brother Kiyan. And this old, stubborn, oaf would be Cravat. I keep telling him the hurricane is over but he wants to wait it out to be sure – meanwhile I terribly require my hot bath and beauty sleep."

"It should just be 'Sleep' for you." Rwby retorted on reflex, stuttering when she realised what she had just said. "I mean… he probably didn't know everything about everywhere… our guide, I mean."

Cravat was Valet to the Ironsides. He remained firm on his decision to wait out in the ravine because of familiarity with the so called Winds of Ona Crossing, explaining how one or two tornadoes form daily – mostly weak, harmless storms that get quickly broken by the trees, mostly during noon and night hours. So he suggested they camped in the safety of the ravine 'til morning hours when the winds scarcely raged just to be safe.

Lilyan whined some more. Kiyan remained ever so quiet. Rwby turned down Cravat's invitation to camp with them to rather venture into the forest in search of her friends.

"Bad idea going into the woods at this time. You won't rescue anyone by putting yourself in danger too." Cravat warned.

"D-danger?"

Just then, that vicious growl echoed the forest under the encroaching night.

"That." Cravat wagged a finger.

Somewhere in the forest,

Klein wound up by a lake where the creek that flushed him along emptied away. Paled and shivering inside a tiny hollow of a tree. An empty stomach was the least of his problems, wearing soaked wet pants and shirtless while the same frigid breezes he counted on to dry his hung shirt tortured his nerves to the point he just wore back the wet shirt.

Those same breezed kept blowing Cravat's every attempt at kindling a campfire. He even had Rwby and Lilyan huddled around but these breezes remained relentless.

Restless, Lilyan rushed back to the carriage, inside which her brother laid shivering even worse than Klein. She hastily peeled off her jacket to cover him. Left with only a thin vest over her torso, she couldn't do without clutching her arms tightly as she returned raising her voice at Cravat. "This is all your fault! How could you come so ill prepared? We need to head back home. Right now!"

"Feel the winds, Miss Ironsides. It's too great a risk to venture out into the open plains at this hour."

"I DON'T CARE! NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!"

"Well, I do care, Lilyan!" Cravat shouted back. "You two are my greatest and most precious responsibilities on this world. Were it a man or beast, I could protect you both – no shred of doubt at that. But nothing much I could do should we get unlucky enough to be caught by windstorm. I cannot risk the both of you, forgive me."

Lilyan turned to Rwby. Though too dark for Rwby to see the look on her face, her voice sounded weak and childlike for the first time since their encounter. She tugged gently at Rwby's woollen jacket. "Please, I'm sorry to ask this. Are you wearing something else under? If not, you can have mine if it will fit. My brother has a condition and needs all the warmth he can get when it gets bad. Please, help."

Rwby gave it to her.

Despite that woollen jacket, Lilyan's and Cravat's coats wrapped on Kiyan, and additionally Lilyan clinging her body onto his inside the carriage while blowing warm breath to his ear, his condition persisted almost unchanged.

Rwby called Cravat out his desperation to ignite a flame when she asked wouldn't it be easier done within cover of the forest.

He grabbed his musket from the carriage fit with a blade jutting from under its barrel.

That distant, bestial growl sounded once again. Cravat identified what side of the forest it came from, so he went the other direction, leaving Rwby with the Ironsides locked inside their carriage.

Elsewhere,

Davy heard it too. By then he'd already located his way out the forest that the chirping of crickets sounded even louder than the growl. He gazed up the starry skies now in broad view for a second but then turned around back into the woods. From all the trees he's marked, he knew just where he was headed.

Unlike Adonna wandering 'til she tired herself out, yet scared to call out for the others lest what else her sound may attract. Even cracking sticks under her foot or winds ruffling tress made her draw a gasp. After hours of aimless trekking, frustration overcame her to the point where she stopped. Though not finally. "Okay… okay. Just another bad night. Won't last forever." She assured herself. "It's not hunger… you're simply… dieting. And you're not tired… you walked longer than this at home. Nothing to be afraid of… just breezes and animals practicing their big voice. Just gotta find them Klein and Rwby. Then reach Bear… then…" She emptied her pockets. Only thing on her was her ocarina. "That's useless." She carried on chatting to herself. "Wonder if any of them found their way out? Hmm… Rwby definitely will get lost. And him… wonder where he's headed? Probably long gone by now that one. I know! First order of business, we'll buy another map. Then–"

Then and there, she spotted a light from afar. Campfire light that lit up her face. She sprinted there calling for Klein and Rwby.

"Hey." Davy waved.

Her first reaction was for them to go find the others now but he instead invited her over to his log by the fireside and offered some nuts he had gathered.

"It's hardly food but sure beats nothing." He added. A stick in his hand, he drew in the soil to explain. "When you get separated, don't just go searching head on. Odds are they are also searching for us. We can be here and they'll be here. All just zigzagging, wandering, and missing each other. Waste of effort and can be even counter-productive. Instead just make your location obvious enough and everyone eventually comes to you. Might even save more time."

"Makes sense." She pinched her chin. "But someone has to be within vicinity to notice the light."

"Yeah, because of all the trees obstructing. If only there was another medium to signal."

Adonna's face lit up again with an idea. She pulled her ocarina.

The way he gazed at her as her melody harmonised the jarring winds like it's all a single orchestra. He gazed as if listening with eyes and didn't know when the stick he was using to stir the campfire burnt all the way up to his fingertips. She didn't either 'til he sprung up abruptly with a shriek.

And did she laugh. So hard her eye teared up. Even while apologising, she was still laughing. Even while knelt in the dirt so close to the campfire so she could examine his burns, she still suppressed a chuckle.

"Your eyes." He called.

She went still while the flame's warmth cooked both their skins. They stared each other's eyes without a blink then Davy reached a crooked finger, wiping away a single droplet of tear welled under her right eye but too little to spill. She didn't flinch nor blink at all. Her cheeks did flush.

"I'm sorry." She said. Voice as low as the crackling of firewood.

"I'll laugh off your unfortunate accident too. No worries."

"No. for thinking you probably took advantage of us separating and deserted us."

Davy chuckled. "Aren't you adorable? Just in case it went over your head last time… we will reach your dog, I promise you."

It went so quiet between them. Just gazes long enough to get lost in each other's eyes. "Right after finding Klein and Rwby." She finally averted hers. Only then did she realise she'd been gripping his blistered left hand the entire time.

As she was about to resume her ocarina, Davy shushed her.

Footsteps approached.

Neither of their friends however.

Cravat appeared in front of them. Attracted by their music then their light, he claimed.

Davy's suspicious eyes fixed on his musket. "That so?"

"My name is Cravat."

"I'm Ad–"

"She's wondering what you want." Davy cut her short.

"That didn't sound like what she was going to say."

"Also doesn't look like you're about to drop that gun in order to earn a shred of my trust." Davy retorted.

"Alright, young'un. Tornado got us setting up camp here where it is safe. But breezes won't let me start a fire like yours. I have a sick kid who needs the warmth."

"Okay. Where are they?"

"I didn't bring him along clearly."

"Okay. Go bring him then."

"I just need to simply light a torch from your fire. I return to my camp and you never see me again."

"Sure. Trade you that gun for it."

Cravat of course found that bargain beyond unreasonable.

Adonna chirped in to convince Davy but he stated his reluctance out plainly, saying it's a common ploy for bandits to get you to lower your guard.

"I have a musket, young-un!" Cravat reminded him. "Were I a bandit, I'd have shot you since."

"Try that and lose an eye, old man. Assuming you actually had bullets and not plain bluffing, still takes long to reload a musket after one shot. Long enough for her to retaliate. But that blade on your gun looks conveniently handy in you get in close enough, doesn't it?"

At this point Cravat's impatience got the better of him, he raised the musket only to threaten. The very moment he did so, Davy hurled a rock towards his eye. In cringing and shielding himself, the rock struck just over his eye while he accidentally let out a shot to the side. As he reopened his eyes, Davy had disappeared from his view. He heard his rushing steps between the trees. Cravat threw down the gun. "Wait let's–"

Davy lunged out to attack.

Left with no choice, he seized Davy and spun him to a swift takedown. Pinning down Davy on his belly with a knee, he felt the blade of his own weapon poked against his nape.

"Let. Him. Go." Adonna threatened over him.

Cravat couldn't help an impressed smile from stretching his thin lips. "You two are some heck of young'uns." His brows shot up in realisation. "Wait. Young'uns? Could you be friends of Rwby?

Adonna's grip loosened.

Shortly after,

They reunited with Rwby back at the ravine.

Davy scratching back of his head, apologising for the bruise over Cravat's eye. Adonna bowing her head, inviting the Ironsides to join them, and soon they were walking the carriage back through the woods.

Approaching their campfire, everyone stopped when they heard the grumble of a beast.

Cravat readied his musket, signalled them to stay back while he advanced.

Adonna and Davy tailed after him.

They found Klein warming himself by the fire.

The deep, low grumbles came from two mountain lions tumbling around, wrestling each other next to Klein.

Cravat aimed his barrel.

The cougars came alert.

"Back away… slowly." Cravat urged in whispers.

Yet for some reason Klein remained unbothered. "Ease up. You're agitating them." He replied. Next he made sounds by clicking his tongue, which attracted the mountain lions towards him – though they held hostile eyes and snarls glued at Cravat. But Klein petted them like kittens. Deadly, overgrown kittens.

"Klein!" Adonna approached headlong. So did Rwby. Cravat and Davy left stunned where they stood.

"Those are Cougars. They aren't tameable." Cravat stuttered.

"It's okay. Klein's good with animals." Said Adonna.

"Huh. You don't say." Responded Davy.

"That is not an explanation." Cravat lowered his gun even still.

Kiyan finally got his much needed warmth. He drifted into quiet sleep tucked next to the fire.

The Ironsides had food inside their carriage to quieten groaning stomachs.

Lilyan watched her brother 'til she dozed off too.

One after another, sleep took them away 'til Davy jolted awake from a nightmare. He found Cravat still keeping watch over them all, shoving more dried sticks into the fire.

"You young'uns clearly aren't from around. Where are you headed?"

"Ona Crossing. Then… I'm going beyond Ona." Davy answered.

"Just you, huh? Means you already know most people don't come back from the Goldless Sea."

"Yeah." Replied Davy. "Most doesn't mean all."