The next day, we take a field trip to the Forest of Forever Fall. We've been sent out for - sap?

'Yes students, the Forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful,' Goodwitch says, sounding bored out of her skull. 'But, we are not here to sightsee! Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest and I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so.' She sounds so choked up at the possibility.

Behind us, Arc runs into Cardin, then backs up like a puppy when Cardin turns to glare at him. Man, I want to slap him upside the head.

'Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!'

'Come on, buddy,' Cardin says to Jaune. 'Let's go.'

We watch to see where the other teams are going, then take the opposite direction. After a moment, we come to a clearing and slump to the ground, watching as Cardin sends Arc off to gather the sap for us.

'Why the fuck do they want this stuff?' I demand. This place is making me edgy. The leaves are red as blood, reminding me too vividly of some of my more gruesome nightmares.

'The wood retards Aura generation,' Sky says. I latch onto his voice with relief. He's slumped against a tree with a degree of relaxation I just can't match. 'They used to use it to build cages for rogue Hunters and Huntresses. Peach is trying to work out if the sap has similar properties. If they can make a serum that retards Aura generation, they might be able to reverse-engineer it so that they can increase -'

'Nerd,' Dove says mildly.

'Shut up,' Sky says, grinning slightly.

'So what are you actually planning?' I ask Cardin.

Cardin grins. 'I'm going to make Jaune get Pyrrha stung.'

'Nikos?' I frown. 'Where does she come into this?'

'I'm sick of her showing me up.' Cardin looks genuinely enraged for a moment, and I raise my eyebrows. He does not like being beaten.

'So I'm going make Jaune cover her in sap. And then we're going to release the rapier wasps.'

'You're a fucking nutcase, Cardin,' I say bluntly. 'You don't think that's a bit much?'

He grins. 'Relax. The stings fade within an hour.'

'Yeah, unless she's allergic,' Sky says angrily. I'm glad I have an ally in this.

'I know you want to mess with Arc,' I say, taking over again, 'But I'm not letting you risk Nikos dying of anaphylactic shock.' He glares at me, but I've put my foot down on this one, and I stare right back at him.

'If he just wants to mess with Arc,' Dove puts in, 'Why not just tell him we'll release the wasps and not follow through?'

'Yeah!' Cardin says, looking excited.

I want to pound my head against a tree. What is wrong with this team? What sort of fucked-up personality decides to get someone stung repeatedly by wasps is fair payback for being better in class? Cardin. What sort of person decides hardcore psychological warfare is a suitable substitution? Dove. I'm almost afraid of what Sky will suggest if I keep refusing. 'Fine. Fuck it, fine.' What's the worst that will happen? She'll get covered in sap. She's got her Aura up. She won't get glassed. If Arc is the one to do it, she'll shrug it off. Or at least, she won't report it. I shudder to think about the effect this will have on their team, though, and I point this out. 'You guys knowing you're fucking Team JNPR up, right? I mean, isn't Nikos gonna wonder what's going on?'

'Nikos already knows he snuck in,' Cardin says with a smirk. 'How do you think I found out? I overheard them talking about it.'

A rush of rage washes over me. 'She knew ?' What is wrong with these people? Do they just not care that most of us had to slave to get here?

Cardin, I kind of get it. He isn't the type of person who's able to resist holding that sort of power in his hand. He has to squeeze just to watch Arc squirm. But Nikos? She's the best fighter in the school. She never had to strive to succeed. Maybe that means she just can't understand what it feels like to strive and then see someone just bypass that, see them exploit the system, and to use your own effort - all the effort you put in into turning yourself into a warrior - and the academy's reward of that investment in the form of a place, and then just undercut it completely to get what they want.

Arc struck at the very foundation of what it means to me to be a Hunter when he did what he did, and I know, in that moment, that there'll be a part of me that never forgives him for that.

I grit my teeth. I won't betray myself. 'No wasps,' I snarl. 'Arc throws the sap, though.'

Let's see what the little bastard is really made of.

~o0o~

By the time Arc returns, I've calmed down slightly. I'm still too furious to say anything, though. I just watch him as Cardin leads us to the ridge. He's speaking to Arc like he's a retarded puppy. If it were me, I would have planted Polaris or Octantis in his windpipe by now. Arc doesn't even seem to notice. It's pathetic.

From the ridge, we can see the other teams. They've stayed together. For a moment my focus wavers: Yang Xiao Long is standing with one hand on her hip, holding a jar of sap up. It looks like a pinup pose. From here, I can't see her eyes, and I take a moment to appreciate the view without the usual tug on my heart. Really, apart from Lie, it's a clearing stocked full of beautiful girls, and he's almost feminine enough to count. This view is almost worth it.

'Cardin, what's going on?'

So, the penny has dropped. The echoing it makes is obvious to us all.

'Payback.' I know he's acting - I think he's acting - He's not acting. He sounds too angry. Still, if he tries to go through with it I'll stop him myself if I have to.

'Pyrrha?' Arc whispers. 'What are you-'

'That's the girl. Red-haired know-it-all thinks she's so smart… right, boys.' He picks up the box of wasps. 'Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box full of rapier wasps.' How did he do that? Those things are vicious. 'And now, we're gonna put 'em to work.'

I reach over and clap Arc on the shoulder, purely to mess with him. He's freaking out.

'Now, according to one of the essays he wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two.

'This is it. I stand up and watch Cardin pull Arc to his feet. 'And you're gonna do it.' Arc looks horrified. He should. What Cardin is suggesting is completely disproportionate to the slight. I know when things settle down, I'll have to think, really think, about what it says about my partner that he didn't realize that himself.

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'Do what?' Arc asks. Ok, that's not even up to his lack of training. That's freaking obvious. What do you think, dumbass?

'Hit her with the sap. Either that or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon.'

I roll my eyes at Sky. Cardin is really laying on this 'school bully' act. Sky raises his eyebrow at me. He doesn't understand what I'm reacting to. A cold tendril of disgust uncoils in my belly as I realize what that means.

Arc raises his arm. I can't believe he'd go through with it. What a selfish bastard…

And then Arc decides to grow a pair. He refuses, and then he saps Cardin. I desperately want to laugh, but team solidarity demands that I stand by and watch as Cardin hands Arc his ass on a platter. If nothing else, I think this will teach Arc the importance of brushing up on his combat ski-

A blast of light blinds me, and my Aura flares up in response. Arc just activated his Aura, throwing Cardin clear. I want to demand to know what he's doing, but that's the whole point, isn't it? He has no idea what he's doing because he never went to combat school.

Cardin gets to his feet, understandably pissed.

And then it all goes to hell.

~o0o~

I should have noticed. One of us should have noticed. In a team of four, one of us should have noticed. But we didn't. Maybe they were like me. Maybe the raw Aura Arc was flailing around had set their Aura abuzz too, and, like me, they were trying to wrestle it back under control. Maybe they were just too busy watching Cardin School Arc.

One of us should have heard it approaching. The first warning we get is the coughing growl that marks its kind - the same noise that sent shivers down my spine and haunted my dreams.

The Ursa bounds out into the clearing. It's huge and old, with spines sticking out everywhere. We should have heard it approaching. That's all I can think. We should have heard it coming.

It rears up and sniffs the air and all I can think is, what is it looking for? Then it seems to zero in on Cardin.

The fear that struck me when the Ursa entered the clearing intensified until I couldn't even make sense of what I was seeing. Sky turns and runs, then Dove, and before I know it I am too, bolting, heedless of the fact that the chances of breaking an ankle running through the forest is so high as to be almost solid fact. Maybe Dove's right, maybe we are better than normal people, maybe my athleticism pays off, or maybe it's just dumb luck that I don't because I am not thinking to take care. I am thinking of nothing at all. All I am is desperate flight. Until I run right into Xiao Long.

I hit her chest, and she grabbed me before I had a chance to fall to the ground. 'What?' she says, her voice high in shock, and I realize I've been yelling God only knows what. 'Where?' She's talking about the Ursa, she must be.

'Back there,' I yell, pointing. I feel like I did after I got surgery when I was twelve, and I was coming out from the anesthesia - I was yelling without thought or effort. It would be a stream of consciousness if I could muster any consciousness at all. Then something hits me, a jolt of comprehension, and I add, 'It's got Cardin!'

They're talking behind me. Xiao Long releases her grip, and I drop to the ground. I hear someone mention Goodwitch, and suddenly, my fear is presented with a remedy. Goodwitch can protect me. I don't know where Sky and Dove are, I don't know where Goodwitch is - where is she, why isn't she with the students?

I recognize the path. It's the one that leads back to the school. I round a corner, and Goodwitch is standing there.

'Ursa,' I gasp out. I feel weak. My entire body is trembling. 'Ursa, with Cardin!'

She sprints past me without a word, buffeting me to the side. I spin on the spot and see her charge past Xiao Long and Belladonna.

I sink to the ground. I feel feverish. The terror has receded, and in its wake, it's left - nothing. I'm numb.

Someone comes to stand next to me. 'You alright?' Xiao Long asks grudgingly.

The barely-veiled contempt in her voice spurs me to my feet. 'Yeah,' I say, clenching my jaw so my voice doesn't shake. I need to go back to Cardin. Before I can summon my strength, Sky and Dove emerge from the path. They must have passed Goodwitch entirely. They're both pale and moving slowly.

We turn to go back down the path, all of us walking like we've been seriously ill. Xiao Long and Belladonna disappeared when I wasn't looking. Before we get far, Goodwitch appears, the entire class behind her. Cardin is walking next to Arc, staring at the ground. He won't meet our eyes.

Nobody will.

~o0o~

We end up in our dorm room in total silence. Nobody knows what to say or even if we should say something. Dove and Sky sit side by side on Dove's bed. Cardin is at his desk, not doing any work, and I'm sprawled on my bed, waiting for my stomach to stop roiling.

Now is the time I think CRDL could use a real leader. Someone who steps in and bucks us all up. I don't understand what happened. I don't understand why we ran. I don't understand where that sickening, roiling fear came from. This isn't the first time I've fought Ursai. Please don't tell me I'm afraid of them. Please don't tell me I can't face them again. I have to be able to fight Grimm. I'm a fucking Huntsman, I have to be able to fight Grimm.

What went wrong? I've killed Ursai before. What happened? Is it my memories?

There's the sound of voices overhead, drifting down to our window. Cardin stands and, in two swift moves, crosses to the window and closes it.

'I need to - talk to you guys,' he says without looking around.

We all turn our heads. I can see his face in the window, reflected on the glass. It looks - haunted. Concerned, I sit upright.

'I - messed up,' he says quietly. I can tell how much it hurts him to have to say that. 'Really, really bad. It's my fault you ran today.'

A tiny seed of hope kindles in my heart. 'What d'you mean?' I ask, sitting upright.

He turns, and I kind of want to take a step back. He looks so damned sad. 'My Semblance is fear.'

'What?' Dove asks.

'My Semblance. It's fear. It makes you afraid. When Arc's flared up, and then the Ursa… I used my Semblance, and you all got caught up in it.'

There's a moment of total silence as we process this.

I begin to laugh.

From the look on his face this was not the reaction he was expecting. I stand and cross the room to him. 'Cardin, you asshole!' I punch him in the arm, desperate to give him even a small bit of reassurance and physical contact. 'The hell'd you use it in a melee for?' I'm so relieved. I'm so goddamned relieved.

He looks angry for a moment. 'I lost my head, alright?'

'Yeah, so did we,' Dove says, starting to smile. Sky looks less amused. 'Thanks for that.'

'Ok.' I'm so relieved. I thought I'd lost my nerve. I thought after Violet - no, away, not there, don't go there. 'Ok, so we just have to work out how to work around it next time. You ever used it when the people around you know what you're doing?'

'What do you mean?' he asks, confused. The conversation is outpacing him pretty quickly. I'm running on adrenaline and relief myself, and I'm running from the fear as fast as I can.

'Well, if we know about your Semblance, does it still work on us?' I ask. "Cause don't get me wrong, it's pretty useful, but not if you freak us the fuck out as well.'

He looks disconcerted. Not how you were expecting me to react, perhaps? Too damned bad. I won't let you drive me from the Academy, and I can't stay unless I know it was you and not me. 'I - don't know. I haven't told anyone before.'

'Ok, let's find out.' I kick Polaris and Octantis under the bed to be safe and spread my arms. 'Try it.'

'I -'

'Come on, man, don't make me call you a pussy.'

He closes his eyes, and a wave of unreasoning panic hits me. My knees weaken, my bowels clench, and I whimper involuntarily.

He eases up, and I sit on my bed with a thump. 'Fuck,' I say, my voice high. Dove looks around from where he's struggling with the door handle. Sky uncurls from the fetal position. 'Fuck, man, that's brutal.'

Cardin looks ashamed. 'I can't-'

'Try it again, longer this time,' I order. 'I wanna see if you can get used to it.'

He does it again and again. Each time, it's just as bad.

'Ok,' I say. 'Let's - let's try again-' Dove groans. 'Tomorrow,' I relent.

Cardin looks ashamed of himself. 'I'm - sorry,' he mumbles.

'Don't worry about it, man,' I say, sprawling on the bed to hide the fact that my knees are shaking. 'My Semblance is just as rubbish.'

'Oh yeah? My Semblance attracts Grimm.'

I freeze. I hadn't thought of that, even when I wondered why the Grimm went straight for Cardin. I had thought it was like a Rapier wasp, attracted to sweets. I wished I could put that one on Cardin's Aura. 'Huh. You're right, that is shit.'

'Thanks, asshole,' he says bitterly.

Dove and Sky start making conversation to fill the void. Cardin stays silent and I wonder what he's thinking. Then I realize he's probably thinking the same thing I always thought about my Semblance.

'If you think about it,' I say pseudo-thoughtfully, pretending it was an idle thought, 'Your Semblance is a pretty decent survival mechanism. Lure Grimm into a straight line and then just knock 'em over the head.

''Yeah, except Grimm aren't famous for being subtle, ' Cardin says bitterly. 'Plus, I keep losing my head.'

'Well, that's why we're here, right?' Sky says with a shrug. 'You've got four years to learn to keep it.'

I grin. 'You know, the best thing we can do as your team is be annoying as hell. Then you'll learn to keep your temper.'

Cardin let loose a snort of laughter. 'I'll have to kick your ass if you do.'

'First time you've kicked anything's ass,' I mumble.

'Asshole.' He pauses. 'So… you said your Semblance is pretty bad too?'

I hesitate. He told us about him, but then, he kind of had to. The thing is, your Semblance is so private. Cardin took a big step, admitting his. Some are obvious - Rose's speed, Schnee's glyphs, even Belladonna's clones - and my personal theory is that those people wouldn't mind others knowing their Semblance anyway, out of showiness, pride or pragmatism. I don't know if that's chicken or egg: they're those people, or they became those people as a result. But Cardin's and mine? I'm not really ready to take that step.

'Um… not tonight, man. I'm kind of tired.'

We fall into silence again, but this time, it's far more comfortable. Almost… friendly.