"Shane?"

"Yeah, Trevor?"

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

Shane merely rolled his eyes. About thirty minutes earlier, Teams STRM and RWBY had begun climbing a mountain as a way of surveying the area. So far, the boys were lagging behind the girls, who were resting at a cave entrance above them.

"It's only a little free-climbing." Shane said to Trevor, as Shane pulled him up to a ledge. "Nothing we can't handle."

Trevor said something unpleasant under his breath as the two of them helped Mason and Ryan up to the cliff ledge. As the boys dusted themselves off, Weiss smacked Shane playfully on the shoulder.

"What took you so long?" she joked.

"You girls move too fast, you know that?" Ryan said, out of breath.

"Maybe it's because you're moving too slow." Ruby joked. "Or is it just me?"

Mason rolled his eyes and looked over the horizon, eventually settling on the faint image of a mountainside city.

"You seeing this?" he asked Shane. "There's a city over on that mountain."

"I see it. Barely." Shane replied. "So, that's another thing that makes me believe we're no longer on Remnant."

"Come on." Yang said. "If we're not somewhere in Remnant, where could we be?"

The boys didn't reply, only Shane gave a loud sigh in return.

"I would say we should camp out somewhere, but it seems our supplies didn't follow us." he groaned. "So, either we find friendly civilization or starve."

"I vote for the former." Blake said. "Seems there's a town not far from here."

Blake pointed to a village outside of the forest.

"Let's start there, then." Ryan said, slinging his Mast of Caduceus staff over his shoulder. "We're sitting ducks here."

The boys and girls nodded, and began to trek down the mountainside towards the edge of the forest.

====

"So, back into the forest we go." Yang said. "Wait, you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Trevor asked.

Then, an echoing howl resounded through the forest.

"That's what I heard." Yang said.

"Doesn't sound like Grimm, if you ask me." Weiss said, fingering the handle of Myrtenaster.

"True." Shane said, drawing his longsword. "Eyes peeled."

As the eight of them entered a large clearing peppered with rubble, loud, crashing footsteps came closer and closer. Shane saw something big lunge at a startled Weiss. He quickly sliced off its head, and rolled to a combat stance as he inspected...whatever it was.

"That's definitely not Grimm." Ruby said. The creature Shane had killed was lupine, but made entirely of wood, twigs, and sap. Shane knelt next to it, and groaned.

"Now I'm sure we're no longer on Remnant." he swore.

"How is that possible?" Weiss asked, hand on her hip. "That portal can't have taken us to…"

"I don't believe it either." Shane said. "But what other explanation is there? Explain this!"

He pointed at the wooden wolf, and Weiss looked away.

"What if you're right?" she said. "Then where are we? What's going on back home?"

"I don't know, but I think more are coming!" Trevor interrupted. As the eight Hunters and Huntresses took defensive stances, ten more wooden beasts entered the clearing, and they certainly looked angry.

====

"On your right, Shane!" Trevor said as he fired a slug from his shotgun, killing one.

"Thanks!" Shane replied as he kicked the encroaching beast away before slashing it. "We're outnumbered, that's for sure!"

"We can see that!" Weiss replied, drilling three rapid thrusts into one's chest. "You want to run?"

"Seems like a good plan to me." Yang said as she punched one into a tree, which shattered into bits. After a few more minutes of fighting, the humans took off at a breakneck speed, Trevor bringing up the rear while killing their pursuers.

====

"SHIT! Watch out!" Shane said as he pulled Weiss to a stop. Weiss, if she had kept running, would've skidded right off a cliff into a raging river below.

"Thanks." Weiss replied. "So, I guess we stand and fight?"

"Working on it." Shane replied. "That jump looks survivable, but I'm seeing rocks below. That's not helping."

"And more of those things are coming!" Trevor said, firing three blasts. "Either we jump or get eaten alive!"

Shane thought hard for a few moments, then he snapped his fingers.

"Ruby!" he yelled. "See that tree right there?"

"Yeah!" she replied. "What about it!"

"Cut it loose!" Shane said. "Along this line here!"

Shane drew a line in the dirt, and took a defensive stance.

"What's the plan?" Yang asked.

"We use this ledge as a raft." he said. "Once it's loose, we should be safe from the rocks and the river."

"You sure about this?" Weiss said.

"Got any better ideas?" Shane shot back. "Ruby!"

"Alright…" she said. As she tore into the ground with Crescent Rose, the beasts drew closer and closer.

"Got it!" Ruby cried as she felt the earth beneath her shake and begin to tilt. "Hang on!"

As the eight Hunters and Huntresses fell, the stone outcrop survived the fall and landed in the river, sending everyone bouncing around.

"I'll steer!" Shane said, plunging his sword into the river to use as an oar. "Grab something!"

The others didn't need to be told twice. As they clutched whatever they could, Shane steered the pseudo-raft towards calmer waters.

"Watch out!" Weiss cried. "Waterfall!"

As the hazard approached, Shane growled.

"Brace!" he cried as they went over the rushing water, and everything went black.

====

"Twilight, there's nothing here." Rainbow complained as they walked alongside Ponyville Lake. "We didn't find whatever it was in the Everfree, so why could it be here?"

"It's called a hunch, Rainbow." Twilight said. "And that outcrop coming down was not a coincidence."

Suddenly, Pinkie jumped a few feet and shook like a dog.

"What's that?" Rarity asked.

"Pinkie sense is super-buzzing!" she cried.

"What's that mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"IT MEANS INCOMING!" Pinkie yelped as a massive stone outcrop slammed into the lake from atop the waterfall, soaking anything in the proximity.

Including the Elements of Harmony. Except for Pinkie, who had pulled an umbrella out of nowhere.

"My mane!" Rarity said, horrified. "It took hours to get it right this morning!"

"I think we've got bigger problems." Twilight said, pointing. The Elements then got a clear look at what was currently spread out across the stone slab.

Mainly, eight bipedal beings that Twilight recognized as humans. There were four boys and four girls, and what interested Twilight most was one girl with black hair had fox-like ears.

"Um...Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Aren't those…"

"Yeah." Twilight replied. "Girls, I think we're in over our heads."

"I think so." Rarity said. "Should we get the Guard?"

"Yes, but we're not leaving them here." Twilight said, gathering the unconscious humans using her magic.

"Twilight, are you sure that's a good idea?" Rainbow retorted. "They could be evil! Here to conquer Equestria! Or both!"

"Rainbow, please." Twilight scoffed. "Last time I met humans, they were fine. And frankly, not every extraterrestrial being is hostile and/or here to conquer Equestria. You read too much science fiction. We'll take them to the Castle, and we'll go from there."

"Fine." Rainbow said. "Don't blame me if this goes wrong."

As they teleported to the Castle of Friendship courtesy of Twilight's magic, back in the Everfree, below several pieces of stone rubble, a low roar could be heard. The forms of several Grimm shook themselves off and snorted to each other. As they started to move towards Ponyville, their minds were filled with the need to hunt.

Author's Note

Yep, some Grimm made it through the Portal. And they're hungry.

Next time-The Hunters and Huntresses defend Ponyville, and Ozpin speaks with an old friend regarding the missing Team RWBY...