A/N: Alright so here's the first chapter of my new story, JEWL. I hope you guys like it, and hopefully it gets better as I figure out the style I want it to be written in.
Prey. That was all that ran through her mind. The creek of a rusty axle on cast iron spokes, the wheeze of old lungs, the cheerful tune that hummed with optimism, these were all the indications that her prey was nearby. Because that's all the old man on the wagon was. Prey. If he was anything else, she wouldn't be able to live with what she had to do. Just as a predator hunts to survive, she had no other choice. Come on, Lucy. You can do this. Just remember: he's prey, not some old man who probably slaves day in day out to support his family with the meager profit he makes. Whose advanced age is making it harder to harvest, making every penny earned count-Dammit!
Lucy sat down in her hiding place off the side of the road and wrestled with her guilt. The happy humming coming from the wagon down the road not making it any easier. I already promised that I would do anything to make it to Haven, I can't stop now just because I don't have the guts to show one measly old man that life isn't always fair. She felt her eyebrows beginning their slow descent before knitting together to complete the frown that accompanied the darker turn her thoughts were taking. *I had to learn that the hard way, all because I was different. Why shouldn't I show the same treatment they showed me?*
Because you're better than that, came a soft voice in her head. The thought was a breeze of summer wind in her mind. Gentle and filled with warmth. Looks like I'm eating stale bread for dinner. Again. With a heaving sigh, Lucy began to make her way back to the tree where her belongings, few as they were, were hidden. As she stood up, she noticed that something about her surroundings had changed. Cerulean eyes narrowed as the girl returned to her original position in the bushes and focused her senses. He stopped humming. She briefly wondered if perhaps the old man had just rode past her without her noticing, except she could still smell him. She raised her nose to the air and sniffed. He was definitely still nearby, but there was another smell there too. Three to be exact.
Suspecting trouble, Lucy crept up with all the silence her years of training and heritage granted her. Separating the foliage near the ground just enough to see the road, she felt a surge of bitterness as her suspicions were confirmed. On the road was the wagon, upon which sat the old man she had been watching.
He had looked frail enough sitting on the wagon, back hunched as he kept a loose grip on the reins. He had a very unassuming countenance, cloaked in a very large coat that looked like it had seen almost as many years as he had. On his head was a ratty conical hat that reminded Lucy of the ones she saw farmers wear while working in the fields. His face was tanned and wrinkled from decades' worth of long days spent in the sun, with a bleached white beard that was neatly trimmed.
He reminded Lucy of the old ruins near her village, and what the village elder had told her when she had run away as a child. The more she looked at the old man before her the more she was reminded of the closest thing she had to a father.
She couldn't tell what she hated more, being alone or not. Ever since she had turned six and her "gifts" had manifested, she had become the target of every mean joke, every insult, and every glare. Those were the worst. The fact that she couldn't look anyone in the village like she had personally insulted them by being born, and her mere presence was salt in the wound. She had just wanted to play tag with the other kids. She had been so happy when they said yes. That is until it turned out they just wanted an excuse to keep tripping her, and pushing her into the mud. After the fourth fall in to the puddle of dirt and small stones, she had finally had enough. "Stop it!" She cried.
The biggest of the kids, a tall stocky boy with shaggy brown hair and a smile that said he thought he was doing all the kids a favour by letting them play with him, stepped forward and laughed at her. "Or else what?"
"Or else I'm gonna tell on you!" Lucy could feel the familiar heat in her eyes that always meant she was about to cry.
Faster than she expected, the boys hand shot out and grabbed her by the hair, "this is a ninja village, if you have a problem, you solve it by fighting. The elder isn't gonna always come running when you need help."
She blinked back the tears as hard as she could, grabbing desperately at the boys hand to make him let go. How could no one notice what was going on? They were playing in the field right next to the village's main road. How could no one notice?
No. It wasn't that they didn't notice. She could tell from the slight turn of the head or the looks out of the corner of people's eyes. They did notice. But once they realised that the cries were coming from the village freak, their eyes hardened and that all too familiar glare was back on their faces before they turned their heads and went about their business like nothing happened.
Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. Wasn't it Uncle Saru who always told her that the village was her family? Why did they hate her so much? What had she done? Another tug on her hair brought her painfully back to reality. In a flash of anger she brought both of her hands up to the boy's wrist and squeezed with all her might. She felt her nails dig into and through his skin, but she just kept squeezing. She vaguely heard the boy's cries of pain as he was brought to his knees.
"Stop! Please!" The bully was on the ground in front of her sobbing, and she felt good.
"Or else what?" She said to the boy as his eyes grew wide in fear.
Before she even got the chance to tighten her grip, a large rough hand fell on her wrist and grabbed it tightly. Instantly she returned to her senses and let go of the boy's wrist, blood was dripping down his hand, but what really frightened her was the blood on hers.
She looked up and saw that a crowd had formed around them, the grip on her wrist tightened and her attention was brought back to the person holding her arm. The Village Chief stared down at her with barely concealed disgust.
"What is going on here?" He said in a deadly calm voice.
"She attacked me!" Cried her tormentor.
"No I didn't!" She yelled back.
She was immediately silenced when the grip on her wrist tightened, "That's enough. Now you're going to tell me what happened here, and you're going to do it quickly, before I lose my patience."
Another flash of anger surged through Lucy, and in a burst of strength she tore her arm free and glared at the Chief. "What's the point?!" She screamed. "It's not like you'll believe me anyways!" She had started running before she had even finished her sentence, not wanting to let her tears be seen.
She kept running and running until she came across a giant building made of stone. It was covered in moss and falling apart in some places. But anywhere was better than going back. She went inside and without a glance at her surroundings, began climbing. She scaled the wall until she was easily fifty feet in the up. She found the deepest crevice in the stone that she could fit into, curled up, and finally allowed the tears to flow.
The sound of voices drew Lucy back to the present, one of the three men standing in the way of the wagon had begun speaking.
"Good afternoon, traveler!" The man called in a voice that dripped with false kindness. He and his friends all dressed in similar sets of furs that brown and black. On their cloaks was an emblem, though Lucy couldn't quite make out what it was. All three had their hoods up, and were blocking the entire road, making it impossible for neither geezer nor goods to pass.
"Good day, gentlemen. And how are we this fine evening?" The old man's voice was soothing to the ear, and while not patronizing, there was a tone in his voice that made Lucy think this probably wasn't the first time the old man had dealt with bandits.
"Well, you see, friend. We are concerned," said the leader. The tone in which he said everything made Lucy wonder why he had been chosen to do the acting, as it was clear as day what the man's true intentions were.
"Oh? Whatever for?" Replied the old man with an eyebrow raised and quirk of his lips.
"Yes. Terribly so. You see these roads are riddled with bandits who wouldn't hesitate to kill you for your socks. So, knowing how vital this route is for trading with the capitol of Mistral, my compatriots and I took it upon ourselves to offer our services in protecting any weary travellers who happen to cross our paths."
"Really? How noble of you." It seemed as if the old man thought the idea of being mugged and left for dead on the side of the road was simply too amusing, as the smile he wore never faltered once."
"Why, thank you kind sir. But unfortunately, the price of a lifestyle such as ours is quite high, and it would do much to put my mind at ease if you were to hire our services for the remainder of your journey."
The old man merely chuckled when he heard the ridiculous offer he was being given. Lucy didn't blame him, did they seriously think anyone would by their phony act.
"Well, allow me to ease your worries, my friend. For I already have a guardian looking out for me and my wears, and therefore have no need for your services. Now if you three will excuse me, I'll be on my way."
The bandit laughed loudly before replying, "oh, really? Where is this guardian of yours, because the only ones I see here are the four of us? And there isn't anybody else to be found for miles in any direction. You of all people should know that much can happen when traveling for extended periods of time." As he finished, the bandit leader and his two companions drew out their short swords and started approaching the wagon.
The old man didn't seem fazed at all about having steel brandished at him, he merely looked around him, as if he had lost interest in what was about to happen. And for a split second, his dark eyes, full of merriment and wisdom, made contact with her blue ones and she knew that he had figured out where she was. The men continued to approach the old man slowly, the leader lazily swinging his through the air. "You should have accepted our offer, gramps." The old man didn't say anything in return but simply locked eyes with the bandit leader, and nodded almost unnoticeably.
Lucy took this as a cue to get into action. With the utmost care, she rose from her hiding spot, and snuck her way around the bandits. When she was within arm's reach of the first bandit, she reached within her coat and brought out a pair of leather gloves with panels of steel on the palm and knuckles. She donned her gloves, snuck up behind the first bandit, and punched him in the back of the head as hard as she could. Immediately the man crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
At the sound of their companion being hit, the other two quickly turned around and locked eyes with Lucy. In that moment everything became automatic for the girl. She danced around the two bandits, making sure to stay out of the way of their blades. It was clear that they weren't used to fighting opponents who fought back, the more Lucy evaded the slashes of one of the bandits, the more frustrated, and clumsy, he became. Finally, having had enough of being made a fool of, the bandit put his entire body into one great slash downward, which was easily evaded, giving the blue-eyed girl the chance to knock a second bandit unconscious with a quick strike to the back of the head.
Unfortunately, the leader seemed to be more experienced in fighting then his goons. He managed to keep her on the defensive while dodging or blocking her whenever she managed to attack. Crouching lower to the ground, she allowed her instincts to flow and combine with her training, launching a flurry of blows at the bandit and causing him to back into the wagon. She was about take out his legs when she heard a loud thunk and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. She looked up and saw the old man sitting in his wagon, holding a walking stick over where the bandit's head had been. He smiled at her before offering her his hand. She took it and allowed herself to be pulled into the seat next to the elderly man.
"So tell me, miss, where are you headed?" he asked as he shook the reins and the wagon started moving.
"Haven academy." Replied Lucy.
"Well, I think in return for your help, I can get you there and maybe shave a few hours off your travel time."
"That would be great, sir. Thank you!"
They sat in silence for the first few miles, before the man finally broke it.
"So, miss, do you have a name?"
"Lucy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Lucy. I'm Saul." He turned in his seat to face her and held out his hand. With only the slightest hesitation, she reached out grab his hand before shaking it lightly.
"It's nice to meet you too Saul."
"So tell me, Lucy, what is a young faunus girl like you doing out here on your own? On your way to Haven no less."
Lucy sighed, before taking off her hood, allowing her fox ears to spring up on her head, and unwrapped her tail from around her waist. "How did you know?"
Saul chuckled before answering. "Oh, I've been around the kingdom a couple times more than most, and no one moves with the grace that you do without years of training and the instincts of a predator."
"And you don't think any less of me for it?" She prepared herself for the answer she always got. Getting ready to ditch the wagon before the insults started to fly.
"Heavens, no!"
Wait, what?
"Y-you don't?" Maybe Uncle Saru was right, and there are people out there who don't discriminate.
"No, child, I don't. In fact, some of my closest friends are faunus, and, to be frank, there are times where I envy some of the things they can do."
"You do?"
"Oh yes! A faunus is much more in tune with their instincts than a human, comes in handy when you work on farms so near to Grimm infested forests."
"Huh. I never thought of it like that." Lucy always thought that her heritage was a curse, it had never occurred to her that there were people who thought of it as a blessing.
"Oh absolutely!"
After that the ride passed quickly, with Saul regaling Lucy with tales from his youth and the misadventures he and his friends had. Before she knew it, they were in the middle of mistral, parked in front of a bar. Lucy looked up and saw a picture of a swan that seemed to be locked in some sort of dance with what looked like a large reptile with bat wings. Beneath them were the words The Swan and The Serpent.
"Well, Lucy, it seems this is where we part ways. The airships to Haven can be found just a few blocks that way." Saul pointed down the crowded street towards a large building that had several airships docked in front of it.
"Thanks a ton for the ride, Saul." She said as she disembarked.
"Not at all, child. I should be the one thanking you for listening to this old man's ramblings." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out before tossing it to Lucy. She caught it easily and inspected the gift.
It was a silver broach that had an ornate design that was not unlike the sign hanging above her.
"You keep that, if you ever meet someone with one like it, just tell 'em old Saul gave you it and they'll help you out however they can."
Lucy looked down at the broach in her hand, wondering what the story behind it was. "Wow. Thank you, Saul."
"Not a problem, dear. There is one condition, though."
"Oh?"
"No more hiding your faunus traits," she was about to protest but the old man stopped her. "I know it'll be hard, and not everyone is accepting as old Saul here, but if you're true to yourself, then you will quickly find that others will have nothing with which to use against you."
She looked down at the broach in her hand before looking back at Saul, his warm brown eyes showing the sincerity in his words.
"Alright. I'll do it."
Saul smiled warmly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "One more thing you should remember, child. Passing through the Amnesty Gate at Haven is more than just a symbolic gesture. Many pass through seeking a new beginning, I implore you not to judge your classmates based on their pasts, instead, look at them for who they are, not who they were."
"I will. Thank you Saul." The old man smiled once more before removing his hand and heading through the doors of the bar.
Taking a deep breath, Lucy turned towards the airship dock and made her way toward the start of her life as a huntress.