He laid on his knees his tattered cloak covered in blood. Three arrows in his back made it a struggle to breath, one of his arms limp and dead at his side and his other holding a now dulled blade into the ground for support. He was certainly never a good solider. He had lacked obedience, courage, strength, and agility but somehow he had outlived everyone.
He found it humorous that one with the least amount of purpose would survive. A faunus in a world of discrimination united to fight. His kind was hated. He was hated. He had no home, no family, no prize to return to should he survive this bloody war. Yet as the beast closed in on him and the army he for whatever reason didn't want to die. He was fighting for life but why?
He didn't have time to think it over as a shot whistled by his ear the arrow narrowly missing his head. He snapped his attention forward dread washing over as the army reinforcements closed in on him. About a hundred or so stood not far off. He turned back and saw the town behind him. Remnants few surviving human settlements. "w-why... why do I protect you?"
The half dead white haired faunus stood the tattered red cloak refused to let him go. It reminded him of the women who had given it to him in town. She hailed from an island and joined the war effort and told him the cloak represented her family's support. She thought it was amazing to see a faunus help delay Humanity's extinction. He had after all joined a war that faunus did not need to suffer.
He thought back to the woman. A Miss Rose. She had been kind and sweet to him, shown him comfort and warmth. She was his drive now, she was his new reason to fight. And now with his newly founded resolve he stood up his legs buckling but soon it found its footing. He glared at the small army that now closed in swords and bows drawn and pointed at the faunus.
"I-i w-won't let you win!" He shouted his red eyes blazing bright red glowing as a dark aura enclosed his arms and flared from the sword he held.
"Kill the rodent" shouted a man in the army and soon they yelled and ran at the devil like faunus ahead of them.
The faunus ran forward and lashed out at his opponents with his sword. The blade slashed through many of the men before him. Once the first hour passed the faunus had fought off at least more than a dozen men. He had lost his arm, more arrows had bombarded his back and now his chest, his remaining arm was covered in third degree burns from burn dust coated weapons, his left eye had been slashed, and there was the dagger that was still in his leg.
Another hour and he was coughing blood and was barely able to support his weight. The dark aura had turned his skin to the color of a grim and his wounds although evident felt non existent to him. He saw fear had crawled into some of his enemies as they witnessed the sight of him somehow fighting off the army. "what! Don't you know a rodent is deadliest when cornered!" the faunus yelled in response to the fear in the enemies eyes.
A third hour and his enemies had been reinforced again but he didn't give in, he fought with every last breath, every time he received a wound images of the woman would flash in his eyes to remind him why he had to stop these fiends. So he continued to fight.
Five hours and at last men from the city joined him. They were still out numbered, out matched, poorly equipped but there courage and strength had been renewed by the sight of a lone faunus fighting the enemy alone. "why do you join?" the faunus asked as a man who blocked an attack with a war hammer "i wanted to join the fun" he said giving a playful smile as he smashed another enemy to the ground and flipped himself over killing a few others with the hammer landing next to the faunus "Mr. Valkyrie at your service!" he said happily.
The battle lasted a total of 10 hours and many good people had died only two men remained as they faced down the enemy. A general by the looks of it, he had white hair and held a fencing sword in his hand a confident smirk on his face. "do you think you can best me?" he asked staring at the one armed faunus who only had one functioning eye. Next to the faunus stood a blood lusting smiling buffoon holding his bloodied war hammer on his shoulder.
Both of the remaining men from the town where determined to kill this white haired man. Do to his rank they knew victory would surely send a message to the enemy. "honestly." said the faunus as his eye glowed bright and burned with blood lust and hate "i think we can do more than that but"
I tink it'd be better to spare you. Let the enemy know this does not have to end in more blood shed.
"Don't speak like as if you have a position in this were you filthy animal." Spat out the general "you should just run away back to your kind!" He said in disgust and dashed to the faunus who barely side stepped the attack and stumbled back. The dark aura passed down his lineage was beginning to fail him.
Valkyrie quickly bashed the general's back with the hammer but the enemy recovered quickly and parried the next barrage of viscous attacks. "Fools! I am a Schnee we would never be killed by the like of low life's like you!" He spat as he took a slash for Valkyrie cutting his chest but the hammer wielding man smiled happy that the cut was shallow while the dent in the Schnee's arm was much bigger and had broken it.
"when did you?" Started the Schnee but he was cut off as he was drop kicked from behind sending him forward and then the hammer collided with his his face breaking his nose.
The faunus followed up by slashing at the Schnee's back and the Schnee returned with a slash across the fanus's nose bridge. Then Valkyrie came around and pounded the general's side with the hammer. The general stood to fight but the appearance of an army in the distance closing in fast made him decide something better. " I think I shall take my leave." he said as he turned and darted away faster then they could react.
"i'll get him!" Valkyrie was about to follow and give chase but the sound of a wet cough and the feeling of fresh blood on his back made him turn to the faunus. His wounds somehow where sealed and healed the arrows had been pushed out somehow and any scratches had healed to a scars. "Oh god. Whahowwhenda fuck! How did you heal?!" he asked.
the faunus smiled but his eyes widened in fear as several wounds on his chest and back suddenly burst open blood splattering out and he coughed up blood holding his now burning throat. "Sh-shit." He wheezed out as he fell down wincing in agonizing pain a feral scream building in his throat but he held it down. " Damn it all" The faunus thought as the man he'd fought with heaved him up in his arms and ran with him to the city.
-HA-
The army had now fortified the city and helped take in wounded, the battle had ended hours ago. And the proclaimed town saviors rested. Many of the men who had helped where resting peacefully. But one certain faunus didn't. He laid down in a dark room hehad been patched up but he knew he wouldn't survive. His wounds may have been almost unnatrually healed but he knew this had been at a cost. Such use of the dark aura was now killing him.
He looked much like a creature of grim now. His teeth had become fangs his eyes were blood red and his skin was the color of Grimm. Bone pieces had begun to grow on him and he had fur here and there. He looked like the cross of a faunus and a beowolf now. Though his body structure hadn't changed his hands had become claws and the bone fragments here and there indeed made him seem like one. He was in a pair of trousers and his sword was next to him.
Miss Rose had been given the cloak back and she said that she wanted it to remain in her family as a symbol of strength and hope something he'd given the town while fighting in it. Mr. Valkyrie had left to check on his friend. A Lie something if he remembered right.
As Valkyrie came in he smiled "hey there war buddy. How are you doing?" He asked the faunus who replied with a feral grunt and grabbed his sword tightly.
"hey War buddy. Can you do me a favour?" the faunus asked in shaky breaths as he held the sword out hilt facing Mr. Valkyrie. "Take this to a house not far from here. It belongs to the family Arc. This blade belongs to the current man living there.". Valkyrie gave a wry smile and took the sword.
"I will..." Valkyrie said as he grimaced. His new friend was in deep pain. He looked to be on his death bed and he knew it. "so what will you do when you heal?" Valkyrie asked.
"you know I'm not going to survive this." the faunus responded looking out the window and to the moon. It hung beautifully in the night sky high above the clouds. "I'll be up there soon.." he said rather somberly.
"you don't know that" Replied the Valkyrie. "you'll be fine I bet!" he said cheerfully to hide his sadness.
"s-s-s-sure ngh!" The faunus coughed up more blood and winced as a pain shot through him and he struggled for air making Valkyrie panic and rush to his side. "W-wait! You'll live. Someone! Quickly come!" he yelled hoping a nurse would hear. And as the door opened and two nurses rushed in the faunus frowned when he saw the nurses looks.
"Fear? Still after what i've done? I die seen a monster?... I suppose thats fine" the faunus closed his eyes content on dieing now. "g-g'bye mr. Valkyrie, goodbye, miss Rose... I hope to meet you two in another l-life." and with that the faunus died on the bed.
-HA-
His battle faded into legend. And few knew who or what he was. Fewer knew what he looked like when he died. However two family's never forgot the white haired Grimm like man who had died many years ago when remnant was young and at war with each other and Grimm. So it was quite a surprise when the descendent of the Rose family named Ruby saw the man from a fairy tale passed down in her family roaming the halls of Beacon academy.