Chapter 1
It was a week after our life changing team building exercise. Abzu was right. I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and actually work at improving myself. This included participating with my team, getting my grades up, and having a more positive attitude. Truth be told I've never felt better in my life. I still don't entirely feel belonging though. I never have.
Our team has been getting better too. Moss is teaching Aka how to be a spotter to assist in his sniping. We decided to have have board game night once a week. We'll see if that holds up. Team MANA was getting along. Although there was still some tension between Abzu and I. I need to find a way to fix that. It's the least I owe everyone.
"Hey, Noir" I hear Moss say from across the room. "Are you alright? You kind of spaced out."
"I'm alright." I reply, kind of embarrassed. I guess I did space out.
I look around. Moss, Abzu, and I were in our dorms studying. I don't know where Aka is. Right, I need to catch up on learning about The Faunus War. My Dad always called it the Faunus Rights Revolution. As if the miserable old man knows anything about rising above stigma. Although now I'm being a hypocrite. That was the old me. The new me is better than the old violent animal me.
"Noir" Abzu shouts. He then gets shushed by Moss. "You're spacing out a lot. Is this whole 'learning' thing too hard for you?"
He's still a jerk. At least he's not being a bigot. Maybe that outburst before the team building exercise was just a slip of the tounge. Alright, time to study. According to the textbook some faunus have night vision. I didn't know that. I don't have night vision. I should really learn more about my heritage. That might help in becoming a better me. So I set out to get some books on the subject.
"I'm gonna head to the library" I tell them "Maybe a change of scenery will help me study"
"Suit yourself." Moss tells me.
As I'm about to leave Abuz say "Just remember, we're teammates now. More than that, friends. We're looking out for you."
"Thanks" I tell him.
I start down the hallway and around the corner is Sterling. This bunny faunus that I don't really like. "Hey, lamb chop" He calls out. "I'm not finished with you."
I don't know how he figured out my full name in Noir Mutton. But I promised myself and my team to change. So I respond "Well I'm finished with you." I say trying to walk past him.
Maybe that sounded confrontational. I wanted to avoid fighting. At the same time I didn't want to appear weak. I try walking past him. He grabs my arm and tells me "I said I'm not finished with you."
Suddenly we hear someone say. "Gentlemen, you shouldn't fight."
Apparently there was another person behind us. A faunus no less. He was another student. Since he was in uniform. He had a bushy tail, orange hair, and a tan bowler hat. "We faunus should stick together. We need to set a good example. If we fight each other then they humans that despise us are right."
"He's right" I tell Sterling.
"Nobody tells me what to do" Sterling responds.
Sterling let go of me and charged at this faunus. Who swiftly poked Sterling in the neck. Somehow that caused Sterling to collapse. "How did you do that?" I ask.
"It's a pressure point that some faunus have. You should really learn about your culture."
"I was just on the way to the library to do that."
"I was headed to the library too. You should come to the White Fang meeting tonight if you really want to learn about being a faunus. My name's Tanner by the way."
"Mine's Noir. Nice to meet you"
With that I formed a new friendship.
Chapter 2
At the library, Tanner sat us down at a table and explained everything. "I know who you are, Noir Mutton."
"How do you know my last name? Who are you?" I ask little angrily.
"I was going to explain that." He tells me. "It's sort of my job."
"Your job? Are you a spy or something?" I ask, getting really annoyed now.
"I'm trying to explain that. Stop interrupting and I'll tell you." He says, trying to sound professional but clearly getting annoyed.
"Spy, I suppose that's a term. I prefer intelligence officer. I work with The White Fang as a recruiter. I've wanted you to join for awhile now. Truth be told, I didn't approach you sooner because, frankly, I found you quite terrifying prior to your recent extracurricular assignment."
"Are you saying I'm not scary anymore?" I growl, staring at him trying to look angry.
"I… meant that you're amenable to reason now." He says fearfully
"I'm just joking." I chuckle and calm down. "How are you scared of me when you have that pressure point thing with Sterling?"
"The pressure point thing won't work on you. I said SOME faunus have it. He's scared of things he doesn't understand, you aren't. So I'm not scared of him retaliating. Besides I wanted to recruit you because you have feelings of inadequacy associated with being a faunus. Sterling is just an idiot who swings his fists because it's all he knows how to do. I want to show you that being a faunus is actually something to be proud of."
"Really?" I enquire "You're trying to recruit me?"
"I suppose that's the other part of my job. Our old leader stepped down recently. This new man is coming to Vale for the first time. I've never met him. A change in you happened recently. A change in The White Fang is upon us. I figure it's time for you to see it. Meet me here at 7:30 and we'll head to the meeting."
"Actually I have plans at 9."
"You'll have plenty of time. It will be over at 8:30. You can totally make your appointment in time. Don't tell your teammates that you're going to a White Fang meeting. They won't understand. Trust me."
I thought about this for a moment. My teammates were starting to trust me. Now I'm considering throwing that all away for someone I just met. No, I'm not betraying their trust. I'm just making a new friend. I'm learning about myself. Betraying them would be if I started fighting again.
"Alright" I tell Tanner confidently "I'll be there."
"Splendid" He responds cheerfully. "I'll see you here at 6:30"
"What should I tell my team though? They're starting to trust me and I'm starting to care what they think."
Tanner thought about this for a moment "Tell them… Tell them you are hanging out with a new friend. It's not a lie. Just don't say what we're doing."
I went back to the dorm to tell them I was going out.
"Hey guys" I started "I'm going out with my new friend for a little bit. Is that ok?"
"Sure, have fun. Introduce us to your friend later." Moss replied
This took me by surprise. I thought they would get suspicious or ask where I'm going. Or at least who this new friend is. "You're ok with this?"
Moss smiled and said "You are your own person. I trust that you have changed. I trust that you won't let this friend convince you to do something stupid."
"Just be at the train station by 9." Abzu said.
"Ok" I said a little shaky. I started for the door before Abzu followed up with. "I never thought I'd see the day where I trust you."
That word, trust. Hearing them say trust made me feel guilty. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I wasn't betraying them. Why do I feel guilty? Was withholding information the same as lying? I have a new friend and a new purpose. Neither of which are against my team. So I shouldn't feel bad. For the first time in my life I care what people think.
Come to think of it, where's Aka? I haven't seen him all day. I wonder what he has to say about this. If Abzu trusts me then Aka probably does. Aka is basically a ninja, so maybe he's spying on me right now. I'm probably just being paranoid.
On the way to the library I thought about why I am the way I am. I never actually went to a school to train to become a huntsman. While other kids learned by hitting dummies with weapons made of wood, I hunted Grimm on the outskirts of the city with a fire ax. It's how I got the scars on my body. That's also how I chose my weapon when I was given the opportunity to go to Beacon.
I always blamed my inadequacies on anything I could think of. My social class. The fact I was a faunus. My dad. Truth be told it was nobody's fault but my own. I'm angry because of me. I'm in control of my actions. I'm in control of my destiny.
Abzu was right. I should prove I'm better than the stigma faced by faunus. Stigma doesn't control me. Tanner was right, being a faunus is something to be proud of. This is the new Noir. Proud faunus and good person.
I arrive outside the library and see Tanner wearing brown khakis, a long sleeve cream shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a brown vest, as well as his bowler hat.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be." I respond.
"Then let's go"
Chapter 3
Tanner and I were heading toward the meeting place. We were on the sidewalk in a commercial part of town, nearing the docks. He was telling me about what it means to be White Fang. "We're a protest group." He explains "For the most part we're peaceful. Boycotts and such. I try to keep it that way. I believe that to achieve peace you should show peace."
"I believe war is sometimes necessary." I argue.
"War is just rich old men sending poor young men to kill each other to protect their investments. War is for profit. Think about that."
I did for a moment. He had a point. "What about The Faunus Rights Revolution?" I ask.
Without missing a beat he responds "The humans were trying to protect their investment. Us Faunus. So I think the point stands."
"If you don't like fighting then why did you become a huntsman?"
Again, without missing a beat he responds "Grimm are different. All that Grimm do is kill. They can't be dealt with using peace. I want Remnant to be rid of them" Good answers I guess
"Thanks for bringing me. I really needed this."
"Anything to help my fellow faunus. Especially one in need. Such as yourself."
I give him a dirty look "Y-you know what I mean." He says nervously.
"I know what you mean. My teammate said I needed to rise above the stigma that faunus face."
"You're teammate sounds like a smart person. Anyway, We're here."
The commercial district ended almost instantly. It was actually a weirdly sharp transition. I could literally see where one district ended and one started. It's uncanny to say the least.
The location was some warehouse on the docks. We stop and look at it. There were a lot of faunus headed there. There was a banner that was different from what I remember seeing in the news. The one I remember had some sort of white wolf in a white circle behind a blue background. This one still had a blue background and wolf. But the wolf was red, looked angrier and had a claw mark behind it. It just seemed more violent. Which contradicted what Tanner told me.
"That's strange." He said questioningly "I heard we have a new leader now. New leader new flag I suppose. Although this new flag looks a little violent. I have a hunch about this. I'll give him a chance to prove me wrong. Let's see what he's all about."
Just then some little girl bumps into me. She had cat ears and black shoulder length hair. She was wearing a grey tank top and black pants. She looked up at me and then turned away and ran towards the meeting. "Do you know her?" I asked Tanner.
"Not really." He responds. "She's been coming to these meetings since before I joined. I know she's loyal to the cause. That's about it. Now come on, let's head down there."
We get to the door and I notice there's a bouncer wearing a grim mask, white sleeveless shirt with the new logo on it, black hood, and black pants. It looked like a uniform. Which I find strange. I don't watch the news much, but I don't recall White Fang having uniforms. This was all so new to me. Although Tanner looked as confused as I did.
The bouncer lets us in. The warehouse was spacious. There were a few boxes and freights off to the side. Leaving a lot of room for the large crowd. Faunus of all ages were there. The guards were wearing the uniform the bouncer was wearing. There were banners with the new logo on display beside the stage at the other end of the warehouse. Tanner and I made our way to the middle of the crowd.
Then a man stepped on stage. He had bull horns and red spiked hair pushed back like it was windswept. His coat was black with some sort of red and white design on the left shoulder with a red shirt underneath it and black pants. On his belt was a sword. Most striking of all is his grimm mask. He seemed calm yet determined. Then he spoke.
"Fellow faunus" People cheered and he waited for them to stop. "Fellow faunus. My name is Adam Taurus. I know your pain. For too long have the humans of Remnant treated us like lesser beings." People shouted in agreement. "For too long the humans of Remnant have discriminated, and belittled us" People shouted in agreement some more. "What have we done to stop this? Boycotts? Mass rallies? What has that accomplished? We are still treated as lesser beings. We are still belittled by humans. I say no more. I say that we need to take more drastic measures. I know the perfect place to start. Iro Bakery."
Iro Bakery. Why did that sound familiar?
"Stop." Tanner shouted. Everyone went quiet turned to him. "This is not why I joined White Fang. I joined to make peace with Humans. Not war. This goes against everything that the White Fang was founded to promote."
Adam Responded "How much has that accomplished? Do people still think less of you for being a faunus?"
"Violence is not how we solve this problem." Tanner said, avoiding the question.
"Your naive pacifism is obnoxious. This is a new day for the White Fang. The day we finally get some respect. We're going to start the new revolution. With or without you. Anyone who isn't on board with making real progress, leave now. Everyone else, come with me."
A few people leave. I was actually surprised by how few. It couldn't have been more than 15. I walk with Tanner "Peaceful protests?" I inquire.
"I didn't know the new leader would be like this I swear." Tanner assures me. "I'm going to find the cops." And he leaves.
Then I remember. Iro is Aka's last name. I have to warn him. What am I going to tell him? I'll figure that out later. Right now I need to call Aka.
I run as fast as I can. I have to get somewhere that isn't here. Suddenly someone from behind me puts me in a headlock. I could tell they were shorter than me. I headbutt them and turn around to see it's Aka.
"What are you doing here?" I ask.
"I should ask you the same thing." He says. "We need to talk. Right now."
Chapter 4
"Are you going to answer me?" Aka says demandingly.
"Someone invited me to a White Fang meeting. He said it was a protest group. I didn't know it was… this." I tell him shyly.
"I guess they've changed." He says getting angry.
"I didn't know. I swear. I just wanted to learn about-"
"About what?" He interrupts. "How to be violent for a reason instead? Did you join White Fang because they fight now? I thought things had changed with us. I guess you're the only one who hasn't." This assertion was new. I always thought he was the shy one.
"This is my first time here. I swear."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because I'm the one who brought him here" Tanner interjects. Apparently standing behind me. "I'm Tanner. He's telling the truth. This is his first time. We've got bigger problems than your team drama. White Fang are going to burn down some Bakery."
"Which one?" Aka asks.
"Iro Bakery" Tanner responds
"That's my family's bakery. I thought this would happen. We have to get there now. Follow me."
So Tanner and I run after Aka And I tell him "I have so many questions."
"Ask away. Just keep up." He says, still running.
"Why were YOU there? Why do they hate your family? Where have you been all day?"
"In order, spying on White Fang. I don't know, probably because of my brother. And studying."
"Why were you spying on them?"
"Left here" We all take a left turn and keep running.
"I heard rumors they would do this." He tells me " And who's he again?" Referring to Tanner.
"My name is Tanner." He responded "I convinced Noir to come with me to the White Fang meeting. I didn't know it would be this."
Suddenly Aka stops. "We've arrived." He says "Not a moment too soon either." Referring to the White Fang leader outside the Bakery.
I had to stop and catch my breath. Tanner joined me. Somehow Aka was standing tall. Was running for that long really not a problem for him? It was a sprint for at least a mile. How could anyone have stamina like that? I know we're supposed to be huntsmen, but come on. Turns out Adam can run too. He was standing there with a molotov cocktail.
The weren't any other White Fang with him. Why? Probably because they couldn't keep up. "Get away from my bakery." Aka told him "My family has no beef with faunus. They're allowed to eat here. I can name several places on this block that would be better places to fire bomb." As if to say he only cares about his livelihood. Forget everyone else.
"I'm assuming you're Kuro's son." Adam told Aka "He's a filthy human. I bet you're just like him. Using grain from a company that hates faunus. This" He says pulling out a molotov cocktail "is a message."
Then Tanner says "This isn't a message" Still catching his breath. "This is insanity."
Adam giggles menacingly "More insane than insisting on repeating cowardly tactics that have proven ineffective?"
In a second I watch Adam throw the bottle and have it explode in mid air. I look at Tanner and see that he brought his weapon. A small revolver. I was amazed at his marksmanship. I should've thought to bring my weapon. Although wearing an ax through town would be rather conspicuous.
Suddenly a locker falls out of the sky. It was my locker. Behind me is Abzu holding his scroll. I ask him "How do you know my locker combo?"
He responds "I'll tell you later. Right now, We have to stop him."
I grab my ax out of the locker and say "Got it. Tanner, get the cops."
"On it" He responds, and runs off to get the cops.
Chapter 5
"Are you done whispering like cowards?" Adam asked.
Without saying a word Abzu shoots at Adam. Adam blocked it with his sword. Abzu fired a few more times while walking towards Adam. Adam blocked them all while walking towards Abzu. Until Abzu finally put away his gun and took out his sword and struck. Which Adam blocked.
I figured Aka and I needed to come up with a plan. Aka was already on it. He leans over and says "I'll run straight at him and you sneak around and sneak attack him."
"Got it" I respond.
This whole time Adam and Abzu were sword fighting. Adam clearly had the advantage though. Aka and I proceeded with his plan. Aka whistled at Adam and threw the scythe end of his weapon at Adam while I ran around. Adam blocked Aka's strike, pushed Abzu to the ground, looked right at me and started walking in my direction. Suddenly a ton of White fang appeared on either end of the street. Adam shouts "Back off, they're mine"
As Adam approaches me a bullet hit the ground in front of him. It was Moss. Adam pointed to his left. And several White fang headed in that direction. As they ran Moss shot at them and they fell backwards. It must have been some sort of paralyzer rounds. Then Adam faced me and asked "Now, where were we?"
He then turned around and clasped his hands on the sword Abzu thrust at him. Aka took advantage of this situation and hit Adam with a downward vertical strike with the weight end of his weapon. Adam let go of Abzu's sword and jumped away from us. Suddenly he gets shot by Moss and collapsed.
We turn towards the building that Moss was in. Obviously, since camoflauge is his semblance, he was invisible until he stood up. He gave us a wave before some white fang member came up behind him and tried to take Moss's gun. They wrestled with it until it fell out the window. Then we watched Moss punch the White fang member and step away from the window.
Then we look around and see what must be 30 White Fang in either direction run towards us. I don't know why but I suddenly felt very angry. It was my semblance activating I guess. I dropped my ax and decided to give in to the feeling. I get down on all fours. And charge in the direction opposite Moss. I don't know why, but this anger feels good.
I tackle one of them and try to bite him. Then his buddy tries to pull me off of him. I respond by throwing both of them so hard they fly into the wall. I get up and grab one person by the mask and slam the back of their head into the ground. A circle forms around me. Maybe 6 people as the rest run past me. I growl as if daring one of them to attack.
Then I hear glass break and look for the source. Adam was up and someone had thrown a molotov cocktail into the bakery. It was in flames. I calm down and run to get my ax back. Adam tells them "Enough. We did what we came here to do. Let's get out of here."
Right as he said that the police show up on both sides. Adam runs up a building and gets away. The other White fang try to break through the police line. I paid that no mind. What mattered now was putting out that fire. Except firemen were on the scene now too. So I guess that got settled
Then the police come up to Aka, Abzu and I tell us to put our hands up. Which we oblige. They take us to one of their cars in cuffs. I see the police take several White Fang in cuffs out of the building Moss was in. Then we see Moss without a scratch on him. Still smiling he says. "I don't just wear these hand wraps for nothing. I told you I can fist fight."
From behind me I hear "Let these four go."
I turn around. It was Fushia. She's wearing the same simple black suit, white shirt, purple tie combo she always wore. "I said let them go" She repeated.
"Why should I?" asked a police officer. She showed them some badge and said "Because I told you to." in a professional, no nonsense voice.
The officer sighed and said "Let these four go"
They uncuffed us and I notice they were putting Tanner in the back seat of one of their cars. "Him too." I tell them.
"Him too." Fuchsia echos. They release Tanner from the backseat.
Fuchsia asks "Do you mind telling me who he is?"
Tanner answered "My name is Tanner. I'm a friend of Noir's… I think."
I smile and nod. Fuchsia then tells him "I would appreciate if you kept this incident to yourself."
"Of course ma'am. I'll just.. Go"
"Do that."
Tanner then ran away. I'm assuming towards the school.
"Well Sky, are these the shenanigans you get up to?" Fuchsia said with a smile and more playful voice
Who's Sky? "I go by Abzu now." Abzu tells her.
She giggles. "We have a lot to talk about."
Chapter 6
We were back in our dorm. Fuchsia insisted that we don't talk about what happened until we got back. I suppose that was for the best. The car ride back was rather awkward and quiet though. I felt like everyone was blaming me for what happened. I suppose I did mess up. Fuschia was the first to speak up "Soooooo" she said "Who wants to go first?"
I guess I had to start. I sighed and told them everything. "I met that guy Tanner. He invited me to a White Fang meeting. He insisted that it was a peaceful protest group. It turns out they were getting a new leader. This new leader said he wanted to use violence. Tanner said that wasn't right. Adam, that's the new leader's name, ran to burn down Aka's dad's bakery. I left to stop him. That's when Aka showed up. You know what happened next."
Fuchsia looked at me and said "No, I don't know what happened next. That's why I'm asking."
"How did you guys know I'd be at that meeting anyway?" I ask
Aka decided to speak up. "We didn't. I heard White Fang might be targeting my family's bakery. I decided to look into it. I tailed someone to the warehouse. I was just as surprised to see you as you were to see me. Then I called Moss and Abzu, told them to get in position. After that they showed up and the fight happened."
Abuz took his turn to speak. "That's about the whole story. Now let's talk about trust." He turned to look at me "I trusted that you weren't going to go back to fighting for the sake of fighting. I trusted that you were going to stay out of trouble. I... was right." that threw me off guard. "You tried to better yourself and you fought for your team. You're better than the person you were when I met you."
"Thanks" I tell him. "How exactly did you get us out of police custody?" I ask Fuchsia.
"I have influence in this city. Let's leave it at that" She said in a strange sort of seductive voice. "I'm just glad my cousin and... former apprentice are getting along."
"By the way Abzu." I enquire. "How do you know my cousin and why did she call you sky? 'It's complicated' isn't an excuse this time."
He sighs and explains "My parents named me Sky. They loved me but seemed disinterest in me at the same time. So they left me to train with Fuchsia in how to fight. Probably because they didn't want to deal with me. I was going to join her clan. Then she said she loved me. I didn't know how to handle that. So I ran away, changed my name to Abzu, and joined Beacon Academy to become a huntsman."
Aka asked "What does your clan do exactly?"
"We protect a small village near Vale." Fuchsia interjected "Like I said, we also have some influence in the kingdom. Evident by me getting you out of that bind." She sighed. "I won't stop Sky from doing what he wants. If I can't be with him then I'm just glad he's doing something good."
I could tell this made Abzu uncomfortable.
Moss decided it was time to break up the tension. "I'd call tonight a success." He said.
Aka glared at him. "What are you talking about? My Dad's bakery got torched."
"We got to know each other a little better. We worked as a team. We learned to trust each other. And we kept damage to your family's bakery to a minimum. It was burnt. Not burnt down."
"It doesn't feel like a victory to me."
"I never said we won that fight, but we could've lost more."
"If you say so."
"Boys" Fuchsia said "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we're hopefully going to have a relaxing day."
Epilogue
The weekend was over. Our day with Fuchsia was fun but uneventful. We walked around Vale and talked about how to control my semblance. Just have a goal in mind when it's activated and take deep breaths when you accomplish it. That will calm me down. It was a fun time. But it was only one day.
It was lunch time. We were sitting together and Tanner came over with 3 other people. All of which are in school uniform. I'm assuming they were his team. "Hey guys. I'd like you to meet team ARTS." He says
"Sonny" Says the guy with dark skin and blond straight bob that reached his chin.
"My name is Rose" Says the petite girl with pink neck band with a red rose on it and long red hair.
"I'm Alice" Says the girl with blue lensed ski goggles worn on her forehead and blue pony tail.
Tanner then looked down and said "I'm sorry about the other day."
Aka responded sympathetically "If it makes you feel better, my dad is now buying grain from someone that doesn't discriminate against faunus."
"Funny thing is, it doesn't make me feel better. The fact violence brought change hurts because Adam was right. That's why I'm out. I'm no longer White Fang."
I smiled and told Tanner "Thanks man."
"By the way, before your… friend left she wanted me to ask you something. Do you want to be in the Vytal Festival Tournament?"