Fang & Claw
Oneshot

Sienna Khan had walked a razors edge her whole life, but never more-so than as High Leader of the White Fang. She knew some envied her position, but she liked to think she would not in their place.

Assassins, armies, police, Grimm. The constant need to balance when force was necessary and when to let things go, while reigning in the most aggressive of her kin and bolstering the timid.

It was a never ending balancing act, one slip up and it could all come tumbling down for the White Fang.

Sienna grimaced as she looked at her High Guards.

She had slipped.

Four spears at her back, six guns and two more spears ahead of her. The human on the left, her lieutenant rounding on her right, hand on his blade.

Sienna Khan knows its farcical to think such things, but perhaps its the student of history in her.

As a Faunus, as a leader, she'd made it her business to learn all she could from the history. She knew a trait shared by Faunus and humans was the attempt to craft narratives out of the chaotic winds of the past.

And it was farcical but still... Some part of her couldn't help but think the wheels had started to come off when Kali and Ghira's child left them.

Adam had called her in an unfit state to inform her of the missions failure and his partners betrayal. Scarcely a day later and the Vale camp had been wiped off the map. Suspiciously, no government took the credit.

Then she'd been inundated with Grimm and raids by Mistrali agents.

'Likely Adam's doing, to keep us distracted,' she thought, her mind flashing from one wild thought to the next every instant.

Then her agents in Vale proper vanished, died or began feeding her contradictory information before going silent.

Just as she'd been ready to move on the kingdom personally, the thrice damned Atlesian military dropped in.

'I was too patient,' she thought again, teeth grit, fangs slowly being revealed as her lips peeled back.

Before long the Breach killed dozens of her soldiers and the city was on high alert. Beacon fell and the CCT collapsed under Grimm assault.

'All thanks to one short sighted traitor and his human masters!'

And then Adam had returned, cocksure and vainglorious after handing a neutral academy to the Grimm.

'And yet he turned my own guards against me!' Her chest burnt, her tongue was molten bile even as a cold fury overtook her mind and she unfurled her hands like claws. What did he plan for her? Subservient surrender as he had to the humans, a hostage, or death?'

She could ask how it came to this way. 'Was my example not strong enough? Did losing Adam erode my authority? Did no one understand me!?'

The human spoke in his gentle baritone, "What are you doing?"

Sienna's eyes widened just a touch at that, 'They aren't united.'

All throughout the halls a bell clanged and Adam's smirk grew as she spoke, "What's right for the Faunus. From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the White Fang."

"That alarm... your new masters brought Grimm, Adam?" She asked.

He grimaced as she took one step out of his reach, Colcacs spear touched her back but he was the weakest of her guards, she could survive him.

"Those Grimm were an offering to Sienna Khan, not to serve as your distraction," Hazel ground out.

Just as Adam opened his mouth, edging his blade free, Sienna snorted, though it was more a snarl. She pushed back through the spears and sent Adam a wide, fang filled smirk and spat.

"Is this how it begins, Adam? Your grand ambitions for an empire, founded on betrayal, deception and treason?"

Sienna let out a throaty laugh at the look on is face.

"You little fool."

His grip tightened on his blade. The spears were heating up as Aura charged the Dust ready to fire. She managed to get one step down the dais, between Adam and his sponsor as the Bull Faunus rounded on her.

Her legs began to slide out, bracing she bent her knees and her eyes shone in the fire light. "Founded by oath breakers," she looked to her guards who grimaced. "Slave masters who weave their whips into words," they knew she meant the human. "And a traitor more in love with carnage than justice. Oh Adam, even if you win here your kingdom will be one of Faunus slaves and built on ash."

"The days you lecture me are-" He lashed out, sword shining as he roared "OVER!"

Sienna's ears twitched, the human was dodging, no point in leaping away and leaving herself open to gun fire then.

Her palms shot out and with a slap of flesh against steel she caught the blade and bared her fangs at Adam. The boy grunted in shock as his blade was ground to a halt and the beam left trapped within. Not waiting she shot her arms out, contorting his hold and drove the hilt into his stomach.

Aura flooded her forehead and her Bindi glowed.

"Move!" Hazel hurled Adam aside with a satisfying crack as Sienna's red beam was unleashed upon the human and blinding the chamber.

The explosion roared and tore through the chamber walls, the light from outside poured in and still the traitors opened fire upon her.

Sienna spun around and flicked Adam's blade into her hands. Hundreds of bullets flew at her and were deflected just as fast. Adam let out a roar and opened fire with his hilt and Sienna ducked below the shot.

In a blur she spun out, sweeping the two High Guards who'd charged in from the front, off their feet.

Hopping into the air she avoided another of Adam's shots and slammed her feet into the flats of High Guards spear heads, pushing the glowing blades into their chest.

One gasped a plea, and Sienna ignored it.

Kicking off, the Aura charged blades exploded in their wielders faces as she flipped over the chamber. Adam blurred at her back mid-jump, hilt clashed with blade and the shock-wave sent them both flying. Adam went crashing through a pillar, while Sienna barely missed one.

Falling into a spin she hurled Adam's sword towards her last remaining High Guard, the rest had been caught with the human in her blast. He gurgled as it tore through his throat and impaled him on the wall.

Just as she was bracing for a landing the air moved and Sienna barely brought her arms up in time to meet the blurred strike.

A mighty shock wave shook the chamber as the two Aura's clashed, sending the traitors flying onto their backs and crumbling the pillars.

Sienna hurtled through the air and crashed against the red trimmed walls, her Aura channeling the force into a wave that rippled across the chambers.

'Human,' she bristled, hands bared like claws as her tattoos and Bindi began to glow as an orange Aura enshrouded her frame.

He too shone, an almost cinnamon like brown, but with a hint of crimson red, not unlike Adam's Aura... Or a Grim's eyes. Fists clenched and arms up in guard, his torn clothes revealed a body lined with scar and burns.

With a low rumble he shot forward.

Adam tore his sword from the High Guard's throat and charged her.

Sienna bared her fangs and rushed to meet them.

Too all that bore witness, even the strongest among them, could see only flashes of light tearing across the air. Explosions of force rocked the chamber and earth itself even as the sounds of battle outside dimmed.

Adam snarled as he looked down at Sienna's body.

She lay limp on the floor, a hole in her chest in the shape of a hand. Cuts and bruises marred her frame yet she still possessed an aura of ferocious dignity.

Blush and Wilt shook as Adam looked upon his forces. Only two of ten soldiers survived, both gunners were practically trembling. It wouldn't be long before Sienna's loyalists arrived and he didn't have time for it but-

Adam drew back his blade and drove it towards Sienna's throat only to watch it halt as Hazel's fist flashed through the air and grasped it without so much as a flinch as his thick hands enclosed the gleaming metal.

"This doesn't concern you!" Adam shouted. Looking upon the human he saw Hazel's chest was bare and caked with blood and bruises like Sienna's own. The hole she'd torn in him was healing, something inky and black roiled underneath that instinctively repelled Adam.

Hazel however seemed unperturbed, looking down at Sienna's body he spoke with that same, cursed calm. "You two, attend to her, ensure your leader gets a proper burial... I assume you planned to blame an assassin and claim she named you leader with her last breath?"

"Yes...' Adam seethed.

Hazel ignored him and continued, "It would be too obvious if you did anymore damage."

"This doesn't-"

"It concerns both of us, now. You two, go," he muttered.

Cradling Sienna's body the soldiers rushed out the right chambers doors, vanishing from sight and sound.

Hazel sighed and said, "No one had to die today..."

Adam fell back against Sien-, his new throne, it creaked and whined, wobbled and droves splinters into his tired frame, but it was his, all his and only his.

As Hazel limped form the chambers, Adam's smiled and said, "I... Disagree."

The chambers side doors clanged behind him as Hazel limped down the hall. The darkness rolling and writhing in his skin tending to his wounds with all the tenderness of a rabid Beowolf.

Adam's words and pride hovered after him like a stench and all he could say was, "Fool."

The boy would have his throne and his kingdom, so long as Salem thought it fit to entertain his ego.

But in the end, he was a pawn who had thrown away his own queen, he would reign as the king of ashes and nothing more, his soldiers reduced to mere tools in a game beyond his understanding.

Notes:

The Grimm thing was done to explain why with a battle going on, Sienna didn't get reinforcements as the clash was pretty noisy and given he has to lie about her death I feel Adam's supporters can't outnumber everyone else that much, if at all.

I really lied Sienna, she was interesting, intelligent, pragmatic and had sympathetic motivations, so I at least wanted her to go with dignity.

As always, any questions, comments or critique would be most welcome.