This is my first published story, I hope you all enjoy it and please leave reviews so that I can improve my writing. RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.
Prologue 1: The Break of Dawn
Clouds float along on a gentle breeze, wistfully gliding across the brightening sky. The underbellies are lit by a gold and orange glow as the sun rises to take its place for the day. A yawn could be heard over the rustling of the breeze, a series of popping sounds soon followed as joints released. The sun continues to rise, its rays illuminating a mess of coppery hair, sun rays flow past a pair of clear blue eyes and down the long frame of a boy who was busy stretching out his stiff joints. His name is Aurora.
Finished stretching and blinking at the sun that had woken him up, Aurora yawns again and turns to look behind him, taking note that his blanket had fallen out of his sleeping hammock. Past the hammock across a well mowed lawn is sturdy wooden building with a large porch and a sign that read "The Trading Post". Shambling up to the building, heading past the porch to a side door where the tantalizing smell of bacon wafts out. Aurora ducks his head and shifts, angling to fit his tall powerful frame through the doorway. Inside he found his mother cooking, humming to herself as she deftly flipped succulent strips of meat from the frying pan.
It always amazed Aurora how his mother could be so happy in the morning when she was always up before the , Aurora, could never seem to rouse himself until the edges of dawn had softly creept over the jagged mountainous horizon.
"Mornin", He mumbled making his way through the kitchen, snatching a piece of bacon on the way past the stove.
"Good morning dear", His mother replies, lightly smacking his hand with the spatula when Aurora reached for another tantalizing slice. "What are your plans for the day?", she asks, switching her gaze from the frying meat to him.
Aurora seats himself at the table rubbing his smarting appendage as he replies, "I was gonna help tend the shop. Wulfen might stop by and I want to give him the letter he received."
"It will be nice to let you tend shop today while I finish preparing the rest of your clothes for school", his mother states, turning from the stove to hand Aurora a plate piled high with bacon, some sourdough toast, and a wedge of yellow cheese.
"I can pack well enough on my own Mom", Aurora grumbles, shoveling food into his mouth
"I know but I just want to help prepare you for the next stage in your life. You'll be going to Beacon tomorrow and I want to ensure that you are ready" Aurora's mother finishes her little speech with her hands planted firmly on her hips, her diminutive frame exuding authority. Knowing the argument was a lost cause Aurora just diverts his full attention on finishing his food.
After cleaning his dishes Aurora heads back to the front of the house and unlocks the door that connected to the porch. The entire front room of The Trading Post is lined with shelves loaded with a random assortment of tools, food, clothes, and supplies that any outlying community might need. Aurora haphazardly dusts a couple of things of as he heads to the counter and sits behind it. Most of the remaining morning is boring with only one old grandmother coming in to pick up some candles for a cake she was baking for her grandson's birthday. Just before noon Aurora, who dozed off behind the counter, hears the front door open.
Two men in dark leather dusters stepped into the store. One of them has the stock of what could be a rifle or shotgun over on shoulder and the other is idly flipping a bowie knife, which Aurora notices is one of several attached to the mans belt. Aurora wrinkles his nose as he caught the smell of the two men as it wafts in from the doorway. Apart from the leather dusters the men had scraggly unshaven faces with more dirt on them then on the bottom of Auroras' boots.
"What can I do for you?", Aurora asks as the men approached.
"I'd like some cigs if you got any." Bowie knife states peering around the supply filled room. Aurora simply nods and calmly reaches behind him, setting a pack of cigarettes on the counter in front of Bowie knife.
"Five lien", He states looking at the man in front of him.
"What! That's Robbery!", Bowie rages, his knife hand stilling as his eyes glare at Aurora.
"Some Grimm have been attacking recent shipments so the prices are up until the route gets cleared out." Aurora states flatly looking Bowie in the eye.
Just at the moment, Aurora's mother hustles through the door leading to the kitchen, "Aurora, really you must stop ripping the sleeves of all your shirts. You don't…" his mother trailing off as she notices the ragtag customers. "Hello." she says giving the men a bright smile.
Bowie pushes himself off the counter. "Well I'll pay five lien if I get to take the woman for a little spin." He leers glancing over her body.
"Leave her alone." Aurora growls softly, reaching under the counter and lifting clear a great battle axe, the weapon had a red wrapped handle and a head as wide as a mans chest.
"Ohh I'm scared now the kids got a toy, get em". Bowie taunts, shooting the last part to the so far silent man loitering behind him. The man reaches over his shoulder for the stock of his weapon but Aurora is faster. He reaches out, arm sliding past Bowie's shoulder, grabbing the man by his collar and slamming his face down onto the wooden counter, before his hand touches the stock of his weapon. Aurora turns slightly, blocking a slash from Bowie's knife with the haft of his axe. Aurora grunts, shoving back and spinning his axe so that the blade whistles down towards Bowie's head. Bowie dodges flipping another knife neatly out of his belt as he comes back in for a second attack. Aurora leans to the side, one knife brushing past his ear. Auroras' other hand whips up and grabs Bowie's wrist, stopping his knife mid stab. Before Bowie can recover Aurora slams the pommel of his axe down on the crown of Bowies head. Bowie reels back stunned and Aurora winds up sending a two-handed blow of his axe into the man's sternum. Like a puppet with its strings cut loose Bowie flew back hitting the door frame and sliding down it, to lay slumped on the floor.
A shot rings out splintering the wood wall beside Aurora's head. Aurora ducks cursing this whole situation. The first gunman was recovered, chambering another round into his shotgun, with blood running down his face from his broken nose. Aurora shits his hand on the haft of his axe, pressing a button set into the haft. Red dust in the center of the axe head ignites coating the blade in incandescent flames. Aurora rolls over the counter and bringing the flaming axe down in a powerful overhead chop at the reloading, bloody gunman. The gunman moves to block the attack with his gun barrel but the axe shears through the barrel leaving two smoking halves behind. A second later the gunman smashes into the wall and slides down, to rest next to his partner.
Aurora straightens up, rolling his shoulders to release some excess tension, looking over at his mother who has a hand over her mouth.
" Are you alright mom?" he calls shouldering his large weapon.
"Just fine" she replies back, a hint of satisfaction in her tone, "now take out the trash please? I made your favorite apple pie for lunch."
