So… Monty passed and here I was with a half assed and half written mess of a story. This isn't an homage to him, I've already done that. This is me realising that I paid no respect to his work, no respect to his world and, most importantly, no respect to myself and MY work by leaving this … thing… on standby. I have gone over all the chapters, corrected everything I found to be wrong. I did a whole lot of formatting and here is the result. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to keep this updated with life being what it is(namely a little bitch) but you can be certain that, from now on, whenever I update it, it will be a story I would be proud to make people I know read.

Disclaimer: I still don't own RWBY or anything associated with the show and Roosterteeth. The only claims I have to this story are the OC's I introduce and the slight reworking of certain bits of the story as well as the entirely new content.

Chapter 1: The Letter

Wet grass.

That's how I'd describe the day: Wet grass.

Of course having just mowed the lawn that morning when it had rained the night before might have had something to do with it, but I will always remember the sweet fragrance of wet grass that hung in the air that day.

The Reass Family had always been good neighbors and I, being more than capable of doing manual labor, trait anyone living outside the kingdoms had to master, was glad to offer my help. I had just finished the repairs on one of their fences when I saw my friend Flare run down the path to his family home.

"Hey! HEY! SKY" His arms swinging wildly, odd display as my friend was usually calm and composed.

I sighed standing up to meet him. As he reached me, I held up my hand, signaling him to stop shouting. "You know I hate when you use my name... Now catch a breath and tell why the ever calm Flare is acting like a kid on a sugar rush".

He took a second to take a breath and looked me straight in the eyes "I came to give you the news!" he exclaimed.

As I raised an eyebrow, he handed me a slightly crumpled letter. It bore the mark of Beacon, famous school for huntsman and huntresses. It was addressed to me.

"Well?!" I looked up to find my friend waiting, obviously for me to do something with the letter. I looked down at it again. Putting it in my pocket, I couldn't help but smile at my friend's dismay.

"You are not gonna open it?" The pain was audible... he'd always been overly curious.

"Yes, but not right now... There's work to be done here and the letter will still be in my pockets tonight. The sun... not so much. Now come! Make yourself useful and grab these tools we've got granary door to fix!" Laugh escaped from me when I heard him grunt in disgust.

Walking around the back of the house, I saw the old lady Reass, Marguerite was her name but no one used it anymore, wave at me to come over. She held a pitcher of what I hoped was her famous lemonade. Her smile grew wider as she saw Flare behind me

"My! My! What is this!? My grandson come to visit me? Impossible." I didn't have to see him to know my friend was rolling his eyes. Flare Reass had one weakness... His grandmother... My neighbor.

"The grass has been taken care of and the fence in front of the house has been fixed! I was just about to go take a look at that granary door you kept on mentioning" I gladly accepted the glass she handed me and the sweet smell of lemon told me my first hopes had not been let down. The Lemonade was refreshing, a welcome change from the now lukewarm water from my canteen.

She waved me off as I listed the things I planned on doing around the house "The Granary door's been fixed and I can take care of the rest. Why don't you take the afternoon off and have fun with the other folk your age... I hear the Landary boy and his friends are going out hunting!"

I shifted in place, Lady Reass had never understood why my only friend was Flare. I guess it's part of why I liked helping her so much. It's not that she saw past what made me different like Flare did, She simply didn't see it at all.

"Maybe I will... I don't know I'm not one for hunting." She thankfully let the subject go

"Still you should take some time for yourself… And take my grandson with you lest he finds a way to break something!" Almost on queue I heard a racket behind me as my friend had managed to knock over a few racks of tools on the side of the house. I laughed and took my friend by the collar dragging him off to the falls.

That night, when the shattered moon was at it's peak, I stumble back into my home. My father was sitting at the table, in front of him the letter I had opened earlier. Discarding my boots before grabbing a wet towel, I slowly started scrubbing my self clean. Other than the dirt sticking to my skin was also blood and some pieces of guts. I could feel my father's stare on me the whole time.

"The Landary boy and his crew brought back some game from the forest... Idiots didn't realize they had taken it from an Ursa Major territory... By the time I heard the cries, two of them had been wounded and the Ursa was advancing on Landary... I think they'll be OK. Didn't seem worse than a few broken bones." I said in a tired, monotone, voice while I sat down in front of him.

The silence hung in the air for a few moments and, after what seemed like an eternity, he asked "The Ursa?"

I pointed to the now completely soiled towel

"It won't be harming anyone again."

After a few more moments, my father sighed and brought his hand to massage his temple.

"Are you going to accept the invitation?" He pointed to the letter.

I hung my head low " I don't know... you still need me... Lady Reass... the vill-"

He cut me off "Lady Reass has her Grandson to help her... The villagers?! Bloody idiots are afraid of you... and I don't need you here!" He nearly shouted the last part before slumping down on his chair again his expression softer

"I NEED you to go where you can learn to use this better. This much Aura, what you can do with it... It's a gift.. and it's wasting here." I winced at the word 'gift' I knew a curse when I saw one.

On the table lay the letter, it's bold words clearly visible

Dear Mr. DeWinter,

It has come to our attention that you have a particular demonstrated Aura aptitude. Not only in the form of what is commonly seen, but in more refined skills that are usually outside of the reach of our normal students.

Those skills are the subject of this letter.

I would like to formally invite you to partake in our silent student program. This program, we feel, would not only allow you to better understand the gifts imparted onto you, but also, we hope, allow you to use them in a manner that could benefit the whole of remnant.

Should you chose to accept this invitation, we would only require of you to make your way to our School, all fees and expenses would be covered.

It is my sincere hope that you will accept this proposition and that we will see each other at the beginning of next semester.

Sincerely,

Professor Ozpin

Headmaster of Beacon Academy