AN: Hey everyone! I decided to do a little bit of an experiment. I'm a big fan of the web series RWBY produced by the popular Internet company Rooster Teeth. If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend that you check it out. It's on Netflix now if you want to watch the show as feature length films, which is the most fun way of watching them. Anyway, this is my fanfic to flesh out Professor Ozpin's back-story, and I had a lot of fun writing this first story to get things started. If the feedback is good, I'll keep going. For those of you who are reading my other series The silvan Elf (a Tauriel fanfic) and are worried that I stopped writing that series for this, let me assure you that that is not the case. The Silvan Elf will still keep going, but this will also be something I'll be doing on the side so that I can still do something new. Anyway, hope you guys like this!
*A large black crow flew over a young man with hair that was already turning silver despite his age. The young man looked up to watch the crow soar away and disappear into the trees. Crows were a rare sight in the world of Remnant now.
The young man returned his attention to what he was doing. Gathering small colorful crystals and dropping them in a jar. A bizarre combination of red, blue, and green were jumbled together in the boy's jar. The boy looked up to watch a young girl that was just two years younger than her, with yellow hair and sharp green eyes. She too was gathering crystals and putting them in a jar.
"How many now, Glynda?" The boy asked.
"I've lost count," the girl replied, half-smiling, "I think I'm winning."
The boy smiled and sighed. He stood up and dusted himself off, brushing the dirt off his pants. He felt a small pinch in his back and twitched.
"I'm only nineteen. How can I feel this way already?" He complained.
"How can you have silver hair already?" Glynda pointed out.
The boy pushed his hair back, realizing it was so thick that it was almost pointless to try getting it out of his eyes. Thick strands dangled in front of his eyes.
"You wouldn't be the first to ask that question. I think that's enough for today," he said. Glynda screwed the lid back on her jar and slipped it under her arm.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. We've collected enough," the boy said.
"What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow we go to Vale. We have to meet with James."
Glynda reluctantly nodded. Then both of them froze when they heard a sound. A sound that belonged to an animal.
And not just any kind of an animal, a creature of Grimm.
"Get down," the boy whispered. He crouched and inched closer to Glynda, and the two of them carefully made their way over to a dense bush to hide. They peered over the other side, and sure enough, there was an Ursa on all fours sniffing the air.
The boy put a hand on Glynda's shoulder in case he needed to shove her down. The Ursa fidgeted and turned its head so that it was looking behind it. Suddenly, an arrow flew and sank into the Ursa's head right between the eyes. The Ursa tipped over and fell onto its side. Glynda moved.
"Stay still," the boy warned. For a few long seconds, nothing else happened. Then the hunters came. A tall man dressed in a black trench coat and bowler hat stepped out from the trees, followed by four other men wearing black suits.
"This one got it right between the eyes," the leader said. One of his followers smirked.
"What a stupid bear. Didn't see it coming."
"Now start digging. I want a couple more crystals before sundown," the leader ordered.
"Yes sir," the four men said in unison.
The boy trembled in anger. His hand strayed to the gun he had made himself when he was just ten. Glynda spotted his movement and clasped her hand to his arm.
"No. We shouldn't cause a scene," she whispered.
"If we don't do something, they'll just keep going," the boy insisted.
"Ozpin, please…"
"No more discussion," the boy Ozpin said. He stood up, aimed his gun at one of the digging men, and fired a blast. The blast exploded near him, flinging the man away like a rag doll. The leader of the group whirled around to face Ozpin, with a rifle already in hand.
"Careful, kid. These cartridges are full of bullets made from very powerful Dust. I wouldn't mess with us," he said.
"Stop trying to dig up crystals. They need to be preserved. You're taking them to create your own weapons," Ozpin sneered.
"Of course. That's how profit is made. That's business, kid. Now go before you end up like this Ursa," the leader threatened, kicking the corpse of the Ursa to make his point.
"Business. Business that gets other people killed?" Ozpin challenged. The leader grinned.
"Alright. I warned you," he said. He then pulled safety lock on his rifle, and a long silver blade popped out of the barrel and the trigger area changed into a hilt handle. He stepped back.
"Take him down," he ordered his men. The three remaining men charged at Ozpin with swords of their own. Ozpin leaped out of the bush, pressed a hidden button on his gun, and pulled the trigger. A wire shot out and wrapped itself around the leg of one of the men. He yanked, pulling the man off his feet. He then grabbed another man, shoved him in front of the third and let loose another blast from his gun at close range, blowing both of them away with a blast that kicked up dirt and glittering dust from the ground.
"It appears I am still up," Ozpin remarked as he surveyed his surroundings after the fight.
"What about your reputation? I'm sure Vale would be very interested to hear that Callus Torchwick got in a fight with a young boy in a forest and lost."
Callus's eyes turned a deadly scarlet and his hands balled into fists. "Next time," he muttered. He twirled the rifle-sword in his hand, deactivated the blade, and stomped away.**
*Ozpin and Glynda stood in front of Vessel Lake with their jars, staring down at the water.
"We don't know where Dust came from, but we were born from it, and now we use it. Let's remember to use it for the right reasons, and not for evil reasons. This dust will be released into the lake as a reminder of how special it is," Ozpin said. He opened his jar, and released the crystals into the lake, watching them glisten as the rays of sunlight reflect off of them. After a few seconds, Glynda opened her own jar and did the same.
Ozpin loved watching the dust and crystals fall into the water and create bright color combinations.
If there was a god that was involved at all in the making of this stuff, he had good taste.
"My sister Theodora is probably wondering where we are now. The sun's light is almost gone," Glynda said looking behind her. Sure enough, the sun's rays had almost completely disappeared and the light of the shattered moon above began to penetrate the night air.
Ozpin spent a moment to look up at the moon, some of which was floating in pieces, as if parts of the moon had completely broken off. Sometimes the moon looked like a tragic mess, and other times the moon actually looked completely whole. To this day, no one understood why the moon was this way. Some say that the moon's appearance changed depending on the state of Remnant itself. If too much evil was running around causing trouble, the moon looked broken. If the world was more at peace, the moon looked more whole, but those nights were unfortunately rare.
This was especially thanks to the state of Vale itself. Vale had no real security or control over people's behavior. People often got away with robberies and discrimination between humans and the Faunus race was prevalent.
That's why Ozpin enjoyed the calm living in the forest, close by an abandoned fortress that had been empty for hundreds of years. It was also a place that he and Glynda were able to go and try adding things of their own to make it their own place to go to get away from home.
Three years ago, Glynda's and Theodora's parents were killed by creatures of Grimm, so Ozpin and his own parents took them in and raised them, and over a very short period of time, Ozpin and Glynda became best friends.**
*Ozpin and Glynda returned home with their empty jars, where they found Theodora was making dinner. The smell of beef soup reminded Oz how immensely hungry he actually was and he didn't waste a second to get in on the action.
Theodora was Glynda's younger sister. She had darker hair than Glynda's, with turquoise eyes and a scar down the bridge of her nose that she received during the Grimm attack that led to her parents' death. Ozpin couldn't help but think that she was actually more attractive than Glynda, but it was partially because of her rougher exterior.
"Anything to declare about today?" Theodora asked as she handed out bowls of soup. Glynda looked at Oz, but he shook his head.
"Nothing special. Just more gathering and preserving," he lied.
"Well, I did a little bit of preserving myself that I think you both might like to see," Theodora said. Ozpin looked up, his interest piqued.
"Go on," he encouraged. Theodora set the pot down and bustled into her room and came out with a glittering white shirt with a low V-neck.
"I made a special trip to Vale and got you a shirt, Glynda. See? It already has Dust sown into it to give it a glittering effect, nothing more," Theodora said. Glynda took the shirt and gave it a good long look.
"It's beautiful. Now I don't always have to wait to see this until me and Ozpin release the…"
Ozpin cleared his throat. "It is lovely, I agree. Surely a good use of your time, and a good gift."
"I knew you'd love it. Thank you," Theodora said, though she looked slightly confused from Ozpin's interruption.**
*Ozpin was shaken awake and saw Glynda staring down at him.
"Can't sleep?" He muttered. Glynda didn't have to answer.
"To the 'happy place' it is," Ozpin said.**
*Ozpin's parents never minded if he and Glynda went to the empty fortress in the middle of the night. Occasionally, Glynda would have nightmares that threatened to keep her up, so she always felt better if they went to the fortress, or the 'happy place' as they liked to nickname it.
Ozpin lit several torches on the walls in a large room that had a platform like a stage in the front. Someday, Ozpin believed, they could use the stage for training purposes.
"Well, what's the plan?" He asked. His voice echoed through the vast room, giving the atmosphere an eerie feel.
"I was hoping we can do something different this time."
"Oh?"
"I was hoping you can teach me a little bit about Aura."
This caught Ozpin by surprise. Normally, Glynda just liked for Ozpin to tell her stories of heroes and monsters and tell of the old legends that have been passed down over centuries. Glynda was always into history and stories of heroism.
But Aura training this time? That was a gigantic request. Still, she had to learn eventually.
"Come here," Ozpin said. Glynda stepped over to Ozpin so that she was almost touching him.
"Now, close your eyes and concentrate," he instructed. Glynda closed her eyes and Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragonof virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite and distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."
Glynda opened her eyes in shock. She had heard Ozpin's words in her head. She could feel something being activated within her. Her Aura. It was her own Aura.
"Ozpin?" She asked.
"It's alright. I used my Aura to unlock yours. Your Aura is used to defend yourself. It will be your ally," Ozpin promised. Glynda looked down at her hands. A faint glow emanated from them.
Ozpin grinned in satisfaction. He was going to be a teacher to his best friend.**
*Collus Torchwick threw his coat and hat at the hanger rack on the wall, both of which fell to the floor right underneath it.
"You know, most people just hang them up themselves," a voice said. Collus slammed his fist against the wall.
"Not now, Roman," he sneered. Collus's son Roman peeked his head out from the other room. He had orange hair with long bangs covering his right eye and he wore eyeliner.
"You normally come back home happy," he pointed out.
"I was humiliated by a young man in the forest. He had a weapon, and was telling me to stop mining crystals," Collus said.
Roman smirked. "And you let him win?"
"I did not let him win. But I underestimated him, and I didn't want my reputation to be...shaken."
"Your reputation is already shaken, dad. You have me as a son."
"Yes. Yes, I suppose you're right," Collus said.
Roman retreated to his room, closing the door behind him and staring at the pile of crystals on his desk that he had snatched away behind his father's back.
"You're a fool, dad."**
*Vale never changed, no matter how many days Ozpin would spend away from it. It wasn't easy to stay away from the city for too long.
Ozpin and Glynda came straight from the fortress, having hastily dressed in new clothes. Glynda had her light blonde hair tied up in a bun with a curl dangling from the side. Ozpin wore a green scarf untied around his neck so that both ends dangled down in front of his shirt.
The city looked sadly run-down. Trash littered the sidewalks, and the signs on most of the stores were faded and discolored. The phrase 'Brothers and sisters, the White Fang cares' was sprayed in grafitti on one wall of a store. Some of the holographic street lights were strangely deactivated.
Ozpin finally found what he was looking for. A small restaurant called The Witch's Apple run by Poma Gran. Ozpin and Glynda walked in and approached the front counter. Poma herself was there, dressed in a dark blue shirt and light red apron.
"James is downstairs waiting," she said before Ozpin could say a word.
"Thank you Ms. Poma," Ozpin replied. They entered the kitchen, opened a door, and walked down the stairs into a large basement with a low ceiling. Holographic security camera screens were projected along one entire wall while a dozen speakers were lined up along another wall. In the dead center of the room was a large table where Ozpin's oldest friend James Ironwood was bent over a bionic arm in progress of being made.
"Hello, James," Ozpin said. James looked up and pulled up the protective mask he had on.
"Ozpin, Glynda. This certainly is a pleasant surpise."
"Don't act surprised. You knew we were coming."
"Of course. I guess I meant to say that it's always a pleasant surprise to see Glynda," James commented, winking at Glynda. Glynda's face turned scarlet for a second before converting back to normal. She looked around at the tools and papers scattered across the table and the floor.
"I'm not fond of guys that don't clean up after themselves," she remarked.
"Say the word and I'll get cleaning," James replied.
"James," Ozpin interjected, "you said you wanted to make an offer."
"Yes. I was hoping that I can move my station here into your…happy place. Poma is becoming afraid that my robots will scare away her customers. On top of that, apparently I am making too much noise down here."
Ozpin and Glynda looked at each other.
"But there's something in it for me isn't there," Ozpin said not as a question.
"If you allow me to move my things into your fortress, I will allow you to teach me how I can be a huntsman," James finished. Glynda's eyes lit up and her shoulders rose.
"You mean you've finally decided to try?" She asked.
James grinned, showing his spotless teeth. "Of course my dear. I think it's worth a try. This city needs more protection, and that seems to be an alternative."
Ozpin chuckled. "Well you've certainly surprised me. I thought you'd never say yes."
"Well are we going to continue to stand here and talk about how much it surprises you, or are we going to go?" James asked. Right beside him, a tiny hologram of a young girl popped up from a transmitter.
"Will I get to go too?" She asked.
"Of course. I'm not going anywhere without you Darcy," James promised. He picked up the transmitter and slipped it into the front pocket of his white coat.**
*Theodora peppered dust on her fingers, feeling the tingling sensation as the dust touched skin. She then proceeded to sprinkle it on her entire hands until they glistened all over.
She was proud of her work. Ozpin and Glynda spent so much time together out, so this was her way of distracting herself from feeling jealous. The dust she used was like a powerful glitter.
When she finished coating her hands, she waved one of them in the air, feeling a vibration in her fingers as she made a mental command. Immediately, a flaming black dress appeared in midair and fell to the floor. She picked it up, awed by its beauty. She could almost see literal fire reflected in the dress.
Yes, she could've simply made Glynda a new shirt with her power, but she favored the idea of effort by going and spending money on it herself. She had dozens of her own dresses that she formed using dust. It had become a hobby. It was all in preparation for her to one day become a huntress, and follow in her mother's footsteps.
Huntsmen and huntresses were rare. Once there were many, but wars and violent conflicts had wiped out most of them, and a lot of the remaining ones had gone into hiding out of fear that they too will fall.
Theodora took up her mother's sword, which she had taken after her death. Her face reflected off of the blade.
"Hello," she said out loud to her reflection. She then went outside and traveled out far until she stopped in a large clearing. Several creatures of Grimm spotted her. Two Beowolves and an Ursa. They charged after her. Theodora flipped over one of the Beowolves, slicing her sword across its body. The Beowolf fell in two pieces. Theodora landed on her feet, twirled her blade, and stabbed it into the Ursa behind her without looking. The remaining Beowolf took several fearful steps back, then turned and began running. Theodora shut her eyes and focused on the idea of getting in front of the wolf. She opened her eyes, realizing she was now standing directly in front of the wolf. She had teleported. She stabbed her sword through the wolf's open mouth, and the tip protruded out from the back of its head.
Wolves that Theodora couldn't see howled. She felt more determined. More alive. One day she'll become a huntress, and no one will ever take that away from her.**