I absolutely love RWBY. Can't wait for next season! One of the many reasons why I love it so much is its three-dimensional, human characters. You can really relate to them, even the evil ones, as they have many common virtues and flaws. Everyone has a background, a story of how and why they became what they are. It is difficult to imagine Adam as a child (hoping to see more of his story next season, yaaay! They haven't really showed the discrimination of faunus yet, so it is harder to relate to). And it is challenging to write how seven year olds speak, more so if it's Blake! I tried to make them innocent, but not stupid (it is an error to think kids are, they just have their own logic). Other thing that I ADORE of RWBY is the little clues and references to tales and culture, all the details. So…here is my try! I have included at least five of them in this chapter. Can you spot them? Have fun :)

.

.

.

.

- I don't wanna.

- Blake, get down from the cupboard this instant, we are leaving.

Little Blake hid her head, trying to get out of reach of the big hand of Ghira Belladonna. But he caught her by her nape and got her down of the cupboard, ignoring her struggle.

- Wha…? What have you done with your hair, sweetie?_ He put her on the floor and brushed what was left of her black locks. Seven-year old Blake was scrawny and scowling, and it looked like she had tried to cut her hair making a mess of short curls. She brushed off his hand and his question and crossed her arms.

-I'm not going!

Ghira knelt on the floor to be closer to his daughter's eye level. Still, she was tiny and he was a mountain so it didn't help much.

- Mum and dad are going to meet someone who is…hurt. He and his family have just arrived to the town, and they will be scared and lonely. There are children too, and they are probably sad.

He saw his daughter's expression change and he felt proud of how kind hearted she genuinely was.

- Are…are you going to help them? _ she asked looking at him with her big amber eyes

- Will you come with me? _ he smiled as she nodded once and took his hand (just his pinky, actually)

.

.

.

Blake wasn't sure how she had imagined that suffering family was, but this certainly wasn't it. She tugged at her long coat and rearranged her bag nervously. They had travelled to the outskirts of Kuokuana and found a huge, sober oriental-style mansion much like her own. The ambience was very heavy there, though. The Akelas, the Eponas and a couple of other influential faunus families of Menagerie had greeted them in the big hall with serious faces, it looked like they were waiting for something to happen. There were no other children around and the house was cold and lightly dusty, some furniture still under white sheets, like no one had lived there for a long time and these people had moved in a hurry.

The adults spoke in whispers, but her cat ears caught pieces of their tense conversations.

-…and the fire burnt it all.

- Was she still in there?

-…the poor thing saw…

-…human scum…

Then a tall bull faunus appeared in front of them and spoke to her parents.

-Kali and Ghira Belladonna, welcome. We are deeply grateful for your help. My uncle is feeling better and would like to see you and thank you in person. If you could come this way…

They followed the dark haired man through a labyrinth of cold, empty corridors. Blake squeezed her mom's hand, a little afraid, but Kali looked at her and smiled reassuringly. When they reached a big, dark wooden door, she told her

-Stay here, honey. We need to talk with Minos for a while, and then we'll find the kids ok?_ and she, the unknown man and her dad went into the room and closed the door leaving her alone in that weird, hostile place.

She didn't stay there more than a minute though; the wooden sculptures on the ceiling looked scary. She chose a random direction and started to walk that way, roaming for a bit, still a little afraid but curious about the murals on the walls. They seemed to be telling a story, and she loved stories. Depending on what corridor you chose, you could read one part of the story or another. So she decided to follow the story of a person that walked with a red thread on his hand and see where it took her.

She trailed her hand along the wall as she walked, absorbed in the painting. The man with the red thread seemed to be looking for something too, or was he trying to escape? Then her hands touched a door. It looked like the tale ended there, or maybe continued inside. Curiosity was stronger than fear and she opened the wooden door.

- What are you doing here?! _ a voice suddenly boomed, and she jumped, scared. Her ears twitched and flattened in fear and she covered her eyes with her hands, like that could make her invisible. Still not looking, she asked

- Who's there? Who are you?

- This is my house, that's what I should ask!

Blake realized that it wasn't the voice of an adult. So she looked through her fingers first and then lowered her hands.

She was in a big room with a large window (nothing in this house was small, it seemed) but it still needed to be decorated to feel like a home. There were empty shelves, empty drawers, a bed, a wardrobe and a long mushy carpet.

Sitting on that carpet, hugging his legs, there was a boy. He was some years older than her and two little bulges on his head, among his bright red and brown hair, showed that he was a bull faunus. But what made her gasp were the bandages on his face, over his nose and his forehead. The whites of his eyes were bloody, like he had been hit. She walked hesitantly to him. She wasn't so scared now.

- Are you alright? Did you fall?

But he backed out

- Go away! Why are you still here?

- There was a painting on the wall and…oh, that's right!

She turned her back to him and searched the walls of his room. There it was. The man with the red thread had reached the centre of the maze. And there was a strange, menacing bull there.

- Did you know that your house told stories? That's so cool_ she whispered, mostly to herself

- Shut up and leave_ the boy stood now, and Blake gulped. He was very tall for his age _ this house sucks and I will burn down all those paintings. Why are there humans on them?

Blake tilted her head looking at him with curiosity

- Did humans do that to you?_ she whispered

The boy opened his eyes wider, like he had remembered something bad. Then he frowned

- Leave.

Even though she was a kid, Blake understood and felt really sorry for him. Then she took off her long coat and walked towards him. She had a sleeveless shirt underneath and the boy noticed the cuts and bruises in her arms and neck

- It's ok. Yesterday I found a group of human kids. I thought they wanted to play, but then…they had scissors, you know? And…they tried to cut my ears_ she touched them, absent-mindedly_ But I like them on my head. They couldn't cut them or pull them out, we fought. And…they cut my hair_ she looked down for a while, but then she looked up with a shy smile_ I scratched their eyes very hard

The boy seemed a bit more relaxed. And even…impressed?

- Did they lose their eyes?

- Well…I think a boy lost one, yes _ she wasn't sure, but she kind of wanted to earn his admiration.

- Good._ he was serious.

Blake then sat down on the carpet, next to him, who was still standing.

- What are you doing?_ he asked

- My…my dad said I had to find the kids of this house, and I have found you so I have to stay.

- That doesn't make any sense…_ he said while she took a book out of her bag. She opened it and started to read, ignoring him. He was silent for a while, confused, not really knowing how to react. She is a little kid _he thought, forgetting that he himself was only eleven_ they don't really have to make sense. Then he sat down as well. And waited. She seemed so immerse in her reading that he became curious.

-…What are you reading?

She didn't answer, but showed him the cover of the book.

-"The jungle book"…Is it…good?

She didn't answer this time either. Instead, she went back to the first page and started to read aloud

- "Now Rann the Kite brings home the night

That Mang the Bat sets free

The herds are shut in byre and hut,

For loosed till dawn are we.

This is the hour of pride and power,

talon and tush and claw.

Oh, hear the call!

Good hunting all

That keep the Jungle Law!"

She kept reading with her childish little voice, about Father and Mother Wolf and the Seonee hills, of Tabaqui the jackal and Shere Khan the tiger and warm nights in the jungle, and the little boy found himself listening attentively. He forgot for a moment all the horrible things that had happened to him, the awful things he had seen.

- No way, no way! _He said after the girl had read a dozen pages_ Are they really going to let him join the pack? Why?

- Because he is small, silly_ she answered_ and you can't hurt things that are smaller than you

- You are not making any sense again…

- I am making all the senses! _ she frowned, not sure if she had said that right_ You can fight someone like you, because you two have the same chance, but if you hurt someone smaller or defenceless…you are not nice.

-That doesn't seem like "Jungle law" at all…_ he muttered between his teeth, and Blake put the book down to gaze at him.

- But it is! Look at the wolf pack! They need to take care of the weak and stay together or they all die. _she looked around at the empty shelves of the bedroom_ Are you going to fill those with books?

The boy looked the other way and murmured

- The books were burnt in the fire. The entire house was. Even…_ then he fell silent.

Blake looked at him completely horrified. Losing all of the books and your house on one day had to be terrible. She got up and put the book they were reading on one of the shelves.

- There. Now you have the first one.

The boy had a weird expression on his face. But before he could say anything, they heard a knock and the door of the bedroom opened and Kali Belladonna stepped in

- Here you are! She is here, Ghira. Oh, looks like you found Adam! Hi, honey, nice to meet you_ she smiled at the boy. Then she took her daughter by the hand_ We need to leave, Blake

- But I was reading…

- We'll come back another day, something has come up_ she seemed in a hurry_ Say goodbye to your friend.

Blake looked at him with sadness and her tiny hand waved goodbye. As her mother pulled her through the door, she heard Adam scream

- I can let you come and read to me if you want!

She didn't have time to answer as her mother dragged her through the corridors, leaving the little boy alone in that big, empty room.

That had a new book in it.

.

.

.

.