Just testing the waters with this. If people like it, then it'll be continued. If not, then it will be a nice and easy crash and burn. This story was generated after reading ImSoAwesome's story Between the Lines. It will focus on an original concept and have canon events in RWBY moved around for story sake and what not. The Faunus Rights Revolution will be a key focus in this story and it will be one of the things that was changed to make this work. Now, let's get to it.

Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Journal Entries/Flashbacks/


Blazing flames consumed everything in their path, the mere heat enough to burn anything near them. The smoke that billowed was that of a thick black fog that swallowed the entirety of the village and blocked the blooming moonlight that shimmered over the remains of the town. Frantic screams filled the air and could be heard from all corners of Menagerie. The despair radiated off of everyone who pushed and shoved each other out of the way in a desperate attempt to reach the docks.

Amidst the turmoil, a woman ran with her daughter in her arms. Her amber eyes stung as the smoke entered them and salty tears began to leak. Her lungs burned and itched from the lack of air, but she kept moving. This was just a trial of mental strength that she was more than capable of passing, just like her daughter who was strong like her.

She stopped and hunched over for air and took a moment to bounce her daughter to get a better grip.

"Mom, what's going on?" She asked.

The woman coughed and shook her head. She offered her daughter a small smile and ran her fingers through her long hair.

"I don't know, honey. I don't know," the woman said.

She felt her daughter's hands grab fistfuls of her shirt. The small teddy bear clutched between her arms was being squeezed as if life itself depended on it.

The woman continued running again. They were almost to the docks and time was running out to get aboard and be transported to Vacuo. Her daughter was too young to understand the nature of what was going on and what would come in its wake.

Although humans and Faunus ended their war just a few years before, the racial tension still burned strong between both groups. As a result, a Faunus group was created to serve as a liaison between their people and the humans in hopes to create a stronger and more trustworthy relationship between them. The White Fang was headed by a lion Faunus named Leo King.

Leo was seen as an idealist who wanted nothing but peace and equality between both races. Having fought in the Human and Faunus war, he had seen the carnage the discrimination from both sides. He had a voice and he made sure it was heard all throughout Menagerie and Vacuo, and although his beliefs were met with skepticism, many Faunus began to follow him and his movement to achieve equality.

The humans and Faunus were more than willing to attempt peaceful negotiations to reach their desired goal for equality, but it never came to fruition. On both sides there were still grudges left behind from the Faunus Rights Revolution, making it near impossible to have any forms of successful meetings or talks. Most of the disagreements surfaced from the Faunus.

Old veterans of the Faunus Rights Revolution felt that Leo's approach to achieving equality was too tame and needed more action, and as a result, it came with those who disagreed to split and form another group that was more proactive with protests that often escalated to violence.

The representatives from the humans came to Menagerie a few hours ago to try another negotiation, but it spiraled out of control within the first hour. The secondary group that split off from the White Fang had grown immensely with its members and they attacked the meeting when it was in progress.

All the progress they had made with the Faunus Rights Revolution was now for nothing and they would be lucky to not have this stimulate a new crisis that could undoubtedly spread across Remnant.

The woman tightened her hold on her daughter and her legs strode out as far as they could. Her eyes could pick up the docks ahead where ships were being loaded to the brim with people trying to evacuate. She bit her lip at the sight and her stomach felt heavy with dread. Just seeing the lines stretching up the platform made her hold her daughter tighter. The chances of them getting on board the last two ships were very slim.

She cursed and hurried down the hill. Her instinct of survival kicked in and as she bolted for the lines, she shoved others out of her way and did not spare them a second look in doing so. All that mattered was to get on board with her daughter, get to Vacuo and go from there.

So long as they got as far away from Menagerie as possible, they would be fine.

Cries of protest swarmed the air. Angry curses flew at the guards ushering people on board the last two ships in an orderly manner. There were four more guards posted near the ramps with their weapons ready to be used on anyone who did not follow their instruction.

Children cried as they were taken from their parents' arms and passed up the ramp. They kicked and screamed wildly and reached out for their parents begging them not to leave them, only for their parents to get swallowed by the crowd again.

The woman stepped forward, her eyes sneaking around the line to count the others until it was their chance to board. There were still twelve others in front of her, some of them with a couple of children that would only take up more room on the boat. She had seen kids being separated from their parents earlier and she subconsciously held her daughter to her tighter.

"Why are they being taken?" Her daughter asked, pointing to the kids getting sent up to the boat.

"So they can be safe," was her answer.

She could not lie to her daughter. After everything she had seen upon arriving to the docks, she knew what was coming. She stepped forward again and knelt to set her daughter down.

Her daughter's amber eyes looked up at her from beneath her raven bangs. Even with all of the panic bursting around her, she was remarkably calm.

"We'll get on the boat, right?" She looked between her and the large ship to their side.

The woman nodded and ran another hand through her hair, just stopping a moment to scratch her behind her ears. Her daughter leaned into her hand and a smile appeared on her face.

"Yes. We'll be fine. You'll see," she said.

"Okay." Her daughter nodded, hugging her teddy bear.

The mother frowned when the line moved. They were the next in line behind another family that had two children. She reached into her bag and pulled out a long, black ribbon and held it tightly in her hand. She stood up and hugged her daughter to her, keeping her ears strained for what the guards were saying.

"I'm sorry, but we are running out of room. Only children will be taken from this point," said one guard.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath through her nose. The hysteric cries from the family before her faded away, and all that remained at that moment was her and her daughter. Her strong, beautiful daughter.

"Honey, look at me," she said.

Her daughter turned to her and she knelt once more. She held up the bow and with careful hands, she gently tied her daughter's hair in the ribbon.

"Mom?" She turned to her again, now looking scared.

"Blake, I need you to be strong for me, okay?" She caressed her face.

Blake blinked and shook her head, her eyes shimmering with tears that had built in them.

"Mom, you're scaring me."

Her vision became distorted as tears welled in her eyes. She gently wiped them free and did the same for her daughter.

"Don't be afraid, Blake. Just know that whatever happens here, I need you to be strong," she said. "Can you do that for me?"

Blake nodded and turned around when the family in front of them was moved aside. She looked up at the soldier and saw his tired eyes look down at her. He had seen families broken apart all night long and it had taken its toll on him.

"Ma'am, I need your name," the soldier said.

The woman stood up and gripped her daughter's shoulders tightly.

"Li Belladonna," she replied.

"And your daughter?"

"Blake."

The soldier nodded and finished scribbling down their names. He nodded to the other soldier on the ramp who took a step forward and picked Blake up and started to carry her up the ramp. Li made no move to follow after him and gave a small nod at the soldier who frowned, giving her a broken apology.

"Mom!" Blake screamed for her.

Li flinched and stood aside for the next family to send their children. Her daughter's screams grew fainter as she was carried up to the ship. She clenched her fists and a sob wracked through her body. Tears trickled down her face and she spared one last look at her daughter.

Blake was holding on to the rails and was looking at her from between them. She was crying freely and reaching out for her.

"Mom!" She called over everyone's voices. "Don't go! Mom!"

Li waved at her and gave her the best smile she could. She was not sure how long it would take for her to find her daughter again, but she hoped the ships would make another run soon enough to reunite them sooner than later.

The ship's horn blew loudly and it began to pull out of the dock and towards the sea. As the ship moved, Blake's cries of desperation got louder when she wormed her way between the people along the deck and followed the rail to stay in sight of her.

"Mom!" She called again, grinding to a halt end.

Li burst through the crowded group and was quickly restrained by two guards. She struggled against their grip to stay and give her final farewell to her daughter.

"Be strong, Blake! Don't do anything brash! Find people you can trust!" She hollered.

She could no longer keep the guards at bay and stopped flailing. Their vice grip dragged her back through the crowd and with each inch they dragged her away, the further away Blake got. By the time she was pulled to the end of the line, the ship was well out of the dock and its lights slowly faded into the night.


Blake had fallen to her knees and watched as her mother was pulled away by the soldiers. She screamed at them and yelled at them to let her go, but they did not listen. She was gone and now she was all alone.

Her tears came harder and she hugged the teddy bear in her arms with everything she had, as if doing so would take the pain away.

Her teary eyes stared at the dock. The port was now just a speck in the distance and the island would soon follow.

Her head snapped up when a roar of screams came from behind her. She looked around wildly and could see some adults and a bunch of kids pointing back towards Menagerie.

When she turned back to the island, her eyes went wide and her tears stopped flowing. There was a large ball of fire in the docks where they had been just minutes ago, completely engulfing it.

"Was that the other ship?" Someone asked.

"I don't know!" Another shouted.

"All of those people…" A woman covered her mouth.

The comments of shock and disbelief spilled forward in a series of waves, but Blake did not pay them any mind. Her eyes were only drawn to the now burning docks where her mother and hundreds of others were.


So here's the prologue for the story. I got a good chunk of it mapped out, but I'm still working on its direction. Like I said, this will only remain if it gets good feedback and responses, so this can still fall flat on its ass. Let me know what you all thought. Hopefully you liked Blake's little background start in the story there to kick things off. See you.-CaptainPrice