A/N: Hello everyone! Wow. It's been literal years since I've written for this site proper, and the sight of my own Author's Note is making me giddy for some reason. Anywhoo. Cole is an original character, largely inspired by Blake Belladonna and characters like Sly Cooper and Nathan Drake. I loved the idea of a resistance like the White Fang, but was massively disappointed in what I expected vs what I got out of Adam Taurus come Volume 4. With that in mind, I will be as faithful to the source material as possible, but Kerry and Miles haven't left much to work with, so I will be taking measured liberties with the names of locations, descriptions, events, and people, combined with research to create the most accurate portrayal of the RWBYverse I can.

While the descriptions and names of certain characters and places are mine alone, I do not own RWBY, nor many of the OCs that will be featured in upcoming chapters.

If you read all this, great. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

-Crow

The rain always came at the first sign of tragedy. Dark clouds hung overhead as thick, wet drops pattered against the tin roof of Cole's tiny shack- his alone now, something that was taking the twelve-year-old Faunus an eternity to process even as the stranger stood nervously by the table, his faded yellow helmet gripped tightly in his calloused hands. Vykter Welsh was a Faunus, a miner, and a friend of Cole's parents, and had been working for the Schnee Dust Company for nearly four years. Like many in his position, he slaved away in pitiful, often dangerous conditions all the time, mining raw Dust crystals from the caves in Menagerie to be refined and sold back in the kingdoms, and like all the rest, he lived in constant fear of the day something like this would happen. It would be hard enough with his own children, but with Yassen and Fiona's son?

"Did ye hear me, son?" the Faunus said, then winced at his poor choice of words. "S-sorry kid, I didn't-"

"What now?" Cole asked suddenly, cutting off Vykter's hasty apology. Perplexed, the old panther regarded the boy sitting in front of him apprehensively. In all honesty, he hadn't expected this reaction from Cole, and was unsure if he was taking it well. The young Faunus's gaze disappeared out the window, his cheek pressed against the cold glass, which fogged over with every breath. Tendrils of frost snaked along the window pane, creating a myriad of lines that crisscrossed the surface. Cole wished he could squeeze between the spaces of those lines, hide himself amongst the sleet and ice, away from Vykter, away from the world, where he could patiently wait for his parents to come home.

But they wouldn't be coming home. Vykter's words echoed in Cole's ears; there had been an accident in the mine. A slew of faulty support beams had failed, causing one of the tunnels to collapse. Nearly 20 workers were missing or dead, with Cole's parents unfortunately confirmed among the latter.

And that was it. Cole didn't have any family in Menagerie- at least, none that his parents ever spoke of. They were poor, as were so many other Faunus, and Cole wasn't even sure how this man had found their house. Hundreds of thoughts bounced around his brain with no rhyme or reason, so he decided to focus on this instead, tracing more lines in the window with the pad of his finger while the older Faunus was left struggling to give him an answer.

Vykter sighed inwardly. What was he supposed to tell the boy? He knew no words of his could quell the pain Cole was feeling, yet he was hesitant to just leave, all too aware that if he were to turn his back on Cole now, who else would care? Yassen Smoak had been a good friend, and a good man. Ever the bleeding heart, he always saw the best in people, and would give the shirt off his back to someone he suspected needed it more, even when his own pockets were empty. Fiona was the complete opposite of her mate, always brooding, calculating and paranoid, but they complemented each other nicely, and in Vykter's mind they had been destined for success the moment he met them.

Closing his eyes as if the darkness could somehow block out the now-painful memories, the old miner shook his head. They deserved better than this. Those damn SDC contractors. Always trying to cut costs... Deep down, Vykter knew that had it been anywhere but Menagerie, anywhere with normal, "human" workers, there would be an uproar. Families would plead for justice, citizens would boycott businesses, employees would go on strike, or even quit. Nobody would stand for this.

But here? Menagerie was so far away from anyone who cared that the Schnee Dust Company could sweep virtually anything under the rug and call it an accident- including the bodies of a young raccoon's parents.

To his own surprise, Vykter crossed the confined space of the shack, his heavy workboots leaving wet tracks across the floorboards, and sunk into a chair across from Cole, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "What do ye want to do?" he asked tentatively, eyeing the boy closely. As much as he wanted to walk out the door and down the winding dirt road and find a drink with his name on it at the village inn, he couldn't bear to leave Yassen's son with nothing. The least he could do was try to grant Cole a wish. Vykter was not a rich man, but for the sake of his friend, and good karma, he wanted to help Cole.

The young Faunus didn't answer immediately. He wanted to do a lot of things. He wanted to bury his face in his pillow and sob. He wanted to yell, to scream, to blame someone for this horrible mistake and then make them fix it. He wanted to see his parents, more than anything. His lower lip quivered as he turned his gaze toward Vykter, the first sign of emotion he'd shown since receiving the news. For a moment, the older man's heart ached for the boy; no matter what happened next, his whole life was going to change.

"I have school in the morning," Cole said numbly. "I want to go to school."

Vykter was dumbfounded. He knew Cole must have meant the children's school in Kyonn, which would be about an hour's journey on foot, through the forest. The miner glanced dubiously at Cole, wondering if the boy had begun to lose his mind. It was entirely plausible that Cole was simply rejecting reality, unwilling or unable to accept the death of his parents.

"You... wanna go to school?" Vykter echoed, hoping that Cole had misspoken and would instead ask for something more... reasonable? The miner paused, a crease forming in his leathery brow. Was it reasonable to ask him to do anything else?

Cole pondered his choices even as a yawn rippled through his body, beginning somewhere as a burning sensation in his nose and ending in the tip of his bushy ringed tail. Too many emotions had assaulted his adolescent brain for one day; sleep tugged at his eyelids, and now he wanted the strange man to leave. Cole hadn't even bothered to remember his name.

"Yes," he said slowly, avoiding any hesitation in his voice. He wasn't crazy, he was a child, and he needed time to think. "We're learning about Anima tomorrow." Of course, Cole didn't actually care about school. He never got along with other children anyway, and often spent his time figuring out the best ways to get away with doing as little as possible while still being left alone. But at least there, he wasn't here, so close to everything that reminded him of them.

Vykter was at a loss. It wasn't right to just leave Cole be and let him continue like this, but what could he do? Silently, he cursed his own race. If Cole had been born a human, in one of the kingdoms, there would be boarding schools and even some combat schools willing to take him in. Or, if the humans hadn't veritably confined many of the Faunus to Menagerie in the first place, maybe his birth wouldn't matter.

The awkward truth was, Menagerie was a crowded continent that just didn't have the resources to accomodate unfortunates like Cole. Even in Kuo Kuana, the capital of Menagerie, Vykter would be hard-pressed to find someone willing to help Cole, with many families already bundled together or living just above poverty. As much as he hated to think it, right now, the boy was nothing but a burden many would rather leave alone.

It had gotten considerably darker since Vykter had arrived. Gone were the long shadows stretched by the fading sun, washed into darkness as silvery moonlight cascaded over the the treetops, casting ominous shapes into the fog. Vykter had been so wrapped up in the moment that he'd forgotten to close the door, and now a cool breeze wafted into the little shack, worming its icy fingers through his thick SDC jacket and into his spine. He was unsettled just being there, and he could only imagine how Cole would feel once he left.

It couldn't be helped. Vykter pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, smudging Dust into his skin, before dragging his hand down his face and scratching the thick stubble under his chin. "Okay," he said finally, and Cole sat up straighter, causing the miner to emit a hollow chuckle. We really are animals, he thought mirthlessly. "Of course, ye can go to school. But... not here. Not anymore." Cole's brow knitted together, and Vykter rushed to explain himself.

"Kid, this is gonna sound rough, but believe me, it's th' best I can do fer ye. I can't leave ye here by yerself," he said, gesturing to the nearly-empty shell of Cole's home. Aside from a little wood stove, an old table, and some rickety chairs, his family didn't have much in the way of furniture, or belongings for that matter. Nothing Cole would miss, hopefully.

Cole glanced around the interior of the shack, pale blue eyes scanning the darkness. The scent of dust and loamy soil permeated his sensitive nose. "Ye can stay with me 'n mine fer tonight, but tomorrow..." Vykter wrung his hands together as his gaze became unfocused, unsure of how exactly to say what he'd decided. The young Faunus stared expectantly at Vykter, curiosity and dread bubbling in his gut. He knew what the older man was going to say before the words even left his lips.

"I think it would be best if we sent ye to one of the kingdoms," the miner said finally, pressing on before Cole could protest. "Schools there are a bit different. Ye live there most of th' year, but I think in yer case they otta let ye stay longer." I hope, he thought worriedly.

"Where would I go?" Cole asked as a slew of questions filled in his chest, ready to spill out and overwhelm Vykter, who held up a hand to cut him off. "Mistral," he said, racking his brain to figure out just how he was going to pull this off. "But how?" Cole persisted anxiously. "I don't have any money."

"Me neither," Vykter admitted, figuring it would do Cole no good were he to lie. It would cost quite a bit to simply pack Cole onto a ship and send him to Anima, and even if he were to arrive safely, he was still without money, family, or any sense of direction. Nevertheless, Vykter leaned forward and placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder, steely gray eyes meeting icy blue. "Let me worry about that," he said seriously. "I'll get ye to Mistral."

He decided to ignore all the obvious issues with his plan, for now. After all, once Cole made it, the problems would be both figuratively and literally out of his hands. The prospect was tantalizing, and only served to further motivate Vykter along.

Cole, on the other hand, was at a crossroads. It was a lot for him to process, and with what little knowledge he had of Anima, the uncertainty and fatigue gnawed at his consciousness until he yawned again, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Okay," the young Faunus mumbled, just wanting the day to be over.

Vykter seized his chance and stood up, joints screaming in protest, and placed his helmet back on top of his greasy hair. He couldn't stand to be there another minute. "Then it's settled," he grunted, offering a hand to the boy. "Come on, kid. We've got a bit of a walk. Good thing th' rain stopped, eh?"

Cole sat where he was, staring dismally at Vykter's rough digits with indecision in his eyes. Now that it was time to go, he felt rooted to the chair, afraid to leave. If he was going to Mistral, what would happen to his house? He swept his gaze around the gloomy shack for what felt like the umpteenth time, as if this time he would notice something that would give him an excuse to stay. He saw one of his father's work jackets, identical to Vykter's, hanging next to the door, faded SDC logo peeling away from the aged leather. Cole didn't even have to touch it to know it was thick with the aroma of sweat and Dust.

Breathing deeply, he rose to his feet, raked his fingers through his tail and took Vykter's hand. For some reason, this was the moment his resolve chose to crumble, and Cole's chin quivered uncontrollably as he suddenly begun to feel very small, and utterly helpless.

"I wish they were here," the young Faunus said mournfully, breath hitching as a tingling sensation settled in his heart, pulsing like a livewire. It wasn't painful, so Cole didn't understand why tears stung at his eyes, threatening to betray him as he quickly wiped the moisture away with the back of one frayed sleeve. Embarrassed, Vykter looked away from the disconsolate boy now under his care and sighed, leading him towards the door. Although he didn't know it at the time, Vykter would eventually lament over this memory on many a drunken evening, feverently wishing over and over again that he'd never made the trek through the forest that night to meet the boy who would ruin his life forever.

"Me too, kid," the old miner breathed to himself as the pair stepped out into the night, each as unsure of the future as the other. "Me too."