So let me start this by saying, No, Five Months Later and Everything has Changed are not canceled, just on hiatus until I get some of these Ideas out that have been cluttering my brain. This is one concept that has been lingering in my mind for a few weeks.
Patch - Three Months Ago
"For centuries it has been a tradition on the Island of Patch, to once every ten years, sacrifice a newborn child to the Grimm in exchange for protection from the gods..." A man said as he sat beside a fire, occasionally poking the fire with his stick. Across from him, sat a figure wearing a long brown cloak and a dark leather hood. It was tied to the log on which it was currently seated.
"It is a barbaric and ghastly tradition, but one that the council of Vale seem's determined to continue." The man spat as he looked up from the fire, the light from the flames glaring off of his glasses. The figure across from him struggled against it's bindings as it watched the man before it.
"The most recent attempt to sacrifice a child was a resounding failure, with a member of the White Fang stepping in due to the child being a Faunus." The man turned and grabbed a thermos from his side and unscrewed the cup from the top.
"However, seventeen years ago, there was a successful sacrifice." The man said as he took a drink from his cup. There was a long pause while the man enjoyed his drink, the only sounds coming from the crackling of the fire, and the figure struggling against it's bindings.
The man sighed with content as he placed his cup and the thermos down on the ground beside him before turning to the figure before him. "Seventeen years ago, a Faunus child was sacrificed to the Grimm. No one knows what happens when the Grimm take the sacrifice, most simply assume they kill and eat the child on the spot, given that usually the alter is covered in blood at the end of the ritual." The man said as he grabbed a stick and stirred up the flames, causing the figure to flinch away.
"Now most of the time it's a hassle to find a child to sacrifice. Most parents don't want to give up their children. Go figure." The man said sarcastically as he placed the glowing tip of his stick into the dirt by his feet. "But seventeen years ago, it was a fairly easy choice. A young girl, whose mother had abandoned her at birth, and left her with a broken hearted and alcoholic father. I like to think that the people of Patch thought that they were doing the child a kindness by killing it."
The figure in the hood shook violently as it tried to escape it's bindings, growls and hisses coming from under the hood. The man turned to the figure with a frown. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I bring up some bad memories?" He asked without a hint of empathy.
"The child was taken to the alter, and left there over night, as per tradition. By morning, the crying had stopped, and the child was gone, never to be seen again." The man said as he stood and walked around the fire so that he was right before the hooded figure. "That is, until tonight." The man said as he pulled down the figures hood.
As the hood slid away, a smooth but dirty tanned skin became visible, with large fangs becoming visible as the figure opened it's mouth to snap at the man. Atop the figures head was a mane of thick and matted blonde and black hair, and two jet black ears on top of her head. Yep, a 'her'. She had a line of bright read trailing from under each eye, down to her jaw before turning 90 degrees and moving towards her ears. Her eyes were black with a red iris, and a black slit moving vertically.
The man took a step back to admire the young girl before him. He stared down at the girl with a look of pity. "Yang Xiao Long... You've been gone from the human eye for far too long." The man said as he knelt down before the girl, who was still growling and snapping at the man. "For the last seventeen years, you have been living amongst the Grimm of Patch." He said as he reached down into his jacket to retrieve a scroll of paper.
Yang glared up at the unfamiliar man and snarled.
"I think it's time we brought you back to civilization." The man said as he waved a hand over the paper causing it to glow. After a few moments a voice could be heard through the scroll. "Yes, hello to you as well Professor Ozpin. It's Bartholomew. I have the girl."
Vale - Three Months Ago
Ruby sat on the end of her bed tying the final laces on her boot, allowing her right leg to dangle off the edge. She was staying in a local hotel after leaving her fathers home. Turns out having a beer bottle thrown at your head for fifteen years, and being blamed for your mothers death had a tendency to wear on one's nerves. Her rough life had spawned one hell of a semblance though.
One may think that super speed would be enough to dodge anything thrown at you, but no. Ruby's life had to take it one step further and give her the healing factor that has kept her alive through more of Taiyang's drunken rampages than she can count. No matter what wound was inflicted on her, she healed within moments, and severe wounds healed in under an hour.
"Your just like that super hero from all those old, Pre-Great war comics! What was his name again? The Badger? The Beaver? He had those claws..." Her uncle used to say to her when she was little.
'Uncle Qrow.' Ruby paused as she allowed her leg to slide off the bed. Her Uncle had been called away on a mission three months ago, and he had yet to make any contact with her, or any of the hunter associations. Although her life had been hard growing up, Qrow had always been around to help when Taiyang got out of control. Yet, this time, when her father finally crossed the line between rude old man and monster, her uncle was nowhere to be found.
Ruby let her eyes wander over to the desk where she had Crescent Rose disassembled for cleaning. Throwing on a stern scowl she shot over to the desk and in the blink of an eye, Crescent Rose went from a neatly organized pile of scraps, to one of the largest and most deadly weapons on all of Remnant.
Ruby had made it while attending Signal, and once she graduated her first set of classes, she left her father's house and moved to Vale. She was planning to help local law enforcement until the school year started back up again.
With a swift movement of her hand, Ruby spun her Scythe around and clipped it onto the plate on her back, allowing her shoulder length hair to be pinned down as she pulled on her cloak, the last thing she had to remember her mother by.
"Well, it's noon, might as well go introduce myself." Ruby said as she watched a police car squeal by, chasing down a car with guys shooting back at the cops. With one powerful kick from her legs, Ruby was gone, and the window to the room, shattered with only the briefest of sounds.
Atlas - Three Months Ago
Weiss walked quickly down the corridor of the White Castle as she made her way to her room. Trailing behind her on a chain was one of her slaves. A rather pathetic looking bear Faunus that seemed to have lived a long life and was more than ready for it to end.
Rounding the corner, Weiss's eyes fell upon the open door to her room. Edging forward carefully, Weiss reached the door and slammed it open.
The intruder jumped with a startled squeal as she dove and hid under Weiss's bed. Weiss narrowed her eyes as she stalked over to her bed, letting the chain holding the Faunus fall to the ground. Kneeling down, Weiss glared at the figure hiding under her bed.
"How dare you!" She shouted as she reached under her bed and grabbed the figure by its hair. With a sharp yelp of pain, the figure was dragged out from under the bed and dropped on the floor.
"I didn't do it!" Blake shouted as she covered her face with her arms, expecting to be hit.
"What have I told you?!" Weiss shouted as she grabbed a book from her bed. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU?!" She shouted as she smacked Blake over the head with the book.
"Not to read! Slaves aren't supposed to read!" Blake shouted back as she tried to block a second hit.
"No!" Weiss stated as she drew back and aimed the cover of the book at Blake's face. "I said you could read..." Weiss said as she shoved the cover into Blake's face. "But not smut!"
'Ninja's of Love: Part VII - Heart of the Shogun'
"It's not smut!" Blake protested as she snatched the book away and slid it under the bed. "It's just some... Heavy romance?" Blake stated as she looked around the room with an uncertain glance.
"That's still smut!" Weiss shouted as she pointed a finger at the taller girl. "If it goes beyond kissing, it's smut! I didn't teach you how to read behind my father's back so you could get off while reading this trash!"
Blake climbed to her knees and bowed her head to the floor. "I know Mistress. (NO! Not that kind of Mistress! Get your damn minds out of the gutter.) I am sorry for going behind your back and continuing to read those books! Please forgive me!" She pleaded.
Weiss glared down at Blake and crossed her arms over her chest. After a few moments of watching the Faunus girl shaking at her feet, Weiss sighed.
"Fine, get up." She commanded.
Blake quickly got to her feet and looked down at Weiss. "Thank you Mistress! I-" Se began before Weiss cut her off.
"Ah,ah,ah!" She said as she placed a finger over Blake's mouth. "You are not forgiven. There will be a punishment for continuing to read these books, as well as being in my room while I was not."
"But we share the same room." Blake said in her defense. She glanced around the room and saw a clear line of where her room started, and Weiss's ended. That's not to say that the heiress to the larges Dust company in the world allowed a corner of the room to be filthy looking while the rest was clean. However, Weiss's portion of the room consisted of numerous pieces of white furniture, and several paintings depicting landscapes around their home country.
Blake's part of the room on the other hand, consisted of a simple white bed, a dresser, and a shelf. The shelf had a few books on it, but whenever Weiss's parents asked about them, Weiss simply told them that she had run out of space on her shelf, so she was using her slaves space.
Weiss stopped for a moment and glanced over at Blake's bed in the corner of the room, then back to Blake. "You raise a valid point, but I still don't like you being in here alone."
"So I need an escort, even in my own room?" Blake asked as she frowned.
"You may be the head slave Blake, but your still a slave. I am doing you an immense courtesy by even remembering, let alone calling you, by your given name." Weiss scolded as she narrowed her eyes. "You are given the privilege of a good bed, and the right to call on me when I am busy. If any other slaves tried that they'd be shot."
"I know that this title is a blessing, and I am thankful that you sought it right to appoint me to this position. I just don't understand why I can not also learn to read and do so publicly." Blake stated as her frown deepened.
"You know why you can't read in public." Weiss said as she turned and placed Blake's book on her nightstand. "You were born a Faunus, that means that you are less than me, who is a human. We humans, invented the language, and have the right to decide who can and cannot read it." Weiss finished with a light smile.
Blake gave her a flat look. "That is the dumbest reasoning that I have ever heard." She said with an annoyed tone.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Careful with your tone, lest you forget who your talking to. And though I agree, I do not know a real reason for it. That is just what my father used to say to me when I asked."
*Shunk*
There was a sickening and loud sound from behind the girls, causing them to spin around to face the door. The bear Faunus that Weiss had forgotten when she entered the room, had obtained a knife from somewhere, and had gotten closer to the heiress than either of them would have liked.
The only thing stopping him from moving now however, was a blade protruding from the center of his chest. There was a dripping sound as some flecks of blood dripped from the sword. With a quick jerk, the blade vanished back into the man, allowing the corpse to fall to the floor.
Behind the man was Weiss elder sister, Winter. Her blade was dripping blood as she glared down at Weiss.
"This trash could have caused you some serious harm, all because you got distracted by your pets ability to read." She hissed as she took a step towards the girls, causing Blake to cringe away in fear. "I think that she was distracting you so that he could hurt you." Winter said as she raised her sword and pointed it at Blake's neck.
*Clang*
Weiss had drawn her own blade and used it to knock Winter's to the side. Weiss glared up to meet Winter's as she spoke. "I have my doubts that she could plan this with a Faunus that just arrived here, and even if she had, it is not your place to accuse or execute one of my personal slaves." She said calmly.
Winter continued to glare at Weiss for a few seconds following the statement before lowing her sword and placing it at her hip.
"Very well little sister, but be wary, the White Fang have been quite vocal as of late. I wouldn't be surprised if they attacked you while you were traveling." Winter said as she turned and left the room.
There was a quite pause that fell over the room as the dead mans blood began to soak into the carpet.
"You are going to be traveling soon Mistress?" Blake asked from her place behind her.
Weiss watched the door for a few more seconds before nodding. "Yes, in one week we will set out on a trip to Beacon Academy." Weiss said as she turned to Blake. "We shall both be attending the school in the fall, so pack your bags, I'll explain the rest on the trip."
Beacon Academy - One Week Ago
Ozpin stood at the top of his tower, looking out at the vast expanse that was the grounds to his prestigious academy. Within the week, the entire courtyard would be filled with new and returning students. The forest below would be full of children trying to prove themselves, and the mountains would be covered in lights from the students finding the temporary dorms unacceptable.
He smiled as he brought a gloved hand to his chin and stroked a small grey beard. The old archmage had run this school for the better part of the last three decades, with only the occasional incident caused by the students visiting the nearby capital.
That isn't to say there wasn't ever any deaths. Far from it in fact, they lost an average of ten students a year. Most turn a blind eye to this though, as he does run the most successful combat academy in the world. It was just simple logic that not every one of the children that was sent his way would make it. It's not as if the staff didn't work to the best of their abilities to keep the students alive though, the Grimm just did a better job of killing them sometimes.
The Grimm...
A species of absolute malice and hatred, spawned from the deepest and darkest parts of the underworld, and brought to this world a millennia ago by a dark wizard who sought to rule over Remnant as the high queen. When they first arrived, humanity had no idea how to combat them. Common swords were ineffective, and enchanted weapons were hard to come by unless you were a hero, or knew a mage.
It was only by the power of the great wizard Merlin, and his four maidens that the dark witch Salem was defeated and cast into the underworld. Unfortunately, the scars she inflicted on the world have yet to heal, and the beast the she summoned have remained here, despite the best efforts of the hunters of this world to destroy them. For every beast that humanity sends back to the pit, two more take its place. The Grimm are the most dangerous and evil creatures on the planet. Nothing could survive alone with them.
...
...
...
At least that is what the old archmage had thought. Until one of his oldest and most trusted friends had contacted him about a Faunus girl that he had found living with a large pack of Ursa in the mountains of Patch. After a brief study of the girl, Glynda had discovered the girl to be the daughter of some of his previous students. Poor girl had been sacrificed as an infant to the Grimm in a barbaric ritual that the people of the island believed would keep the Grimm away.
Stupid fools all of them.
The girl had been believed dead for seventeen years, succeeded only by her drunk of a father, missing mother, and elder sister Ruby, last of which would be attending his school this year. Bart had found the girl in the Ursa den, but when he had gone in to rescue her, she deliberately alerted the Grimm, then aided them in trying to kill him. Bart said that killing that pack while trying not to hurt the girl was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Even claimed that the girl had the power to break the mountain walls with just a punch.
Now Yang Xiao Long was staying at his school, and was due to start with the rest of the students in one week.
...
...
...
Provided Peter and Glynda could catch her. She still couldn't read or write, but Ozpin was insistent that she start this year, so she was set to join the other at initiation. The main issue, Yang was already in the forest. She had broken free of the school last month and escaped into the forest. Peter and Bart made sure she hadn't left the forest, but with her back among Grimm, and being hostile to humans, it is important that she be reigned in before the year begins.
Ozpin let out a light chuckle as he puled his staff to him from the other side of the room.
"This is going to be an interesting year." He said as he walked towards the door to the stairs. "Now if only someone could design a mana efficient way to move up and down with ease." He sighed as he began to descend the numerous flights of stairs.
I'm really glad I got this idea out of my head and onto 'paper'. Hard to focus on work when I keep thinking of new things to put the RWBY characters through. You may have noticed a few things here that don't follow canon logic, aside from... well, most of it. I was mainly speaking of slavery, and age changes.
Ruby Rose - 19
Weiss Schnee - 17
Blake Belladonna - 17
Yang Xiao Long - 17
Beyond the minor age changes, another alteration I made, was Blake was never a member of the White Fang, and has been living as a Schnee family slave since birth.
Leave me a review telling me if you liked the concept. These chapters won't be that long, but I will try to make them interesting.