A/N Nathaniel Zellos: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, but here is the chapter you've all been waiting for! So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 1
Introduction
third-person P.O.V.
?Off in an isolated part of the Forever Fall Forest, a solitary figure stood in the cold, unrelenting rain, as a bullhead silently flew away, leaving the five-year old wolf faunus alone. After about an hour, the faunus started to look around for shelter that could sustain him for the next ten years of his life, as this is a right of passage in his family. Now, the five-year old will silently endure until his time is up and he returns home.
~2 years later~
Nathaniel, now seven, has managed to create suitable shelter in a cave and managed to create a working forge in a nearby clearing. In these two years, he's survived packs of ursai, beowolves, and boarbatusks with the help of Requiem, a giant chakram, with gold and silver blades with 4 different, interchangeable dust crystals embedded in the blades, that transforms into two tonfas that run along his forearm, extending just past the elbows and knuckles with the crystals still in the blades. He was just finishing off two King Taijitus when he heard the silent approach of his family's Bullhead heading towards the part of the forest north of him. 'It hasn't been ten years yet, so why are they here?' he wondered. When he got to where the landing area was in sight while still remaining undetected, he saw something that shocked him. When the Bullhead left, there, standing in the middle of the clearing, was a lone eight-year old wolf faunus. When the faunus turned around he noticed a familiar face. 'It can't be! Oh shut up! Of course it could. But why would they bring her here? ...I don't have any idea.' As Nathaniel was arguing with himself, the lone faunus was taking in her surroundings, like she was searching for someone. When her back was to him, Nathaniel snuck out of his spot in the trees to get a better look at the familiar face. "I know you're there, Nate," said the girl. "Heh, you could always tell when I was near. I almost had you that time, Michelle." she smiled and turned to him.
"Not entirely. You know I have a great awareness for my surroundings just by looking at it." Michelle giggled a bit and crossed her arms. "How have you been since being dropped off, Nate?" Michelle smiled widely, showing her crimson fangs to him. She had two holsters behind her back and wore two silver bracers on her wrists. A black t-shirt along with black shorts as well. "I've been fine. Got some 'company' last year, but he gets on my nerves quickly," replied Nathaniel. "I see the Family has treated you well. How did your mission go? I wasn't expecting you here for another year or two." While saying this, he was leading Michelle towards his cave in the south.
Michelle followed him closely. "It went as well as everything else. I was able to get in and out without a problem. Though, I need to learn to keep my cool under these kinds of circumstances. Ended up killing everyone in the building." Michelle stated without a care in the world. She was used to killing people. She rubbed her right shoulder a bit. "My shoulder is a bit sore for the most part…" despite being a great fighter at times, Michelle would get wounded whether it was an easy fight or a hard one. It was especially worse when it came to her semblance. She had a very unstable part of her semblance. However, she had never talked about what made it so unstable.
As they reached the cave, nathaniel motioned west of the cave. "Well, you should be grateful towards me then. I found a hot spring nearby while looking for some food. Seeing as how you're reacting, you could use it. But you know, you should really try to go easy on yourself. You know what happens if you rely too heavily on your semblance. It is the same with everyone else in the Family." With that said, nathaniel started walking towards the east, shouting over his shoulder, "If you need me, I'll be doing some maintenance on Requiem at the makeshift forge. A King Taijitu managed to chip one of the blades." *sigh* "I really need to find something to infuse them with so they can take more of a beating. I'm running out of resources." He pulled said weapon from its holster on his back, examining the gold blade with concern before Michelle disappeared from sight. 'Now, is that concern I heard from you? Oh shut up! I don't need you badgering me now of all times. Oh, but nate- ONLY MICHELLE CAN CALL ME THAT! Heh looks like I struck a nerve there. But as I was saying, now IS when you need me, as only i can help you reach your potential.'
After that comment, Nathaniel just tuned out his insane half. The moment he got that was still fresh in his memory. He had accidentally ingested a cup or two of a beowolf's blood when he was desperate to escape after it had pinned him to the ground. Ever since then, he had been cursing himself for lowering his guard so carelessly. He had been taught better than that. Finally reaching the forge, Nathaniel decided to try and use the metal already on Requiem to try and repair the chip. After about an hour in front of the white-hot flames, he consented that it was just making the problem worse, and went to an inconspicuous tree with a tangle of roots, pulled one up, revealing a hidden storeroom, and stepped in to retrieve the necessary materials. As he was closing the trapdoor, Nathaniel sensed he was being watched. Setting the gold ore, the box of dust crystals, and a canister with gold and silver caps, Nathaniel separated Requiem into its dual-tonfa form, setting the gold blade down alongside the other materials, wielding only the longer, more lethal silver blade with his right hand. "Michelle, if that's you, you should know better than to try and sneak up on me." After he finished saying this, Nathaniel heard a growl from his left, then another from his right. Suddenly, the whole clearing was filled with beowolves of different sizes. Cursing under his breath as not one, not two, but THREE alphas emerged from different sides, one in front of him, the other two on either side, and let their grunts do the work of tiring out their prey. 'How do you feel about being let out for a bit? Are you really considering this? You better answer before i change my mind! I don't feel up to fighting three whole packs of beowolves, so make your decision fast. Any restrictions? If sis shows up, don't attack her. I can work with that.'
After setting down the silver blade, Nathaniel took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, they were almost completely black voids if it wasn't for the streaks of gold where the whites would be. Smirking as the beowolves approached, what was formerly known as Nathaniel took a brawler's fighting stance, and impaled the closest beowolf on his claws, wrenching the grimm's heart out of its chest as it fell. Throwing the already dissipating heart at of the alpha in front of him, the insane half of Nathaniel made short work of the packs, leaving only the three alphas. Grinning from ear to ear, he taunted the alpha he threw the heart at. Howling in rage, it charged him recklessly, and received a slash across the legs for its troubles. As the grimm was falling, it realized its mistake as fangs tore into its neck, ripping out it larynx in the process. When it finally hit the ground, it was already dissipating. "I honestly hope you two can prove more of a challenge," said Nathaniel, but turned around only to see the other two alphas dissipating as well.
At first, it seemed like a silhouette of a bizarre looking beowolf was standing behind them. Within a blink of an eye, the silhouette disappeared. Michelle was standing behind the dissipating wolves. She was holding twin hand scythes. "So, you already drank the blood of wolf, haven't you?" Michelle walked towards him, she put her scythes away, into the holsters on her back. She walked up to Nathaniel and crossed her arms. Eyes returning to their normal golden color with the occasional black streak, Nathaniel yelled, "Okay! I'll admit it, I let my guard down! I left Requiem in the cave and was ambushed by a beowolf! What else was I supposed to do at the time?" Frustrated to no end at his sister, Nathaniel gathered up his materials and started the long process of repairing his chakram. Michelle was confused by the outburst.
"Why are you frustrated? I was asking a general question that would help clarify what I had seen… I'm not scolding you for it… Besides… most of the family had to do the same thing… it's not really that big of a deal when you think about it…" Michelle stated nonchalantly. She sighed and began to leave the clearing. "I'll leave you be for now to your work…" she walked through the forest and looked at every bit of detail that it had. From cuts in the trees to claw marks on the ground. She followed every single one to find something that had caused them, or at least something that would be a good resource for the rest of their time in the forest.
~later that evening~
Just finishing the repairs, Nathaniel headed back towards the cave, exhausted. When he got there, he noticed it was seemingly empty. Going to the back, he laid down and closed his eyes to try to relax a little. After about thirty minutes, he noticed something was off. Sighing, he sat up, eyes still closed, and said, "I know you're there, sis, and I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I still don't have full control over him." There was a low growl coming from the shadows. The cave was dark. Red eyes glowed from the darkness. Something very large and very angry was in the cave with him. "Michelle, if that's you, it's not funny. We both know it will end in a tie if we fight. We both had the same training." Opening his eyes, Nathaniel saw the glowing eyes, so he quickly put his hair in a bun, using a pair of sharpened sticks to hold it in place, and drew the newly repaired chakram. A roar rung out of the cave, sharp white claws swung down towards Nathaniel.
Just as the claw drew near him, a gun shot shot echoed through the cave. Something had suddenly pierced the Grimm's chest. It seemed that a sword, or at least, shards of a sword had pierced through its chest. As the Grimm fell, Nathaniel relied on his faunus heritage to see who saved his life. Michelle pulled the the blade back, having it connect its shards together. "By the way, leaving the cave open isn't really the best idea." Sighing while watching the deceased Grimm dissipate, Nate replied, "I could've handled it, sis." With that being said, he laid back down, Michelle rolled her eyes. "I am your big sister, sorry I do have a protective nature!" she giggled a bit. "I checked around the forest for anything out of the ordinary… the forest seems to be different camps out there… all abandoned from use years ago… probably from our parents setting up camp when they took this trail…" she stated. Michelle sat near Nathaniel. Rolling over to lay on his stomach, Nathaniel stared at Michelle as he replied "Well, you can use them, sis. I am not leaving the one place I call home." With that said, Nate closed his eyes and fell into a light slumber, leaving Michelle with her thoughts. Michelle sighed and left the cave, leaving Nathaniel to his slumber.
~3 years later~
There is static coming through the earpiece before a voice is heard. "Do you see the target?" Tapping his earpiece to try and relieve the static, Nathaniel waited a couple of second before replying, "Yes. Target is in the street. Should I proceed with the plan?" Nathaniel had been called out for an assassination, leaving Michelle behind in the forest. "Wait...Who's that joining the target?" Surprised at this, Nathaniel crouched on the rooftop to get a better view of the street. As he watched, a new figure stepped out from an alley at the end of the street, causing the target to stop in their tracks.
The voice echoed through the earpiece, "Shit! That's not one of ours!"
Standing up slowly, Nathaniel calmly grabbed Requiem and stepped over the edge. Nearing the ground, the shadows came up and formed silhouettes of him, which grabbed him, set him lightly on the ground, and slid back into the ground. Crouching back down, with his right arm drawn behind him, Nathaniel slowly walks forward while not making a sound. When he was within throwing range of his target, Nathaniel tensed his body, ready to throw, when the mysterious figure calmly pulled out some type of gun and shot the target, blowing off their head. Now angered, Nathaniel took the earpiece out and slid it into his pocket as he realigned his aim towards the figure.
"I know you're there, kid. Put your weapon away and come on out, and I just might spare you."
'Hmph. So this guy's perceptive, I've got to give him that.' Putting Requiem away while standing up to his full 5'4 height, Nathaniel walked out of the building's shadow. The figure had a black cloak that covered most of them, crimson fangs on the back of it while the bottom of it looked like it had been torn and ripped. The figure turned to look at Nathaniel, making sure he couldn't see their face. The pistol was pure black with four blades in the barrel.
"Who sent you?" The figure demanded. They made sure that there were no opens on them, since the cloak hid their movements from him. "I am not exactly a patient person… and I am in no mood to be lied to…" the hood of the cloak twitched a bit, giving a bit of a hint of what race the person was. They set the hammer kept their finger on the trigger, their hand had a black fingerless glove on it with a red wolf on the back of it. Black claws on their fingertips from the hand that could be seen.
Holding his hands in the air calmly, Nathaniel spoke slowly and clearly, "I was sent here by a neutral party that wanted to advance. They couldn't due to the person at your feet, but since you went ahead and killed them, I guess we probably have the same client." Gradually, sounds started growing louder from the alleyway the stranger emerged from. "Looks like they are coming this way… thought i lost them…" the figure commented. "Let's get going before we're caught…" The figure grabbed Nathaniel by his wrist before he had a chance to do anything and started running away from alley with him, the sounds were like soldiers wearing heavy armor. The gun still in their hand.
After making a couple of turns, the figure ran into an abandoned warehouse and practically pushed Nathaniel to the floor and hid to the side of the door. He had a much better view of what the figure looked like. They wore a helmet that had a resemblance to a wolf, having black and dark grey colours in its design. Black fingerless gauntlets that had red markings that had the faint reminder of a creature of Grimm. A black tank top that was torn at the mid section, showing a well toned stomach that had a scar coming from their back stretched to their waist. A black vest that had a few steel plates on the side of it. They also had black pants and silver greaves on their lower body. A black belt that just hung on their waist with a bizarre looking silver buckle. From the way their body is, they appear to be female.
"Sorry about that by the way… I was doing a few jobs that ended up attracting armed guards that seemed to have tracked me down… I think I lost them though…" The figure holstered the pistol to their back. "Just to clarify something, I doubt the guy who hired you could afford to hire me… Now you answer my question… What faction do you belong to? If you don't know what I mean, I am talking about mercenary factions… I am from a very brutal one… normally, I don't leave witness… be grateful I let you live…" she said. Her eyes gave a fierce look towards Nathaniel, as if trying to intimidate him. The armed guards seemed to have lost them and left the area.
Sighing in defeat, Nathaniel reached slowly into his shirt, holding up his free hand as the woman started to aim at him. Calmly, Nathaniel told her, "I'm just grabbing my identification. No need to kill me." After saying this, he finally pulled out a black, rock-like necklace that has an amethyst hanging on it. Engraved in the amethyst was the head of a dragon. "Does this answer your question?" The woman mgiggled a bit. "I didn't take you for the kind of guy that would be with the Amethyst Dragons. They very rarely take assassination missions. Unless you're only a scout." She puts her pistol in the holster on her back and stands up straight. "I'm part of the most… Infamous… group. Ever heard of the Crimson Fang before?" She tilted her head and stared at his eyes. Behind her helmet, Nathaniel could see red eyes, there also seemed to be three lines making a scar over her right eye. Tilting his head to the side, Nathaniel took a minute to process the information before replying, "Actually, yes. You are one of our biggest competitors. I don't believe this meeting was a coincidence though, so tell me why we shared the same target. Don't lie, as I know you have the truth." the woman giggled a bit. "I had received word that the Amethyst Dragons were planning to an assassination for once. As the Crimson Fangs second in command, I thought it best to… 'Teach' them that there is a reason they don't dare take the Crimson Fangs terf… but when I felt your presence, I was shocked. I've met mostly everyone of the Amethyst Dragons… not a single one had an aura as dark as yours… I thought you were Crimson Fang… then again… given your family history… I'm not surprised you have that kind of aura. Before you ask, I do my research about people before confronting them. Like how I knew I wouldn't have already been seen by the snipers that were positioned on the roofs near the target ready to fire at anyone on the roof. You were spotted before you even made your move…" the woman began to leave.
"I suggest a change in who you work for… though… I'm surprised your parents didn't force you into the group they lead…" she said just before opening the door to leave. Chuckling, Nathaniel held up a hand to stop her. "Oh, they will, I just haven't finished the family tradition yet. The only reason I'm here is that they thought this was too good an opportunity to pass up. I still have a few more years to go." The woman giggled. "I look forward to working with you then." She walked into the shadows and disappeared in an instant.
Shaking his head, Nathaniel raises his arm to his side as a shadow slowly rises to just above the tips of his ears. He quickly dashed through the shadow, ending up just outside his family's bullhead, slightly startling the pilot. "Geez kid, at least send some warning next time before you do that!" Waving the pilot off, Nathaniel climbed into the bullhead, waiting for the pilot to finish his system of checks to start the day trip home.
~2 days later~
After telling his parents about the failed attempt, Nathaniel returned to his isolated part of the forest. Taking a couple of minutes to readjust to the forest's natural sounds, Nathaniel was almost taken unaware by Michelle sneaking up behind him. Turning at the last second, he grabbed his sister's wrist as it was about to jab his side. Michelle smiled and giggled. "Your getting better! But… you missed one key detail…" a pistol, much like the one that the Crimson Fang mercenary had, except with red accents of a dragon on the sides of it pointed at his neck. It was held up by shadows. "You forget that I have a fine control over my semblance." Michelle smiled at him. Looking around, Nathaniel just smirked. "I think you forgot something also. I have a more versatile semblance." At this, he dissipated into shadows as Michelle was pulled backwards and thrown onto her back. Above her stood the real Nathaniel with a wide grin on his face. Michelle laughed a bit. "You got me there! Or have you?" she sunk into the shadow her brother left below. A hand grabbed Nathaniel from behind and a small scythe blade rested at his neck. "How did your mission go anyways?" Nathaniel sighed as this question was expected. Before replying, Nathaniel quickly grabbed his sister's hand holding the scythe, pulling it away from his neck while twisting it, making it drop and catching it on his boot. "Not good. Someone beat me to the target. Someone more skilled than even you. They knew how to hide their scent from even Faunus like us. And I think that I was offered a job, but I'm not sure. I'm assuming you've heard of the Crimson Fang."
Michelle sighed and leaned against a tree. "Yeah… ruthless and bloodthirsty… most of them being faunus and barely any humans… it is no White Fang,that's for sure… the only way to get in is if you sacrifice four teeth to be replaced with crimson ones… which is how they got their name to begin with… the origin of how they actually got it is beyond me… another way is being born into it… If your canines are crimson, you're already with them… only way out is to rip them out… But then again… you have to be insane to a degree to want to do that…" Michelle had crimson fangs for as long as the two can remember. "Why did you bring them up?"
Sighing as he ran a hand through his messy hair, Nathaniel waved his hand between them, causing the shadows between them to form a picnic table with two benches. Taking a seat, he took a couple of seconds to organize his thoughts before speaking. "Before I tell you, I want to make one thing clear. I want this to stay between us. Not even mom and dad know what I am about to say. Alright?" Michelle sat on the table with her feet on the bench. "I won't say anything… Doesn't mean they won't find out on their own…" Sighing as he ran his hand through his hair again, Nathaniel replied, "I know… it's just that I want to keep them misinformed for as long as possible. But you're not going to like what I have to say. I met the Crimson Fang's second in command. She was the one who took out the target. Her last words to me were 'I look forward to working with you then.' That is why I believe I was offered a job… But I know what happens to those who betray our parents." At this, Nathaniel slowly rubs his side. "Hell, I can still feel the reward for failure. Good thing I didn't say anything about the Crimson Fang… That would've made it a lot worse…"
Michelle sighed. "That's dad for you… mom is actually quiet lenient… she at least got me covers for my fangs whenever I go see dad… He hates the Crimson Fang…" Michelle leaned forward and shivered a bit. "At least now it's not as bad… he is starting to believe I am actually his daughter…"
Nodding in understanding, Nathaniel turned on the bench and slowly lowered himself to where he was laying on his back with his hands underneath his head. "I agree with you there. The only reason I don't have broken ribs is due to mom being there… Dad is always the more paranoid of the two… he thought I killed the target and received the payment myself…" Laughing slightly, he looked towards Michelle. "He really needs to see a psychiatrist, don't you think?"
Michelle smiled lightly. "Yeah… but according to mom, he had already seen one… only to have shot them in the head because they annoyed him…" Michelle perked up and smiled at Nate with a lot more happiness than what the tone had. "Do you remember when mom told us about her time as a mercenary? The time she had to 'clean up' a town from a Grimm infestation?"
Sitting up faster than he laid down, Nathaniel chuckled slightly before replying, "Oh yeah! That was my favorite one. My favorite part was when she described the town's reaction to the Grimm!" Sighing happily, he laid back down with a smile on his face. Michelle giggled. "Yup! They didn't quite understand what they were looking at. They stared at the Grimm for what seemed like hours. They looked at each other and looked back at the Grimm for a moment. They then went on with their lives until one of the Grimm roared in their face and people then started to panic! I find it funny that they thought the Grimm were just people in really nice Grimm costumes!" Michelle's ears perked up and she looked up into the sky.
Sensing something was off, Nathaniel waved Michelle off the table before he dispersed it and hid underneath the shadows of a tree. After a couple of seconds, Nathaniel's ears perked up and swerved to the west. "I hear it now, sis. But, the question is, is it a Griffon or a Nevermore?" Making eye contact with Michelle, he saw a familiar look in her eyes. "Please don't tell me… I know what you're going to say, and I think it's a bad idea." Michelle grinned. She picked up her scythe and put it away. "What? You don't want to 'hitch a ride'?" two swords extended from her bracers as she got ready. Sighing as he pulled Requiem out and covered it in shadows, converting it into the dual-tonfas, he said, "Do I even have a choice? It's the only way to stick together." At this, two Griffons cleared the tree line above them. Michelle launched one of her swords at the Griffon on the right, only to lift up into the air, laughing as she being lift up. "Guess I get right!" she yelled out.
As Nathaniel watched, he flicked his wrist in front of him, causing the shadows there to form into an Ursa. As he leapt onto one its hands, the shadow Ursa launched him upwards. Soon, he passed the Griffon on the left, startling it with his speed. As he reached the peak of his flight, the Grimm chose that moment to chase him. When it came level, he spun slightly to the side, latching onto the Griffon's back with the left tonfa, drawing a pained squawk. "How's that for style, sis?!" he yelled below him. Michelle was standing on the back of the Grimm, her swords latched into its back. "Not too bad! Have you thought of a landing strategy yet?" She yelled as she made her Griffon start to fly higher into the sky, her grin ever present.
As she drew level with Nate, he only laughed as the streaks in his eyes threatened to overtake the gold. "I would be an idiot if I came up here without one. And you know I'm not an idiot," he replied, guiding his Griffon underneath Michelle's, pulling Requiem out of his Grimm's back and sending said creature into the shadow of Michelle's Griffon. Falling towards the ground, he summoned a shadow directly underneath him, bringing his Griffon back into this realm. As it flew up away from the shadows, Nate did a half flip and landed, standing, on its back, arms outstretched, as the Grimm reluctantly landed. "How was that?" He yelled.
Michelle jumped off her Griffon and ripped out her swords from its back. It roared out in pain before flying down towards Michelle, obviously not to happy about being used as a ride before having blades plunged into its back, and having those same blades ripped out. As it flew closer to her, Michelle had her sword wrap around the griffon, her feet pressed against, giving her a chance to push it back. She leaned her head close to the Griffon's beak, her smile still there. Giving the grimm a quick kiss on the beak before having the blades of her sword squeeze and tear apart the Griffon. Michelle had jumped away and used her swords to swing her way back down. Michelle landed next to Nate, her grin never faltered. "Not bad, but I think mine was better!"
Nathaniel shook his head as he said, "Well, you are biased. At least I can still use my Griffon for more landings." As he said this, he summoned a shadow and sent the panicking Grimm back into the shadows. "And I just realized, you just might be more insane than me." After a couple of seconds, Nathaniel's composure cracked as he started laughing loudly. Michelle couldn't help but laugh along with him as she started holding her sides. "To be fair, I gave it a kiss before I slaughtered it!" Snorting in his laughter, Nathaniel replied brokenly, "That's why… I said… you might be!" Michelle grinned. "I have done a lot more crazy things to Grimm you know! They are curious creatures, but humans have more of my interest in them! I have yet to find one that wouldn't beg for me to stop torturing them! Hell, I even think I scared dad one he saw me torturing someone!" Michelle fell back to the ground laughing more.
Nate just rolled his eyes while trying to contain his laughter, eventually collapsing next to Michelle on the ground laughing. Michelle relaxes and looks up at the sky. "You know, I am going to be joining Crimson Fang, right?" Michelle sits up and looks at Nate. Nate turns his head towards her. "I knew you would. The question of when is the only thing on my mind right now. I would be surprised if they haven't contacted you yet." Turning his head back towards the dimming sky, a lone memory flashed through his head. "You want to know something?"
Michelle crossed her legs and smiled. "Sure!" Sitting up, Nathaniel looked Michelle in the eyes. "I think I finally realized the reason I ran into that woman. I think she knew I would tell you about her and the Crimson Fang. I think she meant for you to know they knew how to contact us...but most of all, I think she may be somehow related to us." Michelle tilted her head. "Really? I know I've heard rumors about the second in command, but I never thought they might have a bit of truth to them." Michelle stood up and looked up at the sky. Sitting up on his propped elbows, Nathaniel says, "My reasoning for this, Michelle, is that she had a semblance similar to ours, only she used it to travel. Isn't the control over shadows unique to our family?"
Michelle nods. "To be second in command, you have to be related to the one in charge though…" Michelle smiled and revealed her crimson fangs. "Maybe that explains why I was born with crimson fangs!"
Nathaniel taps his chin in thought. "You know, the second in command looked oddly familiar. But I can't place who she could be. She did have a pistol similar to yours. Who all has seen your pistol that is related to us?" Michelle flinched a bit. "I modeled my pistol after mom's… she taught me to make one the exact same except with a difference in design and had me turn it as a scythe instead of her curved… dagger…"
With a look of shock, Nate jumped up to his feet and looked Michelle in the eyes. "You don't think…?" Michelle smiled widely and the look in her eyes changed as well. "I think mom is either keeping secrets from us and basically told you that we are going to be in Crimson Fang, or she is just pretending to work for them to get under dad's skin!" Nathaniel shook his head, "No, I don't think it's the last one. This woman had real crimson fangs. I know they were real because of how the moonlight glinted off of them. The caps don't have the same glint. We need to have a talk with mom, don't we?" the sound of an engine roared in the sky. "From the sound of it, it seems dad might be paying us a… visit… mom might be with him this time… I do agree with you though… we do need to have a chat…" Michelle's eyes widened. "Shit I didn't bring my fang covers with me!"
Holding up a finger, Nathaniel reached down through his shadow, pulling out his clenched fist. "Here. Mom gave me some spares in case this happened. You can be forgetful at times." Opening his hand were exact replicas of the covers Michelle forgot. Michelle smiled and put the covers on, she growl putting them in.
"Shut up… I hate wearing the covers… I didn't think I would be seeing dad ever again at this point…" Michelle snapped at him. The family bullhead flew above them and slowed down. It began to lower and hatches opened. A tall male wolf faunus wearing a pure black suit, he had a scowl on his face as he stared at the two of them. A woman with a large smile on her face waved at them. The bullhead landed and shut off. As soon as the wind settled, the two adults stepped off the bullhead towards the two preteens. Nathaniel bowed his head slightly towards the man, "Hello father. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
The man walked of and glared towards the to. "I came to see you both about a job opening… There is an order put out to kill a Schnee family member… it doesn't matter which one…" the woman sighed and elbowed him in the sighed before giving him an uppercut to the jaw. "That is not true…" the woman growled out as their father stumbled back. "Someone by the name of Herald Schnee laughed at him for spilling his wine on his good suit… No job… I was just wondering how you two have been holding up and if you decided on changing your mind about joining the family mercenary group! I still don't know the name of it…" The woman had a scar over her right eye. The man scowled. "I told you hundreds of times! Its Shadow Claw!" The man yelled at her. "Father, if I may interrupt, but may we speak to mother alone real quickly?" Nathaniel asked, motioning between him and Michelle.
Their father straightened up and shrugged. "Fine… I'll give you two 10min…" he sent Michelle a glare before leaving the three alone. Nathaniel looked towards the woman, and with a slight gleam in his eyes, spoke to her. "Hello mom. How's your back holding up, with that scar and all." their mother smiled. "It's been doing good! I haven't had it ache on me for a while! Why do you ask?" Nathaniel took a second to reply, saying, "I just thought that it would ache after a bit of running is all. And I know how you like to run, especially with your pistol on your person. I thought I saw you sweating a bit when I came back from my mission." Nathaniel nudges Michelle's foot, drawing a scarred eye in the ground next to a fang with his toe.
Michelle nodded and looked up to her mother. "I also wonder why I have crimson fangs… I wanted to know the reason behind it for some time now." their mother sighed and groaned. "You know, I think I raised you two way to well if you can now detect those sort of things in an instant… look, we don't have that much time to talk about it before your father comes back… Ask away then since you two seemed to have questions." the woman straightened her back. "Why have you been keeping this a secret, mom?" Nathaniel asked, slightly lowering his ears.
"Truth be told, I didn't mean to hide it from you two… It was your father and his stupid vendetta with the head of Crimson Fang… things were said and you know how your father gets when people tend to show him up and make him look stupid…" their mother sighed. "My father, your grandfather, decided that the vendetta had gone on long enough… At first, I was tasked to kill him… Then something unexpected happened…" Michelle was listening very closely. "You two fell for each other, didn't you?" Nate asked. Their mother smiled. "Not exactly, I broke into his house and saw him getting out of the shower, I panicked and tripped trying to get out that I ended up stabbing my stomach. At the time, he was nice and helped me back to feel health, even though I told him that I was meant to kill him…"
Nathaniel nods, satisfied with the answer he received. He motioned to Michelle, signaling her to ask. "Why was I born with crimson fangs?" Michelle asked. Their mother thought for a bit. "I am not entirely sure how that process works… I was born with them and I asked my father about it… he shrugged and said, and I quote, 'Magic motherfucker.' then shot someone in the head because he felt like it." she smiled. Nathaniel whistled and said, "Damn! So there is no way to determine who will get the crimson coloring?"
"That's right. The only other way is getting your teeth pulled. Though, that's only if one has crimson fangs and the other doesn't. If both do, it's guaranteed!" she smiled and nodded. Their father began walking towards them. Nodding, Nathaniel scratched out the drawing he made before their father drew even with their mother. "I hope you had enough time to talk about what you wanted to…" he didn't sound to happy. Nathaniel bowed his head again, "Yes father. That was plenty of time. Thank you once again for your kindness."
Their father nodded and looked at Michelle. "What about you? Are you going to show me gratitude?" he asked her. Michelle only bowed and didn't say a word. "Good… but now I have a question… why didn't you report to me after your mission in the mountains was complete?" Michelle flinched. Nathaniel's ears swiveled imperceptibly towards Michelle, as he thought she had reported in. "I forgot father… please forgive me…" Michelle looked on the ground, trying not to look their father in the eye.
"Oh? You forgot did you?" his hand swung up and slashed at her right eye. "Your lying…" he stated. Michelle groaned, not letting him hear her scream from the pain. Her right eye shut tight as she placed a hand on the wound. "Father, if I may speak up for a minute," Nate interjected as their dad pulled back for another slash. "Michelle is forgetful. I am not saying this because she's family, I am saying this because it is the truth. Have I ever lied to you before, father?" their father thought for a moment and lowered has clawed hand. "This is true… I'll let it slide this time… take it as a punishment for forgetting… Let's go, Sia…" Their father got on the bullhead with their mother.
Michelle fell to her knees and put pressure on her face. "F-Fuck…" Nathaniel quickly dove his hand into his shadow, pulling out some gauze wrap and cotton pads. "May I bind it up for you, or do you want to do it?" Michelle removed her hand from her face and gritted her teeth. "Y-You do it… my hands are trembling to much to keep it steady…" she kept her right eye closed. Nodding, Nathaniel carefully applied the cotton and gauze, slowing with every wince. When it was done, Nathaniel stood up and took a few steps back. After his treatment, Michelle now had a makeshift bandage running over the right side of her face. "Alright, if you keep it covered and dry, it should heal in about two to three weeks." Frowning slightly, Nathaniel reached out and held Michelle's hand. "You doing alright?"
Michelle nodded, her ears flattened against her head. "Yeah… thank you… You didn't have to lie to him…" she looked at the ground. Smiling slightly, Nathaniel shook his head. "I have lied to him far more than you think. He just sucks at seeing the truth. Only you and mom have been able to see through me. I still don't know how you two do it." Michelle's ears twitch. "The pitch in your voice changes a tiny bit. It is very hard to notice for some that aren't trying to listen very closely." she stands up and smiles.
Smiling, Nathaniel started walking north, pulling out Requiem in tonfa form. "It's getting a bit late. I think it's time you get some rest. I'll get a fire started at the cave, you just get your ass there and relax as best as you can, m'kay?" Michelle giggled. "Alright. No work and no play, just resting by a fire and waiting for it to heal enough to not get distracted by it!" she starts heading towards the cave. Chuckling, Nathaniel starts creating a few more clearing to have enough firewood for the next month. When he returned to the cave with carrying only a handful of firewood, he was relieved to find his sister sitting on the ground. Setting down his load quietly, he walked up on her right side silently.
"It feels nice, to be away from dad… he reminded me of how nice it is." Michelle said. "Yeah...and you can take the covers off now, you know," Nathaniel said while pulling a couple of handfuls of firewood out of his shadow, setting them in front of Michelle before lighting the pile with the fire crystal embedded in Requiem. "Also, this can be a great opportunity to train yourself further." Michelle smiled softly at him. "Train myself in what way? Fighting with one eye? I can already shatter a boulder, I think I am good with my training…" she sighed and lied down. Sighing while setting more firewood off to the side, Nathaniel replied, "You know that's not what I mean. You rely too much on sight and sound. I was thinking of making an eyepatch and two sets of earplugs so you can train your sense of smell. Unlike you, I don't rely on sight and sound. I rely on scent instead." After setting the last log with the extras, Nathaniel sat across the fire from Michelle. "And I know you didn't immediately relax like I told you to once you got here."
"How can you tell?" Michelle asked. Nathaniel just smirked and tapped his nose. "Everything leaves a scent trail… Even Grimm. I can tell where you were and how long ago you were there. With that said, I know you were trying to get deeper in the cave just before I came back. I don't think going past the cave in is a wise idea. I have smelled loads of Grimm behind it. Surely you must've heard their scratching?" Michelle growled a bit. "I do not like feeling their presence…" Michelle rolled on the ground a bit and sighed after coming to a stop. "I know they are there and I don't like it… why can't we kill them already?"
Nathaniel sighed. "I have scented more than just the regular Grimm types behind the cave in. I scented something strange and unusual. Something stronger than normal Grimm." Leaning back against the wall, Nathaniel stared at the cave ceiling. Michelle growls and stands up. "What makes it so strong? We've killed thousands of grimm! What makes that one so different?" she snapped at him. Nathaniel closed his eyes, and when he opened them, the left one had changed color. Instead of the normal gold iris with black streaks, it was now solid black with gold streaks. "The scent is not new. It is old and alive! Remember what our instructor told us about ancient Grimm and how they have been able to learn? This one is at least a hundred years old! How much do you think it has learned, huh? Do you honestly think we, two mercenaries in training, can take on something that experienced?!" Nathaniel snapped back. After he finished, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and took some deep breaths. Upon opening his eyes, his left had reverted back to its normal coloring.
Michelle's eye changed from its normal red iris and white sclera, now the red was on pure black and her voice changed in an instant. "I will handle it one way or another!" she snapped at him again. Sighing to himself and whispering something so silently that even Michelle couldn't pick it up, Nathaniel spoke, and both eyes had changed. This voice was full of joy as it spoke, "Do you honestly think you are in any condition to do anything of the sort right now? You are hilarious if you do." As he said this he pointed to her bandage, continuing with, "That will take at least a few weeks to fully heal, as my other self said. There is no way to heal the process, so it is best to just wait patiently so as not to lose sight in that eye. If you decide not to wait, don't say I didn't warn you." With that said, Nathaniel laid down and closed his eyes, while still awake.
Michelle gritted her teeth and she growled. "I have to try…" She walked towards the caved in section and placed her hand on one of the rocks. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Nathaniel sang, eyes still closed. Michelle punched the caved in section and broke some of the rocks. "I am going to pull this off…" Nathaniel giggled as the scents grew stronger. "You're making a mistake sis!" he replied, in the same singsong tone as earlier. Michelle punched only a small hole through the rocks, behind it were glowing red eyes in complete darkness. She got her swords ready. "I am not making a mistake, I know what I am doing…" Nathaniel was at her side in an instant, holding a hand out. Looking at her black eyes with his, he spoke, "At least let me explain why I said that, with a question. How do you think all those Grimm got back there? There were no trails other than that ancient Grimm leading into the cave."
Michelle gritted her teeth. "Remind me, what location is this mountain in?" Nathaniel sadly looked off toward the cave entrance as his eyes returned to normal. "Just a few miles north of the abandoned settlement, Mountain Glenn. Now you know why I say we can't do anything here?" Michelle smirked and vanished into the shadows, planning on going in anyways. Nathaniel just redirected her destination to his shadow, sighing as he said, "If you're going to be stubborn about it, I can't let you go in alone with your condition." With that, he pulled out Requiem in tonfa form and intentionally sliced his right shoulder. As the wound quickly scabbed over, his eyes changed back to black with gold streaks as he put Requiem away, allowing his nails and canines to grow into claws and fangs. "Now what do you say we have a little fun, big sis?"
Michelle smiled widely and laughed. "Now your talking!" She charged the wall and broke the rest of it, slicing Grimm left and right.
As Michelle ran in, Nate calmly walked in, allowing the shadows to form exact duplicates of himself and his sister, with their respective weapons. As soon as he was left behind, he got surrounded by an Ursa, a King Taijitu, and five Beowolves. As the Grimm drew in, he just laughed as he shadow stepped behind the Ursa, thrusting his clawed hand into its back and pulling out its spine. As it fell, the Beowolves charged, earning each of them the loss of their throats. All the while, he was laughing insanely. With only the King Taijitu left, it started to encircle him. As he waited, one of the shadows came up and disgraced the large snake enough for Nathaniel to grab one of the white head's eyes and rip it out, drawing a shriek of pain. The joy didn't last long, as the black head quickly took advantage of his exposed back. Or so it thought, as it received a spear to the roof of its mouth. As Nate walked away, shadowy spear in one hand, King Taijitu eye in the other, the white head was mauled by a shadowed Ursa Major. "How's it going over there, sis?" he shouted across the mayhem.
Michelle had taken out her scythes and attached them, extending them into its double sided form, she had grown to calling it Xephor. She threw Xephor at the Grimm, causing it to spin, slicing off limbs as it flew. She jumped into the air to get out of a group of Ursai and Beowolves surrounding her, grabbing her scythe and landing on something weird. "I'm fine on my end! Though, I don't think I landed on ground just now…" she lifted up her foot to inspect it. It was black blood that had started getting a grip on her. "Okay, this is not ordinary blood… it seems… alive…" she sudden suck into the living blood.
"Fuck!" Nathaniel said as he regained control. Shadow stepping over to where he last saw Michelle, he saw what he feared. The Wyvern, with its forever bleeding hide. Quickly heading back to the King Taijitu he killed earlier, he ripped the spine out in one piece and went back to the Wyvern. Sinking one end of the spine into the living blood, he yelled, "If you can hear me, find the spine and give a firm tug so I can pull you out!"
Michelle looked around where she was. Pitch black darkness. She felt the blood moving all around her. She heard her brother's voice, reach for the spine. She grabbed it and could feel the blood trying to keep her in place. She tugged on the spine and tried to yell out for her brother. She regretted trying to yell, the living blood made sure of that.
Upon feeling the tug, Nathaniel created more clones, stretching his aura to the limits. 'Alright, those who aren't fighting Grimm, find a spot on the spine, and HEAVE!' he commanded the clones. With the combined effort of semblance enhanced clones and an aura enhanced Faunus, they were able to pull out a blood covered Michelle. Quickly sending the excess clones away, Nate did his best to pick his sister up, barely managing to stand and get out of the cave with the Wyvern. As they cleared the opening, Nathaniel set Michelle down, grabbed Requiem, took out the fire dust crystal, and threw it at the top of the opening, reforming the cave in wall. After making sure it was stable, and making sure no Grimm were anywhere near the cave, he fell forwards and passed out.
~24 hours later~
Michelle screamed and rolled around on the ground, holding her head tightly. Upon hearing his sister's screams, Nathaniel fought the darkness of sleep to get to her side. Once awake, he felt the cold stone floor underneath his face. Standing up slowly. He made his way over to Michelle. "What's wrong sis?! Can you stop screaming long enough to try to explain?" The blood on her had vanished, she gritted her teeth and stopped screaming. "It hurts! My head feels like a small jackhammer is going wild inside my head!"
Silently cursing himself, Nathaniel looked underneath her bandage, in her hair, and on the back of her head, but found nothing out of the ordinary. While searching a thought came to him. "Michelle, can you open your eyes, please? I need to make sure of something." Michelle opened her eyes opened. Instead of a bright red, they were blood red, black lines were on the sclera. "I-Is something wrong?" Nathaniel took a deep breath before replying. "First, answer this question. Did you ingest ANY of the Wyvern's blood?"
Michelle thought for a moment, something in her head felt weird when she tried to remember it. "I…. I don't know… I can't remember…" Nathaniel slowly reached into Michelle's shadow, pulling out a delicate hand mirror and holding it up for her to look. "It just doesn't feel right telling you. I think you should see for yourself." Michelle's eyes widened and she trembled seeing her reflection. "No… I… I couldn't have… I," she slapped his hand to get rid of the mirror. "Just… I don't know what to do…" Nate just calmly put the mirror away as he said, "Think back. Did anything happen between you getting sucked into the Wyvern's blood and me pulling you out with a Taijitu spine? I know it is hard, but this is really important, sis." Michelle thought hard. "I could feel it moving around me… it felt… weird… then… I saw the spine and heard your voice. When I grabbed it… I… I yelled out for you…" her eyes widened. "I-It flowed into me… I felt it in my wound to… Fuck…" she held her head and and trembled.
Nate ran a hand through his hair. "Shit, shit shit shit shit! No one knows what that'll do to th- Wait! Mom might know. Remember, she has a scar also, so she might have had some Grimm blood get in the wound! Do you feel up for some traveling, sis?" Michelle looked up at him. "I think I can do it. But if we try to head home, won't dad try to kill us?" Smirking as he slowly picked Michelle up, he replied, "Only if he knows we're there. There are some areas at home he never goes that mom frequents. One of them is the roof, where I plan on taking us. Hold on tight. This'll be disorienting." Michelle held onto Nate tightly. "I've travelled through the shadows before… I'm sure I'll be okay…" she was confident.
Chuckling, Nate just said, "Okay, but we are traveling farther than you ever have in one trip." With that said, he stepped into the nearest shadow, and stepped out about two hundred miles away from the cave. Looking down at Michelle, he asked, "You okay?" Michelle was feeling really dizzy. "It is normal for trees to be spinning in a circle while attached to the ground?" Chuckling, Nate just continued into the next shadow, stepping out another two hundred miles away, saying, "After awhile, you get used to the distortion. Trust me." He kept this pace up for the next six hours until he stepped out onto the roof of the Zellos family home. "Okay, let's wait here for mom to come up. Then we can ask her for help. Okay?" Michelle nodded and and yawned.
Sia opened the door to the roof and nearly screamed seeing the two. She rushed towards them and yelled at them in a hushed tone. "What are you two doing here?! What if your father sees you?!" she snapped at them. Michelle just looked at her and yawned. "I'm getting a bit tired now Nate…" Looking over at Michelle, Nate said, "Don't fall asleep now, sis!" Looking at Sia, he started to explain what had happened the previous day, and what Michelle had told him. "...and when I figured you might know how to deal with this, I brought her to the roof as dad never comes up here. Please, is there anything you can do, mom?" Sia relaxed and looked at Michelle, she lift the bandages and looked at the scar, it had darkened and healed completely.
"Hmm… So she got wyvern blood in her system… That isn't necessarily bad… but having an opened wound in general near one is a terrible idea… That also goes for any grimm blood, wyvern being the worst though…" Nathaniel just looked at Michelle. "I tried to talk her out of it. But you know how stubborn she gets. Just like father at times." Sia smiled and giggled. "Yeah, all I can say is, keep a close eye on her… I don't know what effects wyvern blood will have…" Michelle closed her eyes and yawned again. "I need to close eyes…" she said tiredly. Yawning himself, Nathaniel was about to stand up when he stumbled slightly. "Heh, guess I over-exerted myself the past tw-" And with that said he fell backwards, into a sitting position, and fell asleep with Michelle. Sia sighed and had her own shadows take them back to the forest. they were placed in an abandoned house. They would wake up the next day or so.
~The next day~
Nathaniel awoke with a pained groan. As he opened his eyes, he did not expect to see a roof over him. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, Nate couldn't scent any Grimm nearby, but scented Michelle off to his left. Standing up, Nathaniel felt pain radiate throughout his entire body. As he slowly made his way over to his sister, he looked around at where they were at. They were in the central room of a four room cottage. In their current room was a dusty table with a lone wooden chair, a small kitchenette with a rusty sink, and a three person couch. Reaching Michelle, Nate opened her left eye to see that the discoloration hasn't spread any further than the previous day. Sighing in relief, he picked her up and went to set her on the couch so she would at least be comfortable when she woke up. After doing that, Nathaniel sat in the lone chair and went back to sleep.
Michelle awoke and looked around the cottage. "Where are we?" she said aloud. Looking up from where he was sitting, Nate just shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Last I remember before waking up here was talking with mom and trying to stand up. After that, I woke up here on the floor. I took the time to put you on the couch, though. How are you holding up? Head still hurting?"
"Not too much…" Michelle slowly sits up. "My body aches a bit, but not too badly…" Michelle looks around more. "Wait… this is one of the abandoned buildings that I found when I first came here… it had a lot of supplies in it." Nathaniel slowly stood up, groaning from the still present pain. Seeing his sister look at him with concern, he waved her off. "I just overused my aura in the past two days. I should be fine in a week or so. You hungry?" he asked as he went to the kitchen. As he rummaged through the cabinets, Nathaniel felt his own stomach grumble at the prospect of food.
In a cabinet above the sink, Nathaniel found a few stacks of canned food. "Jackpot!" Reaching up with a groan, he brought down four of them and dusted them off. "Let's see what we have here, sis," he said as he sat on the edge of the couch. "Beans, rice, beef, and corn. Take your pick," he said as he held them towards Michelle.
"Beef sounds decent!" Michelle smiles and sits at table. "Been awhile since we've had an actually decent meal out here." Placing the can of beef down with an exaggerated motion, Nate set the can of beans down across from Michelle as he placed the last two cans in between them. "Hold on a second, I'll be right back," Nate stated as he drew Requiem in Ronda for and walked outside. A few minutes and a lot of pained words later, he returned with a freshly made wooden chair, which he set down in the same spot as the beans. "Here you go sis," he said as he pulled a can opener from his pocket. "Found this while searching for food."
Michelle giggled and smiled. "Nicely done!" she takes the can opener and opened the can in front of her before handing it back to him. Sighing in relief as he sat down, Nate took the opener and did the same to his meal, before remembering something important. "Hold on one more second. Need to grab something." As he stood back up and went to the kitchen, Nate pointed a finger at his sister. "Don't you dare start without me!" Going over to the kitchen, he opened one of the drawers and took out two forks and two spoons, holding them over his head triumphantly and slowly marching back to the table.
"You don't trust me enough to not eat without you?" Michelle smirked and looked up at him. Handing her one of each as he took his seat again, Nate replied, "You forget, I grew up with you. And I know you like to try to eat before I notice." While he said this, he was waving his spoon at her. Michelle rolled her eyes and smiled. "How much do you think I've eaten while you had your back turned then?" Nathaniel just smirked as he dig his spoon into his can of beans, shoveling a spoonful into his mouth before he satisfied his sister's question. Once his mouth was empty, he simply stated, "At least half of your beef. You still have some of the juice on your chin."
Michelle wiped her chin from the juice. "You're wrong! I ate it all this time…" Nathaniel just chuckled. "I said 'at least' half. That implied you probably ate more." Shaking his head, nate simply shoveled more beans into his mouth. Michelle rolled her eyes and smiled. She looked outside and suddenly threw her scythe into the wall next to the window. Not looking up, her brother just sighed and asked a simple question, "Let me guess, Grimm?" Michelle blinked her eyes a few times. "I… I don't know… I thought I saw something…"
Jerking his head up and stabbing his spoon into the table, Nate leaned across the table. "Michelle, can you look me in the eyes and try to explain what you saw?" Michelle looked him in the eye. "It was a dark shadow that was forming behind you. Glowing red eyes and a white mask… It looked like it was about to attack you. When I threw my scythe, it disappeared." Holding her chin, Nate looked her in the eyes. "Sis, I'm sorry to say this, but I think the effect of Wyvern's blood is worse than mom thought. There was nothing there. No scent or sound." Dropping his hand, Nate leaned back into his chair, running a hand through his hair. "This is not good."
Michelle looked down for a moment before standing up. "I'm… I'm going to go for a walk…" she removed her scythe from the wall and holstered it. Opening the front door to leave. "Michelle… if you think you see a Grimm, please make sure it has a scent first, okay? You never know what the blood might make you see as a Grimm," Nate asked with concern.
"I know…" Michelle closed the door behind her and ran into the forest. She started killing any grimm that got close to her.
Nathaniel just sighed and finished his meal before following his sister from a distance. He left enough distance so as he could not be heard easily, but could still follow her trail of dead Grimm. As he drew closer, he saw Michelle standing in a clearing, with a hoard of Grimm dissolving around her. Staying behind the tree line, he just watched as more showed up.
Michelle looked around and got her double bladed scythe out. "Keep it coming… I have all the time in the world for you bastards!" She sliced a beowolf in half with quick succession and jumped over another that pounced on her. Her shadows seemed to be coming off of her as she slayed more grimm. Her scythes spinning like a pinwheel as she practically danced around the Grimm. Sending limbs flying as she moved on to the next Grimm. Once she sliced apart the last Grimm, Michelle began to feel dizzy. "I know you're… there… I can smell you… I feel your aura… I'm not… I'm not losing myself yet… I… I'm feeling tired… I will control it… You don't need to worry about… me…" she put her away and passed out standing up, falling to the ground.
Sighing, Nate stepped out from the tree line and walked over the dissipating corpses towards his sister. Slowly picking her up, Nate made his way back across the slaughter ground and towards the cottage, whispering all the while, "I hope this doesn't get worse."
A/N Dark Dragon Queen of Death: The thrilling start! Michelle might go insane or not. Who knows but me! This is only the beginning!