HITS: So there's a large chance this will be rewritten when we've gotten it all said and done. Don't worry, it'll all pick up soon.
-3 years ago-
Savage weakly opened the rotten wooden door. His whole body burned and screamed from the day's abuse. He'd come back from his job at one of the Schnee Dust factories. It wasn't the best idea, since White Fang (a group of Faunus radicals trying to get equal rights through violence) had been attacking the factories, so he'd had to hide his ears and tail. Once he looked like a normal fifteen year old human child desperate for work, they couldn't give him a job fast enough. Apparently the threat of attack made quite a few workers quit. Hey, more work for him. It was fairly safe, the hours were fair, and the pay was enough for what he needed. The only problem being that he was fifteen in a job meant for men in their thirties or higher. His daily tasks left him physically drained.
The empty cabin was dark and the candles around the room were still cold. No one had tried to cook yet, judging by the fact they still had a kitchen, so he was the first home this time. Good, he needed a rest before part two kicked off. He walked across the creaking floor to his mother's old room. It still smelled like she did, peppermint with the faintest hint of pine. This room was the most maintained in the whole cabin, in no small part thanks to Savage. The bed's green sheets were recently washed, the floor was swept, the shelves dusted, and the picture frame of the four -no, of the three of them- was recently repaired. He'd almost forgotten there had been someone else living here not long ago. When their mother died, she'd begged Savage, her twelve year old son at the time, on her deathbed to watch after the family. In doing so, he'd taken on most of her responsibilities and inherited her room based on principle. He wasn't about to complain, given his previous living conditions were absolutely barbaric. Under the dictatorship of the other parent. Their father had left the house entirely, only coming by to collect their rent every month. That's right, they paid their father bastard may not have cared for Savage, but he adored his daughter Shiro more than he valued life, which sadly didn't say much. The little girl refused to leave Savage when their mother passed, having cried for two whole days into the small boy's arms, so instead of forcing her to leave, he left. Unfortunately, that meant he took his money with him and the bills began piling up. Both Savage and the man wanted Shito to live well, so they made a deal. When he would come by for the rent, he and Savage would sit down and talk about that month's expenses, trying to sort out who should pay what. The father would pay only for Shiro's food expenses. Savage had to keep separate tabs for it since combining the food expenses of the two of them would result in the cheep prick not paying a cent. Every penny helped these days. With the pay from his job, Savage paid for house maintenance, Shiro's education at Signal, his own food, and anything extra they needed. Yeah, the pay was just barely good enough for all that. Luckily for his sanity, the end of the month was still a week away and he had an hour or two before Shiro would be home. He had a moment to breathe.
Savage collapsed onto the bed, his leg hanging over the side. No point getting comfy, but it felt good to just lay here for a while and let his aching body rest. However, he couldn't sleep just yet. He still had to have dinner ready by the time Shiro got home. Then he'd have to convince her to do her homework, scold her for not doing it, help her with half of it while not knowing the first damn thing about it, and then entertain her until she got tired. He looked up from the bed and reached for the picture, "Mom... I miss you."
-Present-
He slowly opened his eyes, wondering briefly where he was. He could hear commotion around him as people went about their morning routine. Right, he was somehow still in Beacon. He could have sworn he dreamed it all up. He was quick to get up, years of practice made it very easy, and stretched out across the floor with his tail waving lazily in the air. He was sure a few people stared, but they should try waking up without stretching their tails. Oh wait, most of them don't have any. His joints popped and snapped loudly as he got to his feet. Surveying the room and looking down to the spot next to him, he noticed Shiro had already left. Say what you want, but that girl could move when she wanted to.
Savage was quick to dress himself and before long had gathered his equipment from his locker. As he slid the metal plates over his skin until they fastened into place at his shoulder, he let a smile creep across his face. Now everything felt right, except for that chilling feeling from not knowing where Shiro was. He knew he was over reacting, but he was always a touch over protective. It was just how he was and it had saved her life a few times now. He'd gotten better though, he didn't freak out as much these days. Having no clue where he was supposed to go, he followed everyone else outside and down a large hill with a dirt path. Within an hour or two, he had arrived at the edge of a cliff and positioned by the headmaster on a metal platform. Shiro gave him a wave from the far left end. He smiled back, but was just reminded of how high the cliff was. Jesus, it was high. There was a big man to his right, absolutely massive. His short black hair hung down to his cheekbones and a dark purple scarf covered the rest of his face. His light brown trench coat was obviously from another time entirely as it was double breasted with ten buttons down the front.
I wouldn't want to fight him, he thought.
Savage only half listened to the Headmaster as he explained it. They would explore the forest and the first person you saw was to be your partner for the next few years. Travel to a thingy in the forest, collect a piece of some kind, and try not to die. Savage shook his head in a Oh-Crap movement as everyone prepared themselves. He could practically feel the terror about to dig into his bones. There was a reason they were all on individual platforms facing a cliff. Then he heard a metallic sound followed by a thwump as Shiro was hurled into the air, laughing the whole way. Savage damn near had a heart attack. He probably would have if the giant next to him wasn't next to be launched. Actually, it looked like he jumped. He didn't go nearly as far as Shiro and he landed with a loud thud, producing a column of dust from the forest. Before Savage had a chance to so much as speak, he was in the air.
She landed with the grace of a vulture. A bird of prey coming down to watch and wait. Thankfully that was a metaphor. It wasn't the best landing Kurai could have done, but with as little warning as she'd gotten, she did rather well. Her clothes were her own, so the landing was easy in comparison to heels and a skirt. Kurai shuddered at the thought. With her bow separated into sickles, she hit the ground without much noise or dust. She almost felt bad for the other students. These woods were her territory, the shadows obey her, and there was little chance anything could surprise her. Well, except Grimm. She looked up just in time to see a few more students soar overhead. Flying through the air was apparently a trend around here. You'd think it a school for aviation. She could tell where Ozpin had put the objectives simply by feeling a series of foreign objects, using her shadows, on pedestals not far from her. All she had to do was find a partner and grab one. Judging by the little whispers she could hear, a majority of people were either paired up or near enough that she wouldn't get there in time before they too were paired. Kurai bit her lip lightly, a common habit when she was deep in thought. She wouldn't be able to get near anyone before they paired off. Wait a minute. Were there an... Odd number of students? Oh no, that meant there would be one who wouldn't get a partner! If she was that person, would they cut her? True, she didn't plan on staying, but she didn't want to get kicked out unless it was on her terms. If she got one of those objectives, then she might be able to stay. That wouldn't be hard, she knew exactly where they were. The problem would be the Grimm. She couldn't tell where they were, but they would be drawn here rather quickly. Kurai climbed the closest tree, scurrying up before standing tall on top. She couldn't see anyone she recognize flying overhead. She was almost tempted to try and find that wolf boy from earlier, but she couldn't tell who was who from shadows alone, even if they had a tail.
That boy... He was apparently something called a Faunus, humans with animal features. She'd borrowed a book on them last night from a girl with a black bow. Speaking of, she still needed to return that. Faunus could just have tails or ears or other traits. They could also have extra features like fur in spots and hair almost similar to a mane and other such things. The boy seemed to only have ears and a tail, but there could be other attributes he's hidden under all those baggy clothes. The only way to know that would be to hope a Grimm rips his shirt off. Wait, that sounded wrong. Now she was curious! Damn it, why did she have to think that? She grimaced at the track her mind was on. Luckily, her mind was derailed by a animalistic roar of rage not too far from her. Perhaps the Faunus? No, something just appeared in her shadows, a large man. An angry man. There were two others moving towards him, but she was closer. She could get him first! A small smile crossed her face. She wouldn't be the one left out. She leapt off the treetop and sprinted for him.
It wasn't long before she saw him. She also saw the pack of Beowolves around him. It was a large man in an old time trench coat and a dark purple scarf fluttering slightly behind him. His dead neutral expression, from what little of his face she could see, was unnerving as he held his stance. The Beowolves were locked on him, waiting for an opening. One of them charged forward. A single Beowolf, probably to test him. The man shifted his weight slightly as his bare fist connected with the chitin on its face, shattering it entirely and leaving a writhing, soon to be dead, Grimm on the ground. The man took a second to flex his fist. Kurai winced as she heard a bone pop back into place. It sounded beyond painful. He resumed his stance, kicking the Grimm to the side for room. Another tried to rush him from behind, but with the smoothest of movements, he made a flipping motion, keeping his right leg firmly on the ground. As the Beowolf was about to connect, his left heel was brought full circle into the beast's bottom jaw. The momentum of both the Grimm and his heel brought the Beowolf down into the ground as the man stood upright. He shook out his leg, rotating it back to its original rotation. It was now that those other two people entered the fray, an armoured man with a mace and a man with two knives and odd looking hair. They beat their way into the circle, taking their place behind the giant. They were noticed alright. At first, Kurai considered jumping into the fight herself and just see what happened. She positioned herself to jump into the crowd and was a single second from jumping, but then the large man turned back to the two new fighters. He raised his hand like an executioner's blade, straight towards the sky. Then it dropped. It connected harshly against the neck of the odd haired man, who collapsed instantly. The man with the mace was quick to spin around, but was met by a fist. A clean knockout for both of them. Kurai instantly second guessed herself, not wanting a broken face, and remained hidden, watching this beast of a human. Now back to being the last one on the field, he turned back to the Grimm. She thought for sure they would all rush him, but she never found out. Her thoughts were cut off by a deep growling noise coming from right behind her ear.
This, right here, was the pure luck. Savage stood tall among the corpses of Ursa piled upon one another. He hadn't killed them all, but he'd done his fair share. A multitude of gashes and high-caliber wounds littered the bodies. Even he was going a bit Feral at the end there, losing his grip on himself in the midst of a fight he was certain to lose. Aside from that, the Grimm were dead, the weather was clear, and his feet were firmly planted on the ground. His tail hung lazily, having stopped flailing about for combat purposes, but his ears perked up at the sound of metal casings hitting the dirt. Grimm didn't use metal, so it was his chance to find a partner and his secret little guardian, the one who shot the Grimm. With Wisp drawn, he charged out into the woods, following the slightest of sounds in hope of finding the one who helped him. The smell of Grimm blood and flora deceived his nose though, making it hard to track the scent. Gunpowder did linger, but not enough to track, so he was dependent upon his hearing. It was odd. The sound was that of weapon maintenance or perhaps in the process of reloading, but it seemed to be coming from the trees themselves. No, that was outright stupid. Maybe not the trees, but perhaps within the canopy? That was much more likely. His eyes scanned the branches overhead, but he heard them before he saw them. Leaves rustled as something descended from above. Savage heard a blade dig into the ground next to him and raised his own straight to his right, ready for almost anything. He heard a feminine giggle as something clicked against his blade. A woman had driven what appeared to be a Halberd into the ground and had her legs crossed around the pole for a place to sit. His first thought was that she had to have the leg strength of a god. She walked her middle and index finger down the blade of Wisp, nails clicking against the metal, until she stretched her arm too far and gave up, "Hello!"
She was about Shiro's height, but her hair was a vibrant red and clashed like a civil war with her bright blue eyes and earrings. Her pale skin made his farmer's tanned hide seem even darker in comparison. This had to be his little sniper friend. Who else? Savage lowered his blade, refusing to put it away, and smiled, "Hey. You kinda scared me back there."
She reached a hand back and scratched the back of her head in that classic "oops" style. Her smile was bright and her expression even brighter as she patted her weapon, "Oh yeah, I bet that hurt your ears. Sorry about that, but there wasn't much I could do. This thing is really loud!"
She was right about that. When he'd landed, those Grimm swarmed him. Even in the middle of a fight, he could hear the shots. Her weapon's ranged capabilities were no joke. There were chunks missing from those Grimm! Massive bits and pieces ripped away from their skeleton. She reached up and ruffled his hair between his ears, "Poor puppy."
He tried to get her to stop, since having someone capable of ripping Grimm a literal new one rubbing your head was rather unnerving... But that felt really good. He couldn't remember the last time someone did that for him. It was relaxing, nearly sleep inducing. Just as his tail was starting to wag, she stopped of her own accord. He managed to restrain himself from letting out a whine, not wanting her to stop. He'll just have to see if he could rub his head against his pillow or something equally stupid to simulate it. The woman was talking to him, but he was a bit busy thinking, mainly that he'd have to kick those habits of his. Most Faunus learn to kick their animalistic habits at a very early age, but with no one to teach him and very little reason to learn he'd left it as it was. Now he was more wolf than human. He'd practice later. Oh right, talking woman.
"-ought I saw a groups go that way. What do you think? Good idea to follow?"
Oh crap, what'd she say? Well, he wasn't new to this, having spaced out many times when Shiro would talk to him. So she said something about a group and following. He shrugged with a slight smile, "Sure."
The girl grinned and rolled backward off her Halberd, pulling it up from the ground as she landed. Okay, so she was flexible. That could be very useful, especially with a weapon like that. She offered her hand to him, "I'm Tio. And you?"
The way she had her hand out suggested she was expecting an old time greeting. Of all things, he'd thought it was a fairly useless thing to learn, but he'd gotten it down pat. He got down to one knee and gently grabbed her small soft hand in his larger callous palm before bringing it to his lips for a very brief moment, "My name is Savage Okami. It's a pleasure to meet you.
She wasn't fazed in the slightest. Good, she really was expecting it and he'd done it right then. As the Halberd collapsed into a small rod and hooked onto her waist, she began leading him through the forest. She had a certain swing to her hips. It almost seemed like her curves were too exaggerated for her frame. Was this how that one girl felt yesterday? The one who kept staring at his tail? No no, he had to behave. Savage had to wonder where she was right now. He didn't even know her name. He hoped she would be okay though. It was rare for someone to instantly catch his interest like that. She took an interest in him being a Faunus without being too rude aside from staring. "So Savage?"
His ears twitched as his attention went to Tio, "Hmm?"
She seemed a bit twitchy, "You're a Faunus. I mean, duh, of course you are, you don't even try to hide it. Not that you would want to, but you might from some people. Don't worry though, I'm fine with it! It's just-"
"Tio?"
"Oh god I'm babbling again, aren't I?"
Savage smirked to himself, "Common habit?"
"Only when I get confused. So... Yeah."
"What did you want to know?"
"Oh right! So, you're a Faunus, but all Faunus are mostly human. Do you have, like, animal urges or something? Like cats and laser pens?"
Wow, she might be worse than Shiro and Alan. At least she was straight forward. It was a rather tough question, though. He did, for certain, but not every Faunus did. As for that cat comment, he couldn't even guess that one. "It's, Uh... It's a bit different. Most people get them, but learn to repress them very early. I hope."
"I heard that 'most people' bit."
"Yeah, I'm still figuring it out."
She smiled again as she marched on. Her tight red T-shirt that lacked any kind of sleeve clung to her form and her dark red stockings led up to a sort of black combat skirt or something. He didn't know what was battle attire and what was fashion for women these days. Around her waist was a red hoodie, tightly knotted by the sleeves. Aside from the skirt, everything was rather form fitting. He bet she got plenty of looks in her time, but the clothing choice made sense given her choice of weapon. She glanced at him over her shoulder, "I think we should go this way."
Savage just kept quiet and followed. She seemed to have the plan out of the two of them anyway. He could follow her easily, so keeping his ears open for anything suspicious wasn't hard. "Hello? Tio to Savage."
"Hmm?"
"I said it was your turn to ask something."
"Ask what?"
"I asked something personal, so you can too. Y'know, family, personal traits, bra size, past matters, reasons fo-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, back up. Did you say bra size?"
"Yeah, you'd be amazed how many times people ask that."
Savage felt his jaw drop. "You're saying people randomly ask your bra size?"
"Well, sometimes. It's more common than you think, but I figured I'd get it out of the way. Y'know, being my teammate for the next few years."
That smile of hers was hiding something... Oh, now he got it. Honestly, that was just mean. She was just messing with him, had to be. Savage sighed, picking up his pace. "You really shouldn't tease people like that. I almost took you seriously."
She cast him a look out of the corner of her eye, "You don't wanna know?"
"Well, I didn't say that, but I think I'll earn that answer. Maybe I'll win a bet or something. Just... No more talk of bras until we find that stupid piece. I need to focus."
Tio just smiled again. So she could rip a target in half and make a conversation awkward? Lovely. Who would ever just bring that up? Sure he had trouble with controlling himself, but that was something he learned on day one, never ask invasive questions. Honestly, her bra size? Of all the topics, it had to be that one? Although... No, focus! There was a task at hand and a piece to find. "Uh... Savage?"
"Hmm?"
Tio came to a dead stop, looking directly skyward. She pointed up, "What's that?"
Savage looked to where she was pointing. He knew it alright. The White chitin, the red eyes, the black feathers, and especially the fact it could fly, "That's a Nevermore."
"No, I knew that. I mean those things on its talons."
What? He squinted at the creature. Sure enough, there were two objects hanging off its talons, one red and one white. Before he could speak, the red one dropped. "That... May have been one of our classmates."
"Seriously?"
"And they may have just skydived."
"What?"
"Well it's that or they fell."
"Think we'd have enough time to catch them?"
Savage raised a single eyebrow and turned towards her. There was about a mile and a half between them, maybe more. He was fast, but that wasn't even possible. He was just about to inform her of the unlikely hood they'd make it when a loud boom echoed through the woods. A pillar of smoke erupted from the tree line, masking the Nevermore from view. It was a lot closer than the person falling. He pointed to the column, "Now if you want to check that out, I think that's a bit more in our range."
There was smoke all around her. She'd simply blinked and it was like everything suddenly combusted. Kurai could feel him, that giant of a man, behind her. The problem was that she was on her back. Nowhere to hide, no way to run. As the smoke began to thin enough for her to see, she got a sudden feeling of dread as the giant was leaned directly over her. He was looking down at her with those piercing white eyes of his. Those eyes never blinked, rarely moved, and we're always contracted into pinprick pupils. Something began moving, almost slithering, across her taunt stomach. She was hesitant to look, but when inevitably she did all she felt was fear. A metal appendage drew quickly across her body, retracting into the man's large sleeves. It looked like a thick metal wire with two pincers at the end. She was fairly unnerved, but it was just a weapon. A really creepy weapon. That being said, what kind of weapon was it? It was featureless aside from the chrome shine and sharp pointed pincers. She looked over to where he'd been before everything exploded. The Grimm pack was no longer there, ripped into various bits and chunks. It was almost nauseating to see such gore. The two men he'd knocked out seemed fine, but they may want a bath when they wake up. Then she looked over to the bushes she'd been hiding it. That area was destroyed beyond recognition. Gashed in the ground, trees seared in half, violent scorch marks littered the ground, and in the epicentre of the destruction were her and that man.
The man let out a "Hmph" sound as he stood up straight. Kurai didn't get up. She expected him to knock her out like he'd done with those two. When he extended his massive hand slowly towards her face, she admittedly flinched. No pain ever came and his arm stopped her own limb's length away. A gravely quiet voice, muffled by his scarf, filled the air, "Seems like you're my partner."
She let that sink in before deciding her next move. It wasn't a long pause, about a second, before she got up on her own. His neutral expression coupled with his stabbing bright eyes stayed locked on her, unblinking. Kurai took a few steps back, trying to get some ground between them. He did not move. The man, after what seemed like hours yet was only seconds, averted his attention to the unconscious duo. With fluid movements, he picked them up before hanging them in the trees. It would have been comical how they hung there like rags out to dry, had they not been knocked out by coming to his aid. Once they were hung a fair distance off the ground, having climbed a fair way up to put them there, his gaze went back to her, "Wounds?"
"What?"
"Wounds? Are you hurt?"
Her eyes wider a bit. No, she wasn't. Whatever had happened, whatever exploded, it hadn't even scratched her or the two currently in the tree. "Uh, no. You?"
The man raised his own right arm for inspection, then his left. Seeming satisfied, he lowered them and shook his head. Kurai put her sickles away only to realise she still had them even after that big boom. She counted it as luck and that she'd pay for it later. The man approached until he was about two yards away, "Your name?"
"Kurai. Yours?"
He stayed quiet for a moment, almost like he ignored her, before speaking with a darker tone, "I am Reave."
That was one name she felt shouldn't exist. That was a name coated in blood, even if she couldn't tell who's. Who would call their kid Reave? She was so busy thinking about what to do in this dead silence and about his name that she didn't notice two people getting closer until she could very clearly hear them approaching. Reave assumed his stance again and Kurai retrieved her sickles once more as two people erupted from the brush.
It was that wolf boy again, who was quickly followed by a woman slightly smaller than herself. The wolf was carrying a large sword, angled at the ground in a passive sort of hold, while the girl following him brandished a Halberd. The wolf locked eyes with Reave, but the girl let out a sigh of relief, "Oh good, we missed the party."
That was a new one. Usually people are upset to miss a fight. Kurai was actually pretty glad to have not done any real fighting herself. The wolf took a second to examine the scene, "What happened?"
Reave remained quiet. He just stood there, watching the wolf. There was something in the air, a silent communication between them, but it didn't look like the wolf was getting any part of it. Kurai returned her sickles to her hairbands as she spoke, "Beowolves. They were everywhere, but Reave here managed to deal with it."
The wolf looked around again, "Hell of a way to deal with it. Either of you hurt?"
"No, we're fine."
The girl smiled brightly, "Great! C'mon Savage, we still need to find that thing that fell."
The wolf, apparently going by Savage, nodded before looking at Reave, "Nevermore went that way. It dropped something that looked a lot like a person. Wanna come check it out?"
Reave said nothing. Instead, he looked to Kurai, fixing his gaze upon her. Savage did the same, shifting his weight to one foot and crossing his arms. They were both waiting for her response. The way he'd indicated was the area she'd planned to look for these damn objects anyway. Plus this may be her only chance to be near this Faunus again. "Sure."
Reave, in his constant neutrality, knelt down with his back to her, "Get on. We can move faster."
Kurai took a step forward and put a hand on his head, "I'm not getting on your back. We can just walk."
Reave said nothing as he stood up. He was probably right, but that was just weird! They hadn't even known each other for five minutes. Reave pointed to the trees ahead, "That way?"
"Yeah, that way."
"Beowolves went that way. Could find them later down. You walk with me, just in case."
Savage just nodded and took his position, waving to his companion, "C'mon Tio."
It probably wasn't anything serious, but it was a good gesture. Reave might just really want to fight and see what Savage could do. Either way, they were a damn good pair to have out in front. They managed to walk for a full thirty minutes without being jumped by Grimm, a new record. That was probably because they'd found others to stalk. Howls and gunfire echoed from all corners of the forest, making her wonder if everyone would survive this initiation. Obviously Savage and Reave would, just look at those two, but everyone else? She just didn't know. Most were standing their ground in fights, but a few were retreating here and there. What could push them back that far though? Maybe a Deathstalker? But there were only three of those in the area and one of them was down in a ravine.
Everyone was silent as they carried on down the path. Kurai took the time to examine them all in depth starting with the woman next to her. Tio, he'd called her. She came up to Kurai's shoulder, but had a few more curves to her whereas Kurai was a bit more muscular, lacking anything too eye catching. Sure her chest was a fair size and her backside and waist were nothing to scoff at, but her toned body took some of the softness meat men looked for. Some, not all. Besides, she had herself wrapped tightly most of the time. While Kurai's black tank top was form fitting and durable, Tio's red top was a bit loose to accommodate her... Assets. The girl's skirt was almost to her knee, but it was made not to restrict movement. Kurai's black shorts, riddled with holes, didn't quite feel as freeing, but there was less chance of getting caught on something. She had to admire her red stockings though. Of all things, Kurai was envious of those. She looked down at her own scarred legs.
The scars of battle! She is weak. You will survive.
She didn't want to hear the whispers' pep talk right now. She knew she was strong, but sometimes she didn't want to be strong. She wanted to be normal. A normal girl with normal clothes, a normal body, a normal life, and a normal boyfriend. Yes, she'd spent many hours imagining if she'd had one. Hell, he doesn't event have to be normal! She'd had enough excitement for six people in her life, so it was high time for some normality, right? Right?
"Hey, you okay?"
Kurai looked up to see Savage glancing over his shoulder at her. His two different colored eyes conveyed different emotions, but there was something else hidden in all that color, she just couldn't place it. The red eye conveyed his ferocious personality and protective concern, but the brown said he was patient and fatherly. Since both held concern, she could tell it was genuine. He just gave off that kind of aura around him. She nodded and smiled. He gave her a concerned look, clearly not convinced, but after a few seconds of hesitation, turned away. She took this perfect opportunity to look him over just as thoroughly as she did Tio. He wasn't wearing that thick jacket he had yesterday, but he still wore his grey T-shirt and sweats that hung off his waist. His dulled silver gauntlets reflected light as it shined through the canopy. Clearly they were old, but he'd kept them in working order. His broad shoulders seemed exaggerated by the gauntlets, yet it seemed appropriate since he carried himself with a distinctly forceful gait, almost as if he intended to go through the next thing to get in his way be it Grimm or a tree. His salt and pepper hair stood out the most as light was caught by the white strands scattered throughout it, but that was just how it was right down to his tail. Speaking of, the tail hung close, coming down to his knee, and did very little movement, trying not to give much of a target to anyone. All in all, he looked...dependable? Maybe experienced was a better word.
Satisfied with her analysis, she moved her gaze to Reave, who was walking right in front of her. He was huge, had to be close to seven foot tall if not just under. His black hair hid a lot of his features and what was left was cover by his scarf and coat. She almost thought he was hiding under all that. His skin was paler than Savage's but darker than either her's or Tio's. He was the definition of a burly man, heavy set and bigger than anyone. His coat, being more than likely older than dirt, had seen some action judging simply by the marks, stray threads, and slight rip in the left cuff. He wore generic matching pants that had no brand name whatsoever, looking as equally weathered as his coat. To finish off his odd appearance, black boots meant for hiking. She could just barely see his black gloved hand as he walked. His eyes were an unnatural solid white with pinprick pupils at all times. He was either on drugs or something else was going on. He wasn't very talkative either, adding to the whole Psycho theme he was sporting. He was the most mysterious of all of them, but she'd seen first hand that he doesn't care who gets involved. By sheer luck or whim, he had left Savage and Tio intact.
They carried on in silence, not that she was paying any attention, until snarling broke her away from her thoughts. They were surrounded. Again. By Beowolves. Again. Despite the fear that gripped her chest, Kurai couldn't help but be annoyed at the encounter rate in these woods. She's gone for one day and the whole forest has a free for all!
In a moment of panic, she began to climb the nearest tree. Tio was quick to follow as a Beowolf snapped at her legs. They climbed high into the tree until they were safe enough to avoid getting dragged down before looking to the two men. Reave's stone like back was pressed against Savage's own taunt spine. If this wasn't a life or death situation, she'd want a picture of that... Until the giant's entire body began crawling from inside the coat as if he had a hundred small animals inside. He flicked his wrists downward, From his sleeves erupted two metal cylinders with sharpened tips. They moved and writhed as if they were sentient with no limitations, twisting and turning in mid air, coiling back on itself. As for Savage, his right gauntlet seemed to surge down his arm, scraping and clicking as they fastened into place, forming the sword from before. A frame extended from the forearm of his left as the metal crawled along until it formed a kite shield looking object. Reave narrowed his eyes as he swung his arms in a whip like fasion. The metal appendages connected with the ground violently, sending dirt and rocks flying into the air. None of the Grimm stood a chance. He brought the appendages back into the air and began a horizontal swing, "Savage, down!"
Savage, in a similar battlefield trance, ducked as the whips whizzed over his head, swatting half the pack aside like bugs. The moment they cleared him, Savage leapt from the ground and positioned his shield downward. The hunk of metal disengaged from the gauntlet's frame as he positioned both feet against the inside. He came down hard on a single Grimm, making sure the jagged edges pierced its hide. He took a couple swings with his blade at those around him, hacking away even when the Grimm around him were dead. It was odd, but she could have sworn he was holding back.
Kurai just looked out in awe as they fought off Grimm from both ends. Savage carved away like a professional knight in armor and Reave became his own personal storm of destruction, the whips flailing in every direction. Tio stood up on the thin branches that could somehow support her and climbed further up the tree as her Halberd's blade split in two, moving the pieces to the end of the staff. The end farthest bent at a right angle and three little spikes appeared above an opening at the end. Her halberd had become a rifle and a high-caliber one by the looks of it. She was setting up a sniper position. Everyone was playing a part, but what could Kurai do? Her bow didn't work during the day and there weren't enough trees to use the shade. She could go down there, but she'd get in the way. The way Savage and Reave were fighting... They weren't even careful of each other, they were just really good at dodging each other's attacks. Well, they weren't partners, but you'd think they'd hold some concern for fellow huntsmen. Maybe it was a Faunus thing. Savage was a Faunus and Reave never showed enough of his body to be sure. Maybe they knew each other long ago and didn't like the other. That seemed even more ridiculous. If she hopped down in the middle of them, the crossfire of those two alone would kill her before any stupid Grimm would.
There was a loud crack above her as Tio's rifle went off. It didn't even surprise the fighters when the Grimm she'd aimed for was ripped apart. Kurai just had to sit there until the fight was over. Well, at least there wasn't any real danger, and the sight of those two wasn't half bad. Look at them go! It was insane to watch them. Reave swept his arms in fluid motions, smacking them aside, only to end with a whipping motion that would rip the ground apart. Savage... Didn't look right. His teeth were bared in an animalistic fashion and his tail was lifted. She even caught a glimpse of his face. Wait... Were both his eyes red? She could have sworn only one should have been.
Shit, no good. He was close, so very close. Just a bit more blood, a few more hits, even a cut or two, and he'd be there. He'd go Feral. Savage swung his blade again, cutting down an Ursa in a single swift blow and before he knew it, the fight was over. He was covered in blood, it practically dyed his shirt red. The smell of rotten flesh, hot iron, and aged milk all combined into one thick scarlet liquid that was the life fluid of a Grimm. It was darker and thicker than normal blood, but that just made killing Grimm all the sweeter. He felt his rage slowly crawl back into the darker corners of his mind and his eyes turned back to normal. They had a habit of both turning bright red instead of one. His heavy breathing was the only sound now. He looked over his shoulder to Reave, who was barely even splattered with any blood, yet he had a fair few more corpses around him. Savage almost asked to see his whips just to see the gore they were coated in, yet managed to refrain from that. A few more breaths, a few more seconds, and he was back within reasonable mental boundaries. He needed to get away from this glorious mess before he went right back. Kurai and Tio leapt down from the trees, regrouping with the two men. Reave was the first to speak, "You fight well. You take good care of your weapons."
Savage smiled at him with a wary look in his eyes. There was still the real threat of him going Feral and he wanted to talk weapons? Might as well return the favor, "Yeah? Those whips of yours are no joke either."
Reave went quiet again, a slightly pleased look in those insanely creepy white eyes. Tio slugged him playfully in the arm, "Nice going, Pup. I thought you were a full grown wolfie there."
Savage placed his arm on top if her head and leaned on her, "Well, with aim like that, I thought I had a normal sized human watching after me."
"Ouch, pup."
"What? Low blow?"
"Now that's just mean."
Savage ruffled her hair as he and Reave began walking again. That is, until Kurai caught up to him and put her hand on Reave's upper arm, "Hey Reave. Good, Uh, good job."
Reave just stared at her for a few seconds before walking. Kurai tried to keep that forced cheerful look, but it soon gave way to a sigh of failure. Savage suppressed the stupid grin on his face before asking, "What was that?"
She shifted her weight to one foot and put her hand on her hip, "I was trying to brighten him up a bit. Like Tio did with you."
Tio walked passed and put a hand on Kurai's other hip, causing Savage to raise an eyebrow. That was not a casual placement, not that he was complaining. Tio casually spoke despite her hand placement, "Just leave that to me. I'm a natural optimist."
He looked at Tio, noticed she only came up to his chest, then he looked to Reave, who was much taller. "Think you can reach?"
Without skipping a beat, "Maybe if I got on your back."
He'd walked into that one. Before he could decide to concede, she jumped up and latched onto his back with her legs coiled around his waist, "Onward, my noble steed!"
Savage began shaking back and forth in an attempt to shake her loose, "Who the hell are you calling a steed?! Get off me!"
She was about to go off, her legs were losing their perch, but then she grabbed onto his hair and readjusted, "Easy, boy! You don't have reigns yet."
"Ow ow ow! Let go!"
"Forward, march."
"Okay okay, just let go of my hair."
Savage had a small grin as he began walking forward. He used to do this with Shiro all the time. She'd get so happy when she could reach the lower branches of an apple tree that grew near their house. Those were truly the good times. In fact, this reminded him so much of what his mother would do. She'd done the same thing for him when he was a wee pup. He quickly got lost in his memories as he kept pace for Tio and Reave. Eventually, Reave spoke directly to him, "Savage?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you an... Odd question?"
Savage raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. Reave barely spoke, so it was probably something insane, "I temper my sense of decency."
"What does love mean?"
Savage went wide eyed, his mouth parting slightly to exhale. Ho-ly shit. That question had knocked the wind out of him, "Easy now, we just met. You trying to make a joke or something?"
Those white eyes locked into his, "I'm afraid I'm serious. They said I would love it here, but I don't know what that feels like or what causes it. They've said it about so many things, but I've never witnessed it."
Alright, think! Savage composed himself the best he could before looking to Reave, "Oh boy, I'll be honest, it's different for everyone. For some, it's finding that significant other, maybe it's someone you know will never leave you in the dark. For others it has lesser meanings, like a quick fling or something good for all the wrong reasons. I don't know, ask my sister. She could tell you better."
Those creepy white eyes rolled in their sockets to face him, "I see. I will then. May I ask what it means to you?"
He went quiet again, his ears dropping and a sad smile to act as his mask, "I'll be honest here, I don't want to talk about this. Can it wait a while?"
Reave gave him a solid nod. It would seem they were bonding. Well, as much as these two oddballs could. Savage let out a breath. He didn't think Reave had half the words he'd used in his vocabulary, yet alone that kind of question, but the giant surprised him. Honestly though, there's something wrong here. Something dark, rooted as firmly as his own demons if not more so. And Reave... He may just have the worst demons hiding right behind those bright white windows. Savage was casting him a worried look, but eventually he looked back to Kurai, who was falling behind only slightly to give them privacy. She had an odd air about her, like she's made a truce with her past, promising not to bother one another. How long would that last? Then this chick on his back, Tio. She was very direct, but he felt that was just a diversion to take focus off of something else. These people, these... Misfits, all had something black in their hearts and he was no exception. His first and final thought on the matter was simple. If they try hurt Shiro, it wouldn't matter what they had in their hearts, he'd rip them out!
As they approached a clearing with a large stone ruin in the center and a ravine to the far right, he instantly noticed there were other students gathered and talking to one another. However, once again proving to be an annoyance to the group, Beowolves and Ursa stood in the way. Savage sighed loudly as Tio hopped off his back, "God damn it."
