Disclaimer: I own nothing of RWBY.
Indigo
By: Imyoshi
The lion's roar, a symbol of power and pride in the Animal Kingdom, alone shook the animal world to its knees.
A befitting roar for what was dubbed the King of Beasts.
However, the saber-tooth cat was known for many things. Strength, mass, weight, teeth, and jaw, and above all else, historians believed the extinct predator had the capabilities to erect a roar that surpassed all others.
They were terrifyingly right.
The vocal cords of the saber-tooth cat were something of magnificence.
The frequency of Jaune Arc's roar traveled far beyond with the heavy rain. Vibrations of his newly evolved vocal cords created a sound that ripped the air with soundwaves, ripples, and amplitudes. It tore through of the nearby eardrums of the hustling, bustling people of the big Kingdom, muffling them to cover their ears from the ear-piercing shriek. Funny, he barely noticed any of it. Pressure hardly existed on his evolved vocal cords, allowing him to scream with his vocal box—the larynx—perfectly fine. Even still, he wouldn't have noticed it anyway.
Anger blinded people to pain.
Blinded by rage, his roar ripped and traveled far into Vale, drenching the entire Kingdom in noise pollution. Most of the humans had no choice but to cover their ears, unable to stomach its intensity, but Faunus did not. No. Instead, they acted differently to the cry ripping past their eardrums. They turned their heads toward the deafening sound, mesmerized by a pitch only Faunus could pick up.
Instinct soon took over.
...
Roar!
Somewhere, someplace, in a placid and battered bookstore, a downed Faunus overheard the roar of the wild call to his senses. Sound was a majestic sense. Music tamed the mightiest monsters. Roars retained the power to intimidate the smallest of prey and startle the scariest beasts. This roar, however, didn't succeed in either of those.
The roar did something entirely different.
Humans forgot that the Faunus—minus their one distinct animal trait—were gifted with heightened senses. Things happened, natural, incredible, and incomprehensible things flourished under the echoing vibrations. A sluggish, beating heart grasped once more underneath the sound, falling under the rhythmic cadence of a melody to appease him and soothe his soul. Like a pride of cats, it allowed him to detect the shelter of his group nearby, boosting his soul and animalistic spirit to new heights. Somehow, someway his Aura sprung back to cling onto his body and breathe air into dying lungs.
All his nerves vibrated under the noise, awakening a primal urge long since dormant. The dying Faunus unpredictably underwent a drastic change. Fangs grew. New ears sprouted. Claws sharpened. Heartbeat raced with renewed vigor. Muscles expanded. Stamina restored. Eyes changed into a slit, hair shaded to tones of pure obsidian, and Aura replenished with feral characteristics. Suddenly, Death wasn't haunting his shadow anymore.
Life found a way.
DNA was the genetic makeup of a creature, and it was susceptible to change under mutations. A change could either prove harmful, neutral, or helpful. DNA even housed the genetic of past characteristics. Natural selection frequently pertained to what advantages an animal went through while discarding disadvantages in favor of survival. The genetic code, DNA, natural selection, all centered on the sole notion of Evolution, where not the greatest or wisest animals survived, but the ones most sensitive to change. DNA, conversely, retained the past genetic code of ancestor animals, however minuscule, but the earlier genetic makeup was there.
The efficacious roar passing by did things, a hertz only heard by heightened senses vibrated through the air, and it allowed for one, heart beating moment, for Evolution to take a step backward and move through the process of De-Evolution and repair once irreprehensible damage. With De-Evolution came the change. That change then instituted advantages from primitive times that were discarded for survival, countless years ago.
DNA turned into Ancient DNA.
Life saved, this rejuvenated Faunus didn't question the sudden power, didn't ask why or how his eyes regained a lost light once burnt out. Such miracles were better left unsolved. Its predators were still within the vicinity, backs turned, with his blood pooling near their feet. This puma Faunus wouldn't allow this chance to slip. Stealth and strength dictated the puma's properties. Time for this prey to fight back and become the predator! No one should ever mess with a cornered animal!
He calmed his breathing, hands relaxed on the floorboard with his chest angled, feet posed, silent as a ghost, waiting for the precise moment to strike in the darkness. Just like him, the passing roar startled them and made them drop their guards in question—a fatal mistake on their part. No one, animal or Faunus, should ever relax in the presence of a roar that magnitude. Animals were prone to sound if nothing else.
The duo never saw the attack coming.
"What the—?!"
A dominant fist connected to Mercury's back and flung him across the shop and out the bookstore window. His body slid against the wet asphalt and then collided with a parked car, denting the metal from the substantial collision. Emerald barely managed to turn to find the predator's hand gripped on her head, suddenly pressed down onto the wooden floor with an unknown strength that wasn't previously there.
She found her head pinned and backed pressed down with the edge of his knee, completely overpowered by this sudden Faunus strength. Her mind quickly backtracked to what just happened, quickly finding that none of this made any sense. He was supposed to be dead! Dead! Barely breathing if anything! So why was her body pinned down to the floor? This power, where had it come from—no—why had it dawned? How could he even have the strength to move, very less fight?
Needing answers, Emerald twisted her head to see the mystery for herself, blood eyes widening in alarming surprise. A pair of new ears and changed claws greeted her. Lines traveled down and up from his eyes, appearing slick in design. The sideburns and hair on his arms had grown at an exceptional rate, covering a decent portion of his skin. A newly emerged tail passed her line of sight, adding humility to the hostility presented before her, and the wound that had ended him was all patched up, repaired with a battle scar.
None of that mattered to the slits glaring down carnivorously at her.
Tukson didn't look like himself.
He looked positively animalistic!
Tukson offered no verbal communication. No final words or mercy. He sharply aimed a clawed hand back, nails posed, prepared to strike Emerald on the nape of her neck, and finish off his attacker. Primordial senses picked up on the movement of Mercury, and he lunged away from his prey, dodging the bullet meant for his head, landing in a pose with his afresh sharpened claws posed at the waiting teenager. His newly made tail sharpened up, revealing his emotions for the duo.
Tukson was beyond livid. Rage gripped his soul. Fury, like never before, beckoned to his instincts, and his feral appearance changed the game. It suddenly wasn't so much cat and mouse anymore.
Emerald found herself pushing her various question away in favor of throwing up an illusion of her standing guard with her true self-navigating between the bookshelves to get the drop on Tukson.
Ruling everything else out, this had to be his Semblance since no other explanation made a lick of sense. So he managed to pump out some additional muscle? big deal! It meant nothing to a strike across the neck.
Standing quietly on a bookrack, Emerald silently pulled out her sickle blade and armed the edge. Her weapon, while being a skilled Huntress, wasn't too adaptable to the closed in surroundings. She'd have to settle with a quick, clean cut with the razor edge of her blade. Luckily for her, the illusion would make striking his blindside all too easy, or so she believed.
Emerald never touched him.
The instant she lunged from the bookrack, Tukson changed his line of sight toward her incoming, invisible body, landing a massive haymaker on her jaw that sent her tumbling. When she crashed into the rack, covered in books, her body jolted when his hand gripped her ankle and tossed her out the bookstore with frightening strength befitting a monster. Mercury caught her before she crashed into the parked vehicle.
Growl!
Stalking out the broken window, the puma Faunus stepped slowly on the broken glass with his growl very real. Eyes were windows to the soul. Tukson revealed the predator hiding inside.
The Faunus didn't dare question the boost in power, thanking Mother Nature for her blessing. Previous Faunus senses might've not picked on her stealth, but his new his ears and nose had sensed her movements with practical ease, invisible or not. He was grateful, eternally grateful for the chance to live.
The horizon of dark clouds slowly made its way toward the trio. Rain approached them, and Mercury and Emerald glanced around, noticing the building number of people watching the commotion. Damn it! There were too many witnesses now. Someone might recognize them if they didn't run now, and she doubted anyone would believe them nothing more than tourists at this point, not with the owner of the bookstore having a higher standing in Vale versus them.
Emerald knew a losing battle when she saw one and quietly whispered to her partner-in-crime. "We need to leave... right now."
Mercury wasn't so pleased with the outcome and gritted his teeth. His back arched in pain and he huffed in irritation. "Cinder won't be too happy about this. So he got in a few lucky shots. So what? We can easily take him."
She knew that. Oh, how she knew that. Wide-open space and it was two versus one? The playing field couldn't be any more in their favor, but the number of witnesses grew. If wind got out about their identities, then the element of surprise was all for naught. They couldn't afford to waste that for a simpleton Faunus. No matter how much it irked them to fail a job and report it to Cinder.
"Easy or not, there are too many witnesses now. We have to go. Now."
Mercury glared around, before setting his sights on Tukson, hating how much of a killjoy Emerald was being right now. He wanted payback for the sucker punch. The criminal wished to wipe away that feral frown from Tukson's face, but damn Emerald was right. Witnesses grew in number, and they couldn't afford to risk it all for one Faunus.
Tch, besides, it wasn't like one dumb animal would change anything.
Stepping back, he shot one more snarl at the Faunus before backtracking with Emerald in a humiliating retreat. The rain hid their retreating silhouettes, sounds, and smell from the crossed Faunus, but he didn't pursue them. Victory belonged to him. He lived.
He survived.
Shutting his eyes in happiness, Tukson used the dripping rain to hide his tears of joy, voice gentle for a predator. Even still, he didn't care who witnessed his passionate outbreak, and the Faunus breathed in the rain. He no longer thought his life had been stolen. Emotional or not, he allowed his anger to seize hold again with tears of bitterness. Deep animal instincts guided him and made him worry about his comrades. The very ones following that damn woman and Roman.
Desertion may not be a simple crime to forgive, but death?
The High Leader of the White Fang wouldn't have ever allowed such a thing to fall on a fellow Faunus. Not even Adam Taurus allowed one of his brethren to be hunted so easily. He might be displeased and disgusted with a deserter, but Adam never forced a Faunus to fight. They all cared about equality. They never stooped as low as man.
How could Tukson forsake his comrades if the outcome for abandoning was death? Others might leave and be faced with the same consequence, if not worse. He cared for his life, that much was sincere, but a Faunus valued their brethren above all else. Together they were strong in the face of overwhelming odds.
Animal loyalty was more than just skin deep.
Miracles and questions aside, he had to warn The White Fang about the human's ill-trust. Adam needed to know. Still, curiosity nipped at him, and he peered down at the broken glass beneath his feet, picking up one in the process. The reflection glaring back at him made the air in his lungs stop with the slits in his eyes regressing back.
Above it all, he lost all his bite.
Now that he had a chance to see his transformation for himself, Tukson rubbed one hand over his cheek, mesmerized by the animal staring back. The attention doubly got confusing when his tail flashed across the broken glass, fueled off his emotion.
"W-What happened to me?"
All across Vale, Tukson wasn't the only one granted such a transformation. All Faunus in an eight-kilometer radius heard the regal roar of the majestic saber-tooth cat.
...
Panic quickly sprouted all across Vale.
The devastating roar tore eardrums and vibrated the foundation of the Kingdom. Faunus and humans fell to the excesses volume, clasping ears and shutting eyes, at least for the humans. The Faunus, on the other hand, underwent a similar transformation to that of a distinct bookstore owner and remained still underneath the primal sound.
Eyes of the Faunus glazed over in the rain, captured underneath the sound of droplets and anger, and their hearts stopped before beating irregularly. Like Tukson, they soon underwent a similar transformation, growing claws in the place of fingernails, fangs for teeth, additional appendages, and strange markings. Not all gained an equivalent melting pot of diversity between the species, but all were granted an extra three characteristics to their Faunus Gene. DNA changed, and chromosomes replaced.
The Faunus blueprints—the double helix, the twisted ladder of life—were rewritten.
When the roar ceased, the humans of Vale opened their eyes to witness the sight of Faunus transformed. Some behaved unnerved by the noise, appearing docile in their stunned position, and others crouched down and growled in their direction, having no sense of humanity left in them. The ones with predator-like appearances glared and snarled in their path. The others, having features related to prey and plant eaters, ignored them and ran, moving far faster and nimbler than any civilian should.
Growl!
Humans backed away from the approaching predators, still momentarily disoriented from the roar, listening to that little voice in the back of their heads telling them to run. When the Faunus predators charged, they fled, reaching into for their Scrolls hoping to call for the local authorities.
The Faunus didn't care.
The pupils in their eyes, the very windows to their souls, reflected nothing but animalistic rage and slits deserving of prime predators. Fear didn't endure because these creatures did not perceive the sensation. Only the need to survive belonged to the eyes of these animals. Survival depended on substance and substance was provided by the weak.
Humans were weak in the food chain.
However, not all Faunus partook in the chasing or running. Subtle differences existed between the Faunus. Civilian Faunus differed drastically from Faunus with their Auras unlocked. Civilians were unable to handle the sudden change to their body, quickly falling under the control of their baser instinct. Aura unlocked Faunus, Huntsmen or not, managed to retain and repress those instincts and inspect the transformation with their own eyes.
Mainly, these Faunus watched their brethren turn into nothing more than hunters, the pure definition of the word, not Huntsmen, not the term coined by humans.
To say this confused them would be a severe understatement of the word, but they hardly had time to worry about the implications of civilians running amok when they were busy trying to figure out the transformation for themselves. Huntsmen and White Fang alike took to their sudden change with hearted interest and delved deep into the roots of their changed cores.
Chaos quickly overtook, and the Kingdom of Vale turned into a lawless jungle.
...
A local park bench had a lonely Faunus coughing his lungs out.
Jaune Arc gripped his neck, chest wheezing, heart racing, he hadn't meant to roar so bloody loud. He hadn't even intended to roar at all. It all just sort of happened and felt so natural to do. The roar miraculously didn't damage his voice or strain his throat, but his Aura felt entirely drained, hence the hacking.
Finally catching his breath, he slowly stood up, eyes downcast at the expanding puddle. The water reflected his saddened eyes and made him look away, taking more interest in the growing rain. Maybe he should escape the rain? Catching a cold was the last thing on his list. A hoodie only defended so much against the harsh elements.
Leaving the park, he quickly felt the stares. People were looking at him. It wasn't surprising. Even he knew how loud that roar had been. The few humans nearby clearly found the epicenter and were undoubtedly gossiping about him, some even recording pictures with their Scrolls. If the news of the saber-tooth cat Faunus hadn't escaped out of Beacon yet, this would clinch it.
Grabbing the threads, he swiftly lifted the hood up to hide, walking deeper into Vale's upper district, not yet ready to head back and face his team. Alone time, he just needed some alone time to think and settle the storm brewing in his thoughts, then things could turn back to normal. He wanted for it to happen. It just had to.
Traveling aimlessly around Vale, his feet led him only to alleyways, hoping to avoid running into any person. Sounds strained his ears, unusual noises of roars and snarls, but the rainfall made the act of listening to them a challenging one, Faunus senses or not, and when he got tired of walking, he rested his shoulder on a nearby brick wall, shoulders hunched and sadness high.
Sighing, he turned on his side and rested his forehead on the wall, relaxing a fist on the brick by punching weakly. He stayed like that, mind racing and instincts burning. Soon he hit the wall a second time, barely tapping it with the strength of a kitten. It made him feel better. Not by much, but enough to calm his nerves.
Thunder!
A flash of lightning roared in the background, and he grew anxious from the loud noise. His ears flattened, and he quickly delivered another fist to the wall, trying to calm the nerves. It worked again, and Jaune hit it once more, trembling with more than just sadness. Anger soon began to overshadow his denial. Each hit of the wall only fueled that emotion.
Shaking with uncontrolled rage his eyes reverted into slits, and he slammed a dense fist into a brick wall. Soon a second joined the wall before a succession of angry punches followed right after, all driven by animalistic passion. He felt like roaring a second time but kept his vocals shut and continued on beating on the wall with angry tears.
It wasn't right! Why him? Why him! He did nothing to deserve this! He tried to be a generous and considerate person. Maybe he acted rash at times and cheated his way into Beacon, but Jaune always treated everyone with respect, human or Faunus. So why him! Had Monty forsaken him? Did he honestly deserve this? Was this all cosmic punishment?
What purpose, if one existed, could there be for an Arc becoming a Faunus?
If there was one, he didn't see it. Maybe because he had stinging tears in his eyes, or probably because his anger clouded his judgment, but the Arc saw nothing. He was just angry without a direction to focus it. Blind rage at its best.
Whatever the reason, he vented it all upon the brick wall, Auraless.
A few meters down a Faunus slammed the backdoor to his shop open, holding a bag with a visible mask, wearing a large trenchcoat to cover most of his features, only revealing the slits embedded into his eyes and heavy dense of hair. He had a purpose, a mission, to inform Adam Taurus of that human's motives, but first, his ears picked up the sounds of a heavy thumping.
Taking a moment, Tukson paused and glanced over to his side, wondering if the twerps had come back to finish the job, but it wasn't. A kid, probably no older than the brats that attacked him, was blindly attacking the walls of his bookstore with his shoulders hunched and body trembling. Each strike of his fists was messy, each ended up making his arm shake in pain, but he never slowed or stopped.
When his hoodie flapped from a harsh, freezing breeze, Tukson immediately noticed a pair of cobalt ears poking out from the top. Then, when the hoodie fell more, the black lines both wrapping around his cheeks and underlying underneath his eyes, became entirely prominent, however, that all went out the window when the large fangs finally became known and revealed the bearing teeth within.
Tukson nearly ruled out Faunus, since he had one too many features, but a quick glance down at his arms severed that idea. Maybe what happened to him also happened to this kid? That possibly explained why he was angry. The unknown could be scary, like a predator stalking its knowing prey. His inner instincts were clawing at his psyche, but the larger man knew how to control them, better than a youngster or civilian, that was for sure. Still, that did not mean the kid should hurt himself because the world was frightening.
"Hey! Stop that! You're going to split your knuckles and hurt yourself!"
Jaune's next fist never made contact with the brick wall. A hand, larger than his, grabbed his wrist and forced him around. Upon seeing who stopped him, he practically flinched in his presence. While roughly the same height as him, the man stood above him, but that alone didn't make the cat grab his tongue. No. The man before him was a Faunus, but that couldn't be true.
This man couldn't possibly be a Faunus. He didn't cower in his presences or flinch at his appearances. Never once did he bat an eye at the large fangs protruding Jaune's mouth. His eyes remained fixated on his face and showed no remorse or fear in his presence, only annoyance and a form of sympathy masked by pity.
Jaune Arc couldn't smell the stench of fear anywhere on this Faunus.
"You're not... you're not afraid of me?"
Tukson narrowed his eyes and released the kid, frowning at the broken tone of a horsed throat. What kind of question of that? Better yet, what happened to this kid for him to start a conversation with that? By no means was that a conversation starter, not by a long shot, not for a runt.
"What are you getting on about, kid? Why would I be afraid of a runt like you?" Jaune remained quiet. Tukson humphed and crossed his arms. "So? You gonna tell me why you're trying to damage my store, or what?"
Blinking once, the Arc turned away to wipe away his tears, hoping to convince the person he hadn't been crying and instead was determined to inspect the wall he had used as a punching bag. If Tukson noticed it, he said nothing and waited for the kid to start talking.
Sighing, Jaune shrugged with a small sigh. "I'm sorry... I didn't know. I guess... I just let my emotions get the better of me."
The owner accepted the story, knowing when a Faunus needed to vent. During these times, that seemed like all the Faunus were doing nowadays, venting out their frustrations in an unjust world. That wasn't too say he appreciated his wall being damaged but scoffed away the thought.
Tukson Trade had been young and impressionable once.
Anyway, it wasn't like he planned to stay at this place any longer, not with his cover blown and initial plans changed. This kid could strike the entire bookstore if he wanted. Burn it down for all he cared.
Waving his arm, Tukson grinned. "Forget about it. Who hasn't had a bad day? I'll overlook this. Just don't make it a habit."
The Arc calmed down some more, happy that at least one Faunus didn't cower in his presence. While not the glorious victory he wanted, it unquestionably beat everything else thrown at him today. "Thanks, I'm still sorry about this..."
Tukson shifted his coat's collar. "I'm Tukson, owner of Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!"
"I'm Jaune Arc." The Arc laughed weakly and held his palm out, catching rainfall. "It's not very sunny right now, is it?"
The book trader nodded and held his hand up, accidentally revealing his newly sharpened claws. The kid didn't notice, busy calming down his heated emotions in the brittle-battle of rain. Tukson's occupancy eased his troubled soul, if only for a bit, but sooner or later Jaune would have to face the backlash building within him.
Tukson must've sensed the brewing emotions, instinct and all, and spared another glance at the troubled Arc. Whatever was eating away at the kid was big. No one just stood in a dense downpour, throwing uneven fists at a brick wall, with nothing but a flimsy hoodie for warmth unless they were broken up in the inside.
Maybe he should help the kid out?
The book lover considered it for all but two seconds, knowing he was strapped for time as it was, but smirked. Ah! Screw it! It wasn't like he planned to stay at this bookstore, anyway. As long as those two still lurked in Vale, he had no home here, not anymore.
Tukson tapped his fellow Faunus on the shoulder. "Hey, Jaune, was it? Do me a favor and wait here."
Jaune didn't get a chance to ask why, forced to wait in place as Tukson went back into his store. He didn't take too long to come back out, practically running out, like he was in a hurry to skedaddle. When he came out, he carried a huge box loaded with comics wrapped in transparent plastic. Then before Jaune could ask what, he pushed the case into his arms.
"Here kid, you like comics, right. What am I saying, that's all you brats every buy. Here! They're all yours. Take it. Take them all."
Jaune Arc blinked. Of course, he loved comics, and this stash Tukson offered contained the motherload! There was Nigel Planter, Cosmic Wars, and his favorite of all: The Huntsman! Each series at least had a couple of dozens filled to the brim in here. What an unbelievably kind gesture, but it was too much for a monster like him.
He tried to shove them back into Tukson's hands. "I can't possibly accept this."
And he shoved them right back. "Why not? I'm just going to throw them out." Tukson lied. "You might as well keep them."
Well, if he was going to throw them out, then he had no choice but to accept this gift. As a fellow Faunus and comic book lover, allowing such literature go to waste was against nerd code, not like he'd ever let anyone know he followed such a thing, but breaking protocol was against the rules.
Still heated from his earlier scream, Jaune had a hard time speaking. "T-Thanks, but... why are you acting so nice to me?"
Tukson shrugged and bumped a fist against Jaune's bunny hoodie. "What? Can't a Faunus help another out?"
It was the first time Tukson Trade saw Jaune Arc smiled.
"Thanks again."
Tukson slapped him on the shoulder and raised his coat's collar up, walking off in the direction where he knew where a White Fang camp existed. Best to leave and warn his brethren of the two humans that attacked him, before they struck again, but he still had the time to offer Jaune a backward wave as the mist of dense rain slowly hid his silhouette.
"Don't mention it, Arc."
Touched by the kind gesture, Jaune never noticed the extra features on the Faunus that distinctly resembled his unique qualities.
Standing in the dreaded rain a minute longer, he breathed in the cold, moist air, enjoying the sensation on his heightened senses. It didn't soothe the fire brewing deep in his soul, but the distraction provided for him to redirect his increasing rage for the time being, and talking to the other Faunus allowed him to believe in the chance to interact with other Faunus. He at least knew the chance existed. That was more than enough for him.
Throwing his head up into the rain, he paused and sniffed the air. A thick, metallic scent had mixed into the air with Tukson's arrival, but it was difficult to discern between the two. He wanted to assume the taste of blood but didn't notice recall on Tukson's person or any injuries to show any, then he looked down at his stinging fists and found Tukson's warning to be exact.
He had torn the skin around his knuckles.
Breathing a sigh of relief and annoyance, he exhaled out unevenly and brought up one of his hands, inspecting the small trickles of blood escaping between his fingers. A quick taste test revealed the metallic flavor he smelled, only further cementing his conclusion, and without a second guess, he turned and traveled between the alleyways to the nearest Bullhead.
No way had there been a spec of blood on Tukson.
Casting the troubling thought aside, he instead decided to focus on his current predicament, his newly appointed Faunus status. Now that he had time to vent out some of his pent-up frustration, the Arc considered his next move with a deep frown. What Yang said stuck to him.
He, Jaune Arc, was now a one-of-a-kind Faunus.
He saw that now.
What he didn't know was what his next move was. Learn to be a Faunus was one of the goals, but he hadn't a clue after that. Asking another Faunus for help was virtually out of the question. While Tukson proved to be a welcomed outlier, this leader remembered all the stares he felt and noticed back at Beacon Academy and his way to the park. He still recounted their recoil and the smell of fear lingering in the air. How could he not when he now knew why they all acted like that?
Sighing, he passed through the alleyways, stomping on puddle after puddle, until he finally reached a nearby Bullhead station right out an alley and into an empty street. Distinct, unusual sounds from parts of Vale grabbed the attention of his ears, but the thick rain and his heightened instincts blocked most of it out. It hardly mattered, anyway. He wanted nothing more than to return home and confront the issue of his problem head-on.
Lucky for him, the Bullhead was barely leaving, giving him enough time to board the vessel and escape the mundaneness of the Kingdom. Good thing too, his instincts, at least he hoped those were his instincts and not something else entirely, were going crazy, like a terrible headache scratching the inside of his skull.
"It must be something from the Dust."
Taking the nearest seat, he threw his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. For a second he relaxed, but then opened one eye when he noticed none of his hairs sticking up, or the sensation of being watched, and peeked around the room, finding the airship surprisingly empty.
It wasn't so weird to find a Bullhead empty but during the short interval between Beacon and the park he had grown accustomed to the feeling of being watched. The smell of fear wasn't an odor so quickly forgotten. The looks of the scared were hard to ignore. Having none of that now, however calming, unsettled a few of his nerves. It oddly resembled the calm before the storm.
The only question, what or who was the storm?
Grabbing a comic, he freed it from its plastic wrapper and flipped through the vivid pages, noticing way more color and detail than previously before. Must be the Faunus senses picking up on the higher tones of color? Nonetheless, it was a glaring reminder of his current predicament, and the orange coloring the pages, plus the euphoric expressions on the characters, was also a haunting reminder to why he was the way he was.
Nora!
His anger, still growing, was centered on the wild card of Team JNPR. It was sad to say his rage was justified. He preferred to offer Nora the benefit of the doubt, teammates and friends and all, but he distinctly recalled telling her to place the saber-tooth plaque down before the accident occurred. Now look at him! Look what her negligence created!
A freak amongst animals!
Rip!
Peering down, Jaune found his fingers digging deep into the comic pages, ripping the colorful paper. He slowly weakened his grip, but the heat in his eyes refused to diminish. Even now, he couldn't voice out his frustrations, throat still incredibly sore from his hectic yell. The best way to control himself was to act, and he did just so, applying pressure again to the comic and tearing the pages into countless pieces.
When that was said and done, he took a second to control his rapid breathing, vision going from narrow to broad in a heartbeat. The Arc didn't even notice his vision sharpening until it reverted back to normal. While he had yet to figure it out, he remembered the moment his pupils turned from ovals to slits. Quick in transformation, it was safe to assume the change in vision came from his new Faunus senses. Of course, he might be wrong. Darn it! If only someone explained this all to him.
Throwing his head back, he groaned. "Darn it! I should've asked Tukson for advice! Who knows when I'll find another Faunus who isn't afraid of me." Sitting straight, he picked up the discarded shreds of paper and gripped them tightly. "It doesn't matter anymore, what matters is right here and right now. And right now I need to deal with Nora. I can figure out all this Faunus business later."
Attention! We have arrived at Beacon Academy! Please remain seating as the doors open! I repeat! Attention! We have arrived at Beacon Academy! Please remain seating as the doors open!
Feeling the Bullhead landing, he threw away the shredded remains and grabbed the gift given by Tukson, securing the box underneath one arm. The walkout revealed the absence of rain, giving him the opportunity to push his hoodie back. Knowing the other Faunus feared him, however damaging to his psyche, made the idea of hiding pointless. If he retained the ability to sense when others were watching him, then the same applied to the other Faunus, and hiding would solve absolutely nothing.
Suffice to say, the sensation of letting his ears out was a welcomed one. Faunus ears were never meant to be restricted by a hoodie, that much he learned after rubbing a particularly sore spot from when the wet hoodie had dragged down. Covering them was like hiding one's ears underneath a hat, or bow. It started to throb from the uncomfortable position, at least he assumed this was how others felt. His did. That was more than enough to set them free in the open air. Groaning away the pain, Jaune sighed and glanced around Beacon's courtyard.
Trekking through the open space turned out a bit differently this time than when he had done with Yang.
This time the stares and hush whispers were next to impossible to ignore. What was the point of pointing and staring, and then acting all hush-hush about it whenever the person in question turned? Seemed pointless if anyone asked him. They might as well gawked to their heart's content, at least they'd have the decency not to lie to his face.
Eyes narrowed, he stopped to take in a deep breath, trying not to allow his temper to get the better of him, but it proved beyond difficult. None of the Faunus acknowledged his presence like the humans, hiding behind makeshift shields disguised as ordinary backpacks and groups of friends. For some odd reason, those invisible stares hurt the worst. Even when he turned, hoping his sad smile might change their minds, they cowered and froze, some retreated. None braved him with a smile of their own.
He honestly was a monster against animals.
No!
Jaune Arc refused to believe that! He just—he just needed to show them how wrong they were! Yeah! Strangers were just friends he hadn't met yet. Once people saw how harmless he was, then they'd change their minds! Things would change for the better. Everything would return to normal!
Determined, he sped up and wished to prove all the Faunus wrong, and found his luck changing for the better when he bumped into a special bunny Faunus exiting out of Beacon's dorms. She had yet to notice his presence, busy messing with her Scroll, but the instant the Arc set his sights on her, her ears shot up.
Velvet immediately looked up and noticed Jaune waving in her direction.
Opening his mouth, he stopped, smile dying, unable to look away from the sight of Velvet Scarlatina fleeing from him as fast as her legs could possibly take her. She at least spared him a quick glance over her shoulder, revealing traces of remorse, before turning a corner and stealing all of his hopes with her. He still tried to call out to her, but his tongue ended up licking his new set of canines, halting any such action.
A freak amongst Faunus.
Frowning, he dropped his arm and hurried his pace back to his dorm room, determined to look down the entire way, so no one had to see his monstrous appearance or stinging tears. Now he welcomed the hush whispers, and fearful stares, they drowned out the hiccups building in his throat.
Whispers! Shhh! Psst!
Picking up his pace, he finally reached the empty hall of his dorm room and slid down against the wall with one hand gripping his hair. Soon he began to pull, shaking in sad fury. Eventually, it became too much, and the leader slammed a fist against the dry wood, almost splitting his knuckles again.
If you don't like the way I'm doing business, then you can just get out, Faunus.
Slam!
No, seriously hotshot, how's the being a Faunus thing going?
Slam!
I don't know. It hasn't sunk in yet.
Slam!
Jaune refrained from screaming, barely, and permitted his hand to slip down. A slow glare toward his hand revealed the droplets of blood escaping from his rehashed wounds, enticing a tiny groan from the leader, but if anything, the sight of the blood calmed his racing heart.
At least he was alive.
Things could've gone real bad, real fast during that Dust explosion. It was a miracle he withstood that blast at all. Dust and bone fragments? Yeah. At least he was alive to feel such emotions. That must be the silver lining to all this drama. Still, he didn't forget who started said explosion or who ignored his warnings.
Inhale!
Standing up with burning resolve, he reached for his Scroll and unlocked the door, stepping in to find Nora listening to music, and Ren patiently reading a book, tailcoat off. Both their eyes traveled up to meet his, and both reacted differently.
Nora edged forward, body leaning over the frame of her bed. "Hey, Fearless Leader, where have you've been hiding? Under a rock?"
Exhale!
Whatever anger he built up, fell apart.
Nora didn't seem to care.
Being here, glaring right at the trigger of his problems, that fire from the depths of his soul burned to immeasurable heights until it entirely snuffed itself out. What was the point? Honestly?! Anger proved to be worthless in this situation. Yelling would accomplish nothing but stressing his throat more. He didn't need that. Life was already straining enough. Not to mention he was dripping in water from head-to-toe.
Jaune Arc preferred to ignore the problem that caused all this instead.
He gave Nora the cold shoulder and placed the box of comics down, unclipping his armor in the process and ignored the heavy thump of it crashing to the floor. A quick change of clothes later and he threw a look over to Ren, and only Ren, and waved with an offhanded huff. "If you would excuse me, Ren, I'm off to get some fresh air. Don't wait up."
Lie Ren didn't need to be a genius to know or see the way Nora's lip wobbled, or how her smile threatened to split into two upon Jaune's dismissal of her question. She merely sat back with her arms limped to her sides, body lacking that certain spark.
"Nora? Are you alright?"
The emotionally dependent girl still tried to wave it off as it was nothing, smile too thin. "Pssh! I'm fine, silly goose, I'm sure Jaune-Jaune didn't hear me. Those ears on his head must be for show! He must have water in them!"
Ren wasn't so confident, how could anyone not hear Nora?
It was absurd.
Open!
Jaune walked back in, apparently looking for something he misplaced. He reached into the box he brought, shaking the book with ease. "I forgot to get a comic. Gotta keep busy."
Ren followed Jaune's path to the door, before sliding his vision over to the bomber.
Here was Nora's second chance!
This time she jumped off Ren's bed, not daring herself to miss the opportunity, arms opened out for a team-crushing hug. Sadly, things didn't go according to plan, and Ren had no other option but to wince at the way his leader stared past her and shunned the embrace entirely without uttering a sound. Jaune didn't even acknowledge her presence. He walked out and slammed the door shut, leaving behind a stunned Lie and comatose Valkyrie. When her arms fell, losing life, Nora couldn't manage the breaking smile for too long. She tried her hardest not to sniff, but it wasn't meant to be, and the girl hiccuped and wiped away some imaginary dust from her cheeks.
Nora still attempted to make light of the situation and offered Ren her best laugh. It was humorless and devoid of happy feelings. "He probably didn't see me. There was water in his eyes."
"Nora—?"
"If you'll excuse me, Ren, I'm gonna take a quick shower! I don't want to stink up Jaune's new nose!"
He didn't miss the way she practically sprinted to the bathroom or the way her smile shattered into a million, bite-sized pieces. If he genuinely wanted to Ren knew by pressing his ear to the door, he'd hear her emotions shushed and uncontrolled.
There was running water in that bathroom, but none of it came from the appliances.
Sighing, he considered knocking on the door but knew firsthand that Nora wouldn't open or admit to anything bothering her. Instead, he grabbed his tailcoat and hurried out the door in a brisk pace, almost sprinting. Finding Jaune wasn't too challenging. He was a slow walker once he got lost in the colorful pages, but the closer Ren neared, the more it appeared he was fighting himself from ripping the pages, more than enjoying the comic for all its wacky storytelling as if it was nothing more than a distraction.
A distraction from what, however, Ren hadn't a clue.
Didn't matter!
Ren rarely ever raised his voice, even when forced to deal with Nora's antics and the consequences for said antics, like the mess from earlier this afternoon. He discarded all that when he grabbed Jaune's shoulder, and while pink could be a terrifying color in its own right, blue with an underlying hint of charcoal made for a fiercer glare.
Ren still didn't back down. "Any reason you're ignoring Nora now?"
His Faunus Leader's back straightened with an Aura of annoyance gravitating toward the usually calm and forgiving Arc. Those fluffy ears of his laid back and dipped downward. Then, slowly, he turned around with a detached glare. It was possibly the first time the Lie ever noticed how tall Jaune truly was.
Armor or no armor, the bunny hoodie failed to lower his masculinity, not while attached to a pair of fangs and blackened undertone-eyes.
"You know why."
Ren blinked.
So it finally hit him. Between the denial and late response, Jaune finally learned of his Fate and was unquestionably furious. He came to expect this, but he failed to plan for Jaune disregarding Nora entirely. Anger or fury would've been easier to deal with, but luck wasn't on his side. Why yell?
Jaune Arc was flat out ignoring Nora's existence.
His leader, while not the best fighter, practically on the bottom of the list when it came to Beacon Academy, knew how to create a battle plan from nothing. Being the strategist of Team JNPR demanded as much. Ren knew that better than anyone. His leader might not be compelling when it came to punches and kicks, but he knew where to strike to make it hurt, and he landed a critical on Nora.
He knew exactly where to hit to make the wounds hurt. He didn't need physical pain to harm someone. No words were needed. This was the strategist of Team JNPR, ignoring Nora hurt her harder than any Grimm strike ever could. Without a shadow of a doubt, his Fearless Leader knew that.
Maybe some reassurance was in order. "Isn't that acting a little immature?"
"Sorry if I'm lacking in the happiness department." Jaune went on before he turned and huffed. "Tell Nora she can have her pancakes back."
Oh no.
Jaune was aiming for the killing blow.
None of that could happen. It'd only make things escalate far worse. It made Jaune sound he didn't care what Nora did, didn't care about her. Lie Ren could not have that. His leader was clouded by resentment—perfectly understandable for the given circumstances—but he had to prevent a crisis before it happened or things might be forever tarnished between Nora and Jaune.
Anger clouded judgment. Ren needed to dissipate that anger before regret appeared.
He calmly grabbed his leader's shoulder. "Okay, look, I understand you're mad. I can't say I understand what you're going through, but I know that you're mad at Nora. I get that. But it was an accident. And I know that doesn't excuse her for what she did..." Ren quickly added. "But you know she's sorry—?"
"She sure doesn't act like it."
"Please work with me, Jaune. Do you really want to shut her out?"
"I've had a very long day, Ren. Can't this wait?" Jaune tried to escape, but Ren enforced his grip. Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose, hating how true his friend's words sounded. The day proved to be too long. "Just... just keep her away from me for a while. I mean it, Ren. I don't want to see her. I'm not in the mood."
He had to poke a few holes. "We sleep in the same room."
It was the first time Ren saw Jaune's pupils turn into slits. "Then I'll sleep somewhere else. It's either that or I return back to the room, and I can't promise you anything after I come back, Ren. So? What'll be?"
"... She is sorry, you know."
Jaune regarded the statement, shrugged away his hand, and wandered off.
...
Blake Belladonna laid down in her bed, trying for the life of her to escape into her Ninjas of Love book, but failed to do so, not with her partner being as quiet as a mouse, tinkering away at her Scroll.
A quiet Yang Xiao Long was an eerie concept.
The disappointed sensations emitting from her partner could cut the air in two, and it set the girl on edge. To be fair, Yang wasn't the only deciding factor to her troubling emotions. This whole Jaune one-of-a-kind Faunus hybrid issue, one that scared the other Faunus senseless, she included, nagged endlessly at her stubborn curiosity. That and her wounded pride.
What kind of revolutionist was she?
Here, she fought for Faunus rights and undertook dangerous missions to better the lives of Faunus, but turned tail and ran when her instincts overpowered her rationality. A Faunus—a friend needed her help, and she abandoned him. If that was going to be the case then what was the point in fighting?
Damn instincts!
Blake squeezed her book cover, twisting up with bouts of rage and pity. Look at her turning her back to a Faunus in need because her instincts screamed dangerous! Jaune Arc dangerous! Ha! Ha-ha! Dumb would be putting it mildly. She knew his strength, his power, and his determination, and none of that spoke of threatening. So why? Why were her instincts fighting tooth and nail against her? Just the thought of seeking Jaune outraged a storm between her humanity and nature, and it drove her wild.
Lucky for her, distractions existed.
Slam!
"Guys! Guys! Take a look at this!"
Blake lowered her novel and found Ruby shaking her scroll in an inspired panic. Weiss trailed right behind her, shutting the door with an exhausted sigh. Whatever it was must've been huge if Weiss wasn't telling Ruby to not overblow things out of proportion. Yang seemed to have figured that out because she was hopping off the bed to rub her sister's hair.
"What's got your panties in a bunch, Rubes?"
"You don't know?" Weiss asked, ignoring her partner's squirming. "It's all over the CCT News."
Humoring her, Blake reached for her Scroll and searched for the latest news. Upon discovery of the word Faunus in the head title, she sat up and narrowed her eyes. So they've learned about Jaune, right? What else could this possibly be related to? At least it explained Ruby's apparent interest in the subject.
How wrong she was.
"This..." Blake scrolled down, reading the article intently. "Isn't about Jaune. What? What is this?"
Riots? Destruction? Civilians! Transformations!
Weiss frowned. "No, it's not. There have been reports of Faunus within an eight-kilometer distance becoming more animalistic and effective. Riots and paranoia have been reported between civilians and the local law enforcement, but fortunately for the Kingdom of Vale, the transformations seem to have only lasted roughly an hour. Vale's council has been called in to weigh upon the issue."
"This isn't The White Fang's doing." Blake quickly said, confident. "They'd never endanger the life of other Faunus, and they've never had the ability to do so."
"I never said that, but you know others are going to think so."
Blake bit her lip.
She knew that. Most people wouldn't have a problem pointing their fingers toward The White Fang, but this cat's instincts told her otherwise.
"There's more!" Ruby added. "So get this! Everyone thinks this all happened because of some really strong roar! Right after it happened, that's when all the Faunus started transforming! Isn't that crazy!"
A strong roar? Blake didn't know what to make of that. Faunus transformation on a grand scale, all at once? Never before had such a thing happened, not when she worked for The White Fang. Sure. Some Faunus retained such an ability, but the vast majority weren't given the option when to conceal or reveal their heritage. Now they were transforming out of random, and concerning to the events of an incredibly powerful roar? No. None of it was crazy.
Blake Belladonna didn't believe in coincidental.
Such a thing didn't exist in Mother Nature's design.
Scrolling through the contents of the article, she passed passages of Faunus riots taking place and White Fang members taking advantage of the temporary boost. While the transformation only lasted an hour, a great deal of damage had been done, but not enough to warrant The White Fang as the criminals. It wasn't enough damage. Not enough gain for a coordinated attack.
Everything leading up to the roar had been all unprecedented.
A roar with the ability to transform Faunus and increase their power? It was like a terrible dream, maybe even a nightmare. The White Fang would be sinking their teeth into the phenomenal, and when this information managed to travel all the way to Adam—if he didn't already know—she knew trouble wouldn't be distant. Blake didn't even want to envision a transformed Adam? The fear he'd cause in such a short amount of—?
Hold on a sec? A transformed Adam? Faunus transformation? Faunus becoming more animalistic? An abnormal event transpiring in Vale? This all happening the same day when a saber-tooth Faunus was created?
Did this associate to Jaune? He, too, preserved more than one Faunus feature. He appeared more animalistic. While her knowledge on prehistoric animals was bare at best, the idea of a saber-tooth cat possessing a powerful roar wasn't too farfetched. Was there a possible correlation between the two?
Blake Belladonna frowned, narrowed her cat-like eyes, and flattened her ears. Coincidental her butt. More like connection! First a new Faunus and now this? Yup! A connection existed, but, if that was true, then she needed to confront Jaune Arc and connect the dots personally. Above all else, she had to be unconditionally sure! That was if her instincts allowed her. The real question was how? How did she approach him without breaking into a nervous wreck of fear?
This curiosity was going to end up killing her.
...
When Adam Taurus heard the news, he made sure to pinch himself with the blunt edge of his blade before demanding an explanation.
"Repeat what you just said."
The exhausted grunt of a soldier breathed with sweat clinging to her uniform. She rested her palms on her knees. Beyond the fatigue and fear of being in her leader's presence, her mood reflected that of a chippered pup. The fact that she was a dog Faunus related to nothing surprising, her wagging tail excluded. Adam impatiently waited for her to catch her breath.
She bounced. "It's just like I said, sir! Faunus have been undergoing transformations all over Vale after a really powerful roar!" (WORDY - 2)
He frowned. "What kind of transformations? Elaborate."
"Some grew additional limbs while others had their claws sharpened." She breathed. "It's something you have to see for yourself, sir."
He almost scoffed at her claim, but another recruit came running through the camp, this one not even wearing his White Fang uniform. He expressed a similar story of Faunus mayhem and transformations. He only discovered the incident when a Faunus ran past him with more than one feature and not abiding to his calls. Same for the corgi Faunus. A roar allegedly affected Faunus within its radius, not targeting the few just-out-of-reach of its properties, but still able to distinguish its audible tone. He quickly shuffled away, flipping to his Scroll to find all the news outlets focused on Faunus outbreaks with destruction and mayhem all centered-titled.
Many humans reported of a devastating roar that followed with local Faunus undergoing transformations where numerous features overtook his kind. Then chaos ensured with civilian Faunus attacking anything not bearing any animal features. Turmoil was quickly reaching the streets of Vale as they spoke, but the local law enforcement and Huntsmen were more than enough to subdue the crazed individuals. Civilians only proved so much of a threat with no combat training. There were even pictures of the some of the affected Faunus, bearing strange marks on their bodies while appearing feral. Some coming off the effect, weaker people he assumed, or perhaps farther away from the roar's range, apparently recounted nothing of the situation except for bits and pieces.
What an interesting development.
Adam sat on a rock with his blade resting between his legs, hunched over, rubbing his chin in thought. His Scroll hung lifeless between his fingers. Faunus transformation? Increased strength? Heightened senses? All rolled into one? He replayed the information over and over again, and each time he did so, his smirk widened.
"A roar, huh?"
Sound. A soundwave to be more precise, one that traveled in a wide range. Somehow a tone or key in the vibrations must have altered the Faunus that heard it. A Semblance? Possibly. Adam craved more detail before making a judgment call, but the bits of information he came across was skewed. Witness reports were a start. Experience helped cement the findings, but it wasn't enough when the Faunus affected barely remembered the traumatic experience beyond the roar and heightened passiveness. A demonstration of this power was in order.
Now, if only he knew where the location of the source.
Information. Adam required more. One cut-and-dry description. A clue. A lead. Something. He stood and shut his Scroll, waiting for the inevitable stampede of White Fang members to come running to the camp. Maybe they would have more to report? Already he heard the telltale sounds of running steps, meeting them head-on as they barged into camp.
Night neared when the messengers stopped pouring in, or when he got fed up after hearing the same recounts over and over again. Nothing new surfaced. Tch! He ordered everyone to keep up the search for anything distinct and headed off to bed.
He saw red in his dreams.
...
His new Faunus ears picked up the sounds of her footsteps and metal clicking together.
"You here to talk to me, too?"
Pyrrha smiled wistfully at his hunched position with a comic between his fingers, wondering how many times she found him sitting alone on this rooftop. Those little, trivial books were like comfort food to him. Not to say she didn't understand his plight, but seeing her leader throw himself into a world of action and adventure filled her joy.
Too bad his tone betrayed his innocent nature.
"I'm not here to talk about what happened with Nora, don't worry, Ren told me everything. I believe you're very justified with your anger." Pyrrha sat next to him, joining him with her feet dangling next to his. "But I want to know how you're feeling. I cannot imagine what you're going through."
He sighed and discarded the comic to the side, arms thrown back with his head gazing up at the building horizon. How did he feel? What an impossible question to ask. His emotions were at best scattered.
"I don't know how to feel." He pushed his knees in, glaring at the setting sun with his ears turned back. "I'm angry, but I'm also sad. It feels like I'm walking around in a jungle without a map."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
She hummed in place and lightly bumped his shoulder. "You know Nora's sorry, too, Jaune."
"Not you too, Pyrrha."
She smiled and knew without a doubt that Jaune would forgive Nora, he just needed time to vent. It wouldn't happen anytime soon, this was a significant change after all, but time healed all wounds. Patience was a virtue, Nora's most lacking quality. She'd better learn quickly. Still, team dynamics aside, she sought Jaune out for another reason.
"I guess you haven't heard? There's a news special about the Faunus on the CCT."
He snorted, figuring he should've expected this with everyone gawking at him. "What? Am I the headline of Vale Channel Seven News? Jaune Arc! Faunus Freak!"
She frowned, wondering how deeply hurt her partner was, but shook her head and handed him her Scroll. "Not quite. The news story is Faunus related, but it's not about you. Something, a roar some say, had caused the Faunus in Vale to transform and become more primal. It led to some riots and destruction. The transformation only lasted an hour or so, but it's been remarked the Faunus affected were granted unusual strength and more Faunus features."
Jaune Arc's frown instantly vanished.
Faunus transformations and riots in Vale? He was just at Vale less than an hour ago and hadn't noticed any of those, and what was that about a roar being the possible cause? The only noise he remembered hearing was—!
No!
Touching his throat, the leader choked, feeling the strain on his neck. That roar, the one on the news, the one that robbed him of all his Aura, couldn't have been the one caused by him, could it? Even so, there was simply no way his scream traveled all across Vale and affected the Faunus. That was absurd on so many levels! Pure science fiction at its core! Then again, he was Auraless. That roar drained him of every reserve at that blinding, echoing moment.
An Aura filled roar probably meant something.
If that was the case, he searched through her Scroll, reading through the article with haste. When his heightened vision landed upon the roar's point of origins, somewhere in Vale's modern district region, where the park was, he flinched and slowly lowered the device. His bluish ears fell flat, and his fangs bit into his skin with specs of blood breaking free. That metallic smell sent him back to his meeting with Tukson, and maybe, just maybe, that wasn't his blood he smelled earlier.
The possibility of it being from someone else, someone hurt by his bloody roar, robbed him of any emotion.
He remained uncharacteristically quiet, unmoving with his feet dangling off the edge and body hunched over. Whatever anger his body held evaporated into nothingness, leaving nothing behind but a hollow husk. His eyes still retained an intense focus, like a predator on a hunt, yet they lacked any bite. When Pyrrha attempted to tap him on the shoulder, the Arc moved with an upward tilt of his head, eyes filled with animal-like innocence.
"Pyrrha... I think I had something to do with that."
Next on CCT's News! A student at Beacon Academy has become...
...
News traveled fast.
The Cross-Continental Transit System allowed for information to travel faster than sound. Between all the Kingdoms, anything news story related was broadcasted and shared, and this included Menagerie, with informants from other Kingdoms spreading the news to them, of course.
Sadly, Menagerie harbored no CCT tower, but information trafficking came in all shapes and forms.
So while they received the daily news a few hours later, it still came, and the story of an all-powerful roar affecting the Faunus in Vale couldn't spread fast enough in Menagerie. Talks and rumors spread like wildfire throughout the port and village, eventually reaching the ears of a very prominent and influential person in the Faunus community.
A pair of stripped, orange-colored, pierced ears belonging to a distinctive Bengal tiger Faunus, flickered to the nimble footsteps of some panicked White Fang advisers. Amber eyes glazed over, narrowed lazily at her approaching consultants. She ordinarily never gazed in their direction, but for them to be running throughout the halls like some untaught cubs, well, this warranted a change in reaction.
To shatter the illusion of calm and serenity between the Albain Brothers was a feat worth breaking the norm.
She wasn't the only one to think so either. Her guards all readied themselves upon their arrival but dropped their stances when no immediate danger presented itself. Then, to add humor to the situation, once they reached her throne, they acted conserved, as usual, appearing undented from their earlier run. Although, any Faunus worth their claws saw the eagerness in their eyes and breaking smiles, even when kneeling.
Sienna Khan judged this worth a hearing.
"Speak."
Fennec, the clear-thinker between the two, offered his hands out and spoke first. "High Leader Khan, I come bearing news about an event that's transpired in Vale."
Sienna thinned her lips. News about events transpiring in the Kingdom of Vale? "Go on."
Corsac spoke next. "News of a roar that stretched for miles has been reported to have taken place in Vale."
"And?"
"And the roar is to be believed related to another incident." Fennec calmed himself. "After the roar came to pass, Faunus who heard it underwent a transformation. They grew additional body parts from claws to tails to ears. While the transformation has been regarded to only last about an hour, during that hour riots broke out and the local enforcement couldn't stop the civilians affected by this."
Sienna only heard one word. "Civilians?"
Corsac nodded. "Yes, the Faunus civilians overpowered any attempts of restraints."
"And The White Fang members stationed at Vale?"
Fennec nodded alongside his brother. "Even better, High Leader, the few that heard it, described the feeling of empowerment. They felt they could take on the world and win. They've described the feeling of heightened strength, speed, and reflexes. All our members affected have practically said the same thing."
Sienna held her tongue. A roar granted the potential to empower the Faunus, to heighten their senses where civilians overpowered law enforcement, bestowed them more animalistic features, and reached the potential to cover miles? Such power was unheard of in the Faunus world. Now she understood why these two reacted the way they did.
All this went beyond the realms of glorious news.
"You've done an excellent job reporting this to me. I order you to find the origins of this roar and report back to me the findings." When neither of the brothers dismissed themselves, she glared. "Well?"
"That's not all, High Leader." Sienna hummed. There was more? "Reports have also come in about a newly created Faunus. Sources from eyewitnesses at Vale and media from Beacon Academy have reported the sightings of a saber-tooth Faunus. While undocumented, it has been reported that a student at Beacon, named Jaune Arc, has become a Faunus from a resulting Dust and fossil explosion. It has been confirmed that he's the newly sighted Faunus."
She refused to break her facade, but the High Leader raised her brows at the news. A newly created Faunus? A saber-tooth Faunus at that? Weren't those animals extinct? Prehistoric in age? How devilishly interesting for a Faunus specimen to be roaming around.
She needed more. "Anything else to report?"
Fennec paused, biting his tongue. "Our sources have also expressed... difficulty approaching him."
Difficulty? Difficulty in what? Surely approaching one Faunus couldn't be unmanageable. "Explain."
"No Faunus has been able to approach the subject. They've all express fear in his presence. Their limbs freeze and they turn tail and run whenever his eyes fall upon them. The humans cannot feel it, but our brethren can. It has made communication all but impossible."
Sienna narrowed her vision and studied the data.
A Faunus with more than feature than struck fear into the hearts of others, a nearby roar that empowered all Faunus that heard it and granted animalistic appearances, and a human who could actively discern the difference between being a human versus an animal? All rolled into one! The three had to be all correlated. No other option existed, but she had to be utterly confident. They could not afford to allow such an opportunity to slip between their claws.
Sienna Khan knew an opportunity when she saw one.
A tiger's best quality wasn't their brute strength or flawless speed, but their instinct to outmaneuver their prey. One did not become the High Leader of The White Fang through sheer luck. A touch of intelligence and cunning helped.
"Fascinating, tell me more about this... Jaune Arc."
Author Notes: In chapter 4 of Silver, I do give this story's basic plot during a small scene as a potential teaser; Sienna Khan's reveal as a character with her being a Bengal just cinched this story. Also, I know it wasn't raining when Emerald and Mercury confronted Tukson in The Best Day Ever, call it writer's freedom.