Chapter 4: The first full moon
I don't own RWBY. I only own my OC's.
(Sometime in October, 2016) It's been a long time, hasn't it? I missed you all.
"Speech"
"Thought"
*…* Actions within dialogue
Emphasis
Grimm/"Ryndur" speaking (translated)
"Ryndur" mindspeaking
Grimm/'Ryndur' thought
[#] Author's Comment which will be shown at the official end of the Chapter and before the ending Author's Note.
The next time he opened his eyes, he noticed that there was sunlight seeping through the window. He blinked a couple of times and yawned as his tail swished and his ears twitched. He noticed that the rest of his all-girls team were still asleep. Stretching his muscles until he heard a satisfying pop, he got up and grabbed his uniform before heading over to the men's public bathroom his thoughts concerning what he should do today.
"Any input?" he asked Ryndur.
"To be honest, just go about your day. Tomorrow is the weekend and the night of the first full moon. You know what that means."
"Yeah, I know. Hopefully my teammates won't notice that I will be gone." Lunatus grimaced as he finished putting on his uniform.
"I doubt it, but we can't avoid this."
He walked outside and took in the cool air. The wind ruffled his ears and sent a satisfying chill down his spine. He simply stared out into the distance. Nothing was on his mind, he just wanted to take in the sound of silence. It was then his stomach growled, much to Ryndur's amusement.
"I didn't think your stomach could make a sound to rival a Grimm."
"Very funny." Lunatus smirked. He realized his body was in a sitting position so he stood up and headed over to the cafeteria. By the time he got there, his team still wasn't up. Shaking his head, he got himself an apple. He sat down in his team's usual spot and began to happily munch on his apple. It was then teams RWBY and JNPR showed up. Lunatus noticed that Jaune was acting really strange. His emotions showed that he was doing something he was regretting. "Cardin must have done something." he growled at the thought of someone bullying Jaune. As his friends sat around him, the conversations consisted of the usual: Nora explaining her dream with Ren correcting her; Blake reading her book; Weiss ignoring everyone; and Ruby munching on some cookies. Jaune was slowly eating his pancakes and Pyrrha only made subtle glances at him. Lunatus decided to break this awkwardness. "Does anyone know what we are doing today?"
"Apparently we have to collect sap." Blake replied her eyes not leaving her book. Jaune flinched.
"Any reason?" Lunatus asked.
"Not that I know of." Weiss replied. It was then Jaune got up and left. Everyone looked to see where he was going, and to their surprise, it was Cardin's table.
"Okay, someone tell me why Jaune is hanging out with Cardin?! Did I miss something?" Lunatus demanded. Everyone looked over at Pyrrha.
"What are all of you looking at me for?" she asked.
"You are always the one to be there for him, you interact with him more than anyone else, and you are the most concerned about him." Lunatus explained. Pyrrha didn't say anything. Weiss scoffed.
"I honestly don't know what has you so interested in him, but even I don't like the fact that he's being around Cardin." the heiress said with her arms crossed.
"Whatever the problem is, I'm sure he would tell us." Pyrrha managed to say, although Lunatus wasn't convinced. He decided to let it go for now.
"Oh, I know, we'll break Cardin's legs!" Nora suddenly declared with a sadistic smile on her face.
"I like her way of thinking." Ryndur commented.
"I do to, but I'm sure no one else does."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Nora." Ren said. The rest of them agreed.
"I told you." Lunatus looked at the clock and saw that class was going to start. "I think we should get going." he said as he got up and left.
Lunatus and company were currently with Prof. Goodwitch on the sap gathering trip in Emerald Forest. Lunatus looked around and was really captivated by the beauty this forest has. Goodwitch made some comment about how we are here to gather sap and despite the beauty of the area it was still very dangerous. Lunatus took his jars and began gathering whatever sap he could. All the while keeping an eye on Jaune's emotions for a sign of any danger.
"I really hope that he can solve whatever problem he has gotten himself into." Ryndur yawned.
"I don't like it as much as you do." Lunatus agreed. It was then he felt Jaune moving over to the familiar emotions of Cardin. He looked at the sap he had gathered and back in Jaune's direction. He placed his jars against the tree and followed him. He climbed a tree and leaped from branch to branch until he caught up with Jaune. Lunatus saw that he was also below Pyrrha and Cardin was nearby with Jaune. Her back was to them. It looked like Cardin wanted Jaune to do something to Pyrrha.
"Not on my watch!"
"Wait, Lunatus!"
"What?!" he shouted.
"Focus on Arc."
Lunatus did and he saw that Jaune was showing defiance and he threw the jar of sap at Cardin. Lunatus smiled, but then he heard a large Grimm roar. "That is definitely an Ursa. Not good." He looked and saw that Cardin's team was running away, and over the hilltop, the Ursa appeared. "Shit! That's a Major! Jaune needs my help!"
"No! He can handle this!"
"He will die!" Lunatus's rage was building.
"He won't. Look."
Lunatus steeled himself and looked to see that Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby were all below him. All of them could've easily taken out the Ursa Major, but they did nothing. He heard the sound of an impact and snapped his head up to see Jaune standing over Cardin and defending him. Lunatus's eyes widened as he looked at what was going on. Jaune was able to push the Major back, and he was going to go in for the kill. Lunatus looked in horror. "His stance is wrong, he is open to get himself killed!" Before Lunatus could react, Jaune's shield emitted a small black outline and it blocked the Major's attack. Jaune then followed through with his sword and decapitated the Major. Cardin was speechless as was Lunatus. "How did he?"
"My Semblance is polarity." Pyrrha unknowingly answered his question. Lunatus looked down to see her talking with Weiss and Ruby.
"Does that mean you can control poles?" Ruby asked.
"No you dunce, it means she has control over magnetism." Weiss explained.
"That is incredibly OP." Lunatus said having jumped down from his tree startling everyone.
"Gah! How long have you been here?!" Ruby asked.
"Not that long. I was actually directly above you three." he said while pointing up to the tree he was hiding in. "I was going to step in, but something told me not to." The four of them looked at Jaune who was currently in Cardin's face. Lunatus felt Jaune's emotions and for the first time in a long time he felt scared.
"Don't mess with my team – my friends – ever again. Got it?" Jaune said calmly, but Lunatus could easily tell the commanding emotions hidden behind those words. Cardin could only stare at Jaune's eyes, the amount of hidden fury behind them made his body shake. Lunatus and even Ryndur were shocked beyond belief.
"Now that was something. Even I am more worried about him."
"That makes two of us." Lunatus could only chuckle at just what Jaune could do.
Lunatus was being very fidgety the very next day since tonight would be a full moon. He didn't know how he was going to not be caught by his teammates. As he walked into the cafeteria, he sat down in his team's usual spot and began to munch on his apple. His Grimm ears perked up at the feeling of someone walking towards him. He groaned internally as it was Cardin and his team.
"Cardin, it's Saturday. What could you possibly want at this time?" he asked a bit harshly. Cardin wasn't looking at him in the eye. It was then teams RWBY and JNPR showed up. Lunatus could tell that they stood there not sure as to what to do. Yang in particular was holding back her anger. "Can you please look at me, I promise not to bite." Lunatus said jokingly. Cardin slowly met his gaze. He could tell that he wasn't comfortable saying this.
"Look, I wanted to say that my team and I are sorry. For everything. What happened yesterday really opened my eyes to the mistakes that I made. I know it will take a long time for you to trust me, if you even think you can, but I will try to change." The entire cafeteria was silent. Cardin and his team were shuffling their feet awkwardly. Lunatus took a large bite of his apple.
"Well, let me tell you this." He took another bite. "I can't say that all is forgiven since you are still kind of an ass," he took another bite "-but I can tell you that what you do from here on out will define you. I can let the past stay where it needs to be, but I personally think it will take a long time for me to put my trust in you. Some of the people here may never be able to do that, and to those people I would tell them to give you a chance." Lunatus threw his core away. "I've lived through a frozen hell for a very long time, so I may seem to be a bit hostile than most. Experience has taught me that not everything is as it seems, and I think you will be a better person. I also think you shouldn't really be apologizing to me." Cardin nodded and he went over to speak to Velvet. As he did so, RWBY and JNPR sat around Lunatus. Those who didn't see Jaune's fight against the Ursa Major were sending glares at Cardin and his team.
Velvet looked to see that Cardin and his team were walking over towards her, and she paled while flinching. "Please, n-no more." She squeaked.
Cardin hung his head low. "I want to apologize for everything we did to you, on behalf of my team. I didn't know you were a second-year student, and I am honestly surprised that you didn't just drop-kick us into a coma or something." he said with a small, genuine laugh. His team nodding in agreement. "I'm sure you were holding back for your own reasons, and my mind wasn't in the right. Even though I think you can never forgive me, I am truly sorry. I will do what I can to make myself and my team better people." With all of that said, Velvet was completely blown away. She eyed him to see if there was any hidden intent, but could find none.
"I guess we will have to wait and see." was Velvet's response. Cardin breathed a sigh of relief and his team left to go sit at their table. A lot of people were shocked at team CRDL's sudden change in attitude.
"I guess what happened yesterday had an affect on him." Ruby said.
"What do you mean by that, sis?" Yang asked.
"I'm surprised you didn't hear." Lunatus said whiling leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. He opened one eye to look at the buxom blonde. "Jaune killed an Ursa Major that was going to kill Cardin." The table was silent. Yang decided to laugh.
"Alright, enough joking. What did you do Lunatus?" Yang asked him. Lunatus only stared at her. "Wait, you're serious?" she looked over at Jaune who was trying to shrink himself. "You took down an Ursa Major?!" Jaune flinched, but nodded weakly. Yang leaned back a bit, a ghost of a smile appeared and disappeared just as quickly. "I'm impressed Vomit Boy."
"Even if that is true, it doesn't mean that Cardin will just turn over a new leaf." Blake said angrily.
"Reap what you sow." Lunatus answered.
"What is that suppose to mean?!" Blake asked while glaring at Lunatus. He turned to face her while sporting a fanged smile.
"That is up for you to decide; but as for CDRL, it's called giving people a second chance. I personally don't like doing that, but there are those who do." He made a quick glance at Jaune before spreading his arms out to everyone at the table. "I am giving you all a chance to get to know me, as I am pretty much forced to interact with all of you." It was then Yang suddenly placed an arm around Lunatus's neck and began tried to bring him closer to her.
"Aw come on, Wolfie! You know you love us." Yang said with a cheeky grin.
"I can't say I feel the same way," Lunatus replied while breaking out of Yang's hold, "-but what my preferences are for people are for me to know-" and in a swift motion pinning her to the table. "-and for you to attempt to figure out." he let go of Yang. He walked away while whistling a tune and his tail swaying from side to side.
"Just how strong are you?" Yang thought.
"You know that was a bit much. Can't you take a joke?" Ryndur asked Lunatus as he headed over to Port's class.
"If she wants to be rough, then so will I."
"I didn't realize you were like that." Ryndur said with a chuckle. Lunatus realized his wording and blushed.
"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"What do you think?"he smirked.
As the day went by, Lunatus could only become more agitated. His team were concerned for his well-being, but Lunatus told them not to worry. Lunatus was in his team's dorm as he was trying to calm his nerves. When Lunatus looked at the clock, it read 7 P.M. His body was shaking with fear as the sun began to descend. Ruby walked into the dorm and saw Lunatus's body shaking.
"What's wrong, Lunatus?" she asked. The half-Grimm flinched upon looking at Ruby. He looked into her silver eyes, and he felt like he was going to be tortured. He clutched his head in pain before turning his back to her. Ruby was starting to become frantic, so she did the only thing she knew she could do. She tackled Lunatus and began hugging him tightly. She was burying her face into his back. "Please calm down. It's going to be okay. It'll be alright." Lunatus could feel himself calming down. His breathing became normal, and his heart rate slowed.
"Ruby, you can let me go now." Lunatus said in an emotionless tone.
"Not until you swear to me that you are alright." she replied. Lunatus sighed.
"I swear I'm fine, Rubes." She didn't respond for a few minutes before she finally let him go. He turned around and saw that she was on the verge of tears. It was starting to break Lunatus. He placed a hand on top of her head. "Thank you for the hug. I needed that."
"Then why were you acting like that? It looked like you were having a nightmare. You also have been agitated all day. Can you tell me what's bothering you?" Ruby pleaded.
Lunatus gave Ruby a sad smile. "There are some things about me I would like to stay hidden, but I will tell you what I want to when the time comes. I need be somewhere. I promise I'll be back tomorrow."
"Where are you going? It's almost time for curfew." Ruby asked him.
"I have business with the Headmaster. It'll take me all night. I'm sorry." he said while giving Ruby a hug.
"I hate to ruin this, but I am starting to get hungry."
"I know. We'll be leaving now." Lunatus broke the hug before he left in a blur. Ruby missed the warmth he gave off, and him leaving left her even more worried. The rest of the team walked into the room. Yang noticed Ruby's expression and asked her what was wrong. Ruby was trying to find the words to say, but kept fumbling over them over Yang being up in her face. While Yang pressed Ruby for answers, Blake noticed that Lunatus was not around she couldn't even find his scent. She shut her book to grab everyone's attention.
"Do you know where Lunatus is, Ruby?" Blake asked. This caused said leader to mumbled a thank-you as it calmed her nerves to give her time to explain, to which was broken by an irritated Weiss.
"It's almost curfew! What could he be doing?" Weiss folded her arms and looked towards the door before to Ruby. She explained to her team that Lunatus had something to discuss with the Headmaster and it would take all night. Lunatus assured her that he will explain when he is ready.
"That sounds like a cop-out." Yang said after she let it sink in.
Weiss sighed. "Whatever he has to do better not be a common thing." The rest of them nodded and they all went to go get changed.
Lunatus hastily walked over to the airship that he would be using during this time. He didn't say anything to the pilot and he also didn't say anything. Lunatus figured that the pilot was briefed on his condition. Lunatus stayed silent as he gazed out over the darkened sky. He blinked and his vision turned red. He gasped and he fell onto his back. The pilot didn't seem to be concerned.
"I really hate that. No matter how many times it occurs."
"Sorry about that, it's something I cannot control."
Lunatus noticed that he was above a high amount of negativity. He knew that Ryndur wanted to be out an about and he wasn't sure how much longer the Grimm could last. So instead of telling the pilot to not land, he forcefully opened the door. With the wind howling, he jumped out of the airship and began free-falling. Slowing his decent, he noticed that he was heading towards an extremely dense forest area. He extended his claws and pivoted himself towards a thick tree. Wincing slightly as the impact of his claws hurt his hands, they became embedded into the bark and allowed his momentum to slide down the trunk. He finally landed on the ground with a thud while groaning due to him landing on his tail.
"Not one of your best landings."
"Likewise. I might as well get this over with." It was then that Lunatus looked at the full moon. He could feel himself succumbed to Ryndur taking over his body. The feeling of his body changing and Lunatus losing consciousness was nothing new for him. After about a few minutes, Lunatus was no more and Ryndur was in his place.
"ALRIGHT! NOW WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE! I'M FUCKING STARVING!" Ryndur roared as he began his hunt of as many Grimm as he could eat. Many Grimm were killed in what could have been described as a slaughterhouse. Blood stained many of the trees and the grass. Flesh being ripped apart was constant. Ryndur seemed to have a maniacal laughter the entire time. The various cries of Beowolves, Ursai, and Boarbatusks would almost make someone pity them. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! HUH?! GIVE ME A CHALLANGE!" Ryndur let out another roar as he continued to devour every Grimm he saw well into the night.
By the time the sun was beginning to rise, Ryndur had devoured 30 Grimm. This was more than what he would normally eat. "I CAN'T WAIT TO DESTROY ALL WHO STAND IN MY WAY! NOTHING CAN STOP-!" Ryndur began to reel in pain as Lunatus tried to take over. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU THINK YOU CAN CONTROL ME?! YOU CAN'T!" Ryndur was brought down to his knees. Ryndur let out an aggravating roar that lasted until he reverted back to Lunatus. He was breathing heavy and sweating profusely.
"Ryndur, what the hell was that?!" Lunatus demanded. He didn't respond for a few minutes. Ryndur finally sighed in relief.
"That was my feral side." Ryndur sounded like he was just as exhausted as Lunatus.
"What do you mean?" Lunatus asked with more concern at Ryndur's tone.
"It is my most basic instinct. Every animal has one; even Grimm. It always tends to show up at it's worst with a new host. It is something that I cannot control nor predict when it happens."
"Has there been any kind of pattern to help distinguish you being normal from more feral?" Lunatus asked.
"The only thing I have noticed is that there tends to be large amount of negativity prior to transforming. However, there is no proper way to know how much is needed for my feral side to show. I am sorry for not telling you this sooner." Ryndur sounded really disappointed with himself.
Lunatus sighed. "It's fine. At least the worst of it is over." He got up and stretched while looking at what happened. He saw that most of the area surrounding him was red instead of green or brown. Almost all of the grass was red with the blood of the Grimm. A good portion of the trees were also stained red. However, there were countless chunks of Grimm all over the place as if they were not able to fully dissolve. He could see a Deathstalker with its tail pierced through its entire body; a Nevermore had its right wing all twisted that made Lunatus cringe; a King Taiju was tied in a knot; and there were multiple Beowolves that were impaled within the spikes of an Ursa Major. It truly looked like hell.
"What the hell did you do?"
"Like I said, this is my feral side. As to why these Grimm have not dissolved, it is because I did not allow them to."
"How can you do that?"
"When a Grimm uses its feral side, their personality is completely altered and they have a special ability unique to them. For me, I become demonic and psychotic while my ability allows me to choose what Grimm gets to dissolve and what doesn't. I think my feral side likes making trophies."
"So this is what happens to you at your most basic of instincts. I am more nervous about you than I once was."
"As you should be. Everyone has a dark side, and it can show itself at the worst of times. Remember that, Lunatus."
"I will. Let's get out of here."
"Right. Do you know when the Bullhead is going to be here?"
"It should be here within a few hours and we should be back before the team wakes up. At least it's the weekend."
"That is true." The two of them chuckled. Lunatus began to walk away from the carnage Ryndur's feral side caused to see what else he could discover about this area. "I would advice not telling your teammates about this, but I believe they will find out eventually."
"Then why go through all of the trouble to not tell them?"
"They haven't known you for very long, and you them. It would be a major shock to them to find out that a Grimm is a part of who you are on top of the fact of the secret Grimm war. This would change their entire perspective on the Grimm. It would be better to ease them into it and have them get to know you. I know we haven't really done much interaction, but that is going to have to change."
"I know." Lunatus grunted.
Lunatus really didn't discover anything noteworthy about the area and his ears picked up the approaching Bullhead's engine. Lunatus boarded shortly after and he was being taken back to Beacon. Once again the pilot didn't say anything, not even a comment on the amount of blood that was on Lunatus's clothes. The Bullhead landed in a special hanger that Lunatus assumed Ozpin had set up earlier. As he began walking to the school, the first thing on his mind was to take a shower as the smell of death stained his clothes. He also wanted to keep his situation under wraps. Lucky for him, Lunatus turned a corner and nearly ran into Ozpin. The Headmaster appearing out of nowhere definitely startled the half-Grimm. Amusement glazed Ozpin's eyes and as Lunatus fully registered his presence, he was surprised to see a large black trash bag instead of his usual coffee mug.
"Out of coffee?" Lunatus asked in a joking matter.
"Unfortunately, yes." Ozpin said with genuine remorse.
Lunatus wasn't sure how to respond to the Headmaster's reaction to not having coffee. "Just buy some more. It shouldn't be too difficult."
"It is more difficult than you think it is."
Lunatus shrugged. "Somehow I doubt that, but whatever." He noticed Ozpin was looking him over with his ever stoic gaze. The emotions of not having coffee were gone. When Lunatus tried to sense any other emotions, he couldn't find anything. I don't like how I can't sense his emotions. He can't be emotionless, so that means he must mask them extremely well.
"Are you going to be alright, Mr. Lupus?" Ozpin suddenly asked which shook Lunatus from his thoughts. The half-Grimm nodded. "Given the amount of red replacing white," Lunatus chuckled at the comment, "I figured that something like this was going to occur, so I contacted your father and he sent me these." Ozpin handed Lunatus the large black trash bag. Upon opening it, there were a bunch of spar clothes. Lunatus smiled to himself. You're always two steps ahead old man. "I have set up a private shower area for you to use in these situations. Take as long as you need. Should this event occur during school hours, you will be excused from class; however I recommend talking with your teammates to catch up on what you missed." With that, Ozpin left Lunatus to his devices. Lunatus immediately headed to the area where he would shower.
When he got there, he noticed that indeed his area was completely isolated from the other areas. It was actually a couple of rooms further down the hall from the public male shower area. I guess he wasn't lying after all. He knew no one else was in the area otherwise he would've sensed them, but as a precaution, he locked the door behind him.
"You don't want people sneaking a peak at you? I'm sure the blonde brawler would love to see you like this." Ryndur decided to chime in.
"Only you would decide to make a comment like that." Lunatus mumbled as the warm water rushed over him. He sighed in relaxation. "At least you seem to be in a better mood."
"It's because I'm not hungry."
"I would be satisfied too if I haven't eaten for a few days and then was presented the equivalent of a buffet and then take a warm shower." They both chuckled. Lunatus continued to wash himself. Every so often some water would get onto his tail which caused him to shiver. Ryndur began to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"How long has it been since you had a warm shower?" The Grimm inside him asked him between his failed attempts to hide his laughter. Lunatus stopped washing his hair and stood still. It was then he realized something.
"I can't remember. I think this is actually the first time I ever felt warm water."
"That's because you're right. I have had this experience with my previous hosts which makes it feel more natural for you." Ryndur explained.
"Too bad that doesn't account for everything." Lunatus growled to which Ryndur replied with the same response.
"It is unfortunate, but there are some things that are out of my control."
"It doesn't make it any easier."
"Indeed." The two of them were silent and Lunatus decided he was done.
"I think it would be best to get back with my team. I'm sure they are wondering where I am." he said as he turned off the water and grabbed his towel to dry himself off.
"You mean beside the fact that their new teammate suddenly leaves with only a vague response and a troubled state of mind?" Ryndur snickered. Lunatus groaned in annoyance as he put his shirt on.
"I hate you."
"Everyone hates someone for their own reasons."
"Do you think they will hate me for what we are?" Lunatus seriously asked Ryndur.
The Grimm seemed to be pondering on the matter. "That is something I cannot answer. Human emotions are a strange thing. I may have been around for a long time, but humans are a strange species. I can see why my ancestors wanted to keep you around."
With their conversation over, Lunatus put on his jacket and headed straight for his team's dorm. Not really sure what to expect since he didn't know if any of them really cared about him. He went ahead and knocked on the door. It was nearly thrown off its hinges and Ruby was looking at him with stressful eyes. They stared at each other before Ruby squealed in happiness. She lunged at Lunatus which caused him to fall onto his back. All of the commotion woke up the rest of team RWBY.
"Lunatus! I'm so happy that you are safe!" Ruby exclaimed. "I was so worried about you!" Lunatus was at a loss for words since he had no idea that she cared. It took him a moment to realize that she was waiting for a response.
"I-I'm sorry. My talk with the Headmaster was longer than expected." He replied. He looked up at Ruby and realized the position that they were in. The reason being was a very angry Yang. Shit. Ruby saw the look on his face and looked down at herself. Seeing her situation, she dashed off of him and her face was red. Yang was really trying hard not to punch Lunatus in the face. It took the rest of team RWBY a few minutes to calm Yang down and allow Lunatus to be inside their dorm. He sat down in a chair while leaning against the desk. All of RWBY sat on their respective beds and were giving him questioning glances. Quick emotional readings told him that Ruby was just really happy to see him; Weiss was irritated, but showed small hints of relief; Blake worried him the most due to her suspicion and almost interrogative feeling; and Yang seemed to be still angry over him and Ruby, but it was slowly subsiding into curiosity. Speaking of the blonde brawler, she decided to speak first.
"What did you and Ozpin talk about?" Lunatus already came up with a story.
"He wanted to see how I was adjusting to being here, and we got off on various tangents. He's actually a very interesting person to talk to." He smiled genuinely. I actually do want to see if I can talk to him. He let that sink in, and Yang showed satisfaction in his answer.
"Just try to not make this a habit, okay? You had all of us worried." Yang asked him. He scratched his head.
"I'll try." He looked over at Ruby. "Do you have anything to ask me?" She thought about it for a bit before shaking her head.
"No. I'm just happy to see that you are okay." she said with a smile that melted Lunatus's heart.
"She's really too adorable." Ryndur spoke what the both of them were thinking. Lunatus then made eye-contact with Weiss.
"Anything you want to ask me?" She folded her arms with a huff.
"I just don't want to have someone on our team falling behind on our studies." There was a collective eye-roll among everyone, including Ryndur.
"Is it always about school with you?" Lunatus sarcastically asked. Weiss glared at him.
"You know how important being here is!" She exclaimed before realizing whom she was talking to. "Oh, I forgot..." this caused everyone to emote some form of laughter. Lunatus could tell that Weiss really cared about him. He then looked over at Blake.
"I don't have anything else to add to what was already said." she answered with a shrug before going back to her book. Lunatus knew that was a boldface lie, and he figured he would probably be questioned further by the hidden Faunas at a later point.
"Do any of you have plans for anything?" Lunatus asked. RWBY looked at each other before collectively shrugging.
"I'm probably going to need to get more books soon." Blake said as she left the dorm to go do just that.
"I just feel like being lazy." Yang said while twirling her fingers in the curls of her hair for a bit before pulling the covers over herself.
"Unlike the rest of you, I'm going to study." Weiss stated while gathering some materials to go head over to the library. As she shut the door, Lunatus looked over at Ruby who was twiddling her thumbs.
"Alright Ruby, spit it out." Lunatus said with a chuckle.
"I know you just got back and you are probably tired..." she trailed off.
"But?" Lunatus asked with a raised eyebrow. This small gesture caused Ruby to stutter incoherently and her face to be red with embarrassment.
"Do you want to go weapon browsing with me?!" she blurted out.
"You want to make upgrades to Crescent Rose, I assume?" Lunatus asked as more of a question than a statement. She nodded.
"I also wanted to know more about your fighting style." She mumbled quietly to herself. Lunatus heard it clearly, but decided to let it slide until later.
"Sure, I don't see why – and she's already gone." As evidence by the appearance of rose petals within the dorm. He was about to head out before his senses picked up Yang's over-protectiveness. He glanced over at her and they made eye-contact. "I know the drill. Your emotions say it all." Yang simply nodded before turning to face the wall. Lunatus slowly closed the door to go catch up with Ruby. When he got there she looked extremely happy to be going to Vale. It didn't take long for a Bullhead to drop by to pick them up. During the flight, Ruby was talking about all of her favorite things about Crescent Rose and what she wants to do to upgrade it.
"I really think adding elemental Dust would make my shots add some more awesome factor to them. I mean seriously! It just makes my sweetheart so much more awesome, you know?!" Ruby just kept going. Lunatus chuckled much to Ruby's confusion. "What's so funny?"
"You have been talking for 20 minutes." Lunatus answered.
"So? What does that have to do with anything?" She asked innocently.
"We got here 20 minutes ago." It then hit Ruby as to what she did. She gasped and immediately got off of the Bullhead. Lunatus just shook his head. "Is she like this when it comes to weapons?" he asked no one in particular.
"All the time." The pilot answered. "She's a good kid, but I worry for someone as innocent as her with the life she chose."
"Yeah, it's a lot less colorful than you think." Lunatus replied.
He got off of the Bullhead and met up with Ruby who was standing a few feet away from the landing area. She kept telling him to keep up as she headed towards the weapons store. Lunatus was able to keep up with her while walking at a brisk pace. He was able to find Ruby from the trail of rose petals and said trial ended in front of the weapons shop. As he walked inside the store, his jaw dropped at the amount of different weapons on display. There were swords, axes, rocket launchers, staffs, guns, chains, it was overwhelming. His senses picked up an awestruck Ruby. He made his way over to her and saw that she was staring at an extension for sniper-scythes.
"I need it!" She declared. Lunatus glanced at the price, and his eyes widened.
"Uh, Ruby." She turned towards him and he pointed down at the price tag. When she saw it Lunatus felt her heart shatter.
"I can't afford it, and I don't want to ask Weiss." she looked really upset. It was then the store manager walked up.
"Hello, is there anything I can do for the two of you today?" the manager was a middle-aged man with a bulky frame and a scruffy beard.
"She wants this upgrade for her sniper-scythe, but we can't afford it." The man looked over at the two of them.
"Well if it isn't my best customer! I'm sorry I didn't see you there."
"Hey Hendrick. Do you think you can give us a discount on this? Please?" Ruby gave the man her puppy-eyes. He slowly shook his head.
"Sorry Red Reaper, I can't."
"Why not?" Ruby whined.
"This is the only one left and it's reserved." he stated. This only seemed to make Ruby even more upset. Lunatus felt that he should see if he could help out somehow. He nudged Ruby's shoulder and she looked up at his face.
"My Dad is in town, I can ask him to see if he can pay for it." This got Hendrick's attention.
"Pardon the intrusion, but who is your Dad?" he asked.
"His name is Abelardus." Hendrick's eyes widened.
"You're the son of Raze Steel-fist?!" he exclaimed.
"What does that mean?" Lunatus asked. Ruby groaned.
"Don't tell me you don't know what wrestling is." Ruby asked him as if she was asking a stupid question.
Lunatus's ears flattened at her demeanor."I don't." Hendrick gaped at him while Ruby face-palmed. "Ruby, you forget where I grew up."
Hendrick decided to add himself back in. "I guess your father never told you. In addition to being a Huntsman, he was also a boxer slash wrestler. He basically used some of his skills for the entertainment of others. He actually has participated in many tournaments. I knew he had a wife who was expecting, but I didn't think she was a Faunas..."
Lunatus decided to end the train of thought there. "In any case, I can bring my Dad over to verify it. All I need to do is to call him." Lunatus quickly left the store to contact his dad. He made sure he was out of people's sight by heading onto the roof of a building a few blocks away from the weapons store. He got into a meditative position and sent his spirit out to his father.
He found him in what looked to be his dad's living area. His dad wasn't even surprised by his son's ethereal apparition. He was busy polishing his gauntlets when Lunatus popped in.
"Hey son, I see that you have seemed to settle into Vale." he said.
"Well, it's certainly has been interesting to say the least. I need your help."
"More so than what you thought?"
"Dad!"
"Alright, jeez. Can't even take a joke." Alberdus became more serious. "What do you need?"
"I'm with someone at a weapon's store and there is something my friend wants but you have it on reserve." Lunatus explained.
"Is it a custom part for sniper-scythes?"
Lunatus was honestly surprised. "Yeah, how did-"
"I was the one who put it on reserve." Lunatus was even more confused.
"But I thought you didn't use scythes."
"I don't." he stated flatly.
"Then why buy it in the first place?"
"I was planning on giving it to a friend of mine, but he turned it down. I kept it in reserve in case he changed his mind. Does your friend use a scythe?"
Lunatus knew he was going to regret this. "Yes, her-"
"A girl?" Alberdus teased. Lunatus cut him off before he got any funny ideas.
"Yes, but we are only friends. Her name is Ruby Rose."
Alberdus scratched his head. "Name kinda sounds familiar. Anyway, I'll be over there soon."
"Alright, see you then." With that, Lunatus returned to his body. His stomach lurched and his vision became blurry.
"It's been a while since you've used that technique. Are you going to be alright?" Ryndur asked.
"I'll be fine, I'm only a bit dizzy." He lied as he fell onto his hands and knees. After a good two minutes, he was able to stand on his feet again.
"That's not what I feel."
"Shut up." Ryndur snickered before getting serious again.
"You should probably get back to Silver Eyes."
"Yeah, wait what do you mean by that?"
"Later." Ryndur left it at that. Lunatus quickly returned to the shop. Upon his arrival Ruby immediately appeared in front of him.
"Well, what did he say?" she asked him.
"He said he would be on his way to verify all of this." Lunatus answered. He turned towards Hendrick. "You said that my Dad went under then name of Raze Steel-fist?" His ears twitched.
"That's a name I haven't heard someone utter in a very long time." All of them turned around to see a man that looked absolutely nothing like our half-Grimm. He stands high among an average Huntsman, despite his seemingly narrow frame. His red, oily hair hung over a chiseled, wild face. Gray eyes glinted within their sockets over the store's various overhead lights. His attire consisted of a simple silver guard over his left shoulder and a large black piece of fur starting at said shoulder guard and covered nearly his entire body. In fact the only part of his body that was exposed was his lower hip where old, but visible scars could be seen. His lower half was a simple piece of brown waist guards over black leather pants. His feet were covered in steel boots. His gauntlets went from his fingers to his forearms. The other half of this arms revealed large muscles, and yet his gauntlets seem to fit comfortably. His most prominent feature goes to his large beard that not only reached down towards his neck, but it somehow compliments his eyes. He wore a proud and pleasant smile and all tension in the room seemed to be lost.
"Hey, Dad." Lunatus greeted.
"Hello, son. How are you adjusting to Beacon?"
"I'm doing just fine." Alberdus nodded. He made a glance at Ruby, who squeaked underneath his gaze. Alberdus looked her over a few moments before nodding in confirmation.
"Now I see the resemblance. You're Qrow's niece."
"You know my Uncle?" She squealed.
"Yeah, he and I had a great many adventures together. He told me how he was training someone with scythes, it's nice to see the results." Ruby became bashful all of a sudden. "Qrow was the one I wanted to give this part for; however he declined it. I don't see a problem letting his niece have it." Ruby cheered as Alberdus paid for the part. Ruby just marveled at it's overall design while constantly thanking Alberdus to which he responded each time. Lunatus watched the scene from afar.
"Girl loves her weapons." Ryndur commented.
"No kidding." Lunatus then saw Ruby walk towards his Dad slowly as if the last 15 minutes of spent energy were nothing.
"Can I ask you something, Mr. Lupus?"
"I don't know, can you?"
"Dad! Stop it!" Shouted Lunatus while Ruby giggled at his relationship with his Dad.
"My sister is a big fan of your fights, do you think you could sign this?" She was holding out a pen and paper.
Alberdus let out a hearty laugh as he accepted the pen and paper. "I don't see why not. What's her name?"
"Yang Xiao Long." Alberdus hummed as he began writing.
"Where did she get that pen and paper?" Lunatus asked himself rather than to Ryndur.
"Beats me." Alberdus handed back Ruby the signed paper.
Lunatus decided to leave. "I'm going to get a bite to eat. Thanks again, Dad." It was then Alberdus clasped a hand on his shoulder. Lunatus knew what this hidden gesture meant and he responded by rotating his left ear. Lunatus left without another word. Ruby was slightly confused by the gesture between the two of them, but wrote it off as a father-son thing. She heard Alberdus sigh.
"Mr. Lupus?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there something bothering Lunatus?"
Alberdus folded his arms. "Although I personally believe that Lunatus should be answering that question, I did my best to raise him on my own. There are things in life he never got to experience, and there are things he is worried about."
"Do you think he trusts me?"
He thought about it for a moment before responding. "Like I said, he is the one you should be asking." He stroked his beard. "I should probably get going. If I see Qrow, I'll tell him you said hi. If Qrow finds you, tell him I said hi."
"I will, and thanks again Mr. Lupus!" Ruby called out.
"Anytime Red Reaper." She was already gone as soon as the words left his mouth. He turned around and thanked Hendrick before leaving the store shortly after. The streets of Vale were less busy as most people were trying to get home. Alberdus looked up at the sky and smiled sadly. She has your eyes.
Lunatus was sitting on a park bench overlooking a lake while eating an apple. His senses picked up Ruby and he turned to face her. "So, what did you think of my dad?"
"He's really cool! I can see where you got your strength from."
Lunatus threw away his apple core. "Sorry about not getting you food."
"It's fine." They sat in silence. Ruby sat closer to Lunatus, but he didn't mind. "You know when Yang finds out about your relation to your Dad, she will challenge you to a fight."
"I know. She doesn't really know what I'm capable of." The two of them shared a laugh that ended with both of them gazing over the lake as the sun slowly began its decent.
"Lunatus?"
"Huh?" Lunatus looked to see Ruby staring out over the water while swinging her legs. Emotions of concern was all he could get from her.
"What really happened to you, yesterday?" The wind conveyed his silence.
"There was something that had come up and I needed to talk about it with Ozpin."
"Why not with us? Don't you trust us? Trust me?" Ruby gave Lunatus a pleading look. He averted his eyes from her innocent concern.
"What brought this up?"
She seemed to struggle to find the right words. "Something about your story really didn't, feel right. I think it had something to do with the sound I heard last night." Lunatus did his best to not show his reaction. "It sounded so, terrifying. I haven't heard anything like it. I was honestly surprised that no one here were even concerned. After hearing that noise, and not knowing where you were," she leaned onto his shoulder. "It made me worried about you." Lunatus could feel her heart being on the verge of breaking. He curled up his tail around her waist.
"Ruby." he asked her as she looked up at him. "There are things about me that I am not sure when I am ready to reveal. If I were to tell you what it was, I am afraid of how it would affect everything."
"What could be so important of a secret that you can't tell us?" he could sense her confusion.
"The kind that the world isn't ready for." Lunatus said solomly. "Please, you must give me time to adjust." As the evening sky began to show the stars, Ruby had one more question.
"Are you going to tell us?"
"When I feel that the time is right. I promise." He didn't hear a response from her for a while. He looked at her but she wasn't looking at him.
"Whatever it is that you don't want to tell your team, just know I will accept you for you." Lunatus was surprised at her response.
"Never thought I would hear something like that come out from her."
"You can say that again."
Whatever sad mood Ruby was in seemed to immediately disappear when she looked at her Scroll and saw how late it was. Seeing the time as well, plus the fear of the wrath of Yang, the two of them hurried themselves back to Beacon.
Upon arriving, Yang was in her nightwear with her arms crossed while tapping her foot. "Where have the two of you been?! You were gone all-day!"
Lunatus could tell that Ruby was going to try and explain everything, but he decided to end this quickly. "Ruby got the weapon part she wanted and she also got to meet someone." Yang gave him a puzzling look before Ruby realized what he was trying to hint at.
"Oh yeah! Yang! You are not going to believe this." She handed him the paper.
Yang decided to read it a-loud. "To Yang Xiao Long, I heard you like my fights. It's nice to find that there are people who would rather talk with their fists over anything else. Keep your arms swinging, signed RAZE STEEL-FIST?!" She squealed like a fan-girl. "YOU GOT TO MET RAZE STEEL-FIST WITHOUT ME?! EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!" Her eyes were red, but Lunatus could tell she was really happy about this. He could also sense jealousy. Weiss and Blake were confused over Yang's outburst.
"Who's Raze Steel-fist?" Weiss asked. Yang got up in Weiss's face.
"You mean you don't know one of the best boxers and wrestler in all of Remnant? HE IS AN INSPIRATION TO ALL BOXERS!" She added proudly, "My fighting style is modeled after him."
Weiss slowly pushed Yang out of her personal space. "So he is a guy who fights for the sake of entertaining others? If your method of fighting is like his, then he must be more barbaric than I thought." Lunatus got really irritated at Ice Queen's remark. Yang was about to tell her off, but Lunatus decided to step in.
"My Dad's fighting style is anything but barbaric. He has been a certified Huntsman for a very long time. He taught me everything that I know." The room was in complete silence. Lunatus could sense Yang staring at him. "Uh..."
"You walked right into that one, Lunatus." Ryndur remarked. Ruby decided that it was time to take the bathroom.
"YOUR DAD-"
"YANG!" Lunatus shouted at her. He took a deep breath. "Control yourself."
"Thank you!" Blake mumbled as she was trying to get some last minute reading done.
Yang blushed in embarrassment. "Your Dad is Raze Steel-fist?!"
"Yes. Although he never told me he was a boxer." Yang just continued to look Lunatus over as if she was meeting him for the first time. She then smirked at him.
"I don't' like that look." Ryndur just laughed at Lunatus's misfortune.
"It all makes sense now. The reason why you use close-quarters, your reaction times, your strength. It all comes together." Yang gave Lunatus a mischievous grin. "You know what this means now, Wolfie?"
"Do I have to say it out loud?" he rhetorically responded.
"You are going to lend me a hand in my next fight. I don't want you to pull any punches, though." Everyone groaned at Yang's awful puns.
"Stop it Yang!" Ruby's muffled voice called out from the bathroom.
"Never! The puns will never stop!"
"Can we all just go to bed now? We have classes tomorrow!" Weiss voiced what everyone was thinking. Lunatus was thankful that Ruby just got out of the bathroom and he immediately grabbed his nightwear to go change. A few minutes later, and he was ready to go to sleep.
"What a day." Lunatus sighed.
"Agreed."
"To have Yang react like that, I wish I took a picture."
"It was really amusing." The two of them laughed in their thoughts. Lunatus turned himself over to stare at the ceiling.
"Are you going to talk to me about why you called Ruby Silver Eyes?"
Lunatus heard Ryndur yawn. "Later. I'm tired."
"Alright, fine." Lunatus closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Since the passage of time can be seen by Ryndur, he wondered to himself about the upcoming events.
'I wonder what is the progress of the state of the Arc boy? I want to believe he has the power to help combat The ONE, but I don't think it will be enough. The Red Reaper also has Silver Eyes, something I haven't seen in a long time. It is most likely she is unaware of her extraordinary gift. Perhaps their combined strength could defeat The One.' Ryndur felt the presence of Lunatus's sleeping form. 'I hate to wake him, but I need to know.'
"Lunatus, I need you to wake up."
Lunatus being used to being suddenly woken up by his inner Grimm twitched in his sleep. "What is it Ryndur?"
"Do you think we should check up on Arc?"
"Yeah, it has been a bit since we last spoke to him. I am curious as to how he has been handling things as of late." Lunatus slowly got up from his spot and left the dorm as quietly has he could. He made sure to be extra stealthy to not wake up Blake, even though he was sure she would be watching him anyway. His extra senses could pick up Jaune talking to Pyrrha.
"You were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-"
"Jaune! It's okay!" Lunatus heard Pyrrha say. He stopped while only a few steps away from the top. "Your team really misses their leader, you know." Lunatus heard her footsteps and he quickly hid himself further. "You should come down! Ren made pancakes! No syrup, though - you can thank Nora for that!"
Lunatus could sense Jaune's relief. "Wait!" From Lunatus's point of view, Pyrrha turned around and he assumed she was looking at Jaune. "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me... to help me become a better fighter?" Pyrrha turned around and Lunatus could see a satisfied smile on her face. She turned around again and he heard Jaune fall on the ground shortly after. Lunatus decided to make his way up to the roof completely. The shade of the door masked his presence. Jaune whined like a little child which made Lunatus chuckle silently. He could see Pyrrha standing over Jaune with her hands on her hips and Lunatus could feel her evaluating emotions.
"Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." She explained to Jaune as she offers him her hand to which he graciously accepts. They continued to hold hands only to grin at each other. "Let's try that again." Lunatus smiled and stepped out into the moonlight.
"I apologize for breaking this heart-to-heart, but she is right Jaune." The two teens looked towards him.
"Oh, hey Lunatus! It's nice to see you!" Jaune said. "How long have you been listening?" Lunatus could tell that Pyrrha was slightly irritated as it was hidden behind a forced smile.
Lunatus shrugged his shoulders. "Bits and pieces, I had a long day with team RWBY or rather just with Ruby." He quickly glanced at Pyrrha and gave her a reassuring look. "I heard that you are going to start training, and as much as I would like to see you become a better fighter, do you know how to fight without your weapons?"
Jaune looked confused. "I don't think so. I always thought I would have my sword on me." Lunatus quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I can use some hand-to-hand combat training. I kinda wish that Ren could train me, as he is a part of my team." Jaune then quickly added, "Not that you're not a good person to train with as well, um..." Lunatus smirked at Jaune's attempt to clean up his mess.
"Even though I am a part of another team, I like to help out my friends as well." Lunatus felt really good saying that as evident by Jaune and Pyrrha's smiles. "As Pyrrha is the only other person who uses a shield, she is an excellent person to train with. Your fighting styles are naturally different since you have the sword and shield while she has the spear and shield, I think something could come out of this. In regards to close quarters, I can have it be that Ren and I can alternate training you. Ren is more about speed while mine has more about strength." Pyrrha nodded in agreement.
"But what about Nora?" Jaune asked.
"I can help deal with Nora's antics." Lunatus replied nonchalantly. "It'll give Ren some peace of mind. There really isn't a lot that is able to affect me. We can discuss about it later on if it makes you feel better."
"I would like that." Jaune replied.
Lunatus nodded. "Good. Now, I am going to go back to sleep. I'll see you two tomorrow." Lunatus gave them his wolfish grin and made his way back to his dorm. As he sneaked back inside, he was pretty sure Blake was watching him; but he really didn't care.
"You did good, Lunatus. He will be better than he could ever think he could be." Ryndur complemented.
"I think so to." Lunatus said tiredly while stifling a yawn. He then curled up back into his spot before closing his eyes.
(December 23, 2016) I don't really have any excuse for the lack of updates on my stories. It honestly has been a mixture of playing video games, college, trying to find a job, coming up with more Chapters for the existing stories and as well as actual new stories (I go into more detail later), writer's block, and procrastination/low motivation.
I hope that my readers are at least pleased with this one. Once I finally finished this one, I was surprised at its word count. This has come to be the longest one I have ever written. I feel that even though I've been trying to find time to write, I feel as if my overall quality hasn't changed at all.
Perhaps it's a sign of my personality for liking things to be simple but may or may not show hidden complexity. I don't know.
Going back to the stories I mentioned, I'm currently working on four new stories to be the most recent updated/added to the list. Two of them being cross-overs. I can't help myself sometimes. I come up with these ideas and I just have an almost uncontrollable urge to write it down.
Anyway, I can't really give out my usual outro since I don't know when this story's next Chapter update is going to be. My plan is that as soon as I upload this one, I will immediately start working on the other Chapter that was close to being updated.
Also, I do wear glasses now. Found out my eyes were going bad. This will be addressed in my Self-Inserts.
As far as Chapter updates are concerned, I can't really give a time frame as to when I will update; but updates will be happening.
One more thing I want to mention. This Chapter is probably the longest on I will have ever written. The reason as to why this is so long is because I felt guilty for being gone for so long without an update. As a way of me saying thank you to everyone for waiting so patiently, I will make all of my next Chapters in my other stories longer than what I normally do. So basically all of my stories are going to be updated with an extra long Chapter. I find it funny that even when I'm gone for long periods of time I still get follows/faves/reviews. I find it as a sign that you all like what I put out and are patient enough to put up with me.
9,891 words! Wow...
So does this count as an early Christmas gift? At least for the people who celebrate that? I swear I didn't plan this at all.
I will leave off with this note. My next planned story updates are as follows:
Chapter 2 of RWBY: The Hunter from Earth – Faunas Edition
Chapter 12 of RWBY: The Hunter from Earth
Chapter 2 of Team DRGN (Dragon)
Chapter 2 of RWBY: An Elysian Tail
Chapter 3 of The White Knight's Shadow
Chapter 3 of The Misadventures and Antics of a Vampire
A story from a franchise I should have already written for by now.
This has been TheTriforceofAwesomeness, and I hope to see you all again soon.
Peace!