Author's Notes: Happy New Years, guys! I bring you yet another chapter of this fic! It's not the longest I've written, I know (sorry), but I wanted to post it for you all! By the way, some of you have been asking if Cardin will fall into the antihero or fullblooded bully category, and I can only say time will tell. I'll leave it to you all to guess which will happen with what you've seen so far of his personality and his past. Now then, enjoy!

Tooth and Nail, Fang and Claw

"Lucy?" he called, the older girl turning her head at his question. The tall, long-haired girl raised a brow worriedly when she saw him sadly fidgeting his hands together. She stood up from her bed in their room and walked over to his own. Neither was pretty, and both were incredibly hard. It made him wonder if they were made of stone. Still, she sat behind him and placed a caring hand on his shoulder, asking, "What's wrong, sweetie? Are they being mean to you at school again?"

He had forgotten the two bullies at school that took his money whenever they found him. One had dog ears, and he thought that would have made him nicer like all good dogs. It didn't. He thought human-animals worked backwards to their animals and that that would make the dog-boy's boar-friend be nicer. He was wrong and got hit for it. But they were a year older than he was, so they didn't share classes in school and it was easier for him to avoid them. It was their home that had him like that. He licked his hard teeth, none of the older soft ones remaining. "When can we leave the orphanage?"

"Oh, Cardin, you know the answer to that. I'm still fifteen, so it'll be three more years until I can move out and bring you with me. You need to be strong until then." She brought his head to her lap and caringly stroked his head. For a while, he forgot what he had been sad about with her so close. His brows furrowed, trying to remember the man in the shadow's name. "Lucy, who's Orion?"

She stopped stroking his head then and softly turned his head to look at him worriedly. She was slow about her words. "Cardin, you must never, ever repeat that name, especially here. Please forget that name from your head, there are things you don't need to worry about yet. You're only eleven. Right now, focus on your school and your music lessons. You're doing so much better each time…"

He smiled and took his head off her lap to face her, "That's because of you, Lucy! You're so great, I'm only sort of good thanks to you!"

She laughed sweetly, hugging his head to her chest as he giggled when she picked him up and spun him around. After giving him a kiss on the brow, she murmured, "You're a sweet boy, Cardin, and you'll become a great man when you're older. Remember that, Cardin, no matter what."

He grunted and rubbed his eyes, sunlight intrusively ending his slumber. He could hear a girl's singing, but couldn't truly process her words. He wished it was the type of serene humming that raised one's spirits first hour in the morning. It wasn't. If he had to describe it, he would say the sound was the human incarnation of a trumpet. Played by a talentless drunk. He growled loudly and got up, blinking a few times to take the sight in better. Several were waking up just as groggily as he had thanks to the loudmouth, one in particular having a resigned expression on his face. She kept singing to him in particular, but seemed to do it so the whole city would hear.

He tapped her shoulder twice, leading her to turn around with that big, oblivious smile on her face and yell, "Wow, you're huge! Betcha Grimm are gonna be running when they see you! Not that you're ugly, you're, uh… how can I put it? INTIMIDATING! Got it! And you're glare is really killing it! It's almost like you're already looking for something to kill and-"

"Nora." The man with long hair and a single, neon pink lock at its front caught her midsentence. She turned and fake pouted at him, unaware of the disturbance she was causing. "Not now, Ren! Can't you see I'm having an interesting conversation with-"

"Nora." She groaned in annoyance, about to tell her friend off when Cardin gave a loud grunt. She raised her brow when she looked at him, taking her time to connect the dots until she finally understood the reason behind the heavy black bags under his bloodshot eyes. She blushed, closing her eyes and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, big guy, I got carried away! I get carried away a lot, and sometimes I can get really, really loud, but I don't hear myself talking so loud 'cause I don't-"

"NORA." Somehow, the young man did not shout but his voice came across really loud. She opened her eyes to find Carding scowling, his right eye twitching vehemently. Now she was more nervous than embarrassed, starting to walk backwards and away from him. "Weeell, itwasnicemeetingyousorryforwakingyouupBYE!"

And then she ran off, taking the man's hand and forcing him to run with them. It took much of Cardin's willpower to not chase after them with his Mace, finding that he would do everything he could to avoid 'Nora'. She was the type of person that didn't talk to people as much as she yelled in their direction. He was fine with loud, but not borderline deafening. He stuck his pinky finger in his right ear, giving it a few twists before getting out the white noise from his head.

His stomach's continuous growls led him to remember why he would have still woken up if the obnoxious redhead hadn't beat him to it. He looked behind him to find the three acquaintances he gained either getting up or stretching. A tilt of the head, and the four left for the cafeteria. Grabbing a tray, Cardin took a deep breath before entering the buffet like-area, mentally preparing himself for a hundred and one different types of gruel to be served on his plate. He was given a surprise when a sweetened aroma filled his nostrils.

He awkwardly walked to the place where breakfast was served, half expecting it to be a farce of the sorts. He remained in a short state of shock when he found actual food waiting to be served upon. It wasn't that he expected the food to be as crappy as the orphanage's, but he assumed taste was too unimportant to take into account, expecting the Hunters to bake vitamin and protein-filled porridge. He served himself carefully, almost fearing that the food would bite in spite of his belly's constant complaints.

He filled up until two plates were entirely filled up, half expecting someone to chastise him for breaking a rule about the food he didn't know of. No one came, and he sat slowly on an empty part of the great tables. Rookie privileges, maybe? But when he put the first bite in his mouth, he started ravaging every bit of the meal on his tray. By the time the other three sat down, he had already consumed half of his mixture of scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and too many other things with names he couldn't remember or even know. All he knew was that his tray was filled with delicious food and it hadn't been poisoned, and that was enough.

"Slow down, will you? It'd be freaking hilarious if a freshman died choking on his food on the first day, though." Apparently, Dove didn't fear him as much as Russel did, so Cardin gave a growl before continuing to ravage everything in front of him. Lionel looked like he couldn't care less and shrugged before sitting down across from the hungry beast, Dove beside him. Russel sneaked to Cardin's side and placed his tray a fair distance from the giant's own, preferring to avoid the scenario of losing his breakfast to the current leader of the group. "I've had enough of the orphanage's shit for food for a lifetime, so I think I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm here."

"That bad, huh? Didn't need to place it all on a tray though, I mean you could get seconds." Russel's remark made Cardin stopped, fork still in the air as he turned to the younger man. "You're telling me I can get seconds?"

"Well yeah, it's not like they'll dislocate your jaw or any-" He stopped midsentence when Cardin tore off the bite from his fork and near ran back to the buffet. It wasn't long before he came back with the same amount of food, maybe more. Dove stared at the giant, sarcasm filling his tone. "Well, it's a good thing we teamed up with a bear. For a second there I thought you might have anorexia."

The group chuckled but Cardin didn't hear them. He finished his second serving even faster than his first, not having known refills were an option at the academy. When he was done, he placed a hand and rubbed his belly with the queer satisfaction of getting his stomach full without lynching his wallet. He looked at the other three, all staring at him with the discomfort they would have if they found a feral animal out of its cage. He sighed, "Back at the orphanage, we got 'house porridge'. That was their name for the gruel they gave us. They used old meat to make it if there was any, though I do remember seeing a rat there once or twice. Anyone asked for seconds and the lovable chef would give us a taste of his wooden spoon."

"Jesus…" Cardin' knew Dove's shock was genuine when he saw he didn't look very hungry anymore. Russel was picking his food when he finished hearing the man's experience. For once, he didn't want to pick on the smaller companion, he even felt a bit guilty at intimidating him the day before. If he had to guess, Cardin would say some of the things he said hit close to home. Lionel maintained his expressionless face, but it seemed to be less hard than before. "Well, what happened is in the past and no one can change that, so we might as well get up and get ready for the 'initiation'. I get the feeling that how well we do will make Freshman Hell Week better or worse for us. Either ways, I'm done here and I've spent too much time without my Mace."

While Cardin still had things like his lucky charm and his pajama on, as did everyone else, all other luggage and equipment had to stay in their assigned lockers. He felt naked without any of his weapons nearby, but he sucked it up and heeded the commands anyways. To the best of his understanding, at least during their first day, they would get free reign to use their weapons. That had been enough to convince him of leaving his arms and weapons within the designated facilities. It wasn't long before they geared up and headed outside, though not before they bumped into Schnee along the way. This time, she had had the sense to glare at them but walk away in silence. Cardin returned the gesture and soon found himself before the cliff facing forest within the academy's grounds.

Small, metal squares had their names on them, leading them to stand atop them as they waited for further instructions. Stomping a few times, he found the ground under the plate to be missing. The others gathering nearby caught his attention, especially at the final two arrivals. Ozpin and Goodwitch stood in front of them, the former holding his cup while the latter had a tablet scroll.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin began. Not a far cry, no. Goodwitch looked up from her scroll and continued, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to that confusion."

Then by all means, enlighten us and hurry the fuck up, Cardin thought, though chose not to voice it. Ozpin took over again, "Each of you will be given teammates today. These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" Cardin heard the squeal from the crater-girl he'd spoken to the night before. Many of the first years were muttering nervously, including two of the three acquaintances to his right. Lionel kept a cool image, seemingly caring more about the clouds in the sky than the headmaster's speech. Cardin just shrugged. Hell, if you got stranded in a forest filled with massive beasts that want to kill you, the first person you'd find there would be your ticket to surviving. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

Now there's something strangely familiar. Where others gulped at the words, Cardin found himself smiling sourly at the situation. Unfortunately, he had had more than enough experience getting the shit-end of the stick to know how to handle situations where the odds were against him. Ozpin looked at their expressions coldly before going on, "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Cardin looked over to the other three, Russel looking a bit anxious. I'll be damned. Russel wasn't talking out of his ass and even he's surprised about that. The thought made him chuckle, and he laughed a bit when the headmaster ignored vomit-boy's question. At Ozpin's command, everyone got into a stance which Cardin quickly deduced would be for takeoff. They started sending them off from the corner on the left, soon getting to his three companions. Taking it upon himself to look at where they would land, he figured he'd find a way to gang up with them. He didn't feel like making introductions all over again.

Russel was the last of the three to get vaulted over to the forest, giving him a two-fingered wave before being launched into the forest. Taking his Mace, he gripped it with all his might and waited for the moment to come. It came too fast for him, and he could only see the trees rushing and hear the winds screaming at first. He managed to get himself into a bullet-like stance, allowing the air to stop posing resistance to his large form. He could see figures of the others, some farther away than others. For a second, he could have sworn he heard someone cheering. Then he found Goldie using some sort of shotgun gauntlets to propel herself forwards.

He took his mind off her and focused on what was in front of him when his descent began. Squinting his eyes, he gripped his Mace as he smacked and exploded away several tree tops that could have given him injuries he didn't need to start the day with. Losing speed and allowing himself to glide with his whole body facing forwards like a great log himself, he reversed his 'bullet pose' by putting his feet first. This time, his boots sank into the middle of the great pillar of oak and stayed there with a loud crack. He heard the natural column moan as several branches broke off. Having the results he expected, Cardin smiled and gripped the tree that soon fell forwards.

The weight of his form knocked it down in such a way that by the time it met the floor, Cardin was standing upright. With a bit of effort, he pulled his legs from the fresh, wooden corpse and fondled the handle of his grand weapon as he kept an eye out to his surroundings. A green blur sped past him above, and he immediately knew to whom it belonged. Jogging lightly, he saw Russel scratching several branches to slow down before stabbing fiercely a final tree. With his large, sharpened daggers digging deep into the timber, he slid down quickly enough to the floor. He's light-footed, it's probably for the best if we team up. He has the speed, I have the strength.

By the time he was done cleaning his dual weapons, Russel turned around to find Cardin jogging towards him. He gave a big smile knowing with whom he had paired up with so quickly, following him when the larger man nodded his head towards the north. The smaller of the two looked around a bit before speaking, "You know, I heard from a friend's uncle that-"

"Russel, you don't need to name whoever the hell told you what you're gonna tell me now, and chances are I'm never meeting that person anyways. Just say what you heard and leave it at that." Unlike the previous day's scolding, this time Cardin went on about it more reflectively and in turn Russel didn't take it harshly. He nodded, "Well, I heard that Beowolves tend to hunt in packs in the woods."

"That's obvious, anything that can actually help us?"

"I was getting to that. They hunt in packs in the woods because that's the easiest way for them to hide and dodge any attacks Hunters have. From what I've heard, only one of every five will chase its victim all the way out into an open field." At Russel's tidbit, Cardin replied, "So if we hear the howling, we run out into the open. Fair enough."

"The best areas away from Grimm are rare to find. If you're out in the field, Nevermores will spot you, and if they don't, then you're probably entering Tauri territory. Stick in the average woods and you'll find Beowolves and maybe Ursai if you're near a pond. If you find a large cave, then there's probably a Death Stalker waiting for you. If you find a large crater in the woods, then it's the two-headed King Taijitu that you'll find. Boarbatusks and Creeps stick mainly to abandoned cities in ruins and Goliaths… I can't really remember." Though Russel was rubbing his head sheepishly at the last part, or rather lack of it, Cardin was fairly impressed with his knowledge. "Hell, and all this you heard from a friend's uncle?"

Russel smiled slyly when Cardin mentioned what he'd just cast out. Cardin rolled his eyes and waited for an answer, which the companion gladly gave. "Yeah, he was a drunken ex-Hunter. Got tired of the paranoia, danger, betrayals, double-life, secret societies and all and blew all of his money on hookers, booze and drugs. Pretty sad, but the man sure knew his shit to remember all of that."

"So he did…" Cardin suddenly doubted the truth behind Russel's words. He could tell the young man was convinced he was telling the truth, but the source didn't sound very convincing now. At least he could see the logic behind most of the Grimm's normal habitats Russel named, so he would entertain the idea and believe him. He heard gunshots and a long howl in the distance, which seemed to be getting slightly louder the longer it lasted. Cardin frowned. "Guess that's our cue to leave the forest, isn't it?"

"You got it." With that they both ran a fair distance to hear more fighting, thankfully followed by gunshots and slashing noises. Jogging to an opening in the woods, they found Dove and Lionel face to face with a very large Boarbatusk. The beast was at least twelve feet tall, far greater in length and wide enough to look like a wall of black and white death. Its spine had grown out three rows of spikes and to mark its age, the great brute had a second pair of sharpened tusks. Dove and Lionel were doing a good enough job at getting even with the strong fiend, but they weren't making any progress.

Dove shot at it with his Sword's bullets that hardly scratched its armor, but did a fair job at enraging the Boarbatusk. Lionel barely attacked the Grimm, but the few strikes he made, he ensured they'd count. Cardin could see that the front knees' exoskeletons were almost destroyed, leading him to jump in front of the great beast. It took the three by surprise when the two arrived and the biggest of the four took the advantage of that and used his Mace's Dust core to finish destroying it's frontal right knee. Crippled, the Boarbatusk moaned and thundered in despair and pain, leaving it immobile long enough for Russel to hop and stab its eyes.

Using one of his daggers' compartments, both eyes popped as the blades froze them, leaving the second pair lacking sight with the ice reaching them. Blinded, crippled and angered, the Grimm thrashed violently in the attempt of making a last stand. The four looked at each other and instinctively knew what to do. Cardin hopped onto its head and gave a second crushing blow that shattered its pale helmet. Lionel followed by jumping to the big man's place and skinning it to the inner skull with a swipe of his Halberd. Dove came in last and stabbed his sword into the Boarbatusk's head, now firing several shots that scattered in its brain before it finally went limp.

Getting back to the ground, Cardin took a look at the three and analyzed them again. Russel wasn't strong and would have been shaken off by the great Boarbatusk easily if he hadn't stabbed it first, but he was nimble and fast. Dove was an all-rounder, but pissing the enemy off would make it much more erratic and give more room for strikes in its blunders. Lionel, although he didn't look like it, had wiry strength and precision along with agility, plus the patience to wait for his enemies to give an opening for him to attack. And then there was himself, who had the brute strength to make an opening for the rest to exploit. Cardin smiled at them and they returned it, the four jogging towards the north. Not such a bad team, at least I won't have them slowing me down.

Author's Notes: Well, hoped you enjoyed the first fight of this fic (not the last one by a long shot, fret not)! As you may guess, I will be placing several Grimm OCs (because who doesn't love a wide variety of strong beasts with exoskeletons to protect them), and maybe a few actual character OCs, though the better part of the story will be focused on the characters we know and love (or hate). Hope you enjoyed, and please review, for it is my source of strength.

The Almighty Afroduck,

All Hail