Authors note: this is the latest in the timeline that this fic goes in the current outline I have.


40 AP (5 years before team RWBY)


Blake held her protest sign high and yelled as loudly as she was able. This store had released an advertisement that featured a faunus killing a man for not buying the store product for him. That sort of mistreatment and stereotyping in the media was not acceptable. She stood at the front of the crowd of White Fang that had gathered. She was small but she certainly didn't go unnoticed. Last year she had earned the "biggest personal field impact" medal. She was hoping to win it for the third year in a row this year. She looked over when she heard footsteps she recognized. Adam was here. He had a loud voice. He could help with the protest.

Adam arrived at the peaceful protest. He saw several people there he recognized, including Blake. Blake wasn't supposed to be here. Well it was too late to stop now. The charges were already in place. He nodded to a faunus wearing a pin with three red claw marks on it. The faunus nodded back and pulled out weapons. Adam watched as every faunus in the area wearing a claw mark pin was rapidly armed. He glanced over at the confused look on Blake's face. She was so young, so innocent.

He drew his sword and walked to the front of the now combat ready crowd. He raised his sword to point towards the shop and gave the signal "Let's give 'em hell! They must pay for what they have done!" The crowd cheered in approval and charged the doors. It was seconds before someone had smashed through the windows. It was only minutes before someone had scattered burn dust and the whole shop caught ablaze. On the way out Adam noticed Blake standing in front of the store. She had dropped her sign and was just watching the building burn. Adam grabbed her by the arm and pulled her with him. She couldn't be there when the cops arrived.

Peter stood before the group of people. This was the lineup of all the people who had been present at the burning. He looked at the girl at the end of the line for a few seconds before speaking to her "Blake, you may go." The girl nodded and ran out as quickly as she could. Peter eyed the rest of the people. He noticed that more than half of them were wearing red claw pins, the mark of The White Wolf. He frowned. He instructed each person without a pin to leave one-by-one. A dozen or so people remained, Adam among them. Peter turned to Adam "did The White Wolf tell you to burn the shop?"

Adam didn't speak. Someone else did "he told us to teach 'em a lesson. So that's what I did." The boy held a flame in his hands as he spoke.

Peter walked over to the pyromaniac "you burned the store down?"

The boy nodded "sure did"

Peter gave him a stern glare before speaking "can you tell me who The White Wolf is?"

The boy looked up at him "he is the voice of the faunus. He is the new leader of The White Fang."

Peter shouted in interruption "I'm the leader of The White Fang!" The pyromaniac smirked at the older man. Peter glared back "now tell me. Who is The White Wolf?"

The boy answered again "the leader of the revolution. Viva la faunus!"

Every member of the line except Adam responded to this "Viva la faunus!"

Adam knew better than to respond in front of one of the only people left of the old regime with enough power to fire him. That's how he had stayed in when so many White Wolf followers had been thrown out. It's why he was the only one in that line to walk out of that room still a member of The White Fang.

Peter called in Blake. When she arrived he gestured for her to take a seat and poured them both some tea "tell me what you saw at the burning yesterday. I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to know everything you saw."

Blake thought back to the shock of seeing Adam drawing his weapon to lead the charge. She thought about his face as he had exited the burning structure. She lied to protect him "I didn't see anything." Peter raised an eyebrow at this. She'd have to do better than that "I was outside the whole time. One minute it was a peaceful protest and the next people were charging the storefront with weapons drawn. Sometime after that someone set the building on fire. I didn't see any distinct faces, just a crowd of misguided individuals."

Peter looked at her a moment longer "ok, you may go."

Blake hesitated "can I ask you something?" He nodded and gestured for her to continue. Blake formed the words in her mouth before speaking "have you ever thought you had known someone so well that they could never change?"

Peter lightly smiled "dear child, I used to think of this organization in much that same light."

Blake questioned further "but something changed?"

Peter nodded "if there's one thing my years on this planet have taught me, it's that everything changes eventually. The White Fang is no different. There's a big change coming very soon. Have you heard anything about The White Wolf?" Blake shook her head. Peter told her "He's the next leader of The White Fang, wether I like it or not. He's winning people over with the idea of a revolution. None of these kids have ever fought in a real war. They don't know what war would mean. Nowhere in the world would be safe or sacred anymore. Teachers would be killing students at schools and there would be armies clashing in the streets. There are no winners in war, only survivors."

Blake asked him "so why do people fight in wars if no-one ever wins?"

Port thought for a moment "because they're all too scared that the other guy is going to pull the trigger first. They would all rather be responsible for countless unimaginable horrors than just lay down and die with dignity and honor. I'm no different. I've fought to survive just like everyone else does eventually. The only difference is that I know what choice I'm making. I know that I'm choosing to leave nothing behind me but a legacy of war."

Blake reached into her bag and pulled out a book "I think you should read this. It's what stopped me from leaving The White Fang a few years ago." She slid the book across the desk. Peter read the title.

"Why are we here?" By Ozpin

He smiled. She had given him exactly the book he needed to see. He looked down at the book as he spoke "none of us are born with a purpose for living. We have to make that ourselves. If we live without purpose then death holds no less merit than life. I should sooner die too uphold my purpose for living than uphold my own life at the cost of its own value above death."

Blake nodded "so you've read it?"

Peter nodded "yes, many years ago when the sky was much younger than it is now."

Blake stood and walked toward the door "maybe you should think about that some. It might help you understand why some feel a revolution to be necessary."

A few hours later Adam was sent on a mission deemed of utmost importance by The White Wolf. He was sent along with three other people to eliminate the last remaining great power of the old regime. He stood outside Port's office. He gave the signal and the group rushed in only to find the place abandoned. Only a note was left.


"To The White Wolf

I do not wish for our conflict to be the catalyst of war. I do not wish to see people die so that your teachings may be kept in check. I do not wish to undermine the values of this organization myself so that they may not be undermined by yourself.

Therefore this is to be considered as my resignation letter from the leadership of The White Fang. I must find my purpose elsewhere since it no longer matches with the changing purpose of this office that I had thought myself to have known so well.

Signed Peter Port,

former leader of The White Fang."


Adam read it several times through. He turned to his team "it seems that our esteemed leader has resigned. The White Wolf will be most pleased to hear this news. Viva la faunus."

The next day The White Wolf was voted into office as the new leader of The White Fang.

Blake was full of confusion because of the things she had recently seen Adam do. She thought about his face as he left the burning building. It was so full of purpose, so full of confidence. Perhaps there had been a good reason for all he had done. Perhaps he knew something she didn't. There had to be some reasonable explanation. She couldn't have been so wrong about him, could she?

One week later Peter stood at the gates of beacon academy. Perhaps this would be where his new purpose resided, in the company of old friends.

Ozpin was doing a large stack of paperwork when there was a knock at the door. He stood and walked over to answer it. He opened the door and saw Peter Port standing outside his office "is it Halloween already?"

Peter responded "if it were would I not be in costume, my dear friend?"

Ozpin walked back over to his desk "please, come in. To what do I owe this visit?"

Peter sat across from Ozpin "I'd like to take you up on that teaching job you offered me when you first opened this school, if I may."

Ozpin got a perplexed look on his brow "I thought you were busy with your own project, The White Fang. What happened?"

Peter looked off behind Ozpin for a second "things changed. A new up-and-coming individual known only as The White Wolf has the kids dreaming of revolution. I started a pacifist organization but not everyone in it were pacifists. that is no longer where my purpose resides. A very clever little girl helped more realize that." As he spoke the last words he slid the book she had given him towards Ozpin.

Ozpin looked at the book "my book, it was based off of a conversation I had with Summer when we first met. It took me years to write this."

Peter nodded "it is a good book. It has helped me many times when I needed your council but had not the proper time or communication devices to consult you personally."

A few seconds later Ozpin asked him "so what would you like to teach?"

Peter thought for a moment "I have a pretty unique understanding of the Grimm."

Ozpin commented "our Grimm Studies teacher just quit last week. You start tomorrow morning at 10:35."

Peter shook Ozpin's hand "thank you my friend."

Ozpin responded "always"


Up next: 70 years earlier