As they made their way to Davenport Ricky was constantly checking his surroundings. Grimm activities may be low you can never be sure, also wild animals are all around. They made their way through a small passage between two rocks. Ricky slowed sown as they began to descend from the high hills and they began to see houses unlike the ones in Vale. They were wooden and hand built, there was a structure to the right of them, it was a large stone furnace. There was a small roofed area next to it with another horse inside.
"This is big Dave's forge and stable, we'll drop off Bullseye here, I'm sure he's tired" Ricky said moving into the roofed area.
"Who's 'big Dave'?" Ruby asked as she got of Bullseye.
"He's a black smith, not many people need one anymore, but here he's a big help" Ricky explained.
Ricky had his hood on and his ears folded. They continued to walk down the path into the town. Many wooden buildings could be seen as they continued to walk. They stopped on the bridge over a river as Ruby looked over the railing. She saw the lumber mill still run on the power of the river. When they got off the bridge Ricky notice a familiar face sitting on a rock writing in his note book.
"Good morning Father Timothy" Ricky called.
he looked up and had a friendly smile on his face "Good morning Richard and friend" he called back.
Ricky walked up to him and introduced Ruby.
"Father this is Ruby she is one of my team mates at Beacon" Ricky said introducing Ruby.
"Hi" Ruby said.
"Hello, it's a pleaser to meet you miss" Timothy said.
"Father do you know where Conner is?" Ricky asked.
"He should be in the manor as always."
"Thank you Father."
They continued down the path into the main part of town.
"Father?" Ruby questioned.
"Timothy is a priest in the church" Ricky said pointing at the white building in front of them. "He likes to be referred to as 'Father' for religious purposes, and every one obliges as he is the one that settles any arguements people may have" Ricky explained.
"Makes sense" Ruby said.
They continued to walk down the right side of the path before a red building appeared.
"This is the manor, it's where I lived for ten years of my life" Ricky began.
"It's pretty big" Ruby said impressed.
"Yeah" Ricky said. He was actually back here after he had left, he had too keep a promise though. They walked up the steps to the door and Ricky knocked. Foots steps wear herd from inside then the door opened. A man with a Mohawk tied back appeared before them.
"Hello mentor" Ricky said.
"Hello Richard and..."
"Ruby" Ruby said joining the conversation.
"Hello Ruby, what brings you to the homestead?"
Ricky pulled down his hood as he started to say "well, as you know I'm attending school, Ruby here is one of my team mates, she wanted to see the homestead." Ricky wasn't really telling the truth as him showing his Faunus ears gave the real reason he was here, well one of them.
"I see, please come in then" Conner said motioning the pair to enter.
"Feel free to look around, I'll be in the dinning room if you need me" Conner said as he walked off into the room to the right.
"Theres one place I think you'll like" Ricky said as he walked down the hall with Ruby. He turned right at the door way and stopped behind the stair way. He knew Conner wasn't gonna like what he was gonna do but it was to buy time. He pulled on the candle holder hanging on the wall. The wall to his right popped and Ricky pushed it to reveal a hidden passage way.
"Whoa" was what he got out of Ruby as they walked down the stairs into the secret room. They saw the room was like a training dojo as there was a dummy in the middle of the circle, as well as a work shop. Ricky motioned Ruby at a door way in the room and to her amazement the room was full of antique swords and pistols. Ricky smiled as he saw her in awe examining all the weapons there.
"Hey I'm go talk to Conner for a bit, do you mind staying down here for a while?" Ricky asked.
"Of course" Ruby replied as she put one of the flintlocks back on the rack. With that Ricky made his way up the stairs and into the dinning room. Conner was not in the best of moods as he knew what Ricky had just done.
"Your lucky I don't keep propaganda down there" he said.
"It's only to buy time" Ricky took a seat "now, why have my wolf ears grown when you said they wouldn't."
Conner sighed as he hoped this day would never come. "Wolf Faunus are not born with ears or a tail, reason being because wolfs are predators, ears grow when the Faunus finds the instinct of a wolf inside them. The way I taught you was such, that you would never have to rely on such instincts."
"Why?" Ricky questioned.
"Because with that instinct comes power, and with that power comes consequence. The reason why there aren't that many wolf Faunus, is because they don't learn to control their power. They become animals and never return to the way they were before. I didn't want that to happen to you, but it seems like I've failed."
"How can I control it?"
"You must find what drives your instinct, and come to terms with it, create peace with yourself and learn to control your emotions."
Ricky thought for a moment before he asked his next question.
"Why is Ruby unaffected by my semblance?"
Conner now took his turn to think before answering. "I can only give a legend as an answer. Long ago before the Faunus and humans lived together, my ancestors talked about the 'ones with silver eyes,' they were people given something very special by nature. Every person born with silver eyes is destined to meet his or her wolf partner. A lone wolf travels the world in search of this person. They always make it to them wether it is minutes after their birth, or an hour before their death. They cannot do harm to their partner no matter what."
"So then...Ruby...is..."
"Richard there is no doubt she will be the decider if you can control your powers or not. You will want to protect her, but your instinct is what says that, you have to decide if that is what you say as well."
Ricky thought for a bit before he got up and said "I'll be outside if she asks" and with that he walked out the back door.
He made his way to a small patch of dirt where there where five graves, two of witch Ricky knew. They read Xavier and the other Carla, they were Ricky's parents. Ricky sat in front of them and began to talk to himself.
"Hi mom, dad, I'm back like I promised, I'm sixteen now and I don't know if you've been watching me or not but as you may or may not have seen, my wolf ears grew. I know you thought they would grow when I turned ten, but they didn't. Now I'm like you dad like I've always wanted to be."
Ricky took a brief pause then continued.
"I going to school, like you always wanted me too, but it's not a school for scholars. It's a school for Hunters and Huntresses...I'm learning to fight Grimm. I know it's not what you would want, but it's something I have to do. I can't stay here forever...I have to help others like Conner has helped me... I have to go now...but I'll be back next year...I promise."
After he finished he sat there for a while staring at the graves. He felt someone's hand on him, she put her arms over his shoulder and held on trying to comfort him. Ricky didn't know he let tears fall from his eyes, as they dripped on his hands in his lap. When he did he said "let's start heading back." He felt Ruby's head move, as it was pressed to his back, in a nodding action. The two stood and went back into the manor to say their good byes to Conner.
Ricky was about to exit when Conner stopped him. He handed Ricky what appeared to be a rope-dart, an ancient weapon, and a note.
"This has been passed down to me from my mentor...I now pass it down to you...take care Richard."
With that Richard hung it on his belt and gave a simple "thank you" he then took the note and put it in his pocket, then he walked out the manor.
The ride back was quiet as they went at a mild speed back. They dropped of Bullseye at Jack's and entered Vale. By the time they got back to beacon it was 5:54pm. Ruby went to her dorm and was bombarded by questions from the rest of the team. Meanwhile in Ricky's room he took out the note Conner gave him and it had three names on it,
'Iris Len, Cyrus Len, Harper Green'