Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.

Anyway, here is the new chapter in this story.

Enjoy the read.

Twenty-One

The Frozen North

Faunus Camp

For Weiss, the days she spent healing from her wounds were boring. Since she can't ride, the girl had decided to spend a majority of her time inside the tent. Lady Ashla had given her food and taken care of her during the time she was there, thought part of the white-haired girl still can't believe what she had been told. For the Schnee to have created the Frozen North was outlandish but the proof of the direwolf that had taken a liking to her was not something she could ignore.

The direwolf, Dust, as she had decided to call him, had wandered off to god known where but somehow, this time, she can feel a light tug in her navel at a random direction on her left. It was the same feeling she had felt when she had first met him, and the same feeling she felt whenever he was near of her. That tugging feeling she has right now must have been the magic that Ashla had mentioned to her, but Weiss was no closer at understanding how it works or what she is supposed to be doing. Staying here, also reminded the white-haired girl that they were people that were counting upon her, waiting for her to send help with the Faunus but the two months were almost over now, and she was no closer at convincing anyone to help since most of the Faunus simply avoided her.

That night, however, thing was going to change.

Weiss had decided to seat outside by the fire looking out toward the large Faunus camp in front of her. In all her life, the girl had never expected something like that to happen to her. All that she had hoped was to join the Hunt and serve and protect the realm against all that wish it harm, but she had found out that things aren't always so black and white. The Hunt and the Faunus that lived there were not friends and mostly killed each other if the tales she had heard during her training is to be believed. How could she convince these people to help the people the Hunt? She had observed them, and she had come to notice that they were simply living their days to day life like anyone that lived on the other side of the Gate, however, this life was much, much harsher than the one she was aware of…

A soft padding sound drew her attention and sure enough Dust had returned. The large animal had come out of the darkness like a ghost and with how white his fur was, it was easier to see how much like a ghost it was, if it wasn't for the sound he made when he moved upon the ground. The blue eyes instantly found hers and then came to stand beside the young woman before plopping down beside her. It was still strange to Weiss that such a powerful and proud creature had found its way to her and was so protective of her despite it being only a few days since their first meeting.

Then Dust suddenly raised his head, his attention drawn toward the darkness in front of Weiss and the white-haired girl looked up as well. Dust didn't growl at all, probably not thinking of whoever it was as a threat, so Weiss simply watched as a familiar Faunus girl appeared in front of her. She was wearing fur upon her body for the cold and the two golden eyes looked toward the direwolf with apprehension at the sight of it before they found hers. It was the same girl that spoke with her while she was in prison and it made Weiss wonder exactly why she was here now?

"He is not…dangerous," Weiss told her.

Speaking Similirian was still strange for Weiss but with everyone around her speaking only that language, Weiss had started to brush up upon her skills…not that she had any in the first place, but at least, she could understand it better than before. With only time and waiting for her wound to heal, she had started to practice speaking the language with the Faunus that were with Lady Ashla, and even Ashla had spoken with her in the language so that she could understand it better.

The golden eyed girl turned her gaze toward her own, and there was still the apprehension within them but at least she didn't seem as frightened. The girl approached her before coming to stand right in front of her.

"How did you tame the wolf?" she asked.

Weiss glanced toward Dust who had gone back to lying down with his eyes closed, probably going to take a nap. Weiss still didn't fully understand her connection to Dust. It was unfamiliar and yet, it was also warm and familiar as difficult as it is to comprehend.

"I didn't," Weiss said.

The girl didn't seem to accept her answer as she let out what was seemingly huff. She then turned her gaze toward Weiss, those golden eyes searching. Weiss decided to speak to her now.

"What is your name?"

The girl stayed silent for a few moments, before answering, "Blake."

A light smile worked it's way upon Weiss's lips.

"You…know me already," she said, "But, can I ask you something?"

Blake seems to wonder why she wanted to ask as she simply nodded at her.

"Why was I thrown in that Arena?"

The dark-haired girl looked away briefly for a few moments as if trying to think what to say to her but then turned toward her again.

"I don't fully understand it myself, but many of my kind wanted payment for the crimes your family did during the war that took place," she said.

The War in the North, Weiss thought.

She had known her father had taken part in the war as well as many other great families that fought to prevent the Faunus invasion.

"I was against it," the Faunus girl continued, "the Drazhi are much more of a pressing matter than a fight that happened long ago."

Weiss frowned at the foreign word.

"Drazhi?" she repeated confused.

The Faunus girl looked at her for a few moments before a light appeared within her golden eyes.

"Grimm," she said, "In your tongue."

Speaking Remalan, Blake's voice was heavily accented, like her tongue was having difficulties with the words. Weiss stared at her for a few more moments. Look like Raze's words were true in saying that the Faunus could speak Remalan and just chose not too.

"So, you can speak my language," Weiss said.

Blake's eyes were suddenly empty of all trace of emotions within them. It caused Weiss to sigh at her as she turned her gaze toward the flames in front of her. They were enough to keep her warm, but she was still worried about the Huntsman that were in Fort Sina and many Forn was still too far ahead for her to simply go to.

"Why did you come to my kind for help?" Blake asked her to draw her eyes toward her, "You must have known that the Faunus and Hunt were not allies."

Weiss stayed silent for a moment.

"I was desperate…if Faunus could help us…then maybe…we help Faunus," she said.

Blake let out a small sound drawing her blue eyes at the ebony girl. There was amusement within the depths of those golden eyes at seems to be so intrusive now, almost like she couldn't believe what she had just said.

"We don't need help," she said, "My kind have been fighting against the Grimm for years now. With our Aura, we managed to put up quite a fight and even drove back some of their attacks."

Weiss stared up toward the girl at what she had just said. It was impossible to think that something like that could have happened. These people managed to push back a Grimm attack? Just thinking about something like that caused Weiss to remember just how outclassed they were when they Grimm had assaulted Fort Sina and killed more than half of the Huntsman that were there. It made her wonder just how she can use her Aura at least learn to use it… She stared up toward Blake.

"If you are fighting…why are Faunus fleeing South?"

Blake frowned lightly.

"Not all of us are fighters," she said, "Some have children they want to protect, spare from such horror. Not many make it to the Gate and live to see beyond it, something I am sure the Hunt is well known for.

Weiss knew about that. She knew that the Hunt had been killing a lot of Faunus that decided to cross the mountain Chains. After all, it was how she managed to run into Ross that fateful morning when he had killed three Faunus who were going to try to kill her that day.

"But the rest of us will fight to protect our homes," Blake continued, "It may be cold, and worthless to your people, but to us, it's home."

Blake gave a light nod before turning away from her leaving the white-haired girl to her thoughts. She was still amazed that the Faunus had managed to beat back to Grimm before. That fight against the Grimm on Fort Sina still lingers in her mind and what she had seen in that fight, she knew that the Hunt wasn't ready to fight something like that, and she knew exactly who could maybe help her do something like that.

Lady Ashla looked up toward her with curious blue eyes when Weiss had approached her. The young woman came to stand in front of the Faunus woman that had taken her under her protection during her stay here so that she could heal.

"I want you to teach me how to use Aura," the girl spoke out, "So that I could fight against the Grimm."

Lady Ashla blinked.

"You're still healing," she said, "This war is not your fight Weiss. You will head back to the Gate where it will be safe for you to be."

"But the Grimm are going to come South, aren't they?" Weiss argued, "The Hunt is not prepared for this kind of fight. One battle and they destroyed most of us leaving only a few alive. The Hunt is supposed to keep the realm safe from any threat but how can we even do something like that when we can't fight the Grimm properly. The Faunus here managed to fight against them and even pushed them back."

"Skirmishes," Lady Ashla said, "But they won't last a full-grown war. I have tried convincing them that the only way they can survive is to head for the Gate but their victories in those skirmishes had made them grow with pride, to not realize that they haven't seen what the Grimm can really do."

"All the more reason that I learn to fight using those powers the Dragon Seed awaken within me," Weiss told her.

Lady Ashla let out a small sigh.

"You won't let this go, are you?" she said, "Fine, I will teach you…but you will have to take it easy. You are still injured after all."

Weiss nodded.

"So, what must I do?"

For the next few days as she healed, Weiss was learning on how to tap into her Aura. As Lady Ashla explained to her, her Aura was a protective shell around her much like how Ross had told her, but it seems there was something even deeper within her that was called a Semblance.

"The Schnee did have a semblance that is passed down within the families," Ashla had told her that night when Weiss had asked her to teach her, "I don't know if you will awaken it, but you have to learn on how to tap into the power. It's different for everyone who is trying to learn it but you'll also feel a sort of connection…like an instinct."

With her wound still healing, Weiss hadn't done much exercise, but she had gone away from the Faunus camp so that she could fully practice so that she doesn't get into anyone's way and the only companion that she had was Dust who simply like to wander around as she was practicing, thought the direwolf never strayed too far away from her. Tapping into the power itself, however was the difficult part since Weiss didn't really know how to do it. Lady Ashla's explanation didn't really give her much to go on but Weiss was a smart woman, so she had wanted to figure it out by herself before anything else.

A sound from Dust grew her attention and it seems that he was looking at something, so when Weiss looked at it too, she found the familiar Faunus girl that was there seating upon a nearby rock. The girl was eating something as she was simply observing her. Dust had padded toward her and she placed a hand upon the wolf's head as if to appease it before making her way toward Blake.

"How long have you been here?"

Blake looked at her curiously.

"I felt your Aura spike these past few days," she answered, "It made me curious about what you were doing."

Weiss was confused.

"You felt my Aura?"

Blake nodded. She stood up from where she had been seating and made her way toward her. Now that she was seeing the Faunus during the day, Weiss realized that she was about her age. In the darkness, Blake always seems to be much older than she seems but seeing her now, it made her realize just how young she really is. Blake's eyes however tell a different story, as she had the eyes of someone who had to fight to survive. They were strangely similar and yet widely different. It was a strange feeling for Weiss to meet someone who had so like her and yet so different.

"Us Faunus are more attuned to our Aura than your kind," Blake told her, "It's a sixth sense you might say."

Weiss frowned lightly to herself. She recalled the strange warm feeling that she always had within her chest now, ever since she had gone through the Dragon Seed thing. The young woman raised a hand toward where she could feel it and then drew upon it. She didn't know what she had been doing at first but strangely enough, it felt…oddly familiar. Through there, she could feel a strange animalistic feel that was coming from behind her the same direction that the tug within her was pulling at. She instantly knew that it was Dust who was behind her.

Then there was a chilly air surging through her body and she heard a gentle gasp drawing her eyes toward Blake who was staring at her, with wide eyes, her attention was not upon her face but upon her hands causing Weiss to glance down toward them. Her hands were completely blue, now causing the girl to widen her eyes in shock at what she was seeing like it was completely frosted over. As she was staring at it, the blue in her hand slowly disappeared until her fingers were their normal pink color. Now that she could feel the power within her, she felt like she could pull from it, almost like she knew how to do it.

As she continued to train for the next couple of days, Weiss found Blake to be a familiar companion now. Blake had become a familiar if tentative companion like Dust was as the direwolf was now running around them as the two where seating by a small fire that Blake had created. It was a cloudless night, and many stars were visible now as well as the moon which was hung above them.

"Your castles are that big?" Blake asked, confusion in her voice.

Weiss nodded, a soft chuckle escaping her.

"They tower as tall as mountains," she said, "White Castle is standing upon a hill above the city of Atlas. I could stand by my window and see the entire city from where I was. I could watch many ships come into the harbor and leave as well."

Blake was still confused.

"But why build castle as big as that?" she asked, "How would you be able to search for food?"

"We have servants for that if we want to eat," Weiss told her, "and we trade with the other territory for food and everything."

"You don't hunt for your own food?" Blake asked again.

"Hunting is mostly for sport," Weiss answered her, "I was mostly interested in learning the way of the sword."

Blake stayed silent for moments.

"Your people are strange," she said.

Weiss looked at her seeing the bemused expression that the girl was sporting. It was like she couldn't believe what she was telling her. Dust approached toward them drawing their eyes toward it's large white form before it came to seat beside her. Weiss raised a hand and patted against the animal's warm fur, drawing Blake's eyes toward them. She had gotten used to seeing the large animal with her as her golden eyes fixed Dust's form.

"You can touch him," Weiss told her.

Blake gave her a disbelieving glance before returning toward the direwolf that seated beside her. There was this glint in her eyes as she was looking at it. The young Faunus seems to be thinking about it for a few moments before tentatively raising a hand so that she could touch him. Dust had turned his head toward her, as he let out a soft whine leaning forward toward her fingers and then she was touching him. Weiss observed her quietly as she noticed a content look upon Blake's face as she was looking at the animal as she was gently stroking him.

"It's strange to see such a creature so docile," Blake said, "My people know to avoid the Dragon Head Mountain as well as Three Teeth. That's their territory. I have heard tales of wolves larger than horses reside in those places, with teeth large as a knife."

"Where I am from, people believe them to be extinct," Weiss told her, "I did as well until I met him that night. I don't think I have ever seen such a magnificent creature."

The two met each other's eyes as the two of them were gently touching Dust. There was a stillness in the air around the two, as Weiss simply continued to take in Blake's feature. She had never met anyone like Blake before. The girl was so different than what she knew that it was strangely fascinating to her and strangely enough, it seems to be pulling at her. Weiss had never desired much for herself, being a bastard and all, and no one had ever seemed to be interested in getting to know her. Sure, she had seen people back in Atlas that were attractive, like some son of noble lords there, but she knew that no one of them will ever lower themselves to get into a relationship with a bastard like she was.

But now, of all time, those strange feelings started to rise again, and it was with a Faunus girl no less…

Then a horn echoed from the distance breaking whatever spell that was placed upon them. Blake had instantly stood up from what she was doing, a frown upon her features at the sound of the horn. At the same time, a growl came from Dust as well as the direwolf had pulled itself on all four, the growl echoing around them.

Then it was followed by another horn blast.

"What is it?" Weiss asked her.

"Grimm," Blake told her, "Grimm are attacking the camp."

Weiss feel her eyes widen at the notion and she stood up as well.

"Something like this happened before?" she asked.

Blake shook her head.

"No," she said, "Something changed."

With that the two girls made their way forward with the wolf following them, wanting to know exactly what was going on.

Something had changed...the Grimm are attacking the Faunus camp...

Hope you have enjoyed the read.

AN: When it's Blake POV now forward, Similirian which is the Faunus language will be normal and Romalan, Weiss's language will be ithalic. That's it for now.

Jacques0 out.

R&R