Stand Tall

"What has you in a tizzy, Clancy?" Adam Taurus, a bull Faunus and rising star of the White Fang, asked me as I paced beside the tree I sat against to relax most of the time. I stalled in my pacing and looked at my elder brother with disbelief on my face.

"A tizzy, you think this is a Grimm damned tizzy?! Adam, some of ours went rogue and attacked a party held by Wynne Schnee and killed innocents just to get to those bastards! That is not what the White Fang stands for! How can we be seen by the humans as anything less than animals if we act like rabid animals?! Everything our Brothers and Sisters have fought, bled and died for is now in jeopardy just because some idiots mistook vengeance for justice!" I ranted in rage almost not noticing his reaction, or rather the lack of one.

"They didn't go rogue. They did exactly as I ordered." Adam said as if he was commenting on the weather. "The time for trying to get the humans to see their folly is nearly ended and it will be time for them to feel what it is like under our boot." I stared at him in shock before shaking my head.

"I must be hearing things because the Adam who raised me would know just how STUPID that idea is!" I said with me shouting while glaring at him. "If we do that we are no better than what the racist bastards think we are! Why should we give up our morality just to be more than the humans when most are apathetic to us?! Why should the Innocents suffer because of the Sins of the Guilty?"

"We tried to be the better people and where did that get us?!" Adam roared as he got in my face and despite the mask he always wore I knew he was matching my glare. "We won the War but our people are still being stepped on, dying and herded like cattle! It is time we made a stand and make them regret what they have done to us! If you aren't with us then you are against us!" I froze as he said that. Not because of the not so subtle threat but because of the implications.

"It was you or one of your fellow morons that killed him wasn't it?" I asked as our hands went to our weapons. "Gramps would never have allowed this so you got rid of him. Did you at least have the balls to look him in the eyes AS YOU STANGLED THE LIFE OUT OF HIM?!" I barely got Azoth, in escrima sticks form, up in time to block the strike aimed for my neck. I forced down the feeling of betrayal and the tears in my eyes as I locked weapons with the man that possessed the body of the one who raised me because the Adam Taurus I knew was clearly dead and buried. "So this is how it ends."

"It didn't have to be Clancy but I can't allow your naivety to get in the way of justice. The White Fang will pave the way for the Revolution that will see us finally getting what we deserve." He broke off the lock and attacked furiously slowly driving me back as our arms became a blur. I grit my teeth as he got closer and closer to landing a blow and with his Semblance Adam only needed one. I twisted into his guard during one strike and wrapped my arms around his in order to hip throw him to the ground. I slammed Azoth's two halves together and twisted turning it into a great axe before aiming for his neck but missed as he rolled away. "That was a kill shot."

"My brother taught me to ensure I survived my fights even if I had to kill to do so." I said glaring at him as his clothes started to glow. "We will meet again." I told him before diving into the nearby river to avoid his Moonslice attack. I swam under the surface working with the current knowing I had to get away before he could send a tracker for me. Now…I was on my own.

BOTB

"Hey kid, are you alright?" Shopkeeper asked me kindly as I came out of my old memories. It had been three years since Adam had betrayed me and I escaped to Vale. I used the last of my money in A Simple Wok which Shopkeeper owned and had been given a job almost instantly after I got my food much to my shock. Apparently the old man was a friend of my grandfather's and saw that I needed help. The man was too kind for his own good.

"Just some old memories from a few years back making themselves known after all this time, it isn't something to worry about." I said with a weary smile. "Are you sure you want me at Dusk Till Dawn today? I know you lose a little business every time I'm working there." While racist arseholes had been rare they seemed to come out of the woodwork whenever it looked like a Faunus was doing well for them selves.

"If they are offended by me employing a Faunus then I don't want their money. Besides, recently that weapon girl has been coming around more often…" He said before trailing off with a chuckle making me roll my eyes. The man was of the opinion I needed to get a nice girl and ask her out. There was an incredibly awkward moment when he tried to set me up with Orabelle Arc while her older brother was there. For a guy that screamed confidence issues Jaune had a mean right hook.

"You also said she switched which shop she visits so you'll probably see her before I do." I said while making sure to ignore all details about any girl that showed interest in weapons. "Be glad you can clone yourself or you'd never be able to run all of your shops." I ignored his laughter as his clone faded from existence while I opened the shop. It was a slow day until one o'clock when a smiling girl with tri-coloured hair and an umbrella entered. I plastered on a fake smile while subtly preparing for trouble and not because of the mobsters behind the girl. Something about the girl screamed dangerous to me. I was about to say the usual welcome spiel when a mobster shoved a gun in my face.

"Give us all your Dust, NOW!" He shouted in my face as I dropped the fake smile. Thankfully while their attention was on me the customers decided to get out before they could be dragged into the situation.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Helping thieves is against company policy." I said deadpanned making the mobsters nervous and the girl silently giggle.

"I said…" He started to say before I grabbed his wrist, broke it and slammed his head into the reinforced counter to stop his screams.

"Next customer please." I said inwardly amused as the mob froze and looked at the girl whose eyes had changed colour with every blink. At the deadpanned expression on her face, that spoke volumes about what she thought of their intelligence, they all charged me with generic swords. It was rather sad how quickly I took down all four remaining mobsters leaving just me and the umbrella girl.

"Interesting" She said in a quiet voice you would expect from a pixie. I decided not to think on it as I walked towards her to throw her out. I narrowed my eyes as she danced around me with an amused smirk on her face. I moved at my top speed to catch her off guard and while I succeeded she still managed to weave around me and nudged me with her butt moving me closer to the door. I stopped my stumble only to be dropkicked in the back sending me through the door destroying it in the process. I shook my head clear and looked up to see her stroll out of the store with an eager look on her face.

"You're more dangerous than you let on." I said making her beam while I got to my feet. I wished I had Azoth with me so I could fight at my best but no one would buy from an armed Faunus. I charged her with a spin kick aimed at her head which she ducked under and used her umbrella to block the follow up strike that sent her back as her feet scraped along the ground as she stared at me wide eyed for a moment before her smile returned bigger than ever. She charged and weaved into my guard when I jabbed at her. I grunted as she slammed the handle of the umbrella into my stomach but didn't let that stop me grabbing it when she went to slam it into my face.

"GET DOWN ON THE GROUND AND PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS!" An amplified voice shouted distracting me enough to allow the girl to wrench her umbrella back and use me as a springboard to get onto the rooftops. I met her eyes as she looked down to me and I knew that the fight would resume at some point. As she ran I sighed and turned to the police who were glaring at me.

BOTB

"You have an hour and thirty two minutes to get me a lawyer before I can legally sue you all." I stated to my 'interrogator'. I had gone without complaint with the police and was thrown into the Interview Room only to be ranted at by the moron glaring at me. I didn't react as he slammed both palms harshly on the table between us and surged to his feet.

"What lawyer would ruin them selves by defending a beast like you? Where is the White Fang? If you tell me then you might be sent to a Dust Mine instead of Prison." He snarled at me. I rolled my eyes as all of my information was out of date. I knew this because I had gone to the police after leaving the White Fang and they took so long to act on it all of the places were recently deserted.

"An hour and twenty nine minutes Sergeant, as upholders of the law you are bound more tightly to them. After all, if you can deny one person a lawyer then how long before you're denying everyone a lawyer?" I said with a smirk despite the fact I wanted to beat his face in. As long as I kept within the law he had nothing to screw me over with and he knew it. He growled at me like a dog as the door opened revealing someone I had been hoping to meet in a couple of years so I could attend his school.

"All charges have been dropped thanks to witness testimony and a character witness, Mr Taurus. You're free to go." Monty Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, said making the Sergeant stew in anger and storm out of the room. "If you wouldn't mind staying a moment I wish to talk to you about some things."

"I don't mind as long as it isn't an interrogation." I said nodding to the man who took the seat in front of me. There was no sense in alienating the man without a good reason.

"Thank you, I'll get straight to the point. The woman you fought was an accomplice to a dangerous criminal, Roman Torchwick. Thanks to you we now know how he has been able to rob several stores at the same time and before you ask another concerned citizen interfered before your employer was harmed." He said making me sag in relief. Shopkeeper was too kind for his own good and was nearing retirement age.

"Thanks for letting me know but I get the feeling that isn't why you came here personally." He nodded at that and took a sip from his coffee mug.

"I saw the footage of your fight and I wish to extend an invitation to you for Beacon Academy. I see great potential in you and feel it would be a waste to wait another two years. I know you declined an invitation from Signal Academy due to lack of funds so I took the liberty of allowing you to work at weekends in addition to a scholarship." I opened my mouth to protest but he raised a hand to stop me. "Those on scholarship have a portion of their Missions funnelled back into the Academy to help fund it. I also know of your issues with Qrow Branwen and I hope you don't go looking for revenge." I grimaced as I thought of the only thing other than Adam's betrayal I could want revenge for.

"So that's his name. I will probably never like the man but I know he was only doing what had to be done. Father had become very bitter after Mum was killed and drank too much. He saved that girl's life and was genuinely distressed at finding out he killed Father in front of one of his sons." I said with a grimace as a flash of a scythe's blade ran through my mind. "I will accept the placement but expect some trouble as I doubt most will like a fifteen year old getting to attend with them and I don't tolerate racists." Ozpin merely nodded and stood up to leave.

"I will have the necessary paperwork forwarded to you. Welcome to Beacon."

BOTB

"Looks like the standards of Beacon have fallen far if an animal like you got in early." A voice said distracting me of the view of Vale. I turned to see a dark orange haired student sneering at me as I rolled my eyes.

"Clearly if they let in someone that can't tell the difference between an animal and a Faunus then they'd look for talent to counter the damage people like you would do to their reputation. I would be surprised if you could eat and walk at the same time." I said with a smirk as I watched him stew in anger before storming towards me clearly wanting to fight. Before he could get within arms reach there was a blonde between us with a hand on each of our chests keeping us apart, I was very amused that the racist bigot was kept there even when he tried to go through her.

"Whoa boys, save the macho stuff for when we're on the ground. You wouldn't want to be kicked out before school even starts do you?" She said cheerfully making the bigot freeze before she gently shoved him away. "Now run along before people start getting ideas." I watched the bastard walk away after giving me a glare before I turned to the blonde.

"I would have been fine but thanks for keeping trouble from staring, I'm Clancy Taurus." I said holding my hand out to her. She took it with a smile while giving me a good look over. I was wearing a red hooded jumper with a zipped up black leather jacket over it. I had simple black jeans on and black/red trainers. Azoth was on a belt in escrima stick form while a quiver of Dust Sensitive arrows was on my back. The Black/Red colour scheme went well with my red hair and blue eyes in my opinion and this girl seemed to agree.

"Yang Xiao Long and this is my little sister Ruby." She said taking my hand and shaking it before gesturing to a nearby girl also in Black/Red themed clothing and red highlights in her Black hair. The thing that made her stand out the most was the innocence in her silver eyes that I hoped she got to keep. Such a thing was far too rare in this day and age.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. It is good to see I'm not the only one allowed in early." I said referring to the fact she was introduced as the younger sister. Ruby nodded to me while clearly being nervous while Yang looked at me in surprise as she caught what I said.

"Whoa, whoa hold on a second there buddy. Are you telling us that you're not seventeen?" She said looking impressed. "You must be the bee's knees."

"Yang~! Leave him alone, I bet he wants normal knees like me." Ruby said whining at her sister while I blinked and sent a querying look to Yang who sighed.

"Telling someone they're the bee's knees means they're saying you're the best." I said making Ruby go 'oh~!'. Before more could be said a hologram appeared. Beacon Academy was going to be interesting.