Roughly, two men dragged him out of the arena and through one of the exits. If he was actually able to fight back he would have made the lunge for freedom, but the goons weren't taking any chances. They had stuck him in both a harness and choke collar, one that caused his airway to close off any time he pulled.
It was evening, but still bright enough for him to see the landscape. There were trees in the distance, though he had no idea what color they were. He knew the majority of upper-class citizens lived at the northern tip of Vale where the red trees of the Forever Fall Forest were prevalent. Green trees were found in the Southern and eastern parts of Vale invading from the Emerald Forest.
With his colorblind vision, he couldn't see the difference though, and for all he knew this could be somewhere far outside the kingdom walls. He had no sense of direction here, and his knowledge of the city's layout was poor to say the least. This may be harder than he thought.
The goons led him into a more run down building farther away from the mansion. He could hear a lot of dogs barking well before they entered, way more dogs than he'd seen so far. They unhooked a padlock from the door and opened it, a new horrible stench immediately filling his nostrils. It smelled like waste and dozens of other animals all swirling into an overpowering mess of smells. It was enough to make his eyes water.
"Hurry up mutt. This way." One of the thugs dragged him into the smelly building. It was poorly lit, but that didn't stop the other dogs from noticing their presence. The barking and whining only increased in volume, causing Jaune to pull back at how ear-piercing it all was. The man wasn't having it, yanking him hard in the opposite direction making him gag.
"Ay, were we supposed to bring Hornet back with us?" The thug on his left questioned.
"Nah, I think Master Ville wants to wait a few days and see if this one here calms down. Besides, it's not like Hornet has been performing well. The boss seemed finished with him."
The other one hummed in agreement before stopping at an empty kennel. Taking off the muzzle and leash the two threw Jaune in, slamming the door closed. He looked back right as one of the thugs was writing something on and piece of tape in sharply. The man wrapped the tape around the handle before they both left the building, leaving Jaune alone in the dark building with dozens of other dogs.
He went up to the cage door first, looking at the piece of tape and seeing his name scribbled down on it. That was a pretty stupid way of telling them apart in his opinion, but that wasn't his priority. He tried to fit his paws through the bars hoping to hit the handle and unlatch it, but his feet were too far. He even put his teeth to the back of the latch panel to try pulling it loose, only to fail at that too.
"This sucks." Jaune whimpered before leaving the door for now. He decided to try making himself comfortable, but his hopes were quickly dashed.
His kennel smelled like urine, and he could tell it hadn't been well cleaned after the previous dog was removed. It was nothing but narrow bars and a water dish in the corner, no bed to rest in or exit to use the restroom. No wonder the place smelled. The dogs had to go in their living quarters.
He looked around the dingy place, counting at least thirty dogs crammed into the small building. To his left was an older boy with greying hair around his lips. The dog smelled familiar, and Jaune soon realized it was the dog that previously had his kennel in the fancier area.
"Are you Hornet?" Jaune tilted his head to the side questioningly. The older dog stood up on his failing joints, walking up to Jaune and sniffing him questioningly. "So this is what he does to losing dogs? He throws them back here to rot." Jaune growled, only for Hornet to shy back. He was angry, but his temper was clearly affecting his neighbor negatively.
Taking in a deep breath he turned to check the kennel on his right. This one had a really fat female lying inside an old wooden box with a fleece blanket. For some reason, she smelled… off? He didn't know how to explain it, but something set her scent apart from the others. Maybe she was injured?
"Hey. What's wrong?" Jaune stuck his nose through the bars trying to ask. The middle-aged canine stood up and made her way over, causing Jaune's eyes to go wide at the realization. "You're pregnant? You're pregnant and he's keeping you out here?!"
The female whimpered, wincing in pain before slowly making her way back to the bed. Jaune sniffed the air again, realizing that odd scent was all over the kennel. She wasn't the only pregnant female here, and he could even hear some very tiny puppies whimpering near the far end. This was a breeding operation, but not one done by a caring owner. This felt closer to a puppy mill than anything else.
A worker eventually entered the room, one that Jaune didn't recognize. They were a deer Faunus, and had the expression of someone who wasn't paid enough to deal with this type of work. Holding a gallon bag of food they went around the building pouring kibble into the bowels of the mother dogs. By the time he fed the girls, there was barely enough left to feed the rest. The man put a sixth of a cup of dry kibble in Jaune's bowel before sliding it into his prison and moving on. It was barely enough for a mouthful, and his elderly neighbor was getting the same measly portion.
"This isn't right! Aurum lives in a mansion and this is how he treats his less desirable dogs! How are you okay with this?!" Of course the man didn't understand any of his angry barking, and simply left without bothering to clean out any of the kennels. It didn't matter that there were solid waste and puddles in every cage. That Faunus just left all of them there to rot in their own filth.
This was insane. How could that freak think this was any way to treat an animal? How were people capable of being this cruel?! He couldn't stay in this hell hole and neither could the other dogs. He needed to get all of them out of here.
Jaune growled, eyeing the lock and preparing himself for impact. If he couldn't get through the door with his brain, then he'd do it by force.
With a snarl Jaune lunged forward ramming the door with his entire body, making the bars and his bones rattle. His shoulder was a bit achy but his aura took the full brunt of it.
He was going to get out of here even if it meant breaking his aura over and over again!
He charged into them again, this time realizing his efforts were upsetting the other dogs. They were panting and pacing frantically while his older neighbor was watching him worriedly. He charged a third time, only to see a blur on his left. Hornet had also rammed his cage door, but his efforts only resulted in a yelp of pain. Getting up slowly he limped back to try again.
"Stop it!" Jaune growled and stared at the injured canine. He looked over to Jaune pulling his ears back submissively, curling up near the corner to lick his wounded leg. The former knight turned to face the other dogs realizing his message seemed to quiet most of them down too. "Don't hurt yourselves! I'll get us all out of here!" He barked sharply. He didn't know if the message was understood, but many of them did stop to watch his movements.
Jaune focused back on the lock, charging again and again, rattling the cage more and more. He could feel the latch itself jiggling under the impact, and knew that it wouldn't hold up to much more abuse.
He had to keep going!
The assault of his shoulder against the bars went on for what felt like an eternity, his aura never faltering despite ramming the door over a hundred times at this point. He didn't dare stop, knowing his opportunity to break out was getting smaller and smaller as time moved forward. His shoulder blades were both very sore after having to switch the sides he used for the job, but he felt he was getting close.
Another one!
"Would you break already!" Jaune ran forward with all of his strength, slamming the door hearing something give under the pressure. Looking up he realized the latch had partially busted loose and the metal framing on the door now bowed outwardly. He charged up for a final run, putting all the force he could into his strike. This time he didn't bounce back, and the door completely fell outwards with a loud clang.
He stood up panting heavily. He broke it! He actually broke the stupid thing, and the other dogs were celebrating. They were yipping and jumping happily at his success, pawing at their own doors wanting to be let out. Jaune turned his attention to the mother dog first, not wanting her to give birth in a horrible place like this.
He got on his hind legs examining the lock, only for his heart to sink. Other than a scrap of tape around the handle with the name 'Marigold' written sloppily, He realized it wasn't a standard gate lock, having a tight slab of metal covering the latch bar instead. He could have pried it apart with fingers, but not his current clumsy paws. He tried biting the thing hoping to hook it with his teeth, but after several minutes of struggling, he was forced to give up.
Jaune had to think of a new plan. Pacing a bit he realized the birds outdoors were starting to chirp. That meant it was morning though. It literally took him all night to force his way through one of the kennel gates, and he didn't have time to do it to thirty more doors.
"No no no! I won't leave you guys here! I'll figure something out!" He started pawing desperately at the latch hoping to get lucky and accidentally cause a release, only for the female dog to make her way closer. She pawed the door and whimpered, looking up to him with big brown eyes. Jaune looked down at her, seeing the girl gesture towards her bed and food bowl with her snout.
"What do you mean? I have to get you out of here!" The girl tried pushing him away through the bars, barking several times in a fearful tone.
"Get away!" Was the message Jaune got from her. He took several steps back and whimpered, but he was finally understanding her point.
She had the bare minimum to survive here, and she wanted Jaune to escape.
"I promise I won't forget about any of you. I'll come back and help you out one day, I promise!" The dogs all barked and jumped as if begging him to run. Jaune approaches the door, freezing up at hearing footsteps on the other side.
Someone was about to enter.
Glancing around frantically he saw several trash bags and brooms stacked haphazardly against the wall. Quickly, he dove between the bags just as a worker opened the door wide. They were holding another gallon bag of kibble, and sluggishly walked past Jaune without realizing anything was amiss. The blonde took his chance, slipping through the door as it slowly closed behind the man. He booked it to the tree line as quickly as possible. Everything was still cast in a dark hue as the sun was just starting to peek above the mountains. He didn't wait for the worker to realize a dog had escaped, or stop when one of the grounds keepers spotted him and started yelling for backup. All that was on his mind currently was the thought of freedom.
Finally, he could go home.
"Ozpin. This is getting out of hand." Glynda reinforced, watching the headmaster stare at the email that was sent to her the previous night. "Those kids… They are missing classes, nights of sleep, days training. Then their friends worry, and they are dragged into the mess too." She paced in front of his desk. "This just keeps building up and we need to find a way to stop it."
Ozpin inhaled sharply, placing her scroll back on the table and sliding it in her direction. "Trust me, Glynda, I know that well."
"Have you thought about what could happen if they don't find him?" She continued. "We didn't tell Jaune's family about his situation, imagine having to tell them about that and the reason their son is not coming back."
"Again, Glynda, we won't get to the point of having to tell anyone else about this." Ozpin clutched his hands tensely over the table. "I've been doing my research, and I am sure at some point we will reach a solution."
"Right. At some point." She sighed, not resisting the impulse of rolling her eyes.
"Just take a look." He motioned at a stack of papers on his desk. With a flick of the wrist, some of the paper rose from the pile, swirling on the tabletop until they came together into a solid form. What was once the thin surface of sheets of paper was now covered in fur. It looked directly at her and meowed, sniffing at her direction, whiskers catching the light as split pupils dilated while the cat took in its surroundings.
"I can do it with inanimate objects just fine." With another hand gesture, the cat sat over what remained of the stack of papers, it came undone just as smoothly as it was formed. Pile neatly made again without a single crease on the sheets. "And-" Ozpin reached under his desk, retrieving out of there a small potted plant. "Also with plants, living beings without aura." He closed his hands around the leaves on the tip of a branch, opening after a few seconds to reveal a small frog sitting there, the creature blinking unraveling, it's skin appearing to be as moist as the real thing. After a croak, Ozpin undid the magic, the leaves returning to the branch.
"The next step would be trying with an animal since they have aura." He drummed his fingers on the table. "I did, and I had… varying levels of success."
"What did you do?" She finally found her voice to speak.
"I just tested with some insects. Some worked, like turning them into other types of bugs, but when I tried something more drastic... Well, how do I put this lightly…" He hummed in thought, giving up with a sigh. "They just turned into a pile of goo."
He dared to chuckle at her wide-eyed, speechless reaction.
"My theory is that they are simple creatures with weaker aura, so they can only handle certain amounts of magic. Meaning that a person with an unlocked aura could take it better." He let himself rest against the backrest of his chair. "But that is simply a guess. Until we find someone willing to take the risk of being a test subject… then I don't know how to proceed."
"W-well… You turned him in the first place, isn't that enough proof he can handle it?"
"Yes, I want to believe that, but this trick, might as well call it that…" He said the last part under his breath. "Isn't the same as those transforming sneezes. It feels different when casting - and it's actually cast, not an accident - and I don't remember ever doing something similar to it before." He adjusted his glasses over his nose. "I can't be sure of the results, might work, might do nothing, might go terribly wrong."
"By the gods…" She shifted in place for a second, thinking. "You said it feels different… maybe it was because then you were sick? It could have easily messed with your perceptions."
"That could be it… " Ozpin nodded once, considering her input. "Though there's no way to know, and now Jaune is missing too." Ozpin whispered more to himself, looking at his own hands. "So let's hope that wherever he is, his friends can find him."
Glynda could only nod, eyes on the outside displayed by the windows, the city of Vale wasn't even visible from the highest point of Beacon. But she didn't need to see to remember how big it was. "Right… Wherever he is"
It turned out finding his way back to Beacon was going to be far harder than he anticipated. Having no clue where he was, Jaune decided to stay near one of the roads and hope he recognized something. The only problem was Aurum's men, as they were now driving all over the area searching for him, forcing Jaune further into the brush where he had no reference point to follow.
"Man, what time is it?" Jaune grumbled to himself looking up at the sky, only to be hit by a single large raindrop right on his nose. The clouds let loose a shower that wetted his coat and softened the dirt. The storm clouds stopped him from tracking the sun's movements, but based on the pangs in his stomach it was probably around lunchtime.
He huffed in exasperation. Well, this was just perfect. Jaune had literally been wandering for hours already, and now he had to walk some more in the rain. Despite the building winds and showers, he trudged forward, burs and twigs sticking to his wet fur and tangling themselves in the wind wiped strands. His paws were sinking halfway down into rapidly expanding mud puddles making the mere act of walking difficult. Without the sun Jaune had zero concept of time, and he was starting to feel cold water breaking through his fur layers and chilling his skin.
"This sucks." Jaune sighed internally. He was exhausted, cold and hungry. His stomach had been rumbling for the last several hours and there wasn't anything nearby that could help with that.
"Maybe I should have eaten the kibble before breaking ou- WOAH!" He stopped abruptly realizing there wasn't any ground below his paw to catch him. Glancing down he saw a wide river gradually turning with the landscape until it ran side by side with the road. It was filling pretty fast, though he wouldn't call it dangerous to cross at this point.
Wait, didn't all rivers feed into the ocean? He was pretty sure that's how it worked anyway, and he was positive that a massive river ran right through the commercial section of the city. As long as he walked the opposite way the river flowed then he'd eventually get to town!
With his mind made up, Jaune marched through the shrubs and trees along the land between the road and the river. He did his best to stay hidden, even freezing in place when cars drove by. It was a long walk, and a very, very exhausting one. He couldn't help but yawn as the time slowly ticked by
"I've been walking since this morning…" He panted heavily. Jaune didn't realize it initially until his nose kissed the muddy earth bringing him back to his senses. How could he be dozing off at a time like this? Then again, he hadn't gotten much sleep the first night trapped at the mansion, and he spent the entirety of the second night trying to break through his cage. That's not even mentioning the huge amount of running he did this morning on top of the miles and miles of walking after. No wonder his body felt exhausted.
"Maybe I should stop and rest for a little while?" Jaune thought to himself. He had to admit the idea was very enticing. The mud and water had soaked all the way through every inch of fur, and his head was so heavy now.
He looked around carefully as he continued walking, finding a felled tree leaning up against a living one providing a small amount of cover from the rain. Making his way over Jaune tried to smoosh the wet grass down a bit before curling up under his shelter and exhaling. There was still plenty of tall grass around him, so if those thugs came by they'd have a hard time spotting him already. Watching the rain fall he let his heavy eyelids slide closed as his mind briefly wandered to the world of sleep.
"Again, thank you so much for your time." Pyrrha made sure to reinforce as the worker closed the door that had led them to the kennel area of the shelter, agitated barks in response to the brief visitors being now muffled by the thick wood.
"It was no problem dear." The woman replied, eyeing the group of sad teens over her reading glasses as they followed her back to the main lobby. "Have you tried looking at the shelter close to the industrial district? It's much bigger than ours. I can give you directions if you want."
"Thank you, but we have been there already." Pyrrha smiled politely, she didn't have the will to hold it so it faltered in the same second. "Not even a sighting of a golden retriever either…"
The woman hummed in acknowledgment, graying eyebrows furrowing in concern while putting the kennels' keys away. She seemed actually sympathetic to their situation, something Pyrrha could appreciate since not all the places they had been through had offered the same treatment. "Yeah, the only dogs we got this past day were a pair of females and a feisty puppy, none of them goldens."
"Well… If by some chance that changes, would you please contact us?" Pyrrha slid over the counter one of the missing posters.
The paper containing the Scroll numbers of the entire team and Ruby's just for extra precaution, two pictures of Jaune side by side, one taken at some point after he got his hoodie, him sitting while looking up as if he had just noticed the scroll pointed at him, and the other was him laying on the recreation area couch, probably after a good lunch, head resting against the armrest, completely clueless a picture had been taken. Together with the description in bold letters 'Last seen with a blue leash and collar, wearing a gray hoodie. Friendly, understands commands and responds well to Jaune.'
"Of course." The woman took the paper, expression softening at the cute pictures. "I'll let you know if he turns up here."
The three-man team left after a few more thank yous. Immediately after stepping out, umbrellas had to be opened. Pyrrha tucked the remaining posters safely back into the backpack Nora had with her before they could get wet and ruined.
"That was the last one…" Nora finally spoke, hunched under the umbrella Ren held over both of their heads, phone in hand while scrolling through the list of pounds, rescues and shelters the city of Vale had to offer.
The team had opted to check in person every single one of the places to avoid the risk of being told wrong information through a phone call. It took all morning and a bit more, but they had completed the objective, and it wasn't rewarding in any way.
The rain also didn't help one bit. It was unpredictable, pausing for some calmingly deceiving moments and then coming back by going between thin drizzles and heavy pouring. Slowing their pace due to annoying puddles, the humidity making clothes and hair stick to skin, getting most of the good surfaces to put up their posters wet, and causing fewer people to see the ones they did manage to put up by making them stay inside their houses or pass by inside the safety of their vehicles.
Why was the universe conspiring against their search? Was there something wrong about just wanting to find a friend?
"I'm- I'm going to call Ruby to see if the girls are having better luck." Pyrrha muttered. Her teammates acknowledged her words with only simple hums. Hopefully, they would have good news to balance out their bad.
"So, nothing?" Ruby's brow knitted together. Weiss was by her side under the umbrella she held in place, listening to the conversation attentively while still carrying on with her task of putting up one of the posters against the inner sides of a covered bus stop.
"Alright. We- We are almost done with our posters actually." Ruby managed a small smile. "We ended up on the bus terminal at some point, spread a bunch around the place since it was big, then we noticed the bus stops around the city are all covered. So we walked from stop to stop. Yes! There's a lot of them, and they are places many people pass by and actually stop, so the posters won't go unnoticed." Ruby's smile grew as she got a positive response from the other side of the line.
She rolled her eyes then. "No- Yes, Pyrrha. We walked. It was no problem, we can handle walking. You guys walked looking at all those shelters and we walked putting up posters, so that's fair right?" Ruby shook her head, sending a knowing glance to Weiss together with a breathy chuckle - can you believe how much she worries?
"Hmhm. Yes, Blake and Yang were going around seeing if any shops would allow for posters inside. Weiss and I are just waiting to meet them actually-"
"Here they come!" Weiss announced, spotting the other half of their team rushing through the rain to reach the dry safe spot under the bus stop.
Ruby waved them over, one hand still on her scroll. "Yes, they are coming. Hey, wait- Will we meet for lunch? Yes. Lunch." Ruby had to insist, voice raising a pitch. "I don't care if you still have posters left, you guys gotta eat!"
"They being stubborn again?" Yang stepped under the sheltered bus stop, closing her umbrella and chuckling lightly as she overhead the scroll conversation.
"When aren't they being stubborn?" Blake commented, not a hint of malice in her voice though. Weiss just agreed with a too knowing hum.
"Oh, you heard what they just said?" Ruby asked, looking at her team. "Good. So stop being stubborn."
"Borrow me this." Yang reached for her sister's scroll, Ruby promptly passed it to her. "Pyrrha, if you guys don't show up for lunch in that place we talked about earlier in- how far are you from it again? Ten? Yeah, if you're not there in exactly ten minutes, I'm going to say that you are going to make us, and I really mean all four of us, very, very sad." Yang even pouted to get her tone just right. "You wouldn't want your friends to be upset, right Pyrrha?"
Ruby and Blake stifled their giggles, Weiss rolled her eyes at her teammate's convincing methods. Though by Yang's bright grin, it worked.
"Yes! Okay, bye! See you all soon!" The call ended, Yang's smile stayed, turning more into a smug smirk. "And that's how it's done."
Ruby hummed knowingly. "By using the excuse you used on me when I was a kid and didn't want to go to bed?"
"It worked with her too, didn't it?" Yang returned the scroll to her sister. "And it's a method that has yet to fail."
Ruby huffed, but let it pass. "So, how was it with your posters?"
Yang waved her empty hands. "Great! Found a place for every single one."
"We covered a good part of the commercial district, with all those options, it wasn't that hard to find stores that would accept posters inside." Blake added, lighting up a little. "Pet shops, newsstands, dinners… it went better than I expected."
"That's awesome!" Ruby beamed. "I hope that will be good enough to cheer them up a bit."
"Hm, guys? Are we seriously planning on taking a bus?" Weiss spoke up, checking the time on her Scroll.
"Why? Not a fan of buses?" Yang asked.
"Because-" Weiss continued, ignoring her friend's slight teasing tone. "Pyrrha and the others are ten minutes away from the restaurant, but we are actually fifteen. If we don't move on, we are the ones who are going to be late."
"Oh. Right." Yang's blew a puff of air. "I actually have no idea of the bus schedule here…"
"None of us do." Weiss crossed her arms.
"Better run then?" Blake suggested.
"Yup!" Ruby made the P on the word pop. Getting under their umbrellas, the group hurried through the steady raindrops, not wanting to be late to the arrangement that had required such extreme convincing methods for the other party to agree.
Also because the hunger was starting to catch up to them after an entire morning of walking. And there was no better combination of motivation than an empty stomach, cold rain and waiting friends.
"I see him!" Jaune jerked upright hearing a not so distant voice. It was Aurum's thugs again and a man was running right for him. He jumped up barely seeing a blur in the corner of his eye, leaping sideways as a catch pole just missed his neck by barely a hair.
"Hold still!" The man growled swinging the pole at him again. Jaune snarled aggressively making his way out of the tree nook without taking his eyes off the thug.
A set of strong arms grabbed his torso from behind trying to hold him in place. A third man had grabbed him and the first one was quickly catching up to help.
"I'm not going back!" Jaune barked and kicked, forcing the thug's grip loose. Turning his head he sank his fangs into the man's hand making him scream in pain. He released right as the one with the catch pole tried wrangling Jaune again. The former knight ducked low and bolted right past it and between the man's legs.
"After him!" He screamed angrily. All of the thugs rushed for their vehicle and took off after him. Jaune was running out of places to go. The rain was heavy and obstructing his view, and the river to his right was now a raging set of rapids that he didn't want to tango with.
He was forced to jump left as his grassy path quickly vanished. They had come across a large bridge curving to cross over the river, and he was now completely out of places to duck for cover. Taking their chance, the perusing truck quickly sped up trying to cut off Jaune before he could reach the other side.
They were mere feet away from his tail, the headlights a little to his side as the catch pole was dangled out the front window trying to loop him.
He needed a plan and he needed one now!
Glancing at the wheels, he realized the truck was on an elevated bed. There was a decent gap between the truck's body and the road, big enough for a large dog to fit under. If his aura could handle it the impact-
The catch pole coming down for his head stopped his thought process.
He was out of time.
Without a second thought, Jaune leapt into the road tucking his limbs close to his body. The driver tried slamming the breaks but it only gave Jaune's form more room to roll. He felt himself hitting the lower half of the bumper cover and getting sucked underneath the tires. He hit the pavement and rolled as the rest of the truck completely cleared him and kept moving.
Shakily, Jaune jumped to his feet, ignoring the dull throb all over his body and steadying himself. The rain was now a torrential downpour and seeing anything beyond a few feet was impossible. Still, he heard the truck with his pursuers hitting the breaks and trying to do a u-turn. He quickly turned in the opposite direction ready to run, ready to escape these men and what was that set of lights heading for him-
The world erupted in a loud crunching sound as a minivan made contact. Time slowed momentarily, a white light consuming his vision and his body flew backwards through the air.
"W-What?" Was all he had time to think before he hit the ground and rolled, skidding several feet and stopping heavily in a muddy puddle. The world was spinning and everything sounded distant to him. The roar of the rain was more like a muffled pounding, and he swore he heard a man shouting curses and a vehicle taking off at high speeds.
He just laid there breathing deeply for a moment trying to take in his situation.
Jaune got hit by a vehicle. There was no other explanation. That's what the light must have belonged to. He was pretty sure he wasn't dead, seeing as the cold filthy puddle was starting to sink deep into his skin again as the adrenalin was wearing off. His mind was coming back to reality and the sounds of shouting finally filled his ears.
Jaune sat up slowly, realizing his body felt completely fine. Glancing down he saw a wave of white light travel up and down his paws before vanishing. He'd seen this happen once before, when Cardin tried punching him in the forest all those months ago. His aura working its mysterious, and apparently uncontrollable, magic, he only wished it didn't take for him to be involved in crazy high-risk situations for it to decide to properly act up.
Any other thoughts were quickly forgotten when he heard a child crying. Glancing around his heart sank when he saw the wreck before him. Through the rain, he could smell a smoking vehicle but couldn't see a fire. A woman was outside of the van comforting her toddler in one hand while making a call with the other. Standing up Jaune carefully made his way over, sniffing the air for blood or any other signs of injury. He didn't find any, instead, being met with the completely totaled front end of what was once a minivan. The hood and bumper looked like Nora took her hammer to it, resembling a sloppily made metal pancake. Slow and cautious, Jaune slunk around the van where the woman stood, hearing her scared voice as she spoke to a dispatcher.
"Yes, it was like a huge flash of light… I-I don't know what caused it! There was a sheet of rain then this dog appeared out of nowhere… no. No one is seriously injured. Other than the dog-" She glanced up finally realizing said dog was watching her. She leapt back immediately with a startled yelp. "Dear gods, that thing is alive?!" Jaune didn't stay any longer, running off into the storm as the child's wailing became quieter with distance. The two passengers were okay and that's all he needed to know.
Sirens were blaring and quickly making their way closer, passing right as Jaune ducked into a bush avoiding their sight. Well, the emergency vehicles came from the direction he was headed, and the stations were generally found in the city. He decided to continue his course, being sure to hide whenever another car passed, fearful either the police or those goons would be following close behind.
The library was quiet as always, the silence only being tainted by the constant rain knocking on the windows. Though the sound contributed more to a cozy atmosphere than anything, together with the yellowish ambient lights and the warmth kept in place between the bookshelves, it couldn't be a more perfect start of the night to just sit there with a good book, enjoy a nice story or make progress on some studying.
That atmosphere only didn't match with a specific corner of the library. Where textbooks and notebooks had been pushed aside, two-day homework papers yet to be completed cluttered the tabletop, between them were scrolls with screens that could have melted under the piercing stares they'd been receiving for the past several hours. Stares that should have been directed towards catching up on studies. But they weren't, blocked by an air of apprehension and expectation just as readable as any book in this place.
That was Sun's reasoning when he and his partner finally found the seven students who had disappeared from Beacon for the past few hours, his usual quirky greeting that was going to be like wow, haven't seen you guys in a hot minute, which criminal was taken out of the streets this time? was definitely inappropriate considering the mood of the room.
"Hey, guys?" He said instead, the responses varying from hums of acknowledgment to lazy waves. "That's not usually how you people get after returning from one of your escapades…"
"Yeah, what happened this time?" Neptune's tone was divided between curiosity and concern.
Team JNPR exchanged glances, after a silent agreement, Nora was the one to speak, nervously fidgeting with her pencil. "Well, you guys better pull up a chair for this one…"
"So you haven't seen him since Monday?!" Neptune blurted. Team JNPR replied to him with some weak nods.
"Aw man, that's rough..." Sun ran a hand through his own hair. He suddenly paused mid-gesture, eyes gaining a different shine. "Hey, you know what you guys need?"
"A call from someone who saw the posters?" Pyrrha guessed.
"No- I mean, that would be great no doubt." Sun shook his head, exchanging a glance with his partner. "What you guys really need are detectives!"
"Ah! Yes!" Neptune copied Sun's excitement. "And lucky for you, you got two great ones right here." They pointed at themselves.
Sun noticed right away that the group seemed unsure about the offer, so he continued. "Guys, those badges we got aren't a toy or just for show." Neptune nodded along with his words. "We learned a lot shadowing that sheriff, we can totally help!"
"Yeah, and it will be good to put the skills to use!"
"You know, this could actually be nice!" Ruby chirped from the table she had been playing cards with her sister. "We can get some fresh eyes over the situation, maybe they can see something we missed."
"Nine heads do think better than seven." Yang agreed.
Pyrrha pensively tapped her nail on the table. "Alright, but only if you are completely sure it's not a bother. We already took time from team RWBY, we wouldn't want to impose-"
"Pfft, don't worry about that. It's our offer, no imposing here." Sun waved a hand, leaning back in the chair. "And we do owe Jaune one from talking about his dog situation that other day."
That seemed to ease a bit of tension from the present JNPR members, a smile broke through Nora's face. "Aw, thanks guys."
"It's our pleasure!" It was Neptune's turn to lean back in the chair, it tipped a bit too far, so he straightened his back in the same second. Clearing his throat, he continued in his best professional tone. "Now, tell us everything you got about this case."
"I can't go any further…" Jaune whined. His head was low and downcast, now sporting a muddy boot print after some teens had offered him french fries, only for the one to kick him sideways when his guard was down. The two laughed as he scampered off into traffic, his stomach still empty and his pride hurt worse than ever.
He had been wandering all day, still as lost as he was when he escaped that mansion.
After getting hit by the minivan, Jaune doubled his speed and finally managed to enter the city. He rushed around hoping to find a place he recognized, only to end up on a dock full of warehouses and cargo ships. He backpedaled to a rundown neighborhood inhabited almost entirely by Faunus, and they didn't like him wandering around their streets either. He was chased off by anyone he got too close to, and was currently avoiding everyone all together after those mean teenagers,
Now with the rain still sprinkling and the street lights starting to turn on, Jaune's wobbly legs refused to take him any further. He limped into an alleyway that was empty, save for a single metal door and an overflowing dumpster with several broken trash bags scattered across part of the alley.
"I should just throw myself away. I'm nothing but trash now anyway…" Jaune walked over to the stinky garbage, not even caring how good some of the food smelled in it. Darnnit, even garbage was smelling good to him now! "Disposable, pathetic, waste of space. Just like the trash you've always been." The blonde collapsed into the trash, not noticing any of the fluids seeping through the bags after being drenched like a drowned rat all day.
"I'll just lay here for a while. Maybe until the trash man comes and takes me away…" Gods, he just wanted to find his friends! Why did that have to be so hard!?
"Maybe it's better this way. At least my teammates won't have to worry anymore." Whimpering he shut his eyes, trying to ignore the rain droplets that gradually got heavier and more frequent. He wasn't going to bother finding shelter this time. There wasn't a point. He just wanted sleep to come and carry his mind elsewhere.
Another Wednesday evening, though it felt like it should be Saturday already. He loved his job, he really did, but some weeks brought with them worse customers than usual, and he was just ready to be done with it. At least no one as bad as that blonde bimbo had come by a few months ago. That was hard enough to deal with those two separate occasions already.
Pulling into the employee lot, Junior parked his vehicle and checked the time. The club would be opening its doors in an hour, and he had some lazy workers to kick into gear and get things ready. Getting out of his car, he opened his umbrella and started walking for the back door. The club wouldn't be as active tonight. Too much rain meant people wouldn't want to wait outside to be let in. That was okay every once in a while though, especially after the week he'd been having.
"Did someone just leave the trash on the concrete?" Junior growled seeing the overflow of garbage bags from the dumpster.
Idiots!
When the bags were out like this, they were easy pickings for raccoons to rip apart and leave a huge mess, and then who would have to clean it up? He would of course.
Walking closer he noticed something he hadn't seen before. A sad, sopping wet golden retriever was laid flat on some of the trash bags. It was shivering slightly, though it made no move to get out of the storm or warm up. It just laid there looking completely spent.
"Hey! Get out of the trash!" Junior tried shooing it away. The dog blinked slowly, looking up at him with tired deep blue eyes. "Go on, get off!" He made a motion with his umbrella trying to make it leave. The dog slowly complied, gingerly stepping off of the garbage pile and… flopping down right next to it. The filthy thing barely made it two feet before giving up again and falling flat.
Some lightning flashed in the sky overhead as a cold wind nearly knocked him backwards, prompting Junior to head inside, taking one last look at the sad canine sprawled out on the wet concrete. He shook his head trying to forget the pang of sympathy he felt for the poor thing. He had work to do, and couldn't waste time thinking about some homeless dog right now.
First was the daily meeting with his staff, then getting the bar set up and making sure everyone else was doing their jobs. Even with ten minutes left till opening, he couldn't stop thinking about that dog by the garbage pile. It must have left by now, especially with the temperature dropping pretty low tonight. It wasn't like they could do much for it. This was supposed to be an animal-free establishment after all.
"Hey, Boss?" Junior sighed hearing the voice of one of his newer security guards. Berry was the name if he remembered right.
"What?" Junior asked, not turning away from the glass he was drying.
"I was coming in and saw a dog laying by the garbage in the alleyway." Junior stopped for a second, surprised the dog was still there with the amount of heavy rain and thunder he could still hear. Last he saw the thing was nearly an hour ago. "What do you want me to do about it?"
Junior thought for a moment, knowing they couldn't let strays hang around in the alley. He'd need to chase it away or get rid of it. "Just go… take care of it or something. I don't care how."
"If you say so." Berry left Junior alone to his work. At least he wouldn't need to worry about that stupid dog anymore.
The club finally opened, though only three customers came in. Apparently the severe storm had chased most of them home for the night, leaving the club practically deserted.
"Hey Boss, do you need all of these towels anytime soon?" A different employee had asked, it was Rusty if he remembered right. Junior turned to see him holding a tub full of rags that he once used for bar towels. Now they were cleaning clothes for counters and floors, nothing too important thankfully.
"Unless you plan on making a mess." Junior waved him off.
He went back to drying another glass, watching as six more customers filed in. Gods he should just close if this was all the business they're getting. Sighing he put the glass down and walked back to the break room to grab some coffee, only to find Berry pulling out half of a ham and cheese sandwich from the fridge.
"Hey! Your break isn't for another two hours." Junior growled. Berry jumped nearly losing his sunglasses.
"I'm doing what you asked I swear!" Junior was about to retort when Rusty stepped away from the sink with a bowl of water.
A literal bowl of water.
"What do you need that for?" Junior asked with a raised brow.
"It's for the dog." Berry explained.
"What?! I told you to get rid of it!"
"No, you said to take care of it… sir."
"Plus he's already settled in. The girls really like him too." The other man continued.
Junior just facepalmed. If the girls had found that dog then anything he said literally meant nothing. They'd throw him out before getting rid of the stray.
"Alright. Where are you keeping it?" Junior decided instead. Maybe he could convince them to see reason at least.
They led him down the hallway toward the back exit. Off to the side in the storage closet were the twins kneeled down by their new guest. That dog was laying in a cardboard box lined with the towel rags while Miltia and Melanie dried him off.
"Took you long enough." Miltia hissed. "The poor baby is starving, isn't that right." She made a smoochy face at the dog, but he seemed more interested in the food. Berry tore the sandwich into small pieces and held them out for the golden to take, which he did readily. Rusty set the bowl down near the makeshift bed and took a step back.
"How could you leave this helpless baby in that storm." Melanie asked Junior giving him a disapproving glare. "He was shivering from the cold, poor thing."
"Ladies, you know we're an animal-free establishment." Junior rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Even he had to admit, seeing the poor mutt out of the rain did make him feel less tense.
"Well, now it isn't." Miltia huffed. "He's not hurting anything in this closet. He can stay back here."
"Look, he's physically in good shape, so clearly this dog has an owner. We can't keep him."
"Maybe he got lost." Junior glared at Rusty for his suggestion. "M-maybe we can watch him for a night or two? It'd be cruel to throw him outside in this weather."
"See. Even the grunts are more sympathetic than you." Miltia argued. Junior rubbed his forehead tiredly coming to a decision.
"Alright. We'll keep the dog for a night or two, but if no owners are found we'll drop him off at the shelter."
"Or we keep him as our club's new mascot." Melanie suggested.
"I second that idea." Berry added but shied away under his boss's glare. Something cold and wet nudged his hand lightly. Junior looked down to see the damp and muddy golden retriever looking up at him gratefully, his tail wagging lightly as if to say thank you.
"Yeah yeah." Junior patted his head firmly. Well, at least it would keep the girls happy. He wouldn't want to earn their ire over a dumb dog. Still, he hoped they could do right by the poor guy.
Hope you all are liking Jaune's adventure! Don't forget to tell us what you think! \o/
CH 11 art: favDOTme/ddrg0ja
