A/N: Hello all, hope you're having a wonderful day, wherever you are in the world. Hope this latest chapter makes it a little better. Enjoy!

"OOOFFF!"

Fenrir hit the back-wall hard, his sore body slumping to the floor as his Aura dissipated off of him. On the other side of the room, Ozpin had his cane held aloft in his hand, the end having just struck the Grimm in the chest.

"You're getting better at attacking," The headmaster commented, placing his cane back on the floor, "But your defence is still lacking. If you keep letting yourself get hit, your Aura will drain quickly, and you'll be out of the fight far too early."

"How am I supposed to defend myself when I can barely follow your movements?" The Alpha wondered, gritting his teeth in frustration.

The Teacher and student were currently sparring in an unoccupied classroom. Ozpin had chosen this room because he had reasoned that it was better than training in Fenrir's room and risk destroying the place. All that could be seen from the windows was the inky black sky, the moon obscured by clouds. Thankfully, this wasn't much of a problem for Fenrir as his Faunus night-vision allowed him to see perfectly fine, even in the low lighting.

Though it did make him wonder how Ozpin, a human, who wore glasses, was apparently able to see just as well.

"I'm going to rush you Mr Lupus." Ozpin said as Fenrir got back to his feet, "Defend yourself!"

A flash of green light was all the warning Fenrir got, before Ozpin was right on top of him. The Grey-haired man held his cane above his head, and swung down towards Fenrir's unprotected skull.

Just in time, the Alpha swung Frostbite upwards, and the blades clashed against the hardened material that comprised The Long Memory. Using his strength, Fenrir pushed against Ozpin's cane in the hope of making the man stumble and leaving himself open for a counter-attack. But the older man was good, and recovered quickly, instantly resuming his assault on Fenrir.

The pair had been going at this for close to half-an-hour, the Beowolf once again trying to land a single hit on the veteran Huntsman. Over time, Fenrir was steadily becoming used to Ozpin's attack pattern. He was incredibly quick, but his strikes weren't all that damaging, more of a nuisance than anything. But all those hits did stack up, and now Fenrir was aching all over from all the multiple prods and swipes he'd gotten from that aggravating cane. On more than a few occasions, Fenrir had tried to use his blades to shatter the cane, but Ozpin was smart and always kept his cane out of reach.

All this meant that Fenrir was having to play defensively for the majority of the fight, with very few opportunities to go on the offensive. Which, if the Grimm was being honest, was one of his weaker parts in combat.

While he was able to keep pace and block Ozpin's strikes at first, he eventually became overwhelmed, and the man struck him squarely in the gut. Growling in steadily rising anger, Fenrir grabbed the cane with one hand and struck forward, hoping to knock those shiny specs right off Ozpin's face. But once more, the man proved to be far more experienced than the Wolf as he fluidly dodged around the strike, wrenched his cane out of the dazed Grimm's grip and hit Fenrir with his signature move.

A series of rapid-fire strikes that left his opponent reeling, and then one massive lunge that created a shockwave of green energy that jettisoned his foe into the air and tumbling across the floor.

When he stopped rolling, Fenrir was left looking up at the ceiling, quietly groaning as his body made a very persuasive argument to just lie there for an hour… or seven.

"You fight like a predator in the wild." Ozpin continued above him, "All your energy used up in the first few minutes of the fight, leaving you exhausted if it lasts longer than that. Pace yourself Mr Lupus."

Fighting against the urge to stop moving, Fenrir leapt back to his feet. This time, Ozpin made no moves forward, waiting instead to see what the Grimm would try and do now.

"I think… I think I can go for one last burst." Fenrir thought, already starting to summon up his weakened Aura.

Pretty much the only time Fenrir had been able to attack in this bout was when he was using his Aura, his form disappearing into a whirlwind of ice and snow as his speed and strength were enhanced by the soul energy. The only problem with this, was the infuriatingly short time-limit that Fenrir was still at the mercy of.

Preparing himself for one last desperate push, Fenrir willed his Aura into being, the deep, blue energy pulsing out of his body and instantly dropping the temperature of the room by several degrees. With a single exhale of white mist, Fenrir blasted forward through the air, his body transforming into a flurry of snowflakes.

"RRAAARRRGGHHH!"

The Beowolf pounced upon the Headmaster, who was now using his own Aura to keep just out of Frostbite's reach. As the seconds ticked by, the Alpha did everything he could think of to land just one blow on Ozpin.

To the younger man's credit, Ozpin did actually have to put in some effort into avoiding the wolf's attacks now. More than a few times, he only just managed to block a few glancing blows in time, feeling the air next to his cheeks get sliced into by the gleaming blades of Frostbite.

Sparks flew through the air as Gauntlets and cane clashed against each other. Flecks of ice floated lazily around the pair as Fenrir attacked every angle. Up, down, left, right, head, chest, arms, legs. At one point, Fenrir even tried to surprise the older man by hitting him with a kick instead of his blades.

Ozpin blocked the sudden attack, but the force from the blow did push him back slightly, his feet skidding on the floor. Sadly, Fenrir could do no more after this as, with a yell of pain, his Aura disappeared and left him hunched over, gasping for air.

He looked up just in time to see Ozpin had already moved back in and had his arm reeled back to deliver another blow to the exhausted Beowolf. Fenrir screwed his eyes shut, preparing for the pain of the strike.

What he got instead, was a light bop to his temple and a muted chuckle from Ozpin.

"I think, that will be all for today." Ozpin said, returning his cane back to its rightful position and walking over to the empty desks that lined the perimeter of the training arena.

Fenrir just knelt on the ground for a while, taking air into his lungs at a laboured pace. He couldn't focus on the bitterness of defeat, he could only focus on the strange, ice-like pressure building on his throat.

"I should probably get this checked out." Were Fenrir's initial thoughts, but no sooner had he though this, when the pressure already started to dissipate.

Debating on whether or not to talk to Ozpin about this strange occurrence, Fenrir rose unsteadily to his feet and joined the headmaster, pulling up a chair to rest his head upon.

"You're getting better Mr Lupus." Ozpin commented, typing something on his scroll.

"Doesn't feel like it." Fenrir grumbled, nursing a growing lump on the back of his head, "If it wasn't for this damn time-limit, I'd be able to put up more of a fight.

The older Huntsman hummed lightly, a knowing look in his eye that never failed to exasperate the Wolf.

"Speaking of your time-limit," He said, "On that last push, you lasted a full twenty seconds. You might not see it, but you have been improving. You're slowly achieving symbiosis with your Aura."

The Grimm blinked in surprise. He hadn't been aware that his time-limit was steadily increasing as time went on. Though, now that he thought about it, he did feel like he could go just a little bit longer when his Aura was activated.

"Be patient Fenrir," Ozpin said supportively, closing his Scroll, "It will take time for you to fully master your Aura. You were not born with the advantage of instantly possessing a soul, and even those who are, still face challenges."

"I'm used to challenge Ozpin," Fenrir retorted abrasively, "I spent the first year of my life being brutally trained by my parents. I could not set out into the world on my own until I was able to beat both of them in combat."

The Beowolf snorted and looked off into the corner of the room. Ozpin could give all the platitudes he wished, it didn't change the fact that until he finally landed just ONE hit on the older man, Fenrir would not be satisfied.

"Yes, that's right, you aren't like most Grimm, you have a mother and father." Ozpin said, like he was just remembering that little tidbit.

The man turned to the Teen Beowolf with a look of curiosity. Port had told him several weeks ago about how Fenrir was apparently a rare breed. A natural-born Grimm with parents and a childhood [Though a brief one of only a single year]. Ozpin hadn't inquired about that out of respect for Fenrir's privacy, but he figured there wouldn't be too much harm in asking now.

"If I may ask, what were you parents like Fenrir? I have never heard of Grimm raising young in the wild, I'm curious how that whole process works."

Fenrir gave a look to the headmaster, a look that suggested his initial instinct was to decline to give an answer to the man's probing. Instead, Fenrir just sighed and stared down at his hands, tail swaying lazily behind him.

"They were cold." He said abruptly, "They were focused, they were intense. Every day they would drill into my brain the importance of my people's work. They taught me how to hunt, how to fight, and when they were sure I was ready, they sent me off on my own."

Growing restless, Fenrir rose from his seat and paced in a small circle. It truly irritated him whenever he spoke of his parents to Humans. After his talk with both Ruby and Yang, he'd decided to get rid of a potential topic of conversation and informed the others of his past, before they could ask him first. He'd told all of team RWBY and team JNPR about his parents, and how they were what you expected Grimm parents to be like.

Every time, they'd look at him with these pitying eyes that drove him dangerously close to losing his temper. It was like Humans simply could not comprehend the idea of parents that were non-coddling, not nurturing in any way other than training for the future.

Except for Weiss, her reaction was… different than what he was expecting. It was almost like she could relate to his emotional dissonance with his parents.

"Which is just ridiculous to me. If anything, out of all of them, she would be the one most spoiled by her parents. No offense, but given her family, she was born with a… Ah what's that Human expression? Born with a gold spoon… no SILVER spoon in her mouth."

"They never once told me they loved me," Fenrir continued, feeling Ozpin's eyes on the back of his head, "They never even told me they liked me."

"Hmmm," Ozpin hummed, not moving from his seated position, "Still, I imagine they must have cared for you in some manner. You were their son, you were something they created, birthed into the world."

"I was an asset." Fenrir spat, now angered at how what was supposed to be a training session, had once again turned into a 'Lets analyse the Beowolf' session, "Some piece of themselves that would carry on even after they were dead."

Once more, the Headmaster just stared at Fenrir, making the younger man growl and stamp off, boots slamming into the ground. Ozpin watched as the young Grimm continued to grow more irate.

"Strange," He thought, "From the way you're behaving, It's almost like you WANT to believe they harboured no positive feelings for you. Now, why would that be?"

Before Ozpin could ask any further questions, Fenrir turned sharply to face him, a look on his face that suggested he'd remembered something important.

"You want me to prove they saw me as just another part of their legacy?" Fenrir asked in a mocking tone, "Alright then, I'll tell you a story. You Humans seem to love those!"

Ozpin winced slightly as Fenrir's temper flared up. It seemed despite all the progress that he'd made, Fenrir was still alarmingly quick to anger.

"We'll need to work on ways to more constructively use his anger in ways that doesn't involve violence."

"By all means Mr Lupus, share." Ozpin offered happily, more than a little intrigued to hear a story from the Alpha's childhood.

Fenrir chose to sit on the floor now, his face still set in a deep frown as he glared at the far too cheerful Professor.

"I was about four or five months old." He began, "I was still far too small and weak to go hunting for Humans with my mother and father, so they made me wait in whatever cave we were staying in at the time. But I was impatient, I wanted to get out there, see these Humans for myself. So sometimes, I would sneak out of the den and see the world around me."

"And once… I came across a group of Humans…"

Sixteen years ago

A tiny ball of jet-black fur could be seen scurrying through the underbrush of the dense forest. The midday sun hung overhead as the curious creature bounded along on miniscule paws. With huge, bright-red eyes, the Beowolf Pup spotted a group of mice gathered on a fallen log, nibbling on some freshly ripened berries.

Panting excitedly, The young Alpha crouched down low to the floor, just like his mama had taught him. With a clumsy gait, the Pup made his way slowly toward the group of rodents, tail wagging behind him.

The mice paused in their eating as their keen noses picked up on a dangerous scent right behind them. The air stilled, all present in this section of the forest seemingly holding their breath, waiting for whatever would happen next.

"Rargh!"

With a high-pitched growl, The pup leapt forward. Small, nub-like claws extended forward as the mice quickly leapt out of the way and skittered off to the bushes.

This lead to the over-zealous pup crashing face-first into the fallen log, the rotting wood breaking in half from the impact. The pup whined and whimpered as he rubbed a paw along his now aching snout. His face-mask was pure-white, no markings yet, those wouldn't come in until he was at least nine months old, according to his papa. He also lacked the various spines and bone-plates that his Mama and Papa had, having only a few small bumps on his shoulders that would one day become spikes. He hoped they were just as big as his papa's were.

Shrugging off his failed pouncing attempt, the Pup bounded off through the woods. It wouldn't be long before his Mama and Papa returned from their Hunt, he needed to get back before they did, or else they'd yell at him again.

Overhead, a deep, bellowing call shook the trees as the wind whipped up around the pup. Squinting through the tree-tops, the Beowolf spotted the colossal form of a Nevermore soaring through the air. It's great, black wings blotted out the sun as it flew gracefully among the clouds. The pup looked up in amazement as the giant Bird-type Grimm already started to disappear into the distance.

What the pup had failed to realise, was that the Nevermore hadn't just been bellowing for no reason. It was warning any nearby Grimm that it was being chased.

Humans, armed Humans, were in the area.

"Where'd that damn Nevermore fly off to!"

A new voice echoed the thicket of trees and bushes. A voice the pup didn't recognise, but instantly knew what it belonged to. Suddenly, the pup wasn't feeling as adventurous as he had been a few minutes ago, his tail curled around him as his ears flattened on his head.

"That noise… Those are Dustlings…"

"You were the one who was chasing it, how could you lose it?!"

Another voice, deeper than the first, startled the now scared pup. It wasn't just one Dustling, it was several. Making his way as quickly and quietly as he could, the Beowolf bounded away, hoping to get back to the cave before the Dustlings spotted him.

Luck was not on his side however, as he very nearly tumbled down a small hill that descended down into a clearing, where no less than Four Dustlings were standing around.

"Seriously, it was the size of a Bullhead, how do you just lose a Grimm that big?!"

"Hey, give me a break! It chucked up a tonne of mud and dirt at me as it took off. I'm lucky I didn't go blind."

The pup flattened himself against the ground, heart hammering in his chest as he watched the Dustlings argue below him. He'd never seen Humans this close up before, ones that weren't already dead at least. Sometimes, his mama or papa would bring home a dead Human that was already half-eaten, but these ones were alive and completely intact, which made them all the more terrifying to the child. His fear only worsened when he saw that they were all carrying weapons.

These weren't ordinary Humans, they were Hunters.

"Wow, you're a real credit to Huntsmen everywhere. A defender of the Human race, defeated by a bunch of rocks."

"Both of you knock it off!" A third voice cut off the arguing pair, the leader from the looks of him, "There's no point in arguing about this. That Nevermore's long gone now, but I'm sure we'll find more Grimm in the area. According to the nearby villagers, there've been a lot of them in the area recently."

As the team of four started debating on what their next move would be, the Pup started inching himself along the perimeter of the clearing. The Dustlings hadn't seen him yet, so if he was quick, he could sneak his way past them and get back to the cave before anyone even noticed he was gone.

Unfortunately, the Pup had unknowingly started a tradition for himself. A trend that would carry on long into his adult years, and even still when he wound up in an entirely new body.

That trend being his depressingly bad luck.

One paw, placed on just the wrong patch of earth, caused the ground beneath the pups feet to give way like sand in an hourglass. The pup yelped as he tumbled, head-over-tail straight into the middle of the clearing, right at the feet of the four Huntsmen.

"Beowolf!" The nearest Human cried out in alarm, the others instantly readying their weapons before they'd even seen the Grimm in question.

The pup backed away slowly, breaths coming in short and sharp as fear held him in its icy grip. Now standing right up next to them, it was painfully obvious how big these Humans were compared to him. Not only that, but now he could see the light reflecting off the polished metal of their weapons. The effect just made the Dustlings all the more terrifying in the young Alpha's eyes.

"Where, where is it?!"

The three Humans spun in place; weapons held aloft as they searched for the beast. Eventually they looked where the first Human was staring and spotted the miniature Grimm.

"What the… What the hell is that?!" A third voice, a female's from the sound of it, said, "Why is it so tiny?"

"I've never seen a Beowolf that looks like that." The fourth Human said, eyes wide as they tried to comprehend the strange creature in front of them.

The Pup was trembling now, the barrels of guns pointed at his face. He knew one day he would fight Dustling's like these, face them every day of his life. But it was one thing to know that, and to actually experience it.

These Humans, with their steel, and their armour, and their disgusted sneers as they stared down at him. They were the most frightening thing He'd ever seen.

"It… It looks like a baby Beowolf, or something." The nearest Human said, taking a step forward and inching his spear towards the Pup's snout, as if to poke it.

"Impossible, there's no such thing as Grimm young." The female said disbelievingly.

"Does it matter?" The leader said impatiently, lugging a massive, spiked hammer onto his shoulder, "A Grimm's a Grimm. Just kill it and let's get out of here."

The pup barked and yelped as loud as it could, though it wasn't much. He didn't care if his parents were mad at him now, he just wanted them here so they could chase the Humans away.

"Wait a minute," The female human interrupted, "This could be important, we should bring it with us back to Vale. The council, or even Professor Ozpin, they'll want to know about this."

"Ugh, fine!" The man groaned before gesturing to the nearest Dustling, "You, pick it up, guess we're taking it back to the kingdom."

"Take me… No… No you can't, I don't want to go with you...!"

The Human with the spear leaned forward and stretched out a hand, aiming for the back of the Pups neck. Despite his fear, the Beowolf was adamant on not going wherever these Humans wanted to take him. So, with a sudden burst of speed, the pup shot forward and clamped down hard on the Human's hand.

"AAAHHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!"

The man shrieked like a cat as he flung his arm around, the pup hanging on and biting down hard. The Beowolf felt a second pair of hands grab his head and then his jaws were forcibly pried off the hand he'd been biting. A Human wielding a sword held him now, keeping his hands far away from the toothed maw of the struggling Grimm.

"Ooo, vicious little bugger isn't he? Yeah definitely a Grimm." The man commented, before looking at the still flailing spear-wielder and frowning, "Oh stop whinging, it didn't even break your Aura."

Once the man realised he was no longer being bitten, he turned to the black ball of fluff and scowled furiously. With a twirl of his spear, he smacked the small body right out of the swordsman's hands with the flat side of the spears blade.

The Grimm tumbled across the floor, a pained howl escaping its mouth as its side burned with pain. The pups heart was beating frantically now, fear now rooting it to the spot as the Humans yet again argued among themselves.

"I just said we need to take it back to Vale!" The woman shouted at the Spear Human, "We can't do that if you stupidly kill it!"

"Hey! Get out of my face, that hurt!" The man shouted, "Argh, whatever! Come here you little monster."

The man approached him again, eyes still burning with anger and slight embarrassment. Looking up with wide, crimson eyes, the Beowolf whined again, feeling utterly powerless in the face of these Humans. He couldn't fight back; he couldn't try to run. The new, terrifying feelings that gripped the pup were suffocating, the crushing weight of hopeless fear felt like it was trying to flatten him into the ground.

Suddenly, the pup felt the earth beneath his feet start to shudder. The shakes were rhythmic and fast, getting stronger with each one. The pup soon realised that those tremors he was feeling, were footsteps.

Giant, frantic footsteps.

The Humans were given no time to react as a giant, black and white blur exploded out of the underbrush. All they caught was a flash of fur and bone spikes, before the hulking mass slammed into the spear Human and sent him crashing into a tree.

Coming to a stop, a colossal Alpha Beowolf towered over the Humans, eyes flaming with hatred as it bared its fans to the shell-shocked Dustlings. The pup, meanwhile, felt relief wash away his terror at the familiar sight.

"Mama!"

"Crap!" The woman shouted, bringing her rifle up to fire at the Beowolf's head, "Guess that's the parent!"

The adult Beowolf ignored the female pointing a weapon at her and instead charged towards the spear Human that now lay prone on the floor. With speed that gave the Huntsmen no time to react, the Alpha picked up the weakly struggling Human, and clamped her jaws down on his head.

The man's Aura was quickly depleted, and a gargled scream was only just able to escape his lips before his head was violently ripped off of his shoulders. The other Humans stared in abject horror as their colleagues blood was sprayed all across the forest floor. The pup just stared up in awe as his mother had effortlessly dealt with one of the attackers. His parents always made it look so easy, and it just made him long for the day when he could be as strong as them.

The Alpha turned back to the remaining three Humans, blood dripping from its maw as it easily swallowed the dead Humans head. Baring its claws and fangs, the Beowolf let out a roar that shook the trees above.

When it finished its war cry, the Alpha leapt forward and reached its claws out to grab the female Human.

The remaining Humans shook off their shock quickly, jumping backwards as the enraged Alpha lunged at them. The sounds of gunfire cracked through the air as the Female Human fired her gun, the Dust rounds hitting the Beowolf's thickened hide. Fire covered the other Human's sword as he swung at the Grimm's legs, while at the back, the leader of the group shoved a strange purple crystal into his hammer.

The pup, taking advantage of the chaos, ran to the bushes and hid in-between the thorny brambles. His eyes were as wide as saucers as his mother attacked with the pure, raw aggression that Grimm were infamous for. The Humans shouted and yelled among themselves as they darted around the space, narrowly avoiding the Beowolf's claws and fangs.

The leader slammed his hammer into the ground, creating a swirling, violet vortex beneath the Grimm's feet. The pup's mother had no time to get out of the way, before the vortex pulled her down to the floor. The Human with the sword moved in first, leaping into the air and pointing the tip of his blade downwards, aiming for the Beasts chest.

But the Alpha would not be so easily defeated.

With a roar of exertion, the Grimm forced its arm up to block the stab. The blade struck the arm and drew blood, but the Grimm pushed through the pain and flung the Human off of itself. Rolling its hulking mass to the side, the Grimm escaped the gravity well and rose back onto its hind legs.

Just in time to receive an explosive salvo right to the face from the female's weapon. Fire and smoke covered the Alpha's form as it yelled in pain and rage. Swiping away the smoke with its massive paws, the Beowolf charged as the female continued to fire on it.

The fight quickly grew more violent, the Alpha quickly switching between targets as it attacked viciously and relentlessly. It mattered not how much damage the Grimm took, it was in an enraged haze, pure wrath fuelling its every strike. The pup stared on in terrified amazement. He had only just learnt how to sense the negative emotions of others, and right now he could feel the fear coming off of these humans.

The Huntsmen had dealt with plenty of Beowolves before, but they'd never gone up against one who seemed so utterly uncaring of its own state in the battle, which was saying a lot considering most Grimm didn't really have a sense of self-preservation.

Soon it became clear that despite their superior skill, the Alpha was quickly wearing down their Aura's, its own injuries remaining completely ignored. Getting behind the Wolf, the human with the sword jumped up onto the Demon's back and stabbed his weapon into the Grimm's shoulder. A pained yell bellowed out of the beasts mouth, causing all present to cover their ears. Dark red blood started to flow down the Alpha's front, matting its fur.

The creatures red facial markings burned with red hot rage. Reaching up past itself, the Grimm yanked the man with the sword off its back and slammed him hard into the ground. The woman with the rifle moved forward to try and assist her teammate. Seeing this coming, the Alpha quickly brought the limp Human back up and threw him at the female, causing them both to tumble to the floor.

The one with the hammer approached the Alpha's side, bolts of electricity running all the way across the top of the spiked hammer. The pups mother just in time managed to block the Humans swing, but her arms still stung afterwards, the force of the blow knocking her back a few feet.

Panting, the Alpha looked across at where she knew her pup was hiding. Through the bushes, she could easily spot the bright red eyes of her child. The pup was pawing the ground anxiously, his ears bent backwards in fear.

She knew he wasn't ready, not nearly ready for this. But she also knew she wouldn't last much longer against these three Dustling's. She needed help, or she would surely die.

So in the brief lull between blows, the Alpha let loose a long howl. The humans couldn't tell, but this howl was different from the one earlier. It was not a call of aggression, but instead a signal for help.

A signal that was heard by another Alpha.

The battle raged on, the Beowolf playing a more defensive fight as she waited for her mate to arrive. At one point, she got lucky and gored the Female in the side with her arm spikes. With one of the Grimm's opponents downed, the Alpha need only bring its massive paw up, and crush the Dustlings head into the earth.

The pup watched in both disgust and fascination as the Human's head exploded under his mother's paw. His astonishment changed back to fear when the Human with the hammer charged forward and clubbed his mother on the chin.

The Alpha crashed onto her back, groaning a little as her jaw felt numb. The two remaining Huntsmen walked forward, both prepared to deliver the death blow to this monster. Racked with terror, the pup could hardly breathe as he watched these Humans prepare to kill his mother. Forgetting all about hiding, the young Beowolf leapt out of the bushes and cut off the remaining Humans, standing in-between them and his mother.

"Oh really?" The sword Human asked incredulously, "You're really going to do this? Yeah, real terrifying you little imp."

The pup felt small sparks of anger fizzle in his core, but he held his ground, doing his best to growl at these Humans who had hurt his mother. The Alpha, meanwhile, had her ears perked up as she caught a distant sound that was rapidly growing closer.

"Hell with this." The leader grumbled, carrying his hammer on his shoulder, "Just kill them both, we can tell the council later, and if they don't believe us, that's on them."

Nodding his head in agreement, the swordsman crouched down in preparation to cut the pup and mother down in one clean stroke.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the Humans feet grew dark, as if covered by a shadow, but the shadow couldn't possibly belong to the Human. Turning to look up, the man's eyes widned in fear as he quickly rolled out of the way of a hulking, spike-covered mass that crashed into where he was just standing.

Uncurling and standing up to its full height, a second Alpha Beowolf towered over the other inhabitants of the clearing. This one was bulkier than the other, and had larger shoulder spikes, and although it had a mask for a face, even a blind man would be able to tell this Grimm was beside itself with fury.

The pup looked up at the new figure and felt both relief and trepidation at the sight.

"Father…"

The pup's mother used the distraction of her mate's sudden arrival to dive toward the Sword Human and slash her claws along his back. The action caused the man's Aura to completely break apart as he yelled in pain.

With one final effort, the Female lifted the human up into the air, her right paw holding his head as her left held his legs. With a great tug, the Alpha pulled, and pulled, and finally split the Human in half. Blood and viscera sprayed like a fountain across the earth, a few drops landing on the pup, staining the pure white of his mask.

The male Alpha leapt towards the last remaining Human who used the length of his hammer to hold back the Grimm's open jaws. The razor-sharp teeth of the beast were mere inches away from the man's head, sweat pouring down his brow as he held the monster back.

Miraculously, the Huntsman was able to shove the Beowolf back, using the beasts sudden loss of balance to swing his weapon hard into the Grimm's side. The Alpha roared as the hammers spikes dug into his hide, but the pain seemingly just made him angrier.

The Grimm gave a backhand to the Human that punted him across the clearing and sent him slamming into a nearby pine tree. The Alpha charged after him, claws and fangs extended all the way as the two began their battle in earnest.

The mother, finished with the mutilated corpse of her latest kill, rushed back to her pup and crouched down on top of her child, as if shielding him with her body. The pup continued to watch in-between his mother's legs. His father and this Human were battling fiercely, the Alpha constantly on the offensive, hardly stopping for breath as the Human tried to get in whatever hits he could. It was a wild, frenzied rush of two beings driven to kill each other. The pup could barely remember to breathe, yet all the same, he didn't feel quite so afraid anymore.

After everything he'd seen in his short life, he was more sure than anything, there was no Grimm stronger than his Dad.

As a last, desperate effort to get away from a situation that had escalated to the point of being uncontrollable, the HU

Human slammed his hammer into the earth, sending out shockwaves and tossing up chunks of soil and rock. The pups father reeled backwards, dragging his claws through the ground to keep himself upright. Having given himself an opening, the Human turned and bolted, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

The Alpha male sneered in disgust at this Dustlings cowardice, then looked down at the upturned ground beneath his paws. It was then that the young Pup bore witness to his Fathers true talent. Where his mother was ferocious and commanded absolute authority in a fight, it was his father who possessed such raw strength that few Beowolves his age could match it.

Letting loose a hateful roar, the Alpha ripped up a titanic chunk of the ground the size of a boulder, and threw it full-force at the fleeing Human. The projectile struck true, the man gasping in shock and pain as he was sent crashing face first onto the floor.

The Alpha bounded towards the downed human who was now panting in fear. As the beast leered atop him, the man swung his hammer in one last ditch effort to save his own skin. The end of the hammer caught the Grimm right across the muzzle, chipping his mask and sending a tooth flying off, never to be seen again. Instead of so much as a whimper of pain, the Alpha just slowly turned its head back, growling lowly as its own blackened blood dribbled out of his mouth.

Before the Human could attempt that again, the Grimm ripped the hammer out the man's hands and tossed it away like it was trash. The Dustling looked up at the monster with wide, petrified eyes, now realising that there was no escape.

His journey ended here.

With a baleful roar, the Alpha pounced on him and viciously mauled the Huntsman. Once the Aura was broken, the forest clearing became a bloodbath. The Humans gargled shrieks and screams were the only sound that could be heard for miles as the pups father tore the Human to pieces.

Eventually, the humans cries stopped, and the body didn't move.

Rising back up onto his hind legs, the Alpha turned his body almost a full 360 degrees, looking across the entire forest, his fangs painted red and dripping with blood. Certain that the battle was won, the Alpha let out a howl of victory, the force of it shaking the branches of the trees above him.

With the danger gone, the mother finally rose back up off the ground, allowing her pup to move freely again. Once he was free, the pup bounded excitedly towards his Father. His cheer was short-lived however, when his father spotted him and saw his eyes immediately start to burn with anger.

"Father…" The pup stammered, his mouth still having a tough time getting out the words of the Grimmspeech that his parents insisted he learned.

"RRRRAAAAARRRGHHH!" His father boomed, slamming his paws into the ground and sending the pup instantly cowering backwards. His mother, meanwhile, just watched on with her own furious expression, her left paw hesitant to touch the ground as a wound on it bled slowly.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING?!" The Alpha roared, "WE TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE CAVE!"

"I…I…I…" The pup whimpered; head bowed down as his father's shadow engulfed his tiny form

"THOSE DUSTLING'S WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! HAVE YOU IGNORED EVERYTHING YOUR MOTHER AND I TAUGHT YOU?!"

The mighty Alpha's snarls turned to groans as the injury in his side flared up, adrenaline no longer blocking out the pain. Clutching his side roughly, the Beowolf looked down at his trembling progeny and grumbled lowly, the spines on his back flexing in irritation.

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED, YOU STUPID BOY!" The older Grimm continued, voice not as loud and angry as it had been but still pretty steamed, "YOU ARE NOT NEARLY READY TO FIGHT THOSE HUMANS! I WILL NOT LET MY SON DIE SO EARLY AND SO FOOLISHLY, YOU MUST CARRY ON WHEN YOUR MOTHER AND I HAVE FADED AWAY, YOU ARE OUR SUCCESSOR. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

When the pup merely continued to look dejectedly down at the ground, the Alpha growled and inched closer towards the small Grimm.

"LOOK AT ME BOY."

Finally mustering up the nerve to look up at his father, the pup spoke in a muted, watery voice, his bright red eyes gleaming with shame and sadness. The sight caused the male Alpha's frown to deepen.

"I'M SORRY." The pup finally squeaked out.

"DO NOT BE SORRY." The father snapped, "BE BETTER."

"MY MATE." The mother finally spoke, her own harsh eyes staring straight at her partner, "THAT IS ENOUGH. THE BOY HAS LEARNED FROM TODAY, HE WILL NOT DO THIS AGAIN."

At that last part, the mother gave her son a very pointed, as if daring him to challenge that statement.

He did not.

Looking at the cuts and gashes that covered his mate's body, the Beowolf's gaze softened slightly, though it re-hardened when he looked back down at their pup.

"GET BACK TO THE CAVE… NOW!"

With nothing more to say, the older Grimm turned his head away and moved towards his mate. The pup remained rooted to the spot, miniscule limbs trembling as they held up his weight which felt heavier than normal.

Dejected and miserable, the young Wolf trotted off slowly back towards their current home. As he approached the edge of the clearing, the pup looked back to see his father had made his way to his mothers side, checking her body over to make sure nothing was too badly damaged.

Once again, his fathers usually stormy visage had softened as he let out soft, quiet whines while his mother brushed him off gently, assuring him she was fine.

"He's never that nice to me. Neither of them are…"

Swallowing the lump of bitterness that had gotten caught in his throat, the pup continued his long, disgruntled trek back to the cave.

…..

"After that, my parents were even harsher in their training of me," Fenrir finished his tale, his eyes long since clouded over with remembrance, "I barely had time to rest before they were putting me through my paces yet again. Any time I messed up, they would remind me of that day, tell me that I couldn't spend another day being that weak and helpless, because they might not be there next time."

The now fully grown Grimmborn took in a breath when he finally stopped speaking. He'd never told a single living thing that story, and for good reason. It was a mark of shame on his past, a moment of stupidity that had nearly cost him his life.

Still, now that it was out in the open, it did bring him a sense of satisfaction. Looking back on it, he was now certain that his parents had only ever seen him as a task. And again, he'd never faulted them for that, it was the Grimm way. He could only hope now that Ozpin saw it the same way.

Speaking of the Headmaster, he hadn't said a word since Fenrir had begun his tale. Looking back at him, Fenrir fought the urge to snarl as his temper flared. Ozpin was just… looking at him. The smallest of smiles on his face as his eyes gleamed with assurance behind his glasses. His posture was relaxed, and his face was serene, which was not at all what Fenrir wanted.

After a solid minute of silence, Fenrir lost all patience.

"Well!" He said, voice raised slightly, "Have you nothing to say?!"

Ozpin for his part, hardly reacted to Fenrir's aggression, choosing instead to simply stand up and pace around the room, staring up at the window towards the night sky.

"I think, Mr Lupus," Ozpin eventually said, "That you have greatly misinterpreted what transpired that day in the forest."

Fenrir blinked, shocked and in disbelief of the older man's bold claim. The fact that the man had the nerve to say that what Fenrir had learnt from that day was wrong, when he himself hadn't even been there, was enough to make the Grimm seriously consider storming out of the room right this second.

"What the hell do you mean?" He asked between gritted teeth.

"You say that your parents did not love you, because they were angry when they found out you had disobeyed them. But, I think it more likely that when they saw you were in danger, that you were about to be killed or taken away from them, it frightened them."

Fenrir took a step back, his face now uncertain and his fists clenched at his sides.

"They pushed you as hard as they did, because they wanted you to survive," Ozpin continued, "While they might not be the best at expressing affection, which I think it reasonable to assume is the case for all Grimm, but I do not see any genuine malice in their actions that day. At least, not towards you."

Fenrir's head hung low now, his arms starting to tremble. What Ozpin was saying wasn't wrong. But if he admitted that the Professor was right, then that would mean…

"I think this was more a case of tough love," Ozpin said, his smile faltering when he saw that the Grimm continued to look more and more unsettled, "But Mr Lupus, I can confidently say that I think your parents DID love you .And…"

"STOP IT!"

The sudden shout tore through the silence of the empty classroom. The look on the young Alpha's face, made Ozpin's expression shift to a more sober one. Fenrir was breathing heavily now, his knuckles white as his tail curled and whipped through the air agitatedly. But it was the eyes that truly made Ozpin know there was more going on here than he'd initially thought.

His eyes looked so very… sad.

"They did not love me!" Fenrir said, his chest hitching as he now appeared to be talking more to himself than to Ozpin, "Grimm do not feel love! We are Soulless, we don't… we can't… they couldn't have… I… they…"

The Beowolf looked truly lost now, his emotions running away from him, becoming more and more impossible to reign in. The older man looked at the young boy for a moment, before a sudden thought brought a wave of clarity to him.

"Fenrir," He said quietly, catching the young mans attention, "This isn't about whether or not they love you is it?"

Fenrir looked up at the headmaster with a twinge of fear in his gut, before that nauseating feeling grew too much and he screwed his eyes shut.

A burning sensation that Fenrir had instantly grown to loathe was emanating from behind his eyelids. He fought it off with everything he had, his pride as a Grimm refusing to let him show any sign of weakness.

"It's about how you don't want to acknowledge for even a second, that they might have loved you." Ozpin finally guessed correctly, "Because if you do that then…"

Ozpin left the end of that sentence hanging open in the air, hoping that the Grimm would finish it. As painful as this obviously was for the Grimm, Ozpin needed to hear him say it.

"Then it just makes my betrayal even worse." Fenrir finally choked out, "If they truly cared about me, then the fact that I am here, among humans, learning from them, becoming friends with them. I might as well have turned around and spat in their faces."

The Grimm's posture was fully hunched over now, his head starting to pound as the ache in his chest and the burning behind his eyes grew worse. Once more, he longed for the days where he hardly ever felt like this, when his life was a blur of rage and bloodshed and he didn't care what others thought about him, not even his parents.

"I failed them." Fenrir said in a hollow voice.

There really was no avoiding that anymore. He was with the enemy now. Even Ozpin, for all his wisdom, could offer no argument to the contrary. Fenrir was a traitor to his people now, and the worst part was that it wasn't even his choice to be so.

"If they knew…" Fenrir spoke in a whisper now, "They would hate me. I would forever be the worst kind of Grimm."

Stopping Fenrir before he had a chance to sink further into these depressing thoughts, Ozpin placed a gentle hand on Fenrir's shoulder and gripped it softly. When the Beowolf looked back up at him, his shoulders tensing at the contact, Ozpin offered the only advice he could think of.

"You cannot undo what has already happened Fenrir. As much as we all might wish it at one point or another, we cannot change the past."

Fenrir saw a hint of deep, old regret reflected in the mans dark brown eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

"But we can learn from it. Move on from it. But above all else, we cannot allow it to hold us down. Just because you can no longer be with your people, does not mean you cannot still be a guardian of Remnant. That is what you want to be isn't it?"

At Ozpin's question, the Grimm only gave a small nod. No matter what happened, he would defend this planet until his dying breath. That would never change.

"And it also doesn't mean that you have to go through life unloved or unwanted." Ozpin continued, "I think you belong here Fenrir, even if the rest of the school disagrees with me. While your life may not be what you were expecting it to be, you can still make it one that was worth living. You're not alone, and you're not a failure."

The professor backed off then, standing back as Fenrir made quick work of gathering his composure. When he was certain that he no longer looked like a kicked dog, he shot the strange Headmaster of Beacon a puzzled look.

"Why are you always so nice to me? I don't get it; I don't get you."

Ozpin chuckled heartily.

"There are few people that do Mr Lupus." He affirmed, causing the Grimm to give him a flat look, "But to answer your question: Because you are my student, and everyone deserves to be treated to a little kindness every now and then."

The Grimm looked at the Human who had taken him into this academy, who despite all the reasons Fenrir had given to doubt him, still accepted him. Before he could even stop it, Fenrir laughed.

A genuine, incredulous laugh that made his chest vibrate as it rose up through his throat and out of his mouth.

"You're mad." He said before he once again started to laugh.

Ozpin joined in not long after, though his laughter was much more reserved.

When the two of them finally got control of themselves, Ozpin turned and began to walk towards the exit of the classroom.

"Well, I think that will be all for the evening." He said, "Get some sleep Mr Lupus, Mid-term exams begin in two days' time. The last thing you'll want is to walk into the exam hall half-asleep."

Fenrir gave a nod to show he'd heard the man, before Ozpin finally walked through the doorway and disappeared from view. Fenrir turned to look up at the sky, the fractured moon peeking through the cloud cover ever so slightly. He stared up at it for what felt like hours, before he finally looked down at his pale hands.

"Mother… Father… Perhaps you did care about me, in your own way."

"I'm sorry."

"I know this isn't the life you wanted for me. I know that if you could see me now, you would be ashamed of me."

Tightening his hands, Fenrir's expression hardened as he finally shook off the last lingering regrets of his transformation into a Faunus boy.

"But I WILL carry on regardless. I WILL be a guardian. I'll defend Remnant with all that I have. Even if that means fighting alongside the Humans to do it."

"I hope we never meet again."

Sunday afternoon was a delightfully sunny one. At least, most people thought so, Fenrir could honestly do without it. He'd never been a fan of the sun, especially when it was glaring so brightly like it was now.

Wolves did always hunt better in the dark after all.

"Wouldn't even be up here right now if Weiss hadn't insisted I get some last minute studying done before Mid-terms start tomorrow. Well, I did need to go to the library anyway. I need to find some books that'll help me to train Phthalo, because I don't know the first thing about teaching."

"Plus, there's something I've been holding off on for a while now. I need to know…"

As Fenrir made his way through the busy hallways of Beacon academy, he took note of how people were once again giving him a wide berth. It actually made him miss being down in Vale, where no one knew he was a Grimm and thus didn't act like he was a walking disease.

"It really is getting old now." He grumbled, thankful that he was at last approaching the doors to one of his favourite spots in this whole academy.

Before he could so much as bring his hands up to push open the doors, someone else came through them from the other side. This person stopped dead in their tracks when they realised they were inches away from Beacon academy's resident Beowolf.

This student was a girl, dressed in mostly purple, with a matching hair and eye colour to boot. The only other colour that was instantly eye-catching to Fenrir was the white scarf that hung around the girls neck, and the equally white hat on her head. Fenrir had read enough Human fairy-tales to see that the hat this girl was wearing was a familiar one.

"it looks like a witches hat."

For some reason, the sight of the scarf was triggering something in the wolf demon. Like he'd seen it somewhere before.

Before he could put much thought to it, Fenrir's negativity sense started spiking, Nowadays, it was always active whenever he passed students who weren't a part of team RWBY or team JNPR, but this new surge of negative energy was coming directly from the girl in front of him.

Fear and loathing mingled together as the girl glared up at him fiercely. Not intimidated in the least, Fenrir crossed his arms and simply waited for this random student to do something. That something eventually turned out to be the girl side-stepping around him, not once taking her eyes off him.

Now thoroughly unimpressed, Fenrir rolled his eyes and sighed. Normally he wouldn't bother with talking to people like this, but his patience did have a limit.

"Why don't you take a few more steps back," Fenrir said suddenly, causing the girl to flinch slightly, much to his amusement, "You seem to think I'm contagious after all. Who knows, get any closer, and you might just get infected."

The girl looked like she'd just been slapped in the face from how bluntly and how quickly Fenrir had just belittled her. Finished with just standing in a doorway, Fenrir unfolded his arms and walked off, intent on getting back to what he was doing.

"You are a disease."

The woman whispered, softly but so very hatefully. Fenrir could almost taste the venom on his tongue. The Grimm halted in place, not turning to look at her but still swivelling his ears round so he could better hear whatever it was this stranger was going to say.

"Every single one of your kind are nothing but a cancer." The girl continued, "All you know how to do is kill and destroy. You are pure evil… and one day, you'll all be wiped out. There's no way we'll ever let the Grimm win."

The last part stoked the fires of Fenrir's rage. The idea that his kind would ever LOSE to Humanity, was not something he was prepared to think about.

"So you can growl and sneer all you like. Eventually, the Grimm will die, and the world will be a better place when you're not on it."

That was what got Fenrir to finally move. Letting out a snarl that came from deep in the back of his throat, the Beowolf turned round and bared his teeth at this person who dared to think they had the right to insult his people, call them a disease.

The girl took a step back, her own anger very nearly matching the Grimm's own. Any other students in the area had now stopped to see what the sudden commotion was about. When they saw the Wolf Demon was involved, many of them started to get restless. Just what was that monster doing now.

Fenrir took a step forward, and when he did, the girl's Aura activated on instinct. At the sight of dark purple smoke coming out of the girl's body, Fenrir once again gave pause as his mind buzzed at him incessantly. For some reason, he felt like he'd seen this smoke before.

And then it hit him like a truck.

An image of a scared little girl hiding in a dumpster.

A purple, disembodied ram's head punting him through a building.

A burning sensation on his chest that singed his fur and cracked his ribs.

"You!" Fenrir gasped in shock, before his rage returned tenfold and his dark blue eyes started to flicker red with hatred.

"You got away from me." He said quietly so that only he and this girl could hear, "Before that day, I'd never let prey get away from me."

The girl appeared confused for a second, before her own recognition hit her, and now her emotional state was nothing but pure hatred as she glared at the Alpha.

Everyone else in the hallway could practically see knives being thrown between the pairs stares. In the blink of an eye, Fenrir's own Aura activated. Bright, shimmering blue waves of soul energy burst off of the Beowolf's form as the temperature of the hallway plummeted and ice formed beneath Fenrir's boots.

The girl recoiled slightly at the sheer size and aggressive shape of the beats Aura, but she didn't back down. The remaining students stared on in shock and slight horror. It appeared the rumours were true; the Grimm had learned how to use his Aura.

And it was clear that this Grimm possessed a very strong Aura as well.

Fenrir started to crouch down, his claws extending as he continued to snarl and growl. He didn't even care that he didn't have his weapons on him at the moment. This girl had escaped him once, he would Correct that mistake right now!

The girl started to reach round to the back of her hip when suddenly.

"Mr Lupus!"

An elderly, yet commanding voice shook Fenrir out of his rage-induced trance. Looking to his left, Fenrir saw professor Port had made his way through the gaggle of students and was now standing with his hands on his hips.

"What's going on here?" He asked, quirking a bushy eyebrow at the Wolf and the Witch.

Fenrir, now no longer burning with wrath and fury, was able to take a step back and reflect on the foolish decision he had very nearly made. If he'd attacked this girl as he was about to do, not only would he have lost without his weapons, but he would have been immediately kicked off of school grounds.

Thinking back on what Ozpin had told him last night, Fenrir decided the best option he could take right now would be to just leave it be. It was years ago that this happened, there was no point in getting upset over it now. So, with a heavy breath in, Fenrir deactivated his Aura and the cold chill immediately started to disperse.

"Nothing professor," He said gruffly, turning to look down at the purple witch, "It's in the past now anyway."

The girl just continued to seethe at him. Clearly this was one Human who he would never get along with, which was good because he had no desire to speak to her ever again.

Well, maybe one last thing.

"As for what you said earlier," He muttered hatefully, "Well… We shall simply have to wait and see, won't we?"

With all that said and done, Fenrir turned and stomped off, slamming the doors of the library behind him.

Once he was hidden from view, Fenrir leaned back hard against a bookshelf, dragging both of his hands through his now frost covered hair.

"Well, that could have gone better." The soft voice commented, "But I suppose it also could have gone worse, so at least you're learning."

"Sorry about that," Fenrir apologised to the voice in his head, "Just… That Human and I have a history."

"Yes, I know. Still, don't let it hold you down, just like Ozpin said. Now I believe you were here for a reason, correct?"

Reminded of why he was here, Fenrir made his way over to the nearest available terminal and sat himself down in a seat. He was still agonisingly slow when it came to working this holographic technology that other Humans seemed so adept at using, but he was getting better than before.

Once he'd gotten past the home screen, Fenrir brought up the search bar, his clawed fingers travelling awkwardly across the hard-light surface. He'd been meaning to do this for some time now, but after his encounter with lady Vatn and the Red Hand, he felt that he needed to know now more than ever.

So, with a deep breath, Fenrir began typing.

The White Fang

..

A/N: I'm back, you miss me? So yeah, Fenrir is finally going to learn about the White Fang, and we got a glimpse as to what his childhood was like.

Now for those who don't know; that character at the end was purely a one-time cameo. I'm sure you can guess who it is, but if you're not certain, look at this: watch?v=swQYifJ1r4w.

Why I did this? Well, because a friend of mine who's been a big help on this fic for quite a while now has been practicing their own writing. This was made in relation to his own work, so this was kind of my way saying thanks for all the support.

Be sure to leave a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter guys.

Next time: Mid-term exams begin, and Fenrir is given the roll of… Fighter escort. Meanwhile, a certain green ninja has doubts of whether Fenrir can be trusted. See you then.