Jaune and Courage the Cowardly Dog

Chapter 1

Walking down the roads of the empty streets, I pulled my hoodie close to me as the cold bitter night Vale winds hit me. Going through my hoodie and chilling me to the bone. Holding back a few tears, I continued my way down the roads to try and find any form of shelter. But I have yet to find any suitable ones. Not even materials to make a make shift shelter to protect me from the winds. Clenching my jaw, I pressed on and tried to find anything I can use for the night. Eventually, I found an alley way where the buildings blocked the wind enough so I could rest for the night. Moving the trash aside, I sat down and tried to get comfortable. Seeing some cardboard nearby, I pulled it close to me and placed it over me to provide some kind of protection against the wind. Not much, but it will have to do. Making sure I was covered, I tried to fall asleep.

You might be wondering who I am and why I am here in Vale trying to fall asleep in an alleyway. My name is Jaune. That's it. No last name. I used to have one but that was taken away after my parents disowned me. Why they disowned me you might ask? Well, it is because I got kicked out of Beacon. They had always wanted me to become a successful huntsman to carry on the proud line of the Arc family. But after getting expelled from Beacon, they labeled me as a failure and no longer wanted anything to do with me. So, they kicked me out after disowning me and said I am no longer an Arc and can no longer use that name.

As to why I got expelled from Beacon is another story entirely. To put it as simple as possible, I was expelled from Beacon because of my forged transcripts. The reason I used forge transcripts was because it was the only way to get into Beacon at this point as I had no real combat training thanks to me always being busy handling other matters. Such as the Arc family finances, doing their chores, help taking care the younger children of the Arc family and having to work two part time jobs to help cover the expenses as well as having to go to school. With all the time that was consumed doing all that meant I had no time to actually train. So, forged transcripts were the only way to go at the moment to please the Arc Family.

But none of that matters right now. What I need to focus on now is finding a way to make some money to be able to afford food and find a better temporary place to stay. Then after that, find a way to get out of Vale. Too many painful memories here. Not to mention a high chance of running into people I do not want to see again. Hearing a ringing noise coming from my side, I remembered I had my scroll on me. Taking it out, I immediately tossed in into the garbage dumpster next to me and closed the lid. I did not need any more heartaches or reminders right now.

"Get some rest Jaune. You have a big day tomorrow." I told myself. Pulling the cardboard closer to myself and hugging myself as tightly as I can, I tried to fall asleep to catch some rest. But I was unable to fall asleep. As it seems my bad luck seemed to get worse as the wind seemed to find me and was no too pleased with me seeking shelter as the winds seemed even colder than before and easily penetrated my makeshift blanket and chilled me to the bone. And add to that, it seemed like it started to drizzle a bit which meant that rain was coming soon. Sighing, I looked around and saw some more cardboard. Grabbing it, I raised it above my head to block some of the rain. But it only lasted a few moments before the carboard gave way and fell apart. Holding back some more tears, I was about to curse my luck when a sweet voice caught my attention.

"Oh, you poor dear. What are you doing here all alone?" The voice asked. Looking up, I saw a nice-looking lady seemingly worried about me. She had curly white hair and was wearing glasses. She was also wearing a dark yellow dress with a bright yellow apron, and a pair of sturdy black leather boots. Looking next to her, I noticed she had some grocery bags as well. Thinking I didn't hear her, she asked again.

"Are you all right dear?" She asked while coming closer to me. Tossing the useless cardboard away, I gave a weak smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answered. Though she obviously didn't believe it as evident by the frown on her face.

"Then why are you in this place when it very clearly is going to rain?" She asked with a frown but was very concerned now. Sighing, I decided to tell the truth. Not like I was going to lose anything by telling the truth anyway.

"Because I have nowhere else to go. Got expelled by the school and disowned by my parents" I told her. Tears were now threatening to come again but I held them back.

"And why pray tell did the school expel you and your parents disown you?" She asked clearly shocked at what she just heard.

"The school found out about my forged transcripts and expel me because of it. And my parents disowned me because they labeled me a failure for not being able to become a huntsman." I answered.

"Why did you use forged transcripts to get into the school?" She asked.

"Because it was the only way to get in at this point as the actual process requires one to go to special schools beforehand. But I never could as I had to help them with stuff they could not do themselves." I explained. At this point, I could no longer hold back the tears and let them come out.

"You poor dear you. No one deserves such luck as you have had. Why not you come and live with me?" She asked. This shocked me to the core. A lady who I don't know nor have ever seen before has offered to let me live with her. No one in my life has ever been this nice to me. Right off the back at least.

"W-what? I t-thank you but I d-don't want to cause you any t-trouble." I stuttered trying to get out an answer. I was so shocked at this my brain was having trouble keeping up with it.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. It would be lovely to have another person in the house." She countered.

"I don't want to impose." I told her. Though, secretly, I did want to go with her. She seemed nice enough and the thought of having a roof over my head sounds heavenly now.

"Nonsense. It would be nice to have you with us." She said with a reassuring smile. Smiling, I got up and wiped off some trash that got on me.

"Alright. I will go with you. Thank you for the offer." I told her.

"Marvelous. Now if you will follow me, we can head on to your new home." She said with a smile while bringing her hands together.

"Thank you for your hospitality." I thanked her. She smiled and nodded and was about to pick up her groceries but I picked them up before she could. "Please. Allow me to help."

"You're a dear Mr..." She said before silently asking for my name.

"My name is Jaune." I answered.

"What a lovely name. I'm Muriel Bagge." She said with a smile.

I smiled back at her and picked up her bags again. She then motioned for me to follow her. We walked around Vale picking up a few more things she said she needed for cooking dinner. Then we made our way to the airstrips and boarded a bullhead towards our location. But what stood out to me was the fact that aside from us and the pilot, there was no one else aboard.

"Muriel. If you don't mind me asking, but where are we heading to?" I asked her curious.

"Why to our cozy little home in the middle of nowhere." She answered.

This concerned me a bit as I was not sure if that was the name of the place we are going to or it was literally in the middle of nowhere. But I decided to put some faith in her. After all, she does seem like a sweet little old lady. And she has already proved nicer than most of the people I have encountered in my life. Looking out the window, I saw that we were leaving Vale as the boarders that protected the kingdom from the grimm. It seems that the part of me wanting to leave Vale is coming true as well. Leaning back into the seat, I tried to relax and maybe take a nap until we get to our destination but the fact that my motion sickness started to act up prevented that. I placed my hand on my stomach and was about to get up and head to the nearest trash can when a sandwich came into view.

"Here you go." She said handing me the sandwich. Bringing it up to my face to see what kind it was, I saw that it is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Uh-" I was about to ask what it was for when another wave of nausea hit me. Luckily, it seemed she knew what I was going to ask.

"I saw that you seemed a bit motion sick. So, I whipped up a little something for you to help." She answered.

"Thank you." I told her and began to eat. And to my surprise, it did begin to help settle my stomach. But as I ate it, I could not help but notice it had a strange taste but not at all unpleasant. "Delicious."

"Glad you like it." She said with a smile.

"Thank you. But I must ask, what was the taste as I am unfamiliar with it?" I asked.

"Oh, it was just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." She answered. I still felt as if there was something else to it, but it could have just been a different brand I have not tasted before. "With just a wee dash of vinegar."

'Ah, so that explains the taste. Still good either way.' I thought as I relaxed back into the seat and was able to rest as my stomach finally settled down.

One Hour Later

The bullhead soon landed in a small little town that I have never seen before in my life. But despite being small and never seeing it before, it had and air of friendliness and coziness to it. Getting up from our seats, I grabbed the groceries and followed Muriel out of the bullhead and towards the nearby street where she hailed a cab. Luckily, one was passing just as she did that. Putting the groceries in the back, we got in the cab where Muriel gave directions to the driver. As the driver took us there, I could not help but stare out at the town as it felt so different than what I am used to in Vale. Not to mention, I rarely travelled in my life. In fact, the farthest I have ever travelled in my life was to get to Beacon. But what took me by surprise was that after a while, the scenery changed from town to desert. This confused me a bit. But after a while, I saw a small cozy looking farm come into view.

'Guess she was being literal in both senses.' I though as while I looked around the town, I saw that it was named nowhere. And now we are going to a farm that is in the middle of nowhere. Soon, the cab stopped in front of the farm and Muriel paid the driver before stepping out. Doing the same, I stepped out and went around the back and grabbed the groceries. The cab then drove away, kicking up a lot of dust that left me coughing for a moment. Yet Muriel seemed unaffected by it and simply made her way to the house. Following her, we got to the door where Muriel pulled out some keys, unlocked the door and entered. Following suit, I entered as well and closed the door behind me.

"Eustace. Courage. I would like you both to meet someone." Muriel called out. Soon, an old man came into view. He was wearing a pale-yellow shirt with olive green overalls with black buttons, a dark brown hat and large black shoes. Hearing steps coming down stairs, I looked to my right and saw a small pink dog with long thin black ears. He also had a black diamond shaped nose, tiny limbs and three black spots on his back.

"What!" The man asked irritated. Already, I could tell he is an ass. But the dog seemed genuinely curious as to what is happening right now. But what really caught my attention was the fact that he was walking on two feet like a person instead of four feet like any other dog I have seen.

"Ah. There you both are. Eustace. Courage. I would like you to meet thus nice young boy I found while I was out today. He had such a rough time and is now without a family or home. So, I offered him to move in with us." Murial told them. At this, I felt a bit of guilt and dread return as this lady took me in without hesitation. And now is just telling the rest about this. I prepared myself for them to say no and just kick me out.

"Bah. You! What can you do? Can you cook? Clean? Fix a truck?" The man asked angrily. Though, it did not faze me too much as I have been on the receiving end of much harsher words and glares.

"Yes. I know how to cook, clean and fix vehicles amongst other things." I answered. Little did anyone know, that the part time jobs I did when I was younger were in fact repairing various things and working at a diner. The old man seemed to consider this before suddenly smiling for a brief moment.

"Works for me. Gah!" He said before sitting down in his chair and pulling out a newspaper from seemingly nowhere.

"Come Courage. Meet our new member of the family." Muriel said to the dog. And to my surprise, the dog hummed a bit before walking up to me. He sniffed me for a moment curious as to who I am before extending his paw to me. Not sure what to expect, I grabbed his paw and shook it.

"Isn't that sweet. Now, why don't you go upstairs to the bathroom and freshen up. I'll go and get dinner ready. Then we can all have a nice meal before heading to bed. Here are some towels." Muriel said before grabbing some towels from somewhere and handing them to me and telling me where the bathroom is.

Thanking her, I went up the stairs and was about to enter the bathroom when I realized I had no idea which room was the bathroom. Luckily, and weirdly enough, the dog Courage came up to me and showed me where the bathroom was. Thanking him, which made me feel a bit weird, I entered the bathroom and began to freshen up a bit. But as I splashed my face with water, I felt my mind race through a million thoughts a minute. Some about what could happen to me as I don't know these people. Others on what I could do to help repay these people for their kindness. Some on how this can be the start of an entirely new life for me. A better one where I can finally be myself instead of having to please my birth parents. But once that though came to mind, I began to wonder what they are doing now and what my former teammates are doing. Shaking my head, I got rid of those thoughts.

"No Jaune. Don't dwell on the past. This is your chance to move forward in life. Be happy." I reminded myself. Turning off the sink, I dried my face and stepped out of the bathroom where Muriel was waiting for me.

"Ah good. You're done. Come. I have prepared some delicious chicken dumplings." She said before walking away.

Following her, I felt my mouth drool a bit at the thought of chicken dumplings as that is my favorite food. And it seems it is also Courages favorite food as well. Evident by the fact that his mouth was watering heavily like when Nora saw a freshly made stack of pancakes. Silently chuckling, I followed them to the kitchen where I saw the old man sitting on the table eating some already. Muriel and Courage each took a seat. With Muriel patting the seat next to her, signaling me to sit there. Taking the seat, she served me some dumplings before digging in herself. Taking a bite from them, I felt the flavor explode in my mouth as these were some of the best dumplings I have ever had. We all simply ate in silence which actually was something I wanted as I still had a lot to process. But the dumplings did help a bit in keeping me calm. After a few minutes, we finished our food and Muriel brought out some pie for us to have and it was delicious as well. Even the old man smiled at having the pie. Courage as well seemed to really like pies as most of the pie filling was on his face rather than in his mouth. I chuckled a bit as it was a funny sight. But then he gave a big toothy grin and odd laugh that weirded me out but still made me chuckle some more. Once we were done with food, I helped Muriel bring the dishes to the sink and wash and out them away.

"Follow me Jaune. I will show you to your room." Muriel said as she hummed a bit before walking away. Following her, she went back upstairs and showed me a room in the attic. It was sparse in there and only had a window and a computer. But as I looked at the computer, I could not help but feel like it's a very strange and unique type of computer.

"Here you are. A nice comfy bed. Tomorrow we can head into town and buy some clothes and sleepwear for you dear." Muriel said to me.

"Thank you for taking me in Murel. How can I ever repay?" I asked her.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. It's just nice to have another person here as well. We will be downstairs in our room. Just yell if you need anything. Good night." She said before exiting the room and turning off the light.

Sighing, I took off my shoes and laid down on the bed. I can't believe this is happening. This week started out really bad but now I am with a new "family" and about to start a new life. It is almost surreal if you think about it. But I am not going to screw this up. All my life, I haven't really been able to live how I wanted and forced to become how my parents wanted me to be. Now I have the chance to be myself and make a life for myself. But first things first, I have to find a job to help pay for my expenses and help Muriel and the others. She may have said that it was not needed, but I would not feel right with myself if I did not do something in return. Getting under the blankest, I decided to think about it more in the morning when I am fully rested. But before sleep could take me, one last thought came to mind.

'I wonder if I can lead a normal life now or have a life full of adventure like I always wanted.' I thought before succumbing to sleep. Little did I know that my life was now bound for adventure and never going to be normal again.

Note:

1. Just something my gf requested I do for her.

2. Plot will mainly focus on the Courage the Cowardly Dog series rather than the Rwby series.

3. Some parts will be modified/changed a bit in order to make it flow better.

Ex: Muriel and Eustace do not get turned into puppets by Fusilli.

4. Title is a work in progress