The Knights of Rose

by RebukeX7

Faith, Charity, Justice, Sagacity,Prudence,Temperance,Resolution,Truth,Liberality,Diligence,Hope,and Valor. These are the virtues that are adopted by those whom choose the life of a knight. In a world overrun with evil, these are the virtues adopted by desperate individuals whom seek to protect their only chance at salvation-a reluctant heroine turned Empress. Mankind's last hope.

25. Beauty and the Beast (Part 2)

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY but I do own a single Dogecoin :D

Almost at 800 reviews, keep it up! Let's goooooooooooooooooooooo!

No, this chapter wasn't pre-written, yes, I typed it out this fast. If there are typos it is because of that and Will's need to recover after the last chapter lol, sorry dude!

Let me start off by saying that, yes, I know I give Blake shit but that's because she was my fave character at one point in the first 2 volumes but know this. I don't hate Blake, I hate the wasted potential.

This story gave me a chance to take a different spin on her just like I did with Pyrrha.

So, without further ado I dedicate this chapter to the Ninja of Love herself.

Featured BGMs

All the Stars [Explicit]-Kendrick Lamar & SZA- Black Panther OST

Paramedic! [Explicit]-SPB X RBE-Black Panther OST

BETAED BY: Will S. LaVi "Don't need to apologize Reb. I have the energy to spare….the reviews on the previous chapter ensured that."

Beauty and the Beast (Part 2)

(Alternate titles: Black Narcissus OR The Ninja of Love)

-Kuroyuri: The Cave: 2 months ago-

Blake bit her lip, her head bowed as she followed the old man deeper into the cave. His sheer presence felt like it was drowning her and though her faith was strong, her treacherous mind still made her ask the question.

"Is this real?"

Instead of smiting her for asking the question after going out of his way to reveal himself to her, the God of Animals just laughed.

"Yes, kitten, this is real." The God of Animals confirmed with a large grin. "Do not be on edge, you are one of my precious children." The God of Animals ruffled her hair. "I have been watching you for a long time, and my heart broke at your rage, fear, and sadness that went unanswered. I wanted to reach out but I couldn't. Until now."

Blake looked up at him curiously.

"What changed?"

"Your third eye opened," the God of Animals explained as he gestured toward the empty vial in her hand. "That child of mine training you made quite the elixir. It opened your mind's eye and increased your sensitivity not only to the horrors in this cave but also to the divine, to me."

"Your child?" Blake questioned in confusion. "But he's human."

"Indeed, he is," the God of Animals agreed. "But humanity are my children as well, though they are adopted which likely explains some things." The old man winked at Blake which made her smirk a bit. "That old Bastard of Light may have been their creator but he is not their father. Not when he and his brother abandoned them after they threw a small temper tantrum."

His eyes seemed to flash with something powerful that made Blake tense.

With a sigh, the God of Animals shook his head.

"I apologize, I still hold a grudge for that." The God of Animal's explained. "They birthed me to take care of the animals but left me to deal with the mess they made. So many children and creatures were broken when they departed and I did my best to save as many as I could, even using pieces of the animals to mend the humans who were almost beyond saving."

The God of Animal's gestured toward Blake who stood stunned, looking at the being that spoke of creating her entire species as if he were talking about the weather.

"I had trusted that fool Ozma to look after the first of your kind," The God of Animal's continued. "They were to be brothers but he was so ensnared by that vile woman of his that he abandoned my child and you children have been paying the price ever since."

The God of Animal's sat down on a boulder, his frustration clear.

"Humanity was to rebuild the kingdoms, the society and order that had been destroyed, and you all were to be given the wilderness." The God of Animal's explained. "It's why I gave you all so many traits to survive in the wild. Together you were to banish the evil that the Bastard of Darkness left behind. You were to be equal."

"Couldn't you have done something?" Blake asked helplessly before tensing. "Sorry."

"No, no, that is a valid question, kitten," The God of Animals said with a sad smile. "But my hands are tied, I only have dominion over the animals of this planet which don't even include your people due to the humanity within you. I am only allowed to fix things should they get too bad."

The God of Animal's raised a hand, and the world around them transformed into a throne room.

Incredulously, Blake looked on and watched in horror when she saw a much older Ruby get stabbed by Neo. Silently, Blake watched Ruby fight on, killing Neo and healing Salem before her body collapsed from her wounds. Unseen by the Knights who rushed into the scene, the God of Animals looked down sadly before kneeling next to the Empress.

For a brief moment, Blake could have sworn she saw the Empress could see him before her eyes lost their life. When the God of Animal's tapped her on her forehead, a pool appeared beneath the fallen woman and Blake watched as she saw the Empress fall into the past, her Knights following her as the world broke.

"You shifted the world for her," Blake whispered. "Why? Not that I am complaining, but why do that when the evil was defeated."

"Because…" The God of Animals trailed off and the world around them shifted. This time, Blake saw the world the Empress left behind plunge into chaos as humanity and faunus fought each other, slaughtering each other in the streets.

It was like the Faunus War all over again, but Blake knew it was worse. There would be no stopping until one of the species were finally dead.

"The girl did her best," The God of Animals said sadly. "Easily she is my favorite of my adopted children, but she alone cannot heal the wounds humanity and the faunus have given each other. She was barely more than a child when she died, a mere drop in the vast ocean of time that makes up this disgusting grudge."

Blake fell to her knees.

"Even if your friends defeat Salem, this is the fate that awaits." The God of Animals revealed. "The faunus chose to side with a monster because after all humanity put them through, they decided to trust the monsters before their human brothers. The faunus are tired of kneeling to humans. Even if my little flower survived, even if she was a perfect leader, this would still occur because this grudge is bigger than her."

Tears slid down Blake's cheeks as she heard the foreboding prophecy.

"My little flower seeks equality as ardently as you do," The God of Animals said sadly. "But there will always be doubt as long as the one ruler of Remnant is human. And you know very well what the humans would do if she chose a faunus successor after all the pain that had been inflicted by the White Fang."

"War," Blake whispered. "It all ends in war."

"War birthed this world when the humans challenged the brothers," The God of Animals began. "And war will end this world. My little flower saw this, but for once she finally had no solution. When she died, she set the world ablaze using a power I taught her, knowing that it was doomed regardless. As long as one species stands above the other, this world will perish."

"Equality, it's our only solution." Blake realized.

"It always has been." The God of Animals smiled. "The tale of two brothers is as old as time. One betrays the other, conflict breaks out, and everything around them suffers. All you all have to do is stand side by side, cooperate, and this world will enter a new and unending age of prosperity. All you children have to do is grow up!"

The God of Animal's frustration was clear and Blake didn't blame him. He truly was just a parent that has had to watch his children bicker forever.

"Humanity needs its Empress," The God of Animals said matter-of-factly. "But the faunus? They need their Chieftain."

Blake paled.

"A human cannot and should not rule the faunus." The God of Animals said and it clear this wasn't his opinion. This was a fact. "Likewise, a faunus should have no say in the matters of humanity." The God of Animals said firmly. "Yet, both should be able to work together for the well-being of the world."

"You want me to be the Chieftan." Blake realized, now understanding why the God of Animal's stood before her.

"I did." The God of Animals admitted. "I made your bloodline for the sole purpose of leading the faunus, warmed you with my fur, gave you my colors as proof. Yet, in your quest to be equal to the humans, you emulated them, began to deny the animal within. Your instincts waned and the title of Chieftan has become a formality rather than the job you were born with, that's in your blood."

The God of Animals sighed.

"I foresaw the flower's rise to greatness long ago, but I did not foresee you being born wrong." The God of Animals explained.

"W-wrong?"

"Yes, you are not defective, please understand that." The God of Animals reassured her. "You are born wrong but you are also exactly who you are meant to be. The issue is that you take after your mother and not your father. It was his animal you were to inherit not hers."

"Why…" Blake trailed off, her ears flattening against her head. "…why does that matter?"

"Because you faunus are animals just as much as you are man." The God of Animals told her. "You are a kitten that will one day grow to be a beautiful cat. You are selfish and mischievous by nature, you look out for you and yours which is perfect for survival and continuing the bloodline, and you will flee when things become too difficult because you know your limits. You are intelligent and cunning. These are not bad traits but you aren't meant to lead. You are meant to be led and pampered like the treasure you are."

"So, my purpose in life is to be a glorified pet?"

"Your purpose is to be an advisor to the Chieftan." The God of Animals said with a shake of his head. "Though your animal will ultimately dictate what sort of life you lead, how in-tune you are with it, and how well you play to your strengths and weakness will dictate how important that life will be. The ability to make this decision is the power of the humanity within you. Even a rabbit could be unstoppable if it played to its strengths."

"So, what do I do now?" Blake questioned. "I am an only child and my mother already advises my father."

As soon as she said that, Blake placed her face in her hands as she realized that her parents, indeed, filled their roles in life perfectly. Her father was the fierce and powerful protector and her mother was the intelligent, cunning, and mischievous advisor to his rule.

"Indeed." The God of Animals said, his eyes twinkling a bit. "And I cannot create man from nothing."

"So, what- "

"But you can." The God of Animals interrupted Blake was confused until realization hit her.

Blake gasped. "My semblance."

"Though their lives are brief, your copies do live and each carries a different aspect of you." The God of Animals revealed. "Should you master your power one day, you will even find yourself having quite the interesting conversations with them."

The God of Animals stood up and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"I can't make man from nothing, but you can." The God of Animals explained. "My power is limited toward the creations of the Brothers but I have free reign over your creations."

Despite herself and the situation, Blake laughed.

"Divine loophole?"

"See? Being cunning isn't too bad, is it?" The God of Animal's teased. "With your help, we can create my little flower's missing sister and finally have a chance at peace. It's not much, but any chance at escaping that hellish future is better than none."

"The others might not understand," Blake murmured. "They might see this as betrayal, as me dividing the world."

"Divide and conquer," The God of Animals said dismissively. "And with all due respect, their feelings won't exactly be your problem much longer should you agree."

"Agree?"

"Of course! I am not the twin bastards. I give my children actual choices." The God of Animals spoke. "By all means, you can turn around and leave and I won't send you to hell for doing so."

"I…" Blake trailed off as she looked down at her palms. "…I am tired of walking away. Tell me what I have to do."

The God of Animals smirked. "Spoken like a true Belladonna."

With a snap of his fingers, two stone slabs rose from the ground.

"Pick one of the many emotions in your heart and make a single copy of yourself for me." The God of Animals instructed "This will serve as their core personality. We are trying to create the ultimate faunus here, so the more primal the better." For a few minutes, Blake attempted to figure out which one to use before nodding when she made her decision.

With an almost comical pop, a second Blake appeared.

"Good, now focus on her, do not let her leave your mind we need her to stick around." The God of Animals told Blake who nodded. A vein in her temple throbbed a bit as she found keeping the clone around required more concentration than she thought.

"This is new." The clone mused, surprising Blake when she heard it speak. "I was expecting to be used as a springboard or thrown in front of a blade, again."

Blake actually winced at that.

"Uh, sorry?"

"No worries, not like we can unionize or go on strike." The clone said dismissively. "Well, I mean, we can but you dying would mean we die too." The clone admitted and Blake paled having no idea her own semblance could potentially tell her to fuck off and not work when she needed it.

Blake made a promise to herself that when she could master her semblance, she would send as many clones as possible on a vacation.

The clone's face flushed as it rubbed its legs together. "Though I would like to know why I am in heat, our cycle is still some time away isn't it?"

At this, even the God of Animals raised an eyebrow knowing full well the exact time and date Blake was scheduled to go into heat.

Now mortified, Blake rushed to explain. "I chose desire," Blake explained her face as red as her clone's. "It's primal, just as much as my rage is if not more intense and I figured it covered a wider range of emotions despite being one."

"Hm, the desire of the flesh aside it also has a desire for equality, for peace, for a better world," The God of Animals mused. "I knew you were a cunning kitten."

"Please tell me I won't be stuck like this my lord." The clone begged looking between him and Blake. "If so, please dismiss me."

"Fear not, young one, you will develop your own emotions in time." The God of Animals explained. "But this will serve as one interesting personality core. Now, both of you lay on the tablets, the worst part of this ritual is next."

Nervously, both Blakes laid on the stone slabs.

"What's next?" Blake questioned nervously as her clone shot her a look that screamed 'what the hell did you get me into this time?'.

"I need to take a piece of your body to give to her." The God of Animals explained. "It will serve as an anchor and will quickly grow into her new body, one appropriate for a Chieftan. Hm, a rib should do."

Blake's eyes widened.

"I need all of those."

"I will replace it, a small heal like that is far from breaking any of the brothers' rules," The God of Animals said dismissively. "That said, I need you to keep her around for the procedure so you must keep her in mind despite the pain. Putting you to sleep would cut the connection so I ask that you endure.

"Wait, how is her rib getting inside of me?" Blake's clone questioned only for the God of Animals to ignore her which made her pale. Before Blake could say anything else, the God of Animals sunk his hand into her torso.

Mouth wide open as she released a silent scream, Blake thrashed in agony when she felt him grip one of her left ribs and break it off. Blake's clone flinched at the sound, her entire body flickering in and out of existence as Blake struggled to remain conscious.

"Concentrate." The God of Animals reminded her as he removed his blood-soaked hand. Blake tried not to choke on her blood as the God of Animals raised his other hand toward her, causing her wound to stitch itself back together as he thrust the rib into the clone's chest.

Tears fell from Blake's eyes as she gritted her teeth when she felt her rib regrow within her body. Turning weakly to her side. Whatever pain she felt seemed to pale in comparison to the sheer agony the clone was in. Maybe it was the fear, the pain, that Blake saw on her clone's face that made her do it but regardless, Blake extended her hand and grabbed the clone's.

"I'm here." Blake rasped out, coughing as she did so. In response, the clone's grip tightened around Blake's hand more and more with each passing moment.

"Coming to life is always more painful than creating it." The God of Animals said as he gazed down at the clone who was flushed red, as writhing as if her body were engulfed by an invisible fire. Vision swimming, Blake barely registered him turning to her and brushing her hair from her face. "Sleep my child, you've done enough for now."

At these words, Blake's eyes rolled back before she passed out on the stone tablet. Yet despite this, her grip never loosened on her clone's.

-Later: Evermore-

Blinking tiredly, Blake opened her eyes to find herself laying on a grassy plain. With a groan, Blake stood up and looked around to see herself standing nude in a jungle that seemed to extend on forever out into the horizon.

"Where am I?"

"My realm," A voice spoke up and she turned to see the God of Animals sitting on a massive rock the overlooked the lands in his ram form.

Immediately, Blake covered herself with her hands which just made him laugh.

"Have you forgotten who I am kitten? I have seen more of you than you have." The God of Animals chastised. "Unfortunate but your clothing did not survive the trip, you will have to make your own should you feel like it."

Embarrassed, Blake lowered her hands when she realized he was right. She had nothing to hide that he hadn't seen by now. "Your realm is…beautiful."

"Thank you," The God of Animals nodded. "I call it Evermore. It's where the animals come to rest when their lives end. Here they continue as they would on Remnant and should they meet their end here, they are reincarnated back in the real world. A true circle of life it is. So, feel free to hunt and eat at your leisure, you will be doing me a favor."

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Look behind you."

Blake frowned and did as requested. When she did, she gasped when she saw her former clone sprawled out on their back, snoring lightly. Blake couldn't believe her eyes the former clone truly did look like her had she taken after her father.

She was bigger than Blake and had a bit more muscle mass, her body as toned as Sienna Khan's if not more so. Her claws were deadly and sunk into the ground just by laying on top of it. Something about her exuded power and Blake understood then why this had been necessary.

Blake could never hope to carry the same weight Ruby did.

No other human or faunus could hope to…

…except for the one in front of her.

"That cub is special, unlike yourself and any other faunus she was born free." The God of Animals said gently and something about his words echoed deep within her soul.

Free.

The woman before her was free.

"Everything that has occurred has been based on your decisions so far." The God of Animals continued. "The fact that you allowed me to be a part of creating something so beautiful will be remembered forever. Whether you stay here and have all your needs met or return home to save your people, is up to you. I can understand if you decide to let that world burn."

Blake bowed her head.

Stay here and be free or return to bondage in the hopes of freeing others.

The decision weighed heavily on her mind but she knew she'd have to return, she couldn't in good conscience let her people suffer.

She was still a Belladonna.

"You don't have to make the decision now. You will find your decision will change multiple times during your stay." The God of Animals continued. "Here you need not worry about time and the animals and plant life are saturated with magic that will sustain and strengthen you. All you have to do is look after that one and teach her as well as let her teach you."

"Teach me?" Blake questioned with a frown. "Teach me what?"

"What you've forgotten. What it means to be a faunus." The God of Animals explained. "I've removed her memories and all social conditioning has been lost on her. You alone will carry the burden of knowledge. She is a free being that is perfectly in tune with her instincts and animal. She will raise the animal within you as you nurture her growth as a person and together you will complete each other and be the species I intended."

"I see," Blake murmured kneeling next to her counterpart and brushing the hair from the slumbering woman's face. "I don't have to make a decision now, but I do believe you expect me to at some point. When will that be?"

"You have five thousand moons." The God of Animals informed her. "On the final moon, I will expect to hear your decision."

"Understood." Blake nodded, though taken aback by the large amount of time she was given. That was more than long enough to dispel any doubts that she was on the drug trip from hell from Ren's poison.

"Good, one last warning, and I will leave you two to your own devices." The God of Animals continued. "Do not let her bite your neck."

"Why would she bite my neck?" Blake questioned a bit afraid that she would be mauled the second her larger counterpart woke up. Blake was skilled, but she didn't even have her weapon and the other woman was born with her own.

She didn't like those odds.

"That is for you to figure out," The God of Animal's said with a hint of amusement. "Should she bite your neck, your link will be re-established and all of your shared memories of the past will return to her. We need her to become her own person before she is ready to shoulder that. Otherwise, she would be little more than a clone of you which would defeat the whole point of this."

"Which is why you gave us five thousand moons," Blake concluded. "That is more than enough time for her to figure out who she is."

"Exactly." The God of Animals nodded. "Now, I shall take my leave. I'll stop in from time to time to see her growth and yours as well."

"Thank you," Blake said with a respectful bow. "For everything."

"Of course," The God of Animals said as if he had only done what was obvious. "What parent wouldn't do all that they could to save their children?"

With that question he simply vanished from view, disappearing into thin air.

Realizing that nothing would be done until her counterpart woke up, Blake laid back down next to her and smiled a bit. "I need to figure out a name for you." Blake mused before closing her eyes, falling asleep as she basked in the warmth of the sun.

-Later-

Blake frowned a bit when she felt something sharp poke her cheek repeatedly which made her blindly swat it away. For a moment she thought she had gotten rid of whatever it was until she felt something wet slide across her cheek. Eyes snapping open, Blake opened her eyes to find a pair of curious golden orbs staring back down at her.

Birds flew away in the distance from the sound of Blake's scream.

Blake's chest heaved up and down as she stared at the panther-like woman that had fallen to her rear in surprise. With a grimace, Blake's counterpart rubbed her ears while giving Blake a perturbed look.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Blake said as she regained her bearings and realized that no, everything that happened was not a dream. Climbing to her feet, Blake held out a hand and helped her counterpart up. When the woman stood up fully Blake saw that the former clone stood over a head taller than her, something which seemed to amuse her.

As if seeing Blake as a new toy, she embraced the shorter faunus tightly, burying Blake's face into her chest as she rubbed her cheek on the top of Blake's head.

"Mmmph!" Came Blake's muffled screams, after a few moments, Blake managed to pull herself free, gasping for air as she stared at the other faunus incredulously with a flushed expression. "Okay, those." Blake began, pointing at the other faunus' sizable bust. "Are not mine."

Blinking, the taller faunus looked down and cupped her chest with both hands which made Blake redden even further.

"Okay, the first order business is to get us some clothes," Blake said, looking around until she saw some trees in the distance. "Those leaves look big enough to be of some use, let's go grab some," Blake said only for the taller faunus to tilt her head in confusion.

Blake sweat-dropped as she realized she'd have to get around to teaching her new charge how to talk at some point.

"Trees." Blake began slowly, gesturing toward the trees in the distance. "Us, go," Blake said while gesturing between the two of them and back to the trees. It took a bit, but the lightbulb seemed to go off in the other faunus' head. "Good, let's-eek!" Blake yelped when she found herself scooped up into the panther's arms. Before she could speak, the faunus took off toward the trees while she held Blake close, running far faster than Blake would have been able to.

Which said a lot considering the only people at Beacon faster than Blake were Ruby, Nora, and arguably Velvet from what she could tell from the few times she had seen her fellow the faunus train in the gym. As they made their way to the forest, Blake quickly realized there was a cliff she hadn't seen from behind one of the hills, and to her dismay, her former clone didn't seem as though she were going to stop.

In fact, she began to smile.

"Hey slow down, there is no way we can clear…" Blake was cut off when the other faunus leaped high into the air. Blake's jaw dropped as she saw that not only had they cleared it but, still in mid-air, they were doing so by a large margin. Glancing back, Blake saw a small crater from where the faunus had jumped.

Hair blowing in the wind, Blake surround in awe at the realm she was in as, for a moment, she felt as though she were flying. It was then that she heard it.

Laughter.

Looking up, Blake saw her counter-part laughing carefree, only having been alive for moments yet already having the time of her life, unburdened by the problems of the world they had since long left behind.

["That cub is special, unlike yourself and any other faunus she was born free."]

Blake remembered the God of Animal's face as she saw the other faunus laugh gleefully as she ran and jumped closer and closer to their goal. Before long, she felt it. That strange, bubbling sensation in her chest, and soon she heard it.

Her own laughter.

Tears falling from her eyes, Blake found herself laughing harder than she had in a long time. Not since she was a child, when her father would do this very thing with her had she laughed so freely. Surprised the new faunus looked down at the woman in her arms and gave her a surprisingly warm smile before they landed in front of the forest.

"Thank you," Blake said as she was placed gently on her feet. With a frown, Blake looked toward the horizon. "The sun is setting, lets hurry up and try to get some food." Clapping her hands together, Blake attempted something new as she concentrated and used her semblance to summon four clones.

"Hey boss," Clone 1 said before looking around in wonder. "Wow, you got us into some weird shit this time."

"Right?" Clone 2 questioned.

"At least we aren't being used as platforms or meat shields." Clone 3 said helpfully.

"Facts." Clone 4 drawled and Blake face-palmed, wondering if training this semblance of hers was even worth it.

"Just grab some leaves." Blake groaned causing the clones to give her mock salutes before doing as ordered. Turning around, she faced the other faunus and found the taller woman looking at her in shock, not understanding how she had just multiplied.

Blake sweat-dropped.

"Yeah, I'll add semblances to the list of things to teach you," Blake muttered before placing a hand on the confused faunus' arms to calm her nerves. "Friends," Blake said slowly gesturing toward the clones who looked very amused. "Our…claw…" Blake said slowly.

"C…cla...w…claw…" the faunus spoke slowly nodding once she saw the clones weren't threats.

"Aw, her first word."

"They grow up so fast."

"And to think, just moments ago she was licking us awake."

"Though nowhere near as pleasurable as it should have been."

"Peanut gallery!" Blake hissed her cheeks flushed. "Back to work!"

"Quick, hurry before she sends us back to the void!" Blake's eye twitched as her clones went back to work. Blake took a deep breath before flushing more when her stomach began to rumbled. Awkwardly turning to the other faunus who was now holding her stomach as it too growled even louder than Blake's.

"Let's get us some food."

-1st Moon-

That night, Blake sat around a campfire wearing a dress made from the leaves that had been gathered. Finding a spring nearby, Blake was able to get fish as well as collect some fruits and edible flowers she had managed to scrounge up. She hadn't seen her other half for a bit but just when she began to get concerned, she heard a rustling.

Eye wide, Blake watched as the taller faunus came into view dragging, two gazelle carcasses behind her.

"Food." The woman said proudly. "We eat!"

Blake noticed that her charge's mouth was painted red and looked down to see one of the gazelles had a wound on its neck as if something or someone, in this case, had bitten through it.

"We cook." Blake corrected, gesturing toward the fire.

"Red…flower…?"

"Fire." Blake corrected before removing a stick that had a fish impaled onto it from the flame. "Try. Slowly."

With a frown, the taller woman grabbed the fish, ignoring the blistering heat, and bit down into it. Eyes wide, she grinned and devoured the meat which made Blake laugh.

"Put meat in fire. Then eat." Blake said before moving to one of the gazelles. Using a make-shift knife she carved out of stone, Blake began to work on the woman's catch. Nodding toward her gathered fruits and flowers, Blake met the other woman's eyes. "Eat."

The panther frowned.

"Oh, don't give me that look, you will eat that or you will not be having any of this," Blake warned. The other woman was clearly affronted, given how she was the one who caught it, but a raised eyebrow from Blake told her not to challenge the smaller, yet somehow terrifying, faunus.

Sitting down next to the 'prey's food' as she would one day call it, the taller faunus sniffed one of the strange purple herbs that had been gathered and bit into it. Eyes wide, she quickly devoured the rest of the herbs after tasting how surprisingly good they were.

"See?" Blake smiled before setting up some of the meat to be cooked. "Trust me."

Blake then moved and sat down next to her counterpart.

"Okay time to come up with a name for you." Blake mused as the panther looked at her curiously. "Me, Blake," Blake spoke slowly. "You…" Blake trailed off, gesturing toward the taller woman who looked back at her cluelessly.

This woman would be the future Chieftan.

She would rule her people as Ruby ruled hers.

Ruby's sister, not in blood, but duty and destiny.

The dawn of a new age for the faunus.

She would need a name that reflected that.

BGM: All the Stars [Explicit]-Kendrick Lamar & SZA- Black Panther OST

Suddenly the woman gasped, confusing Blake until she followed her line of sight up into the sky. When she did, even she couldn't hold back her gasp at seeing the ocean of stars filling the pitch-black sky that surrounded the non-shattered moon

Blake shivered as she continued to stargaze and soon found herself held closely by her counterpart, whose naturally warm body chased away the cold. Yet despite warming up, Blake found herself shivering anyway as she looked up at the woman's face that was illuminated by the starlight.

"Eve."

The faunus grimaced at the word which made Blake smirk.

"That will be your middle name, everyone deserves to have one they hate." Blake joked as far as people were concerned no one in Team RWBY or JNPR had a middle name and it was an unspoken rule amongst the eight to keep it that way.

"Nera," Blake said making the woman tilted her head as she felt Blake run her fingers through her raven locks. "Nera Bestia."

"N…Nera…" the woman said before gesturing toward herself. "Me Nera. You Blake."

"Yes." Blake grinned, an expression the woman now known as Nera mirrored now that she had a name. "Come here," Blake said gently before bringing Nera's face to hers and pressing their foreheads together.

Blake took a deep breath.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all." Blake chanted, her purple aura shining bright as Nera's began to do the same. "Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

A powerful torrent of aura exploded from Nera's body, exhausted, Blake fell forward into the concerned woman's arms.

"You're going to be someone amazing," Blake whispered as Nera rested her chin on Blake's head. "And I can't wait to see it. Be the person I couldn't be and never forget…" Blake pulled back and gazed into Nera's eyes. "You are free."

"Me…free…" Nera muttered before grasping the sides of Blake's face. "We. Free."

Blake's eyes widened at that and her face crumpled as she began to sob in Nera's arms.

-2nd Moon-

Blake slept soundly on top of Nera, who held her close as they slumbered on the branch of a large tree.

-5th Moon-

Blake drew the alphabet in the dirt with a stick before she began to teach Nera how to read and write. Knowledge was power, and Blake would be damned if Nera couldn't do this much. Should Blake return Nera's memories, she would know how to do this automatically but Blake wanted her to learn on her own. To have the pride of overcoming this obstacle on her own and nurture her character.

-10th Moon-

Blake hid in the shadows with Nera as they stalked their prey. Blake grabbed her spear and went to attack the bison but stopped when Nera held her back. Nera shook her head and Blake waited until a more opportune moment appeared. Blake felt Nera's chest rumble a bit and with that, Blake shot forward and took down her prey.

Her prey was unable to react before it was killed.

-25th Moon-

Inside the ocean, the two swam as they took in the sight of the marine life.

-40th Moon-

Blake and Nera walked along the shore when a glint appeared in Nera's eyes. Before Blake could know what happened, Nera bumped her hip into hers, knocking her down into the shallow water. Sputtering, Blake realized what happened and narrowed her eyes at Nera who grinned before running off with Blake hot on her heels.

Idly, Nera wondered if Blake would realize that she was beginning to catch up to her bit by bit every time they played this game.

-100th Moon-

Nera and Blake stood in front of a large structure. It had taken time, and they had done their fair share of procrastinating, but they finally had a home to call their own on a cliff overlooking the beach. With looks of pride, they grinned at each other.

-150th Moon-

It was official, Blake hated heat.

And she didn't mean the one caused by the sun.

Still, with Nera out on a hunt, Blake had enough alone time to deal with this issue. Removing her hand from her beneath her make-shift skirt, Blake collapsed knowing that she would have to take a thorough bath as Nera's nose was extremely powerful.

With a sigh, Blake sat up only to tense when her feline ears twitched when she could have sworn she heard a movement. Startled, she looked around but sure enough, she was alone. Ignoring it, Blake went to take her bath and as she went deeper into the forest, she never saw the extremely confused Nera who had hidden after stumbling across Blake when she returned earlier than she expected.

Nera wasn't sure what she had seen but it made her stomach twist and her heart beat rapidly.

-200th Moon-

While Blake and Nera bathed, Blake could swear Nera was sneaking glances at her but that made no sense as Nera had seen everything she could potentially want to hide already. Shrugging, Blake continued to clean up, never noticing how Nera's eyes began to darken.

-250th Moon-

Blake frowned, holding her spear as she found herself surrounded by a band of gorillas who did not appear pleased to see her. Still, Blake was a huntress and had faced down grimm. A few hairy apes did not scare her but she didn't fool herself into thinking it would be easy without the weapon she had trained with most of her life.

She would take one down then used her semblance to escape. There was no point in risking injury over this. Still, before she could move and loud feral roar echoed throughout the jungle. It was inhuman and filled with rage. Blake knew that whatever released that sound was not something she could take on.

However, it would turn out she didn't have to take it on as Nera landed next to her, looking furious, startling Blake. It was then that Blake realized the roar had come from her.

"Mine!" Nera growled before she pounced. Blake's jaw dropped when she saw Nera tear through the apes mercilessly. Tackling them to the ground and ripping their heads off with her strength alone.

BGM: END

-251st Moon-

*Flashback*

A young Blake hid in the shadows of her parent's room, looking on worriedly as she watched her mother patch up her father after an assassination attempt. Ghira grunted that he was okay, but her mother paid him no mind as she continued to fret over his injuries.

"I know you're fine. Just let me do this." Kali hissed. "It's the only thing keeping me inside and not going out to maim whoever did this."

"They've already been dealt with."

"Jail isn't enough, I'll break in and kill them myself," Kali said scaring Blake who had never heard her mother sound so cold. Despite her words, Ghira chuckled warmly and held her close. "I can't lose you."

"You won't, Kali. You won't."

Because seeing her parents kiss was gross, Blake swiftly left the room.

*Flashback: End*

"Me fine," Nera muttered as Blake had literally licked her wounds despite them having healed on their own. Nera pounded a fist on her chest. "Hard Bodied."

Blake rolled her eyes at that, knowing all too well of Nera's Semblance.

Appropriately named "Hard Bodied", Nera's semblance let her absorb her aura into her body, condensing it into an unbreakable armor beneath her flesh. The condensed aura also had the side effect of rapidly healing Nera's flesh which would no longer be protected by her aura and making her almost impossible to knock her back or lose her footing.

In short, Nera's semblance was a reckless one that left her bloody in most fights and was terrible for Blake's anxiety.

"I know you're fine. Just let me do this." Blake hissed. "It's the only thing keeping me inside and not going out to maim those apes."

Nera was amused. "Already dead."

"I'd find a way." Blake swore, and despite Nera's semblance healing her scars, Blake could swear she could still see the injuries "I can't lose you."

"You won't."

Blake frowned and looked deep into Nera's eyes as if searching for something.

It was then that something seemed to click.

"New language lesson for the day," Blake spoke up, making sure she had Nera's attention. "I love you."

Nera frowned.

"What that mean?"

Blake smiled a bit. "That's a lesson for another day," Blake said before kissing the corner of Nera's mouth. Maybe it was the potential Stockholm syndrome or maybe she had finally lost her mind in this paradise, either way, things were in place that Blake refused to stop.

-365th Moon-

To her credit, Blake made it to the end of the first year before she finally gave in to the primal urge that had continued to grow within her. Truthfully the day had started like any other though Nera was a bit more distant than usual.

As she pondered this while laying on her makeshift bed, she heard a growl and looked up to see Nera enter their shared room. Blake frowned when Nera fell on all fours, and when the faunus crawled over her, Blake understood exactly what was happening.

Her senses had improved greatly during her stay, and she could smell the lust from Nera, and the God of Animal's warning finally made sense.

"Nera, look at me," Blake said, getting Nera's attention. Blake silently praised herself for helping Nera grow enough as a person that she could fight back the beast within. This was good because if there was one thing Blake had learned over the year, it was a skill and experience be damned, without her weapon Nera was far more powerful than her.

Blake wouldn't be able to stop this if she wanted to.

And she definitely didn't want to.

She could already hear her clones teasing her about the moral implications of what was about to happen but found that she didn't care. She was free to do what or who she wanted in this paradise.

"Two rules." Blake began making Nera growl. "Listen or this will never happen again."

Nera quieted down.

"One, claws stay in," Blake said with narrowed eyes and she could hear Nera's claws receding into her hands. "Two, no biting."

Nera frown in confusion.

"But, you mate," Nera said before her face softened to the point Blake's heart almost broke. "Right?"

"I am." Blake found herself saying, idly wondering just when the hell she realized and accepted that. Though she didn't have to think long, the way she purred let her know her animal probably realized and accepted this was going to happen on day one. "But this is not the time, you aren't ready to claim me. We have many a moon before that day and you still have much to learn. Advanced lessons start tomorrow, understood?"

Reluctantly Nera nodded her head.

"Good," Blake said before reaching up and running her fingers through Nera's hair. "Now, do what you have to."

Nera pounced.

-366th Moon-

"Look at this bitch," Clone 1 said as she and the other clones did maintenance on the home. While Blake relaxed in the shade of a nearby tree. "'Now, do what you have to.'" The Clone mocked. "Hindsight is a bitch, isn't it? You can't even move."

"Which aspect of me are you again?"

"The one that keeps it real." Clone 1 answered with a smirk which made the other clones laugh. It was then that Nera returned. She looked apologetic but they could all see that her eyes were still dark and filled with pride.

"Me…I'm sorry," Nera corrected her speech which made Blake wave her hand dismissively.

"Don't apologize," Blake said before raising an eyebrow. "Especially when you don't mean it." Nera looked sheepish. "Still, I can't feel my, well, anything so I can't finish helping you today."

"I can wait," Nera said reassuringly, not wanting to bother Blake anymore.

"Now no need for you to suffer, I remember how brutal my first heat was and I had no one," Blake reassured her. "You, however, have a group of volunteers waiting right over there."

The clones paled.

Nera's jaw dropped.

"Hey…hey boss I was just kidding–"

"Oh no, please don't hold back on my account." Blake drawled before nodding her head toward the clones. "Go scratch your itch, I'll make sure to concentrate so that they don't go anywhere."

A feral gleam appeared in Nera's eyes as she turned her head toward the now stunned clones.

"Stop running your mouth. I told you she would get even!" Clone 2 hissed to Clone 1 before yelping when Nera rushed toward them and pounced. Their shrieks were music to Blake's ears after having been subjected to her clones' antics for the past year. Getting comfortable, Blake smirked as she had a front-row seat to a very interesting show.

"One year down." A voice said and Blake glanced to the side to see the God of Animals in his ram form. "Many more to go."

"And I look forward to each one of them," Blake said before smiling warmly. "You could visit more often. I know this is probably blasphemous so feel free to smite me for being so forward, but I consider you family. As far as I'm concerned you are part of this Claw."

"Oh, kitten, that means more than you would possibly ever know." The God of Animals said serenely. "You've begun to train her in the combat of man, yes?"

"Yes, though I'll admit we're having trouble picking a weapon," Blake admitted. "Makeshift spears and knives can only go so far. That said, she has no equal when it comes to her claws, I don't know a faunus or human more in tune with a weapon with exception of Ruby."

"They were what she was born with," The God of Animals explained. "Weapons of pure instinct, using them is easier for than breathing. Still, it's best to keep them as a trump card."

"Have her opponents think she specializes in one weapon and if she gets disarmed take them out with her real ones when their guard is low," Blake said with a nod. "And you call me cunning."

"Well, I try." The God of Animals said modestly. "Here, take these." Blake's eyes widened when she saw Gambol Shroud along with Wilt & Blush drop to the ground. "Fortunately, these are far more durable than your clothes were. Train with them, master them. As you know, there is a dust mine not too far from here, use that to craft ammunition when needed."

"Thank you," Blake said softly, a conflicted expression on her face.

"Second thoughts about returning?" The God of Animals said knowingly. "I don't fault you, part of me wants you to stay as well."

"I will miss this place," Blake admitted. "But I'm more worried about her. I will teach her the best I can about our world, she is a free spirit but soon she will learn the burden of a Chieftain. I don't want her to lose that light in her eyes. Not like I have."

"Oh, kitten, you have lost nothing, or rather you have long since regained that light." The God of Animals informed her. "She is your light as you are hers, you are mates, no matter how unconventional. As long as you live, she will have a Claw, and with the Claw comes the power to protect it as its leader. The bigger the Claw becomes the stronger she will be. You will see in time, by the 5000th moon you will have gained the power my little flower covets so."

"Her Power?" Blake frowned. "We don't have silver eyes."

The God of Animals laughed.

"Though a strong ability, that is far from her greatest power." The God of Animals revealed. "Her power is hope and once you gain that, believe in your heart of hearts that this story of yours will have a good ending, you will achieve your goal. Think on that kitten."

With that the God of Animals disappeared, leaving Blake with her thoughts.

-367th Moon-

Nera looked at Wilt and Blush curiously as Blake stood with her weapon drawn. Though Nera was easily the strongest of the two with her claws, the roles were completely reversed when it came to the weapons of man. Blake had years of experience compared to Nera who was unable to even hold the blade correctly.

This would take time.

"Nera," Blake spoke up, as she summoned her clones. "Begin."

With that, Blake charged the wide-eyed woman.

And that was the day Nera got her ass kicked.

-1000th Moon-

"Nera," Blake began as she laid on top of the woman while they rested on their favorite tree branch. "It's time I told you the story of our world. Of our people."

That was the night Blake learned that yes, Nera could cry.

And it was a sight Blake never wanted to see again.

-2000th Moon-

"Why are we doing this?" Nera questioned her frustration clear as she threw the blade down. "I can fight anyone without this damned stick and win! I'm ready!"

"Ready?" Blake questioned. "If you can't beat them with their own tools, you are not ready."

"I am strong!"

"Strength isn't enough!" Blake hissed. "Fine, drop the blade. Your claws versus me and my weapon. If you win you can mark me and we'll leave."

Nera narrowed her eyes and dropped the blade while extending her claws. "Fine. You will remember who is alpha."

Blake nodded. "Begin."

Once more, Nera was powerful.

But Blake was smart.

The fight seemed to go in Nera's favor until, at the last moment, she realized Blake had been using her clones to lead her attacks until they were at a cliff. With a lunge at Blake, Nera's eyes widened when Blake ducked at the last moment causing her to go over the edge.

At the last moment, Blake shot her weapon at Nera, catching her around her wrist.

"You're not ready to be my mate," Blake said solemnly making Nera's eyes widen before Blake released her weapon, sending Nera crashing down to the unforgiving ground below. It was cold, but it had to be done. The height was just enough to damage Nera's aura so that it could heal her from anything serious before it shattered.

-2001st Moon-

Blake sat silently at a campfire as she heard something rustle behind her.

"Before you, there was another, I thought could be my mate," Blake spoke up, not looking back as she stared at the flames. "He hurt, manipulated, and abused me in ways I don't wish to think about. He terrified me and it's only due to me running away that he hasn't sunk his teeth into me."

The silence was loud.

"Today you reminded me of him."

Blake heard a thump, and when she glanced back, she saw Nera kneeling, her head bowed.

"Forgive me." Nera's voice was choked.

"Alphas don't bow or apologize."

"But good people do." Nera countered resolutely, lifting her head to meet Blake's gaze. "Especially when they hurt the ones they love."

A tear fell from Blake's eyes before she patted the ground next to her.

"Before he became a monster, he was a good boy, a good man, and mentor," Blake said softly as Nera sat to her. "His ideas were benevolent and his heart was pure, and sometimes I wonder if I am the one that turned him into what he became," Blake said as she leaned into Nera's side. "But it wasn't me, it was the world I'm preparing you for. One that left him so starved for love that he became obsessed with it when it was given to him."

Nera trembled.

"That person he used to be is who you remind me of most days, but today you scared me and reminded me of who he became, and once again I thought it was my fault."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I'm not him."

Blake smiled. "I know, you're better. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't."

The rest of the night passed in silence as they listened to the crackling fire.

-3000th Moon-

Nera swiftly sheathed her weapon with an audible click and around her, several trees fell to the ground.

-4000th Moon-

"Tell me about them," Nera said softly, scratching Blake behind one of her feline ears as they lounged.

"Hmm? Who?" Blake questioned feeling unusually lazy after the hard week of training they had done. Eventually, Nera scratched a place on her ear that made her purr but she had long since stopped being embarrassed or ashamed of her animal-like responses.

"Your friends," Nera answered. "Tell me about the one you call Rose."

Blake blinked before nodding. "Well, she's a strong girl a couple of years younger than me, that's just over 700 Moons, who has the weight of the world on her shoulders. It's up to you to take some of that weight off as I support you every step of the way."

Blake began to go into some stories of her friends, explaining their usual dorm room antics as well as the more serious threats and problems they had faced. Through it all, Nera sat, completely entranced by the tale.

-4090th Moon-

Blake's clones charged Nera, but when they went close, the world seemed to turn black as she strode past them and sheathed Wilt with an audible click. Around them, everything was torn asunder a moment later including the bodies of the clones which quickly dispersed.

So devastating was the attack that Blake would have assumed it was a moonslice if she hadn't known what Nera's semblance was. This meant that was pure strength, speed, and skill. Nera quickly raised her weapon at Blake, who was unable to avoid the shot from Blush that knocked her onto her back.

Stabbing her blade into the ground next to Blake's head, Nera spoke.

"I am ready."

"You are." Blake agreed and Nera knelt and crawled over Blake's body. Blake tensed a bit and shivered when she felt Nera's fangs graze her skin over her left shoulder. "Do it," Blake whispered, knowing that even now Nera wouldn't continue unless she said so.

The beast was powerful and its instincts were intoxicating but the woman knew right from wrong.

Nera sunk her teeth into Blake's flesh and the Cat faunus' eyes snapped open when she felt a rush of power fill her.

-Blakes Mindscape-

A black cat cowered in fear, surrounded by darkness and trapped inside of a steel cage. From the shadows a pair of golden eyes appeared moments before a massive black panther snarled and tore the cage apart, freeing the trapped animal.

At that moment a violet light illuminated that realm and the two animals found themselves surrounded by a jungle identical to Evermore that was filled with dozens of Blake's clones, each one a different aspect of her personality.

"The void." Clone 1 whispered in awe, falling to her knees while the other clones began to weep. "It's gone." Wiping her eyes, she turned to the panther that never removed its eyes from the cat. "Thank you."

The panther's throat rumbled in acknowledgment as the small cat circled around its paw, pumping its head playfully against it with a purr.

-5000th Moon-

The God of Animals made his way into a large wooden shelter that was practically a castle in itself. When he stepped into the main room, he smiled when he saw Nera sitting in a large chair, her eyes closed as she rested her head on her fist. In front of her wilt was stabbed into the ground while Blush rested on the throne. Around her shoulders was the pelt of a slain Panther, its head resting on her shoulder like a pauldron.

Around her were clones of Blake, laying on her in various states of undress as the real one sat in her lap and nibbled Nera's neck above a bite mark that was on the left side of her collarbone.

"Welcome." Nera greeted, opening her golden eyes. "It's time."

"It is. I trust you remember everything?"

"Yes, though I expected to change more, I feel the same," Nera informed him.

"As expected, you are your own person now after all." The God of Animals said with a nod. "When you return, you must be careful with your fangs, I doubt I have to tell you that there is more to them now."

"I realized that." Nera nodded. "What happened?"

"You've sustained yourself with food saturated with magic for over 5000 moons," The God of Animals pointed out. "As a result, your body's make-up has changed and that power merged with yours and Blake's animals. The faunus of Remnant have been conditioned to be more like humans, their animals have been caged."

"I'm aware," Nera said, her lips curling up at a snarl when she thought of the caged animal of her mate that she had to break free.

"Yes, it is truly sad but your fangs can rip through those cages, merge the faunus with their animals and turn them back into the species I intended." The God of Animals revealed. "Your 'marks' are no longer ceremonial they are what they represent. I can tell you've already marked the kitten as your mate."

"I have," Nera nodded. "And since then, I could see what she sees, feel what she feels, it's hard to tell where I stop and she begins. At first, I thought it was because of my origins."

"No," The God of Animals shook his head. "I meant it when I said you'd be your own person. You've bound her to your very soul. She bears a powerful mark, the only one of its kind that you can give."

"Which leaves me with two." Nera realized. "One of equality and the mark of submission."

"Yes, you can only have one equal but the number of subordinates, members of your Claw, are up to you." The God of Animals explained. "Each mark will tear the chains and cages trapping the animals, merging them with their faunus, but those with the mark of submission will gain loyalty to you, their animals now seeing you as their leader. Be aware that mark, in particular, will not work on humans."

"Interesting," Nera murmured. "Anything else I should be aware of?

"Yes, you and those you free will have the ancient faunus ability to go primal if needed." The God of Animals revealed and Nera thought of the times Ghira released his primal rage or when Blake had done so against Adam. "The animal will take over, increasing the faunus' power tremendously but it will leave them exhausted just as it does to Ghira and just as it did Blake. I strongly recommend using this as a last resort, especially in your case."

"Oh?"

The God of Animals nodded. "You are the Chieftan, the Claw's leader. For every person bound to you, this ability grows stronger so that you can protect your home. The damage you could cause after getting a sizable following is rivaled only by my little flower when she blossoms."

"I see, thank you for informing me."

"Of course, are you ready to go, or do you need a little more…alone time?" The God of Animals questioned with a raised eyebrow, gesturing toward Blake and her clones who all didn't seem to care about the show they were putting on.

Then again, he had seen more than his fair share of intimate moments when he came to visit over all those moons.

"Ah," Nera blushed slightly. "Sorry, she stumbled across a meadow that was filled catnip earlier and hasn't been right since. I'm just glad she only found it now or we would have gotten nothing done over all of these moons."

The God of Animals sweat-dropped at that.

"I see." The God of Animals chuckled, especially when Blake began to lick the side of Nera's face who looked torn between being amused and distressed. It was then that he realized Blake and her clones weren't just laying on Nera, they were pinning her in place.

How long had the poor woman been stuck in that chair?

"That said, we're ready to go," Nera said trying to keep a straight face even as Blake purred and nuzzled into her neck. "But we had a favor, would you be able to suppress her mark along with her memories upon our return?"

The God of Animals frowned. "I can but why would you want that?"

"We figured it would make it easier for us the long run," Nera explained. "Divide and conquer, she can return to Rose's faction and keep me informed through our connection while I build the Claw. We expect resistance from Rose, giving up control of half the planet's population is not a simple decision, but it's one she will have to make even if I must force her hand."

"You will not kill her, will you?"

"No, but the fact that I can is an issue," Nera muttered. "We are to be equals but she has not been put in a position that will force her to grow. Her only true fight was a team effort against Adam. She needs conflict to grow."

"You wish to train her."

"In a sense and I also wish to test my own limits as well," Nera admitted. "I'll force her to the brink and make her use that power she is so afraid of. Either way, a war between humanity and faunus is destined to happen. It will just be better to have it done now, between the leaders, and destroy a city block or two rather than do it later between our armies and break the world."

"I see, that is brilliant. Your plan?"

Nera laughed. "Of course not, despite being higher than a Nevermore, Blake is still the cunning one."

"That she is, that she is." The God of Animals smiled. "Well then, shall we begin?"

-Kuroyuri: The Cave-

"I will dress her and return her to her campsite." The God of Animals explained after they returned to the exact moment, they had left all those moons ago. "Leave your blade so you don't arouse suspicion this early."

"Good idea," Nera said before kissing Blake's forehead as she slept. "I will return for you soon, beautiful."

"Make sure you keep your identity hidden. Love is a power that even the Brother Gods cannot easily deal with." The God of Animals warned. Which was true given how this whole mess started because of Salem's love for Ozma. "Remember, if she sees your face she will remember everything."

"Good to know." Nera nodded and she went to leave but stopped. She had no idea when or if she would see the God of Animals again and had one question plaguing her. "By the way, something has been bugging me." Nera began making the God of Animals raise an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"It's nothing, perhaps it's my paranoia but you are all-powerful." Nera began with a frown. "And though you have been nothing short of amazing to us, that doesn't mean you wouldn't lie about your limitations for our benefit. After all, what parent wouldn't do all that they could to save their children? So, I'll ask this, Blake was split and you used her clone to make a new body."

"Yes, I remember that day well, why does that bother you?"

"Because we both passed out before we could see you change the body." Nera pointed out which made the God of Animals smile. "Which one of us is the real Blake?"

"Hm, I wonder? I am getting old after all." The God of Animals mused which made her shake her head, knowing that the answer could be anything and he wouldn't tell.

"It doesn't matter," Nera said softly. "I am who I am and she is who she is and with our bond merging us as it has, I suppose that's just an unnecessary question."

"Well said." The God of Animals praised. "Live your lives unburdened by such a question because it doesn't matter. Be safe and try not to get killed by the humans."

Nera scoffed. "I wish a No-Fang would try."

With that Nera bound out of the cave on all fours, leaving to continue the mission her mate had started. She would break the chains and cages humanity put on her people but before she could do that, she had to deal with the traitors the helped them first.

-Mistral: Haven-

BGM: Paramedic! [Explicit]-SPB X RBE-Black Panther OST

"I am growing impatient, Leo." Salem's voice hissed from the seer. "Find the maiden, get the relic, and bring it to me."

"Of course, my mistress!" Leo said fearfully. "I will have it done."

"Good. I expect results soon." Salem muttered before the grimm departed, leaving Leo alone in his office. Or so he thought, silently Nera crept from the shadows, her claws extending from her fingertips.

"Now why did you have to go and lie?" Nera questioned startling him.

"What–" Leo was cut off as the Nera pounced on him.

-Later-

"Squirmy bastard," Nera muttered her hand gripping his scroll as she exited his office covered in blood.

"Eek!" Eyes widening, Nera turned to see Velvet gaping at her, her teacup now shattered on the floor. "B-Blake?" Velvet whispered in confusion and she quickly found herself pressed against the wall, as Nera forced her mouth shut.

"I can explain."

-Haven: Library-

"That's insane." Velvet said as she hacked Leo's scroll for Nera who told her the tale of how she came to be. "But there is no amount of surgery that can change one type of faunus into another. I have Blake's movements memorized and you carry yourself completely differently."

"Should I be concerned you memorized my mates' movements?"

"It's my semblance, not my fault!" Velvet yelped. "Photographic memory, I can copy anyone's movements."

"Now that's just unfair."

"Says the invulnerable one." Velvet drawled. "Here I've…oh my God."

"What's wrong?" Nera frowned before peering over Velvet's shoulder as she rapidly scrolled through Leo's documents.

"This goes much further than just killing huntsmen," Velvet said, cursing her semblance as she was unable to forget each word that she scrolled past. "He's part of a trafficking ring as well."

"What?" Nera hissed.

"Men, women, children both faunus and human." Velvet explained feeling sick. "He seems to be searching for people with silver eyes in particular. I know Mistral has a slavery problem but this…this is beyond even what I expected."

"Who are the major players?"

"The Mistralian council," Velvet said before swallowing a lump in her throat. "The SDC, the CRWN in Vacuo, and…Menagerie's church. The church is sending them children right from their homes!"

"What!?" Nera snarled. "The faunus in Menagerie are supposed to be safe."

"I know. This is big. We will have targets on our backs just for knowing this." Velvet whimpered. "We could be killed if we try to turn this in, we don't even know who we can trust."

"I'm going to kill them." Nera snarled and for a moment an image of Adam flashed through her mind. "The trauma they are inflicting will one day create monsters."

"You can't kill them all."

"Watch me."

"No!" Velvet whispered harshly making Nera glare at her. "Listen to me, we have to be smart about this."

"We?" Nera frowned in confusion.

"I became a huntress t-to stop crap like this." Velvet said her voice wavering as she choked up a bit thinking of the horror, she had read through that Nera only managed to get passing glimpses of. It was just a blur, too fast for Nera to see, but there had been pictures of the horrors detailed. "We will do something but first you need to calm down, wash up, and get some clothes on your body, I'll lend you some pants and a shirt."

Nera looked down and realized she was still naked.

"You can't take out Mistral's councilors, they're too guarded. You can, however, deal with some of the masters listed. I can send you their addresses." Velvet revealed. "You'll need support before you can take on the SDC let alone Mistral and what is essentially half of Vacuo."

"Menagerie," Nera muttered. "I'll start there, get support, and move on to Vale."

"Vale?"

"Long story, but there are powerful potential allies there that can help us deal with Mistral and Vacuo," Nera explained. "They are gunning for those kingdoms anyway. We can lend a hand and free the victims. Worst case scenario they refuse and I'll still manage to gain some allies amongst the faunus before attacking the SDC. If I can get Jacques' head, the faunus will fall in line."

"Easier said than done, especially with these sketchy allies you mentioned." Velvet sighed. "But at least it's a plan. A crazy one, yes, but a plan. I'll have a week off in a month, I'll meet you in Menagerie. Keep this scroll so I can contact you." Velvet informed Nera. "I'm not sure how welcome a half-breed will be, but I always wanted to visit the 'Motherland'."

"Half-bred prey, yet you have some of the sharpest fangs I've seen," Nera said as she placed a hand on Velvet's shoulder. "You are brave, never forget that, but if you are to join me, you must join my Claw. I take care of mine."

Velvet was startled by that before slowly nodding her head as if something primal in her was forcing her to agree. Nera was terrifying but Velvet felt safer around her than she had with her own team which said a lot as she loved her team even if they did frustrate her sometimes.

-Mistral: One Week Later-

"Stop and put your hands up!" An officer shouted as his squad had cornered the monster that killed the Headmaster of Haven and so many benevolent masters in Mistral. In response, the masked Nera raised a single fist in defiance.

Immediately they gunned her down, but soon they all paled when she shrugged off the bullets as if they were nothing. Their ammo now empty, Nera stared them down as if daring them to reload.

"You feel big?" Nera questioned and none of them could respond, the few faunus amongst them averted their eyes knowing that protocol had been broken by attempting to kill the suspect who had technically complied even if it was only one hand raised. "Not worth my time." Nera turned and left

They couldn't stop her, none of them were trained to deal with a huntsmen level threat, and most of the huntsmen they could call had died months ago or gone missing.

Yet, somehow, no one in the kingdom noticed.

And soon questions would start to be asked.

-Menagerie: White Fang Headquarters-

"Remember," Velvet began quietly after they managed to infiltrate the White Fang thanks to Nera using Blake's former knowledge of the lair's layout. "Use tact." Velvet said for the hundredth time since they had met up. Rolling her eyes behind her helmet, Nera kicked the door open, startling everyone inside as she looked up at a surprised Sienna Khan. Instantly, the White Fang aimed their weapons at them as Velvet gaped.

Nera grabbed her helmet and tossed it to the side, surprising them with her likeness to Blake.

"B…Belladonna?" Sienna asked in confusion as Nera grinned up at the dear family friend.

"Blake!?" Ilia couldn't help but blurt out, surprised to see her old friend and crush after her disappearance.

"Hey auntie," Nera said as she waved at the High Leader before extending her claws. "Get out of my seat."

"God damn it." Velvet face-palmed.

"Don't use gramps name in vain." Nera chastised before lunging at Sienna. "Come on!"

-Later-

A bloodied Nera stood above a severely injured Sienna who had collapsed to her hands and knees. Around them were the unconscious bodies of the White Fang soldiers and Velvet panted as she stood above a downed Ilia.

"What…what was that weapon?" Ilia groaned before passing out after she and her comrades had been beaten by Velvet's absurd weapon. How the rabbit managed to create her lightning lash and use it just as well as she had left her stunned.

"How…how did I lose?" Sienna muttered as Blake gazed down at her.

"Even a tiger as fierce as you pales in comparison to a beast that's free," Nera said, her wounds healing rapidly before Sienna's eyes, not even leaving a scar as evidence that Sienna even touched her in the fight. "It's time you lost those chains."

With that Nera, bent down and bit the back of Sienna's neck, breaking the caged tiger free.

BGM: END

-Later that day-

"Unbelievable, behind my back," Sienna whispered as she watched Nera and Ilia free children that had missing from the church's basement. The Albain brothers had told her that they had been looking into the disappearances.

How stupid could she have been?

"No one can do this job alone," Velvet said as she tended to Sienna's wounds. Sienna grimaced at having to be nursed by a half-breed but the fact that this one had taken out over half of her men showed her that blood didn't matter.

Sometimes the sharpest fangs belonged to prey.

"You had no choice but to trust those who swore to advise you." Velvet said gently. "Just like you, she will have to do the same. Let's try to actually do the job right, yeah?"

Sienna said nothing as she watched Nera kneel and hug a sobbing child close to her chest.

The sight had made Ilia break down and even she wanted to avert her eyes, but she couldn't. Not when the younger faunus nursing her just hummed a soothing song for Sienna's benefit while never once breaking her sight from the horror they had unearthed.

Sienna failed.

But she would make sure this cub learned from her mistakes.

-Later: Vale: Tukson's Bookstore-

"And done." Velvet said as she handed Nera the modified blade. "Stealing this wasn't easy, I also left your note. You look amazing."

"You look like Adam with slightly better taste." Sienna scoffed.

"A compliment, say what you will about the man but he could accessorize," Nera said looking down at her new clothes. "And it's fitting, I will continue the mission he abandoned in his stead, the righteous one he had before this world's darkness consumed him. You modified the blade?"

"I did." Velvet confirmed. "Installed a prototype energy re-router. If we're going to have people think you're Adam might as well go all in. With this, you will either be able to perform a moonslice or blow your hands off. Fortunately, you're hard-bodied so let me know if you explode."

"You remade his semblance?" Nera asked incredulously.

"Of course, don't you all see? A semblance is more than just a unique power, it's proof of the impossible being possible!" Velvet ranted gleefully. "Teleportation? Energy absorption? Telekinesis? All of these seemingly impossible feats are possible and without dust! It's just a matter of cracking down on the logic and finding the science behind it. Adam's was simple, but imagine the rest!? One day I'll crack this code and bring Remnant to a new age!"

Velvet cackled and they could imagine lightning flashing behind her

"You're crazy," Sienna muttered which earned her a wink from Velvet. One thing that had occurred since freeing Velvet's animal was that the woman was now a bit more confident, playful, and filled with an almost manic energy that she channeled into her work. That energy mixed with her semblance and brilliant mind had turned Velvet into a Polendina level asset for their cause.

"You stole this man's weapon, woman, power, and his aesthetic." Ilia mused. "Is nothing sacred?"

"Your woman too if my suspicions are correct." Velvet chirped which made Ilia flush. At first, she was a bit bitter that she somehow lost her chance with Blake to herself but Nera was a great leader and was quickly becoming one of her best friends.

She'd just have to accept this loss.

Their make-out sessions would at least be easier on Ilia's eyes than Blake and Adam's.

"Oh, buzz off bunny and go kiss a tiger."

"How did I get dragged into this!?" Sienna questioned in confusion.

"Don't hate me because I'm the favorite," Velvet teased. "I carry this whole team."

"I'd take offense to that if it wasn't true," Nera muttered. "The carrying part." Nera amended quickly at the affronted looks the others gave her. "I don't have any favorites besides my mate. Speaking of which, can we please stop talking about how many people want her?"

At that moment at the door chimed, and they turned to see Sun walk in. For a moment no one said anything as the two parties stared at each other awkwardly as Sun realized he walked into something he had no business seeing.

"I er…I just wanted to get a book for this girl…" Sun trailed off slowly backing away. "I'll be leaving now…"

"You didn't lock the door!?" Velvet hissed at Ilia.

"I wasn't the last one in, she was!" Ilia yelled, pointing at Sienna who snarled.

"I assumed you would get it."

"Why!? I don't work for you anymore remember?" Ilia ranted, relieved to finally get to say that. "You and your long hours with no pay can kiss my invisible ass," Ilia said flipping the tiger off as she disappeared before Sienna could throttle her.

"I'm just going to go-wait-Blake!?" Sun asked incredulously. "Damn girl, what happened to you?" Sun asked clearly liking what he saw which made Nera facepalm as she realized her mate likely picked up another admirer.

Perhaps sealing her memories was a mistake.

If she found out she fucked one of her teammates, Nera was going to slaughter someone.

With a sigh, Nera looked down at her hands and shook her head, wondering how she got here.

"Ilia? Just zap him." Nera said, exasperated.

"On it."

"Wait-what-OUCH!" Sun shouted before he passed out. Now she'd have to sit down and explain to the random monkey what happened, especially if he knew Blake. If he was difficult, Nera idly debated killing him and blaming it on Sienna, who totally should have locked the door. It would remove one more pair of eyes from her mate's ass after all but she stopped that train of thought.

She would not go full Adam.

She was better than that.

She just hoped to the God of Animals that this faunus would understand.

-Later-

The God of Animals totally played favorites.

"You son of a bitch, I'm in." Sun grinned.

"Wait, really?"

"I'm a faunus born in Vacuo that moved to Mistral." Sun shrugged as if that explained everything and judging by how the Claw collectively grimaced it so sort of did. The fact Sun could even be so lively showed a formidable strength of character as well as a good heart. "Besides you're way less culty than the White Fang and you're defending both species. You're literally just doing my job without, you know, the legality."

"Good point." Nera nodded. "You're a huntsman so you'll be invaluable to the cause. Welcome aboard."

"Thanks, boss."

"Now bring your neck here."

"…what?"

-Present-

Blake had no idea when she started crying, but like a hammer to the head, all of her memories came rushing back. Within her, the black cat which had been slumbering finally awoke once more, and there was only thing it could do after seeing its mate.

It's panther.

"Miss me-oof!" Nera yelped when Blake lunged over the table and tackled her. "I…take…that…as…a yes…" Nera said in between kisses.

"Never let me come up with a plan again," Blake whispered.

"Can't do that." Nera grinned as Blake wiped her eyes. "You're kind of brilliant."

It was then that she felt Blake slap her.

"Ouch!"

"Did you have to maim Ren!?"

"I had to teach him a lesson!" Nera said defensively, a stinging handprint on the side of her face. "He doesn't have a temper like Nora, but his arrogance will get him killed! That was the most obvious trap in the world and he knew it. Yet, he still fell for it because he had too much faith in his abilities. Those two need help and that was their wake-up call."

Blake huffed but leaned forward and kissed where she slapped Nera. "You're an idiot, caring, but an idiot," Blake muttered making Nera pout.

"Can we get back to the part where you were missing me?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "How much time do we have?"

"We're meeting Rose at midnight, it's a quarter past ten now."

Blake grinned. "So more than enough time."

Nera was confused until she felt her arms get pinned by Blake's clones.

She probably could have broken free…

…but she really didn't want to.

No, for now, she was going to catch up with her lover and then at midnight, she could deal with Rose. The demand would be simple, but meaningful. Rose could have any throne she wanted, the Claw would even help her, but she would not get Blake's.

Blake was the princess of Menagerie and Nera would be the Chieftain and High Leader of the Black Claw and together they would unite the faunus as one so that they could stand alongside humanity and deal with their true enemy once and for all.

And then, her people would be free.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Black Rose

See? This chapter wasn't angsty (much) at all and despite having some drama this was hopefully a little light-hearted so that you guys aren't slammed with too much conflict.

Will: *looks at Rebuke then back to notes* True but they got slammed regardless. *encircles the Kinky~ note*

Lmao! This is why you're my partner in crime.

Reviews: Actually, before I start, the fact I even have this many in like two days is crazy thanks for the love.

Allycat2090: First off love the review and glad that you and your husband enjoy the story! Warms my heart. Your theory isn't a reach at all and is fleshed out more this chapter. The fact that Blake is the odd one out isn't just because she is a faunus but because she too is 'royalty'.

You were close but rather than the Beast being who Blake could be, it was who she was supposed to be. There is a small nuance there but it means everything in hindsight. Also, you are completely correct regarding Ren and Nora. They both had flaws that still need working on. Nora has anger issues but they aren't the same one Yang dealt with early in the fic. Nora's anger comes from trauma, every time she loses her shit it's because she's been triggered by something that reminds her of what she lost.

Ren, on the other hand, was purposely hidden but you can see it in hindsight. His stoic nature makes it easy to assume he heals Nora and is stable, but the truth is that he has a dangerous level of arrogance built from a legacy of being the best assassin in the world. He can talk the talk and walk the walk but he underestimates his opponents a lot which is one of the reasons Yang defeated him.

I could go on forever about this, but the story and their arcs will say it for me. Thanks again for the stellar review!

Riggy Minus: Plot twist! Thanks for the review!

FatherMordteiva: Arrogance my friend, pure arrogance. Ren knew it was a trap but underestimated his target thinking it was Adam. And, to be fair, had it been the same Adam they fought at the docks Ren would have gotten the kill. Oh yeah, so much crap in this story withstood the test of time that I wonder if an idea or two got picked up lol but it's probably a coincidence.

Bakerrtx01: Hope things are clearer Adam still hasn't made his return yet!

Arandomuser2: You'll have your wish, the greatest rematch in the story so far is about to go down.

AJ Lexie: AWWWWW SHITTTT. Lol you are going to love this chapter.

Jamsieboy: Two weeks…OR TWO DAYS!?

Kurasabe: lmao

Jeffgass20: Totally see where you're coming from, but you're also totally exaggerating some parts considering none of the "newbies" actually fought the knights besides the Beast who knows their weaknesses and one of said newbies, Velvet, is visibly afraid of Jaune. Sienna isn't even a newbie she's a veteran huntress who's full potential was never shown because she got betrayed. We're not even close to done with this story, so all the rules haven't even been revealed.

Foztrot: As it stands, Ren is the only one that can use this ability freely. At best, the Beast can defend themselves from it and reverse it.

0Akarigan0: ¡Me alegro de que te haya gustado el capítulo! Con suerte, este capítulo le dio más contexto sobre lo que sucedió.

MoonShadowPup: I love Velvet too, especially since she is absolutely busted when you think about it. Glad I get a chance to put her in more of a spot light role to highlight her talents.

C3l3st14: I think you read that chapter way to fast, friend, Adam isn't even in the kingdom.

Thank you all for the reviews!

Stay safe!

Read and review!

And as always…

…stay classy!

~RebukeX7