Prologue II: Blake
"Step aside, Blake."
Three figures stood on top of a moving freight train: one, a wounded human clutching the bloody stump of his missing hand; in front of him, a Faunus trying desperately to hide her fear. The other Faunus, pointing his crimson sword at his trembling comrade, could have been best described as the living incarnation of vengeance.
Although the three were silent, the sounds of the vehicle's wheels as they rushed through the railway acted as the "tik" of a clock; one that was quickly counting down to tragedy. The young woman's instincts were screaming at her to obey and run away, but her legs felt heavier and heavier the more she thought of letting the man die.
After all that time, was she going to find out just then that she had been a hypocrite all along? Had she never truly believed in the cause? Or, perhaps…
"No."
The word was spoken almost subconsciously and directed toward herself. Blake couldn't even bear to think of an alternative explanation for her actions; she couldn't process the fact that the struggle she sacrificed so much for could have been based on a lie. However, the other Faunus was unaware of his companion's thoughts, and he interpreted her words as a response.
"Very well then. In that case, I'll show you what happens to those who oppose our justice. Pay close attention now."
The warrior lifted his weapon in the air, unleashing a great amount of energy that manifested as a bright red aura, swirling through his entire body. Then, with a blinding ray of light, the hammer of judgment was brought down by the Leader and Commander of the most powerful revolutionary syndicate in the world: the White Fang's reaper, Adam Taurus.
-xx-
Blake Belladonna was born into the core of a wealthy and powerful family. As far as she knew, her father had been a hero that valiantly protected the weak and her mother was the best salmon pie cook in the universe. Throughout her childhood, the young Faunus had all of her needs tended to by servants. She could go to class, go out for a walk or take a pleasant nap under the starry night all within the confines of her home.
Though, even all the pretty sights accessible from her guarded house couldn't placate Blake's naturally curious nature. She had been reminded many times by her mother that Faunus like her could be particularly susceptible to curiosity, and she had been told a thousand times by her dad not to go beyond the large fence that surrounded their home. Obviously, all the warnings only made the young girl all the more determined to explore.
One night, after carefully tracing her escape route, Blake enacted her genius strategy to finally be able to see what lay beyond the microcosm she knew. Her timing was excellent: her father was busy in some important meeting and her mother was cooking dinner. As she sneaked around her own garden, Blake was surprised at how much she enjoyed going unnoticed and moving through the shadows. After managing to walk past one final guard, the young girl only needed to leap a short distance and she would finally uncover the secrets her family had kept from her for so long.
Soon, she would also discover her family had good reasons to keep secrets.
The child's eyes were tainted by anguish as she took in the scenery that appeared before her: a village of dilapidated houses, dirty roads and miserable faces that wandered about with no drive, like lost souls. Some of the beings couldn't even bring themselves to stand; they sat with their gazes fixed on the floor and grieved in silence. As she continued walking, her pace uncertain and uneven, the girl wound up in an open area where some Faunus, maybe a few dozen, were gathered around what seemed to be a shoddy looking stage.
On top of the platform stood a tall, fierce woman with brown skin and yellow eyes surrounded by men wearing masks; unlike all the other Faunus the girl had encountered up to that point, her figure emanated confidence and vigor. When she addressed the audience, Blake was exposed for the first time in her short life to the true pain and misery of reality. In the span of only a few minutes the child learned of discrimination, oppression, poverty, war, betrayal and retribution. By the end of the passionate speech, Blake's eyes were filled with tears.
"…therefore, if the disgrace of our former leader was willing to sell us out for some dirty money, if nobody else will stand by us and fight for our rights, if the humans have forsaken us like beasts in this remote island to be eaten by Grimm, then…" – the woman was then handed a mask by one of the men around her – "…then we shall BECOME the beasts and CARVE OUT a future of true equality with our own claws and teeth! Please, join me and my comrades as we march under the new banner of our White Fang!"
Her plea was punctuated by the raising of a flag depicting the emblem of an aggressive beast and bloody claw marks. In stark contrast with the woman's tone, the crowd remained relatively quiet all throughout, even as she and her group thanked them and walked away. Most Faunus had already been lied to and let down far too many times for some idealistic words to rouse their spirits. Although some of them wanted to believe in a better future, their undeniable experience of suffering and misfortune went completely against such beliefs. It didn't take long for the group to disperse; none of them seemed to be headed toward any battlefield.
Meanwhile Blake remained still, too stunned and scared to keep drifting through the terrible reality she had discovered. Suddenly, a small hand tapped the girl on her shoulder and she immediately panicked: her feline ears tensed up and she jumped forward, turning to face her aggressor. Instead, Blake was met by a serious looking young boy, maybe a couple of years older than her, his bright blue eyes unfazed by her reaction:
"Sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to tell you that you should go back to where you came from. You don't belong here, that's easy to see. Those spotless clothes and that sensitive attitude stick out far too much."
Needless to say, the girl was taken aback by both the concerning accuracy and the nonchalant delivery of the boy's words. However, instead of uttering a kneejerk response, Blake had the presence of mind to think and ask the genuine question she had had for quite some time:
"Where am I?"
Despite the unusual question, the boy kept his aloof expression; in a matter-of-fact way he stated:
"You're in Menagerie, the land of the Faunus."
-xx-
"Is he going to be ok?"
Blake could barely get the trembling sentence out of her mouth; she stood over the wounded body of the friend she had looked up to for so long.
The day the young Faunus met the boy named Adam would mark her rebirth into a different, larger world. Not long afterwards, she renounced her family and abandoned her home, having learned of her Father's shameful betrayal of his own race. The girl would go on to join the troops of a gradually growing White Fang, running errands for the group and working her way up from the very bottom of the power hierarchy. Along the way, she encountered challenges and difficulties that she couldn't have even imaged during her previous life. Every small task like cleaning, cooking and physical training required effort and discipline far beyond what she had been accustomed to. She realized the world was indifferent to her pain and nobody owed her anything.
Regardless, Blake could always find just enough strength to keep moving forward, thanks in no small part to the fact that she could always count on the support of Adam; the one who first inspired her to join the White Fang. The young man was an orphan born in Menagerie who knew nothing of his parent's whereabouts and thus had to fend for himself from a very young age. Though, even in his unfortunate circumstances, Adam kept a stoic, rational demeanor and he went above and beyond to try and help out fellow Faunus whenever possible. Blake deeply respected him for this very reason: he refused to become a victim and didn't allow the outside world to corrupt him, instead aspiring to true equality with unflinching conviction.
Adam's resolve would be put to the test and taken to its absolute limits during his first assignment outside Menagerie: infiltrating a Schnee Dust Company factory and leaking information in order to free the Faunus trapped inside. Due to the White Fang's insufficient resources at the time, their violent activism was limited to methodical, precise strikes on specific targets that had to be planned out over long periods of time. Therefore, only the strongest and most valuable members could afford to participate in missions. It was very rare for a low ranking official to board a boat headed toward the outside world, but after having proved his loyalty and competence in various occasions, Adam was entrusted with scouting the enemy territory by allowing himself to be trapped in the factory to extract crucial data.
Initially, the mission seemed to be going smoothly. The White Fang received regular reports describing the layout of the factory, the situation inside, the number of Faunus working in each department, and even some intel on the security's patrol routes. Soon however, it became clear that something had gone wrong. Adam's texts became less and less articulate with time, gradually focusing more on the horrible scenes taking place around him instead of conveying useful information. He would write about the tortures Faunus were subjected to if they made even the slightest mistake, he would list the degrading names Faunus were called and he described, in detail, the dreams and aspirations that each Faunus had lost when they were forced into the factory. Eventually, the reports stopped coming altogether.
Luckily, the White Fang had collected enough information at that point to map out a strategy and proceeded with both the attack on the factory and the extraction of the innocent Faunus and the comrade they had lost contact with. The operation was a complete success, but upon finding Adam's bruised and battered body, the triumphant soldiers of the White Fang went completely silent. The workers that had been trapped alongside the young man were the ones to tell his story: Adam was never found out as a secret agent; instead, his condition came about as a result of trying to defend the other faunus inside the factory on several occasions. Indeed, the young man had only heard myths of the humans' cruelty and couldn't bring himself to truly believe it, so he tried to reason with the guards, appealing to compassion, morality and virtue, but he was only met with severe punishment each and every time. By far, Adam's biggest transgression had been to confront the head of the Schnee family, who was visiting the factory to check on its quality of work. As a consequence of his defiance, the man had the young Faunus brutally beaten down and his skin seared beyond repair.
That day would mark Adam's own rebirth. Far from staying down or being discouraged, the warrior made a miraculous recovery: donning a white mask, he marched onward with renewed purpose. In a short amount of time, Adam would quickly develop a frighteningly powerful semblance capable of harnessing immense amounts of energy; he would further strengthen his ties with high ranking White Fang members and he would come to be deeply respected by his comrades due to the courage he had displayed during his mission.
As her friend was gradually being elevated into the status of a leader and an icon, Blake felt him slowly slipping away from her. On the outside, Adam seemed to have remained his regular self: he was still silent, reliable and surprisingly generous on occasion. But Blake was able to notice that something was not quite right; that there was something about him that had been… crooked, or perhaps slightly twisted. Since the incident, the girl had repeatedly approached Adam to uncover the sorrow underneath his façade: it was obvious that anyone in his position should have been deeply scarred, and sad, and scared. But the warrior refused to allow any of his emotions to slip and always kept his usual, calm persona as he reassured Blake that everything was fine.
It didn't take long before Adam was called up for another mission, and another, and another. The success of the Schnee Factory raid proved to be crucial, as it soon caused a ripple effect that expanded the influence and reach of the White Fang to levels it had only seen several years before. Adam would lead successful operation after successful operation, relentlessly charging into battles that should have been lost causes or suicide missions and managing to turn the tides every single time. The name of Adam Taurus came to be known and feared across the kingdoms, as legends of a "White Fang reaper" rapidly spread.
-xx-
A couple of years later, right as Adam was being promoted to Commander of the White Fang, Blake earned the right to partake in her first major mission outside Menagerie. To her surprise, Adam specifically requested her to be assigned into his unit, and of course, the permission was quickly granted. In the years that had passed, Blake had become a very competent warrior herself: she had developed a strong semblance and was quite proficient in both stealth and combat. Her agility and speed in particular were far beyond any of her sparring partners, as she was be able to outmaneuver her opponents and seal their movements with relative ease. Meanwhile, Adam had effectively become the spiritual Leader of a rejuvenated White Fang, acquiring the second highest possible rank only behind Sienna Khan; the very same woman that long ago had inspired the two children to join the cause.
Even though Blake had been a member for a long time and despite her many contributions to the group, she had never been allowed to partake in the most important operations. The primary function she served was that of "Territorial defense", joining the troops in charge of fighting off the constant raids of Grimm and pirates that were attracted toward Menagerie by negative emotions and the prospect of an easy target respectively. Blake was also sometimes specifically recruited for spying and scouting missions: the combination of her swiftness and the ease with which she could hide her Faunus traits made her an excellent agent in this regard. Just as she was beginning to think that Adam's increasing influence might have had something to do with her being constantly kept out of harm's way, a new opportunity arose to prove her worth. Along with a group of elite soldiers, she was flown out all the way to a secret hideout located in the outskirts of the continent of Solitas.
Quickly, the mission proved to be different from anything else she had experienced so far as, during the briefing meeting, Adam entered the room… closely followed by a human wearing the uniform of an Atlas soldier. Naturally, all the Faunus in the room became highly apprehensive, but with a single motion of his hand Adam compelled them to sit quietly and pay attention:
"This man is Wulfric. He is a guard in charge of escorting some crucial cargo by train from Mantle to a port located nearby. From there, the shipment is meant to be transported to Vale, where it will be put to use in order to aid the humans in further subjugating our brethren. Our mission will be to infiltrate the train, plant explosives in designated areas and make the vehicle stop. Then, we shall appropriate the items inside and head to this location for extraction."
Adam then stepped back, allowing the man beside him to speak:
"I'm aware that there might be tensions between us, but I assure you, my only intent is to help your cause. The government of Atlas has taken irreplaceable things away from me and I wish to make them pay. I will provide you with the schematics of the vehicle and I will facilitate your access into it."
"Blake!"
The girl was surprised when her name was unexpectedly called out by Adam.
"You will accompany Wulfric and be the first one to scout out the area in and around the train before its departure. I believe you're the most reliable soldier I can entrust this task to. The rest of you will be divided into groups, one for planting and one for extraction. You shall all wait for my orders in…"
-xx-
The day of the mission had arrived, and Blake and Wulfric were standing just outside the base from which the train was supposed to leave. Under the gentle snowfall, the man and Faunus dressed in winter clothing looked no different from each other. Although, even considering the pressure of the situation, both of them remained eerily quiet.
The already shy Blake found it quite difficult to interact normally with a human. After all, humans were supposed to be the creatures responsible for all of her burdens and misfortunes. The emotions Blake felt toward the man were quite confusing to her: she had been practically trained since she was a child to be angry at humans, yet she couldn't bring herself to feel any intense emotion other than a strange mixture of sadness, fear and grief. But even the grown up and mature Faunus couldn't resist her own impulses, and during the meeting Wulfric had mentioned something that had ignited her ferocious curiosity. In truth, up until that point, Blake was actually forcing herself to keep quiet, but when she thought about the danger of the upcoming mission, she found it easier to throw caution to the wind and ask the burning question inside of her:
"Wulfric, you mentioned that Atlas took irreplaceable things away from you… what did you mean by that? Why would your loss motivate you to betray your nation and help the Faunus?"
Wulfric's gaze remained lost in the horizon, which was covered by a dense white mist. After a few moments, he responded:
"My wife and daughter were Faunus. We were going to sail to Vale in about a month and try to leave peaceful lives. We couldn't."
Blake's chest felt heavier upon hearing the man's words. Wulfric stayed silent for the remainder of the time they spent together before the start of the mission, but that single word, spoken with such sorrow, was enough to keep Blake from prodding any further: "were".
-xx-
The mission was a catastrophe.
Given the resurgence of the White Fang, all of the Kingdoms had deemed it necessary to take extra precautions, and no man was more meticulous or careful when it came to security than General Ironwood. The train and its cargo were both decoys, meant to attract an attack from the White fang and capture their members inside a moving deathtrap. Unfortunately, by the time the Faunus realized what was going on, they were already surrounded by elite Atlas officials equipped with heavy machinery.
Blake and Wulfric ran frantically on top of the roof of the train, being targeted from all directions.
"WATCH OUT!"
Suddendly, Wulfric tackled Blake out of the way and was hit by a stream of projectiles that left him severely wounded and practically torn one of his hands clean off. The man quickly collapsed; a stream of blood began forming under his prone body. Almost on impulse, the young Faunus kneeled next to him and tried, desperately, to carry his weight.
"Leave me be, young miss. This is what I get for trying to pursue some empty revenge. Please, I don't want any more blood of innocent women on my hands."
Blake didn't respond. Her fear and adrenaline left her with just enough strength and focus to move forward. She didn't consider, even for a moment, abandoning the person that she was clinging to.
Then, in a blinding ray of light, all enemies surrounding the pair were gone. It occurred far too quickly for either of them to process what had happened. In a moment, the horrible sounds of bullets flying, boots stomping on metal, and vehicles shooting were substituted by the howling of the wind and the ticking of the rail tracks.
Faunus and human turned around and neither of them recognized the figure that they witnessed as one of their own. With red aura still surrounding his body, Adam walked slowly toward the two with his crimson blade drawn at the ready. Before he could get to his comrade and the wounded man, an Atlas soldier climbed up from the side of the train and pointed a gun at his back.
"WATCH O-"
Blake couldn't even finish her sentence before Adam turned and sliced the soldier in a single, lighting fast motion; his sword cutting through flesh and armor effortlessly. Adam swiped toward the ground to clean the blood off his weapon and, as he continued walking toward Wulfric, he began speaking:
"It had been a long, long time since I last decided to trust a human. I guess some part of me still wanted to hold out hope that your species could somehow be redeemable; that you could know of honesty and loyalty. From this point forward, I'll make sure never to make that mistake again. The blood of the comrades I've lost in this mission is on my hands, but yours will soon join them."
Regardless of what his calm demeanor could have suggested, the hand Adam used to cling to his sword was visibly shaking and dripping blood. Before he could completely close the distance between him and his target, Blake stood in front of the man. The girl's expression was that of pure terror: she could barely recognize the Faunus she had always considered a friend in the monstrous shadow that slowly approached her.
"Step aside, Blake."
"N-no! It's all a misunderstanding! He didn't know anything about this trap, I'm sure of it. Please Adam, let's calm down and just talk!"
"Step aside, Blake."
"…No."
"Very well then. In that case, I'll show you what happens to those who oppose our justice. Pay close attention now."
-xx-
When Blake opened her eyes she found that she was still standing in the same spot, her body completely unharmed. A glimmer of hope began forming in her mind, but was quickly shattered as she perceived the smell of scorched flesh. Behind her were now the ashes of the body that had once belonged to Wulfric. The overwhelming scene shocked her into silence. While sheathing his weapon, Adam addressed her:
"My blade can only cut those that stand in the way of our cause. You were never truly in any danger. But today I've confirmed yet another one of my suspicions: you're far too sensitive and naïve to fight alongside the White Fang. You haven't grown ever since the day I found you. I'm sorry; you're suffering because I failed as a leader and allowed you to come here in the first place. Come, we shall return back home."
The shock, agitation, indignation, suffering, anger and grief built up inside Blake for years was then released as she stared at Adam's eyes through his gruesome mask:
"I'm no child, Adam. Despite your attempts to keep me away from the world outside Menagerie, I've been more than capable enough to read and research and interview other White Fang members about their experiences… and I know humans are a lot more complex that you make them out to be!"
Adam was unfazed by Blake's comments.
"Did Ilia provide you with the books and anecdotes you used as 'research material'? Her feelings are just as compromised as yours if not even more. She's lived among them long enough to be infected by their lies."
"Just listen to yourself, Adam! What is supposed to be our purpose, our so-called 'cause'?! When I joined, the goal was to achieve peaceful cooperation: we understood that we were fighting against a status quo; against a broken system. But now you speak of humans as these unredeemable demons that can't possibly exist alongside us. So what is the White Fang's goal supposed to be exactly? Are we just going to blindly massacre an entire species for the sake of 'peace'?! Will we murder parents and children in the name of 'Justice'?!"
"If that's what it takes."
"Is this what the White Fang truly wants, what the Faunus want?"
"I am the White Fang, and I alone fight for the Faunus of this world."
The two remained still in the darkness for just a moment. Then, Blake turned her back on Adam.
"Where are you going?"
Blake answered without looking at her former comrade.
"I think you're right. I am still much too ignorant to be fighting for any cause. It's about time I learned what the world is truly like."
Adam's composure remained unaffected.
"You already ran away once before; you renounced your family and abandoned your comfortable life. But I assure you, if you turn your back on the White Fang, on your own species, you will have no home to ever go back to."
The girl finally turned to face Adam, like she had done long ago when they first met, and with the same eyes filled with tears, she delivered her last words toward the memory of her friend.
"I know. I'll miss all of you dearly. I promise I'll find a way so that we can truly live happily and together. Until then, please wait for me."
The girl then dashed away, leaving behind her country, her comrades and her identity as a freedom-fighter. From that point onward she would aspire to become a protector of the weak and not just the Faunus; a defender of peace instead of justice. She knew where she had to go.
A stray cat was headed toward Beacon Academy.