AN: Welcome back everyone and happy fucking late new year. I am so sorry that I've been procrastinating with this story and I made it up to you all by giving you another chapter. This may not be the best but at least it's a chapter for you all. I owe it to you guys. Now onto reviews.
the-lost-memories6: The world may never know, thanks for reviewing.
STRIKER ENERGY: Thanks for the feedback and when the hell are you going to update man? I've been waiting for another chapter since you made it.
XCOMHEAVY: Damn dude, when the hell are those going to be up? Anyways, thanks for the review and I still to this day enjoy reading your reviews.
GrimmKingOfAtlas: I had the exact same reaction when I saw him doing it. Thanks for the review and when the hell are you going to update your story?
Table leg: I agree that Ares is in the wrong but I'm not going to kill him for doing something dangerous. That's what makes him special, the fact that he's dangerous. Granted he'll be punished severely the next time he does something foolish and dangerous towards the others but I'm not going to kill him for it. Hell no.
That's all for the reviews folks, so without further adieu... let's roll on with the fucking story.
The five of them slept soundly near the lake, each one around each other protectively. Hours had passed since the change and Ares was enjoying it to the fullest. Although Sistine had tried to move numerous times, she failed in the end due to him putting more weight on her, which made her sigh in frustration. Rei and Frost slept soundly near Sistine's snout while Ken snored loudly on Ares'. He snorted in amusement when Sistine started to shift around from underneath him and slap her tail against the ground more as time passed.
"Ares, get off." She murmured.
"No. I'm comfortable." He snorted.
"Well I'm not. Now can you please get off?" She asked, a bit more heatedly this time.
"What do I get if I do?" He asked.
"You get to walk out of here alive, now get off me now." She growled. Her growling woke up the girls and they tiredly hopped off of her before shuffling back to the cave and getting in their beds. Ken woke up and listened to their exchange for a bit before shrugging and going in the water again, this time with a spear in his hand. Ares playfully nipped the back of her neck and blew a gentle stream of fire against it while giving small purrs.
"Fine. I'll get off." He said. She breathed out in relief and got up to stretch a bit while giving a low growl then scrunching up her body. It started to bubble and steam as her skin began to flake away into the air and disappear, eventually all that was left was a pile of steamy substance before her hand shot out. She came out of the pile with nothing on and looked around for her clothes then caught sight of Ares looking at her.
"What?" She asked.
"Why'd you do that?" He asked.
"Because you were lying on me and it was uncomfortable. Plus we've spent the last few hours in that form and I want to be in this one." She explained while putting her pants on.
"Hey Sistine! Is this you're shirt?" Ken asked as he held up a black V-neck.
"Yes, thank you Ken. Now go inside and get ready for bed." She said.
"Noooo. I want to play in the water." He whined.
"We'll play in the water tomorrow." She reasoned. Ken whined some more before Ares snorted and went behind him, he nipped the back of his shirt and carried him over to the cave entrance, nudging him inside. Ken pouted and scampered inside while Ares just walked back to the lake and sat down near the shore, wrapping his tail around his legs and staring at the setting sun. Sistine walked next to him and climbed onto his shoulder before sitting on it and staring sunset. The two sat in silence for a minute before he gave a low groan and hunched down as his flesh began to flake away like hers did earlier until he was nothing but a steamy pile of matter sitting on the ground. He slowly emerged from the pile and fell on his knees as his senses began to focus themselves again before stood up. She walked next to him with his pants and he nodded in appreciation before putting them on; he yawned a bit before rubbing his eyes and gesturing towards the cave. They walked inside and found Ken and Rei in their beds asleep but Frost was in theirs with all the blankets wrapped around her.
"I knew we shouldn't have let her sleep in the bed with us." Sistine sighed.
"Why not?" Ares asked while getting underneath the covers.
"Because we never actually get the bed to ourselves. And the times we do it's minimal because she always manages to crawl back in when we're asleep." She answered, pulling at the blanket to cover herself.
"We'll discuss it in the morning with her." He yawned.
"But-" She started.
"Sistine look, I've had to deal with it for a couple of years with those two over there. Frost is no different, she'll pout for a minute then eventually get over it." He explained. She looked him in the eyes for a minute before sighing and nodding, closing her eyes. Once she was asleep he looked out the cave entrance and thought he saw a Beowolf staring inside but then dismissed it as fatigue and fell asleep.
A few hours had passed and Sistine was woken up in the middle of the night by shaking. At first it was gentle, then it started to get more forceful until the point where it almost made her curse at whoever was shaking her; though it softened when she saw that it was Frost. Her small face was contorted into a mixture of anxiety and discomfort as she stared at Sistine.
"Frost? What's wrong?" Sistine yawned as she sat up and looked at the younger monster.
"I'm hungry." She said quietly.
"Listen sweetie. You know the rules, no eating in the middle of the night." Sistine said.
"I know but... can't I just have a little bite though?" Frost asked.
"I'm sorry but no. The sun will be up in a few hours and we'll have breakfast." Sistine answered.
"But please?" Frost asked. Sistine sighed and put Frost on her lap while setting her chin against the top of her head.
"Frost, listen. I know you want something to eat right now but if you do then you'll spoil breakfast later. We don't want that do we?" Sistine asked softly.
"No." Frost said quietly and rubbed her face against Sistine's chest.
"Good, now let's get back to sleep." Sistine said.
"But I'm not tired." Frost pouted. Sistine sighed and began to rock back and forth while singing softly, she did this for a few minutes before shuffling was heard and she turned to see Ares sit up and rub his eyes before looking at her. She glanced at him then at a drowsy Frost, who looked at him and tiredly waved, then began to fall asleep. He reached over and plucked Frost from her arms and walked to the cave entrance to see the moon high in the sky. He heard shuffling around and turned to see Sistine asleep in the sheets with her hair covering her face. Frost shifted around in his arms and nestled her head in his the crook of his neck and patted his back tiredly, slowing down as time progressed. Eventually she fell back asleep and he walked back inside to put her in the bed but noticed she was latched onto him tightly and sighed in exasperation.
"Fine. One more night." He whispered.
"Two." She mumbled.
"One and a half. After that no more unless you have a nightmare." He said sternly and sat down on the bed.
"Deal." She yawned and fell asleep. All he did was shake his head slightly and lean back into the bed with her on his chest; he closed his eyes and felt her shuffle around a bit before finally getting settled in for the night.
The early morning light came at a comfortable pace, giving off its signal by the scent in the air. Usually he would be the first one to wake up today felt like a lazy day for him and he intended to make it that way, though it looks like it wouldn't be like that since Sistine was nudging his side. He shrugged her off numerous times before she bent down and started to nibble on the side of his ear playfully. She began to give more nibbles and poke the side of him before he finally had enough and flipped around, surprising her when he rolled with her in the bed then eventually pinned her.
"You know I like my sleep Sistine." He said, getting closer to her face.
"I know. But it's fun to nibble on you first thing in the morning." She replied while touching their noses and rubbing. He was taken aback at her sudden display of affection and gave a low growl as he started to return it; she smiled while giving purrs and gasped when he nipped her ear. Their little nibbles at each other went on for a few minutes and they laughed while doing so until they heard someone walking in the cave and turned to see Arachne standing there with her mouth slightly open.
"Oh, am I interrupting something?" She asked with an amused smirk.
"Yes." He said.
"No, just nipping Ares." Sistine said and nipped his shoulder.
"Is this a common thing among Goliaths?" Arachne asked.
"Yeah, we usually do it as a sign of affection." Sistine said.
"Huh, you learn something new everyday I guess. And you two didn't manage to wake them, kudos to you." Arachne clapped quietly. Ares gave a deadpan expression while Sistine just laughed and let go of him.
"Why are you here Arachne?" He asked calmly.
"Wow, no hello? Fine I'm here because everyone else will be here later on today." She huffed.
"Thanks." He said and went back to nuzzling Sistine while she just gripped his head and nuzzled back. Arachne shrugged and left the cave while the two continued to do their little Goliath bonding. Once he heard Arachne leave the cave his gaze turned back to Sistine, she cupped his cheek and smiled at him while he did the same. There was a noise to the side and both turned to see Frost there with a tired expression before she got in the bed with them and lied down on top of Sistine and fell asleep. She looked at the younger girl on her then looked back at him, he just shrugged and fell into the bed with her as she lied down.
"I thought you talked to her." She sighed.
"I did, she agreed that she'd sleep one more night." He answered.
"Well this is getting ridiculous, I want to have the bed to ourselves for once." She huffed.
"Just one more night Sistine, she's seven too. It's not uncommon for little ones to sleep with older family from time to time." He explained.
"I guess you're right." She sighed, realizing that he had more experience than she did. He shook his head and got up to look in the container to see there was barely any food and sighed in slight annoyance. Sistine saw his shoulders slightly sag and raised an eyebrow when he looked in the container.
"I'm going hunting. There should be enough food for you three till I get back." He said while grabbing his hood.
"Alright. Be careful." She waved. He nodded and left the cave to gaze up at the dark sky, breathing in the crisp morning air and sighing in relief when it flooded his systems. It was nice for someone to care about him, other than his siblings that is. Every time he went hunting either with one of the little ones or by himself, she would always wish for his safety and that he would have fun while doing so. It made him feel as if he mattered to someone else other than family. Her caring smile and attitude made him feel special inside, it made him feel like his father to an extent when his mother would always wish for his safe return while she looked after her kids and studied the nearby wildlife. He trekked through the forest for a while until he reached the hunting grounds and saw a herd of bison grazing near a river. There was an old looking one that seemed to be a ways away from the rest of the herd and decided that would be the next meal for him and the little ones.
He crouched down and hid himself well in the tall grass while keeping an eye on the old bison as it slowly walked, a twig snapped underneath him and he winced when the bison looked around. It looked around a bit more before lowering its head to graze, he gave a slight sigh of relief and started crawling towards it until he was right in its blind spot. Equipping his grappling hook and swinging it around with a small swishing noise, he threw it forward and let it wrap around the old animal's hind legs before pulling. It gave a loud bellow of surprise before it had its neck severed when a hunting knife was plunged deep inside. Blood squirted all over the grass as it flailed around for a minute before it fell limp. The others in the herd seemed to see what happened and prepared to charge before a stream of fire scared them away and burned the grass around them, startling the other animals as well. He looked back at his kill and tied its legs together with the grappling hook and started to drag it back to the cave, keeping an ear out for any predators that wanted to take his meal from him. A pack of wolves surrounded him and one of them tried to bit him from behind but found its neck snapped and body thrown to the side in an uncaring manner. Another one lunged at him and bit his forearm but was pried off and its lower jaw was ripped from its mouth before he clamped his teeth around its neck and tore out its throat, spitting it on the ground. The rest of the pack seemed to be wary of the new threat but quickly ran off when he picked up a boulder and smashed the next one's skull with a wet crunch. Blood seeped from his forearm slowly as he picked up the rope and began to drag the dead bison once again, this time at a slightly fast pace to avoid being attacked again.
Sistine had her hands slightly full at the moment. Rei and Ken wanted to explore while Frost wanted to go hunting, but she hadn't been feeling so good lately. Breakfast was less than enjoyable because the little ones had scarfed theirs down quickly and had taken her piece, which left her little to no food to eat, and not to mention the things she could eat didn't stay down. It didn't help that the others would be here soon and she didn't know how to greet them because the last time she even saw them didn't seem too pleasant, except with Arachne, she always checked up on them. She heard a roar and quickly rushed out the cave to see Ares dragging a large bison behind him and gave a sigh of relief at the sight of food, and that he was back safe in their home. He saw her and flashed a smile before gesturing towards a small area with a large skinning rack; she walked over and helped him load the large animal on the skinning rack and helped him start to skin it.
"How was your day?" He asked, putting the fur on a nearby rack for washing.
"A little stressful, the little ones are keeping me busy and I worry about your safety when you go hunting." She said and sunk a knife into the flesh and began to start cutting it up.
"Sistine, you don't always have to watch them alone. If they're putting stress on you then I can stay and always go hunting later with them so you can relax." He said.
"No, it's okay. I mean you go hunting all day and provide for us while I just sit around and don't do anything." She said.
"Bullshit, you and I both know you don't just sit around all day. You watch the three, make us clothes, and even go hunting with us when needed." He countered.
"But what about you? I always feel as if I'm doing nothing while you go out and risk your life to get us food-" She was interrupted when she started coughing. It sounded wet and she fell to her knees suddenly, he quickly was at her side and held her shoulders gently. Her eyes started drooping slightly and eventually they closed as her coughing stopped.
"Sistine? You alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, just... tired." She said quietly and set her head against his chest. They were basked in silence as her breathing was soft and filled the air with a small noise; she tiredly perked up a bit when he picked her up and carried her over to the cave and set her down in the bed. He walked out of the cave and started to finish cutting up the bison, putting it in a container and drag said container in the cave.
"Listen, I'm going to keep an eye out for the others while you just get some rest okay?" He asked as he washed his hands of the blood.
"No, just... can you come lie down with me?" She asked tiredly.
"Alright, just let me tell the three to get in here." He said and walked out of the cave to see them already at the cave entrance. "Listen you three. I need you to keep watch for the others while I take care of Sistine, alright?" He asked them as he knelt down to their level.
"Is she alright?" Rei asked.
"Yeah. She's just a little tired." He reassured and walked back to the bed to see Sistine lying there looking drowsy. She opened her arms and he flashed a small smile before letting her engulf him and rub her forehead against his. He lied down on the bed and started to give low rumbles as she set her head against his shoulder and began to fall asleep. An hour had passed before he looked up to see Frost standing next to him with an antsy expression.
"The others are here." She stated.
"Alright." He yawned and blinked a few times to see her still her.
"Is she alright? I mean is she really alright?" She asked worriedly.
"Yeah, she is Frost. She's just tired from watching you three all day, okay?" He asked.
"So it's our fault?" She asked as tears began to well in the corner of her eyes.
"No, God no." He said and gently set Sistine down to avoid waking her as he leaned up and looked at Frost. "Frost listen, she's just been really tired lately so none of it is your guys' fault. So don't worry about it." He said, leaning over and wiping a few tears away. She blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes and sniffling a bit as she nodded and left to go greet the others. Sistine had placed a hand on his chest and lightly pulled him down to her level before setting her head back on his shoulder and looking at him tiredly.
"Go with them Ares." She said quietly.
"What about you? It's clear you're not feeling well right now." He stated.
"I'll be fine. I'm not sick, I'm just tired." She said.
"Sistine you aren't just tired. I hear you get up and vomit in the middle of the night, get moody with me sometimes, and sleep more often than you should." He countered.
"Just go with them okay? Ken, Rei, and Frost need you right now and the others need help getting set up." She replied. He stared at her for a few seconds before blowing a plume of smoke out of his nostrils and nodding; setting his forehead against hers and throwing on his hood while walking out of the cave. The light blinded him for a split second and he blinked a few times to get his vision to adjust to the outdoors as he stared ahead for a second, once it cleared he saw Arachne, Michelle, and Mathias standing there while the rest of the children explored with Ken and Rei. Frost stood by him and fiddled with her knife as she pulled on his hand and stared at him.
"Can we go near the lake?" She asked.
"Yeah, be careful though okay?" He asked back to which she nodded and scampered off before he turned to the three adults. Mathias walked up to him and gazed at him apologetically.
"Listen, Ares. I'm sorry about what happened all those months ago, it was wrong of me to put you in that position and punish you for something that could have been avoided." He apologized.
"It's alright Mathias. As I told Michelle and Brock before, I'll accept your apology but this doesn't mean we are on good terms right now." Ares replied.
"And that's alright with me. So long as we put it behind us and keep something like this from happening again." Mathias nodded and sighed deeply. Michelle walked up and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"I'm sorry about what happened a few months ago." She apologized then yelped when Arachne slapped the back of her head.
"And?" Arachne asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The times where I threatened you, hit you, bit you, screamed, cursed, and tried to impale you on a spike for messing with me. Not to mention the disrespect I've been giving you since we've first met." She added.
"As I said before with Mathias. I'll accept your apology but this doesn't put us on good terms any time soon." He said.
"Fine..." She mumbled. Ares just shook his head and looked around to see Brock not there and wondered where he was right now.
"Where the hell is Brock?" He asked which made Mathias' brows furrow a bit.
"Brock decided that being with Yang was more important than being with his family." He said lowly.
"Yeah, left the moment we announced we were moving and decided that being a hunter was something that felt right with him." Arachne added. Michelle didn't say anything and just shook her head a bit and walked off to go look for a spot to build her hut, leaving Arachne and Mathias with Ares.
"So how have you been?" Mathias asked.
"I've been good honestly, have my hands full a bit with the little ones and Sistine." Ares shrugged.
"Sistine?" Mathias asked.
"Yeah, she's a childhood friend of mine. A close one at that." Ares replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh please, she's more than that." Arachne commented with a smug grin. Ares laughed nervously at that which made Mathias raise an eyebrow but dismiss it for later, deciding that what the younger monster did in his personal time wasn't his business.
"Anyways, there's a spot over there where you can build your hut Mathias." Ares said and pointed to a small crevice near the lake that had a good outlook of it while remaining close to the cave.
"Thank you. Maybe now I can finally get some peace and quiet before I start teaching the children." He said and began to walk over to the spot, using his stick for slight support. Arachne smirked a bit before shooting Ares a sideways glance, to which he noticed and slightly scowled.
"What?" He asked.
"Oh nothing... just that you are going to be our leader now." She said out of the corner of her mouth.
"I thought Mathias was our leader." He asked.
"Nope. The only reason why Mathias was the leader back at the keep was because that was his territory, you found this place and let us come here to live, thus making you our leader. Also I'm taking that spot in the corner." She pointed towards a corner where the river first fell from the waterfall.
"That's fine, just make sure you don't mess with that tree over there. It's unstable." He warned.
"Just because you said that I'm going to mess with it." She giggled.
"You're fucking stupid." He sighed.
"Try mentally unstable." He laughed over her shoulder as she walked towards the tree. All he could do was shake his head and look around to see everyone content with their new home, the children were playing near the lake, Michelle was already building, Mathias was relaxing after the long walk, and Arachne was busy messing with the tree. He walked back to the cave and entered it to see Sistine asleep with a soft expression on her face, her eyes cracked open slightly to acknowledge him before shutting again and falling back asleep. There was a loud crash and he ran outside to see Arachne on the ground and the tree broken next to her; she flashed a smile at him and waved while he just face palmed and flipped her off before walking back in the cave to see Sistine up.
"What was that?" She asked tiredly.
"Arachne messing with the tree I told her not to mess with. Go back to sleep." He said pushing her down.
"No, I need to get up and do something." She sighed and sat up, stretching out her muscles and letting out a breath of relief; her feet made contact with the warm cave ground and she curled her toes before standing up and walking out of the cave. Both saw everyone building their huts and flashed a smile before Sistine saw the children playing by the lake and decided to go watch them while he helped everyone build their huts or fetch supplies. Arachne walked over with a smile on her face and leaned next to his ear as Michelle walked over also.
"So why did you let us live here, not that I'm complaining or anything." Michelle said.
"At first I wasn't but Sistine convinced me otherwise, you should thank her for that." Ares replied.
"Well shit, glad she did. Where is she?" Michelle asked.
"Near the lake and tell Ken to stop going under and collecting crabs, they're going to pinch him one of these days." He said, to which she nodded and walked towards the shore where everybody was at. The cracking of bones could be heard as he twisted his back and stretched out his muscles before going out into the forest to collect the necessary materials for everyone's new homes.
Weeks had begun to carry on as everyone finally got settled in their homes and needless to say, the whole territory seemed like home. Mathias had a little shack that blocked out most of the outside climate while remaining warm and cozy on the inside. It had a little funnel that acted like a miniature river inside and supplied him with cool drinking water. There were seats that had a fine wood finish and animal fur covering them for when the children came to learn for the day while the adults did their activities. Michelle's hut was the same as Mathias' but had some key differences, it was slightly taller and had a little hammock area for Mimi to sleep in while she slept on the bottom. There was a little window that had a small piece of clear substance to act as a window and keep everything else out. Arachne's was more of a tree house more than anything since she managed to put the tree back together with her webbing and made a sort of nest that suited her fine, it kept the outside climates out while keeping the inside insulated.
Everybody had certain jobs that they were content with and were pretty good at it. Ares lead the hunting party and went out to search for the necessary supplies when someone needed something, Arachne made the clothes along with Michelle, Mathias taught the children while acting as an adviser towards them, and Sistine watched them when nobody else would. Despite the past few weeks being peaceful and calm, there was a matter that mostly concerned Ares. Sistine's health. As of right now she was in the cave lying down on the bed and feeling nauseous, but then her attitude quickly shifts and she craves for food more than anything, prompting him to go and get her meat to eat. A few hours later she was stating that her chest was sore and he didn't know what to do about it since she usually brushed him off and wanted to be left alone for the rest of the night, something he would grant her. While she was in the cave, he was outside with the others sitting around the fire.
"I don't know what to do, one minute she's fine then the next her mood changes in the span of a few seconds. Not to mention she's been hungry more often and is eating us out of food." Ares sighed which made the others glance at each other then at him.
"I would usually come up with some witty remark but I got nothing." Arachne shrugged.
"Me neither." Michelle agreed as she leaned back and looked at the stars.
"I might know what's going on but I'll need to confirm it in the morning, I'm quite tired." Mathias said.
"Alright. Make sure to put the fire out before you three go to bed, don't want any Grimm to catch our location." He yawned and walked back towards the cave to turn in for the night. Each one shot a glance at each other and shrugged their shoulders before going to their collective huts for the night, waiting for the morning to come and bring upon the next day.
It came at a slow comfortable pace with a crisp warm feeling that masked the air. The birds chirped as the sun peeked over the horizon as the flowers opened up to catch as much sunlight as they could, it truly was a good day to watch the sunrise. Mathias was already up for the day as he walked around the lake a couple of times and listened to the wildlife start to wake up for the day, filling him with peace. As he was walking he began to think about the previous two months before he arrived here; they had been stressful and eventful, to the point where he didn't even know if he could handle it anymore. The headmaster went back on his deal and sent his drones more, teams had even threatened them to join them, and finally Brock had decided to leave and go to that hunter school to be with a woman who suddenly jumped in his life. Leaving him alone to tend to the children more than his body could handle. Granted, he could still keep up with them for a while but not as long as he used to be able to. But here at this place he could finally relax and be at peace, at least somewhat.
"Mathias." He heard Ares call from behind and turned to see him in his usual hunting gear but without the bone armor.
"Ah, Ares. What can I do for you?" He asked, leaning on the stick slightly.
"Just coming to see if you're awake." Ares answered.
"Yeah, just walking around the lake for a minute." Mathias answered.
"You mind if you come check on Sistine?" Ares asked.
"Not at all, just... just let me get my bearings." Mathias said and closed his eyes for a second before letting out a sigh.
"You alright?" Ares asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Bah I'm fine. A little sore from my age but otherwise fine." Mathias waved and began to walk with Ares towards the cave. No matter how many times he entered this cave he still couldn't help but feel a little envious at the design and wished that he had found this place before but later brushed it off. He walked up to their bed and saw Sistine lying there with a drowsy expression but still waved at him, to which he returned.
"So how are you going to check up on her?" Ares asked, sitting on the bed.
"Sending pulses through her system. Don't worry about any damage, it's more of a little x-ray more than anything." Mathias reassured. Ares nodded and watched as Mathias stared at his hand for a few seconds before it started to steam and his hand suddenly became a reddish color and webbed. A small spark of electricity cackled before his hand vibrated for a second and he started to hover it over Sistine, first he checked her head then her heart and finally... her stomach. He hovered his hand over her chest again and raised an eyebrow before going back over her stomach and noticed something odd. She had two heartbeats.
"Oh... oh dear." Mathias said in an unsure tone.
"What?" Ares asked.
"Um... can I talk to you outside?" Mathias asked.
"I guess." Ares shrugged. Sistine saw them go outside the cave and talk for a minute; she saw Mathias make a gesture and Ares' expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief. He paced around for a minute as Mathias explained something and then stopped when Ares raked his hands across his head nervously. The explanation must have gone on for a few minutes before he stopped when Mathias placed a hand on his shoulder and said something before patting it then walking off with his stick used as support. Ares walked back in the cave and sat on the bed before lying down next to her and pulling her close to him and letting his breath tickle her hair.
"What is it?" She asked tiredly.
"We're uh... we're going to be alright." He just said and held her tightly. She raised an eyebrow and was about to question him but felt his hand rub her stomach and she looked up at him. It took her a minute before she realized what he was implying and her breath hitched, tears welled in her eyes as she thought about it more. She wasn't sad but happy and somewhat anxious about it. What if she wasn't good enough? What if he died one day and she was left alone? What if-
"Sistine." He called. She didn't say anything but just looked up at him. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'll be right here with you when it happens and I'll be there for the rest of our lives." He reassured and set his forehead against hers while giving a deep rumble. Those always calmed her down.
The moment he called everyone at the bonfire and told them the news they all had different reactions. Arachne burst out laughing, Michelle's expression fell flat and she walked off, Mathias just shrugged, and the children were overjoyed. Poor Sistine had basically turned red and hid her face out of embarrassment while he just set his head against hers. Rei and Ken were bouncing around in glee and decided to celebrate with a series of sounds as they started to make a song from the bones of Grimm and animals. It was pretty impressive and they stated that they had practiced it in their meantime with Arachne. The night was full of celebration and happiness as the news was broken out and there was a huge feast that consisted of bison, deer, and elk. Ares looked at everyone's expressions and cracked a smile at them, this was where he belonged, a place that brought out the wild side of him and was free. He had people like him... he had a family. And nothing was going to rip them from him.
Months later:
Brock had been enjoying this life to the fullest as he stayed with Yang. Despite the rocky relationship he had with Weiss, it didn't matter since he had his girl. Some part of him was wondering how the group was doing and thought about them often, though those thoughts were pushed down slightly whenever Yang would come around. The headmaster had invited him to join the school if he passed the initiation and he wholeheartedly agreed, on one condition. He got to go roam the forest every weekend and kill whatever he saw as a threat to him. Sometimes the girls would come with him and hang out as he slayed Grimm with them but when he would change back into his original form then that's when things got a little complicated. He would always just go out of the camera range and change back and stay like that for a few hours but would always haul ass back when he was needed back. At times he contemplated if he should return back to the wild but would always be brought back to civilization due to a new interest, in other words he enjoyed human life more rather than the wild life.
"Hey Brock?" Yang said from her bunk.
"Yeah?" He asked back.
"Do you ever miss your dad?" She asked, making the others look at him.
"Yeah I do. It's been almost a year since I've seen him and I wonder if he even forgives me for leaving." He said.
"I'm sure he does, I mean he sent this letter here." Ruby chimed in, pulling out a letter from the desk and handing it to him.
"What the hell? When did this get here?" He asked and opened the letter.
"Dear Brock,
If you're reading this then Ares managed to get this to you without another incident (had to practically beg him to bring this to you). To be honest, I'm kind of proud that he didn't have another incident again, he has a lot to lose at this point, specifically five people. Aside from that comment I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you son, not just for getting out of my hair but also following your dreams. I guess I was just a little heartbroken that you wanted to become a hunter after what they did to us on Shear but if that's what you want then I can't do anything but support you. That's all for now but please visit sometime, we all miss you. Except Ares, he doesn't care at this point if you visit so long as there aren't anymore incidents in the future.
Your father, Mathias" His grip on the letter tightened as he stared at it for a minute, long enough for the girls to throw him concerned glances.
"Are you alright?" Blake asked.
"Yeah... just a little shocked that's all." He said as he wiped a tear away. He folded the folder up and pocketed it before sitting in front of Blake's bed and picking up something.
"So what'd the letter say?" Yang asked.
"It uh... it said that dad was proud of me and that Ares had dropped the letter off." He said. Each one of them had different reactions; Ruby shrunk down a bit, Weiss' eyes turned cold, Blake just shot a curious glance, and Yang's demeanor turned a bit agitated.
"Why are you telling us this?" Weiss asked with a huff.
"Dad said that he has more to lose at this point, specifically five people. Whatever that means." He shrugged. Blake thought about it for a second and pondered what he meant by four people. As far as she knew, Rei and Ken were two of the most important people and not to mention Sistine, and frost made the fourth but who was the fifth person? she shook her head and opened her book to read a few chapters before they decided to head into town.
"So where are we heading." Ruby asked.
"Oh um... it was kind of just going to be Brock and I." Yang laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck. Ruby blinked in surprise and started to laugh sheepishly as well.
"Oh well then. Have fun." She threw a thumbs up and gave a forced smile.
"Sorry Rubes, I'll hang out with you next time." Yang smiled and exited the room with Brock.
"Okay... see you later I guess." Ruby sighed and sat down on her bed, picking up a magazine and reading it. Blake and Weiss saw her state and threw concerned glances at each other.
"Are you okay Ruby?" Blake asked.
"Yeah I'm fine." She waved.
"You're not fine Ruby. You're starting to avert your gaze, tell us what's wrong." Weiss said.
"I just wanted to hang out with Yang. But ever since she started dating Brock, she blows me off now. I mean, just the other day when she was completely free she made up some excuse to go hang out with him." She sighed.
"Ruby this is the first guy Yang's ever probably had, maybe she just doesn't know how to juggle family and relationships yet." Blake reasoned.
"You sure?" Ruby asked.
"Positive, just give it time." Blake nodded. Ruby didn't look too sure and just sighed deeply before giving a nod and turning back to her magazine. All three of them sat in silence for a while before their scrolls buzzed and they checked to see a mission pop up; they were about to call Yang but then received a text saying her and Brock had already gotten it. The door opened and Brock and Yang entered while looking at their scrolls before they acknowledged the three.
"So um, yeah." He said uncomfortably.
"Yep." Ruby said and the room was basked in silence.
"So how are we supposed to deliver this to Ares?" Yang asked, holding up a black package.
"I suppose we could ask Ozpin for a ride." Weiss said heatedly, already feeling the anger filling her system.
"Or. I could just roll us to the keep and we go from there." He offered, making each one of them raise an eyebrow.
"You can do that?" Blake asked.
"Yep, though we should take a bullhead to a drop off point then I can roll us there." He explained.
"But I thought you all moved?" Ruby asked.
"Oh right, then I don't know where to go other than the keep." He sighed.
"They didn't tell you?" Yang asked.
"No, I announced I was staying here from now on so I guess they never bothered." He answered. All of them pondered for a minute before a knock on the door was heard and Ruby opened it to see Arachne standing there, slightly winded.
"Arachne? When did you get here?" He asked. She held up a finger and placed her hands on her knees to take a breather for a second before she finally addressed him.
"Holy shit... that was exhausting." She breathed.
"What happened to you?" Weiss asked.
"Ares threw me a portion of the way here and I ran the rest." Arachne breathed heavily.
"Really?" Blake asked.
"Yep... phew shit. Anyways, Everyone wants to see you with the exception of Ares." Arachne said to Brock.
"When?" He asked.
"I'm guessing today since he sent me here and everyone else wants to see you." She said.
"Perfect, we have a mission that's related to Ares." He chimed which made her narrow her eyes at him.
"What's it about?" She asked, making him shiver as her eyes bore into his soul.
"We have to deliver this package to him." He shuddered.
"And do any of you have any idea as to what's inside?" She asked. Each one of them shook their heads and she swiped the box from his hands and shook it.
"Hey!" Weiss yelled.
"Stuff it ice queen." Arachne piped as she listened to it's contents and raised an eyebrow. She sliced into the box and pulled something out of it and held it up for everyone to see.
"What the hell is that?" Brock asked as he stared at the contraption.
"It's a music box... who the hell in their right mind would give Ares a music box?" Arachne asked. She picked up the box and looked for a tag but didn't see anything at first until she saw a little slip of paper that was barely noticeable.
"Who's it from?" Blake asked.
"Uhhhhhhhh..." Arachne drawled as she stared at the tag a bit longer.
"Welp Brock, I guess you can deliver this to him. I need some air." She said quickly and carefully but quickly handed him the box and left. He stared at the music box and then picked up the tag that Arachne had dropped before she had suddenly disappeared.
"Who's it from?" Ruby asked.
"Holy shit..." He muttered.
"What?" Yang asked.
"This is from his mother." He answered. Everyone's string of thought process suddenly snapped when they heard that. This was possibly the first thing they've seen that is related to his parents and for some reason it felt sacred, like it was something from beyond. It was made out of pure silver and the edges had little knobs for tweaking, but upon closer inspection they were actually clamps to open it. He rotated the box carefully and saw a little message carefully carved into the bottom gracefully.
"For my little monsters that are my soul. You've kept me safe from the others while I've loved you as if I were you're real mother. I helped you grow while you shown me something better than the cold. Time passes faster as your family is kept from disaster. You are my little monsters as I am your human mother." The poem read. Brock's eyes widened as he finished the poem out loud and was shocked into silence, something the girls didn't understand at the moment.
"Brock?" Yang asked.
"His mother is a human." He said distantly.
AN: Sorry I haven't been updating this story as often as the others, I've been busy with school and work so there's that. This chapter is not going to be the best and I already know that some of you are going to complain about it so save your time and my time and just politely leave if you don't like the direction this story is going, I never said it would be the best. Anyways, a little more depth into what's happening with Sistine and a little foreshadowing about the future of Ares' past. Next chapter will be out probably in the next two or three weeks so fret not, I'm not abandoning this story for the other two. Anyways, take care, you all remember the golden rule about reviews, and take it easy.