Chapter two: Parks and meetings
Sleeping in.
One of the few luxuries being a pet center worker allowed me to afford. It was Saturday, meaning I didn't have to wake up at four in the morning and work until six at night. Mostly since the center was closed on the weekends. I felt a wet sense on my cheek as I groggily opened my eyes. I saw the pair of silver eyes in front of me, and then I heard the high pitched barking. I pushed down on the bed, forcing myself back against the wall as a smile found its way to my face. There was Ruby, rolled over on her back, asking me to pet her. I complied, picking her up with one arm and cradling her like I normally did as I swung my legs around, hearing the thud as they hit the floor. I looked over, seeing my alarm clock set at seven in the morning. Three hours later than I normally had to wake up. I set Ruby down, her quickly flipping back over and barking at me, clawing at my leg with her tiny little paws. "You know what day it is Ruby, go get your sister!" I said, pointing out the door. When Ruby skittered away, I walked to the bathroom, getting ready for the day.
When I walked back out, I saw Ruby, Yang, and Pyrrha rushing towards me. Pyrrha just sat down, calm as ever, Ruby was on my leg, clawing at it like the excitable puppy she was. Yang, on the other hand, was just rubbing against my side. Still affectionate, but not as much as her younger sister. I scoped up Ruby in one arm, grabbing my keys with the other. "You're all excited for today aren't you?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Pyrrha answered with a bark, Yang doing the same thing, though her bark wasn't as low pitched as Pyrrha's. I walked past the two older dogs, heading out into the main store. As soon as Yang and Pyrrha were in front of me I turned around, locking the door to my bedroom. I reached over, grabbing my switchblade and shoving it, closed of course, into my front pocket, where I also stored my keys.
I reached back, making sure I had my wallet with me as well, then I picked up my scroll. I scrolled through my missed calls, seeing only one from Ozpin. It was just him asking about Glynda, the call was dated back almost a week ago after all. I set my scroll back in my pocket, heading for the front door. As an afterthought, I grabbed the smallest collar I could, clipping it around Ruby's neck. Ruby gave a small noise of complaint as I grabbed a leash, curling it up around my hand. "Sorry Ruby, just in case." I said. I wasn't worried about Yang or Pyrrha, they were big enough they could take care of themselves, and they would always come when I whistled for them. Ruby, on the other hand, would always come back when I whistled, but she wasn't big enough to defend herself. If someone got her, I'd rather someone know she was mine and not just a lost puppy.
I walked out of the door, shutting off the lights as I saw Yang and Pyrrha rushing out ahead of me, right onto the sidewalk. I locked the door, smiling at myself in the glass. I looked the same as normal, except now I didn't have that badge of the Beacon Pet Center I normally wore. I turned away, my feet taking me down the familiar route to the park. I just started walking down the sidewalk, careful not to step on any of the cracks out of habit. I looked around, seeing that, on a weekend, there weren't that many people out. A few here and there of course, but no one I found of interest. That is, until I looked ahead of me. I smiled slightly, giving a little wave towards the man walking towards me. "Hey Doc." I said absently, giving a laid back smile towards him. He smiled right back, pushing up his clouded glasses and (attempting) to straighten his askew tie. He walked over, looking at the little ball of fluff in my arms as he chuckled, "Off to the park I see?" he asked, speaking almost faster than I'd think a hummingbird would.
I nodded, "Yep, that's where I normally go on Saturdays." I said. Of course, he knew that. He reached down, rubbing behind Ruby's neck as I could've sworn I saw her smile. Ruby, Yang, even Pyrrha knew Oobleck pretty well at this point. I mean, he was one of the few veterinarians in Vale in the first place, so they'd gotten used to seeing him around. "She's doing well I see. Keeping her out of trouble I hope?" he asked, smirking slightly as he stepped back from Ruby. I chuckled, looking off to the right as I remembered everything that was going on, "Well uh, sort of. You know how puppies are." I said, nearly unconsciously lowering my voice. Oobleck laughed, patting me on the shoulder as he went on, taking a sip from his thermos. I looked back, seeing him dashing forwards down the sidewalk. Where he was going? I didn't know. He was probably on his way to his office.
The rest of the walk to the park was pretty uneventful, no one else I knew coming up and greeting me, or anyone I didn't know for that matter. Though, when I finally saw the sign leading into the Vale city park, I set Ruby down, already seeing the lumbering St. Bernard heading towards me. I fell back onto the sidewalk, feeling a lot of slobber on my face as I reached up, petting behind the large dog's ear. "NORA! DOWN GIRL!" I heard a familiar voice say as the large dog got off of me, still rubbing against my side as I sat up. I saw a hand reached out towards me, and I smiled up at the owner as he helped me up. "Hey Ren. Haven't seen you in awhile." I said, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out a handkerchief, wiping at my face. When you worked with animals all day like I did, you got used to this kind of thing. I shoved it back in my pocket as I heard Ren speak, "Yeah, I've been a bit busy with the restaurant, you know how it is." he said, reaching down and petting Nora.
Ren was a few inches shorter than me, with a long, black ponytail down his back. He was dressed similarly to me, except with a green t-shirt and khakis instead of a white t-shirt and jeans. The only thing he had that wasn't ordinary was the necklace around his… well neck. It was a simple bead necklace, with a pink stone on the end, a lotus flower carved into it. Magenta eyes met blue one's as I nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Today and Sunday are really my only days off. I'm guessing you don't have many either." I said. Ren owned the Lotus Cafe on the other side of Vale, a place I'd only been a few times before I started the Beacon pet center. Like me, Ren started up his own business and had been growing since then. Unlike me, Ren had people working under him, so he wasn't the only one dealing with customers. He nodded, "I've got Saturday's off of course. At least while my apprentice is still training. Still, I don't work the same hours you do." he said.
I shrugged, smiling over behind Ren as I saw that, while we were talking, Nora, Ruby, and Yang had all gone off into the park, playing in the field. "Looks like someone's eager." I said, gesturing behind him at Ruby, who was riding on Nora's back as she ran around with Yang. Ren looked back, letting out a small laugh before he turned, seeing Pyrrha still sitting by my side. "She's loyal huh?" he asked, gesturing to the large German shepherd. I nodded, reaching down and petting behind Pyrrha's ear, just where she liked it. "Yeah. Pyrrha here wouldn't so much as breath if I didn't tell her to. She's a great guard dog… don't know what I'd do without her." I said, standing back up straight, looking back towards Ren. I noticed him looking off towards Nora, the lumbering St. Bernard still carrying Ruby on her back as she started playing with Yang. I looked down at Pyrrha, "It's alright girl, go and play with the others." I said, patting Pyrrha's head.
She took off, as expected, to run around with the other dogs. Meanwhile, me and Ren walked over to the bench nearby, both of us sitting down and leaning back like we normally did. "So… you heard about the crime spree recently?" he asked. I looked over, seeing him looking over his shoulder. I sighed, Ren was always a little bit paranoid about these kinds of things, people listening in on conversations. Hell, it took him four years to learn to trust me. I nodded, "Yeah. Found the old man butchered in his own home. Pet went missing too." I said. He was clearly referring to the most recent in a long string of murders. No one know the culprit, there were no footprints and forced entry, even when the doors were locked. It was like he/she just appeared out of thin air. "Yeah. Some people say it's a ghost… I've got another theory." he said, smiling slightly.
"I don't think I'm gonna like where this is going…" I said. Of course, that was always the case with Ren's 'theories'. Very rarely did he have a right one, though, when he did, it was normally beneficial to know ahead of time. "You probably won't consider where you work. My theory, is that the pets are the ones killing people." he said. I looked away, "Come on! You've heard all the stories about the faunus! Where they hide in plain sight as animals, luring you in and killing you when you least expect it!" he said, lowering his voice. He looked towards our dogs playing, towards Ruby in particular. I looked over, noticing that Pyrrha was walking towards us, laying down at our feet. This wasn't uncommon, mostly since she got tired quickly when playing with the much more energetic dogs I took care of.
"That puppy Ruby… she seems too smart to be a normal dog, doesn't she? I mean come on! What two month old puppy can open her own cage!?" he asked, frantically whispering. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose before I looked down again, seeing Pyrrha rubbing against my leg. I leaned down and pet behind her ear again, smiling slightly at her. "You think Ruby's… what? Some kind of faunus? Ren, come on, the faunus went extinct almost a hundred years ago, you know that. Humanity wiped them out." I said. It may have just been poor timing, but the moment I said that, I felt Pyrrha shake herself slightly. Then, I heard her growling. I looked at her oddly, "What is it giiiiir- HEY!" I yelled, standing up and running towards Ruby. Ruby, being the curious little puppy she was, had wandered closer to the woods edge, apparently catching the attention of a nearby fox. Yang was distracted for a moment, playing with Nora. "YANG! NORA! SICK 'EM!" I yelled, pointing towards the fox with Ruby under it's paw.
Yang and Nora both turned, both growling and barking like mad dogs as all of us made a mad dash for the woods. The fox seemed to take notice, leaving Ruby and bounding off and seemingly climbing a nearby tree. Yang and Nora both leapt at the tree, barking up it as they tried to climb and get the fox. Meanwhile, I leaned down, picking Ruby up in my arms like I normally did. "Ruby! Let's see, any injuries?" I asked as I started looking over her, poking some of her joints to make sure she wasn't hurt. Thankfully, the only injury I could find was a small scratch on the back of her neck. I sighed in relief, seeing her looking up at me with those big silver eyes. "Ruby… you know you're not supposed to go so close the woods without one of us! Bad girl!" I said, glaring at her as I held out a finger. Her ears drooped as she lowered her head, whimpering.
I sighed, petting her like I normally did. "You know I don't like scolding you, but you have to be careful out here. It's not like in the store." I said quietly, gently petting her back the way she liked. I'd only had to scold Ruby a few times before she started to behave, making occasions like this all the more difficult, for me and her. I knew she didn't know better, she may be smart for a dog, but she's still a puppy. "You want down?" I asked. Her response was to put her paws on my chest, licking at my face. That was her sign for 'Don't you dare put me down.', or something along those lines. I smiled, walking back towards Ren, who hadn't moved from his spot, carrying Ruby in my arms. "Thanks for the help Ren." I said sarcastically, sitting back down.
He shrugged, "You looked like you could handle it. I mean you had a Dhole, St. Bernard, and German Shepherd going after one fox, not counting you. I don't think I had to do anything." he said with a smile. He moved over, sitting down next to me and gently petting Ruby, a smile gracing his lips. "She is quite adorable, even for a puppy." he said, letting his fingers trail down her back like mine were. Ruby just sat there, quietly enjoying the sensation like she always did. I looked up for a second, seeing that, while they were no longer barking up the tree at the fox, Nora, Yang, as well as Pyrrha were all heading into the woods. While this would worry other dog owners, it didn't worry me and Ren at all. The three dogs were more than big enough to take care of themselves, and the only real threat in the woods were the foxes and occasional coyotes. Course, Nora and Pyrrha were bigger than the coyotes. "Wonder what they do back there all the time?" I thought as I looked back down at the husky puppy in my arms.
(a/n- shifting to Pyrrha's point of view again.)
I padded into the forest, rather deep in at that, until the three of us found it. It was a small den, a hole in the ground really. It was originally occupied by a few moles, but the scent of dogs quickly drove them out. I walked in, the dust in the dark area stirring up, causing Nora to sneeze. I walked to the far side, Yang doing the same. In the meantime, Nora pushed up against a nearby boulder, moving it against the entrance like she always did. Then, when it was in front and we were sure no one was nearby, we all shut our eyes, focusing to re enter our human states. I looked up, smiling at Nora. The only thing she kept from her dog form was her ears, like Yang did. Except Nora's flopped down from the top of her head down at her sides. Strangely, while her ears were still brown, like her fur coat, her hair was bright orange. She also had energetic blue eyes, and a chest almost larger than Yang's at that. All in all, most people would consider her beautiful. She'd have no trouble finding a lover in Vale.
If only she were human.
"Why'd you call is in here Pyrrha?" she asked, her high pitched voice fitting about right with the smile and energetic personality. As a St. Bernard, Nora was playful and energetic, and apparently great with kids if her own accounts were anything to go by (they probably weren't). "Ren's onto us. Ruby at least." I said simply. I saw Yang's ears stand on end, even the normally perky Nora sported a more frightened expression. While it was true none of us were old enough to remember the war, we all knew how it would end if the world found out faunus still lived among them. It would be the Menagerie Massacre all over again. "Why? What tipped him off?" Yang asked, keeping her voice low, as if afraid someone would catch us. I sighed, rubbing between my eyes, "It's one of his 'theories' as Jaune calls them. The recent string of murders, he thinks it's a faunus causing it." I said. We'd had far too many close calls with Ren as it was. His natural talent for observation and noticing when things were out of place had nearly got us exposed more times than anything else. Even Ruby breaking the glass was easily fixed, drop a piece of the ceiling on it to make it look like an earthquake happened, but Ren finding us out? Not a chance.
"That is a problem… wait! I have an idea!" Nora said, holding up one finger. I was about to ask what it was when Nora just continued on, rambling away like she always did. "Okay, so Ren thinks Ruby's a faunus and that all faunus are bad because one's committing murders. Well, the simple solution is to make sure he can't find out! I can turn human, put on a hat or something, work some magic with him, and BLAMMO! Knock him out cold, tie him up and drag him back here!" she said. Me and Yang both looked at one another for a few seconds, clearly trying to comprehend the insane idea Nora was suggesting. Disguise herself, seduce Ren, and then trap him here? "Well that's an… interesting," "No it isn't that's a terrible idea and you know it Pyrrha." Yang said, glaring at me. Of course, I tried to spare Nora's feelings. Yang, on the other hand, had no qualms with simply telling the girl how she felt.
Nora pouted slightly, "Aww… maybe we could get rid of him?" she asked, still frowning. I raised an eyebrow. I knew what she was suggesting, but honestly an idea like that was so outside the box it was basically unheard of. "How do we do that huh? Turn human and hope he bleeds to death from a massive nosebleed? Oh, or maybe you can crush him to death with those massive tits of yours? Face it Nora, we can't kill anyone. I don't think you want to do that either." Yang said, glaring at the shorter faunus. Nora sighed, sitting down in the dust and leaning back against the stone wall of the den. "You know I don't want to kill Ren, or Jaune, or anybody. What can we do though? If he finds out, we're all dead. You know he can figure it out with enough time." she said.
"You'll just have to be more careful girls." I heard a voice say from behind the boulder. It was a snarky voice, a sly one. The voice was deep enough to be male, no question there. I looked down, seeing the fox tail on the side of the boulder. I glared at said boulder, "What do you want?" I asked, feeling my instincts screaming at me. Move the boulder, take him down. Of course, doing so would also give him a last view at three naked woman so, maybe not the best option. I heard him sigh, "Oh nothing much. Just like to say sorry for attacking that little puppy. I couldn't tell she was a faunus like us." he said. The three of us looked at each other, all our eyes widening. The fox we chased up the tree, the one we thought was trying to eat Ruby, a faunus? "What's your name?" Nora asked, walking closer to the boulder.
"Let me in sweetheart, I'll tell you." he said smoothly. I shook my head, looking towards Nora. She nodded, stepping away from the boulder as Yang and I moved away too, wary of prying eyes. "Okay fine, the name's Roman Torchwick, there, happy?" I heard him say basically through the boulder, an annoyed tone in his voice. Yang looked at me, her eyes asking what to do next. I just looked towards the newly named fox. "Why are you in this forest?" I asked. It was true it wasn't uncommon for normal foxes to be out in the woods, but fox faunus? Now that was a rare sight. "We aren't all lucky enough to be cute animals humans want as pets. Some of us have to hide from humans, every day we're almost guaranteed to die if we aren't smart, fast, and lucky. Thankfully, I'm all of those things. Now are you letting me in or not?" he asked.
"As if we'd let you in and see us naked. Pervert." Yang said, glaring at the rock. I had to agree with her on that one, sure we were naked around each other but, we were all girls. A guy seeing us naked? That was another story. I heard the man sigh, "Hey, can't blame a guy for trying. Anywho~ I'll be leaving so you don't hunt me down when you come out. I'll be seeing you soon." I heard him say, then the sounds of footsteps fading off in the distance. We waited awhile, until the only sounds we could hear were each others breathing and the wind outside the den. Eventually, after who knows how long, Yang spoke. "Well… that's new." she said, gesturing towards the rock where the fox faunus Roman was. Me and Nora nodded, none of us had ever seen a fox faunus before… well, unless you count Yang, as she was technically part fox faunus and part Dhole.
"I think we better go, Jaune and Ren might get worried." I said. Nora and Yang nodded, Nora walking over and pushing on the boulder right away. I shook my head, glaring at Nora. Nora was confused for a second, before she face-palmed, nodding and smiling towards me. The three of us got on all fours, shutting our eyes as we turned back into our animal states. When I opened my eyes, rather than seeing two big-breasted woman, I saw a St. Bernard and a Dhole. I motioned towards the door with my head this time, Nora complying with the silent order and she pushed against it with her shoulder, moving it back to where it was. On the ground outside of the door though, there was what looked to be a rose, one of the many flowers from around here. I let out my dog equivalent of a sigh as I stepped over it, walking back through the woods towards Jaune and Ren as Yang and Nora followed behind.
Though, on our way out, I saw something rather odd. It was a black cat, jumping through the trees, just watching us. Yang and Nora both growled at it, our instincts not letting us not do that. Though, it didn't hiss or run or anything, it just stared at us. Amber eyes gazed down unflinchingly, even when the three of us started barking at it. It just bounded away, rushing deeper into the woods. I stared after it, fighting my instinct to chase it down, but after a few moments I turned back, heading back towards Jaune and Ren. Of course, the second we burst out of the woods, I heard Jaune whistle, Ren doing the same. We all bounded towards them, Yang barking a few times to keep up the illusion. Jaune was still holding Ruby, so me and Yang just circled around his legs. Nora, on the other hand, lept up, licking at the side of Ren's face as he just laughed. "What have you been up to today huh Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, rubbing behind my ear as I felt a sense of euphoria erupting across my being. He knew just where to pet to get any of us happy.
"You have no idea."