AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Happy Hannukah/Holidays/whatever you may celebrate! I've got a double drop for you guys today! Hope you enjoy!

ooO The Evening Before Ooo

Wind belted across her person, whipping her golden mane in every direction as it fought against her bike. Lightweight and powerful, Bumblebee was built to be a master on and off the road. She was fuel efficient, pushed a little over 100mph, and had suspension up the ass. The bike was just as much a part of her as her skin and she made sure she was unmistakably branded with the colors of her namesake. Bumblebee was adorned with a metallic chrome yellow and black matte paint job.

Coming to a stop, she removed her helmet and took in her immediate surroundings. When they were smaller, her parents used to tell her about the city that existed here. Mom and Dad used to talk about how fun this town used to be, but her own mama… Raven… She'd told Yang stories about how the city fell to The Council. Mama said she didn't want Yang to be involved in this kind of life, but it was better that she understood what it truly meant to be a Hunter before she got sucked in… and then she left. She abandoned them when they needed her most - when Mom and Dad were murdered in front of her and Ruby's eyes.

Well, it was more Yang that saw everything. She'd buried her baby sister's face in her chest and told her not to look. No matter how much Ruby struggled, Yang fought through her own sobs to keep Ruby close. The look in Mom's eyes told her everything she needed to know.

As they were hidden away in the special nook in their closet, Yang knew it would be the last time she saw her. Mom gave them a happy smile and told Yang that help would come soon. Everything else was a blur of Rose red and Xiao Long gold. Yang shook the thoughts away. This was no time to be getting lost in her memories. She needed to focus on her task in this city.

Seeing how the wild had long reclaimed the cityscape on the outskirts of Vale, it was hard to imagine that this place had once been brimming with life. Frogs croaked in the distance and crickets had just begun to sing their songs. Rubble was strewn about, covered in moss and a variety of overgrowth – a clear testament to the destruction The Council was capable of. Mama had said that they're family had been part of the huge battle that had laid waste to this place, and somehow, they'd managed to survive… She said it was all because of Mom.

In the center of the city was a warehouse that had been abandoned years ago and damn did it look suspicious as hell. It was an old place that had once been responsible for manufacturing tires and various other polymers. Windows were bashed in, there were no lights, and electricity had long since been cut off from the grid. Looking over it, Yang actually wondered to herself how it kept getting missed. The place was centered in the midst of what looked to be an old business district that had been ravaged by fire and blown apart.

As her squad exited their vehicle, she decided to walk the perimeter while they waited for the other squads to show up. With each careful step, the metal soles of the exoskeleton lining her uniform gently clinked against the asphalt. Where Weres and Faunus had increased physical capabilities, humans had to get creative in order to match their darker counterparts.

The EXO-system, as they called it, was designed for the human Hunters that would regularly face Darkforge creatures. It redistributed incoming force and provided extra protection to the easily damaged areas through armor plating and shock absorption. However, its most notable function was its ability to enhance the output of kinetic energy. It literally gave humans strength on par with their enemies, though Forgebearing was an entirely different story all together.

That came down to the Hunter's individual talent. No amount of mechanical enhancement could grant someone the ability to manipulate Forge. They were simply born with the gift to bear Lightforge as an Elite or bitten and tainted by Darkforge. At the cost of their humanity, the latter was granted the gift of becoming a Childe of Night, more commonly known as Inhumans or Freaks. Those were the only ways to gain the talent necessary to fight off those cursed by the moon's light.

"Xiao Long," her field leader called out to her. After three missions, she was still struggling to recall his name. Details weren't her forte, but thankfully he'd come to realize she was efficient enough to be handled without kid gloves... even if her memory was poor when it came to things like that. "I'll never understand why you bring this damn thing with you."

"Leave Bumblebee alone," she grinned back at him as he tapped on the handlebars of the black and yellow plated motorcycle. "We go everywhere together. Never know when I'll need her!"

"And by need her does that mean ammo storage?" He motioned to a box holding a ridiculous amount of ammo. "Or off-roading?"

"Like I said, never know when I'll need her!" She shrugged, following it up with a grin. "Besides, my ammo is well-spent!"

"Ah," he nodded in sarcasm. "Well, how about we make a deal. I'll pray a little less and you'll spray a little less in exchange."

"Oh, don't worry! There won't be any spraying tonight!" Yang shouldered her shotgun and pulled a large handgun from the holster on her side. Her aim wasn't really that great when it came to automatics due to the recoil, but she knew her way around any single-shot weapon. Selectives were also acceptable. "Brought out the big guns tonight!" The blonde cooed at her weapons. "Yes, I did. Did you guys enjoy your stay with Aunt Ruby? I know she said Ironwood was supposed to do it, but Mommy only trusts Aunt Ruby and Uncle Qrow with her babies! I even made sure she got you guys extra ready for tonight!"

"You and that god damn Deagle," he rolled his eye. "If you love it so much, why don't you fuck it already?"

"…I mean…"

"That was a joke," he said flatly. "Please do not engage in maritals with your weaponry! It's bad enough you already talk to them."

"Aw, you're no fun! Bumblebee is my first love anyway," Yang dismissed him with her hands folded behind her head. "You should hear Rubes, though. She's way worse."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

I heard you have a hairline trigger… You're such a dirty girl! I bought this special CLP just for you! First, I'm gonna' strip your parts and lather you in oil. Then I'm gonna' brush my fingers across your frame until I squeeze your trigger and make you prematurely discharge downrange.

"… You don't know my sister," the blonde shivered as she recalled some of her sister's conversations with her weapons. She was always the innocent one in the groups, but sit her down in a room full of weapon parts and there was no going back. "She talks dirty to them, but sometimes she even responds for them. I'm not that bad."

Seriously, Rubes either needed more friends or to get laid. Just, whatever it was, she needed to hang out with less weaponry and Yang had just the idea for a perfect start. She was taking those god-awful posters off her walls when she got home. Maybe she could replace them with some kind of celebrity for her to ogle… Did she even have a celebrity she liked? She'd have to get it out of Coco later.

Somehow, the brunette and Nora managed to get those things out of her. In fact, she'd already set a plan into motion. Those two were going to drag her baby sister to Junior's in a few hours and figure out what her type was. At least then, maybe Yang could be a big sister and introduce her to some potential dates.

With those two at the helm, the plan was fool proof! Nora was outgoing and Coco could reign in the craziness. She'd probably rope Velvet and Penny into doing the reconnaissance for her though. Plus, Yang had already put the fear of the Gods into the staff at Junior's, so they knew who the Rose-Xiao Long sisters were. What could go wrong?

"A little late, but they're finally here. Maybe we can get this shit started." The soldier grinned at her and Yang returned the gesture, before looking over the area once more. Three other trucks pulled up beside her squad's and a large group of Hunters joined them.

"Yo, August, what's this I hear about the Bandersnatch being sighted around Vale?" One of the guys called out as he approached the field leader… So his name was August. Cool. She'd definitely remember that this time… right?

"The… Bandersnatch?" Yang asked curiously. That wasn't a name she'd heard before. Was this some sort of new Elder? Maybe this raid had been scheduled to keep a new population under control.

"Oh, hey Goldilocks! What's up!" The man grinned at her and waved. "Glad to see you ain't called it quits yet!"

"Quitting is for quitters!" Yang stuck her tongue out at him, earning several laughs. "Sooooo, who's this Bandersnatch?"

"Not much to know," August answered. "Unusual Freak that's making trouble for The Council. The Puritans have their eyes on it too. Trouble follows close behind."

"Do they know what kind of Freak?" Her curiosity peaked. Surely, they'd at least gotten that.

"Some rumors claim it's a vampire, others claim it's a Shapeshifter of some kind, but with a name like, I'd assume it's some kind of canine-type creature." He motioned for someone to come his way. "Just keep an eye out for anything strange."

A shapeshifter? She'd heard of some Faunus having the ability to cause illusions that mimicked shape shifting, but it was an optical illusion. The next best thing was an ability that Elders possessed. Though it didn't last long, they could reshape their cloaks to mirror shadowy beings. Replicating a person's appearance on a physical level wasn't one of them though. She shook the thoughts away and checked their surroundings.

"Oh shit!" A red glint caught Yang's eye and she spotted a dark mass in the underbrush. "Grimm!" At Yang's call, the bush rustled violently and it fled in the opposite direction of their camp. Yang tried to chase after it on foot, but it was too damn fast. Watching it gain distance, she headed back to her bike and put her helmet on.

"Xiao Long!" The soldier from earlier called. "Be quick about it or we're doing this without you." Beneath the helmet, she turned her head in his direction and gave a nod. Revving the engine twice, her tires spit gravel behind her and she sped off.

Closing in on the beast, she took a better look at it. It was a dark and shaggy looking creature, very unlike a standard Beowolf. Wind violently ruffled its fur, which whipped around in a series of pitch-black, thick, smoke-like vapors. As its shape became clearer, it became more and more apparent that it was a quadrupedal wolf-like creature that stood taller than Bumblebee.

The creature was definitely of Darkforge origin, but it wasn't necessarily a Grimm. It lacked some of the more basic hallmarks like bone-plating and its eyes were pitch black throughout, aside from its bright red pupil and matching outline that separated its pitch black irises from where the whites of its eyes should have been. That didn't necessarily mean it wasn't a Grimm though. New variations were still being discovered every time they faced a new Elder. Whatever it was, it was something that wasn't in Vale's registry and the presence of Darkforge beckoned another question: how the hell was it running around with daylight still out?

It didn't matter how bright it was outside, Grimm were creatures of pure Darkforge and Darkforge did poorly in the presence of solar-related energy, like Lightforge and UV lights. It burned them to ashes, even when it was setting. That was why humans were so much more relaxed during the day and didn't have to worry about them. Lunar energy was what drew them out and made them stronger. If it was a Grimm, this meant an Elder was in the area and recon hadn't said anything about the possibility of an Elder's presence.

Despite siring their own houses, Elders were seldom found near vampire safe houses. They tended not to stick around small-time pires, unless there was grunt work to be assigned, and even then, it was generally a noble designated as a caretaker that relayed information back and forth… so what was it doing here?

Yang revved the again and the beast skidded to a stop, making a B-line toward a wooded area nearby. Why was it running? Didn't they normally atta- oh shit! As she caught up to it again, it rammed into her bike, knocking the vehicle over. Thrown from the bike, she quickly armed herself with her shotgun as she rolled across the hard dirt and readied herself for an attack.

Just as she assumed, the wolf charged her and attacked, but Yang used her shotgun to absorb the brunt of the attack. It snapped at the gun but she kept it sideways in its mouth and struggled to hold it at bay. It pushed forward with a muffled growl and breathed hotly at her, sneering at her with rage-filled eyes. The wolf was undeniably of Grimm origin.

"Zwei!" A petite figure covered from head-to-toe in a dark outfit dropped from a nearby tree. Small tufts of white peeked out from a hood that was drawn over their head, while a gas mask and trench coat further obscured any other identifying features.

Leathery and black, the trench coat clung to the stranger's body under its own weight. The coat itself was unbuttoned, revealing an inner piece that had been zipped up, making it difficult for Yang to decipher their gender. Other than their stature being shorter than her own, she didn't really have anything to go off of in terms of defining characteristics. However, judging from their size and overall build, they were either a woman or an adolescent boy. Still, the coupling of the trench coat with the mask made Yang uncomfortable.

"Aufhören!" Filtered by the mask's respirator, the voice was metallic and bitey, but now that she'd heard it a second time, it was definitely female. The beast slowly backed away and retreated to the mysterious individual, nuzzling her hand as it sat on its haunches beside her and silently observed Yang. "Du weißt es besser!"

Yang tried to pick herself up, but darkness started to creep in around her sight. She pushed up and her arms gave out. Her head was reeling and she felt light-headed and the last thing she remembered were shoes coming toward her. Heh. For someone who looked like they were dressed in flame-retardant gear, minimalist shoes weren't exactly what she was expecting.

"Xiao Long?... This isn't a good time for this," the tinny voice was fading away and she found herself floating in the darkness. Strange… How did she know her name? "Xiao Long?"

ooOOoo

"Mommy! Mommy, look!" A small girl with black hair and red tips pulled at an older woman bearing an almost identical likeness. "Look what Yang and I made!"

"Haha, Ruby," the woman laughed sweetly as she looked at the drawing the two girls had worked so diligently on. There was a figure outlined in white with silver eyes, one done in yellow with blue eyes, and two figures dressed in black with red eyes – one with spikes on top of its head and the other with a scribbled mass that she assumed was hair. "You girls did a wonderful job!"

"Do you think Daddy will like it?" Ruby's eyes grew wide and shined, so she gave an emphatic nod. "And Uncle Qrow?... And Mama?"

"They'll love it! In fact," Summer pulled both girls in for a hug. "I think this isTop of the Refrigerator class work!"

"Yaaaaaay!" Both girls giggled together as Summer placed it up with a magnet, careful not to hide the important parts of the image. The front door opened and shut, followed by a courteous "I'm home" and the girls ran to greet their father. "Daddy's home!"

"Ah!" The tall, blond man fell as his girls tackled him to the ground. "Ooooh nooooo! Summer! I've been defeated! You'll have to go on without me!"

"Wouldn't be the first time Daddy couldn't keep up!" Summer leaned her head out of the kitchen and quipped suggestively.

"Hey!" He snapped playfully. "Not in front of the girls!"

"Puh-lease," Summer rolled her eyes. "Rae's said way worse and they aren't repeating it."

"Well, you two parent your way," he crossed his arms with each girl hanging over their own respective shoulder. "And I'll parent my way! And my way is nothing lewd around them!"

"Daddy," Ruby said innocently. "What's glued?"

"Uuuuuuh…" Summer snickered as he pondered what to say. "It's uh, um… when a mommy and a daddy… or two? mommies?... wait, no, I started that wrong… It's when-"

"It's something that makes little boys, like you, ask questions!" Summer winked at Tai as she lifted Ruby away from him.

"But I'm not a boy," Ruby giggled. "You're weird!"

"No, you're weird!" Summer poked her nose and grinned. "Now, Daddy needs to take a shower because he smells grrr-ross!"

"Ew, grooooooss!" Yang rolled off his shoulder, holding her nose.

"Hey, you can smell pretty gross yourself!" Tai grumbled to Yang. "You try smelling you sometimes!"

"Hey, get a move on it, soldier!" Summer swatted at him. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Yes, my liege!" Tai rolled his eyes and made his way toward his room.

"Yang, can you set the table?"

"Sure!" The blonde set out to grab the different dishes – six plates, six sets of silverware. One each for herself, Ruby, Mommy, Daddy, and… "Mommy?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" Summer called back.

"Do you think Mama and Uncle Qrow will be home for dinner?" There was a brief silence before Summer answered.

"I don't think so hunny," Summer came to the entryway and looked at her softly. "Not tonight. They're almost done though!" A loud, but playful knock came from the front door that Yang recognized. It was a pattern that people they were familiar with used – Shave and a Hair Cut. "Yang, can you get that?"

"Sure!" Yang ran to the door and opened it. Before her, a tall man with white hair and red eyes peered down at her. He stood proudly with a cane and seemed almost regal. He smiled gently at her and closed his eyes for emphasis.

"Hello, little one," he said in a soothing voice. "Is Summer Rose home?"

"Mommy," Yang called from the front door. "There's a man at the door for you!"

"Yang, go ahead and," Summer froze at the sight of the man.

"Hello, Summer," the man lowered his sunglasses to meet her eyes.

"Come over here right now," Summer beckoned to Yang.

"But-"

"Just do as I say," Summer leered at him and Yang came to her. Summer brushed the bangs from her eyes and whispered to her. "Grab your sister and hide in your special place. No matter what you hear, don't come out until Rae or Uncle Qrow comes to get you."

ooOOoo

Fire… The scent of burning plastic and charring flesh wafted into Yang's nostrils. With a deep inhale, Yang sprung up, coughing as the smoke entered her lungs. A dark jacket lay over her torso, with the Schnee's snowflake insignia clearly displayed. From her side, an orange haze flickered and lit up the night sky.

Yang leaned against a tree and tried to push herself up. The tree bark was gnarled and rough beneath her fingers, snagging on her gloves as she leaned against the tree. What was going on?... She pressed a hand to her head and groaned in pain before she started looking around. The orange haze was bright enough that she could make out Bumblebee, toppled over several yards away…. Wait! That Grimm!

Eyes darting back and forth, Yang went on high alert. Where was it? Cautiously, she pushed away from the tree and headed toward the bike.

"Aw, poor girl," Yang stood the bike up and ran her hand against some of the scratches. Cosmetically, Bumblebee was fucked, but there wasn't anything essential wrong. There were dings all over the place and some pieces bent that would have to be replaced, but she could still manage the ride back to base camp.

Mounting the bike, she turned her head in the direction of the orange blaze and let out a hiss between her teeth. They must have started without her, though she could have sworn they were only using LF charges. There shouldn't have been any true explosives. Lightforge wasn't particularly destructive, unless in the hands of an Elite. It was more for coating or filling weapons, flashing away Darkforge, and emulating the sun's energy in a bind. It was more effective than UV, but more difficult to produce. Leaving the jacket behind, she sped off as quickly as her bike would allow and rushed back to the base.

The closer she drew, the more the heat increased until she reached the trucks. Leaving Bumblebee beside her own squad's car, she looked at her surroundings, but the camp was void of its previous inhabitants. Gunfire rang out off in the direction of the warehouse, so she ran toward the sound, trembling as a sense of dread came over her.

"Xiao Long!" She snapped her head in the direction of the voice and found August. "Holy shit! You're alive!" A wave of flames lapped out at her and she dove out of the way in his direction.

"I had a run-in with a weird Grimm, but I'm alright." She slammed her back against the wall he was hiding behind. "What the hell happened?"

"Intel was bad," he peaked over the wall and fired a few shots that jerked his arm back with each bullet. A werewolf slid past her in a bullet-ridden heap, bleeding out at her feet. "There wasn't a single god damned bloodsucker in there. We flashed the place to high hell and the beasts just started pouring!"

"It's a disaster out here," Yang grunted as she pulled out her desert eagle and looked out from the side.

How the hell did it go so badly, so quickly? The bodies of several of the Hunters that she had just seen earlier were strewn across the warehouse yard. A few of them had managed to take out some beasts, but it had cost many of their lives. She winced and pressed her hand to her forehead and he gave her a concerned look.

"Are you alright?"

"I got knocked off Bumblebee," she hissed in pain but forced herself through it. "Nothing that can't wait." A hulking wolf came into sight and she came out from the wall. "Hey, Ugly!" It snapped its head in her direction and reared back on its haunches. "Yeah, you! You know you can't resist a bite of this sweet ass!"

It lunged at her, but suddenly there was a loud explosion from the warehouse. From behind the wolf, something solid spun through the air, growing closer and closer. A shadow loomed over the beast and it turned its head to look. The beast's eyes went wide as the flat surface made contact with it, but something rammed into her side and knocked her out of the path of the large chunk of concrete.

As she slid across the ground, she felt her ankle come into contact hard with something that pulled at it and her leg slammed against the ground hard. She grabbed at the ground, eventually slowing herself down and pushed up on her knee. She tried to crawl a step closer, but collapsed as pain wracked through her leg. She looked back and found the fabric torn and soaked with blood. This wasn't a good situation to be in. In a panic, she searched for the slab of debris that had flown from the building and found her field leader scrambling beneath its weight.

"Shit!" He tried to push it off but his arm could barely hold it up. A low growl came from his side and the wolf from earlier picked itself up, injuries healing before their eyes. "Well, fuck me!" He tried to push harder, but it dug into his gut. The beast took its time approaching him with a predatorial gaze. He continued to push, but the beast put its weight on the slab of concrete that pinned him and pressed down, forcing the air out of him. It was crushing him!

"Leave him alone!" Yang hastily fired at it, but she missed. Great! They already had icing, why not add the fucking cherry on top of this disaster cake! "Stop!" She fired a few more times, but her vision had gone blurry again. What the hell!

A wave of terror rushed through her as the beast put its full weight on the concrete. It positioned itself to bite down on his head, but two bright shapes tore into it. The beast fell limply, impaled by what looked like a glowing cross-shaped javelin. The bright energy glowed with an intense golden light. The edges were clean and it dug straight into the ground, putting the beast on display. The light swelled, popping and sizzling as it ate through its flesh until it burst, erasing the creature's very existence.

A tan man, carrying a single dagger walked out from the trees. He wore a partial cloak with a red hood draped across the top of his black tunic. Detached sleeves went halfway down his arm, tucked into a black fabric that covered his wrist and a single loop went around his middle fingers, holding them in place. He wore pleated white pants and open toed sandals that let his feet breathe, despite the lack of protection. As he approached the beast, he clasped his hands together in prayer.

"O Father," he began. "I offer this sinful child as penance for my own sins! This soul is but a token of my love, my devotion, my appreciation of your acceptance, despite my inadequacies! Let my atonement begin with this humble Reaping of those unworthy of your love!"

Penance? Atonement? Humble… Reaping? What the hell was he talking about? The field leader groaned out in pain and Yang called out to the strange man.

"Help him," she cried out. "Please!"

"Brother Fennec," a large tan man joined him. With a neatly trimmed beard and a chiseled physique, he stood tall, adorned in a two-toned white and gold overcoat. The rest of his clothes were form fitting and solid black, with combat boots. "Don't go off on your own. We aren't here to play games."

"Games?" The man named Fennec grinned mischievously at him. "I suppose you're right! These filthy beasts really should know their place! Frolicking about in this way, they should be ashamed!" August grunted in pain, earning Fennec's attention. "

"Look at the whole lot of them," the larger man crossed his arm. "It's a disaster here. This place is lost."

"Father Rainhart, this place was lost years ago! Those failures in Vale know not how to uproot weeds in the proper manner! They simply need guidance!" Fennec grinned callously at the field leader. "But the humans consorting with monsters?… That is most unforgiveable!" He accented the last of his words by throwing a small knife at August's throat. As he bled out, Yang cried out to him and his eyes met hers.

"Ugh," Rainhart let out a sound in protest and passed a pistol to him. "Can't you be a little more humane? At least, make it quick."

"Quick? You want them to feel no pain?" Fennec asked with a smirk. "Without the necessary trials, one can never be pure enough to be received in the cycle of rebirth, Father Rainhart. One must endure the pain of purity. Only through purification will the aether accept these poor souls!"

"No," the Father stepped forward, nudging a soldier that moaned in pain. He put a bullet in the young man's head. "That's how you wind up with rage-filled souls. You need to put them down mercifully. One of these days, one of them will come back to bite you in the ass."

"You don't really believe that's what The Bandersnatch is, do you?" Fennec rolled his eyes. "Someone who has come back from the grave and isn't a vampire?" Rainhart shot a sharp look at him. "You speak of heresy, Father!"

"It's no one's concern what I think," he grumbled. "Only that we put the creature down before it becomes a problem. We can't risk more popping up."

"Hmmm, I do wonder though. If your Bandersnatch really is an enraged soul," Fennec hummed to himself as he came up to Yang. "Would someone like this do?"

"What are you people doing?!" Yang shouted at them. "Aren't you supposed to be helping us?!"

"Help you? The Unfaythful?" Fennec forced a laugh. "Those who turn away from the gods and bathe themselves in the wretched power of the unnatural? I think not."

"You bastards don't know anything!" Fennec's eyes went wide with bloodlust as he aimed his gun at Yang. She saw him squeeze the trigger and she shut her eyes tightly. Something impacted hard into the ground next to her face, spraying dirt across her face and her ear rang out in pain. Sounds were muffled and she clung to her ear in pain. It felt like her ear drum had blown. When things began to register again, she looked at the man named Fennec.

"We don't harm our own," Hazel motioned to the badge on the front of her jacket.

"Xiao L-," Fennec fought his arm away. "Those traitors?! That's all the more reason-." A sharp blow was delivered across Fennec's face, knocking him to the ground.

"Who are you to question my decision?" Rainhart stared him down and he cowered. "Do not forget yourself, Fennec." The priest's words held an underlying meaning that Yang couldn't understand. "Now get up. We have more pressing matters to deal with."

A loud hiss let out, followed by flames the spewed out across the yard. A dark figure in a trench coat came into view, spraying the bodies of the werewolves with the flamethrower they were carrying. As they walked among the flames, Yang recognized the silhouette of the Grimm from earlier. It danced past her, taking a huge chomp out of one of the beast corpses. Blood poured from its mouth as it swallowed and it gradually looked up.

"It seems we've finally run into them again," Rainhart said in a tense voice.

"Oh, joy!" Fennec put his arms out to his sides and looked up to the sky. "Let them be baptized in fire!"

"You're getting to be offensive now," Rainhart sighed. "Pick one religion and stick to it."

"Does it really matter as long as I am of service and believe in those who have chosen us to do their will?" Fennec grinned. "I am their sword and I will strike down those who oppose them with haste! It does not matter if I serve one god or all of them!" He looked between the hollow-eyed wolf and its companion. "You can have your wolf! His friend suits my tastes more."

"You truly do have a problem," Rainhart shook his head. "Be careful. Her bark is much worse than his bite."

"Really?" Fennec smirked. "How thrilling!" He ran at her and the wolf lunged at him, though the Father intercepted it and wrangled it to the ground.

The girl turned around, just in time to block Fennec's dagger with the flamethrower. Fennec pressed on, but she resisted and he grinned again. Flames gathered beneath her feet and they surged up with a heated wind that blew the hoods from both of their heads, revealing snowy white hair pulled into a bun, held together by two non-distinguishing hair pins.

They both kicked away from each other, though Fennec sent a small throwing dagger flying after her. It connected with the glass of the left side of the mask, revealing a pallid and clouded eye. As she landed, she tried to cover it, but resorted to simply shutting it instead.

"Ha! No way!" Fennec laughed out loud. "She's frickin' blind in that eye! No wonder the wolf does all the work!"

"Careful about that, Fennec!" Rainhart continued to struggle with the hulking smoke-like wolf, but it stopped moving. Its master turned in its direction and it acknowledged her. Like a dark vapor being pulled into a vacuum, it retreated from Rainhart and fled into the depths of her left sleeve, dying her ivory locks with its deep obsidian shade.

After a moment, she opened her eye, revealing the strangest eye Yang had ever seen. While the white of her eye was normal, the iris had been as black as her pupil. Bright red rings circled the pupil and iris individually and Yang's eyes widened in realization. As unorthodox as this girl seemed, Yang had indeed been in the presence of some kind of Elder class being.

Yang pressed a hand to her head once more and groaned in frustration. Had this person once been a Schnee Corpsman? They'd left a Schnee jacket on her earlier… Or had they lifted it off of one of the dead soldiers?... No, it didn't make sense to do that much back and forth… She looked back at the fight that was going on and made a mental note to remember as much as possible. The headmaster would need to know as much of this as possible.

"Well, isn't that a neat trick," Fennec laughed. "It gives her a makeover!"

"So their relationship mimics an Elder and its Grimm, huh?" The Father joined Fennec's side. "You don't have anywhere to run, girl. Let's make this as painless as possible and just give up. I promise, I'll make it quick."

"This is the path that I have chosen, Father… and you are in my way," a tinny female voice came out from the gas mask's diaphragm as she pulled the hood back over her head. "Of that… I am certain…"

"Heh, you sound like one of those tribe members that are running around out here," Fennec snapped a few times as he tried to recall the name. "Uh, what are their names?"

"The Birds of Prey," the burly Father motioned to her. "So is that how it is, huh? After spewing all that crap about staying out of things when that Witch died, you're all finally on the move again."

"Well, that's fine with me!" Fennec bellowed and ran at her. "Let's do this!"

"Very well," Rainhart sighed and ran around to flank her.

Fennec took several swipes at her, keeping her busy with dodging him. The weight of the flamethrower had begun to get in the way, throw off her balance. A loud clank connected with the barrel of the weapon as she blocked the incoming dagger and he pressed on until she started to step back. The red of the single visible eye glowed brightly and she reared her arm back to punch him, but when she threw the punch, her arm was met with resistance.

"You aren't going anywhere, girl." The priest's voice came from behind her and she looked back at him. A moment passed and he covered her mask with his large hand, but she stomped on his foot and he hissed in pain.

Shoving the flamethrower at Fennec, she quickly unzipped her coat. She wriggled her free side out of it and kicked herself off the ground. Planting her feet on Rainhart's shoulders, she covered his face with the long coat. A spinning dark glyph appeared around her free wrist, splitting into a second glyph that materialized a pistol as it bolted forward.

"A Sigilist?!" Fennec stumbled back as he caught the flamethrower. Glancing back and forth between the girl and the weapon, he was met with the void eye and he felt his blood run cold. It was like his very being had been captured within it and he felt himself suffocating beneath her gaze. He barely registered the new gun aiming in his direction, forcing himself to react at the last moment. "Shit!" She fired a single shot at the canister attached to the weapon in his arms and it exploded, causing Hazel to let go of her as he shielded himself from the flames. When the orange burst finally died down, there was no trace of her left to be found.

"That explains why she wasn't carrying anything else on her," the Father patted down the stray flames that had singed his coat. "They store their weapons elsewhere and summon them straight into battle. A rather efficient way to carry a wide variety of weaponry. She must be keeping her equipment with her guild."

"Seems rather unlikely," Fennec laughed. "Those bird-brained idiots like to stay on the move. We should go after her. She moved rather well for a blind girl."

"In due time," the larger man said. "She'll flee into Vale for the time being. Any further beyond the borders and we'll have issues on our hands. As for the blindness, I'm sure that had to do with the beast. For now, we'll report our findings and pray for guidance."

"No," Fennec shrieked. "We have to do this now before she escapes! She-"

"Do not question my orders, Fennec," a bright glow surrounded the priest to emphasize his words. "She escaped from both of us. Your pride means nothing in the long run. We'll need support if we wish to pursue this further, and we will get it. So long as the Schnee and Oscar Pine remain in Vale, they will stand in the way of our Pilgrimage. Do not underestimate them."

"Tch, fine," the younger man sheathed his dagger in discontent and walked toward Yang. "What about the girl?"

"Leave her," Rainhart hovered over Yang, with hate-filled eyes.

"But-"

"Leave her. We do not aid heretics," Hazel began to walk away with Fennec's following him. "Did you not say purity is earned through trials of pain?" Fennec's widened with a smirk.

"W-wait!" Yang picked herself up, despite her body feeling weak. "What do you mean? How can I be one of you if I'm a heretic?!"

"It means that you've fallen from grace in the eyes of the gods," Fennec said whimsically as he followed behind his partner. "You've got a lot to brush up on, young Xiao Long. Don't die! I hope to see you again!"

"Wait!" She reached out and collapsed, watching as they left. The last thing she remembered was the heat and stench of roasting flesh, followed by the sound of spitting gravel.

ooOOoo

AN: Hey guys, I got that there was some confusion going on! I wanted to clear some things up for you! Hopefully, this will help make sense of certain things. There is info that deliberately has not been given yet, as well. I actually believe a lot of the question you guys have will be answered within the next 5 to 10 chapters!

Order of Events, So Far:

10 Years Ago: The lady in white injures Weiss and she is replaced with Winter, who is told she is dead. Weiss is taken away and sent to her teacher. She is renamed Snow White – the Bandersnatch. Their mother is the only one who is continues to call Winter by her actual name.

8 Years Ago: Summer/Tai are killed by Ozpin. Raven has been on more frequent "missions" but suddenly vanishes. Qrow takes over as Ruby/Yang's guardian.

4 Years Ago: The Council orders Adam to kill "Weiss". She (Winter) is left on display at the Schnee Manor and found by her mother.

2 Years Ago: Winter resurfaces under the moniker of The Ice Queen, but still goes by Weiss. Very few are aware of who she actually is, and most of the Schnee refuse to call her anything else.

The Day Before (This Chapter): Snow is being pursued by the Puritans but helps Yang, then winds up at Junior's. She is originally going to crash there and given a place to get cleaned up, but winds up involved in Ruby's incident with Winter.

Reviewer Response:

Guest: Thanks so much catching those issues! Funny story: I originally wrote Snow to have German accent and she went back and forth a lot more often. At one point, I mixed up my 'w's and 'v's. Like I mean, I kept 'arrive' as 'arriwe' and 'love' as 'lowe'. I did away with the accent, but it looks like I overlooked a couple things and "fixed" words that didn't need to fixed. It's a pain in the ass when you use the "Replace" function for every instance of the word. -_-

Snow White definitely isn't a good code name, all things considered lol. All they even need to do is find a translator online lol. I actually played around with that being how one of the characters figure out who she is lol. I think I decided against that though. Just seemed a little too easy, but yeah. The code name is intentionally a bad idea. In the original, Ruby asks for her name and she says "Weiss Schn-ow! Weiss Snow!" and appears with her usual Schnee look, but Ruby somehow doesn't recognize her. This was a glaring problem that always pissed me off, considering that Schnee's are the only characters so far that appear with white hair.

Imsabbel: Weiss is by no means dead in either version of the story. In the last chapter that was released in the original, it was shown that she was indeed still alive. In this version, Snow is the real Weiss. In the second chapter, Winter is being mistaken for Weiss. The reason Winter has a meltdown when she attacks Ruby is because she believed that her being best friends with Weiss, she should have known the difference. Winter is a vampire and Weiss is assumed to be dead. I have a Winter chapter coming up that will start going over background with them. I mentioned that Weiss is as I have always intended and that is correct; however, I also said that there have been major changes to how things occur and when they occur.

I'm unsure of what you mean by standalone. Lightforge has always been a standalone story. I had started on a STRQ prequel, but LF is the main focus.

M. Kye: I had thought about the translation, but ultimately, when she does speak German, I do want the reader to have the same feeling of not knowing what is being said as the other characters. I also felt that (to me) it looks messy with how some of the sentences are structured to do parenthesis. I do understand the issue of having to scroll back and forth though.

CalicoJack: Thank you! I sat down and hashed out a lot of the story. I originally was just going with the flow and I feel that it was really obvious. Eventually, I just really had something that I liked and I felt that what I was doing didn't do the story justice. It kind of turned into something that I want to make into something if I feel confident in it.

Buildlancer: Thanks so much!

GrnDrgnzrd: 3 Glad you're enjoying this version. I am too! Been kinda' trying to find myself as a writer again.

Kinigget: I'm glad that it's better organized. I know that confusion was one of the biggest issues with the last version.

Cipher32: Yes! This was intentional! People are aware of Atlas, but not many really invest the time in learning the German language since there are very few Atlesians in Vale. =) The Schnee pretty much adopted Vale's way of life.

Shadoath: It's a very different story already. I'm debating between keeping or removing a few things, but ultimately it will be to better serve the story. Some characters may not be introduced for a bit, where they were much earlier. I've also been trying to balance the crap out of Weiss and nerfed her abilities. She still seems OP at first (in my opinon) but she's still got some bad juju.

German to English Translations:

"Aufhören!" = Stop!

"Du weißt es besser!" = You know better