The Grimm moved in waves. Their presence felt for miles as the plants wilted beneath them and the clouds darkened above. A Beowulf sniffed the air, its mouth opening to let black smoke ooze from its mouth.
A woman walked with them. She wore a blood-red dress, with long sleeves and feathers tied to her side. She followed the pack's alpha walking among them as they approached the meeting spot.
Three faunus were waiting on them, a bull with a white mask over his eyes, a cat who stood timidly behind the larger male. Then there was a scorpion Faunus and an ally of hers.
"Where's sienna?" Cinder demands the Beowulf pack disperses out, sniffing the air and ground.
"They don't meet with the likes of you," The bull responds, lowering his voice while placing a hand on the hilt of his weapon. Cinder notices and, the alpha beowolf growls, the hair slowly rising on its back. "Okay, Taurus, or bastard child."
The cat flinched as he growled, "You should watch your tongue and don't ever mention that again."
Cinder stands with pride as his true colors show, Adam Taurus knew what he was, it wasn't changing his goals for his kind.
"Let's not antagonize the help firecracker," Tyrian says, the closest Beowulf to him backs away as he approaches CInder's side. The alpha wolf steps away, its ears going back.
"Our queen demands that our lost princess be returned to her side before the 16th birthday." he says "And we require your force for the queen's army."
"Adam we can't work with them," Blake says, her cat ears flattened against her head.
"Little kitty it's best you let the grown folks talk." Tyrian chuckles at her. He could see the fear in her yellow eyes and her body posture.
"You won't get the army but we'll help you find the girl," Adam responds, Cinder's seething on the spot.
"You got what you wanted." She snaps. "Salem-"
Tyrian doesn't hesitate to attack Cinder with the mention of his queen's name to people outside the inner circle.
She flies into a Grimm knocking it over, " You never mention our queen's name." He shouts.
The alpha wolf starts to shake, its eyes widening before its neck snaps on its own. Black ooze pours from its body as it decays.
A hound form from the ooze, and speaks. "Tyrian enough, Adam Taurus. Blake belladonna. You have the honor of hearing my name now let's settle this. I demand my daughter be returned and I'll make a world where humans are on the bottom."
Adam chuckles, "You can't just make a world, it'll take true change and power."
The hound grins, "Follow me"
Blake tugs on Adam's arm. He looks at her, "return to the camp." He whispers before pulling away; he follows the Beowulf pack, Tyrian, the hound, and CInder into the forest.
She's left there alone, Blake sighs an invisible pressure lifted from her chest. Blake balls her fist, Adam didn't need to go alone. She takes a running leap into the trees. Following them from behind and above, sticking to the trees, and utilizing her shadow jump semblance.
Adam followed them to a clearing, a human-only village that had a kingdom-leveled defense. The town of Kuroyuri. The hound howled, sending birds into the sky.
In the village, Lie ren sat with his family, their dinner placed on the table by his mother. His father sat with his arms folded and eyes closed. "My acceptance letter came in, I'm going to beacon." Lie ren says calmly. An ren softly taps her husband, whispering into his ear. He inhales sharply as she takes her spot at the table.
Li ren shoots up, turning behind him to grab his mounted weapon, the atmosphere changes, dread and fear washes over them. Lie ren jumps up to follow his father while An is left at the table.
The first scream echoes across the village.
Adam watches, in shock. The hound took human form, a woman with ivory skin and white hair. She doesnt turn to face her, only her hand is outstretched orchestrating the grimm like an opera of discretion.
Blake covers her mouth as the smell of blood fills her sensitive nose. Tyrian inhales the smell with delight as he leans back looking Blake in the eyes. He straightens putting his hands behind his back
"M'lady we have an audience." he whispers.
She's struck with fear, a nevermore flies overhead rattling the trees, she's seconds away from losing her balance until a hand grabs her.
A woman wearing autumn colors said, "You should run, little girl."
The fall maiden, the symbol of the kingdom Vale, Amber. She waited for Blake to disappear from view of sight.
Amber opened with a large attack, Salem held her hand out not even turning to look. The wall of fire and earth turned to black ooze.
Amber jumped from the tree, sending two fire spears at Tyrian and a boulder at Cinder.
They didn't move the turned to dust with a snap of Salem's finger.
"I'll give you a chance to run," She states clearly.
Amber draws her spear, Salem exhales for a moment as she looks at the burning village.
The grimm were half way through the village, destroying everything in their path.
Amber runs at them drawing a vortex of elements around her spear, she throws it with all her might.
"THis is pathetic." Salem flicks the spear away. Amber stops her aura flickers.
"H-how" Amber thinks, none of Salem attacks hit her until she looks down to see a black claw in her stomach. Blood starts to soak the top she's wearing.
Amber followed the black claw to the woman in red. "You're not the maiden we wanted but you bought yourself to us on a silver platter." Salem declares.
Lie ren could barely breathe and the smoke started to cloud his vision, his father fought bravely in front of him, one shooting the grimm while screaming orders. His village believed in the four houses and the kingdoms that they protected, the house of Valkyrie were their protectors, or should have been here. The only valkre in their village was a girl with ginger hair.
He doges an ursa's claw slamming his weapon stormflower into the ursa's head.
He pulls them out, already being attacked by another grimm, his father launches an arrow into its head. The sky then flashed red, in seconds it returned to normal. The shock was enough for a nuckleve to launch its arms.
Li ren grabbed his son, taking the fatal blow to his body, Lie ren laid on the ground his father's blood splattered on his clothing. FOr so long he survived without his semblance, he felt a snapping sensation inside him as he felt the world muttle itself.
THey couldn't sense him, he exhales choking back a sob. His semblance releases another wave. Calming him, he could feel the emotions dying in his chest. He turns over picking up his weapon as the nuckleve trotted past him dragging his father's corpse in its hand.
Ren ran back home, he got to the street, the stench of burning flesh and burning homes overwhelmed him he dogged past grimm.
Ren ran to a burnt pile of ash, nothing stood of his home,his mother's body was skewered on a wooden beam, her hand out stretched and the valkyrie family crest in her arms.
Salem ended her symphony with a smile, two things in one. They had a maiden's power and the loyalty by fear of the white fang. Cinder felt different holding the power she could feel the magic churning inside her body fighting against its forced host.
"Tyrian returns with Taurus and Cinder to head to vale. The horde should be there soon." Salem ends her connection with the hound. Her 'body' turned to black dust.
Taiyang sat alone, his fingers covered in dirt. He looks at the gravestone and the newly planted roses & sunflowers. Taiyang picks up a black feather. It had white marks along the tips remembering the grey streaks that ran along with Qrow's hair. He looks up, seeing a bird circling. Upon noticing, the bird breaks its circle flying off into the sunset.
Back at the house, Yang adds the last shotgun shell into the chamber. She went over her darling crescent rose, polishing the weapon with precise movements.
Yang sighs as she closes the latch on the beacon-issued case. They were assigned to send in their weapons to the airship early, one week left before they would embark on the two-day trip to Beacon.
"It needs to be perfect." She says; Yang rolls her eyes getting up.
Taiyang returns, brushing the dirt from his palms. He enters the living room to see Ruby putting the last touches on Crescent rose. She places a little sticky note asking to handle her weaponry with care. Ruby sets her weapon case on top of Yang's.
"We'll take them to the airship tomorrow along with your stuff." Taiyang pats Ruby's shoulder.
The week went by fast, Taiyang found himself hiding a slight pang in his chest. Watching his daughters board the ship, they both wave goodbye. The small town of patch gathers around the airship, watching the young teenagers board the airship.
Yang sat with her friend, Ivor. The nonbinary kid that returned for their 2nd year being the leader of the team IHOP. They mentored Yang during their time at Signal.
Ivor chuckles as Yang bragged about her victory at the Signal tournament.
"You must be a growing girl?"
Ruby looks at the woman behind the counter. The airship taking them to Beacon felt like a cruise. Ruby nods sheepishly, unsure of how to answer all the kids who happened to be older than her.
She thought about hiding near the info board where students could look at others' weapons and info the wielders made public about their weaponry.
The woman chuckled as Ruby kept looking at the info board. The woman behind the counter gave Ruby her drink. She thanked the bartender; she made a bear pun as Ruby left. Artos watched Ruby for a while until she resumed her work.
Once Ivor left, Yang found herself at the drink counter.
"didn't you used to work at Junior's bar?" Yang recognized her by the bear ears. They twitched as she answered Yang's question with a nod.
Ruby slid past two older teens and noticed a girl wearing all black making her way through the crowd in the opposite direction.
"We got a vomiter!"
The words caught her off guard, the crowd quickly dispersed. A boy with blonde hair wobbled towards her. She started to back away. Ruby turned to rose petals, getting away from the blonde ready to puke.
She bumped into the girl wearing all black. Blake could hear the screams still in her head and haunting her nightmares. She still ponders over the "princess"
"My bad," Ruby says,
Blake watches the girl, unamused as she quickly apologizes. Yang made her way to Ruby with a smile. "Ruby, there's puke on your shoes," Yang whispers.
She winked at Blake as her sister started to shout about the vomit on her shoes.
The airship arrived on schedule, Ozpin checked his pocket watch one last time, and Glynda entered his office. "Your right Kuroyuri was attacked,"
Ozpin sighs wearily, "any survivors?"
"Just two, their both upcoming students, Nora Valkyrie and Lie ren"
"Been a while since someone with the last name Valkyrie attended our school." Ozpin jokes, 'Maybe it's an omen of protection."
Glynda inhales sharply, "You believe in the four houses?"
Ozpin nods, "they were real, i watched all the houses make their name known, The schnee's brough innovation and creation, the Valkyrie's brought food and knowledge to the land, The Arc's brought freedom and choice. And Rose brought destruction and hope."
Glynda sighed, "I know what each house brought to remnant."
Ozpin chuckles again, "I should start waking to the amphitheater, might take the scenic route." he mumbles.