I do not own RWBY or any of the characters.
Reunion
Fox glanced up at Ava. Sweat was pouring down her face and her grip on him, Sienna, and Wulfe had slackened to the point that they were more holding onto her, rather than the other way around.
"How much longer?" Fox asked.
"We're still a couple hours away!" Ava called back.
"No, how much longer can you keep flying like this?" Fox asked. "You've been going for days."
Ava shook her head. "I'll be okay flying the rest of the way."
Fox looked down, seeing a ship heading the same direction as them. "Land on that ship below us!"
Ava looked down and nodded. A few moments later, they were standing on the back of the ship, Ava having come in low to try to draw as little attention as possible. Once they had landed, Ava collapsed against Wulfe, who knelt, slipping her shoes onto her feet for her, then stood, picking Ava up.
"I'll go and let the captain know we're here," Fox said. "If he's heading to Menagerie, maybe we'll be able to catch a ride the rest of the way. If not, at the very least I'll make sure we can rest for a few hours."
Ava nodded and Fox left to the bridge with Sienna. As they stepped into it, the captain, a man with a messy white beard, turned to them, smiling.
"Well well, it's been a while since I've seen a white fox," the captain said. "Glad to have you aboard."
"You don't care that I'm a faunus?" Fox asked.
"Care that you're a faunus?" the captain snorted before laughing. "My boy, I'm married to a faunus. A rabbit named Angela. My boy, I don't care if you've got a tail, ears, horns, or a duck bill. So long as you're a good person, that's enough for me. Some humans may hate faunus, but a lot of us just see you as other people."
Fox smiled, nodding. "Where's the ship heading?"
"Menagerie," the captain said. "We should be there a little after sunset."
"I see," Fox nodded. "So, us and our two other friends...didn't exactly...buy passage on the ship."
The captain laughed. "Son, in my experience, having an arctic fox onboard is good luck. If you and your friends need a ride to Menagerie, you're welcome to it. However, I should warn you, on our last trip we had to fight a Sea Feilong grimm."
"That's alright," Fox said. "If it comes to it, we can fight off any grimm that show up."
The captain nodded and smiled. "Glad to have you onboard."
Fox nodded and he and Sienna left, finding Ava and Wulfe on the main deck. They walked over, leaning on the railing beside them and both turned to them.
"The ship will reach Menagerie a little after sundown," Fox said. "And the captain said we're welcome to ride the rest of the way there if we want."
"We probably wouldn't save any time by flying if we waited to rest," Wulfe said. "I say boat."
"I second that," Sienna said.
"I'll do whatever you want to, Fox," Ava said.
"I know," Fox sighed. "We'll ride the boat there."
The others nodded and Fox turned, leaning on back on the railing and sending a message to Sun, asking what they were doing. He wasn't expecting a message right away, but he got one before he had even put his scroll away.
"We're trying to rally the people, but the White Fang have people here," Sun's message said. "Two creeps in red robes that claim to not follow Adam and there was an assassin a few days ago, but they got away and I don't think they've been back since. Blake's safe, but still hasn't cheered up. Where are you?"
"On the way," Fox typed. "We're on a boat now. We'll be there just after sundown."
He put his scroll away when he didn't get an immediate response. "Expect trouble when we get there. The White Fang sent an assassin after Blake and Sun. They're both okay, but we have to assume Adam will send a whole lot more after us, especially Sienna."
The others nodded. They all fell silent, each absorbed in their own thoughts. The sun began to sink, and after a couple hours, it disappeared behind the horizon. Just as it did, an island came into view, a single lighthouse off to the side of a huge cluster of lights. Fox pushed off the railing, watching as the lights grew closer. Finally, the ship docked and Fox walked down the ramp, only to see people running away from the dock, over a hill in the distance. He looked to the others, who nodded, and they all ran after them, cresting the hill to see a borderline mansion near the bottom emitting smoke and flashes of light from inside.
"Twenty bucks says it's the White Fang attacking Blake and the others," Wulfe said. "Shall we?"
"Do you need to ask?" Fox asked. "When do I ever shy away from fighting the White Fang?"
"Plus Blake's in danger," Ava said. "Come on, we're wasting time."
They sprinted down the hill, rapidly passing other faunus. As they reached the house, they spread out, Ava going with Sienna and Wulfe and Fox each going their own way. Fox drew his sword and slashed his way through a wall, stepping into the room on the other side to find Blake straddling a girl about their age with spots on her shoulders and face, tan skin, and long dark red hair. A chameleon.
"Is this really what your parents would have wanted!?" Blake demanded, neither girl paying him any mind.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO! ! !" the girl shrieked, tears running out of her eyes as she gave up struggling. "I don't know what else to do."
Just then, the wall burst inward, a White Fang member bouncing across the room, a gilded dagger with a round, needle-like blade landing beside the wall. Then, a large, burly man with purple pants, black hair and beard, thick black hair on his chest and forearms, and black claws jumped through, growling before turning on Fox.
"You're the biggest panther I've ever seen," Fox said. "You must be Blake's father."
Just then, another White Fang member who wore a red cloak and had a pair of large ears on top stepped through, stabbing Blake's father in the back of his left shoulder. The man roared in pain and fell to his knees.
"Dad!" Blake shouted, the girl she had been restraining breaking free instantly and shoving her off before kicking her.
Fox spun, switching to a bow and pulling an arrow back.
"No, Fox don't!" Blake shouted.
Fox spun back to the White Fang member that had stabbed Blake's father and fired, the arrow carving a gash into the member's shoulder as the member dove aside. Fox switched back to a sword and sprinted forward, slashing at the member, only for him to block it with his dagger. As he did, the member Blake's father had thrown first sprinted at Blake's father, the two throwing several punches. Their fists met each time before they grabbed each other's hands, trying to overpower the other. This White Fang member, a wolf judging by his tail, was a bit more impressive than Fox first assumed. Fox flipped over his own opponent's dagger just as it launched a fireball, then landed behind him, driving the sword backward, through the White Fang member's torso. The white Fang member coughed up blood, stepping forward off of the blade as the other one, his brother, by the look of them, stared in horror.
"Fennec!" the other member shouted finally.
Fox grabbed Fennec by the back of his head, yanking him backward. Fennec fell to his knees and stared up at Fox in fear.
"You chose the wrong side, Fennec," Fox snarled. "Don't worry. I'll make sure your brother follows you."
Then, he drove his sword down through Fennec's face. Fennec's brother shouted in rage and despair, turning and hurling Blake's Father across the room into a support pillar for the balcony running along the wall of the room. As Fox turned to him, he saw that the wolf had gone completely feral, his teeth now completely canine and fir growing over his body. He wouldn't turn completely canine, but there was no going back from the state he was in.
He shot toward Fox, slashing at him rapidly, Fox blocking the claws with his sword, but only barely able to keep up. He backpedalled rapidly as the White Fang member attacked him, until Sun crashed into the man from the side, feet first, hurling him away. Fox sighed, readying himself for another assault as Sun did the same, bo staff in-hand.
"What happened to Corsac?" Sun asked as the man stood, shaking his head.
"If this is Corsac, I killed his brother and he's pissed," Fox said.
Corsac shot forward, slashing at Fox, only for Fox to block the blow, Sun slamming his bo staff into Corsac's jaw and hurling him backward. As Corsac flipped, Blake shot at him, grazing his shoulder. Corsac turned on her instantly, streaking forward. Before he could reach her, the girl Blake had been restraining earlier stepped into the way, slamming her frozen whip into the side of his head. He staggered to the side a single step before spinning and slashing her across the stomach, hurling her across the room into the pillar Blake's father had weakened, shattering it. Instantly, the balcony above her began to fall, only for Blake's father, who had just managed to get his feet under him again from slamming his head into the pillar, to catch the massive chunk of wood, barely holding it back.
"Sun, help him!" Fox shouted, hurling his sword at Corsac, making him leap away from Blake just before he could land a hit.
Blake caught the sword with the strap of her own, swinging it around herself to slash at Corsac with it before throwing it back to Fox, who caught it in time to block Corsac's claws. As they both struggled to fend off Corsac, Sun had three glowing gold replicas helping Blake's father hold up the balcony chunk. The girl was unconscious, but after a moment, Corsac planted a kick in Fox's gut, hurling him under the balcony chunk as well. Corsac turned away from Blake instantly, seeing a golden opportunity, even through his rage. He charged at Blake's father and Fox hurled the small girl out of the way of the debris then tackled Blake's father just as Corsac passed, slashing. Corsac's claws ripped through Fox's aura, and his side, and Fox shouted in pain, crashing to the ground away from the debris just as the debris crashed down on Corsac, crushing him. Fox groaned, holding a hand to his side as Blake sprinted over, dropping to her knees beside him.
"Fox!" Blake gasped.
"I'll be...alright," Fox said, gritting his teeth against the pain. "It's just a flesh wound. And a nerve cluster. My semblance can handle it easy."
He focused, his wound glowing white for a moment before shrinking out of existence, leaving four long pale scars reaching from his hip straight up his ribs, ending just shy of his armpit. He sighed as it finished sealing and sat up, Blake holding out his sword, collapsed into its handle. He took it, putting it away, and stood, Blake hugging him instantly.
"I'm sorry," Blake said. "I'm so sorry. I should have never left."
"It's alright, Blake," Fox smiled. "I was never mad at you."
"You should have been!" Blake said. "You had every right to."
Fox heard something groaning above them and looked up, seeing the fire consuming the upper level was weakening the building, threatening to make it collapse. Fox freed himself from Blake, picking up one of the daggers Fennec and Corsac had been using and switching it to its wind Dust mode, sending a tornado into the flames and blowing them out. Then, he tossed the dagger aside.
"Come on," Fox said. "We should get out, in case the house decides to finish us."
Blake's father nodded, just as a door off to the side opened and a black cat faunus that Fox assumed was Blake's mother walked in, followed by Ava, Wulfe, and Sienna, Wulfe carrying a bat faunus over his shoulder, hogtied.
"Sienna?" Blake's father asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello Ghira," Sienna said. "Fox and his friends saved me from Adam. I came here to help them save their friend, and all of you, it would seem."
"Sienna," Fox said. "You're not the leader anymore."
"No, Adam is, currently," Sienna said. "But I'll fix that soon."
"That's not what I meant," Fox said. "You're not going to be the leader again after we dethrone Adam. The White Fang is finished being violent. You wanted the world to fear the White Fang, and after the Fall of Beacon, they do. You wanted violence to be used where necessary, and thanks to Adam, it was used where necessary, and also where not. The world doesn't respect Faunus because they fear them, they hate them for it. If you want Faunus to be equals, you can't do it by being violent any longer. I know you were never able to accept a peaceful approach, but that's exactly what the Faunus need if they intend to be equals with the humans. The White Fang is seen as a terrorist group, and as a symbol of violence. The faunus, as a race, need to unite as a peaceful symbol. One that is willing to give aid for the sake of helping others alone, and one that doesn't expect, or demand, to be rewarded for it. One that just does it for the sake of doing it. And because you can't do that, you can't be the leader anymore."
"Who then?" Sienna asked.
"I will, if I have to," Fox said. "I'm known by the entirety of the White Fang, I'm powerful enough to be able to keep people like Adam in line, and I can see the difference between what needs to be done, and what we want to be done."
"The White Fang will never follow you," Sienna said. "You're a wanted traitor."
"I know," Fox nodded. "And that problem will be dealt with when it arrises."
"We have another solution," Blake said. "We're going to start a new group to represent the faunus. One that does what Fox said. And my family is going to lead it, like we used to lead the White Fang.
Fox watched her for a moment before nodding, smiling. "That's an excellent idea."
Blake smiled and nodded. Then, she sighed. "We should go make sure everyone knows we're okay, and also what actually happened."
Fox glanced at the chameleon, who was on her knees, silent and on the verge of tears. "What about her?"
Blake stared at her for several moments. "She's my friend."
The girl looked up at her in surprise.
"Ilia helped us fight Fennec and Corsac," Blake said. "Without her, we might not have survived."
"You...you would do that...for me?" Ilia asked, her spots turning pink.
"Of course," Blake said. "I told you, you're my friend."
Ilia began to cry and Fox smiled before turning and walking to the door, the others following, Blake bringing Ilia with her. Once outside, they found most of the people on the island had come to see what was happening, and if anyone needed help. Guards rushed forward instantly, all wearing black and white robes with yellow sashes and silver armor, and arrested the White Fang members Wulfe and the others had been fighting while Fox and his group were fighting Fennec and Corsac. As they did, Sun sat down against the wall beside the door and Fox leaned against the door on the other side. Ilia sat off to the side, as thought trying to hide, which she probably was. Finally, Blake walked forward to address the public. Ghira moved to stop her, but Blake's mother held him back.
"Humans didn't do this," Blake said, pointing at the house, part of the roof having collapsed on one side of the house and smoke billowing out of the gaping hole. "We did this. Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We're just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us? By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem! And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away. I don't! But I know, that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake! So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to."
"I'll stand with you!" Ilia said instantly, stepping forward, Blake turning to stare at her before smiling appreciatively. "If...If you'd have me."
Several of the people assembled began to whisper about Ilia being with the White Fang, and about her hating the Belladonnas. Blake turned fully toward her and Ilia took a step forward only for a guard to grab her arm. The moment he did, Fox's sword wrapped him on the wrist, making him snatch his arm back.
"I wouldn't," Fox said.
"Let her come," Blake said, putting an end to the inevitable argument before it could begin.
"You're just going to forgive her?" the guard demanded. "After everything she did?"
"I am," Blake nodded.
The guard turned to Ghira, who nodded. The guard released her and Ilia walked down the steps to stand beside Blake.
"What does she think she's doing?" the guard demanded.
"She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older," Ghira said. "That there is strength in forgiveness."
"I'll go," one of the people before them, a powerfully built, albeit young, ram faunus, said, stepping forward.
"I'll go too!" a fish faunus said.
Suddenly, the entire crowd was volunteering to go. Fox smiled, putting his sword away. He looked to Sun and gestured for him to follow, then walked down to stand beside Blake, who smiled at him, then at Sun as Sun stepped up beside Ilia.
"You stabbed me," Sun said, pointing at Ilia.
"I-ow!" Ilia was cut off by Sun pinching her shoulder, hard.
"There," Sun smiled. "Let's just call it even."
"You're an idiot Sun," Fox sighed. "Glad to see you never change."
"Wish I could say the same to you," Sun said. "You got dark. Really dark."
Fox remained silent and forced himself to ignore Blake's worried look. After a couple more moments, Blake's mother and father stepped up beside them.
"We've got about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven," Ghira said. "We'll need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect everyone."
"And we'll need transportation, for everyone," Blake's mother said.
"Ava and Wulfe can handle training," Fox said.
"And we happen to know a boat captain who owes us a favor," Blake said, indicating herself and Sun.
"He's probably still here," Fox said. "He's the one that gave us a ride part of the way here, too."
"Excellent," Blake nodded. "Sun, can you ask him to stay?"
Sun nodded, heading for the dock. As he did, they all began to get signatures from the volunteers, at Ghira's request. Once they had finished, a blacksmith set out to make everyone weapons and shields, and Ava and Wulfe began to teach them to fight.
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