Prologue

The crack of gunfire echoed across the land, drowning out the roaring flames that were taking hold on the house and screams of strangers that had come with it. There was no light, save for the flickering flames that danced at the edge of the darkness. Onlookers listened in silent horror to the atrocities that were happening on the other side of the door.

There was a scream and then nothing but silence.

Children huddled in fear, clutching tightly to their mothers and older siblings for safety.

Gunfire sounded again. It was closer this time. The fire that was spreading in the house slowly was drawn back like a blanket getting yanked away. The light it provided did not fade and casted a shadow of a figure that was at the door.

Slowly, almost carefully, the door was opened to a crack. The children cried in soft whispers when the door was thrown fully open and a man stepped inside, a large gun at his side. He looked down at them with bright yellow eyes before turning around, the gun in his hand, cracking to life and fire spreading in the distance as if reacting to his gun.

Creatures of Grimm arise from the fire, tempting fate, and lunging for the kill on the man. His gun thunders three times and the charging Grimm turn into black dust that scatters around him. He dropped the empty mag of the gun and slide a new one in as he turned back to the children.

He reached out to them, beckoning them to follow. The adults that couldn't fight rose with their children in their arms that they could carry to follow. When the first woman touched his hand, he snapped around, gun in hand, and let it clap five times. Five wisps of smoke flew over them for a moment.

The children screamed.

He reloaded his gun, a massive blue and white revolver, and took aim at something in the distance.

"Survivors!"

The women blinked the smoke from their eyes as the stranger lowered his gun. A team slowly came out of the smoke, two of them carrying small kids' bridal style as they moved in the center of a group of five.

"You found some?" A man with blond hair looked down at the group of survivors that the stranger had found. "Good job! Don't worry, we'll get you all out of here!"

Howls called out and the stranger glanced around, his piece raised as he looked around for the source. "We're surrounded!" A male said. He sat down his charge and pulled a thick sword from the small of his back. The woman at his side pulled out a sword from her side and glanced around looking for the spot the attack would come.

The howling grew louder and the team drew weapons to fight them off. The stranger reached into a pouch at his side and brought out a red shard. He chucked it in the direction of the howls and opened fire wildly into the air as the others all scattered for shelter or to simply find a better patch of ground to fight the approaching darkness.

Grimm closed in and their howls turned to snarls as they stepped over broken bodies and burning homes. The stranger smiled. He took aim, real this time, and opened fire. The shard ignited into thunder and light. A shockwave hit the land hard and threw back several kids that screamed in terror.

The adults who could fight and that had shown up to help all yelled a battle cry as the approaching mass of teeth and claws stampeded upon them. Gun fire clapped like thunder and silenced dozens. Those lucky enough to get within biting distance were speared and sliced into dust.

The stranger stood up from a crouched position, reloading his gun as he surveyed the land. He nodded to himself and holstered his gun at his side. "Clear," he called out to the others. There was a chorus of similar calls from the others that had fought the fight against the monsters.

"Leon!" Someone shouted through the smoke. The stranger turned to the sound of the voice and marched back to the hut where he had first discovered the survivors. The man with the large sword on the small of his back was there, kneeling over some kids and giving them candy and treatment. "We need to get these people out of here. More will come."

The stranger, Leon, nodded. "How much longer till the airship gets here, Qrow?" Qrow shrugged. "What about Raven? Can she portal us there?"

"Her power doesn't work that way. She's not connected to anyone for miles. We couldn't even get them to Haven if we wanted. We'll have to wait for the ship to return. Then we can move them."

"Or go ahead."

The two males grimaced as they looked down at the survivors. They were tired and hurt from battle. Not all of them would survive the night. Most wouldn't make the trip through the mountains. A hard choice was going to have to be made. Not one they wanted to make.

"Our team will go." The two males glanced at Raven as she rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. Her face was grim, but she knew the outcome if they stayed and prayed. "I'll make a connection to you, Leon, then we'll leave. I'll use my portal to get back and then we can simply step into town through it."

Leon nodded in understanding. "You think you can get to Haven fast enough for it to matter?"

"You think we can't?" Qrow asked quietly. He smiled down at a child that was eyeing the piece on Leon's leg. "Probably better you stay anyways. Kids love you."

Leon snickered and pulled the gun from its holster. The kid jumped back, fear in his eyes as Leon slid the shells out and pocketed them before turning the gun over so the barrel faced him and the butt of it faced the child. "You wanna hold it?"

The kid, a small one at that, reached out with tiny hands to hold the thing as the three adults were joined by two more adults. "They didn't hit the food storage areas and the water is still clean as best we can tell. Defenses are shot though."

"We're making a run for it." Qrow told the two. The woman looked unhappy by the idea. The male seemed to think it wise. "We're going to run to Haven after Raven makes a connection to Leon. Then she'll portal back and get the people to safety."

"Just Leon?" the woman asked sounding worried.

Leon stood up fully, his gun still in the child's hands. "I'll be fine. I can keep these people safe. We both know that."

"Yeah but…"

"No buts. I got this. Now get going." The team of four looked to one another before they started heading off for Haven. Once they were gone, Leon's smile faded and was replaced with worry. He knelt back down to the kid that held his gun. "You like it?"

The kid stared at him, his red eyes as bright as burning flames in the night. He gave a small nod as he tried to hold it up with one hand. The gun weighed more than it looked and he used both hands to awkwardly hold it up.

"It's heavy," the kid finally said.

Leon nodded. "I know. The gun, my gun, weighs a lot, even to me." He reached out and plucked the gun from his hands' and holstered it as he rose to his full height. He glanced around at the working adults there making quick work to form a shelter of sorts. He saw no other adults near the child. No mother to tend to him. No father to scold him for speaking to him. "Where's you family? Your mother and father?"

At this, the kid turned away, and like a coming storm on the horizon, he sniffed back tears. Leon knew and knelt down again, taking hold of his shoulders to offer him a smile. "Forget I asked, kid." He knew that wouldn't do the trick, but it was better to try than to try nothing at all. He looked around for something, anything to take the kids' mind away from the sadness of death when he noticed a furry appendage at on his backside. It was grey and white, like a dog's tail… or a wolf.

"Hey," he reached into his vest pocket and withdrew a small bar of chocolate. The kid looked at it, his tears and sorrow almost fully forgotten. "If you tell me your name, I'll give you this."

The kid licked his lips and stared at the dark item with a smile. "Nickel."

"Just Nickel? No last name?" The kid shook his head. "Well that won't do. A strong name like that needs a strong last name, don't you agree?" Nickel shrugged as he tentatively reached for the candy. Leon broke it half and gave it to him. Nickel scarfed it down after giving it a small sniff. "Let's you and I think of a last name together. When we find one that we like you can have the rest, okay?"

Nickel nodded with a large smile and sat down to start.

It took several days for help to arrive. Survivors were greeted with helping hands, food, and water. Nickel had stayed next to Leon when they entered the massive city of Haven and looked around the shelter they had stepped in to.

"Stay with me, Nickel." Leon ordered as he stepped through the crowd. Nickel did as he was instructed, and followed the man through the crowd towards the outside. The first ray of sun to hit him made him blind but it quickly faded.

Leon moved with purpose outside. He was searching for something. Nickel could see that. But the bustling city, the new sights and sounds and smells drew his young mind away from Leon. The Hunter seemed to know that his young mind was wayward and taking in everything around him.

"Never been to the city?" Nickel shook his head. Leon laughed. "Never been one for it either. Too noisy. Like the simpler life. The quieter one." Too young to hold an opinion, Nickel stared up in confusion to the words before simply offering up a smile. Leon nodded like he had heard a question and then smiled down at the boy as he moved towards a simple home.

They stepped inside. But it wasn't a home. It was an office.

"Leon?" A woman behind a large desk greeted, confused that he had arrived. Nickel was too small to see over the desk, but he could see the woman when she rose up to move around the thing and embrace him. "I thought we lost you."

"Stayed behind. Needed to a way of making sure those people got here safely." He patted the head of the boy at his side. The woman finally took him in. Her expression was one of sympathy before she saw the tail at side. Nickel held it like a blanket. Then her expression become one of hidden disgust. "Tiffany. Can I ask a small favor of you?"

Tiffany turned her gaze to Leon. "What kind of favor?"

"I need you to look into something for me. This kid, Nickel, lost his family." He tried to keep his voice down as he spoke. The woman didn't seem to be fazed by the news. "I know that there is a place not far from Haven that houses lost Faunus. I want to take him there. See if I can find anything for him."

"Take him to Menagerie."

"And do what? Leave him there? Alone and afraid? No." Leon looked down at Nickel and shook his head. "No." His voice was absolute. No room for question. He ushered Nickel out, his eyes hard and unforgiving.

Nickel stopped short, forcing Leon to stop and kneel before him. The child looked at him with confused and sad eyes, taking in all of Leon's features for what might have been the hundredth time since they had met.

Leon was a younger man, probably no older than mid-twenties at best and at worst probably mid-thirties. He was dark skinned with matching dark hair. He wore a thick vest and large coat that reached down to his ankles. A thick belt with rounds fitted in to it lined his pants and helped in holding the leather holster to his right leg.

Nickel looked to the weapon at his side again. It gave his racing mind some form of calmness. His young mind had raced with thoughts on the iron at Leon's side. Stories that he created. Acts of heroism. Monsters slain by the thing. His mind raced from story to story as he stared at the item.

Leon patted Nickel's shoulders as he got to his feet. The young Faunus looked up at the man and grew fearful for what might come next.

"Never did decide on a name." He gave a half smile. Nickel blinked and all fears were gone then and there. "How about Lancaster?" Nickel blinked as he thought on the name. He worked the name in his mind, weighing it like a stone in his hand. Finally, he settled on it and smiled. Leon gave a joyful smile as he reached into his breast pocket, retrieving the candy to keep his promise. "Nickel Lancaster. I like the name. It's a strong name for a strong man." He stood to his full height and looked to the docks. "Let's get going."

A/N

I want to try something new. I know I haven't updated A Brave New World or The Shattered One in a long time, but they have remained on my mind and in my workings. I will update them in time, but a need to rethink a few things on them has come to me. I love where I have gone with them and will continue to work on them.

This story is something I had thought on since the Adam short from a year ago. I wanted to do something with it because Adam was someone who was complex to me. I liked him. Still like him. I never saw him as a jealous ex-boyfriend, but more as someone who had confided in Blake and saw her as some sort of light to guide him when he felt lost.

For once I would ask that you Read and Review.