A Helping Hand

Sleep didn't come as Nickel hoped. It was sparse, coming and going for only minutes at a time. What sleep he got was more nightmare than dream. Bodies. Flames. The Grimm. His dreams were dark. But some ray of hope remained, pulling him in the direction of something other than loss. Just before reality could rip him back, he'd see a figure standing off in the distance, a hand beckoning him.

He threw his blanket off, rubbing his shoulders for warmth as he reached for his clothes. If sleep would not come, he would simply stay awake. The moon was out for the time being, and if it was out, so too did he want to be out.

When his foot touched the grass outside his tent, he felt a voice tickle in the back of his mind, forcing his vision to the moon. For a brief moment he saw a woman. She was radiant, unearthly in all her beauty. When her lips moved, it was like listening to the rain fall.

But she was gone in a flash. Unseen by all but Nickel.

Nickel moved around the camp and the nocturnal Faunus that mingled together near fires. Some of them were talking about what they lost while others mentioned the horrors they had endured under the reign of humans. It was a frightening tale to him.

Having grown up with no real prejudice to him, he was an outcaste to them in his eyes. His second father, a human, had raised him as though he were truly his own. The other villagers might not have liked him, but they tolerated him and even leaned on him for help in doing what they could not.

Tents littered the area, dotting them with small campfires and snoring in some. Kali had made sure to keep Faunus that were of the night more on one side of the shelter to ensure that they weren't disturbing any.

Nickel sniffed the air. Dozens of new scents filled his nose. Most of them were new to him, but he could easily pick out the scent of meat, mostly beef and fish, and fruits. If his stomach didn't have to be so loud he could avoid everyone and pretend the food didn't exist. He'd already had one meal on their behalf, he did not want to impose another.

Needing space, the Faunus moved for the wall that lined the entire camp. It had been a hasty thing, he could tell. Some were still working on it to ensure that whatever horrors might arrive at their door could be turned back, or at the very least, halted long enough to feel the sting of steel on their flesh.

A gentle breeze moved in, rustling his hair and nipping at his bones. He shivered, but continued on his march towards the gate. It was closed, but a few guards were standing near it, talking and looking back at the crowd that had gathered near the fires.

Nickel gave a curt nod to them. One of them returned it, while the other waved. He shrugged and stood short of the wooden wall, his eyes lingering on the moon that poked out from it.

There was a time when he knew this day would come. That time was long ago, but it was a reality he knew he'd have to face one day. Fathers' outlived their children only because they defended them to their dying breaths. It was an inevitable fate that his second father would fall one day, leaving him behind. He only wished that it had not been in the pursuit of revenge.

In an ideal world he'd still be back at the village, John, the smithy, would have taken over and that would have been that. Nickel would still have a home, defending them from harm and sticking to the routine he had created for himself all those years ago. In an ideal world, that would have been the life.

But the world held little concern for the dreams of its people. What was done was done. There was no changing it. No turning back the hands of time to undo the errors created by their choice.

The dilemma of what to do now was the thing keeping him up. He knew that. There was no denying that he didn't have a plan from here on out. Making it up as he went would see his demise, same as trying to return to the life he once had. A few people might come back or try to take the village as a safe haven for the night, but it wouldn't return to its former glory.

So the question of what to do now was his problem. Where could he go? Menagerie seemed like a solid start, but what would we he do? Geography wasn't his strong point, so there was no telling what kind of place it was unless he asked. Considered the Kali obviously came from there, it was near an ocean. The scent of salt water on her body was clear as day to him.

Did they have winters there? He could chop wood again, but how much of the land was trees? Where would he stay? And with what money would he pay for things? Too many questions and not enough answers for him to like the option of going somewhere unknown to him.

Nickel would much rather take his chances with the Grimm. At Least they were predictable.

"You look a little lost in thought."

Nickel spun to stare at a man with messy brown hair and large bat wings protruding from his back. Clothing with dark stains mirrored the exposed flesh and he stood with a confident grin.

"Or are you simply gazing at the moon?"

Nickel turned back to the object in question. Soft words filled his mind for a sharp second. A voice, as pure as spring rain, entered his mind. When they passed, he inhaled sharply and faced the man. "The moon."

The stranger gave a sly grin. "Fancy to see a wolf eyeing the moon. Or are you a different type." He gestured to the tail. Nickel gave a shrug. It didn't seem to bother the winged Faunus. "You look like you could use a friend. Name is Yuma."

"Nickel Lancaster."

"Nickel? That's an interesting name. Means your family were rebels. Wanted to stand out during the color war… or whatever it was called." The two shared a soft laugh at that, despite how terrible it had been. "What's eating you?"

Nickel turned back to the moon with a sigh. "The future."

"Deep. Talk." Yuma moved up beside him, both now looking to the stars.

The gray haired Faunus sighed in frustration. He didn't know this man and it seemed wrong to spill such problems on to him. Yet, the man seemed friendly enough, even going so far as to force the subject.

"I have a choice. A duty, if you will, to people that my second father let down. We were attacked by bandits. They lured Grimm to our village. We decided to leave and head to Haven. Father wouldn't have that. He wanted revenge. So we left in search of that. Got him and the others that followed killed. I'm the only survivor. But now I'm honorbond to ensure they get to Haven, even though I'm now over here and they're somewhere out there."

Yuma, to his credit, listened to the entire thing. Nickel, once he was done, sighed explosively and glanced over at the winged Faunus, as if waiting for him to simply disappear. Not that he would have blamed him.

"Sounds like you have a chance for a new beginning. Maybe not here, but somewhere."

"And that's my problem. After I leave and make sure that they get to Haven, I have no idea where to go."

Yuma nodded slowly, his arms crossed as he too thought of a solution. To Yuma, Menagerie was a start, yes, but there were other options. Nickel could simply live here and help bring other Faunus that wanted to leave to Menagerie or wherever else they'd want to go. Work as a guard for the White Fang. The options weren't as limited as the down Faunus seemed to think.

Before Yuma could open his mouth to start the brainstorming, a rumble caught his ears. Nickel rolled his eyes, glaring at the offending noise maker. "Come on." Yuma ordered. "Let's get you something to eat."

"I'd rather not."

"Too bad."

Yuma grabbed Nickel's wrist and started heading for the camp fires. Nickel protested verbally but not physically as the bat Faunus dragged him to the center of the village. Once they were near the fire, Yuma released him and grabbed some food from one of the fires.

"Here."

Begrudgingly, Nickel took it and sat down to eat. Yuma joined him, munching on an apple as he gazed into the dancing flames. Both sat in silence for several minutes.

Nickel's mind was elsewhere for most of it. Lost in memories he was never sure were real. Flashes, like lightning, raced through his mind. He jumped from one to another. In one he was outside, standing in the rain with a tall woman at his side. One had him playing with kids while another saw him running from monsters. Dark times. Times he had long forgotten came rushing back.

Forcing them down, he looked at Yuma, racking his mind on something to talk about. He'd never actually started conversations back home unless he had to. It was a foreign thing to him. There were probably only a handful of times he had started an actual conversation with anyone.

"You know how to throw knives?" he asked randomly. Yuma arched a thin brow at the question while shaking his head. Nickel laughed nervously and opted to keep quiet from that point on.

"I get the feeling your socially inept." Nickel offered silent confusion to the word, forcing Yuma to laugh in good nature. "It means your not that good at it. Don't worry. It's not a problem. I don't know how to throw knives. Never had a reason to think I needed to. Sounds cool."

Nickel blinked and looked around for a moment. He didn't have any of his knives or ammo, so demonstrations were out of the picture. "What did you do for fun? I… I learned how to throw knives and use my gun."

"Never really played games with others, did you?" Nickel shook his head, his tail going flat on the ground. Yuma laughed again, scratching at his nose as he tossed the core into the fire. "I spent a lot of my time learning how to steal to survive. I grew up in a large town. Lots of people. I stole small things, like food and clothing. Lived off the streets. It was kill or be killed for me." His eyes lost focus for a moment. When they snapped back to focus, he shuddered and looked to the stars. "It wasn't a pretty life. I avoided the mines. SDC got my parents and put them in there. They offered them good wages, or so they claimed. Got them killed in the end."

"How?"

"Dust was getting stolen. They blamed the Faunus. Cops got involved. It was easier to bury a body then it was to do an investigation. Twenty-eight people lost their lives that day. I was ten when it happened."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I got my revenge. Well… not really. I stole a lot of lien from the guy. A lot! Helped keep me alive for a bit. Then I heard about this Grimm that started running around causing problems. Rumor has it, Mistral's government isn't doing anything to help out. So, when Kali and the Fang came through, I jumped on. I don't wanna die."

Nickel caressed the pristine hammer on his gun for comfort. "You won't die." Yuma laughed bitterly. Nickel drew his gun, setting it in his lap as if he were examining it. The winged Faunus eyed it carefully. "I fought a Grimm that was different. We never heard about something running through villages. Still not sure that what we saw was what you're running from. But the thing was different, I'll give it that. Some crazy rider sitting atop a horse made of angry teeth and bone. I can still hear the scream. It made my ears bleed with its voice."

The two shuddered under such a thought. Nickel, having experienced it, and Yuma, believing the sound to be a voice speaking death in a tongue no one could understand. The image he created was also frightening to him.

Yuma envisioned a man, more monster than man, sitting atop a beast that might have resembled a horse that breathed black smoke and left burning prints in its wake. A darkness so foul it suffocated the air around it and no life would grow where it walked. It was a being of pure darkness in his eyes. Something to be feared.

"That thing was more monster than any Grimm I'd fought before. Neither of us could stop it or delay it. It lead the other Grimm like a leader. An Alpha, maybe. It was smart. When it knew we couldn't stop it, it just played with us. It wasn't out to kill, just torture."

"But you got away. That's what counts. You fought this thing. Maybe it's a different one."

"I got away because my old man shoved me off a cliff into the river. An angry wall of Grimm had chased us up there. I was ready to fight. I guess father had other ideas."

"Sounds like he did a noble thing. No father should have to bury their son." Yuma yawned and got up, stretching his arms. His wings extended to their full length, an impressive five feet, almost as tall as he was. "Suns' coming up. I think I'll turn in for the day. If you decide to stay, come find me. I'm thinking about joining the White Fang. Better to move with a pack than be by myself. Maybe I'll find a pretty girl if I stick around."

Nickel chuckled at the thought as he entertained the idea of having a girl that liked him. "Yeah… I'll keep that in mind." Yet another thing he'd never thought to experience in his life. Maybe if they had more girls that were his age back home, he'd have considered such a thing.

Figuring that now was as good a time as any to leave, he got to his feet and began sniffing the air to find Sabar or Adam. One of them could give him back his ammo and knives. He needed those if he wanted to get anywhere without getting maimed. An armed traveler garnered less attention than an unarmed one, less someone really wanted to try their hand at taking your stuff.

It didn't take him long to find Sabar. The man was speaking with another guard that was rather animated about something.

Nickel waited patiently just beyond hearing range to give them some privacy. He didn't have to wait long. Sabar motioned for him to come over after a minute of talking and gestured to the guard. "This is Nickel. He was one of the people we picked up."

The guard, a woman, stared at him, eyeing him from top to bottom, and judging him. She did not wear armor, instead favoring a black corset with white pants. Her skin was dark with red markings and her hair was black as night, nearly hiding her two cat ears that rested atop her head.

"You don't look like much."

Nickel shrugged, unsure of how to respond to such a comment. Damn his lack of social interactions. "I just came to get my stuff," he told them.

Sabar gave a curt nod as he lead the two toward a fair sized tent. He threw it open and followed them in. "We have your stuff over there. I'm sure you understand why we never gave it back?"

"Of course." Nickel was just happy to have his knives back. Those were the real threat over the gun for him. The gun was a new addition and not fully broken in yet, but the knives were his children.

"You carry a lot of weird stuff."

"Not really that weird." The woman started laying out the other items that had been confiscated from his pouches. Herbs in plastic bags, a whetstone, oils, flint, and pebbles lay on a table, each one looking worn from use in their containers. "Each one serves a unique purpose."

That was enough to give Nickel pause. His attention was now directed to the woman, her hand gesturing to each item as she explained its function.

"The whetstone is most likely for his knives, obviously, along with the oils. Though, I'd also assume the oils are used as a catalyst for fires with the flint. Herbs for mending wounds or staving off poisons, while the pebbles are used for distractions." Her eyes, bright gold, flickered to Nickel as if waiting for his impute. "Am I wrong?"

"N-No. Not at all." He smiled, overcome with a sense of pride for the woman. Not many could see what he carried and understand its basic functions. Lessons learned from the villagers taught him the importance of each item. Any person with half a brain could see what they were for, but naming them might take more effort. Effort that Nickel, sadly, did not have. "I never got your name, Ms…"

The woman smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her human ear. "Sienna Khan." She shook his hand when he presented it and smiled at him when he returned to getting his gear in order. "Hate to ask, but who made your knives? They seem rather worn down."

"Constant use." Nickel eyed one of them, scowling at the long crack that now lined half the length of the blade. John would have taken care of it. He never let his weapons fall into disrepair. A good friend… if one could call him that. "Hopefully I can get a few more years out of them."

"Before you need to replace them?" Sabar asked. He ran a hand over his chin where stubble was forming. "Got a pretty good smith back in Menagerie. Not saying you should come with us. I know you're set on getting your people to Haven. You could drop by, have 'em take a look the things. Maybe make you a new set."

"They are just metal. You could get Dust Infused blades or blades made of refined Dust."

That was news to Nickel. Father commissioned the weapons. Not exactly something he had been pleased to have at the start. In truth, they had been a game of sorts back home. Nothing to do but throw knives, hike, and work. Still, Dust Infused weaponry sounded good to him. "I'll think about it."

"Don't think too long. We don't intend to stay here forever. With that unknown Grimm running around and Humans not helping, we sort of got a limited amount of time before this place goes up in cinders." Sabar informed him.

The last knife was slid into place. Nickel shut his eyes, his mind still returning to the questionable future he had. Getting the people to Haven was his job, the last noble act his father should have done. But once that was over, what then? He always returned to that line of thinking. These people offered him a chance. It was one worth taking, obviously.

"Any idea on how long?"

Sabar shook his head. "Until we got all the Faunus that wanna leave or need saving, I think this place is going to stay. But after that, we're out. Hard to make two places ours when the one we got right now legally belongs to us. Not eager to make a second place and have it be seen as a show of force."

Sliding iron into the cylinder of his revolver, Nickel nodded mutely. No point in expanding if it wasn't needed. Not with an unknown Grimm running amok. That would make things worse.

He holstered the gun, relieved to finally feel the weight of a fully loaded gun, his knives, and equipment back on his person. It made him feel naked without them or the added weight.

The tent opened up and Adam stepped in. If he was shocked by the three, he didn't show it. "We have a problem." Sabar and Sienna turned to him fully, their eyes narrowing in fear and anger. "We just got word of a convoy being attacked by Grimm. Two of the vehicles made it back. They left the third and took who they could. About twenty people ran into the woods to escape."

"The unknown Grimm?" Sabar asked, worry in his voice.

"No. Just normal types."

Sienna and Sabar chewed their lower lips in thought. There was no telling where they ran to in the woods. They'd have no way of finding them without markers or contact with them via Scrolls.

Nickel caressed the hammer of his gun, his eyes closed. "How far out from here?"

Adam tilted his head in thought. Sienna eyed him strangely as Nickel kept running his thumb over the hammer. "They were near Kuroyuri. A few hours from here by transport. We could make it one hour if we gunned it. But the problem isn't that we can get to the site of the accident, tracking them is."

"No it won't." Nickel smiled, his eyes opening. "I can track any kind of scent. I need something of theirs or just to be in the area. Anything out of the ordinary will stand out. I already have a good idea of what's normal in Kuroyuri. I've been there before. So I know the landscape."

"So you can track them if we get you there?" Sienna asked. He nodded and she turned on Adam. "Get a crew together. Make sure they have medical gear on hand. We don't know what we'll be running into. Nickel, finish getting yourself together if you have anything else you need. Sabar, I'll take charge on this one."

"I'll get a transport ready."

The two males left, leaving Nickel and Sienna alone. "Once I've located them and you get them loaded up, I have to leave. I just need to make sure that the survivors from my village get home."

"I understand."

Nickel exited the tent, not once looking back. A good deed needed rewarding. They helped him, and he felt they were owed this much. He smiled, happy to be back out in the field again. There was no place he'd rather be.