Happy Dragon Tuesday, everyone! We are back with Blake's big reveal.

Today's dragon of the week is Durnehviir from Skyrim. An undead dragon tricked into residing in a ghostly dimension called the Soul Cairn for all eternity, he befriends the Dragonborn and tells them his name so that he can be summoned to give assistance in battle. Due to being tied to the Soul Cairn, he can't return to the world of the living for long, so being summoned is the only way he can see his old homeland again. I summon him even when I don't have enemies to fight, just so he can fly around a bit. I feel bad for the guy.

Anyway, enjoy!

There were a few seconds of silence as everyone stared at Blake. Beneath the bow she always wore were two furry black cat ears. A thousand thoughts and questions went through their minds.

Weiss in particular felt a sinking sensation in her chest as she thought back to a certain conversation in the RWBY dorm after her foot-in-mouth moment with Sun. No wonder she seemed so personally affected, she thought. Did she…hide who she was because she knew I'd be her teammate?

Sun, on the other hand, was thrilled. Holy crap, I'm not the only Faunus in our group! Honestly, he and Blake were close to being the only Faunus in their grade.

Ruby zipped over and hugged Blake. "Blake, you didn't have to hide something like that. We don't mind." She nodded toward Sun to emphasize her point.

Blake smiled despite her worries. Everyone looked stunned, but no one seemed angry that she had kept this secret. Things were going well so far. "It's not just that I'm a Faunus," she explained. "If that was all, I would have told you sooner. You guys can't say anything about this, by the way!"

The others nodded, and Blake took a breath before continuing. "I'm…being hunted by the White Fang. When we were at the club, Junior recognized me and told me that they've been asking about me in Vale."

"The White Fang? What do they want with you?" Ruby asked.

Sun frowned. "I…heard that they track down deserters." He looked hesitantly at Blake. "Is that what's happening here?"

Weiss felt her throat tightening with fear in spite of herself. If Blake was a former White Fang member, was Ozpin's screening really as good as everyone said? Then, she berated herself for even thinking along those lines.

"Partially." Blake glanced at Weiss as she said this. "I was a member of the White Fang since I was little. When it first started out, it was a peaceful organization. We did boycotts, protests, and petitions, and we did it all legally. We also did a lot of marches for dragon rights."

Her fists clenched as she thought back. "But, when m- When the old leader stepped down, things started to change. I tried to rationalize it, tried convincing myself that just one more riot wouldn't really hurt anyone, that it would be a quicker way of getting our message across."

Weiss's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything. She's trusting you enough to confess this. Don't say something you'll regret. You already promised to have an open mind.

"Then, people started getting hurt," Blake sighed. "I tried urging one of the higher-ups, someone I was close to, to stop. He didn't listen. He, like the White Fang, had changed over time."

"He?" Yang asked. "Who exactly was he?"

"His name was Adam," Blake said, her tone leaving no room for further questions on that subject. "He came up with a new idea for the White Fang: If Faunus are going to be prevented from owning dragons, we should not only breed our own, but breed stronger ones."

"Stronger, how?" Ruby asked, thinking back to Penny. Were they somehow involved with the attack on that airship?

"Hybrids. Dragon eggs injected with more than one kind of Dust."

There was a collective gasp of horror from the group. Weiss's eyes blazed. "Haven't they read any history books?! Hybrids are unstable! That's why they were banned! That's why only the Schnee Dust Company is even allowed to inject eggs, because we have perfected the process!"

"Not to mention the Purge," Jaune muttered, thinking back to when he was little and news of the systematic culling of all hybrid dragons was all anyone could talk about.

"Exactly, which is why you absolutely have to keep this a secret," Blake insisted. "Because Pit is one of them."

The sense of dread in the air increased tenfold with that confession. If one of the Beacon dragons was an illegal hybrid, everyone could suffer the consequences if he was discovered.

Sage frowned, thinking back. "Is that why he was able to stop Twiggy from falling that day?"

"Yes. His egg was injected with trace amounts of gravity Dust," Blake said. "The experiments were becoming crueler as Adam became impatient. Misshapen dragons were being born and dying immediately. Those that weren't considered strong enough were culled. I ran away from the White Fang and took an egg with me. My plan was to leave a note and the egg at Beacon, so that someone could put a stop to it. The egg hatched before I got here."

"Does Ozpin know?" Weiss wondered. "I mean, he has to know, doesn't he?"

"He does. I told him everything when I got here. He promised to keep me and Pit safe from the Council while I'm a student." Blake looked at the ground. "I'll have to tell him the White Fang is getting closer. I wanted to let you know, just in case…they try something here."

"How many?" Ruby's normally bright voice was shaking with rage. "How many dragons were killed?"

Blake's ears drooped and she stared at the ground. "I don't know. Too many. Adam tried to keep me away from the hatcheries, since he knew how I'd react. I started planning my escape after the first time I saw one."

"What…happened during those hatchings?" Scarlet whispered, though he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

Blake shook her head. "Anything could happen. I remember one time when they tried making an ice dragon. It was born dead, and was cold to the touch. Another time, there was an attempt at making a wind/fire hybrid. Its heart beat so quickly, it burst within minutes of hatching." She looked toward the stalls. "It's ironic. Pit would have been an experimental dragon, since only small amounts of gravity Dust were used. He would have been culled without a second thought."

Ruby's hands shook and she clenched her fists. "That's…that's…" She leaned into Yang as her sister pulled her close.

"I hope this Adam person doesn't have a dragon," Pyrrha murmured.

"He does," Blake sighed. "One of my biggest regrets was leaving Brand behind. He deserves so much better."

"So, Dragonmaster Ozpin just made you a student after…?" Weiss trailed off, her expression still troubled.

"Despite my affiliations with the White Fang?" Blake smiled wryly. "I guess there's really no point to the screening, huh?" When Weiss winced slightly, Blake's tone softened. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Weiss. I don't like what the White Fang has become. That's why I left."

"What will you do if they find you, though?" Yang asked. "I mean, if they're checking around Junior's, it's only a matter of time before they realize where you are."

"I'll have to run," Blake said. "Me and Pit. I'm not going to make Beacon a target. That's why I wanted to tell you guys. I won't be able to smuggle him out of Vale alone. I know it's asking a lot, but-"

"Wrong!" Sun piped up, folding his arms. "That'll just put you in worse danger. Do you think you'll be able to hide a dragon?!"

"There are plenty of rogue Riders," Blake protested.

"Yeah, but they have fully-grown dragons that can be ridden anywhere. Pit's not even a year old yet! You wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Besides," Jaune added. "Ozpin promised to protect you. I'm sure he and the other profs could easily take down anything the White Fang sends our way!"

"Ditching and going rogue is not the answer," Yang said, her voice sharper than she had intended. "Trust me." When everyone but Ruby gave her confused looks, her face flushed. "My mother is a rogue. I never met her."

Ruby squeezed her hand gently. "Summer was your real mom, Yang. She didn't care about blood."

Yang smiled and ruffled Ruby's hair. "I know, sis. Still, I wish I could talk to my mother just once and get some answers. That's how I met Junior, actually. I tried getting info off of him. I knew he had it, but he refused to give it. Things…escalated."

"Huh. Maybe she's a badass criminal and Junior's afraid of her- Ow!" Sun yelped as Neptune elbowed his side. "What?"

"Take your foot out of your mouth, Sun," Neptune grumbled.

Yang laughed. "No, it's fine. You're probably right, actually. All I really know about her is that her name's Raven Branwen, our uncle Qrow is her twin brother and refuses to talk about her, and her dragon is a fire dragon named Phoenix."

Pyrrha looked around. "Blake, you should probably put your bow back on if you want to keep things secret. It's getting close to when the groundskeepers make their late-night rounds."

Blake quickly re-tied the bow, feeling a twinge of regret. The night air felt nice on her fur.

Ruby noticed Blake's expression. "You can always keep the bow off in our dorm room. We'll remind you to put it on before going out."

Blake smiled. "Thanks, Ruby. And thank you, everyone. I know this is a lot to take in."

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Sun said, holding out his arms in a grand gesture. "It's all part of our whole buddy-bonding thing. I mean, you have this thing, Yang's got her mom thing, Nep's got his water thing, Jaune's got a runty dragon, and Ren's dragon has bad gills. Are there any other stories anyone wants to share while we're here?"

Ren coughed loudly. "I don't think we need to share everything at once. Why don't we focus on the issue at hand?"

Nora nodded. "Yeah, like how we're gonna take out those White Fang goons if they come here. I vote we break their legs and feed them to Ragnar!"

"Nora…"

"Yeah, you're right. We don't wanna make poor Ragnar sick."

"I have a secret, if anyone's interested," Jaune said, lowering his voice dramatically and glancing around.

Pyrrha tilted her head, not quite sure whether he was kidding or not. "What is it?"

"Gather close," Jaune insisted. "Listen real good." When the others leaned in, he grinned. "When I was younger, my sisters would make me play dress-up with them. Makeup was involved!" he hissed.

There was a moment of silence before everyone started laughing. Any lingering tension or fear in the air vanished in an instant.

"Did you wear heels?" Yang asked, snickering as she tried to picture Jaune in a dress.

"You mean lady-stilts?" Ruby snorted.

After that, the conversation became more lighthearted. The friends stayed in the dark courtyard for another half-hour before finally retiring to their dorm rooms, once again reassuring Blake that her secret was safe with them.

Once Team RWBY got back to their dorm, which still felt incredibly empty without the dragonets, Weiss touched Blake's arm. When Blake gave her a curious look, her face flushed.

"I…just wanted to thank you for trusting us," Weiss murmured.

Blake smiled. "Thank you for not freaking out."

Weiss shook her head. "I probably would have if I had found this out earlier." She looked hesitantly at Blake. "Have you been…uncomfortable around me?"

Blake folded her arms, nodding reluctantly. "Yes. At first, I really was. It's part of why I was so determined to keep it a secret. But, after what happened with Sun, after you apologized and promised to improve, I realized that I could trust you."

Weiss felt a genuine smile coming to her face. "I'm glad to hear that. If you don't mind, I do have several questions about Faunus that I haven't had the chance to ask Sun. If you don't mind me asking every now and then…"

"You can ask me anything!" Blake promised. "It would be nice if everyone actually wanted to learn."

"I have a question!" Ruby chirped, blushing a little when Blake looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Um…" Ruby touched her forefingers together nervously. "Is it, uh, rude to ask if I can touch your ears?"

Blake blinked, then chuckled softly. "It would be if you were a stranger. Since we're friends, it's an okay thing to ask."

"Then…can I touch your ears?" Ruby's eyes were bright and hopeful.

Blake hesitated. The last person to touch her ears had been Adam, and it had been in a very…intimate situation. "Not now," she decided. "Maybe eventually. I'll let you know."

"Okay," Ruby replied. "No problem. Thanks, Blake!"

"Do strangers actually ask to pet Faunus?" Weiss wondered. "That seems a tad forward."

Blake grimaced. "Oh, yes. Most people have the same attitude about that as one would have about asking to pet someone's dog. Some don't even ask. It's really bad for canine Faunus. I once knew a fox Faunus who regularly had to deal with kids running over to him and grabbing his tail. The parents wouldn't even stop them!"

"That probably gets annoying real fast," Yang snorted.

"Tell me about it." Blake rolled her eyes. "Feline Faunus have it almost as bad as canines."

"I wonder how bad it is for Sun," Ruby mused.

"He told me recently that people have pulled his tail in the past," Weiss remembered. "It was mostly to harass him. You know, even before I started talking with him, I never understood that. I would never touch someone without permission in the first place, human or Faunus!"

"It's just part of the overall attitude of society," Blake said. "Faunus are seen as being closer to animals by most people. Therefore, certain actions are considered acceptable, such as petting ears."

"Are they, though?" Weiss asked. Her cheeks flushed when Blake glared at her. "I don't mean that offensively, I promise! But, since Faunus have animal features, is it possible that there's a closer relation to the animals in question? Again, that says nothing about your intelligence or anything else!"

Blake felt the fur on her ears bristling, but fought against her temper. She's asking questions. Don't get mad, or she'll be afraid to learn anything else. "No," she replied. "Our tails, ears, horns, etcetera have the same genetic material as the rest of a Faunus. We are no closer to animals than humans are. Honestly, the existence of our animal features is still a mystery."

Relieved that Blake hadn't yelled at her, Weiss asked: "Is there a genetic difference between different Faunus, at least?"

"No. That's the strange part." Blake thought back to her early days, when her parents had taught her about the scientific side of being a Faunus. "If a human reproduces with a Faunus, the child will be of the animal species of that Faunus. If two Faunus of the same species reproduce, the child will be that species. However, if two different kinds of Faunus reproduce, the child could be any species. I know a family consisting of a deer Faunus, a leopard Faunus, and their child, who is a bearded dragon Faunus."

"That is really interesting." Weiss was honestly surprised at how little she knew. Then again, Faunus biology wasn't exactly high on her father's list of educational priorities.

"Ooh!" Yang gasped as she suddenly thought of something. "Is it possible for Faunus to fly? Like, if they're a bird or bat?"

"No. Faunus only have one notable external animal feature, and some smaller qualities. Their skeletal structure doesn't vary beyond the external features. Even if a bird or bat Faunus has wings, they won't have the lighter bones necessary for flight. They could potentially glide short distances depending on their overall size, but that's it." Blake let out a yawn. "I think that's enough questions for tonight. We should probably go to bed so we don't sleep in and worry our dragons."

"Omigosh, I forgot!" Ruby gasped, feeling guilty as she thought of poor Storm.

"Hey, she'll be fine," Yang said, patting her shoulder. "They need to get used to this if they're gonna live in the stables next semester."

"I know, but still," Ruby sighed.

The team quickly prepared for bed and turned off the lights. "Night, Blake!" Ruby called. "Thanks again for trusting us. Night, everyone!"

Blake smiled. "Goodnight." She closed her eyes, feeling the softness of her pillow against her ears, and fell asleep quicker than she had ever done before.

Weiss stayed awake a little while longer, contemplating what she had learned and marveling at how calm she felt. I have a former White Fang member sleeping in the same room as me, she thought. This is basically one of Father's worst fears come true.

Thinking about his mishandling of Glacier and combining that with what she knew now about Faunus, Weiss couldn't help but wonder just how deep her father's ignorance ran. It took her nearly an hour to finally fall asleep.

People have been pointing out the differences between how events play out here and how they played out in canon. That's intentional. As I said before, it would be boring if I just mirrored canon events all the way through. There wouldn't be any surprises. There are obviously several similarities, particularly now in the parts that'll coincide with Volumes 1 and 2, but I plan on taking a completely different turn after the Remnant Dragon Festival. That means, among other things, that your Arkos hearts will not be shattered into a million pieces. You're welcome. ^_^

If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

For writing tips, prompts, top 10 lists, and fandom rants from yours truly, check out my blog at soloragoldsun dot wordpress dot com.

Peace out!