Rawr, everyone! Happy Dragon Tuesday and happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. The idea of freedom and equality is more important now than ever. So many basic human rights are being threatened, from health care to the ability to simply be oneself. Keep your head high and stand up for what's right. That's all we can do.
Today's dragon of the week is Gwiber, also known as the White Dragon. In Arthurian legend, there was a man named Vortigern, a conqueror who built a great fortress that kept collapsing. He was told that he needed the blood of a child with no father in order to keep it standing, and sought to sacrifice a bastard child named Emrys (who would later be known as Merlin). Emrys had a vision of two dragon eggs beneath the tower, and said that they were the cause of the fortress collapsing. The area was dug up, and the two eggs were found. From them came two dragons, one red and one white, which then fought. The red one, which represented Wales and went on to be the emblem on the Welsh flag, killed the white one, which represented Vortigern and the Saxons. Vortigern was soon defeated by Uther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur.
Anyway, enjoy!
Weiss adjusted her down-filled coat as she walked through the crunchy grass of the courtyard. A sudden frost over the course of the night signaled the impending end of fall and the coming of winter. Weiss didn't mind, of course. The cold didn't really bother her as much as it did other people.
Specter absolutely loved the change. He bounded through the grass, running his claws through the cold soil, licking the white sheen from the ground until Weiss told him to stop.
"You're more dignified than that, Specter! Don't let people see you eating dirt," she scolded.
Specter huffed and tossed his head, flicking his tail irritably. Then, he stiffened. He sniffed the air and growled, turning to a part of the courtyard leading toward the stables.
Weiss followed his gaze and felt a hot coil of rage in the pit of her stomach at what she saw. Near the edge of the courtyard, in broad daylight, was a Faunus being harassed by Team CRDL and their dragons.
Well, three of them, Weiss thought, noticing that Dove and Tank were standing nearby, looking very uncomfortable. She was already striding toward them. Cardin was starting to pull on the poor girl's rabbit ears. Russel had her by the arms.
Specter trotted alongside his partner, hissing softly as he approached the bully dragons. He was more than ready to teach them a lesson. How would they like having their paws frozen to the grass?
"Stop it this instant!" Weiss snapped as she drew close.
Cardin looked toward her, not letting go of the brown-furred ear in his hand. "Step off, princess. Don't you and your designer dragon have a ball to go to, or something?"
Russel and Sky snickered while Dove let out a halfhearted single laugh. Mudslide's green eyes blazed as she snapped in Specter's direction. Barracuda's tail was lashing and Tornado looked like he was trying to decide whether or not to take a chunk out of the Faunus's leg.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "How original. Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from someone who gets pleasure by ganging up on one person."
"What person?" Cardin snorted. "I was just thinking that, with the weather getting cold, I could use a nice bunny-fur coat."
Russel shook his head. "Nah, not enough fur for that. Go for a pair of mittens."
The rabbit Faunus trembled. "P-Please let go," she whispered.
"Hey, maybe we should get to class," Dove suggested weakly, only to cringe away when Sky glared in his direction.
"That's it," Weiss growled. "Specter, pin Mudslide." As she spoke, she withdrew her pepper spray, dodged around Sky, and sprayed Cardin right in the face.
Cardin screamed, his hands flying to his eyes. Mudslide howled and lunged toward Weiss, only to be pushed to the ground by a rapidly-chilling ice dragon. She whimpered, struggling under the cold paws.
"Tornado, sic her!" Sky shouted, though he didn't really need to. Tornado was already barreling toward Weiss, who barely jumped out of the way in time. The wind dragon turned around, stood on his hind legs, and flapped his wings, knocking Weiss to the ground.
Weiss gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, suddenly regretting her decision to take on Team CRDL on her own. What else could she have done, though? When Barracuda's fangs snapped just short of her face, she jumped back with a yelp.
The Faunus, meanwhile, struggled out of Russel's grip, pulled a whistle out from under her shirt, and blew as hard as she could into it. A piercing tone rang across the courtyard, causing all of the dragonets to stop what they were doing and crouch down. In the distance, a roar rang out. Weiss sat up and saw the form of a dragon flying toward the courtyard from the wind stable.
Russel and Sky followed her gaze and hurried to help Cardin up and rush toward the school. Specter let Mudslide up, and the earth dragon stumbled after her partner. Tornado and Barracuda snarled as they retreated. Dove and Tank hesitated, then followed.
Just as Weiss was standing up, a beautiful, cream-colored wind dragon landed in front of her. Not quite as big as a full adult, it was taller than two horses at the shoulder and sporting a long, sinuous neck and gentle, green eyes.
The rabbit Faunus patted the dragon's shoulder and dusted off her riding chaps before turning to Weiss. "Thank you for your help. They jumped me, so I wasn't able to call Meringue."
"Meringue?" Weiss tilted her head. "I never heard of a dragon being named after a pastry."
The girl laughed. "It's a bit of a theme with our team. My name's Velvet, by the way." She held out her hand.
Weiss gladly took it. "I'm Weiss. It's a pleasure to meet you. And this is Specter."
"So, this is the famous ice dragon," Velvet said, giving him an appraising look. "I never got to see one up close before. He's quite beautiful. Those black eyes are certainly intimidating."
"That's how he got his name," Weiss explained. "Since his eyes made me think of a ghost. You can pet him if you like. He's quite friendly." Her early fears of letting Specter near other people were totally gone by this point.
"Thank you!" Velvet didn't hesitate to approach Specter. "Oh, and feel free to say hello to Meringue. She likes you." She gently touched the ice dragon's scales. "Funny, his scales don't feel too cold."
"They are actually colder than other dragon scales. It's harder to tell with this weather." Weiss looked up at Meringue, who was staring down at her with a curious, open expression.
"Hello." She offered her hand, feeling a warm flutter when the large dragon lowered her head. Her father, of course, hadn't allowed her to interact with Glacier, and the broodery dragons were also off limits. Even when she came to Beacon, she never truly approached the professors' dragons. All she really had were her secret moments with Glacier through the wall of the stable. These large, adult beasts, therefore, still felt like a true marvel. The idea that such huge, powerful creatures could be so loyal to their smaller partners and so gentle with a human that could easily be crushed underfoot, was truly incredible. So, Weiss couldn't help but shiver a little as she touched Meringue's snout and felt a gentle rumble against her palm.
"Lo," Meringue murmured, blinking an eye that was nearly as big as Weiss's head.
Weiss smiled as she stroked Meringue's scales. "You're quite gorgeous, aren't you?"
Meringue bowed her head modestly and blew a soft puff of air. Then, she stiffened. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at something over Weiss's shoulder.
Weiss turned and immediately called Specter over. Tank was approaching, and was carrying something in his mouth. The fire dragon let out a muffled warble, shaking as he looked up at Meringue.
Velvet cautiously approached the dragon, then gasped as she saw what it was holding. "That's my book! One of them must have snatched it." She held out her hand, and Tank carefully placed the book on her palm. "Thank you."
Tank bobbed his head, then bounded off in the direction Team CRDL had gone.
Velvet looked at her book, carefully wiping dragon spit from it. "Thank goodness I don't carry around my collector's edition…"
"Dove must have told Tank to come back here," Weiss said. "He wouldn't have come on his own."
Velvet nodded slowly. "Dove never actually takes part when the other three bully me. I feel a little sorry for him."
Weiss frowned. "Do they do this regularly?"
"Yes. I usually try walking to class with one of my teammates, or I call Meringue." Velvet hugged her book to her chest. "I don't like doing it. It feels cowardly. I tried going on my own today, but…"
"There's nothing cowardly about being cautious!" Weiss insisted. "Why do you think I carry pepper spray with me?" She looked toward the school and sighed. "I wish I could say that reporting them would do any good."
"I know." Velvet patted Specter once more before walking over to Meringue. "I do feel sorry for those dragons. I'm sure they wouldn't be such bullies if they had better partners." She rubbed her dragon's shoulder and smiled at Weiss. "It was nice meeting you, Weiss. You too, Specter. I should get to class, though."
"Oh!" Weiss gasped, realizing that her first class would be starting soon. "I hope I didn't make you late!"
Velvet shook her head. "Don't worry. Professor Peach is usually late herself, and she's aware of my…daily problems. Still, to save time…" She tapped Meringue's shoulder, prompting the large dragon to crouch down. "Might as well get some bareback practice in." She clambered up, sitting down on the dragon's back, careful of the spines. "Bye, Weiss."
"Bye." Weiss waved as Meringue trotted briskly in the direction of the second year arenas. She looked at Specter and his sharp, pointy back spines. "Bareback riding would probably be a little riskier for us." She patted his head. "Well, off to class."
…
"Yo, Blake!" Sun called, jogging to catch up with his friend as she walked across the courtyard during a break between classes. He begrudgingly adjusted a coat that Neptune had made him wear.
Blake and Pit turned around, waiting for Sun and Huo to approach. Pit bristled as Huo let out a low growl.
"Chill, asshole," Sun said, lightly cuffing his dragon's head.
"Is it badass, or asshole?" Blake asked with an amused smirk.
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Sun laughed. "Hey, can we talk for a sec?"
Blake hesitated, glancing guardedly around. Despite the chill in the air, there were still several people in the area. "That depends on what you want to talk about."
Sun raised his hands. "Don't worry, I won't say anything specific."
"Okay. Go ahead," Blake muttered, though she was still a little nervous at what he might inadvertently say.
Sun looked around before speaking. "I just wanted to let you know that it's…a relief to have someone else around who…gets it," he said, hoping this was vague enough for any random people passing by. When Blake didn't show any sign of panic, he continued. "And, I wanted to let you know that you can always talk to me about...stuff that the others might not get on the same level. Know what I mean?"
Blake's shoulders relaxed and she nodded, a smile coming to her face. "Yes, I do. Thanks, Sun. That really means a lot."
They walked to class together, and Sun spent the rest of the day thinking about her. He had, admittedly, thought about her a lot throughout the weekend.
Before finding out the truth about her, Sun had certainly enjoyed Blake's company. She was quiet, nice, and honest. Now, after learning that she was like him, and that her quiet exterior was covering up an intriguing status as a White Fang fugitive… He was starting to wonder if things were starting to look up for him. His head was still in the clouds when Sage approached him after dinner.
"You seem distracted, Sun," Sage noted.
Sun grinned sheepishly. "Maybe a bit."
"Something on your mind?"
Sun glanced around before looking back at Sage. "I…think I might have a crush on Blake."
Sage raised an eyebrow. "You never seemed interested in her before?"
"Well…" Sun explained what he had been thinking and feeling, not sure what to make of Sage's expression as he finished.
After a moment's consideration, Sage spoke carefully. "Are you…sure about your feelings?"
Sun blinked. "Huh? Why wouldn't I be?"
Sage shrugged. "Like I said, you never seemed interested in her in that way before. If anything, I would have thought you liked Yang."
"Nah. Yang's too similar to me, you know?" Sun grinned. "Opposite attract. Haven't you heard?"
"Is that what's attracting you?" Sage asked. "Are you sure you aren't romanticizing her now that you know she's a tall, dark, and mysterious Faunus?"
"I…" Sun frowned as Sage's words sank in. "I don't know."
Sage nodded knowingly. "There's nothing wrong with having a crush. Just don't pursue something serious until you're sure of your feelings. Wait for the novelty of this new information to wear off, then see how you feel." He patted Zircon's shoulder as the earth dragon shifted closer to him. "I like Blake a great deal, and I think that talking with you will help her, one way or another. Time will tell if that means you being a friend, or something more."
Sun tilted his head. "When you say 'like…'"
"I mean platonically," Sage assured him. "Even if I had feelings for her beyond that, I wouldn't give you bad advice."
"Dude, I know that!" Sun punched his arm lightly. "I was just wondering." The two sat down and watched Huo and Zircon.
It was funny watching the two interact. Huo was still very bad-tempered, and Zircon was still skittish. Yet, Huo didn't directly attack Zircon, and Zircon didn't seem nervous at all around his brother. Zircon would pace around while Huo would watch and let out irritated growls. Eventually, Zircon curled up in a patch of grass and Huo entertained himself by setting leaves on fire by touching them with his snout.
"Don't set the whole courtyard on fire, buddy," Sun warned.
Huo snorted, tossing his head stubbornly.
"He seems less aggressive toward you," Sage noted.
Sun let out a laugh. "Yeah. All it took was him driving me to straight-up yell at him. I've had to do it a few more times. He responds to it." He shook his head. "I hate doing it, though."
"If it works, then keep doing it," Sage said. "I think Huo could be an incredible fire dragon once he's properly trained."
"He'll be the biggest badass any Grimm ever saw!" Sun declared. "I'll make sure of it." He looked at Zircon. "And Zircon will be the safest dragon to have, that's for sure."
Sage smiled. "That's true. He won't rush into any dangerous situations."
"Maybe dragons are born with different personalities to balance out sibling groups," Sun speculated. "What do you think?"
"I think it's very possible," Sage agreed.
The two sat together for a little while before going back to the dorms. Sun glanced at his friend. "Hey, Sage?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for the advice."
Sage smiled. "It's what I'm here for, Sun. It's what I'm here for."
With this chapter, I can finally rant about something that has been bugging me for years: Why the hell didn't anyone stand up for Velvet when she was getting bullied in the lunchroom back in Volume 1?! Seriously, I've looked back on that episode several times and keep asking that question. Between Teams RWBY and JNPR, there were EIGHT PEOPLE. Eight kick-ass Huntsmen. Okay, so maybe Jaune wasn't a kick-ass yet, but still! There were seven people who were all better fighters than Team CRDL's four members, so fear couldn't have been the issue. Hell, Blake is a freaking Faunus! Why didn't she say anything? Pyrrha had a pretty strong sense of justice, and could easily kick all of their asses. Nora was very gung-ho about leg breaking. So, what the hell? There were muttered comments about how much of an asshole Cardin was and about how hard it is to be a Faunus, but no freaking action!
Dude, you're Huntsmen! Isn't defending others your freaking job? You literally just sat there and were like "Man, that sucks," when you could have just walked over and told Cardin to fuck off! Or you could have ignored him completely and asked Velvet to sit with you. It would have been so freaking easy!
Seriously, does it bother anyone else that NONE of our main characters did anything but talk while someone was a target of racism at the next freaking table?!
Ahem. Sorry. I have some strong feelings on the matter. As you can see, I corrected the issue here. I also addressed it in my trans!Jaune story, "Chrysalis."
I'm also glad that I can finally address something else that's been on my mind: the contrived nature of Black Sun. Now, if you read my stuff regularly, you know I loved Black Sun before Blake developed her unfortunate habit of slapping my precious monkey boy in the face. *holds back yet another long rant*
The truth of it, however, is that the initial basis of their relationship is pretty much the fact that they're both Faunus. Without Sun's personality and Michael's voice acting, I probably would have hated him and brushed him off as a shoehorned love interest. Thankfully, the two ended up having amazing chemistry (before Volume 4). However, since I'm not going the Black Sun route this time around, I'd like to explore their relationship in a different sense. I hope you guys like it!
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!