Rawr, everyone! Today is the last chapter before this fic's hiatus. I think this is a good stopping point, as stopping points go.
Enjoy!
As Team RWBY fell back into schedule with their classes, several changes became apparent. By now, all of the freshman dragonets were having regular flying classes. The wind dragons were already practicing flights around Beacon and wearing weights to stimulate a Rider. Most enjoyable, or annoying in some cases, of all was that the dragonets were finally learning to form human words.
It was very revealing. Some dragons simply tried saying their Riders' names. Others provided insight to the kind of vocabulary they often heard.
When Barracuda let out a loud, perfectly-articulated "Fuck!" during class one day, Russel couldn't have been prouder. Glynda was decidedly not amused and reported the incident to Ozpin, who tried very hard not to start laughing when he asked Russel to try and rein in his dragon's language.
After class one day, Neptune rushed into the stable yard, where the rest of his team had already met up, followed closely by Nymph. "Guys! Guys! Guess what?"
Sun glanced up, smiling at the genuine joy and excitement on his best friend's face. "What's up?"
"Listen!" Neptune turned to Nymph. "Go on, girl. Say it again!"
"Nnn…" Nymph wrinkled her snout in concentration, desperately trying to make Neptune happy again. "Nnneh."
"Did you hear that?" Neptune practically squeaked. "She said the first syllable of my name!"
"Good for you, buddy," Sun commended. "I'm still waiting for Huo to say something. I'll bet money that he'll cuss out Professor Port once he figures out how."
"Too bad Barracuda beat him to the first one," Neptune snickered. "That was hilarious!"
"Zircon can talk now," Sage commented.
"Wait, really?" Sun looked at the striped earth dragon, who was sunbathing next to his Rider. "Since when?"
"Since yesterday. He said 'Hi.'"
"That is so cute!" Scarlet cooed. "Can he say it now?"
Sage gently nudged his dragon. "Hey, Zircon. Can you say hi to everyone?"
Zircon opened an eye, saw everyone looking at him, and quickly hid under his wing.
"We'll take your word for it." Neptune sat down in the grass by Sun, Nymph curling up behind him and trying once again to do a better job of saying her Rider's name.
"Nnneh. Nnneh. Pbbt. Neh…"
Huo groaned. "It sounds like you got something stuck on the roof of your mouth."
"Well, at least I'm trying!" Nymph huffed.
"Why are you so set on speaking like a human? It's not like they're trying to speak our language."
"We can make the noises. I doubt a human can growl the way we do." Nymph stretched her forelimbs. "Besides, I had a thought."
"You need to stop having those," Huo grumbled.
"I thought," Nymph continued, pointedly ignoring her brother. "That if we learn how to say certain words, we can get our other Riders together, the ones who haven't already paired up."
"Ooh, good idea!" Nimbus piped up. "I mean, Scarlet and Sage didn't need much help, but Sun and Neptune are actually starting to stress me out."
"Don't hold your breath. I don't think Sun has the hots for Neptune yet," Huo commented.
"Was that a pun?" Nymph asked, her tail swishing with amusement.
"Ugh. No!" Huo's ears flattened. "Even Fang doesn't do those."
Nimbus was getting up, noticing his Rider doing the same.
"Hey, Sage," Scarlet said. "Want to go check out that part of the Emerald Forest I told you about?"
"As long as it isn't too far in," Sage cautioned. "Come on, Zircon."
Zircon gulped loudly. "The f-forest?"
Nimbus put a wing over his brother as they walked away.
Sun stretched his arms, lying on his back in the grass and letting out a contented sigh. "Man, with weather like this, it's almost easy to forget everything."
"Not for me," Neptune sighed. "I can't stop thinking about that broadcast or the fact that Team RWBY's involved with secret technology… It's all too crazy. I came here to learn how to fight Grimm!"
"I hear ya," Sun agreed. "What do you think about that broadcast?"
Neptune hesitated. "Should we say this in front of the dragons?"
"Yeah. I don't think we should keep secrets from them."
"I mean, neither do I, but I don't want to scare them."
"They already went through Tornado's culling," Sun pointed out. "It's not like they're totally innocent anymore."
"Truth," Huo muttered, curling himself up a little tighter while fixing his attention on the two Riders.
"I guess, you're right." Neptune stared at his hands. "I'm not sure what to think. I mean, whoever that person was has a point. Dragons aren't treated fairly, and the dragonmasters don't have as much power as we always thought they did."
"What's the story with the others?" Sun wondered. "I know Vacuo's dragonmaster keeps changing, but what about Ironwood and Lionheart?"
"I know Ironwood's dragon was killed in a Grimm battle," Neptune said. "And he's been working to get a spot on the Council since then. As for Lionheart, it's harder to find anything. It's almost like most information on him and his dragon have been erased from all the big websites."
Sun smiled knowingly at his best friend. "And the smaller websites?"
Neptune smiled back before his expression sobered. "They point at something really sketchy. It sounds like his dragon tried to stop a culling and was shot."
Sun winced. "That's awful, but why would someone try to censor it?"
"Not sure." Neptune felt Nymph's head nudging his hand and turned to pet her. "Hey, girl."
"I guess the best we can do is wait and see what happens next," Sun speculated. "I mean, whoever did this will probably do another broadcast, right?"
"Or, they might do something more drastic," Neptune muttered.
Sun looked at Neptune for a moment before getting up and repositioning himself next to his friend, leaning against Nymph's flank. He nudged Neptune with his tail. "Come on. We can take whatever happens. We're badasses, remember?"
"Right." Neptune's cheeks flushed, and he managed a full grin this time. "We have to be, considering Huo's name was almost Badass."
Sun snickered. "I was so close to actually going with that."
"He should have," Huo growled. "That would've been awesome."
Nymph just rolled her eyes, conveniently shifting so that Neptune's arm was touching Sun's.
Sun yawned, relaxing even more against Nymph. "I don't know what it is about your dragon, but she always makes me tired."
Neptune glanced at Nymph. "Hear that? He's calling you boring!"
Nymph let out a huff of laughter, placing her head on her paws. She smiled at Huo, who was already napping, blowing puffs of smoke from his nostrils.
Neptune watched Sun as he started to doze. After several minutes of consideration, he carefully wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders. His heart stuttered when Sun scooted closer, head drooping onto Neptune's shoulder as he fell fully asleep.
…
It was normal for the stable hands to linger in the barns late at night. The sound of sleeping dragons, the smell of the night air, and the gentle warmth of the giant forms was comforting in a way few other things were. Sky learned that he also wasn't the only one who preferred sleeping in a stall over a bunk.
Most of the stable hands were quiet and kept to themselves. A few of them offered their condolences to Sky before going on their way. Somehow, they seemed more genuine than anyone else who tried telling Sky repeatedly how sorry they were. He wondered how many of the stable hands were like him: former Riders whose dragons had been culled, and who couldn't bear the idea of going through that same pain twice.
It was past midnight when Mudslide's loud snores woke Sky from an already-restless sleep. He grumbled a bit as he sat up, though he gave the dragon a fond smile. Despite all the stress the earth dragon was likely under, she always slept deeply and well.
Tornado probably would have driven the other wind dragons crazy, thrashing around and whacking the walls with his tail as he dreamed.
Tears pricked Sky's eyes and he quickly got up and went outside, dusting sweet-smelling bedding from his clothes. As the wood chips fell away, he sniffed, realizing that his clothes were starting to stink a bit. He'd have to do some laundry soon.
He walked a distance away before lying down in the grass. There was little cloud cover, and most of the stars were shining brightly down at him. The hell is wrong with me? he wondered. I was fine before. I had friends, I was one of the strongest people in this dragonry, and I had my future all set up. Now, I'm a fucking servant who stares at the stars like some kind of weaksauce pussy.
His thoughts rang hollow, though. He hadn't been fine before. He'd been a crony to someone who ultimately didn't give a damn about him. He had destroyed any hope of having other friends by acting like a bully. He didn't doubt that his willingness to use his dragon as an "attack dog," as other students had once put it, had contributed to Tornado's many issues.
Maybe that was the real reason he was refusing Ozpin's offer of another dragon. Maybe, deep down, he knew that he hadn't deserved Tornado.
I still deserved him more than Cardin deserves Mudslide. Sky's lip curled. He was still technically on probation, so he wouldn't be getting any money this next payday. I'm second-rate, now that I don't have a dragon. I didn't see Ozpin punishing Cardin at all.
An ugly feeling twisted in his gut. He hated Ozpin. He hated all those professors who claimed to be so good and loving, but who had locked up their dragons and turned away when the Council came for Tornado.
He hated Ozpin, but he was stuck relying on him for now.
Secretly, he had wanted to jump for joy when that broadcast at the Festival was aired over live television. After a week of parading dragons around and acting like everything was fine and dandy, those idiots got a nice dose of reality. He only wished he could have been there to see the dragonmasters' faces when they were finally called out on their bullshit.
He lay there for a few more minutes before sitting up. He stopped halfway up, his gaze suddenly fixed on a spot near the Emerald Forest.
Something definitely human-shaped had just rushed into the trees.
The correct thing to do would have been to report this back at the school, so that a patrol could be sent into the forest. But Sky stopped caring about things like protocol and personal safety the day a charged spike was driven into his dragon's skull.
Pushing himself to his feet, he started toward the forest, fists clenched, ready to beat the hell out of whoever this hapless intruder was. It would be nice to finally beat the hell out of something.
As he reached the treeline, he heard footsteps. Then, he heard a voice hiss: "Quiet. Come closer."
"What…?" Sky obeyed, curiosity driving him in.
A hand went over his mouth, and he immediately started struggling, only to be lifted fully off the ground.
"Take it easy, kid," a rough voice, different from the first one, grumbled behind him. "I don't want to hurt you."
Whoever this person was, judging by how far off the ground Sky's feet were, he was ridiculously tall and built like a truck. So, Sky let himself go limp, any wish to fight gone.
The person let out a grunt of approval and placed him on the ground.
Sky spun around, gulping audibly. He had been right. This man was huge, with arms as thick as small trees, stern eyes, and a rough beard.
Another figure slipped out beside him. This one was a horned Faunus, one who was wearing a cloak and mask.
White Fang… Sky started to shake.
"Stop trembling," the man growled. "I already said we aren't going to hurt you."
Sky looked up at him. "Wh-What do you want?"
"To make you an offer," the man replied. "You're the kid who lost his dragon, right?"
Sky noticed something in the man's voice, a slight hitch of pain that he had only heard when talking to some of the other stable hands. He felt himself relaxing. "Yeah. You too?"
The man nodded. "Follow me."
Sky walked deeper into the forest, until only the large outline of the man guided his way. He started to take out his Scroll but felt a gloved hand close on his wrist.
"No light," the Faunus girl hissed.
Sky nodded, trying not to shiver too obviously at the unexpected touch.
They eventually reached a small clearing that let in a decent amount of moonlight. Sky folded his arms, trying to look tougher than he felt.
"So, what's this offer?"
"Did you hear the broadcast at the Dragon Festival?" the man asked.
"Sure did." Sky grinned. "Nice to hear some real talk for once."
"My employer was responsible for it."
Immediately, Sky's back straightened. His heart pounded. Already, he had an idea concerning what was coming. "Who's your employer?"
"Someone who wants to make sure cullings like what you and I went through will never happen again." The man's eyes blazed. "The system is broken. The Council is filled with people who see dragons as tools. The dragonmasters act like heroes but are really wardens for those murderers."
"What can I do to help?" Sky didn't need any prompting. This was what he had been waiting for.
The man smiled. "Good boy. Here's my employer's proposition: Keep an eye on the goings-on at Beacon. Figure out certain things, like when the groundskeepers go to whichever places, or how often the professors' dragons patrol certain areas." He glanced in the direction of the school. "Also, see if there are any other workers who feel the same way you do, and tell us about them."
Sky nodded, though he did feel a bit of caution creeping back into his consciousness. "Do I get anything out of this?" he asked. "Like, protection if I'm discovered?"
"Of course," the man assured him. "Not only that, but you will have a place with our fighting forces, when the time comes. And, if you wish, you will be given a new dragon, one who will not be culled in front of you!"
"Done!" Sky held out his hand, frowning when the man didn't take it.
"There's one other thing." The man turned to look at the Faunus girl, who stepped forward, noticeably avoiding getting too close to either human.
"The White Fang is joining this fight," she explained. "But, we've been set back. In August, one of our most promising dragons was stolen by a defector, who is now a student at Beacon, a student who is likely in Ozpin's debt."
"Who is it?"
"Blake Belladonna," the Faunus replied. "We of the White Fang are very interested in knowing how she, and especially her dragon, are doing. Do you think you can handle that, no top of your other duties?"
"Sure," Sky said, though he was puzzled. "What's so special about Pit?"
"You tell me," the Faunus replied smoothly. "Has he done anything interesting, lately?"
"Well, he was the only one who got out of his stall when Tornado was being culled," Sky said. "I guess his stall wasn't locked right. He showed more guts than Ozpin did, that's for sure."
"That's very helpful," the Faunus said. "Thank you." She slipped into the trees, vanishing from sight.
The man sighed. "Rude kid. Didn't even introduce herself." He looked down at Sky. "My name's Hazel. I look forward to working with you." This time, he did hold out his hand.
Sky readily shook it. "Sky Lark. Not as much as I am!" His eyes shined with hope and purpose for the first time since Tornado's death.
As he walked back toward Beacon, he remembered one of the last things the broadcast had said and whispered it under his breath.
"A revolution is coming."
Not gonna lie: It's going to take some time to outline and prepare the story the way I want to. The only other option is to discontinue completely, and I know no one here wants that. In the meantime, I'll still be updating my smaller chapter works and collections, so you'll still be getting plenty of quality content from Channel Solora!
If you like what you see and want to show extra support while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!