It had been some time and Cobalt had wandered the forests of Vale for a long time now; he had stopped trying to keep track of the passing time. It was approaching dusk and the light was fading, but he could always see clearly. His wolf faunus nature had lent him senses sharper than those of a human, and even afforded him a sixth sense that warned him of imminent danger.
Tonight, Cobalt chose to camp out close to the railroads snaking through the center of the forest. If the Schnee Dust Company's recent announcement regarding increased security was any indication, there was going to be a large shipment of Dust scheduled for today. Having tracked the White Fang for so long, it was doubtless that the organization would try to steal the lastest transport. This was the most likely spot. The trees were densely clustered, and nothing living stirred for miles around. It was silent, just as it had been for who knows how long. The night grew colder and darkness pressed in from all sides. It didn't matter. He had eaten at a small village just a few hours before and his clothing was specially fortified for all weather conditions, so there was no need for a fire.
With his black fedora pulled low over his eyes, Cobalt positioned himself in a nearby tree. Any passerby would have witnessed something like levitation or hovering, but it was in fact Cobalt's Semblance. He had discovered many uses for his exertion over gravity over the years, and flying was only one such usage.
At around midnight, Cobalt's sharp ears (in both senses of the word) detected a faint screeching of a train braking in the distance, and the grating of the Atlasian Knight robots in the distance. They weren't too far off. With his trusty weapon Argentium, the silent form took off, running towards the source of the sound. He didn't bother loading it just yet, although he did keep a few magazines on him just in case. It wasn't like he would need them anyways. Not for this.
When he finally arrived on scene, the young man was greeted by a scene of chaos. Several cars were overturned and empty, and everywhere the White Fang, dressed as always in white clothing and Grimm masks, were fighting the battle droids. By sheer numbers and the lightning quick reactions that robots lacked, the Faunus and scattered humans were winning. He let them continue, but kneeled in the underbrush and assumed his shooting stance.
A quiet exhale, then with almost no effort, Cobalt willed the very air around him to compress into a small ball. After training his concentration and patience for years, it was easy to maintain and guide the deadly force where he needed. He pulled to trigger, aiming at one of the men farther away. He didn't let the "bullet" dissipate until it reached its destination. From prior experience, he knew that it would leave but a tiny entry wound, but once the pressure was released, all the air molecules would escape in a frenzy, resulting in major internal bleeding and intense pain. He was rewarded by a scream echoing halfway across the battlefield.
By the time anybody noticed what was happening, the silent sniper had already picked off a third of the fighters. All of the remaining Schnee guards were obliterated, so Cobalt figured he might as well come out into the open. Within moments of somersaulting into a clearing, he was surrounded.
And so began a dance of death, a cyclone of blood and bodies where none was safe but Cobalt. Using only his wakizashi, he moved effortlessly and gracefully. Gradually, his mind began to wander, even as his body kept up its furiously fast movements.
It wandered to a time when he was barely clothed and living on the streets. To a time when he was actually known as a she. To a time when he was scrabbling uselessly on the ground, being kicked and yelled at. To a time when all he had to rely on were his own wits and thievery. To a time when he finally found a place, the only place he remembered with fond memories and laughing friends and full stomachs.
It wandered to a time when he was accepted to Signal, only to become withdrawn into studies. To a time when he found his true calling. To a time when he received his graduation certificate earlier than everyone else, and being lavished with praise and affection. And finally, to a time when the White Fang burned down the old orphanage that had taken him in after his last remaining family was brutally massacred. When all Cobalt could remember was red-hot rage and an unstoppable fury.
Cobalt thought some more. It was during fights like these that he could feel truly at ease with himself. Even as he ducked under arms and avoided bullets and slashes, he kept thinking. It had been a while since the orphanage incident. He was glad that nobody was hurt because they were all out at his graduation celebration, but he couldn't forgive the White Fang for burning down his former home. After ensuring that everybody would be safe, Cobalt had left with his meager possessions. The only thing he had left of them were the two solid silver buttons currently sewn onto the collar of his light grey formal shirt.
The fighting persisted under the broken moonlight. After dispatching the last assailant, Cobalt straightened up. This level of fighting was nowhere near strenuous for him. His natural endurance paired with adrenaline and past experience had made him a formidable warrior. There was a time when he could have been a top-notch hunter, but he wasn't sure if he could get into the renowned hunter schools, or even if Faunus were welcome. With the recent surge in White Fang incidents, it would be highly unlikely to be accepted without some reluctance. Cobalt wasn't the best with people, and he wasn't sure if he wanted others to be aware of his sexual orientation either.
Soon after checking that everything was in order, Cobalt made his way to the train controls and fiddled with some dials and buttons. Due to some very helpful labels, he managed to detach the empty cars, but hesitated to restart the engine. In the end, he contacted the local authorities and the Schnee Dust Company.
The rest of the night was uneventful, except for being detained and questioned for hours in a holding cell meant for dangerous criminals. At least his weapons were not taken away because it soon became apparent that he deserved to be thanked, not treated like some sort of criminal. After spending a few hours resting on a comfortable couch in the Vale Police Department lobby, Cobalt was asked to yet another questioning session. Because he knew he wasn't in any kind of trouble, the Faunus' grey wolf ears merely twitched in slight annoyance as he was shown into a darkened room.
A swivel chair was turned with its back to him. The only light came from a small desklamp atop a worn mahogany table. There was another chair closer to the door, in which Cobalt sat in without any hesitation. The figure turned around, and Cobalt was surprised to recognize him as the one person he thought he would never meet within this lifetime.
The man before him had grey hair and held a coffee mug. He had an imperious and majestic air about him, as well as the restrained passion of a strong fighter. Ozpin pushed up his glasses and asked an unexpected question.
"How would you like to come to Beacon?"