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Chapter 1 – Menagerie
The golden afternoon sunlight streamed down onto the printed words. As usual, the White Fang library was quiet and tranquil – rarely used and tucked away in the far corner of the headquarters. In reality, the library was a worse-for-wear wooden room with splintered floorboards and peeling paint. It was a storeroom for the worn out books from White Fang sympathizers' donations. White Fang was a heavy influence in the old, crowded area of Menagerie; it had its hold in the local government, law enforcement, and schools. Neighbors, teachers, and many other citizens from different walks of life were proud members of the organization.
Encyclopedias, used textbooks, dictionaries, novels, and even the occasional storybook were stacked in disorganized piles, but Blake didn't mind. The eight year old considered this place her second home whenever her parents dropped her off to go on their frequent White Fang missions. Oftentimes, her parents were tasked with the job of guarding the higher ups during diplomacy meetings with human diplomats. Blake herself had always been curious about them and wanted to go, but her parents refused firmly.
During overnight assignments, her parents always deposited her at the library and asked a friend to occasionally check on her and make sure that she ate her meals properly. Blake was what most would consider a good child; she was polite, had good manners, quiet, and followed her parents' rules with little objection.
For an eight year old, Blake was more well-read than the other members' children. That had made her parents proud. They often told her that she would make a great diplomat and would teach her new things whenever they had time. Blake liked the idea; she could help others without having to cause violence.
Blake sat at the lone table and read quietly. The clock in the far corner made quiet ticking sounds. She shifted in her seat and placed her chin on her palm.
It was about time for her parents to pick her up. They usually came when it was beginning to get dark out. Otherwise, if they left at night, it would make them easier targets for Grimm.
The sound of a sliding door broke the silence, and a russet colored head peered in. The girl, a Fox Faunus with a long, bushy tail, looked in. Her light brown irises locked with Blake's amber ones.
"Ah, you're Blake, right?" she asked nervously, "Your parents called in and said that they'll be late. Their friend is on a mission too, so I'll be watching over you."
Blake nodded. This girl was obviously a new recruit. She looked barely sixteen and had that wide-eyed innocence about her.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself," she laughed nervously, "My name is Fiona, and I just joined two weeks ago."
Fiona stepped into the room and looked around.
"Sure is empty and quiet, isn't it?" Blake nodded politely.
"I've always liked novels, especially romance and adventure ones, so maybe I'll drop by and read a few." Blake pointed to where most of the novels were stacked. Fiona giggled.
"You're a quiet one, aren't you? C'mon, there's food in the canteen." She motioned to the door and the little girl followed her.
Their steps made quiet clicks against the tile floor as they walked down the hallway. Fiona's russet tail swished from side to side with every step she took.
"I think your parents were assigned a long mission, but I wouldn't worry. They usually come back successful," she stated. There was an awkward silence.
"How old are you?" Fiona asked.
"Eight," Blake replied, "but I'm going to be turning nine in two months."
"Ah, okay, I'm sixteen, and I'm the youngest official member in White Fang!" she announced proudly. This statement caught Blake's interest.
"How did you get in? I thought you had to be eighteen to be a full member." Fiona shrugged. They arrived at the dining hall and found an empty table. Blake sat up on the wooden bench and waited for Fiona to retrieve two bowls of stew. After a few minutes, Fiona set a steaming bowl down and sat next to her.
"I'm pretty good at using my Aura and Semblance, so I guess they thought that I'd be good for the medicine bay. Patch up a few wounds, I guess," she said. Blake blinked up at her with curiosity.
"What is you Semblance, Fiona?" Fiona smiled to herself.
"I can shape shift into any person," she looked concentrated for a moment and her straight reddish-brown hair warped into wavy blonde. Blake looked up at her in awe.
"Can anyone learn to do that?" she asked breathlessly; her eyes shining. Fiona chuckled.
"Some, but it really depends on their Semblance." Fiona's hair returned to their normal color as she looked deep in thought.
"Now that I think about it, what are your parents' semblances? Sometimes, semblances are inherited." Blake sighed in disappointment and looked at her soup bowl.
"None, they're just regular guards who can use weapons or combat." Fiona gave the small girl a reassuring smile.
"Hey, that doesn't mean that you can't find your Semblance and being skilled in weapons is really important," she sighed to herself, "Semblances suck up a lot of your energy, so a weapon or your fists is much more reliable. Which weapons do your parents use?"
"A gun and sword. They teach me how to use a knife and some fighting moves sometimes," Blake added. Fiona groaned.
"See? You're much better than me at that field, and you're not even ten. I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do." She gave an exaggerated sigh and pressed her forehead against the table.
Blake giggled. She liked this new person. Fiona was lighthearted, talkative, and didn't treat her like a toddler.
"You open up when people talk to you, huh?" Fiona ruffled Blake's short wavy hair.
"Can you teach me how to use my Semblance?" Blake asked. Fiona looked surprised yet flattered.
"Me? Really?" a broad grin spread across her face, "I'll give you some pointers when there's free time." Their conversation was interrupted by a snort, and a young dog Faunus slid into the chair in front of them.
"Fiona, really? You already have enough on your plate. Have you completed the tasks that your mentor assigned you, little girl?" The man looked a few years older than Fiona. He appeared to be mildly teasing her with sarcasm. Blake couldn't detect any malice in his voice.
"Oh please, Miles, You weren't able to get in until you were eighteen. I've already completed Lucy's homework, so stop nagging me," she huffed. A red tinge crept up her cheeks and turned her ears bright red. Miles snorted.
"Yeah, and I remember you bugging the recruitment official for a week until he let you see your testing results. At least I had Tukson personally taking me under his wing," he bragged, "Lucy overslept and got assigned you as punishment." Fiona hmphed and stuck her tongue out at him. Blake giggled at the sight while Miles rolled his eyes.
"Even the kid is laughing at you, Fiona. You're embarrassing yourself," he said with a smug smile on his face.
"You're so mean, Miles," Fiona whined, "You used to be nice to me, and now you've grown up into a big, fat jerk!"
Miles opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of the hall's doors sliding open distracted them. A large group of White Fang members staggered in. Most of them looked absolutely exhausted with mussed hair, muddy uniforms, and weary expressions. A few sported large scrapes and cuts, and some were limping.
"What happened?" Fiona asked worriedly.
"Must have been a riot or bad mission." Blake frowned and searched the group for the faces of her parents. After a few seconds of panicked searching, she saw their wearied faces at the front of the group. Shade and Luna Belladonna appeared to be worn but uninjured.
"Mom! Dad!" Blake called out. Two pairs of amber eyes looked at the little girl, and her parents hurried over. Blake, meanwhile, slid out of her chair and walked up to her parents. Luna knelt down and lifted her daughter up in her arms.
"How's my girl?"she asked, giving her a squeeze.
"What happened? Did someone try to attack you?" Her father chuckled and ruffled Blake's hair.
"No, just a rescue mission. That's all." Luna lowered Blake and looked at Shade worriedly.
"Should you go to the infirmary? The bullet grazed you, but still…" Shade waved her off.
"I'm fine really; it was the barbed wire that was the biggest problem. I'm just glad that you didn't get hurt." Luna sighed heavily.
"Even after all these years, you still do that," she chided, "I'm not your little apprentice anymore."
"Um, excuse me," Fiona shyly cut in, "I can heal your wound, sir." Blake's parents eyed the girl curiously, but Shade rolled back his uniform sleeve, revealing a deep cut. Wordlessly, Fiona removed her gloves and an orange glow came from her hand. She held it over the wound, and the laceration slowly began to heal.
Finally, the skin closed up, leaving a faint scar.
Luna looked at Fiona with interest.
"How old are you? You look a little young to be in the combat division."
"Sixteen ma'am," Fiona replied politely, "they took me in two years ahead because of my Aura skill."
"Ah, I see, I remember you," Shade commented with a smile, "You were the girl harassing the admission officer, weren't you?"
Fiona blushed bright red, and Luna smacked her husband's arm indignantly.
"Shade! Where are your manners?" Luna lowered Blake to the ground.
"Sorry, he thinks he's so funny sometimes," she glared at him, "Just ignore him. White Fang is lucky to have such a tenacious individual."
Fiona was a little taken aback from the compliment.
"Th-thank you, Mrs. Belladonna," Fiona stuttered, "Really, it means a lot. Thanks." Shade eyed the girl curiously.
"Now that I think about it," he muttered, "Do you have a mentor? I recall her name was…Lucy, right?" Fiona nodded.
"Yes sir." A look of realization dawned on his face.
"I see, Miss Fiona, but Lucy isn't your mentor anymore. You've been assigned a new one." Fiona frowned.
"I see…Is Miss Lucy ok? Nothing bad has happened to her, right?" Luna pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but Lucy got shot in the knee. She can't fight again." Fiona's face fell.
"Oh, I see…" Fiona replied, "If it's not too much trouble, Miss, but could you tell me what happened?"
"She helped her squadron complete their mission," Shade said, "It was a liberation assignment."
Blake looked up at the adults curiously. What did "liberation" mean? She recalled reading it somewhere.
Fiona's hand moved to cover her mouth.
"They…they still do that?" she asked incredulously, "Humans still stoop to that level?" The grim looks on the Belladonnas' faces disclosed the answer. Fiona shuddered and looked down.
Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden commotion at the front of the hall. Blake peered around the legs of the adults to see two White Fang members leading a child through the throng of Faunus.
The child looked badly maltreated and neglected. Deep cuts and bruises littered his arms, legs, and face. The boy was barefoot, and his shirt and pants torn to rags. His brown hair was overgrown and covered most of his face. Upon closer inspection, Blake could see two small horns protruding from his head; the boy was a bull Faunus.
A White Fang member wrapped a blanket around the boy's shoulders and led him off to the infirmary.
"Atrocious, isn't it?" Shade said grimly, "We infiltrated a trafficking warehouse."
"So young…" Luna murmured, "I don't think the traffickers even cared if they died…"
"Hey, 'scuse me," Miles' voice broke in; he handed a note to Luna. Blake had forgotten that he was there. "Tukson wanted me to deliver this message. Since Lucy can't mentor her anymore," he jerked his head towards Fiona, "You've been reassigned as her mentor."
Her mother looked surprised, yet a small smile appeared on her face.
"Coincidence, huh?" Fiona laughed, "I'm honored to be your student, Mrs. Belladonna." She bowed her head respectfully.
Luna looked a little stunned at the news, but she held out her hand for Fiona to shake.
"I hope that we can learn from each other." Blake looked up at the two women as they shook hands.
"Don't scare her away, Luna," Shade teased, "I'll be watching your progress."
Not very much happens in this chapter. It was meant to establish setting and introduce some OCs. I PROMISE that they won't get in the way of the main story, but they certainly will help move the plot along and help with character development. But, don't worry, there will be more of Adam in the next chapter!
I kind of used some lyrics from "From Shadows" [obviously] as inspiration for Adam's past. Is it a bit too cliché? I'm also a bit worried that Blake may take on a sue-ish role. I think, since she lives far away from the modern cities and their combat schools, she would have to be quite a bit more capable than the average person. I recall in season two, she mentions that she was raised outside of the kingdoms, so I took that and ran. Lol
Feedback is highly appreciated!
Love,
raining-indigo