Author's Notes: If you have previously read the past two chapters, turn back and read them again. I've decided to include a "Lexicon" feature at the end of Chapters to explain the lore of this AU. I won't be doing this EVERY chapter, just explaining things as they arise so that I can share what I've developed without bogging down the story in exposition or having characters discuss things they should already know. Or, at least without doing these things too much.

Additionally, the footnotes may or may not at times contain information that will become important later on in the story. So, I would advise reading them to be sure you don't miss anything. Besides, they make the world richer, kind of like the "World of Remnant" videos.

Act 1: Shadows within Shadows

Chapter 3—Complications and Second Chances

"What—what is she doing here?" Violet asked. The Vampiress had served as the coven's medic for almost sixty years and had seen many strange things, but this was a new one. A Werebeast? In the Vampires' lair? And being carried bridal-style by perhaps the most infamous member of the coven? She probably would have used harsher words, if a red-eyed Yang hadn't been the one holding the medical wing's new arrival.

"There's a silver bullet in her side. It needs to come out, now!" When the medic looked like she was going to protest, Yang repeated herself. "NOW!"

Violet took one look at the former Huntress' bared fangs and nodded. "Place her on the table. Saffron, bring me my tools." A dark-haired human male—the medic's slave—stepped forward carrying a tray of medical instruments. The Vampiress examined the wound. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of burning Werebeast flesh. "No time for anesthetics," she muttered, ripping the infected Faunus' shirt open. "Hold her," she instructed. Once Yang had secured their patient, Violet cut into the open wound with her scalpel.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Hang on," Yang told her, trying to keep the struggling woman still. "Just hold on."

The Vampire medic, meanwhile, set her scalpel aside and picked up a pair of forceps. The Werebeast screamed even louder but—"Got it," Violet said, holding the smoking lump of silver-coated lead in her tool's prongs. She hastily deposited it in a container her slave/assistant held. It was labeled "MEDICAL WASTE. HIGHLY DANGEROUS." Yang allowed herself a slight shiver at the sight: silver was almost as bad for Vampires as it was for Weres, the main reason she hadn't tried to remove the bullet herself. The brawler doubted she could even get a hold of the toxic bullet.

Violet tried to clean and bandage the wound, but had little success. The flesh surrounding the slug had suffered terribly. Much of it was horribly burnt, and some had even begun to rot. "She's in bad shape," the medic said, carefully placing her wasted supplies into the container.

"Do something," Yang ordered.

"What do you expect me to do? I can't just hand her a pack of blood and tell her to drink it like one of our kind, and she's no longer truly a Faunus, so my normal drugs won't work on her!" Violet was having a hard time controlling herself. There were two other healers in the coven; why did she have to be the one to deal with this? And, why did this Vampiress-a former Huntress, no less-want to save a Were?

"What about Vampire blood?" Yang asked. "It heals other Vamps, right? Why not a Were? We both have MFHVV. Same Strain even."

"Maybe," the medic conceded. "It would take a lot of blood, though, and even then I'm not sure . . ."

She wasn't but Yang certainly was. The blond hastily removed one of the Ember Celica gauntlets and sank her fangs deep into her exposed wrist. It hurt like nothing else, worse than the time a squirrel had bitten her as a child, but Yang didn't slow down, ripping open a pair of huge gauges in her arm. She propped the injured woman's head up with her good hand and brought her injured limb up to the woman's mouth. "Drink it," she urged. "Come on."

Either because the woman heard her or due to some kind of Vyrkolakas instinct, the infected Faunus began to drink the offered liquid.

Saffron returned and almost tripped over himself in shock. He mouthed a question to his mistress, who shook her head. "Get her a blood pack. I don't know what this is about, but the Mistress will have my head if I let her fiancé die."

"Not your head, but perhaps one of your legs." Violet whipped around to see Weiss standing in the medical ward's entrance. "I need your head so that we can continue using your vast supply of medical knowledge."

Accompanying the white-haired Queen was—of course—her own slave, Ruby, and her usual guard. There was the Vampiric fashion maven, Coco, dressed better than you would expect a high-level soldier to be, but everyone in the coven had heard stories of what she could do, with or without that seemingly over-priced handbag she held. Beside Coco was her mate, Fox. Fox was one of the few Vampires to be afflicted any sort of handicap, having been born blind. when he was Human. The muscled arms his sleeveless vest showed off and the multiple scars adorning them showed that birth defect had had little effect on his abilities as a warrior. His forearms were covered by bladed gauntlets that had seen him through countless battles. Beside them were their slaves, Yatsuhashi and Velvet. Yatsuhashi was seven feet even, dwarfing a number of his fellow slaves and their undead masters. Strapped to his back was a long, curved sword. Velvet was a rabbit-eared Faunus with long, brown hair and a cute, innocent face. A small, wooden box was attached to her waist. Because of their masters' positions they were the only slaves permitted to carry weapons.

"Mistress Weiss." Violet acknowledged her liege with a bow. Behind her, Saffron hung his head and tried to look unimportant. "What brings you here?"

Weiss was examining Yang, who was gently placing the Werebeast's head down on the pallet. The injured Metabeing's breathing had stabilized; she appeared to be sleeping as the Vampiric blood did its work. "I heard my future Bondmate was running through the compound carrying a Werebeast. I don't care much for rumors, but I thought this one worth looking into. Apparently, I was right."

"It is highly unusual, Mistress," Violet said, hesitantly. She cringed when Weiss turned an eye to her, her brow raised.

"Is that judgment I hear in your tone, Violet?" she asked.

"No Mistress!" The medic's reply was instantaneous. "It's just . . . I don't think I've ever seen a Vampire bring a Werebeast to the ward before. I'm curious as to what it's about. If I may be, that is."

"Well, I suppose it will be announced eventually," Weiss said, teasingly. Those who knew her knew her next words would not be easy to swallow, but nothing could have prepared them for what the Queen of Vale's Northern Night said next. "I would say congratulations are in order, Violet, you are the first of our coven to see my dear Yang's new slave."

"WHAT?" The blond brawler's outcry drew everyone's attention to her.

"Please, my dear. Don't you know what it is you've just done? It's true that feeding Vampire blood to another Vrykolakas will heal their injuries, but it will also create a temporary bond between the pair. That is after all, a major component of the Bonding ritual."

Yang clenched her fists, but didn't say a word. She did know that. That was one of the first things she'd been taught after being "adopted" into this glorified street gang. After all, it wouldn't do for young Vampires to go around binding one another right, left, and center. But no one had told her it worked that way with all Metabeings!

I should have known, she realized. The blond would have growled if she didn't know that would likely be seen as a challenge to Weiss and that . . . would not go over well. I was gambling that my blood could heal her like she was a Vampire, I should have realized-should have thought-the other stuff was true, too.

Weiss continued. "That one is yours now, dearest Yang. A fine catch, I'd say, to have survived such an incident. And, a former White Fang, no less. I'm sure she has a wealth of information for us."

"A former . . .?" Yang's mouth went dry. She looked down at the girl on the table. She was dressed in white and black, but not in the armor or hood of the Fang. She couldn't be . . . Besides, the White Fang had tried to kill her!

"A silver bullet to the belly," Weiss noted. "That's the Fang's favorite punishment for betrayal. I'm looking forward to hearing your report, my love. I'm certain it will be quite interesting."

Yang struggled to find an answer. She wanted to deny it. To yell and scream. To punch this sweet-talking bitch in the face. But, she saw Ruby, hidden from Violet's view by Weiss shake her head. Quickly. Yang ground her teeth, but kept her cool. "I was patrolling the border as you ask—instructed. I saw this woman being chased by a gang of bad guys on rooftops. I went to investigate and discovered the pursuers were all White Fang Werebeasts. I didn't realize she was one too, because her scent was blocked by their's. Together, we killed or drove away her pursuers. Then a sniper shot her from a distance. That was when I realized she was a Werebeast. I couldn't take her to a hospital, so I brought her here."

"How many did you kill, together?" Weiss asked.

"At least six," Yang replied. "She killed most of them. Destroyed three of them at once with her crazy weapon." Yang pulled the object off her back and offered it to Weiss.

Coco took it, examining the weapon and its ammo carefully. "The blade is silver-tipped, but the ammo is normal Dust rounds."

"I doubt the White Fang lets traitors keep silver bullets," Yang snarked.

"The sheath is designed to act as an edged weapon, not as good at cutting as the sword, but good for blocking and counter-attacks," Coco continued. She flicked a switch, and the sword collapsed. "A scythe-mode and a built-in pistol." The Vampiress sounded impressed. Behind her, Ruby was drooling as she ogled the weapon. "This may be one of the most over-designed things I've ever seen, but I can't argue with the results."

Fox and Yatsuhashi nodded in respect while Ruby gave her sister a thumbs-up.

Weiss spoke again. "Indeed. Well done, Yang. You've recruited a powerful ally to our cause and won an important victory against our enemy. Did any survive?"

"Two. Maybe three of them," Yang admitted.

"They will have quite the tale to tell their masters," Weiss mused.

"Hopefully, it'll teach them to stay out of our territory," Coco said, sheathing the un-collapsed sword.

"We have nothing if not our dreams," Weiss said. "Still, we had best plan for a more negative outcome. Let us confer with the others. Coco, bring that weapon with us. Should her new slave prove trustworhty, Yang can retrieve it when her new slave recovers—presuming the Were is proven trustworthy, of course. And you, my love, I'd suggest you stay and become properly acquainted with your new slave."

Yang bowed. "Of course . . . Mistress."

Weiss nodded back. "I'll leave you to your work, Violet." With that, the Vampiress turned and strode out of the ward, followed by her attendants.

Yang sighed and turned back to the woman sleeping on the medical table. She was vaguely aware that Violet was speaking to Saffron, giving him some kind of instructions. "Who are you?" she asked.

Blake blinked her eyes open. She felt a dull ache in her side, and her back was stiff, as if she'd been sleeping on the ground.

"You're awake." Blake turned to her side and saw a mane of wavy blond hair surrounding a lovely face with a pair of lavender-colored eyes framed by thick, blond hair. Smiling, the blond called, "Violet, she's awake! Come do your thing!"

Blake's memories came back: the chase, the battle with her former brothers and sisters, the appearance of the beautiful yet wild Vampiress beside her, and, of course, being shot when she'd foolishly let her guard down. Did this Vampire save me? She wondered. Why? Then again, why had she helped Blake during the fight at all? And, why had Blake accepted that help?

"About time," a new voice said. Blake saw a purple-haired woman coming towards her, dressed in a white apron and wearing medical gloves and sporting a slight scowl. This must be "Violet." Blake took a sniff and realized this woman was also a Vampire. In fact, the whole room smelled faintly of Vampires under the scents of disinfectant and other chemicals. I'm in a medical ward. A Vampire medical ward. Had her mysterious savior brought her to her coven's lair? No. That was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

"Ouch," Blake whispered as "Violet" examined her injured side. She was annoyed at how lethargic her body felt.

"The damage is mostly healed," the undead medic announced.

"Then, why did she say 'ouch?'" the blond asked.

"I said 'mostly healed,'" Violet replied, continuing to perform diagnostic work on Blake. "She should stay here for a few more hours, but I expect she will be fully healed by nightfall. She might not even have a scar thanks to your . . . contribution."

Blake looked at the blond, who was beaming at that statement. What did the medic mean "contribution?" "Awesome," the blond declared. "Is it all right if we have a couple minutes alone?"

"I'm done with my examination," Violet said. "I'll send Saffron to get her some soup. I don't think she'll need much, given the 'meal' she just had, but I think it would be . . . good to get some food in her." So saying, the Vampiress packed up her equipment and left. Blake had the feeling

The remaining bloodsucker settled herself in her seat beside Blake. The infected Faunus eyed her cautiously. The blond smiled back, swinging her legs slightly. "So," she said. When Blake didn't respond, she continued. "I'm Yang, by the way. Yang Xiao Long. I don't think we got to introduce ourselves last night."

Last night? Then, it was morning? How long had she been out? "My name is Blake Belladonna."

"'Blake Belladonna,' that's a pretty name," the blond—Yang—mused. "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"You took me here," Blake replied, eyeing the . . . friendly Vampire carefully.

"Well, yeah. I did," Yang said. "I mean, why were you being chased by those White Fang guys? Especially when you used to work for them?"

Blake's eyebrows shot up. Her body tensed, despite the protest from her injury. "How—?" she asked.

"My . . . Master told me." Yang's lips seemed to recoil around the title. "She said that was how the White Fang punished traitors: the silver-bullet-to-the-gut thing. Pretty nasty, if you ask me."

" . . . Humans have often compared Faunus to animals," Blake explained. "The leaders of the White Fang thought it was appropriate to kill betrayers like animals." At Yang's look of confusion, she elaborated. "Hunters, not Huntsmen or Huntresses mind you, sport hunters, often shoot their prey in the torso or neck to avoid damaging the head, the trophy. It also insures that we don't die quickly."

"Nastier than I thought," Yang muttered. "So, what you'd do? With a punishment like that, I kind of hope it was worth it."

". . . I tried to leave."

"That's it? You just wanted out?"

"The White Fang views abandonment far worse than it views actual crimes against Faunus," Blake explained. "And, I'm sure you know how the Fang (officially) views crimes against Faunus."

"Yeah," Yang nodded. "So, why did you want out, then? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's a long story," Blake said. Yang nodded again and let the matter drop. She was familiar with evasions. "What about you?" the Werebeast asked.

"Eh, not much to tell," Yang said. "I used to be a Huntress. Well, I was training to be one. Then, I got sick, un-deathly sick, if you know what I mean." The fallen Huntress winked. Blake suppressed a groan. "Next thing you know, I've moved from Beacon to Vampire Boot Camp. I aced it, by the way." Yang ended her tale with a grin and a thumb pointed at her chest.

"I see," Blake said. Which was to say, she understood there was more to the story than that, but since Yang was letting her keep her secrets, she figured she owed the former Huntress the same courtesy. What she had been told though, was impressive. It certainly explained the blonde's prowess in battle. True, Blake had killed more enemies, but Yang's had been far stronger and tougher. The former White Fang member had been more than a little awed by her new ally. Speaking of which . . .

"What will happen to me now?" Blake asked.

"Oh, ah, that," Yang suddenly didn't look so confident anymore. She began playing with her fingers. "Well, you see, ah. You're kind of—ah—my slave?" She made it sound like a question.

"What?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowed.

Yang squirmed. "It wasn't my idea! You were injured, and I brought you here, 'cause you told me not to take you to the hospital, on account of the Were-thing and all. And, we got the bullet out, and I gave you my blood to heal you, and then Weiss—she's Master of this half of Vale, you know—came in and said you were my slave. She's been bugging me to get one for a while now, and I guess she decided you were it."

"I'm flattered," Blake said, sitting up. "But, I'll have to decline. If my presence here is a problem, I'll just leave."

"Wait, no you can't!" Yang said. "You haven't finished healing!"

"I've been much worse," Blake said, rising. She tried not to cringe at the pain in her side. "Now, if you don't mind—"

"No," Yang insisted.

Blake sat back down immediately, like a well-trained dog. The image was not lost on her. "What was that?" she asked—no, politely demanded.

Yang panicked again. "Oh, no. It's true. Oh, my gosh, I am so, so sorry."

"What did you do?" Blake growled. Literally, a growl edged into her voice. It was the first time since Yang had seen her smoking wound that the blond saw evidence that the woman before her was also a victim of the same virus as she was.

"I told you I had to give you some of my blood to heal you, right? Well, apparently, Vampire blood can create a temporary bond if you give someone enough of it. I guess what we did qualified." Yang offered a weak smile. It didn't help.

"How long?" Blake asked.

"A few months, maybe. Violet's not quite sure; she's never seen it done on a Werebeast, so she's only guessing based on how much I gave you." Yang shook her head. "Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to get you out of here, but it's more complicated than that."

"Give me one good reason it's 'more complicated than that,'" Blake demanded.

Yang sighed. "Well, I'd have to tell you sooner or later. You know how said Weiss has been pestering me for a while to get a slave? Well, the reason I can't just blow her off, the reason she cares so much, is because we're gonna become Bondmates pretty soon. It's kind of like Vampire marriage."

"Congratulations," Blake said, acidly.

"Hey, I don't like it, either. I wish I could just tell the Ice Queen to go meet the sun and ditch this dump forever!" Yang said, her eyes flashing red.

Blake actually backed up a little at the intensity of those eyes. "Why don't you?" she asked. "Does the Queen of Vale's Northern Night take betrayal the same way the White Fang do?"

"No," Yang said. Her eyes shifted back and her shoulders slumped. The image she presented was akin to a half-deflated balloon. "The thing is, Weiss has her own slave, Ruby Rose."

Blake caught on. "You care for her?"

"She's my baby sister" Yang said, her voice catching. "I got to keep her safe. So, if that means being the Ice Queen's bitch for all eternity, then I'll say 'I do.' And, if that means making you my slave . . . Well, I'm sorry, Blake, but you're not my sister."

Lexicon: Silver

Silver is an elemental metal, rare and considered valuable by all four Kingdoms and most sub-cultures. Hunters in particular consider it one of the most useful metals as most Metabeings have an acute allergy to it. Due to their modified genetics, a Metabeing's cells will start to break down if they come into contact with silver resulting in decay or even combustion. This reaction happens so quickly and is so virulent that a Vyrkolakas' enhanced Aura is unable to heal it in time to save the infected cells. Hunters often laminate their weapons with silver to increase their effectiveness in combat. The toxic properties of silver against Metabeings are also thought by some anthropologists to be part of why it came to be considered so valuable and perhaps why it was used so extensively in jewelry; ancient cultures, they insist that silver was used by the rich to decorate themselves either to show their wealth (wasting a potential monster-slaying weapon on ornamentation) or as a form of personal protection. Whatever the reason, modern Remnant seems to view silver jewelry as nothing more than attractive accessories.

Vampire Blood

A Vampire's Blood is the means by which these Metabeings infect others with HFMVV Strain I. To convert another, the Vampire sire must feed a substantial amount of his or her blood to the would-be fledgling. In this manner, Vampires are less "accidentally reproductive" compared to other Metabeings. By contrast, another, pre-existing Vrykolakas fed Vampiric blood will experience a massive increase in healing abilities. The precise reason for this is unknown, but theories include the transformative properties of the MFHVV stimulating a burst of rapid cellular activity (although Werebeasts, who share the same Strain of the Virus are not known to have similar properties) or the infusion of the feeder's Aura into the drinker. A common side-effect in both cases is that the Vampire and the drinker develop a temporary empathic bond with one another. This is what leads to the common misconception that a Vampire is bound to do his or her sire's bidding; in fact, this is often the result of the fledgling imprinting on his/her sire and the sire instilling discipline in the fledgling. This bond is the foundation of the Vampire "marriage" ritual, the Bond of Hunting and Survival.

Author's Notes: I don't really know for sure about the trophy-hunting thing (I could probably ask, since I'm related to a dozen-or-so-sport-hunters), but it makes since to me. I stole the idea from an episode of Blood Ties, a 2007 Canadian supernatural/Mystery drama based on the "Blood Books" by author Tanya Huff. The episode was titled "Wild Blood," where, yes, a hunter killed a shapeshifter in a similar fashion to ensure his "trophy" was undamaged. That might have been one of the darkest moments in the series because of the kind of psychopathy that had to be fueling the all-too-human killer, unlike the ghosts, demons, and whatnot who were just kind of what J.K. Rowling might call "usual evil."

Similarly, I stole the phrase "Bond of Hunting and Survival" (sort of) from Mick Farren's "Renquist Quartet." I've never actually read the books, but the previews I read on Amazon mention the bond now and again and the wording always tickled my imagination. I'll explain how the Bond in this world works in depth when it becomes more relevant.

And yes, I stole the phrase "meet the sun" from Trueblood. I just really liked it.

Finally, that line "accidentally reproductive" is going to become important later on for one or more characters. I told you, you'll want to read the Lexicon. Although, if you aren't, I seriously doubt you're reading the footnotes. Anyhow, next Chapter, we take a break from Yang and her blood-sucking brethren and see some of her former friends, the students of Beacon Academy. (Yay! Aliterations! Heehee!)