Next Update: Tuesday, April 10th.
Chapter 3
The first of hunting lesson had gone well, and Blake was content that none of the girls had run away from the grazing Grimm roaming the wooded areas. They had even managed to catch themselves a grazing rabbit. The predatory nature of their heritage made them well suited to chasing after prey. They had ran the rabbit down to its exhaustion, using their claws and teeth to get the job done. It wasn't what a more experienced person would do. Certainly, a human like Yang would never hunt like that.
However, Blake couldn't argue a job well done when the girls displayed the hard earned prize gleefully.
Yang couldn't praise the girls with the same sort of approval. Finding herself unable to hold back a few straying tears, let alone tell them that they'd done a good job. Blake rubbed Yang's back as the blonde haired woman spilled her lunch into a nearby bush, not having expected to see such a soft and fluffy animal meet its demise in such a visceral way. The children growled over the corpse. Arguing about who would have the honor of carrying it home to their family.
To Yang, that detail was even more horrifying. An animalistic nature showing itself among the Faunus that Yang truly couldn't comprehend.
Blake was more withdrawn on the mater, not particularly minding the metallic stench in the air. Instead, she glanced to her students in question. feline Faunus of several natures. Wolf Faunus, also pack hunters. All of them were, in some way or another.
"They're predatory Faunus, Yang." Blake murmured softly in her ear. "Of course they'd be able to hunt with their bare hands. We have teeth and claws. They're made to do strictly that. To hunt."
"Did they have to maul it to death?"
Blake only shook her head. "No, of course not. They didn't mean to be that barbaric." Blake gently tended to Yang's long mane of golden hair, running her fingers through the unruly length, guiding it into some measure of order. "The same feeling of excitement you get from hunting Grimm, they get simply by hunting in general. They're on a hormonal high right now, instinct and reason at war, and they're young. Too young to really put any of it into perspective. That's why we keep them so close to us. To protect them from themselves."
"They went after that poor thing, drew out the chase, bloodied it, and you praised them for it."
"You're right, I did." Blake admitted softly, as soothingly as she could. "And I'll do it over, and over, and over again." Blake replied, placing kisses on Yang's exposed neck, and her cheek, uncaring of the terrible acidic stench in Yang's mouth. "It's how they learn, sweetheart." She continued as she passed Yang a canteen of water to rinse her mouth out.
"If they're not good enough to use a weapon, they shouldn't be out here."
"I know you don't understand. I know that some part of you just can't understand. That's just the sort of person you are." Blake continued, trying to calm the shaking she could feel in her lover. "Yang, the problem is, you need to understand. To them, they did a good deed. They're bringing food home. The end justifies the means."
"That wasn't justified, it was cruelty…"
"I forget that you're used to chaperoning older, more experienced girls that know how to make a clean shot the first time." Blake replied earnestly. In retrospect, this was one of many reasons Faunus kept humans well away from their customs. "One day, they'll be that skilled, but for now you have to put it into perspective. To a predator Faunus like them, cute furry little creatures aren't our friends. They're our food. That's it."
"I hate when you're so logical." The blonde manage to laugh weakly.
"It's true though, Yang." Blake murmured. "They're a thing to eat. Nothing more, nothing less."
Yang looked over her shoulder, and shook her head.
"I'll handle things from here…" Blake told her. "You go take a walk, clear your head a little bit before coming back."
Yang nodded, coughing a little as she took in a few more breaths of air.
Though Blake wanted to stay to help Yang, she had to get the youths back to the village before nightfall. First, however, she had to stop the bickering on. Going over to the group, she grabbed the rabbit by its back feet, not even bothered by the fact that it was still warm.
"It was a team effort. You all played a part, and therefore none of you have the sole right to carry this home to any of your families. Instead, I will carry your prize back to the village." She told them. "Together, we will present it to one of the cooks in charge of the feast. They will clean and prepare the rabbit with the others that were caught earlier today day. I'm sure that this contribution will make all of your families very proud."
Together, the group continued their walk back to the village. They stopped only to observe movement in the trees and titter on amongst themselves. Blake expertly guided them back to safety, allowing none of them to wander very far from her sights. By the time they returned, the festival had only gotten more rambunctious in the evening hours, and Blake took special care to see each girl safely back with her family for the night.
Prideful, most of them bragged about their hunt, which Blake confirmed much to the delight of the other adults. Truth be told, they would need several more supervised outings over the years to hone their skills. However, everyone had returned safe, and Blake counted that as a victory. The first day came and went with bonfires, feasts, and dancing. The islanders coming together to share the wonderful nighttime weather and the plentiful meal.
Among the gatherings of large families, there were some Faunus looking for bedfellows. Meanwhile, others continued seeking courtship for committed mates to claim as a spouse, the process a long one.
Blake smiled to herself as her father gave one of his many grandiose toasts of the season, several of the elders making comments that would easily go unheard by the younger, more exuberant attendees. Blake had seen enough for the night, she decided, as she headed for home. A slow sigh fell from her lips as she entered into her personal dwellings, away from her parent's household.
It was a choice she had made on her own, choosing to live just outside the village walls. It was peaceful to be near the Grimm, to hunt them at her pleasure, and to be away from the streets that made the village as lively as it tended to be. Furthermore, it kept the humans she housed at distance, respectful of the entirely Faunus village that her family protected.
"You came back earlier than I thought you would." A fellow Faunus and housemate said to Blake. Her eyes dilated, drifting over Blake's form hungrily. "You're alone too, that's a first."
"It's been a long day, Neon." Blake replied steadily.
"Yang's not with you. She's always with you." She licked her lips then, long tail flicking back and forth with unrestrained excitement. "Wait, does that mean I finally get you to myself?"
"Your heat isn't mild this year, is it?" Blake laughed, seeing the peppy girl roll her eyes as she leaned in close.
"No." The cat Faunus purred. "I've been chomping at the bit all day."
"Go to the festival like everyone else." Blake told her, though she did take pity on the woman. Her fingers trailing down Neon's exposed back, amused at the skimpy way a single sheet tied around her did nothing for her modesty. "Find a mate, Neon, for maiden's sake."
"I don't want to go be tied down to anyone, Blake." The woman spoke, shaking her head. Her tail flicked playfully before twirling itself around Blake's waist. "I just want a good time, that's all. Why go there, when I can get that here?"
"Good question." Blake smirked, petting that silky feline appendage that so easily wrapped around her in playful ways. "Normally I would entertain you, but I can't tonight." Neon loved the attention, always seeking it. Her affectionate nature a contrast to her feral Faunus heritage. Proof that despite their looks, Faunus were capable of wider perceptions than humans ever gave them credit for.
"Aw, why not?"
Although Blake never said it aloud, Neon reminded her of a kitten that never seemed to grow up, rather than a Faunus with a respected northern bloodline. Neon's father a chieftain in his own right, maintaining a small village up in the north. "I'm busy. Actually, I'm not looking for carnal pleasure from you any night during the festival. I have preparations to make, and my own heat to deal with."
"Sooo, why suffer when we can fix that?" She said, unwilling to let Blake slink away so quickly from her sights. "You're not thinking of working all night again are you? Not on the first night of the season." She grinned, circling Blake conspiratorially. "We should play instead. I've got these cool new bath bombs that smells like catnip. Total heaven, I swear."
"As enticing as that sounds, I just can't." Blake replied, this time uncurling Neon's tail from her form, giving the tip the most gentle of kisses and smoothing out the soft fur. "Fixing the matter would go against particular traditions that should be observed…that, and I'm exhausted. I've been keeping charge over village girls all damn day, and I know I'll be tasked with the same girls tomorrow."
"Yeah, that's because you shoved all of the really little ones on me!" Neon said with a pout. "It was no fun, Blake."
"With most of the women out hunting for food, someone had to stay behind and play den mother. Besides, you like children."
"Toddlers pull tails…"
"They pull ears too, I know that from firsthand experience." Blake deadpanned. "Actually...they probably pull everything." she grumbled thoughtfully. "Anyway, you wouldn't want the girls under my watch this year. They're too young to know the difference between instinct and reality, and too driven by hormones to think ahead."
"Isn't that the way it always is at first, though?" Neon asked, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully as she wrapped her arms around Blake and hung from her shoulders. She nuzzled her nose affectionately just under Blake's chin. "I mean, don't you remember when we were about that age? We couldn't keep our hands off each other."
"Which is exactly why we separate the males from the females. It's also why we do our best keep them in our sights. To protect them from their own idiocy." Blake said with a soft growl tinting her tone. "At least if two girls sneak away decide to mindlessly rut, there are no surprises later." She glanced over at the clock and shook her head. "I don't have time for idle chatter. I have too much to do, and not enough time to do it in. Not if I want to be free from my duties by the end of the festival."
"You're choosing!" Neon accused before her eyebrows shot high atop her head and her tail flicked excitedly. "Who? When are you claiming them? How many? Oh this is going to be so exciting!"
"Calm down." Blake sighed. "I'm only claiming one mate this year. You know I can't say anything else until after the festivities have ended."
"And I thought I was hot and bothered before." Neon grumbled. "Oh, why not tell me just a little tidbit?"
"Instead, how about a suggestion of where you can scratch that itch of yours?"
"I'm listening." Neon purred, a hungry smile spreading across her face.
"Word has it that Sun's been avoiding the festival too. He always carries protection, why don't you go ask him for a rut or two? I doubt he'd turn you down." Blake could practically see the cogs turning in Neon's head as she thought about it.
"That's an idea." Biting her lower lip as a small sound came from deep within her throat. "God, the things that man can do with his tail…"
"What do you - wait, actually scratch that…" Blake shook her head, the images in her mind taunting her. "I don't want to know."
"If you don't know, you should totally find out!" Neon nodded then, bidding Blake goodnight as she went in search of the well-known monkey Faunus.
Blake lingered in the empty living room, but only long enough to set her weaponry aside before padding off towards her office.
It was a long walk down the hall, and she closed the door behind her. The room was small, holding only precisely what she needed. A desk, a few chairs, and several maps covering the walls. More maps rolled up in open storage. Each one marking a particular route that the boats frequented, and details on the Grimm that could be found there. She lingered over each one, fingers drawing invisible lines on the smooth paper. Red, routes indicated hostile territory, blue indicated smooth sailing, and as she studied the maps over for the umpteenth time, she knew the outcome of her findings.
"Just wait, Yang." She said to herself. "You'll know my intentions soon."