Chapter 34 – the blacK Kat
"Stop the oppression!" shouted Sienna, at the front of the crowd.
"Stop the oppression!" parroted Blake and the hundreds of other Faunus taking part in the protest.
"Free our innocent brothers and sisters!" shouted Sienna.
"Free our innocent brothers and sisters!" replied Blake.
"Bring an end to our disenfranchisement!" shouted Sienna.
"Bring an end to our disfrancis…disenchime…dis!"
Fortunately, Blake's failure at words was covered up by the roar of responses from the crowd. That was why she liked taking part in big protests like this one – even when she found herself in trouble, she could always count on having her Faunus brothers and sisters there to back her up and catch her if she fell. Take last week, when they'd made a picket line, for instance. Blake was too short, and some of the Faunus scabs stepped over her to get into the SDC work camp, but then Yuma had picked her up and carried her on his shoulders. Blake was suddenly the tallest one in the crowd, and the entire White Fang could hear her chant. It had to be the happiest moment of her entire life. She'd never felt so…heard.
The White Fang was her family. Literally – her mother and father were its parents, so that made Sienna and Trifa and Saber and Yuma and everyone Blake's big sisters and brothers. To an only child like Blake, the idea of having hundreds of siblings was the coolest thing in the world. And on top of that, all of them were Faunus! Sienna had cat ears just like her, and Trifa could shoot webs out of her hands, and Yuma could fly and carry her through the sky, though he kept saying she was getting bigger and would eventually get too heavy for him. Blake wasn't sure how she felt about that. Sure, she wanted to grow up big and strong, but to call a girl heavy? Rude.
"–enough? I think not! As long as there remain Faunus in prisons, Faunus in chains, our work is never done!"
Sienna's speech brought about a wave of fresh applause from the crowd, and even some of the hunters who were paid by the Vacuoan government to monitor the protest. Vacuo insisted it was for their own safety, but Sienna always said they were there to keep them in line. Sienna said a lot of things, but between her big sister and the council of Vacuo, Blake knew exactly who she'd trust every time.
"So, my fellow comrades, I ask you this? Can you honestly say you've done enough by merely marching? Do you believe our day will come simply by holding signs and praying that the humans will read them? Or do you wish to do more? D–"
"An admirable sentiment from a truly amazing woman," cut in father, his armored shoulder pads clinking as a he rapidly stepped to the front of the crowd. "And quite accurate. Words can never be replaced by actions, which is why the White Fang will be participating in a joint effort with the council of Vacuo to open a brand new library right here, in the heart of Vacuo, and implement several literacy and scholarship programs to boot. The more we provide opportunities for those who struggle, those who suffer, and those who yearn for a better life, the brighter the future shall be for both human and Faunus alike!" He raised a clawed fist in triumph, and the entire audience screamed their approval.
It was kind of funny. Her father usually kept her up to date on all the upcoming plans for the Fang, but he hadn't mentioned this new library and the other initiatives. Maybe he was planning it as a surprise?
But her tenth birthday wasn't for another three months…
"–fucking insane? Going out there and telling them that their marches weren't enough?"
"They aren't enou–"
"And what is, Sienna? Your planned hit squads? Your ideas for White Fang huntsmen? What comes next, a standing military on Menagerie? You've gone too far."
"Don't tell me what's too far, Ghira. You, of all people, working with humans for a damned library! I didn't sign up to read books, and neither did anyone in that crowd."
"You were riling up an agitated crowd of Faunus who were surrounded on all sides by hunters. I had to spin it some way. If I didn't promise concrete action, after what you went and said, a riot could have broken out. And now the council of Vacuo is riding my ass about me publicly announcing something that was barely even in the conceptual stage."
"Alternatively, you could have let me do my fucking job!"
"You job was never to drum up support for violence."
"No. It was to see your vision of equality executed. But here's a newsflash – if you keep tying my hands, you be getting your equality until next millennium at the earliest."
"You don't want equality. Not anymore. You–"
A hand tapped on Blake's shoulder, causing her to jump five feet in the air with a hiss. The hair on her back stood on end.
"Blake? What are you doing that's got you so skittish?" asked her mother. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from your father's hotel room when he's busy?"
"O-Oh. Well, I wanted to order some food from room service, but I didn't have a credit card, so I thought I'd ask dad," lied Blake convincingly. She was gradually becoming better and better at getting away with all of her mischief, though her mother never seemed to fall for it. They do say practice makes perfect.
"And you needed to put your ears to the door because…?"
"Because I wanted to hear if he was in a meeting, so that I could turn around and not disturb him if he was busy. Like you said, I'm not to disturb him when he's busy." Blake batted her eyelashed.
Her mother brushed her hair and led Blake away. "If you're hungry, dear, how about you and I go to the restaurant at the front of the hotel and get something to eat?"
"That sounds lovely, mom," Blake said.
Blake's mother smiled.
She bought it. That was a close one. Now, I'll just eat something quick to sell it, say I'm full, excuse myself, and go hear why father and Sienna were arguing about.
Blake's mother gracefully ushered her to the first floor and sat her down at one of the tables directly underneath the glass chandelier. The hotel they were staying at was certainly one of the nicest in Vacuo. With a built-in restaurant, bar, and swimming pool at the front, it easily boasted the most luxurious stay in all of the kingdom. Blake, ever the Fang member, had initially worried that the lien could be better spent on Faunus causes, but her parents had assured her that the council of Vacuo had paid all their expenses in advance.
Blake looked over the menu and checked out the appetizers.
"Oh no, sweetie. You're hungry. Let's flip that to the entrées."
"Actually, I–"
Her mother's eyes stared directly at hers. "You must be starving if you went through all that trouble. Let's get you the biggest, most time-consuming item on the menu. After all, you don't have anywhere else to be, right?"
Busted.
"And something with plenty of vegetables. A young Faunus like you has to keep your strength up and get those essential nutrients, right? None of that greasy fried fish for my baby girl. How about the liver pâté covered in grapefruit juice with seared onions, brussel sprouts, and golden raisins? Doesn't this one look good?"
Her mother pointed to an item on the menu. Wow. Number 7 was literally all of Blake's least favorite foods all rolled up into one. It was actually kind of weirdly specific that the restaurant served them all in a single dish.
"I –"
The glass windows facing the streets shattered as a hailstorm of bullets shot through them. Blake screamed, as did most of the other White Fang members who were eating. Her mother reacted quickly, throwing Blake to the floor, cradling her in her arms, and shielding her until the gunfire ceased.
"Go back to Menagerie!" someone shouted through the window. "You mangy, flea-bitten Fa–"
The insult was interrupted halfway. Blake squirmed free of her mother's grip and peered out the window.
There were two humans lying on the street. Sienna stood over them, her Cerberus Whip in hand. Ghira raced through the front doors of the hotel, his claws bared. Scanning the dusty street for threats, he noticed Blake and quickly swept her up into his arms.
"Still think the Faunus need your library more than my hunter teams?" asked Sienna.
It was then that Blake noticed there was only one human lying in the street. She initially mistook him for two, given that his legs were so far away from–
Blake screamed again, but her father quickly pressed her face into his shoulder to muffle her cries.
"Your daughter is only alive because I had my aura unlocked, Ghira. Perhaps you'll reconsider my proposals…High Leader."
"Actually," growled Blake's father, "my daughter is only alive because you had your whip in hand and were out the door in less than half a second after the first shots were fired. Quite the reaction time, even for a spry young woman life yourself…Branch Commander."
Blake sobbed again, and her father patted her on the back. "Let's go inside, kitten. This is no place for a child."
"I don't get it. Does this make me a huntress? Isn't that what Sienna's said we need back in Vacuo – more Faunus huntresses? How come she's wrong to say that but you're both not?"
Kali and Ghira exchanged an awkward glance. "Not exactly, kitten. Huntresses have intense combat training. They prepare for their entire lives to use their aura in combat against the Grimm. All you need is a shield, in case things get…dicey."
"But if I have aura, doesn't that mean I have superpowers?"
Father picked her up and sat her down on his lap. "It's called a semblance, kitten."
Blake looked down at the faded purple glow that wavered across her hands. "A semblance…"
"Blake. Listen to me very carefully. What Sienna wants is wrong, unequivocally. Her dream of a militarized White Fang benefits no one but her own ego and lust for bloodshed. You have to promise me to never use your aura for anything but defense. That means no fighting, no weapons, and absolutely no semblance."
"I promise, mother."
Blake's mother smiled.
That meant she bought it.
"Semblance, activate," Blake quietly ordered, careful not to speak too loud for fear of her parents waking up. Their Atlas hotel was not nearly as fancy as Vacuo's, and they all had to share a single room. "Semblance, I summon thee!"
Her body didn't respond to the verbal command, but to be honest, she had no idea if that was the right thing to say or not.
"Wonder Blake powers – activate! Shape of…semblance!"
Nothing.
"Go Go Gadget Semblance!"
Nothing.
"By the power of aura! I have the semblance!"
Nothing.
Maybe it was a hand motion? Blake put her pressed her middle and ring fingers into the palm of her hand, stretch out her other fingers, and thrust forth her hand, but no webs came out of her wrist. Darn it.
What else could she do? There were no phone booths around, so it couldn't be super strength and laser vision.
Think, Belladonna, think. There have to be thousands of huntsmen and huntresses who figure out their own unique semblances without any help. It has to be something obvious. What am I missing?
She took a good, long look at herself in the bathroom mirror. Semblances were supposed to reflect a person's aura, the physical form of their soul, so it had to be personal. Who was Blake? If she were her own superpower, what would she be?
I'm a Faunus. Maybe I shapeshift into a cat? Nah, that'd be racist. Hmmm…I like fish, I like books, and I like nighttime. But none of things are superpower related! Urgh, this is too difficult.
Maybe she already had her semblance, and she just hadn't used it. Blake tried to punch through a wall, but the wood simply hurt her tiny fist. Not durability then.
Blake set down the toilet seat, stood on it, and jumped down off of it. Try as she may to levitate, she found herself still affected by that accursed beast known as gravity. The ground slammed into her, and Blake let out a pained squeak.
This sucks. Aura sucks. I'm going back to bed.
Blake opened the door of the bathroom, but before she could exit, something caught her eye.
It was her eyes.
And her mouth.
And her head.
And her entire body.
The copy of her was still standing on top of the toilet seat, in the same crouched pose Blake had been in just before she jumped. Blake ran over to it to give it a hug, but in her haste, she tripped on her own feet. She tried to grab hold of the bathtub to steady herself, but the part her hand grabbed was slippery and wet, causing her to tumble in headfirst. Her purple aura thumped the shower tiles, and Blake didn't feel an ounce of pain.
I take it back. Aura is the best thing in the world! Semblances too!
The door to their hotel room gently opened. Blake froze and covered her mouth to silence her breathing. She was up way late past her bedtime, and on top of that, she'd already broken her promise to her parents to never use her semblance. If anyone came in and saw her, she would be in so much trouble.
Footsteps walked past the open door to the bathroom, pausing for just a second. Something red flashed through the air and collided with the clone, which tumbled to the floor and vanished.
"Tranqed the kid."
"Copy."
The footsteps resumed. Blake confusion turned to horror as the clone disappeared, leaving behind a pointy glass tube with a metal tip. What is happening?
BANG!
BANG!
"Two confirmed kills. Mission success, 0100 hours."
Two…what? It's just me, mother, and father in here. Who could they have killed? There's no one else in the room. There's no one to kill!
The sound of fabric tearing followed.
"No, make the gashes wider. It needs to look like there was some big struggle. She asked for a spectacle – the final stand of the White Fang's noble High Leader against some cruel Atlesian black ops team, she said. Something to, you know, galvanize her troops."
"Just throw them some treats. That'll galvanize 'em." The tearing sound continued.
What are they even doing? And why didn't all the noise wake up mother and father?
"We good?"
"Yeah, that's enough. Let's fly."
Blake heard the glass door to the balcony slide open. No further sounds came. She waited a few minutes just to be sure, then slowly crept out of the bathroom.
Her parents were still asleep. That was good; she would've been in for one heck of a tongue lashing if they caught her playing around with her aura. Blake climbed back into her bed, but something stopped her from pulling the covers over her.
Strange people had just walked into her apartment. Blake couldn't help but start to feel a little uneasy. Every creak seemed like it might be the footsteps of whoever they were, returning for whatever sinister intentions they held.
She had aura, but just to be sure, Blake shuffled over to her parents' bed and scooched in between them.
Yes, this felt a whole lot safer.
Blake yawned and stretched out her arms upon waking.
Her pajamas were wet.
Instant mortification flooded her. Had she wet the bed? Oh, Dust, this was so embarrassing! She was ten years old, not a baby. Hadn't she gone to bathroom before–
The bathroom. Whoo, that was a wild dream.
Blake sat up and looked at her clothes.
It wasn't pee.
It was blood.
"Murdered! Slaughtered like the animals they see us as! And in front of their own daughter!"
Sienna wasn't so much formally announcing their death as she was screeching it out to any Faunus within earshot. Blake sat at the foot of her stage, clutching her knees and weeping. She was glad her big sister was here for her. Sienna and the White Fang were the only family she had left.
"Let it be known that Ghira was no coward! He stood his ground and fought to defend his family before being struck down by a cruel Atlesian black ops team."
Blake's ears perked up – all four of them.
"As I lead us into the future, I implore you all. Let us never forget this day, on which our noble High Leader made his final stand!"
Blake closed her eyes and tried to keep a straight face. Her mother and father weren't the only family she'd lost today.
"I'd like to report a murder."
The Atlesian policewoman looked at Blake like she was an alien.
"Ma'am?" Blake tugged on her coattails again. "I'd like to report a murder."
Blake had been pretty sure she was a policewoman based on her fancy uniform, but the woman's reluctance was giving her second thoughts. She'd taken a risk by sneaking away – Sienna may as well have been keeping Blake on a leash for how close she constantly kept the younger Faunus to her – but Atlas people were the only people Blake could trust. If her parents' death was being falsely blamed on Atlas, that presumably meant that the kingdom in question couldn't be in on it.
I hope.
"Ahem," the woman said condescendingly, putting her hands on her knees to bend down as though Blake were a child. "And who exactly was murdered, young one?"
"My parents. Kali and Ghira Belladonna."
There was silence, then the policewoman's demeanor changed. "D-Dust. You're…You're the kid. Blake Belladonna."
"Yes. I know who I am," growled Blake. "Now, can you help me, or not?"
"Atlas categorically denies all involvement in–"
"I fucking know they do!" Blake slammed her foot into the ground. "Sienna Khan killed my mom and dad, not you!"
The police lady froze, her eyes growing wide in stunned shock. Blake couldn't help but let out a small snort of annoyance. There wasn't much time, and this stupid dummy was wasting what precious little of it Blake still had with her overdramatic response.
Finally, she pulled out her radio and pressed a button. "General."
"Ironwood here. Go ahead."
"Sir, I have someone you're going to want to speak to."
The voice on the other end sighed. "Can it possibly wait? Between the White Fang and the council, I've had one very unpleasant day."
"No, sir. I don't believe it can."
"This had better be important, Specialist."
"Sir, I have Blake Belladonna in custody."
The voice fell silent. Blake counted to three before impatiently tapping her foot.
"What's your position, Specialist?"
"You can't arrest her, or you won't?" Blake asked curtly.
General Ironwood shook his head. "I can't. There's concrete evidence to corroborate the theory that it was our people who killed Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Bullets, equipment, even DNA found on the scene. Your testimony won't be enough."
"It wasn't–"
"I believe you, young lady." He ran a hand through his own hair, which was just beginning to gray in portions. "I'm fairly certain I would've remembered giving the order to assassinate your parents. But if I give the order to arrest Khan, I'll have the entire White Fang up in arms, rioting in the streets. To Vacuo with the White Fang; I'd be starting a second Faunus War."
Blake shrugged. "So now what? We forget this whole thing happened and I go back?"
"I…I must confess, I have no idea."
Blake rolled her eyes. It seemed like everyone in the world had an opinion on what was right or not, but no one had the courage to act on it
"Sir."
The policewoman from before crossed her arms, stamped her foot, and stared out into space with a salute. Ironwood had insisted that only the two of them be allowed to meet Blake, calling anyone else a security risk. Apparently, he trusted this Specialist something fierce.
"Go ahead, Specialist."
"Perhaps this is the time to implement Task Force K9."
"Task For– she's ten years old, for Dust's sake!"
"She is already a member of the White Fang."
"K9? What is K9?"
Ironwood rubbed his eyes. "I haven't slept in two days. Schnee, would you…?"
"Certainly, sir." She knelt in front of Blake on one knee. "Miss Belladonna, you may or may not be aware, but the White Fang has gradually become increasingly, and alarmingly, more militant. There have been calls for the aura of some prominent members to be unlocks in order to form–"
"Faunus hunter teams. I know."
The policewoman blinked. Blake was fully away that as a Schnee and a Faunus, the two were supposed to be mortal enemies. However, Sienna was supposed to be her big sister, so Blake figured everything was up for grabs right about now. Thus, she nodded for Schnee to continue – a temporary olive branch, indicating that she would set aside her hostilities if the other woman would.
"Atlas has been keeping its eye on your parent's organization. We've been content to let it remain a non-threat as long as it remained in their control, but we had…contingencies in place, in the event that they were ousted."
"I never actually believed…" mumbled Ironwood from across the room, rubbing his cheeks and dragging down the bags beneath his eyes. "To kill their own people…"
"The most prominent among these contingencies was Task Force K9. We would have infiltrators within the White Fang, feeding us intel and bringing it down slowly from within. Unlike other special forces, these infiltrators would have no specific missions or plans other than to build up trust slowly, over the span of years if need be."
"K9? Faunus aren't dogs." Blake was offended, both by the implication that her people were pets and by the mere mention of any dogs ever at all. It took all her self-restraint to hold back an angry hiss.
"It's not called that because of the Faunus," Ironwood said. "The White Fang is their target, and K9 – canine – is a type of sharp tooth. Fang wordplay. It was just a working name."
"Fine. But I won't be called K9 by anyone if I join."
Ironwood winced. "You won't be–"
"Schnee says that I'm supposed to join this Task Force of yours."
"No, she…you're too young!" Ironwood's gaze flicked to Schnee, then back to Blake "You're untrained, inexperience, and, quite frankly, more of an encumbrance than an asset."
"What's an enbrunan…an encurba…an encumbranst?"
Ironwood gestured to Blake, as though her poor vocabulary was proof enough. "We need to put her in witness protection."
"No. I want to fight. S-Sir."
Blake managed a weak salute, imitating what Schnee had done before
Sorry, Mom. It looks like I'll have to break my promise about how I use my aura.
Again.
If Blake were a normal child, she might have believed that it was her fault what happened to her parents. That, somehow, her decision to discover her semblance brought about their death, conflating the two unrelated events in her youthful idiocy. But life as a disenfranchised Faunus made her grow up fast, and she felt old enough to understand that her semblance was probably the only thing that saved her from complete ignorance about the truth of her parents' murder.
Blake left a clone behind in the seat, sat up, and swiped the radio from Ironwood's belt while he conversed with his underling.
"Sir, I can train her to–"
"This is not up for debate, Specialist. Now, we need to–"
The radio on Schnee's belt chimed. "Specialist Schnee, this is General Ironwood. I'm giving you the order to train Blake and make her one of the White Fang infiltrators for the special Cat Force."
"W-What?" Ironwood cried. He placed a hand on the decoy communication device, and it faded away. The real Blake appeared over by the door of the room, clutching the hand held radio proudly.
"I have the right semblance for sneaking around. I'm a practiced liar. I'm already trusted by everyone in the White Fang. You know I'll be loyal and won't ever get swayed by false promises of Faunus rights or sisterhood or any of Sienna's lies. I'm the one. You need me."
"I–"
Schnee raised an eyebrow. "She did swipe your radio, sir," she said. "She's not half bad, and she's only ten. That's the same age as most primary combat school applicants. Ethically, the White Fang isn't that much more of a threat than the Grimm–"
Ironwood silenced her by raising a hand, but she had a triumphant smile plastered across her face. The general's pupils flickered from Blake to the Schnee, then were covered up by his eyelids as he let out a deep sigh.
"Fine. If you pass basic training, and the White Fang hasn't already disowned you due to this long absence, you can be Task Force K9's first infiltrator."
Blake was about to cheer when something caught her attention about his wording.
"I already said it's not going to be K9."
"Well then, Miss Belladonna, what do you propose we call it?"
Blake thought for a second, then smiled.
"You get one minute to gloat, Belladonna."
"Awww, just one?" Blake batted her eyelashes coquettishly.
Ironwood was unmoved. "You've earned more, but I can't justify turning off the camera for any longer. Unless you're willing to compromise your identity and let there be videographic evidence of your employment by Atlas, in which case, take all the time you need."
Blake chuckled and went into the cell. As much as she liked to joke with the general, she wouldn't dare risk being made. K had started as a way to get back at Sienna, but now Blake's one true allegiance was to her kingdom. It was a place that would never betray her, never sing the praises of her parents' murderers and elect them High Leader, never pat her on the shoulder while simultaneously stabbing her in the back.
Besides, she didn't need more than 60 seconds to do what needed to be done.
Sienna Khan was used to sitting on an ornate throne, but she now sat quietly with just a cot and a shitter to her name. Her golden jewelry was nowhere to be seen, and her finely spun silk robes had been replaced by a monochromatic orange jumpsuit. When Blake entered, Sienna was sitting cross legged in a meditative pose behind a wall of hard light.
"Hello, General Ironwood. Wondering how I know it's you? You humans reek of–"
Blake had never felt and never would feel again the positively euphoric elation of watching the color drain from her big sister's face as she opened her eyes. The smug look was instantly replaced with a mixture of confusion, more confusion, and even more confusion.
"Blake? Y-You escaped?"
"No."
"What…how…why are you…I don't understand…"
"I know you don't, High Leader. I've only got a short amount of time, so I'm going to say my piece, and fast."
Blake stepped closer, getting right up to the photonic cell walls that held the striped tiger woman.
"If I'd known the world back then as I do now, I would've agreed with you. The White Fang never stood a chance unless it fought tooth and nail for every scrap of victory it could pry out of the enemy's cold, dead hands. Faunus hunters, violence, terror tactics – it was all right. You were always right. And I just want you to know…"
Blake pressed a button on the cell. The hard light wall disappeared, and Sienna rapidly rose to her feet in shock.
"It was never about ideology. Violence vs. non-violence, Faunus vs. human, Menagerie vs. Atlas – none of that matters. The White Fang lost everything because of what you, Sienna, did to my mother and father."
Upon hearing the last three words, Sienna's demeanor instantly changed. Understanding was followed by stunned silence, and then murderous rage. She lunged.
Her mistake was acting on her anger at Blake's betrayal. Blake had clearly gone in with the intent to agitate the tiger Faunus, and only a fool would recklessly attack a foe head-on who was riling them up so obviously.
Sienna passed through a shadow clone, and Blake grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and shoved her straight down into the hard metal floor. With her other hand, she drove a tranquilizer dart as deep as she could into her former leader's neck. Sienna struggled at first, but she didn't last long against the concentrated dose of sedative.
The tiger was the strongest animal in the kingdom, but the black cat was smart. She had stacked the odds in her favor ever since the very beginning of the battle that only one of them knew was being fought.
"Now, what have we here? When the cameras turn back on, you'll have nearly escaped Atlesian custody. You'll be deemed too high a flight risk for a public trial, and you'll be shuttled to some deep, dark hole in the ground where you'll never see the light of day for as long as you live. Assuming some underpaid private assigned to guard you doesn't get trigger happy and shoot the little pussycat on sight when it growls at him."
"B-Bitch…you…family…"
Blake was unsure whether Sienna was taunting her over the death of the Belladonnas or accusing Blake of betraying her family in the White Fang, but it didn't matter. Sienna had seconds of consciousness left, and Blake would be out of the room long before then.
She couldn't resist one last taunt before leaving. "The final stand of the White Fang's noble High Leader against a cruel Atlesian black ops agent. Now doesn't this feel familiar?"
Omake
Winter: What's with this sassy lost Faunus?
Author's Notes
That's the last of the backstories. Next chapter is the beginning of Volume 3, and a bit of a new mission statement for the Rabid Animals.
But wait! Now that Tock is ticked, Hazel is hicked, and the pink thing is pthicked, who's gonna be the villain? Well, I'll give you a hint: their first name starts with a Q, ends with a J, starts with an O, and contains exclusively vowels.
Remember to fill out the Marrow Murder Mystery poll, if you haven't already! Here's the link: (forms dot gle /3EGGEfhxs1cgYrZE7)
Happy rats, and don't do crime!