Mistral days were cool ones.
There were days when the cultural mainstay of Remnant would be absolutely bathed in a feeling of cool air. It did after all share the same continental space as the more colder regions of Anima, like northern Argus. Thus it felt like the colder air from further north would blow more south, as indicated by the crisp wind. Some local myths even spoke of the Mistrali forests maintaining green as a result to that. Cool air keep the forests cool in color, as the saying went. Only more so with it being so close to autumn season.
In one of these forests of rich green, a gentle breeze caressed the trees, with vibrantly colored leaves dancing on their branches. Eventually, with enough force, a single leaf broke free from its parent and fluttered in a downward, spiraling descent. The leaf landed to the ground, in front of someone: a girl, who vaguely noticed the leaf, instead choosing to focus on something else that was front of her. Eyes narrowed in concentration, Liz Viridian stared out in front of her; there was something far more pressing than falling leaves.
The wind caused the edges of her loose jacket to flutter lightly, while she herself remained standing strong and firm, unyielding to anything that would hinder her. That included distractions, like the gentle breeze or the beautiful leaves it carried. All that concerned her now were her enemies no more than ten yards away from her: a pack of beowolves, their red eyes glowing from out of the dim of the forest. The beasts growled threateningly as they stalked towards her from the thick of the woods and out into the clearing. A few of them moved on all fours, while one walked forward mostly on its hind legs. This one's bulkier body had stark white bones erupting from its black form, standing at least twice the height of the smaller ones. The growls the smaller ones made were lighter, while the Alpha Beowulf's was lower, deeper.
Though she held a steady stance from the outside, inside Liz's core did hold fear. The mere sight of these creatures of Grimm would be enough to shake anyone. In fact, that negative emotion of fear was probably what drew these creatures to her in the first place. Actually, she does notice that her lizard tail is twitching rather anxiously. Thus, she took a moment to calm herself; she closed her eyes, breathed in deep, exhaled, and opened her eyes. The real world nightmare was still present before her, but Liz was not expecting anything different.
She spread her clenched fists from her body. Resting on the tops of her palms were her dual weapons, the Kaginawa Tsume. Brandishing them, the mid-day sun's light reflected off of their claw tips. The beowolves saw this gleam of light and interpreted it as aggression. One by one, they rushed towards her, claws digging into the ground as they run,saliva dripping from their maws.
Liz slowly broke into a run, and the two sides met.
She jumped and twisted forward in a corkscrew motion, outstretched claws slashing out and lacerating two of the Grimm. The two fell to the ground, disintegrating into fine black dust on the wind. One by one beowolves attempted to slash at her with their own claws, but were parried and out-slashed by hers. Their claws may be naturally grown, but Liz knew that the Kaginawa Tsume's claw tips are made of stronger material than whatever their claws are made of. It's easily shown with every successful slash into their skin and flesh. In between her slashes, Liz would throw in a kick here and there against them as well.
Eventually, the Grimm numbers dwindled down to three, when suddenly Liz spun her head around to discover one of them almost sneak up on her. The massive form of the alpha beowulf loomed over her, its own body pitch blacker than the very shadow it cast under the sun. Its snarling maw dripped with saliva before her, causing Liz to wince in disgust at first. That disgust was quickly dispelled however as she watched the alpha raise its clawed arms up above its head, poised to bring them down hard upon her. Reacting quickly, she swiped her open palm out and in front of her, producing a Scaleshield, her Semblance, to block the strikes. This shield would not hold for long, but Liz didn't need it to. For her, Scaleshield had always been best for delaying strikes against her and allowing her mind to catch up to the present. This was something she'd need to do quick, as each pound upon the projection by the alpha's claws brought crack upon crack to the shielding. A few more hits, and it will have broken through!
In this momentary break, Liz quickly realized what needed to be done. And while the major point of it was that these beowolves still needed to be killed, this alpha required special focus and needed to be dealt with first. It was the leader of the pack after all, and would no doubt have other beowolves rally to it, from anywhere in this forest!
Her mind quickly set to work on a plan of action, even as she noticed the other two beowolves directly behind her. She pointed her arms in back of her, the Kaginawa Tsume conveniently aiming at the other monsters behind her. The two claws suddenly shot back, singular ropes attaching them to bands mounted on her wrists, and rocketed straight back to embed themselves into the two creatures' chests. Liz then pulled forward as well as retracted the ropes themselves, hard, and both sailed towards each other until they pass. With a quick flick of her wrists, she dislodged the Kaginawa Tsume from the beowolves' chests, leaving her to back-flip into stance, and the two of them to tumble forward and crash into the alpha beowolf.
The creatures struggled to untangle themselves from their own limbs, but Liz doesn't give them a chance to recover. She again points her weapons at the Grimm, but this time the claw tips flipped open, and begin to fire their .38 rounds at them. There were only six total claws, three for each hand-claw base, but it was all more than enough for these creatures; they were all run through with bullets, each one disintegrating into black dust. The beowulf alpha remained non-destroyed however, as it attempted to pull its wounded body back to its feet. Liz's eyes narrowed, and she made haste to quickly reload her weapons and fire them again. This time, the majority of her shots were leveled at the alpha beowolf entirely. The massive creature let out a massive yelp of pain, even as its body began to fade into fine, black dust on the wind.
Moments passed, and the Kaginawa Tsume tips closed back into place, Liz also relaxing her arms. There are no more beowolves in sight, nor can she hear any in her immediate vicinity. The battle was truly over, and Liz breathed a sigh of relief. That is, however, until a new sound reached her ears; the sound of clapping.
"Nicely done, Miss Viridian."
Liz turned around to see two men approaching her; both faunus, like her. The first was a bearded man with a lightly furred tail behind him, dressed as a professional educator. He watched her with studious eyes, and a mouth that was neither smiling nor frowning. The other was her father, Komodo; a faunus, with a reptilian tail far thicker and heavier looking than her own. His face held weathering to it, slitted eyes held content, and the smile he held was open satisfaction.
Liz could barely contain her own smile of victory as she moved to approach them herself.
"Thank you, Headmaster Lionhart," she said, "This demonstration was a pleasure."
"Not bad, if I may say so," Komodo admits, "Not bad at all. I'd say you've definitely mastered your mother's Kaginawa Tsume!"
"Heh, thanks Dad," Liz said, then looked down to fiddle with the bullet insertion slots on her left side weapon, "I'm really getting a better feel for them now... like I'm more familiar with them than I was before." She stops to look back up at the two adults, "But anyway-! Have I performed above and beyond in my capacity to slay Grimm, Headmaster?"
Both hers and Komodo's eyes turned to the other faunus, the parent's arms crossing over his own chest. The other faunus displayed his studious eyes again, putting a hand to his chin in thought. For a moment his mouth could not be seen beneath his moustache, until he finally lowered his hand to reveal a smile from beneath, "Yes... yes Miss Viridian, I'd say you've passed in your ability. And with that, you are now eligible to attend Haven Academy."
"Oh thank you, THANK you!" Liz leaps forward into her father's arms and hugged him hard.
"Oof, alright alright, fantastic work, Liz...!" he could be heard saying. He and Liz finally broke apart before looking at the Headmaster himself, "Thank you for personally overseeing this initiation yourself, Leonardo."
"It was a pleasure, my old friend," Lionhart said, shaking his hand, "I can see your daughter will be quite the asset to this academy."
"I promise I won't let you down, Dad! I'll make you so proud of me!"
Komodo returned Liz's smile with one of his own, while inwardly thinking,
'You already have, Liz...'
A few days had passed since that day. Liz had already graduated from Refuge Academy in Kuchinashi, which meant a brief grace period in between to enjoy some rest and relaxation. After all, there weren't that many more pressing matters that required her. None that involved the work of a huntress-in-training at least. She had done all the hard work, now all that was left was waiting for this day to arrive; a big step for the young lizard faunus.
Liz and Komodo stood outside the their home. Today was orientation; the day that Haven Academy would have its first day welcoming new aspiring huntsmen and huntresses. Young people from all over were attending, and Liz had personally ensured that she herself was among those new attendees herself. The two were not alone though, as another person has joined them as well, eager to see the young girl off on her journey.
"So, you nervous, kiddo?"
Liz looked at her uncle, "A little, Uncle Briar... But at the same time, excited."
"Yep, treasure this feeling, 'cause they come by very rarely in one's life..." Briar Jeremiah said, placing a hand on Liz's shoulder. Liz lifted her hand to feel his with her own, smiling as she did so.
"I'd guess you know a thing about that, wouldn't you...?" Komodo said, looking at him.
"What? Whatever do you mean?" Briar said in a mockingly hurt voice, "Are you referring to Lionhart's test? I've said before I wanted to be there, but my store was having a rush that day, and needed me!"
"It's alright, Uncle Briar," Liz said, "Just promise me you'll at least be there for my graduation?"
"Won't miss it Liz; 'I' guarantee it," Komodo said with arms crossed over his chest, while Briar gave a thumbs up of his own.
"Alright then... Well, It looks like this is it..." Liz said, "You two take care of yourselves while I'm gone, alright?"
"Liz, wait..." Komodo said, "Before you go, there's one more thing you should take with you..."
"Huh?" Komodo reached into his pocket, pulling out a simple photograph, while sparing a single glance at it, and handed it to Liz. Curiously, Liz inspects the picture: it was an old photo of a younger Briar, Komodo, herself as no more than an infant... and her late mother, Anole. The woman held her in her arms, the most loving of smiles on her face.
Liz hardly knew her mother at all growing up, but somehow, having this image of her smiling face as her only referrence, it felt like all she would ever want. And all four of them were there, in that moment, a moment of peace and happiness... Her family!
"Dad..." Liz said, feeling her eyes start to grow misty. This time Komodo places his hand on her shoulder.
"You may be on your way to becoming a huntress, and an adult as well," he says, "but there's a little something to remind you of where you first began..."
Liz stared at the photo even longer. Finally, she wiped her eyes from tears that were about to form. She then quickly embraced her father and Briar in her arms, both of them returning her hug.
"I'll do great, I promise you both!" her cracking voice says, "I'll become a great huntress!"
"I have no doubt about that, kiddo!" Briar said, "You've got everything you need for your journey ahead..." He then broke embrace from her, prompting the others to do the same, "Speaking which, looks like you better to get going! Don't wanna be late!"
"Oh yeah!" Liz broke out of her sentimental state. She picked up her suitcase and tucked the photograph into one of its outer pockets, "Well, goodbye!" Komodo placed one last kiss on her forehead before he and Briar wave her goodbye. She began her walk down the street that would take her to the academy, the two older men watching on as she left home.
"Well, there she goes..." Komodo says with a sigh "She's grown up so much all these years..."
"Yes, she has..." the bull-frog faunus agreed, then his mood lowered slightly, "Still... are we really doing the right thing? Leading her down 'this' path, instead of...?"
He trails off, not needing to say more, as Komodo quickly picked up his meaning...
"Daddy! Daddy!" A crying six-year-old Liz runs to her home, where her father is outside.
"Huh? Whoa Liz-!" Komodo says when his daughter practically crashes into his embrace sobbing, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
"They did it again!" Liz says in between her cries, "The human kids at school, they bullied me again! They kept messing with my tail and called me names like-"
"Liz hey, shh... Calm down, it's okay," Komodo comfortingly rubs the back of her head, "Here, come on inside, I'll make you some tea..." He leads her into their house, a modest abode in the city of Mistral. A nice enough place for a faunus family to live and make their way in the world. If only where they themselves stood in society could reflect as well as how they lived...
A trembling Liz sits at the table when Komodo returns to her with a pair of tea cups. She doesn't say anything, but still accepts the tea out of gratitude. Slowly she takes gentle sips, savoring the tea's flavor. Eventually, her sobs began to slow down until Liz is left with the sniffles.
"There, feeling better?" Komodo asks, to which Liz gives a small nod.
"It's not fair... it's just not fair!" Liz says, "Why do they always do that to me?!"
"Liz, I'll have a talk with their parents tomorrow, we'll get this all sorted out."
"Dad, you don't understand," Liz says.
"Understand what?"
"Some of the things the humans say, what they call me," Liz says, her mood dropping again, "It... it actually hurts me! Even more than when they step on my tail or pull it! They call me things like 'faunus-scum' or 'scaly-freak'! I hate it, I hate it so much..." Komodo listens to his daughter's tirade, letting her vent her feelings. It seems the humans were still no closer to accepting faunus than they were since before the Great War, or even during...
"Like I said, I'll talk with the parents and see if they can get them to stop their kids from bullying you, alright?" Liz doesn't respond immediately, but still takes another sip of her tea.
"You know Dad? I've been thinking... I've really been thinking about this..." she pulls her eyes up from looking down and looks straight at Komodo, "I think I wanna join the White Fang!" The air is silent for a solid handful of moments. Liz's sudden declaration leaves Komodo almost speechless. He was paying concerned attention to his daughter's plight before, but now, at the mention of that organization, his eyes narrow with greater concern.
"What?"
"You know, that organization made up of faunus people?" Liz clarifies, "I heard Maye Tukson talking about it, one time; they fight for faunus rights all across Remn-"
"I know who they are, Liz," Komodo cuts her off. This was a topic he was hoping to avoid for a long time, but now it's unavoidable, "And, I have to say... I refuse. I cannot allow you to join the White Fang."
"What? But why not?!" Liz whines, "Maye says she's going to join them! They fight back against humans who bully us and push os down! Why can't we be part of them?"
"Liz, this is not for debate-"
"They're fighting for our equality! They fight the humans so that us faunus can live peaceful lives! What about that could be terrible?!"
"YOU'LL DIE IN THE WHITE FANG!" Komodo had jumped from his seat, palms slamming against the tabletop, and eyes now widened. His sudden outburst had surprised Liz so much she was leaning back into her chair, her own eyes widened in fear. That fear soon took over her body, and she began to tremble, her eyes threatening to pour tears again.
Realizing his mistake, Komodo takes a deep breath, and sits back down.
"I-I'm sorry Liz, I didn't mean to shout like that," he quickly apologizes, "But... you have to understand something, something very important; the White Fang is not the proper answer to this problem."
"But-" Liz was about to protest again, but hearing her father's calmer tone prompts her to calm herself as well, "But, it can't be all that bad, can it?"
Komodo's mouth twists to respond, then at the last minute he stopped himself. Shaking his head lightly, he gets up from his chair and makes his way over to a nearby bookshelf. A quick look across it's shelves and he finds what he was looking for: an old photo book. He returns to the table and sets the book in front of Liz.
"What's this...?" Liz asks, as Komodo opened the book and flipped through its pages. Every single one had an image of himself, standing with another faunus or two of varying varieties. From the smiles on their faces and the ways they stood next to each other, it was clear that Komodo was good friends with them, or at least a vast majority of these people, "Dad? Who are these people?"
"These people... they were friends of mine, very dear friends..." Komodo says, "The old saying of 'Faunus must stick together in a human's world' held so true for us."
"Well, where are they?" Liz asks, "I don't recognize any of them."
"That's because... they're not around anymore." Liz's eyes snap up to meet her father's.
"What?!"
"All of them have died..." Komodo says, "But the worst part? All have them have died from the exact same thing: Joining the White Fang, and dying for it..." Liz looks back at the book, at all these faunus people, so full of life, joy, and happiness, combined with the happiness her dad seemed to have on his own face.
"They all had similar ideals to what you claim to have heard about as well," Komodo continues, "So they joined up, hoping to 'change the world' for the betterment of faunus-kind. And for their effort, they died. Killed either by humans, accidents, missions they go on failing, and sometimes even ones considered 'successes'. So many faunus who lose their own lives, or the lives of loved ones who never get to return to them." Komodo sets a gentle hand on top of Liz's own hand, "You see Liz? As bad as it may be for you right now, dealing with how the humans treat you... at the very least you still have loved ones who you can come home to."
By now, Liz's mood had turned somber. This situation felt like tears would be called for, yet for some reason, she couldn't muster any more tears... It was then that a thought crosses her mind.
"Is that... is that what had happened to Mom?" she asks, at the same time moving her hands to search through the pages. His hands suddenly but gently stopped hers, and he took the book from her.
"No, no you won't find your mother in here, with the others..." Komodo says, "Anole... she was different from them; she didn't join the White Fang, thus the two of us were able to meet in the first place..."
"Oh," Liz says, "Well then... then how did she... you know, die?" Komodo looks at her, then his eyes drift down, as if recounting a painful memory.
"Your mother... she was killed by Grimm," he says, his voice sounding like it was on the verge of breaking. Liz's hands rush up to cover her mouth.
"G-Grimm?! Those black monsters outside the city walls? They killed her?!" she says. Komodo nods.
"I was absolutely crushed when I had heard about what had happened to her myself. If I had known... I could've at least... been there, with her...However, I'm told that the people she had saved that day were so grateful to her for saving their lives." He shakes his head with closed eyes. When he looks back at Liz, his eyes appear to be filled with renewed purpose, "Liz, those people that she saved from Grimm? They were humans! Complete strangers who'd never met nor she'd ever met before! And they thanked her, humans thanking a faunus for the act of giving her own life to save theirs!" Liz's eyes widen and she makes a short gasp of air.
"What? Humans, grateful for something Mom did for them?"
"That's right, she killed Grimm monsters to save them," Komodo says, "And Liz... That I feel is what separates people like her from the White Fang: There would be little to no negative repercussions for anyone who slays Grimm. In fact, as I've just mentioned, someone may actually end up living another day because of such actions. Take that in comparison to the White Fang, who's only goal seems to push humanity down, thus costing lives on both sides..." Both Komodo and Liz are silent for a good minute, processing what was just said. He watches her face, many different emotions appear to display themselves; confusion, uncertainty, reasoning, and finally, resolve.
She looks back up at Komodo,
"Maybe you're right, about not joining the White Fang at least..." Komodo's lip corners curl up into a slight smile upon hearing this, "And... maybe, I dunno... maybe I'd like to do what Mom did!"
"Hm? Kill Grimm, you mean?" Komodo asks, "Sweetie, are you sure that's what you'd want to do? Kill Grimm and be one of those 'huntresses?'"
"A... huntress?" Liz asks, "Was that what Mom was? She was a Huntress that killed Grimm?"
"Well, not really, she was never officially named one..." Komodo says, "Still, it's not like that ever stopped her from doing what they usually do."
"Then..." Liz pounds a fist into her open palm, "Then I'll just become a huntress myself and kill Grimm like she did!" Komdo looks at her, then his hands move to his hips and he lowers his head. From Liz's angle, she can vaguely see a grin on his lips and the small sound of a chuckle escape his mouth.
"Hey! What's so funny Dad?!" she pouts.
"Hm? Oh no, nothing!" Komodo looks up, "It's just that... well, becoming a huntress takes a lot of work, training, excersise-"
"I'm ready for it!" Liz says, "I'll do whatever it takes!"
"Heh, well, I like your sudden enthusiasm," Komodo admits, "But there is the matter of weapons..."
"Weapons?"
"Well, you certainly can't become a huntress from punching Grimm with your own fists, can you?" Komodo asks, "You'd need a weapon to increase your odds."
"I could just use your weapon! Your... Malu- Maluki- Malo- er..."
"My Malukutine?" Komodo says, this time thoroughly amused, "Not on your life sweetie... Still, there might be another option open to you..."
"Eh?"
Komodo shook his head from memories of that day, returning himself to the present, "I've said before, this is for the best! Her as a huntress, killing Grimm..." With a sigh, he looked at his bull-frog faunus counterpart, "Briar, you've been like a brother to me for so long... You have to understand me on this, don't you?" Briar looked back at him, finally sighing himself.
"Yes, yes... and, maybe you're right... Maybe all these years just needed their way of... putting things into perspective... for all of us..." Suddenly, Briar clapped his arm around Komodo's shoulder, "And hey, we should celebrate, 'brother'! Your daughter has officially grown up and left home! You know what that means?"
"Some... peace and quiet?" Komodo guessed.
"HA! You're only half right!" Briar jovially spoke, "Come on, some celebratory wine from my latest vintage: 2187! Nothing better to commemorate freedom than that!"
"My daughter leaves and you're treating this like a bachelor party..." Komodo quietly muttered under his breath. Nonetheless, he let Briar lead the two of them back into his house, where a rare wine vintage await them.
While on the road, Liz kept her head straight up and looking forward. There was a local bus stop nearby that would be going to Haven Academy, and she planned to be the first one one it. All around her she passed similar homes and Mistrali establishments, all part of this land that she's called home for many years.
Some of these homes she passed also had fellow kids, around her own age range, leaving homes too. No doubt they were leaving and on their way to Haven Academy as well, probably via the bus stop. As Liz passed by some of these residences, a small frown began to appear. She noted more and more of these kids leaving their homes were humans; some of them she held less than fond memories of when she was younger. To be fair, the bullying she'd received as time when on and she got older did occur less and less; at least compared to when she was a younger child. But that did not mean it ceased all together as time went on; just that the moments when they did happen were were made easier to remember. It was unfortunate- more competition she'd be against, both as a huntress, and as a faunus trying to get by. She'd just have to avoid them as best she could, maybe even scout out some other faunus at Haven, then she'd be good.
Another breath escaped her lips, her anxiety leaving her body at the same time. She continued her walk towards the bus stop. Even from where she was at this distance, Haven Academy could be seen in the distance. The great building stood out amongst the other ones, as if calling to her. If the journey to simply get there felt this big, who knows what exactly would be in store for her at the school itself...
-There once lived two lizards, one old and one young. The young one said to the elder 'Woe is us! What a poor, dreary existence we live! To be ignored, unremembered by the world! If only things were different for us!" The two noticed in the distance a magnificent stag, proudly gracing a meadow with its presence. The younger lizard said, "Would it not be better to live as a great stag, whom all the world remembers and marvels at the mere sight of?" It was then that the very same stag suddenly was set upon by a pack of hungry wolves. They chased the stag, brought it down, and proceeded to tear it apart, all before the eyes of the two lizards. The elder lizard said to the younger "Is this the fate you would also wish for as well? Let this horrible tragedy serve as a lesson, young one, to be happy with an unnoticed humble life instead of a pridefully deadly life."-