Tiny foot falls were heard as a young boy fled deeper and deeper into the unknown forest. He barely remembered his life in the outside world, just the dark place, the cold steel floors, the iron bared cages, and the unnatural smells. He suffered terror after terror, and never knew why. Then one day, men in white masks came and fought the men in white coats. Somehow, he managed to slip away in chaos. He didn't want to wait to see if these strangers would help him, he just wanted to get as far away from the dark place as possible. He ran and ran, his tail dragging behind him, until his legs gave out beneath him in the forest. He crawled into a fallen rotten tree and curled into a tight ball, crying softly. He was tired, hungry, traumatized, and was frozen to the spot. He didn't know how long he laid there or when he fell asleep, all he did know was that he woke up to the ground shaking. Peeking out, he saw the previously night sky now a clam shade of aqua, but he had no reason to be calm. Right outside his hiding spot was a monstrously large black and white bird preening itself. Everyone knew what the Grimm were, he still could remember the bedtime stories of these creatures which would give him nightmares. He pushed himself back into the farthest side of the tree and curled back up. He began crying harder this time.
"Someone. Please help me,"
Then a shot rang out as the Grimm squawked angrily and the earth and tree rattled. In that moment, the boy knocked his head into the bark, and quickly blacked out.
Chapter 1: Dbroha
Team RWBY was currently out in the nearby forest training and practicing their maneuvers and maneuvering. Yang and Blake were bouncing and weaving through the trees while Weiss and Ruby attempted to shoot or slow them down. Ruby, with her trusty Crescent Rose, finally managed to trip up her sister by shooting a branch she attempted to land on, causing her to fall. The blonde girl quickly recovered thanks to her gauntlets and shot to the next branch. She shot her sister a smile.
"Nice shooting Rubes," Ruby grinned back.
"Thanks Yang!" Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Can both of you please focus on the exercise?"
"Aw lighten up Ice Queen," Yang teased as she jumped down from the tree. "We're just having a little fun," Blake jumped next to her.
"I think we should keep going," Ruby groaned.
"But we've been out here since dawn! Can't we go back now? We don't even train this early for classes!" Weiss opened her mouth to reprimand their leader, when a familiar screech filled the air. The girls immediately went on guard as they recognized the sound of a Grimm.
"It's not far from here," Blake informed them. Yang smirked and slammed her fist into her palm.
"Then let's go kick its butt!"
"Wait, we shouldn't rush-," Yang was already off before Weiss could finish.
"Come on!" Ruby insisted.
The team sprinted to the Grimm's location. It was a Nevermore, now facing off against Yang in a clearing. The girls quickly rushed into a formation. Weiss and Blake flanked Yang while Ruby hung back for sniping support. Blake began distracting the Nevermore with her after image clones along Ruby's constant firing, while Weiss set up a trap of ice spikes on some of the trees. Yang then jumped and slammed her fist right into the monster's beak, sending it flying into the traps. It wasn't dead, but it definitely was on the ropes, so Ruby converted Crescent Rose back into its melee mode before speeding by and jamming it directly between the bird's eyes. The creature dissolved into dust, leaving the girls satisfied with a job well done.
"Man, these Grimm are getting easier and easier to beat!" Yang cheered.
"Don't get cocky Yang," Weiss warned. "That was only one undersized Nevermore,"
"Uh, guys?" Blake called to them. The cat faunus had walked over to a fallen tree which looked to have an opening in it. "I think I heard something in there,"
The other members of Team RWBY were on guard once again as their companion crouched down to get a better look, only to shoot up with widened eyes.
"I think it's a kid!"
"What!?" They shouted as Blake crawled into the opening. While the others gathered worryingly, she reemerged with a small boy in her arms. He was in rags and he was covered head to toe with injuries.
"Poor little guy," Yang said. "Must've gotten lost in the woods and ran into the Nevermore," Weiss, who had a very soft spot for cute things, began examining his injuries.
"He's in poor shape. He's got wounds and a few bumps on his head. Wait-," She pushes her hand through the boy's tangled brown locks and revealed a pair of small, curved, white horns on top of his head. "He's a faunus!"
"Wait, horns?" Blake gasped in surprise. "But he has a reptile tail!"
"That doesn't matter!" Ruby screamed. "We need to get him to Beacon! For all we know he could be really hurt!"
"Ruby's right," Weiss said shockingly. "We need to get him help,"
(Timeskip)
The girls made a hasty return to the academy and rushed the injured child to the infirmary where the nurse had quickly patched the boy up and told the girls to take him back to their dorm so he could rest while she informed Professor Ozpin. Currently, the mysterious boy laid asleep on Weiss's bed while Zwei sat next to him. The girls hovered over him with worried expressions.
"Poor kid," Yang finally broke. "He shouldn't be like this!"
"How long will he be like this?" Ruby asked.
"The nurse said it shouldn't take too long for him to regain consciousness," Weiss answered. "In the meantime, she and Professor Ozpin will attempted to locate his parents,"
Blake knelt beside the boy and began gently rubbing his head. She could tell this kid had been though something horrible just from the numerous scars and the many dried bloodstains on his clothes. Maybe it would be better if his family wasn't found. He suddenly began squirming and his face scrunched up.
"I think he's waking up!" Ruby said excitingly. Blake moved back as his eyes opened. They were pools of Red filled with confusion. It took him a minute to realize where he was before glancing at the girls who smiled comfortingly.
"Hi!" Ruby greeted. The boy jumped and bolted under the bed, his eyes bright in the dark as he began to shake. Yang knelt down.
"Hey, it's ok. We're not gonna hurt you little guy," he didn't move and Ruby joined her sister.
"Please, we just want to help you! You were hurt so we brought you here," At that moment, the door burst opened as the entirety of Team JNPR walked in.
"Hey guys!" Jaune greeted. "Do you have any tools Nora could borrow?"
"That last Grimm I smacked really put a dent in my hammer!" Nora shouted enthusiastically as the little boy curled up tighter at the new voices.
"Um, what are you looking at?" Pyrrha asked, noticing the team all gathered around the bed.
"Did your dad send another pet through the mail?" Jaune asked jokingly. Weiss shook her head.
"No, it's much more serious than that," Zwei hopped from the bed and ran beneath it. Nora waved her hammer.
"Go get it Zwei! Whatever it is!" She then ran over to the bed herself.
"Nora, if it is an animal, it's going to bite you," Ren warned as his friend knelt down to get a better look before popping up with a stumped face.
"Why is there a little kid under your bed?"
The rest of Team JNPR's eyes widened as they also surrounded the bed, crouching to see Zwei licking the cheek of a very scared boy who couldn't have been older than 7 or 8. Jaune gazed at the girls in confusion.
"Did you guys kidnap someone's kid?"
"Of course not!" Weiss retorted.
"We found him in the woods while we were training," Blake explained as Ruby finished.
"Yeah! He was hiding from a Nevermore and got hurt so we brought him here!" Pyrrha frowned in pity.
"Poor thing, he must be terrified," Nora didn't seem to hear her.
"He's. So. CUTE! Look at him! I wanna pinch those cheeks and pet that tail!" The boy bared his sharp teeth and growled "threateningly". Nora didn't care.
"Aw! That's even cuter!"
"Nora, you're scaring him more," Ren stated. "He will try to bite you," Pyrrha looked back at the child and smiled calmly, offering a hand.
"Come out little one. There's nothing to be afraid of,"
"No!" He finally squeaked. "Go away!"
Ruby went beside Pyrrha.
"It's ok! The Nevermore is gone! No more scary monster,"
"Nevermore?" The boy asked.
"The Grimm," Yang answered. "We saved you from it,"
"You saved me?" He tilted his head in confusion.
"Of course!" Weiss retorted. "We're huntresses, it's our job to protect people from Grimm,"
He seemed a little calmer now, but still very suspicious. Zwei then licked his face again. He glanced at Zwei before scratching him behind the ears.
"What's his name?" Ruby smiled.
"That's Zwei! He's our dog. My name is Ruby, that's my sister Yang, those are our teammates Blake and Weiss, and that's our friend Pyrrha,"
"You can come out," Blake insisted. "We just want to help,"
He hesitated for a moment, before Zwei nudged him in the right direction. He crawled very slowly towards Ruby. Once he was in reaching distance, the female leader gently and slowly gathered him up in her arms and pulled him out. She smiled at him.
"See? That wasn't so hard,"
He curled up again and slightly hid his face in Ruby's neck, only letting one eye peek out.
"He's so cute!" Weiss squealed uncharacteristically.
"Is he some kind of lizard faunus?" Ren asked looking at his tail. It was an odd red tail with darker red spikes on it. Blake shook her head and pushed back his hair to reveal the horns.
"I don't know any lizards with horns like these," Nora raced up to Ruby.
"He's like a bull lizard! I bet he'll be able to stab Grimm with these when he's older!" The boy held Ruby tighter and hid his face completely. Ren once again pulled Nora back.
"Nora, you're scaring him again,"
"It's ok little guy," Jaune assured him. "That's just Nora, she gets really excited. That's Ren, and I'm Jaune," he peeked his eye back out.
"What's you're name sweetie?" Pyrrha asked.
"Dbroha? I think it's Dbroha," he said unsure.
"Think?" Blake asked. There was a knock on the opened door. The 2 teams turned to find Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch standing in the doorway.
"May we come in?" The headmaster asked.
"O-Of course!" Ruby answered. Dbroha held her tightly and began to shake. Yang ruffled his hair.
"Don't worry, those are just Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. They won't hurt you, I promise," Dbroha stopped shaking but was still holding Ruby tightly. Glynda looked him over.
"So this is the boy?"
"Yes," Weiss answered. "He said his name is Dbroha. Can you use that to locate his family?" The professors gave worryingly glances to one another.
"Unfortunately," Ozpin stated. "We cannot return young Dbroha to where he came from,"
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"Several days ago, police were called out to hidden facility," Professor Goodwitch explained. "Apparently the White Fang had raided the facility and a fight broke out. Upon investigating, the police realized the facility was a lab doing illegal experimentation...on children," everyone gasped in shock and quickly realized why Dbroha was so weary of people and why he was cover in scars. Ozpin nodded, his eyes fill with disappointment.
"Indeed, the experiments were conducted on both human and faunus children, all of whose families were...exterminated. Unfortunately, both sides fired indiscriminately and all of the test subjects were caught in the cross fire, save for one who was unaccounted for,"
"You think Dbroha is the missing test subject?" Ren asked. The others were too sickened by the fate of the other children to speak. Ozpin nodded.
"The files police found indicate the missing child was a male around 8 years of age as well a dragon faunus,"
"A dragon faunus?" Blake shouted in surprise. "But those are just myths!" Ozpin walked up to Ruby and gently showed off Dbroha's horns, as well as revealing a cluster of red scales.
"And yet he has reptilian features as well as mammalian horns. I don't know how the scientists found him, but it's clear they discovered someone who shouldn't exist," Nora stamped her feet and gripped her hammer.
"Where are those creeps who hurt those kids? I'll bash their faces in!"
"No need Ms Valkyrie," Professor Goodwitch interceded. "All the scientists perished in the White Fang attack," Ozpin looked at Dbroha.
"You don't need to be afraid anymore. The men who hurt you are gone, and they'll never return," Dbroha finally looked at the professor with hopeful eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes, you're safe now,"
"What will happen to him now?" Blake asked.
"We've already contacted the investigation team," Goodwitch informed them. "It's likely he has no family so an orphanage would be the first solution,"
"However, I interceded," Ozpin added. "His mental state is fragile at the moment and moving to such an environment would only further damage it. Which is why, I ask Team RWBY to look after him until we can find a more permanent solution,"
"Of course we can watch him!" Ruby quickly cheered. Yang grinned rubbing his cheek.
"Who wouldn't want to take care of this little guy!"
"Someone also has to make sure you don't get him into trouble," Weiss added, though the warm look in her eyes said she had other motives.
"We'd be happy to watch him," Blake agreed.
"We'll help too!" Jaune volunteered. Pyrrha nodded.
"Indeed, he'll need as much help as he can to heal," Ren nodded while Nora gripped.
"Just let anyone try and mess with the baby dragon! I'll break their legs!" Ozpin nodded.
"Then I welcome you to Beacon young Dbroha,"
"T-thank you," he squeaked softly. The teachers walked off, still discussing something. Ruby hugged Dbroha.
"Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to you,"
Chapter 2: First Day's are Hard
Dbroha's mind began stirring the next morning. His eyes were still too heavy to open, but he was dimly aware of being very warm and comfortable.
That wasn't normal to him. Neither was the body cuddling him.
For a split second, he thought of fighting his way out, only to remember the day before: the Nevermore, being brought to Beacon, meeting Team RWBY and JNPR, all of it. He nuzzled up to the person cuddling him, knowing it was just Ruby. The girls had had a very long argument over who Dbroha got to sleep with. Nora and even Pyrrha had gotten in to it as well before Ruby pulled rank saying he'd sleep with her since she was the leader and the one who managed to pick him up from under the bed. Even then, the other members of Team RWBY protested until finally they agreed to let the boy just rotate: first with Ruby, then Weiss, then Blake, then finally Yang.
Dbroha just laid there for a few more minutes, not exactly asleep, but still not awake, until something loud began ringing. Dbroha shot up, smacking his head against the ceiling.
"OW!" He yelped. The females immediately were up.
"Are you ok Dbroha?" Ruby asked. The boy rubbed the forming bump.
"I hit my head. The noise woke me up," Weiss got up there too, gently placing a cold cloth on his bump.
"There, this should help," Blake side eyed Yang.
"Yang, why is your scroll on full volume? We promised to keep them on silent at night after...the incident," Yang grinned bashfully, rubbing her head in embarrassment.
"I guess with all the excitement with the little guy, I forgot,"
"What was the incident?" Dbroha asked with big innocent eyes.
"We'll tell you when you're older," Blake shot back as the other girls began blushing with incoherent babble. Yang picked up her scroll and angrily shut it off when she realized it was a wrong number. Once Weiss and Ruby were done babying Dbroha, there was a knock on the door. Leaving the little boy on the bed, Ruby bolted for the door. Surprisingly, Coco and Velvet were there.
"Velvet! Coco!" The team leader cheered happily. Dbroha sunk into the blankets like they were some kind of cave, silently scared by the new arrivals.
"Hi Ruby!" Velvet greeted. Blake peered over her shoulder.
"What are you guys doing here?" Coco grinned.
"Nora texted us you guys found a baby dragon in the woods and Ozpin let you keep him. No way we were going to pass that up,"
"Nora already told you about Dbroha?" Weiss asked surprised. Velvet held up her scroll.
"And sent us a photo," Team RWBY crowded and saw the photo.
"When did she even-?" Weiss began to ask. Yang cut her off.
"You know, let's not question Nora logic," Coco peered behind them and saw a pair of red eyes looking at her from under the blanket fort before quickly closing the opening.
"Can we see him?" Weiss was a bit hesitant.
"Well, he's still pretty shaken up. I don't think he's used to healthy social interaction,"
"Oh," Velvet replied. "If he's too scared, we can wait until he's-," Blake waved her off.
"No, I think this'll be good for him," she insisted. Yang looked at her in surprise.
"You sure Blake?" The cat faunus began climbing up the bunk bed.
"Dbroha needs time to heal, but he also needs to experience interacting with other people. Some positive introductions will help him stop associating new interactions with negativity,"
"Wow, that was really deep Blake!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Were you reading parenting books all night?" Yang joked.
"Of course not. I texted my mom and she sent me a year's worth of advice," The other's eyes widened with surprise as Blake gently prodded the blanket fort. Dbroha peeked the tiniest part of his face out.
"Dbroha, you can come out. We just want you to meet some friends of ours," he frowned.
"But, what if they don't like me? What if they start yelling at me?"
"Dbroha, Coco and Velvet are nice people, they'd never do that. Sure there are going to be mean people, but all of us will make sure they won't be mean to you for long," the blonde banged her fist together.
"I'd like to see them try to make fun of you with a broken jaw!" Blake opened up her arms.
"It's ok if you're scared, you can hold on to us if you need to," it took a minute, but eventually he crawled out from under the blankets. Blake quickly put him down on the floor, where he immediately ran to Yang, looking wearily at Coco and Velvet from behind her. The girls crouched down to his level.
"Hi there Dbroha," Velvet greeted softly. "I'm Velvet and this is my friend Coco. It's very nice to meet you,"
"Hi," he replied shyly, hugging Yang's leg. "You're like me,"
"Yes, I'm a faunus too! If you ever need something, I'll be happy to help," Coco grinned.
"Ugh, he's even cuter than the photo! Dbroha, if anyone's ever mean to you, you come to me or Velvet and we'll straighten them out,"
"O-ok," he said with a blush. Velvet looked at Yang.
"He's adorable guys,"
"We know," Weiss replied. "We have a bit of work to do if we want to start helping him heal mentally though," Velvet smiled.
"I'm sure you guys will do fine. It's really kind of you to do this,"
"Aw, come on, who could no to this face?" Yang said happily, patting the little one on the head. Coco looked at his garb.
"Well, if we want him to start interacting with other people, first we have to do something about those clothes," the second year leader suddenly pulled out 2 sets of clothes from seemingly no where. "Fox and Yatsuhashi kindly ran out and picked up some clothes I bought online, though they might be off since I didn't have his measurements," Velvet leaned into Ruby.
"She kinda held them at case point until they agreed to do it,"
"Oh," Weiss took the clothes.
"Thank you Coco. Now Dbroha, what do we say?"
"Uh, thank you Ms Coco!" He chirped behind Yang.
"Aw, anytime little guy. Try them on, let's see how they fit," Weiss handed Dbroha the top set of clothes and the girls turned to leave, only for the little guy to start changing right in front of them.
"Woah! Dbroha, you can wait until we step out," Yang insisted. He tilted his head in confusion.
"Why?" They all sighed. Of course a child treated as a lab rat for most of his life wouldn't understand why this was inappropriate.
"For now, let's just say it isn't right for boys to change in front of girls," Velvet said in order to preserve Dbroha's innocence.
"Do you need help getting dress?" Blake asked, wondering if he just started stripping because he expected them to help. He nodded.
"I'll help him," Yang stepped up. The rest of the group quickly stepped out, only to be called back in minutes later.
"Uh guys, I think there's a new issue," Ruby opened the door.
"What's wrong sis?" Yang said nothing and instead opted to point at Dbroha's now exposed back. Everyone's jaws dropped.
"Well," Blake whispered. "That's unexpected,"
(Timeskip)
"How did you not notice he had wings up until now?!" Jaune asked, staring at Dbroha, whose wings flapped softly every so often. After their discover, they had taken the boy to the cafeteria for some breakfast and met up with Team JNPR who were shocked to see Dbroha in a new set of clothes and red wings on his back.
"I don't know!" Weiss exclaimed. "Ask Ruby. She should've figured it out last night!"
"I was sleepy! His shirt kept his wings pinned to his back!"
"You still would've felt them move!"
"Well I didn't!"
While the girls fought, Nora kept shoving syrup drowned pancakes towards Dbroha while Ren limited the amount.
"Nora, he can't eat this many pancakes,"
"Don't listen to him Dbroha! Have as many as you like,"
Dbroha's eye's widened and shone like stars at the scent of the sugary treats. His mouth began to water and devoured the pancakes quickly.
"More please!" He asked meekly. Nora tried pushing another plate towards him, only for Weiss to stop arguing with Ruby and intercept it.
"That's too much sugar for him," Dbroha whimpered like a kicked puppy and gave Weiss the saddest eyes he could muster. She immediately broke.
"Aw! You can have all the pancakes you want my sweet little dragon!" Blake grabbed her wrist.
"Weiss, be strong," Pyrrha smiled at their antics before pushing a bowl full of berries towards the little boy.
"Here Dbroha. These are better for you," He smiled and quickly consumed the berries as fast as he had with the pancakes.
"Well, he has a healthy appetite!" Jaune said as he was amazed by the boy's speed.
"Yeah, Blake managed to find online that dragon faunus have absurdly large appetites," Ruby explained. "I think we should figure out his limit then,"
"Blake found a book on the eating habits of dragon faunus?" Pyrrha asked in surprise. The cat faunus then pulled out a book titled "A Guide to Biology of Rare Faunus".
"Huh, convenient," Jaune commented. Dbroha continued to scarf down the berries until he felt someone stomp on his tail very hard. He screamed and jumped into the air. There was laughing coming from behind him as he saw the boy who had obviously stepped on his tail.
"Aw, did I hurt the little freak?" The bully taunted. Dbroha flinched back as Yang stood up, her eyes already turning red.
"Cardin, you have five seconds to live!" She threatened. Cardin didn't seem to take this seriously.
"What, the baby freak can't help himself? He shouldn't even be in here! Animals have to eat outside," Dbroha's eyes filled with tears. His wings began flapping and he flew away.
"Dbroha!" Ruby called as she raced after him with Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune following.
"When did he learn how to fly!?" Jaune yelled. Pyrrha turned back to call Nora, Yang, and Ren to join, only to see the two girl eviscerating Cardin and Ren drinking his tea while watching the show.
"I'll make sure they don't kill him. Go help Dbroha,"
"Ok. Nora, Yang, we'll bring him back here!"
"I'LL TEACH YOU TO PICK ON LITTLE KIDS!"
"I'LL TEAR OFF YOUR ARMS AND BEAT YOU WITH THEM!"
(Timeskip)
Emerald and Mercury were strolling through the halls of Beacon.
"It's so boring around here!" The male complained. "Can't we move any faster than this?"
"Will you be patient?" Emerald scolded. "We can't do anything to arouse suspicion. Cinder's orders,"
"Help me!" A little voice squeaked. Both teens stopped dead in their tracks.
"Did you hear something?" Mercury asked.
"Get me down!" The voice cried again. Emerald looked up and saw a small boy hanging upside from the lightings, a long Red hanging down and claws digging into it. Mercury looked ready to laugh.
"Alright, suddenly I'm not so bored anymore," the red eyed female rolled her eyes before calling out to the child.
"Hang on little guy, we'll get you down!" The child whimpered as Mercury shot her an annoyed look.
"What?"
"Come on Mercury, look at him. Besides, leaving a little kid crying from a high point? That's just lazy," The boy groaned before giving his partner a boost so she could get onto the lighting. Luckily, Emerald was a lightweight so it could easily support both their weights. She scooped up the tiny boy and jumped down.
"There you go," she said smiling. The boy blushed, his head shrinking back shyly.
"T-thank you,"
"Cute," Emerald thought. Mercury examined him.
"What's a kid doing here in the first place? And how did he get up there?"
"Maybe he's a professor's kid?"
"You know any professors with a tail like that? Hey kid, got a name?" He seemed to shrink more under Mercury's gaze.
"D-Dbroha?" Mercury snorted.
"You sure about that?" Dbroha quickly wrapped his wings around himself to hide his face. Mercury smirked.
"So that's how you got up there. Decided to go for a fly and got stuck like a cat in a tree," Emerald punched the laughing Mercury in the gut.
"Stop it! You're scaring him!" She knelt down and tried to get the boy look at her. "Don't mind him Dbroha, he's an idiot. Why are you here at Beacon?"
"Dbroha!" A voice called out from down the hall. Much to the duo's distaste, the voice came from Ruby, who had Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Jaune following close behind. Dbroha seemed to perk up though as he came out from his wings and immediately ran in the direction of the group.
"Ruby!" He dove under her cape and looked wearily at Mercury and Emerald. Ruby smiled and greeted the two.
"Hey Emerald!" The green haired girl faked a smile.
"Oh hey Ruby. Does this little guy belong to you?" Ruby gently patted Dbroha's head mindful of his horns.
"Yep. This is Dbroha, my team's taking care of him,"
"Well he's adorable,"
"What do you say Dbroha?" Weiss asked him.
"Thank you Ms Emerald," He still coward under Ruby's cape. Pyrrha sighed while smiling.
"Sorry, he's been through a lot and he's very timid,"
"We were actually trying to get him used to people in the cafeteria just now," Jaune explained. Mercury rolled his eyes.
"Well you might want to put flying lessons on the list. Emerald had to get him down from the light fixtures,"
"Oh my God Emerald I am so sorry!" Ruby apologized. "Cardin ended up scaring him and he just took off and-,"
"No no, it's fine, he's probably just not used to flying yet," Dbroha shook his head.
"I've never flown before. I'm sorry, it just happened," the girls all resisted the urge to Aw at the sight of his sad eyes. Pyrrha patted him on the head.
"It wasn't your fault Dbroha, there's no need to apologize,"
"It was Cardin's fault for scaring you," Blake added.
"That brute won't do it again," Weiss assured. "Yang and Nora will make sure of that," Mercury glanced at Dbroha's wings.
"So, how did you guys get roped in to babysitting a mutant horned lizard with wings?" Emerald proceeded to hit Mercury even harder in the gut, causing him to nearly fall over winded. Weiss glared at him.
"For your information, Dbroha is a dragon, and we volunteered to take care of him after saving him from a Nevermore in the forest," Emerald's eyes widened.
"A dragon faunus? Aren't those just a myth?" Ruby gently pulled open one of the little boy's wings.
"Can't exactly argue with living proof," both spies were very intrigued. Dragon faunus were said to be as powerful as they were rare. Also, thanks to some of the research they had done in order to work with the White Fang, they had stumbled onto several legends involving dragon faunus. They were said to have many mystical powers. If the legends were true, Dbroha would grow up to be very powerful, and an asset. He was still very young, maybe they could use him still.
"Anyways, we better go back to the cafeteria before Yang and Nora paint it with Cardin's insides," Ruby stated, interrupting their thoughts. "Thanks again for helping Dbroha!"
"Wait Ruby," Emerald interrupted the group as they turned to head back to their companions. "Do you mind if we get a pic with him? I have a friend who's obsessed with old legends in Remnant and I know she'll kill over at a picture of Dbroha,"
"I mean, if Dbroha's ok with it, sure! Dbroha?" The boy nodded unsurely from under her cape.
"Um, o-ok," he slowly came out and Emerald took the picture with her scroll, making sure to get Dbroha's tail and wings in the shot. She smiled.
"Thanks guys!" Weiss then picked up the young boy.
"We should go, thank you again,"
"Bye guys!" Ruby said over her shoulder as they ran back to the cafeteria. Dbroha waved to the duo as they left. Once they were out of sight, Mercury smirked.
"So, think Cinders is gonna be interested in the brat?" Emerald smirked and began heading back to their dorm.
"Can't hurt to check,"
(Timeskip)
After picking up Ren, Nora, and Yang from the cafeteria (and witnessing faculty scrape Cardin off the wall after the girls were done with him), the two teams with their little ward in tow, entered Oobleck's class. Dbroha was perched happily on Yang's shoulders.
"Man Dbroha, I know you have wings, but it was still crazy seeing you fly!" Yang exclaimed. The boy blushed.
"It wasn't that great. I couldn't tell where I was going and I crashed into lights," Nora hopped next to them.
"Aw, it was your first time. Once you get bigger, you'll be dive bombing Grimm left and right!" The pink haired female began imagining the small boy as some sort of assault ship taking out Grimm.
"Dbroha is right though," Blake chimed in. "If he's going to fly uncontrollably every time he gets scared, we'll have to start training him to fly properly,"
"And how do we do that?" Weiss asked. "It's not like we can ask someone to show him how!"
"Maybe try weight training?" Pyrrha suggested. "Have Dbroha carry several books or such while trying to hover. That should not only teach him control, but also strengthen his wings so he can fly longer distances,"
"That's a great idea!" Ruby cheered. "Maybe he can even train with us and learn how to fight!" Weiss proceeded to bonk her on the head.
"Ruby! Dbroha is 8! He is far too young to train with us!"
"Aw come on Weiss, we won't go full force on him, we'll just start him off with some basics, just so he can protect himself. What do you say Dbroha? Wanna learn how to be a badass?"
"Yang language!" Weiss scolded while Dbroha started getting starry eyed.
"I'll get to be brave like you guys and get to fight monsters and bad guys?" Yang tilted her head back to look at him and smiled widely.
"Of course! You'll be kicking Grimm butt in no time! Who knows, you might even unlock your semblance," Dbroha tilted his head in confusion.
"Semblance?"
"Basically it's your super power!" Nora explained excitedly. "Like mine is I can suck up electricity to get stronger, Pyrrha has magnets, Ruby can go super fast, and Jaune...well we don't know what Jaune is yet. So that's something you can bond over!" Jaune drooped in depression.
"Thanks Nora,"
"You're welcome!"
"What will my semblance be?" Dbroha asked, catching Nora's excitement.
"We won't know until you unlock it," Pyrrha explained. "For now, you should focus on building your strength and aura,"
"Aura?"
"We can start your combat education tomorrow," Weiss promised. "But for now..." Everyone groaned as they sat in their seats for history, groaning simultaneously.
"Oobleck's class," On cue, the green haired, coffee addicted professor appeared in the class in his usual manner.
"Ah good morning class! Chipper as always! Now today we will be-," Oobleck cut himself off as he caught sight of Dbroha sitting on Blake's lap. He immediately bolted up to them, much to the boy's discomfort.
"Ms Belladonna! This wouldn't happen to be the dragon faunus boy?" The faunus girl shrank back in surprise .
"Um Yes? His name is-,"
"INSPIRING!" The Professor scooped up Dbroha and began measuring his tail and wing spans, and checking the boy's teeth. "The existence of dragon faunus has long since baffle the scientific community on its legitimacy and even if one were to believe, they would likely believe them an extinct breed! Yet here we have a living breathing contradiction to countless scientific debates! You're a living relic my boy!" Dbroha was too in shock to even attempt to get away. Luckily, Weiss got up to calm the eccentric professor.
"Um, Professor? Dbroha has experience sever trauma and is very timid. Perhaps you can refrain from studying him in such a manor?"
"Yes of course!" He then pushed the boy into Weiss's arms, much to both their reliefs. "Can't start conducting experiments with a class to teach!"
The word 'experiments' immediately caused Dbroha to tense up in Weiss's arms and cling to her. The Schnee glared at her teacher.
"He was abused by scientists Professor! Perhaps you can refrain from using scientific terminology?" Oobleck looked a bit crestfallen at the sight of the frightened faunus and nodded.
"Of course, my apologies,"
Weiss sat back in her seat as Oobleck began lecturing. She calmly stroked his brown hair.
"It's ok Dbroha, Professor Oobleck won't hurt you," the dragon's grip tightened.
"I don't like white coats, I hate them!" Blake joined in and rubbed his back.
"Professor Oobleck isn't one of the white coats. Ozpin told you himself, the men who hurt you are gone. They'll never lay a hand on you again,"
"Yeah, the worst thing Oobleck will do is bore you to death," Jaune joked, causing the boy to let out a small giggle.
"Dbroha, do you trust us?" Ruby asked. He nodded fiercely.
"Then trust us now. We're not gonna let anything bad happen to you,"
"Promise?"
"Promise,"
"Don't worry!" Nora cheered. "We'll beat the guy who hurts you within an inch of his life!"
"Nora is enough to scare any attempt off," Ren assured him.
The rest of class went on without any interruptions, though Dbroha did fall asleep about a quarter of the way in. Once it was done, Oobleck asked to examine Dbroha once more, this time having Team RWBY stand close to keep him calm.
"Well, clean bill of health, a large wing span and tail span, a set of powerful jaws, but a bit on the scrawnier side. Besides that, he should grow to be a powerful fight once he puts on a healthy amount of weight,"
"Yeah the nurse told us that already," Ruby said while holding Dbroha's hand. His scars peaked just enough for Oobleck.
"And you say scientific testing is the reason for his timid nature?"
"Yes," Weiss answered. "He and serval other children were treated like animals," Oobleck shook his head.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful. A disgrace to the scientific community. Dbroha I would like to assure you that any scientist worth his salt would never have dreamed of stooping so low. I apologize on the behalf of my field for the experiences you had to endure,"
"I-it's ok," he squeaked, still not quite trusting of the professor yet.
"Um Professor Oobleck," Blake interrupted. "We were wondering if you could assist us? Dbroha flew for the first time today, but,"
"He's not that great at it," Ruby finished. The teacher rubbed his chin.
"I see, understandable. Dbroha likely has never had a proper demonstration of flight nor been allowed to practice at this point. My suggestion is to build the muscles in his wings. Have him do several flapping exercises each day and maybe have him glide safe distances once you believe he's ready. Anyways, you lot should be going now,"
"Thanks teach!" Yang said and Ruby picked up Dbroha and headed out the door.
"Oh girls, one more thing," Team RWBY turned back around to see Oobleck with a serious look on his face.
"While the existence of dragon faunus has always been debated, there is no shortage of stories about the incredible powers they wield. Dbroha is young and not ready to fight, but he will grow quickly, best not to let anyone badly influence him. Well tah-tah for now then!" He said after that dramatic warning, leaving everyone slightly unnerved.
(Timeskip)
"And you're certain he was a dragon?" Cinder asked Emerald after she and Mercury had delivered some interesting news. The red eyed girl nodded.
"Wings, tail, all that was missing was fire breathing," the older woman smirked.
"I see, this could be very useful to our cause,"
"He's a runt though," Mercury argued. "What could a pipsqueak like that do?"
"Given the proper training, even a so called pipsqueak could become dangerous. Dragons are notoriously powerful beings," Cinder gazed at the picture Emerald had taken of the boy. "I think Lady Salem should be informed of this development,"
78
Chapter 3: Beginnings of Strength
"Come on Dbroha! You can do it," Ruby encouraged as the little guy beat his wings as rapidly as he could, trying to pull himself and the books he was carrying into the air. It had been about two weeks since the young faunus had begun living with Team RWBY and he was slowly starting to grow. Along with putting on a few pounds, Dbroha's true personality was starting to peek through. Though he was still nervous around strangers, he was becoming much more playful and affectionate around the girls, Team JNPR, and Coco and Velvet who often came to visit him, and he wasn't as afraid as he was before. The girls were more than happy by Dbroha's progress and continued to encourage his growth. They had begun training him in combat and furthering his education (mostly Weiss would tutor him while Blake began instilling a love for books). His flying had greatly improved as well, though he could still only fly very short distances before becoming tired. Today, Team RWBY was working on endurance training and had added their ward to the regiment, hence why Ruby was coaching Dbroha in flying with such a heavy stack of books. The boy struggled a bit as his wings began to ache.
"Ruby it hurts!" He whimpered.
"Just a little longer Dbroha, then we can stop!" She promised. The dragon tried to continue but an unfortunate circumstance prevented that.
"Ah- AHCHOO!" Dbroha tumbled out of the air and landed on his bum. That alone wasn't so bad, but a few of the larger book knocking him on the head was. He dropped back gripping his head.
"Dbroha!" Yang called out as she, Blake, and Weiss ended their sparring session to race over to his side. Ruby was there first, helping him sit up.
"Are you ok? Where does it hurt," for a bit, Dbroha couldn't see much but black and strange moving blobs of colors. He could tell the silvery white one was Ruby, her scent was clear as day to him, but he could also tell who the one's coming towards him were even if he couldn't smell them. The red one was Yang, the teal was Weiss, and the gray one was Blake.
"Are you ok Dbroha?" He heard Weiss's voice ask as he felt a hands in hair combing for bumps. He blinked his Red eyes a couple of times before his vision went back to normal. He then shook his head.
"I'm ok," Blake pulled him to his feet.
"I think that's enough flying for one day,"
"Agreed," Weiss commented as Yang scooped up Dbroha and placed him on her shoulders.
"Come on, I think all this training has earned him a treat! Who's up for ice cream?" Ruby jumped into the air.
"Yay! Ice cream!" Blake didn't seemed too thrilled.
"Are you sure Yang? We've never taken Dbroha into town before,"
"Well, I think it'll be a good experience for him," Weiss argued. "Besides, I think our little boy has earned a sweet treat for all this hard work!"
"Alright, ice cream it is!" Yang cheered as she began running off with the now confused boy.
"Yang, what's ice cream?"
"We still have much to teach you my pupil," Ruby retorted.
(Timeskip)
"Slow down Dbroha!" Weiss giggled. "You'll give yourself an ice cream headache!" Dbroha's face was smeared in Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream as he devoured his bowl. His eyes were bright and happy.
"But it tastes so good!" Blake grabbed his face and began wiping it clean.
"Even still, you have to eat it slowly, or you'll end up like Ruby,"
"BRAIN FREEZE!" The team leader screamed as she rubbed her temples fiercely. The girls had taken Dbroha to a small dessert shop close to the school, being careful to conceal his wings and tail to avoid attracting attention. After taste testing every flavor with Ruby, the dragon had settled on Mint Chocolate chip while Ruby got cookies and cream. Yang had gotten a small vanilla ice cream while Blake got tea and Weiss had a coffee. Once Dbroha was cleaned up, he continued his assault on his treat until it was all gone.
"Wow Dbroha, your sweet tooth might be as big as Ruby's!" Yang said, almost impressed. Ruby pointed her spoon at her sister.
"I will not relinquish my title so easily sister," everyone laughed as the girls got up to use the restroom quickly before they left, leaving Dbroha to pick at his empty bowl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman paying at the register when a tub of ice cream fell out of her bag. As she began to leave, he ran over and picked up the small container and gently tugged on her skirt.
"Ms, you dropped this!" He told her. The woman turned around and Dbroha held out the container. She was rather short, probably as tall as Ruby, maybe even shorter, and she had dark hair and green eyes, but for a moment, he swore her eyes shift, one brown the other pink. For a split second, Dbroha eyesight faltered as he saw a black swirl in her place, before it returned to normal. The woman smiled happily at him and took back her container. She patted his head sweetly before digging into her bag and pulling out a small tube of Cookies and cream ice cream and giving it to him. Dbroha shook his head.
"Wait! This is your's though, I can't take it!" Still she didn't speak, instead smiling, ruffling his hair, and walking out the door. He wanted to go after her, but he didn't have the courage to go anywhere without his guardians.
"Dbroha!" Ruby called to him as the team stepped out of the bathroom. He quickly ran back to them.
"Where did you get that tub from?" Blake asked him, eyeing the container. He pointed at the door.
"A nice lady gave it to me," Weiss looked a bit uncomfortable.
"Um, sweetie, I don't think you should take that,"
"Don't worry," the cashier called from her spot. She was a sweet looking lady. "That young lady is one of our regulars and she just bought that tub. I would've seen if she'd done anything to it," she smiled kindly at the boy. "You've got quite the little gentleman there, he was nice enough to give that girl her ice cream back," Weiss looked a bit better then.
"Well, ok. But from now on Dbroha, no more taking sweets from strangers," he cocked his head in confusion.
"Why not?" Blake grabbed his hand.
"We'll tell you when you're older,"
(Back at Beacon)
After returning back to the school and taking a relaxing bath, Dbroha was curled up comfortably in Weiss's bed, since it was her turn to sleep with him, playing with Zwei while the girls did their homework.
"Ugh, I'm so bored!" Ruby complained.
"You had your ice cream, now do your work," Weiss scolded, not even looking up from her notes. Dbroha just ignored them and rolled a ball to Zwei who would then roll it back with his nose. Eventually, Zwei abandoned the game and jumped on Dbroha, who began to laugh as the corgi licked him. Yang smiled from her bed.
"Having fun you two?"
"Lots!" Dbroha replied hanging his head upside down to look at the blonde. Blake closed her textbook and glanced at the boy.
"Dbroha, why don't I read you a bedtime story?" She offered. Blake had taken on the duty of reading to Dbroha almost every night since his arrival. He nodded happily before jumping from the bed and running to the book shelf to pick out a new story.
"What about this one?" He said while holding up a book called 'Ninjas of Love'. The cat faunus immediately turned red before running up and shelving the book far out of his reach.
"Um, that one's not for kids. How about this one?" She asked while holding out 'A 1001 Vacuan Twilights' (Yeah, be prepared for a lot of parody titles). Dbroha nodded and climbed into Blake's bed. He spent the next hour cuddling the older girl while she read him a story about a faunus wining the heart of a human princess with the help of a wish granting creature. Once Blake was sure he was asleep, she book marked the page and tucked him into Weiss's bed before kissing his forehead.
"Good night Dbroha,"
(Next Day)
Dbroha was quietly walking up and down the corridors of Beacon by himself. The girls had class with Professor Goodwitch that afternoon and the strict blonde teacher wasn't too keen on having someone so young and inexperienced in her class just yet. Usually, Team JNPR or Coco and Velvet would watch him in the girl's absence, but Team JNPR was in the same class and Team CFVY was out on a mission, so the dragon boy was left to his own devices. Dbroha enjoyed the peacefulness of the hallway and just spent most of his time admiring how pretty it was. He wasn't afraid of getting lost since he could just follow his own scent back to the room.
"Admiring the decor Dbroha?" A voice asked. The boy looked and saw Ozpin at the top of a staircase. Dbroha actually hadn't seen the headmaster since his first night a Beacon, but he wasn't too nervous, he was old enough to understand Ozpin didn't have to let him stay at Beacon.
"Hi Professor Ozpin!" He greeted as the teacher walked back down.
"I'm glad to see you've adjusted well to Beacon, though I am surprise you've become confident enough to be on your own so soon. Ms Xiao Long rubbing off on you?" Dbroha nodded.
"Yes sir! The girls are in class right now and Professor Goodwitch doesn't like me seeing the bigger kids fight," the headmaster chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose Glynda wouldn't think it healthy for you to witness that just yet," he paused for a moment. "Dbroha why don't you join me for some tea. I'm very interested to hear about your experience at Beacon thus far,"
"Um, ok?" He answered while following the white haired male to his office. Dbroha was amazed by the size and design of the room. His eyes were wide with wonder. Ozpin chuckled at his reaction and led him over to a small table with a tea set. He poured a cup of tea for Dbroha while sticking to his usual mug of coffee.
"I see Ms Schnee and Ms Belladonna have instilled a respect for tea in you. Not many children your age have a taste for it," Dbroha smiled.
"Yup! Weiss and Blake have been giving me plenty of flavors to try out! Blake says it helps keep me calm,"
"Well, let's test your knowledge. See if you can deduce what flavor I've served you," Dbroha grabbed the teacup and took a modest sip. He smelled flowers and the taste was light.
"Jasmine?" He answered unsurely. The teacher smiled.
"Correct, but which type of jasmine tea?" Dbroha took another sip and really focused on the flavor.
"Jasmine green tea?"
"It seems Ms Schnee and Ms Belladonna have taught you well. So how has your experience at Beacon been Dbroha?" The boy smiled boldly.
"It's been great! I've never felt so happy in life! The girls have been nicest people I've ever met, Team Juniper, Coco, and Velvet have been fun to be with too! A few people make fun of my tail and wings, but Yang and Nora always scare them for it!" Ozpin smiled at his enthusiasm.
"I see. It's hard to believe that merely a few weeks ago, you were almost entirely shut off from the world. You've come very far in such a short time," the boy rubbed his head.
"Well, I still have a hard time with people I don't know, and the sight of needles still scares me, and I have nightmares about the dark place," the headmaster took a sip of his drink.
"Dbroha, that's more than reasonable. What you've experienced in a few years is more than what most people would experience in a lifetime. Considering what happened and your demeanor now, your will is much stronger than most I've met. And I've met many people in my life," Dbroha blushed.
"Um thank you sir,"
"Now, it's come to my attention that Team RWBY has decided to begin training you in combat," he nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah! Yang's been teaching me how to fight with my hands, Blake's been teaching me how to move like a ninja, Weiss has been teaching me all about using dust, and Ruby's been helping me with flying! I'm not...that good at it yet, but I'm definitely better at it than I was my first time,"
"Yes, I'm quite aware of your little incident with one of the light fixtures," the dragon gasped in horror.
"You know about that?"
"My boy, very few things happen in this school without my knowledge. In any event, I am glad to see you've grow stronger,"
"Yang says at the rate I'm going, I'll unlock my semblance in no time! I can't wait to see what it is!"
"Ah yes, unlocking one's semblance is an important step in becoming a huntsman or huntress. It's like opening a gift,"
"What's your semblance Professor?" Ozpin gave him a mischievous smile.
"Perhaps I'll tell you one day Dbroha, for now, you should focus on your own training. Have you had any signs of unlocking your semblance yet?" Dbroha thought back to the day before, seeing the different colors in place of his friends and the lady from the shop. He still hadn't told the girls about it yet and he didn't know how Ozpin would react to the news.
"Well, there was this one thing...," Ozpin looked at him curiously.
"Go on,"
"Well, yesterday during training, I hit my head and I couldn't see right for a little bit. It was dark, but I saw colors moving towards me. There was this silver and white light, and I could smell it was Ruby, but the other lights, I could tell who they were. It also happened to a lady I helped at a shop later,"
"I see. Can you describe these colors or lights?" Dbroha scratched his head, trying to remember.
"Um, they felt warm and they seemed to follow their person," Ozpin nodded knowingly.
"I think I understand what you were seeing Dbroha" Dbroha's Red eyes widened.
"R-really? Did I unlock my semblance," the headmaster laughed, shaking his head.
"I'm afraid your semblance will need a bit more time Dbroha. No, what you're experiencing is use of one your powers as a dragon faunus,"
"One of my powers?"
"Yes. I'm sure you're aware by now about the many legends of your kind and the many powers they wield. Some of these rumors are just that, but many still are grounded in fact,"
"How do you know?" He asked curiously. Ozpin leaned back in his chair.
"I've met one or two dragons in my time,"
"You have!? But Professor Oobleck said dragon faunus have never been seen before! A lot of people don't even think we exist!"
"Indeed. Don't misunderstand Dbroha, your kind is exceptionally rare and it has been many years since I've met someone like you. Even to my knowledge, you could very well be the last of your kind," Dbroha tail and wings drooped sadly.
"Oh," He then perked back with curiosity. "Well, do you know what is wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you Dbroha. As I said, this is one of your abilities that come with your breed: the ability to sense the soul,"
"The soul?"
"Yes. The few dragon faunus I did meet demonstrated the ability to not only see the soul, but peer into the intentions of the person. The colors you saw represent the greatest aspects of that person," Dbroha tilted his head in confusion.
"But, wouldn't the soul match the color of a person's aura? Like Yang, her aura is yellow but her soul was red,"
"The soul is the most truthful representation of a person's self and its color, while not always matching the aura, will match the person's greatest strength. Ms Xiao Long's greatest traits are her strength, her passion, and her drive. Red is the color that best represents those aspects,"
"Oh, then what about Ruby? He soul was white and silver,"
"White is the color of purity and innocence, things Ms Rose has an abundance of. I assume most soul's, including your own now, start white. As for silver, it is best known for representing a desire for experiencing life,"
"What about gray and teal. That's what Blake and Weiss were,"
"Gray in terms of Ms Belladonna, likely represents intelligence as well as dignity. As for Ms Schnee, teal refers to sophistication, discipline, as well as defiance. Keep in mind Dbroha that colors can have many different meanings and the soul can change color as a person changes themselves," Dbroha took another sip of his tea.
"You said I would be able to figure someone out just by looking at them. How could I do that?"
"I'm unsure myself. From what I gathered, your abilities will develop in time with training, as well as unlock gradually through instinct. Why don't we practice? I want you to try and see my soul," the boy looked crestfallen.
"Well, I don't know how to do it on purpose," the headmaster smiled.
"That's quite alright, just concentrate on my form, try and see beyond a physical appearance," Dbroha did as he was told, trying to gaze beyond. The world around him did grow dark, but there was too many flashes for him to make any sense of Ozpin. He frowned and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, it's all one big blur," Ozpin nodded.
"I thought as much. Let's just say, I've been through a few lifetime experiences myself,"
"Oh. Well, Professor if I'm going to start getting superpowers out of nowhere, how am I going to tell when I get my semblance?"
"Dbroha, believe me when I say, when your semblance is unlocked, you'll know,"
"Oh, ok,"
"Now, class will be ending soon. I think you should return to your dorm to greet your caretakers,"
"Thanks for the tea," Dbroha said as he got out of his chair.
"You're welcome. Feel free to join me again if you have anymore questions," The dragon nodded and headed towards the elevator door when it opened revealing a very tall and bulky man Dbroha did not recognize.
"Ozpin, I was hoping to-," the man cut off as he saw the smaller boy in front of him. "Is this the boy?" The headmaster stood up and walked next to young male.
"Indeed. Dbroha, this is General Ironwood. He is the headmaster of the academy at Atlas. He'll be staying till the end of the Vytal Tournament. General, this is Dbroha. He is currently a guest here at Beacon,"
"Nice to meet you sir," Dbroha bowed in respect like Ren had shown him. Ironwood nodded.
"Likewise Dbroha. Ozpin, if I could have a word?"
"Of course. Run along Dbroha," Dbroha gazed at the general intensely, like he had done with Ozpin. This time he was able to faintly see a chestnut color from the center of his form. He smiled before turning back to Ozpin.
"Professor, what does brown represent?" Ozpin smiled slyly.
"Reliability, though stubbornness might not be far off either. Now, off you go," The boy quickly scurried to the elevator. Once he was gone, Ironwood turned to Ozpin.
"That's the dragon faunus you told me about?" Ozpin sat at his desk.
"Indeed,"
"He doesn't appear to be very threatening,"
"Of course not, he's just a boy. However appearances can be deceiving. Dbroha is a dragon, so he will become powerful no doubt," Ironwood leaned over his desk.
"Should we be concerned?"
"Very much so. There's a reason dragon faunus aren't found often on Remnant. From what he told me, he's already starting to unlock his abilities. It won't be long until her forces take notice of him,"
"Are you sure? One child hardly seems noticeable," Ozpin sighed.
"The maidens are individuals themselves James. It is their power which draws our enemies. Dbroha I'm afraid will be no different. She will either see him as a weapon to be used, or a threat to be dealt with. For now, he must be protected and kept secret,"
"I could have him sent to Atlas if need be. He'll be well guarded there,"
"No! Powerful or not, his mental health is just as important to keep in check. He'll be in better shape if he's kept with people he trusts. Besides, with all do respect James, your kingdom is not exactly the most kind to faunus," Ironwood looked slightly embarrassed.
"Right. Still, I could have a guard assigned to him. If he's as important as you say, he should be watched closely,"
"No, we mustn't draw attention to him. I trust my students to watch over him,"
(Elsewhere)
Dbroha was lost in his thoughts as he walked back to the dorm. He was both excited and scared about Ozpin's words. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and walked directly into someone.
"Oops, sorry," he quickly apologized. Looking up, he saw a black haired woman with amber eyes. She smiled.
"That's quite alright. But do pay attention to where you're going next time,"
"I will, sorry again," Just as he was about to continue on, he caught sight of two familiar faces.
"Oh, hi Emerald, Mercury," he greeted. The green haired girl smiled sweetly.
"Hi Dbroha!" Mercury just waved him off.
"Hey runt," he pouted at the name. Emerald pushed him aside.
"Just ignore him Dbroha. I'm surprised to see you all alone. Didn't go on another panicked flight did you?" He rubbed his head bashfully.
"No, I'm definitely in control enough of my wings that that will never happen again. I was just talking to Professor Ozpin. I'm on my way back to the dorm now,"
"Talking with the headmaster. Not in trouble are we little one?" The other girl teased. Dbroha quickly shook his head.
"No! He just wanted to talk to me about my stay here ms...who are you?"
"Dbroha, this is our other teammate Cinder," Emerald introduce. "Cinder, this is Dbroha," Cinder smiled sinisterly.
"It's wonderful to finally meet Beacon's resident dragon. You've become quite the hot topic around the school you know," Dbroha shrunk his head back in embarrassment.
"Really?" Emerald laughed.
"Don't worry, we haven't told anyone about the lighting accident," He let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. I should get back now. It was nice meeting you Cinder!" He held out a hand to shake. Cinder took it.
"Likewise Dbroha," the minute she touched his hand, Dbroha felt something ominous in the pit of his stomach. He was able to see Cinder's soul. It was black, but unlike the woman at the shop who's soul was light enough to be almost gray, Cinder soul lacked any sort of light, it was just darkness outlined by blood red. It sent chills down the boy's back as he quickly let go of her hand and the apparition vanished. Cinder looked at him in confusion as well as Emerald.
"Something wrong Dbroha?" Cinder asked.
"Um, I think I can hear Yang calling me. Bye!" He said as he quickly sped off down the hall, getting as far from them as he could. Something about Cinder wasn't right, he didn't know what, but he didn't need Ozpin to tell him that a soul was not meant to be that color. Eventually he made it back to the dorm and entered. The girls were there, dropping their books down. They looked at him in surprise.
"Oh, there you are Dbroha!" Ruby greeted him. "Out for a walk around the school?" For a moment, he didn't know what to tell them. Eventually he settle on:
"Yeah, I also got to talk to Professor Ozpin about some stuff,"
"Professor Ozpin?" Weiss asked. "What about?"
Dbroha then explained about his meeting with the headmaster, as well as the development of his new ability. Ruby's eyes widened with excitement.
"Wow Dbroha! You're already starting to get special dragon powers! That's great!" Yang smirk.
"So now you can peer into souls and see everything bad a person's done? That could be great if we need some blackmail,"
"Well, I don't think that's how it works, but Professor Ozpin did say with practice I would be able to 'sense the intention of a person', whatever that means,"
"While I think you should've told us about this ability as soon as it started appearing," Weiss lecture. "I am glad you're getting stronger!"
"By the way Dbroha, are you ok?" Blake inquired. "You seemed shaken and out of breath when you came in here," for a moment, he wondered if he should tell them about Cinder, but he decided against it. He didn't know anything about her yet and he had just started using this ability. Besides, if she was friends with Emerald, she couldn't be that bad.
"Oh no, I was just...really excited to tell you guys about this!