Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Okay, so, no time wasted here. I promised I'd make as many updates as I could during the next few days, and we've outlined most of what we'll be doing here in advance, so I intend to do my best to keep it. For anyone who didn't just give up after the first chapter, or even just gave up on me completely after my silence, we all really hope you'll like what's coming up next.

NOTE:

-This is a collaborative effort between me, Noctis Gaelum and Alastar the hawk. We claim ownership over nothing except our own original characters.

SMWK

As the birds soared all over the sky, the shadow of the Beacon airships could be spotted traversing it. Inside each of them, the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses were eagerly awaiting to start the training for what could possibly be the beginning of their lives in the outside world.

"This… is really happening." Set couldn't believe his eyes. "Bro… we're actually gonna be Huntsmen. I almost… it feels like I'm in a crazy dream… except there's no strawberry sundaes in this one."

Kale looked equally impressed. "I know… I'd almost think this was just another dream if I hadn't pinched myself about seven times already."

"Eight, actually. You used both hands to pinch yourself that one time." That was the response of a female voice behind them.

When they turned around, a blue-haired girl, about the same height as Set, was waving at them with a very big smile. She was wearing a light blue sleeveless jacket on top of a navy tube top, black fingerless gloves, a pair of brown leather bracelets with bullet-shaped ornaments on them, green pants and brown boots. She also had a drop leg pouch attached to a belt and strapped to her left leg, gray kneepads, and what looked like a red bandanna tied around her right arm. Her hair was short, and she had turquoise eyes, along with a pale complexion.

"Hiya! I'm Maza. Maza Reynard. Are you going to Beacon too? No, wait… of course you are. You mentioned it just moments ago. Would you like to be friends?" Her voice seemed boundless in its happiness, leaving little to no space between sentences as she greeted the two brothers.

Upon taking a closer look, they also noticed she had a fox tail that seemed incapable of staying still.

"…You're… interesting." Set seemed puzzled, finding this new acquaintance… blissful.

"I'll say." On the other hand, Kale's response was much more direct. "It's nice to see another Faunus looking to be a Huntsman… or rather, Huntress, in this case." He offered his hand to her. "Pleased to meet you, Maza. I'm Kale Midnight."

"Set Prowl." Set winked while offering a casual greeting.

She giggled. "Nice to meet you both."

After shaking Kale's hand, she took a seat next to them.

"Say… are you really, like, brother brothers?" She looked very interested as she asked her question. "I mean, I've heard of humans marrying Faunus before, but it's pretty rare, and they usually have kids of their own before getting together."

Kale nodded in response. "That's right. We've got the same parents."

"Soooo… why do you have different last names?"

"I take after our mom, while he decided to follow the footsteps of our old man." Set answered with a smile. It sounded like he took pride in his response to the young lady.

Maza's eyes widened in realization. "Oooohhhh, I get it. You want to make sure that both of their family names will be remembered across Remnant. You want to make both of their legacies proud."

"Pretty much, yes." That was all Kale had to add.

"That is so cool."

Right before he could say anything else, though, she spoke again, once more going rather quickly.

"Can you tell me how your parents met? Pretty please? I bet it was a story of romance, adventure and a blooming forbidden love that defied what society believed to be a solid statement! I bet your dad used to be a cold-hearted soldier that used to dislike Faunus and your mother was a sweet, innocent wolf down on her luck, who had to resort to stealing, and was in need of a kind heart to rescue her…" Maza continued narrating her lovely fairy tale, thinking of it as some kind of romantic novel, with an awestruck expression on her face.

"Okay, sweetheart… I think you've been reading lovey-dovey novels a bit too much." Set's face gave away his surprise. "Alright, we'll tell ya."

"Yay!" Maza hugged him from the excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She let go and sat on the floor next to them, like a kid expecting to hear a fairy tale. "Ready when you are."

Right as Set was about to begin, the pilot's voice began to echo around the airship interior.

"Attention, everyone. Beacon Academy is dead ahead. We're about to land."

"Awww, really?!" Maza looked down, disappointed at the poor timing.

Set placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "Easy, cupcake. I'll tell you some time after we land."

"Okay!" Immediately switching moods, Maza stood up and gave the two brothers a hug before waving goodbye. "See you then!"

As the two watched her leave, Kale made one more comment on the matter.

"Well… she seems nice."

Once outside the ship and taking their luggage, the two brothers managed to get a perfect view of the academy as other students were walking towards it, weapon in hand.

"Wow… look at that." Kale couldn't help but comment on it. "We're here. Beacon Academy." After checking their surroundings for a bit, he laughed a little. "I think I'm going to need another moment to take it in."

Set chuckled, and looked up. "I feel my tail wagging. Is it wagging? I think it's wagging. It is, isn't it?"

"Don't look so impressed. It's just a castle."

A tall figure walked past them before stopping in his tracks and looking back. He was clad in a sleeveless, tight-fitting brown shirt with black trim, white baggy pants with multiple pockets, a pair of what looked like metallic arm guards, a long, thick white scarf, and brown boots with black accents. He had short, spiky white hair, green eyes, a fair complexion, and some kind of band on his right arm.

"If there is anything to be impressed about, it's probably inside." He then walked away without another word.

Suddenly, a big commotion was heard not too far away from them. Once Set and Kale reached the source of said noise, they could see two girls, one of which was covered in smoke.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" She also looked pretty angry.

Conversely, the other one just seemed kind of embarrassed. "I'm really, really sorry."

"You complete dolt!"

As the argument continued, the two brothers exchanged an uncomfortable look that easily spoke for itself. Without so much as a word, they started to leave the scene, when they were startled by a different sound.

"Wow! Talk about starting the semester with a bang, right?" Maza appeared out of nowhere, casually walking right between the two of them. "Hi again, guys!"

The two boys had the same reaction. "Maza?"

"That's me!" They noticed that she was carrying a blue backpack, as well as couple of suitcases with her. "What are you doing?"

Kale tried to shake off the surprise and answer. "Well, we were taking a moment to take all of this in. I mean, wow. Beacon Academy. It's beyond impressive." He cleared his throat. "Then we heard an explosion, and there was this girl in a red hood and another one who was covered in smoke, and there was a crater near them… aaaand we decided not to stick around to see the end of it, because they were arguing and it's honestly kind of scary."

"Oh, that's just Ruby, probably getting herself into another little mess. Don't worry about it." She replied in a very casual manner.

That got his attention. "You know them? Or, rather… one of them?"

"Yeah, the girl in the hood. I said 'hi' to her when we were on the airship, just like with you guys." Maza calmly explained herself. "She said her name was Ruby Rose. We didn't talk too much, but she seemed pretty nice. Maybe we'll see her around."

Set smirked at this. "Why not? She seems absolutely adorable."

Almost immediately afterwards, she put her arms around both of her companions and pulled them closer.

"Isn't this exciting?! All three of us are gonna be classmates, I just know it!" Her sights turned to the school building just as quickly. "Hey, everyone else is going there. Come on, let's go!"

Eventually, the trio made their way to their destination: the auditorium. Right away, they were instantly blown away by the huge amount of people present there.

Kale scratched the side of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "And here I thought the airship already had lots of people in it."

"Can someone pet me? I feel uncomfty." Set awkwardly spoke in a softer tone of voice. "This is making me uneasy."

Maza immediately complied, saying nothing but never losing her smile.

Suddenly, the three were startled by the sound of a microphone being powered on. As they turned to the source, they noticed a man standing right in front of said microphone. He had gray hair and was wearing a black suit and green shirt, as well as a pair of glasses. He also held a cane in one hand.

"Guys… it's him." The Faunus girl spoke once more, coming off like she was trying not to explode with excitement for once. "It's Professor Ozpin."

As though on cue, he began to talk.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

He turned to his left and stepped away from the microphone, while a blonde lady with a purple cape took his place. Thanks to a brief appearance via hologram during their flight, the group was able to remember her name: Glynda Goodwitch.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

As she and Professor Ozpin left the stage, the brothers noticed the same man they interacted with when they left the airship, who was heading towards the headmaster.

"Excuse me, Professor Ozpin."

At the sound of his name, he turned around. "Yes?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard it incorrectly, but did Professor Goodwitch just say that all of us will be spending the night in the ballroom without any kind of supervision?" The man seemed uneasy in regards to the idea.

"Will that be a problem for you, young man?" Ozpin asked him, adjusting his glasses as he did.

"It's a general problem, Professor. You are leaving a crowd of 17-year-old boys and girls in one room with no supervision, and hoping that nothing out of place will happen. 'Risky' doesn't even begin to describe that idea."

"Would you take part in such matters?"

"Of course not! I came here to learn, not play Hook-up!"

"Then there is nothing to worry about." Ozpin started to walk again. "The ballroom has a second tier. You are welcome to stay in the upper level if your female classmates represent that much of a hassle to you."

"What? No! Professor, that is not what I…" The young man tried to reply, but Ozpin was already gone by then. "…meant."

He sighed and started to walk away, when he noticed Set, Kale and Maza looking at him.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh…" Kale was the first to say something in response. "W-We're just… standing here."

Maza calmly asked him a question. "Why are you afraid of sleeping next to girls?"

"It's not fear. It's a matter of principle. We are supposed to be here to learn how to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, not to have sleepovers and eat candy."

"That's it? I thought you were afraid of the idea of girls sleeping naked." She smiled at him. "We don't, by the way. Well, at least I don't. I'm not sure about the other girls here, but I'm sure they still would put some clothes on."

"I told you, it's not fear!" He loudly replied, looking quite exasperated, before taking a moment to calm down. "Look, it doesn't matter, alright? I just thought things would be more serious around here. That's it."

He then walked away from the trio, Maza waving goodbye to him as he did.

Kale blinked a few times. "Well… that's going to be one grumpy classmate."

"And he might be scared of girls' jammies." Set snorted and laughed hysterically.

Maza stopped waving. "Poor guy… I hope he gets over his fears. In time, he should have no problems when they invite him to real sleepovers!"

Kale gave an awkward chuckle. "I don't know, Maza… he doesn't look like the kind of person who likes that sort of thing."

That got her to look at him.

"Actually, I'd be surprised if he said he liked anything. He seems like a very no-nonsense kind of guy."

The Faunus girl laughed at that. "Come on, Kale… everyone loves something! You just need to find out what. He's quiet, but I bet there's something he likes!"

"He looks like he loves duty more than anything. Good luck trying to get'im to score." Set held no words back for his response.

Amused by her friend's reaction, Maza turned away from him, and she quickly noticed that most everyone had already begun to do their own thing.

"Anyway, it looks like we have the rest of the day for ourselves." She turned to the two brothers again. "Would you like to have a sparring session?"

Set looked at his brother. "You up for it, bro? I'd like to sharpen my claws. Oughta be blunt already."

"Alright, sounds like fun." Kale shrugged with a smile.

There we go… two chapters. We've gotten past the first few moments for our little group, and things are definitely going to get more interesting from this point on.

We don't really have an extensive list this time, since there's only one name to account for in this chapter. When it comes to our chipper little fox girl, Maza Reynard, her name was based on a color shade called "mazarine blue", which also happens to be the name of a particular kind of butterfly, if you can believe it.

Like I said before, on behalf of all three of us, we really hope you've liked this so far. And no, I'm not going to leave you hanging for months this time; I'll be working on an update within the next few days. If you liked what you've seen so far, then stay tuned.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.