Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Well, just as promised earlier, here we are. One last update before the year ends. Here's hoping it'll do a good job of bidding it farewell and open the door for more exciting and cool things to come!
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
After a particularly… eventful night, the team simply headed for their room without much else to say and tried to get some sleep.
The following morning, the room was mostly quiet, filled only with the sounds of some soft breathing and the occasional brief mutters.
"Yes, I would love another slice of pie…"
However, that quickly changed the exact moment the first ray of sunshine came in through the window.
Right after that happened, a loud noise was heard all around the room, almost like a drill was spinning but not actually drilling through anything. Needless to say, everyone in the room woke up immediately at the sound of that.
"Whoa! What's going on?!" Kale immediately exclaimed. "Where's the fire?!"
As soon as he and the others opened their eyes, they were greeted by the image of Wyatt, the only one who was not sleeping. However, instead of the same outfit they remembered him wearing during the past few days, he was clad in what looked like a basic uniform.
"Good morning, everyone." He said, with a small smile on his face. "It's so good to see all of you awake already."
Maza rubbed one of her eyes. "Wyatt? What are you doing?"
"It's nearly 7 AM." He quickly replied. "You know what that means."
His attention was immediately drawn to Set, as he heard him groaning.
"What it means is that my hearing's sensitive." The Faunus boy was glaring at him. "And if you do that again, I swear I'm going to take those weapons and make sure no one can tell where they end and you begin."
Wyatt just blinked a few times.
"No… it means we need to hurry. We don't want to be late." He gave a small bag to each of his teammates. "I took the time to get us some breakfast. Enjoy it, but make sure you don't eat it too slowly." Then he backed away from them. "We have a whole training schedule to plan, and we should make the best of the time we have."
Kale suddenly yawned. "…Our classes don't start until 9 AM." Unlike his brother, he didn't come off as angry, but he didn't exactly sound happy either.
"That's exactly the reason why we need to get ready for it. I was thinking a few laps would help you wake up. What would you do if we just slept through a class where important information was being dispensed?"
"Like… what they're serving at the dining hall?" Maza asked in response.
"More like what to do if a pack of Grimm are swarming you and you need to think of a way to escape."
Wyatt's teammates just stared at him, their faces conveying differing amounts of irritation, confusion or just sheer disbelief.
"…Are you serious?" He could definitely relate to that last emotion. "You're Huntsmen now. All of you. Don't you understand where we are right now?" He looked at each of them for a moment.
Set groaned. "Okay… listen up, Windy. I'm a scout. That means I get information, I hit when no one expects it, and I keep myself aware of my surroundings." Before Wyatt could offer a reply, he started talking again. "Aware. That was the key word in that sentence. As in, awake. You know how I do that? By not waking up two hours before a class!"
"We'll be training to ensure our survival." Wyatt was quick to respond. "We'll be taught by veterans who managed to fight the enemy and live to tell the tale. They could make the difference between life and death. Do you really want to miss that?"
Kale was about to say something, but then he was interrupted by his teammate walking over to Maza's bed.
"Come on. We're supposed to be partners now. You insisted on it. We have to start training so we can get our fighting styles and techniques in sync."
The Faunus girl started to panic. "B-B-But I haven't even had my breakfast yet!"
"That's why I put it in a bag. You can take it with you."
Suddenly, Wyatt's eyes widened and he started to head for the door.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be right back."
The second he left, both Set and Kale had the same reaction: a facepalm.
"We have to do something." Maza, on the other hand, said what was on her mind. "We have to stop him before he has any other ideas!"
While Set merely groaned at that comment, Kale put his hand down, and judging by the expression on his face, the others could only imagine he was doing some serious thinking. They quickly decided not to interrupt him, and instead, they'd just wait for him to speak.
"…I think I've got it." Eventually, he raised his head. "I know just what to do, guys."
Maza's eyes immediately widened at that. "What? What is it? Please, please, pleeeaaase, don't leave me wondering, Kale!"
Before he could answer her, Wyatt walked back into the room.
"I apologize for that. That was my mistake."
In what almost seemed like a response to that, Kale spoke up before he had a chance to continue.
"Listen, Wyatt… I think you're going about this the wrong way."
The boy raised an eyebrow at his teammate. "How do you mean?"
"It's just the first day. This is going to be our first class." Kale cracked his neck a couple times. "We're not in the army. And believe me, I'd know; my dad's ex-military."
Wyatt gave him a disbelieving look. "We're Huntsmen. It's our duty to stay alert at all times."
"Isn't that exactly what I said?" Set immediately retorted, still as unamused as before.
"But… we're not. Not yet." Maza pointed at her friend. "Like Kale said, it's just our first day."
Wyatt sighed in frustration.
"Well, forgive me for showing some initiative!"
Kale immediately cleared his throat, hoping to stop things from getting uncomfortable.
"Hey, listen, you've definitely got initiative, and I can respect that. I'm not lying, I promise." He started rubbing the side of his neck. "But again, it's just the first day. We're barely getting started. Shouldn't we save it for another time? A class that requires us to prepare like that, for example?"
Wyatt stared at him for a moment, unsure what to say or think. As he turned to the others, he noticed that they looked like they were fully on board with that idea.
And as much as he didn't want to, he had to admit that he was being presented with a fair point.
"…Very well." He finally responded. "Just… just promise me that you're not going to make up any excuses to dodge the training sessions we do agree on."
As soon as she shook off her surprise, Maza sighed in relief.
"We wouldn't have come all the way here if we wanted to be lazy." She smiled at him.
Set did the same, although his was more of a cheeky grin. "Listen to your partner, Windy. She's got a point."
"…Alright." Wyatt finally conceded. "In that case, I think I will do some meditation for now." He then stretched his arms a little and began to head for the door. "Look for me in the classroom when you are ready to start the day."
Kale nodded, even though he knew his teammate wouldn't see it. "Understood."
Once Wyatt was gone, Maza sighed, letting herself fall back on top of her bed.
After a few moments of tossing and turning, she finally stopped and stared at the ceiling. "Guys?"
"'Sup?" Her leader answered.
"Are you thinking that if Yang is an early bird and she meets up with him, they will demolish another part of the academy? Or is that just me?"
Kale raised his hand. "Actually, I was thinking about how we're probably not going to be able to go back to sleep for now." Then he put it down. "Maybe we could use that time to unpack." He chuckled for a second. "I know our fearless leader would love to get his hammock ready."
At the mention of that, Maza gasped dramatically.
"Omigosh, you're right!" She kicked the bedsheets off of herself and stood up. "I want to help with that!"
Set took a good look at his teammates; Kale was smiling contently, and Maza's face could only be described as "beaming".
"…You make a good point, bro. And you know how hard it is to say 'no' to that sky beam face that Cupcake makes when she's excited about something."
With a delighted giggle, Maza immediately went to look for her things.
"Hey, I like your onesie." She was stopped by a comment from Kale. "It looks comfy and warm."
She smiled at that, and she immediately turned to look at him, her tail wagging.
"Thank you! You know, there's a lot of people out there who say they're just for little kids." As she spoke, her voice overly dramatic and full of pride, she struck a pose right out of a superhero comic, with her hands on her hips. "Well, to them I say… if being an adult means giving up on comfort, I will make it my life's mission to forever be a toddler!"
She followed this up by checking her belongings and bringing out a poster for her friends to see.
"And I love-love-looooove the Achieve Men!"
Set merely smirked and shared a sympathetic comment. "You'll always be my favorite ray of sunshine."
"Aww, thank you, boss." With that, she went back to unpacking her things.
Suddenly, Kale got out of bed and stood up.
"Well, I think I'm gonna go and take a shower." He stretched his legs for a second. "With how long it's going to take, you guys should have plenty of time to set up the hammock, just like you wanted."
"You heard him, pancake. Let's 'Set' it up." Set finished with a cringeworthy pun. He simply smirked, not even ashamed of what he had said.
"You got it, boss!" She gave him a salute. "By the way, since you're not going to use that mattress… can I have it? Please?"
As he made his way out, Kale seemed confused. "Why do you want it?"
"Like I said, I like comfort. Having two mattresses? It sounds super comfy." She answered with another smile. "Besides, it'd be a waste if we didn't use it, right?"
"Oh." He resumed his exit, smiling back at her. "Alright, makes sense to me."
"Go wash up, K! You'll catch a glimpse of the greatest hammock ever when you return. Bet on it!" Set seemed excited about setting up his soon-to-be bed-like means to rest. "Alright, Foxy, let's turn this chore into a game. Whaddya say?"
Maza made no attempts at hiding her excitement. "I say… game on!"
Silence.
Wyatt was alone in what he could only assume was a classroom, even though it looked much more like a lecture hall to him. Much like his new team had suggested, he was early.
Not one to waste an opportunity, he did as he had told them. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet he had run into, he closed his eyes and meditated.
For the longest time, there was nothing except the low sounds of his breathing.
The white-haired boy quietly reflected on the events that had transpired during the past couple of days.
Control your breathing. Center your energy. The whole time, he kept thinking the same thing.
He took a very deep breath.
Control your breathing. Center your energy. Detach yourself… join with the—
"You're much more similar than you think."
The moment he remembered Professor Ozpin's words, Wyatt shook his head, upset at himself for letting his focus drift away.
No! I can't get sidetracked. I'm here for one reason and one reason only. I will not get distracted!
As if in answer, his thoughts were disrupted again.
"Look at all you've done!"
His new team leader's words echoing in his mind, Wyatt suddenly found himself feeling guilty.
…What have I done so far? Destroy the gym and treat my teammates like training dummies? Who does that?
He took another deep breath, but before he could continue, another thought managed to distract him.
"What we need is to function as a unit, as you so eloquently put it. And honestly, with the way you guys are bickering, we'll be dead in a month even if we train every day."
He sighed and opened his eyes, only to immediately look at the gauntlet that Set had previously damaged.
Maybe… maybe I've been too harsh on those guys. Maybe I could… try to know them a bit better. I do have to coordinate my moves with them eventually, after all.
He nodded with a smile before resuming his meditation.
Maybe I can…
Before he could get to what he wanted to do, however, one more thought would make sure to interrupt him.
"You can deny it all you want, but I'm sure we're going to be great friends."
He opened his eyes again and looked at the palm of his hand.
If only it were that easy…
Some time later…
"Come on, guys! I'm pretty sure it's over here!"
As she made her way through the hallways, Maza dragged her two friends along. Much like Wyatt when he woke them up, they were also wearing uniforms.
"Take it easy, sunshine! I can barely breathe in this monkey suit, let alone move!" Set expressed discomfort with his school uniform.
Kale did his best to tug on his collar. "Yeah, I'm having a little trouble getting used to it too."
"Well, I think you guys look awesome!"
Set then proceeded to pull on his necktie a bit, and undid the highest button on the shirt, sighing loudly in relief.
"Lesson learned: next time, do not button up. Also, wear a bow tie."
The Faunus girl giggled at that. "Okay, I'll buy you some bow ties later, boss. Promise."
Kale just chuckled along with her.
Soon after, the trio reached what they hoped was the right classroom. To their relief, the first thing they ran into once they made their way in was Wyatt, who immediately turned around and nodded at them.
"Morning, team." He was quick to speak. "I hope you managed to get enough rest."
"We did, actually." Maza smiled as she took a seat right next to Wyatt. "What about you? How was your meditation?"
He stayed quiet for a few seconds. "It gave me time to think about a lot of things, actually."
"Yeah? Like what?" Kale walked over and took a seat on the opposite side.
He sighed and looked down. "…I have been a bit unreasonable with all of you. I haven't even given you a chance to properly say your names or your backstories, and… I owe you an apology for that."
"Well, I'll be. Hugged your teddy bear this morning, Titan?" Set retorted.
Wyatt turned to him, frustrated. "Do you really need to do that, sir? I'm trying to apologize and start over. Is that so hard to believe?"
"Don't take it personal, alright?" Much to his surprise, Kale immediately stepped in. "He's always like that. Believe me, he appreciates the effort."
He quickly turned away. "Duly noted. I will make an effort to get used to that banter."
The room stayed quiet for a few moments, as if none of them knew how to follow that up.
"So, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?" Wyatt was the one to break the silence, looking at his team leader again. "Where I come from, the leader usually starts with the backstories."
Right away, Maza perked up. "Oh! Oh! I know! I have an idea!" As she said that, she raised her hand. "How about we start with our names, then where we're from, and finally, a fun fact about ourselves?"
"Sounds like a plan." Kale replied with a nod. "Alright, little brother, go ahead."
And just as requested, Set answered first.
"My name is…" He immediately stopped, quickly thinking against giving his full name. "… Set Prowl. I'm from Vacuo, and… w-well, everything I am today, and part of what I aspire to do and be, is due to my grandpa."
He made a pause to look at his team's reactions. Kale had a smile on his face, Maza's excitement hadn't wavered in the slightest, and Wyatt's expression was completely neutral.
"No joke. My chain? It was his weapon. The cape hanging next to my hammock? Used to be his. Tattered and torn as it may look, those are the markings of thousands of battles. I was even named after him. And all the stories my mom would tell us…" He smiled, looking almost like a child who was gushing about their idol. "There's no one I look up to more than him. He's… my personal hero."
Maza's smile was fairly similar. "He really sounds like an awesome grandpa."
"Yep, you better believe it." Kale sounded equally as proud as his brother.
Pleased with the results, Set turned his attention to Wyatt.
"They say that a warrior's true might is measured not by the medals on his wall, but by the scars on his back." He spoke honestly. "Based on its state, that cape must be clear proof that he was a noble and kind warrior."
Set immediately replied to that. "I hope to be half the man he was one day. I aim to live up to his name."
"You will, bro." Kale was equally quick to praise his team leader.
Maza simply hugged him, confident that it would get the message across.
"What about you?" Wyatt asked, directly addressing the Faunus girl. "What is your story?"
She looked at him in confusion for barely a second, but eventually she understood.
"Oh, right! My turn!" After releasing Set, she straightened herself up. "Okie dokie, my name's Maza Reynard, and I'm from around here in Vale. My house is actually not too far away from Beacon." Then she started to think. "Fun fact? Hmm…"
The three boys stared at her in silence as she did so.
"Wait, I know!" She eventually spoke again. "I wrote a letter with my right foot when I was fifteen years old." Then she giggled. "That was a fun birthday."
Set and Kale looked somewhat amused, but Wyatt just seemed confused.
"Okay… I don't know if that's what we were expecting, but I suppose we could grant you that." It took him a moment to figure out how to follow that up. "Why don't you tell us a little about your weapon?"
Right away, she shook her head. "Oh, no, nonono, that's cheating." Once she stopped, she smiled at him. "It's your turn, Wyatt."
"You know this isn't a game, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Maza only continued to stare at him with the exact same smile.
"…You are not going to say anything else until I say something about myself, are you?"
She shook her head again.
Wyatt closed his eyes and sighed.
"Fine." He looked at his armband for a second before continuing. "My name is Wyatt Whirlwind. I was born during the night, educated and raised by my mother in a simple, quiet and humble town in the continent of Anima. I have the ability to improve my physical resistance and attack strength with every second that I spend on a fight. My power will keep on building and reach its maximum point at the 3-minute mark."
As soon as he turned to her again, he noticed how impressed she looked. "Oooooohhhh…"
"Now then… tell us about your weapon—"
"Wait a second." Kale immediately interrupted him. "Just Anima? As in… outside of Mistral?"
Wyatt raised an eyebrow again. "Is there something wrong with the fact that I came from a place outside the kingdoms?"
"Try 'one of the most dangerous places outside of the kingdoms'! How did you not croak, Big Man?" Set retorted.
Wyatt merely shrugged at that. "I could tell you, but like Maza said… that would be cheating." Then he pointed at Kale. "Isn't it your brother's turn now, sir?"
"Oh, yeah, you're right!" Maza was the one who responded, though. "Hey, Kale, tell us about yourself, okay? Please?"
He couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Alright." He was quick to answer. "So, um… my name's Kale Midnight, and I, uh, also come from Vacuo." Unlike his brother, however, he had some trouble articulating his thoughts. "And my fun fact is… well, um…" He looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself a few times before finally getting it out. "I'm… kind of a late entry."
Right away, Maza tilted her head. "How do you mean, Kale?"
"Remember when I said I was a year older than Wyatt?" She nodded. "That wasn't a joke or anything. I'm eighteen years old."
"So, you are the oldest of our group. Well, in that case, I would also consider you the wisest." Wyatt decided to offer a suggestion. "I believe strategy and planning for long battles could be entrusted to you if need be. Be careful, though; even the most solid of plans can go south at any given time. Perhaps you should consider some focus training in stressful scenarios."
Kale stared at him, confused. "I'm… pretty sure that would be Set's call, not mine. Team leader, y'know?"
"So… why didn't you go to an academy when you were seventeen?" Maza asked, before thinking of another question. "Actually, why did you come here instead of going to Shade Academy?"
"Because our parents graduated here at Beacon. I wanted to do the same, but they weren't entirely convinced."
The girl blinked a couple times, surprised by the sudden reveal. "If that's true, how did you get them to let you come here?"
"The reason is now your team leader, sunshine." Set retorted, in a slightly snarky, yet mostly comedic manner.
Right on cue, Kale laughed at that. "Yep. He wanted to come too, and I guess that was the point where they realized there was no stopping it."
"Our folks know how hard-headed I can be when I set my mind on something." Suddenly, Set's eyes widened. "No pun intended this time."
Maza stared at the two for a moment.
"Oooooohhhh… now I get it." Then she smiled once again. "Well, I'm glad about that, because I wouldn't trade you guys for anything in Remnant. Not even an interview with the Achieve Men!"
Once again, Wyatt raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"The Achieve Men?" Much to her confusion, he didn't even react to that. "The greatest band ever in the history of Remnant?"
He merely shrugged. "Not familiar with it. Then again, I'm not familiar with any sort of music, so that could be the reason for my confusion."
Right away, this earned him weird stares from the two brothers. Kale merely seemed a little confused, but Set's expression did a very poor job of hiding his shock. Despite this disparity, their comments turned out to be exactly the same.
"You need to get out more."
Before he could even think of a retort, the team's attention was grabbed by the sound of the entrance door opening.
As the four youths stood up, they were all met by the image of a seemingly middle-aged man, with gray hair, an equally gray mustache, a burgundy suit with some gold ornaments, and a pair of pants tucked into some boots. He also looked slightly overweight.
"Well, what do we have here?" Right away, he noticed their presence. "Oh, a team of early birds! I like your initiative."
Wyatt bowed his head down. "Thank you, sir. I will try to make it a habit."
"It's always great to see more potential Huntsmen and Huntresses here in my class. I look forward to all of our lessons together."
As the gentleman with the fabulous mustache walked away, the team took their seats again and waited for their class to begin…
…until Set fell asleep, no doubt as a result of Wyatt's early wake up call.
"Boss?" Maza poked him with her finger a couple times, to no avail. "Hello?"
The Faunus boy didn't even flinch.
"I guess you were wrong, Kale." She looked at her friend, looking slightly amused by the scene. "One of us went right back to sleep."
He couldn't even come up with a response to that.
Well, first proper day at Beacon. Things aren't exactly starting up with a bang, but they're definitely getting started in spite of everything. If you're one of those people who has memorized the series inside and out, or even someone who at least vaguely remembers the first few episodes, then you probably already figured out what comes next, and if that's the case, we hope to keep it fun for you.
While we're at it, since we once again have no new names to exposit on, I just want to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year on behalf of both myself and the guys. We really, really appreciate the few people who have really flocked to this story so far, and we hope to do enough that you'll stick around for a long time.
This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.