Oooh boy! I had quite a fine Labor Day trying to polish up this chapter!
Quite a few things I really wanted to do and convey actually managed to come to fruition, to my slight surprise. Not only that, but this is the first time my beta gave me the all clear on my first try, best I've done so far. Which kinda makes me feel glad, after my incredibly rough start. It might not be incredibly smooth sailing from here on out, but I can at least be somewhat confident enough that it won't get that rough again. At least not really rough.
I'll certainly keep at it.
Now, let's get the chapter rolling.
Vale's city sections were still a bit of an overwhelming experience for Cinder.
Ruby was leading the way, humming to herself taking the group for an stroll around the city. Hovering cars occasionally zoomed by, both alongside them and overhead, with glowing lights briefly flashing on and off. Numerous citizens passed by her and the others, making their own ways to their destinations via walking. Scroll calls all around them, either contacting their work areas or saying hello to their families and promising they'd be home soon. Not to pulsing the glowing trails of energy that she could currently sense along the roads and the vehicles hovering around her.
Cinder might have forgotten just how noisy cities could be, given how more often than not she usually stays away from them out of both disinterest and distrust. Though given her current affiliations now, she has little choice but to get used to coming and going to and from cities when need be.
"Alrighty! I don't wanna overwhelm you guys with another mission so soon." Ruby addressed her friends as she spun around on a heel and faced them while walking backwards. "So, what do we do for today, guys?"
"How about we don't walk backwards when we're amongst a crowd of people?" Weiss deadpanned while shaking her head walking alongside Penny and Oscar. "Ruby, please face forward while you're walking, you're going to run into somebody."
"Pfft, don't be such a worrywart, Weiss. I know what I'm doing, honest!"
"Confound it, Ruby! You're in your twenties, you shouldn't have to be told to watch where you're going!"
"Worry warrrrrt!~"
"Uggggh." Weiss groaned, gently facepalming and massaging the bridge of her noise, shaking her head. "I should have gone back home to Atlas. What am I doing here back with you...?"
"You wanted to be with your friends here." Jaune deduced rather easily. Weiss took a moment to ponder that quick and to the point response.
"...Alright, but other than that, what do I get out of coming back here?"
"The satisfaction of the success you'll bring?" Oscar offered up next. Weiss once again pondered this, rubbing her chin while closing her eyes. Before long, she opened them and quietly conceded.
"I do like being successful in my endeavors. Proves my capabilities with flying colors."
"The colors of the rainbow?" Penny innocently asked while raising her hand. Weiss looked dryly at Penny for a moment, before she sighed and shrugged it off.
"Sure. Why not."
"Sensational!"
"Wonderful..."
"Well, you can also appreciate that we've kept the liveliness up for you while you were gone. So now you can settle back into it without too much of a fuss. That's gotta be a silver lining, right?" Oscar offered with a small thumbs up. Weiss looked dryly towards him next, making him sweat and awkwardly look away. "Well, if you can see it. If not, that's fine too!"
"I appreciate your efforts, Oscar. But believe me, I've already resigned myself to having to deal with a renewed daily dash madness. I'm mentally prepared for it. Emotionally?" Weiss shook her head. "I just got back and I already feel like slapping her upside the head four dozen times."
"Well, you're getting that off your chest. That's a start, right?"
"The start of my return to madness, perhaps."
"Least you won't have to endure it alone."
"Together into madness!" Ruby and Penny beamed while clapping hands with each other.
"I'll begin writing my will." Weiss deadpanned.
As the friends were chatting amongst themselves, Cinder herself has been hanging back a bit. Keeping herself at a close distance where she could be seen, but just enough space for it to be noticeable. Her eyes occasionally searched the area for any potential threats, staying vigilant despite both Ruby and Jaune's assurance that she'd be perfectly fine here. But she wasn't so sure about that, and given how the two of them were optimistic and naïve, they might not have the best of judgements in that regard.
She hasn't forgotten all the possibilities of what could happen to her listed by the man known as Ozpin. As far as she knew, he was somewhere within the city. And there was no way he wasn't somewhat keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't do anything rash or destructive. Lest she be subjected to one of those terrible fates as punishment for her behavior. She had no interests in entertaining those possibilities, so she found it best to just hang back and keep quiet. She observed them from the space she made for herself, not taking part in their chatter.
She couldn't help but get the nagging feeling that she was a complete outsider. Which of course should have been obvious, for her way of joining them was rather unorthodox, like their leader. And it's only been two weeks since she's officially joined the guild. Still, there was this subtle wall in-between herself and then that she feels couldn't be overcome in a few tries at best. Yet for all of her knowing that she just joined up and thus would need much more time to adjust to things, that didn't make it less frustrating to endure. She simply couldn't ignore the fact that she was the most likely to cause a wrench in things due to how new she was at this whole entire setup.
But Cinder wouldn't be giving in so easily. She'd fine a way to persevere through this and any other difficulties that might attempt to utterly confound her. She's been able to do so for a while during her self-exile and that's not suddenly going to change here. She'll find a way, and she'll prove superior to all of the obstacles that tried to obstruct her. There wouldn't be anything to obstruct her.
Not even herself.
"Do ya think they'll have more of those strawberry ice cream sodas?" Ruby wondered aloud as Cinder was snapped out of her thoughts. The young lead asked Jaune this question as they were currently hand in hand, with the latter attempting to answer her. "I've only had it the one time, but it tasted like super strawberry goodness. I'd really wanna try it again when I'm able."
"They probably do. If not, I can figure out how to make some for you on my own time."
"Really?!"
"Really really."
"You're amazing for that!" Ruby leaped up to give Jaune a hug as he was walking, which did make him laugh as he lightly patted her head. To Cinder's brief surprise, a wolf tail manifested from behind Ruby and began wagging happily.
Seriously, what was up with that? She's seen it several times now, so she knows she's not imagining it. Could she be-
"Enjoying a stroll through Vale? Are you perhaps waiting for someone?"
The gang stopped and looked around them for the sound of the voice. It was very familiar, to all but Cinder, who was currently on her guard.
"We know you're there. Come on out, we don't have time for this." Weiss exclaimed with a firm demand, which was met with a quiet humming sound that echoed around them for a little bit. Meanwhile, Ruby was simply smiling.
"I didn't think you'd arrive so soon." Ruby looked around as well, still quite confused. "But seriously, where are you?"
"Boo."
Someone suddenly revealed themselves, right within the middle of the group, which made all of them jump slightly. Jaune in particular had to be kept from falling on his back via Ruby giving him a gentle push forward.
"Geez, Blake! You can't just do that without warning! My heart can't take it!"
"Nn. It was kind of funny, though."
Blake? Cinder thought as she acknowledged the newest presence before her.
The woman before her had eyes similar to her own, with black hair that ran down last her shoulders. She wore a black zippered, high-collared, short-sleeved shirt, and also wore a black hooded jacket over it. Some sort of white insignia could be seen on the back of her shirt as well as her jacket. Similarly wearing black, form-fitting pants with a white scarf around her neck. Though what especially caught Cinder's attention was probably the most significant difference between this woman and the others.
Her feline ears and tail. With the ears being black, with a bit within being violet, and having white fluff within them. Whilst a slim similarly black furred tail could be seen behind her, lightly swishing with curiosity due to it's owner's appearance. Cinder going back to Blake's eyes and how they were decidedly catlike pupils was more than enough to somewhat confirm her suspicions. Although to Cinder, that also took a lower priority as to what she managed to do.
She snuck up on them.
Cinder's nose was highly effective, as well as her hearing. As a dragon she can reliably use her senses in order to try and pinpoint when something was attempting to sneak up on her so blatantly, and it's helped her over her years of self-exile. Some were clever about their approach yes, but for all her years of traveling alone she's never had anyone successfully sneak up on her with her being completely oblivious to it. Until now.
Blake managed to completely get past her senses and appear as she did, without setting anyone off. They only knew she was there when she decided to speak up. None of them could detect her. It was like her entire presence simply vanishes until she chooses to show herself.
That's how it felt to Cinder, for even amongst a crowd, she didn't even hear this woman's footsteps, not being able to notice her scent until just now. She only let her presence be known once she wanted it to be, and not a moment before.
There was stealthy, and then there was that.
"Blake!" Cinder's thought were broken through again via Ruby keeping forward to hug Blake. The latter smiled as she gingerly returned the hug, both of their tails swishing about with glee at each other's presence. "I didn't think you'd be here so soon!"
"Nn. I almost wasn't, but I managed to pull through." Blake stoically nodded. "I wouldn't want to keep you waiting more than I already have. You'll have to forgive my tardiness, for I have quite a few encounters later down my path. It ended up hindering me a little."
"No no, it's all good, it's all good! It's so good to see you!" Ruby reassured whilst skipping around her, before coming to a stop. "Did you see any of the others while on your way back?"
"Not yet. It looks like it will be a bit before everyone will have reassembled the Guild." Blake hummed while pushing some hair away from her face. "I think it's safe to assume that this one is the dragon I've been hearing about on my way here?" Blake turned to Cinder, briefly locking eyes with her. "I smelled a strong scent of ashes long before I came within the vicinity. So you're the source of it."
"Ashes?" Cinder muttered, not hearing any insulting insinuating behind the words, as it was more like an evened analysis. It still bugged her to an extent.
"Well, in any case, you're a member of the group now. So you'll have to do your best to do your part." Blake immediately turned to Jaune and Oscar. "How bad was it so far?"
"She's already established a rivalry with Weiss. After she tried to kill her." Jaune deadpanned.
"A Grimm was heavily influencing her at the time, but still." Oscar quickly added with a nervous laugh.
"Nn. Thought so. It wasn't smooth sailing, but it wasn't a complete disaster, either."
"It almost was..." Weiss muttered with folded arms. "Moving on, was there something you wanted to tell us, Blake? It seems that you appearing before us as you did was for a purpose beyond surprising us, I hope."
"To an extent, yes." Blake nodded while adjusting her scarf. Cinder lightly adjusted her own scarf as well, and both of them briefly looked at one another, noticing this. "I've made a request towards the denizens of Sumire Town. I would have pursued it further, but I wanted to clear it with you first in person, given how you were busy at the moment."
"Oh, a request? I mean, I was hoping we would all get to simply relax a bit more today, but I'd rather not deny someone needed help, either...guys, what do you think?" Ruby turned to everyone for their input.
"I say we go! Nothing wrong with lending a helping hand!" Penny raised her hand in approval.
"It's no trouble for us, Ruby. No need to worry, I'd like to do something more productive, anyway." Weiss folded her arms with a huff. "I'm not sure if Cinder is willing to agree though. She'd likely see it as a waste of time."
"Don't try to push me away, Schnee. I'm not letting you outdo me in anything." Cinder grumbled.
"Now now, take it easy." Oscar smiled quietly while patting her shoulder.
Jaune turned to Ruby with a nod. "Looks like we're all in favor of accepting the mission, Ruby."
"Alright, if ya say so." Ruby turned to Blake with her hands on her hips. "Lay it on us, Blake! What do we have to do?"
Blake adjusted her scarf more and managed a soft smile. "Well. You might have a bit of fun with this. You'll still get to relax. I'll debrief you all on the way there."
With that, Blake turned and lead the way, with Penny calling up for an air bus to pick them up and take them to their destination. As everyone was getting ready, Cinder narrowed she'd she's and clenched her fists in preparation. It looks like she was going out for another excursion, it seems. Well, it didn't matter. Whatever enemies that would appear during this expedition, Cinder would obliterate them with no effort at all.
This was going to be easy.
"KIDDIES!"
Ruby squealed with delight, arms in the air as she was greeted with the sight of a small crowd of children playing together on the playground. She was rather quick to lose herself amongst them, inviting the cheerful kids up for a session of cuddling and squealing. Many of them rushed towards her and hugged her legs, while some of them climbed atop her back as she sits cross legged. She was giggling the entire time, simply enjoying their company.
Cinder could only owlishly blink at this, while Blake stood beside her while tugging on her scarf. After taking a moment to really gauge the situation. Cinder slowly turned to the latter, who heard her slow turn and looked towards her.
"Nn. Is something the matter?"
"Our mission...is to play with children." Cinder uttered with silent disbelief.
"Surface wise, perhaps. Though there's a bit more to it than that." Blake hummed. "These children have previously lost their families to some various tragic circumstances, or have been outright abandoned. Having been left alone in the world, they don't have much hope for adoption in the future." She turns forward as she was lightly letting the head of a sleeping collie Faunus girl. "So sometimes we spent time with orphaned children like this, to keep their spirits high until they can find a proper new home."
"Keep their spirits high...?" Cinder muttered bitterly while turning back towards the children within sight. "There's no guarantee that someone will come and adopt some of them. And even then, there's even less guarantee that the ones who adopt them will be decent people. Why fill their heads with false hopes?"
"Hope is only false when there's little reason or justification for it. There's nothing wrong with having faith in these children finding a new home." Blake lightly turned to the other groups. "Even so, they're surrounded by supportive people, and we visit orphanages like these often. Anything to make their stays as comfortable as they can be."
Cinder didn't inquire further, slightly frustrated by her own puzzlement of the situation. With a grunt, she simply stayed further back and laid against a tree with folded arms, watching everyone from where she stood.
Penny was in one area, briefly holding onto a toy doll that's been recently messed up and torn apart. She held it as it levitated in her hands, before she forms gestures around it in a circular motion. Several pieces began mending back together, with newly reformed parts taking the spaces of those that were lost. Before long, she spreads her arms as the bright and shining toy glowed to life.
"Ta-Da!"
"Ooooh! You fixed her!" The little one in front of her beamed as she takes it into her hands and nuzzled it. Funnily enough, it appeared to be a robot plushie. One with circular green glowing eyes and a red antenna on its head.
"That's a nice plushie you have there! That robot is high amongst my favorites to relate to!" Penny soon clapped her hands. "Alrighty then! Anyone else who kinda had their toys broken, come up to me!" Penny waved her hands invitingly. "I'll make them good as new in no time, and even better than before!"
Penny soon tended to the next child who presented their toy. She briefly looked over to Oscar, who was gathered around by his own little group, having pulled up a chair.
"And thus, the Witch was visited by the Maidens whenever they found the time for her." Oscar gently smiles as he had their attention. "It took some time, but they were able to become friends, and understood each other better than they did before. They were happy they didn't have to fight each other anymore."
"They were able to get along?" One of them blinked while adjusting her hair pin.
"After a lot of work, yup."
"But I thought the witch was bad?"
"She was bad at some point, yes. But she didn't start out that way. Nor did she stay that way, either." Oscar nodded. "There are a lot of people who aren't good at heart. And a lot of them won't ever change from that. Some don't start out bad but become so over time. And unfortunately, not many of them return back from that point. Whether they be human, Faunus, or some other." Oscar soon smiles as he closes the book. "The Witch wasn't one of them. It isn't right to call her a good person by the end, but she wasn't out to hurt anyone anymore. She might have been a bad person once in her life, but that didn't mean she had to be bad forever. And if she could do it if she really tried, surely most other people in the world could if they wanted to. That's the kind of power something as simple as 'choice' has."
Some of the kids seemed to be somewhat understanding of what he was trying to say, while others were mostly a bit confused. He sighed slightly at this, though didn't blame them for not getting it right away. Despite what a lot of people believe about children, they're a lot more perceptive than one may expect.
He was brought out of his thoughts as Penny hugged him from behind, her head next to his. "Ooh! Are you gonna tell another story, Oscar? Can I follow along? It'll be a good backdrop as I'm helping fixing up toys!"
"Heh. Sure thing." Oscar chuckled, skillfully hiding the blush that crept up due to how close Penny was and how suddenly she hugged him.
Over a bit to the side, Weiss was balancing a glyph hovering over her hand, before lifting it upwards. It glowed brightly, before a soft flurry of snow came down, almost twinkling. Several children's eyes sparkles at the sight, before squealing and placing themselves under the gentle snowfall to play under, as well as finding it a lot cooler a of a sudden.
"A flurry of snow to cool you young ones off. You're all welcome." Weiss huffed softly, though she couldn't help but admire the smiles and laughter of the children.
"The snow is all sparkly and clean!" One of them expressed while extending their arms with glee. Weiss ended up smiling even more, before she turned around and huffed again, though still didn't wipe her smile.
Over at another group, Jaune was helping prepare the kids some lunches, having already gotten quite a bit started for them. He already had something for everyone after enough time. All smiles came as he served several punches to them. The creamy and nutty avocado with crispy bacon to make avocado toast. The mild tangy sweetness of cream cheese and slightly salty and smoky salmon forming tea sandwiches. The vegetable beef soup being packed with delicate and mildly sweet potatoes, similarly sweet yet somewhat earthy carrots, and soft and buttery corn. It was quite obvious that Jaune out quite a bit of effort into making these lunches, especially for the kids. Of course, one had to make sure that they were nice and ready.
Hence why Cinder had some taken for herself. Okay, maybe a lot for herself. It couldn't be helped. What if there was too much leftovers by the end? Jaune prepared some primarily for the kids, yet made sure everyone had something for themselves as well. And Cinder couldn't very well deny such a kind gesture now could she?
No, obviously not. That would be rather rude. She was doing him a favor, really. Just another example of how superior she is.
"Take it easy, everyone! There's plenty to go around!" Jaune made sure to attempt calming the gatherings down, even though he couldn't help but laugh at how eager everyone was to eat. He lightly patted ones head. "That being said, don't go eating too fast. No need to rush. As I said, I've prepared plenty."
"Okay!"
Cinder hummed as more gathered around Jaune, them having quickly taken up with him and Ruby. The latter having some around her as she sits down and eats alongside them, with Jaune offering more to her. Cinder's eyes halfway lowered at the sight.
Jaune and Ruby were rather in there element playing with the kids. Jaune was giving them lunches they enjoyed, and Ruby was playing with them as if she were one of them, carrying the smaller ones around. She even let some of them play with her crimson cape altogether, watching them run around as if they were some sort of superhero. The children were comfortable with them and having fun with the others.
Except for Cinder.
Which, to be honest, she wasn't entirely surprised by. After all, what child would want to be...near her?
She was slightly interrupted by something tugging and pulling on her tail. Getting irritated by this in the middle of eating, her temper flaring, she instinctively pulled it free as it whipped the face of whoever was tugging on it.
"Look, I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you don't cut that out I WILL-" As soon as Cinder turned around, her voice died in her throat.
There was a young girl wearing a red flower dress who was knocked on her rear, sporting a slight bruise on her cheek. She seemed surprised at what happened, or at least wasn't expecting something like this to happen so quickly before she could react.
Cinder sat there stunned that out of complete reflex, she tail whipped a little girl across the face. Annnnd cue the shocked and quickly growing hate from most of the caretakers who saw that little incident to down, and we're already on their way to grabbing the girl and getting her far away from Cinder.
'Her injuries don't look too bad. Still!'
'She could have killed her!'
'Why would they even bring someone like that along?'
It didn't take much for Cinder to figure out that whatever wary good graces she had with the caretakers just turned to ashes in a matter of seconds. She of course, had a rather eloquent, educated, and concise response to the consequences of her poor impulse control.
...Fuck.
"Why is she even with you all!?"
"Hey hey! Relax!" Jaune stepped in front of Cinder with his arms raised. Ruby also stepped in front, arms folded. "It wasn't intentional!"
"It was an accident!"
One of the caretakers took hold of the kids, still eying Cinder warily, who was gradually looking more guilt-ridden by the second. "Are you sure you've tamed this beast? If not, you should spare these children the danger and slay it already."
Cinder was slowly emitting smoke from her mouth.
"Now wait a minute-!" Jaune began to retort.
"Enough."
Blake placed a hand on one of the accusing caretaker's shoulder, much to her great shock as she jumped back frightfully. Blake soon turned her eyes towards Cinder, coolly taking note of the incident and how it would quickly escalate without intervention.
"Cinder is remorseful. Her nerves are tensing up, her tail is lowered in submission, and the fire in her eyes has dulled." Blake quietly deduced. "She had no real desire to harm the kids. It was instinctual reflex that she hasn't quite trained herself to relax. Simply put, as the others say, it was an accident." She turned towards the woman who was badmouthing Cinder. "Of course she'll have to take responsibility for that. But saying such things like you just did is not only unnecessarily cruel, it's also unproductive."
"How do you think that?!"
"I'd like you to ponder your choices. Very carefully." Blake gestured to Cinder without taking her eyes off of the woman. "It is very unwise to actively agitate a stressed and cornered beast with no plans of subduing them, or not having the power to deal with the consequences. Because that is when they reach the pinnacle of their desperation to protect themselves. I don't think you want to be on the other end of that when you didn't have to be. Especially when the subject is a dragon of all creatures."
"Ngh, why are you defending her?!"
"I'm not defending her per se, I'm more warning you that what you're trying to do is not something someone would good self-preservation instincts does. You are not wrong to be angry. You are wrong to try start something you won't be able to finish, which will have deadly results. You've said your piece. Leave it at that."
The caretaker growled at Blake, as she calmly stared back at her. Unable to respond further, she clicked her tongue and turned away.
Jaune watched her leave, before he and Ruby turned to Cinder, who looked slightly shaken. "Listen, don't mind stuff like that, alright? You slipped up a little, it happens. And they weren't too terribly hurt."
Cinder took the moment to recover, before she shook her head. "It's...it's fine. I'm used to reactions like that."
"That has its own problems. You shouldn't have to be used to that." Jaune muttered firmly, which briefly surprised Cinder. "You don't deserve to be subjected to that simply because you made a mistake. What she said was completely uncalled for."
"Even so..."
Blake slowly turned to Cinder for a moment whilst she was feeling irritated about her lack of control. "...Your lack of control isn't from inability, but a state of mind."
"What do you mean?"
"If you really can't contain or control your more violent impulses as you are, then you should first begin channeling them into a more favorable route." Blake quietly suggests. "Our natural and intuitive ways of acting and thinking, our natural propensities and skills, and our innate behavioral patterns. These are our instincts."
"Instinct? What does that have to do with this?"
"A bit. Our drives, urges, needs, and desires. As well as our talents, gifts, abilities, and aptitudes. Each of these things lie within our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies. Channeling these instincts and having them work in tandem in order to achieve each of their desires together that a single one can't manage alone. This is a factor that separates the enlightened beasts from the wild beasts." Blake hummed calmly.
Cinder blinked towards Blake, pondering what she said as she based at her hands. "What sort of mindset is that?"
"Faunus Wisdom. The natural balance and collaboration of these various instincts within ourselves is what turns survivors into thrivers, and occasionally is a distinctive factor between the two. It's a philosophy that's especially meaningful to my people, and allows us to master our true beastial natures." Blake's tail calmly whipped about while she looked over the horizon. "It's essential for Faunus, as well as werebeasts like yourself and Ruby, to gain more proficiency over your own natures in order for them to coexist with your desires."
Ruby? A werebeast? What kind? Wait, I've occasionally see her with wolf ears and a wolf tail. Could she be...?
Cinder was slightly lost in her thoughts. Meanwhile, Blake blinked as her ears flicked several times. Ruby lifted her nose and sniffed the air as well, and both of them turned in the same direction, towards the entrance of Sumire Town. "Something is heading this way."
"And it's getting closer very quickly!" Ruby sensed as she turned to everyone else. "Everyone, get to the shelters just in case! Whatever's heading out way it isn't friendly!" Ruby instructed as many of the people and caretakers took to their shelters, with the latter scooping up the children in the midst of their hurrying. With everyone busy with that, Ruby turned towards the direction of the disturbance. "Blake, take the lead."
"Right." Blake took point, leaping forward over the barriers. Before she took off after her, Ruby turned to Cinder while patting her shoulder.
"Mind helping us out?"
Cinder blinked at this, seeing as how everyone was doing their part to make sure civilians were accounted for within their shelters. Some of the others were focused on reinforcing their defenses, while some set down technology which formed glowing blue barrier shields around their structures. Some even seemed to be preparing automated defenses via turrets in case things got too close.
By the time Ruby chose to dash into the direction of trouble, Cinder quickly found herself joining her.
On the outskirts of Sumire Town, someone was on their knees while holding their side from the wounds they've sustained from holding the line. One of the creatures in front of them raised its arm and nearly smashed them.
A blur of rose petals struck it right in the chest, and sent it spiraling into the ground. She landed roughly on her feet, but nonetheless was able to gain her bearings. Blake landed gracefully today n all fours, posture rather catlike and balanced. Cinder landed calmly on her own two feet, her wings flapping several times to slow her descent.
"It looks like we've happened upon a gang of beasts." Blake muttered while gauging all potential hostiles amidst the area. "And I can take only a single guess as to who the ringleader is." She turned towards a direction and slashed with Gambol Shroud. The slash tore through a hidden space amongst the hill, looping the top of it off.
It was then that two figures hopped into the fray, landing on their feet. Both of them glared quietly at Blake as they stood up straight. Blake stared back at them while sheathing her blade as her feline eyes locked into the twin fox Faunus.
"We should have figured that you'd be here."
"Blake Belladonna."
"Fans of yours?" Cinder muttered to Blake, who's focus was unbroken.
"Corsac and Fennec Albain. Faunus criminals and twin heads of the Beast Fang Guild. Gathers the most vicious and cruel of monsters and Faunus and uses them against others in order to claim territories." Blake noted as she slowly leaned forward, as if preparing to pounce.
"All I need to know." Cinder snarled.
They're enemies. Claiming territories? This territory was under her, and they believe they can just waltz up and try to take it from her? Not only that, but they were going to use lesser beasts than herself in order to try and do so? How dare they! That challenge couldn't be allowed to let slide easily. She was going to crush them. Utterly and ruthlessly, and she'll do so by demonstrating just how useless their 'resources' are against her.
Ruby blinked slightly, before growling and pointing towards the twin foxes. "You two again?! Don't you know when to knock it off?!"
"We have no words to share with an imposter who merely pretends at being a beast."
"Our cleansing of Sumire shall commence."
Ruby growled, and it was rather wolflike. "Oh no you don't."
It didn't take very long for Ruby to move, and for the following to occur as well.
The ever increasing fur on her body, the growth in her height and muscles, a slight bulking of her womanly form, and for her hands to become clawed, sharp fangs forming from her teeth, her feet shifting into hind legs. Her hair grew longer, more wild and untamed. A wisp of red roses swirled around her constantly, and a large and fluffy wolf tail further sprouted from behind her. Said tail whipped about wildly, with Ruby tensing her muscles as she prepared herself for battle.
She snarled as her eyes sharpened, before taking a deep breath as she reared her head back, then released a booming wolf howl. Said wolf howl was powerful enough to tear apart the ground and send many of the enemies in front of her flying further back away from the direction of Sumire.
Cinder watched her with a bit of surprise. Ruby was currently swelling with power. And after some brief reflection, she was able to gauge just what Ruby was in her current state, and how something suddenly made more sense to her. Both in part to her wolflike mannerisms and her status as the Guild Leader, thus the 'Alpha' of her group.
A werewolf.
"Blake. I'll leave those twin fox jerks to you. Cinder, you should deal with the monsters." Ruby suggested without taking her more animalistic silver eyes off her enemies. Her voice was somewhat deeper and more guttural, yet still somewhat cute.
The rose petals around her swirled around her paw, where she reached out and grabbed it with her paw-like hand. She pulled back, and swung with the scythe. The swing was forceful enough that the slash tore through a huge chunk of the area in front of her, chunks of earth being forced upwards. Most of those chunks fell down around her, and she dashed forth with a near feral-like pace. She snarled and avoided several projectiles up to energy orbs launched her way, slicing right through some of them with several swift swings of her scythe. Turning around, she noticed something else appearing on the fray, and could see robots holding glaive like weapons, and the bots themselves were currently brimming with a more malevolent magic.
She recognized an imprint of the Beast Fang's insignia on their chests; a beast's head being blood red, eyes opened, fangs bared, on red claw marks. Briefly shaking off the wonder of how they gained this technology and weaponry, Ruby dodges as one of them attempted to slash at her neck. The glaives were infused with flames, wisp like and bright, and they slightly managed to since her fur when they nearly cut her. Baring her fangs, she clenched one of her paws and pierced her claws straight through one of them, then smashing them into another.
Another attempted to slash down on her from above, sending a wave of energy towards her; Ruby nimbly dodges to the side as the slash rends deep into the ground enough to push the patch she was standing on upwards. Narrowing her eyes, she leaps upwards and swings her scythe right through the android, cutting it in twain. Immediately turning around, a gust of rose petals pushed her back down to the ground; with her paw outward, she rockets back down and smashes another robot into the ground, shattering it near-instantly. The ground around her trembled for several moments due to the sheer force behind the blow, and wisps of air left Ruby when she breathed. Another tried to sneak up on her, but she pounced on it and tore into it's chest with her jaws, then crushed it's head in between them. Swirls of wind surrounded her as she slowly stood back up, dropping robotic pieces off of her claws and jaws as she looked around for more enemies to tear apart.
"You guys brought some cool weapons on you, and even some cool robots, and you use them on people who just wanna live in peace?!" Ruby growled angrily as she slashed straight through another wave of robots in her way, with her claws and her scythe. "Why can't you jerks learn to use these things to help, not hurt?!"
Cinder, watching all this unfold, blinked owlishly. Ruby was displaying a lot more wolfish viciousness whilst in this werewolf form. At this point she was somewhat used to her looking and acting relatively harmless when not in combat, but now she knew better than that. And honestly, she approved. Such ruthlessness was needed in a ferocious creature like herself.
Though she has to focus, for the monsters headed in her direction. She sent a wave of fire towards their way while thinking over how to hold the line. She could see the assortment of trolls heading her way, and they were wielding magic, given the shards of ice they were attempting to launch towards her. Though as they tossed some her way, she could tell that they weren't too intelligent, given their feral way of moving an attacking, wildly and hoping something would hit. Sentient but not all too smart.
Their instincts were lacking. Meanwhile hers...
What did she Blake before? Channeling my instincts to put them in tandem...
Dominate. Devour. DESTROY.
Right. As a dragon, Cinder has these desires always pulsing powerfully in her subconscious. But if she channeled these instincts in a more productive direction, where would she take them?
Dominate all challenges that come at me and all foes that challenge me. Devour as much food as I like. Destroy all of my enemies that interfere with me and what's mine.
Cinder scoffed as she extended her hands, which shifted into draconic claws, her wings sprouting from her back, dragon eye pupils coming to form.
Good enough for now. Workshop later.
One of the trolls slammed their fists down onto the ground, and she noticed that a large wave of ice towards her that she was able to easily smash to bits with a fist, them blasts a wave of fire with her other hand, incinerating them. They fell to the ground for a moment, only to slowly rise as their burns began to heal gradually. She grit her fangs with irritation as their ice clubs attempted to slam down on her. Multiple ice pillars erupted from the ground towards her, which she slammed to broken melting pieces with a swipe of her flaming tail. She soon flee towards them and slammed her hands on top of their heads, and blasts an even more intense inferno of flames around their bodies. She kept this up persistently until they eventually ceased moving and were reduced to smoldering ashes.
"Your healing isn't efficient enough to recover from ashes, hm?" Cinder muttered. She then blinks as she turned around to see several more trolls attempting to storm past her, as well as several harpies. Narrowing her eyes, flames enveloped her and expanded. Before long, she roared as she emerged in her draconic form and flee after them.
Several monstrous harpies tried to make their way towards Sumire Town, swiping several waves of feathers it's way. Cinder blocked the waves of feathers with her wings, then burned them before they could get close. When some of them persisted, she only snarled further as she turned around and soared towards them. Some of them attempted to launch further airborne attacks on them with horrific screeches sounding out all the whole, but they were immediately silenced by the vicious snapping of jaws, and Cinder flying past with a flap of her wings.
Jaune and Oscar were taking point with defending Sumire's entrance, and held the line. Weiss and Penny were on top of the walls for support, though all of them seen what just happened as they kept the beasts in front of them at bay. Especially once she snapped up another group of harpies and incinerated a duo of trolls with a swipe of her paw.
"Is...is she really just...?" Weiss owlishly blinked.
"Guess she wasn't bluffing about that." Jaune smiled awkwardly as he kept his shield up.
"Well, at least we can kinda agree it's pretty helpful. The monsters look a lot more hesitant now." Oscar took notice of some of the creatures appearing more hesitant as the draconic Cinder rampaged amongst them. "I mean, if someone like Cinder is going to be on any side..."
"Lament your weakness, lesser beasts. Do you really believe that you could stand up and overcome a superior creature such as myself? Truly foolish. You serve better as target practice than foes." Cinder coldly growls. "Your instincts failed miserably if you thought it wise to challenge me on the territory that I've claimed. That failure of insight will gain you nothing of worth, except fiery death!"
"...we should be pretty grateful that it's ours, right?"
"I am! More targets up ahead!" Penny pointed forward as several swords, with some of them charging green beams that blast right through the monsters that laid ahead, and even overcame the icy beams of some of the trolls attempting to attack from afar. "Upholding defensive lines! Enemy repellment continuing!" She beamed as she pulled her hands back and charged another ball of energy, before launching it towards the horde, the blast scattering them about in different directions.
Across the field, Blake landed across from the Albain brothers, the dust around her picking up slightly. The brothers themselves landed with tired breaths of their own, while she wasn't appearing any worse for wear. Her ears flicked slightly at the sound of battle to her sides and behind her, Ruby's howling and slashing apart of the robots occupying the ground, and Cinder's roars being heard above her in the sky. With them taking care of different threats heading towards Sumire, Blake could focus on the ringleaders of the whole operation.
"It'd be wise if you two surrendered." Blake stood back up and held out Gambol Shroud as her hair waves about with the coming breeze. "Or you can settle for being cut down. I'm not adverse to either outcome. Though only after you provide me with the answers that I know you have."
"That will unfortunately not be happening. You have some nerve constantly standing in our way time and time again, Blake."
"You should learn that some paths are not worth pursuing."
"This one is."
Their impasse made known, the Albain Brothers glared at her as they gradually hunched slightly, with the fur of their fox ears and tails growing tremendously in size along with their bodies, beginning to take on a wilder appearance. The Aura around them pulsed with further power, and ethereal foxes began manifesting and appearing around them.
The same went for Blake, who's posture didn't change as her strength grew, with her feline ears and tail growing larger and wilder as well, her nails sharpening like claws. Her hair grew longer as well as more frizzled and wild, her Aura drastically strengthening as ethereal black felines with purple outlines began prancing around her, hissing at their opposition. Blake's eyes began to slightly glow as well, appearing even more catlike than they did before.
The trio of Faunus have adopted a more animalistic appearance, their bestial energy growing immensely. Blake held Gambol Shrouds blade in front of her, an aloof glare in her eyes. "I'm waiting."
With that, the twin foxes pounced towards Blake's who calmly anticipated their approach with quiet precision. They soon attempted to strike her and slash her with their claws, with her smoothly dodging each of them before kicking both of them away, upside their heads. She landed on her feet and dashed towards them, with them following suit. Wind surrounded Fennec and flames surrounded Corsac as they both attacked her simultaneously, lashing at her with their claws. She rose both her paws upwards and caught both of them by their wrists before they could reach her. The impact cracked the ground around them, wind and fire tearing it apart to a degree.
She briefly pulled both wrists down and had her tail lash at the both of them, slapping them both across the face with them, then slashing with Gambol Shroud. They barely managed to get out of the way, each gaining a cut across their chests for their trouble. Corsac skidded back across the ground and launched a speeding fireball towards black. She held her hand out as a large cat paw caught the ball, batting it around a bit with another, before tossing it towards Fennec. His eyes widened d as he had a dagger stab through the fireball, dispersing it is to a burst of embers; this left him open to Blake dashing towards him and kicking him right through a tree, him tumbling across the ground with pained grunts.
Eyes flicking to the side, she saw Corsac heading towards her with an array of smaller fireballs heading her way. A swift swipe of her tail knocked them all away, and then a slash from Gambol Shroud nearly cut him across the ankles. A pounce forward whilst he tried to recover, shadows infused into her fist as she struck true into his face, sending him skidding across the ground and crashing in a heap.
He grunted as he sent his ethereal foxes to attempt to try and obstruct her path, but she slashed right through all of them with swift and precise cuts from Gambol Shroud; a large ethereal feline paw rose over Blake as she slammed it down on him, which took a lot of air out of him from the harsh impact, shadowy fault lines pulsing around him menacingly.
Fennec grunted as he eventually pulls himself back to his feet again, before gathering a gust of wind in his hand and sending it Blake's way as a spiraling mini-cyclone. Blake turned around after hearing the gust heading her way, grabbed Corsac by the arm and tossed him into it, which sent him spiraling about and blasted away. Fennec's eyes widened as he immediately dispersed the gust. Blake slowly rose up behind him, appearing as a shadowy mass with glowing good eyes, with a shadowy paw raised. He turned around too late for her to strike him in his back, forcefully sending him of the ground and cratering it slightly from the impact, leaving him gasping for breath.
He used another gust of wind to recover quicker and swiftly bring himself back to his brothers side. Both of them glared at Blake as they held their hands out, and large ethereal fox heads appeared over their own with a howl, both of them launching much larger spheres of wind and flames towards her, mixing to form a destructive ball of wind and fire. Blake calmly gazed at it, as she pulled her hand back, a giant shadowy paw forming, and bats it right back at them with a heavy swipe. Both of their eyes glazed in disbelieving shock as the orb was pawed back towards them and exploding right before reaching them.
Blake lands gracefully on her feet, standing up with her tail lightly flicking, waiting for the smoke to disperse. Soon enough, it was clear enough for Fennec and Corsac to be seen, laid out on the ground, and slowly returning to normal. Both of them hissed and groaned at the numerous injuries decorating their bodies, while they still stared shocked at Blake, who had naught a scratch on her throughout the entire scuffle.
"Tch...this is absurd...how do you outclass us by this much...?!"
"You weren't...even trying..."
"That's because you're schemers and tricksters above all else, not warriors. Trickery tends to be within your specialty, but you also didn't want to be too far away when you can't influence things. And you can't trick someone who's onto them already." Blake slowly stalked towards them, a large ethereal feline appearing over her head and roaring at the two fox Faunus, her eyes glowing amongst the sheen of black and purple. "This was never a battle, but a hunt. Unfortunately for you, you're the prey."
Both brothers tsked at their rapidly deteriorating situation, as they could see their monsters being slaughtered by their enemies or outright devoured by the dragon ally that Blake somehow attained. Their scheme for this day ended up falling apart utterly quickly, that continuing was a lost cause that would lead of capture or death. That couldn't happen. Not today.
"...Another time, Blake." Both of them monotoned simultaneously as wind and flames began swirling around them.
"You're not getting away!" Blake hissed as she pounced towards them with a mighty leap, but it was too late. Once she made it to their spot, they had already vanished from the area, she could no longer sense of smell them nearby. She growled as she sheathed her blade, as her animal features slowly returned to normal, her ethereal glow dissipating and her Aura calming down. "Damn it..." She swore at her targets escaping her when she had them in her grasp, frustrated at it all. Though after taking a calming breath, she turned about face and quickly headed back to Sumire Town. The battle was dying down, and the well-being of the citizens was more immediately important. She'll allow them both to walk away for now.
Because it doesn't matter where they run or hide, she'll find them sooner or later. Nothing could escape her for too long, once she begins her relentless pursuit.
"It looks like everything's calmed down now." Ruby breathed as she slid a hand over her forehead, lifting up several boxes with her other hand before setting them down with a huff. "I'm really sorry, guys. I did intend for this to be more of an off day, but we kinda ended up working a bit more again. I would have planned around a monster attack if I thought it would happen today. Goodness."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Those guys chose to be jerks on our short break, you couldn't have anticipated that." Jaune reassured as he was also pushing things along while making sure everything was put in their proper places, as well as healing anyone who was injured during the attack. "Though I'm guessing Blake's not too happy that the Albain brothers got away?"
"Not even a little." Weiss muttered as she used some Glyphs to help the citizens properly move several things with enough placed momentum. "She's taking it well enough, but she's certainly tense enough that she'll be upset over it for a while. I can't bring myself to blame her."
"There's no need to worry, we'll eventually catch them. Though not today." Oscar noted as he and Penny worked to help repair some of the slightly damaged houses, with him accelerating the time slightly as Penny used several wires to be lifted up the debris and placing them back where they crumbled away, with the damage being rewound away with each placement. Oscar sighed as he was slightly out of wind from the effort, and slowly fell forward. He was about to try and catch himself, but Penny beat him to it by doing so for him after swooping to his level, holding him in her arms.
"Ooh, easy, Oscar! Exhausting yourself trying to help fix up the town and its defenses is no good! Let me help!" Penny informed with a slight bit of concern. Oscar smiled at her, though sad smile took a turn for the anxious due to how close she was to him, as well as the closeness of her sizable chest. Immediately, he stands up a bit straighter over brushing it off and quickly turning away.
"R-Right! Got it! Thanks!" Oscar muttered in quick succession. Penny smiled and cheerily patted him on the back in support.
In a bit of their own corner, Cinder was laying down slightly curled up, resting her head on the back of her paws. While Blake was sitting nearby on a crate, taking a break from helping Sumire recover from the shock of being attacked so suddenly. Cinder yawned slightly, a wisp of embers briefly escaping with the breathing out, before resting her head down again. Seeing Blake staring off into the distance, she had one eye open.
"You're angered that your quarry escaped your grasp." It wasn't a question.
"Those two are more slippery than you'd expect. But their windows grow shorter the closer I pursue them. Eventually I will find them and corner them, enough times as it takes until I've brought them down. I'll even accept piercing together the circumstances for their downfall, even if I don't land the crucial blow." Blake lightly clenched her fists as her tail whipped angrily. "Either way, this isn't over. I won't let it be."
"It seems that you hold intense grudge against those foxes. With that, I have little doubt that you'll be successful in taking them out once they've run out of chances to scurry away and hide in their dens." Cinder lowly growled. "You'll find them again. As many times it takes, until you've completely and utterly eliminated them."
"Of course." Blake agreed rather easily. "In any case, it seems you've gained a better understanding of your instincts. You'll be able to progress more smoothly due to this." She then heard a beeping of her Scroll, and pulled it up to answer an incoming call, immediately recognizing who it was, given the emblem being colored white and blue, having a white beast's head, eyes and mouth half-closed, inside a white ring on a blue background.
The White Fang.
"Blake? I've gotten word that Sumire has been attacked by the Beast Fang. You and your friends managed to drive them away?"
"We were able to, Lady Sienna." Blake responded, until she sighed while rubbing her forehead. "Unfortunately, I allowed the Albain brothers to escape my grasp. They'll surely be around to menace someone else again once the opportunity presents itself."
"That comes later, Blake. Much late, when preparation is better on your side. Right now, you concentrate on resting from the experience. It'll do you no good to pursue them while slowed down by exhaustion. That's one major way to eventually fall into their paws."
Blake winced, her ears flattening against her head. "You have a point there."
"Because I've been at this since you were a mewling kitten. You've managed to defeat them for today, consider that an adequate enough victory, and pick up where you left off, later." Sienna's tone on the other end soon softened. "Put your claws and fangs away for now, cub. You've showed them your teeth once again and were all the more victorious for it."
Blake sighed quietly; her mood softened by Sienna referring to her as cub. She slowly nodded. "Understood, Lady Sienna."
"Very good. You keep fighting the good fight with your friends. Right now? Rest well."
With that, the call ended, and Blake briefly stretched her arms outwards to destress herself a bit more, before she straightened up and rolled her arm. "Another day indeed. For now, I just have to rest."
With Blake deciding to put the incident behind her for now, Cinder briefly moved her head to find Ruby and Jaune heading their way. The former raised her hand quite high with a smile. "Heya, Cinder! You did really well today, protecting the town as you did! What a righteous rampage!"
"Tch." Cinder scoffed, closing her eyes. "There was no righteousness involved. A bunch of lesser beasts attempted to take over the territory that I currently occupied, and I tore them apart for trying. These people can't prepare food for me properly if they're too busy worrying about being attacked, so I assisted in dealing with the problem so that they're not distracted. That's all."
"My. Somebody's enjoying talking themselves up." Weiss huffed while pushing some hair way from her face.
"Mockery will not help you, Schnee. For I've defended this town in a far superior manner than you have, which makes me victorious. I've proven the better of the two of us on this day." Cinder held herself high with a proud huff and a smile. "Though if you're feeling up to it, I'm certainly not against you praising me. That would be pleasant sportsmanship on your part. I would not reject it."
"She's making Weiss look humble." Jaune deadpanned with a slight laugh. "Well, even if you might have done so for selfish reasons, that selfishness led to protecting the town and keeping the people safe. So, I can't really say that I'm all too against it. You did a really good job today."
Cinder gazed at Jaune for a moment, before she scoffed and looked away. "Pah. Of course, I did well. I'm the superior beast compared to those that attacked. In fact, my performance was so obviously superior to everyone else's, that I deserve to be rewarded for it." She peeked one eye open. "I would not be averse to you helping these people prepare another feast in my honor."
"Well, I guess that can be one way to relax, after an unexpected battle. I say we go for it!" Jaune pumped his fist with a nod.
Everyone decided to break in helping Sumire recover from the attacks, with the Red Riding Hoods gathering in a bit of a circle, with the draconic Cinder lying idly outside of it, gnawing rather eagerly on a large about of rich and sweet beef prepared for someone of her current size. Ruby was a few feet next to her, happily munching on the sweet and savory ham on her own, whilst in wolf form. Several children were gathered around the both of them, with some petting Ruby's head and others lying on Cinder's tail. Blake was sitting in-between them, helping herself to tuna, meaty and salty as she currently liked them. Her tail lavishly swiped about as some kids tried playing with it, which she didn't mind too much. After such an intense day, the peacefulness was appreciated.
Cinder blinked, stopping from eating as she noticed one of the kids, which was the one she accidentally hurt earlier, given the bandages on her cheek. She noticed she was holding up a plate of lamb mutton for her. Cinder tilted her head. "Wait a minute. Is...is this for me?" Said girl nodded softly. "Really? Even after I hurt you? And you know how viciously ruthlessly I fought my enemies, right?"
"I wouldn't underestimate the understanding and instincts of children, Cinder. Some say that they're too innocent and bright eyed to understand some things." Blake called out for her. "But more often than not, they know quite a bit more than you expect them to. You just have to acknowledge them out, occasionally. And it she knows that you didn't mean to harm her. And your vicious fighting was at her towns defense."
Cinder turned back to the girl I'm front of her, careful not to move her tail too quickly as some kids were sitting on it still. With a huff, she leaned down and took up about all of the lamb at once with her larger jaws. The rich taste of roasted lamb, succulent and tender. With a soft growl of approval, she looked back towards the girl and nodded softly.
"It suffices." Cinder admitted. The girl smiled as she reached to hug the dragon's snout. Cinder was again surprised by her forwardness with her affection, though did not reject it. She supposed she deserved it after hurting the girl earlier. She sighed and simply laid down, with the children playing around her, their fear of her drastically reduced after seeing her fight for them from afar.
"Just a few more of us to go, and we're set." Ruby breathed with a sigh, with the day that they had she was well due for giving her guild a proper day off. She intended on enjoying the rest of the day peacefully with her friends. She soon turns towards Blake with a smile. "I'm happy you're finally with us, Blake."
Blake calmly returns the smile, slightly more catlike, as her ears flicked, and her tail swished affectionately. "Nn. I'm all prepped and ready to get to work when you are, Ruby."
Few Fun Facts about this chapter:
1) I initially was gonna completely leave out the White Fang for several reasons and others. But after some pondering, I found it to be a more acceptable option to leave them in, and to do something different through them. They as an organization only get a mention for now to hint at several things, but this won't be the last we hear of them. Or the Beast Fang, for that matter.
2) I've spoken with my beta several times about how to differentiate the powers between Werebeasts(Ruby and Cinder), and Faunus(Blake and the Albain Brothers). We broke it down like so:
Werebeasts like Ruby can shift from a normal human, being able to morph different wolf-like traits and parts, to appearing more beastlike mythical werewolf, to being a wolf completely. Same goes for Cinder with her dragon forms. One notable difference is that the former started out human while the latter didn't.
Faunus like Blake have more than one normal animal trait in this world, but they can't become completely human or animal like werebeasts. However, they DO have bestial-appearing transformations that greatly boosts their abilities across the board, and they're able to efficiently harness their inner bestial energy whilst allowing their true bestial selves to emerge. This is their 'Fauna' Mode.
While Werebeasts in this world might range from normal animals to powerful ancient or mythical beasts that come with their own abilities and strengths, Faunus are stuck with more normal animal traits but have their own 'Super' Mode that channels their inner bestial essence and exponentially increases their abilities and strengths, be they physical, Aura, or Magic-based.
That about sums it up! Pretty easy to understand, if I explained it well enough.
Anyway, another Red Riding Hooder is here, and it's Blake Belladonna! Who's going to appear next? How's it gonna go down? Will Cinder improve at not self-destructing during social interactions?
The last one, for the time being, is highly unlikely. Which will make it all the more fun to occasionally play it for laughs.
Hope y'all enjoyed, until next time!