World of Remnant:

Wild Hunt

(The screen was pitch black before a flag was shown. It was blood red with the image of a sword stabbing into the chest of a gorilla shown in the center)

The Wild Hunt.

Now, if there was ever a group that the world would be much safer from if they all disappeared, it would be them.

I do not make this claim lightly as these people harbor the very worst traits of humanity: greed, apathy, bloodlust and willingness to commit murder to people they see as beneath them.

Specifically, the Faunus.

(The flag was burned away, showing a field with people, all of them having an animal trait that identified them as Faunus, running and scream as they were being chased by people holding rifles and swords, the sound of guns shooting, and screams being heard in the background)

Despite the Grimm being mankind's most dangerous enemy, these people all came together to simply hunt a people they believe are not human and thus are lower than them, their feelings and desires amounting to nothing in the eyes of these so-called hunters.

It all started with a man named William Cecil Clayton.

(A tall muscular man is shown, pale yellow and holding a broadsword.)

Born from a high class family in Vale, Clayton initially appeared as the very definition of a gentleman, chivalrous and polite, albeit with a delicate temper and an intolerance for shenanigans during any form of business endeavor.

(Clayton is then shown studying at a desk, an image of him practicing with a sword appearing next to that, and thirdly was shown an image of him at a high-class party)

Having received a classical education while growing up, Clayton was on a path to seemingly living a wealthy and content life but there was something in him that yearned for more than that.

(Clayton was then shown in a forest, being stalked by Grimm as red eyes appeared in the shadows all around him)

Clayton had developed a wish to become a Huntsman and while he could have studied and trained like a normal applicant, he took things a step further.

(Clayton held up a broadsword that than changed into a rifle)

And actively started hunting Grimm on his own.

(The camera pointed up to the night sky as the sound of roars and gunshots could be heard)

Though not registered at the time, Clayton took several dangerous missions and not only survived but completed them all. It was enough that he gained the attention of the headmaster of Beacon.

And no, it was not who you were thinking.

(A chuckle is heard from the narrator as a green colored man appeared but then he seemingly aged backwards to a boy.)

This was before the current headmaster's time when he was still just a student, having just enrolled at Beacon.

Clayton was accepted all the same.

(Clayton was then shown in a classroom at Beacon)

He was well-liked among his peers, appeared as the shining example of what a Huntsman from Vale is supposed to be like.

But we failed to realize that it was all a ruse.

For Clayton did not join Beacon Academy to become a Huntsman.

(The camera zoomed in Clayton as a sinister grin appeared on his face)

He joined to be a hunter.

Not a Huntsman who hunts Grimm and protects lives…

But more a game warden who hunted whatever he felt like, whether it was Grimm, animals or…

(A Faunus was shown holding her child, both of them scared as a rifle was pointed at them)

The closest thing in his eyes.

(There was a flash of blue light that knocked Clayton's rifle away as the trigged was pulled. The gun's firing lit up the screen as Clayton was knocked back. He looked surprised but then grinned.)

Clayton was caught and expelled from Beacon but not before he committed one crime that had reaching consequences.

(Three figures, one of them green and holding a cane were shown kneeling before a memorial wall)

Clayton fled Vale and into the wilderness and if there was any justice he wouldn't be heard from again.

If only so.

(Clayton was next shown, leading a large group of people, all of them holding rifles and pistols)

Clayton had traveled across Remnant, making contact with people who believed in Humans having the only rights on Remnant and believed the Faunus did not apply for any rights whatsoever.

Thus, the anti-Faunus group known as the Wild Hunt was born.

(The Wild Hunt group was shown attacking Faunus people, villages and travelers on the road next.)

The Wild Hunt quickly became a frightening phenomenon across Remnant as people would either join or support this group in its horrific endeavors.

The worst of all was capturing Faunus, men, women and even children and hunting them like wild animals.

(The Wild Hunt brought chained Faunus out of a carriage and released them into a forest, chasing after them and shooting, screams echoing as the image faded.)

In Clayton's eyes though, the human supremacists he had gathered were a means to an end. It did not matter to him what his subordinates felt about the Faunus, or how even what the Faunus felt from all this.

He was a hunter, he hunted solely for the thrill of it.

(Clayton was shown again, a maniacal grin directed at the camera as his figure was illuminated by fire)

He especially enjoyed the kind of prey that could fight back.

His group gained a lot of financial support from people who thought similar to the kind of demented minds he attracted, funding his group's activities, providing him with equipment and even giving him a list of places and people to exploit for his sick amusement and with that support, Clayton was able to bribe many people into looking the other way when it came to setting up his next hunt.

(Cargo holds were shown next, filled with scared people, all of them were Faunus.)

Those people supporting the Wild Hunt were the people who argued against Faunus rights in one way or another, some even connected to the very people who started the Faunus Rights Revolution when they tried to forcefully regulate all the Faunus to Menagerie. Anyone else were simply people blinded by prejudice or stood to gain a lot from the Wild Hunt's activities.

(Among the captured Faunus was a little girl with cat shaped ears on her head)

One way or another.

"They brought the shipment in, boss."

Clayton grinned at the news as he looked down at the docks, seeing the ship coming in. "Good. We have a special hunt today."

His men all snickered and laughed in agreement, all of them looking forward to the next hunt.

"It was one thing to kidnap all those White Fang protestors but to even capture the child of their leader." Clayton chuckled. "Good fortune on us tonight and even better, we caught a bunch of workers shipped over here from the Schnee Dust Company. Our men on the inside did us a great job."

"Those Schnees, actually believing those animal freaks are equal." One of the members spat at the ground. "Disgusting."

Clayton of course had no care for that.

Simply hunting whatever he wanted was enough to satisfy him. All of the people who had joined him and his group were just looking to satisfy some petty need for dominance.

But Clayton was above such things.

He hunted for the thrill, not for dominance.

He hunted for sport, to pit himself against the most dangerous prey he could find.

Human.

Grimm.

Faunus.

It didn't matter to him.

So as long as he could experience the thrill of the hunt he would play along with the pathetic prejudice of his so-called subordinates.

"Bring them to the hunting ground." Clayton said as the cargo containers were opened and the Faunus prisoners were forced out. "Remember, we give them a head start."

"Right boss."

Blake was trembling as she was forcefully brought out with the people that had been captured. She remembered taking part in a protest with her parents, before they were suddenly attacked…

"We are not animals!"

"We are not food!"

"We are not subs!"

"We are not slaves!"

"We are people!"

"We are not animals!"

"We are not food!"

"We are not subs!"

"We are not slaves!"

"We are people!"

She held up a sign, chanting with her family and fellow Faunus.

Then came explosions of gas, dispersing the crowd but no one realized it was not the police who had fired them.

The last thing she remembered seeing was a dark hand grabbing her.

"Kali! Blake!" Ghira, the leader of the White Fang called out, covering his eyes and coughing as he waved the tear gas away.

"Ghira!" His wife called out to him through the gas. "Where's Blake?!"

"Blake? Blake!" Ghira called out but there was no answer.

As the smoke cleared, Ghira realized that some of the people who were part of the protest were missing.

"Blake!" Kali cried out, a terrified look on her face. "BLAKE!"

She was trembling, realizing she had been kidnapped.

"Move it you animals!" One of the men said, shoving another Faunus, a red haired boy with bull honrs to the ground.

The boy in question had a scar over his right eye.

"Get up!"

The boy groaned, trying to get up while covering his scar with one hand. He managed to stand up and was shoved forward again.

"Move it!"

She could only keep her head down, hoping her parents or someone would come and save her. The Faunus were all brought to a pair of beaten down gates with a barbed wire fence and their leader stepped forward with a sick smile on his face.

"Welcome, welcome. I'm sure you all know why you are here, but I'll explain it anyways. I am William Cecil Clayton, and this is one of many hunting grounds for our dear club, the Wild Hunt." Clayton said grandly.

Many Faunus in the crowd whimpered, already knowing who Clayton was and what the Wild Hunt is, realizing they were all in mortal danger.

"Now, now, I assure that there's no need for fear." Clayton gestured with both hands in a calming gesture that belied his sinister smile. "That comes later."

The gates were opened by a pair of Clayton's men.

"You will be given an hour head start. Bear in mind, the jungle out there may provide some form of cover and protection, but we of course can't account for the Grimm possibly lurking in there." Clayton chuckled. "So, feel free to run and hide. And just so there isn't any hope of you trying to find help, there won't be any help. This place is on the far side Anima, too far away for anyone to come here from Mistral, even by mistake and even if somehow one of you managed to retain or find a Scroll, we are so far out that you couldn't help to find a signal."

Judging by the looks on their faces, they were realizing quickly that there was no escape.

Good.

He wanted them scared and desperate.

Makes the hunt more exciting when they realize they have no hope of escaping and will resort to anything to survive.

As long as possible that is.

No doubt, they would find survivors from his previous hunts still hiding in there, still holding onto the hope that someone might come rescue them.

"Now, inside and if you try to run away before you're in our hunting ground." Clayton gestured to the guards along the fence. "My men have free reign to shoot anyone who decides they're too good to play our game."

One of his men even cocked their shotgun to make the point, terrifying the poor Faunus even more.

"Now then," Clayton gestured to the gates. "In you go."

Bang-Bang!

One of the guards behind the Faunus shot their pistol in the air, scaring the Faunus that they ran through the gates screaming.

"Remember, you have an hour to hide." Clayton called after them as the gates closed once the last Faunus was through.

From the looks of it, today was looking to be a fun hunt.

"Well, this is a sight."

Qrow could barely recall the last time Ozpin had stepped out of the Beacon outside of Summer's funeral. And now, the Headmaster of Beacon was meeting him at an airfield with a ship ready for them.

"Glad you made it, Qrow." Ozpin greeted once Qrow arrived. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time."

"Hey, when I heard you actually tracked down a scum as big as Clayton, you know I want in." Qrow said, taking out his flask to take a sip from his drink. "So, he actually kidnapped the daughter of the White Fang's leader?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Ozpin answered with a solemn nod. "It was during a protest. They disorientated the crowd enough to sneak and grab several of the protestors with Ghira Belladona's daughter being one of them."

"Oh, great. Is Clayton trying to set off a race war or something?" Qrow groaned.

"I think Clayton is too self-centered to be concerned about such things." Ozpin said coldly.

Qrow blinked, noting the angry look on Ozpin's face. That was rare and discerning. Clayton must have done something really bad to anger Ozpin like this.

"So where is he?" Qrow quickly changed the subject.

"The Wild Hunt base is set up in a jungle on the opposite end of Lake Matsu from Mistral." Ozpin answered, regaining his stoic features, and gestured for Qrow to follow him onto the airship. "There are no villages out that far but there is a dense jungle. It's been suggested there's too many Grimm out there to build a village, but Clayton found a way around it."

He held out his Scroll and showed Qrow a map. "A mountain in the center of it?"

"High enough that most Grimm couldn't reach it." Ozpin stepped into the ship. "He uses the surrounding jungle as his hunting ground."

Right, his hunting ground.

As much as Qrow didn't like thinking about her, he wanted to believe even Raven would be disgusted by the Wild Hunt's practices.

It was then Qrow noticed two more people waiting for them inside the ship.

"Qrow, allow me to introduce the last two survivors of Team AEON." Ozpin gestured to the pair. "Edward Caspian."

The man in question looked to be somewhere in his late fifties or early sixties which was rare for a Huntsman, given occupational job hazard. He was slender and yet surprisingly fit with silver hair tied into a ponytail. A small buckler shield was attached to his right arm, likely his weapon.

"And Nine."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Just Nine?"

"That's all your getting, pal."

Nine had messy blond hair with streaks of white, light blue eyes and a scarred face. He wore a black jacket with gold-padded shoulders left unfastened, showing a black shirt underneath. He wore white trousers that slouched over his shoes. He wore a black belt with a red belt buckle, a red cape and sheathed on his back was a spear.

"They and our team leader were Team AEON during my time as a student at Beacon." Ozpin finished as he sat down, and the hatch closed.

Right, Team AEON.

The team Ozpin joined when he applied to Beacon not too long after he had reincarnated.

And his team leader…

"And I take it you guys know all about your team leader?" Qrow just threw it out there.

"Aqua." Edward sighed and looked out the window. "Yeah, we knew her."

"Knew her as a Huntress and what she really was." Nine brought his hands behind his head. "Can't say I haven't been looking forward to this."

"Nine, I understand your desire for retribution but don't take it too far." Ozpin cautioned.

"Come on, Oz. You can't say you haven't been looking to settle the score with that bastard either." Nine retorted. "Because of him, she's gone."

"We don't know for sure."

"Oh sure, we wait for you to die and when you pop up again, she will too." Nine rolled his eyes.

"Nine." Edward said sharply, throwing a harsh look at Nine who scoffed and looked away.

Qrow looked between the two, seeing both of them were upset when it came to their friend and leader, and he could understand that.

It was the same as how he and Tai had felt with Summer.

"So, you guys know about Oz too." Qrow observed.

"Of course, we know." Nine threw a look at Qrow. "We're his team."

"So why haven't I seen you around Beacon?" Qrow questioned.

"I got married, had a kid and had to move away." Edward answered honestly but there was a hint of sadness. "And I have a grandkid now."

Nine glanced at Edward. "Seriously?"

"Yep." Edward smiled softly. "August Caspian. Just over a year old now."

"Congratulations, Edward." Ozpin smiled. "I wish I had been told. I would have come and offered my congratulations to you long ago."

"It's fine, plus I know you couldn't step too far away from Beacon. I am sure just about everyone would have noticed you were gone, including her." Edward said, his tone becoming serious at the mention of 'her'.

Ozpin nodded in agreement as he leaned back in his seat. "Well, my absence will be noticeable but a chance to finally capture Clayton and put an end to the Wild Hunt is a priority I cannot push on to anyone else."

"Sure, capture him." Nine rolled his eyes.

"Nine…"

"I am serious, Oz. That guy would sooner feed himself to the Grimm than let us capture him…Not that he doesn't have it coming." Nine muttered darkly.

"Am I going to argue with you on this every step of the way?" Ozpin sighed.

"Considering he poisoned Aqua to death right under our noses, yeah you just might." Nine retorted.

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "He poisoned her?"

"Clayton had managed to sneak the poison of a rare arachnid Grimm into Beacon during his time as a student." Ozpin explained, closing his eyes. "He used it on Aqua…"

"How did he-"

"He slipped it into her drink when he was pretending to be charming and had us thinking he was just trying to ask her out." Nine snarled. "It's not like anyone could have anticipated that he would have the balls to try and kill a fellow Beacon student."

Qrow was silent as he considered all of this.

So, Clayton poisoned the leader of Team AEON when no one was looking. As much as he wanted to believe that was impossible, just about anyone could be taken down if a person is careful enough.

"We had to move her away in time when her body vanished in Oz's arms." Edward finished. "The worst part of it was that Clayton used that as the distraction to escape."

Ozpin took a deep breath and sighed. "She said something as she vanished…Wait for the other seven hearts to be born."

Qrow looked at Ozpin. "The other seven hearts."

"Supposedly, Aqua is linked to seven others in the same manner as she was linked to me, hence how she constantly disappeared and reappeared following my cycles of reincarnation." Ozpin explained. "Supposedly, her link to me was severed and because of that she cannot reappear, even when it is time for me to die and reincarnate again."

That was…new.

"Any idea who these other seven might be?" Qrow asked.

"If she did know, she did not tell us. Perhaps trying to protect them from becoming involved." Ozpin stated.

Seven others linked to the mysterious leader of Team AEON, also known as the Empress of Mistral, Wife of Nicholas Schnee and more famously known the fairy tales as the Silver Knight.

Seven others yet to be born…

Qrow had to ponder for a moment, briefly wondering if at the time, that among those seven yet to be born would be his own nieces before shaking his head.

What were the odds that his three nieces were connected to a legendary figure who had been around as long as Ozpin?

Besides, he wasn't sure he liked that idea.

Ruby would already have a target on her back for having Silver Eyes so somehow being connected with someone who was her greatest enemy besides Ozpin would be begging for extra trouble to come their way.

And besides, after Summer the last thing they needed was more heartbreak.

Qrow sighed and looked out the window, remembering that he had spent the past year looking into where Summer might have gone and had failed to find a single clue to where she had gone.

'Summer, I might be asking much but hold on until I'm done with this. I know you want me to help Oz out with this so I will, but you better believe I'm going to find you after this.'