Hello everyone, yet again I am not dead nor have I forgotten my enjoyment of writing. Life just gets busy but I do my best to make progress.

Before it even gets asked no I am not abandoning or forgetting about "One Man Band". I still working on the chapters and am preparing them. In order to not get burnt out though I do need to stretch my brain a bit on other ideas.

This idea in particular has been scratching at my brain for months and I needed to start telling it or else I was gonna go crazy. I have no idea if it will even appeal to my readers or any new readers either but when you get the urge to write you gotta pick up that pen.

So for now my friends let's get into it.

All Characters and content belong to their respective owners and companies. I do not own RWBY or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: Bloody Evolution

Being born talented, now that was something all wished for themselves when it came to pursuing their dreams. To be able to do something so naturally that it felt like breathing was something that many in the world could say they had a knack for and yet. Jaune Arc was not one of those people, in fact, he was almost the opposite of being born talented.

While others might have a strong family history or even circumstances that brought out their dormant qualities and let them shine Jaune never had any of this. Jaune had a caring family and a simple upbringing but that was just it. Nothing about his story was interesting or allowed him the power to forge his own path. So when he got his hands on fake transcripts and somehow got lucky enough to get accepted into Beacon well he had to wonder if his luck was turning around for the better.

However, it only took that one moment in the forest with new friends, the bullying of Cardin, and the overall looks he got from others that remind him. He wasn't special and even for all that he worked on and strived and trained there was a very large gap between him and the true hunters around him. He still worked hard and wore his smile, trying his best to be a team leader and the type of person he felt like he could become but as the weeks went by and every test and exam he faced he was presented more and more with just simple average marks.

Jaune was able to acquire good enough scores that it kept his team in decent standing and thankfully kept them from being a laughing stock and yet he knew he was holding them back. The anger he felt inside over his own shortcomings would only build more and more. Eventually, though, fate has its way of coiling around certain people, and for better or worse once it had them in a stranglehold all they could do was gasp for air.

Outer Areas of Beacons Forest.

Jaune jogged along as he felt the sweat pouring down his face. Pyrrha's recent training regiment had him working on his stamina and overall endurance. It was a slow process but the more he did it the more he began to feel like he could fight for just a little longer. It was a proof of progress and really the only one Jaune could really measure. No matter the weights and the workouts Jaune could only stay in his lanky and fit form. He was muscled like Cardin and even Yang proved her strength every time she fought.

Every single time he watched his classmates fight they seemed to specialize in something and yet Jaune continued to go out with his sword and shield and simply hope for the best. He held that hope and never let it go but even now this deep into the semester he was running out of options and as he ran his worries carried him without really paying attention.

It wasn't until he had to stop and lean against a tree that he began to look around. His gasping form and heaving chest twisting as he looked around confused not really knowing where he was. His brow knitted together as he began to gulp down air and scratch his head.

"Good going Jaune...you did the one thing Pyrrha always told you not to do and that was run without really paying attention...ugh it is gonna take me forever to find my way..."

Before Jaune could even finish his words his voice was cut short as the sound of sticks cracking and the familiar sound of growls and snarls filled his ears making him quickly dive into the bushes as he crawled on his belly close enough to peak through the leaves.

Without missing a beat a large black and clawed paw slammed down in front of the bush as smells of sniffing filled the air. From Jaune's point of view, he was quietly bearing witness to an Alpha beowolf.

Jaune could feel his blood running cold as he watched the Grimm before him roaming around the area. Here he was without his weapons or armor too making him grit his teeth as he gulped a bit at the sight of the creature.

As if on cue a few normal beowolfs emerged from the trees all sniffing and following after their leader making Jaune all but start sweating even more than when he was running.

"Arc you are so screwed...damn it and I left my scroll in my locker when I changed..", Jaune thought as he tried to sit as still as possible while he watched the pack literally inches from him roam and sniff.

"Okay...okay...just stay calm and let them pass and you'll be just fine...yeah I'll be just...fine...", He thought before hearing a really close snapping sound and feeling a presence right over him as Jaune all but felt his heart thudding out of his chest.

There was a moment of silence before as if out of instinct Jaune pulled himself up and leapt forward as sharp claws raked through the bush filling the air with sounds of broken twigs and flying dirt Jaune rolled for a moment before popping up as he saw one of the beowolfs had gotten behind him. He really didn't know how many of these things were in a pack and yet as he watched its red eyes focus on him he began to see the others now seeing him as they growled and dragged their claws along the bark of a tree.

It was a tense silence for perhaps only a few seconds before out of learned behavior Jaune turned hard on his heel as he sped off into the forest hearing a howl and many loud thuds as the pack set in for their prey. Jaune didn't dare look back as he didn't want to have a heart attack and make it easier for the Grimm to get a hold of him.

He leaped over roots and dodged trees as he was now thankful more than ever for this training from Pyrrha he was definitely using it as he ran harder than he ever had in his life.

The sounds of broken branches and clawed earth filled the air as the pack began to close in on the young hunter. Their natural speed and strength were far beyond his own as he began to feel them getting closer. He gulped desperately trying to find a way out but there was nothing as he soon felt the world slow down for a second as he broke out of the tree line into a more open space in the forest. The sun shone down through the trees as best it could seeming to shine over a portion of the ground that was sparse with grass.

Before Jaune could even think on it his world was slammed to the ground as he felt a weight hard at his back making his feet leave the ground as he sailed through the air for a moment before stopping just over the patch of ground with no grass. Jaune could feel the claw marks down his back having caught him when he was really versed in the use of his aura just yet. The pain was intense but that energy that protected kept the flesh tact and for that, he was thankful he didn't know how many more hits he had in him as he immediately turned on his back as a beowolf leaped at him claws primed and teeth as it was about to fall right onto Jaune and rip him apart.

However, fate was watching or perhaps it was bored in what came next as the moment the extra weight added on top of Jaune both him and the beowulf broke through the different patch of ground. What was thought to be just grassless dirt was old and crumbled stone Jaune watched as the Grimm above him lost its balance just like him as he watched the light of day soon begin to fade and Jaune felt himself swallowed by the darkness.

There was no telling how much time had passed before Jaune opened his eyes and was met with darkness and the faint rays of light that were able to reach all the way down from the hole above. Jaune took a moment to feel out his body not feeling anything broken as he slowly began to move and pick himself up. His head was throbbing and he felt the sticky old air of this place against his skin. He contained a grown and any sounds of pain remembering what had fallen down here with him.

He took a few breaths thankful he was still alive but scared still of what could happen as he tried to stick close to the light that was filling some of this place. From what he could see it was almost like a chamber with thoughtfully carved walls and actual steps. The light that stretched as far as it could let Jaune just barely see pieces of the wall and what was on them. From where he was he could see what looked like drawings of two beings. One composed of lighter etchings and the other of pure black.

Jaune felt nervous just looking at them as he looked around and behind each drawing of these two were different things seeming to come from them.

From the being of light, Jaune saw what looked like just people and the different things they had created from villages to swords and even what looked like dust crystals.

When Jaune looked at the other drawing his heart felt like sinking further into his stomach as he saw familiar shapes. Creatures of large black sizes, long sharp points along their bodies with something like out of a bad dream.

"Grimm...", Jaune whispered as he saw what looked like armies behind the dark drawing.

Jaune didn't know what he was looking at, was this a place the school knew about? No, he could figure out this place was older and hadn't been touched in a very long time perhaps longer than he could really imagine as he turned and took the rest of the room before seeing something that brought a new level of fear to his mind.

The room itself looks almost like a viewing area as the center area where the light shined straight down with the steps now looks more like a seat for watchers to see something happen. Jaune had fallen onto a type of path that was carved out and though his attention was set to the main center of the room when turned around he was presented with a large flat wall with a larger scale drawing of the dark image man.

However, instead of some vast mural two large drawn and carved hands make up the majority of the walks as they seem to converge and look as though they are holding something. This type of position was akin to someone offering something in a giving manner and yet as Jaune looked at it he felt chills up his spine as he was being offered a dark gift.

Jaune could hear shuffling as he looked back seeing some of the rubble from the broken opening. It began to move as he saw the familiar form of the beowolf having been trapped but now ready to be freed and finish the job with its prey.

Jaune quickly looked at the wall as his breath quickened not having seen any exits or anything so far and as the shuffling and stones began to shift off the Grimm he knew he was running out of options as he began to move away from the Grimm and closer to the wall hoping for some kind of door as he doubted the only way in was the ceiling.

Soon he was right up against the wall feeling around as he tried to see if there was a door handle. The light didn't reach this far and he was fumbling against the darkness as he heard the growls and snarls getting closer knowing the Grimm was surely free by now. He looked back seeing it shove off the last of the rocks as it looked around the room before seeing its prey and letting out a loud roar as Jaune freaked out tapping at the wall before finally feeling something grab-able. What Jaune hadn't been seeing was that his movements had slowly started centering him into the image of the dark hands and what they held.

He felt around the object he had touched feeling the uneven lines and sharp edges as he pulled on it only to break it free from the wall. The action made him stumble back as he stood in the low light enough to see what he had grabbed.

In the low light, it looked like a dark obsidian stone, it was not cut beautifully or even composed in any manner that would make it look as though it was made for beauty or riches. The only notable thing about it was the jagged point it held almost like that of an awkward dagger as Jaune felt like his last drop of hope had gone dry.

Jaune had no weapons or armor and he was without a way to even talk to his friends or family. Jaune took a shaky breath as he tightened his grip on the stone feeling like he was finally all out of luck. He had been unable to prove to others and even himself he was special or talented in any way that would allow him to feel like he could go far and now here he was going to die in a hole...but...not without a fight.

Jaune gathered his courage as he turned hearing the beowolf running now he held the stone tightly and held it with the jagged edge down getting ready to at least deal some damage before he was dinner.

The two locked onto each other as the beowolf dug its claws into the stone walkway and pounced at Jaune at the same time Jaune himself ran forward raising the stone as he held a gaze of conviction as he ran to meet his enemy. Jaune's heart hammered in his chest as he jumped trying to meet the Grimm in the air only to feel its full weight crash down onto him. The resulting blow sent Jaune to the ground as he felt the strong arms of the beast slamming him so hard into the stone it cracked. The blow was hard enough to make his aura ripple and for a moment it dropped due to the inexperience of Jaune not knowing how to maintain it.

Through the awkward hit and the circumstances of the situation, the very stone that Jaune had planned to use on the Grimm had instead been stuck straight into his gut as he let out a cry of pain. His aura immediately rushed to try and cover his body again but seemed to trap around the stone as the grim began slamming its fist down on Jaune hammering away at him as he felt his body getting riddled with pain.

The pain even with aura was immense and the beast did not let up as it attacked Jaune's face and chest using its claws to slice through the fabric of his clothing at one point it clawed into his stomach and instead clawed at the stone making it shatter at that moment as the hole it had created in Jaune's stomach soon became an entryway as pieces of the stone fell into the jagged wound and oddly enough the rest seemed to force its way into his body.

Jaune could only scream from all the different types of pain that were hitting him like waves of pure hell. Was this karma for faking his way into Beacon? Was this what he deserved for lying and taking someone else's spot that was probably way more qualified?

All of these things rushed through his mind as he began to feel tears streaming down his cheeks as he raised his arms feeling the claws from the Beowolf tearing into him.

Despite all of this pain though it was the pain in his stomach that took the cake over everything else. It started with a pulling sensation and then a strong tearing sensation almost like it was burrowing into his very veins. This almost made Jaune forget he was getting torn to shreds as his screams of pain seemed to fade as the pain worked up his body and right into his very mind he felt the pain behind his eyes now as he could only think of one last night before he knew he was going to die.

"Please...I...I don't want to die...I...I want...", Jaune thought before something else seemed to shroud his mind and speak against his thoughts.

"No...Survive...Kill...CONSUME!"

The moment that thought burst into Jaune's mind his hands moved on their own as they grabbed at the arms of the beowolf. The strength it possessed stopped like it was nothing as the creature snarled and looked down at its prey covered in blood and tears. Its eyes narrowed as it watched the wounds it dealt quickly begin to stitch themselves together and as it snapped with its teeth close to Jaune's face it soon felt its arms starting to crack before all at once in a split second its forearms were crushed and broken causing it to let out a howl of pain. It soon began to try and pull back and free itself but it could not.

It was the prey now.

Jaune couldn't tell what happened as he turned the tables and ripped the Grimm to the side it now lay on its back pinned to the stone just like Jaune was but as it looked up like a scared animal it saw the same red glow of Grimm's eyes staring at it from its prey.

Jaune quickly felt his instincts seeming to tell him what to do as he let go of the beowolf's arms and slammed his fist down hard into its chest cracking some of the bone plate as the creature spit up black blood. Jaune began hammering away slamming and punching the face of the beast roaring in anger he didn't stop not even feeling the skin on his hands ripping from the attacks as he pulled back so hard it felt like his arm would come out of its socket before guiding it right into the chest of the beowulf.

The world felt like it was slow again as black blood splattered all over Jaune and he his arm caved in past the bone plating and the thick muscle and skin of the beowolf. There was so much rage right now and so much wanting to survive that Jaune couldn't tell what was happening. It wasn't until he went to pull his arm back that he was shocked back to reality.

Thick black tendrils snaked out of his skin as they pierced deep into the Grimm it roared in even more pain now. What little life it still had forced it to watch as this smaller being not only took it down but was doing even more as Jaune grabbed his own arm and began pulling now feeling fear replace the rage.

"W..What is happening..S..Stop!", Jaune screamed as he felt something different in that moment almost like his arm was...drinking in something.

"I SAID STOP!", Jaune yelled before ripping himself free from the beowolf he fell back and rolled a bit before stopping in the spotlight of sunlight from the hole above. Jaune watched in horror as the black tendrils retreated back into his arm he stumbled a bit breathing hard and heavily as he began to freak out.

"What..what is this what's happening to me!?", he yelled turning around and thrashing as he pushed and pulled at his own arm as if trying to rip something out. At that moment he felt a sharp beat in his heart causing him to stop almost like a sudden shiver as his body seemed different in that moment as he clenched his hands tightly feeling like his entire body was changing in that moment.

He watched his veins turn black for a moment as whatever he took from the beowolf snaked up his arms before fading as he stopped thrashing he felt whatever pain and odd feelings soon stop as he took a moment taking shaking breaths as the silence began to set in.

What had just happened? Why wasn't he dead? What was going on with his body?

So many questions ran through his head as he tried to calm down but he was soon set in more stress as he began to hear claws digging into stone.

The beowolf even battered and broken was trying to crawl to Jaune now still intending to kill him. Whatever rage Jaune felt wasn't rising to the surface as he felt his fear starting to set in. He had overpowered it somehow but what was he supposed to do beat it to death barehanded?

"Come on Arc think maybe another rock or...", Jaune said trying to find something to use before he heard those thoughts again.

"No rocks...no hands...claws..."

Jaune felt his entire body tingle after these words invaded his mind and as he felt this he felt shifting in his arms as he looked down drawing in on himself a bit as his skin began to darken and the muscles within his forearms began to swell and tighten as he clenched his teeth before plates of bone erupted from the pitch black skin below his elbows. His fingers stretched as he felt the sharp cut of clean white claws shoot from his fingertips he soon felt the shift stop as he pushed out feeling the raw power in his arms and hands as he looked to the Grimm who hadn't even flinched over sight but seemed almost confused as if it was unsure of what it was looking at now.

That instinct that had invaded Jaune's body from before soon pressed into him again as he gritted his teeth and soon kicked off as his eyes glowed red once again. Memories of how the beowolf had pounced at him invaded his mind and almost like it was second nature Jaune performed the same action as he pounced with strength and precision soon tackling the beowolf into the ground as he raised his arms and began slashing as he roared and carved into the Grimm below him. Eventually, the creature ceased moving and at the same time, it was not even flinching as Jaune almost ripped it cleanly to shreds before the body began to break down into black dust.

Before it completely disappeared the same black tendrils shot out of Jaune's arms as they pierced the body and drank even more soon there was nothing but dust.

Jaune stumbled back breathing heavily as he blinked a few times before his blue eyes returned to him as he saw the fading dust of the Grimm. Jaune swallowed heavily before feeling a slight stinging as he looked at his arms watching the claws sink back into his skin as well as the bone plating. The dark skin faded back to its normal color and he soon was just looking at his normal arms again.

Jaune couldn't fully comprehend all that had just happened as he felt the pain in his veins again seeing the black liquid surging through them before disappearing as he shrank in on himself clutching at his heart for a moment before the pain went away.

Jaune shook his head not being able to accept all that had just happened as well as what he just did to the Grimm. The savagery, the bloodlust, the way he carved into its body.

These thoughts assaulted him over and over again until he couldn't take it and bent over emptying the contents of his stomach all over the stone floor as he stood there for a few seconds after doing the deed. He waited, waited to wake up from this nightmare and see his team all still asleep back in their dorm.

But he didn't wake up, this was all real and as he began to collect himself he soon looked up seeing the rest of the pack all looking down over the hole. They weren't coming in and Jaune could only stare at them. What filled him with dread was the alpha of the pack merely standing above the rest looking down at Jaune as if it was actually taking in his image.

It let out a growl and snarl before turning as the rest of the pack soon followed leaving Jaune truly all alone in his hole he put his hands to his face and felt the sweat and blood from the Grimm still clinging to his skin.

"What...what is this...what am I...", Jaune said filled with fear and grief as he soon felt the dark words invade his mind almost answering his worries.

"You are more than you were...We are more than you could have ever been alone...".

And that is chapter one, like I said this story was digging into me for a while and I wanted to take it to paper and get it out there. I am invested in making it longer and already have the story planned in my head. Overall I like the concept and it is a nice break from the other story as well. Hope you all enjoyed it, keep a look out for more to come.

For now, Stay Wild -Bardic