I have a lot of fun writing this story, so even though it's a side story, it's getting uploaded more than other side projects. The next couple of chapters will really bring a lot of plot and insights into future events. Starting in Menagerie really lets me explore the world over being trapped in Beacon. I found out in my other stories, doing stuff outside the main plot line gives you so many new routes to take. It's fun to explore more unknown areas and fill in the gaps of the canon lines. I wonder if people will be able to guests the main changes in history I'm making and how it ties to actual canon material.

Special thanks to Cawme for Betaing.

If you enjoy my stories and feel like tossing a few bucks my way for expenses, please see my P a treon below.

P a treon . com (Slash) Darkbetrayer

Jaune had been through a lot the last couple of days. Got rejected from his dream school, crashed on a Bullhead due to a Grimm attack, nearly died, discovered a god, agreed to work for said god, traveled to find another god, and was now currently traveling to find a third one. A roller coaster of emotions in such a short amount of time. Most people would probably need a few days to calm down and, in a way, Jaune had that right now. It wasn't a short hop, skip, and a jump away from Vale. Riding on Bullheads the entire way filled Jaune with dread, as while his motion sickness was improving, enough time on them would cause him to throw up.

But he soon learned there was something worse.

Far, far worse.

"HUUUURGGEHH!"

The boy was leaning over the edge of a railing, puking his guts out into the sea. Yep, it turned out boats were a hundred times worse than airships. If he made it back to land alive, Jaune silently promised to never complain about traveling by air again. The rocking of the ship amplified the nausea exponentially. Worst of all, the trip by boat was going to be a couple of days from the mainland. This was the fifth time he threw up, with the first time on the desk itself, upsetting other travelers.

"Must you do this every time?" Yatagarasu asked, standing on the railing a couple of feet down from Jaune. Wings tucked tightly against its side in the salty air.

"It's not on… ugh… on purpose." Jaune glared at him. "And now you're talking to me?"

"Keep your voice down." Yatagarasu told him. "The other passengers have given you space, but if you shout, you'll draw attention. Try to avoid moving your lips too much."

Jaune glanced over his shoulder and verified that no one was nearby. The few people on deck kept a wide berth from him. By now, he was used to it. When he first bought a ticket on the ship to Menagerie, he got some weird looks from the ticket venders. It didn't occur to him until he got on the ship and saw that the vast majority of people were Faunus. In fact, the only humans were a couple of sailors and the Captain. All the passengers just stared at him with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and suspicion. Jaune was a human, traveling alone to Menagerie. The home of the Faunus.

That was bound to be suspicious to most people.

A single silver lining did show up during the trip. Because it was taking a while, Jaune had the chance to read up a bit about Menagerie and how it was formed. The Great War started over 80 years ago where the kingdoms of Remnant were at war. The Faunus were given Menagerie as a reward for their participation in helping the kingdoms, in conjunction with equal rights. However, the equal rights weren't quite equal and many humans wanted to keep the Faunus in Menagerie. This led to the Faunus Rights Rebellion where the Faunus remained victorious and were allowed to live in all kingdoms as equals. Menagerie just held a special place in many Faunus' hearts though.

Humans rarely went there except for trade purposes.

But Humans were allowed there so Jaune wasn't breaking any laws.

"I'm still mad at you for not telling me about the side effects of blessings." Jaune muttered, closing his eyes and trying to stop his empty stomach from churning.

When he had left Juniors, after enjoying some time with the twins, the boy had gone to a motel to sleep and wash up. Everything was normal until he stared into the mirror. Shirtless at the moment, he saw something on his chest that made him scream loud enough in surprise that the neighbors on either side of his room pounded on the walls to yell at him to shut up. His skin was no longer bare, minus a little hair, but there was a black marking in the shape of a moose head with antlers that covered most of his front..

Jaune still remembers the argument he had with Yatagarasu.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" The boy demanded, pointing to his chest. "Why do I have a tattoo?!"

"It's because you made a contract with a god when he gave you a blessing." Yatagarasu explained after flying into the room to see what Jaune was screaming about.

"You never told me this?" Jaune was finally able to lower his voice, eyes glancing back and forth between the mirror and the bird. "I look like a delinquent with this tattoo!"

"It is an honor for a human to be marked by a god." Yatagarasu reprimanded him. "Your ancestors would be begging to be in your position."

"Nowadays, people covered in tattoos are looked down on!" Jaune protested. "They are gang signs!"

"Gang signs?"

"Gangs are groups of people who work together to do bad things."

"Oh, like tribes of bandits?"

"Yes!"

"Don't worry. Those fake tattoos to intimidate are not the same as a blessing from a god."

"Other people don't know that!"

It had been impossible to get Yatagarasu to understand that even though blessings were a good thing, the obvious mark was not. Which was kind of weird as the god wanted them to keep a low profile and a big display would be kind of obvious. Though his shirt did hide the mark, if for some reason it tore, everyone would be able to see it. As far as Jaune could tell, there weren't any gangs that used that design, but he wasn't sure if it would be offensive to Menagerie culture. The boy was going to hide it as best as he could since he couldn't do anything to get rid of it. Even scrubbing his skin red with a sponge.

"You are someone chosen by the gods," Yatagarasu sighed. "It's not wise to complain."

"I didn't get a tattoo when I agreed to work with you." Jaune pointed out. "How come I don't have a bird tattoo or something?"

"I didn't give you a blessing," The bird explained simply. "We agreed to work with each other for a common goal. I am your guide, thus you did not need my blessing. Blessings are for those who us gods can not be with at all times but wish to protect."

"Can't you give me a blessing and stick around?" Jaune asked, but received no answer. Either there was a reason why the god couldn't, or that Yatagarasu didn't want to admit Jaune had a good idea. Before Jaune could push his advantage, his stomach churned and he leaned back over the edge of the ship to toss the little bit of food left in his stomach. "I can't wait until we reach land…"

He could feel the eyes on his back of other passengers staring at him with disgust.

"First time at sea, lad?" A jovial tone asked, before a large hand slapped him on the back. Turning around, Jaune came face to face with the captain, a large man with white hair and thick beard.

"Y-Yeah…"Jaune straightened up and tried to keep his stomach calm. "Please say we're almost there?"

"Only a couple hours." The captain assured him kindly. "Don't normally see a human traveling here. Visiting family?"

"No… it's more of a vacation?" Jaune made up, not sounding very convincing. The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously for a brief moment before disappearing.

"I can't say it's not a nice vacation spot, but do be careful not to cause trouble." The man warned. "A lot of Faunus here haven't been treated well by humans and if you do anything, they could take it the wrong way."

"I'm not planning to cause any trouble." Jaune shook his head, glancing around and seeing several Faunus adults whispering to each other as they looked at him.

"That's good." The captain put his hand on his shoulder. "Just make sure to set a good example. A larger tourist trade here could really help their economy."

"I just want to explore the landscape a bit." Jaune smiled weakly. "Though I might need a break from the beaches after this…"

"Sea Sickness strikes a lot of people hard. It's something you have to get used to."

"Yeah… I think I'll just avoid boats."

"Good luck with that, lad." The captain laughed loudly before turning around. "Oh, by the way. Really well trained bird you have there. Hasn't shat once on the deck."

"He's definitely smart." Jaune actually laughed a little himself, aware of Yatagarasu's eyes on him. A little compliment wouldn't hurt. "Just like me, he doesn't cause trouble."

"Glad to hear that." The man walked away and started up a conversation with other passengers, who seemed to warm up to him a lot more than they did with Jaune.

Finally, a couple painstakingly long hours later, the ship finally reached the docks of the largest settlement Kuo Kuana. Jaune was one of the first people to disembark and sighed in relief as he feet hit soil after so long. His eyes darted around at the large number of Faunus moving around the harbor and through the city. A few people were staring at him in surprise and Jaune was pretty sure it was equal parts of him being a human and having Yatagarasu on his shoulder.

"Where to?" Jaune asked his traveling companion.

"You decide." The god replied.

"Aren't you supposed to guide me?"

"Yes, but you know the first steps you should take by now, do you not?"

"Right…" Jaune paused and thought about each step. "Get a map of the area, find a place to stay for the night, and then figure out where exactly we're going so I know what supplies I need to get."

"You have been learning."

"You don't have to sound so surprised." The boy mumbled as he headed into town.

One would think it would be easy to get a map and find a place to stay, but to Jaune's surprise, that was not the case.

"Hello!" Jaune greeted, walking up to a stall that had maps on display. "I need one of those."

"Beat it." The man behind the counter told him.

"I just need…" Jaune tried to explain.

"Scram or I call the guards!"

Remembering the captain's recommendation of not to cause trouble, Jaune turned and left without an argument. The next stall was just as bad, with a woman ignoring him and helping anyone else who stopped to buy something. A large man with scales on his skin pushed Jaune to the ground and didn't even say sorry. Picking himself up and dusting off, Jaune continued on. There were a lot of stalls here and one of them would sell him a map. Probably.

"I would like to buy a map." Jaune said to the older woman with small greying bear ears on her head at the next stall. "Please."

"10 Lien." The woman told him stiffly, eyeing him wearily.

"The price says 5…"

"10 Lien."

Was it because he was a tourist and looked like an easy mark that he was being scammed? Or was it really because he was a human? Money wasn't an object for him, but there was the principle of it all. Sighing, he decided to pay, since no one else was selling him a map. The woman did follow through and give him a map. At this point, Jaune almost expected her to give him a used, stained one. Thanking her and staying polite, he turned and headed into town, unfolding the map.

"Wow, most of the island really is a desert." Jaune muttered. "Hmm, all the towns are on the coast." He slowly looked at Yatagarasu. "Please tell me the temple is on the coast." The last part was whispered under his breath since the bird was on his shoulder and no one else needed to hear.

Yatagarasu shook his head back and forth in a slight jerking motion.

"Of course it isn't. It's never that easy." Jaune grumbled a bit more under his breath and then wiped his brow. "It's so hot here so going through the desert is going to be even worse. I might need some help… besides you of course."

"Indeed." To Jaune's surprise. Yatagarasu agreed with him. "Extreme climates are not easily traversed, even with an experienced guide."

"So what should we do?"

"Find an inn and rest while we plan. If worse comes to worse, you can hire a local to assist you. Continue using the exploration and research lie you made up."

"It's not a complete lie." Jaune pointed out with a grin. "I am exploring and learning about gods."

"The best lies always have a grain of truth in them."

It wasn't hard to find a motel as one was right off the main street. The building was hardly anything extravagant compared to even the simple ones in Vale. Out here everything was built close together like any major downtown city, but none of the stores were like huge department stores. They were still rather compact and made out of wood like most of the buildings. Pushing open the door and walking inside, Jaune was greeted with a simple check in desk.

"Wel…come." The young female Faunus woman had a couple feathers in her long brown hair. She started off warm and welcoming, before she saw him and her smile fell off her face. Jaune was not an idiot, even if some social cues escaped him. The woman did not seem to want him there.

"I would like to rent a room." Jaune tried to sound confident again. He wasn't doing anything wrong after all and he had money.

"We're full." The woman said immediately.

"But the sign says-..." Jaune started to protest, pointing to the paper in the window.

"What part of 'We're full' don't you understand?" The woman told him. "You'll have to find somewhere else."

"Okay… where's the nearest hotel?" Jaune asked, looking for just a little bit of help.

"No idea, but not here."

"Wow, why are you so rude to me?" That last line from the receptionist couldn't be taken any other way.

"If you don't leave, I'm calling the guards." Her eyes narrowed at him and Jaune had no choice but to leave.

"Maybe they really hate humans." Jaune muttered to Yatagarasu, who decided to remain silent. "Thanks for cheering me up." Sarcasm oozed from the boy as he walked down the street and looked around. "Well, there's probably more."

The next place rejected him too with the same attitude.

"Seriously?" Jauen sighed as he sat on a bench. "I don't think there's any other places around. They don't have a large tourist population… and I can see why." The last part he grumbled.

Again, Yatagarasu remained silent, not even offering useless platitudes or optimism. Jaune really could use some positivity, even if it was false hope. The god seemed to just be satisfied with watching him struggle. It was times like these that his traveling companion really annoyed him. Yatagarasu really needed to learn how to hold a conversation. Sighing, Jaune leaned back and closed his eyes as he thought about what to do next. Maybe he could camp somewhere?

"Oh no!"

Jaune opened his eyes and looked up for the source of the noise.

A young female Faunus stood in front of them. Jaune instantly locked onto the large black cat ears on her head with gold piercings twitching in panic. The woman's hair was short and the same color. She wore a black hakama and sandals with white tabi socks. Over her outfit, the woman had a black shrug with a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve, gold-leaf trim adorning the opening on the front. Around her waist was a black and gold sash that trailed behind her, with a gold flower-shaped buckle at the end.

She was standing over a small cart that lost a wheel.

"Excuse me?" Not able to leave someone alone who needed assistance, Jaune stood up and walked over to her. "Do you need help?" Yatagarasu flapped off his shoulder and onto the cart.

"Yes, please!" The woman turned to him, completely grateful. "I knew I should have replaced this cart ages ago, but I've had it so long."

"Heh, my mom's the same way with some of her stuff." Jaune laughed and moved to the other side. "She's had a chair for years and even when it broke, would just have my dad and me fix it." He looked at the side of the wagon. "Looks like a bolt came out. The threads are shot. I can put it back in and it should help you get home, but it will need replacing or it will fall apart again."

"Thank you so much." The woman was eternally grateful. "My name's Kali Belladonna."

"Jaune Arc." Jaune replied as he put the bolt back in place. "There you go." He stood up and stretched. "Easy fix."

"You're so sweet…huh?" Kali blinked and looked shocked. "You're a human?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Jaune asked curiously.

"N-No, not at all." Kali shook her head quickly. "Sorry, I was just surprised. We normally don't see many humans here, not outside a few traders. Is that why you're here?"

"Actually, no." Jaune laughed. "I'm here for… well research purposes. I'm traveling Remnant and examining historical sites. My home's back in Vale."

"But you're so young." Kali pointed out, actually looking impressed.

"I'm almost 18." Jaune huffed indignantly.

"Hehe, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." The woman apologized quickly. "I meant it's impressive that you're able to travel all over the world. I might be biased because my daughter's the same age as you and she's still my little girl."

"I can't let you meet my mom," Jaune half joked. "You two would probably hit it off and share baby pictures." The woman laughed at his words, which he took as a good sign. "But you can't have a daughter my age, you're way too young."

"Aren't you a charmer?" Kali couldn't help smiling at him. "You're a sweet boy and I really hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Well… been having some problems finding a hotel." Jaune admitted sheepishly. "Anytime I try to rent a room, I get told to leave."

Instantly, the amused expression on Kali's face vanished and her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

Jaune told her about how he was having trouble getting a simple map from a vendor. Then when he finally found one willing to sell him one, they charged him double. The inns that had vacancy signs suddenly refused him entry. He tried to keep it purely factual, as he didn't have any proof they were discriminating against him because he was a human. Maybe a lot of people here were isolationists and didn't like tourists.

"...so now I'm looking for a place to stay for a couple days while I plan my trip out into the desert." Jaune finished.

"Hmm." Kali didn't seem convinced. "Jaune, would you like to come back to my place for a cup of tea? As thanks for your help with my cart."

"Umm, okay?" Jaune was actually really nervous. Was this older woman asking him to her house purely as thanks or something more? Logically, there was no way it could be something more… extreme. A teenage boy's imagination was something else though and he suddenly recalled a couple porn videos he's seen online where an older woman invites a young man to her house. And Kali was hot. Jaune could tell even under her loose clothing the woman was a stunner.

"Great!" Kali clapped her hands together excitedly. "I'm a firm believer that all good deeds should be rewarded." She reached for the cart but Jaune beat her to it.

"If you're treating me to some tea, let me pull the cart." Jaune offered. With Aura, along with his size, this was an easy task.

"I appreciate it, Jaune." Kali replied with a smile. "We don't have far to go. Sorry for the weight, I got a little overzealous in shopping today."

"It's no problem, really." Jaune assured her and that was completely true. It felt incredibly light with his newfound strength. Even without training and just Aura, he was so powerful. Yet a single Beowolf was more than he could handle. He really did need to find a teacher. Kali didn't look like a warrior, but appearances could be deceiving.

"What's his name?" Kali asked as she pointed to Yatagarasu when he landed on Jaune's shoulder. "He's so well behaved."

"Yatagarasu," Jaune replied. "He's my companion and a great help in locating things." Then he noticed Kali reaching over and stroking the bird's back lightly. "W-wai-..."

"It's always better to travel with someone." Kali commented as she continued. To Jaune's surprise, the god didn't seem upset at being touched by the woman. "Things can get lonely by yourself."

"Tell me about it," Jaune wanted to laugh, but he really couldn't. Instead, his eyes flickered around the road, looking for anything to change the subject. He noticed the road they were on was heading toward a large house on the hill. "I bet your house is the big one on the hill, right?"

"Hehe, it is." Kali laughed. "How did you know?"

"It is?" Jaune blinked and stared at her in disbelief. "Really?"

"My husband, Ghira, is the Chief of Menagerie."

Well, there went any delusional hope something more was going to happen to Jaune after the tea.

Once they arrived at the house and he helped unload the groceries, Jaune got a good look at the residence. It was a very large, multi level house with wooden siding and brown roof tiles. The house had a large forecourt in front that could be used for gatherings. Most of the walls throughout the house were made of wood of varying shades of brown, and in most rooms, the floor was also wood. It had high ceilings and large doors. A common decoration were marbled green pillars, portions of which were semi-transparent. There were also a lot of plants throughout the dwelling.

Jaune was currently sitting in the dining room, a large, circular room with only a small, low-sitting square table in the center. There were four mats for seats instead of chairs. The walls were a cream-colored plaster. The center of the floor was a marbled cream color, with a marbled white ring around it, and the outermost ring was a warm, dark brown. There were more marbled green pillars situated around the room on the floor's white ring. It was so minimal, yet also oddly decorative. Very different from his home where things were much more cluttered.

"Here you go dear." Kali sat down a silver tray with a tea pot and a couple of cups before taking her seat across the table from him. There was also a small plate of cookies. "I hope you enjoy it. I brought out a special blend that's only grown here in Menagerie."

"You really didn't have to do this." Jaune muttered, a little embarrassed at the hospitality from this kind woman. He still took a steaming cup and put in a spoon of sugar.

"It's my pleasure." Kali waved off his worries as she added a little milk to hers. "I enjoy having guests and you traveled so far from Vale. You deserve to sample some of what Menagerie has to offer. After your… less than hospitable welcome."

"Can I ask you about that?" Jaune asked seriously as Yatagarasu flew over to the end of the tray and picked up one of the cookies in his beak. The boy took a moment to sip the tea and the delicate taste was unlike anything he had before, even with his mom and sisters loving tea. "Before I came here, I did read a little bit about the history of Menagerie and… was I being treated this way because I'm a human?"

Kali didn't answer at first but then slowly set her tea cup down.

"I can't say for sure, but most likely… yes."

"Is it because of racism in other kingdoms?"

"Yes." Kali nodded her head. "Many of the people here just want to be left alone. They stay here because it's their home and they have no desire to deal with humans. Of course, that's impossible because of population growth. We get more and more trade with the other kingdoms. Even with our limited resources, we have an abundance of sea creatures to fish and tropical fruit that is considered a delicacy in other locations."

"I saw on the map that most of the island is desert." Jaune admitted, pulling out the one he bought and unfolding it on the table. "I can see why it might be hard to get enough food for everyone."

"That's another reason many Faunus are upset with humans." Kali looked at the map with a little sadness. "How much do you know of what happened after the Great War and the Faunus Rights Rebellion? I assume a bit since you're here for research purposes."

"I actually do." Jaune nodded, glad all the research he did ahead of time was paying off. He discussed what he knew about how Menagerie was given to the Faunus as thanks for their help. Then with some people wanting to force all Faunus to move there, the Faunus Rights Rebellion started.

"That's pretty much it." Kali confirmed as she sipped her tea. "It wasn't a popular decision for Faunus either. A lot of our ancestors considered it a slap in their face because as you said, most of Menagerie is a desert. The soil won't support crops once you get too far inland. This offer was a fraction of what our ancestors believed they were due after all the racism. There have been improvements in the other kingdoms with how we are treated, but there's still a lot of work to do. But when more Faunus move here and talk about how they were forced to come due to prejudice, it causes others to double down. It makes opening Menagerie up that much harder."

"So that's why most of the shops wanted nothing to do with me." Jaune mumbled, looking at his reflection in the cup. "Sorry for causing trouble."

"Hold on." Kali's voice rose slightly and she held up her hand. "Jaune, you did nothing wrong. In fact, you are a very kind and smart young man. The way you were treated was what's wrong. We can not eradicate racism if we perpetuate it ourselves. Even if they didn't like you being a human, they still should treat you the same as they would any Faunus they served. When Ghira hears about this…"

For a moment, Jaune felt something dark emit from her but it vanished a moment later.

"I don't want to get them in trouble either!" Jaune shook his head. "I'm sure they have their reasons…" Yatagarasu paused for a moment, before grabbing another cookie.

"Reasons or not, they are only making the conflict between human and Faunus worse." Kali told him. "They need to be aware they have to treat people equally. Just like how we expect the other kingdoms to treat us." Her gaze softened. "Don't worry, Jaune. There are a lot of Faunus here who won't care if you're a human. If you treat them with respect, they will give you the same back."

"I always try to do that." Jaune assured her and finished his tea. Before he could say anything else, they heard a door slam shut and a strong male voice echo through the house.

"Kali? Are you here?"

"In the dining room, dear!" Kali called back. "I'm with a guest!"

Jaune was instantly glad he didn't try to act on any of his delusions on the way here when he saw her husband enter.

Ghira was a tall, muscular Faunus with black hair, a thick beard and yellow eyes. For his top, he wore an open dark-violet coat with white fur trim, exposing a patch of black fur on his chest. Over his beige pants was a matching sash that wraps around his waist and is secured with a large, silver metal buckle. On the shoulder of his coat is a silver metal spaulder. The white toes of his black leather boots had a shape reminiscent of paws with claws at the tips. His physique was in general quite hairy, as what little can be seen of his bare arms and the backs of his wrists were covered in thick, black fur.

The man was kind of intimidating and Jaune gulped as Ghira stared at him.

"Who's this?" Ghira asked his wife.

"This is Jaune Arc," Kali introduced fondly. "He's a young man from Vale visiting Menagerie to do some scientific research. We met when my cart collapsed after I went shopping and he fixed it along with bringing it all the way back home. I was treating him to some tea as thanks."

"Huh, I see." Ghira looked surprised, his eyes scanning Jaune closely. The boy was sure he was thinking something obvious, but he decided to pretend not to notice.

"This is my husband, Ghira." Kali formally introduced the man to Jaune.

"Nice to meet you sir." Jaune tried to be extra respectful. Not only was he in the man's house, but Ghira was the Chief of Menagerie. Along with the fact the man looked like he could snap Jaune in half like a twig.

"Dear, before you sit down, I want to talk to you about something real quick." Kali spoke up and then turned to Jaune. "Sorry, this will only take a minute."

"Don't mind me." Jaune shook his head. "I'm more than comfortable here."

Kali smiled and stood up. Ghira frowned as she walked to him and put a hand on her shoulder. She had to reach up to touch it. When the man looked into his wife's eyes, his face seemed to show some confusion and then worry as the smaller woman led him out of the room. Jaune might have imagined it, but the air was growing colder until the door shut behind his hosts. Sighing, he turned to look at Yatagarasu.

"Well? Anything to say or are you just going to eat cookies all day?"

"It would be rude to refuse the offerings." The god answered.

"Bull. You just can't control yourself around sweets." Jaune huffed and glared at his companion.

"Careful, human." Yatagarasu warned. "Don't go looking to invoke a god's wrath."

"I'll wear a helmet." Jaune smirked and for a moment he thought Yatagarasu was about to bolt at him to peck his head. Instead, the bird hopped onto the map and examined it a moment before tapping a location in the desert, not quite in the middle of the island, but a good way east into it.

"Mark this place. Here is the location of the next god."

"And you don't know which god it is, right?" Jaune raised an eyebrow as he marked the location with a pen. When no answer came forward, he sighed and changed the topic. "It's quite a trip. How do you propose we get there when it's almost impossible to get anyone to help me?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing." Yatagarasu assured him. "It has the greatest chance of succeeding."

"What am I doing?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"You're being you. That should be enough."

"We're going to die." Jaune slammed his head on the table. He stayed like that for a few minutes, thinking about how to continue since his guide wasn't giving him good advice.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Kali asked, as she and Ghira returned.

"No, just lamenting on what I have to go through." Jaune moaned, slowly lifting his head up. "Nothing important."

"Jaune, let me say something." Ghira took a seat at the table, followed by Kali. "First, I want to apologize for your treatment when you first arrived. Discrimination is not tolerated, regardless of its source. I am going to personally make sure the shopkeepers understand this."

"I really don't want to get them in trouble." Jaune shook his head as he repeated his words. "Won't it just make them hate humans more if they get in trouble because I complained?"

"If you don't speak up and suffer in silence, nothing will change." Ghira held up his hand. "Trust me. I've lived a while and have seen a lot of discrimination. Which is why as long as I am chief, I am taking a firm stance against it within Menagerie."

"We also decided to offer a room in our home for you while you visit Menagerie, if you desire." Kali added with a smile.

"Wha-...really?" Jaune gaped a little as he processed what he just heard. "I… er… thank you." He bowed a little bit. "That's more than I could ask for."

"You've helped me even after being treated so harshly," Kali reminded him. "And you're a very kind and respectful young man. We're more than happy to let you have a room for a few days." Her eyes fell on the map and noticed his mark. "Is that where you're going?"

"Yeah," Jaune turned the map toward her. "Just need to figure out the best route to take and get supplies. I am not equipped to go into the desert alone." Yatagarasu's head turned slightly as his eyes narrowed, but didn't say anything in front of the others.

"Wait…" Ghira's eyes fixated on that location. A faint sign of a scowl formed on his brow "Why are you going there?"

"To do some research," Jaune explained truthfully. He wasn't going to lie exactly. There was a god there and when he learned about which one it was, that was technically research. Yatagarasu mostly just wanted him to be careful of who he talked about the gods with. Other than that, he was free to make up anything that was needed without repercussions. Even promising not to strike him for treating the crow as a common pet in front of others. A promise Jaune wasn't sure he would keep. "There should be some old ruins there and I want to examine them."

"How do you know the ruins are there?" Ghira asked.

"Umm, research?" Jaune was confused about the question. "I made sure to study a bit before coming here. Didn't want to go out into the middle of nowhere for nothing."

"What kind of research?" Ghira demanded to know, his voice growing low and Jaune felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Why did the man sound so angry? Was that spot sacred or something?

"Just old records… documents… history of travel and civilizations…" Jaune made up on the spot, not really sure what archaeologists investigating ruins did to learn where hidden locations were. "And I'm sure there's a religious temple area there. Probably relating to an old god that used to be popular in this area." Yatagarasu froze during part of that sentence, but relaxed when Jaune finished. It was well known that many groups of ancient people worshiped a lot of different gods.

"I see…" Ghira couldn't stop staring at him, making Jaune think he really did do something wrong.

"Ghira, what's wrong?" Kali asked, noticing her husband's temper.

"I want to know how a teenager managed to find that location when our scouts only just discovered that location two days ago." Ghira stated, crossing his arms as he glanced at his wife. "Those earthquakes revealed a bunch of stone structures buried in sand. The meeting today was discussing that." His gaze turned back to Jaune. "It's a very interesting coincidence."

Yeah, everyone there could tell it wasn't one. Though Jaune was kind of shocked that there were other people who were interested in the ruins at the same time. What did that mean? Were other people interested in the gods?

"I really don't know anything about that." Jaune answered truthfully when he found his words. "I don't know anyone else who might be interested."

"You probably wouldn't." Ghira agreed. "Unless the names Corsac and Fennec mean anything to you."

"They don't." Jaune shook his head, but Kali looked up in alarm.

"Why are they interested in it?" The woman asked. "Aren't they preoccupied with the White Fang?"

"They didn't reveal much, but it seems there is a fraction in their organization that believes this is a sign for Faunus to discover the hidden history of Menagerie." Ghira replied seriously. "I feel it's more to humor them, as there are plenty of settlements that have been destroyed and lost throughout the ages. But with Jaune coming here at the same time…" The man sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It might be worth investigating. Learning about our history and culture is important."

"Are you going with them?" Kali asked, picking up the small clues.

"I may need to." Ghira nodded after sighing loudly. "There is a chance some may use knowledge there to try to convince others to join their group. Or at worse, deliberately make stuff up to support their causes. I would like to see a first hand account of what's there, even if it will require future trips to fully identify everything there. It could all be pointless and everything has worn away with time."

"I could see a few people using information to further their gain," Kali admitted. "Sienna might-..."

"If they could gather information about historical Faunus mistreatment or information that Faunus were above humans," Ghira was thoughtful. "It could stir up some religious fervor. And that's the last thing we need right now. Corsac and Fennec already have that covered and while they aren't violent themselves…"

"...they could stir up others." Kali finished. "I wish others would understand violence isn't a way to get your message across. It's a short term patch that eventually breaks under pressure."

She suddenly grew quiet as she turned to look at Jaune, who was completely lost about the specifics of their conversation. It seemed for a moment, they completely forgot he was there. However, what they were talking about sounded serious.

"Pretend you didn't hear that." Kali said to Jaune.

"Hear what?" Jaune joked in a way that made Kali let slip a small laugh.

"Just politics, Jaune." Ghira explained, trying to sound passive. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. I'm sure you know every kingdom has it, and as Chief, I have to take part."

"Heh, I never really got into that." Jaune rubbed his neck. "Been busy trying to be a Huntsman, but that didn't pan out."

"How did you become a researcher?" Kali asked interestedly.

"It sort of got… thrusted upon me."

Jaune diverted his eyes as he looked down at the map. Keeping his disappointment at failing to get into Beacon didn't affect his day to day life, but when it was brought up, those feelings resurfaced, whether he wanted them to or not. It didn't break him anymore, like when he first received the rejection letter. Now it was just painful. Kali seemed to have realized she struck a nerve and, after exchanging a short look with Ghira, quickly changed the subject.

"Jaune, how about I show you to the guest room?" Kali clapped her hands and kept her voice light. "Let you get settled in. I'm sure you're exhausted from your travels."

"Thank you." Jaune was eager to distract himself as he began to stand up. "I still can't thank you enough for your kindness."

"Think nothing of it, dear." Kali waved her hand dismissively. "This large house has been so empty since Blake left."

"Is Blake your daughter?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Yes, though she hasn't been home in a long time." Ghira put his hand on Kali's shoulder. "We do wish she would call more often."

It was natural for kids when they ventured out into the world to forget to contact their parents. Jaune felt a twinge of guilt because he did the same thing. He really should contact his parents at some point. The last thing they knew was him telling he had been accepted to Beacon and left his hometown. Now instead of school, he was traveling the world to be a hero and help a bunch of animal gods stop evil. Of course, it wasn't like he could tell his family that, but he could at least let them know he was fine. If Jaune ever ran into Blake, he would make sure to let her know to call her parents.

"Here you are," Kali opened the door to the guest room. "I hope you will find it comfortable. We tend to eat breakfast around 7 and you're welcome to join us."

"I wouldn't want to impose anymore than I already am." Jaune rubbed his neck as he followed her into the room. It had a bed, dresser, end table, TV stand, but no TV. A bookshelf was mostly empty except for a couple books nestled near the top.

"Again, you're not." Kali assured him. "Ghira and I both believe you deserve a relaxing place to stay."

"Can I at least pay something to help with the extra costs?" Jaune asked, reaching into his pocket and taking out some Lien.

"No, I can't take your money." Kali shook her head and put her hand on his. "Trust me. Ghira and I don't need it. It's better if you save it for essentials. You're still planning to go into the desert to take a look at those ruins?"

"I am." Jaune confirmed, setting his bag on the bed. "I can't really afford not to."

"Hmmm." Kali didn't say anything, but Jaune could just tell what she was thinking. Going out into the wilds was already dangerous, but a desert? Without experience it was going to be deadly.

"Unless Ghira will let me join him when he goes with those other people to check it out." Jaune joked to lighten the mood. There was no way Yatagarasu would want him to travel with a large group. It would reveal too much.

"I could ask him." Kali considered, looking thoughtful.

"That was a joke!" Jaune raised his hands quickly. "I can't interfere with his duties as a chief!"

"You already showed you have the knowledge to help them." Kali pointed out. "Discovering the location before any of our scouts could, without even stepping foot into Menagerie. That's pretty impressive." Jaune couldn't argue with that without giving away too many secrets. "I'll let him know you're interested and we'll see what happens."

"But…?" Jaune tried to think of a response. This woman seemed to do whatever she wanted and was always one step ahead of him.

"If you help us learn something about our ancestors at Menagerie, you can think of that as your payment for the room and board." She winked at him and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Wow…" Jaune blinked and sat down on the bed. "I don't think I could ever beat her."

"She is a very strong willed female." Yatagarasu agreed, flapping his wings and moving from Jaune to the TV stand. "In the past, she would be very desirable for strong children."

"Okay, please don't say stuff like that." Jaune's ears burned as he imagined some things that would make Ghira at the very least kick him out of the house. "Can we focus on the task at hand? What should I do if they say I can go with Ghira and his men?"

"Go with him." Yatagarasu replied simply, preening his feathers with beak.

"HUH?!" Jaune gaped at the bird.

"What?" Yatagarasu looked up and tilted his head.

"Aren't we supposed to keep this a secret?" Jaune asked incredulously. "That's why you won't talk around people!"

"Oh, that's just to save time and questions." Yatagrasu yawned. "I'll talk if it's necessary. It's quite tedious otherwise."

"But you said we need to keep this a secret?!"

"Did I?"

"YOU-..." Jaune took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm sure you did…"

"Our mission is more important." Yatagarasu pointed out. "You have almost no chance of surviving in the desert by yourself, even with me guiding you. Traveling with experienced humans along with me, you should not have trouble reaching our destination. There is also the possibility we can slip away from them without revealing anything."

"I thought you knew which route was the best option." Jaune grumbled.

"It doesn't mean I know everything that happens, just that going this route will give you a better chance of survival."

"I wish you would phrase things a little less ominously."

"And I wish you would listen more instead of asking useless questions."

Jaune glared at the bird who seemed completely unfazed at the daggers. Standing up, Jaune walked over to the book shelf. Since there was no TV to distract himself and his Scroll wasn't getting a great signal out here, he figured he might as well see what there was to read. There wasn't much, but one book stood out. The others were covered in dust, but this one wasn't. Though it looked more worn out, like people read it more often. Jaune reached up and pulled it down, looking at the cover.

The Shallow Sea

Oh, it's a fairy tale story book, but it was thicker than Jaune remembered. It had been a while since he heard this one. It was based on the origin of the Faunus. Made sense the book was here as Menagerie was the legendary home of the Faunus. As Jaune opened the book, he noticed in the index there were actually two stories in here. One labeled for kids and the other for older kids. Jaune never realized there were two different versions. Intrigued, he started with the one for kids and it was the one he remembered. He sat down and began to read.

A long time ago, the God of Animals lived on an island with all species except for humans. Wondering if humans should be allowed to join, he traveled all around Remnant and invited certain Humans that were "a little bit more" to the island. Those that didn't quite fit with other humans. He then told them to jump into the Shallow Sea from their ship so that they could become something greater than they already were. The people who did jump in became the first Faunus, while the people who didn't were horrified and mad at the God of Animals for changing them. Because of this, the God of Animals sent the humans ship away and stated that they revealed how shallow they really were while the new Faunus stayed on the island.

This was the story Jaune knew.

He turned to the second one and discovered a slightly darker version.

A long time ago, a war broke out between humans and animals. The God of Animals eventually intervened to find the source of the conflict. A woman from the humans stated it was because the animals refused to help them fight off the Grimm and that they needed to be tamed. A panther from the animals side stated it was because humans wanted to control them and use them to fight the Grimm, who never bothered them before. The woman then countered that the animals wanted to steal from them and they just wanted to live in peace.

"You assume the worst of one another," The God of Animals stated after hearing both sides. "If only you could see the best qualities of each other as I do. I can end this conflict here but only if you submit to my judgment, whatever it may be."

Both sides believed they were right and agreed, so the God turned them all into Faunus.

After they realized that they weren't so different from each other, the new Faunus were attacked by Grimm and fought them off together. When the former Humans attempt to return to their settlement however, their former friends and family refuse to give them refuge due to how different they look with the former humans realizing how narrow-minded they used to be.

"Huh, they both talk about the same god, but there's a lot of differences." Jaune muttered.

"Most legends have a basis in fact, human." Yatagarasu commented.

"AHH!"

Jaune fell off the bed and the book clattered to the ground. He was so involved in the stories that he completely missed his own God moving to the headboard of the bed and reading over Jaune's shoulder. Standing up and rubbing his head, Jaune glared at the bird.

"Don't scare me like that."

"I didn't scare you. I simply made a comment."

"Yeah, sure." Jaune muttered and then thought of something. "Wait, you've been alive a long time. Are either of these legends true?"

"They seem familiar," Yatagarasu answered. "But at the same time, feel off. They could have some ties to a true event, but over the centuries they get retold and changed to fit the times. I am not a god of history, but of travels. It's not something I focus on."

"I kind of want to know now," Jaune admitted. "Think the god at those ruins would be able to tell me?"

"It's possible."

"And you still don't know which god it is."

Yatagarasu didn't even humor him with a response and Jaune decided not to push it any further. Putting the book back up on the shelf, he began to unpack his stuff. It seemed he would be here for a few days at least and it was time to catch up on some much needed rest. Then he could explore a bit and see what all Menagerie had to offer. As he laid down to take a short nap, Jaune hoped Ghira would let him come. Brazing the dangers of a Grimm infested desert death trap alone was not enticing.

Beta Note:
Man this chapter helped give the bigger picture on things and also even showed the very slight changes made to the history of the world. Now we know that Jaune has sort of a race to get to the ruins. I wonder who will make it there first?

Dark did a great job here guys so please give them some love.

~Cawme

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.