章 2: Dark Gray
Dust, check. Grimm, check. Huntsmen and Huntresses, double-check. Possible last name being Branwen, check. A pair of arms that look like they should be attached to a snow leopard, I think? I am a freaking Faunus, so check.
Well, I am officially in a world of fiction with zero ideas about how I got here, plus I am familiar enough with it that I can name the world; I am on freaking Remnant! Pros, lovely girls and women, a job I would actually like to do, being a Huntsman and all that, and letting my inner fanboy squeal like a little girl, plus superpowers can't forget the superpowers. Cons However, death is around every corner if I am unlucky, a suicidal Queen of Grimm running around trying to end the world in a literal sense, a depressed Wizard that has little to no clue in how to unite the world to evade a pair of gods final judgment on the world.
Well, what in the heck am I supposed to do?! I sighed, feeling more than a little lost but also excited at my predicament. I rested my head on my paws; I guess I can call them that and wondered what to do in the future. As my mind was a million miles away, I got hit upside the head, and I winced in pain with tears in my eyes because my new body is not used to pain, which complicates things. I looked up and saw a wrinkly old face that I had gotten familiar with within the seven years of my new life, a nasty old crone known as The Den Mother.
" Get started on your chores, you lazy beast."
" What chores? I did mine already?!"
" Then what's that I see over there?"
The old crone pointed towards a pile of clothes that were in need of washing from what I could see, and I told her.
" That's Gol's pile. Get your eyes checked, hag!"
" Well, now it's your pile, so get to work or no lunch for you dumb animal!"
As much as I would like to argue against her, I learned early on that she is racist against Faunus or just me in general, so that's a losing battle, especially since I am still just a weak kid right now. I grumbled as I got to work and saw the little imp that was supposed to be doing this in the first place, Gol. He has dirty blonde hair with a light tan on his skin and dark brown eyes, and he was snickering at me doing his chores for him, so I growled at him.
" Gol!"
" What is it? Oh wait, I don't speak dumb animal!"
As he laughed at his own joke, I made some plans to pay him back later for this with interest. As I got started, hand washing or, in my case, paw washing the clothes as the Branwen tribe does not freaking carry washing machines on them. As much as I love my night vision and abuse it having paws instead of hands makes it difficult for me in the dexterity department. I thankfully do have opposable thumbs, but they are farther away from my other digits, making grabbing anything more than a little difficult.
But I do love the fact that they come with claws attached even if I avoid using them because I would not put past that old crone to de-claw me for some reason or another. My stomach growled as I had only had breakfast and a very light breakfast at that, just one freaking piece of bread, untoasted with nothing on it, while the other kids got meat and other good stuff. It looks like I need to raid the pantry again tonight if I want a full stomach. Out of all the places I could have been born in, it had to be a bandit tribe and the Branwen tribe at that, which would complicate any relations towards Yang, Ruby, Taiyang, and Qrow, plus the Wizard.
I sighed again, thinking this is my life now, a chore boy for a bunch of murderers and low lifes. The only thing I can do for now is to try and get strong enough to survive outside the tribe and leave. But that is a ways off for now because I am only seven years old, but I will get strong and be the master of my own fate no matter what! I looked down at the soapy water and saw my appearance.
I look at my piercing steely gray eyes with short silverish gray hair atop my head along with my pale skin, and I could be considered handsome or at least better looking than some of the ugly mugs in camp. I sighed for the third time today and got to work, much to my annoyance.
***
After hours of washing clothes, dishes, wood chopping, and organizing junk, I crashed into my sleeping place, which is only a couple of pieces of leather on the ground in the tent I have to share with the other brats. My stomach protested at not being full and getting scraps for dinner, but I had to wait for now because most of the camp was still awake. I felt someone kicking my foot, and I turned over to see my least favorite brat Gol trying to start something with me with his two little goons behind him.
" You know I feel sorry for you."
" And the sky is pink, and it is going to rain candy tomorrow."
I sharply retorted at the blonde imp as I stunned him with my nonsense retort that conveys how believable he was in his statement. He quirked a smile at me and said.
" Funny, I guess you don't want any food that I saved you."
" Not from you, no."
I learned not to trust any of these bandit brats the hard way, especially their ringleader Gol as I had little doubt he did something to the "food" he saved me, if it's even food in the first place. Gol clicked his tongue and told his little goons.
" Hold him up."
As I resisted his goons as best as I could, but I am flat out tired, and they are at least a year or two older than me, so they got me held up by my arms. Gol cracked his knuckles, trying to show that he is a "tough guy," but that only made me sneer at him.
" Now for the "food" I saved for you, you worthless animal, A KNUCKLE SANDWICH."
As the blonde imp winded back his fist, telegraphing how he was going to punch me, I grinned and got an idea to pay him back for today. I shifted myself slightly so his fist would miss despite being held by his two little goons and bit into his wrist with my teeth. Gol yelled out in bloody murder as I bit into him with what might I could muster.
" OW OW OW OW, STOP BITING ME, YOU TWERP!"
He punched me with his other free fist to try and make me let go. I kept on biting into him out of spite, and I soon heard a familiar old voice.
" WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE BROTHERS IS GOING ON HERE!"
It was the Den Mother, oh joy, I thought in dry sarcasm, but I kept on biting Gol regardless, drawing blood from what I could taste as he whimpered at the Den Mother.
" Den Mother, the animal is biting me."
I could only consider Gol as pathetic, seeing how he started this, and yet he needs an adult to finish it, absolutely pathetic. The Den Mother walked over and tried to wrench my mouth open. As her finger tried to get in between my teeth, I decided to change targets because I was sick and tired of this bandit bull crap. I loosened my bite and went at the Den Mother's fingers and made her yelp in pain; well, that made my week. I smiled at the old crone as I tried to bite her fingers off. She raised her cane-come-cudgel, and the next moment darkness and pain got me.
***
I wake up to find myself in a cage; that did not surprise me too much, but my head hurts something fierce, likely from where that old crone hit me. As I got up, I saw some of the older tribe members sit nearby as they played cards to kill time.
" Three of a kind beat that!"
" Four sevens, I win."
Seeing this, I decided to cause some more trouble as I was likely going to be here a while, and I needed some entertainment.
" Hey, I saw him take out a card from his boot!"
The losing bandit looked at the other one and said.
" I knew you were cheating!"
They started to tussle with one another as I got up and checked my body for any other injuries and found only that my head was sore. My stomach growled from emptiness, and as those two idiot bandits fought, a ring with keys on it flew near my cage. I guess my luck is looking up. I took the keys and tried to unlock my cage. After trying a few keys, I got out and saw the sun starting to rise. I sneaked my way to the pantry for some food and got myself a loaf of bread and a couple of cuts of ham and cheese. It sucks that there are no sauces in storage, but oh well, beggars can't be choosers.
After eating my fill since the cook was not up yet, I went back to my cage to laze around in and see what punishment I am going to be given. Those two idiots kept on fighting and never noticed I left the cell. As I relaxed and took a nap ignoring the two fools tiring themselves out, I heard a voice bark out in annoyance.
" What is going on here!?"
The two bandits straightened out and replied with equal measures of fear and respect.
"NOTHING, CHIEF!"
I woke up and saw a familiar face, Raven Branwen! Her long black hair and fiery red eyes making remember what I know of her, or at least I hope my information is accurate. She was wearing a black and red dress with a short skirt that did not hide the shorts she was wearing. She had black leggings over her legs and black heels to match them, plus red armguards on her along with a black fur pelt attached to the side of her dress along with a red and white bandana hanging over it. My eyes went to her weapon Omen a modified Dust Odachi with a thick mechanical sheath. She walked past the two idiots and looked at me when she demanded.
" Why are you here, whelp?"
" I took a bite out of one of the other whelps when he tried to gang up on me, and the Den Mother heard him whimpering. She tried to remove me from him, and I decided to take a bite out of as well, and she whacked me unconscious, and the next moment, I found myself here."
" Not what I mean, young one. I mean, why are you here in the tribe?"
I shrugged and bluntly said.
" I was born here, much to my annoyance."
Raven smirked at me and said.
" Correct, you were born here, which means the tribe is your family-."
I could not help but laugh at Raven pitching to me that this tribe that has only mistreated me and barely gave me enough to survive day to day is my family. Maybe not a smart move on my part, but I could not help but laugh with scorn at her and tell her.
" You have a very skewed idea of family along with the rest of this tribe who either hates or tolerates me as I am only alive through what little strength I have. The only thing I owe this tribe is the walls that keep me safe from outside threats and these one pair of clothes on my back, but I still have to scrape and fight for a sated hunger and a peaceful sleep."
Raven analyzed me as if to see if I was lying or not, and after a few minutes, she demanded me.
" Tell me everything you can remember and leave nothing out."
I looked at curiously and decided why not because even I don't think the tribe would kill their kids at least directly anyway, at worse, I might get exiled, which could be to my advantage if I am lucky enough to make it a Faunus friendly town. So I told her my treatment in the tribe, how I stole food to survive, and how I occasionally got payback for my mistreatment. After I finished telling her my side, she told me to wait, which seemed redundant, seeing how I was in a cage, one I could leave sure, but she did not know that.
So I rested until she got back, but I did not know what would happen next.
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