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For Cassandra55/AskTeamSHRD

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

This story was written as part of the RWBY OC Secret Santa project started by AmericanAnime26 on Tumblr, because the idea of using someone else’s OCs sounded like a fun challenge and honestly because OCs need some more love in the Fandom.

Team SHRD is the property of @cassandra55/@askteamshrd on Tumblr.

Team SHRD – Counter Attack

It had been several long months, a continuous cycle of battles that took every ounce of the young Hunters strength, cunning and willpower just to survive to see another day where they would proceed to launch themselves into the fray once more.

Team SHRD had no regrets, they’d chosen this for themselves. Ever since the fall of Beacon Academy the second year Haven students had been at the forefront of the battle against the Creatures of Grimm, the monsters emboldened by the dread and anger permeating seemingly every town and village.

The first stop of their mission was a brief stay at their leader, Sylvane Hamelin’s, home on one of the small island settlements just of the coast of Vale where the members of Team SHRD who still had families to write to did so, ensuring that their relatives knew that they were alive and as safe as they could be considering their trade. From then the four teens had made their way onto the continent of Anima, several of the port cities scattered around the expansive Kingdoms’ coast were accepting refugees from Vale and the ships carrying them needed as many capable fighters as they could find, the horrors that lurked in the ocean were inevitably drawn to the beleaguered souls within the vessels and Team SHRD had faced off against nightmares made of teeth and tentacles alongside older Hunters and sell-swords until they mercifully spotted land on the horizon.

From there things had been no easier, Team SHRD had continued onwards, trekking through the wilderness of Anima and lending their prowess to those villages and convoys in need of them along the way.

Which brought them to their current predicament.

“MOVE!” Sylvane’s order came out in a frightened scream as their quarry dove. The lean and petite girls’ hands flying to her mouth as two of her team-mates narrowly avoided harm. Demian, the sombre crow Faunus perpetually clad in dark clothing leapt backwards, wings unfurling and carrying him to safety; his twin shotguns Life and Death firing relentlessly. Hunter Woods, the tanned Vaccuan whose Faunus Heritage most people never suspected until he removed his sunglasses was pulled to safety by the final member of Team SHRD; Rosalya Crystallite

“Thanks for that Rosa” Hunter drawled out, his accent becoming more prominent as he nodded to his team-mate; the tall and athletic Cat Faunus retracting almost invisibly thin wires back beneath her gloves.

“Regrouping may be the most sensible option available to us at present” she noted, glowering at the Grimm which was now circling above them with distaste

“Sylvane, call it!” Hunter demanded, their leader didn’t hesitate

“Everyone group up, watch each others backs” her team hurried to act on her orders, Demian reaching her first and giving the girl he saw as his sister a little gentle teasing as they stood back to back

“And you though I was exaggerating when I said Anima was a hellhole”

“Kinda” she admitted with a scowl, her time in Mistral had been brief as she’d been a student of Haven only a few months before Team SHRD made their way to her native Vale for the Vytal Tournament.

“This is some bullshit” Hunter growled, swiftly changing his weapon from its’ double ended spear form into a longbow and triggering his Semblance ‘Far-sight' every feather of his targets’ underbelly became visible in perfect detail to him and he seemed to instinctively know which way the Grimm would turn next; he let loose a single arrow and the Grimm shrieked as it found its’ mark, joining dozens of other such injuries that had failed to bring it down

“This is absurd” Rosalya huffed indignantly as she drew her daggers, known as the Ethereal Dance; feline eyes narrowed “I thought the Beringrel were offensively resilient but this beast simply refuses to be beaten”

“Oh it’s gonna get beaten” Hunter snapped “Cos I did not, I repeat did NOT leave Vaccuo just so I could get killed by an Oum damned Hummingbird Grimm!”

“We need a plan” Demian turned to Sylvane, both hopeful and reassuring; seeing her uncertain glances he added “We’re miles from any civilians, don’t worry about collateral or anything else. Give the order and we’ll follow”

“It’s preparing to dive!” Rosalya interrupted, having been keeping watch over their target

“It’s gonna do that thing with it’s voice!” Hunter added

“Take cover!” Sylvane’s instruction was quickly followed; the woodlands they were fighting in were far from dense, something that allowed the Grimm far more manoeuvrability but there were enough trees for each of the four Hunters to scatter and duck behind one as the Grimm swooped down to attack.

They’d been told by the settlement that had hired them that this particular monster was called a Distorter due to some of its’ particular capabilities. It was smaller than the average Nevermore, though larger than the Hunters locked in battle against it; its’ wingspan however was easily a dozen feet, atrophied limbs lay flat along its’ belly while its’ talons had adapted into curving scythe like blades that raked the ground as it dove while its’ beak was a narrow point, almost as long its’ body and covered in small ridges and hook like protrusions. Its’ underside was unprotected while its’ back was covered in the bone coloured carapace common to the creatures of Grimm.

“Cover your ears!” Hunter warned, a moment later the Distorter let loose a terrible sound, its’ entire body vibrating as it dove towards where Team SHRD had been, the noise was deafening and seemed to attack several octaves at once. Both painfully high pitched and low enough to be felt in ones chest; as it reached the ground the Distorter lowered its’ beak, the protrusion still subject to ultrasonic vibrations as it tore another long gouge into the ground.

“Okay I think I have an idea” Sylvane called out from behind the tree she was using as cover “Demian can you get me airborne?”

“With my wings no, with my Semblance….give me a minute”

“We may not have a minute” Rosalya interjected as the Distorter wheeled around again. Sylvane chewed her lip nervously, this was going to require some daring.

“Demian, use your Semblance get me up there. Hunter, cover Demian until I give you an opening-”

“You got it”

“Rosalya. I need a distraction”

“Understood” the feline nodded, a small smirk twisting the corners of her mouth as she prepared to leap from cover “Permission to wreak havoc?”

“Granted” with that single word the plan flew into motion. Demian crouched and focused, his Semblance was known as Arcane Runes. The abilities had been described by his former associates in the White Fang as ‘Our own Schnee Glyphs’ though this was never done directly to the Crow Faunus’s face. A series of geometric shapes formed from pure Aura flickered around him, gradually taking shape and becoming more solid while Demian desperately tried to block out the sounds of Rosalya taunting the Grimm with her particularly expansive vocabulary.

“Demian, I don’t want to rush you but she can only use her Semblance for so long-”

“Ready” Sylvane was cut off, Demian wiped sweat from his brow and turned to his team leader “Your chariot awaits” Sylvane couldn’t hide an excited grin as she took in the construct Demian had produced; a Nevermore made of pulsating obsidian; the edges of its’ form tinged with the deepest purple. As she clambered on Hunter lowered his sunglasses, letting the concern in his vibrant green and distinctly inhuman eyes show

“Be careful”

“I’ll try” she used one arm to hold herself in position while her free hand rested on ’Ratten Choir’, her weapon was currently in its’ flute form at her hip “Demian, I’m ready when you are” with a silent nod Demian urged his construct into motion and with a flap of its’ mighty yet intangible wings the Nevermore took to the sky

“Oh wow” Sylvane gasped as she looked down on their impromptu battlefield from above “Rosalya really did mean havoc” her Atlesian born team-mate had sheathed her daggers and was relying on the wires hidden within her cybernetic hands which were in turn masked by her gloves, the prosthetics had been a secret that not even her team had known about for their first few months together. She was also making use of her Semblance ‘Nova' simultaneously demanding the Grimm’s attention yet making herself nearly impossible to hit as she became the epicentre of a sphere of golden light, a precursor to her teleportation. Each time the Distorter swooped low Rosalya vanished, though not before pulling the Dust infused wires taut and severing the trunks of the trees they were wrapped around at the time, causing them to fall directly into the Grimm’s path.

“A little closer, a little closer” Sylvane urged the construct despite knowing that it had no will of its’ own and was controlled solely by Demian. Eventually however she drew near enough to leap from the back of the conjured Grimm onto the genuine monster and hold on for dear life as it thrashed in mid air to dislodge her. After what seemed like a terrified eternity of struggling she managed to withdraw her flute and bring it to her lips and use it as an amplifier for her Semblance, known as 'Choir' which granted her the ability to hypnotise through music. As the first few notes of a haunting melody from her childhood sounded the Distorter fell silent, bent to her will though it struggled against her and Sylvane knew she had mere moments, even with her weapon boosting her natural abilities

“HUNTER!” she dared to lower Ratten Choir from her lips for long enough to give the signal, immediately returning to the instrument and forcing the Grimm to dive directly downwards. The ground rushed up to meet her and the thought that this wasn’t going to work filled her with dread despite the adrenalin high coursing through her veins. She was proven wrong however as her friend came into view, leaping from branch to branch of the remaining trees, spear at the ready

“DO IT!” she released her control over the Grimm and shifted Ratten Choir into its’ weapon form, a whip. The Distorter had a brief moment of control over its’ own body, enough to widen its’ eyes in fright before its’ skull was skewered by Hunter’s spear. The Grimm’s body instantly began to fade away into wisps of insubstantial darkness; thankfully Sylvane’s whip had already ensnared a tree branch and she caught hold of Hunter as they both fell, allowing them to make a return to the ground that would later be described as needlessly dramatic.

“That” Rosalya noted pointedly as she made her way over to them “Probably counted as an egregious violation of several dozen Atlesian Military codes and could at the most generous be described as foolhardy….It was also quite frankly the most fun I’ve had in months” there was a collection of soft chuckles from the team, even Demian joining in as he drew close

“I’ve got you” Rosalya took his arm and draped it over her shoulders, seeing that he was evidently drained by maintaining a construct of such size and complexity

“That tune you were playing?” Hunter raised an eyebrow, Sylvane squired with embarrassment as she realised that her inner child had been on display for a few moments “Wasn’t that the Dragon Zord theme?”

“Be quiet” Sylvane hid behind her hands amidst a chorus of laughter. As it died down she drew her Scroll and began typing out a text message. Thankfully the CCT had been restored to an extent that allowed communication within the Kingdoms if not between them; a reply came soon

“They know the Grimm is gone?” Demian asked quietly, Sylvane nodded, tilting her Scroll so that the message from the governor who had tasked them with the mission was visible

“Yeah, they have payment in full and we have a ride to Mistral. We should be there by tonight” there were smiled all round, though there was a trace of concern in Demian’s obsidian eyes and his next words seemed forced

“Home sweet home”

The innkeeper, who honestly only though of himself as a barkeep due to the simple fact that very few people who actually had enough money to purchase a room for the night would choose to do so in this particular part of Mistral was having a strange week. It had started with a stranger whose name he never learned first enquiring about of his regular patrons, then returning later to inform him of the mans’ untimely demise in the line of duty and pay off his not insubstantial tab. Things apparently were going to continue to be strange if the trio of people he guessed to be in their late teens was anything to go by.

The one doing the talking was a young man wearing sunglasses despite the setting sun and iron-grey clouds holding the threat of rain overhead, clad in a brown trench-coat and fedora, his voice having a noticeable accent to it. Of the two girls with him he surprisingly to the innkeeper deferred to the smaller Huntress, barely more than five feet tall and wearing a frilly outfit of teal and white matching the flowers in her flowing silvery hair while a black corset accentuated her figure. The final member of the group stood behind them and a little off to the side, tall and frankly a little imposing, her bearing that of a highly disciplined soldier; this Huntress wore a white coat over a golden outfit, matching her ivory locks which seemed to fade to a pale champagne colour at their tips while her hands were completely covered by a pair of gloves

“You’re looking for a room?” the innkeeper asked with a confused stare and a raised eyebrow after sizing up the newcomers “Here?”

“Yeah, here” the young man nodded “You’ve got rooms right?”

“I’ve got rooms if you’ve got money” the bald man grunted

“Show him what we just got paid for that job” the Hunter laughed, the shorter of the two Huntresses stepped forwards and displayed her Scroll, the innkeepers eyes widened more than a little at the almost endless stream of payments this group seemed to be receiving; none of them especially large bounties but the sheer volume of them spoke to their skill and drive

“Okay, I’ll get some keys now. Just the three of you?”

“Four” the Huntress corrected “We weren’t sure what your policy on weapons was so our friend is outside holding ours” the innkeeper gave a deep rumbling laugh

“Oh you kids are funny, polite but funny. In this part of town everyone’s carrying. Tell your friend to come in” the taller Huntress made her way to the door and called in her team-mate, apparently named Demian. When he entered the innkeeper’s blood ran cold, the teen was pale with unruly black hair and dark clothing carrying a plethora of weapons but what drew his attention were the ebony feathered wings wrapped around his shoulders seemingly for warmth

“FUCK NO!” he spat, suddenly furious “NOT A FUCKING CHANCE, NO FAUNUS!”

“Really now” the Hunter with the Vaccuan accent drawled out, tone suddenly icy as he lowered his glasses. The innkeeper gulped as he realised that he was not staring into the eyes of a human “Cos I count three Faunus and only one racist” the taller Huntress was stalking towards him and the innkeeper glanced at her eyes, gulping as he caught sight of vertical slitted pupils

“Hunter this vile bigoted reprobate isn’t worth our time. He certainly isn’t worth our Lien”

“I don’t have to take this in Vaccuo and I don’t have to take it here either” the man, now known as Hunter insisted “Demian, pass me-”

“No” the smaller Huntress cut him off “We’ll find another hotel….one that doesn’t smell like vomit and wet dog” Hunter glowered at the man for a few more seconds

“Fine, whatever” as he turned and stalked away his team-mates followed, Sylvane throwing one last barb

“I get why the place is empty now, the owner’s a jerk” the innkeeper wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

The four of them were still wandering through Mistral’s streets half an hour later when the heavens began to open, a fine drizzle that soaked them to the bone as a warning for the deluge to come. Hunter was still fuming

“But seriously though? No Faunus?….The fuck does this guy think he is. Demian come on man surely you wanted to break his nose? I mean me and Rosa can pass for human….You must have gotten that all the time living here”

“I did” Demian admitted with a shrug “But I’ve broken more noses, jaws and limbs than I can count. Hasn’t made the world any less cruel” there were a few moments of awkward silence as the Crow Faunus’s friends were reminded that he had been party to what some would consider atrocities before Rosalya stepped in, with her usual pragmatism

“We can debate the benefits of fracturing the bones of cretinous racists later. Right now we need somewhere to sleep, Demian you’re from Mistral. Do you know anywhere?”

“I can think of a few places we could go….Not sure that they’d be safe for Sylvane though”

“Why wouldn’t they….oh” his friends eyes widened as the realisation hit her “White Fang?”

“Mostly just sympathisers” Demian answered before a thought occurred to him “Although….there is a place not too far from here. It won’t be cheap and it will be filled with criminals. It’s actually a place that’s considered neutral ground by the different gangs in the city”

“Oh we have a few places like that back home, cool” Hunter noted cheerfully

“This has the potential to become….Volatile” Rosalya noted “Hunters tend to be fairly easy to identify and it’s very unlikely that members of the criminal underworld would appreciate our presence”

“We probably wouldn’t be the first Hunters to turn up looking for work” Hunter shrugged; Sylvane let out a scandalised gasp and Demian playfully covered her ears and retorted in an affronted whisper

“Don’t say things like that….let her keep her innocence for the love of Oum” Hunter was doubled over laughing at his partners’ overly theatrical display while Sylvane herself merely pouted before taking charge

“Okay, let’s go”

It took them a little longer to find the hotel than expected. By the time they arrived the sky had darkened completely and they were thoroughly drenched, wiping rain slicked hair from their eyes and hoping that they didn’t track too much mud into the reception area with them

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Sylvane chirped excitedly “It looks so fancy”

“You don’t become a mob boss just to sleep in a motel” Hunter murmured with a shrug while Demian and Rosalya took stock of their surroundings, the feline Faunus feeling quite at ease amidst the luxurious red carpeting and mahogany and golden décor, it was the other patrons of this establishment that could be seen milling about at the bar visible from the receptionists desk that concerned her. Demian was quite the inverse, he’d very rarely spent time in such comfortable accommodations and when he had it had been a prelude to something that he now looked back on in disgust. Criminals of any variety however, were honestly a source of comfort, a sign that no matter how desperate Remnant became some things would never change. He was disturbed from his musings by a gentle nudge from Hunter

“Couple of Faunus staring at us near the back left corner of the bar, they’ve been pointing at you” Demian discretely turned, making it appear as if he were preening his wings as he peered over his shoulder in the direction his partner had specified. His stomach lurched when he realised that one of the group was wearing a jacket with a symbol depicting three claw marks over the right breast; displaying their allegiance to the White Fang with pride.

“So it’s bad then?” Hunter muttered, seeing what little colour Demian’s face had drain away “Wanna start shooting”

“We shoot anyone in here we’ll have Mistral’s entire underworld looking for us within the hour”

“Figured as much” Hunter snorted “Ah well”

“But they’re in the same position” Demian mused, quickly glancing to where Sylvane and Rosalya were in the process of booking a room for the four of them he made a decision “Wait here” without waiting for a reply he made his way into the bar, through the glass doors separating it from the reception that he noticed were bulletproof. As he drew close to the group of half a dozen Faunus he realised that they were all young, barely any of them older than himself and each of them was painfully green, lacking the composure that came from fighting the White Fang’s bloody campaigns for years. They were also whispering nervously amongst themselves while casting glances his way

“Told you it was him” the one Demian guessed to be the oldest, an insect Faunus of some variety whose antennae twitched nervously breathed out

“You told them I am whom?” Demian demanded, voice a low whisper; pouring every ounce of menace he could muster into his facade

“The harbinger of death” a moose Faunus with the physique that could probably flip a truck by hand answered, though she seemed unwilling or unable to meet his gaze

“Dude….you’re like the bogeyman but cool, they say you and Adam Taurus tore an entire Atlesian robot factory apart one time” another clearly new recruit added

“I have never been on a mission with Adam Taurus in my life” Demian managed to pass off his surprise as merely disgruntled. Was it possible that they didn’t know that he’d defected from the White Fang

“Really?” the insect Faunus seemed shocked “I thought you were both in Vale together, that’s why you were deep cover as a Haven student right?” Demian fought the urge to curse, this could either be a blessing or catastrophic depending on his next words

“We both had our own jobs to do. We both succeeded” he was rewarded by a chorus of cheers from the White Fang initiates who all seemed eager to shake his hand; amidst all the half drunken babble one of them said something that made his heart stop

“You’re here for Sienna Khan’s funeral tomorrow night right?”

“Still can’t believe that a fucking Hunter got her….right there in her chamber” another added

“At the usual place?” Demian enquired, hoping his tone came across as merely conversational. There was a clearing outside of the Kingdoms’ walls where the White Fang would honour their dead with a greatly reduced risk of being raided by the authorities. He received several confirmations that this was indeed the case before silencing them with a wave of the hand.

“I’ll be paying my respects….But I need to borrow one of your masks” he forced a wry smile onto his face “Mine is still in a Beacon Academy dormitory and it would be rude of me to appear before High Leader Khan without one” the table became a hive of frantic scrabbling as each of the initiates struggled to be the first to give their mask to one of the White Fangs’ most prominent fighters, even more feared than the dreaded Bane-Saw. Taking a mask from a canine Faunus whose tail wagged so fast Demian feared it may come loose, the Crow Faunus pocketed it and rose to his feet

“Tomorrow then” he struggled to keep the stoic demeanour he’d been known for as an enforcer in place as he turned to leave, hoping the whole time he walked back to the rest of Team SHRD that the White Fang grunts couldn’t see his knees shaking.

It had taken Demian most of the following day to convince his team-mates that the solo mission he was currently embarking on wasn’t as suicidally risky as it sounded, longer still to convince them not to covertly follow him and even now as he made his way towards the hidden clearing which would hold Sienna Khan’s funeral pyre he was not entirely convinced that he would be able to enter, take stock of the condition of the White Fang and leave without incident. Nervously he ran his hands through his hair and his eyes darted around searching for any sign of movement between the trees from behind the unadorned gunmetal mask of an initiate; Demian allowed himself a moment to idly wonder how long it had been since he’d last worn one of these until sounds reached his ears, cheering in the distance. He was close.

After several more minutes of walking, heart pounding in his chest at a rate that seemed to increase with every step the crowd finally came into view and Demian realised he wouldn’t be able to see a thing from the ground. Thankfully the idea of someone wanting a better vantage point would raise no suspicions here and with a single flap of his wings and a powerful leap he managed to perch himself on a low hanging tree branch, eyes widening as he took in the sheer scale of Sienna Khan’s funeral. Faunus wearing the colours of every chapter of the White Fang could be seen below filling the entire clearing with a bustling mass of bodies around the as yet unlit pyre and the platform beside it from which eulogies would be given; the crowd stretched out into the trees and Demian fought against the urge to shudder as he saw the people responsible for keeping order at the event; the Praetor Cohort, clad in crimson and wielding monstrous Dust powered halberds these were Sienna Khan’s elite guard; each of them had probably done things that even Demian with his moniker of 'Harbinger of death’ would have balked at and each of them were more than capable of mowing down an entire team of Hunters, or an entire paladin of the machines Atlas insisted were fit to fight wars. And there was the crux of Demian’s suspicions and misgivings, Sienna Khan had been assassinated and the Praetor Cohort hadn’t paraded the body of the Hunter responsible through the streets in retaliation, Mistral’s news outlets from what Team SHRD had managed to learn from spending their day at a library had said nothing, combined with the sheer volume of White Fang members gathered on short notice at a time when communication between Kingdoms was still reduced to written letters it was clear that something was going on.

Demian’s thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt as he suddenly became aware of the deafening silence. The air itself seemed to become still as upwards of a thousand Faunus waited with baited breath; a procession made their way into the clearing, a dozen Praetors flanking a single figure clad in black

“Here we are” Demian whispered to himself, this was what he was here for. The identity of Sienna Khan’s successor would heavily dictate the direction the organisation moved forwards in and he was determined to find that information first hand. As the crowds parted around the guards Demian caught sight of a flash of swept back and spiked crimson hair and everything seemed to stop, blood ran cold in his veins and his ears were filled buzzing as the entirety of his consciousness was devoted to processing the fact that he was looking at the worst thing in the world.

Adam Taurus was the new High Leader of the White Fang.

The Bull Faunus made his way onto the platform, still flanked by guards and when he spoke his low, silky voice carried so that every Faunus present could here it

“BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE WHITE FANG. HERE LAYS OUR GREAT LEADER SIENNA KHAN! HERE LAYS ONE OF THE GREATEST WOMEN I HAVE EVER KNOWN! KILLED BY THE HUMANS AND I WILL NOT FEEL FIT TO TAKE UP THE TITLE LEFT TO ME UNTIL I ENSURE IT CAN NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!” Adam paused, allowing a moment of anticipation from his now captivated crowd before delivering the words that sent them into a crescendo of bloodlust “BY MARCHING ON MISTRAL AND LAYING WASTE TO HAVEN! THERE WILL BE NO MORE HUNTERS ON ANIMA!”

“I am so sorry” Demian whispered out to team-mates that weren’t there to here it as he drew his shotguns “I’m sorry I’m not coming home” he combined the weapons, with a series of mechanical whirs and clicks which were lost in the cacophony coming from below and a moment later he was bringing the scope of a high powered sniper rifle to his eye. He could kill Adam Taurus here and now, but he knew he’d never make it out alive. It was a sacrifice that he was more than willing to make, he just hoped his friends would understand.

“Lower the weapon” a gruff rumbling voice demanded as a gargantuan paw like hand settled on the back of his neck, Demian struggled not to whimper as he felt claws digging into his flesh, reaching for his pulse

“I said lower the weapon” the voice was more insistent and Demian complied, loathing himself as he separated the rifle into its’ twin components and holstering them, daring to turn his head a fraction he was perhaps more surprised than he should have been to see the hooded and masked face of a Praetor staring back at him, what he was right to be stunned by however was the mans’ next actions; namely lowering his Dust halberd and pushing his mask up so that rested atop his head beneath the hood that was still pulled low

“So it true then, you defected. Long time no see Demi”

“Blue?” Demian gasped out at the familiar face of the bear Faunus he’d begun his own meteoric rise through the ranks of the White Fang alongside “You're….You’re a Praetor?”

“A recent promotion” the words sounded as though they left an unpleasant taste in his old friends’ mouth “After the purge”

“Purge?” Demian’s eyebrows raised enough to be visible above his mask “After Sienna?” he nodded downwards to wear Adam was now holding the torch that would light the pyre

“Who’re you here with?” Blue demanded quickly, seemingly just as nervous as the Crow Faunus he’d caught about to commit murder “You doing this for the council?”

“No” Demian shook his head vehemently, he may have left the Fang but he still had some very specific opinions on the Kingdoms’ ruling body “My team just got back, we’ve been helping refugees from Vale. I just came to scout” there were a few seconds that seemed to stretch for an eternity while Blue weighed up his options, when the Praetor spoke it was in a hushed tone that conveyed indescribable fear

“There was never a Hunter. Adam purged the Praetor Cohort of anybody who wouldn’t swear loyalty to him….the day before he killed Sienna”

“What” Demian breathed out as his mind raced at a mile a minute, connecting the several disparate pieces of information he had at his disposal into a truly horrifying greater picture. Adam had orchestrated the fall of Beacon, Adam Taurus was notoriously heavy handed even amongst the White Fang, having seemingly no issue with dispensing collective punishment on entire families, if Adam had managed to seize control of the entirety of the organisation by force then the amount of different chapters accounted for suddenly made sense, they already knew to be on the move before Sienna’s death had even occurred. Demian fought the urge to vomit as the realisation washed over him like a tidal wave of icy dread

“He planned this all along. Attacking Haven isn’t just him giving the troops something to rally behind-”

“No” Blue confirmed “He killed Sienna because she wouldn’t give him the go ahead, then used her as a martyr for his cause….and it gets worse”

“How?” Demian demanded “How can it get worse”

“It’s not even about equality any more” Blue gave a bitter laugh “He’s found his old partner after she escaped Beacon. She’s gone home to Menagerie….Adam has ordered Ghira and Kali Belladonna dead and Blake brought in alive”

“He can’t be serious” Demian’s wings fluttered in agitation “Kali Belladonna was a Praetor, one of the first” the idea of sending an assassin against someone who had spent a large portion of their life preparing for just such an eventuality seemed ludicrous, that was saying nothing of the fact her husband was the chieftain of the island

“He sent Brother Yuma” if it were possible Demian’s blood ran even colder. Adam Taurus was an amoral fanatic, Demian himself had once been considered a cold and detached enforcer, Brother Yuma was something else entirely. Brother Yuma was a monster

“Oh my Oum”

“I know” Blue shuddered, shaking his head as he lowered it; unable to meet his old friends’ eyes as they discussed what he’d been party to

“There’s a raid on a Dust mine tomorrow” Demian’s eyes narrowed at the information

“Blue swear to me this isn’t a trap”

“I swear” the Bear Faunus promised, voice wavering “Everything’s gone crazy and I don’t think we can stop it. But we can at least slow things down until the people who can show up”

“If anyone can” Demian sighed, allowing himself to feel a little of the soul crushing weight seemingly settling on the shoulders of every Hunter on Remnant “What do you know?”

“Just the bear necessities” Blue grinned “Atlas closing it’s borders wasn’t accounted for, Nobody thought they’d actually do it. Have you got a map on your Scroll, I’ll show you what you need to know”

Hunter Woods returned to the hotel room still wearing a mischievous grin caused by the reactions of the hotel staff to the several bags of what was clearly fast food of the exceptionally cheap and greasy variety. Hunter found the staff here to be far too uppity considering that this hotel was a den of thieves, killers and mobsters; even if it was a very comfortable room.

“Honeys I’m home” he called out over the sound of Sylvane’s flute, his leader often played to herself to calm down after a mission while her two pet mice did something that could best be described as dancing. Hunter was never quite sure if was of the animals own accord of Sylvane’s Semblance compelling them, at this point he was a little afraid to ask.

“Hey Hunter” Sylvane chirped happily, ending the melody abruptly as he entered “Ooh you got it, smells nice, thanks” Hunter handed the bag over, knowing better than to get between Sylvane and the absurd amount of food she could put away, she was already loosening her corset in anticipation. The Vaccuan turned his attention to the other occupant of the room

“You want food? If you don’t get it soon she’ll have inhaled it all” Rosalya didn’t turn to to face him, she was currently sat at the room’s dresser with her gloves removed, something that would never occur in the presence of people she didn’t trust implicitly

“I’m not hungry” she stated bluntly, brow furrowed as she examined the inner workings of her prosthetic hands in excruciating detail. As she removed an almost microscopic mote of dust marring some of the impossibly sensitive workings with a pair of tweezers, Hunter almost managed to break her focus with his next words

“He’s gonna be fine. Worrying about him so much it puts you off your food won’t help none”

“I’m concerned about a team-mate doing something potentially reckless, nothing more” the ivory haired Huntress answered, perhaps a little too suddenly. Hunter and Sylvane gave each other knowing looks which Rosalya pretended not to notice, in her team-mates minds the fact that she’d felt a need to object at all spoke volumes.

“So we didn’t find anything in the recent newspapers at the library” Hunter drawled with a yawn as he stretched himself out on his bed, thoroughly unused to such comfortable surroundings “What do we do if Demian doesn’t find anything?”

“We could always check in at Haven” Sylvane suggested “I know classes aren’t in session but we’ve gone for a while, we should probably let Professor Lionheart know we made it back to Mistral”

“We should check the assignments in the city square” Rosalya countered “As pleasant as being back at the Academy would be the fact remains we’re Hunters. If there are people in need then we have a duty”

“True, true” Sylvane nodded through a mouthful of ludicrously unhealthy food “It’d be nice to catch out breath for a little before we head back out though….What about you Hunter?”

“I’m not too sure” he shrugged “But the guy at the take out did mention that there were some other students Hunters in town recently….Ya think it might be worth seeing if it’s anyone we know?”

“Maybe” Sylvane gave her own shrug, before she could add anything the door to the hotel room flew open; the trio of Hunters instinctively diving for the weapons only to pause when they saw the identity of the newcomer “Holy Oum don’t scare us like that” Sylvane chided with a laugh, her cheeriness fizzled out as she took in her winged team-mates appearance; paler than even his normal pallid complexion, sweating and his hands and wings shook as he tried to steady himself with deep breaths

“What’s wrong?” Rosalya was naturally the first to ask “Are you okay?” feline eyes were wide in shock as she watched the normally somewhat detached teen struggle to regain his composure

“Adam Taurus. The Adam Taurus who led the White Fang in Vale is now the leader of the organisation as a whole” the words took a few moments to sink in, all of them had been present at the battle of Beacon though only Rosalya seemed to grasp the severity of Demian’s news

“The one with a vendetta against the Schnee Dust Company….That is….Unfortunate” Demian gave a bitter laugh

“Unfortunate, yeah let’s go with that” the crow Faunus finally managed to appear something approaching calm “There’s a mining facility not far from Mistral’s borders. The White Fang are planning to hit tomorrow evening as the sun sets; if we can’t stop them then they’ll have everything they need to launch an attack”

“Oh shit” Hunter’s eyebrows rose “They’re out for blood after Sienna-”

“Exactly” Demian nodded “So we need to either make a plan to fight them or make a plan to get people as far away from Haven as possible; that’s the target”

“You think we’d run?” Hunter demanded, frankly more than a little affronted

“I think you’d be an idiot if you didn’t at least consider a retreat”

“He’s right” Rosalya added “Adam Taurus with a larger and more capable force at his disposal is a prospect to be feared. There’s a reasonable chance that we might fail to slow down the White Fang’s preparations-”

“We’re not running” Sylvane asserted bluntly, rising to her less than impressive full height with all the authority she could muster “We’re going to stop them tomorrow. We might not be able to win a war against the White Fang but we don’t have to, we just have to keep winning individual battles and forcing them to pull back”

“I’m with the little lady” Hunter beamed, eagle eyes positively shining with anticipation; as a Vaccuan born Faunus he had a special brand of distaste for the terrorists than presumed to speak for his people

“Please don’t call me that” Sylvane whined, the image of a battle hardened commander crumpling instantly. Attempting to maintain it she turned back to Demian, the crow Faunus’s wings had wrapped around him in a display of nerves “How did you find out about this?”

“Adam used Sienna Khan’s funeral as a rallying cry, everyone knows about the attack on Haven” he answered with a grimace “The attack on the Dust mine is being kept quiet though, I heard about it through an old contact pretty high up”

“Will Adam Taurus be there in person?”

“No” Demian allowed himself a small smile as he delivered possibly the only titbit of good news he had

“Then we can do this” Sylvane gazed at her team, filling with determination and hope “We will do this”

“We need information” Rosalya cautioned as she slid her gloves back over her hands, having discretely reattached the outer casings over the course of the conversation

“I know the exact location, who’s leading, how many people and their overall plan” Demian managed to reflect some of his leaders’ optimism, he may view her as a younger sibling but he would openly admit that Sylvane was a constant source of inspiration to him

“Good work” Rosalya beamed, pretending not to notice the slight blush that crept across his face, the two shared a look that lingered for a few moments until Sylvane spoke again

“Okay, Demian you know the White Fang better than anyone else. Rosalya you’re the brains, I can think of the fly but you know how to sit down and plan. Hunter-”

“Yes Ma'am” he chuckled

“You know how to get down and dirty”

“Damn right I do”

“So” Sylvane’s face split into a comically wide and childlike grin “Let’s figure out how we’re gonna save a Dust mine and save Haven”

It was almost upon them. Team SHRD had spent the majority of the evening plotting out their strategy to counter the White Fang raid followed by getting more sleep than any of them would have believed before the fall of Beacon, the idea of such peaceful rest before what was to come would have been unthinkable to them less than year ago. It had taken them hours to successfully infiltrate the premises, Demian had stated that his contact didn’t know of any White Fang operatives inside the mine, in fact it seemed that every Faunus working there had been laid off soon after the attack in Vale under a number of flimsy pretexts; though Team SHRD contained two Faunus who were more than capable of passing as human and were as such unwilling to take the risk of informing the manager of the facility, knowing that there could still be spies inside.

“Anything guys?” Sylvane asked as the four of them lay flat against the roof of an office building situated to the side of the mine itself. The mine was hidden within a towering mountain, the majority of the Dust situated below ground and the waterfall which had once cascaded down its’ side had been frozen solid by the Ice Dust, were it not been stripped for its’ resources it would have been breathtakingly beautiful. In front of the office was a wall easily twenty feet tall, tipped with razor wire and made of reinforced Atlesian steel, the checkpoint being the only entrance into the facility; less than a quarter of a mile in the distance a fence made of several lays of interwoven chains formed another barrier against intruders. The sun setting on the horizon bathed everything in a golden glow

“Not yet” Demian murmured tonelessly, his shotguns combined into their sniper rifle form allowing him to peer down the scope and augment his already greater than human vision.

“I can get a better look” Hunter offered, green eyes glowing as he activated his Semblance and stared intently in the direction that the White Fang would be arriving from. Eventually his expression darkened into a determined scowl. Withdrawing his weapon and deploying it in longbow form he nocked an arrow tipped with a black crystal that glistened and shimmered in the failing light; a Gravity Dust tip, a common addition to Hunters’ arsenal when armour piercing rounds were a necessity.

“They’re coming?” Sylvane breathed out, tone finally betraying the nerves creeping up on her

“Half a dozen trucks” Hunter confirmed “I can see the driver at the front, definitely Fang….I can feel the bad vibes coming off 'em” a little known fact of Hunter’s Semblance was that it did more than magnify his vision, it allowed him to see the unseen; to a limited extent he could read the strongest emotions of those he saw"

“We’re prepared, we’re determined, we’re ready” Rosalya affirmed, though her fingers drumming against the roof with a metallic clang gave away her apprehension.

“She’s right” Demian, surprisingly was the one to offer support “Either way, it’s time” his ebony wings tensed as the trucks came into view. With a slow exhale her disconnected Life and Death before recombining the Shotguns in a new configuration, their much less frequently used grenade launcher mode.

“Wait for it” Sylvane whispered as she drew Ratten Choir in its’ flute form, watching intently as the first of the trucks made their way through the first checkpoint “Wait for it….NOW!”

In a single moment the world seemed to be torn apart in a cacophony of sound and explosions. The moment the last truck had made its’ way beyond the chain fence Demian launched a grenade into the cab of the first truck, Hunter sending an arrow sailing into the wheel of the rear truck. The thunderous blast had the intended result, alarms began to blare and the gates at both checkpoints began to slide closed even as White Fang fighters poured from the trucks desperately searching for the source of the attack. The leader of the group was evident, they were the Faunus flanked by a trio of the Praetor Cohort.

“Oh my Oum what’s happening?” a frightened voice from below shrieked, Sylvane’s cue to act. She brought her flute to her lips and focused on the terrified office worker struggling to comprehend the scene from her window. The first few notes of the melody which carried her Semblance brought the young woman under Sylvane’s control and compelled her to follow a single imperative; raise more alarms and get to safety.

“UP THERE!” the White Fang had spotted them, if the shout didn’t confirm it the incoming maelstrom of bullets did

“Everyone knows what to do!” Sylvane yelled as she leapt from the roof, the rest of Team SHRD launching into action after her. Hunter stayed in position on the roof, bow sending arrows that burned, froze, electrocuted and exploded into the roughly two dozen attacks and their vehicles as his friends made their landings.

“Kill the traitor!” the leader of the attack bellowed as Demian landed, wings tucking flat against his back. From this angle it was clear to see that the leader of the group was a Crocodile Faunus with a countless teeth intended to tear flesh from bones “Bring his head back to-” he was silenced by the blinding flash of light caused by Rosalya teleporting beside him and launching a devastating offensive with her daggers. The first wave of grunts to try and act on the commanders’ final order found themselves halted by a barrage of arrows then swiftly countered by Sylvane whose whips wrapped around the chest of an emperor penguin Faunus, the weapon retracted allowing the minute Huntress to deliver a brutal drop kick and begin the task of taking down any fighters that weren’t picked off by Hunter’s marksmanship.

All that was left for Demian was the task of fighting a trio of Praetors alone, a herculean task that more experienced fighters would have paled at.

“Come” the crow Faunus’s voice came out in a dull monotone as the trio charged, halberds raised “I am death. Death can’t be killed” he found himself fighting a shudder at the ease with which he slipped back into the cold and merciless of persona of 'The Harbinger of Death’ the first of the elite fighters to reach him, a tusked Walrus Faunus found Death levelled at his face and discharged at near point blank range; the blast fuelled by Fire Dust engulfing his skull ensuring that even if his Aura held he would be blinded and deafened for a few moments. Demian followed up by throwing Life into the air and activating his Semblance, a single rune made of flickering darkness conjuring a small knife in his palm which was buried in the Praetors’ thigh as he crouched under the wide slash of the second attacker. Firing Death into the Mantis Faunus’s gut he charged forwards and caught Life as it fell, firing over her shoulder at the third Praetor. The Mantis Faunus tried to stab at his stomach, a pair of hastily conjured runes caused a pulsating wall of obsidian darkness to appear between them, slanted at an angle that caused it to catch Demian’s aggressor squarely in the throat when he sent it flying forwards. As the Mantis struggled to rise, her mandibles clicking angrily, Demian aimed Life and Death and let the shotguns roar; explosive and incendiary rounds laying waste to the asphalt. His tactics were dirty, disorienting and intended to stun before delivering a finishing blow. The terror tactics of the White Fang enforcer he’d been a lifetime ago, old habits it seemed, died hard.

A bellow of rage behind him alerted Demian to the Walrus Faunus returning to his feet and charging, despite blood flowing freely from a gash in his right leg that was clearly hindering his movement. Demian threw his left arm out in a wild swipe, the barrel of Life striking the man across the cheek and sending a web of cracks along his mask. The Crow Faunus felt his heart stop in his chest when he pulled the trigger and heard nothing but an empty click. There was no time to reload

“Y'know what’s really fun about bird Faunus?” his attacker bellowed as he tackled Demian to the ground, a vicious kick to the skull ensuring that he stayed down “Hollow, easy to break bones. I’m gonna crush your skull you son of a-” the sentence was cut short as the Praetor was sent hurtling back by a blast of red light, an effect most commonly associated with the Cohort’s own weapons.

“Get up” Demian’s eyes widened at the familiar voice “Get up Demi!”

“Blue!” Demian demanded as he scrambled to his feet and retrieved his weapons, holstering them “You didn’t say you’d be part of the attack!”

“Yeah well, all part of the plan” the Bear Faunus’s smile could be seen faltering beneath his mask

“So that’s how it’s going to be” Demian hissed, hands becoming wreathed in the darkness of his Semblance “You’re gonna bring me back to Adam?”

“No” Blue paused, seemingly checking that the other two members of the Praetor Cohort were indeed unconscious before removing his mask and holding his weapon out to his old friend “You’re gonna bring me in”

“What?”

“I can’t do this any more!” Blue spat “I can’t do all this grand conspiracy shit and I can’t just run away like you did! I still have a family Demi, Adam’s already proved he’ll kill people’s families if they run….I need to get captured, it’s the only way” Demian stood in silence for a seconds that felt like hours. Being the one to take away his friends’ freedom was a burden he wasn’t sure he could carry until he realised that Blue spoke the truth. There was no other way

“I’m sorry it has to be like this” he sighed as he took the Halberd and aimed

“Me too” Blue gave a nervous chuckle before the crimson burst of energy from the weapon sent him hurtling backwards, limp and unmoving. Casting the weapon aside Demian reloaded Life and Death in record time and turned his attention to the battle that had been going on around him. The trucks were utterly demolished, the smell of smoke assaulting his nostrils as several of them burned while laid on their sides. Hunter had joined the fray on the ground, assisting Sylvane in combating the clearly inexperienced grunts. His eyes widened when he saw Rosalya, the Crocodile Faunus she fought had lost his mask and several teeth while she sported a bloody nose, a gash above her right eye and her left glove was missing leaving her prosthetic hand on display; the knuckles stained with her opponents’ blood.

“Rosa get down!” Demian bellowed, using as much of his Aura as he could feasibly spare he cast a series of runes in rapid succession, the end result of which was a glowing Ursa rampaging towards the White Fang commander, with a single swing of his axe the reptilian Faunus removed its’ head and cackled

“Well looks like the canaries won’t be the only bird to die in this-” the air left his lungs as the head of an arrow burst through his chest in a spray of blood

“Their commander is down!” Rosalya called out to Sylvane “Push the advan-” her words were cut short as one of the few remaining grunts who’d watched their leader fall took the opportunity to hurl a makeshift grenade in Demian’s direction. It took the Crow Faunus an inordinate amount of time to realise he hadn’t died and the flash of light he’d seen was in fact Rosalya teleporting him to safety, swaying a little and leaning against him in exhaustion.

“They’re getting away damn it!” Hunter barked, it was true the Crocodile Faunus still lived despite the heavily bleeding hole in his chest and the White Fang still capable of doing so were fleeing from Team SHRD on foot.

“Let 'em go” Sylvane ordered, seemingly struggling to stand; coated in dust, sweat and blood “We can’t catch 'em all”

“We’re going to struggle to detain the criminals we’ve already apprehended” Rosalya noted with an uncharacteristic smile. As if in answer to her statement the reinforced gate of the second checkpoint began to open and a dozen armed guards poured into the area; an upwards glance revealed just as many taking up sniping positions on the wall itself. A middle aged woman whose uniform marked her out as some form of authority tipped her cap in the teens’ direction as she strode over

“Sorry about the response time. That was some impressive fighting, when did you kids graduate Haven?”

“We didn’t” Hunter snorted, earning himself a wide eyed stare of disbelief

“Ma'am” Rosalya saluted “Will you need our assistance in tracking down the White Fang that escaped”

“That won’t be necessary” the head of security returned the salute and gave a confident smirk “When I heard the alarm go off I got in contact with an old friend, he said he’s gonna send some people over. They should be here right about-”

“LET’S START THIS PARTY WITH A YANG!”

“Nora! SMASH!” Team SHRD turned, their expressions united in comical disbelief as they watched the almost cartoonish display of over the top showmanship that the newcomers dispatched the escaping raiders with

“Wait….” Sylvane struggled to contain her disbelief as comprehension dawned on her “Don’t we know those guys?”

“I believe the one using the hammer to….oh my, can a spine do that?” Rosalya gasped “I believe she was one of Pyrrha Nikos’s team-mates”

“Huh” Hunter shrugged “The chick on the bike, didn’t she shoot Mercury Black in the leg….sweet, that guy gave me the creeps” Demian had been too absorbed by the novelty of watching a small Huntress with a red cape, Ruby if he remembered rightly, perform something that resembled a slide tackle at roughly the speed of sound. The mention of Yang Xiao Long brought him to his senses

“We have to talk to them” he sighed “Yang is partnered with Blake Belladonna. She has to know how much trouble Blake is in….I think we’re going to need each others’ help before too long” Team SHRD shared a glance before Sylvane stepped forwards

“Agreed. Let’s go give 'em a warm Haven welcome”

Authors Notes:

let’s summarise:

Team SHRD are doing what I imagine a lot of student teams are doing while the Academies are closed, fighting the good fight in any way they can. Also who wants a Team CFVY spin off series where they’re trying to rebuild Vale after the battle of Beacon? I don’t know if Cass agrees with me but I can’t look at Hunter’s design and not hear a southern drawl. I have no regrets for making a Hummingbird Grimm, none at all. I think that was a pretty nice take down, a good introduction to the teams’ abilities for people who are meeting Team SHRD for the first time. Yes the Dragon Zord theme….It’s a weaponised flute, there’s so many references I could have made; I was tempted to have her player “Lugia’s theme” from Pokemon 2000. Yes it’s the bartender from Vol.5 with the 'No Faunus’ sign outside. Vaccuo is canonically not as racist as the other Kingdom’s a Vaccuan Faunus in Mistral would be in for a culture shock….Which makes me want Sun Wukong’s back story, why did he move to Mistral. The idea for the hotel as neutral ground is from John Wick 2. The 'Praetor Cohort’ are my own invention for this story, I headcanon that those guards around Sienna in Vol.5 are her own personal elite guard; she was the one who made the White Fang more militant, it makes sense that she’d have something like that. I think most Hunters that knew what Adam Taurus was capable off would happily trade their lives for the lives they’d save by assassinating him. Blue the Bear Faunus; yes he’s a jungle book reference….So I had to find a way to work the words “Bear necessities” in somewhere. I have a headcanon that Kali is stupidly bad-ass, so she was a Praetor in this. Anyone else utterly let down by Brother Yuma? Okay, so Cass mentioned she was originally going to ship Rosalya and Demian and reading the bios available for them it just seemed natural to tease and hint a little by having Rosalya be just a little bit Tsundere. I think my frozen waterfall Ice Dust mine is cool, but still not as cool as the floating islands….Seriously RT were holding back waiting til Vol.5 to drop geography like that on us.

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