Eight Years Later
The attack came during the waxing moon, when only a few shards of the pale orb above were scattered across the sky, being slowly drawn back to the fattening oval. First, there were cracks and bangs as wooden doors and fences splintered and broke. Then came the screams. Finally, the dreadful howls ripped through the night as surely as fangs ripped through flesh.
The werewolves had come.
Xavier was woken by the screams even before his older sister came bursting into his room. He was already out of bed and fumbling for his armor. "Where are they?" he asked as he picked up his sword and shield.
"On the eastern side of town in the Faunus District, judging by the screams," Mary told him as she rushed toward the door ahead of him. "Father is already on his way."
The blood froze in Xavier's veins. Blake lived in the Faunus District, and Yang and Ruby's home was pretty close to it.
He ran so fast, he almost overtook his sister. For a few minutes, he forgot the familiar fear that surfaced before any battle. All that mattered was that his friends were in danger, and it was his job as a Huntsman to kill the beasts threatening them. Of course, nothing could have prepared him for the gruesome sight that awaited him.
The ground was littered with the corpses of livestock. Goats, sheep, and cattle oozed blood into the earth, staining it red. Darting, furry shapes appeared and disappeared behind buildings and shrubs. Then, the first one came close.
It was an ugly beast that crouched on all fours, but would likely be over six feet tall if it stood on its hind legs. Its wolfish face was broad, with a long snout filled with jagged teeth. Its forepaws were larger than milk saucers with five long, clawed fingers. A bushy tail swished back and forth in a grotesque imitation of a cheerful hound. Dark brown fur covered its body.
With a cry of rage, Xavier rushed forward, swinging his sword at the werewolf's face. It nimbly dodged to the side, swiping with its claws. Xavier barely raised his shield up in time. His sister lunged at the beast's side, jabbing with her own blade. The creature snapped at her, barely missing her shoulder.
Grunting with exertion, Xavier pushed forward, causing the wolf to stumble. That was all Mary needed to deliver the killing blow, driving her sword into its neck. She spared a brief smile before rushing into the fray again.
For a few bloody minutes, battles raged across the town. Then, as suddenly as the attack started, the wolves ran. The Huntsmen pursued them to the edge of the village, where their superior speed allowed them to escape. Reluctantly, the warriors withdrew. They had to tend to the injured and kill anyone who had been infected. Xavier cleaned his sword, feeling distinctly proud that he had managed to defend his home so well.
It wasn't until the following day, when the town elders made their announcement, that he found out the awful result of that night: Ruby Rose and Blake Belladona were dead. The beasts had devoured them, leaving only two pools of blood behind.
That morning, everyone was busy cleaning up. Xavier felt numb. The announcement from the Elders rang in his ear, as did Weiss's horrified scream. Yang hadn't been present for the town meeting. She had been the one to find the pools in Blake's house, which had been wholly destroyed.
"She was returning a book," Yang was muttering in a hollow voice when Xavier saw her later on. "She just…wanted to return that stupid ninja book…" He decided to leave her alone for a little while.
Ren and Nora met up with Xavier as he helped drag yet another corpse to the funeral pyre in the center of town. It was a werewolf. He eyed it, noting that its fur was black, not red. He checked every werewolf for the green eyes and red fur he had seen when he was a child. So far, he had seen none. That was a small comfort. He had told no one about his little encounter a few years back and had no intention of doing so, especially now.
Still, if he found that werewolf's corpse among the others, he would never forgive himself. He would spend the rest of his life wondering if the beast he had once let go had been the one to kill his friends.
As he tossed the body onto the stack, Nora touched his arm. "Are you doing okay?"
Xavier breathed a shaky sigh. "I've…been better." He didn't trust himself to talk too much. He'd probably start crying.
All he could think about were the bright, silver eyes of his best friend. He remembered how they had shined when she showed him the rare battle scythe her uncle had given her. He thought about when they were kids and planned on being great Huntsmen. He remembered her dragging him into the forest to try and get a glimpse of a Grimm when he was nine and she was seven, only for both of them to get a solid thrashing from their parents later.
He hadn't been as close to Blake, but he still missed her presence. She was like Ren: quiet, withdrawn, but always willing to support those close to her.
Ren seemed to understand Xavier's struggle. "We can talk about it when we're done here."
"Thank you," Xavier sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "Yang and Weiss are taking it the worst."
"Losing your best friend and little sister in one night…" Nora shook her head. "I can't imagine that. And Weiss was gonna finally confess to Ruby."
"Wait, what?" Most of their friends had known for a while that Weiss and Ruby had feelings for each other. Xavier felt a distinct prickling behind his eyes as he thought of the village's "Ice Queen" preparing to put herself on the line and declare her love, only for this to happen. The scream from before echoed in his head.
"That…That just makes this even worse, somehow." Xavier's throat tightened and he had to scrunch his eyes shut and take a few deep breaths to keep from sobbing right then and there. When he looked up, he saw Nora wiping tears from her cheeks.
"Sorry," she muttered. "I shouldn't have mentioned it."
Ren touched her shoulder. "Come on. There's still a lot of cleaning up to do."
Before they could move, however, a loud crash followed by a scream caused them to turn around. A crowd of people had gathered a bit down the street and were surrounding a brown-haired rabbit Faunus.
"Velvet!" Xavier immediately broke into a run, followed closely by Ren and Nora. He started shoving through the crowd, trying to get to the center. As he did, he felt his heart sink at the snippets of conversation he heard.
"Better to be safe than sorry."
"No good having that sort in our village."
"The attack was concentrated in the Faunus District. Everyone knows werewolves are drawn to them."
When the three Huntsmen got to the center of the crowd, they saw Velvet brandishing a dagger in one hand while the other rested on her sword hilt. Cardin and his three friends were surrounding her, their weapons drawn.
"Hey, what's going on?" Nora asked, holding her hammer in a feigned-casual manner.
Cardin sneered. "Beat it. We're just killing another cursed animal."
"I wasn't bitten!" Velvet protested, her ears twitching fearfully.
"Your arm's bleeding!" Russel pointed out.
"It scratched me. Scratches don't turn people!"
"Yeah, but you're a Faunus," Cardin said, his eyes narrowing. "Everyone knows your kind is more likely to turn, since you're already part beast."
"That's not true, and you know it!" Xavier snapped, drawing his sword and planting himself between Cardin and Velvet. "We'll show her to the village healer, just like everyone else who was injured. He'll know whether or not she's cursed."
"That's right," Ren added. "There's no need for a mob, not when we still have repairs to make."
Nora peered over the heads of the gathered humans. "Oh, hi Yatsu!" She waved as she saw the large warrior making his way toward the crowd, an angry expression on his face. "You guys might want to clear off, unless you want to tell him what you're trying to do to his wife."
That was enough to quiet the mob. By the time Yatsuhashi reached the group, everyone had scattered, including Cardin and his cronies.
The quiet man glanced at the three before pulling Velvet into a hug. "Are you okay?"
Velvet nuzzled her cheek against his broad chest. "Yes. I was scared that I'd have to fight them. It's a good thing Xavier, Ren, and Nora came when they did. If I had been forced to hurt someone…" She shuddered at the thought of what the village would have done then.
"Thank you for the help," Yatsuhashi said. "We've already been to the healer. She's not infected."
"I figured," Xavier replied, sheathing his sword. "Of course, those idiots wouldn't have listened to that."
"Probably not," Velvet agreed, hugging Yatsu one more time before standing up straight. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I liked Blake and Ruby a lot, but I know how much closer you all were to them. Give our regards to Yang and Weiss as well."
"We will. Thanks." Xavier managed a smile. "Let us know if anyone gives you trouble again. Even you two might need help if another mob gathers."
"We're spending the night at Fox and Coco's house," Velvet assured him. "We're also letting the other Faunus in town know that they should probably not be in their homes tonight."
Nora let out a snort of disgust. "I still can't believe people are so stupid."
Ren shrugged helplessly. "Well, stupid or not, it's our job to help and protect them. Let's get back to work."
The three worked tirelessly throughout the day before going home. The following morning, they found out that Velvet's house, along with three other Faunus homes, had been burned to the ground. No one was particularly surprised.