2 Chapter 2

Aaron had only heard stories of Vale. A vast city filled with huntsmen and huntresses in training along with good food and great people to meet. He had always dreamed to go there one day, with his family and friends. However as he looked at the stained wall in front of him, he knew that it'd never come true. At least, not in the way he hoped. Instead of walking down the streets with Lucy and Kuno side by side, there he was in an alleyway corner with a box for a home. He sunk further into the shade of it's walls, with Emilia pressing her body deeper into his side. Their life had changed dramatically in a short amount of time, neither of them had the mental power or the time to think straight.

Aaron thought back on the first thing he remembered on that evening a month ago, reliving the moments where Emilia was being attacked by that Grimm. He could only remember brief glimpses of the fight, the sharpness of Grimm claws and the sound of their bodies crumpling like paper. It hurt him to go any deeper, and the fact that it did scared Aaron. What could have he done for his own body to forbid him from remembering? He didn't know and he was too afraid to find out.

He remembered the sky being dark when he came to, the only light coming up from the fires that consumed many of the village homes. It took his mind a while to settle, but he soon realized that he was kneeling down in that sea of blood naked, cradling an unconscious Emilia, and with a totally different body. It took Aaron all of his power to not go into a nervous break down right there, because he was still in danger. Emilia was still in danger. His body went on autopilot, running back to what remained of their forest home, and gathering whatever was left. He only took essentials: cloths, food, soap bars, before hightailing it out of there and not looking back. The two of them wandered through the rough wilderness for what seemed like ages, and during that time helped Aaron to get accustomed to his new body. It was as if someone aged his body up to an eighteen year old. Now he was almost as tall as his father, standing at an intimidating six feet, with a body that seemed to be made for a veteran huntsman. His brunette hair stuck out more, falling wildly down to his back, and framing his square face nicely. In basic terms he was impossibly handsome, even through the obvious grit and grime.

Emilia took a turn for the worst. Ever since she woke up she became distant, but given everything that had happened, Aaron couldn't blame the poor girl. Everything in the six year old's life was taken from her, all because of those damned monsters. Aaron would give up anything just to see her smile, just to see her happy, but he knew that was nearly impossible. However he had to try, he was the older one, he was the one who had to take care of her. He would do anything and everything that was necessary to keep her safe. A loud grumble interrupter Aaron from his thoughts. He heard Emilia whimper in discomfort. Food was something that was hard to come by but they had to get by even if that meant stealing.

"Brother, I'm hungry." Emilia pouted staring at her brother with tired eyes. Aaron frowned, feeling a similar hunger fill up his gut. That was another thing about his body, it got hungry faster and longer than how he previously was. With each food scrap he ate, it only seemed to make him hunger more. It would take a lot of food to satisfy his stomach but he knew that Emilia came first, no matter how his conscious felt. Aaron gave her a soft smile before ruffling her head, careful not to press hard on the hat hiding her ears. It was no surprise that the Faunus weren't well liked, even in a well established place as Vale. Every city had it's ruff patches and here was no exception. It was hard to hide their Faunus nature with their wolf ears and tails, but they made do, even if it meant to cause themselves discomfort. Aaron didn't need to cause any more unwanted attention from them.

"I'll find you something." He promised. The small girl's eyes lit up briefly, excited at the possibility of food. She sat there in silence as Aaron stood, alleyway shadows darkening his long worn coat that his father wore. With a gloved hand, Aaron pulled down the dark green beanie on his head, hiding his ears from the world, before winking playfully. "Stay right there, I'll be back soon."

Walking down the street proved to be more dangerous over time, especially during the night. Ever since they'd gotten to Vale Aaron had gained a reputation, from swindling the average citizens into buying him food or stealing from street markets when no one was looking. He had made the effort in switching it up, striking different places at different times, to throw some of the authority off. His earlier attempts had gotten himself the most heat but after a while he assumed that they tool pity on him, at least that's what he wanted to believe. He trudged past a pair of cute girls and gave them a nod, enticing a happy reaction from the two of them. Not only had his body changed, but it felt as if his whole personality was turned up to eleven. He'd become more extroverted, spitting out more insults and witty one liners that often caused fists to fly. Most of the time it wasn't even his fault, he just couldn't control himself. It was like he was struggling between his normal twelve year old self and a more mature yet cocky eighteen year old. It was confusing and strange, but it was something that he'd had to deal with. The answered would come later when he'd find them. What came first was food.

Aaron chuckled lightly, ignoring the weird stares he was getting as he happened upon a food stand. His yellow eyes examined the small crowd gathered around it, reading the Farmer's Market sign hammered above. It wasn't a store that he was familiar with but he didn't care, as long as they had food it was good enough for him. Stuffing his hands into his coat pockets, he waltzed in, scanning the area through the bangs hiding his eyes. This was it, the big break. There was plenty of fruits and vegetables to sneak out, and with his previous hunter training he could use it for his advantage. So he put on an unassuming face, he straightened his posture, and moved through the crowd. A wide variety of people passed him by, all with wildly different hair colors, face shapes and skin tones. However one similarity tied them all together, they were all human. This would surely make things difficult because no matter how hard he tried to pass off as human, his permanent eyeliner, wolf eyes, and sharp canines always proved to be his downfall. However he knew he couldn't mess up, this was for Emilia after all.

Aaron waltzed up to an apple stand and picked up an apple, staring into it as if he were trying to find it's true meaning. Just as he was about to pocket it he felt a peculiar set of eyes, feeling him up and down from behind. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he turned, facing a young woman standing about two feet away. She looked to be on the precipice of adulthood, with curves in all the right places showing her worth. Her purple hair was tied up into a loose ponytail, exposing the tanned skin on her neck. Even though she was dressed modestly Aaron knew that if he saw during any other hour, he would not be thinking as pleasantly about her as he was now. The woman took his stare as the go ahead to come closer, even though that was something Aaron didn't need. He could only wait patiently as she crossed the slightly dense crowd, before appearing in front of him. She smiled mischievously at him.

"What do we have here? A new face, I'll be damned to not have seen a handsome one like yourself around these parts. What's your name sweetie?" She cooed.

Sweetie?! The word almost made Aaron vomit. That word was on of his mother's favorites, seeing it come out of a woman of this type made him want to die right there. But he couldn't slip up now, he had a facade to put up.

"I've been called lots of names...but you can call me Rob." He replied, reaching into the bottom of the barrel of names. It was stupid, he knew that, but the ever growing urge to eat was overpowering his thinking strategies. However, it seemed like the woman was buying it. Her teeth toyed on her plump lips playfully, batting her eyelashes as she examined his face.

"Rob? What an interesting name. To be honest I think Wolfe suits you better." She smirked. Aaron's heart nearly stopped.

Wolfe?! D-Did she know?!

Despite his inner turmoil, his eyes scanned her face for any subtle hints, only to find none. However, he did see her glance ever so slightly over to the apple he held in his hand. That's when everything clicked. She thought he was going to steal, something that anyone else would be offended by, if only for the fact that it was true. Aaron resisted the urge to gulp as he tried to think of something to say back to her.

"What makes you say that?" He asked. In a split second, the lady's act dropped. Her playful smile and demeanor fell, replaced with a serious frown. She leaned in closer, eyes boring into his.

"You're not as sly as you think boy, It's obvious what you're trying here." She whispered. "This is my father's place, and I'm not gonna let some low-life like you steal from it." Sweat drops started to trail down his face, it was like he could feel the eyes of every bystander watching him with disdain. Charming his way out wasn't an option anymore. As he stared into her eyes he knew that the only option left was to run.

He pushed her back with all his might, sending her flying into the crowd of people behind her. The force of the impact caused everyone she hit to be pushed into the nearby food stands, causing the wooden structures to break. Aaron used this distraction to his advantage, snatching a few more apples into his coat pockets, before booking it down the street. He could hear the woman struggling to her feet, among the moans and groans of his other victums.

"THIEF! THIEF!" She cried, voice disappearing as quickly as it came. Aaron smirked, his body moving in an inhuman pace below him. There was no way anyone could catch up, not with the new speed he gained. Every time he ran, it was on the verge of him going onto all fours. Aaron didn't know where he was going at first, the street corner were coming and going by at an insane rate, but when Emilia's face popped back into his consciousness he knew.

"Right! The apples!" He exclaimed, making a shark cut through a wide alleyway. This the amount of running he'd done, he was sure that he'd avoided any local law enforcement. He skidded to a stop, coat sweeping up from the wind, and blowing a cloud of dust around him. He leaned against the building's wall for a quick breather, when he felt his stomach grumble. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, trying to think of anything other than food. He could feel the nails on his fingers start to expand as his thoughts derailed seamlessly, with the imaginary image of a four coarse meal filled with meat. The apples in his coat felt heavy all of the sudden and against his better judgment he took one out. Aaron admired the beautiful red color, not realizing that his hand slowly inching it towards his dry lips before it was too late. His mouth opened, almost swallowing the thing whole biting, but in a split second he remembered to chew. He sunk his teeth into it, feeling an explosion of goodness and pleasure in his mouth. Wonderfully sweet juice ran down his chin and with each chew he felt his tail wag happily from underneath his coat. He savored each bite as he walked, feeling more full as the pieces hit the bottom of his stomach. In a matter of seconds the apple was finished, before he went to feed on the next one, then the next one, and the next one. When he finally stopped himself, he only had three left. The three, to which he decided, that he was going to give to Emelia. As he held onto the three apples the hunger in his gut never went away. Eventually he returned to the alleyway he called home.

"Emelia!" He called out, voice low to not scare her. "I got...apples..." He approached the box with a smile, only for his words to fail when he noticed something.

She wasn't there.

"Emilia?" He whispered, yellow eyes growing wider with each second.

The box was empty, like no one had even been there, even the blanket that she kept was missing. Aaron dropped to his knees, shifting through the stuff in there for that slim chance that she was hiding among it. But she wasn't, of course she wasn't, Aaron knew that she wouldn't do that to him.

"Why am I even doing this?" He growled, jumping back to his feat. Worst case seriousness were flooding his mind, with all the outcomes incredibly morbid.

Was she hurt? Hungry? Did someone kidnap her? Or WORSE?!

Aaron hadn't realized that his breathing had accelerated, even as he marched out of the alley mouth into the open. To the random pedestrians he looked like a crazed addict, but he didn't care. He had to find out where his little sister went.

"Have you seen my sister?" He practically yelled, eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets. A young woman backed away slowly, muttering incoherently apologizes for whatever she did wrong. Aaron continued to ask around, getting a wide range of reactions and responses, but none of them helped him in his quest. Eventually he found himself trudging sadly outside the local park, staring at the apples in his hands. Tears threatened to fall down his at the thought of never seeing Emilia again.

"...Stupid...so so stupid..." He whimpered. "...I shouldn't have left her..." He could feel his tail go limp from underneath his coat and his ears twitch uncomfortably. He wish that he could throw off these dusty cloths, but the fear of being looked at differently always stayed at the back of his mind.

"Brother!"

Aaron's head perked up at the voice, he knew that voice.

"Emilia?" He whispered.

"Brother! Over here!"

Aaron spun around, searching with his eyes, until he found her. Emilia was just thirty feet away from him, playing at the park, with a huge smile on her face. All of the emotions that Aaron held within him fell out. Anger, worry, surprise, sadness, happiness, all of them merged into one. He crossed that distance in a flash, scooping up Emilia into his arms and pressing her to his chest. When he felt her small arms return his hug he felt as if all was right with the world. They stayed there like that for a while before he finally released her. Aaron put her back down, before resting his hands on her shoulders.

"I told you to stay there Emilia, you scared me!" He exclaimed, keeping a happy smile on his lips. His sister looked down at her dirty shoes, puffing her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Sorry.." She apologized. "But the nice lady offered me food an I-"

"What lady?" Aaron barked.

"She's talking about me." A voice said from behind the two of them. Aaron stood, facing a woman with fair skin and short blonde hair. She wore a tasteful vest and pant combo, with a muted turtleneck and dark combat boots. Sticking right out of her hair were blonde fox ears, that twitched underneath the light breeze. She smiled at Aaron, folding her arms harmlessly in front of her. A few ways away from her were two men posted near a park bench, both sporting similar animal traits. They gave a nod of acknowledgement Aaron's way, but it only made him more wary. Aaron looked back at the lady with concerned eyes, with one hand bawling into a tight fist. Just who was she? What did she want from Emilia? From him?

Seeing the suspicion and doubt in his eyes, the lady took a step forward, trying to ease the tension with a wave of her hand.

"We don't mean any harm," She started. "We're friends, we just wanted to help." Aaron felt his ears twitch from underneath his hat. As sweet as this lady's words might have been, he still wasn't buying it.

"I don't believe you." He growled.

"Well you wouldn't be the first," She sighed. "But in all honesty I couldn't just walk past seeing a girl starve."

Aaron stared at her for a bit longer, gauging her response. There was a sincerity in her eyes that spoke of her good nature, he couldn't deny that, but something still bugged him.

"As much as I'd like to thank you, I still don't buy it. You don't look like the sort to do things out of the goodness of your heart, you want something from me." He said

The woman's eyes flickered with surprise before she shut them, chuckling to herself before smiling. "Perceptive are we?"

"What can I say, I'm a good judge of character. Besides I've been around long enough to know not to trust acts of kindness, most of the time they're too go to be true." Aaron replied, voice lowering as he finished his thought.

"And when they aren't?" The woman asked. Aaron paused for a second, before giving her a heated glare.

"Look lady just tell me why you're here." He pressed.

"As you wish," She sighed. "We're a part of an organization that helps people like you two in need."

"People like us?" Aaron repeated, gesturing to himself as if he missed something. Suddenly, the gears in his head clicked. "As in Faunus?" He asked. The woman nodded her head in confirmation. Aaron pondered on her words. There wasn't that many Faunus organizations that he heard of. Though it was a hot topic around the dinner table, he never paid any attention to it. However one name stuck out, as it was the talk of the village at some point.

The White Fang.

Aaron's father made it a point not to talk about them in the house. His mother chalked it up to a couple of bad experiences a few years earlier. Aaron never asked him and his mother did her best to keep his privacy sacred, but even so it intrigued him. Aaron wasn't sure what relations his father had with the organization, but he did know that it was quite popular with their kind. He looked back at the lady in curiosity.

"Are you apart of The White Fang?" He asked.

"Yes," She smiled. "A specific division to be exact. My group is tasked with recruiting members who have skills that we see fit. As you might of assumed, we have a proposition for you." At her words the whole area went silent, Aaron's head spun at her words. An opportunity that would get him out of this crappy situation?! He didn't want to believe it but there he was, eyes practically shining with hope.

"Go on." He pushed, ready to hear more.

"We have ears in places and we've heard that your a decent shot, am I wrong?" She asked.

Aaron shook his head. "I'm decent, but if you know that then you know about...well."

"It's an unfortunate thing to happen, but it happens a lot more often than wanted. I'm surprised you even made it out here in one piece." She said.

"We managed." He shrugged.

"I see..." The lady trailed off, along with her smile. It fell to satisfy with a serious frown as she folded her arms across her chest. Aaron felt his ears twitch, feeling a bit uneasy at where this was going. The lady walked closer to the two of them, causing Emilia to disappear behind Aaron's legs.

"Let me outright with you and ask you this; If you had to kill for people to get out of your situation, would you do it?" She demanded. Aaron's eyes widened, not expecting a question of that magnitude. In his short life he'd only killed to eat, for food and nothing more. To go a step above and kill a like minded fellow seemed very strange to took his silence to continue.

"That's what we're asking of you. We've seen the talent that you posses, and we'd hate for it to be wasted, or for it to fall in the wrong hands. I know that I might seem to be coming on strong, but I'm being serious when I say it. It won't be pretty, but it will be for a great cause."

"And what cause is that?" He asked.

"To stop the senseless discrimination that the Faunus don't deserve. To put down people who use others for their own profit," Her eyes went into a cold fury, filled with resolve. "By any means necessary."

Her conviction was strong, almost enough to sway him. However, the feeling of his sister's presence kept him from answering. Even if he were to help her, how would he know that Emilia would be safe. It's enough caring for her like it was then, but if he was gone for weeks at a time who would watch her? Aaron put his hand on Emilia's shoulder as his mind reeled at the decision. He licked his lips before speaking.

"If I say yes...will my sister be safe? I don't want to see her living in a trash heap anymore." His voice was raw, and despite being deep and smooth, it sounded like a child took over. The woman nodded, raising a hand towards him.

"She'll be taken care of. You have my word."

"How can yo be so sure?" He asked, eyes staring into hers.

"We have a lot more resources than you realize, I'm sure we can think of something. All we need is your commitment."

Aaron looked at the hand for a while. Seconds passed. Minutes passed.

He took hold of her hand and shook, firmly. "When do I start?"