Monstrum

Dadabarunga, a small village located in the dense forests of Vale, where bandits and Grimm roamed freely. Miles away from any nearby settlements, it was only thanks to the Huntsmen that it was able to survive as long as it had. Despite the issues that come with isolation, it was also of benefit, as the village was surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Near the village outskirts, was a small stream that flowed from the forest to the surrounding grasslands. The crystal clear water was filled with fish during the spring and summer. But during the fall, the village's children would use it to escape the last dredges of summer heat.

Morgan sat on a grassy knoll beside the river, comfortably reading through her book. In front of her, Felicia and Kira played in the water with several village children.

Everything was going well until a powerful splash from one of the children sent water flying at the hooded girl. Morgan hugged the book to her chest and managed to roll out of the way in time before any damage came to her treasure.

"H-hey! Be careful!" She chastised the group, "My book almost got wet!'

"Sorry!" Felicia shot her an apologetic smile. The gesture was eerily reminiscent of Castor. "We'll be careful!"

The group went back to playing in the stream, all the previous tension gone. With a small huff, Morgan went back to reading. She had barely finished a sentence when she felt water splash onto her shoes. Groaning in frustration, she carefully placed her book on the hillside where it wouldn't get wet, and marched into the stream.

"I said be careful!" She glared at the children, "Are you all deaf?"

"Just get a new book!" One of the village boys grumbled, "It's not like it's made of gold."

"But it's not my book, it's Raishuns!" She yelled, sending water flying as she stomped her feet. "He'll be mad if it gets wet!"

"Shut up you creepy girl-" The boy snapped back, and was quickly knocked off his feet by Felicia. He glared at her, while she gloated triumphantly beside Morgan.

"Don't call her creepy! Castor doesn't like it when people call her creepy."

The boy stood and pushed her back, to minimal effect. Felicia smirked and tackled him, causing a large fight to ensue.

"Get off her!" Kira yelled and charged into the fight.

Morgan stood speechless, watching the chaos unfold before her.

[Fighting is bad. The people said we weren't allowed to fight.]

She slowly reached a hand towards the scuffle, and time seemed to speed up. It was as if she was watching a sped-up video in the orphanage. Everything moved unnaturally, images of frightened faces and bright lights filled her vision. She heard screams coming from all directions, even below her. When she regained her senses, the fighting had stopped. The children all looked at her, eyes brimming with fear.

Morgan blinked in confusion and looked down at her hands. She sucked in a breath, her left hand was covered in a strange metal. It was twice the size of her right hand, yet didn't feel any heavier. Each one of her fingers ended in a sharp point, almost like the claws of a beast.

In a panic, she shook her hand, and the metal seemed to melt away back into her skin. Breathing a sigh of relief, she took a step towards the children.

"Don't come closer you monster!" The same boy who had picked on her yelled, before scrambling back to the other side of the stream.

She looked towards Felicia and Kira, but the two of them just stared at her with their mouths agape. The pair looked seconds away from bursting into tears.

[Monster... I'm a monster!] Morgan ran through the stream and towards the forest that surrounded the village. She forced her legs to move as fast as they could and didn't stop until the treeline swallowed her whole.

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"...That's what happened."

In Yona's hands was the book Morgan had been reading that day. She handed it to Raishun, who slowly stroked the cover with his thumb. He could faintly hear her as she continued her explanation.

"Thankfully none of the children were hurt, but Felicia and Kira were pretty spooked. They'll be fine, they're napping at home."

"Sounds like her semblance awakened, talk about foul luck." Castor clicked his tongue and pulled Raishun to his feet with minimal effort. "She doesn't know how to control her power yet, so she's probably scared and confused right now. Let's go find her before something else does."

His eyes drifted to his student, they no longer carried the same playfulness they usually did. Instead, they were filled with a cold resolve that sent a shiver down Raishun's spine.

"Raishun, go with Yona and start searching the forest from where she was last seen. I'll phone in Carmila and we'll search near the radar dish."

"Roger that!" Tightening his grip on the Caligula, Raishun followed Yona as she dashed through the village and into the forest. Along the way, he stowed Morgan's book in a bag that sat just above his tailbone. [She'll want to finish reading it when we find her.]

The pair searched the forest from top to bottom, until the sun began to dip below the horizon. The tall trees that surrounded them began to cast long eerie shadows on the ground. Light from the setting sun illuminated the falling leaves between the shadows. It was almost picturesque, and Raishun felt he would've enjoyed the scenery had he not been searching. As the world turned a darker shade of orange, his thoughts began to toy with the idea of what would happen if Morgan were to encounter a Grimm. The very thought made him sick to his stomach.

Yona seemed to be keeping calm despite the circumstances, never showing a hint of worry or disappointment as they searched. He figured it must have come from her occupation as a Huntress.

"Raishun." She spoke, breaking the silence between them. "This may be somewhat disrespectful to ask, but why did you refuse to return to beacon when we found you? You said it wasn't safe for you, but why was that?"

[Of all the questions it had to be that one.] He let out a low sigh, then nervously met her gaze.

"I wasn't kicked out or anything, I just didn't see eye to eye with one of my teammates is all. When we were paired together for our team, I was nominated as the leader even though I had the least experience out of everyone. I ended up insulting her by treating my leadership as a burden. When I went to apologize that night, I overheard her planning to kill me. I got scared, and I ran away."

Yona's eyes stared into his curiously. Eventually, he couldn't stand it and looked away. "I know I sound like a coward, but if I had stayed I would've died. Heck, they had me dead to rights. Until I made it into the forest and you all found me. "

"I see..."

Worry started to pool in his gut when she didn't respond. [Maybe they thought I was close to graduating, or that I was a special case. What if they force me out for it.]

"You certainly had a hard time before coming here, but it's okay. School isn't for everyone." Yona started running her hand through his mid-length hair. It was softer than the rough tussling that Castor did, almost comforting in a way. "You can stay in Dadabarunga as long as you'd like. Having you around helps ease the heavy burden we've been carrying for years now. And if safety's a concern, then you don't need to worry. Castor would never let anyone hurt a hair on your head."

Raishun felt his throat tighten up and hung his head. He tried to mutter a thank you, but all that came out was a choked sound. In the end, he just nodded in response, and she pulled her hand away.

"Hey! Come on don't cry! I'm not good with really mushy stuff." She looked away, then perked up. Her hands went up and cupped her ears, as she closed her eyes in thought.

"I hear something alive up ahead. There are two of them, one of them's human. I think it's Morgan!"

[I don't hear anything.] Raishun thought as he followed Yona's lead. They kept low to the ground while pushing past a thick clump of bushes. The moment they were through, Raishun felt his stomach drop.

Before the pair was a pristine forest clearing. The same stream that ran through the village divided the clearing in two, giving the area an almost picturesque feeling. Standing across the river with her back up against a tall tree was Morgan. Her eyes were wide with fear, staring at the largest Beowulf Raishun had ever seen.

It was twice the size of a regular Beowulf, with lanky arms that nearly scraped along the ground. The white bony plates that surrounded its body were sharp and were more like spines than armor.

The creature stood unmoving, its unblinking eyes staring intently at Morgan. Slowly the girl reached a hand out towards its snout, her fingertips just barely making contact.

"MORGAN, GET BACK!!"

The girl managed to pull her hand away just as Yona dashed between her and the Grimm. She pulled what looked like a dagger from her hip and swung it in an upwards arc, forcing the Grimm back.

The creature had barely landed when Raishun dashed out of the bush he was hiding in, sword thrust forward to impale it. His blade barely poked into its fur when it shrunk back from the blow and batted him away like an annoying fly.

"GUH!?" He felt his aura flare up around the spot he'd been struck, as he was launched towards Yona, who caught him.

"Are you alright?" She asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine." He grunted, pulling away from her to face their opponent. "But what the heck is that thing? It's massive."

"An Alpha Beowulf... They're smart, at least as far as Grimm go." Reaching into one of the pouches on her belt, Yona withdrew a bright red dust crystal. She fed the crystal into an opening in her dagger and the blade began to burn a bright red color. She repeated the process with her other dagger and looked at Raishun from the corner of her eye.

"I'll take the lead on this one." She spoke calmly, "Support me if you can, but your priority is protecting Morgan."

"Count on it!"

Yona nodded in response and calmly walked towards her opponent. The beast tilted its head, examining her closely as she approached. Suddenly she flicked her wrist, sending a dagger flying towards it.

The Beowulf lifted a claw and let the dagger bounce harmlessly off it. It spun through the air, then began to glow as bright as the sun before exploding in a blast of heat. Black smoke covered the area, that's when Yona took the chance to strike.

Dashing through the smoke, she closed the distance between them. She thrust her dagger upwards, only to have it blocked by the creature's claw. The two were stuck in a stalemate for a moment, then a loud screeching like a dentist's drill resounded loud through the clearing. The Beowulf's claws dismembered flew into the air, as her dagger plunged into its shoulder.

It howled in pain and tried to swat her away with its other claw, but Raishun intercepted the attack with his sword. With a cry of effort, he forced the creature off balance, and Yona cut a deep line from its shoulder to its armpit.

"Nice assist!" Yona grinned, "Now let's finish this- hey!"

The creature, perhaps sensing that the odds were against it, hobbled off deeper into the forest. Despite only have 3 functioning limbs, it moved at a speed that rivaled Raishun's semblance.

"It ran?" Raishun slowly let out the breath he had been holding and turned to his senior, "How did you cut through its claws?"

"This dagger has tiny teeth that run along the blade. When I put in dust, they vibrate quickly and have elemental properties." She gestured to the blade, and upon closer inspection, he could see the tiny teeth she was talking about jutting from the blade. Had she remained silent, he doubted he would have noticed.

"Even Castor with his Imperial Arm would have a hard time against it." She pridefully sheathed the dagger and turned her attention to Morgan, who was curled into a ball near the base of a nearby tree.

"That was a dangerous thing you did, running off like that." She chastised the girl with her hands on her hips, "Would you like to tell us what happened at the stream?"

"I'm a monster." She replied quietly, "My hand... I hurt those kids when I got angry. Felicia and Kira got scared, and then I ran."

"You're not a monster, you're a little girl who awakened her semblance at a bad time. We're heading back home now, come along." Yona grabbed her by the wrist, but Morgan pulled away and retreated closer to the tree.

"What do you think you're..." She paused, and let out a slow sigh. She cast a sidelong glance at her junior and began to tap on her scroll.

"Why don't you talk to her. I'll let the others know that we found her before my fool of a fiancée decides to raze the forest in desperation."

Yona stepped far enough away that Raishun couldn't hear what she was saying into her scroll. Sucking a breath, he knelt down to her level. The two locked eyes for a moment, then she quickly looked away.

"Are you hurt?" He asked with a worried expression.

"No."

"You know, having a semblance doesn't mean you're a monster. What Yona and I fought was a monster. Didn't you see its big fangs and scary ears?"

Morgan flinched at his comment. With trembling fingers, she pulled back her hood, exposing her vulpine ears. She tucked herself into a tighter ball and avoided his gaze.

"I have scary ears... and claws."

[A Faunus...]

Humans who possessed animal-like traits. He'd heard rumors that they were one of the more oppressed groups in Remnant, but had never had a chance to confirm them. Personally, he didn't see why they were so despised. The very traits that led to them being oppressed would have probably been desirable to some people in his old world.

Raishun stared at her for a moment. Her short-cut fluffy hair moving ever so slightly in the cool wind. The fox ears on her head twitched as if waiting expectantly for his answer.

"Having special ears doesn't make you a monster, and neither does having claws."

With a slight pause, he activated his semblance. The familiar wing appeared on his back in a flash of light, though he did his best to keep it stable as not to frighten the girl.

"You see this weird wing on my back? It doesn't let me fly, and it can get pretty scary if I'm not careful." He looked Morgan in the eye and smiled. "Am I a monster?"

"N-no." She sniffled, eyes glued to the mass of energy on his back.

"See we have something in common. Oh, and if you're worried about your claw, then look at this."

Holding up his right arm, he adjusted the sleeve so she could see the bright red armlet that adorned his wrist.

"Try to take it off."

Morgan hesitated, then slowly drew her fingers along the cool metal. First, she tried tugging on it, too little effect. Next, she slipped her fingers under the warm leather on the inside of the armlet and pulled as hard as she could. Nothing happened. She tried a few other strategies, but no matter what she did the metal remained attached to his arm.

"It won't budge right?" He chuckled and withdrew his hand. "My father gave this to me when I got into a fight as a kid. I've tried to take it off so many times, but nothing ever worked. Even bricks and metal don't scratch it or leave so much as a dent."

His amber-colored eyes locked onto her red ones, "I have a scary wing and a big piece of metal on my wrist. Am I a monster?"

"No..." She shook her head and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

"See. We both have parts of us that look scary or make us different. That doesn't make us monsters, it just makes us... us." He reached into his pouch, withdrew her book, and extended it towards her. "I'm still Raishun, and you're still the same Morgan that loves to read right?"

Morgan took the book from him, her thumbs brushing over the cover in thought. She was so transfixed that she didn't notice Raishun had moved until he was standing before her, hand outstretched.

"Besides, your ears make you look cute. And if people still want to call you a monster because of them, then we can be monsters together." He winked, "Just don't tell Carmila, she's more of an angel than a monster."

Morgan stared at him in shock, then took his hand and rose to her feet. With a nod, the two of them along with Yona began to walk back towards the village.