RWBY: Origins of a Dragon

Chapter 1: Grief

Sean gently opened his eyes, the morning sunlight peaking in through the tree line and his window. He stretched, feeling his back crack with satisfaction as he sat up in his bed and looked out the window of his home. Through the window, he could see his fellow villagers, all clapping and cheering with joy. Sean smiled, it had been a long and hard 10 months for his village.
Early into the year, his village had been infected with an unknown and extremely deadly virus. No kingdom had ever seen it before, it was a virus that took over the minds of those who were infected, and put them through agonizing pain, violent coughs, fatigue, excessive blood loss, fits of violence, slow decrease of motor function and finally, death. Sean had watched in horror as the virus had ravaged his village, turning families against each other, neighbors and friends fighting over scraps of food and fresh water from the river nearby. He had witnessed so much death, seen so many people he knew die and succumb to the virus, that he had almost given up hope. But that had changed, roughly a week ago, when the kingdom of Atlas had finally sent aid to the village of Kitai-Hi, and had lifted the lockdown they had placed. Supplies were brought in on trucks, Atlesian troops in hazmat gear had come in to give whatever treatment they could, and little by little, his village was recovering. As for the dead, their bodies were taken by the hazmat teams for study, so that they could hopefully develop medicine and natural resistance for the virus if it ever reared its ugly head in Remnant again.
Sean personally didn't care for Atlas and it's people. It wasn't that he didn't like them, he just hadn't been around them long enough to determine whether he liked them or hated them.
"At least this long nightmare is almost over...." Sean thought to himself as he got out of bed and got dressed. As he put on his favorite black and orange shirt and some jeans, he heard footsteps racing up the stairs towards him. A few seconds later, the door to his room burst open as his younger sister Skylar barged in.
        "For gods sake Sky, can't you knock?!" Sean asked, barely masking a chuckle. It was good to see his younger sister so full of energy again, the past 10 months had done a number on her morale from worrying about everyone.
"Sorry Sean, but those Atlas guys have started giving out all the mail that was kept in that storage crate outside the village to everyone. We just got all of ours, and there's a letter for you from Beacon!" answered Sky with excitement, her icy blue eyes shining with joy. This brought an instant smile to Sean's face as he ran past his younger sister, ruffling Sky's hair as he passed, who followed him in excitement.
Sean bolted down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his mother Alexis, was sorting through the box of letters and documents that had been addressed to their house.
        "Hey Honey. Your letter is over there." she spoke Sean walked over to the counter and grabbed the envelope with the letter inside and walked back over as my mother scolded Skylar for her being loud, and reminded her that her twin brother was still asleep, but Sean didn't really care, it was just the way his younger sister was, especially with their brother, Colton.
"Hey, where's Dad?" he asked curiously as he held the letter from Beacon.
"He's down with the Atlas soldiers in the village center Sean. He'll be back soon." answered Alexis.
        "He's probably trying to convince them to let us bury everyone." Sky voiced sadly.
"I wish they would. They don't deserve to be tested on like they're lab experiments..." she quickly added.
"I know honey, I know. But ultimately it's not up to us. Atlas has the best medical experts in Remnant. Think about it this way, the people we lost will help the future generations better prepare and prevent things like this from happening again. They're never truly gone as long as we keep them in our hearts." coaxed Alexis as she hugged Skylar.
"Still doesn't make it right Mom. The dead should be respected, regardless of what happened." growled Sean as he leaned against the counter and gently opened the envelope, pulling out the letter from Beacon and reading it to himself. His eyes quickly widened as he shouted with joy.
"OH MY GODS!" he exclaimed, causing his siblings and his mother to look at him with concern.
"You okay over there big bro?" Skylar asked, worry in her voice.
"Guys..... I got accepted. I GOT ACCEPTED INTO BEACON!" Sean shouted, the euphoria in his voice unmistakable as he read through the letter again to make sure he wasn't dreaming. His mother was instantly there to hug him, sharing in his joy as his younger sister cheered. 
"We are so proud of you Sean. You've worked so hard for this, and now it's finally happening!" cheered Alexis as she hugged her oldest son. After 9 long months of sitting in silence, Sean's dream was one step closer to being fulfilled. He was going to become a Huntsman, and help protect his village alongside his best friend.
"I've got to go tell Kara and the others about this! Maybe they got their letters too!" Sean exclaimed, still bursting with energy as he folded the acceptance letter back into the envelope and ran out of his house with it. He dashed across the worn brick roads, kicking up the dust, dirt, and a little bit of smoke from his Semblance as he ran, smiling the whole way. He passed by the fountain in the center of the village and kept going, waving to all the familiar faces he saw, and was greeted by smiles and looks of hope. He even spotted one of the village elders, who was trying to dust off his welcome mat, his Gray hair barely hiding his white tiger ears, and being assisted by one of the younger kids in the village. That was one of the beautiful things about his village, it didn't matter if you were human, or a Faunus, you were treated like family either way.
He passed by his father as he continued to run, who was speaking with who appeared to be an older woman roughly in her early twenties with snowy white hair, but definitely gave off a soldier vibe.
"Sean. What are you doing running around? You know there are still some areas of the village that haven't been fully cleared yet..." his father stated as he stopped speaking to the woman, who simply nodded and stepped back to let him speak. 
"I know Dad, and I'm sorry. But I have to go see my friends right now and tell them the good news," Sean replied, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.
"Oh? And what news would that be, my son?" his father asked with a smile.
"Well, we were going through all the mail that was sent to us and I got a letter from Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy. Dad, I got accepted into Beacon." Sean declared with a smile. This caused his Father to smile as well, a look of pride in his eyes.
"That's my boy. That is amazing news indeed Sean. Let me finish speaking with this kind Atlas lieutenant and we can head home after you've spoken with your friends, and we can celebrate properly. That sound good?" he asked.
"That sounds awesome Dad, thanks. See you in a bit!" Sean said as he took off running again, leaving his Father chuckling as the dust kicked up again.
              "I can't believe this is finally happening. I really hope they all got accepted into Beacon as well, that would make this day even better!" Sean thought to himself as he spotted Kara's house up ahead and poured on the speed, slowing himself down as he neared the front gate to her house. Kara Nightshade was his oldest friend, and his best friend.  The two of them, along with two others, had been thick as thieves since they could remember. He stopped outside her door and knocked politely. The door flew open as he met the heterochromatic eyes of his best friend.
         "Sean!!! Hey!!!!" Kara exclaimed as she threw her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. Sean hugged his best friend back just as tightly, taking a moment to just appreciate being able to hug her again after spending so long only talking to her through Scroll and online game chats. Kara was a Gray Wolf Faunus and the same height as him, with shoulder length hair that was dyed gray to match the fluffy gray tail she had poking out of the sweat pants she was wearing.
        "It's so good to see you again, Kara..." he uttered.
         "It's so good to see you too, man. These last 10 months have been hard on everyone...but what brings you here??? I was just about to read a letter I got. I think it's from Beacon...want to read it together...?" she asked, and he quickly nodded with a smile. Kara grinned and quickly used one of her sharp nails to cut through the paper, and gently pulled the letter out of its envelope. The duo read through the letter silently, their eyes slowly widening in unison as they read the same words.
         "I...I'M GOING TO BEACON!!!" she shouted happily as she looked at Sean.
         "We both are! I got accepted too!" he exclaimed, showing her his acceptance letter too. Kara's smile widened as she hugged him again, before gasping and looking him in the eyes.
          "We have to go see Shira and Kya! Maybe they got their letters too!" she pointed out. Sean nodded as he saw her parents waving at them.
           "Hello Mr and Mrs. Nightshade, Kara and I are just going to see our friends to check if they got accepted!" he explained.
           "You both got accepted into Beacon?!" Kara's mother asked.
            "That's right, Mom. We're both gonna be Hunters!" she exclaimed happily. Both her parents came over and hugged the duo happily.
            "That is wonderful news, truly. We'll celebrate later, you two go see your friends. But be careful, there are still soldiers around." Kara's father warned as the two raced out of Kara's house and down the street. Sean ran ahead of his best friend, even though he didn't mean to, but he was just too excited. They hadn't even made it to Shira's house before they saw her running towards them, a huge smile on her face.
           "Shi!!!!" Kara shouted with excitement as the two shared a tight hug.
           "Hey, Kara!" she replied as she hugged her back. Sean smirked at his friend behind Kara's back, to which Shira responded by glaring at him with her violet eyes with a look that said "shut up, Sean". Shira Torenia was the third friend in their group, and undoubtedly the most mature, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to have fun. She had long black hair with violet highlights, violet eyes, and white skin, with her usual modified parka and boots on today.
           "It's so nice to be back outside again..." she said as she let go of Kara, looking at her two friends before showing her acceptance letter happily.
           "You got in too, Shira?!" Kara asked with joy, and she gave a vigorous nod as she gave them both a hug.
          "Where is Kya? If she got in to it'll be just like we talked about!" Sean exclaimed, more excited than ever.
          "I'm right here, chill out." said Kya as she walked up, smirking. Kara and Shira both hugged her first, before Kya pulled Sean into the group hug. Kya Ochre was the fourth and final member of their group, and while she knew how to have fun better than any of them, she was also very serious when it came to addressing emotions. Whenever someone had a problem, she was there to figure it out and help them, and she was very good at it. She had dirty brown and blonde hair, and golden yellow eyes.
            "I can't believe it, all of us can finally see each other again..." she said with a hopeful smile.
           "It's only been 10 months, but it feels like so much longer.." Shira uttered.
           "Yeah because we couldn't see each other at all. That was agonizing..." Kara added.
           "Yeah...it was..." Sean muttered as he watched a group of Atlas soldiers load up a transport full of body bags. The sight sickened him, and it also made him feel angry, and powerless. Kya quickly clapped his arm, sensing the negativity in the air.
         "So, are we all going to Beacon? Or is it just me?" she asked. She was hugged by Shira and Kara instantly, causing Kya to laugh with joy.
          "We're really doing it, aren't we? All four of us, we're going to our dream Academy..." Shira whispered as Sean smiled.
           "It sure seems that way, Shi." he replied, his heart racing with excitement.
            "So, how are we celebrating?!" asked Kara as she looked among the three of them.
            "My place? My Dad said he was gonna do something special for us. And while we're there I can check on my brother." said Sean. The three girls all nodded in agreement, and they began to walk back towards Sean's house.
            Sean could not control his racing heart, he felt like he was weightless. In a few months, he was going to be starting his dream of being a Huntsman alongside his three closest friends.
          "I can't wait to tell Colt the good news. He's gonna be so happy!" Sean thought as he and his friends walked through the village. But as he approached his home, he saw that the door was already open, and there were a couple Atlas soldiers inside, while his Mother and Sister were outside.
            "What the heck? Why are they here? I thought they were done going through everyone's homes already...." Sean thought, more confused than afraid, but as he stepped closer, his sense of uneasiness grew. He could hear voices, and sobbing, coming from inside his house, which only increased his uneasiness and fear. As Sean stepped closer to the house, he could hear footsteps coming down the stairs inside. He continued to step closer, but one of the Atlas soldiers spotted him and quickly walked over.
"Hey kid, you can't be here. This is now a quarantined house." spoke the soldier.
"Excuse you, this is my house. What do you mean quarantined? I thought the village was clear?" Sean asked, fear quickly rising in his stomach.
"Not anymore. There was one last reported case a few days ago. This is the house the report is about. Now please step back," the soldier replied as he gently pushed Sean back out of the gate.
              "Who was it?! Who made the report?! Who got sick?!" he asked, his fear reaching its peak. The Atlas soldier pulled his gun off his back and aimed at Sean.
"Look kid, step back now! I won't ask you again." he ordered sternly. Sean clenched his fists, he could feel his Semblance powering up, and that would not be a good thing for these Atlas soldiers. Sean's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his friends holding him back, and an older, more stern voice.
             "What's going on over here?" the voice asked, and the soldier instantly snapped to attention.
            "General Ironwood, sir! Excuse me, I didn't see you there." the soldier spoke.
            "It's quite alright soldier, at ease." said the General as he walked over, standing at Sean's left side, assessing the situation. From a first glance, the General was an older man in possibly his late thirties, with a standard military buzz cut, a white overcoat over a gray vest, formal white pants, and extremely nice white shoes.
           "Guess I shouldn't expect anything less from the General of a military. Maybe he can give me some answers...." Sean thought to himself as the General turned to him.
            "What seems to be the problem young man?" he asked.
            "Your man won't give me any answers. I'm trying to go in my house and he's trying to stop me. And when I asked why, he wouldn't give me a straight answer." Sean replied, trying to keep himself calm. General Ironwood looked at the soldier standing in front of Sean's house, a calm expression on his face.
           "Explain yourself soldier." he ordered.
           "We got a report of one last case of the virus in this house sir. The decontamination team is inside as we speak. We're trying to determine which member of the family is sick." the soldier replied honestly.
           "There. Was that so hard?" Ironwood asked, and the soldier shook his head sheepishly. Ironwood turned back to Sean, that calm expression still on his face.
           "Does that answer your questions?" he asked gently.
            "Somewhat. But I want to see for myself." He replied, the fear in his chest bubbling more and more with each passing second. Sean's father walked over with the woman he was talking to earlier as one of the soldiers ran out the front door of the house and nodded to the General, snapping to attention as he spoke in a somber tone.
           "General Ironwood sir, it's confirmed. One body." Ironwood sighed heavily, his eyes showing the slightest bit of sympathy before turning cold.
           "Bring the body out. We'll take him with us back to Atlas for study.... and pray this never happens again." he ordered, almost sounding like a machine. The soldier nodded, shouted something into the house, and that's when Sean's heart sank. As soon as the decontamination team walked out, holding a body bag between them, Sean knew without a doubt who was inside. He didn't hear anything, he didn't hear the General giving orders, he didn't hear the voice of his father trying to console him, he didn't even hear or feel Kara's arm's going around him as his mother and sister cried. All Sean could hear, was the sound of his own blood roaring in his ears as he began to yell, enraged and filled with grief.
          "No. It's not true! IT CAN'T BE TRUE!" He shouted as he ran forward, pulling himself free from Kara's arms; he had to see him, he just had to see his brother's face one last time. He didn't even make it 5 steps forward before he was tackled to the ground and held down by strong and powerful hands. Through blurry vision due to the tears welling up in his eyes, he could barely make out General Ironwood, holding his left arm against the dirt and his right hand in the center of his back, keeping him firmly planted on the ground.
          "No! Let go of me you bastard! Let me go!!! He can't be gone! You're lying!" Sean continued to shout as the decontamination team walked past the front gate and past Sean, not even bothering to look at or even acknowledge that he was there as they walked towards one of the several Atlesian airships that were stationed at the edge of the village. In a last ditch effort, Sean activated his Semblance in hopes of forcing the General to let go of his arm and free himself, but Ironwood's grip on his left arm did not loosen one bit. As Sean turned his head to look at why his Semblance wasn't working, he saw that he had indeed burned off Ironwood's white glove, revealing the glint of metal underneath. Enraged further, Sean looked back at the decontamination team one last time and shouted at the top of his lungs.
          "COLTON!!!!!!!!!" he cried out as he watched them walk out of the village with his little brother's body.