RWBY: Black Cat

Chapter Ten

"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion."
- Alexander the Great

Blake strode slowly towards Beacon, Leif just behind her. It had been a bit of a hike to walk from the forest, but they'd made it after a few weeks. For a couple of days she hadn't spoken to him at at all, after he revealed his connection to the White Fang. But she realised eventually that Leif started the White Fang with good intentions.

This close to the school, the forest was free of Grimm - that was why the train had gone so far into the forest that it had taken as long as it had to walk back, although the terrain and the weather, which had continued to be wet and cold, hadn't really helped, in terms of getting back quickly. Blake's clothes were soaked and filthy, and she was certain she'd caught a cold.

The huntress in training wasn't wearing her bow - she'd taken it off back in the forest. Leif knew what she was, and it would just get dirty. It was nice not having fabric rubbing against her ears for once.

The pair had been making easy small talk for the past week or so. Blake had grown to like Leif. For a former White Fang member, he wasn't so bad. Then again, that's exactly what she was. They'd discussed books, Beacon, Glynda, Faunus Rights, all sorts of things Blake wouldn't have guessed they had similar opinions on.

"So...what's your opinion on the White Fang now? Under Adam's leadership?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Leif sighed. "That's...complicated. I'll never forgive myself for handing it over to him-"

"What?! But it's not your fault!" Blake said hotly. "Adam-"

"Adam did what he thought was best. So did I. That's all we can ever do. I don't think it was the right choice, in hindsight. He sticks by his choices though. And I suppose taking a more...aggressive stance has actually changed the way Faunus are being treated."

"I suppose..."

There was a short pause.

"What about you?"

"Hm?"

"What's your opinion on the White Fang?"

"My opinion on the White Fang..." Blake paused. "They're...going about things the wrong way."

"Is that why you left?"

"Pretty much. I left because I believed in what they fought for, but not in the way they were fighting for it."

Leif smiled, his dark eyes soft. "You'd have made a great leader, you know."

Blake blinked. "Of Team RWBY?"

"Perhaps, but that's not what I'm talking about. Of the White Fang. You were close to Adam. Had you waited a few years you might have grown to have huge influence."

"I...I never thought that far ahead."

"Hm. Think about it."

Blake bit her lip. "You really think Adam would listen to me?"

"He thinks highly of you. He doesn't even fully understand why you left. You didn't say a word before you did it, from what he told me."

Blake stared at her feet. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Blake..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe the White Fang is still fundamentally good?"

Blake blinked. That was a strange question. Maybe it was just curiosity. Maybe it was about the past - whether he was right to found the organization in the first place. Maybe it was Adam who was unsure. Either way, the answer was the same.