RWBY 4: Aftermath

Epilogue - Aftermath

"No fucking way..." Yang's mouth dropped. She blinked in confusion at the mansion Blake had led them to.

The journey to Menagerie was fairly uneventful. The girls took a ship from Atlas, sailing through grimm infested waters with refugees who were ironically seeking a better life in the island that had been intended to be a faunus prison. The journey was long, but the grimm mostly kept out of their way – as if Sinclair's death had calmed them in some way. The few sea dragons that dared to get close were blasted by the ship's mounted laser cannon and beat a hasty retreat.

The first thing that hit the girls when they stepped off of the ship and onto the harbour was the ringing of church bells. It was noon and the marketplace was filled with faunus, proudly sporting their animal heritage without fear. Houses of a variety of different styles dotted the landscape and hills in the distance, with palm trees calmly swaying in a gentle costal breeze.

The faunus that had once been hated, feared and ostracised from society were now greeting grateful human refugees, giving them food, water and promises of shelter. Blake smiled as she recognised many White Fang members among them. She was still the Fang's leader, even though she hadn't been in contact with them since the battle of Atlas. It was a relief to see that many of them had moved on and reunited with their families, content to live in peace once more. There was still a place for the White Fang, but not as a terrorist organisation. She would instead use them as a platform to peacefully fight for the rights of faunus after the world had settled back down.

"I've never seen so many faunus in one place..." Weiss marvelled "it's so peaceful here... so beautiful"

"A-And really hot..." Ruby rubbed the sweat from her forehead.

Weiss nodded "Yes..." she tried to act calm on the journey over, but she had been struggling with the heat more than the rest of them.

"Menagerie is the one place everyone can feel safe" Blake smiled and lead them through the harbour markets. "No matter who, or what, they are" she stretched her cat ears, letting them show with pride.

They continued down a road – well, little more than a paved path – nestled between two rows of houses. The buildings were mostly made from wood, but a few were a little more haphazardly created, making the street almost look like a shanty town. The bright sun and clear blue sky overhead made a very welcome change from the cold air and depressing atmosphere of Atlas.

Yang squeezed through a group of faunus and ran to catch up to her kitty "Geez, is it always so cramped here?"

Blake sighed "It you try and take an entire species and put them on an island that's two third's desert, then yeah... it gets cramped. When you add in thousands of refugees from the other kingdoms things get even worse... It's going to be a struggle to find room for everyone, let alone grow enough food"

"Can't we just build settlements in the desert?" Weiss asked mockingly.

"It's not like the deserts in Vacuo... the wildlife here is more dangerous than other regions. Even with grimm activity at an all time low since Sinclair's death, it won't be easy to expand into grimm territory." Blake explained.

She led the girls up steep stairs and to the top of a hill overlooking the main city. The girls paused at the top, looking down in awe.

A huge palace sat in the centre, with an ornate stone path leading to it. A forest of palm trees surrounded it, with houses filling clearings between the trees. Distant desert mountains provided a beautiful backdrop.

"This" Blake explained "is Kuo Kuana"

"It's... SO PRETTY!!" Ruby jumped up and down in excitement, making her metal leg clang against the stone path. She grabbed Weiss's arm and pointed out various scenes around them. Weiss started to look annoyed, but she was pleased to see Ruby smile again. Since Anton's second death, and with Neo still in hospital in Atlas, the caped huntress had little to smile about these days.