Prologue

Larry Talbot was a genuinely gifted hunter and tracker. Often the first on the scene when any reports of grimm sightings near the outskirts of the City of Vale appeared. This was such a time. Not only were there reports of grimm, but what was being reported indicated a new grimm. His interest had been peeked and without anything more than the barest of preparations did he venture out.

People liked to call him a hunter, but he always preferred the term tracker, because that was what he did. It was what he excelled at. Armed with a dust carbine; a tomahawk and a large buck knife he prowled the woods bordering Vale. Seeking the enemy of humanity; locating the nests, dens and borrows for other more accomplished hunters to do their work.

They watched him hidden deep in the shadows of the underbrush. Hunger gnawed in their guts. He was following them, and they in turn were stalking him. Four sets of padded paws pressed into the soft earth and edged forward. They could see him, smell him and sense his confusion. The trap had been set, now it was time to spring it.

Larry studied the spore layered around him. The tracks were feline, but much too large to be that of any native large cat. The few tufts of fur he had found fell apart in his fingers just like how a slain grimm decomposed into mist. However the more confusing part was how many human tracks, barefoot tracks criss crossed the trail of his target. It made no sense. If it was a grimm then no sane person, himself no included in that statement should be out wandering barefoot in the forest.

Being trained as a hunter Larry heard the motion and reacted. Knowing the charge would be too fast for him to use his carbine he dropped it and pulled his tomahawk and knife. The bolt of black fur shot past him, and it was by the smallest of margins he was able to duck under it. Even as he evaded he brought his tomahawk into play. As he twisted and fell to his back he swung the weapon in a shallow arc. Its razor honed edge biting and slicing through flesh.

An almost shriek from behind him answered the pained howl he had caused. Rolling to his feet he caught the charge of the second beast head on. He cursed himself as he tried to keep the wide slavering jaws from finding purchase as razor like white claws ripped at him. He had ignored the now obvious signs. There was two of them.

Rolling with the impact he was able to get his knees up and under the beast, and using every ounce of strength he could muster and a generous amount of aura he pushed and tumbled the creature off an over him. regaining his own footing he took a moment to mentally take stock of his condition. His aura had taken a hit, but prevented any real damage from happening. In a fighter's crouch he watched as two feline human sized grimm like he had never seen before; pace back and forth before him; ears flat against their broad heads, tails lashing about wildly behind them.

One showed the obvious signs of injury, but the other looked in prime condition. In his years of experience he grew accustomed to reading the tells of beasts and men. These were ambush predators, and that had failed them. Larry figured if he could protract the fight they might lose interest, but he could also see there was something more. They were most likely young, hence the aggression, but he could swear he saw the light of intelligence in their eyes. Could they be planning something?

The injured on rushed in and Larry back peddled keeping his distance, making sure the probably bluff charge didn't give any openings. The uninjured one just stayed back circling, causing the hunter to continually adjust his footing in order to keep the pair in front of him. Another charge, and again Larry backed up, only this time he threw a jab with tomahawk as an added incentive to deter the beast. It jumped back and to the side. Larry's counter should not have registered to the beast as something that needed to warrant that much room to evade. It was then he understood, it was another feint in a feint. His focus had been drawn away from the other one.

"Good show."

The impact not only drove the very breath from his lungs, but sent a spasm through his body making both his hands limp and lifeless. His body crashed into the soft turf driving the last of the air from his chest. Larry didn't feel much after that as a second weight bore down on him from above followed by a intense sensation of pressure on the back of his neck.

He tried one last vain attempt to struggle but to no avail. The sound of snapping bone, followed by his raggedly flailing body signified the fight was over. As the light of life fades from his eyes so did his aura bleed away. Larry Talbot was a good man, and hunter of fine quality.

/ = /

"You heat the rumour going around?"

"No. What?"

"There's a story of how they found a dead Hunter not ten miles from the border of the Emerald Forest."

"Dead Hunter? Grimm?"

"That's what I heard someone say; but there's another story going around . . . Some are saying he was eaten."

"Eaten? Grimm don't eat."

"Yeah I know. Strange huh?"

"Disturbing more like it."

Blake had heard the entire conversation from her little hideaway in one of the higher library windows. It was a good spot plenty of sunlight, quiet, and with a single pillow exceptional comfortable. Plus it allowed her to be unseen, giving her peace to read. The pair of unknown students; she didn't recognize their voices; spoke in hushed tones. It was only her exceptional hearing that allowed her to inadvertently eavesdrop.

Her mind wandered, considering the conversation; before dismissing it as pure fiction. She returned to her book and focused on the more interesting story she held in her hands. There was always rumours like the those students spoke of in hushed whispers. Every year some Hunter or Huntress is found eaten just outside the border of the Emerald forest. It was pretty much a tradition of the senior classes to feed such a tall tale to their juniors.

As Blake found where she had left off, her mind finally fully dismissed the story. There were some tough grimm in the Emerald Forest, her team and JNPR had faced off against two during initiation. Even as powerful as those two were, she doubted that the professors would let anything of any true danger to a qualified and seasoned Hunter to roam about this close to Beacon or the City of Vale.

/ = /

"You have a anything more to report Qrow?"

"Not much. It was Larry Talbot; which is a damn crying shame. He was one of the best Trackers I've ever worked with."

"What about the condition of the body? Thoughts?"

"I want to say grimm got him, but he was eaten. I mean seriously his body was mostly intact, but the softest tissues where removed. The organs, gut, and some of the meat from his legs and arms. He was eaten no doubt."

"Grimm don't eat they just kill."

"That's the troubling part. I'm not sure what got him, though by the tracks it seems to have been a pair of big cats."

"Big cats?"

"I want to say something akin to a puma, but the tracks were as large as my hand."

"There are no such animals that close to the walls or the forest." Replied Ozpin in a matter of fact tone, "too much activity, too little game."

"You don't have to tell me, but I'm telling you what I saw. We may have a pair of rogue animals, possibly man eaters on our hands." Qrow countered from his seat upon the window sill in the headmaster's office. "We'll need to send some teams out. Might drive 'em off, or at least allow us to remove 'em."

"Yes I think that would be a sound plan." Ozpin agreed, "See who you can round up. Minimum of three, though I would prefer quartets."

"Will do." With that Qrow leaned back out the window and vanished. A moment later a crow flew up from below the window's edge and sailed away into the morning air.

"We do have an elevator you know."

/ = /

The doe was taken in a blur of motion. It never knew what hit it. Dragging the kill back to the den the smaller of the two beasts dropped the fresh meat near the entrance and crawled inside. The larger lay on its side breathing raggedly, a long seeping slash decorating its torso from chest to gut.

The smaller whimpered and moved closer. Its rough tongue scraping against the wound in an attempt to cleanse it. The larger grunted in discomfort but allowed the action to continue. They had been nearly starving when they took the chance to attack the lone figure. It had been a risk and though in the end it was a success it still cost them.

Normally the pair worked as a team to bring down prey and chase off threats. Now it was the sole duty of the smaller to make sure the pair remained safe and fed. Finishing up the cleaning task the smaller returned to the entrance and dragged the corpse of the doe inside. The fresh meat was a lucky catch, the pair after having to abandon the man's carcass due to others showing up at the kill site. As a result they had scavenged for the last few days. The semi rotten meat from grimm kills, or the natural deaths of the animals. Small game supplemented the carrion but it was still hard going to find enough meat for the pair to subsist on.

More armed men had been entering the forest, encroaching on their territory. It would soon be time for the pair to move off lest they wished to confront the roaming parties. The pair ate their fill and with a grunt the larger stood. It moved slowly, obviously in pain, but still it moved and the smaller fell in besides it. The pair left the den and scenting the air, they moved off. Away from the den, away from the numerous armed figures wandering about.

Like shadows in the dimming like the slinked off, with nary a sound to alert any living thing to their passing. They moved away from the activity, and closer to the walls. Closer to the thick forest that lay near it.

/ = /

Blake was getting slightly annoyed as the rumour mill of Beacon continued to churn. The fallen Huntsman story was going in full swing. The death becoming even more gruesome with each retelling. Even the senior years were speaking about it. The annoyance however was not that the story was still being told; it was that everyone seemed to want to tell it near her reading spot. Each time it drew her away from her preferred form of entertainment. Each time it caused her to lose her emersion. It was getting to the point of pure aggravation for her.

She wasn't even spared the retelling in her dorm room. Yang constantly brought it up, retelling the whole thing each and every time with all the added details she had heard from others. Weiss for her part attempted to dissuade Yang, but like normal it was to no avail. So instead she ignored it, dismissing the who thing as a child's tale; and not worth her time in considering. Ruby for her part seemed intrigued by each retelling. Constantly asking who said what, and where Yang was getting all this information.

In fact Ruby was getting to the point of listening to the tall tales with Crescent Rose in her lap; almost as if she expected the Headmaster himself to appear at their door to ask them to find the beast in question. Blake knew that would never happen and she was sure Ruby did too, but still it had become a constant irritation and Blake was slowly running out of options for peace and quiet.

/ = /

The scent of fresh game made them salivate, but they choose to avoid the confrontation it would require to take down the young family walking along the edge of the forest. The smell of dust and the sight of weapons overriding their want to feed. This new territory was filled with dangerous prey. So the pair skirted the edge and moved deeper into the forest. The smell of grimm had filled them with nervous energy. Prior to this move they could give the inedible creatures a wide berth, but here, they seemed almost to be concentrated. Too numerous to avoid completely.

The Beowulf packs ignored them, as did the Nevermores. It was the Ursa that they often had to face head on. Posturing and bluffs were the norm of such encounters, as both sides attempt to dissuade the other from engaging. Normally it worked, normally.

This Ursa was having none of it. The pair of felines had been in its territory for too long and it was now going to remove them. The pair took exception to that and held their ground. It was a stalemate, and as one the pair decided to end it.

The larger charged, attempting to draw the Ursa's attention. It was a same tactic they had used on the man almost a week ago. The smaller sprinted off and circled waiting for the opening to pounce. It was a solid hit but the Ursa's bulk allowed it to tank the almost one hundred and fifty pounds of fury that crashed and latched on to its exposed back. Throwing itself backwards it attempted to crush the thing on its back with its bulk. The smaller feline hopping away only to have the massive grimm roll and make a charge of its own.

A huge clawed paw swatted out and connected a glancing blow sending the smaller of the pair skidding through the forest debris. The larger even in its injured state threw itself forward in a full on frontal attack. The Ursa rose on its hind legs intent on tanking the blow and then crushing the pest. The larger feline put everything it had into the pounce slamming teeth and claw first into the wide chest of its target.

The Ursa roared in pain and anger as four sets of hooked razor like claws ripped and shredded its flesh while a set of powerful jaws armed with massive canines attempted to crush its throat. The Ursa had misjudged the height of the larger's jump and paid for it with multiple serious wounds. Deciding to follow through on its original plan regardless of the pain it was now suffering it leaned back and prepared to throw it's self forward. That was when the ignored second of the pair hit it again.

Slamming into the Ursa from the side it too lashed out with four sets of razor sharp claws. A second set of canine armed jaws locking fast to the muscle joining neck to shoulder. The impact of nearly one hundred and fifty pounds at full speed knocked the larger creature sideways. The pair didn't release their holds, and the when the Ursa huffed upon collision with the ground the larger pushed up and finally secured the suffocating grip it had sought.

The Ursa flailed and attempted to roll upon the attackers, only to have the smaller twist off its perch and pull in the opposite direction of the roll. Trapped the Ursa began to falter, and a minute or so later it began to dissolve into a black mist. The larger nuzzled into the smaller once the grimm corpse had fully faded away. It was obvious concern as the smaller now also limped visibly. They were both wounded, and that did not bode well for their chances of survival.