What is it that drives a man to become a Huntsman, to kill monsters for a living? For some it's for the glory and fame, for others it's all in the family… But for certain people, it's all down to loss. An emptiness inside their souls, something missing that had been taken away by the Grimm which can only be replaced by their demise. It can break a person, change them… And it most certainly changed young Oscar Pine, whether it be for better or worse.

This is the story of how a boy's life was changed forever and how the loss of something he loved dearly woke up a blazing inferno inside of him. Once a simple and hard working farm hand, now a deadly and unstoppable Huntsman feared by both humans and Grimm alike, his name will be engraved into their minds and souls forever… This is the story of The Gardener.

CRASH

"Gagh!" Oscar yelled in panic as he bolted awake in his bed, having been woken up by a sudden and loud smashing sound. He looked around rapidly to find his room as it always was, dark, small and empty aside from his bed and nightstand so nothing out of the ordinary there. "What the…" The farm hand questioned himself as he slid to the side, now sitting on the edge of his bed and becoming more at ease after having been spooked by the crash somewhere in his farmhouse.

It was currently the middle of the night out in the farm which was isolated away from any towns or big cities, though this did make it quite peaceful and let Oscar get on with his own activities. It was just him and his Aunt Lenti out here to do the farmwork and though she did get a bit bossy at times, Oscar loved her ever so much. She took care of him after all and he could only repay that by doing his best to help out and love her. While he had this entire barn to himself, Aunt Lenti lived very close by in a house just behind it where she could easily call him when needed. Though at this time of night no work would be needing done… So what was the crash?

Slipping his boots on, Oscar stood up and cautiously walked towards his door, opening it with a long, slow creak. He knew it was most likely that Aunt Lenti was just up late and dropped something but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong… It just didn't feel right. Though it was probably just late night paranoi-

CRASH "Grrrrraaaaah!"

...that wasn't Aunt Lenti. Hearing what could only be described as an animalistic snarl and roar, Oscar gasped and immediately began running out of his room and climbed down his ladder as fast as he could. "A-Aunt Lenti?! Did you hear that!? I think we're being attacked!" Oscar yelled as he slammed open the barn doors and ran out behind the structure, seeing the close by house and sprinting towards it. The door was left open, the window and wall were smashed up, Aunt Lenti was in there and so were the noises… Oh no. Oscar very quickly reached the building and practically barged in through the front door. "Aunt Le- Gasp!"

When Oscar entered the house straight into the living room, the sight he saw only made his stomach drop. There was his Aunt Lenti alright, but she wasn't alone… There were Grimm. Three Beowolves to be exact and they were quickly closing in on the terrified, defenceless woman who was trapped in the corner of the room. She gasped when she saw Oscar watching her from the door, her young nephew who the Grimm would surely go after next. There was only one thing she could do, after raising him all of his life she could only give one final piece of advice before… Before the end… "Oscar! Run! Get out of here and find help!" Aunt Lenti shouted out to him while backing further into the corner, her back and hands now pressed up against it while the snarling beasts creeped closer to her.

But Oscar didn't run. Seeing his Aunt in such peril and the surprisingly large Grimm in her house… The 14 year old boy was terrified. But Aunt Lenti could get out, right? Surely she had a plan to escape with him, she always knew what to do in times like these! She would no doubt escape the Grimm's clutches and run off with him to get help from the nearest village. "A-Aunt Lenti! Come on, let's go!"

But Oscar was sadly mistaken… This was the last time he would see her. Aunt Lenti,still trapped by the Beowolves, just looked him square in the eyes with her own tear filled ones and uttered out hushed words. "Please don't look… I love you…"

"RAAARGH!" The largest Beowolf growled as it pounced forward towards the terrified older woman, claws out and teeth bared with it's eyes locked on it's human meal.

"GAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

...Oscar stared in horror as he watched his Aunt was brutally, savagely taken away from him. One moment she was there looking terrified and crying, the next she was gone and an empty husk being ragged dolled by… By them… The Grimm… Oscar felt sick. His only family, the only person he knew, gone. So many negative emotions, sadness at the sudden death of his Aunt, regret that he couldn't do anything, anger… Anger at them. At what they did. "Aunt… Aunt Lenti… I… NNNNGAH!" Oscar yelled with tear drenched eyes as he punched the door frame next to him, standing in the open front door.

Not only could this loud yell be heard throughout the farm, but the absolute storm of negativity flowing through Oscar's body and exploding out into the open could be felt, no, sensed by the Grimm. One of the Beowolves looked up from chewing on Oscar's Aunt and snarled at the young boy, getting in a position to pounce. It had taken care of half this family, now to finish the job.

Oscar just looked up and glared at the black and white monster, tears of pain streaming down his tanned cheeks while his own teeth were bared. "Oscar! Run! Get out of here and find help!" were the words that echoed through his mind, Aunt Lenti's few words before she… Before she left. Find help… There was no help! Not all the way out here at least and with three Grimm or how many else were out there after him, he would surely perish before reaching a village. He could run… But tonight, he would have to help himself. And he knew where to start.

Oscar immediately bolted out of the Grimm-infested house and slammed the door behind himself, further gaining the attention of all Three beowolves now. He ran as fast as his legs could take him back towards the nearby barn which was pretty good thanks to lots of hard work and heavy lifting. He ran and ran, past the house, around the corner and back into the barn which he called home before getting each large door and slamming them shut, making sure to lock them tight to secure them. But now just one problem… He was locked in here with Three hungry Grimm surrounding him, possibly more if this lingered on. The poor, distraught farm hand slowly staggered backwards and fell into a soft pile of hay, sighing shakily before screaming again and punching it. "GAAGH! WHY!?" He had lost everything. His farm was being torn up, his Aunt was gone, his life was on the line… But he remembered her words. "Find help"... And if there was no help to be found, he would have to be it.

Standing up from the hay and looking in a mirror by his sink, Oscar just stared at it. There he was. The scared, angry farm hand who was going to do something, the one who was going to help. He wiped away his tears with his white sleeve and bared his teeth at his own reflection, glaring daggers at it before letting loose a strong, emotion filled jab at it with his glove-covered right hand. "RAAGH!"

SMASH!

And as the mirror shattered and fell on to the floor and into the empty sink in shards, something changed in Oscar. The helpless, hard working farm hand wasn't here now. Now, he had to grow up and work with himself, no Aunt Lenti to make things all better. He was was going to fix things, he was going to avenge Aunt Lenti, he was going to avenge his farm but most of all… He was going to avenge Oscar.

Clenching his fists, Oscar walked around the barn with an angry scowl on his face, preparing to fight of the threats to his life. There were plenty of tools and items used for farming in here, and if they were the only things available, then dammit he would use them. Taking the long rag from his pocket, Oscar was quick to tie it around his head like a bandana while walking towards a large bag of compost. Time to look to part. He scooped both gloved hands into the bag and with fist fulls of dark compost, splashed and rubbed it all over his face. When he lowered his hands, his face was covered in the black substance, only showing his bright, avocado eyes and the angry, bared snarl on his mouth. It would certainly induce fear into the hearts of both grimm and men...

Next were his weapons. Looking around and beginning to collect his tools of trade, Oscar managed to find his trusty rake typically used for clearing up the autumn leaves and with a little sharpening would do some good damage in the future. His gardening hoe he kept for maintaining the farm soil… Now perfect for ripping the jaw from a Grimm. His shovel for digging up holes and clearing weeds would work perfectly in bashing in these creatures' skulls and finally, the sickle he used for clearing up and collecting taller crops. Nice and sharp…

These Grimm were going to die tonight.

Tightening the rag around his head, Oscar put the hoe and rake on his back, held by the secure area of his suspenders, letting the tools sit there crossing each other. In one hand he held the sickle with a vice-like grip and in the other his shovel, ready to be the end of some Beowolves. "I love you, Aunt Lenti… It's harvest time." Oscar stated before unlocking the two barn doors and with a deep breath in, he kicked them wide open with a mighty fud.

"Raaaaaaargh!" One of the beowolves roared out as it stood on two legs with it's fellow two beowolves beside it, the pack now joined by two Creeps which decided to get in on the human killing action. They had all surrounded the barn and had been trying to get in, as evidence by the claw and teeth marks on the once fresh wood.

Oscar just stood there in silence and stared at these creatures, his Aunt's murderers, with venom and fire in his eyes. His grip tightened on the sickle and shovel as he tried to not let his hands tremble, though it was getting hard. He had never been this close to Grimm before today but now was a time for action, a time where he needed to be like the brave Huntsmen of Remnant. "...come and get me, you monsters."

And that the Grimm did, the leader of the pack bounding towards Oscar on all fours and pouncing at him at the last second much like it did to his Aunt, teeth and claws out with drool falling from its jaw as it prepared to feast… But this would prove fatal.

Not letting what happened to his Aunt happen to him, Oscar jumped back and with the sickle in his right hand, pulled back and swung it at the charging Grimm. Whether it was natural skill or just sheer luck, the sharp, the circular farming tool went straight into the Beowolf's eye and stabbed down the rest of the way before coming out the side of its neck, flooring the fowl creature. "Ragh!" Oscar yelled out as he pulled back with mighty force and ripped the sickle from the Beowolf, the side of it's face sliced in half as the grimm died right then and there. He staggered back but kept a hold on his makeshift weapons, growling and breathing heavily whilst the dead Beowolf disintegrated and faded away into nothing. It seemed he wasn't as bad as he thought… "Who's next?"

With the formidable small human having taken out one of their own, the four remaining Grimm charged forward at Oscar, a single creep and beowolf keeping back slightly while their partners lunged forward, a wolf in the air with a creep running ahead.

They're pretty good… But Oscar is better. Dropping his sickle and running towards the smaller creep, Oscar got a good pull back before swinging his shovel at the creature with both hands, hitting it square in the head and launching it away. But with more quick thinking and natural use with these tools, he quickly spun around and held the shovel straight ahead of him.

This was a very smart move at the lunging Beowolf came inches away from getting a swipe on Oscar, only to get a shovel plunged straight down its throat and into its chest, killing the beast instantly.

Oscar grunted and let the Beowolf fall before kicking a boot to its face and using the push back to pull out his shovel, looking at the remaining two Grimm… Or at least where he thought they would be.

"Reeeeeeeaaah!"

"Oof!" Turns out they had made their moves while Oscar was busy and now he had been floored by a charging creep, the small cretan now attempting to maul his face with it's beak-like mouth and the only thing keeping it back was his shovel.

Oscar struggled and growled at the Creep while it chewed and chomped on the handle of his shovel, the tool proving very resistant and sturdy however. Looking deep into himself with his Aunt in mind, Oscar's eyes flared open and with as much strength as he could find, gave a mighty push and launched the Creep backwards onto its side, the small Grimm screeching out in shock and pain. But Oscar wasn't going to let it recover. Scrambling up to his feet and with his shovel at the ready, he ran forward and practically jumped into the air with the shovel held high before slamming it down into the fat little creep, the edge of the digging tool being plunged straight through the Grimm and killing it. Four down, one to go…

As Oscar turned around, he was met by the sight of the final, largest Beowolf watching him from a distance. Normally it would run when its pack was down, but it was here to finish this job. It had already taken care of the child's carer and its natural hate for humanity only fueled it to take care of the child permanently.

Oscar felt very much the same, though with the roles reversed. He now had a deep, sinking hatred for these Grimm, just as strong as their hatred for humanity. This one had killed his Aunt… Now he would kill it, the other Grimm and anyone involved in their existence and power. Locking eyes with this Beowolf, Oscar dropped his shovel on the ground and pulled out the hoe from his back, holding it tightly with both hands before spitting on the ground below. "Time to end this…"

The Beowolf responded in kind with a low snarl before beginning to run forward on all fours, slower at first before gaining some speed. It was going to take this kid out in a clean, single bite.

Oscar saw what this Grimm was doing and decided to play its own game, the now gone farm hand starting to jog forward with his hoe at the ready, eyes locked on the Grimm at all times and the power of loss and hatred fueling his young heart and soul. This is it.

The two rivals both continued running at each other, each gaining speed and growing angrier with every step they took closer. Their expressions grew stronger, more aggressive and soon each let out a loud cry before launching forward, claws and hoes out for the kill.

SPLAT!

There was only one survivor on this night. A broken, changed survivor… Oscar stood triumphant over the now dispersing Beowolf, hoe stuck straight throw its chest and back before falling due to the body disappearing. With the shattered moon shining down on him in the sky, Oscar just stared at the now empty patch of ground, his tools scattered around him and the destroyed farm silent. "For Aunt Lenti… For the farm… For humanity… For me."

With those Grimm dead and gone, Oscar sighed and closed his eyes. He began to collect his tools and strapped them onto his back, looking over to his Aunt's house where she lay dead and cold inside. "Time to say goodbye…" Poor Oscar muttered as he began to walk over to the house, planning on burying his Aunt and saying their final farewells.

Loss can drive a man to do many things. For Oscar, with the loss of his family, home and old life, there was only one thing that filled his now empty heart. Revenge. He may have destroyed the Grimm that personally took all of that, but there was an even bigger picture. The Grimm wouldn't just stop at him, they would gladly do this to some other poor family whether it be here or all the way in Vacuo, and they would do it many times. Something had to be done.

So to all the evil in Remnant, whether you be Grimm, The White Fang, or any villain that plagues this world, you should be wary, for you have created a new threat, a danger none of your goliaths, mechs or powers can stop. A boy, no, a man with no semblance, no aura and a few farm tools with nothing to lose.

Oscar is coming to stop you.

You will know the name of The Gardener!