White Fang Base – Anima
It had not been a good few days for the White Fang. Sienna Khan had been dealing with an irritating sequence of problems that seemed to pile up faster than they could be solved.
What should have been a simple interception of a Dust cargo ship had gone terribly wrong, ending with the ship crashing in the middle of the forest and the loss of the entire team. It had been Adam's squad. He didn't even care when he found out they were all dead.
And in the middle of all this… there was Whitley Schnee.
A Schnee.
Son of the family responsible for the Schnee Dust Company — the largest industrial power in Remnant, built on the labor and suffering of the Faunus.
At first, for Sienna, it was just another failed operation. A destroyed ship, a lost team… and nothing recovered.
It was only later that the name Schnee entered the story.
First, through Raven Branwen. The tribe leader showed up with an unexpected proposal — a negotiation involving a "Schnee boy" she had found in the forest. The information was too vague to be reliable… but specific enough to get attention.
Then came the confirmation.
The newspapers.
Reports about the disappearance of a Schnee family member, a lost ship, rumors being suppressed before they could even spread.
It wasn't hard to connect the dots.
What came next only made everything more complicated. The negotiation with the Branwen tribe never concluded. Her demand — that the White Fang leave Anima entirely — was irritating enough on its own, but it became irrelevant when the boy himself decided to interfere. The explosion destroyed part of the camp and, in the middle of the chaos, Whitley disappeared once again.
The reports were inconsistent, but they all pointed to the same improbable outcome: a jump from a waterfall.
Alive or dead, no one could say.
And that, by itself, was already a problem.
But there was another.
If the boy had survived, it wouldn't be just the White Fang after him. Raven Branwen wasn't the type to let an insult slide. The destroyed camp and the wounded, even if few, had affected her.
BAM!
The sound of the door slamming open broke the silence of the room.
"SIENNA!"
Before even looking up, Sienna let out a low, almost inaudible sigh.
'This guy again…'
"How long do you plan on doing this?" his voice entered already filled with anger. "Pretending there isn't a Schnee out there like it's not our problem?"
Sienna took a second before answering. When she finally looked up, there was no rush, no surprise — just contained exhaustion.
"Pretending?" she repeated, resting her chin on her hand. "I'm dealing with the only thing we actually have: uncertainty."
She leaned back slightly in her chair, studying him more closely.
"You're working under the assumption that he's alive… when all we have are conflicting reports of a fall from a waterfall."
She made a small pause.
"I'm not going to mobilize people, time, and attention chasing a 'maybe.' Especially when that 'maybe' could very well be a body at the bottom of a river."
Adam let out a short, humorless laugh.
"Sure," he said, running a hand over his face. "Let's just assume he's dead and move on. Sounds like a great plan."
He took another step into the room.
"He was a Schnee, Sienna! It wasn't a 'maybe.' It wasn't just anyone. It was an opportunity."
Sienna didn't react immediately.
"An opportunity… for you?" she asked, her voice still calm.
That made Adam's gaze harden.
"For the White Fang."
"No," she countered, without raising her tone. "For you."
"Sometimes I wonder if you're still in the White Fang for the cause… or just for your hatred of humans."
His expression hardened into a scowl.
Sienna let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
'Asshole. He didn't even try to deny it.'
"If you found the Schnee…" she said calmly, "what exactly would you do with him?"
Adam didn't answer immediately. He stood in the middle of the tent, jaw clenched. The white mask covering half his face made it hard to read his exact expression, but Sienna knew he was angry. Very angry.
"I would do what should have been done from the beginning," he finally replied, his voice low and cutting. "I'd kill him. Without hesitation. Hanging somewhere every human could see what happens when you mess with the White Fang."
Sienna tilted her head slightly, observing him.
"And after?"
Adam hesitated for a second.
"After… we use his name to bring in more recruits," he growled, almost as if he had just remembered he needed to give a justification.
Sienna remained silent for a few seconds, her fingers tapping slowly on the table.
"If it were his father, Jacques, I'd slit his throat myself without blinking," she said at last, her voice still calm. "But the boy… he's useful alive."
Adam narrowed his eyes.
"Useful how?"
"As an example," Sienna answered. "And as a bargaining chip. A living, humiliated, displayed Schnee. Showing the world that even Remnant's most powerful family can be broken. Plus, the SDC has more Dust than anyone. If we can use the son as leverage, we can get supplies and routes. Killing him only gives us a corpse. Using him gives us power… and also brings in more recruits. Just in a smarter way, not just blind rage."
She paused, her gaze hardening.
"And I'm not a saint, Adam. Far from it. But I still have limits. I don't kill children for pleasure. Only when necessary."
Adam clenched his fists.
"He's a Schnee, Sienna!"
Sienna didn't answer immediately.
She observed the man in front of her with attention. Ever since Blake had abandoned him, Adam had been growing more unstable — more aggressive, more impatient, more prone to outbursts. And the worst part was that he still had a lot of influence inside the White Fang. Many members saw him as the true face of the "real" fight. Sienna couldn't simply get rid of him without causing an internal division the organization couldn't afford right now.
"If he's alive," she said finally, "we'll find him. But when that happens, he'll be used. Not thrown away."
Adam held her gaze for a long second.
Then he let out a low, bitter laugh.
"When I find him first," he said, without looking back as he walked toward the door, "I won't ask for permission."
The door slammed shut behind him with force.
Sienna stood still, staring at the empty space.
Then she let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
"Idiot."
The silence that followed was almost oppressive. She remained motionless for a few more moments, her eyes fixed on the door as if she could still see Adam's furious silhouette there.
She wasn't sure if the boy was alive. The reports from the waterfall were too confusing. But deep down, something told her he was.
Schnees were hard to kill. Unfortunately.
Sienna walked over to the table and picked up the crumpled report of the ship interception. Her fingers traced the lines calmly. That squad had been one of Adam's. He didn't even care when he learned they had all died.
Sienna turned to the map pinned on the tent wall, her amber eyes scanning the routes between the waterfall and Mistral.
"Kaplan," she called, her voice low but firm.
A broad-shouldered wolf Faunus entered through the side door almost immediately, posture rigid.
"Send some of your men to the villages and roads between the waterfall and Mistral. Nothing flashy. Just eyes and ears. I want to know if anyone has seen a white-haired boy, alone, injured, or acting strangely."
Kaplan nodded once.
"What about Adam?"
Sienna gave a thin smile, without any trace of humor.
"Let him keep thinking I'm ignoring the matter. The less he knows about my moves, the better."
She crossed her arms, still looking at the map.
"Because if that boy is alive… I intend to be the first to find him."
- Whitley POV -
"— AAAACHOOO!"
I sneeze suddenly, hard enough to make my head shake.
I stay still for a second, blinking, still holding my backpack.
"…Someone must be talking about me," I mutter.
One week.
It's already been one week since I arrived in Mistral, and I still haven't gotten used to the rhythm of this city. Noisy, full of people, strong smells, and streets that never seem to end.
I parted ways with Doug, Josh, and Margaret a few days ago. It wasn't dramatic. I just thanked them for their help, said I was going to find my mother, and left before they started asking difficult questions.
Since then, I've sold almost everything I still had of value. The expensive clothes I brought in my backpack — even dirty with Dust and gunpowder — only got me two hundred and twenty Lien in total. It was the best I could get at a second-hand shop that buys everything.
I sold most of the Dust I had stolen, which brought in another three hundred Lien. I kept only a few Fire Dust rounds. I kept the gun and the regular ammunition.
Now I'm sitting on a bench in the lower parts of Mistral, staring at the ground while counting the money again.
Five hundred and twenty Lien in total.
I let out a long, low sigh.
"Man… this isn't exactly the adventure I imagined."
With this money, I won't be able to survive for long. Not even a full month if I'm careful. I'll have to find something soon.
Yesterday, I at least managed to solve one of my most urgent problems.
I went to one of the assistance posts for refugees and orphans in the lower part of the city. I waited in line for almost two hours. When my turn came, I told them I was an orphan, that my village had been destroyed by Grimm, and that I had no more documents.
They didn't ask many questions. They just asked my name and gave me an ID and registered me..
Is it really this easy to fake documents?
Name: Witley Schnauzer
Origin: Anima
Date of Birth: 22/01
Age: 15
Date of Registration: 10/03
The name sounded much cooler in my head…
At least I don't have to worry so much about food or shelter. When I registered, they told me there are some assistance posts that distribute simple meals and a roof for registered refugees and orphans. It's nothing good, but it's enough to not go hungry.
Before that, I tried to get a simple job — anything: carrying boxes, cleaning streets, helping at market stands. But no one wanted to hire me. They looked at my dirty face, messy white hair, and torn clothes and already treated me like a criminal.
It was humiliating.
It almost made me want to go back to the mansion… for breakfast in bed… the pancakes… the comfortable bed… the luxury clothes…
Focus, Whitley!
So far, my plan is this:
Get a Scroll. With the money I've gathered so far, I can buy a low-quality one without any problems. Together with the ID, I'll be able to use it. I need to stay updated on Remnant's information.
I also need a profitable way to make money. Yesterday, while waiting in line at the assistance post, I overheard some guys talking quietly about "dangerous jobs." They were talking about high rewards and jobs no one does officially.
It seems risky. Very risky.
But with five hundred and twenty Lien in my pocket, I don't have many options.
Another problem is that when I tried to get a spot in the shelter for registered refugees, they told me it was full. There was no more room.
So tonight I'm going to sleep on the street.
I already saw someone get robbed last night, in a nearby alley. Two guys appeared out of nowhere, knocked the man down, and took everything he had. I don't want to risk the same. That's why I chose a more hidden alley.
After walking for a few minutes, I find a relatively quiet spot. There's a large metal trash can leaning against the wall. I open the lid, check that there's nothing too disgusting inside, and with a resigned sigh, I climb inside, leaning my back against the metal wall.
I look up at the dark sky between the buildings and murmur quietly:
"Walter White was a much better name…"