Chapter Text
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Jaune, happy birthday to you!”
The birthday boy, now eighteen, sat at the head of the family table. His mother, father, and five of his six sisters surrounded him. They sang along as Sun carried out a slab of chocolate cake, which was adorned eighteen candles.
Sun laid the cake down and stepped back, his tail swishing once before he folded his hands to wait for the instruction to cut the cake.
His mother, a petite woman with jet-black hair and bright blue eyes, rose from her chair. “Je t’aime, mon fils,” Joan Arc said in her rich accent. “Happy Birthday.”
“Happy birthday, son,” Charles Arc, a mountain of a man slapped, his massive hand on Jaune’s shoulder, his broad smile hidden by golden whiskers.
Jean, Genevieve, Jesse, Guy, and little Girl, all but one of Jaune’s sisters, chimed in with their own, “Happy birthday Jaune!”
It was a shame Saphron couldn't make it. The empty chair soured the mood, but the energy from the rest of his family more than made up for it. He really was a lucky guy.
He glanced at his father, who gave him an encouraging nod, and took a deep breath and made a mental wish. It was the same wish he'd made every year, to become a Huntsman. With one deep breath, he blew out all eighteen candles.
The whole family cheered and clapped as Sun stepped in to cut the cake. “Let’s get a big corner slice for the birthday boy,” he said as he carved off a wedge just for Jaune.
“Thank you,” he said, first to Sun, then to the table. “I mean, thanks to all of you. I feel kind of embarrassed getting all this attention. I don’t really deserve it.”
“You’re darn right you don’t,” Jesse called out.
“Non, hush,” Joan snapped at her daughter then turned back to Jaune, smile restored. “You deserve the world, mon petit chou. Now, eat up, we have yet to receive the last of your presents.”
Jaune glanced back at the pile of gifts behind him. Clothes, snacks, comics, camping gear, and, best of all, Crocea Mors, the old family sword and shield. It was everything he’d need for his trip to Beacon academy. What could possibly be left?
“Uh, looking forward to it,” he said, poking at his cake. Charles, gave his wife a confused look. Seems like he didn’t know what their son’s final present would be either.
“Is there something we didn’t get him?” he whispered.
“Shhh, shhh,” Joan waved him off. “I have something special planned.”
Jaune ignored the weird exchange between his parents and finished his cake. The chocolate was rich and moist, just the way he liked it. As the last crumbs disappeared from his plate, he looked over at Sun, who was standing by the kitchen door, hands folded, watching the family eat with a placid smile.
“Mom, can’t Sun have a little cake?” Jaune asked.
Jean, Jaune’s oldest sister, spoke up. “You’re gonna spoil our pets.” She was tall and muscular, with a bright blonde pixie cut, she was the picture of a Faunus Control officer, leaning back in her chair, one boot on the table, a glass of whisky in hand. Her uniform looked so good on her.
“Ah, I suppose Sun can have some cake. He made it after all,” Joan said, glancing over at their Faunus servant. “And he has been such a good boy. But, not at the table.” She beckoned the monkey boy over, allowing him to cut off a small slice for himself. Sun grinned, and mouthed a quick “thanks” to Jaune, before, retreating to the kitchen to eat.
All the girls dug in. Jean took hers with a glass of whisky. Genevieve, enjoyed a dainty little quarter of a slice, making sure not not leave a crumb misplaced. Jesse complained the Jaune got a bigger slice than her. Guy ate like a little piggy, making a huge mess of her face. And Girl, sitting in her highchair, mouthed at a single forkful of cake.
Once the plates were clean, Joan clapped her hands. The sound was like a gunshot.
“Alright everyone. Now, for the final surprise!” She beamed at Jaune, who wiped his mouth and smiled back.
“I’ll go get it for you little bro,” Jean said, rising from her chair and sauntering over to the front door.
A moment later, she returned holding a leash.
And at the end of that leash she was dragging a cat Faunus.
She looked the same age as Jaune and was clad in a simple orange uniform issued by the pound. Her long, mussed up black hair fell around her amber eyes, which blazed with hellfire.
"This is Blake," Joan announced as if proudly presenting her son with a new car. "Le petit chat will be your personal pet, mon fils. Now that you are a man, you should have a Faunus of your own."
Charles's chair screeched as he stood. “Joan, we did not talk about this.”
Jean tugged the leash, forcing Blake to stumble forward.
“On your knees, cat.”
With a snarl and a glance back at Jean, Blake reluctantly sank to her knees.
Jaune’s face was burning red. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. This was a complete curveball. He glanced at Sun, as if he would know what to do, but he was slowly backing into the kitchen. He didn’t want anything to do with this either.
"Mom, I... I don’t know what to say," Jaune stammered. He looked at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but at the girl on her knees.
“All you have to say is, merci!”
“Every good huntsman needs a Faunus squire,” Jean said, prodding Blake with her foot. “She’s yours.”
The girl was trembling, at first, Jaune thought she was shaking with fear, but when he stepped forward, and saw her eyes, he realized she was shaking with fury. He looked from Blake to his mother, then back to Blake. The collar around her neck bore an electronic box Sun and Neptune’s collars lacked.
“Is that a shock collar?” Jaune asked. “Is she… not tame?”
He'd never met a feral Faunus. Sun and Neptune were born in captivity. His best friend Weiss's pet, Ruby, had been wild once, but the Schnees had her since she was a toddler.
He’d heard all kinds of stories about wild Faunus, mostly from Jean. They were violent, and barbaric, with a murderous hatred of humanity. Turning them into a pet required rigorous training and discipline. For some people, that sounded exciting.
It made Jaune feel sick.
“Oh, she’s as fresh as they come,” Jean stiffened with pride. “Faunus control picked her up just this week. That means you get to break her in.” She grinned at her little brother, as though this was the greatest news in the world.
Jaune had to bite his tongue. What was he supposed to do?
Carefully, he approached and then knelt down next to Blake. He was good with Faunus. Sun and Ruby loved him. Besides, Faunus were people too, just like humans. Just because they were a little different, didn’t mean they were irrational.
“Hey Blake,” he reached out, meaning to pat her head. “My name is Jaune, I-”
Blake snapped, her teeth closing an inch from his fingers.
Jaune fell backward, falling on his butt. This was the first time a Faunus had ever tried to hurt him before.
“Hey,” Jean delivered a swift kick to Blake’s gut. “Don’t you dare snap at my little brother, you little freak.” The air was knocked right out of Blake’s lungs, but stayed upright.
"Jean, stop!" Jaune scrambled to his feet. "You’re hurting her!"
"That’s the point. Got to teach her a lesson," Jean raised her boot again.
"Ah ah ah,” Joan’s voice cut through. “Jean, that is not how you discipline a pet.” Then, she pulled a little remote from Jean’s belt buckle. “Kicking and such are liable to send the poor creature to the vet. We are civilized, when a Faunus needs punishment, we use the shock collar.”
With a smile, as if serving tea, Joan pressed the button.
Blake arched off the floor, and let out a strangled animal cry. Her amber eyes bulged with pain, as she convulsed for a full three seconds.
Jaune tasted bile.
"Mom, please stop."
The current cut off, and Blake collapsed, panting, to the floor. Sun was now long gone. Everyone else watched quietly.
"Now then," Joan said. She placed the remote in Jaune’s hand. It was still warm. “If she is naughty, you can give her a little zap. It will not leave any nasty mark, or injure her very badly. Very humane, non?”
Jaune stared at the remote in his hand, feeling its weight like a brick.
Blake lay there, still trembling from the shock, her eyes now fixed on him. There wasn’t just hatred anymore, there was now a hint of fear.
He couldn’t imagine using this on her, or anyone.
But she tried to bite him.
Gazing down at the little remote, he realized he was left with two options: refuse this gift, on the grounds that he couldn’t stomach training a feral Faunus, or accept her.
Both had some pretty huge concerns. If he said he didn’t want Blake, Jean would probably take her back to the pound, and then who knows what would happen to her. Or worse, Jean herself might decide to tame the poor cat herself, and Jean was notoriously rough.
But on the other hand, if he did accept Blake, then he was left with another dilemma. If he didn’t tame her, she’d probably try and attack him again… no, she would definitely attack him again, probably in his sleep.
He could accept her, and then do his best to convince her to just be civilized without using shocks, but…
Was that even possible?
It had to be.
And how hard could it be? After all, Faunus enjoyed serving humans. At least that’s what he’d always been told, and he’d never seen any reason to disbelieve it. Ruby loved Weiss, and Sun and Neptune were always smiling.
But looking at Blake, he saw none of that natural servitude in her eyes. Only defiance and rage, promising murder the moment she got the chance. With a heavy sigh, Jaune pocketed the remote. He’d figure something out.
“Thanks mom, she’s… adorable,” he said, trying his best to sound sincere. Jean smirked, while Joan beamed with delight. Blake remained motionless on the floor, but her ears twitched. She was still listening.
Behind him, he heard his father’s deep voice call out to his mother. “Joan, we have to talk.”