Chapter 1: Chapter 1
The hot winds of Vacuo blew harshly as the midday sun hung in the middle of the sky. The sand shifted once again, gathering in dunes, veritable mountains that littered the desert.
Among such things was a group of four children, the oldest of which was barely eight years old. He and two others did not stand out as anything but normal. The fourth one, on the other hand, was definitely a bit strange.
He was the smallest of the group both in age and in height, though that's not what was weird about him. The boy had midnight black hair and startling red eyes, but even that was relatively normal for this part of the world. No, the abnormal thing was the extra appendage coming out of his lower back.
It was a tail, something a dog or a wolf would have.
"G-give it back Vance !"
"Oh, don't be like that Robin, I was just thinking of playing your favorite game."
The older boy, Vance, held in his hands a small, worn-out action figure of an old huntsman that was popular in Vacuo around ten or so years ago.
" Please *sob* my mama gave it to me."
"Tsk, tsk don't worry. Like I said we were just going to play a game."
The small boy, Robin, was a recent orphan in the tribe. His parents were one of the many victims of the recent Grimm attacks that have plagued these parts.
The three smiling boys including Vance spread out a bit.
"Here, you can go get it." Vance threw the action figure as far as he could in the direction of one of his two friends, much to the dismay of Robin. "Go, boy! Fetch!"
"Mr. Hunter !!" Robin, with tears in his eyes, watched as his only remaining possession flew through the air and impacted the sand a distance away.
"Ha, ha, go on doggy, after it!" laughed one of the other two boys.
Choking back on a few more sobs, Robin ran after his toy. Unfortunately, the clothes he wore were a few sizes too big. Inevitably, he tripped and landed face-first into the hot, harsh sand.
With tears running down his face he got up and kept going, almost reaching the action figure. He wasn't fast enough as one of the other two bullies managed to reach eat before him, having expected what was about to happen.
"N-No, give back Mr.Hunter!"
The one now holding Mr.Hunter gave a malicious smile and threw it back at the other one of his friends. "You really like playing fetch doggy! Crying tears of joy? Ha, ha."
And so an entire hour passed with Vance and his two friends throwing the action figure either to one another or directly in the sand. Robin cried and wailed the whole time. The tears fell especially hard when one of Mr. Hunter's arm had snapped off.
What remained of the action figure once again landed at Vance's feet. "I am such a good person. Who else would play fetch with you for so long doggy?"
Robin was once again laying on the sand with his face buried within it. A few muffled sobs could still be heard though.
Vance, seeing as the younger kid had no more energy to be tormented, decided to change his approach. He nonchalantly threw away the action figure and walked up to Robin.
"Hey now, I spend so much time playing your favorite game and I don't even hear a thank you?" Even if Robin wanted to say anything he could no longer do so since Vance's foot was pressing hard on his head.
"Yeah, doggy, Vance is such a nice guy. Where's the thank you?" One of the other two asked him while simultaneously having kicked him in the side. Meanwhile, Vance seemed to be getting bored with Robin's lack of reaction.
"Did you get too much sand in your ears, mutt?" Once again getting no response, he started stomping on Robin's head. The other two, following his example aimed at the downed boy's sides.
The beating kept up for a couple more minutes until something unexpected happened.
Robin's hand snapped up and grabbed Vance's leg while simultaneously rolling off to the side. The sudden movement caught the boys off guard, especially Vance as he went down on the sand with a startled yelp.
They didn't manage to get out of their stupor before one of the two bullies made a choking sound. They were barely able to see what happened.
The boy they had tormented for more than an hour was up on his feet and had, without even an ounce of hesitation, punched the older bully in the throat. Shocked and in pain he stumbled back.
Robin moved fast and pushed him back towards Vance. He easily fell over the older boy, causing both of them to shout. Without a second glance, Robin moved to the left, dodging the other bully's grab and with a small yell he kneed him right in the stomach.
For once since the four of them arrived between the dunes, Robin was not the one falling face-first into the sand.
Vance angrily shoved his friend off of him, just fast enough to see a small foot heading for his face. Unfortunately, he did not have the necessary reflexes to dodge in time.
With a dull thud, Robin's foot smacked Vance across the face and sending another one into the sand. A few more punches and well-placed kicks and the one Vance shoved aside was on his side sobbing in pain.
"Y-you, just wait until I tell my dad!" Vance tried to sound intimidating, but he was still a bit dizzy from the kick. When the world finally stopped spinning he looked up and saw Robin.
Honestly, it felt like he was looking at a different person. The crybaby seemed to have been replaced by someone else. His eyes, puffy from all the crying, were looking down on him with chilling disregard.
His face was impassive and his posture straight.
"Hmm, you must be confused." The tone was different, too calm, too precise and measured to be associated with a five-year-old child. "What makes you think you will be able to speak once I am done with you?"
"W-what?"
Robin chose not to answer, instead, he took a few steps to get closer and kicked Vance once again. The older boy fell once more on the sand. With tears and the edge of his eyes he furiously lounged at Robin, trying to tackle him.
Robin easily sidestepped the predictable attack, and once again hit him. Vance fell like a rock, rising a small cloud of sand in the process. Robin sat on his back, immobilizing him.
Needless to say, by the time the sun was beginning to set, things looked very different between the dunes.
Robin was nonchalantly emptying his clothes of all the sand that got in them while the three boys laid together in a heap, sniffing and sobbing.
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