September Hearth (Completed)

September was born in a small village in the middle of nowhere. The only thing protecting his home from being torn apart by Grimm were a small group of hunters. As a kid, September was their biggest fan. He looked up to them, and he always wanted to be like them. From time to time, he would follow them around, sometimes even sneaking off to see them in action whenever there was a Grimm threat nearby.

Eventually, September made his own small swords with two sticks, and everyday he asked the hunters to teach him. After weeks of begging, one of them said yes. From that point on, the group of hunters took September under their wing, and each hunter was responsible for teaching him the basics.

September spent a year as their pupil: practicing his combat skills with his two sticks, learning about Aura and the unique powers of semblance, tracking skills and Grimm studies, even some teachings in treating minor wounds. Soon after, one of the hunter's decided to take September out on a basic patrol; however,  the mission went south as they were ambushed by a pack of Grimm. The hunter pushed September away and told him to run. September did so, running as fast as he could, leaving one of his teachers to face the Grimm alone.

As he ran, another pack of Grimm followed him without his knowledge. The other hunters quickly ran out to the front of the village to meet him, only to be caught off guard from the sudden Grimm pack following him. The amount was too many, and the hunters were ill prepared. They told September to get everyone to leave the village while they held off the Grimm. Not knowing what else to do, he ran inside the village and warned everyone what was happening. The entire village evacuated, taking as little as possible. Some Grimm found their way inside and began destroying the village.

In the aftermath, only half of the village population survived. They traveled as far as they could, reaching a town closer to civilization. Blaming himself for letting his home be destroyed, September stayed at the town while the rest of the survivors left to find a new home.

Since then, September had been working at the local butcher shop, until he heard of a school called Syne Academy. He hopes to join, becoming a hunter like the ones from his village, to never feel as helpless as he did on that day again.

The sun slowly rises upon the small town, lighting up the streets and buildings it contains with a glow of bright orange. It also awakes a tired fox Faunus out of his rented bed. He sits himself up on the bed, stretching his arms as a yawn escapes his mouth. Climbing out of bed, September grabs his glasses and walks over to the window, taking a glance outside.

"Another day after another tiring night... I need to get more sleep." He shuts the blinds and prepares himself for the day. He clothes himself in his black jeans and  sleeveless orange undershirt before he goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once that is done, September splashes a bit of water in his face to wake himself up. He looks in the mirror, his blue eyes looking tired as his fox ears twitched.

"Well, time to start the day." He grabs his white, short sleeved button up along with his trusty dual swords. He puts the shirt on, leaving it unbuttoned as he places his belt around his waist, the sheathed blades attached on both sides. He travels down to a local butcher shop, walking inside. "Morning Davis."

The butcher behind the counter looks over to him and smiles. "Ah, September! Did you get a good night's rest? You should be if you're going to be waking up so early." September merely chuckles as he walks over to the counter, his hands in his pockets. "You should know by now that I'm not really one for sleep." He looks up at Davis as he yawns his words. "What're the orders today, boss?"

The butcher places a flyer on the counter in front of him. "I want you to consider your future, kid." September looks at the flyer, seeing the words 'Syne Academy' at the top. He sighs and rests his head on the counter top. Davis simply pats his back. "Look, September, I really appreciate all the help you've given me in the past years. You're almost like a son to me, which is why I want you to give it a chance."

September looks up at Davis, half his head still in his arms. "I can't alright. The last time I tried being a hunter, a lot of people got hurt. Besides, I enjoy myself here." Davis pulls on the back of his shirt, forcing September to stand up straight. "Those hunters of yours taught you a lot of things already. If you really believed that, why did you save up to buy those swords?" September looks down to his dual blades on his waist. Davis continues, "You grew up wanting to be a hunter like them, right? They even trained you." Davis moves the flyer in front of September. "It's time you stop letting the past keep you away from your future."

September stares at the flyer for a moment as he takes it into his hands. "...Syne Academy, huh?"