RWBY 1. Peter Port and the Beowolf

A retelling of Sergei Prokofiev 1936 Russian children's story Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67

* * *

Despite the title as the best, if not, one of the best combat institutions for training young warriors to be hunters for the greater good of humanity, Beacon was like any other regular school. And despite the population of student being the brightest and strongest humanity had to offer as human sacrifices for that greater good, they were still regular teens. They studied, ogled over girls and guys alike, dealt with parents from time to time, and they all looked forward to the weekend. And Blake was no different.

_Each character, in this story, is represented, by a different instrument…_

Blake had a particularly rough week. Training session upon training session, packed with extra assignments from class, one non-combat team building exercise, and two field assessments, one of which she was sure that she and her hot headed partner had failed; she was exhausted.

_The bird, by the flute; the duck, by the oboe…_

Blake had long prayed for the weekend to come; all the energy she reserved for studying dying Thursday night as finally finished her assignment for Professor Port, only for her to remember there was an essay due for Dr. Oobleck and a lab report for Professor Peach. Her other reserve, used for socializing, had died long before Wednesday; Yang had been way too clingy this week and while being forced into Weiss' company for far too long. The girls were on good terms, but still had issues dealing with each other from time to time, Weiss still learning to trust a former White Fang member, and Blake learning that Weiss doesn't really mean the things she sometimes say about Faunus.

But with Saturday finally here, Weiss having went off to study in the library and Yang taking up Pyrrha's offer to train with her and Jaune, Blake was free to recharge and enjoy in her favorite pastime, reading.

_The cat, by the clarinet; the grandfather, by the bassoon… _

Or at least she would have if she wasn't being dragged of the Professor Ports office by her childish and fearless leader Ruby.

Sitting in her shared dorm room reading the latest edition to her growing library of books Blake was disturbed when the younger girl has returned from another grueling study session with Weiss. Seemly tired and annoyed Little Red all but threw herself on the death trap suspended over Weiss' bed, ignoring the snapping of one of the ropes. A hallowed "Hello" was all she got as the girl immediately placed on her headphones, shutting Blake out with what the Faunus assumed was rock.

A little pity for Ruby having been worked so hard by Weiss encouraged Blake to try and speak with the girl. But somewhere between asking Ruby why she seemed so upset and finding the right moment to ask her to leave Blake had stuck up another conversation about books and childhood stories, discovering the girl was actually listening to a famous childhood story Blake unfortunately never heard before but sounding vaguely familiar.

_The wolf is represented by three hideous, nasty, ugly, smelly French horns. Scary; Peter is represented by the strings of the orchestra. _

In her glee with having a rare one on one conversation with Blake, Ruby confirmed the story was one of Professor Port's, shared with the class on their first day. Blake could hardly contain her laugher; she assumed the tale was just a stretch, a figment of his over glorified imagination. The way he dramatized the story in class to impress his more attractive students, like Yang, had killed all the credibility it might have had. In fact, Blake wasn't sure how Ruby knew his story; the girl hardly paid attention that day.

_And the rifle shots are represented by the timpani and the big bass drum!_

Ruby asked if she want to hear it, and believing her leader would tell it, Blake agreed to listen. Yet here they were standing outside his office as Ruby dragged her to their professor's office, Blake protesting that hearing it from the man himself was unnecessary.

Ruby tapped on his door with three gentle knocks, and with a voice ever so loud and booming the older man swung open his door and greeted his students with a smile. "Miss Rose and Miss Belladonna, to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you today?"

Ruby spoke. "Well, um, Professor Port, we want to hear a story!"

"And which one would that be?" he chuckled.

"Your most famous one, the story about the Beowolf. Blake has never heard…the full story before."

The older man raised a brow as he turned his attention to the older girl in black. "Well Miss Rose, you've heard my tale thousands of times before, could you not just retell it yourself?" Without waiting for an answer, the professor walked to the far corner of his office to retrieve a pot of tea he was preparing prior to their arrival, placing it on a tray with three lacquer cups and platters. "You both are luck my fair ladies, for I was just about to have tea! Surely I have enough time to tell you of my greatest journey!" he bellowed, directing Ruby and Blake to small table near his desk, seemingly forgetting what he had said no more than ten seconds ago, or that he had told part of this tale in class.

A giggle from Ruby, and a roll of amber eyes from Blake; both girls knew Professor Port would not pass up the opportunity to brag about his adventures.

"I hope you are excited as I am for this tale of bravery against opposition!" he bellowed, pouring his two visitors as each their own cup of green tea.

"Thank you Professor", Ruby replied taking a small sip from her cup. Blake in return just nodded.

"Nonsense, I am more than happy to!" He pauses and Blake received a quiet whisper from Ruby that he was starting. "Well now, if you both are sitting comfortably, and you're all relaxed, we can begin."

* * *

Once upon a time live a young lad by the name of Peter. Peter lived in small village in the mountains of the Mistral region, where it was very cold in the winter but moderate throughout the rest of the year. The village Peter lived in was a special place, home to many brave hunters who traveled the world to slay Grimm, and farmers who lived off the fertile soil. Peter himself lived with his burly and strong grandfather, an old retired hunter who now grew cabbages; his grandfather's cat, a lazy and mischievous feline; and a goofy but fun loving duck.

Their home was a cozy shack with a small meadow that had a little swimming pool. Peter's home circled the town they lived in; the entire village and their home were surrounded by a large steel gate blocking a huge forest. It is outside the gate that the hunters of the village often went to slay Grimm, for food and to keep the village safe.

One day, on an early morning in the spring, Peter opened the tall gate that leads to his meadow and went out into the green fields to play. Today was a good day for young Peter, for today, all the children Peter's age would be tested to see if they would begin training to become hunters. Peter always wanted to be one like his grandfather and so he woke before the crack of dawn to go out into the meadow to exercise and prepare.

On a branch in the nearby big tree sat a little bird, white as snow, blue being the color of her eyes and the tips of her feathers. Peter recognized the bird as his friend, Miss White he affectionately named her.

"Hello Ms. White!" young Peter cried out, waving at he sat in the green grass.

"Hello Peter", the bird chirped gaily, flying from her branch and around his head before meeting him in the grass, though she knew the boy could not understand her. "All is quiet this morning."

With his new companion here, the two continued to play in the meadow, Miss White flying above his head and resting on his knees, while Peter preformed pushups and sit ups. Soon a tall but plump duck waddled over to the two, long were her feathers as they shined as yellow as the sun, her belly brown like dirt.

She was glad Peter left the meadow gate open; it was the perfect time of day to go out for swim in the deep pond. Laughing the duck quacked hello to Peter, which he replied with his own cheerily before turning her attention to Miss White, who had hopped over to greet her.

"And so once again the lazy duck comes out to play in the deep pond", the bird remarked, crossing her feathers and turning up her beak, "I hope you know what you are doing is dangerous."

The duck could hardly contain her laughter. "I can't tell if you hit your head one too many times flying over here, but as you can see, I'm built for swimming!"

The bird rolled her eyes. "Seriously, what kind of bird are you, if you can't fly?"

"Well _what_ kind of bird are you, if you can't swim?" Without warning the duck dived into the pond, splashing Ms. White who fluttered about in a panic, earning a heartily laugh from Peter.

"Oh you insufferable idiot, can you be at least a little more graceful?!" the bird yelled.

"Nope, ain't my style little bird", the duck replied as she kicked about in the pond.

"Do not call me a little bird. I am more of a bird than you'll ever be."

The duck snorted. "Until you get a feather rack like these", the duck motioned to her larger than normal chest, "You ain't even half the bird I am."

"Why you—"

The bird and the duck argued and argued, Peter watching the entire exchange with delight. The duck enjoyed ruffling the bird's feathers every day she came to visit, and the bird could hardly ignore the duck. While he could not understand the words they spoke, he was sure that the duck and the bird, Miss White, were actually good friends.

As the duck and bird argued while Peter exercised, a pair of amber eyes watched from the window of Peter cozy cottage.

"Peter has done it again", a smooth and mellow voice spoke. "His grandfather has told him to never go into the meadow without permission. I better go wake the old man so he can rescue Peter and feed me."

Jumping from the stool where she watched the trio from, a black cat with a purple bow tied around her neck strutted on her velvet paws to the grandfather's room before pausing to see the open gate.

"Then again", she mewed, "I can do with a small change in the menu; a plump duck for breakfast and a small snowbird as a snack."

Slowly the black cat stalked out the tall gate and into the tall grass, circling around Peter and round the back of the bird and duck, waiting until the right moment to dash out a catch them.

The cat thought she was sneaky. "The bird is busy arguing. I'll. Just. Grab her." However, the cat's silk ribbon caught Peter's attention.

"Look out!" cried Peter. Immediately the bird flew up into the tall tree as the cat lunged, while the duck jumped out the pond to quack at the cat angrily.

"There you go again Bella! Leave the bird alone! Come pick on someone your own size!"

The cat walked around the base of the big tree and thought _'Is she worth climbing up so high? By the time I get there, she would have flown away.'_

The cat then turned to the duck quacking on the shore of the pond and grinned. "But, I can easily outrun you…" Sprinting on her velvet paws, the cat mewed and dashed towards the duck. Frightened the duck waddled back and dived into the pond just as the cat lunged at her. The cat, poor little Bella, she fell right into the middle of the pond; she quickly swam up and jumped out into the grass, shivering from her fur being soaking wet.

Peter, the bird, and the duck laughed at the unfortunate cat, the birds taunting her as she shivered in the grass.

"What kind of bird are you", called Miss White from her high branch, "That you can't fly away from a _foolish cat_, too lazy to climb a tree?"

Catching on the bird's joke, the duck replied, "I'm the type of bird that can swim away from _stupid cats_, too scared to take a dive in water."

The pair laughed, with the duck making terrible cat puns as the cat lay in the grass, growling at the two. "Come swim with me kitty. The water is just _purrrrrfect_. Or do you _pawfer_ to sleep in the meadow?"

Watching Bella fail in her hunt, Peter got an idea. "I must be prepared for my big test this afternoon. What better way than to kill a Grimm or two."

Dashing off the ground he sat, he raced back into his cottage and returned dressed in special combat clothes his grandfather made him: an iron chestplate and platelegs, with hard leather gloves and steel toe boots. Around his waist, he carried a belt with a few hunting supplies, and on his back his grandfather's giant Blunderaxe.

With keys to the steel gate in hand Peter opened the gate to go out into the forest. Neither the bird, nor the duck, nor the cat, noticed Peter had left.

* * *

Peter walked all around the forest looking for Grimm to kill. Carrying his grandfather's Blunderaxe on his back, Peter did not have to go very far from his home, for in a small forest clearing rested two Beowolves, one by a large tree, and another under a huge boulder.

Peter smiled with delight_. 'I'll take care of the Beowolf under the rock first, and then shoot the other before he can catch me.'_

Slowly he walked around the Grimm as quiet as he could and climbed the small cliff the huge boulder precariously stood on. When he got the boulder, Peter gave it a mighty shove, using his grandfather weapon to unhinge it from where it sat, and _crash!_

Falling back on his back, Peter heard the rock crush the Grimm to death as it howled in pain. But the commotion woke his companion, and before Peter could stand on his feet the second Beowolf was had slowly closed in on him.

As the beast swiped his claw Peter rolled out of the Beowolf's attack and quickly stood to his feet. The beast turned on his hind legs and again it swiped at Peter, who dived under the creature and ran for the Blunderaxe.

Peter was quick in grabbing the weapon but not quick enough to set it up to shoot. Instead he was forced to swing the axe in an attempt to ward off the Beowolf. With one giant swing Peter took the Grimm's ear and with another, he made a sharp cut at its torso and he pushed back with his legs to get out of the Grimm's reach.

The Beowolf howled in pain, allowing Peter enough time to stand. But he was already feeling exhausted and knew he could not keep fighting for long. In one final assault the beast lunged at Peter. Then there was a bang, almost as if someone had fired cannon. Then the Beowolf dropped before Peter's feet while smoke escaped the barrel of the gun. Peter had successfully fired a shot at the beast right in the center of its head and killed it.

Peter rejoiced in his first victory and threw the Blunderaxe on his back. Just as he bent down to cut a piece of fur from the monster's body he head a screeching howl. The gun shot must have alerted another Grimm in the forest.

"I better leave now", he declared, abandoning the Grimm and running for his hut.

* * *

Peter stumbled back to his humble home and quickly shut the steel gate behind him. Turning to his cottage across the meadow, Peter could see a very tall person inside, and knew it was his grandfather lurking about. Peter rushed back to the tall gate to the meadow but was caught by an angry grandfather, who noticed Peter was outside with his Blunderaxe.

"Peter, why are you out in the meadow?! If I have told you once, I have told you a thousand times, never go out without my permission! And not only do you go outside, but you take my weapon that you do not know how to use!"

Peter's grandfather stalked over the tall grass and in one hand snatched Peter by his collar; in his other he took his Blunderaxe. "It is a very dangerous place. If a Beowolf should come out of the forest and break past the steel gate, what would you do?"

Peter wrestled himself from his grandfather's grip and puffed his chest out. "Boys like me aren't afraid of Grimm." And how could he have been, he killed two by himself!

Grandfather scolded the boy and took him by the hand. Since Peter had been disobedient, he would teach Peter a lesson. Locking the gate and leading him home, grandfather told Peter, since he had went out into the meadow and took his Blunderaxe, Peter could not test with the other children today. He would have to wait until the summer. Peter was crushed, and pleaded with his grandfather but to no avail. Grandfather was adamant in his decision as he took the meadow keys and went into town to run errands.

However, neither Peter, nor his grandfather; the sleeping cat, the swimming duck, nor the singing bird realized that Peter had forgot to lock the big steel gate. And no sooner had Peter gone, than a big strange Beowolf come out of the forest, having followed and stalked the boy all the way home.

The large Grimm was an unusual sight. Though she had black fur like her cousins, with burning red eyes and bone like armor, the Beowolf had many streaks of crimson red running through her fur, the armor on her body metallic silver like coins or silverware.

Swift like lightning the Beowolf ran towards the open steel door, pushing it open and attracting the attention of the animals nearby. Miss White was the first to notice the Grimm and quickly flew up to the highest tree, far from the Grimm's reach. Missing the bird, the Beowolf ran towards the cat, but in a twinkling Bella ran and climbed up into the same tree, barely escaping the snarling Grimm as it jumped to bite her tail.

The duck quacked, and in her excitement, jumped out of the pond. The duck ran as fast as she could to the gate, hoping that grandfather did not lock it or that she could climb it to safety. Pumping her webbed feet and skinny legs as hard as she could, the duck flapped her yellow wings to try and take flight as the Grimm stalked her, getting closer with each step.

The Beowolf didn't need to run because the duck was much too slow. In her haste the Grimm flashed behind the duck and swallowed her in one big gulp.

Peter watched all of this behind the tall gate that separated him from the Grimm, the creature which stalked the base of the giant tree to bird and cat had gone to escape. The cat and bird hugged each other in fear as they cried.

"Well this is it!" Miss White cried out. "It is here that I am going to die. This is your fault cat! If you had woken Peter's grandfather, we'd be safe!"

Bella nervously shook her head. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Ember. I never meant to eat her ever. I only wanted to play and make sure she wasn't being reckless. Now my friend is gone."

While the Beowolf stalked the cat and bird around the tree, Peter ran into his cottage and grabbed a pair of hard leather gloves, a strong rope, and a large net with steel thorns in the meshwork. Climbing the high gate, Peter went over the wall and into the nearest tree without touching the ground. "Fly down and circle over the Grimm's head", he called out to the bird. "Only take care that he doesn't catch you."

The bird looked at Peter, then at the cat, then back at Peter, who was making a lasso with on end of the rope and slowly letting it down.

"Are you crazy?!" she angrily chirped back. "This is insane! I will not make myself a meal for the Grimm."

Without warning Bella shoved the bird out the tree, yelling "Peter need our help. If not for him do it for Ember, our duck friend!"

The bird flew over the beast, almost touching the Grimm's head with her wings while the Grimm snapped angrily at her. The bird, while afraid, was very clever, and didn't allow the Beowolf to eat her. As Peter secured another end of the rope to the tree, the cat leaped down to taunt the beast, waving her tail in the air to provoke the monster.

The Grimm quickly sprang after Bella, but she was just as fast, and they ran towards Peter's lasso. Bella jumped through the hole with her slim body. The Beowolf follow with her head and got stuck, jumping wildly trying to get loose; but her jumping only made the lasso tighter.

Next Peter threw the net over the Grimm to trap her, inciting a fury as the beast gnawed at the net. Yet the Grimm soon found it painful to do so, as the more she chewed and struggled, the more the steel thorns in the netting cut at her exposed skin and inside her mouth. Eventually the Beowolf expended her energy, calmed down, and sat in the tall grass, licking her wounds.

Just then a pair of hunters came out of the woods and into the meadow, shooting as they went; they had been tracking the Grimm and the trail led them to Peter's home.

"Found you!" said one hunter. "Now to skin you and make some lien from your beautiful fur!"

Peter still in the tree cried out, "Don't shoot. Don't kill it! We caught the Grimm and it is too unique to kill. Help us take it into to town to the zoo, so experts can study it!"

The second hunter scratched his chin to think for a minute of two. "Okay Peter, we will do that. Go lock the steel gate my brother", he said to the hunter next to him. "We will go and borrow Grandfather's special cage to take the Grimm into town."

Locking the steel gate Peter left open, and ushering the beast into his grandfather's special cage, the group rode into town.

What followed was a triumphant procession as people gathered around to see what the hunter's brought back. Peter walked at the head. After him the hunters pulled the cage the Grimm sat in, lasso still tied around her neck. The bird and the cat at on top of the cage both excited for they assisted Peter in catching the beast. Winding up the procession was grandfather, mocking "Well, if Peter hadn't caught the wolf? What's then?"

However, the grandfather took a glance at his grandson leading the group and smiled. "No matter, I am proud. Peter Port my boy, you shall make a fine hunter."

* * *

"Thanks to my bravery, I returned to my village a hero. My grandfather forgave my earlier disobedience and allowed me to join the other hunters-in-training without the need to test. Thus began my wonderful career! Ha-ha!"

Professor Port sat his cup of tea on the table as he stood from his chair, taking a bow as Ruby clapped. He then slowly walked over to a tall bookcase in the back of his office. Plucking a book from the middle shelf he began to rummage through old discolored pages in the book, landing on one page in the beginning of the tome.

"To this day I do not know what has happened to my grandfather's duck", he stated as he made his way back to the table. "Most will say, of course you do Peter, and she was eaten. Through if one was to listen very carefully, they would hear the duck quacking inside the beast's belly, since in its hurry the Grimm swallowed her alive." On Ruby's face he could see her eyes sparkle with amusement and childlike approval; he knew this had to be her favorite story. On Blake's; however, was sheer disbelief, evident by the scowl, amber eyes seeming to be picking away inaccuracies in his story.

"I suspect the Beowolf expelled her the same way it ate her, but that would be wishful thinking." He gently laid the book on the table and pushed it in Blake direction. As the young Faunus began to speak, probably with some disapproval at the tale she quickly scanned what appear to be an old newspaper article, "The Moscow Times". Blake was no less than stunned to see the headline of the clipped out article as Ruby read it aloud: "Peter Port captures rare coated Beowolf alive, become village hero and new hunter-in-training."

* * *

Note: I've always wanted to retell this story since first making the connection to Professor Port and Peter from the Russian story, since _Peter and the Wolf_ is one of my favorites.

For those of you who know the story, it should be pretty easy to tell what I added and changed. For those of you who don't, the story is more of less the same, but I encourage you to listen to the 30 minute composition on YouTube. There are plenty of videos of it and plenty of version of this story, including a 2006 animated short in where Peter actually frees the wolf.

I hope you enjoyed reading as I plan to retell a few more, hopefully in a more RWBY like way. Until next time.


	2. Hati Hróðvitnisson and Skӧll

The Legend of Hati Hróðvitnisson and Skӧll, based off the Hati and Skӧll from _The Prose Edda and The Poetic Edda._

* * *

"Today begins the first ever team RWBY and team JNPR combined study session!" Ruby declared, the excited 15 year old throwing her fist into the air.

Ten friends sat in a large circle on the lawn in front of the famous Beacon Academy. Books and pencils in hand each member, sans one, had just left Professor Oobleck's class and decided that thanks to the calm and moderate weather, they would meet to discuss their most recent assignment.

"So let me get this straight, this professor of yours wants you to write a report on children stories?" the young and inquisitive monkey Faunus among them asked.

"Ugh, it's not just that. We are supposed to find folklore and mythology, preferably related to our own cultural backgrounds, and write a report on any story of our choice as to how it relates to the trials of beginning a hunter", a young woman in white responded.

"That's not necessarily true Weiss. He said we could pick any legend, any piece of mythology, and even children stories to write about. He wants us to tell it or summarize it and examine it on the criteria of if they story explains a phenomenon early humanity could not understand; if the story was a parable, or how it entertained."

"Oh, so you were paying attention Yang."

Said blond rolled her eyes as she threw he head back into the grass, unable to come up with a retort to the heiress, instead opting to mumble her complaints.

"Which is why we are all out here, to brainstorm ideas about what we'll write about." Sun turned his attention to the cat Faunus across from him, studying her as she was once again buried in another book.

"Brainstorm about how they relate to being a hunter! Why else would he assign this?"

"Alright, share one with me Blakey", Sun teased, ignoring Weiss' rant and earning another set of angry mumbles from the blond to Blake's right.

"I don't have one", she plainly replied, throwing a quick slap to Yang's side to hush her. The girl responded by turning to her side.

"So, does anyone else have a story to share?" Yang asked, obviously annoyed, as hinted in the tone of her voice.

"I think Nora has a story already." Half the group turned to face Ren as he spoke. "Right Nora?"

"What? Huh? How'd you know?"

The young man in green chuckled. "You've been writing non-stop ever since we sat down."

"Ha, oh yeah; guess you're right Ren", she replied returning a sheepish grin.

"It isn't often that Nora is quiet. So it's got to be a good one!" Ruby blurted out in excitement.

"Well Nora since you seemed to have jumped ahead of us in the assignment, why don't you share your story with us", Pyrrha spoke.

"Well alright." Clearing her throat and narrowing her eyes Nora began her monologue, quickly settling into a narrator's voice. "Prepare to be amazed…"

"Good grief", Weiss remarked.

"…At the heroic tales of my people and the gods of Remnant."

"Seriously?"

"I will tell you one of the most famous stories. The story of two great divine powers…"

"Just get on with it." Weiss was met with a sharp elbow to her side, her partner whisper for the heiress to be quiet, as the younger huntress wanted to hear Nora without interruptions.

"...And of Hati Hróðvitnisson and Skӧll, giant wolves of the Iron Forest..."

* * *

Once long, long ago, in the beginning of time, live a man named Mundilfari, who had two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. The man Mundilfari named his male child Sun, because his short hair and tanned skin shined like bright lights and through his eyes were as green as the evergreen forest, the man could see fire dancing in the boy's eyes. His daughter, who he wed to a rich man called Glenr, was named Moon, her fair skin as soothing as ocean waves and her as long as waterfalls but as black as night, her amber eyes reminding her father of the not so deadly creatures of the dark.

The god Odin, the all-father was witness to the children's birth, and was delighted to see such radiant humans. "Man knows neither the hour nor the day, and must always count or pray use gods send up the sun and the moon. Let us give them time."

Odin, the all-father decided to take the brother and sister, and set them up in the heavens. He instructed Sun to drive those horses that drew the chariot of the sun, to illuminate the world from glowing materials which flew out of Múspellheim. Odin then set Moon to steer the course of the moon in her chariot, after her brother. From earth he took two more children called Bil and Hjúki to be the stars that followed her at night.

Odin was pleased with his work, but soon discovered that giving Sun and Moon the celestial powers that controlled time was a big mistake. Sun liked to watch the ocean wave's crash on the shore, and the human below him work. By mistake he would hold the sun for hours close to the earth as he played games with the children of farmers, turning the land into hot savannas and deserts. People who worked near Sun grew to have dark or tanned skin like Sun so that they may survive the heat, but the abundance of sunlight in one place caused the farmers to grow poor crops, for there was hardly any rain, and the rest of the world was dark and cold.

Moon liked to rest near the deep forests, and often tied her horses down for hours on end. The silence was pacifying, as it allowed her peace from the chaos her brother usually started; she spent her time reading and playing with the night dwellers. Without the sun, snow found it easier to fall, and some of Moon's favorite places were also snowy hill and mountains.

The animals, people, and the gods themselves didn't know when to wake and when to sleep because Sun and Moon never kept time. They traveled as the pleased, even when Odin asked them to drive their chariots. So Odin called all the gods of Asgard to dinner and proposed an idea.

"Children and friends, Sun and Moon, who I placed in the sky to help us tell time and move days, have forgotten their duty. I struggle to use my might to make them work so I can upon your help." With a snap of his fingers, divine servants emerged with large stone tablets, one for each member in attendance.

"Each of you has a desire that you cannot fulfil on you own, but with my help could be done. Write your one greatest wish on these tablets, anything you want, aside from the death of another god or the life of a man who has long since passed from the earth. Then go forth and make Sun and Moon ride across the skies. Should you be successful, then whatever you want that is written on my tablet, I will not deny you of."

The gods were thrilled. While they could not bring back the dead or kill an enemy, they would not pass up Odin's generosity. Each god ate roast meat and drank cool wine; then once he or she wrote on Odin's tablet, they set off to confront Sun and Moon.

Each god tried as they might but failed. Many offered riches beyond a simple man's wildest dreams.

"Why would we want riches when we are more valuable than all the gold in the world; when we shine brighter than any jewel?" said Sun.

Some offered the rarest of pleasure no one else could get.

"We take our pleasures from the earth; my brother watches the ocean and plays with children and I read my books and dance with creatures of the night. You can offer us nothing we do not already have', Moon retorted.

Some, like Thor, even threatened to use physical violence to move them.

"Harm us and you will surely destroy these celestial bodies, for we always keep the sun and the moon close by. Do you want to incite your father's wrath?" they mocked.

The gods, all of them, had failed to help Odin in his time of need. Except, there was one god that did not try yet and instead watched each one before him falter.

His name was Loki, a mischievous god, son of Fárbauti and Laufey; father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. As the only divine being who did not immediately go out to help Odin, he instead watched the gods struggle with their conquest and thought, _'If even Thor cannot do the task, then I must be very clever if I am to receive a prize from Odin. I shall take note of each failure and watch Sun and Moon to see how I can make them run the skies.'_

And so for many nights Loki watched the brother and sister to gather information to form his plan. From his observations he learned many things. From Sun he learned that the boy loved men more than beast, but was always causing humans trouble. He hated the forest, was afraid of wolves, and loved his sister dearly, so much so he was in love with her. Was he not already married he would have wed her himself.

From Moon Loki learned she loved beast more than men, and went so far as to shun human contact. But she loved the forests and took care of all living creatures that lived in them, beast and human alike. She was not happily married as she enjoyed being alone more than anything, or playing with the creatures of the night. She took her job more seriously than her brother and always did her duty to keep the moon safe.

None of this information helped Loki until he one day watched Moon dance among lions and wolves in the Iron Forest, a place of giants and trees as strong as steel. From a distance he could see two giant wolves watching the festival from a cave in the mountains. One was sleeping, but the other was jumping and smiling, howling as Moon twisted and turned and sang. It was then that Loki got an idea.

Loki returned to Odin and borrowed his magic dust crystals and sweet herbs, in exchange for fine ram horns. He then returned to the Iron Forest and with his bow killed two of the largest deer he could find. After roasting the meat he approached the cave of the giant wolves and called out for them to meet him.

Slowly, the larger of the two wolves emerged and Loki almost fell to his knees. The wolf was huge, his eyes lite red like blood, his fur a strange bright blond color mixed with red and orange streaks of fur, his belly brown like the wood of oak trees. The wolf, in his anger spoke, "Who call upon Hati Hróðvitnisson and his brother Skӧll, threating dominion over us?!"

"It is I, Loki, son of Fárbauti and Laufey, father the wolf Fenrir. I bring an offering for you both." At Hati's paws he laid both roasted deer. Without warning Hati's brother flashed out of the cave, at a speed Loki could not follow with his eyes. Skӧll was smaller than his brother, and much less threating. His fur was black, also with streaks of red; his eyes silver.

Without words both wolves ate the offering Loki presented; when they finished they demand more but the god refused, saying they must now listen to a request. Hati's hair flared in anger like fire as he changed at Loki, using his strength to tackle the god to the ground.

Placing his paw to the god's neck, Hati snarled, "How dare you trick us into owing you a favor?! Foolish god, you may be our father's father, but we will waste no time in laying you to eternal rest! Plead your case now before I end you!"

Displacing his fear, Loki responded, "I know what it is you seek Hati. You want the affections of Moon and you hope that one day you will brave enough to come before her. Let me live and I can help you."

Immediately Hati's red eyes drained in color revealing calm lilac hues as he released Loki from under his paws. "I do love her so. How do you intend to help me?" he asked with confusion in his voice.

"I have watched her and learned that she loves beast more than men; she would surly fall for you should you save her from bondage. Look up and you will see she is forced to drag the moon across the sky. The moon keeps her in slavery. If you destroy that celestial body, she will marry you."

Hati shook his head. "I cannot fly. I can't help her. Leave me in peace; I am sad now that I know I can never marry her."

Loki laughed. "Foolish wolf, I am a god. I have the power to make you travel the skies." From his pocket he relieved a clear crystal and instructed the wolf to eat it then leap into the air. Following Loki's instructions Hati ate the dust and jumped, finding he could float.

"Good, now remember you must never stop running until you eat the moon. The crystal will make sure you do not grow weary and that you will be able to fly forever."

Hati was delighted. Sending off his goodbyes to his brother, Hati waited until Moon rode across before he gave chase.

Seeing the huge wolf following her, Moon did not stop in the Iron Forest, nor did she stop in any other forest. Instead she ran across the sky, passing her brother Sun on the other side of the world. Fearful of his sister's life Sun gathered enough courage to follow Hati, intent on killing him.

"Loki!" Skӧll cried in fear at long last. "My brother is being chased by Sun and will surely be harmed. Give me a dust crystal so that I may chase Sun down and devour him!"

Loki smiled with delight; this was exactly what he wanted. Giving Skӧll a crystal the smaller wolf charged into the sky with speed unheard of and gave chase to Sun. This frightened the boy and ignoring his sister ran as fast as he could in his chariot.

It was by luck that the wolves chased after Sun and Moon such that the actual sun and moon spent twelve hours a day in the sky. Odin was amazed at what Loki had done and once again called him up to Asgard so that he could receive his reward.

* * *

By this time Nora was standing on her feet, entertaining the group of ten with all types of expressions and hand gestures. "During the summer time, Skӧll gets tired because his fur feels warm, so he slows down and the horses that draw the sun get to rest; but when winter arrives, Skӧll feels stronger and chases Sun faster than before, making the winter days much shorter than the summer days."

Reaching the end of her story Nora sat in the grass next to Ren, leaning back on her hands. "Hati and Skӧll will forever chase Sun and Moon, until the day of Ragnarök, which is like basically the end of the world. There'll be fire and natural disasters and then the world will drown in water because Hati will finally catch Moon and ask to marry her but she'll say no because she thinks Hati will kill her but Hati will get mad so he'll eat her and the moon anyway and then Sun will try to kill him but Skӧll will devour him and the sun so then their father will return and kill a bunch of gods but then—"

"Nora", Ren spoke interrupting her rambling speech.

"Yes Ren?"

"I think that's all they want to know about the story; that it doesn't have a happy ending."

The friends watched Nora rambled on about how they should know about the gods Odin, Thor, their enemy Fenrir and Ragnarök, very much amused so much thought was put into the stories that related to Nora's heritage.

"Wait, am I supposed to be Hati?" Yang whisper as she played with the Blake's hair.

"He does sound like you. Temperamental and somewhat gullible", she responded, swiping away Yang's hand.

"Hmm, well unlike Hati, I wouldn't devour you. At least not like that", she mocked. From the corner of her eyes Yang could see a slightly fuming Sun Wukong shifting in his seat across from them; the blond couldn't help but grin at his discomfort.

"So the sun and moon move across the sky because wolves chase them; cute, very cute" Sun huffed. "But there has got to be another story. One that isn't so predictable…"

The group remained quiet, thinking over the stories they were planning to write about in their reports when Pyrrha lifted her hand.

"Well, I'm not sure if I plan to write about this one, and it doesn't relate to my culture, but it is sort of another twist on Nora's tale. Maybe you'll like to hear it."

* * *

Note: According to the texts where Hati and Skӧll are mentioned, the wolves chase the sun Sol and the moon Mani until the end of the world, where once both are devoured their father Fenrir comes and [bleeps] stuff up before Odin's son kills him. Sol is driven in a chariot by a girl named Sun while her brother drives Mani.

Both _The Prose Edda and The Poetic Edda _are very long with only a small section of of these documents talking about the wolves. It doesn't explain why they chase the sun and moon, just that they do because the sun and moon are needed to keep time and change seasons. That allowed me a pretty blank slate to write some back story and make it like a children's tale or popular folklore Nora knows. That said I hope to return to both documents for more stories.

What's funny is that at about the end of me writing this I discovered Hati's name means "He Who Hates" whereas Skӧll means "Treachery". That worked out pretty well for what I wrote; Skӧll being tricked into chasing Sun and Hati's irrational violence. It also works out for the character in RWBY represented in this story, at least for Hati I think. I am sure there are stories out there that does a better job than me, so if you find it, read it and let me know about it.

I hope you enjoyed.


	3. Why the sun and the moon live in the sky

A retelling of the West African folktale of the sun and the moon, and how they came to be in the sky.

* * *

"So the sun and moon move across the sky because wolves chase them; cute, very cute" Sun huffed. "But there has got to be another story. One that isn't so predictable…"

The group remained quiet, thinking over the stories they were planning to write about in their reports when Pyrrha lifted her hand.

"Well, I'm not sure if I plan to write about this one, and it doesn't relate to my culture, but it is sort of another twist on Nora's tale. Maybe you'll like to hear it."

Tail upright and swishing from side to side, Sun beamed at smile at the red headed girl to his left. "Well I have no reason not to listen Sparta. I stuck around hoping to hear a good story. Lay it on me!"

Confused as to the nickname, but nonetheless prepared to entertain the monkey Faunus, Pyrrha cleared her throat to begin.

* * *

There are many stories in man's history that tells of great things; the sun, moon, stars, animals, and weather, just to name a few. Yet, man does not know all the stories of the world, for they are greater than the number of human clans that exist, which are plentiful and always changing, so much so that men could never keep count. So to help remember their stories, share them with the world, and learn new tales, men sought the help of a simple spider name Anansi. As the spider collected stories, he learned of one special tale of the divine celestial bodies, and how they came to live in the sky.

As the story goes, many years ago, the sun and the water were great friends, and they both lived on Remnant together. The sun, with his blond hair (when in his human form), cheery smile, and playful curiosity often visited the water wherever she asked. The sun enjoyed his visits, traveling to the four corners of the world to see the special things water found and talk to her about life. But pretty soon the sun noticed that the water never returned his visits.

To say the sun became sad was an understatement. Each day the water refused to come to his home, the sun was filled with a great sorrow in his heart. Was he not a good friend? Did the water not enjoy his visit; did he not tell her that the snow white hair she wore as a human was beautiful? Were they growing apart? The sun prayed such a situation like that never arise, but he had to know if he was losing a friend. At last the sun asked the water why she never visited.

"Water, how come you never visit my home? Are we not good friends, or have I offended you in one my recent visits?"

The water huffed and ignored his question. She was too prideful to admit the real reason why she never came to see the sun, knowing if she told him, the sun would mock her. Yet her resolve fell when she saw how unhappy her distance made the sun. Stubbornly she replied, "Sun, your house isn't big enough, and if I came with all my people, then I would surely drive you out of your home. That is why I never came to see you."

"So it's because you're fat."

"No you idiot! I make up seventy percent of Remnant!"

Groaning when the sun still seemed like he didn't understand what the water meant she then said, "If you want me to visit then you will have to build a large house. But I warn you that it will have to be very large. The creatures I care for are numerous and take up a lot of room. But I doubt you can build a house big enough to fit me and even the smallest fishes!"

The sun loved a challenge when given to him. So with his trademark smile and a hearty laugh he promised to build a very large house, and soon afterwards, the sun returned home to his wife, the moon.

"Babe, we gotta make the house bigger! Like really big!"

The moon, with her long black hair and amber eye she favored in her human form, glanced over one of her many old tomes to give the sun a pensive stare before asking, "Why?"

The sun told the moon what he had promised the water, to which the moon shook her head in disagreement.

"I don't understand why we have to make the house bigger for Water; she's pretentious and judgmental. She's always claiming how she has the toughest job because she provides life for everything on the planet, while we just help man tell time and occasional help change the seasons."

"Oh come on! She's gotten better over the past couple million years hasn't she?"

"She's existed for over three billion years. A couple million is like days or weeks to that of months or years in man's time. I really don't think that after one hundred million—"

"Great, that's great, but what about the house? Are we gonna start building tomorrow?"

The moon sighed and continued to argue with the sun, but ultimately agreed to help. After all, the water was also her friend, and maybe she wasn't as stuck-up as before.

So the next day, they began building a large house to entertain the water and all her people. And when it was completed, the sun asked the water to come and visit him.

When the water arrived, one of her people, and small river fish, called out to the sun and asked him whether it would be safe for the water to enter. Delighted the water actually came for once the sun answered, "Yes, tell my friend to come in."

So the water began to flow in, followed by the fish, all other water animals, and all the lost treasure buried deep in her lagoons. But it didn't take the water long to be knee-deep in the house, so she sent one of her people, this time a sea turtle, to asked the sun if it was still safe.

Well aware how much the water had filled his house, but knowing his home still had plenty of room the sun again said, "Yes, it is safe."

So the water continued to flow in. But by the time she was at the level of a man's head, the water said to the sun, "Do you want more of my people to come?"

Not knowing any better, the sun said yes, but the moon was beginning to become worried. The water was really as "fat" as the sun had said and the moon knew in a short time her home would be overflowing.

"Sun", the moon cried out, climbing on a large grandfather clock like a kitten. "We can't keep letting her in! Her people are filling our house to the brim and she hasn't even begun to invite the whales and other large mammals!"

The cheerily sun hanging from the clock with the moon shook his head. He was convinced his home was big enough for the water and all her whales. "Let them in, let them in!" he responded. And so more and more of the water's people came in, against all of the moon's protest, until the sun and the moon had to sit on top of the roof.

The water once again asked the sun if it was still okay to keep coming in. This time to moon answered no, her books now wet, unreadable, and forever lost in the water's vast oceans. Yet the sun still coaxed more of the water to enter his home, so more and more of the water's people came in, up until the very last coral.

However, the water soon overflowed the top of the roof, and at long last the sun realized that he really couldn't build a house large enough to fit his friend. His feet were wet and pretty soon his whole being would be submerged under water. But he just didn't want to kick her out after she made the effort to visit! So, the sun and the moon abandon their human forms and took a giant leap into the sky.

Water noticed this and immediately started to flow out of the sun and the moon's home.

"I am sorry. I told you that I can't visit you because you could never build a house big enough to fit me and even the smallest fishes, but I foolishly believed you did. Now you both have to float in the sky."

The water expected her friend to be angry, and rightfully so. The moon's books were soaked and the water's creatures ate all of the sun food, including his precious bananas and other fruit. Yet they were surprisingly at peace. The sun could finally see all activity on Remnant while the moon got almost complete silence. For these celestial bodies it was heaven.

"Oh don't leave because we're up here. We actually like it in space", the sun replied.

The moon nodded in agreement. "Sun can actually do his job and assist you in maintaining life. And it will be easier for man to tell time. All they would have to do is look up."

"Water, you can keep our house, so long as you tell everyone the good news! We have ascended!"

The water was puzzled by the sun and moon's reaction to being kicked out of their home but nonetheless complied. After having a grand time talking with her friends she left their home and all the creatures that lived in her vast body spread the news to every animal, plant, and man living; the sun and moon no longer live on earth but in the sky, and will remain there for all of eternity.

* * *

"It is said the house of the sun and moon; however, wasn't actually a house." At this Pyrrha pulled out from her bag a rather large text book, turning to the last few pages of the tomb. Her fingers glided over a world map of various colors until she found a spot right in between the region of Mistral and another unclaimed vast land characterized by a large desert surround by lush jungles.

"They say that the sun and the moon actually built the world's largest mountain range, found here, and that once upon a time used to be completely hollow on the inside."

As Pyrrha pushed the book in the middle of circle, half the friends gasped in amazement, or in Weiss' case, simply nodded and smiled. Only Blake and Ren held neutral expression while Sun looked utterly bored.

"Well, while that was certainly a _twist_, I'd rather listen to Viking kid over there and her grand stories of Ragnarök." At this Nora perked up and began another story, this time about a giant snake, before being silenced by Ren.

"So you don't like mythology or fantasy stories like Pyrrha's or Nora. What exactly do you like?" Yang asked with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Perhaps he likes story of mischief and jokes. After all, look at him. He's nothing but trouble", Weiss answered before Sun could reply, "And it isn't because he's a Faunus either." Weiss made sure to especially mention before Blake could argue such.

"I'm not a troublemaker; a great stowaway yes, but never a troublemaker princess."

Weiss grinded her teeth in an attempt to refrain from chastising him for using that nickname with her, and after a few seconds of slow counting Weiss spoke again.

"Alright, _great stowaway_, I have a story I'm sure you'll enjoy. My father used to tell me this story all the time. That was before father…," Weiss trailed off unsure of how to finish her sentence. "Anyway this is a story about a character I'm sure you can relate to. He's a peasant tricksters known as Till Eulenspiegel."

* * *

First, I apologize for the lack of updates from me. I haven't been in much of a mood to write, but now I'm trying my best to start up again. My updates will be slow when they come, so please be patience with me.

As for this story, there isn't much to say. It is a simple West African folktale about the sun and the moon, that I believe originated in Nigeria. However, I mentioned the spider Anansi because he is known as the West African god of stories. The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti people in Ghana. This story later spread across West African and a few other places where he takes other names. The story of how Anansi became the god of stories is an interesting one, which I didn't explain here, but may do so in the future. I decided to tell this one to start writing again and because I enjoy trickster tales. So hopefully I can write the next trickster tale I planned for this anthology before the end of the week, and I hope I do find more in the future than where I know I can find some.

Anyway, hope you enjoy.


End file.

RWBY