Winter Schnee in Bitten: The Oncoming Storm 

“Atlas, how underwhelming. A city in the clouds seems so fragile. Hmph! Soon this city will pay for all it has done to me,” Cinder thought, the chilly breeze toying with the thick fur trim on the hood of her coat.

She made her way through the street, glancing out of the corner of her eyes as the small crowds of Faunus moved away from the everyday humans, business men and women walking past them. The looks of suspicion and fear filled the eyes of the Faunus as they watched the humans closely and made Cinder think, deep down, that something big was amiss here. The light chirping of her Scroll caught her attention, the leather of her gloves creaked as she pulled out her Scroll, eyeing the message from a “Doctor Alpha.”

“It would seem the police report is as confused as those Atlas authority bastards should be. Here’s the report about an attack on a rabbit Faunus, who seems like our captive candidate. Mistress Goodwitch instructs you to check out the location and find the source of the infection ASAP.” 

Cinder eyed the location closely, “Bond Street,” she grumbled, “Of course, it would be in the blue light district.”

She made her way through the streets, keeping her head low but eyes and ears sharply peeled. A burning hatred filled her mind causing her fists to clench as she eyed a pair of Atlesian soldiers marching down the street. Eventually, she reached a small junction, her eyes staring at a small mouse Faunus with vibrant blue mouse ears contrasting with the silver locks tied into a ponytail, cleaning the windows of “The Atlas High-Prime.”

“Shame Glynda doesn’t need any Faunus test subjects; that little mouse struggling would be like cutting into a full Valean steak thick with juices,” Cinder muttered. She tore her eyes and thoughts away from the Mouse Faunus, focusing on the large blue and white barricade blocking off the entrance to an alleyway.

“And the Reward for the Obvious Location goes to,” Cinder said, making her way over to the barricade. Before stepping under the barrier, she checked the surrounding area to ensure no signs of any soldiers or androids.

Her nose wrinkled at the overwhelmingly musty smell of decaying food as she cautiously walked down the alleyway. She gingerly stepped around a pile of spilt trash, gently bumping into the silver trash can. Cinder narrowed her eyes at the sight of a few deep grooves amongst the dents in the can.

“This could be the location, though it looks like a bar fight ripped through here,” Cinder muttered, moving further down the alleyway, “And yet, this is the prize.”

She stopped, kneeling whilst picking up a scrap of white fabric. Cinder hummed thoughtfully, scanning her eyes slowly across the other scraps littered about, ending at a pair of tattered grey boots.

“Now this is all the signs of a human getting too big for their clothing,” Cinder stated, standing up straight. She strolled further down the alleyway, her eyes lighting up in surprise as she approached a corner. The metal of a large green dumpster was broken with a significant dent impacted into the metal.

Cinder studied the damage closely, taking a few pictures with her Scroll. An eyebrow raised as something glinting under the small lights caught her eye.

“Well, now what do we have here,” she said, smirking, picking up the small white identification. And yet, the picture of an elegant yet strict female with white hair caused Cinder’s teeth to grit, a burning rage building within her mind as she read the name “Commander Winter Schnee.”
“No! That bitch can’t be a monster. So that means she may have to live for now…..for fuck sake!” She tucked the identification card into her coat pocket, glancing up at the Atlas Military compound towering above the alleyway, “If she began to change up there, it kind of makes sense to come down here, it is secluded enough and if memory serves me right there’s a secret backdoor into the compound around here. But how to draw her out into the open and maybe kill her if the opportunity arises for an accident to happen.”

She made her way out of the alleyway, typing a small message to “Doctor Alpha.” 

“Please advise the Mistress Goodwitch that I’m on the trail seeking to confirm the source and acquire a target. Proceeding to gather intel.”

Cinder walked across the round, her focus zeroing in on a large diner built from the hull of an old Atlesian freighter, its former silver paintwork making up the silver stripes in the vibrant red paint job. The cyan blue neon sign reading “Dine 2 Go” flashed and fizzled as Cinder strolled under. 

The chrome bell above the door jingled as she pushed open the door, the heat within stung her face. Cinder gently inhaled, sweeping her hood before taking off her coat. 

“Well, good afternoon there, Miss. Take a seat,” a tall, bulky man called from behind the chrome-fitted counter; his four spider legs twitched as he grabbed a mug.

Cinder nodded, moving to sit close to the counter, placing her coat on the back of the tall chair, “Cappuccino with cream and chocolate, please.”

“Sure thing. Can I tempt you with a muffin? We have the best blueberry and chocolate muffins in all of Remnant,” the man proudly smiled.

“Why not. I’m sure my figure can handle one muffin,” Cinder replied, smiling sweetly.

The man chuckled, picking out a muffin and placing it in front of her, “So, what brings you to Atlas? Hopefully not the disappointing celebration, Miss?”

“Summer Rose,” Cinder said, “And celebration?” She took a large bite of the muffin as she watched the man making her drink.

“Summer is a beautiful name for a pretty lady. I’m Russet.” He sighed heavily, “Yeah, there was meant to be a celebration for Winter Schnee’s and Clover Ebi’s engagement that fell through. Typical Schnees.”

“-Always oppressing those they deem beneath them,” Cinder continued, “Hard to think a bitch like Winter Schnee could get married.”

“Well, it’s never going to happen. Given Winter called it off for whatever reason,” Russet said.

Cinder smirked as her drink was placed on the counter, “Maybe the wrapping was bigger than the package!”

Russet gave a hearty laugh, “Who knows? The Ebi Clan is a strange one living in Essen in pure isolation. Hell, if the rumours are true, they made a fuss about him becoming a Huntsman and marrying a Schnee.”

“Well, hardly surprising given how the Schnees react and treat the lower class, especially the Faunus,” Cinder said, giving a sympathetic false tone to support the look that went with it. 

“Yeah,” Russet said, lowering his head, “Things have always been like that here. A young rabbit-eared Faunus was attacked by humans not long ago.”

“Humans?” Cinder quizzed, starting to sip on her coffee. 

“Well, that’s what the gossip says. Others say they saw a wolf fleeing from the scene, but the camera footage didn’t show anything of the sort,” Russet explained, “Things only keep getting worse here, and that General isn’t doing anything.”

Cinder hummed thoughtfully. She knew the General, James Ironwood, from the most targeted list she had seen multiple times within Glynda’s office alongside the other Headmasters of the other academies. 

“I don’t know what’s going on out there, but best you stay clear and keep yourself safe,” Russet’s words broke through Cinder’s thoughts, “We don’t need any more heroes. Too many students die from the academy’s missions.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I know all about those. That's why I went rogue and forged my own destiny,” Cinder stated, smirking internally at the small bit of truth wrapped in the lie whilst carrying on with her muffin and drink. 

The ticking of the snowflake-style clock filled the quiet space of the office as Winter Schnee sat at the large white desk, the chrome fittings twinkling like jewels under the bright lights. Her light blue eyes stared at the holographic screen displaying “Student progress reports.”

She clenched her hands, gritting her teeth as she stared at the clock. The chair screeched as she forced it back whilst standing up. Winter moved over to the wall, reaching up and plucking the clock from its small nail.

“I just need some quiet,” she muttered, plucking the Dust Cell battery from the back. 

The clock and battery clattered across the desk, and she gently threw them onto the desk as she approached the window. She stared out of the window, but instead of focusing on the beautiful city twinkling under the sun, she kept her eyes on her reflection. Her mind began to drift as she eyed the alleyway below; her blood ran cold as memories crept to the surface.

Winter was finally glad the day was over; handling the ever-popular and hyperactive team of Team FNKI (Funky) on Grimm clearances throughout the Dust Mines, coupled with trying to avoid a certain Ace Operative, had been long and exhausting. Finally, the clock chimed out, with the moon starting to rise as the hour struck six. She admired the shattered beauty of the moon, though its light was already beginning to illuminate the cities of Atlas and Mantle. However, something stirred in her mind, itching like a bad itch assailing her nose.

Her heart began to pound as a burning yellow spread through her irises, consuming the former light blue. Winter doubled over, grunting as a dull throbbing pain slithered through her joints and organs. Her eyes stared up at the burning yellow irises reflecting into the window before she tore them away crying out at a stabbing pain in her stomach.

“Somethings not right,” she thought, clutching at her chest, “I don’t sense my Aura.”

Winter slowly made her way out of her office, staggering towards the lift. A sense of relief washed over her as two Atlesian Knights stepped out of the lift. She grabbed one of the doors, preventing the lift from fully closing and escaping.

“Focus, Winter. You're strong; you can make it to the medical centre,” she told herself in her head, smacking the respective floor number for the medical centre. 

The lift slowly began to descend as Winter sighed, slumping back against the lift wall, and tugging at her coat. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead as she began to pant, and her heart pounded violently within her chest. She stared up at the numbers slowly ticking by on the small display above the door; the numbers seemed to swirl and distort as her vision swam in response to a dull pain spread across her body.

Winter retched, placing her right hand on the lift wall to steady herself. She stared over at her hand as bones cracking echoed around. A look of sheer horror crossed her face whilst her fingers started to shorten into her lengthening hand.

“W-What’s going on?” Winter gasped, holding her hand up before her eyes, unable to focus on it.

The walls of the lift seemed to be closing in on her. Her breathing became laboured; each inhale burned whilst every exhale felt like an invisible hand squeezing her like a ripe fruit. A loud ding sounded as the lift came to a slow halt. Winter didn’t even check the floor number as she stumbled forwards, pushing past the Atlesian Knights waiting to enter the lift. Vertebrae began to crack and pop, rising into her skin and causing her to slip into a metal door. 

The sound of nails dragging down a chalkboard filled her ears as her nails darkened, lengthening, chiselling into points that dug into the door's metal. Her back arched, her spine continuing to press into the skin aiding in snapping her bra and tearing a large hole into the back of her blouse. With her weight forced forwards, the door creaked as she pressed into the release bar, sending Winter sprawling onto the floor into the alleyway outside.

She struggled to her knees, heat building up across her body, fighting her shortening fingers and lengthening hands to unclasp the lone buckle, eventually her claws cutting through fabric. Winter didn’t even seem to care as her coat landed in the dumpster in front of her as she threw it; not even the clatter of her identification card hitting the ground made her care. Winter grunted, tearing at her waistcoat buttons to remove the extra layer, only resulting in tearing the fabric with her claws.

“By the Gods….what’s happening!” Winter cried out, resting her hands on the wall….

…before she slammed her hands into the ground, arching her back towards the sky, focusing on her hands thickening and deforming into paws, the skin burning red from the forced stretching. Tears squeezed from her eyes whilst she tried to force the stubby digits, which were still swelling, to flex like the fingers they once were, to no avail. 

Loud snaps sounded as her shoulder blades pushed out of alignment with her spine. The skin tightened around her arms whilst the muscles knotted; sweat trickled down the reddening, aching skin that pulled tighter. The muscles ballooned alongside nerves stretching and flaring with the pain whilst bones crunched, becoming more prominent. The short white sleeves of her blouse tore, and more tears formed across her blouse, giving up the fight against her expanding shoulder blades and spine.

Her skin throbbed and creased around the bones, and her muscles swelled with newfound strength. Fine white hairs pushed through the skin, the prickly twinges of each hair breaking through the skin were drowned out by the pain starting to assail her hips. The button and zipper of her trousers strained in protest whilst her trouser’s waistband became taut. Winter fought back, letting out a loud growl through gritted teeth as she forced herself to stumble forwards, her boot heels scraping against the ground. Gingerly she staggered forwards on all fours; her mind kept bringing up the word 'Pain’, but to Winter, every step and attempt she made trying to get herself to stand up made 'Pain’ seem like a trivial word when ‘Agony’ was far better suited for the torment she was experiencing. 

Her shoulders cracked violently in tandem with her hips dislocating, continuing to widen, forcing a guttural scream. Winter stretched out her sore arm, trying to find anything to grab onto to pull herself forwards, blocking out the pangs of her ears steadily lengthening. Her claws dug into the green metal of a large dumpster dragging deep grooves into the surface; the high-pitched screeching of the metal breaking around the claws tortured her ears, and the shrill ringing continuously filled her ears as they widened, taking on a lupine shape as they moved to the top of her head. Winter felt a heavy rage building, a low growl twisted into a violent snarl as she slammed her paw into the dumpster buckling the metal.

The cracking of a new length bone growing from her spine, pushing her skin outwards, overshadowed The prickling of hair growing from her scalp and ears. New nerves and muscles forming prompted pained growls that sounded more animalistic. The waistband tore as the new limb tore through her underwear’s waistband whilst her trousers slipped slightly down her rump, stopping as they clung to the sweat-riddled skin with the bristle of white hairs starting to peek through.

Dark claws punctured through the silver leather, the material creasing around her expanding feet and lower legs. The agony swelled throughout her legs as they seized up, the muscles ballooned around the thickening bones, the violent snaps and pops muffling the sound of leather and fabric alike tearing around her deforming legs. The heels of her boots cracked against the increasing weight of her lower half; all the while, the seams of her boots snapped, breaking away from her feet, lengthening outwards, straightening her body until a pair of sickened cracks created a pained snarl from the deforming Huntress’ mouth as her hips and spine realigned and popped into place.

The burn across her body grew, the skin feeling like she was being burned alive, unaware that the thickening white hairs sprouting from front to rear paws were becoming the fur trapping her body heat. As the fragments of her trousers and boots fell away from her body, soft black pads puffed up on the undersides of her paws, but Winter became more alarmed and focused on the fact that she was struggling to breathe, no matter how much she tried to inhale her lungs felt empty. Her breasts sunk into her rising chest, her ribs crunching as they widened, creating space for her swelling organs that twitched with every inch of growth.

Her neck thickened in response to her windpipe widening, and the pressure applied to her vocal cords deepened the growls and snarls, stealing away the soft, elegant, feminine voice. Hair sprouted to cover up the bare patches of skin that formed from her chest barrelling out. With a final pop, Winter felt the suffocating feeling slowly disappearing, but with it came a new problem, her voice, words that formed in her mind, no longer translated to vocal cords as she once had known. Instead, permanent snarls and growls of a beast escaped her mouth as she tried to speak.

Winter squeezed her eyes shut, forcing out a few tears that soaked the fine hairs erupting from her cheeks. She felt like a sledgehammer had struck her face as her skull began to reshape, the bones pressing tightly into the skin. Gabbled growls wheezed out of her throat, her mouth being forced open whilst her mouth and nose pushed outwards. Her nose popped, twitching as it darkened and reshaped, seemingly merging with her top lip. 

A valley of new white fangs formed along her gums, with her human teeth gaining a temporary edge, threatening to puncture into her darkening lips or lengthening tongue that flicked about. Her human hair and eyebrows receded into the blossoming fur.

Winter stumbled forwards, her vision distorting into an array of colours that had never been thought possible with a human eye, blacks, browns, and greys with subtle shadings. Trash cans clattered to the ground, spilling their load of decaying food; her mind felt as if it was swimming in a dense fog made up of her questions and identity amongst the clutter of pain, hunger, and new animalistic instincts.

Her ears pricked up at the sound of people fleeing with the words “A Grimm has invaded” swirling around her mind.

“No. She couldn’t have. Grimm destroyed. They can’t transform humans,” she thought, “Fur is white, not black. I…I need to get....out.” She paused, sniffing the air. Something smelled good, her stomach growled in unison with vocal cords. The scent made her mind relax as if everything but the hunger was being washed away by the smell, the more inquisitively sniffed the air.

“Hello? Anyone here?” a female voice called. 

Winter craned her head up, spying the tall, slender Faunus with rabbit ears perched upon her head. Her mind raged with hunger suppressing any reasonable thoughts that dared to resurface. 

“You're no Grimm, but how did you get up here? The Faunus said, backing away from the wolf as it stalked closer. 

Without hesitation, the wolf lunged at the Faunus, snapping its mouth like a rat trap around the girl's upper arm. The trickles of blood fueled the rage as it kept hold of its squirming prey, ignoring the feeble words spouted by the Faunus. The wolf howled in pain as the Faunus punched it hard on the nose whilst high above the clouds shielded the moonlight.

“What the fuck did I just do?” Winter cried in her mind, tasting and smelling the blood staining the Faunus’ brown jacket, “I have to get away from here. I can’t hurt anyone else.”

Winter wiped a small tear from her eye, recalling the sound of her heavy paws pounding the ground as she fled. She lowered her head as her memories became clouded. Deep down she wondered what had become of that Faunus.

“What is wrong with me?” she whispered.

Through the haze of her memories, she remembered stumbling through the alleyway, trying to fight through the haze to find the backdoor into the compound as her bones cracked and snapped, paws shrivelling into svelte hands and feet. Her muscles deflated as her skin reemerged from the receding fur. She recalled the cold of the ground and the sense of relief washing over her, soothing the pain of her skull reshaping, gaining its feminine features back, followed by the blur of someone standing over her, their words muffled by the sounds of joints and bones popping back into place. 

“And after that, I woke up in bed at eleven this morning,” Winter muttered. 

“Your welcome,” a male voice called as the beeping out her door locking sounded out.

Winter turned, a look of confusion washed over her face, directed at the tall, lean man standing there in his crisp, clean, Atlesian military uniform, “What’s that supposed to mean, Clover?”

“It’s okay to feel a little hazy after the first Change, Schnee. Trust me. I wish I could forget trying to hump a Pomeranian and then eating the little rat,” Clover stated, folding his arms.

Winter felt her throat becoming dry, her mind racing with questions.

“Listen. I tried to speak to you yesterday before it happened, but someone had the idea of avoiding me all day. Luckily for you, I was on hand to partially cover your furry butt,” Clover continued, “Who knows what Ironwood would have done if I hadn't looped the CCTV footage across the city. Sadly, I couldn’t clear your alleyway mess up.”

“Do you know what happened to me?” Winter spoke up.

Clover sighed, his face falling, “Do you remember the night I introduced you to the Clan?”

“Hard to forget it, a bunch of snobs looking down their noses at me,” Winter grumbled, glancing over her shoulder. 

“Pot calling the kettle black,” Clover thought, “Well, the detail you didn’t know was that they were going to kill you at sunrise because you're human.

Winter staggered back, her fists clenching as rage built inside, “Was the wolf awakening again?” she thought, “No, this was something else.” “You utter bastard, that night you bit my thigh during our….”

“Yes…yes,” Clover interrupted, “That Bite was to save you. By introducing my werewolf gene into you, you became like me; thus, your life was spared by the Clan. You're welcome, by the way.”

“Excuse me!” Winter cried out, “You bit me, turned me into a fucking monster just to save me!”

“Well, yes. The last thing anyone needs is a riot after your head gets chopped off by a silver blade,” Clover retorted. 

“You better have a cure; otherwise, I’ll cut up and sever you to my arsehole of a father,” Winter stated, coldly glaring at him. Her fists trembled, her rage overflowing.

Clover shook his head, “Unfortunately, no one has found a cure yet. Though the elders have found a way to control and suppress the wolf, sort of like dominance over the inner beast.”

“Well, then you can teach me,” Winter demanded. 

“I don’t have the skill. So I’ll have to take you to Essen before the full moon. Worse case, you get locked in the basement and trained the next day,” Clover said, “I’ll come up with some excuse to give to Ironwood to excuse your absence.”

“I hate you. You ruined my life, and know I will have vengeance on you,” Winter replied, turning her back to Clover. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

The locked door beeped as Clover left; Winter lowered her head and gritted her teeth. A scream echoed around her office as she slammed her fist into the window, small hairline cracks forming across the glassy surface. 

Snow fluttered and swirled, dancing in the wind around Cinder as she held onto her hood. Her icy stare zeroed in on the sizable bustling settlement in the distance, people going about their business within the makeshift wooden walls. She pulled up the GPS locator on her Scroll, eyeing the words “Essen” closely.

“I know you there,” she muttered, not shifting her attention from the settlement.

A faint shimmer shone over the snowy surface as a veil seemingly lifted, revealing a slender redhead standing over Cinder, the wind tugging at the pleated black pinafore dress and black bow around her collar.

“How did you know?” the girl asked sweetly. 

“I can sense your Aura, Penny,” Cinder retorted, “So you’ve become a spy now.”

Penny smiled sweetly, “Nope. Mistress Goodwitch wanted a word with you and sent me to assist alongside Nevermore Company.”

Penny outstretched her palm revealing a small silver disk that chirped as a hologram of Glynda appeared in the centre of it.

“Cinder, what’s your report?”

“I suspect I’ve found the Tribe that caused Winter’s infection. I was waiting for the right time to move in and evaluate them,” Cinder replied, folding her arms.

“There will be no need. Watts dug into the footage and confirmed that Winter Schnee did indeed turn into a werewolf. She is our priority. Capture her alive and raid the tribe for intel but don’t destroy the bodies; corpses still have their uses, and the nice cold tundra will preserve them until they can be stored,” Glynda said with authority.

Cinder hummed thoughtfully, “Protocol Silver then.”

“Leave no survivors or witnesses and Cinder….I want that Schnee alive got it?”

“Understood, my lady,” Cinder replied.

The hologram faded whilst Penny stared at Cinder, “So, may I kill?”

“As if you need permission. And get Nevermore Company on the ground while you at it,” Cinder ordered. 

“Understood!” Penny cheered, drawing out twelve silver blades from her metal backpack as she flew up the sky. 

Cinder smirked, staring out of the corner of her eye at the settlement, “This is where the fun begins.”

To Be Continued … 
Neon Katt and Emerald Sustrai in Bitten Part 3:The New Elements