Author's note: So how do I begin... I watched the whole first season of RWBY and needless to say I LOVED it (even though I don't usually watch anime) so here it is: I'm officially joining the RWBY-fanfic craze. This is an idea I've had on my mind for a several weeks. To summarize it somehow, we've seen only three teams so far: RWBY (yay!), JNPR (yay!) and CRDL (boo!). My initial idea was: how much would another team mess with the original canon? But this proved to be a lot more challenging since I had to think through the appearance, weapons, abilities and personalities of my original characters (a task I'm still working on). And thus the updates probably won't be much frequent, because I alse have to work on my studies as well.

I don't want to give away any details about the story, but the team of my OC's will be a real motley crew, so things can get quite interesting as the story progresses... Story is rated T (for now) for language.

And before I forget, I apologize for any silly grammatical mistakes and generally butchering english language in my story, and of course a disclaimer: RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and absolutely fantastic Mr. Monty Oum! And now, enjoy the story, please!

To be a Huntsman

Chapter 1 – A dream coming true

He let out an exasperated groan as he saw a huge crowd of people gathered at the dock. He had not a faintest idea how he was supposed to make his way through without getting injured or losing some of his luggage in the process. He was carrying a back pack and a large suitcase in his right hand while pulling a wheeled trunk behind him. He breathed heavily as he dragged himself and all his stuff towards the airship. Now that he thought about it, he really should have taken up his mother's offer to give him a lift to the port and help him with his luggage. It would have certainly saved him a lot of trouble; but no, he just had to put on the all-tough act, saying he was a grown-up man and would take care of his baggage all by himself. Oh, how he cursed his stupidity right now…

But regrets were pointless; he had to steel himself for what was awaiting in just a few hours. Pushing his way through the mass of people, he approached the airship which would take him towards his future. Even now he found it hard to believe that he, Roland Peregrine, a young man from some backwater village would be accepted to the Beacon Academy, a prestigious school where some of the best hunters and huntresses were trained. Yes, becoming a hunter was something he dreamt of for a long time, but he never anticipated it would come true someday.

The fact he was accepted was little short of a miracle. Roland was not much of a hunter material; he was only an average fighter and during sparring sessions he usually got quite a beating, only barely keeping up with his peers. Those few matches he managed to win were of no consequence. He had a knack for marksmanship though and he was able to figure out any firearm he ever got his hands on. However, Roland was sure that headmaster Ozpin would not let him attend his school just because of his aim; he would surely expect something more, and Roland did not know whether he would be able to prove himself.

He frowned as unwelcome memories from childhood flooded his mind.

oOo

Roland fought to suppress a yawn as he scribbled notes in his tattered notebook. He hated school from the bottom of his heart. Contrary to their purpose, the classes never taught him anything useful, instead they made him feel even stupider and annoyed him to no end. But that was only one of reasons why he was getting rather poor grades in school. He had no real friends to speak of and that left him even more depressed. The other kids shut him out almost as soon as he started attending the school. Only a few of them would ever talk to him and he was mostly ignored. It hurt him, knowing he was alone just for being different, even though he eventually came to terms with that; he was short, clumsy and sickly and he thought differently than most of the kids from town.

Roland let out a soft sigh as he kept on listening to the teacher's lecture. Yes, most of his classmates ignored him openly, but that also meant they left him alone. It was a fact he only started appreciating after a bunch of boys from a higher grade began picking on him. It started out as jeering remarks and name-calling, which he learned to ignore rather easily. However, mockery and insults soon led to a full-blown bullying, which included destroying his belongings, stealing his lunch money and even beating, if he had not any; every month it was getting worse. Roland shivered involuntarily when he dared to think about what Augustus and his bunch of goons had in store for him today.

Finally the class ended; Roland packed his stuff and bolted out of the classroom, not noticing the confused stares of the teacher and some schoolmates. Of course, they did not know a thing about his problems; if Augustus ever got wind of him telling anybody, he would be a dead man. Roland dashed through the corridors, narrowly dodging other kids and heading towards the exit. When he was getting closer, he took a look behind him; no one ran after him, and more importantly, no one stood in his way. Roland picked up the speed and rushed out in front of the school, relishing the long-awaited freedom.

Unfortunately, his joy was only short-lived. He managed to make only a few steps before he slammed face-first into someone; while the obstacle did not even budge, Roland stumbled back and fell flat on his rear. He looked up to see who he had just run into; when he saw a tall large boy giving him an evil grin, he knew he was in deep trouble. He started backing away from the boy only to be hauled on his feet by bully's friends.

"Well, look what we have here." The large boy sneered. "Did you really think you could sneak away from us, runt?" Roland was so terrified he could not make a sound, let alone give the bully an answer. "That's what I thought." The bully leader leaned closer to him. "I believe you owe me something, little boy." He whispered menacingly.

"W-what?" Roland squeaked, earning a slap from the large boy. Bully's friends tightened their grip on him.

"Do you take me for an idiot?" The bully snarled at him.

"You d-didn't ask me about m-my lunch money, Augustus, so I-I spent it-" Roland stammered in fright, only to be interrupted by a fist rammed into his stomach.

"What?!" The bully, Augustus, yelled at him. "What makes you think I have to ask you for something that is mine, you dumb wimp?" Roland was pushed towards the bully who slapped him once again. He staggered back to Augustus' friends who failed to catch him, however. He used the sudden confusion to his advantage and attempted to escape. He only managed to make a few steps before he stopped, doubling over in pain; Augustus could throw a really mean punch. Very soon he got tackled to the ground; he rolled to his back groaning in pain and shrank away in fear from Augustus standing right above him.

The bully lifted him by his collar. "I think you need to learn your damn place, runt. You really should've thought twice before tricking me." He growled and raised his fist to strike. Roland closed his eyes in surrender, waiting for an inevitable beating.

He did not expect getting dropped to the ground; he was unlucky enough to painfully twist his ankle as he fell down. He cried out in pain, gripping his wounded limb and ignoring everything what was happening around him; dull sounds and cries and whimpers of Augustus and his friends. When Roland finally recovered a bit, he saw his tormentors rolling about on the ground and moaning in pain; Augustus even seemed knocked unconscious, lying limply near his whimpering friends.

Roland stared at the whole spectacle, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Suddenly a shadow fell upon him; he looked up… and froze in fear. He saw a tall hulking figure looming over him; he got even more scared when he noticed two huge ram-like horns protruding from the person's skull. It looked just like some monster from horror tales… and it was probably about to eat him. The last thing Roland expected the creature to do was to extend its hand.

"You okay there, pal?"

oOo

Roland smiled to himself. That was how he met Emilio Aries, the first real friend he had in years and the man who taught him how to stand up for himself. Roland had only a little in common with the pathetic little kid he used to be six years ago; if someone pushed him around, he did not hesitate to pay them back with interests. Eventually he got back at Augustus and his thugs who never even thought of bothering him again afterwards… and God, it felt great. He had vowed that he would never again allow himself to be weak. The Beacon Academy was going to test that.

Deeply in thoughts, he forgot to watch where he was going; it did not take long before he bumped into somebody. A loud clatter sounded as his luggage hit the ground. He was about to apologize when he found himself face to face with a hulking young man about a head taller than himself and wearing a simple green T-shirt and loose brown pants. He clenched his fists involuntarily, expecting a physical assault or at least several insults. Instead, the huge blonde simply flashed a strange, almost clueless smile.

"Hello!"

Roland only stared, taken aback by the unexpected reaction. That bear of a man seemed completely unfazed by the fact he just walked into him. "Uh… hello?" He finally said after regaining his speech.

"I'm Desmond." The giant boy extended his hand. "Are you going to Beacon too?"

"Uh… yeah. Name's Roland; nice to meet you." Roland replied and shook hands with the boy; he winced as Desmond squeezed his hand with almost bone-crushing force.

"Nice to meet you too!" Desmond beamed, completely oblivious to Roland rubbing his sore hand. "My buddies from school didn't get accepted into the Beacon so I was hoping to meet some new people and perhaps make some new friends. I really like meeting new people and making friends; the Beacon will be sooo much fun, I mean putting down baddies and being all awesome heroes, it's just so cool and-" He kept rambling until a feminine voice interrupted him.

"Desmond! What did I tell you about bothering people?" An elderly looking woman rushed to Desmond's side and pulled him aside. "I'm sorry; my son tries to make friends with every person he sees. He doesn't understand it when some people aren't interested…" She apologized.

Roland had to suppress a grin when he saw Desmond making something like puppy eyes at his mother. "Aw mama, I was just talking with my friend over there…" He could not help but laugh; they barely knew each other, hell, they just met for the first time and Desmond already considered him a friend. He did not seem like a bad person, despite his intimidating stature.

"It's no trouble, ma'am." He said a bit awkwardly and waved at Desmond. "I guess I'll see you on the ship, then."

"You bet, Roland." Desmond replied with a smile. "See ya later!" The giant boy and his mother disappeared within the crowd.

Roland sighed quietly and bent down to pick up his baggage. He was too busy to hear clicking footsteps approaching him from behind. When he finally managed to gather up his belongings he almost dropped them again when someone clapped him on his shoulder and nearly scared the soul out of him.

"So, little Roland is going to become a hunter too, eh?"

Roland swung around to face the intruder. He was facing a slim black-haired girl almost as tall as he was, thanks to her heeled boots. She wore tight-fitting white pants, light-violet blouse that bared her midriff and a navy blue jacket with gold trims reminiscent of a navy officer's uniform. Roland felt a grin creeping upon his lips; her outfit kind of reminded him of what the pirates from stories wore, that included a sky blue bandana in her long hair tied into a single braid. There was only one person he knew that would choose such clothing.

"Tanya?"

The girl fixed her deep brown eyes at him, flashing a lopsided smirk. "What? Not even a hug for your old friend?" She asked teasingly.

"Oh, how can I say 'no' to a pretty face like yourself?" Roland joked back. Though he had to admit, she was one of the prettiest girls he had ever met. She was a younger sister of one of Emilio's friends; that was how he got to know her.

"Flatterer;" Tanya smirked and pulled him into an embrace, which he gladly returned. "Too bad you're not my type." She added huskily.

Roland felt his cheeks heating; she just had to bring that up. "Thanks, now you've made me blush." He muttered, earning a giggle from his friend. Tanya's remark reminded him of his little crush on her a few years back. At that time he seriously thought about dating her; she was witty, clever, beautiful, everything a guy would ever wish for. When he finally found the courage to ask her out, he found out that… she did not fancy boys, to put it mildly. He would be a liar if he said it did not surprise him, but he had no idea how anxiously she guarded her secret. She made him promise her that he would never tell anybody; even though he never understood why she was so secretive about her… preferences, he kept his promise. Their friendship grew even stronger after Tanya's confession. "What are you even doing here?" He asked as they broke the embrace.

Tanya raised her brow. "What do you think, Roland? I enrolled to Beacon Academy to kill monsters, just like you did!"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I should ask you the same thing! 'Little Roland goes to Beacon and doesn't tell me squat'… and I thought we were friends!" She replied, feigning hurt rather theatrically.

Roland could not help but laugh at her antics… and the nickname she had for him. "Yeah, I suppose I should've told you that." He answered sheepishly. "But you too didn't bother to let me know about your plans and you must've known about your admission beforehand."

"Yeah, I did." Tanya smiled. "Say, didn't I see you talking with some huge blonde a while ago?"

Roland nodded understandingly. "You mean Desmond?"

"Making friends already?" She laughed. "That's good; for a minute I thought you ticked him off somehow. It wouldn't exactly be the best first impression."

"He seemed like a good guy, although a bit dopey; you'll see when you meet him." He replied.

"I can't wait." Tanya remarked; then she looked at the airship docking nearby. "We might want to get aboard before they take off without us, don't you think?" Roland nodded wordlessly and picked up his luggage.

It took half an hour of standing in a ridiculously long line just to have their luggage moved into the safety of the airship's cargo hold. Roland found himself increasingly annoyed by crowds of people bumping into him; he felt an immense relief when they finally got aboard the airship. It was much more peaceful than out there in the docks. They walked on the deck looking for somewhere to sit; to their delight, there were still some empty seats on the passenger deck; they claimed seats near the window before anyone could beat them to it. Roland peeked out of the window; the view was magnificent but it made his head spin a little. Meanwhile, Tanya pulled out a small pillow from her backpack and put it under her head. He had to stifle a laugh; he knew too well how fast she was able to fall asleep.

Having nothing else to do, Roland leaned back into his seat and pulled out a music player. Before he stuck headphones into his ears, he took a look around the deck. He did not see many of the young students talking to each other; it was safe to assume they were all strangers, not only to him but also to each other.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with us! This is the best day ever!"

"Please stop… can't… breathe…"

Roland glanced around the deck looking for the source of the sudden ruckus. His eyes fell on a tall, long-haired and rather… well endowed blonde enveloping a young, black-and-red clad girl in a bear hug. The short girl finally managed to wriggle out of the blonde's embrace, struggling for air. Maybe not all people here were complete strangers, Roland thought. He kept watching the duo and listening to their banter; then a voice on his left disturbed him.

"You're not afraid the big girl will catch you staring?"

He gave Tanya a genuinely puzzled look, causing her to erupt in giggles. Roland just kept staring blankly at her… until it dawned on him; only Tanya would ever come up with something like that. "I'm not staring!" He objected a bit heatedly. "I was just trying to find some resemblance; they don't even look like sisters!"

"How do you know? Wait, forget I asked." Tanya gave him an impish smile. "But you do realize it's quite rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversation, right?"

"It was impossible not to hear that." Roland grumbled. The blonde girl and her black haired sister kept chatting, although a bit quieter; he caught some words such as 'bee's knees', 'normal knees' or 'two years ahead', not that it made much sense to him.

"Maybe you'll get a chance to ask them personally." Tanya quipped. She was about to add something else but instead she turned around as she suddenly heard loud, gagging sounds. As if on cue, a lanky, partially armored young man with messy blonde hair staggered into the view, one hand clutching his stomach while covering his mouth with the other. His face, having turned a noticeable shade of green, was pretty self-explanatory. The others were backing away from the sick youngster in terror as he stumbled across the deck.

"Looks like someone forgot to take their barf bag." Roland said, chuckling softly. This was the first time he saw anyone suffering from air-sickness, or whatever doctors called it. He never had this kind of problems and that was saying something, given how often he would get sick only a couple years back.

Tanya started rummaging through her backpack and pulled out a small paper bag. "Hey Vomit boy!" She yelled at the sick blonde. When the boy in question turned around, she tossed him the bag. "And remember not to give it back, please!" She added as an afterthought.

The poor boy gave her a grateful look and managed to croak a simple 'thanks' before he scurried away to empty his upset stomach. His actions did not remain unnoticed however.

"What in the hell are you doing?!"

"Eww, gross!"

Roland shook his head and put on his headphones. This was going to be a long trip.

"Hey, wake up!"

Roland did not react; he sat slumped in his seat, snoring lightly. Tanya shook him harder but to no avail, he remained fast asleep. She could only wonder how he dropped off to sleep like this, especially when the loud music kept blaring in his headphones. The airship had reached its destination and the aspiring huntsmen and huntresses were getting ready to disembark. Tanya sighed and leaned to her friend's ear, taking off his headphones.

"WAKEY-WAKEY!" She yelled loudly in his ear.

It worked flawlessly; Roland jolted awake with a startled yell, catching the attention of the other passengers who only shook their heads in disbelief. When he somehow calmed himself he glared at Tanya who was grinning from ear to ear. "Goddammit Tanya, what the fuck?!" He growled at her angrily, rubbing his deafened left ear.

"We're there." She replied calmly, the annoying smile never leaving her lips. "You somehow dozed off and it looked like you weren't going to wake up anytime soon, so… I had to resort to drastic measures."

"Drastic measures? Biggest fucking understatement of the year." Roland grumbled and got up from his seat, heading to the exit. Tanya only shrugged and walked after him.

They were among the last to leave the airship. He did not have to go pick up his luggage as it was already being moved to the Academy. Roland was pleasantly surprised; now he did not have to drag his stuff all the way to the school. He nearly ruined his back just on the way to the airship and he did not really want to undergo that experience again. When Roland and Tanya finally set foot on the solid ground, they could not help but feel amazed at the marvelous sight that awaited them. The road ahead of them led through a large park with lush green lawn and several flowerbeds. The road itself was lined with trees and benches. However beautiful the park was, it was overshadowed by a large castle-like building standing far behind it. This was the Beacon Academy in all its glory. Roland stared slack-jawed at the monumental building, taken aback by its sheer size. The Academy was renowned as a place, where the elite huntsmen and huntresses were trained, so he knew it had to be impressive; however this was truly beyond anything he expected.

"That's… a really big place." He whispered to himself.

"Really? That's all you've got to say?" Tanya chuckled, shaking her head. "Just look at that, it's gorgeous!" She gushed, pointing at the Academy. "It doesn't even look like a school; it's more like a castle fit for a king, imagine how big it is inside! And we're gonna study there, oh this is gonna be so awesome!"

"Calm down, Tanya." Roland reproached his friend, noticing people staring at them. "I know, it's impressive and all, but shouldn't we just move on? We can always go sightseeing later."

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Tanya replied, blushing slightly. "Let's get going then."

The two of them walked along the path and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. Both of them remained silent, although for different reasons. Tanya was engrossed in marveling at the park and the building of the Academy while Roland thought about one particular question. He had made it here to the Beacon Academy but that was only the beginning; the more difficult part was about to start.

His train of thoughts was suddenly and violently interrupted as he heard an explosion somewhere ahead of him. Instinctively he threw himself on the ground, wishing he had his weapons at hand. He turned to Tanya, only to find her staring at him with quizzical expression.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Didn't you hear the explosion?" Roland hissed back. He started to realize something was amiss as some passers-by gave him weird looks. Tanya simply stared at him; then she burst out laughing. "What the fuck are you laughing at?!" He snapped as he lifted himself of the ground. Tanya did not answer; she only managed to point somewhere ahead between her fits of laughter. He looked in that particular direction and saw a familiar black haired girl in a red-black dress and a red cape arguing with a white-haired, wealthy looking girl in white dress. The white dress seemed incredibly upset about something; then another girl clad in white and black joined them. The white haired girl calmed down for a bit only to get angry again in only a few seconds. In the end she walked away offended and the black clad girl did the same shortly afterwards; that left only the red cape standing in the place.

Tanya managed to calm herself in the meantime. "I wonder what that was all about." She spoke.

"She doesn't look happy." A new voice on her left said. Tanya looked around and saw a familiar air-sick blonde from the ship, only now he looked normal. He wore simple blue jeans and some armor plates over his black hoodie, covering his chest, back, shoulders and arms. He gazed at Tanya and his eyes widened slightly in recognition.

"Feeling better now, Vomit boy?" She asked with a smirk.

"Much better; those damn airships will be the death of me." The youngster replied awkwardly. "By the way thanks for the bag; it saved me from puking all over the floor at least."

"You're welcome." Tanya said cheerily. "Say, it would be quite weird if I called you Vomit boy all the time, so…"

"Oh… yeah, you're right." The blonde chuckled and extended his hand. "I'm Jaune Arc."

Tanya took his hand and shook it. "My name is Tanya Griffon." She pointed at Roland who stood some distance apart. "And Mr. Jumpy over there-"

"Hey!" Roland protested.

Tanya stuck out her tongue at him, causing Jaune to laugh a little. "As I was saying, that is Roland Peregrine."

"Nice to meet you, Jaune." Roland said, bowing his head politely. "Shall we continue?"

The trio continued walking to the Academy, approaching the red cape girl who had just lain down on the path and stared up at heavens. Jaune walked to the dejected looking girl and offered her a hand while Roland and Tanya watched from nearby.

"Hey, I'm Jaune."

The red cape accepted his hand after a brief moment of hesitation. "Ruby." She introduced herself as Jaune pulled her up to her feet. "Wait… aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" She asked cheekily after looking at him more carefully.

Jaune rolled his eyes with a groan, while Tanya and Roland did their best to bite back their laughter. "Yeah, laugh it up, Ruby. It's not my fault that I have a motion sickness; it's a more common problem that you would think, you know. It makes travelling a living hell sometimes." He replied with a subtle hint of exasperation.

Ruby gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, it's just… it was the first thing that came to my mind."

"Looks like the Vomit boy is gonna stick with you, Jaune." Tanya remarked, ignoring a glare from Jaune.

"Are they friends of yours?" Ruby asked inquisitively.

"Nah, we've just met." Roland answered before Jaune could. "I'm Roland, and this is Tanya; we two have known each other for years."

Tanya gave Ruby a small wave. "Nice meeting you, Ruby."

"So I already made a reputation here as a guy who couldn't keep his lunch down on the airship; that's cool." Jaune exclaimed sarcastically and pointed at Ruby. "I'd say almost as cool as Miss Crater Face here who exploded a while back."

"Hey, that was an accident!" Ruby protested. "It wasn't even my fault to begin with!"

"Ehh… I guess we're missing something here." Roland chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, after my big sister ditched me for some bunch of guys, I stumbled upon some luggage filled with Dust, got chewed out by some crabby Ice Princess, and then I exploded after a simple sneeze!" Ruby complained, gesturing wildly.

"Sounds like a hell of a story." Tanya said with a huge grin.

"You have no idea, Corsair girl." Ruby grinned back; when Tanya gave her a confused look she elaborated. "You look exactly like pirates from all these stories; only thing missing is a talking parrot on your shoulder."

"She's got a point, you know." Jaune piped up. "It really suits you."

"Aww, thank you, smooth talker." Tanya exclaimed with feigned delight, cupping Jaune's cheek and making him blush furiously.

Roland let out a soft laugh, amused by Tanya's theatrics. "We should head to the Academy; we don't want to miss anything, right?" He suggested.

The four soon-to-be hunters and huntresses began walking to the Academy building, bantering along the way. Ruby took the opportunity to show them her weapon; a sniper rifle fused with a scythe into a large bastard of a weapon. Roland was even more impressed when he learned that Ruby made the sniper scythe dubbed 'Crescent Rose' herself while studying at the Signal Academy, even though it seemed to be a bit of overkill to him. The fact she skipped two years and thus she was 2 years younger than everyone else spoke volumes of her. To be frank, he was not nearly as impressed by Jaune; the poor blonde seemed nervous all the time and on top of that he was incredibly clumsy. His weapons were a simple sword and a collapsible shield that also served as a sheath for the sword; Jaune unwittingly touched the switch on the shield and almost failed to catch it as it suddenly retracted. Roland would think that the poor blonde would never make it past the first year but he did not have a habit of judging a book by its cover, so to speak; maybe Jaune would surprise them all someday… emphasize on maybe.

Too engrossed in his own thoughts, he paid no attention to his associates' conversation.

"Why did you help me back there, in the courtyard? Not that I mind, of course." Ruby asked Jaune a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, you know, I thought it was the right thing to do. Besides as my mother would say, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." Jaune replied.

Tanya flashed a mischievous grin and said. "Who wouldn't take the chance to help out a cute little sweetie like you?" She laughed loudly as both Jaune and Ruby turned scarlet from embarrassment. Roland only shook his head at Tanya's merciless teasing.

"Soooo… Where are we going again?" Jaune spoke up after a while, still blushing from Corsair girl's remarks.

Of course, Tanya was not done yet. "And here I thought men were good at directions." She deadpanned.

Now it was Ruby's turn to laugh.

Another author's note: So, this was the first chapter, I hope you liked it. I'd really appreciate your feedback; what was good (or not good), what should I correct, suggestions, notes, or worst-case-scenario, whether I should continue this story at all; you know, that kind of stuff. Any kind of opinion is welcome :-)

As I write this, the very last two hours of the year 2013 are ticking away. Even know I'm hearing a sound of fireworks; it's SO annyoing how impatient some people are, like if they couldn't wait until the midnight...

But I digress. So as the last thing I do in this year, I'd like to wish you all happy New Year and see you in 2014.