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The Faunus

A Breed Apart

For as long as mankind has struggled against the Grimm, and perhaps even longer, there have been the Faunus. This species of humanoids is distinct from mankind in that eacha number of animalistic traits, but they resemble humans in just about every other meaningful way. Though no one, not even the Faunus themselves, are quite sure where they came from, what has become clear over the long history of Remnant is that there exists no real restriction to the variety or type of Faunus there can be, or how their specific heritage might present itself. Cat Faunus, for example, can possess any number of cat-like traits, from a tail to feline ears, to even just elongated canines. As a result, any list of all the different sorts of Faunus would be a truly extensive one.

One thing which unites all Faunus however is their long and strained history with mankind.

Appearance

There exists no consistent pattern for exactly how a Faunus might display their animalistic trait, with great deviations of appearance and attribute presenting themselves even between siblings and offspring. One dog faunus might be born with an expressive tail, while her brother might possess padded feet, while both parents display doglike ears. Some traits may be so subtle as to be wholly unnoticeable, such as a great cat's retractable claws, while others may be wholly distinct and unique to the Faunus who possesses them, such as a chitinous tail complete with venomous stinger. Wings, horns, hetero-chromatic eyes, ears, tails, and just about everything in between have marked a Faunus for what they are, at some point or another.

The only observable pattern for Faunus and their appearance presents itself in their breeding, though even it is wildly inconsistent. A human and a faunus can produce a human or faunus child, though chance seems to favor the latter. Two faunus are guaranteed to have a Faunus child, though even then there is some variation in the sort of Faunus that will be produced. While two faunus of the same type will have a child of that type, Faunus of differing types can produce offspring of any type with no apparent limitation, except that this random process tends to favor mammalian Faunus over others. In effect, a human and a cat faunus may have a human or cat faunus child, two cat faunus will always have cat faunus children together, while a cat and an ox faunus are just as likely to have a snake faunus for a child as a cat or an ox.

Traits

Though there exists no pattern to say exactly what kind of Faunus someone will be or how their trait will present itself, there are certain attributes common to most Faunus. As a general rule, Faunus tend to possess one or more senses that are more acute than a human counterparts. Most often, this is improved night-vision, hearing, or sense of smell, though some Faunus may possess a rudimentary tremor-sense or particularly acute awareness of their surroundings as well.
These abilities are dependent on the type of faunus; A snake faunus could posses a very basic infra-red sense, a bat faunus a sort of echolocation, a chameleon faunus, the literal ability to change their skin color. Some faunus also possess heightened instincts and personalities to match the type of Faunus they are, with a cat faunus being especially pragmatic, a bunny faunus flighty and defensive, and a spider faunus gifted with especial cunning and deceptive abilities.

History and tensions with Mankind

The history of the Faunus is one fraught with difficulty and tensions between them and humans. Having always been rarer than mankind, the Faunus have always been seen as an alien presence on Remnant, once regarded as merely another sort of threat that humans need protect themselves from, akin to the creatures of Grimm. Indeed, there have been times in human history where the Faunus were hunted down for no better reason than because they were Faunus. Though these days have long since passed, the prejudices they fostered on both sides have never quite gone away. Most humans still regard faunus of any type to be wild and untrustworthy, while the Faunus generally see humans as arrogant, possessive, and destructive creatures. What has not helped these preconceptions is the long history of oppression that has also colored the Faunus/Human relationship. Not so long ago, the Faunus were little better than slaves, relegated to the duties of pack animals and sold as literal live stock. Though the Great War and its conclusion at Vytal ostensibly put an end to this practice, its scars and the impact it had on Faunus as a whole still remain. Though they were promised equal rights and fair treatment throughout Remnant, it's arguable whether the Faunus ever actually received it. Most still live as second class citizens, pigeonholed into lives of poverty and crime for the simple fact that they are Faunus. Even in the places where they are not openly discriminated against, the stigma of their heritage persists, and it remains perfectly socially acceptable to belittle and degrade a Faunus simply for being what they are.

Menagerie

Along with being promised equal rights and fair treatment at the Great War's conclusion, the Faunus were also gifted their own lands as reparations for the centuries of mistreatment they had suffered at human hands. These lands would come to be known as Menagerie. This gesture, though seen by most half-hearted placation, and by some as a merely a means for corralling the Faunus up in one spot, still resulted in the Faunus, for the first time in their difficult history, having a place to truly call their own.
Menagerie, in the years since, has burgeoned into a truly unified nation, almost wholly made up of faunus, where said faunus are free to live their lives free from the fear of oppression and subjugation at Human hands.

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The White Fang

The Necessary Evil

It is, sadly, impossible to talk about the Faunus without also discussing the pro-faunus organization known as the White Fang. Following centuries of oppression and mistreatment, and finally allowed a place to congregate and unify in Menagerie, it was only a matter of time before the Faunus' longstanding resentment and mistrust of mankind birthed an organization to channels those feelings. Ostensibly advocates for Faunus rights throughout Remnant, the White Fang was started as a quasi-religious organization geared towards the preservation and unification of Faunus culture. While certainly not the only organization to espouse these goals, the White Fang managed to become premier among them through determination and persistence, born of their particular fervent and devoted membership.
Things gradually started to change however. Fractures began to form in the greater organization between those wanting to preserve the White Fangs peaceful methods of protest and demonstration, and those who felt such means could never result in the changes they desired. Given that many decades have passed since the treaty at Vytal and the supposed emancipation of the Faunus, and still the Faunus find themselves discriminated against, it's hard to say they didn't have a point.
As a result, the White Fang birthed a number of splinter movements who, despite having the same goals, were willing to employ far more destructive and audacious means to achieve them. Regarded as freedom fighters by some, dedicated extremists by others, and violent terrorists by most, these splinter groups soon came to encompass the common held conception of the White Fang outside of Menagerie. Now, to hear the Fang discussed by humans is to hear stories of Faunus, wild with their hatred for mankind, firebombing dust mines and sabotaging rail lines; Extremists and psychopaths, who won't ever be satisfied with equal rights for Faunus, but will inevitably demand the subjugation of mankind, in payment for the crimes of their ancestors. In truth, the White Fang is more nuanced in its approach and its leadership far more divided in its support of these extremist cells. Most insist these groups are nothing more than radicalized outliers, offering them little public support. Which is not to say that support is not provided by some, only that they will tend to keep such support out of the public eye.

This has resulted in the phrase "I am White Fang" coming to mean a great many different things, depending on the one who says it. While it could describe a conscientious Faunus who attends peaceful rallies and protests on the weekend, it could just as easily describe a guerrilla fighter willing to kill any who oppose Faunuskind and their ascension. Given mankind's already unflattering view of the Faunus, it is no wonder this latter depiction is the one most common throughout the zeitgeist of Remnant.