Humble Beginnings
by momoxtoshiro is a RWBY fanfic themed around giving Zwei an origin story. It is written from his POV.
Zwei was born a stray and his mother disappeared when he was very young. Taiyang found him in an alley, with only his deceased sister around, and decided to take him home. It didn't take long for Zwei to become accustomed to his new life as a pet. The rest of the story tells of his life until the start of the series.
Humble Beginnings is a part of a series of a larger series of Zwei-focused stories but can be read by itself.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Canine Confusion: This story is a RWBY oneshot about the corgi Zwei, but it's off when it comes to dog development. Zwei can remember things from when he was a day old, opens his eyes within a week of birth, and is weaned in under a month without even his mother around to wean him.
- Death Is a Sad Thing: Zwei learns about death after his sister dies. He instinctively understands it to some level, but it isn't until he begins living with the Rose-Xiao Long family that he truly grasps it.
- Death of a Child: Zwei's younger sister died at a few days old after their mother disappeared.
- Humans by Any Other Name: Zwei refers to humans as "Creatures", though it seems to be a term for beings in general.
- Missing Mom: Zwei's mother disappeared when he was only a few days old. It's unknown what happened to her or Zwei's other disappeared siblings.
- No Infantile Amnesia: Zwei can remember things from his first day of life.
- Origins Episode: Humble Beginnings acts as a backstory to Zwei.
- Xenofiction: Zwei has a very doggish view of the world and refers to things using canine terms (for example, children are pups).
