The Stray

The Stray is the fifteenth episode of the RWBY animated series that premiered on October 31th, 2013.

Summary
Team RWBY are walking through Vale on Friday during the preparations for the Vytal Festival. On Weiss Schnee's insistence, the team visits the docks. Weiss claims that she wants to welcome the Teams from the other kingdoms on the behalf of Beacon Academy, but Blake Belladonna correctly suspects that she merely wants a leg up in the upcoming tournament.

Ruby Rose notices a Dust store has been vandalized and robbed, and according to the Vale Police Department, it is the second incident that week, adding that similar to the previous incident, none of the Lien has been taken, just all the Dust. Suspecting that someone is trying to build a arsenal, Weiss states that the White Fang are responsible, but this is countered by Blake. Ruby on the other hand, suspects Roman Torchwick due to having seen a similar robbery, to which she seemingly foiled.

Weiss then reasserts that Faunus are no good, a statement that greatly angers Blake. The latter then proceeds to state that the White Fang are simply a misguided group of Faunus protesters, while Weiss goes on to label them as psychopaths and degenerates. However, the conversation is interrupted by the chasing of a monkey Faunus aboard a docking ship. As he jumps onto the docks only to continue being pursued by detectives, he passes by Blake, whom he winks at. Weiss is led to believe that he is a participant in the tournament and leads her teammates to chase after him.

While running after Sun, the group literally runs into Penny. Much to the other's displeasure, Ruby calls the somewhat eccentric student a friend and learns that she is also a participant in the upcoming tournament. Following this, Weiss makes more extreme comments about Sun, which further infuriates Blake and soon devolves into a argument between her and Blake, continuing throughout the day and back into their dorm room at night.

When questioned about why she dislikes Faunus, Weiss claims that she is a victim of the White Fang's actions, an organization that has been at war with the Schnee Dust Company for as long as she remembers, and an organization that has killed numerous people she has known as well as numerous cases of robbery, with one particular occasion involving the robbery of an entire train full of Dust. She also states that their actions have also infuriated her father on numerous occasions, resulting in a rather rough childhood for Weiss.

Blake likewise claims that the Faunus are simply tired of being pushed around, in the process accidentally revealing her identity as a Faunus. Upon realizing what she has done, Blake panics and runs from the dorm with inhuman speed and stopping upon arriving at the stone statues at the end of the wide walkway, proceeding to remove her bow to reveal a pair of cat ears. She is not seen by the rest of her team throughout the remainder of the weekend despite their efforts to locate her. Meanwhile, Blake is seen conversing with Sun at some sort of café in downtown Vale, where she begins to explain her history.

Trivia

 * This is the first episode in the series that Jaune Arc has not made an appearance.
 * The episode's title could be taken as a reference to Blake being a stray from the White Fang or straying from RWBY at the end of the episode.
 * When Sun and RWBY meet in slow motion, the same signature sound effect used in the RoosterTeeth show The Slow Mo Guys is heard.
 * Weiss' attitude towards Sun and the way she calls him a riff-raff is a possible reference to Aladdin where the stray is called a riff-raff by a wealthy man. Coincidentally, Aladdin owns a pet monkey that has a tendency to steal.
 * The two policemen shown in this episode are voiced by Burnie Burns and Joel Heyman, who also acted as policemen in three Rooster Teeth Shorts, Stronger Tides, Prank King and The Reunion.
 * A slightly modified version of the music from "Wings" can be heard after Blake leaves the group.