AN: So, this will be my third and last new story. After this, I will work on my three stories simultaneously, so I have a good mix of fresh muse, no boredom and no overwhelming amounts of stories to work on.

Here, we will have Ruby as a Branwen, adopted and raised by Raven to be the warrior she was destined to be. How that came to be will be revealed as the story goes on. I hope you will enjoy this. Chapters will become longer, I aim to have them somewhere between 3k and 5k words per chapter as I feel that is an appropriate length.

All that being said, enjoy and please leave a review!

She waited. Despite it only being early spring the sun was beating down on her, her long hair sticking to her exposed neck as she kept focusing on the beaten path below her.

There. The grinding of wooden wheels on dirt was as familiar to her by now as the clashing of steel when training with her brothers and sisters. Looking to the side, she saw the merchant sitting on his carriage as a couple horses were pulling it.

It was their folly, really. Everyone earning their livelihoods outside of the kingdoms knew that it was dangerous. There were no soldiers to protect them from the creatures of Grimm, there were no soldiers to protects them from outlaw tribes such as hers.

Pulling out her weapon, a shortened katana with a black and red handle that also included a slot for dust usage, she held the blade against the sun, moving it a couple times and signalling her tribe members on the other side to be ready.

After a few more moments, when the carriage was almost exactly below her, she activated her semblance, leaving nothing but rose petals behind, quickly followed by the rest of the raiding party.

Before the merchant even realized that something was amiss her super speed powered kick connected with his side, the breaking of ribs painfully audible. He flew out of his carriage, tumbling onto the dirt where he quickly got a sack put over his head. A few of others of her tribe held onto the anxious horses, calming them down.

"Well done, Ruby. You are getting better every time," Vernal, basically an elder sister to the young girl, complimented her.

Ruby gave her a smile and a nod in return. "Thank you. I've been taught well."

"And it would be a shame if all that training didn't pay off, right?"

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at that. Now, fifteen years of age, she participated in raids- big and small- for the past two years. With her unique semblance she was usually the one to start, using the element of surprise that came with her incredible speed. "Does he have anything good?"

Crysta, the other youngster in her raid group, peeked out of the carriage as she handed their loot to the others. "Some silk, some leather, average quality from what I can tell."

"Don't expect too much from a single merchant, kids. If we want the big loot, we raid villages and not some no name who's alone out here," Vernal told them as she tried to raise their spirits.

Of course, they were aware that they wouldn't find anything special on this merchant but there still was always that little twinge of disappointment when all their reward consisted of was cheap leather and silk.

Walking up to Vernal, Ruby oversaw the looting with her elder sister.

"You've really grown, Ruby. I still remember you puking all over yourself when you had to do your first kill," the elder gave her a sidelong grin.

"Mother couldn't decide if she should be disappointed in me for puking or proud for actually killing the man."

The two laughed quietly before Vernal put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. I really am."

"Thank you."

Their job done, the group arrived a couple hours later back at the camp. The camp itself wasn't anything special; circular in its structure with a few cages for prisoners and small huts and tents for the tribe members to sleep in strewn across. But it was home. For as long as Ruby could remember this simple and practical place was her home. Here she learned to fight, to survive, to hunt and to kill.

It was the creed the Branwen tribe lived by: The weak die, the strong live. Those were the rules. From the moment she could understand the concept of life and death Raven would drill it into her. It wasn't always easy, but she learned and now she lived it. It was a good life; tough, sometimes bloody, not always kind but it was a good life. The tribe came first after all and if someone or something stood between her and her family then she would slay it.

"I see you've returned."

Looking towards their tribe leader's tent, Ruby and Vernal watched Raven Branwen approach them.

"Yes, Chieftain. It wasn't much but we got some materials to patch up a few tents and clothes." Vernal answered respectfully and Ruby stood a step behind her mother's most respected tribe member.

While yes, she was the adoptive daughter of the Chieftain she still had to earn her place. Of course, over the past years with rigorous training, harsh words and fights between her and Raven and a lot of blood, sweat and tears she earned a lot of respect. Her mother would never go easy on her though and that was what she wanted from her; to be treated like a tribe member. She didn't want to get coddled and she didn't want to get her rewards handed out on a silver platter.

Everything Ruby gained over the past years was earned and the members knew it.

"Ruby."

Startled out of her thoughts, Ruby looked up to see her mother raise an eyebrow at her.

"I would like to talk with you. Follow me."

Without waiting for an answer, the Chieftain turned around and headed to her tent, expecting her daughter to follow her without question- which she did.

Ruby's heart was beating rapidly against her chest as she wondered what her mother could possibly want to talk to her about. She did make a request to her a while ago and was asked to be patient while her mother thought it through. And patient she was.

Maybe this was it? Maybe her mother finally came to a decision? If she would be denied she certainly would not cry about it. Be disappointed, yes, but after everything her mother told her about the world, about all the secrets kept from the simple-minded civilians, about her birth mother and about her eyes…she would understand if Raven would deny her.

With a shaky breath Ruby followed Raven into the large tent. Her mother sat down on her cushion as Ruby closed the tents flaps behind her.

"Would you like some tea, mother?" The young bandit asked as she walked up to the table and the heated teapot.

"Yes, please."

Filling up tea first for her mother then for her, she sat down on her side of the table, waiting for her mother to speak first.

There were a few moments of silence before Raven finally spoke. "Do you know why I asked to speak with you, Ruby?"

"Because you've come to a decision about me joining an academy?"

"I have indeed." Standing up with her cup still in her hand, Raven turned her back to the table. "I've raised you like my own child. Some may call me a terrible mother for raising someone else's daughter while leaving my own behind but Taiyang made me choose: my tribe or my daughter."

Ruby was silent as she listened to her mother. She told her a lot of things and never hid anything from her but that was the first time that Raven told her about the choice she was forced to make.

"Of course I wished I could have raised my own daughter like I raised you," Raven continued, turning to face Ruby again, "but I don't regret a day. Our tribe flourishes and you are becoming the warrior you are destined to be."

"Thank you, mother."

"And I thank you. I've seen others with more experience and powers at least as great as your eyes crumble while you proved yourself to be an astonishingly resilient child. It was a nice change of pace, if I am honest." Raven then paused for a moment as she took a sip from her steaming cup. "Your birth mother…Summer…she was a great warrior too. But as we all did at first, she too fell into Ozpin's trap. Like Tai. Like my brother. Like even I did. And out of all of us she was the most idealistic and she paid for it with her life."

Ruby didn't want to admit it, she wanted to be strong, but every time her birth mother was mentioned her heart ached. There was no denying that inherently the difference between an adoptive and a birth mother was felt deeply; she was no different in that regard.

But still, she loved Raven just as much as she would have loved her own mother were she still alive, she was sure of it.

"So, I will not allow you to attend to Beacon. Under no circumstances whatsoever will I allow my daughter to fall into the clutches of a wizard who is training children to fight his war. Which he has been losing over the past several millennia."

Oh. "Oh." Ruby dropped her head a bit in disappointment. She kind of saw this answer coming but still had a little bit of hope in her heart. "I understand."

"I understand you wanting to experience something your mother did. But Ozpin is too dangerous, and you will not fight his war for him. Salem is not your enemy."

"I understand, mother."

"But…there is an alternative I would be reluctantly willing to allow."

At that, Ruby perked up again.

The Chieftain couldn't hide her smirk at that. "Tch. Of course you'd stop moping as soon as I said that. Shade Academy. You might still be able to see Beacon during the Vytal Festival and, the fact that you are still just fifteen won't be that big of a deal. Go to the academy, say you want to apply and prove yourself. You have nothing to lose."

"You really would allow-"

"Yes, Ruby. But only Vacuo. If you don't manage that then that's it. And-" Raven held up a hand to interrupt Ruby before she spoke, "once you have graduated you will return to the tribe. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mother. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, child." Walking up to her still sitting daughter, Raven ran a hand through Ruby's hair, a rare show of affection she allowed herself from time to time. "Just go there, learn and return to your family. Once you've done all of that…then you can thank me."

It was different, that much was certain. Once the ship docked at the coast to Vacuo all she could see was sand and all she could feel was the unforgiving and scorching heat of the sun.

It definitely was an unforgiving place, but it was what she wanted. She wanted to learn why her mother wanted to be a huntress, she wanted to learn what her other mother learned during her time in an academy.

There were a few here and there in the tribe who asked her to stay, to not abandon her family like Qrow did years back and she had to assure them again and again that all she wanted was to see and experience what it was like, to sate her curiosity and to have something else in common with her birth mother than her looks.

They understood to some extent at least.

And then there was also her dear friend Perid who asked her to at least spend another last night with him and, well, who was she to deny him that?

A slight twitch of her lips escaped her at that memory before she shook herself and took in her surroundings once more.

She wasn't sure where to go so the best thing to do was to ask someone. Walking up to the next person in sight she tapped the man on the shoulder, drawing his attention to her. "How do I get to Shade Academy?"

"You look a bit young to be a huntress, missy," he replied with a toothless smile.

Rolling her eyes, she ignored him and looked for someone else to ask when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Without looking she grasped the hand firmly and quickly twisted and turned before standing behind the culprit, his arm bent painfully against his back.

"H-hey, sorry, I just heard your question and wanted to help you out, man!"

"Tch." Releasing him after slightly pushing him away from herself, she gave him a quick once over. He seemed to be a bit older than her, probably around the appropriate age to apply to Shade. "Who are you?" Ruby asked him, her arms folded over her chest as she raised her chin up a bit.

"Name's Nolan Porfirio," he answered her with a smirk, "and I'm applying to Shade too. Figured, since, you know, you don't seem to be from around here I'd help you out."

She stared at him for a few more moments, trying to judge his sincerity, before nodding. "Fine, lead on."

"Alright, transport stations with air busses are this way."

Ruby followed him, a few paces behind him as she turned her head this way and that, still almost nothing but sand. "Are there actually any cities or villages close by?"

"Villages are rare since it can be really dangerous. There's the heat, then the Grimm. There's still a few settlements here and there but it's mainly cities. Providing a functioning infrastructure between cities and villages in a desert is kind of hard after all. What's your name, by the way?" Nolan asked as he glanced back at her.

"Ruby."

"Just Ruby?"

"Ruby Branwen."

Nodding, they kept walking for a bit longer before he again glanced back at her. "No offense, Ruby Branwen, but I got to admit that old fart wasn't wrong when he said that you look kind of young."

"And?"

"Well, there is the law that you have to be seventeen to apply to an academy."

Ruby snorted at that. "You are talking about law in Vacuo? Isn't this place infamous because no one gives a damn about law?"

Nolan paused for a moment before shrugging. "Fair enough. It's going to be hard on you though and- ah, there we are."

In front of them was a large transport station that seemed incredibly out of place in the desert, but it was good to see it. It meant Ruby was another step closer. Even if she was younger than everybody else, she would get in and if it meant she had to beat her way through every other candidate.