A girl wearing a crimson red cloak opened her eyes against the burning orange of the rising sun. She stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes uncertain of when she had fallen asleep, but glad that she didn't miss the sunrise. She checked her red-lined black waist cincher to ensure it didn't loosen itself as she slept. The girl proceeded to check her black skirt and blouse as well, wiping off some loose grass from her outfit before sighing contentedly.

"Oh, You're awake," She recognized the voice of her uncle calling out from behind her. It was gruff and slightly slurred. The day was just beginning, and he was already drunk, or still drunk more likely. "Not many people come to this old cliff nowadays. What are you doing up here so early?"

"It's a calming place," The girl replied. She looked around taking in the sights of the cliff again. The two were on a grassy outcropping along a cliff that faced the western sea. In the right conditions, one could see the City of Vale from across the waves. Behind her was a dense, dangerous forest known to be filled with many Beowolves and other Grimm. "You don't usually come this far yourself, Qrow." She finished with a smirk, turning to face the old hunter.

She gasped, "Your eye, Wha-," She stopped as Qrow raised his hand, grimacing.

"About thirteen years back I got in a fight I shouldn't have survived," He explained tracing the scar that cut deep through his right eye. "Glad this is all I lost in that fight. Now then, you know who I am, but I don't believe I recall who you are, kid." He stared down at the girl with an inquisitive look in his lone red eye.

"But Uncle Qrow," The girl started as she stepped back in shock. "It's me, Ruby. You don't remember me?" Ruby's voice shook a bit as she answered. The man, besides his missing eye, was exactly as she remembered him. He had spiky grey-black hair, with dull red eyes and a slight, seemingly permanent, stubble on his chin. He still wore the same grey dress shirt with black pants, shoes, and a tattered red cape.

"Ruby, eh? Can't say I've heard the name before." Qrow looked over the girl carefully, scrutinizing every detail he could. "But getting a good look at you, I'd hazard to guess your last name's Rose, isn't it?"

Ruby nodded silently. There was no anger or malice in his voice, but how Qrow was acting terrified her. 'Did he really not remember me? How did he lose his eye thirteen years ago? I could have sworn he had both the day before.' She thought to herself tearing through her memories and finding them all to be inconsistent with the man standing before her. Pain shot through her mind as she collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?"

Qrow's voice was barely audible over the ringing in her ears. Her breathing became more hoarse and heavy her mind encompassed by the all-consuming pain. Ruby couldn't gather her thoughts to comprehend what the man had said. She tried to stand, but she couldn't find her balance. Ruby collapsed to the ground, and her world vanished.

"Hang in there, kid!" Qrow said, the slur of drunkenness gone from his voice replaced by slight panic. 'Shit, Sum will kill me if I let anything happen to her, uh, niece?' His old teammate hadn't talked about having any family out in the world, so the now collapsed girl in front of him was still a bit of a shock to him.

'She's too old to be one of Sum's. The kid would've had to been born around the time of her...' Qrow growled and waved the thought away, he had work to do. He swooped up the unconscious young Rose with one arm while taking out his scroll with his free hand. He called a number he hadn't even looked at since he retired all those years ago.

"Rose-Xiao Long." A male voice answered.

"Tai, it's Qrow. Is Summer in?" Qrow glanced over at the girl in his arm before slinging her over his shoulder carefully and beginning his dash through the forest; he had to be quick the 'wolves would be out soon.

"No, she's on a mission for Oz, What's up? You seem worried." The man, Tai's, voice became noticeably worried. He naturally seemed to think something had happened to his wife.

"Has Sum ever talked to you about, say a sister, or a niece?" The rushing hunter asked, adjusting the limp form on his shoulder so she wouldn't fall off.

"No, Why?" Three Beowolves jumped out of the brush, cutting Qrow off from his destination and forcing him to stop. Their werewolf-like black forms covered in white bone-like growths and their burning red eyes following his every movement as dozens more began to join. It was quite a large pack.

"I see. Warm up a pot of coffee; I'm coming over. This is gonna be a shocker." Qrow chuckled a bit as he hung up on his old friend and stowed his scroll away.

'Let's see. Only about 40, maybe 50, I won't even need to use my scythe.' He set the girl down and pulled out his massive broadsword. 'Come on old friend; we've got a kid to protect. Hope it doesn't go like last time.' Qrow charged forward, cleaving through 2 of the Beowolves with a single swing, and three more with his second.

The fight didn't last much longer. The Grimm encountered on Patch were generally young, naive, and stupid and with expert hunters like Taiyang, Summer, and even the retired Qrow, there weren't many that survived long enough to get old and smart. Qrow would pity the man who met a Grimm that could survive Patch.

"Dozen got away," Qrow growled, and he turned to the still unconscious girl. "Guess I've lost my touch a bit eh, kiddo?" He chuckled, "Yeah, you're right I can take care of them later. After I get you to a safe place."

A sword was attached to a magnetic clip on the small of her back. The green and grey design of the weapon didn't suit the girls black and red motif. The guard of the sword was made of, what looked like, bronze inlaid in it was a circular pattern with a straight line extending out from the centre towards the blade.

The blade itself was single-edged and thin midway up the length flaring out in an arc towards the point and the guard and reaching its widest points about halfway between the two in either direction before starting to thin again. The spine of the blade was completely straight. There was a cut at the thinnest point halfway up the length, and it was evident that it had some sort of transformation mechanism to it. Etched into the blade near the guard was what looked like a serial number 'PNY01-46X3.'

Qrow sighed, reattaching the sword to its magnetic clip. "I wonder where you got something like that, kid," He stated quietly looking at the mini-Summer before picking her back up and continuing his trek to his old teammates' house.