Red leaves fell onto the ground around Jaune.
Forever fall forest...Jaune thought numbly. His head buzzed numbly. His vision, once spinning, cleared up.
A cold wind wrapped itself around Jaune's face. Jaune shivered. He wiggled and yanked on the ties that bound him to the tree behind him. Cardin stood with his arms cross a few feet from Jaune.
Cardin's lips curled into a disturbed smirk. His eyes lingered over Jaune's body.
Another shiver ran down Jaune's spine. He clenched his jaw. A zap of pain opened his mouth again. His voice hoarse, he couldn't scream. He clenched his eyes shut and gasped. The pain left a dull ache in his face. He leaned his head against the tree and met Cardin's eyes again. Blood fell down the side of his head and onto his cheek. A wound must've reopened.
He attempted to take a deep breath. His ribs stung his sides viciously. He opened his mouth and closed it. A cold sense of defeat crawled over Jaune's skin. Cardin laughed.
The rope which pinned his chest unevenly against the tree felt too tight. Jaune's face felt very warm. He jerked his head away. His eyes stared off into the distance.
"See, Jaune? This is what happens when you mess with Team CRDL," Winchester bent onto his knees. He took Jaune's chin and forced Jaune to look at him. Jaune grimaced. "Next time, don't get in our way."
Jaune's vision spun, but he managed a glare at Cardin anyways. He attempted to kick Cardin's face. Cardin grabbed his ankle and squeezed it in an iron grip. Something snapped. Molten lava poured through his system. Jaune let out a strangled cry. His head flung back into the tree.
Cardin laughed. He put Jaune's leg down.
Cardin's other goons came out from behind Jaune. Cardin got to his feet. He placed a filthy muddy boot on Jaune's face.
"Goodnight, Jaune."
Something thumped into the tree. His body cold and numb. His vision swirled and black spots grew into a void. Warm liquid seeped over his face.
Jaune couldn't remember if he told everyone goodbye or not.
Stinging. Loud and stinging. It ached his head. It annoyed him. The ringing never subsided. Jaune forced his eyes open, and the ringing subsided. His heart pounded in his chest.
The pounding in his chest slowly subsided, but moved into his head. His mouth watered. Something stuffed in his mouth soaked in his saliva. Drool fell from his lips. He coughed.
He attempted to move. His body didn't respond.
Another piercing screech ached Jaune's head. His ears rung again. Jaune narrowed his eyes. His blurry vision now crystal clear.
The instigator of his headache perched on his knee. It stared at him with beady black eyes.
A crow.
The forever fall forest glowed red. The twilight sun almost completely set. Colder winds blew into Jaune's frozen body. The moon, full and bright, illuminated the forest.
Jaune struggled against his binds. Sharp, stabbing pain zapped through his body. From the tips of his frozen toes to his broken bleeding nose, Jaune ached.
The crow bounced off his wounded leg next to his body.
Is he waiting for me to die? Jaune shook his head, but couldn't shake the thought away.
He continued to eye the crow suspiciously. Something intelligent ran acrossed the crow's eye. It bounced onto Jaunes chest and crawled up.
Jaune forced his head back. He tried to get away from the terrifying little messenger of death.
He did not need his eyes removed on top of the injuries he sustained.
He felt it's beak slip between the gag and his cheek and pull.
Jaune gasped. The air rushing into his lungs causing him to cough and sputter. Blood fell from his mouth. Jaune attempted to spit every bit of it out. He took a slow and deep breath.
"Th-th-thank y-you," Jaune turned his head towards the crow who tilted its head before it leaped up and flew into the night sky.
Every breath bit his lungs. As the sun fell closure to the earth, so did the temperature.
Jaune attempted to curl closer to himself. His knees gently pressed into his chest. He couldn't stop shivering. The cold melted into his body and into his bones. He laid his head in his thighs. Jaune's teeth chattered. He shivered harder. He leaned back. Air filled his lungs.
Jaune screamed. His voice shaky and broken. He screamed again.
"Please! Help!" Something wet fell from his eyes. His face became warm. "He-elp, p-please?"
He leaned against the tree. His head rested on the bark. He took a deep, uneven breath and watched his hot breath exit his nostrils. Jaune fought to keep his eyes open. He forced his eyes to search for things to look at.
His body began to numb out.
What if… Jaune didn't allow himself to complete the thought. His eyelids drifted together. His body slack against the tree.
The numbness drifted over him. A wave of warmth crawled into his skin. The warmth felt like water. Like water at a tropical beach. He heard Nora's laughter. Ren's voice, calm and warm, warned Nora not to attempt something.
And Pyrrha. Her voice boomed through his head. It ached. It hurt.
Jaune, Pyrrha said. Jaune!
Pyrrha was in front of him. Her form a little transparent, but vibrant nonetheless. Her hand caressed his face. Heat traveled from her hand to his cheek. The warmth comforting at first, then it got warmer. It became uncomfortable.
Jaune refused to move. The heat became more intense.
Pyrrha disappeared. The heat still left behind.
The heat dripped through his face. Through his body. It dripped like molten lava through his body.
With hot ash and flames in his lungs, Jaune bolted up clutching his ribs; wheezing.
"Hey hey hey now. Lay back down. Getting up that quickly might just do'ya in."
This voice. Jaune didn't recognize this voice.
He sounded older. Rugged. Jaune opened his good eye slowly, and took in the small cabin room.
The room probably held use for some fur traders or hunters. An old fashioned stove sat in the corner of the room near the window. Likely made of iron, it burned log woods inside. The other corner sat a small round wooden table and two wood chairs.
Jaune looked to the side and noted a window on the wall. The only window. Small and barely six inches wide. The door stood in the opposite wall.
His eyes focused and drew to the man who stood at the edge of the bed. The man took a swig out of a silver and black flask.
"Here," the man offered, holding the Flask to Jaune's mouth, "drink."
Jaune sipped it. A burning sensation melted down his throat. He turned his head to the side and coughed violently.
"W-wha-wha was that?!" Jaune attempted to sit up.
The man snorted. "Chill, kid. It's whiskey. Warms you up," the man shoved the flask into Jaune's hands. "Drink it. The cold nearly killed you."
Jaune looked at the man more critically. Something seemed familiar about him.
Jaune took the flask and grimaced. He took another sip of whiskey. Jaune grimaced at the passing thought of his mother finding out about the alcohol now in her son. He shook it off.
"Who are you? How did you find me?" Jaune asked. The whiskey dulled his aches and created a warm blanket over his reddened skin.
The man smiled at the kid, taking the flask, and downed a few gulps. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "The name's Qrow."