Konnichiwa, konnichiwa, Planeshunter here! This time (if this hideous monster called life allows for it) I present my humble submission for April's RWBY MonCon. I was late to even vote last month, but my congratulations to Jefardi for that 1st price, he was probably the one I would've voted for anyway ^^.

So… this time the character is Qrow Branwen and the theme is storytelling. This basically means I can cheat by having him tell whatever story I want and getting away with it. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Qrow's still Qrow, so the tone of the story will be accordingly adjusted.

Now, without further ado: The Bitterness Road, 始まります!


The night is chilly, and the slight layer of ice forming in his feathers isn't making the flight any easier, but he keeps on, scolding himself all the while.

How in the name of hell did I end up deciding Ruby needed my help the most? For the tenth time this hour, he asks himself the same question I definitely had one too much that day.

Indeed, Ruby has three friends at her side, every single one as capable as a kid could be, and the most important, they were only fighting the grimm and Cinder. Yang, on the other side…

The train of thoughts gets interrupted when he finally reaches his good friend's home. After a slight hesitation, he locates Yang's window and perches in a close-by branch, tidying up his feathers before sneaking a peek. What's inside actually manages to make his heart ache.

There she is, sitting in her bed, spiritless like a caged bird, content with vacantly looking at the wall in front of her. He has heard that's how she spends all her time now. His niece, out of all people! It's pretty damn obvious that she's dying, and it's no sickness a doctor can help with. Her heart is rotting in a cage of shadows.

Yes, the enemy Yang faces is none other than herself.

Carefully, Qrow recovers his human shape and picks the window's lock. The girl doesn't react even when the cold night seeps into the room.

-"Hey there, Firecracker!"

-"Get out."

Well, that could've gone better…

-"That's no way to greet your favorite uncle, little miss."

-"It's not like I could choose uncles!" -The red hints in her eyes for a second, but flickers out just as quickly- "Forget it, this isn't worth it."

Thoughtfully, Qrow unscrews his hip flask. So it's come to this… But he takes a deep gulp I'll be damned if I can't win this audience over.

-"I never told you how your mother parted ways with us, didn't I?"

-"Of course not" -The way the girl puffs her cheeks in protest, face leaning in her hand, is exactly like she did when she was a little kid- "You and pops always clam up when it comes to mom!"

-"Well, it's only natural" -He interrupts his reply to take another shot- "Losing her was like losing an arm."

The kid eyes him with suspicion. That wasn't subtle at all, but it wasn't intended to be. And accomplished it's purpose flawlessly.

-"It's also an absurdly convoluted story that involved classified information, but that's not that important. Whatever, a story must be told as a story. So now that I got your attention, let me start from the beginning."


It was a cold and dark night, not unlike this one…

[Uncle, all your stories start the same way...]

Shut up, kiddo, who's telling the story, you or me?

Good.

Actually, the story begins during a mission before you were even born, you know? Now that I can tell you things I couldn't before, let's say this one was related to that little secret war Ozpin led against the shadows. The four of us were together for that one, one of the last times, I reckon. Aaah… those were good times….

Anyway, we had some solid clue in a god-forgotten village in the middle of nowhere, far away from any safe haven.

(This is where an impressed gasp or a shocked interjection would be nice, but guess I can't expect much from this audience… yet)

Case is, we were played for fools. For some reason one of my trusty confidants decided to feed us some utter bulshit that time.

[Bet she got fed up with you flirting with every other lady right before her nose]

Could be, Firecracker, could be. But putting it that way really stings. Anyhow, before we knew what was happening, Summer managed to get head first into a faunus slave liberation revolution of some kind.

I mean, I'm a mighty good guy myself. Don't laugh kiddo. But Ruby's mother has always been in a league of her own, if you know what I mean. Now I see a question in your eyes (not so dead after all, knew it) but hold it back for now, everything in due time.

Case is, some good for nothing landowners decided that, since they were on their own out there, they got to do whatever they wanted, and had entire acres of cotton and coffee, tended by overworked and mistreated faunus. That short of thing was still going on in a smaller scale more or less everywhere you could find a lowlife, but something like this… never seen since the Faunus Rights Revolution. Truly a mystery how the place hadn't been overrun by the Grimm yet, with all that suffering and despair bottled up.

Apparently some random foreman had gone too far with 'disciplining' and one of the workers had died. That got the others riled up.

So between the angry mob that claimed the foreman's head and the few but well armed landowner guys saying 'screw you', we stood.

Dunno about the others, but I was seriously cursing the way Summer always managed to get her way. Oh, boy, what a fine mess we got in our hands! People both sides yelling taunts and curses, rising fists and doing ruder things.

Then someone throws a stone and everything finally gets out of control. We had to fight for our lives while our heroic leader yelled hysterically "Don't kill anyone! Don't kill anyone!". By the end of the day, two things worth of remembering had happened.

That ball of fluff that's your father actually lost her patience and rapped our fearless leader in her head, and that antisocial mom of yours went and accepted a disciple.

[Mom did? How was…?]

He was a lot like her, to be honest. Wanted to know how to fight to avenge the dead man, who happened to be his father, and didn't bother hiding it. Not like he had to worry about it, it's Raven we are talking about, she wouldn't care. But, the case is… I learnt something reaaaaaaally juicy a while after.

You know, for some reason or another, your mom really warmed up to this kid. Lowered her guard around him and everything. That's how I managed to listen into their chat without getting caught. They were talking about the hunter system, kid had asked her why she was a huntress herself, when she had the strength to do whatever she wanted.

-"It's not that I believe in the system" -She answered after thinking about it for it's good five minutes- "But there's someone I trust more than myself, someone that believes."

I bet the little guy was conveniently impressed by that answer. Kiddo, your mom always had a flair for dramatics, but that time she outdid herself.

[What happened then?]

I got caught

[You useless uncle...]

Ungrateful little… Well, is late anyway and I came a long way to be here tonight. Guess I'll say hi to Tai and call it a night. We can finish this act here pick up tomorrow night where we left, when I come back from some errands.


With that, he stands to leave before an open-mouthed Yang.

-"Everything alright, Firecracker?"

The obvious mocking tone makes the girl react. She hurriedly closes her mouth and turns her gaze to the window.

-"Nothing, see you tomorrow. Or whatever."

Sardonic smile never leaving his lips, Qrow exits the room. Of course, there are no 'errands'. Well, he might take his old pal to a tavern, it's always hilarious seeing the huge guy getting dizzy from a couple of beers. What matters is to leave the girl stewing in her own curiosity. She's a clever one, and he has dropped enough spices for her to start fantasizing.

Tomorrow she'll be nicely cooked and a better audience than today.

[...]


Geez, it's gotten late… Sorry to make you wait, kiddo.

[I wasn't expecting much anyway]

(Yeah, so that glint in your eyes must be the aliens, and I'm surely sober.)

That lack of trust hurts, kiddo.

Whatever, I promised you the second act, and that's what you're gonna get. You see, not too long after everything I told you yesterday, something. Well… you happened. That surprised me, to be honest. Tai had always fancied Summer. Seeing that antisocial sister of mine snatch him away is probably the thing that makes me most proud of her.

[But then she left, and what happened was Ruby ]

Now you're sounding as if you spite her.

[No! But… you know...]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First of all, the thing between your parents couldn't last. Raven's always been too independent for a normal relationship with her to work. Remember that faunus boy I told you about in the last act? The little rascal followed your mother anywhere. And, as soon as your breast-feeding was over, they both left in a journey. Oh, she dropped in from time to time to see you, but most of the time she was away.

[Uncle, I have heard that part a thousand times….]

Okay, okay… but what I haven't ever told you, cuz your mother would kill me if she knows, is my personal opinion in the whole matter.

You see, I think she was scared of you, of bonding too deeply with her little baby and losing her freedom. That's why she left, taking that ginger boy with her to calm down her mother instincts.

Hey kiddo! Don't give me that look!

Think about it this way, you are the only thing she was ever afraid of being tied to! Not even the love of her life was able to achieve that! My sister is an oddball, but she loves you… her oddball way.

Ahhh… You know… I think I have killed the mood. My bad. Tomorrow I'll tell you how the story goes.


Qrow stands up and motions towards the door, but he suddenly stops after feeling a tug in his truser leg.

-"Come on, kiddo, I'm sure you'll appreciate some time alone I can't leave if you're grabbing my clothes."

Damn, he thinks, almost regretting his plan and sitting again, I haven't seen her look this cute since she stopped being afraid of the dark at night.

-"I… Never mind. You better tell me more tomorrow."

The grumpy tone is still there, but… yeah, this is working out perfectly.

[...]

The third night he catches the girl going through a photo album.

-"Yo, kiddo! Getting nostalgic?"

She doesn't bother hiding it, throwing an accusatory stare at him instead.

-"That's because my 'favorite' uncle had me waiting the whole day!"

Well, well, well… I'd say this counts as nicely cooked. Now we can start the main act!


I have already told you how your mother got into the habit of wandering the world with his little squire. The dynamic we had those days kind of worked for a while. Summer and Tai more or less settled in for a couple of years, to take care of you first, then of your baby sister too.

All the while Raven and me minded our own business through the world. We dropped by often, and you were still too young to wonder why your mom spent so little time with you, so everybody was more or less happy.

Those were good years. We were at peace, and we vagabonds could just wander around the world, knowing we had a home to go back to and a family waiting for us there. Not everything in the garden was rosy, tho.

As time passed I noticed both sis and his small follower growing darker and more disillusioned with the world. But before I could really worry about the matter, a real mission came. One that would gather the old team for the last time.

I remember that one as if it was yesterday. When I reached the meeting point, your dad and Summer were already waiting. She was the same as always, with that hood of hers, so white it hurt the eyes. Not that I was hungover or anything, but seriously, I always wondered how she always kept that damn thing stainless.

Your dad was, well… hilariously awkward. I don't think he went into any real mission after you kids were born. But there he was, trying to not look too out of place. Hah! As if he had ever been any good at deception. Or that giant frame of his could go unnoticed besides her tiny partner...

Raven arrived as I was about to poke some fun at his expense.

Her usual follower wasn't anywhere to be seen and her frown was darker than ever. Man, she's never been the warmest ice cube in the fridge, but she looked really… sour. I honestly worried about getting a catfight there and then, but she still cracked a smile when Summer greeted her. Not that I got anything more than a nod my way, mind you…

[Who would've thought?]

I know, right?

[So my uncle had a sister complex all this time...]

What? No! How the hell have you reached that conclusion?

Anyway, our fearless leader was so eager to talk with my sister that In the end we got into our ship without me having a chance to get a real word in.

[Where were you going?]

To the Western Dragon's Maw.

Damn it, kiddo. I know you're now in the loop, but I'm still not sure if I should tell you about this…

[Come on! You can't leave me hanging after telling me all this!]

Fine, fine… You know how that whole continent is off-limits? There's a good reason for it, the place is swarming with creatures of Grimm, some of them truly ancient. Ozpin hoped to discover why they tended to gather there. If you have paid attention in class, you'll know the Grimm get smarter as they get older, but that doesn't explain mass behaviours like this one.

What we found out was… Now listen to me, kiddo, I'm only telling you this because it plays an important part in the story, but this is top secret, okay?

[Whatever, you know I can keep a secret!]

Then why am I so worried? You see… The beowolves, ursa, deathstalkers… even that huge-ass dragon that attacked Beacon, they are just the brawn. There are far worse things within the ranks of the Grimm, things that won't give you the chance to fight back. And what we found there was… the brain, quite literally.

Oh, I've spoiled the good part, ain't I? And here I was planning to tell you how I showed off in our way there… Now you won't shut up until I tell you what happens next, right?

Turns out, the Grimm isn't as disorganised as we think. They got generals and strategists, just like humans. It's not that they become smarter as they get older, not only that at least. They become more receptive to their generals' commands, that's why as an alpha can take control of a pack of beowolfes, it is at the same time directed by something else.

Now in this dust-forgotten land we found something that had been human, once. At first we thought it was a simple Grimm. They come in all kind of animal forms after all, why not human? So we engaged the fucking thing. It was strong. We, one of the best teams of hunters in the world, mind you, were toyed with.

And then it went and talked! It taunted us, and provoked us into revealing information. The thing knew about Ozpin, talked about him as if they knew each other. The things it said… up to this date, I don't know if they were true or not, but certainly was enough to shake us.

And that could very well be the end of it all. Tragic end for your favorite heroes, but here we are… more or less. And that's because of your mother. You see, all those 'revelations' destined to break our spirits and perception of the world… They didn't work on her. Normal values don't mean shit for her. Where we three saw the base of our beliefs shattered, she only saw threats against her loved ones. And so she stroke.

I told you once she's a dangerous woman, right? That's only when she's calm. Once she throws all caution through the window, she's deadly. Seeing her fight the thing alone brought us back to our senses, reminded us that it was no time for doubt. And a last, desperate assault we forced her to flee. Or so we thought. In our way back, Summer got sick.

Now, I'm sure you've done your maths, kiddo. The dates fit, and you know Summer died during a mission, but…

Oh, damn it!


That last interjection has nothing to do with the story, and Yang blinks a couple of times, brought back to reality.

-"What… what's wrong?"

-"I'm out of booze."

-"You stopped because of that?"

-"Look here, Firecracker, no booze, no story, those are the rules. Guess I'll have to get come back tomorrow."

-"No!" -Realizing what she's doing, Yang stops herself in the act of trying to grab him again. Blushing furiously, she stares at the floor - "I… I mean, I'm sure pops keeps some around, you could grab some and..."

-"That'll make me a thief, kiddo." -He answers, hiding an amused smirk- "Also, I wouldn't know where to look for it."

-"Geez!" -In her hurry to leave the bed, the girl gets stuck with the sheets. After some struggle and half-stumbling, she manages to get up. -"Just stay there, you useless uncle, I'll get it for you!"

And like that she storms out. Qrow can only speculate about lady business, but that's the first time he's seen her leaving the room. Suddenly losing his smirk, he empties his hip flask in one go He'll need it for what comes next, and it wouldn't do to be caught in a lie either way.

[...]


Okay, as I was saying, Ruby's mom fell sick during our flight back. At first she just got weaker, dizzy feverish… the usual things. But then she started changing. Her hair and skin were turning paler and her blood and eyes darker, and pain constantly lashed through her body. By the time we reached Beacon, she needed a stretcher and restrains to not hurt herself even further.

Ozpin received us with the rest of his little inner circle. Apparently he suspected what we were going to find in the Dragon's Maw, but kept it to himself. What's worse, he knew of Summer's 'condition'. Apparently there's some kind of bug Grimm that can infect humans and turn them to their side. They are extremely rare and weak, but there's no going back once they gets close enough to their prey, she was turning into Grimm.

We didn't had much time, and we would've probably wasted it panicking and arguing about what to do, but we never got the chance. The moment Ozpin said there was no turning back, James fucking self-righteous Ironwood shot her down in her stretcher. Then Raven almost cut him in half. And, even if I really wanted to do the same, we all had to suppress her together so she wouldn't finish the job.

[But then, is Ozpin's fault that… and Ironwood just...]

Shit, I hate this part….

Okay, now listen here kiddo, and listen well. Because I'm about to do the adult talk and I hate doing the adult talk. So I',m only going to say this once. Ozpin was wrong keeping secrets to us, but we all make mistakes. Ironwood behaved like a dick, but he did the fucking right thing. I'm bitter about everything, and I'll remind them that at every chance I get. But it was not their fault. Sometimes…

[Bad things just happen]

Ex-fucking-actly. If only Raven could understand that… That night she left us for good. No more visits, no more hunter jobs. She just walked away to never return, leaving ominous parting words.

-"I have just lost everything I believed in. Don't ever look for me."

It took me a while to connect this with that conversation I overhead some years earlier.

[The one about believing in someone who believed?]

You've always been a smart one, Firecracker. Summer was the reason she stayed in our side. And once that reason disappeared, she and that little squire of hers vanished. Who would've thought he would reappear like that…

[What… what do you mean?]

Lost already, kiddo? And I praised you a second ago… Have you met any ginger male faunus lately? Awfully skilled with a sword, maybe?

[You can't mean...]

You can be fucking sure I mean it.

[But what am I supposed to...]

That ain't telling you, Firecracker. I tell stories, and man if I didn't do a good job this time. But is a fuckload to think about, and only you can decide how to act on it. Or how to not act, that's up to you.

But your mom is out there, possibly working with the enemy, most likely out of bitterness for what happened so many years ago. His apprentice is out there to take revenge upon humanity, for sure out of bitterness for the loved ones he's lost. Your partner is, believe it or not, plotting her own revenge against her ex, out of bitterness for what he did to you.

Now, it's not like I have any right to preach on you, I'm the fucking same. Maybe I still drop hints and helps here and there, but at the end of the day, I'm simply too bitter to even care about the whole mess anymore. Still figured you deserve a fair warning, Firecracker, this is where the bitterness road leads to.

So, when you decide what to do, don't forget to tell me. I'll admit I'm curious about your answer.


And that's it ladies and gentlemen. Did you see it coming? How did I do?

I'd have to admit Qrow has never been one of my favorite characters. I mean, he's cool, but I'm pretty partial about… males in general, so he never caught my attention during the show.

Re-watching episodes and reading wikis to write this story, I've build around him the image a bard. A bit like the stories from the old ages, when they were half-performers half-mystics. His crow form really helps with that. A bit from Dragon Age, where Leliana explains how they often dubbed as spies and assassins.

The way he keeps interrupting his story to build up anticipation I got from Scheherazade and The Thousand and One Nights. Well, he only tells a single story, but you get the idea. I have to admit too that this doesn't 100% fit with canon. Besides infinitude of details that I could be missing (maybe how Ironwood got his prosthetic is already explained somewhere, maybe I messed up with some of the other things I completely made up thinking they aren't addressed in the show yet), there's the detail of Raven 'often visiting' after Yang's birth. I'm… pretty sure I could've told the story anyway without deviating, but heck, I liked how it went like this.

Also, anyone following my work might notice which part of the way Volume 3 ends prickles me the most. Damn it all, my poor beloved Yang didn't deserve that! I hope all those people foretelling a Dark Yang are in the wrong '. And I hope that Adam burns in the deepest pits of hell too, but that might be biased.

Anyway, Until here "The Bitterness Road", hoping it has been interesting, signs off:

-Planeshunter