A/N: Let me first start out by apologizing because I was really lazy as far as writing this the last few weeks. I basically played Destiny non-stop during their iron banana week and it was a struggle to want to get back into it. It also didn't help that I had to go back and change my outline two times! The first one was to help flesh out the story more and to make it easier for me to write the subsequent chapters. After that, I had to go back and tweak some things to make it better fit the bombshell of a finale that the RT staff dropped on the collective fandom. So once again, sorry. I don't anticipate taking that long between updates in the future.

With that out of the way. Thank you so much to the few of you that reviewed and fav/followed this! It means a heck of a lot.

Finally, here is a heads up on the structure of this story going forward. The theme will follow team STRQ and Winter predominantly through a couple coherent arcs. Right now I am planning for 6 arcs, and we are about half way through the first arc. After each arc there will be a time skip (the length of the time skip will vary depending on which arcs we are going between). After the second arc, I'm pretty sure I will be fully committed to the direction I want to take this (no turning back at that point). So depending on the next volume, this AU may start to look even more AU. However, as of now the story plan still fits into the canon... if you squint hard enough.

Enjoy!

Ironwood

As he peeked his head around a corner, James could see two guards standing by the side of the main double doors to the city hall. The way they were slouching indicated that they had not been alerted to the fact that the hostages inside the warehouse had been freed. Good. We still have surprise on our side. The raid on the warehouse had gone flawlessly. The tunnel had surfaced in an office towards the back of the building. They simply had to keep the civilians quiet long enough for a few soldiers to take out the guards milling about the room. The team of experienced fighters had blended into the crowds, grabbing them as soon as they approached a cluster of people. After five tense minutes they had subdued the four guards that had been patrolling the room.

Now they were faced with a slightly more difficult challenge. They had to force their way into this building as quickly as possible. He leant back behind the cover and raised two fingers to the men waiting with him. "Tony, get up above the far guard. Hop up on the ledge from the alley. When I get close to the first guard, drop down on top of him." The man nodded before padding quickly and silently across the road and into the alley across from them. Ironwood waited for him to clamber onto the shallow sloping roof before he crossed the road and pressed himself firmly against the building.

As he slunk along the wall towards the guard he glanced up to see his soldier ready and waiting. Alright, quick and decisive. He launched himself forward, closing the few remaining feet in a heartbeat. His arms lashed out, wrapping one around the man's throat and locking the other securely behind his head. James felt the man struggle, overcome with surprise, but slowly he felt the strength leave the man as his wheezing died down. He looked up from the now unconscious man to see Tony struggling with a pinned guard.

James eyes widened as he saw the man break free of the hold and toss his man off of him. Just as he attempted to sprint away from his attackers a shadowy blur dropped in front of him, landing a blow solidly in his midsection as the guard reached for his radio. The guard clutched at his sides as Ozpin roughly grabbed the man's face. A green mist that could only be the his aura rushed down the Valian man's arm and encircled the guard's head.

After several silent moments, the green cloud began to fade away. The guards head rematerialized as Ozpin opened his eyes. The Loyalist stared blankly at his attackers behind heavily lidded eyes. What the hell was…

"He is going to be our distraction, we enter the building when the shouting starts." He and his men stared stupidly at the huntsman as their distraction shuffled up to and through the heavy wooden doors.

It wasn't long before sounds of a scuffle could be heard inside the room accompanied by some loud yelling. As the men readied themselves at the door, several shots boomed out. Without hesitation, they slammed open the doors, and James pulled his handguns from the holsters strapped to his chest. The sight inside was not pretty. The man they had sent inside lay in a rapidly expanding pool of blood clutching a sidearm in his outstretched hands. Several other guards surrounded a man laying on the floor who was writhing and grasping at his own wounds. The citizens had slunk back against the wall. James watched as the faces of the guards went stark white before he and his men unloaded their own weapons into them.

In a few seconds, the group of Loyalists lay dead, and before panic could spread he turned towards the crowd of huddled people. "Please stay calm! We are going to escort you out of the city and to safety. Christensen!" The man he had called for stepped out of the small band. "Get these people to Lisa and into the tunnels as quickly as you can." We made too much noise there.

As he turned back to the two elder men, he held out his arms. "What the fuck did you do to him!?"

He watched as the man raised his eyebrows slightly, "I convinced him it was time to settle a dispute."

"You could have warned me you were going to have him shoot somebody!"

"I didn't make him do anything, I wasn't aware he would get that violent. Captain, I would say that worked rather well. We didn't lose any men... or more importantly, civilians."

James' eyes narrowed at the man as he clenched his fists. Bullshit, you knew exactly what was going to happen. This was supposed to be quiet! We needed to keep a low profile, but now there has to be someone who heard that! "It would be nice to know next time if there is a possibility of that happening."

Eis pushed his way past the crowd that was starting to emerge from the town hall and jogged up to the two men. "Come on we need to get to the school, we've gotta take that as fast as we can, guards are sure to be heading our way."

"He's right. Captain Ironwood, leave your men here to guard these citizens and come with us to the school, we've got to get started taking out the guards there. Have your men meet up with us once they get the civilians to the warehouse."

Ozpin and Eis turned and strode away, leaving him to give the orders to his men. He returned to the throng of people shuffling down the road with blank looks on their faces. The violence must have shocked them, but he had been shaken a little himself. He had been prepared to fight the Loyalists. However, the power Ozpin had showcased did not sit well with him. He saw the way the man had walked towards the door. It was robotic. Almost like he was not even conscious. Ozpin had been correct in his statement that they had not lost a soldier, and the diversion had worked.

As he turned back to rejoin the two men, he noticed Ozpin looking skyward to the rooftops. "Did you spot someone?"

"No... I didn't see anyone, but it felt like someone was watching us."

James followed his gaze towards the roof. The perch he had been looking towards was the perfect overlook for a sniper, but no one was there. "Well if someone was watching us they probably informed whoever is in charge… let's get moving." Ozpin nodded before jogging off to catch up with Eis.

As the three men ran down the main road they saw very few signs of the Loyalist occupation, let alone actual soldiers. Even still, the three of them ran with their weapons drawn. Ozpin held his cane menacingly, and Eis had drawn a sabre with the slightest of curves at the tip. The lack of opposition had not made him feel safe, and it had only served to deepen the feeling of unease that had been building up inside of him. I'm still just a little put off by Ozpin's power… That must be it. But for all he tried to convince himself, something did not seem quite right. He felt the knurling on the grips of his revolvers, Questions and Answers, as he squeezed them in an attempt to clear his mind.

James finally had to pose the question, "Don't you think it's strange we haven't run into a patrol yet? We're almost halfway to the school." He saw the Valian man cock his head slightly to glance back at him.

"I'm glad you noticed captain, there is certainly something strange going on here. We should have encountered resistance by now… they certainly know we are here."

"So why are we running straight into a trap!"

Eis took his turn to look back at the man before shouting between huffs, "This is our best chance of keeping the fighting away from the civilians! It's also our best shot of getting the hostages to safety!"

He grit his teeth at this. The plan had been going so well! We should have been able to get into the town hall without causing such a ruckus!

"You didn't do anything wrong captain. I rushed us at the town hall because there was something watching us." Ozpin's words were little comfort, but the way he had said one of the words had caught his attention.

"What do you mean something?"

Before Ozpin could answer him, a crackle from his radio caught his attention. "Captain!.. Captain Ironwood!.."

James skidded to a stop and holstered Answers. He hit the transmit button on his unit. "Christensen, what's going on?"

"A… A grimm! It attacked some of the citizens and… we tried chasing after it, but.. I'm losing contact with some of the squad!" What!? How did a Grimm get into the city? Something was clearly wrong, his men had fought countless Grimm in the frontier lands. The Rebels camped in areas of strong Grimm activity to try and deter the army, and so they had been no stranger to run-ins with the beasts.

"What do you mean A Grimm?!"

"I've never seen one like this before! It's.. fast... and it comes out of nowhere!"

"Alright, we are heading back to the warehouse we will link up with you there."

Just as lifted his thumb from the button, Ozpin walked up to him shaking his head. "We need to get it away from the citizens. Your men need to try and link up with us!"

As much as he hated it, Ozpin's logic was sound, but he didn't want it to seem like he was abandoning his men. The radio clicked on again, "Scratch that last one Christensen. You need to make it to us, try and draw the Grimm away from the civilians if you can, but we need to get to the school."

When they didn't get a response, Eis patted his shoulder and said, "Hopefully, they got the message, now let's get going." The man gripped his shoulder and urged him forward.

The three men set off again toward the school with their strides more urgent this time around. There had been something watching us… but why did it wait to attack?! James could sense that Ozpin knew something. He had not been shaken or surprised by the conversation over the radio. He had seemed to know something had been watching them at the town hall. "You know what it is don't you?"

Ozpin nodded, offering no explanation for what had attacked the group. He simply kept running down the road without looking right or left. Clearly, he felt that precaution could be thrown out the window at this point. At a dead sprint the group managed to reach the block containing the school in a matter of minutes. They had not received another message over the radio before they stopped to take a breather across the courtyard from the school. The alley they crouched in offered a limited view of school, but they could see several guards patrolling the various entryways. The way they held their weapons at the ready made it obvious they knew something was headed their way. They had obviously been alerted to the rescue attempt. Looking at his companions, it was clear they had noticed this development as well. Looks like we are going in loud.

He gripped his revolvers and nodded to the two men, "We need to get as close as we can before we are spotted, we can't take a chance of them killing any of the hostages."

"Agreed, we also need to spread out and hit as many patrols simultaneously as we can. Eis and I will get to different sides of the building, once we head out we start a two minute countdown. When the two minutes are up we start the attack. Take out as many patrols as you can, then move inside right away."

It was a good plan, and James brooked no argument with the huntsmen. "Alright let's get to it." The two men climbed up opposite walls of the alley, scaling their respective rooftops with ease. James was left with the three men at the main entrance. He crept as close to them as he could using the well trimmed hedges for cover. All the while he kept a silent countdown in his head. 83...82...81… He slowed his breathing as best as he could, forcing the hammering in his ears to die down a little. The adrenaline had his heart beating furiously. He waited, barely breathing, for the few remaining seconds. 3...2...1!

He broke from cover at a full sprint. Questions and Answers were up and firing .50 caliber rounds at the men as fast as he could squeeze their triggers. The first guard was caught on the shoulder, the impact causing him to scream out and pirouette in place. James was already training his sights on the man next to him before he noticed the crimson spray staining the beige columns the men had been leaning against. The other two men turned to face their attacker and managed to fire off a few rounds. The bullets whizzed past him, but James was not phased even as he felt his aura flash along his left hip. The bullet, which would have grazed him, deflected off of the energy he had gathered in front of himself. The Loyalists had no such training, as evidenced by the ragged holes in their chest as they crumpled to the ground.

It was all over in a matter of seconds, and James came to a halt in front of the door breathing heavily. He scowled as he stepped over the bodies of the guards. Killing would never sit well with him, but he had also seen the misery that hesitation could bring. He would never make the mistake of failing to realize that his enemy wanted him just as dead. The quiet around him now was a welcome relief, and he could tell that no extra patrols were on their way.

He grunted as he shoulder charged into the door, and as he leveled his weapons at the opening the only thing he encountered was darkness. His heart was still pounding in his ears, and he struggled to piece together the details nagging at the edges of his mind. Why are all of the lights out… and why isn't anyone making a sound? Where are the hostages?!

In that moment, James saw a portion of the darkness move. That piece of the inky blackness became more solid and defined as it took a man's form. A split second after everything registered, the form launched itself at him faster than he could imagine. At the last second he saw the glowing red eyes silhouetted against white chiton. A Grimm! It was the last thing he remembered before blacking out.

Ozpin

Ozpin glanced over his shoulder to the building they were preparing to assault. The patrols were certainly prepared for something. The guards moved around the site with purpose and held their weapons with deadly certainty. No one was lax in their attention. However, something about the situation nagged at the corner of his consciousness. Almost all of the patrols are moving… the only stationary guards were the three at the front doors.

Ozpin vaulted over a low wall that marked the boundary between two of the small buildings ringing the courtyard. In less than thirty seconds he had sprinted from rooftop to rooftop to find a suitable vantage point across from the school. He had not spotted a single guard above ground level during his approach. As he came to the right side of the rectangular school building, he dropped to his chest and edged his way out to look down over a gutter.

He felt his heart pounding against the ceramic shingles, and he allowed the adrenaline to focus his senses. He scanned the grounds below and took a mental note on the four guards below him. He lifted his eyes to the windows across from him, and he attempted to peer through them, but his efforts to get a glimpse of the hostages proved fruitless. The building was dark, and the street lamps below merely cast a glare over the glass.

He rolled up his sleeve to get a look at his watch. 40 seconds left… I'll have to take out at least one during the initial attack. Two would be ideal, but none of them are standing close enough together. They all have repeating rifles, which are not the best option within arm's length. He stilled his breathing as best he could and attempted to cease all movement. In the utter silence, he could faintly make out the words of the guards below.

"It's got to be time to call it. They haven't shown up yet, and we are good to go."

"Alright, we'll start pulling a few squads out. Get Schneider and his team to the south wall as quick as you can. The invasion could start any minute."

They know about the invasion! The way the commander worded his orders spoke volumes to Ozpin. It is definitely a trap, and if they do not need the guards… there probably are not any hostages left here… No wonder they don't need to keep men posted at every exit. If there is no one to escape, there is not much reason to guard it. He had 15 more seconds and he prayed that they would offer up some more information.

"Did you see that thing?" The voice below him quavered slightly with fear. "Ughh, I wish I hadn't."

"Yeah, It looks human… but just… wrong. Gives me the creeps."

Ozpin's Eyes shot wide open. He knew exactly what they were talking about. He had seen these abominations before. The creatures were one of the most revolting Grimm variants he had ever encountered. Nightstalkers. The humanoid creatures were a terror used to assassinate high ranking individuals or wipe out small forces during the reign of King Mortimer. There is one here?

The realization hit him like a truck, and instantly his priorities shifted from the guards below him to warning his comrades. He pushed himself upright and launched himself off of the roof in the direction of the entrance. The guards had begun to turn towards him just as the green smoke that signaled his semblance lanced away from his outstretched arm.

Ozpin hit the ground at a dead sprint, and he did not even bother looking back towards the guards. He knew that the suggestion he had sent them would convince them all they must have hallucinated from exhaustion. It taxed him slightly to brute force a generic memory on all four of them simultaneously, but subtlety had gone out the window. Instead, he pumped his arms as hard as he could driving his feet into the pavement. He covered several yards in a single bound, his aura leaving a green trail behind him. He worried for Eis, but he knew his friend had faced a Nightstalker before. The young captain on the other hand…

As he was nearing the front of the building, a loud crash rang out in front of him accompanied by splintered fragments of a door and two entangled bodies. The inky black form of the Nightstalker pushed itself up from the limp body of the Atlesian captain. As the creature drew up to its full height, Ozpin watched as it slid a now bloody claw from the chest of the young man. Without allowing it to turn, Ozpin dashed forward, covering the remaining thirty feet in the blink of an eye. His cane cocked back to his ear, he lunged toward the middle of the creatures back, but the creature was quick as well. At the last second it shifted. Ozpin lunged with such force that the cane sunk deeply into the creature's upper arm.

Sensing the two were deadlocked, the Grimm turned sharply and delivered a staggering blow. Ozpin was knocked back several feet and landed in a heap. The creature pulled Ozpin's weapon from its arm and tossed it aside. It studied him intently, and the Nightstalkers eyes glowed a shade brighter as it focused in on its opponent. Ozpin could feel the beast probing his thoughts. He had heard a description of this feeling before, but it was so utterly alien that he knew now that the descriptions were incomplete. The Nightstalker was searching for his fears. He tried to quiet his mind, but he had been too late.

As the presence receded from his mind, he watched in horror as the creature let out a rasping, guttural laugh. Ozpin watched as wisps of black smoke began twirling and dancing around the creature. However, the laughter abruptly ended as two loud bangs cut through the air. The creature staggered backwards, and Ozpin turned to see Eis running towards them from the blasted out front door. The white haired man had his double-barrel flintlock trained on the Nightstalker, and his saber was up in front of him at the ready.

The monster turned to face the newcomer just as two more shots rang out, but the Nightstalker was prepared for them. It raised its forearms, shielding its head from the dust imbued rounds. The charging man recocked the hammers single handedly just as soon as he fired, and as he neared the monster he launched into a vicious backhand chop at the creature's collarbone. At the last second it ducked to dodge the strike, and Eis landed a few feet behind it.

Ozpin took the moment of distraction to track down his cane, Peaceful Slumber, and as he recovered it he turned to face the two combatants. Eis was trading blows with the Grimm, and neither combatant could catch the other in a vulnerable position. Ozpin began to let his aura flow freely into his muscles, reinvigorating and preparing them for a burst of activity. Ozpin launched himself back into the fray just as his teammate sent a horizontal strike at the Nightstalker. As it moved to slap away the sabre, Ozpin sprinted forward in a green flash and stabbed out at the creature below its guard. The Nightstalker howled in pain as the thin rod embedded and retracted several times into its midsection before finally impaling the creature clear through its back.

The Nightstalker thrashed violently from the pain, and eventually it managed to throw off its attacker. Ozpin hit the ground on his side, and as he clutched Peaceful Slumber to his chest he rolled on his side to control his landing as best he could. Realizing it's target was the strongest foe, the creature turned back to the white haired man to try and remove one of its adversaries. The creature leapt at Eis, covering several feet in one bound. It collided with the man's midsection sending them both tumbling heavily to the ground. The Grimm straddled Eis, and Ozpin watched as a faint disturbance appeared between his friends face and the maw of the Nightstalker. Eis's eyes went wide as the creature held down his arms. It growled menacingly at him in what could be confused as a chuckle. Just as it was lowering itself towards the man's throat, a shot roared out from Ironwood's pistol, throwing the beast clear of the old Colonel. The captain sank back onto his elbows after seeing a hole open up on the Nightstalkers shoulder.

The creature slunk back away from the three men with its left arm dangling lifeless at its side. The Nightstalker bared its fangs at them each in turn. Ozpin knew the creature was looking to make an escape. These Grimm, while they are dangerous opponents, always prefered to hunt from the shadows and surprise their prey. He clutched at his cane, bracing for a lunge forward, but to his surprise Eis launched himself at the monster. The Grimm was slow to react, but it charged at the man knowing its escape was impossible. Eis and the Nightstalker charged at one another once again, but this time he was ready for its attack. He vaulted over the creature as it lunged for his midsection. As it passed below him, Eis twisted in midair to bring his pistol to bear at the side of the creature's head. A loud crack sounded through the courtyard, and it was accompanied by a flash and white smoke engulfing the monsters head. As Eis landed and stumbled forward, the Nightstalker staggered sideways. A ragged mess of flesh protruded from its shoulders where its head had once been. As it fell to the ground, the Grimm slowly dissolved into the usual ashes.

As Eis turned back to face him struggling to catch his breath he wore a pained expression. "He- He knows, Oz. Mortimer- he was connected to the Nightstalker during the fight. He knows about Kristal… and Winter."

Fear gripped Ozpin. fear for his friend and his family. "We need to get back there, this mission is over. We need to get to them before he does" He walked over to kneel at the side of the young Captain who was wincing as he held his stomach. A faint gunmetal glow emanated from the young man's side. His aura was slowly stitching himself back together. The deep claw marks had most likely lacerated a few organs, but the boy had been strong enough to hold on while the worst of it healed. "Take it easy, captain. We are going to get you back to your base-"

"No!" He winced from the pain of speaking, one of his lungs had probably just finished mending. "No, if you are going after Mortimer, I'm coming too. Besides, you'll be wanting a ship to get back to Gletscher, right?"

Ozpin looked over to his friend before motioning Eis to help him sit upright. "Call in the invasion, we've gotten as many people out as we could. And have them send the fastest ship they've got for us." Ozpin stood then and made to walk away from the two of them. "I need to make a call."

"You got it, and by the way, you can call me James." Ozpin gave the man a small smile before striding away. He pulled out his Tablet as James began calling in to his command. He punched a few buttons on the bulky object before putting the device to his ear. He tapped his foot impatiently as he listened to the dial tone, and after what seemed like ages he finally connected. "Cassandra, we are going to need some backup, I'll send you the coordinates." Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and immediately began typing the information. I just hope we make it in time.

After several minutes of waiting the three men watched as large bombers passed over them. They had dropped their payloads at the wall, and the sky lit up orange and gold as they exploded. It was not much longer before a craft settled down in front of them, and the three men hobbled into the small and sleek craft. As it took off Ozpin saw his friend staring off into space. I hope for his sake we aren't too late.

Qrow

After the blizzard set in, the team's training hit a bit of a stand still. Qrow and Winter had spent the remainder of the day wrapped up in layers of blankets, and they sat next to one of the several fireplaces. Qrow hated the chill that seemed to linger for hours, but he thoroughly enjoyed the company and the care he had received. He and Winter had plenty of time to chat while sipping hot chocolate, and he found that she was an entertaining person. He had imagined that she was this spoiled brat, but over the past several hours she had dispelled that notion rather quickly. He had learned that she was an only child and had spent the majority of her life without much social interaction with people her own age, or at least meaningful connections. He would have felt bad for her, but the way she carried herself with him and his teammates did not indicate anything out of the ordinary.

They had talked about some light subjects like their favorite games to play as well as their favorite books and stories. The two also shared a mutual disdain for homework. Kristal had been adamant that the two would have to finish their studies up that evening, and the spectre of work looming in front of them had kept them huddled up in their blankets feigning sickness.

Eventually the two had to get up from their comfortable spots and they slowly worked their way up to the study on the second floor. The room was virtually a library, and Qrow marveled at the sheer volume of books and scrolls that lined the walls. His team was hard at work when they entered, and they all looked up at the two of them as they entered, with the exception of Taiyang who was sleeping soundly at one of the tables. Qrow smirked and he drew his heaviest textbook from his pack. He let the book thud loudly onto the top of the desk Taiyang had been sleeping at, and he tried to maintain a straight face as Taiyang bolted upright. "What the f-" He managed to catch himself upon seeing Winter sitting at a table with Summer and Raven. "Qrow… I was trying to sleep."

"Well you should have been studying… so I figured I'd help you stay awake. You should be thanking me."

"Nope."

"Well are you guys done with your paper for professor Port? I still need to start mine… and I would love some… uhh guidance."

"You've gotta do your own work, Qrow." Summer never even looked up from her book to chastise him.

"Ohhh sorry miss high and mighty!" He grumbled as he realized that he was going to have to do the paper fully on his own. He had been putting off writing it the past week and he was not looking forward to it at all. He had never expected Summer or Raven to help. His hope was that Taiyang had somehow finished, for he was the only one that would allow for that kind of cheating. Unfortunately Taiyang would probably end up relying on Qrow to finish up so that he could hastily copy his paper before class. "Well what are you all reading over there, Summer?"

Winter answered for her, "It's a bunch of stories that my mom and dad used to read to me."

"There are a bunch of them in here I've never heard before. There's one about a Volcano fighting the Forest, and one about the seasons and the four maidens. One about a moon spirit, several about villages of half-animal people, and a few about where the Grimm come from."

"Is there anything about Grimm in those stories I can use for my paper?"

Summer laughed and shook her head, "Absolutely not. According to these they are born when children are bad and need punished." Qrow snorted at the absurdity of the idea. He enjoyed fairy tales, but there were always a few that were too ridiculous for him.

Raven pushed herself up from the table abruptly. "Gahh! I'm bored. Tai, wanna go grab some coffee?" Her request perked up the daydreaming boy who agreed and quickly walked out of the room after her leaving the remaining three of them to work and read quietly.

Qrow had managed to get some of his paper done before some giggling behind him drew his attention. He turned to look over his shoulder at the two girls who were hunched over the storybook. Summer said something under her breath which made Winter chuckle. "What's so funny?"

Summer tried to hold back a laugh before saying "We were reading a story about a witch who could turn people into animals. Winter thinks we should try and find her. That way you can really get to talk to all of your bird friends!" Qrow rolled his eyes at them both before turning back to his paper, but for whatever reason it only caused another fit of laughter. "Come on, Winter, lets leave this stick in the mud here to write his paper."

"Hey I'd be a lot jollier if I had some help!" Qrow yelled at his teammates back as the two girls waved and walked out the door. He sighed before turning back to the dull schoolwork he so desperately wanted to vanish into thin air.

He set his mind to the task and in a little over an hour he had something that was probably acceptable enough not to get him yelled at by professor Port. It would have to do for now. He had completely given up on editing or even fact checking anything other than the most basic items. He gave a slight shout of frustration as he pushed his way from the desk. He was ready to get back to his friends and take his mind off of school for the rest of the night.

As he shuffled past the table his female teammates had previously occupied, he spied the book they had been poring over. It was opened to the middle of a story, but it was not the story that had stopped him. The illustrations caught his eye, and he stood transfixed on the water color paintings covering the page. In the center of the page a dark haired man in leather tunic and pants stood back to back with a large brown bear rearing up on its hind legs. Absentmindedly he reached out and slid the book closer to himself. He could not help but begin to read the text before him:

...The creatures of the darkness sought them, hunted them, and nearly exterminated every single one of the people. But the elders were wise and cunning. They fled into the deepest and darkest forests. These forests even the beasts would not enter. Slowly they learned ways of escaping the darkness. They grew in numbers and in strength. Eventually they became the hunters. The Grimm learned to run in fear from the Man-beasts that emerged from the forests. These men still lurk the wilds of Remnant hunting their prey, their eyes burn in the shadows…

Below the passage two red pastel eyes lined with black stared up at him from the page, but when he blinked to try and clear the throbbing that had formed in his head the only thing he could see where those same red eyes. He watched as they stared sharply back at him. They moved ever closer to him…

"Qrow, you gotta come and see this!"

Qrow staggered sideways, the call from his friend had jolted him from his thoughts. No… that was a memory. I definitely have seen those eyes before. It was that day. "Jeez, Tai! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Taiyang snorted as he leaned against the door jamb. "I couldn't sneak up on you if I tried. Come on, stop staring at that book, we made something really awesome!" He gestured for Qrow to follow him as he started off on a jog down the hall. Qrow slowly made to follow him, but he could not help but take one last look back at the book. Something just felt off about that story, but he could not place it.

As he worked his way down to the main living room, he noticed a giant mass of blankets and sheets spread out over the majority of the living room. The lumpy mass was writhing in places where he assumed his teammates were moving about inside it. "What on earth did you guys do?" Qrow leant down to peer into the thing.

Summer poked her head out from behind a chair holding up the center of the tent, "What does it look like? We made a blanket fort! And look you can still see the TV from most of it!"

Qrow looked back farther into the fort to see Taiyang grinning stupidly back at him with Raven looking rather proud next to him. "I don't think Miss Schnee is going to happy about how we are using her blankets."

"Nonsense! Where do you think they got all of the sheets from?" Qrow wheeled around to see the Kristal standing next to Winter holding a bowl of popcorn. "We figured tonight would be a great time for a movie, and it sounded like a fun idea. Go on get comfortable!"

The sight of Mrs. Schnee preparing to watch a movie with the rest of them made Qrow laugh in spite of himself. Qrow crawled into the fort and settled back against a cushion as Winter loaded a disk into the TV. As the movie began to play, the crew settled into a comfortable silence, and the classic was something most of them had seen plenty of times. Taiyang made wisecracks throughout the beginning of the movie, but as it grew later his comments grew more and more subdued.

Summer was still watching intently at the front of the tent, kicking her legs back and forth as she laid on her stomach. Qrow glanced back to see Raven leaning up against the older boy, her eyes drooping slightly. Taiyang's head drooped slightly as well, almost leaning against his sister's head, but he kept jerking upright as if in a fight to stay away from her. A light pressure on his legs drew his attention forward, and Qrow turned around to see Winter lower her head down onto his thigh. She had been fighting sleep the last few minutes as well, and it finally overcame her. Qrow smiled sheepishly as he reached back to grab one of the free blankets, and he threw it gently over the girl. As he leaned back into the cushion he could not help but think that this mission certainly had not been what he was expecting, but he was not about to complain.

Qrow woke up the next morning in the bed he had stayed in the night before, but strangely he did not remember falling asleep there. At that moment he also realized that he had slept more soundly that night than he had in a long time. He stretched lazily toward the ceiling as he took in the surroundings. The sun had already risen and appeared to have been up for sometime. He yawned as he looked out across the white yard before he realized something. We're late for training! Shit! "Tai! Tai get up we are late again!"

To his credit, his friend immediately sat bolt upright, throwing his covers off in the process. "You've gotta be kidding me! Not again!" The two rushed about their room, frantically throwing on layers in anticipation of the arctic running they figured Kristal would make them do. They hurried downstairs just in time to see the girls conversing amongst themselves. As Qrow looked at them he noticed they were all in their PJ's.

"You two sure got up in a hurry!" Kristal strode into the room, a robe thrown over her own PJ's. "Don't worry, I figured we could have a late start since we got to bed so late last night. I should make you both run though… you both definitely need to lose some weight if you expect me to carry you to bed."

Qrow and Taiyang stared numbly at the four girls who tried to hide their smiles. After a few moments they all laughed. Taiyang laughed at Qrow. Qrow laughed at Taiyang, and the girls laughed at both of them. The two of them made to grab a plate of food, but just as they sat down a loud banging cut through the air.

Furious knocking was coming from the front door accompanied by muffled shouts. Qrow saw the butler walk to the door and not long after, he heard the door open. Kristal pushed herself away from the table and hurriedly walked into the foyer with the rest of them following close behind. As they rounded the corner, they saw Eis break out into a jog to embrace his wife. Ozpin followed him, supporting a man who seemed to be in terrible shape.

"Honey, we need to get out of here. It's not safe. Quickly, we need to get the kids' things packed and everyone needs to get their gear ready to go. Now!" Eis waved at them all to hurry and follow his directions, but no one moved out of confusion.

"Eis, honey, what is wrong?!" Kristal grabbed his face and forced him to calm down and look at her.

"They found us. Mortimer. He's back, and we need to leave. Now."

Something changed immediately, in the woman. Qrow saw her face grow taut, and when she turned around she wore a mask of strict determination. "Everyone, go pack your bags. You need to prepare for a day's hike. Winter come with me and i'll help you get your things."

No one argued. They all sprinted to their rooms and gathered their belongings. Something bad had happened to Ozpin and the others, that much was obvious. He would ask about it later, but for now he focused on making sure all of his equipment was easily accessible from his pack. He did not know why, but he sensed that he would end up needing it shortly. He and Taiyang made it back down to the foyer just before the girls. Kristal was just finishing up helping Winter into her coat. Qrow caught the tail end of a conversation going on between Eis and Ozpin.

"It doesn't matter now, they will be safe there… as long as we can get going!"

"We can't leave until she gets here, Eis! We all need to help out on this. We can't be splitting up our forces too thin. And you need to calm down."

"I know, Oz. I'm sorry. I just can't believe it's come down to this."

Qrow was just about to ask what was going on as three rapid knocks sounded against the door. Ozpin turned to the door and immediately went for the handle. "Thank goodness you made it!" Just as he said that, a blonde woman that could not have been much older than her early twenties strode into the room.

"I'm sorry I'm late Dr. Ozpin, I had a hard time getting a ship."

"Not to worry Glynda, we should still have a head start." He motioned her towards the rest of them. "These are the kids you need to escort. Eis, can you get your map data transferred over to her tablet?" The white haired man caught the device as it was thrown to him, and he paired up the device to his own.

Ozpin then walked over to stand in front of team STRQ, and he rested a hand on Summer's shoulder. "Your mission has changed Summer, you are now responsible for getting your team and Winter to a safehouse alongside Glynda. Please use the utmost caution." With that he turned away from them and stood at the open door with the wounded man.

Eis handed the blonde haired huntress her Tablet back and stooped to kiss Winter on the forehead. "Be safe." he whispered before heading out the door. Kristal knelt down and hugged Winter fiercely and whispered some words softly into her ear before joining them.

Glynda snapped her fingers, drawing all of their attention to her. "You heard him. There isn't much time to waste. We are moving out, now!"