"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules." - Raven to Qrow, talking about the destruction of Shion.

Source: Raven Branwen, Volume 4, Chapter 4 "Family".

Raven looked at the map spread out in front of her on the wooden table. It was very early in the morning, but the tavern was still open. Two warriors from her tribe were standing close to the door, making sure that anyone looking for her wouldn't be able to come in. She had to talk with a man she made a deal with a couple of days ago.

"When are the Dust containers coming in?" she asked in a low voice. No one was at the tavern but the bartender and two people, but she could never be so sure who might be listening.

"I'll have them by the end of this week," he said, drinking from his glass.

"And where will you have them?"

"Here," he replied.

"That's not going to work," she said. "We're going to be gone and at another village."
"Well find a way to get here in time," he set his drink down on the table. Her dark red eyes narrowed.

"No." She stood up from her chair. "You have to find a way to get it to me. I'm hiring you, and you know what will happen if you don't keep your promise."

He glared at her, but he knew better than to mess with her. "How about Jade village?"

She thought for a second, scanning the map again. "Fine. It will be destroyed once you arrive."

He scowled, and stood up as well, walking out of the tavern. She could feel the negativity radiating off him, but she didn't care. Quickly, she put on her mask and walked out, holding her head high.

"Head out. Tell the tribe to travel North, we're going to Jade village," she said to the guards waiting outside. "We're running low on supplies and Dust. He's most likely not even going to come."

"Yes, ma'am!" the guards said in unison and hurried off to tell the others.

The tribe gathered around their horses, their weapons ready. They waited for her plan, as they always did, and she gave it to them.

"I will scout ahead and come back to all of you quickly," she began. They all knew that they avoided scrolls and so no one would be able to track them. Her portals came in handy when communicating. "I'll tell you the rest of the plans once I return."

She unsheathed her sword and swiped its blood red blade across the air. It opened a dark red pulsing portal in which she walked through. In her head, she kept the image of the small but beautiful Jade village. When traveling to different villages, she had seen it before, but it was always better to check it first.

She stepped through and immediately hid behind one of the trees in the front. There was a low stone wall surrounding the town. Trees surrounded the wall, providing a good hideout and ambush spot. Two towers stood at the entrance of the village and there was a safehouse in the back of the village. The one thing that always nagged at the back of her mind was that she didn't want to hurt these people. But as the leader, she had to make sure her tribe stayed alive even if it meant others would have to get hurt.

As quietly as she could, she opened up the portal again and left. She told the layout of the village to the tribe and they began riding towards the North. The trip wasn't far, it didn't take more than a day to reach there. They left the few horses they had a little away from the village and began their plan.

She knew that even though the town was beautiful, its defenses were weak. The few guard towers showed little protection and the walls were easy to jump. It was too bad...if the village was harder to raid, then Jade village would have lasted longer. "You know the drill," she whispered to the rest of the tribe. Two of them walked innocently into the village and into the two guard towers, taking them out quickly.

Then four of the tribe leaped over the wall, attracting attention from the villagers. Meanwhile, Raven and the rest of the tribe charged through the middle, heading for the storage house. Some of her group split off to begin breaking into houses and stealing from them. Some were even set on fire, but she only allowed that if the citizens were out.

Screams and shouting filled her ears, and she knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses would be sent to stop her. "Hurry!" she yelled, her voice slightly muffled by the mask.

The panic drew in Grimm, but she was prepared for them. As they began rampaging the remains of a once peaceful town, the tribe headed out. The roars were deafening, the screeches were ear-splitting, and the howls were as haunting as ever. But Raven was used to this chaos and she felt as if this was something that she always felt.

She left, feeling the heat of the blazing fires behind her. The sky was thick with Grimm drawn to the negative emotions that spread across the ruined village like a disease. The tribe began carrying the resources they stole to the horses while she stood outside of the village, watching. As she watched the fires cover houses and shine against her blood-red eyes, she knew that this is what she had to do. Her brother was too weak to follow her path. She would lead them now.

AN:

Hey everyone,

Quick author note...I will try to upload sometime this week before Thursday, but Friday the 17th to Saturday the 25th I will be out of town on a vacation. It's been getting progressively harder to write these chapters; it feels kind of forced because I'm running out of ideas.

Anyway, I'll be able to write at least 2 - 3 chapters over my vacation. I'll see you then!

RedLikeRoses13