The Legend of the White Wolf Chapter X: The Wolf and the Raven, a rwby fanfic

RWBY: The Legend of the White Wolf

"I will not fear the night, nor the creatures that lurk beyond my sight. I will find the power that dwells inside and forge my weapon from the Light. I will use its power to face my way through Demons and Blights. To make my way home from Darkness this Night" Jaune Arc. Survivor. The White Wolf.

Chapter X – The Wolf and the Raven

Five months ago, Jaune Arc had fallen into the Black Forest, a place that was said to be inescapable and crawling with Grimm and had a guaranteed certainty of death. Because of this, and the height he fell from, he had been presumed dead and was honoured with a small funeral and place among the wall of the Fallen in the Academy. His friends and family had mourned for months before they slowly began to accept that what had happened was beyond their control and that wherever he was he was at peace…

That was until two hours ago when Team CFVY returned and told the headmaster and the corresponding teams that not only did he not die in the forest, but he was alive and stayed behind to hold off the bandits while they escaped. Their reaction to this was-

CRASH!

…About what you would expect.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Fucking Shit!" Yang threw punch after punch before throwing an expensive – now damaged – piece of equipment across the room, breaking it into pieces before she slammed her fist in the wall.

"I can't believe this! He's alive!? He's been alive this whole Goddamn time!? And the hell have we been doing?! Sitting on our goddamn asses! What the shit!" she kicked away another machine.

Ozpin and Goodwitch said nothing as they stood next to the Medical Beds of team CFVY. Goodwitch would've reprimanded Yang for destroying school property, but at the moment she too was still processing the information she was given. Jaune Arc, a student under her care, was left behind when she could've saved him.

Like Yang, she was angry and disappointed in herself, so she felt she had no right to stop her.

After debriefing Team CFVY, the Beacon staff and students learned what happened in Riverdale: how they met up with Jaune, what had happened to him, his encounter with the White Fang on the mountains. Something that instantly drew their attention, and the last order he gave to the team before being left behind. While the said team was bandaged and bedridden as they sat in uncomfortable silence.

Feelings of guilt weighing heavily on them, as they felt responsible for leaving him behind.

The remnants of the machine slid right up to Pyrrha's feet as she sat on a chair in the far corner of the room. Her eyes blank and her voice mute as she just stared at the window. At the other end with the rest of team RWBY, a timid Nora and a pacing Ren beside her. Each of them processing what they had just learned in the two hours that team CFVY had returned.

Ruby sat on a small chair as she had her head cradled in her hands. "W-We left him…we left him behind and he was alive this whole time. H-How could we do that to him?" she asked while an anxious Weiss paced the room.

"I-I don't know? I-I don't know. I don't even know how this is possible. W-We all saw him go over the edge, there was no way he could survive that fall, but he did and…o-oh Gods…H-He saved my life and we didn't even bother to check to see if he was alive down there." Guilt piling in her gut as the boy she thought died saving her life was alive this whole time. "Why didn't we go back for him?"

"We were surrounded by Grimm and had to pull out, there was no way any of us could've known that he'd survive..." Blake tried to reason to them. "Still, to be left in that place for five months, alone. I can't even imagine the kind of hell he went through?" even she still felt the guilt of leaving someone behind.

A loud crash resonated out as all of them nearly jumped as they turned to one of the last few that they would've ever expected to show any emotional display. Ren's fist was coated in his aura as a large imprint was left in the wall, his hair shadowed his face as none of them could see the look of frustration and anger on his face.

"R-Renny?" a timid Nora spoke as the boy shuddered his shoulders.

"I'm fine Nora I…I just can't believe this happened again…I can't believe I left another person I cared for behind, again. I promised I would never do that…It's just like Kuroyuri all over again."

Nora hung her head as she remembered the day. The day he lost his parents while he tried to save her. He looked to Pyrrha as she remained silent. He breathed in a deep breath as he tried to calm his nerves.

"But the person you should be more concerned about is right here. She hasn't said a word since and even I can't tell what she's thinking right now?" they looked over to her as she said nothing but continued to stare out the window.

She slowly looked down at her scroll as she stared at the team photograph, they took months ago, as her fingers tracing the contours of Jaune's face and they trembled slightly.

"Miss Nikos?" Goodwitch asked out of concern as she watched the girl's shoulders shudder.

"…He's alive…Jaune's alive…"

A small tear fell from her cheek as she placed a hand over her mouth. Her whole form beginning to shake as she could no longer hold in the emotions she was feeling. Happiness, relief, regret and so many others that it was near impossible to tell which one was bubbling up to the surface. But above them all, there was this distinct and irrefutable knowledge that kept the girl from falling into the pits of insanity.

He was alive…Jaune was alive and he was still out there.

She dropped the scroll as she cried to herself with relief. Nora instantly going to her side as she comforted the redhead, who looked so vulnerable as compared to her celebrity and invincible identity. Yet at the same time, they could feel how relieved she was knowing that her partner was alive. But that did beg the question.

What the hell happened in Riverdale?

Ozpin turned to Coco. "Miss Adel, can you please debrief us fully on the situation. What happened in Riverdale?" the leader nodded as she rubbed her arm.

"After Jaune came back, we went on patrol until the Bandits attacked; from what we gather they had been planning the raid for months. They must've had someone on the inside detonate the ammo depot and sabotaged the East gate. With communications down, we couldn't contact Beacon or any Huntsman in the area. At first, the situation looked hopeless, considering that by Nightfall the Grimm was going to attack." Ren narrowed his eyes as he knew from first-hand experience that Grimm often attacked more at night.

"But Jaune came up with a plan to hold them off. We set up traps, laid down defences and even managed to scrape together any Dust materials from the appliances the village had into weapons. We managed to hold off the Grimm till the Transport arrive. But that's when the bandits attacked. They held the ship down with tow cables and were intending to hijack, it seemed that they were after the supplies on the ship this whole time." Ozpin nodded.

"Ironwood did mention a weapons shipment had been stolen from the train a few months back. Now we know what happened to it, need to let him know to increase security. Anyway, please continue Miss Adel."

"In order to get the shuttle free, Jaune decided to cut the cables himself. I'm not sure how he was able to do it, but he was able to cut the cables and set them free. If I were to guess, it may have had something to do with his Semblance." The others blinked at this.

"Semblance? Wait, Jaune discovered his Semblance?" Ruby asked as the older student nodded.

"He called it 'Aura Amplification', he said that he uses his raw aura reserves to boost his own abilities. Not only that, but he was able to heal our injuries and several others by 'sharing' his aura with us. He even managed to unlock most of the villages aura in order to help us defend it. It was pretty amazing." She said as the others were amazed at this. While Ozpin was intrigued at the possible applications of such a semblance.

"Whoa…Jauney unlocked all those auras? …that's awesome!" Nora cheered slightly as the others nodded at that. Pyrrha herself was smiling with a sense of pride as she heard the feats that Jaune had accomplished.

Coco hung her head as she gripped the sheets. "…But after he got the Ship freed, the bandits attacked again. This time they planned to take the village and the ship by force. They kept bombarding us with rockets and heavy fire. If we didn't leave, we would've been wiped out and Jaune…Jaune basically ordered us to leave him behind, while we barely got out of there alive."

Silence overtook the room again as they were all too quickly reminded of the fact that Jaune was left behind.

"…Why didn't you go back?"

Pyrrha looked up as she begged the question no one wanted to ask, while Team CFVY hung their heads. "You could've turned around…you could've gone back for him. Why didn't you go back for him …Why didn't help him? Why didn't you go back to him!? Why did you leave him behind!?" Ozpin managed to walk over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder as she attempted to stand up.

"With all due respect Miss Nikos, Team CFVY was in no position to risk extraction for Mister Arc. If they had, it would have been more likely that the bandits would've targeted the transport instead and all the civilians on board. From what I understand Mister Arc probably knew this and ordered the retreat in order to save their lives. Miss Adel nor anyone else can be blamed for this." Pyrrha breathed a calming breath as she thought it over and nodded.

"Sorry," she said as she managed to calm down while team CFVY nodded in acceptance while the room was once again basked in silence.

"…So…When are we leaving?" Nora asked as everyone turned to her. "I mean we are going back for him, right? If Jauney is still alive out there we need to go after him. He could be hurt or worse, we can't leave him behind again."

"It may not be that simple, Mis Valkyrie," Goodwitch spoke as she adjusted her glasses. "Mister Arc was left behind in a massive firefight with, what I'm understanding, very little aura and even less ammunition against an entire bandit tribe. The chance of him surviving that, as well as his possible injuries, is slim to none. And even if he did manage to hold them off there's no guarantee that he survived afterwards. I hate to be crude but I'm merely stating the fact Mister Arc may not have survived this time." Ruby shook her head.

"We all thought he was dead before and look how that turned out." She said as Yang nodded and stood beside her.

"I agree with sis, we all thought he was dead last time. Who is to say that he's not alive right now? I say we go back out there and find him." The others began to nod and sound their support at this, as none of them wanted to believe that he was dead this time.

Not unless they saw his body.

"But still the chances that he could've survived this is astronomical. I just don't want you all to get your hopes up, only to have them crushed again…Headmaster, please?" Goodwitch turned to Ozpin as he thought about the fact that Jaune was alive, and how his arrival in Riverdale was too…coincidental to the time they received the data. "Headmaster!" he shook himself out of his thoughts as he turned to a desperately looking Goodwitch and pleading faces of the two teams.

"I…need to think this over with the other faculty members. For now, please return to your dorm rooms and we'll discuss the matter shortly."

"But Headmaster!" Pyrrha and Goodwitch yelled as the man held up his hand.

"I'm not saying we do nothing, Miss Nikos. I'm more than aware of all your desires to go out and look for him. But before that, I need to check something. I promise we will do something. Please just be patient, I'll be back within an hour." He left the room as a confused Goodwitch followed after him and a conflicted group of teens just stared at one another.

Goodwitch marched up to him as she walked beside the man. "Would you mind explaining what that was all about?!"

"The children do have a point that Mister Arc may have survived. He has certainly surprised by surviving the Black Forest, who is to say that he didn't survive a bandit raid? But there is also the possibility that he was directly or indirectly responsible for our recent victory." She raised an eyebrow at this.

"…You think he sent the data, don't you?" the man shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure, I need to confer this with Qrow and Ironwood. But if my hunch is correct…then it's possible that Mister Arc may have stumbled more onto Salem's plot and knows more what's going on out there, then we currently do. The Black Forest does put him close to the fortress that the data originated from so it is a start. Besides we failed him once already, we need to find him…for better or worse." The woman looked conflicted but nodded all the same.

"Should we notify his parents? Let them know he could be alive?" the man thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"Yes, I believe we should. I would argue that we hold off informing them in case the news turns worse, but if he is alive and they learn we kept that knowledge from them…" he shivered a little as he started walking to his office a little faster. "Then you of all people should know the wrath of that boy's mother..." Goodwitch shivered slightly as she was all too familiar with the wrath and fury that was Diana Arc in her younger days, or as she was once known by her old title as…

'The Goddess of War'

Branwen Camp – Anima

Blue eyes slowly opened as Jaune stared up to dark red cloth and the smell of firewood. His body ached in pain as he slowly looked around. He noticed that he was in a tent of some sort and that it was currently decorated in all kinds of trinkets, maps and other belongings. He slowly tried to sit up but gasped in pain as he held his sides. He noticed that his entire chest was covered in bandages with some of the areas still damp with blood, and his arms and face were also covered by the same cloths.

"What the?" he asked himself as he fingered the bandages.

"So, you've finally awakened?"

The instant he heard that voice he sprung to his feet, painfully, as he picked up anything he could grab within his reach and was met with the same woman from before, bird mask and all. She sat calmly next to a small table as she chuckled amusingly at the boy.

"Please no, don't threaten me with a spoon, I'm terrified of them." She spoke sarcastically as the boy looked down to see he had grabbed a spoon in his haste, but still held it up at the woman regardless.

"Who are you, and where the hell am I?!" he demanded.

"So rude. Is that any way to treat the person that saved your life?"

"You knocked me out!"

"After you tried to attack me, or have you forgotten?" she argued back at the boy who looked away slightly bashful but still held up the spoon. "Besides, I was never actually going to harm you. You attacked me, I defended myself. It was purely self-defence." Jaune looked unamused as he kept a cautious eye on the woman.

"Debatable…But I'm guessing you didn't save me out of the kindness of your heart?" she nodded.

"Truly speaking, yes, I did not save you out of kindness. More, I was curious about the boy who managed to organise a capable defence against the Grimm and managed to do significant damage to the Sabretooth clan and its leader, Victor Sabretooth." Jaune raised his eyebrow at this.

"Sabretooth? That was the name of the Clan…kind of dumb name when you think about it?" she chuckled a bit as she stood up. "But that still doesn't answer my questions, who are you and where am I?" the woman nodded slightly as she undid the clasp of her mask and sat the Grimm like object on the table. Jaune's eyes widened as he stared at a familiar face, albeit with raven coloured hair and familiar red eyes. But everything else just caused him to utter.

"Yang?!" faster than he could register, a red sword was at his throat as the red-eyed woman glared while holding her blade to the boy's neck.

"How do you know my daughter's name?" she demanded as the blade hovered over his jugular.

"Daughter? W-Wait…are you…Yang's mother?" he asked as she raised an eyebrow before she shook her head.

"I see…of course, you're Beacon student. Should've figured, only someone from Beacon would've been foolish enough to stay behind." She sheathed her blade as the boy breathed a calming breath. "Well seeing as secrets are revealed, yes, I am Yang Xiao Long's mother. You may call me Raven, Raven Branwen." He lowered his 'weapon' as she appeared non-hostile…for the moment.

"How long have I been here?" he asked.

"No more than a day. We found you just outside Riverdale and brought you back to our camp. And as I told you before, I merely wanted to have a talk." She looked down slightly. "Oh, and by the way…" she smirked.

"If it's any consolation…you're going to make one lucky girl very happy someday."

"Wha?" Jaune raised an eyebrow as she gazed down at him. He followed her gaze and instantly realised why. He was standing in nothing but his birthday suit as a thick red blush appeared on his cheeks and he dived back into the covers.

"W-Where are my clothes!?"

"They were drenched in mud, rain and blood. If we hadn't removed your clothes you would've contracted hypothermia and died. It was purely for survival…and maybe to disarm you as well. Now get dressed and meet me outside." Steam coming off the top of his head as the woman chuckled before leaving the tent.

"…Well that's just great"

He looked over to the chest as his clothes were folded on top as he reached out and dressed.

"Hmm…no armour and my weapons were gone. Guess she doesn't want me trying anything." He flexed his fingers as he drew a bit of his aura, only for it to feel slightly strained. "Not fully recharged yet, feels sluggish as well. I must have taken more damage than I thought. Argh." He held his stomach and the five burn marks under his bandages.

"Yep, definitely more damage, not to mention unlocking all those auras took a bit out of me. I'm guessing I've got…25 per cent left." He looked to the flaps of the tent as he glared. "Need to plan this carefully, see what she wants and then make a break for it…hopefully?"

He exited the tent as he was met with the setting sun. He gazed around at the many other bandits in the area. Large wooden walls circulated around the camp. Small torches lighted the camp, as Jaune noticed that the sun was slowly setting.

The bandits all looked at him as he awkwardly stared back before moving to follow raven as she led him to the back of the camp. Many of them either looked at him cautiously or curiously as they wondered what their leader was thinking bringing in a stranger like himself into the camp and why exactly he wasn't held in chains or locked in a cage?

He did note however there was a slightly familiar scent in the air, something he couldn't put his finger on. That was until a small insect flew by and landed on a tent before his eyes widened in recognition. The woman opened her arms in a welcoming gesture as she displayed the camp.

"Welcome to our camp. As you've probably guessed already, we're bandits…" he looked around and the shabbily and intimidatingly dressed men and woman. Most of them sporting tattoos and scars across their bodies. "We take what we want from the weak so that we the strong will survive."

"So, you rob people?" she chuckled

"There's a little more to it than that, but yes, that is what we essentially do. Their supplies would do us better than they ever could the villagers. Besides, if they were strong enough to keep them, we wouldn't have them." Jaune shook his head as he continued through the camp. "Besides, we saved your life after all?" he glared.

"So, what do you think of our little establishment?" he looked around at the tents, the Branwen emblem and assortment of rough looking men and women that looked like they wanted to skin him alive.

"Can't really judge. But then again, my opinion of Bandits is little…bias at the moment, considering what just happened in Riverdale." Raven nodded.

"Of course, Victor always was more of a brawler than a talker. But enough about the Sabretooths', thanks to you they are no longer threat…not that they were, to begin with. Come, we shall speak more in my tent." Jaune unwillingly followed as he kept his eyes out for any chance to escape, not missing the glare he received from the short-haired tattooed woman that had-

His eyes widened as his grandfather's blade rested on her back. Without thinking he marched over to her.

"Hey! That's my rifle! Give it back-!" he stopped as the said blade, and several others, were pointed at his head. The woman grinned as she held his blade.

"Finders keepers, kid. And you are in no particular position to make any demands of us." She twisted the blade slightly against his neck, as the blade hovered over his jugular. "But I can be more than welcome to return this blade right through your-!"

"Vernal…" she looked to Raven as she gestured. "Give the boy back his weapon." This caused mass confusion amongst the clan.

"But-But Raven?"

"I am fully capable of handling myself; we didn't save him just kill him in our own camp. He's earned that much of my respect. Besides, the last thing we need is to draw the Grimm to our location. If having his weapon will make him comfortable, I see no reason why he shouldn't keep it. Give him his weapon…" Vernal looked hesitant as she looked between the boy and raven. "Now." She ordered as Vernal begrudgingly handed the blade back to the boy, who ripped it out of her hands.

Jaune glared back at Vernal as he made his way towards the main tent, while Vernal and the rest just stared, or in Vernal's case glared, at the boy as he disappeared within the confines of her tent.

Unbeknownst to any of them, just outside the camp, a small wolf cub watched from a distance. The small wolf pup lingering outside the camp ever since he jumped into the same red swirly thing his master was dragged through. And all though he landed with them, he could not follow them when they walked back to the big den with the rest of them.

Fenrir was smart, he knew he couldn't take on these human's, not without his master. Which thanks to his sense of smell could tell he still lived. For now, he would wait for an opportunity to save his master, and together they would both make it out of this place.

Raven's Tent

Jaune stared at the cup of tea before him and at the dark haired older looking version of his friend before him, as she sat calmly on the other end of the table. Her blade laying right beside her, while he rested on the edge of the small table next to him. Both in a position to be drawn at any moment.

Jaune slowly reached for his cup as he drank the warm tea, gagging a little at the bitter taste. "Not used to tea?" Jaune shook his head.

"It's not bad, Ren's Herbal drinks taste a lot worse than this stuff. Just never thought I would be drinking tea in front of a Bandit." The older woman chuckled as she sipped her drink.

"Well, surprises have been known to happen. And are you going to stop calling me a Bandit?"

"Are you suddenly not going to be a bandit any time soon?" the two stared at each other before the woman chuckled at him.

"Brave, you remind me a lot of my husband…ex-husband. But for the duration of this conversation please refer to me as Miss Branwen or Raven anything else and I will have to kill you…You were taught manners were you not?" Jaune looked at her sword then nodded.

"I was, but my patience at the moment is stretched thin seeing as I just survived a Grimm slash Bandit attack. Nearly got my ass handed to me by said bandits, their jackass of a leader and just barely managed to pull a win out of my ass…" he sighs as he glares at her.

"And then to top it all off, some woman in a bird shape mask decides to abduct me and transport me all the way to Anima in a day."

Raven paused as she raised an eyebrow to the boy. "How?"

"The Mistralian Crimson Beatle." He gestured outside. "I noticed it outside. I used to catch a lot of them with my sister when I was young. Always hated bugs myself, but my sister was always the more adventurous type." A brief memory of a girl in boy scouts like clothes and a missing tooth appears in his mind as he internally chuckled at the memory.

"She told me that they're only common to the Anima region due to the climate. Not to mention the familiar smell of plants local to Anima and the sudden change in humidity as opposed to Sanus' colder region was a bit of a tip. When you've managed to survive as long as I did you tend to notice sudden changes in the environment. My question is how did I get from Sanus to Anima?"

The woman stared at the boy before she smirked. "Impressive, I didn't take you for the observant type. A mistake I will not make again. But yes, we are in Anima. I teleported us here with my semblance, and that's all you need to know. Any more questions?"

"Plenty, but I'm guessing you want me to answer some of your questions first, whether I want to or not, right? An answer for a Question?" she nodded as he sighed and nodded to her. "Fine."

"Splendid. Now, let's cut to the cusp of it." She leaned forward and stared him straight in the eye, "Your abilities, they aren't Semblance based, are they?" Jaune just glared, he knew that was what she was going to ask but even he still wondered why she bothered to ask him. "I know semblances and those who could use theirs in different manners. I've even known people with…special abilities, and I can tell you that those were not just a Semblance based or side effect. Who taught you how to do that?"

"I did, I taught myself…" he answered straight and honest. There was no point lying, she wouldn't believe him anyway.

"I would find that doubtful, considering your age. But then again, you did survive Riverdale and the Black Forest." His eyes widened as she pulled out the journal he usually kept in his bag, the one he left back at the house in Riverdale.

"My men found this and several other items amongst the wreckage of Riverdale." She held up his rucksack, his cloak and his bow as she placed them on the table. "This little journal of your is quite the read. I heard rumours and stories of the Black Forest. But from what I've gathered, none have ever been able to return. Now I could've assumed you were lying about being in the forest." She pulled out his bow and placed it on the table.

"This wood, however, is more than enough proof." He raised an eyebrow. He looked down at the black carved wood and the many alterations he had made over the past few months.

"The wood this bow is made of is unlike any type of wood I've seen before and it's not native to any region I've ever explored. Which only leaves a few places in the world it could've grown from, one of which is near Riverdale: The Black Forest." She opened the journal to his sketches and lay them before him.

"And these drawings of the temple…well…let's just say I'm privy to similar architecture and cultural significance." She looked at the sketches of the gods and felt the flickers of Spring dwell within her. "I am also curious about this Grimm warding temple you stumbled upon." She pointed to the symbols that he managed to memorise.

"Care to tell me about that?"

He merely shrugged his shoulders. "What's there to tell: It's a temple that somehow wards off Grimm, nothing much to say about that, and even then, I still can't even explain what the hell it was all about," she smirked slightly as she placed the book down.

"I see...Oh well, a young mind truly doesn't understand the mystery of the world. But so far you are far from what I would consider a young mind. It's been tempered by survival and experience, something that I respect." She closed the book and placed it back near her side. "Now I believe you have a question?"

"Why did you save me? Other than learning about my abilities I assume you want something more from me, right?" she nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Two things actually, but we can discuss the last one afterwards. In your journal, I read about your little encounter with the White Fang on the mountains. In it, you stated that you stumbled upon some incriminating evidence about a potential conspiracy that plotted against Vale. Is this true?" Jaune narrowed his eyes as he remembered the video files he discovered.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with you?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Believe it or not…Everything." She slid forward three wanted posters from one of the outlining towns.

"Did you know that your actions prevented a potential invasion?" Jaune's eyebrows shot up as he grabbed the papers and stared at the three pictures in front of him instantly recognising the three people from the video.

"Apparently because of you these three individuals are now wanted for treason and terrorism against the Kingdoms of Vale, and via affiliation: The Kingdoms of Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo. Not only that but it had confirmed that the White Fang Extremist – Adam Taurus – was affiliating with humans, something that has not gone unnoticed with the High Leader of the White Fang or other members of the White Fang who find his actions hypocritical. And from what my sources have gathered, they had enough weapons and ammunition stockpiled to effectively achieve this goal. You, boy, prevented a full out war." Jaune stared at the faces before he sighed in relief when he heard that.

"So, it did get through, thank the Gods…" he looked back to the woman.

"But what does this have to do with you? I doubt bandits care much about what happens to the Kingdoms if anything wouldn't you benefit from it?" she looked at the picture of Cinder fall and felt the Spring energy course through her.

"In any other circumstances, you would be correct. On the surface, a Kingdom falling would be beneficial to bandits. It would mean less security for the outlining regions. it would allow us to conduct more raids, get better loot, and deal with less huntsman due to the ones that would fall protecting the Kingdom and potentially even recruiting disgraced huntsman." She then shook her head.

"But in truth, if the Kingdoms were to fall…it would mean the end of the world." Jaune's brow shot into his hairline as the woman stood up and turned her back to him.

"I-Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? I mean, Kingdoms have fallen before, right? The old kingdom of Mantle fell out after the Great War and everyone's still fine."

"Mantle was never destroyed, it merely remodelled into a new Kingdom. But if any of the other Kingdoms truly fall, then it would mean the end." She stirred the tea in her hand as she looked at the map of Remnant. "Surely you must have realised that there is something sinister lurking in the shadows. A dark force that seeks to bring about the end of everything you've ever known and love?"

"You mean the woman on the posters? She's just one person who wanted to attack Vale, I highly doubt she could do that now that she's on the run." Raven shook her head.

"It's not her that you should be afraid of…it's whom she serves that you should truly fear" Jaune raised an eyebrow as the woman turned back to him. "What do you know of Ozpin? Truly know about him?" she asked as Jaune looked perplexed.

"Not much. My Dad said he was his Headmaster back when attended Beacon years ago and that apparently, he was the youngest headmaster the world had ever seen – a prodigy he used to say about him. But he hadn't spoken to him in years. Not since my Parents retired."

"Parents?" she eyed the boy carefully. "...are you by any chance Roland and Diana Arc's son?" Jaune nodded as she chuckled.

"Hmm…I thought you looked familiar. But back to the matter at hand. There is more going in this world than you will ever truly know. Behind the curtained veil there is a secret war being waged against the forces of Light and Dark, a Shadow war, with Ozpin at the forefront of it all…or I should be more accurate as of the entity that is a part of him and the entity that he faces." Jaune looked more confused and scared as she folded her arms.

"What do you mean?" he asked as she stared him straight in the eye.

"What if I told you that the Grimm are not mindless beasts that just seek to destroy humanity? What if I told you they were being controlled and led by someone, what would you say to that?" she asked as Jaune looked sceptical.

"I'd say you're crazy for one thing and then I'd also say that's impossible; no one can control the Grimm. I should know because I lived in a forest full of them. They didn't listen to anyone."

"Well, unfortunately, there is. Somewhere out there in the Grimm infested wastelands exists such a person, who is just as ancient as the man claiming to be Ozpin and even more powerful than anyone you've ever known. Her name…is Salem…and she is the one that seeks the destruction of Four Kingdoms and the world itself." Jaune shook his head as he stood up.

"T-That doesn't make any sense!? Why would she do this? What does it have to do with Ozpin and the four Kingdoms?" she looked to the map as they both stared at the four Kingdoms.

"The four Kingdoms were designed to protect four powerful relics, that if brought together, could reshape the world itself. She targets them because that is how Ozpin made them that way." She leaned forward as he sat back down.

"But the only way to unlock them is with four special keys, four maidens that were gifted with extraordinary powers ages ago by the very same man you call Headmaster. One of them, you just happened to expose." She tapped her finger on Cinder's picture as Jaune's mind went back to the footage as she held a ball of fire in her hands.

At the time he just assumed that it was a form of Dust manipulation. He'd seen Weiss manipulate Dust before, but not like what he saw in the footage.

"Wait, Ozpin gave her those powers?" he tapped his finger on Cinder's poster. "Why would he do that? And how can you possibly know that?" she looked down at her hand as she flexed her fingers.

"First, he didn't give this woman those powers, she stole them from another. And as for how I know Ozpin has powers…Well, let's just say I used to work with him a long time ago, along with my dumbass of a brother and my former husband. Of course, the powers he gave us are minor in comparison to what he gifted to the four women ages ago." Jaune took a moment to process this as he shook his head.

"So, when you say powers: you mean like magic?" he asked as he shook his head. "Because that's impossible, there's no such thing as Magic."

"You crafted a sword and shield from your very Aura, moulded it to your own whim and used it to cut down your enemies. And you say that Magic is impossible. But I can assure you, I've seen it, and it is very much real. The planned invasion of Beacon was just one of her plans. Salem aims to take all the Relics from all the Kingdoms and use them to end the world."

"If this woman is a key to…whatever it is under the school, then why doesn't everyone else know about it? Don't you think they should be kept safe inside the Kingdoms." She shook her head.

"Its dangerous for any of these Maidens to be in one place for too long. Eventually, Salem will track down these women and either take their powers from them by force…or convince them to join her side. If she does, then she'll have everything she needs to take the relics from Ozpin. And nothing will be able to stop her." He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked. "Why are you telling me all these 'secrets' that I'm not supposed to know? What are you trying to get out of me?" he asked as she rested her cup down.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to join us. I want you to use your skills to strengthen the Branwen Clan and help us protect our own." Jaune scoffed at this.

"Another offer, seriously? If you saw how Riverdale went, then you know what my answer is going to be. No, I'm not joining a bunch of bandits, no matter what you try and sell me." He stood up. "Besides if what you say is even remotely true, then I need to get back to my friends and warn them. Why would I want to join you?"

"Because if you join me you can survive what's to come. This Shadow War that has been waging for thousands of years will not stop anytime soon. I was once part of the strongest huntsman team back at Beacon and even that wasn't enough. You may have stopped one of her plans, but she has thousands that can take its place. Eventually, the Kingdoms will fall, she will get her hands on the Relics and she will destroy us all. The only thing anyone can do is wait out the storm for as long as we can. The strong survive, and the weak are doomed to perish. So, make the right choice and join us." She held her hand to the boy.

"She is…inevitable."

Jaune paused as he looked between the woman and the map of Remnant as he weighed her words. When he thought about it, the whole thing sounded cockamamie. But then again, he did spend the last several months or so in an ancient temple that safeguarded him from the Grimm. It could be possible that such a thing as Magic was keeping the beasts at bay. But still, it all sounded farfetched.

Magic? Relics? A person named Salem who could control the Grimm and Ozpin being something else? It all boggled his mind. He knew he needed more answers and there was only one place to get them…

Back home.

"If what you say is true, and there really is someone out there that is planning to destroy Vale…" he looked back as he glared. "Then I need to get back to Beacon right now."

Raven stared vacantly at the boy as he glared determinedly at her. This was not what she was expecting. She would've assumed that after learning the terrible truth that Ozpin had hidden from the world for so long, add to the fact the boy was left alone for months in an inhospitable place, that he would've seen rational reason and joined her and her clan. His abilities, analytical mind and semblance would've made exemplary additions to the Branwen Clan…

Yet just like her brother, this boy seemed loyal to the notion of comradery and foolish belief that they could beat Salem.

"Are you serious? After everything I just told you, you still want to go back? That place is doomed, it's only a matter of time before she sends someone else to complete the task her subordinate failed. Your skills would be much better served with us to ensure our survival."

"To what? To keep robbing people, attacking their homes, slaughtering their children just to keep yourselves fed? Sorry, but I'm not going to degrade myself to something like that. You may not act like the Sabretooth, but you are still just as bad. And you may think you're the strongest…but really you're just a coward hiding in the woods afraid to do what's right." He grabbed his rifle from the table and stood up.

"And if you aren't going to even care about the people she'll destroy in her wake, like your own daughter...Then I'm just going to have to do it myself."

He turned to leave when he suddenly felt a blade at the back of his neck. He craned his neck slightly to see the annoyed and angry look of Raven as she glared into the boy's eyes.

"Let me go…" he threatened having long since stopped caring what the woman thought of him, but his glare didn't even phase her as she just glared back.

"In any other circumstance, I would've just killed you for disrespect. But as it stands your skills are too valuable to waste, and I am not one to squander wasted potential. So how about this, a challenge. You against me in a one-on-one fight. You win, I let you walk free. You lose, you have to serve us."

"And why would I do that?"

"With the number of injuries, I can make you sustain without killing you, it would give us an ample amount of time to change your mind. One way or another, I will get you to see the truth." Jaune nodded as both of them walked out of the tent.

The air was instantly filled with tension as both of them walked out of the tent. The bandits instantly recognised the subtle look in their leaders' eyes as they all backed away into a perfect circle. Vernal herself grinned slightly as she stood back from the unofficial 'combat arena' that had formed in the middle of the camp. Jaune took out the clip of his weapon as he grunted in the disappointment of the lack of ammo in the weapon.

"Did you honestly think we would give you ammo? We can't afford to attract the Grimm to our location." Raven spoke as she shifted the mechanism of her weapon. "But for fairness sake, I will only use one blade from mine and my men will not interfere…understood?" she ordered her men who nodded.

"Any other conditions?" he asked as she nodded.

"Considering your…injuries, all you have to do is get one scratch on my mask." She placed on said mask as she locked it into place. "And all I have to do is knock you out. Fair?" he nodded as she pulled out a telescopic red blade and handed the sheath over to Vernal, who happily took the device.

Jaune and Raven stood at equal parts as they slowly circled each other. Jaune flicked the switch as Merveilleuse deployed into its bladed form as he recalled his partner's lessons and held the blade in a proper grip.

A small breeze brushed through the camp as both of the combatants just stared at each other.

Right before the woman sped towards the boy and clashed her blade against his. Jaune grunted as the woman forced him back. His feet digging trenches in the ground before he stumbled back and rolled onto his back. But he was quick to stand as he managed to block her second attacks. Sparks shooting off the blade as Jaune did his best to defend himself.

When the opportunity arrived, he was quick to slash his blade at her.

His blade slashed at her head as she lazily avoided the blade and counted with her own. Her hand striking across his face as he stumbled before he was quick to spin on his heel and strike the woman's chest. Only for the woman to easily back step his blade and knock the boy off his feet. He was quick to his feet as the woman's blade struck the earth where he previously lay, his blade thrusting forward as he aimed for her head, only for her to sidestep and block his blade with her own.

The woman was just as fast at the counter as she was delivering them. Her form was fast, calculated and perfect while Jaune's was sluggish, rough and lacking in the years of experience that they compared to Raven's…

and Jaune knew this.

He knew that right now the woman was testing him. She was deliberately going easy on him, trying to gauge the level of skill he possessed and determined what he do would in his current situation. He was still recovering, had limited aura protecting his body and had a weapon that had no ammo.

'Which means…she wants to see what my Aura techniques can truly do…' Jaune quickly deduced as he blocked her blade, the woman giving him a critical eye as she watched his every movement.

'I could use soul sabre, but my Aura isn't fully recharged. If I use it, I won't have enough to stop her from knocking me out!' he thought the last part loudly as her blade scratched his check and his aura flickered from the blow.

'But with the way she's coming at me…I may not have much of a choice.' He shook his head. 'No, I don't need to rely on my techniques for every battle. I just need to think about it.' He looked around the camp as he spotted several pots and pan, a few crates of food and several canisters of spices.

His mind instantly coming up with a plan as he glared at the woman. 'I just hope this works?!' he rushed the woman as his blade swung rapidly. The woman blocking every one of his attempts, but still forced her back. But it wasn't that he was actually forcing her back, it was more like she was entertaining the idea that he was forcing her back.

Jaune thrust forward as the woman sidestepped the boy and sent him tumbling right over to the camp kitchen. Jaune smirked slightly as his blade hooked onto the pots and pans and threw them at the woman. Raven's eyes widened slightly as a black metal pot came flying at her. She quickly avoided the pot, right before another pan came flying at her.

She smirked a little as she saw the boy grab more of the cookware and throw the pots and pans at her, as she easily avoided and dodged the pan, even slicing one in half as the metal pot clattered on both sides.

"…Well, there goes chilli night." The cook grumbled.

Raven readied herself when he ran out of pots and charged at the boy. But just before she reached him, Jaune grabbed a handful of red powder and threw it into the air. Raven stumbled back as the red spice was thrown into her face. She coughed and wheezed as the red powder burned her skin. She waved her blade around haphazardly as the spice stung her eyes.

Jaune took this opportunity to rush her, only for her to deflect his blade at the last minute, causing the boy to stumble back in shock. The bandits were about to intervene when she held her hand to stop them and shook off the last of the powder from her mask.

"Good instincts you have there, using your surroundings to your advantage." She praised slightly as Vernal threw her a canister of water that she used to douse her face. Washing away the powder from her eyes and giving her back her sight.

"But I trained myself to counter such attacks. If I were anyone else that would've worked on me…you might make a fine bandit after all."

"Uh…thanks, I guess? And once again, not going to be a bandit…" he held his blade up. "And I am getting out of here."

"We'll see boy, we'll see…" the two circled each other again as they clashed once more.

While the battle between the Wolf and the Raven continued, another wolf had grown curious of the sudden commotion from the other side of the fence and decided now to intervene. He quickly began to dig himself a hole under the fence. His tiny body squeezing under the wooden fence before plopping out the other side and shaking the dirt from its white coat. He then quietly made his way through the camp as he peeked his head from around a random tent.

He watched as his master faced off against some strange bird looking woman, whose blade was very different from the one his master wielded. It smelt like the cinders and ash from their campfires but looked condensed into a single form.

Fenrir watched carefully as his master battled the woman. His blade clashing against her as the woman appeared less wary than his master, who looked as though he was about to collapse. He could smell the faint scent of blood and metal on his master's body and could see the heavy breaths that left his body.

His master was running on fumes and he knew he had to do something.

Jaune grunted as he felt his insides screaming at him. While his aura had healed him and managed to seal the 5 claw marks in his stomach, it was taking much longer than expected and he had not fully recovered his stamina after fighting off a whole bandit tribe in a Grimm infested village. So truthfully, he was not in the best of moods to be fighting Yang's mother of all people.

'You know I'm starting to think Yang gets her personality from her dad. Because no way she would ever act like this lady! No offence Yang, but your mum is kind of a bitch.'

He gripped his blade tighter and squared his shoulders as he got ready to fight again. The woman keeping a keen eye on the boy as she was both curious and cautious of what the boy would do next. She had already seen the boy's strategic prowess and had seen what his techniques could do to ordinary bandits. While injured, he was still a potential threat.

He rushed forward as his blade clashed and chipped away at the red dust blade, as small tiny fragments broke off. Raven was not impressed as she decided to push the boy to up his game. She swung her blade in a swift maneuverer that caught the boy off guard and quickly thrust the blade across his bicep, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his weapon to the ground.

Fenrir's eyes widened at the sight of blood and a deep growl resonated in its throat.

She then went in for the 'kill' as she thrust her blade towards the boy's chest. In an almost instinctual act, Jaune raised his left arm as he gathered his aura and formed Sentinel. A metallic clang echoed out as the bandits stared in slight awe at the round white metallic looking shield that manifested on the boy's arm.

Raven smirked slightly as she gazed upon the aura crafted shield and the look of frustration on the boy's face.

"About time you finally pulled out all the stops. I was beginning to get bored." Jaune growled slightly as he felt suckered into drawing out what she wanted.

'Well seeing as I've already pulled out one, might as well go out with the rest!' he held his right hand out as white aura began to gather and form around his palm.

But before he could manifest Soul-Sabre a loud bark caught both their attention as Fenrir came rushing out of the tent. His eyes screaming with furious intent as he growled and ran towards the raven-haired woman who would dare to attack his master. The wolf could go no further as its body was pinned to the ground by a two-pronged spear that held the wolf down by its neck.

"Uh, uh, uh, not so fast there Fido." One of them grinned as he held the shaft of the spear.

"Fenrir!?" Jaune called out in fear as the wolf pup scrambled underneath the spear, while Raven's eyes widened.

"Wait is that a-!" she never got to finish as Jaune haphazardly stuck her face with his shield and threw her off balance. He made to rush for the pup, only to be knocked in the face by Vernal as she pointed her guns at the boy.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked smugly as she aimed the gun at the boy's head.

Fenrir's eyes widened as an even deeper growl resonated in its throat and a memory of its parents flashed across its brain.

It was then that something snapped inside the wolf as its entire body began to glow. The red fur markings around its neck glowed with a deep crimson as it began to spread across its body. The light encumbering all of its body before its mass began to grow larger and large and the marks began to spread further across its body.

When the light finally died down, the wolf pup was no longer pinned beneath the two-pronged spear, and in its place stood a very large wolf that easily towered over everyone in the camp. Red marks lined its body in an intricate pattern that swirled around the joints of its legs, chest and face. Its red fur almost glowing amongst its white. Blue eyes shone with angry and its teeth were sharp and glinted like fine ivory.

The wolfs growl was deep and menacing as he glared into the eyes of the one who pinned him down and bared his teeth at the man.

"…U-um…g-good dog?"

Big mistake, wolves did not like being compared to dogs, even wolves that had never seen a dog before. Fenrir roared as its howl echoed throughout the camp and reverberated within the soul of everyone around it, aside from Jaune.

"Shit! Shoot it!" one of them foolish yelled as they fired at the wolf. But its body shimmered with light as all the rounds completely bounced off its fur.

"Shit! This thing has aura!" they quickly surmised as Fenrir roared and attempted to sink its teeth into those that would dare harm him and his master. Only barely grabbing the muzzles of their guns as its teeth tore right through the metal like it was nothing but rice paper.

"What the fuck!? It just bit through those weapons like they were nothing!"

The wolf howled as it pounced and thrashed its tail through the camp. Kicking up large gusts of wind that blew the tents from their pickets and snuffed out any flames that were lit. Any weapon, bullet or arrow fell harmlessly off its body as it continued to glow with a mixture of red and white aura.

"What the hell is that!?" Vernal asked no one in particular while Jaune merely stared.

"Fen…" Jaune used this opportunity to sweep Vernal off her feet, not in a romantic way, and made a beeline towards the beast. Raven herself managing to get back up as she stared in awe at the large wolf in the middle of her camp.

"Fen! Fen! It's all right!" he tried to calm the giant wolf as it momentarily stopped its rampage and looked down at the boy. The bandits were about to attack when Raven signalled them to stop.

The wolf growled before it lowered to a low whine as Jaune stroked its fur.

"It's okay boy, I'm all right." He reassured the wolf as it stared into his eyes and then nuzzled his face. "Okay! Okay! I'm glad you're safe too, bud! But wow you grew big! Like seriously! Is this like a semblance thing or what?!" he laughed a little as the while Fenrir just happily nuzzled to Jaune.

The sounds of guns cocking brought them back to reality as Jaune and Fenrir stared at the multitude of weapons aimed at them. He glared back as he summoned soul sabre to his hand while Fenrir growled bad bared its teeth at the clan. Raven walked towards them as she looked at the boy and the large wolf that stood behind him. She and Jaune stared into each other's eyes before she signalled the men.

"Lower your weapons…now!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow as the other looked confused before lowering their weapons. She looked up at the wolf as she glared at the wolf, while the wolf just glared back. Unintimidated she glared back before looking at the boy.

"…You're free to leave, take your stuff and go. We've already caused enough commotion, the last thing we need is Grimm pouring into our location." She turned to leave when Jaune stopped her.

"Wait" she stopped in her tracks. "Why are you suddenly willing to let me leave? A minute ago, you were dead set on preventing me from leaving, now you want me gone. What's the deal?" he asked as she held up her mask and showed a small chip in the white shell.

"You won, one chip was all you needed to get out of here and I am a woman of my word. Despite what many would say about me. But that's not the only thing…." she gestured to the wolf.

"Do you have any idea what you have there?" she asked as Jaune looked to Fenrir in confusion.

"What you have there is a Dire Wolf, a rare breed of wolves that was thought to be extinct across Remnant. Ancient tribes believed that those who befriended this majestic beast were blessed with good fortune, and to those that anger this beast was doomed with grave misfortune."

Fenrir titled his head slightly at this.

"I'm not one to believe in superstitions, but seeing how closely attached he is to you and how none of our weapons seems to work on it, I would think it easier if you left our presence. Besides, as I said, we can't afford to have the Grimm upon us…" She looked around at the decimated camp. "We've already caused enough of a commotion as it is. So, take your stuff and go…grab his things from my cabin." She ordered to Vernal.

"B-But Raven?"

"That's an order…." She turned to glare at the young woman. "Do not make me repeat myself." She stressed as Vernal flinched before nodding and quickly gathered up the boy's supplies.

She begrudgingly handed the boy his rucksack, his cloak and his bow as the boy grabbed them and looked inside the rucksack. He nodded when he saw his armour, his supplies and his journal all tucked in safely within the leather confines. But he narrowed his eyes when he noticed his new scroll was missing.

"Where's my scroll?" he asked as Raven shrugged his shoulders.

"Destroyed in the battle, unfortunately. And even if we still had it, I'm not risking letting you compromise our location by giving it back to you." Jaune was sceptical and was suspecting the woman of lying, but knew he wasn't going to get anything else out of her. After placing his bow on his back, his cloak over his shoulders and his armour in place the woman pointed to the east.

"The closest town is a few weeks walk that way. I'll get you at least halfway there, and by the time you reach the first settlement, we'll have long since packed up and moved out. Consider it a courtesy for surviving as long as you did." She said as she drew her sword and slashed the air. A large red portal appeared as she gestured to the pair.

"Follow me" she stepped into the portal as Jaune and Fenrir looked cautious but followed, nonetheless.

The sooner they were away from this place, the better.

Halfway across Anima, a group of Raven's subordinates sat beneath a tree and wasted the day waiting for a score to foolishly walk by this frequented route. The leader was a man named Shay. D. Mann, who had dirty blond hair and held a lewd magazine in his hands. He chuckled a little as he flipped the pages open.

"Nice," he said before a red portal opened up and he sighed.

"Heads up boys, Raven's here." He said as they all stood up in attention as Raven stepped out of the portal, but were confused by the blond haired boy behind her…

And then they nearly shit themselves when a large, an extremely large they might add, wolf trotted out of the portal and growled at the assembled men and woman who reached for their weapons.

"At ease…" Raven said as Jaune and Fenrir still glared at the tense men and women. "Everyone back through the portal, we're packing up and moving out." She ordered as they looked reluctant but walked through all the same. She spared one last glance at the boy as he adjusted the straps on his armour.

"You're making a mistake you know?" he looked at her. "There's no winning this war, she's too strong. All you're going to do is die a meaningless death." Jaune nodded at this.

"Maybe…" he looked at her with determination. "But at least I'm not going to die like a coward hiding in the woods."

Raven glared before she stepped into the portal and left him stranded.

Jaune sighed as he clutched his heart. "Man, she's scary! I am so~ glad Yang got her personality from her dad. I can't even imagine what it would've been like living with her?" he shook his head as he strapped on his chest plate and looked around.

"So, she said that the closest town was east wood, I think I recognise this route from when my family and I would go to Shion for vacations. If I just head East, we might come across Shion or another town along the way. If all else fails, we could just head to Mistral or Argus. Might do is some good to let them know I'm still alive, what do you think Fen?"

He stopped when a bright light shined, and the large wolf began to shrink, and the small pup was left on the ground. Its body lying limp on the ground as fear instantly surged in his chest.

"Fen!" he rushed over to the little pup. "Fen! Fenrir, are you all right!?" fear evident in his voice as he worried for the small animal…

GRUMBLE

Until he heard a small grumbling noise from the wolf's stomach as a small moan echoed from its mouth. The small pup looked up pleadingly with big puppy eyes as its stomach continued to rumble. He chuckled and sighed in relief as he fished around his rucksack.

"Thank the Gods, you're just hungry…" he pulled out some Jerky and gave it to the pup who happily and ravenously devoured the dried meat. "Kind of figures, that move you pulled must have taken all of your energy to pull off…huh, so animals do have a semblance? Good to know." He placed the pup in the sack as the small wolf continued to eat the meaty treats.

"Well, we got a long way to go…" he drew his sword as he sighed. "Let's get going." And thus, he left, his goal still a long way away from the end. But at least now the worst was behind him…right?

Meanwhile, Beacon Academy – Headmaster Ozpin's Office

Ozpin stared at the old image of Jaune and the new image of Jaune, provided by Velvet's camera as he looked over the boy's many changes since he last saw the boy. He certainly appeared more experienced than his younger self and looked more than capable of handling a Grimm then he initially expected. But one thing that had not changed was the potential he had seen within the boy's eyes, the same he did with all his students.

And it still burned brightly within him.

"So…" Qrow's voice broke his train of thoughts as he looked at the kid. "You think this kid is the one that sent us the data? No offence Oz, but he doesn't really seem the type for espionage like missions…in fact he kind of reminds me of Tai?" the drunk crow suspected as he narrowed his eyes.

"The Black Forest does put him in the general vicinity of the base. It is possible that Mister Arc stumbled upon it by accident in the hopes of finding communication. How the base was buried under an avalanche is still a mystery." Ozpin deducted as Glynda looked at the map and the estimated route Jaune took.

"But if Mister Arc was near communications equipment, then why didn't he use it to contact us? Surely we could've provided him with some support," she asked before Ironwood – in holographic form – shook his head.

"My men and I searched that base from top to bottom, and even then, we could only get a slight signal from the CCTs. It is likely Mister Arc had two choices, contact Beacon and risk losing the Data, or send the data and be left utterly alone."

"Then it's a good thing he chose the latter. Otherwise, your tin-can army could've caused some serious damage." Qrow said as Ironwood glared at him but begrudgingly nodded, fearing what would've happened had the Knights been turned.

"Still, do you really think it's possible he survived the fall of Riverdale? He was barely trained as it was when he arrived, I have my concerns that he may not have been so lucky this time." Glynda said as Ozpin shrugged his shoulders.

"Regardless, I think it would be best to investigate Riverdale and see if Mister Arc had left anything else behind that would give us a hint at what Salem will be planning next if he stumbled upon anything else. If anything, we can at least provide confirmation that he is either alive or dead. I do hope it's the first…" he looked over to Qrow.

"Qrow, I want you and Doctor Oobleck to take Teams RWBY and PNR and head over to Riverdale, see if you can find anything else. I would send you with another teacher, but I have the feeling that your nieces and their friends are not going to just stand by as we search for their friend. Best they go along with you." Qrow nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah, fine. But don't blame me if my…misfortune, gets in the way."

"You're the best tracker we have Qrow, regardless of your semblance. There's no one else I'd trust with this. As for the rest of us, we need to continue to gather intel and plan accordingly" He then looked to the others as they nodded.

In no time at all, they walked back to the infirmary as everyone turned apprehensively to the assembled teachers, raising a few eyebrows from Yang and Ruby before they settled back on the headmaster as he nodded.

"Young students…Its time brought home a lost soul."

Omake: …He Knows…

After the teachers discussed the basics of the retrieval team, teams RWBY, PNR and CFVY were discussing what they should be doing when they would leave to retrieve Jaune. Many of the other feeling the guilty for leaving him behind all those months ago. Pyrrha being the most enthusiastic to retrieve him as she had been harbouring a feeling of guilt for so long it was a relief to finally be able to do something.

Now getting the confirmation that they could go after him already lifted their spirits and they could already tell it would help the red-haired maiden that held a crush on him…

Coco suddenly stiffened as the memory played back in her head. "…Oh! That's right!" Coco suddenly spoke as they all turned to her. "Pyrrha, there's something I need to tell you involving Jaune." She spoke as Pyrrha looked confused.

"About Jaune? What is it?" she asked as the other looked curious as well.

"What are you talking about Coco?" Velvet asked as her leader turned to her…and then grinned an all too familiar grin that the rabbit had seen and experienced multiple times. She was confused until Coco's gaze shifted to Pyrrha and that particular memory came back.

"Coco! Don't you dare!"

"Oh, I'm going to do it."

"Don't you dare!"

"I'm a do it!"

"Don't you do it!"

"I'm a do it!"

"Don't you do it!"

"I'm a do it!"

"JUST TELL US ALREADY!" Yang finally had enough as her eyes flashed red and her hair flickered like flames for a moment before reverting back to normal. Everyone turned back to Coco as she looked the red-haired champion right in the eye.

"Pyrrha, now don't freak out about this…but…" she suddenly found the words hard to say as everyone leaned in. "Jaune's…kind of…figured out your crush on him."

Everybody went ramrod stiff as that piece of information rattled around their heads. Jaune, dense headed, terrible flirt, oblivious Jaune had figured out Pyrrha had a crush on him while he was missing? That seemed almost impossible and hard to believe. But then again, they all thought he had died before. Who's to say he didn't put two and two together and equalled obvious.

They all slowly turned to Pyrrha who was uncharacteristically emotionless as she seemed to just be staring off into space.

"P-Pyrrha? You okay there?" Ruby asked as the woman just continued to stare…

Until a small blush began to build on her face, glowing brighter with each second before her entire face was encumbered in red and her mouth slowly began to move. Blake's eyes instantly widened as she grasped her feline ears and shouted.

"Hit the deck!"

"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"

The windows of Beacon Academy shattered from the destructive yell as everyone within the school and the city clutched their ears in pain.

"What the hell is that!?" Glynda yelled as Ozpin looked strangely calm with headphones over his ears.

"I figured something like this would happen. It seems that Mister Arc discovered Miss Nikos affections for him and told team CFVY. What we are hearing now, is Miss Nikos reaction to such news." He spoke calmly as she looked surprised.

"And how did you figure that out?!" she asked he held up his scroll.

"I watched it through my scroll and read the mood. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"And you didn't warn me because?" she glared even as the scream still echoed out.

"…I forgot?" Clonk! Was all he got in response as she whacked him on the head with her crop.