Well, enough people guessed in the reviews...Summer was the Winter Maiden, and now Ruby is. Why? One: We know nothing about 'silver eyed warriors,' and I'm still not 100% sure they're separate from other things (unless I missed a podcast or QnA or something). Two: Ruby 'froze' the Grimm dragon at the end of volume 3. 2+2=fish.

Time to patch this all up. Heavy personal theory and head cannon in use. Also, this starts off with another stab. I do believe though that healing truly does start in this chapter, though some of you may not agree.

Yang sat by Halcyon with a wet and soapy rag in hand. Even though Halcyon insisted Yang didn't owe him anything, his Rider insisted on cleaning his scales. It had been a day since they all returned. Everyone on the two teams was taking it easy, and Velvet refused to leave Vert's side. Weiss, being the most responsible one on team RWBY, was once again attending classes for the rest of the team.

Halcyon shivered as the rag came into contact with some scales on his tail. The water's getting cold.

"Sorry." Yang put her free hand next to the bucket of water. "Brisingr." A small flame burned to life in her hand. It took a minute, but the water made it back to the temperature Halcyon liked. Yang set back to work on cleaning every single one of her dragon's scales. It had taken most of the day to get that far, but the end was in sight. She didn't mind the time consumption. It was time well spent with her dragon.

The main door to the Dragonhouse opened and Cerise walked in with a deer in her mouth. She walked over to Vert and placed the food down on the floor. The young green dragon hummed and set to work on his dinner. Cerise lay down nearby and watched the younger dragon eat.

Yang rolled her eyes. I swear, it's like Cerise is trying to court Vert. Her eyes shot up off her work, then sighed. I've been spending too much time around Aaron.

There could be worse people to be around, Firecracker.

Firecracker? Yang locked eyes with her dragon. Uncle Qrow already stole that from dad.

Would you rather I called you Little Sun Dragon?

Yang rolled her eyes. Either one, I'll know what you mean.

"Vert, do you have to make this much of a mess?" Velvet moaned. Her voice carried across the Dragonhouse. Yang looked over to see Velvet looking at Vert, the latter of which was tearing into the deer. The blonde could guess what the newest Rider was seeing. Dragons weren't the cleanest eaters around.

"Hey Velvet," Yang called, "I'm probably going to have some leftover water here. You can use whatever's left if you want."

Velvet turned to look at Yang. "I may have to take you up on that." Vert hummed sadly, then covered his head and lunch with a wing. His Rider turned back to face him. "I didn't mean it like that!" Velvet stroked Vert's wing and mumbled things Yang couldn't hear.

Yang continued working on cleaning her dragon's scales. Halcyon, you think Velvet's being a little overprotective of Vert?

Halcyon snorted. Aren't you being a little overprotective of Ruby? And me?

…Fair point. Yang focused back on Halcyon's tail. A few minutes later, she finished cleaning the last scale. She sighed and put the rag back in the bucket. The blonde Rider picked up her cleaning supplies and brought them over to Velvet. "Here ya go, Velv." She handed the bucket over.

"Thanks." Velvet turned around and immediately started cleaning the blood off Vert's scales.

Yang returned to her dragon and scratched at the base of Halcyon's neck. "Anything else I can do for you?"

Halcyon rolled his eyes. I told you I didn't need this.

"I have my hair," Yang stroked her regrown locks, "you have your scales," she gave a new scale one last rub, "don't tell me you didn't like it."

Her dragon snorted. Actually, there is one thing, but I don't think you'll like it.

"Name it."

Halcyon looked his Rider directly in the eyes. Learn to fight without letting your anger control you.

Yang blinked and cocked her head. "That's been the way I've fought for years. Most Grimm can't touch me."

But look where it's gotten you against people. You were almost killed on the underground train. Twice, you were blinded by rage and nearly killed people. You did kill someone. Yang broke eye contact with her dragon. I want you to do this so you know what you're doing at all times. When the time comes to fight, and possibly kill again, you need to be in the right mind to make the right decision.

"You want me to fight like Weiss?"

Like Aaron. He thinks farther ahead than the rest of your team, except perhaps for Ruby.

Yang scoffed. "Yeah. Fight like Aaron and kill people without a second thought."

Halcyon growled. You know it's not like that. You know what he said after he rejoined the team.

"I know. It's just…these past few days have been intense." Yang sighed. "I don't think I'll be able to put this behind me until after everyone's back in the air."

If you're able to before that, I'll be worried. The main door to the Dragonhouse opened again, and this time Aaron and Nalia walked in. They were flying around the kingdom removing the trackers from as many former prisoners as they could. Apparently they had finished with all those they could reach.

With the records recovered from Fort Castle, Atlas was able to determine which Faunus had trackers. In addition to that, they found many more who were actually sold. All across Vale and Vacuo, hostage rescue teams were freeing dozens of Faunus. Some were young, some were old. All any news station could talk about the 'Second Battle of Fort Castle' and the following rescue operations. If it was to be believed at all, the Nevermores were in their last days, or gone completely.

"You seen Ruby?" Yang called.

"She's in the workshop," Aaron said. "She's either working on improving her new arm, or working on…whatever she calls her fake skin. That and she…" he paused, then shook his head.

"I'm thinking both, more likely. From what she told me, there's a lot of waiting while working on the skin."

Aaron sighed. "I still don't know how any of the technology here works." He turned to look at Vert as he shakily stood up. "Going somewhere?"

I need water, Vert sighed. I've barely had any in several days.

Nalia hummed at the smaller green dragon. Need help getting to the river?

I've got him, Cerise interrupted. She stood by Vert's side, helping him move.

"You'll be back in time for all of us to fly home, right?" Yang asked.

We won't take that long, Cerise promised as her little group left the building. The door closed, leaving Yang and Halcyon alone with their teammate/teachers.

Then was as good a time as any. "Hey Aaron," Yang started, "how do you fight so calmly?"

Aaron cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen you fight. You don't smile, you don't grimace, I'm not sure you even breathe while fighting. Whatever it is you do works. You barely get hit, and you don't react when your do. How do you do that?"

The other Rider didn't answer for a few seconds. "It's a tactic we're taught early on in training on Vroengard. We're taught how to clear our minds and focus solely on the opponent in front of us. Emotions can give away attacks, and if you know an opponent, predict their fighting style, the chances of victory are much better than running in blindly." Yang nodded, thinking she understood. "This doesn't sound like something you'd normally ask. What's going on?"

"For one, it was his idea." Yang stuck a thumb over her shoulder at Halcyon. "Second…I don't want a repeat of what happened in the control center. If I get in that kind of situation again, I want to be in full control. I don't want to blindly…act."

Aaron nodded sagely. "We can work on that soon, but I don't think we have the time to start today." His shoulders slumped slightly. "Now though, I need to talk to you and Halcyon about something really important. This is one of the few times I'll need you to swear in the Ancient Language that you won't tell anyone."

Yang stiffened slightly. This was a first. "That serious?"

"Very. And when I say don't tell anyone, I mean anyone. Not the rest of your team, not Velvet and Vert, not even Ruby and Cerise. The other Riders and dragons will learn in their own time."

"What's this about?"

Aaron held up his hands. "I can't say any more until you take the oath."

Yang hesitated, then looked at Halcyon. What do you think?

Whatever it is, it's important. Aaron trusts us with this. I don't like keeping things from our sisters any more than you do, but if he feels it's necessary, then we must do it.

If you say so. Yang sighed, then did as she was told.

Aaron nodded then started casting his own spell. Yang caught a few words meaning silence. Soon after, all normal sound in the Dragonhouse disappeared. The green Rider turned to Yang. "I'm sorry, but I lied to you in the forest. Halcyon is not okay."

Yang froze in place, then slowly turned to face her dragon. He was also frozen, and worry radiated off him. The blonde slowly turned back to Aaron. "What do you mean 'he's not okay?'"

"The only reason I'm speaking in this language is because you aren't fluent in the Ancient Language yet. Know that I won't lie to either of you in here." Yang just stared at Aaron, not sure if she could completely trust him. "Halcyon isn't in any pain from this, and he won't notice it most days. He will live a happy and normal life even with it."

However, Nalia continued, Halcyon has been robbed of something all dragons have.

"Please tell me this is all a big joke leading up to he lost the dragon version of an appendix." Yang slowly leaned into her dragon, trying to keep her mood from deteriorating further.

Nalia sighed. I wish this was. Halcyon's Eldunarí has been damaged. Yang narrowed her eyes in confusion, yet Halcyon tensed up beside her. An Eldunarí is a dragon's heart of hearts. In terms you can understand, a dragon can put a copy of his soul into his Eldunarí, and give it to his Rider. It essentially creates a copy of himself. He can be in two places at once.

This also allows a dragon to live on, even after his body has died. A Rider still feels his dragon's death, but it's not as strong. The bonded pairs can continue on through life by each other's side, with the dragon still being able to lend his Rider energy.

Aaron took over. "When the Nevermores shot Halcyon, one of the Dust rounds hit his Eldunarí. It's not shattered, but it is not whole. I'm not sure if it can still work as intended. The elves or a more experienced Rider could be able to repair it, but we were barely allowed to know of the importance of the Eldunarí. We weren't trusted to handle them at all."

Yang stood confused, and more than a little ticked. "Let me get this straight. Halcyon's biological life support is damaged, and he can't live past when his body dies. If this was so important, why keep this from us? We could have had it out before he was shot!"

Nalia growled. Because it's that frame of mind that has destroyed our race! Too many dragons gave their Riders their Eldunarí for convenience. They were isolated, which gave the traitors an advantage while hunting us. The Forsworn quite literally used our friends against us.

"And if and when I go back to fight Galbatorix, I'm going to have to advise the both of you to stay here." Aaron paused. "The traitor would have no reason to keep either of you alive." He winced. "Well, there's one, but that's a fate worse than death.

Yang shook her head. Still simmering, she looked at Halcyon. Somewhere in her exchange with Aaron and Nalia, she didn't notice her dragon's mounting fear. The waves flowing off Halcyon sobered Yang up quickly. "Halcyon, what's wrong?"

The gold dragon took a few seconds to respond. Ever since dragons have been on Remnant, we've been injured more than our Riders, with Ruby being the exception. The Nevermores shot Cerise and Vert out of the sky, and skinned Vert alive. Beowolves nearly killed Cerise when she was only two weeks old. I was almost killed by a Bullhead. Even Nalia was grounded by an actual Nevermore before you all met.

Yang didn't like where her dragon's thoughts were going. She put a hand on the side of Halcyon's head. "What are you saying?"

I don't know of any dragon that has feared death. One common fear that all bonded dragons share is leaving their Riders alone. Halcyon's eyes half lidded. I'm now more likely to do that than the others.

"Don't say that!" Yang yelled with voice and mind. She threw her arms around her dragon's neck. She switched back to mental communication only. I just pulled Ruby out of that hole, and I'm pretty sure Velvet and Vert have gone down there in the past few days too. I don't need you going down there too.

I won't. I'll just be a little more careful from now on.

We both will. Yang looked up and saw Ruby standing awkwardly by the smaller entry door. The younger sister gave a small wave and said something, but the older couldn't hear it. Yang turned to Aaron. "I think you can let sound flow freely again."

Aaron nodded and ended the spell. Yang turned back to Ruby and saw her little sister's eyes widen slightly. "Ohhh, sound shield," Ruby said.

"Ready to go, sis?" Yang asked, not giving away her current mood.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ruby looked down at the floor. "I'm not looking forward to giving dad Sun's Light."

"You sure you don't want me handing it over? I found it. It would make sense."

"Thanks for the offer, but I need to do this." Ruby walked over to her work bench and picked up her mom's sword. "Now we're just waiting for Cerise to get back."

Ruby watched the ocean water fly by beneath her, with Yang and Halcyon flying in Cerise' wake. The flight to Patch wasn't a long one, but this time it felt like it took hours. Normally spending time with Cerise and knowing that she'll see her dad in a few minutes would make the flight short. The sword strapped to the side of the saddle changed everything.

Some of Ruby's questions were answered with the footage of her mom, but opened a few more. Hopefully her dad would be able to answer them. That is, if he didn't shut down again. Yang said he didn't take it well the first time. How would he react now?

The small house came into view from the air. A few trees that stood by the house for years no longer existed, replaced by grass greener than the rest of the yard in an area large enough for all dragons currently in Vale. Cerise landed in the grass and Halcyon followed soon after. Ruby and Yang slowly dismounted their dragons.

The front door to the house flung open and Taiyang rushed out. "Thank God you're all alright!" He called as he ran. "I can't get anything out of Atlas. What happened out…" He came to a stop as Ruby removed Sun's Light and its sheath from Cerise' saddle. The girl cradled the sword in her arms as she brought it to her dad.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Ruby waited for her dad to say or do anything while Taiyang stared at the weapon in his daughter's arms. Finally, Taiyang took the sword from Ruby. "Where did you find this?" he asked.

"Fort Castle," Yang said from just behind Ruby. "It was in a records room just off the command center, hung like a…trophy." She spat out the last word.

Taiyang gripped the sheath even tighter and tears formed in his eyes. He turned around and walked back into the house. Ruby and Yang locked eyes. That wasn't a good sign. They looked back at their dragons, who simply shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Then again, what would a dragon know about a situation like this?

The sisters followed their dad into the house and saw Taiyang open a clear weapons case in the living room. He placed Sun's Light inside, then sealed the case. "I don't know if I never wanted this to be found, or I hoped it would be." He shook his head then turned to look at Ruby. "She loved her sword. She was an even bigger weapons nut than you."

Ruby blinked her eyes rapidly to keep them from leaking. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Taiyang sighed and sat down in his chair. "This was one thing I didn't want you to copy from your mother." The sisters sat down on the couch across from their dad. "Both of you are so much like her. Putting others before yourselves is natural for you. Ruby, ever since you helped Violet, I knew you wouldn't stop going after the Nevermores. That was what I was worried about. Your mom had a similar first encounter. After that, she made it her mission to take them down. She wasn't as bad as…others were, but she took any contracts that could get information regarding the Nevermores. Well, we now know how that ended."

Ruby nodded and closed her eyes. Even with that, tears finally streaked down her face. "She went down fighting."

Yang put an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Why didn't you say anything after that? Why not after…?" There was slight accusation in her voice.

Taiyang looked at his lap. "When I got the call from Atlas, I thought I was going to lose someone else. I didn't calm down until the day before I visited Beacon." He looked up at Ruby. "If you knew about any of it, I thought you'd go after the Nevermores like Summer did. I didn't want to lose you the same way."

"Well," Ruby paused, "we finished her work…What do you think she'd say right now?"

"If I had to take a guess, probably a stern scolding." Taiyang started a small smile. "Quickly followed up by how proud she was of both of you and an oven load of cookies either baking or soon to be."

Ruby also gave a small smile, then something caught her nose. She sniffed the air, and let out a small laugh. "I'd know that smell anywhere."

Taiyang shrugged. "I know I'll never be able to get it as good as her, but I can try."

"As long as they aren't burnt all the way through, I'm sure they're fine." Yang stood up and helped Ruby to her feet as well.

"That only happened one time, Yang." Taiyang held up a finger. "Five years ago. You still hold that against me?"

"Not me, Ruby remembers though." Yang clapped her sister on the back.

Ruby elbowed Yang with her natural arm. "Do not!" Some motion out a window caught her eye. A black bird stood on a tree branch that survived the clearing. It was looking into the house, and Ruby swore it was looking at Sun's Light. Ruby shook her head. She was probably seeing things.

Yang lay wide awake in the middle of the night. Her current bed wasn't the main problem, but it certainly didn't help. While she slept outside by Halcyon's side, Ruby was in her old bed, with Cerise laying on the other side of the wall. While Halcyon kept saying that Yang didn't owe him anything, he was glad his Rider preferred sleeping with him.

At the moment, it seemed like Cerise had Ruby's potential nightmares under control, and that was perfectly fine with Yang. For a while now, even though she had her little sister's explicit permission, Yang felt like she was intruding on Ruby's privacy. Some of the stuff that goes on in dreams is extremely private, and Yang always apologized for seeing something that crossed the line. Then again, ever since Ruby revealed her bionic arm to the world, she didn't need as much, if any help. That, or Cerise could deal with it easy enough. If anything good came out of the interference, at least Yang knew she didn't have to give anyone her 'you better not hurt my little sister, or else' speech. She felt like she'd have to return the favor someday, even if she never struggled with nightmares. It was only fair.

The blonde sighed and opened her eyes. Instead of seeing the golden canvas like normal, she stared up into the night sky at countless stars. That was one of the many perks of living a few miles away from the city on Patch. Less light pollution meant more stars were visible.

The sight was always so calming, so why couldn't Yang sleep? Ruby was safe. Everyone was safe. The Nevermores were history. The house sat within the patrol routes of the Huntsmen and few androids that protected Patch. The only thing that threatened her at the moment were mosquitos. Well, she did have a nightmare about the control center at Fort Castle after leaving the Vytal, but that had to be a one-time thing, right?

Yang sighed and closed her eyes as she thought of one more thing she could try. That one time in the Emerald Forest when she felt all the life around her was very soothing. Well, except for the spiders and other bugs in the ground. She tried doing the same thing. At first, she only felt Halcyon by her side. Slowly but surely, grass and other plants came into range. Eventually, she could feel Ruby, Cerise, and her dad. There were bugs around, but thankfully nowhere near her and Halcyon.

Just as she was about to stop expanding her range, she felt the presence of another person, one she wasn't familiar with. She snapped her eyes open and looked around the tree line surrounding her house. As she was still touching the minds of the dragons and her sister, they all had some sort of reaction. Halcyon groggily woke up, while Cerise and Ruby shifted in their sleep.

Yang, is something wrong? Ruby asked, more awake than she felt.

Yang 'saw' Ruby and a human sized Cerise at Forest View amusement park while contacting them. Sorry, bugs in the dirt.

Ruby cocked her head and looked down at the concrete below her. Dirt? She then looked up like she had an epiphany. Ohhhh.

Cerise elbowed Ruby. Took you long enough. In Ruby's dream, Cerise' mouth moved.

Yang 'pointed' at Cerise. That's creepy. Anyway, I'll let you two get back to your fun. She pulled back into herself then looked in the direction where the unfamiliar mind came from.

Halcyon quietly rumbled next to his Rider. Who do you think's out there? he asked.

I don't know, but I'm about to find out. After those pictures the Nevermores had of her family, Yang wasn't taking any chances. She took Ember Celica out of Halcyon's saddlebags and activated the gauntlets. Before walking out into the woods, she focused her mind on the person. There wasn't any hostility on the surface, but that could very well mean that the person was gathering intelligence. Yang dug slightly deeper to figure out the intruder's motivation.

Suddenly Yang's anger transformed and she grimaced. Halcyon, stay here. The dragon looked like he was about to protest, but his Rider cut him off. I need to handle this alone. If things go south, I expect you to be by my side in seconds.

What about Ruby and Cerise?

Let them sleep. If they need to know, I'll tell them. Yang walked into the forest, with her weapons still armed. She tracked the mind for a minute or two to a small clearing in the trees. So small, Vert wouldn't be able to land without clipping his wings. Yang looked at the source of her frustrations. "I know you're here. There's no point in hiding."

There were a few seconds of silence, then a thud came from inside the trees. A lone figure stepped out of the foliage. She wore a red and black jacket and a short black dress. Jet black hair ran down from the back of her head. A pair of red eyes sat behind a Grimm mask.

Yang clenched her fists. The mask looked too much like a Nevermore to her. "What? You don't want your own flesh and blood to look you in the face?"

Raven Branwen stood silently for a second, then removed her mask with one hand. She let it drop to the ground. "That make you feel better?" she asked condescendingly.

Her daughter ignored the question. "Where have you been all my life?"

"To be fair, I was with you the first few months, and I literally saved your neck a few weeks ago," Raven answered in a joking tone.

Normally, Yang would have been okay with her own sense of humor being turned back at her. Now was anything but normal though. "I can keep you here until you tell me what I want to know."

"Will you?"

"I will if I have to. Now why did you leave me?"

Raven's shoulders dipped slightly. "Your father and I were growing apart for months. He raised you better than I ever could."

"Where were you when I needed you most? Where were you when Summer died?"

"Would you really want Ruby growing up calling me mom like you did for Summer?"

Yang's anger grew at the mention of her sister and her sister's mom. "Answer the damn question!"

Raven tensed up. "Because I was responsible for Summer's death!"

Silence once again filled the clearing and Yang took a step back. Various images passed through her head. Summer crawling away from the Nevermores, bloody and beaten; Aaron and Ruby's first warehouse raid in Vale; the raid on Fort Castle; the prison at the base in the northern mountains; Ruby tortured, trussed up, and blown up; dozens of bullets tearing into Halcyon; her mom's Nevermore mask.

Yang blinked and the red haze tugged at the edges of her vison. She clenched her fists the hardest she had since after rescuing Ruby. "You're one of them?!" She ran at Raven and pulled back a fist. Ember Celica fired a shot, but Raven jumped out of the way. "She was your teammate! Your partner!"

"She was my best friend! My sister! I couldn't hurt her if I tried!"

"So you let the Nevermores take care of her?" Yang charged again, this time getting up close and personal. Raven dodged every punch and shotgun blast thrown her way though. Halcyon tried to contact his Rider, but Yang ignored him.

Raven put some distance between her and her daughter. "I could never work with those scum! I was hunting them!"

Yang stood in place, glaring at her mother. "Talk," she growled through clenched teeth.

"Summer wasn't the first to go after the Nevermores. Shortly after we graduated, I took several jobs for the arrest of kidnappers and to free anyone they took. The Lien was in the right place, and I was doing some good. When I started out, the Nevermores weren't known by anyone, not even Mistral intelligence. Summer actually blew the whistle when she helped, but that wasn't until years later.

"During that time, you father and I married. It was a rocky start, and time didn't help. He still doesn't realize that Lien makes the world go round, and that some criminals don't deserve to see the light of another day. I figured that out a few months in. The Nevermores are monsters. They need to be put down just like their Grimm namesake." Yang shifted on her feet. Raven's words brought up the still fresh memory of the Nevermore commander lying dead.

Raven sighed. "Then I got pregnant. I stopped taking missions, and for once things were looking up for me and your father. Despite what you might think, those three months I had with you were the best in my life." The red faded slightly from Yang's eyes, but she was still ready for battle.

"Then the pictures showed up in the mail one day. They were from all times of day, and all angles from outside the house. You were the only one in all of them. At the time, I only saw two options; take out the Nevermores completely, or make them think I wanted nothing to do with you and your father. I was nowhere close to taking the Nevermores out, so I cleaned out the back accounts and left." Raven truly locked eyes with Yang for the first time that night. "Yes, I left because of you, but it was that or let you be killed."

Yang dropped her fists and the red haze disappeared completely. Raven's story sounded a lot like what Yang knew of Summer's. "Okay, that's why you left, but I still don't see how you got Summer killed?"

Raven broke eye contact. "Taiyang was the only one in the dark about where I was at first, but I think Summer told him at one point what was going on. Qrow knew me too well and could find me anywhere I went. Summer…Summer always found a way to find me, even when I tried to stay underground. She tried everything to try and make me come back…even after she married Tai.

"She found me in Vacuo about six months after she gave birth to Ruby. I found information about a Nevermore storage warehouse in Bullworth, and I asked for her help." Raven shook her head. "After that, we worked together for a while, but soon after Summer set off on her own, and she hit the Nevermores harder than I ever did. She took down kidnappers, warehouses, and freed more Faunus than I can count. When we did work together, I held myself back for her sake. She never approved of my methods either.

"Soon after, thirteen years ago tomorrow, Summer was handed an envelope by someone off the street with pictures of you and Ruby inside. There was also a note saying to get to Fort Castle by midnight that night or else. She saw it as an opportunity to take them out and get me back to the family. Still, she was terrified that either of you would be killed. Even with her teleportation and my portals, if she didn't leave immediately, the kill order would be sent.

"We took separate paths to Fort Castle. Summer was more direct, while I made sure that no Nevermores made it to Patch. A few Bullheads made it by me, and I chased them as best as I could. At that time, I still wasn't the best at making portals into moving vehicles. It took until a few miles before we flew over Patch until I caught up with it. I took out the crew, then I flew it back as quickly as I could, but I was too late.

A single tear escaped from Raven's eyes. "I had a choice between saving you and Ruby, or saving Summer. If I chose her, I would have lost all of you."

Yang finally uncurled her fingers, all her anger dried up. "If you were there, why didn't you get her sword out?"

"If I did go back to that place, I would have slaughtered everyone in there. She wouldn't have wanted that. Anyway, I had other priorities. They were going to dump Summer's body in the ocean. I couldn't let them do that. I took them out cleanly, then I got Summer out of there." Raven shook her head and hugged herself. "She was in bad shape. I cleaned her up as best I could and took her back to Patch. I don't know if Tai ever told you, but Summer is buried where her tombstone is, not lost in the forest. As far as I know the only ones who know are my team, Ozpin, and Glynda."

Yang's eyes widened slightly. That was another thing her dad never said. She heard a faint squeak behind her, but not one from a rat or baby dragon. Yang turned her head slightly. Ruby, why are you out here? she thought to herself.

Raven apparently didn't notice. "None of us thought Summer would be the first to go. The whole team took it differently. Qrow turned to alcohol, Tai shut down, and I…I tried coming back, but even back then Ruby looked so much like her mother." Yang thought she saw actual tears in her birth mother's eyes. "There was also no way I could replace Summer. I couldn't let Ruby grow up calling me 'mom' like you did for Summer. Let's be honest here, you would not be the same woman you are today if I helped raise you. There's also the high probability that the Nevermores would come back after me."

Yang nodded sadly. "Even though she was two, I think Ruby would know who her real mom was."

"Probably." Raven sighed, then looked to the sky. "I've stayed as long as I could. I'm needed in Mistral for another mission." She reached down and picked up her mask.

"Wait, if you fought the Nevermores, why do you wear that mask?"

Raven grimaced. "Mine and Qrow's tribe wore these. Once we left for Beacon, we never went back. Summer made sure of that." Raven fit the mask over her face. "But it strikes fear into my enemies. They'll know who they're facing would show no mercy. But they won't know who is attacking them. Or, that was the plan."

"The Nevermores are gone. You don't need to wear that anymore."

"I wish I could share your confidence." Raven shook her head. "You may have taken out their commander and their main base, but I'm sure there are some cells still out there. They'll keep on doing what they're doing until they're put in the ground." Raven took out her sword and swung it. A black and red portal appeared where she sliced. "Ya know Firecracker, after I saved you on that train, I told Qrow to tell you to not expect that kindness again. Mainly because I'm going to be in Mistral for the foreseeable future," she turned to look at Yang, "and as long as you can control your temper, you won't need my help."

Yang huffed. "Firecracker. Is everyone stealing that from dad?"

Raven cocked her head. "Where do you think he got it?"

Yang chuckled. "Well, see you whenever…mom." The word felt weird in Yang's mouth, but she didn't hate it. Raven nodded and stepped through her portal. It disappeared after she entered. Yang turned around and walked to where she thought her little sister was hiding. Soon, she saw part of Crescent Rose sticking out from behind a tree. "Ruby, how much did you hear?"

Ruby looked up at her big sister as she rounded the tree. The younger sister stood up while cradling her scythe. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop! Your Gauntlets woke up Cerise, then I-"

"Hey, it's alright." Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I was going to tell you anyway. You heard it right from the source. Now how much did you hear?"

Ruby looked at the ground and shifted on her feet. "I heard from when she was talking about mom's involvement with facing the Nevermores in Vacuo."

Yang gently shook Ruby's shoulder. "You got all you needed to know."

Ruby looked up with teary eyes. "Why would dad lie to us about mom?"

"I don't know. Maybe to keep it from getting out? Keep us safe from the Nevermores? He has to have a reason."

"Probably. We should probably get back home before dad gets worried."

"He's awake? He is a heavy sleeper."

"Better safe than sorry. Don't want him to freak out again."

No, Halcyon isn't crippled or dying, but he's not 100% either.

The Raven bit is an extreme version of a personal theory, where something happened where she didn't want to leave Yang but she had to in order to protect her, and she somehow feels responsible for Summer's death. Why do I think this? Frankly, I just don't want Raven to be the terrible person that everyone says/thinks she is.

One more thing, I'm thinking about starting a QnA section in either the top or bottom author's notes. If you're wondering about my writing process or why I chose certain events, ask away. I might expand into a few other things if there's enough interest or I like the question. If you have something, send a PM or tack it on somewhere in a review.