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.

A/N this is a two-parter. One chapter focusing on Family, the second on friends and his abelites. So sorry for the lack of Ruby and crew later on. Please enjoy.


Chapter XVI: Knights Rest Part I


To say Salem was annoyed was an understatement. She was livid, more so than she had been in the last hundred years or so. She hadn't felt like this since she instigated the Great War seventy years ago to steal the Relics from Ozpin. But that was mild compared to what she was feeling right now.

Her invasion plan for Beacon had failed. Her associates and allies were ousted and targeted by the Kingdoms of Atlas, Vacuo and Vale.

Mistral was under reorganisation since Leonardo's death, and she knew Ozpin was no doubt filling it with new loyal protectors for the school. Her attempts at forging relations with the White Fang were very unlikely to progress. As well as the fact that she knew Ozpin would jump at the chance to forge an alliance with the more level-headed of the White Fang. Such as Ghira Belladonna.

"And now…" she spoke as she looked at the two Seers with the images of Tyrian and Cinder kneeling with heads held low. "I'm getting reports that you two failed to retrieve the boy, the one responsible for halting our progress in the first place because you two wanted to see which of you could please me more. Now because of it, he has managed to get away and back into Ozpin's little school?"

The tone of her voice spoke volumes of her anger, as they could feel the subtle fury that was dwelled beneath her.

"I already expected failure from Cinder, because of her arrogance." Cinder baulked but said nothing. "But you, Tyrian. I expected better from you. And yet I find that not only did you fail to retrieve the boy, you also comprised your identity to both Ozpin's spy and the Atlas Military. All it will take is a description of your features, and you'll be spotted the moment you reach any location."

Tyrian flinched as small tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes.

"The only available operatives I have left are Hazel and Watts. But Hazel is busy training Emerald. And Watts is working a new program to hack the CCT, what with the updated system. I cannot afford to lose any more secrecy to Ozpin." She glared as her aura caused them to quake. "Now, tell me exactly what happened that caused this?"

"M-My Goddess, I-I was in the process of acquiring the Arc. But then Cinder followed me, barged in and demanded that I leave it to her. Jeopardising the mission!"

"You liar! It was my mission, to begin with! You were interfering with my mission and cost us the chance. I almost had him!"

"Bullshit! I almost had him when you decided to disrupt my-Gah!"

"Gah!"

Both he and Cinder were silenced as the seers wrapped their tendrils around their throats and Salem's eyes glowed with fury. "Silence!" Her voice reverberated as those she communicated with, and those in the castle recoiled from her intense aura.

"Both of you are to blame for this failure. Instead of focusing on the mission, you two decided it was best to fight amongst yourselves and ensured the boy escaped. With who knows what else's he's managed to learn."

The grips on their necks tightened for a brief moment before they let go.

"But I suppose the fault also lies with me as well…I believed that Tyrian would accomplish his task faster than you could, Cinder. I had forgotten that, notwithstanding your failures, you have an unrelenting drive that pushes you onwards despite failure. One that had served me well in the past. I also failed to account your devotion to pleasing me, Tyrian, and underestimated the bitter rivalry you two have." She walked to her throne as she sat upon the dark crystal and bones.

"But it stops now. We must work together to defeat Ozpin once and for all. A repeat of this…" she clenched her hands as the tendrils slithered around them again. "And there will be no second chances, understood?" they nodded quickly.

"Pardon my intrusion, Mistress," Hazel asked. "What of the boy? Should we continue to pursue him?" she pondered for a moment.

"No, by now he will have returned to Ozpin's side and will be difficult to acquire. We will have to wait for the right opportunity when the time comes."

"What about his family? Can we…obtain them somehow and use them as leverage against him?" Watts asked as Hazel turned to glare at the man.

"Mistress I would like to voice my objection to that plan. I believe that Ozpin must pay, and I'm willing to do what must be done. But not at the expense of a family that has no part in his plans. Attacking the family would have a negative consequence in the far future. Besides, it would be more than likely he would place them into protective custody."

"Oh please, we could easily get past any 'protection' he or General Ironwood would place on the family. No, that's not why you're hesitant. I hear a little emotion in your voice, Hazel. Were you speaking tactically…or emotionally because of what happened to your sister?" Watts asked as the man's fist tightened but held back his anger.

"…I agree with you, Hazel. Ozpin will no doubt place them under protective custody. Add to the fact that the Arcs are formidable warriors, especially if the report is true and Cornelius Arc is alive. It would be wise not to provoke them and have them continually disrupt us. Getting to them would be difficult, but not impossible. Besides, they will eventually fade away with time…" She leaned back.

"We will leave the family alone unless the situation demands it."

"Thank you, my mistress." Hazel bowed while Watts rolled his eyes.

"Pacifist" he muttered under his breath while Hazel glared at him.

"Right now, we need to focus on gathering new supporters, come up with a new plan to attack the Kingdoms, and seize the other Relics. For now, Mistral and Vale are off-limits." She turned to Cinder

"Cinder you still need to prove yourself, so I will task you with locating the other Maidens. We know that the Winter Maiden is in Atlas, given her age. So Instead of searching for the Spring and Summer Maiden separately, as we originally planned. We will locate the identities of all of them and then capture them all in one swoop. This way when we launch our invasions we will operate swiftly and with precision." Cinder bowed.

"Yes, my Queen. I will not fail you."

"You better. And Tyrian, I want you to continue looking for more supports. Gather the ones you spoke of before and see if you can make contact with Adam. Tell him…that we have a solution to his problems. And that we can give him new powers to rival that of Atlas." Her subordinates nodded before the seer's scurried away.

"Watts, putting aside the CCT project for a moment, I want you to head to the Black Forest and discover what the Arc child had learned there. Report back as soon as possible. If memory serves me, it was once the site of an ancient Academy built to train warriors of my time. There could be something…useful there." Watts nodded as he turned to leave but stopped.

"…Mistress?" Watts asked as the ancient sorceress turned to him. "Pardon my insolence, but. Given all that has occurred. Is it still possible to achieve the final goal?"

Salem looked at the man as she nodded. "Yes," she spoke confidently.

"While in the past Ozpin has managed to hold on to the relics of the Gods. Time has always been a factor in this war. And time is on my side. We can be patient, learn, adapt and grow. While Ozpin will continue to subjugate himself to the same tactics and suffer the same results, he has suffered for the past thousand years. He will eventually run out of allies and will once again find himself alone in this futile fight." She laced her fingers together as she smirked.

"As for this boy, this…White Wolf …we'll see where his true loyalties lie once he learns the truth. And how useful he could potentially be in the future…"


Argus Medical Centre


It had been roughly a few hours since Jaune Arc had been retrieved from the blood pits. A few hours since both the Atlas/Iron Wolves/Huntsman teams led a raid on the illegal blood sport, while Jaune and his Grandfather led a mass prison break to escape the facility.

The end result was the complete and utter destruction of the Blood Pits and all that was in charge. Immediately upon arrival, Jaune, his grandfather and the 'liberated' prisoners were taken to the Argus Medical Centre to be treated for injuries, malnourishment, physical and psychological trauma, as well as possible illnesses contracted from being kept in unsanitary environments for such long periods.

There was a small incident when it was revealed that some of the escapees were former bandits. As well as some of the Atlas personal's view on Faunus prisoners. But Cornelius assured them they were not likely to cause trouble. After being abandoned by their former clans, the former bandits were more than happy to give up on that life. And the Faunus prisoners? Well…

There was a reason he was the former captain of the Iron Wolves, as he set them straight. And being personally threatened by Ironwood, who arrived in Argus recently, managed to put aside any racial discriminations while treating the patients.

Speaking of patients.

"Doctor, how is Jaune? He looked pretty roughed up." Roland asked as the head Doctor, a woman named Flora Nightingale, sighed as she read over the report of Jaune's injures.

His family and friends gathered around as she read out the initial report.

"From observation, the young man is physically exhausted with around 20% of his body covered in scar tissue. With most of it being focused on his chest, back and arms. With slight scaring on his legs." She told the parent as she listed the injuries she observed when he was brought in an hour ago.

His friends and family growing concerned as she listed the injuries that Jaune had sustained.

"Not only that but he has suffered extensive physical trauma to his face and left arm, as well as evidence of slightly malnutrition for the past four days. More than likely from his time in the blood pits. Not as severe as his grandfather, but still a cause for concern. The good news is that his Semblance has healed most of the injures, but I would like to keep him under further observation until he is fully discharged."

"Not going to argue with that."

Cornelius leaned against the wall. His own body bandaged, with an IV drip stand beside him. "The boy was put to fighting nearly every day in the arena just like the rest of us. It was demanded of us that we fight or die. Food was scarce, but we made it work and shared what we could." He explained with a cigarette between his fingers.

"…I'm sorry dad. You must've been through a lot."

"Eh, not the worst I've been through. But not something I want to repeat." He shrugged as he drew a drag of his cigarette before it was snatched and thrown out the window by Miss Nightingale.

"No smoking in the medical wing." She stressed as the man pouted and stowed his pack.

"Can…can we see him?" Pyrrha asked as she had not seen her partner since he was admitted. The old woman smiled as she nodded, much to the delight of the young teens.

"Yes, he should be well enough for visits. This way please," she gestured as they followed her to a small private room, graciously given to them by the Atlas military on the orders of Ironwood.

They quickly entered the room as they came upon the sight of Jaune. His body was covered in bandages, with IV drips and monitors attached to his chest and wrists. A doctor stood beside him taking notes of his condition. It wasn't anything serious, but they were just being cautious. Especially when Cornelius told them he fought off a Nemean Lion.

Diana and Pyrrha nearly had a heart attack when they heard that.

Jaune smiled cheerfully when he saw his friends. "Hey guys!" he waved.

"Hey Jaune, how are you feeling?" Ruby asked.

"I'm fine, better if they'd let me out of here." He eyed the doctor. "Look I'm perfectly fine, these bandages aren't even necessary. I'm all healed up!"

"That maybe. But we've been ordered to keep you under observation until the medical staff has deemed it so. After everything you've been through you need to rest." Ren advised as the boy pouted slightly.

"I guess…but it's just so boring in here~! They've been doing nothing but testing and prodding! Asking 'does this hurt?' or 'Is this causing you problems?' or 'how does this feel?' Pretty much what you expect from Doctors…though I'm pretty sure one of them is obsessed with my faeces because he keeps asking me to poop!" he glared at the door as said Doctor leaned in the door and smiled.

"Everything can be explained with poop, young man!" Jaune's eye began to twitch.

"Not if it's something obvious like a broken rib!" he pointed to his chest.

"Broken rib?" Weiss asked as Jaune chuckled.

"Oh, yeah~ I didn't want to mention that. But turns out Ruby kind of caused a hairline fracture on my left rib when she tackle-hugged me...I didn't want you all to worry." Ruby flinched at the memory.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt I swear!"

"It's all right Ruby, I understand. I was happy to see you guys too. Besides, it will heal up as soon as my aura is fully recharged." He sighed as he leaned back into his pillow. "I think it would be much easier to draw more from my soul. Then I could get out of here as soon as-!"

"Wait you've been what!?" he and everyone jumped slightly. His grandfather, mother and father were staring directly at him like he just said a curse word.

"Huh? W-What's the matter?"

"Jaune you've been pulling more aura from your soul! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!" Diana screeched as the boy was confused.

"W-What's the big deal, I'm just using more of my aura. It helped me out during the Riverdale battle and the Blood Pit. Why is it so bad?" His grandfather sighed as he stood before the boy.

"Jaune. Normally Huntsman can recharge their Aura if they have enough left in the tank. But if their aura shatters, then it takes time to refill. The technique you described is something only us Arcs can accomplish, called 'Overdrive'. It grants us the ability to draw more from our souls to fuel our power. It's not something that can be taught, only experienced in life or death situations. But it runs the risk of shortening your life span by years."

He and everyone else flinched slightly at this little fact.

"Oh…well that explains why I get so weak afterwards." He thought about both the Nemean Lion and Riverdale as both times he utilized this 'technique' it left him severely drained.

"How often have you used it, Jaune?" Roland asked as Jaune thought.

"U-Um, I used it twice so far, back in Riverdale and again in the Pit." Roland sighed a breath of relief.

"That's good. You wouldn't have lost more than ten years so far. Luckily us Arcs have been known to live up to 150 if we play our cards right." Everyone blinked at this as they stared at the family.

"So, I shouldn't use it anymore?"

"I would say yes, but life has shown us that we cannot control that which is uncontrollable. I'd say don't use it unless the situation truly calls for it." His grandfather advised as Jaune nodded. "And I mean really calls for it." He got straight up into Jaune's face.

"If I find out you used it for anything other than certain life and death situations. I will personally drag you back from the underworld and give you such a whooping!" he glared with unbridled rage as Jaune shrunk back and he nodded rapidly.

Especially because of all the similar glares on his friends and family's faces.

"G-Got it!"

"Good!" his demeanour switched back to normal as Jaune let out a breath of fresh air.

"Aside from that, it would be best that you take some time off Jaune. Headmaster Ozpin agrees that you deserve a break". Weiss informed as everyone nodded.

"But don't I have to report to him? There are so many things I need to ask and tell him." Qrow shook his head.

"Right now, a full recovery is what you need. I've already contacted Oz and he's agreed for a small debriefing with you tomorrow. Then you're to give a full report after two weeks' worth of rest. But when you're fully recovered you will be required to make a full report. How long will he be in here, Doc?" he asked.

"With the rate, his Semblance is healing his wounds, I'd say no more than three days."

"So, three days of bed rest, then a week's worth of time off. Oz should be okay with that." Qrow said as he turned to make his way to the door. "I'll see you guys later…now, where's the nearest bar?" The older adults, with Ruby and Yang, sighed as the man wandered off to find the nearest dive bar.

Just as he left, Saphron and Terra entered the room carrying their infant son, Adrian, in their arms. "Saphron! Terra!" Jaune exclaimed before a dissatisfied grunt came from the child in their arms and he saw the pouting child.

"Oh, and of course little Adrian!" he smiled when the child brightened up.

"Sorry we're late, we had to pick Adrian from Day-care and he was so excited to finally see his favourite Uncle again," Saphron explained as the small child reached out for his Uncle Jaune.

"That's 'cause I'm his only Uncle." Jaune smiled as the small child was placed on his lap. "Hey little guy, you've gotten so big now, haven't you?" The small child giggled as he embraced his uncle, while everyone silently gushed at the scene.

Yang grinned as she leaned over to Pyrrha and whispered in her ear.

"Hey, hey Pyrrha. That's what you want, huh? A little baby version of you and Jaune, huh?" she grinned as the girl blushed red. "Want to make a cute little baby with you and Jau-gah!" She was silenced as Pyrrha slammed her elbow into her stomach and she fell to the floor, not that anyone else noticed.

"W-Why don't I ever learn?" she asked in pain while everyone was still focused on Jaune.

"So, where's the rest of the family?" he asked as he played with little Adrian on his lap.

"Your sisters will be here in a couple of days. Some of them have to organize time off from work." Diana explained as Jaune nodded.

"That's okay, as long as I get to see them, that's all that matters." Adrian was playing with one of the wires on Jaune's chest, who playfully moved the tiny hands away while talking to the rest of his family and friends.

"Terra, how's is it going at the CDT?"

"It's been alright. Ever since this system's update, we've been having less technical issues than before. It's taken a bit of the load off work and allows me to spend some more time with Saphron and Adrian." She explained as the child started chewing on a loose part of Jaune's hospital gown.

"Okay, Adrian that's enough." Saphron chuckled as she plucked the child from her brother. "He really missed his Uncle…we all did." Jaune smiled softly as patted the small boys head.

"I missed you guys too…all of you. I'm just so glad to be back…" he stopped when he felt a hand on his head. "Nora, stop playing with my hair." He looked over to Nora as she rubbered her hand in his short hair.

"I can't help it! It's so short and feels so weird. Kind of looks good on you, though. Might help you get all the ladies now." She grinned when she noticed Pyrrha glare at her with red puffed up cheeks.

"Well, stop it! It's embarrassing!" he tried to wave his arms to get her to stop. But they were currently too sore to move fast enough. "Besides, I don't see you doing this to Ren's hair!"

"Oh, I do this all the time with Renny's. I even braid it." She pointed to the man; whose long hair was now braided. He moved the hair and it sparkled, strangely.

"She is the master of braiding."

Jaune sighed. "Figures…by the way, is Fen going to be okay? He kicked up a bit of a fuss when we landed," he asked noticing the small white wolf was not around.

"Your little wolf pal is fine Jaune," Roland spoke up. "We figured it would be best to have him taken to the Vet before he was allowed in the hospital. Plus, he is technical a wild animal and needs to be checked for worms and whatnot. After that, he'll be staying with Saphron until you're discharged."

"Thanks, sis. Take good care of him, okay. We've been through a lot together."

Saphron nodded as she held her son in her arms. "No problem, little brother."

"Speaking of, how on earth did you get a wild wolf pup as a Pet?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, you must have a lot of cool stories to tell us now Jaune. Like, how the heck did you survive falling off the cliff like that. Not even I could survive a fall like that, I mean if I didn't have my weapon." Ruby asked.

"Yeah, come on Jaune, how did you survive? From what we heard the Black Forest was impossible to escape from." Yang asked as well interested in the story that would come from the boy.

"Oh, boy, that's a long story…Okay, so what happened was…"

He began to regale them the tale of how he fell down into the Black Forest. About his run-in with the White Fang on the mountain tops, causing an avalanche – his mother and Pyrrha nearly had a heart attack when he told them that – and his battle with the bandits at Riverdale. Another close bout of heart attacks. And even about the small-time, he spent with the Branwen tribe.

Yang avoided his gaze when he mentioned her mother.

He avoided telling them about his new abilities because he wanted to show them rather than tell them. He had a feeling that the head doctor wouldn't agree with him using his aura until he was fully healed and discharged. So, for now, he just regaled them of his adventures.

"Well I'm afraid that visiting hours are over, and Mister Arc needs some rest. We will allow for visitations again in the morning. But for now, it's time to let the patient rest." Doctor Nightingale said as she began to usher the people out.

"Sleep well Jaune, we'll see you in the morning." Diana Arc said as she placed a small kiss on his head. While Roland just ruffled his hair.

"Night mum, night dad." His parents smiled at them. His friends giving him similar goodbyes and in one case a slap on the back from the two heavy hitters.

"Good night Jaune. We'll be here first thing in the morning." Pyrrha said as she was led out of the room.

"Night Pyrrha." His gaze lingered for a moment before the door was close.

He smiled as he reclined into his bed. All the fatigue and the stress that he had carried was finally off his chest. The battles he faced, the losses he suffered. It was worth it, in the end, to get back to his friends…

But that still left the questions in his head, the ones that Raven put there. They seemed to reverberate more since his encounter with the two at the Arena. The one that was plastered on the wanted papers, and the insane looking scorpion man. Could they be working for the one that she talked about? The one that was actually 'controlling the Grimm' and if so, what else was she right about?

"I suppose I'll get my answers when I see Ozpin, face-to-face, but for now…" he lay back down and closed his eyes. "I just need to rest. World's not going anywhere."


A Day Later


A loud happy bark resonated from the cafeteria of the Hospital as Fenrir ran out of the small dog carrier and bolted for Jaune, who was just being wheeled to the mess hall at the same time. The small Wolf happily rubbed his head affectionally against Jaune's leg.

"I know, I know. I missed you too boy." He patted the wolf pup on its head. "Boy you must've really hated the vet?" he asked as the wolf pup nodded.

"Tell me about it," Saphron said as she held her son in her arms. "From what I heard, the poor thing just kept howling and barking, Kept the staff up all night. He really took a liking to you. Then again, you always were good with animals and kids."

Jaune nodded as he petted the small wolf. "Thanks for this, sis. So, where are mum and dad?"

"They're at the terminal, waiting for the rest of the family to drop in. Your friends are giving their reports to the Atlas soldiers, and grandpa is having chats with his old Iron Wolves comrades…huh…it's weird but I still can't believe Grandpa was alive this whole time."

"Tell me about it, how do you think I felt when I met him in the Pit? I guess getting captured by bandits again was a blessing in disguise, huh?" his sister didn't answer right away which caught Jaune's attention.

"Is something wrong?"

She sighed as she set her son done, who was adamant on playing with the small wolf pup.

"Jaune, I need to get something off my chest. And no doubt mum and dad will probably give you the same talk…" she sighed as she sat down on one of the chairs, thankful that the cafeteria was mostly empty.

"When we heard that you… 'Died'…everyone was angry at you. I was so angry at you, that you went and got yourself killed trying to live up to our old family name. Thinking how could you've been so stupid to try and relive our families old trade? Wasn't the life back home good enough? Wasn't being a son or an uncle good enough for you? You could've been anything you wanted, so why pick the most dangerous profession out there? Didn't you care about how we thought?" Jaune said nothing as he just listened, knowing full well he needed to hear this.

"Eventually my anger towards you turned to grief and I realised that doing things your own way has always been you. If you ever wanted something, you'd bend heaven and earth to make it happen. Us trying to stop you, just made you more stubborn…if that was even possible?" they both shared a chuckle before they resumed silence.

The only sound was Adrian playing with Fenrir, who was chasing the small wolf pup around the mess hall.

"You have no idea how happy we were to hear that you were alive and with grandpa of all people…it made me glad to know that Adrian wouldn't grow up knowing only a photograph. And it probably made the rest of us realise that by trying to stop you, it only pushed you on." Jaune looked to his older sister as she wiped away the tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"I really messed up, didn't I?" he asked as she looked at him. "I caused you guys so much misery and pain, I probably deserve a good whack on the head for putting you through all this." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, when you get better, grandpa might give you one." She joked as Jaune chuckled. "Still…After you're all healed up, you're going back to Beacon, right?"

"Yeah." He said without hesitation or remorse.

"Figured as much…" she gripped the fabric of her pants as she avoided looking directly at him. "I can't help but worry, that something is going to happen again and we're going to lose you again. Either to some forest, no one has escaped from, or bandit tribe or heck, even a giant space octopus for all we know." She continued to avoid his gaze as he listened to her.

"I…I'm not going to say we've changed our minds about it, and you will hear us fret constantly. But…" she Jaune looked over as she said. "But mum and dad are saying that maybe you should continue your training at Beacon."

He blinked once. Then twice, then once more just to be sure. "Seriously?" she nodded as he leaned back into his wheelchair. "Whoa…did not think that was going to happen."

"You didn't think what?"

"That mum and dad were going to change their mind. I mean I assumed that as soon as I get discharged, they were going to pull me straight from Beacon and ship me back home. I imagined that there was going to be some yelling, some heated arguments and maybe a broken wall or two. You know us Arc, we like to punch walls."

"I know, remember last year's Winter Solstice while we were lodging in Shion? The shack was so shabby, and the neighbours were so rude, it made everyone so frustrated. By the time we were done, there were no walls left of that place!" He laughed.

"Yeah, but that's what happened when dad tries to find a cheap place at the last minute. He always was a little forgetful. Like you remember the time he forgot their anniversary? Mum was so furious she punched him straight through the roof, we had to redecorate the whole place!" she laughed as well.

"There's still imprints of his face all over the tavern! One of them even has a plaque to remind him of their anniversary!" their laughter roared out, much to the confusion of Adrian and Fenrir who had stopped playing and watched the two siblings.

Eventually, they stopped laughing as they calmed down.

"…We all went through a lot of…I wouldn't say soul searching, but we all had to rethink our decisions. I guess mum and dad must've realised that maybe knowing how to fight would be better for you." He nodded a little at that.

"But that doesn't mean we're going to stop worrying, you hear me Jaune Arc! It means you are going to have to be extra careful from now on. Don't you go trying to play the hero when you don't need to be and don't try risking your own life recklessly! You got a family that worries about you after all!" she scolded as he held up his hands.

"Okay, okay! I promise! Geez, I hate it when you go all mother hen mode."

"Well what do you expect, I am a mother after all." She crossed her arms with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I reckon mum still has you beat. I mean she raised eight kids and you only got one to look after." She snorted out a chuckle.

"True, but little Adrian can be a hand full, I tell you what. You have no idea how much of my stuff goes missing when I turn my back on him." She peeked over as Adrian was standing on top of Fenrir, who was helping the little boy get the sausages off the table.

"Adrian! Get off Fenrir!" both turned in surprise and bolted, hiding under one of the many tables.

Jaune chuckled as he smiled. He then looked back as he held his sister's hand.

"Sis…" she turned to him as he nodded. "I can't promise I'll always be safe, no one can. But I can promise I'll always try my hardest to make it home. You have my word."

She stared before nodding with a sigh. "Okay…I guess that's all I can ask for."

"Amen to that." They turned to see their parents and grandfather as they waited by the door. "I see you two have been having a nice family chat."

"Mum, Dad, Grandpa! Where are the others, I thought you said they'd be here?"

"Oh, your sisters are being delayed for a bit. Work and all that. But they send their regards and hope to see you soon." His mother explained as they walked over and sat down with the siblings.

"Guess that makes sense. Yeah, we were just talking about me going back to Beacon…are you guys sure you're okay with it?" his parents shared a look before nodding back to him.

"We are. It took us a while to come around to it, but we've realised that instead of trying to stop you we should've been helping you. Preparing you for what's out there. We're still not completely comfortable with it, but we agree it's for the best." Jaune smiled a little before turning to his grandfather.

"What about you, grandpa. What are you going to do now, re-join the Iron Wolves?" the old man hummed as he stroked his beard.

"Yes, I will be re-joining them, but I've been giving it a lot of thought. Our family has been through some troubling times ever since we lost Kaer Arc years ago. Then the Iron Wolves had a traitor in our ranks for years, and I lost out ten years of my family's life because of Gaius." Jaune's gaze hardened as he thought about the man who killed Bruno.

"I hope he got what's coming to him," Jaune spoke bitterly as he nodded.

"Don't worry, he's being…well taken care of. But anyway, I've been giving it a lot of thought. The Iron Wolves need a place that they can hold up, and the survivors of the Blood Pits need a home too. Most of them don't even have homes to go back to, either destroyed or lost to the Grimm. What we need is a permanent base instead of continuously roaming around…Which is why I've decided to organize a raid with the Vale Council to take back Kaer Arc from the Grimm." Roland and Diana snapped their heads to the man, while Jaune and Saphron looked confused.

"Really, you want to take back our old home?" Roland asked as Cornelius nodded. "But no one has set foot there in over thirty years. There's no telling what state the old homestead will be in."

"I know. It won't be an easy solution. It would take time, resources and a lot of fire-power to take back the old place. But It's easier to retake a place that has established infostructure, then try to recreate it somewhere else that will take more time and resources. Repairing is faster than rebuilding. I have some connections with the Vale Council to convince them to assist us. We had a contract with them once, hopefully, we can convince them again." Roland nodded as he looked to his father.

"If you need any help dad, I'll be there. It's time we retook our family home." Cornelius nodded as he patted his son's hand.

"Thank you…Now, onto another matter." He looked over to Jaune as he hardened his gaze. "Jaune that man and woman at the arena, they were there for you. Why would that be?" Jaune looked concerned, remembering Ozpin's words, before choosing his words carefully.

"I don't know. It might've had something to do with that invasion that was thwarted." He clicked his fingers in remembrance. "I never saw that man before, but the woman I have. She was on a video file I sent to Headmaster Ozpin, and recently on a wanted poster that this woman Raven showed me."

"Raven, as in Raven Branwen?" Roland asked as Jaune nodded.

"You know her?"

"She was a part of team STRQ back in our Huntsman days. She and her team were considered the best of the best back in our Beacon Days. The only ones nearly equal to them was my old, Team ROGE. Kind of like your teams RWBY and JNPR." He shook his head.

"But a short while after graduation she went off the grid, never saw or heard from her again." Diana finished as she remembered hearing from Tai that Raven had gone missing.

"Well, she's leading a Bandit clan at the moment." Roland hummed as he crossed his arms.

"We did hear rumours that she and her brother were former bandits, but I didn't believe them. Guess it makes sense she would go back to that old life."

"It's actually how I met her after the Battle at Riverdale. She found me and took me back to her camp, patched me up. But then she started talking some sort of nonsense I didn't understand, something about Ozpin not being who he says he is, I didn't get it." Unbeknownst to him, his parents shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by Cornelius.

"I didn't really get what she was talking about, but I think it's some serious shi-um…I mean serious stuff." A glare from his mother stopped him from cursing. "I'm supposed to talk to Ozpin about it when I get back to Beacon but, do you guys know what she was talking about?" his parents shared a look before nodding.

"Jaune…men like Ozpin…have secrets, secrets that aren't meant for the world to know. Whatever Raven told you, and whatever it is Ozpin has to tell you…please remember to take it with a grain of salt. There are things out there that don't need to be shared. Understand?" his father asked as Jaune stared before nodding.

Saphron and Cornelius looked between the three before the old man sighed.

"Well, that's…ominous," Cornelius said.

"Can't say I know what's going on, but I get the feeling I'll learn all about it later. In any case, Jaune, there's something I want to give you." Jaune raised an eyebrow as the man fished in his pocket.

"You've shown a great amount of ingenuity and courage during the last five months. You braved the Black Forest, traversed arduous Paths, survived and overcome many great trials. All for the sake of your friends and the ones around you. Its qualities like these that I look for in Iron Wolves. I'd be honoured to give you a place in the Iron Wolves."

Jaune stared in awe as he placed a small badge in front of him with the insignia of the Iron Wolves.

"Really?" he asked as he picked up the badge.

"Well at the moment it's only a symbolic gesture. Real Iron Wolves get Tattoos on their arms to symbolise their loyalty. But your parents won't allow you to get one, not until you're 18-to-21 to join up, and you finish your education first." Roland and Diana nodded as the older man smiled.

"But with this consider yourself an Iron Wolf kid."

"Bark"

They looked down as Fenrir stared up at them and he chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, you too you little mutt." The wolf pup panting happily as it hopped up onto Jaune's lap.

"Thanks, Grandpa. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't kid." He smiled as the family enjoyed what they had lost for so long. A nice and warm moment together, with nothing standing in their way.

"Oh man, this is so cool! I can't wait to show Pyrrha and the others!" he smiled as he held the badge in his hands. Something triggered inside Diana as she turned to her son.

"By the way Jaune." Diana caught his attention as he turned to her.

"It has come to my attention that one of your teammates seems to value you very highly. More so than I would say a regular partner would care." Jaune looked confused before a Cheshire-like-grin spread across her face.

"A certain Red-headed champion that just so happens to have a crush on you." Jaune flinched as his memories came back. "I also heard that you recently found out about her crush," sweat began to gather on his forehead as his mother's and sisters' eyes became predatory.

"Care to explain?"

Jaune had to face insurmountable odds ever since he fell into the Black Forest. He had battled a hundred Grimm, faced off against misguided White Fang, fought off a horde of Grimm and Bandits and even survived in the infamous Blood Pits that had taken countless lives all without a hint of remorse or fear…

But nothing, and he meant nothing, in the world made him more terrified than his mother and sister asking about his personal love life.

"I-Uh-well-uh…." He looked over to the males of the family hoping for some kind of support.

Only to see them avert their gaze. "Well, I think it's time I go talk to Gris, organise the Wolves and everything! Been gone ten years, after all, gotta catch up on all those meetings I've missed!" Cornelius coughed into his hand as he stood up.

"Yes, and I need to take my darling grandson on a nice stroll around Argus!" Roland said as he picked up a confused looking Adrian. "Come on Adrian, its time you hung out with your dear old Grand-pappy!"

"I'll come with you!" Cornelius said as he and the three men stood up and bailed.

'Cowards! Get back here!' Jaune mentally screamed as they walked away. He looked down to Fenrir, who only seemed to whine, look away and hid under the table with his tail between his legs.

'…Et Tu, Fenrirus?'

"Now," he flinched as he slowly looked back to his mother. "Would you mind explaining why you were so inconsiderate to my potential future daughter-in-law, oh son of mine?"

"Yes, I would like to know that too, brother dearest." their eyes seemed to glow as they struck fear into the boy.

"Uh, well it's kind of complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it." His mother's voice cut him off before she relaxed her gaze and smiled warmly to her child.

"Jaune the moment we met Pyrrha we could tell that she valued you very highly, more so after the funeral where we could see how much you truly meant to her. Yet we learned that you had instead focused most of your attention on the girl named Weiss. Why?"

Jaune hung his head as he sighed. "I don't know, I guess cause I'm an idiot? I didn't really notice until I was lost in the forest how much Pyrrha actually cared about me. All the small things she did for me, all the times she spent helping me get better, I just thought she was just being nice to me. How was I supposed to know she was doing it as a way to get my attention? I mean it's not like she telegraphed it to me?"

Saphron and Diana glared at him with dead emotionless eyes that caused him to quake in his soul.

"Jaune, it was so obvious that she had a crush on you. Heck, from what we heard you could probably see it from the top of Atlas!" Saphron stressed as Jaune hung his head.

"Y-Yeah, I get that now." He sighed as he shook his head.

"I guess I just didn't think about it too much. I mean she's supposed to be this role model for everyone, she has amazing skills, looks and a kind personality that would make anyone jealous. And I was just some country bumpkin that wanted to relive his family's lost glory. What kind of girl like that would be interested in a guy like me?" Diana rolled her eyes at this.

'Good lord he is just like his father.'

"So instead of thinking that you weren't' good enough for her, you instead focused on Weiss as what, compensation?" His sister asked as Jaune instantly shook his head.

"What! No, that's not it. I never thought I wasn't good enough or thought of Weiss as compensation! I don't know why I was infatuated with Weiss, but I guess I just liked that Pyrrha was nice to me and treated me like a friend. You know I never l really had a lot of friends growing up, so her being nice to me like that, I just thought she wanted to be my friend." He hung his head as he thought back to his realization.

"But ever since I was in the forest, and I looked over my life, I started to realise that Pyrrha liked me more than just a friend. That those times she helped me was more than what a friend would do. It did kind of helped that I thought about that book you write sis."

Saphron flinched as she avoided her mother's gaze while whistling off-key. 'These children of mine.'

"When I realised how she felt it made me more determined to get back and confront her about it. It's part of what pushed me to keep going, aside from getting back to everyone else of course." His mother and sister nodded. "But now that I'm back…I don't know what to do? H-How do I go about? I mean I don't like Weiss like I used to anymore, but how the hell am I supposed to feel about Pyrrha? …I don't know what to do?"

Both mother and daughter looked at each other before nodding.

"Well it's simple, you just need to talk to her. Talking doesn't necessarily mean you two have to start a relationship. You're both young teenagers who have never had a meaningful relationship outside of friendship." Diana advised as Saphron nodded.

"She's right Jaune. Sure, one may feel more strongly about the other, but it doesn't mean you have to jump right into it. That's the beauty of dating. You take your time, see how things play out and if your feelings change for her, then that's great. If not…well then you two can still be friends. But first, you need to talk and get it all out in the open. There is no easy or hard way about it. Just talk to her."

Jaune looked a little hesitant about taking advise from his mother and sister. But then again both of them were in strong meaningful relationships, so they had to know something. And they were right, just because Pyrrha had feelings for him didn't mean that he had to return them right away. A part of him worried that by rejecting them he would lose her as a friend, but another part of him was afraid of losing her as something else.

What that was, he needed to find out.

He sighed before nodding. "Okay, thanks…I needed this." The pair smiled at him as Diana placed a comfiting hand on his.

"That's we're here Jaune…that's why we're here."

His journey home may be over. But his path into the future was still long and arduous. But with his family and his friends by his side, he knew somehow, he'd make it out okay. But his greatest trial was still to come, knowing that out in the Darkness, the Night would attempt to encumber the world in black and threaten everything he held dear.


Omake: A Mother's Request


In the Cafeteria, Diana, Saphron and Jaune had just finished their conversation as they reminisced on happier times. Saphron showing Jaune photo's of the missing months of Adrian's growth as and his mother smiled at the small child of Saphron and Terra.

"Wow, I missed out on so much. Thanks for doing this for me sis."

"It's no worries Jaune. I'm just glad you're still here and that you can be a proper uncle to him rather than just a photo on the shelf for him." He nodded as he thumbed through the book.

"Yeah, Me too. The last thing I want was to miss out on the little guy growing up. I'm his uncle after all. It's my responsibility to teach him all the manly things about life." He said with confidence.

"Like being used a livening mannequin for his sisters?" she smirked as he blushed and glared at her.

"Never mention that to him…ever." He stressed as she laughed while Diana smiled at her children.

Which instantly sparked something in Diana.

"Oh, and Jaune," Jaune looked back to his mother as she smiled. "Regarding our earlier conversation, if you do decide to start a relationship with Pyrrha and it develops into something beautiful and more…" Jaune looked curious as he took a sip of his drink.

"I expect no less than Ten grandchildren."

The drink rocketing out his mouth as it sprayed across the room and left a small rainbow in its wake. Some of the liquid stuck in his lungs as he coughed loudly. Saphron herself had a small blush on her cheeks as she looked incredulously at her own mother.

"T-Ten grandkids! What the hell, Mum!"

"What? It's a perfectly reasonable number. I mean I had eight children after all. And Pyrrha seems like a fully capable girl, kind-hearted. She would make a wonderful mother if given the chance." Steam was spilling out of Jaune's head as he tried to ignore the rather dirty thoughts that began to pile up.

"B-But you already have a grandchild!"

"Oh I know, and I love Adrian, he is so cute and adorable…but I want more damn it!" she slammed her hands into the table. "All my other children are too busy 'focusing on their careers' to give me any more grandchildren, and Saphron says she only wants one child! I had eight children for a reason, to give me more darling grandchildren!" she pointed at the boy.

"So, man up and give me some grandchildren already! …once you've reached a certain age of course." Jaune blushed red as he slammed his head on the table and attempted to hide from the world.

"Gods you are embarrassing!" he groaned as he lay face-first on the table. All the while the Matriarch of the Arc clan laughed.

'Thank the Gods Pyrrha's not here. I don't think she could take hearing mum's insane request…though I don't doubt she'd be a great mother.' His blush deepened as he groaned into the table.

Unbeknownst to him and the others, Pyrrha hid near the entrance of the Cafeteria as she kept her hands over her mouth. Her face blushing red as she constantly muttered the word ten under her breath. Her mind running wild with the thought of small red and blond-haired children calling her 'Mumma'.

"…T-Ten might not be that bad of a number?"


And Scene. Well after so long, sorry for not updating sooner. Here is the XVI of The Legend of the White Wolf. Sorry for the late update, but I've been busy as of late with work, Uni starting up and personal life that I have to sort out. My bed broke so I need to save up and buy a new one. So, with this chapter, I wanted to focus on the family aspect of the Reunion. The Next Chapter is about is friends and his possible relationship with Pyrrha.

I mean, yes, they were separated and yes Jaune knows her crush on him. But they still need to talk about what they actually feel for each other. They need to have a deep meaningful conversation about what they should do next…

Which I will need help with because I am alone and have no girlfriend. (Sad Violin Music.) So, other than that, suggestions and PM's would be appreciated and stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in…

Chapter XVII: Knights Rest Part II