The sun beamed, brightly over the green trees; rich with life and warmth. The gentle sway of the leaves under the cloudless sky swished in the breeze.
The air was clean, and the ground was soft with healthy grass. The sounds were natural as the call of songbirds echoed in the distance. The hot summer sun of Mistral kept many of the other creatures hidden in the shade.
The dull shink of a whetstone on tempered steel rang from one such shadow.
Raven sat under the shade of a tall tree. Her legs were crossed and her back was supported by the large trunk. Her deep, red eyes peered through the slits of her ghostly, white mask and traced over the razor-sharp edge of the blade on her lap.
With one last drag of the whetstone over her sword, Raven held it up and admired the way the small shards of light that peeked through the leaves above her reflected along its length.
She felt the soft grass beside her and plucked one strand from the ground. Lifting it above her sharpened sword, she let go of the blade of grass and watched it split in two as it fluttered onto the edge. Although no one could see it, Raven wore a small smile behind her mask.
Satisfied with her work, Raven sheathed her blade, only to draw another one from her rotating holster. This blade was black, instead of the deep red of her primary blade.
Once again, the whetstone was drawn against the blade with the intent of making it as sharp as the last.
Raven continued her operations while overlooking a modest clearing of grass in the quiet of the forest. Each of her blades received the same treatment, and by the time she was sharpening the last blade from her sheath, she heard the familiar sound of trudging footsteps through the grass approaching her.
"Where is it?" Raven asked without looking up from her blade.
A bow and a single arrow were thrown before Raven, followed by the knees of a young girl as her head hung low.
"It got away… again," said the young girl, "I am not worthy of your teachings."
Raven ground the whetstone against her blade in silence. She could feel the girl's anxious glances between her and the bow that laid in the grass.
At last, Raven inspected her blade, hummed in approval, and sheathed it. Not paying the girl any mind, she stood up and propped Omen against the tree.
"On your feet," said Raven.
The girl scrambled and quickly stood up as her light-blue eyes stared up at Raven's white mask.
Raven looked down on the girl and began to walk around her, "You believe you are unworthy," she declared more than asked.
"I am," said the girl as her eyes fell to the grass under her boots.
"I disagree."
Raven stopped in front of the girl.
The girl avoided Raven's gaze; keeping her eyes trained on her feet.
"I didn't save you for no reason, and I certainly didn't save you to hear you mope," Raven spoke down, "I have seen your potential. I know you are skilled in a great many things."
"Apparently, I'm not skilled enough to kill a simple hare," the girl pouted.
Raven shifted her weight and rested a hand on her hip, "Do you expect pity from me, Child?"
The girl frowned and continued to avoid Raven's mask.
"Vernal," Raven insisted.
"Of course I don't," Vernal whined as her lip trembled slightly, "I'm only telling you the truth. Every time I almost have him, he gets away… He always hears me coming, and always moves too fast! I can't use a bow; I'm not good with it, and I never will be. Your time is wasted on me…"
"You don't get to decide whether my time is wasted or not," Raven warned, "It's no wonder you keep coming back empty-handed. You are essentially trying to use a jackhammer when this task better fits the use of a scalpel."
"I… I don't understand," said Vernal, "Shouldn't the bow be considered the scalpel?"
"The bow is your weapon… your tool," said Raven, "You are the scalpel."
Vernal glanced away, clearly trying to comprehend what Raven was telling her.
Raven folded her arms and resumed circling around Vernal, "Close your eyes."
Vernal immediately did as was instructed; closing her eyes and standing still.
"Your eyes can be deceiving. They show you everything in front of you, but that is never enough. You focus on what you can see, but nothing else," Raven began, "You must focus on the world around you. Feel it. Take in all that the environment has to offer you."
Vernal furrowed her brows and lifted her head up.
"Yes… Listen to the wind in the trees… Feel the heat from the sun on your skin… Mind your breathing…"
Raven stopped beside Vernal and breathed in the air. She relished the quiet.
After a few minutes of silence, Raven slowly looked down at Vernal, "What do you notice, Child?"
Vernal took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax where she stood, "I… I hear water running… There must be a stream nearby."
"Excellent," said Raven, "What else is there? What knowledge have you gathered of the world around you?"
"The air…" Vernal trailed off as she breathed in through her nose, "It smells almost sweet… Does the tree we're under bear fruit or have any flowers?"
"Both," said Raven, "Good."
"There… There's something else," said Vernal as she furrowed her brows and focused, "Something I can't figure out… I hear birds, and bugs, and… It feels like they're watching us or waiting for us."
"We are in their world," said Raven, "They have survived for this long, so they know the lessons I am teaching you now. They mind the world as we should."
"The hare… That's why he always gets away," Vernal concluded.
"Yes, but that is not the only reason," said Raven as she walked to the tree and reached into a bag near its base, "The hare has another ability that is key to his survival."
"What is it?" Vernal asked, hastily.
"The ability to understand the circumstances of his surroundings… and appropriately react," said Raven, "Think fast!"
Vernal's eyes shot open as she narrowly managed to bend her body around a knife as it flew through the air past her.
Raven did not let Vernal have a chance to get her bearings as she dashed towards and swung at her. Her hand met nothing but air as Vernal dashed backward out of the shade and into the clearing.
Raven sunk down into a fighting stance and raised her arms with relaxed hands.
Vernal took a deep breath and loosened out her arms before bringing them up in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she now shifted her focus away from her surroundings and onto Raven.
Raven wasted no time, dashing for Vernal with a roundhouse kick.
Vernal gasped and deflected the blow with her hands while backing up.
Raven followed through and threw a flurry of straight punches at Vernal. She was pushing her attack, forcing Vernal on the defensive.
Vernal grit her teeth as she barely kept Raven's assault from breaking her guard. She was visibly struggling, but there was a twinkle of determination in her eye.
Raven smirked behind her mask. She charged up a punch and threw it at Vernal's shoulder, but feinted it into a sidekick.
As expected, Vernal did not see the mix up coming and felt the full brunt of the kick in her chest. She grunted as her aura absorbed the blow.
Raven rolled her shoulders and took a moment to crack her neck as she approached Vernal and squared up again.
Vernal took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She curled her hands into fists and jumped at Raven.
Raven sidestepped the first attack and watched as Vernal barely managed to recover her balance.
Realizing her mistake, Vernal narrowed her eyes and approached Raven again. This time, she threw a palm strike aimed for Raven's stomach.
Raven hopped backward and countered with a right hook. She had to admit, she was surprised when her fist missed its target.
Vernal swiftly ducked under the punch and stepped around Raven. Seeing her chance, she struck at Raven's exposed side, but Raven knew it was coming.
She spun and faced Vernal once again. She smirked: this time because Vernal had used her small size to her advantage.
They circled around each other, and Raven could tell exhaustion was creeping up on her young protégé.
Vernal was breathing hard and sweating under the hot summer sun's heat.
Raven would not go easy on her. She flung a lightning-fast kick at Vernal's head, easily dodged by the young girl, and followed up with a left cross that struck her guard.
Vernal used her arms to block strike after strike from Raven until she spotted an opening in her pattern.
Raven could tell Vernal was getting antsy while waiting for her moment. As she threw an uppercut, she watched as Vernal dodged the blow and lunged at her unguarded stomach. She did not expect such an attack, but she managed to counter it anyway.
Vernal gasped as her feet were kicked out from under her, and prepared to hit the ground.
Raven stopped the fall, however; gripping Vernal's hand.
She nodded at the young girl, "Impressive."
"I didn't even land a hit on you," Vernal frowned as she was pulled to her feet, huffing for her breath.
"And?" Raven asked.
"I proved that I'm unworthy."
Raven stood before Vernal and shook her head, disappointedly, "Listen very closely, Child. I was the one who chose to save you and raise you as one with the tribe. Calling yourself unworthy is an insult to my intelligence and my judgment."
Vernal looked at the grass, clearly trying to hold back tears, "I… Forgive me."
Raven folded her arms and looked down on Vernal, "You are worthy, and it would be foolish to say otherwise. In order to survive here, you must be at your peak at all times. By disparaging yourself, this becomes impossible and the inevitable comes to pass. The weak die, the strong live."
"Those are the rules…" Vernal recited.
"That's right," Raven nodded, "I saved you because I see your strength. Do not align yourself with the weak, or you will suffer their fate."
Vernal drew in a deep breath, and looked up at Raven with determination, "I won't be like them. I won't be weak… Thank you…"
Raven sighed and reached for her mask; pulling it off her face as she placed her hand on Vernal's shoulder, "You grow stronger every day. I'm eager to see the powerful warrior you will become."
Vernal looked into Raven's red pupils with wonder in her own eyes and smiled.
Raven smiled back and started for the tree where Omen awaited her, "Now. I think it's about time we get that hare."
She sat down at the base of the tree, placed her mask beside her, and closed her eyes as the breeze blew through her dark hair.
Vernal raised an eyebrow and confusedly looked around, "We? Are you going to help me?"
"Yes," Raven said, simply.
"Then why are you sitting down?"
Raven opened her eyes and huffed in amusement, "Come, Child. Get your bow and sit with me."
Vernal rushed over to the bow under the tree's shade, grabbed it, and sat down beside Raven with her legs crossed.
"To catch the hare, we must use all our tools; all of our skills," Raven began, "In nature, the hare is small and swift and that is how it is able to evade the fox. But the snake, however, waits and listens while the hare seals its own fate. But as the snake hides, the fox will relentlessly search for, and make an easy meal of it. It is important that you learn when to be the fox, when to be the snake, and sometimes, when to be the hare."
Vernal nodded and watched as Raven closed her eyes again. This time, she followed suit.
Raven knew Vernal would be waiting eagerly. She did not have to open her eyes to know Vernal peeked at her every once in a while.
Seconds… Minutes… Hours passed. The sun still shined brightly, though its position in the blue, unclouded sky had changed some.
It had been a while since Raven had the chance to listen to the forest like this. Months of training the young girl were mostly spent sparing and honing skills and strategies against opponents, both, Grimm and human.
Raven briefly recalled her time learning the very lessons she was teaching Vernal when she, herself, was a pre-teen. She used to be far less patient than Vernal.
A soft rustling in some bushes caught Raven's ear. It sounded different than when the wind passed through them.
Raven opened her eyes and watched as a large, brown hare peeked its head into the clearing.
"The hare seals its fate…" Raven whispered.
Vernal curiously eyed Raven until she followed her eyes. She gasped at the sight of the hare emerging from the safety of the brush.
"W-what do we do?" Vernal whispered, hurriedly, as she got up on one knee.
"Ready your weapon," said Raven, matter-of-factly.
After a moment's hesitation, Vernal plucked her single arrow from the grass and stood up with her bow in hand. She quietly placed the arrow on the string and extended her arm. Readjusting her grip on the handle, Vernal drew the string back and focused on her target.
Raven watched as Vernal's hand shook and trembled. The arrow rested on the girl's finger, but never steadily.
Raven stepped behind Vernal, leaning down and placing her hand on her shoulder, "Be calm," she whispered, "Keep control of your breathing. Allow your arrow to let loose with it. Make it work for you."
Vernal kept her eye on the hare. She took a deep breath through her mouth and held it. Suddenly, her hands were steady, and her arrow flew as she let go of her breath.
The arrow soared through the clearing, splitting the calm air until it pierced fur and flesh and bone. It punctured the hare and pinned its corpse to the ground; killing it instantly.
Raven stood proudly as Vernal shot her arms towards the sky.
"I did it! I got him! Did you see that!? I finally got him!" Vernal smiled widely.
"I saw it," Raven chuckled as she placed a hand on Vernal's back, "Now, go get your kill. We won't let him go to waste."
Vernal nodded and giggled happily as she sprinted to her kill and lifted it by the ears. She ran back to Raven as she was gathering her weapon and mask.
Raven smiled as she and Vernal began to walk away from the clearing, "You've done well, today," she said as she placed her hand behind Vernal's shoulder.
"It's because of your teachings," Vernal smiled back.
"If only that were true, Young One," Raven chuckled, "What do you say we head back and have the cooks whip up something special for you? I think it'll be your first hare, correct?"
"Yeah," Vernal sighed, "Gods, I feel like it's been a week since we've been home."
"It hasn't been quite that long," Raven hummed.
She would not readily admit it, but Raven was feeling a bit homesick. She knew ever since she became the leader of the tribe, she had gotten used to delegating within the main camp. Going out on recon or to train Vernal was still something she enjoyed from time to time, but, ultimately, she preferred being with her people in the one place she could make them feel safe.
Home…
Raven closed her eyes as she breathed in the crisp morning air. The pink and orange hues over the white fence bathed the yard.
She sat under the only tree; dragging a whetstone over her sword.
It was so quiet… So peaceful…
As she heard the sound of the glass, sliding door open, she watched as Cinder emerged from the house while wrapping her robe tightly around her.
"It's kind of chilly, today," Cinder commented as she moved under the tree.
Raven hummed in agreement and returned her attention to her blade.
Cinder combed her messy hair with her fingers and leaned against the trunk, "You look tired. How long have you been up?"
"All night," Raven answered as she momentarily stopped sharpening her blade, "Couldn't sleep. Needed to clear my mind a little."
"I can see that," said Cinder as she eyed the blood-red sword in Raven's lap, "Thinking about Yang again?"
"Not last night, no," Raven place the whetstone in the grass and ran her thumb against her blade, "We had a visitor. Vernal and a few tribesmen."
"Vernal is on Patch?" Cinder asked, with a straightened spine and concerned eyes, "She was here?"
Raven nodded and slid Omen into its sheath, "I had my suspicions before, but I wasn't certain until earlier. It doesn't matter anymore though. She's gone now."
Probably…
Cinder visibly relaxed her posture, "Oh… Well, I'm sure she didn't just come here to visit. What did she want?"
"Apparently, all is not well with the tribe. She said they wouldn't follow her, and that they wanted me back," Raven strained as she stood up.
"And?"
"And now, more than ever, I feel like I'm doing exactly what I did to Yang to the tribe," Raven explained as she stared at the grass, "to Vernal…"
Cinder sighed and shifted her gaze to the grass as well, "I know how much Vernal meant to you, Raven. I was there, remember? You took her under your wing after you… After the tribe raided our village."
"I owed it to her to make sure she could survive on her own."
"Yes, you did," said Cinder, "She was almost like a daughter to you, but the truth is, she wasn't your daughter. I'll be brutally honest with you, Raven: you made a commitment to her when you already had a commitment that you were neglecting somewhere else. Now, you're paying the price for it."
"I had a commitment to the tribe before that."
"You broke that commitment and made a new one the minute you thought about settling down with Tai."
Raven furrowed her brows in thought.
"Damn it," Raven groaned as she rested her fist against the tree, "Everything was fine. It was going so well! It's like as soon as everything seems clear, something has to change everything!"
"The situation hasn't changed, Rae," Cinder began, "At least I don't think it has. Yang is still here, and she has opened up to you so much. She just let you meet her children officially yesterday. She has trust in you now."
"Vernal did too."
"Vernal isn't your daughter, Raven. Yang is," Cinder frowned, "I hope her visit hasn't changed your choice to stay here."
Raven flinched, "It hasn't," she said hastily, "I just… I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. It hurts to have to choose between two things I care about."
Cinder bit her cheek and slowly grasped Raven's hand, "I'm sorry. I realize I might have been a little callous, but my point still stands. You have already shown such improvement from being here and repairing things with Yang. You're more patient, more compassionate…"
"I get it," Raven sighed as she squeezed Cinder's hand, "I suppose I'll stay here as long as Yang wants me to."
Yang pursed her lips as she parked her car on the dirt driveway. Ever since Wendy mentioned Summer and the blackbird, the number of questions she had were steadily increasing.
She told Weiss she was going to talk to Raven about it, but then she had a chance to sleep on her thoughts last night.
After a quick breakfast and text message to her wife, Yang hopped into her car and started for the person she needed to talk to.
As her thoughts swirled around in her head, Yang made her way to the front door of the house and absentmindedly pushed it open.
"Dad," she walked inside and barely got a word out before she was sitting on the couch beside him.
Taiyang curiously looked Yang up and down as he reached for the remote to turn down the television, "Um, hi, Yang. Let me get the door for you."
"What?" Yang asked as she realized she had just barged into her father's house, "Oh, sorry. Do you have a second to talk?"
Taiyang chuckled at how scatterbrained Yang was acting, "Always. What's on your mind, Kiddo?"
"Um, right, so…" Yang tripped over her words as she folded her hands in her lap and faced forward, "I was driving the kids home from Cinder's house yesterday, and Wendy started talking about things. And now I'm conflicted, and I don't understand, and I have so many questions and—"
"Slow down, Yang," Taiyang smiled, "I'm getting pretty old. You've got to give me a second to pick up what you're putting down. What did Wendy say?"
"She mentioned mom… not Raven… Summer."
Taiyang's smile fell and he bit his cheek.
"I know they went to her grave," Yang added on.
Taiyang sighed, "Yeah… They did."
Yang nodded, appreciating her father's honesty. If only she knew what to say next.
She had so many questions, but she did not want any answers from him if her suspicions were true.
Wendy had mentioned a blackbird, but that did not mean Raven was behind this strange visit to Summer's grave, did it? There are plenty of birds on Patch after all.
"I… I have a question," said Yang.
Taiyang nodded and gestured for Yang to continue.
"I need to know… Was Raven involved in this?"
"Yes," said Taiyang, without hesitation, "Though, I feel like you already knew that."
Yang cringed. To be honest, that was not the answer she wanted, despite Taiyang being right about her already knowing.
"Yeah… I guess you're right. Thanks for being honest with me."
Taiyang frowned and looked down at his lap, "I talked to Raven at the twins' birthday party, you know. I asked her about why she—"
"Stop," Yang interrupted as she looked into Taiyang's aged eyes, "That's all I wanted to hear."
Taiyang blinked puzzledly, "I don't understand. I thought you would want to hear about everything."
"Let's just say I understand why you didn't want to tell me that Raven was on Patch last month," said Yang as she stood up to leave.
"Wait," said Taiyang as he stood up as well, "What are you going to do now?"
Yang did not meet Taiyang's gaze. Instead, she looked at the door and sighed.
A/N: Hello all! I'm back a week later than I said I would be, and I am sorry. I very much underestimated how busy I would be during midterms! We should be returning to weekly uploads again. Before I go, I want to recognize a reader and fellow writer by the name of KillamriX88! This person; this absolute GOD/GODDESS went through the entirety of Project Freezerburn, and all of Of Family and Fulfillment so far and left reviews on nearly every chapter! Yay for you and thank you from the bottom of my heart! Your works are currently at the top of my reading list for when I have time. Leaving reviews consistently is a great way to get a shoutout from me, my wonderful readers! So, please leave a review!
