So this chapter (and many going forward) involves falconry and I'm somebody who's still learning about things. If there are any fundamental errors, I apologise. I've been watching videos by falconers (mainly The Falcon Lady on YouTube) as well as reading a book, but I know that is far from ideal in terms of learning. However, my aim is mainly to portray it to a believable level while also taking creative liberties due to the nature of some animals on Remnant. If anybody more knowledgeable is somehow reading this fic, I am open to conversation and critique.

The dog mentioned is a Hokkaido Inu. There are about half a dozen names for them, but they're a sort of inu and have that body type, so you can just kind of picture a very large Shiba. However, they're referred to as 'Seta' here which is just the Ainu word for 'dog' (and also one of the many breed names)


Qrow palled his hand back from Winter's head before putting Harbinger to the side and flopped down in the armchair. Dear ancestors, what a mess this had turned into. He'd never doubted it would be one, but this was ridiculous.

One night.

One.

Fucking.

Night.

She should've been fine for one gods-damned night.

But some sick asshole had thought it was his right to 'claim' her. How could people be so damn evil…? Everyone was selfish to varying degrees, but this was just pure evil…

A small cough made him look over at the screen and Coco shifted a bit before settling her sunglasses on top of her head. "Did you... put her to sleep with your Semblance? She's never one to fall asleep after something this stressful."

Oh.

Oops.

He just chuckled awkwardly, shaking his head. "Nah, my Semblance is bad luck; that was just some advanced aura."

"Some what?" He chuckled again. This was always a pain in theists to explain.

"I'll spare you the lengthy exposition dump, but it's the esoteric side of aura at its base. You can do a hell of a lot more with your aura than you think. But it requires time, dedication, self-discipline, and a hell of a lot. of each. It's not just something you do; it's something you live." Not that he was great at it... But he still maintained a decent Grade Nine…

He blinked when his scroll pinged and Summer held as the icon for his messenger am. "Hey Qrow, I think asking a favor from Raven might not be a bad idea."

A favor from her? Wh—

He massaged the bridge if his nose and sighed. Actually, that was a fantastic idea. Not that he wanted to owe her so hugely, but extra security was a good idea... "I'll bite. Which route do you think they took this year and would they be out of CCTS range?" Dragging a stranger into Winter's apartment was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was all he could do right now. Waiting three or four days for one of his falconry buddies to deliver a bird he couldn't understand just wasn't an option…

"Based on route rotation, weather patterns, and documents of villages being destroyed, my best guess is East Track 10, Deviance 4-AC. According to my calculations, you have a week and a half until they're out of COTS range. Signal has waned due to a sudden onset of bad weather. Experts predict a harsh, early winter this year."

He couldn't stop the flinch at the forecast. An early, harsh winter? The salmon spawn would be hard especially if thick ice covered the rivers. They'd be forced to desperate tactics to—

No, no.

That would never be his worry again. "Thanks, moonflower." He smiled at Summer, earning a snicker frm Coco. His cheeks heated but he ignored her while the dial tone started.

Damn it, Raven; pickup... She had to have been waking up right about—

" Qrow, the hell...? " Raven's exhausted Chiri-itak let his shoulders relax as he breathed a sigh of relief.

" Sorry to bother you at hell-in-the-morning, but I need a huge favor from you, no questions asked. On a strict time limit that I'm not sure how long will last ." He glanced at Winter. biting his lip. She had no pr-tection from nightmares so a few hours asleep would be lucky. but with him there…

" Qrow, you— "

" Look, I'll owe you double if you just do it. " Damn self-righteous woman.

" I'm listening. "

"I need to borrow one of Unu's birds if possible. And a dog too ."

" Qrow, are you nuts?! You want to introduce tribal— "

" Keep going and that offer disappears. "

Raven just gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. Give me about ten to fifteen. I can talk to Unu and grab your old boy and go wake up Huchi Egla for a spare glove. " She paused for a moment. " You owe me a good Valian-style meal for that one. "

Qrow just winced again. " Yeah, that's fair. I can only imagine how much ornery she's gotten in her old age. "

Traven just made a noise that told him she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Y ou have no idea. Anyway, hand measurements about the same? "

" Has Unu never not cared about somebody? " They both laughed for a moment before Raven spoke again.

" Anyway, give me maybe an extra five to ten to deal with that stubborn old eagle ." He call clicked off and he sighed as he slumped in his chair. Owing Raven like this was going to be a pain in the ass. She was insufferable enough as it was... This was just the icing on the cake.

Cake... She'd probably enjoy that whenever he got around to cooking that meal from her…

"Qrow, what are you thinking about?" Coco's voice made him look up and he sighed before dropping his head in his hands. Damn it, this was awful but…

"I think I need to move in with her. I know making this decision for her like this is abhorrent, but what other choice is there? The Ace Ops can't always keep watch over her, you're in Vacuo, and tonight proved she can't be left alone even here. Hell, that's what the talk with those sellouts is going to be about's you know that." Even Winter herself that she wouldn't be safe in—

He glanced at the door before sighing. Suddenly the amalgam of locks made far too much sense.

Damn it.

He shook the thoughts away before looking back at Coco who massaged the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, you're probably right. The Ace Ops' schedules are unpredictable, so they won't be reliable or consistent. But what can your sister do to help? Isn't she in the middle if bumfuck nowhere central Mistral?"

He just snorted. That was a pretty apt description. "You'll see when I get back. Her Semblance lets her cross distances to people she has a bond with. Think you can watch Winter for the five to ten minutes I'm in the hall?" This was such a pain in the ass. He really didn't want to deal with all of this but there really was no other choice. If anybody laid a hand on Winter…

He shoved the thoughts away, looking at his scroll. Hurry the fuck up, Raven... Each minute that passed brought another that might have Winter wake... He really should've waited for her consent, but there was no choice here…

Fuck.

How often had Gelé used the excuse it was for her own good to justify treating Winter horribly...? Even if it was objectively true here. Making such a huge decision for her…

Ancestors, he was the worst of the worst. And the worst choice for this too... But there was nobody else.

And just how often and how badly would his sheer presence trigger her?

There was absolutely no winning no matter what they did..

Eventually, though. his scroll vibrated and he looked back at Coco! 'I'll be back in a bit." with that, he stepped into the hall and replied to his sister.

Within just a few moments, Raven stepped through a portal with a falcon perched on either hand and a beautiful silver Seta. She wrinkled her n-se and flattened her ears.

" What are all of these acrid scents? It's horrible ." The dog let out a hacking noise and Qrow just chuckled as he hid his hand out for her to sniff.

" Yeah, the world outside the tribe is full of huge differences and you'll just have to deal with them until you go back in a few months. " The dog's ears and tail drooped a bit but she nodded.

" If Dove's son needs helo, then I'll offer it. I'm not much of a hunter unfortunately... "

" That ain't my worry, but I'll explain everything to all three of you in a bit after I get the birds calmed down. What's your name, by the way? "

" Iroki. The birds are Mono and Kiyay. " Qow just chuckled.

" Mother always did have an affinity with light-based names. " He looked back at his sister before stretching. " So what should I expect from these two when unhooding them? "

" I'd say start with Mono because she doesn't have a huge track record of bating off the glove. Granted, all bets are kind of off with all of those unfamiliar things. "

Mono chittered for a moment before speaking. " In general, if you explain something to me, I should be fine. "

" You're not gonna be used to this; I can assure you that. " Qrow just rolled his eyes.

She was really underestimating what she could handle. Aura breed or not, she was still a falcon and, thus, liable to bate for some reason.

The gyrfalcon just chittered and shik her feathers indignantly before Raven spoke again. " Kiyay's a bit more flighty, but if Mono's calm, he'll be much less frightened. Anyway, mind getting in the bag for your glove? My hands are kinda full. " She chuckled before bumping her hip out a bit and Qrow obliged. With some quick work, Mono hat transferred to his hand and ruffled her feathers again.

He'd need to put Kiyay somewhere while Manning Mono. " Mind following me in for a few, Rae? " Bringing her in wasn't a great idea but tying a falcon somewhere with another bird on his hand? Not happening.

He held his finger to his lips before heading into the apartment. Raven's aura flickered with shock as she saw Winter, but she remained silent.

A quick glance around the room revealed a desk laden with paper and books and Raven tied Kiyay there. She just placed the falconry bag on the ground before hopping through a portal with a flash of a smile. Had... they just not killed each other in an interaction...? And even joked around like old times? Maybe the old Raven was still in there somewhere…

But that wasn't important right now.

He sighed and removed Mono's hood, just watching her look around. She gripped the glove tightly as she let out soft chitters, feathers close to her body... but she didn't jump off and just start flapping. Huh, strange even for one of his mother's birds. It was a good sign, though.

For the next hour or so, he walked her around the apartment, explaining what things were, what they did, and exposing her to some of the functions that might make her freakout. Having five feet of powerful wings lose it in such a tiny apartment was far from ideal. At least she hadn't bated; it just made life so much easier.

With that done and satisfied she wouldn't freak out, he untied her leash and settled in the chair. Well, he had some buddies to at least leave messages for when they woke up...

α

The sound of soft breathing cut through her awareness, followed shortly by an unfamiliar sensation. It almost felt like carpet but the warmth..

Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked. What... A dog...? How had that gotten here...? White tugged at her attention and she went rigid.

A massive raptor tucked its head under its almost entirely white wing, black barring adorning the very tips of its feathers. Another smaller, but still large, perched on her desk chair, a strange leather mask molded to its head shape, breathing deeply and easily. Much more black barred its feathers, looking like a snowy owl almost…

Just what...? Where...? How...?

The clock bled 213 even in the light of the apartment. Why did she suddenly feel like a prisoner in her safe haven...?

She just sat up and curled in on herself, pulling the blanket around her. It hadn't even felt this cold and empty after leaving Schnee manor with such limited communication with Coco… Would things ever get better...?

Weiss .

No.

She couldn't give up.

Her sister needed her. She was her only hope of getting her out of that accursed prison.

Feathers rustled near her and she tensed as the large raptor roused, shuffling its way to her. Its massive beak reached out... just to start running gently through her hair. What...? What was it—

A soft chuckle and her had snapped to Qrow. "It's all right, Winter. That's Mono, one of my mother's birds and seems like she's inherited almost every bit of her temperament. She's about as gentle as they come—my mother or her bird."

"…An aura breed then?" She glanced down at the sleeping hound near her feet. "The dog too?" She didn't have experience with either normal animals or aura breeds unless one counted the couple of times she'd been allowed on a horse, only to try to make a break for it.

That just earned a chuckle as he nodded. "Yup. My home tribe uses only aura breeds. Much easier to survive in the wilds when all your animals can learn from your mistakes, theirs, and those of others."

"That's fair enough but... how...? Why?" His tribe was from Mistral, right? How could he get three animals into Atlas without quarantine, licenses, and all of that documentation...? It made no sense.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "My sister's Semblance lets her hop across any distance as long as she has a bond with some one. The only reason I had her come in here was to tie Kiyay to your desk. I didn't want to let her in period but not exactly easy to try to deal with knots when you have a bird on each hand." Her blood ran cold. A stranger had been in here after...? Even another woman—

She looked up desperately at Coco, gripping the blanket. "It was literally for about three minutes, Wint. She left asap: I promise." But still—

"Why?" Her voice shook as her attention settled back on Qrow. Why these birds? Why this dog? Just what was he thinking?

Qrow's head simsimply dropped into his hands, shoulders raised. "I hope you can forgive me, Winter, but after a couple of hours ago…it's clear you can't be left alone here... I know I shouldn't have made that decision with tiy asleep but... "A lightbulb popped in the lamp and the masked Falcon started flapping wildly, letting out load chittering noises. What in the hell had— She'd just replaced that bulb a few weeks ago! But she smiled a fraction despite herself when Qrow's soft voice managed to calm the freaking falcon out. Their first encounter had been so pleasant-

Wait.

She touched her face before staring incredulously at her hands. She was supposed to be having a meltdown about him staying with her, not smiling like a buffoon while he cooed at a bird that could rip her face off! What had gotten into her?! Seriously, she'd narrowly avoided being raped just a few hours ago!

She just collapsed on herself, tucking her forehead against her knees while ignoring the falcon's—Mono—beak in her hair. Why was she so relatively calm now? She was exhausted, certainly, but after that? She should've been terrified that Qrow had just announced he'd be moving in with her—a roughly forty year old man with a girl barely approaching a year of age.

But, here she was, smiling while he worked to calm down a bird that could harm her significantly, aura or not.

What had gotten into her?

The silence soon enveloped the room and she looked up. The falcon had calmed and he'd settled back in his chair, slumping a bit, though is attention sat on her. "I brought them here for security. A single Seta can take down a bear by itself while one of our gyrfalcons can take down a buck—and that's not a white-tailed deer either; Sika are considerably smaller, but still.

"I figure the birds can keep an eye on the outside while the dog can be insurance if I have to leave for some reason. Iroki's more of a pet than a hunter, but since she's my mother's dog, she's gonna be protective as hell. Nobody fucks with somebody a Seta's protecting and walks away from it easily." That... did make perfect sense. Air recon and a secondary bodyguard... It was sound reasoning. Something did bother her, though.

"I've read somewhere aura breeds don't transfer handlers well unless socialised in a specific way before they begin to reason especially if hand reared. This one seems…oddly friendly. And why is the other masked?" Her cheeks warmed a bit. Simple questions that could've been answered with basic research, but it was an area she just hadn't looked into...

"Ah, that. Just like people, aura breeds are individuals and have their own personalities. They specifically take on some part of their handler's personality." He smiled and chuckled as he looked at Mono. "Seems like she's taken on the majority of my mother's personality which includes her steadiness and flexibility.

"Kiyay seemingly hasn't so I'm keeping him hooded till I can fully work with him to acclimate him to the new environment. The dark of the hood keeps raptors calm since sight's their primary sense." That... did make logical sense. They were diurnal hunters as far as she knew... But still... For an aura breed to be so calm and collated with a new handler so soon…

His mother must've been an amazing person...

"Anyway, why don't you do some work or something? I need to get some shut eye. Mono will prolly hover close to you because of how my mother is. Mind if I use your guest room?" He yawned a bit and she shook her head.

"It's your room for the foreseeable future, so make of it what you will." Why bother putting up a fight with him staying? He was right; she had said she wasn't safe even here herself. If only it had been longer than a single night and morning in

Qrow got up and offered a bow before leaving. She just curled in on herself again. Had she just sentenced herself to being trapped with a man that would treat her little better than Gelé had? He hadn't hurt her in close to six hours, but the world's best Hunter certainly had to have some tricks up his sleeve. It was just a matter of time until he took advantage of her in some shape, way, or form. If not sexually, then financially or emotionally. Nobody was kind like that. Even Coco benefitted from their relationship, benign though it was.

He'd reveal his true colors in time.

She just knew it.