Chapter 4

September 27th

Summer rested inside the tent, hearing the waves crash against the ship, a dim glow indicating that the sun was setting. To say she was surprised that the crew was letting her stay was an understatement. If there was one thing that surprised her more than how quickly people set aside their differences, it was how quickly they would return to the old ways. Even if she saved them, she expected them to have her leave, at best. Summer kept her head down, breathing heavily. Whether it was because she actually needed oxygen or not, she didn't want to find out.

After several days of nonstop movement, she had finally gotten time to rest. And she was feeling an itch in the back of her head. A sense of anxiety, of needing to take action. Violent actions. She guessed that this was a side-effect of her new Grimm body. Grimm are creatures of darkness by nature, so it makes sense that she has those thoughts. However, all those years being cooped up gave her an iron will ('Eat your heart out, Tin Man.' She thought).

She could hear a bouncing ball rolling closer and closer. Tilting her head up, she saw a ball roll into the tent. Quickly rolling to her, she put a paw on the ball, stopping it dead. The flap opened up, and a crew member stood there, not moving forward. Past him, several dozen feet away, stood another pair of crew members, blocking three children, one having gills, who looked nervous. The ball was obviously theirs. Summer simply pushed the ball, rolling it very quickly towards the children. They quickly grabbed the ball, and she wished she could smile as the children continued to play with it, one of them looking at her and smiling. Then her sight was blocked as the flap fell again.

Despite her losing her human body, it's moments like that that give her the will to keep her humanity.

February 28th

Summer could see the tent was slowly getting brighter, an indication that the sun was coming up. Summer could safely say she was well rested, but she wasn't going to leave. Not until either the captain, who's name was apparently Farem, wanted her gone, or some outside force forced her to leave.

She honestly didn't know which was more likely.

Summer heard heavy footsteps approaching the tent. The flap opened, revealing Farem.

"Alright. Now that things are settled, I'd like to ask you a few things."

She nodded to him. 'Makes sense. He's taking a huge risk keeping me here. Even if I don't attack anyone, the rumors will spread that he kept a Grimm aboard his ship. Might as well give them answers.'

"First, and most obvious," he questioned sternly, "What are you?"

Summer had to consider things carefully. She couldn't tell him too much. Ozpin did stress the need to keep the public from learning certain things. Summer decided that she wouldn't mention Salem by name, nor would she reveal anything regarding the shadow war between her and Ozpin.

"Once...Human."

If Farem was shocked, he didn't show it. "What did this to you?" His voice was the only indication that her answer affected him, as he said it with a slight waver in it.

"Monster."

"I didn't know a Grimm could do this."

"Not...Grimm...Monster."

Farem narrowed his eyes. 'I see. A person did this. What kind of psychopath would do this to someone?' "Do you remember who they are?"

"..."

"..."

"Yes...Will not...Say."

'Okay,' Farem thought, 'That's certainly concerning. She knows who didn't, but won't say who. No point in pressuring her.' "Where do you plan to go after this?"

"Home"

"Which is?"

"...Patch."

'Patch. That's good. I have info I can use.'

"Who were y...No, who are you?" If the Hound could speak, was once human, and was willing to protect others, then the human it used to be is still in there.

"..."

Farem sighed, "Look, I feel like I want to help you, but, if I don't know who you are, how am I supposed to start?"

'What...What should I do? I only ever thought of escaping, that I never considered what might happen after that.'

It wasn't that she didn't want to. But, how would her children react to what Summer had become? Would they accept her? Would they fear her? However, she did know one thing: Escaping Salem meant she could never be used to hurt her children. In the end, that's what she believed in. She believed that, if her children knew that she was a Grimm, they wouldn't hurt her, even if she begged them to. And Salem would use that against them. That belief made the choice clear.

"Summer...Rose."

Farem nodded, "Thank you. We'll be reaching our original sea lane tomorrow evening. You can take off from there."

Summer nodded as Farem left the tent. Lowering her head, Summer continued to rest, not allowing herself to sleep. Even though she was resting, she could still feel the Sulfur Fish in the back of her mind. Like an itch on her back. She wasn't going to give it any leverage.

Farem entered his personal quarters, taking a seat at a lounge chair as he took off his hat. The situation with the Hound~Summer was getting complicated. The three children that disturbed her were given a stern talking to, though, to his dismay, he may have reprimanded the Faunus's girls family a little too harshly. An old...dislike that he hadn't been able to kick, even in his elder years. Rubbing his forehead, he thought back to Summer's words.

'I don't know what's worse: That there are Grimm that can turn people into Grimm, or that someone, another person willingly used this Grimm on another person.'

The first one came with the implication that the Grimm were getting smarter, turning humanity's champions against them. The second one...he couldn't even think of the number of bad indications. He needed something to get his attention off of that. Going to his computer, he turned it out and accessed the internet.

Search: Summer Rose

Several results popped up, and he clicked the first one to appear. It revealed a woman with black hair, the edges of it red, and silver eyes. She wore a high-neck décolletage blouse with studded wristbands on the arms, a black and white overbust corset, a skirt with white tulle underneath, gray leggings, and knee-high boots with red soles. Covering all of that was a white cloak.

'Summer Rose, born March 2nd, 39 AGW, presumed dead in 68 AGW. Attended Beacon Academy, former leader of Team STRQ.'

Farem put a hand to his chin, stroking his beard. 'She's been gone for twelve years? Question is, when did these people turn her into a Grimm?'

He did a little more research, trying to find if she still had family. Turns out she does...on Patch.

'Late wife to Taiyang Xiao Long, mother to Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose.'

While there was a picture of Taiyang, there wasn't a picture of either Yang or Ruby.

'I seriously wish the long range comm tower wasn't destroyed. I could've contacted Beacon Academy, or this Taiyang, or someone, and we would work from there.'

Farem closed the brower, pinching the bridge of his nose, when he heard several knocks on hit metal door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and it was his First Mate. It seemed he decided to take a shower after the battle, as he was covered in soot. His light brown hair, accompanied by a sideburn beard, was a much better look than the black soot.

"First Mate Callus, reporting, Sir."

"Status report."

"No change sir. By tomorrow afternoon we'll return to our original sea lane. From there, it'll still be a few more days before we reach Coras."

"Good, good."

Callus's hazel eyes narrowed. "Is something wrong, Sir?"

"Just...learned a lot of things I wish I didn't. When we get to Coras, I need to get to make some calls."

"Is this about the Grimm, Sir?"

"Obviously. But, it's more than that now," Farem looked out the window, seeing a family hanging at the bow, "It's about reuniting a broken family."

Vale

Qrow took the elevator up to the CCT communications room. James had just sent him a text, informing him that he has the candidates to help Qrow track down Summer. However, there was still no sign of her. Nothing. Theodore was briefed on the situation, and he already had contacted nearby tribes to watch for any unusual Grimm. James had a small fleet stationed near Hel's Wings. The man had the subtle of...well, his namesake. As for Ozpin, the waters between Tail of Bahamut and Sanus were one of the most travelled in the world. That alone was a good enough scouting.

But, back on track. James sent the text, saying that, if Qrow wanted more info, he could establish a video call at the CCT tower. There were private section areas in the communication room, if you had either the money or influence. So, when he entered the communications room, the guard for one of the private rooms allowed him through.

Taking a seat, he imputed James's number. After waiting a minute, the screen shifted, showing Ironwood at his desk.

"Qrow." He said tiredly. Qrow noticed that James's eyes looked sunken.

'Wait, has he not slept since we found out. I mean, I've barely slept, but at least I slept.' "Hey, Jimmy. You look...well, you look like shit."

"Yes," James replied, rubbing his eyes, "Well, we can't worry about sleep. As long as Summer's still~"

"Aup!" Qrow interjected. This line wasn't fully secured on his end. Best to keep everything confidential.

"Right. As long as we don't hear from the Prisoner, I need to be ready at a second's notice."

"James, if you run yourself ragged like this, you're not gonna help anyone."

"Qrow, how can you honestly say that you're getting any sleep. Knowing what's happened to her?"

"Because, when we hear from her, and we will, I need to be at my best. I can't help her if I end up passing out due to sleep deprivation. And you won't help her if you pass out for the same reason." James simply rubbed his eyes. "Anyways, Jimmy. I heard you got someone for me to work with."

"Some people."

Qrow narrowed his eyes, "James, I'm being generous in working with one of your people. I'm not sure I can handle it in stereo."

"And I'm not sure this mission can succeed with only two people," James retorted gravely, "When the Prisoner escapes, then She is going to send her strongest agents to hunt her down. You're good, Qrow, but this mission will push you to your limit. We only get one shot at this."

Qrow grumbled, taking out his flask and downing a drink. He certainly didn't like James, even less so when the man was right.

"Alright. Who are the soldiers?"

"Only one soldier. Clover Ebi," the screen shifted to show Clover's Huntsman profile, "Veteran Huntsman, one hundred percent success rate. Semblance, Good Fortune."

Qrow, about to take another sip, stopped dead. 'Huh?!'

"He's able to alter the probability of the environment around him. Most of the time, this ends up in a positive outcome."

'James, you aren't one of the few people who know my Semblance, but you've made the smartest decision of your life!'

"You wanted the luckiest man in Atlas. And, for Summer's sake, I aim to provide."

Though, Qrow wasn't going to let James know he made a smart choice. Qrow smirked. "You know, Jimmy, you didn't need to take my words literally. I think I can work with that."

"You're not going to ask anything about him? His personality? Weapons?"

"I'll figure that out when we get together."

"...Very well. The other agent is a local of Mantle, Robyn Hill." The screen shifted, showing said Huntress.

Qrow raised an eyebrow as he got a look at her. 'Not bad looking.'

"Robyn Hill leads the Happy Huntresses, a group of female-only Huntsmen stationed in Mantle. An expert tracker, her Semblance is Lie Detection, the ability to tell if someone is lying by placing a hand upon them. Not as useful as Clover's Semblance, but her tracking skills are superior to his."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, "And what made you so sure I'd be willing to work with her?"

"The Happy Huntresses aren't loyal to me, they're loyal to Mantle. Needless to say, they aren't fans of me. The only way I was able to get her to join was by promising to allocate resources to fix Mantle's wall. Resources that are now being sent."

"So she's not under your control? Uh, I can work with that, too."

"You'll have to, Qrow. These are the best people I can get. Unless you want to work with a Sch~"

"I get it! Now, you get some sleep, Jimmy. We can't help her if you can't stay awake."

Before James could answer, Qrow ended the call. He grabbed his drink, taking several swigs of it.

'Man, there's no stage of drunkenness for this bullshit.'

Anima Wilderness

Raven was moving about inside her tent, grabbing supplies. She placed a medical kit inside a large Huntsman duffle bag, filled with other supplies such as food, maps, hunting gear. She zipped up the bag, and went to grab the handle, only to stop. Her outstretched hand was shaking. She gripped that arm with her other one, trying to force it forward, but it moved excruciatingly slow. Just when she felt the cloth of the handle, she stood back up, growling in annoyance. Taking a seat on a chair, she placed her hands on her face.

"You know, that's the seventh time you've had that bag packed these past few days."

Looking up, Raven saw Vernal had entered the room. Her blades, Eostre and Ostara, hang from her hips.

Raven sighed, not even bothering to try to keep Vernal in the dark. She was the only one amongst the Tribe that knew about the Maidens, Salem, the whole shadow war that was going on.

"Vernal, I assume you have a guess at what's going on?"

"Not a clue," She replied, walking to lean against a chest, "Each raid we go on, your eyes are dead. After we're done, you enter your tent and don't come out."

Raven took a deep breath. "Summer Rose is alive."

Vernal's eyes widened, "You're old boss. How?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I sensed her in the Grimmlands. Now, she's somewhere over the waters between Sanus and the Grimmlands."

"I thought you could tell exactly where someone was?"

"Normally, I could. However, something's...wrong, with Summer's portal. I can create a portal to her, but, when I try to enter, it simply blasts me back. Not only that, but my connection to her feels...cold. Salem did something to her."

Vernal narrowed her eyes, "And, let me guess, you want to go get her."

"That obvious?"

"Remember, seven times."

Raven rolled her eyes. "It's more than that, though. I left Ozpin's war for a reason. Salem can't be beaten. But, Summer was~is someone worth fighting for. But, if I'm going to find her, I'll need my brother. Which means I'll be reentering Ozpin's war."

"And I highly doubt Salem's just going to let you walk away this time."

"Exactly. When I left before, I was barely a blip on her radar. Even if she knows about me, she doesn't care because I'm not involved. If I go get Summer, though, it will send a message to her that I've chosen a side. Not only that, but it goes against our Tribe, our family."

Vernal sighed, "You once told me 'If I need an honest opinion, give it to me in private.'. That's what you said."

Raven raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"You said that you'd do everything to protect the Tribe. However, you need to consider one simple thing: Do you consider the people you Bonded with part of the Tribe. They never actually joined us. Not officially, anyways. You married Taiyang, Yang's your daughter, and Summer...well, given how you spend one day a year drinking yourself into oblivion, I think no words are needed."

Raven smirked, "And my brother."

"Fuck him. He chose to leave us. He didn't need to go raiding with us. Simply saying that, if we were in trouble, he'd help us, would be enough for me. But, I'll ask again. Do you consider Taiyang, Yang, and Summer to be part of the Tribe?"

Raven looked forward, thinking on Vernal's words.

March 1st, Seas near Sanus

Summer 'awoke' with a jolt. She didn't need sleep, and didn't want to sleep, as she didn't want Salem somehow regaining control. She didn't know if falling asleep would do that, but she didn't want to take that chance. Anyways, she could feel the tent being lifted up, with the crew quickly starting to pack it away. Looking around, she saw that most of the crew had gathered, as well as almost all of the passengers. Looking up, she could see the sun was over the horizon, but still rising.

"Alright then." Farem called out, bringing her attention back to him as he pointed south-east, "This is where you get off. Several miles south-east is Sanus. I'd take you closer, but the chances of you being seen with us go up drastically."

Summer nodded in understanding. While Farem was willing to help out, he didn't want to put any more risk on the passengers. Being caught with a Grimm, even if it was 'friendly' was certainly going to have a backlash.

"Thank...You."

Summer went to the edge of the ship, then turned her head to the captain.

"Sorry."

Farem walked up closer to her. "Listen, Summer. Once we get these people to Coras, I'm calling Beacon. They'll come and find you. You're going home."

Summer once again wished she could smile.

"Thank...You...But...Not...What I...Meant."

Farem cocked an eyebrow as Summer's back started bubbling, causing him to back up in fright. Summer let out a growl of pain as her wings sprouted up, spreading black Grimm liquid upon the deck. To her amusement, several of the children Eewwed at the sight.

"Oh," Farem deadpanned, "That's what you meant." Farem rubbed his nose in annoyance as Summer took off from the ship, flying as incredible speeds. "Alright, I want this mess cleaned up now! I want it to be that it never was here to begin with!"

"Yes, Sir!" Several crew members exclaimed.

It was nearing midnight when Farem had written down the last details regarding the Hound Grimm. He knew that, should he contact either Beacon or Atlas Academy, they'd want all the details. He leaned back in his chair, and was letting sleep embrace him.

"CAPTAIN! We have a situation!"

Farem suppressed a groan as his fear took hold. Quickly getting up, he went to the door, opening to find a crew member.

"What is it?"

"Bridge, Sir!" And the crewmate started running. Knowing this had to be bad, he ran after him. Soon, the two came to the bridge.

"Status report!"

"Captain," Callus replied, leaning over a crewmate's shoulder to get a better view of the radar, "We've picked up a bogey on long-range. ETA fifteen minutes. Based on speed, it's likely airborne."

Already, alarm bells were setting off in Farem's head. "Direction."

"West by South-West, Captain."

'From the Grimmlands.' Farem narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out possible scenarios. His eyes then widened in realization. 'The people who did this to Summer!' "Red alert. Get the passengers to the secondary boats, NOW!"

With that, the Yakutsk was thrown into overdrive. Lights on the ship turned on, shifting to red, as the crew started quickly moving the clearly tired passengers. The secondary boats could hold twenty passengers comfortably, nearly doubled if they squeezed them together. As the passengers started filling into the boats, Farem turned to Callus.

"First Mate, how many men do you need for the boats?"

"About ten, Sir."

"Take them. You're going with them. Once you disembark, shut off all lights, and sail by the stars to Pharos."

"Sir?"

"That Grimm was once human. And the people that turned her into a Grimm might be chasing her."

Callus's eyes bulge outward, clearly shocked.

"Get on the boat, lead the passengers to Pharos. I'll stay...and hold them off. If I'm lucky, I can remove this threat from the Hound here and now."

Callus nodded, taking Jacob ladder down to the secondary boats. Soon, four boats sped off into the dark waters.

"Sir! ETA five minutes!"

"Good! Come about, prepare all defences, and shut off all lights!"

Farem started running to the bridge as the cannons on the sides and the top tri-cannons were deployed, and the area was encased in darkness. Upon reaching the bridge, Farem looked towards the south-east, seeing four wakes in the distance that soon disappeared from sight. He did his job, getting the passengers to safety. Luckily, Pharos had a very active patrol fleet, as well as occasional patrols from Atlas. He could only hope that one of them finds them quickly, as the amount of negativity on them~He didn't want to think too much about it. He's taken a risk, and he has to hope that it'll work out.

Looking out over the darkness, he pulled out binoculars, looking to the west. Soon, he saw a black object fast approaching. The silhouette seemed like a Valian Bullhead. Though, instead of two thruster engines, it had four in the formation of an X.

"Navigator, come about thirty degrees to port. Tell all crew to put on welding goggles."

"Sir?"

"Do it now."

He nodded, passing the word along. "What's the plan?"

"Have our spotlights focus on that ship. On my command, turn on all lights and fire all flares. We'll only get one shot at this."

He nodded. Farem knew that the airship would be able to outmaneuver them. So, the only chance they had would be the initial volley. So he was going to blind them.

With everyone besides the captain wearing welding goggles, the already dark night became pitch black. Farem kept watching as the airship got closer and closer.

"Sir?"

"Wait...Wait."

The shape of the ship was becoming much more defined.

"Sir?"

"...NOW!"

In an instant, the spotlights turned on, focusing on the airship, and the Yakutsk lit up like the sun. For miles, the ship shined like a beacon in the night. The crew, with their welding goggles on, weren't blinded by the light. Farem, not having put one on so he could see the ship approaching, was not so lucky, and his vision went white. But, he still had a job to do.

"FIRE!"

Dust-infused cannonballs flew over the water, blitzing towards the airship. It barrel rolled, dodging many of the attacks, though, one did impact the starboard cargo door, bending it beyond usage. It then fired two missiles, heading straight for the bridge. Farem, who's vision hadn't recovered, couldn't see the missiles coming.

"CAPTAIN!" The navigator screamed as he tackled Farem to the ground. The missiles hit the bridge, sending anyone in there flying back, the navigator breaking his back as he slammed into a console, unconscious and bleeding out, and only the captain survived. Farem's vision cleared, and he could see the bridge on fire, hearing the crew crying out as they tried to attack the airship, but he could hear the sound of a chaingun. Getting up, he felt blood on his sides, but ignored them. He looked out over the deck, and saw the airship strafing them, a chaingun under the nose of the ship ripping his crew apart. It launched more missiles, creating holes inside the ship, water rushing in to fill them.

Limping to a console, he saw that only one of the tri-cannons was operational. He quickly turned the cannon, the airship turning to face him. Both fired, cannonball and missile flying past each other. Farem lept from the bridge as it impacted and, as he fell, he saw the cannonball hit the chaingun, ripping it off. Crashing to the ground, he felt something in his legs snap. He saw four members of his crew, likely the only ones on board, running towards him as the deck, and possibly the rest of the ship, was burning.

Then, a WEEEER could be heard. Turning his head, he saw that two compartments on the top of the ship opened up, revealing twin miniguns. The guns opened fire, quickly killing the rest of his crew. The airship hovered above him, the miniguns spinning, preparing to fire upon him. Then, the cargo door that wasn't damaged swung open, and a man jumped down from it. No, not a man, Farem realized, a Faunus. A dark part of his mind said 'Of course it would be a Faunus', but the horror of losing his crew drowned that out.

He had brown hair in a ponytail braided, yellow eyes, and wore a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it, along with white pants. His jacket was left open, exposing his bare chest, which is crisscrossed with prominent scars. His arms were covered with cream colored bandages and leather vambraces. He also wore leather boots covering his entire shin with knee guards. He saw a black scorpion tail, the man's Faunus trait. Farem noticed a pistol between the two of them. Using his remaining energy, he grabbed it and stood up, aiming the pistol at the Faunus.

Only for the man to giggle wildly.

"Oh," the man exclaimed, "A last act of defiance. How commendable. In fact, as a show of gratitude, I'll let you take that shot. In fact, let me help you," The man's aura shimmered purple, "I've deactivated my Aura. You get one free shot."

"What's your game?" Farem growled, a ting of blood trickling down his lips.

"No game. Although, if you mess it up," the man...moaned? "You're going to regret it."

Despite the blood on his mouth, his busted legs, cuts on his chest, and the heat of the fire, Farem had...clarity. Perhaps since he knew it was his final moment. He only had one shot. So, where to shoot? The eyes of this man~Farem noticed that they are purple, not yellow, were that of a madman. However, his body was relaxed, balanced. Trained. This was a trained psychopath. Meaning, only a kill shot will do him in. The heart and head were the most obvious, but that wouldn't work. If he's trained, and he's a Faunus, the instant he moves his finger, he'll dodge it. Not only that, but he got the distinct impression that this guy may be a masochist. So, how can he cause the most pain to him when he can't hurt him?

"I take it you want information?" Farem inquired.

"Well, of course. But, we can get to that later."

'So these are the people who turned Miss Rose into a Grimm.' They'll torture him for information, or they'll torture him because it will be fun. You can never tell with madmen. Not only that, but they don't intend to keep him alive.

'Which means only one option can hurt them.' Farem smirked, "Sorry, but you won't get your fun."

He then put the pistol under his chin, and fired.

"UAAAAAAG!" The Faunus roared, "Why'd you have to go and do THAT!?"

"Tyrian." A voice exclaimed, using the megaphone for the airship, "We have no more business here."

"Yeah, yeah," Tyrian replied, waving his arms in defeat, pouting, "Don't blame me, Arthur. I just lost a plaything."

Tyrian jumped back onto the ship, the cargo door closing as the airship sped off, leaving the Yakutsk to sink beneath the waves, leaving only darkness.

March 2nd, Vale

The sun shined high into the sky as Qrow walked through the streets. Qrow was currently walking towards a bar when his Scroll started beeping. Picking it up, he saw that it was his niece, Ruby. Smirking, he answered it.

"Hey, pipsqueak."

"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby screamed in joy, causing Qrow to temporarily have the Scroll farther from his ear. "Why didn't you tell me you were in Vale?!"

"Mainly because I'm doing work. I can't do my job if you're hanging out with me."

"Ooooh, when can you come visit?!"

"Not sure, Pipsqueak. Headmaster Ozpin might have a mission for me any day."

"..."

"Ruby?"

"...The mission," Ruby said, her voice softer, "Does it involve the message I gave to dad."

Qrow sighed. 'Just like Summer. I really hope you don't figure it out too soon.' "Yeah, kiddo."

"Are...You're going to save the person, right?"

"Of course. We just have to wait for another sign. Can't exactly go save someone if we don't know where they are."

"Oh, uh, I guess that makes sense."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even know that someone was in trouble."

"Thanks Uncle Qrow."

"Hmph, see you later, Pipsqueak."

"Okay. Bye, Uncle Qrow."

Ruby hung up, leaving a slightly depressed Qrow.

'Brothers, how is Ruby going to react when we get you, Sum?'

His Scroll rang again, this time James.

"Jimmy, what's up?"

"Qrow, we've got a bead."

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

"Northern Sanus. Ozpin's about to get the report I'm telling you. A cruise ship was sunk near the city of Pharos. The passengers fled in smaller boats, and were picked up by the coastal patrol for the city. They reported that, a few days ago, a talking Grimm saved them."

"Definitely something to look into."

"Yes. However, this next bit solidifies that it's Summer. The Grimm, nicknamed The Hound, left the ship, and, last night, the ship was attacked by an unknown airship coming westward."

"The Grimmlands." Qrow growled.

"Yes. Salem's agents are moving, and they have a head start. I'm sending Clover and Robyn to Pharos. Meet them there."

"Got it, James." Qrow hung up. He needs to get to Beacon so Ozpin can get him a Bullhead. He started running down the street, turning into an alleyway, and preparing to shift into his Bird form.

However, before he could, a red and black portal opened in front of him. On instinct, Qrow pulled out his weapon, Harbinger, and shifted it to sword form.

'Oh, I don't have time for this.' His sister, Raven Branwen, soon stepped out of the portal. "Raven, I don't know why you're here, but~"

"Shut up." Raven interrupted, but Qrow wasn't having it. Raven never told them that Summer was alive, so she could just rot in hell.

"No! I don't have time for your Tribe bullshit, so get out of my way, before~"

"Summer's alive."

His grip on Harbinger loosened slightly. 'Wait, did she not know?'

"Summer's alive. And I need your help."

Qrow's eyes widened in shock. Then he proceeded to burst out laughing.

Author's Notes: The chase is on! Salem's forces are now pursuing Summer. How did they pick up on her trail? I'll let you debate on that.

Qrow's team for tracking Summer is now complete. And, Raven has decided to involve herself, much to Qrow clear amusement. Wonder how the team dynamics will work out.

As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.