Moldy Crow

Five Years Ago

There were few things he hated more than visiting his sister. He'd only done it twice after she'd left them. Abandoned team STRQ. Left her daughter, her husband, her brother. Left them all to go back to being a lawless bandit in the wild.

Left them all without a damned word as to why.

The first time had been to try and drag her back. Fucking less said about how that had gone the better.

Second time had been after Summer had died. He'd gone to tell her the news, found her drunk off her ass, and had sat down to join her. They'd had one awful night where they'd mourned, then she'd kicked his ass out of the tribe come morning.

This time... Ozpin had come up with the bright idea to try and con her into coming back into the fold. Have her just pass on information, keep an eye on things in Mistral. Against his better judgment, he had to have been drunker than usual, he'd agreed to bring her the offer and had flown off.

Raven had laughed in his face for thirty straight minutes until he'd gotten the point and left.

Now he was flying somewhere above Mistral, trying to find some Grimm to kill to make himself feel better. Smart? Hell no. Smart would be flying back to Vale and shouting at Oz about how stupid his latest plan had been. Smart would be staying on the ground instead of transforming into a bird after emptying his flask.

Smart would have been going with Summer on that damned mission.

No. This wasn't smart. But some mindless violence would be cathartic, and that was all he cared about.

He caught the first sight of his prey in a clearing fifty or so miles from the Branwen camp. There were plenty of Grimm surging through the trees, which was good.

There was already a huntress fighting them, which wasn't.

If he'd avian features had allowed it Qrow would have been scowling. Instead all he could do was caw in an irritated fashion, banking slowly to get a better look at the situation.

She was alone, retreating rapidly, wielding a bow. Arrows laced with gravity dust causing Grimm to collapse onto themselves when they struck home, but for every one she dropped there were three more Beowolves coming in.

The first got to her just as he began his dive down to help, and got its head taken off by the bladed edges of her bow for its trouble. Wolves two through ten didn't fare any better. She split her weapon in half, dual-wielding a hell of a lot better than any of his students as she massacred her way through the pack.

His wings burned as he pulled out of his dive, catching a warm gust to climb a bit as he gota better look at her.

Young, dark haired, wearing cargo pants and a sleeveless vest. Not anyone he'd taught, probably a fresh graduate from Haven. But then where the hell was her team? What was she even doing this far out from the city?

The huntress didn't seem to need any backup to deal with the Grimm. She'd cut her way through half of the ones who'd survived her arrows, and was working through the rest. They weren't the problem even if she was slowing down a lot faster than he'd expected. Exhaustion and fatigue were hitting her hard.

Not enough to save the Grimm, but enough for the Branwen scouts he saw watching the fight take notice.

Retreat, damn you.

He tried to will the woman to get the message. Get her moving.

It didn't work. Never did.

The last of the Grimm was still dissolving when Raven's little thugs began to move in. The huntress was panting for breath, leaning against a tree. Not looking like she was in any shape to go up against a trio of killers who also had their aura unlocked.

Letting another frustrated caw, he tucked his wings in and dove once more. His last sight of the group was the huntress spotting the scouts and rising up. Keeping her back to the old oak while falling into a shaky stance.

Then it was hard to think of anything else as he transformed back into the body he was born with. Humans weren't supposed to be able to feel their bones and organs shifting around in their bodies after all. Ozpin could say it was all in his head all he wanted, but that didn't make it any more fun.

Fuck I will never get used to that!

His feet struck the ground hard, a hand already going to Harbinger's hilt. Ready to come prowling around the tree and into the clearing, face set in a scowl that would make the thugs back down the moment they saw him.

Which was why it was just typical his semblance guided his left foot right into a bloody root, tripping him up.

"Gods dammit!" Qrow swore out loud as his dramatic stalk turned into a flailing attempt to keep his balance

He did, Vale's strongest huntsman after all, but it left him staggering like a lunatic when he came staggering out into the clearing.

Four sets of very confused eyes turned his way at once. Wait. Three sets of eyes plus one. The huntress he was bailing out had one patched over.

"Ah shit." One of the Branwen, an older man Qrow vaguely remembered, lowered his scimitar. "Fuck you doing here, Qrow?"

"Turning you into a pretzel if you don't leave the lady be." He recovered what little dignity he had, shoving his hands into his pockets as he took a few more careful steps forwards. "Go on. Back to your tribe."

Another of the scouts shifted, a younger girl with short-cropped hair. "You don't get to give us orders, traitor."

To his surprise the first man immediately turned and struck over the back of the hand with an open handed slap. "Shut your mouth Vernal. He's a traitor but he's strong. You want to die without accomplishing our mission?"

The girl, Vernal, scowled but swung around in an angry huff. She stomped out of the clearing, the two men following more cautiously and with far less drama. For her part, the one-eyed huntress he'd just bailed out watched them go with a wary look. Once they were gone she turned her paranoid expression his way.

"Easy there." Pulling his flask off of his belt, he took a quick pull of the bitter whiskey within. "Name's Qrow. You're welcome."

She scowled, the expression turning her attractive if too young for him face into something dark. "I didn't need your help with them."

He scoffed. "You can barely hold those little swords of yours right now."

"They were just bandits. I am powerful enough to-"

"Get your ass kicked." Qrow interrupted. "Those are Branwens. They've got aura and know how to use it. Sure, full strength you'd pummel all three of 'em, but see my comment about your shaking hands."

Her eye flicked down to her arms. Her scowl worsened, the scars on the left side of her face twisting unpleasantly. "I'm fine."

"Uh huh. Stubborn brat, aren't you?" He shook his head. "Nearest village is ten miles north, and they've got good walls and a proper guard. Come on."

"I just left there." She finally succumbed to the inevitable, lowering her weapons even if she didn't let go of them. "I'm heading southwest. I need to get to Vale."

Qrow huffed. "You're as stubborn as my niece. Look, you're not in any shape to go anywhere. I'll get you back to the village, then see about getting us a Bullhead to Vale. I know Beacon's headmaster, he owes me a favor or ten."

The huntress stared at him with utter skepticism. "You expect me to believe that a random man I met in the woods has that level of connections?"

"Guess you got lucky." Unlike me. Or the scouts hoping for an easy way to impress Raven. "And you still haven't told me your name."

"...Cinder." She turned her back on him slowly, warily. Shuffling towards a bag that had been tossed onto the ground.

He watched as she kept up the tough girl act, at least until he put a bit of aura into his semblance. For once it did exactly what he wanted it to; it was her turn to mysteriously catch her foot on something. She wavered, throwing out her arms, but her exhausted body wasn't quite up to the task.

She face planted hard into the dirt.

"Soooo..." He drew out the word. Yang hated when he did that, and he guessed this proud little girl would too. "...you sure you don't want an escort back to the village?"

Muffled and exhausted swearing was all she had to say in reply.

Cinder Fall

Present Day

I eyed the cup of coffee that Emerald was holding in my direction. At this time of the morning the pair of us were among the few out within Vale's Central Park, having just finished our morning run.

I'd allowed her request to retrieve drinks for us while I stretched tired muscles, expecting her to return shortly with water. Not with two foam cups. "Emerald. I do not drink coffee."

The girl swallowed. "You only like Mistral Redflower, I know, but that's what this is. With a little honey."

Cautiously taking the foam cup, I brought it to my lips to take the smallest of sips. The strong, fragrant taste was... extremely good. I blinked my single eye once as I lowered the cup. "Where could you have possibly found this in Vale?"

"A pair of blonde sisters opened up a coffee shop on Walker street." Emerald clearly knew that she'd pleased me from her excited bounce. "They've got dozens of different blends on offer. One of them was a little odd, she just kept writing in a corner, but the other promised that this would be the right kind."

It was. I took another, longer sip. "You will have to take me there sometime."

She beamed at me before taking a big gulp of her own drink. Something with enough sugar to to leave her twitching, no doubt.

"So," Emerald grinned, clearly reveling in her discovery. "What's the plan for today? Are we going to do another mission?"

I hummed in thought, waving for her to follow me as I started walking towards the park's nearest exit.

To my combined surprise and approval, Blake had obeyed my orders to the letter. She had stalked, observed, and recorded Vincent Saint-Sinclair's comings and goings without once approaching the target. The man himself was continuing his evident routine, so either the VSS hadn't noticed her or they were purposefully leaving him in place as bait.

Personally I believed the former to be more likely. The organization was too focused on staying out of the light to do something as blatant as using one of their people in the open. Especially since they clearly knew who I was and that I was hunting them. It would make far more sense for them to try and attack me directly if they wished to escalate our little game.

Of course just because she'd done her job well didn't mean that there was much to report.

Vincent Saint-Sinclar was, from all appearances, lived an utterly dull life. He woke early, went for a run, got the same cheap coffee on his way to work, and then spent ten hours in his office. After work he would either head straight home or treat himself to a night out, then he'd return to his townhouse without incident.

He had no significant other, no dating life, no friends outside of his coworkers, nothing.

The man was a dull little drone, the perfect corporate employee. A man so dull and unimpressive that I was certain it had to be an act. And if it wasn't, well, killing him before he could reproduce would do the world a favor.

"I am unsure." I told my disciple as we walked, keeping my cup close to my lips as I spoke. "I half expected them to withdraw their man, or else send someone to interfere with our last mission."

Emerald quickly copied me, keeping her own coffee in place to hide the movements of her mouth. "Why didn't they?"

I didn't know, but I could hardly say that. It would ruin my all knowing veneer. "Either they're hoping to lure me into a public confrontation that would allow them to use legal means to detain me, or they simply aren't aware of their agent's vulnerability."

"What..." She hesitated, realized she'd already started, then rushed on, "...what if it's a fake?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, um, what if this Vincent Saint-Sinclair isn't the one who sent the message? What if they just used his name or hacked his account or something?"

I sighed, sipped more coffee, then shook my head. "That's certainly possible, but there's nothing we can do about it if that is what they did. I have no other leads."

"Oh. So... what are we going to do?"

That certainly was the question. My instincts told me that it was time for action. Time to escalate this stupid game of cat and mouse into something more active, something more violent. To finally learn just what they had intended to do to me, why they'd done it, and then kill everyone responsible.

And, if possible, to steal as much of their power for myself as possible so that no one could ever control me again.

But that was a dangerous gamble. I was badly lacking in information on my target. I didn't know how many of them there were, how skilled they were, or how deep their connections went. True, I had accumulated allies and contacts to empower myself, but I didn't know if they were enough or if I would need more.

Instinct said to attack.

Reason said to wait.

"We need more information." I said finally. "We keep mapping Undertown until we can locate possible entrances or exits from his home and place of employment, and we keep him under watch on the surface. Sooner or later he'll have to report in person. That will be our opening."

Emerald nodded. "Do you want me to...?"

"No. You will stay with me." I sipped more Redflower. "Your best friend will keep watch."

The girl quickly hid her scowl behind another gulp of her own coffee. She hadn't been happy at all to learn that I'd known Blake for a decade, or to learn that I'd given the faunus girl a bit of training here and there.

Her possessiveness was her least attractive attribute.

"We're exploring then?"

I was prepared to nod when my scroll vibrated with a call. The blaring trumpets of the ring tone told me who it was even before I set it to voice only, "Adam, I didn't know you had returned."

He didn't return the pleasantry. "Cinder. Your building is on fire."

My spine tightened at once. "On my way."

The terrorist hung up without a word. Not warning Emerald, I threw my cup aside and broke into a sharp sprint. She let out a started noise, then hastily mimicked me, panting as she struggled to catch up.

It didn't take long to reach the parking lot and my motorcycle. Resisting the urge to drive off at once, I forced myself to slide to a stop and inspect it for hostile devices. And to make sure that Midnight was still locked onto the side of the bike and hadn't been tampered with. Only once I was certain that both lacked explosive additions did I climb on, Emerald quickly getting onto the back.

I wasn't entirely sure how many traffic laws I broke in the following twenty minutes beyond 'quite a few'. Emerald stopped watching where we were going after the third minute, burying her face in my back and clinging as tightly as she could while I weaved between cars. The smoke was visible long before I came to a tire-screeching halt outside of the security cordon.

A single glance told me that the worst of the flames were on the ground floor, with more flickering on half of the ones above.

"Watch the bike, and call our friends. Get observers here now!" I snapped as I dismounted, yanking Midnight free as I did. Trusting her to do as she was told, I didn't pause before stalking towards the nearest police officer.

The man, dark skinned and graying, gave me a wary look as I approached. Yanking my scroll out to display my license didn't seem to reassure him any. Nor did the demand I led the conversation with, "What happened?"

He scowled at me, then at the license in my hand. "This isn't a matter for Huntsmen."

"I lived on the fourth floor." Legally anyway.

"Ah." The cop grunted as if I'd poked him with a stick. "Damn. Any other hunters live there?"

"No."

He grimaced, looked around, then waved me forwards. "Come on. Lieutenant will need to talk with you."

I followed him past several vehicles with flashing lights to find another middle-aged man shouting orders. He'd removed his helmet, revealing salt and pepper hair above pale features as he turned to see us approaching.

"Rawlins." He flicked his eyes from the beat officer to me. "Huntress."

"Cinder Fall." I told him. "This was my home."

It was the new man's turn to grimace. "Crap. Lieutenant Gray Sullivan. I don't suppose you were involved in a gang investigation?"

My lips twisted. "No. I hunt Grimm and occasionally teach at the Academies. Arson then?"

"Hit and run with Vacuo-Cocktails and homemade dust bombs." He returned. "This was a heavy hit. They made sure the entire ground floor got covered before driving off, not the kind of thing you see in usual gang brawls."

Of course not. It was too excessive and all but guaranteed to draw the authorities down on them like a god's hammer. There would be dozens of dead victims in the other homes, dozens of families crying out for blood and justice.

No sane gang would have done this.

"Probably hoped to catch you sleeping in." Gray went on. "Hit all of the doors so you wouldn't be able to get out. Lot of smoke going right up each stairwell, aura wouldn't save you from choking to death on it."

"I just told you I have not done any gang investigations since I arrived in Vale." I retorted. "I teach at Signal as a substitute, and only returned to Vale yesterday from a Grimm extermination in the western farmlands."

He frowned. "Are you sure about that Miss Fall? Not getting up to any vigilante activity on the weekends?"

The exact opposite in fact. "I am certain, and no."

"Miss Fall, people with this kind of ruthless approach don't make mistakes about who they use it on." He said calmly. "So I will ask you directly. Do you know why the Red Ax Gang would want you dead?"

Only my terrific self-control stopped me from reacting to that name. Oh. Oh those bastards were clever. Far more clever than I'd anticipated, though I certainly should have. Dammit!

Xiong wasn't a full time ally, but our working arrangement was profitable for the both of us. He gave me what information he could discover, I allowed him to run his own gang and kept the White Fang away from his territory and operations.

"No." I said once again. "I do not. I do not engage in that kind of investigation on the side. If I did you could rest assured that I would not risk my ward's life by doing so."

Gray's mask broke first, a frown appearing. "You've got a child?"

"A legal ward." I corrected him. "She is a first year at Beacon who lives with me during the summer. We were exercising in the park this morning, as we do every weekend she is not in school. Any gang who honestly wanted me dead would at least know the basics of my routine."

His frown deepened. "That's a reasonable point. Can I trust you to remain available for questioning in this investigation?"

That was a far more complicated question than he realized. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to be taken into a police station. It would be all too easy to find myself locked into a sealed room there.

"I will be, but I will not have time to go to a station." I said firmly. "While I do not believe it, I agree that there is a slim chance that this was aimed at me. I need to get my ward to safety. We will be at Signal Academy on Patch, you can reach me there."

He didn't look happy, but he didn't have any authority to hold me and he knew it. "Very well. I will be in touch shortly."

Nodding, I turned and strode back the way I'd come. My mind raced with the order of operations that now had to be conducted.

First thing was first. I yanked my scroll out, made sure it was still on voice only, then dialed Roman. It rang seven times before the nocturnal thief grumpily answered, "What the fuck do you want, Cindy?"

"The Red Ax Gang just burned down my entire apartment building."

"...shit." His voice snapped to awake and alert at once. "What the fuck did you find that made them escalate?"

"Nothing that warranted this." I hissed, nodding on seeing Emerald still standing guard over my bike. "He's either dead, coerced, or ignorant. Find out witch."

He grunted and hung up.

I was already dialing another number. Adam picked up before the first ring, "Status."

"False gang attack." I replied. "Status of the tunnel?"

"No movement that we've seen." So either they hadn't known of the underground access, or they weren't yet willing to risk a battle with the White Fang.

Or...

Or this was a miscalculation on their part. If they did not know of my association with the White Fang, but did know of my contact with Hei Xiong... that could explain this. In a single strike they would think me isolated, my access to the criminal underworld curtailed, and have me put under possible police observation to boot.

"Observers?"

"We don't have anyone in the area."

Dammit. I craned my neck back, looking around in a vain effort.. but this part of the city was a concrete jungle. We were surrounded by buildings filled with windows, with high roofs that would be ideal to position a sniper or surveillance team upon.

"What is your plan?"

My mind kept racing, choosing and discarding options. "...I have to take Emerald to Signal to maintain my cover as a simple huntress."

Adam was silent for a few seconds. "Do we act against your target?"

"No. I will deal with him myself. Tonight."

Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."

Thanks, Kat