Sometimes it pays to know people.

Yang hated being tailed by murderers.

Not in the literal sense, though that happened often enough. Not unless birds made a habit of killing people. The only way these 'murderers' was if their incessant calls drove her to jump off a cliff.

Stupid things made a habit of keeping well out of her view too. Oh, she heard them alright, always chatting and teasing her from the treelines. She'd thought it peculiar at first that she was being stalked by a group of birds until she'd realized just whose birds they were. That knowledge left her even more annoyed.

Short of incinerating the forest however Yang couldn't shake them. Nor did she want to: trying to kill her tail would be just as telling as letting them continue to follow. That, and forest fires were awfully hard to contain, and she had places to be, people to find.

Her stomach growled, gnawing at itself and clamoring for some kind of fill.

Food to eat, also. Huffing she looked around for any trace of something besides plants to eat. There were the ravens - not crows, she'd come to realize, which made them… What? What was the term for ravens again? Annoying? Unreliable? Assholes?

Yang snickered at her unspoken jab, then paused to blow bangs from her eyes, running her hand back to pack down her hair. Sweat made it stick to her neck, her clothes soaked through. Dust clung to her trousers and kicked up in clouds, the roads talc in the dry summer heat. Absently she licked her lips and tasted her sweat on them.

A worn, rickety road sign provided much needed direction, the faded scrawl sending her off in the right direction. Devoid of the usual wagon wheel ruts or travelers she had nothing but natural landmarks and the occasional - far too occasional for her liking, signs to lead her along. She would manage, even if it had taken a day or two longer than planned.

Pits worn from constant rainfall made the road treacherous for carts and horses. Considering she hadn't found Devin or his family along her travels the ill-maintained road hadn't proven an issue for them. That or the Grimm caught up to them and hauled them into the forest, cart and all.

Yang scowled and shook her head, sending an angry glare towards the teasing calls of the raven behind her. A black, flitting form soared between trees and she'd half a mind to ignite it in midair, dropping her hand to her side and exhaling slowly. She was almost there, no sense in raising alarms now.

The sun, her constant companion, hung well overhead by the time Yang arrived at Holbrook. Were it not for newly formed, still smoldering craters she might have mistaken the town for another. Fields once brimming with produce lay scorched and turned over, clumps of charcoal strewn about in place of edible plants. A handful of workers labored to recover what little they could, sure, but even to Yang's untrained eye the harvest was pitiful.

Farmers worked tirelessly to reclaim what they could of their craft, small carts partially filled with their paltry haul. Guards, or more accurately, people masquerading as guards stood watch while their fellows salvaged what they could. Yang slowed to a halt when one approached, and she repressed a playful smile as the guard called for her to halt. When the boy stumbled, his armor too large for him, she snickered and hastily covered her mouth behind her hand.

"Halt!"

Unable to help herself Yang cooed, leaning toward the young guard. The boy went red in the face and tried to stand taller, bless him, still more than a head shorter than the Dimuran. After two days of trudging along by her lonesome, harassed by ravens and sore as can be she was in dire need of some laughter. Shame the poor lad before her was going to be the source of it.

"S-State your business! Why are you here?"

To pinch those adorable little cheeks of yours! Yang grinned and tossed her hair. "I'm here to meet someone, a man named Devin." She set her hands on her hips and rolled her neck with an audible crack. "He is here, right? He made it?"

The boy tilted his head, freckled face scrunching up in confusion. "Uncle Devin…? How do you know him?"

"Aw, he's your uncle?! That's so adorable!" And confusing. Cassie was a little girl and this kid had to be at least fourteen. Yang leaned forward again and smirked when the boy averted his eyes, face turning pink. Hey, she didn't choose these clothes, the clothes chose her. "He and I go way back, we're friends. He is here, isn't he? Made it safe with Trina and Cassie?"

Hearing his family members by name made the boy squirm, nodding and adjusting his hands on his pitchfork. Not even a real weapon, just as the oversized set of chain clearly wasn't his, or the boots tied to his shin with twine.

"Um… R-Right this way! They're just inside…"

"Neat, thanks!"

The boy nodded and promptly turned, stumbling when his foot nearly pulled free from the boot. Yang gave a soft 'aw' and watched his shoulders go rigid, grinning as her little escort tried to salvage his pride and marched headlong towards the gates.

At least that's what should have been there. Instead of the usual gatehouse or even walls there stood a stack of crates, barrels and small pieces of furniture. Stripped tree trunks lay in a heap beside the remains of the wall, prepared yet obviously not in place. A pair of carpenters stood over them, locked in an animated discussion as they tried to sort out how to repair their shattered defenses.

Shit, did I do that? She knew her fire had gotten out of hand but was it that bad? The walls were stone, the remains of the gate, she assumed that's what the charred timbers were, looked caved in and splintered. Not fire then, an explosion. Still could be her but more likely than not it was someone else's handiwork. Nice to know she hadn't robbed these people of their protection then. Just their food and any chance of surviving, Yang jeered, mentally kicking herself.

For a little town like Holbrook it certainly was bustling with activity. Residents scurried around like ants, carrying supplies and materials for repairs. Immediately inside the walls Yang paused to watch a small group working to restore a burned down home, two walls and a section of the roof all that remained standing. A heap of knickknacks, brittle and seared, slowly grew as the interior was stripped clean.

"Wait here a moment," the boy ordered. Yang nodded and smiled, waving the boy off. His face flushed again, and he made to speak before turning away in haste and rushing towards the back of the village, disappearing into a long, squat stone structure.

And now she was bereft of company and alone once more. Well, not alone alone, she had all these nice people to chat with! Yang smiled at a couple on their way from… Somewhere. The man smiled back politely and nodded, as did the wife, both hurrying along without so much as a 'hello'. People went about their business in silence or engrossed in their own conversations. She'd get plenty of looks, sure, but aside from staring at a distance no one deemed fit to come up and greet her.

A balding man changed that, marching up to her with the posture of someone with a rake stuck right up their ass. Suspicious probably wasn't the best look for a first impression and Yang smiled when he stopped feet short, hoping to bridge the gap by extending her hand to the man.

"Hey there, I'm Yang!" she greeted cheerily. The guard glanced at her hand and nodded.

"I know."

Oh, he knew? Well that saved her the trouble of introductions then! Yang grinned, hand dropping back to her side, the other on her hip. Neither of them spoke for a time and she let her eyes wander, humming, foot thumping rhythmically against the dry ground.

Holbrook really was a far cry from a bustling city, wasn't it? Patchwork homes, a blacksmith whose shop was so scarcely used it was clean. Even the walls themselves, the parts that hadn't been blown to smithereens, were a mix and match of stone, wood, and seemingly whatever else the town had on hand at the time. Deprived didn't even begin to cover Holbrook's resources.

"Are you here to sightsee or looking to meet someone?"

"Meet someone! But uh… You're not them?" Yang rose to her toes and peered past the guard. "You taking me to them? His name's Devin, and uh… His wife is Trina, they got a kid and a dog too."

"I'm well aware of who you're looking for."

"Oh… Well neat! So, you takin' me there?"

"No."

Yang raised an eyebrow, folding her arms, then thinking better of it when the guard placed his hand on his weapon. Losing the standoffish posture, she slouched, hooking her thumbs in her belt and grinning. "Aw, come on! I just want to say hi, make sure they're alright. You can ask them about me, I'm friends with them!"

"Father!" The boy from before rushed over to them, stumbling and catching himself with the pitchfork. His father rolled his eyes, Yang wanted to tell him not to run with a sharp tool like an idiot. "Father, Aunty Trina wants to see her."

The man's eyebrow twitched, and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oscar, I told you not to mention it. Why does she know?" He narrowed his eyes at his son. "Did you listen to a word I said?"

"He did, Laurel. I made him tell me."

Yang laughed and moved past Laurel, embracing the shorter woman and lifting her off her feet with ease. "Awesome, you guys really did make it!"

Trina smiled easily as she was set down and smoothed her blood-stained shirt. "Not mine, I promise," she assured, noticing how Yang stared at the garment expectantly. "I'm helping to prepare food. And thanks, by the way, for clearing the roads. Wish you hadn't disappeared the way you did though, had us worried sick."

"Oh, heh, my bad! I figured draw the Grimm away though, ya know?" Yang chuckled, scratching her cheek as she swayed in place. "Here I am though, alive and in one piece! Sorry it took me a while to get back, kinda got lost for a bit."

The woman laughed good naturedly and shook her head. "It's good to see you're well, Yang. Why not join us for a meal? I'm sure my husband and Cassie would love to see you."

"Trina…" Laurel warned from behind her. "We can't be taking in more visitors right now, you know that. Until supplies from the other towns arrive…"

"Yang is the reason we even made it here, Laurel. Surely we can put up one more person!" The short brunette, hands on her hips, moved to meet her brother, craning her neck to sternly glare up at him. "Besides, she's a Hunter! Weren't you saying you were worried about Grimm coming back?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Are you going to have Oscar fight Grimm?"

Laurel's eyes fell, and he ran a hand over his shining scalp. "No, I didn't plan -"

"Then Yang stays!" The Dimuran snorted as she watched Laurel buckle under the woman's gaze.

Moving to Trina's side she folded her arms, cocking a playful smile along with her hip. "I'll be good, sir, promise. You won't even know I'm here!"

A crash behind them turned heads and a young man scrambled to collect scraps fallen from his arms. With a red face and nervous glance towards Yang he rushed along, disappearing between houses by the gates. Laurel snorted, rolling his eyes before looking at Yang skeptically.

"Right… Trina, you're housing her. We haven't room in the barracks with the wounded and no other home is vacant right now."

"I was already planning on it, my lovely brother," Trina sang, smiling as Laurel's face turned pink. Like father like son, Yang mused. A gentle hand grabbed her arm and her hostess nodded behind them. "We're in a house just past the general store. Would you like to come see Cassie? Devin's out helping to gather wood right now."

"I was hoping she'd help with patrols first, actually." Laurel returned Trina's glare before his eyes flickered to Yang. "Grimm often show up in the days following attacks, as you know. We suffered casualties during the attacks, and even before then we were short on men. It'd do us a world of good to have a Hunter roaming around."

Yang was about to agree until her stomach interrupted her, sounding like an Ursa, and being just convincing enough to make Oscar jump. Chuckling nervously, she placed her hands over her stomach, patting it with a grin. "Sure, but first uh… Got any food? Haven't really eaten much," she admitted. "Not unless you count the blue jay I found on the side of the road."

What a disgusting meal that was. Stringy, bony, and hardly any meat. Not to mention the stupid ravens were hovering around it before she'd claimed the snack as her own. Oscar belched and covered his mouth, sun-kissed skin turning green. Laurel rolled his eyes, slapped his boy on the back and sighed. "Trina?"

"We have some grain and pheasant left over from this morning. It's not much, but we'll gladly share it with you."

Yang's face split with an eager smile and she pumped her fists. "Awesome! Sign me up then! I'll take some mead if you've got it, too!"

"Drink after you've done your patrols, Hunter," Laurel warned. "Head to the gate once you're through eating, you can relieve the patrol there and make your rounds."

With that Laurel took his leave, snapping at the nauseous Oscar to follow. Yang watched them go, her smile wavering until she finally let out a groan once alone. "What crawled up his ass and died?"

"He's the captain of the guard here. What's left of it," Trina amended. Yang followed as they made their way further into town, to the portions that had been spared fighting days earlier. "He has a lot on his plate so forgive him if he's short. He's…" She paused then smiled. "No, he's always like this. Today's just bad since we're expecting supplies, he wants to make sure everything's in order before they arrive."

Makes sense, kind of. Yang itched her cheek absently and turned her head at a squawk, an annoying sound that turned into laughter. A lone raven perched along a rooftop cocked its head and hopped along the edge, beady eyes trained on her. It glanced at Trina fleetingly, losing interest and squawking again at Yang. The blonde scowled and shooed the animal, sticking out her tongue and watching as it took off from its perch.

"Not a fan of ravens?" Trina smiled, amused by Yang's outward display.

Yang forced a laugh, itching at her nose. "You have no idea…"

/+/+/+/+/+/

It was telling when the patrol returned later, and Yang was to be sent out on her own. Holbrook hadn't the manpower to spare for more men, not when one of its 'guards' shambled through the gate, rickety as a reed in a storm. Yang watched the elderly man shuffle along, wisps of white hair flapping in the wind, sword rattling in his bony grasp. Part of her almost offered to carry the poor guy back home, saved the trouble of doing so when a pair of young men did just that.

"You see now why I need you on patrols." Laurel sighed. If the town was so hurt for protection that the old and infirm were playing guard then yeah, she had a pretty good idea why. So much for just checking in on things then, looked like she'd be stuck in Holbrook for a few days at least. "You're certain you don't want a weapon…? We do have a few swords in the barracks."

"Nope, I'm good!" Yang grinned and slapped her palm loudly against her bracer.

Taking off as she had before meant most of her belongings were left in Devin's cart. Gods bless him and Trina for deciding to keep everything in hopes of seeing her again. It felt nice to be back in her usual brown cloak, to have the cool metal and leather clasped around her forearms. Gone were the ratty clothes she'd pilfered from a clothesline: she'd burned the garments as soon as she'd gotten the chance.

The guard's captain shrugged, knowing better to question a Hunter and their tendencies. "Fine by me. You remember the route, aye?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it! Hundred meters into the forest, around the perimeter of the town, and as far back as the mountain." Yang gazed upon the rising rock that loomed over Holbrook's southern end. Sheer faces, towering spires and crags stretched up into the sky, and within hours it would cloak the squalid town in shadow. "You're sure you don't want me to go up there too?"

"Last time we sent someone up there the town was attacked," Laurel growled. "So, no, I think we'll pass this time. Seems like an ill omen now."

A bad luck mountain, huh? "Well… Sounds like you guys had a… Rocky time of things." Laurel narrowed his eyes and Yang chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. That joke really stunk. I'm just… Fielding jokes here," she continued with a thumb over her shoulder. A farmer booed and another groaned, shaking his head and returning to tilling.

"Just… Go. Please. Before I regret this any more than I already do!"

Pleased with herself Yang stood taller and puffed out her chest. "On it, boss! Just wait, I'll do a… Crate-r job!" She snorted and gestured towards one of the burned holes nearby. "Eh? Eh?"

"Go!" Laurel and farmers shouted in unison.

Sheesh, tough crowd!

Pleased with herself Yang threw a wave over her shoulder and sauntered away from the gates, meandering along the walls for her patrol. Aside from the distant sounds of construction and muffled chatter it was silent, annoyingly so. She hadn't thought she'd miss the company of the ravens until they'd left, thinking better perhaps of drawing her ire any longer.

Shame, that. She'd lost the only companions who might understand her jokes. Finding a squirrel nestled in a birch tree she moved under it, grinning and waving to the skittish creature. "Hey, hey buddy! I hear you're nuts for that acorn!"

The squirrel chirped, looking at her before bounding across the branch and leaping to another tree, then another, disappearing into the woods. Even squirrels didn't want her jokes! Yang huffed, stomping away, the epitome of maturity. Her jokes weren't bad, people just didn't get them! Maybe her puns were so clever that it was too high brow for most.

Yang sighed, then laughed to herself. "Nah, they're bad…" So bad that they were good, but still bad, borderline blasphemous. And that's why she loved them! That and a groan or look of disgust was every bit as rewarding as raucous laughter.

Laurel hadn't been wrong in assuming more Grimm would be arriving. Energy tended to linger even after the initial attack and stragglers - typically lesser variants like Creeps or Itoli, would wander into town. Even a run-of-the-mill guard could handle those with enough training, but then that was assuming the town had guards to begin with. The captain looked the part, as had two of the men standing by the remains of Holbrook's gates. As far as Yang could tell however that was the extent of their forces.

And so the elderly and weary Hunters were enlisted instead. Not that Yang minded terribly; Trina had fed her, she'd spoken with Devin briefly and played with Cassie. Her clothing, cleaned and repaired, had been furnished and she'd even been offered Lien as thanks, which she turned down. There wasn't much else to do in Holbrook besides patrol. That, or help rebuild.

To Yang's complete shock the walls of Holbrook were undisturbed. Piss poor in construction and about as reliable as a paper canoe, but free from Grimm. After passing by the gate three times, cracking jokes much to the chagrin of the guard, she wandered off into forest.

Though to call the trees around Holbrook a 'forest' would be akin to claiming a young boy's first hairs amounted to a beard. Spindly birches, starved oaks and maples twisted and bent, gnarled as they rose up from the deprived earth. In a time where vegetation flourished, and leaves should be green as grass the trees here burned as a flame; orange and red, yellow and brown littered the scrawny limbs. Leaves crunched loudly underfoot, and Yang watched, dejected, as a starving hawk, roused from its perch, took off on weak wings, chasing an equally pitiful mouse into its home.

She'd noticed the sorry forest on her way into town of course and written it off as damage from the flames, from smoke and ash. Yet trees wouldn't have turned so poorly within only a few days. Yang's fingers brushed at a trunk and bark crumbled away, revealing sickly yellow flesh beneath.

The entire forest seemed ill, taken by a plague that robbed it of all vitality. Even the sunlight that filtered through sparse, deprived canopies looked dimmer than usual, as if light itself was robbed of its strength.

Yang stopped by a fallen tree and thought to sit on it, reconsidering when her foot caved into the log. Insects scurried out of their broken home and swarmed across the forest floor, vanishing under blankets of dying vegetation.

We don't know what's changed but the forest isn't what it used to be. Yang frowned, squatting down and running her fingers through the dirt. Dry, powdery, more like sand of a desert than a flourishing forest floor. Laurel's pallid face returned to her thoughts, his despondent words with it. Without a botanist nearby, we can't figure out what's wrong. If whatever is ailing the forest reaches the fields then what few crops we have left will die. If we lose our crops…

Something had to have changed recently. Holbrook wouldn't have survived on farming alone, and without livestock that could only mean they hunted for their meats. Without traveling some ways from town there would be no game to speak of near town. Did Hunters always have to venture away, out of Mount Glenn's shadow, or was this a new development? Laurel had made it sound like the latter, so what had happened?

On a whim Yang moved to a miserable maple, using her fingers to peel back bark. Yellow flesh greeted her, and she dug her fingers into it, scraping and tearing. Within yellowing fibers and viscous sap, she saw it. Thin black veins coursed through the tree, pulsing. Tearing the flesh free she grimaced when a noxious fume poured from the material, filling her lungs with fetid air that left her eyes watering and chest burning.

"Fuck!" Yang backed away and waved the air before her, staring at the gnarled, bilious tree. Miasma. Rot magic. Not Grimm, she noted furiously as she stormed away. Grimm she could fight, she could handle, but miasma? Without the healing magics of a specialized apothecary or the right solutions from an herbalist nothing she could do would cleanse the woods of their taint.

Magic like that didn't just appear out of thin air either. Someone had cast an ailment on the forest, and if she had ventured a guess, the fields as well.

The fields! Yang turned and began her run back towards the town, heart hammering in her chest. Animals in the forest were starving because plants were no longer edible. Just meeting miasma was enough to make one sick. Consuming it? Even the hardiest of men would fall if enough of the magic was inhaled.

Yang broke from the treeline and rounded Holbrook's walls to the front. Farmers who had been toiling not an hour earlier were notably absent, as were the guards. Weapons lay abandoned in the fields, baskets of produce neglected, carts forgotten. She looked around desperately for signs of the residents, finding none. Stifling the rising terror, she ran for the gates, feet sinking in fertile soil, trampling over poisoned crops. Slipping through the barricades she found her way back into the town.

Well, she'd found the farmers, along with the entire rest of the town. For a second Yang questioned why everyone was gathered as they were, knelt in the center of Holbrook, until she noticed a group in the middle. Armed men flanked a woman, both turning upon her arrival and reaching for their weapons. Yang frowned hearing flesh strike flesh and saw Laurel fall to the dirt, blood leaking from a gash on his forehead as he was hauled back to his knees.

Whines and stifled protests rose from the crowd and died out just as swiftly as they'd started. Yang growled under her breath and took two steps before the men drew their weapons, finally prompting the woman to turn around. She appraised Yang, waving her men off and twirling her spear before hanging it off her shoulder.

"Well, looks like we have a visitor," Amber said, grinning. Her spear dripped with blood, staining the pale earth crimson. "If you're here to pillage then I'm afraid you're too late. Or, if you're hoping to play hero…" She bounced the weapon on her shoulder, tilting her head with a coy smile.

Yang returned the smile and held her hands up. "Hero, me? Nah, I'm a nobody. Just sort of passin' through." She found Trina and Devin in the crowd, the latter battered, though not nearly as bad as Laurel was. Cassie clung to his chest and bawled into it fitfully; where was their dog, Luna?

"Good. See, no one has to die today! We just want what's ours and we'll be out of your hair." Amber looked around at the piteous state of the town and scoffed. "From the looks of it though you're hardly able to pay up."

Yang moved towards the gathering, stopping when two more men at Amber's flanks moved to intercept her. Blowing them away with fire would be easy, just as easy as incinerating all the villagers in the crossfire. Amber smiled knowingly, twirling her spear before driving the point into the ground. "I know that look, kid. Go on, try something." She leveled her weapon at Laurel's throat behind her. "And see how fast I gut this one."

Dozens of pleading eyes looked to her for help and Yang could do nothing for it. Any spell of hers would cause more damage than it was worth, not to mention fighting risked more Grimm. Grinding her teeth, she forced a smile, hands up as she moved closer.

"Not another inch, you scaly bitch," Brawnz growled.

Oh, oh him she could set alight. Yang smiled tersely and kept her hands raised, puckering her lips and winking. "Easy, tough guy, I'm not doing anything." She ignored the lumbering clod and looked at Amber instead. "What's the town owe ya, anyways? How much Lien?"

"Five-thousand Lien!"

Yang's whistle was overshadowed by the angry shouts from the crowd. Laurel pulled against his captors, blood-stained face contorted in anger. "That's not what we agreed on! You're changing the price again!"

"Three thousand for our services, and another two for the trouble those bitches before gave us," Amber listed off. "It's either a blood price or coin, we don't care which. Are you going to pay up for them, girlie, or should we start taking heads?"

Yang's smile faltered, and her eyes flashed. Lowering her arms slowly she eyed Brawnz' weapon, raising an eyebrow. She'd melt it before he had a chance to swing it, force feed him the molten scraps too. The hired muscle wasn't the problem, it was the witch with the spear hovering inches by Laurel's throat.

Amber opened her mouth to speak and for a second Yang thought she'd cawed. Lifting her head, she watched a lone raven circle overhead, angling itself to inspect the gathering below. Then, to their surprise, Yang's included, the bird landed on her shoulder. She leaned her head away and growled at the bird threateningly, stopping short of throttling spotting a familiar red ribbon around its ankle.

"A bird? Cute. You a falconer then, girl?" Amber asked.

Didn't falconers technically train, you know, falcons? Yang's lips twisted into a wry smile and she rolled her eyes. "Nope! Just a little pest. Probably heard there were some carcasses nearby and came to eat."

"There will be if you don't watch that tongue of yours."

"Right back at you, you dumb - Ow!" The raven pecked her head and Yang swat at it, scowling as the bird took off and circled overhead. Brave little turd landed on her arm again and she narrowed her eyes at it, fingers flexing threateningly. "Do that again and you're dead, you stupid crow."

"Not Qrow! Not Qrow!" Its voice was feminine, lower in tone, and unrecognizable thanks to incessant squawking. Yang knew the creature and its kin well enough to catch the distinction in its words.

"Oh, and it talks? Handy," Amber whistled, leering at the bird with a grin. "Maybe I'll take that as part of our pay. Could come in handy."

"I don't think you'd want this one." Yang wrinkled her nose. "Probably diseased or something."

"I'll decide what I do and don't want here, blondie. This town owes us," Amber said. "And unless you plan on fighting us off we'll take whatever we damn well please."

The raven cocked its head, beat its wings before laughing. Yang cringed at the sound beside her ear and tried to pinch the animal's beak shut, scowling when it ducked away.

"Mistake! Mistake!" the bird croaked. "Fight and die! Fight and die!"

Bandits as well as villagers exchanged confused stares. Yang rolled her eyes, wondering where in the world the flying rats had picked up a penchant for theatrics. Or better yet why, once again, a bird had been sent instead of its owner coming herself.

Amber lowered her weapon with a laugh, resting her spear on her shoulder to clap. "Adorable! Threatened by a bird of all things!" She grinned and leaned forward, eyebrow cocked. "Teach it any other tricks, blondie? Can it dance?"

Yang offered a shrug and half-smile. "No clue, not my bird."

"Oh, then whose is it? Who's the talented falconer?"

"I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to -" Yang began to say, cut off by another loud screech. "Oi, clam up you little feathered turd! I'll burn you up!"

"Raven! Raven! Raven!" the bird sang, hopping in place on Yang's shoulders.

"Yes, we know what kind of bird you are," Amber remarked, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Who is your master?"

"Idiot, idiot, idiot! Raven! Raven!" The raven fluffed its feathers and watched Amber for recognition, tilting its head every which way. The woman stared cluelessly, then rolled her eyes.

"If you're stalling with this stupid thing I'll just -"

"Branwen! Branwen! Fight and die! Fight and die!"

Yang couldn't help the smile that came to when Amber's face fell. Brawnz and his partner exchanged uneasy glances and the pair holding Laurel shifted nervously. Proud of itself, the raven puffed up its chest and laughed again, then took off and circled around the gathering. It tried to land on Amber's shoulder, squawking angrily when her spear fended it off.

"Fool! Fool! Fight and die! Fight and die!"

"Shut up! Nolan, shoot that fucking thing down, would you?!" Amber shouted. "I'm sick of listening to it!"

A boy with deep-crimson hair, one of the ones holding Laurel, stared at Yang. She watched as his complexion grew paler and paler, eyes widening and jaw going slack. "Nolan, eyes up, you idiot! Shoot that fucking bird before I shoot you!" The raven continued its jeers, laughing as it flew well out of Amber's spear's reach. Amber growled and shot Yang a furious glare. "Make your bird stop, dammit!"

The blonde Dimuran shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Told ya it ain't mine."

"Uh, ma'am…" Nolan finally found his words, eyes still locked on Yang. "I uh… We might have messed up."

"What do you mean 'messed up'? The only thing that's going to be 'messed up' is your face! Now quick gawking and do what I said, you moron!"

Brawnz stepped back and lowered his hand from his weapon. "Shit… Uh, Amber? We should go."

Amber scowled, turning and grabbing the large man's tunic, pulling him down to her level. "What do you mean 'we should go'? It's just a brat and a bird! I'm not leaving without our Lien!"

"Ma'am, that's the Branwen's runt!" a girl exclaimed, her lone gray-blue eye wide as she let go of Laurel and stepped away. Her partner followed suit and the guard captain collapsed, sputtering and coughing out dust as he rolled onto his side.

With all four of her subordinates now backing away Amber turned back to Yang. She narrowed her eyes, studying the blonde's face for a long moment. Maybe if she could flash her eyes red or say something really conceited then it'd help sell it. Turns out Amber didn't need it, lowering her weapon and blinking owlishly. Then her jaw fell, head shaking side to side slowly as she took a half-step back.

"O-Oh, oh shit. Begging your pardon, miss! We uh… We didn't realize this town was under Raven's watch!" Amber smiled nervously and held her spear out, shaft first, offering it to Yang. "Here, take my weapon as an apology. The others' too!" She turned her head and nodded towards Yang. "Come on, idiots, put them up!"

Villagers watched in stunned silence as the five bandits, just moments away from raiding their village and slaughtering them all, now groveled at Yang's feet. To be fair Yang was a bit confused too, more so by the misunderstanding than the offers. What was she supposed to do with five weapons? Sell them? Heh, that might not actually be a bad idea.

"Put them at my feet. Go on," she said, gesturing to the empty ground before her. Amber nodded and laid down her spear, snapping at her underlings to follow suit. Metal clattered noisily as blades were thrown and Yang smiled, moving and picking up a dagger, turning it over in her hands to examine it. "Not bad! I might actually use this one. The rest are crap though." She glanced at Amber and frowned, watching the woman squirm in place.

"We… We have Lien too, if you want. A few thousand back in camp. I-It's yours!"

Tempting, but Yang was beginning to notice just how uneasy the villagers were. Not towards Amber and her crew, not any longer. All eyes were on her now, waiting to see what she'd do. Sighing, Yang shook her head and tossed the dagger at Amber's feet, blade sticking into the dirt.

"Get out of here, all of you. And if you ever come back to this town again you bet your ass the tribe will come looking, got me?"

Amber nodded frantically, clasping her hands and bowing, the others following her lead. Without another word or gaze in her direction the group rushed past her, filing through the makeshift gates and disappearing. Without bandits harassing them anymore Yang expected the villagers to cheer, or hell, applaud her for saving them. Even just a 'thank you' or two would have been nice.

Instead the entirety of Holbrook sat in complete silence, content to stare at her rather than voice any gratitude. Breaking the silence, the raven chortled before landing before her, hopping in place and lifting its beady eyes up to face her.

"Debt. Debt! Master wants! Debt!"

Yang grit her teeth and lunged for the animal, cursing as it flew through her hands and took off, laughing as it too vanished beyond the walls. On her knees she leaned back, sitting on her heels and sighing. "Stupid bird… Shoulda burned it when I had the chance…"

Laurel cleared his throat and Yang looked up, flashing a nervous grin at the still waiting villagers. The captain of the guard, though no doubt grateful, gazed upon her as one might a coiled snake.

"I, ah… I can explain?"

Laurel nodded, as did a number of the villagers. "Please do," he insisted, pushing himself up with a grunt and collapsing onto his rear end. A rattling, pained breath shook his chest and he wiped grime and blood from his brow. "Starting with, perhaps… How you know the Branwens?"

Chuckling nervously Yang nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. She should probably get that cleared up, huh? Letting her eyes wander she caught a glimpse of the ailing trees outside the walls and bit her lip. That was more important but somehow, she suspected the villagers wouldn't care so much, at least not yet.

Where did she even begin? How did she even begin this kind of conversation? Yang sighed, settling back onto her rear and crossing her legs. Well… She'd often dreamed of having an audience, just not for this. Rubbing her hands together she grinned. "Holbrook how are you doing tonight!" she shouted.

"It's the middle of the day!" came her reply.

Yang rolled her eyes and dropped her hands into her lap. "It's rhetorical, you arse! You're not supposed to answer!"

"Yang…" Devin staggered towards the front of the crowd, Cassie clinging to his leg. He smiled, the gesture difficult with a bruised, swollen cheek. "Please, just tell them. You're a hero, remember? It doesn't matter where you came from."

Oh, but it kind of did. Yang scratched at her cheek, itching at the thick scales creeping up her neck before letting out a sigh.

"Can we… I don't know, take a rain check on this? I did just kinda save you all, and besides…" She pointed to the sky, to nothing and huffed. "You're going to listen to that birdbrain? It doesn't know what it's saying!"

"I think it did, and I think you need to tell us why that bird seemed to know you. And why it apparently belonged to a dangerous tribe," Laurel warned. "Should we expect the Branwens next? Are you bringing them to our step now?"

"No! I'm not, honest. I'm not even part of the tribe!" Not anymore. Yang ran a hand through her golden locks, sighed, then rolled her shoulders and smiled. "Alright, look, here's the gist of it, 'kay? I'll keep it plain and simple."

She didn't miss how a good few of the villagers leaned forward, eyes trained on her intently. Laurel watched her intently and Devin, joined now by Trina, nodded encouragingly. Right, better to get it out in the open now and get it over with.

"Well, it all started when I was born…"

The crowd unanimously groaned, and Yang let herself have a laugh. Hey, they asked for it! She finally had an audience, and while she'd give them the answers they wanted, she was so going to work on some of her material.

"Just remember," Yang warned, wagging her finger and winking. "You guys wanted this."

That could change soon but hey, that was their problem, not hers.

A shorter entry this week, and mostly an intermediary one at that, setting things up for the chapters to come.

And before anyone might ask, nope, that raven isn't Raven. I mean the raven IS a raven, but it's not Raven-Raven, catch my drift?

Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day wherever you are, and feedback, as always is appreciated. Until next time, Gambol out!

...

See, this is the part I fly away or something, but I don't have that power, so... -walks off stage-