I've got to ask y'all, and feel free to DM me an answer as opposed to leaving a review, but what works better for you as the reader? Shorter chapters (shorter for me being about 6k words) or an "average" chapter length (about 8-10k words). The story being told won't change overall as a result but I want to make the reading experience as nice as can be. So, if you're so inclined, let me know! :)
On a different note, I rather like this chapter title. Gave myself a cookie for it, I did.
Feeling utterly drained, her muscles inflamed, crying out in protest at the smallest movements, Blake rose. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together the unfamiliar surroundings she found herself in.
The room was dark. Not so much that her vision couldn't make out details - she was of the few Faunus races whose vision rivaled that of nocturnal animals - but enough that she was left guessing the time of day. A small building that consisted of a singular room, with a crudely carved table taking up residence in one corner of the space, two stools gathered beside it. Following the dirt floor, she saw a fireplace, crudely fashioned from stone and mud, the dying embers of a recently roaring fire petering out. Beyond that a bed claimed the far wall, a hunched, curled up figure within.
Ilia. Right. Groaning, Blake pushed herself up from the floor, closing her eyes and hissing. Every muscle in her body tensed at once. Her back was tight and made breathing unpleasant, her neck stiff. Sleeping on the hard ground, separated only by a thin blanket, probably hadn't helped.
They were safe. After finding them inside the forests the huntress, Avery, if she remembered right, had brought them to her cabin. Most of the journey was a blur and her addled mind made recalling everything that led up to her awakening difficult. It mattered little in the end. They were alive and Ilia was resting. For the time being they were free from her friends' assault. Could she even count them as friends? If Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, and Nora were still considered friends then so too was Adam and Yuma.
I've got rather shit luck at striking up friendships, haven't I? It wouldn't be galling to find Weiss and the others turning on her too. If anything, it would be more shocking to not be attacked. Zorander, whatever in the hells I did to deserve this, I'm sorry. Her head throbbed and the heels of her hands worked at her closed eyes, leaning forward and drawing a sharp breath.
To linger was to welcome danger. Ilia was asleep if her gentle, rhythmic breathing was any indication. Much as Blake hated to disturb her friend's much needed slumber, she couldn't let herself relax.
How long until the others found her again? Would their savior turn them in, expecting them to go without a fight as they slept?
Paranoia reared its ugly head. Where gratitude should be she felt a humiliating sense of dread. Fear ran through her veins and brought a score of goosebumps to her skin. Crawling across the floor, silently willing her stomach to hold its contents, she groped about until she found something to use as a weapon. An iron poker would suffice.
To lift the makeshift weapon was an otherworldly task; her arm trembled and refused to lift the poker overhead. Unable to stand still Blake resigned herself to crawling over to the bed, lifting herself on the edge and peering at Ilia. She seemed peaceful, calm even. A clean bandage was wrapped around her head and she showed no signs of difficulty. Curious, she leaned down and sniffed, detecting the faint scents of lavender, the wisps of ginger on Ilia's breath. She'd been cared for at least.
That still did little to assuage Blake's fears.
Incapable of walking, nevermind carrying someone, Blake turned and slumped against the bed. Only then did she realize that she herself was covered in bandages as well. Arms and legs bundled in wrappings, and a firm, almost constrictive covering across her chest.
Stripped me down, did she? She hardly cared that she'd been seen bare. What was more troubling was how she'd allowed it. A stranger, in the midst of a life or death situation, had somehow disarmed her, undressed her, and gotten her to sleep. We need to go. We should -
Her ears flicked towards the door and she pressed herself against the bed. Footsteps approached and grass crunched underneath footfalls. The gentle creaking of wood was curious. Firewood?
Only one person seemed to be approaching. Feeling her body coiling she lifted the poker in both hands, reaching out for magic, willing shadows that engulfed the cabin to obey her whims. Like an older sibling the shadows lorded themselves over her and held their power just out of reach. Cursing, she trained her weapon on the door, ready to fend off any would-be attacker.
The sunlight that spilled into the room made her hiss; eyes forced to close as she turned her head away. An amused snort didn't help calm her and she raised the poker out, held aloft in trembling hands.
"What are you going to do? Shank me?"
That was the plan, yes. Cracking open one eye she watched Avery step inside and deposit her firewood beside the door. With all the concern of a mountain lion facing off against a fly she sauntered into the room, held out a hand and stared down at Blake expectantly. When they stared at one another in silence, Blake too uneasy to speak, the woman sighed and tapped her foot impatiently.
"I'm not doing this by hand. Can I have my tool, please?" she asked testily.
"Who are you?"
Avery blinked, then let out another sigh, dropping her hand and stepping back. "That out of it, huh? Well, for starters I'm the woman who saved your life. You're welcome, by the way." An involuntary flush heated Blake's cheeks. She felt relieved the dark room concealed that much. "And since you apparently forgot the entire conversation, we had last night, my name is Avery. You're Blake, that's Ilia."
Blake gasped as the poker was suddenly wrenched from her hands. "And this," she waved the tool about. "Is mine. Do you usually make a habit of threatening your hosts with their own things?"
Actually, a funny thing about that…
The woman carried on her business and showed no signs of concern. No worry that Blake might stick a knife in her back or attack her. She supposed Avery could afford to be lackadaisical; both knew just how spent Blake was. While the woman went about feeding new logs to the fire she closed her eyes, laying her head back and taking a deep breath. Ilia groaned beside her and she cocked her head, half hoping her friend would wake. The speckled girl rolled over and put her back to Blake, muttered incoherently, and continued to sleep.
"You're safe here. The Hunters won't find you out this way."
Tensing, Blake's head snapped towards Avery. "I'm not sure I know what -"
"You really don't remember anything, do you?" Avery took flint, struck it a few times, then tossed a burning twig into the fireplace. Almost immediately flames took root and a pleasant warmth filled the cabin, coating the small space in a pleasant orange glow. "You were running with your friend there when I found you. Attacked by other friends. Sorry about that, by the way." She gave Blake a sincere smile. "I brought you two back here, patched you up, and you both fell asleep. That was yesterday afternoon."
"So, I told you all that?"
"No, I'm just really good at guessing." Avery snorted, moving back across the room and picking up a few skewers decorated with strips of meat. "Relax. I don't exactly care for the Church. They haven't done much for me except demand I attend services. If you're running from them then you're safe here."
"I'm not running from them," Blake said hastily. Her hostess raised an eyebrow, incredulous, and the dark-haired woman let out a groan. "Fine, but not for the reasons you think."
"Because they attacked you, right?"
Blake nodded. For no apparent reason too. Her friends - if she could call them friends anymore - showed up and saved her and Ilia from Adam. That seemed to fit her idea of them. How then did she explain being attacked by the very same people? If their aim had been to kill her then why save her at all? What good was it to risk themselves when Adam could have easily done what they sought to?
"You don't have to explain yourself. You're hardly the first visitor I've had randomly show up on my doorstep. And at least you didn't bring a swarm of Grimm with you." Avery laughed, a short, bitter sound. "Anyways, you're welcome to stay here until you're recovered. In fact, I insist you do."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me just yet. I'm not doing this completely out of the goodness of my heart, you know." Avery stepped back from the fire and dusted her hands clean on her tunic. "I'm sharing my food with you, not to mention I went out and gathered medicine to tend your wounds."
Blake chuckled, half amused, half in disbelief. "You're charging the people you saved? Some healer you are."
"I'm a huntress, not a healer, and it's just me out here, all by my lonesome. Giving things away means I have less for myself." I didn't ask you to save us though. Avery leaned down and held out a hand to silence Blake's complaints. "I'm not going to ask you to do much," she continued. "But I expect to be compensated somehow. Even if all you do is help me fix my roof while you're here."
That was fair. An inconsequential price to pay for what very well could have saved their lives. It was still baffling that someone would go out of their way to help two complete strangers. Faunus too. It was comforting that Avery didn't mind what they were, it seemed.
"At any rate, I've got food cooking for us. I doubt your friend there is going to be joining us," Avery inclined her head towards Ilia. "But if she wakes then she's welcome to. I'm going to go get some water for us, you just, I don't know. Make sure my house doesn't burn down."
"That much I can do."
"Good!" Avery flashed another smile before stepping towards the door again. Blake preemptively averted her eyes, grateful for the sun's warmth that passed through while loathing how the bright light made her head throb. "Just sit tight, I'll be back before long."
"Right."
Like she had much of a choice there.
The door closed again, and they were left in a midday nightfall. Only now that her head was clearing could Blake make out the sounds of birdsong amidst the crackling of fire and Avery's fading steps. Shifting herself on the cool, hard dirt floor she laid her head back, stealing a glance at the cooking food. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation and she licked up drool before it could leak free, closing her eyes and trying instead to focus on more pressing matters.
Weiss and the others were out there somewhere. Assuming they weren't her enemy now too, which felt like a huge ask given everything, she needed to find them. The Church had tried to kill her which rendered returning to the city impossible. The White Fang was out for obvious reasons. Her friends outside of that, what few she had, Blake refused to endanger. If nothing else she'd take a chance with Weiss, Ruby, and Yang. Once she was rested. No way on Remnant would she risk being attacked a second time and be unable to flee at a moment's notice.
Which means trusting Avery. She didn't kill us while we slept so that's a start. A depressingly low standard that determined who she could and couldn't trust too. There was still no guarantee Avery wouldn't turn them in now that she was awake.
Stop being so godsdamned paranoid. The whole world isn't out to get you. Huffing, Blake reached back until her left shoulder screamed out in protest, dropping her hand and letting Ilia continue to stir and mumble. Some people might genuinely be trying to help.
The fireplace crackled and she felt an ember land on her foot. Hissing, she pushed herself closer and grabbed the poker, freeing a log and pushing it back into the pit. Regardless of Avery's sincerity it wasn't like she had much choice. She'd accept the hospitality for however long it lasted.
Which wouldn't be long if she let the huntress' house burn down.
/+/+/+/+/+/
Plockton was as Weiss remembered it. Shambles, abandoned, and with little sign of habitation. That the Branwen tribe had spent a few weeks within its walls making a home for themselves changed little of that fact. Buildings which had been torn asunder in Merlot's rampage remained piles of rubble, although suitable pieces were hauled away to repair other structures. Homes of brick and stone, far more durable than the typical tents the tribe was accustomed to, remained standing, albeit covered in moss and vines. Small as the tribe was, sixty people, including children which Weiss hadn't noticed before, took up a mere fraction of the town's entirety. So it was that much of the abandoned town remained just so, forgotten by time and long since grown unaccustomed to housing anyone.
Their arrival to town had been met with a mixture of curiosity and joy, and just the slightest bit of trepidation. Weiss couldn't recall how they had arrived nor when they had even left Galloway for that matter. Sizable gaps in her memory left her more unnerved than she cared to admit. Had she suffered a blow to the head? Overdone her magic? In her elation to find how swiftly a spellbook could hasten her craft it wasn't unreasonable to think she'd gotten overzealous.
Worse still was no one would tell her what had happened. Yang and Ruby regarded her kindly enough, chatting amicably with her and sharing meals whenever they stopped. While she'd known Yang for a short time, however, she could tell that her friend's smile was guarded, her body posture just a little tenser than usual; Ruby might as well be openly lying to her face for all the good it did.
Qrow and Raven weren't any better. Qrow kept his distance from all of them, often wandering off whenever they'd pause for rest. Raven regarded her as one would a flea ridden rat, openly loathsome, angry as disdain burned behind the fierce red eyes, stoking flames within.
What on Remnant had happened?
To her utter embarrassment and shame, she was bound. Myrtenaster - her version of it, as the real one remained in Atlas - was confiscated by Raven and kept on her person at all times. When they finally reached Plockton's perimeter they did so with Weiss' hands bound before her and a not-so-idle threat on Raven's part; try casting spells and she'd break every finger Weiss had twice over.
She hesitated to scratch her nose from then on.
And so there they were, traipsing along the town's empty streets with only the occasional curious soul passing them by. The sound of work around them was unmistakable as stone was set into place, hammers went about their business, arrhythmic strikes filling the otherwise silent landscape with a drunken, off-kilter song. The warmth of a nearly cloudless morning did little to assuage the unpleasant chill that gripped Weiss and she kept her eyes on the ground before her. The weeds sprouting between paving stones, splitting cobble and overtaking parts of the roads were inherently fascinating to her, or so she told herself. Anything was preferable to drawing Raven's ire.
Of the members of the tribe few were bold enough to approach when Raven appeared so infuriated. Lesser still were the ones who did so without looking to fear for their lives. Vernal proved to be the single soul either bold enough or dim-witted enough to take the chance, storming right up to Raven and beginning to complain.
Work wasn't being done fast enough. None of the tribe were skilled laborers, and why would they be? A nomadic lifestyle meant there was no need to take up trades. Masonry was beyond them, carpentry a distant dream. There was the matter of food, whether Plockton was truly safe or not, and the issue of Grimm prowling beyond the town's borders. Grimm, Weiss noted, which didn't seem to harry them on their way inside.
It's not the first time Grimm have ignored us. They've never done that before. She watched Vernal as the woman continued to rant, face growing redder as her gestures became more bombastic. Evidently, she had been left in charge in Raven's absence and things had proceeded poorly. Typically, they would come running from all over to attack. What's changed? Was it because we haven't been using magic…?
Surprisingly, Vernal could say her piece, run herself breathless, with no repercussions. More shocking still was Raven's apology, something which took both Weiss herself and Vernal off guard. After promising to reorganize their efforts the bandit leader dismissed her subordinate and sent them back on their way.
In their initial visit to Plockton there had been precious little time for sightseeing. Beyond the cramped residential quarters, tightly packed, multi-story apartment blocs, most of which had been leveled by Merlot, they knew nothing of what the town had to offer.
As it turned out there wasn't much they had missed. With the plaza decimated by their battle it had been blocked off by crude barricades and a handful of workers toiled to make it safe again. Within the remaining winding streets there was hardly anything else of note. Shops, abandoned, with faded placards hanging from single chains, broke up the rows of homes, storehouses, and unmarked buildings. Passing by a group of four armed bandits idling about, playing dice between stacks of crates, they jumped to attention upon their arrival. Raven ignored them, marched right past and into one of the abandoned homes, nondescript from the others.
They must have lingered for overlong at the threshold as she turned to them, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. "Well?" she snapped. "Are you waiting for an invite? Come in!"
Begrudgingly they filed in. If this home was where Raven had taken up her residence, then it wasn't much better off than the others in Plockton. Between the hole in the far corner where sunlight poured in, water steadily dripping down into soiled floorboards, and a pile of clutter shoved against the wall, it seemed that nothing had been done to make it more hospitable. Weiss shuffled inside and wrinkled her nose at the damp smells, deciding to remain standing as Qrow sank into a musty armchair and immediately took to his flask, nursing it with long drinks.
"It's not the worst place I've ever seen?" Ruby smiled, ever the optimist. Or delusional. "Why don't we take a seat, Weiss? Oh, there's some decent looking crates over there!"
"Weiss can stand, Ruby," Yang said, pulling her sister away and glancing at Weiss. "Right, Weiss? You're good?"
"I…"
The look Yang gave her made her go silent in an instant. It wasn't hateful like Raven's, or wary like Qrow's, but apologetic. Without another word between them the blonde pulled her sister along and took up seats by a collapsing staircase.
Raven neither sat nor stood, instead pacing in the center of the room. Weiss jumped when the door closed behind her, shuffled her feet and grimaced as the boards changed color beneath her boot.
Come to think of it there were no signs of habitation anywhere. No bedroll, no indication that anyone had cooked here, slept, or worked. Things had been moved, yes, but that didn't mean anything. From outside the door she heard something scraping against the ground, then a dull thud against the door itself. Taking a step back she nudged the door with her shoulder, paling when it refused to budge.
"Going somewhere, Schnee?"
Like she'd get far. Weiss turned to rebuke Raven only to slam against the door, inching her head away and closing her eyes. Steel hovered perilously close to her throat and on reflex she tried to raise her hands and push Raven away. The blade came closer, hovering near enough that she felt the pinprick of metal on flesh, and her hands dropped.
"Rae, relax!" Qrow shouted.
"Shut up, Qrow!"
"Mom! We agreed not to hurt her!" To Weiss' confusion it was Yang who shouted in her defense. Her eyes swiveled to her friend desperately, pleading for intervention.
"Leave her alone!" Ruby added, rushing to help until Qrow blocked her path, arm outstretched. "Qrow, stop!"
"Rae, let her go," her uncle said.
"She tried to kill Yang. She attacked me in my sleep!" Raven bared her teeth and pressed her palm to Weiss' jaw, forcing her head up. "She's a Warden, she's corrupted! We can't trust her!"
"Whatever happened wasn't her fault! That's not who Weiss is!" Ruby said. "Please, let her go! We already tied her up, she can't hurt us now!"
Sweat trickled down her throat and ran down the length of Raven's blade. Despite her nerves and the erratic pounding in her chest Weiss sought Raven's eyes with her own, hoping to convey that she meant no harm. Hells, she didn't even know what they were talking about! No one had explained anything to her, why she was bound, how events at the manor had ended. None of them knew where Roman and Neo had gotten to, would explain where Glynda had gone, or why they had made a hasty retreat to Plockton.
Weiss had every right to be angry too, but the sword pressed to her neck did wonders at quelling any fight she had in her.
A red blur slipped between them and at first Weiss thought the blade had been brought down upon her. Instead, Raven stepped back and scowled and Ruby stood between them, arms outstretched as she planted herself between them.
"I said leave her alone!"
"Ruby," the bandit snarled. "Get out of the way. We can't trust her."
"She's my friend!" Ruby shot back. "Whatever happened before isn't her. You know that too, don't you? Then quit threatening her!"
For a fleeting moment Raven looked ready to throw Ruby aside and attack anyways. Thankfully she didn't, and only after sneering her way did the woman sheathe her weapon, leaving Weiss to sag against the door and nurse her sore throat.
"Try anything," Raven spat. "And I will kill you, got it, Schnee?"
"Enough already!" Yang stormed towards Raven. "What happened wasn't her fault! So quit acting like she's the enemy!"
"She is the enemy, Yang. The moment she agreed to become a Warden -"
"And you still haven't explained what that means!" Yang shouted over her mother. "You haven't explained any of this! What exactly is so bad about the Wardens? Why did you keep helping us even though you left? Why do you hate the Church so much?" Red flashed through lilac eyes and Yang shoved Raven back when the woman turned to her. "Why did you come to save me after you left us?!"
"Because you're my daughter."
"I am? Then where the hell were you for the rest of my life? Where were you when Merlot took me, huh? Where were you when Summer left and I had to pick up the pieces?"
Ruby pulled Weiss along, grabbed her sister's arm and eased her back from Raven. Calmer than Yang, though Weiss could recognize the clenched jaw and set brow for the barely contained anger that it was, the brunette looked at Raven expectantly.
"You said before that you thought mom might be alive, that maybe she was still out there." Ruby's lip trembled and she shook her head. "What aren't you telling us?"
"Fuck." For once it wasn't Raven that cursed but Qrow. The lanky man, leaning back on his crate, put away his flask. "Rae, I gotta agree with the kids. I've about had it with you leadin' us in circles. If you know something, tell us."
"Qrow, be silent. If I want your input, then I'll ask for it."
"No, I don't think I will. You've been on and on for years about not trustin' the Church, about how bad Wardens are, everything. But you've never explained yourself." Qrow stood and sighed, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his trousers as he shuffled towards Raven. "Then you pull the Summer card with the girls. You know how they feel about her. I expect a lot of shit from you, Rae, but that? Do you get your kicks by tormenting them?"
Raven sneered up at her brother. "You don't know a damn thing, little brother."
"You're right, we don't!" Yang snapped. "Because you never say anything! All you do is posture! You act so high and mighty for no damn reason, then get pissed at us when we don't do what you say!"
"How are we supposed to trust you completely when you don't tell us everything?" Ruby asked. "Please, if you know more about mom, about Summer, and why we shouldn't trust Ozpin or the Church, tell us."
"If there's more to this than just 'magic is bad' then we need to know, Rae," Qrow growled. "Now."
Usually Weiss was saddened that she lacked a proper, biological family to call her own. She was a Schnee, technically, but disowned and as far as she was from them, she may as well be some peasant's daughter. Seeing the dysfunction before her however she felt innately blessed for her lack thereof. If all families were like this then she'd gladly trade solitude for the headaches.
Shame Ruby had dragged her into the literal middle of things.
Sharing a heated glare with Qrow, Raven stepped back and sheathed her sword. "Fine. You could've told them too, you ass. It's your story too." Taking a seat on a dusty table she leaned forward, robe fanning out beneath her as she rested her arms on her thighs. "You were too damned blind to trust what she told us, though."
"She?" Weiss asked, finally finding her voice.
"Summer." Raven smiled bitterly, scoffed, and shook her head. "That bitch started this whole mess, then up and disappeared. Sit down and I'll give you idiots the full story. Qrow, you can fill in gaps; it's been a while." Waiting until they had all seated themselves, she sighed, then nodded. "Right. Bear with me, but we've got a lot to go through. So, if you could all keep your damn mouths shut until I finish that would be great."
No one said a word. The sisters watched Raven raptly, no doubt eager for an explanation. Qrow seemed skeptical but willing. Weiss, with plenty of stake in the matter even without the familial ties, leaned in expectantly.
/+/+/+/+/+/
"Qrow and I grew up in the Branwen tribe. It wasn't always the successful group that it is now though. When he and I were born it was on its last legs. Our leader, the former chieftain, was a complete idiot. Too bold in his raids, too eager to attack other tribes. Bastard had half of our fighters killed in one night alone, then had nearly a third of the tribe leave us to seek a better home. By the time the two of us were old enough to take part in the raids there were barely more than twenty members in all."
"We did what we could for a few years. We would attack small caravans and steal what we could from farms. Hell, we even tried to take up farming ourselves and replant some of the seeds we'd steal." Raven snorted, leaning back and drawing one knee up, draping her arm over it. "We were never good at that shit. Guards and Hunters constantly harassed us because of what we did and so we could never stay in one place for long. Constantly moving meant maintaining a farm was impossible. Hunting wildlife helped, sure, but sooner or later the animals would wise up and move along."
"So, we kept raiding. Eventually the old fucker passed on and the tribe, being a shell of what it was, hardly had a leader among it. We were too young and the next oldest member, a lame man named Griffon, did what he could. We moved to smaller raids, targeting only the easiest caravans. We stopped raiding towns and even villages and settled for what we could."
"We were hardly the worst tribe out there," Qrow added. "And we started having problems with others before long. If we moved too close to their turf, they'd demand we pay them some kinda tribute, share our hauls. We barely had much to live off to begin with. Their taxes or whatever you wanna call em almost killed us."
Raven nodded, "We managed though, for a time. It wasn't pretty living, but we kept ourselves going. Then, our dumbasses decided we'd hit a Church caravan. It wasn't too big and there were only some priests inside. Traveling between churches or some shit." She chuckled, ran a hand through her hair and smirked. "An easy mark, except for the fact they had a Warden with them."
"Summer."
Ruby's eyes widened and she looked at Qrow in awe. "Mom was a Warden?"
"One of the best," her uncle confirmed. Yang's jaw dropped and Qrow smiled somberly. "We didn't see any guards, so we figured it was easy. Steal Lien, maybe a couple of valuable things, pawn it off and buy us some food and supplies with the coin we got. Simple."
"Except for the fact that brat was along for the ride. As was your dear daddy, girls. That's where we first met those two, on the side of some fucking road in the middle of nowhere." Raven's lips twitched, caught between a smile and grimace. "The moment Summer came out of the carriage we figured we fucked up. We knew Wardens existed but nothing more really, just that they were the best Hunters the Church had to offer. But Qrow has his magic -"
"And as bitchy as Raven is, she's half decent in a fight," Qrow quipped.
"Fuck you." Qrow chuckled and Raven managed a more earnest smile. "But if it was just Summer, we might have been fine. Qrow could block her magic and I could've dealt with her handily. We were ready to kick her ass until Tai stepped out too, asking what the holdup was. He was just a fledgling priest back then, I think. Starry eyed and thinking Remnant was some beautiful place instead of the shithole it is."
"Summer alone we could've handled, so imagine our surprise when Tai joins the fight. Pissed Summer off, but he held his own. More than held his own even." Raven smiled seeing Ruby and Yang gawking at each other. "Dear old daddy leave that out, hm? He can fight, girls. Or he could, and damn well at that. Shocked the hell out of us too. Shit, he kicked Qrow's ass that day."
"Don't remind me…" Qrow grimaced.
"The short of it is the whole thing was a waste of time. Qrow lost and I barely beat Summer, but with Qrow down I couldn't exactly deal with Tai and hope to get anything, carry Qrow, and get away safely. So, we ran and returned to the tribe with nothing, like dogs with our tails tucked between our legs."
"And so, shit went on for a while. We did small hits, took what we could, and as a rule of thumb, avoided Church caravans like a damn plague. The tribe was hurting, and we needed a big score, something to help keep everyone fed for a while. Even though we wanted nothing to do with the Church anymore another tribe put us up to it, made a deal. If we could attack a certain caravan passing through their territory, drive it off and steal some of its goods, they'd share food with us. By that point people in the tribe were beginning to starve. We had a few newborns waste away to nothing." Raven closed her eyes and released a long sigh.
"So, we agreed. And wouldn't you know it? Summer was in that caravan too. We tried a different approach; follow it until they stopped for the night and attack them under the cover of dark. Woulda worked if Summer didn't somehow realize we were there. She was alone that time, no Tai, and she probably woulda fought us if we forced her to, but instead she tried to talk to us. Recruit us."
"Promised that she'd see about helping the tribe if we joined. Thought we were decent people despite being bandits," Qrow said, smiling fondly as he spoke. "She had a knack for that, seeing the best in people. Kinda like a certain brat I know," he added, winking at Ruby.
"It's called naivete, Qrow, or plain idiocy."
"She was right about Uncle Qrow," Yang chimed in. "Don't know what she saw in you though, Raven."
"Makes two of us. But," Raven continued on. "She made the offer. Come help the Church and in exchange they'll send supplies to the tribe. As a show of good faith, she even gave us a coffer from the caravan packed with Lien. Enough to buy us supplies for weeks. Can you imagine what that's like? You go from eating fucking leaves and grass to buying packages of cured meat, breads. We had enough to barter for new weapons, get clothes for some people -"
"You didn't have clothes?!" Weiss balked.
"We wore rags, kid. Whatever we could piece together," Qrow mused. "It ain't like you can go to a tailor and get stuff where we were from."
"Anyways, we took her offer. Took the money back to the tribe and talked to Griffon. Despite being two of the handful of capable fighters we had left he agreed with the idea. We'd go to the city and train to become Hunters, and in exchange the tribe would take money from them. At least until they were able to support themselves again. It all ended up being bullshit though. Summer couldn't get Ozpin to agree, no surprises there, but she still would send Lien their way to help. Qrow joined as an initiate…"
"And Rae started to work as a bodyguard for Tai," Qrow snickered.
"Because Tai could fight, the Church didn't feel bad sending him to more dangerous regions of the kingdom. And just because he could fight didn't mean he was invincible. Summer was busy, most Hunters were, so they had me work as his bodyguard."
"You said you had never been a hunter before," Weiss pointed out. "So, that was true? But you still joined the Church."
"I didn't join the Church any more than a town guard escorting a priest home did. They paid me, and between my coin and Summer's, as well as Qrow's, the tribe was able to support itself. It grew, even, and now and again I'd get to go back and check in on everyone." A warm smile that seemed out of place on Raven's face appeared. "It was nice. Kids were fed, people had proper tents. It wasn't such a bad arrangement, honestly."
"I'm sure sleeping with Tai was nice too," Qrow taunted.
All three girls grimaced at the idea while Raven threw an empty bottle at Qrow, sneering as he laughed and ducked.
"Shut up, you swine's ass!"
"I mean you made Yang, didn't you?" Qrow smiled at Yang, then snickered when she gagged. "Seriously though, it was nice. I was pretty good as a Hunter, enough that Ozpin started trusting me with more important jobs. Rae was keeping busy, had you, sunflower, and things seemed to be going pretty well."
"Not that this isn't all really interesting, a-and it is!" Ruby hastily added. "But… There's a point to this, right?"
"I'm getting there, brat. Seriously, you got somewhere to be?" Raven spread her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Look around you. We're hiding away in a skeleton town with the Church breathing down our necks. Besides, I figured you'd want to know more about your mother." Ruby acquiesced, slinking back in her seat and bowing her head.
"Sorry."
"Ozpin kept trying to recruit me. Tai was sent out less and less, spending more time on Patch and in the city, so I didn't need to keep an eye on him as much. I wanted nothing to do with being a Hunter though. If I joined then I couldn't visit the tribe anymore, and even though I had you, Yang, they were still family to me. We grew up with most of them, helped raise some of the kids there. I couldn't just leave them alone."
"You left Yang alone though," Qrow pointed out. "Hypocrite, much?"
"Yang had someone else to care for her, Qrow! Summer was a great mother, wasn't she? And you refused to go back to the tribe and help them!"
"Because what we were doing with them was wrong, Raven. We were hurting people."
"We were doing what we needed to in order to survive! And they were our family! How was I supposed to leave them to die? Maybe you were okay with that but I wasn't! No way in hells was I about to sit by idly and watch our people fade away to nothingness!"
Yang, trembling beside Ruby, blinked back tears. "You left me alone!"
"I left you with Summer! Was she a bad mother?" Yang glared through shimmering eyes. "I thought not. Griffon was dying and no one else was remotely capable enough to lead the tribe. I had to go back," Raven said. "I didn't want to leave the life I'd built, but what else could I do? Someone had to lead them, someone had to keep them safe. I'd gained skills since I'd left, I'd grown stronger. Strong enough that most of the tribes we faced were nothing to me."
"And it's not like Summer is totally innocent in all of this either! It wasn't long before she and Tai had you," Raven pointed angrily at Ruby. "A lot of good I was. He replaced me so easily, had a new child, and moved on within a year. You refused to come back with me, Qrow. My brother, the one person who I had always counted on to be at my side."
"The Church would have provided for us, Raven," Qrow argued.
"The tribe would have died without me!"
"Maybe they were better off dying then!" Qrow shouted back.
Flame kicked up under Raven's feet as she stomped towards Qrow, charring the floorboards in her wake. A hand trembled by one of her swords and veins in her neck pulsed, baring her teeth as she met her rising brother. "What did you say?!"
"The Branwen tribe are killers and thieves, Rae. We were better than that. You were better than that."
"They're our family!"
"You abandoned your family," Qrow pointed out.
"Brother, I'm going to let that slide because of our history. Because you're blood." Raven let go of her weapon and jabbed a finger into Qrow's chest. "But if you ever say that again then that means nothing, do you understand me? I won't hesitate to cut you down."
Raven's flames died down as her anger ebbed, slowly. Qrow nodded, silent, and held his hands up. Satisfied, or at the very least calm, Raven stepped away and growled, raking her fingers through her hair.
"Tai moved on. Summer took my husband, had a child. The tribe needed me and so I stayed with the tribe. Then, just as shit was starting to settle down again, Summer comes by. She never, in all the years we knew each other, ever came to the tribe personally. I figured she'd come to try and kill me or bring me back. Instead," Raven tilted her head back and stared up at the damp ceiling. "Instead she came to warn me. To tell me to try and get you out of the Church, Qrow."
"What?"
"She told me about magic," Raven went on. "Told me that Grimm were attracted to Hunters, to Magi. That the Church knew about it and kept pushing for magic to be used despite that fact. She had learned a lot about Wardens too. She learned that the process they underwent, the markings they were given, it changed them. It made them dangerous, prone to random attacks. Summer herself said that she sometimes felt like someone was watching her, reading her thoughts. It sounded like paranoid bullshit to me at the time, but she seemed certain. She didn't trust herself, kept saying she was afraid she'd hurt you two. She asked me…"
Raven chuckled bitterly and looked away, closing her eyes as her fists clenched at her sides. "She asked me to kill her. I refused. I hated her, but I wasn't about to kill her over what she'd done. I'd moved on." That was patently false. If Raven had moved on, Weiss mused, she wouldn't be still angry about it almost twenty years later. "When I refused to do that, she instead asked that I try to keep you two safe. I failed at that, obviously," she grumbled. "That was the last time I saw Summer. That any of us saw Summer."
"I don't know if she's alive anymore. But she knew that the Church wasn't all it appeared to be. She knew about magic, about Wardens, and I think she was trying to uncover more of the truth. So…" Raven smiled, a hollow, mirthless gesture. "I did what she asked me to, kind of. I couldn't bring myself to kill her but I had no problem with other Wardens. Other Hunters. Sure enough, I began realizing what she said about magic was true. I realized that the Church had to know too, and they used the bullshit excuse of 'negativity' to make everyone keel and obey, scaring everyone into fucking submission like beaten dogs!"
"That's that, then. You wanted to know everything? There it is. I left to save the tribe; Summer ran because of what she knew. She might be alive, she might be dead, I don't know. She's a stubborn bitch so I'd like to think she's survived - I have - but then I was never a Hunter. The Church is everywhere, and if they figured she knew something, something they couldn't hide, they'd have her killed."
The house creaked, floorboards groaning as Raven walked across them. As she sat on the table again it wobbled, legs straining to maintain their integrity. "So…" Raven folded one leg over the other, hands settling on her knee as she frowned. "Any questions?"
Thank you, as always, for reading my little story among a sea of fics. That even one person enjoys my tale is beyond flattering and helps fuel me. Except the next entry, as usual, this coming Friday or the next. Until then, stay awesome and stay safe!