Wow. The Rocky theme was in the hearts of everybody as they read that last one, myself included. Don't be to surprised at time skips, usually not too large, but they show the sequence of events better. There have been minor hiccups pointed out to me, and I fix them if they are too major, but I am doing this without a Beta, so yeah. Don't be too surprised by them, and know I do try my best to catch 'em all, but I am not Ash Ketchum. Anyhow, let's get this road on the show!

Wait, I mean, shi-

I do not own Roosterteeth

or the rights to RWBY

and may Monty Oum be forever unbound by death.

Team's RWBY and _NPR were presently seated in Beacon's cafeteria, bringing the atmosphere of the entire room from it's usual easygoing one to one that is much more somber. Pyrrha could do nothing but poke at her half eaten food, and the other six seated around her were not faring much better. As of late, Jaune's aura had been fluctuating wildly throughout the day, with it never really stabilizing until after the sun had set. This in turn worried them to no end, as they could only wonder what dangers haunted their adorkable knight.

Speaking of danger, Jaune's old tormentors, team CRDL, had just come through the doors of the cafeteria, their very existence putting all four of CRDL's members in serious danger. It only got worse as they approached the seven distraught students.

"Hello ladies… and man?" Russel asked as CRDL pulled up to them, yet before the seven seated students could retaliate, Cardin (of all people) raised his hand, silencingthe growls being sent their way.

"Look, we aren't here to fight, argue, or be a pest," Cardin started, earning shocked looks from all that looked upon the scene that shook the cafeteria into silence. "We are here… to apologize." At that, most people that were present felt their jaws hit the floor.

All but the resident champion and the other six at the table, and Pyrrha quickly began to stand whilst slamming her hands upon the table, leaving a noticeable dent on its wooden surface.

"You dare!" Pyrrha began, as she fully stood from the table, making her way over to Cardin. He could only hang his head at the verbal slaughter he knew was coming. Even Glynda and Ozpin dared not to interrupt the scene, the two having just entered the room.

"You dare to apologize to us, when the one who deserves it the most is out there in the wilds, FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE! You dare!" By now, she was in Cardin's face, the rest of his team having all hung their heads after Cardin. They knew what was coming, expected it even, but even their thick skulls knew better than to retaliate now of all times.

"What makes you THINK that we want to hear your apology now!" Nora and Ren had joined the champion, each having a hand on her shoulder. Cardin towered over them, yet right now he felt smaller than a Rapier Wasp. His response did not help the situation.

"We… we weren't sure that we'd get the chance to-" Cardin was interrupted by a slap to the face that jerked his head to the side. It may have just been a slap, but it felt as if she was aiming to break his neck with it.

"Don't even THINK of finishing that sentence." Pyrrha was about to strike again before she was held back by a hug from Nora, for whose sake the hug was for will forever remain unknown. Nevertheless, it did allow Pyrrha to recompose herself, and after a deep breath she continued.

"Thank you, Cardin," The venom in the name could cause a corpse to go into anaphylactic shock, even making the teachers flinch at its tone. "But you may apologize to Jaune when he returns. Which. He. Will!" At that, she turned on her heel, the remaining six following in suit. Their lunches went uneaten that day, and nobody faced a punishment for the events that took place.

Times had been tough on all that knew JNPR's fearless leader, and it seemed that it wouldn't be letting up anytime soon.

The Wild's were unforgiving in both length and its inhabitants to those who traversed its depths.

Never had this been more evident then what reflected upon Jaune and Cinn, a pair who had no choice but to traverse this lush, verdant green hellscape. Although, if Cinn had anything to do with it, Jaune would die to his training before even the oldest Grimm got the chance.

That was Jaune's line of thinking, at the least. It was only further reinforced as Jaune took another swipe of the war pick to the center of his shield, throwing him back. The trenches dug by his dragging feet were deep, but Jaune retaliated against the attack just as Cinn brought up his own weapon, taking the shields pointed edge on the haft of the pick. Cinn did not even flinch at the incoming force, instead using the grip of the weapon to throw the shield to the side, ending with the barrel of a built in elephant rifle pointed at Jaune's head.

After a tense moment, both relaxed their stances. Jaune released a despondent sigh between pants. He had yet to even land a solid hit on the veteran, even though it had been a week since he began his "training". The man was too quick on his draw, to swift to his guard, and unrelenting in his assaults. These same traits had slowly started to incorporate themselves into Jaune's own methods, yet he doubted his ability to ever be at the Huntsman's level. Voicing these thoughts rewarded him with a set of knuckles digging their way into the top of his head.

"Damn brat! Course you ain't at me level yet." Jaune flinched at the bluntness, but Cinn continued before he could speak up. "I've been at this 'ere game for quite a while longer than yerself, after all. Ye are gettin' better though, learnin' lot faster then I did when I was yer age." His eyes glazed over, a thousand yard stare starting to envelop his features before he shook it away. "Anywho, c'mon kid. I got a surprise for ye."

Now Jaune was confused. There was no way Cinn had been to any town as of late, they hadn't even seen one since they left the one they met at. They might have been close enough to see Vale, if their progress had been consistent, though high enough ground to actually see far enough would be scarce, and more than likely house some sort of monstrosity. They've seen more than a few of those as of late, and Cinn just loved letting Jaune handle them all on his lonesome as he rested in the tree branches above.

So Jaune followed Cinn, extremely curious and more than a little worried. He need not have been, however, as Cinn soon came to a stop at the base of a massive tree. Its trunk was far to wide for any man to wrap their arms around fully, and its verdant branches reached far above the surrounding canopy, giving the whole tree a glow from the natural sunlight. Cinn approached the tree, knocking on its trunk on a multitude of different spots while Jaune circled the massive tree, spotting a few scratches and claw marks along its bark covered face. He stopped at an unexpected sight that met him on the side opposite of where Cinn was knocking.

A grave met Jaune's sight, and on the headstones face was the name Azul Minero, with a small set of burnt out candles resting at its base.

"So, finally met the missuss?" Cinn's somber voice surprised Jaune, and he looked beside him to see Cinn on one knee, his gaze on the headstone far off. "She was a thing of beauty, so much so that I was certain she wasn't human, or faunus in her case."

Cinn retrieved a wallet from his back pocket and withdrew a picture of a much younger Cinn beside a tan skinned, brown haired beauty that rivaled him in height. She had a pair of glasses that rested on a button nose, one blue eye closed in a winking pose. She wore a white chest plate and a single pauldron that sat above a leather shirt which revealed a pair of toned arms. A pair of denim jeans tucked neatly into a pair of brown boots, and a mouse tail coiled around one of her legs.

Cinn's form had much less scars when the picture was taken, and the only difference in outfit was a trench coat that hung loosely from his shoulders. The same coat was now hanging loosely from his shoulders, and Jaune could only watch as he replaced the old candles with a new set. Cinn's eyes were closed and his head was bowed as he mumbled a prayer, its contents unheard by Jaune, and once finished, Cinn sat down, one leg extended while an arm rested on an arched knee. Jaune sat beside him cross legged, and they both sat in a somber silence. It was a few minutes later when Cinn finally stood up, and after helping Jaune up as well, they both moved around the tree.

A hidden entrance was dug into the trunk, just large enough to store most items. Cinn reached inside, retrieving from its depths the trench coat that he had been wearing in the photo. He looked at it with a gaze that held a somber acceptance to it, and after taking a second to wipe tears that had yet to fall, he swiftly put it on. He reached in once more, this time retrieving a faded, white pauldron that had a small bit of rust around the edges. After a few seconds, and some help from Cinn, it was firmly attached to his remaining shoulder. The pauldron wrapped around his shoulder, sitting comfortably above his shoulder blade and part of his chest. The interior of the old armor piece was lined with brown fur for cushioning and comfort.

"'Twas Azul's. Said she wanted it to be given to someone who was gonna put it to good use, an' I figured you fit the bill better than I ever could." Jaune felt like arguing, but the somber look in Cinn's wet eyes stopped him before he could start. Instead, he nodded at the gift, giving his thanks in return. Cinn nodded as well before he began to move away from the tree, and Jaune cast one last look at where the grave of Azul lay untarnished by the surrounding Wild's. If Cinn heard what Jaune whispered before he continued to follow Cinn, he never brought it up.

"I'll put it to good use, Mrs. Minero. Promise."