Rawr, everyone! We're back with Dragon Tuesday. This week sees a return of some greatly-missed individuals, and a lot of family fluff.

Enjoy!

Ruby was bouncing up and down, unable to keep from letting out an excited squeak every other minute. Her gaze was fixed on the distant sky, where two small specks got steadily bigger. "EEEE! Yang, look! Look! They're getting closer!"

Yang smiled fondly at her little sister while also keeping her eye on the specks. "I see them, sis. I see them."

A little ways back, Weiss and Blake were observing their eager teammates, who had insisted that they come to meet their dad. Both had wistful, slightly sad expressions on their faces. Neither one asked the other why they were sad. They didn't have to. Neither of them would be greeting their fathers like this.

With the end of exams came the beginning of Yule break. During this time, family members were allowed to come to Beacon to spend the holidays with the students and dragons. The arenas had all been repurposed into dozens of temporary dragon stalls. An entire building of empty dorm rooms had been prepared for guests. Extra stable hands had been hired for the season, specifically for the purpose of taking care of visiting dragons, as well as any dragons whose partners chose to go home for the holidays and couldn't take them along.

It was expected that freshmen students would stay at Beacon, since it was generally best to wait a few more weeks before introducing the dragons to transports, even if their families did have brooderies. Cardin Winchester was the only freshman to go home despite this, leaving poor Mudslide behind.

For many of the other students, family members were beginning to trickle in. Taiyang, for example, had gotten word to Ruby and Yang that he would be bringing Quake and Tempest two days after exams. "Gotta give you time to rest up," he had said. "After that, it's family time!" Others, like Winter, would not be arriving until right before Yule.

Some would not be coming at all. Blake closed her eyes, thinking of her mother and father back home on Menagerie. Were they thinking of her? What were they thinking of her? They probably thought she was still with Adam. Memories of the day she left started to flood her mind, and she hurriedly pushed them away, electing instead to focus on her teammates' happiness.

As the forms of Quake and Tempest came into view, a high, ringing cry split through the air. Tempest beat her wings rapidly, quickly overtaking her brother as she saw Ruby and Yang waiting for her. They were here! And they had grown so much! She roared with joy, almost tripping over herself as she landed, her claws scuffing the ground. She stumbled as she ran, not breaking her stride until she felt Ruby's arms around her neck. She faintly noticed that one of her claws had gotten chipped, but didn't care in the slightest.

"Rrroo!" she cried, sitting back on her haunches and lifting Ruby up into a hug, carefully wrapping her large forearms around the small human.

Tears streamed down Ruby's face as she hugged Tempest as tightly as she could. "Hi, Tempest! I missed you so, so, so much!" she sobbed.

Tempest nuzzled Ruby's head, purring without restraint, before gently placing her down and lifting Yang into her arms as well. "Ang!" she barked, drawing Taiyang's daughter close and rumbling happily.

Yang laughed as she hugged the wind dragon. "Good to see you too, girl."

As Tempest hugged Yang, Quake landed and Taiyang jumped off, easily sweeping his youngest daughter into his arms and kissing her cheek. "There are my girls!"

"Hi, Dad!" Ruby hugged her father while smiling at Quake over his shoulder. "Hi, Quake!"

Quake nodded his head. "Lo, Rrroo." Though he was also excited to see his partner's children, he knew that his feelings paled in comparison to poor Tempest. Even though he had done his best to keep her company, he knew that his sister had been lonely for the little ones, Ruby in particular. He could understand, of course. The child looked more and more like Summer the older she got.

Tempest placed Yang on the ground, allowing her to run over and hug her dad. "Hey, Dad! Hey, old man," she called over to Quake, who snorted loudly and tossed his head.

Taiyang chuckled as he kissed Yang. "Obviously, we didn't miss you too much." He drew back to look at them. "Man, look at how much you've grown. You've got that Dragon Rider's look in your eyes, no doubt." He ruffled their hair, causing them to bat playfully at his hands. "I've been getting your letters, but I still want to hear all about how you're doing. And finally meet your dragons, of course. And your friends."

At that moment, he noticed Weiss and Blake standing nearby. "Well, speak of the devil! Get over here!"

The two walked over, Blake a little more hesitantly. Taiyang ruffling her hair in that moment would not exactly be a good thing. Her ears twitched under the ribbon.

Thankfully, the girls only received a handshake and a brief hug each, though their hands and ribs respectively were crushed in the process. "Nice to finally meet both of you!" Taiyang said. "The girls have said nothing but good things about you. I hope you'll let me meet your dragons too."

"Of course," Blake said with a shaky smile, still trying to get some feeling back in her wrist.

"Do you know when Uncle Qrow's gonna get here?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes shining with excitement.

"It'll be two or three days," Taiyang said. "He's had a long way to travel, but he's definitely coming home."

"EEEE! I can't wait!" Ruby started bouncing up and down again.

Taiyang chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Save some of that excitement for when he actually gets here, hon. Now, let's meet your dragons."

When they arrived at the stalls, Ruby immediately zipped over to Storm's. "Come on out, girl! We've got visitors!"

Storm perked up at the purely happy tone to her partner's voice, and eagerly trotted out. She tilted her head curiously when she saw a tall new human and two new dragons. Immediately, she noticed the way the older wind dragon was looking at Ruby and felt a low growl rising in her throat. Who was this dragon, and why was she putting off this aura of knowing Ruby so well?

"Hey!" Ruby said, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't be rude!"

Taiyang grinned at the dragonet. "Looks like she's a bit possessive." He walked over, holding out his hand to Storm. "Hey there, girl. I'm Ruby's dad."

Storm sniffed the man's hand, still keeping an eye on the new wind dragon. "Dad" was a new word, but it seemed that he was related to both Ruby and Yang, similar to how the two were related to each other. He had a nice voice.

Tempest took a step closer, peering curiously at the smaller wind dragon. So, this was Ruby's partner.

Storm puffed herself up, snorting loudly. Yes, she was Ruby's partner! No one had better forget that!

Tempest chuffed softly at the young dragonet's display. Her own fins were down and her muzzle had an easy smile on it. She had no intention of stealing Ruby away. She wasn't Ruby's partner. She was bonded to Ruby's mother, Summer.

Storm blinked. What was mother? Was it like dad?

Tempest bobbed her head, explaining that a mother and father were what created each individual on the planet. They made and took care of their hatchlings until the hatchlings grew up. Since Summer was Ruby's mother, Ruby was her hatchling. That meant that Tempest also saw Ruby as her own hatchling.

Storm nodded slowly. Where was this Summer, then? When Tempest's fins drooped and she didn't answer, Storm realized her mistake and her initial hostility faded immediately. She padded over, gently rubbing her head against the older dragon's shoulder.

Tempest nuzzled the top of Storm's head, rumbling softly. It was okay. She had grown used to the pain by now.

Storm whimpered, hoping she'd never have to deal with what Tempest had faced. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to Ruby.

Tempest responded with a low growl. She'd die before letting anything happen to Ruby. Her brothers, she knew, would also make that sacrifice if necessary. Her sister… She pushed the thought away immediately. Thinking about Phoenix hurt almost as much as thinking about Summer.

Quake waited patiently for the wind dragons to get acquainted before leaning in to touch his nose to Storm's in greeting. He could tell that she was strong, but very playful and kindhearted. All in all, she was a good match for Ruby.

Storm chirped happily up at him. This dragon was like Ragnar, but not quite as old.

Not quite as old?! Quake rolled his eyes. Why did everyone think he was so old?

Tempest snorted. Maybe it was because he acted like he had a branch up his tailhole most of the time. This earned her a sound whack across the back from her brother's tail.

"Easy, you two!" Taiyang laughed. "Don't set a bad example."

Since Storm was calm, Yang took the opportunity to take Fang out of his stall. "Easy, boy," she muttered as they drew close. She could sense her dragon's tension. "This is our family. Be cool."

Fang's tail lashed as he glared suspiciously at the new arrivals. The human looked a lot like Yang, so he wasn't too worried about him. The dragons, however, seemed just a little too friendly with his partner and his partner's sister.

Quake looked at the fire dragon and rolled his eyes. The attitude of this one definitely reminded him of a younger Phoenix.

Taiyang reached out to let Fang smell him, only to jump back as the dragonet snapped at his hand.

"Fang!" Yang scolded. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, Dad. He hates being touched on the head."

"Gotcha." Taiyang held out his hand, palm up. "Good boy. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Fang hesitated before quickly sniffing the human's hand. He smelled like Yang. Fang allowed his hackles to go down just a little bit. He acknowledged the older dragons, but made no move to approach them.

"I like the gold streaks on his side," Taiyang commented. "Makes him look like he'll be a fast flier someday."

Fang puffed out his chest at the praise.

Yang snickered. "Don't let your head get too big, buddy." She patted her dragon's shoulder fondly.

Taiyang looked at Blake and Weiss. "So, how about your dragons? Can I meet them?"

Weiss couldn't help but smile a little at his eagerness. She could certainly see where Ruby got her enthusiasm from. She approached Specter's stall and let him out. The ice dragon, of course, was all too happy to be out in the chill air. As she brought him over, she felt a slight flush of pride at the impressed look on Taiyang's face.

Taiyang let out a low whistle. "Well, now. This is certainly a beauty." He walked over, carefully inspecting Specter. "Never thought I'd get to see one up close." He looked at the ice dragon's face. "Hm. The frills are similar to water dragon fins, but different, more delicate. Fascinating." He peered at Specter's pitch-black eyes and shivered. "I see why you named him Specter. These are ghost-eyes if I ever saw them."

"So, Dad," Yang cut in. "Would you say it's very ice to meet him?"

Weiss groaned. "Yang, don't start."

"Absolutely," Taiyang replied. "There's snow doubt about it."

Blake's eyes widened. "Oh no…" There's two of them!

"Nope!" Ruby jumped up, covering her dad's mouth. "One more of those, and you'll have to wait a whole day to meet Pit! Right, Blake?"

"Absolutely!"

Taiyang pouted as Ruby withdrew her hand. "Aw, I had like a dozen more."

"I know," Ruby said flatly.

When Blake brought Pit out, Taiyang was silent. He examined the earth dragon closely for a moment, his brows furrowed. "Hm. Well, now. You're an interesting one."

Blake's heart stuttered nervously. "Interesting?"

"Yes," Taiyang murmured. "He's a bit bulkier than most earth dragons are at this age, and his brow is a bit wider. What have you been feeding him?"

"Well, he's been craving a lot of red meat," Blake said, hoping that would be enough to explain the minor differences in Pit's appearance.

"How much per serving?" When Blake told him, his brows shot up. "That's some killer metabolism." He gently patted Pit's head. "Seems as if you got yourself an exceptionally strong earth dragon. He might even be able to take on Ragnar one of these days."

Pit flicked his ears proudly, letting out a happy chirp. Encouraged by Taiyang's praise, he started to lift Specter off the ground with his powers. His freckles started to glow.

Blake's face paled and she tried to signal Pit to stop.

Yang noticed immediately, and quickly drew her dad's attention. "So, Dad. Think we can take Quake and Tempest for a flight?"

Taiyang smiled at her. "I don't see why not. Just get your chaps and goggles. In fact…" He turned back toward Blake and Weiss, just as a perplexed Pit was letting a frantically-flapping Specter fall back to the ground. "Ah! Trying to fly already, huh? They always get eager at this age. Anyway, how would you two like a taste of riding a fully-grown dragon? Do you have your gear yet?"

Blake, despite her previous worry, couldn't help but perk up at the thought of riding. "Yes! Are you sure it's okay?" She looked up at Quake, who was blinking calmly at her.

"Of course!" Taiyang insisted. "Ruby and Yang have been riding these two for years."

"I'd be honored to ride Tempest, if she wouldn't mind," Weiss said, smiling at the wind dragon.

Tempest bobbed her head, chirping happily. She would be pleased to let Ruby's friend ride her. She could tell that the ice dragon was well cared for, so this person was definitely worthy.

"Oh!" Ruby gasped. "I still need to introduce you guys properly! I can't believe I forgot." She pulled Weiss and Blake over to Tempest and Quake. "Tempest, Quake, these are my teammates. This is Weiss, and this is Blake."

Quake rumbled a greeting. "Lo."

"Ice," Tempest murmured. "Lake."

Weiss's breath caught as Tempest addressed her by name. There was always something about hearing a dragon speak that was just so strange and wonderful. Glacier had never called her by name. Actually, now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember Glacier ever speaking.

Blake, on the other hand, felt her ears drooping despite her best efforts. The last dragon to call her "Lake" had been poor Brand. He had been calling out to her when Adam had been "berating" her for a recent failure. The distressed fire dragon had been straining against his neck chain, shouting "Lake!" and "No, Ad! No!" until Adam yelled at him to shut up, sending him cowering to the back corner of his stall. Blake stole Pit's egg and fled a few days later.

"Well, you two had better get dressed!" Taiyang said, clapping his hands together. "They're all saddled and bridled, so this is the perfect time. Get going!"

Blake and Weiss eagerly obeyed, rushing back to the dorm to change into their chaps and get their goggles. Weiss noticed a slightly distant expression on her teammate's face, but decided against asking about it.

When they returned, they saw that the RWBY dragons were deep in conversation with Tempest and Quake. Pit was sitting back on his haunches, chirping and rumbling with the larger earth dragon while Storm bounced up and down in front of a purring Tempest. Fang watched the older dragons from a distance. Specter, meanwhile, was standing on his hind legs and had just started snapping at the air.

Weiss paused, realizing what her dragon was biting at as she saw the first few flecks of white falling from the sky. "It's snowing!" she gasped, her eyes lighting up. She looked up, a bright smile coming unbidden to her face as she felt the gentle touches of snow hit her skin.

Blake glanced at her friend, unable to keep from smiling as well when she saw the pure joy in her expression. She remembered her first time seeing snow when she had come to Vale on a trip with her parents. She had been only five years old. At the time, she had been terrified of the snowflakes, hiding under her dad's cloak, convinced that she'd freeze if they touched her. Weiss, on the other hand, obviously loved the snow. Blake wondered if it was a Schnee trait to love the cold.

Ruby, of course, immediately started trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue while Yang watched her with a fond smile.

The other dragonets were stunned. What was this stuff falling from the sky? It was like the frost that had coated the ground for the past few weeks, but much lighter and fluffier. Storm sneezed as some of it went into her nostrils.

Taiyang watched everyone for a moment, his heart warming at the moment of childlike innocence that seemed to blanket everything. "We'd better mount up," he said, reluctantly breaking the spell. "It's not a good idea to fly in the snow, so let's get a lap in while it's still light."

Blake walked over to Quake, nodding respectfully before adjusting and climbing into the saddle. She had ridden behind Adam on Brand before, so this wasn't an entirely new sensation. Quake's neck was thicker, and she could feel more muscles beneath her legs as she gripped the saddle and put on her goggles.

"Hello," Weiss greeted as she adjusted the stirrups of the saddle that was strapped at the base of Tempest's slender neck. She felt a thrill as she sat down and those large, powerful wings stretched out on either side of her.

Taiyang took a few steps back. "Okay, guys. One lap around the school. Fly!"

Quake and Tempest immediately turned toward the expanse of field to their right and started to run. Their long, powerful legs moved faster and faster as their claws tore at the ground. Tempest's fins fanned out while Quake flattened his ears against his head. Then, together, the two took off.

Weiss felt her stomach leap as the ground suddenly was gone from under her. Gripping the reins, she let out a breathless laugh. This was nothing like riding Glacier with her father! First of all, she had been literally tied to the saddle during those times. Second, making any noises or even moving had always caused a disapproving glare or a blow to the arm after they dismounted.

Here, she could actually feel the dragon's muscles beneath her and move her body along with her mount as she turned in the air, making a large circle around the academy.

Blake stared over the side of Quake's neck, marveling at the sight of Beacon and the grounds below her. She heard Weiss's laugh on the wind and felt her heart warming in response. Between the snow and this ride, she didn't think she had ever seen the heiress so purely happy. She really should laugh more often, she found herself thinking.

Her focus returned to Quake as the earth dragon followed Tempest in a circle around Beacon. For a moment, she imagined that his scales were pine and silver-colored, and a sharp thrill went through her. This will be me and Pit one day!

The dragons circled the school before coming in for a landing. Blake and Weiss noticed other dragons approaching in the distance, probably more family members. For a moment, they both felt a very Ruby-esque surge of excitement at the thought of all the new dragons and adult Riders they'd be meeting over the next few days.

After they landed and thanked the dragons, Blake told the others about the incoming arrival of more dragons. Ruby, of course, started squealing.

"Omigosh, this is so exciting! Can we go see them?"

"Whoa, now," Taiyang said gently. "Let's get these two untacked and settled in. Then, I'd like to get caught up with my girls. The other dragons and Riders will be here throughout break. No need to rush."

Weiss nodded respectfully to Taiyang. "Thank you very much for letting us fly your dragons. We'll leave you to get caught up now, unless you need help with untacking."

"Thanks for the offer, but we can handle it." Taiyang smiled kindly at the both Weiss and Blake. "You feel free to visit Tempest and Quake any time, though. And I hope you'll be sitting with us at the Yule feast."

Weiss felt her cheeks warm a little at Taiyang's friendly attitude. Was this really what other people's fathers were like? "I'd be happy to. I'm sure Winter won't mind."

"Winter? She'll be…" Taiyang's smile changed to an odd expression, as if he was trying to suppress a laugh. "Oh…This will be interesting…"

"What? What will be interesting?" Weiss frowned. "Do you know my sister?"

"I don't, not really," Taiyang snickered. "But Qrow… Oh, this will be fun."

They couldn't get anything else out of him, so Weiss and Blake decided to head back to the dorms. Blake glanced at her teammate. "I'm a little concerned."

"I'll have to ask Winter how she knows Ruby's uncle," Weiss sighed. "I don't think she's dated anyone since she joined the Flight Squad, so he can't be an ex…"

"Maybe they just don't like each other?" Blake suggested.

"Perhaps, but I can't imagine why, especially if Qrow is anything like Taiyang," Weiss remarked. "He's very kind."

"Yeah…" Blake glanced to the side, another kind-hearted father at the front of her mind.

Weiss hesitated before touching her arm. "Are you…?"

"I'm fine," Blake said quickly. "Just…thinking."

Weiss didn't ask anything else, though her hand lingered an extra moment before she withdrew it again.

These Yule chapters are going to be so fun! I just love writing and reading about characters celebrating the holiday season. I've been reading Anne Rice's Wolves of Midwinter, and can't get enough of the descriptions of the holiday party being thrown in it. (If you like werewolves, you should really check out the series. The first book is called The Wolf Gift.) I also really enjoy rereading the Harry Potter books and getting to the Christmas chapters. Even though I'm not religious, the holiday season just makes me so happy! I know we're still in October, but I start thinking about the winter holidays in, like, June!

If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!