Here we go

Cover Art: GWBrex

Chapter 12

Smoke was ever the first sign of civilisation, so Jaune had learned on their travels. As someone who had never been further than the footsteps outside Ansel, it felt like they'd crossed half the world – ridiculous, he knew. They were in Vale, but one of the four kingdoms that made up the Eternity Queen's realm. The smoke rose up hours ahead of them and put Taiyang in a good mood immediately.

"They're here!" he said, laughing. "I was sure they would be but there was always a chance they might have moved on. Come on, you two, we'll have warm food and company soon enough."

That sounded positive enough for Ruby to cheer and Jaune to smile under his scarf. Things had been easier since Ruby stole their horse and he didn't have to carry a heavy pack, but he'd soon gotten used to the freedom and started to feel worn down again. The thick snow made every step filled with effort. At least most animals were hibernating. They'd seen the odd fox, winter bird or rabbit, but not a single bear and the wolves had evidently moved to more plentiful parts leaving them unaccosted. All in all, Jaune supposed they'd had an easy time of it compared to the horror stories he'd heard of winter travel.

The smoke ahead came from what looked like numerous chimneys, melding and joining together in the pale sky to form a thick plume. The settlement must have been a large one – but then Taiyang had called it a wandering troupe. Jaune had heard of such. There were troupes who apparently went between the major cities performing acrobatics, theatre and shows, and yet more who were merchants without a home, travelling from one city to the next peddling goods and living in the back of ornate caravans that houses all their worldly belongings. Ansel had never been large or important enough to warrant a visit from any of those, but the few merchants who did come to trade told stories of the city and the shows these performing groups could put on. There were also stories of how parents fretted of their children running away with them and joining the troupe. The irony of that wasn't lost on him here and now.

As they trudged through the snow and ever closer, Taiyang drew down his scarf and hood, wincing against the chill air on his chapped and dry skin. "So they can see my face," he told the two of them. "You two can keep yours up. No reason for us all to freeze and they won't recognise you anyway."

"You think they'll have sentries all the way out here?" Jaune asked. "We haven't even come in sight of the walls yet."

Taiyang laughed. "There are no walls."

"Or the camp, then," Jaune amended. No walls was a worry for the Grimm and wild animals, but he supposed a travelling troupe wouldn't have much option unless they wanted to drive logs down wherever they stayed. "It's the middle of winter; they'll surely all stay close to camp."

"They like to be prepared. The best warning is the one that comes early."

He didn't disagree, and that would make perfect sense in warmer months, but a sentry would risk freezing to death out here. In Ansel, the militia would roam at the edge of the farmland in spring, summer and autumn, protecting the boundary of where people worked, but in winter – like in Moss Creek – they would retreat back within the walls, close the gate and stay in the warm. He couldn't imagine things would be so different here.

Taiyang knew more about the locals than he did though, so Jaune stayed quiet and with Ruby, who led the mare forward. They passed under the empty boughs of trees devoid of leaves, past several more, including some with lower branches cut free, further signs of human inhabitation. There were symbols carved into the bark of some of the trees as well, a common way to denote to travellers that a safe haven might be nearby. Ansel did the same, carving the symbol of a sheaf of wheat and an arrow into trees – it was useful for hunters lost in the woods. These symbols were different. Jaune paused to inspect one as they passed and wondered what the crude knife-carved depiction of a bird might represent. The wheat was to show Ansel was a farming village. Birds could represent things like wisdom or courage, but those were usually from owls, eagles or falcons – birds of prey. This looked like a blackbird, carrion.

A faint whistling sound came before a weak, poof. Jaune looked back to Taiyang, who had an arm out to tell Ruby to halt the mare. Jaune trekked back, a question on his lips, until he saw he odd indentation in the snow ahead of them. A hole. As he came closer, he barely saw the black stick of wood sticking out of it and a fraction of an inch of black feathers. An arrow.

"Calm." Taiyang said, reading their mood. "It came nowhere near us. It's a warning shot, that's all. Let me handle this."

Jaune nodded and stepped back to Ruby, who drew tight on the mare's bridle to stop it. The horse didn't look alarmed, but then the arrow hadn't come that close and had all but disappeared into the snow. Given the lack of cover, it wouldn't have been hard to hit them if the archer wanted. Still, who would shoot at a traveller first instead of challenging us? Mayor Cobbin would have the head of anyone who dared.

Stepping ahead of them, Taiyang drew his scarf even further back to show his face. He cleared his throat and called out, "You call that a shot? I've been gone nearly twenty years and things have gone to shit."

That wasn't as diplomatic as Jaune expected. He'd thought Taiyang would announce them, not goad the archer on. He winced and looked to Ruby for help, only for her to shrug back. She was as clueless as he when it came to dealing with this distant family of hers. All they could do was trust Taiyang knew best.

When another arrow came whistling out to strike only three feet in front of Taiyang, sending up a brief spray of snow, Jaune's confidence wavered.

"Is that supposed to be better?" Taiyang shouted. "Ozma's Saggy Balls, I've known children more capable of hitting a target."

"It was a warning shot, old man!" a female voice yelled back angrily. "It wasn't supposed to hit!"

"Not supposed to hit me, aye, but you could have hit a tree." He slapped the trunk of a nearby one. "An arrow quivering in a trunk sends a message. One buried in the snow just looks pathetic. Come on." He slapped the trunk again. "Impress me."

The silence, both vocal and delivered by arrow, spoke volumes. In all fairness, that would be a terribly difficult shot with the stiff wind. Jaune wasn't sure he could make it from where he stood, so the archer would certainly have trouble.

"Hah!" Taiyang barked out. "I knew it. All bark and no bite – and this bark isn't bitten yet."

"I know those shitty puns." A man spoke this time, and a figure stepped out from the trees ahead. How he'd remained hidden, Jaune didn't know, but his cloak was dotted with frost and twigs so heavily that it was more white than grey. His face was wrapped in cloth up to his nose, with red eyes visible atop along with a tuft of black hair. He carried a sword in his right hand, drawn, that he pointed at them. "You've a lot of nerve coming back here, Taiyang. You're a brave man. Or a foolish one."

So much for a warm welcome. Jaune slid one foot back through the snow and tried to sneak his hand to his sword without being seen. It was still such an alien weapon to him though, something only the Dark Lord knew how to use. He gave up on it and tried to sneak his spear out instead. Ruby was doing the same, and subtly positioning the horse between them and the archer. Cruel, yes, but they had to focus on their own lives first. Hopefully, Taiyang could defuse the situation.

"Nerve!?" Taiyang scoffed. "Not with the accuracy of your girl there. What is she going to do – miss me to death?"

"It was a warning shot!" the girl all but screamed. "Missing is the point!"

The newcomer approached slowly, walking toward Taiyang with his sword held out. For his part, Taiyang shook his arms loose and cracked his neck from side to side, looking remarkably unafraid even unarmed as he was. "Sounds like excuses to me," he quipped. "I must be in the wrong place. I was looking for a camp full of tough bastards and I've come across an orphanage for blind children. You must be their caretaker, right?"

The caretaker lunged suddenly. Ruby cried out and Jaune gasped and ripped his spear free. Neither could help in time as the man stabbed toward Taiyang's stomach with a sharp cry. The blade whistled forward, missing by an inch as Taiyang stepped aside. He locked his elbow and forearm over and around the weapon, trapped it against his fur and leathers, and caught the crossguard with the same hand. His other slammed into the wrist of the attacker, forcing him to release it. Taiyang tossed the sword to the right, brought his hand up and threw a haymaker. The other man blocked it with one arm and ducked down under Taiyang's next fist. He drove his own into Taiyang's gut. Taiyang grunted and brought both hands up and down over the man's head, catching his shoulder as he swayed aside and knocking him off balance. The man staggered away.

Laughing. Taiyang was laughing too – and Jaune slowly lowered his spear.

"What was that!?" Taiyang mocked. "You're not normally that slow."

"It's the snow," the attacker replied crossly. "I fucking hate fighting in it."

"Oh sure, like we're not both held down – you've gotten slow, Qrow. What happened? No one left to push you after I left?"

"No one that pushes as well as you do." The man reached up and drew his hood back, then yanked his mask down. He was grinning madly, teeth bared. His face was sharp and angular, his lower jaw and neck dotted with black stubble and thin hair. "Good to know you haven't let yourself go, you old bastard." He held his arms open and Taiyang stepped into him, the two smacking each other's backs heavily. "It's all good, Vernal!" he shouted. "He's an old friend."

"Not that she could have hit either of us anyway." Taiyang felt the need to say.

"Fuck you both!" the girl howled. Jaune barely caught a shape dropping out a tree some sixty feet away. The girl, which could only be told by voice since she was wrapped head to toe in fur and leather like they were, raised a hand in an obscene gesture and stomped away before they could get another word in.

"You're such an ass." Qrow laughed. "She ain't bad – temper tantrums whenever she loses, but good with a sword. Fancies herself a challenger one day, though she isn't even the strongest her age, so her chances are slim. So, are these two yours? He has the hair."

"No. No. The girl is mine – Ruby, come here." Taiyang waved her over and Ruby hesitantly approached. Taiyang reached out to yank her hood down. "This is my daughter, Ruby. Ruby, this is Qrow Branwen – we're blood brothers."

Blood brothers. The way he said that made it clear it wasn't a blood relation, but rather some other, more important term. Jaune had heard of shield and sword brothers and sisters for people that were comrades-in-arms, but this was new. Ruby smiled awkwardly for the man she'd clearly never met. "Hello."

"Ruby, eh? Nice name, but she looks frail."

"Don't let her size deceive you. My Ruby is a fierce lioness." Taiyang ruffled her hair. "See this horse? Stole her from a Huntress, she did. Right under the nose of the woman and all her guards."

Qrow whistled, impressed. "Now that's a story and a half. You got guts, girl, and those will get you far." He winked. "Long as you keep them on the inside. You know how to fight?"

"A little."

"Ruby here killed a Grimm that tore my guts open." Taiyang said. "A little to her is a lot to anyone else."

"Really? Damn. And you're okay…?"

"That'd be the work of my other companion." Jaune took his cue and walked up, pulling his hood and scarf down. "Jaune Arc – the boy who helped patch me up and save my life. He's had a rough patch back home because of us and had to leave. He's a hunter's boy, trained and bred. Likely a better shot than your girl, too."

"A hunter, eh? Never enough of those going around. If you can bring in food then you'll have a place with us, lad." Qrow looked him up and down. "Ah, but that's a fancy looking weapon for a hunter to have."

Jaune's hand flew to his sword. "This is my father's. I won't give it up."

"Good attitude. Keep it close and don't let anyone take what's yours. Still, how does a hunter come by a sword like that?"

"My father was a mercenary before he was settled down."

"That'd explain it. Blood of a hunter and a sellsword runs through your veins, eh? Not bad at all. The tribe will respect that."

"Dad…" Ruby said quietly, but also with a little heat. "What kind of troupe is this that you've brought us to?"

"Ahah. Hah." Taiyang rubbed his hair awkwardly. "Well, your old man wasn't always the fisherman he might have said he was. You remember that story of how I beat off a bandit captain and saved Patch?"

"Sounds like a fun one." Qrow quipped. "Can't wait to hear it."

"Let's just say that pretender wasn't much compared to the crowd I used to run with. Before I met your mother and she put me on the straight and narrow."

Ruby looked lost but Jaune caught the suggestion. "You were a bandit…?"

"Not just any bandit!" Qrow said. "He was one of the best! The three of us were the scourges of southern Mistral, nightmares to villages and towns. We formed our own group, our own clan, and nothing could stop us. At least until this bastard went and fell in love with a huntress of all things." Qrow crossed his arms. "Where is she anyway? Don't tell me you've run from her."

"Summer is… Summer didn't make it…"

"Shit." Qrow whispered it with all the dread of a man who realised he'd crossed a line he shouldn't. "I didn't-" He sighed. "Fuck, Tai. I didn't know. What am I doing talking to you out here anyway? Come on. Let's get you somewhere warm and dry. You can tell me the whole story over some drinks and meat. Raven will want to see you as well. All three of you will have to talk to her."

/-/

The bandit tribe – for what was what he knew it was now – looked just as he imagined it might. That surprised him a little. He'd thought after spending time with Taiyang that he might have gotten it all wrong, that maybe he'd been indoctrinated by horror stories of them and that they were actually good, normal people. They might have been in all truth. They just didn't look it.

The camp itself was formed of rows of tents around central pyres that burned high with stacked wood and animal fat, casting the thick smell of burning meat everywhere. The tents were arrayed in a circle around a central platform raised on wood with a larger tent in the centre, but even as the others radiated out, they wrapped around their own fires for warmth. It didn't look like any tent was far from a fire, all but a necessity in the snow and with no wood or stone walls to protect them from the wind.

The men and women were large and dangerous looking – even the children looked rough and ready to stab someone, with narrow eyes, bare arms and muscle definition. There were weapons everywhere – mostly spears and hammers and the odd iron-capped mace, but also a sword or two and plenty of bows. There were more shields than not, large, round things with bright colours painted onto them either in quarters, lines or even with some symbols and animals painted onto a few. Jaune heard the sound of wood on wood and looked over to a pit where four children who couldn't have been older than twelve were smashing their large, flat shields against one another in practice for a shield wall, bracing their shoulders into the wood and trying to push the others out a ring as older bandits watched and cheered them on.

As they came closer to the centre, the air became warmer – enough so that most of the people there had done away with leather and fur and walked around in cloth or even topless in the case of some men. Here, animals roasted over spits and fires, and the tents were much fancier, bedecked with ornaments, wooden chests and even some furniture. Jaune noticed that the weapons were of higher quality too, more swords, axes and shields that were rimmed with iron or even fully metal. There were some pieces of armour too, laid around in the snow or balanced atop hessian sacks. A couple of horses stood in the centre ring, tethered to posts and obviously prized among the tribe. There were plenty of eyes on them, both on their horse and on themselves. As they walked by, people leaned over to whisper to one another.

It was no different than what happened in Moss Creek with curious village folk, and yet it felt much worse here. Jaune swept his cloak over his father's sword to try and hide it and did his best not to meet anyone's eyes. When Taiyang said he'd have a chance to settle down where they were going, he hadn't thought it would be like this! How could he stay here? These people were criminals.

I'm not a bandit. I don't want to hurt anyone if I can help it. He looked over to Ruby, who was looking just as out of place. She met his gaze and smiled nervously. She obviously hadn't been any more prepared for this than he was. At least I'm not alone in not liking this. That's something.

"What are the odds Raven is welcoming?" Taiyang asked. "Last I checked, she wasn't very happy with me for running away with Summer."

"A lot has happened since then. Ray has mellowed out a lot."

"Really? Her? What happened?"

"Let's just say she got a little dose of responsibility." Qrow led them to the base of the wooden platform. The tent on top was by far the largest, with an opening in the centre that smoke poured out from. There were no guards outside and no one to stop Qrow leading them up the wooden steps. "Hey, Raven!" he shouted. "I've brought you a surprise. Crawl out of bed and put your pants on."

The tent flap swung open. The woman who came out was neither in bed nor naked, nor did she look particularly amused by the idea. She was pale of skin with thick black hair as dark as her namesake hanging down her back; her outfit was dyed red and had actual feathers woven into the cloth. Her eyes had the same, odd red hue of Qrow's, and she glared at what must have been her brother. Then her eyes took them in, glancing over Jaune and Ruby without notice, only to lock onto Taiyang.

"Hey Ray. Been a-" Taiyang blocked the strike that came in from his left, then ducked the fist that would have caught him square in the jaw. Unlike Qrow, Raven didn't laugh it off. She followed through and drove a knee into his stomach, then reeled back and smashed her fist into his jaw, sending him spinning to the ground. Taiyang landed on all fours and spat blood onto the wooden decking. "Y-Yeah," he groaned. "T-That's about what I expected."

"Dad!"

Ruby lunged only to be caught by Qrow and hauled back. "Let it be, girl. She won't kill him." Under his breath he added, "I think."

"I am considering it!" Raven snarled, having heard them. "Give me one good reason, Taiyang, just one reason why I shouldn't tear your head off for what you did to me. One. Good. Reason."

"I didn't think me leaving was that big a deal."

Raven bared her teeth. "Are you that stupid or just playing games?"

"Uh…"

Raven continued to stare, hands clenched into tight fists, until her eyes widened. "No," she whispered. "You actually are that stupid? Are you serious?"

"I feel like I'm missing something here," Taiyang admitted.

"To be fair…" Qrow cleared his throat. His sister rounded on him, and he held his hands up in surrender. "There wasn't much evidence at the time Taiyang up and left. If there was, you'd have not let him walk away."

"Evidence of what?" Taiyang asked.

"Of-"

Raven interrupted Qrow with a fist to his stomach, then stepped past him to the edge of the platform. "Yang!" she roared. People winced and bandits looked over. Her voice carried far, and yet no one dared make a big deal of her shouting over them. "Get up here!"

It wasn't long before a new girl emerged from the crowd. She was as tall as Jaune was, with wild golden hair that spilled down her back unchecked and uncontrollable. She was big – muscular arms and a stomach exposed and defined by strong abs. She wore a leather strip over her large chest and wide hips, and had heavy gauntlets strapped to her wrists, that looked like they could be pulled over her knuckles like metal mittens. She placed one hand on the edge of the stage and hauled herself up.

"What gives?" she demanded in a coarse, rude voice. She cracked her knuckles and Jaune noted the blood upon them a moment later. "I was just showing Vernal her place. Girl thinks she can order me around."

Raven crossed her arms, and Jaune was immediately struck by how similar their faces were. "Did you prove your point?"

"Broke her nose – she'll get better." The girl grinned. "When she wakes up."

The bandit leader threw back her head and laughed, delighting in the casual admission of violence toward one of their own. Jaune couldn't understand it. Back home, anyone who started a fight would get in trouble, especially if you went so far as to break someone's nose like this. Unless properly treated, that could heal crooked, and it sounded like she'd just left the other girl in the dirt. What else should I expect from a bandit? They're savages.

"Yang." Raven said. "This is Taiyang. Taiyang, this is Yang." Said like that, right next to one another, the similarity in names was just a little too jarring to be coincidence. Taiyang's eyes widened. "And this is the reason I'm about ready to shove my foot so far up your ass you can taste it."

"N-No way." Taiyang wobbled on his feet. "You were-?"

"Hmph. Pregnant. Yes."

"Why? Why didn't you say anything?"

"You think I knew!?" Raven spat. "It came as a surprise to me as well, you dumb fuck. I should have known laying with you was a bad idea. Then you up and leave with that huntress." She snorted and looked over to Ruby and Jaune. "This one is hers, then. And the other as well? You've been busy."

"Only the girl." Qrow answered for Taiyang's sake. He was still too shocked, staring at the girl who was also his daughter. For her part, the girl looked like she wasn't sure how to take the news, caught somewhere between surprise and awkward confusion. "The boy comes from a nearby village. A hunter, he says. I reckon he'll be able to provide food for the tribe."

"Then he has value." Raven stepped up to them and Jaune took a step back. "A shame about his nerve not matching it. Your name, boy."

"Jaune. And I'm not interested in being a bandit-"

"Then go die in the snow," she replied. "Your interests are of no concern to me. Stay, leave, live, die, it's your choice. Help yourself to space wherever you can. Stay until the spring if you want and leave after. The only rule here is that you stand on your own feet. You want food, you either hunt it, win it or barter for it. Same for everything else. There's no charity here. Those too weak to earn their place starve." Her piece said, she turned on Taiyang. "You and the girl are welcome so long as you fall in line. I'd say to take space wherever, but I know you'll only fight your way back here. You can stay here tonight. We need to talk anyway."

"I'm not leaving Ruby alone in the tribe, Raven."

"She can stay with her sister." Said sisters looked stunned at the idea and looked to one another with neither knowing how to react or what to say. "Yang, you will protect and shelter her for tonight. The girl knows nothing of our ways so…" Raven's lips thinned. "Coddle her a little. At least until she toughens up."

"Uh. Y-Yeah. Sure thing, mom. Uh…" The brutish woman looked again to her apparent father and then stepped past him toward Ruby. "Name's Yang. I… I guess we're sisters now. Or always were."

Ruby didn't look any more thrilled about it than her. "I guess…"

"Keep the others off her." Raven said. "Your father and I need to talk, but if any hair of her head is harmed I won't stop him killing those responsible. She may not have been born of the tribe, but she has its blood. She's one of us. He," she said, looking at Jaune dismissively, "will have to prove himself."

"Cut Jaune some slack." Taiyang said. "He's had a shit time of things."

"The world cuts no one slack, least of all those who are vulnerable. If he is strong, he will thrive. If he is weak, he will starve. There is nothing more. Qrow can explain to him the basics. You…" she took Taiyang by his collar and yanked him toward the tent, "-will come inside and explain yourself. I still haven't forgiven you yet."

It was all too quick for Jaune's liking. Taiyang was drawn inside, Ruby away, and neither he nor her looked happy about any of it. Jaune made to follow and make sure she was alright, only for Qrow to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Ruby will be fine," he said. "I'll check on her after, but Yang isn't the type to harm her. She has a soft spot for small, cute things. You ought to worry about yourself."

"I am worried about myself!" Jaune spat. "I wasn't warned about any of this!"

"Heh. Being a bandit isn't exactly the kind of thing any smart man admits, even if it was almost twenty years ago. Look, you seem like a good kid and Taiyang vouches for you, so I'll give you more than just the basics. The tribe, the Branwen tribe, respects one thing and one thing only. Strength. If you're strong, no one here will mess with you. Show weakness and everyone will walk over you."

Nothing more than what he'd expect from a bunch of savages who would go around looting, killing and stealing. Jaune stuck his hands under his cloak and growled. Qrow heard it and laughed.

"That's more like it. Keep to that anger if it helps. Now, when I say strength I don't just mean brute force. Strength is in what you can offer. Taiyang says you're a hunter. Food is valued highly here, almost as much as medicine is. If you can provide food or heal people then you'll be respected as well. Even the biggest, baddest of us has to eat, and only a man with a death wish strikes the one they might have to ask to patch them up later. Those that can sew or teach or cook also find their place. You don't have to fight to be here. You just need to have something to offer, something that makes you valuable, and the guts to stand up for yourself. If you're not strong enough to fight on your own, hunt for more food, offer it to strong people and keep them as friends so they'll fight for you. The methods don't much matter. You can be strong on your own, in a pack or whatever you like. Just remember, we're not civilised folk here. The only laws you follow are the big three."

"And those are?"

"Don't kill another tribe member other than in self-defence. Don't betray the tribe. And the big one – no rape." That should, in Jaune's mind, have been a given, and yet it probably wasn't in a place like this. "You can beat someone down and take what you want or settle your grievances til the other side is a bloody mess, but when the dust and blood is all settled, you remember that victory grants you the right to their belongings and their pride, not their life or their body. Cross that line and Raven will kill you herself. Got it?"

"Got it. Seriously, I'm not a barbarian."

"That makes you the only one here, then. Watch yourself, kid. Everything you can get here has to be earned, and everyone will be testing you until you earn your place. Even sleeping space counts. The better spots – safer and warmer – are near the centre of camp. You sleep on the outskirts until you earn the right to move in. And lest you wonder, the way you earn that isn't by good service or feats of valour. It's by taking it from someone better than you."

"Stealing it."

"We're bandits." Qrow said. "If you can't handle someone taking from you, what right do you have to take from others? A man who draws his sword accepts he might die. The same goes for those that ignore the law. We're all dead men and women here as far as the church and the cities are concerned. The Eternity Queen and her lot would soon as kill us as offer us a scrap of bread. If you're here with us, that applies to you now as well."

No different from before. He was dead if the church found him anyway. In a sense, he'd be labelled worse than any of these people, and hunted down with much more ferocity. This was probably the bets place for a monster like the Dark Lord to be. For now, he would have to play his part and fit in. Come the spring, he could make plans to find somewhere else to settle down. Somewhere a little more civilised and less likely to get him killed.

I can talk to Ruby and Taiyang as well. He can't seriously want Ruby to grow up here.

"Fine," Jaune said. "Show me where I can set up my tent and I'll go hunt. If food is that valued, I'd bets get started."

"That's the spirit. You'll do fine yet. I can tell you're a fighter inside."

"I'm just a hunter."

"Just a hunter wouldn't be running away in the middle of winter to shack up with people like us, nor impress a man like Taiyang enough to speak on your behalf." Qrow, without meaning to, had gotten dangerously close to the truth. "I won't push. Ain't no business of mine, Raven's or anyone else's as to why you're here. A word of advice, though. My last piece." Qrow leaned in. "Keep that pretty sword on your person. You put that down for even an instant, it'll go missing."

Jaune gripped it tight. "This is my dad's sword. If anyone takes it, they'll regret it."

"Won't stop them trying, kid. Won't stop them trying." He grinned. "Welcome to the Branwen tribe. It ain't much, and what little it is can be a whole lot of shit, but it's home for the likes of me, and now for you as well. Goddess help you for that."

He doubted very much that the Goddess would be helping him here…

Little AU elements. Yang stayed with Raven, Taiyang was the one to leave (unknowingly) and Qrow is happy here. It's a different world and different circumstances after all, so Qrow and Raven never had a chance to go to Beacon and develop any loyalties outside the tribe.

Next Chapter: 17th April

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