'I'm coming Jaune, I promise.'
As she neared the mountain where she had abandoned her mate something strange made her beat her wings faster and survey the lands spread out beneath her. Something worried her, scared her, made her feel uneasy. Was it a scent on the air, blowing in from the cold north? Was it the smell of another dragon, one who might have killed or stolen her mate? Or was it the scent of the monstrous being Salem?
It was none of them. There was no specific scent in the air, no sign of danger or of an incoming threat. There was no reason to worry, but worry she did. She scoured the lands with her keen eyes, trying to find something. A band of dragon slayers or a horde of those ballista contraptions that had pierced her armoured hide like it had been made out of leaves. Her wound throbbed with pain as she pushed herself onwards, and she heard her Uncle Qrow bellow out to her in worry.
She roared back to assuage his worries, but he did not seem to believe her, pushing himself forward so that he glided next to her in the sky, his crimson eyes focused on the wound visible on her flank. He roared again and dove suddenly, and for a moment she thought to follow him before deciding against it. She only had enough strength to transform back into her human form once more, and she would be unable to communicate with Jaune if all she could do was growl and hiss and roar. Uncle Qrow would follow her whenever he did whatever he seemed to think he needed to do, though part of her tensed with intense fear at the thought of him abandoning her for disobeying him.
She didn't want to lose her family so soon after finding it again. That would be cruel, far crueller than just losing it the first time she had, and it was something that made even her draconic heart feel cold with shivering fear.
But she pushed on. Jaune needed her, and Yang refused to let him down. They needed to make amends, to heal the rift between them before it grew any larger and something irrevocable happened between them. She had lashed out at him, too scared and fearful and still struggling with the dark sadness and anger she had felt when she had saw his body, still and bleeding crimson blood before a monster that loomed over him. She had not thought calmly, and she had abandoned him alone with a talking sword that claimed to be a God of Darkness and smelled wrong in the same way Salem had.
In many ways Yang was as bad as Ruby, and that thought sickened her. Her sister had abandoned their siblinghood, their bond, and had gone so far as to kill Yang on sight years later. The thought of her doing the same to Jaune made her feel more ill than she had felt after eating funny meat when she was younger and barely getting used to living alone and on the run.
She had made a mistake, but so had he. He should have listened to her in that stupid temple, and she should not have left him alone on top of a mountain. She hoped they could reconcile. She did not want to lose Jaune, not after he had shown her perhaps there was something worth living for. If she had given up in that valley, if she had just whittled away and starved to death she would not have had a chance to meet her Uncle Qrow and perhaps enjoy their familial bond. She had Jaune to thank for that, for giving her food and hope for something better in one of her bleakest moments. She would burn down everything if he asked, twice over, and even then she would not have repaid the debt she owed.
She lurched suddenly, almost losing her balance and toppling in the air. She glared at the approaching moment, searching the top of it desperately, her eyes widening as she realised what was wrong.
The scent.. she hadn't been smelling something, she had been smelling a lack of something.
Jaune wasn't there.
She let out a pained, angry howl and dove down, landing harshly and scuttling across the cold top of the mountain, searching for some cave or nook or cranny Jaune might be sheltering in. He wasn't there. Neither was the sword. Panic and fear and anger and guilt and self-loathing bubbled up inside her until all she could do was growl angrily, fearing if she didn't do something to bleed away the explosion she might explode. Her body started to heat up with sheer frustration and anger, and she felt her inner fire, that energy the sword had called Aura, bleed into it, fuelling the light as the lines between her scales started to glow brighter and brighter.
Something landed nearby, and she turned to bathe it in flame before the thought of it being Jaune held her back, killing the bubbling flames in her throat. She blinked when she saw Uncle Qrow, body glowing as he shifted into his human form, and she did the same. The process was quick, far quicker than usual, and she found herself blinking when she realised she had managed to transform to infiltrator form before Uncle Qrow had changed to his.
"What the hell was that?" Uncle Qrow croaked out, voice hoarse and eyes widened as he stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders gently. She jumped at the touch and he leaned forward, giving her a worried look as he scanned her for wounds. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes." Yang answered, unused to someone worrying about her, let alone so obviously. "Jaune isn't here. He's gone!"
"He must have wandered down the mountain, he can't be far." Uncle Qrow replied, brows knotted together in worry. "Sit down for a minute and catch your breathe. Do you even know what just happened?"
"I...I landed and Jaune was gone." Yang said, letting him guide her to sit on a nearby rock. "Then you arrived and...somehow I managed to shift from my armoured form to my infiltrator form before you did."
"Yang...even I aren't sure of what just happened." Uncle Qrow admitted, shaking his head in disbelief. "But you were glowing as if you were transforming, but it was different in a way. As if you were going to just...expel your Aura. I don't know how else to describe it kiddo, but I don't want to imagine the sort of damage that might've been caused if you did. If you had then at least we're in a remote area so the likelihood of innocent casualties are lower than if you exploded in a city. You said the Arc boy isn't here?"
"No." Yang nodded sadly. "The sword is gone too."
"Then I'm gonna trust the God of Darkness to get him where he needs to be." Uncle Qrow replied. "We need to go to Vale to talk to the old man. He'll know what just happened, and we can get started on uniting the dragons against Salem."
"I'm not going anywhere without Jaune." Yang protested, and Uncle Qrow snorted dismissively.
"So you're just gonna starve on top of this mountain? The kid isn't here Yang and who knows where he really is. If what you said about the God of Darkness is true then he'll be well protected."
"I don't trust that thing." Yang scowled. "God or no God. It smelled wrong Uncle Qrow."
"That's because it's the God of Darkness Yang." Uncle Qrow sighed. "It's mellowed somewhat according to the old man, but that doesn't mean it isn't weak. It can protected itself easily and will likely protect Jaune too, if not just for the reason of needing someone to carry it to Vale. The kid can wait Yang, but Salem won't be. We need to start acting against her before its too late."
"I already told you I will not abandon Jaune!" Yang snapped, poking a finger against Uncle Qrow's chest. "The sooner you help me find him then the sooner we can go to Vale. Unless you want to abandon me and go off to Vale on your own."
"Never." Uncle Qrow retorted hotly, sighing again as he gently brushed her pointed finger aside. "Look, there's a lot you don't know about yourself, about your dragon side. Tell me, what is your current form?"
"What do you mean?" Yang frowned, though she was relieved and calmed by the fact he had not just flown away and abandoned her.
"You current form, what do you call it." Uncle Qrow reiterated calmly, and Yang blinked when she connected the dots.
"My infiltrator form." She replied cautiously, and he nodded his head.
"And your draconic form?"
"My armoured form."
"Accurate in many ways." Uncle Qrow remarked. "But wrong. Was it Raven or instinct that made you call them such?"
"A little bit of both." Yang replied defensively. "What do you mean wrong?"
"Over the centuries since the last great war against Salem, dragon kind and human slash faunus kind drifted apart, for reasons I can't explain, hence why I wanted the old man to tell you all this. When that happened the bodies dragon's can shift into became something else, the infiltrator form for sneakily stealing mates and, well, mating and the armoured form for pretty much everything else. Your armoured form is actually your Pugnator, your fighting form. Your infiltrator form is your Amator, your loving form. Your Pugnator embodies your willingness and ability to fight for yourself as well as humanity, and your Amator is for enjoying the fruits of winning humanities battles, whether that be through family or friendship or enjoying the company of your human mate." Uncle Qrow explained. "Did you know any of that before I told you?"
"No." Yang admitted quietly, and Uncle Qrow exhaled sadly.
"I don't want to hurt you Yang. I don't intend to mock your lack of knowledge telling you this, but I'm trying to teach you that there's a lot you don't know about yourself. That's through no fault of your own either, if anything it's entirely mine. So let me rectify my past mistakes and teach you now." Uncle Qrow implored gently, and Yang hugged herself and looked away, unsure of herself.
"I want you to do that Uncle Qrow." Yang replied quietly. "I want you to be my uncle too, my family. But I won't abandon Jaune. I can't. He...He's my mate. I'm certain of that."
"You know." Uncle Qrow said, voice just as quiet as hers despite it's growly qualities. "According to the old man every dragon has a soulmate, a specific person they're meant to bond with. It was a special gift just for them given to them by the Brother Gods in return for the first dragons accepting to be the guardians of mankind, an otherwise thankless task from what I've seen. Don't get your hopes up, and I'd rather you see more of the world before you really chose, but if you think Jaune Arc is your soulmate then he is."
Something about the words seemed too right, even if there was rift, a great distance both physical and metaphorical, between her and Jaune right now.
"I think so." Yang admitted shyly. "I really think so. He's good Uncle Qrow, truly good. He spared me even though he was a knight and I a dragon. He showed kindness and acted honourably. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have met, since I would still be rotting away in that valley or I'd be dead there."
"Then I owe the boy a lot more than I can ever repay for giving me a chance to see and bond with my niece." Uncle Qrow admitted grudgingly, bringing a smile to Yang's face. He returned it, before running a hand through his dark hair. "I take it you want to track him down?"
"I do." Yang nodded, and Uncle Qrow stood up and stretched his arms.
"Fine. There's some sheep I spotted to the south of here. We'll eat some of them then split up. You circle the mountain a few times and see if you spot anything. There was a human city to the east of here, Bessemer I think, so I'll head there and see if I smell anything. That faint scent over there, is that Arc's?"
Yang followed the direction of Uncle Qrow's nod and stared a ring of scorch marks not far from where they were, blackening the grey rock. She sniffed inquisitively, before frowning at the foul smell her heightened draconic senses picked up.
"No, that repugnant scent belongs to the God of Darkness." Yang answered, and Uncle Qrow eyed the scorch marks wearily.
"At least it would be hard to lose the scent." He remarked dryly, and Yang snorted at his words. "I'll see if I catch the scent around Bessemer. That's the furthest the Arc boy could have travelled on foot, though if he managed to find a horse or another dragon to ride who knows where he is."
"He wouldn't do that." Yang frowned, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits at the thought of her mate riding some raggedy wyvern who likely had holes in her wings and an over-inflated sense of self.
"Didn't mean anything by it." Uncle Qrow replied, holding up his hands in surrender nervously. "Just...you know...a comment. Sheesh you dragons are possessive."
"You're a dragon too." Yang pointed out, and Uncle Qrow laughed, though it was tinged with sadness and seemed a little forced.
"I don't have a mate though." Uncle Qrow said, face darkening a little. "Never will either. Now come on. Those sheep aren't going to meet themselves. If nothing crops up we'll meet up back here in two days time to plan our next move. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Yang nodded, standing up quickly. "Race you to-"
"Not this time!" Uncle Qrow interrupted, body already glowing. Yang followed in fast pursuit and soon they were gliding through the cold air down the mountain. Uncle Qrow had the lead, though Yang decided to take mercy on the old man and let him beat her to the food. It helped that she needed him to guide to the promised sheep, her worry for Jaune having caused her to miss them on her way to the mountain.
She landed with a thud and ignored Uncle Qrow's smug look as she surveyed the sheep that cowered before them. She felt a measure of pity towards them for the terror they clearly felt, though she took solace in the fact their end would be quick and painless. Together, she and Uncle Qrow reared back and scorched the herd of sheep, searing their flesh and wool and purifying the meat of any infection that would make them ill. Once the sheep were reduced to blackened husks they leaned forward and ate what they could, occasionally butting heads and playfully snapping at the other if they went for the same husk to eat. Screaming made her rear back and she stared at a pair of young humans who watched on with terror. A dog stood next to them, barking at Yang loudly, and soon a larger human, likely the father of the children, came running out of the hut on top of a nearby hill overlooking the sheep pen, armed with a pitchfork he promptly dropped at the sight of two dragons devouring a large part of his flock.
The father called for his children and Yang watched them race back to their father, the loyal dog following steadily, making sure to bark at Yang and Uncle Qrow to show its fearsomeness even as it retreated. She cocked her head in curiosity as they entered their house, and when she turned to Uncle Qrow again she realised he had eaten much of the sheep. She snapped at his neck, causing him to retreat, and dove back into the sheep pen to devour what remained. Uncle Qrow kept guard, but no knights and no dragon slayers appeared, so once she finished shortly after she gave Uncle Qrow a final farewell roar before taking to the skies and flying towards the mountain again.
Uncle Qrow returned the roar and took off as well, though true to his words he flew eastwards towards the rising moon to search those lands for Jaune. Yang turned her attention back to the mountain, hoping against hope she would find Jaune there somewhere, perhaps hidden away in a cave further down the mountain to seek protection as nighttime neared.
'I'm coming Jaune, I promise.'
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She searched the top areas of the mountain until it became too dark for her to see without expelling gusts of flame, so she curled up at the top of the mountain where she had last seen Jaune and forced herself to sleep. After an unsatisfying rest she found herself waking with the sun at its highest point in the sky, and she cursed herself for wasting so much daylight sleeping. She resumed her search as quickly as possibly, gliding back and forth through the air as she gradually descended down the mountain. She always flew in three circles, scouring the endless grey rock and white snow for any caves a human might seek shelter in, and when she did find a cave she did her best to search it. Every time her scourings came back empty handed, but as the sun started to set she had at least reached the middle of the mountain, and by the time she rested once more she was certain she had found a cave Jaune had at least rested in. It still smelled of the faint remnants of his scent, though the repugnant smell of the God of Darkness had disappeared for some reason.
Yang found herself unbothered by that fact, merely grateful she'd found proof Jaune was alive and well. She curled up her body on the thin track leading up and down the mountain, her large head blocking the cave entrance with her nose inclined towards it. She slept easier that night, with the faint scent of Jaune wafting up her nose and giving her a sense of comfort. She had pleasant dreams, dreams where they had reconciled and settled down. Dreams where they had a home and children.
When she awoke she felt invigorated, and only the thought of finding the actual Jaune gave her the strength to pull away from the cave and resume her search for her mate. She scoured the lower parts of the mountain vigorously, though with Jaune's scent fresher on her nose she could pick it up much more easily. She followed the trail left by her mate to another campsite, this one in the woods at the base of the mountain, and she followed the trail onwards, flying as close to the ground as she could so that the scent would stay fresh. As the day wore on she found herself at the shepherd's fold she and Uncle Qrow had plundered a few nights prior, and she took to the air, flying high into the sky and spotting the blot on the ground that must have been Bessemer, the human settlement Uncle Qrow had said he would scout. Yang frowned when she did not see his form in the sky, before realising he likely had shifted to his infiltrator, no, his Amator form in order to mix in better with the humans.
She considered trying to find him, before quickly realising she would likely get lost in such a large settlement. Instead she returned to the mountain, knowing Uncle Qrow would be returning soon if he came up empty handed in his search, though part of her hoped he would not. Jaune's scent had seemed to lead to Bessemer, and as much as she wanted to tear down every house in the city in order to find him she also didn't want to miss her meeting with Uncle Qrow and possibly lose contact with him forever.
So she waited, and as the day wore on she found herself snoozing in order to avoid the blight of boredom, idling day dreaming of her and Jaune's reunion when her something caught in her ears. She shifted to raise her left ear higher and lazily opened her eyes when she heard the sound of jangling armour and hushed whispers. The sound came from lower down the track leading up the mountain from the base of it, and she found herself weary of it for some reason. She rose onto her feet and stood still, her tail swishing behind her out of nervous anticipation. There was silence for a while, before the sounds of movement started again and unfamiliar but unmistakably human scents wafted up her nose, pushed towards her by a southern breeze. She felt tense and worried and ready for a fight, though she did not know why.
An idea sprang to her mind, and she started flapping her winds rapidly, creating a gust of dust and snow and making it sound as if she was preparing to take off.
"It's trying to escape!"
"Hurry!"
Acting instinctively Yang turned and covered the top of the mountain in flame, targeting her fire on the slope connecting the track to top of the mountain, and she was greeted by the screams of burning men as they ran blindly into her flames. The rest of her would-be attackers held back after the death of their comrades, and she flapped her wings quickly, this time intending to fly away for real. The humans did not try stop her, still numbed by the sudden loss of their fellows, and as she took to the skies she noticed a large party of humans huddled near the top of the mountain. Some of them shot arrows at her, and she chose not to wipe them out due to the risk a stray arrow might hit the slowly healing wound on her flank left by the ballista, so instead she ignored the humans and flew eastwards towards Bessemer, hoping to see Uncle Qrow's smaller form rising in the sky to greet her.
She did not see him, so instead she flew higher and higher, circling around Bessemer as darkness gradually fell. Lights lit up in the city, and Yang found herself drawn by the strange sight of lights in the darkness, casting an orange glow against the otherwise dark ground. Without noticing it she had gradually descended until she could start to make out individual shapes and sights. The blight of boredom started to take root, and for once she accepted it, otherwise fearing for Uncle Qrow, who she could not see but whose scent lingered, more potent due to its draconic nature.
Her eyes caught sight of a blazing inferno raging to the west of the city, and she followed it until she could see a burning hamlet. Humans ran into the forest, trying to douse the flames that spread from the little settlement and into the forest, and she found herself befuddled over the fact they were more willing to save a forest than their own homes.
She was utterly silent as she flew overhead, though she let out a low rumble when she saw the bodies littering the ground outside of a barn not far from the hamlet. She worried Jaune or Uncle Qrow may have been caught up in the violence, but she trusted them to handle themselves. It was highly unlikely either of the them would get caught up in the chaos, so she started to peel away from the strange act of violence when she heard Uncle Qrow roar in the distance, not far from the inferno.
Her heart sank in her chest and she answered the call with a roar of her own, the humans beneath her yelling and scrambling in fear. She ignored them and followed the sound of Uncle Qrow's roar to a nearby clearing, her uncle snarling at a human in his draconic form, large scale swishing with agitation between the trees. The human turned to look at her when she landed behind it, and she growled at the human to warn it away from hurting her uncle.
The human was caked in blood and mood, though it seemed familiar for some reason, and it wasn't until she squinted that she realised she recognised the shape of the humans armour and the blood-caked sword in the humans hands. Her body started to glow as she shifted to her Amator form, and the human moved raised a shield defenively. Uncle Qrow snapped his jaws behind his head, making him turn to face him. He backed away so that he wasn't entirely surrounded, though he halted his retreat once she completed her transformation, stepping forward in the cold, wet ground as the flames from the inferno nearby cast the clearing in orange.
"Jaune?" She asked, stepping forward tentatively. "Are you okay?"
Jaune said nothing, but he lowered his sword and shield slightly.
"No." He replied eventually, and her heart shattered at how hoarse and broken it sounded. "I don't think I am."