A/n- Review

Jose Blas- Yes and no.

Chapter 14- Trouble in the Woods

8 years later

Over the past years, Corvus and Adam had grown into powerful young warriors. Their skills had increased exponentially over the last almost-decade of training they've been through. Adam was now almost a man, and had grown up to become strong, disciplined and respectable, if a little hot-headed. Corvus had grown a lot too, literally speaking. Despite only being thirteen years old he's standing at an impressive 6'0". His scar has healed nicely though it's still very obviously visible, and what remains of his eye is just milky white, leaving him looking rather grizzled and a little intimidating to those who don't know he's only a young teen. He's begun to use his still unnamed nodachi and he's taken to it like a moth to a flame, the weapon's abnormal size being no issue for the tall boy.

Their training had obviously been stepped up quite a few notches over the past few years, and they had risen to the challenge. They were currently able to take on several of the tribe's less powerful members in a fight simultaneously and some of the tougher members one on one, and sometimes even two on one, Adam doing so much more efficiently than Corvus of course. Still, they were no match for the tribe's Faunus archer. Bruno would each time defeat the two boys with little trouble. He was going easy on them, that much was clear. But he still provided a stimulating challenge to the boys and even though they lost every time, it did nothing to waver their resolve.

Raven, however, did not go easy on them. And if she was, they genuinely couldn't tell. Each time the two fought her, she was relentless. It was more often a survival situation than an actual spar, and while they could hold her off for a short while, they eventually and inevitably crumbled against her assault. Still, the two boys continued onwards, accepting the challenge each time to push themselves, their will unshakable.

Well, almost.

Both still carried the scars of their past, and it affected them in different ways. Adam was left untrusting of most humans, some of the humans in the tribe of course being exceptions, but the boy was still wary. And of course his temper would be ignited at the mere reference of experiences like the one he and his prior group had gone through. He did not tolerate any mistreatment of Faunus, understandably so, and would quickly resort to violence if a diplomatic method proved futile.

Corvus on the other hand was left traumatized by his experience at the hands of the Fear-monger. He still had nightmares of that day, and while they weren't as frequent they still never failed in robbing him of a night of sleep. He also seemed to have gained a phobia of Grimm, the very thought of the beasts sending a chill down his spine. His mother had thought it simply nerves, until on his first Grimm hunt he had frozen still at the sight of a mere beowolf. The creature would have taken his head off if he had no aura. Since then, he has been given therapy by one or two tribe members plus his mother. Well, therapy is a strong word. It's mostly them trying to ease Corvus up by convincing him the Grimm aren't as tough and scary as he thinks. Unfortunately Grimm are not spiders. You cannot use the 'they're more scared of you than you are of them' line with them.

"You boys are getting better." Raven says, sheathing her blade as she saunters past the defeated teens to sit on a nearby log, crossing her legs as she looks at them with a hint of pride in her usually stern eyes.

The two boys in question were on the floor with low auras, exhausted from their rather intense 'spar' with Raven. Despite her relentlessness, they quite enjoyed sparring with her. She provided a challenge that nobody, not even Bruno could offer. She did not go easy on them, and she forced them to fight like their lives were on the line, and it sure felt like it.

"Think we can take on uncle Qrow yet?" Corvus joked as Adam helped him up.

"Not a chance, kid." Raven replied with a playful scoff. "Your uncle is one of the only the people who can kick *my* ass. If he didn't hold back, he could snap you in half like a dry reed."

"We'll get there Raven, it's only a matter of time." Adam said with a small smirk, brushing the dust off his black and red trench coat.

"You will, kid. You're doing pretty good so far. You're better than we were at your ages." The two boys seemed quite pleased at that, but before they could say anything Raven followed up. "Don't go getting a big head about it, Qrow and I were trained by bandits. You're being trained by ex-hunters. Quite frankly, I think we'd have done better if we had the opportunity." She said smugly, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Corvus scoffed before responding confidently. "I'll beat you at one point, mom. Count on it."

Raven chuckled at her son's enthusiasm, standing up and patting his shoulder gently. She looked between him and Adam as she spoke. "In all seriousness, I'm happy with how your training is going. You've made me proud, despite your setbacks. Keep going as you are, and you'll become great warriors. Now go on, rest up."

The two boys smiled at the rare genuine praise from Raven. They gave her a bow of their heads before they left the clearing through Raven's tent.

As they entered the central area of the tribe to relax and rest, Adam's sharp blue eye scanned the camp like he was searching for something. Corvus quickly took note of this.

"What is it?" He asked.

"My father isn't back yet…" Adam replied, a hint of worry slipping into his normally calm voice.

"He'll be fine, Adam. He's gotten pretty good at hunting and he's got Darren and Olivia with him, a few deer won't stop them." Corvus said, trying to alleviate his friend's worries.

"Its not deer I'm worried about.." He said, concern evident in his tone. Corvus tensed up as he recognized Adam's worry, the Grimm. But they weren't the only group the Faunus boy was concerned about . While time had put him at ease slightly, he hadn't forgotten that there's likely still a bounty on him and his father. He doesn't know for certain, but it's not off the table. There's also many other bandit tribes around, ones less kind than the Branwens. He tried not to think about any of that too much. While his father wasn't the best fighter, not by a long shot, he's pretty good with a bow so he can likely defend himself, however that did nothing to calm the Faunus.

Raven was drinking tea in her tent, relaxing after her training session against her son and her protégé when she heard quiet footsteps behind her.

"Raven." Bruno rumbled.

"Bruno." She replied as the large Faunus walked around to her front. His face was as stoic as it usually is, but Raven knew him well enough to see his concern.

"Darren's team hasn't returned."

"And I assume you want to go out and find them?"

He hummed in confirmation.

"They are valuable scouts for us, and experienced. Do you not trust them to return to us on their own?"

"They are never gone this long, it is best to be safe than sorry."

"Grimm activity has increased lately, I'd rather keep our people here instead of risking them on a rescue mission. Darren's team can handle themselves." She replied with a sigh. She didn't want to leave her scouts out to dry, but she has to worry for the safety of the whole tribe.

"Axton is with them." Bruno responded, which gave Raven pause.

"Adam's father..?"

"You know as well as I that Adam's father is a stabilizing force for him. If Axton were to die…"

"Adam would lose it." Raven finished, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Very well. You may take a *small* team to find them. Make sure you come back, Bruno." She relented. She knows she shouldn't pick favorites, but she had a soft spot for her protégé. She didn't want to see him spiral because of something preventable like this.

A/n

God, I'm awful. Three months. Sorry guys, I didn't even realize how long it's been until recently. Time flies, I guess. I'll do my best to update more. Hopefully I actually end up sticking to that. We're still in the setup, but it's mostly pre-V1 setup rather than story foundation like the previous chapters. Hopefully you guys enjoy the upcoming chapters when I eventually get them out.

As usual, feel free to review if you have a question, criticism or comment, I quite enjoy them and I always read and respond to them.

See you in another three months (hopefully not).