A/n- Reviews

Jose Blas- Poor Adam Indeed. He's been pushed further down the tunnel now.

Chapter 16- Somber Return

Their return to the tribe was not a happy one, having lost a few of their good members. Luckily the entire rescue team survived and they recovered one scout, but losing members always hit hard in the tribe. The tribe was a family, and losing someone a part of that family always hurt.

Darren was taken to the medical tent to get patched up while Bruno went to Raven to Inform her if the scouts' fate. Corvus was about to speak to Adam but the mourning boy went straight to his tent, still carrying his father's body.

"Hey, uh… it's probably best to leave him for a while, kid." Shay said, putting a hand on Corvus' shoulder to stop him as he was about to follow Adam.

Corvus stopped and looked at Shay for a moment before looking to Adam's tent once more.

"He's strong… he'll pull through." He said confidently yet somberly.

"Yeah, I know he will, kid. But these things take time too. Just… give him time, and a little space."

Corvus nodded and thanked Shay before going to his tent, retiring for the day.

Later…

Bruno had just finished his report to Raven about the mission. She wasn't happy in the slightest, especially since war with the Karnika tribe was more likely than not. He left her to her thoughts and decided to check on Adam. He perked inside the boys tent to see him sat by his father's body. His eyes were red, he had clearly been crying. He knelt beside Adam.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly in his deep voice.

"How do you think?" Adam weakly snapped at him. Bruno was unfazed by this reaction, and was probably expecting it. He simply nodded with a low hum.

"Do you need anything?"

"I don't need to be babied." Adam said, keeping his gaze away from him.

"I know. You need time. Trust me, I've been there." Bruno said softly. He saw Adam's tension lessen slightly as the boy realised he wasn't going to get any unwanted coddling. But he stiffened up again when Bruno placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't let your father's passing hold you back, boy. He was a good man. He cared for you. He wouldn't want you to be wallowing in misery. Let his death fuel you and your actions."

"I… I want them dead. All of them, slavers…" He practically snarled out the word. "I want them gone… I'll do It myself if I have to…"

"You won't have to. Raven wants them gone too. You'll have your vengeance, Adam."

Adam gave a thankful nod to Bruno as the elder Faunus made his way out. He couldn't take his mind off the slavers. He wanted them to be wiped from the face of Remnant. They disgusted him. All of them, not just the rival bandits, but the SDC too. He'd get his vengeance if it was the last thing he did.

Night fell, and Corvus went to his and Adam's usual spot to see if he was there. Luckily he was, and Corvus went up to sit next to his friend.

"Hey." He said simply, looking off into the woods.

"Hey…" Adam responded, still very saddened but with less of the simmering anger he had when they initially returned.

"Are you… gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine." He said flatly.

Corvus looked at him and saw his blank expression. He was clearly still sad, even if he wasn't showing it. Corvus looked back to the forest as he spoke.

"I know you will, just… I'm here, alright? You know I always will be."

Adam looked back to Corvus, a small but grateful smile on his face.

"I know. Thank you."

A silence lingered between the two for a while as they sat in the dark. Eventually, Adam spoke up.

"I… might leave the tribe." He said.

Corvus' head snapped towards Adam with a questioning look.

"What? Why?"

He breathed a sigh before looking to Corvus.

"I want to help my people, Corvus. My dad… he always wanted the same, and he did that by looking after us. But it's not enough. I want to change things, Corvus. In the grand scale of things, but I can't do that if I'm in the tribe."

Corvus was conflicted. While he understood and even agreed with Adam's desire, he didn't want him to leave.

"But Adam… the tribe is family. I… must you really leave?" Corvus said, almost pleading.

"Corvus… we'll still be family. I just need to be elsewhere. I can't change things for my people if I'm stick here."

Corvus looked away slightly. He didn't want Adam to leave at all, he was his only real friend in the tribe.

"Corvus… you're my brother. You know that. Me leaving won't change our friendship, I just have to do this." Adam said, placing a reassuring hand on Corvus' shoulder.

Corvus looked to Adam and nodded with a small smile before he spoke. "I… heard from Bruno about this group, I think they were called the White Fang? They help Faunus. Maybe you should ask him about them?"

Adam nodded gratefully before leaning back on his palms and facing the forest again. The two sat in silence, enjoying each other's company and the quiet of the forest before retiring for the night.

A/n

Done for this one. Just a quick follow-up to the last chapter, nothing special this time.

I've been blessed with plenty of free time, so thankfully I managed to cobble together another chapter in that time.

Next few will be a little more interesting, seeing the Karnika tribe a little more and also setting up a nice little arc with Corvus and Pyrrha. I'll also be bringing another character in who'll play a big part in the story.

Hope you enjoyed it, I'll see you guys soon, hopefully.