The sound of branches cracking woke Amber in instance. Jolting up, she grasped her weapon and held it towards to whatever was in the dark. The crunching soundz had stopped and Amber lowered her guard a bit.
"Could have been just a bird." she rubbed her eyebrows, exhausted. The young Fall Maiden had been traveling for numerous weeks by now, she had lost some sense of time.
Usually she would adore traveling if the joy wasn't dampened by the constant threat of Ozpin's enemies attempting to murder her to get her powers. Nights were always the worst.
"But it could have been an enemy hiding and waiting for the right moment to strike." her mind continued to think of the worst scenario, throwing Amber's chances of closing her eyes out of the window.
Squinting her eyes, the sleep-deprived woman searched the pitch-black darkness for any sign of danger. Seeing the coast was clear, she was about to rest her head down on her pillow, when someone jumped down from a nearby tree. The figure got up, brushing off their hands against their legs and looked at Amber.
Staying still, the Maiden's eyes were glued on the mysterious person, as she attempted to take her weapon from behind her as sneakily as she could.
Her heart jumped through the chest when the persom spoke.
"I'm not your enemy, Amber." a raspy voice reassured, coming closer to her. Amber couldn't put her finger on it, but the person sounded familiar. Maybe it was the tiredness which had built up in the Maiden, pleading for the woman to take a break, but Amber couldn't care whether or not the person was trustworthy.
Didn't matter if her name was somehow known - the only thing Amber wanted to do was to sleep.
Eyelids became heavier than ever and with each blink the person came closer and closer that she almost made out the stranger's face, until she felt herself falling, but instead of falling down on the cold ground, she fell into the person's arms. Looking up, she saw his face.
"Qrow…" she whispered out. He smiled back. "Hello to you too."
. . .
"Do you have a message for me from Ozpin?" she stretched her arms, scooching closer to the bonfire. She could practically fall asleep next to it by now.
Qrow shrugged, poking a log to push it in a better position. "Just a check-up. But wanna give ya a head's up that there's some suspicious people chasing your tail." he warned her. Just then one of the logs fell down on his foot.
A nasty word left his mouth and Qrow kicked it away into the darkness without much thinking. Amber was too tired to react.
"I doubt this information is new." she let out a yawn.
"They plan to take your powers." Qrow stood up, his tone becoming serious. The Maiden's eyes returned to the fire. It was so mesmerizing, yet dangerous. "And that will result in your death! " his voice broke, almost as if he was pleading for her to open here eyes to see the situation she was in.
Amber looked up at the Huntsman. She was too tired to care at the moment. She will spend the next day worrying about dying and she will do it the day after it. Those days will turn into weeks, then into months and then into years.
As long as she will be breathing, Amber will never be able to close her eyes in peace like she used to. Back when her life was simple. That's what she sacrificed by becoming the Fall Maiden.
"Like I said nothing new to me."
Qrow's gaze stayed on her, till he exhaled and sat next to her, taking a swing from his flask. He then felt his cape getting pulled.
"Hey, Qrow…?" another yawn escaped from Amber.
"What?"
"Could you stay here for the night?" she rested her head against his shoulder. Qrow pulled his cape over her shoulder, like a blanket. "One night of rest would be nice…"
"Tsch," he put his flask down. "Did ya think I would ditch you the second I got here?" he grinned. "Don't worry, I'll stay. Keep an eye out for trouble."
Amber slightly smiled. "Good to know. Thanks."
Qrow gave her a smile as well, but it quickly dropped. "Sure, but I will leave early in the morning." he looked at the fire. Destruction - that's all he saw. "Don't want things to get ugly if I stick around far too long."
The Maiden let out a chuckle, catching the Huntsman off guard. "Why are you saying that? Things are good with you around. That already shows the world is in good hands." she got up, heading towards her sleeping bag. "And with always having to protect myself from others, you're one of the few people I can trust has my back." she confessed, looking over her shoulder at Qrow.
Now the man was more than flustered over the sudden compliment. He opened his mouth, only to close, so he might not accidentally become vulnerable around her.
"Khm," he coughed. "If you don't want to go to sleep then we can spend the entire night coming up with other things to compliment me over." he slyly smiled, slicking back his hair.
Amber rolled her eyes. "You're impossible." she smiled, getting into her sleeping bag.
"So I've been told." he chuckled.
. . .
"Heeey~" Qrow patted Amber's left cheek. "Sleeping Beauty, get up. I need to get going." he sang out. Amber let out a groan, swatting his hand away.
"It's morning already?"
Qrow tossed an apple into her lap. "Would have been night already if I hadn't woken you up."
Amber bit the apple. She almost swooned over the sweet taste it had.
"This is the last we will meet for now, is it?" she asked, slouched over, her eyes staring at the remains of the bonfire.
Sitting around it with friends and family, singing songs, exchanging stories now seemed like something from a distant past and impossible to recapture once more.
Turning her head at her companion, she caught Qrow's glance at her. Looking away, he rested his scythe weapon against his shoulder.
The Huntsman was no stranger to loneliness and he could see that it was eating Amber alive. Becoming the Fall Maiden was a decision you have to think through entirely, because once you become one - there's no coming back.
"Don't worry. When your butt is getting kicked, I'll be there to steal the show." he joked. A smile cracked on Amber's face and laughter soon followed after.
"You're terrible at this, you know that?" her laughter died down. While getting all her stuff ready and cleaning up the tiny camp, she looked over her shoulder at Qrow. "Three people are following me then?"
"Yes. A young woman. Fire based Semblance. And two teens. Don't know their Semblances, but underestimate them." he warned. He wished he could stay a little longer, but he had done what he needed to do and now Qrow needed to focus on his next mission.
Amber put on her bag and took her weapon. "Noted." she passed by him. There was no telling when they'll see each other again and that's the part Amber hated the most in goodbyes - the not knowing part.
"See you later, Qrow."
"Don't be a stranger, Amber." he saluted her with his fingers, before turning into a bird and flying off in the distance. Watching him getting further and further away, the Maiden let out an exhausted sigh. She'll have to continue her journey. Alone. Once again. Like always.
Maybe that's why she enjoyed Qrow's company so much, no matter how short-lived it was, because she knew the man could understand the loneliness she went through the most. That's why, him showing up always lightened up Amber's day, no matter how much time had passed between the months they previously had met. And who knows maybe this time it won't take such a long time to meet again.
"Here goes nothing." she quietly said to herself, before taking the first step, not knowing her wish to see Qrow again will come true, but in the way she wished.