Hey everyone! Look who's back and ready to upload!
So, first things first, I'm just going to say that the reason that this upload took a lot longer than expected was that I got sidetracked with school then work. Also, as most of you are aware, I live in BC and we're currently going through one of the worst floodings in history. I'm in the lower mainland near Vancouver so I'm not as affected, but the water over here's gotten really high too so I can't help but worry that I'll be experiencing the same thing the poor folks in Abbotsford or any of the other cities directly connected to the cut off highways.
So, in short, stay strong those in BC and all those struggling around the world as I hope my writing eases your troubles if only for a few minutes while you continue to fight the wrath of nature.
Cheers, Searoar.
"Uncle Hawkins?" Yang tugged the magician's pant leg to break him from his pondering stupor.
His stoic face unmoving, Hawkins lowered his hand and took a deep breath through his nostrils then exhaled through his tired lips. In a stern voice, he declared the two make their way back to the cabin, but Yang wanted to explore.
"Do we have to go back so soon?" She whined. "I've never been to this part of the island and I wanna see the other cool spots you've been to."
The adult blonde seemed unwilling to venture into unfamiliar territory, especially in the company of a child he didn't particularly favor. However, the consequences of ignoring the young brawler would also be unfavorable, as Summer and Tai made it crystal clear that they wanted to see their daughter's smile upon her return.
Performing a tarot shuffle, Hawkins concluded the odds of a Grimm attack were slim, but he couldn't disregard the recent attack of that strange black-haired woman who was supposedly Summer's original partner during her school years in Beacon. This meant the other members of STQH were familiar with the strong lady, but Hawkins didn't want to draw any conclusions on that topic despite having a decent picture of how things transpired during STRQ's falling out.
After all, delving into the past was something the magician often avoided, and he really didn't want to get caught in any unnecessary drama that didn't concern him.
"Uncle Hawkins, you're spacing out again..." Yang moped with puffed cheeks.
"...Where would you like to venture?" Hawkins replied lazily.
A glimmer of hope sparkling in her lilac pupils, a wide smile spread across the young brawler's face as she pointed to a narrow pass surrounded by withered trees near the base of the cliff.
The former pirate curled a brow. The paths seemed to diverge between the regular gravel hiking trails to a muddy road of moss and shadows. Hawkins didn't even need to perform a tarot reading to see that Yang's decision was suicidal, and any chance of death would not be tempted on this day.
"If you're seeking a gruesome death then I would advise that trail."
"Aw... but it looks like there'd be a bunch of cool stuff on the other side!" Yang kicked the dirt and crossed her arms.
"The imagination can be a very dangerous thing, especially in youths," Hawkins sighed. "It's better to consider one's approach before heading into the unknown, and it would be in your best interest to realize that before it comes to a point of no return."
"Fine..." Yang grumbled, but the fire remained in her stare.
Following said stare, Hawkins quickly realized that Yang wasn't staring at his face, but rather the space next to it. Checking his shoulders for oddities, he wasn't surprised to find none and curled a brow at the seemingly curious child.
"U-Um..." Yang stuttered as she wrapped a stray lock of hair around her index finger. "R-Ruby and Jaune said they had a lot of fun when they got to ride your shoulder..."
The magician deadpanned.
"C-Come on, please, Uncle Hawkins?" Yang put on her best puppy dog eyes, and while cute, they could not match up to those of her younger sibling.
Still, a window to bond had presented itself, and being a clever opportunist, Hawkins reluctantly dropped to a knee and gestured to the empty space beside his skull with a tired sigh.
The tyke sporting a cautious smile, she maneuvered her way onto her Uncle's form but accidentally knocked his nose with her boot before reaching her goal. Now mounted, the young brawler felt a new breath of fresh air whisk past her face as the natural beauty of nature filled her vision.
Rubes and Jaune were right when saying the view was better on top of somebody really tall, and Hawkins was the tallest member of STQH making him the optimal candidate for piggyback rides and other view-related activities. A sudden shift breaking her admiring view, Yang jerked forward as her uncle began to tread in the opposite direction of the log cabin.
"Uncle Hawkins, where are we going?" Yang asked nervously.
"You wanted to explore the other areas of the island did you not?"
"R-Really?!" Yang spluttered in bewilderment as the mood of her stoic guardian seemed to shift when she least expected it.
His pacing slowing to a stop, the magician raised a lazy finger toward the treacherous paths near the base of the cliffside.
"However, the one condition in order for us to embark on this journey is that we will not be entering that ominous section of land. Am I clear?"
"Aw..." The girl slumped forward and rested her chin on her uncle's forehead. "Why not? Mom and everybody else says you're really strong, so even if we do meet a Grimm you'll be able to get rid of it no sweat right?"
Hawkins grunted. "I only exert myself if absolutely necessary and I do not enjoy the chances of danger, unlike most hunters and huntresses."
"Hmpf, what's the point of having cool powers if you don't use them?" Yang lightly tapped Hawkins' skull like it was a drum.
"The more obscure one's notoriety, the less likely his enemies will exploit his weaknesses. To seek combat for mere thrills of adrenaline is foolish and often leads to an early demise. Tell me, Yang, do you wish to die when there are so many eventful years ahead?"
The girl felt a chill run down her spine at the stern delivery. How did Jaune manage to keep such a happy face around such a gloomy and serious man?
"N-No..." Was all she could manage.
"Good," Hawkins said bluntly. "Now it's time for me to bring you to our next destination."
"Where are we going?" Yang asked curiously.
"To see if we can find a new special spot that only we two shall share."
"R-Really? Like a secret hideout or something?" Yang squealed in excitement, a thousand-watt smile replacing the sour mood she'd been in since this morning.
The magician withdrew his tarot cards and hurried his steps as the summer heat had begun to take effect. So, with a pleasant weight on his head and shoulders, and a new destination in mind, Hawkins strolled down the path from which he came and took a sharp turn towards the higher regions of the island.
"Hey, Uncle Hawkins!" The young brawler gave the magician's skull a light knock.
"Yes?" He grunted.
"I can see my dad's boat from up here!" She grinned while pointing towards the calm lake a good distance away.
"That is true," the magician hummed, "however we should focus on our own endeavors if we hope to achieve our goals for today."
"Okay!" Yang gave a thumbs up and the two departed from the overseeing cliffside.
/-/
"There we are, Jaune, all you gotta do is stay calm and focus on where you want your hook to land," Tai instructed while handing the boy a fishing rod.
"Like this?" Jaune reeled back his arms and swung his fishing rod over his shoulder.
The line landed in the water with a pathetic plop, the hook barely managed to sink less than a foot away from the boat. His cheeks puffed into an annoyed pout, Jaune watched as his uncle Qrow managed to cover several feet with a simple flick of the wrist.
"You've got a lot to learn in the ways of fishing," the ravenette smirked, "but you'll get there eventually if you put in the effort."
"That's right, nothing like a little elbow grease to reap hard-earned results," Sam added as he plucked a juicy worm from the bait bucket.
Throwing his own line into the water, Tai was the last to join making it four hooks that occupied the calm lake with each covering the north, east, west, and south parts for optimal coverage.
A brisk breeze blowing over the gentle waves, Jaune felt his patience thinning as the minutes of inaction ticked by with nothing to cure his boredom. Peering over the rim of the boat, the boy curled a brow at his rippled reflection and began to make cheeky expressions until a random pebble decided to bonk off his scalp.
Tilting his sights to the clear sky above, the boy curled a brow at an ensemble of crows that settled in the surrounding trees, one, however, seemed to be paying extra attention to him. But birds didn't really care about humans, so Jaune shrugged off the idea and focused on the light tug from his fishing line.
Eyes wide, Jaune yelped as the fish hooked to his line gave a strong pull that would've sent him overboard if it weren't for his uncle Tai's quick reflexes. The two blondes cramming down to wrestle with their scaly competitor, Sam and Qrow took up the responsibility of keeping the vessel balanced during the hassle.
"Easy, Jaune, if you yank on the pole too hard the hook might dislodge from the fish's mouth!" Tai huffed as the small tyke scrambled to get a better grip.
"Hey, I thought there were only simple fish in this lake!" Sam panted. "So why in Oum's name is a tiny sea guppy shaking our entire boat?!"
The deer Faunus' question answered by a ferocious roar, the line of Jaune's pole snapped in two as the once calm water shifted into turbulent waves. Thrown atop one another, Jaune's eyes widened as his gaze met with a pair of malevolent beady eyes that glistened in the likeness of blood.
Emerging from the rocky waves, an enormous Grimm in the likeness of an angler fish, presented itself in all its evil glory. The only difference between it and the common fish was that the beast possessed razor-sharp teeth and had its glowing bulbous extension replaced by a spiky, boney-mace.
"That's a new Grimm..." Tai frowned as he cracked his knuckles.
"It's not so different," Qrow smirked, "it's still as ugly as any other unworldly abomination."
"I don't get how you boys enjoy being in peril..." Sam sighed as he wrapped his grandson in a protective hug.
"Y-You got this! Go Uncle Qrow and Uncle Tai!" Jaune cheered as he nuzzled himself closer to his grandpa's chest.
Hunger gnawing at its being, the angler Grimm swung its mace-like extension against the side of the boat causing it to capsize. Splashing and spluttering, Qrow and Tai hoisted themselves onto the overturned vessel with Sam and Jaune seeking shelter on a rock bed that was a good ways away from the action.
"Alright partner, let's get this over with in fin-tastic fashion!" The blonde brawler grinned while wiping his soggy bangs from his face.
"Leave it to you to find a pun that nobody wants." Qrow joked as the Grimm surged forward.
Leaping into the air, Qrow parried the monster's mace swing with the back of his blade and twirled onto its back. Tai close behind, he jumped off the upside-down boat and landed a heavy kick between the eyes then anchored himself on the Grimm's boney face.
Slashing and punching, the Grimm screeched as its back and left eye was assaulted in calculated strikes.
"Good stuff boys!" Sam hollered. "Rip that Grimm a new pair of trousers!"
The farmer could have used a more adult level of vocabulary, but with his grandson around, he had to keep things within reason.
Jaune stroked his chin before joining his guardian's vocal reinforcement. "Yeah, and give that monster a new pair of socks and shoes too!"
His weapon lodged in the beast's hide, Qrow gave a great heave and let the black ooze flow. As for Tai, his repetitive punches to the Grimm's beady eyes bore fruit and with a sickening crunch, he blinded the monster as it gave another high-pitched cry.
"Wow... Fighting evil monsters can be pretty gross." Jaune muttered.
"Can't say I disagree with you," Sam added, "there's nothing wrong with fighting for survival but I can't say I share your uncle's enthusiasm when it comes to killing Grimm."
The boy nodded in agreement. "Dad doesn't like dealing with Grimm either, but he's not as flashy as his other teammates."
"There's a lesson to simplicity," Sam grinned, "sometimes the easiest solution is the most basic answer. Though when your mind is rattled you often don't see it."
"Then shouldn't Trifa give me back my Pumpkin Pete's hoodie if that's the simplest solution? I've been meaning to ask for it but it keeps slipping my mi-"
"Thock!"
His grandson's speech stopped abruptly by a heavy sound, Sam turned to his left to see nothing but empty space.
"Jaune?" The deer Faunus called. There wasn't any reason for the boy to wander off, so why would he-
"Thock!"
In the blink of an eye, the world went hazy as Sam's straw hat fluttered into the air. Gripping onto his senses for as long as he could, he caught the briefest glimpse of his Jaune being dragged away by a long shadow of black and red.
A combined war cry later, Tai cupped his hands and vaulted Qrow into the air, and his partner came down while transforming his sword into its scythe mode. Breaking into a spin mid-fall, Qrow sawed through the Grimm's weakened hide and promptly chopped it in half.
An eruption of ebony smoke later, Tai lent out a hand to his partner and assisted him onto the capsized boat.
"A little bit of a messy finish but I think that went well."
"Well, it would've been cleaner if you didn't punch its eye out," Qrow smirked as he wiped his bloodied blade with his torn cape.
Scanning the area for any more threats, the lake remained calm, but the cost of the Grimm attack proved very great. Sparing a glance to the rock beds that Sam and Jaune occupied, only the deer Faunus was present, but he was knocked out and down for the count. With a second round of adrenaline coursing through their veins, the hunters swam over to Sam and jostled him back into consciousness.
"Sam!" Tai shouted. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, but please stop shaking me..." The farmer groaned. Touching the back of his neck and head, Sam grunted as his fingers brushed over a sore wound.
"But... what happened to Jaune?"
Tai and Qrow didn't have an answer, but after trading dreaded stares one conclusion came to mind.
"I'm sure he just ran off to get help after you got knocked out," Tai assured the farmer with false confidence. "Here, let's get you to the dry grass where you can gather your bearings. By the looks of it, the injury on your head isn't too bad, but you'll be kinda dizzy for a bit."
With a hunter to support each arm, Sam limped to the dry spaces of the riverbank, sat himself down, and thanked Qrow for retrieving his straw hat.
Giving the deer Faunus space to breathe, Qrow nearly tripped as his blonde cohort snagged him by the shoulder and dragged him out of Sam's hearing range.
"You don't think she would risk coming back this soon do you?" The blonde whispered with an open palm beside his mouth.
"There's a chance," his partner grunted, "when my sibling does put her mind to something she'll savagely go for it."
A bead of sweat rolled down Tai's chin.
"But she doesn't have any reason to go after Jaune, he's innocent by all accounts!"
Qrow rubbed his neck and veered his sights to the dirt. "That might not be the case..."
"What are you talking about? How in Oum's name does Jaune fit into our family squabbles?!" The brawler's temper threatened to raise his voice to a shout.
"My sister's been out of the loop for so long that she's started to assume things without any proper context..."
The ravenette crossed his arms then scowled. "Heck, some of this is my fault too, all because I had to go and say that you and Summer had two kids..."
"How is that an issue?" Tai snapped. "Yang and Ruby, while they're both the cutest buttons in the world, don't really look alike or act alike."
Qrow shot his friend an exhausted glare. "Come on, Tai, you've got a brain so use it. My twin should only have a rough gist of what Yang looks like now, but all things considered, Jaune's attitude is closer to yours than that of his actual dad."
The brawler blinked. "Wait... so you're saying..."
"I didn't go into specific details, but all things considered, keeping my trap shut was probably the best course of action." Qrow covered his face with a tired palm.
"To cut to the chase... Raven thinks that little blonde goofball is the aftermath of your marriage with Summer..."
/-/
"Ow... did I hit my head?" Jaune opened his eyes to find nothing but dirt and grass. Realizing he was face-first on the ground, he stumbled to his feet.
Large rocks and tall trees surrounded him, the lake was nowhere to be found and neither were his uncles or grandpa. Jaune called out at the top of his lungs, but his efforts proved fruitless, and he shivered at the thought of being alone.
"I'd shut up if I were you."
The boy stiffened at the sudden voice. It sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't put a face behind it. Not to mention he couldn't see anyone else in the area.
"H-Hello?" He whimpered.
Again, the ominous voice spoke, but the person speaking refused to reveal themselves.
"Are you done looking around like an idiot?"
Jaune wiped the sweat off his brows with the hem of his dusty shirt.
"Why am I here?" He asked in genuine befuddlement.
"To ease my curiosity," the voice quipped, "a child's innocence is a gullible target for honesty after all. So as long as you keep your voice down I won't have to kill you."
Jaune's muscles tensed.
"Hmph, that scared look you carry is the same one your father has. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad you took more after him than that pathetic liar who pretends to be an honest mother."
"My mom?" The boy's visage vexed. "I have a mom?"
The cry of a corvid, in the likeness of a ridiculing laugh, echoed from the branches above. Jaune spotted the bird but returned his sights to the ground as he was smart enough to know that birds couldn't talk.
"To think that her own son doesn't consider her to be a worthy mother... It's almost too ironic to be true." The voice said again.
"U-Um..."
"Speak up brat, I don't have time to waste on your useless mumbling."
Jaune pinched his cheeks to make sure he was awake and not going insane. His cheeks now red, he frowned as he lowered himself to a crisscrossed sitting position.
"Is this kinda like the times my dad talks to himself? Because I thought you could only hear voices that weren't there when you were asleep."
"Your father talks to himself?" The voice seemed intrigued by the boy's words.
"Yeah," Jaune continued, "he gets nightmares often and usually wakes up in a really grouchy mood."
"Can you describe these nightmares?" The voice prodded.
The blonde scratched his cheek. "I can't really describe it, but he's always groaning about a big mistake he made, one that cost him a different path in life."
"..."
"Um, hello?" Jaune yelled.
No response, he considered asking his dad to calculate whether he was going insane or not when he got back to the cabin.
"A mistake..." The voice growled in an ominous tone that would've gone unheard by the young lad if the forest hadn't been silent.
"Er... yup, I think that's what my dad considers to be his greatest regret."
The snap of a branch ringing his senses toward a shaking set of bushes, Jaune trembled as a pair of beady red eyes peeked through the shadowed foliage.
"Uh oh..."