A/N: Arthur's in a bit of a pickle, and is about to be subject to good ol' fashioned Branwen family troubles. All things considered, Qrow's probably having a worse day than he is.

Chapter 7

Consciousness did not come all at once. At first, he felt himself being dragged along his back, and his hands were bound. Beyond that it was murky again, until he faintly overhead someone talking nearby.

"Can't believe we lost so many..."

"He took on the traitor..."

"...Fang are getting violent..."

Arthur couldn't remember the rest of the conversations, and when he finally did come to full consciousness, it wasn't in the best of places. It was dark out, and his head hadn't been covered. He could hear fires crackling, and people talking in the distance. When he opened his eyes, a throbbing pain pounded in his temples.

"Ah, my head..." He groused, trying to fight through the painful fog that caused his mind to drag. When he tried rubbing his head, however, his hand wouldn't move. Neither of them did, seeing as how they were bound behind his back. "What the hell?"

As Arthur looked around once more, things became clearer. He remembered his fight with the Huntsman that was so mad about Summer, then suddenly a woman had come out of nowhere and knocked him out cold. With one punch too, Aura and all. Whoever this lady was, he didn't think he could take her in a one on one fight. Now, to figure out how to get away.

A more detailed inventory told Arthur that his pistols and hunting knife were gone, a predictable outcome. His satchel was missing as well, though a little wriggling told him that they weren't as good at frisking as they should have been. He could still feel a few holdout knives in his boots and belt. Of course, getting to them was another matter entirely. From what he could tell, Arthur was lashed to a large tree, but the ropes going around the tree were wound between his back and the bark. That left his arms close to his hips, where he could easily get to his hidden blades if he wiggled enough.

If Arthur had been the one to tie someone up, he'd have taken each arm and tied them outward like a crucifixion, not this kindergarten bullshit. Whoever had tied him up either thought he wasn't good at escaping or severely underestimated him. Arthur worked his wrists back and forth, steadily working the ropes loose. Who knew how much time he had, so he did his work as quickly and quietly as possible.

Another groggy groan to his right caused Arthur to pause, and to his surprise the Huntsman he had fought earlier was tied up in a similar fashion. The man was much worse for wear, however. Whereas Arthur only had a pounding headache, the man he had been fighting earlier sported a black eye, a split lip, and at least three bruises across his cheeks, chin, and neck. If Arthur's treatment was how they did business normally, then this guy was personal.

The groan attracted someone else's attention as well. The shifting of grass alerted Arthur that they were not alone, and when he looked up he saw the woman that had knocked him out. Instead of the ornate Grimm mask she had worn before, however, her face was bare. She had the face of a warrior: trim, with little to no fat that he could see. Her jaw was strong, and the faintest hints of stress lines could be seen on either side of her nose. The crimson eyes examining him curiously hadn't been a figment of his imagination earlier, and now he could actually see the family resemblance between the woman before him and his fellow prisoner.

Hello, dear brother. Did you miss me? It had been the last thing he'd heard before she had knocked him unconscious. Since Arthur didn't share characteristics or (he assumed) heritage with her, he had to assume she was speaking to the Huntsman. But right now, she only had eyes for Arthur. And yet, she remained silent.

"If you take a picture, it might last longer." He offered sarcastically. The woman did not react right away, but a smirk slowly spread across her face as she found whatever it was she had been looking for.

"I think my memory will do just fine. It's rare to find someone who can match Qrow on even terms these days. Besides myself anyway." He flicked her eyes dismissively toward the other man tied to a tree stump, and Arthur had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes. The guy had said her name was Raven, and now his was Qrow? How unoriginal was their mother when she came up with bird names for her children? Then again, with names like Tukson, Sienna, and Summer running around, making Arthur was the weird one. Definitely a thought for later.

"What can I say? Momma didn't raise no quitter." Arthur rolled his shoulders, trying to disguise his work on the ropes in the action. If Raven doubted him, she didn't show it. She also didn't step any closer, maintaining her distance from him.

"I see. And just what is your name, cowboy? I like to keep track of capable people in this world." Raven knelt down to his level, and Arthur couldn't help but smirk.

"Leviticus Cornwall." He replied dryly. Raven arched a brow, and Arthur immediately knew that he had said the wrong thing.

"Lying so soon? That's not how you make friends. I was under the impression that your name was Arthur Morgan." To explain her sudden insight, she held up Summer's scroll. On the screen, the video he had watched upon arriving in Vacuo was paused, Summer's face clear for all to see.

"Ah well. Worth a shot." Arthur didn't apologize, knowing that she wouldn't accept it. At this point, he was at her mercy, or at least until he got the ropes loose. Even then, Arthur knew he'd have to be cautious with this one.

"Quite. I don't blame you for making the effort, but we're past lies and half truths right now. You're lucky I have some unfinished business with my worthless brother, otherwise I'd be asking you all kinds of questions." Raven tossed the scroll down at Arthur's feet, just outside of his reach if his arms were unbound. "Be a dear and sit tight while I get my tent ready. For a bandit leader, I seem to never have visitors." She fluttered her fingers toward him in dismissal, then turned and leisurely walked away. Arthur watched her leave, unsure if it was a trap or not, but in the end he could only worry about what he could change and to hell with what he couldn't.

A minute and a half passed as Arthur wrenched his wrists this way and that, finally flexing enough free space to get a hand loose from his bindings. Once that was done, he slowly reached down and dug the throwing knife from his belt. The blades were duller than most knifes, sharpened more at the point than the sides, but it still carried enough of an edge to start parting rope strands. Even though he was fairly sure that they were alone, Arthur did his best to be inconspicuous in his escape, eyes constantly roaming for any interruptions or prying eyes. He saw a few bandits in leather clothes walk by from time to time, but none of them ever approached the two prisoners.

What was the goal here? If Raven wanted to ransom him to the White Fang, or both of them to Vale, she wasn't exactly going about it the best way. If he had to ask anything, it would be why he was still alive in the first place. Clearly, Raven and Qrow had some muddy history, but he had no idea how Summer played into it. She was Qrow's team leader once, if his angry outbursts were to be believed. How that worked with Raven, he had no clue.

Had the White Fang made it out? The fact that he was in a bandit camp so soon after sending them away worried Arthur, but he didn't see any indicators that his friends had been taken as he had. None of the gear he could see reminded him of Sienna's stuff, and the way Adam held onto his sword there weren't enough bodies to suggest he had been taken. So if they weren't taken, then staying behind did ensure that they made it out. That was a relief at least.

The knife finally bit deep enough for Arthur to break free of the rope, and he quietly brought his hands forward, rubbing his wrists to get the circulation flowing once more. Now that he was free, Arthur grabbed the scroll in front of him and stuck it in his vest pocket. Over to the side, Qrow didn't so much look his way as he did let his head fall in Arthur's general direction.

"I always said she couldn't teach knots." Qrow growled and spit on the ground. He really looked worse for wear. "Your stuff's in her tent. I saw her looking over that scroll you stole from a dead woman. GO steal it again, I'll watch her kick your ass."

Were Arthur not in the middle of a bandit camp and trying to not be seen, he'd have told Qrow exactly what he thought of the man. Instead, the gunslinger just gave him a look and started creeping out from where they had been held. Now that he was a little bit higher, Arthur could get a better look at the raider's camp. The whole place was about as large as the camp back at Horseshoe Overlook, though the high wooden walls made it difficult to tell. Three large tents along the perimeter of the camp made decent housing, though one was of much better quality than the rest. A deep crimson banner hung over the similarly colored cloth, and from what he could see from the outside, there were three portions to the tent. For some reason, he could hear rushing water coming from the opposite side of the camp.

Sending one last look at the captured Huntsman, Arthur slowly edged along the wall, keeping clear of the fires that were all over camp. To Arthur's surprise, there were only about eight or nine raiders wandering the camp. He saw a few chopping wood, a couple of others standing guard at the break in the wall, and the rest were around a big campfire drinking and talking loudly. None of them had been posted to watching the prisoners, another clumsy screw up. Did Raven want them to escape?

Arthur made it to the big tent, pulling his knife once again and slowly parting the wall on the side closest to the barricade. The knife wasn't silent, but thankfully the raucous laughter and hollering from the campfire drowned out the noise. He made a vertical cut roughly three feet long, then cut another three feet onto to one side. As one triangle of cloth fell away, Arthur smoothly stepped inside. Within the tent, the sounds from outside were more muffled. A few lanterns sat inside, providing light against the darkness that surrounded the camp. In the section where Arthur had cut through, spare clothes hung over wooden buckets, drying after a recent cleaning. For a bandit leader, Raven certainly liked to do things on her own.

Rustling attracted Arthur's attention, and he turned to the thin veil that separated the sections of the tent. On the other side, silhouetted against the veil, the woman he could only presume to be Raven walked from one side of her tent to the other. Judging by her shadow, she was barefoot, though the thick mane of hair made it difficult to see further than that. Arthur's cheeks warmed at the thought of walking in on a woman, no matter her profession, in her unmentionables. Yeah, he'd read that book; the cowboy sneaking into the raider leader's tent for a hot night of passion. Whoever had written that novel needed to get captured by some actual outlaws a time or two. That stuff just didn't happen.

"Are you going to sit there all night, or do I have to come get you?" Arthur was snapped out of his thoughts by the coy challenge, and when no one answered he realized that she was talking to him. Throwing caution to the wind, Arthur swept the curtain back and hefted his throwing knife, ready to use whatever he needed to get out of there. When he stepped into the next room, it was to find Raven lounging on a large cushion, her blade sheathed and lying across her lap. Thankfully, they only things missing from what she had been wearing earlier were her boots. The woman still looked ready to fight, footwear lacking or not.

"Uh, this is...strange." Arthur admitted, suddenly feeling foolish for brandishing a throwing knife like it was a dagger. This was the woman that had knocking him out with one hit. Somehow, he doubted that the fight would be much different just because he could stab her toes.

"I'm sure it seems that way." Raven smirked, then gestured toward the smaller cushion across from her. Surprised that he wasn't getting the fight he had been expecting, Arthur walked further into the room, but he didn't take the chair.

"I'll stand, thanks. Been sitting down enough since I was tied to a tree." Arthur gestured towards her, stowing his knife but keeping it within reach. "Why you being so calm around me?"

"Oh please." Raven tossed her head and rolled her eyes in one motion. "Despite the fact that I caught you off guard, you weren't exactly difficult for me to subdue. If you want to try your luck then by all means, feel free to attack me. I'll pass on you belongings to the Lady Khan." She stated matter-of-factly, as if she were discussing the weather. The more Arthur looked at her, the more he realized that his earlier assumptions were wrong. Raven wasn't relaxed, but rather she was waiting. He had first interpreted her calm demeanor as relaxation, a languishing cat, when really she was more akin to a coiled snake.

"I think I'll pass. Not many people I know can put me down like that." Arthur kept his distance and cocked a brow. "What I still don't understand is why you are letting me walk around free when I was tied up a minute ago." Raven nodded slowly and drew a small clay cup from beside her. She took a slow, languid sip from it, closing her eyes in a false gesture of apathy. He knew she was paying attention, she just wanted it to look like she wasn't.

"I wasn't the one that tied you up." At Arthur's confused look, she chuckled. "Let me explain. Even though I do not outright hate my brother, traitor though he is, I still ordered his capture. After I handled some past grievances between the two of us, anyway. And even though Summer clearly respects you, I have no responsibility to her or you to stop your execution. No, you are out and free right now to teach a lesson."

"And what would that be?" Arthur wasn't in a learning mood, and any lessons she tried to 'teach' him were gonna get thrown back into her face, bandit leader be damned.

"The strong survive, the weak perish." Oh yeah, because that explained absolutely nothing. "The man who led the charge against your White Fang friends, Roland Fist, was planning a coup against me. Now thankfully, by the time I learned of this your friend the Khan had already turned his head into hamburger meat." There was something disconcerting about a leader speaking about the death of one of her own, even a traitor, so boredly. It reminded him of Colm O'Driscoll.

"I'm guessing that's why your camp looks pretty empty." She nodded at his observation. Christ, how many had Sienna killed? If Arthur had been the one to build this camp, he'd have done it with twenty or thirty people in mind. When he'd been sneaking into her tent, he'd seen ten or twelve, max.

"Those loyal to him followed him to the grave. However, the presence of a traitor in my tribe has irked me in many ways. Not only that, I allowed you to be secured so poorly because it was how my men know to tie people up. They are used to civilians and travelers, not Huntsmen and the like." She gestured toward Arthur. "You stand before me as testament that they need to learn vigilance and efficiency. I can bark at them all day, but true failure teaches in ways I could never achieve." So, she wasn't correcting their mistakes so that the gang could fail spectacularly? That seemed harsh, but Arthur hadn't made it for so long under Dutch without learning some harsh lessons.

"Aren't you worried I'll escape and call the law on you? What's stopping me from running to the nearest town and blowing the whistle?" Not that Arthur was going to; hell, if she was letting him go this easily, he was content to live and let live.

"By the time you reach civilization, we will have moved. I know I can defeat you, and I did defeat Qrow. At this point, anyone who comes out of your escape will be stronger for it. They will understand that weakness cannot exist within the tribe."

"You said that Summer trusts me...like she's still alive." Raven nodded with another satisfied smirk. "How'd you know?" She held up a scroll of her own, and Arthur could see the video Summer had recorded for him. How in the hell did she have it when it was on his device?

"I downloaded your little instruction videos while you were unconscious." She explained. "The time stamp on the earliest one was two weeks ago. Given that until now, I thought she had been dead for five years, this is something of a surprise. I understand why she did it though; there are people and monsters seeking her that even I cannot defeat yet."

"Which is why you want your people to be a strong as possible, and you're letting us go to teach them a thing or two about being lazy." Arthur had to admit, this woman was all sorts of messed up. Still, she was right in one respect: whether he escaped or not depended on her good will.

"No, I'm not letting you go. I'm just not stopping you. It is still up to you to escape on your own. If they raise the alarm, I will be forced to engage. Anything else would be seen as weakness." Another long, slow drink. "Although if you cannot get past them in this state, you deserve the end you meet."

"Uh huh. And what about your brother?" Not that Arthur cared, but Summer apparently did. If she found out he left the man in the middle of a bandit camp, Arthur was certain he'd never hear the end of it.

"Take him, or don't. It matters not to me. He turned his back on the tribe years ago, and I can only encourage punishment against such behavior. Then again, he is strong. He might last a while." That she could be so casual about her brother's demise cemented her as a horrible person in Arthur's eyes. Still, he'd take what he could get. Speaking of what he could get...

"You haven't seen my things lying around, have you? I kinda need them. Lot of Grimm between here and Menagerie." The belt was flying through the air almost before he could catch it, and he strapped it on with a relieved sigh. The bitch was crazy if she thought she was getting a 'thank you', though. His satchel followed soon after, and Arthur felt whole once more. Trapped in the belly of the beast, maybe, but whole.

"Alright then. I guess I'll be seeing ya. Or hopefully not." Arthur dismissed, slowly backing out. He drew Death from his holster and checked the cylinder, and automatically began pushing rounds into it when he found it empty. When he looked back up Raven was standing, her sheath in her main hand. She held it out from her body, a sign that she wasn't going to use it. But he'd drawn his weapon first.

"Good luck, cowboy. Maybe we'll meet again someday. After that tiger of yours gets tired of you." She winked, then stepped around the cushion and into the room opposite of him. As soon as the curtain closed, Arthur was moving.

Considering that everyone was out in front of the main tent's entrance, he couldn't count on luck to sneak past them in the open. Instead, he went back out the same hole he'd carved to begin with, and slowly worked his back to the two stumps where he and Qrow had been tied. To his surprise, Qrow was still there, his head hanging low and unmoving. His chest still moved with his breathing so he wasn't dead, merely defeated. What a big baby. Somehow, he could see why Raven enjoyed messing with him so much if his reactions were all so dramatic.

Arthur looked around for the sentries he'd seen, the only ones not drinking and shouting and therefore the biggest threats. If Raven was good to her word, then they'd be gone before anyone was the wiser, leaving her to clean up. But Arthur knew better than to trust women like her. Qrow didn't look up until he felt Arthur cutting his bonds, and only then did he speak.

"What are you doing? You should have left when you had the chance." He coughed out, wincing as Arthur's insistent sawing disturbed whatever injuries he had taken earlier.

"Yeah, and that'd make that sister of yours real happy. Having met her, I'd rather piss her off whenever I can, so let's go." Qrow grunted as Arthur threw one of his arms over a shoulder, and together the two staggered into the shadows. Moving quietly was a lot more difficult with someone else's weight on you, but thankful the whole Aura thing canceled out the heavy part of it. He'd only had it for less than a month, but Arthur was already wondering how he'd managed for so long without it. It would have definitely made a few grizzly bear encounters easier.

The tents the rest of the Branwen tribe used were inferior in quality to Raven's, and unfortunately that meant they used thinner materials. Arthur and Qrow were obscured when they passed behind them, but their shadows could still be seen on the cheap white canvas. Arthur compensated by moving slowly, but it was made difficult by the injured man he was carrying.

Just when they were about to reach the camp entrance, a startled cry was heard from back where they had come. It interrupted the drinking party at the camp, and also unfortunately made the guards turn around to face inside the camp. When they turned to look on the interior, they found Arthur and Qrow caught out like fools. Oh brother.

"The prisoners have escaped!" The guard closer to them shouted, and raised his rifle to fire. His partner did the same, and Arthur activated his Dead Eye without a second thought. He drew Death and aimed, not at their chests, but rather at the hands that held their rifles. If they had Aura, his rounds wouldn't kill them or stop them from firing. If they didn't, he'd be killing the men that belonged to the woman that was letting them go, only not really letting them go. It was a barrel of snakes no matter how Arthur looked at it, so he played it safe and shot the men in their hands. Blood spewed from their wounds as four shots rang out, and the guards screamed in pain. Their weapons hit the ground as they held their useless, wounded limbs, allowing Arthur to skirt around them and try for the exit.

Now that he was beyond the raised walls, Arthur realized why he had heard rushing water earlier. The camp sat on the edge of a plateau, where a river from further up the mountain flowed down into a large lake over sixty feet below. A path led from the entrance to the camp down into the valley below, but it was a poor choice considering that they were now being pursued. Even as he tried to figure out an exit strategy, Arthur could hear pounding feet behind them.

Further down the path, more raiders appeared. Arthur cursed as a few rounds whizzed overhead, and he pulled Qrow toward the waterfall on instinct. The shouting bandits urged him on, pushing Aura into his legs and allowing him to take greater strides. Still, the water was moving too fast for him to try crossing with Qrow on his shoulder, and he hadn't dragged the man out this far to abandon him now.

"I hope you've got a plan, cowboy." Qrow muttered unhelpfully. "They're getting closer." Arthur looked around wildly, and was further disappointed when he saw Raven stroll casually out from behind her tribe, wearing her full battle gear and mask. Somehow, Arthur knew that she wore a smirk on that damned face of hers. Whether he escaped or not, she'd gotten what she wanted. What a total bitch.

"Yeah, I got a plan. And it's a good one too." He'd survived a fall like this with Dutch running from the Army. If they had Aura, surely they could do the same here? It wasn't like they had much choice, considering the witch herself was coming for them. Qrow noticed the furtive glances Arthur was giving the cliff's edge, and he finally started sounding like he was aware of the situation.

"I do not like this plan." The Huntsman shook his head vigorously, and for just a split second, Arthur pitied the man. It didn't stop him from pushing both of them toward the edge, raiders hot on their heels. Arthur wasn't exactly a fan of cliff diving either, but the band of raiders behind them didn't leave him with a lot of options. Especially if Raven stepped in like she'd said she would.

"It's the only one we got, son. Now I hope you can fly!" With that Arthur jumped, taking Qrow with him. The gut wrenching feeling of open air gripped him, and he had to hold onto his hat to keep it from flying off. Arthur angled himself downward so that his feet would break his fall, then looked around for his partner in crime. They had jumped somewhat close to the falls themselves, and he couldn't see where the man had gone. He distantly heard a flutter of wings, but it couldn't have been related to Qrow. Could it?

"Son of a BIIIIIIIIITCH!" Arthur howled as the water rushed up to meet him. He flooded his legs with Aura like he had on the boat, and this time he succeeded in landing according to plan. The lake was more a pond than anything, but years of water driving down had made it deep enough for him to survive the plunge. Water flooded his ears as he sank ten, then fifteen feet down into the cold water. Arthur worked his arms like mad, struggling upward in spite of all the gear he wore. When he broke the surface, it was with a huge and grateful gasp of air. Two jumps out of two, his record was still perfect. Arthur swam toward the edge of the pond quickly, and only when he could stand chest above the water did he look around for Qrow and any bandits that might have followed. His shirt and pants clung to him like a second skin, though his vest and boots were resistant to the water's touch.

No threat met his eyes. The froth from the waterfall made it difficult to tell, but Arthur couldn't see any evidence that Qrow had landed in the water. He'd been too preoccupied with surviving to look upon landing, but he hadn't heard or seen anything immediately after landing either. No out of place ripples, no dark shapes beneath the water. He searched for any sign that the man had met a bad end via gravity, and Arthur's mind was already racing with how he would explain this to Summer if the man was dead. I know you asked me to take care of your friends and family, but Qrow was being a jackass so I threw him off a cliff. My bad. Yeah, that would fly about as well as he did.

Arthur's searching was cut off as more gunshots rang out from the plateau above, and he had to move with a purpose to avoid the lead that rained down from on high. He looked for Qrow as he went, but the volume of fire coming down forced him to hide behind every boulder and thick tree he could find. A particularly large caliber round punched through the tree Arthur had just taken cover behind, and he was forced to make a heavy choice. Maybe Qrow's Semblance gave him some weird ability to bounce off of hard surfaces, or maybe he really could fly and was just being a little baby about jumping? Either way, Arthur could only stop so many bullets before one stopped him, and he wasn't hanging around to find out which one would do it.

"I hope he made it." Arthur grunted, then gritted his teeth and ran. Through the trees and down through the valley as if the devil himself was after him. He ran and ran and ran, until the gunshots and the rushing water were just a distant cacophony that he'd rather not deal with. The river continued downward at a gentle slope, and the valley he found himself in was the same temperate forest Mistral had everywhere else. Arthur picked south as best he could and made a break for it as fast as his feet could carry him. He ran until his chest burned, and his face was flush from exhaustion. Even then, Arthur didn't stop running until he found a small cave further south, and he slid into on his knees before turning and hiding against the wall. The cave wasn't very deep, and his arrival hadn't seemed to have pissed anything off inside.

The gunslinger panted and fought to catch his breath, though he kept his eyes open and his ears sharp as he waited for any sign of pursuit. He remained there for many minutes, catching his breath and on the lookout for any sign of the Branwen tribe. Silence greeted him, and it was interrupted not by Arthur or a bandit, but by a soft chime coming from his vest. He dug out Summer's scroll, and a small icon of an envelope had appeared. Tapping it, a message popped up on the screen.

Thanks for the save. You still owe me an explanation, though. I'll be in touch. Qrow.

Well, at least he knew the bastard was still alive. And as much of a jackass as he had been when Arthur met him. It was one less thing he had to tell Summer when he eventually gave her scroll back and told her she could have this weird life. Still, Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that he'd set something in motion with the Branwen twins. But if he could get messages from Qrow, he could probably call out as well. He cleared Qrow's message and tapped on Sienna's name, seeing how she was the only on in the White Fang to give him their contact number. Adam had just stared at him when he'd asked.

The scroll rang for all of two seconds, and when the screen changed from an image of Sienna's face to the real deal, Arthur knew he was in trouble. She looked furious.

"Where are you?" She demanded, and Arthur looked around the forest a little before he realized that A: he'd never been to this continent before this week and therefore didn't recognize any landmarks and B: he had no way of figuring them out according to Sienna's location because he did not know where she was, either.

"Uh, in a valley somewhere. Just got out of a bandit camp. Where are you?" Her eyes narrowed into slits when he said 'bandit camp', and that just confirmed it.

"You were captured? How did you escape? Where did- you know, nevermind. Can you send me your location?" Yeah, about that. There were plenty of icons available under call options, but Arthur hadn't messed with the scroll enough to know what the little symbols mean. One icon made Sienna's face go away, another didn't do anything. He tapped a third one, and he saw her talking but couldn't hear anything. He pressed it again.

"-tell, you're a few miles north of Shiroyama. Just head south, and you should be able to charter a ship to Menagerie." She must have been able to tell on her end. Why did she ask him to do something he barely understood when she could have done it herself? Women.

"Alright. Well where the hell are you?" He asked. "I figured you'd be at the harbor for at least long enough to pick up a gunslinger." Seriously, they'd gotten aboard a ship that quickly? How long had Raven knocked him out for?

"As soon as Ghira heard that we had fought the Branwen tribe, he ordered everyone aboard the nearest ship. I couldn't overrule him without putting my position in jeopardy. You've been gone for over thirty six hours, Arthur! Most of the team thought you were dead! What happened?" She didn't say whether or not she thought he had died, but given how upset she was, it was implied. Heh. She probably cussed Adam like a dog, too.

"Look, it's a long story. I'm headed south for the harbor. If I can't get to you, I'll call you back. Don't become the Supreme Leader until I get there, you hear me?" Sienna rolled her eyes at him.

"Not so loud. I can't even begin the negotiations until the rest of the construction is complete. It'll be at least a few weeks, maybe more." A few weeks? Damn, they built shit fast around here. Arthur heard someone else say something off to the side, and Sienna's ears twitched as she looked away for a moment. "I'm sorry, Arthur, but I have to go. Be safe out there, and watch out for Grimm. I'll call you back soon." She didn't give him a chance to reply, as the call disconnected immediately after that.

"Well, that was a short talk." He flipped through the scroll's other features and found a map, once more exposing an enlarged view of Anima. There was a small white circle that showed his location, and a few inches down and slightly to the right, there was a small icon of a ship with the name Shiroyama next to it. Kind of an Eastern name when he thought about it, but nothing Remnant made sense to him. Hell, Remnant didn't make sense to him. But whether it made sense or not, he still had a job to do.

Arthur put the device away and spent a few more moments catching his breath, trying to make sense of things. Raven had not only approved of his escape, though she said that she didn't, but she also used him and her brother as an excuse to come down harder on her own people. Had it been Dutch, he'd have taken the weaker members of the gang to the side and spoken to them, not willingly released prisoners for the sake of a lesson. It was reckless and showed complete disregard for her own people. The strong survive, the weak perish? What kind of psychopath treated their people as expendable like that?

The thoughts pushed his opinion of Raven Branwen further and further toward that of Colm O'Driscoll, and he hoped beyond hope he never saw her again. Still, he wasn't helping the White Fang or Summer any by sitting around in some cave. According to the map, Shiroyama was south east of where he was at. Casting one last look back toward the Branwen tribe's camp, Arthur set out toward the coast.

Alone.

Sienna hung up with Arthur and sighed heavily, letting her head fall into the support beam she was standing next to. The past day had been stressful, especially with Arthur missing. Sienna had never uttered a cross word to Ghira's face before yesterday, but the debacle with the Branwen tribe had brought out her cranky side. She'd killed four of them, including the leader of the raiding party, but unfortunately she had not gotten all of them. No, the rest had gone to Adam. The teen had hit his stride, slicing through bandits as if they were no more than Grimm. She was proud that he had not been hurt or killed, and even more so when the rest of the White Fang escaped with little the worse for wear. But what she was not thrilled with was the way he had taken killing so easily.

Maybe it had been the Grimm he'd fought before, and somehow killing men after his head had less effect. Maybe it was his distaste for humans in general, and presenting him with the worst of the worst had made it easy for him to see them as less than people. Whatever the reason, Adam had slain six men with no clear weight on his conscience. It was something to be watched, lest his newfound lack of guilt coincide with his hatred for humans. That was a monster she wanted no part in creating. Humans deserved retribution, there was no denying that, but Sienna preferred to target the ones that were actually responsible for making things worse for the Faunus. The Schnee patriarch, Samuel Winchester, these were people actually guilty of crimes against their people.

Targeting humans just for being humans was the same as targeting Faunus just for being Faunus.

Still, she had a few years yet to steer him down the path to true freedom fighting. That was not the immediate problem. No, the true dragon before her was that Ghira was not interested in stepping down. She hadn't asked him directly, of course; it was far too early for that. But small, innocent comments and questions to the current leader of the White Fang had yielded plans for the future and stout opposition to an early retirement. It was an abrupt change to the weary commander she had spoken to before the supply mission. What had changed?

The tiger Faunus sighed again, and slowly put her scroll away. She'd call Arthur back in a few more hours, if only to check up on him and berate him once more for his foolishness. She exited her cabin, much nicer than the one she and Arthur had drunk themselves silly in, and walked down the hall toward the ladder to the upper deck. Unlike the freighter they had used moving from Vacuo's shores to Anima, this was an actual ferry designed for short range transport. It was a much nicer passenger ship, with enough room in the hold for their supplies. The trucks had stayed behind, Ghira electing to sell them as opposed to transporting them. Sienna had made sure that the White Fang insignia was removed from them prior to the sale.

When she climbed up to the main deck, she found Ghira and a few other lieutenants standing near the railing, talking among themselves. Ghira was a large man, standing seven feet in height and broad in the chest and shoulders. He wore a blue open vest that exposed much of his muscular chest, and gray pants that ended in black steel toed boots. A small silver chain ran across his chest from the lapels on his vest, and a fur cloak ran around his shoulders and stopped in the middle of his back. His long black hair fell seamlessly into a full black beard, and his yellow eyes were ever watchful even as he seemed to share a good laugh.

This was the man she planned to usurp. Peacefully, of course, but nonetheless Sienna was pitting her plans for the future against his own and hoping to come out on top. It felt dirty to fight against him, and the way he had raised the White Fang like it was his own family. He had encouraged its members to branch out, learn new things, and do their best to passively change the minds of the masses. To plot for his seat felt like treason against a man that legitimately wanted the best for her people. But Sienna had to take over. If she didn't the current pace of progress would see their cause snuffed out by time and the entropy of public image. They needed some decisive victories fast, or public images like Jacques Schnee would sweep the White Fang under the rug and reduce all their hard work into nothing.

"Sienna, come join us!" Ghira invited boisterously, and the tiger Faunus realized she had been caught staring. She cleared her throat and walked up to the group, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. These men were not friends, but rather colleagues in the fight for equality. To Arthur it wouldn't have made a difference, but Sienna was well aware that today's friend could be tomorrow's foe. They were two brothers, an old pair of veterans from the Faunus Rights Revolution. Dark haired brothers with yellow eyes named Romulus and Remus.

"Leader Belladonna. Gentlemen." Sienna greeted, instantly letting the others know how she saw them. Ghira did not react, but the other two men frowned at her address.

"I was just telling these men what a harrowing venture you had just come from." Ghira explained. "Do tell me about this mysterious human that has taken up with our cause?" He was asking about Arthur? That was suspicious in itself. Only the people from their expedition had known about him, and Blake Belladonna was not around for Adam to bitch to. Tukson had fewer friends in the White Fang than Adam did, and Felicia was still down in the medical room recovering from the bandit attack. Cain was an option, but she'd have to corner him later.

"Ah, yes. Our cowboy from the desert." Sienna tried to sound disinterested, but it was a test to see how much Ghira had heard. "He defended the convoy on multiple occasions, but unfortunately he went missing during the raid." Ghira frowned at the news, though whether it was because she was being guarded or the news itself was anyone's guess. Ghira's size did more than just allow him to loom over you; it provided a stoicism that made him hard to read at times.

"I hear that he was quite the progressive. It is a shame that he did not make the ship. I would like to meet him, if possible. Have you heard from him since the Branwen tribe attacked?" Was he testing her to see how close she had been with Arthur, or was it genuine worry and nothing else? I've spent too much time reading into politics and intrigue. Sienna rebuked herself. Ghira was a good person, and anyone willing to risk their health and safety for the White Fang would be considered a friend by the huge Faunus.

"Mr. Morgan called me a few moments ago and said that he was heading to Shiroyama. If nothing else comes up, he should make it to Menagerie in the next day or so." Ghira seemed honestly pleased at that, but his two colleagues were less than thrilled. Remus shot his older brother Romulus a look, and it was clear that the two would have words when they were in less influential company.

"That is good to hear. Honest friends are few and far between, and it would not do for a true ally of the White Fang to be left alone in the wild. I'm sure you will offer any help as needed." Sienna nodded and smiled politely, but Ghira must have noticed the level stare she was giving the brothers.

"Eh, excuse me gentlemen, but I must speak with my lieutenant about something. Keep me informed if anything occurs." He inclined his head in a polite bow, which the two brothers mirrored.

"As you command, Leader Belladonna." Romulus said respectfully, though he cut his eyes Sienna's way as he did so. Ghira didn't notice it, but Sienna narrowed her eyes at the two wolf Faunus. Whether she took Ghira's place as Supreme Leader or not, those two would need to be watched carefully. Like the Albain brothers, Romulus and Remus Lupin carried significant weight within the White Fang. If not handled carefully, they could cripple the organization in pursuit of their own selfish goals.

"Walk with me." It sounded like a request, but Sienna knew it was foolish to disagree with him here. She was too close to going against him, and the last thing she needed was animosity between the two. So despite her misgivings over his recent decisions, she reluctantly joined him as he walked down the length of the ship. Ghira was amicably silent, unaware or uncaring of the anxious tiger Faunus next to him. To him, he was taking a walk with a trusted lieutenant after a mostly successful mission. In contrast, Sienna felt like the usurper, walking next to Ghira like he was a victim. It made her ill to consider betraying him in any way. She had to remind herself that he could step down willingly, if only she could convince him to. Ghira was a sensible man, and had always tried to handle things peacefully and in the interest of all parties. Her cause was right, but... he was Ghira. To take anything from him felt wrong. But it was a price she was willing to pay.

"I was surprised to hear that Sienna Khan of all people had taken in a human." He got out into the open. Sienna blinked at his statement, then her expression soured.

"Alright, who told?" She groaned, and Ghira laughed at her expense. "Was it Tukson? Cain? Or maybe Adam?"

"A wise leader never reveals their sources. It is a lesson you will need in the future, Sienna." At her stricken expression, Ghira smirked once more. "I am not blind to the aspirations of my people. I know you are frustrated with our progress." She couldn't deny it now, not if she wanted to keep her honor. Reluctantly, Sienna nodded.

"We are making progress, but it's not enough. We need more success and soon, or we will be snuffed out by our opponents." The SDC. The Winchesters. Everyone that sneered at the concept of equality. "I know you want us to find victory peacefully, but the things I saw in Vacuo only proved that a more direct approach is needed. We must take the fight to those who would see us shunned and ignored! I know we will get the results we deserve if we just fight back!" Sienna made to go on, but a sailor interrupted her passionate speech. She had Ghira silently watched the man go by, and it allowed her to get her breathing under control. Ghira turned and look back at her, and there was a small amount of disappointment in his eyes.

"I know you feel that what you seek is right, but we cannot fight them without consequences. If we step into that ring, innocent Faunus will be hurt and killed. It will get much worse before it gets better." He was not aggressive with his reproach, but his size paired with the fact that he had been the leader and founder of her precious White Fang made his words sting regardless. It was as if she was standing before a disapproving father instead of a colleague and superior.

"I am willing to shoulder that burden." Sienna challenged, stepping closer and staring him down with determination. "You don't deserve to take the brunt of the humans and their discrimination towards us. Let someone else take that risk!" Ghira stepped back, ceding ground to her as she stepped forward.

"I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice in my stead, but the Kingdoms do not require such an aggressive approach right now." Sienna's ears drooped slightly at what felt like a total shutdown on what she had been working toward. When he saw her reaction, though, some of his resolve wavered. "Still... there's some time before I need to retire, and I can think of few better candidates to replace me when I step down. We will need to discuss your policies a little further, however."

"What?" Had he been testing her this whole time? He was already considering her for his replacement?

"You have a lot of promise, Sienna, and I can't think of anyone who cares for our people as much as you do. But enough politics!" One of Ghira's massive hands settled on the still stunned tiger's shoulder. "Tell me about this friend you made. You aren't exactly well known for your tolerance of humans. What was his name, Arthur?" Oh great. They'd gone from discussing her rise to power to the newest thing to gossip about. And without Kali even being on the ship! Still, he was right in saying that they needed to discuss the White Fang succession further, but the outer deck of a ship crewed by humans and nonmembers of the White Fang was a poor venue. So reluctantly, Sienna told an abridged version of how she had met Arthur. With a little less stabbing of course. Ghira listened patiently as she told the story, asking only a few questions such as where Arthur had come from and why he had suddenly decided to help. Sienna told the truth for the most part, though she maintained that he was from an isolated town called Valentine.

Ghira was understanding but he didn't need the mental gymnastics that came with knowing that there was way to leave Remnant, or at the very least travel to it from another place. On top of that, it was Arthur's secret, and therefore not hers to tell. Tukson had an inkling of Arthur's true origin, but so far he had kept his mouth shut. As far as anyone else knew, Arthur Morgan was a former bandit from the wilderness on Sanus, outside of the Kingdoms. She also wisely kept their drinking night to herself.

"From what he told me, the bandits that had attacked us captured him. He escaped only a little while ago, and is on his way to Kuo Kuana." Sienna finished. Ghira rubbed his chin, his expression thoughtful as he turned to face the passing waves. Somewhat anxious about his admission that he considered her a worthy successor, she wasn't sure how to approach his interest in Arthur. Were the two topics connected, or was he simply being nosy? And if he thought she would be such a good replacement, what did he have left to do besides reinforcing Kuo Kuana? What were his new plans?

"In meeting this man, has your perceptions of humans changed? Or at least how they interact with our people?" That was a loaded question. Yes, Arthur proved that humans could work side by side with the Faunus, and that even the most reprehensible people could shift their priorities. But Arthur was also unique in a lot of respects. It was foolish to assume that every person on Remnant could share his open-mindedness. But she would grudgingly admit that he had altered her view on humanity. If only slightly.

"Arthur isn't a common man." She admitted slowly. "He is human, I cannot dispute that, but his experiences in life have led him to the view he holds. If everyone endured the same trials he has, the world would be a far more miserable place." Torture, betrayal, a debilitating disease that very nearly killed him: it was amazing that Arthur had survived, and with his honor intact no less. He genuinely cared about his fellow man, and to her knowledge had not killed a single person since his first day in Vacuo. He'd brutally injured a few, of that there could be no doubt. But deliberately killing? Adam had slain more on their mission than Arthur had.

"That's quite the compliment, considering it comes from THE lady Khan." Ghira smirked, but eventually relented in his teasing. "That's what I want in my successor, though. The ability to change your mind in the face of new information. For some time, I thought your upbringing had poisoned you against humanity entirely. To hear you have made such a valuable friend in so short a time warms my heart. I would normally worry if you were perhaps trusting too quickly, but even Adam's testimony of the man was glowing." Sienna gave him a dry look, and Ghira had the grace to look sheepish. "Well, by Adam's standards anyway. The boy really needs to control himself better."

"In that, we can agree." Sienna muttered. "There were times when I wanted to strangle him, and it was Arthur that managed to calm him down. He didn't change the boy's mind, but Arthur clearly made him reconsider a few things." He might as well have walked on water, considering the progress he'd made in such a short time.

"I've made an acquaintance that has offered to strengthen our positions in Vale and Atlas, but once I've fulfilled my promises to him I will step down. He is a little strange, I will admit, but if he is being truthful half of your work will be done long before I step down."

Sienna wanted to ask who Ghira's mysterious new friend was since she had been forced to tell about hers, but the sweeping call of 'land HO!' all along the ship interrupted her before she could ask. Ghira and Sienna both turned to face the fore of the ship, and sure enough the dusty island of Menagerie had grown large enough to distinguish buildings and boundaries. A large portion of the arid continent was uninhabited, but the lovely jewel they steamed towards had always been an island paradise. They had finally made it.

The White Fang was coming home.

A/N: My birthday was yesterday, and I took the day off to do nothing but play RDR2 and write this chapter. I had to rewrite it a few times and beef up the escape, but in the end I'm happy with the outcome. Let me know what you think.