Author's Note: Chapter 2, hopefully you all enjoy.

Glynda wasn't prone to panic, part of being a Huntress was about being seen as calm during the worst of situations. That sense of calm would often spread to the civilians and help them to relax, doing more than most realized to limit the Grimm presence bearing down on them. With that being said, she felt this was an acceptable exception.

"What do you mean they're gone?!" Glynda stalked around the small cabin as if the two girls would spring out from behind the couch to tell her it was all a joke. They never did, however, and despite what she might think about Qrow, he wasn't incompetent.

Or so she'd thought.

"I don't know what happened, I was asleep on the couch an-"

"Passed out drunk, you mean!" Glynda corrected, unable to listen to another one of his asinine excuses. "When did they leave?"

"I don't know!" Qrow snapped. "They were gone when I woke up but… they could have left sometime before lunch."

Glynda looked down at her scroll, seeing that several hours had passed since then. She barely managed to resist the urge to chuck the device into his skull, only doing so because she would need it.

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"

"Two children have gone missing on the outskirts of Patch, they've been gone for several hours. We need to-"

"Ma'am, the department can't mobilize a search party without Huntsmen support. You'll have to wai-"

Glynda threw her scroll at the wall, shattering the fragile device as she pushed through the door. Qrow followed, though she honestly didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "Why did they leave?"

"I don't know." Qrow grumbled. "It's not like they left a note."

"Where would they have gone?" Glynda tried to remain calm, oh Brothers how she tried, as she worked to gather as much information as possible to try and start hunting the girls down.

"If I knew, then I would have gone after them already!" Qrow snapped back at her.

"What were you talking about before you passed out?"

"Yang found an old picture from our Beacon days." Qrow's head fell, for a moment eliciting a slim amount of pity from her that was quickly drowned out with fear for the girls. "She was asking about… No." Qrow disappeared into the house for a few seconds before he quickly came running back outside. He didn't stop to speak to her however, nor did he move to the truck that sat only a few feet from the door.

Glynda followed quickly behind. "Qrow! Where are we-"

"There's an old house a few miles east of town!" He explained. "Raven and I lived there for a little while, the address was on the back of that photo! Yang is going there to look for her mother, I'll meet you there!"

"Qrow, I don't know whe-" Her words were cut off by the impossible, something Glynda couldn't explain. One second she saw Qrow, and the next he was gone as a bird swooped up and off into the distance faster than she could run. She must have blinked, for there was not an instant she saw in between, but the sheer impossibility of it had her grinding to a halt. Qrow had never directly told her what his Semblance was, but he had rambled about it while drunk before and she had been able to piece it together with a bit of help from Professor Ozpin.

This was not his Semblance, but she couldn't find herself caring about the deception for now, not if it let him find the girls before something happened to them. Running back to the truck, she started it and set off down the road. As she did, she began to regret breaking her scroll, while she doubted Qrow could answer in his… current state, the Professor might have known. Cursing herself a fool for her rash actions she set off east.

Patch was a small settlement in comparison to Vale, but it was still one of the largest in the Kingdom. Qrow had said the house was east of the town itself, but that didn't narrow it down too much. He had made a few mentions about things on that side of the island before, small details one would only truly know from living there. Things she could piece together to get a general idea.

Glynda had never been one for praying or faith, but when it came to the lives of Yang and Ruby, she was willing to make the attempt. If she were lucky someone might just listen. As much as Qrow annoyed her, the last months of her life had been… fulfilling in a way she had never realized she wanted. She loved those girls, and she refused to accept anything less than their safe return.

Raven itched the back of her neck, shifting her hair aside to do so. Despite that, the irritation there didn't go away. It never did, that familiar tingle warning her that someone she was bonded with was in danger. She could drown it out with alcohol if she wished, but doing so now would prove bothersome the next morning.

Unfortunately, her discomfort didn't go unnoticed. "Somethin' wrong Boss?"

"No." Raven grunted. "Focus on training the girl." She had been doing so herself up until a few minutes ago, but that damned itching wouldn't go away and so she had made Henry do it. The aging bandit had the experience to know how to train someone, as he had done so with much of the tribe at some point, and so she trusted him to finish Vernal's training for the day.

"Not much left to do by the looks." Henry kicked Vernal's feet, eliciting a groan and a glare from the girl but little else. She tried to reach for her training sword, but Raven doubted she would be able to lift it even if she could reach it. "Doubt she could even walk back to her tent as is."

"Then that will be her next test." Raven waited as Vernal tried to pick herself up, but when she eventually failed to, she turned her back and started walking away. The girl was young, but she had potential, she only needed to learn her limits. There was strength in being able to surpass them, but only when done intentionally. If she ended up as she was while on a raid, then she would have been an easy target. This would be a valuable lesson.

"Need a drink?" Henry stole two beer bottles from the small group that had gathered to watch the training. With there being no raids planned any time soon, the group had grown bored, and Vernals training sessions were a rare form of entertainment. Taking the bottle, Raven chugged it down quickly. Once she'd emptied the bottle she took the second from his other hand before he could think to protect it and did the same. "Woah, haven't seen you drink like that for a few years now."

"Bite me." Raven growled, again rubbing at the base of her neck to try and relieve the stress building up there.

"Feisty today, so maybe another time." Henry smirked, and Raven had half a mind to punch that look off his face, before she was again distracted by her Semblance. "That bad huh?"

"It's like something trying to dig out from under my skull."

"Is it…" The fact he hesitated was sign enough that Raven wasn't going to like what he planned to ask. "I mean, it's been a few years since ya saw him, right? Maybe-"

"I don't see how that's any concern of yours."

Henry held up his hands and backed a few steps away. "Didn't mean nothin' by it. Maybe you should try to get some sleep."

It wouldn't help, not so long as the person remained in danger. She nodded anyway, heading back towards her tent for no other reason than to be alone. Throwing herself down on her bed she attempted to ignore the pain and sleep. Such was truly impossible, however, and she gave up after only a few seconds.

Growling in frustration, she rolled out of her cot. Setting both feet on the carpeted floor of her tent, Raven gave up on ignoring the sensation, instead focusing on it and which bond it was that seemed to be in such danger.

Her breath didn't catch as she realized it was Yang, rather, the only thing she felt in response was confusion. While Yang would be old enough to start fighting, she shouldn't have been in danger. Not enough to trigger her Semblance in any noticeable way. Certainly not if Taiyang and Summer had anything to say about it.

And yet she was, though what exactly wasn't nearly as confusing. Grimm she would assume, only because she couldn't sense any actual attackers. Her Semblance had always been odd like that, whatever it relied on to differentiate people, clearly didn't consider the Grimm to be people, and as such, she couldn't feel their presence in the same way; instead they felt like a lack of something. She could feel another person with Yang however, tucked closely behind her. No doubt Summer's brat judging by the way that Yang was standing protectively in front of her.

She could feel Qrow moving to the location as well, and for a moment she considered going back to sleep. The itching spiked as Yang took a hit from the Grimm, tossing her several feet away and leaving her half sister standing in front of the Grimm alone.

Qrow wasn't going to make it.

He was too far away, too slow, and there was no one else coming. Silver eyes or not, Summer's daughter was still a child, younger than Yang even, and she didn't seem any more capable in dealing with the Grimm. That realization calmed the itching a little. Where they were, Summer wouldn't be far behind. The problem would be dealt with and she could go back to her usual day.

Only... Raven didn't sense her. Not there, and not at all. Nor did she sense Tai. Now that she thought about it, the only other people she could still feel were those few at the Tribe, Qrow, and that bastard Ozpin. And none were anywhere near close enough to arrive on time.

Raven's hand shot out for her sword, drawing it from its scabbard and calling on her Semblance in one fluid motion. Where usually she would take her time moving through, always aware of the danger that might await on the other side, there wasn't time and she practically rolled through it.

She saw Yang on the ground, bleeding from a wound on her arm and crawling forward towards the Grimm that had attacked her. A Grimm that was now solely focused on a little girl Raven could instantly recognize as Summer's daughter.

Lunging forward she managed to impale the Grimm's arm on her blade, surprising both the Beowolf and the child it had been attacking. Forcing the blade down she cut a chunk of flesh from the beast before rolling under its guard and grabbing the girl frozen in fear.

The Beowolf looked down in confusion, in the fraction of a second she had managed to steal its prey right out from under it; turning what should have been an easy victory into defeat and it roared in anger as it realized this, preparing to charge the sudden threat that had appeared.

Opening another portal to Yang, Raven shoved the girl she had saved through before pulling her sword up and stepping forward; severing one of its legs. It was a close call, but she managed to side-step the Grimm's charge as it lost control of its sprint and stumbled a few feet past her, before slamming into the ground. She shoved her sword down into its skull without hesitation, earning a startled yelp from the creature and little else as it slowly began to fade.

Raven looked over to Yang, who was now clutching her sister in a tight hug; tears streaming down both of their faces. She turned away a second later, her attention drawn to the other Grimm that had been drawn to the girls' negativity. While the fight might have been difficult for some, a handful of Beowolf's were no match for a warrior of her strength. With both of the girls planted firmly behind her, the threat was short lived. When the fight, if one could even call it that, drew to a close, she sheathed her sword in frustration.

"So old, and yet not an ounce of training between you." Raven muttered to herself, turning to look at the still whimpering girls collapsed behind her. They were young, yes, but Raven had been fighting since about Yang's age. While a Beowolf was in fact a tall order for one so young, she should have been strong enough to defend herself. If only Tai and Summer raised them properly. Shaking her head, she finally addressed the children before her. "Tch, where are your parents?"

Neither answered, and after several seconds of sobbing, it was clear they weren't going to. Sighing, Raven used her semblance with more care then before, searching to see how far out the lovebirds were. After a few seconds she widened the net to all of Patch, then Vale, then as far as her Semblance could reach.

Sighing, Raven cut open another portal. Not a second later Qrow came flying through, transforming back into his usual self and drawing his sword in one motion. It took him a moment to see her, his eyes scanning the area before he saw the last remnants of the Beowolf's dissolving. He only looked at her for a second before turning towards the girls.

Raven prepared herself for a sickeningly sweet display, only to be surprised when rather than go to comfort the girls, Qrow fell to his knees.

"I wasn't going to make it." It wasn't a question so much as a dawning realization that threatened to crush him.

Raven ignored it. "Where are Summer and Taiyang?" She couldn't sense them, but she had long since learned it was best not to jump to conclusions. Her Semblance may have had a theoretical limit, she just didn't know what it was. That didn't me-

"They're dead." Qrow confirmed.

"When?"

"Half a year ago."

Half a year, and she was only just now noticing? Raven rested her hand on Omen's hilt. "How?"

"Mission up in Atlas."

"A mission for Ozpin no doubt." Raven replied darkly, before shaking her head and gesturing for Qrow to stand. "Get up, the girls are still alive at least."

Qrow, much to her surprise, didn't seem to hear her. "I wasn't going to make it."

Raven turned fully towards him now, finally taking in the man that sat before her. Despite how domesticated he had become, Qrow had once possessed a rather threatening aura around himself. An air of violence all those from the Tribe strived for, the same sort she had entered Beacon with. And like herself, that had dulled during their time on Team STRQ; unlike him, however, she had left that life behind and gone back to the old ways. She had known Qrow wouldn't follow her, he was too in love with the idea of being a Hero and rescuing the girls. Or one girl at least… but she had never expected this.

Qrow was still a Huntsman, and despite how much she had grown to hate the man who pulled the strings, Ozpin had been wise to seek out Qrow to be his agent. He was a good Huntsman, or at least he had been. Now she wasn't sure what he was. His shoulders were sagged and his head hung low, a sense of defeat surrounded him where once there was strength.

She hated seeing the man she once called brother look that way.

"Get up, damn it!" Raven grabbed his shoulder, dragging him up onto his feet. "This is no time to wallow in self pity, there could still be Grimm around, and you'll draw them right to us!" The second she let go, he collapsed back down into that same sickening display, forcing her to look away. "What happened to you?"

"I couldn't save them…"

There was something in his voice, though what it was Raven couldn't say. It was something she had heard in the voice of those she had defeated in raids, in those rare opportunities someone strong enough warranted her personal attention. That broken realization that they were helpless to stop something. Somehow, she knew he wasn't just talking about the situation they were currently in.

Stepping away from Qrow, she approached the girls and started tending the wound on Yang's arm where the Beowolf had struck her. It was bleeding rather profusely, but the girl had been lucky enough that the arm was still attached. Still… it was very much possible that she would die of blood loss before they made it back to a hospital capable of treating her wounds. Despite the pain she must have felt, the girl was fussing over her half-sister's health.

Sighing, she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and took a calming breath. "For it is through challenge that we achieve immortality. Through this, we grow to new heights, to surpass all others." Raven's aura manifested around her body, the red glow of which stood out even more than usual due to the clouded sky. "By the way of the sword do we grow, and by that same sword shall we go. I release your soul, and by my hand, empower thee."

Unlocking one's Aura was never something she had enjoyed, though in all fairness she had only done so a few times in her life. The act was too… intimate, for her preference. When there was someone who stood out in the Tribe as being strong enough to warrant the investment in training, she usually had someone else do it. She had only ever done it to save those who were past the point of saving by conventional means, a last-ditch effort to do 'the right thing' as Summer had insisted.

Speaking of which, Raven turned her attention away from Yang, who barely seemed to realize her arm was nearly perfectly healed, aside from a few scars that would likely stay, and focused on Summer's daughter. She couldn't see any major wounds, what with Yang's blood having spilled on the girl's clothes. It was better to be certain however, and so, despite how uncomfortable it made her, Raven unlocked her Aura as well.

When she was finished, she turned back towards Qrow; seeing him in the same spot he had been when she left. "Tch, I can't fix you like I did them, weak-ass." He didn't rise to the bait; one more sign that he was no longer the man she had known. "Are you going to sit there and cry, or are you going to take these girls back home?"

Qrow didn't move a muscle, hell, for the longest time she wasn't even sure he heard her, but eventually he did speak; though she didn't for an instant think it was to anyone but himself.

"I can't do this… I'm not good enough."

"Damn it Qrow." Raven muttered, equally to herself before continuing loud enough for him to hear. "You know this isn't what they'd want." When he didn't speak, her hand on Omen's hilt tightened, her jaw clenching as she fought back a wave of insults and poorly chosen words. Looking between the girls and her brother, Raven was at a loss. She had never been good at comforting people, though in fairness neither had Qrow. They had both left that to Tai and Summer…

Shaking her head, she focused on the present. While Qrow was clearly not all present mentally, his ramblings weren't entirely unfounded. It was difficult to picture him with children at his best, let alone the wreck of a man he was now. Knowing Ozpin, he would have made an offer to house them at Beacon by now; to ensure the next generation of Soldiers for his secret war no doubt. The fact Qrow still had them spoke to at least some strength on his part… or perhaps not. Maybe he was simply too afraid to be alone.

A fear he would need to overcome if he was ever to get better. Something he couldn't do with them saddled to his side. It wouldn't be good for any of them. Qrow would never recover without the proper push, and the girls would never grow strong enough to protect themselves under his care. They would be weak and practically guaranteed to fall right into Ozpin's lap.

She couldn't let that happen, not to Yang and not to Summer's daughter as well. This would be his last chance, if he failed… Raven knew what she had to do.

"I'm taking them with me."

Qrow wasn't surprised, though in truth he didn't feel much of anything. Despite that, he felt the need to object, to refuse. If not for himself then for the friends he had already failed. "No! You-"

"You can't take care of them Qrow!" Raven snapped. "Hell, you can't take care of yourself; look at you! Sitting there shaking like a scared little child!"

He wanted to stand, close the distance between them and argue. He wanted to scream about how she had no right, about how she had already given up any claims of kinship to her daughter, but he couldn't work up the spirit to.

He pleaded instead. "That's not fair. Haven't I lost enough?"

Raven turned her back towards him. "You are welcome to try and stop me." Pulling out her sword she used her Semblance, no doubt planning to go back to the Tribe.

"You can't be a mother!" Qrow yelled hysterically. "You're a lowlife, a bandit, a murderer! You have no right to claim what Summer earned!" He was crying now, though he couldn't tell when exactly the first tear fell. All he knew now was that he had the strength to stand, spurred on by that desperate desire not to lose the last of his family.

"I know what I am, brother." She sneered the word as if it were an insult, because in truth that was all he probably was to her. "I left her with Tai because I knew he could raise her better than I ever could… but he isn't here anymore. And Summer is gone. They need someone to train them… and that can't be you." She paused just before entering her portal, looking back to him and giving him one last chance to speak. One last chance to stop her. It was more kindness than she had ever shown him.

And it was a kindness he didn't know how to use. Instead, he turned away in shame. He heard the portal close a second later as he was left alone in the forest with nothing but the sound of wind to keep him company.

"Agh!" Qrow stabbed Harbinger into the ground with a cry. Weapon abandoned, he took flight once more. This time, his mind set on Vale.

Glynda waited for the terminal's call to ring with bated breath, never once taking a seat behind the screen. When it went to voicemail, she hung up and dialed it again; only to get the same lack of answer. Cursing, she frantically called Professor Ozpin for help.

"Qrow isn't answering?"

"No Sir, and I don't have any idea where I'm supposed to be heading!" Glynda frantically replied. "He said they might be heading to a house on the east side of-"

"Fifteen-Zero-Six, Shearing road, it's their old residence." Ozpin answered, calmly and quickly. "Take the southern gate out of the city and head east, then cut over the river. Qrow may be busy defending them, you must hurry. He may need help."

"Thank you!" Glynda ended the call and rushed out of the Public Communications Building, the miniaturized CCT having been her only way of contacting anyone with her Scroll broken. Rushing back to the truck, she quickly found her way out of town and back into the forests.

The sun had already started to set, and with the cloudy sky it was about to get a lot harder to see. If Qrow was fighting off Grimm he would be hard pressed to do so alone while having to protect Yang and Ruby. That was assuming the best case scenario.

Shaking her head, Glynda refused to consider the alternative. She would get there to see Qrow holding the girls, his Scroll either broken or ignored at his feet. She would yell at him and then take the girls home. Everything would be fine.

She only wished she believed it.

Author's Note: I tried to get to the Raven part quickly in this story as, given the way Chapter one ends, it could be misunderstood what exactly was going to be happening in this story. Hopefully no one is disappointed by the turn of events.

Next chapter should be out January fifth but be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews!

Sincerely, SE