Well, another chapter of this story. I'm liking it quite much.

Me-B-Louie-G: Thanks for the review. I think Raven is just an awful person, trying to make the best out of her own bad habits and a desire to be better. Well, anyway, you are more or less on the money regarding Fawn's mother. About character development, it is going at a good pace, I think. After it gets past a point I have placed on the story, I will just use the good and 'ol time skip to get things ready for the next step.

Fawn could sense that Raven was not her usual self at that moment. His orangeish-red eyes snapped wide open, as the tribe also stopped with Raven. Whispers about doubts and uncertainty started to rise.

They were confused as to why Raven stopped, but Fawn had an idea of what was going on. He extended his hand to hers and held it with all the little might his small body could muster. "Raven…" His voice called to her.

She turned to him, her deep red gaze piercing deep into his soul. Those were the eyes of someone haunted. The eyes that were shown in the show. Fawn understood that whatever happened with her and Summer had already come to pass.

And now it was time for Yang to make her stupid childhood mistake. "..." He knew that calling her by name couldn't move her. Raven was in her own funk. Nothing stopped her like this, so what made her stop had to be Yang being in danger.

Back in the day, many theorized that her semblance allowed her to sense when someone was in danger. Fawn didn't doubt it. Seeing Raven freeze over nothing was a telltale.

He hated to manipulate her like that, but in his mind, he wouldn't allow Raven to fall into despair, to let her lose herself. While he disliked the tribe, he disliked the things they would do once the time came, he didn't hate Raven.

She was still Raven Branwen, bandit queen, deadly huntress, but… she had been kind to him, strict, but kind. To make sure she didn't become the person she was in the show, Fawn would take all the actions he could take. Even if it was to manipulate

Fawn would be that interference. "Mom. Are you okay?" Raven looked away, her gaze softened.

"Kiddo, I…" Raven chewed on her lip, her jaw trembling. Fawn tried to hold her hand even harder, even if it was a task fated to fail, but the darkness in her eyes, the haunted face, started to crack, even if it was a little. That was the time Fawn could be at his most useful.

"Mom. Be okay, please." Only Raven knew what was good for herself, Fawn hoped.

Their gazes met again, and Raven saw something in Fawn. Something she had to protect, a thing, a person, she couldn't abandon. She was reminded of her own daughter.

Fawn reminded her of Yang. Just like Fawn predicted, Raven could feel that her biological daughter was in grave danger, but she could not interfere.

As per the laws of the tribe, Raven could only help an outsider once, she could only help her own daughter once, and Nevermore. But each time she looked at the child she adopted, she saw the child she abandoned, even if they were nothing alike.

Raven made her choice. For this once, and Nevermore, she would help her daughter. She just hoped Yang would never be in a life-or-death danger again; otherwise, she would need to step up, and she knew if she did that… the Tribe would dispose of her, but she had no time to waste.

Raven dropped her lips and looked forward. She easily freed her hand from his and drew Omen from its sheath, a red portal opened before her.

"Fawn, hold steady. I will be back in a few seconds." Raven stepped into the portal. From the other end, Fawn saw Grimms, they were around Yang, who carried Ruby on a cart. Raven moved like a cloud of black and red.

The grimm were brutalized in moments; they had no chance to counterattack, as Yang failed to comprehend what was happening around her.

For a moment, Yang stared at the portal and saw Fawn. Fawn too stared at Yang. Lilac and red eyes clashed at that moment, as if the moment had been predetermined by fate. Raven finished her slaughter. From the depths of the woods, she sensed Qrow approaching.

He was still a good distance away, but was closing in quickly. Raven stood still, as there was no more grimm there. For a moment, she looked at Yang. Her lilac eyes widened in damning realization. Raven stepped away, and she returned to the tribe, crossing the portal.

All Yang saw was her mother returning to a land of winter, abandoning her, as Fawn saw Yang scream, but could not make out her words. Before Yang could even run towards the portal, it closed.

Not even Fawn could predict this result, but he knew the hand of fate had rocked the cradle of destiny, and things were already set in motion to be different from the show, but not that he had the luxury to care about it, because he didn't.

He lacked the right, the strength, the time to care. All Fawn could do was think, imagine, how Yang would turn out now that she had met Raven, a good ten years or more earlier than she would in a prime timeline.

Fawn just rested his head against the horse and closed his eyes.

This situation was just too much, he would just sleep now, and think about the implications and what would change when it became relevant to him, in a few years or so.

With a deep breath, Fawn closed his eyes and accepted that being a child was too stressful, and so was the fact that he was far too weak to do anything right now. A fact that would soon be remediated.

(scenebreak)

Raven had improved her mother quite a bit since she rescued Yang, and no one in the tribe ever talked about it again. Fawn knew better than to try and pry anything out of Raven, so he stood silent, not to risk her anger.

He was eight, now. He had started the basics of combat class. Rowan kicked his ass daily. She was better at fights than he was because she was older and had more physical strength than him. He managed to defeat her in every other battle because she was clumsy and hotheaded, but it was never an easy fight for him.

Tawny also managed to awaken himself to his aura. Something Alexander had no idea he managed to do, since both of them meditated, and they were no closer to awakening their aura, until one day, one of them suddenly did.

"How did you do that?" Fawn questioned, as Rowan stared at Tawny with a confused look, trying to understand what their difference was, and she could activate her aura too.

"No idea! I just woke up one day, and bang! Aura!" He answered lik,e a giddy child. His grinning ear to ear. Rowan puffed her cheeks and threw a punch at him. It landed straight on his face, but was stopped by a forcefield.

Fawn swore he heard a crack coming from her hands. "Oh. He is right. He has an aura." She waved her hand a little to shake out the pain in her system. Fawn just facepalmed.

"Well, I gotta keep practicing, then. One day, we will get to the point where we can awaken our aura." Rowan held her hips and nodded, a confident smile plastered over her lips.

"Fawn, did you learned anything new, tho? I just remembered something. You were like, doing those meditation things and swimming on the lake before it froze. Was it to better your meditation and stuff like that?" Rowan didnt understood her friend completely, especially why he was so obsessed with swimming and the lake, but since she saw someone unlock his aura, and who also did meditations, it sparkled her interest.

"No. I just like to swim. Besides, getting used to the cold was just a bonus." He liked to float like a sponge on the water. There was nothing special about it; however, meditating while he floated was a nice bonus.

Rowan puffed her cheeks again and threw a punch at him. He side-stepped her, letting the girl fall flat on the ground.

She looked at him with fire in her eyes. "Well, we will have winter festivities soon. Don't try to dirt yourself just yet, Rowan. We can brawl all the time we want after we fill our bellies at the festival." The flames in her eyes subsided, but Rowan was still mad at him. She would try to reap her vengeance later, and Fawn knew that. He just didn't care.

That is it, until next time.