wanderer's lullaby

Yang walked through the door, hand in hand with Ruby. Ein walked up and she tilted her head. “What’s up, boy?” It was pretty unusual for him to greet them like that. The Weimaraner usually lazed about in the sunshine coming through through the windows at this point. What had made him get up? “Taiyang was grumbling about something and is going through Summer’s dresser. I didn’t really catch what it was about before he shooed me off.” Yang’s blood turned to ice at the revelation. He was doing what?! They had an unspoken agreement to leave her room alone! Why was he— She dropped Ruby’s hand, skidding up the stairs to the dead woman’s room. Taiyang stood there, stuffing clothes into trash bags. “What in the hell are you doing ?!” She felt her eyes flicker to read, heat building up. Summer’s room was a sanctuary. It’d been untouched since she’d died! Not counting her or Ruby occasionally grabbing a songbook. Why was he doing this nowof all times?! Taiyang sighed and ran his hand over the back of his head. “This isn’t what it looks like; I swear.” He pulled out a shirt and she sighed in return. Too big for Summer by far. It was Raven’s stuff. Still, what was he doing? He hated Raven but he still hadn’t touched her stuff before this. “Qrow apparently got married short notice to some Atlassian woman and she needs somewhere to stay. And he though thiswas the best place for her.” “Uncle Qrow what?” Qrow? Marriage? No fucking way. He was dedicated to Summer, always hadbeen since their early Beacon days. How could he up and get married? And ‘on short notice’ at that? Wouldn’t immigration and approval take a fair bit of time? Couldn’t she stay in Atlas until they found a house? What bizarro world had she entered. “Yeah, that was about my reaction too. This really isn’t like him, but whatever. Now wehave to be the ones to suffer for his faulty decision making.” Taiyang’s tone was scathing. More heat built and her hand balled into a fist. “Don’t you dare talk about my Uncle Qrow like that! He’s more of a father than you ever were!” She’d send him straight through the window if it weren’t for budget constraints. He had no right to talk about Qrow like that after how he’d fucked off following Summer’s death. Qrow had fucked off too, sure, but he cared more about then than Taiyang everhad. How had he thought it was okay to abandon them for two years then pretend like it had never happened?! “She can stay in Ruby’s room, not here ! Ruby doesn’t even use her room! Why didn’t you tell him that?!” Seriously, Ruby’s room might as well be a guest room for how often it was used. The only times she did was when she was working on something. This was a sanctuary and now it’d been disturbed. Why was Qrow insisting on this?! “I’d still rather not boot Ruby out of her space for when she doesuse it. Plus, Qrow was the one that brought it up.” He sighed again and Yang turned on her heel to leave. What a fucking nightmare. Everything she’d built might be about to be torn down. If this woman reported them to CPS, then it’d be over. Her and Ruby would be separated. Taiyang’s incompetent ass would be arrested but they’d be in the foster systerm… She wrapped her arms around Ruby and hugged her close. She couldn’t lose her. They were all they had. The only constants in each other’s lives since Summer had died. “How ‘bout you go outside and play with Ein while I get dinner ready?” Ruby gave an enthusiastic nod then pulled away from Yang, heading outside with the aging grey dog. What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t lose her sister… Nobody else knew how to handle Ruby. They’d all try to make her act normal instead of letting her be herself… And she couldn’t tell Qrow… He’d beat himself up over missing it for so long… There was no winning. It was only a matter of time until somebodyreported them to CPS. Qrow wouldn’t marry a stupid woman. She’d figure it out… Might as well enjoy what little time she had left with her sister…

☼

Yang buried herself deeper in her blankets and the alarm blared. Even after years of waking up this early, it wasn’t easy on her young body. But Ruby’s squirming forced her to sit up and turn off the buzzing noise. She kissed her sister’s head. No need to wake her up this morning. It was Saturday which meant prep for next week. She picked up her clothes and the budgeting bag, making a quick pit stop in the bathroom before settling at the table. Bills, bills, budgeting, and more bills. Things wouldn’t be too much different than normal but…what about Qrow’s wife? An extra person would mean a small bump to water and energy bills but not likely enough to be too substantial. She tapped her pencil against her chin as she hovered over the groceries section. Was she an aura user or not? If so, the food bill—and their extra funds—would take a massive hit. Would Uncle Qrow have any interest in non-aura users? Though this was still so out of character for him. Why would he marry some seemingly random woman? It felt hurried from everything she knew about him. He did act quickly, but not this quickly on such a major decision. What had causedthis? Well, she’d account for an average aura user just in case… Qrow had loved Summer something fierce. He didn’t seem the type to simply fall for a woman that couldn’t fight. Even if she wasn’t, she and Ruby could account for the extra food. Plus, it’d keep in the freezer for a while even if she couldn’t… An extra hundred lien hurt. A lot. They were strapped for cash as was, so adding another person on top of it… She ran a hand through her hair. She’d had to hit up some extra races to make up for the difference. Though she would have to start budgeting for a new bike too… The current one was starting to feel a little cramped. Growing taller sucked. Most people thought of it as a blessing, but it meant more expenses: new clothes, new bike, more food… How did parents deal with this? Verana, she wished she could stay twelve forever… Life would be so much easier if she didn’t have to grow up. It was hard enough caring for a household withouta job… School was a bad enough of a damn timesink… She finished over the next few hours, letting out a breath. Yeah, she definitely have to hit up the races more from now on… They didn’t have the wiggle room to do much… Though she couldn’t skip on chapel… She’d have to go out earlier on Fridays and probably stay out for the night. She’d have to ask Miss Khan if she could crash at her house. With how strapped they were, it’d be too late for ferries. She didn’t trust anybody else to let her sleep over. Too many people would take advantage of her. They’d hold it over her head or something else. Nobody could be trusted. Only Ruby and Qrow could be. Even then… Could she trust him after he’d sprung this on them…?

☼

Bumblebee’s engine cut off as she parked on the curb. Okay, good; her car was in the driveway.She didn’t know if that didmean she was there, but considering everything, she brought with her to the last couple of Band meetings...S he could hear laughter from inside which sounded like Miss Khan… But who else could be there? It was evening. Friends…? She shook her head and knocked on the door. The voices quieted and a woman with short, cropped hair answered. “Good evening, young— Oh, might you be Yang?” Yang blinked and tilted her head. Who was this woman? She’d never met her before. “Er, yeah, I am. I was wondering if I could maybe talk to Miss Khan for a moment?” She was trustworthy. She could trust her for this small favor. She wouldn’t hold it over her head. “Of course. Please, come in, dear.” The woman smiled placidly but something about her made her hair stand on end. She couldn’t sense anythingfrom the woman. So she was a high-Grade aura user, huh? Made sense. Apparently, advanced aura users travelled in packs. The woman let her in and she tensed as she saw a brick wall of a man sitting at the living room table. He dwarfed even her uncle! Panic rose in her but the woman put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, dear. We met your Uncle Qrow earlier int he week.” “You know my Uncle QRow?” She knew he knew less-than-reputable people, but these two didn’t look like that. Nice, clean clothes and hanging out with Miss Khan. They couldn’t be bad, right? “He let me do some work on his soul.” The woman smiled and Yang tilted her head. Why would he? He was such a private person… To work on his soul… She must be trustworthy. “Sorry about all of this, Yang.” Miss Khan rose from the table, then offered her a hand. “Want to come in and talk about whatever’s bugging you?” Yang shook her head. “I wanted to ask something real quick. Could I crash on your couch or in a guest room on Friday nights? I’m going to be out late so I won’t be able to make it back to Patch before the last ferry. It’ll be a couple months.” Of course, not explaining didn’t guarantee the reasoning wasn’t on her aura. But Miss Khan almost never asked questions. Hopefully that would be the case here too… She couldn’t stand being separated from Ruby permanently. Thankfully, the woman smiled and nodded. “I don’t mind. I’ll have an extra key made and give it to you at the next Band meeting. Hope you don’t mind Kals and Ghir being here, though.” Yang blinked and shook her head. So these were the founders of the White Fang. Miss Khan talked about them a lot, so she knew they weren’t bad. And the fact Qrow trusted Kali to work on his soulof all things… She couldn’t be too bad a person but even so… Best to remain cautious… “Thank you; I appreciate it. I’m off to chapel now!” She beamed at Miss Khan before heading back to the door. She revved the bike’s engine and peeled off the curb. The wind tousled her hair and it didn’t take long for her to become one with the air.

☼

Yang pulled up into the chapel parking lot, looking around. She’d hit traffic so she didn’t have time to mingle too much. She quickly made her way past the various side rooms to the choir prep room which sat empty. She could hear them warming up which made her cringe. Damn it; this was what she got for stopping in town during rush hour! Stupid, stupid, stupid! …And her robe was nowhere to be seen! Ugh, apparently it’d been cleaning week and they hadn’t been organised prop— A single robe tugged out of the rack and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks; you’re an absolute life saver!” The chapel’s ghost almost never interacted with the living so directly. They normally cleaned up behind the scenes. She would notcomplain today, though! She pulled the robe over her clothes, jogging out into the main cathedral. She wiggled into her spot. It didn’t take long for her to get wrapped up in the music and presence, a soft smile on her face. Yeah, this was a great place. It was secular as most congregations were nowadays. But messages of community, togetherness, and unity were never unwelcome. It was nice to slip into the fantasy of having a supportive family. Qrow loved her, though she couldn’t exactly count on him for much support. She only saw him twice a year. And he was drunk for half of those times.

☼

The service wrapped up and Yang divested her robe, quickly heading off to the staff wing. Now where was she…? She was usually around here following each service. She absolutely needed to know. Qrow probably hadn’t contacted her because why wouldhe? From what Opal said, he only dropped by once in a blue moon. Eventually, a flash of white hair caught her attention and Yang jogged over. “Hey Aunt Opal!” The woman raised her head and smiled. “Oh Yang; it’s nice to see you. I don’t have a lot of time, so if it—” “Uncle Qrow got married.” Her tone matched her flat expression. Opal dropped the hymnals she’d been carrying and gasped loudly. “What?” “Yeah, I got a pretty nasty shock yesterday when I saw Dad cleaning out Raven’s side of the dresser. He told it was for Uncle Qrow’s wife. She’s going to be staying with us until he finds a house for them. I thought you should know.” She could get Qrow not exactly advertising it, but he could at least tell the people he cared about know. Opal and Raye went back to the Beacon days… Couldn’t he trust them and his own family to know more than anybody else? “I never thought I’d see the day. He’s always been so loyal to Summer… I wonder what happened to change that…” Her too. She sure as hell wasn’t going to listen to Taiyang explain though. Qrow should be the one to explain himself to their faces. And hopefully he wouldn’t try to shut her up just because she was a kid.She’d been handling a household since she was six. She could handle his reasoning. “Dunno. I haven’t spoken to him directly. I keep hoping he’ll call me but…” That didn’t seem too likely at this point. She hated being kept in the dark…especially when it was about to impact her and Ruby’s lives. “Well, I’ll see if I can’t get through to him. If I do, then I’ll let you know what’s up. Okay?” Opal smiled and bent down to pick the hymnals back up. Yang helped reassemble the now-scattered pile. “All righty. Thanks.” She wouldn’t get her hopes up, though. He’d always been flaky on communication… Time to hit up some races before heading back…

☼

The rest of the week passed by quietly for the two sisters. Nothing too out of the ordinary happened. School went by, they did their homework, and Yang went to her Band meeting. She got the extra key from Miss Khan. She was grateful, having somewhere to crash in the wee hours of Saturday would be good.She couldn’t risk the chapel. Too many people would ask questions. She couldn’t risk anybody finding out and potentially have her separated from Ruby. She had sacrificed too much to have Ruby taken away from her. Even Opal might call if she knew the truth… The only difference was the message from Taiyang. She arrives Thursday. So that was when that minx would get here… What was she supposed to do with the woman? Upend her entire life to revolve around her? No, the woman would simply have to deal with their life and try to integrate into it. She wouldn’t capitulate anythingto her. And so Thursday evening rolled around and an unknown car pulled up. An old woman and Qrow got out. Yang felt Ruby perk up immediately next to her, but her grip on her sister tightened. Qrow opened the back door of the car, a woman that really didn’t look too much older than her step out. What…? Qrow had married someone that could practically be his niece? Gross… What had gotten intohim? He tapped a specific rhythm on the door that made Yang grin despite herself. Ruby zipped over to the door, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Take a chill pill, Rubes. We’ll see him in a minute.” Her sister always had been speedy but after her Semblance awakened… The two girls threw themselves at Qrow, Yang grinning and laughing as he picked them up. “Uncle Qrow!” Despite everything, she was always glad to see him. He brought so much light to their lives that she and Ruby appreciated. He cared about them so much and they soaked up everybit of attention he gave them. “Heya kiddos!” He held both of them close though Yang did notice something. Now really wasn’t the time to ask but… “Won’t be able to stay too long today, but I’ll be closer to Vale from now on. Hopefully I’ll be able to see you girls more.” His tone dropped a bit and she could practically feel Ruby’s mood impact through the ground. Poor Ruby… Her sister loved spending time with him so much…even though he was always plastered on her birthday. “Aww, but you usually stay for the evening… Why can’t you stay this time? Though you don’t really smell like booze for once.” This was all so very strange. Might not be the place to ask, but she couldn’t help it. Qrow was sober for her birthdays but he always reeked of booze despite his best attempts to clean up. And not saying? Surely helping his wife settle in was important. Shouldn’t he stay a while for her sake? She leaned up into the hair ruffle and saw her smile. “Yeah, I gave up the bottle. No more drinking ‘cept once a year. Only tea in my flasks from now on.” That made Yang blink. No more booze…? Well, once a year and it wasn’t hard for her to pinpoint why … But the lack of intense booze scent seemed to confirm that. She…was glad. It made it farless likely he’d die early…assuming he didn’t keep going on his usual missions. That didn’t seem likely though. “Think you can help me get Winter’s stuff up to the room, firecracker?” She couldn’t help but make a face. Unfortunately she didn’t have much choice here. “Yeah.” The sooner they got Winter settles in, the sooner he’d leave. She didn’t wanthim to go and neither did Ruby. But she reluctantly helped move everything into Summer’s room. They wouldn’t be able to come in here anymore when they missed her… It would be so hard to ignore the instincts that had been cultivated for so long… But she couldn’t shake one thing. “Uncle Qrow, isn’t she a little…young for you? I mean she doesn’t look thatmuch older than me.” She had never taken him for the cradle-robbing type. Qrow’s face heated and he sputtered. What was wrong with the question? It felt appropriate, given the situation. Winter really did seem only a few years older than her. “I… The situation was a lot more complicated and there wasn’t much choice! I’ll explain when you’re older. I promise.” Yang’s jaw clenched as her eyes settled on her uncle. When she was older? She already deal with so much shit no kid her age did normally— “He is correct. The situation was beyond what either of us could control. The details are best saved for when you’re—” Hussy. “Don’t treat me like I’m a little kid! I’m a Grade Five aura user and you know that!” Getting to the upper Grades like this was no small feat especially considering she’d done it all on her own. She was way more mature than any other kid her age she’d met. From what she knew, he was a prodigy with advanced aura, so he knew what a big deal it was. It took somuch skill, self-control, and ability to get where she currently stood. How could he brush her off so easily?! Her boiling blood turned to ice , though, as he stepped between her and Winter. What…? Why was he taking Winter’s side over hers ?! He said he loved her and Ruby to the ends of Remnant! But now this woman it seemed like he barely knew… How couldhe? How could he betray them like this? She wanted to go cry, but she had to start on dinner after he left. “All right; I’ll explain laterwhen Ruby’s not around. Now why don’t both of you give me hugs and I’ll see you around?” She gripped the hem of her shirt but nodded, hugging him tightly. Predictably, Ruby didn’t let go. “Wanna see me out to the car?” Her little sister nodded. His attention shifted to Winter. “I’ll see you later too. I’m just a call away if you need anything, okay?” Winter nodded and glanced down at her hands. “Okay, though…” She got into her bag and offered Qrow his cape, making Yang’s eyes widen. She thought something had looked off about him, but she hadn’t been able to place it. Who wasthis girl that Qrow would give up something so important to him? With that, he and Ruby headed out of the room. Yang’s emotions clouded her mind and her expression darkened. Her hands balled into fists. Now, she could finally speak her mind and not have Qrow pinpoint or rat her out. “I don’t know who you think you are, trying to steal my Uncle Qrow like this. Let me make something perfectly clear: just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean we’re gonna listen to you. Ruby and I can handle everything ourselves. We don’t need anything from you, so don’t get your pretty little head concerned about anything . We’re fine . Keep your mouth shut and we’ll get along justfine.” with that, she turned on her heel and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Tears welled in her eyes as she started on meal prep, but she pushed them back. The bonds between partners was important, she knew that much. Of course Qrow would care about Winter, but to care so much he chose her over his nieces? How could he betray them like that? She thought he was one of the few adults she could trust but…apparently not. He still thought she was some average, run-of-the-mill kid. Yeah, she’d managed to hide everything from him, but still. Not many twelve-year-olds could cook as easily as she could. She could discern and read people’s aura sparks. How could he push her off so easily…? She opened the freezer and pulled out the premade meal, then started heating up the frozen vegetables alongside it. “Yang?” The voice form behind her made her start a bit and she turned to see Ein behind her. The Weimaraner padded into the kitchen, making her sigh. Of course he’d come check on her. That sort of outburst was so rare for her at home. Couldn’t she be left alone for once? She wanted to stew, but then again, Ruby would be back inside soon enough. SHe couldn’t worry her baby sister or expose her to whatever Winter had come from. “I’ll be fine, Ein. You don’t need to worry about me.” She’d be fine. She was always fine. Nothing could shake her as long as she had Ruby to look out for. She was her little sister’s hero and nothing would change that. She heard Ein’s tag jingle as he padded over, pushing his head up under her hand. “It’s okay to admit you’re upset. I know that was a nasty shock to your system .” Seriously, couldn’t he back off? He was Ruby’s caretaker, not hers. “Like I said, I’ll be fine. I don’t need that hussy’s help with anything.” She had running the house down to a science. Most things were predictable. Her calculations for bills were rarely off. She could usually predict how much she’d get from racing. She knew her schedule as well as Ruby’s. Very little changed over time so she could handle it. As long as Winter didn’t interfere, things would stay relatively stable. Hopefully she wouldn’t hike the water bill too much though… Ein let out a low sigh and curled up near his bowl. She could feel his disapproving stare, but she said nothing. Thankfully, Ruby came in around that time. She sat near him and started petting him. Yeah, this was what life was about: quiet moments with her family. She still wanted to cry, but she couldn’t in front of Ruby. She could let herself feel once Ruby was in bed and she called her uncle. She brought dinner up to Winter and knocked on the door before slipping away. Even if she didn’t likethe change, she wouldn’t starve the woman. She deserved to eat good food even if she wasn’t welcome in the house. With that accomplished, Yang sat at the table and started to eat. It’d be another quiet evening in the house despite another presence there…

α

“So I see.” It made sense Yang didn’t have much faith in adult figures. She really didn’t blame the girl but to go to such extents? What was she supposed to do while she was here? She was going from a full-time military job to literally nothing. She would have no income until she could apply for a work visa. Even if she wanted to learn formally, she’d have to apply for a student visa which would take time to be approved. But where could she apply? Gelé controlled her academic records which meant she wouldn’t be able to go to school. He most certainly would notrelease them to her for those reasons. She…was trapped in a sense. Qrow had said there would be new opportunities for her. She couldn’t see them. She was trapped in this room untils he could be granted citizenship or the visas to work and learn. She couldn’t even help around the house for fear of retributions from Yang. A few knocks on the door made her blink. She answered and a tray of food sat on the ground with a folded note. She retrieved the tray and retreated to the bed to read the note. The handwriting was surprisingly good for such a young child not raised on the high standards of the upper class. I don’t like you, but I’m not going to starve you or anything. Feel free to reply how much with you eat on average. You’ll have the average amount for an aura user for the next couple days. But if you need more or less, just scribble it on the back of this paper. Yeah, she did need more than the average aura user but… A frow etched itself on her face. That was her training a few hours each day on top of being busy with work. Would she really need that much food? SHe didn’t want to bleed them dry, of course. But still… Did she really need to train or any of that? The only reason she fought was for the military. But if she ended up going to Beacon, she couldn’t slack. Plus, training would give her something to do during the days too. They’d be at school and she’d be left to her own devices. She wrote her average needs down as well as how it could range depending on training. About two hours a day would be more than plenty here… It’d keep her skills sharp and give her something to do without overdoing it. It wasn’t like when she’d had to go five or six hours with the Ace Ops to get up to par for boot. She ate quietly while Kiyay sat on the desk. That didn’t seem too comfortable for him… Didn’t Qrow have stuff his friend had given to him? He’d taken it all when he’d taken the birds. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have some of that in here for when Kiyay was with her. She could probably text him about it… She left the tray outside the door after she finished then sighed. What was she supposed to do? She was already getting sick of being in this room… But she dare not leave for fear of retribution from the girl and it was evening… Then again, she had those books. It seemed like the only logical option for now…

☼

Yang washed the dishes after dinner and stretched, getting Ruby tucked in while she played her psaltery. The small, trapezoidal instrument’s soft but pure tones filled the room. Yang couldn’t help but smile as Ruby hummed and kept time with the bobbing of her head. SHe rarely got to play nowadays, let alone for hours like this, but after the upset that had been today, she figured it would be welcome. They were all tunes Summer had written. A lot couldn’t be transferred due to the use of accidentals, so she was thankful for what she couldplay on the instrument. Ruby eventually dozed off. Nine thirty… About half an hour until she ought to sleep for herself. She turned the light off and shut the dor, stealing to Ruby’s room with her scroll. She dialed Qrow’s number and waited. He had to pick up… It wasn’t thatlate for a Huntsman like him… One ring… He had to pick up. She was his niece. Two rings. He loved her. Three rings. Right? Tears sprang to her eyes. Fou— “Yang?” Her hear jumped into her throat, though she swallowed the tears. No crying in front of Uncle Qrow. It’d make him ask question she did notwant to answer. He was too sensitive to people’s moods even over calls. “Hey, Uncle Qrow. Sorry for the late call, but I was hoping you’d made good on your promise. Ruby’s asleep right now. So you can explain why you got married.” She could agree with him not wanting to explain things around Ruby if they were bad. Her little sister didn’t need to know how horrible the world would be until she was older. A moment of silence greeted her before he sighed. “I reallydon’t wanna talk about this…but you’re right. You’re a high-Grade aura user. You can handle a lot more than most kids your age. I’m sorry for treating you like any little kid. Plus, you’ll be going to Signal soon. You’ll learn some of this information soon enough.” He was right about that. She’d be starting there the following June. He couldn’t hide a lot of things from her much longer. With that, he started outlining some…disturbing things about Atlassian culture. How…How could Atlas function when essentially half of the population was oppressed? Then again, the same could be said about Faunus. A lot of it came down to not knowing better. With the narrative so tightly controlled, they couldn’t place how wrongit was. Of course, she’d known Atlas was bad for Faunus. She couldn’t escape it by being in the Band. Atlas was a major area of focus for them. But she hadn’t know human women were treated similarly… She grew quiet as he summarised the few days leading up to them getting married. Her grip on her scroll tightened as he spoke, though. “Yeah, massive creep tried to get into her apartment…” He didn’t say anything more on it, but she knew. She knew why . She’d been around enough clubs and seedy places to understand. And someone had been bold enough to try that to Winter Schnee ? In her own apartment? At Jacques Schnee’s behest? Winter had lost everything… But she was an adult. How was she supposed to treat adults? She reallydidn’t like her on that alone. SHe was also the victim of horrible abuse, though. No wonder Qrow had stepped between them. Even so… “Thanks for telling me, Uncle Qrow.” It had taken him nearly forty-five minutes to recount everything. What was she supposed to think? Having to deal with an adult with possibly less life experience than even herself… And she’d already snapped at her. “You okay, firecracker?” She was being unusually quiet for her. She couldn’t blame him for being worried but… “It was just a lot to take in. I knew Atlas was bad for Faunus since I’ve heard through the Band and Miss Khan. I didn’t realise howbad until this.” The world was an unkind place; she knew that much through personal experience. But to oppress that much of the population… It really was heartbreaking. If she didn’t have to deal with everything, she’d travel to Atlas to try to help more. But she was locked down. She couldn’t stray from Vale. Leaving Ruby alone more than one night was completely impossible. “Understandable. If you need anything call—” The sound of Ein’s barking from downstairs and outside made both of them stop and she sighed. She stood up and bounded outside, seeing him barking at a massive white bird. It looked sort of like a snowy owl but the body shape was all wrong. “The hell…?” It had its wings extended and feathers fluffed up, letting out chittering noises. Why was he choosing nowto go after it…? “Yang? What’s going on? Do I need to come over there?” Not that he’d get there soon enough to stop it… “No. There’s a weird white bird sitting near the porch. Only way I can describe it is a snowy owl but not .” It was some sort of raptor, that much was obvious from the talons. It was massive, one of the largest birds she’d everseen. What was it doing on Patch? And…it looked like some sort of weird leather things covered its legs… Somebody’s escaped pets? “Does it have a lot of black banding on its wings or is it almost pure white?” Huh? Did he know it. “Almost pure white. The wingtips are black, but that’s it. It also looks like it has some sort of leather covering its legs.” He definitely knew what was going on. He wouldn’t be so about a massive raptor being so near his niece if he didn’t. “That’s Mono then. Tell Ein to knock it off. She’s not a threat. A buddy of mine leant me some birds for Winter’s safety. Didn’t really get to use ‘em but she bonded with the male. Let ‘em go on Patch earlier in the week to settle in. Don’t worry about ‘em. Kiyay may be in Winter’s room at times, but he won’t cause any issues.” Yang let out an exasperated sigh. And he couldn’t have let her know he was on on the island or at least in Vale when he dropped them off? Yes, he had his secrets but was it really too much to ask? “Ein, leave it! There’ll be another bird around here that looks like that and they’re nothing to worry about. They’re Uncle Qrow’s birds.” The Weimaraner looked at her before reluctantly drawing back inside. What a mess… As if having Winter in the house wasn’t bad enough; now she had to deal with giant birds of prey. “Anyway, I have class in the morning and choir tomorrow night. Talk to you later.” “Sleep well, firecracker. Love you.” “Love you too, Uncle Qrow.” The call beeped off and she sighed, closing and locking the door. What a nightmare… She didn’t know how to process anyof this… She withdrew upstairs and crawled into bed, curling around Ruby. She loved Qrow but she still felt so betrayed. He’d only been protecting Winter earlier… Still, couldn’t he have chosen better…? She barely noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks as she drifted into sleep.