wanderer's lullaby

Qrow carried the sobbing girl through the forest, struggling a bit with her height. But there was no way she could walk. Her entire body wracked with sobs, shaking violently. All he’d pieced together was she’d seen him dead. Her aura hadn’t given away much else. But it had obviously been horrific. She wouldn’t be acting in such a way if it hadn’t been. Raven probably shouldn’t have shown her whatever it was she had, but Yang wouldn’t have budged in her belief adults shouldn’t abandon children. She was mature for her age but it didn’t preclude her from childish thoughts or black-and-white thinking. He saw Taiyang tending the garden as he approached and groaned internally. Oh fuck, the lastthing Yang needed right now now was to see them fighting. She clearly didn’t hold Taiyang in high esteem anymore but still… It was best if they could avoid it. Taiyang always had been the most reactive of them. Even Raven, impulsive as she was, hadn’t been nearly half as reactive as him. Taiyang tensed and stood up as he approached but Qrow shook his head. “Not now. Scream at me all you want after the girls go to sleep.” Yang couldn’t handle their screaming match now. She really couldn’t. The sobbing had turned to strangled choked, but she was so obviously not well emotionally. Taiyang gave a terse nod before going back to the garden. Even hecould see the logic of not yelling in front of Yang. He sat the picnic basket on one of the dining room chairs before taking Yang upstairs. He sat her on the bed, but she refused to let go of his shirt. She hiccuped, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him. “I’ll only be gone for a minute, okay, firecracker? I’ll go talk to Winter then be back before you know it.” He kissed her head then undid her grasp. She let out a sound of distress, but he ignored it. He went over to Summer’s room. He knocked on the door and Winter answered, looking overwhelmed for a brief second. “Hey, snowy, sorry to leave you with Ruby, but could you keep her distracted for a while? Yang…isn’t in good shape and I don’t want her to worry. There’s some food in a picnic basket in the kitchen. I’ll have my hands full with Yang for a few hours at least. Sorry to foist babysitting duties on you but…” There wasn’t a lot of choice unfortunately. Ruby didn’t need to see Yang like this. “Very well.” Yeah, Winter had to be overwhelmed. Ruby was…a lot for people not used to her. Mostly silent but when she got going, she reallygot going. He returned to the girls’ room and pulled Yang into his arms again. She clung to him like a lifeline. It was going to be a verylong day for him…

α

Winter slipped back into the room, Ruby looking up at her. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to spend at least a few more hours together. Your uncle is obviously back, but Yang needs some time with him.” She spoke as gently as she could. She’d quickly learned to handle the little girl like her own sister. But Ruby was still prone to tears and becoming dispirited quite easily. It was a hard balance to strike and she hoped Yang wouldn’t hate her for messing up so much. Ruby looked down and pulled her knees to her chest. “I want Yang…” She couldn’t blame her. The pair seemed practically inseparable. There wasn’t much she could do about it, though… Would you like to see something interesting?” she asked gently. Ruby perked up a bit and tilted her head. “I would need you to take me to the beach because it requires a lot of spaces. Do you think you could do that for me?” Ruby gave a feeble nod and slid off the bed. That was probably asking a lot. But she knew the birds needed space. They were large and the small clearing the house sat in definitely wasn’t enough space. She grabbed the falconry bag and headed outside with Ruby. “Mono! Kiyay!” She wasn’t sure where they were. But it took only the single call for a flash of white to descend into a nearby tree. She pulled her glove and held her fist up. She tapped it twice with her free fingers, and Kiyay swooped down. He tilted his head at quite the angle, obviously not sure what to make of the request. If he came from somebody that could sense and read aura, would he be able to sense her intent? She sent the clear, singular intention to him: fly free.She then pointed to Ruby. Would it work? She wanted him to fly for her. Just like Mono had flown for her in Atlas. His eyes processed things before she saw something click. He bobbed his head and she smiled. “Thank you.” She stroked his head then looked at Ruby. “Can you lead me to the beach?” It was about a fifteen minute trek but they made it. Not without some stray hairs and sweat trailing down her temple. This heat was utterly oppressive. How was she ever supposed to get used to it?! Plus, carrying the bird hadn’t helped either! He was heavy when trekking through uneven ground. She really would have a hard time actually hawking if thiswas what awaited her in the field. But it was quite the beautiful sight… Seeing the ocean without the heavy industry of Mantle scarring the coast. Seeing the vast expanse of the sea… How incredible… She shook herself out of the stupor and looked down at Ruby. The little girl stared out at the ocean for several minutes before she looked back up at Winter. She offered the little girl a smile. This would be unlike anything she’d seen in her life. Plus, being so young basically guaranteed that. Hopefully she could be a good companion to Kiyay to do a great show for Ruby. The lack of communication did scare her, of course. But she would be a mobile perch. He could do what he wanted. She walked out to the middle of the beach then tossed him into the air. He hovered in place until Mono started flying. She guided him around in a beautiful dance of twists, turns, spirals, and soops. SHe ignore the heat and followed the two birds around. One would land on her and she’d toss them into the air. It was a fair bit of exercise, but it was worth it for the show. The two would be show stoppers if they could acclimate to the city. Maybe she and Qrow could man them together…? After about fifteen minutes, she stopped due to how heavily she was panting. Yeah, she definitely needed to adapt to this heat. If only fifteen minutes caused this, how much worse would be for two hours of intense practice? This was infuriating. She would overcome her physical limitations. She would get used to it no matter what. She’d b here for the foreseeable future so there was no real way around it. She hadto adapt and overcome like she always did. She looked at Ruby to see her clapping quietly. Her grey eyes stretched wide in awe. Yeah, watching the birds was always impressive. She could only imagine what seeing them hunting eventually would be like. If he had the time and resources, maybe they could do that one day? She was excited to see what the birds could do when unimpeded. Though not keeping them in mews and without jesses… She’d have to ask him about that. It seemed counterintuitive to what she’d learned in the falconry book she was reading. She walked over to where the soil became sand and sat down. Kiyay swooped down and sat next to her, followed shortly by Ruby. “So what did you think?” Ruby was overwhelming to deal with, but she’d try not to be rude. “That was really cool and amazing and I can’t believe there are such cool birds living with us! What do you know about them? Uncle Qrow probably knows a lot more since he grew up with them and owns them but you have to know a little bit because he trusts you with them and you worked so well with them. Can you teach me to fly them because that would be really fun and I think it’d be nice to be so close to such cool animals and I’d like to see more of them up close and maybe have some of their feathers because that’d be so neat and I really want to learn more.” And there it was, the speech she had such a hard time following. It took her a few minutes to decode, but she responded once she had. “Honestly, I don’t know much. I’ve learned some things from a book. Your uncle is the one with the knowledge, though. I’ve learned a little about equipment being called furniture, they’re usually housed in ‘mews,’ and some other terms. All I did today was be a mobile perch.” She didn’t understand much beyond that at the moment. Maybe she could find some videos online and learn more. But, for now, she had books to get through and would stick with those. Her hand went to Kiyay’s head and she gently stroked his feathers. She was looking forward to learning to handle birds more at Star of Hope. It’d help tide her over in the interim with Qrow not able to help her. Though…it would be hard to get there with the lack of heat tolerance and the bike being her main form of transport. At least until she could get her Valian license. She could probably talk to Taiyang about going today. But she had to take care of Ruby for the time being. The bird’s head snapped up and she followed his gaze. A familiar figure could be made out on the far end of the shore. Or at least she thought it was familiar. It’d take awhile for her to get used to all the people on the island. It really did look like Sarah, though. She tensed as she saw a tall figure behind her, though. They bore a sword in their hands. A Hunter? She should have brought Hylocereus with her. Then again, she shouldn’t be a danger. It wasn’t like she was attacking or aggressing for any reason. She really shouldn’t need to defend herself against anyone if she wasn’t doing anything. She could feel Kiyay tensing against her. He must have been responding to her energy. She sent him the clear intent:not a threat.He looked up at her before slowly bobbing his head. It seemed like he was starting to understand her energies. She wasn’t like the advanced aura users, but she could at least do simple intents. He’d be so disappointed in her the first time they went hunting together… She didn’t have any experience with it… She continued to watch the two figures who moved slowly near the surf. Yes, it was Sarah. She definitely had a Hunter with her. He…was taller than Qrow and more built. She wanted to run. But it wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong by being on the beach. She had to stay sure of that. Plus, more suspicion might have been aroused if she did have Hylocereus. She simply looked like a normal girl out here with a charge. Or she would if it weren’t for the heavy leather glove and falcon sitting near her. Sarah noticed them and ran over, a bright smile on her face. The man followed behind her at a slower place. “Well, hi, Miss Winter! I wasn’t expecting to see you out here!” She smiled warmly, her blue eyes sparkling, though they were quickly drawn to the bird by her side. “Gosh, that sure is a pretty bird!” Winter had Kiyay hop up onto the glove and his feathers flattened against his body. “This is Kiyay. He was given to me by… Well, my mother-in-law.” Dove…was her mother through the marriage. Just as Raven was her sister. It…was hard to think about. More family meant more problems. Very little good ever came from being related to others. Weiss was the only good thing that had come from her bloodline. “Kiyay… What an interesting name. What do you do with him?” She didn’t know about falconry? Then again, with education being so limited on this island, it made sense. She really only knew about it because some of the men in the military used it to keep birds away from the ships… “Right now… Nothing really. I plan to eventually learn to hunt with him, though. Qrow is looking for a house and property right now. I came out here to show Ruby how they fly.” “They?” Sarah tilted her head and Winter motioned to Mono who sat a few trees away, preening. “Another one and it’s done pure white! How pretty!” She started toward Mono but Winter stopped her. “Mono is fairly tolerant but it’s probably best to leave her alone.” She doubted the bird would attack. Mono was as gentle as Dove was. But she still didn’t want to chance anything. It was always best to leave animals alone especially if one didn’t know them. She’d seen the Special Operative dogs attack unknown people if their handlers weren’t around. It was a scaryreality and she could only imagine the damage an aura raptor could do if it wanted to. Sarah stopped but nodded. “What are you doing out here, Miss Sarah?” Best to get off the birds for now. She didn’t want the girl getting any ideas. She could feel Kiyay’s grip on her tighten slightly. He seemed to be unnerved by something. He didn’t have jesses she could hold in case something happened. But, then again, he seemed more the type to flee than attack if pushed into a corner. Hopefully she could trust him in case something went wrong. She doubted it would, but with that man standing there… “Oh! I’m gathering seashells for jewelry!” Sarah moved open the bag and Kiyay chirped loudly. The girl looked at Winter, wide eyed. “Huh?” “…Ah, I think your bag is upsetting him.” It was a hideous splash of different neon colors. Given his background, he’d probably never seen colors like that before. “I read in one of the falconry books I have that birds can be very…particular and often aren’t welcoming of changes in their environment. The colors are probably quite unlike anything he’s seen before.” She had seen him a little unnerved in her apartment before, but that was it. This was definitely unique. “…Really?” Sarah looked down but stopped reaching into her bag. She held up a spiral shell on a chain, then showed off a couple of irregular metal studs on her ears. “I make all sortsa jewelry in my free time and sell it both at craft shows and online.” Craft shows? What was a ‘craft show’? More things she didn’t know about. But maybe Sarah could take her to one. The girl seemed rather intent on talking to and attempting to befriend her. Plus, there was so much to explore in Vale… She had to learn how to see more. She was here to learn and grow as a person. “Interesting. I have heard some of the women talk about jewelry making, but I’ve never looked into it.” She simply hadn’t had the time for hobbies. But, right now, she had nothing buttime. Maybe she could see how Sarah did. She doubted that she’d pursue the craft. But it would at least be a sign of goodwill to look into it with her. “It can take a while to get, but it sure can be fun! Maybe you could come over and try it sometime! I do easier stuff like beads and shells mostly, but I do some casting too! My brother graduated from Beacon and helped pay for the equipment.” She looked up at the tall man behind her with a smile. So that was her brother. Quite the age gap if he graduated from Beacon. It had to be nice to have equipment for something she so clearly enjoyed. “Maybe at some point,” she answered softly. She couldn’t promise anything. She would be moving away soon enough so taking root in the community would only do harm. But she could still visit once she left. She really didn’t have much to do in general, though. And she really had thought about it. Sarah looked about ready to explode from excitement at the prospect. “Maybe you could teach me about your feathered friends at some point?” She looked at Kiyay with wide, amazed eyes. The birds really were show stoppers… They’d probably be great addition to Star of Hope’s shows if they could acclimate to the city… Mono was comfortable around people though Kiyay was more skittish. She pursed her lips. “Maybe. I admit I don’t know much myself. Qrow is teaching me where he can. If you can volunteer in the city, there is a rescue I’ll be doing so at. It seems like a good place to get some hands-on experience with birds of prey.” She still couldn’t entirely vouch for Star of Hope. But the people there seemed nice and knowledgeable about the raptors. Plus the ones there were much smaller than the gyrs. Well. Aside from the damn eagle. Thatstill intimidated her to no end. The smaller birds, though? No real problem. They were basically micro birds in comparison. “I don’t know about that… I can’t drive and my maw wouldn’t be happy to learn I was volunteering with such dangerous animals.” Sarah looked crestfallen. She seemed genuinely interested. But if somebody wouldn’t be happy about her volunteering, what could she do? There really wasn’t much that could be done. She didn’t have the years of experience that Qrow did. She wasn’t even really an apprentice yet… Vale required a minimum two-year apprenticeship to be a full-fledged falconer. She could get her time in with Qrow once they moved. Hopefully, she’d be able to learn… If she could learn to enjoy the sport, having more birds might be fun. Though it would be expensive… Aura breeds of any type were notcheap and she could only imagine the prices of aura raptors… “How old are you?” Honestly she looked at least fifteen. If that was tree, then she wasn’t that far from being an adult. “Fifteen and a half. Why do you ask?” Sarah’s eyes were a little wide. “You’re not far away from being an adult. Your ‘maw’ allowed your brother to enter Beacon at seventeen, I’m assuming?” She looked up at the tall man with dusty blonde hair. He nodded. “Sarah’s the baby, though, so she’s not allowed to do as much as I am,” he explained. Sarah looked down with a sigh. “It’s a bit suffocating, really. I won’t be able to take driver’s ed till next year. I could’ve had my license bynext year if maw would’ve let me. She doesn’t want to see me hurt.” She looked absolutely destroyed. Overprotective and over controlling people were a massive problem. And kids usually didn’t have the wherewithal to stand up to them. She barely knew the girl but… “I could maybe see if I could talk to her. I can’t make any promises but maybe she’ll listen to somebody with real-life experience.” She doubted these small-town yokels really had much in terms of real-world experience like she did. Yes, the world could be cruel and unrelenting. But to squander a child’s potential because of that… Maybe she could get this ‘maw’ person to listen to reason. Sarah’s blue eyes sparkled. “Thank you, Miss Winter! I really appreciate it!” Before Winter knew it, Kiyay let out a loud call and exploded from her fist. He landed in a nearby tree, continuing the loud chirps. Winter had her left hand clenched between both of Sarah’s hands. Winter tensed but didn’t pull away. “I…can’t make any promises, of course. Though…who is ‘maw’? I apologise. There’s still much I have to learn about Valian colloquialisms…” She hated admitting as much, but she couldn’t quite figure out what ‘maw’ meant. What a mess. She’d learn a lot in time, but with Patch being so isolated from the mainland… There were a lot of things it’d take her time to pick up on. “Collo— Wha’?” Sarah scratched her head. “Maw is maw. Mother. You know? Maw.” She looked really confused. Ah, so she’d be going up against the girl’s mother… What a lovely revelation. Of course, fathers were far, far worse when it came to daughters. The worth they had was sointrinsic thanks to dowries… “What would your father think?” Winter frowned. If she was dealing with the mother, surely she’d have to contend with the father… No family was complete without a domineering father to rule over it. And if the mother was concerned about the safety of the daughter, then surely the father would stand behind her. Sarah’s expression fell again and the other older brother looked away. “Da…died a couplea years ago. It’s just me, Maw, and Brandon.” Winter cringed. Oh. She hadn’t meant to strike a sore point. But…it looked like they were upset. Why would they be upset at the passing of a father? They weren’t good for anything but belittling and exerting their dominance over others. Yet they seemed legitimately upset. If only Gelé would be six feet under… “Ah, so I see…” Well, it at least meant she only had one parent to deal try to sway… But single mothers might be even fiercer than fathers. The existence of the term ‘mama bear’ was there for a reason… She might not get anywhere. But she could at least try for Sarah’s sake. The girl did seem to have some minor aspirations for more… She had talked about marriage, but if this was anything to go off of, she might be able to go far in the world. “Still. Thank you for being willing to try, Miss Winter. I really do appreciate it.” Sarah offered a fragile smile and Winter gave a faint nod. “Nobody should be bound by the whims of others.” Weiss… If only she could free her little sister… She wold probably enjoy learning about the birds. She always had loved learning and was so excited whenever she talked about riding Neige… If only she didn’t have to wait five more years to get her out of Schnee manor. She would do anythingto spare her little sister further abuse at Gelé’s hands. “It’s really no trouble. Lemme know when you want me to come over, okay?” She spoke gently and offered a small smile. But with as upset as the girl was, it felt inappropriate. She’d hit a sore spot albeit completely unintentionally. Her entire body tensed as Sarah wrapped her arms around her fully. “Thank you. Really,” she whispered. Winter felt her breathing accelerating and she pulled away from the embrace. She couldn’t deal with it. Touch meant threat. Touch meant danger. Touch meant hurt. “Y-You’re quite welcome. Why don’t you finish your shell collecting?” Thankfully, it didn’t take anything more than that to get Sarah to back away. Winter sank to her knees, breathing erratic and shallow. Her entire body shook. No… Not ahother stupid panic attack… A hug had triggered that? Why?! She hated this so, somuch… Kiyay landed next to her and she pulled him into her lap. The presence was always welcome. The falcon was so very gentle and tolerant. She wasn’t sure if any other bird would tolerate being manhandled like this. Then again, it wasn’t like she knew any other birds aside from these two… It took a little while to calm down. But once she had, she glanced over a Ruby. The little girl had taken to drawing in the sand a few feet away. And quite the technical drawing too… Impressive for one so young, but she’d already displayed her skill earlier with all the technical questions. “Are you ready to head home?” It wasn’t Winter’shome but… Ruby nodded and stood up, kicking over the sand drawing. Winter brushed her clothes off and set Kiyay to the sky. With that, she followed the little girl back into the sweltering forest. What a strange twist the day had taken…