Die

And here we have it: the titular chapter, the incident this fic was really named after. I didn’t flesh out the details until recently, but I knew this would be the chapter that shared the full compilation’s title. “And then I said, ‘What are you, chicken?’ Oh wait, he was since his name was Kiken!” Summer covered her mouth with a hand at the joke. Qrow just rolled his eyes while Taiyang chuckled. It was always odd to hear about the Branwen tribe using bird names since she was so used to the color ones. Qrow and Raven’s names at least invoked the black of their namesakes, so they didn’t stand out as much as names as Ibis and Corma.     She smiled and looked up at the clear, blue sky. The sunlight warmed them and offered safe passage on their journey. They were toward the more northern part of Anima, so they had begun to feel the slow temperature drops day by day. It was just a routine mission to clear out a den of hardy Beowulves on the surface. In reality, Ozpin had received word some of Salem’s spies might have been in the area. It was their job to investigate if it was true or not and report back to him.     Summer tensed, however, when she sensed some subtle change in the air. An underlying shift. Malice of some sort but not that of Grimm. Neither Qrow nor Raven had seemed to notice, so it had to be her silver eye—     Everything suddenly went black as burlap scraped her skin. She gritted her teeth from the contact, but one well-placed kick earned a scream of pain. She removed the sack and whipped Battaglia to its full length.     Pure chaos reigned as at least ten men descended on them. She caught sight of them trying to separate them. Three rushed her with swords and knives, though one swipe of the spear blade sent them reeling back.     She felt a staff cross her chest and throat, causing her to struggle for breath. She tried to aim for the vulnerable spot, but black tugged at the edges of her vision.     Then she smiled.     She gave into the panic and aimed it back at the man who gripped her. He dropped to the ground with a thud. Sometimes her Semblance came in handy even if it was more of a curse half the time.     The two remaining men tried to approach, but another swipe of Battaglia kept them back. It gave her a second to see her teammates scattered among the trees. She caught a flash of yellow then red and black further back. Raven’s aura flared and Summer froze as pure despair washed over her. What had happened? Why wasn’t Raven using her Semblance? She always did when they were ambushed… More despair ebbed into her being and Summer shook, unable to move from the fear. The two men approached her and she attempted to lift Battaglia. Her arms refused to respond, her own dread seeping in. Oh gods, Raven couldn’t even move. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and the despair gave way to resigned acceptance. No . This couldn’t be happening. Not to Raven. She couldn’t lose her. Summer shook and felt the wind stir her cloak. The darkest clouds covered the sky and thunder cracked overhead. For a brief moment, everything stopped. Attackers and defenders alike stared. She saw the attackers surge forward again. Raven’s despair deepened and the sky opened. Rain and hail the size of baseballs struck down. Thunder cracked. Lightning flashed. Screams filled the air. Bodies hit the ground, but Summer couldn’t be sure if they were her teammates or the attackers. All she could do was return Battaglia to its lyre form. She curled into a ball as hail assaulted her, depleting her aura. She hugged her weapon and sobbed. The storm almost seemed to respond to her cries, pulsing in waves every few seconds. It took only a few minutes for her aura to break and everything went dark after a sharp rap to her head. — Summer snapped awake, gripping her head with her hands. She could feel the innumerable bruises left by the hail. It’d be weeks until she was fighting fit again. But it didn’t matter if… A slight pulse made her relax and she looked up, only to see Raven sitting there. Her head dipped and bobbed as she fought exhaustion. Summer leaned up and nuzzled their cheeks together, snapping Raven awake. Mutual relief washed over them and they hugged each other. “Oh, thank the gods you’re safe, Rae…” “I was more worried about you, MeMe. When that storm came out of nowhere…” Raven pressed her forehead into Summer’s and she just closed her eyes. That storm had freaked her out, but she was more glad Raven was okay. She’d been so close to dying… A rustling tent flap made Summer glance over and she blinked as she pulled away from Raven. “Oz?” The hell was he doing here? He was supposed to be at Beacon. It was the middle of the second trimester, not exactly a smart time to step away! Then again… She just looked at Raven who shifted. Summer sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Another info-dumping session apparently. Tai and Qrow hobbled over to the fire while Summer remained lodged in Raven’s arms. “I honestly cannot say I was expecting this,” Ozpin confessed as his gaze settled on Summer. “A silver-eyed warrior and a Maiden at the same time…? In all of my years, this is probably the most curious twist in our fight.” Summer just rolled her eyes and sighed. “Cut the shit, Oz, and give us what info you will.” He still really hadn’t explained the full significance behind her eyes other than she ‘was a natural warrior, feared by Salem and the Grimm.’ Sure, they’d been his spies since graduating a year ago, but he still refused to give them information beyond that. Ozpin pushed his glasses up before explaining briefly about the Maidens. She’d thought it was just a fairytale, but after that… Well, there was no denying the truth of his words. She felt the faint pulse of the earth itself in her veins. It certainly explained the heightened perceptions over the past three months… “ALthough, I will confess that there is one thing that surprise me about this.” Everyone looked at Ozpin during the pause. “I thought that if either of you were to obtain the Spring Maiden powers, it’d be Miss Branwen.” Summer and Raven exchanged glances, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” She felt trepidation fill Raven, but Ozpin raised a hand. “Each of the Maiden powers have associated personality traits with them, derived from the original young women that bore the abilities. For Spring in particular, it’s someone warm, kind, and outgoing, but the most important trait is to be nurturing.” The two women looked at each other again. It certainly made sense why he thought that. Sure, Raven was bullheaded, but her warm, friendly nature helped bring out the best in others. She’d really help pull Summer out of her shell and made her live up to her potential as a student at Beacon. Summer was plenty nurturing, but it was mainly to her close friends. She helped people when necessary, but other than that, she wasn’t the most nurturing person. “Unfortunately, this does confirm that the previous Maiden passed away… We lost contact with her about six months ago in one of Salem’s ambushes. This means she had nobody in her last thoughts, so the powers chose you.” “And I’m guessing things just got a hell of a lot more dangerous because of it.” Summer closed her eyes. “Precisely, Miss Rose.” Gods damn it all.