A Child's Tale

A smell, that was what came back to him after all this time. Wafting through the air inside of their tiny cottage, invading nostrils with memories of times gone too soon. A battered man stood there in the entryway, shaking off the cold of the road. Late fall, the season most known for gratitude toward what we have in life. And Qrow was feeling none of it, traipsing through the cold forests of Patch to be with the remainder of a family. He'd arrived to an unlocked door and the oven at full blast, burnt cookie smell permeating the home.

"Tai, is this what you call smoke training? Or just a cruel joke?" Qrow called into the kitchen. Clattering cookware answered him, and he took a seat on one of the old chairs. One less person here to use em.

"Good to see you too, Qrow. Back from another harrowing mission?" Taiyang answered. The barb struck deep.

Qrow contemplated getting back into it with him. "It went well enough. Where are my nieces, y'know, the ones who always keep me company while I'm here?" His own jab hurt just as much. Best not to go any further.

A light thump heralded the answer he wanted as he turned to look down the hallway. A shock of blond with a small girl underneath greeted his eyes, running at him full bore. "Uncle Qrow! Why are you here?" she shouted, jumping onto the chair and planting herself squarely on his lap.

"Straight to the point Yang? I see you haven't lost any of that energy." Yang grinned up at him. "I'm here to visit my two favorite girls. And your father, who happens to be here."

"Oh, alright. Let me take you to Ruby then." Her energy seemed to drain a little at the mention of her sister. Yang hopped off of his lap, taking a finger in her own tiny hands and pulling him upward. She tugged Qrow along, slowly making her way toward the room. Like a gatekeeper.

Inside the small frame of a girl crouched beside her bed, fidgeting with something underneath before turning toward the door. Ruby was a tiny child, befitting her young age. But those eyes held a light unlike any Qrow had ever seen, silver color withstanding. They beamed up at him, a soft smile playing on her face as she got up.

"Unca Qwow!" she squealed, toddling over to him to hug a leg. "Didyoo miss me?"

"No." Her eyes stayed lit, the crass joke rolling off her unstoppable glibness. Hopefully she's doing better.

"So, are you gonna tell us a story?" Yang asked from behind him.

"Hah, so that's what I'm good for," Qrow chuckled, walking over to sit on the edge of Ruby's bed. "Alright, what do you wanna hear?"

"An action story, with heroes and monsters!" Yang shouted as she settled onto the rug in front of him.

"I don't know," Ruby said, settling next to Yang. The blond rustled her red fringed black hair, and Ruby pushed back against the older child.

"You two, you sure you want to hear a story about heroes?" Yang nodded vigorously while Ruby looked away. "Hmm, what if I told you a story about me and my time out in the world?" Yang pouted at him, clearly not enthused to hear what he had to say. And Ruby looked up at him.

"Is it scawy?"

Qrow looked into glinting eyes, fearful gaze laced with an adventurous spirit. "It is. But I'm sure you can handle it." His niece looked away, tugging at her shirt collar nervously. She is trying so hard to hide it. "How about this, I'll stop when you want me to, ok?" Ruby's face shot back up to his, and she nodded.

"Aww, I don't wanna hear about an old man." Yang griped.

Qrow looked at the two, balls of energy kept in check by childhood. A childhood that couldn't last forever, a childhood that was no longer kept safe by someone. That job fell to him now, to prepare them for the world outside and all its gruesome evil. A time long past started bubbling up, something he'd wished remained in the past and out of his mind. Qrow wished he could forget much more, but sadly, alcohol was only doing so much to numb the pains of life. Speaking of which, he pulled out the old flask she'd given to him. A memento she called it. Unscrewing the top, he downed a mouthful of the bitter liquid before settling back on his bed-seat.

"Alright, let's start. It was a while ago, I wasn't exactly in the same shape I am now. But I did still have this winning face." Ruby giggled at the opener while Yang rolled her eyes. "My team and I were out on a mission when we ran across this village. It was a small place, lots of children running around though. And we..."

And we were on our way to stop an attack on this village. Qrow walked alongside Summer, Raven and Tai behind keeping watch. She was looking out on the horizon, watching as the sun sank into the ground while night slowly invaded. They'd walked for some hours, the transport dropping them off in a field to conserve fuel. It wasn't as if we were really needed. Qrow was traipsing along with hand on sword, expecting the worst as per usual. Summer was simply walking, her entire body shrouded within her cloak. It always irked Qrow how nonchalant she was when it came to travel. Like she expected to be safe at all times.

"Hey, is that the village there?" Taiyang called out from behind him. Qrow looked at where he was pointing to see a small smoke plume against the amber sky.

"Well your eyes work better than your ears. I was saying how does the Fu Wong Stop sound for tomorrow night?" Raven grumbled. The recipient just looked back sheepishly and nodded it was ok.

Qrow stared at the two of them, trying not to take out his frustrations on his two teammates. "What makes you so sure we'll be back by tomorrow night?"

Raven snapped her eyes on him, glaring at her brother with a typical fire. "This is a low ranked, low paying mission. We're babysitting, that's all. I'd be surprised if we even see any Grimm tomorrow." She unsheathed her enormous katana, swinging it to and fro with a light hand. "And even if we do see something it's not like we can't deal with it."

"We'll just go and do what we came to do. Please, don't start anything else Raven." The soft voice of their leader floated backward. Raven stiffened before slamming her blade back into its sheath.

Qrow looked back at Summer, watching the slight girl carry on as if nothing had happened. She'd grown harder towards Raven's outbursts recently, ever since coming back from a meeting with Ozpin. Taiyang tried to talk to Raven for a few moments before settling in to his usual silent companionship with the woman. Qrow wasn't privy to how their relationship was going, his sister wasn't the gossiping time. So they walked onward, toward the rising smoke and falling sun.

"Uncle Qrow, why is that woman so mean? I thought you were going to tell a story about heroes and monsters." Yang interrupted, pouting at him. She was shifting around in her spot, clearly unhappy about the start of his story.

"Heh, she is a bit of a hard one to get along with. But she'll do what's right, you could count on her for that." Qrow mused, watching Yang pout about his sister. "What do you think of her?"

The young girl tipped her head in thought for a moment. "I think she's selfish. But she also is with you, going to this place. So she can't be bad"

Good instincts. You'll find out one day kid. The little blond squirmed some more before settling back at her sister's side. Ruby was looking at him with a patient face, clearly not worried about anything yet. She reminded him of her mother, how she had time for everyone on her team. How she kept them together with boundless kindness. There wasn't anyone else in the world like that, save for this little girl right here.

"So, where was I? Oh, the village. We walked in to this tiny place and holed up for the night in a cozy little inn. The hostess was quite the-" Tai looked over past the door frame, shaking his head in deadly warning. "Nice lady who took good care of us. In the morning..."

In the morning it began to fall apart, and I'd see why we always fought a losing battle. Qrow rose from his bed, dragging the weary body he called his own out from under covers. Gathering up scattered clothes, Qrow dressed before heading downstairs, oversized sword lounging against his shoulder. The ground floor was barren and he decided to head outside and get a whiff of the morning air. Taking a step past the threshold, Qrow was greeted with the bright morning sun to his eyes. And Summer sitting to the wayside, watching some kids playing.

"Hey, you're up early," he said, settling next to her and basking in the early morning glow. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you ever wonder why we're doing this?" Summer asked, still staring at the kids playing nearby. "I always ask, what kind of a world are we leaving them?"

Qrow looked out at the kids enjoying a stupid game of tag. They were laughing and screaming in the same way he must have done so very long ago. I never did think about these things unless you were nearby. One of the younger ones tripped and fell, crying out as he slid across the ground. He rolled over, clutching at a knee as he cried in pain. The others stopped for a second, looking over at the crying boy in puzzled worry. Summer got up and went over.

Qrow found himself hovering overhead, watching his leader take a knee by the boy. "There there, it's ok. See, just a scratch." Her words were soothing, a hushed coo to ease the boy's pain. "Can you get up? Good, there you go, you just need to keep going. Alright, have fun." And she waved him off, walking with Qrow back to their spot.

"You sure have a way with kids. But then, I guess you deal with two kids constantly." The joke fell somewhat flat, but Summer giggled a bit nonetheless.

"I'd like to have some one day, maybe I can try my hand at baking something. You know, my mother was always the talk of the town for her cookies." She brushed her hair out to one side as she spoke.

Qrow looked on at the kids playing, seeing how they laughed and giggled with or without their companion. "Maybe, I'd probably just get angry at them like my sister got angry at me. But, that's why you are the leader and I'm just the lowly messenger bird."

"You didn't answer my question. What are we leaving those kids?"

Qrow thought about it for a time. They were the future, he at least thought about that from time to time. "I don't know. I've always just floated on the wind, letting it carry me to the next fight. You're the thinker among us."

Summer smiled, still watching as the boy rejoined the others. He was keeping up well. "I think we're here to leave it a better place than we started. And to stay as long as possible, so those children don't have to fight like we do."

"Some of them will eventually join us."

Her smile faded slightly, yielding to his realistic view of the world. "Yes, but not now. They can be kids now."

The door to the inn slammed open, and a yawning Raven walked out. She glanced over at the two before striding over to the kids and barging through their play area. They scattered as she grumbled toward an open window with some food sitting fresh made. Taiyang emerged a moment later, clean and energetic for the new day like always. He waved over to them before following in Raven's tracks, weaving through the kids rather than plowing through.

"Those two. And they're still dating?" Qrow wondered aloud.

Summer still looked out at the kids, slowly coming back together after the duo's intrusion. "We have to be mindful of our status. The world might see us differently one day then the heroes of their stories."

"What does that mean?"

She looked back at him, soft smile back in place. "Just something Ozpin told me. It's good advice, right?"

"Unca Qwow, that lady. Did you like her?" Ruby's small voice broke in over his tale.

Qrow sat up from his spot, looking down at the little face that was asking the same question at him. "What makes you say that?

"She seems nice, an you say so much nice stuff about her."

He sat there, looking at his niece beaming at him about her own mother without even knowing about it. You did always have that effect Summer. "She was a special woman, I can't count the times she was there for me." Or I was for her. "But let me ask you, what do you think of her?"

The small girl sat for a little bit, looking down at her feet pondering his question. Yang rocked impatiently, waiting for her sister to answer his question and get back to the story. For someone who wasn't very excited about this particular one she sure was acting like it was interesting. Then again, Yang would probably take after her mother in that regard. Raven was always one to put up a fit about not getting exactly what she wanted. Even when she enjoyed what she actually got more.

"Well, she's nice," Ruby finally said, looking back up at him, "and she seems like a good person. Even in a bad world."

Qrow looked at her, rolling her thoughts over in his head. From the mouths of children come the purest ideas, something else Summer had said once. "Well, I'd say that's pretty accurate. She did try and stay like that as long as she could." It hurt to think about the following years, but it was what it was.

"Uncle Qrow, can we please keep going? I want to hear more about the mean lady. I don't wanna be wrong about her." Yellow locks bobbed as Yang spoke excitedly.

Well, it was time to start into why he was telling this story. "Alright, but it isn't going to be all roses and sunflowers. So, there we were, bellies full from breakfast and walking out of the village toward where they said the Grimm were. It was a hot day, muggy and stale. We made it out toward the forest and..."

And they were waiting, all of them. There was no way to be prepared. Qrow's blade felt like a lead weight as he stepped backward, flanked by Raven and Taiyang. Before them stretched out innumerable Grimm, all shapes and sizes with claws and fangs pointed straight at them. Snarls and howls drowned out his own shallow breaths. Raven flicked her sword impatiently next to him, clearly wanting to go on the offensive. But it wasn't the plan, so she held back by her brother and waited. Summer, this isn't going to work.

They shuffled backward, keeping an eye on their endless foes and waited. Summer had told them about a small group when she was off scouting, told them they would go back to a larger group. The plan was to follow them and exterminate the entire herd with Summer around the outskirts in case something happened. Too bad something did happen, and now they were facing a storm of black fang and fur. They waited.

"Can handle anything we see? Well Raven, how are we going to handle this?" Tai spat at her, clenching heavily gloved fists in preparation.

"Will you shut up! I can't think with your constant yammering!" Raven snapped back, shifting in an old stance Qrow had watched her perfect. "I'm not going to die like this, and if you're lucky you won't either."

"Says the person who couldn't wait to jump out from the trees to cut down one lowly-"

"Enough!" Qrow snapped, watching a Deathstalker skitter through the ranks of Grimm, "we have enough enemies here without you two." They backed themselves up further. It wasn't too far away from the trees, they'd have an easier time fighting there.

The Grimm figured that as well, as the edges of their ranks swelled and broke loose. Darkness incarnate swarmed at them, a maelstrom of death that held no pity or remorse. Qrow fired a few rounds from his weapon's firearm before flipping the switch and transforming it into a large scythe. He planted it back, waiting for the crash, bracing for his own probable demise. The air seemed filled with the dust of their advance, closing in. Closing in for the end.

A branch snapped.

And the field in front of them lit up, a blinding flash of light engulfing it with its intensity. Qrow looked back as the light dimmed to see a line burned in the grass, Grimm corpses strewn all about while the survivors picked themselves up. The dust in the air had cleared, and he saw the greater horde behind starting to pick up steam. They were shoving the beasts in front around and sifting through the herd. Qrow looked to his teammates, seeing the resolve in their eyes. It wasn't enough, whatever Summer did wasn't going to work.

"Run! We need to get out of here and back to the village!" Summer's voice was ragged, breaking out from above them. Qrow looked upward to see her attach the head of her crook to the branch and swing down.

"You heard her, this isn't the end of the em."

Raven stared daggers into his eyes before slamming her blade back into his home and turning toward the path back. "We can't even kill a bunch of animals."

Now wasn't the time for more group problems, they needed to run. Whatever Summer had found while she was out on the outskirts was worse than this mess.

"Unca Qwow, I'm scared."

Uh oh, here we go. Qrow brought himself around, sitting back at the edge of the bed once more to look into his small niece's face. Ruby was hiding inside her arms, peeking up just above them to look up into his eyes. Yang was trying to shake her a little bit, holding an exposed hand. She's still sensitive about this sort of stuff. I guess I shouldn't expect any less for someone who just lost her mother. Qrow got up off the bed, kneeling down by the shaking girl and placed a hand on her head.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, trying to smile as warmly as possible.

Ruby shook her head at him. "No, I don't want youto stop! The nice lady... she's going to save everyone."

The response took Qrow off guard a little. She knew her mother was a Huntress, that it was her job to help people. But she couldn't know he was speaking about her. "Why do you say that?"

"Because that's who she is. You do the same thing Unca Qwow."

It was a child's answer, the same single minded determination that had seen her through the time right after Summer had died. She wouldn't accept her mother's death, staying up late and staring out the window. Ruby refused to believe it until she finally had to accept it, Yang there by her side the entire time. It was as if the fire had gone out, and the little girl was just drifting along in her own world. This was the most Qrow had seen her fighting back in weeks.

"I think you might want to take a break. You two have got to be hungry," Taiyang broke in from the doorway. He held out a small plate of sandwiches, sticky concoctions of peanut butter and jelly. Qrow was never a fan.

Yang sprang upward and snatched the plate from her father's hands as Ruby looked back. She turned to face Qrow, a sparkle in her silver eyes. "Can we keep going?"

"Sure, but you need to eat. I don't want to be interrupted by your stomach missy." He tussled her hair some before picking her up and setting her on her feet. Ruby made her way slowly out of the room, hugging her father as she passed by.

"Why are you telling them this story Qrow? This isn't the sort of thing they should hear." Taiyang closed the door behind him, leaning on it to keep the children out. "You've done pretty well keeping it clean, but what about the village? How do you plan to not scar your niece for life?"

It was a good question, this story didn't have a happy ending. But Qrow was always one for a challenge, a way to overcome the odds. "I'll just skip over that. They'll eventually figure it out, when they're older. By then they should get the message."

"And what message is that? That the Grimm are savage killers hellbent on eradicating us?"

Qrow rubbed his nose, trying to keep from snapping back. "No. I want them to keep going even when everything seems like it's in pieces. Even if we lose loved ones, entire villages, even the kingdom itself, we have to keep going."

Taiyang pushed off of the door, walking up and into Qrow's face. He stared into sullen eyes just inches from his face. "That isn't what she wanted."

Qrow stared back into the eyes of a man still grieving. "I don't think I'm going to be able to stop it Tai. Yang's already like Raven, driven and focused on heroes and monsters. How do you think Ruby is going to turn out?"

Taiyang pulled back, eyes closed and shoulders limp as he contemplated the truth of Qrow's words. "I just... I can't lose them too Qrow. I don't have it in me anymore," he whispered. A light knock emitted from the door before a blond tornado blew into the room. Behind her the timid form of Ruby Rose came walking in, still holding herself.

"Alright! Let's see what happens next. I can't wait to hear how you get out of this one Uncle Qrow." She settled down with a light thump, gyrating from her excitement. Yang pushed her father away, back towards the door. "This is our story time, you'll just ruin it."

Tai looked back at Qrow while he was getting shoved out. He just shrugged at the man, smiling while his niece muscled her father out of the room. Ruby walked over and settled gently onto the floor, looking up at him with fearful eyes.

"Do you still want me to go on?"

The little mess of red and black hair bobbed up and down, her hand reaching over and gripping her sister's in a vice grip.

"Alright, now I was just saying we were running away from this huge group of Grimm. Our leader," he said looking down at the wide eyed little girl who would call her mom, "she was by us now talking about the group moving up from the north. We got back to the village to..."

To the sight of carnage, a group of Beowolves were running roughshod in the streets. Qrow wrenched his scythe free from the fallen corpse of an Ursa, a stray from the pack up north that Summer had mentioned. The streets were a mess, fallen carts and Grimm corpses littering the ground. And the bodies. Qrow turned back toward the edge of the village, watching the inky black oozing within the forest and out beyond his vision. This wasn't supposed to be like this, the scouts were supposed to report this kind of build up. But then, what if they only just showed up?

A red wave sliced through the air ahead of him, black mist shooting up in its wake as it died off. Qrow knew it well, having watched Raven perform her slashes as such for nearly half a decade. Sure enough the armor clad woman sauntered out from the behind of a house and stretched her arms outward. You always did enjoy this. And what about the people? Qrow's thoughts wandered as she approached him with a cruel smile lighting her face.

"Finally! I can kill some time and some Grimm without your constant nagging. Or rosy cheeks grumbling," Raven muttered, spitting out the taste of her leader's pet name. "This turned out better than I thought."

Qrow looked her dead in the eyes, searching for any signs of pity. She was lost to it, no more mercy was left there. Only a bale red glow. "Have you seen any of the villagers? Are they safe?"

"Only the ones on the ground or getting kicked out of my way." There it was. Best to just let her do the job that she trained for.

Thunder crashed behind them, the sound of screams echoing in the tiny village. Raven strode away, consumed with the task at hand. Qrow looked back, seeing the smoke plume rising from behind the cozy inn they had stayed at just hours earlier. It wasn't from any normal explosive, a faint shine emanating from it as growls and snarls died down. Scanning the forest one last time, Qrow turned and started off toward the source. Rounding the corner, he found the diminutive woman who could produce such destruction.

"Summer, are you ok? That was one serious explosion," he stressed, worried about more than just the Grimm that may have been nearby.

Summer was panting, grasping her bladed shepherd's crook for support. "I'm... ok. There weren't that many of them and... the children."

Qrow looked up and over at the building. A side door was cracked open with a set of beady eyes staring out at them. The set grew to a quartet, than a half dozen before the children spilled out onto the ground in wide eyed wonder. They were looking at Summer with those eyes, muddy faces shining out with wonder.

"You know what this does to you. You need to take it easy Summer," Qrow chided. She had a bad habit of pushing herself to hard when it came to combat. "Come on, we need to get them out of here and-"

Screeching broke through the air, silencing the two Huntsman with its ferocity and power. They looked up at a demon, a large Nevermore slowly circling downward in wide arcs. It called out once more, beckoning death to come forward and remove the speck of humanity before them. Qrow looked back to Summer as she started to rise from her slump. She was staring at the harridan descending on wings of shade.

"No, Summer, No! You're too weak." She ignored his protests, beginning to raise her crook toward the beast. "Summer! We need to get these kids to safety."

That brought her out of it, the woman's reflective eyes widening as she looked back at the handful of small bodies huddled together. "You're right. So where should we go?" Placid orbs stared at Qrow, demanding an answer with their intensity.

"Hey! We need to move, the rest of the herd is on its way. This place is going down, we need to get out of here!" Taiyang's voice, the clear tones echoed out from nearby. "What are you doing?"

Qrow looked out to where Tai's voice resonated from and saw him standing by a large barn. He looked back over Summer and the kids. We won't make it with all of them in tow. There wasn't an option. "Summer, we need to go."

Her eyes locked onto his. "I'm not going to leave these people to die."

"We don't have a choice, it's too late to get them out."

The children huddled under her, shaking with fear. "What are we going to leave these kids Qrow?"

"Now is not the time for philosophy Summer, there are unspeakable monsters bearing down on us right now!"

"What are we leaving them?" Summer was standing up straighter now.

Qrow tried to take her hand. She pulled it back, placing the crook between her and him. "We can't do this."

"Qrow. Answer me."

"You wouldn't leave them Unca Qwow!" Ruby shouted, small hands balled into fists as she glared at the old Huntsman. "Those Gwimm aren't any match for you or the nice lady!"

Qrow chuckled a little at the interruption, shaking his head at his young niece. "It sounds nice to say it, but the only way you'll find out is if I finish my story."

Yang shoved her sister playfully. "Yeah dummy, you don't want to spoil the ending do you? I'm sure that mean lady is going to beat them all up."

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

Qrow stamped his foot to quiet the two kids. "You won't find out if I don't get a chance to speak." They settled down, trying their best to look like respectable children. "Good, now then, we got into the barn with the children in tow. They were bundled up in the back while we all stood guard at the front. Suddenly-"

Suddenly the storm broke outside, and we watched it all from our hiding place. He stood there with Summer and Taiyang watching it all unfold. Beowolves swarmed the streets outside as a massive King Taijitu slammed into the nearby houses. Screams erupted, followed swiftly by roars of pleasure and the occasional gunshot. The Grimm stalked outside, ignoring their haven and the crack in the doors. Bodies seemed to be multiplying in the streets as the villagers ran out in drips and drabs. It was an ocean of black fur and chitinous carapace just beyond their portal.

"I wanna go home!" a small voice cried out behind Qrow.

"Me too."

"Where's my mom?"

Red eyes snapped to their hiding place, slowly making a path to the barn doors. Qrow stepped back, readying his scythe and planting his feet. I never know where I'm going, just float from one fight to the next. Now it seemed like he'd found the last fight he'd ever have. Summer touched his shoulder. Qrow turned to look into silver saucers that were serene in the face of danger. She placed a light hand to his cheek, a silent wish of good luck.

Wood strained as a mass of meat and bone was flung against it, slamming again and again into the thin barrier protecting them. Taiyang slammed his fists together, drawing out the Dust from within his fighting gloves. Scrabbling claws broke through the wood, tearing ever greater gouges into the diminishing door. Qrow breathed deeply, letting his mind empty and falling into a steady rhythm of life. Inhale. Exhale.

The door gave way. It was time to fight. Qrow leapt upward, levering his scythe into a mighty downward stroke. The Beowolf collapsed in two halves, and he swung sideways at the next intruder to fling himself backwards.

Inhale.

Maniacal laughter erupted through the village as red waves blasted outward through the streets. Several Grimm outside were sawn in half by a crimson wall, falling over while still others took their place. The tide swelled outward, buying precious seconds for the weary fighters inside.

Exhale.

Summer swung from a rafter, lunging downward to hook onto the neck of an enormous Beowolf. Momentum carried her forward, silver mist trailing in her movement and engulfing the monstrosities. She tightened the arc. And the head came off in one clean motion, Summer soaring back upward. A click. And the mist erupted into an inferno.

Inhale.

Taiyang stepped inside the Ursa's reach, pulling back with a single arm. The monster swiped, and the man held off a massive paw with his off hand. Letting the punch fly, it connected in a swirl of green and black. The Ursa lifted slightly before rocketing out of the barn and plowing through a dozen smaller Grimm.

Exhale.

On they fought, a menagerie of monstrosities and nightmares blurring together in Qrow's vision. The scythe in his hands grew heavier and heavier as he fought, a great leaden weight that threatened to topple him over. The corpses were a grotesque vision of broken Grimm carcasses and black fog. Through the wailing of the children and gnashing growls of blackened death the still strong laughter pierced outward. Still alive. Well, we both were always hard to kill. Qrow brought his stained weapon down once more, sinking through a stray Beowolf. It fell to him like countless brothers.

With one last breath it fell silent, the wall of tortured bodies stacked high in front of the three warriors. Even Raven's insane laughter was gone, peace breaking out once more in what once was a tiny village. Qrow stood, staring at the scene of their fight. Or rather, their slaughter. Scorch marks lined the semi circle that was the doorway, a testament to the might of their team leader. It wasn't something Qrow could fathom or explain, an ability that had saved him so many times before. But it wasn't time for him to worry about saving people. Summer was collapsed beside him.

"Hey, hey! Summer, are you alright?" Qrow knelt by the crumpled form, taking her head in hand. Her eyes cracked open, and a light smile graced her face. He smiled back. And she passed back out. "Summer? Summer! Open your eyes!"

A small girl came over, kneeling down beside the woman. Her face was a streaked mess of mud and tears, her blue dress tattered and soiled. She leaned over Summer and whispered something, hugging the woman tightly before getting up and going back to her group.

"Summer, please. If you can hear me, we did something at least. Those kids... they'll grow up at the very least." A few tears rolled off his cheeks, landing nearby.

"Good. That's... good." A croak, but it was more than nothing. Qrow gingerly picked up their exhausted leader, turning back to Taiyang. He motioned to the kids, and started over the black wall they had built up. It wasn't an easy trek, but he made it all the same

The outside was a scene out of the darkest thoughts imaginable. Bodies lay torn and broken all around the village in a sea of carnage stretching to the limits of the buildings. What remain of the buildings that is, masonry lay scattered at every corner as a grim reminder of the mark humanity once made on this land. Qrow looked along the ground, noting deep grooves that could only be from one source. Tracing the trail of death back to its origin, he stood over the heaving form of red armor and black hair that was Raven.

"Are you ready to go?"

She nodded lightly, sucking great amounts of air in as she lay unmoving. Always to the very limits. Always trying to prove something. Qrow looked back at Taiyang walking up with the children in tow. They had their eyes tightly shut as they walked hand in hand. Looking down at the crumpled Raven he left the kids standing and hefted her onto his shoulder. She grumbled at having to be carried out, but Tai just said something soft and pleasant. The grumbling stopped and she let him carry her without any further comment.

The battered group walked through the site of their failure, survivors in tow as they passed the place where they played hours earlier. Passing into the forest, Qrow tried to spot where the herd had to have gone. It was a miracle they decided to move on when they did, fatigue gnawed at every inch of his body. No sign of the deadly creatures, and Qrow decided it would be good to settle for now just on the outskirts. Just in case anyone survived, unlikely as it was. Finding a suitable clearing, he set down the slowly breathing form of Summer.

"Hey Sum, we're safe now. You did well, but you pushed too hard again. You always were-"

A light touch to the cheek, and a slight smile. "Qrow. We did it, we saved someone."

It was true, they'd saved a group of kids. But it wasn't enough. "Summer, the people, everyone who counted on us. We..."

"We'll keep going. It's... the only thing we can do. But we saved someone Qrow. We... left them... a hope." And she nodded off again, chest rising and falling to a peaceful rhythm. He watched her rest, looking at a peaceful face as the world tightened the noose a little more around them. How can you say that? We couldn't even protect a tiny village. Qrow tried to shake off his morbid thoughts, looking over to Taiyang and Raven. He was bandaging the armored Huntress while she sneered at him. But there wasn't any malice in the action, his sister trying to keep up her usual tough girl act.

A sound of whimpering brought Qrow's attention over to the children. The smallest one was huddled into herself, light sobs escaping or protective arms. He found himself sitting by her, watching the little girl cry a small stream of tears. "What's the matter?"

She looked up at him. "I miss my momma. Is she gonna come back?"

Qrow looked at the little girl, the same girl from earlier if her blue dress was any indication. She had strong eyes, but they were hidden under a shock of orange hair. He brushed the dirty strands out of the way, looking into those eyes. "I don't know. But you'll still be here if she doesn't come back."

"I don't wanna leave my momma. Why can't she come back?

"She's... she's gone on a trip. I don't know where." The lie tasted bitter in his mouth. "But I'm sure she misses you, and she'll be happy to see you again. But she'd want you to be good while she's away."

The little orange haired girl smiled a little smile up at him, brightening at Qrow's words. "Ok, I'll wait until then. Um... can I stay with you and the nice lady until then?"

"Sure sweetie, and I know someplace you can stay when we're off doing our jobs as well."

The little girl got up and gave him a hug before walking back over to where the other children were grouped, trying to pass the time. It was a hard life ahead for them, no families, orphanages and schooling. Some of them would be great. Some of them would fall to a life of crime. But Qrow remembered Summer's words. We saved someone. We kept something from them. He walked back to be with his leader, the woman slowly breathing in the familiar look of sleep. Qrow lay down next to her, feeling the exhaustion of his own body quickly catching up to him. A fleeting thought escaped him, but the memory remained. What are we leaving behind?

"That's how it ends?" Yang blurted out. The little blond was up on her feet now, staring at him incredulously. "You just walked off with those people?"

Qrow looked at her, taking in the frustration in her face. Yep, Raven is all over that kid. Pulling out his flask, he took a long, sullen draw to wash away the bitter memories. "Well, what else did you expect me to do? The village was a wreck and we needed to leave."

"I guess. But... it doesn't feel right."

He chuckled a little, returning the smooth metal container to a vest pocket. The alcohol was having little effect, and he pondered another drink. "You sound like you were expecting some fairy tale ending. I told you it wasn't sunflowers and roses. But we made it out, so it ended well enough."

"I think it ended well." Yang stared down at her sister, frowning at her interruption. The small girl looked up at Qrow with wide silver discs. "You and the lady saved them. That's what matters Unca Qwow."

He sat there with his jaw hanging loose, looking at the innocent girl reciting Summer's wishes to him. Qrow had omitted those words from the story, and still she knew them. "That's... right Ruby." The little child smiled at him.

"Alright you two, it's time to finish up the chores," Taiyang said, leaning on the doorway. "I'm sure Uncle Qrow has places to be and things to do."

Yang grumbled off past her father, clearly not happy with the ending. She'll learn soon enough, it's not something everyone wants to hear. Ruby sat for a second with her head on her hands, thinking about whatever childish thing came to mind he assumed. Qrow got up to leave, stopping at the doorway as Tai blocked it off from him. They hadn't seen eye to eye since Summer's untimely death, or really since Raven had left and Qrow had brushed him off. That's just the way my sister is. But now it would be one more thing to add to the fire.

"Why did you tell them this story?" he whispered, trying not to let Ruby hear.

"They need to hear it, their parents aren't perfect heroes." The softness underscored his ire.

"That's not what I meant. You know what Summer wanted as well as I do. Those two weren't supposed to follow her... us, everyone into the same fate. She wanted something else for them." The man was close to tears, eyes clenched shut against the impending torrent.

"Oh, Unca Qwow!" Ruby exclaimed behind them. Qrow turned around to face his bright little niece. "I wanted to show you something." She fumbled around under her bed, pulling out a great mess of red cloth. Swinging it around her shoulders, she fastened a little button in front and swung a hood up. "Do you like it?"

He watched as the little girl became the spitting image of her mother, Summer Rose standing there before him once more. "Yeah... it's lovely Ruby. You look beautiful."

"Thank yoo! Yang helped with the the hard stuff."

Qrow shook his head, turning back toward the doorway and Taiyang. Walking up to the man, he stopped to look back at his niece playing around in her new red cloak, waving it about and running in circles. He turned back to Tai, watching the man try and hold back his tears. "I wasn't going to be able to stop them. Best they learn the hard lessons now rather than later." Qrow pushed past him and on out of the house.

Qrow had never felt so drained, a day of story telling nearly matching a day slaying beasts in cold blood. Still, he soared on the air with wings of feathers, toward a familiar spot holding a familiar soul. Flowing back into his skin from his crow form, he alighted down next to the stone in a heap of feathers and aches. Before him lay a stone with old etchings, words that she had loved so much adorned it. Qrow took a slow drink before starting, trying to drown out the memories from earlier. It still wasn't helping.

"Well, here we are again. I just got back from Tai's place, saw the girls. They're doing alright now, since you left. Yang's getting stronger everyday. Maybe she'll be as strong as her mom." Words, empty and still. But words that comforted him better than the liquid fire in his veins. "And Ruby, she's getting better. Showed me something today, a little red cloak. You'd be so proud, she made it herself." Qrow paused for a moment. "Well, she had help from Yang. I'm sure she did most of it though."

Another long pull, drowning out the rising sorrow. "Those two listened to my... our story today. Yang didn't really like Raven that much, but she understood her. And Ruby, oh those little eyes lit up when she started hearing about you. One day she'll know I was talking about you... about what we did." A light moisture was clinging to Qrow's eyes. "They both want to be heroes, to save people. I can't stop them now. I'm sorry, you never wanted your babies to fight."

It wasn't right that they had to fight. He should have been strong enough, to keep them safe, to keep them all safe. The orphan girl, the villagers, the wonderful inn-keeper, they all deserved to live long, happy lives. Instead they had to suffer because he wasn't good enough to stand next to Raven or Summer. And now he was consigning his nieces to the same fate. "I tried to tell it as best I could Summer, but they're young. They couldn't handle it all, maybe later down the line. But I told them the most important parts. How even if we fall, even if it all crumbles, the tiniest shred we keep for ourselves is all that matters."

The man felt his shoulders slump, a weight pulling him down as he turned to leave. He'd failed in the last wishes that his teammate... his partner had had. Summer only wanted her children to know peace, it was why she fought so hard. She gave her life willingly to snatch that shred of peace for them, and Qrow felt like he would do the same now. It wasn't a happy life they led, but it was the one they had chosen. Walking a short distance away, he turned for one last look. A few petals danced on the air.

"It won't be long now, Summer, you'll be seeing them again soon."