Love

The glowing circles beneath us burst. The world seems to expand around me as I feel myself lifted into the air. I'm barely able to keep myself steady, frantically flapping my wings to keep from falling.

Wings?

To my left, a crow flies forth from the glowing circle where my brother stood.

We land. Little by little, I feel my talons expand against the dirt and feel my fingers through my arms. I dismiss the irony of what we've become and draw my sword. I raise it against the portal I've just opened.

A crow and a raven. Ozpin turned us into birds. How fitting.

"Raven, what in the world happened to us?" The question needs no answer. I dismiss the strategic advantages from this ability that flood my mind and concentrate on the portal. This is no time for distractions—this is the last time I can make her my priority.

Ozpin urges us on from behind. "Truly remarkable. But please, defer your curiosities and experimentation for another time. Let us hurry onward." He doesn't need to remind me. Ozpin raises his cane and runs into the portal first.

He better not think I owe him anything. I refuse to take part in his pointless war. Not with Team STRQ, nor with my tribe.

"That guy. He said I'd be able to control my luck, but all this does is make it easier to stay away from people. I guess he wasn't wrong, though. Let's go, Raven. That little firecracker's waiting for you." Qrow readies his scythe and enters the portal next.

In the momentary solace, I look up into the night sky. The overcast moon reminds me that today is almost over.

Tomorrow is a new day, and there are oaths to keep.

~~~

I step out of the portal and immediately run to the house. The situation is well controlled—Glynda's babysitting is certainly more than adequate.

The smoke from earlier was a consequence of Glynda's Dust technique—a combination of her semblance and control over gravity. Debris from her attacks is burning in what was once the central campfire.

Tactically, the camp is her ideal battleground. The numerous objects scattered about are free for her to manipulate and weaponize. Clutter is given purpose as she raises them into the air, slamming them into Grimm and protecting the other Huntsmen. Between the Huntsmen and Glynda's support, this fight shouldn't last much longer.

Underneath the noise and mayhem, I hear it. I create a new portal to the sound of Yang's cries, and I'm taken to the same window from yesterday night. I attack the Grimm threatening my daughter, slashing it in half. I look into Yang's eyes through the glass barrier between us. Unlike when Summer saved her last night, she doesn't stop crying with me.

The crying breaks the sudden silence that engulfs the wreckage around me. The last of the Grimm must have been finished off. Taiyang runs inside and rushes straight to Yang, trembling from relief and desperation. She never did cry for very long in his arms.

Now that I think about it, this has always been one sided relationship. She never failed to ease my mind, but I'm a failure of a mother who couldn't comfort her very well in return. From outside this window, I know there's more than mere glass between us.

The cold midnight burns in the fire behind me. The flames are extinguished as the Huntsmen in the camp clear the debris. Ozpin and Glynda depart soon after the camp is secured and restored. The others retire for the night, leaving me alone with Team STRQ.

At least Ozpin was considerate enough to leave early instead of staying to assess our new abilities—or to waste his breath trying to change my mind. I accept the small blessing as a chance to savor the little time I have left.

~~~

We're all resting in the lounge. Yang is asleep in Qrow's arms. Summer and Tai are on opposite ends of the couch. It's long past midnight. The last few hours passed by too quickly. My time is over.

"Tai. Summer." They turn to me.

"Oh, that's right." Tai answers, yawning while stretching his arms. "We still haven't talked about what happened with Ozpin's ritual."

The day's stress and desperation has passed and he's finally relaxed now. Unfortunately, one more person will join the list of people he's lost today.

"Not that. Frankly, I have no interest in becoming one of Ozpin's dogs. His war is nothing but pointless suicide, but this is something else." I ready my nerves. I can do this. "Have you ever heard of the Branwen Tribe?"

Qrow immediately snaps to attention. "Raven, what are you doing?" His confusion and panic takes the others by surprise.

"Huh?" I guess Tai wasn't expecting me to change subjects from the ritual. "Well, you've never mentioned anything about it before, but I'm guessing it's where you both came from?"

Summer, noticing Qrow's expression, shifts in her seat uneasily.

"Raven," Qrow interrupts, "None of that matters any—"

"Qrow. Father died last week."

"What?" He pauses, taken aback by the sudden news. His grief for our father, however, is soon replaced by dread. "Raven. No. You wouldn't."

He glances down at my sleeping daughter before looking back at me. His eyes glare and plead at the same time. It seems he was serious about supporting Ozpin after all.

Tai misses Qrow's distress entirely and tries to comfort me instead. "Raven, I'm so sorry. You should have told us! Or at least told me. I'm always here for you. You didn't have to keep this hidden from me; I'd have understood."

But I did have to hide it. It isn't fair, but I won't be there for you, Tai. He really should worry about himself, for once.

"Raven, what's going on? What are you getting at?" Summer asks, sensing something else at work. I return her concerned look with a concrete stare.

"The Branwen Tribe are a bandit group based in Anima, just outside of Mistral. This is who we are." Summer's eyes widen in surprise. My brother, on the other hand, has a different opinion.

"Bandit nothing. They're murderers. They raid the weak and vulnerable towns too far from Mistral's influence for precious supplies. They're the opposite of everything the Huntsmen stand for!" Qrow answers, clearly forgetting why we came here to begin with.

"Qrow. You are a brother of the tribe. My brother. Not one of Ozpin's pawns." The suffocating tension between us clouds the room until Tai interrupts.

"Raven? Bandits? I don't understand, but it's like Qrow tried to say earlier. That doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't change anything. You're still my Raven." Tai speaks, consolingly, though I can the sense worry in his voice.

I wish I could make this easier on him, but I can't. He needs to let go.

"No, Tai. I'm not. I belong to my tribe."

"Raven," Summer interjects. "Why? Where is this coming from? Please, let's just talk about this. Ozpin doesn't own us. You're going to be your own Huntress. You're free to do whatever you want with what Ozpin gave you." Continuing the cycle, Summer is—once again—dead wrong.

"You better not be doing what I think you're doing. Raven, this is wrong." Qrow continues, clearly trying to avoid directly addressing the real topic.

"Everything was going fine. You looked happy! We're committed to the team now. And don't you remember Ozpin's story? This is bigger than the tribe, Raven. This is the world we're talking about now—you can't possibly hate him this much. Can't you tell what the right choice is? Don't do this."

"Do what?" Tai hesitantly asks, barely recovering from his earlier shock.

I'm sorry, Tai. I am so very sorry.

"Qrow, did you forget why we enlisted in Beacon to begin with?" I know how painful this is going to be for Tai and Summer, but it can't be helped. They need to be prepared for what comes next.

Qrow cradles Yang closer. "Raven, no. Don't you dare. Just shut up. It's not too late—just stop this, now!"

There's fury in his words, but he doesn't raise his voice. He isn't trying to wake Yang, that much I can be grateful for. If she were awake, then for the first time in my life, I would run like a coward.

My next words are not for Qrow, but for Tai. There's no way to soften this. Maybe he'll hate me for being so harsh, but maybe that's for the best. Hate might heal quicker than his heart.

Once again, I'm reminded of the scene with Summer leaning on Tai, and my daughter in her arms. I stare directly into Tai's eyes and breathe.

"My brother and I didn't join the Huntsmen to learn from them. We joined to learn about them." Summer and Tai tense in their seats. "To learn how to kill them."

Summer gasps in shock. Tai's eyes cloud with loss and longing.

I stand. The door is just on the other side of the room. Part of me just wants to run. But everyone in this room deserves the right to know. I will see this through to the end.

"Stop this, Raven. These are our friends. Enough about the tribe. Enough about Ozpin's secret war. Can't you see it? This is your family." Qrow states while gesturing to Yang. I ignore it.

"The tribe is your family, Qrow." I say this, though I know only one of us will be returning home tonight.

Home?

"No, Raven. Just stop. I'll do it. You're not a bandit, you're a mother." He says, but Qrow has no right saying any of this to me.

"Wrong. Your sentimentality and accursed semblance would only bring ruin to our people. You don't have what it takes, Qrow." He doesn't deserve it, but I shut him down by attacking his weakness—the semblance he is so terribly ashamed of. I want to blame him, but it's pointless. I was always meant to lead the tribe from the very beginning.

I look back at the door, preparing myself. "I belong to our people. Not to Ozpin—and not to you."

Now Tai stands. I know what he's about to do, but I can't let him do it. I turn away, walk to the door, and open it. The warmth of the house escapes me as I'm engulfed by the midnight chill.

"Raven!" All three voices call out in unison.

Tai catches up to me in a panic after my first few steps outside. I hear Summer's light, frantic footsteps behind him.

As expected, I feel Tai's arm wrap across my shoulders. He suddenly turns me around into an embrace and brings his lips into mine.

In that instant, my mind floods with memories of everything over the past year and half. From the pain of Yang's birth, to the magic of her sweet voice. Tai's pride and laughter. The companionship of this team that I am painfully betraying. And to now—to the kiss I cannot return.

I put my hand to his chest and, with an aching heart, deny myself even the chance to let my fingers linger. Without a moment of pause, Raven Branwen pushes him away.

His breathing is frantic. I gather every remaining ounce of conviction within me and force myself to look up into his pained eyes, reddened with heartbreak. I keep my face as steady as I can.

I will stay strong for you until the very end, Tai. Forget me.

"This is who I am. I am not a Huntress, and never was. I am Raven Branwen, and I am the leader of the feared and powerful Branwen Tribe."

"Raven, why?" Summer tearfully asks me. She's several feet away, but I can see the white of her cloak stained by the rivers streaming from her cheeks. Qrow stands beside her with Yang still resting—blissfully unaware in his arms.

Finally, Tai asks the inevitable question that I've been dreading up to now.

"But Raven, what about Yang? Our daughter? Our baby?"

My senses are screaming. Within me rages the most difficult battle I've experienced in my entire life. I suppress every urge to run up to my daughter and sweep her into my arms; to feel her soft hands curling into mine; to caress her soft, gentle breathing into slumber against my chest.

Beneath my stone dry gaze is an ocean of tears raging to be released. I steady myself with every last trace of willpower I can manage. Everything leading up to this moment will have been for nothing if I can't keep myself together now.

"What about her?"

I turn around open a portal. What was once my future is now my past. I gaze into the twisted red passage and walk towards my new tomorrow.

"Raven! No!" Tai shouts. The man I welcomed into my life begs me to stay a part of it.

"Don't. Please... Don't leave me. Us." I can almost hear the droplets against the ground as they fall from his heartbroken voice.

I feel them coming, but hold back my own tears. My tribe needs a warrior, not a weakling. My feet move slowly, desperately delaying the inevitable.

A hand falls on my shoulder. Between it, I feel a small round object pressed against my skin.

I walk away, and the ring falls to the ground. Behind me, I hear the grass crushing beneath fallen knees. There's only more step before it's all over.

Over my shoulder, I take one last look at my daughter, now facing me with eyes alight with stars. Our noise just woke her. I'm lucky to be already this close to the portal. That was the first time she called me "mama."

I wish we had more time. I wish I could say this aloud to the lilacs in your eyes and watch you smile into your dreams. You were the light in my darkness.

I truly hope Tai says this enough for the both of us.

I love you, Yang.

Goodbye.