Sunny Little Dragon

The scouting operation Ozpin sent us on today was fairly easy. We secured a path through an area previously frequented by Grimm, improving travel between some rural towns. He's changed the nature of our missions ever since I gave birth. We're not sent on long expeditions as often now. It's like an extended maternity leave for the time being. Too bad for Qrow and Summer, though. Qrow prefers tracking and recon, and Summer devotes herself to search and rescue missions. They won't have to wait on me much longer, though. They'll be able to return to their normal lives soon. Tai, on the other hand...

I decide it's time to tell him. This "family" of ours has been like a dream—one that I'll treasure for the rest of my life. But it's time to wake up and face reality. I can't deny my destiny. So instead, I have to deny the other side of this door.

I walk into the bedroom. Yang's on the bed, practically bouncing. She keeps trying to stand and imitate Tai, but repeatedly fumbles over due to the bed shifting under her weight. "Showing off?" I ask him in the middle of his kick.

Ever since she started standing, he's been playing with her like this, trying to teach her how to throw a punch. This moron even thinks he can teach a toddler to kick. I can't count how many times she just tipped over sideways. Still, she keeps getting back up. Her persistence makes me feel surprisingly warm.

He laughs. "Nah, just trying to keep up. Our sunny little dragon here threw a few solid punches earlier! You should have seen it, Raven. She could teach you a thing or two. Isn't that right, Yang?" He turns to her and that sweet laughter clouds my mind.

"Taiyang." I pause. He stops as well. I only call him by his full name in battle or when I'm serious. I don't get it. I don't hesitate. I never do. I know what I have to do. So why is my heart racing like this?

"What's on your mind, Raven?" He comes close. Yang is still laughing. Part of me can't believe I joined the academy so I could learn to kill people like him. The other part is screaming, telling me to get a hold of myself. "Hey." He says, consolingly.

"It's a question. About Yang." And thoughts of the tribe fill my mind. I want her with me. But I can't. Where I'm going, a leader can't be hindered by maternal anchors, let alone emotional attachment. I internally scream at myself again, for calling Yang a hindrance. Tai puts his hands on my shoulders, and I push them away. I can't finish my sentence like this. I say the first thing that comes to mind. To my surprise, I find myself asking, "Am I... a good mother?"

Tai reaches for my hand but is interrupted by strange noises from Yang. It's like she's imitating his grunts from his display earlier. We see her throw one of the punches Tai mentioned. Her eyes flash red for a moment before returning to their natural lilac. She fumbles over from the momentum and continues laughing.

I'm suddenly surrounded by an embrace. The voice in my ear tells me yes, but my mind tells me no. "Of course you are." He looks down at me while I turn away. I can't do this.

His next sentence throws me completely off guard, disarming me entirely. "Did you see it earlier, Raven? She has your eyes, too."