Chapter Text
Having to be put into an academy school to observe Huntsmen for later conflict was not the idea Raven had in mind, nor did she even want to really be there. She wasn’t going to complain or refuse, but it doesn’t mean she was going to act happy about it either. Qrow wasn’t particularly joyful either, though it clearly didn’t bother him as much, at least… not in the same way.
After successfully managing to make their way into the academy, the next thing to check off the list was dealing with the team initiation. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? Yeah, until you’re not able to find your brother in the middle of a forest because you literally got flung in the air.
Raven landed on her knee and one propped foot, using a hand for more balance. Once she gave herself a few seconds to regain view, she stood up and looked around the area she arrived in. It was random part of the forest’s trail, it had plenty of free space to roam around and it was a good spot for a clean battle, but that wasn’t the focus. She had to find Qrow to make sure the mission went as planned, though it was hard to even decipher what direction he fell in when she could hardly keep her eyes open in the sky.
She turned her head around multiple times, paying close attention to the details of the forest and trying to make her eyesight and hearing act as her dominant senses for the current time. Raven heard no one or thing nor did she see anything, hopefully she could be faster than Qrow’s semblance.
Raven begins her hunt for her brother down the trees, rather than the path. It would be more likely for him to have fallen in random patches of trees then get lucky like she did, right? She was quick on her feet and attentive to her surroundings, making sure to keep her guard as she jogged.
What was only a few minutes felt like hours because of the repeating patterns of the forest, it seemed luck wasn’t on her side this day. She swashed her sword through bushes to get through, being quick with her movements for better progress. It might’ve gotten her through the trees but it didn’t get her to her brother.
Not too far from her spot, she heard sounds of a battle. There were Grimm roars and slashes and gunshots, maybe he was near?
Raven swiftly made her way closer to the personal arena, staying in the shadows of the forest to make sure she didn’t officially trigger the rules. There were multiple Grimm than she had initially thought, about five of them surrounding a girl whose appearance was concealed by the bodies of Beowolves. This strangely alerted Raven, should she help?
This made the process of finding Qrow take longer and also conflict her thoughts on the mission, she’d have to interact and befriend Huntsmen in order to learn their abilities and Qrow was probably already discovered by another person… Would it really be a bad idea? Maybe separate teams could even be more efficient.
Not too much thinking was allowed when Raven’s instincts kicked in, this person was probably more than capable yet Raven felt some sort of urge to help. A desire, yet she was never the type to do that regularly. She ran into the circle of Beowolves, killing the one in front of her with just a quick harsh slash of her sword. This clearly alerted the other, hearing a sound of surprise. Raven didn’t give herself a chance to get a clear look of the anonymous Huntsman, instead she focused on the task at hand.
Raven attacked the other two Beowolves that were standing just a few feet away from the now deteriorated Beowolf, while the Huntsman was still shocked at the random encounter. They were quickly distracted from their surprise when they were hit by the claw of the Grimm in front them, stunting them temporarily.
“What are you doing?” Raven said, as the third Grimm of hers deteriorated just underneath her feet, her sword soon stabbing air. “Fight!”
This time, Raven got a proper look, granted only from the behind though. They had a white cloak that covered most of their figure, but occasionally signs of a black skirt and shoes were made apparent. They had dark brunette hair that faded to red that Raven could only barely spot, their hood only helping create the white shadow look. Their weapon was loud with its gunfire, but effective enough to stunt Grimm.
Despite that fact, the Beowolves were most effected by the blade of the rifle, it was what really took them down in the end. The hunter took a second to breathe after getting the Grimm, which made it apparent their stamina was a lower level than Raven’s. She tried to not let that be the only thing she would base her judgment on.
The other turned around and Raven finally got a proper vision of the fellow trainer, they had black attire under the cloak, more specifically: a black and white overbust corset, a skirt with white tulle underneath, gray tights, and black knee-high boots with red soles, and the armbands of the top had studs and a high collar. Her most defining trait were her eyes however, they were silver. This gained a physical reaction from Raven, though she kept her silence.
“Thanks for um… saving me?” It sounded like a question, her expression was one of uncertainty, almost like she didn’t need help in the first place.
Raven’s stern gaze gave her anxiety, she quickly broke eye contact and stammered. She grabbed onto her skirt and pinched at it to calm her nerves, unsure of what to do next. Raven took a few minutes to just analyze her, the way she stood, her body language, her attire, and also recalled her fighting style she saw for a very short time. It left for very awkward, silent tension between the two for about a minute.
“Don’t mention it.” The dark clothed figure finally responded, her voice only increasing her intimidation.
“So… I guess we’re partners now.” She said quietly, her pupils glancing up at Raven and then to her clothes then to the ground quickly, “My name’s uh… Summer.”
Summer was rather shy, especially upon meeting new people. Though her cloak made her stand out a bit, so it was a little ironic. She was very clearly shorter than Raven, which could be effective in battle if they know what they’re doing.
Instead of responding, Raven just nodded her head and starting walking off. She was going to find the die, signaling for Summer to follow. Summer hurriedly went after Raven, she walked fast due to her impatient nature and her long legs. Now that Raven was back in the trees with an accomplice, she was back to the pattern of slashing bushes out of the way. The walk wasn’t too far, yet it felt like forever.
The two hadn’t made any conversation since they started heading after their goal, it seemed like the awkward tension was one-sided. Summer was shy and anxious, very clearly intimidated by Raven but without a clear reasoning, while Raven was calm and near perfectly content, she didn’t really mind Summer’s presence and she was eager to get this mission over with.
Soon they reached their destination and noticed no other hunter around, were they first or last? Did it matter? Raven went over to the stand and used her hand to signal Summer to follow her, even though that’s exactly what she was doing in the first place. Raven sorted through the dice and settled on one of the red ones, showing off the red die to Summer to make her aware.
“Raven.” She spoke, heading off the stand with Summer behind her.
“Huh?”
“My name is Raven.”
Summer smiled, it certainly fit her just based on appearance. She seemed to calm down a bit from getting enough trust from the Huntress to know her name, was that something others did?
As they approached back to the cliff they were launched off of, they could hear Grimm’s footsteps not too far from their current position. This immediately put them both on guard, preparing to withdraw their weapons. Their steps became quieter, Summer’s were a bit unsure.
Soon they saw the action, Qrow and a blonde were both facing down a deathstalker. It seemed they’ve been going at it for a bit now, noticing the few missing limbs and stinger. Before Summer could rush in to help, Raven stopped her with her arm, setting it out straight on her chest. She looked at Raven with a furrowed brow, Raven only shook her head, silently communicating to leave the two guys alone.
Within what felt like a blink of an eye, Qrow stabbed his scythe through the head of the deathstalker, causing it to fade through the air. It seemed so easy, especially with not seeing the previous part of the fight unfold.
“Well, let’s head up. I think we’ve kept the headmaster waiting long enough.” Qrow said, hanging his scythe over his shoulder and slouching.
“Yeah,” The other man responded hurriedly, “You didn’t drop the thing, did you?”
“Teh, I’m not that clumsy.” Qrow pulls a die similar to the one Raven found from his pocket, chucking it over to the other guy, “If you’re so worried, you can hold onto it.”
The Huntsman was flimsy with his catching, nearly dropping the die multiple times before getting a stern grasp of it. A sigh of relief escaped him soon after, shoving it into his pocket and withdrew his weapon. They were about to head back before a voice caught their attention,
“Hey.” Qrow and the Huntsman turned their heads to see Raven and Summer, the tinier Huntress using Raven as concealment.
Qrow smirked and nodded his head a few times, “I was wondering when you’d show up.”
“It would’ve been a lot sooner if I didn’t get wrapped up with her.” That came off much more rude and aggressive than Raven had intended, looking back to Summer after realizing, “Not… that it’s a bad thing.” She tried to reassure despite not even knowing if Summer needed that.
“Who is she?” Qrow pointed to her lazily, his arm quickly falling down to his side after.
“Who is he?” Raven tilted her head to the standby Huntsman, his stance growing less confident with the attention put onto him.
“Taiyang.” Qrow rolled his eyes as he spoke due to Raven’s ignorance, “Raven, this is Tai. Tai, Raven.” His hands would point back and forth between them, signaling each ways when he said their names.
“Nice to meet you, Raven?” Tai gave a crooked smile.
Raven didn’t acknowledge Tai’s words, not enough to exchange a response. She looked back at Summer, who did not appear any more confident than before. She took the hint and looked back at Qrow.
“Her name’s Summer.” Raven settled her arm on her waist, causing half of her body to slump down with the weight changes.
“With that out of the way, we should probably get back.” Tai added to the conversation, impatient to get the initiation over with.
With a quick nod from Qrow, they all started their journey back up to the cliff. Each keeping close to their respective partner but not drifting off from the entire pack, close enough to bump into each other if two steps too many happen. The walk would get interrupted from time to time, whether it was due to physical obstacles or because one needed a break from walking. It shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, but it did.
After making their way back to Ozpin and giving their dice, it was soon time for the team situation. It was clear from the start how it would go down, but it doesn’t calm any nerves some of them have from being on a stage in front of so many other Huntsmen and Huntresses. Due to the mutual collection of red dice, Summer, Tai, Raven, and Qrow were all put on a team together. The ceremony was over almost as quickly as it started, but now they all had to prepare for tomorrow.
What awaits them?