Mild Gray

I, Silva, am currently nursing my wounded shoulder and torso as I walk back to the Xiao Long-Rose residence, and thankfully my Aura regenerated enough after a short rest from my fight with the Beowolf to help speed up my healing process. Just clotting the blood was enough to ease some of the pain I was in; I am glad I got Raven to awaken my Aura before doing something this dangerous, but while she was harsh on her review of my fight, she did have a point. While my claws are great close-quarters combat, their reach is as limited as fighting bare-handed or, in my case, bare pawed if that's even a thing.

I winced as my wound still ached as I walked slowly to stop my injuries from reopening. As my walk back took me hours at my pace, I thought about what I wanted to do with my life in Remnant. Saving Pyrrha and stopping Salem from summoning the Brother Gods and bringing about their final judgment goes without saying, but the question is how. I reviewed all I could remember about RWBY and made a rough timeline to get started. First is that I have ten years left until I can attend Beacon with Yang, Weiss, and Blake.

Ruby herself is still on the iffy side because skipping two whole years is not a small matter, especially since I am going to run around Remnant in the future and try to influence certain events. For now, I need to find a way to leave the Branwen tribe before anything else because I can't do much stuck there aside from freeing Weiss, maybe, if she gets captured and possibly try to assassinate Cinder and her Crew if they come. Speaking of Cinder and her henchmen, I could maybe grab Emerald before Cinder because that kind of loyalty is something I want in a partner.

Cinder herself is probably still working at that hotel in Atlas or is on the run after killing the owner, her daughters, and the one person who cared about her, her teacher. If that has happened, then Cinder is probably already on her way to becoming a remorseless monster. Not that I could save her in the first place since I am still only a kid for years to come. There was one scene in Cinder's flashback episode that stuck with me even now; even after killing her teacher, she still smiled, thinking she was finally free. To smile after killing someone that gave you so much care and even love just raised my hackles.

Redemption may exist, but not everyone wants it, and I doubt that Cinder wishes for it at all as only power and freedom matter to her in the end. Just look at how she treated Emerald, who was completely devoted to her; she treated her as nothing more than a tool to be discarded if it was no longer useful. My personal feelings aside, getting Emerald before Cinder is something I want to do no matter what because she is one of my favorite characters, along with Pyrrha. Thinking about my favorite redhead, I know how to meet her and leave a positive impression on her.

Just either fight her in that big tournament in Mistral and win or find her in Argus as she trains at that park. I need to look up the tournament and see if I can participate or not later. I finally reached Ruby and Yang's home and saw the wagon that had Ruby in it left in the front yard, along with the front door hanging open. I felt relief in knowing Yang and Ruby made home okay and went inside then closed the door. I went to the kitchen to get one of the first aid kits to clean my wounds and take some antibiotics to prevent any infections.

After properly cleaning and dressing my injuries, at least I learned a few useful things from the tribe. I started looking for the two sisters; they were not on the first floor, so I headed upstairs and heard some banging. I went to see the source and saw Yang and Ruby banging on their Dad's door in raspy voices.

" Dad, help, please!"

" Daddy, come out!"

As I heard them, I realized that they had been at this for a while to the point they hurt their voices. I wondered if Remnant has any sort of emergency call number like back on Earth, seeing the girls turn to their father despite his unresponsiveness. I walked up to the girls and placed my paws on their heads. They stiffened, then turned and faced me with puffy red eyes from crying and said.

" Silva, is that you?"

"Silva!"

Yang and Ruby then hugged me, and I winced from the pain my wounds were causing me. Hearing me, they backed off and examined me frantically, and Yang said.

" I'm so, so, so, sorry Silva, it's my fault you got hurt!"

I assured my favorite blonde while messing with her hair as she hates it when I do that as I try to make her feel less guilty.

" Yang, I'm fine, nothing I won't heal from with a bit of rest, and I went along with you because I knew how important it was to you, so it was my choice."

" But-."

" No buts! For now, let's just rest after a stressful day, okay?"

Yang meekly nodded, and Ruby asked me, looking scared.

" Silva, are you going to leave like Mommy?"

" No, you silly little Cookie Monster, you're stuck with me and are not getting rid of me that easy."

Ruby smiled, looking assured, and I led them downstairs, then glanced at Taiyang's room and glared at his door. His girls begged for his help fir who knows how long, and yet he stayed in his room and rotted away. I glared at the door one last time and went downstairs and ordered pizza for everyone because I was in no shape to cook. After settling down the girls and passing the time, night soon followed. Ruby and Yang passed out after eating their pizzas as they had a long emotional day, and I soon followed.

***

Morning came as my wounds still ached as I got up. I went to get some leftover pizza for breakfast, and after eating my fill, I went back upstairs to do something that was long overdue, giving Ruby and Yang's father a piece of my mind, even if I had to claw at his stupid face to make him listen. I went to his door and found it locked, so I focused my Aura and forced the door open. The smell of alcohol hit me and made me cover my nose. I saw beer cans and bottles litter the floor and bed as I saw Taiyang for the first time. He really let himself go as I saw his developing beer belly and unshaven messy face with a dirty tank top and shorts on him—his unkempt pale blonde looking like a rat's nest.

I tried shaking him awake but to no avail as he was passed out drunk. I drew out my claws and went for his tender bits, making him cry out as he curled up in pain. He saw me and demanded.

" Who the f*ck are you?!"

" A friend of your daughters who you owe a lot for saving their lifes."

" What?"

Taiyang asked me in confusion, and I buried my claws into his unprotected sides, making him cry out in pain as I bellowed in his face with pure fury at his pathetic state.

" YANG AND RUBY COULD HAVE DIED YESTERDAY, YOU DRUNKEN PIECE OF FILTH. AND I IF WASN'T THERE TO STOP THE GRIMM YOU WOULD HAVE LOST THEM AND BE LEFT COMPLETELY ALONE IN THIS WORLD. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME NOW?!"

Taiyang processed what I just told him and grew paler by the second, then got up to head out of his room only to trip over a bottle. He soon made it to Yang's room despite being unsteady on his feet and saw his daughter sleeping together, then fell to his knees in relief. He then turned to me with an angry expression, probably thinking I lied to him, which quickly changed back to being pale as he saw my bloodied bandages. I then grabbed him by his tank top and told him.

" You are going to clean yourself up and show your daughter you're there for them, or I am going to help Qrow find some caretakers for them while you lose all rights to them for neglect, got it?"

Taiyang numbly nodded and did as he was told as I went back to the kitchen to grab another slice of pizza. Hah, first a shrink to some kids now I am performing an intervention on a man-child, well at least my life not boring. Taiyang soon showed up after a quick shower but did not shave off his growing beard, and I told him about yesterday's encounter and why three kids were out there in the first place. I showed him the map that Yang used, and he then blamed the incident on her.

" That's Raven's! First, she left Yang and me without a word, and now she nearly got her killed by leaving her stuff behind!'

" Shut up! Don't dump this on someone who isn't here because if you weren't wholing in self-pity, you could have prevented Yang's reckless idea."

Taiyang looked at me and asked me dismissively.

" And what does a kid like you know?!"

" I know you have not been there for daughters for the last few months. I know that you have been worrying your daughters to death with your actions. And I know that if you don't pull yourself together, you will miss being part of Ruby and Yang's lifes."

That shut him up. I then told him coldly.

" I don't understand what your going through, and I don't care, but your daughters don't need just a friend that's there for them but a parent who cares about their well-being. So is it going to be you or someone else?"

Taiyang's mouth hung open as he realized I was right. His head hit the table as he cursed himself.

" I'm an idiot..."

" No arguments here."