(RWBY) castles that tower above the horizon

chapter LIII: rush to Atlas

"Who are you!?" Corporal Korporal shouted, pointing his rifle at my mother, he was panting after running all the way out into the court from the barn. But strangely my stepmother didn't retrieve any of her swords, instead she flipped around raising her aura and fists in defence. But even I could see the fact that her legs where trembling, her usually scruffy clothes and hair where even scruffyer, she looked like she's been rolling around with an ursa for a week.

"Get away from her" Raven growled as my eyes widened, before I started to tug at her sleeve, trying to get her to not attack the soldier but she didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Corporal, hold on" Mädchen said holding the angry man back as my stepmother pulled me closer to her her hand gripped around my arm. I whined panting in the heat and hiding in the large woman's shadow, making her look at me and for me to then smile up at her.

"Little pup, what in the world did you get yourself into" she asked crouching down infront of me as my tail wagged, nuzzling against her cheek making her chuckle "Yes I know I missed you too"

"Who are you?" Corporal Korporal asked in a much calmer voice, watching as I rapped my arms around my stepmother's and as she rapped her own arms around my back to lift me up.

"Raven, Raven Rose" she said making the two soldiers mutter between themselves and move their weapons away. "And you little girl have been basking for way too long" she said before I licked her cheek making her face wrinkle in disgust.

"Your her mother?" Mädchen asked as Raven nodded.

"Well, yes and no, yes I'm her step mother, no I'm not her biological mother. her mother, last time I checked was loafing around in bed recovering form a bullet wound." She said as I gave her a concerned look "don't worry Summer's fine, just frustrated as per usual"

"Why are you here?" Corporal Korporal asked as we made a move into the shade as I needed to cool down pretty quickly, Petra herself watching from the window tapping the side of a glass with a pen as my ears flicked.

"Here, you need it" she said passing me the water when we came into the house, the scent of pie filling the room, but Petra looked terrified of my mother.

"May I?" Raven asked motioning to the sofa as Petra nodded, for the samurai to fall backwards almost passing out on the spot, holding me on her chest while I sipped my icy drink. "Sorry I've been flying for two days" she grunted, her hand carefully stroking over my hair.

"Why? Vale is so far away" Corporal Korporal said perching on the side of the chair.

"Have you ever met an grouchy frustrated wolf mother without her pup?" She asked "this one is too important anyway, all my swords got smashed I can't form portals yada yada yada"

"Well your here now, that one has been getting very stressed" Petra smiled getting a tired thumbs up from my stepmother.

"I'm guessing you two are the ones that took little miss out of vale?" She asked the two soldiers who nodded. "Headin' to Atlas?"

"Mr Schnee requested both miss rose and miss Schnee to be brought back to Atlas in evacuation" corporal informed

"Jacques? Ah that makes sense" she sighed carefully caressing my head, I smiled my tail still wiggling behind me, half my body moving with it.

"What are you going to do about it?" Mädchen asked curiosity evident in her voice

"Me? Nothing, If Jacques wants to see his snowflake and her girlfriend he can, even if that's Ruby. I just have to insist that I come with her, I'm her mother and I've been out of contact with her for too long" she said giving me a small comforting smile, before she sat up digging around in her outer shirt before a familiar little toy was retrieved, I gasped quickly gripping onto the furry beowolf and hugging it tightly while she then returned to her petting. "Tomorrow, we go into the closest thing you have to a town, grab some kind of higher transport and go to Atlas and reunite this cherub with her mate"