Son of the Branwen

Chapter 58: Alone in the Woods

The hours had ticked away slowly until the moon had risen in the night sky. Everyone had tried to keep their hope and optimism, but tempers were beginning to run thin. Yang was becoming more grouchy, Blake was becoming more depressed and silent, Weiss was losing her motivation, and Qrow found the cellar.

Hawk leaned against the wall as Qrow looked out the window, a bottle close to his chair as he rested his feet against the dresser holding the door. Hawk rubbed his eyes, having been dealing with a constant headache for a while now.

Qrow: "Hey, kiddo."

Hawk looked at Qrow, who was giving him a worried look.

Qrow: "We... didn't get a chance to talk since the whole thing with Jinn. How are you doing?"

Hawk sighed as he looked out the window, watching the snowfall finally start to relent.

Hawk: "How do I feel? How am I supposed to feel dad? I've been lied to for so long, from Beacon until now. I've been betrayed by former friends, backstabbed by family, and watched friends die. Now, I got to watch my biological father murder me in a past life..."

Qrow stood from his chair as Hawk gripped the window sill tightly, his hands starting to shake.

Hawk: "I know we have to stop her. But she's my mother! Wh-What am I supposed to do? What if... I turn back to what I was. That power is probably still inside me somewhere. And what if I accidentally kill-"

Qrow pulled him into a tight hug, cutting off Hawk with a slight gasp. Qrow rested his chin on Hawk's head as he hugged him. Hawk closed his eyes as he took a shaky breath.

Qrow: "I wish I could answer that Hawk. I really do. You might be her son, but you are still my son too. I raised you to be the best man around. You've shown that no matter the struggles or pain, that you are still standing on your feet to fight for your friends and family. A true huntsman that I am so proud of. I know you'll never kill anyone you care about, because you have made it your core goal to protect your family."

Hawk exhaled slowly, nodding a bit as Qrow slowly let go. Qrow gave a small smile as he ruffled Hawk's hair.

Qrow: "Now get going. That girlfriend of yours is waiting."

Hawk smiled as Qrow motioned over his shoulder. Hawk looked to see Weiss giving a small smile at the entrance to the study. She had her blanket around her shoulders as she held out her hands to him.

Hawk: "Thanks for listening, papa."

Hawk walked to Weiss, the two hugging and returning to the fire while Qrow returned to his original seat. He smiled as he grabbed his bottle and put the cork back in, taking a moment to make sure he will never forget this no matter how much he drinks.

Another two hours passed and the teams had stretched out some bedrolls in preparation for the night. Maria continued reading through the books she had found, already onto the third novel. Ruby sighed as she went to check on Qrow.

Qrow hadn't moved much since Hawk visited him, but he had finally uncorked the bottle to slowly sip on as he kept his eyes out the window.

Qrow: "Storm's cleared up for now. We should be able to leave by morning."

Ruby: "That's good."

Qrow: "No... I don't have a good feeling about this place, especially with me around..."

Ruby sighed as she stared at the wine bottle beside him, before looking back to Qrow.

Ruby: "Are you... okay?"

Qrow lightly scoffed while giving a slight smile.

Qrow: "Sure, don't worry about me. I'm more worried about how Hawk's doing, after learning all he did... Tell everyone to get some sleep. I'll wake you guys up just before sunrise."