The Fox That Became A Dragon - Chapter 2 Prologue Part 2

Qrow looked up at the large, 2-story log house. It was situated near the outskirts of a forest, where it could still be surrounded by trees and nature, yet still not be too far off from the nearest village. He’d made it back in less than half the time that Yang and Ruby had been missing for. Speaking of which….

He turned his head to look at the kids in the wagon he’d been pulling. All three of them were fast asleep, with 5-year-old Yang in the middle. She had a 3 year old snuggled up under each of her arms, Ruby on one side with her cloak wrapped around her, and the fox faunus on the other. His tail was wrapped around his body, trying to make up for the lack of warmth that his mostly shredded clothes provided.

A cool breeze whistled by, and the kid shivered. Yang, somehow sensing his discomfort, drew him closer to her. The fox faunus’ face loosened and relaxed into a small smile as Yang’s warmth offset the cold from the breeze. He wasn’t the only one that looked happy though. The blonde-haired 5-year-old looked like she was in heaven with the 2 other little kids snuggled up to her.

Qrow sighed, and turned back to face the log house. ‘This day could’ve had a different ending.’ He thought to himself. ‘Yang would’ve been the first to face the Beowulf’s assault. Ruby might not have survived much longer than Yang. I might not have made it in time if it weren’t for that little fox.’

He would never have been able to forgive himself if he’d had to drag back their little bodies back with him.

Thoughts of what might’ve happened if he’d found them just a few seconds later flew unbidden into his mind. Every scene was worse than the last, and he felt an icy heat start to burn in his chest as he looked towards the log house.

He’d tried to give Tai some time to grieve after Summer died. He’d tried to give him some space to mourn.

But this had gone on for long enough. Yang and Ruby HAD ALMOST DIED!

Qrow strode towards the log house’s front door. Before he got close enough to open it, the door practically slammed open as a blonde-haired man with a shoulder pauldron burst out of the house.

“Qrow!” The man shouted as he saw him, his voice full of desperation. His eyes stared into Qrow’s, a silent question was reflected in them. One that was answered when he took in the little red wagon and its sleeping inhabitants that were behind the gray-shirted man. The blonde-haired man’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Oh thank Monty!”

The man turned to face the gray-shirted scythe wielder. “Qrow, I can’t thank you enough for-”

*WHAM!*

His words were cut off as Qrow’s fist hit his face dead on with a sickening *crunch* as the man was knocked flat onto his back. His nose was practically flattened from the hit.

Qrow’s tattered, red cape rippled in the slight breeze as he looked down at the man who he’d knocked down. “Shut. Up.” The blonde man was too shocked to say anything as Qrow continued. “I’m glad that Summer’s not here to see this. The man she married is so absorbed in his own self-pity that he doesn’t notice that his daughters left. That he doesn’t notice when his daughters go traipsing through a forest AND ALMOST GET EATEN BY GRIMM!”

Qrow was practically shouting now as he looked down at the man. His friend. His brother-in-law. His former teammate.

And also the man who almost let his daughters get killed.

The man looked ashamed of himself. “I-“. The sound of crying coming from the wagon broke the tension between them. ‘Dammit,’ Qrow thought. ‘Must’ve woken Ruby up from that long nap of hers.’ Looking behind him, he saw that Ruby was sitting up, watching the two of them argue. ‘How much of that did she see?’

The man on the floor got up as his aura straightened out his nose with a slight *pop*. He moved towards the little red wagon, his dragon tattoo visible in the sunlight beaming down in front of the house. Before he could take more than a step forward, Qrow moved between him and te to see this. The man she married is so absorbed in his own self-pity that he doesn’t notice that his daughters left. That he doesn’t notice when his daughters go traipsing through a forest AND ALMOST GET EATEN BY GRIMM!”

Qrow was practically shouting now as he looked down at the man. His friend. His brother-in-law. His former teammate.

And also the man who almost let his daughters get killed.

The man looked ashamed of himself. “I-“. The sound of crying coming from the wagon broke the tension between them. ‘Dammit,’ Qrow thought. ‘Must’ve woken Ruby up from that long nap of hers.’ Looking behind him, he saw that Ruby was sitting up, watching the two of them argue. ‘How much of that did she see?’

The man on the floor got up as his aura straightened out his nose with a slight *pop*. He moved towards the little red wagon, his dragon tattoo visible in the sunlight beaming down in front of the house. Before he could take more than a step forward, Qrow moved between him and the kids, blocking him. “We’re NOT done here, Tai. Not by a longshot.” He said, softly enough that Ruby wouldn’t hear.

Tai just nodded his head.

Qrow had a look on his face that said he wasn’t satisfied, but he said nothing. He pulled the wagon through the door and into the house, before the two of them put the kids in their separate rooms. It took some coaxing, but Ruby eventually went back to sleep. The only odd one out was the kid fox, who Qrow decided to lay down on a 3-seater couch in the living room.

Tai had a questioning look on his face, but held his silence as Qrow made sure the 3 year old fox was comfortable before they both left for the kitchen.

________________________________________

There was a long silence as the 2 men stood on opposite sides of the kitchen.

Qrow’s sword lay on top of the dining table, the same one that he was leaning against now. His arms were crossed, and despite the angry look on his face, his posture was still relaxed. The icy heat in his chest had calmed down somewhat after putting the kids to bed, but he still didn’t trust himself to speak yet. There was a reason why he made sure not to have his weapon on his person after all.

Tai stood there against the countertop, facing away from Qrow. His brown, button-shirt was full of creases. His blonde hair was a mess, and he a slumped posture. If anyone from his past could see him now, they’d be disappointed at the sight of the former member of Team STRQ. The once cheerful and happy-go-lucky man was reduced to a pathetic drunk hiding in his own house. His face betrayed the shame he felt as Tai turned to look at the man who’d saved his daughters.

Scenes from the past flew through his mind of the glory days from when they’d all still been at Beacon. From Initiation Day when they’d all been put together under Summer as Team STRQ, to the last time they’d all shared a table together after a hunt, and to the time when he and Raven had finally gotten married.He’d thought things were going so well. Raven had given birth to Yang, and the world seemed like a brighter place every day.

….And then she’d left.

It’d taken a long time for him to come to terms with it, but eventually he had. She’d left, and there was nothing that he could do about it. He’d tried to get past it, and for Yang’s sake he did. Then came the nights with Summer, and before he knew it, he’d fallen in love all over again.

Yang never knew that she’d had a different mother than Ruby, and he was determined to make sure that it stayed that way. It helped that Summer always saw Yang as her kid, just as much as Ruby was. He’d gotten another chance at this. A chance to make things right. To make sure that he was the damn best husband and dad that he could be. This time, he wouldn’t give his wife any reason to leave their family at all.

….And then she died.

Just thinking about the fact that Summer was dead, reopened that hole in his chest all over again. That suffocating despair that kept trying to drown him and drag him under, the one that whispered to him at night. Whispers of a loaded gun against his head-

The touch of cold steel against his neck snapped him out of his thoughts as Qrow’s furious eyes stared into his own. Tai broke out into a cold sweat as he felt the edge of the blade nick his throat slightly. He knew there was no way Qrow would kill him, but he’d also never seen him this mad in his whole life.

Tai sloowly tried to move his head away from the blade. “Qrow?” He asked, more than slightly worried for his life at the moment. “What’s going on here?” He asked slowly.

Qrow’s eyes only grew more furious at the question, and more than once Tai could have sworn that the man was seriously debating whether or not to kill him at that moment. Tai decided that maybe it was a good time to keep quiet, since it looked like anything he said would just make Qrow even angrier.

A few moments later, Qrow finally spoke. And for once, he sounded perfectly sober. “I know that look in your eyes.” He said, as his sword decided to move a centimeter closer to Tai’s neck. The 1 centimeter that Tai had managed to gain by putting his head at an uncomfortable angle, trying to get away from Qrow’s blade. “I’ve seen in it in more Hunters than I’ve ever wanted to. You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” There was a heated accusation in that tone that made Tai uncomfortable.

“Qrow, I don’t understa-”

“You’re thinking about killing yourself.” Qrow interrupted. “And it’s probably not the first time, either. How were you going to do it?” He accused with a glare. “Gonna make a noose and hang yourself with it when no one’s home? A bullet to the brain?”

Tai flinched when he mentioned the bullet to the brain.

Qrow knew he’d struck a nerve. “Just like I thought. You ARE thinking about it.” It was all the proof that the gray-shirted man needed. Qrow felt RAGE as his anger flared!

This was the man that let his kidsrun into a forest and almost get eaten by Beowulves!

This was the man who’d stayed at home instead of going out and searching for his kids!

THIS WAS–

Qrow backed the sword away from Tai’s neck and sheathed it behind him with a *click*. Just like a firework that had flared, his anger burnt itself out into small little embers. There was only a confused look on Tai’s face as he saw Qrow back off. Tai couldn’t understand why Qrow was seemingly letting him off the hook, but the gray-shirted drunk definitely had his reasons.

Because this was the man that his nieces would miss.

This was the man who’d been a brother to him for half his life, even before he’d married his sister, Raven.

This was the man who Summer had fallen in love with, and ultimately part of the family that she’d almost certainly been thinking of when she died.

Qrow looked at Tai and only felt sadness for the man that he had been. His disheveled hair and dirty, wrinkled clothes only highlighted the defeated posture he had. His whole face seemed like it’s default expression was utter sadness.

Qrow leaned back against the table as he closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out. It felt like whatever sparks of anger were left in him had flowed out alongside his breath. When he opened his eyes, he realized what it was that he needed to do. For his nieces’ sakes, for Summer’s sake, and for the man that Tai used to be, Qrow would make sure that Tai became a man who would be even better than the man that he was before.

He sighed as he looked at the messy, blonde-haired man. There was a lot of work that had to be done.

‘Guess I better start with what almost happened to Yang and Ruby.’ He thought to himself.

—–3 hours later—–

The sun had set about an hour and a half ago, leaving the 2 story log house under the soft light of a shattered moon. Tai sighed as Qrow finished up the last of his story. Hearing what had almost happened to his daughters while he’d been too busy drowning in self-pity hadn’t been easy.

But the whispers had stopped, at least for now. Tai knew, for the first time in what seemed like a long time, that he had to do better. To BE better.

Looking down at himself, it was like he could finally see what everyone else had been seeing for such a long time. A man that didn’t even have the energy to dress properly, was too depressed to wash up on a regular basis, and Monty knows what else.

He could only imagine what his daughters thought of him now.

There was something that he felt down to his bones just by thinking about what they might think about every time they saw him.

Shame.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but there was NO WAY he was going to take the easy way out. He was going to be THE. BEST. FATHER that he could be.

No more excuses.

And as he gave himself a whiff, he realized something else. ‘Oh Monty, DEFINITELY no more alcohol. Maybe I’ll just let Qrow keep sneaking it out till allthe stash is gone.’ He also didn’t want to imagine what might happen if one of his kids followed him to where he kept his ‘adult juice’ and got curious about what it tasted like.

He shuddered at the thought of Ruby drinking from one of his hidden flasks.

There was no more hesitation. The stash had to go.

If Qrow wanted it, he could have it.

But first, there was something Qrow still hadn’t explained. He looked across the table that they’d both ended up sitting at sometime when Qrow had been telling him the story.

“So, what’s with the kid?” He asked Qrow. The man looked a little tense and uncomfortable as the topic finally breached the thing he’d been slightly avoiding for the past few hours. It wasn’t because he thought that it wasn’t important, or because he didn’t want to talk about it. Qrow just didn’t know a good way to start that particular part of the story. Now that Tai had asked, though, he could finally say something about it.

“Kid saved their lives.” Qrow could see the confusion on Tai’s face as he tried to process what he’d just said. “Look,” Qrow began as he pulled out a flask that he’d secretly stolen from Tai’s stash. “It was a Beowulf. An Alpha from the looks of it. It got to them before I did and was about to-” He grimaced at the thought of what might’ve happened at that point. “-anyway, it didn’t happen. Kid distracted the Beowulf and took care of it. I showed up and dealt with the 4 that popped up soon after.”

Tai had an eyebrow arched in disbelief. ‘A 3 year old kid took care of an Alpha Beowulf? Even students at the hunter academies would’ve had trouble dealing with it.’ Qrow caught the look on his face and said something even more unbelievable.

“Kid’s got silver eyes. Still can’t control it for the most part, but it was enough to keep the Beowulf frozen until I got there.”

Tai leaned back into his chair as he tried to let the shock of what Qrow just said pass over him. He knew about the legend of the silver-eyed warriors. He even knew first-hand that the legend was true, since Summer had been one of the ones that had been able to use its power. But to hear that a kid Ruby’s age had somehow activated it? And was even slightly able to control it?

That was mind-blowing.

It’s not everyday that you find out that a 3 year old kid had a grasp on a power that was deadly to the deadliest things on the planet.

Tai took in a deep breath as he tried to wrap his around it all.

Once he was sure that he was done freaking out internally at the thought of a 3 year old with powers from legend, he looked up at Qrow. “So, where’d he come from? Did you find his parents?”

“He’s a survivor.” Qrow replied. “You saw the scars on his neck?” Tai nodded. He’d seen the scars when Qrow had lain the kid down on the couch. It wasn’t really visible, at least until the fox kid’s head had been turned up at a certain angle.

Thinking about those scars sent him down somewhere dark. For something like thatto happen to a kid as young as Ruby? It stirred up something too intense to just be called anger. ‘To still be alive after something like that, he must’ve had his aura unlocked. He wouldn’t have had much aura to begin with at that young of an age, but it should’ve done the trick. If he still has the scar, then that means…’

It meant that whatever it’d been before, was so bad that aura couldn’t fix it all while still keeping him alive. It meant that the kid would probably never be able to speak again. He’d have to grow up, never being able to talk.

He was so caught up in thinking about it, that he almost missed what Qrow said next. “And yeah. I found the parents on the way back here.” Qrow said darkly.

“Oh.” It was the only thing that Tai could say. Qrow didn’t need to say anything else. Since the kid was currently sleeping on his couch, that meant one of 2 things. He was either abandoned, or the parents were dead. And judging by the scars on the kid’s neck, it was probably the latter.

“Grimm?” Tai asked.

“No. Hunter.” Was the reply that he got back before Qrow tilted his flask and drank deeply.

Tai didn’t even need to ask why. After all, the kid was a faunus. His parents were probably both faunus too. He wished that he didn’t live in a world where this stuff happened, but if wishes came true then Summer would still be alive.

“So…” Tai said slowly. “What do we do now?”

Qrow had a funny look on his face that made Tai think that maybe he’d drunk a little too much. Or not enough. It was definitely one of the 2.

“You know…” Qrow began. “Yang’s practically adopted the kid into the family already. You should’ve seen the way that she stood up to the 4 beowulves AND me when she thought that he was scared.”

‘Oh no.’ Tai thought. He wasn’t an idiot. He could definitely see where this conversation was going. Qrow caught the look on his face as his eyebrows scrunched up.

Qrow put down his flask. “Hear me out.” Qrow put his fist up and then unfurled his index finger. “One: he’s got no one else.” He then unfurled his second finger. “Two: He saved Yang and Ruby’s life.” Then he unfurled his third finger. “Three: I can’t do it. You know the kind of work I do for Oz. That’s not something a kid should grow up with.”

Tai put his head in his hands and groaned. Qrow had a point.

Actually, he had 3 points.

It wasn’t that Tai didn’t want to adopt the kid, but it was just that he already had 2. He’d already screwed up and it almost cost them their lives! There was no telling what would happen if he got a third.

“Tai, look at me.” The blonde-haired man looked up at the person that had been a brother to him for what was practically half his life. And that was before he’d married Qrow’s sister, Raven.

“It’s gonna be different this time. I’ll be around more often. You’re not alone in this.” Qrow put an emphasis on those last words. “Besides, it’ll be easy to do. The kid and Ruby are still too young to remember mever.

“DEAL!!” She shouted happily.

Qrow and Tai chuckled at how happy it’d made her. ‘Looks like Qrow wasn’t kidding when he said she’d already practically adopted him into the family.’ Tai thought. ‘Well,’ He figured. ‘I guess it’s not such a bad thing.’

Unfortunately, Qrow interrupted the happy moment. “What should we call him though? I doubt that he can remember whatever name he had before. Not after what he’s been through.”

Tai frowned at the mention of what had happened and tried to signal Qrow. He didn’t want Yang to pry any deeper into the kid’s situation.

He shouldn’t have worried though. Yang was still hard at thought, trying to come up with a name for the boy that’d saved her and Ruby. “How about….Kit?” She offered.

Qrow and Tai both stared at the 5-year-old blonde sitting on her Dad’s lap. “How’d you come up with Kit, firecracker?” Qrow asked.

“Because he’s like a kitsune, so he’s Kit!” She declared with her hands on her hips.

The blonde-haired man looked at the black-haired man, before they both ROARED with laughter! “HAHAHAHAHA! Oh my Oum, you are so right, little dragon. Ok, so from today onwards, the boy is Kit Xiao-Long!”

After they’d managed to stop laughing and send Yang off to bed again, there was a peaceful sort of quietness in the kitchen. Qrow looked at Tai and felt like he was already starting to see his old friend again. Tai wasn’t slouched in defeat, and even though he was still wearing the same wrinkled clothing, there was a certain look in his eye that drew you away from his messy look.

….That’s when another problem popped into Qrow’s head.

“So… what’ll we tell Ruby, Kit and anyone else that asks?”