A Simple Time

-Years Ago; Patch-

On the small island of Patch, in a house made of wood, four young girls ran along the grassy fields on the plains. They were playing a simple game of tag, though the smallest one had been on another girl's back. The one that had been carrying the young silver eyed girl, had been the one chasing them as she had eyes of red and black hair with a small ponytail as she had most of it tied in a small ponytail.

A young girl with golden eyes and red streaks ran beside her as she had on a set of blue overalls with a dark green t-shirt. The fourth, had lilac purple eyes and golden hair tied in a set of pigtails.

The girls laughed as she made an effort to catch them as they each giggled.

"You can't catch us~!" The girl with golden hair said in a teasing manner.

"Oh I definitely can catch you!" The girl with the white ribbon said as she kept up her pace.

"Face it Melody, you can't catch us with Ruby on your back!" The girl with golden eyes said.

"I can too Maize!" The girl with the white ribbon--Melody said, "You and Yang! Just watch.

The little one Ruby soon tugged on Melody's shirt and started to sign to her. She flapped her arms back and forth like she had been trying to fly. Melody had gotten the idea as she smiled, "Good Idea Ruby!"

She allowed Ruby to climb off of her back before Melody jumped in the air. In a split second, she had turned into a bird as the white ribbon had been wrapped around her neck. She flew high above the girl with golden hair, named Yang and the one named Maize, as they had just now noticed she wasn't there.

"Hey, where did you go?" She heard Yang say.

Melody soon flew just behind them as she shifted back. She soon gave them a tap on the shoulder making them both jump. "Tag!" She said, "You're it now!"

"That's not fair Melody!" Yang yelled as she flailed her arms, "You cheated!"

"That's against the rules!" Maize said.

"It doesn't say I can't use my semblance, now does it?" Melody said, "Right Ruby?"

"Fair and square!" Little Ruby said.

"Oh yeah?" Yang said before she playfully tackled her to the ground. Melody soon started to burst out laughing as she felt Yang's fingers dance under her arms and around her stomach and legs. "TICKLE FIGHT!" Maize cried out as she joined in on the action.

Melody started to laugh as she kicked her legs, "N-No, no, stop! Ruby help! I need assistance!"

"Tickle monster!" Little Ruby cried out before she hopped onto Yang and Maize. They both let out a groan pretending they were hurt before they fell onto the ground in a pile. The four young girls could only laugh as they stayed in a puppy pile. It hadn't been long until--

"Lunchtime kids, come and get it!" They heard Taiyang say.

The girls got up off the ground before running towards the front porch where he had been as he had been holding a plate of sandwiches, ones that contained peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese. They sat on the steps as they started to happily munch on it, while helping themselves to refreshments. It hadn't been long till Taiyang had noticed their clothes had been a bit stained with dirt.

"What were you girls doing?" He asked them.

"We were playing tag!" Maize replied happily.

"I totally won it, Uncle Tai!" Melody said.

"That's because you cheated!" Yang said as she stuck out her tongue.

"Is that so?" Taiyang asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"She turned into a bird and got them from behind." Ruby said with her mouth full.

"Yeah, so that's considered cheating!" Maize told her.

"Hey---!" Melody soon said, "--To be fair, there aren't any rules saying we can't use a semblance in tage." She soon nudged Yang's arm, "Don't be jelly now cuz!"

"I still say it's cheating!" Yang argued.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Alright, alright--" Taiyang said, getting in between the kids , "--Don't bicker Yang, we're all family here."

"Sorry daddy." Yang said with a pout, "I won't bicker."

"And Melody--" Taiyang said, turning to Melody; she flinched slightly as she noticed the look he had been giving her, "I know since you got your semblance you like to show it off. Though that doesn't mean you have to use it all the time. Next time, play fair with your cousins and sister, okay?"

"Okay?" Maize said, giving her a nudge.

Melody had processed the words before she gave a small smile, "Okay Uncle Tai."

Just as they finished what they were eating off of their plates, a young woman's voice had called out, "Melody! Maize!"

The twin girls picked up their heads as they saw a young woman with black hair as her eyes were of gold; her hair had been cut in a short bob style as her outfit had consisted of a dark green collared buttoned up shirt and a black tube top with a set of dark blue pants and black boots.

"Mommy!" The twins exclaimed before they ran over to her.

"Aunt Celia!" Yang and Ruby said as they ran towards the young woman. Melody and Maize immediately jumped towards Celia as they each hugged her legs; she couldn't help but laugh softly as she gave them a pat on the head. Ruby and Yang soon hugged them as well.

"Well you're out earlier then usual." Tai said genuinely shocked, "What's the occasion?"

"My boss took an early vacation." Celia replied, "The diner closed earlier then usual." She gently pushed her daughters and nieces out of the hug before she kissed Ruby and Yang on their foreheads.

"Okay, honey bunnies--" Celia said to Melody and Maize, "--It's time for us to be heading home."

The four girls couldn't help but whine, "Aw!"

"Can't we stay a little longer?" Melody begged.

"Please mommy?" Maize said as her eyes looked ever so hopeful.

"You can play with your cousins tomorrow." Celia said, "Besides, I think your father might be coming back from his mission."

The girls' expressions lit up as they had the brightest smiles on their faces. "Uncle Qrow! Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cheered.

"He's coming home!?" Yang said.

"You girls can see him tomorrow." Tai said, "We're going to the park after all, remember?"

"Yay!" The girls cheered.

"We'll play all day tomorrow!" Melody said.

"Till then!" Maize said with a wave of her hand.

The two of them nodded as they smiled; The twins soon said their goodbyes to them and their Uncle Tai before they left with Celia after she thanked them. With her and her children they ventured down the path as the twins waved goodbye once more.

***

-Kuroyuri-

The sun was high above the clouds and the sky was as clear as the sea. Everything was lively throughout the village and many people were walking around the small yet large village. People had talked to one another, children playing with one another, and it had been busy in the stores and stands that had been available in the little village.

A young boy with pig pale pink eyes, wearing a green and a magenta outfit with black shoes had been walking by the river that had been there. He couldn't help but be in awe of the flower as he watched it float across the water in the river. He was about to reach for the flower until he heard a light laughter from someone.

He turned to a woman who had pink eyes, and she had rose hair that was tied back in a bun. She wore a long green dress with cutout sleeves, revealing her shoulders. She wore black ballet flats with a pink sash; Many knew her as An. She gave the young boy a warm smile as she held a basket of bread.

"Why hello little Lie." An said to her son, "Are we trying to catch a fish?"

The young boy by the name of Lie replied, "I've found a flower in the water!"

"Oh I see." An said still with a smile.

Lie stood up and went over to his mother, "Can we take it home and plant it in the garden?"

"Oh, no sweetheart, that flower stays here." An said to Lie.

Lie had a look of dejection about this. An patted him on the head, as she gave him a reassuring smile.

"But I'll tell you what you can do…" An said before taking out a lien card, "Take this Lien and go find something nice for your father's return. He's been hunting for quite some time. I bet the journey's been very tiring don't you think?"

"Yes." Lie said before taking the lien card from his mother.

"Do you think you know what he wants?" She asked.

Lie thought about it before replying, "I think… He wants a water flower in the garden!"

An laughed at this, "Why did you have to inherit my sass?"

With a playful nudge, and laughter from her son, she watched as he went towards the markets of the village to look for a gift for his father.

Little Lie went through the markets of Kuroyuri trying to figure out what to get for his father when he had returned home. He approached one of the many stands, one having weapons. He looked at the many weapons in awe, just amazed by the many battle axes and swords seen. "Excuse me?" He said to the man running the stand; he held the lien card that his mother had given him, "What can I buy with this?"

The Blacksmith chuckled, "Well, something just your size." The Blacksmith picked up a couple of weapons made of wood, a sword and hammer to be exact.

Though Ren couldn't help but slump over in disappointment. He moved onto the next stand which had belonged to that of a liquor merchant.

He went next in line after a man, "Sake please!" He said to the man. The wine merchant looked to Lie, with an amused look, and shook his head to Lie, making him even more disappointed, seeing as how he was unable to get the sake for his father's return.

He walked along the street, passing the various stores within Kuroyuri as he thought about what to get for his father, though nothing came to mind.

He soon stopped in front of a bakery that contained many sweets and such, containing even bread that was of a cat, and water lilies that were made with icing and dough. Lie figured that his father, wouldn't having a sweet or two--

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!"

Lie's attention was drawn to the sound of yelling from other children. He followed the laughter over to the alleyway, and saw what was going on. Three older boys were picking on a girl around the same age as her. She was covered in dirt and her hair was a short orange color, wearing a shirt that was white and had a heart in the middle.

She had on a hoodie, short pants and shoes, and she was covered in dirt from the neck down and eyes were of turquoise. The three boy's were mocking her as she held a loaf of bread close to her chest.

"Where did you get that bread? I didn't see you pay for it, you little thief!"

"No look, it's all moldy!"

"I think she got it from the trash!"

"Lemme see that!"

One of the boy's reached out to grab the loaf of bread that was in her hand. Though she retaliated by biting the boy's finger when he had gotten close to her.

The boy cried out in agony, as he pulled his hand back, "AH! SHE BIT ME!" The three boy's jumped back slightly when this happened, and the tall boy had shoved the girl to the ground, making her drop the loaf of bread. She got up and grabbed the bread holding it close to her again as she crouched again as the boy's started to mock it again.

"Where did she come from?"

"She's dressed all weird!"

"I bet she's abandoned! Like a dog or something!"

"Does that mean I have rabies?"

The three boy's laughed at the young girl, and it wasn't long before the little girl looked in Lie's direction. The three boy's noticed this, and turned over to him as well. Lie shrunk when they had looked at him; panicked filled his body as he turned to run.

As soon as he did he ran into something and fell on his back letting out a surprised scream. He looked up to see a tall man having black hair tied back in a ponytail with a gray streak and a black moustache and goatee. He wore a sleeveless green tailcoat over a long sleeved white shirt and he wore black pants tucked into open-toe sandals with a black sash around his waist. He had his bows and arrows on his back, and a single sheathed dagger; On his right hand he wore an archer's glove.

Many of the people knew him in the village as Li, though to Lie, he knew him as someone else.

"Father…?" Little Lie had said, looking at the man.

Li looked at the scene before him, "What is happening here?"

The three boys looked scared when Li looked at him. The girl however saw this as her opportunity to run. She stood up and went with her loaf of bread in hand. Soon enough the three boy's stood up and ran away too; Lie stood up from the ground as Li looked at him.

"Do you wish to run with the rest of them?" Li asked him.

Lie didn't say anything; he just looked to the ground in response. Li kneeled down to his son, and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Sometimes the worst action to take… Is to take no action at all. Go home. I need to speak with the mayor."

Li stood up and took his leave, and Lie watched as he went to see the mayor.

***

Though Celia had put the sister to bed they were both too excited to sleep. Who wouldn't be? Their father had been coming home from a long mission. They just couldn't go to sleep, no matter how hard they tried. In the end, they ended up staying up.

It had been a quarter past one as the sisters were playing a videogame on their scrolls, keeping it on mute so that their mother couldn't hear and keeping their blankets over their heads as an extra measure. It hadn't been long till finally they heard the door downstairs open as the sisters perked.

"It's him!" Maize whispered, "He's back!"

The girls jumped right out of bed as they quickly and quietly made their way down the stairs after getting the door open. They stopped halfway as they saw a familiar man with dark spiked hair greeting their mother and talking to him.

They knew him as their father, but everyone else knew him as the Huntsman Qrow.

"Daddy!" Melody whispered gleefully with a smile.

Before Maize could register, Melody activated her semblance as her body shifted into a dog, trending softly so that she wouldn't be heard. When she was under the table just by their feet, she let out a small bark, causing Celia to jump in surprise while Qrow didn't seem phased.

She shifted back as she couldn't help but giggle; just as she did, Qrow kneeled down to get a better look. "Well, well, well--" He said with a smile, "--What are you doing under there you little rascal?"

"Welcome home daddy!" Melody said as she ran into his arms, when Qrow opened them wide. He lifted her up off the ground with ease before he sat her on his lap.

"Dad!" Maize exclaimed as she ran down the stairs and towards him.

Qrow chuckled as he hugged her, the moment she leaped towards him. "You get some loving too sweetie." Qrow said before he kissed her on the cheek.

"Melody Wren Branwen, Maize Clementine Branwen!" Celia said, sounding crossed, "What are you two doing up at this hour?"

"We couldn't since you said dad would be coming home." Melody said with a pout.

"So we stayed up so that we could see him." Maize said.

"You two know it's past your bedtime." Celia scolded, "It's not good if you stay up this late."

"Celia, you had to have seen this coming." Qrow said, "Our birds have always been more of night owls anyway." He nuzzled them both as they each let out a giggle, "Isn't that right little ones?"

"Daddy!" Melody said.

"Your beard tickles!" Maize said as she laughed.

Celia sighed though she couldn't help but smile, "Qrow, I've said it before and I'll say it again, these girls take after you."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Qrow asked with an innocent smile that made the girls laugh again.

"How was your mission?" Melody soon asked, "Did you go to Atlas? Or Mistral?"

"Did you catch all the bad guys away?" Maize soon asked.

"Of course I did." Qrow replied, "Did you think I would be here if I didn't?"

"I bet they were scared when they saw you!" Melody said.

Qrow only laughed sheepishly, "I wouldn't say I scared them but--"

Celia soon cleared her throat as she stopped her husband in mid sentence. He only shrugged which earned a chuckle from her. "Sweeties?" Celia soon said after a sigh, "Why don't you tell your father about today?"

"Oh yeah!" Melody said before she turned to him, "We were playing tag with Yang and Ruby today! They almost got away from me, but I shifted into a bird and got them!"

Qrow only scoffed at this, "Really?"

"Melody totally cheated daddy!" Maize said as she pouted.

"I did not!" Melody argued.

"Good grief kiddo--" Qrow said as he ruffled her hair, "--You've only had your semblance for three weeks, and your using it to cheat."

"To be fair, they're aren't any rules in tag." Melody said smugly.

"You're missing the point!" Maize argued as she lightly hit her making Melody giggle.

"Honey--" Celia said, as she got them both to stop, "--You can't keep using your semblance for little things like that. Remember what your uncle said about playing fair."

"But I can't help it mommy!" Melody said before her eyes sparkled, "It's just so cool to have a shapeshifting semblance! I can even turn into a crow like daddy!"

Maize's eyes sparkled, "I really want to unlock mine soon!"

Qrow only shook his head as he smiled. Why did she have to inherit my traits, was the first thing that came to his mind. He soon let out a sigh, "Wren listen--" He soon placed his hand on her shoulder, "--I know it's exciting for you when you first get your semblance. But understand that sometimes, having one might not be all that it's cracked up to be. You only got this recently, so you need to be careful."

"But--"

"Just promise, not to use it as much as you do until you learn more about it. Okay?"

Melody looked a little dejected, though after a few short moments she gave a smile, "Okay--For you papa."

"Atta girl." He said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Maize couldn't help but let out a whine as she pouted; though Qrow chuckled a little at the look on her face. "Don't worry, you'll get some kisses too, little hummingbird ." He said before he kissed Maize on the cheek too. She only let out a giggle as she smiled, "Thank you daddy."

"Alright--" Celia said as she picked up Maize, "--Time to get you girls to bed, and you better stay there."

"Yes mommy." The twins said as they let out a yawn.

Qrow couldn't help but chuckle again before he lifted Melody up into his arms, before both parents carried the girls to their rooms.

***

All had been quiet throughout the night of Kuroyuri. Everyone had either been sound asleep or were enjoying the night; enjoying each other's company. Lie sleeping in his room enjoying whatever dreams he was having, every now and than, he would turn to his side to get more comfortable, and he would nuzzle his pillow.

However, his eyes had soon shot open, when he heard a faint roar in the distance; The roar belonged to a Grimm, and the sound of warning bells were heard just outside.

His mother An, soon came into the room. "Lie, get up!" She said urgently, "We have to go!"

"Mother?" He said, slowly sitting up, still feeling a little tired, "What's--"

"No, right now, okay!" An said as she took his hand, and pulled him out the door, "Let's go!"

They both ran into the dining area, about to head out the door, but they were soon met with Li. He came staggering into the house trying to catch his breath.

"Li!" An called out, seeing her husband in his current state.

"An!" Li said, "What are you doing!? We need to hurry!"

"We can go to the safe house."

"No… I saw the beast… We need a Huntsman… And you two need to leave…"

"What!?"

The three of them jumped at the sound of something getting demolished; their attention was drawn to the sound of it. Lie held his mother's hand tightly, as fear overtook his body. "Mother…" He said fearfully. An kneeled to her son, and shushed him gently.

"It's okay darling." An said with a reassuring smile, "Everything's oka--"

BAM!

The roof suddenly came crashing down causing the world around Lie to turn abruptly to darkness. The only thing he heard was the sound of something roaring and someone screaming. Moments later he heard the sounds of screams of terror and Grimm roaring in the distance.

He felt himself being moved when the breeze of the wind hit his face. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself being carried by his father Li. He looked around and saw many of its citizens of Kuroyuri fleeing in terror from the Grimm and even saw sparks of fire and ash fell like snowflakes.

He groaned as he looked around the area again, "... Father… Where's… Where's mother…?"

Lie's eyes widened in horror when he looked up to his father. He saw that he was bleeding from the head, and it went over his left eye; panic soon coursed through his body.

"What's going on!?" He said fearfully, "Where's mother!?"

Soon enough the ground shook beneath, and Li fell to the ground, dropping Lie. The people that passed Li and Lie, didn't even stop to help them; they just kept running from the Grimm that had invaded. Lie crawled over to his father, seeing that he was bleeding from his side. "Father! Please get up!" He cried as he shook him. Li pushed himself up, as he groaned with agony.

"Lie…" Li said, "... You have to run…"

"No!" Lie said, "No don't! Please get up!" Lie heard the roars again, and turned behind him. There he saw a shadowy figure of what looked like a large horseman in the cover of smoke. "Listen to me son." Li said, getting Lie's attention, "You have to be brave now… Do you understand?"

Lie said to him as he shook his head, "No please! I can't! I can't!"

Li took the knife in his holster and unsheathed it. He gave it to his son, "Yes you can!" He said, pushing Lie away from him; Lie looked to the knife that was now in his hand.

"... Take action son…" Li said to him; He stood up from the ground, grasping his side, "... Your mother and I love you…"

"... Father…"

The ground shook again, and the Grimm horseman headed over them. Li got in front of son, arming bow and arrow. "RUN! NOW!" Li yelled. Without any hesitation, Lie got up and did what his father told and just ran without turning back.

***

As planned, Celia, Qrow along with their twin daughters met up with Tai and his own daughters met up. They set off for a local fair where they had all sorts of rides and game stands filled with only the finest of prizes.

The children had been eagerly excited to play as the moment they had gotten there. The moment they entered the grounds they had to keep their kids in one spot so they didn't get lost in the crowd.

As of that moment, the girls were at a game stand, while their parents had been nearby, as they were catching up. Melody, Maize and Yang were in the midst of a race to get to first place, as they had been playing a water gun game. They had been firing streams of water into a set of beowolves mouths as the balloons on the top of their heads had gotten bigger and bigger.

It hadn't been long till one of them had popped; Melody had cheered as she couldn't help but jump in place.

"HOORAY! FIRST PLACE!" She exclaimed.

"Lucky!" Yang said with a pout.

"How are you so good at this?!" Maize said.

Melody only laughed as she rubbed underneath her nose, "Call it luck!"

"Fwist pwize!" Ruby said as she hopped, "Fwist pwize!"

Melody chuckled at this before she looked at the prizes "Give me that one mister!" She said pointing to a corgi pillow. She soon handed it off to Ruby, "There you go cuz! A little something from me to you."

"Cworgi!" Ruby said as she hugged it, "Cworgi cwute!"

"Awww!" Maize and Yang said as they couldn't help but fawn over little Ruby.

"You're soo adorable Ruby!!" Yang said as she squished her cheeks.

"As always Melody you're selfless!" Maize said, "Even though you won that game!"

Melody only blushed with embarrassment as she laughed a little, "Ruby just likes corgi's more than me that's all."

"Sure it is!" Yang said with a teasing smile before she nudged her playfully.

"Hey--" Maize soon said, "--How about we go get some cotton candy? We still have a bit of lien left!"

"Yay! Cotton Candy!" Little Ruby cheered, as it made the girls laugh.

"Let's go!" Yang said before she ran ahead with her sisters. The twins took each other's hand and hand before they ran to the cotton candy stand, which had been fairly close by. Though when they arrived, they were quick to notice that the lines had been… Longer then they thought.

Though the girls were willing to wait as they were excited about the new flavors that they would swear would make their taste buds explode. Neither of them couldn't wait as they were chatting amongst themselves, each of them trying to predict what sort of flavors that had awaited them, before they found themselves closer to the cotton candy stand.

"Oh boy! We're almost there!" Yang said with excitement in her eyes.

"I wonder if they have strawberry flavor!" Melody said.

"Out of our way losers!"

Suddenly the girls found themselves nearly shoved to the floor, by a couple of boy's. They were a bit older then they were, not to mention bigger; they didn't care at the fact that Melody and Ruby nearly hit the floor. "Alright, first in line!" The boy said as he and the others stood in the very same spot they had been in moments ago.

"Excuse me!" Maize said, "But we were here first!"

The boy turned over to the girls, Ruby shrunk slightly at their gaze, "So what? We want cotton candy more than you, so that gives us the right!"

"No it doesn't!" Yang argued, "You just cut in front of us!"

"Like Maize said, we were here first!" Melody said, "So do us the favor and go to the back of the line!"

"No!" One of the boy's said, "You should be the ones to go to the back of the line!"

"Yeah--We're older then you little runts! So why don't you take your little bugs and head to the back of the line!" His friend said.

The girls couldn't help but complain as the others behind them had shared a similar interest. "N-No fight!" Little Ruby saud, "No fight!"

"Don't tell us what to do little brat!" The boy said to Ruby as she shrunk again.

"Hey!" Yang said, "Don't talk to my sister that way!"

"And what are you gonna do blondie?" The second boy said.

"Just what is your problem?!" Melody said, "You're the ones that cut in front of us!"

"We're bigger and better then you guys!" The lead boy said, "So that gives us all the right!"

"No it doesn't!" She argued.

Ruby soon got between the two of them as she pushed Melody away, "No fight! No fight!"

"I SAID DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, PIPSQUEAK!" The boy shouted before he did something his friends nor the girls didn't expect. The boy ended up punching the little girl; when she hit the ground, they saw her nose had been bleeding. "Ruby!" Yang exclaimed, as she ran to her side the minute she started to cry.

"D-Dude! Why did you do that?!" His friend said as the lead boy looked shocked himself.

"She--I--" The lead boy said as he tried his best to regain his composure, "--It was her own fault!"

"She's bleeding!" His other friend told her.

"Ruby!" Maize said as Ruby still sobbed, "Ruby, are you okay?"

"Hu--Hurts!" She choked as she sobbed horrifically, "--Hu-Hurts!"

"I'm gonna take her to mommy and daddy!" Yang said as she picked her up before she took off.

Neither of them seemed to notice Melody's reaction to the whole thing. As she saw Yang take off with Ruby--Something in her… Just seemed to have clicked. No, that wasn't the right word for it. She felt something in her… Just snap, as she turned to the lead boy, who had still been unsettled by what had just occurred.

"He-Hey!" The lead boy said, "I--I didn't mean to do that! It's her own fault for getting involved like tha--"

"Shut up…" Melody suddenly said in a soft aggressive tone.

The Lead Boy looked a bit shocked as did the others and her sister, "Wha-What.

"I said--" Melody said before she grabbed the neck of his shirt, "--SHUT. UP."

"Me-Melody?!" Maize said before she had a look of horror when she noticed something about her had changed.

They saw her eyes had been black, and her pupils were narrow; She appeared to have grown fangs as they could hear her growl. The Lead Boy's face paled as he shook.

"You WILL pay…" Melody said as even her voice seemed to have changed.

His other friends had backed up out of fear, though Maize stayed where she was, despite her fearful look. When she spoke again, she didn't realize that Celia had been nearby.

"YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD--FOR SPILLING HERS."

Baring her fangs, she launched herself at the boy she had in her grasp. The boy's and the crowd let out a terrifying shriek as the grass, had soon been painted with red.

***

Lie ran through the streets far from the Grimm, and far from the beast that his father had stayed behind and fought. He soon reached the bridge, and jumped below on the sideways, and took the time to catch his breath. He looked to the skies and saw several Nevermores fly up in the sky through the night; he looked to them fearfully.

He soon heard the sound of someone crying nearby. Underneath a building nearby he saw it was that same little girl covered in dirt, that was getting picked on and was cowering beneath. She had her arms around herself and shook with fear, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lie saw the Nevermore land on top of the building just where the little girl was, and let out a shriek. Lie had soon heard the sound of a familiar roar. It was the beast that his father had seen. His eyes widened in realization when he came to the conclusion about what became of his father. He started to cry when he came to realize that he was all alone.

He lost everything, and everyone he loved, all gone within a single night. All the memories of him and his parents replayed in his head, as the thought and realization replayed in his head that they were really gone. He couldn't do this on his own. He couldn't be strong, he couldn't be like his father, no, he couldn't be.

"Sometimes the worst action is to take no action at all…"

Lie suddenly felt all his fear, all of his sadness got swept away, as a light shimmer went around his body. The color on his body for a moment, seemed to have just disappeared. He felt calmer, more relaxed than he was before; he looked to the sky and saw that despite him feeling scared earlier, the Grimm weren't coming to attack him. After taking a deep breath, he climbed up from the sideway and ran to where the girl was. He slid beneath the building and approached the young girl.

"Hey." He said, getting the girl's attention, "We have to be brave."

The Nevermore started to crawl down the building, following the fear it felt from the girl next to Lie. The girl turned to Lie, still shaking with fear. Lie froze up slightly when the girl threw her arms around him, though he hugged back.

The shimmer went through his body again but this time it had extended to her, turning their bodies gray. The cries and shivers from the girl just seemed to have vanished when this happened. The Nevermore hung from the building, tilting its head slightly as if it was confused by something. After a moment, the Nevermore stood up and let out a screech before flying away.

As they had gotten their color back, the beast-like creature stepped nearby where they were; stopping for a moment. The two children looked to the strange beast, before it had simply walked away, disappearing into the night.

"... I'm scared…" The little girl said to Lie.

"... Me too." Lie said to her.

Lie turned back to the road and saw a wooden hammer just nearby. He was about to go and retrieve it but the little girl tugged on his arm. He turned to look at her, and saw that she was still afraid.

"It's okay…" He reassured her.

The girl was hesitant but had let go of his arm. He crawled out from their hiding place to retrieve the wooden hammer, before returning to the girl's side. "We'll keep each other safe." He said, handing the hammer over to her. The little girl looked at the hammer with awe, before taking it from him, holding it close to her chest.

"What's your name?" He asked.

The girl turned to him and smiled, "... Nora…"

Lie smiled back to the girl named Nora, "... My name is Lie Ren."

***

Qrow nor Tai didn't know what happened exactly.

One minute, Yang had brought over Ruby with her nose bleeding, and the next thing they knew, they heard Celia let out a shriek as the crowd ran off. Just as quick as Qrow and Tai had been able to calm down the crowd, they had soon been told by Maize that Melody had run off.

While Tai kept the crowd calm and tried to figure out what had happened and with Celia watching the kids, Qrow ran in the direction Maize had told him where Melody had gone, which had been the forest that surrounded most of Patch.

He pushed through the branches and looked in the various bushes that he came across. When he finally looked in one of the other many bushes, he found a familiar white ribbon caught in one of the branches and twigs. He recognized the white ribbon as a gift from her mother, and that it must've been torn off when Melody was running. He stood up holding the ribbon in his hand.

"MELODY!" Qrow called out, "MELODY! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Soon enough he noticed a trail of blood in the grass; he could tell from the looks of it, it was a fresh trail. "Melody…" He said softly. He soon heard the sound of a small scream in the distance soon after he heard a voice.

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

"MELODY!" Qrow yelled, before running in the direction of the sounds. He pushed through the branches and jumped over the bushes following the trail of blood. Soon enough he came to a rock wall, where he found a familiar girl with raven black hair cornered by three beowolves; one of them being an alpha.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE PLEASE!!" The child said fearfully, as the beowolves towered over the poor girl.

Qrow immediately drew his weapon and charged at the beowolves, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" He yelled as he swung his blade at them. He sliced a beowolf in two, drawing the attention of the other two. They went after Qrow, trying to attack him; he was able to dodge with ease despite the beowolves swinging their claws at him.

With swiftness he was able to defeat the two beowolves, slicing their bodies up in two. They soon vanished without a trace, like all Grimm do; he caught his breath and placed his sword back in it's holster. He soon turned to the crying child.

"Melody… Wren!" He said going over to her, "Are you okay?"

Melody looked to her father, and Qrow's eyes widened slightly. Blood was seen on her mouth and face and red had been stained on her shirt. Most of the blood had washed off due to the tears she had shed. "I'm sorry…" Melody said crying; her teeth were stained with red as well, "I'm sorry daddy… I didn't mean too… I didn't mean to hurt him… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Qrow looked over at her appearance and even noticed that her nails and fingers had been stained with blood as well. He knew for certain that the blood didn't belong to her, since he didn't see her hurt anywhere. The blood… Could it be…?

"I'm sorry daddy… I'm so sorry… I didn't want to hurt him… I didn't want to but I did… Please, please believe me…" Melody said to him, taking his sleeve, staining it with blood. Qrow looked to Melody, but soon let out a sigh; slowly not wanting to scare her he put his arms around her, holding her close. He shushed her as he brushed her hair.

"Don't cry Wren…" He said to her softly, "... It's alright… It's alright…"

"... You're not…" Melody said as she wiped her tears, "... You're not mad…?"

Qrow simply shook his head and said, "... You had me worried sick, when you ran off like that… And I know that whatever you did, you didn't mean it…" Melody just leaned into her dad's embrace, as she continued to cry and kept saying that she was sorry, they both stayed like this for awhile. Soon after everything had calmed down, Melody had grown tired and fallen asleep in his arms.

He soon had gotten a text from Tai, asking about Melody. He of course replied saying that he had found her; he placed the scroll in his pocket before looking down to the little girl again.

"Let's get you home kid…"

He picked up Melody and made his way back home, on the small island of Patch.