Chapter 7: The Art of the Hunt

Remnant

Grimm Wilds

Jay had his weapon in scythe mode in order to hack and slash at growth that couldn't be moved with just his hands.

Hiking in these lands wasn't so much fun as it was tedious. It could've been his mood, but he felt unmoved by the environment. Barring the occasional views that made for a nice change of pace, there was nothing of interest here. He dubbed this time as robot mode. He just kept walking, observed the serene atmosphere occasionally, then moved on without much thought.

Surprisingly enough, there hadn't been any Grimm resistance yet. Even more unusual was that the forest was nigh-silent. There were birds chirping, there weren't animals howling; it might as well be a dead place.

"Permission to speak freely, Mr. Branwen?" Pyrrha's voice wasn't far away.

Jay sighed. "Pyrrha, there's no need for formalities. Truthfully, I hate formalities. It makes me feel older than I am."

"Apologies." Pyrrha voice sounded rushed. "It's just that-"

"I'm different." He slashed at an overgrown branch. "I'm not like the usual professional huntsman. Heck, I'm not even a huntsman."

"You're not?" She looked taken aback.

Folding the scythe back into sword form and sheathing the weapon on his back, Jay let out a massive breath. Pyrrha wasn't sure how to react to this. It looked to her like he was exasperated at her questions, but she couldn't help it. So many questions about this boy rattled in her head. She just hoped that she hadn't hurt her chances to get answers. Perhaps it was better to not treat the boy like she didn't wish to be treated. Now that she knew how he responded to formalities, she would silence them.

"That's what people think." Jay looked to his left and then to his right. "They assume because I'm working for Ozpin that I'm already a huntsman. I wouldn't call myself that, at least not officially."

"Screw what other people think." Qrow chimed in with his opinion. "With your skills and mine in one package, we can outdo pretty much anyone. So you're already a huntsman."

Jay clenched his teeth at his father's voice breaking into the conversation. Today, he wasn't feeling in the mood to deal with this. He had to take care of this before Pyrrha began to suspect something was going on. He was known for many things, but looking like a raving lunatic wasn't one of them.

"I need to make a call." Jay pulled out his scroll. "If you can, scout ahead. See anything, give me a shout."

"Of course." Pyrrha looked disappointed, but she continued along. The moment that Jay knew she was out of earshot, he relaxed.

He'd have to talk to her later to assure her that there wasn't anything wrong. Jay had seen Pyrrha at work before in the arena. Never had he seen her with this sort of timidness and fear. Did his presence really scare her?

He would deal with that later once he dealt with this first.

"You're awfully talkative today." Jay sat down on a log, still holding his scroll. "Any particular reason why?"

"You do realize you should be taking this more seriously." Qrow's visible appearance made the conversation feel more whole. "A student's life is in your hands. You don't wanna be the one to tell their parents how you didn't make it back."

"I don't plan on letting her die." The boy hardened his look. "I never make empty promises."

"Then act like it." Qrow raised a hand to where Pyrrha had gone. "She might be the best of her class, but she still can't match up to us."

"I know that, dad." Jay got up and put his scroll away. "But she needs the training. She needs to learn her own way."

"But you can't even see her now. You don't even know if she's okay."

"She'll be fine."

The sound of gunfire in the distance made both of them turn their heads. Without a moment of thought, Jay took off, Ebon Reach at the ready.

"I told you so."

"She's not dead yet." Jay all but shouted to the phantom. "I would know if she was dead. Remember who's got whacky aura powers here."

Emerging from the thick of trees, Jay looked on to see that Pyrrha was engaged in heavy combat with three Ursa majors. Judging from the trail of ashes, she had taken out a fair amount of Grimm already.

Ebon Reach still in hand, but now more curious than fearful, Jay casually leaned against a tree to watch the spartan warrior go at it. Her movements were practiced, instinctive, and natural. Her face had concentration written on it, not at intense levels, but not quite casual either. She moved with a sort of grace and practice and deadliness that was unnatural for someone her age.

"Better get in there." Qrow crossed his arms. "Show her how it's done."

Jay said nothing, but heeded the senior huntsman's words, even if for the sake of shutting the older man up. With Ebon Reach at the ready, the junior huntsman sped forward. He was not Ruby fast, but he he could be zingy when he wanted to be.

Swinging the massive scythe, Jay was a whirlwind, cutting through a torrent of enemies without remorse. Grimm dust and body parts littered his path. Pyrrha saw him and responded by backing off a bit, seeing the Grimm were becoming more attracted to him. Switching her weapon to rifle form, she provided some cover fire.

Even with her efforts focused on the battle, she couldn't help but admire Jay's combative style. It was alien to her, but that didn't detract how he used it against the Grimm. There was no hesitation, no faltering, no fear. It was as if he was bred for combat. Never before had she seen someone his age with such control of the killing field. Only huntsman with experience and training could do this.

So what was his secret?

Pyrrha sent her shield behind her to smack into the backside of a Grimm so it would collapse on her blade. She dropped to the ground to evade another aimed strike to the back of her head. Using her semblance, she guided her shield to her back so that the claw intended for her only clashed against metal.

Miló was still in rifle form, and with this in mind, she did a flip back onto her feet taking aim and firing into the center of a Ursa's forehead.

With another fallen Grimm, Pyrrha scolded herself. She'd let herself get distracted by her guide. She'd marvel over him and his fighting style once the danger had passed.

Seeing another line of Grimm headed her way, and with a quick thought, she threw Akoúo̱ on an intentional course, then fired a shot which deflected off the flying shield and through three more heads.

Jay out of the corner of his eyes watched Pyrrha doing her thing. It was impressive for someone of her status. All of that talk about being really good wasn't all just hot air and simple worship from fans.

Her skills validated meant less hassle; she was going to need it to survive where he was taking her.

The boy casually swiped at a Griffin trying to take him off the ground. He followed up with an aura blade to split it in half.

Switching back to sword mode, Jay performed a feint to the right in order to cause a lone Beowolf to collapse on the ground before he stuck the point home.

It was only after this final hit that both Pyrrha and Jay finally looked to each other. She signaled that it was clear.

"I can see that your skills are not without substance, Miss Nikos." Jay sheathed his weapon, taking in a full breath of air. "Above the norms of combat school students."

"And I see that your reputation is very much true." Pyrrha stepped up to stand next to him. "Quite a display."

"Not my intention. In any case, we ought to keep moving. More Grimm will be here soon."

He felt the need to compliment her because she needed to remain focused on the task. It looked like his opinion of her seemed to matter to her more than he or even she knew. He would have to work on building her confidence.

She might be number one on the battlefield, but it would seem when off of the battlefield, she was sorely lacking.

This was going to be a lot of work.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

"Ozpin." Glynda Goodwitch entered his office, scroll in hand. "A moment if you please?"

"Of course, Glynda." Ozpin turned away from the window and set his eyes to meet her own. "What is it?"

"I have concerns about sending Jay off to get the memory crystal." She stared at her scroll, currently scrolling through Beacon's information archives. "Normally, I wouldn't worry, but because of his semblance, I worry it'll do more harm than good."

"The concern is warranted, but maybe not as much as you believe." He gazed into the workings of the tower. "I've been helping Jay hone his semblance and preparing him for it."

"Not only that, but I worry what this means for a student like Pyrrha Nikos." The teacher continued on. "Is Jay really ready to handle this responsibility?"

"It's not a matter of if he is ready." Ozpin sat in his chair, not a slouch in sight. "It never has been."

"Ozpin?" Glynda tilted her head in wonder.

Linking his hands together, the old man adopted a look of deep thought and wonder. Glynda had seen this look before, and more often than not, she wished she could read into what he was thinking. He had a sort of mindset that even she couldn't comprehend fully all the time. Even if she was one of his most trusted friends, Ozpin did have his ways of continuing to confound her.

"Jay Branwen was meant to be tested through and through." Ozpin regarded his cane, then he returned to focus on Glynda. "His whole life has been such. This is merely another test for him."

"To prove what?" Glynda couldn't help but voice her curiosity.

"To prove where his path will take him in the coming years. I'm not blind as to what he truly wants. Even since Qrow's "death," Jay's been constantly hunting for the whereabouts of the Fall Maiden."

"And constantly failing is doing more than make him a little upset." Glynda exhaled a breath of air. "Qrow was never the most patient man. And with Jay's condition, I don't imagine it to be that much easier."

"True, but back to the original point." The headmaster held his coffee cup but didn't drink from it. "Revenge is his path and his test. If his resolve says anything, he'll see it through. The question is this: what will be his path be once revenge is satisfied?"

"I don't imagine he's given much thought to his life after." The huntress understood. People like Jay could often forget about a great deal of things because of a singular goal. "Still, he is one of us. We will do what we can to help him."

"And he's been dedicating much time to helping his sisters train." Ozpin pulled up the most recent video of Jay training with Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose. "He's certainly getting them ready for the fight."

"With good reason." Glynda's eyes watched the video as well. "After the death of his father, I don't imagine he's gotten lax with their training."

"Not as long as he continues down this path he's insisted on."

The muffled sounds of weapons firing and grunts of exertion and the sound of clashing filled the room. After another few seconds of observation, he shut off the screen and stood up again, grabbing his cane even if it wasn't necessary.

"The Fall Maiden is out there somewhere, Glynda. And the Queen is far from done with us. She will come for us one day."

"But we don't even know how, sir. We just know it will happen."

"We've been looking into the present and future, trying to predict the next move." He tapped his cane on the floor. "Perhaps those are the wrong places to look."

A tilt of the head indicated her interest in his words.

He didn't look her way or even give a slight head movement. His eyes only focused on the horizon in deep thought. Whatever questions she had would not be answered. He was really deep in thought now.

"I should go." Glynda turned on her heels. "I thank you for your time headmaster."

Her heels clicked against the floor, and not once did he move as she waited for the elevator, stepped in, pressed the button to the ground floor, and stared at him as the door closed. She was worried undoubtedly.

She hadn't seen Ozpin this worried in a very long time, and few things did get under the man's skin.

When Glynda was no longer present, Ozpin heard his scroll sending him an alert message. Pushing away his worries, he pulled up his alerts to see who was calling him. It was General James Ironwood.

Unexpected, and Ozpin had no idea if he should think of this call as welcome or unwelcome. He wasn't exactly in his best talkative mood.

Whatever his feelings regarding Ironwood or his methods, Ozpin answered the call immediately. As much as he called the man a friend, the general was also a bit of a wild card at times.

"General." Ozpin let genuine attitude play its part. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You don't owe me anything, Oz." Ironwood looked tall and proud as always. "But I wish I could discuss pleasantries today."

"What's the matter at hand?"

"The Fall Maiden. I understand you sent Mr. Branwen out to retrieve a potential game-changing artifact."

Now Ozpin felt just the most minor hint of strain.

"Neglecting the fact that you knew this before I informed you," Ozpin didn't change his tone at all, "I don't even know if what I'm sending him out for is that game-changing. At best, it's a gamble."

"And at worst?" Ironwood too was unchanged in manner. "Ozpin, we are the protectors of the world. We cannot do our duty if you're not tell us things."

"I understand your concern, but think about this real carefully, Ironwood. With one Maiden unaccounted for and the other three at risk even now, you understand if I have to change my methods of operation for all of our sakes."

Ironwood opened his mouth, then froze. Ozpin only closed his eyes. Standstills like this one were nothing new to the two huntsman. It always came to a difference of ideology when they were like this. It was no different the first time they argued and it was no different all these years later.

"If you won't divulge that information, then can you tell me why you saw fit to assign a student with Jay?"

"I'm aiming to teach Mr. Branwen a lesson." Ozpin brought his coffee cup closer to his side. "Monty Oum knows he's in need of one."

"I see." The general seemed to be appeased with this answer. "And what does Pyrrha Nikos have to teach our mutual friend?"

"Nothing in combat, but more so a lesson from the spirit."

"...I will take my leave. Farewell, Ozpin."

"Farewell, general."

A blank screen, an empty tower, a frowning old man.

Part of the truth was with Glynda, part of it with James, and part of it with Jay.

Why?

… one couldn't reveal what they didn't know.

That's how bad Ozpin felt things were going.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

"When's he coming back?" Ruby whined as she worked on her weapon. "He said he'd be back. He promised."

"Believe me, Rubes, I want him back as much as you do, but you heard him." Yang flung some of her hair back. "And you know what that means."

"But I want him here now!" Ruby let out a huff. "Why can't we ever go with him? What's out there that we can't face?"

"Dunno, Ruby. I say it's total baloney." Yang sat down on her bed. "But we don't get to go. Dad's rules, and they're really stupid."

"And they're there for a good reason."

Both girls looked to see Summer entering the room. The immediately stopped their conversation to see what their mother wanted.

"Hi mom." Ruby smiled. "Something you need?"

Summer took a seat between the girls and brought them closer to her. The girls were only too eager to cuddle with their mother.

"I'm sorry girls." Summer smiled, but it wasn't her best one. "I couldn't help but listen in."

"Is something wrong?" Yang leaned closer.

"Jay has been sent by Ozpin for another mission." Summer explained what she knew. "This is the second time this month."

"I know." Yang replied. "Jay told me to tell you."

"It's not really necessary now, but thank you Yang. And also, he's being accompanied by a prospective huntress."

"Who?" Ruby asked. "And what's prospective mean?"

"Prospective means expecting, Ruby." Summer ruffled her hair. "And the student name is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Wait, I've heard of that girl." Yang's eyes widened in realization. "She's the three-time Mistral Tournament girl."

"Yes, she is." Summer looked to the two of them. "What of it?"

"Why would Jay go with her?" Ruby frowned a deep frown. "He takes everyone but us on his missions."

"He doesn't take us." Summer reminded her younger daughter. "Your father and I aren't allowed. And he usually has Emerald on his missions."

Right, that girl. Both Ruby and Yang still weren't sure about that girl even after more than a year of knowing Emerald. Their parents had no opposition on the other hand. Emerald was considered a trusted friend of the family in their eyes.

"Ruby's right." Yang chimed in. "How come he gets all the fun and we don't?"

"Because your brother has the skills you two don't have."

"But big bro's been teaching me!" Ruby continued to fight back. "I built Cresent Rose to fight!"

"And I've got Ember Celica!" The clank of a readied weapon professed her stance.

Both sisters now said brother instead of cousin. It was a more appropriate term to use given the close relationship between the sisters and Qrow's adopted son. More than once in the past, Summer gotten use to the term after she'd been corrected several times.

"Ruby, Jay has experience the training. You don't." Summer spoke the words that she didn't want to speak. "Skill isn't enough to be a hero."

Ruby let out a growl, then a small whine. What else could she say? She wanted her brother, and the look of her elder sister said the same thing. Summer couldn't really say much else to assure the girls that Jay would come back no worse for wear.

"What's going on?" Taiyang's presence let Summer breath a little easier. "Are we talking about who I think we're talking about?"

"Yes." Summer motioned for him. "I could use your help telling the girls that it'll be okay."

"Alright." Taiyang took a few steps into the room. "Scoot over."

Summer made room for her husband to sit. Ruby and Yang too moved so that he had enough space.

"Ruby, Yang." Taiyang looked to both girls, watching to see if he had their attention. So far, he did. "It's harder to be a huntress than we make it look."

"For you anyways." Summer smacked his shoulder. "You're a huntsman."

"That's not the point." Taiyang spared only a seething glance. "The point is Jay is more than ready to do what he does. You two aren't."

If Yang and Ruby weren't so stubborn, they might just conceded that their parents weren't going to give in no matter what they did. They were parents after all, and parents did this sort of worrying, especially when it came to students who had warriors for children, which didn't make any sense. Jay was a child.

Why did he get special treatment?

"But-" Kids just never learn.

"This is not up for discussion." Summer decided to put her foot down. "You both cannot go with Jay when he goes on missions."

It was only when this line was drawn did the two back away, but not without showing their clear displeasure. One pouted, the other grimaced.

Both parents only could give each other shakey looks. Disagreements like this weren't often, and they wished to keep it that way.

So left with nothing but two daughters who wouldn't talk to them now, they both decided it was time to take their leave, give some space. They both rose and made their way into the hall, leaving a crack open to the room.

Yang pounded a fist into the bed sheet. Ruby huffed.

"It's not fair!" Ruby shouted to the room. "It's not fair!"

"You got that right sis." Yang felt frustrated. "But what can we do. If we take one wrong step, we'll be grounded."

"Then we'll try something else." Ruby rose. "When Jay comes home, we'll talk to him, get him to see our way of thinking."

"You think he'll say yes?" Yang wasn't quite sure.

"It's not like he's said no to our faces, and he's not the only one." Ruby took a look at her scroll. "Maybe Uncle Qrow can talk some sense into mom and dad."

Ruby sounded convinced that their parents would buy into whatever arguments that Jay or Qrow would throw at them.

Yang wanted to go just as much as Ruby. There must be so much fun to be had with Jay and his job.

But it wasn't their fault that they were still kids that didn't really get what was going on. Nothing was going to stop them from being huntresses and from sticking by their brother.

At least they thought so.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

Several hours of travelling through the forest had worn the two warriors down to the bone. The sun was showing signs of dipping down into a sunset.

They would soon have to set up camp.

"This looks like a good spot to set up." Jay held his weapon still at ready. "Defensible, natural terrain to stall Grimm, and a nearby water source."

Pyrrha's only response was to nod, a motion he only saw when she didn't respond with words. She hadn't said many words on this whole trip. In fact, she seemed almost afraid to talk to him.

Laying down his weapon, he looked to the spartan. "I'm going to get some materials to make a shelter. Give a shout if anything comes around."

"Can I… can I help you?" Pyrrha placed her weapons on her back. "I want to do my part and help."

"If you want to help, it would be appreciated." Jay folded his weapon, then sheathed it. "This way. Just remember where we came from?"

Maybe he'd underestimated her and she was a bit more daring than he gave her credit for. She could've just as easily accepted his offer to remain in this spot.

"Probably doesn't know how to get the conversation started." Qrow voiced his opinion. "Just don't get too sappy."

If you shut up, maybe I will do just that. Jay let his thoughts free. Besides, she's not the type to do that kind of thing.

"Don't be so sure, Jay." Qrow's form was only visible to him. "Men and women will get with you for the right price."

I'll keep that in mind if I need to seduce someone, but I don't.

"So..." Jay spotted a decent piece of firewood. "When you're not training to be a huntress, what do you do for fun?"

"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha seemed startled by this question.

"What do you do for fun?" Jay repeated his question. "You know, even with someone of your skill, you must have something to do for fun."

"Well, I do a lot of reading." She answered. "I do like books."

Okay, so that's not gonna work. One thing that Jay and Qrow could agree on was that books were boring. Skip that and advance forward.

"How about legends and fairy tales?"

"Well, there's always the tale of the four maidens."

The one that's real but everyone thinks isn't. Jay felt his blood boil at the thought of that woman who had continued to evade him. One day, my dear Fall Maiden. One day.

"Ah yes, the classical story." Jay felt Qrow's conscious snark. "Who doesn't know that one?"

"What do you think of it, Mr. Br-... Jay?" Pyrrha correction didn't go unnoticed.

"What do I think about the tale?" He could think of a number of things to speak about, though he felt sure she wouldn't believe him. "I think that it's a tale of inspiration. One should always do the best of his or her abilities, no matter what."

While grabbing some firewood, he noticed several more fallen branches that looked large enough to make a tent with. He pointed to the branches with his free hand, and she jumped at the chance to help.

There was some shrub that could be used. Some stones for structural support. A few twigs for handiness. A few wild fruits that were edible.

For the next half an hour, they gathered resources, some various items that could be consumed, and water from a freshwater source. To light the fire, Jay took one of his dust rounds to get some sparks going. Within another few minutes, a fire was going, though it was more for cooking than for warmth. Where they were, they weren't going to need that much heat.

With Pyrrha's assistance, they both constructed two shelters to sleep in. It would be enough to provide cover from the sun and perhaps minimal insulation, though it was hardly needed to begin with.

How he wished that there was a village nearby, but there were nowhere near villages, and even if there was one, it would be best to avoid them because the mere presence of warriors, hunter or not, drew attention, at least when missions were active. Off-duty, the danger, even if there, was far less.

His thoughts turned to Shion, the little village in Mistral that he was quite fond of.

And he was not discounting the possibility that there were possible tailers following them. There was always some idiot following him when he went solo or with Emerald. News had to have gotten out by now that the two of them were travelling. Try as he might to keep a low profile, some bastard or bitch made his life all the more difficult, and he was sure to try and cover his tracks.

Obviously not a coincidence.

"Can I ask you a question?" Jay snapped out of his trance. "Does your life allow you to travel a lot?"

"Not of my own free will, at least not most of the time." Pyrrha sat about a meter away from him, staring into the fire. "And for the most part, I have never truly travelled outside of the kingdom. It's always on the behalf of others."

"Others? You mean Pumpkin Pete's?" He used a large stick to move the logs in the fire. "I've never eaten the cereal. I've always wanted to try though."

"I'd advise you against it." She glanced at her shield and weapon nearby. "It's not ideal for a prime huntsman. It's not healthy."

"Well, thanks for the tip, but I've had worse things than unhealthy cereal. Take it from a person who gets drunk occasionally."

"You… drink?"

"Yeah, though at least I've got some form of control unlike my old man." The jab wouldn't go unnoticed by Qrow. "He had a bit more of a problem with it than I did."

"I've never heard of the huntsman Qrow Branwen in this light."

Her voice, it was not something that Jay was use to hearing from someone his age. He was use to brats and loudmouths and idiots in their shared age range, but not what she was. She was unique, and even if that truth was one she didn't wish to shoulder, and it didn't take a genius to know that fame was not something she enjoyed.

Or maybe it was because he understood her pain in some ways.

"Well, believe it or not." Jay took in a breath, smelling the scent of burning wood. "We celebrities have lives that we don't want the public to know about. That's why when we were on our off times, we often went to villages that didn't know our names. It was easier that way."

"There could be places that don't know my name?" That sounded like real hope in Pyrrha's voice.

"Possibly." He handed her a cantina. "You gotta remember, not everyone wants to live in the cities and the kingdoms, so if they're not connected with the kingdoms or the cities, they probably don't know what's going on inside. My father knew this fact and he used it to his advantage to get away, and Ozpin reminds of this fact whenever possible. He thinks I work too hard."

Ten seconds of voice silence, with only the sound of the fire and the forest filling their ears.

"What was he like? Your father, I mean."

"My father and I once travelled together. We were inseparable for the most part. His philosophy in life was that the best teacher was live field experience. He always said a day out in the world was worth a week at Beacon, and I stand by that statement. Combat school's got nothing on the real deal."

Talking about his adventures was nothing new to the boy. He'd talked to so many people about his exploits. Whether they believed him or not wasn't important. If it entertained a person, he would tell them. Pyrrha seemed to take a vast interest in what he had to say. Why she did remained ambiguous.

Looking out into the dimming sky, his memories turned bitter at the thought of the one person he wanted to find like no other.

"But enough about me." He needed to focus his attention elsewhere. "I see your swordsmanship is exceptional for someone of your age."

"I do my best to keep my edges sharp."

They would need to get some food soon, and hunting was the best choice.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

She knew that he was hiding something.

It was his right to keep things from her as her superior and her better, but she still saw that he was hiding something.

That only spurred her on; she wanted a friendship, a relationship, someone she could trust, and right now, Jay was the person she had.

There was much potential for her, and so far, he seemed at least satisfied with her performance thus far.

But he was far from trusting her with his life.

I'm back dudes and dudettes, after months of absolutely no progress. Why?

Here's reason number one: I've realized how much I've changed as a writer when I started writing for the RWBY section of FanFiciton. I'm into stories with plot, character development, and slice-of-life type genres. Action stories, as much fun as they are, don't appeal nearly as much as they use to. So getting new ideas was more work.

And my second reason: I lost major steam. I had an idea, a plan, and a goal for this story, and it got lost when school and other stories made me lose so much fuel. I can't say I've fully recovered, but I'm not ready to give up yet.

With my excuses out of the way, back to the story. This arc of the story with Jaune/Jay and Pyrrha was last several more chapters in order for a relationship to be established and cemented. Then will come another arc for him and Emerald to introduce their dynamics and answer questions about their relationship.

If it interests any of you, there's a poll detailing story ideas that I wanted to write. For your chance to influence the next story I put up, see my bio for story summaries and vote for your favorite.

Also, please excuse any grammatical errors.

So what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Meh? Let me know in a review.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading, and remember:

"Life itself is a quotation."

Jorge Luis Borges

Peace!