I Will Not Scatter

Epilogue

Music choice: Handlebars by Flobots

Present

"Chief."

Raven opened a crimson eye, still kneeling on the mat where she had been practicing her forms and meditating. She rarely got time to herself in the camp to do so, and her people tried not to disturb her during these rituals unless it was important.

"Yes, Vernal?" Raven asked, unable to keep the exasperation from her voice. No rest for the wicked.

The young Branwen straightened, looking a tad apprehensive despite the wry façade she typically wore.

"Someone has been looking for you in town," Vernal said. "August and Mai overheard her asking after you at the tavern. She wasn't being very discreet, either."

Raven opened both eyes, her sword and sheath still laying before her knees on the straw mat.

"I see. Did they get a name?"

"No, but…"

Raven raised her eyebrows.

"But?" Raven asked dryly.

"…But they think she's a huntress," Vernal admitted, messing with her holster.

"Oh really?" Raven hummed. "Huntress or witchfinger?"

Likely a huntress. Witchfingers can't help but be nearly too subtle; well, most of them anyways.

Vernal made a face of chagrin.

"They aren't sure."

Raven snorted sardonically.

"Naturally."

August and Mai were always enthusiastic, but Dust knew they weren't her sharpest.

"And," Vernal fidgeted again, belying guilt. Raven squinted. "The town still wants to keep on our good side. The huntress was taken into temporary custody at the guardhouse."

Raven chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"That was extremely stupid. If she didn't want to talk so badly she could have killed them all. And now she knows that the town is working with us."

The town of Dunbrook was actually one of the better behaved Settlements in the area, though not so innocent that Raven was above twisting their arm now and again. Vernal smirked.

"That's what I told them. But you know Ham, he's not the brightest spark."

Raven met Vernal's eyes steadily, watching the younger woman flinch as she realized her slip up.

"You've already spoken to him?" Raven asked, her tone cooling. That meant that this had been going on for some while, and no one had informed her until now. It wasn't just because she'd been meditating, either.

Vernal made several interesting expressions as she struggled internally, but maintained eye contact with her; that was a feat that many of her raiders struggled with when they thought they'd earned Raven's ire.

"Yes. After August and Mai told me what happened, I rode up to town to see for myself," Vernal admitted. "I wanted to be sure it was worth your attention."

Raven sighed, standing in a fluid motion to attach her sheath to her hip.

"And I'm what? Too senile to make that decision for myself?"

Vernal's eyes widened as she shook her short head of hair frantically. Raven almost smiled; the younger woman, despite her demeanor, often just wanted to impress her. She meant well, but it could be exasperating at times.

"No! No no-"

"Vernal."

"Yes?"

Raven started to put her gauntlets on, adjusting the straps.

"I'm kidding."

"Oh."

Raven tilted her head briefly as she appraised the tribes-woman.

"Next time, though," Raven said, beginning to tie her hair back. "Come get me. This counts as something I need to be informed of immediately."

Vernal hooked her thumbs in her pockets.

"But what if it's a trap?" Vernal protested. "They could have been trying to bait you."

"If I'm dumb enough to get caught in a trap that easily, then I'll deserve it," Raven huffed, collecting a few odds and ends off her desk. "Now where did I put that thing?"

The younger woman folded her arms, mouth twitching.

"Alright," Vernal conceded. "Are we leaving now? Because I can go put the lookouts on alert for anything suspicious-"

"We are not going anywhere," Raven said, still looking for one of her glyphed necklaces. "You will remain here, while I see what our guest wants to say."

There were only a few reasons a huntress would be asking around for Raven so blatantly and then allow herself to be taken into custody by the town's guards. At worst, she was an operative of Salem's or Ozpin's, had deduced she was the Spring Maiden, and wished to lure her away from the tribe; that was extremely unlikely, but not impossible.

At best, the huntress was trying to sell her intelligence related to Settlement activities in the northeast. Raven had been trying to find out which governance was responsible for the recent slaughter of a nomadic tribe that had been their allies; the word was out, and people had been coming to them with all sorts of stories. Regardless, Raven would be handling such business by herself.

Vernal frowned stubbornly.

"What if you need to use the Maiden powers?"

Raven rolled her eyes, finally finding her necklace under some papers and putting it on.

"Then I will leave. I'm not going to be summoning lightening down in the middle of Dunbrook. You really must think I'm going senile."

Vernal grumbled, still unwilling to give in despite knowing how the conversation would end.

"I'm your second."

"You are," Raven agreed drolly. "So in the event I do have a moment where my wits desert me, you will be here and not dead as well."

"Do you really think so little of me?!" Vernal exclaimed suddenly, gesturing. "That I would make that small of a difference?!"

Raven schooled her face. She wasn't trying to insult her; Raven just wasn't willing to risk any of her people over things she considered 'her business' any more than she had to. She already endangered them enough as it were.

"Yes, clearly. That's why I made you my second, despite you having less experience than the others," Raven droned. "Because I think so little of you. Don't be fucking daft. You were and are still the best choice."

Vernal flushed beneath her tan.

"Thank you. But, as a raider, I think this is a poor choice on your part," Vernal said, straightening.

Raven picked up her helm from its place by her bed, the cool metal a familiar weight in hands that filled her with both dread and joy; she exhaled slowly, allowing the feelings to dissipate before turning around.

"And I think you're letting your emotions run away with you again," Raven countered, placing the helm over her head. "I am the Morrigan. Not some damsel in distress in need of your rescue or protection. You need to remember that, Vernal."

The younger woman was beet red at this point, her eyes dropping off to side in acute embarrassment. They had had their fair share of conversations regarding this topic already. Raven did not want to hurt Vernal; but she also couldn't be what she wanted, for many reasons. Vernal said she understood, but could still get carried away with herself; and always looked like a kicked puppy each time Raven had to point these things out.

Sighing, Raven laid an armored hand on Vernal's shoulder. The young woman looked up, clearly startled.

"You do enough as it is," Raven said quietly.

More than she'd like, but that was an ancient argument that was pointless to delve into at the moment. Raven dropped her hand, making for the back of the tent.

"I'll be back by morning," the Morrigan continued, spinning her Dust cartridges. "Put the lookouts on guard, please. No unnecessary fires, and talk to Ciara about placing extra concealment wards up as well."

Her second in command nodded, whatever personal qualms she had with Raven's choices being set aside for now. Raven stalked out the back of her tent, shifting into her second skin and taking to the darkening skies. Time to go see what their guest had to say.

…

Dunbrook's streets were quiet. There was an acrid stench to the air that Raven recognized immediately, underneath the miasma of garbage and sour beer from the brewery: Grimm smoke. She circled the town for the umpteenth time, paranoia whispering in the back of her mind as always. The guard's on the walls were tense, and their tension was drawing more Grimm than usual; though nothing they couldn't handle.

With a brisk flap of her wings, Raven sent herself into a roll and changed course, heading for the guardhouse. She approached cautiously, keeping an eye out for any ambushes or signs of trouble. There were none. Guards were still coming and going, the lights were all on, and there were no alarms going off in the back of her mind. She smelled nothing indicative of bloodshed or betrayal.

However, that didn't mean Raven was about to go waltzing through the front door. She fluttered down to a branch and landed quietly near a barred window. The guardhouse was busy, and clearly stressed; however, there was no sign of chaos and she didn't think they were being held hostage.

Raven ruffled her feathers as the rain began to fall; a raindrop slid down her beak and she shook it off. She could see the captain of the guard, Hammish, or 'Ham'; he was bright pink, jowls aquiver as he marched around yelling. That was perfectly normal behavior on his part. Ham didn't have any other volume besides loud; sweat was beading over his brow and upper lip however, belying his anxiety.

Raven fluttered to the windowsill. As Ham paced by, she tapped the windowpane twice. The guardsman paused, turning. They made eye contact. Ham's pale eyebrows shot up, before he scurried around a desk, heading for the back door.

Raven met him by the cast iron fence that segregated the guardhouse from the rest of town, looking down at him from her perch.

"What took you so long?" Ham 'whispered', glancing around the street carefully.

Raven croaked contemptuously.

"Look, we – she's gettin mighty impatient. And I honest think she could leave whenever she'd like. Micah tried cuffin her, an she melted right on through the irons! Wasn't even stressed about it!"

Raven fluttered to the ground before him and shifted skins, rising slowly from a crouch as she glared dangerously at him. Ham jumped.

"I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you work for me?" Raven asked coldly. "Not the other way around."

He stammered in protest, before she cut him off.

"I am not your 'problem solver' every time you bite off more than you can chew. I am not your yard dog that comes running when you call," she growled, resting her hand on her hilt. "No one asked you to do something so fucking stupid. You're fortunate she didn't murder you all."

"I know! I know, it's my fault – it's jes, I think she let us take her on purpose!" Ham babbled, looking back at the guardhouse anxiously.

Raven snorted, shaking her head.

"Of course she did, idiot," Raven drawled. "She used you."

Ham paled.

"She-she a witchfinger?" he gulped. His Adam's apple bounced like a ping pong ball. "Cuz we don't want bad blood with them, see."

Raven rolled her eyes before activating the glyphs on her necklace; she disappeared immediately.

"One way to find out," she said, voice echoing. "Lead the way, captain."

…..

Raven trailed silently after Hammish down the cramped stairwell, the guardsman carrying a lantern that sent flickering shadows over the wall; occasionally Raven would spot her own outline across the stones. It looked like a monstrous spirit, haunting Hammish's footsteps.

Dunbrook was small by Settlement standards in Anima, boasting only around fifteen hundred citizens. Their jail was practically a shoebox, and extremely low-tech. There were at most twelve cells buried beneath the guardhouse, none of which were wider than a man lying down in either direction. At the end of the corridor would be a slightly larger room where guards might interrogate a suspect; Raven had visited it herself once or twice already.

By the time they reached the bottom of the long staircase, Raven noted that it was absolutely sweltering in the typically dank chamber. The walls were sweating, as was the back of Ham's pink neck. He gasped as he fumbled with the iron door leading into the jail.

"Dust, it's gettin worse," he proclaimed. The door pushed inward with a heavy groan, shut it behind them and bustled forward.

At the end of the corridor, one of the other guards was sitting in a chair, looking halfway to heat stroke with his head in his hands.

"Cap, I swear, I need some water," the man pleaded. "Mine run out an hour ago-"

"Go upstairs," Ham said. "Cool down. Don't talk about anything."

"I'm not-"

"Benny," Ham frowned, getting in his face. "I'm not kiddin. Actually, go home, you gots the double dragon."

Benny nodded sluggishly. He looked a little green around the gills anyways.

They waited until the other man had staggered his way out of the hall and up the steps before trying the final door. There was no handle; instead, Ham waved his palm over a glyph scratched in the wall besides it. The glyph flashed twice, before changing shape; the door slid open, heat rolling out into the corridor like a furnace.

In the corner, a figure was laying on the ground in boredom, sending lazy streams of flame crawling up the scorched walls and stone ceiling. The metal table in the middle of the room had been reduced to a molten mangle. Piles of ash indicated where the chairs had been.

The figure took note of the frightened guard, and her hands extinguished. Raven was glad she was invisible, and for the helm, because her jaw had dropped in honest surprise.

"About time," complained Becca Forzani.

"Now you listen here-" blustered Ham.

"NO, you listen, pork roast. Leave and let the grownups talk," waved Forzani, pushing herself to her feet easily. "Before I seriously consider reporting your corrupt ass."

Ham turned a shade of pink Raven hadn't known was humanly possible; she deactivated her glyphs, becoming visible once more. Becca didn't react, other than to grin smugly.

"I-look, I can't jes leave ya down here," he protested.

"Yes, you can," Raven said. "Shut the door on your way out. Don't lock it."

Ham blinked and jawed like a goldfish out of water before cursing and waddling out the door.

"You get twenty minutes! Then I want both yeh gone! Don't care how, jes go!"

Raven nearly laughed. As if he could have done something about it if they didn't.

The door slid shut behind him. Raven observed Forzani coolly, having recovered from her temporary shock. Becca was dusting ash off her hands, looking extremely pleased with herself.

"How's it going Raven? Been a long time," Becca grinned.

The scars from the Jorogumo webbing still criss-crossed over her bare throat and exposed forearms. Forzani had cut her hair shorter too, so it hung in shaggy, brown strands around her shoulders. There were even a few careless streaks of grey, and her clothing reminded Raven more of a private detective than a spoiled, flashy huntress. The woman had certainly changed from the first time they'd met over twenty five years ago.

"Has it? I hadn't noticed," Raven drawled. She strode further into the room, peering around at the destruction. "This looks cozy."

"Yea, your lackey's sure know how to treat a girl," Becca chuckled. "I thought they were going to shit bricks when I lit up."

"Congratulations. You put the fear of washed up huntresses in a couple of backwater bureaucrats," Raven droned, cocking her hip.

"I thought you'd already done that?" smirked Becca.

"Hmm. Touche."

The silence stretched uncomfortably. The room was still unbearably hot, and Raven regretted having the door shut.

"Sooo. You gonna ask me why I'm here, or just keep staring at me?" Becca asked impetuously.

Ah yes. There's the old Becca.

"Honestly, Forzani…I don't care," Raven sighed through the helms slits. "I was under the impression that you might have been someone worth my time. Jokes on me, I suppose."

She jerked her head towards the exit.

"There's the door."

Forzani scowled, her blue eyes hardening. Raven noted the dark shadows under them, the lines worn from age and stress; the rumpled clothing, the scars, the grey hairs. She actually liked this version of Becca a lot more than the one in her memory. Perhaps because she could empathize.

"Cut the crap," Becca sneered. "You're a hard woman to find, you know that? I've been all over south Anima looking for you. The least you can do is hear me out."

Raven shrugged.

"Life's full of disappointments, your majesty," Raven smirked, giving a mock bow before turning away.

Becca groaned aloud, rubbing her brow.

"Dust, I forgot what an asshole you are-"

"You're lucky I'm not more of an asshole, or I might have ransomed you back to your shitty parents," Raven droned, dry as the desert.

That option wasn't off the table either, if she kept annoying her.

"Whatever. Look, I've been doing some digging," Becca said, approaching her back. Raven waved her hand in front of the glyphs on the wall. It slid open without issue.

"Uh huh."

"Like, some serious digging, back in Vale. There's been some disappearances that didn't sit right with me, some hunters deaths that didn't add up-"

Raven started down the corridor heedlessly as Becca doggedly followed her.

"So I started snooping around, and lo and behold, I actually did find something. Something really, horribly fucked up."

"Hate to break it to you, but that's not very news worthy to anyone with a brain-"

Becca skirted ahead of her, scowling stubbornly.

"Listen here, bitch. You need to hear this," Becca growled.

Raven tilted her head, considering if it would be worth the effort to stab her again.

"Oh do I?" Raven asked slowly.

"Yea, you do, because it's about Summer," Becca said. Her eyes were nearly feverish, almost desperate.

Raven hesitated. Becca saw her chance and took it, talking fast.

"You remember how she died, how she'd been stabbed in back?"

Her cloak was white but for a stain.

"Tell me something, Branwen, who was ever capable of sneaking up on Summer?"

Raven took the Nevermore helm off, glaring at the woman across from her. Becca met her eyes steadily.

"I did, one or twice."

"Yea! But you had to cheat to do it! I've studied the drone footage, Raven," Becca exclaimed, smacking her fist into her palm. "You got the drop on her, but only because you found out where Tai's portal would be!"

Raven didn't like where this was going; she didn't want to have this conversation with this ghost from someone else's life. Summer was dead, and so was her killer. There was no point dragging this up.

"Yep, you figured it out," Raven droned. "I did it. Good job, detective Becca. You are the hero that Vale deserves."

"No, damn you, listen!" Becca shouted. "No one could sneak up on Summer and get past her aura on the first strike, not without a Semblance with a broken advantage!"

Raven nearly scoffed. The Spring Maiden had had a broken advantage-

Her eyes widened. She was the Spring Maiden now, had been for years. The Maiden powers didn't grant her cloaking abilities; or the ability to pierce through aura. She had to utilize glyphs from other people's Semblances to manage that. Becca saw the realization spreading across her face and nodded swiftly, almost reminding her of a green haired boy from a lifetime ago.

"That kid Ozpin sent Summer to find, I've read the files they had on her! She was just some runaway from a mental health institute, she never should have even been admitted to Beacon – But! She didn't have a Semblance like that! She could just talk to bloody plants!"

Oh no…

"Everyone thinks she's responsible, but that poor kid couldn't have snuck up on Summer fucking Rose in her prime!" Becca threw her hands up. "There's no way! And from my investigation I've found evidence that Summer was looking into the same shit I am now! Same as the others who've all disappeared or died!"

Oh no no no no. How could she have missed it?!

"Branwen, Summer wasn't killed in the line of duty at all," Becca continued, eyes wide.

Raven could smell ozone burning as the Maiden power began to rise within her, responding to her horror and rage.

"Somebody had her murdered."

Thunder shook the building as a lightning strike hit the top of the building, called down by her anguish. Raven could feel her eyes burning, new that she was alight with the power of the curse. A curse that she hadn't regretted inflicting on herself until this moment; because now she knew with painful certainty that she had killed the wrong person.

…..

Author's Notes: I'd like to thank ya'll for sticking with this story, and for all the encouragement and kind words. There's still some editing and continuity glitches I need to fix, but I plan on taking care of that soon. The next story in this series is going to be Looking Glass; it'll be shorter than this one, because it's going to take place over a shorter span of time. Most of it is also going to be Summer's perspective, for reasons I can't spoil.

Anyways, thanks for again for all the support. If you guys have any feedback or suggestions, please feel free to comment or message or me.