Compass Rose

by enigmaMystere

Chapter 3

The months pass, and the little filly has grown a little, now able to reach Taiyang's knee when standing on her hindlegs. Her teeth have also started growing in, though she still has trouble with r's, f's and t's.

At the moment, she's playing keep away with Zwei, Ruby, and Yang, with herself in the middle for letting Ruby catch it. They're all laughing and carrying on, the filly flitting about as she tries to catch her ball.

Taiyang watches from a chair next to the house, sipping from a glass and enjoying the calm and happiness of his daughters.

At one point, the ball bounces off a rock, speeding over and knocking the glass right out of his hand. The girls look at him, surprised.

His reflexes allow him to keep it from tipping when it falls onto the grass, making him sigh in relief. "Well, that was odd." Upon hearing himself say it, he looks around.

Daring flies over, picking up the ball and looking at him in confusion. "Wha's w'ong, dada?"

"Dare I ask how you conceived a tiny flying horse, Tai?" A figure steps out from the side of the house, causing the filly to squeak in surprise.

The man smiles as he pets Daring's head. "It wasn't a fling with a faunas if that's what you're thinking. I found her."

The other guy, dressed in blacks and silvers, leans in close, the acrid smell making the filly's muzzle scrunch up a bit. "...did you paint her, or something? Why's she golden?"

"No, I found her like this." He says, taking the filly out of the air and cradling her to his chest. "Don't you think you should say hello?"

Chuckling softly, he waves a hand at her. "Hey, I'm Qrow. Nice to meet you."

She mimics his action, if a little nervously. "Dawing."

The guy just stares at her. "...what?"

"Her name is Daring." Tai translates from her infant speak.

Meanwhile, the girls have noticed the company and come running over.

He notices and grins, squatting to get at eye level with them. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang says, running up to him and smiling.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby echoes her, hugging his side.

"Hey, kiddos." He smirks playfully. "When were you going to tell me your father was dating a horse faunus?"

"I'm not!" He protests, nuzzling Daring.

Yang laughs at her father's predicament.

Qrow chuckles, waving a hand dismissively, trying to ignore the filly as she gums on his friend's shirt. "Sure, sure. Still, how has it been? I haven't seen you in... what, five months?"

Yang nods. "Yeah, we got Daring like a week after you last visited."

"...really, a week? Wow." He turns to look at the filly. "...so I'm really not seeing things, right?"

"Nope! She's really there!" Ruby beams at him. "And adorable, too!"

"Right..." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "...maybe I should've considered that one faunus' offer... nah, too much trouble."

"And she has skills." Tai adds, nuzzling her.

Qrow crosses his arms. "I'm having trouble believing she's a talking horse with wings. Don't push it."

"Pony!" Daring pouts, crossing her forelegs at him.

He blinks for a moment before turning to the man and pointing at the equine. "She shouldn't be able to do that."

"Do what? Correct you?" He asks with a smirk.

"Bend her legs like that." He raises an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous."

He shrugs, laughing a bit. "It's just how she is."

"Yeah, sure." He looks down at her, thoughtful. "...you know what? I can buy that. So, she has skills?"

He nods. "When I first found her she threw her hat into a beowolf's face and bounced it perfectly back onto her head."

"That's... actually impressive." He chuckles, reaching over and patting her head. "Nice job, squirt."

She happily coos at this, nuzzling into his palm.

"There you go, see? Uncle Qrow's not so bad." Tai says, smiling.

Then Daring bites a finger.

Qrow stares blankly at her for a moment. "...I kinda want you to be affected, now... but, you know, something minor."

"Hey, no trying to give that to my daughters." Tai warns, pulling Daring away.

"You know I was kidding." He scoffs quietly, pulling something out of his vest a moment before remembering present company and putting it back. "Besides, I have no control over it."

There's a loud growl as a black bear with a white, red-marked mask and yellow eyes steps into the clearing.

"...wasn't expecting that, at least." The raven-haired man picks up the girls and turns to take them inside.

Tai takes a defensive stance behind them as they back towards the door. "You brought your sword, right?"

"I came here to visit my friend and his two - sorry, three little girls. Are you crazy?" Qrow turns to him, smiling a bit. "Of course I did."

Grinning back, the other man deposits his last girl inside the house. "Stay safe." He warns them before shutting the door, leaving himself and Qrow outside.

"So, you keep it away from the house, while I take it down?" Qrow glances at him, then frowns. "You left your weapon inside, didn't you?"

"I try not to let any wandering little hands be tempted." He admits before picking up and axe off a high shelf next to a wood pile. "I can work with this, though."

The other man just stands there, clearly baffled and concerned as he stares at the bear. "...I can certainly see why you do that... and why she's called Daring."

Before he can ask what he means, a flash of gold catches his attention, and he sees a blur of motion around the bear as it tries to futilely smack the tiny flying pony.

Eyes wide, he rushes in. aiming to end this quick. "Daring, get out of there!"

Apparently she hears, but doesn't understand, landing on the Ursa's muzzle and happily waving at him. She notices the black bear drawing back a paw, so she jumps over its head at the last second, making the creature slam itself in the face. She then kicks right between its shoulders with both hindlegs, knocking it forward onto the ground, momentarily dazed.

Taking the opportunity, Tai finishes his rush with an axe blow to the bear's head.

Instead of felling the beast, it growls and headbutts him, sending him flying back into the side of the house.

Before anything else could happen, a sword finds its way through the Ursa's neck, silencing it for good. The body slowly dissolves away, the axe falling to the ground soon enough. "No more of that, thank you."

Daring didn't see any of this, having flown over to the man against her home, whimpering softly and nudging his face a couple times, trying to get a response.

Grunting, he opens his eyes, putting a hand on her head and rubbing. "Heh, it's okay, Daring. Not the first time I've been tossed into a wall."

Qrow walks up, chuckling when the filly happily hugs him. "Would that be by a Grimm or by a girl?"

He laughs. "Mostly Grimm." He rests where he is. "Did I leave a window open or something?"

There's a tapping on the window by his head, Ruby's voice soon following it. "She snuck out before you could close the door."

"Of course." He sighs before smiling at the pony. "Well, it was dangerous, but she managed to not get hit and help us."

She smiles softly, reaching up and tapping her hoof against his nose. "Dada."

The other man smiles a bit, then frowns as a thought occurs. "...but what if she did get hurt? I highly doubt that you unlocked her aura already."

He holds her to his chest. "No, we haven't. I think that should be a priority for all my girls, for the durability alone."

"So when are you going to do it?" He frowns a bit more.

A golden hoof taps Taiyang on the chin, the filly it belongs to looking at him curiously. "Auwa?"

"I'll explain in a bit, sweetie." He says to the foal, stroking her mane before looking back up at Qrow. "I was thinking when she was a bit older so she could understand it. I didn't expect her to be jumping into fights."

"Maybe she was feeling protective." The raven haired man shrugs. "Or maybe she wanted to prove herself to her daddy. I don't know."

"Maybe." He looks to the window. "You girls can come out now."

The door opens up quickly, the two girls hurrying out and hugging their father.

He chuckles, hugging them. "Don't forget to thank you uncle, too."

"No need. Probably wouldn't have been a problem, even if I wasn't here." He pats the both of them on the head. "Besides, I hear someone's birthday is coming up."

Ruby looks at him in confusion. "Yang's birthday is next month."

"...oh." He scratches his head. "Well, I guess I got a gift this early for no reason."

"Gift?" The blonde looks up sharply, eyes shining.

He taps her nose. "Wait until your birthday."

"Are you gonna come visit again for that?" She asks.

"Of course." He smiles, ruffling her hair as he turns to walk away. "Maybe I'll find an even better gift in the meantime."

"Hey wait, are you leaving already?" She asks, walking after him a few steps.

"I did mainly come here for a party," he points out, coming to a stop. "Unless you're trying to keep me here so you can get at your present?" He smirks playfully.

"No, we want you to stay so you can play and tell stories!" She gestures Ruby over to back her up.

"Yeah, what she said!" Ruby throws her hands in the air. "Play time and stories!"

Daring, having been silent all this time, turns to look at Taiyang, curious. "S'owy?"

He chuckles. "You know, like one of those I read to you girls at night sometimes? Except Qrow doesn't need a book."

She looks contemplative at this, turning to observe the others.

Ruby is hanging on her uncle's arm, laughing happily as he recalls the last mission he was on. "She nearly got me, but even with her low cut, I managed to play it cool."

"See? He can't help but tell them when they ask." Tai chuckles.

"And that's why a woman's most powerful weapon is attractiveness." He nods and crosses his arms, looking at the other man. "Right, Tai?"

The man groans a bit. "I don't know if that's a lesson I want them to learn..."

The filly looks back and forth between them, baffled. "A... a'wac... iveness?"

He ruffles her mane fondly. "You're too young for that anyway. Don't worry, you'll understand more words as you get older."

She pouts a little, then shifts a little on his lap, getting more comfortable before curling up for a nap.

He chuckle, gentle stroking her while he keeps an eye on his other girls and their uncle.

He turns back just in time to see his friend coaching Ruby as she slowly swings his sword.

He raises his eyebrow at that, wondering if Ruby will always prefer big weapons.

The younger girl starts chasing them around the yard with a sword too big to carry easily, laughing all the while, even as she starts to pant.

Tai laughs quietly as he watches, calling over. "You'll have to train hard to weild something that big."

"Then I'll train however I can!" She eventually lets it drop, panting and gasping for air.

"You'll need your own weapon for that. Don't want you getting used to mine when I'm the one who's using it." He playfully ruffles her hair, much to her pouting disapproval.

Tai nods. "Yeah, we'll need to start planning those eventually..."

"Can we start soon? I want a scythe! No, wait, a gun!" Ruby beams brightly at this.

"Well, at least we have something to work off with you." Her dad says, laughing. "Now we just need to see how big you en dup so we can scale it."

"What about Yang?" She glances at her sister. "What would you use?"

"Maybe it's best to see what your semblance is, first." Qrow pats both their heads. "It can influence your weapon quite a bit."

"True, but it's good to know a place to start anyway. Figuring out your semblance might be even harder than getting a weapon if it's a stubborn one."

"Yeah?" The man smirks. "Then why don't you teach them to fight with their fists?" He glances down at Daring. "...err... hooves?"

The dad hums in thought. "That could work, nothing wrong with knowing how to fight weaponless in case things happen."

"Yep." Qrow chuckles, letting go of them so he can approach his friend. "And who knows? Maybe one of them might like boxing."

He nods. "Maybe, I'm thinking Yang or the sleeping one." He strokes Daring. "Ruby seems to have her mind made up."

"...would she even be able to do that?" The raven-haired man eyes the pony curiously.

"Traditional boxing, probably not, but she more than willing to hit things."

His friend just raises an eyebrow. "What other fighting styles do you know?"

Ruby leans closer to her sister, speaking in a stage whisper. "Don't you hate it when they ignore you? I'm not a big fan of it."

Yang shrugs. "Eh, they're adults talking to each other. They heard that you wanted a scythe at least."

"Yes, but then they paid so much attention to Daring they didn't wait for the answer to what you wanted!" She crosses her arms, pouting a bit.

Yang waves this off casually. "I dunno what I'd want right now anyway. Dad's boxing lessons sound cool, though."

"...maybe." She turns to her, smiling broadly. "I get to train with Uncle Qrow, though!"

"Hey! You can't always hog him!"

Ruby sticks her tongue out in response.

Yang sticks hers out right back at her, wiggling it and blowing a raspberry.

Ruby does the same, her face turning a little red from the exertion of keeping it going longer.

"...think we should stop them before they black out from lack of air?" Qrow looks at their father with an eyebrow raised.

"They're sisters, they just do stuff like this." tai says, smiling. "They'll stop when they get bored, distracted, or run out of breath and have to pant for a bit."

There's a thud that's loud enough to wake up Daring, making her jump in Tai's lap. They turn to see Ruby on her face, passed out.

The dad sighs. "Okay... apparently we're at this point." He gets up, holding onto Daring. MEanwhile, Yang is crouched down, poking her sister in the cheek.

She quietly groans as the other three approach, Daring turning to poke her father's chest softly. "Dada? Is Wuby okay?"

"She's fine, Daring, just a bit dirty now." He reaches down, rubbing the girl's head. "Hey, you hit anything in the way down, bud?"

She turns her head towards him, her eyes apparently turned into swirls. "The room is spinning... hi, Darings... fly me to the moon!"

He chuckles, tucking Daring under one arm as his other goes down to pick Ruby up. "She'd have to be a bit bigger to do that."

The girl rises unsteadily to her feet, rubbing her chest as the rock she landed on makes itself known.

Looking a bit concerned, Tai actually sets down Daring to pick Ruby up, looking at her. "You alright?"

"Dumb rock." Yang says, stomped down on it and cracking it into tiny pieces. "Hurting my sister."

The brunette smiles sheepishly at him. "I'm fine. I... may have had worse tumbles."

As she speaks, Daring tries to copy what Yang did, tongue out in concentration. Her hoof grinds the bits of rock into dust and sad, leaving just a pile as her dad gives Ruby a hug and a forehead kiss.

Seeing how the girl was curled up against his chest, Qrow shrugs, then turns to enter the house. "So, is the whiskey in the same place as before?"

"Yeah, should be plenty!" Tai calls back at him.

"Thanks!"

Something pokes his knee, and he looks down to see a curious filly. "Whiskey?"

He shakes his head. "Uncle Qrow's drink, not for little ones."

She pouts a little, but nods in understanding, moving up to hug and nuzzle his face, her monochrome rainbow of a mane tickling his nose.

He chuckles, nuzzling her in return as Yang comes over, poking Ruby. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yay, candy!" The girl, in her daze, bites the finger that poked her.

"Ow, hey!" Yang yanks it away, rubbing her finger.

Qrow walks back over, chuckling quietly. "You know, I bet a certain something would protect her from that sort of injury."

Daring throws her hooves up in the air, looking at her father. "Up?"

As he shifts Ruby to one arm and picks up Daring with the other, Tai groans to Qrow. "Alright alright, I get it. I'll see about activating their auras."

"Good. Best get inside before another Ursa comes..." He trails off as he thinks of something. "...wait, what's an Ursa doing on Patch to begin with?"

"I have no idea." Tai says as he starts walking towards the house with the girls. "I picked this place because it's safe."

"Is that right?" He scratches his cheek a bit. "In that case, I'll see you in another month. Make sure Ruby works on her strength while I'm away." He passes Yang and pats her on the head. "Don't get too crazy without me, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Qrow!" She ays, smiling fondly at him.

"Good." He walks away from the house, waving at them over his shoulder and smiling to himself.

They all wave to him before heading inside, the dad looking at Ruby. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired..." She gently hugs his side. "...a little in pain..."

"Okay, come on, we'll go see if we can get some stuff from the first aid kit for you."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Yang asks.

"She'll be fine." He smiles at her since his hands are occupied. "Why don't you go play with Zwei?"

"Okay..." She nods, heading into the other room.

As Taiyang starts treating the little girl, Daring sneaks off to find her other sister, flying low so no one can hear her hooves hitting the floor.

She finds the other girl crouched in front of the puppy, both play batting at and dodging each other.

Eyes narrowed, she tries to sneak up on the two of them, more specifically the blonde girl.

They don't notice, too absorbed in their game.

She takes this opportunity to jump on Yang's calf, squeezing tight with all four legs.

The girl jumps a bit as Zwei barks, looking behind to see the pony. "Oh hey, you scared me!"

"Yang gwea'!" She giggles, then jumps on the puppy, rolling around a bit with him while laughing happily. "Zwei!"

The fluffy corgi licks her face, stubby tail wagging as Yang laughs.

Daring immediately gets up, pointing at the girl. "Ge' her!"

He springs forward, knocking the laughing girl on her back and bouncing up and down on her stomach while she keeps laughing.

The filly joins him, jumping up and down while giggling brightly, her wings fluttering to help make sure she doesn't hurt Yang.

Yang blows a small raspberry. "You guys are lucky you're smaller than me, and cute."

The filly copies her action, landing on her chest to do so.

Zwei just barks, tail wagging.

Laughing, Yang picks up Daring around her middle, holding her up. "It's still cool that you can fly."

She happily squeals, all her legs stretched out as her wings begin to flap, batting at the girl's hands.

Yang laughs, moving her around and making airship sounds.

As they do this, two people watch from the hallway. The little girl looks up at her father, curious. "Should we join them?"

He chuckles. "We can if you're feeling better." He looks down at her chest where he had put a bandage and pain killing ointment.

She openly pouts at him. "I feel better. Let's go play airship!"

He laughs, "Sure." Picking her up, he makes the same sounds Yang is, holding Ruby in the air as he moves towards the other group.

And so the family played together, the girl and filly pretending to be planes as their family lifted them through the air, the puppy barking and jumping around in an attempt to catch them.

Comments

[The oracle]

8046655* Sits down with a book as thick as the dictionary.* here, let me educate you.
Grimm are the enemy of man.
Types of Grimm
Beowolf - Wolf.
Ursa - Bear.
King Taijitu - Snakes.
Death Stalker - Scorpion.
Nevermore - Bird.
Boarbatusk - Boar.
Goliath - Elephant.
Creep - Lizard.

[Blaze Song]

8056404
You forgot:
Nuckelavee: a mutated centaur...thing.
(Comes from an Irish legend anf folk tale)

Sea dragons/serpents (I think thats what they're called): self explanatory

[Skylight Blossom]

Extremely curious what Daring's semblance will be, assuming she can make use of aura, and what her weapon will end up as. This also brings to mind what her appearance will mean for the Hunter teams.

[HeartfireFirebrand]

"Bend her legs like that." He raises an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous."

He shrugs, laughing a bit. "It's just how she is."

"Yeah, sure." He looks down at her, thoughtful. "...you know what? I can buy that. So, she has skills?"

Ponies are much more flexible than Earth Horses

[LostArchivist]

to weild something

i before e

I wonder what his reaction will be to moving clouds, if a bit of unnatural agility is already surprising. :D