The Other Daughter

Chapter 8

Her trembling lips tried, unsuccessfully, to form a response. Yang stood in the doorway for a moment, gulping before taking stilted steps into the house. She watched her father intently, and found him observing her equally closely, but neither of them said a single word. In fact, Yang was so preoccupied with focusing on him that she scarcely noticed her bag falling from her shoulder onto the cabin floor.

Taiyang's lips were pursed in a pensive stare. He stepped forward, chest puffed out. An attempted show of bravery, she assumed. Or maybe he really was just that muscular. She bent forward to pick up her bag, not taking her eyes off of him.

"You look just like her," he said barely above a whisper. She froze, still bent down, one hand outstretched toward the bag.

Yang watched his eyes gradually moisten. She retrieved her bag and stood up, looking on in silence. Her father hurried across the room toward her. Her muscles tensed up as she waited anxiously for whatever he had planned. Stopping abruptly a mere two feet or so from her, he held her gaze, shaking like there was a chill in the air. His surprisingly gentle hand touched the side of her face and brushed her hair.

He reeked of a mixture of the heady scent of fresh grass and a thick smell of exhaust. Looking more closely, she saw he was sweating, and had a few discolored streaks of black smeared across his clothes. Taiyang stared down at her with a subdued smile. The spark of life in his eyes was without luster. She'd seen that look many times before, in the eyes of her fellow tribespeople. The strays and formerly lone wolves Raven deemed worth welcoming into the family. Hopelessness colored their very existence. It was easy to see that they were just running on fumes, doing what they could to survive. That's what made the Branwen Tribe such an appealing alternative. For all its faults, Yang had to admit that it offered purpose and direction to lost souls who wanted to become strong.

She noticed deep lines on Taiyang's face that she missed earlier. Wrinkles down both sides of his nose bridge emphasized the weariness he tried to mask with a broken smile. She couldn't help but wonder what weighed on him, and whether she had been right when she imagined he thought about her often. A red tint flushed what should have been the whites of his eyes.

"I can't believe it's really you," he said, his voice nearly cracking and full of emotion. She still didn't know what to do, so she just stared up at him and nodded. "Oh my gosh," he said, stepping back and wiping both hands down his face. "How...how did you..." Taiyang took a breath, clearly still reeling about her arrival. She felt much the same, so she couldn't blame him. "Is your mother with you?"

Yang looked at the floor. "No. I left the tribe. Left Raven."

"What?" He stared back at her, his face white with disbelief. "You came all the way here on your own?"

Yang reached into a compartment of her utility belt, lifted out the locket, and presented it to him. "Yeah. With this."

She waited nervously while he took the item from her and examined it with stunned curiosity. He seemed to mentally transport to another world as he examined every face in the photos, and traced even the most minor scratches and dings in the metal.

"I haven't seen this in years," he whispered, snapping it closed and looking up at her again. "Qrow mentioned Raven was going to tell you about us, but I never thought...I don't even know what I thought."

Yang frowned as he handed the item back. "I guess I just really wanted to meet you two. I wanted answers. I never knew about you, or Ruby. Mom never said a word until two days ago."

Taiyang huffed, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sure she didn't. To be fair, neither did I. We agreed it was best that way."

Her fingers mimicked the motion of her father's fingers, retracing every imperfection on the locket's surface. Silence hung between them, and guilt seeped into her. She was wrong to come all the way out here. To upend her father and half-sister's realities like this, expecting them to...well, she honestly didn't know what she expected. All the more reason not to have interrupted their lives.