White Sheep

Chapter 35

Here's the chapter. I have a busy week  this week, and probably busy for the next two coming as well. I have to  do my big speech at an event to a few thousand people. Ugh, how very  annoying.

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 35

Qrow  parried the cut towards his head and reversed his blade, locking it  against the other and twisting to the side. The opponent's sword flew  through the air and hit the grass a good fifteen feet away. His own  tickled the underside of his student's chin.

The kid knocked it  away with the back of his hand and threw a punch towards his face. It  missed, but he followed up with another, this time aiming for Qrow's  ribs.

It wasn't too hard to catch it, even if he did wince at the  unexpected force hidden there. The kid was strong. Twisting and kicking  out with one foot, Qrow swept Jaune's legs out from under him and then  placed a foot on his chest when he tried to rise. This time, Qrow made  sure to push down a little more firmly with his sword.

"I yield," Jaune Arc gasped.

"Heh,  yeah you do." Qrow grinned and sheathed his weapon, holding out a hand.  He took it, and Qrow pulled him to his feet and pushed him in the  direction of his lost weapon. The kid staggered over without complaint  and picked it up.

When Jaune turned once more and fell into a ready stance, it was all Qrow could do not to groan.

"Again?"

"I  want to be stronger," Jaune said, one hand clutching his shoulder as he  worked his muscles loose. "I know it's a pain for you, Mr Branwen, but I  think I'm improving and I don't want to stop now."

The kid was improving; Qrow didn't feel bad about admitting that. What he did  feel bad about admitting was that it wasn't annoyance that made him  want to cut the training short. It was exhaustion. He'd been knocking  the guy around for over an hour now, and as much as that didn't seem to  affect Jaune limitless stamina Arc, it was having an effect on him.

But  admitting that would make him sound – and feel – old. He bit down on a  sigh instead and held his weapon before him. The bloody thing had never  felt so heavy before, but he was not bowing out of this. The students at Signal feared his training methods, feared him because he would work them until they collapsed. He had a reputation to uphold.

He just wished the bastard could at least look a little winded.

Not  sure if that's Raven's stamina or Nicholas'. Raven always could go on  for a long time, especially when she was after a good fight. Still, why  would he be so useless with a sword? She'd never accept that, and the  last I checked, Nicholas was fairly handy with a blade.

His  thoughts were interrupted for a second as Jaune charged in, his blade  coming down in an overhead swing. Qrow blocked it easily, then flicked  his sword to the side to knock him off-balance. Adrenaline rushed  through him, and he quickly caught his second – or was it third – wind.

"Spread  your legs a little further apart," he barked, pushing forward with both  hands and pushing Jaune back to prove his point. He was rewarded with  the kid quickly taking the lesson to hear and attacking again. "Follow  through with your swings. I know you expect me to block them, but stop  pulling them at the last second. If you do hit, you'll do no damage if  you get that habit."

Jaune nodded, and Qrow winced as the force  behind the blows quickly increased. He wasn't imagining that, and there  was no way he'd accept youth or old age as having anything to do with  it. He'd thought before that the kid was strong, but this was  ridiculous.