3rd POV

The next day when he stepped into the guild, he immediately noticed that everyone was crowding around the bounty board. All of them seemed excited and were eager to complete a bounty or two. Some saw him ignore the crowd and go to a table and stand by it. The newer ones whispered about him, not knowing that he could hear them perfectly fine. The older guild members made comments but chose to ignore him. Despite all his years of stopping by the settlement and earning his onyx rank, he never took off his cloak. Others saw how dirty it was and usually judged his character based on that.

"I guess they'll let anyone be an onyx rank now." A blonde woman commented.

"Leave him be. As long as we don't bother him, he won't bother us." A man dismissed as he turned back to the board. Raptor just waited patiently as the large group near the bounty board picked the ones they wanted to do. The next several minutes was spent issuing the bounties to the group or the individual. People left shortly after and he made his way up to the board after everyone left and looked at it. He noticed that there were a couple of low paying ones but he didn't care, it gave him something to do. As he plucked a bounty off the board and went up to the desk, a blip appeared on his radar.

"PANTHER!!" A familiar voice called out. He turned around to see a familiar person dive at him with a happy expression on her face before he moved to the side suddenly. She crashed face first into the counter and groaned before turning around to look at him from the ground. He sighed when he realized who it was, her white cloak all too familiar.

"Why'd you move?" She rubbed her face.

"I thought you were going to attack me." He answered.

"I was going to hug you!" She cried out

"..." He stared at her silently.

"..." She did the same. Several long, silent seconds seemed to pass by and the guild girl and her assistant just stared at the sight before them.

"Why were you trying to hug me?" He asked.

"Why would I attack you!?" She shouted as she stood up.

"...What are you doing here, Mrs. Rose?" He asked. It had been twelve years since he's seen her face and to say that it wasn't welcome would be a lie. There was nothing wrong with her, aside from the fact that she was noisy and needlessly animated at times, but he could go the rest of his life without seeing her.

"I'm glad you asked; tall, dark, and mysterious. I've come to check on the status of the settlement." She pointed at him.

"It is fine." He answered, then finished getting his bounties verified. When he stepped out of the guild and began walking to the street, he sighed when he knew she was following him.

"So... while I have to check on the status of the town, I also need to-" She started.

"If it is trying to get me to work for Beacon, then leave." He interrupted. A shocked look adorned her face suddenly; how did he even know about what she was going to say? She didn't even finish her sentence.

"W-Wait, how did you even know?" She asked.

"Ozpin came to me five years ago, along with two others. He offered me a position at Beacon and I turned him down. You also stated that you worked for him, so I assume he sent you here on a mission to recruit me. I am not interested in Beacon nor will I ever be." He stated bluntly.

"Can you at least consider it?" She asked.

"No." He answered.

"Come on. I didn't travel all this way to be rejected! Do you know how long it took for me to get here? Especially after dealing with so many Grimm?" She asked as she followed him out of the settlement.

"Long." He answered curtly. His tone never changed once, it was the same distrustful tone he used when dealing with everyone else, but the guild girl. He didn't trust Summer Rose. That wasn't to say that he hated her, he didn't trust her one bit and that would continue to be the case.

"That was a rhetorical question." She deadpanned.

"..." He said nothing and just walked in the location of his bounty. It wasn't anything special, just a simple Beowolf bounty that could be handled when he reached his location. The guild didn't even need to send anyone out to see if he was lying because they knew him long enough to know he didn't leave anything. He never left survivors, ever.

"I can already see it. You're wondering why I'm following you." She said.

"I am. Most likely to report what I do to your superior." He answered. She didn't say anything and he just sighed before stopping and looking at her. Just because he wasn't rude to her didn't mean he liked being followed. It was bad enough that she worked for Ozpin, things just got worse when he was constantly being trailed by the old man.

"Just... consider it, please." She said quietly.

"No." He said stoically. Why was she being so persistent about him working at Beacon? There was a reason as to why he didn't go near the city or Beacon. They would chain him down and it didn't benefit him in the slightest. Working for a foreign power went against everything he was about. Working for any of the academies or the military on this planet guaranteed that he would never get off. Plus, he was sure that the military in Atlas would execute him for all the soldiers he sent to the grave.

"Why not?!" She shouted suddenly.

"I don't trust you, nor do I trust Beacon. If I were to join Beacon then I would be severely limited in what I am able to accomplish. Stop following me, Mrs. Rose. Go home." He answered. She started to try and convince him for the past couple of hours, not noticing the day slip away. So caught up in trying to convince him to go to Beacon, she barely noticed he had started to set up camp. Every time she tried to convince him, he still responded with a flat 'no'.

"... Fine. Be that way." She huffed then began to stomp away. She knew this was useless, despite her telling Ozpin that he wasn't interested, the older man didn't listen. After he saved her from death, all she wanted to do was repay him somehow. He was one of the reasons she got to go home to her girls. Taiyang was worried sick about her, as were her girls but she made it back. She knew the importance of her mission but she started to take less each passing year, only doing some in order to keep the income flowing in. She often told the girls stories of a man who was like a lonewolf, always on the move for the next location. Never stopping for anything. She would always smile as their eyes sparkled brightly the more she told them.

"Mrs. Rose." He called out.

"What?!" She snapped.

"You're going the wrong way." He pointed out. An embarrassed blush crept up on her face and she started to storm off in the opposite direction before she realized one tiny thing... it was night out. How long had she been following him? Trying to convince him to go to Beacon?

"It's night?!" She cried out.

"It is. You have been following me for the last several hours." He said.

"Ugh!" She screamed in frustration. He sighed quietly then looked around for a fallen log to sit on. It took a minute, but he eventually found one and sat on it while he got the fire started. She was about to start heading back to the settlement before a loud growl echoed from her stomach. He watched as she sat on a rock near the fire and didn't look at him, puffing her cheeks. From the corner of her eye, she saw that he had spread his cloak out and all the contents out of his bag. She saw how much materials he had and wondered how long he had been on the move. Some of those materials he currently had on him were worth a fortune in some parts of the world. Another growl escaped her stomach.

"Are you going to pout like a child, or are you going to ask for food?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She huffed.

"You're lying." He stated as another growl escaped her stomach.

"I said I'm fine." She puffed her cheeks and turned away from him.

"Stop acting like a child." He said as he set some food near her. It wasn't anything special, just some canned stew. There was a spoon on the top of it and he went back to his spot, sitting on the log then tilting his helmet up slightly to eat. She huffed once again before taking the can and opening it, silently eating the contents. She was mad, usually when she was mad, she just avoided everyone and pouted. Her family thought it was funny to see such a skilled Huntress pout like a child, but she forgot Raptor wasn't like that. He was the same as he was twelve years ago, straight to the point an no nonsense attitude.

"I don't appreciate being called a child." She murmured.

"Then stop acting like one." He replied.

"Wow... rude." She commented.

"..." He just stared at her before shaking his head. Sometimes he forgot that she was like this, noisy and always had something to say. She was kind and empathetic around civilians, and possibly her family, but here she was just a chatterbox. Pretty soon her angry attitude left and she began to talk about what has happened the last twelve years. It started off how she got to see her daughters grow up, how her oldest daughter got accepted into Beacon, as did her younger one. He noticed how she squeezed the can tightly when she told him how her youngest fought an international criminal.

Her motherly instincts kicked in and she began to state how she punished her youngest for even fighting someone like him. He listened as she told how her youngest managed to help bring an international criminal behind bars with Glynda Goodwitch, then was awarded early admission into Beacon. She then told him how proud of her she was. All he did was listen to her, maintaining his gear. If it were him, he would keep the youngest one away from Beacon but he had no say in the matter.

"So... who's that girl you were talking to?" She asked, placing her chin on her hands while looking at him. He looked at her and saw that she looked like a teenager, ready for gossip.

"She is a friend." He stated.

"What's this? The Panther has a friend? I thought you were all about being alone." She quipped.

"Companionship is a healthy trait. While I do prefer being alone, having someone to talk to is comforting." He replied calmly.

"Jeez, could've said it with a little more emotion." She murmured.

"Understood, I will try to work on it." He said in the same tone.

"I like how you say 'you'll work on it' and you do the opposite." She jabbed her spoon at him.

"..." He said nothing and just turned back to his gear.

"Well, I got what I came for." She sighed.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Information." She answered, making him stop and stare at her. The air around them seemed tense and she felt gravity suddenly weigh her down before she looked at him.

"What kind of information?" He asked. A flinch slightly overtook her when he asked in that tone, it was a cold, defensive tone that put her on edge. Things were starting to escalate quickly and she really didn't want to be on the receiving end of him. She had heard what he does to people sometimes.

"Just stuff that Ozpin already knows. I promise." She said quickly. The tense feeling turned to a suffocating one before it lifted when he looked away from her. She felt her chest tighten a bit before she released a breath that was held unknowingly. She forgot how scary he was at times.

"I think it is best if we part ways, Mrs. Rose." He said.

"Now?" She asked.

"No, when we return to the settlement." He answered. It went quiet for a while as the two of them just stared at the fire before he packed his items up and put them in his bag. She wanted to say something but felt that it would just worsen the mood.

"Listen... I still have to report to Ozpin about you, but I'll just report the things he already knows about you. I won't tell him about your relationship with the girl. I know you care for her. As much as I like Ozpin, he tends to exploit those kind of things. So I won't tell him about your friend. Think of it as payback for letting me see my girls again." She said sincerely before setting her head down and turning away from him.

"..." He didn't say anything but just stared at her for a few minutes then turned his head back to the fire. He went against a sturdy tree and leaned against it. All he did was bring out his shotgun and let it rest against his legs before leaning his head against the trees. He looked up at the stars and sighed quietly.

When he woke Summer up, they finished his bounty in silence. Not a word was said the entire time. She knew that she was on thin ice with him and he wasn't in the mood to even attempt to start a conversation. Several hours went by as the two of them walked with their hoods up. She pulled hers down when she entered the settlement while he kept his up. She saw countless people wave at him and smile while he just nodded at them. A part of her saw that these people valued him greatly and would possibly go extraordinary lengths to make sure no one bothered him. When the two of them entered the guild, she saw how the girl at the front desk smiled at his return while he just nodded. It was obvious that the girl cared about him since she kept asking if he was alright.

He may not have shown it but Summer did see that he cared about the woman, he just didn't know how to display it. The longer she walked and observed him, the more she understood about his character. He was always on the move, always traveling and thinking about his next course of action. Helping towns whenever he could seemed to be the best course of action. She had heard stories how towns felt safer because some mysterious man in a cloak saved them, stopped by on occasions and gave them breathing room. There were also stories how he's killed huntsmen and huntresses, something she never hoped to invoke the side of. She knew he was skilled, an expert in a variety of fields. It sometimes scared her to hear how dangerous he was, yet never rose his weapon against a civilian.

He was basically a living local legend. People in the city rarely ever heard of him due to their environment, but people in the frontier had basically created a legend out of him. That he was this invincible hero that always won in the end. Despite not being able to defend every settlement, he did do what he could against a Grimm attack. He was more commonly known in the outer settlements and than in some of the inner ones. One of her favorite ones that she recently heard of him, although it took about two years to confirm if it was actually true or not, was that he traveled across the entire Vale continent to find one little girl. That took dedication, and a lot of experience to track someone with barely any information.

A buzz on her scroll made her look down to see Ozpin contacting her. She sighed when she realized that she had to report now. While she couldn't lie, she also wouldn't tell anything about him to the Headmaster. She intended to keep her end of the deal, and it served as repayment for Raptor saving her years ago.

"Did you find anything?" Ozpin asked.

"No. Just the things you already know." She replied.

"Anything else?" He pushed.

"Oz... he literally is the same as when you encountered him. He barely talks, is always on the defensive, and is constantly moving. If he hasn't changed in the past five years then he won't in the future." She explained. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips at his next question.

"What about the offer?" He asked.

"He shot it down. He declined it before I even got to finish my sentence. He's not interested." She typed. She didn't notice that Raptor was looking at her, looking at the screen through the reflection from her eyes. He made sure that she was keeping her word in not ratting him out and it showed because before he knew it, she had ended the conversation with Ozpin. The man annoyed him greatly, he was persistent in trying to get him to join Beacon. This was just evidence that the man was still trying. He was caught staring at Summer because when she looked up, she just saw him looking at her silently. It was beginning to be uncomfortable as time passed.

"Seven... you're staring." The guild girl said.

"..." He didn't say anything but just turned away from her and grabbed the reward off the counter. Summer blinked when she heard that, she never heard what his name was. She didn't think it'd be something as trivial as a number, she just always called him 'Panther' seeing how he had that panther emblem on his armor. Was that his actual name? That didn't even really tell her anything about him, it just brought up more questions. She did gather information but it was already things that they knew about him. Hearing that he was called nothing but a simple number just brought more mystery to him. While she would love to stay and help out, it seemed that everyone had taken all the work, which meant she wasn't needed at the moment. It was time to depart and head home. The girls would be getting ready for a new chapter in their lives and she wasn't going to miss it.

"Well, I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't help out more." Summer said.

"That's alright. We've been okay these last few months without Huntsmen and Huntresses. We'll be alright." The guild girl smiled.

"Again, sorry. Also... Seven." Summer called out.

"..." He said nothing but look at her from over his shoulder.

"If you encounter Yang and Ruby, they're my daughters, can you make sure they don't get out of hand?" She asked.

"I will not make any promises." He said.

"I'm not asking you to babysit them forever but... make sure they at least learn from you if they encounter you." She pleaded.

"As I have stated before, I cannot make any promises. If I encounter them then I will offer advice but I will not have them follow me." He said.

"That's as good as I'm going to get... I'll see you around, Panther." She smirked while calling him the nickname she gave him. He nodded and watched as she left the guild silently. The tension in his system seemed to lessen a bit when she closed the door. There was no guarantee that he'd see her again. She proved to be troublesome, although he didn't hate her, he didn't necessarily take a immediate liking to her. At most, she was interesting and annoying at the worst.

"Someone you know?" The guild girl asked.

"I know her but I do not trust her." He answered truthfully.

"Wow, a little judgmental?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No. She is too childish for a woman of her profession." He clarified.

"Not everyone is as emotionless as you, Seven." She shook her head and sighed. The air felt tense and she noticed that he was just staring at her for a minute. Anyone else would've been unnerved by this but she just sighed, she had known him long enough to know that this was just how he was. This went on for another minute and she opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.

"I will be gone for some time." He said stoically.

"You're always gone for some time." She retorted.

"... I mean longer than the usual time frame." He added. A deep silence seemed to bask over them as they stared at one another.

"How long?" She asked after a minute of silence.

"I do not know." He answered. He couldn't tell her that he was investigating something. That something was responding to his signal that he sent out one time. It wasn't Pantheruos or from Remnant, it was something else.

"Oh..." She murmured. He was usually gone for months at a time and would often visit whenever he could, but this time it seemed like he was serious. Well, he was always serious but he actually didn't know. Personally, that soured her mood a bit. As quiet as he was, he did provide her with somebody to vent to whenever she was feeling down. Never judged her for her hobbies, activities, or her attitude. He was a good friend of hers and to see him leave always brought her mood down.

"I will return as usual." He said.

"Yeah, I know you will. Just stay safe, okay?" She asked. He nodded at her then began to walk towards the door. She saw him look over his shoulder and nod at her once while she waved at him, watching as he exited shortly after. There were times when she wished he would at least stay a month or two, just helping out. It's not like the inn would care if he decided to settle down for a while. Deep down she knew, she knew that he was always on the move.

Nothing on Remnant could cage him. It's just how he was.

The morning air outside the guild was crisp as Raptor stepped onto the cobblestone streets of the settlement. The gentle hum of life greeted him—merchants haggling, children laughing, and blacksmiths hammering steel into tools and weapons. Yet, for Raptor, the lively surroundings were nothing more than background noise. His mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with the anomaly of the signal he had detected.

He adjusted his cloak, securing his gear as he began walking toward the settlement gates. Each step he took felt measured, deliberate, a reflection of the years of discipline instilled in him. This settlement had been a refuge of sorts, a place to restock and recharge between the unrelenting missions that defined his life. But the signal he had detected was a reminder of his greater purpose—one that stretched beyond the borders of Remnant.

The guild girl watched him from the doorway, her gaze lingering as his figure disappeared into the morning mist. She let out a small sigh, leaning against the frame.

"You're always on the move, aren't you, Seven?" she murmured to herself. Despite his stoic demeanor and enigmatic nature, he had become an integral part of the settlement's sense of security. His absence would leave a void, one she wasn't sure anyone else could fill.

A voice startled her from behind. "You're going to miss him, aren't you?"

She turned to see the guild assistant, a younger man who had recently started working at the guild. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, a knowing smile on his face.

"Of course. He's... reliable, you know? He listens, even if he doesn't say much. It's comforting," she admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I get it. He's not the kind to settle down."

The assistant nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think he'll ever tell anyone what he's really after? I mean, the guy's like a ghost. Half the people in the settlement think he's not even human."

The guild girl chuckled lightly. "He's human. Or Faunus, maybe. I think he's just... different. He carries a weight most of us can't even imagine. I don't know what his past is, but it's shaped him into who he is now."

Raptor reached the outskirts of the settlement, the familiar sight of the wilds stretching before him. He paused for a moment, taking in the landscape. The thick forest ahead promised challenges, both from Grimm and the unpredictable terrain. But it was nothing he hadn't faced before.

As he adjusted his gear, his mind wandered back to the guild girl's parting words. "Just stay safe, okay?" Simple, but genuine. It was a sentiment he rarely encountered in his life. Most viewed him as a tool—a means to an end. Few saw him as a person, let alone cared for his well-being.

He shook the thought from his mind and tapped the device on his wrist, bringing up the faint signal he had detected. It pulsed irregularly, a faint beacon from something—or someone—unknown. Whatever it was, it wasn't native to Remnant. That much he knew. And that made it worth investigating.