Nora marched along the stout brick wall, tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth, and arms held out to the sides. Goose stepping down the narrow trail she giggled happily to herself as a squirrel just a few meters away stuffed seeds into its cheeks. Everyone was soaking in the sun as they strolled through, giving one another their usual whispers as they stared up at the ginger haired girl; perfectly normal.

Yet, as Nora winded down the wall towards the middle of the park, faint sobbing rising high in the calm air brought her back from cloud nine. Stopping she smacked a hand to her forehead and looked all 'round. It didn't take long to pinpoint its source and with a hop from the wall she was bounding on towards the cries with a worried half-smile.

Passing trees and side-stepping shrubs she came to a shady mulberry a few long skips from a playground. Sat in said shade was a young Faunus girl with a bushy brown tail. "Hey," Nora said crouching down beside the young girl. "What's wrong?"

The girl looked up and tried to fight her sniffling. She rubbed her drippy nose on her wrist and sucked up some air. "I can't find my Momma!"

Nora paused but managed a gentle smile. "Don't worry, I'll help you find her. I'm good at that kinda stuff." The girl's sniffling softened, her eyes glimmering with hope. Turning around Nora pointed at her back and looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Come, hop on, we'll go find her together." The little squirrel girl sniffled and and wiped at her eyes once more before shuffling forward. Putting her arms around Nora's neck she squeezed on with her knees and in a couple safe bounces they were on through the park.

"Do you remember where you lost her?" Nora said gently as they passed from the shade, the gentle bustle of the park-goers rising to a modest hum. The little girl didn't respond. Nora, didn't want to worry herself too much yet. She looked about with the utmost vigilance, the sun high above. "Do you know where you live?" Nora chimed, her keen eyes on a swivel for a worried mother or a simple stir in the crowd.

"No..." The girl whimpered, hugging Nora tight.

"That's okay, your Momma's around here somewhere." Nora's every sentence holding to its chipper beat. A smile on her pink lips as she stepped up on an empty bench and perused the people. "How did you get separated from your Momma?"

The girl squeezed Nora a bit tighter. "Some boys pushed me. They called me an animal." She sniffled, her small fingers clenching Nora's clothes. "I ran away."

Nora's smile dipped again until it was just a straight face. "I'm sorry." The girl didn't respond. Nora got off the bench and they walked for a few moments down the stone path without a word. Nora glanced back over her shoulder and worked up a smile. "I like your tail, it's very pretty."

The little girl didn't say a word. They kept on walking straight by the big fountain and down the long stretch flanked by benches, trees, and the grassy gnolls where Nora liked to come and feed birds. Showers had come through a couple weeks before. They didn't stay long, it was just a few days of rain. Nora would say it did the park well, in their wake, everything received a vibrant glow.

"You're really quiet back there. You okay?" Nora chirped.

The little girl nodded with a gentle "Mhmm". Her nose sounded clear, meaning she was past her sniffling. Just going off the tone of her tiny "Mhmm" reassured Nora.

"Do you like birds?" Nora asked, her words honeyed as she glanced over at the bench where she had her first kiss.

"What kind of birds?" The girl asked, her breath tickling Nora's neck.

Nora responded with a giggle. "Any kind! I like all kinds of birds, I think they're pretty. I really wish I could fly like them." The last part a cheery whisper. To her surprise, Nora got a small giggle from the small Faunus girl.

"That's a silly wish."

Nora paused, her smile growing at an alarming pace, she couldn't hold back her gleeful chortle. Hearing her snort the Faunus girl joined her in a laugh.

"DIANE?! DIAAAANE?!"

The squirrel girl gasped and tried to pull herself up on Nora's shoulders. "Momma!"

Nora beamed with joy. "Is that your Momma?!" She said, pivoting towards the sound. As soon as the girl gave her a cheery "Yeah!" Nora adjusted her hold on the girl and took off towards the cries. The little girl named Diane holding tight Nora strode back towards the fountain. Across the basin stood a Wolf Faunus woman who gasped with joy as soon as she set her crystal blue eyes upon Nora and her precious cargo.

Bewildered the woman rushed to meet Nora and with exuberant screams she threw her arms around Diane and Nora. Tears welled in Nora's eyes as she soaked in the pure happiness radiating from these two strangers.

Today was lovely.

Thanks for reading everyone. I originally uploaded this story to Archive of Our Own, so I'd like to ask you to please follow both accounts for future updates. The rules over there are far more loose so if I have any "sensual" ideas they'll be over there. Like, follow, review, all that jazz.

I've always liked Nora. The ginger has just always struck a chord with me. She vaguely reminds me of Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Yes, I'm scum) and, just like with that show, she's far from my favorite character but she never fails to make me smile. I've been wanting to do more pieces with Nora for some time, so going forward I'm likely to include her in more of my projects.

Until next time, peace out.

-CS