The Awakening

by SniperGirl0907

The gods have been gone for too long: cursed to exist as giant voiceless monsters, they have awakened to find humanity at the edge of extinction, & at the mercy of the creatures known as 'titans'. Now, with the help of a young adventurous girl, a brave courageous mother, and their equally intrepid friends and family, they must find a way to save all mankind.

6. Chpt 5: Hello Again

I don't own Attack on Titan: just my OC's and the plot.

---

The Awakening

Chapter 5: Hello Again

The following morning, deep in the Marian forests:

The sun shone through the greenery of the canopy lighting up the forest floor with dusty beams of golden light: everywhere the forest was at peace, the birds were singing and the animals were going about their usual habits: all around the summer announced its arrival with the blossoming of flowers and the baring of the first fruits and nuts of the year. It promised to be a plentiful season this year; and as the wind idly blew through the trees with hardly any strength, one could be lead to believe that this was a little corner of some tranquil paradise.

However, deep in one of the oldest parts of the forest where the giant trees grew to titanic proportions: the feeling was anything but peaceful.

After a restless night's sleep: Javorin, Hecate and Herne had reconvened in the grove of giant trees, going over what they heard in the cellar of the Inn last night: and what to make of the 'sensitive' information the seven men spoke amongst each other. As they traded opinions and hypotheses, Hecate reclined in the dark gloom of a root cave, trying to keep out of the sun's light, while Herne sat curled up on a large protruding root like a dog curled up by a fireplace, as he enjoyed the warmth of the morning light: and Javorin, simply stood in the clearing between the cave and the root with his arms folded.

"Okay..." Herne frowned as he folded his arms: "So it's safe to guess the human world has grown a lot smaller in the time we've been gone"

"And from the sounds of it, I think it's also safe to say both the titans and the walls played an important part: most of which apparently has been lost" Javorin concurred,

"What that one guy said, about humanity's memories being stolen? There's got to be some sort of dark magics involved for sure. But what kind would be powerful enough to erase the collective memories of hundreds, thousands, even millions of humans all at once? And wielded by one human alone?" Herne asked Hecate offhand,

"It's hard to say..." Hecate frowned as she racked her brain: "Magics of that level of power haven't existed in the world for many thousands of years: not since-..." She paused in dubiousness, not wishing to say it aloud.

"Hmmm..." Javorin frowned in equal doubt; he had a good idea what she was referring to: "...It's not likely: but we can't rule out the possibility that someone might have found a way to resurrect those magics; but until we come across any evidence to support it, I suggest we put a pin in it to consider another time"

"Agreed" Hecate nodded, before changing the subject: "...But this 'wall cult' they mentioned, as well as this 'royal government': It would seem democracy is non-existent within this 'walled' world... Being burnt at the steak for touching the walls, as well as asking 'inappropriate' questions? These people are being quietly subjugated and the vast majority of them is either too afraid or completely oblivious...No wonder those men had to keep that meeting secret"

"And since when were the Celts ever considered vermin?!" Herne scowled in ire: "Some of my most loyal and respective followers were Celts: they understood and respected the ways of the wild, and the balance of predator and prey. Theirs was a peaceful and gentle culture that wanted for nothing but a simple existence living in harmony with the spirits and nature. Now they hide within these forests like shadows? Afraid of this 'wall cult' who condemns them to death?!" he fumed, his face contorted into a look of hurt: "...How could the old alliances the humans had for each other be forgotten like this? Why, of all the memories was that one erased?! What kind of peace did this 'first king' have in mind? That making everyone the same was supposed to work? If what they said is true, then both the Asian and Celtic ethnicities have been virtually wiped out through a hundred years of genocide! All that work of teaching fairness and equality among the different cultures, gone! Forever!" he fumed for a moment; before calming himself down, and rubbing one of his giant hands over his face in exasperation: "...This world...Whatever it's turned into, whatever it's been through in the time we've been gone...We've got a lot of work to do, to try and make things right again"

"Yeah no shit Shorty" Hecate frowned sarcastically, "We may be gods, but it's going to take a lot more than just our miracles to get things back on track: and it's inevitable the humans are going to have to work their 'lil asses off to regained what they've lost. Even if what those guys spoke about became known to the rest of their people, that won't be enough to undo whatever the hell's been done to turn this whole place upside down. And call it a hunch, but I'm willing to bet those 'titans' are in the middle of all this somehow"

"It certainly sounded that way" Javorin placed his hands on his hips, as he stared down at the roots of the trees: "The one thread that ran through that conversation as a constant: was that a hundred years ago the titans appeared, started 'eating' everyone, which drove humanity to seek sanctuary behind these walls. Which, according to the history books, were apparently 'bestowed' unto them as a bulwark; an act of mercy by this 'divine architect and his three goddesses"

"Someone posing as a false god you think?" Herne raised an eyebrow, "It wouldn't be the first time some cocky little wizard was looking for a following of his own"

"It's always possible" Javorin shrugged, "But then, anything is possible where humans are concerned: once they commit to a goal with conviction and determination, they seldom give in to anything"

"... It's always possible that a human may not be the only factor in all this?" Hecate pointed out: "If someone had been dabbling in magics they weren't suppose to know about; there's always a chance that something caught wind of what they were doing, and decided to have a piece of the action...Or, something decided it wanted out of whatever dark realm it was trapped in, lured some poor fool into believing it was a trapped fea or whatever, and bang: it gets out, poor fool probably unknowingly paid for it with their soul, and that something was left to its own devices"

"Both plausible, but again we can't say for sure" Javorin sighed, "It still not quite enough: we need to keep searching for answers"

"There's something else to keep in mind too" Herne pointed out, changing the subject slightly: "That knife that guy showed his friends? That symbol on the blade was written in the hand of the ancients"

"So? It wasn't any secret the Celts were one of the few human cultures that could actually read the hand of the ancients..." Hecate shrugged, before gazing at Herne and studying his open thoughts: "...You think that might be the reason why they were hunted down? To prevent them from finding this 'city of lost memories'?"

"Well don't you think it's a little too coincidental?" Herne raised a skeptical eyebrow: "That the Celts were somehow unaffected by this 'mind wipe' and remember this city? The only thing that would pose a problem to this 'first king' and his power? ...Plus, the hand of the ancients was stylized in many different forms: and yet of all the styles to crop up, the symbol on that blade just happens to be the exact same kind as the ones carved into our tombs? And tattooed onto our bodies? I'm sorry, but as a god who's been around long enough to know a sign when he sees one, you don't ignore something like that"

"I agree..." Javorin sighed as he thought aloud: "...Each of the points those men raised all pose some serious questions; questions that, apparently would put their very lives at risk...But would looking for the answers point us in the direction we need to go? I'm half tempted to return to Shiganshina and follow them to learn more; but, I can already feel the incantation's magics waning. Apparently, that conversation we overheard was the knowledge we needed to find...Where we go from here, will have to be down to us"

"I was half worried I was the only one to sense that" Herne huffed as he propped his head on the root: "Do you think we should try something else in the way of help?"

"As much as I am tempted I don't think we should" Javorin speculated, "The ancient ones generosity only run's so far, and we shouldn't push our luck to the point we won't have any contingencies to fall back on in the event something happens. Besides, we're gods: we can make our own luck were needed...We also need to take some time to assess our own curses at some point: try to figure out how best to undo them, so we can at least resume human form again, as well as try to remember what happened prior to us winding up in those tombs"

"...What Elysia mentioned last night: about not remembering how we ended up in those tombs in the first place? Or how she wound up in a corporeal form?" Herne thought aloud: "...Something about that doesn't sit well with me"

"Me neither. Memory loss tied to a curse of this nature, is usually never good" Javorin gazed over at his brother with concern laced in his blue eyes: "But, it's not like we're in dire straits; our powers are intact and we have a means of communication: we may be gods but we can only handle one crisis at a time. Right now, trying to figure out what happened to the humans is our top priority...So on that note, I'm open to suggestions on what we should do today"

"If that's how you want to play it, then perhaps this time we should divide and conquer?" Hecate suggested as she smoothly slipped out of the root cave, and gracefully stood up on both feet as she flicked her long hair to one side. "What do you have in mind?" Javorin asked as she smoothly tip-toed in front of him.

"There's a few things I want to try out," she stated as Herne stood up and approached them both, "I want to go back over the wall and find another one of those titans: this time, I want to take a closer look at the magics those creatures are comprised of. I want to know exactly what it is we're dealing with, and if possible, find a way to dispel those magics with an effective counter-spell"

"Good idea" Javorin nodded with approval,

"I'll come with you" Herne offered, "You might need a hand wrangling them"

"No offense Shorty, but I work alone" Hecate deadpanned,

"Take him with you" Javorin suggested, "On the off chance anything happens, you might need a little help"

Hecate folded her arms, and let a sharp frustrated "Tch!" escape her lilac lips, "Fine. Whatever. At least it's not the brat," she frowned as she gazed up at the canopy, and caught a flash of white as Elysia glided over the tops of the trees.

Ever since she woke up early this morning, Elysia had been flying nonstop all above the forest around the area of the grove: soaring high up into the sky and dropping down to glide over the canopy: she had mastered her wings, and she was proud as punch. When the gods returned to the forest late last night, it came as a real surprise to see her flying all by herself, and summoning the winds to help her do it too; at least now they didn't have to worry about flying lessons: and for Hecate in particular, it was one less nuisance to be annoyed about.

"Well? For a goddess who's assumed her first corporeal form, she's done well" Javorin smiled as he watched her circle overhead,

"True. But we can't afford to spend time teaching her everything else" Hecate frowned, "With everything we got to deal with right now, divinity lessons are going to have to wait"

"I figured that would be the case" Javorin smirked, "Which is why, after you slipped away into the shadows last night, I spent a little time crafting a particular charm for her; it's nothing fancy, but it should give her a good idea of what to do as far the basics are concerned"

"Good, 'cause I sure as hell ain't teaching her how to turn herself into a bird..." Hecate huffed, before gazing up at the canopy, and directing her telepathy up at the sky "OI! BRAT! GET YOUR FEATHERED ASS DOWN HERE!"

With a sharp turn and a barrel-roll, Elysia tucked her wings into her sides as she dropped down through the canopy, and opened her wings out again so as to parachute down: landing on the forest floor with bump, and just barely staying upright as she nearly fell forward. "You called?" she grinned.

"We're going to have to show you how to stick those landings sometime" Herne grinned, "But hey, you didn't fall face first into the ferns this time, that's an improvement from last night"

"I know right?!" Elysia excitedly bounced up and down on her feet: "And about time too 'cuz ferns really don't taste nice. So what's up? What're we gonna do today?"

"For starters" Javorin smiled as he laid a hand on Elysia's forehead: "I made you a little something to help you get your head around your powers as a goddess". Javorin's tattoos lit up around his arm, and a bright glow of white light burst forth from Elysia's forehead as her ice blue eyes lit up for moment, and her facial and neck tattoos lit up in a pale blue glow: and just as quickly as the glowing started, it died out in a flash, as the charm had been transferred to Elysia's mind, and she blinked in confusion at this strange new knowledge that was now at the forefront of her memory. "Now don't get carried away: all those spells and charms are nothing complex or overly powerful, they're merely to serve as basic guides to help you construct your own magics" Javorin added.

"Wait-" Elysia frowned at him in confusion: "Construct my own magics?"

"Yeah, you know? The basics?" Herne shrugged, "Turning invisible, talking to animals and the spirits, controlling the elements"

"The element's?!" Elysia gasped in astonishment:"You mean I can control more than one?!"

"Well of course you can control more than one kid, you're a goddess: you may have a primary elemental power, but all gods and goddesses can control all four elements on a fundamental level" Herne explained, "Why? Did you think you were limited to just the one?"

Elysia went very quiet, as she dropped her gaze with a look of anxiety in her eyes; embarrassment, shame and feeling stupid began to rise up inside her, and suddenly, she felt too ashamed to say anything. Seeing the look on her face, Herne suddenly felt rather embarrassed, and quickly regretted asking. Sensing her rising anxiety, Javorin stepped forward, and laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he knelt down to meet her gaze: "...Whatever you were told, whatever you came to believe before, know this: you are your own goddess, and your power is yours to command; no one else, not even any other god, has the right to tell you what you are, or what you can only be. Okay?"

"...Okay" she meekly nodded,

Glancing back at the others, Javorin then got back up on his feet and smiled down at her: "Listen, how about you help me out today? Hecate and Herne will be gone, and I've got something I need to do"

"You do?" Hecate raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to analyze the titans in detail; I'm going to see if we're the only gods around here. A forest as vast and ancient as this is bound to have plenty of tree and river gods hiding about: maybe one of them will be willing to offer some assistance?" Javorin stated as he wandered over to the edge of the grove: "I don't know how long it'll take, so don't wait up for me if you get back first"

"And what about the brat?" Hecate glanced over at Elysia, who shied away from her cold stern gaze: "How're you gonna put her to use?"

"Hmmm? ..." Javorin glanced over at her with a small smile: "She can help me look: four eyes are better than two, and it'll be an opportunity for her to practice her invisibility if she wanders near any roads...Sound good Elysia?"

"Uh yeah, sure" she nodded as she quickly scooted over to his side, and hid behind his frame: trying to stay away from Hecate, who still had her sharp violet eyes trained on her.

"...Is that okay with you?" Javorin asked Hecate offhand: grabbing her attention, Hecate merely gazed at him with her stone cold poker face; she knew he was up to something, and in all likelihood it was probably something she wasn't going to approve of. But if that was the case, what could she do? Javorin was a god who worked by his own means and objectives; and although he was never one to do anything that would cause harm or collateral damage, at the same time he was not one to share all his information so openly unless he felt it necessary to do so. But then, who was she to complain? Being the kind of goddess she was, how dissimilar were her own methods from his? The fact they were cousins was one of the few reasons she didn't question him all that much on why and how he went about his divine duties: it was that familial bond and understanding that kept them on good terms like that; but the fact he could be as sneaky and secretive as her pissed her off, and she didn't like it when she was always the last to know. "TCH!" she huffed, "Whatever, just don't let her trigger Ragnarok or some shit like that" she deadpanned, before turning into her raven form, and taking off up through the canopy into the open sky above.

"Well? Have fun. Catch you two later" Herne waved goodbye, before turning into a sky lark, and taking off after Hecate.

"...She really doesn't like me, does she?" Elysia sulked, letting her wings droop,

"It's not that," Javorin assured her, "She's just, not much of a 'people person': she much prefers her own company: even her own siblings don't get along all that well when their together"

"She has brothers and sisters?" Elysia blinked in surprise: trotting after Javorin as he began strolling through the forest, away from the grove of giant trees.

"Oh yes, quite a number of them" Javorin nodded offhand, "But considering her particular divine heritage, it's no surprise really"

"Why's that?" Elysia innocently asked,

Javorin stopped and looked at her in mild surprise: "...You really don't know who Hecate is, do you?"

"Well no, should I?"

"... Considering you've never spent any length of time on the ground before: I suppose you didn't really get the opportunity to learn much about the rest of your divine kin..." Javorin explained as he continued walking: "Are you at least familiar with the ancient ones?"

"Well of course, they're the higher gods that watched the world come into existence" she shrugged offhand as she continued following him, "The ones that saw the first manna sprout from the eternal well of the earth, and helped it to fill the world with life; then some of them died so they could give birth to the first spirits, while the rest gave birth to us, the lower gods. Who swore to remain on this world until time ceases to turn and the cosmos breaths its last breath. Everyone knows that"

"Ah, but do you know who gave birth to whom? And what tasks they were set? ..." Javorin glanced back at her with a knowing smile: Elysia listened up as he explained more: "Hecate's mother was Lune: goddess of the moon and the night, while her father was Sourock, the god of the dead and lord of the Dark realms: from their union, three distinct lines of offspring were born; the Death keepers, who's task it is to find and collect the souls of the dead and make sure they pass into the next life peacefully; the demon gods, who found delight in causing chaos, discord and destruction wherever they went. And the night roamers, whose duty it was to protect the mortal plane from anyone or anything that would threaten the balance between the spiritual and the natural worlds. Hecate is one of the night roamers: and the most powerful and strongest of them all; her strength as a goddess is unmatched, and her knowledge of all magics is unsurpassed, for countless centuries she has been both respected and feared by mortals, spirits and gods alike: even the ancient ones praised her name long ago"

"So? She's a demon hunter?"

"Not just any demon hunter" Javorin clarified, "The goddess of all demon hunters: every priest, shaman, medicine man, oracle and exorcist would offer their their prayers and beseech her name to help them fight the forces of evil. Her strength, skill and power is unlike any we lower gods possess; I can still remember, back during the dark ages her mere presence alone would be enough to still the winds and make the earth tremble in fear. For whenever her shadow fell upon the ground, you knew you were in the presence of one that could make mountains crumble to dust, and oceans run black with demon blood"

"Is she really that scary?" Elysia swallow hard,

"She likes to think she is" Javorin smiled, "But deep down, she's really not that bad once you gets to know her: being who she is and the kind of 'work' she's done over the centuries, she does come off as intimidating. But don't let it put you off, she wouldn't do anything to hurt you, I promise"

"...So? Who're your parents?" Elysia thought aloud,

"My mother was Lilith, goddess and queen of all the spirits, and my father was Prometheus, the god of mankind"

"Ah! So that's why you're the overseer of mankind!"

"That's right" Javorin smiled: "When mankind first began to evolve sentience and self-awareness: the ancient ones and many of us lower gods began to realize that this species could develop into something quite powerful, and that if they were not properly observed and cared for, there was no telling what kind of chaos could transpire from their actions. To that end, my father elected to watch over the humans, and help them along, eventually becoming their first god; and when the time came for the ancient ones to leave the mortal plane for the eternal realm, my father left me in charge of their care"

"He just left you all alone?"

"Oh, not really" Javorin smiled, "When you're a god you're never truly alone, no matter what realm you're in. Besides, back then the world was changing in some very big ways, and the ancient one's time on this mortal plane had come to an end, while ours was just beginning...It was okay, and neither of us had any regrets; we both made the right decision"

"So were you born into a human form? Or did you exist as something else before the humans evolved? ...I don't really remember how I was born: maybe because I didn't have a body to begin with?"

Javorin thought about it a moment, before answering: "...It's, a bit complicated" he dithered, "Technically, I was born before the humans first emerged, but I hadn't yet assumed a corporeal form: originally I was a gust wind that blew at my father's back. Then, when they first started to worship my father, I grew intensely fascinated with them, and wanted to learn more about them; so I took my first form as a human so I could live amongst them...And ever since that time I've lived countless lives as a human; a different person every time, with a different life, a different destiny, and even a different death"

"Death?!" Elysia exclaimed, "You allowed yourself to die?!"

"Well? It's not like the death keepers could keep me for long: being immortal means coming back to life one way or another for us gods: it just depends on the nature of your reincarnation. Sometimes I would live an entire life from birth to death as a human, being born to a human mother; on other occasions I would simply let my corporeal form dissolve into the earth, and the following spring I'd dig my way out of the ground as a completely whole new human. It depended on a number of factors, but after a couple of hundred years I wasn't all that picky... Dying is sort of like falling asleep: you don't remember the exact time it happened, but when you are reborn again, you just know that this new life will be different from the last"

"Why? Why can't your new life be the same as your old one?"

"Because, no two things are ever the same" Javorin shrugged, No two seasons are exactly the alike, and even human twins are different in their own little ways; everything is unique, and it is so because that is part of the nature of this world...When the time comes and your current corporeal form has reached its natural end, you can either choose to take a new form and be reincarnated as a whole new person or animal, or, you can return to your elemental form and be completely free from the physical limitations of a body"

"Okay. But what will the difference be?"

Javorin glanced down at Elysia with an understanding look in his bright blue eyes: "...The difference? ...You might have a reason to want to stay: or, you might have a reason to want to leave; but until then, just live your life in this form, and don't worry. The future often has a way of taking care of itself"

"I don't really understand" Elysia frowned in bemusement, "But I'll take your word for it"

"You'll be okay," Javorin smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "In the mean time, I'd say this seems like a good spot to split up and head off in different directions". Looking around, Elysia saw they had walked a fair distance from the grove, and were now in a part of the forest where the giant trees were not as big or as old; the steady incline had evened out into a more flat ground, peppered with deep hollows here and there, along with some hidden coves. "You head off that way, and try calling out for any gods that might be around" he instructed her, pointing to her right: "I can feel there's a stream nearby, I'll check to see if there's a river god around there" he pointed to his left.

"What do I do if I find one?" Elysia worried.

"Just introduce yourself, state your divine title, and inform them of our current situation" he told her, "Relax, you'll be fine: and if you get lost don't worry, the trees will let me know where you are"

"Uh okay," she nodded, heading off in the direction he pointed: "But wait! What if they don't- She turned round, but saw he was gone: looking around, she couldn't see Javorin anywhere; sighing in disappointment, Elysia turned back around and started heading off 'Well, at least it's not Hecate: so that's something I guess?' she thought to herself as she walked through the trees. Then, through the thick greenery and down the side of a steady embankment, she spotted a paved road: it looked just like the one she saw the night before last, only now in the daylight, she could see the paved bricks were a pale chalk-white-ish grey, and were neatly lined up together. Wondering if any humans might pass along, she eagerly ruffled her feathers in excitement, and trotted off down towards the tree line: hoping to catch a glimpse of another human.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest:

"Now don't go too far," Freya told the children, "And don't spread out too wide"

"We won't!" they all shouted back as they disappeared into the thick undergrowth.

With the promise of fine weather and a quiet uneventful day, Freya and her sister's-in-law had taken the opportunity to head out into the forest to collect berries, nuts and mushrooms: while their children had been told to practice their archery by trying to bag a few game birds. Having wandered a mile or so up from the main road, into an area they knew was reliable for foraging and hunting, the four mothers could relax a little while the children wandered off into the surrounding hollows and coves to flush out any game. All, except for Ariana, who trailed after her mother with her bow and quiver slung on her back, carrying the large wicker basket; trying to remain inconspicuous.

Any other time Ariana had no problem with hunting by herself, but the fact that she had been told to stay with her brothers really put her off: and ever since they left home she'd been trying everything she could think of to try and avoid being near Rowan.

Rowan, for his part tried to keep a distance from the group: his cousins were still not okay being around him, mostly because they didn't know if he was still simmering in one of his moods, or if he just wanted to be left alone. So for most of the journey, he and his brothers ambled a few meters behind the group.

"...Ariana? ..." Freya glanced behind her, only to find her daughter wasn't there; glancing over into the nearby bushes and catching a flash of deep auburn red, she knelt down and parted the twigs aside, to see Ariana crouched down with a look of frustration; she hated being found out: "I don't think there are any birds in there" she smiled, but Ariana simply huffed and folded her arms in annoyance. "...Darling, please" her mother pleaded softly, "Just go and talk to him? He really is sorry about what happened"

Ariana simply stared back at her, unwilling to yield: there was no way she was apologizing to Rowan, not in a million years. Seeing she was still in a foul mood over the issue, and knowing she couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to, Freya passed a heavy sigh, and stood to one side as she stepped out of the bushes: "Well? If he approaches you, don't get angry with him. Just listen, alright?"

"I'll think about it" Ariana sighed, which as far as she was concerned meant no: "...Couldn't we have left a little later? I wanted to see the Scouts embark on their latest expedition"

"You can watch them return when they get back" her mother smiled as she picked up her basket, "Now grab your bow, and go and fetch a nice fat pheasant for the pot. And don't go too far this time okay?"

"Fine, whatever" Ariana sighed as she wandered into the undergrowth, "See you later"

"...Think she'll be okay?" Skadi asked offhand in concern.

"I hope so" Freya sighed, "I just-, hope they both don't drag this out for too long"

"Well? Something will have to give eventually" Bestla offered,

After wandering less than fifty yards from where Freya and her aunts had started foraging for berries, Ariana heard a rustle in the bushes behind her; turning around, she was surprised to see Hazel standing there, looking rather unsure of herself. "Hey..." she greeted anxiously as she stepped forward: "Um? Listen, I know I didn't say anything yesterday: but I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened the night before"

"...You don't need to apologize" Ariana blinked in surprise, "What happened wasn't your fault"

"But I didn't stop you from running off, or stop Rowan when he hit you the first time round" she admitted reluctantly: "I didn't even stop to check if you were still there: and I should have insisted we stay in the forest to look for you...I-...I'm not a good cousin"

"Don't be stupid, you're a great cousin" Ariana tried to assure her, "It's Rowan that's the problem: he's the one who started it. Look, don't feel bad about it okay? We're good"

"That's great to hear" Clay smiled as he poked his head out of the nearby bush, "Now come on Hazel, I just spotted a big fat wood pigeon with my name on it: go flush it outta that tree over there! before Jaye gets it first!" he pointed to a nearby low-lying hawthorn tree; glancing back at Ariana with an apologetic look, Hazel added: "We'll talk more later, yeah?" and quietly slipped between the foliage, staying close at Clay's back as they approached the tree with their bows and arrows ready.

Glancing around, and listening carefully, Ariana decided she wanted her own space, and so quietly headed off in the other direction: away from everyone else.

Rowan watched as she disappeared among the pallet of greens, and sighed in hesitation, wondering whether or not to go after her.

---

Meanwhile, somewhere out beyond wall Maria:

After having flown a good several miles out beyond the wall, Hecate and Herne were now soaring along the edge of a large evergreen forest, looking for any suitable titan 'candidates' to capture and study. There were quite a few in this area, but finding the right one was proving to be less than easy.

"What about that one down there?" Herne gestured to a ten meter tall titan,

"Too large, he might put up a bit of a fight" she replied frankly,

"Okay? What about that one? He's only five meters tall" he pointed to another with the tip of his wing,

"Looks good enough..." she watched the titan carefully, "okay, let's get him"

The two gods circled back around, and lined up to get into position to perform a stoop; the aim would be to swoop down, transform back into their original forms mid-way down and land either side of the titan, taking it by surprise: quick and simple, without allowing it much time to fight back. But as they approached the titan, they suddenly noticed it and all the other titans were now starting to run, all heading in the same direction: away from the forest, and out into the open prairie.

"Whoa! What's got their attention?" Herne blinked in surprise as he quickly changed course, and followed the titans overhead.

Gazing down at them and reading their aura's, Hecate could see there was a slight shift in the tangle of chaos magics: as if something had suddenly stimulated a baseline instinct of some kind, and was now compelling them to follow it: "Don't know, but something's definitely up" was all she could say.

"Where are they going?" Herne thought aloud and they both flew far ahead of the growing stampede, and gazed out across the open land.

They soon spotted something else entirely.

A long column of riders on horseback stretched for over four hundred yards, galloping at speed and kicking up large clouds of dust in their wake: towards the rear were several supply wagons and carts, and every rider wore a pine green hooded cloak with a large crest on the back, depicting a set of white and blue wings. As they turned and flew parallel to the column, the two gods quickly realized the titans were heading straight for them, and on the opposite side, another six titans were quickly closing the distance.

"What're we gonna do?!" Herne exclaimed as he ruffled his feathers, "Whatever these titans got in mind, it can't be good; who are these humans anyway?"

"Fight now, ask questions later" Hecate frowned as she dropped down below Herne, "Summon some fog for me, and make sure those humans don't stop for anything!"

"You got it!" Herne shouted back as he soared up into the sky, and called on his power to summon the weather to his command. Within seconds, the fluffy white clouds high above turned dark and heavy, and before long they wafted down to ground level, creating a thick fog that shrouded the prairie from sight and turned the sky grey. The humans started to panic, but the column stayed together and they didn't slow down; so far so good, as Hecate dropped down, transformed, and charged head-long into the stampede of titans.

In an instant her fingers elongated into long robust blade-like claws, nearly four meters in length, and as the titans came within range, she cut them down with one effortless swipe after another: striking them in the chest and head, before summoning her power and incinerating them with her purple flames. In hardly any time at all, all the titans were dead, and she was the only one left standing.

"Nice job but we ain't done yet!" Herne called out, "There's another lot heading for the rear right flank!"

Transforming her claws back into fingers, Hecate began to run after the column, quickly gaining ground until she could hear the sound of thundering hooves less than three hundred yards in front of her. To her right, she heard the titans approaching, and turning her fingers back into claws again, she swung hard and decapitated one titan: as it fell down it tripped up another three titans that were right behind it, causing them to come crashing down and leaving her free to strike the remaining two, decapitating them and sending them crashing to the ground too.

"Herne! Open up the fog: let the humans see what's ahead, but keep me covered" she shouted,

"Sure thing!" he replied, and within seconds the fog grew thinner, until visibility was good for over eight hundred yards, but the fog behind the column stayed as thick as pea soup. Using her power to see every living aura, and thus navigate within range of the humans, Hecate glanced around with concern. There were more titans approaching, she could see their unnatural auras coming from every direction, and they were all heading straight for the column.

"If these humans don't find cover soon, they're going to be in serious trouble!" she huffed, "Why are the titans chasing them? What do they want?!"

"To eat them maybe?" Herne suggested, "The humans say they eat them, I suggest we don't test that theory!"

"Okay, you stay up there and tell me what's coming!" she called back, sensing his aura some seven hundred feet above the column, "...Javorin! Can you hear me? The humans are in trouble! Get your toned up ass out here and help me save them!"

But no answer came

"JAVORIN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! ANSWER ME COUSIN!" she telepathically bellowed, but still, he didn't answer her.

"What's wrong?!" Herne panicked slightly, "Why isn't he responding?!"

"...Forget him..." Hecate frowned as she saw more titans approaching from a couple of miles away, "We're on our own..."

'I swear Javorin: you had better have a damn good excuse for ignoring me like this!' she mentally huffed, making a mental note to seriously kick his ass when they returned to the safe side of the wall.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere within the Marian forest:

As Carla wandered along the road, she walked as quietly as possible, making sure she could hear every little noise behind the bushes and beyond the tree line. The long walk from Shiganshina had been uneventful, and now she was on the same stretch of road she traveled the night before last. With the memory of the human traffickers at the forefront of her mind, the adrenaline in her blood kept her on edge and alert: she wanted so badly to turn back and run, afraid they might still be out here somewhere; lying in wait to pounce on her once more. With the farmers out in the fields and other people traveling along the roads, she figured it might be riskier for them to attempt anything in broad daylight; but it did little to quell her fears.

But she was determined to find answers, or something at least, that would prove what she saw the night before last wasn't a figment of her imagination.

As she cleared the next rise and turned the corner, she soon spotted the stretch of road where the attack/encounter took place. Pausing a moment to take a deep breath and steady her nerves, she steadily walked down the incline, until she recognized the layout where the horse had thrown her from the saddle. On the right side of the road she saw a large clearing in the tree line, where something huge had come crashing through the dense undergrowth with force: twigs and branches were broken and lying all over the place, and hanging from the bushes in a scattered mess; some small trees had been pushed aside, having been uprooted completely, while leaf litter, dead ferns and ivy, and dirt was everywhere all over the road. On the opposite side, hoof prints and track marks left by the wagon testified to how fast the horses had bolted in fear.

Looking around, Carla wanted to breathe a sigh of relief: the only thing that stopped her was the nagging doubt of whether that creature was what she really saw; a human-faced bird creature? How could such a beast be real? As she gazed up at the clearing, she wondered if the creature was even still here: it had wings after all, so it could have flown off, and is probably long gone by now.

Thinking there was nothing else to be found here, Carla turned back, and started heading for home: when suddenly, a large shadow loomed over her; turning around to see what was casting it, Carla all but jumped out of her skin when she saw a huge pair of ice blue eyes gazing down at her. Tripping over her own feet and falling onto the grassy verge, she crawled back in fear, until she looked up, and instantly recognized those eyes.

It was the creature: gazing down at her with an eager look of excitement, it bounced up and down on its digigrade legs like a little child who'd just seen their best friend for the first time in a long while, as it let out a happy string of chirps and warbles.

Somewhat relieved, yet still on edge, Carla didn't know what to think as she let out a nervous chuckle: "Oh, it's you", she quickly got back up: "I uh, I was wondering if I'd find you here" she admitted nervously. The creature smiled as it let out another long series of chirps: obviously it was talking about something, but it didn't seem to be aware of the fact that it wasn't making any sense; to Carla's ears, it just sounded like several complex bird songs all strung together. Then it paused, obviously waiting for a reply.

Seeing it in daylight, Carla was taken aback by the creature's elegance and beauty; its feathers were as white as snow, and were laced with iridescent colours, like a rainbow. The symmetrical markings on its face and neck were as black as coal, and they didn't look like natural marking's, more like a strange design someone had pained onto its skin: it had big long wings folded up at its sides, hair that was comprised entirely of long downy feathers, and two huge flank plumes on the back of each shoulder. And trailing behind it was a long elegant white tail over ten meters long, much like a bridal trail. It was breathtaking to say the least, but the one thing that caught her attention the most were those eyes; bright pale blue like freshly fallen spring rain, they seemed to glisten in the morning sun as the creature bobbed its head up and down slightly. Carla couldn't believe this was the same creature that saved her life the night before last. And what struck her the most was just human its face was: young, innocent and full of wonder: it looked more like a child's face than anything else, and was a far cry from being terrifying; chances were, it probably couldn't even say boo to a goose.

The creature tilted its head to one side and chirped inquisitively, as if asking her what she was looking at: snapping back to reality, Carla's brain was tripping up on her; what do you say to a creature that only speaks in bird songs? Then she remembered their first encounter: it had understood her, and responded when she talked to it; Carla nervously cleared her throat and replied: "Uh, I'm sorry for staring, I just noticed all the colours in your feathers" she pointed up to its left shoulder.

Glancing down at its shoulder, the creature nodded with a pleased smile, and let out another string of chirps; bending right down until its face was right next to hers, it looked her over more closely, as if curious about her whole form. It sniffed the top of her head: let out a puff of air, making her skirt flap around her legs, and stayed perfectly still as Carla cautiously reached her hand up, and gently touching its cheek. Its pristine white skin was quite warm, and smooth with a slight soft fuzziness, like a peach: all the while, the creature just kept smiling with delight, as if happy to know she wasn't scare of it.

As she continued to stroke the creature's cheek, Carla felt the tension in her muscles ease: the adrenaline waned and she allowed herself to relax a little, now confident she was in no obvious danger; the one thing that kept her from totally letting her guard down was the creature's sheer size, at over seven meters in height with a long tail that could easily knock her off her feet with one sweep, she wasn't taking its size and far superior strength for granted. Even if this creature had no intention of harming her, there were no guarantees it might not accidentally hurt her: so for the time being, she was staying alert. But as she gazed up into its eyes, and saw how they seemed to shine with curiosity, Carla couldn't help but smile; a genuine smile of amazement.

"...Wow..." she breathed: "...You know it's funny, considering how big you are, you could almost be mistaken for a-

And that's when Carla's smile disappeared, and her stomach dropped like a lead weight: this creature was mostly a bird, but it also had a human face, and was of a gigantic size. Her mind back-flipped a few paces as a sudden realization began to turn over a new line of thought, and as she stared off into space, she began to wonder '...Is this creature...a titan?!', could such a titan exist? Was it possible for titan/animal hybrids to be a real thing? But what else could it be? There was no other creature that even came close to resembling this strange bird hybrid, except for a titan; they were huge, looked human...and titans eat humans. But this creature, this 'bird titan' clearly had no interest in eating her, which made utterly no sense; all titans eat humans, she knew that...or did she? This was no titan she had ever seen before, but then, she'd never actually seen a real titan to begin with.

As she tried to make sense of what she knew, and what she was seeing right now: a warbling chirp snapped her back to reality. Meeting the creature's gaze again, Carla saw the concern in its eyes, as she suddenly realized it had seen the look of confusion on her face: gently pulling her hand away: she assured it "I-it's okay, I just-..." she paused a moment; drawing in breath, she decided to take another chance, and asked nervously: "...Um, this might sound a bit forward, but: are you a titan?..."

The creature blinked at her in surprise, before firmly shaking its head, confidently stating no: "Okay? ..." Carla sighed, unsure whether to be totally relieved; but still, she had to be sure, and so asked: "-But, I don't really know what else to call you? I ask, simply because, well? You sort of look like a titan; your big and you have a human face, the only difference is you don't seem to want to eat me"

The creature's face dropped in shock, ruffling its feathers in alarm as its jaw practically hit the ground; it then shook its head even more, and unfolding one wing, pointed its feathers at its mouth as if they were fingers and contorted its face into a disgusted grimace as it made a gagging motion: emphasizing the point that it really didn't care for human flesh.

"You really don't like human flesh?" Carla realized, "Okay, sorry I asked"

Much to her relief, the creature smiled and nodded, as if to say it was okay: it then stretched its wing right out, and Carla was really taken aback by just its sheer size; it must have been nearly eleven meters long, and as it stretched the other wing out to get the cricks out of its joints, the sunlight fell on its back and lit up its feathers as if they were made of pearl and starlight. With all the iridescent colours shining with such radiance, they lit up the whole underside of the canopy with every colour imaginable. It was so bright that Carla held up a hand to shield her eyes, squinting as she tried to see through the blinding white.

"Wow..." she couldn't help but smile, "With feathers and wings as radiant as that, and a face so sweet and innocent, you almost look like an angel". Suddenly, the creature started bouncing up and down and chirping with excitement, nodding its head eagerly: "Angel? ..." Carla repeated; and again, the creature got all excited and happy, "...Is that your name?"

Nodding confidently, the creature opened its wings out and turned its face to one size, striking a pose, as if to help confirm her assumption: "...Huh..." Carla smiled, "...Angel...it suits you...well Angel, I'm Carla Jaeger; it's nice to meet you" she properly introduced herself. "So uh? Where do you come from? I guess it must be somewhere far away from here"

Angel dropped her gaze for moment, as if thinking about her question: and then she suddenly perked up again, as if suddenly getting an idea. Crouching right down and laying her head on the ground, Angel chirped and directed Carla's gaze to her back. "You want me to climb up on you?" the woman asked in surprise, to which Angel chirped and nodded. Glancing up at Angel's shoulder, Carla tentatively climbed up and tried to get comfy, holding onto a handful of feathers in each hand. As Angel quickly got back up, the sudden motion nearly sent Carla flying and she let out a surprised yelp as she slipped off the smooth skin of the shoulder. Freezing in place, Angel nearly panicked as she caught Carla with the bend of her wing, and pushed her back up onto her shoulder; she waited as Carla awkwardly climbed along until she was seated right by her neck, where she could keep a good grip on a handful of feathers from her head, and keep her feet firmly planted on her collar bone. Once Carla was certain she wasn't going to fall off again, she offered a nervous smile: "its okay, I think I can do this"

Angel carefully nodded, being careful not to knock Carla accidentally on the head, and as steadily as possible, she walked off back up into the forest: keeping her gate as smooth as possible so Carla wouldn't be jostled around too much, and using the bend of her wing to brush aside the branches and twigs that threatened to swat Carla off her perch.

Glancing down, Carla felt her stomach turn as she saw just how far up from the ground she was, a fall from this height would result in a bone fracture for sure: her grip tightened as she tried to keep her balance; every little motion of Angel's stride felt like it was nudging her off bit by bit, and she had to keep scooting up a little closer to her head to stop herself from slipping any further. After a few uneasy minutes, Carla steadily began to get a feel for the rhythm of Angel's gate, and adjusted her own balance and grip to stay on her shoulder more securely; once she was sure she got the hang of it, she nervously glanced around, and realized they were heading deep into the forest. Where was Angel heading? Was it a secret hiding place? Or a nest perhaps? Being part bird, it wouldn't be surprising if she had a home somewhere high up on the branch of some giant tree.

It was then Carla suddenly realized: 'Just what the hell am I doing?!' Here she was, riding some intelligent bird titan she'd only just met, with no idea where she was going or what would be waiting for her when Angel reached her destination. 'I'm mad! Utterly and completely mad!' her mind panicked, as she simply sat there and held on for dear life.

She began to wonder at the back of her mind, if stepping out of her front door this morning, was really a wise choice?

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest:

Ariana looked around carefully and listened, making sure no one had followed her; once she was confident no one was around, she pressed on, heading through the undergrowth towards the stream, trying to remember the direction she took towards the grove of giant trees, and to where she saw that titan. Now that she was back in the forest and remembering what happened the night before last, her curiosity to want to find the behemoth had overridden her mother's order to stay within range of the family. But was this the right way? It was night time when she found the grove, and the only light she had was moonlight, so it's not like she got a good look at her surroundings as she went along, and with her nose swollen from being punched, she hadn't been able to smell anything that might help her to navigate effectively.

As she approached the stream and gazed down at the crystal clear water: she huffed in disappointment; looking back down the incline of the forest floor, she couldn't see her mother, aunts or cousins anywhere. Which wasn't a problem, she remembered the way this time, and knew the quickest way back to them: keeping one ear open for in case her mother called, Ariana gazed up into the forest, and wondered if it was really worth carrying on.

She was about to proceed, when a soft thud suddenly made her stop: what was that? It sounded like something heavy had hit the ground: not enough to echo through the trees, but still, it sounded big, and close by too. Looking around where she stood, Ariana couldn't see anything: silently drawing an arrow from her quiver and locking it in place on her bow, she readied to fire in case something came charging out of the bushes.

Suddenly, a warm puff of air blew from behind, kicking up her bangs, and making her freeze to the spot. Wind was not hot like that; it felt more like an animal's breath than actual wind. Bringing her bow and arrow up into position, Ariana spun on her heels and aimed; only to find herself staring at a giant pair of folded forearms.

Gazing up slowly, her eyes grew wide as dinner plates as she found herself staring up at the blue-eyed titan: lying on his belly with his elbows propping him up. He was gazing down at her with a happy smile, as if to say: why hello there. Staring intently up into those radiant blue eyes, and recognizing them instantly, Ariana couldn't help but let a broad smile creep across her face: "...I knew you were real..." she breathed with excitement as she lowered her bow, replaced the arrow into the quiver, and slung the bow over her shoulder.

Ariana remained still as he slowly got up and sat himself next to a tree, leaning back against the trunk, and stretching his legs out to their full length as he reclined nonchalantly: totally relaxed and unconcerned. She was at a loss for words as she took in just how big he was; that night, when she saw him standing up, he looked gigantic, but here in the daylight she could see in full, the sheer size and scale of his form, and the muscles he boasted were absolutely huge. Compared to her tiny little frame, he was practically a mountain of flesh. She wasn't sure whether to come any closer: looking up at his face, and seeing that lipless cheekless maw again, she hesitated a little; seeing this, he made a deep cooing sound, as if to say: don't be scared, I won't hurt you, and laid a hand down on the ground by his side, as if to invite her to approach.

Realizing he was trying to be friendly, Ariana cautiously stepped forward: as she came closer, his giant frame encompassed her entire range of vision: he was so damn big it was unreal! And as approached his hand, she was amazed by the size of his palm and fingers; reaching out, she laid a hand on his thumb and was struck by how warm it was. Craning her head all the way back to meet his gaze, Ariana saw just how far up he was compared to her, and he was only sitting down.

"... You're really really big" was all she could say; to which he replied with a deep chuckle.

Looking at his palm, Ariana threw caution to the wind and climbed up into his hand: she nearly fell forward as he steadily raised his hand, and sat her down in his lap. Standing up, she looked up and down his legs and torso, and found her smile growing wider: that was when she noticed the intricate markings covering most of his body, and on his palm and fingers beneath her feet. And her eyes lit up in realization: "...Hey, I know these markings" she breathed, "They're just like the one on my dad's hunting knife" she turned to meet his gaze, "Are you a Celtic titan?!"

The giant let out a deep soft laugh, being careful not to jostle her too much: gazing down at her, he shook his head: no. "Oh, okay" Ariana nodded, "But-, do you know the Celts?"

He shrugged, and gestured with his other hand, as if to say: sort of. "...So?" Ariana changed the subject: "...Were you the one who did this to my eye? That night?" she asked anxiously, pointing to her left eye. The giant gazed down at her with an apologetic look, and nodded: "I guess I should thank you then; I don't know what happened or what you did. All I remember is that one second my eye was in pain, and the next I wake up, and I can see again, and the pain's gone. So, Thank you" she smiled, to which the giant smiled warmly back at her.

---

Javorin had sensed her aura the moment she came within a few miles of his position: her and her mother, along with the rest of her extended family, as he sensed their proximity to the stream. No way could it be just a coincidence that she would show up again in this forest, and so near to him too.

Deciding to indulge his curiosity, Javorin watched as she left her family and ventured away from them: unknowingly wandering closer towards him. Watching her aura, he was intrigued by just how comfortable she was being alone in this forest: knowing there were predators out here, and yet she moved with a neutral fluidity that allowed her to slip through the undergrowth stealthily; she was confident in what she was doing, aware of her surroundings, and all the while, attuned to the sights and sounds and smells of the forest. This child was a born hunter: no wonder he didn't sense her creeping up behind him the night before last. As she drew closer, he could see the remnants of his blood within her eye: just a tiny portion; from where he stood it looked like a distant blue star set into her orbital socket, with barely any power remaining. It would seem that her eye changing colour had been the only side-effect of his healing her injury.

Although he was invisible to her eyes, Javorin still took great care in lowing himself down into his belly by the stream, and propping himself up on his elbows: he would try to make himself look as less intimidating as possible, which, given his huge size and unsightly maw wasn't going to be easy, but if he did this right, hopefully she wouldn't run away in fear this time.

As she came within ten yards of him, he picked a log that had been by his side, and threw it off into the undergrowth; the sudden thump made her turn around: which gave him the second he needed to drop his invisibility and reveal himself in full. He softly blew down on her, and with her bow and arrow at the ready, she spun round and stopped in her tracks as she laid her eyes on him.

For a long tense moment she just stood there in shock, staring up at him: until she gazed into his eyes, and smiled: ...I knew you were real..."

Relived, he then slowly got up, and sat against the tree: gazing down at her with the friendliest smile his lipless face could muster (at least, he hoped he was smiling) while cooing as softly as he could, to further emphasize his gentleness. Judging by the look on her face, she was obviously taken aback by just how big he was: Javorin couldn't help but not get over his size too, as the girl looked absolutely tiny, and she was only several meters away. Placing a hand in front of her, he allowed her to approach and investigate, almost like a nervy stray cat or dog: reading her aura, he could see her fear was waning, being replaced by awe and wonder, and as she placed a hand on his thumb, her smile grew wider: "You're really really big" she gazed up at him.

'And you're really really small' he couldn't help but mentally smile.

With her confidence finally returned, the girl climbed into his palm, and he gently brought her up and placed her in his lap: standing up in his palm, she looked him up and down, seemingly studying the tattoos on his skin: "Hey, I know these markings" she suddenly blurted out, "Their just like the one on my dad's hunting knife"

Dad? Hunting knife? A symbol written in the hand of the ancients? This child recognized the hand of the ancients? 'So?' He thought with great interest, 'That gentleman is your father hm? ...This just got interesting'

"Are you a Celtic titan?!" she blurted out: Javorin couldn't help but laugh, with all the markings on his skin it was easy for anyone to make such an assumption; he shook his head, and she nodded in understanding: "oh okay...But do you know the Celts?"

Javorin paused a brief moment, without his voice he was very limited in his response; deciding to opt for body language, he gave an uncertain shrug, and with his other hand he gestured a 'sort of' type of motion. Fortunately, she seemed to pick up on this, and nodded in understanding: "So?" she nervously changed the subject: "...Were you the one who did this to my eye? That night?" she pointed to her left eye.

Not wishing to lie to her, and yet, unable to explain exactly how: all Javorin could do was gaze down at her apologetically, and nod: "I guess I should thank you then; I don't know what happened or what you did. All I remember is that one second my eye was in pain, and the next I wake up, and I can see again, and the pain's gone. So, Thank you" she smiled. Touched by her honesty, Javorin smiled warmly at her, and courteously nodded in thanks.

"You know" the girl changed the subject again, "For a titan, you sure are friendly: oh, and thank you for not trying to eat me. That'd be quite bad if you did". Again, Javorin couldn't help but laugh, 'It'd be quite bad for any god to try and eat a human' he mentally chuckled. "So? Do you have a name?" she smiled.

Javorin paused for moment as he thought about it carefully: he was a god that was under a curse of some kind, without knowing who cursed him and for what purpose, and without knowing if that same person (or persons) might still be alive; it was probably not wise to give away his real name to just anyone. Also, none of the humans in this world remembered him or any of the other gods, so it was unlikely that she'd recognize his real name anyway. Thinking quickly, he wondered what would be a suitable pseudonym: something short and easy to remember. Glancing down at the girl, he smiled as an idea came to mind, and cupping her in both hands, he carefully maneuvered his legs so as to stand back up.

Glancing over the edge of his fingers, the girl breathed in awe as she saw just how high up from the ground she was, and gazing up through the trees, she could see so much more of the forest. "...Whoa..." was all she could breathe, "Look at your shadow! It looks like it goes on forever". Javorin nodded with a soft "Nn-Hnn" through his teeth, and pointed down towards it; indeed, with the sunlight behind him, through the dappled light, his shadow stretched far beyond their line of sight through the trees and undergrowth: blotting out the sun over most of the forest floor and stream.

"Shadow?" she glanced back up at him, "That's your name?" He nodded with a smile. "Cool!" she beamed, "I'm Ariana," she patted her chest. Having read her memories the night before last, Javorin of course had already known her name: but being who he was, he felt it was better to allow her to introduce herself properly (also, it would become rather awkward if he were to tell her he already knew her name to begin with). "So what are you doing here inside wall Maria? Did you climb over the wall? If so, how did you get past the Garrison?" she asked curiously, before a look of disappointment suddenly crossed her face: "...Oh wait I forgot, titans aren't supposed to talk, are they? ...Can you talk?"

Again, Javorin was limited in his response: until he recalled her memories, and in particular her written language. Suddenly getting a brainwave, Javorin glanced down at a bare patch of mud next to the edge of stream, and knew exactly what to do. Glancing back at her, he shook his head: no. He then slowly bent down next to the stream, and holding her in one hand, with his one free hand, he wrote in the mud: No, but I can write.

"Whoa you can write?! Who taught you that?!" Ariana beamed,

'Technically, you did' Javorin mentally smiled as he wrote in reply: I taught myself.

"How many words do you know?"

: As many as you do: he replied, which technically was true, since he was going by the knowledge in her memories, he could only work with what she knew, which was sufficient enough to be getting along with.

"Huh, that's a lot of words" Ariana thought aloud, "So how did you get over the wall?"

: I didn't: he wrote, :I've always been here: , which again, was technically true; even though the majority of that time was spend cursed to sleep in an enchanted tomb for goodness knows how long.

"You've always lived here?!" Ariana gasped, "Inside wall Maria?! How long for?!"

: A very long time: was all he wrote in reply; deciding to get off this subject (least it could turn awkward very quickly), Javorin asked, : But enough about me, where do you come from?: he wrote, before smoothing out the mud to make room for more writing.

"Oh, I live in Shiganshina, that's just a few miles from here" Ariana pointed westward: "My mum dragged me out here today so she could go looking for berries and nuts with my aunts, while me and my brothers and cousins go hunting for birds" she replied, before her smile faded and a look of slight annoyance came over her: "We're supposed to be practicing our hunting skills: but I just wanna be left alone"

: Why?: he wrote, sensing her growing frustration,

"Because of my stupid brother Rowan..." she frowned, letting her gaze drop with a dejected sigh, "...Actually, he's kinda the reason I met you that night. He said something he shouldn't have, we got in a fight and he punched me in the face: I got upset and ran away, and I just kept running, until I ran into you..." she gazed back up at him. Despite knowing of the incident in question from her memories, Javorin didn't say anything, and merely listened as she continued: "Mum wants me to forgive him, but I don't want to. He always gets mad; he never learns anything, especially controlling his temper" she frowned, before letting her anger pass, and gazing up at his with a pleading look: "...Can I hang out with you for a bit? I don't want to go back yet"

Javorin smiled and nodded, : Of course: he wrote.

"So um?" Ariana changed the subject, "How did you get those markings? Did someone paint them on you?"

Javorin shook his head, and wrote, : No. I woke up the night before last, and they were there:

"So that's why you were awake when I found you? You couldn't sleep because you woke up and found yourself covered in these?" She pointed to one of the markings on his hand: raising a quizzical eyebrow: "That's seriously weird. I don't know what I'd do if I woke up and found myself covered in strange markings" she thought aloud in utter bemusement.

Javorin did his best to stifle a giggle: 'Not too quick on the uptake, are we?' he thought offhand with a smile, 'But you're young; give it time'

"Hey! Maybe we could get my dad to figure it out? He knows these markings, he writes them out all the time. Maybe he could help you figure out what happened?" she suggested.

Javorin eyes widened in alarm, as he quickly scribbled in the mud, : Not a good idea! I'm a titan : he mentally facepalmed when he realized what he'd written, but before he could correct his error, Ariana's eyes widened in realization: "Oh crap yeah..." she started off into space as the cogs in her little brain started to turn, "People would flip if they knew a titan was living out here...OH MY GOD! Bryson would totally freak out if he knew a titan was here inside the walls! He'd be out his with ODM gear and pairing blades in a heartbeat!" she then gazed up at him in mix of alarm and shock, "We can't let anyone know you're here! I can't let anyone know you're here!"

Javorin nodded in agreement, and quickly wrote, : I've been hiding here a long time, it would be best to stay secret:

"Yeah, defiantly" Ariana nodded as she regained her composure, and passed a deep sigh, "But, a titan as big as you: how have you remained hidden all this time?"

"ARIANA!" A young boy's voice echoed through the trees,

Ariana snapped her head round in the direction of the voice, and panicked: "Oh shit! It's Rowan! He's coming this way! You gotta hide quickly!"

Javorin smiled and wrote, : Relax, I got this:, he then smoothed out the mud, washed it off his fingers, and stood back up again. He treaded softly over to the tree he'd sat against, his giant feet hardly making a sound with each step: and with his free hand he made a shushing gesture, pressing his finger to his teeth, telling Ariana to be quiet. She gawked at him, alarmed and confused by this move: but didn't say a word, thinking what the hell was he doing?

He hid behind the giant tree and watched, as he laid his bright blue eyes on the approaching boy, who was now less than a hundred yards away from them. He was obviously looking her, as his head swung back and forth, scanning the undergrowth, but to no avail. Huffing in exasperation, he paused to catch his breath and looked right at them. Ariana's breath caught in her chest, he'd spotted her!

But Rowan looked away; he hadn't seen her?

Ariana gawked up at Javorin, "What gives?!-" she mouthed. But when she saw him, she stopped and stared in bewilderment: his whole body was semi-transparent, with a vague blueish aura completely surrounding his outline, she could see straight through him! She could see the trees behind him, and quickly looking down at the palm she was standing on, Ariana nearly gasped when she saw the forest floor some twelve meters below; but she wasn't falling through his hand, it was still solid. It was then she saw her whole body was semi-transparent too, surrounded in a blue aura of her own. Sensing her mix of amazement and horror: Javorin quickly assured her by leaning over the stream, and directing her gaze down at their reflection...

Or rather, the lack of their reflection: Ariana stared at the water in confusion, completely dumbfounded at what she was seeing (or not seeing rather): "What happened to our reflections?" she mouthed.

Rowan wandered closer, until he was only five meters away from Javorin's left foot. Gazing down at him: Ariana watched in a panic as he gazed up at them but wasn't reacting to them, or doing anything that would suggest he sensed anyone was here; this was really weird, and it made no sense what so ever. With a playful grin, Javorin bent down, and waved his free hand right in front of Rowan's face: again, he gave no reaction: "ARIANA!" he called again, cupping his hands around his mouth, but no response came as Ariana watched him walk back the way he came.

It was then, Ariana suddenly realized: 'I'm invisible?'. "We're invisible?!" she pointed to herself and him. Javorin nodded, and shot her a sly smile, as if to say: pretty impressive huh? "A titan, that can turn invisible?!..." Ariana gasped in a whisper, before a huge grin spread across her face: "That is so awesome!"

"ARIANA!" Rowan called again, this time more sternly: he was getting tired of this. Quickly bending back down beside the mud patch, Javorin quickly wrote, : You better go and see what he wants:

"What?! No! I'm not going near him!" Ariana stubbornly told him, but Javorin didn't give her much of a choice, as he lowered his hand and gently deposited her in a soft patch of ferns. Ariana rolled head over ass as she tumbled out of his palm and into the greenery, coming to a stop after the third roll: she quickly jumped back up on her feet, but when she looked up expecting to see him there, he was gone. Breathing a sigh of disappointment, Ariana didn't know what to do.

Javorin watched her as she stood there, her aura reflecting her feeling of dejection: he didn't want to have to do that, and although he was invisible to her now that she was no longer in physical contact with him, he remained where he was, kneeling only within four meter's of her, as she continued to stand there.

"There you are!" Rowan exclaimed angrily, "Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?! Mum told you not to wonder off, and what do you do? You wander off!" he fumed as he angrily stormed over towards her. Acting on instinct, Ariana quickly grabbed her bow and an arrow, and in one fluid movement, aimed right at him. Rowan stopped and gawked at her: Javorin was equally surprised to see her react like this; but judging from the way her aura was spiking with fear, it was clear their 'altercation' had affected her more deeply than he thought. He could do nothing but watch, as the two siblings locked eyes and remained where they were, only a few meters apart.

"Ariana, what?-" Rowan stared at her in alarm: "DON'T YOU DARE COME ANY CLOSER TO ME!" she screamed angrily: lowering her bow, but keeping the arrow locked in place, "I don't want you anywhere near me! So go away!"

Rowan tried to plead with her, "Ariana I just-"

"-NO!" She angrily shot back, "I don't wanna hear it! ... You have to learn there are consequences to your actions Rowan, but you don't learn! You always never learn! And what happened that night is the last straw for me! You hurt me, and you never even said sorry!"

"THAT'S WHY I'M HERE!" he shouted back angrily, quickly adding: "-That's why I wanted to find you, so I can say I'm sorry!"

Ariana studied him with a stern frown for moment, before letting her gaze drop in bitter disappointment: "...You always say that; you always promise mum you'll never do it again, and you always promise us you won't get mad at us...But you keep doing it over and over again: and that night, you went too far...So why should I believe you now? ..." her face contorted into a look of hurt, as tears welled up in her eyes: "...You're my big brother Rowan...Why do you have to be so mad all the time?" she sobbed, letting the bow and arrow fall out of her hands: "... I don't care if you come from a different family, or that I'm not your real sister: you're my brother, and I just want you to be there, and be happy. Is that so wrong?"

Rowan stared at her in alarm: he already knew he hurt her, but now, seeing Ariana hurt like this? His guts began to tie themselves in knots, and his mouth went bone dry and he was suddenly overwhelmed with shame and guilt. He didn't know what to say, he literally had no words that could make up for this, and the longer the silence dragged out between them, the more it became unbearable.

Seeing this little family drama, Javorin couldn't help but smile: 'Ah kids...' he thought, shaking his head, 'they always have to learn the hard way...Though, I think these two just need a little encouragement'. Lowing one hand down to the mud patch, and raising the other over Rowan's head, Javorin's tattoos glowed softly, as he summoned the necessary spell...

As she wiped the tears from her eyes, a sudden warm gust of wind blew past Ariana, and over the stream. Ariana glanced up, but nothing was there: looking down at the stream, she blinked in surprise at the one word written in the mud: listen:

"I-I..." Rowan stuttered, "-I don't-..." he painfully struggled to find the right words. He was just about to tip over into a panic attack, when suddenly his head felt light and airy; he felt himself relax, and he felt a strange presence: as if he and Ariana were not the only one's here...

"Let your heart speak its truth: let that which troubles you run like water from a stream, and be gone, freeing you from your burden"

Rowan felt the knots in his stomach untangle, and his mind suddenly didn't feel so muddled and stuck anymore. It was so strange, he could still hear Ariana's words ringing in his head, and he knew exactly what to say: part of him wondered what this feeling was? It didn't feel like him, it felt more like he had somehow slipped out of his body, and someone else was now controlling it.

Breathing deep and calming right down, Rowan met Ariana's confused gaze, and in an anxious voice, he spoke: "...I don't know? ..." he frowned, as the words suddenly became clear as glass: "I want to be happy, I really do; but-...I don't know how?", Ariana listened in surprised silence, she had never seen or heard Rowan talk so calmly before, or be so honest; she didn't move or say anything as she let him continue: "...I see people in the streets, doing everyday stuff, and doing their own things: and I think about all that stuff we hide in our basement, all those things that no one is supposed to see or know about... Before, I didn't know why we had to do that, but after uncle Evrard told us about the wall cult and what they did to the Crow clan, and my real parents: I got scared, and I didn't know what to do... All I know is that we're Celts, and we're different, and being different in this world is a bad thing; but I see all those people in the street and none of them are the same: some are rich, some are poor, some are happy, some are sad, some know stuff, and some know nothing. And I can't help but think, how stupid can you be, to think everyone is the same as you? When, clearly they're not: I don't understand how people can think like that, and it makes me so mad when they think they know everything, when actually, they know nothing..." he scowled in ire, before taking another deep breath, and continuing: "...And that's when I realized, no one in this world is truly free; if we all can't be ourselves, then how can we hope to keep on living? And I don't mean just the Celts, I mean everyone inside the walls...I just-...I don't know how I can be happy, when I'm not allowed to be myself? And-, I don't know how to stop being mad: when I can't forget the reasons that make me mad in the first place?"

Silence

Ariana stared at Rowan completely dumbfounded: now it was her turn to be lost for words; as Rowan's anxiety began to creep back in and contorted his face into a look of worry, Ariana walked up to him, and held his hand in her's: "...Why didn't you say anything before? ..." Was all she found she could ask,

"...I-..." Rowan hesitated, "...Because I knew no one would listen to me: Ash and Dale already know why: but they're my brothers, it's not the same thing with them. And your my sister, you don't listen to me anyway, and since all our cousins are scared of me of course they won't listen either...No one thinks I have anything to say, so they don't listen" he frowned in a mix of hurt and bitterness.

Glancing back over her shoulder at the word written in the mud, Ariana suddenly realized what it meant, and gazing back at Rowan, she took his other hand in her's, and looked him in the eye: "...Well? I'm listening now, okay? And I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out"

Javorin smiled as he felt his heart flutter with pride, watching silently as Ariana pulled her brother in for a hug, and held him tight as he stood there in confusion. With his face still reflecting his anxiety (albeit it was now starting to wane), Rowan wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her back; their auras swirling around each other in affection.

"I'm really sorry I hit you the other night: and I'm sorry for shouting. I never should have said those things" Rowan admitted quietly, still feeling ashamed.

"Yeah well?" Ariana sighed with a weak smile, "You are my idiot brother, it's kinda your job to not think straight". "And you're my annoying little sister" Rowan smiled weakly, "It's your job to be a pain in the ass": they both stood back, and gazed at each other with honesty: "Next time you get mad like that, just walk it off okay? Don't use anyone for a punching bag again" Ariana told him.

"That's our job, isn't it?" Ash smiled as he stepped out of the bushes, with a grinning Dale following close behind. Rowan's face dropped and turned as red a beetroot, as he stepped away from Ariana and glared daggers at them both: "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE?!" he exclaimed in utter annoyance.

"Long enough" Dale casually shrugged, "And wow, I never heard a speech like that come from you bro: when did you learn to buck up like that?" he teased.

"You idiots! If you tell anyone I went soft I'll-" Rowan fumed as he raised his fists, but Ash beat him to the punch as he grabbed him into a headlock: "Oh shut up, you know we won't say anything" Dale scoffed. "Seriously though" Ash asked as he let go of Rowan's head, "What you said back there: that's how you really feel? About us? And everything else? Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"Because we're brother's dimwit," Rowan frowned, "I shouldn't have to tell you"

"Well?" Ash deadpanned as he folded his arms, "We ain't mind-readers, so it helps if you do tell us: just 'cuz we do everything together doesn't mean we know what you're thinking. And if we don't know what you're thinking, how do we know what you're feeling? It ain't weak to be honest okay?"

"...Okay" Rowan stubbornly admitted. Glancing over at Ariana, Ash couldn't help but smile: "So? You forgive him?". "Hmmm? ..." Ariana glanced over at Rowan skeptically, before stating in a serious tone: "Next time mum bakes her five fruits cake, I get your slice"

"Deal" Rowan huffed in annoyance: "... So are we cool?"

"We're cool" Ariana nodded with a smile.

"Great, it's about time" Dale smiled: "Now come on, let's go and break the good news to mum" he thumbed over to the bushes: turning around and started heading back the way he came with Ash and Rowan following close behind. Seeing Ariana wasn't following, Ash turned and saw her picking up her bow and arrow: "Hey, Ariana, you coming?"

"I'll catch up, I'm gonna try and bag a bird; tell mum I'm okay yeah?"

"Will do" Ash waved good bye, "Just make sure you come back when she calls"

After the three brothers had walked some distance away from the stream, Ariana sighed in relief. Although not quite understanding where or how Rowan managed to summon the courage to lay his heart bare like that: it felt oddly nice to have finally resolved their issue, and be free of having to put up with the uncomfortable tension that had been wedged between them.

A sudden rush of warm air blew from behind, and turning around, Ariana nearly jumped when she saw 'Shadow' kneeling down in front of her. Noticing he was in the same spot as before, she sudden realized: "...You've been here the whole time? ..." she then dropped her arrow as she facepalmed, "You were invisible, of course you were there the whole time!" she grumbled in embarrassment.

Shadow couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head, and leaned down to meet her gaze: "...Uh? Sorry about all that" she sheepishly scratched the back of her neck, "It-, kinda got tense there for a moment" Directing her gaze to the mud patch: Shadow wrote: Nothing to be sorry for. Families argue, its okay:

"Yeah," Ariana awkwardly admitted, "But I really should have listened to him sooner. That's my bad"

: And you learned from it: he wrote, : You did real good:. Blinking in surprise, Ariana gazed back up at him, with growing wonder of a new kind: "...You really know some things, don't you?". He nodded with a knowing look in his eyes: Ariana paused a moment as she thought about it, and with a smile she boldly asked: "Hey, would it be okay if I come back and visit you tomorrow? Since you can turn invisible, and I'm good at sneaking about places: I don't think getting caught by anyone's going to be a problem for either of us"

Shadow smiled, and wrote: I think that will be okay: how about we meet near the road? So you don't have so far to walk? :

"Okay" Ariana shrugged, "But if you're invisible, how will I know where-, or how, to find you?"

: I have a secret word that only I can hear; this word will make me visible only to you for a moment, I will teach you this word:

"Okay"

: Abin-suul:

"A-been-sool?" Ariana read the word aloud, trying to figure out how best to pronounce it: "Abin-suul". She glanced back up at Shadow, but he'd vanished again; realizing what he was up to, Ariana smiled: "Abin-suul!". Practically in the blink of an eye, Shadow's massive form flashed in an out of visibility, before he made himself visible again, and he nodded with approval. "That's so cool!" Ariana couldn't help but grin: but, Shadow gazed at her with a serious tone in his eyes, and wrote, : never repeat this word to anyone else; understand?:

"Sure thing" she nodded, "But what does it mean?". He replied, : Let that which is hidden, be seen only to me:. "Huh," Ariana frowned in bemusement, "That's a lot for one word... Well, I better be going, mum will probably be calling me soon; see you tomorrow Shadow!" she waved good bye as she started running in the direction her brother's went: "Oh wait!-" she suddenly remembered, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him as he stood back up "...Thanks. For telling me to listen!" she called back. Shadow gave her a thumbs-up, and casually turned and wandered off into the forest, turning invisible again.

Watching the area where he faded into the dark shadows of the thick canopy, Ariana felt a surge of exhilaration go through her: she met a titan for the first time in her life: a friendly non-human-eating titan, and his name was Shadow. No one would ever believe her if she told them, and it was that incredibility, that gave her the confidence in knowing her secret would be safe. As she turned and headed back to where she'd left her family, her mind began dancing with ideas on what to do tomorrow with her new friend: and as she started planning on what sound excuse to use to get out of the house and back into the forest, she began to revel in the excitement of it.

As he watched Ariana's aura fade into the distance, Javorin contemplated that interesting little encounter: or rather, that reintroduction, and pondered on where things were likely to go from here. 'No turning back now, for either of us...' he sighed mentally: he couldn't be sure if his decision was the right one: but in his gut, his instincts as a god were telling him that that encounter in the forest, the night he and the others awoke from their cursed sleep, was not just a chance one-off. Although he couldn't put his finger on it, there was something about that girl that told him she would be of use to them somehow: though what it was, or might turn out to be, he couldn't say for sure. But there was a more important, and practical reason why he wanted to become acquainted with her: his blood healing her wound and changing the colour of her eye to that of his own bright vivid blue, was not to be taken lightly; not when the power of a god's blood was concerned. For although he initially sensed there was just barely a drop of his blood remaining in her eye, there was nothing to suggest the colour change was the only side effect. Ergo, he would do what he could to make sure nothing else had been passed onto her from his blood; it was the responsible thing to do, and to ignore it would be reckless.

The only question now was, how to break this to the others: it was inevitable that Herne and Elysia were going to find out, and Hecate was not going to be too pleased about it. But she wasn't a goddess without sense and reason, and Javorin was confident that once he explained his reasons for allowing this mortal human child to become acquainted with him, she'd (for the most part) respect his decision. Though, for the time being: until he was sure that drop of blood, was only a drop of blood and nothing more, he would stay discreet about Ariana; his only other conundrum now, was how to slip away to meet her without the others becoming curious.

He couldn't help but smile: he'd been good at being discreet all his life; a god living as a human, had many options open to him, and the fact he was now over fifteen meters tall, didn't change that fact.

'Now then...' he thought offhand as he reached his power through the roots of the trees, looking for Elysia: 'How's your new friend holding up?' he smiled.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest:

This day had gone from strange, to downright bizarre: and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

Carla stared up at the remains of the gigantic tomb in a mix of bewilderment and skepticism, walking around its perimeter, walking over the pieces of the broken lid, and trailing a hand over the strange carvings that covered the sides and lid. Glancing back up at Angel, who was standing nearby, watching her in a mix of excitement and curiosity. "...Seriously," Carla frowned in disbelief: "You-, were inside this thing?! ...I mean, actually asleep inside?!". Angel firmly nodded in a very matter-of-fact way: Carla simply stared back at the tomb, unsure what to make of this.

After a fifteen minute walk up into one of the deepest parts of the forest, Carla was amazed to find Angel had taken her to a grove of giant trees: never in her life had she imagined giant trees could reach so high, with such wide trucks too. Still seated on Angel's shoulder, she craned her head back to look for any giant nests up in the thick branches; so it was quite a surprise when Angel showed Carla, what looked like a giant tomb instead, with a small collection of her feathers scattered about on the inside. Was this her nest? If it was, she hadn't feathered it very well. Letting her down gently so she could have a closer look: Carla was perplexed by the strange symbols and writings carved into the stone. What on earth was this thing? After a long process of using awkward gestures and the bends of her winds to try and motion the acts of sleeping and lying down: Angel finally managed to tell Carla that she had previously been trapped inside this tomb.

Which had led up to this point, where Carla was now trying to process what Angel had told her, and trying to get her head around the incredibility of it.

---

Elysia thought this would be a little easier than anticipated.

Seeing Carla again had filled her such joy and excitement, of all the humans to come wandering down that stretch of road, what were the chances it'd be her? She must live close nearby: that was the most logical answer. The language barrier however was still a problem: and although she was speaking to the human, it was clear humans didn't understand bird tongue. But it wasn't a terribly big problem, Elysia had managed to articulate her body language and crude 'wing gestures' (not having hands was annoyingly frustrating) to be able to get across the gist of what she was saying; and in the process, she got a new name out of it.

Elysia already knew what angels were: it was one of many names she and the other Tempus gods had been called by the humans down the long centuries, some hailed them as omens of destruction, while others had worshiped them as the gods they were. And besides, she had no clue how she was going to articulate her name in the first place: she didn't know any human languages so it's not like she could write her name in the dirt, and there were no wing gestures she could think of that would spell out the name 'Elysia'; so for Carla to make that observation, really came as a stroke of luck.

Despite the poor woman precariously teetering between amazement and worry at being in her presence, Elysia had done everything she could to make sure her new friend wasn't harmed in anyway. She had painstakingly kept an eye on her long thick tail and her big bird's feet, being careful not to accidentally knock or step on her. And at one point, she really worried whether letting her sit on her shoulder was a good idea? She thought it'd be better that she stay where she could see her: least any accidents might occur if she dropped out of her line of sight, so placing her up between her shoulder and her neck just seemed like the logical thing to do. But balancing a nervous human on one's shoulder was easier said than done: poor Carla nearly slipped right off at one point, and when she regained her grip and nearly yanked her feathers out, Elysia wondered if it might be better to just carry her in the crook of her wing. But to her surprise, the woman insisted on staying on her perch: and after several minutes of walking a slow and steady pace, to her amazement Carla got the hang of it, albeit she was still somewhat nervy.

As she scratched her head in confusion, Carla leaned forward to look at the inside of the tomb, and saw the various tree roots that had forced their way up through the small cracks in the bottom, along with the many cobwebs that hung from the corners: and the large bare area were something had prevented the roots and spiders from advancing, a patch that had a distinct human-shaped outline.

This just didn't make any sense, how could anything survive inside this thing? Never mind actually sleep for any length of time before running out of air. There were no openings aside from the lid, but from the size of the pieces, it had to have weighed more than a good few tons when it was still in one piece, making it near impossible to open. Staring at the bottom, Carla wasn't sure what to think, and decided for the sake of her sanity to just along with it: "...Well? ...If you say so?" she sighed with a shrug.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Angel bend down and cooed a long string of warbling chirps, as if to say: you don't believe me? Looking back up at Angel, Carla passed another heavy sigh: "I'm not saying you're lying, it's not like that: it's just-...Look at the inside; judging from all those roots and cobwebs, you'd have to have been asleep in there a very long time; and by a long time, I mean, probably longer than anyone could possibly imagine. There's nothing in this world that can live that long"

'Yes there is!' Elysia mentally exclaimed, 'We gods and goddesses are immortal, we can live way longer than anything in this world!'. With a look of annoyance in her glistening pale blue eyes, Angel pointed to herself, and tapped her chest with the bend of her wing, trying to emphasis her point.

"You're saying you can live that long?" Carla raised an eyebrow, to which Angel nodded firmly with a serious look on her face. Carla was silent for a moment as she contemplated all this, before finally replying: "...I don't understand how that's possible, but, I'll take your word for it"

Angel smiled weakly and nodded: it was close enough.

"But, it doesn't look very comfy in there" Carla glanced down at the feathers, "How are you able to sleep on that hard stone? Wouldn't you prefer something a little more comfortable? Like a nest?" she pointed to the branch of a nearby bush, where a Blackbird sat in her nest, silently eyeing them both. Angel nodded in agreement, but shrugged her shoulders with another long string of chirps, as if to say: sure, but I don't know how to build a nest.

"Well? How about I help you build one? I'd hate to go to bed tonight knowing you haven't got one of your own to sleep in". At that, Angel chirped with excitement and bounced up and down on her heels like a little puppy: Carla couldn't help but smile, this giant bird titan was so easily excited and happy: it was more like a child than anything else, and as she gathered up the feathers inside the tomb, she pointed to a large pile of dead fall on the outskirts of the grove: "Okay then: for starters, we need to build the basic structure, and we can do that with some good solid branches; have a look through that dead wood and see what you can find. I'll put these feathers to one side, they'll make good lining"

The next few hours seemed to steadily fly by as the two friends worked on the nest together: first, after inspecting all the trees in the grove, Carla found one with a good sizable root cave at its base; it would be perfect for keeping the rain and snow out, and it was obscured from sight, so it would not be easy to spot amid the roots and dense undergrowth of the forest floor. Then, after collecting enough large branches and small logs, Carla and Angel built the base of the nest: Angel did most of the heavy lifting, while Carla used an assortment of smaller branches, ivy vines and pine cones to firmly wedge the logs and branches into place between the roots of the cave, and tie up any loose ends. The interwoven structure slowly turned from a circular pile of wood, into a bowl-shape that began to resemble a nest. Once the structure was soundly in place, they then began the process of collecting mosses, dried leaves, and using Angel's shed feathers to line the inside: Angel even plucked out more of her feathers to make it extra soft and warm. Using her feet, she scratched the surfaces of the roots and boulders to get the mosses, while Carla scooped them up and placed them on a large curved piece of bark that served well as a make-shift basket.

As they worked, they talked, albeit the conversation was rather one-sided: but Elysia didn't mind at all, she was just so fascinated to hear Carla talk about her home in the place called 'Shiganshina', and of her husband Grisha, and her son Eren, and all the people who lived on her street, and what friendly and interesting neighbors they were. The more she heard about this human city, and the people living inside its walls, the more Elysia wanted to go and see it. She never had the chance to see anything of the human world before, and from the sounds of it, it sounded like so much more than just the sky, the clouds and weather. It sounded alive and brimming with new things, things she'd never even heard of: things she wanted to see and experience for herself. As she sank further into the daydream of an exciting adventure in human world, Elysia became oblivious to her surroundings.

"Hey, Angel? ..." Carla lightly tapped her on her foot: Angel nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, glancing down to see Carla pointing to the nest: "Sorry, but we still need to put these in place". Snapping back to reality, Angel nodded, and grabbing a foot-full of mosses, pressed them onto the side of the nest, before taking another few feathers and holding them in place while Carla tucked them into position between the twigs and branches.

"You know?" Carla thought aloud, "I can't help but wonder, how you have managed to remain hidden within the walls? I mean, a big white bird titan isn't exactly going to blend into the forest unless it's the middle of winter"

Thinking about it for a moment: Elysia suddenly remembered the charm Javorin bestowed upon her, and the collection of basic charms and spells that would allow her to access her powers. Flicking through the new 'memories', Elysia grinned broadly when she found exactly what she was looking for. Turing to Carla, she tapped the woman on the shoulder with the bend of her wing, and as she gazed up at her, Elysia turned invisible. Carla yelped in surprise, nearly falling off the nest as she snapped her head back and forth, looking all around: "What the-" she stammered, "Where'd you go?!"

Angel suddenly reappeared, materializing out of thin air: Carla nearly jumped again, as she stared up at her with her jaw totally slack; as if to let her know she wasn't seeing things, Angel turned in visible a second time, and reappeared again after a few seconds. "You...can turn invisible?" Carla breathed in awe, to which Angel smile and nodded proudly, 'Wow, I just learnt how to turn invisible!' Elysia mentally beamed, 'Thanks Javorin!'

"Whoa..." Carla had to sit down on the nest for a moment: "No wonder no one's ever caught sight of you", she rested her head on her elbow as she tried to wrap her head around this: "So? If you can turn invisible, that must mean you've been coming and going for goodness knows how long?"

'Coming and going?' Elysia thought offhand: She let out a long string of curious-sounding chirps, tilting her head to one side with a raised eyebrow.

"Well?" Carla offered sheepishly, "I just assumed, what with those wings of yours that you must be able to fly quite a long distance: and since you're the only bird titan around here, I thought you probably might have come from somewhere else, you know? Like, the outside world? ...Far beyond the walls?"

Elysia frowned in confusion as she contemplated her assumption: it was a fair observation, since learning how to fly she could be able to fly over many miles, and coming from some other place beyond wall Maria certainly wasn't impossible. But was it right to let Carla think that she migrated back and forth between the Marian forests and somewhere in the outside world? And just after she told her she'd been cursed to sleep in a tomb for the last several hundred years (maybe?); it didn't feel right lying to her, but then, it's not like she could clarify what she was saying, and even if she could, would Carla believe her?

She remembered what Javorin and the others had told her of their exploration of Shiganshina yesterday: and how the humans have long forgotten the gods and the old ways. If humanity no longer remembered her and her divine kin, would they believe that such beings of great power still exist in the world?

No, she existed; Javorin, Hecate and Herne existed: just because they had been forgotten, didn't mean they didn't exist anymore. Feeling determined, Elysia made a mental note to practice using the charms and spells some time, and learn to use them well; she had a feeling she would need them in the not too distant future. Turning back to Carla, Angel promptly shook her head, and pointed to the ground, as if to say: nope, I've always been here: .Which only elicited another confused look from the woman: "...Wait, so you've-...never ventured over the walls?"

Not really knowing what else to tell her, Angel simply shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Technically it was the truth, which unbelievable as it sounded, was all that she could offer. But to Elysia's surprise, Carla's face turned from a look of surprise and disbelief, into something she could only describe as sad and regretful. "...Oh...I'm so sorry"

'Sorry?' Elysia raised an eyebrow, 'You've got nothing to be sorry for'

"...I just thought-... Being a creature with wings, you have the ability to be free from this walled world; and yet you choose to stay here?" Carla gazed up at her with an apologetic look: "Are the titans really that numerous that you cannot leave? ...Is that why you stay? You're safe from them here too?"

A long awkward silence passed between them, before Carla pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed in exasperation: "...I'm getting way too ahead of myself" she looked back up at Angel: "I'm-, sorry: I just-...I don't know what I was thinking? I came back to that stretch of road trying to remember if what happened that night really did happen the way I remember it. And now, here I am: helping you to build a nest..." I'm sorry if I sound a little crazy" she couldn't help but chuckle, "but-, it's kinda been a crazy morning for me" she smiled weakly. "...It's not every day you run into a bird titan... And, I'm really sorry if I'm not able to fully understand you: it can't be easy, not being able to speak properly I mean".

Elysia blinked at her in surprise, totally taken aback, before her face fell into a look of regret: it really sucked not having a human voice, it would relieve Carla's stress to let her know exactly what she was trying to say; to let her know who she was, and why she is here in the first place. She thought back to the time when she existed as a breeze on the wind, totally free and unconcerned about the world: and she remembered all the human voices she used to hear drifting up from the ground; why didn't she listen to any of them? Why didn't she learn some basic words at the very least? Something like, hello, how are you? Are you okay? Goodbye and I'm sorry. Back then, they just sounded like random noises all thrown together: just babbling noise that made no sense to her, and thus she dismissed them as strange human nonsense. But now she was here, listening and (trying her best to) conversing with the first human she'd ever known: hearing those random noises in full, she suddenly realized the importance of voice, how essential it was for making yourself and your intentions known to others; and she felt bad for not paying attention, or not caring enough to want to learn sooner.

As Angel stood there pondering about it, Carla jumped down from the nest, and climbed up over the vast network of roots to stand at the entrance to the cave, and admired their combined handy work. "Well?" she gave a weak smile, "At least you have somewhere comfy to sleep tonight" Standing back to admire their work, Elysia couldn't help but grin, it was a good looking nest, and with all those feathers and mosses lining the inside, it should be quite comfy indeed. Looking back up at her, Carla offered a more genuine smile: "You know, for a creature that can't talk, you make yourself known surprisingly well"

Hearing that, Elysia stared at Carla in amazement; of all the things she thought she might say: she hadn't expected that. "And, even though this has been a 'different' sort of morning, I don't regret it...I'm glad I got to meet you again" Carla smiled. Elysia couldn't help but smile with delight, and with a happy chirp she bent right down, and booped Carla on the forehead with her nose: to which Carla couldn't help but laugh: "I'll take that as a thank you", to which Elysia nodded. 'I'm really glad I got to meet you too again, Carla' she thought.

Suddenly, a loud hiss echoed through the canopy, making both Carla and Angel snap their heads upwards. Far off in the distance, through the towering giant trees, Carla gasped in alarm as she spotted the silhouettes of two men coming towards them on ODM gear; "Oh no! You've got to hide! You can't let them see you!" Quickly, Angel scooped her up with the bend of her wing, taking her by surprise, and swiftly ducked down back into the cave; tucking Carla between her wing and her side and crouching as low as she could in the nest, trying to remain silent.

As they both strained their ears to listen: the sounds of the ODM gear's piston-shots drew nearer, until finally they heard two sets of feet land on the ground only several meters away from the entrance of the cave. "So this is where you found it?" a male voice asked, "Yeah, just over there" a second voice replied: they both heard the men walking away; Carla was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but when she realized the direction they were walking in, her breath nearly hitched in her chest. They were both heading straight for the tomb.

Carefully and as quietly as possible, Carla wriggled out of Angel's grip, slid down the side of the nest, and gently climbed up to the entrance of the cave: Elysia panicked, terrified she'd be spotted, but Carla turned back and mouthed: "Their heading for the tomb!". Unable to move for fearing the men would hear her, Elysia watched with her nerves on tender hooks as Carla approached the entrance to the cave, and carefully peeked around the edge of a large root; spotting the men on the top of the ridge, above the hollow where the tomb was situated. They were talking to one another: and with both their backs half facing her, they weren't going to easily spot her in their range of vision. But even though they were some hundred yards away, Carla could hear their voices echoing across the grove, and could easily make out what they were saying...

"More feathers?!" one exclaimed: a tall lean ginger-haired man with a mustache, dressed rather smartly, which was a tad odd.

"I'm telling you Pascal there was a whole bunch of them in there!" his friend replied: a shorter gentleman with light brown hair and what looked like a goatee, dressed more casually, more 'country' as one would say out here in the outterlands: "I swear I'm not lying!"

"Hey, I saw that feather for myself okay? I know you're not crazy West, so pipe down" Pascal waved off. The two stood there in silence for a moment, seemingly in contemplation, before Pascal spoke up again, "...You're sure you never saw the creature that shed them?"

"I'm positive" West exclaimed, "Look-, whatever shed those feathers obviously came back for them, that's the only reason I can think of that explains why their gone: there's been hardly any wind since the night before last, so I know they didn't just blow away!"

"Or? ..." Pascal scratched his chin, "What if someone else came by here, and picked them up?"

Carla felt a lump begin to rise in her throat, as she listened with dread.

"Oh shit!" West facepalmed: "Why didn't I think of that?!"

"Because you were scared shitless that a giant bird was gonna fly down and pluck you off the ground" Pascal pointed out casually, "It's perfectly understandable: and forgivable" he nodded, before stating seriously: "...But still: having people believe there's a giant who-knows-what flying about the place is gonna be bad for business. Our customers are already on alert for the MP's out here: we don't need a bunch of hunters and trophy collectors coming out and stalking about the place, trying to bag a giant bird"

Carla frowned in confusion, what did he mean by 'our customers are already on alert for the MP's': were these men criminals? Where they involved with some kind of illegal activity?

"But what if this thing is a predator? You know? Like an eagle or a hawk?" West began to panic, "What if this thing eats people?!"

"Like it would be any different from a bear or pack of wolves attacking people on the roads late at night?" Pascal pointed out, "I'm sorry, but nature is a damn cruel thing, and not everyone gets to go home with a free lunch. Sometimes, you end up becoming the lunch" he patted his friend on the shoulder, "So some poor soul every once in a while gets eaten by this giant bird-thing: at least it ain't us; all we do is stay vigilant, keep a blade or gun handy when out in the woods, and just make sure when using the ODM gear to travel through the thickest parts of the canopy. It ain't cannon science West"

West seemed to take a deep breath, and after a moment, seemed to regain his composure: "...Yeah, I guess it makes sense"

"That's the spirit!" Pascal slapped him on the back, "Now put that feather back where you found it," he pointed down into the hollow; from out of his coat, West produced one of Angel's feathers, and started heading down into the hollow towards the tomb; "As far as we're both concerned: you never found it, you never found this 'tomb' (or whatever the hell it's supposed to be), and this conversation never happened, understand?"

"Got it!" West called back as he beat a hasty retreat back up onto the ridge: "trust me, I'm in no mood to push my luck waiting to see if the creature will come back here": "Good, because we're never coming back to this place again" Pascal stated matter-of-factly, before jumping off the ground, and flying up into the trees on his ODM gear, with West following close behind.

As she watched them disappear into the dappled canopy, Carla emerged a little further: looking all around and up, and listening to the sounds of their piston-shots fade into the chorus of bird songs and the rustling of the leaves in the trees; until finally, the forest was quiet again. Gazing back at Angel with a sigh of relief, she nodded, "Their gone...It's okay now"

Breathing her own sigh of relief, Angel allowed herself to relax as she stepped out of the cave, and looked around in concern: Carla headed for the ridge of the hollow where her tomb was, and gazing down into the steep depression, Carla saw a single white feather sitting inside the tomb. Coming up behind her, Angel tilted her head to side with a curious chirp.

"From what I overheard, I don't think they intend to come back here..." Carla assured her: although she couldn't be a hundred percent certain they actually meant it. From what she heard, it sounded like those two were definitely criminals of some kind. Could they be part of the gang that tried to kidnap her? The thought of it made her mouth go dry with dread, and the more she thought about it, the more she began to worry for Angel's safety; "...But, just to be sure, you might want to start using that 'invisibility trick': in case you hear them come back when you're in your nest" she added, to which Angel nodded.

A thought suddenly occurred, which made Carla's eyes widen in concern: "Angel, how much about humans do you actually know? I mean, I'm sure you must have watched us walking by along the road, but, do you actually know what we do? And how we do things in this world?"

Sensing the concern in her voice, Elysia could tell this was serious, and shook her head: no.

Those two men: Pascal and West; they knew about this place, they knew about Angel (albeit they didn't know she was titan/bird hybrid), and although they said they'd never come back here: what was there to say someone else might not come across this place by accident? Someone with ill-intentions? Or worse, someone who might have caught a glimpse of Angel when she wasn't invisible, and decided to try and bag a one-of-a-kind trophy? Looking up at Angel, Carla couldn't bear the thought of her being trapped and killed like some wild beast, she may have been good at hiding all this time, but no one's that lucky. Everyone's luck runs out eventually, and for all she knew it might only be a matter of time before something bad happens.

Making her mind up, Carla decided she would help Angel to hide here in the forest, and the best way to do that would be to arm her with the knowledge of what to expect in the event a hunter comes along: "...Tell you what," she addressed the giant avian, "I'm going to help you remain hidden: I'm going teach you everything about the humans that live in this forest, and what to do in case they discover you , and try to come after you. You may be good at hiding now, but you need to know what to expect in case the worst happens..." she hesitated slightly, as she thought about the risk involved, "I'm-...I'm not a hunter, and I'm not a soldier, but I can't stand the thought of you being discovered and killed by some hunter or Scout. Besides, you saved my life: it would be terrible of me not to return the favor..." she smiled; anxious and worried, but determined never the less.

Elysia's eyes lit up with wonder as she vigorously nodded in excitement: bouncing up and down and bending down to boop Carla on the forehead yet again, a little too hard this time, which nearly sent her flying backwards: "-Ah!" Carla rubbed her forehead but she couldn't help but smile: Angel's antics were just too adorable, "Also" she added, "We need to work out an effective way for you to talk without getting confused: maybe use those bird calls of yours somehow?"

Angel nodded again, as she let out another long string of happy warbling chirps: getting giddy with excitement, she bounced around the grove like a little kid who just woke up to a birthday full of presents. Carla couldn't help but laugh, the sight of this giant bird titan hopping around like a wet hen was just too funny. She didn't know what got her so excited all of a sudden, but in any case, it seemed like she was eager to engage, and that was a good start.

"Okay okay" Carla raised up her hands, trying to grab her attention; Angel came bounding over and crouched down beside her, "Listen, I'll have to go home and get some things ready before Grisha and Eren get back, so I'll have to leave now; but I'll be back tomorrow, I promise"

Angel nodded understandingly, and scooping Carla up in her wing, kept her pressed to her side as she ran back along the trail towards the road: Carla held on for dear life as the trees rushed by in a blur of green and golden dappled light. If Angel was this fast on the ground, how fast was she up in the air? Before long, Angel made it back to the tree line near the road, and after looking both ways to make sure no one was coming, she stepped out into the road, and plopped Carla down on her feet. As the woman took a moment to regain her bearings, Angel chirped as she pointed to the road, seeming telling her that they could meet here again.

"Uh, that probably might not be a good idea: someone might come along and see you: and if your invisible I won't know if your there or not" Carla pointed out, "Listen, how about I go up the trail a little way, until the road's out of sight? You can meet me there okay?"

Angel chirped with a nod, in a sort of sing-song chime that could have sounded like an 'okay'

"Alright," Carla smiled, "Tomorrow then: see you Angel" she waved goodbye, and started bounding up the road with a kick in her step, as she crested the incline and turned the corner, she waved goodbye again before disappearing out of sight among the trees.

Waving farewell with her wing: Angel then paused to let it sink in, and then started bouncing up and down with giddy elation: 'WOOOHOOO!' she mentally cheered as she chirped and trilled with laughter, 'I'm gonna learn about humans! And Carla's gonna teach me!'; she kept bouncing up and down along the road, until a certain realization made her stop and freeze with dread; 'Oh gods! I can't tell the others about her! What would they say? What would they do?! What would Hecate-

The thought of Hecate finding out about Carla made a chill go right down her spine, and made all her feathers stand on end; what would she do to her? She knew Hecate didn't like her, so what would she do to a human who knew of their existence? 'I can't let them find about her' she thought worryingly, 'for her sake I have to keep her secret...' but then another realization came to mind, 'but-, she's coming back here tomorrow! How do I give the others the slip?'. Thinking about it for a moment, Elysia had an idea, 'I know! I'll just tell them I'm looking for any gods further afield, I can fly, so it's the perfect excuse!' taking a moment to admire her brilliance, Elysia suddenly remembered: 'OH GODS! I'm supposed to be looking for tree gods!' she panicked, and beating her wings hard, she took off up through a clearing in the canopy: turning herself invisible as her tail cleared the trees.

The forest was soon still and quiet again, as the road and the forest around it returned to its original tranquil state, filled with bird songs and the buzzing of insects. The leaves rustled as the wind blew through the canopy, and from out of a wide gap in the tree line on the opposite, Javorin materialized out of thin air, and gazed up through the gap in the trees; folding his arms as a wide smile grew on his face. 'Well? ...' he couldn't help but smile internally, 'It would seem you too were fated to meet a 'certain someone' of your own that night...We'll have to see how this pans out...'

---

Later that day, mid afternoon, Shiganshina:

After returning from the forest, helping out with the chores around the house and getting a bite to eat, Ariana had managed to get some time to herself, to sneak down to Claude and Bryson's book shop at the end of the street, and look to see if there were any books about titans. Amid the piles and shelves of old and new books, she eventually found what she was looking for, a small government-issued pamphlet that had all the information on titans that was available for public distribution:

All the pamphlet said was, that titans were classed according to their size, ranging from three meters all the way up to fifteen meters, and that there were two main varieties: normal's, and abnormal's. Normal titans typically would try to eat any human that gets within close enough range for it to grab, while abnormal's were prone to acting more randomly, and are likely to attack groups of humans, ignoring singular humans altogether. A titan's physique and appearance would typically range from lean, skinny and emaciated, to fat and robust to near-obese, with some muscled specimens having been observed on the rare occasion: they have wide gaping mouths, and some physical deformities varying from titan to titan; their facial expressions are typically frozen, without expressing any emotions, even the act of eating humans doesn't elicit any emotional response. Titans will consume humans as soon as they get a hold of them, and will not hesitate to eat them despite said humans fighting back: the only way to effectively kill a titan is by severing the nape with a set of pairing blades: upon death, the titan body immediately starts to evaporate, all skin and soft tissues completely evaporate within less than ten minutes, while the skeleton takes up to twenty minutes on average.

A titan's main source of energy is sunlight, thus all titans are inactive after sunset: since titans do not possess a digestive system they cannot obtain any nutrients from their prey: a titan will regurgitate its victims in the form of a pellet about an hour after consumption: note: titans do not eat any other animal, they only eat humans. Titans do not possess reproductive organs, and thus do not produce offspring the same way as humans and other animals do (huh? Ariana made a mental note to ask her dad where babies come from later) their means of reproduction is currently unknown. All titans are unintelligent and are incapable of speech: they possess no ability to think or process information; they are easy to distract, and they will simply rush their prey and try to grab any human they can see and reach, they are uncoordinated and are typically clumsy in their movements and walking: note: some walk on two feet, while some abnormal's have been known to walk on all fours.

Looking through the pamphlet, Ariana studied the illustrations off all the different size-classes of titan, there were even some pictures of the Scouts in the actions of hunting, chasing down, and killing a titan by various means: from swinging down from a tree, to shooting a grappling hook into the neck of a titan and swinging up and around to sever the nape from behind (a common tactic used when riding a horse over open ground). There were some pictures of a dead titan in the process of evaporating, and several other smaller pictures of the ODM gear, a small brief history of the Scouts, and even a recruiting advertisement at the back: stating how noble and selfless it was to offer up your heart to humanity by joining the Scouting legion.

Ariana sighed in disappointment: sure it gave all the basic facts, but there wasn't anything that told her what she needed to know: gazing over at the desk, Ariana spotted Bryson staking some books, and decided it couldn't hurt to ask a Scout veteran for his knowledge on the subject. "Hey Bryson, you used to kill all kinds of titans right?". Looking up from what he was doing, and spotting the pamphlet in her hand, Bryson smiled: "Many different classes, many different normal's and abnormal's" he leaned over the desk as she approached, "You thinking about joining the Scouts?"

"Meh, I'm still mulling it over..." she shrugged offhand, before asking him in a serious tone, "...Listen, when you went out beyond wall Maria and you fought the titans: did you see any that were different from the rest?"

"Different how?" he smiled with a raised eyebrow,

"Different like..." Ariana carefully chose her words: she didn't want him to get suspicious: "Any titans that didn't want to eat humans?"

Bryson couldn't help but laugh, until he saw the serious look on Ariana's face, "You're serious?" he blinked in surprise, to which she nodded in reply: "...Well? It would be nice if there were any titans that didn't eat humans: but unfortunately, there's no such thing"

Ariana frowned in confusion: "How can you be sure? The outside world is a big place, maybe they're out there somewhere?"

"Maybe? Who can say?" Bryson shrugged as he got back to work: "But after a hundred years, don't you think if there were such titans around, the Scouts wouldn't have seen them already?"

Thinking about it, Ariana knew what she wanted to say, but instead feigned defeat and replied: "Yeah I guess?" she knew she couldn't say anything about Shadow: of all the people Bryson was the one person that mustn't know about him; it felt dangerous just talking to him about the subject, part of her was worried she'd screw up and let her secret out. But fortunately she managed to keep her cool, and not let anything slip: it was just a question of using the right words to not arouse any suspicion.

"Why do you ask?" he smiled offhand.

"Like I said, I'm still mulling it over; and if I'm gonna be fighting titans one day, I need to know what to expect" she shrugged

"Very practical" he nodded with approval, "Though, you might not want to ask that question if you meet any Scouts in person: they'll just think you're crazy"

"Why's that? It's a reasonable question isn't it?" Ariana frowned,

"Talking openly like this, yes it is a reasonable question" Bryson glanced down at her, "But you have to remember Ariana: the Scouts may be proud but they are very no-nonsense, they seldom if ever go on any theories and ideas unless it serves to aid them in a practical way. Their losses are bad enough, falling victim to the normal and abnormal titans alone; to be asked if they've ever come across any friendly titans before? Is pretty much a slap in the face"

"...Oh" Ariana dropped her gaze, now regretting she asked,

"But hey, don't let it put you off" Bryson smiled "If you join the Scouts, you won't find a more reliable and trustworthy comradrey anywhere else within the walls"

"Okay" Ariana nodded, "Thanks Bryson" she waved goodbye: "Cheerio Ariana" he smiled, and got back top staking some more books. Placing the pamphlet back on the pile she found it on, Ariana was about to make her way to the door: when she suddenly spotted a familiar face at the end of one of the aisles, 'Mrs Jaeger?' she blinked in surprise as she ducked behind one of the book shelves in the middle of the shop floor, and watched her as she scanned over the rows of books. Carla hadn't seemed to notice her, and pulled off three books from the shelves; reading the titles, Ariana frowned in bemusement, as they seemed to be odd choices for someone like Carla.

A book on hunting and trapping, a book on the common practices for hunting big game, and a book on the roads and pathways around the outskirts of the Marian forests. 'Since when did Mrs Jaeger become interested in hunting?' Ariana thought offhand. It seemed a little strange: Carla always got her game from either her father or one of uncles; she had no need to go out into the forest to hunt. And the way she was acting was a bit odd too: she kept glancing over her shoulder towards the shop windows and door, as if worried someone might spot her. Eventually, she took the books and discreetly made her way to the desk: when her back was turned, Ariana quietly slipped away and out the door, being careful not to let Carla hear her. She then quickly ran back up the street, and ducked down the alleyway next to her house.

"Hey" Ash nearly made her jump out of her skin as he tapped her on the shoulder: "What trouble did you get up to now?"

"Nothing!" she frowned, before stating matter-of-factly: "Just wanna get home is all"

"Uh huh?" Ash folded his arms as he gave her a sideways glance, he knew she had something on her mind, "So? What's up?". Knowing he suspected something, Ariana mentally huffed: she couldn't tell him where she was going tomorrow, she knew he, Rowan and Dale would only trail after her. So she settled for an excuse she knew he wouldn't question; feigning a sense of disappointment, she turned to her big brother and asked: "...Can you cover for me tomorrow morning? I wanna go and get that bird I didn't shoot today"

"You wanna go back out into the forest?" Ash raised an eyebrow,

"Not the forest" Ariana clarified, trying to keep her expression as genuine as possible: "Just old man Hickman's place out by the inner gate, he's got loads of woods pigeons out on his farm and I overheard dad saying he's been moaning about it for months: I figured he wouldn't mind if I shot one and let me keep it?"

Ash thought about it for a moment, before sighing in defeat: "... Yeah okay, I guess it'll be alright: just don't go out any further than the hazel copses. You and Rowan might have made up but mum and dad are still twitchy about you going out by yourself again. Don't try anything until the heat's died down okay?"

"Okay" she nodded with a smile, and ran towards the back door, "Thanks Ash! I owe you one!"

"You better mean that this time!" he called after her as she disappeared inside the house: Rowan and Dale came strolling down the alleyway and glanced over at the back door: "What was that all about?" Dale asked offhand. "Ariana asked me to cover for her; she's going to old man Hickman's place to try and bag a pigeon tomorrow morning" Ash shrugged.

"Huh" Dale frowned in bemusement, "That's not like her to want to just go as far as old man Hickman's farm; what's she up to?"

"Dunno?" Ash sighed, "I figure she's probably gonna go as far as the Rickman's place, maybe down to Fluss pass and play around in the river. It ain't like her to stay in one place long"

"Think we should keep an eye on her?" Rowan frowned in concerned,

"Hey, you guys just made up, so don't go ticking her off by letting her think your stalking her" Ash placed a hand on Rowan's shoulder, "Besides, it's not like she's hiding anything: what's the worst that could happen?"

"I guess?" Rowan sighed offhand

"Besides, if she is hiding anything we can always blackmail her for her desserts?" Dale grinned.

---

Later that day, early evening, the Marian forest:

The sun was starting to approach the horizon and the hour was growing late, as the day slowly began to shift into the twilight: the forests and surrounding farmlands were bathed in gold as the light streamed down at an angle, casting long dark shadows that stretched across the ground for several meters; creating varied stripes of gold and blue everywhere.

As she circled around over the tops of the trees, Elysia found the clearing where the grove of giant trees was situated, and with a sharp turn and a stoop, she dropped down through the canopy and landed near the hollow where her tomb was. Looking around, she thought no one else was here, until a familiar set of soft footfalls grabbed her attention. "Ah, I thought I heard your wings beating somewhere up above" Javorin smiled as he entered the grove, and sat himself down on a giant log.

Relieved to see he was the first one back, Angel smiled as she approached him: "I thought flying would be the quickest way to go..." she dithered as she thought about the task he'd set her earlier: "I'm sorry but-, I didn't have much luck finding any tree gods; either they're hiding or they're in a completely different part of the forest"

"No, it's not that" Javorin frowned in concern, as he propped his head up on his elbow: "I must have walked and flown all over most of the forests in this region, and I couldn't sense a single god anywhere. These forests are ancient: to not have a single god anywhere is just-, unnatural"

"Could-, they have gone somewhere else?" Elysia suggested sheepishly,

"No, tree gods typically stay in the vicinity of the tree or trees their power is connected to: they won't leave willingly unless their tree is felled or dies naturally" Javorin explained, "And it's not just the tree gods: I couldn't sense any river gods near the rivers or streams, no one in the fells, coves, groves or hollows of this land; and the fact there are no abandoned or forgotten shrines is even more worrying. I called out, but no one answered"

"Well? You'd think a god would be easy to pick out: I mean, how many humans do you find way out in the middle of the forest?" Elysia thought aloud. Javorin glanced at her in confusion for a moment, before realizing what she was referring to: "Ah, you must be unfamiliar with the habits of the nature gods" he smiled: "Most gods that live in forests like these do not typically assume human form unless they need to: most of the time they'll appear as animals, plants, or spirits. They're generally very meek, and try to avoid mortals where they can: unless they are summoned to a shrine, in which case they will appear in a form they are familiar with"

"Huh... Hey that reminds me" Elysia suddenly remembered: "Will you teach me how to turn into a bird sometime? I wanna go over the wall and see what Shiganshina's like"

"Of course, any particular reason?" Javorin smiled: knowing full well her reason for asking.

As she thought about Carla, Elysia shrugged and casually smiled, "Meh, no particular reason: I just-, never seen a human city up close before. I've blown through many, but never really stopped to check one out"

Javorin was about to say something, when the silhouette of a raven and sky lark flying over the grove got his attention: "-Ah finally, their back" he sighed in relief, "Looks like their excursion took longer than planned"

"Yeah, they've been gone all day" Elysia thought offhand as she watched them drop down beneath the canopy. Reading their auras to confirm it was them, Javorin's ears pricked forward in alarm when he saw waves of anger radiating off Hecate like flames: Herne was cautiously flitting around her, trying to stay out of her way and yet dropping down to try and reach the ground before her: "RUN!" he cried out in a panic.

"WHAT?!" Javorin exclaimed: but before Herne could reach him, Hecate transformed back into her titan form, and dropped like a lead weight: hurtling towards him with her long claws extended, and a look of rage in her violet eyes.

"Oh sh-

The log he was sitting on exploded under their combined weight, as she tackled him to the ground and threw him against one of the giant trees with an earth-shaking BOOM! Horrified, Elysia ran for cover outside the grove, while Herne transformed and grabbed her leg, but she kicked him off hard "Stay outta this Shorty!-" she hissed venomously, before turning back to a dazed Javorin, "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!"

"Wh-what?" he rubbed his sore head: "What do you mean?"

Grabbing him, her claws easily gripped around his neck as she hoisted him up clear of the ground, and dangled him in front of her, hardly breaking into a sweat: "Don't play dumb with me Javorin! Where the hell have you been all day?!"

"A little clarification please?" Javorin deadpanned: not too concerned with her murderous attitude; this wasn't the worst her temper could get, and he knew she wasn't going to make mincemeat of him.

"Hecate please!" Herne shoved himself between them, and forced her to let go: Javorin fell on his ass with another boom that made the leaves in the tress shake, and rubbed his sore neck. "-Give him a chance to explain himself!" he sternly told her; Hecate regarded him with an angry glare, before folding her arms and letting out a sharp "TCH!", "Fine, but this had better be good"

"Explain what?" Javorin frowned as he stood back up: Elysia stayed put as Herne frowned up at him: "Where you've been all day brother. We called out for you but you didn't come"

Javorin snapped his head in Herne's direction, staring at him in disbelief, "...What?!"

Herne and Hecate's eyes widened in alarm, Javorin wasn't lying: "You did hear us this morning didn't you?! When the titans attacked the humans and I had to fend them off?" Hecate demanded, hoping in the back of her mind that this was all one big tasteless joke.

Javorin merely started at her in alarm: "...No I-...what happened?!" he demanded.

Sighing in worry, Herne leaned against the tree so he could stand upright, and looked his brother in the eye with a serious tone: "Not long after we left the wall, the titans converged on a group of humans who had left Shiganshina sometime earlier this morning. Hecate managed to fend most of them off, but many more showed up; we fought as hard as we could but it wasn't enough, and the humans suffered severe casualties"

"In addition they lost all their supply wagons and had no choice but to return to Shiganshina this afternoon. Herne managed to keep me from their sight with some fog, but I was calling you all day! We needed help out there! Why didn't you answer?!" Hecate demanded angrily,

"I never heard you!" Javorin pleaded, "I swear on my immortal life and all that is sacred, if I'd heard you I would have been there in a heartbeat! ..." He paused a moment, before anxiously asking: "what happened? How bad was it?"

An unnerving and uncomfortable silence fell over the grove, before Hecate scowled: "They ate them"

Javorin and Elysia both stared at her in dismay, before Hecate raised her hand, and pressed her finger to Javorin's forehead: "Don't believe me? See for yourself" she seethed. A flash of white light filled Javorin's vision, as he experienced her memories of the day's events: from when she and Herne flew over the wall, to when they watched the humans file into the gate, returning to the safety of Shiganshina before flying off back towards the forest.

Javorin didn't know what to say as he stood there in complete shock: as he tried to process all that she experienced, only one thing stood out: "...Why didn't I hear you? Our telepathy is universal: you can hear each other from beyond the veils of the realms, but-... what happened?"

"You tell me Javorin, because I don't know what the hell happened back there" Herne sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "It was like you were shrouded in a fog, we knew you were there, we could still feel your presence on the mortal plain, but you-...it felt like you were beyond our reach"

Hearing that, Javorin turned himself into his elemental form and blew up through the canopy as a storm-force wind, leaving the forest and souring up into the sky; he had to see what was responsible for this. Higher and higher he climbed, through the clouds and up into the atmosphere: where the winds blew with such force that they could howl over mountains and stir the oceans to birth hurricanes. At this height, many thousands of feet above the ground, the continent stretched on forever: endless hues of green and shades of earthy browns as far as the eye could see, and the curvature of the earth was just about noticeable. High overhead through the scattered clouds, the eternal sky glistened with billions of stars, and distant planets turning in their orbits.

But when Javorin turned to gaze back down at the earth, the sight before him made him stop, and made his insides turn over in horror.

All across the face of the earth, there were no other human auras, except for those inside the three walls which sparkled and glisten with life. And all around beyond the walls, stretching as far as he could see: the unnatural auras of the titans were peppered everywhere; dotted about by several or tens of miles apart at the most, while a goodly number surrounded the outside of wall Maria, like insects drawn to dead flesh.

But that wasn't the worst of it: extending his power to read all the ambient manna of the earth, Javorin could see the titan's unnatural auras giving off that weird discharge; which was wafting up into the sky and collecting in the atmosphere. The entire world was bathed in it: and it was comprised of nothing but chaos magics. Like a poisonous fume it hung thickly with a consistency as sticky as honey: choking up the ambient manna and polluting it. And all the while, it was pouring out of the titans as if it were their breath and sweat.

The titans were poisoning the earth: whatever magics they were made out of, it wasn't natural, and it wasn't right. Shocked and horrified, Javorin let himself fall back down to the earth: down to wall Maria and the giant tree grove: he rematerialized on the ground, and stood there in a daze. While the others gazed at him in alarm and concern. "Wh-..." Elysia approached closer, "Where did you go?" Knowing why he flew up there, Hecate asked: "What did you see up there?"

Placing both his hands on Hecate and Herne's foreheads, Javorin shared his memory with them, and they both gasped in horror. For a long time no one spoke as they just stood there: shocked, dazed and confused; all the while Elysia didn't know what was going on. This was obviously very serious, and she knew she wasn't equipped to weigh in on the matter, whatever it was, so she stayed out of it and remained silent. Hecate was the first to break the silence, as she pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to make sense of what Javorin had just shown her: "...Those chaos magics...I know they were bad news, but this?...Nothing like this has ever happened before"

"Chaos magic like that, doesn't just build up over a few years" Herne realized, as he gazed up at Javorin with worry in his golden eyes: "...Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to get a really bad feeling we were in those tombs a lot longer than we'd previously thought"

"...I think you're right" Javorin sighed heavily, "No wonder I couldn't find any other gods: their power is obscured from my sight: as much as mine is probably obscured from theirs"

"And the humans, you couldn't see any past the walls?" Herne worried,

"Not that I could see" Javorin glanced down at him: "But-...that didn't mean there couldn't be any others out there? ... " he turned his gaze away, pressing a hand to his head as he tried to get his thoughts straight: "I just-...I don't know" he admitted in frustration: "...I couldn't see...I just don't know..."

Sensing his worry, and now feeling like an idiot for attacking him, Hecate bit the inside of her cheek as she approached him, and lay a hand on his shoulder: "I wish I could say there's a way to fix this" she stated seriously, before having to conceded to her own frustration: "...But, I don't know if this can be fixed?" she frowned in annoyance at her own helplessness, "...This is...really bad to say the least; and those titans? They're the cause of this"

"No" Javorin frowned, "The ones who created them are responsible for this"

"Yeah well until we find them, or the magics they used to create them, we can't do shit about it!" Hecate snapped angrily: "All we can do, is concentrate on the things we can do to help fix: and that starts with the humans, remember?"

Knowing she was right, Javorin reluctantly put the subject to one side in his mind, and got back to the subject of today's debacle: "... These humans, the ones that left the wall; who were they?"

"They called themselves the Scouts" Herne explained, "They're the ones that go out to fight the titans on their own turf"

"And do a shitty job of it too" Hecate frowned as she folded her arms, "When the titans converged and started attacking they were outnumbered practically five to one. They had no set plan of attack except using that 'ODM gear' of theirs to fly up and cut the titans nape as best they could, preying they wouldn't get eaten in the process. They had no defensive formation or any other strategy to try and evade them, and they had no other weapons except those damn little blades of theirs"

"But that's not the worst of it," Herne chipped in, "There wasn't a single witch, wizard, mage or alchemist among them: no one with any magical potential that could fight the titans off or undo their chaos magics...I know we didn't sense anyone like that in Shiganshina yesterday, but I thought that was just a fluke on my part: now we know for certain. The humans have been made to forget all the magics of the earth, in addition to the outside world and what came before"

"Javorin," Hecate got his attention: "The Scouts just barely made it back to Shiganshina: they lost forty five troops to the titans. Those dull creatures are stupid and clumsy, and yet they hammered them as if they were nothing; I'll admit even I had a hard time trying to hold them off at one point. I didn't use my full power for fear of accidentally getting the humans caught in the cross fire, as well as freaking them out...I hate to say it, but if those humans go outside the walls again, they won't stand a chance; not if we're there to defend them... If Herne and I hadn't been there today: I don't even want to think about how much higher the body count would have been"

Javorin folded his arms as he contemplated her words: "...Did the Scouts ever mention if or when they'll go back beyond the wall again?"

"Not that I heard: but then, we didn't exactly hang around to eavesdrop" Hecate shrugged,

"If they do go out again, it won't be for some time yet," Herne surmised, "Restocking supplies and rethinking their tactics aside: They need to bury their dead... The ones they able to retrieve at least" he trailed off in a sombre tone.

"On that note..." Hecate sighed as she gazed through the trees, watching the sun as it sank lower in the sky: its golden light fading into a dim orange glow, as the shadows grew longer and darker, "You'll excuse me if I'm absent tonight. We'll reconvene in the morning and discuss what to do if those Scouts head back out again; but right now, I've got work to do..." and without another word, she transformed into her shadow form, and melted into the shadows like liquid: silently flowing along the ground and through the trees, leaving no sound or trace of her presence as she headed in the direction of the wall.

"-WHOA!" Elysia jumped with fright, her feathers puffing up as she backpedaled towards Javorin: "I didn't know she could do that!"

"Yeah it ain't friendliest way to make an entrance" Herne smiled, "But you get used to it after a few hundred years"

"What did she mean by 'I've got work to do'?" Elysia frowned up at Javorin, as she tried to flatten her feathers

"Remember I told you Hecate's father is the god of the dead? And that one line of her siblings is the death keepers?" Javorin glanced down at her. "Yeah, so?" Elysia shrugged, "So..." Javorin gave her a bit of a sideways glance: "Technically, while she is the goddess of all demon hunters, she's also a death goddess. As in, part of her divine duty is to ensure the souls of the dead pass over into the next world". Elysia went wide-eyed: "...Oh..." she sheepishly realized.

"Been teaching her the family tree eh?" Herne grinned up at Javorin with a sly yet cheeky glint in his eyes, "Did you tell her about Loki?"

Javorin glared down at Herne with shock "-She doesn't need to know about him!" he sternly warned.

"Who's Loki?" Elysia innocently asked,

"Oh, one of our more 'distant' relations who had a real knack for getting into trouble" Herne grinned, "Like this one time, he turned himself into a mere and got preg- but Herne didn't get the chance to finish as Javorin began casting a silencing spell around his mind; "-SHE'S A YOUNG GODDESS! SHE DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT JUST YET!" Javorin chide as Herne tried to playfully fight back. "Uh? ..." Elysia wasn't sure what to do as the two gods bickered like a couple of kids, "...Okay, well? I'm gonna go get some sleep okay? I'll leave you two alone yeah?"

She quickly left them alone, and retreated to the root cave: stopping at the entrance, she took a moment to admire the nest she and Carla built together; as she stepped inside and made herself comfy, she thought about Carla, and what tomorrow would bring.

'Good night Carla' she mentally sighed to herself in content: closing her eyes, and thinking up a good excuse to get away from the others tomorrow.

---

Elysia invented the nose boop XD When I first thought of that I almost died! XDDDD Well, yet again another long chapter, but there were some things I wanted to address, like Javorin and Hecate's origin(-ish) story (of sorts, no doubt other stuff will become known further along in the story). I got a lot of ideas for the titan-gods by looking at a number of mythologies. When you look at classical, Norse, Celtic and a number of other ancient religions and faiths: it's interesting how their constructed. who was born how and to whom, who had sex with who (or what), and who died in what way. In a way, it tells you a lot about the people that worshiped them, and how they viewed the world spiritually. For this story, the gods didn't exactly create the world and everything in it, but rather, sort of helped it along; and the gods themselves were not worshiped in a way that we might traditionally think they would be. But then, I didn't just look at mythologies for ideas, I looked at a number of anime's and manga's, in particular for the OC's.

This story is kinda going along the lines of the unconventional, which, considering its an AU to begin with, is going to have a lot of stuff that might be hard to follow in places: but hey, if you need clarification on anything, just drop me a message or leave your question in the reviews, and I'll get back to you :)

N/A: Something to clarify real quick: this chapter is set in the year 840, so Erwin isn't yet part of the Scouts and thus hasn't introduced his long-distance scouting formation yet. Hence why the Scouts got their asses kicked.

So, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter, and hope you can me again for the next installment :) don't forget to R&R, and see you all next time!