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

The Awakening

Chapter 6: Secret friendship

One month later, near the Marian forest:

The distant sound of a rooster crowing broke the silence, as the sun's light peeked over the eastern side of Wall Maria, touching the sides of the distant mountains and shining down into the forests and valleys below. A hazy mist hung in the air amid the lower farmlands and sheltered hollows and glens: tinting everything the same shade of pale blue, while in the clear still air above, everything was bathed in pale gold sunlight.

Across the farmlands the fields were green with the first grain crops of the year, while flowers of varying shades of yellow, pink, white and blue blossomed in the open meadows: in the hedgerows and copses the roosters wake-up call was mingled with the dawn chorus of the birds, greeting the day with their various melodious songs.

Ariana had really grown to enjoy seeing this time of day: when everything was still and quiet and no one else was around, it was just her and the birds. As she left the main farmland road and headed up into the Marian forest, she turned back to gaze over the valley, and smiled at seeing the blue shadows and gold light colouring the land in a whole pallet of warm and cool colours; it was a beautiful sight for sure, but unfortunately she knew she couldn't hang around, she had a 'play date' to keep.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest:

As the sunlight shone through the grove of giant trees, Javorin smiled as he felt its life-giving warmth comfortably stir him from his sleep, and teased his eyelids to open: rubbing his eyes and sitting upright from his bed amid the roots of one giant tree, he gazed over at the sleeping forms of Herne and Hecate. Herne, being the animistic god that he was, favored sleeping in a nice comfortable hollow of ferns and dead leaves, with a smooth moss-caked rock for a pillow; while Hecate, being a goddess of the night, seldom ever slept. Except for when her energies were quite spent and she needed to rest: she wasn't fond of the sun's light and so slept peacefully in her root cave, curled up in the fetal position with her long black hair draped over her shoulder and side.

Studying them carefully, and satisfied they were soundly asleep: Javorin quietly turned himself into his elemental form; the wind, and gently blew through the trees, rustling the leaves and stirring the mist like a ripple in a pond. Hecate lazily opened one eye, and watched as the god's aura moved through the trees, away from the grove: and closed her eye again, heaving a deep frustrated sigh: "He's at it again" she grumbled to Herne.

"I know," he sighed, flicking one pointed ear as he turned over onto his side: "And it's none of our business, (not yet anyway)"

"Aren't you even a little bit curious as to what he's up to?" Hecate frowned in her sleep: "He's been sneaking off like this for the past four weeks, and I seriously doubt it's got anything to do with 'stretching his legs' or meditating. He's up to something"

"And I've told you before, he'll let us in on it in his own good time" Herne sighed, he really didn't want to have to be doing this, not at this hour of the morning: "You know how he works: he doesn't like to get anyone involved unless he feels its warranted; whatever he's up to, I'm sure it's nothing serious"

"You do realize he's been using a concealment spell too? Every time he comes back, I can smell that magic all over him" she frowned,

"I had noticed" Herne frowned,

"And?"

"And, I'm not worried: and neither should you; now pipe down and let me get ten more minutes of sleep" Herne huffed, and tossed over onto his other side, flicking his tail up in annoyance,

Hecate passed a frustrated sigh, and turned over onto her other side, facing away from the mouth of the cave. She hated it when someone kept secrets from her: and deliberately went out of their way to keep her out of whatever it was they were doing, even if it didn't warrant her involvement. It was childish for sure, but she was nosy like that: and the fact it was Javorin of all people, peeved her off all the more. Trust the Overseer of mankind to be sneaking off to be getting up to goodness-knows-what: in all likelihood it was something to do with the humans, it was a no-brainer; but what? Knowing him he was probably going out of his way to help some poor family get some food, or some kid find their lost pet, or maybe even helping a whole village to rebuild after a fire or some kind of natural disaster.

Hecate wasn't fond of humans, and she wasn't fond of the fact that Javorin was so fond of them. Humans were an annoyance at the best of times: a paradox of intelligence and stupidity, they were often the cause of many accidental catastrophes and deliberate acts of selfishness that resulted in a mess one way or another. Some messes which resulted in her having to clean up their mistakes and punish them for their stupidity; what Javorin saw in them she never really understood, and she probably never would. All she knew right now was that they were in no position to be getting side-tracked and distracted by something trivial.

"...You do realize it's not just him that's holding out on us?" she added, vainly trying to pique his curiosity,

"I know" Herne smirked, knowing full well what she was implying, "And I wouldn't worry about the kid either"

Hecate jerked in surprise as her eyes flew open, and as she flung a string of telepathic curses at the Hunting god, demanding to know what he knew. Meanwhile, across the grove: Elysia carefully poked her head out of her root cave, and checked to make sure Herne and Hecate were still asleep. Seeing no movement from their 'beds', she quietly sneaked out, and started heading off into the forest.

She walked some seven hundred yards up an animal trail, until she came to a large clearing where the sun shone bright without being filtered by the canopy: in the center of the clearing there was a large stick standing upright, deliberately planted there with twelve evenly-spaced pebbles forming a semi-circle around it on one side, with the stick's shadow pointing towards the pebbles; a crude yet effective sundial that served well for telling the time during the day. Standing over the sundial, Elysia breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the shadow of the stick was only on the first pebble.

'Okay, I've got plenty of time' she thought with relief: 'when the sun's between the third and forth stone, I've got to slip away somehow' she frowned, thinking back over the past month: '...But it's getting more difficult. They know I'm up to something, and soon they're gonna want to know what's going on...' she thought in vexation: '...I guess I have no choice? I'm going to have to introduce them to her...Maybe today is as good a day as any? And with any luck, if Javorin's present, Hecate probably won't try to stuff a giant pillow with me'

Turning to head back the way she came, Elysia thought about what the day might bring, and began thinking of how best to make her 'big announcement' to the other gods. When she got back to the grove, she saw Javorin was gone, and Herne and Hecate were string in their beds, still telepathically arguing.

'I wonder what Javorin's been up to?' she thought offhand, 'He's been sneaking off the same as me; does he have someone he doesn't want Hecate to know about?'

Far from the grove, near the edge of the forest a little way up from the road, Javorin rematerialized and stood by the giant trees: scanning the sparse undergrowth, he soon spotted his reason for being here, and kneeled down in readiness for her arrival.

As she made her way through the bushes and ferns, keeping her bow and quiver close against her side, Ariana soon spotted the giant form of Shadow amongst the giant trees: kneeling down with one hand lowered to the ground, and with that friendly welcoming smile of his.

"Shadow!" she beamed, running up to him and jumping into his palm: standing back up and bringing her close to his face, Javorin greeted her with a happy purring moan; while ruffling her hair with one finger. "It's great to see you again, a week takes forever to go by!" she smiled, playfully swatting his finger away. With his one free hand, Shadow activated his power, and with the tattoos on his hand glowing softly, he wrote on the side of a giant tree : I know, I missed you too Ariana: in letters that were made of blue light, that hung on the bark for a moment or two before evaporating away like smoke.

"I still think that's so cool" she grinned, reaching out to run one hand over one of the glowing tattoos on his wrist, "But anyways, what're we doing today?"

: I have something new to show you: he wrote on the bark, to which Ariana perked up and started bouncing up and down with excitement: "Something new we ain't done before? Cool!" she beamed, "Is like that trick you do to make plants and trees grow?"

: Nope, even better: he wrote back

"Sweet!" she grinned wildly as she flopped down into his palm, while Shadow turned and started walking back into the forest.

For the past month, Ariana and Javorin had been meeting like this in secret: at first Javorin managed to limit the visits to half a day every week so as to avoid arousing suspicion with Herne, Hecate and Elysia, and vice versa with Ariana's family. But the art of sneaking out of the house and out through Shiganshina's inner gate only served to sharpen Ariana's stealth, and before long she was creeping out into the forest twice a week to find him; and that little nose of her getting better at picking up his scent.

During these little 'play sessions', Javorin and Ariana did a number of things together: mostly wandering the farmlands and surrounding villages whilst invisible, seeing how close they could get to the houses and people together. Other times they'd wander far into the forest and he'd let her explore the more remote hollows and coves: places that no one had visited in a number of decades. And likewise Ariana was always keen to share her world with him: she showed him the places she and her cousins and friends would frequent, from the stone circle near wall Maria, to the copses surrounding the farmlands near the inner gate, and the campsites her father and uncles would take her and her cousins to for their hunting and bush craft lessons.

And when they were not exploring the countryside together, they would meet up in one of the hollows somewhere near the road, and simply talk with one another. Javorin had found a way to take his writing-in-lieu-of-talking one step further, by using his power to write words and sentences using light, either on surfaces or in midair; it saved him having to look for a patch of mud every time he needed to say something, and his only concern lay in being able to write fast enough to keep up with the conversation. Sometimes he'd write with his finger, other times he'd wave his hand and a whole paragraph would appear floating in midair. It wasn't the same as having his actual voice, but it worked pretty well.

"...So listen, I've been thinking" she smiled up at him.

Waving one hand above her, a sentence of words appeared, : Oh dear, that sounds dangerous: he chuckled,

"Yeah yeah very funny" she waved off: "So anyway, me an' everyone went to see Bryson yesterday for that 'ODM gear tryout' he promised us: he let us all try out his gear to see how good we were, and we totally nailed it!" she smiled, before sighing ruefully: "Well? All of us except Eren, he couldn't keep his balance and kept falling over; I feel really bad for him... Anyway," she glanced back up at him: "Outta all of us: me, Ash, Ashlyn, Belle, Shyla, Fox, Lucy, Hawk and Hazel managed to fly up to the top of roof the best; Bryson said we had natural talent. So, I got thinking, and I kinda had an idea"

: Which is? :

"I'm gonna join the Scouts!" Ariana announced boldly with a smile,

Javorin stopped and glanced down at her in mild alarm. Last week was when the Scouts ventured out beyond the wall again: and this time he followed them, along with Hecate and Herne to see them in action for himself. It had been an eye-opening experience to say the least: seeing those humans in action against the titans with only their ODM gear and pairing blades to fight with, and nothing else; it had been a hard-fought battle to keep the majority of the expedition from being eaten. The Scouts lost fifteen brave souls, before they even reached the end of their journey, which had been an old castle that served as a supply depot and campsite: and on the way back, they lost a further five. All the while the gods remained invisible and in the background, staving the titans off and dispatching them, while trying to keep the humans none the wiser.

After returning to the forest, he had been emotionally exhausted as much as he was physically exhausted: those Scouts had died a horrible death, and the fact he and the gods looked like titans themselves didn't help. They'd cut them down as soon as look at them: powers or no powers, gods or not, as far as the humans were concerned a titan was a titan; end of story. Which only made their job of protecting them all the more harder, fighting off a hoard of charging titans while staying invisible wasn't easy, even for the most experienced god; and the fact the Scouts had no real strategy to avoid incurring heavy losses didn't help either. Of course there were a number of Scouts that had their head's screwed on right, and knew what to do when on the defense or offense: but the stringent attitude of following orders to the letter didn't allow for a lot of flexibility, in terms of making judgement calls on one's own terms when faced with different situations: and thus, the Scouts would lose soldiers, simply because the status quo called for them to never disobey their commander. It was a mess, and for the immortal life of him, Javorin couldn't understand why?

Seeing the look on Shadow's face, Ariana sat up and turned round to face him properly: "What's wrong?". Javorin hesitated a moment: he didn't want to alarm or upset her by saying no outright; deciding to hear what she had to say, he was about to manifest his words, when Ariana beat him to it: "...I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out okay?"

He nodded with a weak apprehensive smile, and continued walking on as he listened. "So, we obviously can't let the Scouts know about you living here inside the walls, I mean it's suicide; they'll kill you as soon as look at you" she stated matter-of-factly: "But, what if I were to get my hands on my own ODM gear, and practice killing titans with you, as my stand-in regular titan? Think about it: I could be a great Scout if I get a head start on the training now, then by the time I'm old enough to sign up for the military, I'll breeze through ODM gear training and titan-killing training, and be accepted into the Scouts within a month; and then I'll be able to join them on the expeditions and go beyond wall Maria"

Cocking an eyebrow, Javorin couldn't help but chuckle as he waved his hand, and wrote, : Sounds like you really thought it through, but why do you want to go beyond the walls? :

"... Because..." Ariana hesitated sheepishly, idly plucking the string of her bow: "...I want to go see if there are any titans like you"

Javorin stopped again, glancing down at her in surprise; "Bryson said there's no such thing as titans that don't eat people: but you're here, you're a titan and you don't eat people; and you can do all kinds of cool stuff too. I just think, if there are others like you out there in the outside world, someone's got to find them and prove they exist...It's just-, you being alive, kinda proves that maybe we don't know the titans all that well? Not if titans like you are real"

Javorin couldn't help but smile: he had to admire her tenacity, and reading her aura, he could sense the conviction she held for her idea, along with the compassion she held for him. : That's a very brave and noble thought: he spelt out with one hand, : But how would you get your hands on an ODM gear? :

"Oh that's easy!" Ariana perked up: "As far as mum and dad know I'm out hunting rabbits and birds when I go to meet you: at first they didn't make too much of a fuss about it, but when the pantry started getting full I started selling my catches door-to-door up our street, and then down in the market place in Shiganshina. Since last month I've saved up fifteen gold pieces, twenty seven silver pieces, and a hundred and fifty copper pieces; that's what I'll use to buy the gear with, and since there are all kinds of criminal gangs out here in Maria, it shouldn't be too hard to find one that trades stolen ODM gear"

Frowning in disapproval, Javorin quickly wrote: Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? :

"Of course I know how dangerous it is!" she retorted, "These are criminals we're talking about! Their gonna drive a hard bargain so I'm gonna have to throw something in to sweeten the deal"

Javorin facepalmed hard; creating a gust of wind that knocked Ariana off her feet and into his palm: rolling his eyes and letting out a long pained groan, he couldn't believe the ballsiness of this child, and the fact she actually meant every word of it only doubled his headache, :You are going to be the death of me: he wrote in exasperation, : There is no way I'm going to let you do such a ridiculous thing! :

"Well?" Ariana thought about it as she stood back up, "Now that I think about it. Maybe looking for ODM gear traders in Maria isn't a good idea? ...", she perked up again with an innocent smile, "Maybe we should try and sneak into Sina and look for one there? It's the interior so they might be more professional and reliable?"

Javorin facepalmed again, knocking Ariana down into his palm: "Hey! You keep hitting your head like that an' I'll fall out ya hand!" she reprimanded, sitting back up and straightening the bow and quiver on her shoulder: "Well do you have any ideas where I can get ODM gear? Cuz' the military don't sell to civilians you know!"

Regaining his composure, Javorin couldn't help but laugh, : I wouldn't worry about it too much: he wrote, :There's plenty of time before you can join the military:. "Yeah but I wanna start training now!" Ariana whined, "You can't join the military until your twelve, and I'm five! It's gonna take forever to turn twelve!"

: It'll come round eventually: Javorin wrote as he pressed on into the forest, : For now, just enjoy your childhood, you'll be surprised how fast it can pass you:. Flopping down into his palm, Ariana passed a deep exasperated sigh as she watched the blue sky through the canopy pass by: "...So?" she changed the subject, "Where're we going?"

: You'll see: he wrote with a smile.

"Fine, don't tell me," she huffed, "By the way, I gotta be heading back home by lunchtime: mum and dad think I'm hunting near Grune-Felder today"

: That's fine: he wrote, : We'll try and get back early; but before then, let's have a little fun, huh?:

"Yeah," Ariana smiled, "let's"

A little while later, Shiganshina:

Tyto frowned at the crudely written note that had been lying on dining table: it read, : Dear dad, got up early to go hunting rabbits near Mr Wickfield's farm, should be back around lunchtime, don't worry about breakfast I took an apple with me; see you later, love, Ariana, xxx :

Rolling his eyes and letting out a deep exhausted sigh, Tyto shook his head in disbelief. How was Ariana sneaking out of the house like this? He got up before dawn so as to try and stop her, but when he peered into her room and saw she was already gone with the window open, he was stumped (and annoyed for the umpteenth time). "She's getting too good at this" Freya frowned as she shook her head, "Soon we won't be able to catch her out at all!"

"I'll go get my knife..." Tyto sighed as he placed the note back down on the table, "I'll pop into Cooper's place on the way out; tell his housemaid I'll be late for the delivery today"

"What? No!" Freya stated vehemently: "Cooper said he'll pay you extra for that delivery if you make it on time, and we really need the money Tyto"

"But Ariana-

"-Let the boys go and fetch her" she assured him, "The note says she's up by Wickfield's farm right? That's only a few miles from the gate; they'll have her back in time for a late lunch, okay?". Tyto wasn't comfortable with the idea, but he knew Ash, Rowan and Dale were good at finding their little sister, and they weren't prone to wandering off and getting into trouble when he set them a specific task: "Okay..." he sighed with a small smile, "BOYS!" he called up the stairs, "YEAH DAD?!" Ash called back: "Hurry on down, I got a job for you three to take care off"

Hurrying down the stairs, the boys barely had time to ask what was up before their father beat them to the punch: "Your sister snuck out again early this morning"

"Yeah no shit dad" Rowan deadpanned, "We kinda figured"

"Language" Tyto shot him a look, "I need you three to go fetch her: according to her note she's hunting near Wickfield's farm today; think you can handle it?"

"Sure, it ain't like we got much else to do today?" Ash shrugged,

"Hey can I with come you guys?!" Clay asked eagerly as he grabbed his bow and quiver; "Me too! Can I come?" Ashlyn piped in as she dragged Hawk down the stairs; "We ain't got much to do today either, so can we come too?" the Raven twins chimed in.

"What? No, we ain't-

"-Take them with you" Tyto smiled, "it'll keep them out of trouble"

"I can keep an eye on them uncle Tyto" Hazel interjected.

"Atta' girl" Evrard smiled as poked his head out of the kitchen, "And make sure you take the large arrows with you: I heard there's a colossal boar up near that area; try and get him for me okay?"

"Yeah sure whatever" Ash rolled his eyes as he grabbed his bow and quiver, and was out the door, "See ya later old man!". "Be careful out there" Tyto called after him as the rest of the kid's grabbed their stuff and filed out the door, slamming it shut behind them. "A colossal boar?" Freya deadpanned, regarding her brother with a very sideways look: "Seriously Evrard?". "What? We haven't had boar in a long while" he shrugged innocently.

Outside, the kids sorted out their bows and quivers as they started walking down the street, but before they could even reach the bottom of the broad road, several familiar faces stopped them in their tracks: "Hey guys!" Gale smiled as she skipped up to them, with her sisters, Bemadette, Fox, Shyla, and the Cooper twins following close behind, "You going out hunting?"

"Hunting Ariana: she snuck out again this morning and took off up to Wickfield's place" Dale smiled, "You wanna come with us?"

"Hell yeah! We got the whole weekend off remember?" Belle piped in. "And our parents are outta town until Tuesday" Lucius stated, "So we got our place all to ourselves" Lucy added without skipping a beat; "Great! The whole gang's back together again!" Ashlyn beamed, "Come on! I'll race you to the gate!"

But before they could take off, another two familiar faces made them stop in their tracks: "Eren! Armin!" Belle smiled in delight, "Hey guys" Armin waved with a nervy smile as he gripped his Grandfather's hand, while Eren remained at his side with a bandage wrapped around his head and a noticeable sour look on his face. "You guys off anywhere?" Eren asked offhand, "We're going to look for Ariana, she snuck out again and dad wants her back home" Ash explained, "You guys wanna come help us look?". "Sorry but we can't: we got chores to do today" Armin regretfully shrugged. "And my mum's out, so I gotta stay with Armin". "Come along boys" Armin's grandfather smiled, "We got a lot to do today: catch you kids later". "Bye" they both waved goodbye as they headed off up the street.

"See ya..." Poppy smiled as she waved farewell, "...Think he's still sore about yesterday?" she glanced over at everyone else, "Well you gotta admit, he did fall over quite spectacularly" Josefa smirked: "Meh, it ain't our fault he ain't got no balance" Rowan shrugged casually; "Ah well, their loss..." Belle shrugged, before taking off down the street, "I'm gonna win losers!". "Like hell you are!" Rowan took after her, with everyone following in hot pursuit.

Taking off and trying to keep up with one another, the kids all jostled for first place as they ran through the streets towards the inner gate; once on the other side they played, talked and laughed as they headed north, following the north-bound road up through the fields. Around and over the wooded knolls, and down through the meandering valley were the majority of the fruit farms were situated, all the while the great southern Marian river kept dropping in and out of sight amid the copses and hillsides.

Winding down a little and walking at a steady pace so as to save their energy for the journey back, the topic of conversation soon turned to Ariana: "So, what do you guys think she's been up to this past month? Why the need the sneak out?" Lucy asked offhand. "She says she just wants to practice her hunting and make some coin off the game she catches," Ash replied, "Call me suspicious but I don't think it's got anything to do with hunting"

"Huh? Seriously?!" Clay raised an eyebrow in surprise, "But she brings home a bird or rabbit every time she goes out, how's that not to do with hunting?". "Yeah Ash, what makes you think she's up to anything?" Bemadette asked offhand.

"You two haven't fallen out again, have you?" Shyla asked quietly as she gazed over at Rowan, "Hell no, we're still good" Rowan shot her a half-reprimanding look, "But-, Ash has a point: it has been really weird the way she's been sneaking out like this". "And every time we ask her why, she just tells us she doesn't like doing chores, and would much prefer to be out hunting...None of us can figure out what she might be hiding; even Josefa and Jaye haven't been able to find out anything, and they know everything that goes on under our roof" Dale chipped in. "True" they both nodded, "There's not much we don't know, so the fact Ariana's been holding out on us like this is quite impressive" Jaye added.

"I don't think it's a something," Hawk thought aloud, "I got a gut feeling it's more like a someone". Everyone glanced over at him in mild surprise, "A friend she's keeping secret?" Gale blinked in surprise, "But why?"

"They're either a criminal on the run or someone who doesn't want to be known" Dale theorized, "Either way, if it is a someone they must have an important reason for telling Ariana not to tell anyone about them". "Let's just find her and ask what's up?" Ashlyn waved off, "I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation"

Thinking back to yesterday, Belle couldn't help but smirk: "... So? You guys thinking about joining the Scouts?"

"After yesterday, I'm certainly thinking about it," Clay smiled, "The ODM gear was so cool to use; I tell ya guys, the look on Bryson's face was priceless when we reached that rooftop!". "I kinda like the idea: I've always wondered what the outside world looks like" Fox shrugged offhand: "I'm going with you" Shyla replied in a monotone: "What? Like hell you are!" he retorted; Shyla gazed up at him and held his hand as she replied, "Know this Fox, wherever you go I'll go with you. You're my big brother; it's my job to have your back". Knowing he wasn't going to dissuade her, Fox reluctantly put his other hand in his pocket and just carried on walking.

"It's an idea I suppose?" Ash shrugged,

"Well I'm still signing up for the Scouts when I turn twelve" Belle stated boldly, "Just you wait, I'll be the best Scout the Corp has ever had!"

"Haven't you got to go through two years of training before you can choose which branch of the military you want to join?" Dale asked offhand; "Meh, I'll breeze through those two years easily," Belle proudly smiled, "Trust me guys, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

As they crested the next hill, the scene up ahead made them stop and watch in a mix of confusion of curiosity. At the crossroads, a large group of people were gathered with a long line of heavily packed carts and wagons stretching back up the eastern road: the people at the front of the gathering were engrossed in a very heated argument with a bunch of wall cultists, while several MP's were trying and failing to calm the situation. But from the sounds of their raised voices and raised fists, it seemed like it was about to escalate into a brawl.

Beyond the crossroads, on the land that rose above the rest of the surrounding farmlands on a large gently rolling hill, the burnt remains of a large farm house, barn and several smaller close buildings could been seen in the distance: with small thin wispy plumes of black smoke still rising from what was left of the chard structures. It seemed like it had been pretty bad too, as the surrounding grass was burnt black; a smaller gathering of people were nearby, seeming putting out the last of the flames, and checking the over the damage.

As they approached closer for a better look, the kids began to get a feeling that this was something very serious: "Whose farm was that?" Gale stared up at the burnt out house in morbid curiosity. "Mrs Hafer's" a young blonde boy replied, as he sat watching the argument on a boulder next to the signpost: "The whole place went up in flames the night before last: we saw the glow from our place over in the next valley. I heard you could see the smoke as far away as Shiganshina"

"Huh, how did we miss that?" Josefa and Jaye both frowned in bemusement, glancing at one another in suspicion,

"Did they get out okay?" Poppy glanced over at him worryingly.

The boy glanced at her anxiously: "...I heard from my uncle they found six bodies in the ashes yesterday morning: they think it might have been his wife and two daughters, along with all the house staff...They still haven't found Mr Hafer yet"

"How awful" Ashlyn ruefully sighed, "Who're all these people? And what's with all the carts and wagons?" Ash asked offhand,

"Their-, they used to be Mr Hafer's laborers; they were helping to put out the last of the fire yesterday afternoon when these guys from the wall cult showed up, and told everyone that Hafer had sold them the farm and all its surrounding lands to them the week before. Then yesterday, they came by again and handed everyone an eviction notice: told them that if they didn't leave the property by midday today, they'd call the MP's on all of them: everyone called bullshit on that and, well? The cult arrived this morning and started throwing people out of their homes, the MP's showed up an hour ago to try and help, but it's kinda going downhill" the boy explained,

"Why did the wall cult want to buy the farm?" Shyla watched as the men continued to argue. "Not the farm, it's the land they want: apparently their going to build one of their 'sanctuaries' up there where the farmhouse and barn used to stand; guess it was a stroke of luck for them? The whole place burning down like that"

"...Yeah..." Rowan frowned in suspicion, "...Lucky them"

"...Well? Thanks" Ash waved the boy farewell, and head off down the western road with everyone following closely behind; "...I don't understand" Belle frowned in confusion, "Why can't they just let the laborers stay in their homes?"

"It's the wall cult Belle" Bemadette frowned: "If you're not one of them they won't even acknowledge you: hell, as far as their concerned, anyone who doesn't follow the 'word of the divine architect' is less than human"

"How do you know that?" Hawk asked offhand curiously; "Pops" she shrugged, "He and the rest of the Willums have had a grudge against the wall cult for a long time". "It's true" Gale concurred, "Granny can't stand them: she doesn't like to talk about them; she doesn't even like to look at them when they pass her in the street"

"Why?" Josefa blinked in surprise,

Glancing at one another anxiously, Gale, Poppy and Belle, weren't quite sure how to answer her, until Gale sighed, "...I can't be absolutely sure: but I have a feeling it's got something to do with our parent's deaths". "And don't ask us why okay?" Poppy added, "We don't know why or how; all we know is that Granny told us she'd tell us the truth one day, when we were older...That's all we really know guys"

No one said anything as they continued to walk on down the road: leaving the gathering far behind, until the sounds of angry voices were no longer in earshot. As they rounded a bend in the road, the southern Marian river was now in sight, along with the raised bridge that stretched across it: and on the other side were the outskirts of the Marian forest. And nearby, their destination: a small yet sizable hamlet with a small farm nearby.

"Think old man Wickfield's home?" Rowan suggested as he folded his arms: "There's no way he likes poachers, even if they're not on his land, so Ariana would have had to ask permission to avoid getting an ass-loada buckshot from that musket of his". "Let's go and find out?" Ash shrugged, "He may be a crotchety old git but he hates rabbits as much as the next cabbage farmer"

Meanwhile, Elsewhere in the forest:

"Hey" Pascal stuck his head out the back door, "Where's the gun-powder?"

"Oh," West snapped out of his daydreaming: "I put it in that box next to the wine in the basement..."

West sat on the porch staring out into the forest, idly daydreaming of nothing in particular, and letting the dappled sunlight warm his face; it had been just over a month since he showed Pascal the hollow where the huge broken tomb was located, along with the giant white feather. After which, for the sake of not wanting to attract unnecessary attention, Pascal told him to put the feather back in the tomb and never speak of it again. Since then, life carried on as usual: customers came to the cottage to buy their stolen ODM gear, and business was good. Being so far out in the sticks of Maria was a far cry from the countryside of wall Sina and wall Rose: not that he didn't like it; but still...

Having to remain hidden from the MP's and avoid the more violent criminal gangs was all he thought they'd have to worry about: knowing there was a giant mysterious bird-creature somewhere out there in the wild still sent a chill down his spine from time to time. But, after a month of worrying and waiting for something to happen: nothing did; he had gradually begun to relax a little, but at the back of his mind he couldn't help but remain curious. Pascal's attitude towards the creature was a little blasé to say the least, but then, that was Pascal: it took a lot to throw him off, and he was never totally convinced something was real unless he saw proof of it for himself. Well? He showed him the feather he found in the tomb, and still it wasn't enough to convince him there was any real danger. But, after a month of nothing occurring, and not hearing of any strange rumours of anything lurking about in the forest, maybe he was worrying over nothing? Maybe that bird-creature was no longer here, and had flown to new pastures somewhere in the outside world?

Breathing deep and letting out a sigh, West got up and headed back inside: he needed to be doing something, concentrate on something else so as to take his mind off the subject. Heading for the kitchen, he opened the cupboard and frowned at the bare shelves; there was nothing except for a moldy tomato, a slice of stale bread, and a mouse nibbling on a crumb of biscuit.

"Hey Pascal, we need to go food shopping" he called out to his friend,

"What? Don't be ridiculous" Pascal smiled as strode into the kitchen, "We've got plenty of-" but his face fell flat as he stared into the cupboard, "...Oh... Okay: I'll go get the cash you get a start on getting the horses ready"

After getting the horses and cart ready and grabbing their satchels, Pascal and West were ready to go: West locked the front and back doors before mounting his horse, and walking down the dirt road alongside Pascal, who was driving the small cart. "We should start making food shopping a more regular thing you know? We live out in practically the middle of nowhere, and neither of us knows how to grow anything or keep chickens at the very least"

"Didn't we get some chickens for eggs when we first arrived?" Pascal frowned, trying to remember: "We did" West deadpanned, "The foxes got them". "Huh...Well? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to start poaching for the odd pheasant or two? With all the farms around here there's bound to be a few with birds stealing their grain and berries". "You know, there are plenty of pheasants that roost in the trees over the cottage? They'd be easy enough to shoot down" West suggested, "Besides, I prefer beef: it's a bit meatier than game". "Well be sure to get plenty of meat, we need to get enough food to last us the next week or so" Pascal told him. The two friends continued to talk as they wandered down the road: steadily heading down towards the main forest road.

Back at the cottage, the forest was eerily quiet: a strange stillness came over the place as the wind slowly stopped and the birds fell silent; from out of the canopy, a large white butterfly fluttered down; its wings were such a pure shade of white that they almost appeared to be luminous as they shone in the dappled sunlight. Delicately fluttering down further, it came to rest on the handle of the front door: then suddenly, as it opened and closed its wings, the lock on the door turned, and door opened ajar. The butterfly flew away back up into the canopy, and the wind and birds returned: as if nothing had been there at all.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest:

"What are we doing here?" Ariana frowned in confusion as she stared up at the side of wall Maria, "You're not seriously going to climb that are you?!" she exclaimed in disbelief, : No: Javorin wrote as he smiled with a sly twinkle in his vivid blue eyes, : we're going to fly up:

"Huh?!" Ariana started up at him as if he'd lost his marbles: but before she could ask how, all the tattoos on Javorin's body glowed bright blue, and his skin turned a shade of blue as he turned intangible at the same time. Then, all at once his body dissipated while his tattoos flew apart like leaves on a breeze: swirling and spinning around her as the wind suddenly started gusting up from below, and as she fell from the space where his hand had been, she suddenly found herself being blown upwards and carried on a powerful current that blew straight up the side of the wall. All the while Javorin's marking's continued to swirl all around freely, seemingly holding her aloft. With a yelp of surprise and fear, Ariana helplessly flayed her arms and legs around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on: until she caught sight of the markings, and could make out the outline of Javorin's body and face amid the gusting wind; it was strange, this wind was powerfully strong, and yet she found she could still breathe, her hair and clothing was flapping about yet her bow and quiver remained at her side and hadn't been blow off, and although the wind was coming from below her at every angle, Ariana remained perfectly upright, as several small gusts of winds pushed her sides, as if keeping her in a safe yet strong grip.

It was then, Ariana could see the smile on Javorin's transparent face, amid the swirling markings, and suddenly realized what was going on: "...You can turn into the wind?!" she called out over the howling gusts: Javorin nodded, and defined his outline a little more so she could see him better. Now she could see, he was hovering several meters off the ground with her safely cupped between his two huge hands, while the wind was kicking up all the leaf litter on the ground, bending the branches in the trees back and rustling the leaves. "HOLY CRAP YOU CAN TURN INTO THE WIND!" she cried out in sheer amazement.

In one swift and steady movement Javorin carried her up the side of the wall; with a surge of adrenaline stoking Ariana's excitement, she kept her eyes on the wall as they ascended into the sky. And they cleared the top, Ariana gasped as she saw over the top of wall Maria for the first time in her life, and gasped at the view before her. Endless open wilderness that went on forever, open prairie peppered with pine trees and small forests, and beyond them, vast mountains as far as the eye could see. But Javorin didn't stop there, he kept ascending up and up, far into the clouds: until wall Maria could be seen stretching from one end of the horizon to the other and Shiganshina looked absolutely tiny from this distance.

With the wind in her hair and joyous elation bursting from her heart, Ariana let out a long happy cry of excitement of Javorin twisted and turned amid the clouds: positioning her so she could fly like a bird, her arms outstretched like wings with her fingers for feathers; letting her feel the wind catch her and keep her aloft. Through the endless blue sky they soared for goodness knows how long, time fell away and lost all meaning as Ariana totally surrendered to the freedom of the air; banking and barrel-rolling with the winds as they pushed the clouds along, gliding on warm thermals as they rose high into the atmosphere, and chasing after flocks of birds as they headed beyond the wall.

As she continued to yell and whoop with giddy excitement, Ariana didn't even feel the coldness of the air: or the stinging of the wind as it hit her eyes and dried her corneas; Javorin was careful to shield the bulk of the wind from her face so she could see straight, but other than that, it made his heart leap with happiness to see her so enthralled in this new experience. Using his power to read her aura, he saw how her energies had formed crudely into the shape of a bird: a magpie; her spirit animal. For Ariana, this was freedom; this was the way to see the world, as she gazed down and smiled at the all places she knew below: like all the birds, she knew the call of freedom in her heart and it reflected in her energies. This child was a free soul, and Javorin couldn't be more proud of her. "Hey! How fast are we going?! Everything's passing by so slow down there!" she called out to him.

Javorin banked left, dropping down until they were souring some thirty feet above the ground, and from this distance everything was simply racing by, faster than the fastest horse could gallop: and as they passed over a field full of laborers, Ariana realized they hadn't seen them. "We're invisible aren't we?!" she grinned, "THIS IS THE BEST THING EVEEEER! WHOOOOO!" she cheered, as they continued to sour over the land.

Over farmlands, rivers, hills and mountains, over towns and villages, passing roads and people alike, across the whole southern region of Maria they flew together, until the sun was high overhead and exhaustion finally began to kick in for the five year old. Returning to where they had taken off, Javorin rematerialized his corporeal form and his markings returned to their exact positions on his body, while Ariana safely landed in his waiting palm: albeit she flopped down with exhaustion, unable to stand up as she was so exhausted from holding her arms out for so long, she couldn't even sit up right, her spine felt like it was turning to stone, while her legs left like jelly, and her eyes felt so dry and uncomfortable. But as she awkwardly rolled herself onto her back, she gazed up at Javorin with the biggest grin her face could muster: "...That was amazing..." she panted, "...You are amazing, Shadow..."

Smiling in heartfelt appreciation, Javorin raised his free hand over her, and decided to alleviate her exhaustion: twirling his fingers round in a circle, the tattoos on his hand and wrist glowed as blue orbs of light materialized out of the air, and surrounded Ariana in a pale blue aura. All at once the aches in her joints melted away, the dryness in her eyes was replaced with fresh moisture, and the biting cold in her skin melted into soothing warmth as blood pumped heat through her extremities. Blinking in surprise, Ariana sat upright and glanced around at the orbs as they began to disappear, and the markings on Javorin's hand returned to their normal state.

"Whoa, what was that?" Ariana stood back up, "One second I'm exhausted, then next, I feel totally fine...is that another one of your tricks?" she smiled up at him. : One of many: he spelled out with his free hand; "You gotta show me all of them!" she bounced up and down in excitement, "I wanna-

But suddenly, Ariana passed out like a flame, and fell into Javorin's palm fast asleep: Javorin nearly panicked, what just happened? When he suddenly sensed a familiar dark aura surrounding Ariana: keeping her out cold.

"Yeah, like that's going to happen..." Hecate deadpanned as she slipped out of the dark shadows of the thick canopy, and silently moved towards Javorin, who simply regarded her with a sideways glance, as he cupped his free hand over Ariana to keep her safe: "I figured you'd find yourself a little pet sooner or later, you just can't help yourself, can you?"

"Well it's not like I could keep her a secret forever?" Javorin deadpanned, "especially from you"

"Too right you couldn't..." she grinned, feeling rather pleased with herself for having called it: "You should know, there are no secrets I don't know about"

"So?" Herne smiled as he emerged from the undergrowth with Elysia in tow, "Who's your new little friend?"

"Before we begin with the introductions: just how long were you all tailing me?" Javorin regarded him with an old fashioned look. "Meh, long enough" Herne shrugged nonchalantly, "But for the record it was her idea, not ours" he pointed to Hecate. "Uh huh? ..." Javorin deadpanned, "...Okay, let's get this out the way," he sighed, and with a wave of his hand he dispelled Hecate's magic, and Ariana began to wake up.

As she rubbed her eyes and sat upright, Ariana smiled when she saw Javorin's familiar friendly gaze, but when she noticed the three unfamiliar faces gazing down at her from beside him, she nearly jumped out of her skin in shock, and very nearly out of Javorin's hand. Quickly cupping his free hand over her so she had some feeling of security; Ariana stared at the three strangers with eyes as wide as saucers. When it became apparent these new titans were the same as Javorin on account of the markings on their bodies, Ariana leaned out of his cupped hands, and looked them up and down with her mouth agape.

"...Shadow..." she gasped in amazement,

"Shadow?" Hecate glanced at Javorin with a weird look: "I'll explain in a minute" he shot her a look, to which she didn't reply, and simply stood there with her poker face in place as the tiny human child looked her and the others up and down. Pushing Javorin's other hand away for a better look, Ariana was totally taken aback by these new titans: "...Are these your friends?" she smiled in a mix of excitement and nervousness.

: They are my family: he wrote in midair, : And I think it's time you met them:

"Oh great, you learned her written language already?" Hecate deadpanned, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Aww she's so cute!" Elysia let out a long chirping squeal of delight, "That's really what humans look like when their babies?"

"She's hardly a baby kiddo" Herne chimed in,pointing to the bow and quiver on her shoulder: "If she's able to hold a bow and arrow straight and shoot a target, then she's practically half grown"

"Don't go getting attached to it brat" Hecate glanced sideways at the weather goddess, "It'll be dead within a hundred years anyway" she let a sharp "TCH!" escape her lips, making Ariana jump as she approached her for a better look: "Besides, they don't-

Hecate stopped in her tracks when she gazed Ariana in the eye, and noticed her unnaturally vivid blue left eye: "...Wait a minute..." she frowned. Quickly scooping Ariana up in her fist, and with her other hand carefully pinched her head between her finger and thumb so as to stop her from wriggling about as she got a closer look at that eye. Before Javorin could grab her back, Hecate shot him an incredulous stare, glaring daggers right at him: "-ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" she exclaimed in disbelief: "You used your blood to heal this brat?!"

Frowning and rolling his eyes in exasperation, Javorin snapped his fingers and Hecate's hand suddenly flew open, letting Ariana drop down into his other hand: gasping for breath, Ariana quickly scurried up his arm like a squirrel and hid in his thick mane of hair, trying to hide from Hecate as best she could. She was terrified of her, and it showed in her aura as it shuddered with nervousness.

"Oh great, that's a good first impression Hecate" Javorin deadpanned, "-Don't change the subject!" she jabbed her finger in his face as she got up close into his personal space: "What in the nine circles of hell is the meaning of this?!"

Taking a deep breath and reaching for Ariana, Javorin soothed her with a few reassuring coos as he stroked her back with one finger, and gently placed her on the ground; gazing up at him, she watched as he spelled out the words, : Could you give a minute Ariana? I just need to talk my cousin in privet for a moment:, "Cousin? ..." Ariana blinked in surprise, "...She's your cousin?" she looked the giant black and white titan up and down, suddenly forgetting her fear, and noticing the much more intricate markings on her body: "..She's really pretty" she smiled. Hecate stared down at the child as if she'd completely taken leave of her senses, while Herne couldn't help but laugh: "Oh this is gonna be interesting!" he smirked, while Ariana continued to watch Javorin and Hecate, as they argued telepathically.

Standing a little way off from the action, Elysia checked the position of the sun up in the sky, and began to grow a little nervous: 'Carla will have entered the forest by now. I've got to go now'. She slowly and quietly backed away, and was just about to make herself invisible, when Herne glanced over at her with a knowing smile: "...Got somewhere you need to be kid?". Elysia started sweating musket bullets as she tried to think up a good excuse; glancing back over at the two arguing gods, Herne glazed back at her, and smiled: "...I wouldn't worry about those two, their gonna be at it for some while, and don't worry about the kid, she'll be okay...If you just want to go for a fly, that's okay"

"Yeah..." Elysia smiled anxiously, "Flying, that's what I was gonna do" she nodded, "-Catch you guys later!" and without another word, Elysia quietly took off through the undergrowth, being careful not to draw Javorin and Hecate's attention as they continued to argue; unaware that Herne had thrown up a concealment spell to help Elysia slip away.

'This day just keeps getting more interesting' he thought with a smile.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest:

As she made her way off the road and up into the thick undergrowth, following the trail up into the trees: Carla glanced up at the dappled light streaming through the canopy, and breathed in the sweet earthy air.

This past month had practically flown by, and yet it felt like so much had happened in such a short space of time; after befriending Angel and deciding to keep her existence a secret from the world, Carla had decided to help her hide by teaching her how to avoid hunters and the military. Visiting Bryson and Claude's book shop a few times a week to read the necessary information required, she would take down notes, and then go to visit Angel up in the Marian forest and relay to her what she'd learnt. In addition, Carla herself had learnt quite a few things: from learning how to construct a simple sundial, to learning how to spot spring-traps and snares. It had been somewhat of an education for her, but for Angel, it was the highlight of her week.

The giant avian titan had been utterly bewitched by the human world: whenever Carla told her something she didn't know her eyes would light up with a deep and endless fascination. But they both had to be careful: Carla could only limit her visits to once or twice a week; depending on when Grisha was away on business and when Eren was either at school, or with Armin and his grandfather, and she had to pick her cover stories carefully too; she didn't want to arouse suspicions by leaving any loopholes that could unstuck her carefully laid plan. She got a knot in her stomach every time she thought about it: but whenever she thought about Angel, and how she was helping her friend, it didn't feel so bad after a while.

Spotting their designated meeting place in a shady hollow up ahead: amid a large cluster of tall boulders and flat stones; Carla found herself a perch on one smooth rounded boulder, and waited for Angel to show up: 'I hope she remembered how to read the sundial. It shouldn't be that hard' she thought offhand anxiously: 'she usually keeps good time... It's just my nerves is all...' Carla mentally sighed; she didn't know what there was to worry about? Grisha wouldn't be back until this evening, and Eren was with Armin for most of the day, what could go wrong?

Thinking ahead to her meeting with Angel, Carla couldn't help but smile as she thought about the last book she perused: "I wonder if Angel knows anything about the weather?'

Sometime later, elsewhere in the forest:

"Okay, so she's not at Wickfield's place" Dale shrugged, "Maybe she went on to somewhere else?"

"Where?!" Rowan exclaimed in annoyance, "I dunno if you noticed, but she's got a whole damn forest to herself!"

"Look, Ariana may be adventurous but she's not stupid: ever since last month she knows she's not allowed to go back into the forest without someone to keep an eye on her" Hazel pointed out. Ash was about to throw in his two copper pieces, when Clay stopped abruptly, making Ash walking into the back of him: he was about to tell his cousin to watch where he was going, until he noticed how Clay was sniffing the air like a hound: "What's up, what'd you smell?"

"Ariana" Clay blurted out, blinking in surprise,

"What? No way!" Bemadette exclaimed in disbelief,

"No I'm serious guys! I got her scent," Clay pleaded as he sniffed the bushes where the scent was emanating from: "She went off the road and went up into there..." he pointed to the trail that meandered through the undergrowth: sure enough, a noticeable path could be seen where the grass had been flattened by a pair of small feet. "What's up there?" Gale asked offhand: "Dunno, but if that's where Ariana's scent is, that's where she went" Ashlyn thought aloud dubiously.

"Okay, lead the way Clay" Ash gestured for Clay to take point, while Ash and the other hunters-in-training reached for their bows, and locked an arrow into position. "Why the bows and arrows guys?" Belle frowned in curiosity; "As we entered the forest I smelt wolf crap: if there's a pack nearby we gotta be ready" Hawk replied, "You guys stay in between each of us, so in case something comes charging out of the bushes, we can shoot it"

Following Clay up the trail, the Willum sisters, Bemadette, Fox, Shyla, and the Cooper twins each fell into place between one of the other kids; until they were all in single file. As they headed up into the forest the shadows grew darker as the canopy grew denser, and the sounds of the birds began to echo through the trees at a distance; "...This place is kinda creepy" Poppy whispered, "Why'd Ariana go this way?"

"Dunno" Ash frowned, "But she's got some explaining to do when we eventually find her.

It was hard to tell how far they traveled, as the trail rose, fell and curved with the topography of the forest floor: between deep hollows and giant trees, between thick enormous root systems and dense bushes and fern clusters. This part of the forest was dark and gloomy, as the thick canopy high overhead virtually blotted out all the light: it was the kind of place a predator would favor; far from the road and with ample cover, the Willum and Cooper kids felt dangerously exposed here, while the Celtic kids kept their bows and arrows at the ready, scanning their surroundings for the slightest hint of trouble. It was a nerve-racking trek, but they eventually emerged into a large open clearing that was surrounded by a large cluster of boulders by the tree line. It was eerily quiet here: no birds, insects or animals could be heard, and in their guts the kids began to get a bad feeling that told them something was wrong.

"Why would Ariana go through here?" Clay nervously thought aloud: "This place feels bad somehow", "Yeah, I feel it too bro" Hazel nodded anxiously. "Maybe we should move on?" Ash suggested, "You still got her scent Clay?" he asked offhand. "Yeah, I can still smell her; she went this way" he pointed to an opening in the undergrowth on the other side of the bolder cluster. Without having to be told twice, the kids all followed him as he led the way into the forest: climbing over the boulders, and into the thick tall undergrowth.

Suddenly, the distant thunder of galloping horse's echoed through the trees, along with the panicked cry of a man. The children froze still as their heads all snapped in the direction of the sound, listening and trying to make out what was going on; they didn't know where it was coming from, until they all realized it was heading this way fast.

"What-

"-Get down and hide!" Ash barked: everyone dropped down into the greenery on their bellies: "-What the hell's going on?!" Bemadette exclaimed, "-Shush!" Dale covered her mouth, but before she had time to smack his hand away. The sound thundered towards the clearing, and the kids all stared in silence as the scene unfolded...

A man covered in cuts and brushes and with his clothes completely torn and disheveled, came bursting into the clearing: running at break-neck speed with everything he had, his labored panting and feeble cries for help rang out across the clearing as his pursuers burst out of the undergrowth and ran him down. Behind him, twelve riders dressed head to toe in dark charcoal grey uniforms and black hooded capes were riding twelve big black horses; but what really caught the kid's attention were their faces: they were bone white with dark sunken eyes, and bore no expression at all, as if they were frozen stiff like a corpse. One rider flanked the man and let his horse run right over him: causing him to tumble and roll across the grass until he crashed into the side of one of the boulders; effectively bringing the chase to a halt.

Four of the riders immediately dismounted, and slowly approached the man like a pack of wolves: now that they were closer and standing still, the kids saw that their unnatural pale faces were in fact masks; completely covering their faces with the hoods up and concealing the rest of their heads. From where they hid in the undergrowth, the kids could only see part of the man, as he tried to sit up; but his loud agonizing cry told them of the pain he was in, as his broken legs were bleeding quiet badly from being trampled on. Gasping for breath as he coughed up blood, he stared up at his pursuers and glared daggers at them; his hatred for them was plain to see and hear, as he hissed: "...You-, you call yourselves men of god? YOU ARE AS GODLESS AS YOU CAN GET!" he coughed up more blood, before crying out in pain as tears ran down his cheeks: "...My wife, m-my children...You let them die, you let them burn! You're not humans, your monsters! All of you, monsters!" he cried out in sheer rage and anguish.

The riders didn't respond as one stepped forward, and from under his cloak, produced a long blade as he knelt down before the man. From where they were hiding and the angle at which they were looking up from, the kids only saw the man's feet: the rest of him, along with the front of the kneeling rider was hidden by a standing bolder. As they remained silent, their minds raced with dread; who were these people? What were they doing to that poor man? For the Willum and Cooper kids, they had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, it was really bad. But for the Celtic kids, it like watching a nightmare come to life; those dark riders, the one's their uncle Evrard/father told them about... Were these riders really them? Were these the one's they'd been told to fear? To run and hide from? ... Who'd kill them without a second thought?

Their eyes remained glued to the horrifying scene as the rider brought the blade in front of him: the man tried to say something else, when his breath suddenly hitched and his breathing sounded like he was going into a spasm of some kind, as he rapidly began inhaling and exhaling. Then, quiet unexpectedly, the rider with the blade spoke: "...Monsters? Hardly, we are but servants of he who would guide us in all that is good and holy: his will is our command, and your death, is what he commands of us..." the rider stood back up: the blade in his hand now dripping with blood, and the man's breathing could no longer heard as his feet went limp, slowly stilling, until the kids couldn't see, or hear him moving at all.

A deathly silence fell over the clearing as two of the other riders approached, the first rider produced a white handkerchief from under his cloak and wiped off the blood on his knife: the two other riders produced their own larger blades, and dragged the man further behind the boulders, while the forth rider returned to his mount and unbuckled a large black cylindrical box that was attached to one side of his saddle. The sickening sound of flesh being cut and bone being forcefully broken could be heard: but none of the kids could see what was going on for the boulders blocking their line of sight; the horrible sounds made Poppy sick to her stomach, she came within an inch of throwing her breakfast up but she managed to hold it down. Bemadette turned pale as she covered her ears; whatever was going on, she didn't want to know, and neither did anyone else.

Finally, the noises stopped and the forth rider approached with the box in hand, disappearing behind the bolder for a moment before re-emerging, and reattached the box to his saddle before mounting his horse. The third rider brought his horse alongside the boulders, and with the second rider's help they hoisted the man up and tied him down to the rear of the saddle by his ankles and wrists; but the kids could only see his lower half: his upper half was on the opposite side of the horse. After he was securely fastened in place, the three riders remounted their horses and rejoined the group. Steadily, the sharp biting smell of metal filled the still air: blood. This was bad.

"Do we return to the half-way house sir?" one of the riders asked, as the first rider remounted his horse. "Not yet," he replied in a smooth yet cold voice: "We still need to make sure there's no rabble wandering around this part of the woods; the second hunting party should be along soon enough. In the mean time I want you two to take our 'game' to our brothers for confirmation of the mission's success; they should be in the designated clearing off the road by now" he glanced over at the second, third and forth riders. "Yer sir" they replied with a courteous nod, and galloped off up the trail that led into the clearing: the man's limp form oscillating with the horse's jerky movements. "Come, let's go" the first rider ordered, and together the remaining riders took off galloping back the way they came; disappearing into the greenery until only the sound of the horses hooves could be heard echoing through the trees, growing fainter and fainter, until only the songs of the birds could be heard at a distance.

"Are they gone?" Gale nervously looked over at Ash. The raven-haired boy slowing raised himself up, and scanned the clearing: it was just as it had been when they first arrived: except for the strong smell of blood hanging in the air: "...I think we'll be okay..." Ash swallowed hard. Cautiously standing back up, the kids stayed close together as they tentatively re-entered the clearing: slowly walking around the bolder cluster, they stared wide-eyed in dread at the sight of the massive pool of blood on the ground and on the sides of the rocks; it was so dark it looked almost black.

No one knew what to do or say for a moment, as their minds spun in confusion and horror: what had just happened? What happened to that man? What did those riders do to him? And were they hunting anyone else? Tears began to well up in Poppy, Hazel, Ashlyn and Lucy's eyes as they clung to their siblings for comfort. "...We have to find Ariana" Ash glanced over at Clay, "Right now!"

Swallowing hard as he tried to keep his breakfast down: Clay went back to the original spot where Ariana's scent was: the smell of the blood was hard to filter out, but as he closed his eyes and concentrated, Clay could just about make out her scent: "Come on" he told them, and readying their bows and arrows, the kids followed him: keeping a sharp eye and ear out for anything.

'Dammit Ariana! Of all the times for you to go off getting sidetracked!-' Ash thought as he frowned in annoyance: '...I just hope we get to you before those riders do'

Enjoying the craziness thus far? well it gets even crazier in the next chapter :) Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to R&R on the way out ;)