Chapter 13_The Beasts

Chapter Summary: Now that Shouta and the seven dwarfs have escaped the woods, their journey can properly begin. However, just because they're out of the woods doesn't mean their quest will be easy, as Shouta discovers when a beast appears.

Far, far away, behind dark stones, the cruel King stood in the hidden room of his magic mirror. Upon the reflective surface, he watched Snow White leave the forest. Shigaraki scratched his neck, annoyance written on his pale features. He had spent over a month looking for that worthless man. It was about time he revealed himself.

"So, he's finally left those damned woods, hm?" Without the forest and its energy to block his magic, Shigaraki could now spy on the escaped prince easily. Still, it was curious that he wasn't alone.

"What are those?" he questioned as he looked at the children following Snow White.

The mirror answered, looking displeased—or as displeased as it could. "Those would be Dwarfs and dwarfelles." The evil king raised a brow.

"Dwarfs? Dwarfelles?" he sneered. "What the hell are those? Those don't even sound like real words."

"Dwarfs are a race of people that are gifted at hiding themselves—evidently," If Shigaraki cared to notice he would have sensed a note of annoyance in the mirror's voice. "They're useless beings; They mainly hide underground in holes like worms, too afraid to venture into the world."

The king scoffed. "That changed obviously." Shigaraki really didn't care about the dwarfs. In the end, they meant nothing to him. Now, Snow White on the other hand…

He scowled as he realized something. "He's going the wrong way. Is he lost? Where the hell is he going?" There was silence as the magic rippled. After a moment, the mirror seemed surprised, an emotion Shigaraki had never seen the magic mirror display before.

"He is going to the Golden Valley of the Elfs."

Shigaraki's brows shot up. "The elfs? Why?! Why would he go there when his fuck toy is here?!" The king threw his hands up in annoyance, his teeth clenched in a snarl.

Had Shigaraki miscalculated? Perhaps Snow White didn't care at all about the annoying hunter and was going to hide among the elfs. If that was the case, why did he bother to keep the bastard alive? He should save himself the trouble and kill the man here and now!

Just as Shigaraki was contemplating the most painful way to kill the hunter who caused this whole mess, the mirror spoke;

"He travels to find the hero of legend…All Might." the mirror seemed to seethe this last word. Shigaraki grimaced.

"You mean that human Endeavor was so obsessed over?" he asked. "The one who fought the Demon armies a hundred years ago?" The mirror seemed to sneer.

"The very same," it said. "All Might. Magical warrior of legend. The brave warrior who stood against the armies of the Great and Powerful Demon Lord with his pathetic blade 'One for All.'" Shigaraki gave a low chuckle.

"Yes, I suppose you wouldn't be his biggest fan," he said, slightly amused. He thought for a moment. "It's been a century since anyone's seen him. Is he still alive?"

"He was close with the elfs, so it's possible," the mirror said darkly. "And even if he is no longer living, the elfs can still cause a whole mess of problems for you."

Shigaraki let out an irritated grunt.

"Snow White will never make it past the mountain and the Queen," he said, rolling his eyes. "Mark my words, that madwoman will be bathing in his blood before the full moon. And even if by some miracle he manages, thosesavageswill turn him into kindling for warmth-" Despite the circumstances, Shigaraki couldn't fight the sinister smile that crossed his course lips. "And then there's the barrier to contend with—no. Snow White will never make it to the elfs. No doubt about that."

"Perhaps. However, if they kill him, then-" Shigaraki interrupted the spirit of the mirror with a loud, irritated sigh.

"I know, I know. If they kill him, then I'll never get his heart or his Erasure magic," he grumbled, folding his arms. "Fortunately, I don't intend for him to make it that far."

Now that he no longer had the woods to hide in, Shigaraki could use his magic to hunt the prince without worry. He might actually be able to get things done now-Such as getting Snow White's heart. After a month of waiting due to the hunter's betrayal, Shigaraki was antsy.

'Speaking of which…'

He waved a hand. From the murky depths, a figure appeared. Below the surface of the mirror, Hizashi's form slept, trapped within a nightmare. Had his body not been paralyzed, Hizashi would have been tossing and turning, or at the very least whimpering. Alas, even that was impossible. His golden hair flowed around him, and there were tints of blue and purple on skin that was as pale as death. He was entangled by the tentacles belonging to the man behind him.
"He's almost pretty when he's not jabbering on about his precious Snow White, isn't he?" Shigaraki commented, ghost-like fingers tracing the glass.
"Indeed. And what do you wish done with the foolish mortal, my king?" the Mirror man asked. A wicked grin crossed Shigaraki's crone-like features.
"Oh, I've got a perfect idea."
Shigaraki walked to the other side of the room. There he picked up the ornate box, the one that was supposed to be holding Snow White's heart.
The clasps echoed as he flicked them open. He lifted the decorated lid and reached within. When he retracted his hand, he held the heart of the beast that Hizashi had brought him.
His eyes lit up, embers in the bleakness. Within moments the quiet became filled with the drum of a heartbeat. The heart started to pulse in the center of his palm. Blood pumped out, bribbling across his hand. Each drop echoing the hit the floor.

Drip.

"We gave him a job to do, didn't we?"

Drip.

"So it only makes sense for him to finish it."

Drip.

"Right?"

Drip.

Drip.

Drip...

777

Since there was nowhere else for the dwarfs to go, it was unquestionably decided they would accompany Shouta. While it would have been nice to rest awhile after their frightening endeavor, Shouta was determined to put several distances between them and the looming woods. He didn't want to risk the trees continuing their onslaught, despite the distance.
It was a long, long trek before they were out of the shadows of the forest, but once they were, Shouta was rewarded with a sight he hadn't seen in a long time.
Stars.
Actual stars in the sky!
They twinkled above them and seemed to welcome Shouta and the dwarfs back into the world after such a long while in darkness.
"Look! There are gems up there!" Toru said in awe. Shouta saw a sleeve and gloved hand point to the sky.
"Those are stars!" Momo said helpfully. "They're like a giant map! Adventurers used to use them all the time to navigate."
"They're also supposed to grant wishes too, right?" Ochaco asked, her eyes brightening with glee. "People wish on them and all their dreams come true!"
"Only one does that," Izuku said, his eyes searching the twinkling lights. "And I think that's just a story."
"Oh. Right..."
"They're not as bright as the gems in our mine are—were." Expressions fell at Tenya's words. In the light of the jewel runes, Shouta could see how heavy with emotions their faces were, not that Shouta was any better.
"Let's make camp," he said. "We should be safe enough from the woods. And we shouldn't travel at night." It wasn't optimal to camp in the open like this, but Shouta didn't think they could go any further.
Each of the dwarfs flopped on the ground. They all stared at the sky, entranced by the blanket of stars. As Shouta lowered himself, Tsuyu spoke up.
"Mr. Aizawa? Do you think Miss Chiyo will be okay?" she asked. Shouta froze slightly. "If Mr. Cementoss is gone, then she's all alone, isn't she?" Shouta's heart dropped.
With everything that had happened, he hadn't thought of that. Now he couldn't get it out of his mind even though he wished he could. He didn't want to think of Chiyo having been killed by the forest's rampage, crushed by a root, or torn apart by branches. Or worse, her arriving at the cottage to find it completely empty then waiting, and waiting, for hours on end for someone to come, only to be left alone forever.
"I'm sure Cementoss survived," he lied, to them and himself. "He's an earth golem. I'm sure a cave-in wouldn't do him in. And Chiyo's a witch. She's strong, so she'll be okay."
Lies. Every word was a lie. But how could he tell them the truth? Knowing the dwarfs they might feel guilty and try to go back to find her, and that wouldn't be rational or safe.
He looked away, avoiding eye contact with them all. "Just… don't think about it, okay?"
A heavy silence surrounded them as they stared at the starry sky.

777

Shouta awoke to a soft, warm feeling on his skin. His eyes opened and flinched. Above him, the sun blazed, bright and dazzling.

He took in a sharp breath. It had been so long since Shouta had seen sunlight. He didn't think about it before, but now, standing in the gentle shine of the late morning, He realized how much he missed it.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to enjoy it.

"Wh-what's that?"

'Well, that was fun.' Shouta re-opened his eyes and looked at the children who were rousing from their sleep. They were staring upwards, expressions curious and wary as they flinched and squinted.

"What's what?" he asked.

"That!" Izuku pointed towards the sky, rubbing his eyes. Shouta raised a brow.

"You mean the sun?" Ochaco gasped in awe.

"All of that is the sun?" Shouta was about to call them idiots but remembered that the dwarfs had lived in the woods all their lives, where the trees had literally blocked out everything. This probably was the first time they ever saw the sun or the sky.

"No, the blue stuff is the sky. The bright light is the sun," he explained, not believing he had to explain this but trying to remain understanding. "And before you ask, the white fluffy things are called clouds."

"Ow! It hurts!" Denki cried, covering his peepers.

"Well, don't stare at it!"

"Don't stare at what? The sun, the clouds, or the sky?"

"Which one hurts your eyes?" Okay, Shouta was getting a little annoyed now.

"It's so bright…!" Tenya said in awe, even though he had to close his eyes and rub them. His eyes hurt more than Denki's because of his glasses, but he couldn't help staring.

"It's way brighter than our jewel runes." Tsuyu commented. She held it up to compare the two. Ochaco grabbed her hand and pointed at the clouds.

"Look! They're making pictures!"

Shouta sighed heavily. 'Are they going to be like this the whole way?' Despite his mild exasperation, though, he did understand the ignorance. Still, they couldn't afford to stand there all day watching the clouds. They had a quest to complete. Quickly.

"All right, that's enough," he announced. "We've got a lot of ground to cover before nightfall, and we've already lost a lot of time."

'Goddamned forest…' He grimaced. When Hizashi was safe, Shouta was going to take great pleasure in burning that place to the ground, he swore it.

The dwarfs all perked up. With everything that had happened, the children nearly forgot that Mr. Aizawa was on a mission to save his lost love.

Tenya started clapping his hands together loudly. "R-right! Okay, everyone line up in a straight line in pairs!" he called. "We're entering new territory, so it's important to stay together! Also! The same rules that we had in the forest apply here! Don't touch anything, or it'll eat you up! Don't look at anything, or it'll tear out your eyes! Don't-" The list went on and on, ramping up the younglings' nerves more and more with each word. Shouta cut the dwarf boy off before they could go into hysterics.

"Just stay close and don't wander off alone." He was about to tell them that this place wasn't nearly as dangerous as the forest was, but he didn't know that for sure. Even though the valley looked like the places Hizashi would take him occasionally, all of this was new territory for him as well. He had no idea what was out there or what awaited them. Not to mention what Shigaraki would do now.

Chiyo said the forest protected him and kept the evil king from finding him. Without the woods' magic to hide him, Shigaraki could be watching them now for all he knew.

Fighting off a shiver at the thought and the urge to flip off the unseen figure, Shouta added, "We all need to be careful now, alright?"

The dwarfs nodded. Growing up in a place where things constantly wanted to kill them, they learned that rule quickly.

"Right," Shouta dug in the small pack that held food and water. Thankfully he hadn't lost it during the attack in the woods. He tossed them each an apple. "Eat while you walk. That way we won't have to waste any time."

He pulled out the compass and map, checking the directions. He wasn't a hundred percent sure how to use these items, but Cementoss had given him an idea before he left. He wanted to cover as much ground as they could before sunset and make up for the time lost in the woods.

The fellowship started walking south. The children were wary of the new world at first, but once they realized that nothing was going to attack them (at the moment, anyway) they started to enjoy it more. Everything was a new discovery, from the non-glowing grass to even the stones. Shouta couldn't help but wonder how sheltered you had to be in order to be curious about rocks?
"They're not as shiny as the ones in our mines," Momo had commented.
"Most aren't."
"They even have green stuff on them, like bushes, but they're not bushes?" Izuku said, his eyes round with astonishment.
"That's moss. You should know that, there was some in the forest."
"Ah, you're-you're right, but I forgot the name..."
"Uwaahh! Look at those!" Ochaco grabbed Shouta's pants and pointed excitedly ahead of them. She and the other dwarfs stared in awe at a vast field of flowers. "I've never seen flowers like that."
"Those are wildflowers," Shouta explained. Once again, he felt like a teacher taking his kids on a field trip.
Now that he thought about it, there weren't any flowers in the woods. None Shouta could remember. That was probably for the best as any flower in that place would have eaten them.
"They're so beautiful!" Momo gasped.
"Can we pick some, Mr. Aizawa?" Toru asked as she tugged on his other leg. Shouta glanced at the sky. The sun still hung pretty high in the sky, but its position told Shouta it was late noon.
"Only if you do it while we walk," he told them. "We have a long way to go before dark, so we can't afford to stop any time soon." The children let out soft sounds of disappointment.
"Now, none of that!" Tenya scolded, making a chopping motion with his arm. "Remember, we are on a quest! There's no time to play or get distracted." The others agreed but were still slightly cut up about it.
Shouta felt a little bad, but Tenya was right; this wasn't a picnic, and time was of the essence, there wasn't time to dilly-dally.
Even so, he did walk a touch slower so the kids could take a little closer look at the blossoms as they passed.

'Hizashi loved wildflowers too.' Whenever he passed a field, Hizashi would grab his favorites then bring them to Shouta at the palace. It was very sweet of him even if Shouta himself never saw the point. He didn't hate flowers per se, Shouta just never saw any point to them other than aesthetic. They would just wither away, not to mention there just no practical use for them (not in his life at least). Still, Hizashi was so happy when he decorated Shouta's mane with them that he never said anything.

His heart clenched as the image of Hizashi laughing with wildflowers in his hair appeared, his smile as bright as the sun. The picture quickly faded to Hizashi dangling in the dungeons and crying out in pain under Shigaraki's touch.

Shouta picked the pace back up without knowing it and checked the compass to make sure they were going in the right direction. He was glad to see that they were. Hopefully, they would make it to their destination soon.

Behind him, the dwarfs and dwarfelles had to jog to keep up with the human and his long legs. Because of the difficulty they had in keeping up, the dwarflings would grab anything that looked interesting as they ran so they could look at it later. This worked out well enough until Denki had snatched up a flower with a bee on it.

"Ow! What the heck was that?!" he cried.

Everyone was relieved when Shouta stopped, snapped out of his daze by Denki's cry. All their legs were sore and tired. (Except Tenya whose quirk gave him faster and stronger legs.) They took the moment to catch their breath as Shouta knelt down to look at Denki's hand.

"That was a bee. Looks like you startled him, and he stung you."

"It hurts!"

"Obviously." Shouta really didn't know what to do though. He had seen bees but was never stung by any before. He remembered hearing one of the maids talking about getting a sticker out, but that was it.

"Let's-"

He was interrupted by a loud roar above them.

Everyone whipped their heads around and gasped. In the sky was a pale yellow monster with bat wings protruding out its back. It flew straight towards them. With a sound between a squeak and a scream, Denki held his hands before him as he released a bolt of lightning. Not only did the bolt miss, but he also ended up electrocuting himself. He threw himself back from Shouta and crashed into Tenya.
"Tenya! Denki!" The others cried as the two rolled into the tall grass.
"Everyone get down!" Shouta cried. The dwarfs all dived forward, hiding in the flora. Shouta made to move as well, but he was too slow to react.
Shouta was yanked into the air as two large claws wrapped around his arms. "No!"
"Mr. Aizawa!" Izuku bravely leaped to grab him but missed by a perilous inch.

As Shouta was carried higher, he looked up at his captor and gasped. The thing had eyes that stared blankly into nothing along with bat wings and protruding teeth. The most grotesque sight however, was the pulsing brain that was visible for all the world to see. The human struggled all he could, even as he was lifted higher and higher into the sky. The monster's iron grip held tight though and bruised his arms, making escape impossible. In an act only possible by desperation and adrenaline, Shouta swung a leg up over his head. Somehow he managed to kick the demon in the face. The monster let out a cry and released him. It was then that Shouta recognize a rather large flaw in his plan;
Without the creature to hold him, Shouta was now dropping like a stone towards the ground with was still a fair distance away.

'SHIIITTT-'

Just as the former royal was panicking about the ground making a final imprint on his body, something wrapped around his torso. He was only able to feel relief for a moment before the panic returned.

What caught him?

Though almost too afraid to look, he did. Eyes red as blood widen in surprise. Above him was a large blackbird with a long spear beak. Scarlet eyes glinted in the sunlight as they met his own blood-red ones. He gulped.

'Fuck.' Out of the pan and into the fire, as they say. Shouta escaped a monster to be caught by a beast. And he didn't know which was worst.

Speaking of the monster, it didn't seem to like the idea of the giant bird stealing its meal. It shot towards Shouta and the beast at a velocity that the human could barely see. With the barest flap of his own mighty wings—of which Shouta could see there were four-The bird beast blew it back. Then with another motion, it lunged its neck forward and speared the monster with its beak. With no effort, it opened its mouth, tearing the creature in half as it did so. Shouta couldn't even gasp in fear. What remained of the fiend fell like rocks, but the bird paid no mind to it.

Shouta cursed in his head. Hizashi used to tell him about giant birds that would sweep travelers off the ground and devour them. He thought Hizashi was exaggerating, but apparently not. And this one had been hungry enough to attack another creature, midair.

For a while, Shouta thought he was going to be taken to a nest to be eaten. To his surprise though, he wasn't. Instead, the bird beast glided towards the earth where Shouta was dropped in a pile of flowers.

The moment he was released, Shouta scooted away to put some distance between them. Once he felt safe enough, he gave the great beast a look over.

As he noted before, the bird was enormous. It was at least twice the size of Shouta, who was six feet. Feathers black as ink ruffled and reflected in the light as two scarlet eyes peered down at him. It leaned forward. Shouta started to jump back when his eyes gave a sudden sting.

"Argh!"

"CAAAW!"

Both he and the bird cried out in pain, stumbling away from each other. Shouta rubbed his eyes a couple of times to regain his vision, cursing.

'Of all times for this to happen-!' When he looked up, he saw that the bird was shaking its head, whimpering in what he guessed to be confusion.

All rational thought called to Shouta to use this opportunity to run as fast as he could, but he didn't. When asked about this later, he would say that he must have been paralyzed with fear or that it wouldn't have helped. Even if he did run, the beast would have been able to catch him easily. But it was more than that, though he didn't know what. It wasn't rational, but he felt drawn to the giant bird.

The bird cocked its head at him, eyes sharp as knives. It was scowling as much as something with a bird face could scowl. It looked—thoughtful and confused. Shouta met the stare, despite knowing in the back of his mind this was the stupidest thing to do when facing a wild beast. He couldn't help it though; there was something familiar about it. Something about those eyes that reminded Shouta of-

"MR. AIZAWA!"

Both man and beast were pulled from their trance as Tenya ran up to them. Luckily he stopped just far enough away from the two.

"Are you-" He stopped when he saw the bird. Dark blue eyes widened in shock. "Whoa…"

The bird blinked at the tiny dwarf. For a second, Shouta was afraid it would attack him.

"Tenya, stay back. The same for all of you!" he warned, eyeing the bird as the others appeared.

"What is that?" Momo asked, leading a mumbling Denki by the hand.

Shouta didn't reply. He was too busy trying to figure out how to get himself with everyone else away without causing aggression in the beast when brave and curious Ochaco stepped forward.

"Ochaco!" Izuku squeaked, flailing his arms, but failing to grab her. "B-Be careful!" Everyone held their breath as she got closer, not daring to make a sudden motion to stop her.

The bird watched the dwarf child approach it, eyes round and curious. Ochaco stopped only a few feet away and stared. After a moment, she tilted her head. The bird copied the motion.

Ochaco tipped her head the other way.

The bird did the same, their eyes never leaving one another.

"Ochaco...!" Shouta hissed. He wanted to rush over and grab her but was afraid this would send the beast on inti attacking.

The stillness split when it poked her on the forehead with its beak. Shouta started to move forward, remembering how that long beak had stabbed a monster then tore it in half. Instead of crying out in pain though, Ochaco started to giggle. As it gently nipped at her hair, Shouta realized that the peck wasn't an act of aggression. 'It'splaying with her.' Ochaco realized this too.

"It's okay!" she called to the others. "He's friendly!"

Momo, Tenya, Izuku, and Denki hesitated—the latter mostly due to being in a daze of cloud nine after frying his brain. Toru and Tsuyu, on the other hand, rushed forward, curious to get a closer look at the new creature. Tenya's arms moved up and down quickly as he moved to stop them.

"Wai-wait a minute! You can't just..." They ignored Tenya however, as they started to pet the creature.

"It's fluffy!" Toru called as she patted its chest.

"And soft." Tsuyu added as she stroked its neck.

After watching for a few minutes, the others approached cautiously. Momo hung back the longest, holding on to Denki's hand but watching with an intrigued gaze.

At first, Shouta was worried that the bird would get annoyed by being poked and prodded by the children. To his surprise, that didn't seem to be the case. If anything, it appeared to enjoy it, preening at the attention. At one point it even fluffed dramatically for its audience. The kids were startled by this but then appeared to enjoy it.

"I didn't know birds got this big!" Izuku said with wide-eyed curiosity. He stoked one of the few gold feathers that protruded from the back of its head. There were also a few gold feathers entangled in black ones in the tail, which were long and flowing, spiraled on the ground like a puddle of ink.

"They grow bigger near the forest than anywhere else," Shouta said. Hizashi used to talk about them. Well, more like he complained about them as they would usually swoop down and steal a deer he had just killed.

The two shades of red eyes locked on to each other. Worried this was a dominance thing, Shouta didn't blink (though maybe he should have). It didn't appear to be this way. The bird just inclined its head curiously as it had done before. Finally, the human shook his head and growled. This was pointless.

"We should go. We don't want to risk any more creatures appearing." The children groaned and moaned, but Shouta managed to peel all the children off the beast. They started to leave the area, Shouta counting heads with one eye while keeping the other on the bird. The creature was watching them, but Shouta could have sworn it was frowning, confused about something. He only had a minute to think about this before the bird unfolded two of its wings. As it flapped them, the action created a force of wind that knocked Shouta off his feet. The dwarfs rolled back like tumbleweeds with little squeaks from each, Tsuyu somehow managing to bounce into his arms. Shouta stared in frightful awe as the bird shot into the sky like an arrow before disappearing into the clouds.

"Where's it going?" Toru asked when she and the others managed to regain themselves.
"Maybe he's going back to his nest?" Tenya suggested.
"Is it a boy?"
"I think so…? I mean, male birds are supposed to be colorful while females camouflage," Izuku explained. "At least that's how it was when All Might had to retrieve a magic ball from a giant heron…" Shouta shook his head. There wasn't time for any of this!
"Never mind. It's gone now, and no one was hurt. That's what matters." When he said this, the others seemed to remember something.
"Ah! Mr. Aizawa! Are you okay? Did that thing hurt you?"Ochaco asked, looking worried. Shouta waved off the concerns.
"I'm fine. And don't approach animals in the future. That's dangerous." Ochaco shrank at the scolding.
"Sorry…"

Once Shouta got to his feet, he helped the others so they could continue their trek. They were curious about where the bird went but knew they shouldn't dwell, especially since something else might appear to swoop at them.
Now that he was safe, Shouta dealt with several emotions. The first was, obviously, relief that no one, including himself, was injured. The second was curiosity about both the monsters. Why had they appeared? Were they sent by Shigaraki? No, that didn't make sense. If they were, why did the bird kill the other and let him go? It's possible that only one of them was sent after him, while the other was just passing by. Even so, that offered no reason as to why the feathered fiend helped him.
These thoughts led to another emotion; fear. If Shigaraki was sending monsters then-
"Mr. Aizawa?" Shouta blinked as Momo's voice pulled him to reality, mid-thought.
"Hm?"
"Um, where are we going?" Momo asked as they trotted along.
"Towards the mountains. There should be a path to the west..." Shouta reached towards his belt where the map was but missed his target. He tried again, but when his fingers found nothing, he began to feel around his hip frantically. His eyes widen in horrified realization. "Shit!"
The map and compass were gone.

{To be Continued...}

A/N:

*Most of you may have guessed what's going on, but please don't spoil it till the whole story is out. There might be one person who hasn't figured it out yet—We'll call them Gary. Please don't spoil the "surprise" for Gary.

World Facts:

*Some of the demon energy had infected the water making those who drink it become aggressive and even transforming some of the animals into demon like beings. This can happen to humanoids as well. As such most mages will purify the waters with a rune stone, a spell, or a potion before using it.

**The dwarfs were okay because the water passed through the runes' light and was instantly purified. Though it would immediately become tainted again once it left and started to flow again.