"GET HER!"

"DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!"

​​

The sounds of hundreds of boots and engine make the quite forest lively, the birds fly frantically as the sounds startled them. The soldiers with grey uniforms carry machine guns search the whole forest.

Meanwhile, a little girl running with all her might, her flowery dress was torn from the tree branch, her beautiful shoes are cover with thick mud but the little girl didn't care she keep running without intention to stop. Unfortunately one of the soldiers found her.

"That's her!" he pointing at the disheveled little girl.

The little girl stunned but she doesn't look scared, she raised her hand as she chants then icicle fall from the sky and thrust the soldier's legs and arms, they scream in pain while the little girl takes this chance to turn around and run. She was tired but she grit her teeth and march on, she will not let them caught her!

This is her fault for sneaking around to watched the circus, she got separated from her brother and her friend and caught by the enemy soldier who had been watching her. She knew the enemy will take her as a hostage to blackmailed her Father, there's no way in hell she would let them take advantage of her Father. She might only eight years old but she is not cotton candy!

One of the soldiers loses his patient and begin to shoot her, the bullet hit the tree next to her but she doesn't slow it down but hasten her run, the commander hit the soldier who shoots the gun recklessly "What are you doing, we need to get her ALIVE!"

'Not the chance!' the little girl scoffed in her heart.

The adrenaline raised as she keeps running, suddenly her foot trip, she yelps as she helplessly slithered down the slope, the little girl shouted as she tries to grab anything to hold her from falling but the gravity took over her, in front of her she sees giant black holes.

"AAAHH!!" she falling to the holes helplessly.

The soldiers were panic, they can't let her get away if she dead then need to retrieve her corpse "FIND HER!" the commander shout to his subordinated furiously.

'I don't wanna DIE!" the little girl scream in her head as she falling down. The holes are deep and she thought she will not survive from the falling she prepares for the hard crash, but then 'PLOP' she falls into something soft, it's even softer than her bed at home. She slowly opens her eyes what welcome her is white feathers. She blinks her eyes a few times to make sure she's not dreaming.

"Where…where am I?" she popped her head as her eyes wander around to know where she is then she realizes she is inside the cave, the stalactite ceiling dripping with water, the cold drip hit her nosed and she startled. Is she in the cave? she wonders but then what are these feathers coming from, she looks down as her hand still gripping the feathers.

'Wait a minuted, am I on the back of beast!!' she gasped.

Then the back moved, the little girl tighten her grip unconsciously as she fears to fall. Then she saw a giant head turn back in motion, the first thing she sees is beautiful emerald eyes staring coldly at her.

"Oh, it's a dinner?" he casually said.

'AAAAAAHHHHH!!!' the little girl scream on the top of her lungs.

The giant head turn out to be the head of Bird, the bird was annoyed from her high pitch scream "SHUT UP!" he roars at her.

She shut her mouth instantly, she covers her mouth with her little hand, the little girl quiver "Don't eat me…" she squeaks.

"Why not?" the bird scoffed.

The little girl eyeballs turn left and ring as she searches for a reason then she stuttered "I…I haven't take bath yet and…and my body cover with dirt and sweat….I…I…I like to eat junk food too, so my meat is not healthy, you will get a stomach ache" she throws all lies that came up to her head.

The Giant bird narrowed his eyes as he contemplating "Hm…you do look dirty…and small too" he sizes up her body who is smaller than the bird's beak.

When she heard the word small the girl become sensitive "I'm not small, I just a late bloomer, I will get big soon!" she huffed her flat chest then put her hand on her waist.

"You want to get eaten then?" the bird tilts his head.

The little girl's neck shrink, she lowers her hand as she looks down timidly "No…." she answers quietly.

The bird sigh 'After thousands of years of waiting this is what I got, Dammed you arthea!" he cursed in his head.

After a while, the fear in her heart wear off but she still warry with the giant bird, she anxiously peeks on the bird and the bird staring at her, his eyes observed her deeply as he immersed in deep thought.

"A…are you going to eat me…?" the little girl asks worriedly.

The giant head moves closer to her, the little girl scarred she close her eyes in reflex she thought the bird would eat her for real but turns out the bird grab her collar with his beak, just like a cat the bird put the little girl in front of him. She slowly opens her eyes again, then she notices she was in the giant bird's nest, where the bird slumber.

The bird looks down on her "What's your name…?" he asked.

The little girl lifts her head in perfect ninety-degree "I…I'm Lory" she stuttered.

"Just Lory?" the bird asks again

"I'm Lorient, Lorient Jean Frau Lucient" this time her voice is more firm.

The bird's eyes widen for a second before it back to normal "A Lucient, huh" he sounds intrigued and amused at the same time. He moves his head closer to the little girl, it's been a while since he met Lucient heir, a girl nonetheless. The girl has purple eyes and bluish hair, a trait of Lucient, so she's not lying.

"My name is Grimerous, they call me 'the Grimm from Elysius mountain' if you ever heard" he deliberately frightened her.

"Girsha!" the little girl exclaimed, "It's a good name" she doesn't look afraid at all.

"NO, it's Grimerous!" he rebuked.

Lory nods "Yes, is Girsha right! nice to meet you" she raised her hand to give him handshakes then she realizes the bird doesn't have a hand, she retracts her hand embarrassedly.

But the bird didn't care, he was annoyed the girl mistaken his name "Is GRIMEROUS!" he reminds her again, he wonders if the little girl deaf but they talking just fine before, Girsha lose his patient then he spells his name for her "G-R-I-M-E…"

The girl ignores him as she rains him with a bunch of weird question "Girsha, how long you've been here, are you alone, do you have friend, why are you here?" for lory understanding because they had introduced each other and know each other name that means they're automatically a friend now so she doesn't scared anymore.

Girsha eyes twitch "You are not the listening type aren't you….?"

Lory crosses her arms on her chest "I'm a good listener!" she shamelessly claimed herself as one.

The bird squints his emerald eyes, the girl is weird he concludes. Girsha let out a long heaved as he gave up to correct her.

Lory thought Girsha become sad from all her questions, Fred said she lack of subtlety someday she might accidentally hurt someone else feeling. Lory looks down as she regrets asking him too much. She patted Girsha giant wing then softly she says "Uhm…if..if you alone you can come with me…"

"Come with you?" Girsha awakens from his stupor because of her weird suggestion. Humans fear him since ancient times, like a God he was feared and worship at the same time but no human accepts him sincerely, well that was understandable is like inviting a tiger that you never know to sleep in your bed, that's insanity.

Lory beamed "Yes, why not, we can stay together, I will accompany you forever so you will not alone anymore"

"Like a pet?" Girsha teased her.

"No, like FAMILY!" she smiles brightly "Family stick together, so we will always together, how about that?"

Girsha stunned, the girl might say it on a whim but still it warms his heart, living for a millennium his heart has turned cold as the last of his kin he was alone and lonely, although he never complains, but whenever he looks into the sky he feel a void inside his heart, it's an uncomfortable feeling, it make him suffocating and it becomes unbearable as time goes by, he doesn't know what to do until a Seeress came to him.

Her name is Arthea, she told him if he waits patiently in this place he will meet someone who will help him to get rid of that feeling. so he waits and wait…..he doesn't know for how long, he already forgot about times but he certain he waiting for a long time and just when he thought it's pointless a flee fall on his back.

"You will become my family? you think other humans will let you?" he raised his brows.

Lory puffs her chest arrogantly "Don't worry, as a family I will protect you, I'm still…small right now but I will get stronger, no one would dare to stop me!"

Girsha guffawed, this is the first time human said she wants to protect him, it was ridiculous and insane but why he feel so happy, he doesn't remember the last time he felt this way.

"Hey, I'm serious!" Lory pouts her lips.

"Hahaha, I know, I know…." he can't hide his joyous mood "Okay then, you will become my family. from now on I will become your guardian, no one will hurt as long as I live" his giant beak nudged Lory head gently

"And I will protect you too, we will always be together no matter what happens, I will never leave you or betray you and together you will never be lonely again, I promise!" Lory hugged the bird's giant beak.