Ren's infantile eyes blink and continue to stare out into the unknown darkness of the endless forest before him. His endless screams continue to echo out into the dense greenery and foliage. Red strands of hair fall into his vision.
"We're getting closer just keep screaming out for us little one will find you i promise." An older woman continues to call out trying to pinpoint the source of the screams.
'Is that other human, I might just be saved. My god! Fate might have something else in store for me.' Ren's adult consciousness cries out joyously at the hope of being saved.
"WAHHHHHHHH!" Ren continues to scream out as loud as he can. Scaring off all the nearby wildlife lurking within the brush.
"They're just up ahead, we're so close now.They're in that thicket of brush there." The old woman calls back to her daughter not far behind her. As the both of them bound through tht e thick green brush leaping over roots and other debris in their hurry. After sliding down one of the nearby mud slopes they finally encounter the infant screaming in a basket all alone.
"Little one all is well now you're safe we've found you." The older woman sighs out in relief as she picks up the infant on instinct not caring about the mud caking her.
'Thank the Phoenix I'm saved. I'm not gonna starve out here alone.' Rens worried thoughts starts to slow down seeing help arrive.
"Little one, it's all going to be okay now. Wow, that's quite a head full of red hair. We barely get any red heads down here just where you are from little one. What a beautiful little girl who would've let such a blessing out here all alone to starve." The older woman comments rubbing her thick palm against the red head of hair.
'Wait wait no no no. Please for the love of Phoenix don't tell me.' Ren's mind pleads out in complete and utter shock over this new revelation.
"Did you find them, are they hurt!?" Lydia calls out to her mother through the dense leaves.
"She's okay, just hungry. She's already talking to the blanket she must've frozen solid out here." The older woman replies, noticing how blue the infant's lips are.
'You bastard Phoenix why did you have to give me such a monkey paw of a deal. Why couldn't you choose a damn male. I know it said the closest body available but this has got to be some kind of cosmic joke.' Ren screams out in complete fury causing his body to cry more and more.
"Let's bring her back to the inn, I don't see anyone nearby at all for now will shelter her and if anyone shows up to claim here will do a check and return here." Lydia says scanning the vicinity for any encroaching threats.
"You are right, I'm worried about her well-being. We can't wait out here in this cold weather especially at this time of night." The older woman responds sas a bead of worried sweat bubbles off her forehead.
"Let's go mom, we should head back to the inn now and get her warmed up." Lydia says not letting her eyes off the vicinity.
"Yes let's move, the last thing we need is any demon beasts ambushing us." The older woman responds clutching the infant girl in her arms.
The two bold women navigate through the thick brush of the forest slowly following the flickering warm lights of the inn not too far off in the distance.
"We're not far off now. I'm glad we left the fire going in the inn because I don't think the moonlight would help us out that much in this situation." Lydia calls out staying a little further behind as the rear guard.
"So far so clear mom i haven't noticed any disturbances in the forest at all we should be clear of any demon beasts." Lydia responds scanning one more time just in case.
"We're not far from the inn now, 5 minutes out Lydia! Lydia keep your eyes peeled, we're just bombing it back to the inn we can't risk being out in the open with now spirit ward." Lydia's mother responds with a tinge of fear forming in her throat, moving faster and faster through the rugged terrain.
As the two of them stumble through the thick brushes of the forest more and more sounds start to enter the forest crunching twigs and a ravenous growl. Followed by loud crashing of trees, whatever decided to come out is evidently just waking up.
"We need to move now, that must be the nocturnal beasts. They finally located the sound of the screams. We just need to make it to the ward.We're so close now mom!" Lydia screams out hearing the low growls reverberate through the forest. As movement becomes louder and louder.
"RAHHHHHHH!" A deafening blood curdling roar enters both of the terrified womens ears. As it continues to rampage through the once calm forest.
"Dive for it, we just have to cross the barrier line." Lydia's mother screams out lunging over the barrier line landing on her elbows taking most of the fall for the infant.
As the two women leap for their lives the deafening roars of the beast start to become quieter and unfocused, slowly going farther away as it loses its trail entirely as if the two women weren't even there to begin with.
"I think we made it. we should be safe now Lydia." Her mother calls out her voice slowly becoming calmer through her exasperated breaths.
"Thank god i thought for sure we were going to get caught out in the open mom. I'm glad you found her, things could've gone so much worse at this time of night." Lydia says through her breathlessness putting her hands on her knees to support her weight
"Lydia, I want you to go prepare a room and a couple sets of hot towels. Wake your brother up and get him to heat some milk she's going to need." Lydia's mother immediately starts to follow her maternal instincts seeing the blue become more prominent in the infant's lips.
"Yes mother, I'll be going now." Lydia says, moving in a flash up the stairs to prepare the towels.
"It's okay little one you're safe with the thatchers will make sure you're protected little one." Lydia's mother sways to the swaddled up infant as she takes her shoes off by the door of the three story inn.
The mother of the thatchers slowly ascends the stairs to one of the spare rooms adorned in preparation for any guests who might be stopping off in the night. Laying the baby down She begins to light a candle with the flick of a match. .
"Lydia, have you managed to heat those towels?" Lydia's mother calls out not letting a second go wasted.
"Yes I've got them now mom i just woke up Reiner, Reiner make sure that milk is warmed up we're going to need it very soon."
"Already on it sis! Should be ready in 10 minutes." A blonde boy comes out of his bedroom in a disorientated stumble still waking up.
"Don't worry little one will make sure you're warmed up real soon. My name is Misty but you can call me mom. You did so well out on your own." Misty coos rubbing her finger against the tip of the infant's nose.
'So you're telling me not only am I a baby again but I'm a girl now!? Phoenix you twisted spirit. At least I'm alive." Ren's awareness recoils in horror at the constant revelations of his new situation, infuriated by the turn of events only grateful to be alive.
"The milk is ready Mom!" Reiner shouts out bottling the milk in one of the spare bottles in the cupboard. Before crashing up the stairs in a flurry more banged up then he went down.
"Thank you Reiner. Okay eat up little one. What should we call her, you two? I can't just keep referring to her as a little one." Misty asks putting the warm milk to the infants lips.
"We should call her Elizabeth!" Reiner shouts out a little excited over the idea of a new sibling even if they are not blood related.
"Not really to my liking but thank you Reiner. What about you Lydia you got any names drumming up." Misty asks, still swaddling the infant in her arms ass she feeds the warm milk to her.
"How about Aria?" Lydia remarks lost in thought.
"That fits so well for this little redhead. Aria it is." Misty says satisfied, lost in the lustre of Arias bright red eyes.
"So are we going to be adopting her mom?"
"For now we will and if no one shows up and proves thats shes their child then we will be responsible for her so yes we will adopt her if the circumstance lined up so don't get too attached give it 2 months maximum." Misty says already playing with Arias scarlett red hair cooing and giggling at her.
'I'm doing this for my people. I can get through this.' Ren says to himself in abject horror trying to ground himself through it.