Woodenplank-gt - G/T Writer - Tumblr Blog

The taste of betrayal

"The Fallen Angel" seemed to be an appropriate adaptation for this moment of chapter 37 from The Art of Love and War written by @fireflywritesgt, the description of Joe's determination stuck the painting immediately in my mind and I had to draw this

Joe's design was heavily inspired by @remordsposthume art, check them out! And go read TAOLW, it deserves all the love and attention it can get!

(btw I know the butterfly wasn't with Joe in the jar, but I thought it would complement the composition better so there you go!)

g/t-tober prompt day 1 - mist!

What do you say to someone who is perfectly justified in hating you?

Probably nothing.

Also maybe you should give him his cousin back Ryker—

Artfight was the perfect excuse to draw @eightyuh's Glendale sweaty in an apron

He gives 'Dad who won't let anyone else use the barbecue vibes,' and I'll die on that hill.

If you haven't read @wicksend yet, I highly recommend. Eighty has such an incredible talent when it comes to story telling, and while I've said it before I'll say it till I'm blue in the face, the way she's able to take a comedic scenario and then apply this heavy sort of realism/consequence is just so emotionally investing.

Tiny!Omega AU

“THAT’S Omega?” Wrecker, exclaimed, a little too loud and close for Omega’s little ears. She could feel his breath brushing through her hair, and she shuddered.

“Wrecker…” They heard from behind them. Hunter was pressing his pointer finger and thumb on the bridge of his nose in disappointment. Wrecker wasn’t exactly known for his environmental awareness. “You’re gonna scare her if you lean in so close.” Hunter walked over and pushed the big guy a little bit back.

“So… what happened exactly?” Echo piped up from behind them, walking into the room. They were on the Marauder, after Hunter gathered around everyone to talk about the situation.

“Well, as far as I can tell,” Tech said as he clicked on a few buttons on his datapad, “We have yet to find an answer to this question.” He looked up.

Hunter scooped up his little girl with both of his palms as he held her up to their eye level. She’s never been so high before, since she was the shortest of the bunch. That took on a whole new meaning after Hunter found her on the rocks on the beach of Pabu, after looking for her for hours. Omega scratched the back of her head.

“I only just remember waking up on that rock from a nap when I heard Hunter shout my name…” she said, her voice was too small even for her. They all looked at her as if with question marks over their heads. Those four men were absolutely mountainous, even more so now that she was merely 9 centimeters tall. She cowered in front of them, unable to speak. Hunter seemed to have sensed that. He was good at reading her body language.

“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do now.” He said with his authoritative voice, “Tech, go with Echo to scout out the beach areas for any signs of anything unusual. Wrecker, go get some food. I’ll handle Omega.”

And so, they all left the room, each to their tasks as Hunter placed Omega back on the table and sat across from her, only his head visible above the surface.

“Hunter…” Omega began but couldn’t let any more words out before the tears started spilling out. She was shaking, and Hunter was left baffled, and unprepared.

“Hey, wow, hey, kid, it’s okay-“

She put her head in her hands as she wept, overwhelmed with emotions. Fear, anxiety, the burden of the unknown, all resurfaced once they were alone. He watched her as she let everything out, helpless in the situation of trying to comfort a child in such a bizarre state. Everything he’d been training for, all battle scenarios, survival tactics etc., were nothing compared to this. His little girl that he swore to keep from harm, needed him most, and he could do nothing. He clenched his fists under the table. They too were shaking. But he didn’t let himself break.

Hunter held out his finger and as gently as possible he lifted her tiny little chin so she would look at him.

“Everything will be okay, kid. I promise.”

—-

Here’s a little snippet of my new project. I hope people like this enough to keep reading in the future.

#I love granny button

Granny Button has always wanted to bask by the light of the big fireplace. She finally gets to live her dream ❤️‍🔥

✰ Stanford & Borrower/Anomaly Reader ✰

fears not enough they have to tear him apart.

Chapter 1/?

Wordcount: 2,057

➤ Summary Based on the borrowers of many universes! I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't know about borrowers, let me be your guide into a world I've loved since I was young. ✰Written because I saw the severe lack of borrower content in Gravity Falls fanfic, i hope you enjoy <3 ✰ - ★Updates irregularly! I write when I want ★

★ - Also on AO3! - ★

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58879087/chapters/150070549

The cottage you moved into was poorly constructed and had many openings to various rooms because of the peeling wallpaper. It was partially why you chose to reside there after many weeks of venturing the forest once your parents kicked you out. 

You lived with your parents in a tree until they decided it was time for you to make your way in this world. Oh, how you could imagine the looks on their faces if you told them the mess you got yourself into this time. 

Your family chose the safety of trees and burrows rather than living in the walls of creatures that could kill you without so much as a flick of a wrist. 

You wouldn't call yourself one for adventure, quite the opposite. Humans terrified you to your very core. You’ve been a first-hand witness to what they are capable of. When the cottage was in the process of being built you watched many trees torn and splintered by their impossibly large machines. 

You rather despised humans. What you didn't despise however was routine and having access to food much easier than foraging. 

Life in the cottage was relatively peaceful, it was about as peaceful as you could get for being only a few inches tall. You swore your species was doomed to fail if it wasnt for humans influence. 

The scientist who lived in the cottage was paranoid, that much was obvious. Even when you first moved in after being kicked out he stayed up much too late and consumed too much coffee to be considered sane. You brushed it off because, after a few days of scoping out the walls of the cottage, you realized he had a very precise schedule that made borrowing easy. 

He would wake up early, and go to bed late. Usually uttering to himself before going down into his basement to do who knew what. It gave you a lot of time to yourself, and a human with a predictable schedule was hard to come by. Most had kids or animals, both very dangerous to someone like yourself. Fortunately, this human only seemed to have one friend who came around periodically, but they stayed downstairs. 

You had noticed that night you were running low on thread and crackers, and the human was in his basement. Of course, night turned into day much quicker than you predicted. 

The shock and horror of hearing the vending machine door open while you were in the middle of climbing up into his shelf literally by a thread still shuddered through your body even now. 

…So what if you screamed and ran off despite him shouting for you? So what if you have to move homes? It didn't even matter much to you that when you let go of the thread you landed on your foot and wrist wrong. 

The faint memory of his hand reaching for you did rattle you to your core, despite how much you insisted you could escape him even if he did grab you. 

The way his eyes bared into your very soul, the way even his shadow in the early dawn lighting engulfed your entire body. Your shaking hands as you pried the loose wood plank off the wall just as you could feel his body heat emitting from his hand radiating on your back. 

… 

 …You push the memories away lest you give yourself another panic attack. You tried to not let it bother you much, though you would miss the plentiful amounts of jellybeans and other snacks he kept on the shelves. 

No. What bothered you the MOST was the fact every little detail, every little move you made before you ran off into the wall, was now being documented. 

You looked down from the crack in the wall with a grimace. There was a foul taste in your mouth as you saw the human below taking vivid and rigorous notes while sitting at the kitchen table. His pen scratched the page so hard you believed it would rip. 

The red journal he carried with him was the bane of your existence. If any information about you or your species was going to become mainstream, it would doom your life as you knew it. Not to mention shatter any dreams you had of a normal life. 

You weren't in any position to do anything about it yet. The effects of the adrenaline pumping through your veins were slowly ebbing away. Leaving a dull ache in your head and a nasty sprain on your wrist and ankle. 

With a sigh, you pushed off the wall and made the long trek back to your room. Deciding that before leaving, you had to get rid of the page in his journal. He had to leave it unguarded at some point. 

Your room in the walls wasnt much, but you spent a lot of time working on it. You hollowed out a space inbetween a few support beams and insulation and put a few pieces of cloth on the walls. 

The pin cushion you called a bed practically screamed your name as you pushed your makeshift cloth ‘door’ open. You broke off a piece of a cracker you swiped a few days prior and shoveled it into your mouth before collapsing on the bed. 

Getting that journal was your only hope. Ignoring the chalky residue left in your mouth by the dry cracker sleep soon found you. 

… 

That man did not leave his journal for one moment. 

It's been two days since your last encounter with the human. You tried so hard to stay patient in the walls and bide your time until you could get ahold of the cursed page, but your rations were running short. 

So you threw on your satchel and stabbed a needle in your pants just in case he was out. You used to not carry it, but you weren't taking any chances. 

Pressing your hands to your eyes you tried to gather courage as you walked in the dark pathways of the walls. You tried not to think about what would happen if you were caught by the scientist. 

You’ve seen him take creatures like yourself down in his basement, and they never come back up. 

Despite this, you still for whatever reason chose to stay. You wished you never stayed. More than anything you wished you had just found a nice, abandoned burrow like your cousin had, and stayed in the woods. 

In your frustration you kicked a piece of rock, it hit a nearby pipe with a satisfying twang. 

There were more predators in the woods but atleast they would just kill you. There was no telling what the human would do if he caught you. 

Taking a deep breath you consoled yourself, if you played your cards right and stayed out of sight this would turn out like it usually did. 

You would take a few crackers and leave, that's all you had to do. 

As you pressed your hands against the wall and shakily pushed, you felt the loose wood disconnect with a satisfying crack while you poked your head out.

You squinted as the bright light from the kitchen flooded into the wall and onto your face.  

Everything seemed completely normal, which should have relaxed you, but it merely put you more on edge. 

This human wasnt normal. There was no reason everything on the countertop was tidied away. He usually left dishes in the sink, and from where you stood you saw none. 

You where about to slink back into the wall and go out a different time before you heard his voice. 

“...It was bipedal!- have you ever-” 

You were quick to pull yourself back into the wall, your hand slipping on the wood and giving yourself a splinter. You sucked in a breath and held your yelp as you heard footsteps coming closer. 

“I know, you haven't stopped talking about it for three hours..” 

The other human's voice sounded southern, you recognized it as the main resident's friend, or ‘associate’ he sometimes said. 

You could hear them picking up various glasses and cups, if you had to guess the humans were probably making more coffee. Your hypothesis was only confirmed as you heard the cursed machine whirr to a start. 

You finally let out the breath you were holding as you felt the splinter that now lodged itself in your palm. Wincing as you continued to listen. 

“I know, I just wish I was able to capture it! I could put a more accurate sketch, what if its the only one of its kind?” 

Predictable as always. 

“Ford, I'm sure you already went scarin’ the thing half to death. I wouldn't be shocked if it left,” 

Ford. The scientist was named Ford. As you picked at the splinter you internally berated the name, yours wasnt much better but atleast your parents loved you enough to not name you Ford. 

…Maybe you where being a bit mean. 

“I doubt it, more than likely I can catch it again early morning. It seemed shocked I was there, it more than likely has a schedule it keeps to.” 

Or maybe you weren't mean enough. Seriously who did this guy think he was? You had half a mind to march out of the wall and stab his stupid hand.

You didn't bother listening to the rest of their conversation, too preoccupied with picking at the splinter. Trying to pull it out with little to no light proved itself to be difficult. 

You could head back to your room, but the string lights in there had limited battery, and you tried to save it for only special occasions. 

To your relief, the pair left a few minutes later. Only when you heard the vending machine door clunk shut did you press against the wood plank. 

Using the small sliver of light provided you pulled the splinter out with your nails, flicking it away before turning and looking at the counter. 

…He left a dish. 

A dish in front of where he last saw you. A dish full of various snacks, ranging from two jellybeans to crackers and cheese. 

You weren't some domesticated house pet. You scowled at the dish as if it had personally scalded you before walking past it. 

You walked quietly despite there being no reason to. Wishing you had your fish hook and thread to get up on the higher shelf. 

You could manage without it though. You only made it a few months prior so you were skilled enough to find some scraps on the counter usually. 

To your dismay, though he seemed to have done a thorough cleaning, and without your hook you had no way to reach the shelves above to gather your food. 

You pressed on and walked over to the sink, careful to balance on the edge. You looked at the faucet and walked over to the handle. Gently and carefully push it just a smidge before taking out a small thimble you used for water. 

After drinking your fill and putting the thimble away, you turned the water off. 

…Not fully though, he could deal with a leaky faucet for a few hours. 

You where going to go back empty-handed until your stomach growled looking at the crackers he left out. 

Surely taking one wouldn't hurt, if you left a message. 

You picked up one and stuffed it into your bag, contemplating taking a jellybean but deciding against it. Right before you went into the wall you kicked the dish off of the counter. Shattering on the floor with a satisfying clatter. 

Snickering to yourself you slinked off into the walls. You’d check back on the human that night to see if he left his journal on his desk this time. 

… 

A few hours later Ford had finally gotten to a stopping point with his research. Thoughts of the little creature in his walls beckoned at his mind as he rode the elevator up. 

He sent Fiddleford home with a goodnight before practically sprinting into the kitchen, seeing the mess left by the mischievous thing. 

One thing on the counter caught his eye in particular. 

As he picked it up he examined it thoroughly. 

A small splinter of wood, ever so slightly tinged at the edge with red. 

“...Fascinating..” 

---

Thank you for reading!! Ill more than likely be updating this when i can, but be assured Chapter 2 is already being written with plans for three others!

Hope you Enjoyed!! My Askbox is always open if you want to hear me ramble more about borrowers! V●ᴥ●V

Hands of Fate

so, gt soulmates huh? a concept that could turn into a full story, maybe, where humans don’t get soulmates. usually.

Fate wasn’t fair.

In most ways, it couldn’t be predicted much better than the weather or your hosts’ comings and goings. It was fickle and anything you thought you saw coming turned up on its own twisted terms.

As the sun went down over an old farmhouse, a young borrower beneath the floor woke up with a prim white handmark on her forearm, a sign that she was soon to meet a soulmate. She was seventeen, a good age for that sort of thing, and her family living with her in the walls of the old house was all abuzz with celebration and speculation.

Her siblings all pressed their own hands against the mark to try to imagine what sort of person the soulmate might be—young or old, male or female, delicate or rough. Her uncle and grandparents argued about whether it meant Stepha would be leaving or a stranger would come creeping into the walls of the old house, and which would be better for the lot of them. Once a mark appears, fate starts to pull you into place to make sure the two of you will meet. That was the whole point of the old magic—to ensure that no borrower ever got too isolated.

Excitement spread through each crack and crevice of the old house until all the hidden little households heard the news. Very little ever changed in the quiet eaves where they lived their lives so rumor of a newcomer was hot news indeed. All were happy to titter on about planning a welcome party of some when the time came, gathering the families like it was a holiday. It was unlikely they’d actually pull anything so grand, but for now the musty walls were full of congratulations and excitement.

Cob, meanwhile, seethed.

He had grown up hearing about the heroic rescue from a flooding storm drain that brought his parents together and the garden walk where his aunts Kit and Melly stumbled into each other under a romantic rain of cherry blossom petals. He had admired the bond between Mix and Daisy, not romantically inclined, but so close they could outwit the and outmaneuver the neighbor’s cat without speaking a word to the other. Even the souls-tied rivalry between his grandmother and the garden trader was endearing, in its way. The connection soulmates had was deeper and more enduring than that in any relationship without…and Cob was still waiting.

It was childish to be jealous, he knew, but the bitterness was not so easily dismissed. He was old enough now to consider seeking out a partner in a more mundane manner before he missed his chance at raising a family of his own.

Why would Fate send a newcomer to his baby cousin instead of to him? It was well past his turn, wasn’t it?

Fate wasn’t fair and it seemed to have a grudge against Cob.

Rather than get caught sulking, he volunteered to go out and see if he couldn’t find something fresh and sweet to bring to the gathering. That took his mother by surprise, since Cob rarely went out into the house unless someone dragged him.

It was a decent trek down into the kitchen and it felt good to stretch his legs and get away from talk of soulmates. His agitated mood started to relax as he rappelled down the spice rack to look around the counter for a good prize. He imagined the best food would be in the fridge, but he didn’t have a good way to open it on his own. Instead he crept toward a wooden bowl on the other end of the room that ought to have fruit of some sort. Maybe, so long as no one made a habit of it, he could get away with slicing away a bit of apple or…

The bowl was lighter then it looked and tipped over when he tried to climb its side, flinging out its precious contents. Cob scrambled back to avoid getting trapped underneath. A pair of apples rolled to the floor and bounced heavily across the hardwood, easily audible in the next room over.

Cob hurried to get out of sight as he heard the door. He hid in the shadows behind the toaster as the rest of the room lit up with electric light. His heart raced. He clenched his teeth so hard to keep quiet, he thought his molars might crack. His gear was still hanging down the spice rack in plain sight to anyone who thought to look Loud footsteps drew near and with them, the looming giant. Cob closed his eyes, lest the reflections give away his position, and mouthed a quick prayer to any power that might care to help keep him hidden—though Fate was the only one he knew by name. Thankfully, someone answered.

The human picked up the mess and walked off without even glancing in his direction, muttering something unintelligible as they turned off the light and retreated to the other room. Cob breathed out a sigh of relief but his skin still prickled and burned with fear and shame over nearly getting caught right after lashing out that anyone would question his competence. Today had gone so badly that it made him feel ill. Cob hastily made his way back home, suffered through dinner, and went straight to bed.

He woke up to a whispering crowd gathered around her hammock. His father shook her and wanted to know what had happened to her in the kitchen the previous night. He scowled tiredly. He was still hot, almost feverish, and he wanted nothing more than to roll back over fall back asleep. Someone grabbed his arm and he thought his heart might stop.

His whole right forearm was newly white—as was the rest of the arm and the entirety of his left. He inhaled sharply as he ran his now-pale hands over the new development and nervously pulled up his shirt. His skin glistened soulmark white from the neck down. He’d never seen anything like it. No one had ever even heard of such a thing. This wasn’t a handprint from another borrower’s touch, the mark was everywhere.

And there, on his chest, was the faint whorl of a human thumbprint.

Fate had decided that his destiny was intertwined with a human, for good or for ill, til death do they part.

-

general taglist @da3dm @whumpsday

#love this #g/t art

Ye olde stowaway check

YOOO I finally drew something! Trying out a new style based off of @ipilokko ‘s art!

“…so tell me, are you a er, lady’s man or a man’s man?”

From Chapter 32 of The Art of Love and War, by @fireflywritesgt, GO read the story right NOW if you still haven't. Danny my boy... *swoons*

art trade with @novalunosis-numinous !! ✨ more under the cut <3

"i can't stop thinking about those tragic little gay men"

War

Sage and Arthur are playing cards and having fun while Cade is in the middle of the worst phone call ever. Poor guy.

3K words

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter Coming Eventually!

"This is so stupid!"

Arthur grinned in amusement as he added more cards to his stack, "You just need to get good."

Sage crossed her arms. "How can I get good at a game based completely on luck?" She complained as she watched Arthur's large hand sweep more of her cards away. "Give me a strategy game and I'll beat you every single time," she declared as she pointed a minuscule finger up at him.

He chuckled at that. If Arthur had known Sage was this competitive he would have brought out the cards sooner. Currently, they were playing a game called War. He figured it's a simple enough card game to learn for someone who's never even seen a deck of cards before. It's also one of the few games Arthur could think of that didn't involve holding a deck of cards. All Sage had to do is flip the top card off her stack and see if it's a higher number than Arthur's. It's a pretty easy and chill game. Unless you're a sore loser like a certain fairy huffing irritably on a table.

Seeing the side of her that actually trusted him enough to argue was a breath of fresh air. He honestly couldn't imagine how terrifying it is to openly disagree with someone twenty times their size. She still tenses up whenever he moves around, especially if he moves his hands, but he can definitely see some progress in their relationship.

"Whatever you say Pipsqueak," his voice dripped in sarcasm.

He pinched his next card in between his fingers and glanced as Sage. He waited until both her hands gripped the very last card in her deck and braced herself to flip a card nearly as tall as her.

Their eyes met, both filled with determination. "One. Two. Three. War!" They said in unison as both cards flipped onto the middle of the table.

A three of hearts and a queen of spades were pitted against each other.

"Yes!" A voice whispered-yelled in triumph, remembering to keep the volume down for the smaller ears nearby. Arthur laughed as he eagerly swept the last of the cards into his deck, trying his best not to shake the table and disturb the small woman on top.

Sage clapped her hands slowly. "Congrats, you beat the tiny, crippled fairy at a game based on luck." She snarked. Her annoyed comment didn't hide the smile in her voice, clearly enjoying the game nevertheless.

Arthur watched as she slowly lowered herself to a seated position keeping her bad leg stretched out. A part of him still couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the tiny fairy. She was so out of place surrounded by everyday objects that towered over her head. The huge bandage covering her leg made her seem even smaller. More fragile. All Arthur wanted to do was scoop her up and keep her safe, but he knew how much Sage would hate him if he did that. It was strange how much he desired the approval from a woman that could fit in his hand.

At that train of thought an idea popped into his head. With a muttered warning, he rose from his chair and went to the kitchen counter. He carefully slid the tiny items into his hand then sat back down, orange eyes curiously tracking his movements. Slowly, he lowered his hand so Sage could see what rested in his palm.

She hesitated for a moment then used one of his fingers to help her back onto her feet. Sage peered into his palm and her face immediately brightened.

"I thought I lost these!" She exclaimed, relief washing over her features. Her wings slightly fluttered with glee but no pain crossed the fairy's face as she stared at her gear.

To Arthur's surprise, she willingly climbed into his hand and began grabbing the parts of her blue armor. She gently dropped them on the table before going back to the center of his palm for her sword. The silver blade shined as she lifted it into the light. She ran a hand over the flat part of the sword and inspected it closely for any damage.

He remained completely frozen as he watched on. This was the first time Arthur ever held a tiny, and of course this one was holding a sharp sword ready to stab him if he did anything wrong. He had no doubts the blade could do serious damage, especially with how Sage was handling it. She clearly knows her way around the weapon.

Her nearly weightless footsteps sent a tickling sensation over his skin and Arthur resisted the urge to jerk his hand away. He couldn't help but notice how much his fingers outsized Sage. And most likely overpowered her too. The knowledge that a whole person sat in the palm of his hand sent his heart racing. It was all up to him not to screw this up like he did when he first met Sage. She's just so tiny that one careless motion from Arthur could worsen her injuries.

Arthur didn't know how Cade could work with tinies all the time, much less injured and terrified tinies. It felt like every minuscule movement he made, even movements he wasn't aware of, affected Sage. He felt the need to scoop her up in his hands and protect her, but at the same time he didn't even want to risk touching her in fear of causing more harm. Arthur had to remind himself to breathe a few times already. This was too much power for one person to have over another.

Finally, Sage met his wide eyes with her own. She beamed, oblivious to the human's disturbed thoughts."I-I've had this gear for so long, It's like a part of me...."  Her pale cheeks began to redden and she glanced down at the palm underneath her. That seemed to sober her up as she remembered where she sat.  "I really appreciate this, thank you Arthur." Sage finished abruptly.

She quickly climbed off his hand and distractingly sorted through her plates of armor.

For a moment, all he could focus on where the phantom sensations left behind by Sage. He rubbed his palm with a thumb in an attempt to get rid of the strange feeling. Finally, he looked back at the fairy again. Arthur couldn't help but be amused by her sheepishness. He smiled kindly as he put his hand back onto his lap, "It's the least I could do." He paused for a moment, "Just watch where you point that sword, please." He added.

Sage chuckled, "You won't get stabbed as long as you behave." She promised.

The fairy paid him no mind as he laid his arms on the table and rested his head on top. Arthur studied the tiny pieces of armor. He noted the expert craftsmanship and the almost invisible dents and scratches from many battles. It was strange to think of Sage as a soldier. Arthur always imagined the fae as peaceful beings who only ever concerned themselves with nature.

His blue eyes widened as he noticed something unexpected among the pieces of armor. It looked like a white overcoat decorated with intricate gold designs that reminded him of royalty.

"What's that?" He nodded his head towards the coat.

Sage jumped at the sudden question causing Arthur to wince. She quickly played it off and lifted the coat into the air, a proud smile donned her face. "It shows my rank as commander," she straightened her shoulders and puffed out her chest.

Arthur lifted his head from his arms. "You're a commander!?"

"Yep! I command the Air Force." Sage stood up and buckled the brown belt around her waist, sheathing her sword so it hung by her side. Next she shrugged on her sleeveless overcoat, being extremely careful when putting her wings through the hole in the back.

She spun around to show off part of her uniform to Arthur. The white and gold stood out against her black jumpsuit giving her the appearance of a noble. Sage no longer looked like a beaten down fairy whose size and fragility scared Arthur, she was proud and strong and a respected protector of her people.

Sage seemed to notice the awe displayed on the giant face in front of her and paused. Her pale face turned red and she awkwardly tucked a strand of brown hair that fell out of her braid behind her ear.

That's when Arthur realized he was staring and his own cheeks darkened. A sheepish smile formed on his lips, "That's really cool. I wish our military had badass armor like that." He chuckled softly, "I might actually join if they did."

The fairy shook her head, "I don't think there's enough acorns in the forest to cover you up, big guy." She joked.

At that, her eyes immediately turned towards the back window that had a perfect view of her forest home. The snow had reached the middle of the window and continued to fall hard with no signs of stopping. The large trees in the distance could barely be seen through the white hue that covered air.

Sage's non-splinted wing drooped and a look of longing took over her eyes. The prideful demeanor she wore only seconds ago vanished at the reminder of how close yet so far her home was. How out of place she was in a human home surrounded by human things. There's no foliage to fly through or blue skies for her armor to blend in to. The only people she can speak to are humans big enough to trap her in a fist.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something he hoped would comfort her. But he didn't even have a chance to get a single word out before she closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and turned back to the plates of armor still lying on the table.

Sage briskly walked past his arms still resting on the table and started to gather her gear.

"I'm just gonna put these in my room so I don't lose them," she stated as she balanced the pieces in her arms. A knee pad fell out of the capricious tower she was holding. Sage tried using her foot to kick it back up into her hands but just couldn't get it high enough without knocking the rest of the stack. She huffed in annoyance.

Before she could put down her pile and start again, a large finger very gently nudge her side and guided her a few steps back. Then, more fingers swooped in and tried, and failed, to pick up the knee pad. They were simply too big and clumsy to pluck up the comparatively minuscule piece of armor. Like watching tree trunks trying to pick up a pebble.

Arthur's brows furrowed and he cursed under his breath as he tried to get the right angle, but it continued to slip out of his grip. After more than enough failed attempts, he finally opted to carefully slide the knee pad off the table and into his palm. The blue armor was so small it almost got lost in the creases of his hand.

He heard stifled laughter coming from the table and he playfully glared at the source. "Wow, you're gonna laugh at someone helping you? This is the last time I ever do anything for you." Arthur complained.

This got Sage to burst out in laughter. The stack in her arms swayed dangerously and she shuffled her feet to keep it steady, her un-splinted wing fanning out to give her more balance. He quirked an eyebrow, silently impressed when no other pieces fell out of her arms. A small part of Arthur wanted to shake the table to get back at Sage for laughing at him, but he decided that would be too mean.

So, Arthur wore a flat look on his face as he watched Sage finally contain her laughter after a few heavy breaths, but she still had a grin on her lips stretching ear to ear.

She started to walk towards the box on the table, "Don't worry Arthur, I appreciate your help." Her voice sputtered but she held back another laughing fit. Sage shook her head, her brown braid swinging side to side. "That was just so sad to watch."

"Uh huh," Arthur said sounding unimpressed.

Once Sage reached the doorway of the box, she ducked in and set her things in the far corner. She poked her head out and quickly grabbed the knee pad resting on the tip of Arthur's finger, reuniting it with the other pieces of armor. Sage frowned at the absence of her helmet, which was lost in the blizzard with an arrow sticking through it. At least that wasn't her head.

When she stepped back onto the table, Arthur checked the clock on the wall. It was already past noon.

With a sigh, he stood up from his chair. His back cracked loudly after sitting on the stiff chair all morning. "I think it's about time Cade joined us, whattdaya think?" He asked Sage as he stretched his arms into the air.

Sage quietly watched the immense human stretch in both fear and awe. She nodded her head after Arthur looked back down at her, "I think that's a good idea." She agreed. Out of the two humans, Cade was the one that gained her trust first. Even if he acted a little strange to her.

—————

"My name is Lisa with the Tiny Assistance and Protection Agency, how may I help you?" A nice female voice sounded over the phone.

Cade spun in his chair, "Hi, I- uh- have a few questions I was hoping you could answer."

"Ask away."

He looked back over to his computer in the office. Over the last few hours, he'd been combing through a number of different articles and websites about the fae. They mostly told him about the environments fairies used to live in, what they ate, and what they looked like. These were definitely helpful to him, but Cade needed more information if wanted to ensure Sage made it out of his home alright.

Unfortunately, with fairies being all but extinct, there was little on what he really desired to know. Cade couldn't find any reliable resources on the autonomy or magical properties of the fae that didn't come from legends.

He severely doubted fairies kidnapped human kids and turned them into fae as a means to reproduce.

Cade was able to make a list of questions while he was on hold with the T. A. P. A.

"So," his brown eyes scanned the list, "Do you have any fairies in your care right now?"

"Unfortunately sir, I don't have the liberty to answer that question since the fae are endangered."

Cade cringed slightly at that response. He knew it made him sound like a weirdo but he still thought it was important to ask.

He awkwardly ran his hand through his messy brown hair. He cleared his throat, "That's alright, I just need to know a few things about them. Like the autonomy of theirs wings and - uh" He tapped his pen on the notebook, "magic abilities." Cade inwardly sighed as the words left his mouth. Now he sounded like a weirdo and a creep.

There was silence over the phone. It stayed like that for a few long moments. "Sir," she began, "What is your name?"

Cade pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, dammit! He frustratedly thought to himself. They were probably going to put him on some sort of watch list.

Reluctantly, he answered. "Cade Williams."

"Okay. And why are you asking these questions about the fae, Mr. Williams?" Lisa asked in a suspiciously kind voice.

She's definitely putting his name on a list.

"'Cause I got an injured fairy on my kitchen table and I need to know how to treat her." He replied casually as if they were talking about the weather.

".... Can you repeat that please?" The shock in Lisa's voice was clear as day.

"There's an injured fairy in my kitchen and I need more information to treat her." He repeated more bluntly, patience already wearing thin.

"Alright, I'm gonna put you on hold for a second."

Cade let out a heavy sigh as the waiting music started to play again. He let the hand holding his phone drop onto the desk. He wasn't planning on staying away from Arthur and Sage this long. All he was going to do was see if he was treating Sage's injuries correctly. In and out.

Instead, the research has felt like a wild goose chase. Websites taking him to different pages and links that ended up being blocked and now TAPA putting him on hold. It shouldn't be this hard to find same damn information on fairies.

Cade knew for a fact there were lots of fairies when he was a kid. Sure, they were scarce and well hidden, but they've been around for centuries! Researchers were quick to know practically everything about nymphs, sprites, and borrowers, so why not fairies?

Nothing was adding up for Cade the more he thought about it.

The music on the other end cut off. "Hello? Mr. Williams?" A voice asked. She sounded older than the last woman.

Cade quickly put the phone back up to his ear, "I'm here."

"Hello, my name is Molly Kim. I am the director of the Tiny Assistance and Protection Agency." She paused, letting that information sink in. Her voice was strong and authoritative, letting everyone who spoke to her know she meant business. 

If Cade thought this was just going to be an easy phone call before, he was definitely mistaken now.

He should have grabbed another cup of coffee when he had the chance.

Ms. Kim continued, "Mr. Williams, from what I understand, you have an injured fairy in your house?"

"That is correct, Ms. Kim." He confirmed, trying his best to remain calm. This call was beginning to freak him out. All he wanted to do was learn more about fairies so he could help Sage!

"What's their name?"

"Her name is Sage."

"How old is she?"

"Not sure, somewhere around her twenties."

"Where did you find her?"

"In the forest behind my house. She was knocked out and face down in the snow."

"What are her injuries?"

"The most concerning ones is the arrow through her left leg and her right wing is torn vertically." Cade shifted uncomfortably in his seat from the sudden rapid fire of questions. This was starting to feel like an interrogation.

Ms. Kim let out a long breath and he heard what sounded like a pen dropping onto the desk. "Alright Mr. Williams, tell me your address so we can send a chopper over to pick her up."

"Wait, what?!" He sputtered out in shock. Cade abruptly stood from his chair and began pacing around the office. A worried hand rested on top of his head, clutching fistfuls of hair. "What the hell do you mean 'pick her up?'" He demanded.

Ms. Kim's voice remained chillingly calm, clearly unfazed by his outburst. "Sage needs to be monitored at a facility qualified to take care of tinies."

"I'm an EMT, I had to pass a whole exam on how to treat tinies." He waved a hand in the air, "I've treated more borrowers than I can count! Trust me, I'm qualified." Cade growled out.

He honestly didn't know where his sudden protectiveness over Sage came from. Just yesterday he was convincing Arthur that calling TAPA was the right choice. Now he was arguing with the damn freaking TAPA director herself to not take Sage.

Maybe it came from watching someone so beaten down regain their strength because of him, or it was watching Sage slowly learn how to trust him. Maybe it was seeing Arthur's face light up like it used to when he spoke to Sage, or her demanding personality despite her situation. Maybe it was all of those combined. Or none of them.

Cade wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter, because he wasn't going to let that agency take Sage away from him. Still, he forced himself to breathe and relax. As he learned from his line of work, yelling never solved anything.

He calmly sat down on the red couch in the middle of the room. "My deepest apologies, Ms. Kim. That was rude of me." Cade said in his most professional voice. "I just feel like it would be best if Sage stayed here. She trusts me and has already significantly recovered from the majority of her injuries. I'm hopeful she'll be able to go home once the blizzard is over." He waited with bated breath for her response, worried he just severed any chance of winning Ms. Kim over.

The director was quick to respond. "I understand your sentiments and appreciate your apology, Mr. Williams. I know how easy it is to grow protective of a tiny." Cade could have sworn there was hint of pride in her monotone voice, but he quickly dismissed it. "If you insist on taking care of Sage, then I will have to speak to the fairy myself to ensure her wellbeing. She has the right to decide where she wants to be, after all." Ms. Kim said matter-of-factly.

This made Cade's shoulders tense up even more. He had no idea how Sage would feel about talking to another human. Hopefully it would go better than his and Arthur's first time meeting the fairy since this conversation would be over the phone. Still, Ms. Kim had a way of talking that sent shivers up his spine. It felt like she already knew everything about him and his life.

Cade licked his dry lips,"Yeah that's fine. I'll bring you to her now."

This was going to be a long day.

Check-Up

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Sage and Arthur dug into their food while Cade only had a few bites of egg and bacon before getting up to take his medicine and feed the dog. Even though Arthur clearly disapproved of Cade abandoning his breakfast, Sage was silently grateful. It was already hard enough sitting near one giant human eating bites of food as big as she was, she couldn't imagine two.

Her prey instincts kept trying to kick in and get her out of there, but she stubbornly ignored it and kept her eyes on her berry. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she tore through the skin of the berry that morning. The last couple of days had clearly taken a toll on her.

The older human quietly sat back down in his chair and Tukka eventually took his spot under the table again, wanting to be close to his new fairy friend.

Cade sat patiently and let Sage finish eating before speaking up."You seem to be doing a lot better today." He commented.

She shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the table, still uneasy under the attention of humans. "Yeah my leg isn't hurting as much," she replied. "And having some rest and food also helps," Sage added hoping it made her sound better than she was. In all honesty, she could easily sleep the entire day away. It felt like the energy in her body was constantly leaking out no matter how much rest she got. Sage figured she can actually recover once she gets back home and under the care of medics the same size as her.

The older human nodded "may I?" He asked, indicating her bandaged leg. When she gave him a small nod he reached down and grabbed the med kit he left on the floor by the table. Cade clicked open the locks and began pulling out the magnifier, disinfectant cream, and gauze.

She took a quick sip of water before placing the cap onto a napkin nearby. Sage carefully straightened out her leg and watched with bated breath as two humongous hands began reaching towards her. She resisted the urge to back away as large fingers gently lifted her leg and unwrapped the thick gauze. Cade leaned down with the magnifier until his face was inches from Sage, his brown eyes intently scrutinizing the wound. Instead of closing her eyes like a scared child she bravely met the gaze of the giant as he worked.

She could see every detail in the older human's face like this; small freckles dotting his nose and cheeks, wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, and a faint scar nearly covered by his beard. She looked into the large brown orbs right above her and noticed how tired they always seemed to appear no matter how often he tried to blink the sleep away. The dark bags under his eyes definitely didn't help the human look more alive.

On the other hand, Cade was far more focused on limiting his movements as he examined a leg that easily rested on his fingertip. His brows furrowed in confusion as he looked closer. Her leg was nearly healed as if she had been recovering for weeks instead of getting impaled yesterday. Cade has seen his fair share of impalements while taking calls, ranging from knives to a stop sign. But none of them ever healed this quickly. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Is everything alright?" Sage asked, noticing the puzzled look on the large face in front of her.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the concerned voice. "Everything looks fine," he assured his tiny patient and leaned back. He didn't want to make a big deal over something he wasn't entirely sure about. Her leg could have just looked worse than it actually was.

Cade promptly reapplied some cream on her wound to clean it and carefully wrapped it in a brand new bandage. Since the bandage was very thick compared to the tiny fairy, he decided to use a bit less this time since her leg was no longer bleeding and the hole was almost closed up. It would definitely make getting around a lot easier for Sage since she was still unable to fly.

Speaking of flying,"Can I see your wings now?" Cade asked as Sage removed her leg from his finger.

Right when those words reached her ears, she gave wary glances to the hands still nearby as if they were about to suddenly pounce on her. Her own hand quickly reached for her hip but grabbed onto nothing. Cade could only assume she was trying to reach for the sword he confiscated earlier. He was glad he took that thing away from her when he did, that sword looked like it could cause serious damage to his fingers.

Seeing the intense look on her little face made his heart drop and he slowly moved his hands away from her. He didn't know how Sage got injured but Cade doubted she let her wings get torn on accident with how much care she showed them. The stick he found lodged in her leg reinforced his theory that she was attacked by something. If her wings were intentionally targeted so she was stuck on the ground with whoever wanted to hurt her, then that would definitely leave behind some sort of trauma.

He couldn't blame her for wanting to keep her wings out of other hands (or fingers). Cade knew all too well how one event can rewire a persons instincts.

He gave Sage his most sincere look. "I just need to see how they're healing. I won't touch them." Her eyes nervously glanced between his face and hands,"I promise I won't do anything you don't want me to," Cade swore in a low yet comforting voice.

Arthur, who had been watching quietly from the side, chimed in. "Yeah and if he tries anything I'll hit him for you," he said with a wink.

Sage hardly noticed the annoyed look Cade gave his younger brother for the joke as her thoughts took over.

Letting someone, especially a human, examine her wings went against every instinct in her body. Even Rod never touched her wings after years and years of being friends. It wasn't like she was afraid or over protective of them, it just didn't feel... right. Like they were a treasure she had to keep out of reach without ever knowing why.

A treasure she failed to protect yesterday.

Just thinking about the brief moment when the sprite had her wings in hand and under an axe sent shivers down Sage's spine. She never thought of how helpless she would be without her wings. Flying had always been something she'd taken for granted. They were what she was known for. The fairy commander that can zip through the trees faster than any bird. When it came to air combat, no one stood a chance against her. Her wings made her unstoppable.

Now she knew how fragile her wings are and how useless she is without her ability to fly.

Cade said he could help fix them. She would be flying in no time if she just let him look. Thats all he was going to do. Just look. No touching.

Without a word, Sage rose to her feet and faced her back towards the humans, keeping herself as calm and collected as she could. She stayed silent and waited for the human to make the next move.

The movement on the table caught both brother's attention and they exchanged a quick look with each other. Arthur gave Cade a confident nod, understanding how tedious treating a tiny can be. Cade sat there for another moment before approaching Sage once again.

Muttering a quick warning, he leaned forward until he could see her wings through the magnifying glass. He noticed the woman's wings shiver as he got closer but Sage gave no indication that it was painful, so he stayed quiet.

Cade was worried the yellow rod stabilizing her wing got loose after Sage fell on the chair from yesterday's failed escape attempt, but it was still perfectly in place. The huge tear running from the tip of her wing down to the center was still there, but some of the smaller cracks disappeared. Like they miraculously healed. Just like her leg.

If he remembered the crash course he took on sprite wings correctly (and if fairy wings were similar), then it wasn't possible for wings to heal that quickly. It normally took at least a week for the smaller cracks to close. But he knew close to nothing about the autonomy of the fae or their wings, which was a huge problem if he wanted to help Sage.

Cade leaned away to give her some space. "Sage" he began,"do you have any sort of...healing abilities?" It felt weird to ask that sort of question, but he knew it could be possible. Sprites have the ability to control plants due to their connection to nature, so a fairy being able to heal wasn't too far fetched. Plus Cade had no other explanation for her quick healing. It definitely wasn't the over-the-counter ointment and gauze he used.

It took a few moments for Sage to realize the hot breath blowing against her back disappeared. She rolled her shoulders to try and get rid of the sensation and turned back around to face the humans.

Cade's black shirt alone created a wall of fabric that blocked her view of the rest of the kitchen. She slowly took a few steps back so she didn't have to look straight up. Seeing this, both brothers hunched down a little to make it easier on her. Although they still loomed over her head.

Trying her best to ignore that, she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I've never been seriously injured before, only scratches and bruises."

"Huh," Cade mumbled quietly. He rubbed his unkept beard with a hand, deep in thought.

Arthur scooted closer to the table now that the medical stuff was over. "Well do you know about any other fairies getting hurt and healing quickly?" He asked.

"No, I don't exactly live with any other fae." She said quietly. Her unstabilized wing drooped slightly at the reminder. She wished she could remember something from her childhood with her kind. A piece of their traditions and food and beliefs, but only black smoke and fire fill her mind every time she thought that far back. The fae were just as much a mystery to her as they were to everyone else. Sometimes she felt like she couldn't even call herself a fairy with how foreign her kind were to her.

Arthur's blue eyes filled with pure understanding. Any intimidation and annoyance she felt with the younger human melted away and was replaced with a comforting presence. "I'm sorry to hear that, it must be tough being on your own like that," he said sincerely.

Tukka seemed to sense the drop of sadness in the air and poked his head up from under the table. His eyes could just be seen above the edge of the table as he checked on his tiny friend. He gave a soft whimper as if asking if she was alright, and Sage gave him a small wave. He stared at her for a few more seconds then went back to his spot under the table when he was certain she was okay.

Sage nodded her thanks to Arthur then looked back up at Cade, searching for a change in the subject. His eyes were distant and he gave no indication of hearing the conversation in front of him.

"Umm.... Cade?" She asked trying to get his attention, but her soft voice didn't reach his ears.

Arthur reached over and gave him a light tap on the shoulder. Cade visibly jumped and quickly looked around the room before settling back down in his chair as if nothing happened. He ran a hand through his brown hair and leaned back.

Arthur chose to ignore his brother's reaction. "Why did you ask about Sage having healing abilities?"

Cade pinched the bridge of his nose as he remembered their conversation. "Her leg and wing is healing faster than I thought they would, that's all." He said casually. He glanced back down and gave Sage a small smile,"Your leg should be healed by the time this blizzard ends. I'm not entirely sure about your wing though." He slowly pushed himself up from his chair,"Everything will heal eventually," he assured her.

"Where do you think you're going so soon?" Arthur asked as Cade stepped away from the table and towards the hallway leading to his room. His breakfast looked nearly untouched as he turned away.

Cade waved a tired hand in the air,"Relax, im not going to sleep or anything. I'm just gonna look into some things and make some calls." He said as he trudged along.

"Come on Cade," Arthur complained,"Hang out with me and Sage. We're gonna play games and watch stuff and have some fun." He crossed his arms confidently, "Isn't that right Sage?"

"Wai- huh?" She stammered out in shock. She definitely didn't want to have any more human interactions if she could help it.

Sage was about to turn Arthur down when she turned towards him and met his silent, pleading gaze. It was clear there was more to this than what met the eye, although Sage wasn't sure why Arthur needed Cade to stay with them. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought to herself.

She spoke up so Cade could hear her as he walked away,"Yeah Arthur and I are gonna have soooooo much fun! You'll miss out!" She teased as if she were talking to one of the kids back in The Hollow and not a grown human.

When Cade didn't turn around, Arthur continued."Fine, but you can't spend the whole day locked in your room. It's not healthy. We better see you again." He demanded.

When the faint sound of a door closing down the hall could be heard, Arthur slumped back in his seat with a look of defeat. His right hand rested on the table and idly fidgeted with a napkin.

Sage stood awkwardly on the middle of the table. She was tempted to hide away in her box home to get out of sight from the human. But one look at Arthur and she knew she couldn't leave him too.

She slowly walked over to the hand resting on the table, finding her ability to walk a lot better now that her leg has significantly healed. She patted her hand on Arthur's knuckle and it was his turn to look at her in surprise.

Sage stubbornly ignored how his hand alone was bigger and far more powerful than she'll ever be. Arthur held himself completely still with her so close to him, making Sage confident in giving him her trust.

She grinned,"What do you want to do first?"

Fairy’s Best Friend

And here comes the puppy! I love when stories have a giant, friendly pet involved and I knew I wanted to add that here!

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The next morning, Sage found herself sitting by the entrance to the box on the table watching Arthur bustle around the kitchen. He hummed quietly to himself while he pulled out various items from cabinets and a large steel box. As he began organizing the ingredients in front of him, Arthur glanced over at her temporary box home.

He smiled at the tiny face poking out of the doorway. "Good morning Sage. How'd you sleep?"

Sage slightly flinched but managed to stop herself from disappearing back into the box. She knew it was unlikely the human would hurt her, but prey instincts were a difficult thing to overcome. Being in sight of something big enough to eat her in a single bite is considered suicide back in her forest home.

It took a couple tries, but Sage managed to find her voice. "I slept well." She replied simply.

Arthur had to lean in to hear the soft voice. "That's good," he said,"I know how hard it can be sleeping away from home." He reached over and cracked some eggs on the side of a bowl, letting the contents plop into the center and began to stir. He then poured it into a pan and set it over a blue flame on the stove.

The tiny woman wished she could see what Arthur was doing, but her spot on the table was far to short to see over the counter. Heights have never been a problem for her and her wings instinctively began to flutter only to immediately stop as pain shot through her back. Her body spasmed a little and she stifled a cry, but she forced herself to remain seated as if nothing happened. Sage was still struggling to get used to being grounded.

Either Arthur didn't notice Sage's mishap or chose to ignore it as he ripped open a package of bacon. "So," he continued,"how do you feel about bacon and eggs for breakfast? We also have some more fruit if you would rather have that." He said as he laid out strips of bacon onto a second pan.

Sage stayed silent as she thought over the question. Of course she knew what eggs were, but had never tried to eat one due to the protective nature of the mama bird. One time on patrol, Sage dove into a tree trunk to avoid the talons of a hawk only to meet the wrath of a soon-to-be-mom Robin that had nested inside of the same tree. She barely made it out with her life because of an airmen's distraction. From what she's seen, bird eggs were pretty small and definitely didn't provide a sufficient meal for humans. That's probably where the 'bacon' came in (whatever that was).

Although she was curious about these new foods, especially with the delicious smell forming in the air, she decided to play it safe. "I'll just have some fruit," Sage answered.

"Sounds good!" Arthur answered enthusiastically as he turned off the burner under the now scrambled eggs. He hummed a cheery tune while avoiding the hot bacon grease popping out of the pan.

Sage observed Arthur energetically dancing to the song he was humming despite it being too early for that amount of liveliness. She smiled at the reminder of Rod, the most obnoxious morning person she ever met. Those two would get along perfectly, she couldn't help but think.

A wave of sadness struck her at the thought of her best friend back at The Hollow. He must be terrified right now. Frantically pulling together plans to find Sage out in the storm knowing he would never find her among the ever-falling snow. She couldn't wait for the moment she got to return to Rod and pretend the whole ordeal was just a bad dream.

The table shaking underneath her seat signaled the arrival of the second human. Her heart began to pick up its pace. Not because of Cade, who managed to gain some of her trust, but the other set of footsteps that were very quickly approaching the kitchen. They were lighter and resembled the steps of an animal.

An energetic ball of grey and white fur trotted into the kitchen. The animal's light blue eyes immediately locked onto the fairy on the table and the dog began to make a beeline for her.

Sage cried in alarm and frantically back peddled into the box to get away from the giant animal. Her leg stung from the frantic movement but it wasn't nearly as painful as yesterday, she might even be able to run on it if she needed to escape the dog. Except the only exit was the door with the dog right outside and Sage was not in the condition to test fate anymore. She'll have to talk to Arthur about that. For now, all she could do was wait and hope the box would hold up against the ginormous beast.

The ground quaked underneath her seat accompanied by a loud thud. Claws could be heard scraping against the wooden floor almost drowning out the string of curses coming from a human. A large blue eye suddenly blocked the doorway and zeroed in on Sage huddled on the far side of the box.

"Are you okay Sage?" Arthur asked quietly.

Her heart was beating frantically against her chest but she still gave him a small nod. "I didn't know you had an animal here," she commented. If Sage had known, she would have asked to move her temporary home someplace higher.

"Yeah sorry for the rude wake up call," Arthur apologized sheepishly. "After everything that happened yesterday, we kinda forgot about the dog greeting you."

"But everything's fine now if you want to come out and meet him." He said and the eye vanished from the door.

Sage slowly made her way to the door but hesitated right before she stepped outside. The dog was out of sight from her spot on the table but she could still hear its cries and occasional struggles coming from nearby. She exchanged a glance with Arthur, who was crouched next to the table, and he gave her a small, reassuring smile.

Her wings quivered nervously despite their pain as Sage walked to the edge of the table to see what happened to the animal. Both the dog and Cade were on the floor, the dog squirming under the human's firm hold. With the way Cade was sprawled out on the floor, it was clear he tackled the dog before it reached the table. All to protect her.

The older human looked up and gave her a strained smile as he continued to struggle with keeping the dog still. "Sorry 'bout this Sage, he slipped past me when I opened the door."

The dog noticed Sage up on the table and let out a pitiful cry. The small woman took a few steps back from the edge of the table as the dog attempted to lunge forward again. Cade cursed under his breath when the animal managed to drag him a couple feet across the floor, only stopping when Arthur placed himself between the dog and the table.

When Cade readjusted his hold on the dog and seemed to have everything back under control, Arthur looked back at Sage. With him crouched and her on the table they were near eye level with each other, much to Sage's relief. She hated how much humans loomed over her.

"This is Tukka," He said, gesturing to the dog in Cade's arms. "He may look scary but he's really a gentle fluff ball. We just don't want him near you while you're recovering, he can be a lot to handle."

"Tukka is actually the one that found you in the snow." Cade chimed in with some pride in his voice.

She gave the brother's a skeptical look. It was hard to believe an animal chose to save her life rather than eat her, but Sage did vaguely remember the dog looking down at her before she passed out in the snow. She mistakenly identified it as a wolf at the time but it was now easy to spot the difference between Tukka and the wild wolves roaming the forest.

She stepped closer to the edge again and Arthur scooted to the side so Sage could see the dog. Right when Tukka spotted her on the table he began to whine. It wasn't a "You're not letting me eat the fairy" type of cry, it was more of a "I want to become friends with you" cry. She found herself wondering if the dog was as soft and fluffy as he looked. If Tukka really saved her life, then surely she could finally pet a huge animal without worrying about being its next snack.

"Can-can I pet him?" She hesitantly asked.

The brothers looked at each other for a moment, seemingly having a silent conversation. Then Cade readjusted his grip to the dog's collar and got off the floor. Tukka immediately started yanking on his collar and dragged Cade the last foot to the table. Arthur stayed crouched near Sage just in case. Both brothers knew Tukka wouldn't try to hurt the fairy, but they weren't sure how gentle the husky would be being as excited as he currently was.

They watched nervously as Tukka raised his nose towards Sage. The dog was the size of a building compared to her, but Sage bravely held her ground and slowly reached out her hand for the dog to sniff. Her brown hair blew as if she were standing in a breeze instead of a dog's breathing as he sniffed her tiny hand. Then he inched slightly forward and gently nuzzled her chest with his nose. She giggled and leaned over to pat Tukka's snout with a huge smile on her face.

Arthur grinned at how happy Sage looked. Even Cade, who was annoyed at having to tackle his dog and getting dragged across the floor first thing in the morning, had a tired smile on his face. It was relieving to see the timid fairy finally getting a little comfortable in his home, even if it was just because of Tukka.

When Cade determined that Tukka was going to behave himself, he let go of the collar and made his way to the coffee maker. Arthur, on the other hand, stayed put and curiously watched the three-inch woman interact with the giant dog. He was surprised at how well Tukka was doing. The dog kept his head completely still so Sage could scratch his nose, but his tail was wagging a mile per minute.

Tukka then lifted his head slightly off the table causing Sage to back up. Before she could even react, Tukka gave her a big, wet kiss. Sage quickly backed up and sputtered in shock from getting licked by the dog, something she had no idea dogs did. Her black jumpsuit was soaked in slobber and she had to wipe her face dry with her hands.

She looked over to Arthur who had his head turned and his hand covering his mouth. Sage clearly noticed his shoulders shaking as he tried and failed to hold in his laughter. She cursed under her breath and glanced back at Tukka whose head still rested on the table, smiling innocently. She sighed and patted the large nose, unable to stay mad at such a cute animal.

Cade returned to the table with his hot coffee in hand and curiously glanced between Arthur dying of laughter on the floor and Sage's bedraggled state. He chose not to say anything and sat himself at the table near Sage. He tore off a corner of the napkin he brought over and handed it to the fairy. She still warily watched his hand but gratefully took the napkin from his fingers.

As she tried to clean the dog slobber off, Arthur began to gather his composure. "You should have seen the look on your face!" He chuckled as he pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

Sage slightly flinched from the human's booming voice before sending him a glare,"Well let's see your face when a giant animal licks you" she shot back.

"Have you had breakfast yet Sage?" Cade changed the subject before the two got too riled up for him to handle.

Sage turned to look up at him and shook her head. Cade simply nodded at his younger brother who got up to retrieve the berries she requested earlier, a shit-eating grin still plastered on his face. Arthur came back with a small saucer plate with some berries and nuts along with a bottle cap of water, placing it beside her spot on the table.

Arthur then went back and retrieved two plates of eggs and bacon for him and Cade. He sat down in a chair next to his brother as Sage settled on the table with a berry in hand. Realizing Sage was no longer paying attention to him, Tukka let out a small whine before begrudgingly lying underneath the table.

Small Talk

She’s finally trusting themmmm!!!!

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Sage listened to the thundering footsteps as they got closer and closer, sending tremors through the chair and her body. Their booming words failed to register in her daze, but Sage knew they were searching for her. However, every reasonable survival instinct was snuffed out by the haze in her mind and she remained still. A darkness casted over her and Sage could feel warm gusts of air from the human's breathing. They found her.

A deep voice rumbled around her, but the words were too distorted to make out. She knew he must be trying to get her attention, so in response, she opened her eyes and turned her head to see him.

She was greeted by humongous, tired, brown eyes the size of her head belonging to the human named Cade. He was only a couple inches away from her, but the clear concern in his eyes kept Sage from scrambling away. Or at least attempting to get away in her current state.

The huge pair of lips in front of her moved as the man continued to talk, but Sage couldn't even begin to understand what he was saying. Then two large hands came into view. Sage felt her muscles tense but made no moves to escape. The urge to get away was drowned out by her hammering headache and she closed her eyes, allowing the large fingers to wrap loosely around her.

They were surprisingly gentle as they scooped her onto a palm. It was a strange sensation. The skin was leathery and immense amounts of heat rose from the hand. For a very brief moment, Sage forgot where she was and was content to just go to sleep on the comfortably hot surface. This was nothing like the last time she was in a hand.

The hand began to move slowly but that didn't stop the vertigo from hitting the fairy. Luckily, the human wasted no time getting her to the table. As gently as she was scooped into the giant palms, she was put down onto the hard wooden surface.

Sage couldn't help a small shiver as the human's warmth was quickly replaced by the cold table. Although she wanted to see her surroundings, she decided to keep her eyes closed and allow her body to recover from being pushed too far.

After a few moments the fog clouding her brain started to clear, so Sage opened her eyes and her heart immediately stopped. The immense forms of two humans loomed above her as they stared at the tiny woman at the center of the table. Her body froze in fear under their gazes like a deer caught in headlights, and her eyes shut closed to avoid looking at her captors. But that didn't stop her from hearing the booming conversation overhead.

Her brain scrambled to remember the last couple of minutes. She knew she was on the chair but wasn't sure how she ended up on the table. The answer was obvious, especially with the humans near by, but Sage remained ignorant until she could only come up with one possible answer: A hand.

She was picked up in a hand.

Even though Sage knew she asked for the help, a shudder still ran through her body. Why did I let them find me? I showed them how weak I am. I don't want to be here! Sage was practically drowning in panic and was going to attempt darting off when the human's words grabbed her attention.

She peeked a curious eye open, her panic temporarily replaced by confusion as she listened to Arthur speak words she never heard before. Sage always thought she was quite knowledgeable when it came to human terms, but even she couldn't recognize the words. And by the way Arthur stammered and his brows furrowed, it was clear he had no idea what he was saying either.

Her gaze shifted over to Cade who seemed just as confused as she was. He ran a large hand over his face,"Did it ever cross your mind that she might speak a fae language?"

Sage's orange eyes widened at that comment. Arthur was putting in the effort to try and communicate with her even when she never made an attempt to talk back. He actually wanted to speak to her. But why? What could he possibly gain from talking her?

Unfortunately, the fairy's questions fled her mind when two hands started reaching right for her. Fingers that were longer than her body stretched out to trap her so the human could do whatever he wanted with her. One hand carried a large, silver tool that looked like it could easily rip off a limb. Every muscle within her tensed with adrenaline and her lungs struggled for air as the fingers snaked behind her back and slowly sat her up.

The tip of the tool touched her damaged wing and carefully lifted it to get a better look. Her blood ran cold with terror. A human was touching her wings....

In an instant, she lurched forward out of the hand's grasp and turned around. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sage screamed and punched a finger holding the offending tool as hard as she can. The finger recoiled away along with the tool in a matter of seconds, leaving the fairy kneeling alone on the table. The throbbing pain in her leg intensified from the sudden movement, but that was the least of Sage's concerns as the realization struck her.

She revealed she can speak English.

She punched a giant.

Her hand clapped over her mouth as if she could take back the words that hung in the air. Two sets of wide, enormous eyes stared down at her in shock. Sage forgot to breathe as she stared at the humans towering above her and she quickly scrambled back in an attempt to get away. She didn't get very far. Her back hit something behind her, effectively forcing her to remain in the view of giants.

Arthur was the first to break through the uneasy silence, "You can talk!" He exclaimed excitedly. His blue eyes lit up with newfound curiosity, "What's your name? How did you get hurt? Why didn't you speak before?"

Sage flinched back at the bombardment of questions, completely overwhelmed by the rapid turn of events.

Noticing her panic, Cade laid a firm hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Not now." The simple yet commanding statement shut the other man up immediately.

Cade leaned slightly forward,"Hey. Everything is going to be alright. We are not going to hurt you." He gave Sage a soft smile,"You're completely safe here. I promise."

The last thing Sage wanted to do was chat with her captors, but she also despised how the human talked down to her as if she were just some frightened child (even though she was completely terrified). Seeing the pity in their eyes like they were looking at some helpless little animal made something snap within her.

All of Sage's pent up anger and frustration with humans replaced her fear. Sage was known for being the more reserved commander in The Hollow, but that didn't mean she didn't speak her mind when needed. And right now, she intended to annoy the living daylights out of the humans with her next course of action.

Gathering up every ounce of confidence within her, she craned her head back to meet the brown eyes waiting expectantly above her with her arms crossed. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she spoke up loud and clear,"Save your pity for someone who needs it," she snapped back.

The brown eyes widened above her and the human stayed silent for a moment. Eventually, Cade looked down at her again and the fairy met his eyes with a glare."Can you at least tell us your name?" He asked softly. The mistrust in her tiny eyes was very clear, but Cade needed her trust if he wanted to check her injuries.

Her orange eyes narrowed. Humans didn't care about things they deem beneath them even if it's another person. They only pretended to care about 'lesser beings' when they wanted something. Sage would be damned if she gave the giants any information,"That's none of your concern."

To her relief, the brown eyed human only nodded at her stubborn response and leaned back in his chair. For a moment, she thought he was going to reach out and squeeze the information out of her with his impossibly large hand. When Sage thought the attempts to communicate were over she noticed the other human begin to shift in his chair.

Arthur shrugged,"Well we kinda need to know what to call you, but I guess we can come up with a nickname for you in the meantime." He tapped his chin with a finger as he pretended to think. "We could call you itty-bitty, squirt, pipsqueak; pip for short." He added. Then a huge, shit-eating grin formed on his face,"How about Tinkerbell?"

Cade sent his younger brother a warning look, and Arthur held up his hands innocently,"What? I don't wanna keep calling her The Fairy." He tilted his head towards Sage,"It sounds like she's some scary monster from a horror movie. Pipsqueak is a much more fitting name for such an adorable little fairy." He teased with a smirk.

Sage's hands formed into tight fists. Even though she had no idea what a 'horror movie' was, she did recognize the jabs at her size. She thrusted a finger up at the giant, only to wince when the sudden movement sent sharp pains through her body. Both humans slightly leaned forward and Sage grimaced knowing they saw her pained movements.

She, however, ignored it in favor of getting back at the irritating human,"We'll see how adorable you think I am after I introduce you to my sword."

"Whatever you say, Pip." The younger man snarked back with clear amusement.

Cade held up both hands,"Knock it off you two." Despite his stern tone, he was glad the little thing was talking to them, even with such ferocity. After seeing the pure fear on her tiny face, Cade was worried she would just curl up and keep quiet like the tinies he had met before. In those situations, it was extremely difficult to get the tiny to open up to him.

But like so many people before her, she couldn't resist insulting Arthur right back. A part of Cade felt that Arthur knew exactly what he was doing when teasing the small woman.

Sage couldn't stop a small flinch at the human's irritated tone. He was obviously the one in charge and she bit back the retort she had for Arthur. Instead, she watched from her seat on the table as Cade looked down at her once again.

"I really just want to help you," he said switching back to a gentle tone. "At least let me look at your leg and wings. Then we will leave you alone." He reasoned.

The clear concern in his tired eyes was hard to miss, but Sage wasn't going to accept a human's help so easily. At least when she's not in a confused daze. "If you want to help me then give me back my armor and sword and let me go." She demanded stubbornly.

Cade shook his head,"I'm afraid I can't do that." He gestured his hand over to a nearby window and Sage's eyes followed. Even with the sun setting, she could clearly see the snow falling violently to the ground, covering the world in a white blanket. A blanket that could kill Sage in a matter of minutes.

She frowned. There was no way she could make it back to The Hollow alive in that weather. Tears threatened to escape her eyes at the realization that her fate was officially sealed. Sage was trapped in the human house. The last place she ever wanted to be.

The three sat in silence watching the snow outside for a moment before Arthur quietly spoke up, "Are you okay?" He asked. Although it was hard to see the details of her tiny face, he could see the slight slump in her shoulders. Anyone would be upset about being stranded away from home, and the defiant fairy was no exception.

Sage forced the tears back and squared her shoulders. Her back rippled in pain from her torn wings but the woman didn't let that show in her expression. The last thing she wanted to do was show any weakness in front of humans. They would just use it against her to get whatever they wanted out of her. She sent her best glare up at the giants looking down on her,"Why do you care?" She snapped back.

"We care because it's the right thing to do," Cade answered for his brother. "You're a person just like us, you don't deserve to be in any pain or fear." He said with a kind smile.

I'm a person just like them.... Sage could hardly believe those words. They just seemed so ridiculous. Their fingers alone outsized her, how in the world could they be equals?

And yet, she found herself thinking over the day's events. Sure the last few hours were absolutely terrible, but the humans never harmed her. They never trapped her like a pet or grab her in a fist. Instead, they gave her plenty of food and a comfortable place to rest. All they ever did was show her patience and respect and Sage lashed out at them in return.

She felt the shame burn on her cheeks. The humans- Cade and Arthur- truly wanted to help, but she didn't let them due to the actions of someone completely different. Sage judged them based solely on their species becoming no better than the nymphs that judged her for being a fairy.

At that, Sage made up her mind. She looked up to meet the brown eyes looming above her,"I'll let you help, but no touching or grabbing without my permission." She ordered. Her eyes looked between both men anxiously waiting for their response.

Arthur beamed,"Sounds good."

The other brother nodded in agreement, "That's fair." He leaned down slightly to catch Sage's eyes,"Now, how are you feeling after that fall? Any new injuries?" Cade asked switching right back to business.

The woman took a moment to finally assess her injuries. Her leg felt hotter and throbbed painfully. A slight stabbing sensation went from her wings all throughout her back. The numerous aches in her sore muscles were nothing new.

She tilted her head back to see Cade's face,"I'm fine." She answered simply. Hopefully the human would be satisfied with her answer because the longer Sage had to keep talking to giants, the faster her heart beat against her chest.

Cade's tired eyes narrowed as he examined every little detail he could see on her tiny figure from a comfortable distance. Sage couldn't help but shift uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny.

An eternity seemed to pass before his deep voice rumbled the air. "Alright. Since no bones are broken and there's nothing life threatening, I'll just let you rest." He lifted up a finger, "But I'll do a more thorough checkup first thing tomorrow." Cade stated, leaving no room for argument.

Although it was discouraging to think she will be examined tomorrow, Sage begrudgingly voiced her agreement.

Arthur stretched his arms high over his head and yawned. "Well I think that's enough excitement for one day. How 'bout we all turn in for the night?"

Sage nodded in agreement. So much had happened in such little amount of time and it was starting to take its toll. Her injuries and previous surge of panic only drained her even more, making her more exhausted than usual.

She tiredly glanced over to the folded red cloth she slept on earlier and frowned. It was comfortable but right in the open, leaving her completely exposed. As a prey species in the forest, one of the first lessons Sage ever learned was to never let her guard down in the open. Especially in front of beings who could kill her without breaking a sweat.

"Do you want a different place to sleep?" Cade asked, seemingly reading her mind.

At the woman's shocked and confused expression, he elaborated,"Well I know that borrowers don't like being out in the open, so I figured you would be the same."

Sage chose to ignore her shock of the human asking her preference in favor of the new term 'borrowers.' She assumed they were another species of tinies based on what the giant man said, but she never heard of them before. Did they live in the forest? How did they get such a strange name? Before her curiosity overtook her, Sage answered the human,"That would be better." She replied shyly.

"Oh! I know just the thing!" Arthur shot up from his chair and ran out the room with a newfound energy.

Sage flinched back and covered her pointy ears from the sudden volume. A shudder ran up her spine as she watched the young man rise to his full towering height. With the humans sitting for so long it was easy to forget just how huge they were. Sage ended up having to brace herself on the table to keep steady from Arthur's earthquake-like steps as he darted away.

Cade gave the small fairy an apologetic look before turning his attention back to his brother. He could hear things being knocked over in another room and scowled, he better pick everything up.

After a few short minutes of silence between the fairy and older human, Arthur came rushing back with a box tucked under his arm. He quickly placed the box on the table, and with occasional glances towards Sage, cut a hole in the side for a doorway.

With the hole cut, he placed a blue crumbled t-shirt on the table to serve as a bed. Arthur figured the thinner material would be easier for the injured fairy to climb onto instead of the sweatshirt. He reached over and picked up the plate of blueberries and bottle cap of water and sat them down on the edge of the shirt.

When everything was arranged to his liking, Arthur flipped over the box and carefully placed it upside down over the items. He leaned down to peek into the doorway than abruptly started poking holes in the top of the box for light and a bit more air.

Sage watched as he stepped away from the table and proudly put his hands on his hips admiring his quick work. One would think he had the idea for the little house for a while. "Well?" He said,"Aren't you gonna check out your new room?" He asked with a smile.

It took a moment for the words to register in her head. "This is for me?" Sage questioned in complete disbelief. After everything she had heard and been through with humans, this was the last thing she expected. These brothers were just full of surprises.

"Who else would it be for? Cade's head is far to big to fit in there." Arthur joked, earning him a glare from Cade. He only smiled wider,"Go check it out and let me know if you need anything else." Arthur urged.

Sage looked over the box once more before carefully getting up. She tried to put pressure on her injured leg for balance but ended up stumbling over instead. Before she could even brace herself for a hard landing, something swooped in and caught her.

Sage didn't even have to look to know she had just fallen onto a hand. The heat and leathery skin was a dead giveaway. Her eyes trailed up the arm and met Cade's face, who gave her a reassuring smile upon meeting her wide eyes.

"I know you just said no touching or grabbing without your permission, but I also can't let you injure yourself further." Cade informed her.

The woman huffed and pushed herself off of the fingers. "I got around just fine earlier today," she grumbled stubbornly. Sage teetered slightly but managed to keep her balance and reached the box with no further issues. She knew she just  accepted their help a couple minutes ago, but it was easier said than done.

Sage poked her head through the doorway to check out the inside. The blue t-shirt took up the entire floor and the food and water were placed by the wall. The room was dark aside from the strands of light that filtered through the holes in the roof and doorway. 

Sage smiled to herself. She definitely preferred her room in the tree at The Hollow but this arrangement wasn't that bad, especially considering it was hastily put together in a few minutes. As tempting as it was to walk into the welcoming darkness and out of sight, Sage turned around to face the brothers.

Both Cade and Arthur were watching her reaction to the little box home intently, Sage could practically feel their eyes burning holes into her. "Ummm, thanks for this," she gestured awkwardly to the box. With a deep breath she continued,"My name is Sage Burton by the way."

Huge smiles grew on their faces. "Well, it's nice to properly meet you Sage." Arthur replied happily.

"Yeah, now go inside and get some sleep Sage. You need it." Cade ordered, though his tone was friendly. He probably wanted her gone so he could go to bed himself, the poor guy looked like he was going to fall asleep in his chair.

Sage nodded and eagerly went inside. She wasted no time laying down on the cloth and pulling some of the folds over herself as a blanket. She curled up further into the soft cloth, the warmth and comfort quickly drifted her off into a much needed sleep.

Escape

Poor Sage has gone through so much in such a short amount of time (I say as if I didn’t write the story)

2K words

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Sage woke from her sleep with a harsh jolt. Her reoccurring nightmares finally kicking her back out into reality. She rubbed her blurry eyes to try and rid them of the phantoms of her dreams, something she's been having to do more often.

Sage gingerly sat up and grimaced. Her body felt unbelievably stiff and worn down, but her fuzzy mind failed to recall why. Maybe a training session gone wrong? Or did she fly straight into a tree trunk? She didn't really care what happened as long as she didn't embarrass herself in front of Rod. He was well known for holding things over people's heads. Sage would be lucky if he never mentioned her falling butt first on the ice the other day.

She pushed a thick blanket off of her to find anyone who could give her answers, but one glance around the room quickly reminded her of her.... situation.

The memories of the previous day flashed back into her mind; the celebration, the blizzard, the sprite ambush, collapsing into the snow, and then waking up with a gigantic face mere inches away her.

Sage unconsciously moved her hand and gently caressed her damaged wings. Those wings were her life. They were her pride and joy and Sage kept utmost care of them. Now, they were torn up and destroyed by some greedy sprites, unable to catch the air and fly like they were made to do. She didn't even know if they would ever heal and return to their former glory. Especially with the humans messing with them.

Sage couldn't help but cringe at the image of the two impossibly giant humans towering over her. How defenseless she felt under their intense gaze. Their hands big enough to close around her and snap the life out of her no matter how hard she fought back. She was too weak. Too fragile. It was something she never wanted to experience again.

And she won't.

Carefully sitting on the large red cloth, she surveyed the world around her. It looked like she was in some sort of kitchen area. The light gray countertops in the far distance gleamed in the strange, bright lights that hung from the impossibly high ceiling. Glancing over her shoulder, a room with huge couches and a large black box connected to the kitchen. Sage presumed it was the human's living room.

She looked around some more but failed to see any signs of the giants. Deeming it safe, Sage forced her aching muscles to climb down the cloth. A hiss of pain escaped her clenched teeth as she moved her leg. With the wrapping, Sage was unable to see how bad the injury truly was. A part of her was relieved about that.

When she reached the "ground," she saw the plate of berries and the small water container nearby. As Sage slowly inched closer, she noticed both the food and water seemed to be new. The half eaten berry was no longer on the plate and the dirtied water was now clear. Her heart skipped a beat in realization. They were replaced while she was asleep! Sage wanted to scream at herself for falling asleep and leaving herself completely vulnerable, but stayed silent. This was her chance of escape and she wasn't going to ruin it by having a tantrum.

Disappointed in herself, Sage continued to slowly limp to the edge of the table, refusing to take anymore food from the humans like some sort of pet. Once she reached her destination, she cautiously peered over the edge. Normally, heights and gravity meant absolutely nothing to the fairy. But with a pair of useless wings hanging off her back, the distance between her and the floor made her stomach do flips.

The floor seemed to stretch further and further away the longer she stared, turning her knees to jelly. Sage stepped away from the edge before she collapsed, her heart racing a mile per minute. Sage made a mental note to apologize to any nymph she had mocked for being afraid of heights. Having no wings to catch you sucked.

Sage took some time to breathe before laying on her stomach and gingerly scooting to the edge once more. Trying not to look directly down, she glanced to the side towards one of the chairs pushed underneath. The chair seat seemed to be made of a white fabric, one that could cushion a fall. A very painful fall, but it wouldn't kill her. Hopefully.

Desperate to escape the human house that kept her locked away from the forest, she eagerly, but cautiously, limped towards the chair. Sage peeked over the edge again, but didn't feel as sick now that the distance was cut in half. Although she didn't want to take her chances and quickly got to work.

Sage gripped the edge of the table and slowly lowered herself off, letting her body hang off the edge and over the seat of the chair. Her wings trembled nervously, sending slight pains up her back, but Sage's steel grip didn't loosen despite the aches in her muscles. Her fingers were glued to the edge, now terrified of letting go of the safety of solid ground.

You have to do this. This is the only way out of here. The humans will be back, Sage argued with herself. With the added encouragement, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let go of the table.

But everything is easier said than done.

Instant regret shot through her and she let out a startled cry. Her arms and legs thrashed wildly in the air, but were unable to stop the descent. Her destroyed wings fluttered rapidly out of instinct, sending stabbing pains through her body. Sage abruptly thudded on the white seat cushion, her tiny body bouncing on the impact. The air was knocked out of her lungs and all she could do was lay limply, gasping for air.

Her instincts screamed at her to get up, but Sage was unable to move. Everything hurt. Her head felt like a sack of rocks and blood roared in her ears. The sound of heavy stomping barely registered in her brain, but Sage made no attempts to get up. She already pushed her tired and beaten body too much. So far, the humans showed no ill-intent towards her and Sage was willing to take a leap of faith and trust the brothers. Despite not having a choice on the matter.

She closed her eyes and waited for the giants.

—————

Down the hallway from the kitchen was a cozy office filled with books and scattered papers. An abandoned desk sat at the back of the room, the large window behind it being the only source of light. Tukka's head drooped down from the red couch in the center of the room, his messy fur stuck out in all directions as the result of a good dream. Probably one filled with bacon.

Cade sat on the couch next to his beloved dog with his eyes closed. His medicine drained the little energy he had, and Cade found himself taking naps every chance he got. Arthur, on the other hand, restlessly paced around the small office. It had been a couple hours since they left the fairy and the sun was beginning to settle down. Arthur had been itching to go and try to talk to their strange house guest again, but Cade insisted they gave her space so she could rest peacefully.

Arthur did one more lap around the room before flopping face first onto the red couch across from his brother, letting out a loud groan.

"You good?" Cade mumbled as he forced his eyes open, but he felt he already knew the answer.

Arthur slowly sat up on the couch but kept his eyes on the wooden floor. Strands of brown hair fell out of his man bun and covered his face,"I just want to apologize to her. I was trying to keep her from falling off the edge of the sweatshirt. I didn't think she would get that scared." He covered the shame on his face with his hands,"I must have looked like a monster to her."

Cade knew this feeling all too well. Ever since tinies were granted full rights a few years ago, he has run into more and more tinies during his shifts now that people actually called their injuries in. He and his partner always tried to assure their tiny patients they were safe, but that never stopped them from scurrying away from their hands in a panic. One borrower even tried jumping out the ambulance and screamed bloody murder when Cade caught him before he became a bloody puddle on the ground.

He knew their fear of humans were valid after decades of abuse, but it still pained him to see the terror on their faces. Unfortunately, Cade has grown used to being a monster in their eyes, but Arthur was not prepared for the same treatment.

The last thing he wanted was Arthur beating himself up for something out of his control,

"Tinies are scared of humans no matter our intentions, it's what kept them alive for so long. You did the right thing keeping her from falling."

Cade watched as Arthur slowly lifted his head out of his hands,"but you saw what happened. I hurt her-"

The older man quickly interrupted the damning thoughts, trying to pull Arthur out of the downhill spiral called guilt, "She was already hurt when I found her, you had nothing to do with it," Cade rubbed his eyes in a failed attempt to get the sleep out of them. He continued," The little thing was going to aggravate her injuries sooner or later. Now she knows to take it easy."

Guilt still plagued his younger brother's face, but Arthur kept his thoughts to himself. Cade used the silence as an opportunity to clear his head. He leaned back against the soft cushions and closed his eyes, hoping to finally catch up on some sleep. However, a small noise cut through the silence. It was a quiet sound that the humans would have missed if their ears weren't tuned to pick up any small noises from down the hall.

Cade looked at Arthur who held a shocked expression on his face, confirming he heard it as well. In an instant, both men were racing down the hallway towards the small cry.

They arrived in the kitchen and found no trace of the fairy on the sweatshirt or hiding under the washcloth. The blueberries and bottle cap of water remained untouched. Millions of different scenarios raced through Cade's mind, none of which had any positive endings.

"Watch your step," he ordered Arthur before cautiously walking to the round table. Cade watched the ground intently as if the fairy would appear right under his shoes, making the short trek even slower.

At the table, he went down on his hands and knees and looked behind the various table legs. He just started checking behind the chair legs when he saw a tiny figure lying on the seat cushion.

The small fairy was sprawled out on her back.  She didn't even move when Cade leaned in to get a closer look, causing a pang of worry to shoot through him. He moved even closer until his eyes were just a few inches away from her body, and intently watched her chest until he noticed the subtle rise and fall of her breathing.

Letting out his own small breath of relief, he asked,"Ms.? Can you hear me?" Of course he didn't expect any sort of response from her.

So, when the woman rolled her head over to meet his eyes, Cade was shocked. She didn't even flinch away from the close proximity like in their first meeting, but that didn't make Cade feel any better. She could easily be concussed and he had no idea how to run the proper tests on someone so small.

He slowly started moving his hands towards her, "I'm gonna pick you up and bring you to the table to check your injuries. Okay?" Even though she showed no signs of understanding English, it felt wrong not to tell her what was going on.

Cade watched the fairy's reaction as he brought his hands closer. He heard Arthur shuffling over behind him, but his entire focus remained on his tiny patient. Fortunately, all the woman did was look away from the hands and closed her eyes, making it easier for Cade to move without startling her.

As gently as he could possibly manage, he scooped the fairy into his hands while being mindful of her injuries and slowly lifted her up. No matter how often he picked up a tiny, Cade still couldn't get over the surreality of it. He was holding a whole person in his palms yet hardly felt any weight.

As he cupped the woman closer to his chest for stability, Cade noticed how his fingers dwarfed the fairy. He could close his fingers and completely engulf her, and no one would even know she was there. Those thoughts reminded him how much responsibility he had on his shoulders and he quickly, but carefully, deposited the fairy on top of the table.

Arthur leaned over his shoulder, "is she okay?" He asked, his voice hiding none of his concern.

Cade looked over his tiny patient once more. Strands of brown hair fell out of her braid and covered part of her face. The gauze wrapped around her leg was starting to become undone, although it had to be changed anyways. His brown eyes fell over to her wings. Without his magnifying glass the numerous cracks in the wings were too small for him to notice, preventing him from seeing any new tears.

He reached under the table where he left his first-aid kit earlier that day, "she'll survive." Cade stated simply,"although, we need to call the T.A.P.A to pick her up as soon as we can."

"You're still thinking about calling them?" Arthur asked, failing to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Cade started taking out the needed supplies from the kit and placed them on the table. The fairy still hadn't moved since he held her and he was getting increasingly worried about the injuries he can't see. Cade sighed,"we've already talked about this. It's for the best."

The younger man leaned over Cade's shoulder, and was disappointed to find the fairy still unresponsive. He knew not to keep arguing with Cade about the whole TAPA situation, especially when he was working. So, he decided to test out something instead, "Can I try something?"

Cade slowly looked over at him with tired eyes, his face full of suspicion,"what are you going to do?" He asked, somewhat fearing the answer.

Arthur pulled out his phone,"I just wanna see if she understands different languages." He shrugged with a grin,"it might get her to wake up." He reasoned.

"I don't think that would-"

"Hola? Bonjour? Ciao? Ahlan?" Arthur stammered through the list of greetings, obviously having no idea how to pronounce anything. Yet he continued strong,"guten tag? Halo? Konnichiwa?" He paused and his brows furrowed at the screen,"z-zdra-vst-vuyte?"

Cade ran a hand over his face,"did it ever cross your mind that she might speak a fae language?"

Arthur looked up from the screen and his cheeks reddened,"no...."

The older brother sighed and grabbed the smallest pair of tweezers he owned and slowly reached out towards the damaged wings, failing to notice the fairy tense up.

A Big Problem

2K words

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Hot air hit her numb, frozen skin. She heard a loud sniff before the sound of digging filled Sage's ears. She forced her tired eyes open just to see a wall of white snow. Confused, Sage slightly tilted her head up to meet the face of a fluffy wolf eagerly peering into the deep hole. Normally, the sight would give her a heart attack, but now she couldn't even bother to care. She was dead anyways. A heaviness fell onto her eyes once more, and soon the darkness took over the world again.

—————

Warmth. Warmth was all Sage could feel. The heat surrounded her aching bones, breathing life into her frail body. She happily snuggled deeper into the soft material around her. Sage wasn't interested in where she was or what happened as long as the comfort never left her.

Of course, her mind didn't let her rest for long. Questions demanding answers swirled around in her head. The first question: where was she?

Sage tried to ignore it, but the question only screamed louder in her head as the seconds ticked by. The material around her slowly began to feel familiar... rough... almost like that....

No. She couldn't be back there. They couldn't have found her again.

But the harsh roughness of the bag told her otherwise. Sage wildly thrashed her arms and legs trying to break out of the darkness, but she knew it was hopeless. A deep rumble humming a cheery tune outside of her prison drowned her screams. Her body shook uncontrollably as tears formed in her eyes. How did they find her? Why was this happening again?

Suddenly, the humming vanished. She was awake. Although her blurry vision prevented her from identifying her whereabouts, Sage knew she was safe from that suffocating bag. A deep breath escaped her lips as she waited for her heart to calm down.

Disoriented, she slowly tried to sit up to get her bearings only to collapse back down as pain erupted all through her body. She gritted her teeth in agony and scrunched her eyes shut.

"Sh-should we help her?"

Sage froze as a low rumble vibrated her battered body, her pain suddenly becoming tolerable. Was that thunder?.... Or a voice?

"There's nothing else we can do."

An even deeper rumble shook the air and the fairy shot her hands up and covered her ears before the thunderous noise ruptured her eardrums.

Wherever she was fell eerily quiet, leaving Sage alone with her boggled mind. Those were definitely voices, she shakily confirmed, but nothing could ever be that loud....nothing my size....

Sage's heart nearly collapsed at the mere thought she was discovered by humans. Dreading the confirmation, she slowly counted to three and pried her eyes open.

Her heart didn't collapse, however. It exploded into a billion pieces as she took in the site of a  humongous face hovering above her, way to close for her liking. Brown eyes scrutinized her small form, seemingly studying every single part of her as hot breath bore into her skin. Sage quickly squeezed her eyes shut and pulled a strange white material over her head to shield her from the giant brown orbs.

Thunder, or a voice, pierced the air once more,"Back up Cade! Can't you see your scaring her?"

The surface below creaked as a crushing weight seemed to be lifted off. Sage didn't dare move under the cloth as her mind attempted to wrap around her current predicament.

Unfortunately, it was pretty hard to think when the deeper voice spoke once again,"Right now, I'm more concerned about her injuries," he  replied calmly,"She has cuts all over her body, some are real deep. I need to make sure they don't get infected." The man let out a quiet sigh,"And that wing has me worried."

"Well, the poor thing is scared enough as it is without your ugly face one inch away from her," the second voice mumbled.

The giants continued to bicker about what's best for her, leaving Sage unattended on the red cloth. The booming conversation fell on deaf ears since Sage already knew what was best for her: getting back to The Hollow. To Rod.

Taking a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes and struggled to shove the white rag off of her. Her body screamed in protest with every movement while she dragged herself out of the warm, thick blanket and into the light. Sage quickly glanced back to see two towering forms focused more on each other than the escaping fairy. She thanked the gods that humans had such short attention spans.

Or so she thought...

Earth shattering footfalls shook the world and in a matter of seconds, a giant was looming over her spot on the table. Sage looked up to the sky in horror as a pair of icy blue eyes bore down on her. She slowly scooted backwards, not paying attention to her surroundings. All she could see was the giant human looming over her. She was so dead.

Sage has seen the destruction and terror humans left behind firsthand and it was something that still haunted her years later. The lifeless bodies, crushed homes, burning forestry, and the screams of loved ones were all she could think about when humans were even mentioned. The commander used to speak at the academy to warn kids to stay inside the safety of The Hollow's walls to avoid the giant monsters. She should have taken her own advice.

The giant man raised his arm and slowly reached his hand towards the fairy with his fingers spread, ready to grab her. She was no bigger than the index finger, making her realize how dire her current situation was. The hand could completely engulf her entire body and crush the life out her in an instant.

Sage instinctively reached down for her sword ready to cause some serious damage to the monstrous hand, but only grasped thin air. Orange eyes shot down to her side, no sword in sight. In fact, her blue armor was missing too, leaving the woman in nothing more than her black jumpsuit. Anguish hit her. The odds of surviving a giant were already low, but without her gear she stood absolutely no chance.

With only one option left, she opened her wings and leapt off the red cloth only to crumble to the cold wooden surface instead. Sage bit deep into her tongue to silence her screams as a horrific stabbing sensation rippled through her wings and spread to her body. Her breathing hitched and her hands clutched tightly together, digging her nails into her pale skin and turning her knuckles white.

Indistinguishable voices echoed through the air, blending together as Sage fought to stay conscience. Weak cries escaped her mouth as the air seemed to be sucked out of her. Death would be a blessing right now.

After what felt like centuries, the paralyzing torment began to subside, allowing her tense muscles to relax. Gasping for air, she shakily got onto her hands and knees, failing to stop the tears rolling down her red cheeks. Warm blood flowed out of the fresh gash in her tongue, coating her mouth with a metallic taste.

Sage immediately knew what caused her agony the moment it struck: her wings. It didn't take a genius to know that a fairy's wings were tremendously fragile and sensitive. One little tear, and the next thing you know you're paralyzed on the ground begging the gods for mercy.

Looking over her shoulder, she examined her injured wing and her heart dropped. There was a huge tear starting from the top of her wing down to the center along with a few small cracks. A strange thin, yellow rod was attached to the broken wing, seemingly holding the pieces together before it split even more. It would take months of proper care for the wing to heal.

Peeling her eyes off her shriveled wings, she glanced down at her arms and leg covered in what looked like a bandage. Spots of crimson blood stained the white material as it leaked from injuries she never knew she had. Her throbbing left leg no longer had an arrow sticking through it, but it still hurt to put weight on it. Making any hope of escape drop even lower.

"Can you hear me?"

Sage's eyes widened. How could she have forgotten about the giants! She just tried to fly away from them! If that monster wasn't going to kill her before, he definitely would now!

A dark shadow cast over her small form. Instant regret washed over Sage, she messed up and was now going to pay the price. Her head fell to the ground and her eyes closed as she was forced to accept an early death.

A deep voice rose in front of her causing the fairy to jump,"Hey little one," he spoke softly,"What happened? Are you alright?"

Something big and hot grazed her arm and she jolted back, landing on her side with a loud thud. More agony swept over her beaten body and she bit back a cry.

"Easy there, we just want to make sure you're okay."

Yeah right, she bitterly thought. There was no way a human actually cared about a tiny. He was probably just trying to get her guard down for an easier kill. Then again, there was nothing stopping him from ending her life right now. Sure she was one of the strongest soldiers of The Hollow, but the giants completely overpower her. Why was she still alive?

Confused, and a bit curious, Sage slowly lifted her head off the smooth ground. An enormous hand rested a few inches in front of her, but immediately retracted out of sight when the woman began scooting back.

Sage looked to where the hand retreated and saw a towering wall of gray cloth that filled her vision. Her heart pounded harder and harder as her eyes slowly made their way up the wall, trying to find the face of the behemoth. Sage's head cranked back to the point it might break before meeting a pair of enormous brown eyes staring down at her.

Keeping his gaze locked on her, the giant body began to shift and Sage forgot to breathe when she became face to face with the human. Even on his knees, he still loomed menacingly over her small form.

However, a comforting smile formed on his face,"How are you feeling?"

He expectantly looked at her for a moment, but Sage didn't acknowledge his words and silently stared up at him. Although she put on a brave face, her insides twisted into thousands of knots at each passing second.

After a few awkward moments of dead silence, a second voice spoke,"Do fairies even know English?"

"I know as much as you do." The giant man in front of her sighed, blowing hot air that ruffled her brown hair.

With booming footsteps, the second human walked next to the other man before kneeling at the table. His big blue eyes filled with awe and curiosity as he looked at the fairy before him like he was a kid in a candy store.

Sage has always hated being the center of attention, so she couldn't help but squirm under the crushing stares of four enormous eyes. She look down into her lap and fidgeted with her fingers. She couldn't wait for this nightmare to be over.

"So, can you—wait. I don't think we introduced ourselves yet," an overly cheery voice said,"My name is Arthur."

Sage raised her head to see the blue eyed man, Arthur, pointing at himself with a smile.

Arthur then gestured to the man with brown eyes,"This is my older brother Cade. I know he looks scary but I promise he's a nice guy. Sometimes." He joked earning an elbow from the older man.

The brothers turned their attention back on Sage. They obviously wanted her name, but she figured it was best if they thought she couldn't understand them. Who knows, maybe they'll reveal some sort of human weak spot right in front of her, giving her the ultimate advantage. That, and her body was so overwhelmed with shock she couldn't open her mouth even if she wanted to. But mostly the first reason. Totally.

When it became clear the fairy wasn't going to talk to them, the brothers exchanged a glance as if they were debating on what to do.

After a few moments of staring, Arthur rose to his full towering height and walked to what looked like a kitchen behind him. Unfortunately, It was hard to see what he was doing with his back facing the table. He slowly walked back and carefully placed a plate between Sage and the red cloth before turning around again.

Cade's deep voice interrupted the sound of running water,"I'm not sure if you can understand us, but we're going to provide you some food and water and let you rest." He paused to see if Sage would respond but continued talking when she remained silent,"I will check your injuries tomorrow."

With that, the man heaved onto his feet and began trudging out of the room. Arthur placed something small by the plate and followed his brother out, giving a small little wave to the fairy as he exited.

Even as the sound of booming footsteps faded away, Sage's body remained frozen to the wood beneath her. Her mind was blank. What... just happened? She thought to herself.

She was shocked to find she was not being kept in a cage like a pet or sold to the black market. They didn't even punish her when she tried to fly away. The brothers seemed to have cared about her, maybe even respect her. Perhaps not all giants were power hungry animals who enjoyed torturing "lesser beings."

However, that could change. That's how humans work. They are nice one moment and complete assholes the next, but Sage will not fall victim to their manipulation again. No matter how hard they try, she will not cozy up to them.

Before she could analyze the situation further, a loud growl filled the air. It was her stomach. Sage's eyes wandered to the plate Arthur put down and noticed some berries resting on top. As much as Sage hated taking food from her captors, the constant painful rumbles of her stomach told her to stop complaining and start walking.

When Sage finally limped her way to the white plate, she grabbed the rims and heaved herself on top. The site of the blueberries made her mouth water and she greedily grabbed one with her hands.

Right when her teeth pierced through the blue skin, relief found its way back to her. The berry tasted like heaven. It's juices covered her mouth and dripped down her arms as she devoured the delicious fruit. More than half of the large berry was gone before the woman's hunger was satisfied.

The small object Arthur placed was also located on the plate. It seemed to be a weird looking bowl filled with water. Sage dipped her hands in and washed the remains of the berry off before taking a long drink. Afterwards, she sat on the plate in a daze, too tired to bother thinking.

Without even realizing it, the fairy made her way up the soft red cloth before collapsing in an exhausted heap. A part of her wanted to rest somewhere hidden, but the heaviness in her eyes convinced Sage otherwise.

Her sleepy eyes closed and Sage fell into darkness, resting for the challenging day ahead of her.

Strange Company

Not so fun fact: a guy actually did ramp off a pile of snow in his car back where I lived. Thankfully, he survived his stupidity with a few bruises.

3k words

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*beep beep beep*

"Damn you, you stupid alarm," the man groggily grumbled as he reached over and smacked the blaring alarm clock on his nightstand. He let out a deep sigh as he laid back down and stared at the ceiling, dreading the new day.

When he was about to drift back to sleep, his phone's ringtone cut through the quiet room. He checked who it was, intending on ignoring it, but it was his boss.

He rubbed his tired eyes with his hand before answering,"Hello?"

"Ah, Cade! Hope I didn't wake you up!"

He rolled his brown eyes,"Nope, already up." he grumbled, "Are you calling me at 7:00 in the morning to have small talk or do you need something?"

He heard his boss let out a small chuckle,"Well as much as I love talking to you, I just wanted to give you a heads up that we might need to call you in today."

Cade sat up, jolting awake,"Is everything alright?"

"For now, but there's a blizzard coming and you know how stupid people are." His boss let out a deep sigh,"We're expecting a lot of car accidents today. We could use all the EMTs we can get, ya know?"

Cade failed to respond as memories from his last shift began flooding into his head. Terrible memories. The call over the radio static, blaring lights, ear piercing sirens, crunching glass beneath his feet, blood, the look on he-. He shook his head, trying to throw away the images.

His boss's low voice snapped him back to the present,"Cade! Listen to me buddy!" there was a long pause,"I know how hard this must be for you, I get that. I can take your name off the list."

"Y-yeah, I'll appreciate that."

"I know it takes time to recover, but I'm not sure how long we can keep you on paid leave," Cade could hear the sadness in his voice,"Just call us if you need anything, we're a family remember? I'll let ya get some sleep."

With that, the phone clicked and Cade was back in silence. He knew he couldn't go to sleep now that his mind was racing, so he heaved himself out of bed and trudged to the kitchen for some much needed coffee.

As he slowly walked in, he was immediately greeted by the delicious smells of bacon and eggs, his stomach let out a low rumble.

"Good morning! I've already made some coffee, and breakfast should be done shortly."

"Thanks Arthur."

Cade moved around his younger brother to the coffee machine and poured himself a steaming hot cup of his favorite coffee: black. He took a small sip, the hot, bitter taste warmed his insides and he let out a breath of relief. He's been able to get some more sleep recently but that didn't stop the constant exhaustion that seemed to hang over him at all times.

Arthur scrunched up his face,"I don't know how you like your coffee black" he commented under his breath as he plated the eggs and bacon on two plates.

He only chuckled as Arthur gave him a plate and sat down beside him. Cade's husky, Tukka, sat eagerly between the two brothers waiting for the crumbs to fall.

Arthur smirked and shook his head,"He's acting like I didn't just feed him."

Cade tiredly smiled as he looked down at his dog, giving him a small piece of bacon,"You should know that acting is Tukka's speciality."

His younger brother lightly smacked his hand,"Well of course he begs if you keep feeding him our food!"

Before Cade could respond, his brother glanced at his watch and hurriedly wolfed down his food and chugged his coffee before quickly jumping up. "Arthur? What are you doing?" Cade asked full of confusion as Arthur jogged to the door.

The young man zipped up his blue heavy jacket as he made his way to the door,"I wanna hit the store before that blizzard gets here." He saw a stunned expression form on his older brother's face,"Don't worry, the storm isn't bad right now. I'll be back in a jiffy."

Cade shot up from his chair and faced Arthur,"No you stay here, I'll go out and grab some supplies." He said sternly and moved to pull on his boots by the door.

"I've driven in the snow before, Cade." His older brother kept on grabbing his things as if he didn't hear him. Arthur sighed,"Your medicine makes you too tired to drive. It's best if I go." He tried to reason, but Cade gave no indication of stopping. Arthur refrained from making any harsh remarks, understanding that Cade's need to protect his loved ones had only grown stronger.

Cade kept his back turned as he zipped up his jacket."It's better to just stay here out of harm's way. It's a dangerous world," his voice broke slightly in the end. He covered his mouth with a hand and bowed his head, ashamed he couldn't pull himself together even after all this time.

Arthur went over and rested a hand on his brother's shoulder, trying to give him the comfort he knew he couldn't provide,"I know, I know...I'll give you a call when I reach the store and when I'm heading back, okay?"

Cade could only nod. Fear manifested inside of him as he helplessly watched his brother pull up his hood, step out the door, and drive away on the snow covered road. He knew he couldn't let the past control him, but the thought that something similar could happen itched the back of his brain.

He gave another piece of bacon to Tukka as he trudged to the sink to drop off his dishes, looking at the vast white forest behind his house through the small window. He could see the dark clouds gathering over head before turning to focus on something else.

That something else was always his TV, he could sit in front of the thing for hours and never get bored. He didn't care if it brainwashed him or melted his mind as long as it distracted him from the real world. His therapist told him it isn't healthy to avoid his problems like this, but Cade preferred it a lot more than confronting them. He mindlessly flipped through the channels before finding some show about building houses. His eyes were trained on the TV, but his mind was elsewhere.

-----

Just as he was about to start a new episode, a loud alarm-like noise cut through the air. Cade jumped and quickly looked over to see his husky singing, more like screaming, at the back door. He glanced up at the clock: 8:30.

He turned on his phone expecting a missed call or text but neither appeared, and his heart started pounding harder. Arthur should have called by now, he should have called by now... he took a deep breath and slowly counted to ten, He's a smart kid, it's fine. He's fine.

As his heart struggled to slow down, he looked at his big whining dog scratching the sliding door. Cade pushed himself off the couch and grabbed his black winter jacket and gray beanie. He slid on his tan boots over his plaid pajama pants before pulling on his black gloves. His outfit definitely wasn't going to impress anyone, but no one else was stupid enough to walk their dog in a blizzard.

He slid the door just enough for him and his eager dog to squeeze through as the freezing wind tried to push them back inside. Cade quickly pulled over his hood to try and protect his skin from the biting temperature while Tukka happily rolled in the cold white powder. He let out a defeated sigh knowing he's the one who will have to yank out all of the snowy clumps from his dog's fluffy fur.

Cade let out a sharp whistle and the man and dog began their daily trek through the woods on the normal beaten path. It was one of the only routines Cade managed to keep up with as it calmed his heart and mind.

However, Cade soon saw a light green figure through the heavy falling snow a few feet ahead of them, quickly realizing there was, in fact, another idiot out walking their dog. He immediately took a sharp turn to the left, praying they didn't see him as he was not in the mood to socialize. But his luck has never been that good.

"Oh my god! Cade is that you?" The annoyingly high pitch voice of his neighbor from hell, Lauren, called out.

He hung his head down as he briskly walked away, whistling like he never heard the middle-aged woman. Even Tukka's happy smile and wagging tail disappeared as they wandered to an area far away from Lauren.

The lady was your classic mean gossip girl that  peaked in high school. She didn't seem to understand that the world doesn't revolve around her as she stuck her ugly nose in other people's business. Arthur even threatened to call the cops on her after he caught the crazy blonde looking through the windows searching for Cade after... the incident. He quickly walked further and further away until he wasn't even sure where he was, but that was fine by him if it meant no creepy stalker lady.

The annoyance forming inside of him was instantly replaced with relief as he felt his phone vibrating in his coat pocket. He almost dropped the phone a few times while he tugged off his gloves and pressed the green button.

"Hey Cade! Sorry it took so long for me to call, it looks like everyone else around here had the same idea as me!"

"Not Lauren," he mumbled under his breath.

"What? I didn't catch that."

"Nothing!" He smiled,"I'm just glad you got there in one piece, I was starting to get worried."

Cade could practically see the giant smile forming on Arthur's face and immediately regretted his choice of words,"Awwwwww! My older brother does care about me!" He joked.

Before Cade could even try to defend his honor, he felt the rough cotton leash snap out of his numb hands. His eyes shot up in horror as he watched the gray and white form of his dog sprint into the snowy distance.

"SHIT! TUKKA COME! TUKKA!"

Arthur's mocking tone was replaced with concern,"Cade? What's going on, what happened to Tukka?"

Cade rested a trembling hand on his frozen forehead,"We're outside in the forest and Tukka ran away. Shit! I can't see anything out here!" He complained as the falling snow stun his eyes, effectively blinding him.

He heard a loud sigh on the other end of the phone,"Don't freeze your ass off searching for him, you hear me?" His younger brother paused for a moment,"Huskys are made for the snow and Tukka knows his way back home, he'll be fine. Just head back to the house and wait for the storm to blow over, okay?"

Cade reluctantly agreed and hung up his phone, but instead of heading towards the house, he ventured into the direction he saw Tukka last. That stupid dog of his stayed by his side through good and bad, comforting him in his harshest moments. The last thing he was going to do was abandon that fluff ball, even if it meant fighting through the angry blizzard.

-----

His hands were frozen, he could no longer feel his face, or stop his eyes from watering in the bitter wind. His brown hair and beard were completely covered in snow. Cade could feel the snow soaking through his pajama pants, numbing his legs as he called for his dog.

He could hardly grip his phone as he checked the time: 11:43. He puffed out a breath of cold air and watched it float in front of his face, he knew he should have gone back to the warmth of his house a long time ago, but his heart refused to leave without his beloved pet. However, time was quickly slipping away from his frozen fingers as the blizzard continued to rage on, providing no sign of stopping.

His brother texted him a little more than an hour ago, letting him know he was on his way back from the store. For once, Cade found himself hoping traffic was real bad in order to buy himself some time.

He squinted his eyes and looked as far as he could around him, expecting to see nothing but white snow. But to his surprise, he saw a weird, unnatural lump a few feet in front of him. He tried not to get his hopes up as he called Tukka's name, only for his heart to burst out of his chest when the fluffy figure sprinted to him.

His frozen face was immediately greeted by warm, sloppy kisses as Tukka knocked the man to the ground. Cade tightly wrapped the cotton leash around his hand before giving the snow covered dog a relieved hug. Unfortunately, he felt the wet snow quickly creeping its way through his pants and piercing his already frozen skin. He promptly jumped up and wiped his now wet pants as best he could.

"Alright, let's go buddy!" He turned and began to walk home but found his legs were taking him nowhere. He looked over his shoulder to see Tukka standing with his paws firmly placed in the shin-high snow.

Cade tugged the leash,"Come on Tukka, we don't have time for this." This only caused the dog to resist even more and backpedal away. Cade defeatedly hung his head knowing how stubborn his dog is as he let the husky lead him to who knows where.

After a short walk, Tukka sniffed the ground in front of him and laid down onto the white surface. It's safe to say Cade was confused as he squinted at the pile of snow his dog was so keen on showing him. He could tell Tukka was digging at something, but he couldn't make out what it was since it was so small. He carefully knelt down and reached into the hole to brush some snow off the small object before picking it up in his gloved hands to get a better look.

What Cade held in his hand rendered him speechless. It was a tiny humanoid figure. Since the falling snow made it difficult to see, he couldn't tell if he was holding a nymph, sprite, or borrower. His best guess was a nymph since they are known to live in the surrounding forest, and this little guy didn't seem to have any yellow light around it like a sprite. What he did know, however, was he needed to help the little creature.

He quickly unzipped one of his jacket's pockets and gently placed the little being inside, hoping it was warm enough. His frozen fingers could barely hold the weight of his phone as he looked up his current location, praying his house wasn't too far away. It was of course. About a 20 minute walk to be exact. Cade tugged on Tukka's leash to begin the tiresome walk back to the warm comfort of his home, and thankfully, Tukka cooperated this time.

-----

The man stumbled through the sliding door, almost tripping over his dog who decided to trot right under his feet. Cade didn't even bother to take off his snow covered gear or lecture Tukka for shaking water from his fur as he ran to find something warm to place the frozen creature on. His eyes rested on a red sweatshirt that Arthur left out and yanked the cloth off the couch, hastily beelining to the round table.

He folded the sweatshirt and placed it onto the table before dipping his hand into his pocket, gently wrapping his fingers around the tiny, cold body resting inside. Very carefully, he pulled the small body out and laid it onto the awaiting sweatshirt. He watched them closely, and released a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw the subtle rise and fall of their stomach, relieved he didn't bring a dead body in his house.

Cade knelt down and took a second to observe the small figure. He could now see that it was a young woman, about three inches tall. She wore blue armor similar to a nymphs, but that only confused him since a set of wings hung from the woman's back. However,  he didn't see why a sprite would wear nymph armor, but... she didn't resemble a sprite either; her skin was light blue from the cold, but he could tell it wasn't green, and her straight brown hair was anything but spiky. His brain seemed to overheat as he tried to calculate a definite answer.

Then, a small stick poking out of the woman's left calf caught his attention. He knew for a fact that wasn't natural, nor was it comfortable as he quickly got up to retrieve his first aid kit from the bathroom. He pulled out a pair of tweezers that had a small magnifying glass attachment and assessed his new patient. He noticed a fair amount of dried blood around the stick and noted it probably been in her leg for a while, then he looked at her tiny wings and grimaced; both of them were shriveled and the wing on the left was torn vertically. Wing care was not his expertise, so he would just have to do what he felt was right until she woke up. He also saw numerous scratches and bruises on her face but they weren't his first priority. Cade pulled on some rubber gloves, took a death breath, and got to work.

-----

Arthur pulled into the driveway and sighed. The drive back home was a lot worse than he could have imagined. He was stuck in 2 and a half hour long traffic jam because some idiot decided it would be funny to ramp off a pile of snow sitting by the side of the road, landing in the middle of the street in a contorted piece of metal. Thankfully, the guy didn't die over his impulse decision. On top of that, the blizzard made it extremely difficult to see a few feet in front of him, and Arthur found himself driving like an old lady.

He cautiously stepped out of his truck and made his way up the winding sidewalk to the front door, mindful of any ice trying to sneak its way under his foot.

Arthur stepped into the quiet home,"Cade! I'm back!"

No response.

He's probably sleeping he thought as he walked into the kitchen and plopped the groceries onto the counter.

"Oh, hey Arthur."

Arthur jumped and clumsily collapsed onto the counter from the jump-scare of Cade’s voice. He glared at his brother and was about to speak his mind when Cade quickly rested a hand on his mouth. Arthur pushed him away and gave him a questioning look.

His older brother only rested a finger on his lips before pointing at the table behind him. Arthur glanced over and saw the contents of the first aid kit sprawled all over the floor, bandaids and gauze littered the table, the tweezer with the magnifying attachment laid by his red sweater. And on that red sweater was a...something.

Arthur slowly stepped around his brother and stared at the little creature resting peacefully under a small washcloth on top of his jacket. He slowly turned back to Cade,"....is that a borrower?" He asked, barely managing a whisper.

Cade shook his head,"When I found Tukka in the forest, he led me to her. She was nearly buried in the snow and her skin was blue, I couldn't just leave her out there."

He chose to forget that his brother just implied he didn't listen to him and searched the forest, too astonished by the new company. "But now we have a-" Arthur looked down at the tiny woman again and noticed the tip of her wings poking out of the washcloth, "What is she exactly?"

His brother only shrugged,"Not sure, though she is definitely not a nymph or borrower," he rubbed his chin,"And she doesn't look like a sprite.... what if she is a fairy?"

He rolled his blue eyes at the ridiculous comment before the realization hit him. He quickly studied the tiny woman; she had wings, pointy ears, pale skin, straight hair, and no yellow hue around her. She definitely fit the description of a fairy.

Arthur leaned against the counter for support,"T-thats impossible though... fairies are extinct."

Cade crossed his muscular arms over his chest,"To be fair, it has never been confirmed that fairies went extinct." He worriedly glanced over at the table,"But for all we know, she could be the last one."

The brothers stared at the table for a moment in awe, both agreeing to take care of the little fairy without uttering a single word.

However, the moment didn't last long as the fairy began to spasm in her sleep. It started out as small twitches but quickly grew to wild thrashing as if she were fighting something. Cade grabbed the magnifying glass to monitor her more closely and noticed her eyes flicking back and forth under her eyelids, and she was muttering words he couldn't comprehend.

All of the sudden, her little eyes fluttered open as she jolted awake.

Master Post:

A Fairy’s Journey

In a world where nymphs, sprites, and borrowers are known to exist, Sage Burton is the only known fairy still alive.

After a traumatic childhood, Sage is finally content with her life in the kingdom, The Hollow. She has earned the loyalty and respect from the nymphs as their commander and gained an excellent reputation around the forest.

However, a routine patrol for Sage turns into a fight for her life in the middle of a harsh blizzard, only to wake up in a giant house with two human brothers; Cade and Arthur, who have their own issues. Leaving Sage the difficult decision to trust the strange giants or escape.

Throughout the story, Sage learns that her happy life is not what seems. For better or worse.

Index (ongoing):

Chapter 1: The Ceremony

Chapter 2: The Blizzard

Chapter 3: Strange Company

Chapter 4: A Big Problem

Chapter 5: Escape

Chapter 6: Small Talk

Chapter 7: Fairy’s Best Friend

Chapter 8: Check-Up

Chapter 9: War

Pocket Detective

Like every other borrower, Tucker lives his life in the shadows, scavenging what he can to survive day by day. But when he witnesses a human’s murder, everything takes a terrifying turn. Especially when a certain pair of consulting detectives from an agency called Psych join the case.

This story is a fan fiction of the crime and mystery show called Psych (I love this show I highly recommend it!!). You don’t need to watch the show to read this series. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Index (ongoing):

Case 1: A Not So Average Night, Definitely Not A Mouse, Witness To a Crime,

The Blizzard

Second part of my story!

CW: blood and minor character death

3K words

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Sage zipped through the trees, quickly dodging barren branches as she made her way to the border. She looked up at the clouds darkening above her. Great, looks like there's a storm coming. Guess the gods decided I didn't have enough to worry about she bitterly thought. Luckily, her uniform blocked out most of the cold air, but it didn't stop the fairy from shivering. She didn't even want to think about what would happen to her wings if they froze during the blizzard, all the more reason to get back to The Hollow quickly.

Once the border by the river was in view, Sage flew up to the top of a tree and gracefully landed on a small branch. Crouching down, she began taking in her surroundings; the river was a frozen sheet of blue ice, snow covered all of the greenery, gray clouds continued to form above her, but most importantly: no signs of sprites. The same results as the last borders she checked.

She smiled to herself, why didn't Rod think she could handle this, all she had to do was fly and look at the pretty scenery. Since the sun was hiding behind the clouds, she could only guess that an hour has passed, which gave her plenty of time before noon. Easy. As if on cue, a heavy gust of wind threatened to knock the little fairy out of the tree, forcing her to hang on for dear life.

"Sorry sorry," she grumbled as she hoisted herself back onto the branch,"I forgot I can't enjoy my job."

Sage decided to take this as a sign and moved towards a different section of the border. However, her journey was no longer smooth flying as she fought against the bitter wind, which was suddenly blowing a lot harder than before. Her cheeks and nose began to sting from the cold air. The storm was coming in a lot faster than she anticipated.

Sage quickly flew down and found refuge on a branch shielding her from the wind, pressing her back against the trunk in an attempt to protect her wings from the biting temperature. Shit, it's way too cold to be out here, she thought as she rubbed her gloved hands together. However, she perked up when she realized the sprites wouldn't dare try an attack out in this weather. She could just fly home and help prepare the kingdom for the oncoming storm.

As Sage fought her way back to The Hollow, she saw a green and red feathered hummingbird standing on the powdery white ground. Of course she had to check it out and make sure everything was alright, so she landed by the bird and found it's pilot a few feet away in a ditch, too fixated on the ground to notice the new company.

Sage walked over and tapped the man's blue shoulder pads,"Is everything alright?"

The man screamed and jumped clean into the air as he was pushed back into reality by the sudden touch,"Com-Commander Burton!" He brushed snow off his pants as he stood up and delivered a salute. His tan face had splotches of pink from the cold, and his blond hair was barely visible under all of the snowflakes settling on his hair. The poor guy's chapped lips were trembling uncontrollably and his face held a terrified expression. Sage didn't think she was THAT scary.

"Whoa, easy there soldier," she raised both her hands to show he wasn't in trouble,"I just want to know if everything is alright, what's your name?"

The man's shoulders relaxed a bit,"My n-name is Zave Carwell, ma'am." He managed to say through chattering teeth.

Her frozen lips cracked into a smile,"Alright Zave, let's start heading back home." She said as she took his arm and began leading him back to his bird.

"W-wait Commander!" He exclaimed and dug his feet into the snow. At her questioning look, he continued,"I can't leave yet. I found s-something."

"What did you find?"

Zave simply motioned to the ditch they were standing in,"I-I think you should just see for yours-self, ma'am."

Not wanting to question the poor guy anymore, Sage promptly flew straight into the air, battling against the wind to stay hovering over Zave. She had to clean off her goggles while she stared  down at a very faint Zave as the white snowy air tried to hide him from sight. Her orange eyes narrowed as she looked at the man, not seeing what he was gesturing about.

Then her heart fell to the ground with a loud splat. Just when she thought her luck couldn't get any worse, it proceeded to plummet into the negatives. The ditch her and Zave were standing in was not a ditch at all... it was a giant footprint accompanied by large animal prints beside it. And there were a lot more heading in the direction of.... shit.

Sage bolted down to Zave as fast as she could, face stinging from the mixture of speed and freezing air. She almost crashed into Zave as she skidded to a halt, shooting up snow from her feet.

His eyes filled with even more terror at her haste,"Then it's really a-" he put his hands on his head as if trying to stop it from spinning,"I-I thought I was s-seeing things..."

Through his goggles, the man's eyes started to lose their focus, lost in his own train of thought. But now was not the time. Sage grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "Zave! I need you to stay with me,"she said sternly. He nodded and she continued,"Listen. I need you to go and warn The Hollow that a human is heading their way. Can you do that?" He briskly nodded again and sprinted to his bird.

"W-wait Commander! You're a fairy! You'll g-get there a lot faster than me!" He crossed his arms as the cold wind blew even harder.

Under normal circumstances he would be right, but the cold was really messing up her wings. Sage can hear them screaming at her to find warmth, threatening to snap under the temperatures freezing bite. She sighed,"My wings aren't made for this weather. I won't make it in time, but you can, so get going."

With that, the soldier jumped onto his saddle and blurred past her, kicking up snow as his bird raced towards home. As he disappeared into the falling snow, Sage looked at the footprint she was standing in. The thing was ginormous. She shuddered at the thought that a living thing could be that big. She remembered that more giant footprints loomed in front of her and painfully fluttered her wings to follow them. If the giant wasn't heading towards The Hollow, then she needed to find out where it went.

-----

She wasn't sure how long she has been following the footprints, her best guess was at least an half-an-hour. Her wings felt stiff as she slowly flew after the giant human, or at least trying to. The fairy was barley able to see a few feet in front of her, and she could no longer feel any part of her body as the freezing air seeped into her uniform. While the blizzard raged on, the large footprints were beginning to disappear, she'll be trapped with no sense of direction if she didn't pick up the pace, though her body simply refused to.

Sage let out a puff of cold air, she hoped Zave had better luck than her, he probably made it home already...if there was still a home to go back too. She shook her head, Gods, I should have never accepted this mission. Looks like I a owe Rod a huge apology, the thought of Rod forced a smile out of her frozen lips. She could picture him lecturing her when she returned to The Hollow, followed by a warm hug thanking the gods she was safe.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp stinging sensation in her arm, causing her to plummet to the ground in shock. She landed in the fluffy powder in a heap. Sage quickly recovered and lightly touched her arm. Warm blood was slowly seeping out of the fresh cut. Sage rose to her feet and turned around to see three sprites standing a few feet from her.

She couldn't see their normal sickly green skin or spiky hair as they wore thick fur jackets along with hoods, goggles, face masks, gloves, and pretty much everything else needed to stay warm. She found that she couldn't see any of their light purple wings, and figured they had them safely tucked in their jackets from the cold. Sage almost felt jealous, almost. She would rather freeze to death than be a stupid sprite. Knowing that people actually thought fairies and sprites were the same made her blood boil. Even from a distance, she could see the pale yellow hue illuminating off of them, easily revealing their positions though the thick snow.

"What the hell do you want!" Sage yelled, resting her hand on the frozen hilt of her sheathed sword.

The sprite in the middle laughed mockingly,"There's a fairy standing right in front of us, that's not a sight you see everyday," the female stepped closer, the two other sprites followed closely behind,"What do you think we want, filth?"

Sage's eyes narrowed. A bounty must have been placed on her head and these fools were looking for some money. Typical sprite behavior.

Sage smirked,"Well if you wanted to die you could have just said so."

The female sprite reached behind her back and pulled out an axe, her friend on the left revealed two knives while the other sprite aimed a bow and arrow. The female motioned to her friends,"lets be honest, the one dying here today is you."

The sprite with the double knives quickly leaped forward, lunging at Sage. She dodged to the left when the sprite landed and started sloppily thrashing the weapons around. Sage quickly drew her sword and stabbed the sprite right in the gut. The sprite stood there for a moment before collapsing onto the ground in a bloody heap.

As she drew her sword out of the body, Sage looked up at the motionless yellow hue, barely visible a few feet in front of her,"Sending a rookie to kill me?" She grinned,"Now that's just offensive."

The female sprite let out a laugh of her own,"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary."

Then, something grazed pass her face, sending a sharp sting across her cheek. Using the blizzard as her cover, Sage quickly laid down on her stomach and crawled to a different spot. She could feel the wet snow soaking through her black jumpsuit as she searched for the second yellow hue, praying the sprite lost track of her. How the hell are they even shooting near me with all this stupid wind, Sage frustratedly thought.

The female sprite's laugh echoed over the wind,"Will you look at that, all of your confidence gone with one arrow."

Sage bit back a retort knowing the female was just trying to get her to reveal herself to the archer. She couldn't believe they thought she was that dumb. But that might actually be a good thing.

She slid her goggles off her helmet and quickly strapped them back over her face. Then she took off her blue helmet and tossed it into the air. Sure enough, an arrow shot through the center of the helmet, sending it whizzing behind her. She quickly looked at the source and saw the faint yellow hue perched on what she guessed was a low branch, before crawling to a new position since her own cover was blown from the toss.

However, Sage was too slow and an arrow shot right into her left calf. She buried her face into the snow as she held in her scream from the excruciating pain. She looked up as she continued to crawl with her limp leg leaving a bloody trail behind her, tears forming in her eyes.

As she crawled over to the yellow light, the female opened her big mouth again,"Awfully quiet over there, filth. Don't tell me that little arrow sent you to your grave," she mocked.

Sage bit into her tongue, trying to focus on crawling to the archer rather than her throbbing leg or the annoying female sprite. She just had little more to go than the archer was going to kiss the tip of her sword.

Right as Sage reached the bottom of the branch and was preparing her stiff wings for the short flight up, the female's worried voice pierced the air,"She's gone! Findanor she's heading towards you!"

Sage took that as her cue and her wings launched her up into the air, aiming right for the branch. A stabbing pain shot through her leg and into the rest of her body as she landed, causing her to stumble. The archer quickly turned from the sudden movement, not knowing what to do as their eyes filled with terror when the fairy lifted her sword. As a last ditch effort, the archer quickly swung their bow, but Sage ducked underneath and swiftly punched them in the stomach, causing them to fold over onto their knees. The archer kept their head down as Sage lifted her sword, delivering the final blow through their skull. The limp body fell off the branch and landed in the snow, staining it blue. Sage watched as the faint yellow hue slowly disappeared from their body.

A blood curdling scream cut through the forest, and Sage looked up to see the yellow hue of the female running towards her. She promptly lifted her sword ready for her final enemy, but was surprised when the sprite only kneeled next to the body of the archer below her.

"My baby, my beautiful baby girl!" She cried into the archer's shoulder,"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" Sage could only watch in horror as the female, the archer's mother, let out another desperate wail,"We should have never listened to that man! This wasn't worth your life!"

The mother then glared up at Sage,"You filth! I will kill you!" The mom launched a dagger at Sage, who barely managed to dodge it in time. Before she could recover, the mom appeared on the branch next to her and tackled her onto the ground. The two landed on the harsh snow in a tangled mess. The mom managed to connect some good punches to Sage's face before the fairy kicked her off with her legs. A metallic taste coated Sage's tongue as warm blood trickled down her mouth, but the new rush of adrenaline kept every ounce of pain out of her head. Both women quickly got up and faced each other.

No words were said. None were needed. Sage killed her daughter and now the mom was seeking revenge. In an instant, the mom lunged at Sage with a glistening axe, who in turn, held up her own sword and countered it. The mother quickly kicked Sage's bad leg, causing her to crumble to the ground from her new weakness before driving her axe towards the fairy's head. Sage quickly rolled out of the way as the axe pierced the snow next to her, and Sage swung her sword to meet the woman's throat.

The sprite jumped back, the sword cutting through a thin layer of skin only causing some blue blood to stain her jacket. Sage rose to her feet, her leg felt like it was on fire but it was tolerable for the time being. Her frozen hands gripped her sword as she desperately swung at the sprite, just wanting to end the battle. The mother easily rolled under the silver sword and Sage suddenly felt a shock of pain erupt through her back, paralyzing her as she fell to the ground.

Sage could barely make out the crunching of footsteps as her heart hammered in her ears,"Wings," the angry mother's form engulfed her vision,"A fairy's life, and greatest weakness."

She felt a hand grazing over her back, her sensitive wings twitching from the unwelcome touch. Shit, Sage tightly closed her eyes to hold in her forming tears, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. She winced at one of her wings being harshly lifted up, knowing she will lose it to the axe in a matter of seconds.

As Sage helplessly laid on the snowy ground awaiting her fate, she felt a familiar but foreign feeling begin to erupt in her body. It was nice, warm, and brought a feeling of security she never knew she longed for. It traveled through her terrified form, reawakening every inch of her with a new surge of energy and hope. Sage could feel her battered body tingling with power, relishing in every second of it. It ordered her to get up. She obliged.

The fairy climbed to her hands and knees despite the weight pressing down on her back. She faintly saw a black axe rise over her head, coming down fast. In a matter of seconds, Sage was holding the arm of a shocked sprite, painfully twisting her wrist until the axe thudded into the snow. The fairy could almost smell the terror of the woman who was now kneeling at her mercy, or so she thought. Like her daughter, the mother made a last desperate attempt against the commander, and revealed a dagger under her coat before launching it at Sage's forehead.

Before Sage could even register what was happening, a bright orange light engulfed the space around them, taking over her vision. She could hear the shocked cry of the sprite followed by a crash that sounded further away from her. Sage furiously rubbed her eyes trying to rid them of the blinding light, paranoid the mother would stab her in the back, making her struggle for survival pointless.

As the fuzziness in her eyes slowly cleared, Sage took in the scene in front of her; a faint yellow hue was hardly visible through the thick snow, slumped against a giant tree a few feet ahead of her. Cautiously, she treaded through the thigh-deep snow to her fallen opponent.

When she got closer, Sage's stomach twisted at the gruesome sight staring back at her; a broken branch stuck cleanly out of the sprite's abdomen, gushing in blue blood while the woman writhed in agony underneath. The sprite slowly pulled off her goggles and glared her pained, teary eyes into the fairy,"I-I'm surprised a-a piece of f-filth like you actually o-outlived me," she let out a raspy cough that shook her weak body.

Sage couldn't help but pity the fallen being in front of her and rested a hand on her shoulder, and to her surprise, the mother didn't resist. "With your permission-," Sage struggled to find the right words,"I can quickly reunite you with your daughter. It will be painless."

Despite the obvious agony, the mother's eyes shot daggers through the commander's armor. The woman heaved painfully,"I w-will n-not die to a-a disg-disgusting creature l-like you."

The sprite's body spasmed as she coughed up blood, Sage resisted the urge to look away. She silently moved her hand off the dying woman's shoulder and gripped her hand as she sat down beside her.

Sage could feel her own body begin to ache as the powerful energy surge wore off, painfully reminding her of all the injuries sustained during the battle. She knew she had no right to complain as she held the hand of the wheezing woman beside her, who's labored breathing became weaker and weaker. Eventually, Sage felt the grip on her hand loosen and watched the yellow hue fade in front of her eyes, leaving the fairy alone once again.

-----

Sage looked at the three shallow graves in front of her as she slowly rose to her feet; the grave on the left had a bow and arrow placed on it, the one in the center displayed a glistening black axe, and two knives decorated the grave on the right. They weren't very deep and the fairy knew the bodies would be uncovered with the melting snow, but it was the least she could do with her aching body.

As much as she loathed the sprites, she wasn't a cold hearted killer like the monsters that attacked her village all those years ago. Sage fought and killed when she had to, but never drew her sword on someone who showed no threat to her. Even if they did try to kill her, they deserved to be respected in death. Sage wished someone went and buried the people from her village so she could say her proper goodbyes. She never got that chance and refused to take it from others.

She shook her head to rid her mind of the troubled thoughts and began slowly struggling her way through the now waist-high snow. Sage no longer cared about the lurking giant, checking borders, or even returning to The Hollow. All she yearned for was shelter and warmth.

She used her sword as a crutch, but that didn't stop the burning pain of her impaled leg as it dragged uselessly behind her. The discomfort of her throbbing, bruised muscles was replaced by the freezing sting of the snow hitting her skin. Her frozen wings no longer responded to her as they hung motionless from her back, all she could do was pray they weren't damaged. Sage wasn't sure what the symptoms of hyperthermia were, but she was convinced she was falling victim to it.

Sage shivered uncontrollably as she searched her surroundings for any holes or caves she could reside in, but was only met with the blinding snow falling all around her. A wave of hopelessness drowned her as she dropped to her knees, too weak to even try getting up again. She curled into a ball as she lay in the bitter snow slowly burying her, unable to cry as the cold numbed her face.

The sound of loud thumping against the ground filled her ears, producing a strangely calm feeling.

I'm sorry Rod. I'm so sorry Rod. I really tried to get home but my body hurts too much, I just... I just want to sleep. Sage closed her heavy eyes, once I get some rest, I'll try again. The peaceful darkness quickly overcame her and she fell asleep.

The Ceremony

I’m soooo excited and nervous to post this story on here! Comments and questions are more than welcomed! I hope you enjoy!

3K words

Next Chapter

"SAGE! SAGE WHERE ARE YOU!" Her father's panicked voice pierced through the air, Sage could barely hear him over the screams and crackling of fire. She desperately tried to call out to him but only managed a weak cough as the smoke stole her breath. The rubble pinning her down was becoming heavier with each passing moment, the little girl knew it will crush her to death if the fire didn't reach her first. She hopelessly stared ahead to the scene in front of her; fairies frantically flying around, moms' carrying crying children, men dragging bodies away from the burning homes. And. So. Much. Fire. The flames completely engulfed the place that used to be her village, her home, carrying an unbearable heat that scorched the girl's skin. Then, her sight was interrupted by a darkness creeping over her eyes, she welcomed it and fell into the black void.

The young woman woke up in a cold sweat gasping for air, her heart pounding against her chest. She frantically glanced over her surroundings for any sign of destruction, but just saw her sad excuse of a room. She let out a sigh of relief as she sunk back down into the warm comfort of her bed, why the hell am I getting these nightmares, I should be over it by now Sage thought. But before she could think of any answers for herself, she heard a loud knock on her door.

"Sage, you better be up and ready right now!" The voice of a man shouted through the door.

Despite the stern tone, Sage couldn't help but chuckle,"I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable right now. How about you come back later." She called back, settling back down into her bed.

A loud, irritated sigh could be heard through the wooden door, "Please tell me you are just pulling my leg and didn't forget what today is."

She stared at the door for a moment, searching her memories for anything she could have forgotten, then the realization hit her like she just flew headfirst into a tree. "Oh gods! Why didn't you just tell me!" Sage immediately jumped out of bed and sprinted to the wardrobe that sat at the corner of the room, pulling out her black jumpsuit.

"I did like five times!" The man outside her door yelled,"I shouldn't even have to, you're old enough to wake yourself up!"

She knew he was right, but she didn't have enough time to come up with a retort, so she just shot an evil glare towards the door hoping he could feel it burning into him. Sage quickly slid on her set of light blue armored shoulder, elbow, and knee pads over her black jumpsuit. She hurriedly put on her matching breastplate while trying not to get her wings caught in it, that was the last thing she needed right now. Finally, she put on a white, sleeveless duster coat with little gold designs covering it. She slid her wings through the hole cut in the back of the jacket.

Then she made her way to the mirror. Her light brown hair was a tangled mess and her pale, freckled face had red marks all over it from what she guessed was her pillow after the rough night. She looked terrible. Sage quickly grabbed her brush and started painfully yanking out all of the knots. Once she felt that most were gone, she braided her long hair and flung it over her right shoulder.

"Are you almost done? We gotta get going!" The voice from beyond the door called out, sounding even more irritated.

"Yeah, I'm heading out now!" She called back as she put on her blue belt and armored boots. She reached out and grabbed her silver sword that rested by the door and sheathed it in the holder on her belt before opening the door.

She was immediately greeted by her good friend, Rod, who was standing outside of the door with his arms crossed. The two have been best friends since they were kids, so she never took him very seriously. He has a lean but muscular body that towered over the people around him, his brown skin gleamed from the yellow artificial light illuminating the hallway. His face sported a scar that traveled down his left cheek to his jawbone from an encounter with a group of sprites.

Rod wore identical armor to hers except his was green since he was part of the Ground Force and had to blend into the undergrowth, while she was in the Air Force and spent most of her days up towards the blue sky. His matching white and gold duster coat hung from his broad shoulders loosely over his body down to his shins. A required piece of clothing to show their higher authority.

Both Sage and Rod had been the military commanders of their kingdom, The Hollow, for two years. Rod commanded the entire Ground Force while Sage was in charge of the Air Force. Being the only fairy in the kingdom had its advantages when it came to impressing the royals and getting promotions. Since the rest of the Air Force had to fly using domesticated humming birds, they weren't nearly as agile when it came to aerial combat. The two commanders reported to the King who was the general of the military (despite never have been in combat before). He mostly listened to them anyways, so she supposed it didn't matter.

She gave Rod a confident smile,"See, there was nothing to stress over," she proudly put her gloved hands on her hips.

Rod only rolled his eyes, "Right, are you sure you got everything?" When Sage didn't pick up on his hint, he pointed to his head at his green helmet that had a small golden semicircle attached to the front. She held up her finger before sprinting into her room and grabbing the matching blue helmet she left in her wardrobe along with her goggles made of leather and acorn shells. As she ran back out of her room, she placed her helmet on her head and put her goggles over her helmet for easy access.

Rod nodded,"Now you're ready" he said with an amused smile.

Sage immediately ran around her friend so she wouldn't be as late to the ceremony meeting, but he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What are you doing?" She complained,"We're late enough as it is!" His grip only tightened on her arm when she tried to yank herself free, and he used his free hand to cover her mouth.

"Shhhhh! Do you want to wake up the whole barracks!" Rod whispered yelled as he let go of Sage.

Confusion covered her face as she looked up at her friend,"What do you mean? Isn't everyone already outsi-" Then it hit her. Rod, her apparent "best friend," tricked her into waking up early. He only smiled as she stood silently staring into his purple eyes, resisting the urge to punch him right in the face. She let in a deep breath and put on a smile of her own, though it wasn't a friendly one,"You better have a good reason for waking me up early." She crossed her arms, daring him to come up with a lame excuse as to why he forced her out of bed in a panic.

She could tell Rod was fighting his inner demons to hold in his laughter,"Actually, I do for once," he lightly patted her arm and the two started walking down the long wooden hallway lined with doors on the right side that opened to different barracks. On their left was a shabby little fence that apparently protected the troops from falling off the walkway to their deaths. Sage peeked over the fence and saw the giant pit that seemed to stretch down forever, she could barely make out the bottom of the hollowed out tree that held the soldiers living quarters.

The duo made their way to one of the elevators located at the end of the quiet hallway, they stepped on the platform and flicked the lever that activated the pulley system. This was a new invention created to help the nymphs since they kept complaining about climbing up and down all of the stairs, though Sage never had a problem since she can fly. The elevator made loud creaking noises threatening to break at any given moment, she couldn't understand how the nymphs thought this death trap was better than stairs.

Rod began talking as the unstable elevator made its way down,"the King requested we come in early to go over details for the ceremony."

Sage crossed her arms,"he never told me that."

"He probably figured you would be asleep anyways," Rod teased.

Sage chose not to retort back. They've been having the same argument for years and it always just went around in circles. It wasn't her fault she liked to sleep!

Rod then glanced off the elevator, smiling to himself. "Look at us. Casually going to the castle to speak to the King and Queen. I sometimes still can't believe we actually made it." He turned his whole body so he was facing Sage, leaning back against the feeble railing,"If I told myself years ago that the two of us would become commanders of the military, I would have thought I hit my head and became crazy!" He laughed, shaking his head.

Sage laughed along,"it really is crazy," she agreed. Considering she became a refugee with no family or home when she was young, she never thought she would make any impact in life. Especially during a time when the fae were hunted and taken by humans for reasons unknown to Sage. But the late king had given her a chance and allowed her to stay in The Hollow. Sage worked hard to ensure that trust didn't go to waste.

The struggling elevator reached the ground level with a loud thud, and the two friends silently stepped off. They weaved their way through the crowd of soldiers getting ready for the morning patrols, who saluted the commanders as they walked by. They returned their salutes with curt nods as they quickly made their way to the tree's exit. The exit was just a simple hole in the bark covered by the tree's roots and tall grass, making it a perfect hiding place from giant animals and sprites.

As they walked through, Sage was immediately greeted by the freezing winter wind and shivered. The rising sun was barely visible behind the dark grey clouds that covered the sky as they made their way along the path to the center of The Hollow, snow crunching under their feet with every step. She could see banners blowing in the wind as they hung from the homes made out of rocks and mud. The kingdom of The Hollow was surrounded by big, reinforced walls of rock, mud, and bark that housed a number of guard posts in order to keep one of the biggest nymph civilizations safe from the unforgiving world. Beyond that was a wall of large bushes that kept the kingdom hidden from any outsiders.

Although it was early in the cold morning, the kingdom was already bustling with excitement. Delicious, warm smells wafted through the air from the hundreds of street venders, making Sage's mouth water. Blue and pink streamers flew in the sky, a sharp contrast to the white snow that covered everything like a blanket. Huddled by small fires, she saw families and friends excitedly talking amongst themselves, filling the air with laughter.

Sage smiled at the sight knowing everyone came together to celebrate this very special day. For today, the King and Queen were revealing their newborn baby to the people of The Hollow. No one knew the name of the newborn royal or their gender, so it was a huge guessing game for the citizens.

Unfortunately, that meant the newborn royal would be exposed to the world. No one wanted to risk the life of the baby, especially with the increasing tension with the neighboring sprites. Therefore the commanders were forced to prepare for any given scenario instead of joining the festivities like everyone else.

A big group of younglings bundled up in fluffy fur coats ran over to Sage and Rod,"Can you guys play web catch with us again?" The kids jumped around as they surrounded the two, holding them captive in their circle while they waited for a response.

Sage chuckled as a little girl started pulling on her arm towards the court,"I'm sorry kiddos, Rod and I are really busy today because of the celebration." She felt a little pinch of guilt as the children collectively "awwed" at her response.

Her tall friend got down on one knee so he can be at somewhat eye level with the kids,"We'll play web catch with you guys all day tomorrow. How does that sound?" The group of children cheered wildly at his words, making Sage feel like the villain for delivering the bad news.

As the group began to run towards the court (avoiding the forming patches of ice), Sage fanned out her wings, purposefully smacking Rod in the face for making her look like the bad guy. She stifled a laugh at the abashed look on his face and he quickly rose to his feet to avoid anymore hits.

They exchange a 'this isn't over look' and turned towards the looming castle in the distance that housed the royal family. As they walked, citizens greeted them with smiles and asked what gender they thought the newborn was or if they were going to be at the ceremony.

Rod was the one who answered all the questions while Sage just smiled and listened. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy talking to people, she actually loved interacting with civilians, but small talk was not part of her skill set. Thankfully, citizens understood not to take her silence personally and were happy to talk to Rod. Much to Rod's dismay, they had to quickly end the conversations and made their way through the crowds.

Sage and Rod finally reached the castle to go over last minute details with the King and Queen regarding security measures. Despite meeting at the castle every day, it was still a breathtaking sight. The white marble structure towered over every building as it sat towards the back of the kingdom. It looked too good to be lived in, too perfect. As Sage stared at the golden doors in front of her, she failed to notice the ice under her foot and yelped as she landed smack down on her butt.

She rolled onto her side holding her now bruised buttocks,"You got to be kidding me right now," she groaned.

Rod stumbled around as he held his stomach laughing at his friend's mishap. He tried to help her up but only burst out laughing every time he looked at her. Sage cursed under her breath as she shakily rose to her feet, agitatedly flicking her wings.

To her dismay, she noticed a soldier briskly walking towards them. He looked fresh out of the academy, his orange curls fell over his eyes from under his green helmet, and his nose and cheeks were bright pink from the bitter wind. Sage desperately hoped that he didn't see one of his superiors losing a fight to a small patch of ice.

"Good morning Commander Miller," he saluted towards Rod who was now breathing heavily as he recovered from his laughing fit, then he turned to Sage,"Good morning Commander Burton." The two simply nodded to the young soldier before he continued,"The King and Queen are expecting you. Please head inside."

-----

Their footsteps echoed through the exquisite white halls lined with paintings and pale gray statues on each wall. They passed by servants dressed in black carrying fancy appetizers through a door, causing Sage's stomach to rumbled and she made a mental note to steal some on her way out.

When they entered the large throne room, she immediately spotted the King and Queen sitting stiffly on their purple and gold thrones, whispering quietly to each other. They stopped as the commanders walked into the room, giving them a polite smile.

Sage was disappointed to find no sign of the baby. She was secretly hoping she would find out who the firstborn child was before everyone else.

"Greetings your majesties," Rod and Sage said in unison as they removed their helmets. They knelt down on one knee and bowed.

King Ronin fixed his golden crown decorated with green and blue jewels on his head as he rose from his seat,"Good morning commanders, I hope you're ready for today." He said as he adjusted the green cape around his shoulders decorated with intricate gold markings.

The duo stood back to their feet before Rod spoke,"Yes my lord, we have made all of the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of your family and the citizens of The Hollow. I assure you, sir, there will be no issues today." He said with full confidence.

"Good, good," the King rubbed his brown beard turning his full attention to Rod,"Where are the ground patrols stationed?"

Rod stiffened a bit more under the gaze, his smiling face becoming emotionless,"There are troops positioned on top of the walls and some are patrolling a few feet beyond the walls. Some units are stationed inside the Kingdom, sir."

"How about you Commander Burton?"

Now it was Sage's turn to stiffen up,"The air units are positioned on top of the trees and castle. There are patrols flying above the Kingdom, throughout the forest, and the borders shared with the sprites, sir."

"However, your majesty," she added, exchanging a glance with Rod. "Miller and I believe it will be best to postpone the celebration. There is a storm coming in and we think citizens should be preparing themselves and the tunnels rather than getting caught outside."

The King pondered to himself, scrunching up his brows as he seemed to debate something in his head. He glanced back at the Queen sitting quietly on her throne, who returned his gaze with calm green eyes. Queen Claire looked stunning as usual. Her dark tan skin had a healthy glow and her black hair was put up in an elegant bun. Her stunning green dress sparkled every time she moved. Everything about her proclaimed royalty. She only held her husband's gaze, letting her eyes do the talking.

King Ronin stroked his beard as he looked back at his commanders,"I want the ceremony to continue as planned. The people have been looking forward to this celebration for months. I can't cancel it now."

Sage's eyes widened. They weren't expecting the King to dismiss their concerns about the storm. Even as they nodded in agreement, Sage was already making plans on how to safely get everyone into the tunnels in a short amount of time.

But her planning halted when King Ronin met her eyes again."although I still don't know if we feel safe revealing our firstborn to the public with the growing tensions with the sprites," he admitted with a frown. "I think it'll be best if Commander Burton checked the borders herself to make sure everything is okay."

Sage was all for this plan. As a commander and the only fairy in a kingdom of nymphs, she felt she had to prove herself constantly to assure everyone that she had their best interests at heart. The last thing she wanted was a bunch of sprites sneaking across the border and hurting the people she sworn to protect.

Rod, however, didn't like this new proposal and spoke up before Sage could voice her agreement. "Respectfully sir, I don't see how sending one person to check the borders, especially a commander, benefits anyone." His voice was calm but stern as he continued,"What would she be able to see that all of the other patrolmen can't? It's better to have her stay at The Hollow where she can command the Air Force if something happens."

The King seemed unbothered by Rod's protest,"Commander Burton is a fairy, one of a kind. She is faster than all of the hummingbirds combined and can check the borders in an instant," The King slowly walked towards the pair, his black boots thumping against the marble floor,"She has proven herself more than capable to handle this assignment. And if anything were to happen, we have the best patrolmen in the forest led by a reliable commander to help her." He gave Rod a knowing look,"I understand your concerns, but you need to trust me as much as I trust you." King Ronin said with full confidence.

Sage spoke up before Rod said anything he may regret,"I understand your reasoning, sir," She could feel Rod's eyes piercing through her armor as she continued,"I will leave immediately and come back by noon for the celebration."

King Ronin's eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled,"I knew I could count on you Burton." He clapped his hands together, "Alright then, we have no time to waste! You two are dismissed!" He declared with a wave of his hand.

-----

Sage briskly walked back out into the cold morning air, trying to take off before Rod attempted to change her mind. She was too slow. "Sage this really isn't a good idea." He said as he tightly gripped her shoulder and turned her around. He looked up at the sky,"A storm is coming in and I don't want you stuck out there by yourself. Especially with the sprites getting bolder."

"Rod." She calmly looked into his purple eyes full of concern,"I'm not some helpless youngling. I've earned my title as commander. I can handle whatever comes my way," she gently brushed his cold cheek with her hand and smiled,"I'll be back before you know it."

Her friend loosened his grip on her shoulder,"If you don't come back by nightfall, I'm going out there myself," He sternly stated, leaving no doubts in Sage's mind that he would do it.

Sage wiggled out of the loose grip on her shoulder and gave him her most confident smile,"Just worry about setting up for the ceremony, I'll be fine," she patted the green armor covering his arm,"You can trust me big guy."

Rod nodded without saying a word, the concern in his eyes begging her not to go. Sage could only give him a little wave before she put on her goggles, fluttered her white wings and took off into the sky, disappearing over the wall.