Archive of Our Own

"They say they tower over the land, challenge mountains with their greatness

Brought life where they went, but destruction just as easily

Each unique, each different, yet all followed the same rule

An alpha

To be respected

To be feared

To call for

He'd come when all else was lost, defending what was his with righteousness

We worshipped them

And then something changed

Worship turned to fear, and fear led to violence

Control , power

Humans started to fight

Some retaliated, others fled

Now their whereabouts are unknown, their stories untold

And that's where we come in, my princess

One day, you'll understand

And your mother and I will be proud to have you by our side the day we find them."

•••

Those tapes always confused you. Even now, older than you were when they were recorded, they still do. Your father was so...elusive. Puzzles in his sentences that you'd have to pick apart and examine. Your mother was no better. What you did understand was his implications. The association they worked for, Monarch, a highly secret government funded research organization. What were they researching? The legendary titans. Ancient creatures that roamed the earth far before man had evolved. As a child, you'd always wanted to go exploring with your parents. The answer was always "when you're older, my love." Well...now you were older. But you weren't exploring by their side like you always dreamed. Instead, you were with you're uncle, who also worked for Monarch, and your cousin, Madison, who was also following in her father's and mothers steps. It was a family tradition it seemed.

Today was different than the normal investigation, however. Today was something big, and promising. Radar scans show evidence of an old possible temple, almost completely gone and hidden under the thick rock and terrain of mountains surrounding it. Monarch was quick to send a team to check it out. That team had included you and your uncle. Madison, unfortunately, had to stay behind, as she had caught an illness and would be to sick to attend. She was pissed, and you snorted as you remembered her rants. A hand on your shoulder made you glance to your left. Your uncle smiled at you. "Ready kiddo?" You smiled. "As ready as I'll ever be." You were nervous. This was your first recruitment for such a big deal. Practice, your fathers friend ilene Chen had said. Listen and observe.

You could see the island becoming larger and larger the closer the helicopter got. Towering mountains filled most of the land, but there was wooded area closer to the water. You glanced around at the others in the chopper. Some faces were familiar, others weren't. One in particular stood out, made you uncomfortable. You didn't know his name, but he was new. Face always set as stoic, and the way he carried himself made him seem full of it, that he was better than everyone around him. What made you the most uncomfortable was how...close he seemed to be getting to your aunt. Hushed conversations between the two when they thought no one was watching. But you were. You didn't think any cheating was happening, but rather...something dangerous. You looked away as you started to land. Grabbing your bag, you stood as the door was opened and hopped out. You stayed glued to your uncles side as he walked forward, and you were greeted with the rest of the crew who'd been dropped off already. Tents and tables were already set up, and a large fire was set burning away. Following your uncle to a smaller tent, you set your bag down on the memory foam and sleeping bag. "So, what's the plan?" You questioned. "Well, first me and the others are going to investigate the area to see how stable it is. After that I'll come grab you. But first and foremost, we are eating." You giggled at his adamant tone. "It was a long ride here."

You examined a shoddily drawn map of the general location as you ate, noting where you were traveling there seemed to be holes in the ground that descended deep into the island. Maybe you and your uncle could go down some. "Alright, we'll be back soon!" Your uncle called out to you, and you nodded. Heading to the tent, you prepared. Grabbing your mini backpack, you put a flashlight, 3 protein bars, water bottle, and pocket knife in. Tightening your climbing belt, you strapped your climbing axes to it and they hung from your right hip. Buckling the pack on, you exited the tent and grabbed a helmet and waited. "Oh, y/n!" You turned to see a colleague of your uncle, Sam, jog up to you. "You will want this, here's one for your uncle." You took the walkie talkies. "Thanks Sam." You thanked him with a smile. As soon as you saw your uncle return you bolted over in excitement. "Just give me a sec, kiddo. I gotta get my stuff to." He chuckled as he took the walkie talkie. You scoffed playfully, crossing your arms. "Fine. Hurry up." You started walking before he had the chance to exit the tent fully. "Someone's excited." He teased. "What exactly are we looking for again?" You questioned. "Well, supposedly there are odd formations beneath the earth here; man made. It's not a great lead, but its something that's worth checking out." You nodded. "Have you ever seen any evidence of a titan?" You questioned. "Sort of. Murals more than anything. But there is proof they exist. Your parents had more knowledge on them than anyone else has." He sighed. You hummed. "I've been listening to some of the tapes they recorded. But dad...he talks weird." You complained. Mark chuckled. "He'd always been like that. I couldn't stand it sometimes." You chuckled now.

Finally you'd met up with the others who waited. "We should split up into groups, expand the search." A woman said. "Yes. I'll explore the northern part." Your uncle said. "We'll take eastern." Two people said, already walking in the direction. The other three walked to the west. All that was left was that man. You cringed. "Well, let's start walking." Uncle mark said, and you raced ahead.

•••

So far it was pretty boring. Your uncle had said not to attempt to go down one of the holes, as at the moment you had no rope, that going down inside was planned for tomorrow when more supplies arrived. You had groaned at that, having muttered why you bothered grabbing your climbing axes. "You never know." Your uncle said, and you glared at him. Now you were wandering away as he watched odd looking deer interact a few hundred feet away with binoculars. "Don't go to far!" He called out. "I'm just going over here!" You answered, turning around the base of a rock. You were now close to a mountain, the edges of it surrounding you. Pulling yourself up the side of some formations, you huffed once you made it up. "Woah..." a gaping hole was before you in the ground, and it plunged to darkness. There was a whistling sound from the wind, and all around it was eerie. "There you are." You sucked in a surprised breath and turned to see the man. "I almost didn't see you." You turned back around. "Ah." Was all you could say in reply. You heard him walk farther from you. "We're getting so many steps closer to answers now, aren't we?" He said, and you hummed in agreement. "Do you know if your parents ever got this far in their research?" You shrugged. "Not sure. I guess I haven't dug deep enough into what they recovered." He hummed, and you heard him walk closer. "So you don't know much?" You tensed at the small edge in his voice. "...no?" You said confused. He huffed, sounding disappointed. "What a waste. I didn't want to do this, but if you're anything like your parents you'll find things sooner or later." You went to turn around, hand wrapping around your climbing axe when he gripped your arms, pushing you forward. "Hey!? What are you!?-"
"Did your parents ever mention people following them?" You glared up at him, scared and confused beyond belief. But you did hear the tape your mother recorded. That there were people who seeked them out, dangerous people who wanted to find the titans and use them. Oh...

Oh.

"See, you're smart. But you don't have what we want." You struggled more, kicking him in the legs. "I didn't want to do this, but order calls. At least you'll be with your parents again."
"MARK!" You screamed as you were thrown down the abyss.

Your back painfully collided with rock as you descended, reaching out to grab something. Your stomach collided with a root, your arms wrapping around it just as quick. Whimpering a breath you reached back as fast as you could to grab your axes and screamed again when the fall continued. Trying to stop, or at least slow yourself, you dug your axes into the rock. It screeched, but the sound was white noise compared to the rush of your pounding heart in your ears, and the lack of air in your lungs. The rocks seemed to open more, and you quickly shoved your axes into rock. Hanging there, you looked all around. There was no way you could climb up the way you'd just fallen, and you hadn't even reached the bottom of this seemingly endless pit. Your back stung to high heavens, and your ribs were aching too. A cracking noise startled you. "No no no-" you breathed out, before the piece of slab you'd been gripped to came loose, sending you plummeting once again. Another scream tore from your throat as you fell, before darkness completely surrounded you and you collided with the rough and jagged ground. You didn't feel anything at first, before it hit you all at once. A strained cry of pain from you made you jerk, carefully pushing yourself up. You couldn't see anything. What little light from the way you came barely illuminated the area. You gazed up at what now looked like a small crack in the ceiling, piecing together you were now in a cavern. A dark, cold, quiet cavern, alone.

Sitting yourself up with a held back sob, you unclipped your bag and pulled it in front of you. It was a wonder it didn't completely rip when you were falling. You felt inside, hands gripping around a cylinder. Your flashlight. "Please work," you cried, and when the light shone bright you sighed in relief. Using it you searched for the walkie talkie. Ripping it out you quickly turned it on. "Uncle mark!? Uncle mark?! Anyone?!" You spoke into it. "Come on." You hissed, feeling tears pool in your eyes. Static was your reply. "If anyone can hear me, i-im trapped in a cave. I was thrown down here by that new man. Please make sure He stays away from my uncle. And please come find me. I'm hurt," you put it down, using your flashlight to scan yourself. Arms torn and bruised, back and chest throbbing, and you whimpered when you touched your hip. That hurt the most. It didn't feel broken, but you weren't sure. "My hip might be broken. I need help." You breathed out a sigh of pain, putting the talkie back in the bag. You could feel the cold of the ground seep into your body, making you shiver. All you had on was a small jacket and simple pants. The boots you were wearing only helped keep your feet warm. You discarded your waterbottle, as it unfortunately had broken during the fall, water leaking everywhere in your bag. You needed to move, to keep yourself warm and find a goddamn way out.

Closing the bag, you pushed yourself up with a cry as the pain in your hip got extreme. But as soon as you were standing, hunched forward, it dissipated to a dull but flared everytime you moved. Using your light you searched for your axes, having dropped them once you landed. Clipping them back on you looked around. This cave was huge. Amd there was a path ahead. Well, what choice did you have? You couldn't go back the way you came. So you limped forward, examining your surroundings for danger. A flock of bats startled you as they flew around making you yelp in shock. If bats were in here then you needed to get out fast. Quickly pushing forward, you weaved around odd shaped rocks that surrounded the entire cavern. You groaned as you saw if you wanted to keep going, you'd need to climb. So, approaching the wall, you dug your axes in and heaved yourself up to place your feet adjacent to them. A cry from you as your hip flared made you almost let go. But no, you couldn't. There was nothing here to help you. Your flashlight dangled from where you'd put it around your wrist, not helping as you climbed up.
As you climbed up, you felt the wall close around you, forcing you to ditch the axes and use your hands to pull yourself up. Your hands finally found the opening, and you groaned as you pulled yourself up, steadily standing. Taking a moment to breath, you closed your eyes. You felt so tired. And scared. And angry. And in pain. As much as you wanted to press on, exerting yourself to much would surely do more harm than good. So, stumbling to a wall, you carefully sat down. Turning off the light, you placed your bag under your head. Just a quick nap.

•••

When you woke, at first you weren't sure if you were actually awake. The cold numbing your body however was a quick reminder that you were. Reaching for your light, you grabbed a protein bar and ate it quickly, shivering all the while. Your hip still ached, but sleeping on the cold stone helped numb some of the pain. Your mouth felt so dry, after all the screaming you did it was no shock. Throwing the wrapper in the bag, you quickly strapped up again and used the wall to help you stand. When you raised your light however, a gasp of shock replaced your slow breathing. Just ahead of you, were rocks in the formation of stairs, and a door carved from said stone was ajar and cracked. Could this be what you were looking for? The design of the door had creatures in it, odd ones. Limping forward you ascended the stairs, hand grazing the door. The amount of time and strength it must've taken to make it. Wedging between the open space, your breath was taken once more. A grand open space greeted you, old scratched paint on the walls stretching across the entire space. Monoliths and lanters were scattered about too. In the center of the room was a large open pool of water glowing a pretty blue, big enough to fit a navy ship. The shape of it was a perfect circle, and you had to wonder if that too was from the hands of human. Once you found your bearings you limped forward, examining the closest monolith. Unfortunately you didn't recognize the language. So instead you approached the wall, admiring the artwork. You did recognize some of the beings that were depicted. "So this is about the titans...what for though.." you muttered, walking along. The murals, while beautiful, didn't help you understand what this place was or how to get out of it. Pausing, you noticed a table made from solid stone in front of the pool of water. On the table was discarded writing on some kind of material. However, one was still intact. You were unable to translate, but you were sure someone else could. If you found a way out you'd have to remember to grab it before leaving. The table, however, reminded you of an altar. The carvings in the sides of it you realized were of a lizard like creature. You recall your father once saying a lizard like one had been the "alpha titan". You remember retorting "so a king titan?" To which your father chuckled and agreed. Perhaps this was a place of worship for said alpha titan.

Moving away from it, your gaze found its way to another door, but this one was closed. "No way am I strong enough to pull the thing open." You said to yourself. Beaide it however, was some kind of lever. A wheel. You approached it, trying to spin it. Grunting as it didn't budge, you grabbed an axe and shoved it between the wood, before pushing. Finally it moved, and the sound of something shifting made you look all around. You jumped as the laterns suddenly lit, fire burning brightly and illuminating the space. You turned off your light to conserve battery. The door, unfortunately, didn't open. However, you now noticed there was another wheel to spin to your right. It looked to be missing some parts, which of course were floating in the water. You'd tried to reach for them with your axe, but they were to far. Clipping it on, you breathed in deeply. "Get ready y/n, this will be cold." Not taking anymore time to procrastinate, and hopped in.

And almost jumped out in shock.

It wasn't cold.

It was warm.

Really nice and toasty warm.

"What the fuck?" You said out loud, gripping the edge as you floated there. The sudden change from being freezing to having this warmth through your body threw it for a whirlwind. But it was so soothing, your aching body soaking it in; quite literally. Awkwardly swimming over because of your hip, you grabbed the missing components and hoped they still functioned well enough for you to open the door. Carefully crawling out, and sucked in a breath at the immediate shiver that caused goosebumps all over your body.

You didn't notice how the darkness in the water moved beneath you.

Limping back, you silently tried to figure out where the piece went as dripping water echoed through the space. The sound change briefly, and you paused, listening. Nothing but more drips and groans from the shifting rocks. Resuming your task, you shoved the missing part in and started to crank with your axe. To your delight the door opened a smidge, but you could squeeze through. You limped away from the mechanism, going to the door when you remembered the evidence you wanted to bring. As you went to turn around, something felt...wrong. That instinctual feeling that you weren't alone, that eyes were on you. But that wasn't possible, what would be down here? Other than bats, you guessed. But even then, this feeling...something that knew it was stalking you, like another human, was what it felt like. The water made noise again, like something was disturbing it. You shuddered out a breath, shaking now in cold and fear as you turned. At first, you saw nothing. The lanterns weren't quite bright enough to really make anything out. But then you noticed. The dark was moving. And as you stared more, you realized it wasn't the dark. It looked...like a snout. Covered in dark scales. As your gaze drifted, that's when you saw its eyes. The fire made them slightly shine, and you could just barely make out that they were an orange color. But they looked quite human. An intelligence in them, an awareness in them that heightened your fear. And they stared, unwavering, at you. Your breathing became erratic, eyes widening in terror. It was massive. You were only seeing its head, and that took up a majority of the large space. This had to be a titan.

Fuck the evidence.

You bolted for the open crack, hip flaring in protest. But you didn't care, not when it finally moved. More of its body emerged, or at least a portion of its neck. The walls trembled and you yelped as you nearly fell. You shoved through the door, desperately wedging through as you felt the stone squish you. Your eyes widened to saucers when you saw it start to glow, a bright pink piercing the area between its scales, mouth and eyes. "No no no!" You screamed, finally falling through the other side. You ran forward, screaming in shock as the door was blasted away, a hot sensation erupting from your right. It was fire. Pink fire. It could breathe fire!

You were nearly burnt in the process too. Tripping forward you ran to the nearest wall, climbing up it as you followed a path that was almost lost to time. A deafening roar made everything shake, and you winced and covered your ears at the sheer loudness of it. Whatever that thing is, it's powerful. Your lucky the whole place wasn't coming down on you. Even so, you weren't taking the chance. You continued to sprint away, hoping the path you were following lead out of this place. It was quiet now, like absolutely nothing happened. It terrified you even more, knowing that creature was in here somewhere. If you were lucky, you wouldn't have another run in with it.

You had a feeling that wouldn't be the case.

•••

"You're fucking kidding me." You said aloud.

Not only had you just traversed through a trap infested hallway, now the path ahead got smaller and smaller. You'd have to crouch, and you knew your hip would hurt like hell. "If there are traps in there.." you hissed, going to a couch and slowly pushing forward. You were extremly glad you had your flashlight at this point. But as you got farther in, the ceiling kept grazing your back more and more. It was getting smaller, and harder to breathe. You were forced to your stomach, crawling through the small passage and gripping the walls around to pull yourself. It was getting wetter too. "Oh no." You cried as your arms were now completely submerged. You'd have to swim. The last time you had to swim in a cave scared you beyond belief, you'd almost lost your breath and drowned. This time, it was smaller, darker, and were no known exit holes to breathe. Not to mention you were alone. No one could resuscitate you if something happened. Breathing in the dense air, you calmed yourself. "Don't panic, y/n..." And you pushed forward.

This time the water was cold. Freezing in fact. It made you want to curl into yourself. Swimming while trying to point your light forward was difficult too. Don't panic, don't panic..
There. You took a greedy breath in when you found an air pocket. Back down again. It seemed this damn passage went on forever. The air pockets were so far apart too, you worried they'd just end. The water stung your eyes because of the cold, not to mention whatever bacteria could be in it. If you did make it out of here, you were sure you'd contract some kind of disease and remain in hospital for a long time. Your hands suddenly lost the walls, and you felt around for them. The space opened up. But it was still pitch black. You swam up as fast as you could, and when you broke the surface you sighed in relief. No longer stuck in a small tight passage at least. You looked for a way out of the water, groaning when you'd have to swim a little longer as the exit to it was quite a swim there. It was still silent other than you and the drip of condensation from the ceiling.

Something was wrong.

It sensation of it hit you at once. There was nothing around. Everything was quiet. But something was there. You swam faster, almost to the wall you'd have to climb to reach your destination. The water moved. And not from you.

That thing was in water when you first saw it.

...

....

Oh no.

It was beneath you. Or behind you. You didn't dare look under the water. And you didn't need to, as the surface broke behind you and it rumbled. A deep, threatening sound that shook your core like thunder. You scrambled up the wall, screaming in shock when you turned and saw just how close it was. Shuffling back, you stared terrified at the amber eyes that stared back. Again, all you could see was its head, but that didn't matter to you. You knew it was big, and a threat. How did it find you? Maybe...maybe your leg. While dodging the traps, a spear happened to graze your calf and tore your flesh in a precise cut. It stung, but you had ignored it. Could it be it sensed your blood in the water? Whatever the case, you were keen to leave. What scared you was that it wasn't attacking. It just...watched. a faint rumble in its throat as it watched you eagerly leave. No fire this time. Did it enjoy seeing you tremble? Did it enjoy this supposed chase? It could so easily finish you off as you helplessly climbed up a wall with your axes, but it didn't. Instead, it left, sinking into the water and disappearing entirely. It was like it hadn't even been there.

"No more swimming." You breathed out, clutching your chest to soothe your racing heart. If you got out you would be sure to sink your axe as deep into that man's chest as possible.

•••

You were screwed. The wall you'd been scaling because you thought you'd seen daylight, even though it could very well be night now, came loose. It cracked and became unstable, and you rushed to get down before it broke completely. But you were too late. You screamed as you you sent tumbling down, a flurry of large stones following. The banging of stone on stone followed, and you were plugged into darkness again. The air was thick as you breathed in the dust of the chipped stones. "Come on..." you urged your flashlight. It flickered, and you nearly started crying before it let its steady stream of light flow again. You gasped once you could see. Your left leg was pinned, to the point you could just barely feel it. Biting down on your light you tried to push it off, but it was far too heavy. Grunting, you reached for your axe, shoving it between your leg and the rock. Pushing as hard as you could, it moved slightly. But it was enough for you to slightly move your leg. Reaching up behind you, you steadily pulled yourself free. It hurt, a lot. You cried out as it felt like your skin was being torn off from your leg. But it was free now, and you eagerly climbed out of the rubble. God, you were tired. And thirsty. You just wanted to be at home with Madison, ruthlessly bugging your uncle and aunt. But no, instead you were down in this forever cave, bruised and bloodied, having to watch out for the threat of a real existing titan. It'd been a while since you last saw it, but that didn't mean you were in the clear. If this place was of worship, and that pool was precisely big enough to allow it to fit, then this wasn't the first time it's traversed this place. Stumbling through what looked like a doorway, you felt a rush of adrenaline at the sight of wood ahead of you. Pushing forward you quickly fell to the ground, breaking it into more manageable pieces and setting them in a pile. You used two stones and roughly smacked them together, hoping it was enough to create sparks. When it wasn't you instead used your knife.

You breathed a sigh of relief when a small flame grew. And finally, you had warmth. You stared at the flame for a moment, absorbed. Grabbing your bag, you fished for your second protein bar, slowly eating it. Being left alone with your thoughts, now taking a moment to rest, was a dangerous thing. Were you ever going to get out? See the sun? Your family? How much more could you handle?
By the time you registered your surroundings, you'd already finished your snack and threw the wrapper at the fire. Your eyes felt heavy, both from exhaustion and something else.

You didn't even get to say goodbye.

Tears flowed down your cheeks, a sob forcing itself from your chest. What had you done to deserve this? Be the daughter of your parents? Amd who were those people that man mentioned, how did they know that little detail about your parents that they never shared?

...

Did they have something to do with their deaths too?

More tears flowed down your face, both of sadness and anger. You knew something was wrong with how they died, but...they didn't just die. They were murdered. And you were about to be another victim of the same people. You tried to wipe your tears, but they kept coming. So instead, you focused on a different problem. Your leg was throbbing, and your pant had been torn up. Very easily you could see how torn up and bloody your leg was. You looked through your bag, double checking to see if you did happen to have something to wrap your leg. And you roughly sighed when you didn't. Carefully reaching down, you held back a whimper of pain as you pulled whatever material was left, examining the damage. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either. Grabbing your knife, you cut away at your pant leg, intending to go dip it in the water nearby and then somewhat wrap it around the injury. Shakily standing you limped over, crouching down.

You froze when something came out of it in front of you.

You didn't need to guess what it was.

Shooting up, it's eyes were already on you, simply watching again. But it was so close, and there was nowhere for you to run this time. You fell back in your attempt to run, and hyperventilated when it started to move towards you, large head enveloping your vision. Your tears started to fall again, panic flooding your every nerve. You were going to die. You pinned your eyes close the moment it got close enough that you could reach out and touch it, it's sharp teeth ingrained in your mind. Was it going to eat you? You don't think it would even chew, you'd just be swallowed alive. You'd probably suffocate either from lack of oxygen or drowning in its fluids. Or worse, burning alive in its stomach acid. You shook violently, waiting. It's was sniffing you, big puffs of air hitting you making you flinch. You peeked to see what was happening. It's mouth slightly opened, and you almost wretched in disgust as the tip of its slimey and humongous tongue licked you. Or more precisely, your injured leg. To your distaste, it's saliva covered more than just your leg. But it wouldn't matter, if it was going to eat you.

But it didn't.

It backed away, not far however, and rested it's head on the ground. And watched. You blinked in shock and fear, both eyes fully open now. You waited to see if it would move. And it didn't. You sat up slowly, watching it in confusion. What the hell was going on? You flinched at the deep rumble it produced as you finally moved. It was almost like...a purr. It sounded pleased at least. You sat up all the way, wondering what was happening. "What..." you uttered, finally finding the courage to speak. You glanced down at where it licked, and what you saw shocked you even more. Your wound that had looked awful and hurt like hell, was now looking almost fully healed. Your hand shot over, gently tracing the area in disbelief. You looked back up at the creature. What were you to do?
"Um...thank you?" You more so questioned than said. It huffed. You took a deep breath in, rising to your feet. "Will you kill me?" You questioned upfront. If there was any truth to the titans being sapient creatures, there was a chance it understood you. It rumbled deeply, giving you a slow blink. Non-threatening to you, at least. You limped back to your fire, jumping as it rose its head and followed, resting again once you did. You didn't dare take your eyes off it. Questions upon questions nagged you, both directed to it and about it. If it understood you, maybe you could make a conversation? Maybe it knew a way out.

"Is it..just you here?" Was there a chance you'd run into another titan? Another rumble and slow blink. You hummed, trying to think of what to say. "A-arr you the alpha titan?" Was all you could muster. It tilted its head, blinking slowly. However, you nearly reeled in shock when you saw the curiosity in its eyes. "I-i know, because my family is apart of an organization that wants to learn about your kind." You said, memories flooding your mind of your parents telling you all about what they'd discovered. "My parents told me the most; told me about what I assume is you." You bit your lip. "I don't know much though, I never got to hear more." You glanced at it, a flurry of emotions in you. Fear, yes, sadness, and a sense of...you didn't know. Seeing this titan up close...your parents were killed trying to figure out their mysteries, and now you had one in front of you. "I can't quite remember what they called you..." you whispered, racking your brain. It simply watched. "G...uh...God something..." you glanced over its scales. "Godzilla!" You quickly said before you lost it. It huffed.

Perhaps you'd gone insane, because you were talking to it. Had you been alone that long? Did it matter? "Are you male or female?" You held out your hands when you said it, right being male and left bring female. It's eyes drifted to your right hand. His eyes. "You breathe fire?" You addressed after a moment, remember the harrowing moment from your first encounter. Briefly you panicked when it started glowing, but it made to move to open its mouth. You gazed at Him in fascination as He glowed, slowly standing. "This doesn't seem like normal fire to me..." you muttered, walking close. Hesitantly, your hand came up, hovering over His snout. He rumbled, and you gently touched Him. It felt surreal, a rush of adrenaline coursing through you at the contact. Your hand traced its scale pattern. At least you could say you touched a titan before you died. You sighed. "Thanks for giving me company I guess..." you mumbled, walking back to your fire. "At least I won't die alone." It didn't feel right to give up, but it felt like you were making no progress. The sudden panicked sound He made caused you to yelp, staring up in fear and confusion at the sight of a distressed look in His eyes. You choked out a gasp when His snout came back down, nudging you. "W-what?" You stood and tripped forward as He guided you to the water. You cried out when you fell in, the cold hitting you. However you didn't have time to figure out what was happening, as you were suddenly on solid ground again. But it wasn't solid ground, no.

It was His head.

You stared at the dark scales under you, unsure of what was happening. You didn't have your light anymore, so you could barely see a few feet in front of you. Where was it taking you? You stayed stiff. It took a few minutes, but eventually you sat crisscross, staring blankly ahead at the darkness. The sudden annoyed sounding growl under you made you jump. "What?-" You screamed as suddenly you were ripped, plunging in the water. You couldn't see what was happening, but you certainly could feel. And now, a sudden warmth surrounded you, and it still felt wet. But you were moving, and the area was slowly flooding with water.

Oh no...

We're you in His mouth?

You felt around, and when your hands sunk into something oddly squishy, you panicked. "HEY! LET ME OUT!" You shouted, hand gripping what you figured was one of His teeth. You pounded on your surroundings, desperate to get out. What the hell is He doing?! You didn't get to panic more as suddenly light filtered in your eyes and you yelped as you fell out into, thankfully, warm water. You resurfaced, looking around to spot Him. But your breath was taken away. The light you were seeing was natural light. Large openings in the ceiling filtered in the sun, casting a beautiful glow over the inside. And that was a wonder in itself. More carvings and murals decorated the room, but what took your breath away was all the nature inside. Thick moss and leaves grew up the walls and floors, and medium sized trees littered the area. Flowers also grew in spots, and they glowed bioluminescent. You pulled yourself from the pool, gazing around in wonder. A few monoliths were here, but they were mostly covered by foliage too. You turned when you heard movement behind you, and watched as He swam forward. You gulped when you saw Him pull His upper body from the water, sharp clawed hands moving to curl at His sides as He rested. Good lord, was He big. And you still hadn't seen all of Him.

Your father wasn't lying when he said that titans competed with mountains. He practically was a mountain.

You saw large dorsal plated on His back, starting just below His neck and descending down. If you'd seen the murals, you knew that they went all the way to the tip of His tail. Though you had to admit, He looked...a little different than some of the paintings and carvings you'd seen. Your father did say once that they could evolve.

"They can change; evolve. Become bigger, stronger."

"How?"

"One simple thing: Radiation."

Well, you were about to suffer from radiation sickness to then. Joy. Curiosity drove you, and you started to explore. Approaching the monoliths and trying to decipher what they were saying, to examining the strange flowers. You noticed some of the trees were growing some kind of berries. You eyed them once close, unable to identify what exactly they were. Walking away, you went to sit when the snapping behind you made you whirl around. A yelp came from you as a tree you'd just been staring at was now ripped from the ground, placed in front of you. You looked up to see Him watching, a deep rumble in His throat. He nudged the tree closer to you. Humming, you picked some. You were hungry, and thirsty. These berries would do you wonders, if you could eat them. What if they were poisonous? Not to mention the fact that they grew around a central source of radiation. You fixed Him with a glare. "If I die or get sick, I'm gonna be pissed."

You took a tentative bite of one. It was quite bitter, but had a somewhat sweet aftertaste. Oh well. You collected and handful, popping them in your mouth as you continued to explore. Your leg felt like you never even injured it to begin with now, but your hip still ached. As for your bruises and scratches, the water soothed them. Deciding to bite the bullet, you carefully sat in a smaller pool of water, letting your body relax. You still felt tense though, for multiple reasons. And there was still the lingering fear of the titan behind you. You didn't know what to do, you were too tired to think straight. And it clearly showed. Afterall, a coherent and sane person wouldn't simply "relax" around a deadly titan. But here you were. You could feel your eyelids becoming heavy, and got out of the water. You plopped yourself down in a small flower bed. Just a quick nap, was what you told yourself. And well, if He ate you while you slept, then oh well.

•••

"Y/n!"

You opened your eyes, looking all around. It was dark. Were you hallucinating the whole encounter with godzilla?

"Y/n! Where are you?!"

You shot up, running to where you heard your uncle calling you. " I'm here!"

You turned through a bend, and halted immediately. Your uncle, along with everyone else in the operation, was on their knees, surrounded by men who's faces you didn't recognize holding guns. That one man, the one that threw you down here to begin with, glared at you.

"You could've made this so easy for everyone, y/n."

You flinched, tears running down your face as people screamed when they were shot. Your uncle was the last one.

"But I guess we all have to learn things the hard way, don't we?"

He raised his pistol to your uncle. "NO!!" You shouted, the sound burning your throat.

BANG

Your uncle fell to the ground, a bullet wound through his head. You screamed and sobbed as the pain hit you full force.

You failed.

•••

You shot awake, a sob immediately wrenching from your chest. You'd already been crying in your sleep, you noticed. No, that wouldn't happen. Not your uncle. Not those people. You needed to get out of here, stop that man and whatever he was planning. A rumble beside you made you scream briefly, scrambling away. As soon as you saw dark scales did you remember. You were with godzilla right now. And...He curled around you? How did He not wake you when He moved?

You stared up at His face, marveling at the level of concern you could see in His eyes. Roughly wiping your tears, you spoke. "S-sorry, I'm.. " you gathered your thoughts. He'd have to know a way out, right? "How do I get out of here?" You questioned, standing up. You weren't sure what to expect, but His rumble going deeper and arker was not it. You frowned in confusion. "I-i need to get back to my uncle, he's in danger-" you cut yourself off as you watched Him curl tighter around you, growl intensifying. You shuddered, shoulders hunching as His snout rested beside you. "I don't understand-" you started, yelping when He moved His head to gently bump you making you fall. You grunted, fear and annoyance flooding you. "I have to leave. It's not safe for me to be down here, and my uncle is in danger by the same goddamn man who threw me down here to begin with!" You said louder, moving to stand again. You paused when the air around you tensed. The thick wall of muscle and scales around you twitched, and His gaze of amber bored holes into you. His spines flared, and you worried that now you wouldn't get back to your uncle. You jumped when He moved, uncurling from around you. You almost screamed when He pushed you down with His snout, pinning you to the floor with a huff, before you watched as His imposing form sunk into the pool not so far away. Now you'd finally seen His whole figure, and He screamed "fuck around and find out". He was clearly the alpha for a reason. But He just left you. Where was He going? You mentioned your uncle and that man...was He going to the surface? What would He do?

You needed to get out, now.

Getting up, you scanned the area for any possible exits, groaning when none appeared. You didn't want to swim, there was no telling when godzilla would return. A bright light in your eye made you grunt, before realization dawned on your face. You looked up.

The holes in the ceiling.

It would be hard, but come hell or high water you had to try.

So, unclipping your axes you held both, giving yourself a running start and jumping. As you hoped, your axes gripped to the wall. And so, you climbed as fast as you could, while also looking out for anything loose. You grunted as you looked up, craving your neck. You were now at the base of the ceiling. Here comes the hard part. Would your axes be able to hold you up in that position? "Time to find out, y/n..." you breathed out, preparing. You pictured your uncle, and that pushed you. You shouted as you strained your arm, smashing your axe as hard as you could into the ceiling. It had some curves in it, and you hoped they would help. And they did. It was unstable and dangerous, but you had no choice. So, you unhooked your other axe and quickly did the same thing. And now you hung from the top. "No turning back.."

You pulled your body up, grunting as the strain started to hurt, before your boots did their job and helped keep you up. And steadily, you crawled along the top, until the sun was blinding you as you gazed out of the hole. Quickly throwing your arm out, you felt the change in texture from your axe. Something softer. You pulled yourself out, lying on the ground once you did. The smell of grass greeted you. You did it. You smiled in glee, nearly shedding tears before reality set back in. Your uncle, that man. You looked at your surroundings. You'd traveled quite far down in that cave, as the mountain you were once right in front of you now a couple miles stretch away, imposing layers of rock in the distance. You got up and ran forward. If you remembered correctly, the camp would be somewhere up east from where you currently looked. The thick foliage did nothing to stop you, the sting of the sticks hitting you now a mere small hindrance. You felt worse within the past what...24 hours? 48? How long has it been since you were thrown down? You knew your uncle would still be here, he wouldn't leave without you. Or your body. When you smelt smoke you ran faster, before crouching down behind some bushes. You made it. But you had to be careful. If that man saw you, you didn't want to know what he'd do. So, you silently snuck into your tent, huffing when your uncle wasn't in there. Retreating, you slowly approached the table where that shoddy map was still, reaching up to grab a walkie talkie before running back to the tent. If you remember correctly, your uncle was on a specific channel.

"Uncle mark," you spoke into it, hoping for a reply. And boy did you get one. "Y/n?! Oh thank God you're okay! Where are you!? Are you hurt?!"
"I'll explain everything, but keep a low profile! We have some insiders here...just come to the tent."
"O-okay? I'll be there soon." The line went dead, and you sighed, sitting on the bed. A bed. How you missed one, even if this was just memory foam and a sleeping bag. You heard rapid approaching footsteps, and your hand hovered over your axes before they walked in. "Uncle mark..." you whispered, tightly holding him in a hug that he quickly returned. "Oh thank God...I thought I lost you..." the relief in his voice was thick against your head. "What happened? All I heard was you screaming and then-"

"I was thrown down by that new guy." You interrupted, voice serious. ".....what?" Confusion was definitely in his voice now, but the sheer anger was more prominent. "He said something about me not having what "they" wanted. And he mentioned my parents. I think...they're connected." Your uncle said nothing, a rage in his eyes you hadn't seen before. "And uncle, I found what we were looking for. There is an altar down beneath the island to the alpha titan. But...um.." you bit your lip. "He is...also here. I had a few run ins with Him." Your uncle blinked in shock. "I- okay, alright, um. So- so you're saying you encountered a titan? That's here still?" You nodded. "I'm...not sure where He went, but He's definitely been here." Your uncle sighed deeply. "This is a lot." The silence lasted for a few moments.

"I'm going to radio in for back up, soldiers. They can have him arrested and interrogated. As for the titan...."
"I think we should leave that to Monarch once we tell them." You Saud quickly. He nodded. Clearly he had more questions, but mire pressing things were at stake. "Stay here." He said, leaving the tent. You peeked through the small opening, watching as he approached the large radio that was stationed near the rest of the equipment. Your heart leapt to your throat when you saw that slimy man walk up to him, a hard look on his face. You could just make our what they were saying.

"What's with the radio in? Will Monarch send more rescue teams?" You sneered at him from the distance. "Most likely." Your uncle curtly responded. But that didn't make him go away. He just stood there. "Do you need to use this?" Your uncle asked, sounding slightly impatient. "No. But may I have a word?" You saw your uncle tense, but it would be odd for him to deny it. So, he nodded, following as the man walked behind all the gear.

You followed, sneaking through the yard and peeking around the equipment. And at first, nothing happened. They were just talking. Until your uncle was roughly pinned to the ground, the man's arms pushing down on his throat. "There is no one coming. Our operation is too deep now to back out of it." He pushed harder, and you darted out of your hiding spot upon impulse as you heard your uncle struggle. "If you don't keep your mouth shut about this-"
You cried out in anger, hand tightly wrapped around one of your axes. You threw your arm forward, and the shout of pain that met you ears gave you a sick sense of accomplishment. You pulled him off your uncle, axe still shoved into his back causing him to cry more as you threw him away. Your axe finally left him, and thr blood on it made you cringe. "Don't you dare touch him." You snarled, raising your axe again, ready to retaliate. He shakily looked up at you, and the sneer and his face made you want to smirk. "You survived?" He hissed. You heard people running over, and gasps were behind you. Chuckling made you jump, and you turned, body still shielding your uncle who was catching his breath, facing a woman who slowly walked past you and to the man. "I knew we made a mistake, making you leader of this operation." You watched in confusion, tempted to hit her now. "Jonah will be displeased." She sighed, before glancing back at you. "Sieze them."

Shouts behind you made you turn to see people who you thought were friends, pointing their pistols at others. Sam looked terrified. "As for you," she spoke, and you glared at her as she walked closer. However, her amazing main villain speech was cut off.

A deep, threatening growl shook the earth, and everyone froze. "He's here..." you whispered, eyes widening as you saw His figure grow in the distance. He was- holy shit He was massive. You'd seen His full body, but He'd been crawling, making Him seem a little smaller. But now, He was standing on His legs, eyes piercing everyone who was with you. "Oh my God..." you heard your uncle whisper behind you. When those amber eyes landed on you, they faltered as if He was shocked. However, as His eyes drifted to your blood covered axe and the woman who stood in front of you, it changed. You heard Him inhale a deep breath and had the mind to cover your ears. It didn't do much, as His roar blasted your eardrums.

People started to panic, running away. And those who thought otherwise, mostly ones with guns, started shooting. But you knew it would do nothing. You'd been up close to that thick scaley hide. He growled, hand raising. You finally moved. "Uncle, get up! Now!" You shouted as you put his arm over your shoulder, and you ran farther into the woods. A bang behind you made you trip, and you dared a glance back. His hand crushed anything and anyone there. And you hoped that would be the end of it, that you and your uncle would go find the others who ran off and try to make a plan on hoe to contact for help. It didn't work that way for you, however. He snarled above you, crawling up onto the land and further inland. What was He doing?! Screaming made you ran harder, your uncle just barely keeping up. "Y/n wait! It's not safe!"
"But the others!" You shouted, breaking through the treeline. The color drained from your face at what you saw. His snout crashed down to the ground, over those who were running. You whimpered, body shaking as He lifted His head once again. No bodies were there. You'd been in His mouth once, and the experience was terrifying. And- and now they were, and He didn't look like He was going to spit them out. No, He opened His maw again in a roar, and there was nothing but some dirt left on His tongue and gums.

He ate them.

Killed them.

And your head snapped in the direction He was headed, towards Sam and another colleague. "SAM!! RUN!" You screamed, going to run in his direction. Arms around you forced you to stop. "We have to go y/n!" Your uncle shouted as you fought. You didn't even realize tears were running down your face. "B-but Sam! The others! We can't leave them!" Your uncle shuddered ourlt a breath, and you turned to see the fear and pain in his eyes. "What choice do we have! What can we do to stop it!?" You sobbed in reply, biting your lip hard. You and him ran back to the campsite, and you tried not to gag at the sight of the crumpled messes of- of people on the ground. "Oh no..." you heard your uncle say and rushed to his side. The radio, it was practically useless. "Maybe- maybe we can fix it." Yiu muttered, fidgeting with it like you knew what you were doing. The faint screams followed by the growls in the distance kept making you flinch.

Your uncle angrily sighed, before giving you a worried look. "We have to hide somewhere, this is beyond fixing." You nodded, unsure of what to say. "Do you think Monarch will send reinforcements once we've been out of contact for a while?" You panted as you ran. "They should. But I'm not sure anyone will be prepared to deal with the titan." He answered. "Where can we hide?" You questioned aloud. You refused to go back down into the caves, but the woods seemed hardly helpful. "The mountains. It's our best bet." He said, and you scoffed slightly. "He's the size of one, how will they?-"
"Exactly. He can only go so far before losing us." You eyed your uncle as he stared up at the upcoming mountain. "But- uncle Mark, He can breathe fire." Your uncle paused at that. "Then I guess we'll have to hurry and hide before He has the chance to find us."

You'd climbed mountains before, but at the time you had more than your climbing axes to assist you. 'I just called up a wall and ceiling, I can do it.' You hyped yourself, and so the climb began. You weren't all to high up, but ledges in the mountains side did help for stability. You dared a glance behind you. He was in the distance, looking to be sniffing close to the ground. Searching, probably, for survivors such as yourself. Hopefully others made it and hid somewhere. "Here,"

You looked back to your uncle as he pulled himself up, reaching down to you. You clipped your left axe back on and reached up. Once up, you realized there was a small little ledge you could hide under. "This will have to do for now." You both crouched under, taking seats. It felt so wrong to be here, and not helping anyone who could need help. You bitterly chuckled. "All this happened because I was thrown down into those caves." You glared at the ground, even when mark placed his hand on your shoulder. "It's not your fault, none of this is." He sternly said. "I know who's fault it is," you replied. "But still.." you slammed your fist down on your thigh. "I knew something was wrong with him, I could feel it! And-" you cut yourself off, giving him a worried look. "And he seemed to be getting quite close with aunt Emma. I would see them talk when no one else was around." He frowned, his jaw tightening. "You don't think...she has anything to do with this, do you?" You asked, scared to believe that your own aunt would be fine with the idea of you dying. "No." He said. "No, I don't think she had anything to do with..your attempted murder. But the way that woman spoke, there's a group of them. I don't want to jump to conclusions but..." you looked away, recalling the name that woman said. Jonah. You didn't recognize it. But whoever they were, they sounded like bad news.

You tilted your head to glare at the large figure in the distance, who was still tirelessly searching, croons replacing the growls.

Monarch better hurry the fuck up.

•••

You should've eaten more of those berries, because now you were thirsty and hungry. You'd taken a nap(more like passed out as soon as you leaned against your uncle) and still no sign of help coming. "He's getting closer." Uncle mark whispered to you, and you glanced in the direction he was looking. Indeed, godzilla had shifted closer, but it seemed as soon as He made it close to the mountain He lost whatever He was tracking. Probably you and uncle Mark. The sudden chopping sound that echoed around you made you pause, before realization hit you.

A helicopter.

You crawled forward, craning your neck to try and spot it. "Uncle?-"
"I know. We gotta try and get their attention.." you frowned in worry, watching in horror as He looked up, snarling at the aircraft. "Is there any flares back at camp that could've survived?" You asked. "Maybe, but I am not risking you going down there y/n." You frowned at him more. "We both know I'm faster than you!" "I am going, end of discussion." You balled your fists before jumping as godzilla roared. You remembered He could breathe fire..He could shoot it down if He wanted. You needed to hurry. As much as you didn't want to worry your uncle, you had to do this. So, you darted forward, quickly unhooking your axes and sliding down. You heard your uncle shout your name but paid no mind. You jumped off once nearing the ground, grunting as your knees nearly buckled before darting forward. You could hear godzilla start to inhale deeply and wondered if He was smelling you. That just meant you had to run faster.

"HEY!"

You glanced behind you in shock as you heard your uncles shout, but clearly it did what he intended it to do. Godzilla turned His attention that way. When you reached the camp, you immediately scoured for flares. An unopened plastic box that was beyond cracked was buried in dirt, but you pulled the lid away to reveal just what you wanted. You grabbed one, popped the cap off and striked it across the top.
You ran into a more visible area, waving the flare rapidly above your head. You didn't want to shout in case it brought over unwanted attention. A beam of light casted down on you, and you nearly smiled. They saw you. Hopefully they'd call for back up, if they hadn't already. You watched as it hovered closer to the ground, and a man hopped out followed by a ladder. "Are you alright, miss l/n?!"
"I'm fine, but my uncle!-"

A bang in front of you made you scream, the man in front of you turning and shielding you with His body. The helicopter was now lit aflame, half of it missing. It's violently crashed to the ground in the distance. "Shit!" The man hissed in front of you, but your attention was on the tail that was now resting back on the ground, and your gaze turned more to the still figure of the titan before you, eyes trained on you. He wasn't moving, it didn't even look like He was breathing, and you whimpered. "We gotta find cover and wait for our back up to arrive, miss!" The man urged, guiding you forward in a sprint. But you fought back. "But- my uncle! Mark Russell is on the mountain over there!" The man glanced to where you gestured, letting out a breath of fear seeing the titan that had finally started moving. Towards you. "Right now my priority is you miss! And we are in danger!" He exclaimed, pushing you forward. "There is nowhere to hide!" You cried out once you were back at camp. He looked all around. "You know how to use those?" He quickly asked, pointing to your axes. You nodded confused. "Go over to the ledge and hang there as long as you can; try to stay out of sight." You but your lip. It sounded odd, but it was better than nothing. "There should be another pair somewhere in that crumpled heap!" You told him, running to the ledge. Looking down you swallowed back your anxiety at the sight of jagged rocks with crashing waves down below, turning and shoving your axes into the sediment which quickly changed fo stone. You were getting sick of seeing rock.

You waited, looking up anticipating to see the man. And you had, for all of a second. He was just about to go over the edge and come down when he screamed. "No!" You shouted, climbing back up as he looked to be pulled away. You froze when you saw him dangling from his leg, which was between godzillas teeth. Or, more accurately, a tooth. He screamed as godzilla roughly whipped His head back, before throwing it forward and opening His maw. You cried out as the man was sent flying off the island into the ocean. And if you saw correctly, his entire leg was gone. You looked back up at the monster in front of you, and He rumbled, eyes already on you. Just get it over with.

A shout in the distance made both of you move.

Uncle mark.

Godzilla growled, turning. "NO!" You shouted, pulling yourself up. You ditched your axes in favor of running forward, trying to catch up to the moving giant. "UNCLE MARK! HIDE!" You screamed as loud as your lungs allowed it, and it caught the titans attention. You fell as His tail landed in front of you, curling around you. You went to stand and climb up His tail but He moved it again. "DONT TOUCH HIM!" You snarled at Him, glaring up into those piercing amber eyes. You flinched but didn't budge as He leaned down, snout inches away from you. 'Please make it uncle Mark.' You thought, accepting your fate of being killed by the titan as His snout closed to distance. But...

There was no pain.

Just His snout pressed to you, and you opened your eyes in confusion. It was quickly replaced by you standing straight, feeling a shock go through you and your hands dart up to press into scales. It was like...an emotion. Like you were feeling and experiencing what someone else felt. And it was strong, imposing, consuming. You were sure your eyes were bulging wide, and you felt like you were twitching. It was almost like, from another person's eyes, you were having a seizure. And you couldn't quite place what was rushing over you...a sense of protection? Or the urge to protect? And- and the urge to care for something? You could only associate the feelings with how you felt about your family, and your friends dog. That sense of wanting to help nurture.
But these weren't your emotions.
And they only started after He'd made contact with you.

....

What?

How was this possible?

And why was He feeling this way, even after He'd just murdered innocent people?

You hyperventilated, the abrupt emotions and the sheer weight of them bringing panic. You couldn't stop them or pull away; it felt like you were trapped again. And then like a rush of warm water, the sensation of calm and relaxed hit you. It was such a sudden chance that you slid to your knees, your eyes almost closing as you felt you'd pass out any second. "What..." you whimpered, body still slightly shaking. You looked up as you noticed Him moving, panic and anger wanting to return but whatever He did, it stopped them. Pushed them away and made your body feel like jello. Even still, the tears running down your face conveyed how you actually wanted to feel. A loud high pitched buzzing in your ears made you cover them and curl into yourself. "What's happening to me.." you gasped out, whining as sounds you never would have noticed before pounded your eardrums.

And the sound of something briefly crunching made you flinch.

You shook violently as the titan returned, large body curling around you blocking out most light. You felt your heart wanting to burst out of your chest, but that damn feeling of being completely fine controlled. Like you were laying the day away on the couch. His head hovered, and with a rumble that sounded like a pleased purr, He dropped something a couple meters in front of you. A body. More precisely, half a body. The torso had been severed just above where you'd assume the belly button would be. You heaved, eyes impossibly wide and blurred with tears. Why did He being you a body? To threaten you?

Something about the now blood stained clothing looked to familiar to you.

You couldn't look. Oh God no. "No no no no," you whimpered, crawling forward as your hands reached out. The hesitation was heavy, but you needed to confirm it. Even if it drove you insane. You pushed the body up by the shoulder, peeking down to try and see the face.

A wail of despair burned your throat as you registered who you were seeing.

Blood seeped from his mouth, saturating most of his features. But you knew. You, trembling and wailing you, pulled his body closer, arms wrapping around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry " You sobbed into his head, hoping maybe somehow he could hear you.  "It should've been me..."
The rumbling around you didn't help. You could feel whatever pull it was try to send comfort to you, take away your grief. You fought hard to latch onto it. When His snout came into view, jaw opening and tilting did you look up. It, to you, unstable and upset, looked like He was trying to take his body away.

"NO!"

You shouted with all your might, holding his body closer. You ignored the blood that was seeping from him.
You wouldn't let this monster eat him or throw him away. He deserved a good farewell, a funeral. If the reinforcements came in time, before...major decomposition, you could give him at least that.

More blood left your face at a sudden realization. A wave of the sense of protect and keep safe hit you as you thought about someone coming to save you. And the growl that made you tremble was all the answer you needed to know that these were His feelings. What has He done to you? And what would He do if people did come to your rescue?

The answer was simple.

He'd destroy them all, kill every lat one of them. You could already see Him using His fire to rod of aircraft. "Why won't you kill me?" You sobbed, turning to Him when a breathy croon was your response. "Why won't you murder me like you did all those innocent people? Haven't I suffered enough?" Your life went to hell after your parents passed. And for a while, things had been going good after your initial grief. You'd gotten better, healthier the longer you stayed with your aunt, uncle and cousin. But you always attracted bad things. But you never would have imagined this. And now those around you were paying the price. "Just kill me.." you whispered, hiding your face in his hair. Another feeling hit you, defiance that seemed shocked. Like what you said was absurd. "Why not?! You had no trouble killing everyone else!" You snapped. You gasped as the sudden overwhelming word and sensation hit you, like someone had just slapped you across the face. You grasped your head in shock. The words echoed in your skull, burning your mind.

My pup.

Oh no.

No way, it- it couldn't be! Yet, the way He was staring at you, curled tightly around you, not physically harming you, said otherwise. You sunk to the ground, the slow developing stench of death entering your nose and the feeling being passed on of safety surrounding you. The brief thought of killing yourself passed you, but it was violently halted by a power you had yet to understand as a rumble shook your broken heart. Another realization hit you.

He'd never harm you.

He'd never leave you.

And He'd never let you go.

You were now the adopted pup of the King of monsters, and you had no choice but to abide to His rules.