It was some years ago… In a dark place where two lost souls met each other. A small girl named Aya, who just lost her parents some days ago… She managed to escape as a human girl played with her parents, before ending their lives… But what could a small girl could have done against a human… Since Aya was shorter than that girl’s thumb… Meeting someone else at this time wasn’t what Aya expected… Atop of her 5 young years to meet another girl… They were just 2 years old and lying naked on the ground… Aya never judged her in all of her life… That little white haired girl named Erry that accepted Aya as her sister… It might have been a ‘silly’ idea at the time… But Aya didn’t have anyone left and Erry couldn’t remember anything from what happened to her… Both of the girls were dirty from the dust around them… Aya had a tiny piece of cloth on her shoulders and wrapped Erry in it… Sitting against the wall, Aya took the girl and wrapped her in her arms… Feeling Erry’s breathing in her ear as she slept… Aya would be the older sister of this lost girl…

It was finally the morning… Aya had her head resting on Erry’s own as she woke up… The small white haired girl was still sleeping… The previous day was exhausting for them, so they needed to rest. Aya put her hand on the girl’s hair… She heard many times of the people around her telling ‘tales’ about this strange white color… That the small people with it were cursed, and could bring misfortune to the ones around them… But Aya didn’t believe this… How could this small Erry be dangerous for her….?

Finally Erry’s eyes started to open with a small cry… She was looking at the girl holding her… Aya had dry tears on her face… But she had to be strong to escape, and now to take care of the lost white haired girl. “Did you sleep well Erry?” Asked Aya, she was feeling like the older sister for this girl… and for a girl who lost everything it was helping her. “I… I think so, yes…” Answered Erry, still looking around and not used to this ‘world’… She had so many questions in her mind but they were interrupted by a tiny growling sound. Aya had a giggle “looks like my sister is hungry? Don’t worry Erry, I have something right here.” said Aya while pulling out a tiny cookie crumb from her pocket, and placing it in Erry’s hands. The white haired girl was looking at it, curious. “You can eat it, don’t worry Erry…” Said Aya before Erry nodded and took a bite of it. A tiny smile started to appear on Erry’s face as she enjoyed it. Aya was smiling too… This young girl was finally happy. Aya was also wondering how Erry got here, it wasn’t a place where small ones usually went and Aya just got here by walking without a real ‘direction’… But she was glad that she was here for Erry, not really wanting to imagine what could have happened to the young girl if she had been alone and unable to remember anything…
Aya’s thoughts were interrupted by Erry, the young girl holding half of the small crumb in front of Aya “Take some too… Aya. You need to eat too…” Said Erry. The red haired girl was smiling and picked up the small piece of food, and thanked Erry before eating too… Aya then placed her head against the wall… Thinking if she could find a safe place for the two of them… As some steps could now be heard not so far from the girls…

Aya was listening to the steps now… Was it a mouse or some other big creature? The red haired girl now had a serious look on her face… And picked up a tiny blade she had in her other pocket… Putting Erry’s head against her chest, Aya placed one of her arms on Erry, protecting her while she raised the small blade in front of her as she yelled, not too loud for the humans to notice, “Show yourself!”
A middle aged woman approached from the shadows… She looked like a 22 year old woman, and had a needle in her hand… “Well… You have some good hearing young girl… Don’t worry, I’m not here to attack you… But what are two young girls like you doing here, in such a dangerous place?” Aya still had her blade in her hand, until the unknown woman put her needle on the ground. Aya looked closely at the woman and relaxed a bit while putting her own blade away… “We’re lost… We didn’t really choose to be here… My name is Aya and this young girl is my… Sister, Erry. Could you tell me who you are…?” The woman looked closely at the girls and stopped when she noticed Erry’s hair… “She’s a… Cursed one, right…? Don’t worry Aya… I’m not talking about this ‘witch’ nonsense the other ones would think… But life will be hard for both of you…” Aya had a bit of anger in her eyes. “I lost my parents not so long ago and… I found Erry lying here alone. I don’t believe in those ‘tales’ and I don’t care if people will hate us… Erry is my sister and I’ll protect her!” The woman looked surprised… “You’re really interesting young Aya… To have so much courage in your young heart… But well let me introduce myself… My name is Cleo, and I’m a raider.” Aya’s eyes opened wider. “I heard of the raiders… You’re one of those who go inside of human’s houses, and steal some food and other goods right?” Cleo smiled. “That’s right. But it looks like I found something else today.” Said Cleo while giggling, “Since you don’t have anywhere to go now Aya, would you come to my house? It would be safer than staying here.” Aya was squeezing Erry in a sweet hug. “Really? I mean… We don’t want to disturb you…” Cleo smiled again as she approached the girls. “Don’t worry… I’m used to living alone, so having some company would be really nice, and you can stay all the time you need… I’ll be happy to teach you some useful skills too, if you want.” Aya nodded and helped Erry to stand before getting up too. Erry’s legs were a bit weak and started to shiver. Cleo crouched in front of the young white haired girl “So you’re Erry? Nice to meet you, I’m Cleo. Can I help you to walk? It seems like you’re rather tired.” Erry was looking at the woman’s eyes before nodding slowly, With a smile Cleo picked up the young Erry easily and sat her on her own shoulders. “Can you walk Aya? My house isn’t that far from there.” Aya stood aside Cleo. “I can walk, thank you again Cleo…”. The woman nodded and smiled at Aya as they started to walk.

Cleo’s ‘house’ was a safe place. She was living in a hole in a wall, tall enough to have some space but also far enough from any human room. The girls finally reached the entrance as Aya’s eyes opened wide. There were so many things she had never seen before, from different clothes to hand-made weapons and tools, Cleo was a skilled raider and knew how to deal with many situations. Finally, Cleo crouched and put Erry on the ground before taking a tool from her tiny shelf. Aya saw Cleo walk near a white ‘cloud like’ shape… Wondering what was it before Cleo started to cut in it with her tool, tearing a big part away and placing it on the ground against a wall. “It’s called ‘wool’, it has a really soft texture and you can use it as your bed if you like. It will also be tall enough for both of you to rest on.” Erry’s curious eyes were looking at it… Taking a step forward, she sat on the ‘bed’ before fully falling back on it. Erry was now ‘bouncing’ on it while giggling, and Cleo smiled while watching her. “Do you like it Erry? You’ll sleep well on this.” Aya had a giggle too… Before looking back again at all of Cleo’s tools… “Cleo…?” The woman looked down at Aya “Yes Aya? Do you need anything?” The red haired girl grabbed her tiny torn dress “Cleo… Could… Could you teach me how to be a raider…? You look really skilled…” Cleo put a knee on the ground and looked closely at Aya “You’re too young for this Aya. Being a raider is…dangerous. Every time I go on a ‘mission’, I’m putting my own life in danger… Even if I’m now used to hiding from humans, it’s still not something I would recommend doing.” Aya closed her eyes and let a tear roll down her cheek.. “But…! If I was only stronger back then… I could have saved my parents! I want to be strong…I want to be able to protect anyone in need…! Please Cleo…”

Cleo had a serious stare in her eyes… “Aya, I understand that you want to be like me… But look at you, you’re too young for this yet.” Cleo picked a blade from her pocket and hit the wall with it, leaving a small mark… “Look at this Aya. I promise to train you but you’ll have to grow first… We’re talking about humans outside of there… They could crush you under their thumb if they wanted and… You don’t want to waste your life as well. Once you’ve reached this ‘size’, I’ll teach you everything you want. But before then, I’ll do my best to give both of you all of my survival knowledge.” Erry was lying on the wool when she heard the girls talk… She wasn’t really understanding, but those ‘humans’ were probably too dangerous for her…
Finally, ‘night time’ came. Cleo had some tiny pieces of wood which the 3 of them were sitting on. At the middle of them was a tiny table, made by Cleo, where there was a piece of some creamy cheese. “Alright. Time to eat girls!” Said Cleo with a gentle voice. Erry was looking at this strange texture before putting her hand on it… And saw that some of the cheese was ‘glued’ to her hand… “Eat it Erry. It’s really good!” Said Aya while looking at her sister. Erry tried to take a bite of it before she could feel her face ‘diving’ into the cheese… When she pulled her head back, she had cheese all over her face, making Aya laugh. Erry was surprised and tried to remove the cheese with her hands, but was in fact putting more of it on her face. Erry was now really confused… Aya was still giggling as she watched her sister and put her hand in the cheese too… Taking a big part and biting it the same way on purpose… Erry’s eyes opened wide as she started to laugh… Looking at Aya’s now ‘cheesy’ face… Cleo was laughing at this too… “Aaah girls… If you knew how I was feeling so lonely before finding you… It’s so nice to have people to talk with, haha ~”. Cleo then took a tiny piece of cloth and cleaned the girls’ faces with it. Erry was now sucking on her fingers, removing the lasts bits of the cheese. “Thank you Cleo! It’s really good!” Said Erry with a wide smile… Cleo put a hand on the bright white hair of the girl, brushing it. “You’re welcome Erry, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

It was now late… Erry was sleeping on the wool, her young body surrounded by Aya’s arms, also lying on the warm bed. Cleo was sitting near her small desk, looking at them. She was looking at the girls and whispered to herself “Poor girls… I’m glad I found you before those humans but… You’re already so strong… I’ll be sure to take care of you…”

Over the next few days, Cleo started teach them everything they needed… Aya and Cleo were surprised to know that Erry never heard of or seen any human… “They look like us Erry but, hmm, how can I explain it… Please look at your feet… Now imagine a small ‘you’, only as tall as your toe… That’s how tall you are to the humans, Erry.” Said Cleo… Erry looked scared when she heard that the humans also believed a stupid legend about eating small ones… Erry was too young for this… But it was the reality she was living in. Aya already knew this, but was angry when she heard Cleo talking about this… Aya wanted to be strong enough to beat the humans, even if she wouldn’t be able to do anything at her size… But Cleo would teach her those skills in time…

It was now a ‘game’ for the two girls to put themselves against the wall and compare their heights to the small mark. Erry cheated by standing on the tips of her toes, but she was still far shorter than Aya. The red haired girl was still under the mark even though she had already grown since they met with Cleo. The woman was skilled on many things and managed to knit some clothes for the girls. Erry was now wearing a one piece dress and Aya had a small shirt with a torn jeans piece. Cleo did her best with what she found and always told the girls that they had to do their best with what they had; surviving another day was already a blessing for the small people.

…

Even if she was still in ‘training’, Aya was already trying to craft some tools, Erry was a fast learner too but wasn’t as skilled as Aya. But Cleo wasn’t judging the two young girls, it was a great pleasure for her to give them all of her knowledge. And, after 5 years… Aya was tall enough and reached the mark.
“I reached it mom!!” Yelled Aya as she was jumping around… Atop of her now 10 years she was happy beyond limits… She was now calling Cleo her mother, the woman didn’t mind it, it was a pleasure to have two lovely ‘daughters’ like Erry and Aya… Cleo approached the wall and looked into Aya’s eyes. “Put yourself against it Aya.” The young girl did what she was told and Cleo put one knee on the ground. “Well… Looks like you’re right, you have reached the mark! Congratulations Aya.”. The red haired girl had a shiver and jumped towards Erry… Wrapping her in her arms and ‘danced’ while holding her. Erry was looking confused but still really happy for Aya. Cleo finally sat next to them. “Okay… So from today I will teach you everything I know as a raider. I won’t promise you that it will be easy since we’re talking about humans here. But from what I saw during those years with you girls I’m sure it will be alright.” Aya stood up in front of Cleo and bowed “Thank you, Mom. I’ll be careful to learn everything.”

The ‘raider training’ was hard. Even more so for a 10 year old girl, but she had to learn everything from the beginning. Aya was learning various skills and different ways to escape from a human. She wasn’t learning how to fight since the raiders were just here to get some food and various useful items, fighting someone way taller than her wouldn’t be a good idea. But Aya was a good learner and she managed to craft her firsts ‘tools’ soon enough. Some nights were painful for the young girl, that was the days she learned to ‘climb’ a rope or on some wall… But every time Erry was waiting for her to come home and had some medicine to put on Aya’s tired hands. Both of the girls were always in admiration for their ‘mother’… Thinking that with all of her skills she could be able to beat a human down… And soon, one year later, Aya went on her first ‘raid’ with Cleo.

Aya was thinking about her young sister… This morning was hard for her since Erry was crying a bit, but the white haired girl was right about knowing that her sister would risk her life on a raid. Cleo promised to Erry that both of them would be alright so Erry calmed down and went to rest on their bed… It was now time to focus. Cleo was showing the way, her needle in hand in case the girls met some creature in the wall. Cleo had found a great hiding spot in the wall that no human would come near it… There were also some big ‘tunnels’ in this wall so Cleo could get to many places with them. Soon the girls reached a small opening in the wall… Behind it was a human room.

“Be careful and be sure to look at everything around us…” whispered Cleo, the two of them had to remain quiet, and their priority was to leave no trace of their raid. It was a wide dining room, Aya was looking at every detail, everything they could use to reach what they wanted to get. For this raid, it was some bread on the table, Cleo nodded when Aya noticed it… The bread piece was much taller than the two girls but they could take a tiny piece of it. Cleo took her rope and attached a hook to it, telling Aya to do the same. Aya nodded and prepared her rope too. “We’ll need both of them’ said Cleo as she was working out the distance from the place they were and the table, it was a good thing that they were above the table so reaching the top of it wouldn’t be as hard as climbing it from the floor. Cleo took the two ropes and tied them together, and then attached a part of it to something near the girls… She checked carefully that the rope would support their weight, and then nodded. “Look carefully Aya, you may have to do this someday.” With a strong swing of her arm,
Cleo threw the other hook and it went right into the wooden table below… Aya opened her eyes wide as she admired Cleo doing this… The hook sank deep into the wooden table so it would be safe for the girls to use… “Okay… By this time the humans should still be sleeping… We can get some bread safely.” Cleo took the rope with her hands and started to climb down. “Follow me Aya.” She whispered before the red haired girl took the rope as well and started to climb. The rope wasn’t moving much because of the tiny metal part in the wood, and soon the two small ones were on the table. “Look around again.” Said Cleo while peeking around them, “I already told you about the Micro Hunters and their traps… I never saw one in this house but checking for our safety is always a good thing to do. Go fill your bag while I check around.” Aya nodded and took her blade from her pocket while putting her backpack on the ground, she was now cutting tiny bits of bread and putting them in her bag until it was full. “It’s done Mom.” said Aya as she saw Cleo putting her needle back to her side. “Okay…I’ll be taking some too, be sure to look around during this time.” Aya was now in charge of their safety… Watching the giant door and all around her… They were so small… Everything was so monstrously big… “Alright… That will do…” Said Cleo, who was done taking some bread too… She started to walk to the rope, followed by Aya. They were now climbing up again… Aya’s hands were now used to this and weren’t hurting her as much as before… They were nearly at the top when a loud noise echoed… Aya’s eyes opened wide as Cleo started to say “Stay calm… We don’t know what is it but we’re nearly there…” And the girls were now near the hole again, Cleo pulled hard on the rope to remove the hook, and untied the other side… Once the two girls got back to the hole in the wall, the door opened and a human girl came inside. She opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of juice while looking at something… The small hole where the tiny ones were now running from… Aya’s mouth was now covered by Cleo’s hand as they were both running, soon out of sight of the human girl that was peeking in the small hole… “Hooo… I hope that we don’t have any mice…”

Finally, at home, Erry jumped into Aya’s arms. “Aya…! Are you alright?” The red haired girl was catching her breath while putting her arms around the young girl. “I’m fine Erry, and we managed to get something to eat too” said Aya while smiling to her sister. Erry couldn’t resist but to let some tears roll down her cheeks, she was happy to see her sister again. “You did well for your first time Aya.” Said Cleo while putting a knee on the ground near the girls and took them in her arms “Thank you for helping me this time, you were really good and I’m sure that you’ll be even better next time.” Aya nodded while smiling, her cheeks going red. “Thank you so much Mom… And I’m really proud to have helped you today.” All of the girls were hugging each other, Erry was smiling now, knowing that her sister finally managed to fulfill her dream.

…

A year passed. Aya got better at raiding with Cleo and the woman let Aya do more things than before. It was to test her skills, and to see if she could handle things in a ‘real situation’. Aya did her best, and each time the girls got away successfully. They never got found by the humans living with them, and they were still living in their small comfy house. Erry was always ‘guarding’ the house while the girls weren’t there and had found a new ‘hobby’. Cleo managed to get a small bit of a pencil and Erry could draw with it. Their house’s walls were soon covered by many tiny drawings but Cleo didn’t mind that, it was their house for the 3 of them. Aya was waking up and looking at Erry. “Already drawing sis?” Erry turned her head and nodded “Yes! Good morning Aya.” Aya then got out of the bed, picked up some bread and sat on the bed again while watching Erry. “Did you see Mom, Erry?” Erry put down the tiny pencil on the ground “Hmmm yes but she had something to do… She’ll be back soon enough I think.” And with those words, a woman came inside the small house “Hello girls!” Cleo smiled as she looked at them, “I’m sorry, I had to take care of something, but I’m here now. Erry, could you come here?” Erry nodded and walked towards Cleo who placed a tiny package in her hands. “Open it, I’m sure you’ll like it!” Erry smiled, happy to have a gift from her ‘mother’ and opened the package up. “Waaaahhh, thanks mom !!” Screamed Erry as she discovered another tiny pencil, but with a different color.. “Haha. you’re welcome Erry.” said Cleo while patting Erry’s head… Then she took another step to face Aya. “I have something for you too Aya. Close your eyes, please.” Aya had a shiver… Wondering what Cleo meant, and closed her eyes… She could hear a surprised gasp from Erry… “Alright Aya… You can open them now.” And when Aya opened her eyes she saw Cleo smiling aside a really happy looking Erry… Aya was now feeling something on her chest… Something that wasn’t on her shirt before… A tiny pin that Aya saw before… The symbol of the high ranked raiders. “Congratulations Aya. I accept you as a Raider… You’ve done so much this year, you deserve this. Some people will think that you’re too young for this, but not me. I’ve seen everything you’ve done, and I know that you’ll be alright now.” Erry clapped her hands… Giving a wide smile to her sister… Aya could feel some tears in her eyes… “I can’t believe it…” Aya put her hands to her eyes… She was smiling and then jumped into Cleo’s arms… “Thank you Mom…!” She was now crying out of joy… But it was now real… She was a real raider.

Erry wasn’t feeling as sad as before when the two girls were going on a raid, she knew that Aya was now strong enough to escape any dangerous situation. Yawning a bit, Erry stood up from the bed and sat on a tiny chair. “I wonder if they’ll come back soon…” thought the young girl, before taking one of her pencils. Erry was near the entrance of their small ‘house’ and was working on a drawing of the 3 girls all together. Far from this place were Aya and Cleo. They were on a raid to get some food and were hidden inside of the kitchen. This time they took another small ‘entrance’, behind a shelf, but not visible to the humans. Aya was putting her bag on her back, watching Cleo, who was checking her tools. “We should have enough for the next two weeks with this lot, good job Aya.” said Cleo with a smile. Aya was blushing a bit, happy to be this useful to her mother. They were about to leave the room when a big noise echoed near the door. Aya and Cleo went near the exit to check what it was while keeping out of human sight. The human girl finally opened the door, walking into the room, but this time she was holding something in her hand… A strange device the small girls had never seen before. “Well well… I don’t know if there’s some parasite inside of here but… It will be safer like this…” Said the human girl as she was approaching the small hole Aya and Cleo used before… And soon the ‘tool’ was half inside of the hole. A strange noise could now be heard by the two small girls that started to go back to their house… Wondering what was the human thinking…

Cleo ‘froze’ as she saw something on the other side of the ‘tunnel’… Something approaching fast… “No…” Cleo had a shiver and started to run faster towards the next ‘hole’ where their house was followed by Aya. “Aya…! She… She is filling the wall!” Aya’s eyes opened wide… Looking now at the strange texture pouring at the other side of the tunnel… “We need to get Erry out of our house… Now!!” Yelled Cleo, knowing that the ‘filling’ would soon reach their place… And the girls would be trapped inside of this horrible texture if they weren’t fast enough.

Erry was shivering… Hearing a horrible noise not so far… She started to cry and dropped her pencil on the ground… “What…is this…? Aya…Mom…” But she couldn’t move, fearing this noise as it got closer… “Erry!!” Screamed Aya as they got close to the small opening of the house, ‘waking’ Erry from her fear… The young girl moved quickly to leave as she saw the two other girls running towards her, followed by a moving ‘wave’… “Drop your bag!” Yelled Cleo as she dropped her own bag to the ground so she could run faster. Aya did the same and picked up Erry in her arms before running again… The young girl was looking over Aya’s shoulder… The two bags were disappearing inside of the wave… And soon it reached their house’s entrance. The 3 of them were already far from their home when it happened but in a second, the small peaceful place was now full of plaster… Cleo had a shiver when she looked back, all of their lives were there and it was now over… Closing her eyes and now looking in front of her, she was now focused on their escape.

The liquid was now flowing a bit slower but it was still dangerous for them to be near it. If one of them was caught by this horrible texture, their small body would be trapped within it forever… “We can go to the next room, follow me Aya!” Yelled Cleo as she took a turn. Aya’s lungs where hurting her… She wasn’t used to running this much but they didn’t have any other choice. Soon, they were near the room next to the kitchen… “We made it!” Said Cleo as they reached a small opening in the wall.
“I can’t believe it…” Said Cleo as her relieved expression started to disappear from her face. The opening in the wall was still here… But there was some adhesive tape placed on the other side of the wall, preventing the liquid plaster to come out… But also trapping the 3 small girls inside. Aya put Erry on the ground, they still had some time before it would be too late… A minute or two maybe… “Mom!” Said Aya as she took a blade from her belt and placed it on the tape… A small sound came from it as the blade made a small hole. Cleo’s eyes opened as she took two blades in her hands and started to do the same. “We can escape…! Just keep cutting this thing!” Yelled Cleo as she was now seeing the filling getting closer. Erry was shivering… Her eyes fixed on the white texture getting closer every second… And soon a snapping sound came from her side. A small hole was made in the tape… Big enough for the girls to escape through it. “We don’t have time… Go!” Yelled Cleo as the girls were running outside of the wall… To face a human girl who was sitting here.

“Well well… Looks like Sis was right… Look at those small mousies…” Said the giant girl… Staring at the small ones in front of her. Erry put herself against Aya’s side… Some tears coming out of her eyes… Cleo was in front of them… A small blade in her hand… Trying to protect them even if she couldn’t really hurt a human with this… “Hahaha… You’re funny, little ones… Always trying to protect yourselves but… It’s useless…” Said the girl while reaching her hand out to the small ones… Aya had a strong shiver… Erry was now screaming… She knew that somehow they couldn’t escape… Suddenly, Cleo’s head turned and looked deeply into Aya’s eyes… Her lips opening a bit as she said a single word… “Go.”

Cleo moved fast… Pushing the girls on the side as Aya grabbed her sister, now running… Cleo just jumped on the giant hand and made her blade sink deep into the human girl’s skin. “Aaah! You stupid little…!” Screamed the human girl as she moved her hand to make Cleo fall… But the small one was holding tight onto the blade… The human girl’s eyes were now searching for the two other girls… But Aya already moved to a nearby desk and was hidden underneath it with Erry… “Mo… Mom!” Suddenly screamed Erry… Before Aya put a hand on her mouth and started to run again… The human girl heard the small girl… And turned her head before feeling something…

“Aaaah!!” Screamed the giant girl… Another blade in her finger… She slapped her hand against the wall and Cleo couldn’t hold on this time and fell to the ground… The human girl was trying to remove the two tiny pieces of metal from her hand… Some blood pouring on the ground but it was useless… Her fingers were too big to catch them. Cleo was feeling dizzy… Her head hit the ground when she fell and she was trying to stand up… But collapsed to her knees… Two giant angry eyes now looking at her.

Erry was trying to escape her sister’s grip… She was biting into Aya’s hand… Wanting to scream… But Aya was stronger and also trying to calm her younger sister… “Don’t worry Erry… Mom is strong… She will escape too…” But a sudden scream made the two small sisters look at their mother… Cleo was trapped between two giant fingers… And the pressure was hurting her small body… But she wasn’t done yet and picked her last blade from her belt…

“You don’t know when to give up heh…” Said the human as she saw this… But this time she wouldn’t be surprised and with her other hand moved a finger to press onto the small girl’s arm… Making her blade fall on the ground… And also making her suffer even more. A small creak was heard… Followed by Cleo’s scream… The human girl broke her arm easily and was now hanging at the small girl’s side… Cleo was sobbing… Even if she was strong… She was facing a human… And she knew that she wouldn’t escape this evil giantess. “Ooooh… I broke you… I’m sorry… Hahahaha!!” Laughed the girl before looking at Cleo again “And it’s not over yet… You probably know how we ‘dispose’ of the small ones right…?”
Aya’s eyes filled with tears… The meaning of this was clear… The human girl was planning to eat Cleo… Just like some other girl did the same with Aya’s mother many years ago… Erry wasn’t moving anymore… Her eyes focused on Cleo but no life was remaining inside of her young blue eyes… Aya couldn’t stand this… Falling to the ground, she put her hands to her ears and closed her eyes… Remembering what she saw when she was young… And not wanting to live through the same again. Cleo was barely conscious… Her whole body was hurt by the pressure of the giant girl’s fingers… And coughed hard… The human girl was placing her tiny victim in front of her face… “Too bad for you… If you hadn’t hurt me before… I could have ended your little life easily… But well, it seems that parasites always want to fight back…” Said the girl… Before opening her mouth a bit “But in the end… You lose. And I’ll be enjoying you… Within me.” Cleo wanted to move… Her legs kicking against the giant’s fingers… It was useless for such a small thing… “Calm down little one… Just let me enjoy this…” Said the girl again before opening her mouth wide in front of the small Cleo…

Cleo had a strong shiver… She wanted to scream but she couldn’t because of the pressure on her lungs… In front of her was a ‘living cavern’… Drool dripping from some spots… The warm breath ‘hitting’ Cleo on her small shivering self… And the gigantic muscle that was the girl’s tongue… Moving a bit, wanting to feel her small prey soon… Cleo closed her eyes and let tears flow out from them… She was about to be eaten by the giant ‘monster’… And with a flick of her fingers… The girl tossed the small Cleo on her tongue before closing her lips and teeth behind her, trapping Cleo inside.

Erry was still standing under the small desk… Her eyes focused on Cleo until she disappeared… Erry was breathing faster… Her mouth slightly open… Some tears pouring from her eyes… That were still open wide but also ’empty’…

“No… No…” Was saying Aya… Still sitting in the corner of the wall… Not wanting to move… She wanted to protect Erry from this vision… But for now Aya was the small girl she was many years ago in her mind… That girl who saw her parent’s deaths in front of her young eyes… And she knew that anything she might try to do to save her mother Cleo would fail…

Cleo was coughing… The small girl was bathing in the human’s saliva… Hearing this girl ‘savoring’ her small prey… Licking the small girl on all sides… Moving her easily to each side of her mouth… Cleo wanted this nightmare to end… The girl was just ‘playing’ with the small one… And Cleo couldn’t bear this game anymore… She had a small scream as the giant tongue was now pressing her small self against the human’s palate… Some of her saliva entering Cleo’s mouth, which made her cough… Wanting to catch her breath… If only… That human girl could finish her small self and break the small Cleo between her teeth it could be over, Cleo thought.
The tongue started to raise… Cleo was now sliding… Towards the back of the girl’s mouth… And was now under the giant uvula. Cleo was thinking of this day… When she was so happy with the two girls who chose her… As a mother. Aya and her energy for everything… Erry and her cute smile… It was such a beautiful day… But it was over… Because of bad luck… Cleo never imagined they would end like this… And also that she was about to die… Within the giant girl’s body… Becoming nothing but a small candy for her… Her small numb body was covered by the warm saliva of the girl… It was nearly the end… Cleo closed her eyes… And opened her lips… To call the two girls who brought her so much happiness for all of these years… “Erry… Aya… I’m sorry…”

The human girl had a shiver and smiled… Before tilting her head back a bit and swallowing… Letting the small girl fall inside of her throat as she mocked her one last time… “At least you were delicious little one… What was your name…? Bah…as if I care about that…you were just my food.”

“Aaah… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” A piercing long scream… Came out of Erry’s mouth who, with a strong shiver, fell on the ground unconscious as she saw her adoptive mother being eaten… ‘Waking’ Aya from her current state… The human girl heard her and turned around… Ready to find her next two pieces of candy… Aya stood up quickly… Her teeth clenched… She couldn’t give up now… Her mother gave them a chance to escape with her own life! Aya took Erry in her arms and started to run… Not looking back… They HAD to survive. Aya saw a small crack in the wall in front of them… And with a sprint she managed to get inside of it while carrying her sister before the giant fingers of the girl’s hand ‘hit’ the wall they just went through… “You won’t flee forever little ones! I’ll catch you and you’ll join that other girl in my stomach soon enough!” Aya closed her eyes and turned her head away… Not wanting to hear anymore… She started to walk… Deep inside of the wall, searching for a place to hide before the humans would decide to fill this hole too.

Some time later… Aya was still walking… Her feet were hurting… And she was still carrying Erry on her back… The small white haired girl was still unconscious… It was something Aya never wanted her to see… But it was too late and she couldn’t do anything about it… Aya now saw some light not too far away… And moved closer. Another crack… Tall enough for the girls to pass through, but it wasn’t a room of the house… Aya’s eyes opened wide as she hadn’t been ‘outside’ for many years…
She didn’t want to stay in that house… Now walking into the garden that was so gigantic for the small girls… Aya passed near some flowers that were so tall… The grass was hiding them, but Aya was wishing that no human would be around and step on the small ones without noticing them… Soon they were far enough and Aya found an old tree with a hole near its roots… It would be a nice hiding place. Erry was still ‘sleeping’… Her body wasn’t moving… But Aya was worried for her… Even wondering if her sister would open her eyes again… The sun finally went down as the moon was now giving its light on the garden… Aya was still thinking where they could go… She hadn’t been ‘outside’ of a human house for years… But she had something that Cleo taught her… The knowledge of surviving and when checking her remaining tools on her belt she saw that she had a small blade and some other tools she could use even in a place like this. The only difference was that they were probably some other creatures around… And Aya didn’t know how to deal with them but she had a weapon on her so she could protect herself and Erry from danger…
It was the middle of the night… Aya was sitting against the wood of the tree, right aside her sister but she wasn’t sleeping well… Every time that Aya closed her eyes to sleep, she remembered what happened to Cleo… Some tears started to appear in the corner of her eyes… And she put her head against the wooden surface… Trying to sleep again… But as she turned her eyes… She saw something…

Two deep blue open eyes… And white hair looking like a pure snow under the moonlight… Erry was awake… Her eyes opened and focused on the moon far away from the two small girls… “E… Erry…” Said Aya… Waiting an answer… Wanting to know if her sister was alright… But nothing happened. Erry was still looking deeply at the moon… Not noticing anything aside… “Are you alright…? Erry…?” But no answer again… Aya put one arm behind her sister’s head so she wouldn’t feel directly the wood behind her and was still looking at her sister… “Erry…” As Aya had a tear roll on her cheek… Her sister was looking like a small doll… Only breathing but wearing a neutral expression… Just as she was just a small figure… Aya was exhausted… Changing her position on the wood she laid Erry on her so she could rest too. Erry wasn’t resisting at all and was moved by her sister easily… She was still looking lifeless but Aya was wondering how she could help her sister… And soon the girls fell asleep…

Early in the morning, Aya woke up… She was feeling her sister breathing on her… Not wanting to wake her Aya carefully sat her sister against the wall where she was and took a peek outside of the tree roots. Not far away was a small bush with fruits on it… It was still early and no one would be there… Aya carefully looked in all directions before taking a step outside. It was just like her ‘raids’… She wanted to do this fast… And it was also helping her distract herself. Aya didn’t want to remember the sad events from the previous day, but wanted to remember her mother and everything she had done for her adoptive daughters… Even protecting them from a certain death to the end… Aya shook her head. She was now in front of the bush. Carefully climbing it with a small hook in her hand, Aya looked in the direction of the tree… “Erry…” Then with a small hit with her small blade, a fruit almost as tall as Aya fell on the grass. The red haired girl checked if the fruit hadn’t been damaged from the fall. and it was looked fine. With a small smile, Aya started to move down the bush until she reached the ground again. Aya put her tools back on her belt and started to remember what Cleo taught her about everything and she knew what kind of fruit was in front of her: a small strawberry. Taking it with both of her hands, Aya started to walk back to their camp. As she reached the entrance, Aya saw two blue eyes staring at her… Erry was awaken, sitting against the wall… But still not moving. “Good morning Erry. I brought back something to eat before we’ll start to move again.” Said Aya while cutting a small piece of the fruit and handing it to her sister. “Eat it please. We’ll need some energy out of here Erry.” Again, the ‘lifeless’ white haired girl didn’t move… Aya felt sad for her… She didn’t want Erry to feel hungry and started to look around. “Wait a bit Erry, please.” said Aya as she saw a small piece of wood she could use. With her blade, she managed to cut it and started to ‘work’ on it… “It’s far from perfect but well… We could use it.” As Aya was now holding something looking like a small cup made of wood. She took the small piece of fruit and started to press it hard above the small glass. In less than a minute, some juice poured from the fruit into the cup, Aya smiled as she managed to fill it. Picking it up from the ground, Aya moved and sat aside her sister… Erry’s face didn’t move and she was still ‘looking’ forwards. “I don’t want to force you but… I won’t leave you like this.” Said Aya as she placed the small cup against Erry’s lips and started to raise it. Aya suddenly smiled… Erry was drinking… Even if she was in a shocked state, she could still feed herself. Aya saw the small cup empty and reaching the fruit with her hand, put it in front of her. Another cut into the red texture and Aya was making another juice for her sister and drank it without hesitation again… Some time later, Aya also took a bit of the fruit and started to eat… She was wondering where the girls would go… Even if it was dangerous… The human houses were their best option… Packing the remaining fruit into a small leaf, Aya put it on her belt and sat her sister on her back, crossing Erry’s arms around her neck… Then started to walk again.

Many days passed… Erry was still looking ‘dead’ on the inside… But Aya wouldn’t give her up… It was her sister and she would do her best to ‘heal’ her. It was also helping Aya in a way too… The red haired girl was taking care of Erry, always talking to her even if she wasn’t answering. Aya was getting better as they were now living outside, she was making some small tools for her use and soon was even making a small fire to warm the two girls. But some days weren’t as ‘easy’ for the two sisters.
Aya was still walking… They were in a ‘forest’ for some days already… The house where they were living was now so far that Aya couldn’t remember how to get back to it. Suddenly Aya heard a loud noise… Looking around she couldn’t tell where it was coming from… Another noise, louder this time… Aya stopped to walk… Looking at the gray sky… Before a big drip of water landed near the girls. “Ho no… It’s raining…” As Aya started to walk faster, searching a place where they would be safe. The rain was falling all around them… Aya couldn’t walk so fast now as the dirt was getting drenched… Stopping a bit, she looked into Erry’s ‘lifeless’ eyes… “Don’t worry Erry we’ll find somewhere to be safe, trust me.”

Another loud sound… And a flash in the sky… Aya was afraid of this, but she was still moving carefully… And soon reached something unexpected in the forest. It was a strange structure looking like a rock but with holes in it, there was lot of dust inside of the holes but it was high enough to be safe from the rain. “I guess it’s a brick… The humans are using them to build their houses…” As Aya climbed carefully, still holding tight onto her sister’s body. The two girls were drenched by the water… Aya noticed Erry shivering… “Just wait a bit Erry… You won’t be cold anymore soon…” Aya sat Erry at the end of one of the holes while sitting aside her… She wanted to be far enough so no one would notice her fire. She had some small pieces of wood that she put on the ground and started to use her tools… “Please…” As she was hoping for a small flame to appear… And soon the fire was here. Aya took Erry in her arms and started to hum a song… The sound of thunder was so loud that every time Aya had a shiver… But singing for her sister was giving her courage too.

The rain stopped at some point in the night, and the girls were now waking up in the morning. Aya went to the ‘exit’ and looked around. She noticed a small part of the brick filled with water aside where they were hiding. Aya took her cup and filled it with water before drinking some. Filling it again, she helped Erry to drink too before taking her in her arms. “We could use this water to clean ourselves too. We’re lucky that there’s no dirt in it today.” As Aya removed her clothes and went into the water. She didn’t mind being nude if front of Erry, they were sisters and used to clean themselves together where they were living before. Aya looked at Erry and removed her clothes before helping her to sit in the water. Aya was now cleaning her sister. Brushing her bright white hair with water, removing all the dirt they got on them while traveling. Sitting Erry back into the water, Aya wanted to clean herself too…
Aya wasn’t facing Erry at this time… But was right in front of her. Aya didn’t notice something that was happening to her sister… Erry was breathing as usual but her body had a small shiver… Her back, resting against the brick started to glow a bit… A small blue light that they couldn’t notice… And Erry’s right arm started to move. Aya’s body was exhausted… Bowing her head to clean her hair, she couldn’t feel Erry’s finger touching her own back… Erry was looking in front of her… Her cheeks were now looking less white… As a cute pink started to appear on them… Her finger was now ‘traveling’ on her sister’s back… Drawing a strange shape… Aya wasn’t feeling anything… Her body was too tired but was talking to her sister “I’m almost done with my hair Erry.”. Erry’s finger was almost done too… It was an invisible shape on her sister’s back… But it was looking like a ‘wing’ when she was ‘drawing’ and soon it was complete. Erry’s back glowed again… A small blue light now glowing more but still hidden behind the rock… Erry’s eyes blinked as she fell forward… Her palm ‘landing’ in the middle of where she traced on her sister’s back… Making the wing shape glow slightly red. Aya was now sure that Erry moved. Turning around, she saw her sister’s face looking different. Erry’s hand not onto Aya’s back, both of the lights disappeared into the sunlight… “Erry…?”. The white haired girl coughed… Blinking her eyes again they were looking now incredibly tired… Erry coughed again… “A…ya.” As her young body fell on the side… Erry’s eyes closing while she passed out but she didn’t land on the hard surface as Aya in a fast move took her in her arms, some tears flowing out of her eyes…

Erry was hearing something burning… And was feeling a sweet warmth. Opening her eyes, she noticed two arms wrapped around her and could feel someone behind her. “Erry… Are you awake…?” Erry turned her head to face her sister “Yes but… Aya… Why are you looking so sad…?” Aya had now curious eyes “Well… I was worried about you… I didn’t know of you would come back to me…” Erry blinked. “Why would I leave you Aya…? I don’t understand…” Aya wasn’t understanding too… Erry was now looking perfectly fine but… “Erry…? Do you remember anything that happened…?” Erry was looking around… Wondering where they were “Well I… Aaah…!” As she placed her hand on her head… “I… Don’t know… A… Aya I… Can’t remember…” Aya was remembering what happened a long time ago… When she found Erry. At this time Erry had a sort of amnesia about her past… And Aya was feeling that it was maybe the same now… “Erry… Do you remember… Mom…?” Erry blinked… “W… Who?” She had curious but innocent eyes… “Who are you talking about Aya?”. The red haired girl bowed her head… Even their mother…! There was something strange about Erry, Aya was wondering if that shock Erry had blocked her memory… But it wasn’t the time to talk about this now… Aya didn’t wanted to ‘lose’ her sister again. Wrapping her in a warm embrace from behind “Don’t worry Erry… Just rest please… You need it.” Erry nodded and closed her eyes… She was breathing slower… Falling almost immediately asleep, leaving Aya to think. Did Erry have an accident like this when Aya found her many years ago? Erry couldn’t remember at this time too and her memory never came back… Aya clenched her teeth, a tear rolling down her cheek… She knew she would have to tell everything to her sister someday… To remind her of all the beautiful years they spent with their adoptive mother… When Erry would be strong enough to learn this.

“It’s a house!” Yelled Erry happily as the girls faced a giant building. The girls finally reached a place where they could live within its walls. Aya put a finger on her sister’s lips. “Shhh. We don’t know if there’s a human living here.” Erry nodded and closed her mouth. The girls were now facing a big wooden door. It was an old door and a bit worn at the bottom… Leaving a small opening that the two girls could go through. Aya walked carefully and looked all around… “We’re safe.” Noticing a hole in a corner of the floor, Aya took a peek in it and smiled, “I think there’s some people living here, come closer Erry.”

Indeed, there were some small people living here. Their ‘houses’ were made in a way so that the humans wouldn’t notice them under the ground. But they all had cold looks in their eyes… All of them were staring at Erry, until someone yelled “Go away witch…! We don’t want anyone with the Cursed blood here!” Erry was feeling strange… It was the first time she had seen some other people aside from Cleo and Aya but they were acting as if they hated her… Aya turned her head and gave an angry stare to anyone that was shouting at them… She took Erry by the hand. “Don’t listen to them.” They were now in front of a larger house. Aya knocked on the door, and a middle aged man came to the entrance. His face had some scars on it, and his expression was a hard one. His voice was gruff as well… “What do you want?” Aya was nervous…but answered “Hello. I think you’re the leader of this place… I wanted to ask if you had a small place for me to live with my sister. Of course, I can offer my services as a raider too.” The man crossed his arms “Well you’re right about one thing. I’m the leader here, but… Your…’Sister’. Do you know what she is…?” Aya now had an angry expression… “Let me guess… You think that she’s a witch and that she will bring disaster to this place…? Aren’t you too old for believing those tales?” The man’s face turned red… “And who are you to tell me otherwise? I can only see two lost girls, and one of them is cursed. I’m afraid that you don’t belong to this place. Go away.” Aya’s fist closed… She wanted to teach him his lesson… But if she did that she wouldn’t be any better than him. She grabbed Erry by the hand and started to walk away. “Come on Erry… They’re just some stupid people… Let’s find another place.” Erry was looking confused… Passing a hand through her white hair, she wondered why the people were looking angrily at her… But she started to follow Aya again.

They were now near the exit of the small ‘city’, when an angry woman yelled at the two sisters “That’s right…! Go away cowards!” Aya’s eyes were filled with anger again… Taking one of her small blades she threw it towards the woman, and pierced the ground right in front of her. “Tell me who the coward is! Two girls searching for a house to live in, because they lost EVERYTHING, or a bunch of idiotic people that believe some stupid tales?! Erry is my sister, and I won’t allow any of you to talk to her like that! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” The woman looked at the blade… Even if Aya was still young, she knew how to fight and could easily beat another people of her size down. The woman turned away and went back into her house… Not saying a word after what she heard… “Stupid people… Always the same when they see someone different from them… Do you feel alright Erry?” The white haired girl was looking a bit afraid, she wasn’t used to hearing her sister yell like that… But it was to protect her. “I’m fine Aya… Thank you.” The girls exited the house and started to walk again… Erry was walking behind her sister… Some tears in her eyes. Aya turned around and saw Erry sobbing. “Erry. Don’t believe them. They just say those things because you’re different from them, and they’re afraid of that, but… You’re not a monster, you’re my sister, and I’ll always be here for you.” Erry took a step forwards and fell against Aya’s chest, crying. Aya put her arms around the girl and hugged her for some time. “I won’t ever betray you Erry… You’re my precious sister and I love you.” Erry was still crying… She wrapped her small arms around Aya and hugged her too… Knowing that her sister would always be there for her.

After some time passed, Aya saw another human house in front of them but again… The same kind of people living in it. Aya asked if there was another place where they could build themselves a house, but the people didn’t answer… The two sisters would be on the road again. Aya was still looking, determined to find a place for them… But for the young Erry, it was hard for her to keep going… Erry’s feet were hurting… She knew that they had to walk, but her young body was exhausted… “A…ya?” Asked Erry as she saw her sister look back. “What is it Erry? Do you want to rest?” Erry nodded while coughing. “I… I don’t feel very well… I would like to sit down for a bit, if possible.” Aya bowed her head while she approached her sister, and put her hand through her hair… Before moving her hand over Erry’s forehead. “Erry… Why didn’t you tell me that before… You have fever…”. Erry coughed again, her body shivering a bit “I didn’t want to worry you Aya… But I’m alright trust m…” But Erry couldn’t finish her sentence… The young girl fell forwards. into Aya’s arms, now coughing much louder. Aya was looking at her sister… She wanted to be ‘strong’ too but… Her health wasn’t fine… Looking around, she found a tree with a small rock formation under its roots. Looking at the formation itself, Aya saw that they could hide there until Erry recovered.

Erry was lying on the ground… Coughing hard and with her eyes half closed… She was moaning in pain… Aya put her hand on Erry’s forehead. “Erry… You’re burning…” Then, standing up, she took a leaf that was on the ground and laid it over Erry’s shivering body. Aya had some water left, and she helped her sister to drink some before pouring some water over her burning forehead… “Rest a bit Erry… I need to do something.” Aya started taking some wood and leaves around the place… With her tools, she managed to ‘close’ the small cavern entrance, and started to prepare a small fire. “No one will find us like this…” And some minutes later, some flames were now warming the place. Erry was breathing loudly… Sobbing from time to time… Aya was looking at her and wondered how she could heal her… “Erry… Do you need something?” The white haired girl coughed, and then answered “I… I’m cold…” Her teeth were chattering… Even with the leaves on her and the small fire, it wasn’t enough… Aya looked to the small entrance… It was safely closed and no one would disturb them for the night… Aya stood in front of Erry and started to remove her clothes… Adding some layers to Erry’s ‘covers’… “Aya… What are you doing… You’ll be sick if you do that… Aya sat aside Erry and saw her sister still shivering… “That’s not enough…” Aya added more wood to the fire… Moving the leaves a little, she started to remove Erry’s clothes too, until she was also naked… “Aya…?” Then the red haired girl lied herself on the ground aside her sister and pulled the leaves onto them… Getting closer to Erry, Aya wrapped her young sister in her arms… Warming her with her own body… Erry had a small moan of pain… Before Aya kissed her on the forehead “Don’t worry… Your sister will take care of you…” Erry had a shiver… Then closed her eyes… Feeling her sister’s warmth was enough to stop feeling the cold anymore… Aya was humming a song… Until Erry was asleep, and then Aya closed her eyes too… Falling asleep with her sister held in her warm embrace…
It was now the morning and the fire was still a bit active. Some tiny flames were dancing on the small piece of wood not far from the two sleeping sisters. Soon enough, Erry opened her eyes slowly… Still feeling her sister against her… “Hmmm…” Erry could feel her sister breath on her head… she was also feeling better and knew that her fever was now gone. Putting her clothes back on, Erry moved the leaves to cover her sister and added another piece of wood to the small fire. A sudden noise nearby alerted Erry… Moving silently, she went near to the small entrance and peeked between two leaves covering it. It was a human woman walking in the forest. Erry’s eyes were focused on the giant woman wandering around, who was stopping near some trees. “Ah great, there’s some here.” Said the human as she picked some mushrooms and moved to another tree. Erry was still looking around and was also hearing the girl walking nearby… And soon she went away. Erry sat on the ground, relieved that the two sisters were safe.

“Hello Erry. Are you feeling better?” Said Aya as she looked over to her sister. Erry turned her head and smiled. “Yes, thanks to you Aya.” Answered Erry while standing up and going near their ‘bed’ of leaves. Erry told her what she just saw while Aya put her small clothes on. “Good thing that we were hidden…” Said Aya. “We’ll be resting here today; we don’t have to walk.” Erry wanted to answer, but Aya continued “Erry. It would be better for you to rest after what you went through last night.” The white haired girl slowly nodded “I… Understand.” Aya put her hand on Erry’s hair and brushed it. “Don’t worry Erry we’ll find a place to live soon.” Erry nodded again, enjoying her sister’s hand in her hair. Aya was still hoping that there was somewhere for the two sisters to live.

During the day Aya tried to work out again if Erry remembered anything, but the young girl couldn’t say anything… Her head was still hurting so Aya didn’t go further with her questions. “She was like this when I found her… Is this some sort of ‘defense’ her mind is putting there…?” Wondered Aya. She wouldn’t hurt her sister but… Maybe in some years she would tell her about this… About the woman who accepted two lost children as her own girls. The rest of the day was some time the girls enjoyed together. They didn’t have many occasions like this, since they were always on the road a lot nowadays. It was something the two of them needed and soon the moon was in the sky as night set in…

“Alright… We should get some sleep now Erry.” Said Aya as she sat in their ‘bed’, waiting for Erry. The young girl was watching the moon… Wondering how small she was compared to this giant rock moving in space… But soon turned around and went to bed too. Aya pulled the leaves to cover the two of them, and then kissed Erry’s forehead. “Good night Erry.” Said Aya as she closed her eyes… Erry put her arms around her sister and closed her eyes too… “Good night Aya.”

The girls woke up early the next morning, and after packing some food they had, the two sisters resumed their long trip… But they were probably near a city since they could see some houses more often. Aya found a crack on the outside of a house and it looked like that some small ones were living in. It was a small family living there, there was 3 children and their parents. The kids saw Aya enter but started to shiver when they noticed the white haired girl. The father saw the two sisters and approached them. “Hello. Do you need anything?” Aya bowed in front of him and started to say “My name is Aya and this is my sister Erry. We’ve been walking for many days, and we’re searching for a place to live. Do you know somewhere where we could sleep?” The man took a look behind him, his children were in their mother’s arms, and then looked to Aya’s chest, noticing her pin. “You’re a raider…? You look so young.” Aya bowed again. “Yes, I’m a raider, and I would like to help in exchange for a place to stay.” The man put his hand on his chin. “Hmmm but my kids are…scared.” Aya’s cheeks went red. “Please… Don’t talk about my sister as a witch… I’ve lived with her for so many years and nothing has happened to us, so please don’t talk about curses or those stupid tales!” Erry stepped forwards and stood aside Aya, putting her head down. “Please…” The man was thinking hard… “Bah, after all… Those are just stories to scare the kids… You can stay here, but we’ll need some help in return.” Aya had a smile. “Thank you mister, we won’t be a source of trouble for you, and I’ll be glad to help.”

The two sisters were near the house now, searching some small things they could use for their home, the small family wasn’t taking all the space in the small crack, so Aya and Erry would have room to sleep. Aya entered the crack with some wood over her shoulders, and Erry found some leaves and feathers to use for their bed. Aya was showing off her skills again, and with her small tools she started crafting a bed and a small shelf that the girls could store some small things. While Aya was at work, the 3 small girls from the other gamily went around Erry, they were almost at the same age and wanted to know more about their new ‘neighbor’. This time, Erry wasn’t called as a witch and the 3 girls were nice to her once they started to chat. Aya turned her head a bit to listen, and could hear Erry giggle… It was something important for the ‘older sister’ and she was now wearing a wide smile while she was almost done with their bed.

Night came faster than expected. The couple was preparing some food for them but had made a bit more, the woman came to see the two sisters. “We have plenty of food tonight, if you girls want to join us.” Erry smiled and looked to Aya, the sister answering “Well it would be a pleasure, thank you”. Erry and Aya were now eating with them… Erry was happy beyond limits and Aya could see that. Aya brought a small piece of an apple she had in her bag and sliced it so everyone could have a part. It was now getting dark… The man explained to the sisters that they couldn’t use a fire at this place, it would probably reveal their position to the humans living here, and Aya accepted that. “I understand; we won’t be using this then if that’s for everyone’s safety.” And after a great night of talking and discovering some new people the two went to sleep.

The next day, Aya was slowly walking around the house. Searching every way she could use for a raid or just to hide when she heard a loud noise nearby. Hiding quickly in the tall grass, the door of the house opened. A giant shoe landed far enough from Aya that the small girl would be safe. Another shoe moved to the ground when a human was getting outside, followed by another one. It was two human girls, Aya’s eyes were focused on them and on her own ‘cover’. The small girl couldn’t hear much of what they were saying but a single sentence said by the second girl. “Thanks again Flo… I hope that you’ll teach me some new tricks to catch them again next time.” The first girl turned around and smiled as the two girls waved at each other before the first one left the place… Leaving the girl living here thinking aloud “I can’t wait to eat one of them… I’ll search for some this afternoon…” Before going back in the house and closing the door. Aya’s eyes opened wide… Was this human learning how to catch the small ones? Aya started to run… If there were any trap around their house Aya didn’t know how to defuse them…

“Where is Erry?!” Asked a panicked Aya when she reached the small crack to the small woman. “Ah, your sister? She’s near the tree, she wanted to bring back some fruits but… Why do you look like so worried Aya…? Did something happen?” Aya bowed her head. “Yes… There’s a human that just went out of the house… And I believe that she’s one of those ‘micro hunters’… I heard that the helped the girl living here to learn their ‘art’… And we’re not safe here anymore. I’ll go to search for Erry, and we’ll escape as soon as possible. You should do the same too.” The woman had a shiver and looked at her 3 daughters. “Thank you Aya. I’ll wake my husband right now and, we’ll pack some small things before going too.” Aya had a shy smile as she went to the exit. “Be careful please… Those humans are not kidding.” Then the red haired girl started to run towards the tree.

Erry was grabbing some berries from a small bush aside the tree. She learned from Aya how to use a knife and wanted to bring back some food for everyone. “ERRY!” Yelled Aya as she got nearby, Erry turned her head to see her sister on the ground “Ah, Aya… I was about to finish here…” But Aya yelled again “Get down on the ground NOW! A human could be here soon enough and we have to hide!” Erry had a shiver… Her sister was serious and climbing down she was almost on the ground… When her eyes opened wide… “No…”

Aya turned her head in a fast move after catching Erry… And saw the very human girl from before… Crouched in front of their ‘house’. Aya put herself on the ground… Lying her sister aside her. “Don’t make a sound Erry.” The girls were shivering as they witnessed in horror what was happening… The human girl was catching the small family with only a gigantic hand… Giggling to their screams and soon put them in a small cage… Turning her head she looked around, but didn’t notice the two small sisters… “Oh well… I expected to find more of you but… You’ll be fine too~” said the giantess before going back to the house entrance…

“Damn!” Yelled Aya as she stood up… Erry was sitting on the ground… Her eyes shivering… “Aya… What… What is she going to do with them…” Aya put her hand on Erry’s mouth “I don’t want to hear it please… But I can’t let this happen too! I have to save them…” Erry grabbed her sister’s hand with hers… “Aya… Please…” But the older girl smiled… And put her hand on Erry’s head “I’ll be careful Erry. I promise that I won’t leave you alone.” Erry was sobbing but bowed her head before Aya spoke again “I’ll be back soon, stay hidden here please.” Then the girl looked at her younger sister again, before grabbing onto her rope before starting to run towards the human house.

Aya managed to crawl under the door easily and was now inside of the house. It was a simple one with just one floor so it would be easier to find the other small ones… Aya started to move fast again, checking every direction to make sure that she wouldn’t be noticed. She was now near a room, it looked empty, so she went inside. Putting her hands to her ears, she listened to every noise, but didn’t hear the small family and went outside of the room, towards the next one. Another empty room… Aya’s heart was beating faster… Wondering If she was too late… Shaking her head she went to the nearby door. Aya almost screamed when the giant door suddenly opened and placed herself against the wall… As a giant sock landed near her. It was the girl from before… She was happily giggling and exited the room. Aya took this chance to enter it while being unnoticed but as the door closed… Aya heard this girl speak to herself… “Haha you were funny tiny ones… But I won this time… ~”

Aya’s body froze. Right in front of her barely on the floor… Was the cage from before… But it was empty. Aya fell on her knees… Putting her hands on the ground… Tears started to appear in her eyes. Realizing that the small family from before was now… Inside of the human girl’s stomach… Aya hit the ground with her fist… Then had a shiver… “Erry…” Was her sister safe…? Aya wanted to know and it was now the only thing she could do… “I’m… Sorry…” Said Aya as she stood up… Crawled under the door and started to run towards the house’s door, not even caring if the human girl would notice her…

Finally getting under the door, Aya was still running fast… She had to find Erry… And soon reached the tree… But the white haired girl wasn’t here. Aya had a shiver… And couldn’t resist to call her “Erry…! ERRY!!” Then noticed a small leaf moving in the bush aside… The white haired girl hidden below. Aya jumped to Erry and wrapped her in her arms… Aya couldn’t resist to cry anymore and was letting her tears fall onto Erry’s head. “Erry… I’m so happy that you’re safe…” The young girl hugged her back “And I’m glad that you’re back too Aya…”. The two of them stayed there for some time… Before Aya whispered into Erry’s ear… “I’m sorry… I couldn’t do anything… But… I want to avenge them… None of them deserved to be eaten by this horrible human… And I’ll show her.” Erry had a shiver but before asking her sister, Aya was walking towards the wall, her eyes filled with anger… Soon Aya reached the crack where they were living not so long ago “Thanks to all of you for your help… I can’t do much to honor your memory but… I’ll do my best to keep on living… And I’ll remember you… All of you.” Then Aya gathered some of the broken wood they had… And without hesitation set fire to it… The flame burning bright would reach the inside of the wall soon… Aya turned back… “Your turn to lose something… Human monster.” Before walking back to her sister… Taking Erry by the hand they started to walk away… In search of another place to live…

They were now far from the previous place… A big dark cloud of smoke was behind them in the sky… And he sisters were still walking forwards. Aya saw a small bush not so far “Let’s rest Erry…” The younger girl nodded and followed her under the bush. Aya placed her hands behind her head on the ground and closed her eyes… Erry lied herself on the ground aside her sister and placed her head on Aya’s chest… Breathing slowly. Aya put her hand on her sister’s white hair and brushed it slowly… Until the two girls fall asleep… Tired from this horrible day…

“AYA !!” Screamed Erry… The young girl was trying to run… But the ground was made of something like glue… And her sister was so far away… Aya was laying on a red soft ground… In front of her were two gigantic rows of teeth… And she was coughing from a sticky liquid pouring on her small body… She was inside of a human girl’s mouth. “AYA…!!” Screamed Erry again… Her body didn’t want to move anymore… As she saw her sister disappear between the two closing lips… Erry screamed again… No effect… But soon the giant human was moving her head back… “NO…! AYA …!!” But nothing could stop the human girl… Who smiled as she swallowed the small girl within her mouth… “No…NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO !” Erry started to run forwards… Before getting picked up easily by two giant fingers… “Leave me… LEAVE ME !!!” Screamed Erry as she was soon placed in front of this horrible mouth… A giant tongue went out and licked the small shivering girl… Before the two lips parted apart again… And showed the inside of the mouth to the small girl… Erry was screaming… Tried to escape this grip on her body but couldn’t do anything… Soon the two fingers holding the small Erry went inside of the waiting maw and dropped her small body on the tongue… Erry was trying to get up… Slipping on this surface… And soon the giant muscle started to raise… Erry’s small body was sliding towards the back of this giant mouth… Towards the throat opening… “No…! This can’t be happening… Stop… Stop this…!” Screamed the girl… And soon… Erry was ‘falling’ and heard this horrible gulping noise all around her as she got swallowed…

“AAAAHHHH !!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH !!!” Was screaming Erry… Until two hands grabbed her shoulders… “Erry! ERRY!! Wake up !!!” Erry opened her eyes in panic… she was sitting in front of Aya but was still screaming… “Erry! It’s me Aya !!” Said the older sister, trying to calm down Erry… Who started to shiver… Her throat hurting her from screaming… “Aya…!” But Erry coughed hard… And turning her whole body on the side, started to feel something going up from her stomach and let it pour out of her… “Erry… What happened…” Asked Aya as she helped her sister to release all of her bile… Erry coughed hard as she started to cry… “Aya… Ayaaaaaa!” Fall into her sister’s arms… Sobbing loudly… And grabbing her with her hands… Not noticing that her own nails were sinking into Aya’s arms… The older sister put an arm around the terrified Erry and put her other hand to Erry’s head “Calm down Erry… I’m here… Shhh…” Erry sobbed one last time before closing her eyes… And fell asleep almost immediately… Aya was still holding her sister… Wondering if what happened this day had given this violent nightmare to Erry… But also didn’t noticed the small blue glow that was on Erry’s back disappear…

The next morning, Aya woke up and looked down… Her arms were still holding her sister here… And Erry was looking at her too, already awoken. “Aya… I…” The older sister put a finger onto Erry’s lips “Don’t worry Erry… It’s natural for you to have such a nightmare after what we lived…” But Erry shook her head “It was something else. It felt like it happened for real…! This…human girl in my nightmare…ate you in front of me before doing the same with me just after…” Aya listened to her sister seriously, “Erry…” Then took a small piece of a leaf to clean her young sister’s face before taking it between her hands and placed her forehead against Erry’s… “Erry. I’m safe and I’m with you at this moment. It’s just a bad dream… And you shouldn’t think of it anymore… I’ll always be here for you and I won’t allow any human to put their hands on you, I promise.” Erry sobbed a bit… Aya was looking into the deep blue eyes of her sister then kissed her on the forehead, “I’ll be there to protect you Erry. Even if this stupid world hates us, I’ll be in front of you… And I’ll be here for you… Always.” Erry’s body calmed down and wasn’t feeling afraid anymore… There was no way that something like this would happen to them…

It was now the time to go. Erry finally made this nightmare disappear in her mind… Looking at her sister Erry knew that they would find a peaceful place soon enough… But for now the two girls would have to walk again… To face many new dangers and meet new people… While being unaware that in some years the two sisters would be torn apart against their will by fate… Erry took Aya’s hand and smiled to her, her gentle warm smile she always gave to the people she loved. Aya grabbed Erry’s hand too, also smiling to her… “Let’s go Erry… To the place we’ll be happy forever.” Then the girls took a step and started to walk again where they would start over their life once again…

End of part 4.