Aki held her brother as hard as she could, trying desperately not to trip. If she tripped she'd fall and then they were dead.

The howls echoed throughout the canopy.

Aki gritted her teeth as a branch painfully scraped off skin, tears leaking from her eyes. Her brother had stopped crying some time ago, weak whimpering escaping a throat raw from too many screams.

The thundering grew louder.

She nearly lost her footing on a stray pebble, a sharp pain stabbing her ankle. Aki bit back a scream that was less from the pain and more from the unfairness of rotten luck.

She could see their red eyes in the corners of her vision.

Each step was a jolt of fresh hurt, every stride threatening to falter. She ignored it, for she saw the light and hoped. "Almost there, almost there," she chanted to herself as if it would ward off the teeth and claws she knew were right behind her.

Grey walls greeted her coldly, mocking her with their inanimate indifference. She felt her heart drop as her body did the same, fatigue and cuts and bruises finally reaping their fatal harvest. Despite this, she dragged herself as far as she could, hoping to delay the inevitable as long as possible. Her brother buried himself in her chest, wetness staining her torn nightgown.

As they closed in, slobber and hate dripping from their eager maws, Aki wondered why their masks were so intricate, so beautiful for something so evil.

The raised claws blocked out the light. She shielded her brother as best she could.

The claws came down.

Instead of the wet tearing of flesh, Aki felt the world shake as if it were ending. Despite her better judgement, she opened her eyes.

She gaped at what she saw.

Where there were once a horde of Grimm were craters her house could fit in. Vast swathes of trees were splintered and broken in half, as if a giant had took his razor and dragged it haphazardly across the forest. She looked to her sides and her eyes widened as she saw the cliff shattered by holes that were almost like caves.

"Wh-wha?" She uttered weakly.

No sooner had the words escaped her mouth that she felt the crash of a massive body at the edge of the clearing. Once again her jaw hit the floor as she took in the broken form of a Goliath, its mask caved in such that it resembled a crater more than a head.

Another body landed in front of her, this time on its feet, and she blinked out the dust. She looked up and took in what must have been her savior.

His suit was a rather obnoxious shade of yellow, with contrasting red gloves and boots. A black belt with a brass buckle secured his waist as the slightly faded white cape fluttered in the breeze. Overall, he was rather plain, save for the bare scalp reflecting the sun.

He was the most handsome man Aki had ever seen.

Aki gulped as he extended his hand, his face slightly twisted in concern.

"You alright?" he asked.

Her heart fluttering as she took his hand, she could only nod.

Wincing only slightly at the pain in her ankle, she asked with wonder in her voice, "Wh-who are you?"

He adjusted his belt, discreetly scratching an itch on his butt.

"Just a Hero for a hobby."