“LILIA!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. 

He then remains quiet to listen and keep an eye on his surrounding before moving forward. These actions had been repeated, for an hour now. His heart was pounding, his hands shaking. Unshed tears welled up in his eyes. 

“Lilia, can you hear me?” He asked hoarsely, all while praying to the gods that he would find her, that she would be out of harm's way.  She is okay, she has to be okay, everything will be all right. Dear gods, help me, please let her be safe. Please. 

Rustling leaves drew his attention, as he turned to his left, it stopped. Even though it was daytime, some night crawlers were still active. They sometimes stalked prey during the day and though they rarely attacked during that time, they would if one showed themselves an easy target.  Holding his breath, He tried to calm himself and think clearly. He realized that in his panic he had placed both Lilia and himself in danger.  

It would be unwise of him to continue his previous actions, if he wanted to find her, it was better to make as little noise as possible. Having finally calmed himself, he realized that he may have found her by now had he stayed level-headed. In his panic, he had unconsciously taken his usual errand route. He would have to walk the opposite direction back to where he entered the forest. 

He sighed, quickly changed directions and ran. His siblings were unfamiliar with the forest, only ever walking forwards and backwards. Thankfully, he had made a lot of noise in this area, so she should be safe. 

The sound of a child crying came from upfront. “Lilia?” He stared in the direction he heard the sound. Please let it be her. Running forward, he found her crouch by a tree in tears.

“Lilia” relief overwhelmed his voice as he approached her. The small child lifted her head towards him, doe like eyes filled with tears.

“Ruru” she called in a milky voice filled with dependence. He crouched down and embraced her in a hug, gently patting her back to placate her, “It's ok” he spoke softly, “Everything's ok.”

Tiny hands wrapped around his neck as she continued to cry. After a while, she finally calmed down and looked at him with watery eyes. “Ruru” 

“Hmnn?” He hums, smiling gently in reply, “What's wrong? Why is Lilia still upset?”

“Sad” She spoke, looking at him with big watery eyes and an adorable little pout. 

“Why is Lilia sad” His brows furrowed as he spoke gently in a questioning tone.

“Ruru doesn't like Lilia” The child looked down as her little hands grabbed onto his tunic. 

His heart sunk.“Who said I don’t like Lilia?” his brows furrowed more, eyes squinting in perplexity. How could he dislike such a precious child? 

“Mommy said” Her little voice shook.

That wench, he thought as he asked,“Why did mommy say that”

“Brothers said Lilia was bad.” Her little body shook as she hiccuped, a new wave of tears started to flow.

As expected of those two imbeciles, they probably lied to Her. “Lilia is not bad, you are a good girl, ok.” He hugged her closer, placing her head on his shoulder as he gently patted her back.

Coaxing her gently, he spoke, “They are lying, I could never hate Lilia. Lilia, you are an angel, a little miracle”

“But mommy hit me” She pouted while looking up at him.

He gently pinched her little cheek, “Mommy is a baddie like papa. Don’t listen to baddies.”

“Nhnn, Lilia won’t listen to baddies.” Replied the child adorably.

He smiled gently as he kissed her forehead, earning a little giggle from the child. “Now, why don’t we get you home, It's getting late.” Unbeknownst to them, the entire interaction had been watched by curious eyes. They had been there for a while, even when the child had been crying alone under the tree.

As they made their way out of the forest, he tried his best to cheer her up. All while hiding his unease. For a while now, he had felt like they were being watched. He quickened his pace.

Not far from them was a large snake that had been stalking him. Golden eyes never left his body as it crept closer. It was so frighteningly close, yet the two people were unaware even as they exited the forest. Luckily, it did not follow.

As they approached, he spotted a figure leaning against the tree near the house with their head hanging down. The man's head lifted as he heard their approach. Meeting his piercing eyes, the boy’s heart shook. 

The man's eyes looked over the two children before stopping on the boy. “Come.” He spoke in a commanding tone, leaving no room for rebuttal.

“Yes, father.” The boy quickly replied as he watched the man walk towards the back of the house.

“Go inside Lelia.” He placed the girl on the ground, gently rubbing her head as he smiled to calm her. She seemed scared, unwilling to let go as she reached out and held the hem of his tunic. 

“Ruru.” Her eyes showed fear such that should never be seen within the eyes of a child, and said fear was not for herself.

“Shh, it's ok. I'll bring you something tomorrow. I'll be fine.” Though he was unsure, he still tried to comfort her. Her eyes did not hide her disbelief, but still, she listened and entered the house after giving him a hug.  

He sighed, looking in the direction his father went, he could not help the tremble that racked his body.