Chapter Text
He bolted up, paranoia ringing in his head. What had awoken him?
He felt it again and focused on it. It felt like… a cry for help? No, not quite. He wasn’t actually hearing it. It was far off in the recesses of his mind.
He slowed his breath and strained to hear it. It echoed and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
It sounded like a child. But there weren’t any children here? No, it wasn’t in this dimension.
He closed his eyes and waited patiently till he could open them and see the trees of the forest.
He heard the cry again. A child crying.
He moved towards the sound, weary and ready for if it was a trap. Trickery of the warp. It was a stupid decision to go even seek it out. Yet he felt compelled to. Why? What was he hoping to find?
It gradually grew louder and he slowed, making his footsteps silent. Maybe he should have come with his armor? By the golden throne at least his shield!
He paused as he saw a glow of light. Teal in color.
He moved again as he heard the mournful and upset crying. Up to the thicket and brush. He peered through.
He stared as he saw who it was. Human with large animal like ears. Just like the golden one who had brought him out of the darkness. They were very similar. This one had shorter hair pulled back and shorter ears.
Crystalline tears fell from her cheeks and shattered on the ground. She held broken pieces in her hands. She hiccuped and wailed again mournfully.
He felt no malignancy from her. This was a child. A child.
He found himself walking out to her without thinking.
She spotted him and bolted to the trees.
“Wait little one!” He called out.
She skidded behind a tree then peered out from behind it. The face was nearly the same as the other. She also had the same glowing blue eyes.
He knelt on one knee.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I won’t hurt you.”
Her eyes spoke of distrust and shyness. A look of recognition passed over her. She slowly slipped out, gingerly tiptoeing towards him.
“Who are you?” He asked.
She didn’t react to his question, she looked him up and down, studying him. Her weariness seemed to be fading.
“What are you?” Lion asked. “Why are you here? Why were you crying?”
He offered out a hand. She looked at it then placed the broken pieces in his palm.
He held it closer. It was a metal figurine of an Astartes, now broken. She let out a whimper and sniffed as she looked at it.
“Is this yours?” He inquired, “Do you want me to fix it? I know someone who can.”
She pulled back and held her arms to her chest. She bounced on her heels, having trouble maintaining eye contact with him.
He offered his other hand to her, she slowly reached out and took it. Her hands were extremely large on her but his own still engulfed hers.
He stood and led her along. She came up to his knee in height. She was silent as they walked back the way he came.
She pulled her hand out of his as the trees began to fade. She sat on the ground, waiting patiently.
“Will you not come with?” He questioned.
She cocked her head, confused at what he said.
“You don’t understand me, do you,” he sighed.
She just stared.
“I will be back.”
He moved back to the fortress and went to the forges.
One of his sons greeted him, “My Lord, what brings you here at this hour?”
“Can you repair this?” He asked, holding out the figurine.
“I can,” he answered. “May I ask where you got this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“It belongs to someone I met in the forest,” Lion answered, considering the explanation would earn him more questions that he didn’t know the answer too. This little one also seemed shy. “It’s best we do not discuss it further.”
“Of course.”
His son worked quickly. Welding then polishing it.
“This is a strange metal,” his son commented. “It is like that of the necrons but not quite.”
Lion hummed as he took the figurine, studying it.
He thanked and bid farewell to his son as he headed back to his room.
The figurine was of mark 6 armor. It bore no relation to any chapter. It had been broken at the waist. An arm and foot had also broken off. It was fully repaired now.
He focused, envisioning where he left her in the forest.
He stepped in and found her no longer alone. There was another. The third he’d seen. Purple with longer hair and jagged ears. This one wrinkled her nose at Lion, as if she was challenging him.
The teal one had been drawing in the dirt. She jumped up and ran up to him, holding her arms to her chest again.
“Here you go little one,” he said as he knelt and presented her with the figurine.
She gasped and gently took it. Rolling it around in her hands, inspecting where each of the breaks had been.
She did a little jump and kissed the figurine before hugging it.
Lion smiled then she moved forward. Using his knee as a step she moved up to him and put her arms around his neck, nuzzling into his chest.
He froze, not having experienced this before. He found himself reciprocating the embrace. Her metallic skin was warm. He could feel the double beat of hearts. The rise and fall of her lungs.
This being was alive.
She pulled back and stood next to her sister, the purple one. She showed her the figurine.
“Ooh,” cooed the purple one.
They turned to leave, waving goodbye as they ran into the forest.
Lion shook his head and stood. Were these watchers? Some beings of the warp?
He stopped to see what the teal one had been drawing in the dirt. His breath hitched in his throat as he recognized the drawing.
His Father. The Emperor of Mankind with near exact likeness.