The citrus sunrise gleamed from over the mountain tops. Like a cup running over, the light spilled from the peaks, flooding the kingdom of Evergreen with life-giving warmth. Creatures both large and small ventured out of their dens. Bears waded into the rivers to paw for fish, as many eager, early birds came out to catch the worms. The flowers opened up, their soft, pastel petals shedding pearly drops of dew; it was a picturesque morning in the countryside.
But, in the capital city of Willow, tranquility was hard to come by. For the feisty, old rooster had managed to flutter his way up to the top of the wood mill, fluffing up his red feathers like a declaration of war. But, before he could utter a peep, his crow was interrupted by the sound that really woke the people of the rookery up so early in the morning; a deep, unsettling growl.
Right on cue, Jon Fryer wandered out of his shack. He stretched, wincing at the orchestra of cracks and snaps that played from his back.
"Rotten mattress. Should steal some straw to stuff it with."
Suddenly, he saw the cockerel fluttering to the ground. The man shook his head and grinned as the bird chuckled indignantly around the yard.
"Aw, Charlie! Beat you again, did she? Might as well give up, ole' bloke! You know as well as I do that nothing wakes up before her stomach!"
Meanwhile, a sneeze could be heard coming from under a pile of patchwork quilts. A sleepy figure sat up, wearing the blankets like a cloak.
"H-Huh? Was somebody talkin' about me?"
Wasn't that how the superstition went? Or was it ringing in the ears? She couldn't remember. But, at least she had a good idea of where that sneeze had come from.
A gust of cold wind blew in, making the girl yelp and dive for cover. They may have been moth-eaten, but the quilts were still pleasantly warm. As she nuzzled into the fabric, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
"Maybe I should just go back to sleep. A little while wouldn't hurt anything."
But, just as she got comfortable, another bone-rattling growl rumbled from the depths of a tragically empty stomach; it served as the perfect reminder that there were few forces in the world more powerful than hunger.
"Why, tummy?! Why?!"
A long whine followed a fit of childish kicking.
"Why won't you just let me sleep?!"
But, all the tantrums in the world couldn't stop the clock; a truth no better illustrated, than when the building was rattled by the giant timepiece's notorious song.
"Ow!"
The girl shot up, rubbing the fresh bump on her head. Teary eyes looked around for the assailant, only to find a piece of rubble that had fallen from the ceiling, resting ever so innocently beside her on the blankets.
"Well... Guess there's no use tryin' to sleep now."
She pouted as she picked up the rock with every intention of chucking it out the door. But, something made her pause. The waif brought it closer, turning the stone end over end with a hum of contemplation.
"...Maybe I should keep it."
There was just one problem. The crawlspace she called home was already bursting at the seams with piles and piles of random trinkets; bits and baubles she had 'collected' over the years under the excuse that they wouldn't be missed.
"Ummm..."
The girl finally found the perfect spot for her new treasure. But, the hefty weight of the stone brought the whole mound tumbling down. With a squeak of alarm, her small hands plunged in, frantically digging through the mess; nothing was broken, much to her relief.
Everything was fine; until her rummaging disturbed the iron ball she had pilfered from the forge. It rolled slowly, almost ominously, across the floor, until it tapped the base of another pile ever so gently. Every hair stood on end as her hoard rumbled like some ancient dragon awakened from slumber.
Green eyes sparked with panic, as the mountains of junk wobbled, threatening to collapse! Throwing her arms over her head, the girl braced herself! But, after a few tense moments, everything settled back into place.
"Whew! There we go! Always room for one more!"
Perhaps the urchin should have been more worried. An avalanche in such a small space would have been enough to bury her alive. But, it happened often. So often, in fact, that she considered this to be just another day; another day in Evergreen.
With that out of the way, it was time to hunt down the biggest treasure of all; breakfast. Beyond the squatty hole in the wall that lead to the outside world, she could see a torrent of foot traffic on the street. It seemed that the people of the Rookery were peculiarly active that Friday morning.
"Huh? What's goin' on?"
But, before she could join the crowds, a small, dirty set of feet came into her line of sight that she recognized all too well. Grinning from ear to ear, the waif reached out, grabbing the ankles, before giving a sharp tug. A screaming girl was dragged into her cubby, the scene playing out like a trapdoor spider seizing its prey.
"C-C-Chibi!"
The prankster howled with laughter, as the little girl shoved at her shoulders the best she could in such a cramped space.
"That was mean! You scared me!"
"Sorry, sorry! Hehe, honest! Oh! But, where ya headed so early in the morning, anyhow?"
"Well, I was just followin' my big brother and his friend around. They're going to the castle. Something's happening there today! Something big! I really wanted to see it! But.."
"But, what?"
The child shifted her blue eyes away.
"Brother says that I should just stay home. He said that I'll slow em' down and get in the way, 'cause I'm a girl."
Chibi blinked with surprise, before clenching her fists in determination.
"That's just silly, Emi! A girl can do anything a boy can do!"
Russet pigtails bounced as the little girl shook her head.
"That's easy for you to say. You're really, really strong, Chibi!"
The urchin opened her mouth, before stopping to think; that statement was hard to argue against.
"...Yeah, but, that's only sometimes! Most of the time, I'm no stronger than you!"
"Really?"
"Heh, really! And things get scary for me, too. When that happens, I reach down deep inside me to find my courage! You've got some in you, too! Oh, look, I think I see some right there!"
Suddenly, Chibi dug her fingers into Emi's ribs, making the child laugh until they accidentally nudged one of her precariously stacked piles. When it stayed where it was, they both breathed a sigh of relief, before getting back on topic.
"There! Feel better?"
"Yeah!"
"Feel braver?!"
"Yeah!"
"Found your courage?!"
Emi nodded quickly.
"Then, get out there and go adventurin'! Go on!"
They waved their goodbyes, before Emi raced off to find her brother, eyes alight with excitement. As Chibi watched the girl disappear behind the wall of faded shacks, she couldn't help, but smile. Children of the Rookery didn't have many mentors. The thief certainly didn't consider herself a good fit for the job. But, there was just something rewarding about helping the kids find their fire.
The carefree grin quickly jerked into a grimace, however. She wrapped her arms around her middle, groaning weakly as her stomach once again pleaded for food. It made sense. Yesterday's bad luck had her walking back home, empty-handed. And the day before that. And the day before that, too.
The knights who guarded the marketplace were as low in rank as they were in skill; but, they were getting better. Any misstep, any mistake, no matter how small- Chibi's breath caught in her throat, before her green eyes sharpened. No. She couldn't fail; not again.
"Well, time for me to find my own courage now, I guess. Come on, Chibi! That food ain't gonna get itself!"
The strong wind fluttered through her mismatched rags. Her thoughts raced as she took stock of everything that had brought her to this moment; the stolen bread, the long chase and ten knights, one bigger than the next, cornering her on the edge of a rooftop.
"No where to run now, street rat!"
Chibi glanced around, growing more frantic by the second. There was no way out. No rope, no ladder, not even a cart filled with straw to make a leap for! There was nothing down below, but certain death. She was well and truly trapped.
"Give up? Tell you what, if you surrender now, maybe we'll let you keep some of those thieving, little fingers of yours!"
She gripped the bread rolls tightly with her trembling digits. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the captain of his battalion, a Sir Reginald Fairdale, who decided to switch tactics.
"You know, the dungeons aren't all bad. You get two meals a day, guaranteed. The prisoners even get sponge cake on holidays. Life would be much easier for you, if you would just let us take you in."
The girl hesitated. But, the captain's patience was soon rewarded. Chibi slowly took steps toward the knights, who started nodding to each other in a congratulatory manner. Today was the day they would catch her; the kingdom would finally be rid of this menace, once and for all.
"Yeah, that's right. Nice and slow. Be a good girl and we'll even see about getting you a cell that doesn't leak."
The offer was tempting; especially to someone as hungry as her. Free food, everyday. It sounded like a dream to Chibi and a done deal to the knights.
But, there was one thing they didn't count on. While Chibi valued a full stomach, she treasured something else so much more; one, simple, often taken for granted thing so important that she was willing to risk it all, just to keep it. The girl whirled out of their reach at the last moment, causing the knights to make a dive for her. They missed!
The pint-sized thief raced to the edge of the rooftop. Her worn out shoes pounded with every footfall. But, it wasn't as loud as the sound of Chibi's heart pounding in her own ears. She could vaguely hear the captain shouting for her to stop. But, it was too late; she jumped.