Golden Guard X Reader; TOH

1.

The pleasant feeling of butterflies danced around in your stomach, a nervous laugh left your chest - even though you felt excitement rippling through you like waves. It was something you didn't experience as much as you did when you were younger.

Your legs skidded across the cracked pavement in long strides, trying to keep up with the younger girl ahead of you. A laugh left you once again as the bird overhead flapped it's wings rapidly, it's tiny claws hooked into the book it had allegedly stolen from the other girl. "I can't believe I'm a fucking witness to something like THIS!" you breathed with a smile, pointing at the culprit in the grey sky.

"Don't laugh at my sorrows!" the girl whined, gasping for breath, "I have to get that book back!" You shrugged your shoulders, shutting your mouth completely - remembering an open mouth would only tire you more. "Really? Is it like limited edition or something-" the girl interjected with a serious voice, her cheek puffed out with a soft red hue, "No time for talking! I wanna get that bird!"

You grinned, wiping off the gathered sweat on your forehead, "Aye, aye captain."

"Look it's flying down!" the girl gasped as the small bird lowered in flight, diving towards a clump of grass. You sighed, thinking the bird had lost interest in the object. It disappeared behind the patch of over-grown grass with a small hoot.

Ohh so it's an owl, you smiled, never having seen one in the area.

"I think we've got it-" the girl beside you stopped, grinning as the two of you approached the tall grass slowly, your steps silenced by the grass at your feet. You threw a glance behind you, only now realizing you had chased the owl all the way to the forest you weren't all too familiar with. The oak trees stretched overhead like umbrellas, caging out any sunlight from lighting the dark fauna.

"Wait!-" the girl exclaimed in alarm as the patch of grass rustled, a second later the bird shoot out; carrying what appeared to be a bag in it's talons...though it seemed too heavy for a small owl to carry.

"Are you kidding!?" you huffed, crossing your arms, "I am not going after it. Come on, your book's gone." you attempted to grab the girl's arm before she sprinted further, but the girl gave you a huff and pulled away - belting after the bird.

"Hey- oh for the love of..." you ran a hand through your tusled hair, beads of sweat pouring out of you, "wait for me! You could get lost!" you dashed after her, delving deeper into the woodland.
You could make out the little white of her shirt, getting drowned out by the overgrown ferns and whatever plants that outstretched upwards.

You squinted your eyes in hopes of locating the bird, but couldn't quite make out much in the dark roof made out of leaves. You cursed as you stumbled over your own feet, struggling to regain your composure as the plants under your feet only gave a push to your slide.

With a grunt you managed to stabilize your form, flailing your arms in an attempt to grab a secure hold of something. Your fingertips grazed the girl's shirt, tightly pinching the material between your fingers to not fall atop of her. The girl seemed to pay you no mind as you struggled to even your breathing, the sudden tumble had made your heartbeat skyrocket.

"Well that was fun..." you joked, your irises glancing at the girl's face, a small grin present on your features as you tried to play it off cool.

"Look-" the girl pointed with an outstretched hand. Her expression wore surprise and a curious glint, the small eyebrows knitted together with an unsure expression. You frowned, slowly casting your eyes in the direction of her hand.