Author's Note: This is my first ever attempt at writing a FanFiction of my own. This chapter was edited and rewritten on 4-10-18. I'm far happier with this updated version. I hope you enjoy, and stick around as I write this story.

Reviews go a long way. I know that better now that I'm actually writing a story. Even if you review as a guest, its greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

::A Quick Side-note::

::If dialogue is written with a 'colon' (:) instead of 'quotation marks' ("), it means that the dialogue is happening telepathically. Just want to clear that up so nobody gets confused::

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Last Guardian'

Rarely do the days differ from this one. A smile crept over my face as I took in the view of our home, of the Nest. The Sun sat high above and shined directly down on the Valley, blanketing everything in light. It appeared to be void of darkness, of shadows. Absent of al the things one would have used to described this once accursed place. The sight was enough to make me laugh. To think that this place, this Valley, once home to the bane of our existence, was now one of the safest places one could settle in. Even now, after so much time, it was absurd to call it home.

It is, however, comforting to know that things can never, and will never, return to the ways of old. Gone were the days of worrying for the safety of our children. Gone were the days of questioning whether we'd be able to fend off an assault from the Trico. This new, peaceful, era was truly something to behold.

My attention shifted from the Valley below, to the Spire that loomed over the Nest. I could feel my smile fade away as the ever present question crossed my mind:

—Was it worth it?—

I shook my head at the thought, trying to rid the question from my mind. Doubt would always plague my mind. Despite this peace, a part of me would always be willing to return to the ways of old. How absurd, right? So much had been sacrificed, on both sides, after all. What would those who had made such sacrifices think at my purposterous thought? But more importantly...what would he think?

As I stared at the Spire a slow, lumbering movement from atop it caught my eye. It crept close to the Spire's edge and peered down below. Despite the distance I knew he was looking down on the two of us. He stayed that way for a few moments, almost like a statue; unmoving. It wasn't long before he turned, and his form disappeared from view. I couldn't help but wonder his thoughts on all this, and how nice it would be to hear them. The Trico, as a whole, had sacrificed as much as we humans had. But him? That particular Trico? He'd sacrificed as much as I had...maybe even more...

...He'd probably be willing to return to the old ways as quickly as I would. Perhaps if some things we'd lost still remained...

I shook the thought from my head. It was a pointless thing to ponder. The shield had been lost—the days of openly communicating with the beasts were a thing of the past; similarly to our old way of living.

With some effort I tore my wandering eyes away from the Spire to continue monitoring the Valley's activity from high above. I only made it a few steps closer to the building's edge before a very displeased growling and grumbling came from behind me. The sound was soon replaced by the shuffling of a large body as she made her way over to me. I turned to her, rolling my eyes. How long would she be this paranoid for?

My companion had taken several steps closer to me, fixing me with a very pointed glare. I could only shake my head at her display.

"Oh hush, Tori. Do you really think I'm going to fall again? That only happened once!"

She let out a heavy exhale that was followed by a few sharp chirps and whines. The ability to speak to the Trico might've been lost, but after three years amongst them we all learned some of their unspoken words and body language; like the death glare...which she was fixing me with.

"Alright, fine." I admitted, throwing my arms up in surrender. "Twice. Twice! But it's not like I'll fall a third time!"

She was...less than convinced as she padded over to me, letting out a low moan. I threw my hands out in front of my body, doing my best to keep her at bay. It was useless however. I was cornered now; behind me a rather fatal ledge and in front of me slightly annoyed Trico. There was little I could do to fight her off as she leaned down and grasped the back of my shirt, lifting me from the ground and letting out a chorus of sounds.

I could only imagine what she was saying:

—You said the exact-same-thing right before you fell off the building the second time!—

I sat there, swaying in the wind and hanging over the edge while a sort of huffing, gurgling laugh escaped her. Her ears suddenly flickered a few times as her head jolted to the side to peer over the ledge. I was about to demand she put me down, or place me on her back when what caught her attention caught mine as well. Below, amongst the Valley's busy endeavors, a small crowd was beginning to for. Both humans and Trico alike were gathering at one of the few tunnels that connect the outside world with the Nest.

I stared down at the forming crowd quizzically. "Think we have new arrivals, Tori? And for Spirits sake, put me down or something!"

Once the Nest had fallen, word spread rather quick. It wasn't long before other villages began requesting to become a part of the Valley. Even now, after three long years, people would come by to request residency. It was understandable however. It was quite the sudden change; suddenly living with our once-feared-enemies.

She gave a snort in reply but didn't react. I couldn't tell if it was in answer to my question, or my demand. We continued to watch the ever-growing crowd form from high above. The majority were clearly gathering around a smaller group that were huddled together, cornered by what appeared to be several young fledglings—likely our new visitors. I squinted, straining my eyes to see further.

In the distance, as difficult as it was to make out, one individual amongst the visiting group was carrying...something. I only knew this because the object would occasionally reflect the Sun's light in our directing, creating a strange sort of green, dazzling gleam. If they'd come brandishing weapons then I'd have to question whether they were brave, or just stupid. We had fought with the Trico for decades after all! I doubted any number of humans would actually take up arms against what were basically now our new allies.

Before long, my people began collectively looking around, as if trying to locate someone, or something. One person glanced above where I was perched—or hanging—before making some kind of a gesture with their arm. Pointing maybe? The rest of the crowed followed the villager's gesture while another mounted their companion and took flight in our direction.

I looked up to Tori and patted the side of whatever part of her I could reach while dangling in mid air. "Ok, Tori. Looks like we have to meet-and-greet. Ya gotta put me down or something." She twisted her head around before dropping me atop her back. As she began to backpedal as the other Trico crested over the building. The Trico reared back in mid flight, beating its wings several times to slow itself, before landing a distance away from us with a loud THUD. The beast lowered itself to the ground until it was nearly laying on its stomach as the rider threw himself to the ground. It was a child, who's name escaped me. Too many people had joined us in the Valley to know each and every person on a waltzed over and extended her wing, which I slid down on.

"I suppose they," I gestured off the building we were standing on, "are looking for residence and—"

"N-no," he cut me off. "Well, yes. But I-I don't even know how to say this."

The child, far younger than myself, jogged his way past me to the buildings ledge as his companion followed behind. Tori gave a low, rumbling growl as I approached the edge to stand beside him, but I simply waved a hand at her in dismissal. This seemed important. When we reached the edge, the villager pointed to the crowd down below.

"There's people down there looking to join the Valley...but...well."

I let out a groan. "Just spit it out. Do they come in peace? Are they doing something stupid down there?"

The child shook his head. "I don't know how to say this exactly, Sir. They just want to talk to one of you leaders about becoming part of the Valley. B-but there's a girl down there, a Marked One."

I raised my brows at that. While children marked by the Trico were few in numbers, it was pleasant to know they were amongst the few that had nearly been sacrificed their lives saved.

"Yes, and?" I pressed.

He sighed. "The one girl down there, it—it looks like she's carrying the Guardian's Shield..."

A long, stretch of silence fell between us. Behind me, Tori and the other Trico seemed to bristle at the mention of the artifact before padding over to us as well. When I'd come to my senses, three emotions rapidly passed through me. First, there was doubt:

It wasn't possible. We'd searched far and wide after the Nest had fallen. We scoured anywhere and everywhere, inside the walls of the Nest and outside them. It wasn't possible! Or perhaps, it was simply...unlikely. The Shield hadn't been destroyed after all.

Then there was anger. I narrowed my eyes at the boy and turned him towards me. He shrank a little once he was facing me.

"How do you even know of the Guardian's Shield?" I demanded. "Few know of its existence, and it is law that those who know of it keep it secret!"

His mouth moved up and down a few moments before he finally found his voice. "My—my father heard of it from somebody else, and I overheard him mention it."

I dragged a hand down my face and groaned at his answer. Nobody, absolutely nobody, should be openly speaking of that Shield. It's to be kept secret for reason. Spirits forbid it fell into the wrong hands, or somebody accidentally...

And lastly, I felt fear: A Marked One was in possession of the Shield?! I glanced over the ledge to see the group of newcomers surrounded by a few Trico. I could feel the blood as it drained from my face. "Are they using the Shield, boy? Are they aware of how to use it? or what it can do?" I demanded. He gave me a questioning look, then shook his head.

"I—I didn't even know it could do anything. What can it do?"

I continued to stare at the forming crowd of Trico and humans below. If that wasn't the shield, I'd be summoning the entire council of leaders to discuss the importance of the Guardian's Shield remaining secret. But, if that was the shield... Spirits forbid it was accidentally used and...I didn't even want to think of that. Especially if the Marked child accidently used it. We already hade quite a few people amongst us that had been Marked. Spirits forbid it was accidentally used and they were struck by—

I turned to Tori who was already lowering herself to the ground. She knew of the Shield, of what it could do. Spirits above, all the Trico knew what it could do! I climbed aboard and turned to the boy behind me. "Mount your companion and come down there with us. I don't have time to explain." He gave a quick nod before he began climbing his friend. I didn't bother to watch as he climbed up his Trico's leg. Tori had already thrown herself from the building as we made haste towards the crowd below.

As Tori came in at a rather steep angle for a landing, still a fair distance from the huddled crowd of newcomers, the Marked child and what was hanging from her side were the first two things I noticed first. To both my relief, and horror, it was the Guardian's Shield. Its smaller than average size and odd, green gleam were characteristics of the artifact that I'd never be able to forget.

The girl, who looked no older than ten and four, had the shield hanging from her side. Her eyes, and the eyes of her people, widened at our approach. If not for such a serious moment I would have laughed at their expression. Their reaction was no different from any person seeing a Trico swooping in, or seeing a Trico so close.

As we landed, my people gave us a large birth. They flayed out in several directions until the only once remaining were the rather curious adolescent fledglings and the group of newcomers who had huddled together in a desperate attempt to distance themselves from the curious, young Trico. They had the group cornered while the fledglings, standing about as a fully grown adult, prodded them with their heads, or what looked to be giving the group of strangers a smell.

Tori lowered herself and I slid from her back, raising my hands and clapping a few times to gather everyone's attention; but mostly to gather the fledgling's attention.

"Alright, alright," I yelled, clapping my hands together over my head. "Give em' some space. C'mon, shoo. We don't welcome our guests by scaring them all half to death!" The small beats tilted their heads to the side at my display before some of the adult Trico cantered over and personally removed them. Once the curious animals had cleared out, the crowd seemed to calm quite a bit.

At my approach, a single man stepped free from the crowd. He stood a reasonable distance from me as he bowed low. He was likely the group's leader, or so I assumed. Judging by his curtsy he probably thought of me as the same. The 'leader.' I gave him a laugh, stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome," I said. "No need to bow, my friend. I'm no king. My name is Ueda, and I'm only one of the several leaders of the Valley." The man rose from his posture and stood about eye-level with me. I took my hand from his shoulder and extended it in a friendly hand shake, which he gratefully accepted. Occasionally my eyes drifted to the girl, and the shield as the two of us spoke.

"My name is Milosz. We were sent by our village to seek out you, and your Valley." The mans eyes occasionally wandered to the several Trico standing about, all who were eyeing him with curiosity. I caught on to this, and made an effort to calm the already shaken visitor.

"You have no reason to fear the beasts, my friend. That time has long, long since passed us by." I turned towards his small party, raising my voice so to be heard. "You're all safe," I reassured. "They're all just...curious is all." The crowed seemed to relax at that as they studied the Trico with a glint of wonder. Some—the braver ones that is—even outstretched their arms to touch the massive animals who were close by.

"Right," Milosz began. "As I was saying—our village sent myself, and the small party before you, to ask that we join you within the Valley. They didn't want us to all arrive in our numbers and it be mistaken as a sort of threat."

I gave him a nod. He looked worried, as if expecting the answer to be 'no'. "You are all welcome here, so long as you come in peace, and abide by our rules." The man sighed in relief. As I thought, he was half expecting to be turned down. "I could have some of my people show you around the Nest—or as much of it before the Sun falls. The Valley...well, its rather large...as you can see."

Milosz nodded along with the rest of his party, likely finally realizing the sheer scale of the Nest.

With the greetings out of the way, how was I going to bring up the girl amongst his group, and more importantly, the shield she was carrying? None of them seemed particularly interested in her, or the shield. They probably had no idea just what she was holding. My dilemma was answered by the child herself when she took matters into her own hands. She approached Milosz and myself, tugging on the man's sleeve.

"Uhm, Milosz?" She asked. "If I may, could I speak with this man for a brief moment?"

He gave her a shrug of his shoulders. "That's fine, Nina. You've come a long way from our village to seek answers to questions I know you have. You'll have to ask Ueda if—"

I waved him off, trying to not come off as disrespectful. "It's fine, my friend. Many people, such as herself, have come here seeking answer to their questions. I have to speak to her about a given matter anyway." Milosz nodded before turning towards his group. They began being lead off to be given a tour of the Nest as several Trico followed behind. This left me with... 'Nina?'

"So, Nina. You have questions for me, and I for you." I stared down at the shield hanging from her side. "I'll begin—how did you come across that shield?"

She looked at her side, detaching the shield and holding offering it to me. I was a bit shocked if I do say so. I wasn't expecting her to give the shield up so suddenly. "I saw you looking at this...thing while you were speaking to Milosz...like you knew what it was, or something. Is it yours?"

I took the shield from her, examining it while she continued. "It was buried a distance from here, in the woods, and covered in a mound of moss. Do you know what it is?"

I looked up at the girl and nodded. "Yes. It's an artifact we thought was lost long ago when the Nest had fallen. Was it doing anything while you were in possession of it?"

She was quick to answer. "Yeah, actually. It was lighting up and creating a sort of signal-beam when I was holding it up in front of myself." I shuddered at that answer. Spirits forbid she had done that while surrounded by so many Trico. Somebody could have been injured, or worse!

As we spoke, a crowd was beginning to form, yet again. They all stared at the shield with wonder and curiosity. Some of the onlookers were murmuring, believing that the girl might be delusional at her claims of it creating runes. Few truly knew of this shield, or what it was capable of. All around me, my people, including Nina, looked to me hoping for some sort of an explanation. Nina still had questions of her own, likely pertaining to her black markings—as all Marked Ones came here seeking answers to them.

I let out a sigh. I could hardly believe I was holding this Shield again. The very item that caused me, and Toriko so many problems. It was, finally, in safe hands once again. He'd want to know of it being found. I think he'd actually eat me if I kept this from him!

I turned to Nina, and then to the crowd of several dozen onlookers. "This was the Last Guardian's shield." I said plaintively, slowing beginning to recall past events that I wished could be forgotten. I turned towards the white Spire that towered over the Valley in its entirety, raising the shield and taking aim at the antenna that towered above the Spire itself. I was mostly sure that this was safe to do. By all accounts, the Spire's antenna was basically a massive lightning rod. There were plenty of other ways to get his attention—like simply flying up there—but this would make for a good laugh.

As a vivid, cyan colored beam of light left the surface of the shield, the crowed gasped. I held my arm as steady as I could, all I needed to do was have the light rest on the Spire's antenna for a moment before —

Then, from atop the white tower, a vibrant, pinkish-red bolt of lightning seemed to leap from the roof of the Spire. It arched up, splitting the air with a thunderous crack before slamming halfway up the length of the Spire's antenna. Even as far away as I was, the remnants of the lightning was visible, crackling off the structure. The crowd surrounding me reacted as I expected them to. Some screamed, some backed away, and others were simply speechless.

From atop the White Spire, the from of a Trico appeared as it peered down below at us—mostly at me I was sure. I grinned. His body disappeared briefly, but his entire form reappeared when the threw himself from the tower and began plummeting towards the Earth like a stone.

I turned to address the crowd who had gone dead silent. "This shield was used for a multitude of things long, long ago. It was also something that lead to the fall of the Nest."

He delayed opening his wings for so long that I actually thought he would fail to stop his descent. Finally, his wings opened with a whoosh. The sound of his wings catching the air was audible, even from our distance. The beast glided the rest of the way down, then landed so forcefully that the very ground beneath him splintered and cracked. He landed well enough considering he was missing half his tail for balance, and most of his right paw. While all the Trico's looked similar to one another—be they male or female—his wounds were what set him apart from the others. For him, and myself, they served as memories.

The crowd that had formed were quick to scatter at his approach. Tori, who had remained as silent as a field mouse until this moment, trotted over to him, chirping and crooning several different notes. His one remaining right eye was plastered to the object I held, his left eye lost. A large scar ran from his forehead, across what was once his left eye and ended at his left cheek.

His expression was similar to my own once I head the Guardian's Shield might have been recovered; slack-jawed, disbelief written across his features. The only indication that he was listening to his Nest-mate was the occasional flicker of his ears at her noise. No doubt he was reliving the memories brought on by this Shield, as simple of an object as it appeared. It was the very thing that started all of, and he had far more memories linked to this shield than I ever could.

With each timid step he took towards me, his features grew sad I met him half way and aimed the shield just off the left of his head. By no means were we enemies. Not any more at least. My very presents I knew was uncomfortable to him. Perhaps I looked similar to him. To my son...to his friend.

I aimed the shield just off to the right side of his head. The focused stream of light left the shield, and I let its light drag across his face. His eyes briefly flickered between a few colors and his horns released several cyan rings, which told me the link had been established. He visibly swallowed once before his words filled my mind.

::U-Ueda? Can you understand me? H-how in the name of the Sky did you find the Shield?:: He sounded as happy as he did hurt at the very mention of the artifact.

I lowered the shield, absently scratching the back of my head. I turned towards Nina and waved her over to stand beside me. She deserved the credit for having found it. She looked to me and Toriko before carefully making her way over to stand beside me. I placed a hand on her shoulder, gesturing towards her with my head.

"You have this girl to thank for that, Toriko. She found it in her travels to the Nest. It was thanks to her that it was recovered."

He lowered himself to take a glance at the child standing at my side, letting out a small huff. She stiffened a bit at his close proximity. ::A Marked One? Thank her for me, Ueda. She has no idea what recovering that shield means to the other Servan—to the other Trico. More importantly; its importance for the two of us::

His features changed a bit at its usefulness to us. I didn't have a chance to reply when Nina tugged on the side of my robe. "I-is he...are you two speaking to each other?" She was shocked by the revelation, likely unaware that it was the shield's doing. The crowd began to reform around myself, and around Toriko. There were whispers and murmurs that it couldn't be possible. Some had put the correlation of the Shield's sudden appearance and my speaking to him and answering him. Others thought it was anything but the simple metal shield.

Finally, once of the Nest's occupants spoke out. And soon after it was followed by a question by another once, and another, and so forth.

"Are you actually speaking to him with the shield?"

"Don't be purposterous! A simple shield can't do such a thing."

"Did that shield make Toriko fire off a bolt of lightning? Half his tail is missing!"

"What in the Seven Spirits is going on!"

I turned to them, raising a hand to stop their incessant questioning. With how big a spectacle was made, word would travel fast, and it was ok if it did now. They all looked to me with expectation. I didn't want to answer their questions, to tell the story. To relive it. To be reminded of everything. Of the abductions. Of the fighting and sacrifices... of my Son...

...My son...

I fought back a tear at the onslaught of memories, and felt Toriko nudge my left side.

::Ueda..?:: He pressed. ::If it's still hard on you, then maybe I could tell them the story? With the shield, we Servan—uh, Toriko, can communicate with you humans::

I gave him a pat on his nose. "It's ok, Toriko. I-I think I'll be alright." I assured him. "...And I think he would want me, or us, to tell his story."

Toriko gave me a nuzzle with his large head and settled back on his haunches. ::I agree. But don't let the burden of doing so lie solely on your shoulders. Isn't that what you once told me?:: I gave him a meaningful smile and turned back to the crowed to address them.

"Very well." I said. "All your questions; the shield, the Valley, the Marked Ones... all of it can be answered with a story. But I'll have to start from the beginning. And it all begins with my Son."

...My son...

Author's Note 2: If you're re-reading Chapter 1 after its update, I hope it was better than it was previously. God, I thought it was in desperate need of a few fixes. If you just came across this story and made it to the end, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the story.

Next chapter is when this story truly begins.