Hello everyone!

As the description says, this is a fanfic about the attacks on Aerrow, Finn and Piper's terras and how they were orphaned.

This was originally meant to be a oneshot songfic, but it got so long, I figured I'd split in into multiple chapters (6, to be exact). And yes, this fic is basically already written, except for editing and some finishing I have to do on the final chapter. So, these chapters will be up fairly quickly.

This fic follows three seperate story lines: one for Aerrow, one for Piper, and one for Finn. The song lyrics are what really attaches these seperate stories together. Also, each story takes place at a different stage of the invasion. The fic will switch back and forth between storylines after a new line of lyrics, but not always. I know this may be confusing, but it actually is supposed to be, because I feel it adds to the disorder and upheavel I'm trying to convey. However, if asked, at the end, I'll post each storyline in full and seperate from the others so you can read them in one go (which is actaully how they were written: I wrote the whole of Aerrow's story, then the whole of Piper's and then Finn's).

In case you were wondering, I picture Aerrow, Piper and Finn being somewhere between 6 and 8 years old, but they may have come out as even younger, so I'll let you decide.

Also, writing the character of Finn is new for me (I've done a lot of work with Aerrow and Piper), so I'd like to hear how everyone thinks he turned out (especially in later chapters). I'm trying to branch out and play around with more characters; it's good for my writing!

Finally, though I've never said this before, I actually recommend that you listen to the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap while you read this fic. I really adds to the mood of the story and adds an extra demension.

Now that you have all put up with my massive intro: On with the fanfiction!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks, nor the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap.

Note: Bolded words are lyrics.


Chapter 1: The Dust Has Only Just Begun To Fall

Where are we?

The first thing Aerrow became conscious of was the bitter taste of dust and dirty. He coughed, but it did nothing to relieve his dry mouth and itchy nose. Slowly lifting his heavy eyelids, he could make out the rocky ground through his hazy gaze.

Aerrow made no effort to move. His felt tired, bruised and broken. His lifeless limbs felt like they were sinking into the hard ground. Groaning, he lifted his head, taking his dust filled nose from the ground. Dizziness and nausea overtook him, and he quickly laid his head back down, turning it to the side.

The blazing sun blinded Aerrow momentarily. After a few blinks, his eyes adjusted to the bright light and he began to make out at his surroundings.

He appeared to be on some kind of rocky ledge. A few feet away, grass was growing tall, green and untamed. He was at the bottom of a hill. On top of the hill was a giant tree with sad, dropping branches, covered in fresh, green leaves.

With great effort, Aerrow again lifted his head, plopping it back down quickly after turning to look to his other side.

The rock outcrop he lay on ended not far away from him. It appeared to just drop off into nowhere. But what really caught Aerrow's eye was what was between him and the edge of this small, uncharted terra he supposed himself to be on.

"Radarr?" Aerrow coughed out his small blue friend's name, the grit stuck to his tongue making talking difficult.

Radarr chirped softly, opening one lazy eye to look at his friend. Neither seemed to be able to summon the energy to move. They just lay on their stomachs on the hard, dusty rock, staring at each other through half opened eyelids.

"Where are we?" Aerrow croaked.


What the hell is going on?

"Can't catch me!" Finn laughed as he ran down the street.

"Finn, come back here!" his teenaged sister called, not wanting to lose the small boy in the busy market, "Finn!"

But said child had already stopped dead. His eyes, like many other's in the market, gazed skyward. There was a large, grey cloud quickly forming on the horizon. The only cloud in the sky.

"Looks like rain's coming." said a man from behind one of the sale booths.

"That's no cloud." another answered, his tone foreboding.

The cloud was advancing very fast. Too fast to be forming rain droplets. What was it then? Finn wondered. A soft humming sound reached his ears, carried by the light summer breeze. Were they a swarm of bugs? He could make out wings now. Many, many wings, attached to many, many little bodies.

The young boy cocked his head to the side in wonder, observing the approaching swarm. The humming was getting louder. The bugs were getting bigger. No, they weren't bugs. They were skimmers. And there were figures on them.

A few people began to hurry away, but most kept their eyes on the sky. The odd sight of so many flying machines dazed them into still amazement, the roaring sound of the engines not even registering.

There were little lights now. Lights on sticks. Finn thought they were rather pretty, much like the bunch of fireflies he'd caught and put in a jar a few nights before. These dazzling lights were a darkening purple. How odd, that light could seem cold.

Finn heard someone scream. There was a crashing sound, like someone had dropped a pot or some other clay object onto the cobblestones. Heavy, running footsteps could be heard all around him. But the child didn't move. He was too wrapped up in the massive amount of men, riding skimmers and holding glowing sticks, that were continually coming closer and closer.

The dust has only just begun to fall

Piper pulled back the thick leaves of the jungle undergrowth to catch a peek at the small village in the valley below.

It was hard to make out anything through the thick smoke that still lingered, from the buildings that had been burned. Those that remained were caught in the thick greyish clouds that seemed to circle the little homes, which appeared as mere shadows.

A sudden pressure on her shoulder caused Piper to jump, giving a yelp. A large hand quickly covered her mouth to stop any more noise from escaping.

"Shush, Piper." she heard her father's deep, comforting voice and felt his warm breath against her ear.

With a nod from the little girl, the older man let his hand fall from her face. Piper turned and was surrounded in her fathers safe embrace. She looked up at his face, strong features and beard giving him a rough appearance, but Piper knew that underneath the tough exterior was the most gentle being she knew. His usually bright eyes had dulled, and his fallen features added a few more wrinkles to his tanned skin.

"I think the mean men are all gone, Piper." her father informed, "We'll need to go to the house to get a few supplies, and then we'll get out of this place."

Piper nodded hesitantly.

"You have to stay quiet, okay?" her father instructed.

Both knew it was an unnecessary reminder. The young girl hadn't said a word since the pair had first her the sounds of terror coming from the direction of their village.

They had been out collecting the tropical fruit that grew deep in the jungle's depths. It was to be a surprise for Piper's mother. But, others had surprised her before they could.

At the first sounds of trouble, Piper's father had grabbed his daughter and climbed up a nearby tree. Looking back, Piper could see that he had meant to leave her there while he went to see what was happening. However, he had been unable to extract his daughter from his neck, which she had held in a death grip, eyes wide and mouth turned mute from fear.

When the shouts and bloodcurdling screams had subsided, Piper and her father had descended from their treetop perch and stealthily made their way towards their home.

Her father had left Piper where they now stood, to scout out the area and see if it was safe to get any closer to the partially burnt village.

Piper's father lifted her up in his arms, pressing her head against his chest, as her fists clenched his shirt tightly.

"Keep your eyes closed and don't open them until I say so." her father instructed.

Piper scrunched up her face as she tightly closed her eyes, burying her face deeper into her father's chest. She had no idea how long it took to get to their house. It felt like the constant bouncing of her body went on forever, as her father carefully made his way around the debris, skilfully fading into their surroundings.


Well, that's the first chapter! I hope I've grabbed your attention enough to get you all coming back for more!

I'll have the next chapter up soon, after I get at least one review! (just so I know someone is reading this and has some interest).

Thanks for reading!