Alright, so, this is the fourth Halo story I'm doing, and a direct sequel to Kingdom Come and Sympathy for the Devil, both of which are on my profile. I would strongly recommend that you read those two before this. In terms of posting, Kingdom Come came first, then Sympathy for the Devil. In chronology, it goes Sympathy for the Devil, then Kingdom Come. This is taking place after those two in both categories. Hope you enjoy, and as always, good reviewers get cookies.

Chapter 1

Felicia skipped happily through woods that surrounded her home, and as children usually are, blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Of the bushes. Of the trees. Of the brush. Of the strands of vanilla shedding that sprinkled the ground like leaves in autumn. Part of her enthusiasm was the simple mind of youth. She didn't know to fear that rumbling a bit away or the broken leaves that implied something large and powerful had trampled through the trees. She didn't even think of them.

In an attempt to make the colony as close to Earth as possible, some indigenous species had been brought along and left to breed in the forest. Wolves, boars, deer. They made for good recreational hunting, but mostly they were something to look at, to listen to, so that the colonists wouldn't feel so far from home. Lightyears away. And they never bothered her. So long as she stayed close enough to the town, she was fine. And even as she skipped farther and farther away, she didn't know to start to worry. No matter how far she went, she would always find her way back. Even after the trees gave way to different shapes and unfamiliar branches. Even after she had been walking for what seemed like an hour, her sneakers with so many holes they must have ceased to be sneakers, her clothes drenched with sweat and sticky to her form. Even as the air got cold and the sun began to set. Still she didn't worry, or turn around.

The other part was simple, unabridged joy at one very simple thing: her father was back! He had never told her why he had to leave, he had never discussed the war or even told her about it, but she knew, from the hushed conversations between him and her mother, the tension in the colony, that something was going on. But none of that mattered now, because he was here, and he had sat her down and promised that he would never, ever leave her again. No matter what. He would always be there for her.

The colony on the planet Remus was so small and out of the way that even the Covenant, with their bloody, holy campaign, had never bothered to spare the minimal resources that it would take to glass it. It was so small, possessing maybe a few hundred men, women, and children, maybe three or four settlements sprinkled over the surface, though so far away they never even had contact. No Forerunner artifacts, at least none that were known. No strategic importance, for the UNSC to mount a defense or for the Covenant to use as a stepping stone for a more important planet. It was absolutely nothing.

The Elites were something to get used to. Over eight feet tall, and looking more like a beast than a man, like something out of her story books but crafted with flesh and blood. But she didn't know what their kind had done to her kind, so she didn't know why her mother pulled her to the other side of the street whenever she saw them. But even they were extremely rare. Occasionally, one of their ships would come trudging through space and stop at the colony to resupply. But the Elites kept to themselves, and the humans kept to themselves. No fights or drama. She was always curious about the creatures, the Elites, and the Grunts that sometimes came with them. They were small, funny thing with squeaky voices and silly faces. The hulking things called Hunters, with the squirming at the cracks in their armor plating. The Jackals, with their long beaks and cawky voices. She always wanted to get close, but her mother's grip around her wrist was unyielding.

Felicia skipped, with all the bliss and joy that was reserved for the youthful and ignorant. So happy and ignorant. Right up until she smacked into something unbelievably large and furry.

She stumbled back, shaking her head, whining painfully. It was like hitting a brick wall, which she had done once when she was playing tag; looking behind her to be sure no one was chasing her, she had run right into the side of her house. Well, actually that had hurt more, since at least this thing was covered in a layer of soft, fluffy fur, so the hardness was muffled however slightly. She whined again, rubbing her head and feeling blood dribble out of her nose and down her lips. She opened her eyes, and her vision was overwhelmed by a sea of crème color. It was because it was so massive that she didn't immediately realize what it was, her vision was awash with vanilla.

Even when her vision adjusted, she was baffled. What creature could it possibly be? After she craned her neck to look up and view the massive titan, she hadn't the slightest idea. Not a Hunter. Not an Elite. It looked a lot like an ape actually, a vanilla colored monkey with its simian hands and slouched posture. But what monkey would wear armor? It was armor, mismatched, tattered, dirtied, an ensemble of colors, but armor none the less.

It felt her bump into it, and turned and looked down to see this tiny little handful just staring back. No fear in her youthful eyes. No hatred. Unarmed. And not doing anything hostile. Even the children had been taught hate, and he could respect that, he had seen children as young as ten lift pistols and take aim, but she did nothing of the sort. She just sat there, staring, when she should have been running. He reached a hand down, a hand so big it could have picked up tiny little Felicia in her entirety. She didn't flinch. She didn't scream, even as the warmth embraced her.

---

Margret Trips stayed up that whole night waiting for her daughter. Standing on the porch, then at the window inside when the night grew too cold. Her husband and a few other men had gone out to look for little Felicia. Five of them, her husband and a few others. That had been six hours ago. Four hours ago, the sun had set.

"I'm sure she's fine," Manjula said. She had been here the whole time, staying with Margret, keeping her calm and from the brink of panic.

Margret laughed. "Bart survived the war. We both saw it start and we saw it end and when he got assigned to this little colony, I thought that finally god was smiling upon us. Even if the squid-faces turned on us, why would they bother with us? We would survive."

"I'm sure she's fine," Manjula said again.

"Why wasn't I watching her? I have one job as a mother, and that's to watch my children, and I fucked it up, and now she's out in the middle of the woods. God, how could I be so stupid?"

The door was practically kicked down and with a loud crashing of noise. Margret turned to see her husband smashing through the living room, kicking any tables or chairs out of her way, a tiny bundle of cloth clinging tightly in his arms.

"Oh god," Margret whimpered.

"She's fine," Bart said quickly. Captain Bartholomew Trips, who had survived the Covenant's genocides only to find his daughter, lying face down in the middle of the woods, washed in the cold moon's light. "She's fine," he said again. "Just cold and tired, a couple scrapes and scratches, but she's fine. She's alive. She'll be fine."

Margret took her from him, holding her daughter tight. Seven years old, her little body was still so fragile and soft. And her skin was cold and slick. And there were lashes, ugly open marks on her face and arms. "What do I do?" she asked.

"Get Doctor Paterson," Bart said to Manjula. Margret didn't notice as she left. Felicia coughed loudly. Still holding her close, as if should she let go her daughter would slip away, she sat down on the couch. "She has a fever," Bart continued. "She'll be fine. We'll get the doctor and she'll be fine."

Margret stroked little Felicia, holding her close, gradually peeling the jacket that wrapped her tiny form away. Her hand touched Felicia's cold, wet skin. She tore her soaked clothes, frigid ice clung to the shirt. They would only make her sicker. She tore the clothes away and threw them away. Then lifted her daughter and brought her to the bathroom. A warm bath, that would do her good. Yes, she thought, that would do her good.

Idly the captain picked up Felicia's discarded clothes, and for the first time noticed the few strands of crème colored fur trapped in the ice.

---

"She'll be fine," the good doctor said. "It's not as bad as it certainly could be. Just exposure."

"What is it?" Margret asked.

"Pneumonia," he said. "Psychical trauma to the chest and out in the cold all night. She'll be fine though. Don't let her out of bed, make sure she sleeps, drinks lots and lots of water, give her these pills, one every morning. Call me every three hours and if anything happens, alright? Old school remedies still work the best. It's also the most the colony has anyway."

"Thank you so much." Margret and Doctor Paterson exchanged brief embraces. They went separate ways, Margret to the master bedroom where little Felicia was snuggling up in the king sized bed, and the doctor went down the stairs to the living room.

"You really think it's a Brute?"

Trips held up a small, zip lock bag of fur. "Maybe not. I mean, maybe Felicia found a little bunny rabbit. White fur, that doesn't have to mean a Brute. Maybe she picked up a rabbit. Maybe she petted a wolf. We don't have any real evidence that there are any Brutes."

"But you think it's a Brute, don't you?"

Trips held his head. "I'm terrified it's a Brute. I really, really am."

"Ever the pessimist."

"The Alliance has been pushing them out of the inner sectors. They are pushing them into us. And this planet, so small, they could hid right under our noses. What are we going to do if there's a whole pack, just waiting outside our vision?"

"You found a strand of fur. Come on, that doesn't mean the entire Brute population is living in our forests. I'll contact the Navy, see if they can send some personnel. We can do a sweep."

"We are all soldiers here," Bart said. "And I would rather not have the Elites here unless necessary. All the units are integrated now."

"There is the possibly a pack of Brutes is living just outside our town. I'd say that is necessary. I'm calling it in Bart. I know your feelings about the Elites, but think of everyone here. We need them."

The captain nodded.

"Go be with your daughter."

The captain nodded again.

Ugh, i hate first chapters. Things pick up next chapter, lot of old favorites will be coming in.