War.

War is an ugly thing.

Fighting and killing living things. Not monsters, but actual Humans, Elves and those in the middle.

War is horrible, having to choose sides, your people or your friends. That's a hard decision to make, not saying I chose my people, because, isn't your friends your family? Even more so at times then even those related to you by blood, blood you're stuck with and have no choice, friends you choose.

I side with my family, and when my family chooses friends, what ever I would choose, I follow my family, although my friends are family too, so is there any choice?

But I hate to see my son fighting in this war, I've lost my wife already, I don't want to loss him to…

War is terrifying, never knowing when you'll die or who will kill you. Never knowing who is your ally until they attack or help you. But then, even those you have come to see as allies can turn on you, betray you, backstab you, and kill you in your sleep. I've seen it happen. Not many people sleep peacefully in a war.

War is nerve-racking, hiding in a bunker or other building while enemies pass by, or just to get a breath in before moving on. Waiting for your friends and allies to show up as well, to discuss plans, and just to make sure they're alive. Waiting hours, hoping they'll show, fighting off deep worry when they're late, never knowing if they're dead, hurt or captured.

It's even more nerve-racking when your child is one of the people you're waiting for, your child, his friends, and your friends, all of them. It's nerve-racking being the first to the bunker, and waiting, waiting for hours for them to show, praying to what ever god is out there that they come before the set time for you to move on before you're caught.

I never wanted my son in this. I would rather him be safe in one of the towns marked as a neutral zone. Not that anything is neutral in a war, everything belongs to one side or the other, that or it will. He's only seventeen, way to young to be in this, yet how could I stop him? He's strong headed, and he just would have followed me anyway. Some of his, and my, friends shouldn't be in this either; two of them are only twelve, the other sixteen, way too young to be fighting in this.

But then, the twelve year olds have some right to be fighting in this. It is their side that I'm fighting for, the side of those in between, the half elves. Five out of our group of twelve are half elves, the rest of us are humans, fighting for a place for all half elves in the world. We have the humans and the elves against us. Them wanting to kill all the half elves, or at least have them all locked away working like slaves.

War is exhausting, never getting enough sleep, never knowing when it will be safe to sleep, always on the move, fighting, hiding, running, training, and waiting. Waiting is the most exhausting thing of all. But in a war, wait you must. Wait for the next battle, your next meal, your next sleep, for your friends.

So here I am, thirty-five year old Kratos Auron, waiting in a bunker near Luin. Waiting for my friends, and my son, to show. I have only two hours left before I have to move on…I've been here four already, and they should have been here about two hours ago.

So I'll wait. And wait and wait and wait. Until they show, or until I must move on, to the next bunker, near Hima then Asgard, until we meet up again, or I am forced to call them dead, and move on, continuing to fight for our cause.

Two hours is a long time to wait…