A rather tanned hand brushed against the owner's brow, wiping away the sweat that had gathered. Dirt smeared across her face as she gazed at her family's crops. They were withered and barren, the drought having wiped out their grain for harvest. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the government would come in and check, their second failure to bring in any food for their planet marking up their final strike. The crops would be destroyed and her family killed to take over the land for the army to use.

With a heavy heart, Aoko briefly looked at the sun set high in the sky, then back at the cracked and dry land. In a last attempt to save her family, she began to dig into the parched earth. If she could find any water to use to irrigate her crops, it could potentially save the lives of her parents.

She dug multiple holes in the earth, getting down to rather moist dirt on occasion, but no water. Aoko would have to dig deeper, and dig wider holes. Swallowing dryly, she grit her teeth and forced the shovel further into the earth below her, the tool making a 'clanking' noise and snapping in multiple pieces.

"Fuck!" Aoko growled, sounding almost feral, throwing the splintered wood and metal far into the field in front of her. The bloodied and blistered hands she had, she had gained for naught, and now she knew her family was doomed. They could run away, and live in the mountains to the west.

It was the perfect idea, if they could escape in time.

Turning on her heels, Aoko ran back to the wooden shanty she called home. Inside, her mother was cooking one of their animals from the flock, a small supply of vegetables on the countertop beside the oven.

"Aoko, you're absolutely filthy."

"I know, mema*. But we need to get out of here, today. Our crops are dead and I can't find the water underground to even try to get them back to normal. Please, mema, pepa. We can't simply roll over and die."

She knew what she was saying seemed impossible, especially to her parents. They were in their twilight years now, and unable to really do any hard labor anymore. Packing and moving would surely kill them, and the stress of always running would only wear them out further. It was a last ditch attempt, and her mother knew that too.

"Aoko," her mother set down the sharpened knife and stood to hug her daughter, "you run. We've talked this day over the last time we had a drought... We're old, dema*. But you, you're young! You can go and be free." The older woman smiled up at her daughter, and gently ran her calloused hands over her daughter's cheek.

Aoko couldn't really believe what she was hearing. While her mother was content to die where she was, happy that she raised a child who was hard working and could take care of herself, Aoko couldn't help but look at her father, who was lying down and breathing roughly. He was older than his wife, his graying and thin hair compared to her peppered scalp really showed the age difference. His voice was frail, but he spoke to his daughter, and said, "Do what your mother says... Pack, leave. You have so much to experience, and we've experienced it all," a cough interrupted his sentence, "so now it's our turn to experience the final journey..." Aoko watched as her father clutched at his chest, another coughing fit racking its way through his body. She heard a spatter of liquid and realized it was blood by the smell, and her mother went to his side.

While she would have much rather left with her parents, Aoko knew they were right. Even if they did escape, her father wouldn't make it very far and her mother would, without a doubt, linger behind with her father.

With a nod, Aoko went to her room and packed a small cloth full of extra undergarments, not bothering with her outerwear. When she exited her room, her mother stood waiting with a few vegetables and a chioten* on a leash made from a small piece of leather and a string.

Her eyes stung violently as she packed up the vegetables in her small bag, the chioten clucking as she led it around by its leash as she said goodbye to her parents. They hugged tightly, as a family, for what they all knew would be the final time.

Finally, Aoko stepped out of the door, and stepped straight into the torso of an armed guard.


A'ight guys. I legit do not know what to title this. 8I Suggestions will be awesome.

Mema/Pepa is "momma" and "poppa," respectively. Dema is daughter. A chioten is a mix between a chicken and a badger, and it lays eggs. :D