"Running, running, running, running!" Keith high hoofed it across the swamp to the green lion, a small bundle in his arms.

"Hurry up Keith!"

"You try running with a baby!"

"I did! Last time! That's why you're doing it this time!"

Keith leapt over a line of what looked like flaming cattails, and skidded into the lions mouth just as the first shots followed after him. The baby started to scream at him as Pidge took off.

"I hate kids," Keith huffed, trying to get his breath back, "I really hate kids…"

()

Radik refused to leave Lances side.

If Lance went to the bathroom, Radik waited outside the door; if Radik had to use the bathroom he'd start crying if Lance refused to go with him.

"Is this normal?" Lance asked Gen and Martle one night after he'd finally got the boy to sleep, "is there something I'm missing?"

Gen shrugged, "you got me. No one I know has gone through this phase, but then again, we are all at least half of another race. It could be the mystery half that's acting up."

"Still, we should be careful," Martel added, "we told you what happens when a dradite without an outlet gets too emotional. All that power is going to go somewhere."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Lance sighed, "but he wont talk to me or anyone else. All he'll say is that I shouldn't leave. What makes him think I'm going to leave?"

"Maybe he's just afraid you'll end up like Kax," Martle said, "That's not outside the logic of worry."

"No, just a little insulting," Lance said, "I'm not that old."

"Everyone who sides with us dies," Gen said, "We all are lucky. Normally if your first parent dies then you're captured and that's the end. Getting a second chance like this is whats not normal."

Lance scowled. He wished he could just make everything better. With the Galra there was a clear 'good guy' and 'bad guy'. This time it was a little more complicated.

"…Laaance…" Radik rubbed his eyes as he walked up to him.

"Were we too loud?" Lance asked as the boy naturally took his seat on Lance lap.

"we're gonna get rain tomorrow," Radik mumbled, "but no thunder…so that's ok…"

"What makes you say that?"

Radik shrugged, "I see it when I close my eyes…"

"Like dreaming?"

"Mmm," Radik shook his head, still half asleep, "I can smell it too. And taste it…"

"Now that really is weird," Martle said. Lance repositioned the kid sideways so he could be more face to face.

"Did you see the thunder storm a few days ago? Was that what scared you?"

Radik started to get teary eyed and nodded.

"What other scary things do you see?"

Radik sniffed, "Kax got shot…Heppik was helping him up when he got shot…"

"Gen," Lance looked over radiks head, "there isn't an ability that lets you see the past or future…is there?"

Gens eyes were round and he licked his lips, "Um…um...well…I've really only heard stories, but even we think it's a fairytale."

"I thought the stories were just made up as another excuse for the Hunters to track us down," Martle said, "there's little to no scientific explanation for that talent. Even the irregularity of quintessence can't explain it."

"this isn't sounding very fairytale like," Lance muttered.

"Am I in trouble?" Radik asked.

"Nope," Lance kissed his head, "you need to go to bed. I'll be there in a little bit ok?"

"You wont go away?"

"I promise," Lane said firmly, "I promise on my big toe and my pinky toe I will not go away."

Radik nodded finally and shuffled back to bed. Lance turned back to gen and Martle.

"I need to know these stories," Lance said, "cause they're not stories anymore."

"What is not stories anymore?" Shiro asked joining them. Martle jumped a little and Gen just glared.

"Nothing much," Lance sighed and to the kids he said, "We'll talk more tomorrow. Don't stay up too late."

Lance stood and started making his way back to bed. Shiro followed.

"What do you want, Shiro?"

"What can I do to help?"

Lance stopped and faced him, "excuse me?"

"I know we didn't start off…on the right foot, but I would like to help. Hunk is helping by building, and I'm just not very good with kids."

"You raised Keith, Shiro," Lance said, "you want to help? Help show these kids what life is like outside of a cave or a dugout. If you haven't noticed, a few of them refuse to sleep outside or spend any amount of time out in the open. Help me teach them to be kids. Martle and Gen are only about 13 years old at most. They've been in charge of little ones their whole lives. I should not be able to talk to them like I would you. But I can because they've never been given the opportunity to just be kids. How did you raise Keith, Shiro, if you don't know how to deal with kids?"

"I…didn't raise Keith," Shiro said, very confused, "Keith and I became friends at the garrison."

Lance didn't know what to say. He'd thought that the Hunters had erased just him from Shiro and Alluras memory, but apparently they'd started to erase more than just him.

"Shiro," Lance said, his anger thawing a bit, "whatever you do, do not tell Keith this."

"What?"

"Shiro, you raised Keith, ok? Can you believe me? Please? Trust me on this?"

Shiro stared at Lance. The cadet wasn't lying. Why was he looking like everything hinged on this?

"But…Keith has a mom…"

"Aw, Man," Lance gripped his head, "I am not the one who should be explaining this!"

"…I'm missing more than just the memories I thought I was…"

Lance nodded.

()

Keith watched the four people they had been able to rescue. One was an adult, but he didn't move or acknowledge anything that happened around him. Two were babies and the fourth was a little girl about ten years old.

When one of the babies started to cry the little girl picked it up and gave Keith a terrified look.

"I won't do anything," Keith said. Pidge had two more places she wanted to check.

They'd started at the Cradle and had followed a trail from there. Hunk had listened to Ollie explain what Hunters called 'Harvesting' and had realized that they wouldn't kill a rare pure-blood Dradite. At least not right away. He'd gotten Pidge to help him do some research on where they might take him.

So far all they found were half bloods, but there was still a little bit of hope. And Pidge was holding onto that hope with all her might.

Keith let her have it. He didn't feel all that great about it, but if it would help pidge, then he'd help.