Felinis: Despite the fact that I'm on break right now, I unfortunately lack access to a computer at all times which makes writing hard. Here is a chapter.

"Do you think we'll make good parents?" Hanna asked over the roaring campfire. She was staring at her large swollen belly. A few days and then she'd be a mom. And, now as the nine months were ending she was finding that she was in no way ready to be a parent.

Lowell was looking to the sky earnestly. He wished he could fly. If he could fly then none of this running would need to happen. The woods on the plains of Ilyccia were thick and green. He only was able to see the sky through a small break in the trees. They were making their way to Zaphias. It was dangerous.

They were making a gamble. Myorzo would be over Zaphias soon. It had been too dangerous once the conflict in Mt. Temza began to stay in Dahngrest. The war was just beginning. The flames stoked now that Hermes had crafted his monstrous machines. Lowell had warned him, but it had been too late.

The fool.

He hated that he had to rely on others. Pharaoh would not help a human. Belius and Khroma were tied up in battle that when they had started running had already been cross continents. Astal and many others had forsaken him. Condemned Lowell as a traitor for his actions. The only hope he had was that Duke and Elucifer could pull through for them. It wasn't fair for Hanna. Had this war never happened the two would be living a normal life. Lowell had been ready to give up everything to live with Hanna. He still was. "Probably not. We don't have any experience dealing with kids. I even more so than you."

She was poking her stomach nervously. "What if they hate us? What if we're such terrible parents that our kid hates us?"

Lowell rolled his eyes. "I doubt we'll be that bad."

"But, we're stupid and immature! I still make dick jokes. How can I raise a kid when I still make dick jokes?" she exclaimed and almost spilled her plate of food.

Lowell just shook his head. He loved Hanna so much but always found her ability to worry over stupid things ridiculous. "I'm way older than you and I still make dick jokes. Trust me we'll be fine."

She looked him harshly in the eyes. "How can you be sure?"

"Because you are a wonderful woman. Wonderful women always make good moms." He smiled widely at her and she stared harder. "Plus, you're beautiful."

"I'm not buying it," Hanna said. "My mom was a 'wonderful' woman. Amazing at her job. Totally, beautiful. Terrible mom. She actually forgot my birthday more than once."

Lowell sighed. "I doubt we could ever forget this year." He doubted anyone could. The war was just starting. May the Goddess bless the souls that escaped its grasp.

While Flynn and Yuri became a strongly tied duo they started off as more or less enemies. After their first encounter, the two avoided each other. Flynn making more of an effort than the latter. Being bitten in the arm was not a good catalyst for friendship.

Flynn stayed near his mother and hanged out with other children. While Yuri went off on his own and kept to corners and played alone. Flynn asked about him once. "Why's he so mean?"

Sven a boy with wily brown hair looked at him as he passed a ball around. "It's cuz' he's a halfer."

Flynn cocked his head to the side confused. "Halfer?" He'd never heard that word before.

The other children nodded along earnestly. "Yeah, that's what my mom says." Well, if Sven's mom said so it had to be true. Mothers never had reasons to lie when you're a child except for good causes. "Mom said that halfers are crazy and that the church only keeps him because if you do bad stuff to 'em you get cursed."

"Are you sure?" he asked. Even if Yuri was strange saying he was bad luck seemed a bit far-fetched. Sven yelled at him for accusing his mom of lying. Flynn understood his anger and backed off. Moms aren't liars. He still eyed from the boy who played all alone with sticks and mud. If everyone thought Flynn was bad luck he might become mean too.

The only reason Yuri stayed with the church despite knowing he wasn't welcome was the food. Maybe he also stayed for Olive. But, mostly food. He wasn't dumb enough to think he could live alone on the streets. Only four-year-olds thought things like that. Yuri put up with the terrible conditions because he wanted to survive.

He sat on the floor a lot of nights because Merlwe always insisted that Yuri was better suited to eating off the floor and that there weren't enough chairs. Olive had given up on arguing over the matter. Merlwe also believed that monsters slept under beds so there was never a bed for him. Yuri had to bully his way onto a bed to sleep. But, sometimes he chose the floor because then the feelings of fear couldn't choke him.

Despite everyone's thoughts he didn't like to be mean. But, that was all they expected. Yuri wanted to play with other kids, but they were either too scared of him or wanted to bully him.

When Yuri didn't play by himself he watched others from atop an old wooden crate near the square. "Why aren't you playing with the others?" He jumped a little and looked at the woman who was the blonde boy's mother. She was looking at him with large kind eyes. He looked away and focused on staring off into the distance. "You should go play with them. Being shy is silly."

But, he wasn't being shy. Yuri knew that if he decided to play with anyone it would be disastrous. The kids who feared him would be too scared to actually play and the older bullies would just beat him up. This was just how he survived.

The woman looked at his eyes and then down at her basket. "I see." She set an apple down by his foot. "Here. You're so skinny. A boy you're age should have more meat on him." Yuri took the apple cautiously and took a bite. He half expected the woman to throw it out of his hand. It wouldn't be the first time. "What's your name sweetie?"

He tilted his head in confusion. Everyone in this part of the Lower Quarter knew who Yuri was. He was an outcast. A monster. A troublemaker. "Nobody special." He slowly took another bite of his apple. Nothing yet.

The woman frowned and Yuri felt guilty. "I think you're very special." Now, she was mocking just knew it! When grown-ups called him special they just meant cursed and creepy. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours."

Yuri bit the apple again.

She held out her hand and he flinched. She wasn't going to hit him? He waited cautiously for the woman to act. She pulled her hand back slowly. "I'm Norien Scifo." The woman was still smiling kindly at him. Yuri looked at Norien's eyes and stared at the apple. "I hope you'll tell me your name. I'd like to be friends."

Yeah, right. That's what all the grown-ups say, but they don't mean it. Nobody meant it.

He'd see Norien every once In a while. Yuri didn't speak most the time. Doing that was too scary. He still wasn't sure if she was mean. "I was wondering who your parents are?"

She had never seemed aware of his background or heritage. In fact, she seemed unaware of the fact he bit her son. Or maybe Norien was choosing to ignore that. He stayed silent. Olive would tell Yuri that his parents were probably good, but couldn't feed him. Merlwe said his mom was probably a whore who left him at the church in pity. He wasn't sure what whore was, but he was pretty certain it meant something bad. "I don't know."

There was a silent 'oh' from her. "So where do you live?" He didn't answer. "The church? I see. Do you like it."

Yuri curled in on himself. "Uh huh." He wasn't allowed to say anything bad.

"Well, that's good."

Time passed slowly. One day turned to two and so on till a few months passed. "Miss Norien." He asked from his box. "Mister Finath is a knight, right?"

Norien smiled proudly. "Yes. He's a very fine knight."

"Does that mean he has to go to war?"

She stiffened. "What do you mean sweetie? What war?"

"The one everyone is always whispering about. Duh." As long as Yuri could remember people talked about the Great War that was going on. Yuri knew what war was, but he was confused on some things. "A lot of knights are fighting in it."

Norien bit her lip and pushed back some of her long gold hair."You see... Finath is not going to be in the war." Too bad for him. War sounded cool. There'd be tons of big fights and monsters. "He's busy doing other things right now. Like keeping you and me safe."

Well, that sounded boring. Fighting bad guys was the fun part of being a knight.

"Why are we fighting?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. Wars happen for a lot of reasons."

When Yuri went home he was confused. How could grown-ups not know? They knew everything! That was why they were grown-ups.

Children don't understand certain things. That's just how it works. Nobles were greedy and mean because adults said so. Monsters were evil because adults said so. War was bad because adults said so. Death, old age, time, war, evil, good. All are a vague idea because they haven't lost innocence. So adults must lay the groundwork for their minds. After all, to a child war is a game.

Had Yuri known though, even as young as he was, he would have understood everything. Had there been no Great War Yuri would be with his parents in a nice house in Mt. Temza. They'd be alive and lived to be old and wrinkly. His father would teach him about the world and let him see that good and evil were constructs of man. Yuri would never know true hunger or have people look at him in disgust. He would have had siblings and lots of friends. War had ripped the future Yuri had been promised. War had ruined what Yuri was supposed to have.

But still, he couldn't see it yet, this life was full of good things. It was full of adventure and friendship. Yes, it had a lot of sorrow and hardship. All things do. Still, there were many moments of happiness and even love. The number may be smaller than the sorrow, but what they lacked in numbers they made up in weight. Perhaps, Yuri would have been happier in life without the war. There were many good things to that life.

But, it was because of this horrid war that Yuri had met Flynn. And that would one day make it worth the hardship.