A/N/: Hey guys! Thanks for r/r-ing even though I've been a little slow getting the chapters out…it's harder than you think! :P Anyhoo, some major decisions will be made by all three of the kids, so be prepared! Have fun and enjoy!

Chapter 9: Aftermath

In the days after the horrific attack on the small unknown village of Westra, Jeran hunted through the refugees to see who had made it through that fateful night. Auron was still missing. Auron's mother and uncles had also disappeared, and the townspeople still able to work were digging through the rubble trying to find them, anyone, alive or dead. Braska was, amazingly, left completely untouched. Sonja, however, had a raging fever and was resting in the makeshift hospital ward.

Braska was searching through the debris that was once his house. Sweat glistened on his forehead before he swiped his head with his sleeve. The sun was high in the sky, and not a cloud was in sight. He had been happy that his mother made it through the night, but he was increasingly worried about his friend and rival, Auron. He was also worried about Auron's mother and uncles. No one had seen them, not even a trace. The old fortune-teller woman had been killed by a shrapnel, and she was only one of many that were filling up the graveyard.

The death of the old woman was quite a blow to everyone in the village, especially to the children. She had filled their simple minds with ideas of adventure and heroism by sharing her tales and wisdom with them. Braska had a feeling that Auron, if he was even alive, would miss her the most, simply because she was the only one that didn't seem afraid to talk about his father.

As for Sonja's family, none of them were left alive. They were on their way home from a hunting trip when the storm hit, so they hurried back only to discover that their village was under attack. Unable to comprehend the power of the huge Fiend, they fought it blindly, and died the way of the warrior.

Sonja still had yet to learn that she was now an orphan.

Braska continued his struggle against the rock and wood, his hands covered in cuts and contusions. His only delight in his hard work was the refreshing breeze that came from the direction of the sea, carrying with it the scent of salt and sand. The last time Braska had smelled this fragrance was when Auron had killed the man that commanded the giant wolf. He looked up towards the horizon, watching the clouds roll across it. The sun was still relatively high, but it was way past noon. He guessed it to be almost time for dinner. The villagers were now eating together in a great mess hall that had been constructed from the wood and metal of forever-lost houses. Braska wasn't hungry, however, and he went in search of the sea. Not even really knowing it himself, he set out across the Field, the place of his childhood, in search of something he didn't even know he was looking for.

"Ugh…"

The sound of wood creaked, and he felt as if he was being dragged or carried by a large creature. The boy looked up, his bronze eyes watching the leafy canopy as it crept by. The creature, he realized, that was dragging him was a very large man. He curiously blinked once or twice, trying to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on his brain. He had no idea where he was, other than in a forest, lying on a makeshift stretcher, and being carried by a large man who looked like a Fiend. Fiend?

The adolescent shook his head, which only made his head swim. How long had he been asleep, he wondered. His stomach grumbled, and he looked around at the various bags and parcels swing to and fro on the backpacks of the people surrounding his stretcher. More people? One of them was a woman, and he stared at her face, studying it. It seemed quite familiar to him, and it spoke a name to him. Auron. "Mom?" His voice was harsh, and it croaked when he spoke.

The woman smiled sadly in response. "Yes, honey, what is it?" She patted his forehead soothingly. "Don't worry, we'll set up camp soon."

A thought suddenly popped into his head. "Mom, why are we here?…Where's Braska?" He looked around, a little more worried. "Where are we going?"

"We don't know for sure yet. Just go back to sleep and rest, okay?" A single tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly and put on a brave face. The two men, including the large man, were silent.

Finally, after no getting his answers, Auron gave up and began to drift off to sleep.

"Lyla, the boy's got the Toxin…" Drogan spoke up finally when the boy's breathing deepened.

"I know, Drogan." Came an exhausted reply. "Only time can cure it."

The light was so bright that Sonja's green eyes could barely handle it. She closed them the instant that she opened them. She moaned, not sure what to do next. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she cracked open her eyes, peeking out from the protection of her eyelids. It took a second for her eyes to even adjust to that little amount of light, but when they did, they saw the Village Elder, Jeran, looking down on her with sympathetic eyes. Something was wrong, she had seen that look when he came to their hut ages ago to deliver the news of her mother's death.

"No…" Sonja clenched her eyes shut. Tears were squeezed out and fell down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Sonja…" Was all Jeran could bring himself to say.

"All of them? Jeremi? Erik? Wesley?" She pleaded. "My dad?"

Jeran shook his head. He could think of no words to comfort her. He had been delivering messages like that all day, and it was beginning to wear on him. It was his job to tell his people what they'd lost. At the town meeting, they had decided to start over. From the beginning. He knew they'd persevere, but so many lives had been lost in the seemingly meaningless attack. He looked away from the sobbing girl and wondered where to go from there.

Braska walked through the forest, almost aimlessly, his thoughts drifting back to his mother, Karmen. He hoped she wouldn't be worried, he hoped she would understand. A few of the villagers had seen him leave, maybe they would tell her. Maybe he really would go back, if he became homesick. Maybe he would be killed by a stray Fiend. At that point, all Braska knew was that he had no idea where he was going. He knew that his friends were gone, Auron had disappeared, Sonja would probably never be the same again. He knew nothing could ever be as it was.

"Why?!" He yelled to the silent, patient trees. "Why did that…that monster attack the village?! We didn't do anything wrong!" Still no reply. Braska felt the hot tears welling up in his eyes, and for the first time in his life, a tear ran down his cheek. "It's not fair! They were my friends…my family! Why were they taken away…" The wind picked up, whirling around him in a miniature tornado. Leaves encircled him, and his dark hair flew around.

He held out his hand to try to catch a leaf, but instead he felt water hit his hand. A small girl appeared in front of him. Not a girl. A Sprite? Her hair was blue, and her skin was a cream color. She was completely nude, and she had the figure of a little girl. Her hair was very long as was down by her ankles. A voice permeated his thoughts, and the wind stopped.

Don't worry…

Braska took a step back. The child's voice sounded trustworthy, but that's what made him so worried.

I won't hurt you…I want to help.

"Why do you want to help me?"

You're lost. The voice almost sounded offended. My job is help the people who are lost. My name is Lumina. I'm a Forest Spirit.

"A forest spirit?" Braska tilted his head, trying to look into her eyes, if was indeed a girl.

Yes. We guide those poor souls ill-fated enough to become lost in this forest.

"We?"

Yes, there are many of us. Now come. I will take you to where you were going.

"But…"

You need not worry that you knew not where you were going. Your heart did.

She took his hand and led him into the forest.

Auron awoke, aware that he was no longer in familiar surroundings. It was dark, and the sound of snoring was close by. He opened his eyes and they fell upon two sleeping forms. A giant one and a petite one. The giant one was snoring while the petite was twitching in its fitful sleep, apparently dreaming. There was a third… Sure enough, over by a tree, a tall, skinny man was standing watch. Watching for Fiends. Auron felt strangely secure, but a little…homesick. Funny that he couldn't remember what home looked like. He lay there, looking up at the stars past the treetops. They were still in the forest, but the greenery had changed. There were more pine trees, less leafy ferns. On the ground, the bushes were nonexistent. Pine needles littered the forest floor, covering every inch of dirt.

He was lying on a rug, covered in blankets. Even with the blankets, he was strangely cold. Snow? Snow was starting to fall through the clearing, sending shivers down Auron's spine. Where are we that it would snow in the middle of summer?

Old Gaffer was preparing his flyer when he saw the little girl sitting on the lone boulder in the Field. Her blonde hair was swept away by the wind, and even at that distance he could tell she'd been crying. He shook his head sadly, and placed his old goggles on his face. He started the flyers engine, preparing to leave this village he'd called home for so many years. Home. Again, he shook his head. He'd thought he'd found refuge from the world, but he was heading right back into it.

The flyer lifted off, and he flew over the Field. The girl looked up at him, her eyes curious, almost forgetting their sadness. He looked at her through the goggles, and considered. He looked at the rope ladder, and then to the girl still staring in awe at the flying machine. He shrugged and tossed it down to her, gesturing for her to climb. She looked at the rope as it started to go by her, but she didn't grab it. Gaffer shrugged again and started to pick up speed, heading towards the ocean.

"Wait!" He heard a high-pitched cry came over the sound of the propeller. "Wait!" He looked behind and saw that the girl was running at top speed to try to catch up with the retreating ladder. He waved her on.

"Come on then…" He slowed down a bit, just enough so as not to lose altitude and also let her reach the ladder. She grabbed ahold and started climbing. She reached the seat behind the pilot and gasped at the view.

"Mr. Gaffer?" She squinted at him, the goggles hiding his features. He nodded. "Where are we going?"

"Home."

Jeran watched as Sonja flew away on old Gaffer's flyer. He wasn't surprised that she would want to leave. He had also discovered that Braska had left. Villagers said they saw him walk into the forest, and without any supplies, not even a weapon. When Jeran informed his mother however, she seemed neither surprised nor worried. In fact, she seemed happy.

Auron and his family had just flat out disappeared. There was no sign of their bodies, and Jeran knew that they had escaped. Where to and why, he could only guess.

Jeran sighed. "Take care children. Don't let the world ruin your innocence, if it hasn't already…"

A/N: Well, what'dya think? You like? I tried to get this one out as fast as possible, but it's still not fast enough. I'll keep working hard, you just keep reviewing, k? J