SkyElf and StarPryde raised Johanna and Kurt as best as they could;
sending them to a good school and helping them train so that they could one
day be part of Excalibur to fight.
SkyElf taught his son Kurt how to use the blade and he promised that when he was old enough; he would get his rapiers as his inherited gift on his eighteenth birthday; but only if he studied hard in the art of fencing.
StarPryde taught Johanna all about martial arts and how to use computers. Johanna had a knack for technology and soon she was doing better than Shadowcat and StarPryde put together! Moira was teaching her in the end before she even reached fifteen!
There were a few bumps in the road for them, and they paved over them with promises of answers when their children were old enough to fully understand. They didn't want their children growing up with the knowledge that their parents once helped Nazis slaughter innocent men, women, and children.
SkyElf had been tempted to say something when his daughter came home sobbing one day though when they were in the fifth grade. ***
Johanna had come home sobbing, running right into StarPryde's surprised and worried arms.
"What's the matter?" SkyElf asked, tilting his head to one side in concern. Johanna was too upset to speak, hiccupping badly soon enough.
"I'll try to calm her down." StarPryde said, starting to take her daughter to the bathroom. "Go ask Kurt if he knows what has happened." Nodding, SkyElf waited for his son to come in a few minutes later.
"Why is your sister so upset?" he asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "Did someone bully her in school?" Kurt shook his head, putting his backpack down.
"It wasn't like that, dad." He said. "It was our lesson in school today." SkyElf cocked an eyebrow, his tail swirling around his legs slowly.
"What was the lesson?" he asked slowly, thinking he all ready knew the answer.
"We're learning about the Holocaust." Kurt said, holding out a book to his father. Opening the book, SkyElf found himself looking at pictures of people who looked more like walking stick figures. As he turned the pages, the pictures became more intense with piles of shoes and glasses showing how many people were being killed.
"She showed us a video of people being buried in large holes." Kurt said. "Johanna started to cry when we saw the survivors walking. You could see all of their bones and then..."
"I know about the Holocaust." SkyElf said softly, closing the book. Looking down at his son, he crouched down and rested a hand on his shoulder lightly.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Kurt bit his lower lip, his tail curling around his leg.
"I was sad." He said.
"And you're not sad now?" SkyElf asked.
"I'm still sad, but I'm angry too." Kurt said. "Why did they hate our people so much? They killed Jews and the Romani in those camps!"
"I know they did." SkyElf sighed, standing up. "But it's all right now. It will never happen again." ***
That night, SkyElf was fuming in the bedroom. StarPryde sat on their bed, trying to calm her husband down.
"They were going to learn about it eventually." She tried.
"Videos!" SkyElf growled, his tail slashing the air. "Their teacher showed videos the first day! She shouldn't have done that! Johanna came home crying! Mein Gott!" SkyElf sighed, finally getting in bed.
"I think we need to talk to their teacher about this." He said.
"Just don't cause any problems." StarPryde warned knowingly. SkyElf laughed helplessly.
"When have I ever caused problems?" he asked. ***
For the remainder of the Holocaust unit, Johanna and Kurt were taught at home. SkyElf had tried to remain calm with the teacher, but the woman was starting to get nasty, saying that their children couldn't stay sheltered forever in hopeless fantasies.
The woman was lucky to be alive.
They taught their children gently, showing them mild videos and photos. Kurt and Johanna learned all about the Holocaust and more and when they went back to school; they were ahead of their classmates.
Johanna was still sensitive with the issue, but Kurt's feelings were of deep-rooted hatred. He hated the Nazis for what they had done, and even though his father and mother said some soldiers were forced into service; he hated all of them.
Every last one of them.
SkyElf taught his son Kurt how to use the blade and he promised that when he was old enough; he would get his rapiers as his inherited gift on his eighteenth birthday; but only if he studied hard in the art of fencing.
StarPryde taught Johanna all about martial arts and how to use computers. Johanna had a knack for technology and soon she was doing better than Shadowcat and StarPryde put together! Moira was teaching her in the end before she even reached fifteen!
There were a few bumps in the road for them, and they paved over them with promises of answers when their children were old enough to fully understand. They didn't want their children growing up with the knowledge that their parents once helped Nazis slaughter innocent men, women, and children.
SkyElf had been tempted to say something when his daughter came home sobbing one day though when they were in the fifth grade. ***
Johanna had come home sobbing, running right into StarPryde's surprised and worried arms.
"What's the matter?" SkyElf asked, tilting his head to one side in concern. Johanna was too upset to speak, hiccupping badly soon enough.
"I'll try to calm her down." StarPryde said, starting to take her daughter to the bathroom. "Go ask Kurt if he knows what has happened." Nodding, SkyElf waited for his son to come in a few minutes later.
"Why is your sister so upset?" he asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "Did someone bully her in school?" Kurt shook his head, putting his backpack down.
"It wasn't like that, dad." He said. "It was our lesson in school today." SkyElf cocked an eyebrow, his tail swirling around his legs slowly.
"What was the lesson?" he asked slowly, thinking he all ready knew the answer.
"We're learning about the Holocaust." Kurt said, holding out a book to his father. Opening the book, SkyElf found himself looking at pictures of people who looked more like walking stick figures. As he turned the pages, the pictures became more intense with piles of shoes and glasses showing how many people were being killed.
"She showed us a video of people being buried in large holes." Kurt said. "Johanna started to cry when we saw the survivors walking. You could see all of their bones and then..."
"I know about the Holocaust." SkyElf said softly, closing the book. Looking down at his son, he crouched down and rested a hand on his shoulder lightly.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Kurt bit his lower lip, his tail curling around his leg.
"I was sad." He said.
"And you're not sad now?" SkyElf asked.
"I'm still sad, but I'm angry too." Kurt said. "Why did they hate our people so much? They killed Jews and the Romani in those camps!"
"I know they did." SkyElf sighed, standing up. "But it's all right now. It will never happen again." ***
That night, SkyElf was fuming in the bedroom. StarPryde sat on their bed, trying to calm her husband down.
"They were going to learn about it eventually." She tried.
"Videos!" SkyElf growled, his tail slashing the air. "Their teacher showed videos the first day! She shouldn't have done that! Johanna came home crying! Mein Gott!" SkyElf sighed, finally getting in bed.
"I think we need to talk to their teacher about this." He said.
"Just don't cause any problems." StarPryde warned knowingly. SkyElf laughed helplessly.
"When have I ever caused problems?" he asked. ***
For the remainder of the Holocaust unit, Johanna and Kurt were taught at home. SkyElf had tried to remain calm with the teacher, but the woman was starting to get nasty, saying that their children couldn't stay sheltered forever in hopeless fantasies.
The woman was lucky to be alive.
They taught their children gently, showing them mild videos and photos. Kurt and Johanna learned all about the Holocaust and more and when they went back to school; they were ahead of their classmates.
Johanna was still sensitive with the issue, but Kurt's feelings were of deep-rooted hatred. He hated the Nazis for what they had done, and even though his father and mother said some soldiers were forced into service; he hated all of them.
Every last one of them.