Chapter 7 - Chores

After Shimmer and I made it to the town hall, we gave the crystals we collected and the job posting to a cheetah at one of the service desks. He looked over the request, counted out the crystals, and then stamped the paper with some type of insignia. He then placed the crystals into a box, set that aside, and then gave Shimmer a pouch of coins. She counted them, then took a quarter of them and gave them to me. I took them with a quick thanks and stuffed them into one of my pouches, earning a sudden glare from the cheetah at the desk. I ignored the look that I was receiving and turned to leave with Shimmer, feeling weary from the continual glances and hushed comments that were popping up as we left.

Thankfully though, there weren't as many eyes outside, and as we walked to our next destination, I took one of the coins from my pouch to look it over. There was an insignia that was stamped on each side, one of them having a mole with a long beard, while the other had several small stars arranged into a circle.

"Hey, who's in charge of the money in the Dragon realms?"

Shimmer slowly turned her head toward me, raised a brow high, and scoffed.

"Who cares about that boring stuff? It's just money."

"I know, I'm just curious. Why isn't a dragon or cheetah on the coin?"

Shimmer shifted her gaze back to the front and sighed.

"I can't believe I know this, but... moles were the originators of the common currency in the Dragon Realms before Malefor existed, and they put it back into circulation when the war ended. When Warfang was rebuilt, the moles were specifically chosen by the council to oversee and handle the financial institutions within the city. That's why there's a mole stamped on it."

"Wow, that was… a surprisingly thorough answer. How'd you know about all of that?"

Shimmer groaned.

"Blame my drakefriend. His dad owns a company in Warfang, meaning Phyl has a solid grasp of the history relating to anything that involves money. Trust me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't bother learning about all of that stuff, but he loves to talk about it and I give him my attention when he does."

"Hey, don't think of it as such a bad thing. It's important to know how your country functions, even if it's boring. Speaking of which, who's all on this council Leah has mentioned? Is it big?"

Her wings shrugged.

"Not really. There are about twelve members. There's… six dragons? Yeah, six dragons, three cheetahs, and two moles. Each council member represents their race, and they also handle social, legal, and economic matters."

I mulled over her answer for a second and then realized she didn't mention one of the races.

"What about the apes? You've mentioned that the cheetahs, moles, and dragons have representatives, but do the apes?"

Shimmer adopted a look of anger and replied with a healthy dose of irritation.

"They have one representative in the council. They're not heavily involved in the government and its proceedings."

"Oh. Why not?"

Shimmer stamped her tail against the ground and growled.

"It's because nobody likes them. There's a lot of bad history between them and pretty much everyone else that prevents them from being taken seriously or represented well. It's not fair, but that's how it is."

I was starting to picture together a mental image of what Warfang would be like and it was leaving me worried.

I can only imagine how it will go, considering everyone already thinks I'm an ape... I'll have to clarify that first to avoid that problem. Hopefully, they'll believe that I'm a human like Leah and Shimmer did.

"That sucks. Seems like they get the short end of the stick in every aspect."

"They do, even though they've worked hard to change and prove that they're different! The apes have a mercenary guild in Warfang that takes on a lot of jobs that no one else wants to do, but they're still treated terribly."

"Mercenary guild?"

Shimmer rolled her eyes at the name.

"It's just a glorified name they gave themselves. Most of the work they do ends up being manual labor, guard duty, or security for people and goods. They don't do too much outside of that."

"Ah, gotcha."

We almost reached the edge of town when Shimmer stopped and pointed with her tail toward a small building that had open windows with windowsills that were full of various goods.

"This is our last stop, and then we can go back to my dad's house! Wait right here, I'll be right back."

I watched as Shimmer ran into the store and disappeared. After a few minutes, she came back with bags on her back and a small sled with a few bars of metal. When she made it back to me, she heaved the bags of coal onto the ground with a grunt.

"You carry those. I got the sled."

"What's inside the bags?"

Shimmer took a deep breath and then prepped herself to drag the sled.

"Just some coal that my dad will use with his forge. They're heavy, so have fun!"

I picked up one bag at a time, then shifted my weight to get them settled on my shoulders properly. They were heavy, but it wouldn't be enough weight to be unbearable. When we were both ready, we made our way out of town and into the woods. While walking, I learned that her father's house wasn't built within the city walls, but rather in the woods, out of sight. Despite this, it only took us a few minutes of walking before a large house built from thick wooden logs came into view, and I appreciated the sight. It was nestled between several trees that did a good job of concealing the sky above, and it had a small stream of water running alongside the left edge before curving inwards to cut through a small workshop by the house. I tried to get a better look, but Shimmer directed us toward a large shed on the other side of the house that had a small chimney and various tools and equipment stored on shelves and along the walls. She opened a side door that was larger than both of us and brought us to a section inside that had other materials stacked and laid out neatly for easy access.

"So what does your dad make? I'm assuming he's a blacksmith or craftsman of some sort if he has all of this stuff."

Shimmer unloaded a few bars of iron before replying.

"Well, he's a blacksmith and he makes tools and other stuff, depending on what is ordered. He also ends up working to replace anything that's been broken or needs to be repaired, because things break all the time out here."

Shimmer smiled and puffed up her chest proudly.

"All of the different trades and laborers out here rely on him, and he supplies them whatever they need in exchange for money and materials."

I nodded and glanced down at my leg. I didn't have my knife pouch anymore, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to see if Feldspar could make me a new set of throwing knives and throwing stars. I had my sword, but not having those other tools left me with fewer options if I was dragged into a fight, and it irked me greatly.

"Do you know if he would be able to make some custom items?"

Shimmer gave me a shrug and directed me to set the coals down next to the forge.

"I don't know, you'd have to ask him, but I bet he could. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I usually carry around some other… tools, but I used or lost all of them when I came here. It would be nice to get re-supplied."

Shimmer looked at me curiously.

"What kind of equipment are you talking about? Is this related to that ninja thing?"

"It is."

"Hey! Now is a great time for you to explain it to me! What's a ninja?"

I hesitated, but tried to think of an analogy that could work for her.

"Well… do you have anyone that guards your village?"

She shook her head.

"Not really, but if there's any trouble my dad and a few others can handle it. I have seen the guard in Warfang though, who are there protect the city and enforce the law."

I nodded and used her explanation as a baseline for mine.

"A ninja is somewhat like Warfang's guard. We protect the village, but we also take on various jobs to help support the village financially or to secure its interests. We're trained in a variety of skills to ensure that we can handle a lot of different situations, whether it be combat, diplomacy, survival… you get the idea. It's a difficult role, and many have died during the war, but it's worth-"

I stopped mid-sentence as the debate I had been having previously reared its ugly head. The idea of serving and dying for my village had always seemed honorable when I was younger, especially compared to some alternatives, but as I grew older and actually handled the responsibilities that came with the role... I found myself losing the rosy view that I once had. Following the orders of my village was what we were trained to do, but as the cost of that loyalty mounted higher and higher, I began to question whether or not it was worth the price that I, along with many others, had paid. If the village was willing to sacrifice our lives for its own interests, even if they were noble or for the greater good, could I continue to do so dutifully? Was the prospect of advancing the village's goals worth sacrificing my life, but also the lives of those I cared about?

My brow furrowed as the weight of the decisions I had made threatened to crush me.

"My mom, she... died for the village. That type of loyalty is what I should have too, right?"

The logical part of me wanted to say yes, knowing that I had sworn to serve the hokage and protect the people of the village, but another, growing part of me was screaming no. I frowned angrily as I wrestled internally, not committing to either side. Doubt began to take over, not helping the matter, but thankfully I was pulled out of my head when I noticed a tail waving in front of my face. I blinked a few times, taking that time to understand what I was looking at and snapped back to clarity.

"Hey! Kiran! You ok? You spaced out pretty hard there."

I tried to play it off by rubbing the back of my neck and laughing.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine. Just... lost in thought."

She gave me a look that clearly said that she didn't buy it, and wrapped her tail around my shoulders.

"Suuuuure, and I'm a giant talking mushroom. You're not a very good liar Kiran, so fess up. What's wrong?"

I gave a half-hearted smile and shrugged, knocking her tail away.

"Fine, you're right, I've got something on my mind, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you what I'm thinking about."

She pouted, but thankfully didn't press the issue. She kept up the face for a bit, and without changing her expression and asked another question.

"Soooo... you help your village, but you said... there's a war where you're from? Isn't that... I mean... my dad taught me how to fight, but he always kept me safe when I was younger and hid me away from the actual fighting. Couldn't you stay out of it too?"

I sighed softly.

"My village, we... didn't have the luxury. If you were able to fight, you fought, and because of that, most ninjas began their training when they were much younger, especially during wars. Even though I barely remember it, I would train with my mom when I was very young. It was almost expected of the relatives of ninja to do so, and at the time, I was happy to be spending time with her."

Shimmer gave me a small frown of disapproval.

"That's… awful. Is it truly that bad where you're from? The war?"

"It is. My village is squished between two larger nations, so we were always being pressured from every side, and being small meant we had fewer people to stave off those threats. That's why it was so important for me to train when I was younger because I had to be ready to join the fight as soon as possible."

Shimmer's face fell.

"Was there nothing else you could do?"

I gave her another shrug.

"It was either that or do nothing and be taken over or killed by our enemies. Wouldn't you do what you could to protect your friends and family if you were in the same situation?"

Shimmer opened her mouth, stopped, and thought more before responding.

"I... I guess I would. Before Malefor's grublins were defeated, my dad and I were in a lot of bad situations... If it came down to it, I'd fight to keep him safe in a heartbeat."

I nodded in approval.

"I'm glad you understand. It's not something I want, but... I do it because I want to keep my village safe."

But I haven't done that, have I? Wasn't my team part of my village...?

I felt my heart wrench in my chest but hid the pain with a smile, only to grimace as Shimmer's tail poked my chest.

"Well, even if you have to fight, promise me that you'll stay safe, ok? If you got yourself hurt, or worse, I'd feel awful because I don't want to see you in pain again."

I sighed.

"I'll do my best, but I don't think I can promise."

Shimmer raised up her tail threateningly, so I raised my hands up defensively in an attempt to appease her.

"Fine, fine, sheesh, I promise. Calm down."

She gave me a triumphant smirk.

"Ok, great! Now that we've settled that, let's go get some water. I'll need it for the stew I'm making tonight for dinner."

Shimmer hopped out of the shed and hurried over to the house where we grabbed a few buckets that were sitting by the front door. I followed behind, curious about dinner.

"Stew?"

"Yup! Venison stew with some veggies and herbs for extra flavor!"

I grabbed a bucket in each hand while she grabbed one in her mouth and another with her tail. Between her clenched teeth, she asked me another question.

"Sho… do warsh happen a lot where you live?"

Does she ever stop asking questions? I mean, I get that she's curious but... this is the last thing I want to talk about...

"Yeah... unfortunately. Even if there's not a war going on, the nations are always fighting for more land and control. I suppose you could say it's a never-ending thing where I'm from.

Shimmer brought me to the creek and then dumped the buckets downwards to fill them up with water.

"I can't imagine what that would be like. Obviously, there was a war here over a decade ago, but things are peaceful now. The Dragon Realms are a single, unified country so we don't have to worry about fighting with other nations or anything. The only problems that pop up are the occasional group of apes, but that's rare."

If only I could take some of that peace and bring it back home. Hell, I bet Luna would have never wanted to go back if she-

I gripped my bucket tighter.

"So aside from the water, what else do we need to do?"

Shimmer gave me a mischievous grin while picking up a bucket with her tail.

"Oh, you know, just a few things here and there, so it shouldn't take too long. Maybe when we're done you could show me some of your ninja stuff, and I can show you more of my ice techniques!"

"Let's keep it real. Knowing you, I'm guessing we won't be done for a while."

Shimmer stuck her tongue out at me, before darting off toward the house, forcing me to chase after her. I sighed, but took the distraction as a chance to shift my thoughts away from the dire subject of war.

I finally sat down by the front door of Feldspar's house and let out a sigh of relief. Shimmer ended up having way more chores to get done than she had let on, and it took us the better part of the afternoon and evening to finish. We pulled weeds, gathered firewood, cleaned various sections of the house, did the dishes, and attended to some plants growing in a small garden behind the house, all chores that she had failed to do before today.

While doing said chores, we stopped for a break once, and Shimmer shared some kind of dried meat sticks with me. While we were snacking, Feldspar returned from town and started on a project inside of his workshop, and he was still hammering away now, sending out the telltale ringing of a hammer smashing against some type of metal.

As of now, I was sitting alone on the porch because Shimmer was inside preparing dinner, something she insisted on doing herself, which left me with nothing to do. We originally planned to show each other our unique skills, but we ran out of time and I was too tired to do anything aside from relaxing. I looked down at my hands, and noticing that they were covered in dirt and grim, I did my best to wipe them away. Once that was done, I leaned back and stared up into the orange and red sky that was mottled with a few clouds. The sun was just beginning to set, and the last rays of the sun made the forest look like a freshly colored painting.

I yawned and stretched, taking care not to move too much because my muscles were still weak and I was a bit sore. I spent a minute massaging my calves and then once again laid back against the wall with my eyes closed. A cool breeze was blowing past, but I was too tired to care. I pulled my cloak over myself as best I could and eventually fell asleep, oblivious to all that was around me.

I stood in front of the Hokage's desk with my dad, unsure of what was happening. Normally people were summoned by the Hokage if there was something important to talk about, but I didn't think my dad and I had anything she'd want to know. I fidgeted uncertainly next to my dad as we stood, feeling awkward as the silence continued to grow. I looked up at the Hokage, who was quiet and had her hands clasped together on her desk, and tried to read her face. She was looking over a folder of papers that were set in front of her, too engrossed to notice me, but eventually, my dad grew impatient and asked exactly what I had been thinking.

"Why are we here?"

The Hokage slowly lifted her eyes from the papers before closing the folder. She then sighed heavily, and I saw her shoulders sag.

"...I recently received a report about the mission that Kayda had been assigned. I thought it would be prudent to tell you both what was in it."

A bolt of excitement ran through me. Mom had been gone for several weeks on an extended mission, and I couldn't wait for her to finally come home. Excited at the idea, I let my mouth get ahead of me and blurted out a question without thinking.

"Is mom coming home? Is she finally done?"

My dad shushed me immediately and smacked my head lightly.

"Mind your manners Kiran! We're talking with the Hokage!"

I rubbed my head and apologized while my dad looked toward the Hokage expectantly.

"Is Kayda coming home?"

She was silent for what seemed like an eternity and her face didn't show any emotion when she replied.

"No, she's not. I'm afraid Kayda won't be returning from her mission, Damien..."

There was a thick tension that rose in the room, disturbed only when the Hokage spoke again.

"I brought you here today to tell you that she was killed in battle. As much as I can, I want to offer my condolences as well as my respects."

I froze, not really grasping what the Hokage had just said. The room suddenly seemed to darken considerably, and I felt detached from what was going on as my mind fled inwards in a desperate bid to soften the emotional toll that was taking place. I looked up to see my dad yelling, but he sounded like he was muffled and far away as if he was speaking to me through a window.

He continued to yell, but the noise felt almost painful, so I covered my ears and looked away. Tears began to form in my eyes, even though I didn't want them, and as I struggled to keep them at bay, another voice joined in on the yelling. I shook my head angrily, because all I wanted was for all of the noise to go away so I could think, but it remained.

I hit my head with my hands, trying to make sense of things. To understand. To figure out why, all of a sudden, mom wouldn't be coming back.

I was pulled out of my space when my dad grabbed my shoulder tightly. He tugged but I resisted. I heard him yell, but I shook my head again, desperately trying to think.

"Stop! Stop it!"

He didn't listen and picked me up from the ground, and my hands slipped away from my ears. I began to fight, if only because I wanted to go back to where I was, so I could stop the pain that was coming from yelling in the room that was only growing in intensity.

"Let me go!"

There was a sudden thud, and I felt myself slip out of his arms, only to be grabbed by someone else. I was then set on the ground where I was able to return my hands to my ears, and I kept this position until someone place their hands on mine.

"You want to be like your mother, don't you?"

I choked back a sob. Mom had been teaching me so many things about her work, for as long as I could remember, and I looked up to her. I wanted to be like her, to be strong, to protect the people that I cared about, just like she had, and at that moment I responded to the question with the only answer I could muster. I nodded as assuredly as I could, earning a gasp from further away.

There was more yelling, and then a scuffle before things grew quiet in the room. Once it had settled down, I slowly removed my hands from my ears a looked up through bleary eyes. I met the eyes of the Hokage, who was looking down at me with a mixture of pride and sadness. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled as reassuringly as she could.

"Then I'll make it come true. If you stay and devote yourself to the village, Kiran, I'll make sure that your mother will be proud of you."

I took a few shaky breaths, slowly coming to grips with what she was saying. In my overwhelmed and distraught mind, it clicked, and I nodded quickly, only to realize as I looked about the room that my dad wasn't there anymore.

"W-where... dad, where'd he go...?"

The Hokage put a hand on my head and ruffled my hair gently.

"He's waiting outside. Understandably, he's hurt by what happened to your mother, but... he was trying to take you away and prevent you from pursuing your goal; To be like your mother, and to protect the village. I couldn't have that without giving you a chance to decide for yourself, so I had him leave, if only for a moment."

I nodded, not fully realizing what was being said, and wiped some of the tears away from my eyes. The Hokage sighed and then pulled me into a hug, giving me a small moment of comfort before she called for a ninja.

"Crow!"

A masked ninja suddenly appeared by her side.

"Take Kiran to his father, but follow them to make sure that nothing happens to him. I'm afraid his father might attempt to whisk him away, but we can't allow that to-"

The rest of the conversation was lost to me as they turned away and talked in hushed tones. I wanted to know more, but the weight of everything was too much to bear. I slowly sat down, wrapped my arms around myself, and began crying again, too distraught to do anything else, and silently wished that I could see her one last time.

I was suddenly jarred awake by something poking me in the side.

"Hey Kiran, get up! It's time for dinner."

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked in confusion. The sun was gone and it was noticeably colder and darker outside, making the spot I was sitting in much less comfortable. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and got up, noticing now that they were wet and that I had been crying. I cursed silently and prayed that Shimmer hadn't noticed.

"What time is it?"

"It's close to eight. You kinda passed out for an hour after I went inside."

Shimmer smiled and bumped my shoulder.

"Did you enjoy your nap?"

I hid my panic and continued to wipe my eyes, pretending that I was trying to wake up a bit more.

"Yeah, it was nice even if I'm a bit cold now."

I shivered a bit and Shimmer rolled her eyes.

"Of course you are! You could have taken a nap inside, but you decided to be dumb and sleep out in the cold. Now c'mon, get in here! I'm hungry."

Shimmer turned and headed back inside, and I was relieved to know she hadn't seen me crying. I made sure that I wiped away any remaining tears and followed her to the dining room where Feldspar was already seated next to a large cauldron that was full of the stew that Shimmer had made. She sat down next to Feldspar and I took a spot opposite of them across a large table that was only about two feet off of the ground. There weren't any chairs, but there were cushions placed around the table that everyone could sit on. There was a wooden bowl and spoon for me and a bowl for Shimmer, along with a large ladle that Shimmer used to spoon me some of the stew.

"It's nothing fancy, but it's good for you. There's a lot of veggies and some venison in there."

"Thank you Shimmer."

"You're welcome! Let me know if you want more!"

I was about to dig in, but I glanced up at Feldspar. He didn't have a bowl and was quietly watching the both of us, while Shimmer was already slurping down the food. I didn't feel right eating before him and hesitated, but he caught my look and nudged shimmer gently with a claw. She lifted a maw covered with stew and gulped down what had been in her mouth.

"What dad?"

He made a few quick motions.

"Oh… oh! Kiran, don't worry about dad, he'll eat the rest of the stew from the pot when we're done eating. There's a lot in there and we don't have a bowl big enough for him."

"Ok, I just didn't want to be rude."

"Pfft, you're fine. Now go ahead and eat!"

With that settled I dove into the soup. It wasn't anything special, but I was hungry and hadn't eaten much since breakfast. It felt great to have something warm settle in my stomach, and I scarfed down two helpings before deciding that I was full. Shimmer had a couple more bowls than I did, and after we finished Feldspar took the entire pot in his claws and finished it in a few large gulps. Shimmer cuddled up to her dad as he set the pot down and he tapped his claws on the table to get our attention. He began talking and Shimmer interpreted for me.

"He's saying that he talked with a few moles and got you a spot on the same wagon that I'm taking to Warfang. We'll be leaving in a few days and you'll need to talk to Strongfang at some point before you leave."

"Strongfang? Who's that? Why do I need to talk with him?"

Shimmer nuzzled up to her dad's leg and smiled.

"He's the head of the guards that travel with the caravan and he usually talks with new passengers about possible dangers and what to expect on the road. It's mostly a formality if anything."

"Sure, I can do that. When can we talk?"

"He says that you should be able to find Strongfang by town hall tomorrow morning as long as there haven't been any delays. He's pretty big and has a bunch of scars, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding him."

Shimmer then smiled wide, but I saw a hint of something nefarious in her eyes.

"I've met him a few times and he's actually pretty nice! You'll get along with him great, don't worry!"

Somehow that made me doubt that he was easy to get along with. I gave her a small nod and then changed subjects for a moment.

"Feldspar, you're a blacksmith right?"

He gave me a nod.

"Do you take custom orders?"

He raised an eyebrow inquisitively and I took it as a sign to keep talking.

"I'm looking to get restocked on some kunai. They're basically large throwing knives that ninja use, and I was wondering if I drew you a picture with the details, if you'd be able to give me a quote?"

Shimmer talked for him again as he started to move his claws.

"He says it depends on how small and complicated it is. He can only make items that he can comfortably grab with his claws, which is why he tends to stick to simple tools like axes."

"Ah, that makes sense. Do you have someone you could recommend instead?"

Feldspar furrowed his brow and grumbled to himself before nodding.

"He says there is a blacksmith in Warfang that's named Kresnik. He owns his own shop in the trade district and he should be able to help you with what you need.

"Kresnik. Got it, thank you. If for whatever reason I'm stuck in Warfang for a while, I'll see if I can find him. Hopefully, I won't need to though.

Shimmer looked sad when I mentioned I was leaving, but Feldspar nuzzled the top of her head, making her smile again. I used the distraction to get up from my seat and yawn, feeling the weight of the stew settling in my stomach as I did so.

Eugh... Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much...

"Thank you for dinner, but it's pretty late now, so I should get back to Leah's house. I'm tired and I'm sure she wouldn't like me barging in super late."

Shimmer's face dropped in disappointment before it perked back up.

"Ok, but I plan on hanging out with you more tomorrow! We finished all of my chores, so we can do whatever we want!"

I couldn't help but groan internally at her enthusiasm. She was a bit overbearing, and I didn't want her to drag me along with whatever she had in mind.

"I'm not so sure about that Shimmer. I have to meet with Strongfang and there are some things I need to do on my own. Besides, you'll see me plenty if we're traveling together."

She didn't accept that answer and shook her head.

"Too bad! I'll make sure that you find Strongfang, and then we can hang out! It'll be fun, I promise!"

I didn't feel like arguing and figured that I could convince her to leave me alone later, so I gave her a non-committal shrug. She must have taken that as a win, however, and smiled victoriously.

Really, Shimmer...?

"Thanks again for all your help, Feldspar, I owe you big time."

Feldspar smiled and gave me a rumbling chortle before making a small motion toward his daughter and rolling his eyes, unbeknownst to her. I wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say, so I awkwardly gave my own nod and shrugged. Shimmer cocked her head and looked back and forth between both of us.

"Hey! What are you two laughing about?"

Feldspar chortled again before picking up the pot and walking to the kitchen. Shimmer grumbled and managed a quick goodbye before chasing after him and demanding an answer. I watched as she pestered him before I took my leave and left through the front door.

The air was brisk and I could see my own breath appear in small puffs of air in the moonlight. I started a fast pace back towards town as the cold did its best to suck away the warmth I had and settled into a comfortable rhythm. Right now things were fairly quiet and I enjoyed having a chance to think.

The previous week had been rough. So much had changed in such a short amount of time that it was hard to properly sort through it all. Feelings of regret and confusion were dominant and I felt my chest fall as they weighed me down emotionally and physically. I placed my face in my hands and calmed myself by going through some of the methods of resolution that I had been trained in.

"Deep, slow breaths. Break things down into singular problems and put your emotions aside. Tackle things objectively."

After a few minutes of calming breaths, I started with the largest issue on my mind. Luna. I had killed her both for self-defense and as an attempt to secure the crystal that we were taking back to our village. Both were necessary to ensure that we had a fighting chance in a war that had seen many smaller villages completely destroyed. Obviously I was upset because she was my friend and we had been teammates for years… but that didn't change the objective fact that it was my only choice.

My heart clenched when I came to that conclusion and as I settled on it, I pushed the emotions that came with it away into a small mental space that I had tucked away in the back of my mind. Despite this, my body still tried to disagree with me and I felt another pang of guilt wash over me before I silenced it for good. I couldn't linger on things forever, or I wouldn't be able to focus on my goals. This truth had been drilled into my head for as long as I could remember and it had been essential in allowing me to trudge through some of the things I had been through during the war. I sighed heavily and continued my walk back, feeling no different now that Luna was off of my mind.

After a few steps, I felt something run down my cheek and I lifted my hand up to see what it was. My cheek was wet and I realized that I was crying for the second time today. I wiped away the tears as best as I could but they wouldn't stop. With an irritated snarl, I walked faster until I had made it back to Leah's house. I quietly made my way inside and made my way over to my room. It was dark and quiet, and the shadows of the room seemed to lurk over me menacingly. I slipped out of my dirty clothes, laid down in bed, and broke down sobbing quietly to myself. I just wanted all of this to go away, and as I curled up into a tight ball I stopped thinking about everything and eventually lulled myself to sleep with the thought that things would be fixed soon.

10/4/2021 - Grammar and Spelling fixes. Fixed some small dialogue errors and cleaned up some conversations.

1/17/2022 - Edited the flashback with Kiran's dad.

10/30/2022 - Did a huge re-write on the flashback with Kiran's dad. After thinking about it and working on it for a while, I felt like the previous version wasn't portrayed or written in the way that I originally wanted. With the rewrite, I'm a lot happier with the results and think it fits into the story more.