The soft breeze rolled down the fluffy white clouds as the sun peaked between the dew on the fluttering grass. The rosy color lifted farther above the sky as the sun reached out over the horizon. There wasn't a sunrise anywhere else in the world that made you smile so fully. It was a promising summer day in the small mountainous town of southern Germany.

You found it odd that the sun brought you hope as it continued to rise from the east. Just a little ways in that direction an all-out war was being fought between Germany, it's sympathizers, and the Eastern European Federation (EEF). The EEF was gaining momentum steadily as it broke through the Austrian border well into Germany's eastern fronts. Everyday more and more refugees flooded from the east. You felt like a salmon swimming up stream toward the mouth of a Russian bear.

This is how it had to be. After the Second World War, much of the western and southern land was 'zoned off' to the Allies; consequently, the countries used these zones to make military and political bases. America had the southern zone, France the western, and Britain the North; however, the USSR also received a zone in eastern Germany. Eventually, the western zones combined together to form a New Democratic Germany; however, as the Second Cold War spread into Germany, these zones were reestablished to ensure containment and peace.

You sat beneath the evergreen trees for while, lost in the thoughts of history, your home, and the unpredictable future. Sure it wasn't the best place to be in but you recognized the fact that you had food, shelter, and freedom. Even if your freedom meant staying in a small group of UN volunteers.

Suddenly, an arm reached out to shake you awake from your thoughts.

"Hey _! Guten Morgen!" A short black haired girl says to you with a wide smile. "How was that? I'm really trying to work on my German but it's nothing like Italian or English."

Elena was a short Italian girl with dark hair and amber eyes. Although she was significantly shorter than you, she was rather strong and muscular, always strength training on and off the job. Compared to most Italians you knew, she was quite serious about training and most other things; however, she still had big heart and a friendly composure around most people.

"Hallo Elena... At least you are trying to make the effort to learn German," you responded to her. You had been in Germany on and off a lot in your life, so you picked up the language early on and was able to speak it pretty fluently. It was an advantage and asset you had in the ragtag volunteer group. Most people part of the group were bilingual but not many of them knew German.

"We're heading towards the Austrian border in 10 minutes. There are a lot of refugees flooding in so we probably won't be able to stop for a while," Elena stated giving you a hand. You take her hand and march down the mountain to regroup with everyone else.

On the edge of town there were 7 jeep-like trucks lined up on the road. There weren't many of you part of this operation but you didn't realize it was that little. You started to make your way to the vehicle when something hits the side of your knee. You look over to see a German boy holding out Prussian blue cornflowers.

"De flowers are fur du." The boy reached higher trying to hand you the small bouquet of sapphires.

"Danke schön, I will cherish them very much," you say kneeling down to the kid's height. He stood there amazed that you spoke a singular German word.

"Wow! Do you spech German?" He continues to look amazed even though you only spoke a single word. They must not get a lot of foreigners in this town. "Ich am trying really hard to learn English. My mutter zays dat English and Russian vill be very important fur me to learn." He pauses for a second looking down at the ground. "Don't tell my mother but I've only ben studying English really. My vather knew Russian really vell but he left one day to join the eastern front. I knov my mom is trying to calm me down by saying he's avay for business but it is not true. Ich know he vent to go fight the Russians. Meine mutter doesn't think he's coming back. She thinks the Russians are already close to winning, but I know my vather vill come back."

The devastation of war waited for no one. It was all too common around small towns like the one you were in. Families broken apart, afraid about the future and what it will hold for them. Your emotions boiled inside you. It wasn't fair that this was happening to someone so young. This kid seemed only 10 years old but he was already speaking as if he was double his age. War aged people into fear, away from hope and into the jaws of terror.

You place a hand on the kids shoulder. "What's your name?"

"I'm Fitz!"

You take the flowers out of his hand. "Well Fitz, we're all heading towards the eastern front. I know it's very hard for you and your mother right now but try to hang in there. Your mother cares for you deeply so stay strong." You lift his head up seeing tears are streaming out his innocent eyes. You can feel yourself start to tear up too. "Also, if I meet your father I'll be sure to tell him how strong you are. I'm sure he will be happy to know you are staying brave for yourself and your mother."

You sit there for a while letting the kid cry into your shoulder. After a while you hold both of his arms and pull his face up. You don't say anything but you smile to him and stand up. You hop up onto the back of the military truck and wave goodbye to the boy. The boy chases the truck out of the town waving to you and your friends.

Everyone waved back as the boy grew smaller on the horizon. The boy slips under the horizon as the truck makes its way down a winding hill. Everyone goes back to being serious but unhinged. The only sound that could be heard was the wind hitting the tarps across the truck. Hope was hard to grasp and smiles were difficult to form. Although many of your peers were optimistic, everyone found it hard to smile during war. You were all heading to the front lines, marching your way upstream into the jaws of war.