As the stars shined in the night sky, the frogs and crickets sang their songs in the night.

"Alright." Oscar said, walking into the room, "Rolf spent five minutes jumping on the bed while Boyd read. But I was able to get them asleep."

"Thank you Oscar." His mom said, as she dipped a rag into a wooden bowl of water and dabbing it on her husband's head, "I'm sorry to have called you away from your training. I know you were busy"

"Its ok mom." Oscar assured as he walked in and kneeled on the wooden floor beside her, "I'm never to busy for family."

Oscar was in the middle of training. He and some knight in red armour were in the middle of a battle when a messenger came and gave Oscar a letter saying he needed to get home and his father was sick. So Oscar dropped everything and rushed home to see what was happening. And his father who, once twice his size and looked like he could pull a tree out of the ground with his hand, looked like Oscar. Skinny and his clothes hanging off him like a they belonged to a giant.

"Why don't you take a break, mom?" Oscar suggested, taking the rag and bowl away from his mom, "You've been taking care of him for a while ."

"Thank you Oscar." She sighed as she stood up, "I really need to get some fresh air."

"Go right ahead mom." He smiled

She smiled as she took a deep breath in and out, "You and Boyd have always treated me like you're mom even though I'm not. That's why this is even harder."

"Don't feel bad about needing a break, mom." He said, assuming she felt bad about taking a break from taking care of her husband and his father. As Oscar dabbed his dabs head, he heard the front door shut, "She'll be back." He assured his dad, though he was asleep. His fever had stayed the same for the three days that Oscar had been home. In morning, when his dad woke up, he went out and sat on a chair on the porch and stayed there all day, just sitting until his food was brought, and kept a rag and water with him. Then, when evening time came, he came in and laid on his bed and fell asleep, leaving it to his wife to keep his head cooled until she fell asleep. Then the process would be repeated the next day.

"Mama!" A young voice called out from a different room.

Oscars sighed and dipped the rag into the bowel once more and laid it on his dad's head and got up and rushed to his brothers room.

"Mama!" The voice, which had turned out to be Rolf, called again. The entire room was lit by two candles. He could see Boyd in his bed, covering his head with his pillow, some of his dark green hair peeking out from it. Rolf was standing in his crib, in just a white nightgown, and hopping in his bib, "Mama!" He cried again.

"Make him stop!" Boyd pleaded through the pillow, "I'm trying to sleep."

"Yeah, sleeping." Oscar said, pulling off Boyd's blanket and revealing a open book, and him lying in his white briefs, and walked over to Rolf's crib.

"Hey!" The seven year old whined as he covered himself back up with his blanket.

"You two," He started as he picked up his baby brother, "Are suppose to be asleep."

"I wun mama!" Rolf pouted in Oscars arms.

"She's out right now little guy." Oscar said, booping his nose, "So you two are stuck with me.

Rolf held his nose and giggled from the boop before grabbing onto Oscars nose and giggling some more.

"Erg." Oscar groaned as he positioned the three year old, "You're getting to be a big boy. Soon I'm not even going to be able to hold you."

That made Rolf giggle even louder, "Me a big boy!"

"When is mom getting back?" Boyd asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Oscar asked sitting on the older younger boys bed, "Because she won't check your bed sheets for books?"

"N-no." He said blushing a bright red, that Oscar could see in the dark.

"Don't worry." Oscar smiled and rubbed Boyds hair, "I'm sure she'll be home any minute now."

The dark sky, crying down on the earth, hide the bright sun behind them. It set the mood for the three haired boys, each holding a bouquet of bright colorful flowers, that stood in front of a large dirt mound.

"Have a safe journey, Father." Oscar said, walking up to the mound and placing his lime green flowers, "I await the day that we'll meet again." He looked back at his brothers, "Who's next?"

"I am!" Rolf cheered, as he happily skipped to the moud and laid his red flowers across the mound, " I can't wait for you to wake up. The knight that came to the house to talk to Oscar said that you'd be taking a dirt nap."

Hearing the five year old say that made Oscar's face go pale. A few months ago his commander had come to the house to figure out why he had been gone for two years without a word. During their conversation his commander may have used the term 'Dirt Nap'. But Oscar didn't think that out of the two of them Rolf would be the one who would eavesdrop on the conversation.

"He's no waking up idiot." Boyd huffed, glaring at Rolf, "A dirt nap means he's dead!"

"Boyd!" Oscar snapped looking at his younger brother, as Rolf sniffled and ran into Oscar's leg crying.

"What?" He snapped back, fire burning in his eyes, "It's the truth!"

"Well you didn't have to put it like that!"

"Whatever!" He huffed throwing his yellow flowers to the ground and huffed into the house.

Oscar stared him down the entire way into the house and sighed picking Rolf up.

"B-Boyd got m-mad at m-me!" He cried.

Oscar sighed as he ruffled Rolf's wet neon green hair and walked to the house.

"He's not mad at you Rolf." Oscar said as they walked through the wooden doorway, "Now let's get you out of these wet clothes and warmed up."

Rolf sniffled but nodded his head yes and Oscar booped his nose.

"Hey!" He giggled as he rubbed his nose.

"Hey what?" The oldest asked booping his brother nose again and walking them into their room. He put him on top of the brown dresser and helped him out of his wet clothes off and wrapped him in a blue blanket, that covered his whole body and dragged on the ground.

"There you go, Rolf." He said putting the five year old onto the ground, "Lets go get a fire started."

"Yeah yeah yeah!" The little boy said as he followed his brother into the living room. As Oscar lit some of the candle, revealing the wooden floor and paintings of the family hanging on the wall. Once the room was lit, he grabbed a piece of flint and a dagger that was laying on the table that was in front of the fire. He carried it over to the fireplace and struck the pale grey rock with the dagger, orange sparks flying off of the dagger and rain down onto the wood. As a small orange flame rose from the wood, Oscar bent down and gently blew on it as it grew bigger and bigger until it was a hot roaring fire.

"Ok." Oscar said, taking a few breaths in, "You stay here and get warmed up. I have the find Boyd and get him out here before he catches something. Don't touch the fire."

"Ok." Rolf said, scooching closer to the fire, but not to where the fire could touch him.

"Boyd?" Oscar called out, "Boyd where are you?"

There was no answer from the middle brother and Oscar knew he was going to have to search for him. He checked in their room, under all the beds, in the closet, in the kitchen, through all the cupboards. He even stuck his head back into the living room to see if he had gone in there to get warmed up. Finally he look in his parent's room and saw the nine year-old on the floor with his head placed on the beed.

"Boyd?" He asked softly, as he walked slowly to the nine year old.

"Go away!" He demanded, as he continued to lay on the bed. But Oscar walked beside him and sat down. He hugged his legs and waited for his brother to settle down. "Why'd she leave?"

"Huh?"

"Why'd mom leave?" He asked sitting up.

"I don't know." He sighed

Two years ago, when their mom went on a 'walk', she had never came back. They, at first, thought she had been lost and Oscar went out to search for her. He had went through the woods but didn't find anything. Then he tried seeing what people in the village knew, and that lead him to a nearby village. There he had heard that a lady with light green haired had left on a caravan with a man that lived in that village. He didn't know how to break the news to Rolf and his dad, but a year after finding out he did tell Boyd about it.

But with their mother gone, it was left to Boyd and Oscar to look after their dad and Rolf. For their dad it was the same routine for the first year. But after that he had a turn for the worst. His body shriveled even more, and he hardly had a appetite, and what little he did eat would always come back up. It continued like that until he died of hunger. As for Rolf, they did what they could to keep him happy.

"But." Oscar said pulling Boyd into a hug, "We'll make it through it. We just have be strong."

"Strong." Boyd repeated.

"Yep." He said, "Now let's get out of these wet clothes and join Rolf."