Fire and death spread through the forest. The screams of fear and pain filled and cut the air.

Even from the hidden and safe cave of the Forest Tribes, everyone could hear.

Those screams filled and echoed on stone walls, growing even louder, as if the cries came from the cave itself.

As if a monster could appear and kill them all.

Fael trembled and cried.

He hugged his head, covering his ears.

It made no difference. He still could hear the screams. His body didn’t stop shaking.

The boy felt in his soul. Their forest no longer belonged to them.

Why… why is this happening…? Why now…? We should be celebrating… This should be a time of joy… like always…

The boy cried even louder.

The elder woman by his side pulled him and a girl closer, hugging both her grandchildren.

Fael knew his grandmother wanted to comfort him with words, to say that everything would be okay.

But even she couldn’t bring herself to say those words.

She was just as scared as him.

The boy wrapped his arms tiny around her, trying to find the usual comfort he felt from the elder woman.

He found it, but not enough to quell his fears.

The girl, unlike Fael, didn’t tremble nor cry.

She showed no reaction as her grandmother embraced her tighter.

Faela had her eyes closed, her face hard and tense.

The only thing she appeared to do was barely breathe.

But the boy knew better. He knew what his sister was doing.

She was concentrating, listening to any sound near the cave.

Despite being a year younger than Fael, she clutched their father’s old Spear Boar’s tusk spear with both hands, ready to use if anyone of the invaders found the hidden cave.

Unlike Fael, Faela had the talent with weapons. A talent as a warrior.

From a young age, everyone recognized her skill.

She was destined to fight, to protect.

She was destined to have her named told by the Forest Tribes’ Keepers of the History.

If not for Faela, I… we’d all be dead, the boy thought, trembling even more with the memory.

He turned to his sister, staring at that hard face, trying to find even a little of courage she had.

He wanted to hug her, to silently thank her for saving them when their world began to crumble.

But he stopped himself.

She needs to concentrate right now… I can’t get in her way… She can’t be disturbed… She’ll save us… just like before…

Every men and women, old and young, everyone who belonged to the Forest Tribes knew what to do in case of trouble.

And when all the birds flew, and their screeches filled the air, everyone could tell there was something wrong.

In an instant, everyone knew that whatever scared the birds, did not belong to the forest.

Even if they didn’t know what caused the disturbance, they knew it could be dangerous.

From the youngest to the eldest, everyone was on the alert, ready to do whatever they had.

The too old and too young to fight would hide in the cave.

The men and women who could use weapons would protect those who couldn’t until they were safe. Then they would join the other warriors and hunt whatever disturbed the forest.

After the warrior group was divided, each one proceeded with their task.

Fael and Faela said goodbye to their parents and followed their grandma.

Each branch they stepped, each rock they kicked, each sound that happened around them, scared them.

Don’t think, the boy said to himself. Don’t think… or you’ll panic…

Fael tried to imitate his younger sister and control his breathing, but he failed.

He had trouble breathing. It was too hard to breathe deep.

After a long walk that seemed to last forever, they were almost near the cave.

Then they heard something unnatural.

It didn’t come from the huge group of young and old. Nor from the warriors escorting them.

The sound was something rarely heard in that forest.

But even then, they recognized the sound of metal.

Fael tried to listen to the source, but the sound seemed to come from every direction, as if tried to surround them.

As if trying to drown them.

The warriors ready themselves, raising their stone axes or spears.

Then the sound stopped suddenly.

The forest became unusually quiet.

Then the invaders appeared from between the trees.

The warriors advanced to fight and protect.

War cries and other screams filled the forest.

In the mists of the confusion, someone yelled them to run.

Those who didn’t freeze out of fear obeyed.

Fael didn’t. He tried, but his legs refused to move.

In the confusion, he let go off his grandmother’s hand.

His breathing became even shallower and faster.

He was about to faint.

I can’t… I’ll die… He knew that, but even so, he couldn’t bring himself to run.

Then his sister pushed him hard and he began to walk, almost tripping on his rigid legs.

Somehow, he was running towards the cave with everyone else.

When he looked back, he realized his sister was no longer behind him.

But before he could scream for her, he reached the cave with the others.

But they weren’t alone.

Two of the invaders had followed them.

Fael trembled too much to do anything. Even run away.

He fell backward, staring the cloth masks they wore, trying to look into the eyes of the people who had invaded their forest.

He could only see death in them.

One of them raised a curved metal blade, ready to strike the closest elderly man.

But before the invader brought the weapon down, something struck the warrior on the neck.

A spear made of wood.

But it wasn’t any spear.

The tip was made of a Spear Boar’s tusk.

The mask fell, revealing a woman. She fell forwards, gasping for air as the blood spilled from her mouth.

The other invader looked around, searching for whoever had thrown the spear, his curved blade ready in hand.

Then, out of the shadows of a tree, Faela appeared.

She stared at the invader with cold eyes, her hand behind her back.

Despite being only a little girl, the man was wary.

Time passed and all they did was stare at each other.

Then Faela ran and threw a rock on his head.

The invader easily avoided the rock.

But what Faela wanted was to retrieve her spear.

The man realized and the swung sword at her.

The girl grabbed her weapon and used all her strength to redirect the blade towards a root.

Even though she panted, her plan had worked. His weapon was stuck.

Without wasting any time, she stabbed him in the throat.

Before the tusk reached him, he let go of his weapon, jumping backward.

He hadn’t even landed when he pulled two daggers, racing towards Faela the moment his feet touched the earth.

But despite the sheer difference in strength, none of his attacks worked. The blades never reached the little girl.

Faela was too fast.

But none of her attacks made any harm in him.

When she slapped the butt of the spear on his wrist to knock the weapon off his hand, it made no difference.

It was as if nothing had struck him.

I have to do something, Fael thought when his mind worked again.

Despite her speed, Faela was panting already, while the man didn’t seem tired at all.

I need to help her…

In a moment of braveness, Fael picked a rock, the same one his sister had thrown and the mn had avoided.

He squeezed the rock in his hands so much it hurt, so much his hand lost all color, he threw it at the invader.

It hit him on the cloth mask, but it didn’t harm him at all.

But it was enough to make the man look at the boy for an instant, the anger flashing in those eyes.

That brief instant was enough.

Faela disappeared from sight.

When she appeared again, she was on top of a tree.

She jumped, aiming the end of the spear at the man’s head.

Even if he was much stronger than she, there was nothing he could do to change the direction of the weapon.

Not when it had her entire weight behind it.

The Spear Boar’s tusk pierced him in the face.

With its hardness, it easily penetrated the skull.

His blood spilled and covered the girl.

She panted and barely seemed able to stand.

But she was unharmed.

Thanks to Faela, they were safe.

Their grandmother rushed to the girl, gently leading the girl to the cave.

Faela made no sign she noticed the elder woman near her.

Her face was blank and red.

The rest of the group was already inside, breathing out in relief when their grandmother had informed them what had happened.

Then they all waited for the horn of the Forest Tribe to echo through the forest.

But the safe sign never came.

They spend the night in the cave, in either fear or resign to their fate.

Neither siblings slept that night.

Fael was too scared to sleep. He was afraid to close his eyes and find everyone dead when he opened them again. That is, if he could open them again.

Faela stood in the same place, guarding the entrance of the cave, clutching the spear so hard her knuckles had lost its color.

But as morning came and no sign appeared, they decided to leave the cave.

The distance to the village was as long as the other night.

Despite the sun shining in the sky, it made no difference in diminishing their fears.

Then they finally reached the village.

Only to find out there was no more village.

Everything was either burned or destroyed.

The dead filled the place, so many it was hard to spot the earth.

Both invaders and people from the Forest Tribes lie dead.

Mom… dad…

The siblings ran across the field of death, desperately looking for the faces of their parents,

Neither knew if they wanted to find, and yet they searched.

And they did.

On the far side of the village, surrounded by seventeen invaders wearing the same cloth masks, they found their parents.

Both with many cuts and stab wounds, but still holding their weapons.

The boy fell to his knees, crying into his hands.

The girl stood where she was, the tears falling silently.

They grandma appeared.

She cried too, hugging the siblings as she had done all night.

The Forest Tribes had to pick up the pieces.

They had to rebuild the village, their lives, everything.

In a world without many loved ones, without their parents.