Zeb smiled as he stared across what passed as a main road in the small village at a woman talking through a wooden thatched fence to a motley group.

 She wore a simple arrangement of lightweight brown clothes skillfully layered to keep the body warmer or cooler depending upon the need.

 Although every other woman in the camp wore a strikingly similar outfit Zeb couldn’t help but think that she wore it best. It accented her vibrant green eyes, long, curly golden hair, high cheekbones, and delicately pointed ears.

 His smile widened as he watched her telling an animated account about a woodland creature, she had seen that morning while foraging for food.

 Her enthusiasm didn’t seem to fit the situation at all considering her audience was a dozen or so enemy soldiers that their squad had captured successfully with no injuries on either side just two weeks prior.

 Huffing a breath of amusement Zeb crossed the road and strode toward her side.

 “Zeb!” Her face brightened even more than he thought possible for one person to manage.

 “Eval.” He greeted warmly. “Mornin’.” He gave a nod to the prisoner soldiers. He found he couldn’t help himself her attitude being infectious. He received a few nods back and even a couple of verbal greetings.

 “I was just telling these fine folks about the strangest little Gromket I saw while I was out in the forest.” Zeb smiled at the mental image he had of the fuzzy little squirrel-like creatures. There wasn't usually a time when they acted very normal, they were always acting like they were loaded up on caffeine.

 “I must tell you all about it! But first— now don’t argue. If I know you silly, then I do believe you’ve come all the way here without even having the decency to eat anything at all. But don’t worry! I was prepared for this and have made arrangements! Shush! Don’t interrupt. You really must take care of yourself better! How you ever lasted this long the world may never know.” Zeb gave up trying to interrupt to provide a suitable excuse to defend himself with. 

  Looping her arm through his she cheerfully turned back to her literally captivated audience, “I wish you a warm comfortable day filled with birdsong and a welcomed rest for the mind, body, and soul. And I’ll see y’all again this evening at mealtime! Bye now!”

  The soldiers enthusiastically waved back giving a much warmer response than the one they had given Zeb.

 “How are they doing?” He asked as they strolled down the road bustling with their comrade-in-arms going about their various assignments.

 “Oh, the usual. Upset in various ways about being captured, bored, suspicious of any kindness shown them, and homesick. Poor creatures.”

 “Nonaggressive though, right?”

 “Oh, my hero!” She laughed giving him a light smack on the arm “They’re locked in a prison with no way of breaking through and no way to climb over because there’s a roof. I think I’m pretty safe.”

 “You never know.” Zeb spoke in a quiet serious tone. “I have a right to be concerned who else is going to look out for you?”

 My hero.” Eval said again, this time it was accompanied by a feather-light kiss on his cheek. “No, they’re not aggressive. I really think they appreciate the small breaks in their monotonous day that my visits provide. 

 I mean, Nurthians aren’t that different than Sorians. They have all the same things we do. Homes, loved ones, ideas, passions, and plans for what their future will hold.

 The only differences are physical. They live in sharp stone, cool metal, and neon lights. Whereas we live here.” Eval gestured to the forest around them a warm fondness evident. Zeb knew exactly what she meant. He had never been anywhere that could feel quite so peaceful as this place did.

 “They generally have lighter skin, brighter eyes, and darker hair whereas we have darker skin, deeper eyes, and lighter hair. But that just comes with adaptation to the environment.

 We’re in the sun’s warmth all day and they’re in their cities’ cool shadow all day. We would be so wonderfully balanced if it wasn’t for this war.” A reflective sadness washed over her expression.

 “Hmm…I know what you mean. I have often thought the same, but all negotiations for peace have failed thus far. So, the question is what could change to make peace possible?” Zeb pondered.

 “Resources.” Eval said with certainty. “If more resources were found. Even just one or two materials then it could be enough to create a reason to unite to seek more instead of fight over scraps.”

 “Would it be that simple? I mean if it were why could they not unite and share the resources left now and make a united effort to find more and keep it sustainable?”

 “Partially suspicion and greed and partially resentment at the other side for their part in causing The Disaster. They’ve suggested something similar at peace talks before with no success.”

 They had stopped in front of Eval’s favorite tree. A picnic was laid out ready and waiting for their arrival.

 “Sit. Sit.” Eval encouraged opening the waiting basket. “I have for you a real treat sir. Aronite berries picked fresh this morning. A greater delicacy no man has ever known.” Zeb laughed at the joke. Aronite berries being very common, packed with nutrients, and of course tasting so terrible it took practice to actually manage to ingest the formidable fruit.

 They sat for a while quietly discussing peace options and why they would and would not work. After a lengthy comfortable silence had passed Zeb turned to Eval.

 “You’re amazing you know. I’m going to make you a promise. I don’t care if this war has lasted centuries, you and I are going to see it stop I’ll make sure of it. And when it’s over I’m going to ask you to be my wife and we’ll travel together and solve that lack of resources this world faces. And then we’ll settle down here and build a home underneath your favorite tree and raise half and dozen children.”

 “That sounds perfect.” Eval leaned her head over onto his shoulder.

 “Of course it does.” Zeb smiled into her hair. “I thought of it.” This earned a smack on his leg.

 Running footsteps interrupted their peaceful moment as their comrade and friend Ryal came to inform them that their squad had received another mission.

         Eval and Zeb walked side by side as their squad marched through the forest heading west. The mission was simple; one they had successfully executed many times before, a joint operation between their unit and three others. They were to close in from the west on a Nurthian squadron while each of the other units took care of the north, south, and east. It was the best approach as it had very few injuries to both sides and very few were ever fatal. As they approached their position for the ambush, they came to a deep ravine shouldering a small waterfall. Carefully but with an ease that showed experience one by one each member of the squad climbed down onto the narrow shelf that edged the sides of the river and curled around just behind the falls. After double-checking that their lines were still secured after the climb down to the soldier in front and behind them, they proceeded to begin the journey around the back of the waterfall. The roaring of the water seemed to isolate them from the rest of the world for a small eternity before they finally began the climb back up the other side of the ravine. 

 “Honestly. They could have at least mentioned we’d be doing all the hard work on this mission.” Ryal joked.

 “Yeah. I suppose we’ll have to escort the prisoners back too.” A blonde man next to him remarked.

 “Well, you can blame Eval here for that being so friendly and all.” Ryal teased.

 “Oh please. You’re just jealous that everyone finds your company not quite so palatable.” Eval teased back quietly.

  “Yeah, and I seem to remember you being very appreciative of that particular quality of hers on our last mission when she saved your hide from that man who almost made you in the first hour of the operation.” Zeb chimed in.

 “Ok. Ok. You got me. As bland as a salad in a butcher shop.”

Before anyone could reply a hand raised in a fist signified that they had entered that general radius of their target zone. The silence was now absolute. The forest was eerily silent as they approached setting everyone on high alert. When the forest got quiet it generally wasn’t a good idea to stay in that area as it meant something bad enough had already happened that all the animals had fled or hunkered down to hide.

 Another flick of motion from the captain and the group spread into a small fan. Whimpers over the next hill quickly showed them what had scared off the animals. In a dip just small enough to be out of sight from the other side of the hills completely surrounding the impression in the ground was a man. He was middle-aged, wore a soldier’s uniform, and was desperately clawing at his leg. The cause of his pain was clearly evident in the giant bloody animal trap crushing his leg leaving a large pool of blood forming around his body.

 “Captain!” Eval spoke sharply immediately running to aid the enemy soldier. Being the most skilled medic, they had no one question her judgment of the situation.

 “Spread out. Cover the ridge. I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us.” The captain ordered.

 “Zeb! Ryal! Help me remove this trap.” Eval called over.

    That’s when the world was turned upside down for Zeb. Half the squad were running to cover the other side of the hill and half were in the tree line behind him. He, Ryal, and Eval were all in the center of the dip. A Nurthian squadron of fifteen mounted the other side of the hill before his friends could make it there. In a second Zeb realized several very important things. They were downhill, and half of their squad was in the open with no cover to be seen, it was the Nurthian squadron they were sent to capture that he was looking at, and it looked to all the world like they had just finished torturing a Nurthian soldier. One of their brother-in-arms.

 The first shot was fired before the captain gave the order to shoot.

 Eval gave a gasp to his left and turning what Zeb saw made his heart stop. A hole the size of his fist had been blown clean through her heart. Her eyes flicked briefly up to his even as her body began to collapse.

 Zeb felt himself screaming as he raced towards her but couldn’t hear it as more blurs of flashing light struck around him leaving the smell of burning ozone in their wake.

 Even as he pulled her to his chest, he knew by the vacant expression on her face that she was dead before she hit the ground. Tears burned in his eyes as a boiling rage flooded his veins. A brilliant warm pink light engulfed him for a moment leaving him feeling as though he was relieving every precious moment, he had ever shared with her. When the light faded, he found himself kneeling before the most beautiful cherry tree he had ever seen. A pure white trunk supported a canopy of every shade of pink imaginable. He knew that if Eval were here she would have instantly changed this to her favorite tree.

 Tears flowed down his face freely as he took in the rest of the carnage around him. A burning hole in the dirt next to him told him that the shot meant for him had missed. Just beyond that Ryal lay crumbled in the dirt empty eyes staring up into the canopy. Five more of his friends lay in similar positions. He didn’t see a single one alive. The rest of his squad would have of course been able to retreat into the tree line to prevent from being overtaken. He suspected they had gotten sprayed with fire as well and had had to pull out. He was alone. Turning he looked back at the ridge to see a young man with curly black hair and vibrant blue eyes striding down the hill toward him undisturbed by the gun Zeb still carried. He quickly realized he had no reason to be as before Zeb could register what was happening the young captain was gently removing the weapon from his grasp and replacing it by chaining his wrists together. Stunned Zeb wondered at how he felt no need to react to the man’s actions. Gazing back at the tree he decided it must be some kind of side effect.

         Later sitting in a barred wagon Zeb watched in dismay as the soldier Eval had given her life for also died. Too much blood was lost, but not before the Nurthian squadron were told the truth of the matter. That the Sorian squad had been trying their best to save his life when half of them had been slaughtered by their hand.