The threats he had made not only on his life but that of Mya and the innocent child she carries with in her. Leo rushed into his home where his wife Hera was standing in the doorway with tears running down from her black eyes (as they turned black due to the fear, she felt from Corvin words as she heard all) and down her olive-skinned face towards her red summer dress. At first, he did not see her as his back was facing her with his hand bracing himself against the closed front door.

“Leo.” Hera spoke in her soft sensual voice.

Leo turned around rather quickly startled by her voice. “Hera.” Leo shouted fearfully falling back against the door. When he fell back, he saw that she was crying and that her eyes were fading back from black to their natural red. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

Hera looked up clearing her throat trying to calm her nerves. “You must warn Mya and James. They need to prepare themselves we owe Mya. Remember how she introduced us all those decades ago; she’s been a good friend despite her husband’s shortcomings.” Hera spoke.

“Your right, I will leave now so that I can be back before the sun rises.” Leo sighed reaching for his long-hooded coat.

“Leo, wait. The sun will be down in a few hours it will be safer as you can use the cover of the night to hide your way.” she spoke putting her hand on his coat to prevent him from leaving. “This war has been brewing for a thousand millennium ago. It was just a matter of time before it all comes to fruition. With the baby coming, it gave those a reason to kill especially Corvin for we all have known who he is for years.”

Leo walked over to his lounge and fell down upon it with his head falling down into his hands. “I don’t see why this must come at all. When we’ve been civil with each other for so long. I fear that if he hurt her or the baby it will start off a chain of events that we are not prepared to handle and ones that live long past their times.”

Hera sat down beside him and rubbed his back. “Then we are just going to have to stop it no matter who we choose to fight for.” she told him in a comforting tone to ease his sorrow.

“Then we will fight.”  Leo replied,

 Leo and Hera sat back in the lounge for a time till Hera got up to get them a drink of cows blood as that is what they eat and drink to regain their strength. They drank the blood slowly to absorb it better as soon as they finished the sun began to set over the village. Leo got ready to leave his home and head for James and Mya’s home. Once there was only starlight in the sky, he put on his cloak then pulled the hood up to cover his face from the others. Just as he was leaving Hera stopped him and gave him a dagger to protect himself with. He opened the door just as the stars lit the night sky, he kissed his wife goodbye for what he hoped was not the last time and headed out into the black. The trip would normally take a human more than three hours but for Leo it takes but a few moments. He kept to the forest border to draw less attention to himself when he reached the edge of town, he stopped to look back at his home knowing that when he comes back he will forever have a target on his back till the day he dies. While Leo ran to the cottage, James and Mya were just sitting down to their evening meal which was a quiet one at that since James was still upset from earlier, simply because he didn’t want to start a fight between himself and Mya.

Just as he was about to apologize; a loud banging noise began at their front door. Both dropped their forks in fear that it was Corvin or one of his followers. James motioned to Mya to be silent then he quickly and silently grabbed a silver dagger from under his bed. Walking towards the door with the dagger held behind his back prepared at a moment’s notice to strike. James motioned for Mya to hide but she stood her ground like any warrior. This was not what he wanted but had to accept as the banging grew more and more desperate. He took a deep breath while opening the door then swiftly grabbing the throat of a cloak man placing the dagger next to his heart.

“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?”  James shouted while throttling the terrified hooded man.

“James, please. It’s Leo, I just come to talk.” Leo pleaded trying to catch his breath removing his hood so they could see his face.

James let go of Leo’s neck dropping him to the floor. “Why the hell are you dressed like

that? Why did you come here in the dead of the night? Walker.” James shouted at Leo as he sat on the floor while Mya watched in fear.

“Cough, cough, I needed to see you and speak to you to warn you.” Leo replied nearly out of breath. Throwing his dagger down onto the floor for both to see he meant no harm.

Mya rushed to his aid kneeling beside him. “Are you alright.” she asked him so sincerely and worried for his health. “James, you shouldn’t have acted so brashly.

“I’m fine and it’s alright, Mya. I do really need to talk to both of you.” Leo replied caressing her face and staring at her with his fading black eyes.

James helped Leo to his feet and too a chair that was beside the table but he never put down his blade. Mya took his cloak so Leo could be more comfortable. While they were speaking, Mya fixed a plate for him to eat as they didn’t have any blood for him. James sat across from Leo holding the dagger beneath the table with Mya sitting next to him, placing her hand in his at least the one that was on the table. Leo took a few bites of the food and some wine to steady his nerves as they are quite on edge. James tried to press Leo to speak but Mya stopped him as she could see how scared and upset, he was. Being his friend, she knew to give him time to settle as the wine calms all nerves. James continued with his meal as it appeared to him that Leo was going to need more than few moments to recover from whatever was done to him. They all finished their meal together throughout the meal all was silent, yet James eyes never left Leo’s face as he was very suspicious to his intentions. With the meal finished not twenty minutes later James’s patience grew to its weakest point as he felt like he was stalking him.

“What do you want?”  James spoke quite harshly leaning back in his chair driving his dagger deep into the table startling both Mya and Leo.

“James!” Mya shouted at him with anger.

“I’m sorry Mya, but he came here to tell us something important and all he has done is stall. Now I want the truth. Why are you here?” James shouted driving his fist into the table.

“It’s alright, Mya.” Leo spoke nervously as James’s shouting unsettled his calming nerves. “It’s Corvin. He’s the reason why I come here tonight. Today he came to my home and threatened to harm Mya and the baby. I don’t know when, but I fear it to be soon as it is drawing near the birth. I think he’s been planning this for months ever since we heard the news that you are with child. Now with the birth drawing near he finally has reason to strike. He told me that a war was coming and that I must choose which side I am fighting for.”

“I don’t understand why he would do it know not eight months ago when we all first found out about this gift, this miracle. Why would he wait till now?”  Mya spoke confused by what Leo had said.

“I don’t know but my people will follow Corvin to their deaths. For him I think this is what he’s been waiting for another battle another war. What’s sad is that I don’t think that all my people believe in this. They are too scared to defy him.”  Leo tried to explain to Mya how Corvin uses his power over his people.

“Where do you stand, Leo? Do you fear him enough to stand with him or are you brave enough to stand with us? James questioned Leo quite abruptly.

Leo sat back in his chair and sighed “I don’t know, I know I want to stand with my people but at the same time I do not want to be on yours not because I believe in what he says as I don’t. But I know that there is no need for us to fight. You see I believe that since you were blessed with a miracle our turn will come soon. They will try to make me choose a side and I don’t want too as it is unnecessary I will do what is right and stand by your family.”

James seeing for the first time that not all were evil as he was led to believe that some are actually honorable, and Leo was one of the most honorable persons. This revelation turned James onto Mya’s side when it came to Leo and Hera. “I believe you; Leo and I know that you will protect Mya as well as our unborn child. For that you have my loyalty, friendship and my promise that should anything happen to you I will protect Hera for you.” James spoke from his heart standing up and extending his arm across the table for which Leo stood up and grasped his forearm in agreement and friendship.

In the span of a few hours’ decades of mistrust that plagued James for decades had finally ended. They spent the next hour talking about what was to come for not only them but also about the future of their species. The one thing that they didn’t want to talk about was the coming war and what might happen to the baby, yet all were thinking about it.