Intervar sat down at the table like he does every night except this night was a little different, it was his birthday. He is turning twenty-one. He looked at his mother to his right, his father at the head of the table, and Micheal right across from his mother. When Mrs. Katie finally sits down, she'll sit across from him with Donn in her own chair next to her.

He examined the lone 'family' photograph on the wall. His golden, wavy hair shows a serious expression. Glistening blue eyes sat neatly inside their sockets, as his father stood behind her. His nose and mouth are complemented with a mustache and goatee. They stand together, watching the throng assemble for their address.

The remainder of the family, or virtually the rest, was next to their portrait.

His fresh, warm face is framed by brown, neatly trimmed hair. With white colored Donn, big, round golden eyes stare wide at the camera flash. Then Katie, with gray braids that softly dangle over a thin, motherly face, sits next to Michael, whose chestnut, coily hair barely covers a lovely, glowing face.

  Everyone was typically busy with one thing or another so he was normally ecstatic that everyone could finally settle down for his birthday dinner, but everyone was on edge tonight.

  His country was at war, and his parents' role was to keep the population quiet.

  Basically, give speeches, divert their attention with large events, and behave as if we aren't losing everything.

  The Clossyo people are at war with Dohi people, that's us. And we had during the midst of things, also anger the Onama people. So our people were at war with two other countries.

  They all had their own methods for working things out and replacing dead soldiers. The Clossyo people, commanded by King Kirk, made several fake help centers. In exchange for help, you work for them. And working is being trained as a soldier and fighter for a 'greater cause'.

  Us, the Dohi, being led by Queen Mantis, ran out of her best soldiers and went ahead and started training the criminals from the prison system. Which explains why we're losing.

  The Onama people, led by Queen Sei, haven't run out of soldiers, yet and everyone age thirty and over is required to join.

  He had gotten got up in the middle of Kirk's army under the false illusion of the care centers at the ripe age of seventeen. He had tried to escape once but that did nothing except hurt Donn in the process.

  When they took half her snowy white tail, he figured out quickly the only way he was going to survive this place was by moving along with everyone else. However, while everyone moved at the set pace, Kirk took a liking towards him and he went from sleeping outside with the rest of the soldiers to having private meetings with Kirk himself.

  He thought he had been smart to suggest Kirk letting him spy on Queen Sei's people for him. He thought he would be able to run towards freedom, he had of course been wrong. It was just the same game with different faces and less torture. He turned himself into a double spy and he was paying the price.

  He had forgotten a while ago who really was the innocent party. King Kirk simply wants more power, Queen Sei wants more supplies, and Queen Mantis simply wants her territory and supplies back.

  He did agree, though, that Queen Mantis should not have breached the supply-sharing deal she and Queen Sei had established.

  However, Queen Sei should have considered her supplies before bombarding her kingdom with soldiers and invading Queen Mantis, who is now engaged in a war and running her supplies into the ground.

  However, through all of it, his parents would hate him the most. They absolutely hated the soldiers, or murderers if you'd ask his parents. They were savages and animals, killing without mercy.

  At every point, he couldn't find rest. Every time he thinks he has a small blessing, it just leads to more problems. He has very few places he can just rest, one of those places being a close friend of his, Hyena.

  Hyena lives about an hour away, but his life followed a completely different set of roles. The Lazap people are under the control of Queen Lota. Intervar hasn't met her personally, but she is the oldest royal alive and it's said she's frightening.

  Nobody wanted to go to war with her because she was known to have one of the most powerful armies, which she had demonstrated on multiple occasions.

  She does not, however, go to support any neighboring territories unless her own is violently provoked.

  It was fortunate that Hyena was kind; he was the queen's personal messenger and, aside from the queen herself, the safest person on the planet.

  Attacking any Lazap individual implies King Kirk will be the last thing on anyone's mind.

  When it came to Hyena, he had agreed to pay him a visit tonight. He was also another person his parents didn't like so he'll have to make up another excuse about why he's leaving again that night.

  He sighed, hoping dinner could be over faster.

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  He soon found himself standing at the entrance to the neighborhood.

  The streets were nearly deserted, with only a few cars strewn around. Dead grass was almost everywhere, some yards had patches of bright green but that was it.

  He walked slowly down the sidewalk wishing the wind wasn't so cold, it nipped at his face and blew his perfectly combed hair everywhere.

  He saw his friend's house at the end of the cul-de-sac in his peripheral vision and turned right.

  With the shingles flaking off, the house was clearly ancient.

  The windows had a yellow tint that wouldn't go away even after being washed, and the door had a few cracks.

  He slid the door open slowly and grimaced when it squeaked.

  He walked upon a tattered red carpet with a fading pink tint where people had walked.

  He knew his friend was probably reading or sleeping in the living room.

  Donn sped up to meet him, and he followed closely behind.

  He imagined Hyena was stretched out on the couch when he saw her.

  "Intervar? I was completely unaware that you had came." Hyena stretched himself out and yawned.

  "Take a spot, you've been working all the time." 

  The other was offered the seat after Hyena flung a pillow on the floor.

  He took a seat on the brownish couch and Donn took the pillow on the floor, the house being much warmer than outside, he got comfortable quickly.

  "So I may have messed up a bit." Hyena rubbed his neck nervously.