A shuttle taxi coming out of orbit from Earth’s lunar spaceport came to a soft landing at the end of a dirt road. Two young humanoids came out of the bright yellow spacecraft while getting the bags out of the cargo hold. They both turned around, looking down the road they carried their backpacks. A human female put out her hand, and the male Elfen, just ahead taller, grabbed the female’s hand. She gave a slight squeeze then started leading the way. As they walked down the road, they stopped, and the female was pointing out several spots on their walk. They came up to the patio of a small wooden house with a large old orange tabby sleeping in the sun. The female went over to a rocking chair, started feeling around, and found something. “Ah, there it is.” She spoke to herself.

She took the key and opened the door, and they both entered the tiny home. The Elfen whispered, “Izzy, are you sure it is okay to enter without your dad here?”. Izzy turned and put her arms around his neck, “Of course, Drakes, as I said, my uncle is just a big teddy bear. Besides this is my home also.” As she walked to the backroom, she signaled for him to relax. He went over to a wall covered in pictures and paper encased in glass frames. As he took in the images, he could see his mate growing through time in each photo—those with a mother, father, and several animals. One of her graduated from secondary school with an older human male that did not look like the others. As he looked back, he remembered that her parents had left this life a few years ago when she was about 12 years old and then raised by her uncle from that day forward.

As Drakes looked even closer at some of the paperwork preserved in glass on the walls, he noticed several that had some cloth with a medal attached. While he could speak the human language very well, he still had a tough time with their writing. He did make out one small section Corporal, Operation one back two back, Valor, 21 and 22. His girlfriend, Izzy, came up behind him and gave him a hug with something in her hands. A small brown artificial creature that was soft to the touch was then in his face with brown eyes. Izzy laughed, “This is a Teddy Bear, now do you fear this?”. He stared at this small plush animal with its small smile sticking out its tongue. As he stared at it more, he could see the areas that have gripped, held, and rubbed for years; the backside was stitching that was crude but had repaired this small effigy of an animal. “So, Izzy, this is what raised you?” with a soft voice.

She spun him around and put a small affectionate kiss on his lips. “You are so precious. But no, my uncle is a human, but this is the best way I can describe him.” She went over to a small table and put some food down, waving him over. “My uncle will be home soon; he was not expecting us till tomorrow, so he likely went into town or is out on in the woods putting around.” They sat eating and enjoying themselves as they started to relax.

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The day became late afternoon, not dusk but just an hour before the color in the sky would change. Drakes got up and excused himself to go to the head. Izzy heard Thomas outside giving a meow and her uncle’s voice cooing as the door started to open. Izzy shot up to greet him. He was dashing over to give him a giant hug. As James saw her, he began to open his arms to give her a huge hug. Then out of the corner, he saw the Elfen coming out of the back area of the home.

As Izzy sprinted towards him, she saw her uncle’s expression go from the loving and caring person to something that scared her. His eyes had fixated elsewhere, and his movements were no longer of the older man that had joint issues but started to move faster than she had seen anyone actually move. It was not like a holovid or video game, but she realized there was nothing to stop his movement before she could not turn her head as he let out some animal grunting noise.

Drakes came out of the washroom, where he saw Izzy get up and run somewhere. He was concerned, so he moved quickly to see if everything was ok. As he turned the corner, he saw Izzy with her hands out. Then from the bottom of his sight, a human hand grabbed him by the jaw and slammed him into the wall. He could no longer see, but he felt a hand that was stronger than it should. He could feel rough spots in the death grip that was closing around him. As he tried to break free, nothing in his body was not working correctly as cold and numb sensations started to wash over him. His vision was starting to go red, then he heard Izzy scream, and then the world went black.

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As Drakes started to come out of his forced sleep, he could hear some yelling in the background. As his vision began to focus, he could see Izzy standing over him. She was standing in a fierce with a small towel drenched in water. Then she yelled something about being a fool, and she threw the rag at something he could not see. Then his world started to spin and then “Oh no!” as he began to puke before he started to pass out again.

As Drakes laid there on the homemade couch, breathing heavily while Izzy whipped off his brow.

Izzy: What did you do to him!

James: Him! I thought he was here to attack us!

Izzy: What did you do to him! We need to get him to a doctor!

James: No, he will be fine. I just did a little neural overload. I was planning to interrogate him, and that is why I did not try to kill him.

Izzy walked over to the wall to show a fresh crack in the wall. With a dramatic flair, she pointed it out.

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Izzy: Oh, and this is not killing someone.

James: No, it is not.

Izzy: Well… what… how…

Drakes: Oh no!

James: Well, there is the puke. He will come through in two hours with a headache. I will start preparing supper, and once he wakes, you both will need to do some explaining.

Izzy: Well, he ---

James: No. I want you both to hear each other. I may be older than you, but I am not exactly an old codger. I also need to take some stuff off the wall.

Izzy: Why are you taking down our pictures?

James: I am not taking down the pictures. I am... I just hope he was not able to read these.

As James was cooking up in several pots of food in the kitchen, tasting the different concoctions, he could hear them whisper in the other room. He sighed as he put a black knife with a leather ring handle into the back of his belt. “Thomas!!, Dinner. Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.” In a moment, the orange tabby came through the house, making chirping and purring noises, and sat down at one of the table’s chairs. James set down a small plate in front of Thomas.

Izzy: You still know that is weird.

James: You don’t listen to her.

As he bent over and gave a kiss to an incredibly happy kitty who was reaching up a snagging a small piece of meat and brought it down to his seat to eat the morsel.

James: Come on, you two. Dinner.

Izzy: It is okay; come on.

She made sure Drakes got to his feet without falling. Held his hand and guided him to his seat.

Drakes: What happened?

James: Your kind has a neural cluster just below the jawbone. Apply the right amount of pressure. It will cause a system to shut down.

Drakes: What if you did it wrong?

James: One, I did not do it wrong. The second thing is that there are faster ways to kill an Elfen.

Izzy: Still to attack him like that unexpectedly.

James: All I saw was my little one running with a pointy ear close behind.

Drakes: Please do not call me that.

James: SO. Explain yourselves to me now.

Drakes: Am I to expect that we will forget all of this. I told you, Izzy, that he would not understand. You are so kind and so special to me, but this is the ogre we were told of as children. The foxes that sneak into our houses and still the young. The purple shadows that can move through walls and can never die! Izzy, let’s go!

Drakes stood up and went to reach for Izzy’s hand, but before he could see it, there was a large black knife in between their hands.

James: Peb yuav noj mov no raws li kev pom zoo hmo ntuj

Drakes looked stunned and sat down. Izzy stared at her uncle with confusion and shock.

James: So, Izzy tell me? Why is he here?

Izzy: Well, he is my fiancé.

The room went silent. James dropped his knife, and Drakes fell back into the chair, looking dumbfounded. The room was quiet. So silent you could hear the hearts beat. The silence was finally broken when Thomas let put a loud meow.

Izzy: You are right, Thomas. So, you two big guys start talking. I answered my question. Now time for two to start answering some questions.

Drakes: I have a question. Why do you know our tongue? The accords? How do you fight like that?

Izzy: That is not fair one question at a time.

James: That is fine. Actually, those are all part of the same answer. Give me a moment.

James went over to where he had taken down several papers. He then brought them back over to the table.

James: Well, you got 2 out of 3 correct. I am not an ogre. Those were another unit. I was corporal in 364 the purple foxes. We were to ensure that you kept on thinking that there were monsters in the night. The midnight raids made sure no humans were ever found if they died on the field and took the dead Elfen… let’s say to cause fear. So let us say I am versed in your culture. Now Izzy, did you tell him about your parents?

Izzy: No.

James: If you are honest about marrying him. Then tell him.

Drakes: It is okay. Just tell me.

Izzy: It was several years after the war. There was a group of Elfen who did not want the fight to end. It was a Sunday in August we were going to the beach in celebration of Peace Day. I still can smell the ocean breeze how salty but how sweet it was. My mom and dad went into an ice cream shop. My mom was ordering a banana split for dad and herself. They loved to share them, and my dad always let her have the cherry. I was going to get a mint and chip ice cream sandwich dipped in chocolate. I remember her smile as dad and I took a booth in the back waiting for her. I remember someone running in screaming and how red they were. A green fog started to roll into the store, and my mother fell to the ground beginning to bleed from her eyes. My father got up so fast and threw a few people and me into the fridge.

As the adults held it close, others outside screamed. Some of the gas started to leak in, and my father took off his clothes to plug up the door. Other adults did the same to the vents. As the cold started to reach us through the clothes the last of the adults gave their clothes to us children. So much time had passed, and the adults slowly started not to wake. I woke up once and my father was holding me keeping me warm, but he did not wake.

Izzy started to cry. As James and Drakes both moved in to comfort her, she gestured for them to stop.

Out of the five kids in there only two of us remand. His name was Christopher, he took his life a few years later. Later I learned that it was that group of Elfen that wanted to keep fighting. If you two would excuse me I would like to go to my room for a bit.

Izzy walked into her room and shut the door. The two men could hear her crying from inside. They sat in silence in shock they stared at the door that leads to her room.

James looked over to Drakes taking in all the emotions he was showing. As the silence became deafening as the weeping continued till it become a low sob. James then stood up and walked over to the door a peaked in the door. He turned around and Thomas was at his feet wanting to go in. He rubbed his head and whispered to him and let him in the door. He closed the door behind the cat walked softly over to the Elfen sitting at the table a gestured to him to follow. They went out the back door onto a large expansive land that was mostly dry open land with shrubs and little houses for some small chickens moving about.