"Mommy, are you scared?" Asked the shadow. Out stepped a little norn that looked almost identical to Littleone.
"Peace!" Littleone squealed. She ran over to her child. She began to kiss her and kept hugging her.
"Mommy is being silly!" Little Peace said to Jean with a sigh. Jean grinned and shook his head.
"Nah, she is just happy to see you," he said with a chuckling laugh.
"How did you get here, honey?" Her mother asked with surprise. She sounded a bit stern, but there was mostly a relief to her voice.
"I followed you," she said. Her mother looked more stern now. She turned to her daughter angrily.
"You know better than that," she scolded and Peace looked at the ground. Her face almost blushed. She looked back up.
"I missed you," Peace said and she grabbed onto her mother's leg like a baby would.
"I missed you too," her mother said. She kissed her daughter on the cheek. That was when Peace noticed their weapons.
"What are those?" The child asked with curiousity. Her eyes shined with wonder.
"Weapons," her mother answered slowly. Her daughter had never known war. Neither had she, but she had faced grendels before and that was just as bad.
"What are we fighting against?" Peace asked and her mother turned away from her for a moment. Finally, she turned around and told her daughter the story. She explained what the norns looked like even and Peace's eyes got bigger and bigger.
"And that is what happened," Littleone finished sadly. She knew the story had hurt her daughter and it saddened her.
"That is horrible," Peace said and turned from her mother. Tears came to the child's eyes. "All of those babies!"
Littleone nodded and kissed her daughter on the head. Jean came over and hugged them both. "Sorry," he grumbled. Peace laughed and kissed him on the forehead.
"I'm almost an adolecent!" She squealed. Jean looked a little surprised. She still looked young. "So, are we staying here for another night? I'm a little tired."
The others reluctantly agreed. They lay back down on the stony floor. Peace slept far away, but the other two didn't want to. They slept next to each other the whole night. "Oh, my stomach!" Littleone moaned.
"Are you okay, Mom?" Peace asked with worry. Littleone groaned again, but she nodded. Jean looked a little sheepish as he walked over.
"It was from last night," Jean said and he walked over to them. He sat down next to Littleone and tried to help her.
"You said you were unfertile!" She growled.
"I thought all grendels were!" Jean said meekly. He backed away from her.
"Not all. I am going to be sick!" She muttered and she sat back down. Jean looked upset since he had no idea what to do.
"I'm sorry, Littleone," Jean said and she nodded.
"Just get back over here," Littleone whinned. Jean was over there very quickly.
"Are you going to be able to make it home, Mom?" Peace asked.
"I think so," she answered.
"We can make it!" Jean said and he picked up all of the swords. Peace started to help, when she found the rhymes. She picked them up and found more. She didn't read them, but she put them into a pouch she had made. She picked up her share of the swords and they started out.
"Mom," Peace started.
"Yes, Peace?" Her mother answered.
"Is there a chance of us winning?" She asked. Littleone kept going, but she closed her eyes.
"I don't know," she answered softly.
"We just don't have the numbers they do!" Jean said angrily. They were all silent for a moment. Littleone was limping, but asked for no help. That's when they heard voices.
"This way!" Hissed Jean and they followed him. They hid out in one of the caves. Littleone did her best to be quiet and finally she sighed of relief.
"I laid it," she whispered. Peace looked at her and then at the egg.
"Can we move it?" She asked. Littleone looked at it and nodded.
"Yes, and you are going to," Littleone sighed. "We should leave the weapons here."
"We'll take three," Jean said. Peace shook her head.
"I won't be able to fight if I am carrying the egg. I'll go as far as I am needed and turn around. We can see what we need to from here," Peace said and the two adults nodded. They left her to watch the egg.
On the way back, they knew they would fight. They took the element of surprise and got through the evil norns. While Littleone came out with barely a scratch, Jean had a life threatening injury. "Jean?" Littleone asked.
"I'm still here. Keep going without me," he whispered.
"I can't!" She cried. He took her face into his hand and sighed.
"Shh," he whispered. "Go now."
"What about you?" She sobbed. Her fur was drenched from tears.
"I already have what I need," he said softly. "A death with a purpose."
His hand fell to the ground and Littleone ran towards the incubator. She was in tears and was heartbroken. She was almost there, when a club broke her ribs, piercing her heart. Littleone plunged her sword into his and fell to the ground. Sweetheart saw her friend and raced towards her.
"Littleone," she cried. Littleone nodded softly.
"One lift broke, but the other is intact. Go now," Littleone choked out and handed her friend the sword. Sweetheart took it and sighed.
"Come on!" She cried and all of the other norns raced to her. "We're leaving!"
Meanwhile, Peace watched over the egg until it finally hatched. She looked at it and cocked her head. The creature had the arms, legs, and tail of a grendal and the head and body of a norn. It was a little girl. She grinned.
"Well, what are we going to call you I wonder?" Peace said. She was trying to think of names when one of the scrolls fell out. She picked it up and read it.
"When death comes, a creature is born. It's not a grendel and is not a norn! When everyone is dying and at the end of their rope, three will save the day: Peace, Love, and Hope."
"Hope! That is your name! You must be one of those grenorns I've heard so much about!"
"Peace! Are you down there?" Asked a voice.
"I'm down here, Love!" She called. Love, Intelly, Comfort, Kemo, and Kahless. "Where are the others?"
"Fighting," Love said. "Who and what is that?"
"Her name is Hope and she is my sister," Peace said. Love nodded. Suddenly, there were screams of terror. They knew it was their loved ones. Peace did her best to ignore it as she lead the others through the caves. She didn't know what was ahead waiting for her, but it was better than waiting to be killed.
