16

Devilkghth stood at the edge of the great forest, the moonlight illuminating his dark figure, his hair flowing behind him like ink. He gazed into the woods, the wind brushing past his face and ruffling the edges of his cape. His sword hung low by his side, he didn't need to hold it up with all the force. The only thing he needed to keep the trees away were the spells on his blade which allowed for an instant of power to flow through it before fading once more.

The sound of footsteps caught his attention as the softest of whispers broke the quiet of the night. He turned towards the direction they came from, watching closely as his eyes searched the darkness. They stopped suddenly right beside him, and Devik noticed the glint in their gaze. A single drop of blood dripped down the side of her nose, and she brushed it away with her thumb. The light from the moon reflected off of it and she let out a small gasp.

"You have a lovely nose you know that?" She said, her eyes not leaving his, but her lips curled upwards ever so slightly. It reminded him of his wife's smile, and it made his heart ache slightly. He felt something stir in him as though someone had just stabbed him with an icepick. He looked back at her eyes, still fixed on his own.

Devik took a step forward, taking her hand, and he pulled her forward until she bumped against him gently. He tilted his head down to her, their noses almost touching, and he could smell the freshness of the rain on her skin and the scent of her perfume. Her breath shivered between them, as did his.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. He could feel her chest moving against his, and he wanted nothing more than to close the gap and kiss her. To taste those ruby lips that matched the color of her eyes.

He didn't want to stop what was happening between them because of some silly superstition about witches and warlocks. If there was one thing he knew better than most, it was the way love worked. When you cared deeply enough for someone you didn't let them go without knowing why, even if you might lose what little was left to you. So, he decided that if this was what love brought he would embrace it wholeheartedly, because he loved her more than anything in the world, and he would fight for her, and fight for everything with her, and fight forever until they died together.

"It's alright." His voice came out raspier than he had hoped, and she giggled lightly. She rested her hands against his shoulders, closing the distance between them. Their lips met slowly, gently. He could taste the saltiness of the rain against her lips, the bitter tang of mint from the candy he'd given her earlier that evening, and the sweetness of the strawberry shake she had had before she had come here. Her eyes closed and he followed suit, allowing himself to fall deeper into their passionate kiss.

Suddenly, there was a sharp thud from behind him, and he pulled back slightly to see a man standing near the tree where he and his love had been sitting. The man was dressed in green with red markings on his arms, and Devik recognized him immediately as a mage. Behind him stood two others, a woman in black robes and a man in white with orange and black marks along the edges of his clothing.

Devik frowned as he turned around. What would bring these three men here? Was it some sort of trap?

"What do you think you're doing here?" His lover asked them.

The woman raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Well, we've been trying to get ahold of you all week, and you haven't returned any of our calls!"

She stepped closer, glaring at the other mage. "We thought that maybe something bad had happened."

Devik shook his head, looking over at his lover. "No, nothing bad has happened to me yet anyway, it's just been a bit difficult getting around."

"Well, we're here now," the man in white robes said. He stepped forward and bowed his head slightly. "My name is Hilda, this is my partner, Rolfe. We heard rumors of the battle of Vordenberg, and we had to see for ourselves if such terrible stories were true."

Devik nodded, stepping forward and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for your concern, but you don't need to worry."

Hilda stepped back as Rolfe walked closer and grabbed her hand tightly. "We're worried," he told her. She glared at him for a moment before turning her attention to Devik again.

"I see."

Devik sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, I suppose we should get going. There isn't much point in stopping by when all we'll be doing is wasting time."

The mages glanced at each other before nodding. As one, they began walking into the forest. After a few steps, Rolfe looked back over his shoulder and gave Devik and his lover another smile, waving goodbye.

As soon as he was gone, Devik looked back over at his wife. He watched her face carefully, noticing how her brows drew together and how her mouth formed a hard line.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, I am."

"But-" He reached out and touched the tip of her nose with a finger, causing her to jump slightly in surprise. "That man seems to have scared you badly. Is it because of the mage he mentioned?"

Hilda let out a sigh, shaking her head. She moved her hand to rest it on top of his. "I guess it was because I can tell he's a mage."

"Then how is the situation different then?"

The young princess closed her eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath, letting it out softly. "I was hoping we'd never have to find out."

Devik squeezed her hand. "We won't, darling."

They stayed silent for a moment before Hilda spoke again. "Can you show us the way out?"

He nodded his head and began leading the way, careful not to make too large of movements since they weren't sure where their enemies would be waiting. The path wasn't as clear in the middle of the woods, but he figured that they could always go back and follow it.

After several minutes of silence, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff. It overlooked the town below them and the lake in front of them. It was beautiful, even though Devik couldn't exactly tell how old the place was. He looked down at his wife, studying her expression for a moment before leaning in for a kiss. She leaned into the kiss, deepening it as his fingers played with the ends of her hair, her hand trailing down his chest to his back.

The sudden loud boom caused Hilda to pull back, a frown etched onto her face. "Did you hear that?" She whispered.

Devik shook his head. "No, it doesn't sound like thunder. Do you think it was thunder?"

Her frown deepened. "It was too strong for thunder, and the sky is clear. No clouds are in sight."

She pressed herself against his chest and he wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her closer. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder. Neither moved to continue their conversation, but rather to appreciate each other's company while they were both safe from harm.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her after a while. She hadn't said anything since he had kissed her.

Instead of answering, she shook her head. "Do you remember when we used to visit the pond every summer?" She whispered.

He smiled, remembering the many summers filled with happiness and love. "Oh yeah."

"One day, I was thinking about what we did that year. I remembered the fact that you taught me how to fish that day, and the memory alone makes me happy."

He laughed, pulling back so he could cup her cheek and look into her eyes. "We'll do it tomorrow." He promised.

"And when we come back here for good, we'll do everything you wanted to do with me when we were younger, promise?"

"Promise." He placed a gentle kiss against her lips, savoring the feeling of her warm breath hitting his face.

As they continued kissing, the sound of rustling leaves was the first thing they heard, and Devik pulled away with a slight chuckle. Looking over at the other two mages, he saw that they were already halfway through the trees, and he looked down again at his bride, pressing one final chaste kiss on her temple. Without saying another word, he turned and started jogging to catch up with them. Once he reached the group, he noticed their gazes trained on him.

"Why does everyone keep staring at you, huh?" He asked them.

Both girls shrugged as the male mage turned his head away, hiding a blush.

"What is it with those three?" Devik asked his lover, giving her arm a squeeze.

His question seemed to snap her out of her thoughts as she finally lifted her eyes off the ground, meeting his. "Don't ask questions you don't really want to know the answers to." She replied with a wink.

Before he could respond, they reached the end of the bridge. It was small, almost made out of wood, which was surprising, considering that the bridge was made of stone, and the water of the lake underneath had once been pure crystal clear.

Devik frowned, taking in their surroundings. Nothing about this place felt familiar. They stopped walking and looked at each other. Then, a soft cry echoed in the air and they turned around. Standing in the center of the bridge, their clothes drenched in sweat, were four children. One boy, one girl, two boys and two girls. They wore simple clothes, only consisting of plain shirts and loose pants.

The oldest boy with short blonde hair and gray eyes, was holding two little boys and a toddler with dark brown hair who was crying. The two little girls, a boy and a girl, sat beside the older boy and girl. The youngest girl had blue eyes and light brown hair. Both wore simple clothes similar to theirs, only theirs were red, black and yellow. The last two had light blond hair and violet eyes. Both had their hair in braids, and the younger boy held a sword while the older child carried his mother's sword, a bow strapped across her back.

"Where are we?" The princess whispered, glancing around her as her father joined her side.

Devik swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in his throat. Something bad had definitely happened here, but what? This place couldn't have been destroyed, could it? No matter how big or strong they appeared to be, there was no way that they could survive something like this.

Suddenly, he heard a scream that sounded oddly similar to his own voice. It didn't belong to anyone else, though. It was too high pitched, too high tone, and far too feminine.

Hela whimpered. "Please don't hurt me." The voice cried.

Chapter 6

Kara ran her fingers through her hair nervously, tugging at the strands until it was tangled. After leaving her bedroom, she had followed her parents downstairs to eat breakfast, but it hadn't gone well. Her parents had gotten angry at her, and she had spent the past half hour avoiding them. Now they were still sitting at the table. Kara glanced over at the empty seat next to her, knowing that she was probably meant to sit at that table. She couldn't help but wonder if she was going to get grounded. If she was, she wasn' t sure if she was ready to be.

"You need to stop doing this."

The blonde snapped her gaze back over to her parents as they stared back at her. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she closed it, swallowing thickly. Her hands balled into fists as she tried to figure out how to reply without breaking eye contact.

Finally, the woman broke eye contact. Instead of continuing, she stood up and walked towards the counter. Grabbing one of the pots of hot tea, she picked up the spoon and stirred the steaming liquid within before moving back to the table, setting the pot in front of Kara. The princess stared at the hot teapot, unsure if she wanted to drink it or not.

"You may think you want to stay in denial, but deep inside you must be aware that whatever has been done to you has messed with your memories, your personality, your very being." Her father paused to take a sip of his coffee before adding, "Just like with Hilda, this is the last thing we want to happen again."

Kara nodded, unable to find the words to say. She took a shaky breath before reaching forward and grabbing the mug. She slowly brought it to her mouth, making sure to hold perfectly still as she waited for someone to grab it before taking a sip. As soon as the liquid touched her tongue, however, she quickly spat it back out.

Kara glared at her father. "It tastes awful!" She said with a glare.

The man chuckled lightly before turning his head towards the kitchen entrance. He watched as the maid entered the room carrying a plate full of toast covered in peanut butter.

"I thought this might be more appropriate than the usual bread," the maid said, handing the plate to her boss.

The man thanked her before turning back to his daughter. "This is our last chance. We either let the past stay behind or we move forward. Don't screw it up."

His words were harsh, but Kara knew better than to ignore his warning. Even if she hadn't taken her mother's advice the previous day, she wouldn't be acting this way today. She would've acted like herself, and not the person she was just now. Her father would have been right to scold her; she needed to act mature, or this whole mess might be worse than she thought.

As she drank the rest of the coffee in her cup, the maid excused herself, but not before sending Kara a sad smile. She understood that her family wasn't the best, but she hated that she felt sorry for the woman who had been her caretaker for over thirty years.

Once she finished her coffee, Kara pushed away from the table and headed toward the kitchen entrance where the maid was putting the dirty plates away.

As Kara grabbed the plate, she glanced back and noticed the maid watching her. For some reason, her eyes seemed to be full of sadness.

After putting the plate away in the cabinet, the woman left, closing the door softly behind her. A few moments later, Kara's mother entered the kitchen carrying the tray filled with cups and saucers. She smiled at her son. "Are you done eating?"

Kara nodded in agreement, not daring to meet her eyes. She wondered why her mother suddenly wanted to talk with her today. Usually she avoided any sort of confrontation like the plague. But then again, perhaps it was because of yesterday. Maybe she regretted telling her the truth and wanted to make amends. And maybe, just maybe, she had come to realize that she could rely on Kara to watch her back now.

"Come on, dear. Let us go enjoy our walk through town." Her mother said as she picked up the tray and took it to the sink.

Kara glanced at the clock hanging above the mantel, and found that it had just passed five. With a sigh, she put down the book she'd been reading and picked up a jacket, putting it on before following her mother outside. As soon as Kara stepped outside, she immediately took in the sight in front of her. There was snow everywhere, glittering bright white in the sunlight. In front of them was an enormous field of wildflowers. Behind them, she could see the tall, grey towers of Daxam in the distance. To her left, on the opposite side of the village, she noticed the road leading to the forest.

Her father had told her that the palace was located somewhere between the village and the castle, but the princess hadn't paid much attention after hearing his description, since they lived in Daxam, and there were so many mountains around that it was impossible to tell exactly where the palace was. Now that she thought about it, though, she realized that it actually did make sense since, according to legend, a dragon was hidden there, and the king feared that whoever got close enough to destroy its lair would die in the attack. She remembered hearing whispers during her childhood of a strange fire that had swept through the village and claimed several lives, claiming it was the work of the dragons.

Her father and mother led her to an open space between the houses on the other side of the village. When they were standing in front of the wooden fence surrounding the village square, Kara's parents turned to face her. She looked from one parent to the other and wondered what they wanted.

"Now," Her father spoke first. "We are not going to ask you to do anything reckless anymore, even if that means giving up our secret. That's why I'm talking to you today; we need your help finding a solution to this problem."

She nodded, wondering where this was all heading.

He cleared his throat before continuing. "There is another princess living here in this town, but she isn't from Daxam, and she has been kidnapped by someone called Zor-El."

"Zor-El?"

He nodded. "You know him as the Lord of the Light, yes?"

"Yes, I know."

"Well, there isn't much time left until the wedding ceremony tomorrow night." He said. "The princess doesn't know that her fiance is coming, so we should start preparing. You will need to leave tonight in order to avoid suspicion. Can you remember when you last slept?"

"Uh, I don't know..." Kara said with a small shrug. She had been awake since the morning after she woke up and had been working on getting ready for her trip. After everything that had happened recently, she needed a break and was able to sleep well that night.

Her mother sighed sadly. "I can't believe it. Our sweet baby girl... She can't possibly turn into such an awful person. I mean, look at her. Look at all she's learned. How could she possibly be bad? She's never been violent or mean, has she?"

"No."

"Then I'm sure we'll be fine."

Kara didn't respond. Her mother gave a nod before turning back towards the fence and climbing over it. Once he was on top of the fence, he climbed onto the street in front of their house and disappeared around the corner.

Sighing deeply, Kara lowered herself back onto the bench and laid her head against the wall behind her. As much as she tried not to think about it, she kept seeing a dark shadow in the corner of her mind. It was her worst nightmare - something she desperately hoped she would never experience again.

~ ~ ~

After spending two hours walking around the village looking for signs of her friends, Kara returned home exhausted. She sat down on the stairs, her head resting against the railing that ran along the outside of the house and her legs stretched out in front of her. Kara pulled the hood of the coat she had worn earlier around her shoulders and hugged her arms across her chest. She was glad that she had finally convinced her parents to give her permission to wear her own clothes once again; otherwise she'd likely be cold to the bone by now and unable to feel her toes. Still, it felt nice to be able to walk around without worry of someone sneaking up behind her or trying to knock her off balance. Not knowing where her friends were right now made her anxious to find them again.

As she continued to stare out in front of her, she felt a hand resting on her shoulder. Looking up from under her hood, she saw her grandfather standing next to her looking concerned.

"Grandpa?"

The old man nodded in response. "Your mother and I were just discussing how you and your friends need to prepare."

She frowned at the news. "What do you mean?"

He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Well, I guess we should probably explain what happens when someone finds out that you're not really their daughter. If they try to kill or kidnap you, that won't only end badly for everyone, but also endanger your life."

A chill went up her spine as her grandfather mentioned the word 'kidnap'. It sounded so frightening. She could almost imagine Zor-El's face as he explained how he had been planning to use her. She shook her head slightly in attempt to push the terrifying images from her mind, but unfortunately that failed miserably. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn' t get rid of the images or thoughts from her memory.

Forcing herself to take deep breaths to calm herself, she closed her eyes, trying to keep her breathing steady and calm. She couldn't let anyone find out about her past. This was her last chance to stop her destiny, and if she lost it then, chances are good that no one would ever want to help her. Besides, her mother already suspected that her father was lying about who she was. She didn't know who was more surprised: him or her mom. If either of them knew the real reason her father had sent her to this world, there would definitely be a scandal.

"Kara?"

She opened her eyes again to gaze up at her grandfather, who seemed to be studying her face carefully. "What?" she asked, still trying to keep her voice from shaking, but failing miserably.

He reached forward and gently placed his warm hand on top of hers. "It's going to be okay. Just think about what you want, and I'm sure everything will be okay."

Slowly nodding, Kara squeezed her eyes shut. At least she knew what she wanted. She wanted everyone safe; however, if they weren't safe, then she wanted them dead.

Chapter 8

Kara awoke feeling uneasy. She had no idea why she was sleeping so soundly, and yet, there she was, wrapped in her blankets and snuggling closer to the warmth beneath them. It must have been early in the morning. The sun was barely visible through the window of her room, but the sky was still bright with rays of light peeking through the clouds, which had parted some time ago. The only source of light in the whole room came from the lamp that stood on her nightstand, casting an eerie orange glow on the ceiling. Slowly lifting her eyelids, she blinked several times, adjusting to the brightness.

And then it hit her. Someone had entered her room.

In shock, she instantly shot her gaze towards her window. She expected to see nothing out of the ordinary - her curtains being drawn aside, someone climbing inside the room silently -, but instead, she was met with the sight of a pair of green irises staring into her soul. A smile slowly spread across her face at seeing familiar eyes. She felt a surge of happiness.

"Hey, Kara." He softly greeted. His voice held traces of fatigue. Kara could practically hear the exhaustion in his tone, as well as slight disappointment.

"Hey," she greeted him. Her heart was fluttering and skipping beats as she stared intently at him, taking note of how pale he actually looked. He looked tired, and it was clear that, unlike yesterday, he hadn't gone on patrol and had come to check on her.

He stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind him. "Why aren't you dressed yet?" he questioned curiously. He walked towards the table near the window, and picked up a book laying there. "Is this a book about Kryptonian history? Or perhaps the history of Daxam?" His expression changed quickly, from curious to confused. "Wait, how did you get in here?!"

She rolled her eyes. "How does a little child like me even manage to climb a fence while wearing gloves? Besides, I'm pretty sure the guards would notice if a kid climbed up there without proper protection and a guard came in the room while they were distracted." She paused. "Besides, I wasn't supposed to meet any of the other students this week, so you can relax. They didn't know." She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to say otherwise. He didn't.

Still staring at her suspiciously, he set the book back down on the table and crossed his arms. She watched as he tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "So, you've managed to sneak into your classes for four years and haven't had a single incident yet." She could feel him observing her closely before continuing, "That' s strange, isn't it? Why would the teachers allow someone like you to go unnoticed?"

With a sigh she replied, "They thought it would be best to keep my secret, considering how dangerous it would make our mission if someone found out about me."

"But you are not dangerous. There aren't any threats to us here. And you don't seem very dangerous, either, if you ask me."

"Well, maybe not dangerous, but-" she started to reply but stopped when she noticed his reaction. "I didn't tell you my real name, did I?"

"Tell you...your name?" He frowned. "Not at all. What's wrong with your real name?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing. Forget it. So, uh...what's with the book?" She nodded towards the wooden book.

"Oh, um..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, seemingly uncomfortable for a moment before deciding to answer her question, "well...I may or may not have read it a while ago, but I haven't got around to reading it."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Really. I was thinking that I might as well catch up on it while I wait, though. I'm still pretty much completely clueless as to how I ended up here. You told me before that I was born in space, so what happened after I left Earth?" He sighed and ran his fingers over his chin. "I guess that would be the part I'd most like to learn first."

Kara smiled as her mouth fell open. Even though he may seem indifferent at the moment, she could easily picture him sitting there with a notebook and pen in one hand and a large pile of books on Krypton and Daxam in the other as he eagerly listened to all her stories.

Sensing her change in mood, the elderly man glanced at her curiously. "Do you mind telling me a little bit about yourself? Where you're from? What do you study? How did you become friends with J'onn? Do you remember anything about me from your planet?"

"Well, to begin with," Kara began to explain, "my planet doesn't have people named after plants and animals, so my childhood was kind of boring. It's funny that, during the day, you can watch animals running and playing freely in the woods without having to worry about catching a disease or getting eaten. At night, though, they hide underground, away from predators so that nobody is harmed."

"Huh," he commented. "So that's why you can't sleep?"

Kara nodded, a small frown pulling at her lips. She remembered how hard it was to get used to waking up with a sore throat because of all the noises she heard every night from other people moving around the house while preparing meals.

"Then I guess I understand now. And you said there was something else?" He inquired further.

Shrugging lightly, she answered, "Yes. Actually, a few days ago, you were talking to some people about the Daxamite invasion of our planet." Kara lowered her head. "You were worried about the damage the invasion has caused."

He nodded in response. "Yeah. I know you saw the aftermath of it. That's probably why I am looking for a way to stop Zod from hurting innocent people. I need a plan of attack so that I can protect my people from the threat he posed. But there is no plan yet. As far as I know, the only thing the Daxamites are doing is destroying planets and attacking those who oppose them. And it doesn't look like they'll give up anytime soon."

"I understand." She agreed quietly. For a moment she debated whether to share the rest of her story with him. After all, he was a great friend, just like her mom. "The other reason I'm here is because I'm worried about my parents. My grandfather mentioned to me that I'm a descendant of Kryptonians, meaning that they are from Krypton. But I also discovered that some Daxamites took the place of humans who had fallen ill. This is something that I should have known, but I didn't until recently, when I overheard my grandparents discussing it. Apparently, there is some sort of sickness plaguing the Daxamite population. In fact, it seems to be happening more frequently than usual. That must mean that the Daxamite species are suffering from this mysterious illness, but none of them seem to have made it to the hospital. My grandmother said that she couldn't find anyone in my entire family to whom she can talk about this matter. Of course, we never spoke of what is going on, but I know for a fact that the Daxamites are causing a lot of harm to others. If there is anything that you can do to help, please let me know."

"No problem. We'll figure something out together. As long as I can take care of myself and keep your parents safe and secure." He paused for a moment. "So, this sickness. Does it cause mental illnesses? Have you experienced anything unusual ever since coming to Daxam? Did you ever have a vision about anything?"

"Actually, yes. It's not exactly something that you've seen in a movie. It happened the day before yesterday." Kara explained.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, before returning to its normal state. "It happens?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It was really vivid." Kara briefly closed her eyes. She tried to banish the images from her memory, but the memories were relentless. "My mother was sick when she died. A fever brought on by a cold, according to my grandfather's analysis. I remember watching her lying in bed, breathing in shallow gasps as the doctors kept trying and failing to bring her temperature down." Kara opened her eyes and stared into the distance. The scene was seared in her brain now. "Her condition worsened steadily as time passed and the doctors failed to treat her. Eventually, my grandmother decided that her daughter needed a different type of treatment." She paused. "One that my grandfather suggested."

"So what is that type of treatment?"

Kara hesitated, but ultimately decided to continue. "My grandfather created a cure."

She could sense the shock in his eyes. "A cure for...what exactly? What does it do?" He asked cautiously.

"It allows human beings to heal themselves," she said simply. Kara knew that she had said too much. She could already feel the anger building in his body.

"How is that possible? That doesn't sound possible! I thought that the only way humans would be able to heal themselves would be if they were dying!"

Kara winced, feeling her heart beat faster inside her chest as she waited for his reaction. "That's the part that my grandfather doesn't believe in," she finally admitted softly, feeling the pressure on her chest growing, weighing her down. She couldn't bear to see the same expression of confusion that she had gotten when she told him the truth before.

"What? What does he believe in then? Please, tell me, Kara." His voice sounded desperate and full of despair, but Kara felt numb at the idea of revealing the truth to him. She couldn't bring herself to look at him in the eyes and instead focused on avoiding eye contact. She hated it.

When she failed to answer his question and remained silent, the older man continued, sounding more determined than ever, "Tell me, Kara! Tell me what he believes in?!"

"I..." The words seemed stuck in her throat.

The older man seemed frustrated. "I swear to Rao, Kara, if you don't tell me what I want to hear, then I will find somebody else!"

The Kryptonian tensed.

"I won't hesitate to punish you if you refuse to cooperate." His voice sounded angry again, filled with hatred.

"Dad…" Her voice shook, making her flinch slightly as tears threatened to roll down her face.

He stared back at her and then sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Look, kid. Your grandfather isn't a bad person, alright? But sometimes, his beliefs aren't always rational. They just...they come from somewhere deep inside him, and they're rooted so deep that they're difficult for him to forget even now that he's dead. Believe it or not, but some of them even make perfect sense! They don't always hurt you, either, because they usually just happen while you're not paying attention."

"I know that."

"Doesn't mean that what he says doesn't hurt you." He crossed his arms across his chest, giving her a stern gaze. "You think I'm happy that people don't listen to me when I try to tell them to be careful of things? To avoid things they don't understand? No, actually, I'm not. All I can do, though, is my best, which isn't very good considering I can't leave these old bones alone to walk for any length of time, even with a stick to prop me up. So, you know what? Sometimes, I wish I could just fly.