Stumbling backward as I try to push forward,

Fighting the burning smoke filling my lungs.

Tattered clothes hang off a body that's lost its way,

Staring into the rivers as I attempt to clean the blood stains,

I do not recognize my face.

Remembering the face of my father and the stories of his life,

Ready to die, yet he found the will to live again when he found,

He told me our kind was misunderstood,

People believed we were descendants of the devil himself.

Yet, he believed that one day, I would be the one to finally end the aged war.

These thoughts fill my head each time I stare at my rapidly healing wounds.

I continue onward without much sense of direction,

Only an unwavering trust in the guidance of my father.

The path grows longer and the days colder.

With so little left to hold onto,

I wonder what all the pain is worth.

But sometimes I imagine you,

Words you spoke come to life in a dreamy, distant haze.

For a moment, I forget my reality...

It is peaceful, until my nightmares come flooding into my head,

They are filled with faces I will never forget...

Everyone I have loved are dead or imprisoned.

I wake with my heartbeat ringing in my ears,

Sounds of distant screams echo in the forest.

The hunters are getting closer,

I gather my things and begin again,

Never knowing if it will ever end.