The woman looked at the men that had landed on her country. She knew what this meant... But she felt no regrets. She looked down at the young child in her arms, his golden hair shining brightly even as he slept. Her people were scared of him, never seeing something like the golden hair or blue eyes before. But they could never understand... 

She took one last look at the men before walking back into the woods.

A week had past and her son had grown so much already.  She had to leave her tribe, they would have called him an evil spirit if they saw his growth spurts. She had taken some cloth from one of the white men and made clothes for him, so that he would fit in more. He was already starting to walk, so it wouldn't be long now.

In another week, he was ready to meet the new people. Softly, she kissed his head.

"Mommy, why do you seem so sad?" The young country looked up at her, his large eyes staring worriedly at his beloved mother.

"Do not worry, my little papoose. Everything will be fine. You see that white man tribe over there? Go play in the field near it."

"But, mommy, you've always told me to stay away."

"That was then; you need to go play over there now."

He was silent for a while before nodding and running off, giggling the whole time. The woman watched her son with a sad smile. He was so young but already so smart. He could sense the mood of a situation easily, and that would help protect himself in the future. If only she could stay as his mother for a little longer... But she couldn't. And it hurt her to leave her first born son here alone.

Slowly, she backed away from the field and into the woods, watching Alfred the whole time. With tears filling her eyes, she turned away from him and left. In her heart, she knew that he would be alright, but it still hurt.

"Make many friends, my son. Be the hero of your tale and protect those close to you. Be kind and caring to others, but don't let them take advantage of you. Grow to be strong and brave. Find love and never let it go. I pray that you never experience this kind of pain that I am feeling now..."

Her words carried on the wind, leaves and flower petals joining the words as they swirled around the boy. Alfred stopped playing as the wind surrounded him, closing his eyes. In that moment, he knew that he was alone now. He would not return to his mother... Tears filled his eyes and poured over the edges, but he fought it down. He didn't want to draw attention to himself this way. He wanted the settlers to find him happy.

"Eh? Hey, there is a child over here...!"

It didn't seem that they'd find him happy... He quickly dried his tears before looking over at the man that was approaching him. The man had yellow hair like him! 

The boy smiled and laughed a little before running off, deciding to play with the new people a little more before befriending them just yet.