Torotto rubbed the back of his neck as he sat at Roman Kasper's table smoking. It felt good to have his feet up and though the giddy daughters of the general annoyed him it was better than the bustle of the city of the march of the army. The black timber wolf sighed at the comforts of being home.

                "I sorry to hear you pursuits of the Eshkopeans wasn't successful." Roman Kasper said as he joined his friend at the table. "The Nagorins wear fairly easy, though we didn't capture the queen." He took out a cigarette and searched for a light.

                Torotto exhaled smoke. "The way I reason, they'll never survive Keeve." He leaned forward towards Kasper and let Kasper light his cigarette off his. "The crown is proud of you. They told me all about your parade."

                "Sure, but they want us to march on Recomine as soon as the snow clears," Kasper said. "The Empress is determined to see it go as soon as possible.

                "And what does Emperor Cato say?" Torotto asked.

                "He's wants his pure race most of all," Kasper said." But the Empress is adamant."

                Torotto scoffed. "Well I take my orders from Emperor Cato. Not your precious foreign Empress."

                "She's no more mine than she is yours," Kasper said as he puffed.

                Torotto smiled. "Well she made you General instead of Pompeii, that treacherous imp. But I always say be cautious before a female who is willing to drown her own son with the canal."

                Kasper chuckled. "Wow, Denmark, I never thought I'd hear you use cautious and female in the same sentence."

                Torotto laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Just because I'm a bachelor doesn't mean I haven't leaned a thing or two."

                Kasper chortled and blew smoke rings. "Speaking of bachelors. My cousin came to visit me the other day. I'm worried about the poor son. Perhaps you can  help him have fun."

                "Ugh," Torotto gagged. "Not your awkward cousin." He shuddered.

                "Come on now, Denmark, if anyone could teach him a thing about ladies it's you."

                "I'm not sure you'd approve of my friends." Torotto said.

                 "Just let him have a good time. You're VIP at all the hot spots. Capernaum won't appreciate it if I visited a record joint."

                "It never stopped you before." Torotto said dragging his paw over his eye. "She still believe you got that blight in battle?"

                "Are you coming to the gala tomorrow night?" Roman Kasper asked and Torotto let him change the subject.

                "Those dances are for the upper crust of society," he said. "I can't bear being surrounded by so many plastic debutants." He emptied his glass of vodka. "Send them my love. It should be enough to keep the drinks cold."

                /

Festive lights decorated the streets of the Imperial City and fireworks were shot off from the palace.

                "Look at it, look at it Daddy!" Isca shouted from their opened carriage.

                "I see it, darling," General Kasper said.

                "Now Isca, you behave yourself, that goes for the rest of you girls too," Lady Kasper warned her daughter and her friends.

                "Munny will keep an eye on them, won't you Munny?" Kasper said to his cousin sitting farthest back in the carriage.

                Isca laughed when he didn't answer. "Don't worry Daddy we'll take good care of my bashful cousin." She grabbed his arm then frowned at his uniform. "You know Cousin Munny, we could have found you a suit and tie."

                "Nonsense, Isca," Her father said. " Recomine soldiers always wear their uniforms when there's a war on."

                "But how come you aren't wearing yours tonight as well General, sir?" one of Isca's friends, a blue eyed palomino filly asked.

                "Because tonight, Lystra, I am all lord." He tipped his top hat to her then looked at his cousin. "While Munny here will always be Munny the country boy."

                The girls went into giggles and Munich sighed and looked out the back of the carriage. They passed by a wagon parked in front of a shop with its lights still on. He found it strange that anyone would bother to do business on a night like this.

/

                Siloam excitedly checked off the list then stuffed it into her pocket. "That's everything, let's go!" she said and ran up the street. Fireworks exploded overhead reflecting their hypnotic glow on the snow below.

                "Siloam you won't be able to see anything." Kidron said going after her. He cursed under his breath. "Come on, Hero."

                They three ran up to the palace gates and stepped up on the bottom bar.

                "You won't see anything," Kidorn said again.

                "You never know, we just might!" Siloam said.

                Carriages unloaded at the white steps and their drivers trotted off to park them. Females of all sorts walked up the stairs in their heavy coats with the tail end of their luxurious gowns flowing from the bottom.

                "Golly, I wish I could see inside," Siloam said.

                "You little beggar, they'd never let you in," Kidorn chided.

                "I know that," Siloam said. "But I can dream."

They watched as a fancy carriage with the top down rolled up to the door and the owners got out. Two young fillies and a hind got out giggling about something, the tail ends of their gowns fluttering in the winter breeze.

                "That's General Kasper," Kidron said.

                "Then that mare must be Lady Kasper," Siloam said. "Boy they must be rich to afford a carriage like that."

                "Head Mistress says he's the third most powerful person in the Empire since we don't have a crown prince."

                Hero sighed as he watched the crowd. He wondered if anyone of these well to dos would do anything if they knew what was going on in the underneath of their Empire. That innocent children were being euthanized.

                "It's getting cold," Siloam suddenly said dropping down from the gates. "We should get back to the shop before the storm sets in."

                They turned away from the festive palace and hurried back up the street. They weren't even halfway there when the sharp winds started to sweep though the city. Hero shook the ice out of his fur and tried to keep his focus on Kidron in front of him.

                The bells in his collar jingled as he fought against the wind. "Siloam!" he shouted but his voice was thrown behind him. He grabbed onto a light pole as his scarf whipped wildly in the wind. To think that all those people were safe inside and warm.

                Hero tried wrapping himself around the pole but his body was getting numb. When he closed his eyes he saw Nagoray, the windmill and the temple glowing in the night. He remembered being told that your life flashes before you when you die so he quickly opened his eyes.

                He had to peel his clothes off the light pole to get going again. He didn't know what happened to Siloam and Kidron but he couldn't see or hear them.

                Suddenly like a book closing up the storm stopped and the streets were clear. He could hear music coming from the palace and the soft whispers of the wind over the roof tops. He looked up at the sky in astonishment, never had he seen a night this clear and beautiful.

                Forty-six years. He recalled the night he told the story to the desert children.

                "Hero!" Siloam was suddenly running towards him.

                Hero looked up the road and smiled when he saw her. Seeing the stars suddenly after the storm had put a new hope in him and getting home would not take forty-six years.