Smoke billowed from the chimneys and was caught by a passing breeze. Thud! Thud! Thud! Small footprints on a muddy ground led to a group of children running towards the center of a small village. Their faces are stained with dirt and rare happiness.
"Children! Come. This is no time to play!" A mother shouted from afar, waving her hand worriedly.
The children hurriedly ran towards her, entering the house as quickly as possible. Their stomach growled at the smell of stew, which they hadn't tasted for months.
The mother stared calmly at the other village houses. It was hard to believe such peace had graced them so suddenly.
A week ago, this village was devastated with malibreed raids, tens of lives lost every day, food became scarce, and their bodies were plagued with corruption. The population dwindled significantly as they waited for escorts from the nearest base to fetch them.
