"Mommy!"

"Mommy, where are you!?"

"Daddy!"

"Daddy, I need you!"

Crying...always crying...

There's people dying!

I'm scared.

I don't wanna be here anymore!

Where's mommy?

Where's daddy?

Everything's burning!

My home!

What do I do?

I'm only little!

I'm running away.

I want my mommy!

I want my daddy!

Where are they?

Come back!

"Mommy!"

I'm crying.

Someone picks me up.

They shield me from the fire.

They hold me gently and lovingly.

They run away with me in arms.

They run for a long time.

They put me down by a tree.

I hold onto them, I'm scared.

I want them to hold me.

She's my mother, daddy's gone...

She puts leaves in the hole of a tree trunk.

She picks me up and puts me in the hole.

I start to cry and hold onto her.

She makes me let go and steps away.

I scream and cry in protest.

She starts to cry and tells me to hush.

I stay quiet and look at her in tears.

She takes off her pretty necklace.

She puts it around my neck.

She tells me to keep it close forever.

I clutch it in my paw and squeeze it.

She starts to cover the hole.

She uses grass, leaves, and branches.

She tells me to keep quiet and stay hidden.

I nod and start to cry.

She wipes them away and kisses my forehead.

"I love you, mai ritoru ichi. Your mother will always watch over you..."

"Mommy!"

She runs away with voices close behind.

I shake from fear and tears wet my fur.

I hear a scream and a slicing sound.

I start to cry loud, but I remember.

Mother told me to keep quiet, and I do.

"No!" the twelve year old girl awoke rapidly, crying tears of sadness and fear.

She ran outside on her balcony to her room in the castle. She climbed up on top of the roof and sobbed. She couldn't believe she was still suffering from the nightmares. She couldn't even remember what had happened at those times. The only reason she even knew of what had happened to her family, was because Balgas had told her. It had been eleven years ago. She shouldn't be able to remember. All it did was upset her. She just wanted it to go away...

Merle clutched her pink nail file tightly in her tiny hand. "I hate them! Why do they hate us so much? What did we ever do to them!?" Merle sobbed bitterly.

She had a hate deep within her heart for the people responsible for her species' death. He whole tribe had been swallowed by the vermin. She hated them so much for all the pain they put her kind through. It wasn't fair. Why? Why did they hate her kind so much that they had to kill them off for no reason at all? She just didn't understand. All she knew was that she hated them all for what had happened.

"Another dream?" someone said from behind.

The little cat girl turned around. "Lord Van..."

Yes, she hated all humans. All they ever did was manipulate, judge, and stereotype. How could she not hate them? They hated her just as much. She had no right to live? She did! She had every bit the right as humans did! She had feelings just as they did! So what if she didn't look the same! She hated all humans for their ignorance and cruelty. All except the Fanelian royal family. They had taken her in when she had no home. Van was her very best friend, and she loved him dearly. They were all they had left. Each other. Their families were both gone now.

"I'm assuming you heard the whole thing..." Merle said a bit shamefully because she knew how Van felt about that kind of racism.

"Yes, I did. You have every right to feel the way you do about the people who seem to have something against your kind. But the whole human race? Merle, you know better. Just because of a small percentage who hate cat people, you will hate everyone? Even those who think nothing of it? If you think that way, Merle, you are no better than they..." Van said wisely.

"B-but...they destroyed everything! How could I not hate them!?" Merle protested, tears glazing over her eyes.

"Merle, never count your chickens before they hatch. You can't assume that all human beings are evil if not all of them have shown hate towards you. Like I said, there are some who accept all people, even beast people, for who they are. I think one day, you'll get my point," Van said and smiled at her.

Merle couldn't help but agree. She had just said it out of anger and frustration. "I-I just want the dreams to go away!" Merle said before starting to sob again.

Van took the girl in his arms and squeezed her. He wanted to assure her that he was there for her. He thought so very much of her. She was all the young prince had left since the tragedies of his family. His father dying of illness, his brother never returning from slaying the dragon, his mother going out to search for Folken and never returning. Balgas was the closest to a father Van had for the last six years. If he lost the little Merle, he'd just simply waste away from the emptiness within his heart.

After several minutes of comforting the crying girl, Van hugged her and made her look up at him. "Are you OK? You've been having these nightmares for years now," Van commented with a look of concern.

"I-I think I'm OK now. As long as you're holding me...I'll always be alright," Merle said and hugged him back.

"Is that so?" Van asked with a grin.

"Whenever I'm with you, I feel like everything will always be OK. And when you're holding me, I always feel safe. So...Lord Van...please don't ever leave me..." Merle said to him more relaxed now.

Van smiled at his little cat girl. How could he ever leave such a sweet face? "Merle, you know I could never leave you. The only way I would ever leave you, is if I was taken against my will. However, I would never in a lifetime let that happen."

Merle smiled the smile Van always loved to see and hugged him again. Van smoothed her hair and scratched behind her left ear. He knew she loved that. Merle purred softly and managed to say, "I love you, Lord Van..." before drifting peacefully off to sleep.

As Van smoothed Merle's hair, he responded to what Merle had said. "I love you too, Merle...I always will...no matter what..." He knew she didn't hear him, but he didn't mind. He just wanted to let it be known how much he cared for her. He just hoped she would never think otherwise of his feelings for her. He knew she knew he cared for her dearly...