I awoke to the sounds of fighting. It wasn't war, it was a slaughter. My family, the Canotra had lived in a small village in Hausson for many Yuri, along with a few other families, one, the Nukoric's whom we were closest with. I was the eldest sibling in the Canotra family, and the last one to make it out of the village, barely alive.

Our families had banded together to try and fight off the bandits, but it was a battle far beyond us, and so we fled. We were scattered, tossed apart in different directions? many did not make it. For days I wandered through the forest, barely surviving off the lands. I had begun to fear the worst, that I was alone; the only survivor? soon to be gone myself. I did not know how to survive in the woods. What roots and berries could be eaten or couldn't be? I knew it wasn't going to be long before I ate something I shouldn't, or wasn't able to find clean, safe water to drink. All I had were the, now tattered and torn, clothes on my back and a small paring knife that I always carried around with me, a gift from my father on my 7th birthday engraved with a simple word, Eleutheria, meaning freedom.

It wasn't until I made my way to a small stream running through the land, that I heard the sound of others. Familiar voices? my mother's, and a few others it was music to my ears. Never have I felt as happy as I have in that single moment, I had convinced myself I was not going to make it? but then I heard my mothers voice, and I knew everything would be ok.

Reunited, we continued to wander, unsure of where we would go. I do not know how many days passed, but one day, RCMP pointed out a giant, magnificent tree that we could just barely make out, far in the distance. Heading in that direction, we came upon the northernmost gate of Kugnae, it is here where we now have made our home. The surviving members of the Nukoric's and Canotra's joining together under one common name, Can-Nuk.

With my family by my side, I know we can make it through anything. Every challenge only makes us stronger. Leaving a life of peace behind, my life has forever been changed. Every day is a new challenge for me, adapting to city life here in Kugnae has not been easy, but it is my home.

~Kleopatra Quatrenova