"Luta! Help me! Luta! Luta!" The fire burned hot. Gleams of silver filled Luta's eyes. Leanna! She was near! The child's sensitive ears could pick up her voice crying out to be saved. Despite the blood trickling down the child's leg, Luta forced the worn muscles to work. Luta ran, following the voice. Don't be too late! Don't be too late! kept repeating in the child's mind. Hold on Leanna! Just hold on! I'm coming!

A blood curdling screech filled Luta's ears. The child dashed off to the sound. There she was, half being dragged away by the invaders just like all the other children who were just old enough to work.

"Let me go! Luta!" Desperately, the small girl reached toward Luta, begging for help.

Luta raised the sword that was much to big for the child. "Let go of them!" Luta shouted.

The men turned and started chuckling. "Well well," one of them stated with a malicious look in his eyes, "It seems we missed one. Grab that one too."

Several of the men quickly circled Luta so that their new little victim couldn't escape. But Luta had no intentions of being a victim just like the others. No, Luta intended to fight. One of the largest barbarian charged. Luta deftly stepped aside and avoided capture while slicing in to the man's side at the same time. The man stumbled on to the ground, rolling as he did so. The child's actions angered the other men. Another charged with the same results only his arm had been slashed. A third tried with little success.

A fourth yanked out his sword and cursed. "Now ya die, brat." He charged, his sword aiming to kill...

Luta jolted awake and sat up. The adolescent sat up, rubbing one hand over the ocean colored eyes. A dream...just a dream, the teenager thought in attempt to calm down. His eyes darted around, and saw nothing in the darkness. He was still in the forest. The sounds of the near by river and some crickets were the only thing he could hear. Leanna!

The adolescent glanced over at the sleeping girl next to him. She clutched her a small cat toy close to her chest. The blankets were rolled tightly around the girl. Her shawl had been draped over her for a little extra warmth. Sky blue strands of long hair were flopped in her peaceful face. Just like the boy, she had odd colored hair yet it appeared natural. Gently, Luta brushed the locks out of her face. She looked so innocent. She was innocent. There was denying that simple fact. Luta smiled now that he was sure of the girl's safety and his heart began to slow down.

He laid back down under his blankets and cloak, looking up at the sky of endless diamonds. Swirls of clouds moved leisurely by. The half moon cast down her silver rays on the land, providing light so all the night creatures could find their way. Absently, Luta began to trace out constellations with his finger. Some of them were real constellations, like the two headed lion Cyro, and others he and Leanna had made up over the years, like the dancing bear and the daisy. Luta had never understood why the stars made patterns, nor did he ever really stop to think about it. He accepted them as they were, and like many things, took them for granted for being there.

"Isn't it a beautiful day," a sweet, mousy voice sighed. A few paces ahead, Luta grunted. Indeed, the forest was quite lovely, but only one of the travelers noticed. Both of the travelers were dirty and carried a note of weariness about them, even if only one showed it.

To anyone, the young adult leading the way was appeared to be a human boy of maybe thirteen or fourteen years of age. He was thin and stood about five and a half feet tall. The boy's face was thin with high cheek bones. His chin was curved softly, giving him a distinctly feminine look. His clothes were plain and simple, just like any other travelers. He wore a simple short sleeved plum colored blouse with a blood red, short sleeved over shirt. A strip of burgundy went all around the hem of the over shirt and sleeves and up the front. Like most over shirts, it looked like a blouse missing all but one button at the top. The collar of the shirt had been turned over a light emerald hoodless cloak that was tied since the button had fallen off. His shirt had been tucked in to his blood red pants, held up up with a burgundy belt. A pair of burgundy stockings covered his legs. Gray strips of leather were tied around the lower part of his legs, going inside his lace up leather boots, to work as leg bracers and deflect some damage. His back pack looked stuffed full but he didn't seem to have any trouble carrying it at all. Slightly hidden under his cloak was a large sword tied to his back. The hilt was made of silver. On the top of the handle was a plain red stone that served only to add a little decoration to the blade.

What set him apart from other humans was his short chopped, royal blue hair. People in towns simple passed this child's odd hair color off as simply being died that color. Such colors were not normal to humans, though many of the youth these days were dying their hair bizarre colors. Sometimes it looked good on them and sometimes it didn't. In this case, it looked very good, almost natural, even if it was uneven and tended to flop in his face a bit.

The girl with him was quite different. Leanna was a little taller then Luta with long, well kept sky blue hair tied out of her face with a lavender ribbon. Her face was more round with a sharper chin. She appeared to be maybe fifteen or sixteen. Her eyes were a bright periwinkle blue, instead of dark and endlessly deep like Luta's. The girl's skin was a little lighter peach then Luta's, and her cheeks were a little rosy.

Leanna wore a lose fitting forest green dress that hung just above her ankles. Her over shirt was just a shade darker then her bow with burgundy trimming. It buttoned half way down the front and split open a few millimeters below the the joining of her rib cage. The long sleeves tied loosely over the tight long sleeves of the dress. Her leather belt covered where her over skirt was tied around her waist. The skirt was a faded yellow with pink trim. The front had been badly ripped once so she had sewn it up to fit as if it was suppose to fit with the front split. She had even found fabric to match the color of the trim and added it around the edges. A tan shawl was tied around her waist where she wouldn't forget it. It had two sets of trim on it. The first was a thick strip of orchid colored fabric with thin vertical strips sewn in for decoration. The second trim was a bright scarlet. Why the girl had chosen the shawl over a good cloak was beyond Luta. He had never asked because he was a little afraid of the answer. Small bits of white socks could been seen trying to peer out from inside her plain buckle up leather boots. Over her shoulder were a small bow and a quiver full of arrows. She rarely had to use her weapon, but she always had it ready just in case she ever did.

Under any normal circumstances, the girl's cheeriness would be infectious. Of course, this was Luta and he was not so easily cheered when he wasn't happy. "Don't you think it's just the most perfect day to wonder around aimlessly, Luta?" the girl continued.

"If you haven't noticed, that is EXACTLY what we're doing!" the boy snapped in a strong, yet oddly feminine, voice.

"Well, sure, we have no idea where we are, but that doesn't make it any less of a nice day. I mean, we're walking, and the birds are singing, and the bees are buzzing, and we're walking, and the leaves are rustling, and there is a light breeze blowing, and we're walking, and..."

Luta rubbed his temples with his gloved hands. He had long since learned to tune the girl out. Why doesn't she ever shut up? he mentally sighed. This trip is bad enough as it is with ya jabbering on. The truth was, they were completely lost. They had run out of food two days ago and had been living on what they could find. Since it was still only early spring, not many animals were out and about much. The few that were around were very cautious, knowing everything else was looking for a meal just like it was. They hadn't passed any running water in several days and their canteens were slowly emptying. He glanced back at the chipper girl and then up at the sky, muttering, "What exactly did I do to deserve her?" There was no reply, only a slight rustling of the leaves from a gentle breeze. Of course, Luta hadn't really expected an answer. It wasn't like the gods ever came down to speak to mortals much. Can't blame 'um. I wouldn't come down to see me either. Luta sighed again, trying to ignore his aching feet. He needed a rest, much as he hated to admit it.

The girl, of course, was still rattling on, not caring if he was listening or not. "...and we're walking, and there are men following us, and they don't look friendly, and we're walking, and..."

Luta glanced down at his feet. The leather was a bit worn and he would need a new pair soon. Of course, they needed money first. He knew he'd need to find some odd jobs to do around town...if they ever found a town again, that is. There was a sudden wisp of air just past his ear. Luta froze as an arrow stuck in a tree just ahead of him. In the blink of an eye, he had turned around and drawn his sword. He had barely had a chance to take a breath before a second arrow went flying right for Leanna. His blade cut in between the girl and the flying piece of wood and mettle. The arrow tinked off the blade. Leanna stumbled back. The kid smiled as he spotted the slightly unnerved attackers. Four men dressed in worn peasants clothes were crouched around in the underbrush. Bandits. And where there are bandits there are roads with towns connected to them.

After a few moments pause while the bandits collected themselves again, three of them stepped out. Their ambush had been planned, Luta noticed quickly. The four men made a perfect circle that cut off all but one possible escape. No doubt that escape led to an even bigger ambush or a trap of some sort. The archer still crouched behind a tree with an arrow drawn. Even if they did try and run and the escape was not on purpose, the archer could take one of them out before either of them could get far. Luta had to admit, for uneducated half wits like most thieves, these guys had done a good job planning this.

"Not bad," the man who was probably the leader remarked. He was a man in his mid thirties with a badly shaven face. The air around him radiated a sense of filth. "Not bad at all, for a kid."

"Not bad yerself. Looks like ya planned this quite well, I must say. Highwaymen, am I right?"

"Yep, an' if ya don't want me to hurt you or yer little girl friend there," he stated maliciously with his sword pointing toward Leanna, who was now quivering behind Luta, "I suggest ya hand over all ya got, little boy..."

Luta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Little boy? Excuse me? Did you just call me a little boy?!"

The leader chuckled. "And what if I did, little boy? What ch'a gonna do about it, little boy?"

"Little boy?" Leanna questioned loudly while looking around the area. "I don't see any little boy."

This seemed to amuse the thieves. A few more chuckles could be heard from them. "Hush up, Lee!" Luta hissed.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Luta? She's not a little boy. She's my sister."

All the men suddenly stopped, puzzled expressions on their faces. The leader took a few more steps closer and peered at Luta more carefully. Then he noticed it: the more gentle curve in the hips and a slight bulge in the chest. He suddenly reached out and tried to touch her chest, just to be sure it wasn't just stuffed. Luta quickly slapped his hand away, blushing from head to toe. "Hey, hands off, creep!" the adolescent barked.

"By the gods, it is a girl." he chuckled. It soon became a full blow fit of laughter and all the men joined in. Luta's face had flushed an even deeper red from both embarrassment and anger. "A girl!" he burped out between fits of laughter. Leanna wasn't quite sure what was so funny, so she just watched. "Wha...what...a girl! ... ...You've gotta be...the ugliest girl I...I...I ever d-did lay my eyes on! ... ... Ah ha, a girl!"

"Didn't know they was makin' 'um this flat these days," a second one mocked.

"M-may...maybe the gods just fer-fer-fergot somethin' on this one!" the third jeered.

Luta growled in frustration. She did not like being made fun of. Leanna took a few paces away from her sister. "Uh-oh. Now you've done it. You've made her mad."

Luta's anger boiled over. They were laughing at her! How dare they laugh at her! Sure, she was a little less "developed" then most girls her age, and her hair had been chopped short (at no fault of her own, mind you), but that was no reason to laugh at her! She had as much right to be treated like a descent human being then any other person! Her hands clenched tighter on her sword. She had to stop the laughing!

"Ahhh!" she screamed out. The men all froze on the spot. The steal sword swiped through the air, going straight for the leader's throat. It stopped a hair short of killing the man, who was now quivering on the spot. He dropped his sword. "I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you scum a chance to run." Luta's voice was low and vicious. Her cold eyes held the man's gaze. Fear was all over his face.

"Arrogant brat!" one of the other men snapped and charged. He suddenly went tumbling forward, dropping his sword. His boot was pinned to the ground with an arrow. He scrambled, trying to get free, but it was no use. The arrow held fast. Shame it only got the slack in his boot and not his foot, Luta thought.

"You leave my sister alone!" Leanna pouted. Her face was twisted in a fit of anger, making her look like a small, indignant child. One hand was balled up in to a fist and rested on her hip. The other held her bow. The third man charged the angry girl. Leanna screeched, dropping her boy. A huge pair of burning white hands suddenly erupted from her body. Before the man could do anything, they grabbed on to him, searing his flesh, and threw off in to the under growth. Just as abruptly as they had appeared, the hands disappeared. Leanna dropped to the ground. Her face was whit with terror and her body shook from fear.

Luta smiled smugly. Her eyes flickered off the leader for a split second. "Oh, guess I shoulda mentioned she does that sometimes."

When her gaze flickered back, she immediately jumped back. A knife swiped through her side, grazing the skin. The leader smiled triumphantly when he saw blood trickle off his dagger. "Look like a boy, fight like girl." Luta clenched a hand over her side. Warm blood slipped through the fingers of her glove. She stood straight up again, releasing her side and glared at him. "I was gonna let ya live, kid. You shoulda taken my generous offer. Maybe I'll just finish ya off an' take yer sister there for later."

She lifted her blade and took a defensive. "Pig," she spat. The leader charged her. Their blades clashed together. He pressed his weight in to trying to push his sword past hers. Luta pushed back, refusing to lose to him. Her feet shifted slightly to the left. She pulled sharply to the side and released her force from the blade. The leader tumbled forward, crashing to to the ground. "No, old man, you shoulda taken my generous offer and run," she hissed coldly and gave him a rough kick in the bottom.

The archer still hiding behind the trees drew out an arrow. He took aim for the girl fighting their leader. At the same moment, Leanna aimed for the archer. Their fingers slipped off the strings of their bows. His arrow wisped past the blue haired swordswoman. Leanna's arrow tore threw the man's bow, snapping part of it off. Half panicked, he looked over at the long haired girl. She smiled and twiddled her fingers in a silly wave. The thief dropped the rest of his bow and ran along with the man who had been thrown in the bushes and was now getting up again.

Bandit number two continued to try and yank the arrow out of his boot. Finally, it came out of the ground and leather. He gripped his sword and tried to charge Luta's back. He fell face first a second time as another arrow lodged in to the lose space in his boot. He glared at Leanna menacingly. She wagged one finger at him like a mother scolding her child. The man growled and tried digging the second arrow out.

The leader rolled back up to his feet. Luta charged and twirled the blade right out of his hands. She pressed the sword up against the man's chest. "I'll give you one last chance to escape. I'd rather not kill you in front of my little sister, but I will if ya make me." The leader growled and spit on the smaller girl's face. She didn't even flinch. "Last chance before I really give ya somethin' to be upset about." She pressed the blade harder in to his flesh. It was starting to slice through the clothing. He smacked the blade, cutting in to the clothing but not his skin. He dove for his sword. Her blade cut lightly through his hip. He reached his sword and rolled back over to get up only to find her blade at his throat. "I gave you a chance." The man scrambled back and took off running. The other bandit pulled the second arrow out of his boot and ran as well. Luta didn't bother following. The got the point.

"Bye!" Leanna called as they ran. She waved one bare hand after them. "Don't come back soon!" She hoisted her bow back over her shoulder and smiled at her sister. Luta placed her sword back in her scabbard and smirked. A pain suddenly shot up her side. The girl gripped the wound and dropped to the ground. She examined her ripped shirt that was now getting stained with blood. "Oh Luta, that was great! We won!"

"Yes, thanks for stating the obvious. I don't think I would've noticed if you hadn't pointed it out to me." She pulled off a glove and traced over the wound. It stung but wasn't that bad. Nothing Leanna couldn't fix with a healing spell. Her shirt would need a few new stitches, though. A little blood stained her fingers. "Lee, come fix this."

"Huh? Wha...Luta! Yer hurt!" Leanna ran over and dropped down next to her. "Lemme see!"

"It's nothin' bad. Just heal it up, alright?" The younger girl didn't say anything. She was too busy healing the wound already. Luta just relaxed as her sister did so. Her ocean eyes peered up at the puffs of clouds in the sky. What d'ya know. Leanna's right. It is a nice day out after all.