"So. Your little genius is up there. What do you think?"

"Eh."

"Don't tell me you've started picking up on the boy's slang."

"I haven't. Just...watch this. I...I'm going to pick up the girl. Have Carlotta send her kid up."

"Yes sir. Yessir. Yezzer."

"Stop doing that, Major."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Strike! Up block, down thrust!" Dagger's yells cut through the silence of the park. Wolf sat at her side, watching the older kids practice. They were sweaty, panting, and red in the face. But they were getting good. They worked as one nicely oiled machine, going though Dagger's drills in pairs. But one question burned in Wolf's mind; would they be good enough if the Empire ever attacked? That, she didn't know.

"Break!" Dagger's crisp voice stopped the sparring children. "Good job everyone. Group 1, it's your turn for scavenging. Group 2, take a nap." She joked. "What do you think Wolf?" Dagger asked as she walked back to her tent, Wolf jogging alongside. "Well. They're good. But are they good enough?" Dagger shook off the question. "Come on kid! Don't be suck a downer! The Empire would never dare attack us, and if they did, we'd show 'em who's boss!" She crowed. "Now come on, let's see what the scavengers are up to." Dagger waved her hand dismissively. "If you say so..."Wolf mumbled, trudging after her leader.

In the months that had passed since Wolf got to the park, She had put on a bit of muscle and weight. No longer was she all bones, and had to struggle to run. She could keep up with dagger and the big kids. That's not to say food was scarce. Just, Wolf got her fill. She had even forgotten about the metal disk in the back of her neck. Hence, she was content. Wary, but alive. And that was all that mattered.

"Dagger?" She called out. "Yea Wolf?" "I'm going to of collect food, ok?" It was bit of a lie. They both knew she would not find anything in the park. It was just an excuse for wanting to get out of the hub bub of the base. For an almost-five year old who was smaller than a pin prick and didn't look a day over three, some times it felt like she was constantly underfoot.
Silently making her way through the under brush, Wolf headed a little off from camp. Finding a cozy spot under a tree, she curled up to watch the world. 'Finally, some peace and quiet...' With a few minutes, she had dozed off.
This, of course, was almost a fatal mistake.