Thunder crashed, wind howled as a dark figure maneuvered its way through a forest in the midst of a storm. The creature was swift and quiet, making no more than a small patter on the ground that was quickly masked with the sound of the falling rain. Within the creature's arms, a small object wrapped in a tattered, old gray cloth lay. Having been running for hours, the creature took shelter under the large heavy branches of a massive old oak tree.

Stopping to catch it's breathe, the creature sat down on one of the large roots that dug its way deep underground. As it sat, the mysterious figure pulled down the hood that was masking its face. A flash of lightning filled the sky, illuminating the creature's face. A red, scaly muzzle and large blue eyes hid behind long flowing black hair. The reptilian being seemed to be feminine. As she pulled the hair out of her eyes, a small infant cry came from the old cloth. The women picked the object up, cradled it close, and rocked it in her arms. She pulled a portion of the cloth back to reveal a small child's face. The child, like the women, was also red and scaly. It appeared to be very young boy, roughly three years old.

"Shh... It's alright," the women said in a calming voice as she nuzzled the child, "Mommy's here..."

The child let out a soft purr and closed its eyes into a peaceful slumber as the mother hummed it a soothing lullaby. She then kissed him on the forehead, and covered him back up in the cloth. Tears streamed down the mother‚'s face like the rain dripping down the large leaves of the old oak tree. As she cradled the child close, a howl echoed out through the wood.

"No! Please!‚", she cried whilst clutching her child dearly, "Just a little longer!‚"

Her only response was a tree crashing to the ground a few miles away. The mother took off the cloak that hid her among the foliage and wrapped it around the child. She held him close and nuzzled him for the last time. With tears of sorrow and agony, she placed her son in a small hollow in the tree.

"Goodbye my son....mommy loves you....and always will...‚"

With her final goodbye, the women ran off into the rain. The farther she ran away from her son, the more her heart broke. But deep inside she knew it was the only choice. Though this spelled the end for her life in this world, she could die in peace knowing, her son would live.

The sun slowly rose over the forest canopy as dawn began to break the darkness of night. Birds started to great the morning with a friendly chorus of chirps and tweets.

"M-mommy?" a young voice said.

A little red head poked its way out from under a wad of cloth, struggling to free itself from the cloak that bound it's body. Suddenly, the creature fell from the hollow in the tree he had slept in, and hit the ground with a loud thump.

"Ow!", he cried as he landed on his head, "Mommy!"

Tears welt up in his eyes as he stood up rubbing his head. He then looked around, nothing but trees and rocks surrounding him. A small chill ran down his back.

"Im.... all alone", he said with a whimper, "Where's Mommy!"

Never in his life has he left his mother's side. Everywhere he went, she was always right beside him. Now he was alone, alone in the middle of a forest. He grabbed the cloak his mother wrapped him in the night before and held it close. Then he began to cry. He sat on one of the roots of the old oak tree, weeping for the loss of his mother. His entire world was falling down around him. Then, a strange noise caught his attention. He glanced up and scanned the trees in front of him.

"He-Hello?", he said, shivering in fright.

A pair of dark red eyes stared back at him from the row of bushes a few feet away. The young boy stood up and backed against the trunk of the tree. A cold sweat swept over him as a tall, dark figure stepped out of the bushes and inches away from the light.

"Wh-who are you?", the boy cried.

The creature replied with a low growl. But before it could come any closer, the little boy quickly fled deeper into the woods, running as fast as he could. He panted heavily as he ran for his life. Eventually he looked back to see if the monster was following him. With a sigh of relief, he stopped. He was tired, and his body ached from running so long. A glimmering stream caught his eye.

"Finally, something to drink", he said as he knelt down for a sip of the cold water..

To his surprise, he was still holding onto his mother's cloak. He held it close, the scent of his mother still strong. Tears filled his eyes again.

"Why did you leave me..." he said with a sniff.

Even though the cloak was five sizes to small, he then wrapped it around himself and sat down on a large rock. He put his paws in the pockets. At the bottom of one sat something hard and cold. He then pulled the mysterious object out of the pocket and let it dangle from his claws. His eyes lit up, for a sterling silver necklace shined brightly in the sunlight.

"This... this is daddy's necklace!", he thought as he held it.

Fixed to the bottom of the silver chain was a deep blue sapphire pendant. Engraved in the middle of the sapphire where two letters.

"Why is daddy's...", he started to say before flashbacks of three nights ago flooded his mind.

Sparks danced wildly in front of a large campfire as the swords clanged against each other in fierce combat. A group of wolven soldier's surrounded an older looking reptilian creature. Armed with two sword's, the reptile ferociously attacked the group of soldiers, fighting for the lives of his family and his own. The battle seemed to go on for hours. But try as he might to fend them off, he was over taken. As the wolven soldier's bound the defeated creature, a little boy helplessly watched from a distance the ever approaching fate of his captured father.

"He,he... to bad you won't be around to watch us finish off the rest of your loved ones", one of the soldiers said as he tied the creature's paws together.

The creature struggled, lashing out at the soldier's with all the strength he could muster. But it was all in vein.

"Daddy, no...", the little boy silently wept.

Then, as if out of nowhere, another one of the wolven creatures appeared, only this one was different. All the other's knelt as he approached them.

"So, we finally meet again", he said with a smirk, "It's been quite some time, hasn't it..."

The creature only replied with a low growl, which was retaliated by a kick to the face from another soldier.

"I am going to enjoy this..." the leader of the soldier's said as he unsheathed his blade, "My sword has hungered for your blood long enough."

As he slowly raised his sword in the air, tears welt up in the creature's eyes. He glanced around with a pain in his heart, knowing this was the last thing he would ever see. The only feeling he had left, was failure. Failure as a leader, and as a father. He closed his eyes and silently waited for his demise.

A drop of water hit the boy's muzzle and broke the trance like state that purged his mind. He wanted to cry, but couldn't find the tears to do so. Another drop hit his forehead. He looked up as dark clouds began to swirl in the sky above.

"As if thing's could get any worse", he grumbled as he pulled the hood over his head.

He took his father's necklace and placed it around his neck. The sapphire felt like ice against his scales. He clenched the gem close as the image of the wolf's evil grin lingered in his mind. The rain began to pick up as he stood there. Feelings of lament and despair welt up in him as he ran under a tree for shelter.

"I want my mommy", he said, scared for his life.

As the sun went down, and darkness claimed the forest once more, the little boy sat down under the tree. The frigid night air and the cold wet rain lashed at him. Sleep was nearly impossible for him, but as he curled up against the trunk of the tree, eventually sleep found him and carried him off into a peaceful slumber.

Not too far from where the young one slept, a quaint little Ursarian village nestled itself along the forest edge. Outside the village, acres of tilled farmland covered the hilly plains to the east. To the north, the rocky peaks of the mighty mountain ranges overlooked the land. The sun was beginning to set, casting the mountains shadow across the hilly farmlands. Farmers where bringing in the days harvest and returning their animals to the barns. A flash of lightning darted through the sky, quickly accompanied by a clap of thunder.

"Looks like its gonna storm tonight", a young Ursaru male said as he stood on his porch, staring at the oncoming clouds.

The Ursarians where a proud, hard working race of bear-like creatures. Most of the race consisted of farmers and carpenters. They where also a docile and peace loving race. They where never very aggressive unless provoked.

As the dark clouds rolled in over the village, the young bear went inside to prepare for bed after a long day of working the fields. But there was something strange about this night and something even stranger about this storm. The wind began to howl outside as the rain began to pound at his window. The thunder grew louder as the storm intensified. The bear was nearly asleep when all of a sudden a loud scream rang through his ears. He quickly jumped out of bed and sprang to the window. All he could see was darkness.

“I know I didn't imagine that... did I?” he thought to himself as he walked back to his bed.

The rain began to die down to a light drizzle as lay down for bed, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

The sun rose bright and early the next morning as the rooster crowed aloud on the fence post. All the farmers returned to their fields for another day of harvesting crop for the coming winter. The young bear lazily rolled out of bed and onto his feet. With a loud yawn he walked to his window and looked out at the village. Just outside his window an older bear stood with his arms crossed glaring at him from outside.

"Boy, you gonna come out n' work or what?", he scowled.

Edd quickly got dressed in his overalls and ran out the front door.

"Sorry boss, I overslept", he said with a grin.

"I ain't pay'in yah' to sleep in all day, theres work to be done", the older man said with a huff.

He threw an empty bucket into Edd's arms.

"Now go and feed the chickens and slop the hogs or you'll be lookin' fer a new job.", he growled as he walked off grumbling to himself.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed", Edd mumbled silently to himself.

Edd was a ranch hand. He was responsible for taking care Mr. Sanders animals and helping with the crops. It wasn't the most glamourous job, but he needed an income and this was his only way of making a living. All day Edd worked on the man's farm, tending to the animals and helping harvest crop. After he finished with the days work, he headed home for supper.

"I can't stand this boring old village, there's got to be a life better than this", he grumbled to himself as he ate.

After he finished, Edd decided to go for a walk. He grabbed his bag and headed out the door and to the forest. He thought about the screams he heard the night before, and he wanted to see if he could find anything out. There was no way he could've just imagined them. But what he didn't know is that his life was about to take a drastic turn.

"It sure is beautiful out here today", Edd thought as he walked through the forest, looking around to admire the scenery.

The birds where happily chirping in their nest, squirrels ran up and down the branches of the large oak trees, and bees where buzzing from flower to flower collecting pollen. Everything was like it always was in the forest, peaceful and quiet. So, like he always would, Edd sat down on a stump and opened his bag. He reached in and pulled out a tiny harp. The silver instrument glimmered as the sunlight struck its lustrous strings.

"Nothing like a little music on a lovely day", he said as he placed the harp on his lap.

He started to play, closing his eyes and feeling his way across the strings. Every creature in the forest fell silent as he played, his fingers ever so lightly plucking the strings. He smiled as he played, happily lost in his beautiful music. The music carried far and wide, attracting many small creatures towards its alluring sound. Eventually, it reached to where the young reptile had slept. He slowly opened his eyes, awakening from a long night of horrible nightmares. He then stood up, stretched his arms and yawned.

"What's that?", he thought as the mysterious music caught his attention.

Curious, the young one wandered through the forest in search of the soothing melody that had awaken him. Like a moth to the flame, the little boy came upon the small clearing where Edd sat playing his harp. He stood just outside the clearing and peered through a row of bushes.

"What on earth is that?", he thought as he looked at Edd.

He had never seen a Ursarian before, so the little boy didn't know what to think. For all he knew, this was some kind of monster. But as he continued to watch and listen, the less afraid he was. Reluctantly, he decided to get a closer look at the strange creature. He took a deep breath, and then three small steps into the open. Fear started to build up in him, he wanted to go back into hiding, but he also wanted to know who or what this stranger was. So he pressed onward, fighting his fear every step of the way. Soon he was standing mere feet away from Edd, but Edd continued strumming, lost in his music.

"He-ello?", the little boy said nervously.

Edd opened his eyes, then froze as he stared at the little reptile boy. He slipped his hand down his side to grab his pocket knife, unsure of what this strange creature was going to do.

"Hello?", the little boy said one more time.

But all Edd could hear was him growling. He didn't understand a word the boy was saying. The boy took a few steps closer. He wasn't so much afraid as he was curiouse. Now they where face to face. Edd didn't know what to think or how to react. He just sat there and stared, waiting for the creature to attack.

"Who are you?", the little boy said, tilting his head curiously.

Edd just looked at him, wondering what he was. He'd never seen anything like him. He stuck his hand out towards the little boy, wondering whether he was friendly or not. The boy didn't know what this meant, but he raised his paw towards Edd's hand, mimicking his movements .

"H-Hello there little guy", Edd said nervously as he took the boy's paw in his hand.

The little boy stared at him, unfamiliar with this gesture and even more unfamiliar with the noises he was making. They where kind of funny. He smiled at the though of finding a friend, even if it was one he couldn't understand.

"What's this?", Edd said as he grabbed the sapphire that hung from his neck, "G.M.?"

The boy snatched the necklace back from Edd and growled low.

"Whoa! Sorry", Edd said as he backed away.

The boy held the necklace close and looked up at Edd.

"I see, that must be very important to you", Edd said.

Edd lowered his hand and rubbed the back of the young one's head. The little boy replied with a soft purr. He didn't know what Edd was doing, but he liked it. It reminded him of the way his mother would make him feel better when he was sad.

"Aww, thats cute.", Edd said with a smile.

Soon the sun began to set and Edd realized that it was about to get dark. So he stood up, returned his harp to his bag, and slung the bag over his shoulder.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I've got to go.", Edd said as he pat the little boy's head.

The little one looked up at him, still perplexed as to what he was saying. But as Edd started to walk away, he understood what he said

"Wait!", he cried as he ran after him and clung to his leg.

"Ack!", Edd exclaimed in surprise.

The little one nuzzled his leg and looked up at him with tears in his eyes. He didn't want to be left all alone in the dark forest again.

"Go on now, go to your family little one", Edd said.

But then he saw the tears in his eyes. Edd set his bag down and then knelt down to his level.

"You don't have a family do you...", he said while wiping tears out of the little one's eyes.

The boy looked up at him and licked his hand. He really was starting to like this stranger.

"I guess where in the same boat then", Edd said as he stood back up, "Come on, your'e coming home with me. I'll be your family."

He picked the boy up and held him in his arms. It took the boy by surprise for a moment, but he trusted Edd wasn't going to do him any harm and aloud Edd to carry him.

"But you need a name.", Edd said as he looked down at him.

Then Edd saw the necklace again.

"Thats it, I'll name you Gm", Edd said while carrying the boy home.

He didn't really understand what was going on, but he snuggled close to Edd and closed his eyes. It may not have been his mother, but he felt just as safe with Edd as he did with her. So onward he went, with Gm in his arms. Off to his house, where Edd would spend his life looking after and raising his new found friend.