"Don't worry, kiddo... I'll be back before you know it, okay?"

Those words flashed through Finn's mind as he sat before the coffin decorated with purple flowers and a sash full of shining metals. His grip on his black slacks was tight, nails daring to tear through the ironed fabric.

His brother, Cyrus, had dreamed of being in the army since he was only 7... and as soon as he turned 18, of course, he enlisted. When he left for Afghanistan, he knelt down in front of Finn and smiled, pulling him close and wrapping those large hawk wings around the younger boy. "I'll be back before you know it, kiddo... and then, you'll be all grown up..."

But, of course, nothing in Finn's life ever goes according to plan... When Cyrus came back, he was in a box holding a bundle of bright purple flowers... "He died a hero." The general said, hidden behind manufacturered grief. Finn hated his guts.