Title: Orphans of War

Author: darkchakram

Rating: R (for now, maybe M later)

Disclaimer: Not mine, just need to keep my creative juices flowing.

Spoilers: Takes place after Jappa so everything is game. BTW Xena gets her head back!

Summary: Hate this part! Xena and Gabrielle come to the aid of a group of children left orphaned when a warlord massacres their village.

Pairing: Xena/Ares. Xena and Ares are at the heart of this story even though it may take him a while to make an appearance. This is a work in progress. I am currently working on this story and re-working an older fic. I plan on updating weekly.

Xena could smell the stench of seared flesh and smoldering bones well before she and Gabrielle crested the ridge. She knew the destruction was going to be total and complete. They had ridden hard since sun-up. Xena had first noticed the smoke in the distance as Gabrielle was starting their own fire for breakfast. She had quickly told the bard to forget the fire, they could eat some dried meat as they rode. She knew from the amount of smoke and it's sickly dark color that it was more than just a hay field fire. Someone, somewhere was in trouble. The rode eastward for most of the morning and then turned northward to look for a good place to ford the Strymon river. The closer they came to the billowing smoke, the more relaxed Xena became. It wasn't Amphipolis. Her family tomb would be safe. Others, however, had not fared so well. By the time they reached the last rise leading into the valley below, the smoke had mostly dissipated but the smell of death permeated the air.

"Whoa girl," Xena pulled Argo to a stop atop the ridge.

"Oh Xena," Gabrielle sighed as she dismounted. "It's terrible," she cried eyeing the remnants of the massacre below.

"It's war Gabrielle."

"I know but I never get used to it," she shook her head, "do you think Ares is responsible?"

They'd had very few run-ins with the god of War since he had brought Xena back against her will from Jappa. She had been infuriated with the deal he had struck with the Japanese gods to release her. She had told him that they were finished. And she had meant it this time.

"Yes, of course he is responsible. If not directly, I am sure the warlord who ordered this did it to curry favor with him," she answered disgusted with the carnage below.

"Do you think there are any survivors?" Gabrielle grabbed a wine skin from Argo's packs, took a drink then handed the skin to her partner.

"I doubt it. I see both women and children among the dead over there," Xena pointed to a group of bodies that looked like they were slaughtered as they tried to run away from the village toward the river. The fire had spread the other way, sparing their bodies. "Whoever did this, didn't do it for profit or they would have sold the women and children into slavery. No, whoever did this did it for kicks."

Xena placed the wine skin back in Argo's pack and patted her on the hind quarters, signaling that the horse was free to roam. "We should grab those people and build them a proper funeral pyre. There's nothing of the village left and not a lot to be done with the charred remains except add them to the others."

Gabrielle nodded and headed down the hill toward the trail of bodies leaving the village. She hoped against all hope that Xena was wrong and that she would find them wounded but still alive.

Xena headed toward the forest that stood on the opposite end of the village's gardens marking the former settlement's northern boundary. She called out to Gabrielle, "I'm gonna start chopping some wood for the pyre."

Before Xena reached the woodline, she noticed freshly trampled grass. Survivors? Possibly, but it could just as easy be deserters from whatever army had raided the village. She made a quick visual scan of the forest and proceeded with caution. The dense canopy blocked out much of the sunlight. Xena's eyes quickly adjusted. There were several fallen branches in her immediate vicinity and Xena was thankful that she wouldn't have to chop as much wood as she had originally anticipated. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched as she piled the wood together. She scanned the forest once again, looking for signs of human life. She surmised that it could be a god although that didn't feel right. And, it certainly wasn't Ares. his presence was unmistakable. She tingled with electricity when he was near. When she walked to a towering oak to pull some vines to use as cordage for her bundles of branches, she noticed footprints. Two very small pairs of footprints. As she started tracking the prints across the forest floor she saw motion out of the corner of her eyes. She turned to face her pursuer but he quickly ducked behind a large boulder. Xena's quick appraisal judged the boy to be about ten years old.

"You can come out, I'm not here to hurt you," Xena reassured.

The child made no answer. Xena didn't walk any closer for fear that she would spook the child who had already most likely witnessed that morning the murder of his entire village.

"I have food," she promised.

Still nothing.

"Look, I know you're not alone. I saw another set of footprints, smaller than yours. Do you really think you can look after the two of you out here by yourselves?"

"Go away," the boy yelled over the boulder. "Leave us alone"

"I can't do that, I can't, I won't leave you out here by yourselves," Xena tossed her sword and chakram to the ground. "Look, I've put my weapons down, I mean you no harm."

The boy peeked around the boulder and Xena was shocked to determine that though he appeared tall he wasn't quite as old as her earlier estimation. He looked closer to seven or eight.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"I'm Xena, my friend Gabrielle is back at your village, we have food and we can help you find a place to stay," Xena was saying as she heard the tell-tell whirling of an object being hurled at her head. She had been too distracted by the boy and his resemblance to another long haired blonde boy to notice the girl who had outflanked her. One rock whacked Xena in the back of the head, the other projectile grazed along her cheekbone instantly drawing blood. In a flash, Xena rolled onto the ground and grabbed her sword, she then rolled to a crouched pose and positioned herself so that she could see both children.

"He said to go away," the girl cried and raised her fist to show Xena that she had her sling and two more rocks ready to fire if Xena did not comply.

"We can take care of ourselves, now leave!" The boy commanded as he edged toward the girl. Xena guessed that she had to be his younger sister. She was five maybe six years old at best. She had the same golden hair as the boy but her eyes were jade green.

"I'm not going anywhere until you at least accept my offer of food and water."

The boy had reached the girl and they looked at each other as if contemplating what to do. Xena knew the best thing to do was to be patient with them. She had every intention of waiting them out but then she heard the infant crying in the distance. The wailing baby forced her into action. She grabbed her chakram with her foot tossed in the air and caught it on the run. She sprinted toward the bawling baby. The girl was quick but not as quick as Xena, her stones missed their mark. The boy picked up a branch to use as a makeshift staff and positioned himself in Xena's path, between her and her goal. Just as Xena reached the boy, the girl had gathered two more stones and was taking aim again. In one swift motion, Xena planted her feet and somersaulted over the boy. Never breaking stride, she reached the baby before the girl could get off the next shot.

The children turned to find Xena holding the infant who had began to calm with the warmth of Xena's body.

"Are there more of you out here?"

The children looked to the ground.

"Like it or not you're coming with me." She glanced around their small camp. They had built a small camp fire and Xena noticed the remains of a rabbit. Xena had missed the smell of the fire because of the overwhelming stench of the burning village nearby. Evaluating their situation, Xena had to admit that they had done okay for themselves. "Look, I know you're scared and I know you think that you have this under control but you don't. Even though you may be able to feed yourselves, you won't be able to feed her."

"Him," the children corrected Xena simultaneously.

"Him, sorry, does he have a name?"

Reluctantly the girl answered, "Amyntas"

The boy shot her a look which held nothing but disapproval.

She only shrugged her shoulders and replied,"Well, she's right, who is going to feed him? Mother made us promise to look after each other and him. He couldn't eat the rabbit, Iason and I can't feed him like mother but maybe she can," the girl gestured toward Xena's breasts.

"Kallias, I told you, we would head out in the morning for Amphipolis."

"Amphipolis?" Xena asked.

"Our grandfather is there, he will look after us now," Iason answered.

"Great, then, it's settled, my friend and I will take you to live with your grandfather in Amphipolis." Xena extended her hand for Iason to shake. He warily clasped her forearm in agreement.

Twenty minutes later Xena emerged from the forest with three bundles of wood and three kids in tow. She was shocked to see Gabrielle sitting at the edge of the field waiting for her with a badly bruised but breathing brown-haired girl.

As Xena tended to the girl, whose name Xena found out was Daria, Gabrielle cooked some oatmeal to try to feed the baby. Iason and Kallias just stared at the smoldering evidence of their shattered lives.

"That was smart to play dead like you did, you have good instincts," Xena praised Daria as she checked the four year old's bruises for swelling and breaks.

"I was scared when they shot my mom. She told me to keep running but I laid down with her when she fell. I didn't want to leave her," the girl answered in a monotone whisper. Xena had known this child's pain, known all of their pains. Amphipolis had suffered the same fate when she was an adolescent. She had felt the same emptiness when her brother Lyceus had died at the hand of Cortes's soldiers. But her emptiness had quickly been filled with rage. She desperately hoped that none of these children ever walked in her deadly footsteps.

"Your mother will always be with you Daria, remember that. The dead can hear our thoughts. I promise you, she's just happy that you're safe."

When Xena was satisfied that Daria had no broken bones and that the gash on her knee would not require stitches, she began building the funeral pyres.

Xena decided to hit the road in the late afternoon. She thought it would be best to put as much distance between the children and their village as possible. The healing process would be long and hard but having the reminder in the faces in the morning was something Xena didn't want them to bear.

Gabrielle fashioned a baby carrier out of a wrap that she had been using during winter months. She had tried to sell it at the last market they visited. They rarely carried more than was absolutely necessary. Gabrielle thought the merchant was being unreasonably cheap and had refused to sell to him. His greed had fortunately worked in the baby's favor. Iason and Kallias walked alongside Gabrielle. The blonde girl kept her sling tucked into the belt of her tunic. Iason was on high alert, he started at nearly every sound, a flushed bird, a skittering squirrel. When a deer bounded into the road in front of them in nearly scared him out of his boots. Xena had Daria ride with her on Argo after she had noticed her favoring her left foot.

They were at least a days ride from Amphipolis under normal circumstances. With so much of their party on foot however, Xena estimated that it would take them three to four days to reach her hometown. Luckily, Gabrielle had managed to get Amyntas to eat some of the oatmeal but he wouldn't be able to go that long without fresh milk. They rode as long as the sun would allow before making camp.

The group feasted on a stew that Gabrielle made from dried meat and herbs. They rationed out bread and cheese as well. Xena watered her wine down even more and gave all three kids a portion. Gabrielle made some more oatmeal paste for the baby and he suckled at Gabrielle's waterskin.

After dinner Xena added a couple of more logs to the fire. The baby was getting cranky. Xena didn't know if it was from being cocooned in the sling carrier all afternoon or if the oatmeal wasn't filling him up.

"I'm not doing it, it's women's work, I told you that this morning when it happened," Iason bossed Kallias

"But I didn't do a very good job, look," his sister countered as she held Amyntas for him to examine. The baby started wailing.

"What's going on here? Quit fighting," Xena ordered. When she walked over to the bickering kids, the reason for the baby's crankiness became apparent. He reeked.

"Gabrielle, who gets diaper duty?"

"What?"

"The baby," Xena took Amyntas from Kallias and noticed that the poop was beginning to seep out around the poorly constructed diaper.

"Aww, you poor guy, no wonder you were so grumpy," Xena cooed at the infant as she lay him down on a bed of soft leaves nearby.

"Oh yeah," Gabrielle said when she walked over, "that's a messy one."

"Give me your wrap," Xena pulled out her breast knife.

"But, I am using that as a carrier," Gabrielle reminded, "How about Argo's saddle blanket?"

"No, it's too scratchy, it'll tear his delicate skin to shreds," Xena answered.

"Well, we can't use the bedrolls, it's going take every centimeter of them for all of us to have bedding," Gabrielle grimaced.

Xena hit upon an idea, "Hey, I got it! Give me one of your scrolls."

"What, not on your life," Gabrielle vehemently protested.

"What? Gabrielle we have to use something."

"Not my scrolls! Look I know you think it is funny to use them as shit paper but it's not. I have had to do three rewrites because of your bowels!"

"Oh, come on, I only use them in cases of emergency and this is seriously an emergency. They're so absorbent. Give me a scroll," Xena demanded.

"No!"

"Don't be a baby, look it doesn't have to be one of your masterpieces or anything, it can be one of your bombs."

"Bombs? Bombs? Xena I don't have any bombs! All of my stories are masterpieces."

Xena rolled her eyes, "Okay, they are all masterpieces, fine but pick one please, he's oozing."

"Fine! Fine! but you pick, I am attached to them all."

"Okay, how about the one with Ulysses, it's kinda crappy anyway."

"You don't like it?"

"I don't like the way you portrayed me as a swooning fool."

"Did not," Gabrielle huffed, "I only wrote what I saw."

"Did ya now?" Xena challenged, "I think you embellished just a little!"

"Whatever, I'll get it but I am rewriting it and I am rewriting it how I remember it! Got it?"

"Whatever, just give it here."

"You know in the rewrite, I just might make you even more swoony!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

Gabriell just gave Xena a sinister smile and handed her the scroll.

After the diaper fiasco was taken care off, Xena rolled out the bedding and assigned sleeping places. She heard sniffles in the night and hoped that the morning would lessen the pain.

Around noon the following day, the travelers fortuitously crossed paths with a peripatetic merchant who happened to have a nanny goat for sale. The beast sat them back a pretty penny, twenty dinars and a necklace that Gabrielle didn't know that Xena possessed. Gabrielle made a mental note to ask her friend about it later. The most important task at hand was to milk the goat so Amyntas could eat. Xena asked the old merchant if he had come from Amphipolis. Gabrielle's ears perked up when he said that he had come from the other direction and that his last stop had been Potidea.

"Did you say Potidea?" the bard asked as she continued to work the goat's teats.

He affirmed with the nod of a head.

"Did you happen to meet a woman named Lila or her daughter Sarah?"

"Sorry, can't say that I did, but I was only there for an afternoon," he answered.

"It's not exactly Athens, I can't believe you didn't see them," Gabrielle became concerned that something had happened to her family.

Xena gently placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder, "As soon as we get these three settled with their grandfather, we'll head there, okay?"

Gabrielle nodded and turned her attention back to the goat.

The salesman declined Xena's offer to stay and have a bite with them. He said he needed to make Phillipi by nightfall. The warrior warned him about the army that had destroyed the children's village. He thanked her and went on his way.

Xena and the children gathered wood, roots, and herbs for their lunch while Gabrielle attended to the baby.

As Gabrielle nursed Amyntas something Xena had said earlier perplexed her. Xena hadn't bothered to address what they were going to do with Daria. Did Xena intend on keeping the child? Gabrielle didn't want to think about how difficult it would be travelling with a child for an extended time. Not to mention the fact that their own lives were in constant peril. She didn't think it was right to bring Daria into that. As much as Gabrielle hated to admit it, the child would be better off in an orphanage if they couldn't find someone in Amphipolis to take her in.

Gabrielle begrudgingly tore another scroll and crafted a fresh diaper for the baby. She was pinning it in place as Xena and the children emerged from the nearby woods with their hands full of goodies for lunch. Kallias had even flushed a couple of birds. One she had skillfully killed with her sling, the other Xena decapitated with the chakram.

Xena had known that the goat was going to slow them down even more but it couldn't be helped. After lunch, they had only made a few miles of progress before the sun began to set. Xena was satisfied that they had at least turned onto the road that trailed through the pine forest that led first to her grandparents' farm and then another five miles to Amphipolis proper. It was starting to feel like home. The smell of the pines, the soft floor of the forest as Xena lay down on her bedroll, and the singing of the nightingales made Xena even more anxious to reach her hometown.

Xena propped herself on one elbow and watched as Gabrielle taught the children to play her silly little acting game. To Xena's surprise the kids absolutely loved it. Even Iason, who was quiet and serious-minded got in on the action. It was good to see them acting like children, Xena hoped that their ability to get wrapped up in the goofy game meant that they would be able put the recent events behind them and lead normal, healthy lives. She admired their resilience and wondered what made her and Callisto so different from them. They had each witnessed the same destruction but had responded so differently. Was it because they were older when their respective villages were attacked? Or was there already darkness lurking in their souls?

"You got it," Iason announced pointing at Kallias, "your turn."

"Hmm," the blond girl cut her eyes up to the night sky and placed her forefinger at the corner of her mouth as she tried to think of something that she could act out.

"Okay, I got one," she stated as she made a decision, "the category is god/demi-gods."

"Good, good," Daria clapped as Iason sat down on the log between her and Gabrielle who was holding Amyntas in the baby sling.

Kallias began her clues by pointing to Iason, Daria jumped to the obvious answer, "Ooh ooh, Iason!"

Kallias just shook her head.

"It's a male god," Gabrielle offered.

Kallias nodded excitedly.

She ran her hand along her jaw and gave a face and held a posture that Gabrielle took to mean she thought the god must be good looking.

"He's handsome?" Gabrielle guessed.

Kallias again nodded indicating that Gabrielle had hit the nail on the head.

"Ares," Xena chimed in to which the rest of the group giggled.

"He's not handsome, he's mean and ugly and does bad, terrible things, Xena." Daria pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right," Xena answered quietly and briefly lamented that fact that others would always see him as a monster. 'And why shouldn't they?' she reminded herself of all the schemes, all the broken promises.

Xena looked back at the group of kids having so much fun. Kallias had moved on to her next clue. She was making the motion of pulling an arrow from a quiver, then shooting a bow.

"Cupid," Iason answered.

"Yep, you got it," Kallias confirmed as she and her brother once again traded places to continue the game.

As Iason contemplated what he would pick to act out, Xena caught Gabrielle looking at her. She wasn't sure if the look was one of pity or condemnation but she had to excuse herself for a while.

Xena quietly stood and walked away from camp, before she entered the woods she caught one last look of what she was sure was disapproval from her friend.

Xena took off in a furious sprint. It wasn't like she was going off to call Ares for a midnight tryst. She had told him before that their time had come and gone and she meant every word of it. Especially now that he had brought her back against her will! He had made her attempt at atonement nothing more than a shallow gesture. She briefly wondered if had felt that way when she gave him his godhood back. Had he thought that everything that he had done to save her had been unappreciated, done in vain? Her thoughts were driving her crazy. She needed to just quit thinking about him. At least he had had the decency to leave her alone since bringing her back. She had to fight her feelings with every fiber of her being when he was around which was why she had to stay away from him. They were bad for each other. She knew it, he knew it.

Xena continued to tear through the darkened forest. Only her sharp reflexes kept her from tripping and killing herself. She could see a clearing up ahead, the full moon light poured down on a bed of soft grass and wildflowers. Xena slowed her pace becoming breathless. She reached the clearing and put her hands on the small of her back and looked up to the heavens in complete exhaustion. A meteor streaked across the night sky. She could just barely make out the red planet that she always thought of as Ares's star. She could feel his presence. He wasn't there of that she was sure but somehow the air was filled with him. She guessed it was because these were their old stomping grounds. She had first met him not far from Amphipolis. Her earliest conquests were here, funding virtually all of his temples in the area. This close to home, memories of him lurked around every corner. As soon as she delivered those kids, she had to head across the Aegean as quickly as she could.

Why had that silly little kids' game made her react this way? She knew it was more than the game. She didn't want to think about it. She had been repressing thoughts of him since she gave the old trader the necklace. She had seen Gabrielle's questioning look but ignored it. She knew eventually she would have to explain it and quite frankly she didn't want to talk about it, to talk about him. Sometimes she envied those who had visited the temple of Mnemosyne to forget it all. She would never let herself indulge in such an easy release. Plus, if she was honest all of her memories of him weren't bad, some she would cherish forever.

"Gods be damned!" She wailed in frustration. Maybe she just needed a sexual release. Maybe she should just take care of a little business then head back to camp and go to bed. She hadn't had a male partner since she had returned to this body, maybe that was all it was, sexual frustration. Well, when she got to Amphipolis maybe she'd find someone and have a fling. The clearing butted up against a rock face so Xena sat down with her back against the cold granite and just listened to the night. An owl hooted in the distance, a pack of wolves were on the chase and the wind blew endlessly through the tall pines.

She could still smell the fire from their camp. She had run downwind but guessed that she had only run a mile or so. As she stood up to head back to camp, she noticed a familiar rock formation off to her right. She slowly walked to the grouping of rocks then turned and started counting off paces. She passed the spot where she had been sitting and counted another fifteen spaces and saw with delight the opening in the rock wall that she knew would be there. She searched for a suitable stick then cut the shift she wore below her leathers at the hem. She wrapped the cloth tightly around the top of the stick and retrieved a flint rock from a small pouch at her side. Luckily she hadn't removed her armor earlier and her breast dagger was still firmly placed in its holster in her bosom. She put together a pile of dried grass, leaves, and twigs. Then she grabbed her breast dagger and struck the flint across it a couple of times until a white hot spark brought the dry tinder to blazing life. She used the burning tinder to light the torch she had crafted and snuffed out the burning twigs with her boot.

The entrance to the cave was deceptive which was why it had been perfect for her needs years ago. At nearly six feet tall, Xena had to crouch considerably to get past the opening. Within a meter or so, however, the cave opened up to reveal a circular opening nearly ten meters across, the rock roof above could be seen at about half that distance.

The first thing Xena noticed were the furs. They lay askew but in the same spot she had left them. She wistfully wondered if she would still be able to smell him on them thirty years later. Images of the two of them together flashed through her mind. She had to bite her lip to ward them off. Two oil lamps sat on either side of the bed. To Xena's surprise both of them still had oil and the wicks had been kept dry enough in the cave that she was able to light each of them. A closer look at the furs told Xena that she and Ares had not been the caves' last inhabitants. Xena guessed that it was wolf hair but it could have been coyotes or foxes. She realized that coming in here alone might not have been the best decision but she couldn't resist. She sank down on to her knees on the soft bedding. Her feelings were all messed up. They were deeper than she could even tell Gabrielle. It had taken her years to admit to her friend that she had feelings for the war god and though Gabrielle had not berated her as Xena had expected, she knew that Gabrielle would never approve of them together.

"Why?" she asked no one in particular.

The tears came and she let them.

A skittering sound in the back of the cave forced Xena to point the torch in that area. A rodent ran from the light along the arc of the wall toward the cave exit. The light from the torch thrusted in the direction of the back of the cave illuminated the wall art that Ares had painted there years ago. It was their symbols, the ones they carried on their war banners but intertwined on the granite. He had told her then, that it was symbolic of their life threads, forever entangled. A glint of light off of metal caught Xena's attention and she lowered the torch to reveal and old chest. She remembered the chest vividly. She had taken it from King Garcon's treasury when she sacked Thessaloniki. She walked to the chest and busted the lock open with one kick. When she opened the lid, the gems and gold sparkled in the torch light. She rummaged through the gems and metals until she found a simple leather wrist band. It was less than a quarter inch thick, it was the least expensive and least elegant of all the treasures in the box. Yet to her, it was the most valuable. Lyceus had given it to her for her twelfth birthday. He had tanned the leather himself. But where was the pendant she had worn on it she wondered? She tied the bracelet on her wrist, it fit more snuggly than she remembered. She dug deeper into the chest. She found an emerald the size of a goose egg and remembered just how brutally she had obtained that treasure. There were some maps toward the bottom of the chest. She unrolled them and saw both her and Ares's familiar scrawls all over the maps. It was the last campaign they had worked together. As she eyed the plans, she realized just how ingenious they were. They would have been successful if Hercules had not entered her life. Her personal war banner lay on the bottom of the chest, she picked it up and the pendant fell with a thud on the packed floor in front of her boot. She squatted down and picked up the perfect chakram replica. It, like the deadly weapon on which it was modeled, was crafted in genuine Hephaestian metal. Ares had always joked that she could imprison him with that one little pendant. All she had do was slip it on his finger and the power of the metal would bind him. She wondered now if he had been hinting at marrying. The thought would never have occurred to her then because she was so power hungry all she could think of was that she held the power to command the god of war.

Xena placed the pendant in pouch alongside her flint rock. She wouldn't let pendant go again. She told herself she was keeping it because if such a power fell into the wrong hands it could mean large scale death and destruction. She ignored the tingle that the feeling of the metal in her fingers sent through her core.

Xena grabbed a few more pieces of the loot, not for herself but for the children. She intended to sell the pieces to make sure the children were cared for when she and Gabrielle had to leave. She was sure that Iason, Kallias, and Amyntas's grandfather would be more than happy to care for his progeny but a little money would help him out. And, she wasn't sure what was going to happen to Daria but it would be easier to find the girl a home if she had a dowry in tact. She ached to take the emerald but knew that she didn't deserve it and any funds she got from it would be so tainted by the deeds that she had committed that it just wasn't worth it.

She shut the chest and took one last look at the sleeping furs, if she tried hard enough she could still see him lying there in all his naked beauty. His hair was longer then, falling in dark curls around his chiseled face. She remembered their last time together. She had taken charge, mounting him and riding him until she collapsed on top of him. They had slept like that, him beneath her, flaccid inside her. She shook off the memory and stooped down to leave the cave behind her forever. She smudged the torch out on the cave wall and threw it to the ground. When she reached the clearing she threw her chakram at an overhang of rocks that stood several meters above the cave entrance. The rockslide quickly buried the entrance. She pictured the flames of the oil candles dying without oxygen. That's what flames did if you didn't feed them, they died.