Use thy mind, thy tools, and thy hands. Create and destroy in thy patron's name. St Goliath rewards all who forge for thyself, and all who demolish for his word.
--Second Book of the Forgers: 15;8

***

Auron knelt before the statue of Mother Meliath. It was late at night, and he hoped he had time to mutter one final prayer. A prayer for his wife to birth a daughter.
It was her year, the year of Mother Meliath, St. Goliath's wife. For every daughter born unto this world would be raised among the mortal forgers. Her father and her mother. But for every son, he would be sacrificed unto Meliath's loving arms, and bestowed upon the heavens.
For three years of Meliath's she had taken his sons, and for one year, Goliath hath taken his daughter.
Auron lit the candles and placed his hands together. He knew it was selfish, but he wanted a child this year to be raised as his own. He had been blessed to have the timing of his children. Four were now doing greater works.
But he wished that his seed would pass on to another generations. Iona was getting tired of childbearing.
He swept some long brown hair from his face before continuing to pray to his God-Mother. But a gentle hand fell on his metal shoulder.
"Iona hath birthed a son milord." a handmaiden said softly. "I congratulate thee. Mother Meliath will be delighted I'm sure. Auron tried to smiled. But he couldn't. "Thank you...go. Now."
"Yes milord."
He looked up at the statue and frowned. "I am blessed?" he whispered.

***

Iona lay in her bed, worn and tired. Five children she had given to his Gods. She knew Auron would feel conflicted, in the least. She was distraught, but hiding it clearly. As her husband came up, she managed a faint smile.
"Where is he?" he spoke quietly. Iona look up.
"They took him...of course they did."
Auron frowned and closed his eyes, sitting in bed beside her. "The Gods frown upon us."
"I thought your gods blessed us."
Your gods... he had noticed. He looked to Iona and frowned. "It is foolish to speak the way you do. Less they suspect."
"Your Gods know what I am." she said softly. "They do not approve. My Goddess does not either."
Auron shook his head. "There are only my Gods...and...I..." He dipped his face in his hands.
"Don't let them take him." she whispered. "Give him to the Pagans My sisters will raise him. He will live."
Auron looked up. "I couldn't..."
Iona pleaded with him, taking his arm. "Please." she begged.
Auron closed his eyes..."Very well..." he whispered. "What is his name?"
Iona shook her head. "We must never know."

***
Seventeen years later

Hawk perched up on the stone wall. He wasn't supposed to be past the Ward Glyphs that marked his home, but he had always been attracted to the Forger's world. The glyphs were invisible to the Forgers themselves; Only the Nighteye could see. The Pagans.
He was put a green shadow looking at the Forgers below. How odd they were. Half metal-half organic. They talked funny too.
And they hated the Pagans, and the Pagans hated them.
Hawk never understood why, but he supposed that had to do with his age. His brown tinged gray hair fell in his eyes. It was longer then his shoulder, but thin.

Hawk didn't much like it at home. He was too...tall for the Pagans. They were mostly under five foot five, but he was a growing five foot seven. And his ears weren't quite as pointy either.
He had been an orphan most of his life, living from his sisters. Many sisters raised the children abandoned...none of them would tell him about his parents. He had stopped asking long ago.
Still...he surveyed the Forgers enter the bar and cocked his head. He had contemplated on posing as one of them. He was tall enough, but not nearly as wide. They would probably notice unless he wore random scraps of metal around his waste to make him look fatter.
His sisters' always said his mind was going to get him killed.

***

Merci leaned back and smiled at the young Forger man staring at her breasts. It was no surprise, really. At age nineteen she was finally coming into her own. She wasn't wearing any clothes but a thin slip over her chest and around her waist. The rest was covered in a metal plate skin at her hips and right leg, and her left arm. Around her left eye was a metal plate, covering her cheek and brow. The man smirked and turned back to his drink, embarressed that she had caught him looking.
"That's right." she smirked. She ordered a heavy ale and waited for her friend.

Drysn pulled himself nimbly up onto the wall besides Hawk. "Hey," he said quietly, looking down at those he was watching. The older man was still as nimble as ever, just a few inches shorter than Hawk, on the tall side himself. His skin was a bit darker than Hawk's and he wore paint over half his face and arms. "Enjoying your break?" he asked, flipping his long hair over his bare shoulder.

Aimee walked into the tavern and saw Merci. She rolled her eyes at her friend as she walked over, seeing the interaction. She wasn't wearing much either. It wasn't common to cover up. She sat down next to her and sighed, ordering her own drink. "Having fun?" She asked.

Hawk sighed. "Ever wonder why they do that? I mean...metal for arms?" he glanced over. "I always wonder why they do that...." Hawk studied the cobble stone streets with bright green eyes. "And how can you have such a cool name and mine's just Hawk?"

***

Merci laughed and shrugged. "Sorry." she said embaressed. "I hate when men look upon me with thy hungry eyes."

Aimee shook her head and smirked. "Oh I don't believe that for a second, Merci." She laughed. "You know you love the attention." She shook her head and sipped her drink as it came. "Anyways, I think he likes you."

Drysn grinned at him. "I'm just a bunch of letters thrown together," he said, nudging him lightly. "You're at least a powerful creature, a symbol of cunning, prowess, the sky." He waved and turned away from the Forgers below. "Come, we still have work to do."

Hawk glanced over. "Me thinks you're just saying that." she said lightly. "You have two names. I only have one." He followed him along the wall with great balance. "What is it we do tonight brother?"

***

Merci smiled and shrugged, glancing back to the man and finally turning around completely. "He's not my type." she said simply. "But he's looking at you now." She nudged her friend and laughed, sipping her ale. "So..." she glanced over. "This is the year of Daughter Kel." she smiled. "The year of love. You think you'll find anyone?"

Aimee laughed. "You do know who you're talking to right?" She had to ask. "It's me... Aimee... I seem to drive men away." She shook her head and looked to the man. He was looking at the two young girls as meat and she rolled her eyes. "So in this year of love I predict nothing for me, but for you!" She put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes as if making a prediction. "I see lots and lots of love in your future. And sex! So much sex." She laughed, dropping the act.

"Still is just a jumble of sounds," Drysn said. He dropped from the wall. "Dinner, remember? Track, kill, skin, cook." He grinned at Hawk.

"It be always track kill skin cook." he grumbled. "Maybe we'll be lucky and find a brush deer. Or oo! A big rat." he said sarcastically. "I'm telling you Drysn...I wasn't born for this..."

***

Merci smack her friend with a ping. "Stop it!" she laughed. "If mother ever found out that I've been bedded she will tan my hide. So shh..." she whispered. "But....you're probably right."

Aimee laughed and put a hand to her mouth. "I promised I wouldn't tell." She teased. "And anyways at least you've gotten a man to go to bed with you, right? I swear, I set the bait, they come and then BAM! They're gone and I'm left there wanting..." She sighed and shook her head. "So you think you'll find love?"

"I know," Drysn said, nodding. "Thus Hawk. Born for the sky." He flashed him a grin. "Come, we speak more of you and the clouds after we eat."

Hawk nodded and crawled along the wall and shadows like a cat. "You're talking about the clouds as in my mind, no brother? Why must you lecture like the sisters." he whined.

***

Merci sighed and shrugged. "Why? So I can get pregnant and give my children away as sarcrifices? You've heard my uncles plight. He has yet to have a living progeny. All of them were sacrificed until his wife died. I'm not ready for that yet."

Drysn shook his head. "Not in your head," he said softly. "Your heart." He pulled his bow over his shoulder in preparation.

Aimee nodded. "I understand that feeling." She said. "But still... you are seriously lucky just to even know what sex is like. I've.... I've kissed a guy. Yes. Kissed. That was it and then nothing!" She shook her head. "Your poor uncle though... is he going to re-marry?'