‘We need to get off the path.’ Dragon’s voice shock, his ears flat with fear, he knew they were in trouble.
‘Where?’ Fire saw the flames of the torch, flickering as it came closer. They were running out of time.
‘Over the trees. Off the p
ath now!’ Dragon said and lunched himself off the path and straight into the branches disappearing from sight immediately, and with a huge crunch of branches.
The guard shouted up ahead, he had heard the noise and the torch came closer with alarming speed. Fire heard another one of their group following Dragon into the canopy. There was nothing else to do, she grabbed Butters’ arm and hauled her up. They both took a tremendous leap. Propelling themselves off the path and as far into the branches as they could manage.
Fire shielded her eyes with her arm and they both landed with a tremendous crash into the trees. They did not fall far before the branches stopped their descent. Opening her eyes, all Fire could see darkness, dark leaves and dark shapes. Butters was beside her in an awkward position, sprawled among the leaves and twigs.
‘Are you ok?’ Fire whispered.
‘I think so.’ Butter’s whispered back, her voice trembling in fear.
Fire reached out with difficulty and took her friend’s hand; it was all she could do. They lay still. Fire could hear shouting and branches braking. She hoped they had fallen deep enough to be out of sight. They kept still, not daring to adjust their very uncomfortable positions and Fire became aware of a warm trickling down her back. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, but they did not reveal much, just foliage and Butter’s frightened face. Still more noise and shouting, it seemed like more guards had arrived, Fire saw the light of flames flickering above them a few times.
‘They won’t set the forest alight.’ Butters asked, her eyes wide with fear.
‘No it won’t burn, too green.’ Fire replied, she was having difficulty breathing now. Her body was bent and squished together.
Fire could hear more voices, but she could not hear what they were saying. It seemed like hours before they finally faded away and everything became quiet. Fire’s body was cramping and she felt in a lot of pain. She waited as long as she dared, and then not being able to stay in her awkward position any longer, she pushed, wiggled and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her efforts made a lot of noise but there was no sign that anyone heard. Fire helped Butters into a better position, and they slowly climbed up out of the hole they had made in the canopy with their falling bodies. Fire paused near the top and peered out, she saw no one, and there were only a few lights far away across the tree line. She climbed out, the branches awkwardly supporting her weight, and helped Butters onto the canopy. The foliage was not as thick as in the path and it was difficult to stay stable on them. Fire indicated that Butters must wait at the hole while she checked that the path was clear. She climbed with difficulty over the branches, and onto the path. No one was there.
‘Dragon?’ Fire called softly. ‘Dragon can you hear me, are you there? … Sky? Dragonfly, Skylark … anyone?’
There was no reply. Fire walked a small way down the path. Her foot slipped on some liquid. She looked down and saw that this section was covered in some type of dark, shiny fluid. She knelt down and touched some with her fingers, it looked like blood. Lots of blood! Fire straightened up and looked over at her friend who gave a small wave. She could not let Butter’s see this. Fire cleaned the blood off her fingers with some leaves, ten climbed back over the branches to Butters.
‘No ones there, and there are no signs of anyone. I think we need to keep moving in the same direction that Dragon was taking us.’ Fire said hastily, she was still a bit shaken from the blood.
‘But if we stay on the path they’ll see us again!’ Butter’s voice broke and Fire could see tears reflecting the moonlight as they rolled down her check.
‘We’ll have to stay off the path. It will be more difficult but it will be easier for us to hide.’ She hugged her friend, who shock with sobs. ‘We’ll be ok.’
‘Okay. But were has everyone gone?’
‘Probably the same way we are going.’ Fire let go of Butters. ‘Let’s go.’ She said with fake encouragement.
They walked over the pathless branches with much difficulty, the branches were thick and dense, but they often fell through at thinner spots, but luckily not far. It was slow work and Fire kept an eye on a star on the horizon to keep them going in the same direction. Her hands hurt and her feet ached, the branches pocked and cut at her limbs. Fire was very worried about her brother, where was he? And where was Skylark? She did not even know what the names of the other two Dwellers that had joined their group were? And who’s blood had been on the path? A guard’s perhaps. No, unlikely, the small group of Shargru Dwellers had carried no weapons, except for the knives she and her brother wore permanently. Fire wanted to cry and if it was not for Butters, she would be sobbing right now. But she had to be strong to give Butters confidence, falling apart could always come later, when it was more convenient.
A light came bobbing over the branches on their right. Fire and Butters flattened themselves against the canopy. The torch kept bobbing fast, the guard was running, the light past by them and kept going away into the distance. Stupid guards, the torches warned Fire of them and the flame blinded them to the night. ‘Bad for them, lucky for us.’ thought Fire.
She waited for the flame to disappear completely before they got up again. They progressed slowly and saw no more flames come nearer. Butters had stopped crying and Fire stowed her emotions deep inside. They kept going, heading for the horizon that was steadily growing lighter. Her limbs numbed to the pain of the constant harassment of the branches and twigs, and her eyes drooped but she kept going. And going.
‘Firefly, stop!’ Skylarks voice rang out of the darkness.
Fire stopped and turned around, not sure where it had come from. She looked around but her eyes were heavy and blurred. She stepped forward again and her hand fell into nothing. ‘Just another thin spot,’ she though as she continued to fall.
Rough hands garbed her and yanked her upwards. Spinning her around. Fire was shocked fully awake.
‘What!’ She said alarmed. Focusing on the face in front of her, she saw it was her brother. ‘Dragon what!’ Forgetting to be surprised to see him.
‘Fire you almost fell down! What were you doing?’ Dragon scowled at her, his face being illuminated by the increasing morning light. ‘If we weren’t here, you’d have fallen off the edge of the trees!’
Fire frowned, what was he talking about? She looked back over her shoulder and saw the end of the trees, a few branches stretching out into nothing and the ground a very far way below. Shocked she grabbed hold of her brother, her tail curling in fear, and buried her face in his chest. Fire was not comfortable with heights.
She held onto Dragon tightly until he had lead her far enough away from the edge, to where Sky and Butters stood. She saw that there was only one other Dweller with them. ‘What had happened to the other one?’ she wondered, the nameless Dweller, stared at her with sad, unseeing eyes.
‘How did you find us?’ asked Butters.
‘We saw your silhouettes from far off. You are lucky that no guards saw you.’ Dragon said. ‘We need to get down off the tree tops before it gets any lighter.’ He took off the rope he was still carrying. ‘Tie this off on a sturdy branch, Sky.’ Dragon threw the end of the rope to Sky, who headed to the edge of the trees and tied it to one of the thicker branches. The rest of the Dwellers walked awkwardly over the canopy to him.
‘It’s a long way down.’ Butters said, peering over the edge.
‘We’ll be fine.’ Fire tried to reassure her. How Fire wished someone else would say that for once and comfort her.
‘We need to hurry!’ Dragon said and tested the rope to make sure it was tied off well enough.
‘As if that was necessary.’ Thought Fire.
Dragon twisted the rope around his leg and torso, and dropped down over the canopy using his feet and hands to slow his decent. Fire was nervous as he disappeared from sight. Her turn was next. Panic rose up, but she pushed it away, stowing it deep down where she hid all her feelings. Sky peered over the edge and indicated that it was her turn to go down.
Fire rapped the rope tight around her thigh and around her arm, she had done this many times before, but never from a height that could kill her. She lowered herself over the edge. Refusing to let herself look down, she slowly, very slowly let the rope take her weight and she manage to slide down bit by bit. She could just think how impatient Dragon must be waiting for her at the bottom. It took what seemed forever to decent and she did not look down until she felt her feet hit the ground and her brother loosing the rope from around her.
Stepping back, Fire tried to concentrate on slowing her breathing as her racing heart pounded in her ears, she really hated heights. Her heart slowed down, but the moment she saw Butters making her way over the canopies edge, it started to race again. She watched nervously as her friend made her way down. Poor Butters looked so frightened with her ears flat and her tail rapped around her leg together with the rope. Dragon gave a grunt of disapproval as he also watched her descend. Fire ignored him and hardly breathed, until Butters was safely on the ground. She quickly helped Butters untangle herself from the rope, and half carried her to a patch of soft grass, to let her recover from the experience of climbing down such a tremendous height. They both sat on the ground holding hands in silence while they waited for the last two members of their some group to come down. The nameless Shargru had no trouble and Skylark descended last, though perhaps a little more quickly then the rest of them.
There was nothing fore it; they had to leave the long rope behind dangling from the canopy. Fire wondered if it would help someone get to Lone Island without passing the gates?
Dragon checked that no one was insight and the group walked out from the dark shadow of the large trees. The plain that spanned across the distance in front of them was not very wide but there was no cover and the sky was growing lighter and lighter. Fire could see some vegetation in the distance.
‘Remember, go low and go fast.’ Dragon told them. He knelt down on all fours and loped into the open. He paused one more time to check that the cost was clear then ran across the open plain, stretching his arms out in front of him and pushing hard with his feet. He disappeared under the shadows of the trees on the other side. A moment later he wave at them, which was the queue for the rest of them to follow. Fire lead them across, she was the fastest runner on two legs or four. She had to slow her pace so not to leave the others behind. It was strange to run with nothing but the sky above you, it was so different to the life in Lone Town, where there were no large open spaces.
They all reached the other side in safety. Fire was surprised that no alarm was sounded; there were no guards or even any sign of people. She turned back to Lone Town’s defending forest. It stood wide and vast, but there were no signs to indicate that there was a town in its centre. It seemed like no guards were assigned to watch the borders of Lone Town as closely on the outside as on the inside.
Not allowing them to stop and rest, Dragon indicated that they must keep moving. The small group of Shargru Dwellers moved through the trees and vegetation, which was sparse. It felt very strange to Fire, she had always thought all forests were as close and dense as the one she grew up in, but these trees let the light through and she even felt a small breeze. It felt strange, but good, as if it affirmed their release from the small, densely populated town that had been their life growing up. She felt like she could breath freely for the first time, like she had been freed form invisible shekels that she had never know was there.
They kept going on all fours, not wanting to expose themselves too much. Walking in silence as the day grew lighter, Dragon ahead, Sky behind, Fire and Butters walking beside each other, and the nameless Dweller following just behind Fire. She looked back at him; he kept his sad face lowered. Fire tried to wonder if she had seen a Shargru with his elaborate, yellow marking before, but she had not. But then again Lone Town was so crowded with Shargrus, that it was easily possible to miss someone.
She felt sorry for him, he had lost his friend, she did not know how she would feel if she lost Butters. Fire turned around and concentrated on the ground, her limbs were tired and she often stumbled now, but her mind kept wondering back to the nameless Dweller.
Fire did not know how she kept walking? Dragon drove them on, further and further away from the home they left behind. Surely if someone was after them they would be caught by now? But every time one of their group asked if they could stop to rest, Dragon just replied that they needed to go a little further.
‘As if he knew where we’re going,’ thought Fire sarcastically.
It was forbidden for anyone but a Noble to enquire about the deep world beyond Lone Town’s borders. All they had learnt was from word of mouth and roamers, tales told by the Shargru slaves. But the information had proved useful so far, they had made it across the canopy paths and were now venturing free in the world they had only heard tales whispered about, and stories told under people’s breath.
It seemed like mid-day before Dragon finally told them they could stop. By then Fires knuckles were raw from being dragged across the ground. She let her aching body flop down on a patch of shady grass, Butters lay down near her and the nameless one collapsed a small distance from them. Dragon and Sky sat under a tree and were soon in deep discussion.
The cool clearing they had stopped in was beautiful; Fire had never seen such a place. The sun streamed down, and a small stream flowed down a low waterfall into a shallow pond, before flowing off into the trees on its journey. There were more shades of green then she had ever seen. Butterflies fluttered landing on the countless flowers and Fire wanted to point them out to Butters but she had fallen asleep. There were dragonflies too; hovering around the water, but Fire did not feel like even looking at Dragon at the moment.
Feeling to sore and hungry to sleep, Fire got up and walked over to the pond, sitting down at the edge. The water tasted sweet and refreshing, unlike the earthy tasting water of Lone Town. She undid the leather straps that where tided around her feet; they were dirty with sand and blood. Her feet were an array of scratches and cuts, and she pulled a trig out of the large one under her right foot. She washed her painful feet and placed them in the cool water, breathing a sigh of relief.
She cleaned the rest of her body washing her face, tail, legs and arms, causing blood and mud to flow away with the water. Her entire body was an array of bruises, scratches and cuts. Her back felt like it had been sliced open by a branch when she had jumped into the canopy with Butters, and she had difficulty reaching the wound.
‘Here, let me help.’ Said the nameless Dweller as he came over to sit beside her.
‘Thank you.’ Fire turned her back on him and lifted her tangled hair out of the way. ‘It did not cut across my markings?’ she asked worried; a Shargru with their body markings damaged, was less desirable.
‘No, your lucky it cut just next to one of your larger strips.’ He replied, a note of humour in his voice.
Fire frowned; he found her concern funny? She heard him scoop up water and felt the cold liquid splashed on her back. The nameless Dweller cleaned her wound diligently, and then helped her untangle her braid.
Dragon and Sky walked over to them, Sky frowned down at the nameless one. Dragon drank deeply from the pond, Fire saw how he was not as injured as her, but he had a few bad cuts too, but luckily his light green markings had none over them that would scar.
Satisfied Dragon stood up beside the silent frowning Sky. ‘Me and Sky are going to find us something to eat, you stay here and keep watch till we return.’
Fire sprang up alarmed, ignoring her hurt feet, the nameless one stood up beside her. ‘You can’t leave us!’ She said in an annoyed whisper, careful not to wake Butters. ‘Or at least take me with you!’
‘Don’t be stupid, your not much use in your injured state – you need to rest.’ Dragon said with concer. Fire’s eyes widened in surprise, Dragon frowned in return, ‘besides you’ll just slow us down.’ he siad in a more stern tone.
‘Besides you seemed to be enjoying your grooming.’ Sky said with contempt in his voice, glaring at the nameless one. Fire flattened her ear, anger rising.
‘I need you to stay here.’ Dragon said. ‘we will return as soon as we can.’ He then turned to leave followed by Sky, they soon silently disappeared among the trees.
Fire huffed back down and started washing her light, cherry coloured hair in the water, tugging harder then necessary at the twigs and leaves.
The nameless one sat down beside her, watching her antics with amusement. ‘Taking out your frustrations on your hair will result in nothing more then you going bald, and then the impressive scar on your back won’t even help you find a mate.’ He said with a chuckle.
‘I don’t need your advice too, I get enough of that form my brother! Besides aren’t you suppose be morning, your far to cheerful for someone who just lost a friend.’ The moment the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. The nameless one’s smile disappeared and he become reserved. ‘I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.’ She lowered her ears in apology and dangled her feet in the pond again, ashamed of what she had said.
‘I didn’t really know him. He was beside me all the way and then when I fled the guard, he was just gone.’ The nameless one spoke in a sad tone, Fire assumed he was talking about the Dweller who had disappeared. ‘I didn’t really know any of you, but he was friendly, and told me about your plan to escape, so I decided to come along. It just feels wrong that he was the one to help me get out of Lone Town, and now he’ll never get out.
Fire shivered, but not from cold water. It was cool but pleasant beside the pond and felt wrong to be so sad in such a beautiful place. She stared across the water thinking of something to say, a dragonfly darted across her view. ‘So what’s your name?’
‘I’m Ashfox, or just Fox.’ He said smiling at her again.
The yellow-banned creatures that shared his name were often seen darted around the borders of Lone Town; they were clever opportunist, and a bit comical at times. Fire thought the name suited him. ‘Ok, Fox then. I’m Firefly but you can just call me Fire.’ She said smiling back at him.
He held out his yellow banned hand and shook her red marked one, ‘Ok Fire then, its nice to have met you.’
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