Broken Bonds: Druids 3

The fire spread far faster than even Somos anticipated. Granted, he’d never seen corruption infect an entire forest. He had no way of knowing. 

The flames ate everything. Anything speckled blue or striped with black veins, erupted with black fire and sent forth more embers to spread. Walls of flames roared behind them and to either side. It was getting increasingly difficult to find openings in the fire and to keep running in the same direction. If he had been by himself, he likely would’ve kept ahead of the flames but that wasn’t the case. Stranger could barely keep up with his pace for the first few minutes of running. She was starting to fall behind now. Reon, though slower, forced her to push on with a few nips to her heels. Their biggest problem, however, was Dani. The girl wasn’t built to run and didn’t particularly like it either. It started to show now as she fell further and further behind. 

Somos slowed his pace to match Reon. “The cavern wall is straight ahead, okay? Don’t let the fire push you off course! When you get there, climb the wall and wait for us! I’ll show you the way out!”

Reon nodded and gave Stranger a hard push. Somos slowed his pace even further to match Dayani. Her eyes, wide with fear, darted to the flames surrounding them. 

“Keep your eyes forward and your head down!” He instructed. “Don’t look over there! Watch my tail and keep your breath steady and your legs moving alright? I’ve done this before, remember? We’ll be out in no time!” Once he was sure she would do as he said, he pulled ahead, throwing back a few glances every now and then just to be sure she still followed him. 

He tried to sound reassuring but in truth the slow pace was making him nervous. If it were just him, he’d be up the wall and out of Druid territory already. 

“SOMOS, WATCH OUT!”

What remains of a tree crashed to the floor as he passed, sending a shower of white embers over his back. He sucked in a breath, stifling the scream he would’ve let out. What came out instead was a strangled squeal. 

“Are you okay?!” Dani sounded nigh hysterical. 

“Yeah!” Somos tried to keep his voice steady despite the holes being burned into his back. “I’m experienced, remember? Don’t worry about me!” He turned his face to briefly wink at Dani. It looked more like a pained grimace to her.

By the time they reached the cavern edge, the burning in his back had dulled. Reon and Stanger stood as sentries on a ledge that ran the length of the wall. Their tails wagged with excitement when they saw Somos and Dani approach. He helped her up and checked them all over. Just a few sooty patches of fur and paws stained blue from sap that spilled from the trees. Nothing they couldn’t tough out. He then led them along the ledge. 

The path itself wasn’t the same one Somos used to get in but it would do. It led them higher up the wall until the treetops were below them, a roiling sea of black flames that continued to grow with every new tree. Somos could spot a few troops of druids gliding over the flames, likely assessing the damage. 

“The Oracle! Look!” Dani rasped before giving way to a fit of coughing from the rising smoke.

Somos turned in the direction Stranger’s was pointing in. From there, they could see the floor to ceiling pillars and trees that most of the Druids called home. At the center of it all, the Oracle’s leaves wilted, branches turned mush as the strange black disease crawled up its trunk. A horn blared and silhouettes zoomed  from platform to platform, house to house. The fire hadn’t reached them yet. They had plenty of healthy trees, of which would dampen the fire. It was more than enough time for the Druids to put it out.

Or so he told himself.

“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” Stranger suddenly shouted, fixing Somos with a furious glare. Three heads turned to stare at her, eyes wide like saucers. They had never heard her so angry before.

“You’re SO lazy you can’t even be bothered to think of another option besides burning an entire forest? It’s not even your call, it's not even your home!”

Somos flinched then quickly turned away to hide the action. “It’s the only way! The fire’s already dying, see? A-And who are you to decide that there’s another option? I’m the only one—“

“I don’t believe you because you DON’T think and YOU. ARE. AN. ASS, SOMOS! You never think about what would happen if things go wrong! What if those people lose their home or if someone dies, huh? That’s your fault! And you know what? That’s why Jin left too! We’ll never find him before the Dark and he’s never coming back because of you!”

Somos whipped around, nostrils flared, snout wrinkling. Dani interrupted before Somos could get a word in. “Let’s not argue now.” Dani spoke softly. She leaned down to put her head over the small runner’s. “You can strangle him after.”

“Don’t touch me! It's your fault too! You let him do it!“

Dani reeled under the weight of her accusations. “I-I didn’t think—”

“Yeah, looks like I’m the only one who still does around here!” She spared them all one last venomous glare before running ahead and disappearing behind a curtain of smoke. 

“No! Stranger, I’m sorry! Don’t go off by yourself! Stranger!” Dani chased after her. 

Somos and Reon remained on the ledge. Neither of them spoke a word while flames crackled under them. Eventually, Reon chuckled. 

“What’s your problem?” Somos snapped. 

“You can’t just leave the ranch this time. You have to apologize.”

“So do you.”

“Yeah, but I’m used to it.” Reon shrugged.

“Tsk. Move it, Reon. It's stuffy up here.”

-

Though smoke writhed along the roof of the tunnel, barely illuminated by the plants growing between the cracks on the walls, it was significantly cooler and easier to breathe than the ledge. Stranger and Dani walked far ahead of Somos, no doubt talking about him. Reon trailed behind them, clearly not quite ready to face this new side of Stranger. And neither was he. 

He shook Stranger’s biting words from his thoughts. Fire was the only way he knew to completely kill it. He wouldn’t take any risks with options. She wouldn’t understand, anyways, he thought to himself. Not until she saw it herself, the real damage the corruption caused.

Reon flashed across his mind, the pale pink scar that ripped across his throat and the raspy voice he’d be forever stuck with. The way he clung to his old self like the near-death experience never changed him. 

Maybe it’d be better if she never did.