Fire and the flood

*Sota* · 06-27-2019, 12:53 PM

Fear wasn't an emotion that Desota was used to feeling. Even now, he didn't feel truly afraid - he felt a bit panicked, maybe, but the truth was that he always worked well under stress and this incident was no different. Being brought up among the Songa meant that he'd never gotten used to being inattentive, or spending much time lounging - he was used to running wildly among the trees, so running from a wildfire really wasn't all that different from running from his friends' over-enthusiastic games, was it? It was admittedly more threatening, but moving unusually quickly was something Sota was very used to.

He tried to retrace the path he'd taken to get down toward the bottom of the ravine, but admittedly everything looked far different from the ground than it did from the trees above. Occasionally as he ran he'd slow his pace, just slightly, trying to properly orient himself. It wasn't like he couldn't see the sides of the ravine - the way the earth sloped sharply toward the sky was visible on each side of him - but he knew running blindly up the side of the ravine would be a foolish idea. What if he reached a slope that was too steep to properly ascend on his own, with the fire creeping up from behind him? Not a risk he was willing to take.

His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion coming from behind him, and Sota swung his head to the side to glance in the direction of the sound. His pace didn't halt completely, but it slowed enough so that he could have a somewhat coherent conversation. "I -" he started, torn between offering assistance and shying away from this large stranger entirely. "- I'm not sure. Maybe," he coughed out, realizing he was breathing hard at this point too, his small chest heaving from the sudden speed of his run.

"I think," he started, trying to pick up his pace while keeping the stranger in the corner of his vision. Hopefully she could keep up; because although Sota was somewhat altruistic, he had a strong sense of self-preservation that he wasn't sure would allow him to be consumed by flames to save a stranger. If she was already a friend to him, there'd be no question about whether or not he'd help her. He just hoped he didn't have to make that kind of decision today. "- I came this way... earlier." Maybe, he finished that thought silently, not feeling entirely certain that this was the exact way. But it had to be - judging by the crackling of the fire from somewhere nearby it was already creeping up on them, and the sound was accompanied by a rather foreboding sound of a tree creaking and swaying as the fire consumed it.

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