Fire and the flood

'This is it.' Zee told herself. 'This is where I die.' The fire roared closer and closer, tearing mercilessly towards them at a speed the exhausted wolf was sure would be impossible to outrun. It felt to her like the fire had taken root in her lungs, and she gasped for breath between her struggling pants of fatigue. It showed no sign of stopping and for a moment Zee considered if she were to stop and let the flames engulf her, how much exactly it might hurt.

Suddenly the small wolf was not in front anymore, and Zee's attention was torn away from her impending doom. Her head turned to squint through the smoke, and to the side of the ravine she saw the stranger as he made his ascent. She veered towards him and scrambled up behind. The path was difficult to travel, and so Zee was careful to let her movements match his. The tiny wolf was a miraculous climber, however, and made it to the top much quicker then she did. Each time her paw grasped a stone she prayed hard for it to hold her weight, and before she knew it she was beside him- safe and sound.

"Oh God." She threw herself to the ground and pressed her face into the dirt. "We're okay." Her eyes shut tight, burning with the remnants of smoke. "Thank you. Thank you for showing me the way." Zee barely could bring herself to spare the stranger a glance, too overjoyed at the opportunity to rest and bask in the dirt.