Sota had been sleeping for a good portion of the afternoon. It was a dry, hot sort of day - the kind that made even wolves like him, who were somewhat averse to water, wish they had somewhere close by to take a quick dip. He'd sought refuge in one of the larger trees near the base of the ravine, after a rather challenging climb downhill. Occasionally he made his way to solid ground, when he deemed it safe, but mostly the minuscule wolf kept to the treetops, leaping from one branch to the next with alarming grace.. at least for a canine. When he'd found a close cluster of branches he carefully arranged himself in a comfortable position, and slowly begin to drift off into a peaceful slumber, glad to have found a portion of shade in the tree all for himself. But something, eventually, caused him to stir. The smell of fire touched his nose, and at first he wondered if he was dreaming. He tried to keep his eyes closed and fall back asleep, but quickly he realized he wasn't imagining it at all - no, it smelled distinctly of fire, and he quickly jolted upright, head snapping up as he tried to get a good view of his surroundings. He couldn't see anything, at least not immediately, but he knew that didn't mean he wasn't in any danger. From his position he couldn't see the sky overhead to see if there was any smoke nearby, so perhaps he was in an even worse position, not knowing where the fire was coming from, let alone the source of it. As badly as he wanted to continue to climb his beloved trees, he knew doing so was unwise. Carefully he leaned to peer down below, trying to judge the distance of the drop. If the fire something crept up from the ground below, it was a leap he likely couldn't survive... and the threat of breaking his limbs wasn't a risk he was willing to take. Despite waking up from a nap just moments ago, he found that the rush of adrenaline that surged through him did a wonderful job of snapping him awake, and his eyes were wide as he scoped out his immediate surroundings. Carefully he leapt toward a lower-hanging branch, and then another, until he was finally on the ground - when he realized with a start that the fire was much closer than he'd expected. Just a few yards out, he saw a pillar of smoke rising up from between the trees, and quickly he turned around and started to run, the scent of the fire now assaulting him without remorse.

Somehow Zee had found herself in what felt like the least populated lands she had seen so far on her journeys. This was most definitely not what she intended- she needed to find allies here else she'd never get a foothold in this new world. She'd been walking for days it seemed, stopping only to hunt, drink and occasionally sleep. Dedicated as always, the cream female told herself she'd have plenty of time to rest when she was queen. Head held high - you never know when someone might be watching - she continued onwards through the ravine. Truthfully she was only half-paying attention. She'd occasionally scent the air for any fresh markings in hopes that she wasn't too far from a pack's lands and this time a strong, smokey smell flooded towards her. Ears perked forward with alarm, and she whirled to pinpoint exactly where the danger was. It came quickly- towering walls of fire leapt from the canopy above and any sleepiness that Zee might have had was thrown from her as her adrenaline surged. She stood for a moment, frozen in shock and fear in the face of the encroaching flames. It wasn't until a particularly strong breeze threw cinders and ash into her face was her trance broken, and she turned tail to run. Small and lithe, the female picked up speed easily. However she had no knowledge of this land and in the back of her mind was the overwhelming fear that she'd find herself trapped by an obstacle she couldn't anticipate. The smoke came over her quickly, and she squinted through the burning pain to survey the path which she ran. She knew she was deep in a ravine, and from her experience it wasn't always as easy as a gentle slope outwards at the end. What if there was only one exit, and she'd passed it already? Just when she felt the most lost and afraid, she spotted another wolf not too far away. The exotic colored canine was sprinting for it's life, too, and Zee mustered whatever strength she could to bring herself up from the rear alongside it. It was *tiny,* and it crossed Zee's mind that this might be just a pup and not anyone to ask navigation advice from. This was a matter of life and death, however, and so between ragged pants she queried the stranger - what a time for conversation. ""Do you ... know the way ... out?"" She managed, chest puffing hard with the exertion. Her foot caught upon a stray root and caused her to lose her stride. She stumbled for a moment, and continued to run with fear-renewed vigor. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

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.

"Maybe." The small wolf offered, and if Zee could draw a full breath she would have used it to sigh. This is what she had, then. A fire at her back, a ravine too treacherous to climb on either side, and a midget in front who 'was not sure' but 'maybe' knew the way out. The fire was becoming dangerously close now, and from before her she heard the distinct snap of a tree. She hardly had time to turn towards the noise before the burning log fell upon them. Luckily for them - as the tree was so thick Zee was not sure she would have been able to jump it- it fell at such an angle that it hit the ground infront of them with it's smoldering canopy. The broken base landed hard against the ravine's side, and the walls of dirt did well to hold it up from completely obstructing their path. For a fleeting moment Zee wished she was as small as the stranger, for it looked to her like the little wolf could make it under the obstacle with ease. Zee, however, was forced to duck as she ran. She felt the heat upon her back as it brushed against the ember-ridden bark, and mingled with the harsh engulfing smell of smoke was the unmistakable odor of singed fur. Even while being built for long distance running, the female couldn't keep up this pace for much longer. With every breath her lungs ached further and her pants were coming out ragged and broken. The narcissist in her wondered what exactly the smoke would do to her vocal cords, would she sound like this forever? She couldn't dwell on it long, however, and forced her thoughts back to the desperate situation. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her going, and her paws began to feel so heavy that she thought she might collapse at any moment. It had felt like she had been running for hours, and Zee looked to the stranger desperately. Surely they were coming up on an exit soon? Self preservation wanted her to launch forward with the last of her energy to leave the small wolf behind, but she remained a healthy distance behind. Fire wasn't like a bear or a tiger, it would not stop to consume the corpse of the slowest runner. Zee stayed at the stranger's rear just enough that if he would suddenly turn for an exit, that she could follow behind and not get lost. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The thought of letting this stranger down, and not being truly certain about where he was going.. admittedly it didn't settle well with him. The thought of being responsible for another wolf's death was enough to really kick him into a state of high alert  - not that he expected either of them would be dying today, but he knew it was a possibility, even if a slight one at best. The stranger nearby didn't response to his uncertain words, but seemed to continue moving with him, so he had to assume that she was putting some level of faith in him. While his attention was snapped to her, he almost failed to slow as the tree came crashing down directly in front of them, and when he finally managed to stop he was nearly left tumbling over his own paws. The fire had already touched this tree, licking at its branches and crackling threatening. He assessed the situation for a split second before acting, deciding to go under the tree instead of trying to climb over it and surely burning his belly. The fit was tight, but he managed to wiggle his way under it, emerging on the other side with his belly covered in dirt and his back covered in stray pieces of bark... but otherwise unharmed, which was all that really mattered. His own body was feeling the effects of the run, his chest aching and his nose growing irritated with the harsh scent of smoke and ash. Adrenaline kept him going forward, thinking less about how he was currently feeling and much more about how to get out of this damn ravine. He thought he saw something familiar, a particularly large tree up ahead - one that signaled a safe exit up and out of the ravine, if he wasn't mistaken. He felt the ache in his chest deepened as he veered to the side, casting a brief glance to make sure the stranger was still behind him. He felt the sharp ascent as he began to climb, moving nimbly through patches of thick vegetation and veering around trees and debris alike. By now he was panting hard, but as he climbed he swore the crackling of the fire was staying contained within the ravine rather climbing the sharp hill that they were currently traversing, and the smell - while still noticeable - seemed much fainter now. After a long while he finally found solid ground, breaking free from the thick trees that lined the sides of the ravine. It felt like an eternity had passed since they'd started searching for an exit, and his limbs were quivering and burning from the journey. He felt like he could collapse, and he very nearly did, his breath barely slowly as he fell backwards onto his hindquarters and directed his gaze toward the female that had been following him. "Are you... alright?"

'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.

It was hard to keep track of everything going on all at once, from the fire roaring behind them, to the path ahead of him, and finally - to the female he was leading to what was might hopefully be safety. He couldn't stop to make sure she was keeping up, but she'd done a decent enough job so far, he had to trust her. In the end he was responsible for himself above all else, and he couldn't imagine turning back around and running straight into a fire to save a stranger. Definitely a close friend, but.. not someone he'd just met. When he reached safety, he realized for a split second that she wasn't behind him. The realization was accompanied by the overwhelming feeling that he'd somehow let her down, in a way that couldn't be forgiven... but the thought left as quickly as it had arrived, when he caught sight of her climbing up behind him and collapsing into the dirt just as he had. He fought the urge to collapse entirely, somehow maintaining an upright position on his haunches as he struggled to regain his breath. "Yes.. we are," Sota acknowledged, giving his coat a fierce shake to rid it of any soot that remained. The sound of the fire had died down in the valley behind them, but he wasn't sure if that was because it was fading, or simply because they had gotten out of its path. "It's no problem," he shook off the gratitude nonchalantly, not wanting her to feel as though she owed him anything, even words of thanks. "I'm Desota, by the way," the small male offered after a moment, too exhausted to even care that she was considerably larger than him, though he maintained a safe distance anyway out of courtesy.