Fire is a powerful tool. It has no hesitation, it has no doubts, it just burns and consumes. For good or ill, it burns until it smolders itself out.
The lamb wandered through the woods keeping near the edge of the path. He was more careful than he used to be remembering what he had learned, and had grown more cunning. When a threat approached he would quickly go to the nearest bush and crept under, sometimes poking out the plant bulb on his shoulder to fool others into thinking he was but a mere plant, waiting patiently till the other creature left. Then he’ll slowly get out and continue. Though the plant drank in his blood he felt no pain, a small price of a few drops of blood was worth another day of living.
In time he would stop and kneel down before a small pond of water lowering himself to drink a few sips when he heard a sound. The sound of crashing trees hitting the ground and heavy steps. Before it got closer he dove into a bush and hid as the earth shook from a lumbering giant’s stride. Heavy steps one after another before the breaking sound of a splintering tree, a tree trunk being tossed just a few feet away from the lamb’s position as the thrower came to view.
A large dark brown bear loomed standing on its hind legs, an imposing giant of flesh, fur, and muscle. The bear’s claws curved downwards as thick ropey sinew of fur dangled, the claws redden by a fresh kill. On the bear’s face over an eye was a large jagged scar that shone against his face, his eyes seeming to glow in the moon light with malicious intent. His nose was the most scarred part of him seeming battered and bruised through a lifetime of battle. The bear set himself on all fours causing the earth to shake once more as he made his way towards some path set by his own lumbering towards it.
Before the bear went far there was a second sound, a sound of roaring thunder as from the branches came a cougar. “Murderer!” the cougar roared out baring her fangs and claws. The bear turned and blinked once before shrugging. “Stand down beast. I have no quarrel with you, but you should know better than to stand in my way.” The bear said with low intent moving on when the cougar leapt before him. “But I have a debt to settle with you, murderer! You slaughter my cubs” she snarled.
“Your cubs were in my path, now stand aside before you meet their fate as well.” He said lumbering forward when the cougar ran ahead leaping at him. The bear let out a roar of fury as he stood up and swatted the cougar down in front of him like she was a gnat. Before she could get up he brought up his claws embedding them deep in her side and lifted her up. “Fool” he said before tossing the cat away into a tree hearing the bones in her neck snap as she made contact before marching on.
The lamb poked his head out shaken by the grisly event before him, but a thought pondered in his mind. He slowly started to shadow the bear standing in his great shadow that he casted. He was careful to avoid twigs and branches that fell and to hide whenever the bear stopped. The plan was to shadow him and use the bear’s massive size and fearsome visage to ward other predators away. Any who could take on an enraged cougar wasn’t one to be trifled with, and others would give him a wide berth. All the lamb had to do was be in that zone so he would not be someone else’s meal.
For a while the plan seemed to work well for the lamb as no other predator or beast for that matter came close to the lumbering giant. The lamb was rather proud of himself as he carefully trod nearer to the bear keeping in his fearsome shadow when the bear stopped a moment. The lamb spritely darted into a bush to hide as the bear turned, his glowing eyes scanning.
The bear took a deep breath sniffing the air for a sign of someone there. He lumbered closer growling. “I smell something… something that does not belong.” He growled coming closer to the bush, the lamb cowering in silence as the bear approached. “Someone following me” he snarled when the lamb thought of a quick plan. He shifted his position so his parasite flower would be in front as the bear poked his nose into the bush. The bear let out a gagging cough as he stumbled back slightly overcome by the flower’s scent.
“Urrra that smell! A foul bitter scent!” he growled rubbing his nose before standing on his hind legs rearing up. The lamb let out a small bleating yelp as he dashed out of the bush. Not a moment too soon as the bear’s mighty claws slammed onto the bush and tore it apart before moving, his eyes fixating upon the lamb. “You… you little white thing.” He said darkly. “What are you doing in my path?” the bear snarled as the lamb took a few steps back.
“P-Please I mean no harm s-sir; I am but a simple lamb. I was making my way towards the s-stars when I came across your imposing form” The lamb pleaded for clemency. “Your path is not mine, I merely did not wish to disturb you” the lamb said when the bear let out a shaking roar and grabbed a large rock nearby, tossing it at the lamb who quickly skipped backwards. “Your scent offends me strange plant lamb… BEGONE FROM MY SIGHTS” he roared before lumbering towards the lamb. The lamb let out a bleating yell before dashing off far as he could to avoid stirring the bear’s ire.
The lamb skipped away till he found a safe spot under some rocks where he laid down to rest. His plan back fired and nearly cost him his life. Tired from running he closed his eyes to dream, and shuddered as his dreams turned dark. Dreams of flashing claws and roaring thunder and searing flames. The lamb stirred when actual thunder boomed across the sky and dark clouds covered the moon, swirling with the promise of heavy rain.
The lamb looked around and knew he wouldn’t have shelter under his rocks and left quickly, climbing up a rocky trail to a series of cave. He carefully peaked in to see if any was inhabited or showed signs of any living, and settle in a small cave that had not seen use. He went to a small niche in the corner and huddled in the back where he believed he’d be safest in the dark baring the wind, rain, and anyone that might enter. He knelt down and rested as the winds blew.
Later he woke up when he felt the earth tremble and a looming figure entered the cave. The bear was back and lumbered into the cave sitting down in the front of the exit. The lamb felt a rising panic begin to form within him as he looked over and silently curse his luck. He had no way of avoiding the bear, and he was far from a fighter to even try to contend with him. He felt his heart beat rapidly as the bear shifted before a rumbling sound came from the bear much like a loud snore.
‘He’s asleep? Good, might be my only chance’ the lamb thought as he stepped out before stepping back, fearful if the bear would wake. Seconds seem too stretched into minutes into hours, the clouds thundering above and the lamb feeling too scared to even move. He knew he could not keep silent forever for the fear rising, but he couldn’t stay either, more so when the bear would wake up so often to move closer to the deeper part of the cave to get away from the shafts of moonlight that would peek through the darkening clouds.
‘Now or never’ the lamb thought as he slowly crept forward keeping careful steps around the bear. Slowly inch by inch he stepped over any small pebble or rock that could make a noise and went closer to the exit. The bear growled and shifted causing the lamb to freeze in mid-step until he heard the bear started to snore again. He didn’t dare to breathe a sigh of relief as he kept up his slow pace to the exit when a gusting wind blew into the cave carrying towards the bear the lamb’s scent. The bear sputtered and coughed before opening its eyes and focus them. “That smell… that offensive bitter smell… you are here. YOU ARE HERE IN MY CAVE?” the bear roared as his eyes glowed malice and he got up charging at the lamb that quickly sped away.
“GET BACK HERE” the bear roared as he lumbering charged at the lamb keeping on his heels as it started to rain. The lamb leapt over bushes and ducked under trees while the bear just broke through them his eyes intent on the fleeing lamb. The lamb let out a bleating yell of fear as the rain began pouring harder causing the earth to soften into mud and obscuring vision. The lamb made a sharp turn skidding a bit as the bear turned ramming himself into a tree but keeping up the chase.
The lamb took a breath before leaping between two oak trees close together making a tight squeeze. The lamb stumbled and fell upon landing but took a small sigh as he believes the trees could stop the bear charge. However he was proven wrong as a sound of thunder and splintering trees was heard, the bear standing up on his hind legs and near effortlessly rooted up an oak tree while snapping in half the other roaring in fury. “YOU THINK THESE TWIGS CAN STOP ME!” he called out before tossing the rooted up tree towards the lamb. The lamb barely had enough time to duck under it before running towards a clearing the bear hot on his heels.
The lamb skidded to a stop after a frenzy run as he encounters a stone wall. He could scale it there was no doubt but not fast enough as the bear lumbered over. “Finally got you” the bear snarled as he stood up to his full height. “Death to all who stand in my way” he growled as he raised a claw to crash down when a roaring blast and a flash of light broke the darkness. A spear of lightning danced through the sky and zapped the bear’s back causing the bear to roar and stumbled as flames sparked to life and spread to the bear’s fur.
Not wasting a moment of a brief respite the lamb turn to the stone wall and leap to it, finding tiny holes for his hooves as he scaled it to the top as fast as his legs could carry him when he heard a roar. “YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE ME” the bear roared as he dug his claws into the rock face and lumbering upwards ripping chunks of rock off as he climbed up. The lamb gave a bleating yelp before running away and turned. When the bear pulled his head over the lamb was running at him and leapt, using the bear’s face as a stepping stone and bounced off of him causing the bear to lose his gripe and come crashing down to the ground as the lamb took a breath.
The bear became still for a brief moment before opening its raging eyes and turning over roaring out. The lamb let out a weak bleat as he rush towards the woods on weakening legs as the bear gave chase fur still burning, though the flames seem to burn more brightly almost giving an aura of his building rage. The bear tore through trees and underbrush and stone the flames spreading to the woods in a wildfire as the bear charged closer as the lamb felt himself slowing.
“You fool thinking you can dare outrun me? I cannot be stopped, I shall see your killed” the bear roared out as the lamb stumbled and fell into a bush. “Didn’t want to do this… but I have little choice.” The lamb said before turning his head and taking a large bite out of the parasite blossom on his shoulder, feeling his soreness going away and new vigor to his limbs as his head felt cloudy. He stood up and dashed out as the bear nearly crushed him. “Spry as you are you cannot escape” The bear thundered as he knocked aside trees to reach his prize. The bear lifted a large trunk up and with a roar of hellish fury tossed it, the flaming log soaring through the air like a comet and came crashing down onto the lamb’s path blocking him.
The lamb was about to turn when he felt a sharp pain through his chest as the bear’s claws found their mark, the bear swatting the lamb into a large boulder nearby. The lamb hit it hard, falling into a sloshing mud pit and struggled to get up coughing up blood as the bear stood, a molten giant. “You shall not… escape my fury” the bear growled as it came closer it’s claws gleaming red as it raised them high for the death blow. The lamb took one breath and closed his eyes waiting for his end. One heartbeat. Two heart beats. Three heartbeats… four. The lamb felt confused why he still drew breath and opened his eyes seeing the giant bear frozen in front of him, his face in a snarl. After a moment the bear fell on its side with a deafening crash and crumpled up heap as the flames consumed him. At long last the flames that licked his furs finally reached towards his heart as the rain poured, almost in a grieving way for the fallen titan.
The lamb slowly stood up, muddied and bloodied, but alive. He slowly and wearily moved away from the bear traveling far as he could until after a few hours of endless marching for fear he crept under a berry bush by a small stream and knelt down panting. He ate a few berries and drank from the stream closing his eyes to rest when a sound came. A terrible sound that echoed through the forest shaking every tree and the very land itself, a thunderous raging sound, a roar of fury that would know no rest or peace.
Fire knows no hesitation. It is passionate of all things, burning and consuming the weak and the strong to clear the path. With the right hands fire can burn through the darkness as a shining light, and in wrong hands fire can burn everything to ashes. Fire brings change, for good or for ill it matters not, the flames no nothing of respite.
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