The Cinders of Dezu

10th: Firus the Great (2)

Before the heavy collision, they heard a whistle and a snap. Simultaneously, the swinging logs dropped to the ground with a powerful thud. Dead leaves and bark jumped up from the forest floor before settling back again. Singed vines, cut by fire, came slumping onto the logs in a coil. Talia ran up and slid to a stop as she knelt down near the boys to check them, the massive logs laying on either side.

"What are you doing?!" she cried out to the forest trees, "I know he told you not to kill them!!"

Again, Firus fell from the trees, this time landing on one of the logs to their side. The boys looked up to see what had happened.

"I know," he said, leaning down to inspect the coil of vines, "I'm so bad."

He stood up with the vines in hand and brushed his thumb against the smoldering end of the perfectly cut vine.

"But look at you, breaking all my toys! You're getting good at this."

The boys scrambled to their feet. Talia gestured for them to get behind her as she rose to face him. Talia pulled out the long knife from a belt around her waist. Her hand lit up as she heated it up again, the metal glowing a molten orange. Firus smiled.

"Alright, Sprite. We both know you won't have that for long."

He lifted his arms and showed her his palms.

"Let's play hands."

Talia's jaw tightened as she shook her head.

"You are so full of it."

"Or..." Firus jumped down and began stepping towards her, his fingers splayed out, "it just drives you nuts that deep down you know these hands are stronger than any weapon you could hold in yours."

Her nostrils flared as she spoke under her breath,"We'll see."

The girl was on him before her bewildered audience could blink. The boys watched as the orange glow painted the air in a tapestry of flurried swings. Right, left, right, and left. Firus was moving out of the way of each slice with a speed they had never seen in a person before. Talia went for his head in a sudden change up but he was underneath her blade. In the same motion, he had suddenly maneuvered behind her. Before she could turn around his fist struck forcefully into her back between her shoulder blades. She stumbled forward swinging her arms to gain her balance.

"Hands!" he said with a smirk.

Talia whipped around and roared as she swung wildly again. Firus had a full grin as he dodged swipe after swipe. Talia grew in her fury with each desperate miss. But  in her rage she managed to shoot the boys a look before she bellowed.

"RUN!!!"

Their reaction was mixed. Their legs felt ready to move and they were both stepping away in a half turn.  They just couldn't seem to move their heads to look away. The spectacle was too much. They were further mesmerized by the flames they began to see wafting in and out of sight on Talia's arms and back. Firus was again keeping his hands up as he dodged her, clearly adding to the girl's frustration.

In one mistimed swing, Talia lunged too far forward and Firus stepped to the side. Her outstretched arm holding the blade out in front of her was snatched by the elbow. Talia felt Firus' grip like a vice. Fear shot up her spine. In a single powerful motion, Firus swung his body in a pitch perfect pose like he was on a baseball card. But instead of throwing at ground level, he pitched up in a perfect vertical. And instead of a ball, he was throwing a girl.

With a horrifying yelp that rang in the boys ears, Talia shot like a bullet up through the canopy. Her lingering cry quickly evaporated into the sky. Leaves sprinkled the forest floor. The boys looked up. She was nowhere to be seen. Their eyes dropped down to the hunter before them. His eyes were locked on them. He raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"You two don't listen very well do you?"

From the branches dropped the spinning and fading glow of the knife. It landed with a thunk into the ground next to Firus, it's handle nearly at the level of his fingers. He kept his eyes unwaveringly on the boys as he plucked it from the ground.

"She told you to run."