Fox Den

Fire

"Run!!" A sudden yowl tore through the peaceful trees, making the unified skulk whip their heads towards the sound.

"It's an immense hot-spark! It's making the trees fall!" Another yowl came through, and terror quickly ran through the area.

"Evacuate!" My father- Tsuju- commanded, being the leader of the unified skulk, "Take your skulks with you, and don't get separated! It's the humans attacking!" I quickly bounded over to him, seeing as my mother-Miaris- was there along with Kash and Shiba.

"There you are, Isoba! We have to go now, or else the hot-spark will consume us!" My mother commanded, keeping the wailing Kash and Shiba by her. Quickly, I picked Kash up by his scruff, mother doing the same with Shiba, and my father bounded ahead, wasting no more time then we had already lost. Fear made go faster, and I happened to notice more things about me. Things I would miss dearly. Memories in shambles on the broken ground. I listened to the feeble wails of the pups of other families and even my own brother and sister's cries. I didn't stop my frantic dash for freedom until I saw a tree consumed in hot-spark falling in my path. If I were to keep running, surely I would've been crushed. I flinched as the tree made it's collision with the hard earth. Kash yelped in horror.

"Isoba?! Isoba, are you there?!" I heard my father call to me, pure panic lacing his yowl.

"I'm here! I'll go around!" I call back as I bound to the edge of the tree, and to my horror, I see the tails of other foxes crushed and consumed by hot-spark. As I near the edge, another hot-spark consumed tree fell as well. It was as if our ansestors were blocking me from my family.

"Isoba! Isoba, t-there's no way around anymore!" My mother called, "Jump over!" My eyes widened slightly.

'Jump over?! Kash will be bitten by the hot-spark!' I thought to myself, 'I cannot risk this. I must go the other way, to the large human-dens.' Without another word to my family, I turn and tear off towards the large dens.

"I-Isoba, what are you doing? M-Mama t-told you to jump over th-the tree!" Kash cried out to me, looking up at me as best as he could.

"I would, but the hot-spark would bite you and possibly give you to our ancestors. It is not your time yet." I told him, and he nodded just a little bit. Young as he is, he is smart and understanding of many horrid things a young fox around his moons would not like to hear.

"Are we going to the human-dens?"

"I fear we must. Are you ready?"

"I-I'll do my best..."

"Don't worry, we'll get home. Both of us."

That was a promise I refuse to break.