Rage

2 - Burning Sorrow

A/N: I found the documents! My phone broke, but luckily I had sent it to a friend for an early read before I posted it, so I'm good! Enjoy my friends!

TW: None (I think, please tell me if I missed any!)

As Rain dragged Marlin away from their smoking, now decimated home, there were clear streams of tears slipping down to their cheeks, and flying off the sides of their wind-blown faces.

They were both silent as they ran. It was one of the hardest things that they had ever done, and took all of their will not to break that deafening silence, but if one of them were to croak out even the tiniest sob, they would be caught.

They had been covered before, because of the roaring fires, but they were too far from the village now for the fires to save them if they were to speak.

They had discovered this when they were a third of the way out of the forest, and had heard a battalion of soldiers.

The soldiers were searching for escapees. They were searching for them.

As they tore through vines and tree limbs at the fastest pace they could, a quivering sorry was whispered for each plant of the forest as they fell.

Marlin and Rain were almost halfway out now. Their legs were shaking, their throats were burning, and every part of their bodies hurt. But they couldn't stop. They would be found. They had to make it out.

They pushed on, their heads flooding with thoughts of their village, and loved ones being pushed to the front of their head, while the thoughts of the pain they were going through subsided, and retreated to the back of their minds.

They wanted anything but the thoughts of their lost families in their minds at the moment, and instead focused on getting to the river.

The River surrounding the forest was filled with every stone, from a tiny smooth pebble to a towering, jagged rock that would surely impale any unfortunate traveler whom happened to stumble upon it.

Rain and Marlin, however knew their forest and river well, and could tell you the way with their eyes closed, which they might actually have to do, seeing as the bright sphere in the sky we call the sun was shrinking back into the voids of darkness that comes with the night, for a long, restful sleep. Come morning, it would once again crawl its way back from its den and rise into the sky, kissing the land with its light.

Normally Rain and Marlin admired this thought, and the beautiful sunsets and sunrises, but not this time. This time, they cursed the sun for setting so early. The beauty of the sky was forgotten, and only panic ensued this time.

They would have to run in the dark, and while they could do this in their forest, they only ever were on the edge of the forest a few times, those few times being during the day. They had never left the edge of their home though, even if it was broad daylight.

They would be lost. Right as this thought registered in Marlins mind, Rain suddenly stopped dragging her. When Marlin saw why she had stopped so suddenly, she could have kicked herself for stopping her count of how far they were away from the exit of the forest.

There, in front of the still girls, standing loud and strong in the silent, smoky night, was the river.

The foaming waters of The River threw themselves at the jagged rocks impaling their surface, trying to soften them, as they had the stones at the bottom of the river.

The River that surrounded the forest was a raging barrier. They couldn't get out for the most part, and intruders couldn't get in. So how had whatever clan that had attacked them penetrated the river?

Marlins hand suddenly slipped from Rain's strong grasp. Marlin and Rain had been so mesmerized by the beauty of the river, that they had forgotten how slippery the ground around them was because of the river's tendency to climb up the sides of the path it had made itself, and wet the ground surrounding it.

Because they had forgotten this detrimental fact, Rain had let herself wander a little too close to the river's ethereal waters, and she had slipped in.

Marlin stood in shock when she saw her usually cheerful companion howling for help as she was dashed into tall stumps of stone, and dragged to the rocky bottoms of the river by the currents, only to be brought back up seconds later, screaming louder than before she had gone under.

When she finally came to her foggy, and barely functioning senses, Marlin's legs started moving faster than they ever had. Before she knew how fast she was going, and how angry she was, she was keeping pace with the speeding river.

As all the muscles in her body strained to rescue her friend with every last ounce of strength they had left, Marlin extended her pale arm out to Rain.

Rain tried to fight the currents, and grab Marlins hand, but she couldn't in time, and just as her delicate fingertips grazed the top of Marlins strong, calloused palms, Marlin's legs gave out. She tumbled over the side of the river, and into rushing waters with Rain.

WC: 839