Fighting with Fire Book 1: Finding Home

Chapt. 1 Part 3

Sitting down on a fallen log, Lance rubbed his bare wet feet, sore and raw from crossing a rocky stream. It was almost dark, and they still hadn't found a place to camp for the night. All Lance could think about that day was getting home.

Finally, after two and a half years, he was ready to be with family again. Home, the Wayra village, was all that he had ever known before he left. He sat there remembering the dirt trodden paths, packed hard from years of use, with small berry bushes that grew of to the sides. He smiled as he allowed himself to reminisce.

Wayra was home to mostly settlers and traders. The main trail went right down the middle of village, webbing its way, reaching to each log home and trading post before approaching the center. There the houses circled a single peach tree, the only one that could be grown for miles around. People had tried planting the seeds, but none of the sprouts had borne fruit when ready to harvest, making the Wayra Tree one of the only few trees that grew them. One Wayra peach was worth almost three months' worth of work. Lance had only a piece of one when he was little, during his brother's return, and it had been one of the greatest things he had ever tasted.

Lance couldn't wait to eat real food again, his mother made the best strawberry paste from the berries she grew in her garden, but Elder Buji made the best bread to put it on, despite his grumpy attitude.

He imagined walking outside to see his mom over the fire, cooking pies with some rabbits on a spit. The smoke would fly up into the air, meeting all the other funnels leaving their fires. The house being on the second tallest hill next to the Chief Lodge allowed them to look out among the village, alive with traders and countrymen.

As he walked through his memory, he remembered the different smells and sounds from each home. Master Buwick's shop always pounding with either a bang or a clack from his training sessions. Fly's messenger shop, rank with bird droppings, mixed with the heavy lavender from Ms. Gulldin's herb store; Lance and Naira, his younger sister, always held their breath when walking by.

Tree's weren't as tall there as those surrounding him now, but were still sturdy enough to climb. He remembered his older brother taking him out to their secret tree house behind the Chief's Lodge. From there they would run around and pretend to be hero's, protecting the village from bandits and raiders. His brother Fahri would always play the part as the powerful Ranger, and he his familiar. Rengu, their chief, would sometimes join in as a bandit, if he happened to be by that day.

And as always, before it got too dark, Samuel, their father's eagle, would come and bring them home. Sometimes bringing a small pie with them to share.

"I hope you can be proud of me dad," Lance thought to himself, placing both of his feet firmly on the ground. Thinking of his father made Lance feel bad. Bero was a good man who always seemed to know what the right thing to do in any given situation. He remembered how much his father stressed about trusting the instinct of his bond, how the animals always seemed to have a sixth sense for things, and Lance had completely ignored his. If anything he had let his father down. That was the last thing Lance wanted to do.

"Ari," Lance called out in his mind, sensing for the hawk, "I'm sorry about earlier. I just miss home and want to get there as soon as I... As soon as we can"

Lance waited patiently for a reply. When he didn't get one, Lance went on:

"I can't wait for you to meet everyone. Most of my family has birds as their familiars. My brother has Artemis, do you remember me telling you about her? A snowy owl. He must've went way north during his Rite. He won't talk about it though. He can be a bit of an asshole sometimes."

Thunder shook the sky. Lance still didn't get a response.

"And my mom, she's the weird one. Most women in our village have dogs or cats as theirs. She has Nina, a freaking cougar! It's a funny story really how that happened. I'll have her tell it."

Lance had just realized how little he had shared about home with Ari. Up until then he was so focused on becoming stronger and improving, he had shared little to nothing with his familiar.

"Sheesh Ari. I really am sorry. I guess there's still a lot for me to learn right? Could you at least say something so I know that you're there?"

Rain began to fall

Lance was alone.