The night was wet, and the plains were looming. The usually calm, rolling, hills had adopted a sadistic hum. The fog wafting through the area helped ghosts to cause their mischief as they took their bloodless path back home.
Nights like this made Cinder cherish his fifteen years of, thus far, existence.
Cinder Pillar, was the son of a miner who had imbued in him the ability to see the beauty of the world that so many take for granted. Like the wavelike pattern that moonlight reflecting off of an overgrown hill makes. Or the way that if you look hard enough you can see your name written in the stars. Cinder used to stay up late ate night seeing how many places he could see it written, the most that he ever saw was on one particularly clear night, and it looked like there were at least three out there.
"Damn I need a cigarette!" He exclaimed to no one in particular.
"I'm well aware of this," Nathan, Cinder's traveling companion, responded. "You have been whining for the past three miles, but until we get some money..." He trailed off looking up at the moon.
Nathan Witchgrass, was the son of a shopkeeper and was generally getting into trouble for his spontaneity. His rash and impulsive nature, however, made him the best candidate for this unplanned trip away from home.
"What?"
"Huh?" Came the distracted reply.
"...Until we get some money- what?"
"Oh, until we get some money, we can't afford to pay for anything to smoke."
"Well, we could always sell..." Patting his pockets, Cinder found nothing but disappointment.
Reaching into his right breast pocket, on his worn denim jacket, Nathan removed a small wooden box. "We're still plus a box of matches, and minus anything of value"
They trudged on in silence.
*****
Several paths through the hills, the boys watched the sunrise, and silently changed course. Having been heading in a generally westward direction, they were now headed due north, to the only forest cover in the area.
"Man, I hate sunrise," Nathan said, shielding his eyes.
"Meh," Cinder shrugged non-committaly.
"It's just so angry," Nathan Bitched. "It's like it has something to prove. It's all pissed off because people are happy to see it leave, but people loathe its coming more than ice cream loathes warm spoons. The Population of the world and the sun are like roommates, whose relationship has gone sour. We hate seeing it come. We're indifferent, and sometimes pretend to like it, when it's here... And, as I said, we are happy to watch it leave."
"We're almost there," Cinder was pointing off into the trees. He almost stumbled, over himself, in his haste to reach the forest line.
"Back in a flash," Nathan punned, and sat down.
At that moment a rippling bright flash, the smell of pine and tobacco smoke, and a sound similar to machine gun fire, emanated from the whole area.
Thinking they had, for sure, been found, (and Nathan had bolted knowing that he had been followed) Cinder punched the first thing in his reach. This was not a good idea, for into Nathan his fist collided.
"What the... You mindless sack of..." Nathan spun on his heel with fists balled, and trailed off as Cinder began to ready for the fight.
"Bu-I-..." Cinder stammered.
"Hurry, this way" Nathan shouted grabbing Cinder's still extended fist, and pulling him upwind, south and east, for about three hundred yards.
Upon reaching the densest imaginable area of the forest, Nathan took off his jacket and threw it to Cinder.
