The Elementals

The Madness Begins

"We're lost." I say angrily, annoyed at myself.

We've already traveled past the extent of the fire. We're in thicker woods now. The rain keeps pouring down. I don't mind, but Coal tried to burst into flames every few minutes, kept getting repeatedly drenched, and then finally - after I started laughing each time - decided just to stay glowing red with heat so the droplets hiss off him.

"We?" Coal stops next to me.

I punch him, forgetting about how he's a human heater. He must be running out of energy though, because his skin is cool. "It's not like you were a big help."

"I think I was a huge help." He says, rubbing his arm.

"Okay," I say, turning towards him. "Where are we?"

Coal opens his mouth. Then he says, "Blueberries."

"What?"

He points behind me. I look, and see a bush with dark berries. My stomach rumbles. "You sure they're blueberries?"

"Yep," He strides over to them and pops one in his mouth.

Seeing that Coal hasn't keeled over dead, I practically run to the bush. I pick one berry and bite down on it. I moan softly with pleasure. It tastes so good after having nothing for hours.

"Told you." Coal says smugly, throwing a couple berries into the air and letting them drop into his mouth. He has stopped glowing, and is soaked within seconds. He shivers, clearly not liking the rain. I would make a snarky reply, but I want to eat more blueberries. Then I freeze. I thought I heard something. Like snuffling. I peer around the bush and my heart skips a beat.

A pair of beady eyes is looking back at me.

The bear grunts, shoving its nose at me. Its body is massive and hulking, and its knotted fur is hanging down, weighed down by the water. A bear. Of all the places in the woods, we just happen to come across the one with a flipping bear.

"Coal," I say slowly. "Don't grizzly bears eat blueberries?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Don't move."

The bear comes around the bush and pushes its nose into the leaves, annoyed at not being able to find any berries. I glance out my hands. They're stained with berry juice. The bear sniffs the air angrily, turning its head back and forth. I back away nervously.

Don't panic. Don't panic. Whatever you do, don't panic.

Then, focusing on me, it growls low, deep in its throat. The bear stands up on its hind legs, towering over me. One of its large paws raises, revealing inch long claws.

Alright, now you can panic. Panic, panic, panic.

I duck as the bear swipes at me. I'm not fast enough though. The claws dig into my side and I'm thrown to the ground. My hands splash in the dirty puddles, and they come up tinted red with my blood. I stay there for a second, the scratches burning fiercely, and try to remember how to breathe. The bear grunts in anger behind me, bringing me back to my senses. I block out the pain, and get up off my hands.

"Run!" I shout at Coal, trying to scramble to my feet.

"Not a chance, Flippers." He says, yanking me up.

The bear roars thunderously. I try to run and then trip because the pain in my side shoots through me like an arrow. I'm not sure I can get up this time. I pedal my feet uselessly in the mud, slipping and sliding in the nauseating rusty red color. Coal recognizes my vulnerable state and before I can say anything he spins around and leaps at the bear, which is loping heavily after us.