Alone

Three

Warning: This chapter contains some description of wounds and death. Read at your own discretion.

Dart's consciousnesses returned to her in waves. At first, she didn't know what to make of the strange bursts of feeling, and just continued to lay on the ground. It was a long time before she was able to pick apart the sound of water and the sound of wind, or the feelings of laying on cold Earth and yet being warm. Finally, she opened her eyes.
The first thing Dart saw was the furry face of Twist. Her features were slack, and Dart assumed she was unconscious. The second thing Dart saw was blood. Twist's legs were caked in the red liquid, although it looked like it had dried. Twist's legs were also baron of fur, and angry red wounds were spotted all over them. Dart inhaled sharply and leapt to her feet. Her cold muscles protested, and Dart winced as a bolt of pain shot though her. She stumbled slightly, then righted herself and looked at her sister. Twist was in bad condition. Her legs and stomach looked scorched, as if she had run through fire.
She probably did, Dart realized, all the memories of the previous night flooding back. She choked back a sob.
Oh god, Twist... She looked her sister up and down, trying to figure out which wounds were the worst. None of the swelling marks on Twist's skin looked different. They all looked awful. Dart realized with a sudden panic that Twist was totally still. She crouched low and looked at her, checking for any signs that she was actually still alive. Dart shook with relief when she noticed Twist's chest rising and falling. She wasn't gone.
Dart stumbled back as Twist suddenly broke into a couching fit, her body shaking. Dart wanted to speak, ask if she was okay, but she found she could muster no words.
Twist coughed for what seemed like forever before it dissipated into heavy wheezing. Her pale green eyes were glazed over, and overall she looked awful. Dart let out a violent sobbing noise before falling to the ground beside her sister and gently pulling her close.
"T-T-Twist..." she managed to say through her tears. Twist said nothing in response, and instead curled closer to her sister. They stayed that way for a long moment, as if the only thing that mattered was each other.

...

Twist held her sister close. She didn't look anywhere else but Dart's face. She refused to look at herself. She feared that once she saw what the fire had done to her, she might never be able to look away.
"Why..." Dart spoke at last. "What.." Twist heard her sister sobbing. "What happened to you?"
Twist thought back to the night before. She thought about when Dart had fallen down and not gotten up. She thought about when she had thrown herself into fire to save her. She thought about the pain that came after.
"I just got a little burned." Twist replied, trying for a light tone. It came out strained instead.
"Y-you did not get a little b-burned!" Dart sputtered, stumbling over her words.
Twist let herself smile a little. "You worry too much."
Dart let out a choked laugh. "I worry just enough."

...

After another long while of speaking soothing words to each other, the two sisters decided to look around themselves. Pale ashes floated in the air, landing on stream water and drifting away. All visible plant life had been scorched away, no trace left behind. The old birch trees that had grown around the stream were covered with ugly black patches, their bark burned away by the fire's rampage.
There was nothing left.
"Oh god.." Twist murmured. "Our home..." Dart frowned.
Their home was gone, wasn't it? But that shouldn't be a huge issue, should it? They could find another one. Dart lashed her tail. We can find another den. We can't find another home. They had been born and raised here. They had bonded here. Every single fond memory Dart could recall involved this place.
Including the last one she had of her mother.
It was a peaceful autumn day, leaves of spectacular colours coating the forest floor. Dart ran among them, jumping up and down. She let out a bubbly laugh.
"I love fall!" She announced to no one in particular. "It's so much fun!" She hopped around for some time, giggling at the crunch of the leaves beneath her paws.
Then, a shrill yowl it through the air. All of Dart's pleasure evaporated into fear. She knew that sound. It was the scream of her mother. Dart ran, following the noise. She knew Twist had been with mom. She knew they were off hunting. Another screech cut through the air. She knew that she wouldn't like whatever she was going to find.
Dart finally skidded to a stop. She wasn't sure what she was looking at, but it was horrible. Her mother's throat was dripping with thick blood, and tears fell from her eyes. A thin, shiny wire was looped around her neck, digging into her flesh. Twist was watching, looking more helpless and afraid than Dart had ever seen her. She turned her head as Dart approached, and spoke in a shaky voice,
"I- I don't know what happened.. it was so f-fast.. I.."
Twist took a shaky breath and then fell silent. Dart nodded, then turned to their mother. She seemed to be coughing and spitting saliva. No. Dart took a second look. She was coughing up blood. Dart moved close to her mother, looking on helplessly as she spat the red liquid everywhere.
"M-mom.." she said quietly. "I don't know what to do.."
Her mother turned her eyes to Dart, her gaze growing distant.
"L-listen to me." She said in a strained voice. "Take care of your sister."
She broke off, gasping and coughing again. Dart winced as fat drops of blood landed on her fur.
"Please.." she sank to the ground, her eyes rolling back. Dart stepped away from her mother.
"M-mom?" Her mother said nothing.
"MOM!" Dart screamed. "WAKE UP!" She inhaled and exhaled sharply, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her mother's last words echoed in her mind over and over. Take care of your sister. Dart turned around and looked at Twist. She looked horrified. Fat tears fell from her eyes, and she started to sob. Dart forced her feet to move away from her mother and towards Twist. She forced her own tears back and used her tail to wipe away Twist's. She forced herself to sit down there, and not move towards her mother again, no matter how badly she wanted to. She did it because of Twist. Because Twist was her responsibility now. Because she had no one else anymore. Because she had to take care of her sister.

"Dart?" Twist nudged Dart's cheek, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"You're crying." Twist looked at Dart's wet cheeks with concern.
Dart realized that while she was caught up in her memories, she had started to cry. She forced her tears back and smiled.
"Just some ashes in my eye."