Elementals: Secrets of the Warren - Seeking Power

Prologue

Ashton froze; the grass was ablaze, the burning flames engulfing every object that crossed its path. The once peaceful warren was now illuminated by a yellow light, and while the sun pulled it off like a thing of beauty, the destructive inferno that stood in front of his motionless body was far from that.

The piercing screams of his tunnelmates scratched at his heart like a fox's blow to his chest; he would be hiding or escaping like the others – if he hadn't caused this.

The warmth on his pelt was nothing; in fact, as the fire drew nearer, he felt the same. He felt no different; he had no burns – nothing. It felt so paranormal and yet he still felt he should be afraid of it.

A loud cry arose from the crackling. Turning his head, Ashton saw the quivering body of his sister who was barely dodging the flames that stood around her, dancing and cheering for their next meal.

Suddenly, a rush of anger filled him from head to paw; what was he doing? Leaping into the air, he dashed through the ashes where grass once laid with the speed of Everwarren, then stopped at the rising wall of fire. His pelt rippled with anticipation as he squinted and surged through the burning flames.

"Ashton?" came a croaky voice.

Without saying a word, the rabbit grabbed his sister and hurriedly searched for an exit. He may have been able to go through fire, but she certainly couldn't. He heard her gasping for air – coughing and spluttering and fighting for life – but that just filled him with more determination. Out of nowhere, he noticed a small gap in the blaze. Without a second thought, he hurtled through, ignoring the sudden heat that ruffled his fur. Still running, he ran to an area far from the warren, placing the doe on soft, un-burned grass.

At last, her eyes glittered; but he knew she was still fragile, as she had taken in a lot of smoke. She started to cough, shaking the ash off her pelt.

"Ashton?" she asked again.

"Yes, it's me," he whispered, "Lie down, Lily, you need some rest."

Lily, who was too tired to protest, lay down. Soon, Ashton heard the soft snores that indicated she was asleep. It soothed him; but he was still paranoid about the destruction he had left behind.

A single drop of rain trickled down his muzzle. He looked over his shoulder as relief flooded through him. The flames were subsiding, the old orange blaze that lit before was melting away into the black night sky. As the rain poured more heavily, the grey rabbit settled down beside Lily. He knew that he wouldn't be let off lightly, but he thought that, after saving his sister – whose powers could easily clear up the warren – he wouldn't be hated.

* * *

Ashton had made his way back home with his sister, walking slowly but keeping his posture up, so he didn't look scared of what would become of his accidental slip-up the previous night.

"Rabbits of the warren, gather round for a group discussion," the booming voice of the chief rabbit echoed about the clearing. With a few sharp glances at Ashton, the rabbits padded to where the chief was standing, and sat down to see what he had to say.

Once everyone had collected around the chief, he cleared his throat and started his speech.

"Yesterday, the warren was in a state that no rabbit would have ever imagined," – at that moment, many eyes fixed on Ashton – "but nonetheless, we shall learn from this mistake, and I, being the chief, shall take it upon myself to fix this problem."

The grey rabbit sighed with relief.

"Last night, one of our dear rabbits, Lily, had been lost in the flames.

"We don't know who or what saved her, but we send thanks to Everwarren for sparing her life, it would have been such a misfortune to lose such a strong, loving doe from our group. Lily, please come here."

Lily, startled at the chief's order, stood up and sat beside him.

"Lily, Everwarren honours you, and that is clear. Your powers are strong, young one, and that is why you pulled through." He turned to her and touched her nose with his.

The doe still seemed shocked. She opened her mouth to say what really happened, but the buck carried on.

"As you may probably be thinking, this fire must be a bad omen-" his voice was abruptly stopped by the other rabbits' murmurs.

"Silence!" Everybody stopped and turned to face the chief, "Moving on, Ashton."

Ashton was scared at the chief's sudden change of tone.

"I think we all know that you did this. It is clear to me now that your powers are not welcome here. Fire is feared by all creatures, not just rabbits."

His face suddenly changed to a sad expression. "So it is, with a heavy heart, and for the good and safety of our warren, that I – I must... banish, you."

A mixed howl of agreement and outrage arose from Ashton's tunnelmates. He stared around as if he'd just been scratched by a fox. His mother stood there, frozen to the spot.

"I... w-what?" he stammered.

The chief squinted in distress and turned around. "Take him away."