As Flames Rise

By: Cate Cole

Night had fallen and the sky was as black as could be, no stars had the courage to light up the dark lonely sky. I put my black nose in the air and sniffed, it smelled like ash and burn't wood. The ground was black and scorched my paws as I walked through my old home. The days before the fire were pure bliss. Something I will never once more take for granted. The luscious green trees swayed, full of life in the clean wind and the soft green grass felt like clouds beneath my paws. That night, I had no idea my life could turn upside down. I'm a wolf, a lone wolf. I've always been like this. That night the only home I knew, left me. Winds picked up and the sky turned dark, I could sense something was wrong. Suddenly like a dragon blowing fire, the trees irrupted into flames chasing me and everything around. We bolted for our lives, running, pushing our legs to the finest limit. I heard the screams of animals who couldn't outrun the bellowing fire. We were a mixed pack. In that moment I couldn't feel anything besides the feeling of something blowing on my fur. I didn't know where I was going, by now I was already past my forest and running through other forests trying to find some source of water where the fire can die. I've never left my forest before. I was lost. Then suddenly I felt the fire inch closer. I looked behind and the fire was tailing me like prey. Trying to get me to stumble and fall into its deadly trap. I picked up my pace, feeling the heat lift off a bit but still there. The funny thing about this was, predator and prey were shoulder to shoulder not attacking one another. A fox was shielding a bunny from the ferocious fire, another wolf had a newborn baby fawn in its mouth, trying to keep it from stumbling. And in the moment it felt like we were a pack, we were the prey. And the fire was the predator. I looked next to me and I heard the wailing scream of a baby fawn next to me, falling into the fires trap. My heart sank for a second, knowing whats possible to come. I picked up my speed, terrified. Then suddenly when I felt no hope, I saw a shimmer in the distance. Water! The animals next to me saw it too, and ran farther. Since the start, our pack had grown, tons of animals ran side by side with one goal, to get away from the fire. When we reached the water I plunged in, watching the fire dissolve, coloring the lake with black ash. I looked at it and took one big mouth drooling slurp, it tasted funny from the ash, but I didn't care. I was thankful I was alive, I had survived.

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