Gourd & the Fire

The morning had started fine. The air was crisp and dry, the trees were orange. Just as it had been for the last few months. The forest was nearly quiet as Gourd made her way through the trees. The low hum of her vibrating throat and the crunching of leaves beneath her clawed feet the only warning that she was making her way toward her favorite drinking spot. It was a small creek that wound it's way through the forest and the water was always pleasantly cool, but not too cold. The best part, however, was that sometimes the biggest of the brightly colored fish would get stuck on the shallow bed and built up sticks, making for an easy pre-breakfast snack. Gourd's grumbling stomach joined in, and she shook her body in annoyance, her short limbs wiggling effortlessly at her side.

 

The walk ended uneventfully as the carnivore arrived to the small stream. Gourd peered down at her reflection, the glow of her markings reflecting off the surface of the water. She had never seen anyone like her before. Not only had she never met another Carnotaurus, but she'd certainly never met one that gave off light. It had proved to be a blessing and a curse, really. It made hiding difficult, but it did seem to make her all the more formidable and intimidating. A skill she would one day come to appreciate, for now as a lonely child it did nothing but bring her pain.

 

"Fire!"

 

The quiet of her morning was broken, the shriek of another dinosaur pulling her from her thoughts. She lifted her head, water rolling off the bottom of her jaw and obfuscating her reflection with a series of ripples. She did not even have time to ask the oncoming dinosaur what they were talking about when they hurried buy, sending all manner of dirt and leaf in disarray as they did. Gourd straightened up, stomping her feet in irritation as she prepared to bellow after them. 

 

A second and third dinosaur, much smaller than the first, came speeding by, screaming the same thing as they streaked by, barely more than a flash of blue and yellow. Gourd frowned, her annoyance written across her face, the corners of her lips peeling back to expose the sharp teeth that lined the inside of her gleaming mouth.

 

She turned back in the direction the others had come from, the oncoming sound of more and more dinosaurs almost deafening. Gourd leaped out of their way, snapping her teeth at the passing lizards. None of them even seemed to mind her presence or be scared of her. (Normally such a thing would be nice!) 

 

"Fire?" She mimicked them, cocking her head to the side as she watched the shadows disappear further into the forest. It wasn't a word she was familiar with. And why should it be? Gourd had been alone since she could remember. Curiosity peaked, Gourd settled off in the opposite direction that everyone had gone. Her steps were determined, cocky almost, until they stilled completely.

 

On the trees ahead of her was the familiar glow that she had seen only minutes before, gleaming off her reflection in the water. Gourd's entire world slowed down, her breath catching in her throat, as she stared at the flickering glow through the trees. Her nostrils flared, the once-unfamiliar smell of smoke and burnt wood winding it's way into her memories. Her heart thrummed in her chest, a hummingbird beating it's wings against a cage, and she felt as though it might explode. 

 

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

 

"Mom?"

 

Her voice, once confident and assured, is small; nearly a whisper. She can feel the warm threat of tears behind her eyes and she blinks them away with a shake of her head. In that moment she was not the young, brave, baby carnivore. She was Gourd. A little baby who wanted her mother. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her mother's shadow, snuggled up against a curled up tail. She was transfixed by the glow, and in that moment she truly believed her mother was just beyond her view.

 

And she ran.

 

Gourd ran toward the flames, leaping into the burning clearing with her arms up and a smile on her face. But the clearing is empty, save for the fire. It's tall, maybe even taller than her mother had been, and it crackles and pops as it devours the grass and comes toward her. Gourd's eyes are warm again, this time with disappointment and the heat of the area around her. 

 

"Mom?" she asks one more time, taking a step back, only to realize she is trapped within the circle of flames. Her eyes go wide, tail slashing behind her as she spins a circle, looking desperately around the clearing. It grows smaller and smaller as the flames grow larger. And scarier. Gourd had never been this scared in her life. The only escape was through, and she knew it. She steeled herself and rushed through the fire, screaming out in pain as it burned her legs and sensitive spots across her stomach. The pain spread but she ignored it as she ran.

 

And she ran and she ran, until she had reached the comfort of her stream. There in the shallows, flopping against the stone was a glistening fish with scales of obsidian. But Gourd ran on by, the reflection of her glowing mouth too much for her to bare in that moment.