Seasonal | Burned Out | Inferno

An inferno. The fire climbed high as it roared throughout the forest. There were cracking from trees as the high pressure and temperature as they fought with all their might to withstand the heat. Many trees had already cracked and fallen. A lot of them had cracked at half their length. The thuds as they hit the ground echoed in the fires loud roar, it made it sound as if there was a thunderstorm outside the hellish orange landscape that was in front of the three dinosaurs. 

Åra, Ära and Öre all watched as the flames rose around them. The heat touched them. Threatened them with its embers as they tried to avoid it. They had seen what started the fire. Or rather who spread it. A Pachy, a Paras and a Tape had all been using sticks on fire to spread it. Why? Neither of the three grey dinosaurs knew and it wasn’t their priority to figure it out. Thanks to the way they spread it it wasn’t just a massive fire. It was like an elaborate labyrinth of fire that continuously would spread around them. 

“What are we going to do?” Öre was trying her best to not panic as all three of them kept close to each other. Åra was scanning the surroundings as Ära, the grey Sucho and biggest of the three dinosaurs were trying to make himself as small as possible as if his size otherwise would entice the flames to go after him first. 

“We can’t stay here.” Åra was taking charge of the group. She had always been the one to take up the leader role if needed. This wasn’t different. Ära laid his hands on top of both Öre and Åra as he couldn’t speak to them. Öre looked up at him. Meeting his gaze didn’t help her feel more calm. They were both quite panicked. The only one who didn’t show her panic was Åra. 

“There!” She exclaimed suddenly, making both Ära and Öre jump a tiny bit at the sudden outburst. She turned around to both of them. “We’re going to have to be really fast!” She sounded confident. That’s what made the other two less worried. But inside her chest her heart was beating heavy and fast. 

All three of them had seen fire before only from a distance. This was different. They were not only up and close with the fire. It was pressing against them. Every gust of wind threatened them with its roaring embers as it pushed the flames ever closer to them. 

“We’re going to go through there.” Åra pointed with her claw. At first neither Öre nor Ära saw what she was pointing at. It seemed to them as if she was simply pointing at the wall of fire. But as the gust of wind took a break it let the opening show in front of them. 

Ära tapped excitedly onto both of their backs as he saw the opening. 

“You think we can get through there?” Öre said, looking slightly panicked still. The idea didn’t seem as great as Åra tried to make it seem. They would have to escape fire by rushing into fire. 

“We can’t wait here.” Åra said, her voice barely travelling over the loud sound of fire. 

Ära lowered his head as close to them both, his tapping on their backs helping all three of them feel a tiny bit more secure in the decision as he slowly nodded his head. His expression still betrayed him as it showed the evident fear he must feel. 

Öre let her gaze travel from Ära to Åra a couple of times before she nodded as well. “Yes okey, we need to.” 

“We can’t stay here. Do you both remember the water?” 

Ära and Öre nodded. They had passed a lake just before they found themselves encircled by fire. 

“As soon as we get out we run towards it and jump into it. Don't stop, just run.” 

“Don’t stop. Just run.” Öre responded with the mantra over and over again. Ära nodded along, unable to say it himself but the nodding was his way of contributing to the mantra in the only way he could. 

“When I say ‘now’ we run!” Åra had to really yell to make sure that both the other dinosaurs could hear her. She counted slowly, making sure that the go would be just as the wind shifted, opening up the wall of flame enough for all of them.

“NOW!” Åra took the lead and as she began to pass the fire she heard Öre yell.

“I can’t, I can’t!” Åra dug her claws into the ground but before she could fully whip around her body she saw how Ära grabbed the other utahraptor and in a fit of adrenaline he used his size to half lift and half push Öre forward. Åra hurried to pass through the opening as she didn’t want to stand in their way and soon both Öre and Ära had passed by. There was slight smoke coming from their feathers but Åra didn’t stop.

“Down to the water! Now.” They all hurried down to the lake and in one swift motion all three of them jumped into the water. The water was cool against their heated feathers and skin. The fire had not managed to do anything other than slightly roast their feathers. But they hadn’t fully realised how warm they had gotten until they felt the cool water. 

“We made it. We made it!” Both Åra and Öre, being smaller than Ära, grabbed onto the Sucho’s back. He could reach down to the lake-floor and could help them keep afloat by being a support in the water.

The Sucho slowly walked deeper into the lake. Keeping his back above the water line so that the two Utahraptors could keep themselves steady over water. 

“That was so scary.” Öre said as Ära nodded his head in agreement. 

“But we made it.” Åra added.

“Thanks to you Åra, you’re the best leader!” They all bumped their heads together, Öre bending his head back to join them.

“Now let's get as far away as we can.” Åra pointed towards the lakeshore away from the fire and Öre didn’t waste any time as he slowly started walking through the water, carefully placing his feet so that he wouldn’t trip on the rocky bottom. Keeping a fair distance still from the shoreline closest to the fire. They had experienced a bit too much of the fire for one day. It was enough. Now the three of them just wanted to cool down instead and get back to their cool industrial warehouse home.