[Gift] Seasonal | Burned Out | Escape

Moraitz looked at the fire in front of him. It was almost as if the flames danced. Enticingly so. He couldn’t really keep his gaze from traveling over the bright colours.

“We have to run.” He heard the voice beside him, but it didn’t reach him. The green oviraptor was attempting to push him forward but he stood still. The flames had started so small and just a few gusts of the wind had managed to fuel them into a fiery wall. A wall that moved towards them. Threatening them with embers and heat. Yet he couldn’t move. The fire was mesmerising but it wasn’t that he wanted to get closer to it, rather that he just couldn’t move. Shock? Fear? His heart was beating in rhythm with the Oviraptor. It wasn’t until a third dinosaru joined them and pushed Moraitz to the side that Moraitz finally seemed to return to reality.

“Comon Moraitz!”  The Oviraptor yelled as the Dacent pushed him forward. He quickly began to move by himself again, hurrying in the direction they were pushing him.

“Moraitz, we have to get away from the flames.” The light Dacent said. He didn’t even know his name. But the way Sill had shouted at him the Dacent now knew his name. He didn’t mind. He focused on running away now instead. 

The embers would trail them as they ran. The fire spread fast on dry leaves and sleeping trees. The wind helped it travel east, so pure logic told them they had to travel west. The problem was that for some reason the fire kept spreading west as well. As if the flames had a consciousness and were actively trying to encircle them.

“I think-” The Dacent was breathing heavily even if he didn’t have to push Moraitz anymore. “I think someone is spreading the fire on purpose." 

Both Sill and Moraitz nearly fell at the surprising theory of the Dacent.

“Spreading the fire?” The oviraptor sounded horrified.

“On purpose?" Moraitz added with an equally horrified voice. At first the Dacent only grumped in response. But as they got further away he kept trying to talk over his heavy breaths.

“The way the fire is spreading is illogical.” Moraitz looked up at the flames around them as the light coloured Dacent said this. It was seemingly spreading towards the wind's direction, not away from it. It did seem weird. 

“But who would do something like that?” Sill asked. He couldn’t really think of any good reason for why anyone would help a fire like this spread even more.

“Some dinosaurs just enjoy the chaos it brings.” Calamity's voice was dark as he spoke. “They do it just for the fun of it.”

Neither Sill nor Moraitz wanted to ask any more questions about it. It felt like cold water had run down their spine as all three of them kept running. They could never imagine a situation where someone willingly spread fire. Those dinosaurs must have something wrong with them. 

“If they’re spreading it, is there anything we can do to stop it?” Moraitz asked Calamity as Sill nodded and added:

“There has to be a way right? A way we can stop the fire somehow.”

“I think the only thing we can hope for at this moment is that the skies open up and bring the fire down itself.” Calamity almost tripped as he ran, causing the two others to attempt and stop but the Dacent just waved them forward with his head, telling them in a few words that he didn’t need any help at the moment and that they should concentrate on running..

Moraitz looked up at the sky at the Dacent's words. It was hard to see the sky. The air was covered in thick smoke that seemed to cover it well. It was impossible to tell if the sky was blue or not. If any clouds were above the smoke. Sill seemed to have the same thought as him. They couldn’t remember if the sky was truly cloudfree or not. Perhaps there had been heavy clouds above them before the fire. Perhaps not. The stress and smoke was playing tricks on their memory. All they could do was keep running.

“Look over there.” Calamity suddenly yelled as he began running in a slightly different direction. “Over here! Hurry!” 

Neither Sill nor Moraitz wasted any time. They immediately changed their direction as well, following the Dacent.

“Theres a hole over there. A big one! We can all get through it. And if we keep running west-” 

“We can get away from the fire!” Sill finished Calamity’s sentece and he nodded in response.

“Are you sure!? What if there’s more fire behind it!”

“I don’t think there will be. It’s blowing the other way. They might have missed this part or we’re just lucky and it didn’t take! Either way-” The Dacent disappeared into the roar of fire and so did his voice. Sill and Moraitz didn’t hesitate. They threw themselves into the break in the fire and followed Calamity. 

The other side of the wall of flame was practically untouched. It was bright. Filled with life. There was a moment where, if it wasn’t for the roar of fire behind them, it almost felt as if the fire they’d escaped was simply a dream. 

“We made it.” Moraitz and Sill sighed.

“Don’t just stand there. Hurry away from the fire.” They followed Calamity away from the fire. Getting a great distance from it. Until the heat wasn’t unbearable anymore. They could finally breathe properly again.