Sorry for not updating in a while.
Tam
Wildwood was in flames. Yellow flames. Yellow flames that smelled like burnt sugar. Which was strange, seeing as how it was trees and plants that were burning, not sugar.
There was smoke everywhere. Tam could hardly see. But he was pretty sure that their grove was completely burned to the ground.
Leila coughed on the smoke. Linh tried to draw water from the air, but it was too dry. "The river!" Kai yelled, before coughing. "Put the fire out with the river!"
Linh's eyes brightened, and she started running towards the river. Leila chased after her.
Tam hesitated, then started to follow Linh and Leila. "Wait." Ruy said. "Stay here." Then he formed a forcefield around himself, Kai, and Tam.
"I forgot you were a Psionipath." Tam said, menatlly smacking himself.
Meanwhile, Kai was asking the more important question. "What do we do when Linh and Leila get back?"
"I'll open the forcefield."
"No offense, but what was the point of this?" Tam asked. "There's still smoke and fire in here." He coughed to prove his point.
"I don't know, I guess it was just instinct." Ruy replied, looking sheepish. He dropped the forcefield.
Kai started coughing, too. "We need to leave. Now!" He yelled.
"What about Linh and Leila?" Tam shouted, panicking, which one caused him to start coughing even more.
"Forget them! We need to go!" Ruy yelled, already grabbing his leaping crystal.
"We can't just forget about them!" Tam screamed. How could Ruy be so cruel?
"Leila would want me to go. She believed in survival of the fittest." Kai said, grabbing Ruy's arm. "Let's go."
"What? No!" Tam refused to back down. "I'm going to go find them!" Tam took off running in the direction that Linh and Leila left in, leaving Ruy and Kai behind, fleeing like cowards.
Linh
"The river!" Kai yelled, before coughing. "Put the fire out with the river!"
Linh didn't have time to think. She just ran. She had to save the gnomes. She didn't have time to question why there was a fire, or why the fire was yellow, or even why the air smelled like burnt sugar. She just had to run, get to the river, put out the fire, and hopefully save some of the gnomes.
Linh started coughing, forcing her to slow down and catch her breath. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Linh whirled around, terrified. But she just saw Leila. "Pull your shirt over your mouth! It keeps the smoke out!" Leila yelled.
Leila pulled her shirt over her mouth, and Linh followed suit. "Which way to the river?" Leila asked.
"I don't know!" Linh cried. "I can't see a thing!"
"It's okay! We'll get there somehow! But we have to keep moving!" Leila grabbed Linh's shoulders and shook her lightly. "Calm down."
And she did. Linh closed her eyes. "I think we go this way!" Linh said, pointing forward.
Leila didn't question her, she just ran. Linh blinked, surprised, but didn't dwell on it and started running. They stopped to catch their breath several times, but never stopped for long.
Linh's whole body ached, and her burns hurt like crazy. Even with her shirt covering her face, she still inhaled a lot of smoke, which made her lungs burn.
They'd only been running for a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Linh felt like she was going to pass out. Then she saw it. Hope. Or rather, green grass, not covered in the strange yellow flames. Leila saw it too, and picked up speed. Linh followed, racing to keep up with her friend.
The second Linh reached the green grassy hill, she passed out.
Tam
He had to keep going. He had to stop wondering if they turned, or if they had gotten lost. He tried not to wonder if they were even still alive. He just kept running.
He'd put his shirt over his face before he started running, but there was still so much smoke. Linh and Leila didn't have leaping crystals, and neither did her.
His bones ached, and his lungs were on fire by the time he reached the river. The river had always been a quiet little stream, so Tam could easily run across to where there wasn't any fire. He splashed his face with water, and spread the cool water over his burns. He'd have scars for sure. So would Linh and Leila.
He wasn't sure about Kai and Ruy. Ruy on one hand, barely knew them. But Leila was Kai's sister. And he had just left her to die.
Tam wasn't going to give up so easily. He was going to go find Linh and Leila. He surveyed his surroundings. They weren't at the river, and there was no one, elf or gnome, around that Tam could see. How would he find them now?
Did they even make it to the river? Are they still alive? Yes, of course they're alive. They're survivors. They'll make it.
Tam wasn't one to be positive. At all. He honestly didn't see the point. But for Linh, he was willing to make an exception.
Which way, which way?
Linh
Linh awoke to someone shaking her. "Tam?" She croaked out. Her voice was hoarse from all the smoke.
"No, it's me, Leila." Linh opened her eyes, and stared up at Leila's worried face. "Are you okay?" Leila asked.
"No. Are you?"
Leila laughed, then started coughing. "I'm fine. I just got up. We both passed out." She paused, then continued. "I haven't seen anyone come out of the fire. It's spreading north and south, so we're clear for now."
"No one?" Linh asked, worried. Was Tam okay?
Leila shook her head. "No one. But I'm sure they're fine. They probably leaped away the first chance they got."
"I hope they did." Linh sat up, then winced with pain. She couldn't move, the burns hurt too much. Her lungs still ached. Leila was clearly dealing with the same problem.
"I wish we had." Leila said, grimacing as she touched her shirt, which was badly burnt.
"Me too." Linh agreed. "But wishing and hoping won't get us anywhere. We need to decide what to do next."
"What do you mean?" Leila asked, confused. "We head west, away from the fire. If we're lucky, we might run into someone who can help us."
"But, Tam…"
Leila's eyes welled up. "Tam's gone, Linh. He probably leaped away with the others. If not, we don't know how long we were out. There's no way he could have survived if he didn't leap away."
Linh sobbed, but she had no tears left to cry. Her eyes were dry. Leila hugged her gently. "Leila?"
"Hmm?"
"Isn't Ravagog near here?"
Tam
Which way? Tam paused, weighing his options. He could go back into the fire. Wait, no I can't. I'm an idiot.
Do I keep going along the river, or do I turn and go the other way?
Which way, which way?
Tam decided. He'd keep going alongside the river, going opposite the current. If there's a river, maybe there's a river of some sort.
Tam kept walking.
Linh
"Isn't Ravagog near here?"
"Linh, you're not serious?" Leila gasped.
"I am. Leila, we have to do something. We can't just wait here until help arrives. We need medical attention."
Leila sighed. "You're right. We need to go west a little more, then south. We can double back and go around the pass after that."
"How long will that take?" Linh asked, standing up.
"If we were fine with no injuries? About an hour. Now? Probably three."
"WHAT?" Linh shouted.
Leila sighed again. "I don't know, Linh. We'll need to stop multiple times, but maybe we could make it work. But first, we need food and water."
Linh looked around. There was nothing but a bunch of grass and hills. "I can try to get us some water from the air, but it's still smokey out, so…"
"Try it." Linh focused, and managed to form two small bubbles of water.
"That's all there is." Linh said, drinking her small bubble of water. It felt so good, and soothed her aching throat and lungs. Leila drank hers, and smiled.
Linh held out her burned, ugly hand. "Are you ready?"
Leila grabbed her hand. Linh pulled her up, and they began to walk.
They didn't drop their hands.
Tam
Tam kept walking. Every once and awhile, he'd stop and get a drink from the river. Before long, he started to get hungry.
Tam had never eaten meat, but he'd starve if he didn't eat something soon. It's either a fish, or moss. Humans eat fish, so they have to be okay.
Tam didn't know how to catch a fish, either. So he bent over the river, and plunged his hands into it. The water was cold, but it felt good on his burns. Something slimy slipped into his hands. He squeezed, and pulled whatever it was out of the water.
It was a fish. It was very slimy and gross.
Do I have to eat this?
His growling stomach answered his question. Tam gently set the fish down on a rock, and began looking around for a stick to kill it with.
He found one very small stick. He stabbed the fish with it. The stick broke.
Well, there goes that idea. It's fine. I'll just find another one.
That's when Tam noticed that his fish was not moving. It was dead.
Did my stick actually work? No, fish need water to breathe.
Tam picked up his fish, unsure what to do next.
Do I just… bite it?
It was a good plan. But first, the fish needed to be more flavorful. So Tam pulled up the grass, and wrapped the fish in it. Then he debated what part of the fish to take a bite of first.
I don't want to eat it's head, soo.
Tam took a bite out of the side. It was very slimy and gross, and it's guts dribbled down Tam's chin. He could hardly even take a bite, it was so slimy. The grass got stuck in his teeth, and the texture of the fish was so weird.
He took another bite. It didn't taste that bad. And he had to eat it. So Tam ate all of the poor fish, except for the head, because that would be wrong, and the idea of eating eyes grossed him out.
That was how Tam ate his first fish. A few hours later, after he started walking again, he puked it all up.
Linh
Linh was exhausted. And hungry. And annoyed. Leila had spent the last hour complaining. Now all Linh wanted to do was take a nap.
Leila grabbed Linh's hands after Linh swayed from hunger. "Linh. Just remember our appetite suppression lessons. We'll get through this."
And they did, somehow. Linh was still hungry. But Linh was able to gather more and more water, so at least they weren't passing out from dehydration.
"Almost there." Leila called out. Linh groaned. "We just need to make it around the pass and we'll be there."
"Assuming they let us in, of course."
Linh was usually not so negative. But this was a rather negative situation.
Leila sighed. "Linh. Stop. I know this is hard, but we're going to get through this."
Both of them knew that she was lying.
Later
They finally reached the gates of Ravagog. There was a river, which Leila started running towards. But Linh held her back. "We need to stay focused." Linh drew water from the air around them. Despite the greenish tinge, they both drank it greedily.
"Let's go." Leila said, and lifted her head high.
The two girls walked up to the bridge. A group of ogre guards pointed their weapons at them. "What is your business here?"
Linh and Leila glanced at each other. "We come in peace." Linh said. The guards did not lower their weapons.
"Please, we need medical attention. There was fire where we lived, we walked all the way here." Leila pleaded.
"And you still stand?" The biggest guard asked, looking surprised.
"Yes." Leila replied.
"I always thought elves were weak. But why come to us? Why not your pathetic Councilors?"
"Because we're Banished." Leila said, staring the guard straight in the eyes. "The Council Banished us. And we hate them."
Tam
Tam was exhausted. It was getting dark, and that day Tam had gone to Excellium, changed the rules, got stuck in a fire, went swimming, walked, and ate his first fish. That was a lot to accomplish in just one day.
Now he needed to find somewhere to sleep. Even though he's walked along the river the entire day, there was still nothing there except grass. Grass that didn't provide much protection or look comfortable. So he was going to keep walking until he found somewhere better to sleep.
All he could see was grass, grass in every direction. And his stomach still hurt from puking up the fish. He was hungry, but no way was he eating fish again. He was also cold. It had rained a few hours ago, and Tam was still wet. Wet and colder. And it was only getting colder the darker it got.
Tam was sick of being outside. He was sick of grass. He was sick of the sound that the river made. He was sick of the fish. He was sick of walking.
But he kept on. He had to keep walking, and the sooner he found Linh, the better.
Bonus
Kai
Leila would have wanted me to stay. Kai had been telling himself that for the past five minutes as he and Ruy were getting treated for their burns.
Leila's burns are probably far worse. Kai told himself as the healer at Excillium rubbed some kind of medicine all over him.
Leila will probably have scars. Kai thought as the healer told him that he would have no permanent scars, that they'd all be gone in a few days.
Leila probably won't be eating dinner tonight. Kai thought to himself as he ate a gnomen vegetable.
Leila is probably sleeping on the ground tonight. Kai said to himself as he slipped into his sleeping bag.
Leila will probably hate me forever.
I hope you all liked the bonus Kai story! I was debating on how to end the story, and then I realized that you never did get to find out what happened with Kai and Ruy!
I'm hard at work on the next chapter, don't worry.
I know I say this all the time, but this really is my favorite chapter so far! I loved making Tam eat a fish!
Shameless self advertising time!
I have a quotev account, for those of you who don't know. On it I have a bunch of Keeper related quizzes, a Keeper Debate Club, and a book of short stories! Go check it out if you want to! You don't need an account for any of them!