*Cloudchaser*
"And those two are the stars my father gave to Leetah and Cutter when they mated." Starr pointed to the sky above us. I ran a hand through Nightstar's fur. He sat patiently between us two as Starr educated me in the stars.
I shut my eyes and took a deep whiff of the night air. My own smell, Starr, the forest, and Nightstar's all met me.
"Cloudchaser?" Starr questioned.
"Mmm?" I opened my eyes.
"We should head back to the tribe." Starr glanced at the sky. "It's getting late. Father and Cutter will be wondering."
"True." I nodded, rising to my feet. Starr got up too.
"Bye Nightstar." I jumped down off the rock we were sitting on. Nightstar cocked his head, but stayed. Starr scratched him one more time and joined me. Nightstar started to bark.
"Shhh!" I hissed, snapping his jaws shut. "You have to stop that!"
"That's like telling the wolves not to howl." Starr cocked an eyebrow at me.
"He's half wolf." I replied.
"And half something else." Starr sniffed a little, and cringed his nose. "Mixed blood. He smells like those wolf brothers the humans keep."
We walked back to the Holt, leaving Nightstar behind us. It was quite a run for us, being only a couple turns of the seasons.
When we reached the Holt, I hoped Skywise and Cutter hadn't noticed we were missing yet. My own father was at the Sunfolk village, where he belonged. So my grandsire, Cutter, was raising me.
I came to reality when I noticed Starr was no longer beside me.
"Starr?" I called, turning. Starr was standing behind me, staring into the forest. "What's wrong?"
**Do you smell that?** he questioned. I
sniffed again. A faint hint of smoke.
**Where's it coming from?** I asked.
**I-I can't tell.**
It was getting stronger. I felt slightly frightened.
**Starr! It's headed for us!** I cried.
**Run!**
I didn't have to be told twice. I moved my legs faster than ever before. I had only heard of fire in the stories, and seen the human's fires from a far distance. But it still scared me.
Plunging through the forest, the smell getting stronger, Starr and I ran.
**Look ahead! What is that?** Starr yelled in the panic.
I was shocked.
**A preserver net?** I gasped.
**Out here?**
I thought quickly.
**Come on!** I grabbed Starr's arm and ran for the net. It was stretched out between some trees, like a real net, only it was solid.
**Climb on!** I hopped up easily. I saw the fire between the trees. Starr climbed up next to me, and we collapsed gasping.
The fire was getting close. The smoke stung my throat, nose, and eyes. But as I suspected, the preserver net was safe from the fire!
The fire surrounded the net. I shivered, and got as far from the fire as possible. Starr was looking towards the sky, and I wondered why. But at the moment, I didn't exactly care.
*Starr*
The fire raged for days. The sky became black from smoke, and felt sad. My entire life father had told me to turn to the sky for help. Now they sky was hidden in a haze.
I was hungry, thirsty, and tired. Falling asleep was hard, because the fire was around us. But as time passed, I could barely stay awake. Cloudchaser was in the same fix.
Ash was floating in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Finally, I gave into sleep.
It was much later I awoke again. The world was total ash. I could barely see two inches in front of me.
"Cloudchaser?" I called, getting a mouthful of ash. I coughed, and covered my mouth with my vest. "Cloudchaser?"
**Cloudchaser! Cloudchaser!**
**What?…** I found Cloudchaser's arm.
**Are you okay?** I questioned.
**I'm fine.** he replied. I could see him this close. I almost laughed at the sight. His normally yellow hair was gray with ash, and he was coated in it. He noticed what I was looking at, and even though I couldn't see his mouth, I could tell he was smiling.
**You're no better off Starr.**
I shook my head, trying to hold in the laughter.
Soon, we were both laughing in our sending. They were open now, so anyone could hear.
**Starr! Cloudchaser!**
I sat up quickly. I knew that person!
**Father!** I cried. **Father!**
**Stay there cubs! Wherever you are! Don't move!**
**Skywise!** Cloudchaser yelled.
**Keep sending so we know where to go!**
**Over here! On a preserver net!**
We both called until it was obvious someone was coming our way. We could hear them, though we couldn't see them.
Soon, my sire appeared through the haze around us. Redlance was at his side.
**Redlance! Skywise!**
We were lifted off the preserver net, and father thoroughly inspected me for injuries. Redlance did the same to Cloudchaser.
**No damage done Redlance.** he announced.
**We're fine!** I announced.
**We were scared at all!** Cloudchaser added.
**That's good.**
Redlance remarked, smiling slightly.
Father set me back
onto the preserver net, and Cloudchaser followed. Redlance and father climbed up behind us.
**Get some sleep
cubs.** Redlance sighed. In seconds,
both grown-ups were out. I glanced at
Cloudchaser.
**I'm starving.** I
muttered.
**Me too.**
Cloudchaser agreed. **Let's go see if we
can find food and bring it back to eat when they wake up.**
**Yeah, good idea.**
We walked around in
the gray ash, searching for any remains of food. Charred trees, Burned plants, and other things lay around us.
**I smell meat.**
Cloudchaser commented.
**Me too…** I
trailed off. The smell was familiar,
but the smoke and ash messed up my senses.
Suddenly,
Cloudchaser, who was walking ahead of me, stopped abruptly.
**Cloudchaser?** I
called. He took a few steps back, and with
his shaking hand pointed in front of him.
I looked.
**No…** I gasped.
***REDLANCE!!!! SKYWISE!!!** I screamed. Cloudchaser was staring.
Seconds later, they
were behind us.
**What is it?**
Skywise asked. Then he saw it.
Cutter was lying in
front of us, half burned.
Dead.
To Be continued…
Logan: We….killed…Cutter…
Colt: A lot more will be dead by the end!
Logan: How…reassuring.
Colt: We don't own Elfquest Yep yep.
Logan: BTW, this is AU, or alternate Universe, if you couldn't guess.
Colt: And PS, some people who are immortal are mortal in our story…and this takes place sometime after The Hidden Years where Tyleet tells about her cub Patch.
Logan: About…eh…11 years just to give everyone a sense of how old Cloudchaser and Starr are…2 years for carrying babies remember…And Starr's older.
Colt: History does repeat itself!