Hi All,

Um, okay, I know I said I would finish with chapter 20… I had every intention of doing so... I DID! Honest! But my muse had OTHER ideas and wanted more details… Kelli, my beta and Eli, a very wise and wonderful person thought I should break the one BIG chapter into three or… you know what? I'm not even going to try guessing how many more chapters are left in this story… 'Cause I'll just end up being wrong again.

As always, Special thanks to The Usual Suspects - and their tolarance for reading and re-reading this chapter. Any mistakes are mine.

Thanks to Kelli & Eli for helping me get over a very serious case of 'the waffles'.

Chapter 20

The fire crackled and hissed as it inhaled oxygen, plant and animal life. Before, when it had run up the side of the mountain, it had needed wind to push it and give it the energy to go. Driven by the wind; it had been in the blowup stage. But now it started to create its own wind, it had just reached the crown fire stage.

Flames danced and burned through the tops of the trees. Building, ever building in size with an unquenchable hunger for all things flammable, its thirst for destruction was yet unslaked. It drew ever nearer to its full potential as a firestorm.

XXXX

Hutch clung to Paco's back as Starsky led them away from the fire. Since they were headed downhill, he leaned back so he wouldn't slip off the donkey's back and onto its neck. He could hear the flames crackling and roaring behind him. A jet taking off or a three-engine freight train going by had nothing on the ever-growing sound of the fire as it rose above them. A blast of heat made him cringe. He turned his head to look at it, more out of habit then the ability to see.

Though he did think that - once or twice in the last few hours - things had occasionally seemed to get lighter in his dark world. He was almost sure that he could make out the shadowy form of the bear earlier. That had prompted him to say to Colby he had seen the bear too, as much as it was he backing his partner up the only way he could. Then the darkness closed in once more, leaving him uncertain it had whether it had ever happened at all.

He had been elated when Starsky had confirmed that there had actually been a bear. But he hadn't wanted to say any thing about the possible return of his sight because if it went dark and stayed that way, he would have raised his friend's hopes for no reason. No. He would hold off telling Starsky until he was sure his sight had returned for good.

Paco shifted and slipped beneath him, unprepared for the sudden move, the blond fell off the little donkey. It was a short tumble, but an extremely painful one as he landed on his much-abused arm. "Aaahh!"

"Hutch!"

Hutch felt his partner's arms come around him and gather him up, helping him into a sitting position before giving him a brief hug. Panting with pain, he clutched at his friend's shirt with his left hand. "Starsk-"

"Hutch, if you're gonna say somethin' stupid like 'leave me', don't bother."

The blond shook his head and gave the shirt another firm yank to gain his partner's attention. "Starsk-"

"No dammit! I ain't leavin' ya, so don't waste your breath" Starsky continued to tug on him, attempting to get him to his feet.

"It's not that, it's my arm!" Hutch gritted out through the pain.

"Your arm? Shit! I'm sorry!" Starsky quickly released his hold his upper right arm. The brunet's voice went apologetic for a second. "I thought that you were gonna tell me to… well, ya know, to leave ya."

Hutch flashed a lopsided grin at his friend "Let's quit wasting time and get the hell outta here, in case you've forgotten, there a fire behind us." He gripped his right arm carefully, cupping the elbow in a vain attempt to find a position that didn't hurt.

"Yeah, and I don't want it ta be us as a couple of pigs that get roasted in Mother Nature's luau… here Paco" Starsky released Hutch and once his stood on his feet, hurried off to fetch the donkey who had wandered off a little, made nervous by the shouting.

Hutch listened as Starsky brought back the burro, he stared in the direction of the sounds of approaching hooves but could not make out the animal or his friend. He heaved a sigh. No change in his eyesight. A wave of dizziness hit him and his legs nearly buckled. He managed to lock his knees to remain upright. He silently cursed his weakness. If he weren't injured and ill, they would make better time.

"Hey partner, got your ride right here… c'mon, get on."

Starsky boosted him from behind and he slung his long leg over Paco's back. Hutch's spine and the donkey's spine connected roughly, sending a shaft of pain through his back. There was no time to complain as a wave of heat hit them once more, reminding him that there was a far greater danger from the flames than a slow death by being sawed in half by a narrow donkey's spine.

They hurried away as quickly as they could down hill away from the fire. At the reminder of the fire, Hutch remembered Colby. "Starsky… what happened to Colby? Did the bear-?"

"No, the fire got 'im"

"Oh" The clipped response to his question prevented him from asking more. Death by fire… what a horrible way to go… Though, he just couldn't seem to find it in himself to be too upset by it. It still might be their fate as well as the roar of the fire behind them swelled. Another thought hit Hutch "D'you know where to go?"

"Nope"

"Then where're we goin'?"

"Downhill"

"Why?"

"To get away from the fire! Christ! Stop with the damn questions! What are you, five? Wag said that 'only bears and fire run faster uphill', so we're heading downhill. I found you near a stream… there has to be a river or something down there, somewhere. I'm all turned around… I can't tell which way that stream was and it doesn't matter if I did. The fire isn't leaving us any choice. We have to go down; it's all we can do. Unless you have any better ideas."

Hutch knew his friend wasn't really angry with him or his questions. Starsky was frustrated and worried. He could feel Starsky's eyes on him and he shook his weary head. He didn't have any better ideas.

XXXX

Paco could sense the fear and confusion in the humans. It made him even more afraid. The flame monster was gaining on them and the human beside him was growing frantic. The little burro was not used to such emotions from people, normally they seemed quite calm and in control.

He sniffed the wind as it rushed past him and towards the fire. He detected a hint of water in the air, which reminded him how thirsty he had become. He had not had a drink since he had left his home. He made a decision at that moment to head for the water. Many of the forest creatures were headed that way as well. He could easily see and hear them in the woods all around them. He pulled on the lead rope that the walking human was hanging on to; attempting to go in the direction that instinct was telling him to go.

"Hey! Where d'ya think you're goin'?" The walking man tugged on the lead.

Paco just kept going towards the water and each step towards it felt more 'right' then the last. He dragged the human several steps before stopping.

"Give him his head" The ill human with the soft voice spoke to the walking human.

XXXX

"What?" Starsky looked over his shoulder at Hutch.

"Give him his head." The blond repeated.

Starsky's eyebrows knitted in confusion "What d'ya mean 'give him his head'? It's still attached to his neck." He tried to pull the burro to the left.

Paco locked his knees and leaned back on belt-turned-lead rope. Clearly saying without words –No!

Starsky was snapped forward by the little burro's sudden move. "C'mon dammit! You don't wanna burn ta death, do ya?" he threw himself backwards, digging his heels into the ground and straining on the lead, while wondering just how he had gotten himself in a tug-o-war with a donkey.

The burro suddenly dropped his hunches, nearly sitting down; the action pulled Starsky off his feet and slammed him into the donkey's chest. Starsky stood back up and gave the beast an indignant look. "Why I oughta-" he raised his hand as though to strike the stubborn creature.

The burro stood back up and flopped his ears off to the sides, clearly not feeling the least bit intimidated or threatened by the cranky human.

Starsky dropped his arm back down, put his hands on his hips and simply glared at the unimpressed animal. With his peripheral vision, he could see as Hutch adjusted his seat on the donkey, having somehow managing to stay on during the tug-o-war incident.

After he settled, Hutch spoke "Let Paco go in whatever direction he wants. Animals have good self-preservation instincts. He seems to want to go a certain direction; he won't take us into danger. He's trying, just like we are, to escape. I've heard of horses getting out of wild land fires unscathed before, even carrying their riders – as long as the rider let the horse chose the route." The blond was showing more vigor at that moment than he had in a long while.

"Fine, you had better be right about this Hutch" Starsky left the obvious unsaid. If his friend was wrong about this, they were all goners. He released his hold on the lead and gave it to Hutch, who held it loosely in his hand. Paco trotted off down the slope with Starsky right behind him.

XXXX

The fire was growing ever larger; it was a true firestorm now… flames raced from tree to tree, burning each from trunk to crown. The pre-dried wood burned like a lit box of matchsticks. Anything in its path was fodder for its mindless hunger. Its appetite knew no bounds, set free of its original need for wind to give it strength; it now created its own. The fire was a restless, mindless thing and the wind it created howled madly.

It sucked in great gulps of air as the heat of the fire generated convection, pulling in cooler air from all sides around it. It howled at its success and continued its rampage. The fire could run in any direction now, not just away from the wind, as it had before.

Air tanker water drops would have no effect on such a large blaze, as the water would evaporate long before reaching the fire. A heavy rain, prolonged rain could put it out. But it was a drought year and there was no rain predicted for days. The only thing that could stop it now was lack of fuel. But it had plenty of that in the dry, dense forest

Nothing could stop it now.

XXXX

Starsky looked over his shoulder and gasped. The fire was gaining on them. He stumbled to a halt and simply stared at the flames. They were mesmerizing. They way they danced and blossomed like dangerous flowers. A spark landed on him, burning him back to reality. He turned and ran after his partner.

Their trip wasn't a straight down the mountainside. There were gullies and draws to cross, for every downhill section there seemed to be two uphill ones. Trailing behind Paco, on the uphill portions, Starsky had taken to grabbing Paco's broom tail and hanging onto it to aid his climb. If they ever got out of this mess, the valiant little donkey deserved a metal.

As they crested another rise, Starsky stumbled, fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air. His lungs strained to glean oxygen out of the smoke he inhaled; his leg muscles quivered and ached with pain. Burning embers dropped all around them, swirling in the near hurricane force wind. He lifted his head and looked out through his sweaty bangs. Paco was still moving, trotting off without him. Hutch was slumped over and looking perilously close to falling off. Not to be outdone by the burro and determined to save his friend, Starsky struggled to his feet and staggered on.

His world had long since turned in to a red haze of exhaustion. Starsky stumbled along, knowing little but the need to press on and to hold on tightly to Paco's bristly broom tail. Heavy smoke, heat and flames chased the trio, a relentless multi-headed monster in a horror show made real.

Starsky could hear nothing over the sound of the pursuing fire. The roar was constant and the air was thick with smoke and embers. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to think. He forced himself to continue, Hutch needed him.

He nearly missed it; the splash of water had to be imagined, for his tongue had stuck to the roof of his mouth at some point in time and he was certain it would stay there permanently. Starsky barely registered the wet on his feet and legs. It wasn't until the cool mountain water touched his groin did he notice the change in his circumstances. "Damn, that's cold!" He hissed.

He blinked and became more aware of his surroundings. He was standing in a large stream nearly thirty feet across. Paco waded in chest deep, than stopped and dropped his head, his muzzle dipped low enough to touch the water's surface. His front legs were splayed and his sweat soaked sides heaved.

Starsky released the burro's tail and staggered next to the tired animal's side just in time to see Hutch slide off the opposite side and into the water. "Hutch!" He slogged to his friend's side and pulled the blond's head out of the water. Thankfully, the stream was slow and the current was barely noticeable.

He stumbled on a rock or some other item in the stream, his butt hit bottom and the water came up to his shoulders, so he stayed that way. He pulled Hutch in front of him, letting the limp, blond head rest on his shoulder. Cool water flowed over them and Starsky indulged himself in a few handfuls of water. He'd never had water that tasted so good before.

Somewhat revived, Starsky looked about and saw a world on fire... they were trapped in Hell. Flames soared high over their head and embers rained down on them, hissing when they hit water. He could not see the sky above them; it had all turned into fire. It was an eerie mixture of yellows, oranges and reds. The noise the fire made was nearly indescribable, it was a mixture of roaring wind, snaps, crackles and pops that sounded like gunshots.

Near hurricane winds, whipped his curly locks about, drying them. A tongue of flame shot snake-like across the surface of the water, forcing Starsky to duck under the water, along with his unconscious partner, he slapped his hand over the blond's mouth and nose as he sank beneath the surface. After several seconds under water, he cautiously surfaced and lifted Hutch's head out of the water.

As he blinked the water from his eyes, something bumped into them from behind and Starsky looked about to see what it was. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of a large light brown bear. He froze. There was nowhere to run and there was nothing he had that could fend off the animal.

It turned its massive head and looked him dead in the eye. Starsky held still, fearing that a single movement could trigger an attack. The bear held its position for several pulse pounding seconds before moving away a few feet.

After releasing the breath he didn't know he had been holding, the brunet noticed that the steam was full of different animals. He spotted coyotes, elk, deer, raccoons and rabbits among the animals that were huddled in the water around them. He realized than that a strange truce of sorts had been called, for a far more dangerous predator loomed, threatening them all.

Starsky wondered briefly if this bear was the same bear that had chased Colby and decided that it was. He thought back to when he and Hutch had first been running from Colby -Had that been just been this morning? - And he remembered finding the dead bear cub… was that the reason the bear had stalked John and not them? Because he had killed its cub?

Starsky was about to dunk underwater again when he noticed Paco's ears were smoking. The poor burro shuddered in pain, but did not move. So he cupped his free hand and splashed water on the burro's head and ears. He could have sworn that Paco had a look of relief and gratefulness on his long furry face.

Starsky alternated between splashing Paco and dunking his and Hutch's heads under water to keep their hair from burning. In the spare moments that he had, his eyes would again and again scan the surrounding forest stunned each time he looked, for it seemed like the whole world was an unending ablaze.

The heat was so intense, nearing or exceeding two thousand degrees; the water began to heat up at the surface to near bathwater warmth. Occasionally, a dead animal floated by along with charred bits of wood that had fallen into the stream.

Starsky grew ever more exhausted and was running on sheer will power by the time Hutch started to rouse out of his stupor. His blond head twitched and his eyes fluttered. Starsky was relieved; he didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. The fire had finally past, for the most part. Very few trees remained. Most had been reduced to blackened trunks, which still smoldered and burned. Smoke rose from black holes snaking into the ground where tree roots had once been.

Using the last of his bit of strength, a worn out Starsky dragged his friend onto the bank of the stream and collapsed on the warm, muddy bank. Once he was sure that Hutch was safely out of the water, he gave into his fatigue and slipped into an exhausted sleep. He did not see the wild animals' slow departure into the wasteland that had once been their home, their strange truce still in effect.

TBC

Author notes: The occurrence of animals and people sheltering together in water to escape fire has happened. I read about it in survivor accounts from the Great Peshtigo Fire 1871, Wisconsin. The Peshtigo Fire started on the evening of October 8, 1871. This was at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire. Between 1,200 and 2,400 people died in the Peshtigo Fire. The death toll in Chicago was about 250. The Peshtigo fire was categorized as a firestorm.