Ridge stumbled out of the burned forest. His face was covered with soot, and tears ran freely down his cheeks, dripping down and staining his shirt. However, none of his clothes were damaged, and no flames touched him. He suddenly understood the meaning of the protection of the forest, but it didn't comfort him at all.

He collapsed in the tall grasses of the plains, breathing up fresh air like it was his lifeline. After a long time, Ridge looked back. The great expanse of the forest was burned down to scorched trunks, grasses, and black dirt. The place he called home for so long had disappeared within the course of a day.

Goddammit, he thought miserably. I bet it was those villagers. Once I get my hands on them, I'll make them all feel my wrath! Especially that good for nothing boy.

New hate sprouted within his heart, and Ridgedog slowly picked himself off the grass. Drawing his diamond sword, he sprinted off into the direction of the blasted village.

xxXxxXxx

Toby wept bitterly. He was no childish idiot like the rest of his peers were, and he knew exactly what was going on. The moment he smelled the smoke and heard an anguished scream, he knew it was all over. They had set the forest on fire, and killed the forest spirit and the boy.

Fruitlessly, he struggled against his bonds. Iron shackles bound both hands and feet, and even if he was able to get out, he wouldn't make it far before Evan or another guard found and killed him.

Why me? He wondered. Why does everything happen to me?

He sat there in the cold, dungeon cell, moping over the thought that it was all his fault.

Something clanged to the ground. Toby knew it well; it was the sound of armor. Before he knew it, footsteps padded his way. The lonely sound echoed off the brimstone walls of the hallway.

Toby looked down, expecting to see Holmes or another guard. The sound of the boots stopped, and Toby dared to look up, just a little.

He frowned in confusion. He didn't recognize the pair of boots. It was brown and faded, and the leather looked beat and weathered. Buckles zigzagged their way up into a long, black and gold coat.

He looked up a bit more and gasped. The man he saw earlier with the forest spirit stood on the other side of iron bars, glaring down at him. His eyes burned with rage, but his face was dark with sorrow. He looked bent on revenge. Toby looked at the man's side. He gripped a heavily-bloodied diamond sword, and the boy could clearly smell fresh, wet blood. The sight made his heart jump.

"Ridgedog…" he whispered uncertainly, panic rising up inside his chest. "Ridgedog, don't—"

Ridge kicked down the cell door. It fell to the ground with a loud clang, causing Toby to cringe. The hell-faced man walked in and looked down at Toby.

"I should kill you," he said softly. It was a statement.

"I didn't do anything," He said sadly. "I couldn't do anything. Holmes was determined to destroy you two. Normally, he would listen to reason, but something inside of him has changed. He sent me down into the dungeons." His voice filled with panic when Ridge's expression didn't change. "Please! Believe me!"

Ridgedog said nothing for a while, mulling over Toby's words. Toby thought that his heart was going to pound right out of his chest, until he saw Ridge raise his sword. Toby closed his eyes.

"Yah!"

The diamond blade came down with a fury of swings, and when it stopped, Toby was left unscathed. The bonds that held him to the dungeon wall shattered, and Toby was free. He tried to stand up, but Ridge pointed his sword at his throat, making him freeze in fear.

"Who was responsible for this, if not you?" He asked.

"Holmes. Holmes is responsible. He sent the orders to burn the forest." Toby said shakily.

"Describe him."

"Holmes is our village elder… He has grey hair and black eyes. He's old, but he has a lot more strength than you would expect of him…" Toby shuddered as he described the old man to Ridgedog, his eyes growing with more fear as he said more. Ridge seemed to get angrier and angrier as the boy went on with the description.

"I did not kill a man who looked like that," he said softly and slowly. Toby raised his eyebrows.

"He must've escaped," Toby said. "Where he went, I do not know. Did you slay the other villagers?" he asked, indicating Ridge's bloodstained clothes. Miraculously, his coat did not get bloodied. Ridge nodded slowly.

"I should kill you too, and leave none alive," he growled. Toby's eyes widened. "But because of Martyn, I will not harm you."

"Why Martyn?" Toby dared to ask.

"Martyn said that he liked you. Therefore, I will not harm you, but help you." He extended a grimy hand to the boy. "None of your kin still live, I'm afraid. I hope you forgive me, I was in a bit of a rage over the loss of my friend."

"I-it's okay… But where are we going? The forest is burned down, and I don't want to stay in this village any longer." Toby grasped the older man's hand and was helped up. He dusted off his black hoodie and jeans. Ridge looked up, deep in thought.

"Is there an armory around? We can really do with one," He said finally. Toby nodded.

"It's not far from here."

Toby lead Ridge to the armory. It was small, but full of well-conditioned gear and weapons. The village was a hot spot for roaming zombies, and during moonless nights, they would attack. Ridge found a disused rag and cleaned the blood off his diamond sword.

"Get some weapons and some gear," he said. "We're leaving soon."

Toby strapped on a helmet and picked up an iron sword. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to kill that village elder," Ridge growled.

"What are you going to do after you kill Holmes?" asked Toby. He watched as Ridge's shoulders slumped, and the man dropped his fierce façade. He looked battered, weary and deeply hurt.

"I don't know," Ridge said finally. He looked at Toby. "But we'll find out sooner or later. Let's go."

xxXxxXxx

Ridge and Toby walked five miles away from the village before the red sun set above the hills. Ridge looked at Toby. The boy was faring well enough, and he stayed quiet. Ridge himself was still stunned over the sudden loss of his best friend, but he channeled his grief and rage at his goal.

"Let's go, Toby," he said. "We need to cover more ground. Holmes' trail is fading as we speak."

Toby looked up at Ridge. "Can we not have a sleep first?"

Ridge shook his head adamantly. "We cannot lose him."

Toby sighed and said no more, and he trailed after Ridge as he climbed a steep, rocky hillside. When both of them reached the top, Ridge looked out. The stars shone brightly, with no light pollution from any villages to mask the beauty of the night. The comforting lights eased Ridge's sorrow, but it quickly returned after he thought of Martyn.

"Oh, wow…" Toby gasped. Ridge looked down at the boy and smiled slightly. Toby's sword was held loosely at his side as he stared upwards at the stars. "This is amazing…"

Ridge gestured to the heavens. "This is what Martyn was trying to protect, and much more."

Toby shook his head and said, "I can't believe why people would want to destroy all this. This is pure beauty, Ridge."

Ridge nodded slightly. "Yeah, it is."

"My father always said that the stars were beautiful, but none of us could see them clearly. I suppose this is what he meant." Toby's eyes reflected starlight as he continued, "I wish I could tell him how correct he was."

Ridge looked panicked. "What happened to your father?"

Toby looked down and shook his head. He smiled and said, "He died long ago. You didn't kill anyone I really cared about, so don't worry." Then he cocked his head at the red-haired man. "What about your father?"

"He abandoned me," Ridge said quietly. "I never knew him."

"Did you wish that you could talk to him?"

Ridge was silent for several minutes. Then he spoke, "Yes."

Toby nodded and looked back up at the stars. "Life is short."

"It is," Ridge agreed. "Too short."

Then Toby brightened up. "That's why we need to live our lives out to the fullest, right?"

"What do you mean?" Ridge asked, looking at Toby. The boy was grinning as he looked up at the stars.

"I mean, life is short, but we can choose to do things with the time given to us. We have a limited time to make our mark on Minecraftia, so we can't waste it, can we?"

"What if you could live forever?" asked Ridge.

Toby shook his head. "Why would anyone want to do that? If you live forever, you cannot truly enjoy the blessings of life." He waved his hand at the sky. "If you lived forever, then you would be able to enjoy this view forever. But for people like us, we only have a certain amount of times to look up and watch the stars. That makes us want to enjoy the moment more, doesn't it?"

Ridge nodded slowly. "That makes sense. You're smart, Toby."

Toby shrugged. "All Tobys are smart."

They looked up at the bright sky again. At length Ridge said, "Let's go."

Then they saw a bright shooting star.

A/N: Wow, so sorry about the late update! I had the biggest writer's block of all time, then procrastination and finals and all that came up in December. With winter break finally starting, I got enough time to write this up! Hope you like it! Thanks for all the love and reviews! :)

Things will be heating up soon, so keep an eye out! What's the shooting star, I wonder?

Havs, out!