Chapter Two – Fiery Friend
'Whazzat?' Jacy thought. He was warm and he could barely see a thing through a dense fog in front of him. He yawned but choked and coughed. Smoke was filling up the tree. 'The Kikwi!' The Kikwi was completely charred and the tree branches holding the Kikwi up were now on fire. Jacy shot up from his bed, and adrenaline rushed through his body as he rushed to the stop the fire. "Oooo-whaaa?" He felt his feet make contact with something on the floor and tumbled over towards the fire knocking the burning Kikwi and branches around the tree. He looked back and saw the bowl of Kikwi leaves that he threw on the ground last night. 'Really?!' Jacy thought as he stumbled to his feet.
Jacy leapt over the fire to get to the burning, scattered remnants around the tree. All of them were completely engulfed in flames and Jacy could not spot a single spot he could grab without burning his hands. He laid prostrate and began to roll over the tree branches hoping that will be enough to snuff out the fire. Unfortunately, as Jacy was focusing on one of the branches, the other ones were still burning and beginning to set the whole tree aflame. "Nananananoononoono…RAHHHHHHHH!" Jacy screamed in exasperation as he began to notice the ever-growing fire. He did not care anymore. Jacy picked up the blazing stick and threw it as hard as he could against the wall opposite of him. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He shouted as loud as possible in an attempt to disguise his fear and confusion with adrenaline. It failed and now his hand was burnt.
Jacy bent down, wrapped his arms around his shins, and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. He buried his face into his knees. 'Why? Why? Why? Why? ...' Jacy repeated in his mind an infinite amount of times. The flames were growing everywhere now. He spotted the bowl of leaves he tripped over, "YOU!" Jacy shouted, "You-u causeddd… ALL OF THIS! HOW COULD YOU?!" He snatched the bowl up and threw it back at the ground. The fire burnt its way into his mind and his eyes glowed from the inferno. He stomped the bowl as hard as he could. "HOW DO YOU LIKE IT, HUH?!" The bowl splintered in half, but Jacy only stomped harder and harder. "HAH! CAN YOU FEEL IT?! YOUR LIFE! SLIPPING! AWAY! HAHAHA-KUUU" Smoke filled his lungs and he choked and coughed to expel the foul substance from his body.
The bowl was completely shattered beyond repair, and Jacy crouched down to it staring with wide open eyes, "Do you like me now?" He wheezed into a whisper, "But don't you worry your little self…" Jacy smiled as he gently grazed the back of his hand against the wooden pieces. "I couldn't possibly blame this all on you…Oh, no...That wouldn't be fair, now would it?"
His eyes shot around the floor tracing all the leaves scattered on the dead wood floor until his eyes stopped spotted the charred corpse of the Kikwi. "YOU! You thought you could avoid what you have done?!" He darted around the room picking up all the leaves he could see and leapt over to the dead being. "If I never caught you," Jacy muttered, "THEN THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" He tore the leaves apart with his teeth and spit them on the Kikwi. "But…You're just too cute! How could I possibly be mean to such a pitiful freak?"
Jacy pulled the body up by its arms and danced all around the flames with the Kikwi humming a song. "Hmmmm-HMMM-HmHmHMMM HMM Hmm HmHMM! Ohhh! And now for my FAVORITE part!" Jacy announced with the greatest grin on his face. He began to viciously swing the Kikwi around in a circle. The arms of the Kikwi dislocated from its sockets and it's body splattered against the trees walls and guts exploded everywhere. "Oh, no! Was that a little too hard for you? I'm oh so sorry. Please find it in your innocent, little heart to forgive me!" Jacy pleaded. "Don't worry! I'll fix you and you'll be ALL better!" He gathered all the guts he could find and began stuff them back into the burnt, torn, dismembered body. "HAHAHAHA! See!? You're all better now!" Jacy yelled enthusiastically as he hugged the Kikwi.
"Oh, man…It's getting hot in here, isn't it?" Jacy stated as he looked around. "What?" Jacy asked as he lowered his head so his ear rested where the Kikwi's mouth was. "Oh? You want to get out of here? Okie-dokie…But how?" Jacy's eyes looked up at the above entrance, but the vines leading to it were now ablaze. "Nope. That just won't do..." Jacy patted the Kikwi's head, "Don't worry, I'll get us out safe and sound!" He gazed to the hole in the tree serving as the entrance. It was starting to glow from the heat, but it was the only chance Jacy had to escape as safe as possible. He walked on his knees with the Kikwi until he got to the hole. "Okay, little guy, you go first!" He placed the body carefully on the tree floor and pushed him through the hole with his foot. "You safe, buddy? Okay! Here I come!" Jacy got on all fours and squeezed through the hole as fast as possible, and met his friend on the other side. "It's okay! See!? You're all safe now! Just like I promised! Don't you worry your cute lil' head…" Jacy cooed as he patted the top of the carcass's head.
Jacy carried the Kikwi over to the center of the plateau and placed the Kikwi thoughtfully on its back. Jacy laid down to its left and folded his arms so he could rest his head on his hands. They looked up to the sky. It was still nighttime and the moon was full. "Don't you just love the Moon?" Jacy asked, "It's so beautiful when it's full…I think we should all remember and cherish the Moon. It's the only thing that shines upon us at our darkest hours. Whenever you are trapped by darkness it is the guiding light that helps us out…Look at us…In one of my darkest moments, it gave me you. My best buddy in the world. I thank the Goddesses for the Moon…Hmmm? You're sleepy? Alright, little dude. Me, too. I hope you have a wonderful night, okay? Good night…" Jacy snuggled closer to the corpse. He could still fell the warmth of the fire. Not from the burning tree, but from the inferno burning inside of him. Jacy's burning eyes were latched on the Moon and he did not let it leave his sight until he finally fell asleep.