In his panic, he runs back to a familiar place. He doesn’t realize it until he’s there, but within moments smoke fills this area, too, and he can hardly recognize where he is. He falters for the first time, and his heart beats erratically in his chest. The silver-furred boy coughs hard, sending sharp pain through his still-healing throat.
Adrenaline has dulled most of his pain for now, but he still aches, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can keep going. He realizes he’s slowed down and picks up his pace — only to slam into something large and furry. He yelps and stumbles back, but through the smoke he can just barely register Sebastian’s scent.
S-seb—
He croaks, voice low and raspy like an old smoker, and immediately has another coughing fit; it’s the first time he’s spoken since he was attacked, and it’s hard to tell if the change in his voice is from the smoke, or something more permanent— some kind of lasting damage.
Sebastian was frantically looking for River but the smoke made it tough. The heat made him want to close this eyes. Then something bumped against his leg. He looked down, other animals were fleeing as well, so it wouldn't surprise him to have any other animal hit him with the thickness of the smoke. But Sebastian soon saw that it was River. "River!!," he croaked. He moved his muzzle down and licked over the top of his head. He heard his name and was surprised as it was the first time he heard the pup speak. "Shh. I'm here. I'm here. Try to save your oxygen," he spoke and then crouched lower to cover him from the heat.
Sebastian looked over his shoulder where the fire was. "We need to move," he urged. He nudged the boy as he took one step. "Stay low to the ground," Sebastian added and started to move a bit, seeing if River would follow.
sorry this is short + late :x i hadn't realized how long i let this one go!
He's comforted by Sebastian's reassurance, but the sense of urgency keeps him on edge. He nods in response to the instructions given, crouching low and trying to take shallow breaths. It feels like he's suffocating, but breathing in the smoke feels worse. A million questions race through his mind, but he stifles them all — he can ask when the danger has passed. So he follows quietly, not making a sound aside the occasional cough.
The smoke clogging the air and shrouding their path from view seems to thicken by the moment. His heart is racing, but Sebastian's presence at his side keeps the panic at bay until the smoke starts to thin. There's little time to feel relieved by the development — suddenly the earth is trembling beneath his feet, and he glances up at the same time Sebastian does.
He sucks in a breath at the sight, immediately thrown into a painful coughing fit. Stay down, he hears over the growing sound of the herd's approach — he almost runs instead. But he feels Sebastian moving over him and he stays motionless, swallowing hard. He wonders if they're going to die — but he doesn't dare ask.
Sebastian crouched over the child as the deer jumped aside or over them, although, it was quite nerve wrecking because they jumped quite late. Some hooved touched Sebastian's back. He groaned in pain but luckily the herd was not that big. Sebastian's heart was racing. He struggled to push himself to his feet. He nudged River. "Go," he croaked and then pushed River gently. They were close to escaping this fire. The smoke was becoming thinner. Then all Sebastian had to do was to find their location and the location of the others. He hoped that River wasn't in too much pain. His herb stash went up in flames.