Redtail Rise And I hope that you'll remember me

This is my BWP thread for the fire! You guys can either join this one with your characters reacting in different areas or have your own threads set around the same time. Redtail Rise is on fire and will be completely engulfed by the time the tornado dissipates, leaving our wolves homeless. They must now must flee for their lives! Some powerplay of @Reek here.

It was smart to inform the pack via howl that they should seek shelter. Not long after Saena and Reek hid away in their cave, the wind picked up and lightning began to fork across the sky. The sky opened up and a deluge fell over the Rise. The alpha female watched from behind the waterfall, concerned, but knowing that all storms passed. She'd successfully warned her pack of the danger of the storm and could only hope they'd all heeded it and gotten themselves safely underground.

She padded back to her lover's side and settled into his embrace. She might've taken her mind off things by inviting him to get frisky with her, but the mood didn't strike her. Instead, she lay close and watched the world outside as darkness descended. For what felt like hours she lay there watching, waiting, but eventually she drifted off to sleep.

She awoke to the acrid smell of smoke.

When she blinked, her eyes were covered in a thick film, but it didn't take much vision to spot a distorted flickering beyond the waterfall. She'd never seen fire before. It might've captivated her, but the thick, cloying scent that came with it spoke to her baser instincts and fear, immense fear, squirmed in her belly instead. She frantically woke her lover, trying her hardest not to just give in and bolt, and made to step out into the pool of water surrounding their home. What she saw was devastation: bright flames licked the trees in the distance, smoke curled over their home, and it was growing fast.

"Fuck," she whimpered, "fuck fuck fuck. Reek!" She turned, hoping her lover was still there with her somewhere. She coughed as smoke burned the back of her throat. "Reek! We need to go! We need to go now!" Right now Saena could only hope her subordinates smelled it too, and knew to get out as well. There wasn't enough clean air for her to produce a howl loud enough to reach them here.

Upon returning to the rise from their trip to the plateau, Reek had been exhausted with a capital E. The prospect of a good night's rest was the first order on the raggedy alpha's agenda. While all signs pointed to a brewing storm on the horizen, Reek thought little of it and quickly drifted off to sleep with his lover by his side. For the hours Saena watched in worried anticipation... Reek slept like a rock, blissfuly ignorant of what was to come. Storms came and went, leaving the rise no worse for ware than it had been before.  Nothing suggested that this summer squall would be any different.

Well, until. Reek stirred as Saena frantically nudged him awake, causing him to tiredly grumble, "Nooooo babe— it's too early," in a sleepy stupor. "We can do it in the morning," he continued teasingly, misjudging the situation as always... What else could it have been? Judging from past experience, that seemed the likely answer.  But, frisky thoughts were soon pushed from Reek's head when he noticed the smell of smoke.

It took awhile to fully register what was actually going on in his tired haze. Saena had already made her way out of their hideaway in a frantic blitz and Reek followed slowly behind, passing though the waterfall and into the the shallow pool of water beside his lover.  With eyes wide from panic, Reek tried to speak, but no noise came.  Shock gripped the rangy alpha as he stared out helplessly as the flames began to consume the place they called home. Trees crackled and snapped like toothpicks in a squall... only to be reduced to ashes.

"W—where?" he croaked, eyes transfixed on the flames in the distance as the spread from tree to tree.  His legs remained firmly rooted to the spot, unable to turn away.

Arion didn't need Saena's howl to know that he should seek shelter, the signs that a terrible storm was coming was plain enough on the horizon. In fact, someone may as well paint the words 'terrible shit is going to happen' upon the sky because the signs that had been showing up for the whole day now (was it the whole day? Arion wasn't sure - time didn't really matter to the chocolate warrior) and unless that person was a child or was blind and alone, they should know and sense that something was going to happen. Something that wasn't good.

Arion wanted to stay out in the open and watch the storm, his stubbornness kicking in once more. But when the wind began howling and there were flashes of lightning followed by thunder, along with the fact that suffocating darkness had engulfed Teekon Wilds entirely, Arion decided to give in just this once and retreat to his cave den. It was dry in the cave, and the curious Greek sat by the entrance staring at the storm for a long while, hoping to stay awake until the storm was over but eventually, Hypnos called him from his realm and Arion was pulled into the confusing world of sleep.

He woke up, choking, as thick smoke entered his lungs. Arion's eyes watered as he rose swiftly from the floor and out of the den, he blinked the tears out of his eyes and watched, captivated as the wild, dancing flames of fire spread through the forest that provided everything to the Rise wolves. He watched as the bright flames devoured the towering trees, burning them until they were nothing but ashes.

And he was awed. But the moment smoke entered his lungs once more, Arion tore his attention from the fiery scenery, fear engulfing him immediately. He forced himself to remain calm, however, for panicking would do him no good and think through this rationally as quickly as possible. Get away from here, that was obvious. The Rise was burning fast, and if they didn't escape to a safe area, they were just as dead as the trees. But first, to make sure Reek and Saena was leaving too.

Goddamn this. WHY WAS HE THINKING OF THEM FIRST? Nevermind. He would stop by the waterfall home they had, which he had tracked down by following their scents, and if they weren't there, he would continue on his way to whichever place was safe; if they were still there, he would drag them to safety.

As they stood in awe of the deathly haze that gripped their hard-won home, the alpha pair could do nothing but watch. For at least a full two minutes, Saena was similarly transfixed. The sight of fire was incredible. The smoke that threatened to wrap around her throat and choke her was terrifying and she should've been running already, but the dancing blaze was like a hypnotist's pendulum. She stared, wide-eyed, unable to do anything.

But when she felt a rush of hot air and the flames seemed to race toward them, fear won out. Her legs were like jelly but she turned faster than she ever had before and shouted, "c'mon!" before aiming a sharp nip at any part of Reek's body she could reach. She'd be damned if she left her lover here. She couldn't bear to lose Reek and Redtail Rise, for even though she hoped upon hope that the fire would fizzle out and they would be able to come back home, she knew with a sinking stomach that it would be impossible.

Here lay the ashes of their dreams.

Nipping at him again to ensure he moved, Saena turned away from Reek and took several paces away from the fire. She had the fortitude not to flat-out run yet, not until she knew he was with her... and then she would run harder and faster than she ever had before. But not if he wasn't coming with her. She couldn't if he wasn't coming with her. And if they came out of this only to find that their companions, their family, had not found their way out... then Saena would be hard-pressed to continue living anyway.

How something as destructive as the fire sweeping through the Rise could be so captivatingly beautiful eluded Reek's tired mind. Despite the impending doom lurking in the orange glow growing not so far from their home, Reek couldn't tear his gaze away for a single second. Neither wolf could, and for what felt like hours, all the alpha pair could do was watch in silent awe as the flames consumed their home like an angry beast, leaving them paralyzed by the ineffable grip of fear.  

Everything they had worked for, everything, went up in smoke before Reek's eyes and he couldn't say a word.  Not even a mumble was mustered.  Reek shut his eyes to the destruction and slowly opened them again in the hopes that everything would be fine when he came to.  It was too surreal; he was still sleeping. Eventually he would wake up comfortably next to his lover and everything would be just fine.  But, no matter how many time's Reek tried to shake himself awake, the acrid smell of smoke remained.

Reality finally set in when he felt Saena's hard nip on his hocks. Recoiling in pain, Reek jumped backwards, but it was exactly what he needed to set himself in motion. The fire's spell had been broken— and it was time to get the fuck out of dodge.

Reluctantly, Reek followed his lover southward as fast as his legs could carry him. Away from the Rise. Away from home for the last time. In his fervent scramble, he worried for the other members of the pack and silently hoped that they had made there way to safety. Through the smoke he caught Arion's faint scent in the air. He attempted to cry out for his friend, but all that came was an exasperated cough. He would need to find them.

Arion ran as quickly as he could, ignoring the smoke that was so thick in the air that he was practically choking on it, he ignored the bright fiery flames that leapt for him as he ran down the ridge, he ignored the sting of the burn when one of the dancing flames grasped a paw and bit it cheerfully. None of that mattered right now. Not when he had a mission to accomplish. His first goal was to go to the waterfall den and see if they were still there, whatever happened next would be determined on what he saw. But he knew, that in the end, he would run to safety.

There was so much in the world that he didn't know, so much that he needed to know. He had built friendships that he didn't want to leave so soon. No. He was too young to die. He didn't fear death, per se, but he didn't embrace it either, especially since he had loved ones alive.

Arion skidded to a halt as he arrived by the waterfall, and inhaled deeply which as expected, had him promptly choking on the acrid smoke. He coughed, and his eyes watered once more but he narrowed his eyes in determination and took a few steps forward until he was standing on the edge of the land. He peered through the wall of tears before him and blinked rapidly. No one was there, as far as Arion could see. Which meant either they had left and ran for their lives, or they'd found another place for the night.

The stallion hoped with all his heart it was the former.

With one last glance at waterfall home, and another one at the fiery flames that sought to devour his home and himself if it had the chance and began making his way southward, to safety. He ran as fast as his long, nimble legs could carry him, and hoped it was enough.

Reek's reverie finally broke. He spun around and Saena wasted no time in doing the same. The alpha pair broke into a fast run, with heat nipping at their heels, but their path wasn't destined to be clear. Within five minutes they were running alongside roaring flames and Saena was fighting down the fear that threatened to make her freeze on the spot.

She didn't register much of the run. She remembered when a burning chunk of wood tumbled off a blazing pine and smacked against her hindquarters. She yelped loudly and went down, thankfully rolling her hip in the loam and extinguishing the flame before it had a chance to burn deep. She found her feet again and running, her eyes bright with fearful tears, and at that moment she thought she saw a flash of brown fur ahead. She opened her mouth to call out but smoke burned the back of her throat and she coughed loudly and spurred herself on faster, following Reek out of the Rise and even further south.

The inferno spread faster than Reek initially expected. The woods surrounding the Rise were soon engulfed with cleansing fire. Nothing was safe from it's consumption. Like a ravenous beast, it couldn't be stopped— not until it was sated. But, Reek was far too caught up in his panicked escape to focus on the world falling in around him. Tunnel vision had taken over; a single goal wormed it's way to the forefront. Survival.

The loud crack of a branch pulled him from his trance and Reek turned to find his lover flat on the ground. Skidding to a halt, Reek looked on with eyes alight with fear. He wanted to scream get up, or something. But, his breath hitched in his throat before his mouth even opened. Futile. But, soon she was up, and a wave of relief passed over him. With Saena in tow, he continued his gallop to the safety of the plains.

Breaking through the tree line like bullets out of a gun, they had finally reached an area of relative safety. "Arion!?" he called out with cacophony of coughs. He had thought he caught a glimpse of him on his way out, but there was only one way to be sure.

Arion ran. He ran and ran and ran. He did not recall much of what happened in his escape, the Greek only remembered the burning pain when his fur caught fire. He crouched down immediately and fell upon his side, extinguishing the flame before it had the chance to burn too deep. Nevertheless, it still hurt. It hurt soo much it brought tears to the warrior's honey gold eyes. Arion blinked, rose to his paws and kept running once more, doing his best to ignore the pain.

The burn slowed him down, but thankfully, it didn't slow him down a lot. Prayers of thanks and gratefulness ran through his head when the chocolate coated stallion finally reached an area which currently wasn't the prey of the inferno. Currently. The gods know what land the fire would devour before its hunger was sated. For the first time in his life, Arion didn't want to know.

He panted, his sides heaving as he sought to regain his breath once more, turning to gaze at the rise-the place that had been his home for several months-get razed to the grown. Arion shook his head, allowing himself one moment to mourn over the loss of his home before the indifferentness took over once more. The words of his father crossed his mind: home is not simply the land, but the wolves who inhabit it.

As long as the wolves were still alive, home was still there.

A velvety chocolate ear swiveled when a faint but familiar voice rang through the air. He blinked, unsure of whether or not he had imagined it. Arion just stood there, silent and still. He did not call; did not make any move to show whoever that called that he was alive and...somewhat well. It wasn't because he didn't want to be reunited with them, it was more that he wasn't sure what to do now. The Greek stood at a crossroad, and he didn't know which path to take.

Once clear of the fire and the smog that hung around it, the alpha allowed herself to slow. She coughed loudly, fighting tears as her chest contracted and burned with the force of it. Her lungs would be thick for a few days with mucus as her body fought off the damage from the smoke, but she would recover well enough. She almost seated herself, but hissed when the burnt spot on her haunch touched the ground. She whirled on the spite, alternately growling and whining, to try to get a better look at it.

Her head swung around when Reek called out to Arion and, squinting, Saena glanced past her fellow alpha. No mistake. Arion was standing there in the distance. She hadn't seen wrongly, then. "Arion!" she rasped, relieved that someone else had made it out alive. She began to lope toward him, panting haggardly, in hopes of embracing him. His attitude from the night prior was forgotten for now; she was just glad to see him alive and well!

Pausing to nudge her lover and refusing to look behind her lest the trauma of the fire overwhelm her senses, Saena began to doggedly follow after Arion, fighting off tears with every step.