Fire


Rating: PG-13 due to violence
Notes

Singing filled the air, floating over the leaf-covered treetops, blending together with the sweet song of the birds and the sigh of the wind to form one haunting melody that rose up above the city into the sky above. The fresh scent of flowers mixed with the earthy smells of the forest, of the tall trees and the brush covered dirt. Brown and gray from the trees and cool rocks jutting up from the moist ground were dotted with the bright colors of opening blossoms of every kind, whites and blues resting against vivid greens and reds. Soft moss grew against the smooth rock faces and rough bark. The quiet rush of a small stream bubbling through the trees rose up into the music filling the air as he approached it. The crackle of leaves and snap of twigs joined the melody, fitting into the music in perfect synchronization.

He soon reached the stream, the cool, clear water softly running over the rocks at its bottom. He knelt next to it, sitting with his back against a tall willow tree, and closed his eyes, listening to the music of nature. The willow stood silent behind him, her long branches sheltering him as she weeped. A giant oak tree stood next to the willow, tall and strong, guarding his post over the other trees. Several others stood at this spot in the forest, each with their own task to carry out, each with their own personality.

It was peaceful and calming to sit there against the oak, watched over by all of the tall sentinels towering over him, surrounding him with their strong bodies. His long, pointed ears brushed against the bark as he turned his head and quietly raised a hand. There was a soft flutter of wings and a quiet twitter of bird song that rose above all of the others, and then a small red bird perched on his finger, showing him his brilliant scarlet plumage. The bird stared at him with beady black eyes, knowing and filled with the wisdom that all creatures of the forest bore. He seemed to know everything that was going on in his head, every emotion that he, both knowingly and unknowingly, felt. The creature simply stared at him for a moment, as though listening to something, and then turned his head so that one eyes looked directly at him, his eye glaring at him, and yet sympathetic and, for a moment, he thought fear had joined in as well. He only looked back with a bright green eye, staying silent, refusing to listen to the message the bird was trying to tell him.

After a moment, the bird ruffled up his feathers in aggravation, then leaned forward. He lifted his hand so that the bird could touch his face with the side of his smooth, yellow beak, and the bird held it there for a moment. Then the bird leaned away, staring once more into his eyes. He let out a soft, mournful note of song that, quiet as it was, rang out above all of the music that drifted around them, a sound of loss and disappointment, and also a note of hope, thin and wavering amongst the sadness. With this note still hanging in the air, though the bird had long stopped singing it, he stretched his wings and flew off over the stream into the forest beyond it.

He watched it go with a sense of longing to fly free, to escape from the torment he was given every day. This stream, the oak and willow, everything in this place was perfect to him, a place to get away from his troubles, a place of peace and tranquility. No one bothered him here, and in a sense, here he was free, but, he knew, only until he went back among his people, back into the forest city he had grown up in. He did not belong there, and despite others attempts to ignore this fact, it still existed. He was different, and nothing could change that.

For a moment he let his mind wander, pushing it away from unpleasant thoughts. As he sat against the willow, her branches reaching out to shade him from the high sun, he became completely at peace with himself and the world around him. He could sense every being, every life form that existed in the space, knew every personality. He let himself sink into his mind, becoming one with the land and creatures on it. He was one with the willow, one with the oak, one with the birds, all one and the same, a flowing chain of life that supported each other to survive in the forest. This was the true song of nature that he listened to now; the whispers of trees as they spoke to one another, the rustle of leaves as they danced about in the breeze, laughing softly as they were carried about in her arms. This was what he came here to hear. He sat, his back resting against the bark of the willow, simply listening for what could have been several hours or days or years. Time was of no importance.

Suddenly, he heard a scream of anguish coming from one of the birds. The soft, calm music suddenly broke up into a melody of urgency, flowing together, searching for the source of the sound. Another scream, a whistle of terror and pain, echoed in his head, louder than before. He sat rigid, searching through the trees with his mind for the poor creature. A third scream rang out, growing louder and louder in strength until it became a piercing shriek, and then cut short as it reached its climax. Sorrow and dread filled his heart and he opened his eyes, afraid of what he might see.

When his eyes rested on the lifeless creature next to his hand, its pure red feathers mangled and twisted, beak open in an attempt to seize another breath of air, shiny eyes blank and empty of emotion, he let out a sob. A tear, salty and wet, left a small trail in its wake as it rolled down his cheek to fall on his shirt. Tenderly, he reached down and scooped up the tiny bird in his hands, cradling it between his long, pale fingers, caressing its scarlet feathers. He wished he had listened to the bird before rather than ignoring it. Now he would no longer have a chance to thank the unfortunate creature for his attempt at warning him or telling him of something, a something he now could know nothing about. Another tear rolled down his cheek and landed on the bright feathers of the bird.