It was happening again. The world was being swallowed by the hungry rampage of a raging fire. The flames licking up everything in their path spreading along the forest ground with eerie crackles. The fire burning fast and bright consuming the exceedingly dry shrubbery. The blossoms which once stood as a symbol of beauty were nothing but burning piles of ashes. Taking with them all the hope the beautiful bit of territory had once held. Amongst the blaze, a form could be seen. His large outline black against the glean of the fire. Panic  threatening to consume him, normally emotionless eyes wide as they searched desperately for an escape. Why had he followed that voice into the flames? What did he think he would accomplish? He'd lived through this once, nearly died. So why had he dove so quickly into the blaze? Throwing out the idea of self preservation all because of a voice he thought he might of heard? Foolish! More importantly, it could become a deadly mistake if he failed to find a way out.

Parting his jaws, Maddox thought about calling out. However as smoke caused him to cough, he threw the notion aside. Even if he could let out some sort of noise, he doubted anyone would come even if they did hear him. He was new to the area, alone and smelled of foreign lands. Not that anyone could smell in this disaster that rained all around him. Heart pounding in his ears, Maddox leapt forward. His body already feeling the suffocating effects of the fire's heat and smoke. His head held low just in order to breath, his ghostly eyes scanning around, searching desperately for a route of escape. No luck... For as the tawny brute looked around he saw nothing but raging walls of hungry flames. I'm screwed, he thought growling. His growl cut short by a flaming branch that crashed down practically on top of him. Causing him to leap awkwardly to the side, a yelp of pain escaping his lips. His eyes closing as pain seared down his side, fire lapping him like a whip. Snarling in anger, he looked to his side. Finding it was scorched with soot, pink raw flesh revealed from the missing bits of fur and skin.

[ Hope this is alright. Sorry it took me so long!]

Anger bubbling in the depths of his chest, Maddox let out another snarl of rage. How was it possible he'd gotten stuck amongst flames once again? What cruel twist of fate lead him here? Cursing under his breath, Maddox suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice amongst the crackle of fire. It was filled with terror and distinctly female. " Who's there!?" He barks, his voice curt. His normally ghostly gaze ablaze with the reflection of the flames. Was he hearing things? Had the smoke already addled his brains? Head swiveling about he attempted to find the source of the 'voice' he could of sworn he had heard. The bite of his burns, forgotten as he searched the wall of fire. Then finally he spotted something. A dark bit of fur, something out of place amongst the fire.

Charging forward, he leaps over the blazing branch which had struck his side. The effort launching him straight towards the figure, his dark form bursting through the wall of smoke. He lands unsteadily beside her. The effort causing his head to reel and his sides to heave. Teeth gritted he blinks his dry gaze at the figure. She was indeed a wolf, her identity otherwise unknown to him. " What the hell are you doing here?" He snaps, his voice a curt wheeze. " Nevermind... we need to get out of here! C'mon!" He nudges at the fae's side with his head. His pale gaze roving around them seeking an escape route. His mind flashing back to this same incident years ago. His mother was then at his side, blinking these memories away Maddox spots a opening in the flames. " This way!" He orders, once again attempting to nudge the fae. Caring little whether or not she wanted his help.


[ Really sorry for making you wait forever ! ]

(No worries! ^3^/ No worries at all~ Thank you for posting!)

The return from the confines of ones own mind to reality was always jarring, and as Abyss struggled to gather up her thoughts, which were rudely interrupted by a well-timed branch, her eyes caught movement. Of course, what with the fire, everything moved, but fire was fluid, ever-changing, yet always the same. No, this movement was practiced, precise, muscular, repetitive...hmm, what was the word? Turns out it didn't matter what the word was, as the wolf that the movement belonged to barreled straight towards her. Coming to a stop almost nose-to-nose with her, Abyss was stunned out of sheer surprise, failing to yelp or even blink. Her jaws were slightly ajar as she stared wonderingly at the figure before her. Large, dark, male; an aggressive brute - her savior. Who in Helidos' name was this?

Once again, she was drawn from her mind as the clearly impatient male - who was much more mindful of the flames than she was - nudged her, causing her to start and emit a half-choked sound. Trying not the flinch away from the apparent rage of the wolf, she began stuttering, "I- I..." Never mind. Now was not the time. Resolving to stay better aware of her surroundings rather than to lose herself in her head again, her own amber gaze settled on the direction the male was nudging her to. "U-Um..."

After a failed half-hearted attempt, she gave up on verbal communication, and nodding at him - a curt nod, much like most of his barked out commands - she leaped forward. Now that she was moving again, her attention back on her body, she was suddenly painfully aware of her surroundings. The stifling heat pressed down on her thick, dark pelt, making her swelter and curse under her breath, finally abandoning even that to settle for panting to try and lose some of the heat. Her breath frequently caught, and once, inhaling a treacherous wisp of floating ash, her body was racked with violent spasmodic coughs as she desperately tried to rid herself of the foreign body. The lack of air was making her dizzy, causing her steps to dodder, and Abyss herself hesitated and second-guessed. This, she decided, was hell. Her final abode. Her end wasn't quite the flower-shedding wonderful farewell she had expected, but there were better ways to go...

However, repeated nudgings from the stoic male at her side made her walk on, all but blind. Blinking back the pain and lies, she stumbled over various obstructions, but never lost her footing. She kept moving, now on her knees, now on her haunches. Coughing once more, she decided to sneak a glance at the support who had firmly established himself as the one in command here. Glancing sideways, she caught sight of a broad face, illuminated in the leaping flames. The smoke made it impossible for the fae to recognize the pack the brute belonged to, but any pack having reliable young wolves like this one must be wonderful. Despite herself, her limp tail wagged slightly.

(Is Maddox calling Abyss dumb? xD That is so offensive- what do you mean, Abyss is dumb?)

Abyss hated this. Not so much the fire flaring dangerously close, and threatening to consume them before they ran out of breath, but the fact that she was pushed to rely on a practical stranger for help. When it was a matter of survival, any port in a storm, but Abyss' flimsy pride was admonished. Dependancy. Sentiment. The words were toxic to the immature fae, and she snorted slightly, shutting her jaws - she didn't need any more hot air, thanks. Her lungs felt as though they were being skewered by a million burning branches, and her body protested with sharp stabs of pain.

Her ears were pressed against her skull, but the one closest to the male's snout twitched and perked up slightly as he practically roared at her to lay low. What? Not only would that inhibit her sight - not that she could see that well in the thick haze of smoke either - but it was an awkward way to walk. Did she trust him enough to obey?

There was no matter of trust in this, she decided, as her head sank to between her shoulders. As they neared painstakingly slowly, she could see the opening better, and with the promise of fresh air came new hope, reviving the fae enough to give her a surge of strength. Her shoulders flexed, and struggling to carry herself on her own legs, she surged forward. It wasn't a great pace, but a noticeably better one than her previous drunken doddering. She was holding the brute back from his own deliverance, and while she wondered if she'd have stayed beside someone who needed her, like this male did, she wished she could lie through her teeth to tell him to go on ahead, she was fine.

Stifling a whine, and holding back fresh bouts of pain at realizing that she probably wouldn't have stayed, as a direct violation of both duty and concern, she pressed her nose into the male's shoulder, a mute appeal for him to leap ahead. She certainly didn't mean to stay back and roll over, waiting for her fate, the flames, to consume her in a fiery blaze; heavens, no. But she certainly wasn't going to restrict the brute, who'd been matching his pawsteps with her own. To encourage him, she was just about to try and start taking lengthier strides when he barked out, "Leave me alone!"

The three words bit into her deeply, and she reeled back with a gasp of pain and surprise. Had he snapped at her? Well, he had to have. There was no one else, and besides, there was only so much one could bother someone before they snapped. What was this irrational hurt that almost seemed to have buried physical fangs in her? A rankling quill, it refused to be logicized and discarded. Of course, why shouldn't he be angry? She wilted under the harsh command, and turning away slightly, her legs swung wider as she attempted to pace faster towards the opening. What was it she was really walking away from?

(Proposition! o3o/ If we don't finish this before tomorrow, what say that we timeskip to when they escape from the fire, and move to another part of the meadow? Abyss will probably head for the closest water body and jump right in before heading for the pack. I suggest interaction there~)

(U-Um, t'was a joke 'o3o Please don't take offence. I know what dumbfounded means, it's just that I found it funny that Maddox - correctly - thought that Teren would never allow someone like her in Erenyx.)

Surprised amber-hued eyes turned back on the ever-changing brute. Was he having difficulty making up his mind? Instinctively, she crouched low to the smouldering ground as he whirled around about her. His own smoky gaze connected with her golden one as he vehemently denied speaking to her. She was baffled for a second before shaking off the momentary void. Who had he been speaking to, then? Did he happen to speak to himself? A little voice at the back of beyond? He had lovely eyes...

Huh? What had she been thinking? Abyss clamped her jaws shut; they had begun parting and a still moist tongue protruded slightly from between her pressed lips. Was she about to say something? She blinked, furious at her inability to prevent her imagination and reality from fusing. It was becoming this confusing cocktail, a poisonous dream she couldn't distance herself from. Her facial expression, changing emotions as a chameleon changed colour, quickly settled on a concerned expression as the brute coughed. The smoke was getting to him, and his requirement for verbal cues was doing it. He was hurting. Because of her.

Bitter anger and frustration at her own incapability, but she watched with some satisfaction as he turned towards the opening. The window of opportunity was quickly diminishing, and they had to get a move on. Abyss had no intention of lagging, and she picked up her pace, her muzzle practically touching the males tail. She waited for him to pass through the trail, a ring of fire, before plunging through herself, into a freedom that was an honest bliss.

-Exit-

(I'll be creating a thread in some nearby area. Maybe Angel's Wake. Will you be joining? Once again, thank you very much for posting with me! I enjoyed it! ^.^/ <3)