A Season of Fire

Fire, fire, shits on fire

You know fires are incredible; they can destroy and path a new way for growth, and seeds can flourish for new life.

But it also doesn't show any mercy, it doesn't distinguish between innocence and evil, and it'll just kill everything in its path.

***

His nose tingled as his eyes shot open, there was something very wrong, smoke was rolling in through the round window above their bed. Outside, he could hear Lennox braying loudly. Next to him, Anna started sitting up, fighting gravity, they both turned around to look outside the round window. Fenryr pulled Anna behind him as everything around them was surrounded by smoke. He could hear the crashes of the tree limbs and Lennox's voice growing distant. With the smoke starting to enter the room, Fenryr grabs onto Annas' shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

"Get up and go get Seath and get outside the house," He pushed her out of the bed and she headed towards the door.

Fenryr stood u[p and started putting his pants on, something felt off to him, they weren't in a dry season, and ferals didn't start fires.

Heading to the front door, he saw that it was open already. Stepping through it, everything was already in a blaze. Smoke penetrated and filled the air, making every breath hot and ashy as he took it in. Looking through the smoke, he concentrated to see through it but tears filled his eyes. With a loud snap and then a crack, he turned around to watch as a tree, solemnly fell on top of his house, with the flames engulfing it. Eating it as it did with everything else around him. With the thick smoke maliciously invading his mouth, nose, and sinuses, he covered his mouth as a scream penetrated through the air, reaching his ears. Running down what used to be their dirt road, he stopped abruptly when he saw Anna and Seath kneeling on the ground. With them were three other people a woman and two men.

" What are you doing with them," It didn't come out as a question, but no one has time for this and they needed to escape the flames that were surrounding them.

Examining the situation, he saw a tall woman, grabbing onto the back of Annas' hair she pulled. A small yelp came from Anna as she reached her hands back attempting to relieve her hair from the grip. Next to her Seath coughed from the smoke, tears started falling down his cheeks leaving a trail through the ash that started covering them. The woman standing behind them was tall and wore a different type of clothing than they did. It was a sharp uniform, in a shade of dark green, on the left breast was a white circular patch, 'Paece', curved around the outside in gold lettering. In the middle was a dark silhouette of a gorilla Standing as tall as the men next to her, they all wore the same uniform.

Shaking her head forward, her hair was pulled back into a tight bun that didn't budge. Both of the men raised their guns, pointing them at him. Fenryr raised his hands, and Annaliese stared at him, whimpering as her eyes bulged in fear at what was going on.

"What the f**k," His eyes darted around a bit, the woman across from his was a harekin, he could smell it even through the smoke that was growing around them.

One guard was a stagkin and the other a pronghorn kin.

Fenryr was confused at what was going on, these kin weren't ferals. The woman smiled, seemingly enjoying the sight that was on his face, he was terrified for his wife and son, kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind his back.

"Another predator has come to join us," The harekin bellowed, c*****g her head a bit.

Predator? No one used that terminology anymore.

"We have never been predatorial," Fenryr yelled t her taking a step forward he saw her henchmen shift for a better aim at him.

The woman standing behind his wife only smiled at him before grabbing Annaliese by her hair on the back of her head. A yelp released itself from Anna that was followed by the crackle of tree limbs that were being eaten by the flames. The heat was encasing them in a tomb around them as they were reaching closer.

The woman raised Anna t her feet before pulling a blade out from her side. Next to her Seath started struggling against his restraints, his eyes were tear-filled as they changed to dark orange. Fenryrs ears could pick up the different cracks as they broke and took on another form.

"You know that's going t start hurting with your arms tied behind your back," The woman laughed before waving to her male counterparts.

One of the men stepped forward smashing Seath in the back of his skull, and an animalistic howling came from Anna, ringing through Fenryrs ears.

"We certainly can't have any more of your kind bore into this world."

Before Fenryr could even register what was happening, the blade had slipped across Annas' throat. Annas' body fell limp and the woman let it drop to the ground next to Seath. Fenryrs eyes shot down to Annas' body as he watched the blood pool around her and then Seath. His hearing took it to the sound of the guards as they drew their weapons up on him. There was a crack as his shoulders started to fold in and his spine curved, starting to change his foundation.

"Better take care of that," Motioning to the man on her other side.

With his gun already pointed he fired off a shot, hitting Fenryr with not a bullet but a type of dart. It hadn't yielded much effect but he could see a fuzziness eroding his vision. Any progress he had made in shifting started to retreat.

"Think we are going to need another one," The man said reloading his weapon and taking another shot.

Now Fenryr couldn't control anything as he dropped down to his knees. His hands hit the dirt, every breath was heavy and hot from the fire around them. Looking up he took what would be his final look at his family, trying to will himself to move towards them, he fell forward onto the ground.

"Brand him and send him to Tarmau." She said to the two men, to Fenryr it was almost distant.

A minute or two passed, still aware enough that he could make out the crackle of flame and grinding of their feet into the ground. There was no shirt on his back so they were able to simply push the brand onto his shoulder. A sizzle came from his skin as one guard held it down and the other placed his foot onto his lower back. His burning scent hit his nose before everything went black for him.