Deru's Scars - Chapter Two

Chapter Two - Tragedy Revisited

Deru faded in and out of consciousness as he relaxed comfortably in his sleep.  The warmth of his cloak faded as he rolled onto his back and it fell open to either side of his furry chest.  He breathed slowly as he looked up into the blue sky, blinking rapidly to adjust to the morning.

He could smell something unusual- smoke.  At least, he thought he thought he smelled smoke.  He reached over and grabbed his belt and started toward the courtyard door while fastening it around his hips.  He was careful to fasten it slightly higher, though, to leave adequate room above his sheath for comfort.  As soon as he walked through the courtyard door, he closed it behind it him, being sure to lock it as well.  He made his way across the room to the main door and as he was about to open it, he heard someone pounding against it hard.

“This is an evacuation notice!  The city is on fire- all citizens are urged to evacuate while it is being controlled!”

Deru opened the door to greet the official, who was already running to the next house.  Noticing the man’s haste, he exited his house and locked the door. 

Looking southward, he could see in the distance the thick, black smoke clinging to the buildings of the city, blotting out the flames burning beneath.  The sight reminded him of a distant memory- a memory he could not fully recall- and he paused, lost in thought.

His senses were heightened- he could hear and smell everything within the mile around him, his vision broadened and sharpened.  He was completely aware of his surroundings, yet his thoughts were gone.  He no longer dwelled on his memories, nor did he try to think about what was going on. 

He knew he had to escape the city, though was not sure why.  It was not because the official had recommended that he do so, and it was not because the city was in any real danger- this type of minor fire would be contained in a matter of hours.  There was just something about the fire itself- something he could feel, beyond what he sensed, which was familiar to him.  He was afraid of how he felt.

As his thoughts returned to him, he shook off the unusual feelings and concentrated on what he must do.  He turned northward and started walking along the street toward the city gate.  There were people running his same path, some faster than him and some slower.  Most of the people in the city were human as the other anthros preferred to live in a less discriminating community; humans in their cities are not completely accepting of them.

Deru saw a little boy stumble and fall in the roadway and slowed slightly as he walked by.  As he passed the boy, however, he noticed that the boy did not stand up, and that he was crying.  He kept on walking, though, but for only a few more yards, then he paused.  He thought about ignoring it but turned to the boy and held down his paw.

“Come, little boy, the officials at the gate will be able to help you.”

Despite Deru’s efforts to speak in as friendly a tone as possible, the boy was still afraid by his wolfy appearance.  The little boy, however, reached up and grabbed the furry paw, which lifted him to his feet.

“Thank you … …”

The boy did not seem to know what to call him, so he turned and started walking toward the gate, turning a few steps past Deru to see if he was following.
Deru smiled softly and followed the boy, still holding his hand in his paw gently. 

“My name is Deru.”

“I am Ethan.”

“Where are your parents, Ethan?”

“They were in the big group of people before they got pushed away and I lost them and could not find them.  I think they were going this way though so I was going this way also to find them if I could.”

Deru chuckled quietly to himself, almost inspired by the child’s frivolous levity.

“It will be okay, Ethan.  Even if they were not going this way, the officials will help you out.”

“You are so nice.”

Ethan stopped talking as he concentrated on his walking, occasionally hopping over a crack in the concrete roadway.  He would skip and jump and seemed to be in high spirits despite the hectic commotion in the city, as well as being separated from his parents.

Finally, they made it to the gate.  Deru and Ethan walked up to an official and Deru nodded toward him.

“Excuse me, sir?  this little boy lost his parents.  His name is Ethan.  Could you help him?”

The official looked at Deru and nodded with a smile.

“Yes, of course.  You helped him, eh?  That was awfully nice of you, wolf.  Thank you.”

Deru shrugged off being called “wolf” since the official was really polite otherwise.  He watched as the official kneeled beside Ethan and cupped his little hand in his own.

“You are Ethan, huh?  Well my name is Gregory, and I can help you find your parents, but it will take a little while.  Until then, would you like to go play with some other kids?  There is a room just over here…”

The official walked away with Ethan as his talking quieted to the point that Deru could no longer hear.  He smiled and looked back to the gate, and walked outside of the city.

Beyond the city gate, Deru followed the dirt path to a crossroads where a sign pointed to many destinations.  To the left- the west- was another city, called Aniada, named after a princess who was killed by a falling tree.  To his right- the east- was the Ginohrow Forest, which he knew to a small degree from his past.  Straight ahead- the north- was a sea, which led nowhere.  There was a shipyard but he was not planning on sailing anywhere so it was not an option for him.

He took the left path toward Aniada, walking along the right side of the road.  In his land, it was custom to keep to the right when walking along a path, to keep everyone moving.  He walked at a steady pace, not incredibly fast, but fast enough to get him breathing in a slightly faster rhythm.  He always liked pushing himself just a little harder than necessary- it made him feel like he was always making progress.

Breathing in rhythm with his walking, Deru found his thoughts wandering at a similar rate.  The images in his mind flashed just as regularly until he found his memories connecting just as smoothly.  He closed his eyes for a few moments and upon opening them, saw the dangling leaves of his favorite hiding place, his hidden tree branch.

He felt himself swaying back and forth as he laid on his back atop the branch, the wind cutting its way through the leaves and along his fur.  He felt the soft breeze massaging him until he relaxed enough to feel the peace of his freedom start to bring sleep to his eyes.  As he was about to fall into a restful slumber, he was pulled back into reality by the smell of smoke.  Familiarity swelled up inside him as he suddenly became aware of what was happening. 

He jumped out of the tree and landed on his feet, angling his path toward his farmstead.  Running as fast as he could, he crossed over the hill and saw the smoke and flames crippling the homes in his village.  Cutting a path through the buildings, he slowed his breathing at the intensity of the smoke, until he saw a fence surround his home.  As the vision cleared up, he stopped and stared at the bodies.  He tried to look away but could not escape that which existed in his mind, for that is where he was.

He felt himself become dizzy.  He struggled to keep his balance but his knees buckled beneath him and he toppled to the ground.  Looking up, he saw the dirt path he was walking blur as he could not keep his sight stable.  He fell to his hands and rolled off the side of the road into the tall brush alongside it.  Stopping on his back, he stared up at the sky as its deep blue sang its peaceful lullaby, numbing his aching eyes and causing him to give in to the fatigue he felt, drifting away into a deep dream state.