"F-fire?"
A'Lu nearly stumbled in fright.
Though he was usually mischievous and naughty, often making his mother angry and playing tricks on the tribe's uncles, the tribe was his home, and everyone there was family. The moment the thought of a fire crossed his mind, he broke into a faster run.
As he ran, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fire! Put out the fire!"
The Ten Crows had little rain in winter, and the weather was dry. Fires could easily break out.
The air in his chest grew thin from running and yelling so hard. Soon, it felt as though tongues of flame were licking at him. Sweat poured from him, and his whole body burned with heat. But he had no time to worry about his discomfort. He could think of only one thing: get back as fast as he could!
But when he was less than fifty zhang from the tribe, blurred figures moved through the blinding flames. He vaguely saw a familiar figure collapse, followed by a short, pained cry. The sight sent a jolt through A'Lu's whole body.
He pitched forward and fell, sprawling on the ground.
He used the thick wild grass to hide himself.
Little by little, he crawled behind a pile of dead grass that could barely serve as cover. In that moment, he was so terrified he forgot to breathe. He cautiously poked his head out, and when he saw what was happening, tears quickly welled in his eyes.
W-what was he seeing?
A band of strange, brutal enemies had stormed into the tribe and begun slaughtering everyone. They had started the fire!
The distance made it hard for A'Lu to see clearly, but he knew the adults of the tribe well enough to recognize them from their blurry