Setting Flame

Chapter 26

Solargh walked past the raft and into the forest. She parted the leaves to create an opening, this forest was like no other, there was always a blue mist and light shining through it, and many shrubs and trees grew there. The ground was still cracked and dry, but some bits provided grass, lakes and rivers.
"It's almost mystical, mythical.." Solargh mumbled.
She watched a brown hare bounce past her and down a small passage. She padded her way after it and found herself in front of a lake. The sun reflected on the beautiful water and it looked like sparkling glass.
"Glass lake!"
The brown hare hopped around the lake and into the bushes of the forest. Solargh followed behind it and all of a sudden skidded to a stop. There was a raging lake ahead of her and the brown hare was hopping towards it. Solargh ignored the lake and growled at the hare, it jumped franticly into the lake. The hare yipped and yapped until the raging river swept it away like the wind.
"Oh my. This is dangerous, we better not hunt here."
Solargh turned around, and screamed. Directly behind her was the happiest wolf in Stratton.
"What's up Joliah?" Solargh asked shakily.
"Why am I so happy? Well I am happy because we have finished the raft, all that is needed now is a sail!" He yelled happily.
"Wait, I thought we had a sail? I-I'm confused."
"We need a material. Hind leggers use materials, they use it as a pelt. But it's much more complicated."
"So, we need material from a hind legger?" Solargh asked confused.
"No, your lucky, but I have some material in my tent."
Joliah walked back to his tent, and Solargh raced back to Cara.

"The material that we need is right here!" Joliah said to Corrow.
"Urgh" Corrow moaned, still lying on his pelt.
"Remember? I told you about the material last night!"
"Wh-What?" Corrow replied sitting up on his pelt.
"Urgh, you must have already fallen asleep! We are using this white material to create a mast for the sail on the raft."
Corrow sat there puzzled.
"The mast will help us control the raft, although it may be difficult to control since as we do not have opposable thumbs, our thumbs are up our legs! And we don't even have fingers, they are just claws instead!" Joliah chuckled, he acted as if it was normal for a wolf to know those things. Corrow sat there even more confused than before.
"Corrow, your friend Solargh was beside a river this morning."
"Hmm, do you know why?" Corrow said, as he stood up and watched Joliah.
"Nope, but I think I overheard her talking about hunting?"
"Oh no."
"What's so wrong about hunting?" Joliah queried.
"It's dangerous with only three legs, she can't outrun a cougar, or a bear! And what if a ferocious lion gets her?"
"How do you know about those animals. Well I understand the bear bit but cougars an d lions only live in the plains."
"Oh, i'm not sure."
Corrow and Joliah slowly walked out of the tent and began work on the sail.

"Cara!" Solargh stopped and walked up to her.
"What's up?" Cara replied happily.
"We are hunting today."
"Hunting? Isn't that a bit, dangerous. For you.."
"WHAT! No I am hunting, I am teaching hunting. To you!"
"How would you know how to hunt?"
"I have learnt from my father! If you didn't know already, he is the chief.." Solargh yelled angrily.
"Look, we have to ask Corrow first."
"Why? We are leaders!"
"But Corrow is our chief." Cara said sadly.
"He is no longer my chief." Solargh said proudly. She wandered off into Unidos with Cara following behind nervously.

"Where is Cara and Solargh? Don't tell me they've gone hunting!" Corrow sighed.
"They most likely have. Shall I go get them?" Joliah said.
"Sure, that's if you can find them."
"Oh I can track them." He said pointing to his nose.
Joliah snuffled and sniffed the ground, following a track until her disappeared into the forest.
"The raft looks amazing." Corrow said to himself.
There was a flat peice of wood with a long stick, attached to the sides corner facing into the curved raft. There was a thin tall log sticking up from the middle of the raft and everything was brown and rough. It was easy to get splinters from he wood, and there were many dead leaves still connected to small twigs on the wood. Corrow stood beside the huge boat, he held a large white blanket in his mouth and it flowed gracefully in the wind.
He looked down at the blanket, it was almost too windy. Was this normal? What was the world trying to say to him. He looked up at the sky, black and grey clouds covered the sun, and the seas and rivers were raging.
"Joliah?" Corrow called. "Are you back yet?"
He looked around, Joliah was not to be seen and Corrow was worried.
"I will put the mast up first."
Conveniently, there was string connected to the blanket, and there were two sticks pointing off the sail. Corrow tied the string carefully around the sticks and he watched the mast blow around in the wind, yet he did not realise there was another stick on the sail, sticking quite far out, it swung around in the wind and banged him on the head, resulting in unconsciousness.
No wolf was around to help, and a storm was brewing up fast. Corrow thought one last thought, was this how he would die?