Firefighter

by Jennifer Li Shotz

  He was confused.

  Scout was a lot of things—silly, smart, goofy, stubborn, distractible—but he was never, ever confused.

  “You got this, Scout,” Matt said, hoping he sounded more certain than he felt.

  Scout plodded ahead, Matt following closely behind him. After a few minutes, Scout began to move faster. Matt felt a glimmer of hope. Scout’s head hovered low over the ground, and his whole body was engaged; it was as if every muscle in his body was tracking along with his nose.

  And then he stopped again, his furry tail curling over his back. He turned to the left. He turned to the right. He spun around in a circle and walked a few steps back down the trail.

  Then he sat down at Matt’s feet. He had lost the scent.

  Matt’s heart sank.

  Scout needed help—but Matt had no clue what to do. He’d never heard his mom or her trainers talk about a situation like this one. He had never learned how—or even if—a dog could scent in smoky conditions.

  Think.

  There had to be a solution—a way to help Scout get back to normal. Matt heard his parents’ voices in his head. When you’re in a jam, they always said, use what you know and what you have.

  What did Matt know right then?

  He knew his throat and nostrils burned. He wished he could plunge his head underwater and wash off the stench and grit from the smoke.

  And that’s probably just what Scout would want too.

  Matt cupped his hand and filled it with water. “Here, Scout,” he said.

  As Scout began to drink, Matt lifted his hand, forcing Scout’s nose into the water. Scout pulled back and snorted out a spray of liquid. Matt filled his hand again and held it out. Scout drank again, and Matt repeated his move, clearing out and soothing Scout’s mouth and nasal passages.

  When Scout decided he’d had enough of the unwelcome dunking, Matt held him by the collar and, with his wet hand, wiped Scout’s muzzle and snout clean.

  Matt released him. Looking extremely displeased, Scout shook his head roughly and sneezed several times in a row. He ran a paw over his head, as if he was trying to scratch the inside of his nose.

  Matt watched him and waited.

  After a minute, Scout seemed to settle down. He got to all fours and wagged his tail, which Matt took as a positive sign that maybe the dog would forgive him one day. Matt scratched him behind the ears. “I promise I’ll never do that again.”

  Scout sneezed one more time in response.

  “Let’s try this again.” Matt held Dev’s harness out to Scout.

  Scout ran his nose across it, around it, and over it. He sniffed it, then sniffed it again. Then he sat down and looked up at Matt, an eager, excited look in his eye.

  Matt had found a solution.

  And Scout was ready to go.

  14

  IT WAS LIKE SOMEONE HAD ATTACHED a rocket to Scout’s vest. He shot ahead, moving so fast he was a streak of brown-and-white fur. Matt ran after him as quickly as he could, which, considering the darkness and the fact that Matt was on two legs instead of four, wasn’t all that fast.

  Scout moved swiftly and evenly, but the terrain was rougher for Matt. The beam from his flashlight bounced off the rocks and trees around them. Every few feet, Matt had to untangle himself from the shrubs and tall grasses that wrapped themselves around his ankles. The land was dotted with heavy boulders, some so close together that Matt had to squeeze between them.

  Matt kept an eye on the top of the peak above them. They were moving parallel to it, continuing around the mountain. A steady plume of smoke still rose from the summit, which radiated orange light. But somehow, their luck had held out, and the fire had still not moved down the side of the mountain toward them.

  Matt counted that as a not-so-small victory.

  Up ahead, Scout barked excitedly and veered sharply to the right. He was heading for something specific.

  A moment later, Scout came skidding to a stop and hovered over a crumpled lump on the ground. He sat down and waited for Matt to catch up.

  Matt couldn’t make out what it was in the darkness. He reached Scout and, his heart in his throat, looked down.

  There on the ground, covered in ashes and soot, was a backpack.

  Dev’s backpack.

  Matt recognized it immediately. It was covered in patches from Dev’s favorite rock-climbing brands and a key chain of the Nevada state bird—the mountain bluebird.

  “Good job, Scout!” Matt hugged his dog. Scout yipped at him once and waited for his next command.

  As Matt bent over to pick up the pack, alternating waves of relief and worry washed over him. This was amazing. This was the surest sign they’d had all day that his friends were here. And yet, this was terrifying. Under what circumstances would Dev leave his backpack behind, and had he done it on purpose—or not?

  Matt braced himself and unzipped the bag, which was surprisingly light. He dug through it and found an empty water bottle, two protein bar wrappers, and a pair of dirty socks.

  He exhaled in relief.

  Okay, so if there wasn’t anything valuable in the bag, then maybe Dev had left it on purpose. But why? It wasn’t because it was too heavy to carry. That was clear. In fact, it seemed like the bag had been emptied on purpose.

  Matt squeezed his eyes shut and tried to put himself in Dev’s head. Dev was a skilled hiker and climber. He said he’d grown up on this mountain. That meant he knew how to take care of himself—and how to signal for help.

  That’s it! It’s a sign!

  Dev had left his backpack behind for someone to find.

  And if he left one sign, he’ll leave another.

  Matt shined his flashlight in a circle, scanning the area for any other indications that Dev and Amaiya and Curtis had passed through here.

  He ran the beam over the ground and spotted some trampled brush and broken branches. “There!” Matt cried, pointing. But before the word was out of his mouth, Scout had already taken off in that direction. He had caught a scent.

  A few yards farther along, Matt spotted another sign: a stack of branches crisscrossed over one another in a tic-tac-toe pattern.

  Dev was leaving a trail.

  “Scout,” Matt said, holding Dev’s backpack out for him to sniff, “keep going! Find them!”

  Scout shot off into the distance, with Matt trailing behind. Soon they reached a narrow stream, where Matt slipped and stumbled on the wet rocks as they crossed.

  They passed into a small clearing. At the far end, about thirty feet away, was a huge boulder the size of Matt’s room. Scout galloped over and sniffed extra carefully at its base. Matt caught up to him. They rounded the giant rock, and on its far side found a small cave with an arched opening as tall as Matt.

  Matt and Scout stepped through the archway together.

  There, huddled together around a camping lantern, were three familiar figures.

  Dev’s gangly limbs were pulled in tight, with his arms wrapped around his knees. Amaiya’s tearstained face was strained with worry. Curtis’s stocky frame was slumped against the rock wall. His usually spiky blond hair was matted to his head.

  “Dev!” Matt shouted, his voice bouncing off the hard surfaces all around them. “Amaiya! Curtis!” He was flooded with relief and joy.

  For a second, his friends were too startled to react. Then Matt watched as it dawned on them, one by one, that he and Scout were really standing right in front of them, in a cave, at the top of Mount Kit, in the middle of a wildfire.

  “Matt?” Dev’s jaw dropped open.

  “Matt!” Curtis gasped.

  Amaiya just opened and closed her mouth a few times, searching for words.

  All at once, Dev, Amaiya, and Curtis scrambled to their feet and swarmed Matt. The four friends wrapped one another in a giant hug. Scout jumped up on them with his front paws, breaking up the huddle with a happy bark.

  “Hi, Scout,” Dev said, scratching the dog’s head.

  “God, I’m
so happy to see you!” Matt said. “Are you guys okay?”

  “We’re fine,” Amaiya responded. “But what are you . . . ? Why are you . . . ? How—”

  “What she means is, what are you doing here?” Dev laughed. His voice sounded weird and small, like he was talking through a straw, but Matt chalked it up to the smoke and dry air.

  “Matt”—Curtis shook his head in disbelief—“I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “I came to get you guys,” Matt said simply. “I didn’t know how close you were to the wildfire. Or if you even knew there was a fire.”

  Matt’s friends stared at him in awe. Dev’s eyes filled with tears. Curtis shook his head and looked away. Amaiya just grinned.

  “This,” Dev said, his voice full of wonder, “is amazing.”

  “Did you come up here alone?” Curtis asked. “I mean, you and Scout?”

  Matt shook his head. “My dad came too. But he hurt his ankle. He’s waiting for us down by the waterfall.”

  “But how did you find us?” Amaiya asked. “We’re not even close to where we camped last night.”

  Matt jerked a thumb in Scout’s direction. “This guy found you.”

  “Of course he did!” Dev squatted down and lifted up Scout’s paw, giving it a high five. Scout licked Dev’s face and thumped his tail on the ground.

  Matt looked around the small cave. “How did you guys end up in here?”

  Their faces grew serious. “We were climbing,” Amaiya said, “but then it started, like, raining embers. It was so smoky . . .” She trailed off.

  “We just ran.” Curtis shuddered at the memory. “And we ended up in here.”

  “I still can’t believe you came to rescue us.” Dev threw an arm around Matt’s shoulder and pulled him in tight. “You’re the most amazing friend I’ve ever had.”

  “I just didn’t want anything to happen to you,” Matt said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

  A shadow passed over Dev’s face. “Matt, the fire—it’s so dangerous up here. And you came up here anyway, just to save us.” His voice cracked. “You shouldn’t have had to do that. This is all my fault.”

  “Dev, no—”

  “It is, Matt. I should never have asked you to lie for us. That wasn’t cool. And I’m just—I’m really sorry.” Dev broke out in a series of harsh coughs.

  “I’m sorry too, Matt,” Amaiya said. “I’ll never do that to you again.”

  “Me three,” Curtis piped in.

  As Matt studied their exhausted, scared faces, any doubts he’d had about them—and their friendship—were washed away.

  Earlier that day, his dad had said that people would show you who they are—and they will also make mistakes. Well, these friends—his best friends—had shown him that they were kind, and fun, and brave, and honest . . . and capable of mistakes, just like Matt was.

  Matt had to laugh. That description also fit someone else he knew: Scout.

  Once and for all, Matt knew that this time was different. These friends were different. This dog was different.

  He would do anything for them.

  Even climb a mountain.

  A flutter of movement outside the opening of the cave caught Matt’s eye. He stuck his head out. Dev joined him, and a look of horror crossed his face—the same terror that Matt felt.

  Embers and ash were falling from the sky.

  “We really need to get off this mountain,” Matt said. “Now.”

  15

  THEY STOOD CLUSTERED TOGETHER just inside the mouth of the cave, gathering their courage. Matt had no idea what they were heading into. But he did know one thing: They couldn’t stay where they were. If the fire came their way, they’d be trapped in the cave with no escape.

  Scout was at Matt’s knee, his head tucked under Matt’s palm. He looked up, ready for a command. Matt ran his fingers through the soft fur behind Scout’s ears.

  Matt turned to Dev and Amaiya. “What do you think? What’s the fastest way down? Should we find the trail?”

  Amaiya shook her head. “The trail on the southern face is too far away.”

  “Agreed,” Dev started to say before he broke out into a flurry of dry coughs. He paused to take a couple of breaths. “We shouldn’t waste time trying to get to it. We’ll just have to head down any way we can.”

  “Are you okay?” Matt asked.

  Before he could answer, Dev coughed again, this time so intensely that he doubled over.

  While Dev caught his breath, Matt turned to Amaiya and Curtis. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked quietly.

  “He said it’s his asthma,” Amaiya replied. “And he doesn’t have an inhaler. He said he hasn’t needed one in years, so he never carries it anymore.”

  A terrible feeling washed over Matt. This wasn’t good.

  Dev’s coughing slowed. “Let’s get going,” he said to the group, wheezing slightly. Scout sniffed at him, his ears perked up with worry.

  Matt eyed his friend. By the light of the lantern, he noticed that there were dark circles under Dev’s red-rimmed eyes. His face was pale. He didn’t look like he was in any shape to make his way down a mountain through serious smoke conditions—with a fire on their tail. “We don’t have to, Dev.” Matt looked at Amaiya and Curtis, who nodded in agreement.

  “We can stay here and wait it out,” Curtis said.

  “That fire is way too close,” Dev said firmly. “And you guys are not staying up here because of me. Let’s go.”

  Matt knew Dev was right. He nodded at Curtis and Amaiya in tacit agreement.

  They were silent for a moment, watching the sky rain a thousand tiny sparks, any one of which could light the mountain around them on fire.

  “Those are going to hurt.” Dev sighed, looking up at the flickers of red-hot light.

  “They are,” Matt agreed. “But we don’t have much choice.”

  “I know how to make them hurt less!” Curtis said. “We have to pour water on ourselves.” He pointed up at the sky. “So we don’t get burned.”

  “Great idea.” Amaiya took out her water bottle and doused herself. Curtis did the same. “Wet your T-shirt too, and hold it over your mouth,” she added. “It’s easier to breathe that way.”

  Matt reached for his bottle and started pouring water on himself, then Scout—and that’s when it hit him. Dev’s eyes popped open wide at exactly the same moment.

  “The stream!” Matt and Dev said together.

  “It’s safer to be near water—” Dev said.

  “And my dad is at the waterfall. Maybe the stream feeds into it,” Matt cut in.

  “It does!” Dev said. “And it should be that way.” He pointed to their left.

  “We passed it on the way here!” Matt said.

  The kids exchanged glances.

  They had a plan. This was it.

  “Let’s do it.” Matt held his arm straight out in front of him, his hand closed in a fist. Amaiya did the same, pressing her knuckles to his. Curtis held out his hand too, then Dev last. They stayed like that for a moment, their fists locked together. Scout sat up on his hind legs and put a paw on top of their hands, and they burst out laughing.

  “Attaboy, Scout,” Matt said. “All in!”

  “Let’s go, go, go,” Dev said.

  They stepped out of the cave, flashlights on, and Matt instantly felt the light tickle of ash landing on his skin.

  Scout took the lead, and the kids followed him in silence, holding their soaked T-shirts over their faces. They moved swiftly toward the stream. The air was thick with smoke, and the ground around them was speckled with shining embers. So far nothing seemed to be catching.

  Matt just hoped it would stay that way.

  “Youch.” Curtis swatted at a spark on his arm. Drenching themselves in water had helped—mostly.

  “Oof.” Dev rubbed at an ember in his wet hair. He coughed painfully. Matt shot him a sideways glance. He could hear the sound of Dev’s strained breathing, even from a few feet away.
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  “Dev,” Matt said.

  Dev looked up at him. He looked miserable. His eyes were glassy and irritated from the smoke. His chest rose and fell quickly. “I’m fine,” he said, preempting Matt’s question.

  “Okay.” Matt nodded. “We’re going to get out of here, I promise.”

  Dev shot him a huge grin that pushed up the corners of his eyes. “Yeah, we are.”

  They reached the water and ran into it until they were ankle deep. Without speaking, they fell into single file, heading downstream, and steadily downhill. The kids walked through the middle of the stream, where the rocks were mossy and slick. Scout splashed ahead of them, moving as quickly and smoothly as if he were running on grass. His tail bobbed in the air as he trotted along.

  Matt snuck a look over his shoulder at the mountaintop behind them. What he saw made him suck in his breath and sent a shot of fear coursing through his veins.

  The fire had crested Mount Kit and was spilling down the side of the mountain.

  And it was headed straight for them.

  “Guys?” Matt said, trying to keep his voice even. “Guys!”

  “What’s up?” Dev asked without looking back.

  “Uh,” Matt said, “run!”

  No one asked questions.

  They ran.

  The kids tripped and stumbled and slipped in the water, but they kept running, without slowing down.

  The fire swept down the slope behind them.

  Scout was their advance guard. He pumped his legs. With every stride, his front and back legs crossed underneath his chest, then stretched out before and behind him. He looked as if he were flying.

  The stream curved and dipped and led them on a winding route. They scrambled over boulders and jumped off rock piles with a splash. They twisted wet ankles and banged wet knees and jammed wet fingers, but they kept running. Matt’s calves throbbed, and the straps of his backpack chafed against his shoulders.

  And through it all, Dev took small, choked breaths. He coughed. And he let out a sharp whistling sound with every exhale.