“What do you smell?” his mentor asked.
“I smell you.” Blaze responded, though smell didn’t seem quite the right word for it. Seeing with his eyes closed. That’s what Slicer had called it. That described it better than anything else, Blaze decided.
“What else do you smell?” Slicer continued. Again, Blaze inhaled, concentrating harder now. He could still smell Slicer, but he found he could also smell where Slicer had been. As if he had left a scent trail behind him wherever he had gone, which he had, Blaze told himself. Turning around, he smelled Slicer’s scent going all the way up the tree, and down again. There was something else there, too, another scent that Blaze couldn’t quite place.
“What’s that other smell?” he asked Slicer.
“That’s your scent,” the old saloli explained, “You left it as you went up and down the tree, just like I did.”
“This is amazing!” Blaze exclaimed, “Can every saloli do this?” Slicer nodded. “How come I didn’t know I could do this before?”
“Because you hadn’t been trained to use it, yet. You were so used to it being there that you never even noticed it. Now, keep your eyes closed and see if you can find me with just your nose. Give me thirty seconds.”
Blaze heard Slicer scamper off, and slowly counted thirty seconds. When he got to thirty, he resisted the urge to yell “ready or not, here I come,” and set off to find his mentor. Blaze found it surprisingly easy, only having to follow the all-too-clear scent trail that Slicer had left. He tracked it all the way across Acorn Place and back again. It circled three trees before finally going up one. Just like Blaze had done, Slicer had obviously gone to the very top of the tree. For a second, Blaze hesitated. Climbing with his eyes closed? Was that such a good idea? Then he remembered Slicer had done it, and began to scale the tree.
About halfway up, Slicer’s scent veered to the left. Unsure of why he had done this, Blaze followed it all the same. As he continued up, though, his side brushed against a branch on his immediate right. Blaze found that the farther up he went, the more branches began to appear, meaning that he had to concentrate harder on Slicer’s scent in order to weave around them. When Blaze finally reached the top, Slicer’s scent moved away from him, out onto another branch. Blaze slowly moved across it, until. . .
“Slicer, are you there?” Blaze asked.
“Very good, Blaze,” Slicer congratulated him, “How did you know this was where I was standing?”
“The smell just suddenly got a lot stronger.” The young saloli answered.
“Very good. You’re a natural at this, Blaze!”
The young trainee beamed at these words. He looked up to this saloli for his skill and bravery. Hearing Slicer praise him for doing something right was like hearing the same words from his mother.
<><><><><>
When Blaze and Slicer arrived back at Icefire camp, Rust rushed up to meet them, “How was training?” he asked.
“It went very well today, thanks for asking,” Slicer answered.
“No more fox sightings?”
“Not even a pile of their dung,” Slicer said confidently.
“Good. But that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I think it’s time to try Blaze out for patrols.”
Slicer’s eyes grew round as saucers, “Already?” He asked.
“Yes. I’ve been thinking. No matter what I said about his age last night, I think what Blaze did is enough to merit him becoming a full member of Icefire.”
Heart leaping with sudden happiness, Blaze couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “Really?”
“Do not interrupt your leader, Blaze!” Slicer admonished him.
“It’s fine,” Rust said, smiling, “If I remember right, that’s exactly the same way I reacted when I heard it about me.”
“At the very least,” Slicer chuckled.
“But what about Jasper?” Blaze asked.
“Yes, the same goes for him,” Said Rust, “I’ll tell him and Seedpicker the minute they get back from training. You’ll have to do your first patrol on your own, though, so don’t go thinking that he’ll be there to help you through it.”
“Alone? Why?” asked Blaze.
“That’s Icefire tradition. The first time a trainee goes on an official patrol, he has to go alone, while his trainer and chief watch him.”
“So, you’ll be coming with me?” Now Blaze was a bit confused.
“If everything goes according to plan, you won’t even see us.” Slicer explained, “We’ll just watch you from a distance, judge you on how well you did, and intercede if necessary.”
“What will I need to do?”
“We’ll tell you later,” said Rust, “You will go out tomorrow, at noon. Be ready.”
“Oh, Rust!” Slicer interjected, “When are we going to have the funerals?”
“Tonight,” Rust answered, “Tell everyone. They’ll want to pay their final respects to our fallen.”
With that, Rust turned and scurried off to do his other chiefly duties. Slicer turned and beamed at his trainee.
“Blaze, this is wonderful!” he cried, “You’re about to become a fully fledged Icefire saloli!”
“I know!” Blaze said back, equally thrilled. “I can’t believe it! What about the rest of my training, though?”
“We’ll have to work extra hard tomorrow to get all the most important things in before noon. Think you can do that?”
“How much more is there?” Blaze asked.
“Not that much, actually. We were already nearly finished anyway.”
“Can I go tell the other trainees?” Blaze begged.
“Yes, go ahead!”
Turning away from his mentor, Blaze raced over to the trainee’s tree, and scurried up to his branch, where he found all the other trainees resting after their long day.
“Hey, Blaze,” said Chestnut, “What are you so happy about?”
“You’re not going to believe this! I’m about to be promoted!”
For a moment, nobody said anything. They just looked at Blaze, who was beaming with happiness at them. Thunder was the first one to speak, “Why?” he asked.
“Why what?” asked Blaze.
“Why are they promoting you and not us? We’ve been here longer than you, and are better trained than you are, so why did they choose to promote you?”
“Oh, Thunder!” said Chestnut, rolling her eyes at her brother. “Your turn will come soon enough. Can’t you just be happy for Blaze?”
“No!” Thunder shouted, “He doesn’t deserve it! He hasn’t even been in Icefire a month, and they’re already putting him in front of us! I’m going to talk to Rust about this right now! If we don’t deserve to be promoted, nobody does!” With that, he shoved past Blaze and raced down the tree.
“Don’t listen to him, Blaze. He just can’t wait to be promoted himself. He thinks that they judge tribe-readiness by age, and, being the oldest, he would be the first of us to be there. But that’s wonderful news! You’re moving up! That means that you’re finally being accepted!”
A question popped into Blaze’s head then, “Hey, Chestnut? Who’s Thunder’s trainer?”
“The big, black saloli, Razor. He’s a really good fighter, but kind of rebellious. Thunder says he’s training him to be an even better fighter than Rust. Why?”
“No reason, just wondering. What about you? Who’s yours?”
“Her name is Hazel. She’s really nice, but not a very good fighter. She’s training me more for food gathering than war fighting.”
Blaze wondered if he should tell her about what he had seen Razor doing that morning, but decided against it. How did he know she wouldn’t run straight to Razor himself and tell him? He was saved from pondering it anymore by Jasper’s sudden arrival.
“Hey, Blaze, guess what?” he exclaimed, eyes lit up like fireworks. “I’m getting promoted!”
“I know, me too!” Blaze responded, just as happily.
“You too, Jasper?” Ches
tnut asked, “That’s great!”
Since last night, Chestnut had been acting a lot nicer to Jasper than before.
“I know!” Jasper agreed. “I’m taking my first patrol tomorrow!”
“Me too!” Blaze said. Blaze didn’t think he’d ever been this happy before. Being promoted meant that he wasn’t just a kid anymore, he was a fully fledged member of society, even if it was a saloli society. He believed that the same was true for Jasper.
“I’m going to be the best tribe-member ever!” Jasper said, giddy as a little boy.
<><><><><>
The setting sun cast blazing streams of color through the tree tops, which alighted on the forest floor almost as if they were part of a stain glass window. Blaze’s spirits were actually dampened as all of Icefire was gathered in a ring around the center of the camp. Rust stood in the center of the ring, along with the bodies of the saloli that had died during the attack. All was silent, except for the wind blowing softly through the trees. Rust spoke.
“Friends, family, allies, we have gathered here this evening to say goodbye to some great saloli who gave their lives for us. They made the ultimate sacrifice so that we, Icefire, would live on. They did not back down in the face of danger, and for that we are thankful. But now, sadly, the time has come for them to join Valde Abbas in his castle over the sunrise. First, though, does anyone have any final words to say to them?”
At first, nobody moved. Then Razor came forward, “I would just like to say that their deaths will not go unavenged.” He said. Icefire gasped. Seeking revenge was not the Icefire way.
“What do you mean, Razor?” Rust asked.
“I mean that those foxes had a plan. They didn’t randomly walk into this camp, someone had told them what they needed to know. I swear that I’m going to find that saloli, and kill him!” with that, Razor stepped back into the circle and said no more.
“Anyone else?” Rust asked. Slicer stepped forward.
“I just want to say how proud I am of these fine young saloli. They did what was needed, and no amount of training could have taught them that. In the end, they were true Icefire saloli. I couldn’t have done any better myself.”
“Well said, Slicer.” Rust said, “Anyone else?” When nobody stepped forward, he continued, “Then let us begin. Tonight, we will all lay a paw on these fallen saloli, and ask Valde Abbas to accept them into his halls. Then they will depart.” When he said this, one saloli, a female, burst into tears. “Yes,” said Rust, “it is hard to say goodbye to the ones we loved, but just know that they will be eternally happier where they are going than they were here.”
Even though Blaze hadn’t even known the fallen saloli, he could still feel emotion welling up inside of him. Why did they have do die? It wasn’t fair! Nothing is fair in the forest, he heard Jasper’s voice say inside his head. All the saloli formed a line, beginning where the dead saloli lay, and ending almost at the edge of camp. Rust was at the front. He laid a paw on each of them, one at a time, for a few seconds each. The rest of the saloli followed his lead, laying a paw on each of the bodies. It took a while, but by the time Blaze reached the fallen saloli, he, too, laid a paw on them. Over time, he had decided that Valde Abbas must have been real. What other explanation was there to all of this? In his mind, he prayed to Valde Abbas to keep the saloli safe, and to give him guidance in this difficult time of his life. He also asked for blessings and good fortune for Icefire. He knew they were going to need it with Razor here. After laying paws on the fallen, Blaze joined the group of saloli on the other side of camp, and waited for the rest of Icefire to do the same. Once the last saloli had said goodbye, Rust went to stand beside them again.
“Now, Faith, if you would?” he asked. Faith came forward. She was carrying a stick with smoke snaking out of the ends. She motioned with her tail, and a group of saloli followed her out, each carrying a white flower petal. Forming a circle around the fallen saloli, they laid the petals down around them, so that the bodies were surrounded by them. Blaze gasped. This was the exact same thing that Faith had done to him the day he turned into a saloli! What was going to happen now? Were they going to turn into humans? What would happen if Blaze jumped into the circle with them? Would he turn back, too? Should he try? Faith lowered the twig. Now was his chance! The twig was almost on the ground! He could be human again!
Razor!
He held back. As long as the traitor was still in Icefire, no one was safe, and Blaze was the only one who knew the truth. Again, the question came into his mind. Could he really go home and abandon these good saloli in their time of need?
The twig touched the ground.
Immediately the flames shot up around the dead saloli. Just like they did with Blaze, they grew higher and higher, until they reached over the bodies. Then the fire began to swirl around them in a fiery vortex. It stayed that way for two minutes, then began to die down. When it was finally finished, Blaze gasped again.
The bodies were gone.
It was over. Icefire began to disperse, in complete silence, to do their duties or go to sleep. Blaze walked towards Faith, hoping to speak with her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a saloli asked, stepping in front of him. It was Razor.
“I need to talk to Faith.” Blaze responded.
“I think Faith has had enough for tonight.” Razor growled, “Leave her alone.”
“No Razor, it’s okay. I would like to speak with him as well.” said Faith. Blaze hadn’t even seen her come up behind them. Razor scowled, obviously not liking being overruled, but stepped aside all the same.
“Come, walk with me,” Faith suggested.
As they walked, Faith said, “I was watching you during the ceremony. You were thinking about jumping into the fire, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” Blaze admitted, “But I guess it wouldn’t have turned me back, would it?”
“No, it wouldn’t have.”
“What did you do to them, anyway?”
“What you just saw was a miracle. As a prophet, I am gifted with the ability to perform them. We believe that to enter Valde Abbas’s castle, you must not be physical matter, so I turned the bodies into air. Even now, they are being blown past the place where the sun rises, where they will live in peace and happiness for all eternity. But tell me, why didn’t you try? You had no idea what the miracle would have done, but you stayed put anyway.”
Blaze decided that he had better tell her. “It was Razor.” He admitted.
A concerned gleam came into Faith’s eyes. “What about him?” She asked.
Blaze told her everything he had seen that morning. A worried expression came over Faith’s face. “You believe me, right?” Blaze asked desperately.
“Yes, I believe you.” Faith said, looking into the distance. “It all adds up. What better way to wipe out an entire tribe than from the inside out?”
“What?” Blaze gasped, “What are you talking about?”
Faith hesitated, and then spoke, “A war is coming. I saw it in a dream. If we do nothing, it is prophesized that many terrible things will happen soon, and Icefire will be involved.”
As she said this, Blaze realized something that had never crossed his mind before. Faith had never told him exactly what it was that he was meant to help Icefire do. “Why did you bring me here?” he asked, “What do you need my help with?”
Faith closed her eyes and sighed, “I was hoping we could wait until later to have this discussion, but it seems the time has come for me to tell you everything. After having that dream, I begged Valde Abbas for help. He answered me. He told me that a single saloli would have the ability to change the course of the war and save Icefire, I just had to find him. He gave me a vision of a human being. You. I knew then what I had to do.”
Blaze stood where he was, giving Faith a stunned look. War? Had she said war? Images of what war meant flooded his mind. Dead creatures by the thousands lying on the ground. Would he be one of them? No, it had to be a joke.
Reading his expression, Faith said, “I am serious, Blaze. I would never joke about war.”
“But I’m not a warrior!” He protested.
“On the contrary,” said Faith, “I think you’re one of the best warriors I’ve ever seen! Your victory last night proves that.”
“But I can’t fight in a war!” He persisted. He had to convince this saloli how wrong she was.
“I think you can.” Faith insisted.
Blaze opened his mouth to argue again, but thought better of it. Faith was completely sure in her logic, he couldn’t convince her otherwise with words. Instead, he asked, “But what does any of this have to do with Razor?”
Legends of the Saloli: Approaching Storm Page 7
