think I know what this is about. Come with me.”
Together, the two saloli left the camp, unnoticed, and went inside a small shrub where they could be alone. Blaze got straight to the point, “You said that when I’d helped your tribe you would change me back.”
“ Yes.” said Faith, “That I did.”
“ Well, I kept my end of the bargain. I helped Icefire. Now it’s your turn.”
Faith sighed heavily, “I’m sorry, Blaze. This isn’t what you want to hear, but no.”
Blaze couldn’t believe his ears! This saloli had given her word as an Icefire prophet to do this, and now she was refusing?
“ Why not?” Blaze demanded.
“ I’m sorry.” Faith apologized again, “I know this must be hard for you, but Icefire still needs you. When I asked you for help, this wasn’t what I meant. I didn’t even know this was going to happen.”
“ I just want to go home!” he insisted, tears welling up in his eyes.
“ I’m sorry.” Faith said for the third time, “But like Rust said, I have to do what I think is right.”
“ How can separating me from my family, my own species, against my will be the right thing to do?” Blaze demanded.
“ I know you feel out of place here, and I understand that. All that I ask is that you stay a while longer.”
“ I just want to go home!” Blaze said, “To my mother!”
Now tears were coming out of Faith’s eyes, too.
“ Why don’t you go back to your branch and get some sleep? You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Not being able to think of anything better to do, Blaze turned and left the shrub and headed back to camp. Making his way over to the trainee’s tree, he slowly climbed up to his branch and went to the place far enough out on the branch where he knew he and Jasper would be alone. Jasper soon joined him.
“ Hey, what’s wrong?” Jasper asked, noticing the tears that came out of his friend’s eyes.
“ Nothing.” Said Blaze. “I’m just homesick.”
“ For when you were an outsider?” asked Jasper, confused.
“ I still remember my mother. I miss her so much!” Blaze sobbed.
Jasper’s eyes softened. “I know how you feel. I don’t have a family either.”
Blaze looked up at his friend. “You don’t?”
“ No, they died when I was just an infant.”
“ How?”
Now Blaze could see his friend was about to start crying, too, “I- I’d rather not talk about it,” Jasper said, then changing the subject, asked, “Why don’t you just ask Rust if he’ll accept your mother into Icefire, too?”
“ He couldn’t,” Blaze said simply.
“ Why not?”
“ He just couldn’t!” Blaze insisted, trying not to glare at his prying friend.
“ Hey Blaze, Jasper!” Chestnut called, before Jasper could pursue the topic anymore.
“ What?” Blaze called back, angrily.
“ Come sleep over here with us!”
Chapter Six
That morning, Blaze woke up before everyone else. Not feeling like going back to sleep, he looked across Icefire’s camp. It was peaceful, everyone asleep except for the occasional patrol leaving or returning. Blaze looked at the sky. It was so beautiful this early in the morning, blue at the top, turning to dark red, turning to bright yellow. He realized as he looked that this was the same sky he used to look at when he was a human. That thought made him feel better. Faith might be able to take away his humanity, but she couldn’t take away this. Was his mother looking at the sky now? That, at least, they could still share. Looking back down, Blaze noticed something out of place. One saloli, not asleep, or part of a patrol, stood facing a bush, near the camp border, talking to something. A saloli that talked to bushes? Blaze was too curious to resist. Getting up, he stepped carefully over his sleeping branch-mates. Reaching the trunk, he swiftly scurried down it, and began to
Together, the two saloli left the camp, unnoticed, and went inside a small shrub where they could be alone. Blaze got straight to the point, “You said that when I’d helped your tribe you would change me back.”
“ Yes.” said Faith, “That I did.”
“ Well, I kept my end of the bargain. I helped Icefire. Now it’s your turn.”
Faith sighed heavily, “I’m sorry, Blaze. This isn’t what you want to hear, but no.”
Blaze couldn’t believe his ears! This saloli had given her word as an Icefire prophet to do this, and now she was refusing?
“ Why not?” Blaze demanded.
“ I’m sorry.” Faith apologized again, “I know this must be hard for you, but Icefire still needs you. When I asked you for help, this wasn’t what I meant. I didn’t even know this was going to happen.”
“ I just want to go home!” he insisted, tears welling up in his eyes.
“ I’m sorry.” Faith said for the third time, “But like Rust said, I have to do what I think is right.”
“ How can separating me from my family, my own species, against my will be the right thing to do?” Blaze demanded.
“ I know you feel out of place here, and I understand that. All that I ask is that you stay a while longer.”
“ I just want to go home!” Blaze said, “To my mother!”
Now tears were coming out of Faith’s eyes, too.
“ Why don’t you go back to your branch and get some sleep? You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Not being able to think of anything better to do, Blaze turned and left the shrub and headed back to camp. Making his way over to the trainee’s tree, he slowly climbed up to his branch and went to the place far enough out on the branch where he knew he and Jasper would be alone. Jasper soon joined him.
“ Hey, what’s wrong?” Jasper asked, noticing the tears that came out of his friend’s eyes.
“ Nothing.” Said Blaze. “I’m just homesick.”
“ For when you were an outsider?” asked Jasper, confused.
“ I still remember my mother. I miss her so much!” Blaze sobbed.
Jasper’s eyes softened. “I know how you feel. I don’t have a family either.”
Blaze looked up at his friend. “You don’t?”
“ No, they died when I was just an infant.”
“ How?”
Now Blaze could see his friend was about to start crying, too, “I- I’d rather not talk about it,” Jasper said, then changing the subject, asked, “Why don’t you just ask Rust if he’ll accept your mother into Icefire, too?”
“ He couldn’t,” Blaze said simply.
“ Why not?”
“ He just couldn’t!” Blaze insisted, trying not to glare at his prying friend.
“ Hey Blaze, Jasper!” Chestnut called, before Jasper could pursue the topic anymore.
“ What?” Blaze called back, angrily.
“ Come sleep over here with us!”
Chapter Six
That morning, Blaze woke up before everyone else. Not feeling like going back to sleep, he looked across Icefire’s camp. It was peaceful, everyone asleep except for the occasional patrol leaving or returning. Blaze looked at the sky. It was so beautiful this early in the morning, blue at the top, turning to dark red, turning to bright yellow. He realized as he looked that this was the same sky he used to look at when he was a human. That thought made him feel better. Faith might be able to take away his humanity, but she couldn’t take away this. Was his mother looking at the sky now? That, at least, they could still share. Looking back down, Blaze noticed something out of place. One saloli, not asleep, or part of a patrol, stood facing a bush, near the camp border, talking to something. A saloli that talked to bushes? Blaze was too curious to resist. Getting up, he stepped carefully over his sleeping branch-mates. Reaching the trunk, he swiftly scurried down it, and began to
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