Stopping The Flames

Chapter 1 “Legends”

Disaster...That’s all that has come of our world since the ancient times…all that we know is the lava and flames have gotten to be more and more of a problem…everywhere I go I encounter people in trouble…buildings shattered into pieces…forests burned to the ground…ruins and rocks with all grass killed and extinct forever to come…I don’t know what has happened or why I am put into the puzzle…I have been told I am important some how…that I need to protect people…what  am I to do when there’s nobody…to protect...and how can I do it when I’ve done so much wrong…already…?

“Lalo! Lalo! Get out of dream mode will you?” a calm female voice spoke.

The fox rubbed his face and looked back at the impatient face of the girl.

“Rosy why are you always on my tail?” Lalo asked sighing as she smiled wide.
“Can’t help it, there’s nothing else better to do around here.” She said hoping he’d laugh at her dry humor.

He gave her a courtesy laugh.

“What did you want me for?” Lalo said moving more onto the rock he was sitting upon.

The area around them was dry and there were many cracks in the ground.
The sky was never to be blue again, just a red and black that was beautiful but offered no warmth.
The sun was blocked out by the blackness of the afternoon they got an orange sunset once in years…it was a sad place.
Rosy was wearing a blue shirt with a pink skirt, she wore a charm bracelet with hearts and her ear’s opening was even shaped like a heart. Her fur was two different shades of pink with red streaks in some places with matching shoes.
Lalo had the colors of fire engraved on his patch of fur over his head and on his tail and was wearing torn grey gloves and a dark red jacket with a sleeve missing.
He had a scarf with the same colors of flames on them with a gold buckle in the middle.
His normal fur was dark red and his shoes were red and grey with grey slacks or sweat-pants.
He had a belt underneath the jacket with dark red eyes.

“Besides Lalo I’ve been hearing about the legends again and I just get so excited after hearing about them, the chaos emeralds! Wouldn’t you give your heart and sole just to hold those marvels?” Rosy said earnestly.
“Chaos Emeralds.” He said unimpressed. “You know there’s no such thing as magical gems with the power to turn thoughts into power.” He said sarcastically.

He rolled with eyes still with a smile, all in fun.

“Look Rosy, there’s no such things as chaos emeralds; I’ve been all over this planet so I should know.” He said. “Besides if they did exist the lava would have melted them down.”

Rosy smiled.

“Well, I’d still like to know it to be true, think of how beautiful they’d be.” said Rosy.
“Next you’re going to tell me the lava lake that circles the planet used to have water in it.” He said laughing. “But yeah Rosy, that would be cool if it was true.”

Lalo was more serious at the moment but Rosy always managed to change the mood set.
He jumped down off the rock.

“Well we should probably get moving again.” Lalo said. “No piece of ground stays bare for long.”

Rosy was Lalo’s best friend and they shared a brother-sister relationship, he was about four years older then she was.
The two started walking a long road; it was difficult to find water or food so living passed ten was hard.
They stepped across the rocky bear land with the fiery sky circling overhead; the clouds seemed in the shape of fire if there ever were any.
Lalo was seventeen years old while Rosy was thirteen, he had a wondering heart that never staid in one place.

“You think we’ll see Tyson any time soon?” Rosy asked, creating conversation.
“I don’t know Tyson’s an odd character,” said Lalo. “Besides with his family line he’s marked by pretty much any survivors around here.”
“But you told me the legends weren’t real?” Rosy said with an innocent concern to her voice.
“Some are real some aren’t, you don’t believe all of them are do you? The survivors hold on to hope by thinking its fact not fiction.” said Lalo. “Being related to Blake the vicious from the legends is enough to make anybody concerned.”
“It still doesn’t make sense to me, a long line supposedly not real and people still accuse him because of it.” Rosy said.

Lalo quickened his pace, while Rosy skipped behind.

“Well you can’t really blame them, from their point of view Blake the vicious is the one who destroyed everything and ruined this planet when it was still young and Spike the warrior the supposedly ‘confused individual’ where there are different versions on whether he was evil or not.” said Lalo.
“Yeah…the legends are all this planet really has, I mean besides the lava.” Rosy said toning down a little. “Do you think Spike would have been evil if he’d have been real?”
“I don’t rightly know, the stories are never the same.” Lalo said.

Rosy shrugged her shoulders.

“All the same I’d like to see Tyson again.” said Rosy.

Lalo half smiled. “Rosy it’s almost impossible to tell where he is, let alone anyone for that matter not get pushed away by him he hates company, everyday the lava moves somewhere else, lava that never cools down, lava that never stops moving.”
“Like Chaos seven?” Rosy asked.

Lalo laughed. “Chaos is the most illogical ledged there is, like a puddle that moves could destroy a whole town with one blast, what was it called? Oh yeah station square, what a weird name for a sandbar.”
“Maybe they didn’t live on sandbars; maybe there was land that lava didn’t flood the stable land?” Rosy asked.
“Alright lets not talk about all these rumors, they’re just going to confuse.” Lalo said. “From the beginning there was lava Rosy, end of story.” Lalo said grabbing her wrist.
“Alright…if you say so.” Rosy said biting her lip.
End chapter

Chapter 2 “Steady Sandbar”

Lalo and Rosy approached Steady Sandbar, an outpost paved on a cliff where lava couldn’t reach.
It was paved up and on the top was a curved middle, like a stump.
Lava circled it; there was a path to it made of hard rocks like a stepping-stone entrance.
Lalo and Rosy had been walking the main road that was built of smaller ‘sandbars’ as they were called which were plots of land where the lava couldn’t reach.
When there was stable land it was dangerous to stay on for too long.
This outpost had not had lava high enough to be a problem since year 863.
There were ten people at the gate entrance, they did not allow anybody in the safe refuge who had ill intentions or who didn’t have enough money to pay the entrance fee.
there was one other way of getting in but you needed to be well known, in the fiery world having a name for yourself was valuable, it was said to be ‘good luck’ to give special treatment to important individuals.
The guards at the gate were in brass armor that did not look as fancy as you would think, but having any brass at all was hard so in reality it was fancy, where metal became more common due to Blake’s old bases staying strong.
But Lalo didn’t believe that Blake was the one who built the bases, it was all an olden tale to him.
As they stepped slowly over the rocks Rosy walked slowly behind him, he passed faster as the lava around the city was making him uncomfortable.
Both of them approached the gate and the guards were there to question them.

“Alright, who are you and what is your business?” the guard said.

The guard who questioned them was a mouse; his mates were a few foxes a hedgehog a hawk and a few lynxes.
Rosy curtsied and smiled while Lalo half smiled.

“My name is Lalo, this is my friend Rosy, we don’t have much money but we might have enough for a decent meal.” he said.
“Alright show me your mark.” the guard said.

These days ill intentions ran wild, with a low supply of food there was more looting and more stealing, so each capital used a system to see where you’re from.
If you’re from the northern gate then you would most likely have a mark on your hand of a horse, the western area was the blacksmith’s capital where most of the metal and brass was found so the mark would probably have a hammer on an anvil.
Lalo was a wonderer so he had no emblem, Rosy came from the east where the wealthy, important and the warriors stayed, but one of the sandbar outposts fell causing her to loose her home and her wealth, making it difficult to live in the east with the higher price range.
Lalo had met her, she was probably six years old and lucky enough to have strayed out when the lava covered the sandbar but she had been stuck on a rock in the middle of a lava filled ocean.
in time the lava moved and Rosy ran but was tired and scared, Lalo was passing by being the loner he was it was difficult to except her presence but he couldn’t leave her alone so they eventually became friends.

Lalo was hesitant.
Rosy stretched her hand out happily removing her glove, her eyes closed with a pleased look on her face.
The guard looked over her palm, quite surprised.

Rosy’s mark was a rose on a knife, it signified where she came from and it was rare to come across one as the east’s lands were more treacherous to stay in.
But on the other hand was more of the purer lands and quite a few trees were left.
It was also ironic because her name was Rosy.

The guard was pleased, darting his head back to one of his chums repeating in words the mark on her hand.

“You are most welcome.” the mouse said eagerly readying to open the door.

Lalo was hoping he would not be asked to show his hand.
To his luck Rosy’s mark was unusual enough to make the guards forget about checking him.

“Enjoy your stay.” the guards said pulling on the scrap metal doors, opening them with a tight grip on each side.
End chapter