EarthDash

Janus stopped running, panting out of breath. Kaela stopped a few lengths 
ahead of him. Trying to catch his breath, Janus limped forward to Kaela, 
and together they sat down, taking in as much oxygen as possible.

It had been a full half day that they had been running, beginning at the 
field below the hill where they had first spotted the threat. They had 
traversed a great distance already, but they were merely halfway, and it 
was almost night. 

While they were resting in the cool damp fieldgrass, Kaela thought hard. 
They had to alert the village sooner. Their immature legs could not carry 
the message fast enough back to the village, even with the advantage they 
had over the band of raiders.

Their young bodies were not conditioned to take the kind of punishment 
they were inflicting upon themselves in the form of long distance 
high-speed running, punctuated by short breaks such as this. It wasn't 
possible.

Kaela's eyes scanned the horizon in front of them, spotting the chimney
smoke of the village in the distance, their goal. Her sharp eyes went all 
through their field of vision, and Kaela's gaze shifted to a hill a little 
ways away.

"That's it!", Kaela cried, in triumph. She leapt to her feet, and offered 
Janus a hand up. 

"Hmmn?", Janus asked, curious to know his friend's idea.

"C'mon! we've got to get to that hill over there before nightfall!", Kaela 
said, starting off.

"..Why doesn't she ever explain anything to me?", Janus thought, almost 
annoyed, in the back of his mind as he raced off again, his body 
complaining in ways he had never seen before.




			EarthFlare

Kaela had reached the summit first, Janus fast behind. Together they rested 
their tired aching bodies on a smooth flat rock that was at the summit. The 
whole while, Kaela's bright eyes were in action, analyzing their immediate 
surroundings. In sync, her mind was working double time formulating a plan 
for her intentions. It was imperative that the village be warned!

After regaining her breath, Kaela leapt off the rock and immediately set 
about gathering the scrub and dead foliage that had accumulated there 
during the dry season. 

Janus, after recovering temporarily, stood up and followed Kaela's lead. 
Janus now off the rock, Kaela started piling the scrub onto the rock in the 
tallest formation she could manage. By the time she had declared it 
sufficient, they had emptied the entire top of the hill of dead fauna and 
had begun scavenging the base of the incline.

Sensing her friend's confusion and thirst of knowledge, Kaela explained:

"We've got to alert the village of the situation, and since it's nightfall, 
we can't run any farther and we're too slow as it is, we're going to have 
to resort to a different tactic."

Janus nodded, wanting to know more.

"What we'll have to do to alert them is use the one universal danger signal:
Fire. This pile of brush is piled high enough that it will be visible from 
the village, and also high enough to show that it is not a normal campfire.
We must wait until nightfall, because this will burn quickly and then go out
very fast."

Janus nodded, getting the idea at long last. They were to warn Schala and 
the others by setting ablaze the dead scrub in a signal fire, to alert them 
to be on their guard. But.. what if they didn't see the fire or 
misinterpreted it?

By the time Janus fully comprehended the plan, nightfall had crept upon 
them, and dusk was only a few reaches away. Kaela produced her flint 
firestarter, and had set it down on the stone. Then, she had instructed 
Janus to help her clear away anything flammable, other then themselves, 
away from the whole area, since if the pile topples while on fire, they 
could cause the whole hill to be set on fire, which would certainly alert 
the village but would also reduce the whole area to a blazing inferno.

By the time they had completed that task to a passable level, it had become
so dark that Janus was hitting bare dirt, for lack of seeing where he was 
going. Kaela strode around the rock until she found her flint, and struck 
it against the tinder. Within moments of the first flame, the entire stack 
was on fire, feeding the ravenous force of nature that had been unleashed 
upon it. Janus and Kaela had to step back a distance, as the heat was far 
to high for them to remain in such close proximity.

"It's working, Janus! It's working!", Kaela yelped in delight, proud of her 
success. Their, she corrected herself, their success. If it hadn't been for 
Janus, she would have never been able to gather so much dead stuff, and it 
would have taken her far longer to complete the tasks they had finished.

With a loving sparkle in her eyes, heightened by the lifesaving glow of 
their signal fire, Kaela turned to her friend, who stood silently, watching
the dancing flames as if mesmerized.

"Oh, Janus.. I don't know what I'd ever do without you.", Kaela said softly, 
before embracing Janus. Together in the light of the fire, they stood, 
warmed by the fiery signal as well as the warmth of their hearts, as all 
around them rush and panic reigned.




				EarthAlert

"Oh, goodness! Look!"

Schala's bright eyes turned away from the pinpoint of light in the distance 
to the guard who was patrolling the area. Since Kaela and Janus had left 
for perimeter watch, she had spent her evenings on this hill, the highest 
point of the village, to hope, hope that they would be safe, two children 
so far away from home, alone, on a security mission.

Although she had since become Janus's sister again and had resigned from her 
position as surrogate mother for her younger sibling, that did not stop her
 from worrying about her brother and his dear friend. Old habits are heard 
to break, and Schala was no exception. She had learned to let him do as he 
pleased, but no amount of education would quell the emotions inside her 
heart.

So, in solidarity she would ascend this hill to watch dusk fall, and to be 
watching them, far away as they may be. Her eyesight was very keen, and 
there were a few times that she could have sworn that the saw figures 
moving across the plain.

Tonight, however, it took not an eagle to detect what she saw. The guard 
ran up to join her, to see what had bothered her. His eyes widened as he 
took in the distant pyre, then he turned to Schala, visibly shaken.

"Janus and Kaela were on perimeter watch. Something must be wrong. That's 
a signal fire they set. That's a fire deliberately set on the highest hill 
on that flatland."

Schala nodded, her anxiety growing with every word the guard spoke.

"We've got to alert the council about this!", the guard said, turning to 
dash to the village.

Schala turned to walk back down, but stopped. Something was there. Something
was calling her. Turning back, Schala experienced a warm aura of calmness 
envelop her, as the distant blaze seemed to grow in magnitude so that it 
was touching the sky.

Schala softly smiled. "Oh, Janus.. Kaela.."

She then turned and walked into the village square, towards the council 
tent.




			EarthPlan

"Only one thing is clear. Kaela and Janus are trying to warn us of 
something. We do not know what it is, so we must prepare for anything and 
everything. Whatever in Gaea's name is coming at us, we must be prepared 
for them."

Celin, the youngest of the council of elders was speaking. Having the 
appearance of an older man but being in fact a young healthy man, Celin 
had made it into the council for his leadership skills and sharp mind. 
Schala realized she was staring at him and admiring his features, and 
blushed and looked away. Hold on a minute. What was she doing?

She was no longer tied down to taking care of Janus. It was her right to be 
whom she wanted to be now. However, this wasn't the time or place. This, in
 fact, was an emergency meeting of all able-bodied men, council members, 
and certain of the women. The other women, those who were mothers or were 
elderly, and the children, were in a separate tent preparing to leave the 
village and vanish into the forest, like shadows. The surrounding trees had
infinite numbers of hiding places where the villagers could simply blend in
 with the surrounding environment. It was there, that those not able to 
fight would go, in hopes of the best. In hopes that there would be 
something remaining to fight for when the smoke cleared.

Schala woke out of her contemplation at the realization Celin had begun 
speaking again, and it was in her best interest to listen.

"We know what the probable route our threat is taking, being that it was 
Janus and Kaela's perimeter site that we're being alerted from. They will 
be traveling the ridge, all the way around. In that way, they will come 
from the river side. We must make full use of our resources there. Several 
of our expert scouts have gone out to set traps to slow them down, as I 
speak. There're a few log traps set along the main paths, so the most 
important thing to do is do not try and leave by a main route in the forest
in the event we have to flee."

"There will be two untrapped routes, but they lead away from the battle 
line, not through it."

"It would be logical that Kaela and Janus are staying at their perimeter 
after setting that signal, so we cannot expect them to arrive until the 
scheduled time."

"Celin..", Schala said, almost meekly. She was interrupting, something 
anyone rarely did, let alone while a council was in progress.

"Yes, Schala?", Celin asked, either unaware of the rudeness of the 
situation or ignoring it altogether.

"I know how my brother and Kaela think, and if I'm right, they would have 
been running as fast as they can here to warn us, and they would have set 
that fire to warn us even faster then they could carry it themselves. They 
most assuredly are on their way.", Schala said, with as much conviction as 
she could find inside.

Celin pondered this for a moment. This was an interesting factor, that could
cause some difficulty. What would happen if two thirteen-year olds ran 
into the middle of the battle? Why, they most certainly would be in mortal 
peril, being for the most part unarmed. To his recollection, Celin did not 
remember them taking any weaponry, in fact very little of anything, aside 
from a small dull shale knife and a flint firestarter. A flint knife would
be no good in combat.

"Well, if they return after we've already engaged in battle with our threat,
their lives will be in danger. They're unarmed, Schala..", Celin said, 
anxiety colouring his smooth baritone inflection. 

Schala nodded solemnly, aware, too, that her precious siblings were 
vulnerable. Schala paused. Since when did she begin to associate Kaela as a
sister? Well, with her relation with Janus, she might as well be. She was, 
after all, the only other family Schala had, excluding her dear blood 
brother.

"Schala, I need you to do something. Go to the hut you share with them and 
return with any weapons you can find.", Celin directed, getting preparations
for the two youngsters in motion. If he could get their arrival in a timely 
fashion, they could actually benefit this conflict.

Schala nodded, and left the meeting, anxious about the safety of her 
siblings. When she arrived at their hut, she lit the lamp, and for the 
first time realized that aside from her own flint dagger, there were no 
weapons to be found. Kaela's bow and Janus's sling had disappeared.

Upon returning to the council with her dagger, she reported this to the 
elders. Celin frowned, visibly disconcerted.

"What could they have done with them?", Celin asked, more thinking aloud 
then asking anyone in particular. 

"It doesn't matter. We must prepare for this!", Celin said, changing tack.
His voice grew more powerful as he began issuing emergency orders in
preparation of the unknown.

Managing to get a watch task that took her away from the immediate village, 
Schala climbed back up the hill. In the distance, a minuscule glow was 
visible, the embers of Janus and Kaela's efforts of warning.

"We understand.. Thank you, you two.", Schala whispered, her eyes dancing 
with the glow of the frantic activity in the village.




				EarthBreak

Janus awoke. The cold morning air bit at his lungs as he brushed the dew off
his bare skin. Standing up and stretching, he contemplated the charred 
embers of their desperate signal of the eve past. A small patch of green 
caught his eye in contrast to the dull grays and blacks of the cinders. 
Unscathed from the blaze that took place on that spot, a small green leaf 
sat, under a pile of dust. Janus tried to reason how this leaf could have
escaped combustion given the condition it was next to.

Somehow this untouched leaf meant something to Janus. Gingerly taking it 
into his hand, Janus examined it. It was simply a tree leaf, veins obvious 
against Janus's gentle touch. Janus touched it to his forehead softly, and 
then replaced it back down onto the stone.

The sun was just rising, and the clouds were only beginning to give way to 
its' splendour. Kaela stirred, awakened by the sun's vibrant rays. As she 
blinked and sat up, she realized Janus was not lying beside her but had not 
woken her. Instead, he stood, silently, with his hand touching the rock, 
palm down on the surface. Kaela stood up and began tending to her own 
morning rituals, barring those that required water.

Once she had completed her ablutions, finished by brushing her ebony hair 
with the bone comb she had in her tunic, she gently approached Janus, put 
her hands on his shoulders, and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was 
doing. Janus's hand slowly lifted off the rock to reveal a small green leaf.

Janus turned his head, as Kaela straightened up her upper body. Nodding, 
Janus silently agreed with Kaela's unspoken suggestion.

With the sun becoming higher and higher in the sky, banishing the clouds 
from the celestial realm, the pair left in a relaxed jog to their home, 
leaving behind a charred rock, ashes and cinders, and a gift from the 
forces of nature.

				


				EarthPanic

Schala sat down in their hut, pausing to catch her breath, from the frenzy 
of activity. She was now one of the few remaining women in the village, and
in order to earn this "privilege", she had to work harder then she ever had.

It was a rather hot day for the season, and sweat beads were accumulating on
Schala's brow. She had just finished helping the others fortify the barrier 
that had been hastily erected across the main gateway to the village. The 
village would be hard to defend, since it was barely barricaded, and if the
 enemy used any kind of fire weapons, they were doomed, since the whole 
settlement was made of organic material.

Celin himself had grabbed a stone hoe and helped dig a trench behind the 
waist-high wall of dirt that encircled the village, a symbol of the 
village's harmony of the ever-continuing line. Once the trench had been 
completed, a fully-grown man would be at chest height to the crest of the 
ridge. From that depth, ranged attacks were masterful, but melee was sheer 
foolery.

Celin's plan was that the defense force would divide into two. A group of 
melee defenders would sit in the trenches, to make a surprise thrust as the 
first wave of besiegers came on. The remainder would provide ranged support,
each having a quiver of many finely-honed stone-tipped arrows, hidden behind
corners and inside huts.

Schala prayed that one of two things would result: Janus and Kaela would 
arrive before they came, for then they could flee to safety, or they would 
return once the host had either been defeated or had risen victorious, for 
then their trained senses would alert them to stay away. If the latter, 
Schala hoped they would arrive after the defeat of their threat, for she 
would surely die in defeat. Schala shook her head. Thinking like that would 
not produce any kind of positive result. She reflected, that morbid as it 
sounds, she would die for this place. Schala loved this small community too 
much to live with it destroyed.

Schala tried to drive all thoughts of the outcome out of her mind, and 
stood up, ready to help once more with the defense. Schala's hand brushed 
something solid as it fell to her side. Oh, yes, I nearly forgot, Schala 
thought. Since this morning, she was armed. She had a bow within reach at 
all times, often on her back, and she had a stone dagger strapped to her 
waist. It felt.. evil, to be carrying such weapons.

Schala shifted the daggerstrap around on her waist, and lifted the light 
quiver onto her back, making sure her bow's drawstring was not under the
quiver. She strode out, nearly colliding with a running figure. The figure
lost its balance as it swerved to avoid Schala, and tumbled to the ground 
in a cloud of dust.

"Celin!"

"Schala, there's trouble!! Our scouts have reported something! Everyone's 
getting into position! Hurry!", Celin said rapidly, in an urgent state. 
Schala ran to her post, behind one of the huts, and waited behind cover. 
Her heart was pounding, not from her sprint, but from the tension that 
seemed to have instantly permeated the air when she had run into Celin. 
Schala's mind was racing to match her heart, with two divisions in her 
thoughts: Battle, and her dearest siblings, whom their location was 
unknown.

The air seemed to have increased in temperature, yet there was no 
discernible source of heat. 

Schala unslung her bow from her back and drew an arrow, but did not fletch
it. Something deep inside told her that it would not be needed. Her arrow 
hand fell to her dagger, still holding her arrow, as if the blade was 
magnetic. Schala replaced her arrow in her quiver, then drew her blade
from the sheath. She had never considered her small flint dagger a true
weapon, but more a tool that served a utility.

Woe to the being who dared change that for her.

Suddenly, a crashing noise was heard in the distance. In Schala's vision, 
over the roof of the hut before her, a tree fell over in the lush canopy 
that was present in that direction for as long as can be seen.
  
Schala turned, and saw several of the men of the village, including a 
youth, hiding behind another hut, each with a bow in hand. She paused, 
and reflected how the scene before her seemed so.. evil.. so unnatural.. 
She had gotten to know the youth slightly, and the sight of him clasping 
a weapon with intent to harm made her blood run cold. Was this what they 
would be reduced to?