Legends of the Saloli: Approaching Storm (37 page)

Chapter Twenty Three

For the next week, Smallthorn was hardly ever seen out of the nursery tree. He wanted to spend every spare moment he had with his new son, and nobody could blame him. Since saloli grew up faster than human children, Springthorn had already learned how to stand. His body had also become covered in short fuzz, hardly there, but still visible. It was a rich, dark brown color, the perfect mix between his parent’s furs. He had not yet learned to speak, and Smallthorn was determined to teach him. Blaze was constantly with them as well, getting to know his potential godchild. Springthorn had already learned to recognize him, and would squeak with joy whenever he saw him. Today, when Blaze made his way to their branch, he heard Smallthorn practicing words with his son again.

“
Daddy.” Smallthorn said.

“
Squeak!” said Springthorn, a smile covering his face that could light the entire world.

“
Mommy.” Smallthorn went on.

“
Squeak!” Springthorn repeated.

Newthorn lay in the crook of the branch, watching her family, “Smallthorn, that’s enough,” she said, “you’re going to wear him out.”

“
All right,” Smallthorn gave in, then finally noticed his friend standing on the edge of the branch, watching them, “Hey, Blaze!”

As expected, Springthorn squeaked with happiness, and ran over to be with the red saloli, nuzzling against his side affectionately.

“
Hi, Springthorn.” Blaze said, “Hey, Smallthorn, Newthorn.”

“
How is everything down there?” Newthorn asked.

“
Everything’s going good,” Blaze replied, “Ink misses you, though, Smallthorn.”

“
You’re right!” Smallthorn gasped, “I’ve been neglecting her, haven’t I? I’ll take her out to train today, I swear.”

“
Good. So, I take it Springthorn is still as lively as ever.”

The three saloli spoke for almost an hour, Springthorn running back and forth between them, wanting attention. Finally, Blaze announced that he needed to go, and climbed back down. Once on the ground, he quickly sought out his trainee.

“
Ready to train today, Scratch?” he asked.

“
Yeah!” the young saloli agreed.

Blaze was about to lead his trainee to the Acorn Place, but thought better of it, deciding instead to have Scratch lead him. Telling him what to do, Blaze followed him. It had been a while since they had done this, but Blaze was sure that Scratch would remember the way. Fifteen minutes later, though, his confidence was beginning to waver a bit. What should have been a short trip was taking them a quarter of an hour, and they weren’t even in the right part of the forest.

“
Scratch, are you lost?” he asked.

“
No,” the trainee replied, “I know exactly where we are.”

I doubt that
, Blaze thought, out loud he said, “If you are, don’t be afraid to tell me. It’s okay to make mistakes once in a while.”

“
I’m not lost.” Scratch insisted.

They walked for another twenty minutes before Blaze had had enough, “All right, Scratch, I’m taking over,” he said, “Let’s go that way.”

He turned in the direction he had specified, and began walking, Scratch in tow. Soon, they were in a spot Blaze recognized very well. It was a small hill, with an even smaller cave opening in it.

“
Scratch, do you smell anything?” He asked.

Scratch sniffed the air, then said, “It smells a bit like fox, but it’s really old.”

“
You’re right,” Blaze agreed, “This is the spot where I first met Flame.”

“
You mean the fox that attacked our camp? Scarlet’s mate?”

“
That’s the one. I was actually stupid enough to ask him for directions to Acorn Place, and he attacked me. Slicer and I managed to drive him away, but Slicer did most of the work. I felt terrible. What kind of a saloli speaks to a fox? I thought I was a letdown for the entire tribe. I was wrong though. Do you know why?”

“
Because you killed him later, right?”

“
Yes, that too, but I was referring to the fact that, as long as they remain loyal, no saloli is a letdown in Icefire.”

“
I heard you killed Flame with your own claws!” Scratch exclaimed, “You ripped him to shreds all by yourself, and fed the pieces to the crows!”

Blaze was shocked that rumors like that were going around about him. He needed to set them straight, “Okay, first of all, Scratch,” he said, “I did not fight Flame by myself. Smallthorn helped me. I would have died if it wasn’t for him. Secondly, I didn’t rip him to shreds. I only managed to kill him because he was standing on the edge of camp where the ditch is. I distracted him, and he fell. Lastly, Scarlet would have killed me afterwards if Rust hadn’t saved me. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Scratch shook his head, “I’m saying that no saloli is invincible. You always need friends to stand beside you, or you are lost.”

Scratch thought about this, then looked at the ground, ashamed.

“
What’s wrong?” Blaze asked.

“
I don’t have any friends.” He responded, his voice barely a whisper.

“
What do you mean? What about Ink?”

“
She’s not my friend, she’s my sister. There’s a difference, right?”

“
Not if you don’t want there to be. Just because you’re family doesn’t mean that you can’t still be friends.”

“
Oh. Blaze?”

“
Yes, Scratch?” Scratch glanced away, as if embarrassed about what he was about to say, “What?” Blaze encouraged him.

“
Would. . . you be the friend who stands beside me?” Scratch asked, finally.

Blaze was a bit surprised by this. He had never realized how much this young saloli looked up to him, “Of course,” he promised, “I’ll stand by you anywhere.”

<><><><><>

Goliath paced back and forth, agitated. The worry was evident in his eyes. Though he could not see it, Mordred sensed that something was amiss.

“
Is all well with you, my chief?” he asked.

“
No, of course it isn’t!” Goliath snarled, “Why didn’t you tell me about the outsider’s aura sooner?”

“
What does it matter what aura he has? He is still a saloli.”

“
Maybe, maybe not. After what I’ve heard, I’m guessing that it’s the latter.”

“
And what is it that you have heard?”

“
Just something that Ratty told me once. He thought it was a message from Valde Abbas. He said ‘beware the one with the past of a human, the body of a saloli, and the heart of a hero.’”

Mordred silently contemplated this, “And,” he asked, finally, “Did he ever mention a sword?”

“
Yes,” Goliath said, surprised, “How did you know?”

“
I have my ways, Goliath. But tell me, what exactly did he say about the sword?”

“
Just that the sword would be able to put my plans in jeopardy.”

Mordred fell silent once more, “I will need to think about this.” He said after a minute had passed.

“
Why do you care about the sword when there may be a much more pressing matter at hand? What about the human past?”

“
The sword and the one Ratty spoke of may have more to do with each other than you think.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
The sword may be much more than a blade made of metal.”

“
How could it be? What else could a sword be made of?”

“
Think Goliath. Remember the first Sword that Valde Abbas created.”

Goliath’s eyes widened with fear, “You don’t mean. . .”

“
I do.” Goliath could only stare in horror as Mordred turned and left his tree. Could it really be
the
Sword?

Chapter Twenty Four

For the next several days, Blaze took Scratch out to train daily. The young saloli was happy to do this, his one desire now being to please his mentor. Blaze taught him more fighting moves, how to use his tail to make himself look bigger in order to scare away predators, how to disguise his scent, and how to move through the forest undergrowth completely silent. The red trainee was making progress faster than Blaze would have believed possible. There was another thing that he noticed, too. Scratch was growing, not just in skill, but in size. When he first met the trainee, Scratch had been a whole head shorter than him, but now he was nearly the same length as his mentor from tail to nose. His voice was getting lower as well, but through all this, he still remained the same Scratch Blaze had always known. One evening, after a good, long day of training, the two saloli were heading back to camp when Scratch spoke up.

“
Blaze?” he asked.

“
Yes, Scratch?”

“
Is it true that you used to be an outsider?”

Once again, this question took Blaze by surprise. Everybody acted as if they had forgotten about his so called “past,” but it seemed that it lived on in stories and rumors, “Yes, Scratch,” he confirmed, “I used to be an outsider.”

“
What was it like?”

“
It was difficult. I had to fend for myself, and I didn’t have a tribe to back me up.”

“
What about Valde Abbas? Didn’t he help you?”

“
Outsiders don’t believe in Valde Abbas.” Blaze said, bluntly.

“
What? How can you not believe in Valde Abbas?”

“
I know, it seems ridiculous, right? Now that I’m here, I’ve seen the light, and know the truth. But out there, there’s nobody to tell them what we know.”

“
What do they believe in?”

“
Some theory about earth being formed by dust particles, and tiny creatures turning into us over millions of years.”

Scratch was silent for a moment, contemplating this, then asked, “You know what I think about believing in Valde Abbas?”

“
No, what?” Blaze asked. Somehow, he felt that Scratch was about to tell him something very deep, and he wasn’t disappointed.

“
I believe that knowing Valde Abbas exists is just a feeling you get in your heart. You feel his presence there, comforting you and guiding you. The only saloli that don’t believe in him are the ones without hearts. They can’t feel him.”

That’s a pretty good theory, actually,
Blaze thought,
The whole “heartless” part sums Mask up pretty well.

“
I think you’re on to something there.” He said out loud, “remember that one, it may come in handy for defending your faith some day.”

I think I’ve just found your argument, Mask.

They walked in silence for another five minutes, then Scratch spoke up once more.

“
Blaze? Do you have a family?”

“
Family?” Blaze repeated, “Yes. Yes, I have a family.”

“
Who? How many?”

“
Just my mother. She’s the only one I still count as family. My father deserted us to live by himself a long time ago. I don’t even remember his face. Why?”