Legends of the Saloli: Approaching Storm (38 page)

“
N- no reason,” Scratch responded.

Despite Smallthorn’s warning, Blaze asked, “Scratch, apart from Ink, who is
your
family?”

“
I- I- I. . .” Scratch stammered.

“
If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

“
No, you deserve to know. The truth is, my father is. . . Razor.”

This made Blaze stop dead in his tracks, “Razor?” he repeated, “As in
the
Razor?”

“
Is there another one I don’t know about?” Scratch asked, miserably.

“
And Ink is his daughter?”

“
Yes.”

Despite this being the biggest surprise he had received from Scratch yet, Blaze managed to keep his composure. He didn’t want to drive his trainee away. “Well, I can see why you wouldn’t want to tell me.”

“
Yeah. I’m ashamed of him, the dirty, rotten traitor!”

Blaze’s first instinct was to tell Scratch off for saying such a thing, but then he remembered who it was they were talking about, “If you don’t mind me asking again, who was your mother?” He inquired.

“
That’s just it, I don’t know. Neither does Ink. All they will say is that she died giving birth to us.”

“
Hmm.” Blaze mused, not able to think of a reason for this.

“
I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like talking about this anymore.” said Scratch. Blaze nodded, and his trainee resumed the walk back to camp.

“
Shame that such a loyal saloli had to have
him
for a father.” someone behind Blaze said. He spun around to find Rust standing there.

“
It doesn’t matter who his family is.” Blaze told him, “Razor’s path is not Scratch’s. Scratch will make his own path, and I know that he will someday be a great Icefire saloli.”

Blaze had decided to give Rust another chance. It seemed that, even if he wasn’t aware of it, he was taking advantage of it.

“
I know.” Rust agreed, “Actually, that’s why I’m here. You’ve done a wonderful job training him, Blaze, and I believe it’s time for him to be promoted.” That statement nearly knocked Blaze off of his paws! His trainee? Promoted? He could hardly comprehend it. It only seemed like yesterday that the little red saloli had been assigned to him. “Yes, they do grow up fast.” Rust said, reading Blaze’s expression, “When you agreed to train him, he was barely an infant. Now he is almost a fully grown saloli who is ready to become a full member of our tribe. But first, I must ask you, do you believe he is up to it?”

Blaze answered without hesitation, “Yes, he is.”

Rust smiled, “That’s the kind of enthusiasm I like to hear from my mentors! He will take his patrol tomorrow. Now, go and tell him.”

Blaze immediately turned and ran towards camp. He met his trainee right at the entrance, “Scratch!” he called.

“
What is it?” the ex-trainee asked, spinning around.

“
I’ve just spoken to Rust. Guess what he said?”

“
I don’t know, what?”

“
He says that you’re ready to be promoted!”

Scratch’s eyes grew wide in shock. Whatever he had expected Blaze to say, it wasn’t this! “R- really?” He asked.

“
Would I joke about something like that?”

Scratch looked at the ground, his mind obviously reeling with excitement. He looked back up at his mentor, “What about my father?” He asked, “Will everyone still trust me?”

“
First off,” Blaze assured him, “Rust and I are the only two who know. Secondly, you are not your father. You are not bound by his actions. You could, of course, follow his pawsteps, but I know you won’t.”

Scratch’s eyes lit up, “Wow! Me, a tribe member! But what about Ink? Is she being promoted too?”

“
Um. . .” Blaze said, realizing he should have asked about her as well.

“
I’m afraid not, Scratch.” Rust himself said, saving Blaze, “She’s not quite up to your level just yet, so we can’t promote her. Don’t worry, though, her time will come soon enough.”

“
But. . .” Scratch protested, his enthusiasm gone, “we do everything together! I wanted to be promoted with her!”

“
She’s getting close,” Rust assured him, “but I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to put off your special day just to wait for her.”

“
Maybe.” Scratch said, “All right, I’ll do it.”

“
Good!” Rust congratulated him, “You will take your first patrol tomorrow. But first, there is one more thing that Blaze needs to teach you, isn’t there?”

Blaze thought back to his training with Slicer. On the day he was to be promoted, Slicer had taught Blaze how to leap between trees. That’s what he would do with Scratch, too, “Go get some rest,” Blaze said, “you’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

<><><><><>

The day was bright and sunny. Blaze and Scratch stood in the Acorn Place, ready for their last training session, “Okay, Scratch, do you know what we’re going to do today?” Blaze asked.

“
No, what?” Scratch replied, eager to finish and get back to camp.

“
I’m going to teach you how to leap from one tree to another. This is dangerous, but I know you can do it. Come on, let’s get up there.” Blaze led his trainee up the closest tree, to the highest branch. He motioned with his tail to a branch in the next tree over, “All right, Scratch. You’re going to jump from here to there. Do you think you can do that?”

“
Isn’t there a. . .”

“
No, there isn’t. This is the shortest gap in all of Acorn Place. All trainees learn to jump here.”

“
Okay.”

“
Here’s what you do: first, gauge the distance between branches. Determine how much speed you will need to use, and how much leg strength you will have to add to that to make it across. Watch me.”

Blaze raced across the branch, and, coming to the end of it, leapt into the air, soaring across the expanse between the two trees. He landed safely on the other side.

“
All right, now you try!” he called back across.

Scratch was obviously nervous. He braced himself, then dashed across the branch. Coming to the end, he took to the air, making straight for the other branch. Wait a minute…

No! Scratch’s aim was off! He was going to miss the branch! He could never survive a fall from this height! Then, the last thing Blaze was expecting happened. The branch bent slightly to the left, putting itself directly under Scratch! The trainee landed safely, and the branch returned to its normal position.

“
W- what was that?” Blaze demanded.

“
What was what?” Scratch responded, speaking so quickly that his guilt was obvious. It showed in his eyes.

“
The tree,” said Blaze, “it moved! Did you make it do that?”

“
I. . . I. . .” finally, he gave in, dropping his head and tail in shame, “Yes, it was me. I can control plants. I don’t know how I do it, or why I can, it just happens. That tree that picked up Scarlet and Gulp, I did that.”

“
Does anybody else know about this?”

“
No, just us.”

“
And me.” said Rust, climbing up to stand beside Blaze. Both saloli gasped when they saw their chief.

“
Rust, how long have you been there?” Blaze asked, taken by surprise.

“
Long enough to see and hear everything. This saloli is a traitor!” He snarled, looking at Scratch.

“
What? No I’m not!” Scratch protested.

“
You are! No saloli has powers like that naturally, not even the prophets! You must have received them by other means, and I’m willing to bet that Goliath was involved.”

“
Rust, didn’t you hear him?” Blaze argued, “He has no idea what these powers are! He doesn’t even know how he uses them!”

“
A good lie, if he actually expected someone to believe it.”

“
I believe it!” Blaze insisted.

“
Blaze, I know you have some affection for this saloli, being his mentor, but trust me, he’s a danger to this tribe!”

“
No!” Scratch shouted, “I’m not! I’m loyal!”

“
You’ve been following in your father’s pawprints!” Rust shouted back. This statement stunned Scratch so much that he could only stare, wide eyed, at his chief, “See?” Rust went on, “He doesn’t even have an argument! He’s guilty, and will be executed in due time!”

“
Rust, please don’t!” Blaze begged.

“
You can’t change my mind, Blaze. If you won’t help me, then just go back to camp. You have the rest of the day off.”

Knowing that he couldn’t do anything here, Blaze raced down the tree and out of Acorn Place, but not without saying one last thing to Scratch, “Scratch, I promise that if there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it! I won’t let you be executed without a fair trial!” Then he was gone.

He ran as fast as he could towards Icefire’s camp. He knew what he needed to do. If anyone could help, it was Faith. He burst into the camp, looking around desperately for the prophet. She was up in the nursery tree, tending to a sick newborn. He raced up to stand beside her.

“
Faith!” he said, urgently.

“
Just a minute, Blaze,” she whispered, “let me finish with this young one first.”

“
There’s no time! This is an emergency!”

Hearing the fear in his voice, Faith sped up the prayer she was reciting, and the baby saloli was cured. Turning away, she followed Blaze back down to the ground.

“
What’s the matter?” she asked.

“
Remember the tree that killed Scarlet and Gulp?” He asked, “Scratch did it.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Scratch has the power to control plants. He doesn’t know how or why, he just does. I was teaching him how to jump between trees, and the branch reached out and caught him when he was going to miss it. Rust saw it happen, and now he thinks Scratch is a traitor and wants to execute him!”

Instead of shock, or even mild surprise, Faith just turned thoughtful, “I knew it.” She muttered, “I should have acted sooner. Now it may be too late.”

“
What? You knew what? You should have done what sooner?”

“
Blaze, come with me. We need to go somewhere that nobody will hear us.”

Blaze followed the prophet out of the camp and into the forest. They ran for almost ten minutes, until they came to a large white tree. Blaze had been here before, when he had eavesdropped on Rust and Faith about the Sword. He had learned later, that this tree was called Bleachwood, named for its color. The two saloli quickly scaled it.

“
Blaze,” Faith said, once they had reached the branch she wanted, “I should have told you this sooner, but Scratch is special.”

“
I know, I. . . Wait, you already knew?”

“
I did. When you told me about the tree picking up Scarlet and Gulp, I knew exactly what had happened. Scratch is in possession of some of the greatest powers on earth.”

“
But Rust said that no creature had powers like that, not even the prophets.”