Flashback Friendship Forged in Fire

[Noven]

Fall, Day 63, 511AV

Noven watched as the wrinkled little apple rose high into the air, then plummeted back down in his outstretched palm. He'd been tossing it up and down for a good quarter of a bell now, contemplating how pitiful it must seem for someone his age to prefer being holed up in his shabby apartment over making merry out in some tavern with a saucy wench in one hand and a pint in the other.

The young man was lying on his back, feet propped on the edge of his bed frame as he toyed with his late night snack. Was it pitiful that he could find nothing to do on his day off? Could not even muster some semblance of desire to get up and be his old self?

Nov frowned. No, that was no longer possible. His old self was long gone, replaced by the dictations of crimson veins that now webbed brightly over his left hand. Besides, who the petch cared what anyone else thought? Except for Calyn and some of the orphans, there was not a soul left that he cared for in this miserable world.

"I don't need anyone," he muttered aloud to himself, the familiar tang of anger laced in his words.

A sigh echoed through the room. Nov caught the apple and froze, his muscles tensed, his eyes fixated on the ceiling as he strained to hear more. A few, silent moments later, he let out a whoosh of air and laid his forearm over his brow. Maybe he really was going crazy. It certainly did him no good to be locked up in this old room for so long, surrounded incessantly with memories of Nona.

Nona, Nona, Nona was all he could think of, all he could remember. Nona making him stew, Nona fixing a broken chair leg, Nona pulling the covers up to his chin as she kissed his hair and bade him goodnight. She was the only family he ever had, that he ever needed.

And she was gone.

It had been, what, two years? Three? It was hard to keep track, and the fact that he kept having to haphazardly guess when to celebrate his birthday was no help either. Sometimes, Nov felt like he was a tiny fish stuck in a jar of paste, unable to move or breathe. Just...preserved.

The thought made him shudder. He rolled up on his bed, staring at the mealy apple before taking a large bite out of it. Everything's a mess, he grumpily thought to himself. My body, this apartment, life. If it hadn't been for the steady burn of his desire for vengeance, Nov wasn't entirely sure what he would doing right now. Maybe dead somewhere, shriveled up in an alleyway, or frozen by the time Winter began in earnest. At least now he was working for Calyn, doing a bit of good by cooking for the kids at the orphanage and occasionally teaching them how to fight when the old woman wasn't looking. At least he was doing something.

He ran his fingers through his damp hair and stuffed the core of the apple in his mouth. A tick later, he spit out the stem and a few seeds, heartily chewing the rest as he struggled not to think anymore.

Gods, he needed a drink.

Nov stopped chewing, however, as he sniffed the air. What was that awful, stifling stench? He got up from his bed and looked out the window.

Holy hell. The bottom of the building was on fire.

As he ran about the room, panicking and trying to find everything he needed to take, screams of terror began to pierce the evening air. Children's cries and urgent shouts steadily grew in volume as Nov stuffed all that he could into his pack. When he had everything he could possibly carry, he ran to the cupboards, threw open the bottom doors, and pulled out Nona's precious crock pot.

Then he burst from his apartment, only to find the world ablaze with flames.

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

Senghor always asked himself why things where always so petched up, especially for him. His time in Sunberth was ridden with hiding from his debtors for some time, true he'd occasionally 'persuade' someone he knew to cover his tracks for him but as of late it seemed like his debtors might somewhat still know that he was still breathing. Ah, he couldn't dwell on that now, as he worked about his cottage for something to eat. 'Damnit, nothing... ' he swore under his breath as he moved above the cabinets, rummaging through them for at least a snack. As of late Seng was in slump, especially with miza's, true he had some in his pocket but that was for emergencies... 'An hunger isn't an emergency?' his stomach seemed to ask as it groaned slightly, he sighed after pacing around his hidden home repeatedly for a few chimes, as the sigh slipped under his breath and he walked towards his door. As the knob turned and he stepped out, a very old particular scent seemed to ferment the air and Senghor couldn't help but feel a nostalgic thread in it, when he shut his door and walked through the alleys of the Sunset Quarters, his home, it had been his home for a while now and he was used it. Oh how he'd fall from grace due to his own ignorance, his young arrogant nature cost him what his parents had worked ever so greatly for, all of it lost to something so beautiful yet so destructive and greedy. 'Let me not... Dwell on it' he mentally told himself as he kept his stride as casual and simple as possible, it was until than that he felt the earth move somewhat and the fire figure came, her feet carrying herself as she throat tore open with a wail of fright. Than a wave of civilians came, as if chased by something. As Senghor felt their bodies bump into his, his reaction the sixth was quick as he held down the little man and looked into his eyes. "What is it?!, what's going on!?" Seng asked as he shook down the man for answers, it was his answer that shook the Vilhjalmr to the core as he looked ahead and left the man, his slow casual steps quickly taking a new turn and running fast towards when those people came. Fire!, it'd now grew in size and strength and was quickly moving, it seemed like a living entity devouring its sacrifices and greedily wanting more. He heard the screams, the wails of man, woman and child grow as the fire came, as it grew in size and just kept going. It was insanity, it was as if a lucid dream turned into a living breathing nightmare... "What's... happening?" he asked himself even whilst he watched as the fire consumed and moved, inch by inch... Fire, it was taking everything... Again

[Noven]

Noven coughed violently as smoke filled his lungs, lifting a hand to his eyes to shield them from waves of intense heat. Chaos reigned everywhere. People were bursting from their doors and falling down the stairs, some carrying valuables, others babies, while most scrambled out of the building with nothing but their lives. A few were screaming in pain as fire licked up their legs and arms. One even tossed himself clear out the window, landing on the stones below with a sickening smack.

Nov ran back into his room. He located the basin of water he'd washed his face in that morning, dumped it over his body, and then pelted out the door a second time. By then, most of his neighbors were dead or had already fled. He held his breath and dove through the fire, feeling the unbearable heat press against his body but rushing headlong without so much as a backward glance.

The young man kept his pack gripped tightly against one shoulder, one hand hooked under the strap and the other wrapped around Nona's pot. He cradled it like a precious infant, praying to all the gods and goddesses that he would not drop it. Before he knew it, he was stumbling out onto the blessedly cool streets, feet slapping against stones and lungs sucking in gulps of fresh air once more.

Well, it wasn't exactly fresh, given that it was Sunberth. But compared to the inferno that was once his home, the air out here was practically divine.

He'd only just managed to catch his breath when several people began howling. "Calyn!" they screamed, all at different times and creating a terrible din. "Calyn and the children are still in there! Oh please, someone help them!"

Calyn.

Nov's heart leapt to his throat. He tucked his belongings under an abandoned bale of hay and ran back towards the entrance without a second thought. A fiery beam crashed in front of him, blocking the doorway entirely. He cursed, then ran along the edge of the building until he spotted an opening. With a quick intake of breath, Nov charged towards the unburnt section of the wall and jumped, stepping one foot on the edge of a window to propel himself up.

His hand shot out, grabbing at a ledge. Onlookers below him gasped in alarm as he almost lost his footing, but Nov managed to steady himself and pull his body upwards, one nook and cranny at a time. It was grueling and slow going, but fortunately there weren't many levels--courtesy of Sunberth's dilapidated theme--and there were plenty of little outcroppings or holes for him to utilize.

"There, that one! Go through that window!" someone shouted from below. "Calyn and the children are in the room across from it!"

With another grunt of effort, Nov shifted sideways along the thin ledge towards where the people below were pointing. He tapped a knuckled against the bottom of one of the windows. "Yes, that one!"

Nodding, Nov hauled himself up beside the target window, muscles bulging and straining with effort. Then, without hesitating he raised on elbow and rammed it against the panes. Crack. He smashed against it again and it shattered. Fingers slick with sweat, he nearly missed the jagged opening altogether as he planted one foot on the sill and swung himself through the broken window.

Nov winced in pain as he landed soundly on wooden floorboards. Blood was trickling down his left arm where he had scraped against a sharp piece of glass, but he paid it no mind. He could hear the children across the hall.

He burst out of the little apartment, only to find someone blocking his way. A giant of a man, with dark skin and the undeniable physique of a warrior, stood frozen in place in front of the door. His mind seemed to be trapped elsewhere as the fire steadily grew in intensity, consuming the wooden infrastructure all around him with frightening speed.

"Hey!" Nov yelled as he darted around the towering man and shook him by the shoulder. "Wake up! You gotta get out of here!"

A chunk of flaming roof fell beside them, erupting into sparks and bits of fiery debris. One landed on Nov's trousers and he yipped, patting it out with his hand. He looked up once more at the formidable stranger. "I have to get to Calyn and the children. I'm going to need help, and I happen to know a way out from here. Come on, let's move!"

Then Nov bolted across the hall and slammed through one of the rickety doors. It burst open without a fuss, revealing the tear stricken, soot covered faces of at least five little orphans. Calyn was no where in sight.

There was no time to worry about her. They had to get out. The roof was already collapsing all around them and the children were too small to make it on their own. He would have to carry them. Gods, but there were too many!

Nov glanced back and shouted, "Hey, you! How many can you carry?"

Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed the kids and herded them out of the crumbling room. Then he bent down and hoisted two of the nearest ones--a boy and a girl--into his arms. They wrapped their tiny hands around his neck without hesitance. Hoping the stranger behind him would follow suit, he ran to the very end of the hallway and busted open the window with a violent kick. He leaned over, just to make sure the coast was clear, and then slammed his foot against the edge of the sill.

Immediately, the straps broke and a ladder of rope unfurled clumsily down towards the street. It slapped soundly against the wall, inciting a murmur of surprise from the citizens below. They had only a few chimes at best, now, to get down before the fires reached them.

Nov set down the children. "Okay, you, in front. You, on my back. Ready? Hang on tight!" he shouted, then stepped out over the window, turned, and began his slow descent. The orphans whimpered, but they gripped him with all their might, squeezing their eyes shut against the terrible distance from the ground.

When they were but a few feet from the street, the rope bindings near the window sill began to fray.

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

"Hey!" a voice slipped into his ears whilst he looked at the fire dance before his golden brown eyes, he remembered this dance all to well and now it returned once again to torment him... "You gotta get out of here!" the voice returned and only than did the words of the man sling him back into realities grip. Seng snapped back and looked down at the man before him as the chunk of roof fell beside them, bursting forth with a vengeance, messy and blackened by the smoke and... Caught on fire he quickly put out. "I have to get Calyn and the children..." innocence, that was what caused Seng to move right when he said let's move. As the black cloud of thin smoke devoured Senghor whilst he ran in watching the fire beginning to erupt for and dance before his eyes, it was the screams that quickened his running after the mysterious man. Whilst the smoke ate at his lungs Senghor coughed heavily and brought his forearm over his nose to hinder the smoke, it proved ineffective and slow, and as he looked around whilst the man he followed burst through the door. One of the kids had left some cloth laying there, Senghor quickly picked it up and wrapped it around the lower half of his face to cover his nose and lips, when Seng walked in he found the fellow helper busy picking up and lifting kids. Senghor quickly joined in, he scooped up the first child and felt as her little arms wrapped around his neck, he heard something from the man but couldn't make it out. The second child climbed his back and the other three kids huddled in his embrace as he lifted them up and didn't crumble under their combined weight. He watched as the other man began leading out the children through the door, Senghor turned and looked at the remains kids collective faces, all stricken with fear and tears. "C'mon you there, grab my shirt and hold one anothers hands. Don't let go until we're out of here!" he told them with a slight nod, even though they could see his mouth he tried his best to keep a happy face even in times of disaster. When Seng turned around and felt the hem of his shirt bundle up into a small little ball at the back, when Senghor walked and a collective chorus of footsteps followed behind quickly, he kept a pace they could follow and after a few ticks they reached the mysterious man Senghor had came in with. By the time he'd arrived Senghor told the children to follow the man and do what he told him, when he put down the child on his back and the three that were huddled in his embrace. The little girl strangely didn't want to let go, her cries where silent and when Seng tried shrugging her off she didn't let go! "What's wrong?" spontaneously he asked as he he heard her little voice whisper in his ear, her brother... He was in a room connected to where they'd come from, Seng persuaded her to let go as reluctant as she was she slowly began to let go. When he put her down, Seng knelt by in front of her "I'm going to get your brother... Just go with the other guy and I'll be back with him, okay?" As the little girl nodded, Senghor stood up and didn't waste time running back down the hall, the room was slowly collapsing in on itself when he walked in and he could feel the heat of the fire stifle the air and thin the groud. A massive chuck of the roof descent down and the impact rumbled the entire building. "Hey!, Hey... Anyb.." Senghor began calling over the loudness of the destruction only to hear the cries of help coming from a room situated at his left. Senghor didn't waste time, he wasn't even thinking straight at that moment because he charged fully shoulder first at the door like a raging bull, it shattered under his strength and adrenaline and burst into splinters and large chunks of wood. When Senghor walked into the room and looked around he quickly saw the boy curled up in a fetal position and crying. Seng didn't waste time, he could because the roof could literally come down at any moment. "C'mon kiddo, let's get outta here" he said with a light tone to ease the boy whilst he picked him up and felt him do what his sister had done, Senghor only reassured him that she was okay and that she was waiting for him outside with the rest of his friends. As Senghor high-tailed it and ran out the both rooms and down the hall, he saw that everybody was out, and when he leaned over the window and saw the rope, he sworn beneath his breath when the building quaked again. 'Shyke, shyke, shyke!' he mentally repeated as he looked down and turned to the sound of the roof finally eating itself and falling down. As Seng looked ahead and than down, he observed his surroundings and came to the conclusion, he took the plunge. "Close your eyes, and whatever happens don't open them under were get down" Seng said to the boy whilst he stepped out, turning and descending down. Senghor moved slowly and eased. He kept repeating the mantra in his head and slowly inclined his head to look down, it was than that Senghor felt the snap of the rope and his whole world moving speedily around him, his only instinct at that moment was the cradle the boy and that's what he did. A tick or two later and only Senghor could do was groan in pain as his eyes flattered open and he felt the weight on his chest shift and allow his lungs to breath. He watched as snow of black descent down and fire sprout from the skies whilst were printed with smoke and ash..

[Noven]

Fall, Day 63, 511AV

A third. A fourth. And then a fifth child clambered uneasily into his weary arms. That should be the last of them, but where was the tall stranger from before? Nov had just finished setting down the last little girl who had made it down the ladder when the sound of rope snapping drew everyone's heads up in alarm.

Then a humongous, dark mass plummeted to the ground.

For a moment, everything but the roaring flames and falling ash stood still. He thought maybe the fellow was dead. There was still a ways to go when the rope had severed. Then people were rushing forward, extracting the sobbing child from his muscled protection and dragging the unlikely hero out of harm's way.

"Move back, we have to give him some space," Nov ordered, clearing the area around the fallen man. Then he got on his knees began to look for any signs of serious damage. He wasn't a doctor by any means, but at least he would be able to tell if there was a broken bone or significant bleeding. Miraculously, the man appeared mostly unharmed, minus a few bruises and sore muscles he'd feel in the morning. He was groaning in pain and his eyes fluttered for a while before they could properly focus again, but he seemed otherwise very much alive.

"Oy, slowly now," Nov murmured to the fellow as he helped him slowly sit up. "Easy does it."

He gave the man some time to orient himself before allowing the orphans to surround him. Some of the younger ones clung to Nov shyly as they checked to see if their savior was still alive, while the others stood before him in open wonderment.

"You saved us, Mister," one of the boys said, his voice willed with awe. The rest nodded in agreement, and their smiles shone despite the ash and dirt that covered their small faces.

A girl came up to him, holding the hand of another little boy. "Thank you," she whispered through tears, "thank you for saving my brother."

Nov grinned as he tugged the younger ones along with him and moved to join the other orphans. "Lucky, you being there," he said to the man. "Only half of these children would have made it without your help. You did a good thing tonight, one that promises you'll never be forgotten."

He held out a hand, partly to congratulate, partly to help the man up, and party to give a long overdue greeting. "The name's Noven. We don't make a bad team, you and I. Ever think about saving orphans from burning buildings for a living?"

Nov maintained his poker face for about half a tick before the facade cracked and he barked with laughter. Gods, it felt good to be alive. Even after all this shyke, even after having lost his home...

He was alive, and so were these people. And, for the moment, that was good enough.

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

Senghor couldn't help but feel a sense of relief when that child got off his body, the plunge that he'd taken would surely come back to haunt him the next day or two but it was worth it, fire consumed everything that he'd come to hold dear, his home and he couldn't let another suffer a fate worse than his by letting a child lose a life. He kept his breathing slow and steady and flinched everything tick or two, he heard voices every though they sounded like mixed noises that interpreted into language. As the suffocating presence around him thinned slightly he felt as something tried helping him get up, slowly but surely he did and sat up. "Easy does it" the familiar voice of that man said as he felt the pain all but slightly diminish, his play rose and ripped the cloth that covered half his face so he could breath. It was strange that even with smoke and fire coming into his lungs, the air seemed fresh yet maybe it was the aura that came from children, the happiness to be alive just cleared the suffocating ash and smoke. Senghor looked around momentarily and looked up at the man who helped him sit up yet it was the words of one of the boys that caused him to look at the kids. He said that Seng had saved them, and he and his companions faces lit up in joy and awe. Yet it was the voice of that little girl who came with her brother, the boy he'd risked going into the inferno for who's words brought a smile to his face, his stoic features shifted into a genuine smile that after so long felt like a foreign expression to him... "Any time kiddo..." Senghor replied as he felt the presence of the man he'd soon come to know shadow of him. "Luck you being there," he said with a smile stricken across his face. When he told Seng the obvious truth of what would have happened if he hadn't come along it caused Senghor's smile to shift and become a smirk, for the first in a long time he wasn't looked upon as that drunkard who'd burnt down his home, or that angry spirit that fought to get his point across but as a hero, a genuine hero. As Senghor took the hand of them man and stood up, he felt his back sting, 'Shyke, gonna feel that in the morning... An that!' he said as his shoulder also stung like hell. "The name's Noven. We don't make a bad team, you and I. Ever think about saving orphans from burning buildings for a living?" Noven joked causing Senghor to chuckle a bit when he replied. "Name's Senghor, and yeah... I hear the pay is exceptionally rewarding" Senghor said as he brought shook the man's hand only to release it and hold his shoulder, his reward for his newfound profession. Senghor could help but laugh a bit with Noven when he cracked under his poker face... "We should get these kids outta here, it's pretty dangerous and they might get hurt" Senghor told Noven as he turned his head to the buildings behind them. They needed to move, lest they're efforts went to nothing when the buildings came down onto themselves...

[Noven]

Fall, Day 63, 511AV

Nov nodded in agreement. "Alright, kids, you heard the man. Let's get movin'."

Together, the two unlikely chaperons guided their charges to a safer area. Already, many Sunberthians were coming to Sunset's aid, passing buckets of water and helping survivors move out of harm's way.

That was the one thing that made the city more bearable than it otherwise would be, Nov thought to himself. The fact that any time there was a threat or emergency, the people always rallied together to fight it. They be hard bitten and callous and self preserving on a daily basis, but when push came to shove they were always able to place the greater good above themselves. Most did, anyway. There were plenty who simply high-tailed it and left their kin for dead, but enough had stayed or arrived to lend a hand, and that made all the difference.

As they hobbled away from the burning building, several older women took one look at the children and rushed over, insisting they take over from here on out. "We're midwives," one explained as she brushed the hair back from one of the little girls. "We've got some of the others to safety already. Let us take these little ones and give them someplace warm to be."

Nov had no intentions of objecting, since there was still much to be done about the fire and too few able bodied people to handle it. When the orphans were safely transferred to the capable hands of the midwives, he turned to the man named Senghor and gave him a conflicted look.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did," he said, "and I can only hope your fall won't cause you too much pain in the morning."

The young man looked to the fire now and grimaced. "So if you need some well deserved rest, I won't hold you from it. But, there are still people in that building...Calyn, especially. And I could really use help as competent as yours..."

Nov stopped awkwardly, swallowing his pride. He never, ever asked for help. Not in his whole life, not even after Nona had died. But this disaster was, for once, not about him. It was about Calyn, the children, the place he'd called home for the last fourteen years of his life. He had to do everything he could, or else he knew he'd never get a decent night's rest ever again as long as he lived.

"You in?"

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

They'd soon began to move the children away from the danger zone, even with an aching shoulder and back Senghor could help when one of those children brought our her arms to be picked up, whilst rolling his eyes slightly he began scooped her up and followed behind in man he now knew as Noven with his own troops following at his side. After a couple of ticks or so they met up with some midwives who offered to take care for the children, Senghor had no say in it and waited of the strange man's decision, after dismounting off the tall lean man, the little girl waved goodbye with a smile and Seng did what he could to do and raised his hand to tip a hat that wasn't there, the child giggled shortly before turning back and running to catch up with the rest of the orphans. "I can't thank you enough for what you did" Noven said shortly before continuing "and I can hope your fall won't cause you too much pain in the morning." Senghor remembered an old saying that his father used to tell him, though it was one amongst his endless he often remembered this one when the pain was minor. "You can either be ridden with pain today or ridden with guilt tomorrow, you make that decision" he whispered lowly as he looked down momentarily, if only he'd taken the pain and maybe everything would be still there... Maybe. When Noven spoke again Senghor could only raise his head and listen, huh... If he wanted sleep than he'd have just ran back to his little cottage situated far from these flames and went to bed but it was than when he said the name of that woman that he saw into the strangers eyes that even he was going to lose something if Senghor didn't help. "You in?" Noven asked awkwardly, this caused Senghor to turn around and look at the fiery scenery, he watched as neighbors, families, friends, even strangers help kill the fire, kill it before it killed them. He watched as they moved, he listened as they helped, and it was so strange, so surreal... A few seconds seemed like an hour to the acquaintances before Seng inclined his head towards the shorter man, and than he returned before turning to the building once again. "Standing around here won't save her... Let's go" he said clearly enough to be heard, it didn't take long before the two men were making a mad dash to saving the Calyn... From those ungodly flames

[Noven]

Fall, Day 63, 511AV

Noven felt a simultaneous surge of hope and relief at Senghor's words. Together, they dashed off towards the burning building once more. It felt a bit mad to be heading straight back after having so narrowly escape, but no one thus far had been able to confirm that old Calyn made it out, so they had to keep trying as long as they could.

They owed her that much, at least.

The fire was not as intense now, what with all the city folk coming to Sunset's aid. But there was still much work to be done and no rest to be had. Nov asked the first person they approached if they had seen Calyn, but the bedraggled man merely shook his head.

Cursing, Nov moved on from one person to the next, but no one had so much as glimpsed their beloved innkeeper. Just when he was about to give up altogether, a voice cried out from above.

Everyone looked up in horror. It was Calyn! But she wasn't alone. There were at least seven or more children with her. Good gods, woman, Nov swore in his head, so that's where you've been all this time.

"Help!" Calyn cried from the second story. "There are too many children here and we can't find a way out of here!"

Nov looked around and saw someone was handing out blankets to some of the victims. He quickly nabbed one right out of the charitable person's hands and ran up right beneath Calyn's window without so much as a backwards glance.

"Calyn, you need to tell them to jump!" Nov shouted. The old woman looked stricken with the very idea, but she was desperate enough to agree. Everyone could see that it was only a matter of time before the fire got to them, and there was really no other way out but through the window.

Calyn nodded curtly, then turned to speak with the children. To their credit, no one so much as even whimpered. Nov turned to Senghor and handed him one end of the thick, wool blanket. "Ready?"

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

Senghor too soon began asking around the people amidst the chaos, he had too, he was committed in the manner to help his knew partner. Again and again he was met with a shake of the head, this seemed like a dying cause. He watched as the fire began to reduce its violent struggle, he felt himself there within the flames that night, he remembered it began in one of the rooms in his home, first the caught alight and the stayed there for a while, soon it began its hungry march upon the estate. Soon followed the violent coughing of smoke and fire as the first climax of flame came, burning the walls greedily as the paint gave it more life, soon he felt the house rumble from where he was as the flames spread from one room to the next. From the training room to the study, to his old room to that of his parents the fire just consumed all. He watched as everything soon began to fall and that when when he left, like a coward when he could have done something, when he could have fought those he wanted to take the last thing that connected him to his parents. Seng grunted in pain as he moved from one person to the next, repeating the very same words he'd said to the last and the response was all but the same. Than came the cry, 'Shyke!' was probably what echoed in the minds of everybody there, Seng turned to look Noven and watched as he snatched the blanket and ran below the window. Senghor did the only natural thing at that moment and helped, he ran in front of Noven and listened to the plan, and grasped the end of the blanket and moved back to spread it out. It was large enough for the kids to jump one at a time and that's all they could have asked for. "Mhm..." Seng nodded to prove his readiness, he looked up as the first child descent into the embrace of the blanket and the next one line up. 'C'mon kid, we need to to move quick' Senghor thought as the child moved off the blanket and another quickly followed, with his shoulder already hurting like hell, the force of their descent only made it worse. One by one the children began to fall, land and move aside for the next one, Senghor grunted in pain as each child fell, as each one put more strain on his shoulder, he wanted to let go but couldn't, not after so long. 4...5...6...7... He counted in his head as he expected a seventh child to fall but nothing, he looked up to see her standing still, frozen with fear. "C'mon!, Jump!... We'll catch you!" Senghor roared over the roaring fires, yet the little girl kept shaking her head and said no, he tried again "C'mon!, Your friends did it!..." he said whilst turning to the other six kids that had already landed in the blanket, yet she still couldn't, her fear of falling overwhelmed everything else at that moment. Senghor turned to Noven and gave him a look over uncertainty and confusion before he spoke. "She's to jump or else the fire will get them, do something!"