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// 6. A Voice Like Screaming Flame 
// Story: The Strands of Time 
// by Faedelaide 
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A gust of wind nudged Raven awake. His eyes creaked open, and he struggled to focus his vision in his grogginess. It was definitely morning, as the sky was a bored orange as opposed to a soft, lightless blue. The clouds were thick today, which was good, since that meant it would be chillier than usual. Maybe that would be better for them, a little chill to keep them moving. Why then was it so warm?

Another gust of wind sharpened Raven's vision and mind much faster. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, and his first priority was finding Branch. Fortunately, it seemed the little bug had rolled over in his sleep, but was still within hoof's reach. He had yet to wake up, and Raven debated on waking him, lest he make any noise.

Branch breathed soft and even as he slept, so Raven turned back to the glistening white mass that lie less than a hundred feet away from him. A lone firewinder stood motionless, it's body half buried in the sand. A single arm rested upon the soil, slowly running through the sand as one would brush their mane. It's pearly white scales were covered in indents and scars, and it's eyes were cloudy and grey. They stared outwards at nothing, they were unfocused, inattentive. If Raven didn't know any better, he'd have suspected the firewinder had lost its reason for living before it could reach them. However, the creature was evidently still alive. Every few moments, it let out a large breath that swept the nearby hills in a definite but controlled heat. Then, once it had emptied its lungs, it took a long, agonizing moment to refill them. 

Raven sat still for a long while. But, as the sun slowly began to roost in the sky above, marking the emergence of mid day, he decided to test the waters. He moved his head to the side, leaning closer to Branch, but made sure to do so as quietly as possible. The firewinder continued to stay still, silently scraping away at the sand as Raven waved his hooves, rocked back and forth on his sleeping bag, then stood upright.

The next few minutes passed by at an agonizingly slow pace. First, Raven tiptoed his way over to the ashtree where his and Branch's bags lay. He clicked the bags to his back, then dragged the remaining luggage over to Branch, taking careful measures not to have it scrape against the sand and alert the firewinder. It did not move. Raven proceeded to quietly roll up his bed and latch it to his bag, he did the same for Branch's. Still no movement. Now came the hardest part.

Raven crouched down next to Branch and whispered as quietly as he could. "Branch, honey, you need to get up."

The insecticorn responded by trapping Raven in his embrace. "mmmf... but It's so early. Stay with me a little longer."

The firewinder's head rose ever so slightly. It's scratching becoming just slightly more rapid. Raven spoke again, his voice dire, but still as quiet as he could make it. "Branch, you need to get up right now. Now is not the time for this!"

Branch's eyes flipped open sluggishly. His smile was warm but strained from tiredness. "What's got you so grumpy? Did I not drown you in enough love and admiration yesterday, my liege?" 

The firewinder breathed out again, bathing both of them in a wave of heat. This time, however, it drew in a sharp breath, raising its long, thin snout and smelling the air. Raven didn't try to hold in his panic at this point. "Branch, I need you to be silent. Please, I'm begging you, get up but stay silent!"

Finally, Branch caught wind of the situation, either from the firewinder's breath or the look on Raven's face. Slowly, he began to rise. "What's going on Raven? Is something wrong?"

A deep inhalation from the firewinder turned both their heads. Raven saw the mounting panic in Branch's eyes. "That's a firewinder. There's a firewinder right next to-!"

Raven quickly Put a hoof over Branch's mouth. In the same moment, the white serpent began to unearth itself from the sand. It's two stubby wings flapped uselessly on its back, and it's claws dug deep into the soil as it pushed itself up. It's thin snout swung in all directions, and it breathed long, wheezing breaths from the self imposed strain.

"Branch," Raven whispered, "I need you to grab your bags and, on my mark, we'll run as far away from it as possible."

"H... hhhh... hhhe..." The lizard huffed. It's glassy eyes were focused intently on the sky.

Branch nodded, and Raven released his hoof. The two silently donned the rest of their equipment, and began backing away slowly. Step by step, they carefully maneuvered away from the beast, even as it began to trudge through the sand. It's eyes remained unfocused, and it's mindless walking was slow and strained. 

The two passed the trunk of the ashtree, now a good distance away from the beast. Their hoofsteps slowly lost their cautiousness, and they began to hear the faint crunch of sand beneath their hooves as they headed towards the mountains. Their eyes stayed firmly locked on the creature, even as they turned their path towards their destination.

Until the crunch of ashtree bark clashed through the wastes like a deafening bell.

Branch jumped back in surprise, raising his hoof from the crumpled piece of wood and accidentally letting out a startled yelp. Adrenaline began to rush through Raven's veins, and his vision blurred in panic. He had prayed that they were far away enough that the firewinder might not notice, but it raised its snout upwards. It's mouth raised to the sky like a spear, it took in a deep breath through its nose.

The lizard's maw opened slightly. It's needle like teeth, once interlocked, were now exposed to the open air like thorns. "Whhh... Whhuh... Whhwh..." It heaved a withered sigh, and several small globs of molten fire dripped down its chin and fell onto the sand. With a previously unseen energy, the firewinder dragged itself towards the two ponies. 

"Branch! Run, now!" Raven shouted. 

The two took off immediately towards the mountains. Branch's vestigial wings flapped wildly as he ran, and the straps on his luggage threatened to snap. Raven's heart pounded in his chest. He could barely feel the sand below him as he sprinted.  For the first time in his life, he felt like he was flying, and of course it was while he was running for his life. 

Raven's ears were ringing, but he could still hear the roar of the firewinder behind him. In time, its roaring quieted, until it fell into obscurity behind the howling wind. Raven nearly tripped as he tried to slow down, and Branch skidded to a stop in his attempt to stop, kicking up a large cloud of sand. 

"I think we're... safe now," Raven panted.

Branch took a moment to collect himself before he spoke. "I... told you... so."

"Well... it was just one..."

"One firewinder is still a firewinder, Raven."

"I know, you're right, but we're not going to find many safe places out here anymore."

"We're lucky to have gotten out of there with our lives. What was that one's deal anyway?"

"I think it was blind, or something like that. Didn't know we were there until I tried to wake you up."

"Huh," Branch paced back and forth while Raven took in their surroundings. "I guess we'd better get back to walking then, in case the firewinder comes back."

"Hold on a second, Branch," Raven started climbing the dunes again. "There might be a safer path nearby."

"Well be careful, dear. If you see a firewinder, get back down here quick."

"I will," Branch called back as he reached the dune's peak. As usual, most of the surrounding area was frozen in place, or covered by the rolling waves of sand that carpeted the entire horizon. Behind him, he could just barely make out a single, thin ribbon of smoke. It was probably the firewinder, but it was far enough away that it brought him little concern. He and branch would be able to outpace it, so long as they kept a consistent speed.

But, as he turned back around to face towards the sun, as well as the mountains, he noticed another smoke trail on the edge of his vision. As he focused on it, he realized it was a sand cloud. It was being kicked up by something, but he couldn't see what. Not any more than a hundred feet away from the sand cloud, an odd scar split the wastes in two. It was deeper and darker than any firewinder trail. In fact, it almost looked like...

"Branch!" Raven yelled excitedly, practically skipping down the dune. "Good news!"

"Shhh, what if the firewinder's still around?" Branch scolded him. "Tell me quietly... please."

"I think there's a ravine just a little bit east of here!" Raven cheered.

"Wait, a ravine? Like the kind with rocks on the sides?"

"And a nice, chilly floor, yeah!"

"Well what are we waiting for? Show me where it is!"

With their hopes restored, the two ponies bounded their way over to the ravine. Upon reaching it, however, they realised just how deep it went. The ravine was easily a hundred feet deep. It's sides were scratchy and rugged, but oddly enough, its bottom was pristinely smooth, as were the lower edges of its walls.

"well... should we just follow the edge, see if there's a way down somewhere?" Branch suggested.

Raven sighed. "Yeah, probably."

And so, for the next few minutes, the two ponies dejectedly followed the ravine's edge. To Raven's surprise, the sand cloud remained. Branch noticed its presence as well.

"What is that?"

"I... don't know. It hasn't moved at all since I first saw it."

"You didn't mention it at all?"

"It was far enough away, I thought I didn't need to. But it couldn't be a firewinder, right? It would have to be walking in circles to keep that cloud so stationary."

"well, we're headed this direction anyway. Let's just see what it is. Maybe it'll be another pony."

"Can't argue with optimism like that."

Branch giggled. Quietly, the two snuck up to the source of the cloud, hiding safely behind a dune just a few hundred feet away.

Raven watched the cloud intently, looking for any sign of an individual. Unfortunately, whatever was creating the cloud was moving very erratically, causing only more sand to kick up. Branch worriedly poked his head over the dune.

"See anything?"

"No... there's too much going on over there, can't get a clear image."

"Wait," Branch pointed, "Look at that hill, over to the right, there."

"What about it?" Raven squinted at the hill, which was occasionally hidden by the thick cloud. For a moment, Raven didn't notice anything, but the more he looked at it, the more he noticed odd movement within it's center. The entire dune seemed to squirm and shift, like a rotted fruit full of hungry maggots. His face scrunched up reflexively.

Raven's continued to watch as the mountain slowly collapsed in on itself. In a matter of minutes, the only thing left was a sad, disheveled bump in the sand. Whatever was hidden in the mountain then made its way over to the sand cloud, and in a burst of dust, a spectrum of gleaming colors revealed themselves.

Raven's face paled as every color of the rainbow flashed and shimmered in the mediocre sunlight. As the dust cloud finally dissipated, Branch again poked his head over the dune. Raven didn't have to explain to him, the gleaming emerald tail that quickly darted into the depths of the ravine was more than enough explanation for him.

"That cloud... th-that hill, the ravine, everything! It was all..?"

"Firewinders," Raven blurted, frozen in confusion and shock. Using all of his effort, he turned to the insecticorn. "That was why there weren't any firewinders before. They were all here."

"But why are so many of them in one place at one time?"

"They're migrating... maybe."

"But where do they plan to migrate to?"

Raven gulped as he traced the ravine's path with his eyes. "To the mountain."