Heatwave

The sun beat down hard from above with heat that seemed to get more intense by the minute. There were barely any animals around, and even the insects seemed to have all but vanished. The air was dry, and the dull yellow grass crunched underfoot, killed by the drought that plagued the lands. And when the plants dried and died, the fire raged.

A shimmering orange Banescale raced across the parched land, blue eyes locked on the distant cloud of thick, grey smoke rising up from what was most certainly a wildfire. It had grown exponentially since he had noticed it in the first place, and he worried he wouldn’t make it in time. He had been patrolling the area, keeping watch for fires, but he was just one dragon, and could only be in one place at a time.

The inferno finally showed itself, bright flames bursting upward as it engulfed the brittle bamboo around it. Creatures fled from the burning forest in a panic, barely managing to steer clear of the imposing Banescale running towards the danger. He rushed into the fire without hesitation, magic churning inside of him as he summoned a spout of water from his maw, dousing the nearby flames. He didn’t dwell in one place, running through the blaze despite the fire licking at his scales.

A desperate cry for help sounded, barely audible over the crackling of fire, and the Banescale immediately raced towards the voice. It wasn’t long before he found its source; a pale Skydancer, her wing trapped under collapsed, burning bamboo. He wasted no time in extinguishing the fire reaching for the Skydancer, then got to work lifting the charred reeds off of her, grabbing multiple stems of bamboo in his maw and tossing them aside until she was free.

“Th-thank you!” the Skydancer gasped, before breaking off into a coughing fit.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he mumbled, moving to help the injured dragon stand. She tried to walk, but stumbled with a pained hiss. He crouched, ducking under her. “I’ll carry you,” he said, using his wings to help the Skydancer climb onto his back.

Once she was relatively secure, talons tightly grasping the bones that covered him, he began quickly making his way through the inferno, forcing a path through the hungry flames with surges of water as he ran.

They broke free of the fire, and once they were a relatively safe distance from it, the Banescale gently let the Skydancer down. He turned to leave, ready to rush back into the wildfire, but her voice made him hesitate.

“Wait!” she said desperately. “Thank you for— for saving me, b-but—! You can’t go back in there!”

“I must. If the fire isn’t dealt with quickly, it will become uncontrollable,” he replied firmly, shaking out his wings as he assessed the burning forest.

“B-before you leave... what’s your name, brave soul?” The way she asked made it painfully obvious she had her doubts about his survival. She wanted something to remember him by, something to commemorate his valiant sacrifice.

“My name is Heatwave,” he answered before leaping into the air with a powerful flap of his wings. “But don’t worry, you won’t have to etch it in a grave,” he added, then raced towards the fire once again. Soaring over was incredibly dangerous; the amount of heat and smoke above the wildfire was much worse than on the ground, in all honesty. But that hadn’t stopped him before, and it didn’t stop him now.

Heatwave took a deep, smoke-filled breath, his lungs more accustomed to the smouldering air than most, and summoned torrents of water around him, using every ounce of magic inside him to send waves cascading down on the blaze. The fire hissed loudly as the water hit it, and produced even more smoke, but Heatwave was already flying over other parts of the wildfire, making his way over the outskirts in an attempt to control the inferno.

The fire jumped, creating a new patch of flames, and he quickly put it out with his magic before it could get too big. He was swiftly using up all his energy though, and when he tried to spit another gush of water, all he did was let out a sputtering cough.

Heatwave winged his way back to the dry clearing, which was untouched by the fire — so far, anyway. He hit the ground hard, barely managing to regain his balance before he fell over. He stared at the wildfire in dismay. He hadn’t underestimated it, of course. He knew how unlikely it would be for a single dragon to contain such a raging inferno, but... he had to at least try. He wanted to help, wanted to protect... but he couldn’t do it all on his own.

Shadows passed over Heatwave, and he craned his neck to look up at the large shapes above him. An array of what at first he assumed were birds flocked overhead, flying in tight formation over the fire. It was only after he noticed they were carrying things between them, and watched them dump water over the flames that he realized they weren’t birds — they were Beastclan. Talonok, more specifically. And, more importantly, they were fighting the fire.

Feeling a second wave of determination, Heatwave leapt into the air, flying up to meet the flock of Talonok. They shied away from him at first, and a few broke formation to confront him defensively, but they didn’t attack.

“I’m here to help!” Heatwave shouted over the cacophony of crackling and hissing. He wasn’t sure if they understood him though, so to demonstrate, he turned and flew over the fire, managing to summon another spout of water after taking the few moments to catch his breath. He glanced back at the flock, and saw them signaling to each other, before they caught his gaze and nodded, beckoning for him to join them.

Heatwave flew among the ranks of the Talonok, fighting the fire alongside them and following their lead. They broke off in groups, some leaving to presumably collect more water, and he followed. They led him to a large river, almost completely hidden in the dense bamboo, and began refilling their large flasks. Heatwave jumped into the river, completely submerging himself and taking a deep breath, lungs filling with the cool, brisk liquid. Being in the water was quickly replenishing his vigour, and by the time the Talonok began taking off, he was raring to go.

It was a long and hard-fought battle, but with all of them working together, and after countless hours of nonstop work, they finally did it. The fire was no more.

Heatwave started descending, but a couple of the Talonok intercepted him. They said a few things in their native tongue, but Heatwave understood none of it, and tilted his head in confusion. The two of them exchanged glances, before one of them pointed at him, then at themselves, and finally at the flock, which seemed to be waiting for them.

“You... want me to come with you?” Heatwave asked.

“Come with!” one of them mimicked in a scratchy caw, nodding and pointing again. Heatwave had assumed this was a one-time thing, him working with the flock of Talonok, since dragons and Beastclans had a history of not getting along, but... he would be lying if he said he didn’t want to stick with the flock for a while longer. It had felt amazing to be part of a group — and look at what they had accomplished together!

Heatwave finally nodded in agreement, and though it was hard to tell, the two Talonok seemed happy. The three of them rejoined the flock, and Heatwave was greeted by many excited chirps and trills as they flew off together.