The sun set hours ago, but it was still light. The fires crowned the surrounding hills. They burned as brightly as they had that morning.

The flames seemed to throb and ebb with each passing breeze, as if they were breathing, alive.

I could feel my throat begin to dry out. I looked to the kids who played against a large stone. They were wrestling and squealing in glee. They were oblivious to the coming danger. Maybe it was just their trust in me, their protector. Maybe they thought I had a plan to escape. I didn’t.

There was no way out. Even if we could reach the edge of the fires before being overwhelmed by the heat, there was not enough air to safely make it through.

I looked back at the small pile of berries and grains I was able to find. I collected them in hopes that we wouldn’t be hungry when our time finally came.

I pushed the food over to the children with my nose and smiled as they began to eat. I lay next to them and curled my tail around their little bodies and waited for it to come.