The warm dry air seemed heavier than normal. Something was brewing… The sky. It wore an unwelcoming orange blazing face over a mid-western American forest.
“It’s dry, too dry,” a chipmunk observed with a paw full of sand, “Where’s the rain? What happened to the wet season this spring? This forest is a tinderbox ready to be consumed,” she claimed making haste to her hollow.
Tess was not the only animal who sensed this danger, either, most of the other animals in her part of the forest were quite eager to leave because of it. There seemed to be a rush all about her as animals small and big evacuated their nests and homes for wetter lands. But there were still a few who were unwilling to heed nature’s warnings.
She reached her hollow under a pine and ate a snack before heading out with the rest of the animals. While she chewed a wild red berry a voice hollered down from the surface. Tess knew who it was at once and went to greet the animal.
“Tess,” said the voice of a ground squirrel, “You better get Tucker moving. All animals are to leave this forest immediately. It does not seem like he wants to leave his hollow. You better talk some sense into him. He’s one crazy chipmunk.”
“Of course he is unwilling to leave that hollow of his!” Tess returned shaking her head, in disbelief. “I will try to talk him into leaving.” She thanked the animal then left her hollow to persuade Tucker, her father, to leave his own. On her way hurrying animals eager to leave the forest sped passed her along with a flock of birds spreading rumors of doom.
“A huge storm comes!” She heard one say from the sky.
“There is already a blaze towards the south!” She heard another pipe.
Tess quickened her steps at the thought of her father being left behind in the flames. The mere thought of leaving him sent a shudder down her striped back. In a few seconds she reached the hollow beneath a rotting log and called down to him. The sound of movement and grumbling reached her soon after.
“Blasted, just great, now of all times,” she heard Tucker grumble from inside. A moment later his striped head poked out, “Morning Tess. I am busy with my winter stores. You think you could come back later?” Tucker yammered, eyes not on hers.
“Not at all,” she returned, “Father this area is in danger of the flame, and all must leave it immediately. Also, there is talk of a storm coming which will set this forest ablaze,” Tess told him earnestly, hopeful the words would spur some sense into him.
Tucker waved a paw in disgust, “That is said every year and every year nothing happens. I am not leaving my hollow because of these rumors. Our family has lived here for generations weathering all sorts of dangers, so I am staying blaze or no blaze,” Tucker disappeared inside his hollow. Tess let out a growl of frustration, “Father! We must leave at once! We can find a new hollow elsewhere.” A sudden hefty gust blew sand and dust into Tess’s face, “We must hurry! I can see that the storm is almost here, and you are right in its path!”
“Go away, I need to stack my rations,” Tuckers voice echoed back. Dark clouds soon overtook the hazy sky as the winds began to gain strength. A rumble sounded in the distance.
“Fine, I will leave you here as you wish!” Tess shot off in a fit of anger ready to leave the forest and her father behind. “Why is he always so thick-headed? It is up to him if he wants to live or not but as for me, I will leave this forsaken tinderbox and find a new hollow, one that is in a wet place!”
While the storms gathered behind her, Tess made quick progress on leaving the forest she had lived in for her whole life. She was upset at her father for he never listened to her on anything once her mother had been taken by a falcon. She just didn’t want to risk staying either, she had things she wanted to do. The rumbling intensified, making her hasten her pace. Soon she found herself at the edge of a clearing that stretched for miles. She was glad to be out of the forest and away from its dangers. She stood on hindlegs gazing at what lay ahead of her.
“I will make for those dots, then see what’s ahead,” she said proceeding towards her target of a little clump of trees. As she was making for those woods a fierce gust blew her off her feet. The scream of a falling tree crashed in the distance. Feeling an urgent danger, Tess broke into a panicked sprint through the grassy field. She settled herself under a bush moments later. After regaining her composure from the sprint and that it was safe again she set out for the clump of woods again. The dry air then started to burn her nose. She knew at once what this meant; the fire had begun. Tess stopped and looking back towards the forest she saw black plumes of smoke rising into the hazy cloud filled sky. Thoughts began racing through her mind about her father, but she wanted to keep going and get to safety. Lightning struck a tree sending it into a ball of flames.
“No, I won’t, I just can’t leave him to the flames!” Tess vowed shooting off towards the black plumes to save her father. Thunder and crackling timbers roared all about her as Tess made her way through the burning forest. Dry pines swayed in the building gale showering her with burning pieces of twigs and pinecones. Undaunted by the raging inferno, she pushed on, determined to save her father, hopping and dodging burning debris that was blocking her path.
Moments later, Tess came to a sliding halt in front of her father’s hollow. She gave a screech of horror at the sight of a fallen branch atop the hollows rotten log and at the approaching wall of flames that were racing towards her. All her nerves were telling her to get to safety, but she ignored them and rushed to enter the hollow. Thunder roared as she found a small enough opening to get in.
“Father!” she yelled through the tunnels, “We must leave now! We are about to be consumed by the flame!”
When Tess got to the main chamber she found her father nervously munching nuts.
“Tess, I’m not leaving. My hollow will protect me from the flame!”
“Even now when the flame is about to consume us? We must go or be trapped here!” She protested earnestly urging him to come with her. Suddenly the whole ground shook with a loud thud from above. Tess rushed to the entrance and found it caved in.
“We’re trapped!” Tess shrieked as the hollow shook and heaved from thunder and falling trees. Tess began madly digging away at the blocked entrance but to no avail. Tucker came lumbering over to her side and knelt beside her with a sadden face.
“Tess you were right all along, and I didn’t listen because of my thick head. This would never have happened if I had just come with you.” He stopped Tess from her digging and stared her in the eyes. “Let’s both dig our way out of this mess.”
A smile appeared on Tess’s old face, she then gave him a hug, “Come along father let’s escape the flame then!”
The two chipmunks went right to work digging and clawing their way out of the blocked entrance. In a matter of seconds their claws broke through. Smoke rushed down through the opening choking them. Tess went out first. The flames circled about her in plumes of fire and smoke. There didn’t seem to be any way out of it, but they had to try. Everything inside her told her to push on. To life.
“If we run fast we might be able to escape the flame,” Tess told Tucker as she helped him out of the hollow. Tucker nodded in approval. She then spotted their escape route, a narrow stretch of unburned timbers heading away from the fire. The two then shot off down this path as the flames and thunder crackled around them. A tree came crashing down missing the chipmunks by inches. They quickened their steps, but Tucker started to falter a bit. A gale then picked up shooting the flames towards them, scorching their fur. Tucker fell as burning branches fell in his path.
“Father!” Tess rushed to his side and smothered a flame on his tail, then helped him up. With the inferno raging wildly behind them, the two limped to the edge of the forest and out into a clearing getting. Tess sighed with relief. They had found safety at last. With the setting sunlight fading in crimson below the forest, the two blackened and charred chipmunks watched from a distance as their only home was consumed by the ravages of fire.
“My home, the home that I have only ever known is now gone!” Tucker wept.
“We will find a new hollow, father. There are plenty of places out there for us to find,” Tess said consoling her father. He looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. “You’re right again Tess. We can find a new home elsewhere,” he replied. “As long as I have you. That is home.”
Tess choked as tears started running down her whiskers. “It wasn’t just your home father. It was also mine.”
After taking a lasting glance at their home, the blaze eating up the whole forest in spiraling columns dancing flames and black smoke, they set off in search a new hollow and a new forest.
Nathan Zuehlke loves writing historical fiction, drawing on his passion for history to create stories set during the Civil War and fantasy adventures featuring animal characters. When he’s not writing about battlefields or forests, he enjoys hiking and playing the piano. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Creative Writing from Liberty University.
Mountain Jay Books 