Amidst the sooty grey and black surroundings, between the needle like trunks of fire kissed trees, a pale form stepped over blackened branches. He appeared nearly ghost-like over the darkened surroundings. The only thing that betrayed the ghost's disguise were the small clouds of ash that *whooshed* out with every step, and the massive paw prints that trailed behind him.

Corvallis had been walking for days, and ended up in a forest's graveyard. There were no chirping birds, or chittering chipmunks to annoy him. Only the crunching of the occasional branch when he stepped on it, or the whisper of a breeze that sometimes stirred the soot by his feet. Carefully he moved to step over yet another fallen log, but as soon as he put weight on his paws, it splintered and cracked beneath him, sending him tumbling into a pile of wood and ash. A sliver of sharp dry wood pierced the pad of one of his paws and he let out an angry growl of pain. When he finally righted himself, he moved his large grey head to the injured paw and chewed and pulled to get the sliver free, bot quite noticing the sound that was erupting behind him.

Not until a scrawny rat scampered rapidly between his feet and continued off into the distance. Followed by another, and another. Then several, all bolting for their lives past him. He whipped his head up, and at the same time felt the tiny creatures pulling and tugging on his fur and skin as they climbed his body, immediately he thought they were attacking him. Swarming him. Prey so starved, so malnourished that anything that lived and breathed was prey to them. The tiny rodents were not trying to devour him as a hoard however, no, they were running from something with a far more ravenous appetite than a few measly rats. He whipped his head around, flinging several of the rodents from his body, when he spotted the worst predator of all.

Raging fire, devouring everything in it's path. He believed there hadn't even been anything left to burn, and yet, the wall of flames that rose from nothing stood before him, racing towards him. Corvallis had never feared for his life in such a way before. But now, in the way of a starving inferno, he was just as insignificant as the rats that had all abandoned him by now. He had no choice but to turn and run, and pray that he was even slightly faster than the fire that nearly licked at his heels.