.:= Unlucky =:.

Chapter 27

Max instinctively sped up, running through the shrubbery as his heart rate spiked. The adrenaline was kicking in and the pain in his legs became the least of his concerns.

"LUCKY?! LUCKY..!" He called out, trying to run towards the sound of the yelping. Lucky had to be okay. Lucky was smarter than to run into a fire, Lucky was better than that. His pupils dilated briefly before pinning, he felt the temperature spike. Not only because he was now running, but because he was getting closer to the fire. He felt tears brim his eyes as hid anxieties buzzed at him.

"LUCKY! LUCKY!" He called out, before he finally broke free from the shrubbery and onto the main grounds. He was on the other side of the mess hall, which was clearly what was on fire.

The scarlet flames licked at the wooden structure furiously, swallowing it whole. It's beautiful and deadly light cooking the mess hall like a barbeque.

Max sat down in the hallway, trying to ignore the lady's screaming. She was being branded. Like most of Dad's friends. He would heat up a metal stamp and force it onto them, burning his stamp onto them. It was his way of marking them as his own.

Max's glassy eyes couldn't focus properly, he took a step forwards unconsciously, reaching forwards towards the fire. He appeared to be in a daze, his eyes brimming with tears before he pulled his hand away instinctively.
"No. No. Stop it." Max scolded, turning and walking away from the fire.

He slapped himself, walking around the fire. The barking was quieting down now and it made him anxious.
"NIKKI!" He called out, turning to the direction that the teal haired girl had gone.

"MAXX..?" She returned, somewhere in the distance. Running over towards him with something in her arms. "ARE YOU OKAYYYYY?"

"I'M FINE!" Max yelled out, glancing in her direction. She looked so much less intimidating now that she was running a bit more normally. Even though when she ran on all fours she wasn't too intimidating. As long as she wasn't growling.

"THEN WHAT ARE YOU CALLING ME OVER FOR?" She asked, forgetting to lower her voice now that she was getting closer to him.

"I HEARD LUCKY- CAN YOU HELP WITH THAT- I'LL GIVE YOU A CHOCOLATE BAR!" Max bribed her quite casually, he was good at that.

"oOO- OKAY!" Nikki agreed, running towards him before finally skidding to a hault infront of him. In her arms, she held the platypus. It seemed very happy with it's position, even though it was closer to the fire now.

"Thanks." Max huffed, letting her lead the way silently, he wasn't in the mood for mischief or stress relating to the camp being on fire. He just wanted to find his dog.

"The smoke's messing with my nose!" Nikki chruped with a sneeze.

The fire had begun spreading slightly, the embers catching a few surrounding trees and their branches. And now that Nikki and Max were on the other side from where they came from, right up along the trees border they weren't in a very safe spot.

"Just listen?" Max recommended, looking down at the platypus then back at Nikki with a shrug.

"Oh! Ok! I'll put my ear up against the tree and listen for the bark!" Nikki snickered, approaching the closest tree and cupping her hand around her ear, gently resting it against the bark of the tree.

"Ha-ha.. very funny." Max rolled his eyes sarcastically, glancing up at the tree before his instincts kicked in.

One of the branches which an ember had lit ablaze was falling, and was about to hit Nikki. He lunged forwards on an angle, shoving her to the side with his own body so neither of them were injured. The branch rebounded slightly on the ground as Max slid across the ground with Nikki infront of him.