Rose~

"So, what's next?" Sybill croaks. Her voice sounds terrible, hoarse and ragged.

"Sybill, look at yourself!" I exclaim. She's not fit for any strenuous undertakings. Her fur is charred and she has several burns, but most important is a dark gash running all the way across her leg. A thin string of blood spools away from it in the water. She directs her attention to it for a moment.

"I'll be fine," she says. I decide not to argue.

"We still need to stop this fire." The air catches in my throat, and I try to avoid breathing too deeply. Sybill coughs.

"The smoke is the worst. We've got to inhale as little as possible. It's impossible not to breathe in some smoke, but if we stay away from the worst areas we can inhale less." She pauses to cough again. "If we locate Ciaran's band and put it on him, that would keep him from making the fire grow. Then we could stop it."

"We still need to cross through most of the fire to reach Ciaran," I remind her.

"So we can forge a path. Like avoiding the fire to get to Ciaran, then using the water to stop the fire," she counters.

"I'll do it alone," I declare.

"No," Sybill holds.

"You can't come with your injuries!"

"I have to go. I'm more agile, and I'm quicker." A cloud of smoke blows over us, and for a moment we only cough.

"Not injured, you aren't," I assert.

"Well, fine. I can find out how far the fire extends while you find Ciaran's band. Once you do, come back and I'll meet you here. But don't go to Ciaran alone. If I'm trapped or hurt, I'll howl to warn you."

Not the best plan, I'm certain, but Sybill wouldn't agree to a lesser role. It'll be advantageous to have an ally when facing Ciaran, anyway, albeit a wounded one. I nod and stand up, dripping wet.

"I'll see you again soon."

"Right," Sybill says, rising herself. We step onto opposite banks and re-enter the inferno, I the way we came and she away from the worst.

I'm grateful for being soaked. Every way is another flame, and the water is a suit of armor repelling all. Each step hisses, steam battling smoke. My eyes still stream and I can't help coughing, but it's better than before.

Walking is too slow. I increase my pace to a loping jog, try to step on stone and soil instead of burning plants and leaves. It's not too long before I find the spot where we three met. The bushes Ciaran hid in are half gone, branches still arching over piles of ash and cinders.

And there's the band. I squeeze out my hair over it, and it lets up a puff of steam. It's so hot here. An oven. I wonder how much of my water armor is sweat.

I try to drip as much as I can on the bad before gingerly picking it up. It's hot, but not as hot as I expected. I cough. I've been coughing a lot. My chest is beginning to hurt, an aching fire to mirror the blaze around me.

"Well, well, well, look who came crawling back."

I turn. Ciaran stands not far away. He's behind some more bushes, but they've burned away enough for it to be ineffective cover.

"Rosie-Posy, liar and a thief."

I have a few words I wouldn't mind directing to him, but my throat reminds me to spare my voice, and I ignore him. Instead, I run.

"And the Big Bad Wolfie is too scared to show. Or did you kill her off? Just like you tried to kill me!"

I think he's lunged. I don't bother to look back. This accursed conflagration threatens to trap me, but I trace my trail and dodge its attacks.

"Run run run, but you can't hide!" Don't respond. Don't look back. Oh Claaws, this heat.

The stream. The wall of fire and then the stream. Not far now. Not far.

"I'll get you, Rosie!"

I enter the barrier of flame. Follow the trail, avoid that branch, duck, duck, jump. The smoke is so thick here. I stumble. Is it longer than before? I can't breathe.

There! There, up ahead. The stream. Ciaran hisses--it sounds almost like a laugh--and there's my pack, and I splash into the water, fresh, free water, I'm safe in the water! Foolish lizard. He bursts out of the fire and is met by my retaliation.

And he shrieks.

~Sorry, I'm tired. That last part might be somewhat incoherent. This is long... 

That's okay. I can just do more of Sybill's weird dreams for my part.

Sybill~

In the rain in the woods. It's wet, and I jump from puddle to puddle, laughing and making a mess. Father laughing. And suddenly there is no more rain. It's Fire, coming from the sky. And instead of Father and Mother, it's Rose and Ciaran. Ciaran is sobbing, while roaring and hurting Rose. Rose is smiling, with the distant look in her eyes, crying, and talking about smoke all at the same time. I am howling the forest fire song. While crying and coughing. Suddenly I howl in pain and I'm watching as a flaming tree falls...

Closer and closer....then darkness, then I wake up to Rose laughing with Ciaran...then I yank Ciaran' s band off his leg, he smiles and says, "Wolfie, Wolfie...So brave at first...but so very, very dead at last..."

And suddenly Rose is running and carrying me and Ciaran is there too, running with us from a flood, and a flaming tree falls. I run, Ciaran vanishes, Rose....Rose is trapped under the tree, I push the tree off of her, but it's...too late. And Rose is dead, covered in black roses that are on fire, and I howl in pain, then Ciaran chants, "Rosie-Post, both a liar and a thief!" where did that even come from what is happening and suddenly no Ciaran is there and fire suddenly rain starts and there's a scream Ciaran runs away and I howl in pain but suddenly it all stops....

And then I'm back home, inside my cave, with Mother howling the fire song, but suddenly roses grow from the floor but they are flaming and black and suddenly Ciaran emerges from the fireplace my parents vanish and Ciaran roars and he says," Wolfie...Wolfie...It's too bad you have to go..." and suddenly Fire, fire is everywhere I howl in pain and run but there's no way out, and I try to howl but instead I cough and I can't stand I collapse what is happening where is Rose where is Ciaran is this a dream it seems so real and I look down and on my leg is Ciaran' s BIG band and I try to howl but instead it is a scream oh no this can't be real it feels so real and suddenly flaming trees fall everywhere all I can hear are screams no no no no no and suddenly the trees land on me and darkness....

~Sorry it got so confusing. But basically Sybill can't get the nightmares of the fire out of her head and she is getting overwhelmed and at risk of emotional breakdown.

So, back to you.