-Dewberry-

Wearily, she opened her eyes.

“If you hurt my baby, you are so dead!” shouted Dewberry. No one responded.

“Come out here and fight me, you kidnapping crook!” she challenged.

The only one who stepped out into the clearing was Redfire. Dewberry sagged with relief. Then, immediately, she tensed, “Where is everyone? I thought I dreamed that everyone was captured.” The dreams were horrifying and crystal-clear, almost not like a dream.

Redfire shrugged, “I’m not in charge of them. I believe I last saw them by Glacier Lake, getting a drink. How’s the baby?”

“Fine. I dreamed of a filly who knew Echofrost by name. And,” she stopped suddenly and groaned, “Ugh, my head feels like a rock.”

Trotting up to her, Redfire nuzzled her, “Are you alright?”

Grunting, she managed to nod, “Yeah, and so is our baby.” Lovingly, she gazed at him.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. You need to be careful,” ordered Redfire.

“Yes, sir!” Dewberry saluted to him with her wing. “I just feel so… guilty. Everyone thinks it is going to be Bumblewind’s foal, and I almost wish it was. We were like siblings. And then, suddenly he was just, gone.”

Redfire looked at his mate with sympathy, “I know how close you were. At first, I was jealous. But Bumblewind assured me you and his were just friends, maybe best friends, but nothing more.”

“Yeah, I really– Wait,” Dewberry broke off and glared at Redfire. “When did you talk to Bumblewind?”

“Uh, it must have been a little before he died. Is something wrong?” Concerned, he tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away.

Dewberry’s head swam with the new information. Redfire wasn’t anywhere near Bumblewind before or when he died. “Who are you? Where is the real Redfire?”

“I’m afraid, Dewy, he may be gone,” The Redfire she had nuzzled and talked to suddenly broke off smiling. “But don’t worry, he won’t be back.”

No, no, not him too! I just lost Bumblewind, and now him? She stared down at her bulging belly. I’ll keep you alive. I promise you, little one. Redfire will live on…

“Who are you?” She repeated. “Who are you?!”

“Am I making you mad?” The-Thing-That-Was-Redfire-But-Not-Redfire laughed. To her ears, it sounded hollow and weak. “Poor baby, it will inherit your fiery temper, but Redfire’s inability to protect anything it loves.”

“Stop! Go away! Leave! And don’t talk about Redfire like that!” She tried to kick the Thing with her hind legs, but it moved away.

“Would you really want to murder your own mate?” He tsk-tsk-tsk-ed. “And poor Dewberry, all alone with no one to save her from certain doom.”

“Please,” she pleaded pathetically. “Just go away…”

“Well, since you asked so politely,” He was ready to deliver the killing blow, when his eyes widened. “Wait, no, I’m not finished!”

Confusion muddled Dewberry’s mind until she found herself squinting at the bright sun.

“Dewberry, are you alright?” A voice spoke. It sounded near, yet far away. “Dewberry?”

She breathed a sigh of relief. It was all just a dream…

(P. S. I apologize for it being so short. I'll make the next one longer. (; )