The Lava Warriors

The Lava Warriors 

By E. M. Areson

Ash falls around me and I wonder why I’m here. Yes, my people have done this for over nine hundred years but this is silly. Go out for a day to an island with a volcano spewing hot lava and all you get is a bow and quiver. This is your final test before you join the tribe, don’t die for a day, or if you do die well…you’re dead, no being a member of the tribe than. Realistically though, apart from jumping into the lava not much can happen out here…Right?

I turned to my friend Nome, “This is crazy. Whoever thought would be a good test was ridiculous.”

He shrugged, “Traditions sometimes have no visible meaning… but yeah, this a bit silly.”

“A bit?”

“Okay, a very silly, not as much as you though.”

“Hay!” I playfully reach over and hit his arm.

“Ow.”

“That didn’t hurt,” I said as I turned and walked off.

“Where are you going?”

“To explore the island, what else would I do?”

Nome sighed, “Wait for me.”

        We spent most of the morning taking in the beautiful scenery. We’re only allowed on the island for test day; the rest of the time it’s off limits. Even after my hair caught fire and Nome had to put it out, I liked the island. It was an interesting and beautiful area. By the sun was setting we were rather bored when Nome suggested a shooting contest, looking back I realize we might have seen it sooner if we hadn’t played that silly game.

“Remember how to play?” Nome said sarcastically, then lowered his bow.

“Do you?”

He smirked, “We’ll see who can hit closest to the other’s feet, right?”

I smiled, we had played this game since we were kids, “Yep, and if we hit a foot we never play again. Same rules as always.”

We both let our arrows fly, and they headed to their targets. I fought a look of pride as my arrow struck a hair away from Nome’s boot. I looked down just as Nome’s landed an arm’s length away from me. He has bad aim when we do this, I don’t really get that thought. He’s a good shot when he plays with anyone else. We shot off five more, with only three of Nome’s arrows landing at my feet. On the last arrow, things went wrong.

A defining crash shook the earth. I naturally dropped to one knee and pulled an arrow back in my bow. Across the field, I saw Nome had the same reaction. The noise came again, only this time I saw what made the noise. The river of lava had brock free out of its old banks and was going to flow down towards us.

“Run!” Nome and I leaped up and darted towards the sea. When we reached the sea we stopped, exhausted from our run.

Nome sighed, “Let’s not do that again. You okay?”

I plopped down into the cold surf and pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged them. “Yeah, I’ll live. You?”

“I’m fine.” He set down beside me and put his arm around my shoulder sending an unexplainable jolt to my heart. “Let’s not do this again.”

I smiled, “Fine by me, but at least we passed the test. We’re part of the tribe now, and more than that we’re adults.”

“Yeah, thinking of the alternative, I wouldn’t like failing this test.” Nome laughed. “What do you plan to do when we get back home?”

“You make it sound like a huge thing.”

 Nome turned to me, “It is the start of our lives.”

I looked over and found myself looking into his eyes. “I suppose so… My parents will probably arrange a marriage for me when we’re back.”

“Any ideas?”

“Me? I think have one, but my parents will probably marry me off to the first guy who asks.”

“Has anyone asked yet?”

I blushed the way he was questioning me made me wonder, “Why are you so interested?”

Nome shrugged and looked away, “My parents want me to marry by the end of the season.”

“And?”

“And…” Nome looked back at me then out at the sea again. “I thought of asking your parents if they would allow me the honor of marrying you.”

He looked so red I couldn’t help but laugh and as soon as I did he turned back to me confused. “I think I’d like that, though you’ll have to hurry and ask them.”

“I will.”

“Then I will aqueously await your proposal.”

“So, you’ll say yes?” the excitement in his voice made my heart flutter.

“Of course, I will.”

 I smiled at Nome then turned out towards the sea as we waited for sunset and the boat that would come with it. 

Photo by Zoltan Tasi