Noble didn't care which way she went now. Her feet took her away and that was all she asked of them.
On the inside she was sobbing. Heart breaking and faith slipping. Every step, every desperate bound, took her farther from death, but she still lost with every step. Noble wailed as she ran east, past everything she recognized and then beyond. For months she'd been so careful to not back-track. The dark girl had studied the stars every night and planned the next day in a direction she hadn't yet traveled. Noble wanted to make it home. Her feet dragged with exhaustion and Noble knew that would never happen now. The forest fire had made sure of that.
On the outside she was gasping. The air was still smokey even if the fire was miles behind her. But it would come for her; it had been on her heels for hours now, shepherded by a stiff breeze. Which ever way she went the smoke was there to greet her. Her mouth was wide open to suck in oxygen that seemed too heavy for her chest to take in. Every step trembled, some so much that she lost her footing and stumbled to the ground. She couldn't stop. Even more than finding her family, Noble wanted to live.
She didn't even notice how steep it had gotten, not keeping track of the number of times she fell as the land dropped away sharply. Nostrils plugged with smoke and blood pounding in her ears, Noble didn't know about the water until she stumbled one last time and plunged into the icy depths. She screamed as the cold enveloped her overworked, bony frame. The night was silence then, with a splutter, it released her and Noble weakly made for the shore.