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It wasn't failure. These things happen. It was due anyhow, he kept telling himself. Yet Kai couldn't shake the feeling he had done something wrong. Missed smoke in the visible distance while he was out, not heard fireworks being launched in the nearby woods, just something. So here he was, alone, surrounded by his self-assumed failure. He was supposed to report if anything happened from his watch tower. Why didn't he see this coming? He had to keep trying to tell himself "It doesn't matter now, look for people and save what you can." All his clothes burned off as he jogged through the vast flames unscathed, trying to keep his wits about him.
It would later turn out that the fire started 20 miles southeast of his tower, beyond a mountain. A camper had gone off trail and lit a cigarette, flicked the butt near some dried out grass. The perfect kindling, with wind blowing in the direction of the sun, making visibility out of the question. There was no way he could have spotted it., even without a mountain in the way. Kai would be explicitly told by the park rangers it wasn't his fault, and they meant it, too. Their job wasn't to comfort him, even though they did empathize. Instead they praised him for his valiant efforts to search and rescue whatever he could on the ground. There was word of him receiving a medal for his bravery.
But he couldn't shake that feeling that he didn't deserve the praise. That he could have done better. Somehow done the impossible and done his job despite the odds. "What good is an Arcanine fire watch that can't sniff out flame 20 miles away" he'd wonder, kicking himself while he was permanently down. No one was saying what he knew needed to be said: he failed. So why was he still allowed to man the watch tower? He was already introverted, isolated, alone. Now, on top of the loneliness he would stuff away, telling himself he wasn't, he was guilty. And nothing seemed to convince him that he shouldn't be.
Everyone, meet Kai.
Art by
nightarm
It would later turn out that the fire started 20 miles southeast of his tower, beyond a mountain. A camper had gone off trail and lit a cigarette, flicked the butt near some dried out grass. The perfect kindling, with wind blowing in the direction of the sun, making visibility out of the question. There was no way he could have spotted it., even without a mountain in the way. Kai would be explicitly told by the park rangers it wasn't his fault, and they meant it, too. Their job wasn't to comfort him, even though they did empathize. Instead they praised him for his valiant efforts to search and rescue whatever he could on the ground. There was word of him receiving a medal for his bravery.
But he couldn't shake that feeling that he didn't deserve the praise. That he could have done better. Somehow done the impossible and done his job despite the odds. "What good is an Arcanine fire watch that can't sniff out flame 20 miles away" he'd wonder, kicking himself while he was permanently down. No one was saying what he knew needed to be said: he failed. So why was he still allowed to man the watch tower? He was already introverted, isolated, alone. Now, on top of the loneliness he would stuff away, telling himself he wasn't, he was guilty. And nothing seemed to convince him that he shouldn't be.
Everyone, meet Kai.
Art by
nightarm
Category Artwork (Digital) / Muscle
Species Pokemon
Size 960 x 1280px
File Size 270.2 kB
Listed in Folders
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