Hawke looked at the small campfire they had made, useful, functional, but too small for what they needed. On an open night like this, with the cold descending and predators potentially prowling, they needed something bigger, more intimidating.
"Guys," he called to the group that was already settling down. "We need more firewood to make this fire bigger. Can you look for dry branches around here?"
He expected them to return with kindling, with those thin sticks he had used before. But when the group dispersed and began to return, each one carried enormous logs, not mere kindling, real FIREWOOD, branches as thick as arms, some even needing to be dragged because they were too big to carry comfortably. Kuggie was carrying Hawke's black club to the fire, but he took it from him.
"Ah. Sure. For them, this works, with that kind of strength too, who would be content to pick up small branches?"
With all that heavy firewood being added, the fire grew far beyond what was intended. The flames rose high, crackling violently, the heat spreading in an almost oppressive wave. The circle of orange light easily illuminated about ten meters around, transforming the night into something almost like daytime in that area.
Kuggi and Duggi were speechless, approaching with outstretched hands to feel the heat.
"Wow," Kuggi murmured, impressed. "It's so big... and so hot! It's like the sun!"
"That way we don't even need to huddle together!" Duggi smiled broadly at his companion.
Tairo stretched out completely, his arms above his head, his back cracking.
"I'm going to sleep, guys. I'm exhausted."
The old woman followed him almost immediately.
"I'm tired too. This trip is killing me."
'But you haven't even walked, you damn old woman!'
The two lay down in a corner of the clearing, not so far from the fire that they would get cold, nor so close that the heat would bother them. Ideal spot. Everyone quickly followed suit, each choosing their own spot.
This time, Kuggi and Duggi lay down in separate places instead of huddled together; the heat from the large bonfire made sharing body heat unnecessary. Yuka spread an animal skin on the ground before yawning widely, rubbing her eyes, and lying on her side, already half asleep. Kaira settled down near her but didn't lie down.
Hawke stood for the time being, just observing the dancing bonfire, studying the behavior of the flames, how they consumed the wood, how they spread or not.
Kaira, who hadn't gone to sleep yet, approached curiously.
"What are you trying to see?"
"I'm observing if the bonfire will spread."
"SPREAD?!"
Kaira's eyes widened, her voice loud and frightened.
"So it's going to devour us?!"
Hawke made a quick gesture with his finger to his lips, "Silence, don't scare the others," and shook his head.
"No. The fire won't spread, don't worry."
He pointed around.
"Look, apart from the dry firewood we brought, all the plants around are green or damp. Some are even condensing water, see? The moisture doesn't allow it to catch fire easily."
Kaira followed his finger, observing the leaves and branches around her with dewdrops forming, and visibly relaxed.
They exchanged glances for a moment, she assessing whether she trusted him, he hoping she would understand, and something else that Hawke wasn't quite sure about.
"I'm going to sleep then," she finally said. "Have you found your spot yet?"
"Yes, I have. I'll be sleeping soon too."
Lie. He hadn't looked for any spot. Anywhere would do, it didn't matter where he lay down, the floor was the floor.
Kaira went to the corner where Yuka had nestled her skin on the ground and lay down next to her friend who was already fast asleep, her breathing soft and regular.
Hawke continued watching the fire for a few more minutes, making sure there was no risk of it spreading. When he was absolutely certain, he finally lay down, closer to the fire than the others, intentionally. If something went wrong and the fire started to spread, he would be the first to burn or at least go on alert. He counted on not being a heavy sleeper like the others seemed to be.
He lay there on his back, the club beside him, watching the flames slowly consume the firewood, his eyes growing heavier, his mind calming with the warmth and crackling sound. He was almost dozing off, although his stomach protested with low rumblings from time to time.
Finally, his eyes closed.
***
*BZZZZZZZZ*
Hawke opened his eyes in fright, his heart racing instantly.
'What's that sound?'
It wasn't wind. It wasn't a land animal. It was... flapping wings? Many wings? Flapping rapidly and uncontrollably?
Giant insects.
And not just one, it seemed like a whole swarm.
'THE FIRE!'
He realized too late. The creatures frantically circled the campfire, drawn by the light and heat like suicidal moths. Some came too close, their wings catching fire, and retreated in a trail of smoke and a horrible smell of burnt chitin.
'Damn it! I made a mistake! I didn't consider that the light, the heat would attract these things! Damn insects! And who knows what else might come because of this, bigger, worse predators!'
What was intended to ward off predators could end up attracting them; he didn't know what kind of animals he would be dealing with in the forest, he hadn't considered that, and besides, it could even attract human enemies.
Hawke stood up quickly, his mind already working. The fire had become a trap, but a trap that could bring something much worse than insects if it stayed lit for too long.
He was about to shout to wake everyone up when another voice echoed first:
"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"
Tairo had woken up and seen the insects.
The shout made everyone wake up with a jump. Yuka screamed hysterically until Kaira covered her mouth with her hand. Duggi and Kuggi stumbled as they ran to grab the clubs. And the old woman... well, the old woman continued snoring peacefully, completely immune to the chaos.
Despite thinking they were about to suffer a coordinated attack, the insects completely ignored them, obsessively focused on the fire, circling, hitting the flames, burning, and returning.
Tairo realized this quickly; his brain reasoned fast even though he had just woken up.
"They're distracted! ATTACK!"
If the situation were different, he would probably order a retreat. But with the insects so focused on the fire, it was the perfect opportunity.