AsaHi grumbled to herself as she shifted the aching weight of the travelling pack on her shoulders. All she had done for the past three days was walk… and it was starting to catch up with her now.

You can’t blame anyone but yourself.

She was used to long days of traveling, but something about this journey was different. It was more pressing, more exhausting and more terrifying. Every sound on the road sent her scampering to hide. Every shift of the air made her glance over her shoulder in fear.

What’s going to happen to Aunt SaRa if they find out that she helped me? What’s going to happen to SoYa if I’m not there to take the blame?

She stumbled along the path, head drooping in a long stream of white hair that hung loose around her shoulders. So many days she had been alone, left to think about her crime. She wished so much that she had thought about all these things before she chose to go into the the Host Gate to challenge the truth of the Dreigiau.

If I had known it was going to end up like this… that I would have to leave my home… my Promised… everything… If I had known…

AsaHi found the nearest tree and leaned against it to catch a moment’s rest.

Would I have still done it?

She dropped her forehead against the rough bark, drawing in a broken breath.

Now all I have left is what I carry on my back. And a sketchy map that is supposed to take me to a place I’ve never even heard of.

The girl closed her eyes, letting her pack slide down over her shoulder to rest on the ground.

What have I gotten myself into?

For a time, the world turned around her in pale silence. The sun was going down for the third day, and now more than ever she missed her home. But there was nothing she could do except continue forward.

AsaHi gave a somber sigh, reaching to gather her pack. That’s when she realized that it was gone.

What?

The girl turned quickly, looking at the spot where she was certain she had just set her bag down. Though it was getting harder to see as the night shadows were drawing long, the pack was too large to overlook. It was nowhere.

What’s going on?

She heard the sound of footsteps crunching on the path only seconds before the voice came, “So… are you having second thoughts yet, AsaHi?”

A man stood there, dressed in Apprentice robes of Nefol. A hood was drawn up over his head, rendering his face unknown. His voice was familiar, but she couldn’t identify him by the sound of it alone. He obviously knew who she was, however. And her pack now dangled from his hand.

AsaHi took a step back, “What do you want?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

As he approached, she heard the sound of more footsteps from the surrounding brush. There were eight of them. All were hooded, wearing Apprentice robes.

“We were sent here to bring you back, AsaHi,” another one of the Apprentices spoke.

“We don’t expect any trouble out of you… things will be much better if you come without a struggle,” said another.

AsaHi shook her head and turned in a full circle. They had completely surrounded her. For the first time ever, the hooded robes worn by the Apprentices seemed terribly foreboding. As the last traces of the sun melted from the sky, darkness loomed over them — eight around one.

The girl watched them, her mind leaping from fear, to thought, to courage, to plea, to hopelessness. Her eyes flashed for a moment before her shoulders hunching slightly. Then her stance drooped, and with misery written upon her face, the girl took a slow, docile step towards them.

“That’s it,” the nearest Apprentice said quietly, reaching out to take her by the arm.

I’m not coming without a fight!

With a wildcat yell, AsaHi threw her whole weight straight into the Apprentice’s open stomach. There was a sinking feeling as her elbow slid deep into his gut. With a grunt, he buckled over in shocked pain.

She turned the surprised man around so that he stood between her and the others. It was just in time — one of the more trigger-happy Apprentices had already unleashed a leaping bolt of sizzling light at her.

AsaHi threw herself as far away from the point of impact as possible.

The others all watched with wide eyes as the bolt struck their companion, rather than the intended target. The Apprentice reeled back with a jolt, surrounded by flickering sparks of dull yellow light. She could hear a crackling sound as he stumbled and dropped face-down in the dirt.

Everyone stood absolutely still. The Apprentices stared at their fallen companion in a combination of awe and horror.

I bet they’ve never used their hocus-pocus on another person before.

After a minute, the fallen Apprentice gave a choking wheeze and shook his head out. Momentarily stunned, nothing more.

“What are you doing? Stay on target!” the leader of the group was obviously chafing at how poorly the situation was unfolding. Eight magic users against one magic-less girl had seemed more than enough.

The Apprentices advanced towards the girl again, somewhat warily. This time, she knew they would be wise to her tricks.

Great, AsaHi, you’re getting a wonderful track record. Summoning the Dragon Patron. Running away from home like a criminal. Throwing people out in front of lightning bolts…

Before they could reach for her again, a rumbling thunder echoed from the darkness of the forest, a thunder that did not come from the cloudless night sky. The Apprentices turned as the sound swelled through the creaking trees and shifted into a roar.

“What was that?” one Apprentice choked.

Another Apprentice blubbered, “Something’s out there. Something big! Can you feel it?”

“SHHH! It’s going to hear you!” the leader hissed sharply. But he, too, was backing away towards the center of their circle.

They all fell silent. The only sound was the hissing of their breath and nervous shifting of their feet.

AsaHi’s eyes darted every direction, only to be met with darkness. She couldn’t hear anything. Or feel anything. But it was apparent that the rest of them could. The tension in the air was tremendous. Fear rose as thick as fog.

That’s when she finally heard it — a low, throaty growl. It seemed to be coming from every direction all at once, vibrating through the very fiber of her soul. AsaHi had faced many creatures in her wanderings. She had seen her fair share of close calls. But something about this sound was unnatural… unlike any animal that she had ever heard.

Squinting into the darkness, AsaHi could make out a pair of slitted teal eyes watching them from the nearby tree line. Her body froze, staring with terror into the unearthly glow.

“Noooo… noooo…” someone behind her moaned.

With a jolt of panic, the men behind her began to shove each other, sending her stumbling straight towards the teal-eyed creature. AsaHi shouted and fell forward, her breath whooshing out of her lungs as she caught herself on her palms. Staring up, she could see the eyes focusing down upon her. They were glowing coldly, only a few feet away.

Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!

The growl grew louder, thundering into a soul-freezing roar. AsaHi heard her own scream rip through the night she flung her arms up to protect her head. She could feel the motion of the creature stalking closer. And then…

In complete astonishment, the girl watched the blur of shadow leap from obscurity, straight over her, to land among the Apprentices. As their shouts mingled with animalistic snarls, she managed to gather enough sense to run.

AsaHi fled, stumbling over the rocky hill sides, dodging through trees and bushes in the darkness. Tree limbs raked at her face and pulled at her tattered clothes. The night’s darkness shifted and reeled at her feet, closing thickly behind her. Her flight was blind, sending her tumbling and rolling down steep inclines, terror riding her every step.

Taking a wrong turn on a narrow ledge, she suddenly found herself without footing. AsaHi’s body met with air as she cartwheeled and fell on a mossy rock outcropping below. For a time she lay there, too dazed and exhausted to do more than try to catch her breath.

A welling of fearful discouragement rose in her heart. She was still alive… but that was about all she really had at the moment.

I’ve lost my packs… my food… my map. It’s all gone… and I have no idea where I am or where I’m going.

AsaHi’s body ached fiercely as she pushed herself up, daring to peer around. Not too far away, she saw a sheltering shelf of stone in the rocky hillside with a narrow crawling space tucked underneath. Her hands and knees were raw and scratched, but she knew she couldn’t remain out in the open, not with the creature still lurking out there. She began to pull herself towards it.

If anyone is out there…

From behind her, she could hear the low-throated growl. She hefted herself forward into the crawling space and froze as the sound vibrated down into the little hollow where she hid.

If the Patrons really do watch over us… please…

Drawing in a choked breath, the girl strained to lift her head. To her horror, the pair of teal eyes watched her from above. Any hope for a fighting chance drained away — she was cornered.

Help me…

Much to her surprise, the creature did not move. The eyes simply watched from the shadows.

As time passed, a strange sensation swept over her as she stared into the teal lights. It felt as if something was trying to coax her to sleep… and she was too exhausted to fight it. Soon, numbness crept over her body. Then her eyes closed and AsaHi was swept into a deep, soundless slumber.

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More like a nightmare.

Her tattered clothes were covered in mud. Her whole body ached from the fall and her hands throbbed, rubbed raw from scrabbling along rock. On top of that, her pack was nowhere to be found.

But still, she couldn’t help but stop to wonder…

I hope the Apprentices are okay.

Even if they had been intent on taking her back to Nefol, something soured in the pit of her stomach at the thought of anyone getting hurt. They were boys, not much older than herself, maybe even classmates of SoYa. It was likely she had grown up with some of them.

Please let them be alright…

Something in the back of her mind told her that she needed to be more worried about herself at the moment.

AsaHi pushed herself weakly to her feet. Though knees wavered slightly under her weight, when they did not buckle, she carefully took one stiff step. Then another. And another. The sound of the nearby water was calling her — at least there, she could wash the remnants of the night from her face and hands.

A tiny silver stream stretched out before her, winding peacefully through the hollowed rocks. Moss sprung up in patches over the flat stone faces and a few stunted trees embedded themselves into the banks on either side.

Leaning forward, the girl tried to catch a glimpse of her face in the water, but it was moving too quickly to see anything more than a blur of distorted color. Dipping her fingers in, she cupped the cool liquid between her hands, then began to splash it all over her face and arms, rubbing vigorously.

Where am I supposed to go now?

The girl crouched at the waterside, shivering as the chill moisture began to soak into her travel-stained clothes.

I don’t have my pack. I don’t have my supplies. I don’t have my map. And even if I did, I don’t know which way to go to get back to the path…

As if on cue, something heavy landed next to her with a flump. Giving a surprised sound, AsaHi turned quickly. She found herself unable to do anything but stare.

There, on the flat stone next to her, was her pack.

What? It can’t be!

Instantly, she began to grapple with the clips, throwing the top open. Everything inside was just as she had left it. The little paper map sat primly atop the food and various items of clothing she had packed away the night of her departure.

It’s all here! I don’t believe it!

The girl’s eyes lit brilliant. Seeing this was like sunshine breaking through the darkest of clouds. Her mind was already calculating, trying to figure out which direction she had run the night before and which way the road was.

Wait…

AsaHi froze, a new thought shifting within her mind. She had been so glad to see her supplies that she had not stopped to wonder how they had returned to her. The last time she remembered seeing the pack, it had been in the Apprentice’s hand back on the path.

Someone had to have brought it here… someone dropped it next to me… someone…

The girl lifted her head and looked up the length of the rock wall that ran alongside the stream. Her heart stopped short as her gaze was met by that of another — there was a man there, crouching on the top of the stone. He watched her in complete silence, a strange expression on his face.

One of the Apprentices survived after all!

AsaHi rose to her feet, demanding, “How long have you been watching me?”

“Kaaa…” a strange purr was the only reply she received.

Before she could blink, he cast himself over the ridge and landed lithely on the next ledge down. An intense curiosity was written on his face.

As he crept closer, AsaHi could see him more clearly. He looked as if he had spent far more than just one night out in the backwoods. His white hair was wild and extremely long. As he moved, it caught and reflected the sunlight in a dazzling array of many colors. He was wearing nothing but a pair of battered Apprentice trousers, which were a bit too small for him.

“Uh… uh…” she took a long step away.

“Kaha!” he gave an odd sound, something like laughter. The man seemed to have found her reaction amusing.

Embarrassed, her questions came out in a stutter, “Are you o-okay? That monster from last night didn’t hurt you, did it?”

At her words, the hollow was filled with a low-throated growl. AsaHi froze — there was no mistaking the sound or the fear that it evoked.

As she met the man’s gaze, she grew very, very pale. The growl was not coming from a beast, but from him. For the first time, she could his sharp pointed fangs glinting in the sunlight.

Still on all fours, he crept closer to the edge of the rock. His slitted teal eyes focused on her intently — the same eyes from the night before. The eyes that had watched her in the shadows until she had fallen into the strange, inevitable sleep.

“It was you!” AsaHi was rapidly backpedaling now, her voice no more than a broken sound of fright. With a gasp, the girl flung herself at a dead run across the slippery rocks in the opposite direction.

What is he? What does he want from me?

The girl only put a few yards between herself and the man before she was forced to slip-slide to a panting stop. Somehow, he had managed to leap all the way from the far ledge on the other side of the stream… to a spot a few feet in front of her. As she spun to change her direction of flight, he was blocking her escape in that direction, too. She turned for a third time, and he was there. And a fourth. He was there, too.

No matter which way she looked, the man was already there. Her mind lurched, refusing to believe it could be real. Finally, she fell back legs gave way under her. She threw her hands up over her head as a broken whisper escaped her lips.

“Please… please don’t..!”

The growl faded to nothing and the pressure of silence shifted in the hollow. It was written in the way the air moved — he was coming closer. Then one of her hands was carefully pulled away from her face. The hold was gentle, but firm. Her fingers were then splayed out and spread palm up. There was a tickling sensation, soft and tingling, dancing from one fingertip to the next.

AsaHi gathered her courage and peeked out from behind her other hand.

The man was crouching in front of her, holding her palm out to inspect it. Every now and then, he would hold out his own hand in a similar position and look back and forth, as if comparing.

What’s he doing?

Being so close to him sent another round of chills dancing over her skin. She realized for the first time that the man was huge — easily twice her size, and then some.

Noticing she was watching him, the man turned his own teal eyes upon her. She could feel a vastness swelling behind them, as if she were looking into the flow of the universe. An unpretentious calmness settled down on her shoulders, a calmness induced by his gaze.

“Kaaa…” his lips curled back, fangs glittering like dagger-points.

AsaHi recoiled with a choke.

The man’s face fell with an expression of disappointment at her reaction. A gentle sound, something like a croon rose in his throat. A strange tingling filled the back of her mind.

He held up his hand. Then he held up her hand. And he placed them palm to palm — his hand was near twice the size of hers. Still, within the motion she could sense it, as if he was trying to say: See! I am just like you!

The croon within his throat rose in triumph. Again, his lips curled back, fangs showing. AsaHi nearly yanked her hand away at the sight.

Then she realized the man was smiling at her.

Or… at least as close as one could come to a smile. There was warmth in the light of his eyes, almost pleading, as if he wanted nothing more than for her to confirm his statement.

AsaHi stared back into his smile, a dull numbness rising in her chest. She felt the words pouring out of her mouth with a jittery sound, “Are you going to hurt me?”

Instantly, his face crinkled into a pitiful frown.

She realized that he could understand her, even if he didn’t seem to speak. If he had known how to shake his head in negativity, then he probably would have.

“No?” the girl asked, shaking her head for him.

The man blinked in return, studying the motion. Then ever so slowly he shook his head too. When she stopped, he stopped.

“Then why did you kill the Apprentices?”

There was a puzzled expression on his face, as if he didn’t quite know what she meant.

“The Apprentices,” she pointed towards the pants that he wore, and then made a motion like a hood over her head. “Apprentices.”

When he snarled lightly, AsaHi realized he understood.

“Did you kill them?”

“Kaaa?” his brow wrinkled.

“Kill…” she made stabbing motions towards her own chest.

The man gave a hiss and shook his head back and forth vehemently.

Her eyes widened, “Did you kill them?”

He continued to shake his head back and forth.

“I know it was you last night… I saw you!” she demanded again. “Did you kill them?”

Exasperated at her demands, he reached out, grasping her shoulders with both hands. His eyes lit with teal glow and suddenly, an image leapt into her mind.

She could see it, a hazy vision behind her eyes. She could make out the Apprentices, shuffling along the path. They looked to be a little battered — some limping along supporting bruised limbs, and one missing a pair of pants. But they were all alive and making their way back towards Nefol.

AsaHi gaped, caught between elation and astonishment. A huge weight dropped from her shoulders.

A hint of a smile played on the man’s face.

The girl blinked out of the vision as if it had been no more than a daydream. A million questions bubbled up within her chest.

How did he do that? How did I see that? Who is he? Why is he here? What does he want?

“Then,” she managed to stammer, “W-why did you attack them?”

He gave a snort that she took to be disgust. Then he took his own hand and imitated the stabbing motion that AsaHi had shown him earlier.

She blinked.

“Kaaa..!” he repeated the motion, lip curling up with a hint of anger.

“You thought… they were going to hurt me?” she translated.

His eyes lit up, a wide fangy smile breaking across his face. It seemed as if he was pondering what the opposite motion of shaking one’s head in negativity was.

“Yes?” AsaHi nodded.

The man watched her for a moment. Then he began to nod, too.

“Yes? You thought they were going to hurt me?”

He nodded again.

She gave a weak little smile. Then she shook her head, “No. They weren’t going to hurt me. They were just going to take me somewhere…”

He nodded as if to indicate their intentions were more than just that.

She shook her head, “No…”

He nodded more fervently, “Kaaa…”

“Really, I was quite alright!”

His eyes flashed darkly, the flicker of another image slipping through her mind. It was herself, surrounded by the Apprentices, as she had been last night. She watched herself slam her elbow into the stomach of one of the Apprentices and sprint away as a bolt of lightning struck the place she had just been standing a moment before.

The man’s face was stern.

“Oh!” AsaHi blinked and took a deep breath. “I… suppose seeing this… I would think that they were trying to hurt me, too.”

“Ka,” he grunted.

“But you didn’t have to scare us! We thought you were some sort of… of…”

She blanched as his eyes narrowed into serpent slits.

“Exactly.”

He gave another snort which slid gently into something that sounded like a purr. His face showed an open fondness as he reached a hand out and stroked his fingers through her hair.

Who is he? Why… did he protect me?

“I…” AsaHi swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable at the gesture. “I thank you… for your concern…”

The man paused, blinking hopefully at her.

She nodded, and then reached over for her pack. “I thought I was in big trouble. If I had lost the map, I wouldn’t be able to keep traveling.”

A rather pleased grin spread across his face, “Kaaa!”

AsaHi looked at him, then scratched her forehead.

He scratched his forehead too.

“You… can’t talk can you?” she tilted her head at him.

He tilted his head back.

“Talk… you know… like this,” she pointed to her lips, then to her ears. “Talk…”

He touched his own lips.  Then with a furrowed brow that expressed his frustration, he shook his head.

“I see,” AsaHi frowned too. She pondered for a moment then found herself saying, “I suppose the least I could do is get you cleaned up. You made a mess of yourself because of me.”

He shook his head as if to accent the point.

“That’s right, it’s not good,” she smiled.

He gave her a wide grin and kept shaking his head.

“You have a sense of humor as well, I see…”

The man arched his eyebrow in a rather peculiar expression.

She couldn’t help but give a little laugh. Even though she really had nothing to be cheerful for, it just felt good to laugh after everything that had happened the past few days.

“We’ll have to find you a name, too,” she told him.

His face brightened.

“Do you have a name?”

He nodded vigorously.

“You do? Can you tell me what it is?”

The man gave a rather intense frown. Then he ran his tongue over his lips and took a deep breath, “Kaaaa…”

Something as simple as speaking, one did not think too much about. But, the way he struggled, it seemed as if he had never attempted to utter a word in his life. It took all his concentration to shape his lips in the manner he desired.

“Kaaaz…” he scowled.

“Kaz…” she nodded trying to sound encouraging.

He took in another breath and tried again, “Kaaazzeeee…”

“Kaze..?”

“Kaazzz… kaazeeem…. kaaazeeemiii.”

“Kazemi?”

A strange look crossed his face as he nodded. Then, he wrinkled his brow and shook his head. Then, he nodded again.

He looked so pitiful that she offered him a smile, “It’s okay… it doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as it’s something to call you. Is ‘Kaze’ okay?”

The man gave a little choke followed by a reserved sigh. Then, he nodded.

“Kaze it is!” AsaHi motioned for him to follow her towards the stream. “Now come over here and we’ll see what we can do about…”

She paused, watching him trot after her. He was walking on all fours.

I have a feeling this isn’t going to be easy.

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She carefully demonstrated a thorough hair-washing using the fingers of both hands. It was a great relief as the water rushed over her face, taking away the last grime from the night before. It was even more cheering to think that there was be a fresh change of clothes and something for lunch in her reacquired pack.

The girl looked over at Kaze. He was obviously trying very hard, but not doing a good job of imitating her. He ended up falling head-first into the stream more times than she could count.

If this is how guys bathe… no wonder they always look like a mess.

She reached over and helped him up, washing his face off with her hands. Fingers winding through his long white hair, she began to scrub it. Then she lifted his hand to imitate her motion.

“That’s better. Just keep doing that…”

He turned to give her a thankful smile. The motion caused him to end up face down in the river again.

For someone who moves as fast as he does, he’s awful clumsy about the little things.

This time he pulled himself out with a sheepish look. Together they resumed washing the rest of his hair.

Kaze was strange. He looked like an adult, especially because of his great size — he was head and shoulders taller than any man in Nefol. But he acted as if he was experiencing the whole world for the very first time. Everything from bathing to walking to talking… she felt like she was giving him a crash course in life.

I wonder where he came from and how he ended up like this. Maybe he got lost in the wild from the Gatherings at a young age.

He was obviously very intelligent. The fact that he seemed to understand what she was saying to him — though he sometimes required a bit of explanation — led her to believe that somewhere in his life he had been exposed to the ways of people.

Something about the way he acted seemed like he wanted to help her. AsaHi could only to wonder. Not only was she curious about who he was, but also about why he would choose to guard her, even though they had never met before.

It might be good to have company on this trip, even if he is a little unusual. I don’t think the Apprentices will be able to fight him if they decide to come after me again. He’s already shown that they’re not too much of a threat to him. Besides, who knows what else is out there in the forest.

So AsaHi decided that she’d clean Kaze up, try to find something fitting for him to wear, feed him, and ask if he didn’t mind coming along with her.

It’s a fair enough trade, I think.

The girl found herself peeking over at the man, a sudden shyness creeping up on her. She had to admit, even as strange and wild as he looked, there was something attractive about him. Even more so now that he had washed out the muck from his hair and face…

AsaHi watched with semi-wide eyes as he scrubbed over his shoulders with the palms of his hands, brushing the long curtain of dripping white hair to one side. As if he was fully aware of her gaze, Kaze turned his head back towards her in a very deliberate manner and gave something that sounded like a barking laugh.

“Uh!” she took in a gasp of air. “Uh… I’m going… to find you something to wear, okay?”

Kaze made a clicking sound with his tongue. She didn’t know if it was disappointment or if he was making fun of her. Either way, she tromped quickly over to her pack and began to sift through it.

There was certainly not much that she wore that would fit someone like him.

AsaHi began to pull out long rolls of thick cloth wrap from the pack. Though it was not shoe material, she preferred it to traditional foot wear. It was softer on the feet and more convenient to store and wash. Something like that could certainly pass for hand and foot protection.

Sorting through the bottom of the pack, AsaHi found her over cloak. She paused, a musing expression on her face. It was made to cover a person front and back from shoulder to foot. At least, it did for her.

Her eyes turned to where Kaze sat. He looked like he was having the time of his life splashing at the water with one hand and watching the way the sunlight reflected from the drops as they fell.

“Kaze?” she called to get his attention.

He perked up at the sound, turning towards her voice instantly.

“I think I found something for you to wear. It might be a bit small, but it’ll have to do for now. At the least, it can keep you a bit warmer…”

AsaHi held the cloak up in front of her, shaking it out for him to see. It was a deep red color with faded gold trim and a loose-fitting black collar. Kaze took a crouched step towards her, his head tilted almost upside down as he studied it. His eyes slid to her face, giving a confused chirrup.

“What? You don’t think it would look good on you?” she urged. “I would think red would be your color.”

He bark-laughed again, eyes narrowing in a playful manner.

“Really,” she sighed. “I’d like to see what it would look like on you. Most of the guys back where I come from wear things a lot like this.”

“Kaaha…” Kaze arched one eyebrow.

“I mean it!”

He snuffed then took the cloak out of her hand.

AsaHi blinked then broke into a smile, “That means you will?”

The man grunted.

“Smooth!” the girl laughed. She made a little motion in the air with one hand, rolling it along in imitation of the rise and fall of smooth ocean waves. It was something the kids back in the School used to do.

He watched her for a moment. With one hand he began to clumsily imitate the hand motion.

AsaHi laughed harder and repeated the hand gesture. “That’s right! Smooth!”

He laughed too. This time, it was a sound more like her own, as compared to the growling-bark he attempted before.

“You really are something else, aren’t you?” the girl leaned back on her heels.

Kaze responded with a big fangy grin.

“Well, how about it? Are you going to sit there and make me wait… or are you going to do the honors?” AsaHi pointed to the cloak in his hand.

He tilted his head, giving the cloak a questioning look. Then he promptly stuck his arm through the collar opening.

“Uh, wait… no…” she shook her head.

He shook his head too and pulled his arm out of the opening. “Kaaa?”

“You’ll rip it that way if you’re not careful,” AsaHi warned.

She took a step forward then lifted her hands up over her head, “First thing you have to do is stand up.”

Kaze blinked at her.

“Stand up,” AsaHi motioned to herself. “On two legs, just like I am. You can’t very well dress like a man if you don’t stand like one.”

A dubious look fell over his face.

“Come on… I know you can do it! Here,” the girl reached a hand towards him. “I’ll help you.”

The man sat there watching her. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn he was studying her standing position. Finally, he reached out and placed his big hand over hers. AsaHi grunted as his other hand came down upon her shoulder and he began to struggle his way to his feet. He was just as heavy as he was large.

It took a bit of juggling for the two of them to steady themselves. By the time it was all over with, he had both hands plastered on top of her head while attempting to balance on the slippery rocks.

“I should have picked a better place to try to do this,” AsaHi muttered under her breath.

She moved just a slight inch. Kaze gave a little chirp and clutched at her in surprise.

“Urmph! Kaazeee, you have to pull your hands away and balance on your own,” the girl grated through clenched teeth.

“Keeh… kaaa…”

“One hand at a time. It’s not hard. Just put your arms out like this if you think you’re going to fall,” AsaHi stretched her arms straight out on both sides. “Now you try!”

He pulled one hand from atop her head and stretched it out to one side in imitation of the girl.

“Good! Exactly! Now try the other!”

In slow, choked motion, he pulled the second hand up then held it to the other side.

“Smoooth! Good wor–”

Kaze nearly fell over as he attempted to do the hand motion in response to her “smooth” exclamation.

“Uh, no! Just… just stand there like that, both arms out!” She demonstrated again, “Practice that for a while, okay?”

At least it’ll give him something to do until I get changed.

AsaHi gave him a nervous look, “You… stay right there… practice just like that. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Kaze’s eyes widened with a questioning look and he crooned softly in concern.

“I’m just going right over here, behind these rocks for a moment. I don’t want you to follow me, okay? I’ll be right back…”

He crooned again.

“I promise!” Before he could protest again, she picked up her own change of clothes and hopped from rock to rock until she was sheltered away on the other side of the outcropping.

AsaHi worked as quickly as she could at stripping away the old wet clothes one at a time. She couldn’t fight the unnerved feeling that Kaze might decide to do his own thing and stalk up behind her to take a peek. With one eye over her shoulder, she worked the clasps open on the clean blouse, threw on her trousers and topped it off with her small half-cloak.

That had to be a world record, I swear!

When she finally reemerged from behind the rocks, she found him standing exactly where she had left him. Except now he was standing on his hands.

Her mouth dropped open. “Kaa…?”

“Kaa..!” he imitated with a brilliant upside-down smile.

“Are you trying to make fun of me or something?” AsaHi scowled.

Kaze scowled back. With a graceful little hop, he landed upright on his feet again. Then he spread his arms out to both sides.

“You can stop doing that now,” the girl told him. “You only stand like that if you need to keep your balance. It looks like you’ve got everything…”

He made the “smooth” hand motion in the air.

“Yeah… smooth,” AsaHi smiled slightly. Then she shook her head.

He shook his head too, and lowered his arms to his side with a question mark face.

“Um, how about this now?” the girl pointed down towards the cloak that he had dropped on top of the rocks. “Let’s see what we can do to get this on you, yes?”

She watched the care that he took in balancing to lean over and pick up the cloak. When he righted himself, he cocked his head to one side, looking at her.

“Well, you just take that opening up there,” she pointed to the collar, “And…”

He crammed his arm into it once again. Then, looked at her with an inquiring glance.

“Sorta,” AsaHi blanched. Then she motioned to the pair of Apprentice trousers he was wearing. “How did you manage to get those pants on?”

The look on his face was comical, as if he was trying to say: You had to have been there.

She gave him a patient smile as he withdrew his arm.

“That part goes around your neck, like this,” she tugged at her own collar. Slowly, she took her half-cloak off, slipping it over her head. Demonstrating, the girl put it back on again. “See?”

Kaze’s mouth opened halfway, a light of understanding in his eyes. He nodded furiously.

“Show me, then?”

With little flourish, the man lifted the cloak up and squeezed his head through the opening. It settled down over his shoulders in a loose fashion. Where it would have reached down to AsaHi’s feet, it barely hung below his waist.

The girl looked him up and down, nodding. “I think that will work! How does it feel?”

Kaze opened his arms, staring down at himself. His eyes turned upward to look at her happy expression. With a little croon, he made the “smooth” motion in the air again.

AsaHi’s smile widened as she clapped her hands together in a cheerful motion. Noticing that clapping made a sound, Kaze imitated her.

One down, who knows how much more to go…

A long sigh escaped the girl as she looked at the wrapping that lay strewn next to her pack.

“Okay,” she nodded. “Let’s see what we can do about that hair of yours.”

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She frowned as she imagined having abandoned the little silver-squared device somewhere in the grass at the camp the morning before. As careful as she had always been to make sure to pack everything, it was extremely discouraging to have left such an important thing behind.

“Nnnnn…. Ohhhh… Peeeeh…”

AsaHi craned her head back as Kaze came to stand next to her, carrying a teaching scroll in one large hand. He blinked down at her in a curious manner, pointing to the strewn contents of the pack.

“Qwwuuh… Errrrrr… Ssssss…”

The girl gave a long sigh.

Kaze gave a long sigh, too. He promptly flopped down on the ground, facing her in a grim crosslegged manner. Head tilted horizontal, he pointed again.

“Teeeh… Oooo… Vvvv…”

AsaHi’s mouth curled up slightly, “Aren’t you tired of practicing that? It’s all you’ve done for the past three days.”

He shook his head and proudly exclaimed, “Wuuh… Ezzz… Yuuh… Zeeeehh..!”

She gave a quiet laugh, clapping to applaud his efforts. “You read it all again? That’s wonderful, Kaze!”

He gave a proud fangy smile in return.

This had all started when she first noticed that Kaze took a good deal of delight in watching her read her maps and scribble notes on the margin of her books. AsaHi wrote out the letters of the alphabet for him on a little teaching scroll. She went through each letter once and told him how to pronounce it.

The very next day as they set out along the path, Kaze had pulled out the teaching scroll.  In a strange lilted accent, he began reading the letters off of it.

AsaHi was surprised at how much information he retained from such a short so-called “lesson.” The man never asked her to repeat a single letter. He simply kept working to sound each one out to himself. Before she knew it, Kaze was teaching himself how to speak. Or at least, learning the basic sounds of speech.

The longer she was around him, the more she had come to realize that his understanding was actually much more vast than she could have guessed. The rate that he learned new things was fearsome. It only took one time, one demonstration, and he was able do something on his own.

After the first day, Kaze was absolutely proficient at balancing and moving around while standing upright on two legs. Now he could literally run – and jump – circles around her without a second thought. More often than not, it was AsaHi who found herself hard pressed to keep up with his huge, ground-eating strides as they traveled.

His whole outer appearance had taken a sure step for the better, as well. AsaHi wasn’t certain if it was just a trick of her eyes, but the more she looked at Kaze wearing the small over-cloak she had given him, the more it appeared to actually fit him. She had also taught him how to wrap his arms, hands and feet with the black cloth. It didn’t make for true gloves or boots, but it was all she could give him for the time being.

It took the better part of a day to comb through his hair and work all the snarls out. Still, it was quite wild and did exactly as it pleased no matter how much AsaHi brushed it. She did the best she could to pull it back at the sides to keep it out of his eyes. At first, Kaze hadn’t been crazy about the idea. But once she told him that it was the way the men of her town wore their hair, he had agreed to allow her to pull his back, too.

Just as much as Kaze seemed to be becoming more alike in manner to her people, she had begun to discover ways in which he was startlingly different. It bothered her deeply that she had never seen him eat nor sleep in all the time that they had traveled together.

He refused food or drink even when the girl tempted him into taking it by offering to teach him what to do with it. She shuddered at the thought that maybe he had things he liked to eat better in the forest. But over time, she had come to realize that he rarely left her side on their journey, and certainly never long enough for him to hunt or gather anything for a meal. When they stopped by a stream to rest, she was usually parched and thirsty. But he never drank.

Though they often walked from sunup to sundown, she had never seen him sleep or even rest. She was so exhausted from the long trek of the day, she was ready to topple by the time night came. But, Kaze never appeared to get tired. Or if he did, it was never in a way that it showed. Often, when she woke up, AsaHi would find him sitting the exact same way she had left him the night before.

Maybe one day… I’ll ask him about it. It looks like if he keeps it up, he’ll be able to talk in no time.

“Muur?” a soft nudge on her shoulder brought her blinking back to reality.

“Uh? Oh. I’m sorry, Kaze,” she said, looking up at his troubled face. “What’s wrong?”

He pointed at the contents of her packs which were still strewn about on the ground from her attempt to locate the fire-maker.

“Oh, you’re right. I was looking for something. I think I might have accidentally left it behind,” the girl frowned at him unhappily.

Kaze frowned unhappily back. Then he stretched out one hand, palm open.

She didn’t know how she knew what he was trying to ask. But she did.

“What did I lose?” She wrinkled her nose, “The fire-maker.”

He pursed his lips with a cocked head.

“You know…” she pointed to the pile of brush in the center of the ring of rocks. Then she flittered her fingers to imitate a rising flame above it. “It makes fire so that I can cook food. And it keeps us warm at night.”

Kaze’s face was grim and questioning at the same time.

“If I don’t find the fire-maker, I can’t start the fire,” AsaHi finished, hoping she had explained everything. “Do you understand?”

He reached over the fire pit and imitated her finger motions, painting the rise and fall of a flame, too. Then he blinked at her.

“Yes. Fire,” she spread her hands, making a small square shape between her fingers to indicate the fire-maker. “I can’t make a fire without it.”

Nodding, his eyes grew bright with sudden understanding. After a moment of observing the unlit pile of brush, Kaze turned back to her with an air of expectancy.

“What?” AsaHi peered up at him and repeated, “I told you I couldn’t start a fire without the fire-maker.”

The man shook his head and began motioning in all sorts of strange directions with his hands. He was obviously trying to explain something to her, but she had no clue as to what it was.

“Kaze,” the girl shook her head. “I’m sorry… I don’t understand.”

Kaze snorted softly. Then the man held his index finger aloft, a motion that obviously spoke: Check this out!

Pressing both of his palms together, Kaze began to rub them back and forth, a strange amused expression upon his face. He flicked his fingers forward in a striking motion. A hissing flicker erupted from between his palms as a small ball of flame shot down into the fire pit. Instantly, the dried brush caught, creating a small cooking fire.

AsaHi gave a shout, falling backwards over her half-emptied pack in astonished panic. Loose articles of clothing, scrolls, and rolls of wrap scattered as she put a good seven feet of distance between herself and the unexpected eruption of flame.

Magic!?

The girl stared at the fire, eyes wide in shock. Then she turned towards Kaze with an open-mouthed, questioning look.

He’s a magic user! And not passive magic either — that was a full-fledged fire spell!

The man was watching her with a pitiful look, head tilted to one side. A coaxing purr rose from his throat.

But, how? The only ones who know magic are the Dragon Apprentices. I don’t think there’s any way that Kaze could have been trained!

Finally, she closed her mouth and swallowed deeply, “How did you…?”

Kaze grinned with a self-satisfied chuckle.

“Nooo… none of that! I want to know!” she demanded.

Kaze captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted it until they were staring eye to eye. His grip was gentle. The light in his eyes was unyielding.

“Kaze?” She frowned, uncertain what the strange expression on his face meant.

Before she realized what was happening, Kaze pulled her to his chest. He leaned down until she could feel his breath tickling her ear. A sound arose within him that began as a warm, deep-throated purr, “AsaHi…”

The girl gasped as the word brushed past her cheek. She pulled back away from him, staring up with wide green eyes.

His own expression was unfathomable.

“What did you say?” she choked.

A brief hint of concern rose in his eyes. Then he ran his tongue over his lips, “AsaHi… Fire. For. AsaHi.”

All she could do was stare in silent surprise.

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The girl lunged forward, sweeping out with the makeshift net. For a moment, she felt contact. The fishy squirm of a struggle between her hands. The splash of fins and water on her face. Suddenly, she slipped, the bottom of her feet sliding over the slick-moss stones. Then she was on her hands and knees, her face down in the cold stream’s flow.

That was not the first time she had found herself that way. And just as before, when she opened her net, there was nothing inside.

A soggy sigh escaped her lips, “Almost…”

She didn’t know how SoYa did it. For all of his bookish-ness, he was also very capable of living off of the land when he had to – usually when he was on a Seeking for new students to bring to Nefol. She knew that he had been taught by his father… and stories said that ZenToYa had lived all of his life outside a Gathering before the founding of Nefol.

But as much as AsaHi had practiced the things that SoYa had taught her, there were still some things she just couldn’t do. Like catch a fish.

Not that I really need a fish. But having fresh meat would be nice.

It had been a while since she had anything other than the stale food in her pack. And those supplies were slowly growing thin.

There’s plenty to make do with out here… if I could just catch it.

AsaHi had lost track of the time they had spent traveling. The hills and mountains and forests had a way of making concepts born of civilization melt out of sight and mind. Her only means of measurement were the marks on the map. The sun. The stars.

And Kaze’s extremely good sense of direction.

More than once, he had stopped her in protest, only to show her a better way to travel or avoid a potential danger. More and more, she had grown to trust his insight. Especially since more and more, he was able to communicate in words the things that he wanted to express.

AsaHi had found him to be a charming travel companion as his vocabulary had grown. Kaze always had an observation to make, usually in good humor and warm spirits. Still, the more that he spoke, the more that she realized how little he really knew about the intricacies of other people.

But there was never a time when AsaHi wasn’t glad to have him there.

Pushing the long wet strands of hair out of her face, she pulled herself up out of the stream. Darting silver bodies sped away from her motion, the fish mocking her defeat. The girl blew out a frustrated breath and decided to take a break. Walking in wet clothes for the rest of the day wouldn’t be much fun… and it wouldn’t be long before they needed to move on again.

We’ll be going just as soon as Kaze gets back.

More often of late, Kaze had been wandering off when they stopped to rest. He never left for very long and he never came back carrying anything. When AsaHi asked where he had been, he replied in the vaguest way possible that he had been out “looking.”

Though I have no idea what he’s looking for.

Maybe he was scouting ahead or keeping an eye out to see that they weren’t being followed by Apprentices. He never told her more than that, though. And the evasive light in his eyes made her curious.

Maybe next time I should tell him to bring back some food. I wonder how good he is at hunting, seeing that he doesn’t seem to eat.

The girl wrung out the apron and spread it on the top of a rock to dry. The large, flat stone was warm to the touch. So she hoisted herself up on it and sat in the quiet sunlight, waiting.

If all the bad things hadn’t happened back at home… I could almost imagine this was just a trip for fun. Almost…

Laying her head back, AsaHi began to doze. The soft babble of the stream was lulling. The breeze whispered softly through the trees, swaying the branches lightly over her head, sending patterns of light dancing over the ground below.

Then the sound of insects began to fade and fall silent. Where the shadows draped over her bare legs, her skin felt suddenly more chilled.

The girl opened her eyes at the distant hiss of moving grass, watching expectantly for Kaze to appear. But he didn’t. Instead, the brush parted with the scrabbly sound of little claws and hissing breath. Curious, AsaHi leaned forward over the back of the stone to get a better look.

She could make out dun-colored fur, patterned with darker stripes and a lighter underbelly. The longish snout. Wide flat feet. The stocky, shuffling motion as it moved.

Oh… it’s just a broch.

A small, harmless, burrowing animal of the hills, it made its meals of the insects of the soil and forest floor. Though they were very common everywhere, they were elusive, people-shy and usually nocturnal.

“Well you’re a brave one, coming out in the day, aren’t you?” AsaHi asked it, sliding forward on her palms to watch its comical, bumbling gait. She gave a little laugh as the creature snuffle-hissed its way straight into a tree log, bumping its snout against the unmoving bark.

It paused at the sound, tiny ears twisting around to capture her laugh. The bulky head lifted straight up, nose in the air. Deep black eyes turned its attention on her.

“Someone put a tree in the way, didn’t they?” the girl asked sympathetically.

The broch turned and began to shuffle through the grass in her general direction. The black eyes were focused with an intense sense of intelligence as it approached.

AsaHi leaned closer, watching with her own sense of curiosity, “I’d give you some fish… only I wasn’t able to catch any. Sorry.”

Her voice broke off as the creature came closer. For the first time, she could see it up close, and something about it felt terribly wrong. The way it moved was jerky, more than just a trundle of a short-legged animal. Here and there she could see patches of fur were missing in large clumps. The skin underneath was pale and grey. The dark eyes were watery and unnatural, a stream of black dripping down one side of its face.

“Uhnn….” the girl scrabbled back with an instant revulsion as an overwhelming smell of decay struck her senses. “Are you… sick?”

The broch suddenly bristled all over, tiny mouth opening to show pitted, needle-sharp teeth. With an aggressive, bow-legged bound forward, the hiss turned into a blood-curdling screech. To her horror, it seemed to have no trouble leaping up the face of the tall rock.

AsaHi screamed as she jumped down from the top of the stone, rushing towards the last embers of their camp fire. Her hand closed around the strong walking stick that she had picked up along their travels. Rounding, she held the stick ready.

The broch was faster than she could have imagined, bounding after her with rabid intensity. The sound was chilling and unnatural. The smell was overpowering, enough to make her vision blurry with watery eyes. And though it was small, that meant that she had less of a target to strike.

So she had to make it count.

AsaHi closed her fists tightly around the stick as the broch leapt fearlessly over the pit of embers. Though her gaze remained focused, staring straight into the black pits of the creature’s eyes, her swing never came.

A large shape dropped down from a nearby tree, intercepting the creature’s attack. Far larger and more vicious, at first the girl could only make out the blur of red and white. There was a cracking sound followed by the broch’s chilling screech. A short moment of struggle. Then silence.

She was breathing heavily and her hands were shaking. It took a moment before she recognized the form before her. When she did, her voice caught in her throat in relief.

“Kaze!”

He turned towards her slowly, a strange expression on his face. His fangs were bared, lips curled back in a silent snarl. His hands were tense, almost clawlike where they gripped the limp form of the broch. Black ooze streamed out of the creature’s mouth and nose, leaving the ground smoking and eating away the plantlife where the drops fell.

A sick feeling welled up in AsaHi’s chest at the sight. She didn’t know whether it was because of the broch’s disfigured illness… or because Kaze had so easily crushed the creature between his hands.

“Kaze… what…”

“Come,” he spoke with an urgent note. She had never heard his voice reflect so much seriousness.

“Wait, what’s going on?” she pressed with a frown, still gripping the stick. “Was the broch sick? Is that why it attacked me?”

“Yes. Sick,” Kaze echoed quickly with a grim nod. Then he reached his hand out for her, instructing again, “Come.”

AsaHi wrinkled her nose. His palm was still dripping with black blood. Though the thick liquid seemed to burn everything else that it touched, it had no effect on Kaze at all.

He searched her face. Then he looked at his hand with realization. Quickly, he washed himself off in the rushing stream. The moment that was done, he motioned for her again.

“AsaHi, come.”

She was already putting things in her pack with a frown, “I’ve been waiting on you to come back this whole time, you know.”

“I know,” he answered, grimly.

The girl paused, peering up at his face. “Did you find something, Kaze?”

“No,” he answered quickly. She could tell by the way that he turned his head that he wasn’t telling the truth.

“Is there something out there?” she persisted.

Kaze paused with a deep and knowing look. It was a certain profound expression that stole over his face every now and then.

AsaHi walked to the big man, standing in front of him with crossed arms. Her voice was steady as she asked, “What’s the truth? Is there something dangerous out there?”

He rubbed the side of his face, a nervous motion he had picked up from watching the girl. Then, with a quiet croon, he answered, “Maybe. AsaHi… come?”

She sighed quietly, wondering if she was being too harsh on him. After all, he really seemed to be concerned for her safety. “Alright, Kaze. I’m coming. Don’t worry.”

Kaze echoed her sigh in return. Then with a comforting motion, he patted the girl on the head. “You’re safe.”

“I know,” she answered, catching his hand in hers with a little squeeze. “Thank you for coming back and for looking out for me.”

His face brightened at once, washing away all the grave concern that had been there just a moment before. Something like a purr rose in the back of his throat, “Welcome.”

AsaHi gathered the last of her belongings as Kaze began to scout around the perimeter of their camp. After throwing a dry cloak around her shoulders, the girl paused to glance back at the clearing one last time. Instantly she wished that she hadn’t.

There was nothing left of the broch except a black oily puddle, flaking away as the breeze brushed through the grass. A shiver rushed over her body, the glade feeling somehow darker. AsaHi found herself pulling the collar of her cloak closed in response.

“AsaHi,” one of Kaze’s large hands captured her shoulder, turning her away from the clearing. Insistently, he began to lead her away, “Come.”

Letting out a tense breath, the girl walked with him. Her feet dragged as she moved, exhaustion from fear settling over her. It was only the sound of his throaty purr that made her realize that she had propped her head against his arm.

Kaze peered down with an eyebrow arched in concern, “AsaHi sick? Yes, no?”

“No,” she told him. “Not sick. I’m just tired.”

“Ah! I help,” he answered brightly. Before she could make a protest, he had scooped her up, pack and all, carrying her as if she weighed nothing at all.

“Whaaa!” AsaHi’s sound of surprise must have been funny because it made Kaze laugh. “What are you doing?”

“Helping,” the man answered in an obvious tone.

“Helping..?” she echoed.

“Helping Kaze is helpful,” he informed her with his best winning smile.

AsaHi made an indelicate sound. Normally, this wasn’t the sort of thing she would allow. But then, nothing that was happening in her life right then was anywhere near normal. And after the scare she just had, something about Kaze felt safe.

Carrying her seemed to make him happy. So, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to rest. Just for a little while.

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“Maybe it was eaten?”

AsaHi blinked at Kaze. He had a strange way of attributing the loss of things to being eaten. Considering he didn’t seem to need to eat, she found it rather unusual.

When the fire-maker disappeared, it had been “eaten.” When her bracelet came up missing, it had been “eaten.” When the hairbrush, which was ironically the item Kaze most disliked, had vanished, it had been “eaten.”

Each time she gently explained to him that things like that went “missing.” They were not “eaten.” Yet, it still seemed a mistaken phrase that he was too fond to let go.

“Kaze…”

He looked at her, “I know. You will say, ‘Places not eaten.’ Right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Places can’t be eaten. A city isn’t food.”

“Depends,” he beamed his trademark sly grin.

It really unnerved her when he smiled in such a way. It was as if there was something terribly important that he knew that she did not… and he was not about to indulge in telling her.

When the girl didn’t reply, a concerned expression replaced the clever grin, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid that we might be lost,” AsaHi admitted. “I thought I was following the map exactly. I mean, this is where I was told to go. But nothing’s here. Maybe I did something wrong?”

Kaze took the map from her and studied it for a while. Then he leaned back on his heels, folding both hands behind his head. In a very deliberate way, he turned his gaze towards the blue expanse of sky. AsaHi was tempted to look up, too. When she did, she saw nothing more than the bottoms of the high-rising clouds.

He cracked another big fangy smile.

“Kaze, do you know something?”

“Maybe,” his tone was teasing.

“Please, this isn’t a time to joke,” AsaHi frowned up at him.

His face remained unabashed. Then he pointed upwards. The girl’s eyes followed his indication.

“There are many people,” he told her with a curt nod.

“What?” She squinted upward, “How can that be? People don’t live in the clouds, Kaze.”

“Maybe they do now?” he didn’t seem to be joking this time.

Aunt SaRa said that the place I was going to was special. Could it be that it really is somewhere up in the sky?

“Are you certain?” she asked.

“Many people there,” he reassured her quickly. “Not feel them?”

She shook her head. All she could do was peer up, squinting at the wide bellies of the clouds in wonderment.

What if he’s right? What if there are really…

Lost in her pondering, AsaHi did not hear Kaze’s warning growl.

The girl spun just in time to see the blur of silver metal and hear the crack of stone. She gave a startled cry, reeling back into Kaze’s chest, his large hands shielding her in a protective motion. AsaHi’s green eyes widened as she blinked up at her big companion, then back at the stone outcropping.

A glittering, wickedly-hooked blade was embedded into the rock. At one end, it was attached to a slender silver chain. Her eyes followed the snaky metal until her gaze fell on its source — a man.

He was tall and his white hair was streaked with the pale silver of weathered decades. Despite his age, his eyes were young and a brilliant, fiery green. His expression was fiercely intent, watching their every move with careful calculations. Between clenched fists he held the haft of a short-spear that was attached to the chain.

AsaHi choked. For, on his back, two great silvery-white wings arched proudly over his head.

What… is he? Where did he come from?

“I’m sorry but this is as far as you go,” the stranger flicked his wrist upwards, the scythed blade zipping back to fasten itself onto the end of the short spear.

“Is that so?” Kaze answered, his tone turning droll.

Despite the power of his gaze, the stranger’s face grew visibly uncomfortable at the sight of Kaze. Their eyes met in a long moment of silence. The air froze, growing rigid as estimations flickered between them.

Then, with a sweep of his wings, the stranger dropped from the rocks. An agile twist in mid-air sent the blurring sheen of blade speeding along the chain. The hook entrenched itself deeply into the stone inches from where Kaze was standing.

In turn, Kaze leapt and landed, balancing perfectly on the taunt extension of the chain. A smirk transformed his face, eyes sharp and serpent-like. He shot down the length of the steel, yanking the haft of the weapon from the winged man’s hands in one swipe. The weapon went skittering over the rock as if it had been nothing more than a toy.

The stranger stumbled back, his wings beating the air in attempt to catch his balance. Kaze’s face was blank as he pinned the man against the wall of rock, fists wrapping into the man’s tunic-front. Feathers rained down around them as the two men struggled.

“Kaze!” AsaHi shouted, a cold dry feeling rising in her chest. “Don’t hurt him!”

Very deliberately, Kaze lifted the winged man off of his feet, until they were eye to eye. The stranger’s face grew extremely pale, eyes rounding out in a watery reflection of comprehension, as if seeing something very important for the first time.

“ZenToYa,” Kaze’s grating voice rippled through the silence. “You are brash. Just like I remembered. It is true. Some things don’t change.”

No matter how hard AsaHi fought, it happened anyway. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the two men.

There was a mysterious twinkle in Kaze’s eyes, a dancing dapple of silver-flecked teal. The one he had just named as ZenToYa was staring back with open shock. The girl wasn’t certain who made the first move, but it came as a clasping of forearms in a greeting that could rival a spring afternoon in warmth.

With a throaty sound, ZenToYa drew Kaze to him in a strong, almost brotherly embrace.

They act like they know each other… but how? Kaze is… Kaze.  And the stranger… he is…

ZenToYa.

She knew that name. Who in Nefol didn’t?

SoYa’s father…

Legends spoke of him as the first man to learn the teachings of Lord Zemi. He was the one of the founders of the School and the first leader of Nefol. But, he was said to have died many years ago, the hero of a valiant battle in the Outterlands.

AsaHi had never met ZenToYa. She had only heard the tales of his great power and wit. A man who had a wild spirit that burned like that of his Patron. A man known for his powerful compassion for his people, both great and small.

Could it really be him? He didn’t deny the name. And that weapon he carries…

She could feel her pulse quicken as she watched him. Instantly, she could see the striking similarities between this man and his son… TsuYa. The girl bit down on her lip.

He looks nothing like SoYa.

Even though the years had worn his long white hair to a silvering sheen, there was something in the way he held himself that spoke of immense power. By far, the most unusual thing about him was the large pair of wings that arched from his shoulders. They sat folded calmly, as if they were perfectly natural.

I don’t believe it! This is ZenToYa? Right here in front of me?

As if he could hear her very thoughts, the stranger’s gaze fell upon her. AsaHi felt herself take a long step back.

“You’ll catch a fly if you leave your mouth open like that,” a warm smile spread over the man’s face. He took a slow, gentle step forward, reaching one hand towards her. Then with a kindly placed finger under her chin, the man motioned her mouth shut.

“Are you really…?” she heard herself ask.

“Really what?”

The girl stood, staring. She was unable to finish her question.

“Really–” he continued to prod gently. Then he began to offer her suggestions to finish the sentence, “–really this good looking all the time?”

“Uh?”

“Don’t be afraid,” ZenToYa gave her a quick wink. “That’s what all girls ask when they first lay eyes on me.”

AsaHi’s mouth had fallen open again.

“Ignore him. He is always this conceited,” Kaze gave a flickering grin of his own.

“Hey, what can I say? I learned from the best.”

The two of them gave barking laughs. Their faces plainly spoke that for the moment, they both thought they were the most clever creatures in existence. AsaHi couldn’t help but screw her face up at the both of them.

Her voice was tremulous when it finally returned, attempting to break through the laughter, “Are you really Master ZenToYa?”

The stranger choked, face mirroring his sudden astonishment, “Eh? I’m no Master! Really!”

“I uh…” AsaHi stared down at her feet.

Why can’t I say anything right? I’m making such a fool of myself in front of him!

“Hey, it’s okay! No harm done, right?” ZenToYa turned to look at Kaze.

Kaze simply shrugged and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets.

“See? It’s all good,” he assured her.

“How… do you know Kaze?” the girl frowned at them both, her brow wrinkled.

“Kaze?” ZenToYa frowned in return. Then he turned his eyes towards the other man repeating, “Kaze?”

“Is the name she gave me. I like it,” Kaze replied with an unruffled face.

“Oh?” the winged man’s mouth reflected the shape of a letter “o” as the sound drew from his lips.

AsaHi cleared her throat, a worried curiosity issuing forth, “Why? I thought that Kaze was your name?”

Kaze gave a large fangy grin and patted the girl on the head, “Names are just… names. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

That’s when she realized that they had avoided not one question, but two.

“You two know each other?” she tried rewording the approach.

“Yes,” Kaze nodded finally. He placed a strong arm around ZenToYa’s shoulders. “We’ve been good… friends… for long time.”

ZenToYa exclaimed, “And would you get a look at YOU! What happened? How?”

“You can thank her. She put up with me. A very long trip,” Kaze nodded towards the girl.

“I’m sorry,” the other man flashed a playful mock-pitying face. His grin returned full force on Kaze. “Shoulda known it would take a woman to beat all the kinks out of you.”

AsaHi felt a huge flush rising over her cheeks, “Please, sir… I’m already Promised.”

“Is that so?” ZenToYa’s face was still wolfish.

She nodded shyly, “To your son, SoYa.”

He suddenly looked as if someone had just dropped something extremely heavy on his foot, “Really?”

Kaze’s expression had grown inquisitive as well.

“Yes, sir…”

“Please, no formalities. You can just call me Zento,” he lifted his hands to her, “I… don’t believe I ever caught your name?”

“AsaHi,” she blurted, mouth growing dry.

A deeply sad and wistful expression crossed ZenToYa’s face, “SoYa… how is he? And TsuYa, do you know him too?”

“Yes, of course!” she was excited just to be able to hold some sort of conversation with this strange man of legend.

“Are they doing well?”

“Er… I may have left SoYa somewhat distressed. But other than that, both were well.”

ZenToYa turned to Kaze, shaking his head, “Last I saw them, they were only boys. And now… SoYa… Promised already. How fast they grow up!”

“Heh. That’s what I said about you,” Kaze replied.

ZenToYa then turned to her and gave a quick half-bow, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Morh-AsaHi.”

The girl ventured to ask, “Why… did you attack us?”

“Attack? What? No!” he shook his hair out vehemently. “I was trying to scare you off. I didn’t know who you were and we’ve had a lot of rather… unfriendly…. things making their way around here as of late. Lei’Igro have been the least of our worries.”

“Lei’ Igro?” she echoed slowly.

“Those without wings.”

Her breath caught, “You mean there are more people with wings?”

ZenToYa pursed his lips, “Before I answer that, can I ask you a question of my own?”

AsaHi nodded.

“How did you know where to find this place?” he asked.

The girl fumbled around in her pockets, finally fishing out the worn and wrinkled parchment map. She offered it to him with one quivering hand, “Aunt SaRa told me to come here.”

His eyes grew sharp in response, “SaRa?”

ZenToYa took the map and unfolded it carefully, as if it was one of the most precious things in the world. His face was soft as he studied the page. Finally, he cleared his throat and gave a choked response, “I see. So she did.”

“She is doing well, too,” AsaHi offered.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he paused. Gathering up the haft of his weapon and slinging it into a clasp at his hip, ZenToYa motioned to her. “I’m sure you have a million and one questions. It’s not often that we let Lei’ Igro into the city, but… this is an unusual circumstance.”

The girl fidgeted, a feeling of discomfort churning in her stomach as his eyes fell on her.

“Well. Never mind that,” ZenToYa took her gently by the elbow, his soft smile attempting to ease her fears. “Come with me, Morh-AsaHi. Some things in life are better seen than told.”

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AsaHi craned her head back, staring up at the monolithic stone dragons that arched up over the small rock clearing. Their eyes were hooded in deep shadow, giving them a more daunting feel than the statues that she had seen before. Their wings reached up towards the sky, meeting at a pointed peak directly above the circle etched on the stone ground.

“Welcome to the Wayrift of Ceiswyr,” ZenToYa waved one hand in a grandiose motion.

“Ceiswyr? Is that the city’s name?” AsaHi peeked around from behind Kaze’s arm.

“That’s right. Just walk right into the Rift and you’ll be there,” ZenToYa nodded.

As he stepped forward, a light began to trickle from his form. It dripped down from his open palms, pooling into the middle of the circle, tracing the runes that were engraved there and lighting the ground with a pale blue glow.

That magic! It… it’s just like…

The memory of her discovery in the Host Gate bubbled through her mind. AsaHi wove her fingers into Kaze’s cloak, holding the hem tight in apprehension. Somehow the fact that the big man was at her side made her feel a little more courageous.

Not a whole lot. But just a little.

Kaze’s large hand dropped lightly upon the back of her head. His fingers worked down through her hair in a gentle stroking motion. Startling, the girl tilted her head back to gaze up at him. His soft teal eyes reflected down in a warm, encouraging light.

A hint of fangy smile hovered on his face.

AsaHi couldn’t help but give a tiny smile in return.

“Kaze, I’m glad you’re here with me,” it came as a tiny whisper.

The trip would have been much more lonely and desperate if he had not been there. The pain and homesickness that had crashed so heavily upon her shoulders had all but vanished with the addition of his charismatic company. AsaHi wondered if she would have had the courage to face ZenToYa the way that Kaze did if she had arrived at the city all by herself.

“I am happy,” the big man replied lightly.

The sound of ZenToYa clearing his throat woke her back into reality. Kaze’s expression didn’t miss a beat.

“Be patient, Zento,” his voice was level and smooth. “She has seen much to come here — a world of strangeness and strangers.”

“I know she’s afraid,” the other man replied, his gentle face lit by the dancing reflections of the runes below. “But we cannot leave the Rift open for too long. The energy it gives off might attract notice that we’d rather not have.”

AsaHi bit down on her lip.

“It’s not going to hurt you, child,” ZenToYa extended a hand out towards her. “You have my word.”

The girl stared at his outreached hand with hesitation.

“I’m not sure what you saw on your journey here. But you don’t have to be afraid of the power that moves through this place,” he continued softly. “We are the true people of the Dreigiau. We have sworn to use our knowledge for protection.”

The true people of the Dreigiau?

The girl didn’t completely understand his words but she could hear the sincere concern that edged into the man’s voice. Taking a deep breath, AsaHi moved forward. One foot in front of the other, she was careful to avoid stepping on the etchings in the stone. Kaze walked next to her in a patient procession.

Light danced around them both as she passed through the first barrier. Tall shafts of blue rose from the streams of energy that flowed through the narrow rock. AsaHi lifted her face, watching the shimmers drifting up into the sky over the arched wings of the stone dragons. Their eyes were also lit a brilliant, pale blue.

As ZenToYa’s hand closed around her own, a sharp jolt of energy raced up her arm and into her body. The girl had never felt a sensation quite like it. It was not wholly unpleasant… yet… A stirring rose within her soul as if something inside of her was being called. And she yearned to respond.

The light around them grew so brilliant that the rest of the world faded from her vision. Her body felt suspended in mid-air, as if her limbs weighed nothing at all. Her senses fought to tell her that Kaze was right there next to her… but she could not feel or see him.

What’s happening!?

For half a heartbeat, AsaHi knew what it felt like to be nowhere.

Then, a downward jerk sent her stomach lurching up into her throat. It took the girl a few seconds before she realized her feet were back on solid land. Caught between gratitude and relief, AsaHi slowly opened her eyes. The faded crimson of Kaze’s cloak was the first thing she saw. Turning her head, ZenToYa’s huge grin beamed down at her.

“See now! That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he chortled good-naturedly.

“What… just happened?” she asked weakly.

“We Rifted.”

“Rifted?”

“What? You don’t know about Rifting?” he chided, wrinkling his nose at her playfully.

“Not… really,” AsaHi answered sheepishly.

“Zento,” Kaze reminded the other man with a gentle frown, “Rifting is not well known yet. Even most Apprentices don’t understand.”

“I know… I was only joking with her,” the other man leaned back on his heels.

It still didn’t make AsaHi feel much better, “I’m sorry. There’s still so much I don’t know.”

Mostly because it was not until now that I even believed these things could be possible.

“You don’t have to say you’re sorry, child. You don’t have to be ashamed of the things you don’t know. Not as long as you have a desire to learn about them,” there was something encouraging about his words.

The girl felt the negativity fold back and fade away. There was an air about ZenToYa that commanded respect, even fear. There was also something about him that was so easy to like… so charming and warm. Still, it was hard to accept someone that had been nothing more than a childhood legend as a living person standing right before her.

“Rifting, to put it simply, is a means of instant travel from one point to the next,” he spoke in a slow, timely cadence. “You stepped on the Wayrift back on the ground and it transported you to this spot. Very economical. But it requires an enormous amount of control and power to use.”

All of her curiosity faded as he took a step back and motioned into the distance with one hand. For the first time, AsaHi realized they were no longer standing under the shadow of the dragons’ wings. They were somewhere quite different.

It was a place wonderful beyond imagination.

The sky stretched wide, above and below them. A number of earthen islands floated serenely, fading off into the drifts of cloud-tops. Between soft fringes of cloud-mists, long white bridges wound away in every direction. They drew delicate, vein-like paths across the open air from one island to the next.

Somehow, AsaHi knew that they were also standing on one of the floating islands, far above the ground. The islands themselves seemed to be reflections of the world below. They came in all shapes and sizes and with numerous land features. From an islet above, the silver stream of a waterfall trickled down into a pool that gathered a few yards away. Birds darted in and out of the draping, dew speckled tree branches. Off in the distance, a tall rise of purple mountains broke the horizon.

She could see motion across the islands. People. Many of them were crossing the bridges on foot. But, just as many were soaring through the clouds on their wings.

“Kaze!” AsaHi felt her breath come in great rushes. “Do you see it? Is it really real?”

Kaze only chuckled in reply.

ZenToYa’s grin was insufferably large, “Welcome, Morh-AsaHi, to the city of Ceiswyr.”

Excitement tingled through the air. All eyes were upon the group as they descended the steps of the first white-spun rope bridge. A melodic sound shifted between the cloud fringes as the voices rose in a joyful hum.

The winged people had gathered to meet them.

Some floated serenely, their wings barely moving, long trailing robes of light pastel colors fluttering around their feet. Others landed upon the small island, perching in the nooks of trees, atop the silver rock outcroppings, their eyes reflecting warm delight.

I’m the only one here who doesn’t have wings.

AsaHi swallowed, clutching hold of Kaze’s cloak.

Well, other than Kaze.

The big man stood absolutely unruffled by the sea of faces. It didn’t seem as if he was bothered at all by the fact that he didn’t have wings like the rest of them.

They look just like the people that live on the ground. Except for the wings.

There were people of all ages there, both men and women. And many, many children. A soft pair of white feathered wings rose in a gentle arch to crown their heads, just like those of ZenToYa’s. Rather than seeming awkward and cumbersome, the feathers spread and moved, folded and stretched all in a very fluid, willowy manner.

A shimmer of adulation rained all around them. It fell from the tree tops, from the passing cloud drifts, from the sky. One word vibrated through the air with the sound of song.

“Master!”

At first, the girl couldn’t quite understand what was happening. A warm song of greeting opened up out of nowhere. It was obvious that the winged people were elated at the new arrivals.

Master? Master… who?

Her eyes fell upon ZenToYa. She could not see his expression, but his stance was intense and commanding as he stood facing those who had gathered before them. There was something almost triumphant in the way his wings spread, feathers arching up towards the sky.

Master! Of course… they’re welcoming ZenToYa home!

She turned, taking in a soft hissing breath as she caught a glimpse of Kaze’s look. His face, too, reflected the unconstrained bliss. The way the sunlight reflected from his form gave him a hazy, dreamlike luminosity. His teal eyes were very deep and far away, as if he was listening to something immensely wonderful. Something only he could hear.

Kaze? What’s wrong? Oh, please, not you, too!

AsaHi released her grip on the man’s robe, taking a step back. The more that she watched Kaze, the more she felt that above anyone else, he belonged in the city in the sky.

It’s as if they all know each other somehow…

The hum diminished into a soft undulation of sparkling harmony. Even though the girl did not know the meaning of the sounds that wove throughout the air, she could still sense the warmth of the welcome.

Within the inch of a breath, all became silent.

A peaceful contentment fell over the island. AsaHi didn’t dare to move as the stillness filled her mind. Trepidation clutched her throat as time slowed to a creeping halt.

She didn’t know how long they remained soundless before the first voice came again. Looking up, AsaHi could see ZenToYa lifting his hands above his head. There was a ritualistic feel to the motion, as if it was something he had often done.

“Kindred of Ceiswyr! It is my honor and privileged to present to you Morh-AsaHi.” His voice lifted in a powerful thunder, “Please welcome your new-found Sisterling!”

Oh no. Oh no no no no! ZenToYa… you did not just do that to me!

AsaHi realized in horror that she had just been singled out. The girl could feel her stomach drop straight down into her feet as all eyes fixed in wonderment upon her. The desire to run far, far away wrestled with the thought of internal dignity. She took a step back only to feel the warm strength of Kaze’s hand on her shoulder.

“AsaHi,” his voice purred quietly right next to her ear, “Why not say ‘hello’?”

Because I’m afraid…

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

But, I’m not like them…

“You can be like them, if you choose.”

Me? Be like them? How?

“Why not find out?”

But what do I do?

“Why not say ‘hello’?” Kaze repeated gently.

Steeling herself, AsaHi nodded slowly.

It’s impolite not to, I suppose.

Green eyes fixed on her feet, the girl took three slow steps forward. The silence had returned, a wall between herself and the watching people. As she attempted to speak, her voice trembling in her own ears, “Hello…”

Silence returned in great measures. Standing alone in the flow of tall dew-specked grass, without even Kaze’s warmth at her side, AsaHi felt more vulnerable than she had ever known in her life.

The first sound finally came. It was the soft crunching of grass under light, sandaled feet. Approaching her. After a short pause, something blurry and white appeared before her eyes.

AsaHi lifted her gaze to see a little winged boy standing in front of her. One hand was outstretched, a delicate plumed feather pinched between his fingers. His face was the picture of complete and perfect serenity.

“For hopes of your Awakening,” he urged, lifting the feather higher.

AsaHi’s lips parted, trying to speak. But all she could do was reach out and reverently take the gift. As she did, the soft humming rose into the air again.

From the smile on the little boy’s face, she knew that this time it was a song of welcoming for her.

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