Cyngan.

That’s what ZenToYa had called them. She wondered if the word meant something or if it was just a name they had chosen. Still, as nervous as AsaHi sometimes felt, the Cyngan had never treated her differently.

When AsaHi was curious or puzzled, they patiently explained the answer to each question. They appeared to enjoyed setting aside their task, no matter what it might be, to tend to her concerns. Over a short time, the girl found herself growing warm towards the winged people, just as they were warm towards her. Not sure how she was certain, AsaHi knew that the Cyngan were deserving of her trust.

Maybe Kaze left me alone so that I could learn about them.

AsaHi didn’t know why Kaze vanished, but after their last talk out on the balcony, he did not return. At first she wondered if he knew what ZenToYa had told her and was avoiding her prying questions.

Or maybe it had something to do with the way he left her the last time they talked. A tingling sensation rose within her chest as she remembered — Kaze leaning down and touching his forehead to hers as the light of the submerged sunrise cast everything in a gentle golden glow.

I wonder what he meant by “I feel?”

Something about the way he said those two words left her with shivers. But what was even more troubling was the way her own pulse quickened when he drew close to her. She had never felt that way before, a giddy nervousness that left her grinning afterward.

AsaHi trailed her fingers along the stream of mist-moss, watching as it evaporated and shimmered back in place elsewhere on the tree branches. As beautiful as the world was. As kind as the people were to her. As astounding as everything had begun to work out…

She couldn’t help but miss Kaze.

She found her thoughts straying back to the strange, fanged-smile. Even when she didn’t mean to think about him, he was in her thoughts. She wondered where he was. She wondered if he was okay. She wondered when she’d see him next. Sometimes she even imagined the coarse barking voice coming from above, and turn to see that there was no one there.

With great shame she realized she thought more about Kaze than she did about being back home. Or even about SoYa.

The girl took off her silver-strapped sandals as she wandered upon a passing brook. Laying them aside in the grass, she lifted her robes and began to walk over the rocks along the water’s surface.

SoYa would like this place. It’s so peaceful. So contemplative. It would be the kind of place that I think he’d love. Though…

She wrinkled her nose as the image of the small man came to mind. It took a lot of effort to superimpose the image of great snowy wings on his back. They just didn’t seem to fit.

I dunno… He’s so simple. Wings just seem too weird to stick on him.

A school of dancing fish began to follow her, all the hues of the rainbow under the dappled sunlight. AsaHi laughed as a few of the bolder ones began to wiggle their fins up through the water’s surface for recognition.

How odd!

The girl bent down and reached her hand towards them. Instantly they scattered, swinging around in a wide arc to swim back towards her, a spray of silver water shooting into the air. AsaHi gave a squeal as she was squirted.

A low-throated chuckle rose from behind her, “I think they like you!”

The girl stood up, turning instantly at the voice she recognized, “Kaze!”

He grinned in return.

AsaHi could only stutter broken sounds, stricken by his appearance. In the short time he had been away, he had totally changed. His common half-cloak was replaced by a highly ornate flow of red, black and gold robes. Runes traced up and down the hem and in the very center was an intricately woven image of a great rearing dragon. The man’s long white hair was pulled back into a highly decorative full wrap — a sign of great rank and power. Something that was fit for a High Guide, if not the Arweinydd themselves. It was a mark that demanded great respect.

AsaHi tried not to stare, but found herself woefully unsuccessful, “Kaze… where have you been? Why… do you look like this?”

He pursed his lips with a strangely subdued light in his eyes.  She crossed the remainder of the stream over the stones to stand on the bank, keeping some distance between them. Something about his demeanor set her on edge.

Kaze rubbed the back of his head with one hand, “So many questions. I suppose I don’t blame you.”

“I just want the truth. Is that too much to ask?” she demanded, growing suddenly bold with his show of insecurity.

He gave a forlorn frown.

“I suppose it must be, seeing that I don’t even know your real name,” AsaHi added.

“It’s not my fault that you jumped to conclusions. I tried to tell you my name from the start,” he spread his hands with an innocent plea. “But you persisted on calling me what pleased you. I didn’t correct you since you seemed quite happy with the name you picked out for me.”

“Don’t give me that, Kaze!” she found herself frowning sharply. “Why did you leave me here alone? I don’t know anyone at all!”

“You know Zento.”

“Not very well! After everything that’s just happened, you vanished without even a word!”

“You were worried about me?” he gave a wide grin.

“If you want to know, yes. I was,” she shot him a flustered look.

“Sunshine,” he gave a pitiful look. “I’m sorry. I suppose I should have told you I was being called away.”

“Called away? To do what? What was so important that you just vanish like that?”

“My people wanted to meet with me,” he answered simply.

Something about the way he said it sent a chill through her body. Instantly, her bold tone grew more somber, “I… don’t understand.”

“I know. It’s my fault that you don’t,” Kaze looked honestly apologetic. “But seeing how so much has happened already, I wanted to give you more time to rest and find your footing.”

“Your people?” For some reason, she was stuck on those two words.

“Yes, my people. Those who live in this city. It would be poor of me not to spend some time among them, as much as they have given up in my name,” Kaze nodded slowly. “I didn’t want to disappoint them. They’ve waited so patiently.”

AsaHi’s eyes studied his robes, then his hair. Her words came slowly, “So you are a very important person here?”

“You could say that, I suppose,” he offered a fangy grin.

A growing meekness flushed over her face, “I didn’t know.”

“Hey,” he reached a hand out, dropping it on her head in his familiar manner. “Don’t get all shy on me now.”

She found it very difficult to look at him, “So you were the one that they were welcoming when they said Master?”

Kaze gave a little frown, taking her shoulders between his hands and gently pulling AsaHi around to face him. “What did I just say? You wanted the truth, yes? And I’m telling you the truth. I am no different than the day we met in the forest.”

“Can’t you just give me a straight answer?” she felt a flush rising.

“I…” his face blanched.

She fell silent, her hands shook as they touched the rearing dragon insignia on the front of his robe.

“This isn’t going over half as well as I hoped it would,” he admitted. “Maybe it was too soon for me to return. I just couldn’t stand to see you fret.”

Dragon…?

The girl’s mind staggered with the impossibility of imagination. As if he was aware of her thoughts, Kaze took a slow step backwards.

“I…” he stammered, “I need to go.”

The complications of his words did not dawn on her until she looked up to find herself alone. Her whole body quivered as her mind reached back, striving to remember…

His name… when I asked him that first day… what did he say?

A rising cadence filled her mind with one word.

Kaze… Kaze… Kaze…

She shook her head.

No… that wasn’t all there was to it. It was more like… Ka… ze… mi…

Her eyes squinted, running the sounds through her mind.

Kazemi. KaZemi…KazeMi? KaZe Mi? Ka… Zemi…

The world around her faded away as realization rushed over her.

Zemi…

The man turned his head in a playful, half-upside-down manner and peered at AsaHi where she peeked shyly at him from behind a tree branch. The girl just happened to find him as she explored the wonders of the strange floating islands.

“No bother,” he assured her, a fatherly smile creasing his face. “But what did I tell you about calling me Master? Seriously, just Zento is fine.”

“But everyone else here called you Master,” she answered. “At least, they did when they came out to greet us.”

He took in a sharp breath and held it for a long moment. Then he shook his head, “They weren’t greeting me like that. There is only one Master of Ceiswyr.”

“But, I heard them say it over and over again.”

“I’m sure you did. But, they weren’t addressing me,” ZenToYa repeated patiently.

AsaHi’s mind reeled, “I’m not sure I understand. There’s a lot of things I don’t.”

The man nodded gently, patting the grassy spot next to him in invitation. His wings fluttered once, stretching to relieve kinks, not unlike a person stretching their arms after a long sleep. Sucking on her lower lip, the girl made her way to stand shyly next to the man of Nefolian legend. In a simple, cross-legged manner, she sat.

“Where do you want to start?” his tone was suddenly very serious.

AsaHi realized that ZenToYa was finally allowing her what she had been yearning for — the chance to ask the millions of questions that clouded her mind. Just as suddenly as she gained this right, she found herself facing the dilemma of what to ask first.

Finally, she took in a deep breath and began, “How did you get here? Everyone thinks you’re…”

“Dead?” he supplied.

The girl nodded.

“I don’t know that the question should be ‘how did I get here,’ but rather ‘why am I here.’”

She gave him a puzzled look.

“I assure you, I haven’t been snuffed out just yet. It was not my choice to allow anyone to think I was dead… that was all the work of the Council in Nefol,” he explained.

AsaHi blinked, “The Council? But why would they do something like that?”

“Their authority was founded on my good name,” ZenToYa leaned back, squinting into the sky, as if he, too, was looking for an answer from above. “I suppose they would rather see me go out in a blaze of glory than to fall into shame. At least then, the legend that founded Nefol would be remembered with pride through the ages.”

“Fall into shame? I don’t understand. Why would the Council see you as shameful?”

“Because of these,” the man thumbed back over his shoulders, stretching his wings once again.

Her eyes widened. “They know about…”

“Yes. Some of them,” ZenToYa looked away. “The Council turned on me, and claimed that I was becoming some sort of monster. Whether that was just an easy excuse to supplant me, I don’t know.”

AsaHi reached out, placing her hands over one of his. Something within felt so terribly sad for him, “And you just left?”

“At the time, I was running for my life. No one had experienced an Awakening before. I was the first,” he returned the motion by placing his palm on top of her hands. “I didn’t want to shame the School. And most of all, I didn’t want to reflect badly on my sons, who still have a lot to learn and prove in their own right.”

“But, they think you’re dead! Couldn’t you have at least told them?” she spread her hands in protest.

“Nowadays I wouldn’t be so afraid to show them what I have become. But back then, for all I knew, I was becoming the monster the Council claimed. I had never heard of an Awakening before. I knew nothing of it,” ZenToYa’s eyes grew distant. “In this city, Awakening is viewed as something wonderful and beautiful. It is something to be celebrated. But my own Awakening was very frightening.”

“But why didn’t you come back… or send word… or something? Why let them think…”

“You’re right. That would have been the most rational thing to have done. I will admit, despite what all the stories tell you, I’m not always the most sensible person,” a grim look spread over his face. “I was also worried that if they knew the truth, my family may have been in danger from the Council. They were both so young… too young to fight that fight.”

“Don’t you miss them?”

“With all my heart,” he nodded. “But I believe that one day they will both find their way here. I know I will see them again.”

AsaHi looked down, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have–”

“No. Don’t be sorry,” ZenToYa’s smile was reassuring. “That was then — it’s over and gone. I look forward to the day when I will meet my sons again. And I’m not unhappy here. So please, no sadness on my account. Besides, I hate seeing a sweet little girl in tears.”

She wrinkled her brow at him.

ZenToYa winked with a teasing grin.

The girl cleared her throat, trying to hide her own smile.

“Now what else is there you’d like to know?” the man asked.

“The wings… the Awakening, you called it? What is this all about?” AsaHi asked, eyeing his wings.

“That’s difficult to explain. I knew you’d ask about it. Let me see, where to start?” ZenToYa leaned back, staring up into the shifting light between the branches above. “Zemi once told me that everything began with a terrible accident.”

She gave a hissing breath, “You mean Lord Zemi?”

He arched an eyebrow at her, “Funny you call him that now.”

“Uh..?” AsaHi shot him a strange look.

“But yes, anyhow, there was a Mistake,” ZenToYa glossed over it quickly.

“What sort of mistake?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t even think that Zemi knows. But whatever happened, it messed a lot of things up. Apparently before we ever existed, there were other civilizations, lifetimes, beings… it is referred to as the Time Before,” he spread his hands as if to illustrate the magnitude of it all.

AsaHi tilted her head, leaning back on her palms. Her green eyes were wide with imagination.

“Who they were and what they were like, I don’t know that we will ever find out. All I do know is when this Mistake happened, it took almost everything with it.”

“What caused the Mistake?” she asked.

“Zemi never really said,” ZenToYa shook his head. “All I can be sure of is that many of the living creatures were destroyed, including the Arweinydd themselves. Almost all of them, except for a group of young Arweinydd that were somehow protected. They managed to make it through it… again, we don’t really know how.”

“But how did we get here? How did the creatures on this world come back? Did the new Arweinydd make us?”

“No… no…” he folded his hands together again. “The Arweinydd can be Creators, just like Zemi is. But they did not give life to creatures. That’s something way beyond their power.”

“Then what happened?” AsaHi asked.

“It seems that when an Arweinydd comes in contact with a potential living planet, sometimes they make a connection,” ZenToYa chose his words carefully as he spoke. “The Arweinydd taps into the flow of the world’s energies, a sort of symbiosis that helps the life on the planet flourish and develop. Through this connection, the Arweinydd also grows stronger and becomes a Patron.”

“Ohh…” she pursed her lips as she tried to take it all in.

“And that is what is happening now, before your eyes,” he concluded.

“I’m not sure I understand,” AsaHi breathed softly.

ZenToYa paused for a moment, recollecting his train of thought. When he spoke again, his voice was level and sure, “Zemi once told me that in the Time Before, some Arweinydd and the Earthians sought harmony. When they came together, both the people of the planet and the Arweinydd began to grow together and become as they were meant to be.”

“And what is that?”

“Ultimately, we become Awake,” he explained, wings stretching once again. “And when we Awaken, that is when the wings appear.”

“Awakening…” AsaHi echoed.

“The people of this city, the Cyngan, are people that once lived on the ground. They are not so different from you,” he told her. “But through the natural blending of knowledge with the power of Zemi Dreigiau, they have changed. The wings are just an outer visible mark of this change.”

“Then this city…?”

“It is a refuge for the Cyngan,” his voice grew quiet. “Do you think the people on the ground would understand this so easily? Just like the Council, they would be afraid, and rightly so. We have become different from them in ways they cannot yet comprehend.”

The girl shifted her weight back and forth nervously.

Sensing her discomfort, ZenToYa gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “I’m not talking about you, AsaHi. You’ve got higher connections in this world than most do.”

AsaHi frowned at him, “What do you mean?”

“I’m… sorry,” the man pursed his lips. “Some things are beyond me to talk about.”

“Then who will talk to me about it?” AsaHi pressed, frustration marring her brow.

He simply gave a soft, sad laugh and dropped a hand on her head, “You do have some fire in you, I see.”

AsaHi furrowed her brow up into his grinning face.

“If you want to know where to find the answers, I’ll give you a hint.”

“Okay?” the girl straightened slowly, a question mark forming on her face.

“It’s nothing you don’t already know, mind you,” ZenToYa rose to his feet, looking down at her. “You have more resources than you realize.”

AsaHi stood up too, sucking on her bottom lip.

“His real name is not Kaze. Find out what it is, and you will have the answer to all of your questions,” the winged man told her with a nod.

She opened her mouth, eyes widening. Somehow she did know that. But it never occurred to her to start there — with a name.

“That’s all I can tell you. If you want to know more, you better start asking him,” ZenToYa raised a hand causally before he turned to walk away, leaving the girl lost to her thoughts.

Of course! I’m in the city of Ceiswyr!

The girl peered around slowly. The outside walls of the room shifted in color, from the soft white floor to a transparent domed top, allowing her a wondrous view of the sky-world outside her building. The walls that arched up and connected to the rest of the compound were a solid, warm grey.

Dangling her feet over the side of the thing-that-was-a-bed, AsaHi gently ran her fingers through the downy blankets. The bed wasn’t like anything she was used to, either. It was some springy glob of white puff – that was the only way she knew how to describe it. It looked and felt somewhat like a cloud. Except, she now knew from walking through the clouds on the bridge-ways that they were a lot like fog.

AsaHi slipped out of the covers and pattered across the floor on bare feet.  The wall shivered when she came near, then shimmered away as she reached out her hand to touch it. AsaHi blinked at it for a moment before gingerly stepping forward. The floor followed her feet, spreading out before her in a strange makeshift balcony. The girl paused, watching it with an uncomfortable, accusatory face.

“Now if you drop me… or do anything funny…” she muttered down to it.

It did not drop her. Nor did it do anything funny. In fact, it did nothing at all.

She proceeded to stand there, her eyes gazing out over the slumbering sunrise that took place far below the cloudbank. The colors flushed through the sky, light blushing up from below in a pastel sea of rippling cloud.

AsaHi couldn’t stop staring.

“Awesome, isn’t it?”

“Awesome isn’t the word I would have chosen, but it works,” the girl was so entranced by the view, she didn’t realize someone had joined her. Turning around, she saw nothing behind her. “Um, hello?”

The large crimson form of Kaze dropped down from out of nowhere, landing without a sound. Crouching nearly brought the two of them to eye level. “Hello! Did you have pleasant dreams?”

“Dreams?” Feeling rather daring, she replied, “How do you know about dreaming when you don’t even sleep?”

“Mmm?” Kaze’s grin faded as he gave a rather despondent sound of acknowledgement.

“Or… do you really sleep, and I just never see?” AsaHi asked, trying to get to the root of his reaction.

“No. I have no need to sleep as your kind does,” his eyes were very deep as they turned towards the girl.

She felt herself shiver, “My… kind? What do you mean by that?”

Kaze gave a casual shrug as if talking about the weather. Then he draped his legs over the edge of the balcony and sat down in an offhand manner.

“Kaze?” She could feel her heart pounding in the silence. “You aren’t like… my people, then?”

“Isn’t that obvious, Sunshine?”

AsaHi sucked on her lower lip, her skin prickling.

“Does that scare you?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted slowly.

“I see,” the big man then fell back in a full-body sprawl, arms flung wide to either side, eyes searching the heavens. “I don’t understand why it should matter.”

“Why what should matter?” the girl heard herself echo.

“What someone is or is not,” Kaze turned his gaze back to her. It was warm and gentle. “Why should it matter what someone is as long as you like to be with that other person?”

“I don’t know,” the girl repeated, taken off guard by the shift in the conversation. “To some people, it does matter. To a lot of people, actually.”

“Does it matter to you?”

“It depends,” she answered. Then she asked with a bit more conviction, “If you’re not like me, are you like the people of this city?”

“No.”

AsaHi felt her breath draw in sharply. The question on her lips choked and lingered.

Then what are you?

She could see it in his eyes that he knew exactly what she was thinking. Something told her that she should be afraid. After all, he had just admitted he was not like her own people or the people of the floating city. But his words haunted her.

If he is not of my people… and not of the people of this city… he is alone, just like me. There is no one here that is like him, either.

“I am not alone,” he told her. “You are here. I am here. How can I be alone when there is someone sitting right next to me?”

“You can be. You can feel lonely even when standing in a crowd of people,” she answered.

“Lonely?” He turned his head, a shock of wild white hair falling into his eyes, “Do you ever feel that way?”

“Sometimes.”

“Do you feel like that now?”

“I don’t know.”

“I see,” Kaze sat up suddenly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I don’t like your company,” she told him, quickly retracing her steps.

“No, that’s not it.” There was a strange expression in his eyes. They seemed to be looking beyond her, into her. And she didn’t know what it meant.

“Then what’s wrong?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he wrinkled his nose playfully. “I just… feel.”

“You feel what?” the girl gave him a puzzled look.

He shook his head, squinting slightly, “I simply feel.”

AsaHi blinked at him with a furrowed brow of confusion.

A slow, warm smile slipped over his face, the familiar, fangy grin. Leaning forward on his knees, Kaze touched his forehead to hers until they were almost nose to nose. A shiver of excitement rushed through her body as AsaHi found herself drawn into the depths of his eyes.

“And I like it!” his voice purred to her in its rugged, golden tone.

Then with a quick wink, Kaze was on his feet and gone. There was no mistake, she had seen a hint of embarrassment in his expression. AsaHi found her own face flushed with an unexpected feeling of delight.

“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 fond of.

“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 that 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 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 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.”

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 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 took 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 gave barking laughs, their faces plainly speaking that they 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. She tried rewording the approach, “You two know each other?”

“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-pity 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 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,” he explained.

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 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.”

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 out 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 practiced the things that SoYa 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 lost track of the time they spent traveling. The hills, 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 stopped her in protest, only to show her a better way to travel or avoid a potential danger. More and more, she trusted his insight, especially since more and more, he was able to communicate in words what he wanted to express.

AsaHi found him to be a charming travel companion as his vocabulary grew. 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 wandered 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 making sure 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 over her head, and 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 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 from 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 laughed as the creature snuffle-hissed its way straight into a log, bumping its snout against the unmoving bark. It paused at the sound, tiny ears twisting 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 focused with an intense sense of intelligence as it approached.

AsaHi leaned closer, watching with 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 the trundle of a short-legged animal. Here and there, she could see patches of fur were missing in large clumps, the skin underneath 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 had no trouble leaping up the face of the tall rock.

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

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, the girl could only make out a blur of red and white. There was a cracking sound, followed by the broch’s chilling screech. A short moment of struggle. Then silence.

It took a moment before she recognized the form before her. When she did, her voice caught in her throat with 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 sound. 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, 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 protecting 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 scouted 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 pulled 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 scooped her up, pack and all, carrying her as if she weighed nothing.

“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 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.

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 always was 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 demonstration, and he was able do something on his own.

After the first day, Kaze was 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 also taught him how to wrap his arms, hands and feet with 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.

Also, she discovered 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 realized that he rarely left her side, 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 never saw 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. Often, when she woke up, AsaHi would find him sitting the exact same way she 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 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 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, with a strange amused expression. Then, 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 shouted, 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.

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 that sort of 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.

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.”

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 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 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. Because 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 just wondered — 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 come after me again. 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.

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. 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 will keep you 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 sideways 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 think red would be your color.”

He bark-laughed, eyes narrowing playfully.

“Really,” she sighed. “Most of the guys where I come from wear things a lot like this.”

He snuffed, then took the cloak out of her hand.

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

The man grunted.

“Smooth!” the girl laughed. She made a motion in the air with one hand, rolling it 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 if you’re not careful,” AsaHi warned. She 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 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 towards him. “I’ll help you.”

The man sat there watching her, studying her standing position. Finally, he reached out and placed his big hand over hers. AsaHi grunted as his other hand came down on her shoulder and struggled his to his feet. He was just as heavy as he was large. It took a bit of juggling for them to steady themselves. By the time it was all done, 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 a slow, choked motion, he held the second arm 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.

“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. 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 dropped on 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 on?”

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

“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 clapped her hands together cheerfully. 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.”

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. Yet, 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, carefully taking 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. 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 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 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 was so glad to see her supplies that she had not stopped to wonder how they returned to her. The last time she remembered seeing the pack, it was 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 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 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. 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 see 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 backpedaled rapidly, 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.

AsaHi 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 was real.

Finally, 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 head. 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 crouched 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 teal eyes upon her. She could feel a vastness swelling behind them, as if she was looking into the flow of the universe. An unpretentious calmness settled on her shoulders, a feeling 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 he could come to a smile with the fangs. 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 a 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? Who is he? What does he want?

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

He gave a snort that sounded like 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 been standing a moment before.

The man’s face was stern.

“Oh!” AsaHi blinked. “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 placed it on her head.

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

The man paused, blinking hopefully at her.

Who is he? Why did he protect me?

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 laugh a little. Even though she really had nothing to be cheerful for, it just felt good to laugh after everything that 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?” she echoed.

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

He looked so pitiful that she offered him a smile, “It’s okay, it doesn’t have to be perfect. 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.