Seasons: Howl

-Training Offer-

Winter lounged on his bed, stretching lazily. It was nearly dawn, and it was necessary for him to get up early so that he could put on his clothes. Wearing a Frostanium suit was troublesome.

Winter leaped off his bed and headed for the bathroom. He fingered the Icicle Amulet that his father had given him; it was a small ice blue charm in the shape of icicles attached to a chain. He had to figure out how to gain Summer's trust. Fast. His father would expect him to have an idea ready.

The girl was extremely prickly. She was like a thorn in a bunch of roses. Summer was unlike the other girls Winter had come across, those who liked him and tried to get his attention by dressing up and looking all fake.

She was naturally pretty. There was no need for her to even put on make-up to get his attention. And she was quite strong, Winter had to admit. He had never felt such blistering heat from a fire before, even though he had been protected by his Ice Barrier during the battle. And her ability to control oil, a non-element... It was fascinating.

Summer Solveg was a lot like Spring Gardenia, like how Winter himself was similar to Autumn Ariand. There must be more to her powers than meets the eye. I have to find out.

Winter quickly took a short bath once he reached the bathroom, and took his time fitting himself into his suit, which he put over his usual black shirt and dark grey leggings.

Then, as he went down to prepare breakfast, he saw Glade sitting on the sofa, fully dressed for the day, unlike his usual groggy self when he wakes up.

"Brother! Why are you up so early?" Winter exclaimed. Glade shushed sharply and gestured him closer.

"Did you figure out how to gain that girl chick's trust?" His brother hissed. Winter blinked blankly at Glade. Girl chick? Chick? Then realisation dawned on him.

"Oh, you mean Summer. Nope, not yet." He replied, shaking his head. Glade suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him forward.

"You have to think of something, pronto! Dad's gonna murder you if you give him 'no' as an answer!" He hissed into Winter's face, spittle flying from his mouth.

Winter jerked away. "Ok, ok! I get it! You don't have to spit at me! Ugh!" He emphasised what he had said by wiping away the spittle that had landed on his face and making a disgusted look at his brother.

Glade, however, was in full panic mode. "Think of something, hurry!" He said, gesticulating wildly. Winter sighed and sat down on the sofa beside his brother. What could he do to gain someone as cautious as Summer's trust? The girl was far too cautious for his liking; even if he just went near her she would slink away from him or snap at him.

Then an idea popped into his mind. If everything worked out, he would gain Summer's trust in no time.

"Brother," he said quietly. Glade perked up. Winter turned to face him. "I think I've got an idea," Glade grinned, but it immediately disappeared when Winter added something else.

"And you're going to help me."

~~~

Summer strode into the classroom, and was not surprised to see Winter seated in his seat, surrounded by almost all the girls in the class. Apparently, they came especially early just to have time to talk with him.

"... So that's how I found that I was stronger than Latoya here." Beatriix was saying, and the said girl scowled at her. Winter glanced at her, nodding absently as he gazed out the window. He immediately noticed Summer standing at the door once she came in.

He waved at her. "Hey Summer. Come in. Don't block the doorway," he teased. Summer found herself blushing as Winter smiled. The girls surrounding Winter dispersed, casting withering looks at Summer as they returned to their seats. Summer slowly made her way to her table next to Winter.

"Say Summer, have you ever tried figuring out if you could improve your powers?" Winter suddenly asked just as she sat down. Surprised, Summer could not speak for a moment.

"N-no... Never. Hold on... are you mocking me again? Are you saying my powers are weak?" She said suspiciously. Winter blinked and scratched the back of his head, looking faintly embarrassed. His cheeks flushed a little red.

"No! That's not it. It's just that, well... Sure, your flames are powerful, but you're not that experienced." He said hesitantly. Summer narrowed her eyes at him with even more suspicion.

"What do you mean I'm not experienced? I am perfectly capable of controlling my flames." she snapped. Winter gave her a sly smile.

"I didn't mean your flames, though they could use an extra boost. They're not scorching enough. But the thing I was referring to was your swordsmanship, silly," He said.

Summer flinched as though his words had slapped her. Her swordsmanship. Growing silent, Summer gripped the hilt of her flamesword tightly.

"Your sword skills are not that good, no offence. In fact, I wouldn't even call it 'swordsmanship' anymore. More like 'swingsmanship', with you swinging your sword everytime instead of doing some real sword moves." Winter continued, joking. Summer blushed rose red as Winter smiled warmly at her.

She sighed, trying to force down the heat that was continuously spreading across her face. "I-I guess you're right. My sword skills aren't that brilliant. You're obviously stronger than me since you pointed out all my flaws just by fighting me once. And I suppose you're better than me at using a sword too..." She admitted sulkily.

Winter blinked gently at her, smiling. "Not really. My father taught me how to do the basic moves. Glade over there is the master." he said, gesturing at his brother who was chatting with an uninterested Beatriix.

"So what weapon do you prefer using then?" Summer questioned, curious to know more about Winter. The blue-haired boy blinked, looking shocked as though he hadn't expected her to ask. Then he smiled and with a flick of the wrist, made a small, sharp thing appear on the table.

Summer peered at it, then realised that it was the shape of... a Streaker. A Streaker was like a spear, with a sharp pointy end carved menacingly so it resembled claws.

However, it was also similar to a staff as it enabled the user to use magic with it. The more common Streakers were those which could enable fire magic to be used. Earth Streakers were the rarest.

"A Streaker? Why'd you use that for?" Summer asked intrigued. Winter smiled. "I make my own Streaker. And anyway, I'm more comfortable using something that's heavy. Ice is heavy, after all." He answered.

Summer sighed. "I wanna beat you..." she whined, slumping on her table. Winter's eyes shone mysteriously as sunlight reflected off his handsome face.

"Then let me help you," he whispered, leaning in closer. Summer could not tear her eyes away from Winter's. Those eyes of his were hypnotizing. "If you want, I can train you. Help you to discover more of your powers. And of course, improve your sword skills, though Glade will be doing most of that." He added, smiling sweetly.

Summer gulped. Winter was offering to help her? She didn't need help, thank you very much. She opened her mouth to reject, then thought the better of it. If Winter helped her train, she could find out more about him. His powers, his strengths, his weaknesses. Everything about him. If he wouldn't tell her anything about himself, she could always drill it out of him. She could be very persuasive at times.

Summer stared into Winter's eyes for a long moment, losing herself in his beautiful sapphire pools. Trying to dig out his own personal information by using his offer... that seems wrong, she thought, hesitating. Winter blinked slowly at her, his expression turning into one of disappointment.

"You're going to reject, aren't you?" He murmured sadly. The tone of his voice made Summer shake her head. Winter's face brightened a little, though his eyes showed hints of his uncertainty. "Are you going to accept then? If you don't want to accept... I-I'm fine with it..." He said. Summer bit her nail, wondering what to do.

I really want to get stronger. Maybe... Maybe if Winter helps me...

I don't need to know his strengths and weaknesses. Once I get stronger, I'll defeat him with my own powers.

"Fine. I accept." she agreed.