Fighting with Fire Book 1: Finding Home

Chapt. 1 Part 1

Lance knew it was bad.

Winter had ended months ago. Mid spring showers had poured all week, leaving a pale glaze of misty topped ponds scattered along the forest floor. Soggy twigs wouldn't snap when stepped on, the morning light still beamed through canopy openings, oak trees shot up into the sky, and only few critters dared to venture from their dens, leaving Lance alone to gaze at his reflection.

He had always known it was going to be horrible. All of the men in his village warned him. And now as he stood staring into his shimmering reflection, he couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted.

"I can't believe I let it get this awful," Lance thought to himself, watching the blooming mass of hair sprout from his skull; picking at a frizzled stray end, he tossed it aside, only to watch it fall entangled in branches and leaves to his waist. He originally looked forward to his Rite, but he didn't expect it to end up like this.

"I'm sure your mother can help when we get home," Ari replied, invading Lance's thoughts. Even though they had been bonded for a year now, Lance still grew slightly irritated when his thoughts were shared automatically. He was used to the creatures around his home, when he could simply tap a thought or command without their invasion. Now it didn't matter what he thought. Their thought have become one.

Ari simply ignored his frustration, gliding off a branch onto Lance's shoulder. Lance began to feel faint from the current of information that Ari was experiencing. During the bond, a rush of vertigo had left him motionless for several hours when he first experienced it. The breeze of air through Ari's feathers, mentally sensing Ari navigate through the air to his location, his tail feathers shifting into a banking turn, and feeling his light talon grip while physically shouldering the weight. Often times, during his Walk, Lance had to sit down and rest to avoid becoming too dizzy. Most of the time, Lance required Ari to ride his on his shoulder to avoid becoming too dizzy. Ari felt lucky that he didn't experience the same thing.

"I don't understand," Lance whined, shaking his head, "Why don't you feel it too?"

"Don't ask me," Ari retorted, "I'm just as new to this as you are."

Ari was right. This was new for both of them.

Even after a year of being together, Lance was still getting used to sharing his mind with Ari. Remember which limb was his and how to move himself without confusing an arm movement with a wing flap. But it did make some things easier, such as triangulating an origin of sound or seeing different ledges when climbing rocky surfaces. Lance felt that once he got the hang of it, he could be a great ranger like his father.

Despite his long hair and constant dizziness, his time in the wilderness had hardened him into a young adult. Looking back at his reflection, his olive tanned skin, now toned after years of strenuous use, followed a slender anatomy. Not bulky, as he wished it were, but fine slim lines in compliment of his shorter height. His jawline protruded sharp and narrow, giving him what his uncle called a 'dagger face', but now with a more masculine hint.

But what stood out were his eyes. The Wayra had always prided themselves with their tiger eyes, a bright shade of red with sharp points on either end of the pupil, giving them terrifying night vision, becoming excellent trackers. However, since Lance's bloodline was only half Wayra, his eyes, and his sister's eyes, were a dark purple, with only a slight point. A mix between his father's burning red and his mother's dark blue, he could never see as well as the other villagers, but still better than average.

"We should get going," Ari implied, again annoying his master, "We can't be late for your return."

Lance angrily shifted his weight to step out onto the trail when he froze mid-step.

"What is it?" Ari questioned, looking down, "Another trail?"

Lance nodded, but still didn't move. It was rare back in the village to come across a set of bear tracks, and from his time in the forest he didn't see them that often either.

"I hate bears," Lance thought, shivering at the thought of a large mass of fur. In reality Lance knew they were not all bad. It was only his phobia that was getting to him.

"I know." Ari replied, "Let's go."