Wind Whisperer

Deep Freeze

Breathing in the fresh night air I closed my eyes as I walked, my footsteps hitting the concrete sidewalk in a comfortinf rythym. It had always been kind of odd, my love of the night. Usually kids loved the day and grew frightened when night descended, but even as a little kid I would get up at night and pull out my nightlight. I felt like the absolute dark gave me an absolute calm. I tried to feel that calm now.

I smiled a bit, remembering how, as a child, I would think that not being scared of the dark was some kind of superpower. I'd imagine myslef as Queen of the Dark; my special title for my special power that was just for me. It's kind of strange how, as children, we feel a need to be different from everyone else. Something that separates us. Something that makes the world seem a little more magical. 

And now I do have something that sets me apart, but all I want to do is be like everyone else. To be normal again. I sighed. There was no use wrestling with what ifs and how abouts. I had been given a gift by the universe, whether I liked it or not. And as if the world had some kind of perverse humor, I even got a special title like the one i had imagined as a kid: Wind Whisperer.

My heart beat in time with my soles crunching the apsalt. I looked up to see where my feet had taken me, for I hadn't been paying attention, too lost in my emotions to care. Incensed pines waved their aroma towards me, and I recognized this place as the little park at the edge of my neighborhood. 

I use the term park loosely. There was no jungle gym or slides for children to play on, or benches to sit on, or fountains to look at. We had a main park for that; it had been funded by the neighborhood and was filled with sharp art and giant fountains. But it had no feelings. This park had been around before all the gigantic houses moved in. I remember discovering it as a kid, and I used to visit here religiously. The tradition had fallen away a few years back, and this was the first time in a while that I had visited.

The park was as I remembered, just as my unconscious feet remembered their way here. From the street it just looked like a bundle of closely packed pine trees that didn't lead anywhere. But if you actually ventured through the firt layer of shrubbery, you'd find that the copse was hollow in the middle. I did this, pushing at the aromic needles and shoving at the unnurtured unergrowth. Smiling, I burst in the clearing. In the middle there was a pile of cement standing sentiel around a hole five feet in diameter. I figured it was an old fountain, but there was nothing to tell for sure. Upon closer inspection the cement was pain and held no ornament, so I imagine it was a pretty boring fountain. Of course it could have been weathered away, but it really was a mystery.

A bigger mystery was the fense. There was an iron fence right in the middle of the clearing. It didn't even reach all the way across. Sliding a finger across its ornate metalwork, i wondered for the thousandth time what it had been for. The poor little fence seemed lonely to me; it was without a purpose.

"A purpose is a very important item." Slapping a hand over my mouth, I fell unceremoniously onto my butt as I fell back in shock. With no sound at all, a slender figure had appeared next to me on the fence without me noticing. Too surprised to speak, I just studied him in silence: He was tall and slender, and was leaning against the fence like he owned the place. His eyes were an icy bluish gray, and his whitish clond hair was styled up. His pale face was twisted in a scowl.

"I could give you a purpose," I was surprised at my own words, but I knew in my gut they were right. Just like how I knew in my gut that this was a Wind.

The Wind scoffed at me, "Yeah? What kind of purpose? Drying your hair before you go to the beauty pageant?" My countenance darkened, matching the shade of the night. 

He continued, "I served warriors. Great minds. People who actually did something for the world." I dropped my chin, face reddening. It was truee of course. How was I supposed to give him a purpose when I didn't even have one myself? He was already walking away, a pale  hand tracing the fence as he walked. i thought of my interactions with Gale. Everything he had said about the Winds.

"I can give you a home," my voice didn't sound like itslef. It was small, unsure. But it caused the Wind to pause. The way I figured it, Winds wouldn't really want much of a purpose other than to float around and just be...wind. It was only a feeling, but I kind of thought maybe they didn't like wars. From everything had said, and more so what he hadn't said, it seemed to me that all the Winds wanted was someone to care for them.

The Wind turned sharply, a serious expression stamped on his face, "It's only a home if it's all of us."

I knew exactly what he was getting at, and i matched his expression, my voice unfaltering, "I'm not leaving anyone behind." And I meant it too. I had been the black sheep my whole life: too rough for the snobs, and too rich for everyone else. I knew what it felt like to be rejected, and I wasn't going to do that to anyone.

The Wind looked at me with newfound respect, and I gave him a small smile. We sat there leaning against the fence for a few long minutes in silence. Then I realized I didn't know which Wind this one was.

"Um...I know I should probably know this but...who are you?" The Wind studied me for a second, then reached over and touched my arm. His hand was like dry ice on my skin, and I gasped in shock, flinching away. Immediately after it happened I regretted my reaction. The Wind, who I now knew to be Cierzo, looked away, his face completely shutting down.

Crap. Just when he was beginning to like me. This Wind was so different from Gale. He kept himself closed off. Guarded. But as I looked at him I realized he reminded me of someone. Me. I always covered hurt with anger and lonliness with disdain. Thinking about it I figured even though he and Gale were very different, they probably wanted the same things.

In one fluid motion I stepped to Cierzo and wrapped my arms around him. Gritting my teeth against the cold, I tried not to shiver. I had figured that being a freezing cold wind, he didn't get much affection. But that didn't mean he sisn't want it.

My point was proved a moment later when I felt Cierzo's frigid arms encircle me, his chin resting against my hair. The feeling was like being thrown into the ocean in winter, but I was rewarded with a slow burning sensation at my hip. Cierzo had bonded with me.

Just when my heart was beating painfully in my chest and my arms had begn to numb, the wind spirit pulled away. He gave me a slow smile and placed a palm on my head in an affectionate gesture. He surprised me by saying, "Thank you, but...don't do that again. I could give you hypothermia." 

I grinned a little, joking, "What? That's half the fun." He chuckled a bit, voice scratchy from misuse. 

His face turned serious, "You really need to learn how to sense the Wind though. They're not going to be served on a silver platter for you."

"I sensed you didn't I?"

"I appeared to you in human form."

I thought about it, "I don't know. I think i could sense one if it came near." Cierzo gave me an exasperated look.

"Apparently not, because there's one here now. In fact she's been following you around for weeks." I started.

She?

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Hey guys! Lilies here. Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment. And big thanks to @FeatherWhiteWolf for the lovely cover and @Goddess_Of_Misfits for the wonderful charrie spotlight! Also if you can vote for me so I can win this contest that would be great! http://www.wattpad.com/54073727-wattpad-competition-wind-whisperer

~Love, LiliesArePoetry