Fireheart

Chapter 6

I wake up in the den and immediately spit into the ground. I can still taste the blood and flesh of the rabbit and almost regret it. This was the only part of Shifting I didn't like. Even after Shifting back into a human, the tastes of last night still stuck with you. I crawled out of the den and looked up at the moon. I could guess it was about 4 at night. I could get back to the room, take another shower, and get another hour or two of sleep. Sounds like a good plan.
I found the clothes I had stashed and pulled them on. I didn't think to bring shoes, so I walked back barefoot. I didn't mind, as the ground felt nice below my feet. I hated walking barefoot back at the school. The ground didn't feel natural.
I managed to follow my scent back to my still open window and climbed inside. It didn't look like anyone had been here, so I once again stripped my clothes and climbed in for a quick shower. I got out, dried and got dressed.
I fell into the bed, exhausted. Wolf still swam in the front of my brain. She pulled me to sleep faster than I would've enjoyed. But after all, sleep was a neutral place for us. Where I was neither her nor me, so I welcomed it.

I was back in the forest, in the clearing near the den, not knowing if I walked on two legs or four. Either way, I was at peace. I caught a familiar scent. Brimstone and death. A twinge in my chest told me to run. Not out of fear, but because I wanted the smell to chase me.
"Come on, Fireheart," said a familiar voice behind me. I turned, and there was Phoenix, crouched in front of the den I had found in the woods. He was naked, and I had to resist the urge to look him up and down. He smelled of his familiar brimstone and death, but he also smelled like wolf. Almost like he had been curled up with Wolf in the den.
"We have to get back to the house." he said, standing. "They'll be wondering where we went."
What did he mean, back to the house? We didn't live together. And who were they?
He came closer to me, and I could feel myself blush at the look of his body. Beautiful and sculpted, and he was tanned from training afternoons in the sun. I wanted to smooth back his black hair, even though I knew it would stick back up, giving it the natural shaggy look it had.
He pulled me against his body, and I felt my own body flush. Oh, I was standing on two legs alright. His hands tangled in my hair, and I felt his breath on my neck as he stuck his face in the crook between my neck and shoulder.
"My Fireheart," he began to murmur. Oh, how I wished he'd do this with me more often. When was the last time we-

I gasped awake at pounding on the door to the room. Seven already? I sat up and looked under the bed for some shoes, and luckily found some combat boots. I put them on and laced them.
I got up and walked to the door. I opened it and nearly groaned at the smell that hit me in the face. Brimstone and death.
"You cut your hair." Phoenix said, glancing at the way shorter cut I gave myself. He was wearing the same uniform I was, but with the addition of a sword sheathed at his hip.
"Uh, yeah. I did." I replied.
"It suits you." he said, smiling. I tried not to think about how much I had enjoyed his body in my dream.
"Should we get going? I'm going to be watching your first lesson with Garnet. She's very excited to have a promising female to teach this year."
I nodded, and he smiled as he began to lead the way out of the building. We continued past the building, in the opposite direction of the truck that dropped us off here. The air was nice and clean smelling, the sun warming the early morning. We walked in silence across a field, and eventually into what looked like a little village.
"What is this?" I asked, Wolf making sure that we kept up with his long strides.
"This is the Village of the First Yong'in." he replied, waving to a few villagers that had begun coming out of their houses. "There are some Yong'in who are lucky enough to not have to go to the Schools to be declared a Yong'in. They grow up here, learning some magic, and how to live off the land. The mountains were formed by volcanoes, so the land here is very fertile."
"I thought your magic was awakened by Specialization." I said, glancing at the villagers beginning their day.
"Some cases are different." he said, stopping by a merchants cart. He laid a couple coins on the cart and received some kind words and a couple baked pastries from the older man running the cart. He offered me one, and I refused. Wolf's meal from the night before still filled my belly.
He talked quickly between bites.
"If you can learn how your body reacts to magic young enough, you could learn how to wield it as early as fifteen. I was one of those lucky kids. Well, I kinda had to be, being the son of a Clan Leader and all."
"Well, how old are you?" I asked, genuinely curious.
He finished up his second pastry and grinned.
"Someone is finally feeling talkative." he teased. I couldn't help but smile.
"I'm settling in pretty easily." I said. Shifting had easily relieved some of the pressure I was feeling here. And the solitary nature of my wolf helped.
"If you must know, I'm only twenty-two."
I somehow managed to keep my jaw from hitting the ground.
"You're only two years older than me?" I asked, kind of shocked. I expected him to be twenty-seven at the youngest. But twenty-two. Wow.
"Yup." he began. "I am considerably more powerful than my dad was. It's weird how it works. We're direct descendants of the original brothers, but sometimes more powerful than they were. Or less powerful. I am lucky enough to be just as powerful as the original Yong'in was, who was more powerful than my dad. My dad could barely raise a freshly killed corpse. I can raise a week old one."
I wanted to gag at the last sentence. That did explain why he smelt of death so much.
"But that's why I was able to take over the Clan I guess. Just in time, too. Aspen is six years older than me, and Jimmin is two years older than him. So maybe this new generation can help stop whatever dispute started a couple generations back."
"What exactly is going on with it?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Things have always been uneasy between Shamol and Muz. According to the stories I was told as a kid, a Shamol monk fell for a Muz priestess. You know how the Muz are. They're pretty religious. So when the Shamol monk took her away for marriage, the Muz took it personally. Priests and priestesses give their life to their gods and goddesses and are to remain pure their entire lives. The monk and the priestess were found dead on the border of the two Clans, and from there, things have just been escalating."
"Where do the Yong'in fit into this?"
He shook his head. "We're the smallest Clan. We had, and still have, no reason to be involved in the politics of the other Clans. But reports coming in from both Clans suggest that violence between both sides against either side is on the rise. Aspen is screaming war, and if there is a war, I'm expected to pick a side. Trust me, if I could stay out of a war between the two big dogs, I would."
I hadn't realized that we had passed through the village, and had come to another obsidian building with red trim. It was larger, much larger than the building we were made to live in. Phoenix opened a door for me and came in behind me.
The first noticeable thing was the smell. There was brimstone, charcoal, various burning trees. It was as if the room itself was on fire. The whole building was one room, empty save for a carpeted area near the front. The rest of the men I had come on the truck were here, with various parts of their bodies on fire.
"Fyre!" yelled Connor when he saw me. He ran up to me, and I had to make myself not back into Phoenix. He's gonna attack said Wolf.
"Hey, Connor." I said, making sure to smile at him. "Has class started?"
"No it hasn't." he said. He looked past my shoulder to where Phoenix was standing with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "Nice to meet you, Clan Leader." Connor said.
"Just call me Phoenix." Phoenix replied, watching us with curiosity. At least I had made one friend.
Connor moved his attention back to me. "Do you want to come to show a couple guys I've been talking to what you can do to your arm? They kinda don't believe that you can set your entire arm on fire yet. They were asleep when you did it in the truck."
I smiled at him and said yes. Without a word to Phoenix, I walked with Connor over to the group he had come from. There were three other guys, who introduced themselves at Jackson, the soldier that got my uniform for the monk, Jeremy, a shorter blonde who could only enjoy class if he had something to read, and Blaze, a fatter man who for the better part of his life cooking in the kitchens at school. Apparently, he never thought he was Gifted.
I wasted no time in setting my entire arm, right up to the shoulder, on fire using my matchstick method. They all stared and complimented me, and showed me what they could do.
Jackson, who wanted to be called Jax, could summon black flames up to his wrist. Jeremy had gray flames that lit up his fingertips, and Blaze could summon blue flame on only his palms.
"Oh, that's nothing." Phoenix said, coming up behind us, and making us jump in the air. He flexed his arms, and brilliant yellow flames covered his body from head to toe. "Can any of you do this?" he teased. They all laughed, and I joined, finally enjoying myself here.
"Don't try to one-up the students, Phoenix." Garnet said, coming into the room. She looked around the room at all the students who had put out their fires, and locked eyes with me. I smiled, and she smiled back. Every head turned as she made her way over to our little group in the corner.
"Fyre, dear, how are you?" she asked, going in for a hug. The smell of soap replaced her smell of death. Today, she traded her pink bustier for the same leather uniform everyone else wore.
"I'm good." I replied, hugging back.
"Good to hear." she said. Garnet had a very soothing voice. "There's been a change in plans."
"Oh yeah, you were to teach me." Garnet nodded her head.
"Yes. We're going to let you do Magic study with the rest of the boys. Instead of a work hour, though, I will be teaching you weapons and fighting."
"That works." Phoenix said, deciding for me. Personally, I liked the idea as well. I could make a few friends, and learn how to fight as well.
"The boys will switch off fighting and weapons with magic, so since you learn fighting and weapons every day, you'll be working with Phoenix during their regular fighting lessons."
"Wait, doing what?" I asked, a little mad that they had decided that part for me.
Phoenix laid his hand on the back of his neck and smiled.
"I wanted to personally work with you to kinda groom you to be part of my Circle. Not a huge part in any way, but I can tell you care for people. I want to make you Head of Resources, which is a fancy way of saying you'll meet with the various villages and make sure they're running smoothly, and see if they need any importing and exporting done."
"How do you figure that?" I asked. The position did sound good. Wolf liked to protect people. It may be a good thing to learn.
"You were watched all fifteen years you were at the school. You were a go to for people who needed things. You liked getting stuff and making sure they themselves got it. I'm sure you're capable of it."
I nodded my head.
"Do I have a choice?" I said, smiling.
"Nope."
Well, that was that then.