Son of The Flame

Chapter 2: A Dance With Death

*One Month Later*

"Don't behave like your goal is to hide the powers! You need to use them in order to control them! That's what you came to me for isn't it?!" Rian growled at Milo, who was weakly attempting to create fire in his hands.

"I'm...I'm afraid of something bad happening." The boy with golden hair whimpered in return.

"I told you, we aren't leaving until you have made fire. We will stay out here all night. Then you'll want fire, so the hyenas don't lunge on you in the dark!" Rian continued, his voice gravely from speaking while not in his human form.

Milo stared at his hands, those green eyes locked onto his palms. Rian detected a slight quiver run through his hands before a small flame flickered in Milo's hand, extinguishing as soon as it can into existence.

"I did it!" Milo yipped, throwing his hands into the air and waving them around.

"I told you. Now work on holding it for longer." Rian praised.

Milo trained his attention to his hands again, and sooner this time they shook and the small flame licked to life. It held on for about five seconds before melting back into the boys hands.

Over and over again, time after time, Rian had Milo summon the fire, until eventually he could hold the faint flame for a minute.

Rain still felt as if the fire should be larger, more formidable. They flame Milo held how could barely set dry tinder aflame. He was proud of the progress he had seen in the wolf, but something was still missing. It was like Milo had an internal fire in himself, but it needed something to get it to start burning.

As it grew dark the pair abandoned their training place. Even though Rian knew Milo was tired after the strain on his magic, the lion still had Milo run the entire edge of the territory with him. Along with the containment of his power, Rian decided that the wolf needed proper training to be into his best physical shape. Who knows when magic would fail him?

As the pair neared the eastern end of the territory, Rian smelled something amiss, and Milo clearly did too.

"Hyenas," Rian grunted, his stride expanding so that he could get rid of the threat before they got near any of the females.

"What will I do?! I'm not good at fighting yet!" Milo asked nervously, picking up speed as well in order to keep up with his teacher.

"You're going to have to try to summon your power. No matter what, you can't shift. I'm linking my warriors now." Rian panted between breaths.

The scent of hyena polluted the air Rian breathed, he felt anger bubble in him. Were his warriors too occupied with the females in heat to pay any attention? Ahead he heard the cackles, it sounded like five or six of them. Rian had a hunch that they had hunted on his land, which meant to the lions that no mercy would be spared.

Rian thundered onto the dinner party, grabbing what seemed to be the alpha female by the scruff of the neck and pulling back sharply. Her cries cut into the night, the laughing stopping as soon as the others heard her distress. They took one look at Rian and advanced on him, eyes gleaming furiously. The alpha female had already pulled herself out of brush and growled at the lion before joining the rest of her pack.

One of the smaller males flung himself at Rian, who rapidly battered the hyena away with a single swipe of his paw. They threw themselves over and over again at him, only gaining injuries each time. For awhile they kept coming back for more, even though plenty of them were bleeding at this point. Rian rumbled at the cowardly behavior that Milo was displaying, running away during a time when he could prove himself.

Out of the darkness, a golden light slammed into the alpha female, tumbling with her as she rolled across the packed dirt. She screamed in pain, the sound of burning flesh reaching everyone's sensitive ears. The other five hyenas whipped their heads toward their leader and dashed to her aid.

Rian ran after them, hearing his warriors arrive to finish off the remaining pests. They lunged at Milo, who glowed, with faint flame licking at his golden coat. Seeing that Milo wasn't in the need of Rian's aid, he picked off the nearest male by the paw, snapping the bone in the dog's awkward front legs.

All around him, cries of pain resounded from the hyenas. Rian tried to focus on his hyena and not on Milo, but the bright light the wolf emitted was intriguing. Growing bored of playing with the beast, Rian went for his neck, snapping it before the hyena could respond. Rian trotted over to Milo, who was continuing to battle the Alpha. Her skin was horribly burned, and she wasn't trying to fight him at this point, but rather escape.

"Milo, enough. Leave her to warn the rest of her pack." Rian sternly commanded Milo.

Milo froze, allowing the female to scrabble up and begin limping away. The other warriors watched with slitted eyes as she made her way off of their territory. Milo's eyes were black as the night around them, his glowing fur reflecting off them. Rian watched as Milo slowly started to follow the escaping hyena. As Rian opened his mouth to tell Milo to stop the wolf took off at a sprint. Causing the hyena to fall to the ground in fear.

The Warriors sprang after Milo, knowing Rian's orders to leave the trespasser alive. In a few long strides the first lions leapt on to Milos back, instantly crying out in pain. They hit the wolf with enough force that his legs collapsed under him, sending the wolf tumbling to the side. The rest of the Warriors rushed to circle the wolf, hesitantly standing away from his fiery fur.

Rian caught up to the group, pushing his way to the center of the circle where Milo stood enraged. His fur was emitting heat, which could be felt against the hot African night.

"Milo! Stop this foolishness now!" Rian growled at the wolf.

Milo just lunged at Rian, aiming for the King's throat.

Rian just caught the wolf in his large paw and slammed him into the hard earth. Rian awaited the pain that would follow touching the angry werewolf, but it never came. As Rian kept contact with Milo, it was as if all of his energy drained. The wolf's glowing fur dimmed to its typical golden color, the flames died, and his eyes went from black back to green.

It was then that Rian felt his balance waver, before he fell to the ground and was bathed in darkness.

Please don't kill me guys! I know I said I would be updating "regularly" but turns out this year is going to be a busy one for me between dance and school. I'm back for the time being. And I'll be posting the next chapter hopefully on Mondays because that gives me a week to write and edit.

So we've seen the dangers of pushing an elemental over the edge, not a pretty sight. In the next chapter lets just say some light will be shed on their mysterious powers and who these other wolves are.

Once again thanks for reading (and if your still here waiting for me to update) Please comment, vote and follow this story and my profile!

If you haven't read The Water Wolf (the first book in the series) I seriously recommend it. Right now you'll be fine but once we get into the second part you'll be lost!