A Wolf's Spirit

Emergence

          Ray sat on the corner of the dining table. He tried to take deep breaths.

          The last thing he could think about was Kai being forced out of the house by the two guards. His debacle with the Water Dragon had been nothing short of impulsive and straight-up stupid. Just thinking about it made Ray hold back a sob. The whole ordeal had scared the life out of him.

          It was enough losing Maya all those years ago, and now, with Kai just reaching adulthood, he could have been killed so easily. Ray hadn't even been around to save him if it happened.

          It was sheer luck Kai hadn't died. Ray was still confused how the forging staff hadn't scorched through his skin. He kept thinking, thinking of ways Kai could have possibly survived that burn. It just didn't make sense.

          Humans weren't meant to live through something like that.

          Unless...

          Ray's eyes flew open.

          No.

          Ray had his suspicions. He couldn't be blamed for burying his memories all those years ago. He hadn't used his abilities in so long.

          Despite refusing to remember his fire after so many years, he couldn't just forget about it. It was simply a part of him, and he still had it within him.

          It was so easy to let it loose, just at the tip of his fingers.

          Ray felt the heat slowly building behind his fingers...

          He shook them off as quickly as possible and sighed.

          His fire had been fully present when he bonded with Flame during adulthood, but... Ember was still very young, and so was Kai. They wouldn't have been able to forge that connection yet, and Kai couldn't have possibly developed his resistance to fire. Unless...

          Ray shook his head violently. There was no way. No way he would let the memories come back. He vowed to keep it away from awakening once again.

          But if Kai's time came, then...

          It was too early.

          What if Ray had been a late bloomer when he first developed?

          No, normally they would begin to use their abilities during adulthood, too.

          If that were the case, Ray's mind felt like it would implode from all the stress. The house was a wreck, the door was slightly ajar, he was still replaying Kai's departure with the guards, and through all that he just had to remember this.

          He just couldn't bring himself to care anymore and let out a small breath. All the sweat covering his skin felt icky, and his unshaved scruff felt like pinpricks against his grimy skin.

          Ray bent his head down and sighed weakly, his breath quivering.

          A soft caw came from his left.

          With a jolt, he turned to the noise.

          Ember had been here the whole time. He'd been so wrapped in his own thoughts, he completely forgot about her up until that point. She gazed up at him, ears drooping. She didn't need to say anything for Ray to understand.

          "Yes, yes... I know," he mumbled. "You can stop your worrying. He'll be... fine."

          Whether he said it to Ember or to himself, he wasn't quite sure. And did he believe what he said anyway? With all his life he wanted to, but it wasn't likely.