Call Across the Galaxy

Dragonfire

"Kalia, control it. Force the air to enter the earth!"

I howled in frustration as once again, my attempt to make a dust tornado using dry earth and air failed.

Flicking my wrist, sandy dirt flew from my right hand, and I forced my concentration into keeping it airborne; then I whipped my other hand in a well-practiced motion, and a ball of air was floating as well.

"Now...." Riu held up her hands, walking around me slowly. "Force them together..."

I brought my hands together, then quickly lifted my left one and twirled the air around...I spread the fingers of my right hand, keeping the sand from going to pot....

"Become the element....move as you want it to...." called Riu, bending in anticipation.

I spun around then lifted my hands, and laughed as I saw my sand tornado flying in the sky.

"Now, destroy it."

I arched my arms, then brought my hands together and twisted them slightly. The dust settled on the ground.

Riu patted me on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll get your Air brand soon."

I just shook my head and

"My test is tomorrow. I hope I'll pass. Hey, any chance you could get me some water?"

I poured some molten lava into the air and flexed my fingers, then blew some air onto it. Instant stone cup. Riu flipped some water into the air and made it jump around, before letting go of her control on it; it landed in my stone glass, and I drank gratefully.

I was just an amatuer. So far I only had my earth brand, and I was working towards getting an air brand.

Kuro was the pro, and he did all the assessments. Riu was one of the trainers. I was a trainee.

Our planet was new. Probably 500 years or so. There had been to inter-breedings of human-kind and these aliens, and I was born in the most recent one.

Riu and all the other trainers were from the first cross-breed, which was held four years ago.

Kuro and all the other leaders how ever...they aren't human at all. Not even Katsatua.

They are pure Fenirth.

I felt a tongue of heat lick across my shoulders, and heard the sand papery cough of fire. I whipped around and lifted a wall of earth from the ground, blocking the fire, then let it drop.

"Oh. Kuro."

Fenrith were generally taller than humans, and their eyes were naturally ringed with black stuff. And they were a hundred times more good looking than humans, too.

"Your test is tomorrow," he said. I saw his strangely glowing teeth. "Be ready."

He lifted his hand, dragging a tail of flame, then blew it towards me. I slammed a stone wall in place, then on instinct, I flipped my hand and lifted the wall, then with a clench of my fist it crumbled into pebbles, raining down on Kuro.

He growled and lashed angrily, throwing back my stones with a wall of water. I tried to make an earth wall, but the water soaked through and I was covered in mud.

"Should have used the air to blow back the water," commented Riu, before walking off, grinning. Kuro smiled down at me sadly. "Yes. I hope you remember that in your test."

I scowled and stood up.

I lived in a cabin with ten other Katsatua. The cabin had to be airtight, for us to be able to survive the night. The air on our planet reacts to sunlight, but when the sun goes down, the chemicals in the air turn toxic to Katsatuae, anyway.

I lay there in bed, watching the massive green sun setting. As usual, a Fenirth walked around the site, checking in on us and locking us in. They also gave us a ball of fire to stay warm through the night.

The Fenirth-- who I recognized by the streak of blonde hair as Prius-- blew in a ball of fire and made it hover in the center of the room, near the ceiling. Then he locked the door.

Curiously, I raised my right hand-- the arm that my fire symbol would be branded on-- and curled two fingers.

Two tiny streams of fire floated towards me, and I watched then flickering playfully above my hands.

Absentmindedly I braided them and and twirled them. My eyelids fell.

I was hypnotized by the flame.

My conciousness flickered.

There was a crack and I gasped. On instinct, without even thinking, I balled up the two tiny flames and blew into them.

There was a roar as the flames were blown into a giant fire-dragon. My cabin mates screamed and one of them raised a wall of earth, and another blew the fire back towards me. I sucked it towards me, then extinguished it between my hands.

A pile of earth lay on the ground beside the bunk of one of my room-mates, Leyna.

"What the hell?" gasped Leyna. I looked down at her, eyes wide.

"Sorry. I heard something, and instinctively..." She just shook her head and turned around.

I tried to fall asleep, the black stripes on the side of my face tingling strangely.