Two

Brianna ran towards the sound trying to make sense out of it. The village was deep asleep and even if there was an insomniac awake, there was no reason for him to be this far from home in the middle of the winter. When she arrived to the recently burnt land, her heart clenched at the sight of a laying male figure.

Coming closer she noticed he was covered by ashes, but very much naked. His chest was moving up and down, which was a major relief. She was not a fan of accidentally killing people. She shook him up a bit, trying not to look bellow his waist. It would be extremely awkward it he were to wake up to her staring at him. Unfortunately for her, he didn’t move, so she understood her only choice was to bring him home to tend to his wounds.

She didn’t even try to lift him up, knowing a well-built man like him would be too much for her to carry alone. She asked the earth for a little help and was immediately granted with the strength to carry him home. She was glad they were not in the water domain, because that playful little prankster would smirk at her for leading a handsome naked man into her home at that time of the night and she was simply not in the mood.

Reaching her cottage, she placed him on her bed and started to assess his condition. Surprisingly, he had no traces of burnt flash or any other wounds for that matter. With a wet cloth, she cleaned him up as best she could. She skipped his mid-section thinking he could manage the dirt down there when he woke up.

To avoid any embarrassment, she got a large piece of clothing she had and put it on him with her eyes away from his body. She glanced at him to see if her movement had caused any disturbance, but he didn’t move. His face was peaceful, but Bree couldn’t help but notice he had a fierce expression even with his eyes closed.

She took her time to take in his figure, imagining there could be some indication as to what he was doing in the middle of the woods. He was strong and tall, had a short copper hair and his messy beard gave off a perilous vibe. His hands were calloused and big, and when she touched them, she thought them warmed up a bit. It reminded her of the sensation of calling for fire, but the rest of his body was cold, and the feeling was soon gone.

The sun was rising by the time she finished, but she was exhausted from the agitated night, and her guest was deep asleep in her bed. She went towards the small couch near the bed and decided to rest her eyes for a while. Soon, she drifted off to dreamland hard and heavy.

Bree woke up in an awkward position in the couch. She stretched a bit and scanned the room, fixating her gaze in the guest on her bed. She came closer and noticed he was on the same position she left him, indicating he was not simply resting, and his unconsciousness was deeper than she thought.

Now that she was rested and the sun was piercing through the window, she noticed a few things about the unexpected guest. First, he seemed strong. Not his body, though he was indeed muscular, but even in his sleep he would let out a powerful aura that was a bit overwhelming. Second, he was somehow calling for her.

It was a small pull, that had her confused at first, but kept bothering her like a strand of hair attached to your arm that you can’t locate and remove. When she focused on it, the pull drove her to touch his chest lightly. She cleared her mind to make sense of the foreign sensation that spoke to her and when she did, it was strange and dark. He was calling for fire.

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Nathaniel knew it was to soon for the Council to have found him already. He was in a void and had no way of knowing the exact passing of time, but he was not restless yet, which indicated not much time had passed. Maybe one of the members was passing by and found him earlier than expected or perhaps his deed in the forest was noticed and they came to reward or punish him.

Either way, he felt power and knew he needed to reach out. He expanded his energy aura to make his possible savior aware of him and asked for fire. He felt light hands touching his chest right above his heart and felt a presence unlike anything he knew. His fighting instincts kicked in and he was ready to pin down the owner as soon as he was granted the fire he needed to wake.

He knew this presence was the source of power he had identified, but the pump of flames didn’t come. The soft touch he felt left and he went back to feeling only the void.