Daniel

It was yet another week before Loralle travelled back down the volcano.

Her skin growing back had noticeably changed now, it was tougher and not fair anymore. It was now warmer when touched and a darker colour, and Loralle wondered if it was because of the magma or if the earth had sort of become one with her flesh...Or both.

What made her think that earth may be a part of her flesh now, was because she didn't have to put her hand onto the earth floor, to move the earth anymore. Just thinking about what she wanted to do was enough. And, the new warmth that flowed through her…At first, she thought it was because of where she was…But, it didn’t disappear!

Now that she was far from the top of the volcano, she realized her bodies temperature is constantly higher then it normally used to be!

It seemed that her wounds, that looked like they couldn’t recover, were maybe being helped, due to her rise in temperature...Perhaps…

It did scare her a little, as she thought that she was slowly being cooked! Maybe, in a few years, she might turn into something that people could carve in and want to eat!

Just the idea of having her body used as dinner, made Loralle panic!

Then…After she finally calmed down…Her mind would wonder of who would possibly want to eat something like her...

Her mind ventured then, that maybe she wasn't being cooked, but instead…It was going to make a noise, like she makes the fire power do sometimes, and then she'll turn black again!

Her panic started all over again…

Her body was still painful though. So, until she was fully healed, she decided to lazily check out the Fire Tribe.

From a long time ago, she knew that each tribe had separate ways of living. One of those, was the food that they ate and how it was eaten. Being given the chance now, while recovering, Loralle was enthusiastic to see the small difference. Compared to the Water Tribe's raw sea food, the Fire Tribe cooked theirs, but they had to venture further to get their food. They also seemed more into creatures that lived on the land, like tigers and bears, but those creatures didn't seem to be close by at all.

Loralle wondered if it was because of the magma...If it was, she understood perfectly.

One obvious thing that she noticed that she liked about the Fire Tribe...Was the warmth. Having been homeless, rained on and nowhere near a fire for the first ten years of her life...She felt like she was in heaven.

The slow flowing magma kept most of the Fire Tribe village warm and it was like a big, fluffy blanket on her. Of course, she did wonder if it was the place or her. With her new risen temperate, perhaps she was the fluffy blanket and not the warmth of the magma…

At the very least, if it was her that was the fluffy blanket, then she will find out soon when she was to leave, because then she will be taking the ‘fluffy’ blanket with her and not leaving it behind…

It was so comfortable that Loralle continued to eat their food and stay, learning more about them discretely.

Not talking to anybody, she was still able to hear and watch the happenings around her.

The Fire Tribe had lost a third of their population after she had made the big line of empty earth in between the tribes. But...Half of those had returned, as they had left the tribe but decided to come back when they saw that nothing had happened to the tribe. They really did feel like they had nowhere else to go...And, this place was their home.

In the last couple of weeks, the populace had been able to calm down since 'The Powerful Water Tribe leader' was still currently missing.

Sadly, the trades and shops in the village lost out and are still trying to get back on to their feet. Loralle didn’t understand the idea behind business at all and didn’t have any idea what she had done to this tribe. Being ignorant and not so smart, she just thought that this might be normal and checked everything out, thinking that something else had closed down the shops.

…The leader had been very quiet but, as the Fire Tribe being known to be less emotional, the people didn't seem to care!

Loralle scoffed and thought that if they had been so caring, would they have had overcome such tremendous problems!

Actually, she didn't practically like the personalities of the Fire Tribesmen, as it just reminded her of how uncaring the protectors were to her, and they were even from her own tribe!

***

When Loralle turned eighteen, a year and a half after obtaining the fire element's approval, she was still at the Fire Tribe village. Her body had taken so much time to heal, that Loralle worried for any more future trails she may have to endure...What was strange, was that she was overcoming it faster...And not slower...

She felt like she had obtained some sort of other power! A healing power!

Having her skin, now, quite hard and a darker colour, as it had been awhile since she had needed her earth bind over her body, she looked totally different. But, having most of her skin being totally taken off her body, she would have thought it would have taken a decade to go to this sort of extent of being healed!

There were no burn scars to say that she had gone into the mouth of the volcano at all...Unless, you call the colour of her skin changing colour a scar...She wasn't sure.

But...The protectors had found her...Three months ago, while she was with a new friend that she had made, and now they had started to chase her everywhere!

In all this time of freedom, Loralle despised them for interrupting her journey!

After she had found out that two noble women had disappeared many years ago, she had openly stayed in the Fire Tribe to find more information about them, but only found that those women had never returned...And one of them had been the leader's late wife!

Loralle had been wanting to track down the other woman's origins, but she was now being interrupted!

Luckily, the Fire Tribe had gotten back to its former days and never changed, as they never cared for someone being chased after.

Considering that the protectors were now in enemy territory, they had to withhold from using their water powers so that they would not be found out...But that wasn't the main problem...

Ever since arriving, they had felt sick to their stomachs all the time about being so close to the people here with the fire power.

It really had taken a toll on their state, as they hadn't been eating well beforehand, so they had not been able to chase after Loralle until they had gotten better, only to find out that they seemed to feel sick all the time anyway!

It was very much the same as when they had followed their leader all those years...

Then, not only did they have to find Loralle, who hopefully was still here, they couldn't use their power to contain her!

But, once found, the protectors could only think...The sooner that they get her, the sooner they can get away from here and feel better once again!

Their determination grew with each day to accomplish this mission!

It was such an annoying event though for Loralle, as she was getting close to her first human friend in her entire life! Granted, this friend thought that she was male and had a crush on her, but it was still great!

But now...Loralle was very unhappy!

After losing the protectors twice, she thought they would leave...Didn't they hate the Fire Tribe?

...But they never did!

It was quite troublesome!

She really wanted to continue her curious path of wondering if her new friend could gain the power of earth through her... She was a little girl of fifteen years of age, named Emily.

Of course, she continued to be discreet about using the earth power but...It wasn't easy!

Loralle has been thinking recently of her friend taking the plunge into the volcano, asking herself whether it would be the right thing to do. As it was, Emily had a tough time accepting another power, Loralle was guessing it was because of the vengeance in the powers, and she thought for her to accept the earth power, she would have to be accepted by the fire element first. Well, that was what Loralle thought the problem was...Of course, through this line of thinking, she had scratched her head many times and was confused just as many times...

Nonetheless, Emily was being very loyal and patient and happily kept what she was seeing and learning a secret from others. She had also been a help to Loralle to get her to speak more frequently.

Speaking words were not a problem now and her voice was no longer so hoarse, but she was still like a robot that used very easy words.

And then there's the children of the Fire Tribe, who are taught to fight at a young age. To some of them that want to fight, she had asked them why.

But all of this had come to a screeching halt because the protectors were continuously chasing after her now!

War had not happened all this time, yet, they still wanted her! Why couldn’t they just give up?! Oh, how she wished to turn into a tree so that she could hide from them!

Go Away!

As she ran away from the protectors, she used her earth powers to go up walls and fire powers to look normal. Her fire powers looked very extravagant...Some of the tribesmen had even asked where she was in the legion, as they wanted her protection, knowing that she was strong!

This had made her smile very happily in return to them!

Yes, I'm very strong! Haha!

Yet...She had never answered their question and they could only look at her in confusion and then shake their heads when she was gone...

...What did that mean?

This time, when she gets away from the protectors, she bumps into Daniel, the Fire Tribe leader's second son.

"Try not to break anything that isn't yours while running away!" His yell had stopped her.

Knowing who he was, she wondered if he was potentially her brother by blood.

Would he answer any of my questions?

Before she could talk though, he did instead, "Where are you from? Is this some kind of training for the war?"

Loralle sighed, "War, over."

Daniel laughed, noting straight away, that her speech was a little different, "Won't be for long, the Water Tribe are filling in the big hole. We are waiting for the water to rise, then we are going to put magma over it to create a bridge for us to cross."

This was news to Loralle...How long had the Water Tribe been doing this for? And the Fire Tribe already have an idea to use when it was filled?

Would it work? The water would cool the magma...But wouldn't it sink to the bottom? She really did try to picture it in her mind.

"Ah...You don't think it'll work?" He asked.

Instead, Loralle asked another question, "Why fight? People die."

He gets mad, seeing a Fire Tribal member asking questions...That wasn't normal!

Loralle also gets mad at his uncaring manner and spits out molten around her body in disgust. Everybody wanted war! Everybody!

...This is only the first time that they get angry at one another...

He admits, "You're powerful...You should go into the legion."

She yells, "No!"

Daniel gets mad again but she stands her ground against him. He wants her to help because of their enemy having someone so strong, but he wasn't going to get on his hands and knees to get it!

After telling her that a enemy has immunity to fire and that it could bring 'our tribe' to an end, Loralle states, "...That person, not want to fight."

"How could anyone know that? Maybe they are just biding time." Daniel thought it would be impossible for someone not wanting to fight! It was utterly ridiculous and made no sense whatsoever!

Being a Fire Tribal member, practically everyone would have this exact response...

Loralle doesn't say anything, as she thinks that it seemed useless. He was talking to the person who stated otherwise! The person they were all worried about, their so called 'enemy'...Was right in front of them saying that she does not want to fight!

...She thought that he was very stupid! Well, if he wasn't stupid, he was sick with some type of fighting disease!

He interrupts the silence, "Why are you so dirty? Your power is that of a noble...Yet, you look totally undignified...How about I escort you home?"

Daniel stopped, why would he care?

She laughs.

"Why are you laughing?" Daniel wonders why this mangy mutt of a person didn't seem to respect him! Hell, he had even attempted to help 'him'!

"Home? Noble? I have no home! I free!" Loralle stood firm and determined to her words.

He really didn't understand

...Was she was proud of being homeless?

So proud that 'he' had changed to look completely dignified and heroic. 'He' looked like a...Hero...

Daniel seemed captivated at first...But he raged because of her indifferent tone, "You have guts to talk like that! I'm the second son of the leader and I don't even talk like that!"

He knew it was a lie, but 'he' had made him angry!

...That's right..Daniel thought that Loralle was a guy...

"I not care!" Loralle spat. She had to admit, she wanted information from him, but he was just too much of a jerk and she gave up on it. Honestly, she didn't want such an angry brother anyway!

"Did you already know who I was?" He asked, upset that if 'he' did know who he was, 'he' still talked to him as such!

“Yes.” Loralle answered honestly, still as determined as she was moments ago.

Why did it matter if she knew who he was or not?

“And you’re not scared of the second most powerful fire power! Our bloodline has been the leader's of the Fire Tribe for hundreds of years!"

“No!” She was not scared at all! In fact, she really wanted to beat him up there and then!

“Why not?” Daniel was truly curious! Her defiant attitude, he admitted, was something he hadn't seen before! Most of the time, their bloodline would be revered...This was something new!

“Because…My birth...Now…” Loralle stopped...What would change if she told him who she was?

...They would probably all try to kill her! Wouldn't they?

Just a minute or two before, he had said that she was the enemy...So, Loralle was sure that they would kill her...

“What?” Daniel asked impatiently. He truly was curious about her, yet this was all the response Loralle gave him, making him not only impatient, but also angry!

Thinking, Loralle saw that she was practically immortal. Immune to water, earth and fire. I don’t fear death, I fear…

Lifting her hands, she knew of her immense powers. She feared herself...She feared others being played with without their knowledge...

She can't tell anyone who she is, otherwise, this long time without war will change and war will just start up again!

Water suddenly came at her, surprising Daniel and shocking him at the same time. Then he watches 'him', as 'he' quickly runs away from the water.

Who is that young man!?

Why are they after 'him'? Who are those people?

Finally, the water power being seen, was thought of by Daniel...With them having water powers...

Obviously, there were...Was it three? Three people from the Water Tribe here. What were people from the Water Tribe doing here chasing...

He really wanted to laugh, because the only thing good about that 'boy', when he saw 'him', was 'his' power! Everything else about 'him' was annoying!

Thinking this far, Daniel decides to follow and sees 'his' agility from roof top, to walls and then to trees. After that, the 'boy' went of view...

He knew that he should report what he had seen...That people from the Water Tribe were here...

...Daniel smiled, perhaps something good can come out of this!

Loralle finally gets away, again, and finds somewhere to sleep.

***

Two days later, Loralle was playing with a different lot of children, with Emily, when Daniel comes.

“Teaching them how to be peaceful!? I think it's time to get you locked up and your head checked!" He acted straight away, to have seen what was going on!

How dare...This weird, unknown person come and try to lure the children into peace!

Having not found much information on this 'boy', Daniel had been annoyed and was even glad to have found 'him' once again!

Seeing that 'he' had done something wrong, Daniel was quick and didn't want the chance to go by!

“Why fight?” Loralle asked, stunning Daniel into forgetting to take this 'boy' away.

“Because we fight, we always fought. Fighting is what we do best!” Daniel didn't understand...Why the why? This was how it was always!

“Why?”

“Stop it!” Daniel yelled. No one needed to question it! All of us hate the Water Tribe, so we fight! Was 'he' stupid!?

Loralle smiles at him, stopping him. This person’s smile is quite pretty!

'He' was like, one of those boy's that looked like girls!

She’s thinking, and hoping, that he’s starting to open his mind to questions...But, she was wrong...

Loralle suddenly had a vicious idea! She was mostly afraid of losing her friend, so...She will get answers from Daniel instead! Using him to see if Emily will survive the volcano, sounded like a brilliant plan!

Binding him up with the earth bound, she turned to Emily, saying, "Be back later."

Loralle smiled as she took off with Daniel, who was trying to get out of the earth bound around him unsuccessfully, and they went towards the huge volcano.

Since she had decided that he wasn't her brother, she could take the chance with his life, with absolutely no regrets!

Well...That's how she thought of this situation...