Enzo sat in place by the fire, bored. Building the focal point of energy in his chest and allowing the energy to flow through himself to the fire and back again turned out to be substantially easier now that he had the hang of it. Mastering the mental aspect had taken the most work, but since he just needed to maintain things, he didn’t really have to put in too much effort.

Just breathe in and out, and keep the flow of energy stable. I really don’t even have to look at the fire anymore.

Still, as he sat there bored, Enzo began to imagine the sorts of things he could do with actual mastery of his Affinity.

Sword in my hand, surrounded by enemies. I call out for help, but see that the battle has turned against us. I’m the last man standing. The bandit boss laughs, and tosses the head of my comrade at my feet. Gouts of flames bursting from my hands. I torch everyone around me, melting steel and searing flesh from bone. The bandit leader runs as I breathe fire hot enough to evaporate him entirely.

The fire in front of Enzo flared up with these thoughts, but he kept things under control and didn’t allow them to grow. Going to have to remember that my emotions have a large effect on my power. Talwen is right, I’m going to need more control.

As the night dragged on, Enzo began to experiment with his power. At first, he simply stood and waited to see if movement interrupted his control of the flames but when they remained as they were, he turned his back and began to pace around the room. As much as he wanted to explore a bit more of the second chamber of the cave, he was wary of leaving sight of the fire. After several dozen laps, he began to feel hungry and grabbed the second ratkel.

I wonder if it’s just fire that I can control, or if I can manipulate heat on its own? He thought as he looked at the now cold meal. He continued to maintain the flow of energy to the fire, but slowly started to build a second focal point of energy, this time in his hands rather than his chest. It was difficult at first, but eventually he was able to split his attention enough that he could feel some warmth in his hands. He directed this warmth to the ratkel, and after a few moments he could smell the meat warming back up.

Enzo smiled to himself, and released the energy building in his hands. Immediately, he began to feel faint, but he sat down in front of the fire and began to tear into his reheated meal. This is too useful, I’m going to have to tell Talwen about it when she gets back. Can’t over do it yet, but with some endurance training, I bet I can do all sorts of things with this power. Training mind and body, she said. Makes a lot of sense now.

As he ate his meal, Enzo continued to daydream about controlling fire. It's just so versatile. I’ll never struggle to start a campfire, never have to worry about how to cook food. When I get good enough, I bet I can control heat precisely enough that my food will always be just the right temperature! And the combat options! I’ll have the advantage against any regular person, they’ll never expect me to bring fire to a sword fight!

Enzo leaned back against the wall of the cave, satisfied with his meal and looking forward to the future. And to think my teacher is a dragon! I can’t believe my luck!

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As night fell across the land, thick clouds rolled in from the southern sea, obscuring the light of the moons. Talwen used the clouds to her advantage as she silently glided over the forests in the foothills of the mountains.

The port city was always busy, even this late at night, but the new village was dark. A tall picket wall surrounded the village, and several guards manned the single gate that led back to the port, each taking a turn to walk the perimeter. Cows and horses rested in a large barn near the rear of the settlement, across from the only building with fires still burning. Talwen watched as a human stumbled out of the inn and back into another building just down the cobbled path.

A good night for a hunt inland, she thought. None should notice my presence, and with luck, I can find a deer bedded down for the night far from the prying eyes of the humans. I’d rather not try to steal their livestock, but I need to find something tonight. It has been too long already and with this storm, I may not be able to leave again tomorrow.

An hour passed, and then another, but nothing caught her attention. The forest was silent, as though all life knew of her hunt before the impending storm and had hidden from sight. She briefly considered checking the ocean again, but strong gusts of wind forced the idea from her mind. Even a dragon had to fear the almighty power of an incoming storm. The western seas were an option but without the light of the sun, she would never spot anything from the sky.

As the first inklings of weak sunlight fought through the cloudbank, Talwen gauged the strength of the storm headed toward them. While the cloud cover overnight was thick, it wasn’t particularly intimidating. Now, dark, heavy clouds had formed along the coast and threatened to push in and wash away the world at any moment. Desperate, she looked back to the village.

Smoke wafted into the air from the inn, as well as from several other buildings now. Talwen smelled cooking fires and a forge on the wind. As the town was waking up, the guards retreated to their barracks. The livestock had been released to their grazing fields just beyond the fence, and a single human stood watching the storm roll in.

Talwen was out of time and she knew it. How had this whole area, once teeming with prey, gone barren so quickly? Another unsuccessful hunt had left her starving, and the storm rolling in increased her desperation. She soared above the clouds and flew close to the village.

As she neared the village, she peaked down from the clouds to assess the situation. The wind started to pick up, and maintaining an easy gliding altitude was becoming more difficult. Below her, a dozen cattle roamed the fields. The human in charge of them decided enough was enough, and had begun to call them back into the village. Initially, they all followed, but one was slower than the rest and dropped off from the rest of the herd. Large, heavy rain drops began to pelt the land, and the human redoubled his efforts to bring the herd back in. The straggler was now significantly behind the others. It bayed pathetically, hoping the herd would wait, but its cries went unanswered.

Talwen knew this was her chance. As the thick drizzle intensified to a downpour, she dropped from the heavens and struck. In an instant, she grasped the cow in her jaws and leapt back into the air. She knew the human had likely seen her, but all she could do at this point was hope the weather had masked her descent and distracted him. She flew north, beyond the leading edge of the storm before looping back around over the western sea and returned home.