Enzo sat by the rear entrance of the cave and watched as the sun rose from behind him. At first, only the sky brightened, but slowly the shadows of the mountains began to recede and the gray ocean became more visible. He stepped out onto the small cliffside, and looked to the south.

Looks like a big storm coming in. Talwen better hurry it up, he thought as he watched the dark, angry clouds. Sheets of rain were already pelting out at sea, and the wind was churning the waves into heavy crashes against the cliffs.

Enzo turned away from the cave opening and set to his next problem. Hunting seemed to come easy for Talwen and the berries were plentiful throughout the forest. There were probably edible mushrooms and roots somewhere that he could use to make a more balanced diet. The real issue was water. He could walk down to the stream and drink, but it was pretty far away and if he was on egg duty, he’d have to wait until Talwen returned to drink anything.

With the dim daylight filtering through the clouds and into the cave, he saw that the main chamber held nothing useful to him. The rock near the front entrance had been cut away for a few feet, forming the shelf he’d found the first night. Next to it was a recessed part of the wall another couple feet wide with further cuts into the rock. Probably a good place for storage of things that wouldn’t attract any attention. If I can figure out how to get some clay, I can make some bowls or pots and store water tucked away right there.

Enzo was investigating some of the old debris left from the making of the rudimentary shelving, when he heard the storm reach the mountain. It drizzled at first, and the wind howled over the mouths of the cave. The fire flickered and dwindled as the frigid wind threatened to blow it out entirely.

Enzo sat in front of the fire and focused. He felt the air surrounding the fire twist around the cave and he allowed the fire to emulate the motion. Rather than flicker, he gave the flame form and a vortex of warmth surrounded the egg. As the wind shifted, the flame maintained shape and withstood. After a few minutes, Enzo had completely adjusted to the new requirements of the fire and was able to relax again.

The downpour came just moments after Enzo felt he had regained control of the fire, splashing water into the cave. He was prepared though, and this time thought of steam rising off the side of the mountain in the afternoon sun. He focused on the warmth and intensity of the sunlight, focused by the droplets of the water still in the air, and the thick, rising feeling of the humidity baking off the ground.

The surrounding air of the cave warmed to match. Rain still splashed into the cave, but a foot past the entrance, it evaporated. The moisture flowed around the cave, following the flow of the vortex of fire. Enzo breathed deep and slow, and the vortex slowed with him. He began to sweat, the heat of the cave combined with the effort of keeping the fire alive taking its toll on him. Still, he held on. Where is Talwen!?

He was nearing his limit. Maintaining a simple fire was no problem, and even adding the form to it was relatively easy. Controlling the form of the fire and the temperature of the cave to fight off the rain was just too much. As the seconds turned into minutes, Enzo began to lose control. The rain fought through his sauna. The flames spun, but were losing their tight control. Enzo felt himself slipping. He was going to pass out. I will not give up, not after making it through the night. Not after mastering this Affinity just hours after learning about it.

He released the air, and instantly felt the cold wind and rain splash on his back. He sheltered the egg as best he could, and kept the fire going. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision. I won’t fail Talwen.

The last thing he saw was a large shadow approaching before he fell over.

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Talwen was exhausted from the flight home. Really, she was exhausted from the last few days. Nothing had gone easily since the fight. She hadn’t slept in days. She hadn’t eaten properly in days either.

As soon as she was out of sight of the village, she landed on a secluded peak and devoured the cow. It wasn’t elegant, but she was desperate. Her stomach groaned at the large meal taken in such a rush, but the storm was nearly upon her. She leapt into the air again and turned back toward the mountain.

She tried her best to fly above the worst of the storm, but the wind currents were too chaotic to make the return trip quick. By the time she reached the cave, the storm was raging, lashing waves against the cliffside and drowning everything in sight. She felt the warmth of the air before landing in the cave. What is that fool doing? Is he trying to combat the storm?

She landed heavily on the cliffside and shielded the cave with her wings. Inside, a cloud of humidity swirled through the room, and a wild vortex of fire raged around the egg. Enzo was deathly pale and unconscious in a heap next to the fire.

Oh gods, he has no idea what he’s done. He’s going to die at this rate!

Talwen quickly grabbed the egg and held it close. She doused the flames and moved the egg to the center of the cave and reignited a flame of her own. Once she was certain it was stable, she returned to Enzo.

She looked him over cautiously. He’s still breathing at least. He’s burned through all of his energy trying to protect the egg. Looks like when the storm hit, he didn’t know what to do and created this intense vortex to try to keep the wind and water off of it. A good idea, and impressive that he pulled it off, but his body simply wasn’t ready for it. She gently lifted him off the ground and set him against a wall near the new fire.

Talwen looked around the bare cave. Nothing about it felt like home. She was alone, exhausted, desperately trying to protect the last egg of her clutch. Not alone, she corrected. She looked down at Enzo again. He’s proven himself again. Without him, either I or the egg would’ve died tonight. He is one of us. I will raise him and teach him like one of my own. She curled around the fire, her muzzle resting on his hand. The molten crest of her clan burned onto the top of his right hand.