Elementalist

He saw her only once, and he knew he had to have her. She was beautiful! She had the most beautiful golden hair you had ever seen. It came down to her waist, and it flowed so beautifully in the slight morning breeze. Her eyes were the loveliest shade of brown you had ever seen, and they complemented her sandy-golden fur so perfectly. Her fennec body allowed her to move so gracefully, and he wondered why he hadn't noticed her before.

He himself was a wolf, but not just a grey or white wolf, as many of his kin. No, he was a creamy wolf, with his own grey-cream hair in a pony tail falling just beneath his shoulder blades, with brown eyes that were light enough to be thought orange, one piercing in his left ear, and two in his right, all three piercings were close to the point of the ears, no more that 2 inches away. Though it was often hidden beneath the sleeves of his shirt, he wore a leather armband that signified the tribe his family originally came from. It was simple, though it had a design similar to a half of a sun in the middle of it.

Before he could think anymore on the topic though, one of his friends caught him staring at her, and swiftly corked his arm. "HEY!" He yelled, more annoyed that his train of thought had been broken than thet he'd just been punched, "What the hell was that for Brian?", though he didn't think that anyone could come up with a reasonable excuse for dragging his attention away from her, he felt it was best to know. Brian laughed at him, "Come on Lian! You know that we can only take partners from our own kin!” Brian was also a wolf, though a more typical type. Grey fur, dark brown eyes, and, Lian though so anyway, a very bland hair cut. And as much as Lian hated to admit it, it was forbidden for a wolf to take any other than a wolf partner. Though he hid it well, not even letting on that his mind was there. "What are you on about now Brian? I swear, you’re delusional!” They both laughed and then had to return to their class.

For once Lian found that his attention slipped easily during class. In most circumstances this was not a problem; however he was studying the basics of what he would need to know if he was ever to fulfil his dreams of becoming an elementalist. He had always found himself more at home in nature, and was over joyed when he learnt that he might, no matter how slim the odds, one day become a recognised elementalist.

Elementalists' were not, contrary to popular beliefs, mages. They were people, who had trained, and dedicated their lives to nature, and the elements residing there within. Though the majority could not control these elements, they could ask them for advice, and help where needed. Very few were ever granted control over any part of an element, and it had been many centuries, since anyone had been granted permission to actually create these elements. Most were limited to simply communing with the elements, and even this brought great wealth and honour.

Many elementalists' would 'specialize' in one particular element; usually one they related to the most. For example, someone who was born and raised by the sea, would be more attune to the water, being a wolf of the planes meant he had become very attune to the earth, and even before he had begun being tutored, he had been spared dying of thirst more than once when he had wandered off as a cub, thanks to his ability.

Though he had more experience than anyone in the class with his element, he knew as little about the history, and reasons behind the elementalist's as anyone else being tutored. And he became increasingly frustrated by his inability to stay focused on the lesson.

Once they were done for the day, he was called up by their tutor, a female horse, who would have been in her late 70's, though she only looked to be in her 20's. Another benefit of being an elementalist, extended life, and most only looked at the oldest 50 when they did pass, which usually took well over 150 years. His teachers name was Eve; she was very beautiful, but not sexy. She had brown hair that fell beneath her waist line and was never held back, normal brown coloured fur, and in fact, the only thing that wasn't typical to her race, was her deep blue eyes. They were thanks to the fact that she was a water mistress, one of the few who had been granted the ability to manipulate the water how she pleased, and she knew what she was doing.

Eve finished up the last piece of paperwork on her desk before standing up and asking Lian to take a walk with her. After a few minutes of walking through the forest surrounding the college, he couldn't stand it anymore. "If I may ask Eve, why are we out here?” he said, using her first name, as all her students did when out of class. After his question, she stopped and turned to look into his eyes. After what was probably no more than half a minute, though it seemed like an eternity to Lian, he broke the contact and looked away. She sighed then continued walking, speaking this time. "You’re usually the only person paying full attention, Lian. What happened today?” What could he say? He couldn't tell her the truth, he was forbidden by law to be with any other than his own kin, so why even think it, right? "It was nothing I guess, just wasn’t my day...” Lian half suggested, hoping she'd just leave it there. He could lie to his mates, that was easy, but to Eve? That was something else, and it hurt him to do so. She had his highest respect, and was the closest thing he had to a mother these days (though he'd never tell her that). She nodded thoughtfully, and he thought for a moment he'd been busted, when she sighed again and said "Well try to pick it up again tomorrow, okay? It’s important...” He thought for a minute, nodded in agreement then turned back and headed home. Eve meanwhile sighed, and turned to look into the forest, seeming to see something in its depths that eluded all others...

The moment he arrived home he wished he hadn't. While he lived in relative comfort, his house was never much of a home to him. The four bedrooms home was clean, as usual; he walked in the front door and headed straight for his room. He paid his father no attention and, thankfully, it was returned. Lians' father was an albino; his hair was long and fell down past his waist. The man, now in his late forties, had similar leather bound in his left arm to Lian, though his didn't have the half sun. All in all, Lian thought he looked more like a city wolf, than any who had been raised on the plains, and his name, Chris, seemed to only confirm that train of thought.

Despite appearances though, Lian knew his father was no city wolf, the only thing that had ever stopped his father from being alpha of their tribe while they lived on the plains, was Lian and Maelen. It's common knowledge that, while any pair within a tribe are free to birth, and raise a cub, it’s considered disrespectful not to seek the blessing of the tribe's alpha male, and his mate, should she be alive. Chris, however, was determined that he and Maelen would birth, and raise this cub, without subjugating themselves to anyone, refused to seek any blessing. The eve after Lians' birth, the alpha, Jul'ten, came to speak with Chris. Jul'ten was your common wolf, 6ft tall, grey all over, hair very short, very well toned; though despite this, he was known to be very patient. He gave Chris two options, allow Lian to be blessed by himself and the tribe, or leave. Chris took the latter option, though not before leaving Jul'ten with a very nasty scar across his face.

Three years, they wandered the plains, before Lians' mother couldn't continue. It was the first, and last, time Lian saw his father reduced to tears. That night she passed, and they continued, heading nowhere, doing nothing, bothering no one.

Three months after Maelens' passing, Chris decided Lian was to blame. And, as anyone who thought someone else was responsible for the loss of their mate, set about making Lian feel as unwelcome as a rather, large rock to the head. Though he never laid so much as one blow on Lian, in the year and a half that followed, he was indirectly responsible for three near fatal occurrences for Lian. Two were when Chris decided to leave without waking Lian, and the other was when he sent Lian to look for an oasis, whilst pointing him only further into nothingness. Luckily on all three such occasions, the earth refused to take the life of the young boy, and sent him back to his father. Each time Chris cursed the childs' luck.

Now, standing in the hall, was the seventeen year old Lian, reflecting upon what his father had done, and he probably would have stayed there for many more minutes, had said father not bumped into him on his way to the kitchen. Lian, not waiting for an invitation, went straight into 'his' room, though it was more just to store his stuff, dumped his pack, changed his clothes and headed off.

Brians’ place was his true home, heck, most his clothes were there! He enjoyed the walk from his father’s place to Brians’, he always did. It was dark and cool, but not really cold, nor dark enough to hinder his sight to any real degree. The walk went from one side of the “colleges’” rainforest to the other, about a hundred metres of distance between the two houses, but about five hundred metres to walk. Normally Lian would have cherished the walk, however, tonight he didn’t much feel like walking that far... heck, he just needed to talk to Brian... he may have denied it earlier that day, but now he couldn’t even think! She was all that he say when he blinked, all his mind drifted to when absent, if he knew what she smelt like, he imagined the air would smell like her! He was over his head, badly. And, Brian was a ladies’ man, to put it nicely. In his state, Lian couldn’t think of anyone better to talk to!

After about five minutes of semi-thinking, Lian had made up his mind, and a few metres later he stepped onto an old hiking trail.