Skylar

Breathless, we break away. Beads of sweat—or is it dew?—glisten on my fur, catching the light from the flame-lit beacons surrounding us. He nods, signaling the end of the physical skirmish and the beginning of a different battle.

"Elemental control, now. Start with fire," he commands, stepping back to give me space.

I close my eyes, reaching out to the spark within me. I coax it forward, willing it to grow, but it flickers stubbornly like a candle in the wind. ...