Fire, Layla thinks, is not always a bad thing.
Children are told to avoid fire, because it will burn; because the heat of the fire will destroy everything it touches. But Layla knows that isn't completely true. The heat of the flame is only one aspect of a whole. The mesmerizing beauty that you see when you look deep into the flames, watching as they dance, is another part. And the warmth of the sun, biting back the paralyzing cold, is another. But people see only the destructive heat and they shy away. Layla embraces it, but feels the burn when it bites back defensively.
No matter how hard it tries, no plant will ever be able to touch the clouds. It may reach up with all its strength, but it is never tall enough; never large enough to match the height of the clouds. The harder it tries, the worse the sense of loss when it realizes the truth. Layla felt that loss.
The destructive power of fire is what helps a forest start over. When the ground of a forest becomes cluttered, when the plants wither and die, fires clear away and brings forth new life from the ashes. That new life may be different from what was before, but, with a clean start, it is also better. Layla feels the sense of relief that comes with shedding the excess weight and moving on to something new.
And the new plants rise from the ashes, better and healthier than before. That, Layla thinks, is how Warren makes her feel. Like a new being, rising from the ashes.