"El, I swear if you don't listen to me I'm going to feed to a hurrok," a young, black haired man shook his head, and climbed up a large oak after El. El ignored him and continued climbing higher, occasionally jumping from branch to branch, scaring the man to death. "I will tell Marianne, and she'll have you cleaning laundry for the next year!" El just kept climbing. The man stopped about fifteen feet of the ground. "El, please come down."

El finally acknowledged him, "You know, Zak, I've known blisters that are less annoying than you." She kept on climbing. With a sigh, Zak followed her. She finally stopped at the last of the branched that would hold her weight. She stuck her head out through the leaves, enjoying the warm summer breeze. Zak was up soon after her.

He gasped at the sight. "The sunset's beautiful."

El just smiled and climbed down to the branch he stood on, "I wouldn't know." Her glazed eyes surveyed the horizon. "Looks like…well nothing to me, actually." She gazed for a few more moments before heading down.

"Aren't you going to stay until it's over?" Zak asked.

"No, there's nothing for me to see." With the agility only possessed by cats, she jumped from branch to branch down the tree and leaped from the branches about ten feet from the ground, nearly giving Zak a heart attack. She hit the grass with a soft thud, and rolled to standing position.

Zak was more cautious; he carefully placed his feet on each branch as he climbed down. "You know you always amaze me when you do that!" He called from half way up the tree. "But someday it will be the death of you!" El laughed and lay on the soft grass, imagining what a sunset must look like. Zak sat gently beside her. El ran the grass through her fingers feeling the smallest of ridges and lightest of pricks. Why did she have to be blind? She hadn't done anything wrong. She had just been born with it. She considered what her parents must have done to anger the Goddess so much their child was born blind. It must have been my father, she thought, I'm not sure my mother even likes him anymore. She sighed. Life was just hard.

Zak looked at the serious face she had on. He knew he had to distract her before she began to question her own life again. He abruptly stood up, and plucked El off the ground, and threw her over his back. "What are you doing?" El smacked him hard on the back of the head. How she had perfect aim every time, he never knew. She flipped over his shoulder coming to a stand in front of him. She was sure a force to be reckoned with. Standing nearly six foot tall, she was taller than many men. She had a willowy build that fooled many of people, but she was actually one of the strongest people he knew. She easily swept his legs out from under him and pinned his arms to the ground. "You really shouldn't try that." She whispered and patted his head. "I may be a two years younger than you, but I can kick your butt."

"Two years? Last time I checked you were fourteen and I was seventeen?" He smiled wickedly, and turned over pinning El under him. "Do you know how awkward this is?" she asked mildly amused. "I'm turning fifteen in a week you idiot. This is making me uncomfortable." She turned and bit his hand hard. Zak yelped and jumped off. El began circling him, taunting and teasing him, much like a lioness and her prey. She lunged at him throwing him off balance. She retreated as he gained his footing again. Zak went after her with a wide roundhouse kick. El easily caught it and flipped him. He lay there gasping. "Are you done?" El stood over him. She was caught off guard as her feet were swept out from under her, but she gracefully flipped over, landing on her feet. "I don't know why you try." They continued this fighting until the sun had sunk completely below the horizon leaving little light except the stars.

"I give up. You win," Zak sunk to his knees, breathing heavily.

"And what do you say?" El's voice was full of mischief.

"You are the Queen of the Shang, the unbeatable warrior, conqueror of men," Zak's tired voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Thank you." El sat in the cool grass, next to the panting Zak. They were silent except for Zak's labored breathing.

"Can I ask you something?" Zak asked.

"Sure."

"How do you do it? Fighting, I mean. You can't see anything, but you're targeting is better than someone with perfect sight. It's like you know what we're doing before its even been done. It's crazy."

El pondered for a moment wondering how to articulate her answer. "It's hard to explain. It's like I...I feel what's happening. I don't know if that's right, but it's like I can feel the gentlest movement." She thought for a moment, and had an idea. "It's like when someone walks by you. You can feel the ground shake, right?" Zak nodded. "It's like that for me only it's more precise, or when you get the feeling someone is looking at you. I can feel exactly what's moving. I can feel it when someone shifts their feet for a kick or pulls back for a punch. I felt you shake your head a minute ago. It's like a disturbance in the air or something. It's…odd. I think the only way you could understand would be to be actually blind. It's like I've gained another sense to replace the one I don't have." They sat and thought for a few more moments.

It was Zak who spoke, "We better go back."

"Why? Is it dark?" El asked.

"Yep."

"Shoot. Marianne is going to kill be."

"Naw, she likes you too much," Zak said. "Wanna race?" El smiled and shot off at an amazing pace leaving Zak to try to catch up.

Late that night…

Zak knocked lightly on the door. Marianne was still awake, Zak knew she never went to bed before the midnight hour. "What?" she asked sharply. Even though she was El's caretaker, he still didn't like being around her. She was the Shang Snake after all, and you could tell. She was well into her forties, but looked like a women half her age. Her coppery hair was lustrous and pulled back in a braid. You could see her fine muscles through the material of her tunic of her tall frame. Everyone understood why she was chosen as El's mentor and adopted mother.

"It's about El."

Marianne's face hardened. "You didn't hurt her did you?"

Zak raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, "Do you think I would be standing here if I did? Gods no," he took a deep breath. "I think she's ready to try for her title."

"She's only fourteen, Zakarius," she stood stubbornly, "but, I've been noticing her advancement too." She sighed. "I just don't want her to get hurt."

"I don't want her to get hurt either, but she beat me today. I'm two levels above her. I should easily be beating her."

"I was planning on appealing to the Shang Elders to grant her permission to try for a title after her birthday. I don't think they'd let a fourteen year old try."

"No, and most definitely not a blind fourteen year old."

Marianne scowled, "Unfortunately that is the first thing people see-her weakness. It would hurt her if she lost her title because of her bad luck. But, I will go the Elders even if they deny me. That's why there's always next year." Marianne shut the door on Zak's face and left him standing on the step.

"Lovely woman," he muttered and walked away.

From somewhere deep in the house her voice called out "I HEARD THAT!"

"Ears like a bat."

"AND THAT TOO!"