I woke up in a half melted puddle of ice. Groaning, I pulled myself to my feet, wincing as my bones protested against having slept in the damp. I hauled myself out of the shallow basin that was my bed, and turned to refreeze it. I pulled in a deep breath, feeling the temperature drop in my mouth as my body constricted energy flow to the area. I opened my jaws to let any remaining heat escape, and breathed an icy breeze over the basin. The water made a cracking noise and refroze into crystalline points, shinning gently in the light shafting from the entrance to my den. I smiled to myself, pleased with my work.

My den was rather small, but it was my only haven besides the rock that I sat behind. It was completely frozen over; giving it the look of an ice cave with dripping stalactites, and my icy breath maintained this when I exhaled in my sleep. However, I am a warm-blooded creature, so when my body temperature reaches a certain point, my icy bed will melt.

For the fifth time, I blamed him for melting my bed.

---

He was already in the clearing when I went out there, licking his paw and speaking to Daggerback, a Chromeon. When I found Stonehenge and lay down besides him, he grinned and nodded his head in greeting at me. I returned his gesture, and saw Daggerback staring at me with curious grey eyes. I realised that he was surprised that I hadn't gone to hide behind my rock. Today, I just wanted to be out in the sun with Stonehenge, as had been the pattern for the last moon or so.

My excitable friend was speaking to Lightningbolt, a Jolteon with a similar disposition to Stonehenge. She rocked around on her paws as she listened, her bright eyes warning that she may bolt off at a random moment. Stonehenge turned and winked at me cheekily, before continuing his conversation.

A joyful snarl alerted me to the fact that Blackflame had begun play fighting with Daggerback. From what I've seen of the Chromeon, he was a reasonably good fighter, and wasn't holding back in this playful brawl. The pair tumbled over one another in a flurry of navy and grey fur, eliciting excited yips and snarls.

So, he was a playful fellow then.

"Coldfire, are you listening?"

I snapped out of the trance I had apparently been in, turning to see Stonehenge looking at me with a mocking pout.

"Um, no I wasn't. Sorry, could you repeat it?"

For a second I though I saw a brief flicker of jealously in Stonehenge's eyes as he glimpsed at the two play fighting eons.

"I said 'can I talk to you in private for a minute?'"

I wasn't sure what scared me more: the lack of tone in the Quartzeon's voice, or the fact that he was asking to speak with me alone. Sure, most of my conversations with him had be one on one considering I kept my distance from others, but Stonehenge had always complained that I only ever wanted to talk to him and not involve others in the conversation. Why did he want to speak to me alone, of all things?

Despite my apprehension, I nodded gingerly. "Sure."

Stonehenge looked to Lightingbolt, who was eyeing a blade of grass suspiciously, spiny tail in the air. "I'll be back in a while, ok? I just need to talk to Coldfire." The way he said my name was strange; it was careful and delicate, unlike the rough, husky way the Stonehenge usually spoke. Lightningbolt took no notice, however, and waved him away with a sulphur-coloured paw, her grass green eyes focused on whatever it was.

Usually Stonehenge would chuckle at this or something, but instead he just trotted off, with merely a glance in my general direction to see if I was following him.

With a last longing glance at Blackflame, I sheepishly followed him.

I knew how I felt about Blackflame. It was as if history was repeating itself, this time with a more attractive, kinder eon. I knew that he was newly evolved, and had flaws, but mostly these flaws drew me to him even more. I'd lay awake at night, trying to remember the exact smell of him, or the exact tone of his voice, and then I'd blush and remember how I'd been hurt last time.

I'd sworn that I'd never trust anyone again, but how could I help myself? It felt natural this time.

I kept my distance from Stonehenge; despite his strange mood, he was running and bounding as fast as ever. He'd only acted like this once before, and that was when he was in love with a certain Leafeon.

I followed him for what seemed a long time, before I found myself in another small clearing. This one had a lot of rocks; unlike our clan clearing which only had our dens and the rock I used to hide behind. Stonehenge bounded up a haphazard looking pile of granite easily, and gestured with his tail for me to join him.

Sheepishly, I climbed up the granite boulders with slight difficulty; Stonehenge had to give me a paw up at the end. His warm paw lingered on mine for a few extra moments, while his butterscotch eyes gazed at me with some strange emotion.

Shy, I looked away from him, and moved to sit beside him. Stonehenge shuffled closer so that our sides were touching, and when he did so, I felt a little uncomfortable. While we were close friends, Stonehenge understood that I was a little odd about being affectionate to other creatures, and therefore kept his distance. I noticed that he, being a rock type, did not have a as high of a body temperature as most other eons, and just ignored the fact that he was so close.

"So, you wanted to talk to me, right?" My words cut the air like a Chromeon's blade; we had not spoken since we were back with the clan.

"Yes. I did." His words were direct, formal. I could feel him looking at me, and then he sighed loudly. "Coldfire, I've noticed you acting a little differently lately. You've sort of… come out of your shell."

I nodded, he was obviously right. "Yes, you're right. Is something wrong with that?"

Stonehenge responded with a laugh, and it sounded strange and foreign; he had not laughed for quite a while. "No, of course there's nothing wrong with that. I'm happy that you don't feel so at risk around others. And this new side of you… I like it," He paused for a moment, his eyes taking in my reactions. "I love it."

I opened my jaws to say something, but a strange yanking feeling on my heart stopped me as I realised what he meant. Stonehenge had feelings for me. After all of this time we had spent together, the eon I considered my brother for so many turns loved me.

"Umm, look here Stonehenge. I don't really like you in the same way…"

Stonehenge looked hurt, his tail and ears drooping even more. "Is it… the way I'm always goofing off? 'Cause I'll change it for you…"

I stopped him. "No, it isn't. It's just that I see you as a brother. Someone so impossibly close to me that I couldn't imagine being with them in that way. Does that make sense?"

The Quartzeon looked at the ground, gulped once, and nodded. My heart was racing; how could this happen?

"And not only is it that, but I am also developing feelings for another." There, I'd said it. The thing I had been denying in my head for so long, finally out in the open. I felt a weight off my chest.

"Who?" Stonehenge's eyes were now merely curious, but I saw the visicous pain behind them. Instantly, I felt sorry for him.

Fear zinged through my heart like an Artheon's sting. I had not told anybody about my feelings for Blackflame, but I knew Stonehenge could be trusted with this little insecurity of mine. It was not his disloyalty I was afraid of.

It was my own.

I was afraid to admit I felt for him; yet still I did. I denied it to myself as much as I could, but deep within me, I knew. I felt as if I had betrayed myself by breaking my own ethic: Never fall for another male. He do the same as Sleetfisher. And now, I was afraid to finalise the breaking of this heartheld belief by telling another Eon.

But I knew I had to. I braced myself and stuttered the single contraction that meant the world to me.

"Blackflame."

Stonehenge did not seem to react to this, but simply nodded. "I thought so."

Through my thick fur, I felt myself blush viciously. "Is it… is it really that obvious?"

"No," Stonehenge told me softly, "Just because I can tell with you. Thing is, he really seems to like you as well. You're finally hanging out with someone else." He smiled at this.

I did something I had not done since I was living with my parents. I stood up, and licked my friend on the forehead. "Thankyou, Stonehenge. You are a wonderful eon, and a wonderful friend. I hope that doesn't change.

The Quartzeon smiled again. "It won't."

We returned to the clan in warm, comfortable silence, where Lightingbolt was waiting for us.