Chapter 2

A few hours later Chetara woke up. She had no idea where she was. She sat up quickly looking around. She saw the kitsune from earlier.

"Where am I?"

"Forest." Youko nodded. "Sorry, we didn't get you somewhere safe."

"And why are we in the forest?" Chetara asked. She moved closer to the fire. It was COLD.

"Well it wouldn't be right to take you two to the orphanage." Youko shrugged. Kuronue was studying Ari.

"You live in the orphanage?" Chetara continued to move forward until she was practically in the fire.

Youko nodded. "Yeah. Place is horrible."

"Never been to one. I'm an orphan to though."

"Well, we get some food and shelter." Youko smiled slightly.

"We get that on our own." Chetara stuck her hands in the fire.

Youko blinked at her. "Fire… I'm a plant elemental."

Chetara glared at him. "That probably wasn't the best thing to say considering I was knocked out by a TREE."

"My fault." Youko admitted. "I didn't mean to hit you, I meant for them to stop you on the side…"

Chetara stood snarling. The flames rose with her. She was to mad to say anything.

"We didn't know where we were…" Youko blushed. "We wouldn't have been able to get home."

You would've found your way eventually." Chetara snarled.

"Or starved." Youko winced.

"You pissed her off." Kuronue looked up.

"You just said you're a plant elemental! You can GROW food!"

"Carnivores." Kuronue said. "No plants."

"Haven't you heard of hunting?"

"We never learned." Kuronue winced.

"You find a rabbit, deer, bird, ect. and you kill it! What's so hard about that?!?"

Ari groaned "Chetara let's pretend it's the morning after New Years. Be silent."

"You stay out of this."

"Chetara, my head feels like an 8-hour binge the morning after. Please."

Chetara snarled again and left taking most of the flames with her.

Ari curled up in a ball. Youko and Kuronue worked on building the fire.

Chetara stormed back to their hideout leaving a burnt path of foliage behind. When she got there she let the fire continue to burn off her energy and went to sleep.

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The next day, Ari was feeling better, as she chatted with the boys. Youko gave her natural painkillers and Kuronue flirted. Ari wasn't even up for that yet, but just smiled at him. Finally Chetara returned.

"Still here?" Chetara asked Ari as she walked into the clearing.

Ari nodded. "Hi Chetara!"

"I see you're feeling better."

"Youko gave me painkillers."

Chetara glanced at him. She was in a better mood but she was freezing. She didn't have enough energy to make a spark.

"Do you have a headache?" Youko offered.

"No… It's cold and I drained my energy." Chetara sighed.

Youko gestured to the fire.

"It's not hot enough. It's weak."

Youko sighed. The tree branches leaned down breaking over the fire. Ash branches. The fire began to animate.

Chetara ran forward and almost fell face first into it. "Warmth!"

Youko laughed, Kuronue was sulking, and Ari was grinning. Chetara started talking to the fire. She needed energy and it owed her.

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A few hours later Chetara had managed to get enough energy to regulate her body temperature.

"Finally." She moved away from the fire.

Youko smiled at her. Kuronue tried to make another move on Ari, getting rejected. Youko added more wood to the fire.

Chetara walked over to Ari. "Are you gonna be ok?"

Ari smiled at Chetara. "Fine. Everything's just… dizzyish."

"Tripped on a bush." Ari blinked.

"I ran into a tree." Chetara's stomach growled. "I'll be back. Name your meat."

"Fish, always!"

"Ok." Chetara left.

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When Chetara came back she was dragging a deer by the hind legs. She sported bruises. She also had a string of fish for Ari. Chetara dropped the deer, gave the fish to Ari, and went back to the fire to clean a wound in her side. Kuronue exchanged a look with Youko, and they, out of hunger, began to clean the deer. Chetara soon discovered that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't reach the wound.

"Can I help you?" Youko asked.

Chetara stared at him. "No." She tried to curl into a ball in an attempt to get closer to the wound.

Youko, realizing what he'd said, winced, taking seeds from his hair to make a poultice. Chetara watched him suspiciously.

Youko brought over the poultice on a leaf. "May I?" He gestured to her wound.

"No. I don't even know what that stuff is."

"Healing herbs." Youko stated.

"Whatever. No." She tried to lick the wound again.

Youko gently intercepted her attempted lick and started to apply the poultice. Chetara bit him but he ignored her and continued to apply the sticky green stuff. Chetara snarled at him when he finished applying the application.

"Did I hurt you?" Youko asked worried.

"Stupid fox." Chetara snarled. She grabbed Ari and what remained of the food then stormed off.

"Wait!" Youko called chasing after them. He looked a little wide eyed. "Don't leave."

"Why shouldn't we?" Chetara demanded.

"Because… we can't get back to town." Youko winced.

A small ball of fire appeared.

"That will lead you out of the woods." Chetara started walking again.

Youko watched her depressed.

"Looks like we're abandoned Kuronue. Again."

"No one wants us." Kuronue sighed.

"We don't have the time or room for novices." Chetara stated not turning around.

Youko and Kuronue sighed dejected.

"Alone again." They walked away.

"Chetara." Ari whined.

"You know what needs to be done." Chetara smiled. "They passed the test." She took the food to their home leaving Ari to fetch the boys.