"Focus your mind, young hatchling. The power you control must come from within you. Do not be afraid of it, but embrace it all, for it gives you strength. Let it flow through you, then by your will, shape it, mold it, and focus it." Raine's hair flowed under an invisible force, lifting as though gravity forgot to pull it down. Her eyes glowed, and her arms trembled at the sheer power at her command. They were still in Yapha's tent, so she did want to hold back, but Yapha kept telling her to let go. As she felt the power leaving her, the air suddenly began to move and swirl, like a hurricane around her. The fire that had once provided heat was battered and extinguished, the flaps of the tent were buffeted and pulled, and even Yapha put her arm up to shield her eyes from the gale. For almost a minute, the world twisted and whirled around her, but it died down quickly as Raine let the power cease.

"I held back again." Raine said, panting as she felt the weight of her own body again. "You tell me not to, but what if I truly unleashed my power? I could have flattened the tent, maybe even killed you."

Yapha walked over to the fire pit, and poked it with her walking stick. "You failed again." she said, pushing the top layer of wood aside to reveal the still burning embers. "I appreciate you not wanting to injure me, but you must learn how to properly focus your magic. If you do not truly embrace it, you will never fully learn. Your magic is powerful indeed, but there will be a time when you will have to unchain yourself, and you will have to use all of your power. Understanding how much you have, and how to control all of it is essential."

"But I don't want to hurt you!"

"You will not harm me." Yapha said sternly. "You are not the only one with magic here."

"But you're o-" Raine stopped herself before she could finish her thought.

"Old? Yes. Very. But do not let that stop you. I have more magic in my blood than you might think. My grandfather was a dragon, and his blood runs through my veins."

Raine cocked her head, a habit she had picked up while a wolf. "Really? Do you know who they were?"

"No. I do not know his name. But my blood runs hot with dragon fire. You will not hurt me, I promise."

Raine frowned. "But your tent might be destroyed."

Yapha sighed, hanging her head. "Would you be more comfortable if there was nothing around for you to potentially break?" She asked sarcastically.

"Maybe…" Sighing again, Yapha led her to the north edge of the camp, and beyond. As they walked, eyes turned to watch them. Horace, the snow leopard Keidran elder followed them, curiosity drawing him. "Unleash your power. All of it. Do not hold back."

This time, Raine truly didn't hold back. In the evening sun, she stood, her silver hair gleaming in the orange light. Holding out her arms, she looked at the fur, at her claws and paws, before making fists. This was her moment. She was able to change Fate. She could do this. Slowing her breathing, she closed her eyes, and focused. The air around her was her goal. A whirlwind, just like before. There was a rustling of grass as the air began to shift, and she felt her power begin to drain at a near imperceptible rate. Slowly, the air moved faster, swirling around her, creating a swirling storm. Holding out her right hand, she looked into the distance, and caused the air to rush past her, as though to batter an unseen enemy with the force of a hurricane. Behind her, Yapha and Horace watched in awe, her power truly unleashed, unchained, controlled, and yet still wild. As the magic subsided, Raine looked at her arm. It was no longer covered in fur. She had changed back to human completely.

"You are human." Horace said flatly. "How do you feel?"

"It's strange. I can feel the power in me, but I don't understand it."

"Understanding will only come with time." Yapha said, slowly walking over. "You have Fate on your side."

Raine rolled her eyes, knowing that wasn't the case, but she said nothing. "Thank you."

"Oh? What did I do?"

"For teaching me."

"All I have done is given you the chance to see what has been there the whole time. All of this power comes from within you."

"Whatever you want to call it, thank you anyways."

"Do not thank me too much yet, the real challenge has yet to begin. All we have done is focused on your spellcasting. Now, your shape changing, that's a different story. Go, rest. We will begin tomorrow." Raine walked back to the camp, leaving Yapha and Horace behind her, talking as they slowly followed. When she got to where their stuff was, Barret and Haelith were nowhere to be seen. But the site was not empty.

"Ello there." A brown fox Keidran said, stoking the fire. "Sorry, didna mean to startle you, just thought it strange that you'd leave ev'rything you own just layin' round for anyone to look at."

She had been a wolf for so long, and even though she didn't actually have them, her hackles stood up on her neck. There was something off about this. "Who are you?"

"Ah, no one of consequence. I'll leave ya to it, I was just passin' through anyways. Huntin's always better up north, at the edge of the tundra." With that, he stood up, carrying a longbow, though he had no quiver she could see. "Watch that fire, will ya? I reckon it's gonna be windy tonight." As he walked away, she eyed him suspiciously, waiting until he was a fair distance away, before turning to all of their stuff. Rooting through their bags, she found nothing missing, but there was still something that bothered her, and she couldn't figure out what.

"You shifted fully!" Haelith said as she ran over to Raine, picking her up in a hug. "I knew you could do it!"

"Today is a day of success." Barret said, smiling. His scales were still standing up slightly, as though someone had brushed them the wrong way a few times. "You look good as a full human, but you might miss that fur. It's going to be windy tonight."

Raine frowned, and turned to the fire. "Yeah, I heard someone else say that. Wait, did you use magic?"

"I did. Watch." He held out his arm, and his scales shifted, lifting slightly as his eyes began to glow. The fire shifted, and embers seemed to magnetize to his hand, coalescing into a small orb, before he closed his fist and snuffed them out. "I can actually feel the power in my blood. I don't know what changed, but I can feel it."

"It was most impressive." Vehc said, walking over with food in his arms. "I know I kept you late, so here's some dinner. Just don't overexert yourself. I'm not sure if you heard, but the caravan is moving out tomorrow. Eat and rest. We move quickly across these plains, but that will not stop us from continuing to teach you. This is only the beginning, it will get much harder from here on out."

They sat and ate happily for a few minutes as the sun dipped below the horizon, when Raine gasped. "Woah! What is that!"

"Kaiy Veina Danlier. 'Light of Night's Fire'. It is a sign of good fortune, especially since this is the second time it has come this week. Fate is on our side." Vehc said as the sky began to glow green and gold, like someone took a thin curtain and placed it in front of the stars. Barret reached over to Haelith, smiling, leaning his head on her shoulder.

…

The caravan was a cluster of fires in the distance. "Well? Are they there?" The scraping of metal on stone quietly broke the silence.

"Yeah, they both are. But there's someone else too, a human is with them. Didna recognize 'er."

"They are no one of consequence then. Keep a close watch on them, and let me know the moment they leave the caravan. I don't want to take any chances. No mistakes, not this time."

"You're huntin' with me. Just follow my lead, and thems'll be ours 'fore you know it."