Ayko’s heart strained against his chest as he sprinted, kicking up snow which left him half-blind. He swatted it from his eyes and gazed upon the surrounding trees with disdain. More Ovlos hung at his front, back, and sides, swaying from side to side like shadowed pendulums. Just where was this accursed beast taking him?

The Wolfcat’s echoed steps bounced off the growing wall of trees and their trunks blurred as it skittered past.

“Damn it! Stand still!” Ayko growled, chucking his sword at the beast’s wispy visage.

The snow clouded into frost, which parted to reveal Ayko’s blade. The tip was lodged into an Ovlo tree’s scaly trunk.

“Bitch and a half,” Ayko breathed.

He stepped forward and yanked his sword free before Hazelmere shouted at him. He jumped and whirled around to see her pointing at the branches above him.

The branches snapped, and leaves ruffled as Ayko craned his neck. Clusters of Ovlo melons plummeted his way, their bulbous, midnight bodies blanketing the sky while Ayko scrambled to Hazelmere’s side. Layered crashes filled the air, followed by the slosh of juices erupting from the fruits’ cracked shells.

Ayko shivered as the jellied seeds wet the back of his cloak, sticking the fabric to his skin. “Bastard.” He eyed the Wolfcat, which was sitting on a fruitless branch above, yawning and scratching its ear. “Mocking me, are you?” His eyes darkened. “I’m not worth your time, is that it?”

He darted forward and planted his foot on the tree, leaping and slicing the branch in half, the Wolfcat hissing in turn.

Another blur slithered through the air, causing Ayko to give a frustrated grunt. “Fight me, damn you!”

He darted his head to a parallel tree to see the beast in question perched atop another branch. A fresh row of Ovlo hung loosely from it, the branch bending when the Wolfcat sat. It licked its paw, its curious eyes staring back at the young man, who took a breath.

Ayko’s frustration waned as Hazelmere placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture he was sure was just her way of keeping him from lashing out again. The half-elf stared into the Wolfcat’s eyes and stepped forward, to which Ayko gave her a hurried look. “H-hey!” he stuttered, reaching for her. “You’re supposed to keep me in line, remember?”

“Shh.” Hazelmere held out her wand and shut her eyes, thin strings of red alma circling her. “Now, how to do it…” she muttered.

*******

Seven Years Ago

Hazelmere puffed her cheeks in frustration, tugging at Ashencrane’s gloved hand to no avail. “Can’t we sleep some more?” she groaned.

“No.” Ashencrane yanked her harder. “We must make haste before the forest comes alive.”

“But why?”

“Stupid question, girl. Look around.”

Hazelmere eyed the Peppergrape trees huddling over them, their branches ruffling her grandmother’s loose, gray curls.

“There’s not enough to feed the thousands of beasts that call this snow hell home,” Ashencrane explained. “So we’re going to take it all for ourselves.”

Hazelmere’s face sank even further. A lump formed in her throat as she looked around. She would be as old as her grandmother by the time they finished picking them. “That’ll take ages! Why do you want to eat so many Peppergrapes, anyway?”

Frost gushed from Ashencrane’s nostrils, and she pursed her glossed lips. “Think before you speak, Hazelmere! I’m not talking about the Peppergrapes!”

The half-elf winced but said nothing.

“There’s a fruit far more palatable. One that only blooms just before the break of dawn, and one only you can grab.” Ashencrane pulled her closer and crouched behind her, holding her head and craning her neck towards the forest canopy.

Hazelmere’s large eyes swelled as fingers of the sun’s light trickled from beneath the horizon, revealing a large, bone-white flower blooming from each tree’s crown. In the middle of the star-shaped petals was a large, bulbous red fruit covered in thorns. “That’s even worse!” she squeaked.

Her grandmother held her in place when she tried to back away. “These Peppergrapes are mere weeds,” Ashencrane began. “Invasive trees whose seeds blew in from warmer lands. Ovlos, too.” She released Hazelmere from her grip. “I refuse to eat them, do you understand?”

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Hazelmere looked down at the snow. “You want me to get that weird fruit for you,” she said quietly.

Ashencrane folded her arms. “Sunfruit, and yes.”

Her lips quivered. “I-I can’t climb that high!”

“Who ever said anything about climbing, Haze?” Her grandmother snorted. “We reserve that right for the primitive.”

Hazelmere murmured and looked down at her palms. This was about her “talent” again. Was that all she was good for? Her face grew hot, and she clenched her jaw—what if someone else found her in the woods instead of her so-called grandmother? Anyone at all, even Yarrow. He wouldn’t have dragged her out of bed before dawn, denying her breakfast. Though, he also had Ayko and Elies nipping at his ankles. The thought was enough to make her shiver; while she liked them both, having them as brothers would have been a special kind of Inferno.

Maybe she’s not so bad, Hazelmere thought.

Ashencrane took her by the arm again and dragged her to a nearby tree. “Listen to me, okay? Time is of the utmost essence, understood? Remember what I taught you.”

Hazelmere shook her head. “But I can’t do it!”

Ashencrane sat on her knees and shut her eyes. “Focus, and you will. As a wizard, anyone and anything will serve your every whim if you’re willed enough.” She traced a finger through the snow. “Even the earth itself. Now focus.”

Hazelmere held out her hand, her heart pounding in her chest. Red alma filled the air with each breath she took, and sweat dripped down her face.

Z-Zephyna, she whimpered.

The wind gusted around Hazelmere’s outstretched hand, yanking her forward and rustling the branches of the tree before her. Peppergrapes swayed from side to side while the Sunfruit wriggled in place.

The young girl murmured and held out her second hand next, her feet leaving the ground in turn. With a panicked shriek, she crashed to the ground, the wind howling and knocking her onto her back and sending her grandmother into an adjacent tree.

Peppergrapes hurtled to the ground and burst, leaving Hazelmere drenched in a swirling assortment of violet and green nectar. She rose to her knees and stared at her stained palms and then at her grandmother, who slowly rose to her feet. The young girl’s eyes welled with tears while frustration twisted Ashencrane’s face.

Her grandmother’s black robes dripped with juice, and it trickled from her hair onto the bridge of her nose, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she heaved a sigh and rubbed the side of her head. “Still not willed enough,” she huffed. “Perhaps I was wrong to think you had it in you.”

********

Hazelmere squeezed her eyes shut, the wind ruffling her sleeve. Her grandmother’s words echoed through her head: “Perhaps the gods made a mistake with you. Such a waste!” she had growled.

The half-elf clenched her jaw and lifted her wand. I didn’t ask for it! She thought.

Her brows twitched, and she squeezed her fingers around her wand, fighting the urge to snap it in half.

Zephyna!

The words seared her throat and made her skin crawl while the wind shrieked and blew forward, scattering her hair and deafening her to the sounds rustling of leaves and birdsong.

Hazelmere’s arm tremored, and she seized it with her free hand while the wind shoved her from behind. Her face twisted with strain, and she met the Wolfcat’s gaze through her squinted eyes, the beast tilting its head. Branches bent like rubber, and the Ovlo melons smashed together, yet the beast didn’t budge.

“Haze!”

The half-elf’s ears twitched, but the wind fixed her head in place. Ayko’s footsteps grew louder, her friend throwing his arms around her and seizing her wand with desperate strength.

The wind howled again, a gust knocking Ayko to the ground while another shot from her wand and into the sky, knocking Hazelmere onto her rear as well.

She groaned and looked up, eyeing the Wolfcat, which stood atop an upturned root. The curiosity evaporated from its face, and it gaped its froth-filled jaws, showing its tusk-like fangs. Hunching down, it snarled and lunged at her.

“Ah ah!” Ayko jumped in front of her, the Wolfcat’s tusks making his blade spark. He hacked his sword, to which the Wolfcat jumped back. “I’m afraid she’s taken.”

The beast glided, landing softly on its paws and hunching down, frost pouring from its snout.

Ayko twirled his sword and glanced at Hazelmere from the corner of his eye. “On your feet, Haze. The chase is up.”

Hazelmere nodded and stood, holding her wand to her face. Her arm trembled again and she seized her hand, to no avail. “It won’t listen to me!” She yelped, pointing her wand while she tugged her arm desperately.

Ayko’s blade met the Wolfcat’s fangs again, the young man proceeding to nick a few hairs. “It’s gonna have to, Haze. Or else we’re screwed as hell.”

*********

It was hard to do anything while under the guise of such a frail girl, but Reina smiled nonetheless at the thought of returning to Amarant. Unlike Elies, he wasn’t pretty regarding looks—he was far too rugged and long-legged for someone like her. Still, he was a lot like Naranin, fun to toy with hence why she left either of them alive. It was the same for that little half-elf and her angsty friend: Hazelmere…and a name she didn’t care to mention.

“I’ll be watching her with great interest,” Reina said aloud.

She giggled and sat atop the highest branch she could find, Maywood’s snow-capped forest resembling a sea of clouds beneath her.

“For her sake, I hope she’s smart.”

The Songstress lifted her ocarina to her lips, playing a few notes before letting it fall to her chest. The songstress hummed and leaned forward, looking down to see a gust of wind bursting from a far away cluster of trees.

“Hmm~” Reina watched a flock of ravens fly off towards Mount Aster’s frosted peak and looked back down. Her slit pupils shrank, and a grin split her face. “What a shame~”