The Duel (Lennia)

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len watched carefully as Damian opened the gate. She took her hand and repeated his motions letting her own fire match his. Her imprint was similar to his only smaller. "Was that right?" She asked looking at him.

[Damian]

The Fire Spirit nodded joyfully. "Yep." he said. "That's right." Damian lead her through the tunnel, and the trees grew from their footprints, ensuring that they wouldn't be followed.

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len watched the trees. She was slightly nervous about what was about to happen. She looked at Damian quickly before keeping her eyes on the path. "How many gates are there?" She asked breaking the silence.

[Damian]

Damian laughed. "You don't have to be nervous." he said. "They always grow back like that. It's so that we won't be followed. And you can't enter the gate without burning the trees, even if it's open by someone ahead of you. That's why you had to burn the tree too. And there's four gates, this being the first one and three more to pass through after this." he told her.

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len nodded. "Oh" She said. "So, are your people used to strangers just coming in?" She asked.

[Damian]

"Not really." he said. "You have to be a Fire Spirit, because we are the only ones who possess the power to find and over come the four gates. When our people are expecting guests to arrive from other races, we simply wait for them by the first gate and escort them. Most of the time they are blind-folded though, so that they can't show anyone the way to our village."

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len grew slightly worried. "So what does that mean for me. I'm no fire spirit so how are they going to react?" She asked trying not to show her worries in her voice.

[Damian]

"Oh, you're fine." he assured her that it really wasn't a big deal. "I trust you. We let visitors in all the time. Fire Spirits are friendly folk. They'll like you." Damian smiled, "Don't worry." The tunnel ended, and he held out his hand to her and pointed up. "The next gate is that way." he said.

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len let out a sigh of relief. "I trust you" She said. Len looked up blinking at the light as they exited the tunnel.

[Damian]

"Alright." he said, taking her hand. The two of them turned into light itself, and traveled upwards. They burst through the clouds, and Damian searched for one cloud specifically. There it was. It was the cloud that was always there. A cloud that would never go away. Upon it rested a small cauldron, and inside of it something white was swirling. Damian landed on the cloud and transformed back into his 'human' self. The cloud was nearly solid, and would support their weight. He breathed into the cauldron, letting white smoke come from his lips. He wasn't sure if Len could do this, so he did it once more for her. Then the cloud dropped them both, and Damian grabbed Lennia's hand, changing them both into heat as they fell into a pool of boiling water, the next gate. "What do you think so far?" he asked smiling though it couldn't be seen as they were simply heat, "Having fun?"

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len watched in aw. She was glad she didn't have to do that thing with the white smoke. "Sure I guess you could call this fun." She said. It was kind of strange just being heat but at the same time it was fun.

[Damian]

Damian smiled. "Then you're really going to like the next gate." he said, and the water became a pool of fire, the two of them changing into the element. This was Damian's favorite state to be in. It was also the most common state of Fire Spirits, second only to the human form.

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len enjoyed being in the fire form. She never had the chance to be in that form, but always enjoyed feeling the sense of a wild and free spirit when she used the power. "I can't wait" She said.

[Damian]

When the pool ended, Damian snatched some of its flames. And then they were on dry ground again, and back in human form. He placed the two flames into another cauldron that lie next to large, iron gates. The bars swung open, allowing entrance to Lennia and Damian. "This is home." he said, presenting the town to her. Village houses were spaced apart, with large lawns and yards and fire-pits. Someone was cooking meat, and the smokey scent of it traveled all through the air. Children played and danced in the streets, as the older children and teenagers played instruments and made music. There was a lantern at every house, and horses trotted proudly through the streets with strong riders on their backs. Some were men, some were women, and some were teenagers that raced each other from one corner to the next.

[Lennia Silverwind]

Len first noticed the strong smells and noise of the town. She looked around enjoying the seen. She had never seen anything like the town. It was really nice and peaceful even if there were people running around. She smile and all her nervousness left as she looked around. "So where to?" She asked.