chapter13

Landing in the clearing in front of the cottage where we spent the night, Grandfather rose from his seat on an old tree stump, staff in hand. "Well, I was wondering if you five had gotten lost," he said with some amusement, eyes flashing.

<Nope,> Ketria said, landing on the head of the staff that Grandfather held in his hand. <They decided to sonic boom across the sky instead of coming back here.> My elder smiled and ran a finger on the crest on top of the falcon's head. "What's a little fun, ne? Taka, Der, I trust you and your companions are well?"

"Yes, Sleeping Panther," Der said, bowing his head. His tone of voice was one of respect, different from the indignant one he used with Will and I cocked an ear. 'Hm, maybe he's not so indifferent to humans as I thought,' I considered and looked at Will who nodded slightly. "They have taken all of the information quite well." Taka yawned and folded her wings. "Will and Tasha now have the ability to change at will," she said softly and tossed a grin at me. "And their flying is...advanced."

Grandfather nodded and took a step forward. "It is time for you two to finally begin to understand how to use the powers of the crystals that lie inside of you," he said solemnly. "It is legend that Nivta and Earth are two loves, separated only by time and space. The two are opposite from one another; one simple, the other magical, one male, one female. The first I will instruct is Earth, you Will, because your powers lie dormant, unlike Tasha who has somewhat used hers over the years."

"I have?" I said out loud and Sleeping Panther nodded. "All will be explained but first...Will, compared to Nivta, the Earth is relatively cold and so you have the powers of ice and snow. You can freeze your enemies and throw daggers of ice along with the other features that come standard on WolfAngels...like today's sports cars." I chuckled and Will snickered while the dragons looked somewhat clueless. 'Never see a dragon in a Sunfire?' I thought with a small smile.

"I want you to focus your powers as if you were changing but I want you to think of the cold; how it bites your skin, how it numbs you and concentrate it in your hands," he ordered and the white WolfAngel extended his hands, making a ball of air before closing his eyes to concentrate. "Focus, my friend..." Grandfather cautioned and a light began to form between his hands that grew and intensified. Taka and Der stared in shock but I merely tilted my head, wondering what was going to happen next.

Lightning started to crackle around his hands with the force he was containing and his muscles were straining beneath the glowing white fur of his coat. "Now...concentrate on the attack you want," Sleeping Panther instructed. "You must shape it in your mind like a sculpture. Just a beam of ice? Or needle points? It is all up to you. When you have decided...fire!"

Ice flew from his hands in shards, shaped like five pointed stars that cut through the air. They all hit a tree on the far side of the clearing, none of the hundred or so more than a foot apart. When the blast stopped, Will blinked and looked at my grandfather. "Did...I do it?" he asked, blinking and my elder clapped him on the shoulder. "Did it you did, my child! Well done! You can also fire energy blasts of varying strengths, from stun to kill along with your ice powers. Now Tasha, remember when you got lost in the woods when you were four and how you started that fire, even though you didn't have matches?"

I blinked. "Well...I just thought it was a hot spot from the forest fire that had burned pass a few days ago. I mean, that's what you told me," I said softly and my grandfather shook his head. "What happened was, you had a glimpse of your own powers. You have the power of Nivta, the power of fire. Do as I have instructed Will and fire at the same tree over there," he told me and I placed my hands in the same position as Will had and concentrated. The same light began to appear in my hands and I fired, sending a blast of molten lava at the stars on the tree. In an instant, the stars melted and the tree caught fire. "Will, counteract her."

Opening his palm flat, my companion sent a second stream of ice that coated the burning tree and froze it as if stopped in time. "Now you do the same, Tasha." I opened my hand flat but put my fingers together and fired a fireball that exploded the tree on contact, sending pieces of flaming wood and ice raining down on us. 'Wow,' I thought simply and Will looked at me, sharing the same look.

"Well done!" Sleeping Panther said, smiling. "I expect you two to practice out here although, not on trees but on each other in mock combat in the air as well as on the ground. As for me, I must meet with Xavier and Stara the pegasi but Taka and Der will keep an eye out on you, won't you?"

"Of course, my friend," Der said and turned his massive head towards us. I gulped and looked at my grandfather. "Will you be gone long?" I asked. "And how will you get there?"

A slow smile spread across his face and he handed his staff to Taka. "You will find, like you and your friend, that I'm full of surprises, pup," he said chuckling and suddenly, he began to change.

For as old as I assumed he was, he looked great, tall, strong, and tanned, unlike an older person should have been. But as he morphed, he grew sleek, long, and low to the ground. Ebony fur spread like a wave over his body and a thick tall curled under paws the size of a skillet. The same gold eyes I were given in a morph seemed to stare back me as my grandfather changed into an extremely large panther with claws that could have sliced me end to end.

<Shocked, children?> he said telepathically and Will and I jumped. <It's quite all right; I can't talk like you two can while I am in a morph but I still have the power to communicate. I won't be gone long but when I return, I expect to see what you two can do.>

Too stunned to do anything but nod, Sleeping Panther the panther turned and bounded into the forest, disappearing into the shadows. "Could he...always do that?" Will asked softly.

"I...don't know. He never...did it in front of me," I answered weakly and a low rumble interrupted my thoughts. "If you remember," Der said, regarding us with irritated, if not slightly amused ice blue eyes. "That Sleeping Panther said for you to train and I intend to make you two do so, even if I have to make myself the target."

Flashing a wolfish grin, which actually was wolfish since I was a wolf, I stretched my wings. "Der, you don't know what you're getting yourself into..."