8. Warm Wolfy Welcomes

I rush out of the house in a state of total panic and confusion. What in the world is happening?

It felt like we were turning a corner and my parents were going to respect my choices. The peace barely lasted five minutes. I’m surprised I could even run out of there after the nasty case of whiplash they inflicted.

The chill from inside follows me even when I reach the part of the lawn no longer under icy influence. What’s going on with my powers?

I reach into my pocket, feeling a spark against my fingers when I find the fire token first. There’s a patch of light on the grass lit up by the early morning sun. I aim there. “Ignite.”

Nothing happens.

What the un-frosty hell is going on?

Studying for decades without any indication from the elements can be extremely frustrating. One sign an element has taken notice or is seriously considering a person is if their powers get stuck on one element. However, other factors can cause this too. Like if you start casting with one element much more than the others, or when one token or magical tool overpowers the rest.

Has Earth noticed me? I have the overall magical knowledge and skills required for a brand, but honestly? I can’t say I measure up otherwise. I don’t feel grounded and sure of what I’m after in any part of life… nor do I have the support of a loving partner.

So, something else must be happening. Right?

“Come on, Earth,” I plead. “Fill me in here. What’s going on?” Anytime an element seems less like a force of nature and more like a being trying to express its own personality and views, we capitalize the name.

Earth does not give me an answer.

“I’m not ready,” I whisper. My journey out of the house brings me to my garden. I stop at the edge of the garden, suddenly feeling unable to continue.

What I told my parents was true. I didn’t expect this or try to make it happen. I’m almost as shocked as they are. I can’t really pledge myself to earth magic. Not like this, can I? I lack experience at earth magic… though it does feel somewhat natural, especially after Ewan helped put things in perspective for me when we created the garden. Still, I’m not in the right place and need more time to figure myself out, to think…

But isn’t that what I said when Ewan walked out the door too?

I told myself I couldn’t be sure about what I wanted and that I needed more time to sort my feelings out, but the second he left I knew I shouldn’t have let him go.

Escaping from my parents bought me some time, but there’s no running from whatever is happening. This situation is hardly ideal, but there is so much I need to figure out. Might as well start now.

Getting my full range of powers back comes first. Not only will that satisfy my parents, it also gives me exactly what I need: a reason to reach out to Ewan.

My hair changed colors after we slept together. That was the first sign of a magical reaction happening inside me. He’s definitely part of all this. A magical reason to see him again makes it easier to reach out… even if the personal reasons are all I care about when thinking about his blue eyes and steady hands.

First, I need to find him.

I go past my garden and beyond the hedges to select a leaf from the tree we hid under together when we met. Placing the waxy leaf and the pressed flower token on top in my open palms, I focus on Ewan. How his body felt against mine, how his presence felt like a bright spring day and the rush of how our magic mixed together.

Where is Ewan?

I pour magic into the question and realize my eyes are closed. When I open them, the leaf’s stem twitches. Then it lifts from my hands and floats in the air.

As if caught in an unseen wind, the leaf hovers and sways back and forth. The branches of the tree are still, no natural breeze in the air, so the spell is working.

A smile forms on my lips. Maybe this is a good thing. I have the chance to correct two mistakes. Gain some distance from earth magic and remove some distance between me and Ewan. I’ll find him and deal with the magical quirks as they come.

The leaf jerks and zooms to the right. It found him. Now it’s time to follow.

It takes the leaf and I a while to get coordinated. It wants to float off and have me walk behind it obediently. I don’t know how far it’s going, so I take my car. The leaf stays about the same speed even with wheels. I put my flashers on and break constantly as it starts and stops at a fairly slow pace.

“Keep going, you stupid leaf.”

A car honks behind me.

“Can’t you see the flashers? Go around.”

I grit my teeth and my knuckles are white around the steering wheel. I know where, to who, the leaf leads me towards. The anticipation is nearly unbearable.

It’s a long drive, longer than I expected and longer still with the supernatural compass. Once we head away from the city, natural forest starts beating out homes and storefronts. We arrive at a vacation area in the trees.

A secluded place with high-end vacation properties. A spacious and scenic natural landscape with some log cabin style houses that look more like mini-mansions. My guess is that Ewan’s pack lives out here or some do full time. If I’m at the location I think I am, then a few of my parent’s friends have cabins out here. Ewan clearly undersold how well his construction company does.

The leaf zooms ahead. I stomp on the gas, thankful I’m the only car on this stretch of road. When we reach the end of a gravel road that turns to dirt, the leaf drops to the ground. This is it.

Fresh air greets me as I step out of my vehicle, and I hear birdsong in the distance. Forest surrounds me, save for the land and a property far in the distance. The place looks like a natural paradise for wolves.

It really is beautiful out here. I get why a wolf or human would love cozying up among the trees and letting the fresh air lift their spirits. I feel a little calmer. The sun hits my face and I breathe it all in.

I travel the rest of the way by foot. Not dressed for a trek, sweat begins gathering under my shirt. I skirt closer to the edge of the nearest trees so they can provide shade.

Someone calls out to me. Unable to see them, I still raise a hand in greeting and smile. Maybe they know where Ewan is at.

Three people become visible up ahead. After only a few seconds, they were much closer than I expected. They’re moving fast. What’s the hurry? Maybe they’re heading somewhere?

The three figures cut into the trees before we reach each other. Yep, they were heading somewhere. Oh well, surely there’s someone else I can ask—

Three shapes suddenly leap from the shadows and land in front of me. Presumably the same three people I saw, only now one remains human and the other two are large, snarling wolves.

“H-hello, sorry if I’m disturbing you—”

My words die when two more wolves join the others. Two other humans are with them, but it really doesn’t matter which form they take. Either way, I’m seriously outnumbered. Why does it feel like I’m being accosted by an angry mob?

“Stop right there.” The human at the front makes the order. He doesn’t look much friendlier than his furry friends. He’s snarling at me just like them with his fists clenched.

“I don’t mean to trespass. I think this is the right place, but I don’t see any clearly marked signs.” I chuckle nervously. They don’t. “Um, I’m here to see if—”

“Save it,” growls the man. “We know exactly why you’re here.”

The guy leading the charge is a head shorter than me but three times my size. A few wolves are circling around and closing me in.

“I don’t want any trouble.”

The man’s grin looks sharp and cruel. “Too bad.”

Ah, that’s why it feels like I’m being accosted by an angry mob. Because I am.

What the hell have I stumbled into?

* * *

Surrounded by a pack of angry wolves, I try to control my frantic heartbeat and hope I’m not sweating too badly while I act as the voice of reason.

“Hold on a moment. Let’s talk—”

“Shut it, you frozen piece of shit.” The ringleader seethes with rage, barely holding himself back. The wolves around me aren’t much better, creeping closer and closer every second.

This is so not good. These wolves aren’t interested in reason at all.

“Here’s how this is gonna go.” The human cracks his knuckles as he invades my personal space, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “You’re gonna answer our questions and tell us the truth. If you try anything or hold back, we’ll be on you before you can say freeze.”

The wolves snort and grumble around us, enjoying that comment for some reason. I think I’m picking up on a theme.

“There’s been a mistake,” I whisper.

“Hear that? Doesn’t sound like he’s interested in talking after all. Let’s shatter this block of ice.”

Yep, they don’t like magic. Well, it’s hard to tell if they are against all wizards or just icebrands.

I raise my hands to protect myself though there isn’t enough time to ready my magic and cast.

“Hold on! Stop!”

The man I came here for arrives. Ewan fights his way to the front. A few wolves don’t budge at first but then they register the man behind him and create space for them to reach me.

Ewan sends me a look I can’t begin to decipher then turns his back and faces the others, putting himself between me and them.

“Get it together! Dammit, Sam,” he barks. “You can’t attack every visitor just because—“

“He isn’t a visitor,” the angry man yells back. “He’s the bastard responsible!”

“You’re wrong,” Ewan insists, not backing down. “I know him.”

“You know the asshole icing our pack into oblivion?”

“What?” I sputter and feel the urge to hide behind Ewan as I feel the wolves focus on me once more. “I’m not, I have no idea what they”re saying,” I promise to Ewan’s back.

Half Ewan’s face becomes visible as he turns toward me for a second. “I know.”

Sam’s fists clench and he jerks his head at me. “Our alpha smelled the chill in your friend here.”

“Yes, I did,” agrees the man who accompanies Ewan. “Though I did not send this many of you to check it out.”

Sam’s defiance falters and he lowers his gaze before finding confidence again. “This is our chance to catch him. We couldn’t let him slip away again.”

“He isn’t responsible,” Ewan starts.

“Why is he poking around then?”

Ewan stands his ground, not provoking the other shifter but not backing down or giving up any space either. When Sam starts getting in Ewan’s face, the alpha intervenes. He clears his throat and they both step back. The man’s gaze falls on me.

“What’s going on?”

Even without the blonde hair and similar build, he reminds me of Ewan. Older than him, and not as high strung and hotheaded as the rest. He’s the calm in the center of the storm. It makes sense since he must be one of the pack’s alphas.

I really want to explain to this level-headed leader who will actually listen. Except… I’m surrounded by hostile strangers and the nature of what brings me here is… intimate. I start blushing and stammering. “See, here’s the thing. I know, well, I met… um. The thing is…”

Ewan steps in for me once more. “He’s here for me.” He coughs. “You know, this is the guy…”

Despite the terrible circumstances, I’m strangely touched. While I doubt he’d be crass, Ewan could explain who I am better than that. He’d say I’m the man he spent the night with a few days ago or something. I think he’s trailing off for my benefit. They may be his pack, but they’re strangers to me and did not give me the warmest welcome, so I’m much more comfortable with the trailing off.

The alpha only needs a few seconds before the message registers. Surprisingly, the guy who was at Ewan’s throat a moment ago gets it too.

“Him?”Sam jerks his head in my direction. “This is the guy you fucked around with?” Yep, much too blunt. He smirks realizing how I’m blushing and can barely meet anyone’s eyes. It annoys me.

”Yes,” I confirm, managing to stare at him and the alpha so they see it’s true. Then Sam winks and I splutter and force my gaze to the safe ground once more. Oh my god. How much magic would it take to open up a hole in the ground and bury myself in it?

“He comes from many generations of icebrands,” the alpha says.

“Even I can smell ice on him,” Sam adds. “You didn’t think that was strange?”

“Seeing as I sensed his earth magic and trespassed on his property to find him? Nope,” Ewan says. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

The alpha just keeps staring evenly, which kind of reminds me of Ewan, though much more unnerving from this man. “I thought the man you were with couldn’t contact you again. That’s why you—”

I really want to know how the sentence ends but Ewan interrupts.

“You’re right,” he says. “But I’m sure he has an explanation.”

Yes, but not one I’m eager to explain to everyone.

Sam nods at someone behind me and a second later someone tosses him a cell phone. That’s my cell phone! I spin around and pat my pockets, not even noticing when the theft happened. When I turn back, Sam is scrolling through my phone like it’s his and something makes him look awfully smug.

“He’s got a lot of explaining to do, all right.” Sam shows Ewan the phone.

Whatever Ewan sees isn’t good. His face changes. He doesn’t like what he sees. He’s looking at me like a stranger when he finally raises his gaze again.

We are strangers, I remember. We shared a brief connection for a night. That’s all. It suddenly seems so small compared to all the history he has with his pack.

I have no idea what could possibly be so incriminating on my phone, but it doesn’t matter. Will he really defend me when faced with all the people he knows and loves telling him I’m guilty?

I need to get out of here.

Enough commotion carries on around me as people shout and pass the phone around. I concentrate. When ready, my hand carefully slides down to the trinkets attached to my belt.

“Hey!”

It’s too late. I throw all the power available to me into the magic, praying this works.

The ground shakes. The branches in the closest trees whip towards us violently like they’re going to rip free of their makers and batter against us. Enough of the wolves stumble and fall back.

As they fall back, the group behind me retreats and they come together as one, regrouping for strength in numbers. It gives me what I need to part the earth near our feet, creating a gorge between me and them.

It’s little more than what Ewan and I did the night we created magic. Those in wolf form can probably jump over it easily and the hole isn’t too deep, just enough to put some distance between us.

The trees rattle again and the wolves put more distance between us, ready to cover themselves and avoid the falling debris…so I take the opportunity, wheel around, and run like hell.

The damage to the ground is about the same as a reckless driver could create on wet ground. A nuisance, though nothing major. The rest is a bluff as I won’t actually tear anything down.

I’d be tearing down decades or possibly even a few centuries worth of growth. It would take a long time to build back if no earthbrand helps maintain their land. I don’t really want to hurt Ewan’s pack land more than necessary to get away since they’ve got enough to deal with.

I start running to my car. With how my day started, I really couldn”t believe it would get worse. Yet here I am running from a pack of wolves.

* * *

Running from a pack of angry wolves determined to tear me apart isn’t the time to panic and have a nervous breakdown.

Holy crap, I’m actually running from a pack of huge, furious wolves who are determined to tear me apart.

This is exactly the right time to freak out and have a nervous breakdown. It just won’t do me any good, not until I get away safely. But my thoughts haunt me almost more than the wolves at my back.

“What in the world should I do now?”

My family wishes to control me. Ewan’s pack hates me. What if I don’t have a place with either ice or earth? If I don’t belong with either element, will I lose magic?

I nearly trip over an exposed root in my path as the thought chills me to the bone. Feeling torn between two elements isn’t new. The decision seems impossible but is also simple. It has to be earth or ice. One or the other. No other element compels me. My future lies with ice magic or earth magic.

This is the first time it really hits me. Choosing between one or the other is only one possible outcome. The other is not getting either one.

No element means no magic. No magic. A life without magic… How would I live without it?

Lots of people live without magic. But not me, not my family. Growing up as a Blanchard made a brand seem like a certainty. A Brass without magic? My parents might move across the country, maybe settle somewhere colder, all to avoid the embarrassment. The folks at their country club would consider this quite a scandal. In this case, it isn’t them I worry about.

One of the few things I have in common with my parents is one of the most important. We’re all magical.

Getting a brand isn’t about making them proud. Getting an icebrand would be. But a brand? That’s about me.

I’m a wizard. I have to be. I don’t think I could ever settle for anything else. It’s who I am. I need magic to be complete.

Choosing one element is difficult but not having either ice or earth magic? The thought sounds unbearable. It’s the worst thought in the entire world. Similar to when I wondered if I’d ever see Ewan again.

Considering a life without magic distresses me so much that my steps falter and I stumble, even with my path clear. This really isn’t the time for my feet to not deliver their best work ever. I need to run faster than I’ve ever run before. It’s the only way I have a prayer of avoiding my wolf pursuers.

But I do. I stumble and then stop in my tracks. Not getting an element and eventually being cut off from magic is even scarier than a pack of angry wolves out for blood.

That’s when I hear it.

A whisper on the wind makes me jump because I’m afraid it’s coming from the people chasing me. Then I register the feeling, the same one I get when watching the sun shine down on flowers in bloom. The same as when I stand in my garden and call the magic to me or grab my flower petal token, but so much stronger.

The choice is yours.

The voice comes from nowhere and everywhere all at once. Orange and golden flower petals burst into life around me. Tropical hibiscus blossoms rain down, my favorite flower. My mouth drops open in shock. I may love the flower, but it’s a rare sight in person since the plant is exotic and hard to grow here.

The petals catch the sudden breeze that picks up and they hang in the air, swirling around me, a storm of orange and gold wonders. For a second, I think I’m dreaming. Or maybe the wolves caught me and knocked me out and I’m unconscious right now?

The choice is yours. The choice is yours.

I watch in awe as the petals spin around me and a voice from nowhere speaks. I want to record this with my cellphone, remember this, but I can’t move and break the spell.

The only other possible explanation… is the Earth element speaking to me? The element conjured the petals, dancing tropical blossoms that I could reach out and touch if the wind calmed.

There’s no one method for how someone receives a test. Some swear they are spoken to. Others just know what to do. No one ever says how you know, only that you do.

And now I understand. This is it. I’m being given a choice for my test. What choice?

You know what you must do. Choose your path. Claim your element. Make your choice.

Then it’s gone. The voice and the feeling leave. The wind cuts off like someone tripped over an industrial fan’s electrical cord. The petals fall. There’s quiet in my head.

If a pair of paws and the snarling beast they’re attached to takes me down right now, I won’t even notice. Slowly, I bend down, all the petals have vanished entirely, save for one. I pick it up, feeling the soft top side and waxy surface underneath. It’s real. That just happened.

My test is to choose. Now that the shock fades, the test is obvious. I know exactly what my choices are, exactly what the Earth is asking of me. Choose between the earth and the ice.

My test is to choose? That... It’s… That’s so stupid.

Isn’t that what we all do? We pick our favorite elements. We study them. We hope they’ll find us worthy. We keep learning about magic and ourselves, waiting for the day we get the test. We all choose the direction we head in, just not when we receive the test.

Then I remember this morning. How my parents realized my power was focused on earth magic and became furious. My parents were capable of being quite terrifying, so I jumped right into action, trying to reassure and appease them. They asked if I planned this and devoted myself to the earth without telling them. I said no. It isn’t a lie.

But I could have answered in so many other ways. I could have told them this took me by surprise too, but I do feel drawn to earth magic. I do like it. Instead, I let them steamroll me and make demands.

And instead of finding Ewan again on my own, I needed an excuse to give me the courage to seek him out.

I reacted to my parents’ anger, just like now when running from the wolves. The wolves who weren’t giving chase after all. I’d given them more than enough time to catch me and yet no one came running up.

I studied magic. I wanted a brand. But did nothing to get one. Having both the earth and the ice with me is comforting. Despite my desire for real magic, I also dread the day I’ll have to let one element go. Everything will change then and there’s no going back.

I reacted, I took opportunities when they came, but I never created any of my own. I keep putting off the decision for a little longer.

Maybe I do need to make a choice after all.