Feral Magic

something about the look in his eyes made her hesitate. He crushed her body against his, gripping her as if she might disappear any moment.
His entire body trembled, but Vixin remained still, dumbfounded.
“I’m sorry,” his voice cracked. “I didn’t know what to do. I froze. All those things he said, I should have—”
“Stop.” She pushed him away and pinned him with a stare. At least he wasn’t crying. Yet. “Everything’s fine.”
Pain flashed across his face again. “He could have—”
“He didn’t and I wouldn’t have allowed him to. I’m not the damsel in distress and I don’t need a knight in shining armor. It takes practice to react to stuff like this. Practice I’ve had. Now that you’ve faced it once, you’ll be more prepared next time. Unless, of course, I get to them first.”
Zak chuckled and gave her a half-hearted smile. “You really are one of a kind.”
~~~
The pair carefully made their way back to camp and Zak kept eyeing her as if she might break down any second. She didn’t berate him for it. He cared and though she couldn’t fathom why at least now, she knew he wasn’t a selfish coward. If she were going to have anyone as a friend, that was definitely a positive quality.
Still, she wondered if he would expend the same kind of energy in a desperate attempt to save any of the others. A selfish part of her hoped not. Vixin silently shoved that part of her away, mentally kicking it to the side.
She split from him as soon as Zak saw Sam’s face. They’d want to talk, and she wasn’t in the mood to detail every little thing that’d happened.
Vixin settled into her usual spot outside their camp and tugged at a familiar seed just below the soil’s surface. She still marveled at how quickly it responded. Almost as if the plant itself sought to please her with its presence.
Blue flowers unfurled from a thin stock that steadily grew and grew until she ceased feeding it. Vixin stared at the deadly plant. She’d always thought killing would feel...different. She should regret, but all she could summon forth was indifference. Vixin furrowed her brow. Was there something wrong with her?
“That’s pretty.” She startled at Zak’s voice. He knelt and reached forth a hand.
“I wouldn’t touch it if I were you.” He paused and she inclined her head. “That’s the reason those men are, well, you know.”
“Oh.” He sat back on his heels and stayed silent for a time. “Are you all right? After all that I mean?”
Vixin snorted. “I’m fine.”
“You really weren’t scared?”
“I had the situation under control.” Zak stared at the flowers. “Were you scared?”
“Terrified,” he admitted. “I didn’t—” he cut himself off and huffed. “My mind just went totally blank.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, most people freeze. It’s normal.”
He let out a long breath. “Normal or not, that sucked.”
Vixin shrugged. “Then don’t let it happen again. Dwelling on the past doesn’t fix anything. You know your weakness now, so fix it.”
“Will you help me? Help us?” Vixin stared at him. “We could really stand to learn some of the things you know. Obviously, we can’t learn everything, but at this point I feel like anything would help. Whatever helps us survive.”
“Yeah. I guess I could do that. As long as you’re willing to learn.”
Zak saluted her. “I will ensure my students are the best you’ve ever had.”
She laughed. “They’ll be the only ones I’ve ever had.”
Zak stood, still staring at the flower. “Hey Vixin.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”

Chapter Five
With morning Vixin woke to a very peculiar feel in the air. Everyone eyed her, but not with the discomfort they’d shown previously. They watched her every move, right down to how she ate breakfast.
She’d never liked being the center of attention, but if she was going to teach someone, she’d rather have them clinging to her every word than ignoring her. Not that she had to do this, if they proved incapable, she could always walk away. If Zak let her.
“We’re ready when you are.” He sat beside her with a bowl in his hand.
“I think I’ll eat first.”
“Right, I was just saying.” He took a bite of the stew, which by all standards was pretty good.
“What did you tell them exactly?”
“That you were going to teach us some kickass survival skills.”
“They’ll be disappointed.” He raised a brow. “It’s not all about the physical. In fact, that’s the least of my concerns.”
“They’ll learn whatever you teach them.”
We'll see.
After breakfast, the group gathered in a circle around Vixin and Zak. She glanced at Zak and then to the people patiently awaiting her instructions. All eyes were trained on her. Faces she’d started to recognize. There were Anton and Blitz. And then Sam, who’d started smiling at her more after hearing of her daring escape. Maybe that’s why the others were so willing to listen.
Vixin took a step forward. Last night, she thought she might be nervous, but it was quite the opposite. She felt elated. Empowered. “All right. First thing is first.” The mini conversations quieted. “Awareness. Some of you might think this is a boring step so I’m going to show you up front why it isn’t. Grab a partner.” Some shuffling occurred and she waited for each team to settle into place. Zak stepped closer and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. He’d certainly regret volunteering himself before the day ended.
“Now close your eyes. You’ve been beside this person all morning. Likely a lot longer since you’ve been traveling together. I want you to think about the answers to the following questions.
“First, are they right or left-handed? This is of paramount importance if you run across an enemy. Maybe you know what your partner is, maybe