Feral Magic

lifted one foot, then ran his hand underneath to form a blade. “No need for them.” He held his hand out to her leg. Vixin stood there for several seconds, debating all the reasons he could possibly want to ice skate in the middle of the night. It seemed ridiculous. With his abilities he could easily drown her, leave her for dead, but her instincts weren’t screaming against it and Zak was...her friend.
Vixin handed him her foot and he took it carefully, running his fingers along the bottom of her boot. A shiver ran through her body as the cold seeped through the material.
“You might need to sit down for the other one.”
Vixin plopped onto the bank and another stream of cold went through her foot as Zak finished the second blade with precision. She’d seen him use some of his abilities on their runs but didn’t realize he could be so accurate with it. She’d tuck that information away for later.
Zak finished working on his other foot then Vixin stared at the clear, icy surface. “I take it you ice skate back home?”
“It’s a hobby. There’s a rink down the street and everyone from our neighborhood meets up on the weekends. It’s decent exercise and keeps us out of trouble as our parents say.”
“Sounds like a close-knit community.”
Zak shrugged. “We all grew up together, go to the same school, same church, and most of us play the same sports.”
“Which are?”
“Hockey mostly.” Of course. Zak shifted to his feet, placed one foot on the ice and glided out without so much as a stumble. It was elegant. Perfection. The exact thing she strived for with every challenge she took on.
Zak turned back toward her and slowed to a stop at the bank. He placed one foot on the frozen grass and offered his hand. “Come on, at least let me help you find your balance.”
She pursed her lips, glanced at the slippery surface, then decided accepting his offer would be far less humiliating than planting her face on the ice. She tucked her small hand in his, finding a strength in his palm she hadn’t expected as he pulled her to her feet with ease.
As soon as her skates hit the ice, Vixin took off faster than she anticipated, but Zak held firm, slowing her down as they glided across the surface together. His hands wrapped around her elbows, preventing a fall she was sure she’d regret in the morning.
“Take your foot in front of the other like this.”
“I have skated before.”
“Really?”
“What do you think my dad does? Keep me locked away in the mountains?”
“Well…”
“I told you, he tries to get me to socialize.”
“So you guys are really close then.”
“We do everything together.” Vixin studied her balance. “I think I got the hang of this now.”
Zak released her, though he looked reluctant to do so. She put one foot in front of the other and leaned to one side to turn back toward him. She tottered but caught herself before he could come to her rescue. “See? Piece of cake.”
“Fast learner.”
“Always have been.”
“All right hot shot, let’s see who’s the fastest.”
They raced, gliding across the surface with the cold air hitting her in the face. Her nose froze over, her hands stiffened, but the exhilaration flooding through her made all those small inconveniences worth it. Is this what friendship felt like? Is this what her father wanted her to experience?
When her feet were too frozen to go on, Vixin slid to the edge, breathing hard, and Zak came to join her before plopping on the hard ground. He ran his hands over the surface of his blades, and they melted back to water. Vixin sat beside him and he did the same to hers.
“I guess you can have fun.”
She scoffed. “You just don’t know me.”
“Does anyone?”
“Not really,” she admitted.
“Is that why you originally played the game?”
Vixin crossed her arms for warmth. “I don’t know. Maybe, but once I saw the idiotic conversations I wasn’t really interested anymore.”
“Yeah, people can be pretty stupid, but that’s with anything.”
“Why did you join?”
“Remember all those neighbors I told you about? We decided to start playing together.” He looked at his hands. “Who knew it would lead to something like this.”
“Then they’re here too.”
He nodded. “I keep hoping to run across them, but in a world this big, what are the chances?”
“Probably not good.”
He chuckled. “Blunt as always.”
“I don’t see the point in lying. The situation is shitty, so why try to doll it up?”
“To make people feel better.”
“So people would prefer a lie?”
“Sometimes a lie is easier.”
Vixin disagreed, but instead of arguing she lifted her gaze to the clear sky and stars. With the cold air hitting her back it reminded her of home and the nights she’d spent outdoors around a campfire with her dad. “Thanks for bringing me out here.”
Zak leaned forward to catch her attention. “Were you serious before?”
“About what?”
“About breaking my arm.”
Her lips parted at the way he gazed at her and something in his eyes had her heart racing. Those strange feelings stirred, tightening her stomach and though she looked away, Vixin couldn’t help the shy smile that crossed her face. “I wouldn’t push your luck.”
Zak laid back and crossed his arms behind his head. “I’ll break through that hard shell of yours eventually.”
Vixin found herself hoping he would.

Chapter Six
With morning, their training continued and somehow she felt...lighter. Vixin smiled a little more and those around her seemed to welcome the shift in her demeanor. With all her talk about awareness, she really should have noticed how she affected the rest of them.
Vixin observed the people around her, struggling with how she should feel.