Feral Magic

Judging from the bags beneath his eyes, Zak was just as exhausted as she felt.
Magic. A curse and a blessing all in one. A weapon she could utilize and yet one that could destroy her if she weren’t careful. One mistake and she could pass out within an enemy’s territory never to wake again.
Vixin glanced at Zak. Dirt covered his clothes, dark bags hung beneath his eyes, but it was the hollow look on his face that drew her attention the most. She’d been searching for somewhere safe before her blackout and in that moment, nothing had felt safer than Zak’s arms. Even now, with one arm still draped over her shoulder she felt...protected.
“Thank you,” she said. “For not leaving me either.”
“Just repaying the favor.” She knew that wasn’t true. Even if she’d left him behind Zak—a twig snapped to their right and Vixin whirled. She went for her blades but found them missing. Zak drew his and stood before her, frost already covering the ground at his feet. Her breath clouded in the brisk air.
Someone screamed as Anton walked through the trees, followed closely by Blitz. And then Zak was running, embracing the friend she was sure had been lost. Sam. More emerged from the woods, far more than she’d hoped to find.
Sam went to work, assessing each of them, using his magic to heal wounds that could have waited another day. When he got to her, Vixin just smiled and tilted her head toward Zak. They had to be the luckiest people alive.
~~~
They’d hidden the rendezvous point deep inside a cavern, away from any well-trodden path. Vines had been draped over the entrance and brush had grown so thick Vixin wasn’t even sure the animals would find it. To say she was impressed would have been an understatement.
It only took a few minutes for another earth user to clear them a path inside and then cover the hole over as if it’d never been disturbed. A narrow entrance guided them through the first few feet and then opened into a large expanse that provided more than enough room for everyone to fan out.
Vixin leaned against the nearest wall and slid down it to rest her aching feet. She stared at the hole in the top of the cave, just wide enough to give them a grand view of the open sky.
Vixin leaned her head back and took a breath. A fire sprung to life in the center and she took to watching those hugging and asking questions. Many embraced, some cried, but everyone, it seemed, had something to say to Zak.
She hadn’t realized, up until now, just how much they cared for him. It wasn’t due to any experience he carried or the way he planned their missions. It had nothing to do with his abilities. It was simply that he cared. Cared for each of them individually, seeing to their needs when others might have turned a blind eye. Others like herself.
He’d taken on a responsibility most would have shied away from and none of his companions took that for granted.
Vixin took another breath, closed her eyes, and found herself drifting. The voices lifted and fell, most lost to her ears until Anton shouted loud enough for the world to hear, “To the woman who saved us all!”
Vixin cracked one eye open, hoping they were referring to someone else, but every eye in the room had locked onto her seated form. Zak was at her side a moment later, offering his hand with a gentle smile on his face.
Daniel stepped forward, his hulking form blocking out the firelight. “If it weren’t for you coming to save our sorry asses, we’d have been done for. Everyone chased you two out thus,” he pointed to those seated behind Sam, “we were able to make our escape. Thank you.”
She tsked but couldn’t hide her smile. “Just don’t make a habit out of it.”
Everyone laughed and Vixin felt a hand settle on her back. Zak’s warmth soaked through her shirt, easing some of the tension from her shoulders. They listened to the others tell their side of the story, likely exaggerating most of it, then she looked at Zak and found him staring right back at her.
Vixin’s breath hitched. There was that look again. The same one he’d had at the pond. Her pulse quickened and Vixin’s eyes dropped to his lips before darting back to his eyes. She tried to swallow, but somehow her throat had gone dry.
“We have a problem.” Blitz stumbled from the cavern entrance. A blush crept up her neck and she was almost grateful for the distraction. “They tracked us.”
“Put out the fire,” Vixin hissed. Water doused the flames and Vixin spun to Zak. “Chill it, and the ground, make it seem as if no one was here.” He obeyed and Vixin pointed toward a back exit she’d spotted earlier. “Everyone in. Now.”
“What good—”
She whirled on Anton. “I. Said. Now.”
They gathered up what was left of their belongings and filed into the tunnels. She didn’t know whether it’d lead them out or to a dead end, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was hiding because not one of them had the strength to fight.
Zak shoved his comrades through one by one, urging them to keep quiet. She lingered by the entrance, eyeing the vines that hung from the hole in the roof.
Vixin reached for her magic. It singed her, stinging from the inside, but she didn’t recoil from the pain. Instead, Vixin breathed life into the foliage, commanding it to grow along the walls. She found the tiniest of seeds and sprouted them all, making it look as though a human hadn’t touched this place in a millennium.
Footprints were soon covered by ferns and thick, woody branches concealed the exit she gazed out from. As long