Within the temple courtyard, Alena, Cheiro, and Kazran were left staring out beyond the courtyard gate.
It was quiet, but it wasn't long before Kazran swiftly turned tail to approach Alena. This surprised her slightly, as Kazran grabbed onto both her paws as her lifted them up gently, yet firm.
"Are you okay?!" he asked, a bit worried.
Lady Cheiro herself was taken a bit by surprise at this sudden turn of events, as she simply stood by to watch things play out.
"I—! I'll be fine..." Alena answered in hesitation.
Taken aback by the sudden gesture, Alena pulled her paws away as she immediately rubbed the bruises on her arms—which were left behind from her recent fight—while staring off to the side.
"Though it does hurt a little..." she muttered softly.
Kazran's concern for Alena immediately dropped away, as his expression sunk deep.
Elijah, as cautious as he was, was still hunched by the dojo wall, staring out beyond the gate as he slowly stepped out from the entrance.
"Have you ever been in a fight before?" Kazran asked.
Alena shook her head. She was calm, and didn't shed as much as a tear, as she still felt a bit shocked with something else on her mind in the moment.
"No... and I'm a bit scared... I didn't mean to hurt her," Alena stated, "I don't know what happened..."
Kazran in his own concern once again reached out, cupping his own paws over Alena's bruises as Elijah finally made his way to approach them. Kazran's touch was warm, and Alena soon gave him her attention, meeting the look of concern in his eyes.
"Karra is going to be fine. I'm worried for her too, but she's a strong girl. Even if you did hurt her, she'll come back from it, and you two can work it out later," Kazran explained.
"Are you sure?" she simply asked.
Kazran nodded to her, trying to give Alena his reassurance.
Cheiro, observing this interaction, was a bit touched. She smiled softly, as she felt proud of this young boy's gentle nature. Her and Elijah shared a glance as he approached them—before looking upon the two again.
"What you did back there though—"
Kazran's voice cut out as he came to a pause, and considering what to say, removed his paws from Alena.
Alena kept her eyes locked with his, and lowered her chin in curiosity. There was a moment of silence as Alena observed Kazran trying to ponder. She herself felt a bit nervous, further reminded of her incident, as a knot tightened in her chest.
"I..." Kazran spoke hesitantly, "I want to show you something."
Hearing those words, Alena blinked, raising her chin as she looked back at Kazran with wider eyes.
"Come on!" he insisted, as he grabbed Alena's paw and ran along, pulling Alena toward the exit.
This took Alena greatly by surprise, and Cheiro too was left speechless as the two children ran off without a word—Elijah immediately darting off behind them. Alena felt a rush, as her feet forced herself to move along behind the hold of Kazran.
The two children ran out beyond the border, passed the dormitory, and into the forest. As Kazran continued to rush them ahead, the gemstone around Alena's neck flickered—briefly emitting a gentle light—catching her attention.
"What was that?" she pondered to herself, as the light ceased nearly as soon as it came.
Feeling something unsure, Elijah had hung back, flicking his ear as the two nekomata found their place ahead. With everything that has happened, Elijah was wary.
"Here!" Kazran exclaimed, drawing back Alena's attention as the two stopped in their tracks.
"This is the spot."
Alena reached up to touch the worn gemstone as she again looked at it, wondering if she had only imagined what caught her attention.
Kazran scanned their parameter, and for some reason turned over his shoulder, looking into the tree tops.
When Alena looked back up to Kazran, he turned his attention back to Alena as he released her paw.
"It's clear."
Alena looked around her, a bit lost in her tracks.
"What do you mean?"
Kazran hadn't removed his gaze, not until Alena's locked back. As she did, Kazran turned away as he began to approach a small, narrow tree before them.
"It's what I wanted to show you," he stated.
As Alena observed Kazran, she saw him stand still. At that moment the boy closed his eyes, and his fur began to stand on end. Upon snapping his eyes open, his pupils were sharp, bearing a primal glare that could cut glass. Without hesitation, Kazran kicked a foot back over the ground, while simultaneously pulling his arm back. As if in a flash, his closed fist was thrown forward, his body leaning into the punch.
CRASH!
Kazran's paw came into contact with the tree, and it was instantly torn in half as it came timbering over to his side. The shockwave of the punch caused the flock of birds to flee from the tree tops around them, and standing completely still, Kazran closed his eyes again as his fur fell back into place.
Alena stood there struck with awe, as she had never seen such a display in her life. She was speechless.
As Kazran dropped his pose, he turned over to glare back toward the same tree top behind him. His glare was calm, yet serious, as he felt as though someone was watching in the distance.
"What... was that?" Alena finally spoke in a fit of hesitation.
Kazran disregarded the feeling, as he turned his side to meet Alena's attention.
"You've seen it before. This is the talent our teacher refers to as 'Pulse Instinction.' It utilizes our inner strength—something our people have long left behind," he explained.
Alena was left blinking in wonder. She could hardly believe her eyes even now.
"Is that... what you did to move the wind chimes?" she questioned.
Kazran nodded, his expression calm, almost bearing an emptiness about them.
"This is what it's capable of when coming in contact, but the means of bringing it out is regarded as dangerous. That's why our base instincts are often trained away."
"'Dangerous?'" Alena repeated curiously.
Kazran reapproached Alena, stopping a short distance before her.
"It's not something I can really explain, as our sensei would only tell me so much about it—but you... What you did earlier shows that even you are capable of this talent," Kazran exclaimed.
"You're like I am..."
Alena knew not what to think. To her, so much was happening in such a short matter of time.
In that moment, a curving gust of wind carried leaves throughout the air around them, as the tree tops soon began to sway. It drew the attention of them both, pulling their gazes away from one another. There was a rustle from one of the trees—however faint—and this drew the attention of Kazran even further, as a faint light glew from the very gemstone around Alena's neck once again. This time the glow went unnoticed, and by the time the wind had stopped, the light had already faded away.
"That was strange..."
These three simple words were muttered by Alena, though the sensation of the wind was familiar.
Her eyes soon returned to Kazran, who was looking off into the distance.
"Kazran?" she asked, trying to grasp his attention.
As his gaze returned, Kazran noticed something different and unfamiliar. It was something he couldn't quite place, and lasted only but a moment.
"Is everything okay?" Alena asked.
Kazran hesitated.
"Y—yeah... Just thought I felt something is all."
Alena tilted her head, her eyes remaining locked on Kazran, as she hadn't understood. Her brows furrowed, as she looked to Kazran with confusion. Noticing this, Kazran turned his gaze away.
"It's nothing to worry about," he disregarded.
"The point is... you hold a lot of potential, and this technique isn't something you can just learn on your own in an ordinary case."
That's when Kazran looked to her again.
"I want to help you to control it. If I can do that, then you won't have to worry about it coming out on its own again," he stated.
Alena's eyes widened as she returned to an upright posture.
"You mean... you'd really do that for me?" she asked with surprise.
With a calm and straightforward expression, Kazran softly nodded to Alena earnestly.
The wind blew again, softer this time, as normal winds would blow.
Alena felt a sad sort of hope, as she brought her paws over her chest—one paw clasping over the other.
"Thank you..."
Kazran placed a paw upon Alena's shoulder, as he spoke to her.
"I will do whatever it takes. Everything I can to help you maintain —no matter what."
He nodded to Alena with reassurance, "I promise."
Elijah soon approached the two, as he was now content that everything was safe.
Not too far away, resting on a sturdy branch, someone was watching—as soft black hair could be caught at a glance, blowing with the wind...