Migma

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Jexel continued to gasp for air as Isabelle yelled at him. He understood why she was angry, and he just smiled sadly, glad to hear her voice again. Wiping the soot off of his face, he just watched and listened as she ranted on. After she had her fill, he began to speak. "I'm glad you're okay. You should go home and get some rest though." He made no attempt to move, knowing it would just make things worse. "I should probably head out. I'm not cut out for community life I guess. Here, I, uh...." Jexel looked around and began digging into a pile of ashes, pulling out a fireproofed bag from where his couch used to be. Pulling out two hoodies, one black and one white, he took off his own and replaced it with the white one. He tossed his old black hoodie on the ground, and set the other down carefully in front of Isabelle before continuing. "This is the best I can offer in replacement for your PJs. It was fun, these past...four days." A twang of regret rang out through his entire body. No longer was that pestering, beautiful, addicting knot tied in his stomach. He wanted to take it all back, to embrace her despite her anger, and to try and make things work, but Jexel knew it would never be the same after this. Memories flooded back to him, all the chants, the stones... No one would ever look at him the same again, especially Isabelle. In his mind, this was the only way to proceed. He continued with this on his mind. "I won't apologize. I did everything I could...to prevent this, and to protect you. Now I realize the connection. If we keep seeing each other like this...I think I might kill you. So, I'm leaving. There is nothing I can do for you. I...I'm too weak." He wasn't even going to attempt to explain the kiss, and how much it truly meant. With a sigh, Jexel turned around, and began walking away.
 
Isabelle's stomach sank at his words. She was in disbelief, "No...wait." Her anger was gone now and she became afraid, afraid he would leave her for good, afraid she would never see him again. "Jexel...please don't go. Please." She started walking towards him, over the burnt up wood and ashes, forgetting about the hoodie he placed at her feet. "Please..." she continued to call at him as he walked away. "If you want to see a connection then see this one, see us. We have something Jexel even though its only been a few days, please don't walk away from it. See that the more you push me away, the more I fight to save you. See that I would risk just about anything to be with you. See that even though we were in danger, we saved each other." Still walking behind him she continued, "When we first met, you saved me from falling off a tree. When you fell from the same tree, I saved you. When you almost lit my house on fire, I stopped you...IIII stopped you. When you set the apartment complex on fire, I still came in to save you and you ended up saving me. And why were you able to stop? Because of me." Isabelle placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Don't you see...we save each other." She stood in front of him to stop him and placed her hands on both his shoulders. "Please...stop." Her emerald eyes were filling with tears and they flowed down her stained face.
 
"I...I want to... I want to so SO badly. To stay around here, with you... but I'm so unstable...fragile...weak..." Jexel looked down and clenched his paws tightly. He couldn't make up his mind. His head was swimming, and his legs were wobbly. He was still wheezing from the strain on his lungs, but he continued none the less. "I still haven't told you everything, ya know. I...I've killed...so many innocents... And more will die as long as I am so fragile! I can't handle the slightest imbalance of my emotions without destroying everything around me." He put his paws on Isabelle's shoulders and looked her deep in the eyes. "This is...the third time this has happened. What more can I say? ...b-but, you'll never let me leave, will you? You'd follow me, just like now, even if I told you not to. I-I guess if that's the case..." Jexel wasn't sure himself, but he couldn't help but slowly convince himself that staying was the best idea. Looking into those emerald eyes of Isabelle's broke his will, or at least what was left of it. He couldn't leave her, not like this.
 
Isabelle wiped the tears from her eyes and face and smiled up at Jexel, "Yes I will. I will just follow you until you stop." She wrapped her arms around him and dug her face into his hoodie for comfort. They only knew each other for less than week but she felt so close to him and she refused to let him go. "I don't care what you've done. I know you didn't do it on purpose, I know that. You would never purposely hurt someone." Looking back up at him again, locking eyes with him once more, "Let me help you. We can learn together. We can help you learn to control it. Let's try. Please." She batted her eyes at him before letting her lips touch his once more. They were interrupted when Isabelle heard a huff. Looking over Jexel's shoulder, her eyes opened wide. "Umm...Jex...you said your landlord was a half-bull right?" When Jexel agreed and asked her why, Isabelle said, "Because...I think he's here and he doesn't look very happy....umm...I think we need to run...NOW."
 
Jexel didn't waste any time. With a huge smile on his face, he grabbed Isabelle and tugged her onto his back. "Hold on!" He shouted back to her as he began sprinting, first on two legs, then on four. He bounded out of the community as fast as possible, almost unhindered by Isabelle's clinging hands on his shoulders. The way he felt, he could have run for hours, but he stopped at their tree and let her off. Standing up and straightening his back, he began to reply. "Whew! ...Thanks, by the way, for stopping me. I, uh...I got pretty caught up in my past there for a bit. It's hard to let go of...well, the only thing I've ever really known." He rubbed the back of his head, giving Isabelle a shy smile. "But hey, you convinced me... So now what?"
 
Riding on Jexel's back was exhilarating. He sprinted so fast everything around them became a blur. She held on to him tightly and watched as the bull was no longer in their view. He let her off at their tree, "that was so awesome. Oh my goodness." She started laughing as she leaned against the tree mostly from the nerves but there was a hint of fun in all of it. "Now?" she asked, raising one eyebrow with a devilish smile. "Now we climb. Bet I can beat you to the top." Before she gave him a chance to think, she jumped and caught the lowest branch. She wasn't sore anymore from falling a few days ago. She climbed higher and higher as quickly as she could, knowing that Jexel would eventually beat her but she would definitely give him a run for his money. "Try to catch me Jex" she called back to him as she moved higher up the branches, careful with every step and making sure she didn't fall.
 
"Psh! You got nothing on me!" Jexel shouted up to her. Extending his claws, he latched on to the bark and began climbing almost as fast as he ran on the ground. He kept close to Isabelle as he climbed, half concerned that she would fall, half desiring to be closer to her. After climbing next to her for a while, he started to bound from branch to branch, reaching the top in no time flat. Poking his head out of the canopy of leaves, Jexel let the cool breeze of the day blow through his hair. As Isabelle reached his height, he began to speak. "You always know how to provoke me, don't you?" He said with a smile, chuckling at the leaves that collected in each of their hair. His amber eyes glimmered once more with the joy of having someone to be with.
 
Of course he beat her to the top. It was a little unfair, his species had an advantage over hers. Oh well, it was fun she thought. She pulled the leaves out of her hair when she reached the top. "Yup. It's fun to tease you. I like it." Once she had removed the leaves from her hair, she leaned over to remove the leaves from Jexel's. Drawing herself closer and closer to him, occasionally locking eyes with him as she reached for the next leaf. She came within inches of his face as she pulled the last leaf out, and bit down on her lip nervously. That wonderful knot returned again only now it tugged at her harder than before. They were completely alone, in their tree, there was no fire, no tension, no anxiety. It was just them. Isabelle fought with her emotions and thoughts. She wanted to step back and at the same time she wanted to move forward. She wondered if he liked her as much as she liked him. She wondered if he felt the same way. She wondered if he wanted to kiss her just as badly as she wanted to kiss him.
 
"Hey, remember...when I kissed you after the fire? It was...it was more than just a kiss, ya know." Jexel said with a smile, looking into her eyes as she got closer. "It's something my mother taught me before...yeah... It's sorta like a gift that only I can give, ya know? When I kissed you, I relinquished some of my flame to save you from any harm...then and now." He grabbed her hand before it could brush off another leaf, and laid it across his own palm. "I need you with me, and that was my way of...letting you know, I guess. Here...watch..." Jexel said peacefully. After the whole fiasco only about an hour before, he wasn't sure how she would react, but he proceeded. His eyes glowed gold once more, but only faintly, as his hand lit into flames under hers. No heat emanated from the faint flame as it engulfed Isabelle's hand along with his, but rather it simply danced along with the wind. He looked at her with a smile, and continued. "I can only give this gift to the one who means the most to me... It will protect you from my fire for as long as I draw breath." To prove his point, he grabbed a stray leaf from Isabelle's hair and held it over the open flame, completely incinerating it in a puff of smoke and ash.
 
Isabelle was amazed at everything Jexel was telling her and even more so when her entire hand was engulfed in flames. The fire didn't hurt, didn't burn, it was just there. She stared at their hands in astonishment for a while, analyzing the fire and lack of heat. Jexel's words rang loudly in her mind again and she looked away from the fire and into his eyes, they were a golden color now. The color they change to when his powers were about to display. "You need me? I mean the most to you? Really?" His words left her in disbelief. "Wait a second, when we were still in the ruins you were about to leave me because you were afraid you would hurt me again but you just said your fire could never hurt me because of the thing you said you did. What was that all about then?"
 
"...let me tell you a story." He said sullenly, keeping her hand in his. He let the flames dissipate as he took a deep breath. His eyes turned back to their usual amber as he continued on. "It's about the long stretch of time I spent wandering the wilderness. I was...I was four, when my first 'uproar' occurred. My mother had taught me how to give the kiss, and I gave it to her...She got crushed by a tree, it's stump weakened by fire...my fire... The next few years I spent wandering in isolation, trying to perfect the skills of a hunter that my father embedded into my being. He never wanted me to abandon my roots as a Wildling. With these skills I fed myself, kept my self warm, and ultimately stayed alive. I was seven when I was found by a pack of Wildlings, mixed in breed, surviving as an organized community on the move. They took me in, and gave me a home. I stayed with a family of Half-Bears during that time, and they taught me how to live as a person. How to speak your language to it's entirety, and how to push back my instincts so I could forge bonds." He choked back a few tears and had to take a break to rub his eyes for a moment before moving on with the story.

"Their child, Moga, was about my age. He...he became my brother, both in the community, and out in the wild. We survived, trained, and built our strength with each other in tow. No day went by that we were apart. We grew, and with that growth came trust and respect that must be forged with the passion of brotherhood...I gave him the kiss one night, while he was sleeping, so nobody would know. We were established by our teen years, having built a name as do-gooders around the community. I was sixteen, and he was fourteen when it happened again... I regained control faster than I did today, but the damage was already done. Moga...he had suffocated from smoke and ash inhalation...H-He was so young, and I couldn't say anything to console his family... They...The whole community...they shouted at me, called me "demon" and "hell-spawn." They spat at me, and threw stones and sticks. Moga's parents personally saw me away with a boot under the tail... e-excuse me for a second." Jexel couldn't hold back the tears anymore as they rolled down his cheeks in silence. Wiping his face of the salty liquid, he turned his head around and showed her a large red scar on the small of his back. "I still bear the marks of all those stones, though this one has always been the most prominent. It's another reason why I wear hoodies now. So you see, protection from the fire...my fire... will never be enough. There has always been collateral damage, and there always will be..."
 
Trying to lighten the mood a little Isabelle said, "Well, I don't feel very special any more now that I know you freely give out life saving kisses." She said it as a joke but it wasn't really a joke. These things happened to him and because of it he was a different person. His circumstances had made him lack trust, made him lonely and a little unstable. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder, caressing his back slowly. It was the only way she knew how to soothe someone. Perhaps it wasn't the way half-breeds did it but this was the way humans did. "Looks like half-breeds are just as bad as humans are huh?" She said without letting him go. She held him tightly, afraid he would get anxious and sprint away again. Isabelle did not have the energy to run after him again. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. But I know we can control it together. We just need to practice. It will take time but I know we can do it together. Still holding on to him she said ".....so.....where are you going to live now?"
 
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Jexel took Isabelle into his arms and hugged her tight, needing comfort now more than ever. He was tired of running, especially from her. "I don't know how much you can really understand about me, but never say that you aren't special." After hugging her a bit longer, he let her go to start answering her question. "I'll live out here, in the wilderness. I can build my own shelter, find my own food...it will be like old times, I guess." He chuckled to himself at the thought before continuing. "I've gone without civilization before, so I can do it again. As for my power, I still have my doubts. I thought I had it in my grasp, but it still escaped me. I'll have to temper myself daily, but I suppose I'll have the time. *sigh*" Jexel smiled at Isabelle, glad that he decided to stay. Her emerald eyes drew him close once more without even realizing it. Eventually he was mere inches from her face once more, like the day they first met. His heart raced as he wondered what he should do now. They were so close that he could feel her breath, and in that moment he decided. Leaning forward a little bit more, his lips graced her own. Letting his eyes close, he enjoyed the sensation to its fullest, hoping that she did not take offense. Letting it last only a short while, Jexel retreated his head, and looked down shyly while turning a bright shade of red. "I, uh... I'm sorry, that was a bit forward of me..."
 
Isabelle enjoyed Jexel's arms around her. He held her so tightly she never wanted him to let go. When he did, he spoke about living in the wilderness on his own. She hated the idea but there wasn't really another alternative, perhaps they needed to learn how to build that tree house now. He came closer and closer to her now, his face within inches of hers, their breath intermingling until he finally kissed her. If fireworks could've shot from them, they would have. It was amazing and she didn't want it to end. He pulled away and apologized like he always did, leaving her wanting more. "Never apologize for kissing me, apologize for not kissing me enough." With that she grabbed the back of his head and pull him back to her, locking lips with him once again. Isabelle could stay in that tree forever with Jexel but it was getting late and she had not been home all day. Against her wishes, she pulled away from him. "I hate to...but I gotta go. Haven't been home all day you know."
 
Jexel blinked, still registering what Isabelle said. Finally his ignorance began clearing away as he realized that she liked him as much as he liked her. Before he could say anything about it, she was readying to go home. Sighing in exasperation with himself, he spoke. "Uh, right. Sorry for... I mean, umm... Right... see you tomorrow, I guess." He smiled at her again, finally understanding how stupid he was all this time. He climbed down with her to make sure she was safe, and saw her back to the community as close as he dared to approach. The sun was setting at this point, so he set out to prepare his shelter. Using the foliage of the wilderness, he was able to make a very primitive tent near his and Isabelle's tree. After that, Jexel set out to some late night hunting to prepare for the days ahead.
 
Jexel walked her to the community border before letting her go. She walked into the community but instead of heading home, she headed towards Regina's house. Arriving after a short walk, Isabelle knocked on Regina's door. Her fiery red hair came immediately into view as she opened her front door, greeting Isabelle and inviting her inside.
-"Hey Izzy, what brings you by here and why are you so dirty?!"
-"Long story."
-"Were you with naked guy again? Hmm.."
Isabelle blushed, "maybe."
-"Oh I KNEW IT! Izzys got a boyfriend." Regina teased in a sing song voice.
-"I do not! At least I don't know yet anyway. Listen that's not why I'm here. I need to ask you something. I want you to teach me how to control something. Can you teach me some magic? Can I do it?"
-"Why do you want to learn magic? You always hated it. What's the big deal now?"
-"I have a specific interest. It's important that I learn. Can you teach me?"
-"Ok...what do you want to learn exactly?"
Isabelle thought for a second before responding, "Hmm....Water, I want to learn to control water."

Isabelle stood over Regina's house for the night and began training immediately. It would take some time but she was determined to learn...for him.
 
After Jexel ate his fill of natural wildlife, he cleansed his campsite of excess blood by burning it away, and slept until morning. As the sun shone through the canopy of leaves, he woke up early, letting the cool dew of the morning shock his senses to alertness. After doing some stretches, he ran deep into the wilderness until he found what he was looking for. A perfect little meadow with no tall trees, no immediate wildlife, and plenty of room. He remembered it from the day he first found the community, and always kept it in the back of his mind in case of emergency. Jexel wasted no time digging a trench around the entire area as a safety precaution for potential forest-fires. Once he finished with that, he set the field ablaze with fire to burn away anything that might get in the way, leveling anything that was there before. It was here that Jexel practiced using his power until the time came to meet Isabelle again. Little progress had been made, but as long as he kept trying to improve, it made him feel accomplished. So, with that in mind, he bounded back to the tree, looking forward to hearing how her day went.
 
She spent the day with Regina, learning the basics of magic, learning the basics about water. Apparently two parts hydrogen and one part Oxygen make up water molecules. She really should've paid attention in Chemistry. Regina went over all the boring stuff first, not allowing Isabelle to begin practicing magic before she had a proper foundation. Magical Theory--Day 1-- complete. "Really wish I was born with powers. This is so boring" Isabelle said to Regina. "Only half-breeds are born with powers, thats why we have to level the playing field and learn. It takes us longer but when we master something, we master something." answered Regina. Looking at the time, Isabelle said her goodbyes to Regina and headed for the wilderness again. Isabelle swore she smelled fire but ignored it and continued towards their tree. When she arrived she called for Jexel, "Hey Jex! You up there?! Wanna help a girl up?"
 
While waiting for Isabelle, Jexel spent his time sharpening and polishing his claws and fangs. The time at the community had made them excruciatingly dull and difficult to climb with. After finding an ideal tree, he began tearing it to shreds from top to bottom. He had only made a small dent in his new scratching post before hearing Isabelle's voice through the trees. After spotting her looking up at their tree, he hopped down without a sound and made his way behind her. Slowly he clasped his arms around her, saying quietly in her ear, "You're looking the wrong way." After giving her a tight squeeze, he walked in front of her and offered his back for her to hang on to. "Think you can handle it?" He said with a grin.
 
Jexel made her giggle when he grabbed her from behind, squeezing her and whispering in her ear. She climbed on to his back and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. He pounced from one tree branch to another, never missing a beat and always hitting his target. He continued to propel them upwards, past the branch they usually hung out, until they reached the very top of the canopy. He let her go on one of the sturdier branches and she stood and looked around. "This is beautiful! I've never been up here before! You can see everything from here." From the top of the canopy you could see both communities on either side. The human community was beautiful, with all it's many tall and clean buildings and luxurious homes. On the other side was the half-breed community, the complete opposite in everything. The buildings were old, decrepit and run down. There was still a bit of smoke coming from over there, the aftermath of Jexel's recent meltdown. All in all she enjoyed it. The view was beautiful and she was sharing it with Jexel. Once she finished taking in the view, she sat down on branch, using the tree trunk as leverage. "I've always been afraid to climb this high. It's so nice up here. Anyway, how are you? How did you sleep? How's life in the wilderness?"
 
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