Training for Survival

5 Tria (Summer), 81382

DrayKane approached the opening to the ice cave that had been his home for five days now. He held his cloak tight against himself, his wings folded tight against his back. He looked out into the deep curtain of snow, this blizzard certainly was bad. He looked out into the baleful white hell and knew that today his path lay out in that cold blankness. He didn't want to go out there, but then his masters words rang in his head,

"If you are never able to cope with the worst conditions life gives you then you will never master your training."

DrayKane sighed and closed his eyes, gathering his energy together. Once he had enough energy to be able to sustain Pyrokinesis for a little while he pushed out into the blizzard. The buffeting wind was so strong that it nearly knocked him off balance, he bent his knees more and put his shoulder to the wind. This truly would be a good day to test his stamina before his true training. He gripped the cloak tightly around his shoulders and dug his talons farther into the ice for better purchase.

As he kept pushing through the driving snow DrayKane decided to use a little more energy and conjure a weak shield of heat to help keep the snow at bay. It helped, but very little. He used the energy he had gathered earlier to fuel Pyrokinesis, focusing it on his chest to keep his heart and lungs warm, allowing for better circulation, which thereby warmed the rest of his body. He pictured a roaring flame, thirty feet high, to help fuel the Pyrokinesis. His fingers tingled with the renued sensation better bloodflow provided.

DrayKane pushed farther and farther in the snow, his talons digging into the snow, steam coming off of his body from the built up heat in his body. After an hour of walking DrayKane finally came to the place he had been searching for. This place he liked to call the Wall. It was a wall of ice that he had been using for practice since he got here five days ago, at the beginning of Tria, the warmest season on the planet for most places. It wasn't coinsidence that his Master had chosen this season to send him to the coldest part of the planet, it was to show him that while everyone else was comfortable he was struggleing to survive.

DrayKane approached the Wall and saw the hundreds of swirling holes he had put in it since getting here. He ran his hand over the swirl design the ice held, caused from it melting then freezing again. As he ran his hand over these swirled holes he also felt the deeper holes and gouges caused by something altogether different from what caused the previous holes. As DrayKane walked down the Wall the holes got progressively deeper until he reached the end of the series. DrayKane smiled and backed up twenty feet away from the Wall and closed his eyes.

As he stood there with his eyes closed DrayKane threw his cloak away, he stood bare-chested in the cripplingly cold air and stretched his four wings out to their full length. With his eyes still closed DrayKane closed his fists and flexed his arms, feeling the well of fire within him, he forced more energy into it to bend it to his will. Slowly the fire rose within him, until he could feel its full fury boiling to the surface. The conflagration within him growing stronger by the moment until the blaze was overwhelming. He focused it to his right hand, he was going to go for one big shot today, just to see how much his power had grown. He opened his eyes and saw the yellow glow that came from them when he used his power. He raised his hand and released the power just before he immolated himself. With a roar the full power of DrayKane Kaizer's Pyrokinesis launched forward toward the Wall. The blaze shot forth from the space centimeters in front of his hand.

The flame cut a swath through the blizzard, and for a moment nothing filled that void. It was as if the blizzard itself stumbled at his power, DrayKane wasn't so egotistical as to believe something like that however. For an instant, before the blizzard recovered its force, DrayKane saw the hole he had put in the wall, about three meters in diameter, almost five times bigger than any of the other holes. His power had grown indeed, but this attack was impractical and almost useless, it took too long to gather the energy and afterward left him with little to no energy for Pyrokinesis, this was simply a test, nothing more.

DrayKane smiled again, then went down to all fours. The ice hissed at the touch of his burning right hand. He dug all of his talons into the ice and threw himself forward, running on all fours. When he got three feet away from the wall he launched himself into the air and slammed his fist into the Wall, it went in up to his wrist, which is only slightly farther than the other holes. He pulled his fist out, then lashed out with his elbow spines, causing the gouges previously seen on the wall.

As he thrashed at the Wall he realized he would have to eat more than usual tonight to regain his strength, it wouldn't be good to go to bed tonight only half full.

A noise sounded in the distance, DrayKane stopped his training to listen, but the noise passed. This was the fourth time he had heard it, and again he began to wonder if someone else was out there. As he turned back to his training he smiled at the thought of someone finding him, smiled at the thought of testing his skills on something that could move and think.... and fight back.

 

DrayKane stopped his onslaught of the wall for a moment to catch his breath, as he did so the creeping cold washed into his bones once more. He took a breath and forced the vision of heat into his mind once again, and the Pyrokinesis came back to warm his body once more. He flexed his hands, they were badly bruised and his elbow blades ached around the edges of his flesh. He looked at the scoring of the rock he had caused and deemed it good for today, he could use some sleep and some food.

He had heard the sound again today, that meant that somone was here, someone was looking around, someone was potentialy walking into a death trap. DrayKane smiled at the prospect of having moving, thinking prey to practice his skills on. Originally he was going to kill this person, but then he thought about what he would do after that, it was lonely out here, and a potential sparring partner would be nice. But if it came down to it DrayKane wouldn´t hesitate to kill them, whoever they were.

DrayKane heard something behind him then, humming, and snow crunching under heavy feet. It was close, too close for DrayKane. He smacked himself on the head for being so unobservant, in his weakened condition he wouldn´t last against a potential foe. But it was too late to do anything about it now, and he was going to run. When he heard the crunching and humming came closer DrayKane spun and landed on all fours in an offensive stance. His hands dug into the hard snow inf ront of him while his feet braced themselves to carge. He bent out his elbow blades and snapped all four of his wings open while simultaneaously sending a bloom of heat to his hands in case the potential enemy was too strong for conventional attacks. This stance was designed to spring forward at blinding speed, if DrayKane perceived this person as a threat then he would launch forward with all fours, at the same time scooping the air with his wings.

As DrayKane watched a lone figure walk through the snowblind DrayKane let out a defiant roar, along with exlamation, "Who is bold enough to interupt my training?!"

 

*Pyro?*

The question was whispered to DrayKane through mindspeak.

*Yes! I wield Pyrokinesis. Who is there?*

Suddenly an enormous shape appeared through the blizzard. Immediatley after witnessing this creatures massive size DrayKane abndoned all thoughts of a fight, he was getting better, but he wasn't that good. Slowly DrayKane pulled back, slowly rising to a standing position and summoning Pyrokinesis to warm himself, also wrapping his wongs around himself to help shield the wind.

He opened his mouth to speak but the howling wind made verbal communication impossible, sp he switched to mindspeak.

*My, you're a big one aren't you? What reasons do you have for being in this inhospitable hell?*