"You've arrived on a good day, the past three days have been pretty dry but my river has receded so a big storm is coming."
This made Ksinya uneasy. "You live in your river, right?" She asked.
He nodded. "What's wrong?"
"I will need shelter from the storm. I can't spend my time in the water, I'll drown."
Nikolas felt his heart sink at the thought of her drowning in his waters. The storm would be really bad and the current would be strong. He didn't trust his own strength to keep her safe. He stood abruptly. "Let's find shelter."
"Okay. But how do I put out my fire? I should practice that. I don't want to burn the Happi Tree Forest down."
"Of course. Controlling your fire should be no different than controlling your hand. It's all very mental. You can move your hands to make it easier to visualize in your mind what you want your fire to do. Does that make sense?"
Ksinya nodded. She took a deep breath. She visualized the fire being smothered and clasped her hands together. The fire immediately went out. Smoke didn't even rise from the ashes. "Ah! That's amazing. I've always wanted to control fire." Ksinya felt like sobbing with joy. Deep down she wished she could have killed herself sooner in order to reach this place. But maybe if she did the stars wouldn't be aligned just right for her to end up here. Maybe certain circumstances had to be met before she could transmigrate here. She didn't want to let those thoughts drag her down, however. She spent the first quarter of her life in misery; here in this place, she knew she could be happy. She hugged Nikolas. "Thank you." Her head rested on his chest and she could hear the thumping of his heart. It was so strong. She was reminded of her fiance's heart. She missed him and wished him happiness. She knew his heart and mind were strong enough to move on after she was gone.
Nikolas was too stunned to speak, his arms were pinned down by his sides so he couldn't return the embrace. So he stood there until she was ready to let go.
"Let's go find some shelter." Ksinya grinned and released the man.
After some time searching they finally settled on a cave. Hanging vines with purple and pink buds grew in front of the entrance. The cave didn't go very deep but it had a clean floor and few insects. Nikolas gathered dry grass and firewood. He set up the grass to make two beds and let Ksinya handle making the fire. She was happy to get practice with her new ability. They were finished setting up right before the sky got dark. Ksinya didn't realize how tired she was until she hit the hay. She curled up in her nest and started drifting to sleep. "Good night." She said to Nikolas.
Nikolas watched her closely. He took the time to examine her. How lucky he was for her to appear before him. The legends say Sorcerers arrive in the vicinity of someone they will be closest with. They hint that this person will remind them of someone from where they came from. Nikolas wondered about the place where Ksinya came from. The place that cultivates Sorcerers. Every story talks about how horrible it is and the hardships the Sorcerers have to face. Nikolas made a silent promise to make Ksinya's time here as easy as possible. He wished he could have asked his Creator more questions before leaving. He wished he knew more about Sorcerers so he could make Ksinya happy. In her sleep she looked peaceful; though her body was tense and curled up, her breathing was slow and steady. He would usually sleep in his river. The current and cool water would drift him to sleep. Maybe as a fire Sorcerer she liked to sleep warmly. Her fire burned strong in the cave, lighting it and warming it. But he looked at the clothing she had on in scrutiny. He decided to leave the cave and search for an animal skin for her. He left immediately in order to get back before she awoke. He ran to his river and the light of the stars in the sky sparkled on the water. He fished his hunting tools out. He didn't use them often, but every now and again an agitated bear would wander over looking for a fight. He would trade the bear for his own clothing and food if he felt tired of fish. Other than that he lived his life leisurely. This time he hunted with a purpose.
The spotted doe slept peacefully in its brambles. It dreamed of frolicking in fields and chewing fresh grass and leafy stems. It dreamed it found a huge juicy red fruit and was about to take a bite out of it when it woke up to its neck getting sliced open. Blood gushed from the wound and stained its bramble nest red. There was a gurgle from the doe's throat as it tried to scream. She tried to struggle but she was held down firmly.
The doe closed its eyes for a final time in this world and opened them in another.
Nikolas brought his prey to his river in order to clean it. He skinned it and cut off certain pieces for Ksinya to have for her meal in the morning. He gathered some reeds from his riverside and decided to head back. On his way back to the cave he caught sight of a red fruit tree and gathered a few for Ksinya.