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His hands were still warm, Auk nearly drained all of his elemental energy from his body with one fluid motion. The copper furred Husky panted heavily, resting a few feet from the border of the Tlavian Village in the Northern Tundra of Mobius. The fairly gaunt canid scarcely could hold a bow longer than a half hour to hunt prey let alone use his powers for more than a few minutes. Auk sighed contently upon breathing normally. Soon every igloo in at least a five mile radius of the Village would begin to melt. Auk sneered and softly chuckled; his voice had never sounded so cold.

"Revenge can also be served heated..." The Tundra itself would shiver at his utterance.

The Husky scanned at the night sky. The customary darkness had a single star ruling over it. The Midnight Sun was the perfect time of year for vengeance. The air was less chilly than usual, which gave Auk's plan an advantage, and the sky was clear of any potential snow-filled clouds that might ruin it. Auk knew that every igloo in the Village is scheduled to sleep around sundown; not a soul would dare to step out into the Tundra's silence unless they are out on a hunt around the dead of night. Especially when there are guards prowling about. Auk did not care too much if he was found out, he could merely make up an innocent and believable excuse as to his shifty behavior. What worried him was if his intent was discovered.

A snowy scuffle from behind one of igloos piqued Auk's ears. He turned his head to the source of the sound. A voluptuous Snow Leopard rounded the bend lugging another Snow Leopard, less voluptuous than she, toward Auk. The sight of the inert felid's characteristically large ears, big and bushy tail, and tear-mark stripes at the corner of her eyes repulsed him to the point of nausea.

He shook off the shiver of looking at her visage. "Hurry, Anana!" Auk called out in sotto voce to the Snow Leopard dragging the unconscious body of the other.

"Hold your bowstring! I'm dragging this pile of waste as fast as I can!" Anana replied reflectively in voice tone. Auk eventually rushed over to help in order to speed up the process.

A few moments later, the body was placed further away than where Auk stood originally. Anana glanced at Auk.

"Now what?"

"We wait." He replied.

The two of them witnessed a single ember become crackling flames that consumed every bit of snow and ice the heat could touch. The igloos didn't stand a chance against the upsurge of inferno. The village of the Tlavians was in a pandemonium. Once the inhabitants of an igloo noticed the fire, it was too late. One after another, canines and felines ran for their lives as far away as possible from the destruction.

"Anana, stand your ground," He whispered to his partner in crime. "We must make this look genuine." He told her. The female nodded and loomed over the Snow Leopard lying on the snow. By the time the Chief's igloo had succumb against its will to the firestorm and fell to its knees in submission, it ultimately became slush. The overlord himself boldly and calmly departed from his once massive abode alongside his family and towards the three individuals at the Village's margin with a furrowed brow.

"Who was responsible for this catastrophe?" Chief Sangilak thundered authoritatively. His brow softened with unease, anguished by what had to be done as head of his people.

The drowsy Snow Leopard who been knocked out finally stirred, smelling the usual crisp cold air wrought with a crisp burnt stench. It was this that became perceptible and energized her.

"It was her! She created the igivattattiq*1! Iluq-Ikkuma is the cause for these flames!" Auk proclaimed accusingly.

"I assisted in halting her heinous actions!" Anana fed the lie that Auk commenced.

Sangilak's forehead creased with a painted snarl on his face as his head snapped to the suspect at hand

"I knew you would be trouble the moment you took your first breath and opened your eyes..." Despite his harsh words, the Chief was in remorse. The trembling Iluq-Ikkuma rose to her feet, matching her afore mentioned heterochromia iridium fire-orange and ice-blue eyes. "As Chief and Overseer of Tlavian kind-" Sangilak walked slowly to her as to not spook her.

The indicted Snow Leopard's breathing wavered. She clenching her chest. "No, please by the Aurora, don't..." She muttered under her breath.

"-It is my sad duty to say that you have committed a treacherous crime against the Tundra and her people. You were once Klin*2.1 and now, you are Naklin*2.2-"

Iluq-Ikkuma's eyes welled up. She looked to the aloof crimson-hued Husky standing afar off from her. "Brother, please, help me..." He only stood there, unmoving with a wicked countenance. Anana mirrored his facial expression albeit more subtly.

"-Under normal circumstances, you would be sentenced to death. But with my blessing, you shall not die this day. I hereby exile you from our territory. Go, now. Be in peace while it still remains, even among the ashes."

"Sentence to Tonrar-Nutaralak*3 to death! Kill the Devil-Child!" Screamed a frightened Snow Leopard. The residents of the usually-peaceful Village would have formed as a mob to rip Iluq-Ikkuma's throat but instead, to not incur the wrath of their beloved Chief, they quietly hissed and growled at her in the Tlavian tongue, much to the frightened and confused feline's dismay.

"Please, Auk, I am your kin!" The tears rushing down her face began to stick and freeze on her cheeks, chin, and her lips. There is a saying in the Tlavian Tribe: 'If you have to weep, stay inside.'

The loathing in her sibling's eyes grew with every second they shared glances. Iluq-Ikkuma backed up a few steps. She couldn't fathom her own flesh and blood standing idle while her life was in danger. And why the animosity?

"Run. Run away and never return." He finally said, putting the muteness between them at rest. Without disinclination she took off with adrenaline still kicking in her veins, too afraid of the crowd whose eyes burned with hatred.

A male Russian Blue feline, the oddball of the Village, and a Husky, the Chief's son, wriggled their way through the crowd watching Iluq-Ikkuma kick up the snow behind her.

"No, Iluq-Ikkuma!" The Russian Blue called out, ready to run after her. The Chief's son, Snejok, grabbed him at the waist, pulling him back.

"Let her go, Boaz. Her fate is sealed." He said gravely, just as torn up as Boaz. The silver feline squirmed in his grasp, putting his hand on Snejok's arm to try and escape. He breathed shallowly. Boaz paused to mourn, watching her become one with the horizon, then he gave up stomping away and fleeing the scene. Snejok gave the skyline one last look before departing himself.

Frostfire sprinted for yards on end with the sweltering whipping of the blizzard's chilly bite at her back. Yards turned miles and she was beginning to crawl. Miles turned into acres and she had could move no more. The only sound that comforted her was the wind that was thrashing against her pelt. Even the wind left her alone to die.

A light crept into her eyes when they could reopen them, and a voice called her, slowly becoming louder and closer to her.

Part 2: Tomorrow's Snow

"Frost," The voice called her, hugging her tight. "Frost... Calm down..."

The feline opened her eyes, shaking and sweating profusely. The dream of her past felt so real that her nickname almost sounded foreign to her ears.

"O-Oh, f-forgive me, Shot..." The Snow Leopard rubbed her damp brow, looking at her best friend. "I was dreaming about my past again..."

The female Squid sat down next to her on her bed. "What about it?"

"Ugh, it's the same dream as before... I still don't understand it. I didn't start that fire!"

Shot hugged her tight yet again. "I know... You just can't let it go..."

Frostfire looked at her friend with hurt in her eyes.

"How can I? One minute, I was sitting by the fireplace in the living area of our igloo and the next I found myself outside the Village's boundaries being accused of setting every abode ablaze!" The Snow Leopard broke down in tears. Thankfully, she was indoors this time.

"But you're not there anymore, you're here and you've got new friends." Shot continued to console her. Frostfire wiped her eyes as a chuckle forced its way from her sniffling smile.

"Shot, you're my only friend at this point." Her smile dissipated. "My former best friend has been captured by Robotnik and probably Roboticized by now. The one I was supposed to marry more than likely endured the same ill fate..."

"But we'll find a way to get them back! I promise." Shot's smile gave Frostfire a glimmer of hope.

"If you think it is possible, then I believe your words, my friend." The Snow Leopard stood up from her bed and inhaled deeply, feeling a thousand times happier. "We were going to explore Robotropolis, were we not?" She asked her friend with a smile. The cephalopod reflected the smile and nodded. "Great! I shall cook us a meal. I'm having some meat, what would you like?"

"Ehhh, got any fish?" Shot asked hopefully, slightly licking her chops.

"I do believe this warehouse has some left over. Let me double-check." Using her still newly attached wings, Frostfire glided over towards the fridge but tumbled to the ground. "Ouch! That smarts!"

Shot gasped, hastening to help her back to her feet. "You okay?" The chuckle from the Snow Leopard's face let her knew she was, just fine hence the smile on Shot's face.

"Exquisitely... Just not used to these damned wings still..." Frostfire stretched her back and made her way towards the fridge again.

The Squid returned to sitting but this time at the table. "'Kay, well... Don't cook it... The fish I mean..." She said nervously.

"Don't cook it?" Frostfire asked, retrieving a large steak from the freezer.

Shot stared at her.

"Don't cook it."

"Okay, okay, suit yourself." After placing the steak onto a pan and the pan onto the stovetop, she took out a fresh fish from the fridge. "In that case, here!" She tossed the piscidae at her friend. "Catch!"

Shot jumped up and caught the flying fish in the air.

"Thanks, Frost!" She said happily munching it.

"My pleasure!" Frostfire then concentrated on relaying her fiery thoughts into her fingertips and used her Pyrokinesis to cook the steak. Whilst doing so, her mind began to wander to the time she first began to use her other power...

"Before I give you your glasses of water to freeze," The Teacher of the Tlavian Village School said. "Let's quickly go over how to unlock Cryokinesis. If you feel your fingers with enough firmness, you will notice that your fingertips are slightly cold to the touch."

Frostfire felt hers - they were lukewarm; neither freezing nor burning. Her heart raced. Could she even summon ice from her fingertips again?

"If you feel that coldness, then close your eyes and imagine yourself outside the igloo." The teacher went on. "Nothing but the Northern Tundra surrounding you - no igloos, no tents, nothing but snow and ice under your feet. Since the day you were born, the Tundra has been lending its powers into your hands every time you handle ice or snow."

"I've been handling ice and snow all my life like everyone else," Frostfire thought to herself. "So why can I also manipulate fire?" Then it hit her - there is always a firepit in her igloo or tent and more often than not, she sits next it, inhaling the embers. For a moment, she felt better, more confident about what others call her 'curse'. But the very thought of it as a 'curse' haunted her yet again.

"As you are imagining yourself in that place, embrace the ice, the snow, the chill. Focus those feelings into your hand and let your hands do the rest."

She stared at the glass of water she had been given. The water was taunting her endlessly, for every second she looked at the ripples of water, she wanted only to run away from situation. Frostfire took a deep, deep breath and looked behind her at all the others attempting to freeze their glasses of water. One or two were pretty close to freezing theirs, a couple were struggling, and others were like her in a way - staring at the glass because they were unable to figure out how to even begin to freeze it. She chuckled at Snejok because he was of the latter group. Seeing her crush struggle somehow comforted her a little.

Taking yet another deep breath to calm herself, Frostfire was about to make her attempt when she jumped after her best friend, Boaz, who was sitting next to her, had pat her shoulder. He simply smiled. "You'll be okay, Iluq-Ikkuma, I promise." Normally, his words would have reassured her but the timidity was rising. She looked at the glass again, took the biggest breath she could possibly muster and put her hands on the glass. Boaz noticed she was determined to do possibly the impossible and willingly paused his attempt to freeze his glass so that he could watch her. Frostfire noticed he noticed her determination.

She chuckled and blushed a bit. "Why are you stopping to watch me, Boaz?"

"I want to see if you can get it before I could."

"But Boaz, I-"

"Iluq-Ikkuma, my grade and my conscience can wait. I am eager to know if you can do this because I believe in you!" It was Boaz's grin that gave her the confidence she required to relax and perform what she had to for the sake of her dignity.

Frostfire had troubles controlling her ability before but after the lesson she had witnessed in class today, she better understood how it worked, how to control it. She firmly put her hands around the glass, closed her eyes, and did as the teacher suggested.

Suddenly, she was not in a lake of fire as she was before in her mind but standing on a frozen lake surrounded by snow and the sky was white with clouds and the air was filled with falling snowflakes. It was perfectly silent, absolutely still. She could feel the cold air as she inhaled it and could see the condensation cloud when she exhaled it. She could fill the stinging sensation her bones get when it is cold out. Though it would normally bother most, the 'cold pains' would never bother a Tlavian. All these things that every Tlavian was used to suddenly felt new to Frostfire. She opened her eyes and saw condensation forming on the glass. Ice was also beginning to form!

"Nice, my friend! You've started to freeze the glass!" Boaz exclaimed proudly. Frostfire chuckled in surprise. She actually did it! At least she started to do it, anyway.

Anana heard the exclamation from the other side of the row of desks and she became envious. Her lips drew back into a spiteful snarl. She stood up and without a word, she walked over to the desk where Frostfire and Boaz sat. Typically when Anana commenced something shrewd, she'd take Aktok, her empty-headed best friend, with her to back her up. This was a personal affront that needed no aid.

The sly snow leopard stood at Frostfire's side and huffed.

"You call that frozen, Boaz?" Frostfire writhed on the inside to ignore Anana.

"It may not be full of ice but it's a start!" Boaz said defensively.

"Okay..." Anana scoffed. "That looks like a glass full of water to me."

"Why are you even over here, Anana?" Boaz said, slightly irritated. "Shouldn't you be working on your own thing and not worrying if someone else has frozen their glass before you have frozen yours?"

"I've already learned how to freeze an entire bucket of water last year." She lied through her teeth. "A glass of water is pointless." Anana could feel the nip coming off Frostfire because she was focusing so heavily on freezing the glass. She could use that fortitude to her advantage to break Frostfire's will. "Do you really think you can do it, Iluq-Ikkuma?"

"Yes, I believe I can do it and that is all I need to know to do so." She looked at the witch right in the eye. "I don't require your offences to break me, thank you."

Anana put her hands up defensively. "I didn't mean it like that, okay? It was just a simple question." Frostfire scoffed at her obvious lie.

"If you say so." Anana's presence alone was breaking Frostfire's concentration. She looked deep into the glass and she could see the condensation disappearing.

Anana bent down closer to look at the glass for herself. The pungent scent of perfume caused Frostfire to nearly choke. "Oh no, look, the crystalline is vanishing." Anana jeered.

"Why don't you let me be?" Frostfire thought to herself.

"If that keeps up, the water will rise in temperature." Anana unrelentingly said.

"Leave me alone..." The frozen lake in Frostfire's mind had suddenly turned to lava. Frostfire could not separate her mind from what she was focusing on. All she could see at this point was a bright yellow-orange hue.

"You definitely don't want the water to get hotter now do you?"

Oh, how Frostfire's anger had grown in such a short time.

The snow surrounding what once was the frozen lake in her mind was now a forest on fire.

The glass of water was already back at room temperature now.

"Your grade will slip and that's not good for your education!" Anana smirked as she noticed the water had lost the coldness.

The sky in Frostfire's mind went from white to black; filled with stormy clouds that were raining fiery hail. Lightning struck the forest bordering the forest fire already underway and created another. Thunder boomed resoundingly.

The glass of water rose in temperature some degrees, feeling warm to the touch.

"What would your parents think if you had a poor grade?"

In Frostfire's mind, the sound of lava bubbles popping were as loud as enormous drums. The air in this image was hard to breathe, it was sizzling hot. Steam replaced the oral condensation in the daydream from before.

The glass of water began to foam up.

"I mean, how badly would they punish you for a poor grade? Maybe they would take you on a trip to the desert or something. That's where fires originate from, right?"

Frostfire gritted her teeth as the glass of water boiled and nearly overflowed the brim. She stood up suddenly, grabbed Anana's parka at the chest area and pinned her to the Igloo wall.

"You want a reaction? Well, HERE'S YOUR REACTION. I HAVE. HAD. ENOUGH! You better WALK away and END this game before I FINISH what you started... I will PUT you in your PLACE!" Frostfire bore her fangs wrathfully. Her hands began to heat up to the point of almost ruining Anana's attire. When Frostfire felt the heat from her hands, she noticed the smug one-sided lifted lip Anana showed off. The prep had succeeded in her reign of subterfuge. Frostfire was afraid to look behind her shoulder to the number of panicky classmates surely watching this as it went on. Not even the teacher wanted to intervene because she was so afraid of the Curse that was her Pyrokinesis. What made Frostfire withdraw from the Igloo was the notion that Snejok was one of the bystanders paralyzed in fear.

"Aww, Iluttiliurut*4, you were getting so close to freezing the glass, too!" The wily witch cackled as she returned to her 'throne' to relax for the rest of the class period.

Frostfire quietly stormed out the Igloo forlorn and enraged. Boaz dashed out after her. Normally he would have inquired permission from the teacher before doing so but this was an exception. Frostfire was sitting on a rock covered in snow bawling her eyes out. She could have killed Anana and that wasn't the worst part of it - she would have enjoyed every minute of bloody murder. Boaz sat by her, silently watching her cry, unsure of what to do or say.

"Y-You know crying out here isn't a very good idea..." He cautiously urged. Boaz may be her close friend but even he feared her a little bit. She sniffled, looking at him with hurt in her eyes. The gleam that was normally there had turned into agony. Boaz felt a twinge in his heart. Now he wanted to hurt Anana.

He gently took his thumb and wiped the frozen tears off her face. Frostfire could feel the mucus in her nostrils start to freeze up now.

"I can't do it, Boaz. I can't control my Pyrokinesis..." Her eyes welled up again.

"Shh, don't cry. It'll just make it worse." The only thing he could do was hold her hand. She didn't say anything else and neither did he. Frostfire just observed his hand in hers. She could feel the warmth of his fur and his skin rubbing against her fur and her skin. But she couldn't feel the snow that was piled up on the ends of his fur. She subconsciously squeezed his hand. "Frostfire..." Boaz softly whispered to her. Her eyes bore into his. He's never called her by that name. "It wasn't your fault. She instigated the entire ploy for her own amusement. Think nothing of it." She simply nodded. Boaz swallowed hard and sighed. Without warning, he huddled close to her for a hug, rubbed his nose to hers, then softly and briefly pecked her on the lips. Frostfire's eyes glistened with curiosity and surprise when he pulled away but didn't say a word.

It was very clear as to what Boaz was trying to say without saying anything at all. But...Frostfire could not return such feelings for someone she considers to be a better brother than one who is truly her actual brother. She dared not share such a thought to someone so emotionally fragile.

They exchanged a long period of almost intimate gazing into the other's eyes. She felt a little uncomfortable with the way his eyes would occasionally dart just barely from one angle to another; almost scanning her face like she was some kind of angel. Boaz's eyes widened abruptly and he looked down at Frostfire's hand, removing his hand from the hold. He chuckled in disbelief and wonder.

"Iluq-Ikkuma, your hand is...well, freezing!" He alleged.

Frostfire looked down in curiosity and lo and behold, her hand had formed ice crystals. A grin of contentment washed over her countenance like water to dirt.

"It would appear that it is!" Frostfire eagerly decided to create an Ice-Ball right in front of her long-time friend. Frostfire stood there, arm extended, hand out; she embraced the wind-faring snow hitting her face. She focused on the bite of the wind and how it made her hair dance like a flame and her ears freely moving with it. She imagined the ice crystals running through her palm and in between her fingers, little by little she imagined her entire hand go entirely ice-covered. Within seconds, a ball of swirling icy-particles formed into a ball appeared along with condensation-like material swirling in the opposite direction the particles were swirling. It was magical to actually see the ice flow from her hand for longer than five seconds due to several failed attempts and fire replacing it.

"Will you look at that? That's a gorgeous ball of ice right there." Boaz said with a gleaming smile. Frostfire let out a surprised chuckle.

Anana snuck past the teacher and the other students to see if Frostfire had been weeping at all. When she saw Frostfire and Boaz sitting close together and the ball of ice in her hand, the prep had never felt such a fire in her soul before - of course, this was merely anger and not Pyrokinesis. Anana fumed back into the Igloo greener now more than ever.

Frostfire thought about that look on Anana's face while she was still cooking her meal.

"Um... Frost..?" The Snow Leopard was still caught up in her memories. "Frost?" Shot said again, fully snapping the feline out of it.

"Huh? Oh... Sorry about that, Shot, I was apparently day-dreaming." She looked at her nearly black piece of meat on the pan. "It's a good thing I like my meat nearly burnt..." She said just prior to taking a huge bite out of it.

"I guess we're kinda opposite like that, huh?" Shot giggled.

"Perhaps..." The hungry feline said taking her last bite, already having finished her meal.

The Squid watched her wolf down the steak as if it were a mere snack while she had been slowly and gingerly gnawing at her fish. "Are you feeling better?"

"Very much so!" Frostfire replied, sitting in the chair next to Shot, putting her feet onto the table, kicking back until her introverted friend finished her meal.

"Think you can sleep again...?"

"Nah... I'm full. I'm ready to go out and sightsee! I have a good feeling about today! Frostfire answered with a chortle. "Besides-" Looking out the window adjacent to the chair she was in. "-It's almost noon. C'mon, hurry up and dig in so we can go!" Frostfire leapt out of her chair in a burst of excitement.

"O-O-OKAY!" Shot said rushing as requested, shoving rest of the fish in her mouth.

"Wonderful! Let's go, atsut*5!" Frostfire joyfully stated grabbing her friend by the wrist and flew out the door, carefully ensuring her friend would not fall by grabbing both wrists.

Shot, still chewing and swallowing what was left in her mouth, told her with discomfort, "Chill, Frost!"

Putting her down, Frostfire chuckled nervously. "Heh sorry..."

"Where are we even going, man?" Shot asked as she was picking her teeth, completely forgetting the incident.

"Exploring is meant to have no destination! It's all an adventure!" Frostfire responded gleefully. Just then, music coming from some distance began to pound in her chest. "Then again..." She turned toward the source of the music.

Shot smiled. "Sounds like a concert."

"It sounds entrancing!" Frostfire began to walk in the direction of the gig as if being pulled by something.

Shot's smile became brighter as she walked with Frostfire. "It's rock music."

"Whatever it is, my Tribe never had such resonances!"

If Shot's smile got any brighter, she'd be glowing. "Well, then you're in for a treat!"

"Then let us investigate!" The two of them continued toward the concert, both delighted to be welcomed with such passion in something so marvelous.

~ ~ ~

*1 - Igivattattiq is Inuit for flames.

*2.1 and 2.2 - Klin is Inuit for remembered snow, representing the individual is a part of the community and Naklin is Inuit for forgotten snow, representing that the individual is no longer part of said community.

*3 Tonrar-Nutaralak is Inuit for Devil-Child.

*4 Iluttiliurut is Inuit for freak.

*5 Atsut is Inuit for let's go.