ZANE: DAY 3

Zane knocked his hand against a tree, shattering the ice surrounding it again. Zane had climbed a tree, finding two perfect branches to hang his hammock from. It was one of the few things that he had picked up from around the Jade Blade; that and a small jar of a jelly-like substance. It read along the side that it could be used to help speed up the recovery of wounds.

"I'm at a reasonable height. I don't think any other competitors will be able to spot me from below." Zane thought.

He didn't want to be on the ground. He was a sitting duck there. The idea of sleeping in a hammock strung up on a branch high off the ground was daunting, but after slowly leaning his weight into the thing, he had eased himself into it. He had woken up not smashed to a pulp on the ground so he counted that as a win.

"I really hope that Lloyd made it out okay," Zane thought.

He felt guilty leaving Lloyd but Edilio had promised that he'd make sure that Lloyd got out alive.

"An unreasonable promise but thank you," Zane had accepted.

He'd almost disregarded his warning and followed him, but he ended up deciding to put his trust in him. He turned to face an icy wind that whipped around the tree, ruffling his hair. It was starting to snow. Zane was impervious to the cold but everyone else wasn't.

"I'm sorry everyone. I can't control it. I would if I could."

He could only hope that they wouldn't freeze to death. Zane started to climb down the tree, slowly lowering himself down to the next branch. Climbing up was much easier than climbing down. He couldn't see the branches below him that well. If he fell, at least there were a lot of branches that might break his fall on the way down. He was almost all the way down when he brought his hand down and ice spread all the way across his branch. With a small squeak, he slipped, tumbling head over heels out of the tree. He got a good second of failing in before he crashed into the ground.

Thankfully, he landed on his backpack that broke some of his fall. He groaned as he stood up, his shoulders and back arching with pain. At least nothing was broken. Zane wandered around for most of the day, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lloyd.

"Lloyd's strong. He's definitely going to be okay, " Zane thought but it didn't stop him from worrying.

Instead of Lloyd, Zane did find a blueberry patch. He smiled excitedly, running over and picking a couple of berries which he shoved into his mouth. They were a tiny bit sour, probably perfectly ripe in a couple of days, but they were still enjoyable nonetheless. Zane spent the rest of the time, picking and eating blueberries, filling a couple of water bottles with them. He looked up at the sky; it was starting to get dark.

"I better climb back up my tree." Zane thought.

Just as he turned around the corner he came across a sort of mutated animal, commonly called a mutt. It was sniffing the ground, obviously tracking the smell of him.

It was the size of a large dog, but the head, neck, and tail were the bones of an alligator. Where it should have had flesh and bone, thick plated bones ran from the top of the skull to where it loosely connected with the shoulders. Where it wasn't bone, it had dull green scales. In its eye socket, glowing green balls of light loosely bounced around. It looked like an animal raised from the dead. It was quite terrifying.

"Maybe it's friendly? It's probably just a misunderstood animal. If I don't treat it like a monster, then maybe it won't act like one." Zane reasoned.

Zane leaned forward, clucking slightly at the creature.

"Here buddy, wanna blueberry?" Zane cooed, inching closer.

The creature paused, air rattling through its nostrils. Zane gently rested a hand on the tip of its snout, rubbing the smooth bones.

"See, you aren't that bad," Zane smiled.

"See? Not everything here is a monster."

The creature hadn't moved since it had caught sight of Zane. It suddenly took in a deep breath and Zane could hear the air rattle through its bones. A low rumble started to vibrate through the creature and its glowing eyes locked on him. It lunged at Zane, trying to seize him in its vice-like jaws. Zane jumped back.

"I thought we were friends," Zane couldn't help but feel a little bit betrayed, "You let me pet you!"

The creature didn't care and scramble forward, snarling. Zane screamed and bolted through the forest, being quiet no longer a priority. The monstrosity ran after him, its bones clicking together as it ran. Zane barely had a head start and the monster was gaining on him. Zane ran through bushes and around trees, weaving to try to throw the creature off his trail. He thought about trying to climb a tree but the mutt would be on him before he could get off the ground.

"I've gotta do something," Zane panicked as he could see the start of a cliff in the darkness.

He whirled around, stopping as he raised his hands. He could feel the chilly prickling sensation of his ice powers rippling through his arms and fired several shots of ice at the ground. The animal slipped, releasing a hissing roar and bowled straight into Zane. Zane and the mutt were sent tumbling down the hill before Zane could even register what had happened. They rolled down the slight incline, tumbling and rolling head over heels.

Zane and the creature bounced off someone, who was sleeping among the trees. They screamed and the ground rippled in response, throwing Zane and the Mutt back. They crashed into each other, Zane scrambling to get away from the beast as it shook its head.

It turned back to Zane, who was still trying to get to his feet and lunged at him, jaw wide open. It pounced on Zane, long hooked claws digging into his chest. He screamed again and the ground rumbled, a low, deep, angry noise. A spike erupted from the earth impaling the mutt above him. Green blood sprayed everywhere, splattering on Zane, staining his white hoodie, who stared up in horror.

He didn't even get to make a sound before the ground was dragging him down. He sank as if he was in water before it hardened, trapping him below. It was suffocating as the weight fell heavy on his chest. He tried to struggle, to move, but the earth had taken up all the space, filling around him completely. He was stuck in the darkness, doomed to die beneath the dirt.

He reached for his ice power, forcing them through his fingers, sending a spike of ice up, severing the ground. It slowly widened with a cracking sound as it peeled the earth apart.

Zane heaved a breath of air in, wrapping his arms around his chest. It was a little too much at the moment. He could hear a faint whimpering. He really didn't want to look at the mutt which it was coming from.

"I've got to help it," Zane told himself, climbing out of the hole.

The mutt was whimpering as its legs twitched feebly, trying to pull itself off the spike. A pang ran through his chest at the sight. Zane slowly approached the creature.

"Nothing deserves this."

He should kill it, put it out of its misery. But he just couldn't. He rested his hand gently on the snout of the creature, petting it soothingly as its last few breaths gargled in its chest.

"I'm sorry," Zane whispered, hugging it.

The mutt twitched once before stilling. Zane still pet its snout sadly before turning to the person who had killed it. He was hard to see in the dark, especially since the person was wearing black. He slowly crept forwards, nervous about the earth powers they possessed. The ground suddenly seemed more dangerous than ever. Zane could make out a person all curled on, biting on his hand to muffle the sound of his gasping.

Zane crouched down next to him, hands hovering over him as he wondered what he could do.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked.

The boy uncurled a little bit, panting as he grit his teeth together.

"No. It's just going to hurt for a while. There's nothing you can do," he groaned.

Zane pulled off his backpack, frowning as he dug through his now mushed blueberries. He pulled out a beaten piece of plastic dish, shaking it to get some of the blue mush off.

"I'm Zane Julien," Zane said.

"Cole, my name's Cole," He replied.

Zane rested a hand on his shoulder guiltily. He had done this to him. He had put him in significant pain.

"I have something that might help," Zane offered.

Inside the container was a gel that was used to speed up the recovery of significant wounds. Along with the fact that elemental masters healed at an increased rate than regular people, this thing was a miracle worker. He pushed it into Cole's hands, who squinted to read the medical facts inscribed on the side.

"How-How did you get this?" Cole asked.

"My mentor, Ronin. He sent this to me at the beginning. Useful, isn't it?" Zane smiled fondly at the thought of his mentor.

"I'm so sorry, please let me help you," Zane offered, helping Cole as he pushed himself to a sitting position.

Cole nodded, pulling his shirt over his head. Zane couldn't stifle a gasp, feel a little queasy.

"I know, it's bad," Cole murmured, "I'm lucky to be alive for better or for worse."

Cole dug his hand into the gel, wiping it across his chest.

"Hmm, it's already numbing it," Cole sighed, his tension draining from his body.

Zane handed his shirt, avoiding looking at the wound.

"Thanks," Cole smiled, bringing a hand up and ruffling it through Zane's hair.

Zane smiled, beaming.

"I'm sorry for… you know," Cole grimaced, "Try to bury you alive."

"Well, you should be sorry for trying to defend yourself from something that flops on you while you're sleeping," Zane laughed.

Cole gave a half-hearted laugh but Zane could tell he was still thinking about it. They descended into silence, Zane watching as Cole fell into his thoughts.

"He's killed someone," Zane realized, after studying him.

His body language spoke of it so clearly. His hands were shaking as he clenched and unclenched them. His face flicked with so many emotions, fear, anger, sadness, misery. Zane took a seat next to Cole leaning up against the tree as well.

"You know," Zane started off, his voice soft, "Sometimes the stars collide. It can't be helped. They are tugged together by a gravitational pull, closer and closer until they smash into each other. Sometimes they destroy each other. But if you gather up the pieces, you can make another beautiful new star."

Zane turned his head, watching Cole stare up at the stars, a couple of tears running down his face. Zane leaned into Cole, partly to comfort him and partly to comfort himself. He just wanted to be close to someone. Cole startled slightly and Zane wondered if he was going to pull away but he didn't. He just relaxed and leaned back into him.

"How'd you know what I was thinking about?" Cole asked.

"People are just like books. Easy to read if you know how. Plus it doesn't hurt to have what some call a sixth sense," Zane replied.

"You can read minds?" Cole asked.

"No silly," Zane laughed, pausing to think about how he would word it, "You know when you get that feeling that something really bad is going to happen in your gut?"

"Ya," Cole said, "It's a hard feeling to explain but I know what you mean."

"It's like that," Zane said, "Only with everything. Good things, bad things. It's a strong enough feeling that I can guess about what is going to happen."

"So you don't see the future but feel the future instead?" Cole asked.

"That is a weird way to put it, but yes," Zane laughed.

"It's getting cold," Cole acknowledged.

"I don't get cold. I can't feel it." Zane replied.

Zane knew what cold felt like. Before he had his elemental powers unlocked, he felt cold all the time. But now he no longer felt it.

"What do you mean you don't feel it? It's like below zero."

"What if he leaves me because of my powers? Who would want the source of the freezing cold around? "

Zane didn't say anything in response. Cole pulled out a fire starter from his bag and Zane started to pick up sticks. He insisted that he got it and that Cole shouldn't put strain on his injury. Zane wandered around, combing the ground for small pieces of kindling. He could hear Cole singing in the distance.

"He's got a nice voice," Zane thought, pausing to listen.

However, the song ended as he got closer.

"He shouldn't be afraid to sing in front of another person with a voice like that. "

Zane knocked his finger on another tree, shattering the ice again. He tucked the small sticks under one arm and gathered two bigger pieces of wood and hauled them over to Cole.

"Great," Cole smiled, "Give me the small sticks."

Cole started to arrange them in an A formation, stuffing some leaves and other easily flammable stuff in the middle. The medium-sized sticks formed a teepee around them and he laid some big logs on top of that. He pulled the fire started over and scrapped some magnesium off before starting to make sparks. Soon, a fire was roaring to life in front of them. Zane watched Cole put two sticks shaped like a y in the ground on opposite sides of the fire.

Cole got up with a little difficulty but headed in the direction of the mutt. Zane turned his head away, not wanting to look. There was a slurping noise and Cole reappeared in his sight dragging the mutt by one leg.

"Are you squeamish?" Cole asked.

"Yes," Zane replied.

"I'd say look away, but you're already doing that," Cole half-joked.

Zane could hear some very disturbing sounds like the cracking of hopefully not bones.

"Cole," Zane called weakly, feeling sick.

"What?" He heard Cole answer from over his shoulder.

"Please don't eat that," Zane groaned.

Zane heard some grumbling and the crackling of the fire increased. Cole had not listened to him. Zane turned around to find that Cole had impaled it with a long stick and had it cooking over the fire.

"If you cook anything, it kills all the bacteria," Cole stated.

"Highly untrue," Zane told him, "Eating mutts isn't something I recommend."

"Look, I don't know when the next meal is coming. And you don't either. So take it as a blessing in disguise," Cole reasoned, licking his lips at the thought of food.

"I don't eat meat," Zane shuttered as juices started to drip from the meat.

The fluorescent blood was dripping into the fire, making the flames turn green. Probably not a good sign for something that you're about to eat.

"Uh, we're in the Tournament. What do you mean you don't eat meat?" Cole looked at him.

Zane crawled closer to the fire, drawn by its warmth. Cole moved as close as possible too, finding it impossible to warm both sides of his body. They sat near the fire, its crackling and the hissing of the meat the only sounds. Zane glanced at Cole to find that he was looking back up at the stars.

"You don't mind if...I head to sleep?" Zane asked, a yawn interrupting the middle of his sentence.

"Not at all," Cole smiled.

Zane nodded, a warm feeling spreading through his chest at the thought of the alliance that the pair had formed. He curled up around the fire, enjoying its warmth.

"Zane!"

Zane woke up to Cole screaming his name. He woke up with a jolt, trying to get to his feet only to find that he was pinned down. Zane pulled his brain awake and the more he woke up, the more panicked he felt. He could feel the ice that had slowly encased his body through the night and the rock the Cole was smacking against it to shatter it. His hands had frozen to the ground and the ice had stretched up his arm and around his chest.

"It's okay. It's okay. This happened 2 times already, remember? " Zane reminded himself, trying to calm himself down.

Zane strained as he pulled his hand up as hard as he could while trying to roll to the left.

"Oh my god, Zane, are you okay?" Cole asked, panting while he held his chest.

"You should exert yourself like that," Zane worried, "You might tear your stitches open. How are you feeling?"

Zane shook himself much like a dog would do and pieces of ice rained down.

"How can you be so calm!? You were literally frozen to the ground!" Cole examined.

Zane stretched his back, feeling stiff.

"I've got to tell him." Zane thought, looking nervously at Cole who was staring at worriedly, "Cole's a good guy. And he's got an elemental power too. He can control it much better than. Maybe he can help me figure out how to get my powers under control. "

"Look," Zane beckoned him closer.

He felt the rush of ice powers and he held his palm open. A small spike of ice grew up from the center of his palm, stretching and breaking off into branches until Zane had shaped it into a leafless tree like the bare like the ones in winter.

"That's beautiful," Cole murmured, "I knew that there had to be an ice elementalist out here. There was no other explanation for it suddenly snowing in midsummer."

"I didn't mean to do that," Zane sighed, looking up at Cole, "I don't understand how to control it. My powers just kinda work on their own. It's like they're always on. That's why they keep freezing over my body."

"But your powers, they shouldn't do that..." Cole trailed off.

Zane shrugged and gave his hands a dejected glance. He could feel the constant chill that was pulsing through his arms, just like a heartbeat, something unconscious that just happened, something that you couldn't stop however much you tried. However, instead of spreading blood to his body, it was slowly spreading ice across his fingers.

"As long as I just don't let it build up too much, I should be fine," Zane assured himself.

Cole put a hand on his shoulder and wrapped him in a hug.

"You'll be okay, alright? I'll make sure of it. Promise. " Cole swore.

"Everyone likes to make promises." Zane murmured, "But they are highly unreasonable. You can't-"

"I promise to keep my promise." Cole said, with just as much conviction, "And I promise to keep that promise."

Zane couldn't help but smile.

"Okay." Zane laughed, "Then I promise that I will be okay."