Burning Bright

  She shook her head, trying to shake off all the feelings of hate she felt toward the Clans. She knew she should focus on getting home safely, not that.

  Turning, she carefully slipped amongst the shadows, taking precaution as not to be caught. But I won't, she told herself. I've done this hundreds of times; no way any brain-dead water elementalist is going to get me now. I know where I'm going.

  That much was true. As much as Dari hated the Water Clan, she knew this city almost as well as she knew her own. The wall was the best way to get around it. Guards patrolled in a certain pattern, and only the newbies or the ones that truly sucked were assigned to walk the wall at night, making it that much easier to go unnoticed. It was a stupid move on the Water Clan's part. Very stupid, since people like her could come and go as they pleased.

  Dari turned, following the wall west. If she came off that way, it was faster to get to the mountains, and then home before daybreak. If not, she'd be dead. Her parents would completely freak on her. But it won't happen, she thought, it won't...

  Suddenly, she heard a dull thud.

  The noise echoed across the wall, audible in the clear night. Dari tensed, futilely melding back into the shadows. But, right then, a guard turned a corner, staring directly at her.

  He gasped, drawing a sword out before advancing further. The man was tall, clad in the traditional uniform of a water official; a deep blue shirt and pants with golden lining. " Halt, in the name of the Water Clan!"

  The guard drew closer, now about 10 meters from Dari. He pointed the sword at her chest, his hand trembling.

  " I don't listen to the Water Clan," she hissed with a smirk. She turned to begin to run, but the guard ran after her, catching up and tackling her to the cold ground. The hood of her black jacket fell back as her head banged against the stone, her mane of deep red hair falling loose. The guard reeled back as soon as he saw, breathing heavier as he tried to make distance between Dari and himself.

  His eyes widened in a mix of surpise and terror. " You...you..."

  Dari smirked at his horrified look. " That's right. I'm a Pyro, honey."

   Putting his fear behind him, the guard rushed forward, brandishing his sword in an ackward position. Dari easily side-stepped him, bringing a fist into his neck as he blindly rushed past her. He yelped in pain, turning on his heels and rushing back. This time, he pulled a wall of water around him. Water elementalists could pull water vapor out of the air, turning it into it's liquid form and using it as a defense, though they usually prefered drawing water from a source like a river or a lake. That was why most of their cities were in moist areas or by large bodies of water. The Water Clan capitol itself was built by the river Kardue.

  With a grunt, the guard pushed out with his hands, making the wall of water surge forward, directly at Dari. She grinned cockily, highly doubting the man's skill. With a surge of energy, she swirled her hands in the air, feeling the heat building inside her. She channeled it, forcing it to be controlled  and focused, doing what she had done her whole life. With a final push, she moved her hands together in unison, feeling the heat explode around her. She opened her eyes, seeing the the bubble of burning, moving fire surrounding her. She loved calling on her element, being able to control it like this. This was what she could do, whenever she felt in harmony with the world. Whenever she really felt in peace.

  The water wall hit her full force, evaporating around her fire shield. The guard looked astounished, even if he wasn't that good at controlling his power. Dari looked up, the red and gold flecks in her brown eyes gleaming against the firelight.