David was drenched. Finally finishing up his workout, he was sprawled on the porch trying to regain enough strength to sit upright. It had taken him nearly three hours to finish and Kai had still not returned. The longer Kia was gone the more he began to worry, but it seemed that he was the only one who cared for the man's well-being. Cora was ever calm and for some reason, it ticked him off to no end. It also was frustrating that whenever he brought Kai up Cora would just tell him to be patient and to continue on with his training. He had finally shut up about it when she had threatened to add even more workouts to his already long list.

David had come to the conclusion that either Cora had no idea where Kia was or he really was just blowing the whole thing out of proportion. I mean the man was allowed some time to himself every once in a while. But with Kai gone it gave him time to really think about his new mentor.

David closed his eyes and focused on directing a small portion of energy to his right hand. He brought his hand up to his line of vision to see his fingertips surrounded in a fiery heat. "What do you think of Kai?"

Gin scooted closer to his witch, studying the look in his eyes. He could tell that David was getting suspicious. Ever since he had met Kai, he knew there was something.... unexplainable about him. At times he would believe that he had the man figured out, but in all honesty, they knew nothing about him. Both he and Cora were very cautious with their words and what they allowed them to know. Neither of them had lied to the two but they had yet to ask the important questions. Every time they tried they were expertly evaded. It wasn't all that noticeable that they were deliberately doing it but Gin was able to see it.

As a familiar apart of his spirit had been that of a past witch. He didn't have any memories of his past self, but the wisdom and instincts had followed him to his next life in order for him to help the next generation of witches and to be the best familiar he can be. "Hm, that's a very loaded question. It's been a while that we've been staying with him, but I still don't really know what I think of him. If you were to ask me if I think we're safe with him then, yes we are, but Kai is not an easy person to read. why do you ask?"

David didn't take his eyes off of the flames as they danced from one finger to another while maintaining its original size. He was getting stronger. "Are we one hundred percent sure that Kai is human?".

His powers didn't feel so overwhelming as they did before Kai and it was getting easier for him to control the flow of power in his body. Something else that he noticed is that throughout the week he had been feeling random flashes of strange magic. It was always very faint and hardly noticeable but it was enough that it would make him stop and question whether what he was feeling was real or not. He usually felt it before he used his own magic. Come to think of it, there was another time he had felt it. Just as quickly as the other times but slightly stronger than the rest. "Yesterday, when I was outside practicing, do you remember what happened?"

Gin raised one wing to rest his beak on while the other rested on his crow hip to recall what had happened the day before. "Yesterday, you had been so lost in thought that you had accidentally thrown a fireball at that Alpha that came over. You were able to stop it before it had connected with his face, but it was a close thing. Then Kai gave you the workout of your life. You were so tired you could hardly keep your eyes open. Kai had to actually carry you to bed." Gin snicked at the memory of the slightly smaller man carrying David to his room.

David shook his head. A part of him was embarrassed that he had been carried to bed. Images of how he was carried filled his mind as he wondered if Kai had carried him like a groom would carry his bride or if he had just been thrown over his shoulder. Both were equally embarrassing. The other part of him was questioning why Gin did not feel what he had when the fireball was dispelled.

What David didn't know has that the only reason he was able to feel what he had was because Kai was connected to him. To his life source. His magic. To Gin, he could only feel David's magic. David, however, could feel the very faint touches of the foreign magic that flew through his veins. So faint that you wouldn't know that it was there unless you were really looking for it, and even then, the feeling was almost non-existent.

David sat up. His elbow dug into his thigh while he rested his chin in his palm. The other hand continued to let the flame play freely between his fingertips. "It wasn't me."

This caught Gin's attention. David sounded so dejected. He wanted to ask what David meant but he didn't have to. "I didn't stop it. I couldn't have. Once that fire left my hands It was out of my control. I completely froze. And when I saw that it was going to hit someone, the only thing I could do was scream at him in hopes that he would be fast enough to move out of the way. But even with my warning, it was already too late." The feeling of helplessness was something that David was really starting to hate. Ever since his sixteenth birthday when he was able to harness his core power, it had brought him nothing but trouble.

"But I swear, Kai was the one who stopped it. I don't know how he did it but I am sure that it was him." David clenched his fist and the flame that danced playfully was immediately snuffed out. He was starting to get it. He was doing better. But one slip up and he had almost hurt someone and someone else was forced to fix his screw up.

"Was out meeting really just a coincidence? Was it just dumb luck? A time that I lost complete control. If he wasn't there to stop me, I would have killed everyone. That fire would have spread throughout the whole town. It probably would have even made it to the pack grounds."

Gin hung his head in shame. If he had been stronger he could have been of more help to David. Before the fight, David had been too disoriented by the pain to notice that Gin had been blindsided by the other witches familiars. They had teamed up against him and nearly broken one of his wings. All they had needed was to land one more good hit and he wouldn't have been able to fly for a while, but as one of the other crows was about to stomp on his wing, a loud explosion had stopped them. Instantly they had all taken to the sky to try to locate their masters but something had stopped them from being able to get too close. Gin gasped, "The barrier!"

"The barrier?" David had no idea what Gin was talking about.

Gin nodded his head rapidly. He was brimming with excitement to share the forgotten piece of information. "Yes! When you had lost control there was a barrier that was put up. It had not only kept us out but it prevented the fire from spreading. I had thought that it was one of the other witches that had put it up to keep me from helping you and that, that plan had simply backfired but all the other familiars had all began to panic. They also didn't know where the barrier came from!"

David tried to think back to that day. He remembers them challenging him to a fight but after that, their faces were nothing but blurs as his vision gave out. He remembered the ringing in his ears and the awful pain and burning heat that came from within. He remembers not being able to take it anymore but dispelling it hadn't ridden him of even half the pain. He remembers their screams and their pleading for him to stop but he was utterly powerless to his own destruction. Finally, he remembered the cooling touch that was placed on his back. The instant relief and the warm, comforting eyes that chased away the pain and cleared his mind.

Of course, he had tried to figure out what it was that Kai had done and continued to do for him that helped him control his powers but he always came up blank. What was Kai doing that his mother had not? It wasn't the jumping jacks. His mom had put him through just as an intense workout as Kai was. In fact, Kai was easier on him. It wasn't anything Kai may have been slipping into his meals or drinks. He watched as Kai prepared meals and they ate the same dishes. He didn't feel any magical energy coming from Kai, but there really was no explanation.

"The power that came from the barrier was something that I nor the other familiars had ever felt. But once the barrier was gone the feeling had also vanished. All the kids looked visibly shaken but it didn't seem like any of them had even noticed the strong aura that had kept them inside. They all just wanted to go home."

"Do you think it was Kai?"

"Well he was the one that helped you calm the flames and he was the only one that was calm and unaffected by what had happened. It could be possible that it was Cora that set up the barrier. Or they could be working with someone else. Someone who prefers to stay in the shadows. That could explain a lot. The errand he's running could be a cover to see this other person.

He feels like any other human, I don't feel any magical energy coming from him. I have been keeping my eyes on him, but I really don't have any evidence to say that he is anything but human. That being said, I don't think we should count anything out. He's hiding something. What he's hiding, I don't know, but he's too peculiar to be normal."

David jumped to his feet. Suddenly having a second wind he raised his fist in the air with vigor, "Well he promised me that we would talk! And when we do, I'm going to get to the bottom of this!" Gin couldn't help but find his determination amusing. David turned to head back inside but Gins laugh stopped him. "Of course. But Kai has to actually be here in order for you to be able to interrogate him." David deflated. He turned back around and sat back down, placing his head in his hands. "Oh right." he sighed "When will he be back again?"

"Cora didn't say an exact time and she told you to stop asking."

David rolled his eyes. "Well if he isn't back soon we're going to be late for dinner at Alpha Sebastian's pack." The worry that he had, had previous to their talk returned ten folds.

Just as he said that they saw a figure slowly making their way towards them. David had to squint his eyes but the closer it got the more he could make out the person making their way towards them. It was Kai.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Gin said.

David stood to his feet. He folded his arms across his chest and waited patiently for Kai to come to him.

Gin couldn't help but let out a laugh at David. He looked like a parent getting ready to scold their child. He couldn't wait to see what would happen. He wondered what Kai would say to get out of the lecture he was sure to get from David. He was sure to get an earful.

And how right he was.