Kaza sighed. It had been quite a few weeks and countless visits to Eseth and Junin since she and Redwing had discovered the secret passage in her bedroom. Kaza knew that Junin's wing was almost healed, and was extremely grateful, even though she knew they wouldn't be able to look for another place for him to live until the snow melted.

In the past few weeks, Kaza had discovered that even with a hidden passage under your very feet, you could still be six kinds of bored. She had also observed in her countless visits to Eseth and Junin that whenever Junin talked to Eseth he seemed happier. Well, happier than when he talked to her. But Kaza was never exactly pleased to see him, either, so it wasn't surprising.

She and Redwing had told Eseth about the passage. Eseth was exceedingly curious, but had protested loudly going as far as Redwing's tower with all the snow on the ground.

Midwinter had come and gone. They hardly noticed, except that Redwing and Kaza visited Eseth, showing up with a basket of food. Now, it was another month till the new year, and Kaza was thoroughly bored.

She lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The maps she had found lay on a shelf, weighted down so they wouldn't curl up. Despite being a Hydromancer, who manipulated ice and snow as well as water, she found winter profoundly boring. Even practicing the most advanced Hydromancy moves she knew got old after a while.

She stared at the cracked and crazed plaster of the ceiling, and suddenly sat up, intending to go downstairs. On the stairs, she nearly ran into Redwing, who was ascending them. "Oh!" she gasped. "Sorry."

Redwing stepped back a few steps. "It's fine, fine." he muttered, blushing slightly. Kaza felt heat rising to her own cheeks. "Um-lunch is ready." he said, his voice slightly louder. Kaza smiled, relieved, and followed Redwing down the stairs.

Kaza found that she wasn't very hungry, but she had lunch anyway. There wasn't a whole lot else to do, after all. If Ocean's Flame had a fault, it was that the land was exceptionally flat. You couldn't even go sledding, not even in the moderately hilly forests where you might find a good hill but it was probably filled with all sorts of trees that you could bump into.

Kaza poked at her piece of smoked meat. "Find anything to do?" she asked dully. Redwing sighed. "Nope," he said. "This is always the most boring part of the year. I don't like going outside when it's this cold. It's bad for my wings. Actual birds have more sense. They migrate."

She shrugged. "Why don't we just go into your courtyard?" asked Kaza. "It's more sheltered than anywhere else, and there's not a whole lot else to do, after all." Redwing nodded, and after they finished their food, they donned their heavy winter gear and headed outside.

Outside, the massive trees that grew along the stone wall were coated with fresh snow. Likewise, the ground. "It's very pretty." said Kaza. "Not very helpful though." Redwing shrugged. "I suppose not." He crouched down to the ground, scooping up a handful of snow. "But at least it's more fun than sitting inside all day!" And with that, he threw the snowball at her. It got her back, and she squeaked in indignation. Grinned, she formed her own snowball, and threw it. It promptly hit Redwing's face.

The resulting snowball fight was the worst the little island had ever seen.

An hour later, Redwing and Kaza breathlessly made their way back to the tower, disheveled and soaking wet. Kaza tutted at their state, and snapped her fingers. The melting snow on their coats, faces and hair dried instantly, turning to steam. Redwing raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a trick I learned," said Kaza, her normally pale cheeks flushed. "Back at home. Oh, dear." Redwing's wings were still streaked with water. "I guess it doesn't work with feathers."

Redwing shrugged. "Oh, well. It's not too bad. Nothing like the state I was in when I came here. They'll be dry by the morning."

Kaza pursed her lips. "Yes, but you'll probably get sick. Come on, even if I can't fast dry them, I can at least get the water out." And with that, she dragged the protesting Redwing upstairs, to the kitchen. Once there, she forced him down onto a stool and stood behind him. "This might feel a bit funny," she warned, and ran a long, pale finger along the ridge of one with. Beads of water stuck to her hand like iron filings to a magnet.

Kaza sighed. "This'll take longer than I'd like it to be, but I can't help that." she diligently removed water from his wings for about half an hour, then sank down into a chair to admire her handiwork.

"Why is it that your wings are like that, anyway?" sighed Kaza.

"Like what?"

"Most bird's feathers are waterproof. The oils in their feathers make the water bead off in a few minutes. Is there a problem with your wings, or something?"

Redwing shook his head. "It's very common. Swan angels are the only ones who don't really have the problem." He stretched his wings out, flapping them gently. "Angel's feathers are very long, and they can't lie flat against your back. It makes it harder for the oils and things to waterproof them. Ever notice your hair takes forever to dry unless it's short? It's the same thing. It doesn't help that hawks don't usually deal with water, so their feathers don't have as many oils on them, either."

Kaza tucked a strand of her own white hair behind her ear. "And the Swans don't have the problem to this extent because swans are water fowl." she nodded. "That makes sense."

Angels had originally been a magical accident. Mutants, of sorts. The story told in the history books was that, maybe nine thousand years ago or so, there had been a huge magical war. The result was that there was an insane amount of magic that soaked into the land, and had somehow combined several different types birds with a wandering tribe of humans. Angel anatomy was tricky and volatile for a while after the incident occurred, because it could be more like either a bird's or a human's, so angels were exceptionally delicate, even after their anatomy and brains had settled into a pattern.

Kaza and Redwing sat awkwardly in the kitchen. "Soo..." said Kaza uncertainly. "Do you want to go visit Eseth or something?"

"Not really," said Redwing. "It's too cold to go further than the courtyard."

Kaza nodded, and the conversation ceased yet again.

---

Eseth suppressed a shriek of boredom for what had to be the fifth time that day. It turned out that even a healthy Junin, even one a week from getting the cast off his broken wing, was a really lousy conversationalist. Sometimes, Eseth got so bored that she wished she'd never left her little village.

Then, of course, she'd get angry with herself and dump all of her mother's jewelry out of the box that Eseth had taken. It was actually pretty fun, but, unfortunately, one of the few things to actually do. She hunted at least three times a week, so they at least wouldn't starve to death, during or right after the winter. However, Eseth had never been much of a reader, and even if she was, there wasn't much to read.

So, she was pretty much limited to cooking, hunting, talking with Junin and ruining her mother's jewelry (not all of it, mind you, just the things she didn't like. Eseth actually liked jewelry, provided it was all metal).

She didn't even have any boys to distract her. Unlike Kaza, Eseth wasn't shy about boys, or kissing, for that matter. She'd spent many a boring winter at home throwing about kisses (she'd only ever gone farther than kissing with one boy, and that was only once) like they were party favors. She thought of it as a fun hobby, rather than a lifelong relationship. The only guy she lived with was a boring blonde angel, at least in her mind.

So, sentenced to boredom, she sat down at the table, mournfully chewing on a piece of dried meat. Junin was up in his room-loft thing that Kaza had made for him, and Eseth was left to contemplate her predicament.

It was going to be a long, long winter.

---

Kaza lay curled up in her bed, trying to keep from shivering. It was cold. It was so cold that she actually couldn't sleep. She knew Eseth never had a problem with the cold, but that was because she was bigger than Kaza and was a Pyromancer. Kaza preferred heat over cold any day. Eseth didn't like the cold, but didn't really notice it, either.

Kaza was contemplating asking Redwing if he had any more blankets, but the thought of being even colder than she was now stopped her. Finally, she compromised. Sitting up, she wrapped her blanket around herself, and stumbled to the stairs. The stairs were pitch black, at least until she got to the floor under her, which was Redwing's room, which was also much warmer and lighter than her own, owing to the working fireplace that sat in the wall that was between the stairs going up and the stairs going down.

Luckily, Redwing was awake. Sitting in a chair next to the fire, he was deep into one of his old books. Kaza walked quietly over and tapped lightly on his shoulder. He started and turned around. She smiled sleepily, and said "Any more blankets? My room doesn't have a working fireplace yet. It's really cold up there."

Redwing nodded, and said "I'll be right back." He went down the stairs, and Kaza, shivering slightly, took his seat by the fire. True to his word, Redwing was back quickly, bearing a few worn comforters and a threadbare blanket. Kaza smiled greatfully at him, and held out her arms for the blankets. "Thanks. It really is cold up there."

The blanket she'd been wearing over her shoulders slipped off. Kaza gave a sigh of exasperation, and attempted to bend to pick it up. However, Redwing got to it first. He offered it to her, then, seeing as her arms were laden with blankets, settled it on her shoulders again. Kaza smiled again, and walked awkwardly up the stairs.

It was somewhat difficult climbing up the stairs, but she made it. Throwing the extra blankets on the bed, she sat down heavily, sighing, overcome by a sudden surge of homesickness for two places at once. One stab of homesickness was for the tree that she had shaped and that she and Eseth shared. Another was for her hometown. What were her mother and father and supposed fiance doing now? It was winter there, surely.

She climbed into bed and pulled the cover up to her chin, and closed her eyes after blowing the lamp next to her bed out.

Five minutes later, her eyes snapped open again. She burrowed deeper into the blankets, trying to find a comfortable way to sleep. It was no use. She was so tired, the cold had sapped the energy from her limbs, but she couldn't sleep. After about two hours of tossing and turning and staring out the window, she was ready to cry with frustration. Her mouth twisted into a lemony scowl, and sat up.

She rubbed a hand over her face, then decided to go down to the kitchen in the hopes of finding something to eat. She wrapped a blanket around herself and walked down, through Redwing's room, the dining room, the living room, and finally the kitchen.

Kaza rummaged through the cupboards until she found a jar of dried peaches, it seemed. Pulling a few slices of fruit out of the jar and putting the rest back, she sat at the table and chewed dully on a piece. After a few moments, she heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. She whipped around in surprise, a piece of fruit still in her mouth.

Redwing smiled absently at her. Kaza smiled back. "So, you couldn't sleep either?" she asked, biting her fruit.

He nodded. "I always find it hardest to sleep during winter nights."

She shrugged. "Well, it's not so much the cold, as it is..." she trailed off.

"Is what?" he prompted her.

"Nothing. Just a bit homesick is all." said Kaza, apperantly unaware that her face was getting steadily redder, a telltale sign of a sobfest coming on.

Redwing bit his lip awkwardly. He was unaccustomed to dealing with emotional people. "If it's any help, I miss my home too." he said softly.

Kaza glanced at him in surprise. He smiled ruefully.

"It was a nice place, it its own way. The sunsets were beautiful. And the people I knew were nice." Redwing gazed off into space, caught in old memories. "I miss my sister, Skyfeather. She was older than me, you know. Braver, I think. Silly, funny girl."

"You must miss her a lot." Kaza sighed and thought of all the people she missed,.

Redwing nodded. "She left our city a few years before I did. I don't know how far she..." he trailed off.

"She's dead, isn't she?" asked Kaza.

Redwing nodded again. "The city didn't like to let any of us out, after a while. When the Rebellion started, it didn't matter, because no one was paying attention."

"Oh," Kaza bit her lip and looked away. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged, blinking furiously. "Anyway, are you all right?" he asked. "Your room really is cold, even with the heat from the fires down here."

She nodded, eager to change the subject. "I'm fine. I don't get cold easily."

Redwing glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I'm a Hydromancer. My Hydromancy teacher explained it to me. Each Mancy class has several resistances, abilities, and weaknesses even before they are taught."

He leaned forward, genuinely interested. "Such as?"

"Pyromancers can stand hotter temperatures, handle hot metal, and can occasionally walk through fire. They are. however, made weaker in the cold, at sea, or high altitudes. Terramancers are generally stronger and can stand more physical damage than an average being. They can also work with metals very easily, like Pyromancers. Also like Pyromancers, they are made weaker at sea or at high altitudes, though most temperatures don't affect them at all." Kaza rattled these facts off with the ease of long practice. "Aeromancers can breathe in any air, poisoned or otherwise. They are faster and lighter than the average being, and high altitudes don't affect them at all. However, of the Mancy classes, they are the most affected by temperature and physical damage."

He nodded, fascinated. "And Hydromancers?"

"We can stand cold temperatures, breathe underwater, drink any kind of fluid, poisoned or otherwise--"

"Like the Aeromancer ability to breathe anything." interjected Redwing.

Kaza nodded, and continued. "Yes, like that. However, we can be weakened by hot temperatures, get dehydrated more easily, and have a slightly lower body temperature than that of average beings, making us hard to heal. This is a problem with Pyromancers as well, as their body temperatures are slighter higher than average."

He nodded, and they fell silent again. Kaza furiously wiped her watering eyes. Why was she homesick in the first place? She was the person who wanted to leave. She sniffed. Redwing noticed. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Fine, fine." she choked. "Oh, curse it," she muttered. "Now I can't even talk straight."

Redwing hesitated, then put an arm awkwardly around her shoulders. "Homesick?" he asked.

"Yes, but I can't figure out why," she hicupped. "I was the one who wanted to leave."

He shrugged. "I don't know why that is. I guess it happens to everyone."

"I guess." Kaza wiped her streaming eyes and took several deep breaths. "Okay, I'm alright now." when Redwing moved to take his arm from her shoulders, she extracted a hand from her blanket cocoon and placed it on his arm. Redwing, needless to say, put his arm back, slightly nervous as she leaned against him. Then he relaxed.

It was very cold, after all.

end