[h3][center][color=green]Lewa[/color][/center][/h3]

Considering that the beast could have very easily panicked and attacked the instant Lewa made himself known, the toa saw his potential friend's somewhat ambivalent response as extremely positive. No progress had been made, of course, but at least further progress could be made. Newfound hope brightened his eyes as he prepared to take the next few crucial steps. He did not get ahead of himself, however, or let his enthusiasm blind him. As positive as things seemed to be going so far, something was definitely wrong. Maybe the boar [i]should[/i] have responded more vehemently. Just as Lewa was beginning to notice the irregularities in its appearance, the fur matted and blackened with dried blood, Remilia hovered over to bring him up to speed.

Lewa listened in a state of intense focus, though her explanation was brief. As he suspected, the boar was in bad shape, enough so that Remilia judged its days to be numbered. Although he'd be sad to see such a majestic beast go, its kind were evidently not rare around here at the moment, and death was an inescapable part of nature. If the boar's life was his only concern, Lewa wouldn't be inclined to disappear. The problem lay in what the animal could do to the struggling villagers nearby, whether in a rage driven by pain or disease, or just as a result of its everyday activities. He paused, his eyes narrowing as the Scarlet Devil made her suggestion. Given the boar's enormity, a nonlethal takedown would be very difficult. Lewa doubted he harbored the strength to stun it, should that opportunity even arise. Maybe Onua could, but not the Toa of Air. It seemed just as unlikely that his weapon of choice could be used to inflict nonlethal damage. Axes were made for felling things, be they they trees or foes. And could his elemental power even budge a beast of this size? His only option would be some sort of trap. The trees around here featured, a distinctive lack of vines, though. A pitfall, maybe...?

Even with a mask on, Lewa couldn't hide his uneasiness. "That would be...difficult," he told Remilia, succinctly summarizing his thoughts. Not for the first time, he found himself wishing that his sister Gali was here. Water could cleanse and soothe, and it sounded like this poor creature needed both. Living things might need air to breathe, but wind couldn't enliven or rejuvenate.

Or could it?

Rather than continuing to speak, Lewa diverted his attention and looked around the forest-ringed clearing. Everything here, from the smallest insect to the biggest tree, needed air. The flow of carbon dioxide from animals and oxygen from plants created a sustained cycle, uniting all forms of life. Everything moved to a certain natural rhythm, a beat like the drums of Le-koro...no, like the rhythmic rise and fall of lungs. Lewa could hear it--the boar's breath that came in strained, irregular heaves. Its rhythms had been damaged, destabilized. By what, he could not guess, but anything that was broken could be fixed again. Life would find a way, but sometimes it needed a little help.

Lewa stepped away from Remilia, and began to breathe. He took deep breaths, in and out, and he repeated this action, the air around him began to move. In, and out. In, and out. Bit by bit, it got louder. Stronger. It was a pulse, like the heartbeat of life itself. Not a threat, like a gathering storm, but a symphony with an open invitation, inviting all to join. Like music, it could be irrepressible, but calming and comfortable. Lewa believed that a natural harmony united all living things. The boar was hurt, agitated, distracted, out of sync with nature, but it could still recover. It could rest, still its addled mind, and kickstart its regeneration, all systems go...if it just got back on beat.

"Breathe, my friend," Lewa said softly, getting closer. If he could approach, he would lay his hands on the beast's body and stroke it, slow and gentle. "Breathe..." Around him, the forest itself seemed to breathe with him, begging all to join in the choir, consciously or unconsciously. Hopefully, this would allow the boar to relax.