[center][b][h3]Saries[/h3][/b][/center]

[center][b]I[/b][/center]

It had taken a single howl from Saries for the Valley’s population of Tormentas to assemble. There were all kinds of them – Large and small, predator and prey, healthy and ill – and, for that day only, they set aside their differences and worked together as demanded by their Progenitor. 

The Twin Tongues Jiva and Sirele of the Accord of the Boulder could only watch from afar, perched upon a large tree protected by two Gold-tipped Tormentas, as their friend Saries and its offspring faced the approaching inferno head-on.

Water was a rare sight in those days, and when it came it came blackened. This time, it was no different. The rain came moderate and too warm for comfort, but it was rain still, and every drop did its part in fighting the flames. 

[center][b]II[/b][/center]

Seconds turned into minutes. The flames grew bigger and bolder. Sarhush’s fires had been taken care of quickly, but they had achieved their purpose. Now, the fires of the burning world were attempting to swallow the Valley. Droves of Tormentas dropped from the skies and the rising plumes of smoke poisoned the air and clouds above – And yet Saries would not let them die. The Tormentas rose again and again with every howl and every bark that came from the Beast-God.

Minutes turned into hours, and the Twins started to worry. 

Where the battle between life and flame took place, the wall of fire did not advance. But everywhere else – The mountain peaks, the flanks, even the valley behind them, had become engulfed. There was only so much that the Tormentas and Saries could do. 

It was then that the air stood still and turned into writhing flames, licking their skin all over and making it tingle and burn. A booming voice, one that burned the Twins’ eardrums, whispered like the crackle of a campfire.

[i]“Go on, come into it. Into my warmth.”[/i]

The leaves on that great tree lit on fire, and the branches sparked and smoked. Jiva grabbed Sirele by the arm and immediately jumped off the tree, landing on the dirt ground below with a sickening crunch and a scream.

“Jiva!” Shouted Sirele as she stumbled up onto her feet and dragged her brother away from under the canopy of the burning tree. A look was all it took to figure out what happened – His right ankle was bent the wrong way, and his foot flopped around with every movement. 

Tears rolled freely down his face, but there was no crying, only grunts and moans of pain. Sirele could almost feel his pain, and in the distance, she heard an anguished howl.

The burning air did not remain in the canopy. It followed them! 

But the Twins’ escort arrived. A gold-tipped Tormenta covered in a thick shield of rainwater dived right into the burning air. 

It was a split second, but in that moment a great explosion rocked the clearing. Water vapour went everywhere, burning the Twins’ uncovered skin and smothering the unnatural burning air.

And in front of the twins landed their protector – Only a foot in length, with the front half of its body burned beyond recognition, smoking still from the encounter. It twitched, its one remaining eye looking up at Sirele before glazing over. 

Sirele felt sick. She was dizzy, disoriented, and for a moment wasn’t even sure what had happened – But then she turned to look at her brother and saw him unconscious, skin puffy and red, and she cried out. 

One of her tears froze and floated off her face, and then it spoke.

“How unfortunate,” It said in a quiet voice that was almost not there, “How cruel.”

A cocoon of frost formed around both the Twins’ protector and Jiva, and all the pain and heat emanating from Sirele’s own wounds suddenly disappeared. 

“Stand, Sirele. Know that Cold has taken of the blood of Saries, and that for this battle, you may take of the blood of Cold.”

It came in an ever-increasing wave – An unforgiving, deep cold that chilled her very soul. She thought she was going to die, but death never came. Instead, she felt [i]hunger[/i].

She extended a hand towards the burning trees around her and did not blink twice when the flames cooled and sputtered out, all their heat flowing into herself and granting her a small reprieve from the cold that had taken root in her.

And so she walked, aimless, in a daze, absorbing the heat of the world and putting out fires and freezing the land.

[center][b]III[/b][/center]

How many days had it been? 

Before Saries was Sirele, curled up into herself in a small nest of ice and snow. She was naked, and although there were clear burn marks all over her, she did not look to be in pain. She was asleep, after all. Hibernating.

The fires were gone now, and the skies were clear. But the damage had been done. Most of the area was burned, and what had once been a rich ecosystem would now have to work hard to recover. It was possible it would never recover at all.

But lives had been saved. Plants and their seeds, animals and their offspring, even insects and parasites.

Jiva, who had been riding on Saries’ back, jumped down from his mount and rushed over to his sister’s side.

A quick huff from Saries made it clear that he was not to touch her, and so Saries approached first and sniffed her face, then pressed its mouth against hers and inhaled. 

The air in her lungs was so cold it was almost liquid, but such a thing was no issue for a God. And so when all the frozen air in her lungs was gone, Saries spat it out to the side and blew warm air in.

Slowly, the frost covering her skin melted, and her eyes fluttered open. She winced, the pain from her burns returning, before Saries bumped its nose against hers and a gentle warmth washed away all pain and erased all burns.

Bewildered, she looked at Jiva and his ankle, then at the Tormenta perched on his shoulder, and burst into tears, hugging one arm around Saries’ massive neck and the other around her brother, with the Tormenta spreading its wings to maintain balance as the two humans rocked.

Meanwhile, Saries looked at the cloud of cold air that it had taken out of Sirele and watched it slowly dissipate.

“How cold…” It whispered, and then it was gone. 

Whatever its intention, the Patron of Cold had not only helped stop the fires, but had also saved the lives of the Twins and the Tormenta. It was a friend, yet it could not be marked, and so there was only one thing to do to honour it. 

It was awkward – Its form had not been designed with it in mind, and doing so felt unnatural and, in truth, a little bit embarrassing, as if it was debasing itself. 

It came from deep in its throat. A sound that reverberated in the Twins’ chests and almost made their jaws hit the floor.

“Thank you.”

[hider=Summary]
Saries gathered all the Tormentas to stop the wildfire started by Sarhush, but the flames kept growing aided by the apocalypse. Jiva and Sirele tried to escape when the Patron of Wildfire appeared, and Jiva was badly injured. A gold‑tipped Tormenta sacrificed itself to protect them. Then the Patron of Cold arrived, froze Jiva and the dying Tormenta to save them, and filled Sirele with cold so she could absorb heat and put out the fire.
Days later, Saries found Sirele hibernating in a nest of ice. It revived her, healed her burns, and reunited her with Jiva. The Patron of Cold had helped save many lives, and Saries honored it with its first ever spoken words.
[/hider] 

[hider=Actions/Summary]
Conviction Expenditures:
None used. Saries performed many Lucid actions such as maintaining the Life of Tormentas and plants and animals, and commanding lesser beasts to fight back the fires.
[/hider]