"Master, why is Elena showing signs of a shared lineage with a stone bear?" Nuri asked her after Elena was settled in the bed. They were seated at the table as it was still midday.

"You mean why when she doesn't have a stone bear core?" Aila asked. Nuri nodded slowly.

"Ivadra has a dark core from a black panther. She is wilder because of that, and I'm seeing more signs than that. She also rumbles in her throat when happy, like a domestic cat." Nuri said quietly.

"Both beast cores and elemental cores are made of the same material. The elements." Aila said, but she also seemed a little confused. Nuri stayed silent and waited. Ellie came out of the front room and sat down beside her.

"Master, are there hidden instincts within each of us due to our elemental affinity?" Ellie asked. Aila smiled.

"I think I see your line of thought, my little water baby." Ellie blushed, and pouted. Aila chuckled softly. "Do humans share a lineage with a stone bear? No. However, the elemental affinity we have may be a common link between us." Aila said, and thought carefully about her words.

"Do you mean that Imera created everything, so there are bound to be common traits?" Nuri asked.

"That is a definite possibility. Where I am from, people once thought humans evolved from animals. There was no proof, but they hated the idea of a Creator. They didn't want to be held responsible for their actions after the fact." Aila said. Ellie frowned.

"No one knows what Imera thinks in regards to our actions. We barely know she's our Creator, and only know that she is the living world, a being of immense power, and someone who hasn't made her wishes known." Nuri said.

"Correction, to the best of your knowledge." Aila said. "There are temples, are there not?" Nuri nodded. "When is the last time you were allowed to go to a service there?"

"Never, Master." Ellie said. She sighed and leaned into Aila's side.

"If the temples control the information about Imera, there are things they say may be correct, but may not be too. It isn't unusual for coin to make humans say things that benefit other humans. The priests probably don't have clean hands. But we are off topic." Aila focused on the subject. It was hard to focus lately. She had so many things on her mind, and each time something new happened, she had to spend some time to think about it.

"Elena's teeth are part of her heritage, due to the core and her elemental affinity, and a possible link to the stone bears. It may also be her wish to be as strong as a stone bear." Nuri said as she pondered the problem. Aila nodded.

"I have the same thought. Ivadra shares the links with a black panther because of her affinity, and nature. She's not infected with a black panther's nature, but it's her affinity." Aila smiled. "Dark elemental affinity is wild in nature, has physical effects, and is more lustful. Light is softer, more soothing, and more loving."

"Which makes life more mothering!" Ellie said and gazed warmly at Nuri.

"Naughty thing." Nuri said softly and swept Ellie up off the bench. She placed her on her lap. "Is that all you can think about?" She said.

"No." Ellie said, but grinned. "But they are huge! Why can't I think about how wonderful it would be if you made milk too?" Nuri rolled her eyes and mashed Ellie into her chest.

"Yes. It would be wonderful, wouldn't it?"

* * *

"The mountain is in that direction." Aila said quietly. She knelt down and absorbed a fair amount of earth, life, and metal elements from the soil. There were small amounts of water, just enough to keep the soil loose, but she absorbed that as well.

She dug a deep hole and watched carefully. When the hole filled in, she closed her eyes.

"Master, what's wrong?" Aila turned as Elena walked up to her from behind. Aila stood up, stepped back, and wrapped an arm about the young woman's shoulders.

"Do you feel the pressure in the earth?" Aila asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's massive. Even if you dig a hole, it fills in right away. If you're in the hole, it will either crush you, or sweep you away." Elena looked up at her. "Master, do you know why?"

"Not yet, but did you notice something about the elemental pressure?" Aila asked. Elena frowned.

"Something about the pressure?" She frowned, knelt down and put her hand on the surface. When a hole appeared, the hole refilled quickly. She couldn't take the metal or the life, but the earth element dissolved quickly.

Elena watched it fill and frowned slightly. She did it again, and watched it carefully. She looked up at Aila, and back to the soil. She drained it a few more times, while Aila watched and let her.

"Wait, I think I see it. Master, all the pressure is from that direction!" She pointed towards the mountain.

"Explain, little bear." Aila said.

"I thought that the elemental pressure came from the entire hole. I thought it was all the way around, but it's not." She drained the hole again. "See? The dirt is pushed in from this direction." She pointed in the direction that Aila was concerned about.

"The mountain." Aila said softly.

"Yeah, from that direction. Master, what does this mean?" Elena asked.

"I don't know, little bear." She whispered. "Black panthers, flame wolves, and stone bears are displaced. Iron tusked boars are rampant. River pythons leave their river, but why?" She asked in a small voice.

"Master, is this going to be a problem for us?" Elena asked her.

"I don't know, little bear." Aila said quietly. "I just don't know." Elena leaned into her side.

This was the first time she heard her Master sound concerned about possible trouble. She felt so strong, and powerful, she's never hesitated to attack, or do things other elementalists could only dream about.

However, her beloved Master was concerned about the unknown. It was scary to think that maybe her Master might not be able to protect them.