The early morning air was cold on his face and unclothed chest as the horse under him galloped hard over the ground, carrying Taeyang as fast as it could.  Beaten and bloody already, his body bore the marks of a mob’s righteous anger.  All because he’d slipped up.  He had felt another like him nearby.  For but a shining instant, Taeyang thought he’d felt them… her, the night before when he was closing up shop at the blacksmith’s.  In his curious stupidity, he had allowed the mask to slip.  For a moment, his eyes flickered green when he read the wind.  And someone had seen.

                “Hyah!” he yelled wearily, feeling pity for the poor, brown, sweat-soaked beast beneath him, the emotion warring with his own fear and despair.

                A cold cell was no place for him to be and it had taken him all night to gather strength enough to burst free in a vicious gust of wind and crumbling stone, but the escape left him drained.  Unable to call the wind’s aide again, he stole the horse he was now riding, reserving just enough strength to seek his freedom.  There were too many people and guards to fight off anyway.  As skilled as he was in combat, by himself he couldn’t defeat an entire town, nor did he wish to.

                “Faster horse,” he breathed, crouching low over the neck as the dark brown mane scratched against his tender chest, faded markings painted upon his skin in thick lines.

                His hands ached from grabbing the loose mane so tightly, muscled legs going numb from the effort of holding onto the of the gelding.  He’d more than lost track of how long they had been on the run already, but every time he looked over his shoulder, he could see a persistent group of riders chasing him, their mounts burdened by additional gear and garb.  Once more, he looked back, tossing the sad fall of his limp stripe of silver hair out of his brown eyes to see the pursuit, chasing him down like a dog on the run.

                He was not the monster they believed him to be, but there had been enough Tamers beholden to no one who had given the rest of their kind a bad name.  And yet, the safest place to hide was in plain sight, unless you were Taeyang.  Mentally, he cursed himself, and the woman, for allowing himself to be caught.  It would be a miracle to escape with his hide intact now.

                Cringing, he ducked to the side to avoid a low hanging branch and very nearly unhorsed himself in the process, body bouncing roughly against the torso as he kept his knee stolidly hooked over the back.  It was perhaps the only thing that saved him.

                His arms burned and all of his body ached at hanging on awkwardly, but Taeyang blinked in horror when he heard an angry whistle on the wind and caught sight of a small volley of arrows.  Before he even had time to blink, the sporadic rain thunked into the ground around him and the stolen mount, whistling past his ragged form while one speared into the horse’s front shoulder.

                With an agonized scream, the horse’s gait faltered terribly and he fell in mid-gallop, abruptly sending Taeyang flying off in a tangle of flailing limbs.  “Yah!” he yelled, coughing as he hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs.

                Just behind him, the horse was making a terrible noise as he tried to get back up, the right front leg almost useless.  Gasping desperately for breath, Taeyang watched in heartfelt horror; that could have been him.  Looking back further, he saw the approaching pack of archers, bows raised to fire again and he was galvanized into action.  Taeyang scrambled to his feet, limbs sliding over the dusty surface before he found purchase and sprinted awkwardly.  His body ached and his pace was nowhere near fast enough while arrows whistled on the wind once more, his power granting him just enough warning to get out of the way.

                “Stop it!” he yelped, ducking in panic when an arrow whizzed by his ear, close enough that he felt the whoosh of air in its passing.  Gathering the shreds of his strength around him, Taeyang’s eyes flashed green and he slowed enough to turn and drag his arm above the dirt road behind, conjuring a whirling wall of dust to rise and rush towards his pursuers.  “Gyah!” he gasped, stumbling when the effort made his vision go fuzzy.

                His hand came to rest atop his chest when he stopped to look down the path as he heard the pursuing horses whinny and stall.  Caught in the wind storm, they shied away from the commands of their riders and danced in place, buying him but a few moments of freedom.  It wasn’t enough though and he knew it.  He wasted precious seconds glaring at them, debating whether he should just end it there or let them finally run him down when he couldn’t outpace them any longer.

                This way, a whisper fluttered into his ear, causing him to stand upright and look around in confusion, tired eyes peering from under furrowed brows.

                “Eh?” he gasped, searching for the source but there was no one.

                Come on you, the voice cajoled again, still giving him nothing to sight on but he had a direction.

                Taeyang rolled his eyes and exhaled.  He had one more go in him, didn’t he?  When he looked back to see the band of pursuers regrouping, he redoubled his efforts and hauled after the voice, following the tug of wind lazily encircling him, guiding him on.

                Hurry, the whisper actually laughed this time.

                “I am hurrying, woman!” he snapped back tiredly, blinking in surprise when he realized he could feel the speaker.  It was a ‘she’ and she was familiar.  No way…  Following the pull of the wind, he had no time to wonder further when going through the brush on the side of the road sent him tumbling headlong down a poorly cushioned slope.  Head over heels, he tumbled around trees and on top of debris, wincing and yelping at each new roll until he came to a breathless, skidding stop on some sort of plateau.  “Ugh…” he groaned, picking his head up from his prone position with his hands splayed over the hard dirt.

                “There you are,” a feminine voice smiled, the tone warm and slightly amused.

                Taeyang raised his brows when he turned his head to the side and noticed an ordinary enough looking woman.  She was relatively tiny with a slender frame and long, flowing locks of dirty blonde hair that adorned her shoulders artfully.  Her smile was infectious under kind, brown eyes that danced with concerned mirth.  How she managed that, he wasn’t entirely sure, but Taeyang was confounded enough to stagger to his feet and point at her.  “You.”

                “I thought it was you,” she giggled, leaning her white dress clothed form to the side as she waved with both hands cutely.

                He gaped at her, not even remotely sure why she was so happy.  “It’s your fault I was discovered and that’s all you have to say?” he grumbled, not sure he liked her, even if she was a Tamer like him.

                She clicked her tongue and wagged a single finger at him.  “Just because I was in the area doesn’t mean I made you drop your disguise.  You’ve been living too long among the tameless,” she chided, practically bouncing on her feet.

                “Who are you?” Taeyang blinked, distractedly brushing himself off as his back itched like there was someone coming behind him.

                Firming her stance, the woman stood on straight legs with her bare feet crossed.  She extended one arm to her side in a fluid gesture, the palm pointing towards the ground, while her head followed the motion.  She paused and then repeated the gesture with her other arm, shifting her focus to look at him with a glimmer of challenge in her eyes before she turned her palms up.  Immediately, a controlled vortex of wind wound about her body, tugging at the hem of her dress and hair, partially obscuring her face where the brown eyes became a brilliant, emerald green color.

                “I am the Wind Tamer Hyoyeon,” she intoned with a smile as bright as the sun, warmth and energy streaming from her slender, muscled frame.  “And you should dance with me,” Hyoyeon invited, extending her left hand towards him as the wind winnowed away her dress, leaving her clothed in a form fitting two-part outfit that revealed her toned physique but covered her decently all the same.  The yellow coloration of her shorts and half-shirt matched well with the green tone of her eyes and contrasted sharply with the black lines that swirled over her chest and across her abdomen, bearing a striking resemblance to his own markings.  She blinked at him before her gaze flickered up and over his shoulder.

                It was only when Taeyang heard rushed voices that he dared to look back and gasped upon seeing that same stubborn band of pursuers making their way down the slope after him.  They had to leave the horses behind and the angle was all wrong to make a proper shot but, turning back around, he noticed he had absolutely nowhere to go.  “Yah!  We’re trapped!” he flailed, running up close to the edge beside her as he peered down, knowing there was absolutely no chance of him surviving that fall into the tree line below them.

                “Wind Tamer,” Hyoyeon murmured softly, a hint of concern in her voice.

                Taeyang closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he turned around to face Hyoyeon, swallowing thickly.  A glance to the side showed his pursuit was almost here.  It would be over for both of them when they arrived…  “I can’t do anything to help,” he explained, gesturing dejectedly.  He’d already expended what little strength he did have in getting this far.

                She smiled at him warmly and tried again, “Take my hand.”

                At a loss and pretty much as good as dead, what else did he have to lose?  Taeyang exhaled softly and reached his right hand out, pausing to retract it once as he met the glowing green eyes that regarded him so calmly.  She nodded silent encouragement and he swallowed, following through to press his palm to hers.

                Hyoyeon beamed at him in response, her fingers wrapping around his hand firmly.  “Don’t let go,” she whispered, the words like thunder in his ears when wind brought the utterance to him and seemed to magnify it so that it reverberated through his body.

                “What…?” he gasped as the winding vortex around Hyoyeon shifted and spread up his arm, whirling around the limb in swift, invigorating passes that brought the lines on his skin to life, infusing the faded markings with color and power.  Wide eyed and utterly entranced, Taeyang was unable to look away while he watched and could actually see the wind, like threads in the air, spreading out over the rest of his body, filling him with strength and confidence he didn’t know he possessed.

                When it reached his head, he closed his eyes as it felt as if the wind actually infiltrated his body, entering through his mouth… his nose… his eyes… infusing him from the inside out.  His skin tingled fiercely and he felt the silver strands of hair on his head float up and straighten, waving in the currents of the wind.  At last, he opened his eyes and could see his reflection looking back at him in Hyoyeon’s shining orbs: they were green too.

                Shifting slowly, Hyoyeon grinned and threaded their fingers together, her expression one of exultant challenge.  “Now dance!” she instructed, holding firm as she pulled him after her while she stepped back.

                It wasn’t until they moved that Taeyang even heard the wind whisper in his ear, warning him of the arrows that arched through the space they’d just inhabited.  Turning his head to look, he noticed the group of guards and a handful of villagers making their way towards them, their actions slower than he thought they should be.

                Dance, Wind Tamer, her voice whispered to him, caressing his ears like silk.  Listen to the music of the wind, she beamed, utterly enjoying herself despite the fact they were faced with armed attackers.

                Unable to look away, Taeyang watched Hyoyeon move with boneless grace and power, leading him in the steps that felt completely strange and yet familiar at the same time.  For a moment, he watched her play with the strands of wind, drawing them around the next volley of arrows like strings, twining them together to swing them over and around their bodies in a guided arc so that they passed harmlessly over the edge.

                He was slightly caught off guard when she twirled herself into his body so that her back was flush with his chest while her arm crossed her torso.  This close together it was impossible to miss that she was significantly shorter than him, but there was no denying the power she controlled as she raised her other hand towards their attacks, a knowing smile playing on her lips while she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

                Like this, she encouraged, prompting him to raise his left hand on the other side of her body, mimicking her position.

                Together, they manipulated the strands of wind to encircle and corral the tameless like Hyoyeon had done to the arrows they’d fired.  Taeyang could see their mouths moving as they cried out in panic and fear, but he could hear nothing of their voices.  There was only the wind whispering seductively into his ear.

                Bind them close.  Take away their ability to fight back.  Strike fear into their powerless hearts so that they know you are greater.  Make them pay, she commanded almost gleefully, guiding him in drawing the thread taught as the group as a whole was pulled together.

                With a start, Taeyang realized her intent was to actually send them over the edge.  She meant to kill them…  His aide lessened and their progress slowed while he hesitated.  Green eyes flickered to the woman before him, her hair whirling beautifully in the wind and he couldn’t help but feel a chill run through him.  Was she one of those who used this gift for personal gain?  One that had caused this fear in the tameless to begin with?

                She didn’t look at him though he knew she was waiting to see what he would do, biding her time.  Her power didn’t waver but it was on hold so that everything seemed frozen; even the wind was reluctant to move freely.

                Don’t you want to? she asked in a tone that was deceptively light.

                No.  Taeyang was struck by how sudden the answer came to him but no, he didn’t.  He was afraid of them, yes, but he never wished harm upon them.  Though he knew they would have killed him, and had every intention of doing so, he didn’t want their blood on his hands.

                “No!” he gasped, dropping his left arm and pulling himself free from her hold, breaking the spell over him so that time seemed to resume at a normal speed with the cries of the tameless bombarding him harshly.  All the borrowed strength fled in a single breath and Taeyang collapsed to the ground, lacking the grace he’d briefly held for but a shining moment in time.  “No…” he panted on the ground, turning regular brown eyes upon Hyoyeon again.

                She was exactly where he’d pulled away from her, an apologetic smile on her face.  Slowly, Hyoyeon dropped her arms to her side and shifted to face him, allowing the winds to calm around her and the threads around the tameless to fall away.  In a tangle of limbs and frantic cries, they fell apart, leaving some to flee and others to scramble madly for their discarded weapons.

                Neither Tamer was paying them any attention whatsoever.  Hyoyeon elegantly approached, stepping as if she was still following the beat of a song Taeyang could only hear faintly.  He slid away as she drew closer and then froze when she caught his shoulder with her dainty hand in a surprisingly gentle touch.  “You are indeed a good man,” she giggled, sliding her hand up to cup his cheek before she leaned close and pressed a chaste but warm kiss to his lips.

                Taeyang blinked and chirped in the back of throat, more than a little surprised.  What?  Just as suddenly, she pulled away and twirled around to face the remaining attackers herself.  In confusion, Taeyang watched her for a few seconds, noticing the way she continued to dance with the wind, her body undulating with the threads while her intent became considerably less sinister.  Dancing in a wholly free form style that had no sense of forethought, she ‘reached’ and then ‘grabbed’ more of the weapons in their hands, yanking them free with a step that mirrored her body movements.

                So now she was just subduing them?  Taeyang really didn’t know what to think.  Hesitantly, he collected his feet under him and stood up, roughing a hand through the limp strands of silver hair again.  He ached to know more just from the brief glimpse she’d given him, but not at the cost she was asking…

                Help me? came the unexpected, tentative inquiry.  Hyoyeon’s focus didn’t lessen at all, but he knew she was the one to speak.

                It wasn’t as if she needed his help either.  She certainly appeared to have things well in hand, but…  The temptation was there.  Taeyang wanted to dance.  He’d always wanted to dance, even when he didn’t know how to do more than practice footwork and form over and over again with all the weapons in his shop.  That desire was what drove him forward.  It took root in his heart, filled him until it threatened to overflow, and demanded he approach Hyoyeon for answers.

                Without ever looking his direction, she knew he drew near and paused in her movements long enough to extend her left hand towards him again, patiently waiting.  Determinedly, he laced his fingers together with hers and offered a hesitant, hopeful smile.

                “Remember,” she grinned, turning her head to acknowledge him.  “Don’t let go.”

                Once more, wind and power thrummed around and through him, filling him with the music that powered his passion.  His eyes blazed green and the silver strands stood on end while the marks on his person filled in with dark, vibrant color.  This time, when she tried to lead, he resisted and noticed the thoughtful and pleased upturn of her lips as he pulled her close, bringing them hand to hand.

                Focusing on their hands in front of them, he guided the strands to copy what she’d achieved earlier: grabbing a single crossbow and yanking it out of the attacker’s grasp.  In doing so however, he held Hyoyeon’s hand and invited her into a spin, which she gleefully took, so that he embraced her against his chest with her arms crossed before her.  He could feel the controlled power and tension in her frame as she waited for his next invitation, a coy smile playing on her lips.

                Watch out.

                The warning was androgynous, neither male nor female, and with a start, Taeyang realized he had actually heard the voice of the wind.  It prompted him to raise his left hand so that Hyoyeon could spin in place before he guided their still clasped hands through the space between them, funneling a spout of wind to spiral from their arms where they now stood back to back.  As the horizontal twister slammed into an oncoming pair of melee strikers, pushing them bodily backwards and into the brush again, Taeyang and Hyoyeon reached to grab their hands together behind them.

                Standing upright, he drew Hyoyeon around in front of his body as she took quick steps to keep up, nearly flying on the wind while she pirouetted in place where another vortex gathered around her spinning form.  Glancing up, Taeyang saw additional strikers approaching from either side and as he guided Hyoyeon out, giving her a chance to plant her feet in a powerful, grounded stance so that she could send the collected power towards the men on her side, he weaved his right arm in, allowing his lean form to curve like an ebbing wave before he flowed forward, stomping his foot hard on the ground to match her form, shoving a more aggressive blast of air at his attackers.

                One right after the other, the three men fell to the ground with pained groans, moving sluggishly.  The rest of the rather fractured group watched the Tamers with wide, frightened eyes, realizing at last they were outmatched.

                Shall we send them home?

                Taeyang grinned at the playful suggestion from his partner and nodded confidently.  “Yes please,” he murmured, giving her hand a tug to bring Hyoyeon back to his person, grinning down at her with excitement and joy in his eyes.  Hand to hand, he led her in a small circle, giving them both a chance to show off their footwork with challenge in their gazes, never breaking eye contact while they moved.  Teasingly playful, both their body’s moving in entrancing body rolls and undulations, the wind built around them, thriving on their chemistry.

                The pair was soon lost behind a veritable wall of wind filled with debris and dust as it cloaked their forms in the untouched center.  Grinning and breathing hard, they stopped, still staring at each other as the cyclone howled around them, drowning out all other sounds.

                Now!

                All three voices crowed in victorious elation as Hyoyeon and Taeyang pushed back, raised their rear hands up so they could step under together, their free hands touching lightly as they passed.  The power of the wind drew away with them, as if it was taking a deep breath in preparation, following the way they extended their free hands to the back, grinning at each other over their shoulders as long as they could until they s their outstretched arms in front of their bodies and back towards the slope where their attackers were.

                Mirror images of each other, they planted their feet powerfully, standing chest to chest as their outstretched hands rested together, Taeyang’s palm atop the back of Hyoyeon’s hand.  The cyclone moved over them swiftly, the back wall catching the pair in a burst of wind that threatened to take them along too, but the Tamers held firm and it continued on without them, grabbing up the people left behind and snatching those who were already fleeing as it continued up the slope, promptly disappearing over the edge.

                Panting for breath and still tingling from the sensation of power howling around him and the song of wind dancing in his soul, Taeyang looked at Hyoyeon and swallowed.  “Why did you call me?” he whispered, suddenly unsure now that the music had died down and the danger of the threat following him had been taken care of.  A strange weariness settled over him then and he sagged where he stood when Hyoyeon stepped back to disentangle their hands, leaving him bereft of the power she had bestowed upon him when they danced.

                “Because you called me first,” she smiled shyly, catching a strand of hair in her fingers as she played with it.  She drew the fingers of her other hand along her arm and swung it in front of her, summoning threads of the earlier white dress to solidify and clothe her otherwise mostly exposed form.

                Taeyang blinked in stunned amazement and sputtered, “No I didn’t.”

                Meaningfully, she tapped her open hand over her heart and took a step closer, looking up into his utterly confused face with a very understanding expression on her own.  “You didn’t physically, but I heard your pain.  Here,” she explained, reaching out to place her palm flat against his chest where his heart was.

                “But… how?” he asked in response.  He’d been careful not to use his ability whenever possible.  As much as he could, he had closed himself off, trying to banish what might get him killed as had almost happened last night.

                “Because every Tamer wants to dance,” she whispered with a warm glint in her normal, brown eyes.  “Needs to, in their heart,” she went on, closing her eyes and bowing her head.  “The wind will not be bound and when your heart cries out, the wind listens and tries its best to keep you from falling away from what you are meant to be.”

                “And what is that exactly?” Taeyang asked, still a bit skeptical with the way she was talking.

                “A Tamer, first and foremost,” she laughed delightedly.

                “I am,” he responded, brushing himself off distractedly and slightly embarrassed.

                “Oh really?” Hyoyeon teased, swaying where she stood.

                “And I wasn’t falling,” he grumbled, scuffing the ground with his foot.  He was just… surviving.  There was a difference.

                “You fell off the horse,” she reminded him innocently.

                He gaped at her, floundering for a response.  “I was thrown when it got shot,” Taeyang corrected indignantly.

                “You fell down the slope,” she teased with a grin.

                “I was following you!” he muttered, pointing at her in an accusing manner.

                Hyoyeon clasped her hands in front of her and pursed her lips.  “You’ve been falling all your life though.  And today, I think you’ve finally landed,” she admitted, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully.

                More baffled than ever, Taeyang flailed at her, “What are you talking about?”

                His question seemed to amuse her and she laughed, bouncing in place.  “You called.  I answered.  And you passed my test with flying colors,” she explained cheerily, more than a little delighted.

                Test?  What test?  His brow furrowed and he frowned while she obviously waited for him to put the pieces together.  Wait.  Was that what that whole trying to kill the people thing had been?  “You never really intended to kill them did you?”

                “Nope,” she shook her head emphatically.  “But I had to make sure you didn’t either.”  Taeyang glared at her with a deadpan expression and she placed her fists on her hips, huffing, “Hey!  You know as well as I do there are more than enough idiot Tamers out there giving us a bad name.  It’s why you’ve been hiding among the tameless for who knows how long,” she rolled her eyes, waving a hand at him in irritation.

                He couldn’t exactly argue with her there.  And she had said he was a good man after all.  His cheeks grew hot when he remembered that she’d also kissed him, and it only intensified when he looked up at the sound of her giggle.  Gathering his courage, and his pride, Taeyang pulled his shoulders back and cleared his throat.  “Let’s say you’re right.”  He grumbled in the back of his throat when the pleased look on her face told him she thought she was.  “What happens now?” he asked uncertainly.  He couldn’t return to the town for they would surely try to kill him again.  Moving on was an option but he still didn’t know how he’d manage to be true to his Tamer heritage without getting himself killed.  And he dearly wanted to dance again…

                “Well then, Tamer.  Are you ready to find out what you can truly become?” Hyoyeon asked as she held her hand out to him invitingly.

                Taeyang stared at it for a long moment, inspecting the slender fingers and small palm with critical eyes as he remembered the way it had fit so very perfectly with his.  He would never be able to forget the way he’d felt when dancing with her.  Given that, there was no going back to just surviving, falling further and further away from being a Tamer as he uselessly tried to be a tameless.  The exhilaration and confidence he’d experienced were permanently etched into his being and his blush finally faded when he held his ground and inquired, “Don’t you even want to know my name?”

                Hyoyeon tilted her head to the side and smiled, “Only if you want to tell me.”

                He snorted at her coy answer, laughing to himself.  “Taeyang,” he offered, taking her hand in his like they were greeting for the first time.

                “It’s nice to meet you, Taeyang,” her smile widened into a grin.  Purposefully, she changed her grip to thread their fingers together, holding firm.

                “Hyoyeon,” he called before she could try to lead the way again, feeling power fill him, making the alterations to his person even as it turned their eyes green at the same time.

                “Ne?” she paused, looking up into his face intently.

                “Why are you helping me?” he asked insistently, knowing there had to be more to it.

                Hyoyeon gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.  “Every great Tamer has to start somewhere.”   She nodded once, as if to herself, and went on, “You who begins at the bottom… I want to see how far you can rise.”

                There was an unspoken challenge in her words and Taeyang was nothing if not competitive.  If she wanted to see how good he could be, she was in for one bumpy ride.  “You’re on,” he chuckled, riding the sudden bout of confidence long enough to step close and steal a quick, playful kiss from her lips.  She broke away laughing and he was forced to laugh with her or risk losing face.

                “You have these moments,” Hyoyeon giggled, pointing her finger at him, though the faint flush in her cheeks gave away that she was pleased and embarrassed as well.  “Come on,” she urged, pulling him towards the edge of the plateau they were still standing on.  “We’ve wasted enough time already,” she assured him.

                “Hey!  Wait a moment,” he exclaimed, eyes going wide in his face when he realized she intended to pull them over the ledge.

                “Remember,” Hyoyeon looked back to smile, determinedly hauling him after her into a freefall off the side, with a strength that rivaled his own.  “Don’t let go,” she finished as the wind reached out to catch them in giant, incorporeal hands and lift them into the sky together.