While there were still scattered trees around, by the time night fell Suzaku determined that they were far enough out of the forest for his tastes. He turned to the young man following him. "Alright, we'll rest here for the night," he told Elric. "Stay put, I'll be right back."

Without any further explanation, he walked off into the taller grass off to the side of the semi-beaten path, eventually leaving Elric's line of sight. Several minutes of silence passed before there was any sign of activity: a burst of light in the distance.

Another few minutes passed before he returned, but not empty handed. In one hand was a large hare held by its ears, its fur blackened. He set it down in front of Elric. "You know how to skin something, kid?" he asked, turning his attention away as he surveyed the area they were in, looking for something.

" Yes, if you have a knife. " He replied, getting up from the patch of grass he had been sitting on. In front of him lay a circle of stones, which he had prepared in hopes of lighting a fire. His clothes were the ones he had been wearing to work on the field, and they weren't exactly the best to be traveling with. He knew he would get cold during the night, and he could already feel the chills creeping on his sweaty skin.

Seems he would be using it now to cook the meat as well.

As he went to take the hare, he couldn't help but notice the fur of the creature was darker at one spot than the rest, and this puzzled him. Could the warrior have powers beyond his muscles? He was more than happy now to have him on his side, feeling a bit more safe.

But, then again, one day I'll have to fight him. A chill went up his spine, and he felt it hard to swallow for a brief moment.

" How did you kill it, Suzaku? " Elric asked, breaking the silence. As a matter of fact, everything was more silent than usual around them. This was a new part of the woods he had not ventured often into, and he found things so unfamiliar. He felt safer even if it was hearing the sound of his own voice.

Suzaku was glad to hear that he knew how to skin animals; he handed Elrid the hare, as well as a knife that he pulled from his boot. Even more important than teaching the boy how to fight would be teaching him how to survive on his own, and if he could already prepare his own food that was one less thing he needed to teach him.

But it was his second question that truly pleased him--he'd seemed so meek earlier that he was afraid the boy wouldn't speak at all unless he prompted him to, but here he asked a question, one that also indicated he was observant as well. There's hope for him yet.

Lips pulled back into a wide (if slightly predatory) grin, he replied, "This is how." Extending his hand towards the makeshift fire pit, but making sure to keep it far enough away that Elric could see what he was doing, he concentrated for a second.

A small gout of orange flame extended from his hand, instantly igniting the kindling and starting an adequate fire. He didn't explain anything just yet; instead, he looked at Elric intently for his reaction.

The young man's mouth fell open as he saw the Magic Suzaku wielded. Of course, this wasn't the first time he had seen magic, since his whole village had been magic users... But they were all of the same element. Earth. Seeing other elements was something truly amazing, and reminded him how little he knew of the world.

" I didn't know you could control fire..." He gasped, reaching out to touch the spot where the flame had landed- retracting his hand once he found it still hot from the flame.

" Can I do the same? " Eldric asked, and before the warrior could answer him, Elric extended his hand towards a medium sized rock. His brow came into a frown and his hand shook a bit, but within a few moments the rock was starting to wiggle and soon enough, it was sliding down slowly. He dropped it after a few moments, not too strained from the effort but still considerably tired.

" I can do this.. But, if I use plants or anything alive, it kills them. " A pang of pain came from his voice. They didn't use their powers much aside from moving rocks, and even then, would the person be untrained and move earth, it would die and never yield life again.

"I see." He couldn't help but be slightly disappointed at the extent of his powers. At the moment, such weak magic was useless--it would take a significant amount of training before he could hope to use it in combat in any way.

"Magic is no different from any muscle on your body," Suzaku stated after a minute. "Use it frequently and your power will grow. Neglect it and it will atrophy. You have neglected yours for quite some time, it seems."

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be giving both plenty of use."