Avatars of Nature Pt. 1

The quiet landscape breathed lazily at the boring days it was experiencing, oblivious to the impending scar it would soon receive. Deep in the sky, a red star grew slowly brighter and larger. Soon, the orb's fury and terror echoed the crackles of flame across her. Animals and birds fled in terror as the landscape shuddered in fear at the newcomer. The ball of flame was now hurdling loudly towards an untouched field of tall grass. The wind picked up and the grass blades cried out their protest in unison, only drowned out by the roar of the trees in equal resistance. The landscape shuddered again, knowing the oncoming doom for her beautiful face. Even the water of the nearby pond seemed to shy away as the fireball encroached above. The volume of protest and shouting from the trees, grass, and pond were only dwarfed by the landscape's eerie silence and the rage of the fireball now charging violently fast towards the ground. The symphony of outcry and rage ended climatically in a fortissimo of thunder leaving the audience of animals silent in awe at the result.

Upon the water's edge, a deep crater seemed to mark the fireball's victory. In the center of the crater, a tanned, blond haired man lay crumpled in pain from the impact. The water quickly stepped forward to obtain the last word of the argument, filling the fresh crater. The cool water flowed closer until it tickled the man's feet. It hissed in shock as the heat from the man's body boiled the water into the air, angered the last word was stolen.

"Ugh....that hurt..." the man grumbled, standing to his feet. The man, once called Oliver, looked around the landscape, silently apologizing for the injury he created. The audience and other members of the orchestra seemed to gaze at him with fear that any wrong move could incite his wrath. Oliver moved out of the pond's way and ignored the quiet applause as the water returned to the task of filling the crater. "Now where the heck am I?"

Oliver looked around at the newly shaped landscape. The trees shied away from the crater in disgust, while the grass lay almost flat from shock. The sky was clear and pure blue, offering a taunting hint at the expanse that was actually held behind it. Oliver's body slowly rose inches off the ground as he seemed to fade from view. In seconds the only trace that he was there was a mirage of distorting heat where he once stood. The anomaly rose further off the ground and shot up into the sky, leaving the landscape to recover from his unexpected entrance.

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After extended moments of wispy travel, Oliver landed in an exhausted heap yards away from a smoldering house; his launching point. His battered body showed massive recover from the original impact, taking the more recent crash more gracefully. Oliver stumbled to his feet and up the porch, bumping the door and gaining access to his now destroyed home. Flashbacks of the cataclysm jetted across his memory like lightning bolts; jagged, random, and unclear. Oliver moved with conviction to the remains of his bedroom, finding deep in his closet his costume, the small wardrobe of non-flammable clothing, and a small suitcase with minor scorch marks. Inside the suitcase he found an emergency cell phone still operable. One quick call and a cab was soon summoned.

After a quick change to the more protective flame-proof clothing, an equally quick packing job found the remaining clothes and costume stuffed haphazardly into the scorched suitcase. Stomping out of his house, he found the cab driver arriving with hesitation. The cab service was well aware of Oliver's abilities.

Oliver moved towards the cab, opening his cell phone one more time. "Don't worry man, just take me to the city. I swear I won't blow up."

"Uh huh...I believe ya." The cabbie retorted, knowing Oliver's history with control over his powers.

"C'mon man, how long has it been since I exploded like this?" Oliver shot back, annoyed.

"I guess a year is a pretty long time." the cabbie nodded, opening the back door to the car. The driver was silent for the remainder of the drive into the big city. Oliver, however, was making one call after another. A good half hour later, the horrific war walls smeared across the skyline of the city, dwarfing every tower, landmark, and notable building possible. Oliver shook his head. "Hey Oliver, anywhere in particular you wanna get dropped off at?"

"Uh..." Oliver winced as he glanced at the meter. The rates had spiked painfully since the last time he needed to use a cab. He groaned a short response: "Drop me off at the Capital."