Two and a half minutes of relentless kissing and cuddling later...

  Trust me, it is better if I don't disclose much. It makes me feel gross just catching glimpses of the whole thing. Seriously, who's the asshole who invented love?

  Forgive me for the unprompted rant...

  After the lovey-dovey humiliation, Stella and the rest joined the pup in the totally not-dull meditation practice and Saniya cycling. Lien kept herself at bay with more cuddle time promises, which made Gentō recoil and cringe at hearing it. Even the Human would admit it was a little much...

  Whatever. The girl would take any peaceful break she could grasp, as fleeting as they were. For now, it was her, her inherent life energy, the sweet sensation of the wind blowing her hair, clothes, and skin, and a leaf landing on her shoulder midway through. She decided to let it be, her imagination picturing it as a loyal parrot companion who followed a great, famous pirate who searched far and wide for the One Piece and constantly fought her arch-nemesis, the squid-faced Davy Jones!

  Wait, these were two different franchises, weren't they? Does anyone care? Self-insert fantasies are rarely the place for clear artistic vision and integrity...

  The reprieve ended, however, when Hōkō whistled at them. He always did this when it was time to change the exercise. Her ears were not pleased by it. The sharp sound clicked a button deep inside her mental abyss, which filled her head with the urge to tear someone apart. That's not something she must see with a therapist AT ALL!

  "All of your Saniya are properly raised and circling. Now, I propose we try something... a tad unusual." the elder said while closing his eyes.

  Suddenly, the Human girl saw a blur rising in the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she glimpsed the begonia beds, rebelling against the organized shape imposed on them in favor of an untamed, shallow, and colorful jungle.

  Gentō snorted. "What?! Are we doing gardening now?!"

  Hōkō only smiled in response. No words were necessary.

  Stella stroked her chin. "What's the catch, teach?"

  The elder chuckled. "Observant as always, child! If only pluck the rogue flowers and weeds by any other method outside of earth magic, another one will immediately grow in its place!" he explained.

  Gentō, Lien, and Kreef were all shaken by his words.

  "S-Sir...?" The Amikiri snapped his claws anxiously. "I have zero experience with earth magic."

  The Wolf lifted a paw. "Me neither."

  The Baku was the most vocal about his discontentment. "You senseless prick! I have no ability with elemental magic!" He crossed his arms and averted his gaze. "Crazy old- ARGH!" he screamed as a vine whipped his bottom.

  "That was for calling me a prick." Hōkō huffed, shaking his head in disapproval. "The fact three of you know nothing of this elemental path is reason enough to start this regimen. A superficial knowledge of earth magic will be useful in combat or your daily routine."

  Gentō grumbled while rubbing his assailed butt. "I-If you say so..." His eyes sparkled with suppressed tears.

  Kreef hovered beside his Oni companion, eyes quivering but locked on the white canine. Hanaken remained unflinching under this brief disturbance.

  "Say, kid. Do you already know earth magic?" The red brute addressed Stella with an inquisitive smile.

  The Human smirked with confidence shining on her pearly yellows. "Hah! Surprised?" She pointed a thumb at herself. "Watch yourself, or I'll surpass you in a few more days."

  The Oni cackled. "You sure love running your mouth, don't you?" She stepped closer. "What do you say we settle this with a little contest?"

  Stella cocked an eyebrow, grinning with interest. "I'm all ears..."

  "It's simple. The one who clears more of the garden within an hour wins."

  The girl cracked her knuckles. "Game on, grandma."

  The elder Wolf shouted at the competitive duo. "Wait a bit, you impatient pups!"

  But it was too late. Stella took a deep breath, raising her palm in the air. With her eyes burning with everlasting resolve, she slammed her open hand at the ground, sending vibrations that compelled the earth to spew a pile of weeds and a tiny tree with red begonias.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Her eyes darted towards the hulking Monoke, who rooted out tens of begonias with a mighty, thunderous stomp. The Human begrudgingly froze and trembled at the power and authority her rival exerted with each movement.

  Desperate to keep up, Stella struck the earth in tune with her Saniya, imprinting her command over the element as rows of rogue vegetation were put to rest and coalesced in piles at the corners of the glade. Unfortunately, there was only so much the inexperienced child could handle before being reduced to a sweating, panting mess in the middle of the garden. Hanaken was also exhausted, but she did clear up HALF of the area, so their situation was hardly comparable.

  "Come on... That red bitch is taking a rest..." The girl fought bravely against her own sore muscles. However, she ain't Goku. She won't push herself through her limits and acquire a bullshit transformation.

  ...Although, this story might not be so far off... We shall see...

  Regardless, her fruitless effort was halted by a familiar voice grunting with frustration not so far away.

  "Come on! Move, you stupid weed!" Lien kept pushing her paw onto the ground as if performing CPR on Mother Earth herself. After a minute of unsuccessful attempts, she sat on the ground, bearing an ugly scowl. Her similarities with her mother shone through in these moments.

  Stella smiled at her girlfriend's adorable, angry expression. She could pinch those ears and call her a good girl all day long...

  Wait...

  The Human girl approached the pouting pup. "What's wrong, Lien?"

  Lien huffed. "I pump so much Saniya in the dirt, but these things won't budge!" She growled in frustration as she forcibly yanked a weed and tossed it to the dark woods, only for another to grow in the same spot.

  Stella scratched her scalp. "I made the same mistake." She sat beside her packmate. "It's not just about intensity. You must find the right rhythm to connect yourself to the dirt!"

  The young Wolf tilted her head in confusion. And to think, a measly little orphan had to teach freaking magic to someone else... Who lived in a civilization filled with kung fu wizards, no less!

  Stella sighed. "Just put your paw on the ground."

  Lien:

  Once again, she felt nothing. The flowers, yes, but the ground itself?! The only sensation was the tiny granular particles rolling and dancing between her fingers, most of them stuck on her fur, which was only cleaned every weekend when she went fishing with her mother.

  "This is pointless, Stella. I'm better at air magic, not this doo-doo!"

  Her girlfriend scoffed. "Already lost your cussing privileges?"

  "No! But I don't want to waste them now! What if I REALLY need them later?!" she explained.

  "That's fair," Stella conceded. "But trust me, there's nothing you cannot do." Her voice gained strength and volume. "You want to prove to everyone you're no less than them?! Then knock their socks off by nailing this exercise!"

  Lien's packmate was sounding more like the Knight. Living in the same hut brought some intriguing results, indeed.

  "Any suggestions?" the pup asked.

  Goosebumps jolted through her spine when her girlfriend touched her shoulders. "I can't feel Saniya, but knowing you, you must be doing it too fast. Try slowing it down. Focus on the little changes in the dirt, and remember the sensation of meditating and cycling your energy."

  Oh, my! Stella sounded like an actual teacher! Lien couldn't put her finger on why, but hearing her partner firmly guide her made her feel... restless, but in a pleasing manner.

  I have an idea of what that is. It's called a fetish. Hopefully, the poor pup would discover it only years later. Stella is a lost cause, however.

  Disturbing thoughts aside, the pup took the Human's advice to heart. Her Saniya pulsed at a fierce yet slow pace. Once it proved fruitless, she hastened the interval between energy surges. However, she restrained herself, not resorting to the opposite extreme, as her impatient self would always do.

  It consumed every drop of her forbearance, but her Saniya streamed through her paw and rooted down into the soil with a slowly increasing cadence. The pup was almost losing conscience to the overbearing ennui when-

  "Huh?" A gargantuan but not oppressive wall of sensation tickled her paw for a fraction of a second. Lien's milky eyes darted in desperation. "Stella! I've felt something down there! Something HUGE!"

  Stella hummed with confusion. "There's a huge Saniya underground?"

  The pup shook her head. "No. It wasn't a Saniya signature. It was similar to..." Her eyes widened in realization. "...to when I bend air..."

  "Lien!" Stella clutched her shoulder again. "I think you just tapped into earth magic!"

  The young Wolf clutched her paws. "By Tizohi's antlers!" She giggled. "Yes! Yes! YES!!!"

  "Quick! Do you remember the rhythm?!" Stella asked.

  Lien eagerly nodded. "Yep!" Her Saniya coalesced into her paw, tickling each strand of fur down to its root and pulsating at the exact, specific pace from before.

  "Wow..." Stella muttered in awe. "Wait, you can't see the flowers, right? I don't think I could ever do this without vision..."

  "Actually, Lien has quite the advantage over you..." Hōkō's hoarse but energetic voice made a surprise cameo inside the pup's and Stella's minds. "You can still feel the flowers' Saniya, Lien. You don't need to rely on your physical senses."

  Of course! It all sounded so easy now! With her mind focusing on a single weed, the pup swung her energy-coated paw in the air, then slammed onto the dirt! Her ears perked up as she heard something bursting out from the floor.

  Her packmate's giggle took claim of her hearing soon after. "You did it, Lien! You kicked that weed's booty!"

  The young pup couldn't believe it. Understanding air magic was a painful slog, and she only learned one spell until she developed her Furball technique a week ago, which was inspired by her uncle's rolling attack. However, he didn't use any elemental path to perform it, so as far as she was concerned, her version was an upgrade.

  Lien always had a problem with her attention span or lack thereof. Hōkō patiently tried to drill the importance of discipline time and time again. Unfortunately, the pup's mind always pursued the thrill of exploring, playing, fighting, literally anything else besides sitting on her ass all day. Nevertheless, something about Stella pushed her to strive and become stronger "the right way." The Human had this sway over her, stirring a drive that barely made itself known in her mind. It was... odd but not in a scary manner.

  Speaking of her girlfriend...

  "OUCH!" Her cry pulled Lien from her thoughts. "What was that about?!"

  The Wolf asked the same thing.

  "If you want a word to replace 'ass,' you could have used 'bottom.'"

  That made sense...

  Stella should stop being so squirmish about the caramelized beetles. Her dirty mouth slipped up too much...