10 years ago:

Somewhere in Japan:

A small boy, alone with his father in the woods, heard a noise. He left his father at the camping spot and went to the sound. He traced the sound to a large river that raced over a mountain and around a bend to reach him. As the boy stared into the limped depths of the river the form of a creature became visible. The boy’s eyes took on the crystal hues of the water as the figure revealed itself to be a dragon made entirely of water. The dragon reared to its full height and looked the boy over. As the boy stared, unafraid, at the water dragon’s appearance, he was recognized to be the First. The dragon lowered its head until he was staring straight into the boys liquefied eyes and spoke so that only the boy could hear him.
“I am the Water Dragon. Yours is a grand destiny, boy. You shall grow to lead the Four. Train well for when I return, you will face the Challenge. Do not forget this.” The liquefied dragon exploded into individual droplets and circled the boy once before rejoining the river. As the last water droplets joined the river, the boy’s father found him.
“There you are, m’boy! I’ve been looking everywhere!” The boy continued staring at the river. “Son? Are you all right?” the father questioned worriedly.
“Did you see it, Pop?” the boy asked, still facing the water.
“What?” Suddenly the dragon’s voice sounded in the boys head.
Tell no one. The boy shook his head to clear it then turned to his father and smiled.
“Nothing, Pop. Never mind. Lets go.” The boy and his father turned back into the forest and the dragon’s voice sounded once again.
Do not forget this.

The same day, somewhere in China:

A little boy, the same age as the first and yet completely different, sat by himself staring at a small fire. Of all the members of his village, he had been ‘specially selected’ to watch this tiny fire burn all night. For what purpose? Simply because the princess of the village, the girl that held the boys heart, wanted him gone on the night of her victory feast. The boy was discouraged, but not so much that he would give up. No, in that respect he was like the tiny fire he was watching. As the fire refused to give up and die, even against the cruelest of winds, so, too, did the boy refuse to give up. Even against the cruelest of treatment. As the boy sat he became lonely, but the darkness provided him with a friend. A small cat, almost a kitten, sensed the boy’s presence and came to him in his loneliness. For a few moments the boy and the kitten kept each other company, but soon a third presence made itself known. It came not from the darkness of the night, but from the heat and light of the fire. Slowly the fire creature uncurled itself and stretched lazily, revealing itself to be a cat made of fire. It looked over at the boy and, seeing fire reflected in the depths of the boy’s eyes, acknowledged the Second. Slowly the cat-who-was-fire walked over to the boy. Then the cat of fire addressed the boy saying:
“You there, boy. Do you know who I am?” The boy shook his head. “Very well. I expected as much. I am the Fire Cat. I come to deliver a message. In many years time, after the First has had his Challenge, you will face yours. At present, you do not have what it takes to be Fire. Train well, boy. You will not get two chances. And do well also because” here the Fire Cat closed the distance between itself and the boy and rubbed against him, “I like you. You know how to keep a Fire going in style.” The cat looked up at the boy and mewed in demand. The boy reached down in response and scratched the Fire Cat behind the ear, rising a purr from the dainty creature. The cat leaped upon the boy’s lap and touched noses with him.
Tell no one. it whispered in his mind. So saying, the cat burst into a wild flame and circled the boy twice before returning to the smoking logs that were its origin. The boy blinked and realized for the first time that he was not hurt or burned from the fire, as he should be. Looking curiously at the fire, the boy reached out to touch it. Before his hand reached it, the cat’s voice was in his head.
Silly human! Do not touch Fire until you yourself are Fire! Tonight was a taste of what you could be. Do not forget what has happened this night. Train well and hard! Fire awaits you!
The boy looked back at the small kitten that had stayed with him through the entire experience. He went over and picked the small thing up and addressed himself to it.
“Well, kitten, looks like I have some work ahead of me. But first, let’s see about getting you a home. Maybe with the princess?” The kitten mewed happily and leapt into the boy arms, content to be with him for the moment.

Meanwhile, in a forest somewhere in Japan:

“Ohh! I wish I knew where I was! Stupid forest…stupid school…” suddenly a wolf howled and the lost boy cringed. “Stupid wolves! Why are they following me?” The small boy charged ahead on his quest for civilization. Suddenly the boy was clear of the forest and he found, to his horror, that he was standing on a sheer cliff that was instant death to anyone who fell from it. As if the boy’s luck wasn’t bad enough, the heavens took that opportunity to open and pour a torrent of rain on top of his head. The boys complaints at this were drowned out by a peal of thunder. Seconds later, a bolt of lightning struck. The lightning came again and again, striking closer and closer to the boy. Surprisingly, the boy was not frightened. In fact, he welcomed both the lighting and the wolf pack that had been following him. This marked him as the Third. Lightning struck right in front of the boy and his pack, yet he did not flinch. The lightning gathered in a ball and began to take on shape. The shape, turning out to be a wolf, threw its head back and howled. The true wolves joined in the song until even the thunder was drown out. When the wolves finished their howling, the wolf made of lightning came toward the boy, to look into his eyes. Seeing lightning there, the wolf spoke.
“I am the Lightning Wolf. I have come to tell you of a Challenge. It will not come now. You are not yet ready. Two will face the Challenge before you, child, but you must be ready. If you are not ready, you will not be able to join the pack, and Lightning will elude you. Train well! I will see you again.” So saying, the wolf howled again and became a bolt of lightning. The lightning circled the boy three times before streaking back to the sky. Only after all this had passed did the wolf’s howling end. The boy turned around and looked at the wolf pack. He put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously.
“So, do you wanna help me train?” As the boy walked away with the pack, the Lightning Wolf’s voice echoed in his mind.
Train well with your pack, child. They will help you during your Challenge. Remember your pack and this night always! Do not ever forget! But tell no one.

Elsewhere, in a park in Japan:

A little girl stood in a large park, surrounded by Cherry Blossoms and birds. The little girl was alternately laughing and stroking a tiny bird that had nestled in her hands. As she stroked its crest, she hummed a tuneless song. The little bird listened attentively then burst out in the girl’s song. The girl laughed and missed a few lines, but she quickly picked up where the bird was and they sang a duet. Quite suddenly the wind picked up behind the girl and her tiny body was forced forward a few steps before she got a good food hold against the wind. Carefully grasping the bird close to her, the girl turned and found herself looking up at a large bird made completely of wind and she gazed at its beauty with eyes that mirrored the wind completely. The girl clutched her tiny friend closer. Gathering her courage she asked,
“Wh-who… what are you?” The bird tilted its head, as if to think. Finally it lifted its head, spread its wings majestically, and answered.
“I am the Wind Bird.” The girl was emboldened by this response. Placing her small bird on her shoulder, she spoke again.
“W-well, if you’re a bird made of wind, how can I see you?”
“You are the chosen, the Fourth. Nothing made of Wind can hide itself from you.”
“Then how come I can’t see the breeze?”
“Because you have not yet been through the Challenge. This is a sample of what you could do.”
“Oh. I have a question.”
“Ask.”
“Are you a song bird or a hawk or a falcon or a-a…different kind of bird?”
“I am all of those and I am none of those. I am my own species.”
“Oh. Can you sing?”
“My Song is sweeter than any you have ever dreamed of hearing.”
“Oh. Well, can-“
“Enough questions! Let me make my reasons for coming known!”
“A-all right."
“I have come to deliver a message: train, Little Wing. Train well. A Challenge will be issued you after the Three have succeeded. Train well or you will be forgotten by those tiny creatures you most love and the wind that caresses you. To be forgotten by the wind is death. I will be waiting for the next time we meet, Little Wing. Train well.” So saying, the bird became the Wind once more and circled the girl four times before leaving. The bird’s voice whispered once more on the breeze.
Do not forget this meeting, Little Wing. And tell no one. Know this, I will watch over you, always. The girl watched the leaves of the branch that the bird had been sitting on rustle until they were still. Then she brought her tiny bird friend off of her shoulder and smiled at it.
“Let’s go see what Daddy can do for us about that training, hmm?” And the girl ran home to train in preparation for her Challenge.