"I'm not so sure about me," he said. "In me, they're more or less equal."

"I know," she told him. "But I can see the human in you, where the others can't. I know what to look for, after all."

"You know, you seem to know a great deal about that, from both viewpoints."

"I kind of studied it for a while," she told him. "I observed Were-cats, and I kept a journal for about ten years so I could have a record of everything I was feeling. Since it defines us, I thought it would be a good idea to understand how we act as much as possible. I thought that it would help me find my balance."

"Did it?"

"Not a bit," she laughed. "The problem was that I was trying so hard I was missing the simplest answer."

"What is that?"

"To just be," she replied. "Be whatever suited me most."

"I wish I'd have figured that out sooner," he grunted.

"How long it takes isn't as important as it happening," she reminded him. "Why is Jesmind going with you?"

"Jasana," he told her. "Jasana is a Sorceress, Kimmie."

"Really?"

He nodded. "And she's powerful. She's easily more powerful than I am. She can't control that power, so she absolutely has to stay near me, because her life depends on it. Since I have no choice but to go, she has to go too. Jesmind agreed to come with us."

"That must not have been easy," Kimmie noted.

"Actually, it was easier than I thought it would be," he said with a snort. "I made her understand that Jasana's life depended on it. Once I got her to see that, she more or less gave in. But she's been cranky all day," he chuckled. "I think she feels like she gave in too quickly now that it's over."

"Jesmind has an ego, Tarrin, as well as about a lake full of pride. And let's not mention how stubborn she is."

"She's just like me," Tarrin grinned.

"I know. I'm surprised you two didn't kill each other, especially since I know that you didn't know about Jasana."

"We did come to blows," he admitted. "When did you find out about that?"

"Jesmind brought Jasana over to visit with Mist a few times," she replied. "She and Mist struck up quite a friendship. Nearly surprised me out of my dress to see her warm to a stranger the way she did, but I guess she and Jesmind have something in common."

"What?"

"You, silly," Kimmie grinned, smacking him lightly on the arm. "They both have a child by you. They almost looked like a couple of sisters."

"What is Eron like?"

"Loud," Kimmie said with a wicked little laugh. "Loud, energetic, unmindful, and he always knows exactly what will get him in the most trouble. Mist has so much patience with him that I still can't believe it. I thought she'd start tearing her hair out a long time ago."

"She's been waiting for this for a long time, Kimmie. I don't think much of anything about being a mother would upset her."

"You're right there," Kimmie agreed. "It makes her a wonderful mother. Eron is going to grow up with nothing but happy memories."

"That's all that matters in the end," Tarrin said distantly, thinking about Mist and the son he had never seen. "I hope I get to see him before he gets too big to hug."

"He's about the same size as a two year old human," Kimmie told him. "He can walk, but he's still a little clumsy. He's learning to talk a little better every day. He's reached the full sentence stage." She scratched her neck. "He's got absolutely huge paws. He's going to be monstrously tall. Just like his father," Kimmie added with a light smile and a nudge.

"What does he look like?"

"Well, he has black fur," she began, "but since both you and Mist have black fur, that was going to be more or less a given. His hair was stark white when he was born, but now it's a kind of sandy blond. He looks just like you, Tarrin," she told him. "It's almost like you were turned into a baby and stuck with Mist. He has Mist's stockiness, but his face is all yours."

"I hope I can see him soon," he said again.

"I'm sure you will," Kimmie told him. "I don't see much packing in here. It's surprising that you're all leaving in the morning."

"We talked about that before you got here," he said. "I convinced Jesmind to leave it all here. I'll seal the farm with a Ward when we leave to keep everyone out, and I can Conjure anything we may need on the way. That way we didn't have to spend days packing and preparing to leave. We can leave carrying nothing but the clothes on our backs. I've learned that that's the most efficient way to go about it."

"Jesmind is one thing, but Jasana's another. How much did she want to take?"

"Everything, of course," Tarrin chuckled. "Jesmind's the one that told her we're leaving. She told me that she had to all but threaten Jasana to leave it all alone. Given that we're leaving, I'm surprised she fell asleep so easily. I thought she'd be too wound up to sleep." He rubbed his jaw. "Then again, now that I think about it, she hasn't shown much excitement about it to me."

"From what I heard, you were pretty mad at her, Tarrin," Kimmie said. "Maybe she doesn't want to look too eager to go when she knows that you're angry about having to take her in the first place."

"You may be right," he agreed after a moment. "You know almost as much about Were-cats as Triana does."

"Well, thanks," Kimmie smiled. "I'm the thinking Were-cat, Tarrin. They tease me about that, too. They all say I'm too busy sticking my nose in books to do what Were-cats are supposed to do."

"That's their loss."

"My feelings exactly," she said with a broad smile. "Especially since they don't grill Thean the way they do me."

"He's not turned."

"That about sums it all up right there," she said. "Be glad you're so tall, and so formidable, and you're a Druid, Tarrin. You're going to avoid alot of the snubbing I endured, from the Were-cats and the rest of Fae-da'Nar. I had to take it, because I have to admit that I'm not really as strong as most of the others. I look like a human female, and I'm really as weak as I look for Were-cat standards. Since I'm smaller than most, and weaker than most, and I don't like to fight, it means that I've had to simply accept whatever abuse they decided to dish out."

"They don't do that now."

"Not like they used to," she told him. "After I started studying Arcane magic, I really didn't see the others all that much anymore."

That made Tarrin give her a quick, startled look. "You're studying magic?"

She nodded. "I'm not doing that bad, either, considering that I'm teaching myself. I've learned to cast a few of the easier magic spells."

Tarrin was startled by that, but then he realized that she was a Were-cat. That meant that she could transcend the restrictions on magic set forth by the Elder Gods. She had the Druidic touch that all Were-cats had, but she also had the capability to learn other kinds of magical ability.

"I'm surprised, Kimmie," he said honestly. "Nobody told me about that."

"I don't advertise it," she said. "After all, it's really nobody's business but mine, isn't it?"

Tarrin laughed. "You're right about that," he agreed. "How long have you been studying?"

"About five years now, I'd guess," she replied. "It took me nearly four just to understand enough of the basics to cast my first cantrip. I've managed to learn how to cast four different spells," she said proudly.

"Well, congratulations," he said with a genuine smile. "Maybe I should introduce you to Phandebrass."

"Who's he?"

"A Wizard, and a Wizard you don't take lightly," Tarrin told her. "He acts a bit scatterbrained, but I've seen his magic in action. He's a very capable Wizard. Who knows, maybe he'll tutor you."

"I'd really like that," she said sincerely.

"Well, we're going to Suld, and that's where he is. So let's wait and see what happens."

"You're so nice to me," she told him.