Feedback replies, then on to the story!! Yippee!! I heart you guys! (ya know..I’m no longer getting notifications...huh...even for my own thread)

Astron – Congrats on dibs *smirk* I looooove my bestie!

True_Love – Thanks for reading! Stinky losing fb, it happens to the best of us! I got annoyed with it happening and started writing fb in notepad to be safe...but now I can’t...phones and all.

Ariel – Thanks for reading!! And as always, your feedback leaves me with a big grin! I have been following all my favs, but I’m having trouble logging in from my phone right now, so apologies for the lack of fb on my part. The saber/sword thing..I honestly have no clue. In my head (which is why I called it a short-sword, explanation follows) the sword was like a broadsword (think big kilted men with big swords) but...well, less broad...and, well..short. And this is already a really long reply, sooo..yeah. Thanks! Glad you’re still enjoying! (and really glad you like Sera, seeing as her and Calah are the only characters that are totally and completely mine)
J
ustSkipIt – Glad you’re still on-board and enjoying. I always saw a potential in Riley that it bothered me the way Joss handled his character. Now this is a Riley that is like canon, but twisted to the way I saw him before my perceptions were skewed.

Leo –Always a joy. Now, I hope what happens in this chapter does Rei justice. I told you she’d be there. I just had to wait for the right time. Thanks for the feedback. See Notes (re: twitter post) and see if you can guess what I have in mind for our woodsy archer.
Thanks guys!!!!!! I LOVE to get feedback from the kittens. Really, it brightens my day. Keep reading, writing and all that good stuff. =^.^=


******************************************

Title: Ride the Lightning
Distribution: Just ask.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Rating: M for Mature (I’ve been watching too much TV. Yes, I just did that in the EA Games voice)
Disclaimer: I own very little of this story, I get nothing from it but smiles, no compensation (money-wise). The only things from this story that are completely mine are the idea, the words, and two characters, Sera and Calah.

Thanks: To my wonderful Bestie/Beta/Poster Astron

Notes: Here’s the next chappy! Yays! So, I’m thinking of doing an interactive thing-a-ma-jiggy on twitter. Thoughts that come to mind, teasers, questions for the readers, thoughts from readers, etc...I already started it in a post, saying, “I think it’s time for a battle in RtL, who do you think will attack who?” BUT no one answered, cuz its probably a lame idea...ANYWHO...Enjoy! (P.S. Sorry it took so long for this. I was trying to not let my temporary bitterness with love in general from entering my story. I’m determined to keep my new single status from tainting the awesomeness that is W/T) Wow...long-winded notes....been too long...errrmmm...stopping now.

OH, just one more thing. I’m starting another story. BUT, I’m 1) not posting until this is done and 2) not posting until it’s either fully written or almost complete. When RtL is complete I might post a teaser. Maybe. Bye now.
Thoughts in Italics


**************************************************

Chapter 14 – Initiative


Tara gently wiped a damp cloth against Astron’s forehead; Willow did the same for the almost-woman who lay beside the dark-haired woman. During the night, Astron had called to Tara, telling her that she couldn’t stand watching her love in pain.

“I have to open myself up to her,” Astron had explained. “She won’t be alone in this.”

“Open...?” Tara had questioned, not understanding.
“I’m an Empath. I can take it for her.”

“You can’t take it all,” Tara had warned. Shortly afterwards, she had warned everyone from the area around the room, to make it easier for her friend to open her walls to Pura only. The new guests, Riley and Rupert, had been given a guest room on the second floor, with free access to the library, as Mr. Giles had been awed by the library when they had gotten the tour.

“Oh...dear,” he had said softly, fingers twitching to remove his glasses, as she had noticed him do many times already. She had agreed easily, Riley had been more concerned with following Buffy around with his eyes. Tara wondered if he saw past the scars and the tired eyes, or if he was as awed by those as he was by Buffy herself. No matter, there were more important things to worry about at the moment.

Pura’s transformation was almost complete. Outward appearances would make it seem like it was done already, seeing as there was now a woman where the tiger had been, but if you looked closely enough, as Tara was to do, there were still bones and other things shifting underneath the skin. Plus, the painful moans coming from her friend were self-explanatory; there was still more to come.
She looked over at her redheaded love, then down to the woman she was so gently caring for; Pura’s human form was quite beautiful. Long, wavy, brown hair, big eyes, which Tara thought would be expressive when they were open; she had a heart-shaped face, a wide mouth, lithe body. Astron was a lucky woman.

So am I, Tara thought, looking again at Willow, whose eyes met hers; Willow’s long hair had been braided back out of her face, and Tara knew that the braid extended down her back, almost to her knee’s. She knew, because she had braided it herself, just as Willow had braided hers. They had known, with everything that was going on, it wasn’t the right time for more intimate activities. Yet, washing each other, and caring for the other’s hair, had been almost as intimate as making love. Willow seemed to sense what was going on in her head and smiled back at her.

“I hope Buffy is keeping the men occupied,” Willow noted, as she, once again, wiped Pura’s forehead.

Tara glanced at the window, seeing the sun setting low in the sky, “I feel neglectful.”

“They said they understand,” Willow reminded her. Tara had to fight the urge to follow her ‘training’, to keep her guests entertained and happy. Her father had made sure she knew how to be a good host, to keep his guests happy.

Tara and Willow looked up together, after a gentle knock on the door. Buffy stood there, wiping her hand on an apron, huffing and wiping flour from her face.

“Dinner is ready,” she announced.

“Did you have a fight with the flour?” Willow asked.

“Mmm, funny. No. Riley tried to help me cook,” Buffy explained.

“Tried?” Tara laughed.

“He’s a helpful sort. But he doesn’t belong in a kitchen. To be honest, neither do I.”

“The food is good,” Willow said, trying to sound enthusiastic, and failing.

“Don’t lie,” Buffy laughed. “I know I can’t cook. Maybe we can get someone who can. It’s been hard enough cooking for just us, but with this unknown number of people coming, I really don’t know if I can continue.”

“Maybe, I’ll see if I can find someone,” Willow offered.

“Um.” Tara looked around nervously, then slowly raised one of her hands. “I can cook.”

“Would’ve been nice to know,” Buffy muttered as she turned and left the room, the witches’ laughter following her out.


***********************************


The night sky was brighter this night than the last had been, so the new traveler, Rei, had led them from the main path. During the day, Rei had proved her skills at following signs from the earth to lead their way. Luna had stayed away, still visible, but far enough not to frighten the horses.

They had set camp about an hour ago, and now they sat in the dark of the forest. The horses had been left further away, yet still easy to get to in case of emergency.
Rei had walked from their circle, excusing herself to ‘set a perimeter.’ The remaining women had told tales of their past in the meantime, trying to ignore the uneasiness they felt, watching Rei walk away, longbow in hand.

“Every little noise,” Sera muttered, listening to the sounds of the forest around her. Sera was a self-proclaimed ‘city-academic’. She had, in fact, traveled from a city to the small town they had found her in, only to obtain some scrolls for the academy she worked for. In hearing the situation that Charna brought to her attention, she had sent a page to her fellow scholars, asking for help and sending the scrolls along. She hadn’t been out in the world much, except for academic inquiry.

“You’re fine,” River told her. She held back a snicker as Sera jumped at the sound of an owl.

“How am I ever supposed to rest with all this noise?” Sera asked. She scooted herself closer to Calah, who had, until then, been conferring quietly with Charna. At the look she got from the mousy woman, she explained, “Warmth? Body heat...yes.” She shifted back to her original position.

Charna gave Calah a small smile before getting up to sit next to Sera. She gently placed her arm over Sera’s small shoulders, asking quietly, “Are you okay?”

“Scared,” Sera said in a small voice, laying her head in Charna’s shoulder. The slightly older woman made her feel safe. She couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was the determination, perhaps the training, or the wise way that the woman held herself. This woman knew things; knowledge was good. She was warm, too.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Charna soothed. “I’m here.” She squeezed Sera’s shoulder, laying her head against the head on her shoulder. Something was drawing her to the woman she held, telling her to protect her at all costs. At the moment, she didn’t care what it was, but she had been taught to trust in her instincts, so she would. Sera sighed, quietly, calm now.

River watched this, and sent a knowing look to Calah, who smirked, then shrugged, as if to say, ‘What can we do?’

They sat quietly in their circle, for what must have been at least an hour or more, each wondering what was to come. Their contemplation was interrupted by Rei’s return, Luna trotting by her side. Her bow was held loosely in her hand, a wide grin on her face.

She looked around at the group, a measuring look in her eyes, “There’s a camp, a bit of a walk from here.”

“A camp?” Charna asked.

“I did some recon. It’s them. Not them them, but a group heading to join Maclay. Donald,” she expanded.

“How large?” Calah inquired.

“About fifteen men, give or take.”

“What are we supposed to do about it?” Sera asked nervously, she didn’t like where this was heading. Of course, she had prepared for this, but that didn’t make her ready, now did it?

“We,” Charna spoke before Rei could, “are going to take the initiative. We can’t let them reach Maclay.” She ran a comforting hand along Sera’s back.

“They have sentries posted, we’ll have to do something about that,” Rei added.

“You’ll take point?” Charna asked her, and Rei nodded in response. “Prepare everyone. Tonight, we have our first battle in this war.”

They all headed to their packs, leaning against some trees near the horses, to allow for easy access, and to make it faster to leave. Most of the women only needed to bring a few things with them, meaning everyone but Sera, who was currently sitting in the grass, surrounded by a circle of scrolls.

“Need that one,” She said, pulling one to her lap.

Rei watched on, while securing her quiver, “What’s taking so long?”

“She’s choosing spells,” Calah answered. She slipped her hand into her pocket, fidgeting with her rock. She didn’t know why she had picked it up all those years ago, but ever since then it had stayed with her, a luck charm of a sort. It was the only thing she needed. Rei had grabbed a vial of water ‘just in case’, as had River. Charna had nothing with her but the fierce look in her eyes.

Finally selecting a few more spells, Sera was ready to go. The dark haired woman attached a belt around her waist, placing the scrolls into loops that had been sown in, muttering to herself as she did so. Only one she did not put away.

“What about that?” Charna asked. “Don’t you need to be ready, erm, hands free?”

“This one is for when we get close enough for them to hear us,” she explained.

“They’ll definitely hear you coming,” River joked, a nervous edge to her voice.

“No, they won’t,” Sera said, walking towards the edge of the clearing. She turned to look back at the others. “You coming?”

“Sure,” Rei said, heading in a completely different direction. “But it’s this way.”

“Of course,” Sera said, and they all followed the silently moving woman into the forest.


************************************


“If there was ever a time for quiet, this is it,” Rei whispered. She notched an arrow into her bow and held it out, walking sideways, silent and stealthy.

Stealthy, Sera thought, here we go. She held up a finger to the others, and they halted, looking at her. She held up her scroll, reading it to herself with the light from the moon. She was so quiet that all the others heard were a few words like ‘stealth’ and ‘shadow’. She slowly lowered the scroll, closing her eyes and whispering, “Goddess, thy will be done.”

They waited a moment, and it seemed as if nothing had happened. Then, a whispering breeze swept over them, like a gentle embrace. Suddenly they were cloaked, despite the brightness of the sky shining through the canopy above them. Sera made a gesture that seemed to say ‘pay attention’ and then jumped in a pile of leaves. Rei grimaced, expecting the guard that had been posted only a few feet away to sound an alarm, but nothing came. The dry leaves that had been kicked up did not rustle. In fact, there was no noise at all; they floated gently in the air for a moment before falling silently back down.

“Good,” Rei whispered. She pointed to her left, “There’s a guard about ten feet in this direction.”

River looked to Charna, who nodded and followed the directions. She was amazed at how quietly she was walking. She had never been a loud person, in general, but in the forest she wasn’t exactly a silent stalker. Must be the spell, she thought. Rei had been right, a minute or two in this direction was a man. Not a good guard, she thought to herself, as the man wasn’t paying the least attention to anything but his nails, which he was picking at with a sharp blade. She took a moment to wonder, again, if this was the group that had attacked her home, in the name of Donald Maclay. No time for that now.

Charna took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she had to do. Sadly, she thought, the first of many. She called the wind to the area around the man, creating almost a visible bubble around him. There was a small tunnel going from the outside of the bubble to the man’s mouth, through which she used the wind to force all breath from his lungs, quickly closing the tunnel and thickening the wind around him so no other air could reach him. She forced herself to watch as he flailed, gasping for air that wasn’t there. He fell to the ground and she held the wind for a bit longer, just until she was sure. As she walked away, she tried not to look back, tried not to let her thoughts and worries get to her.

He might have had children, a family.

I didn’t even know his name.

Children. Name. Who had he been? A father? A brother? He was someone’s son.

She returned to the group, giving a sharp nod to Rei to continue, and they circled the camp towards the next guard. Two left. Sera walked beside her, eyeing her closely. Under that stare, she was having trouble keeping back the tears that suddenly wanted to fall, “I didn’t even know his name.”

Sera placed a hand at her elbow, “It’s them or us.”

Charna stopped, nodding to the others to continue. Turning her gaze to Sera, she said, “That’s a cold way to look at it.”

“Sometimes,” Sera started, wrapping her arms around herself. “Sometimes...as humans, we have to be cold, to survive. It’s war.”

“You’ve...?” Charna questioned, unable to say the word out loud. Killed, she thought. Murdered.

Sera nodded, looking away as if shamed, “I was attacked in my travels.”

“You had to,” Charna soothed, becoming the comforter now.

“He was going to...”

“Hurt you,” Charna finished. The man that she had just killed, he might have hurt Sera, if she hadn’t done what she had done; Sera and others, uncountable others. It didn’t make it okay, it didn’t make it easier, but it did settle something inside her. “You had to,” she repeated.

Sera nodded, “So did you.”

“Yes. Let’s join the others.”

They found the group easily, something in Sera’s spell allowed them to find each other. Rei had already dispatched the guard, so they started to plan, eyeing the camp. The setup was simple, a few tents laid in a circle. There was no activity; the men had laid down to sleep long ago.

Sera pulled a scroll from her belt, “I can set the tents afire.”

Rei looked over at the camp, before turning and giving Charna a nod.

“Okay. Sera, you set fire to the tents. River, Calah, at your discretion. Rei, arrows. Ready?” Everyone gave a nod. They could have stopped the men while they slept, but there seemed something distinctly wrong with killing a man while he slept. “Now, Sera.”

Sera read her scroll, and soon the night was lit with fire, blazing against the tents, sending the men running around in a panic. Rei let loose a few arrows, felling two men. The earth rumbled beneath them and rocks were seen coming from the ground, whirring around the site at fast speeds, knocking men down. Charna looked over at the group, a question in her eyes, which was met with resolve, and the women headed into the battle.

Men rushed them with blades, which were mostly stopped from cutting them by buffers of wind, some of them slowed to a stop by floating balls of water. Calah managed to hold an attacker back by hitting him in the head with a boulder. It seemed that the women were reluctant to actually make kills, more focused on defending themselves. Sera had been standing back, not having immediate access to her magic except through reading scrolls, but when she saw what her fellows were doing, knowing they would tire, she knew she had to do something. She read out one of her scrolls, her body lifting from the ground as she read, calling magic into her.

She looked around from her higher vantage point, seeing a man taking a swing at Charna. Her hand went swiftly out, the magic coursing through her veins. For the moment, she was a warrior; she did not see faces, she saw enemies attacking. Her hand turned into a grip, as if on a neck, lifting slowly, and the man floated from the ground.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and closed her hand into a fist, crushing the man’s neck. Charna turned quickly to her and gave a sad smile in thanks. She smiled back and turned again to the battle. There were about four men left. She made quick work of them, cringing with each snap of neck.

Sera was slowly returning to the ground when she felt a rush of wind and heard Charna scream out, “Sera! No!”

Too late, she thought, as she realized what happened. She fell to the ground, hitting her head on a rock. The world went black.

********************************************

TBC!

Hope you enjoyed! Sorry for the cliffhanger-ish-ness. Oh well.

(PS from Astron, bestie get internet soon lol)

_________________
~Allie - Ride the Lightning

"Not a word is ever needed to excuse you loving me." Willow to Tara in Katharyn's Sidestep Chronicles

dibs!!!

Ok remember how I said I bite down on a leather strap now? OK YEAH HAPPENED!!!!

~ahem~



You peg me VERY well, as an empath we can take pain, we can't take it all that's impossible we could kill ourselves so putting in Tara sating she can't take it all was perfect.



Riley does remember why they are there right? lol men, poor Rupert, hope his son keeps focused.



Gee I wonder who Pura is...~looks at everyone else~ Come on peeps, take a guess!!!!



Such a cute moment!!

Ok for the rest of this lil section, I love how Tara says she can cook, and Buffy is like....well gee that would have been nice to know AWHILE ago lol.

Seeing Sera and CHarna getting a bit close is nice of course certain people notice....



Seems that Charna is able to keep Sera calm, always something good, of course River and Calah notice, I mean it's obvious!

There is way too much to go on about this fight so.....

I love how Sera makes them all quiet, like no sound whatsoever, getting rid of the sentries easy enough. The hard part coming after Sera lights all the tents on fire, all the men going for the witches, good to see the witches can handle themselves but Sera goes above and beyond even apologizing when she crushes the men's throats. I am antsy to see what happened exactly, are they all ok and the hit on Sera's head give light damage or damage that cannot be fixed....

Great work bestie, and I am glad I can help ya post so no one is hanging ^^

_________________
"Can you just be kissing me now?" -Tara
__________________________________
Dibs-Mistress - General Chaos -Twitter Brigade
A Proposal Plan, A Star's Second Chance
Finey_McFine's Fan club http://finey-mcfinefanclub.webs.com/

"Pulse and Cocoon can rot for all I care. If I don't figure out our Focus soon... Vanille's gonna be a Cie'th. I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her" ~ Oerba Yun Fang FF13
******************************
http://www.astronsoulfanfictions.com/
http://astronsoulfanfic.tripod.com/twilight/

Very nice update. I like the cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what went wrong and if she'll be alright so she can help with the future war against Donald McClay! Dun dun dun...

_________________
"When Mother Nature starts howling and crying...I smile. I love thunder storms!"

Hey Allie,

Wow! A lot going on in this update. Astron's an empath sharing the pain with Pura, Riley's falling for Buffy, Tara announcing she can cook. I'm sure the first meal she cooks will be one the best the group has ever had. The magical battle was pretty awesome and brutal. I'm glad to know these witches are the type to shrink away from a fight, even though it's against their better nature to harm. I'm wondering what happened at the end, your little cliffhanger. Did Sera accidently hurt one of the other witches or herself? I guess we'll have to wait to see.

Looking forward to your next update!

_________________
Tara: " I got so lost."
Willow: "I found you. I will always find you."

Remodeling: The Reconstruction of Tara Maclay / W/T Potpourri

Hey, Allie!

Another update!

Liked Pura's transformation and Astron being an Empath, I like the time and pain - magic isn't like Bewitched with a snap of the fingers or a wiggle of the nose. This fic has the richness and power of magic - the magical fight is great, but more on that later.

That was a beautiful moment between them and this echo of it rings very sweetly, too. Nice job. Also liked Riley's attraction to Buffy and the idea that he can see past the scars and the weariness.

LOVED Buffy's shot to Tara after finding out Tara can cook. Hilarious!

The scene with the Wiccan warriors was good. Enjoyed their banter in their camp. This was great for me:
Charna gave Calah a small smile before getting up to sit next to Sera. She gently placed her arm over Sera’s small shoulders, asking quietly, “Are you okay?”

“Scared,” Sera said in a small voice, laying her head in Charna’s shoulder. The slightly older woman made her feel safe. She couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was the determination, perhaps the training, or the wise way that the woman held herself. This woman knew things; knowledge was good. She was warm, too.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Charna soothed. “I’m here.” She squeezed Sera’s shoulder, laying her head against the head on her shoulder. Something was drawing her to the woman she held, telling her to protect her at all costs. At the moment, she didn’t care what it was, but she had been taught to trust in her instincts, so she would. Sera sighed, quietly, calm now.[/quote] You have some feeling for both of them, care about them then the ending where Sera's world goes black. By giving us something to love, you make the loss more powerful. And yes, I'm hoping to see Sera make it - her medieval version of a techno-geek is adorkable!

Also liked River's sly humor and Rei's wood crafty stuff and whole gang of Wiccans! Nice work!

Really loved it! I know the tech stuff is challenging, but keep writing!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

Wow. So Sera seemed like a real wimp not liking the noise and camping and all that and then she basically enabled the others to make the attack without being seen or heard and killed most of the men. She's a bit kick ass! This is so wonderful.

_________________
Menorah Tales | Working It Out | Random Bits

yay update-y goodness!!!

This definitely did our woodsy archer justice! what an update! Astron is an empath (makes total sense) and her taking on Pura's pain. I'm glad her transformation is nearly completely. I can't wait to see her personalty come out in her human form

And so our witches have faced their first battle? Very exciting. The whole scene was very well written and action packed! Very curious to see what happened their at the end.

I'm sorry to hear about your recent single-ness. I totally understand those feelings, i was in that boat just a few months ago. I was lucky enough to get back together with my girlfriend and we have been able to resolve the issues that broke us up in the first place. I wish the same for you if the situation is appropriate, but either way I wish you a speedy recovery from this in whatever way is best.

Keep up the great writing!

~Leo

Replies, replies!

Astron – ‘grats on dibs again! Thanks for the lovely feedback! Now, I’m glad that I’ve gotten to know you well enough that I know you would do that. (whispers “pssst”) This is it Bestie! No more guessing! Thanks for sticking with me and doing this for me. Hope you like this one.

Fhiwda – Glad to see you’re still here and enjoying. This is the chapter that will explain what happened. I have a personal interest in Sera. Let’s see what happens...

True_Love – Here’s where we kind of find out what happened to her. That last chapter was hard to write, seeing as how these woman need to know how to be compassionate towards nature, and humans are a part of nature. It’s against their own nature to kill, but I’m glad they realized they must do it to survive this war.

Ariel – I don’t like the idea that magic is just simple and easy. It comes with consequences. Thanks for the feedback. Oh and “Adorkable”?! I LOVE THAT! I’m using that now.

JustSkipIt – A bit kick ass? I have to agree. I love when character completely surprises me. Its awesome.

Leo – Glad you liked Rei! With this chapter, we are one step closer to seeing Pura’s personality in human form. Enjoy!

And as I like to say, ON TO THE NEXT!



Title: Ride the Lightning
Distribution: Just ask.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own very little of this story, I get nothing from it but smiles, no compensation (money-wise). The only things from this story that are completely mine are the idea, the words, and two characters, Sera and Calah.

Thanks: To my wonderful Bestie/Beta/Poster Astron and to Ariel, for “peeking at my notes” and still not figuring this out.

Notes: It’s here! The chapter that my bestie and I have been waiting for.... Enjoy!
Oh yeah...and uh, yippee for making a mistake in my last chappy and being able to use it to my advantage!

Thoughts in Italics
**************************************************

Chapter 15 – Names


Charna ran to Sera, gesturing for the others to deal with the man who she had sent flying backwards. She cursed herself for forgetting the third guard as she checked Sera’s neck for a pulse. She sighed in relief at the proof of life that pounded against her fingertips. Her deft hands moved gracefully across Sera’s head, feeling only a lump, no stickiness of blood coming away with her hand. Ever so gently, she rolled the woman onto her side, so she could look at the wound that the man’s blade had left before she had hit him with a blast of wind.

“Find some rope!” Rei called out. Charna looked up to see her standing by the guard, who also had been knocked out.

“I need a wound kit over here,” Charna called out to them. When that sent Calah running, she looked back down and pressed her hand against the wound. The bleeding was slow now, sluggishly coming from the slice in the pale flesh. Charna used her free hand to tear the fabric around it, making it easier for her to work.

Once the guard had been tied up, Rei and River moved to help Charna while they waited for Calah to return. There was a cauldron of water still hanging over a fire, so River moved to find a wash basin. Rei found some fabric that was not burned and laid it in the cauldron of boiling water. Using a long ladle, she pulled it from the water and draped it near the fire, moving the ladle again to scoop water into the waiting basin that River held out.

“Dry that,” River told her, as she walked briskly towards where Sera was laying.

“It’s drying,” Rei noted.

“The fire’s not going to be quick enough,” River called back over her shoulder. “Draw the water from it.”

“Oh, right,” Rei said quietly. She focused her eyes and power on the fabric, getting a feel for the water that soaked it, then began to pull the water from it and placed it in the cauldron. Grabbing the fabric, she began to tear strips from it as she ran to Charna.

“Thanks,” Charna said, dipping one of the strips into the water, ignoring the burn of the boiling water. The water soon turned a red color as the wound became cleaner. Now that it was clean, Charna could see that it was not deep enough to be serious, yet deep enough to need to be stitched.

“Here,” Calah said, breathlessly, as she pushed a small bag into Charna’s hands. She quickly dug through the bag, finding a needle and some thread.

“I need more water,” she told River, who dumped the water and returned with more. Charna placed the thread in the water before tying it to the end of the needle. “If anyone is squeamish, look away.”

Rei placed her hand on Charna’s shoulder, “Keep your hands steady. I’m here.”

Taking a deep breath, Charna nodded, pushing the needle through the pale flesh slowly, her eyes flicking to the back of Sera’s head.

“Quickly,” Rei told her. “It will hurt her more if you go slow. Have you done this before?”

“In training. But never...” Charna trailed off.

“On someone you care about,” Rei finished. Her eyes flicked up to the edge of the woods when Sera let out a whimper. She gave a nod to Luna, who had been pacing there. The wolf walked over and snuggled against Sera. The woman’s thin arm came to wrap around the wolf.

“Yes, someone I care about,” Charna confirmed, moving quickly now that she could see Sera was waking. The stitching done, she bit the end of the thread off, looking back down into the bag. She shook some herbs out into her hand, then dripped some water into them. She stirred it into a paste with her finger, then gently covered the wound with it. She turned to Rei, “I’ll need help.”

Rei agreed, and folded a piece of fabric before placing it over the poultice. She held it tight to the wound as Charna wrapped strips around Sera’s waist. Sera whimpered again as the last strip was pulled tight and tied.

“All done,” Charna told her.

“Thank you,” Sera said quietly. She was still holding tight to Luna, brushing her other hand lightly under Luna’s chin.

“The herbs should help with the pain,” Calah said as she returned, River at her side. They had not stayed to watch.

Rei looked up at the sky, seeing the black cloud of smoke that had formed from their fires, “We need to move. We can’t stay here tonight.”

“She can’t ride,” Charna objected.

“We’ll have to make something for her to ride on,” River said.

“Let’s get to work,” Charna said as she stood. She looked down to Sera, whose eyes were slowly blinking closed again, “We’ll get you there, and you’ll be okay.”

“Yes,” Sera murmured. “I’ll be okay.”

Charna’s eyes hardened as her eyes fell upon the man who was watching her, “Tie him to her horse. Gag him.”

“You won’t get away with this,” he yelled at her. “Maclay will end you!” That was all he got out before his angry yells were muffled by the rags that River shoved into his mouth.

**************************************************

Donald Maclay looked up at the man who entered his tent. It seemed as if a dark cloud followed this man into his tent, even with the brightness of the blonde hair the man slicked back.

“Can I help you?” Donald asked him sharply.

“Oh, you don’t need to help me, mate,” the man said. “We’re here to help you.”

“We?” Donald asked nervously. There was something about this man that scared him. As he spoke, a woman and a man followed the blonde man into his tent.

“Yes, we,” the woman said. Her voice was like a child’s, rising up and down as she spoke, “We know you don’t like magic, but we want to help. The goody-goods must be stopped.”

“All in tune with Nature, and all that junk, makes it harder for us to do our work,” the blonde man noted.

“Work? What is it you do?” Donald asked. He hated the magic, but the way he was currently seeing it, he could use these people until he no longer needed them. Then they would die, too.

“Necromancy,” the other man growled. He had dark hair and a brooding look to his face. “We can have an undead army at your command.”

“Undead, say you?” Donald noted, standing up while rubbing his hands together.

“At your disposal,” the blonde said. “The only thing we ask of you, is that you let us help you bring them down. All of them.”

“You have a deal,” Donald said, reaching out and clasping the man’s hand in a firm grip. Now that was a man’s hand shake. Not like his son who had gone running at the word war. Running away like a baby to the family he had started after his sister had run away, leaving their father all alone with no one to look after him. No matter. They would all pay.

Outside the tent, he could hear the sounds of the men settling down for the night. The hissing of fires as they were put out. Donald called out to the man he had named his second in command.

“Yes, sir,” Henry asked as he came in.

“Please make our guests at home,” he said, gesturing to the three people still in his tent.

“Sure. I’m Henry.” He reached his hand out.

“Name’s Spike,” the blonde man said. “This doll is Drusilla. My mate, there, is Angelus.”

“Thanks for joining us. If you follow me, I’ll show you to your tents. Oh, and Sir,” Henry said as he turned back around. “We got word from another group. They’re heading this way. We should have another fifteen or so men come the day after tomorrow.”

“Good, good,” Donald mumbled as they left the tent. It all was coming together.

**************************************************

“How long, do you think?” Astron asked worriedly. She had been released from the pain some time ago, and sat watching Pura in a deep sleep. Pura no longer seemed to be in pain either. Her breathing was even and her face looked peaceful. Astron’s eyes searched the still form, looking at the woman she had never seen. She had fallen in love with the tiger, only to be gifted with love in return, from a woman who was the most beautiful she had ever seen. She remembered the eyes before the change had started. Oh those wonderful eyes. She longed to see them on this face; longed to see them looking at her with love. Astron ran a finger along Pura’s bottom lip, feeling the softness and fullness of that lip underneath her finger. The smile that came from those lips would be wide, Astron could tell. So many expressions to learn in this new face.

“I can’t be sure,” Tara answered honestly, laying a hand on her friend’s shoulder. She felt for her friend. Seeing the worry and pain etched on the face of the woman who was quickly becoming her best friend was almost more than she could bear. All I can do is be here for her, she thought. It had to be enough.

“She’s been in this sleep for a while,” Willow noted. “I don’t think she’ll be out much longer.”

They were currently sitting on the bed, surrounding the figure laying in the middle of it. Her dark hair was brushed back from her face, now dry from the sweat and water that had graced her forehead. She had been laying there sleeping for hours after Astron had come out of her pain. The only sound in the room, besides the occasional talking between the witches, was the sound of Pura’s breathing. Buffy had been coming in and out, bringing them food and news about their new guests, who had contented themselves with spending the day either reading or training outside. Riley had gone hunting to bring them meat, and Buffy was excited to tell them that they would be having stew for dinner. Upon hearing this, Tara had followed Buffy from the room, giving her strict instructions for the care of the meat for the stew.

It seemed that while life was moving along for the rest of the castle, this room was in a standstill. A room untouched by time, as the friends looked on with bated breath waiting for something to happen.

Pura let out a moan, stretching her long limbs, causing Astron to jump up from the bed. Almost immediately, Astron sat back down on the bed, leaning forward to look at the face of the woman she loved, gently resting her hand on the woman’s cheek, “Pura, sweetie, show me those beautiful eyes.”

Chocolate brown eyes opened slowly, confusion evident in their depths. She opened her mouth slowly and tried to talk, but all that came out was a croak. Tara quickly gave her a drink of water, warning her not to drink too fast. With her thirst quenched, she was able to let out another groan before speaking in a harsh whisper, “Faith.”

“Yes, we had faith that you’d get through this,” Tara soothed.

“No,” the woman groaned out. She tried to say more, but her throat was sore from not using it, her muscles still not adjusted to being used for talking. Her throat was working but nothing was coming out. Her mouth closed with a snap of frustration.

“What is it?” Astron asked her.

“Erm,” Willow piped up. “I did some reading about her tribe. There was a whole book about them in the library.”

“You’re just telling us this now?” Astron asked, frustration in her voice.

Willow shot her a hurt look, “I was busy and it slipped my mind!”

“You could have told us more about what she’s going through, and it slipped your mind?” Astron almost yelled.

“Sweetie, go on,” Tara interrupted the beginning argument calmly.

“Right,” Willow said, crossing her arms, bottom lip poking out in a pout. “I had forgotten it was there, but I went in there to find information on the shifting. I found a book about the Inucabi, something that my great-great-grandmother wrote. It seems that both their forms have different names. Their animal form has a Latin name, based on what the animal looks like. Their human form is a completely different story.”

“Is that what you’re trying to tell us, Pura?” Astron asked gently.

The woman nodded slowly, then corrected her again, “Name. Faith.”

**************************************

TBC

*cackles madly, then runs from the room before the onslaught begins*

_________________
~Allie - Ride the Lightning

"Not a word is ever needed to excuse you loving me." Willow to Tara in Katharyn's Sidestep Chronicles

dibs! Hehehe I love this!!!


Ok on ward




I know how hard it is to help someone you care about like this, it rips at you because you don't want them in pain. Showing this shows just how much Charna cares for Sera, and shows it without caring what others thought.

Sometimes people forget what risks there are in War, even if it's a small battle, hopefully they can get answers out of that bastard that is tied up.



For the record I hate the evil Trio!!! and Dru just gives me the creeps. But sadly they are a perfect match for the idiotic Donald MaClay, and of course any edge for him means a victory. HAHAHAHA his son ran off I love it!!!




Awe looky me err I mean Astron is lost in her love (well sorta) but can ya blame her, hell Pura is hot as a human!!! or should i cal her differetly now? ~snickers~



Hahaha very cute moment



So adorable, and yet very profound, and she spoke!!! She spoke!!!



Err yeah I would have been upset too, all that time I would have wanted to now as much as I could about her while she changed. Good thing Tara kinda stopped that argument




~jumps up and down for joy~ FAITH!!!!!


Great work Bestie!!!!

_________________
"Can you just be kissing me now?" -Tara
__________________________________
Dibs-Mistress - General Chaos -Twitter Brigade
A Proposal Plan, A Star's Second Chance
Finey_McFine's Fan club http://finey-mcfinefanclub.webs.com/

"Pulse and Cocoon can rot for all I care. If I don't figure out our Focus soon... Vanille's gonna be a Cie'th. I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her" ~ Oerba Yun Fang FF13
******************************
http://www.astronsoulfanfictions.com/
http://astronsoulfanfic.tripod.com/twilight/

Allie,

Great chapter. So much love and tenderness. Plus, surprise -- Faith. Woo hoo. So glad you pulled her into this story. I can't wait to see what kind of kickass warrior you'll have her be. I'm picturing something like the Amazons in the Xena episodes. I can so totally see her in one of those outfits, master or should I say mistress of all weapons. I can't wait. Who knows what you'll come up with, but I'm excited to find out.

I don't even want to think about the evil trio and Donald Maclay. I'm just going to keep the Faith. (pun intended)

Keep up the great work and thanks for the quick update!

_________________
Tara: " I got so lost."
Willow: "I found you. I will always find you."

Remodeling: The Reconstruction of Tara Maclay / W/T Potpourri

Again two wunderfully written chapters! Pura is Faith, I really didn't ecpect that. So if I reread the story, Pura's thoughts are in Faith's voice, or are the voices of tiger and human as different as their names? Now that we know Faith is Astron's soulmate and because of this unavailable for Buffy that means for sure a Buffy/Riley pairing, doesn't it? I'm glad, I really liked him in the show. I'm also becoming quite fond of your original characters, f.e. Charna and Sera, so I'm relieved that Sera is going to be ok. Donald uniting with the evil necromancers, grr! How stupid is he that he thinks he can use them and then get rid of them easily, how does he plan on killing the undead army? Well, he won't have to worry about that in the end because our heroines (and heroes Riley and Giles) will (hopefully) kick all their asses into hell!

Really can't wait for the next update, keep up the good work!

I always get excited when Faith makes an appearance.

Very nice update.

_________________
"When Mother Nature starts howling and crying...I smile. I love thunder storms!"

Hey Allie!

I really enjoyed these last two chapters, they moved the story along and were important set up for things to come. Pura = Faith...unexpected and a pleasant surprise! Which means (hopefully) a Buffy/Riley pairing. I hate seeing her so lonely.

I'm liking the original characters, but I'm worried about getting too attached to them. I fear that, much like the potentials, they are fated to die in battle. Let's hope that we don't lose too many. Sera is by far a favorite and reminds me of S4 Tara. Very sweet:)

I'm anxious to see what happens next and worried all at the same time!

_________________
Shelby - Racing The Rain (IN PROGRESS) / Baby Makes Three (IN PROGRESS) / The Santa Line / Everything She Does...Is Beautiful / Calfornia Grass

"Transform your pain. Release your past. And ... uh ... get over it."
~Willow, Where The Wild Things Are

Hey, Allie!

Do not know how I missed this! I know I missed some updates a while back and Xita fixed the situation; maybe this was one of them? Who knows? The point is: UPDATE!!!

First off, Astie stole like EVERY comment I wanted to quote and highlight! *attempts to pout adorably . . . fails * but I'm going to go ahead anyway! So there!

The battle heating up earlier, then the aftermath: the wound care, the advice about stitching but the best moment:
I like the sisterhood, working together and supporting each other but also the clear indication that Charna is coming out into the world again and loving someone. I liked Sera, she was a fun contrast with her "techno-witch" powers and being a city girl, too. Oh, quick note it was Amber who said "Adorkable" and I'm admiring her for the phrase. So thank her, not me!

This is a lovely bit because it's both romantic and well-imagined, Astron's longing and the detail of feeling Faith's lip and imagining the expressions on the the face. So, Faith . . . very intriguing!

This is one of the two descriptions of Faith trying to speak. Again, the detailed imagination of how she sounds and how she tries to talk when her human voice hasn't been heard in such a long time. Well done!

Then, a switch to the dark side:
Like the dark cloud as the evil trio join up with Creep #1. Weird that Spike is entirely evil, Angelus with no Angel. Interesting to see there evil sides in full force.

Wow! Wild ride, my friend! As always - thanks! AND keep writing!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

Replies, and then, Finally, an update! Kind of an explanation of the delay in the notes!

Astron - Grats on dibzies! The risks of war are more than can be counted, and are more than wounds. I'm not sure if this question was asked, but from here on Pura is only called that in cat form, Faith in human...confused mess from here on out, but that was the plan and I'm sticking to it! Thanks so much for everything you do for me!

True_Love - Keep the Faith... *snickers* lol. I have a picture of how she will be...but you'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for the feedback!

WillsRedemption - The voice is the same, lol. I tried dropping hints here and there...but well, the only thing I believe is truely recognizable is the eyes. Donald is digging his own grave working with them...but who knows if he will stay in it! hehe. Thanks for the feedback!!!!

fhiwda - Faith is awesome! Thanks for reading!

Finey - Buffy will find hers, I have no plans to leave Buffy alone! As to the original characters.... we will see! The thing I try to do is get the readers attached to the characters, so that when something happens, you will feel it. Thanks for reading and the feedback!

Ariel - See?! I told you that you had time... please don't stop reading! My bestie has a habit of picking out the good parts, lol. I didn't know about the adorkable thing, as I really didn't come into this "Kittenhood" until about a year ago. Thanks for the info! I like that you are enjoying this so much and I enjoy chatting with you. I always thought that if left to there own devices, without coming into contact (for so long) with the Scoobies, they would truely be evil (assuming Angel never got his soul). Keep reading! Thanks bunches!!

and.....yup...
ON TO THE NEXT!!

_________________
~Allie - Ride the Lightning

"Not a word is ever needed to excuse you loving me." Willow to Tara in Katharyn's Sidestep Chronicles

YAY!!!

_________________
"Can you just be kissing me now?" -Tara
__________________________________
Dibs-Mistress - General Chaos -Twitter Brigade
A Proposal Plan, A Star's Second Chance
Finey_McFine's Fan club http://finey-mcfinefanclub.webs.com/

"Pulse and Cocoon can rot for all I care. If I don't figure out our Focus soon... Vanille's gonna be a Cie'th. I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her" ~ Oerba Yun Fang FF13
******************************
http://www.astronsoulfanfictions.com/
http://astronsoulfanfic.tripod.com/twilight/

Title: Ride the Lightning
Distribution: Just ask.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, no lawsuits. Kthnxbai!

Thanks: To my wonderful Bestie/Beta Astron

Notes: Oh man... I'm soo sorry! I can't believe its been a month!! RL got pretty crazy in the form of a bundle of joy coming into my life, who, for all intents and purposes, is my daughter, and the impending reconciliation with my ex fiance. Life with a baby is harder than I thought, but I'm loving it! Please keep reading and I hope you enjoy this chappy! Theres not much here..but well..I couldn't start all the good stuff yet! Oh, and hey, guess what?! I have access to internet... not often, but often enough to post! Thank my "in-laws" for that!


************************************************

Chapter 16 – Love and war


“It’s been two days,” Donald said as he paced outside his tent. “You said to expect them two days ago!”

“I know, sir!” Henry replied, the stress evident in his voice. Donald’s eyes were scaring him; they were not the eyes of a sane man. “I sent a scout to watch for them. He hasn’t yet returned.”

“Where could he be?” Donald’s voice was rising quickly. He cut off Henry’s reply with a jerk of his hand. “Send more men!”

Henry’s reply was silenced by the thundering sound of hoof beats. The rider barreled his way through the camp, stopping just in front of Donald. “They’re dead, all of them!”

“Who’s dead?” Donald scowled.

“The men I was sent to look for. The whole camp is burned; the ground is all ripped up. I’m not sure what happened, but I can tell you its not natural!” The man’s voice raised to a squeak as Donald strode towards him.

“And did you see who did it?” Donald asked softly. “See anyone?”

“There were… riders.” The man was quivering now under the steely gaze of his leader. Henry used the distraction to slip away unnoticed.

“Riders. And you didn’t go after them?”

“It was a group of women, sir. I didn’t see no harm.”

“You have a quick lesson to learn, son,” Donald said angrily. “Never underestimate a woman. They may be weak; they may be soft, but they have strong magic. They’re liars and manipulators! Curses!”

“I…it won’t happen again.”

“You better believe it won’t,” Donald stated, eyes glazed over with anger.

***************************************************

"Crap! I feel like a damn cub again!" Faith’s voice was frustrated as she tried to walk from the bed to a chair that had been moved by the fire for her. Her legs were weak from the change, and she was getting angry because her mind was just as sharp as it had been.

“Hun, you’ve been back and forth four times now! It’s going to take time. Take a rest,” Astron said, exasperated.

“I’ve gotta work on my cat-like reflexes,” Faith replied sarcastically, still wobbling herself across the room.

“Don’t make me go get Tara,” Astron threatened.

Looking unsure, Faith said, “What? So she can smile me to death? I’m shaking in my boots.”

“You’re not wearing boots. No, I think I will tell her that you said both the bed and the chair are uncomfortable and you keep walking back and forth because you can’t decide which the lesser evil is.” Astron moved towards the door, smirking.

“Don’t!” Faith yelled, plopping onto the floor. “She’ll get all sad and give me Tara-eyes with them big blues!”

Astron laughed sitting on the floor with Faith; after a few minutes of laughter Astron rested a hand on Faith’s knee, “Actually, I have something I want to give you.”

“Oh, presents!” Faith said. Her excitement was quelled by the serious look on her love’s face as she pulled something from her pocket; Faith could see nothing of the object buried in her fist except a bit of chain hanging from the side. Eying it closely, she could see that the chain was made like chain mail, small metal loops linked together.

“I’ve carried this is my pocket for a long time, waiting for you.” Astron looked down at her fist, then back up at Faith. “There’s a tradition in my family. When we come of age, there is a hunt we have to do to become an adult. This hunt has to be done either with the father, or alone. My father, Zress, chose to come with me. Although he could not help me hunt, he was allowed to give advice. We hunted for a week, traveling through the cold winter, and yet found nothing. When we saw the beast, I thought I was hallucinating from hunger. The beast was large, a hybrid of bear and some kind of large cat. It was hard to be sure.”

“You didn’t attack it, surely!” Faith said. She couldn’t think of her love going against this beast so young, all on her own.

“I did. I fought the beast for about four hours. I bled for this, to be accepted as an adult. Mind you, I had been training myself in magic and blades. I took it down. For the trophy to bring my family, I brought home the claw of the beast. When I presented the claw at the ceremony, my father presented me with a large fang from the mouth of that beast, telling me, ‘You have made us so proud, I present you with the fang of the beast, representing your strength. When you find your soul mate, your love, present this to them, a gift to show how much you love them, and that you will protect them.’" Astron opened her palm, showing Faith the large yellowed fang that was hanging from the chain. The tooth was polished from handling. “I want you to have it.”

Faith reverently took the necklace from Astron’s hand and slid it over her head, “I will wear it with pride, Always.”

*******************************************************

The morning breeze was brisk on Tara’s face as she walked the grounds. For now, she was alone; it wouldn’t take long before someone came looking for her. The past two days had been very full of cleaning and preparing. They didn’t know how many rooms they would need, so they cleaned and prepped all the rooms that they had linen for. Of which, to Tara’s opinion, there were too many. Although since she had found Willow, Tara’s confidence had grown, she still didn’t fully believe that she now had friends and would soon be gaining more. The walk through the gardens was helping to calm the ball of tension that had been resting in her gut. The waiting was starting to get to her, waiting for the new guests, waiting for something to happen.

A movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned to watch a small bird hop toward a place that she felt she hadn’t gone often enough. Unfortunately, her own movement scared away the small bird.

“I’m sorry,” she told it as it flew away. Focusing her attention on the stone in front of her, she said softly, “I feel as if I know you, for how often and well she speaks of you. We would have been great friends, you and I. We probably would argue a lot, though.” She let out a soft laugh and her smile grew as a familiar hand slid into hers.

“Argue?” Willow asked.

“I can hear it in my head. ‘You should be with her, she’ll be happier.’ ‘No, she loved you first, it’s only right.’ It would last all day.”

Willow smiled, “So you wouldn’t fight for me?”

“I’d fight for you! Unless I thought you’d be happier with someone else,” Tara replied, looking down to hide her face as she explained.

Willow lifted her face, “I will never be happier with anyone else. You’re it, Tara. Someday, you will know this, without a doubt. That will be the day I know that I’ve loved you right.”

Tara leaned in for a kiss, squeezing her love’s hand, and then turned to look back at the stone. The flowers they had grown there were blooming, the perfume of them wafting around. “It’s not enough.”

“For what?”

“To thank her for what I have, what she and the goddess have given me,” Tara answered.

“I’ve learned,” Willow started, turning to face Tara again, “that sometimes, love is enough.”

They stared into each other’s eyes, blue meeting green, hearts and souls intertwined, and for a moment, just a moment, all the world was calm.

*********************************************************

TBC!
Thanks for reading!!

_________________
~Allie - Ride the Lightning

"Not a word is ever needed to excuse you loving me." Willow to Tara in Katharyn's Sidestep Chronicles

Dibs!

Yay for update ~goes to read again~



Hehehehe women won! Yes we are manipulative, but only to those who deserve it like rat ass Donald! lol



Hahaha I still somewhat see her as a tiger, the pacing fit perfectly, wonder if her nose twitches....



This kinda reminds me of Dawn and Buffy, where Dawn gripes and Buffy says "Don't let me get...." and Dawn is like no no no don't hehehehe



I couldn't pick a part so the whole thing!!! You did me proud bestie!!!! It's perfect!



Yeah her and Morgan would get along, of course with a lil argument here and there....



I can see it, I can see it!!!!!
Willow would be looking between the two like it was a ping pong match.



I like how you ended it, very beautiful way and always loved when they looked in each other's eyes.

Great job bestie can't wait for more!!!!

~AS~

_________________
"Can you just be kissing me now?" -Tara
__________________________________
Dibs-Mistress - General Chaos -Twitter Brigade
A Proposal Plan, A Star's Second Chance
Finey_McFine's Fan club http://finey-mcfinefanclub.webs.com/

"Pulse and Cocoon can rot for all I care. If I don't figure out our Focus soon... Vanille's gonna be a Cie'th. I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her" ~ Oerba Yun Fang FF13
******************************
http://www.astronsoulfanfictions.com/
http://astronsoulfanfic.tripod.com/twilight/

This story is so great!

Love the update and hope to see more soon!

_________________
“Even if I did get past all my problems, I'm just gonna get out and get new ones.”
Ally McBeal

Note to AstronSoul the Mighty Dibs-Mistress - GREAT to see that cracking whip again, you GO girl!
---------------------------------

Hey, Allie!

Update and internet and more updates!!!

Loved Faith getting her girl legs and how endearing and funny that is! AND Faith's assessment of Tara smiling her to death.

Donald uggh! Masterful creepiness! Good job using his own soldier's fear to underscore how frightening and insane the guy is! Amazingly I have to actually agree with this idiot on one point: Never underestimate women! Grrrrrrrrl Power!!!

Then Tara's introspective walk . . . enjoyed that moment. Her processing the huge changes in her life and taking note of her own becoming, her own transformation into who she is meant to be. And also, her gratitude for Willow and her honoring of Willow's first love. Beautifully done. Then Willow's arrival and the final perfect ending:


Thank you . . . no more words, want to remember that moment . . .

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

This made me smile. I can picture Tara doing something like that with someone.

Very nice update.

_________________
"When Mother Nature starts howling and crying...I smile. I love thunder storms!"

Hey Allie,
So glad you're back up and running. Congrats! I actually read this the day you posted and thought I commented, bad Lexi, bad, bad.
Anyway, since Astie and Ariel already said what I would have I just want to pile on the love for the Tara smiling Faith to death threat exchange. It was both funny and aww, so cute. Just perfect dialogue.

Hope you'll be updating more now. I can't wait!

_________________
Tara: " I got so lost."
Willow: "I found you. I will always find you."

Remodeling: The Reconstruction of Tara Maclay / W/T Potpourri

Hello there!! I have resurfaced from life's craziness and wanted to let you know I am still very much enjoying this fic! I was a bad kitten and didn't leave feedback.

So Pura is Faith, huh?? Very interesting twist. I'm curious to see what you do with Faith's character as there are parts of canon character that I like a lot but other parts that I really didn't like.

And the evil trio and Donald have joined forces. This is going to be interesting. I am seeing this leading up to an all out epic battle.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

~Leo

I'm extremely sorry for not feeding back on the last few chapters until now.

The revelation that Pura is Faith was great and Astron giving her the tooth was really sweet.

The merry band of witches heading to castle Rosenberg are all really enjoyable, I liked the explanation of the different forms of magic that exist in this world. I enjoyed the first battle they had with the soldiers.

I have to agree Donald Maclay is a fool to believe he can get anywhere by working with the necromancers both sides planning on double crossing each other.

The ending of the latest chapter was really sweet imagining the discussion between Tara and Morgan and then the final conversation was wonderful it was great copied the whole thing because it was all really good



I had a really surreal moment while catching up with the story. itunes was on shuffle when Ride the lightning came on I felt it was fitting to listen to the whole album while I read. =)

Sorry if it's brief had quite a few chapters so picked a couple of favourite parts.

_________________
Matty- Lovers Dearest, Falling in love at christmas A trip through time thinking about the verse

Tara: I am, you know.
Willow: What?
Tara: Yours.
Who are You

Here we go again! Replies first!

Astron - 'Grats on Dibzies! in reply to the comments on Faith/Pura, I believe that she has lived as a tiger so long that she is going to exhibit some tigerlike traits as a human. Glad you approve of the a/f necklace part. Looking forward to what you have to say about ch.17 besides "HOLY WOW" LOL.

sarahncrys1017 - Welcome to the KB and to RTL. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see more from you in the future. Are you a writer, or a read only type?

Ariel - Told ya I was working on it! Not much to say in reply but thanks for the feedback and keep reading!

fhiwda - Hey! Thanks bunches!

True_Love - Hiya! Hey, you're no worse than me... I've been reading but not feedbacking on my fav. stories, including yours. I'm sorry. My schedule is clearing up a bit so I might actually have time to fb more often. Thanks for the FB!

Leo - Glad that you're still with me! Thanks!

Mgraham93 - Hello there! Don't be sorry about brevity, I would be happy with "Hey I read it and I want more!" So thanks! I'm glad that you're enjoying and hope to see more from you!

ONTO THE NEXT!!!

Title: Ride the Lightning
Distribution: Just ask.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, no lawsuits. Kthnxbai!

Thanks: To my wonderful Bestie/Beta Astron

Notes: Still here! RL is pretty crazy but I'm not going anywhere. I can't promise frequent updates but I will update as often as possible.

Thoughts/ Cat-speak in italics

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Chapter 17 – Conversations with Dead People


The fog slithered over the gardens, slow and silky as the moon shone bright in the night sky, Tara’s ankles grew cold as the fog wrapped around them; she was looking for someone. Tara wrapped her shivering arms around herself, stopping to look around, it didn’t occur to her to wonder why she was wandering the gardens in the middle of the night in her shift. The red of the moon didn’t seem odd to her, nor did the blurred feel of her surroundings. She had one purpose, and that was to find who she was looking for. Tara started walking again; keeping alert for any sign of the person she was meant to find this night. The shadows grew deep and long, with a red tinge from the moon. The silence of the night was interrupted by the sound of a man whistling. She spun around in circles, trying to find its source. Off in the distance, she noticed a man sitting on a crumbled wall. His head was tilted back, looking at the moon, and he seemed fully at his ease. Tara quickened her steps.

As she got closer, she recognized the man from a dream she had once. At the moment she couldn’t place the dream, but she acknowledged the man, “Xander.”

“Hello Tara,” he replied, swinging his legs and turning his head slightly to look at her. He pointed to the moon with his chin, “You’ll need to watch for that; it’s probably a sign. Weird dreams like this are all riddled with signs, or at least that’s what Willow says.”

“Is this a dream then?” Tara asked, looking up at the moon.

“Well, how else would I be here?”

“Stranger things have happened in this world than someone coming back from the dead.” She didn’t know where that knowledge came from, but something inside her said that while it was unnatural, coming back from the dead was not unusual.

“I am well and truly dead, Tara. There’s no return for me. My soul has moved on and my body is now a part of the earth.”

“Why are you here?” Tara asked, confused. If his soul had moved on, why was he lingering in her dreams?

“There was something I was supposed to tell you, but I can’t remember all of it. They should know better than to trust me with something this big,” Xander replied, his brows furrowing.

“I’m sure they have their reasons, whoever they are,” Tara assured, joining him on the wall.

“They just want you to know that you and Wills are strong, together or apart. Alone you could defend yourselves, together you can win this war. If your father succeeds, all magic in this world will eventually die. They gave me some cryptic message to give you, but I’m not too good with the cryptic. Basically, when you’re down, when you feel like you can’t go on, have faith. You’ll know what to do.” He patted her hand.

“No pressure, then,” Tara sighed. “I wish you were still alive. You’re one of Willow’s best friends. Your death and the others’ weigh heavily on her heart.”

“It will heal, she has you now. I believe in you two.” He stopped and tilted his head to the side as if listening to something. “I have to go, Tare. Take care of my girl. And remember, you are not alone. Never alone, even when all seems lost.” He reached over, throwing his arm over her shoulder. Just a squeeze on her shoulder, and he was gone.

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This was a jungle she didn’t know. Her paws felt heavy as she ran alongside the other tiger. Where Pura was brilliantly white, the other tiger was almost silver; a color that she knew came with great age. While she had been enjoying her human form, she was glad to be running in her animal form again.

It feels good to run. Does it not? Came a thought into Pura’s head.

Yes it does. I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you? How did I get here?

I am Alyria, your ancestor. This is a dream. I had a great need to speak with you.

With me? How do I merit a dream walk with you? Questioned Pura.

A chance like this to do something for our race has not come along in quite a while. You are going to face this trial, and by doing so, could break our curse. You’ve shown bravery, but there will be events that will challenge your spirit. I want to give you some advice.

Advice that I am honored to take, cailleach feasa.

I have long studied to learn how to do this, Alyria stated as she slowed down. I will give you my experiences through our minds, for not all advice can be given through words.

Pura stopped alongside Alyria, following her instructions so that the two tigers stood with their heads down, the flats on the top of their heads meeting.

I will begin, Alyria said. Prepare.

Taking a deep breath, Pura said, I am ready. She felt something akin to a tickle on the forefront of her mind, and that was the last she knew for quite some time as images, feelings and wisdom flooded into her mind.

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“I didn’t expect to see you again,” Astron told the woman sitting by the fire in front of her.

“I was unsure whether I would return or not. It looks like my work here is unfinished,” the blonde woman told her.

“What is left for you to do?” Astron asked.

“I’m not quite sure,” the woman admitted. “I am unable to pass on completely. Part of me is here, with my daughter, and another part of me is in The Other.”

“I have grown to love your daughter. She’s a wonderful woman. You raised her well,” commented Astron. She was unsure what to say.

“There’s going to come a time when she’s really going to need you. You are strong; she’ll need your strength in the near future.” The woman’s voice grew sad, and her face fell with the heaviness of her knowledge.

“You’ve seen something? You know something bad is going to happen?” Astron felt her stomach clench.

“I cannot give you details. I want to know that you will be there for her when I cannot.”

“Of course! I have not known her long, but Tara means a lot to me already,” Astron stated. Her emotions were in her voice; her sincerity was evident.

“Good. I have seen light in you, dear one. I’m glad that my daughter has you to lean on.”

“What about Willow? She has her to lean on, too.”

The woman looked into the fire. She stared into it for what seemed like hours, saying nothing and staying as still as a statue. Finally, when she spoke, her voice was distant and flat, “I cannot say what will happen. Willow is great for my daughter; I’ve already seen many changes in her that make me happy that she has Willow. I hear them calling me; it is time I must go. There is something I feel the need to leave with you.”

“I’m listening,” Astron said quietly, trying to figure out the things Tara’s mother had told her.

“There is going to come a time when it will seem like all is lost to Tara, and Willow won’t be there to help her. Her ability to keep darkness at bay, to keep her morals intact, will be tested. That is when she will need you the most. You and the Goddess” With that, the woman faded, and soon Astron was left alone by the fire, contemplating the woman’s words.

The conversation tumbled around in her mind, pieces slowly coming together. When Astron revisited the last words of Tara’s mother, only two conclusions came to mind. As she stared into the fire, she realized that one of the conclusions that Willow would leave Tara, was implausible, leaving only one. That one possibility made Astron want nothing more than to be consumed by the fire that she stared into.

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“Morgan!” Willow called out as she recognized the figure sitting in the library. The room was dark, lit only by the light glow of a candle at the table where Morgan sat. In front of her, a book laid open, which Morgan seemed to be fiercely concentrating on. When Willow called out to her, Morgan looked up with a wry smile.

“Weren’t you the one who was always hushing me in here?” Morgan commented.

“Well,” Willow replied awkwardly. “It’s like a rule, even for private libraries: Must be quiet in rooms filled with books. What are you doing here? You’re…”

“Dead?”

“Erm, yes.” Willow sat in the chair across from her former lover.

“It’s okay, Willow. I just came here to see you. Are you happy with her?” Morgan said this with a smile, no jealousy in her tone.

“Yes, I am.”

“Excellent. Cherish every day, Willow. We never know when we won’t have tomorrow.”

“I will,” Willow promised.

Morgan looked away from her, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, before looking up and meeting her eyes, “Do you trust her with your life?”

“Of course I do,” Willow answered, brows furrowing in confusion. “Why?”

“That trust is crucial. She’s going to hold your life in her hands,” Morgan said, her voice carrying a tone that was oddly cryptic.

“She already holds my life in her hands.”

Morgan smiled, briefly, before changing her expression to look stern, “I mean literally, Willow. I’ve always told you the things I saw of the future, all but that once. I’m not going to stop now, even though they tell me I’m not supposed to.”

“What have you seen?”

“Willow, you need to examine that trust you have in Tara; make sure that there are no doubts, whatsoever. You two will need to trust each other fully, and trust in the Goddess.”

Worried, Willow asked, “What’s going to happen?”

“The same thing that happened to me,” Morgan said. “Donald Maclay is going to kill you.”

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TBC!!!

Hope you enjoyed.... If there are people still reading that is =^.^=

Note2: cailleach feasa is Irish/Gaelic for “wise woman or fortune teller”. It’s the closest thing I could find to what I was trying to say, which was something along the lines of “wise ancestor”.

dibs

yep I hate workin lose my dibs



Even in death he always seems to quip about not remembering something.



Cryptic messages are always so annoying, at least he made it simple-ish...



This is so cool, Pura/Faith gets to know stuff not a lot of her people know, wicked. And hopefully she can break the curse that would be awesome!

Ok so I couldn't choose anything about Astron's dream that I liked best, I liked the whole thing. At first I was wondein who she was talkin too then I remembered Astron had spoken to Tara's mother once before. It seems Astron will have even more to do and to worry about. Not just training the other witches. Good luck to Astron!



No offense to Morgan but um that was a rather stupid question, but I see why she asked it.



I would hate to know that I was going to die, or come close to dying ~shivers~ not a fun feeling, I really do hope that Tara can bring Willow back or something.

Great job Bestie, can't wait for more!

~AS~

Oh snap! So... this FIC is different for me... Tara usually always dies... it's Willows turn!

I'm still intrigued

Oh my god, that is a glimpse of the future I really don't like!!! I'm trying to find solace in the happy-end-rule of the KB and trust that Tara will be able to somehow bring Willow back to life. But that is a terrible knowledge for Willow, and I guess she mustn't tell Tara, I wouldn't know how to live with this knowledge. And poor Willow won't even be able to spend the rest of her life (before her first death) constantly in Tara's arms or something, she will probably have to act as normal as possible, preparing for battle and so forth.

I really hope Donald Maclay will find a painful end (but not by Tara's hands of course, the necromancers could do the job f.e.).

The dreams were all very beautifully written, and it was nice to see Xander again.

I can hardly wait for the next update - hopefully very soon, please don't leave us on this darkest note for too long!