Previously: For those of you who did not read More Wild Magic, a little backround for this story, since I do not encourage you to go to my author page and read it, because I rather dislike it, because I was rather an idiot when I started it.

Kari was born in a small village on the coast ot the Yamani Islands, to a Yamani noble woman disowned by her family for marrying a Tortallan trader. She grew up quietly there, with a brother. In a pirate raid, her whole world was turned upside down, watching the murder of her mother, and being kidnapped, and sold in Carthak as a slave. She never discovered what had become of her father and little brother. She'd known when she was in the islands that she was... different. He mother had been different too. But Kari assumed she was a freak, a devil-child as so many of the other slaves called her, never that he strange connection with animals could mean something more. At thirteen years old, with a hawk companion by the name of Razi, Kari made a failed and rather pathetic attempt at excape from her slave holders, and was saved by a strange Tortallan boy. Thom, son of the legendary Alanna the Lioness. Thom bought her, and freed her. And brought her back with him to the Royal palace of Carthak, to meet his mother, adn the other members of a Tortallan delegation.

It was clear that Kari possesed a rare ammount of wild magic, one only surpassed by the Wild Mage, Veralidaine Sarrasri herself. She made fast friends with the Tortallans, and was brought back to their homeland with them. Where she's been living for the past three years, Thom as her teacher.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tammy's original characters, Ideas, plots, or any of those things...

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I can't pin point the time when I stopped thinking of Tortall as 'Tortall' and started to just call it 'home'. Because that's it had become, in only three short years. I had friends. Human ones. I had a family. A human one. Because that's what I had here. Buri and Raoul had taken me in, and treated me like a kid of their own. Actually, Raoul was working to get the adoption papers finalized with the Magistrate.

Kel was like an older sister, always there, always patient, and gentle. She always knew the answer. And Neal... He was... well, Neal. As I got older, I learned to appriciate him more, but... He's still Neal. And He's still fun to tease and laugh about. He was like a goof-ball cousin.

Alanna the strict aunt, who always made me eat my vegetables. George the easy going uncle who helped me to get rid of them by distracting her while I tossed them under the table for Jump to snap up.

Daine was like a second mother, although her and Numair didn't have time to be around, there was stirrings at the border countries. Tyra was considering on trying it's luck against us Tortallans, And the King wanted them to keep both their eyes out for anything that could hint at an organized attack.

And Thom... I wasn't sure where he fit in to my adopted family, but he was an amazingly important part. He'd been teaching me since I was thirteen, for Mirthos sake! And now, three years later, look at us both! I'm practically a full-fledged mage myself, and him? He's twenty years old, and already a Black Robe. He and I are so completely different, I'm sixteen going on five, and he's twenty going on a hundred and seven. But he's really become almost brotherly. And I see him much more than his actual siblings do, which is sort of discomforting. Well, his sister's gone off to spy, and his brother's off being knightly. And Thom coops himself up in the library at Corus, while I run about with the Riders, and practice with Yuki.

My life has changed so dramatically, and I can't even think that if it wasn't for Razi(Who had made Tortall as much her home as I had made it mine.), and Thom, I'd still be stuck in Carthak. Hauling water, getting whipped, and... Well, by now I'd be busy with things even less comfortable to think about.

After all, not to sound vain, but I have... blossomed. I was awkward and bony when I first came, and now... Well, I'd filled out, for one. I had a chest, a tiny, rather flat one, but a chest none-the-less. And hips! And a pretty face, not to mention, my round face had thinned out, cheek-bones more prominent, eyelashes longer.

Oh, and we mustn't forget the hair! I love my hair. At first, I'd refused to cut it. I never wanted to cut it again, not after being bald for so long. But Raoul convinced me otherwise. It had gotten curly since I'd last seen it, like I remembered my father's hair being. Well, not as curly as Daine's, mine were loose and more wavy. But definitely curls.

Everything seemed perfect. My life had fallen into place. I had somewhere to belong. And people that cared. Soon I'd even have an official pair of real parents. For the first time since the raid. And I don't think of Raoul and Buri as replacements at all. Because, really they aren't. I don't feel lost without my biological parents. I don't have to have an ink-and-paper mother and father. But it's what I want. And it's not like I'll just have anyone who's willing to step in. I want them. And they want me too. All of me, not just my face, or my magic. They care about me. I'm even really sure that I couldn't be happier if I was with my birth parents. Sure, Raoul and Buri aren't always around, but they make it count when they are. Everything simply feels like we're a family, even though I've only known them for three years.

I couldn't ask for a better life.

And I was so sure that nothing could ever change, or go wrong. How could it?

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"Uh.. Hey, Kari." I turned at the sound of a male voice. One I recognized.

A smile grew on my face, flashing my white teeth at him. Encouraging and my face reddened sightly. "Donal! Hello! Training out for the day?" I asked the young rider trainee. He had started a bit late, but was still only a year older than my own sixteen years. Razi, perched on my shoulder, picked at the bright yellow ribbon that tied my reddish-brown hair back.

'Hmmm... It's the one you like.'

'I don't like him! He's a friend.'

I tried to correct. True, but not entirely. I did like him. He was good looking, after all. And he was always so nice! And I liked the way his light blue eyes stood out against his tan skin and dark hair.

Razi's snarky voice echoed in my head, as he continued to preen. 'Say what you want, hatchling. You can't fool me.'
My short bow was set against the fence, and I hoisted myself over it to the side he stood on. He was taller than me by a head or so. Most people here were. There was my Yamani blood. Keeping me short. Thank Yama. I wasn't defenseless, but I wasn't like Kel, who towered over many men. I liked taller males.

Donal smiled back, shaking his head, "Nah, not yet, just on a lunch break. But me and some of the lasses were planning to go to the kitchens and snatch up some snacks, and see if Onua will let us organize a little get-together with Dom's Squad. Maybe organize some competitions. Wrestling, archery, jousting, hand-to-hand, that sort of thing. I figured if you helped, Onua'd have to say yes." He flicked his hair out of his eyes. Too bad he's have to cut it off soon. Buri didn't like the Rider men to have hair always in their eyes. It effected their accuracy.

I reached through the fence, snatching up my bow and quiver of arrows, before shrugging. "Sounds like fun. I'll see what I can do, but there's no guarantees. I've got some lessons with Thom this afternoon, and you 'd be surprised, Onua's not nearly as submissive to my will as you lot seem to think she is."

We set off, him teasing that Thom worked me like a dog, and me protesting that it was needed. After all, Daine was one of Tortall's biggest advantages in times like this. Everyone knew a war was coming. The only question was when. And where Tyra would strike. If I could become half as adept with my Gift as she was wither her's, we'd have an even bigger advantage.

The only problem was convincing Raoul and Buri to let me go off to do the kind of work Daine did. I knew it was dangerous, Daine had told me. I knew the risks. And I could handle it. I was eager to prove myself to the realm. Just as Daine had soon after she arrived in Tortall. I'd been here for three years, and I still had done little more than help around the stables, and with the Riders. I'd never saved anyone, that wasn't a beast-people.

Compared to the rest of my 'family' I was useless. They were legendary. I was... Kari. I'd helped catch a few bandits once or twice with Raoul and the own, and I'd gone with Onua to Galla to pick up a new group of Rider ponies, but that was the extent of it.

Getting whole baskets full of food from the cooks was easy. We asked nicely, they told us that we were no good scrap-licking beggars, we made a witty come-back that amused them, they laughed and gave us the food. A complete snap.

After that we ran back to the Rider Barracks, and hid the food under Donal's cot, but not before snatching a couple of rolls for ourselves. Finding Onua wasn't so hard either, she was almost always in the same spot. I flashed Donal a grin, and muttered, "Watch a master at work, maybe you'll learn something." Before trotting up to her.

She was standing, leaning against the wooden fence enclosing the pasture. The older woman glared down at me, "Shouldn't you be with Thom?" She asked, almost gruff.

I grinned back, shaking my head with energy, and causing the horse-tail my hair was tied back in to whip me in the cheeks. "Nope! My lessons don't start for another hour or so! And besides, what else have I got to learn? I'm practically a full-fledged wild mage myself! Daine's about the only one who can teach me anymore, and she's-"

"Busy with Tyra, I know you goof. But Thom keeps you practicing, which is what you need. So no skipping lessons. There's always more to learn." Onua cut in, extending an arm for Razi to step onto, which he did, enjoying the way the horse-woman gently scratched him under his feathers. "Now, little beggar, what do you want? I can tell that this isn't purely social."

I pretended to look affronted, and shocked at her accusations. "Onua! Can't an old student come visit her old mentor without having a hidden agenda?"

She shook her head, ruffling my hair as Razi moved up her arm to her shoulder, ruffling his feathers and fluffing them out. "Any normal student? Yes. You? Not a chance." She said, leaving me unsure if she was teasing, or entirely serious. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was neither. "What do you want."

I smiled, slinging one arm over her shoulders, but careful not to hit Razi. "Onua, I was just talking with some of the lads, trainees you know, and we thought it would be awfully fun, since Dom's Squad is in for a week or so, to have a little get-together with the Own, and maybe have a little friendly competition!" I shrugged, "You know, like a little tourney. It would be fun!" I coaxed her. smiling smugly as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "We could have races, wrestling matches, hand-to-hand, some sword fighting, maybe a tad bit of archery..."

She was interested. I had her, I could tell by her face. "That's actually not such a bad idea..." She said, voice thoughtful, but a smile grew on her face. "Dom keeps saying that his archers can out-shoot our trainees any day, and time. Let's let him prove it them, eh?" She laughed. "Fine. Go find Dom and issue the challenge!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I saluted her playfully, 'Razi? Stay or go?' I asked the bird of prey.

He fluffed out his feathers again, 'I'll stay with Onua. She gives me meat. And lets me peck the trainees when they do something stupid.' I warned him.

'Don't peck too hard. You could maim someone.'

He ignored me pointedly, and looked away. I rolled my eyes and ran back to where Donal was waiting. "She says to issue the challenge!" I laughed.

He gave me a clap on the back, grinning, "Knew you could do it!" He slung his arm over my shoulder and we ran off to the Own Barracks. Hopefully Dom wouldn't be too busy.

Then again, Dom was always up for a bit of fun.

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"You're late."

I rolled my eyes at Thom, sliding into the seat across from him at the little table he used in the library. "Only a little bit. Besides, I have an excuse. I've been assiting in the oragnization of a tourney. You always say I should take me intrest in social events, what better a way to do so then by this?"

The red haired boy- really a man now, I suppose- raised a brow at me. "What on earth are you talking about?" He asked, "There aren't any tournaments any time soon."

Thom's changed alot since I first came here too. He's still the same old serious book-worm, but at the same time, he's different. Before it always seemed like he was only trying to be mature. Now he really was. And he' d filled up too. He wasn't muscular, and he surely wasn't tall. He was only three inches taller than him mother, but then, that was still two inches or so taller than me. His features were sharp, with the exception of his nose, and narrow. And his orange hair had darkened a few shades. And he's loosened up a bit. He's not always against fun anymore. And he doesn't get annoyed quite so easily.

I smiled smugly, "Well, Donal, some of the other tainees, and my luminecent self have decided to hold a little competition between the trainee Riders and Dom's Squad. The Trainees are going to kick some butt."

Thom's brow furrowed, slumping in his seat. "I wish you wouldn't hang around that Donal boy. There's something funny about him." He muttered darkly. I was clueless as to why he didn't like Donal. Everyone liked Donal.

"Yes, Pa." I said, with a roll of my eyes, "Honestly, you sound just like Raoul." My adoptive father-figure was always pretty concerned about boys. Buri told him not to worry, but he did anyway. He always said it was because way-back, when he was my age, he had been a young man, with a mind and thoughts very akin to what, no doubt, the boys I hung out had.

Thom scowled, and ran his fingers through his hair, expelling a sigh, "Fine, have it your way. Come on. You've got to meditate."

I let a loud groan excape my lips, following him in his movement to get out of our chairs. If one thing had really stayed the same over these three years, it was my absolute loathing of meditation. I was still the same figity, impatient Kari. And I still hated to sit still for too long. But I had gotten better, and I no longer fell asleep while trying to meditate. It was just... Boring.

And I didn't enjoy it.

We went to one fo the more quiet court yards to meditate for an hour or so, stopping when the bell clanged four times. Four-o-clock.

After that we went to the Menagerie. It was my favorite part of the palace. And this was my favroite part of my lessons. We went to the Lion enclosure. It was my favroite. They were by far one of my prefered species. I liked predators, they were so powerful, proud. And intelligent! I think humans are always considering Beast-people inferior. They think that they've-we- have something to teach them. I don't think they realize how much they have to teach us. Lions for example, can teach us tatics in warfare.

The way they hunt is fantastic. Elegant, fast, powerful. They don't torture, or tease. They catch and kill. Which is more than most humans can say. The pride is in tune, one. No one lion looks for glory, or to be more oticed. They aren't greedy.

Battle formations and fighting styles can be learned, if Humans will only watch and listen to what the animals have to say. That's what the Shang do, right? I've met the Unicorn, and thats how she started. Kylaia al Jmaa. I'd hounded her with so many questions, Thom had smacked me on the head, and told me to mind my manners.

I don't think she minded. She told me that she was the same way when she was young, so full of questions that she didn't know what to do with herself.

But, she'd found her place in the world. I'd found mine as well. I just didn't feel like I'd done anything to earn it.

One of the servants who's job it was to care for the animals at the Menagerie let me into the the staircase that led down to the enclosure, locking me in. They all knew me, I was here nearly every day. I was allowed in and out, it was a wonder that they didn't just give me my own set of keys. It'd sure be easier for them.

There was another grate at the bottom of the stairs, that didn't require a key to open. I slipped through it, and into the enclosure.

Our pride was unusual, for a menagerie, composing of two females, and one large male, and a group of three cubs. Unusual because usually when in captivity, large animals like lions don't breed in capticity. Then again, other menageries aren't like this one. Corus had the best in the world. And I knew it for a fact. The enclosures here were bits and pieces of the lands their occupants came from. Carthak, Scanra, the Copper Isles, the Yamani Islands, everywhere. It was like being there. And the animals were happy. The birth of the cubs proved this. And Tortall was proud of them. Living proof of how adept our mages were. daine had a great hand in it as well, helping to piece together pieces and bits of how things might look or feel.

The leader of the pride was a sturdy male, six years old, by the name of Agymah. His coat was a dark tawny, and his mane an even darker shade, almost a brown, with a little bit of a red tinge. Agy was a lover at heart, although he liked to look the fighter. He was lazy, and, like male lions in the wild, let his loinesses bring his food to him. It was rare to see him do more than yawn, occassionally pace a bit, let the cubs clambed all over him, or let his lionesses groom and croo over him.

His queens were not quite so dark. The mother of the cubs, Serwa, was very light, a beautiful golden color, and almost five years old. Unlike Agymah, she was thin and elegant, where the lion was built for raw power, she was speed and skill. She made a good mother, always patient, always attentive. She'd gotten thinner since the birth of her little cubs, but that was to be expected. I liked to watch her simply walk. She was graceful, even for a cat, something her daughter Zola seemed to inherit, and she'd walk around the enclosure, with her shoulder-blades swaying and working up and down, with such awe-inspiring elegancy.

Nomuula was the third. I felt a special connection with her, one that was growing with the cubs as well. Nomy was almost four years old, and she'd been living at the Palace as long as I had, a gift to Queen Thayet, and King Jonathan from Emperor Kaddar(who had made it clear to Daine that she wasn't really a 'gift' so to say, he just needed an excuse to send her, because she was not fit for the wild, and she was unhappy in Carthak). We'd both been new, and feeling somewhat alone. She was small and compact, darker than Serwa, and lighter than Agymah, a soft gold color. She was alot like me in every way possible. She liked to goof off, and play, and didn't enjoy sitting still or listening to her elders. We'd race around the enclosure, even though she always won, even if I was in lion form.

The cubs were adorable, like all babies. They were a little over two months old, and I'd been assigned to closely monitor them through their first six weeks. We were fairly sure that they'd be fine, now that they'd past the two-month mark, and grow up healthy. They still bore the spot of infanthood. Their heads were a little too big for the rest of them, and their paws were oversized, but they're would grow into them. Everyday they grew in energy and size.

The largest was Zola. And she used her size to her advantage. She pushed and bullied her little siblings, when she thought she could get away with it. She knew better than to do it around me, because I would scold her and rap her on the nose. To which she would react with a loud sneeze, and shrink away. I was fond of her confidence, however, and liked her spit-fire spirit. She loved to wrestle with me, although I was always having to warn her to be careful of her claws and teeth. She broken skin before, but never anything too serious. Things were most fun when I took on my lion form and we played like that, but it wasn't often, Thom didn't like me to do it too often.

Kainda was a little smaller. She was the most independant, almost motherly to the other too, even though Zola commomly pushed her about. It was not uncommon to find her cleaning or grooming her siblings. She was also a hopeless mamma's girl, and, unlike Zola who was graceful for a cub, often tripped over her large paws, sending herself tumbling through the tan dirt and tawny grass. She was the laziest fo the three, and liked to lounge in the sun, stretched out. I liked to lounge with her on the lazier days, Sundays, when the Managerie was closed to visitors, so the workers could go to the temples in the morning and give worship to Mirthos, the Goddess, or any other gods they wished to, and no one would be watching me.

The smallest was my favorite, although I hated to admit it. His name was Jumoke, and he was simply irresistable. He was my baby, an auntie's boy. He liked me to cradle him, and feed him goat's milk with a bottle. I was always concerned that I babied him too much, but then, I figured, he wouldn't be going anywhere, and Daine told me that it would be fine. When he was born we were terrified that he wouldn't make it, he was smaller than his sisters, and it was hard for him to get in and nurse. The first three to four weeks he lived in my room, and I took care of him. I made sure to keep him farmiliar with the rest of the pride, and when he was closer to the size of his sisters, I let him back with the rest. It was easier with a wild mage around to do these things, because, obviously, I could explaine, and talk to them, and make certain things clear. Jumo was loved by everyone, the other lions, the caretakers, even people simply visiting. He just has that sort of effect. A charisma. He liked to play, just like his sisters, but also loved to cuddle and be scratched on his belly.

As soon as I entered, I was pounced upon by Nomy, nuzzling my face and large paws on my shoulders. You didn't come yesterday! We were worried that you'd been called off. It always amazed me how human they seemed sometimes. I supposed that it came from being in a menagerie, and being around Daine and I so much. They understood more about why humans did things, and how things worked than animals in the wild did.

I always try and tell you guys before hand, you know that. I told her, scratching her behind the ear and moving her off of me so that I could see the rest. The cubs were nursing happily, so I let Serwa be, with just a nod, and walked to where Agymah was stretched out in the shade of a large tree, and sat down next to him, smiling. Hey, chief. Nice day for a nap?

He snorted at me, one eye opening to inspect me, You smell terrible. Like horse dung, fruit, and that nasty smelly liquid that the human women wear.

I shrugged smiling, Sorry, I amended, I don't mean to. Why did I smell like perfum anyway? I hadn't put any on... Ah, right, I have bumped into that one noble woman. That must have been it. How're the cubs? I asked, as Nomy curled up next to me, so I could scratch her head as I conversed with Agymah. I looked up the twenty foot high sides ot the enclosure, to meet Thom's eyes, "Thom, please? I really feel like I've got some pent up energy today." He didn't like me going into lion form. He thought I was too comfortable in it. And warned that sometimes when shape-shifters prefered one shape to their original, they find themselves unable to change back to human. He worried too much. I like being a lion, but not so much that I'd stay like that forever.

He chewed on his lower lip for a second, considering my request for his permission. "Fine. For a little bit."

"Thank you!" I chimed getting up and going into the privacy of the little dark stairwell to strip down and change, before coming back out a lion. I loved the feeling. I could smell everythng, see everything, and hear everything. Okay, so I did like lion form a little more than I let on, but I still liked being a human more. Human males were simply devine. And I had a human family. And human friends. I can still be with my animal family when I'm human, it's harder to be with my human family when I'm animal.

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Craaa-zzzzzy. You know what's crazy? How fast I wrote this, how much fun I had writing this, adn haw much I loved writing this. IhavearenewedloveforKariasacharacter.AlovethatIlostwhilewritingMWM. Thank you, thank you.

I was a bit iffy on usuing lions. Mostly because that puts across the Alanna image, which isn't what I want, but they fit. And I couldn't think of any other large pack-oriented predators. Other than wolves. And they were too Daine-oriented. I decided the lions would be fine, because, well, lions aren't actaully in the Lioness quartet, are they? Nope-sies. So I'm clean. Are you guys proud of my uber loooong first chapter? I'm hoping to make them all this long, although we'll see how that goes, no? 4545 words without the preface. Thank you, thank you.

Please review, let me know what you think. I'd love it if you did.