A/N This came to me while I was writing What Happens in Sin Doesn't Stay in Sin. With Desna and other's encouragement, I decided to so an overhaul on the Sinclair Sisters and expand Cat's relationship with Desna's Beck Fashion in the Pradeshverse.

Thanks you Desna for encouraging me to write this.

I do not own Fairy Tail or the Pradesh's The Sinclairs are my own creation made to fit into the Pradeshverse.

Heart and Soul

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. - Audrey Hepburn

Chapter 1

Kindling

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. - Ferdinand Foch

Grenlow sat in his office of the White Sea in a stare down with a stubborn woman. The woman was more stubborn than a spotted wolf with a bone. He liked the woman. She was a valuable asset to the White Sea. Her seith magic was beyond any seith he knew of yet she was determined to have it her way or no way. He let out a heavy sigh, "Sylvia, dear, you can't raise two young girls in the woods at your cabin alone. You're not as young as you used to be. We have the resources here at the guild to give Catrina and Lex a good sound education and magic tutelage here at the guild and you know that. You can even live here. We have apartments and other things to assist you…" he offered but was cut off.

"Grenlow, I appreciate the offer but those two are the last of our clan's youth. Other than my sister Opal and her husband, Catrina Lex and I are all that is left of Clan Felernas. You and I both know that it wasn't destroyed by the clan wars. We were too far north in the mountains for the squabbles down here by the sea. Those girls need ME to teach them how to be proud Felernas woman. Cat especially needs me. She has inherited the Sinclair gift of soul magic." Sylvia rebutted. She was a proud woman. Her blonde hair was already fading to gray. She kept it in a long thick single braid. She didn't want to accept the welfare of the White Sea because her son-in-law decided to destroy their clan, kill her daughters and attempt to kidnap her granddaughter. It was embarrassing. She shook her head at the master of the powerful guild.

Cat and Lex sat outside listening to their Grammie bicker with the guild master. For two eleven year olds, it was hard to sit still, especially when there was so many mages around to talk to and mischief to get into. Cat rocked back and forth in her seat clearly getting antsy waiting for the adults to be finished with whatever it was they were talking about. "Lex I'm getting bored sitting here. I want to go play. Tito said there are some kids down stairs we can play with that's about our age." Cat whined.

Lex looked over at her sister. They weren't really sisters but cousins. Since their clan was destroyed by Cat's father when they were six, Grammie has raised them as sisters. "Really you have Tito out looking for people to play with instead of focusing on listening on what they are talking about. It's not like Grammie is being quiet. I don't think she knows how." Lex snorted. Lex was the calmer of the too. She was cat's voice of reason sometimes…sometimes.

"Whatever. I'm going to go meet new people. I'm tired of living in the forest with just you Grammie and Tito to talk too and maybe a squirrel or two." She scoffed as she hopped off the bench and took off jogging to where Tito had told her where there were kids playing.

Lex shook her head, red curls shaking back and forth, "Dummy. Grammie is gonna kill us for this." She muttered as she took off after the streak of blonde hair.

Cat wandered down the stairs to the first floor of the building they entered an hour ago. She was following Tito her lost soul that has been with her since she was six years old. Grammie wanted her to place him in a totem as she had her little souls but Cat never liked that idea of keeping him in a doll. She liked him free like she was. She came to an area that looked like a feast house to her. People milling about with trays of food, sitting at long wooden tables with chairs and benches. Mages of all ages congregating. She was in awe of it. She hadn't been in the presence of this many people for a few years. Not since her father destroy their clan. "Sunflower, are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna go in?" a young voice asked her from behind.

The voice startled her. She turned around to find a little boy no older than eight looking at her with wine colored eyes. He had a smirk across his face that spoke volumes of all the mischief he could get into. She returned his smirk, "Sunflower, huh? Why's that? And who are you shorty?"

The boy snickered, "Your hair, it yellow like a sunflower. And I'm not short. You're just a giant like my sister, Emi. I can't help that. What's your name or should I just keep calling you Sunflower?"

Cat looked at the boy still keeping her smirk, "Cat. Cat Sinclair, shorty. What's yours? And what do you do for fun around here?"

"It's Vander Pradesh. I like how you think, Sunflower. Come on let's go find my older brothers then we can get into all kinds of pranks." He winked as he ran off. Cat had a hard time keeping up with him because it was as if he would disappear then reappear a little further ahead of her no matter how fast she ran.

"Cat! Wait up!" Lex called out trying to keep up with Cat and her new friend. She ran as fast as she could even with her wind magic enhancing her feet. When she caught up with them, she found them with four more boys one with black hair, one with blueish black hair, the third with dark brown hair and the last one with green hair. They had it all styled in a typical Boscan style, the top half pulled back while the lower half flowed freely.

Cat stopped and looked at the four boys that her new friend brought her too. Tito had told her telepathically these were the kids he was telling her about. She took them all in it had been a long time since she and Lex had been around kids their own age. She heard Lex come up on her left. Both girls were instantly shy due to the lack of socialization. Vander sensing that the two girls locking up took over, "Hey bros. Look what your little kid of a brother found. Two count them two girls. What do you think about that? Not bad for an eight year old, huh? Anyway these are my new friends, Sunflower and… uh, Red." Van smiled a toothy grin at his older brothers.

All the boys were fascinated by the color of the girls' hair. Not many Boscans had their coloring. Most Boscans had the deep rich browns or the blues and greens, but most of the people lived down around the Grass Sea. They also had the beautifully tanned or olive complexions. The northern clans were fairer in complexion and had blonde and strawberry red hair. The northern clans never ventures south to the Grass Sea often unless the chieftains needed to go. "Wow! Your hair is pretty." "Where are you two from?" "Can I touch your hair?" The girls were bombarded with questions.

For the first time Cat was speechless and didn't know what to say. Why are they so hung up on my hair? She thought. She noticed that Van had gotten between her and his brothers. The one boy with green hair was watching the fiasco take place. She noticed that he was holding something in his arms. She shot a look at Lex who just shrugged her shoulders at the argument that was escalating over who found who or whatever. Cat skirted around the talkative boys that were fascinated with hair color. She wanted to see what the green haired boy was holding.

Beck watched as the blonde girl worked her way around his crazy friends. She moved like a frightened deer around a pack of wolves. He agreed with his friends that her hair was pretty, long blonde hair with a few braids in it. He felt his newest patient squirm in his arms and make a mewling noise. "Shh. Its ok fella. I'm gonna get you cleaned up warmed up and find you some milk." When he looked up from his bundle he meet crystal clear topaz blue eyes looking down at his furry bundle. He noticed the extra circle around her irises, but that wasn't what got his attention. It was her curiosity that started something inside him to be drawn to her.

"Hi, I'm Cat. What do you have in that blanket?" Cat asked the green haired boy. She was dying to know if it was a kitten. She heard it meow. She loved cats. Her clan was centered around them. He clan tattoo was the Northern Mountain Lion. They were revere by her clan and special. They had a blueish gray pelt with black fur highlighting around their eyes and muzzles. The clan elders taught her that they were the symbol of the Goddess who bestows their clan the soul magic. She looked up into bi-colored eyes, one blue and one gold. She thought his eyes were pretty and definitely unique.

"Uh…I'm Beck. This little rascal here doesn't have a name. One of our mages found it alone in the northern mountain range. He said it's mother was killed by poachers. He knew I loved animals and taking care of them so he brought it to me to take care of." Beck felt a little shy at first but once he started talking about the cub he grew more confident.

Cat's eyes widened. She was hoping that it wasn't one of 'her' mountain lions but when Beck pulled back the blanket her heart dropped at the site of a scrawny gray and black northern mountain lion. It started screeching loudly at the abruptness of its cocoon being opened. "Can I hold him, please? It's sacred to my clan…" She looked at him pleading hoping he would understand.

Beck nodded at the blonde and held out his arms to take the bundle of fur. He watched with a fascination at how the kitten instantly calmed in her arms as she cooed furball. He had never seen anyone calm an animal down that quickly besides himself and maybe Cristoff but that was because he was a dragon slayer with empath abilities. He helped him heal quite a few animals. He watched the scene of the girl and the cat for a few minutes, "Um, he seems to have taken to you. Are you from the northern mountains or something? I just noticed your clan tattoo, and what you said about him being sacred." He asked he had noticed the black mountain lion curled up on her right bicep with its tail curling down and around her dainty wrist.

He watched the sparkle of happiness fade as sadness replaced it. He was only twelve but his beast mastery magic allowed him to feel the spirits of the beasts but he could feel the hazy feeling of humans as well. It was as if he could feel a person's innermost feelings. He had to concentrate hard on humans. Animals were a lot easier since there was less complex than humans were. He didn't need his magic to notice the bubbly delight turn to a sadness before she quickly swept it away.

Cat kept her eyes on the kitten at the sting of losing her clan even though she was just a child, but she tamped down the feelings and focused on the cub. She noticed that it was making noises that meant it was hungry. "He's hungry. Do you have any goat milk for him? It's why he's getting fussy." She had had her share of baby mountain lions. They were her favorite to play with. They were so cute and energetic. This one is the first she had seen in years and without its mother. It upset her, but she was happy that Beck was caring for him.

"Catrina! Lex! What are you two doing over there? I told you to wait for me outside the guild masters office! We are leaving. Come!" Sylvia barked out as she found her two granddaughters playing with Arman's brood of boys and one boy she recognized from the Kitsune Clan on the Grass Sea. Sylvia watched the two girls interact with the boys. They were smiling and enjoying themselves being little girls. She took it in. She hasn't seen them actually play and be children for so long. All the second thoughts she was having about moving to Pelerno with them were washed away by what she was seeing.

The group of boys watched the two new friends they made leave with their grandmother. Vander made the comment, "I call dibs on them. They are my friends. I found them."

"Van we can all be friends with them. They aren't going to be exclusively YOUR friends." Kaleb correct his baby brother with a chuckle.

"Fine by me, losers. I'm gonna find out where they live." Van said as he faded into the shadows.

What was left of the group, laughed at the antics of the youngest Pradesh. Beck stood there holding the wiggling cat. He needed to find some goat milk. He felt a strange feeling in his chest now that Cat was gone. It wasn't anything that he could explain. It just felt like a sliver of him was missing. He sensed Kaleb in his mind, Hey, you ok? You're looking a little off.

I'm fine. I need to get this little guy home and get him fed. Mom probably is gonna kill me for bringing another animal home. He laughed aloud. "Hey are you guys coming over this weekend to help me remodel the back of mom's greenhouse for all my animals. She's decided to let me do that. I guess she's tired of having a zoo in the house." He asked Kaleb.

"Yeah Cris Bix and myself will be there. See ya later, Beck." Kaleb said as the young beast master left the guild headed to Foxhaven. It was the name of the island his clan lived on out on the Grass Sea. Unlike most clans, his was strong and thriving. They protected the white foxes that inhabited the island with them. He was unique among them with his beast master magic. Most of his clan was alchemists, weavers, or spies. His Aunt Minda has been encouraging him, helping him get the training he needs to hone his magical abilities.

"Grammie, why can't we stay and play with those other kids? I was having fun and that one boy had a mountain lion cub…" Cat whined in a petulant manner. They had made their way back into the northern forest above Pelerno. Sylvia had built an isolated cabin few miles outside the city limits where the thick temperate species of tree grow such as oaks and maples.

"Catrina, stop your whining and go pack your clothes and anything else that you want to take with you. That goes for you as well Lex." Sylvia instructed her grandchildren. She went to her own room and began packing her belongings as well. She had taken Grenlow's offer on moving to Pelerno with the girls. She wanted them to grow as mages and as women. Grenlow had also reminded her that the girls needed to start their Sudehpah training soon as well. Her arguments were soon squashed when Arman Pradesh showed up to speak to Grenlow about other matters. They had tag teamed her and convinced her that moving to Pelerno was the best option for them.

"Grammie…" came Lex's soft little voice. It pulled Sylvia out of her thought. Lex was her tamer of the two. Her fine curly strawberry blonde hair reminded Sylvia so much of her youngest daughter and Lex's mother.

"What is it sweetheart? Come here and talk to Grammie." She motioned her to come sit on her bed with her. Sylvia could see something was troubling her.

"Um…well me and Cat were packing and…and…the shadows…they came back and took her…" Lex said quickly with a sob in her voice.

Sylvia felt a tightness in her chest and the anxiety grip her throat. No, he couldn't have come for her. I made sure of it. She calmed her outer self, "Tell me Lex what did you see? Was it like the last time the shadows came?"

Lex shook her head, "No. It was that little boy, Vander I think that was his name. Cat grabbed her bag when he showed up and gave him a hug and they melted into the shadows. Grammie is she gonna be ok? Uncle Dresdan can't get her, right?" Lex said in a small voice.

Sylvia let out a huge sigh of relief. She knew that Arman's little shadowquip son wouldn't harm Catrina. She knew he was a little trickster, like Loki incarnate. She started chuckling, "No, sweetheart. She'll be fine with Vander. Although I am upset and not surprised that she would do something like this. Did you enjoy playing with those boys at the guild?"

Lex shook her head, "Yes they were fun and the one that had eyes like yours, Grammie. He was really funny. He liked to stick his tongue out a lot." She giggled at the memory of the crimson-eyed boy with blue hair letting his tongue wagged out of his mouth.

Sylvia watched Lex's eyes fill with merriment at her memories of the Pradesh brood. Arman had asked Sylvia during her meeting if she would help Bixlow with his magic. He was a rare seith mage from the Grass Sea area. Arman told her the sad tale of his and Cristoff's clan. How it was wiped out by dark seith mages a while ago. Her heart sank when Arman told her the details on how Kaleb found him wasting away in a dank dark basement on the brink of death in a cage. He was nine when he was found, scrawny and bony, clinging to the soul of his deceased father and branded as a soul mage in of all places his face.

"He's a special boy like the rest of them, Lex, just as you and your sister are special. You all need training in your magic to become strong and respected members of Bosco. We are moving to Pelerno and will be living at the guild apartments." Sylvia explained to Lex.

Vander and Cat dropped out of the shadows at the White Sea guildhall. The two were laughing when they came out of the shadows. "Did you see their faces when I had Tito move the glasses over and they missed pouring the water…" Cat was holding her stomach and bent over laughing.

"It was priceless. Then I had my shadows move the food around on the plate when they tried to get it with a fork…" Vander's laughter matched Cat. They were in the cafeteria playing pranks.

Now they were out by the grass runner stables. Cat looked at the strange looking horses. She had never seen creatures like this. They appeared like horses but they had sharp teeth and feet were more adapted at running across the woven plant fibers of the Grass Sea. "Van, what are these? They are beautiful." Cat waltzed up to a black one that hung it head out of its stall and let her pet it nose.

Vander's wine colored eyes opened wide in shock, "Cat no! Not that one he'll bite you…" The alarm dies on his lips as the black grass runner allowed the blonde to rub its nose without protest. "That one is Kaleb's and he's a pain in the ass, so is his grass runner." Van smirked. He loved to flirt with girls. He knew he was only eight and was still a few years from being introduced to the Sudehpahs for training but he knew he loved to flirt. Cat's hair is what stuck out to him. He had never seen hair so blonde. Farron's hair was turning blonde but it was a darker blond while Cat's was paler.

Cat looked over at her younger cohort, "How do we get to Beck's I want to see him…er, I mean the cub he has. He's so adorable." She made that slip hoping that her partner didn't notice. Since Grammie had collected them and left back for the cabin in the forest, her thoughts had been stuck on bi-colored eyes and green hair. She didn't understand why, it wasn't like all the other boys there weren't cute. Something about Beck just drew her towards him. She didn't understand it. She figured it was because he liked cats and she liked cats. When Vander showed up in her bedroom, she had her pack packed up. She asked Vander to take her to where the beast master lived, giving him the lame excuse of wanting to check on the mountain lion cub.

Vander grinned at his newfound friend, "We ride them of course silly. Haven't you ever been on the Grass Sea?" He looked at her like she had three heads, "How can someone live in Bosco and not have been out on the Grass Sea?" His eight-year-old mind didn't understand it, but he'd had grew up here his whole life. He shook his head as he pulled out one of the tamer grass runner and hurriedly put its tack on.

He swung his little body up and over the grass runner and put his hand out for Cat to grab on. Cat was already a step ahead of him, had moved Tito in a small bucket, and levitated herself up so she could settle down behind Van. She wrapped his skinny arms around the thin boy who tried to puff himself up to seem bigger. She giggled. "You're a small fry but so am I. I think we are the same size. One day you'll be bigger than me." She mused.

Vander smiled but Cat couldn't see it. He knew he'd be bigger than her one day. He felt this connection to her that they would always be there for each other. He eased his grass runner out to the small bay that shielded the barns from the brunt of the Grass Sea. "Hold on Sunflower! She's as feisty as you!" Vander squeezed his legs into the flanks of the runner and let the mare have her head as they jetted off into the Grass Sea towards Foxhaven.

Beck finished feeding the little cub and got it settle into his make shift cage. It was asleep. His mom wasn't happy about the newest arrival but she understood why he needed to take care of it. His mother, Salya, was letting him refit the back of her greenhouse this weekend. He could move his furry patients out there. "Beck what did you drag home this time that has mom in a tizzy?" his sister Kindra asked.

"Kindra be quiet would ya. I just got it to sleep." He shot at his younger sister. Both of them heard their mother welcome someone to the house.

"Are you two hungry after riding out here…alone." Salya said giving the two children that showed up at her home in the late afternoon. She knew Vander but the girl that he had tagging along with him was new to her. She also knew that if the girl was hanging around Vander that spelled mischief. "Vander would you like to introduce me to you little friend? And does your father know you're all the way out here at Foxhaven?" Salya pinned him with an expertly practiced mom look.

Vander looked right at Salya her mom look was intimidating but he was on a mission. A mission to get Cat out here to see the cub plus he got alone time with his new friend. "This is Cat, Mrs. Fashion. She's new to Pelerno. She had never been out on the Sea, but she wanted to check on the little cub Beck brought home."

Cat watched the interaction between the mother and the boy. It made her miss her mother, "Hi, Mrs. Fashion." She managed to squeak out.

Salya looked at the small blonde girl. She noticed her clan tattoo but wasn't familiar with it. "What clan are you from Cat?" She asked with a warm smile on her face.

Cat's eyes dropped to the floor and she answered in a small voice, "Um…Clan Felernas. We were…uh… from the northern mountains of Bosco that borders Iceberg. I just…umm…wanted to check on the lion cub…our clan were the protectors of them."

Salya listened to the girls responses. She noticed that she spoke of her clan in past tense. She wasn't going to say anything but she figured her clan must be gone now from those bloody clan wars. She cleared her throat from emotions that were welling up, "I see. Do your parents know you're out gallivanting around with this little trickster imp?" She chuckled as Vander bristled at the remark. She walked over to the oven and grabbed a plate of cookies. She offered them to the pair. "I'll get Beck. He's probably fussing over another animal."

Beck and Kindra entered the kitchen and seen the guests. The four of them fell easily into conversations about animals, magic, the Grass Sea, and the northern mountains. Beck had taken the trio to his room where he was convalescing a few animals including the mountain cub. Cat was amazed at the little area in his room. He had a couple foxes and a raven with a splinted wing. Her eyes were on the animals but she was glued to him as he showed her each animal. The missing piece she felt earlier was gone. His voice mesmerizing her. Neither Beck nor Cat noticed that Vander and Kindra had left the room for dinner.

She felt her soul tug at him but didn't know what it meant. She ignored it. She had a burning question on her mind that she needed to get off her chest, "Beck…do you think they understand us when we talk to them?" She felt a little embarrassed asking it, but she was serious when she told Lex that she was sick of talking to the two squirrels behind their cabin. The acted as if they could understand her.

He laughed a nervous laugh, "Of course they understand us. I understand them more than anyone does. I can feel what their hearts want or desire. See my raven here, she wants to get her wing healed so she can take to the sky again. She misses her flock. The fox wants to leave and return to his family. I can see what lies in the heart, feel it. If I listen long and close enough, I can hear the song in their soul. People, I can't do anything like that. Our emotions and desires get clouded over and haze the truth. So I'm sure your two little friends understand you. I'm surprised they sat still long enough. Squirrels are cheeky little bastards." He chuckled.

"I know your magic is different than mine. I know you're a seith mage. You're eyes give it away, just like Bixlow's, except when he was younger he was marked on his face. It's forever there, marking him for what his magic is." Beck told her with sadness. Kaleb told him about Bix when he found him in that cage. Kaleb and him had been best friends for a long time. He couldn't remember how long they had been friends.

Cat smiled at him. She really liked this boy. He seemed to understand what she meant. She felt so at ease with him. She could just be herself. Even at home, she couldn't do that because Grammie expected control and poise. She said a seith mage must control the magic or the magic will control the mage. She didn't quite understand what Grammie meant by that. She could see human souls and manipulate Tito into objects to help her that was all she could do.

"Beck? Are you and Cat coming down to eat?" Salya's voice came and interrupted the two youths. The two followed her down for dinner.

"Vander I've called your father to let him know that you are out here with Beck. Cat he would let your grandmother know where you are as well, but Vander he isn't happy with you. It's too dark to take the grass runner back to the mainland so you two kiddos are stuck here." Salya explained.

It was around midnight. Cat couldn't sleep. She was tossing and turning. This nagging tugging sensation wouldn't let her sleep. She got up to find Beck's room. She used her eyes for light so not to disturb anyone. She found his room and closed her magic off. The tugging feeling was lessening the closer she got to Beck. She looked at him sleeping. He looked so peaceful. His messy green locks all over his pillow.

Beck felt someone staring at him while he tried to sleep. He opened his eyes and was met with glowing green eyes. It startled him at first but realized it was Cat's magic. "What's wrong? You can't sleep either?" he asked.

"No…can I…sleep in here with you. It would make me feel better." Cat asked with a shyness that wasn't normal for her.

Beck pulled back his blanket and scooted over so she could fit. He was a little taller than she was but she was petite and easily fit next to him. He felt a calm wash over him as she snuggled next to him. He heard her let out a little sigh. He had never had feeling like this before. It was feeling his twelve-year-old mind couldn't put words too. He knew he felt a little like this with Kaleb but they were friends. Maybe it was different because she was a girl. He couldn't think any more about it because the sleep that he had been waiting for finally arrived and pulled him under.

Cat felt immensely better as she snuggled closer. She didn't understand what was going on. She knew she was drawn to him and wanted to be close to him. She felt at peace and all anxieties she normally had when she went to bed melted away as she curled up close to him. Sleep came easy for her.