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

Lion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTailLion'sTail

"Come on, Thom! It'll be fun!" I tugged on his arm, trying to drag him away from his living quarters, and out to the corals where the tourney was being held. "You don't even have to compete! Just come, eat, laugh, and socialize! Every one's going to be there!"

He snorted, "Kar, this isn't really my sort of thing!" He used his shortening of my already shortened name. Not many people could get away with it, he, my parents(How easy it was to think of Raoul and Buri like that!), sometimes Daine and Uncle Numy. "I've got some research to do!"

I gave another forceful tug, jerking him away from his door. "No! There's going to be a bonfire and everything!" He gave a heavy sighed, happily resigned and closed his door behind him, leaving me in much better spirits. "Besides, you'll get to see me conquer in the hand-to-hand competition! First place, right here." I said, jokingly. I was a reasonably talented, and well-trained I had signed up for hand-to-hand, and knife-throwing. I probably wouldn't do well in the knives, but in hand-to-hand I was fairly confident of my placing.

We made our way to the large coral, there was still an hour or so of sunlight left, in which we would hold the archery, knife-throwing, racing, and jousting. The others could be done by torch.

They hadn't started the fire yet, but everyone was already preparing for the races and the archery. "Kari! I've been looking for you!" Dom's voice reached me, as she came towards us from the side of his horse. He was getting ready to race, obviously. "My love, my charm, my sunlight." He picked me up and spun me around like a rag-doll. Dom was... Like the soon-to-be-brother-in-law, who likes to dote on his soon-to-be-little-sister-in-law. Because, well, there was clearly something between him and Kel. They just were too thick to see it, and Kel thought herself too busy for love. He set me on my feet and leaned down, as I giggled, "Charm of my existence, do you think you could give my dear horsie a little pep-talk? Tell her how many extra bags of oats she'll get if she can pull off this race?"

Thom raised a brow, "Isn't that cheating?"

"I'll see what I can do." I laughed, nudging Thom, "It's not really cheating. Cheating would be telling all the other horses to slow down."

Dom brightened, "Do you think you could do that too?"

I laughed, clapping him on the back. "Now that I can't do. Onua would strangle me." I decided not to say that the older horse mage had probably done just that to all the horses but Donal's speedy mare, Clary. He was the favorite for this race.

The sergeant gave a world-weary sigh, so remarkably similar to Neal's I almost laughed, and ruffled my hair, "Ah. well, I suppose I'll take what I can get, work your magic."

I shoved his hand away playfully, fixing my hair and sneaking in close to Dom's mare, making sure she was aware of how very grateful Dom would be if she ran her heart out, but not telling her that she had to run fast. I never did. That wouldn't be fair. But, she liked the idea of more oats, and made sure I knew to inform Dom that a sugar cube or two wouldn't do any harm either.

The race went well, Dom got first, with Donal in a close second, and another of my Trainnee friends, Laine, in third. Dom whooped and danced, his mare doing much the same, in celebration, and clapping Donal and Laine on the back, "Good run, Itsy-bitsies, but this old man's still got you!" Dom was a poor sport, a bad winner, and Ouna boxed his ears for it.

Archery was starting before the races(for there were several) had even ended, we had to be quick to use was little was left of the daylight. The winner was not someone I knew, well at least, I was sure I'd met her at some time that I was tinkering about with the Riders, but she was not someone who stood out in my mind. A tall, gangly member of the Own took second, and a male Trainee I knew by the name of Evander third.

After that it was my turn to compete. I was fighting for the trainees, much to Dom's displeasure, he muttered to me about betraying him, and sulked for about two seconds before having a mug of ale thrust into his hand. The knives were not my favorite method of fighting, that was sure. Throwing them wore my arms out, especially the ones used in these sorts of things. My knives, the ones I used normally, were thin and light, and made precisely for me, but these were not so. The thick metal devices weighed heavily and set badly in my palm. No matter how I shifted them, they always felt wrong.
As I predicted, I did not place in Knife Throwing, but I came close, fifth out of a gathering of fifteen.

There was a little break, in which there was music, the bonfire was lit, and food and ale distributed, and good conversation. Thom seemed more comfortable now, sitting on a log and discussing scrying techniques with one of the Gift-users of the Own. This let me feel better having fun, knowing he was entertained, and I accepted Donal's invitation of dance, even though I was horrible at it. However, when I tread on his toes, he simply laughed and kept dancing. It was fun, despite Thom's telling me that dancing was one of the most loathful pass time one can engage in.

Dom stole me away from him, however, saying that it wasn't fair if Donal got all of the pretty ladies as dance partners, and that it was his turn. Dom was more fun, I hate to admit, maybe it was because I was more comfortable with him, and he was more willing to make an idiot of himself by prancing around, arms and legs flailing, and head bobbing to a beat much faster and eradicate than the one that was currently being played.

They started the wrestling, and we watched, me shouting encouragement and discouragement with the best of them.It was the final match, between two men of the Own(neither of which I knew well), when the whole night, which had been a remarkable success, and very fun, suddenly turned bad.

No one really knew what was happening, only that out of nowhere several men and servants were shouting for Dom's men to assemble, and hurry to be ready for departure. Dom, previously all fun and games, turned serious, and barked orders out, the match ending abruptly, and the night turning to confusion. Onua ordered the music stopped, and the trainees had started whispering, while Thom pushed through the discordant crowd to the men who'd issued the orders.

I myself decided Dom would be a better source of information, seeing as he'd been the one that the men had first spoken to, and trotted after him as he sprinted to the Own's barracks. "Dom! Dom!" I shouted, straining to catch up. He glanced over her shoulder at me, his eyes showed that something bad was going on, and he slowed down a tad. Enough for me to catch up. "What's going on? What's happened? Trolls? Hurrocks? Spidrens?"

He shook his head as if it was wishful thinking. "Tyra." He muttered, raking a hand through his dark hair as he continued his fast-pace power walk. "Raoul's called us out for back-up. They've struck, and struck hard, on Pearlmouth. Raoul doesn't think they're likely to hold them for more than a few days without more men. And he says they need more supplies, and mages. Thom's to come with us." He explained, face tight.

"I want to come too." I said firmly, face set in a grim line. I knew what this meant. Pearlmouth was a major port city. If it fell, Tortall would lose a lot of trade from Carthak. And it was perfectly placed for Tyra. Right next to the border.

he looked alarmed at the very suggestion. "No. You're staying here. We can't be worrying about you while we're trying to fight. Thom wouldn't be able to focus if he thought you were in danger, and Raoul would be irrational, not to mention myself. You stay here where you'll be nice and safe."

I stopped in my tracks, glaring after his back. So was that all I was? A distraction? Oh, but Daine wasn't. Daine could go anywhere without being as distraction, she could do and dive in and out of action. I could do just as much good as she could. I could get animals to ruin supplies, and soil food, and get horses to bolt from their owners. But I was a distraction.

Dom was too preoccupied to notice that I wasn't following him and arguing with his decision, like I should have been. That instead I had simply gone back to the palace, to my room.

To decide exactly how I was going to go about running away.

Because, no way was I going to be just a distraction. I wasn't going to let my adopted family outshine me forever, and I wasn't going to let my soon-to-be parents get injured in war before we ever got to be a real, official family.

I'd had everything I loved stolen away from me once before, when I couldn't do anything to stop it, and by the Goddess, now that I could stop it, nothing like that was ever going to happen again.

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I saw Dom, Thom, and the rest of the war party depart from the window of the library. I probably should have been in bed, but I didn't have time for that right now. I was busy making a sloppy copy of the most recent map I could find. Mostly I only showed towns, main roads, and fiefs, and my projected route and stops. I wasn't much one for planning, but if ever there seemed an occasion to be prepared, it was now. And I was planning like I never had before. Everything had to be perfect. I had to avoid following too close to the party Dom and Thom were leading to aid Raoul, so if I assumed animal shape I wouldn't be shot at by their hunters, and yet, I had to be able to follow their trail. I had to be fast, but not wear myself out. Maybe I could make my way to Pearlmouth on my own, even. That didn't seem impossible. I'd been there several times. I knew the roads. I had a map. And I had my magic. My Gift.

I'd have to tell the pride. They hated it when I simply left. I always at least tried to tell them when they wouldn't be seeing me for a while. I'm stayed close for the last couple of months, though, to keep my eyes on the cubs. I regretted leaving them more than anything.

But first, I went to my room. Packing was the first step of my plan. I pulled out the little brown satchel I had stuffed under my bed and tossed a spare pair of brown breeches and a plain muddy-green tunic that would help me blend in more. I couldn't be wearing any of my nicer, more decorative things. Browns and other drab attire. I rooted around under my bed for the box I hardly needed to open. When I finally found it, I pulled it out and opened it up. It was where I kept my throwing knives, gifts from Buri and Raoul, the chain-mail shirt that had been a Midwinter gift from Thom, Alanna, and George. I only wore them when I went out traveling. They hadn't seen much use, I had secretly hoped that they never would, however, now I would need them. I stripped myself of my clothes and pulled on the mail shirt, it fit perfectly, and pulled on my clothes back over it. I strapped the holding beck for my knives around my waist, fastening it there securely.

I kept a small amount of money in a little brown pouch, and this I tied tightly to the belt. However, the majority of my savings were stuffed inside a pair of my rolled up stockings, which were packed into my satchel. Just in case a robber happened to make the mistake of attempting to pick-pocket me.

I stuffed my pillows under my bed cover, punching them into a Kari-like shape. This could buy me some time. And who knew, without Thom around, no one was likely to discover my absence until late tomorrow afternoon. If even then.

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A/N:

Sorry that it's short, and I'm sorry that I didn't run it through a spell check. I simply wanted to get it posted. I've worked on it all day because I felt terrible about waiting a month or so before updating. I love reading all of your reviews, whenever I have a bad day, I go back and read them, so please give me lots to read! For I know that there are more that are reading than are reviewing... And I check out everyone who gives me reviews, or puts my stories on their alerts, or favorites, it makes me feel more at one with my readers! ... So, don't be surprised if, when you don't review, but set LT on your alert list I send you a PM!

Seriously, I'm going to do it!
I am not kidding! I repeat! I am NOT kidding!

Try me. I dare you.