Magic drifted absently from his fingertips as he walked, chilling the ground that he had covered. The woods made no noise around him, a dead silence that accompanied the dread in his gut. His eyes saw nothing unusual creeping through the dark, his ears picked up no disturbance.

"Useless patrols," Donny muttered to himself. He'd been out here for hours now, making sure nothing happened while the rest of his new family slept.

It was a relief to finally be back with his sister, to actually have her know who he truly was. All those years of making everyone think he was so horrible; it had beat down on his soul and made him weary. It was a hard weight to carry as long as he had carried it. Donny didn't know what to do with himself now that it had been lifted.

A rustle to his left had him turning quickly with his hand raised and ready to let his magic loose.

"Whoa there," Giles yelled, raising his hands. Donny breathed a sigh and lowered his hand. "I'm here to relieve you. Go rest with your wife."

Donny nodded gratefully and headed inside to lay down with the woman who had helped him change his life.

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

Sera lay awake, staring at the ceiling when she heard the soft knock on the door. It was almost as if the person behind that knock was afraid that she would hear it. She called out for the visitor to enter and was not surprised when Charna inched slowly into the room.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sera asked gently.

"No," Charna replied. Her fingers were twisting around each other, a nervous habit that Sera had never noticed before.

"Is something wrong?" Sera sat up quickly.

"Nothing," Charna said, before bursting into tears. Sera jumped up and hurried to the woman before leading her to the bed to sit. They sat on the edge together, Charna wrapped in Sera's small arms, Charna's short hair stroked until she calmed down.

"What is it?" Sera asked. "What has you so upset?"

"I thought I lost you," Charna replied quietly. "I keep seeing you lying there, so still, and hearing Tara tell us that your heart wasn't beating. I can't sleep with that in my head."

"I'm here," Sera said, so quiet it was almost inaudible. "I'm alive." Her throat was thick with tears. She never knew that anyone cared about her like this woman apparently did. She gently pulled Charna's head to her chest. "Do you hear it?"

"It's beating," Charna breathed. For the first time that day, she truly believed that Sera was still alive and with her. Her shoulder's slumped in relief and she closed her eyes, listening to the sweet music beating against her ear. After a few moments, the pace sped up and Sera's heart was pounding. She looked up into those eyes and felt everything inside her settle, a question burning in her own eyes.

"For you," Sera said, realization pulsing throughout her body. "It beats for you."

"For me," Charna repeated with amazement as she leaned forward until their lips met.

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

Faith and Astron sat across from each other in the lotus position, their breathing slow and even. The air was tingling with the electricity flowing in the space between them. Suddenly, Astron's eyes popped open and she demanded, "Now!"

Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became charged as Faith's body started shifting. Bones cracked and warped, muscles grew and bulged, and Faith felt a flash of pain shoot along her spine as the shift completed.

Pura took in a deep breath as she stretched her muscles, releasing it in a huff. Again?

"Again," Astron responded calmly, allowing her magicks to course through her body, doing her own exercises as she pushed Faith. Pura responded, sitting down to shift again as a tiger's growl turned into a woman's moan. They sat for a few minutes, collecting themselves before the next shift.

"I'm tired," Faith complained. "I think my bones are sore now."

"One more," Astron told her, peeking an eye open from her meditation. "It's usually when our bodies are most tired that our minds get the most clarity."

"One more," Faith breathed in relief as she readied her body. Again, her bones shifted into those of a great white tiger. Astron smiled as all the glory of her tiger sat before her.

"Now we will meditate for a while," Astron told Pura. The tiger lay down and stretched out, feeling each muscle inside her, getting in tune with her tiger form. She had spent so much time lately adjusting to her human form that sometimes her tiger form felt strange. Everything within her eased and all her concerns seemed to float away as her mind re-attuned to her tiger form.
Pura's ear perked up but her eyes stayed closed as Astron spoke, "Reach out. See if you can feel them."

For a moment, Pura was confused, until she realized that her lover was speaking of her tribe. In her mind, she pictured all the elders of her tribe; she imagined speaking with them, and the connection she had always felt.

"Amháin íon," said many voices in unison inside Pura's mind. "We feel you searching and answer your call."

My family, Pura responded. We need you here. For too long, our kind has hidden. We used to be known for coming to aid when we were needed. It is time again. If we do not help, this battle will fail and magic will fall. Our kind will be no more, and neither will any of our friends.

"We agree. We will no longer hide. We'll spread the word and join you when we can."

Pura felt the minds separate from her own, but she still held on to them. She realized, after feeling each one individually, that she could almost pinpoint their exact location. They were all separated by miles, meaning that she had just spoken with all the elders of different tribes, something that hadn't been done in centuries. Pura let go of the minds of the elders and felt her body and mind relax.

"It's done then?" Astron asked.

Yes, Pura responded quietly.

"Then, please, change back so I can hold my lover," Astron said. Pura opened her eyes to see Astron smirking at her.

As you wish, my dear, Pura responded with a laugh, and allowed her body to shift back to human.

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

It was not quite dawn yet when the group was up and gathering in the back of the castle. It was an unspoken agreement that they needed to train. There was an urgency coursing through them, as if they somehow knew that this was their last chance to prepare. Silently, they each chose a weapon and a partner, fighting as if to their death; Giles and Riley walked among them the whole time, correcting actions and stances. Their faces were grim as their weapons and magic clashed. No one knew how long they did that, but the sun was high and their bodies were sore before a break was called.

Water, food, and laughter was shared as everyone sat on the ground and rested, all of them knowing that their training was not yet done. In groups, they put down what they were holding and gathered their energies. Soon, everyone was standing, doing magic and practicing their specialties.

Tara looked at Willow standing off to the side, sending lightning into the sky. She could feel her fire running through her veins, being pulled to its other half. Almost subconsciously, Tara moved towards her love. Willow did not jump when she felt Tara's hand fold into her own. It never surprised her anymore; she could feel Tara wherever she was, their magic was constantly shifting between them, pulling and pushing like the ebb and flow of the tide.

Tara reached out her free hand and let her pulsing magic loose, allowing her fire to ride the length of Willow's lightning, as it was wont to do when they were practicing together. Ever since that first time in their shared dream, their magicks had pulled towards each other; their magic was now one and did not feel complete without the other.

Everyone seemed to stop training, becoming still as they watched the two practicing. They stood in silence watching the beauty of their fellows writing their love in the sky with fire and lightning.

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

Donald felt his calves burning as he watched the training from behind a bush near the river. It bothered him that he felt so nervous. So many powerful people were gathered at this castle.

"It's no matter," Donald told himself. "They will all bleed."

He stood and stretched before heading back in the direction of his small camp. The others were still some distance behind, waiting for the call to arms. It was time, time to go to war and finish this. His daughter and that redheaded witch would pay, not to mention the things he wanted to do to his two faced son who he had seen in the field with the others. There was a deep betrayal in his chest.

"It's time," he told the first person he saw at camp, not even noticing a face. "Tell the others. Everyone get a lot of rest and eat well. Dawn will find us face to face with our enemies."

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

That night, the magic users could feel uneasiness inside them as they ate and tried to rest. There was not much sleep to be had by anyone that night, as they kept waking up and tossing and turning all night. Each respective couple held their lovers as close as they could, feeling hearts beating against each other as they felt each minute passing as if it were an hour.

Tara lay awake in the early hours, holding Willow to her chest as she rested. She was reaching out with her magic, feeling each life within a few miles of their bedroom. It eased her mind to feel the wildlife around them, until she realized that they were scared. Animals were running away from the road to the castle, scared for their lives. And in that moment of panic, Tara felt them.

"Willow," Tara said. That's all she needed. Words were not necessary to communicate the problem. Willow came out of the restful trance she had been in, took one look at Tara's face and knew.

"No," Willow said, burying her face into Tara's neck.

"It's time, my love."

"I'm scared," Willow confided.

"We all are," Tara said gently as she held tight to her love. It felt like goodbye.

They got out of bed and got dressed, unable to take their eyes off each other. Once they were down the first flight of stairs, they went to opposite hallways to wake the others. In no time at all, everyone was gathered in the hall, scarfing down what brief breakfast they could grab for sustenance. It was a quiet affair as their grim faces looked at each other. It felt like goodbye. Each person memorized the faces of the others, hands clasped tight under the table. New loves and old looked into each other's eyes and refused to hear the goodbyes and I love you's.

They moved as one to the gates, weapons in now-steady hands. The ground beneath their feet rumbled with the force of the horses and men headed in their direction. Not too far along the road, they could see the cloud of dust that was their enemy. They took another look at their group, at their lover's and friends, their family, before facing back towards the road. Their shoulders went back and their faces lost all traces of emotion. The army was marching towards them and they stood there, a small but powerful group, in a line across the threshold of the gate. Without words, they started to walk, outside of the gates and what they knew. Their feet hit the ground hard as they started to run, battle-cries pushing from their mouths.

The cries sounded like feral screams. They felt like goodbye.

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