Things to know before reading:

--More new characters. Yay!

--In case you were wondering (*cough* Yue-chan *cough*), 'Kismet' means 'Fate' or 'Destiny'. Therefore, the title is something like Destiny of a Changechild, Fate of a Changechild. Wheee.

Kismet of a Changechild

Chapter VII

By Aura Kage

Too fast, too much! The little kestrel flared her wings and landed on the branch, folding them and letting her head bow as she gasped for breath. Too much flying for one day…from now on, she would ride on Snowsong's glove or Kyrrith's head. Anything to spare her poor wings.

She waited for Snowsong's call as she recovered, knowing that he would ask for some help from her again, like he always did. It was inevitable; he needed his bird. Without her, he would curl up and die – she was positive of that much.

So Kestri waited…and didn't realize just how long she had been waiting until she realized that she was boredly preening her wing. With a confused screech, she spread her wings again and took off, towards the hole in the cliff that she had pointed out to Snowsong earlier. What could take him so long to ask for her help? They haven't killed all the wyrsa already, could they? Didn't they need her, their sky-eyes, to spot for something?

She swooped over the spot, wondering where they were. She couldn't have lost them…could she? No – they had been right here she had been sure of it; there was even the top of the cliff right there, right next to-

A massive crouching blue creature, who was raising its head and chewing slowly on several limp black bodies, the sound of their bones crunching making Kestri almost dizzy, making her feel as if they were her own. But she soon regained her strength…and with them her wits, and a bit of memory at the name of this monstrous creature: Colddrake!

What else? There was something about them, something she learned somehow so very long ago…well, colddrake. Cold was freeze; drake was dragon…freeze was…ice? Ice-dragon! Could they breathe ice? Was that possible? No…but ice-

Ice – eyes!

Ice-Eyes! Freezing eyes!

Don't look!

Chirping triumphantly at her remembrance, Kestri flared her wings and hovered in place, watching the colddrake and making sure that her dark eyes fell only on the creature's neck, safely away from its eyes but close to its head. Then again, if he moved his head just a bit, he could probably catch the kestrel…

…But why would he look here? As far as the huge thing was concerned, Kestri was no more than a bug buzzing around his enormous ear…

…so how was something like that supposed to save Snowsong?

:Nooo…: Kestri moaned, feathers fluffing in anguish. :Noo…SNOWSONG! Come back! Not safe! Please come…:

But the bondmate wasn't replying…apparently, he was caught within the gaze, and Kestri's chirping in the back of his mind wasn't strong enough to bring him out of his stupor.

:Can't help…: Kestri moaned to herself, watching the colddrake spit out bones like brittle ivory saliva. His head dipped down again, to eat more of his catch. :Nooo…!:

Slate blue wings flapping open and lifting the diminutive bondbird into the sky, Kestri caught altitude as fast as she could and dove, wind whipping against her feathers and threatening to shove her off course. But she wasn't aiming at the colddrake-

:If I can't protect you, then I will die with you…:

~

"This place is so empty," Derik complained to his Companion, releasing the reins and folding his arms behind his head, frowning disgustedly. "I don't see how there could be danger anywhere here."

:You told me your Foresight saw that something horrible was going to happen here,: Ranaena, his Companion, reminded gently. :So here we are. Maybe it's just a band of looters – that way, we won't have to do much work. Just get some help over from Haven.::

Chosen and Companion were plodding languidly through a dusty road, Ranaena casually 'dressed' and Derik wearing his own 'casual' Whites (meaning, a shirt and pants and…just well, y'know, casual. If they don't give those out at the Collegium, pretend he bought it somewhere, 'kei? ^-^;;), and a crimson strip of fabric around his forehead.

"Yeah, well, Haven's so far from here. Two days travel, right?" Derik argued. "It would take just as long to get supplies."

:But at least the poor village would be getting some help, Chosen,: Ranaena chided. :Besides, it's your duty to help these people. You're a Herald – must I remind you of that again?:

"Duty, duty, duty. Is that all that matters to me now? Is that going to be my first priority until I die?"

:Not unless I repudiate you.:

"Like you're ever going to do that," Derik said, grinning and rubbing his hand against the side of her neck affectionately – just in case. "Besides, you have to admit – there's nothing threatening-"

:FEAR! ANGUISH! ANGER!:

Ranaena paused her slow pace, and Derik sat up and snatched the reins.

:Once an idiot, always an idiot,: Ranaena said sweetly, before plunging into a full gallop while Derik yelped and fought for balance on the saddle.

:Sheesh, can't you take a joke?: Derik replied hotly. :Couldn't you tell I was joking?:

Ranaena gave the slightest snort and raced through the road, mane tossing elegantly. :Can you tell where the trouble is?: she asked, changing the subject.

:Yeah – well, kind of. Just a little bit further, I think, and to the left-:

:What's the matter with you? Don't you have Farsight?:

:Well, when you put it that way…: Derik lifted his head and looked around, vision amplified. :See – it is a little bit farther and to the left. I told you so-:

:Will ever you stop your infernal sarcasm or whatever it is and just be serious for once?: Ranaena growled as she galloped to the map of verbal directions.

:Um…no. But that's alright, because if I'm correct – and I am, mind you – then the trouble should be right…uh-oh.: Derik's hold tightened on his reins and he drew them back, nearly leaning off his mount. But he didn't need to, for Ranaena had paused herself – the massive icy frame could not be mistaken for anything else out in these lands.

:That isn't a…:

:Yep, it's a colddrake all right,: Derik said dazedly, though still managing somehow to sustain his rather odd sense of humor. :And it's…gods, it's HUGE!:

:Of course it is. Any idea as to how we're going to defeat it? Because your Gifts aren't very good for battling.:

:Well excuse me for having Foresight, Farsight, and Fetching as my gifts!: Drek snapped.

:You are excused. It doesn't help any that your Mindspeaking is weak, but if you can spot the victims with Farsight could you maybe Fetch them here?: Ranaena suggested.

:Yeah, I probably could. You know, that one voice earlier stopped – you think that she's already…?:

:Don't even suggest it,: Ranaena said dangerously. :Don't. I'm warning you.:

:Okay, okay! Warn heard. Now let's just get a little closer…: Derik said, bouncing the reins. Ranaena moved forward, though reluctantly. Derik invoked his Farsight and craned his head around, trying to see past the foliage in the forest and seeing only slight traces of blue.

:I'm afraid to get closer, Chosen. Colddrakes sense their prey because they can feel vibrations in the ground – this one must be terribly young for us to even get this near undetected,: Ranaena quirked, stopping.

:Well, how are we supposed to be getting closer, then?:

:I don't know. But think…someone's life could be in danger,: Ranaena said. She sounded remarkably calm about it all. Derik was panicking – but no one could shove him into looking it.

:I'm thinking, I'm thinking…: Derik groaned, hands grasping at the sides of his head in frustration. Colddrake! Why couldn't the danger have been looters? WHY? Did the gods have something against him?

:Wait…terribly young, you said?: Derik said suddenly, remembering something…from where he got it, he couldn't tell – but it was something about noses.

:That won't work, sweet. You don't have any long-range weaponry,: Ranaena reminded him.

:Stop calling me 'sweet.' What do you think I am, a stallion?: Derik snapped. :Well, if hitting him on the muzzle won't help, then I'm suggesting that you wake whoever-it-is out there with a nice big shout.:

:Bespeaking? You must be using your humor again.:

:I'm not. And if it will save lives, then…: Derik gave a mental shrug, greatly enjoying where this conversation was going. :Well, remember the duty. The duty for the good of Valdemar!:

:Don't mock me. All right, I'll wake them up…but it's going to be loud, mind you. Brace thyself, Chosen.:

~

:WAKE UP!:

"Ahh!" Dawnshadow felt her body tremor, her heart suddenly starting to beat faster than usual. "Who – what?"

Above her, the poised toothy maw of a colddrake hung over, breathing disturbingly warm air in her face and making her breathless for a while. She felt herself grow weak, and the colddrake raised his head in surprise. Snowsong grabbed her arm and steadied her, while Kestri sputtered a chirp rather confusedly and looked about.

:Who-: an unfamiliar voice started. Snowsong jumped in surprise, and Dawnshadow felt Kyrrith give himself a mental slap – he had accidentally Bespoke.

:Kyrrith?! Is that you?: Ranaena said in surprise, and everyone in the clearing started at the new, feminine voice that so obviously did not belong to Dawnshadow or Kestri. :Gods! Is that truly you? Have you Chosen?:

Meanwhile, the colddrake began to shake his head confusedly – the voices in his head were baffling him (lol, sounds like he's gone insane…sorry, couldn't help mentioning that). He snorted, the sound impossible loud, and his feet stomped irritably against the ground, tossing clouds of dust.

Dawnshadow looked at the colddrake in fear, and stepped back a little as soon as she had stood up.

:Em…sorry, ladylove, but we're going to have to break up this little reunion,: a new, male voice interrupted. :Hey! Whoever's in that forest, well, I'm Syrkaderik – yes, I know, odd name, but just call me Derik. And…you better get out of there quick, because in case you haven't noticed, there's a colddrake in there.:

:As if we couldn't figure out ourselves,: Kyrrith snorted to Dawnshadow privately, stumbling to gain his footage. The colddrake, starting to realize what was happening, gave a low growl that resounded venomously from his throat and snapped, trying unsuccessfully to get a good look at his prey, head dodging the interfering foliage. Kestri leaped onto Snowsong's outstretched hand and stayed silent, which was new for her, though she flapped her wings to gain equilibrium while Snowsong mounted Kyrrith, behind Dawnshadow.

:Out! Out! Out!: Syrkaderik prompted, his voice containing obvious tones of urgency. :Out! If Haven finds out I let a premature Herald die, they're going to kill me! Well, if this colddrake doesn't first.:

Dawnshadow giggled, but her chuckles stopped when Kyrrith lurched forward. The colddrake, sensing his prey's escape, snarled and roared.

Kyrrith gave a un-Companionlike whinny and burst into a gallop, nearly throwing off his riders. Dawnshadow felt herself tense, muscles tightening, sharpened fingernails digging into the open flesh of her palm, short 'fur' rising on end. Her mind even seemed to tense – it seemed to wriggle in a bound about her thoughts, causing her to give a mew of dismay and pain that was both physical and emotional-

The colddrake yelped out another roar, though this one was of surprise, and a ring of fire blossomed around him, rising like a crimson veil, licking and biting at the exposed tree trunks and dry leaves. The fire bellowed far louder than anything that Dawnshadow had ever heard; Kyrrith winced visibly, his pace dented. Snowsong gasped behind the Changechild and Kestri flung herself into the air, rising until she was no more than a dot in the sky. Behind the fleeing group, burning foliage crackled, and a trunk that lay across the colddrake's domain weakened and fell…the colddrake screamed in pain and rage as the trunk slammed him sideways, right into the inferno that rapidly grew as it was fed by his loricate flesh. The colddrake continued screaming and lashed out, trying to struggle out; but the trunk held him down, though it was rapidly turning to ashes.

Just as Kyrrith leaped into the road, one last piercing scream of agony emitted from the forest, and the not-so-pleasant fragrance of flamed colddrake wafted from the forest, which continued to burn.

"Oh, no," Derik moaned, hand slapping his forehead. "To all seven hells with you immature Heralds…how are we going to stop this?"

Dawnshadow whimpered and clung to Kyrrith's neck, black hair falling over her face and obscuring her true image from the Herald's view. Snowsong bit his lip as a thick plume of smoke began to rise from the forest, accompanied by a quivering flock of shrieking birds, their erratic calls clashing dreadfully.

"Well, nothing to do about it now," Derik answered himself, seeing he was going to get no answer. He whipped the reins, and Ranaena snorted and turned belatedly, reminding her Chosen that she was not a mere horse. "Sorry, sweet. Let's go get help…though how we're going to be able to put this out is a mystery to me. Say, Ranaena, there isn't anything around here like a village that's going to be threatened by this, is there…?"

Pause.

"Nope, didn't think so. Yeah, this forest's too small to be charted, you're right…so I guess we should let it burn then. What? No? Rae, it's not going to be a problem," Derik argued to his Companion. "It'll just burn itself out, and you said so yourself, there's nothing around here for maybe five candlemarks. Okay, fine, if you want to put out the stupid fire, then give me some way that we can do it, all right? No, we're not-"

"Um…excuse me?" Snowsong said timidly, head swiveling to keep his gaze on the Herald as Kyrrith turned and trotted near. Syrkaderik stared at him, as if noticing him for the first time.

"You're Tayledras," he said, mouth dropping. "But you can't be a newly Chosen…?"

"No, I'm not. She is," Snowsong said, gesturing at Dawnshadow. "But, if you don't mind…she needs to get to Haven now, not listen to you talk…"

"You're right, of course," Derik said. He gave Ranaena a triumphant grin. "See? She needs to get going. Not be held back to put out a fire. Oh, but Rrraaaeee…"

There was a moment of Mindspoken debate between the pair, in which they both glared at each other – well, as best as an equine look-a-like could glare. Finally, Derik sighed.

"Well, let's go with you, then," he said reluctantly. "I'm going to ride you off to the nearest village…that should be [insert name of village here]. Just to make sure you don't get into trouble…apparently, you're a Firestarter, girl, and that gift isn't best untrained and loose. My Foresight said there would be a lot more trouble than a little colddrake…by the way, if I could have the pleasure of having your names…"

:He sure talks a lot,: Dawnshadow told Kyrrith, who bobbed his head in a nod.

"I'm Snowsong k'Vala, and this is Dawnshadow…"

"She's Tay-?"

"No, she's…well…" Snowsong hesitated, and his arm lifted abruptly from its relaxed pose at his side to provide a perch for his bondbird, who landed in it a heartbeat later. "She's…"

"What? What is she? K'Sheyna? K'Leshya? K'Treva?" Derik prompted, looking intrigued.

"Changechild, Herald Syr…kah-dare-ik, sir," Dawnshadow spoke up quietly, lifting her head and sweeping her dark hair to the side with a dark-furred arm. Her pupils contracted to accommodate the change of light, and she saw that Derik, after taking a good look at her, had slapped his forehead again. And again. And again. And again, and again, and again…

"Oohhh…dammit, Raaeee!" Derik cried, throwing his arms to the sky as if in desperation. "Gods! What is it? Why?! Have I been bad or something?! Whhyyy…"

~

"So, Dawnie, that's all you can remember, eh?" Derik said cheerfully as he trotted – well, technically, Ranaena trotted – beside the Tayledras ex-scout and Changechild. "So here we are, then…an ex-scout who got attacked by a who-knows-what and ran away from his k-whatever, and a Changechild with a Tayledras name who doesn't remember who exactly she is, who can't ride for the life of her, spooked easily, and a Firestarter." He shook his head pitifully. "This world…what is it coming to?"

In the single candlemark that Dawnshadow and Snowsong had been accompanied by Derik, he had somehow coaxed them into telling him their story – starting from the day when Snowsong had stumbled upon Dawnshadow in the forest, which didn't seem so long ago. Snowsong was still confused about that…maybe it was because Derik was such a likable, warm person, and he wasn't used to outgoing people.

But also so talkative and…odd. His humor was hard to grasp, and even though half of what he said was either sarcastic or heavily exaggerated (Snowsong couldn't tell), he was still likable. He had grasped Dawnshadow's form easy enough (after asking the gods for the umpteenth time just why they loved to victimize him), and was now escorting the four, like he had said earlier.

But he was so loud.

"Hmph. Well, you're going to love it at the Collegium, Dawnie," Derik said conversationally, hands behind his head. "The greatest place…well, if you don't get killed by Kero or Alberich first, that is. But don't worry" – Derik winked and grinned at the Changechild, who smiled faintly back – "that only very rarely happens.

"And what about you, Snowy? Whatcha going to do when kitty-girl goes away?"

"Well…I was thinking that maybe the Collegium could use some help…maybe," Snowsong said hesitantly. The question had, in fact, been on his mind for quite a while…just what was he going to do when this was through.

"Huh," Derik replied simply, looking over at the pair on the Companion. Snowsong – ex-scout who couldn't go back to his tribe or whatever the Tayledras called it, because he was traumatized by that shadow and was good for nothing else. He would not have very much of a life after Dawnie left. But then again, if he stayed at the Collegium…the poor kid was thirteen, for crying out loud! And with no Mage-Gift…he was going to be as useless in the Collegium as he would be back home. But Dawnie seemed to be his only friend. "Well, we'll just have to see how it turns out, then."

Snowsong smiled, relieved, and Derik felt his insides twist.

:Everything will work out fine,: Rae assured, before turning back to her conversation with Kyrrith.

:I hope so,: Derik sighed. :I really, really hope so.:

~

"I rrreally, rrreally hope ssso," Kelvren told Nightwind, looked flustered. He had found the gryphlets' parents – they were both in the usual hunting grounds, sprawled on the ground and slashed to ribbons, their innards splattered over the trees and foliage like the work of a mad artist. It had made even Kelvren sick, and Keisha had fled the scene holding her mouth. Nightwind and Darian had only stood as passively and inexpressive as Kelvren, then quietly left.

"Everything will work out fine," Nightwind assured the gryphon, patting his crest. Behind her, a thump on the wooden door indicated that the three gryphlets were still lively in their temporary room. Nightwind flinched, and a series of high-pitched giggles emitted from the room.

"I'm not rrready to be a parrrrent," Kelvren whined, laying down and putting his paws over his head. "I don't want to watch them. You have to find ssssomeone else!"

Kirevan, Sakira, and Evah, the three gryphlets that Kel had saved from the gryphon-lookalike, were now orphans and needed homes. No volunteers…yet. It was only a few candlemarks since they had found the littered remains of the two gryphons, Ledona and Karazu…most of the gryphons probably weren't even up yet. But, if there were no volunteers…

"Don't worry, Kel. The maternal instinct should come in any moment now," Nightwind said, turning and grinning at her chopped herbs.

"That isss not even funny," Kelvren growled. "I ssstill have a life ahead of me! It cannot be ended now!"

"Not that much of a life, vain one."

"Sssstop making jokesss!" Kelvren cried, sounding anguished. "Oh, godsss…pleassse let therrre be sssomeone who wissshesss thrrree new gryphletsss in theirrr aerrrie!"

"Oh, don't worry. There should be someone who wants them," Nightwind said dryly. "They're very lovable."

Just as she finished, another gryphlet headbutted into the door, causing another fit of shrieky giggling.

"Unless the pair that wants to take them in would rather start their own family by themselves," Nightwind mused, and Kel moaned.

"Pleassse, Nightwind!"

"I'll stop, I'll stop," Nightwind said, smiling as she swept the herbs into a bowl and began to mash them. Kelvren sighed, and the trondi'irn heard scrabbling against the wooden floor as the gryphon stood.

"Well, might asss well get sssome food," he muttered, more to himself than to Nightwind.

"Oh, good. Get some for the gryphlets too," Nightwind said absentmindedly. The gryphon snorted what Nightwind suspected was an agreement, and she continued, smiling acidly. "You should start getting use to it."

She ducked as the broken tree branch launched into the room, and snickered as the gryphon cried out again.