Disclaimer: I don't own the world, I don't own most of the characters. I do own Darla though.

Note to Brianna: I was always under the impression that the Shadow Lover took on the form that was easiest for whom he was dealing with! That's why his eyes were green rather than blue.

Firesong had gathered the elders of K'Valdemar Vale at the Heartstone within moments when it became clear that the energy node was moving steadily towards them. The elders had not been especially happy to hear such news, old fears awakening.

"It could be a trap!" "Why didn't you think about what you were doing?"

The Healer Adept had rarely ever been questioned and he was getting the brunt of it from all sides. The only ones who remained silent were Darien and his wife Kiesha. The pair gazed at each other, deep in conversation, arguing quietly. When the elders had spent their wrath Firesong noted that Kiesha was watching him calmly.

"Yes, Healer Kiesha?" Firesong asked.

"I don't think it's an energy node," Kiesha replied, shutting her eyes in thought. "I had a dream last night. Of a man and a girl and they were speaking. Then the girl left and the man turned and spoke to me. He said "Give it form. Give it life. Teach it." I think the energy node is some kind of creature and we're supposed to teach it. Something."

Firesong and the elders all looked at her strangely; Darien was making an angry face at the heavens.

"But whoever heard of taking energy from a creature?" one elder asked rashly.

"Well what do you do when you shield a Heartstone?" Kiesha shot back. "You borrow energy from someone else. Healers do it all the time as well."

"But that's different, that's a willing gift!" the elder snorted in indignation.

"Well if she didn't know what was happening she couldn't say yea or nay, now could she?" Kiesha stormed.

"I believe Lady Kiesha," Firesong spoke at last. "She is in earnest. Perhaps we should at least give this a try. We don't have anything to lose by it."

There was more talk of traps and enemies and mageborn monsters. But it was at last decided that the 'node' would be dealt with as its summoner saw fit, in this case, Firesong. The speaker for the mages was not happy, and her feelings were mutual around the council. The compromise was reached though that Firesong would do as he wished but that the other mages of the Vale would shield the area, 'just in case.'

The Vale waited with barely restrained emotions for the node's arrival. The hertasi cleared a glade for the Healer Adept to work in and preparations were made. Kiesha and Firesong worked closely together in the days to come, making sure that everything was planned for.

"How exactly do you give form to energy?" Silverfox asked quietly as he watched his lover pace about the glade.

"You give it the energy it needs, some sort of tie to bind it to flesh I think," Firesong replied, adjusting the mask covering his face. "Kiesha found the spell but I still don't understand it. She says the man in her dreams helped her. I don't understand why he's visiting her to give me instructions.

"Perhaps you are too pompous my firebird," Silverfox quipped as he stood. He approached the Adept slowly and wrapped his arms around the stiff man. "She is certainly more open to influences otherworldly."

"I'm open!" Firesong squawked offended. He pouted, crossing his arms childishly.

"Oh come now," Silverfox chuckled. "You know there are some things even you can't do. You are too attuned to the earth and the tree to get messages from spirits easily."

Firesong snorted but couldn't help grinning. "You're right I suppose."

She felt something nearby, turning to regard it mildly. What's that? she wondered. She turned slightly and followed. It was familiar, the same masculine prescense that had pulled her this far already. So he'd moved.

She was ready to get rid of this nebulous form, ready to have a true body again. How much longer did she have to wait?

Firesong began pulling the node to where he wanted it, directing it, and calling it. Kiesha sat at his side with a still unhappy Darien. Kiesha had the binding crystal in her hand, waiting patiently. Firesong began crafting the spell, tying the energy off to the crystal in Kiesha's hands. It began to glow faintly, a pale color that slowly grew brighter as the energy came closer.

She suddenly felt strained, pulled apart, like she was being siphoned off. Yet it didn't worry her. She knew she should be worried but it was as though someone was there beside her, gently calming her fears. She let herself be pulled out, releasing her shields and inhibitions, letting herself fall freely.

Firesong shut his eyes, wincing as the light from the crystal flared. Kiesha cried out softly and Darien called out something but it was lost.

"Kiesha?" Darien asked softly. Firesong immediately looked over to see the healer staring into the glade. The Healer Adept and her husband followed her gaze.

There lay a young woman, her hair was a pale shade of rosy pink and her skin was pale and her entire form screamed frailty. The girl pushed herself up and her long hair fell forward, thankfully covering most of her body as she shifted, picking up her hands and looking at them. She turned towards them as Kiesha let out a strangled sound. Firesong stared in shock, even the girl's eyes were pink but what drew his attention was the small rose quartz that sparkled against her chest. She looked at them all in confusion and brushed pink locks from her face, tucking them behind delicately upswept ears. She coughed slightly and then looked down at herself, wondering why they were staring.

The creature let out a startled yelp and tried to cover herself with her hands. The action broke the trio's shock and Kiesha leapt up, retrieving a long robe that had been set aside for just such a thing. The girl took it gratefully and smiled, revealing small, elongated canines that reminded Kiesha frighteningly of fangs. But Kiesha smiled back determinedly as the girl stood, taking the robe and wrapping it around herself. They were all shocked to find that when standing she appeared barely taller than five feet. She looked up at Kiesha cheerfully before looking around at the glade. She noticed a bright purple and red flower and moved towards it, her eyes shining. She plucked the blossom up and offered it to Kiesha who had followed her curiously. Kiesha took the flower.

"Thank you," the healer said lamely.

"Welcome," was the soft reply as the girl smiled again.

"You can speak!" Kiesha cried. The girl nodded and giggled.

"Course I can talk," she said mildly, walking over to Darien and Firesong. "So who are you all?"

"Well, I'm Kiesha and that's my husband Darien Firkin, and that's the Healer Adept Firesong," Kiesha supplied as both males stood up. "He's the one who brought you here."

"Oh, so he's genius that almost killed me," the girl growled in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, sorry about that," Firesong grimaced as he blushed beneath his mask.

"Don't worry, it was all a misunderstanding from what I'm told, you didn't mean to do anything bad."

"You're awful forgiving for someone who looks like a demon," Darien commented.

"A demon, me?" The girl laughed at the thought. "I'm no demon, I'm just or I was just a normal girl, what I am now? You're guess is as good as mine now."

"Who are you?" Kiesha asked her.

"Uh, well, I was a girl named Darla, but now," the young creature took up a shock of pale pink hair. "Well, let's just say Darla did not have pink hair."

"So I suppose the first thing to do is name you," Kiesha supplied. "We can't very well introduce you to anyone if you don't have a name."

"For now we don't need something formal or fancy, just a use-name while she gets settled in," Firesong concurred.

"Blossom?" Darien suggested, holding out the flower his wife had been gifted with.

"Blossom?" the girl cringed.

"It's only for a little while, a few weeks or so a few months at most," Kiesha placated her.

"Blossom will do for now," Firesong decreed.

"Blossom, great, I'm a freaking Powerpuff girl," the pink-haired 'demon' muttered.

"What's a Powerpuff? Is that some sort of fighting order?" Darien asked her.

Blossom opened her mouth to respond but seemed to think twice about it. "You wouldn't understand, I guess you could call them a fighting force or something like that."

"Let's get her dressed in real clothes and then take her to the elders." Firesong led the small group to a nearby ekele.