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The wind is restedStargazing Maiden

A/N: See, I said updates would be back. Even if the chapters are short.

Disclaimer: don't own WOF. If you add and 'F' it spells WOLF. Wolfs are cool…hmmm, wolfs.

Chapter four: dreams of hope

"Morning, Kessy. You slept well I presume?"

"Yes thank you, Auntie Sisi. Better than I've slept in ages." Niomee smiled, sitting up on her bed and taking the tray of breakfast offered to her.

"I'm glad to hear it." Sisi paused for a few seconds, then "I hope you realise how proud I am that you've come to stay with us, and that you've chosen the same path as my Kess did so many years ago. She was a darling, Kessy, a total darling. You're auntie Kess I'm talking about now, of course. Did you know she was my first and dearest friend Kessy, even though I didn't know her for so very long?"

Niomee shook her head; this was all news to her. She hadn't even known that her Auntie Sisi had met her aunt, she assumed that because she was previously a princess of Gang that she was someone her uncle met when he was travelling, that she had no connection to the old Manth people or the journey that had brought them to the homeland. She voiced these concerns.

"I thought you were from Gang? Not Manth anyway?"

"You thought right then, to an extent." Sisi looked up as her husband came into the small bedroom and took a seat beside his niece's bed.

"I see your mother and father have chosen to keep several of the details of our journey from you." He began. "And up until now it was their decision what you knew. But now you're under my care and I plan to treat you as the adult you now are by old Manth tradition." Niomee was confused, what was it her mother and father could have kept from her? What was there she didn't know about them coming from Amaranth to The Homeland. She knew that it had been a long and hard journey, and that they had nearly ran out of food on numerous occasions, and that her grandmother Ira Hath had been carried on a litter for the last few miles because she was unable to walk. Oh, and Bowman and Kestrel had left them just before they reached the homeland to go and be part of the Wind On Fire, only Bowman hadn't been a real singer, he'd been the meeting point. When it actually came to it she realised she didn't really know that much, and Bowman sensed that in her, he'd always been good at sensing things.

"I suppose in their own right neither Pinto or Mumpo were there at the end nor saw what we saw, and taking that into consideration it's not their fault how little you know. But it is important that you know at least some of what happened, some bits that they won't have told you.

"I know they haven't told you about the slavery and the death of your granda on your fathers side, but that's not really important at this point. What is important at this point is that you remember the first lesson of the singer people. everything takes time." with that he got up and left the room, followed closely by Sisi. Niomee lay back on her pillows again, and found herself remembering how her uncle had always been like that, always looked like he was going to talk for hours but then walking out on a story. oh well, she didn't understand why, it was just something he did, a fact to live with.

Bowman's room

Oh Kess, I don't know what came over me back there. Bowman didn't make a sound but his thought was answered.

I know, I was with you, remember. I'm always with you, forever.

I know, I know. Its just, sometimes I forget, sometimes I just want to scream and cry that I haven't got you properly still, that I'm unable to hug you, to be close to you like we used to be.

It's been over twenty years but I still look back on that first fifteen years of our lives as the best, the time when we were together in mind but had our own bodies to inhabit.

She looks like you.

Who? Niomee?

Yes. Who else.

I know, I could tell that was what you were thinking the first day you saw her, and you haven't changed since then. You care for her because she reminds you of me, and likewise myself.

It's not just her looks; it's her whole attitude. To everything, not just simple things. The way she doesn't want to be married, and her stubborn nature. She's so much like you, sometimes when I see her after not seeing her for a while I think I'm looking at you. That somehow things have all gone back to the way they used to be.

It's my greatest dream too, Bow, to be back to how we were.

I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, training Niomee.

You chose her because she reminded you of me, but I think she has talent. You can tell some things about people, but I can tell others.

I guess. Thanks Kess. Love you.

You only need to ask and I'll help you Bow. You know I'll always love you.

Okay…so not very good but I'm in a rush. I thought I'd put in a bit of conversation between Bowman And Kestrel because I love them both and I thought it would be interesting to look into their relationship with each other now she's living in his mind. Reviews appreciated,

Loves,

Sam o