Hey all. It's been a busy time for me. However, I'm still here and still writing.

As promised, this chapter has simple fluff between the Rangers and their new shapeshifting charge. However, I also delve deeper into Raina's past, just a little.

Read, Comment, and Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Bright Future, Dark Past

Berrigan's eyes narrowed as the deer nibbled on the wet grass. His bow and arrow slipped silently from under his cloak. Since the light rain last night, the forest around them was damp and covered in dew. Perfect for animals to venture out and eat. Sunlight danced on the treetops, spreading a dapple pattern over the ground below. The deer's ears twitched. It cautiously looked around without raising its head. Berrigan, however, was an experienced hunter. He remained still and calm. When the deer returned to its grazing, he raised his bow and took aim.

The short man walked into the little campsite. He had passed Leander a few meters away. Halt was kneeling by a fire, preparing herbs and other ingredients for breakfast. Berrigan placed the deer down next to the man. Halt merely nodded without looking up. The newest member turned to examine the camp. Sunlight pierced the foliage to light up his light, dirty blond hair. Water had been fetched. The horses were taken care of. All four were cropping the grass quietly, being peaceful with their friends. Berrigan let a brief frown touch his lips. Halt's horse, Declan, was looking tired. In fact, the other horses seemed to be forming a barrier to their friend so he could rest easy. The singer made a mental note to mention this to Crowley and Leander. If Halt was becoming a Ranger, then he needed a Ranger's horse. But that meant an extra stop they may not be able to afford. Bushes shaking drew his attention right. Crowley walked into the camp from his scouting. He looked tired and bedraggled. A smile touched Berrigan's lips. It was Crowley's fault for volunteering for the last watch then scouting. The redhead spotted the smile and gave a half-hearted shrug in return. However, a bright smile touched his lips.

A new thought struck Berrigan. He turned to Halt and Crowley's shared tent. No bundle could be seen inside. The same idea must have struck Crowley because the younger Ranger took off for the tent. Nothing. Quickly Berrigan released a high-pitched whistle. The birds picked up the tune. Halt was on his feet, leaving the partially skinned deer. Leander, drawn by the commotion, appeared from the dense bushes. It wasn't hard for him to figure out the problem. The four scattered without a word. Each went low, seeking out signs of their charge. Berrigan heard Halt mutter about teaching the girl Ranger skills and how stupid that idea was. She had picked up a few quickly from what the singer had seen. Silent and unseen movement were two such skills. His brow furrowed, internally agreeing with Halt's point but not the accompanying language.

Crowley's yelp brought up seven heads, three human and four horse. Then a squirrel came dashing through the camp. Hot on the trail, remaining silent as trained, was Raina in her shapeshift form. Berrigan let out a slow breath. Leander raised his dark eyes to the sky in utter exasperation. Halt merely took off after the girl. Since learning the truth, the Rangers had put a piece of rope around her neck. The intent was to let her blend in when transformed. People would see the rope and the forester outfits, assuming she was trained hunting dog. The grizzled, annoyed Ranger seized ahold of this makeshift collar. Despite being starved, Raina still had more power than Halt could easily handle. His boots, unable to grip the muddy ground, slipped from under him. Yet his weight hitting the ground also managed to yank Raina to a stop. Berrigan trotted over. Leander did the same, stopping momentarily to grab the medicine kit.

Big brown eyes stared up at them with pure, uncontainable joy. Her tail wagged in a gentle sweeping motion. No scars or wounds marred that brown pelt. This was her free form – free of the pain and suffering Raina had endured. In it, she was more joyful and excited, more willing to explore and learn and be herself. The past couple days taught the Rangers a great deal. What wounded one form didn't necessarily wound the other unless Raina wanted it to. Her forms had different energies, meaning that Raina was weak and exhausted as a human but full of life and energy as a dog. Yet starvation and near dehydration had taken its toll on the dog form as well. Ribs were stark against her brown fur. Legs were incredibly thin, making Berrigan always worry they would snap like twigs. Her nose, tongue, and pads were dry and cracked. He smiled as Raina happily pounced on Halt. Despite everything she suffered through, Raina grew more and more out of her scared shell. Every day she would open up and reveal more of her personality.

Berrigan hauled the girl to the fire. Crowley, now muddy and sulking, was working on breakfast. Raina quickly bounded over to him. She whimpered, nudging his arm with her snout. Bright eyes apologized for the near tackle. Crowley gave her a glare. No real menace was behind it. He was too tired to care. Raina nudged him again. She pressed her left side against Crowley's right arm. Berrigan laughed as she flopped into Crowley and rolled. The redhead laughed as well. A gentle hand stroked her belly. Raina barked as Leander crouched on her other side. Easily she changed into her human form. Crowley placed her in his lap. Berrigan prepared bandages and medicines as Leander worked. Halt stalked over, ruffled Raina's hair, then checked the stew. Finding it cooking, he finished skinning and prepping the remaining deer carcass. That way they could cook it tonight for dinner.

Soon the group was on the road. Full bellies had greatly enjoyed the meal. Cropper tossed his head and pranced, making Raina giggle. Leander's horse side-trotted in a circle, surprising his rider. Declan corrected his posture, returning to former princely horse he had been, in an effort to join the fun. Berrigan couldn't help but laugh as his horse joined in by making a few comically small jumps and bucks. Leander and Crowley would occasionally make jokes and exchange witty comments. When joined the group (as they were rotating who took point), he and Crowley could dazzle their companions with their brotherly ribbing. Berrigan played a couple songs when the group was certain of being alone. However, all the fun and laughter had purpose. It drew them closer to their companions. It taught Raina to open up and have fun. They even used the time to teach her landmarks, animal sounds and tracks, sarcasm (in Halt's case), figures of speech, and more. Her curiosity matched any of theirs. In her own way, Raina could match Crowley's clever wit. Once or twice she even managed to beat Halt when it came to dry remarks.

The sarcasm that often accompanied said dry remarks – that still needed a lot of work.

At one point, the conversation took a darker turn.

"Where are you from, Raina?" Berrigan asked, opting for a blunt approach. He decided tact wouldn't get them anywhere at this point.

The joy and recent laughter died from the girl's face. Crowley's lips twitched, indicating he wanted to be mad at Berrigan for the question but decided against it. They needed to know eventually. More importantly, they wanted to know. Each Ranger wanted to defend the child found abandoned and scared in the woods. Leander looked away, trying to control the sudden rise of anger. Halt, who was holding Raina at the time, wrapped his arms protectively around her body. The simple movement told Raina they wanted to know so they could help, could heal, and could protect. It wasn't meant to bring harm. The goal was to ensure nothing ever happened to her again. Understanding this, Raina shifted so she could huddle in the spare cloak.

"Wildriver. I come from Wildriver Fief," Raina said softly.

Crowley turned to her, "Wildriver Fief? You traveled a long way before running into Halt and I."

"I lost count of the days, but it was more than fifteen," the girl mumbled, nodding at Crowley's statement. "Before you assume, I was already starved and dehydrated when I ran. I knew enough of the wilderness that I could eat a few berries here and there and drink of the creeks." She drew in a weak, shuddering breath. "I also stole from small towns or used my dog from to beg for scraps. Yet I never stayed. Always moved. All I knew was that I needed to keep running."

"From whom?" Halt asked. He gently tightened his grip, a change only Raina knew about.

"My uncle and aunt," was the sad reply. "My parents died in a fire. They took me in – as a servant and scratching post. Had their three kids join in too."

Leander pulled closer to Halt. Gingerly he rested a hand on Raina's head, "Can you tell us their names?"

Raina shook her head. She clamped her mouth shut. Fear had clouded her eyes. It was obvious she would say no more. Her supposed family ingrained a deep-seated terror of incurring their wrath. She had said too much right now. Eventually she would find the strength to say more. Now, however, the Rangers abandoned the topic. Now they sought to return her attention back to the present. She was safe with them. She was having fun with them.

That night, Raina did something unexpected. Getting up from her bedroll, purchased while in Leander's old fief, she approached the Rangers. All of them looked at her. They smiled welcomingly. If she wanted to join, then they were glad to have her. Berrigan strummed a random, soft series of notes on his gitarra. Leander was honing his saxe knife. He had practiced his knife throwing alongside Crowley after setting up camp. Halt was on the ground, leaning against a log. He was happily dozing and being in the company of his friends. Crowley had a leftover piece of bread. This he offered to Raina, wondering if she was hungry. The girl shook her head. Then she headed over to Halt. The Ranger looked up and raised an eyebrow. With a flop, Raina transformed into her dog form. Her head landed in Halt's lap with a dull thud. Legs carefully curled up under her body. Halt remained frozen for a few seconds. Then his left arm draped over her shoulders in a loose embrace. He returned to dozing. Crowley had to smile at his friend. Despite the grumpy persona with everyone else, Halt simply couldn't keep it up when Raina was nearby. Berrigan and Leander shared an amused glance as Halt caught Crowley's smile and snapped a few choice words at him. The redhead merely laughed. Raina let out breath. Eyes shined with happiness. Slowly her tail began to wag again. It lazily thumped against the ground.

It didn't take long for Raina to fall asleep. When she did, Leander stared at her and whispered, "Tara means 'mystery' or 'unknown'. I know many in Araluen use it to refer to the stars or to the future. I think it fits, when we know almost nothing about her past."

"In Hibernia, we use that name to represent the light of a joyful soul," Halt replied.

Crowley thought in silence. A smile slowly touched his features. A breeze blew, drawing everyone's gaze to the stars. The redhead nodded, "Then I think we are agreed. Tara will be the name we know her by."

"Yet she'll have to eventually decide which name defines her identity," Berrigan murmured.

The Rangers sat in companionable silence. Tara was sound asleep. When she awoke in the morning, the Rangers would tell her the new name. But that would come later. For now, they enjoyed the peaceful night. Their minds wondered what her birth name was. Their minds wandered to the upcoming meeting with Ranger Egon. All of them forced their minds to go no further. If they pondered the future conflict with Morgarath, they knew worry would start to creep in and doubt would take root. They all had to be ready. They knew they had the necessary skills. Halt glanced down at Tara. He wondered what, if any, role she may play in the coming conflict.

Another chapter done!

So yes, Tara is the name given by the Rangers. That'll be the name I refer to her as from here on out – since Tara will gladly accept the name given by the Rangers. I'll reveal more and more backstory as time goes on.

And sorry Halt, but Tara will be the start of your gray hairs. She'll play a role in the conflict with Morgarath, no matter how hard you Rangers try to stop it.

Hope you all enjoyed. I hope to have the next chapter out soon (but I can't really promise anything at this point).