But things did calm down. Rahnee and Singer hunted up an evening meal of deer for them, and it was roasted over the firepit as the Were-cats and Ariana sat in the blooming night and traded stories. Tarrin listened calmly with Jasana taking turns sitting in his lap and Jesmind's as Thean talked about his travels in Tor and the Free Duchies, and he heard about Rahnee's latest scrape with a small pack of Were-wolves. He listened while Singer described the Ogre she had found in the Heartwood; Ogres and Giants were the only Goblinoids that the Were-kin wouldn't kill on sight. Ogres were larger than Trolls, but were actually quite gentle and amiable beings. Giants were very intelligent, showing a range of emotions and attitudes similar to humans. Singer described helping the lost Ogre, who was little more than a child, find his way back to the mountains which were his home range. He listened as Jeri spoke about his first trip into the city of Tor, and he heard the youthful exuberance and wonder that he himself had once felt when he had seen Torrian and Suld for the first time. Ariana described the flight over from the desert, and the Aeradalla's impressions of Suld and the humans, and their flights over the land and the sea to watch for signs of invasion. Kimmie talked about Mist and Eron, using words full of love and compassion, showing Kimmie's feelings for her bond-mother and Mist's child, who she considered all but a brother to her. Tarrin found that more interesting than anything else, for Kimmie's descriptions of Mist were much different than the haunted, paranoid Were-cat female he remembered. The Mist Kimmie described was a vibrant, content woman with a great deal of energy and a mountain's worth of patience for dealing with her very rambunctious cub. From the sound of it, Eron was going to be just like Jasana.
"I wonder whatever happened to Nikki and Shayle," Thean said, gnawing on a bone absently.
"Maybe they went to Aldreth instead of coming here," Jeri offered.
"It's possible," Thean agreed. "All of you but Rahnee went to Aldreth first."
"So did you," Rahnee pointed out with a smirk.
"Because I knew they'd go there," he said calmly. "I've been here before, Rahnee. My den isn't far from here."
"Mine is too," she pointed out. "I've been here before too. I used to lay in that tree right over there and watch Tarrin and his family," she said, pointing towards the Heartwood. What Tarrin called the Frontier.
"Mist brought me here once," Kimmie said. "To show me what I used to be."
"My mother brought me here too," Jeri added. "I watched a man with a limp plow that field right there. His wife was this very tall woman with a blond braid, and she had a baby and a little boy."
"Tarrin was that little boy," Rahnee told the young male with a grin. "The baby was Tarrin's sister."
"Jenna," he informed her absently.
"I didn't know that was you, Tarrin. How did you end up Were?"
"I thought all of you knew how that happened," Tarrin said in surprise.
"He's young, Tarrin," Thean said with a smile at Jeri. "The young ones sometimes miss the news. They're too busy running around."
"I happened," Jesmind told Jeri. "Someone used a magical object to control me, and they set me loose on Tarrin. We found out later that it was the katzh-dashi that did it, and only to make Tarrin Were."
"They did that to you?" Jeri said in shock. "I would have killed them!"
"I almost did," Tarrin told the young male. "But it turned out that they were just following their own orders. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive them for what they did to me, but at least a part of me understands why it was done."
"Something like that wouldn't be easy to forgive," Thean said sagely. "Well, it's getting late," he announced. "We all have an early morning, and I can guarantee that Sathon's going to get us almost all the way to Torrian by tomorrow night. So you all had better get some rest."
"Where are we going to sleep?" Jeri asked.
"We have that big barn right over there, Jeri," Thean told him with a smile. "It's a good thing we patched it up, isn't it?" Jeri laughed. "I'll Conjure any bedding any of you may want, so don't worry about sleeping on the ground tonight."
"We have one spare room," Jesmind announced. "Who wants it?"
"I've seen your house, Jesmind, and I don't think I could fit in there very well," Ariana declined. "The barn over there has a nice large loft, so I'll sleep there tonight."
"I think I'll invite one of these handsome men here to spend a night with me," Rahnee said with a leer. "I don't think you want all that noise in your house, so I'll pass."
"Well, if you're asking, I'll take you up on that, Rahnee," Jeri said with a bright smile.
"I guess Thean should have it," Kimmie said. "He's the elder."
"That's alright, Kimmie. I know how you dislike sleeping rough, so why don't you take the room?"
"If you and Singer don't mind," she said demurely.
"Not at all, Kimmie. What do you say, Thean? Care for some company tonight?" Singer invited.
"I'd be delighted, Singer," he said graciously.
"I call that building over there," Rahnee said quickly, pointing at the stillery.
"This isn't a competition, and that building is rather cramped," Thean told her.
"That's alright. It'll keep Jeri from getting away from me," Rahnee grinned.
"I guess we can sleep in that barn over there, so we don't disturb Ariana," Thean said, looking at the old shearing shed.
"You're not going to disturb me, Thean," she objected.
"Yes we will," Singer said with a wink. "If we don't, then I must not be trying hard enough."
"I-oh, nevermind," Ariana said with a blush. "I just need to get some blankets, and maybe a pillow, and I'll be on my way to sleep."
They put out the fire, said their goodnights, then they separated. Thean Conjured up some blankets for each person as Tarrin carried a sleeping Jasana and led Jesmind and Kimmie into the house. "You can use my old room, Kimmie," Tarrin told her. "It's up the stairs you'll find down that hallway. It may be a little dusty, but it's a comfortable bed."
"Thanks, both of you," she said with a grateful look. "I still don't feel comfortable sleeping outside, and I really don't want to spend a night listening to Rahnee howl," she said, making a small face.
"No problem, Kimmie," Jesmind told her. "You're about the only female I'd let into the house anyway. You're like family to me."
"That's nice to know," Kimmie told her with a bright smile. "Would you like some tea or something before bed?"
"I'm the hostess here, girl," Jesmind said with a smile and a shooing motion. "Now off to bed with you."
"Yes, Auntie," Kimmie said with an outrageous little smile. Kimmie was a delightful surprise, sometimes.
"You," Jesmind said, balling her fist in Kimmie's direction. "We'll see you in the morning."
"See you tomorrow," Kimmie mirrored, padding down the hall.
Tarrin and Jesmind carried Jasana into her room, which was Jenna's old room. They laid her down in her bed, dressed her in her nightshirt as she blissfully slept through the entire process, then they tucked her into bed. Tarrin paused to stare down at his little girl, his daughter, the new focus of his life, and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the powerful love he felt for her. She was such a beautiful child. Beautiful, smart, cunning, sneaky, devious-