now don’t you understand…that I’m never changing who I am?

Eternal.
 
Everlasting
 
Those were the words that described Reagan, and those like her. They were the immortal pillars that held Beqanna’s magic together as if there was no way that there could ever be a rebirth. And indeed, there could not be. What magic was there, was given out. It mutated and twisted to become something new, but the pure unfettered power that comes with being a blood-born magician; those days were over. It was as such that when Jason knew his time was upon him, that he cast aside his immortality to save his son, who then became the one to hold the mantle that would become the new plank that would help hold the lands together.
 
For without them, the others cannot exist. They bleed the blood from the God Magic, who in turn has come from the earth, and was born out of the fairies. This power is not given lightly—and is not taken lightly.  And yet, for those who abuse the magic, it is plainly written that the power shall be stricken from the land—and those who lived through the days of the Reckoning were testaments to that fact. They eked out a living for themselves among rocks and shallow roots, and were witnesses to the stretching of time and space as only a Fairy (or a Doctor) could do.
 
Reagan watched the leaves change; she had been away in her homeland, seeking refuge and building her family—her armor, her fortress. She was among them and in love with them and with her mate (that dark wolf she loved so dearly), they had created something that simply could no longer be contained to the forest. With hide nor hair of their esteemed leaders about, the forest would fall into disrepair and it had been left up to Ruan and Reagan to see to its comfort. Seeking a break from this never ending circle, Reagan stretched out her neck and body to the wings that she was by now so familiar with, and took flight among the trees, dodging their trunks left and right until she cleared the canopy. Once there, she vanished, transporting herself to the meadow within the space of a breath. A pause; a heartbeat; and then she vanishes again from the sky and lands upon the earth with nary a sound, tucking her wings (useless, but pretty) into her sides and seeking out her old friends (and the one whose blood was even older). Times were changing and there was much to discuss. Sending out a pulse to all the lands in Beqanna, she requests his audience, and asks that he brings his family—his own armor—with them. She had a feeling that like her, who was now broiling with the life of another, that Newton would be similarly sported, and smiled when she thought of little Elora, who was about to become a big sister.
 
Sahm…I request your presence. Come to me. I have missed you, and there is much to discuss.

now don’t you understand…that I’m never changing who I am?

That moment when you know your world is at peace is a great one. To be so at ease with oneself that they are not afraid to push the limits of their personality or power to what they can become, to project the best of themselves into the world and test the waters. They will become more than they ever imagined with a firm support system.
 
They will take over the earth.
 
Such would be the young girl that ploughed her way into Reagan’s legs as she jumped off the hill. REY REY! Elora was the first one who made her presence known to the magician, and all at once the grey lady was once again a filly, flipping her tail and swirling flecks that seemed to appear out of nowhere as she became greatly diminished in size, mirroring her age in Elora’s eyes, becoming the girl that Elora needed. This little cat would be their inheritance because she was loved, and because she had such power at her grasp that she had not yet even conceived of. Same with the baby that was broiling in Reagan’s tummy, though not currently visible—through magic, of course, yet still safe—as she took on the glamor of being a filly for the time being, romping and raving through the moors while the dads came up the rear. When Sahm and Newton finally showed themselves, Reagan stopped, looked up and smiled. Aging back to her correct size—and stature—she addressed them with all the love and respect that she had been accustomed too, and it did not surprise her in the least that her unborn son leapt in her womb at the feeling presence of Sahm. His son, for lack of a better demonstrative relation.
 
“Hello my dear gentlemen. I see it goes well with you both. How have things been keeping you?” She reached down and nosed Elora fondly. “She is growing more lovely by the day, Sahm. Newton, you must be so proud. Are you looking forward to doing this again?”
 
Before the boys could answer, Reagan’s ears tipped backward and her heart leapt—causing Iasan to leap again—at the prescence of Ruan as he approached their little band. Reagan was immediately at peace, and went to him, nuzzling into his neck and pressing herself against him, allowing her wolf the pleasure of feeling his son kicking into him. She whispers to him in private before they approach a quick I’ve missed you before parting just slightly, and then, drawing her face from Ruan to Sahm and Newton, speaks again. “Sahm and Newton, I’d like you to meet my partner, Ruan. Unexpectedly, the love of my life, as many lifetimes as it has taken to find it. Ruan, this is Sahm and Newton. And this little beauty is Elora, their daughter. My love, they are great friends of mine. Sahm’s magic is blood-born of his father, who was someone I knew many many many years ago.”

we’re on each other’s team…

There is something to be said about family. Family can be blood; it can be forged deeper than blood with a bond thicker than marrow—love.
 
Love that could come and stick together and create something altogether new and wonderful. This was to be said of the bond that Sahm and Newton had found in each other, and indeed that Reagan had also found inside Ruan. Together, they built their families with all the pleasure and trust that friends and lovers can group together.
 
This in essence was the foundation of the Taiga. The calling of family—blood and heart—to find a place to call home, and to live in relative comfort and peace away from the political aspects of the rest of Beqanna. Of course, there would be wars. There would be unrest, but within the trees, there would be a settling of hearts and a meeting of minds, and it is for this reason that Reagan and Ruan have chosen to establish themselves as the leaders of the forest. He was the heart, and she was the mind. Together, they made up the whole.
 
Reagan smiled as she pressed closer to Ru, and nuzzling him within the fluff of his mane, before addressing the boys. “I know you pledged yourself to Offspring; but was your allegiance also to Magnus? The volcano goes silent, but there are rumblings beneath the crust of the earth. I do not believe that all is what it seems to be.” She sighed, her stomach heeving with Iasan’s soon-to-be arrival, and she pushed off of Ru to stand on her own momentarily—always the diplomat, even if she was their friend—and continued to speak to them. “Ru and I would like to invite you to choose an allegiance best suited to you. Offspring is gone, and I have missed your family greatly. Especially little Elora; if she chooses to accompany you. Would you consider coming to the Taiga?”