"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
It had been too long, and he missed the one he secretly held so close to his heart. They were all so special in their ways, but he could see so much of himself in his Terra. All the good things. She was careful, so careful, but had bold strength to call on when she wished to. He was more glad to have found her that day than he'd ever tell anyone.
Terra?
He called out for her, peering around thick trunks of the redwoods. Needles had fallen in abundance and crunched beneath his weight. As an afterthought, he formed his frozen wings at his sides and hid the scars beneath. Most often he left his magic alone, but here at home it felt... wrong not to have wings. Each of his daughters had always seen him with them, and it was almost as if he wasn't the same person anymore. And he wanted to be that Ruan again, especially for his girls.
Terra, he tried again, listening to the endless silence in answer. He didn't really feel like giving up, but perhaps sitting still for a while would allow her to find him. So he moved towards the shallow creek not far away, and with another quick glance around he settled himself on the damp bank. The cool moisture pressed comfortably against his skin and his eyes drifted closed.
After the initial shock of having her abilities returned had died down, Terra had immediately set to work exploring her newfound gift. And oh what a gift it is.
She’s tried turning into, well, everything she can think of. And it all works. All of it. If she can imagine it, she can become it. So long as it’s part of something living that is.
She’s not perfect at controlling it yet, but she has enough of a grasp on her powers to get around in a few forms of her choosing. And it’s giving her a freedom that she’s never known. She can go almost anywhere she wants, see anything she wants to see. It’s wonderful and intoxicating.
She doesn’t forget her family though. No, she could never do that.
They’d taken her in when she’d had nothing, given her a home and a family and love that she’d never known before. So, when that oh so familiar face rings out through the redwoods she doesn’t hesitate in answering.
She’d been sitting in the trees, trying out one of the few forms she’s actually managed to perfect. A Cooper’s Hawk, though she only knows it by appearance and not by name. When Ruan’s voice rises up through the redwoods she lets out an ear splitting shriek, then dives out of the tree. She drops down, down down, then at the last moment, pulls out of her dive and lands in front of Ruan as he drowses off.
Her hawk body ripples and grows upwards, and within moments the hawk is replaced by a slender two year old mare. She can’t help but laugh aloud - adrenalin still surges through her veins. “Hey Dad!”
She’s a far cry from the frightened little feral girl that he’d found in the woods only a year ago.
Terra’s ability to move through the trees upon the wing of a hawk was one that she and her mother had worked hard on in the months that it had taken Terra to learn that she had the ability to manipulate her body. She could become anything she wanted and the young woman had chosen feathers and talons over claws and paws—and it made her mother proud. It was not uncommon that mother and daughter would choose to fly together, Heda in tow, moving through their home as if they owned it—and indeed, they did. It was a beautiful thing, and Terra’s self-confidence grew through the days as she moved from her girl-hood into the form of a beautiful young woman.
And so she calls out to her father, smoothly moving from bird to equine, and with her, a swooping sound whips through the air, and a silent great grey owl flutters out of nothingness, coming to land upon Terra’s back, her feathered head wobbling goofily as she takes in her surroundings. She flaps, kicking up her feet before a grey smoke appears, and Reagan shifts from owl to mare. Her stomach was wobbling slightly, her pregnant body huffing with the exhertion it took her to get her body up into the air.
“Woo. That was a good flight, Terra. Your wings certainly are getting stronger. Me on the other hand. I need to lay off the barley.”
He remained on the ground, though he startled at the hawk's sudden shriek. It landed nearby and as she stretched and morphed into herself, he stood with a ready smile. "Hey Dad!" He met her with a nuzzle, so pleased to see her. Though she'd grown so much already. Had he kept so busy he hadn't even noticed? In his mind, she was still that little girl who needed him. She certainly didn't need him now, practically a grown woman. Where had he been this whole time?
An owl landed on her back, took in her surroundings for a moment, and then also morphed. There stood his wife and child. They must have been flying together, and he felt a pang of guilt for not being around more. But of course Reagan would watch over her, over them all, as she always did. Terra would not miss out on a mother at least.
He formed a frosted wing and pulled Terra in, hugging her close. He wasn't going to be able to do that always, was he? She'd be grown and gone one day, his little wild girl.
“Woo. That was a good flight, Terra. Your wings certainly are getting stronger. Me on the other hand. I need to lay off the barley.”
He chuckled and moved to his wife. She, too, received a nuzzle, but also a playful little nip. You are perfect just as you are, you foolish woman, he teased with a wink.
He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he loved that healthy glow she got when she was pregnant. It almost seemed brighter this time around, if that were possible. He eased himself against her, careful not to put too much weight on her, and turned back to his Terra girl.
How have you been Terra? I've missed you, and I fell like I've failed you. I should be more present, I'm sorry, he said with a sad frown full of regret.
As her body finishes reforming, her ears prick at a soft swoop in the air behind her head. Her lips quirk in a smile as talons clasp gently at her back, then push off and her head turns just in time to see Reagan shift from owl to horse. “Thanks Mom!” She still feels a little thrill saying that word, just as she had calling Ruan ‘Dad.’ It’s wonderful to finally have a family of her own once again. Speaking of family though …
She ignores Ruan and Reagan’s flirting (she still doesn’t understand such interactions) and peers in closer at Reagan’s belly. Apparently there’s a baby growing in there, though she’s not so sure about that. She’s not sure how a whole baby could fit in there (oh if only she knew). “How’s the baby?” Her brown eyes search out Reagan’s, full of curiosity. She knows so little about this sort of thing.
But Ruan (Father!) has turned his attention back to her, a sorrowful tone in his voice. “Oh I’ve been great! Mom has been helping me make the hawk shape better. I think I’d like to try something new next though, like a fox!” She still remembers the little fox that had been her occasional friend when she had lived on her own in the forest. She’d love to know what it would be like to share its shape. “Noo!” She steps forward, reaching out with her dark nose to nuzzle at her father. “You haven’t at all. I know you’ve had a lot on your mind.” Ruan’s tried to hide it, but she knows he’s been more stressed since that strange stallion had returned his abilities.
“Besides, I like being on my own sometimes.” She might not be the terrified feral little thing that he’d brought home from the forest, but she’ll never be quite the same as other foals raised among horses. Sometimes she just likes to slip away and spend time with herself, the trees, and the other creatures of the forest.
