"Yes, Wenndolyne, yes!" The both of them looked about and saw the air around them filled with tiny streams of bright purple... sparks... is how she would think of them later, like tiny sparks from a fire being stoked. There were very very thin twinkling lines of sparks all over, running this way and that, crisscrossing each other and through trees and even through Cuin`Kraath. She looked down at herself and some seemed to be passing through her too. "What is it? I mean, what are they?" she asked.

Cuin`Kraath chuckled heartily. "Magic, my daughter, magic!" He held out his arms and turned in the streams of light as one who might dance in a long awaited rain. "I have always known it was there, have always drawn from it but... to see it in YOUR light!"

"Then... I didn't create all this?" She sighed relief actually, though she still looked about in fascination at the sheer complexity of it and the beauty of the air filled with twinkling purple sparks.

Cuin`Kraath laughed "No, not of your doing. Hardly. It is all part of the Mother's design, the magical weave around the world." His hands fell again to his sides though his bright smile remained. "Now that you have seen it, I believe you should be able to lower your hands and the stone without losing sight of it. Tis only a matter of focus."

Wenn tried this. As she lowered her hands, the lines began to fade, but she concentrated on them. Finally her hands rested in front of her, wrapped around the stone, but the lines of sparks remained.

"Now... one more question to try my theory. Did you... do you... feel the force of magic within you... likely passing up through you from the earth beneath your feet?"

"Yes... yes..." She nodded. "I felt it there first in fact, as though it passed up through me to the stone and then..." She looked about at the lines. "...then... out... here, everywhere."

Cuin`Kraath smiled "Ah, then you -are- a channeler.. a conduit of magic. You need not be a magic user per se. It may not be your calling."

As Wenn listened, her concentration on the magical energy slipped until all the leylines in the air gradually faded back to their usual invisibility. She eventually took notice of this and sighed, missing the beauty of it more than anything else.

Cuin`Kraath approached her and cupped her face in his hands, gently lifting it to look into her eyes. His expression had gone quite serious and his voice quiet, demanding she heed his words. "Wenndolyne, you are light to one stumbling in darkness. Aside from those few like you, only one who uses such magical energy can find it, even when you reveal it as you just did... but, my daughter, you are more than that." His hands gestured out to the now still cool air around them. "There is some level of magic most everywhere as we just saw, but in some places there are very strong nodes from which a powerful mage may draw. With you to magnify such force or to help him channel it into his works, you magnify his power as well, beyond his means alone."

Wenn's eyes grew wide. "Yes... yes... I think that happened once. Lord Wolf coached me through maintaining a stream of... " Her mouth drew into a slight grimace and she shook her head. "Oh I know not what it was... but he seemed to need it at the time to enhance the effect of his magic."

"But mind you, daughter, do not reveal this power within you to others. Too easy for you to become a pawn in a vicious game of evil power."

Wenn blinked and looked up at him "No! How could... I would never help such a person. I might even be too frightened to think on it enough to get this done, surely!"

Cuin`Kraath shook his head. "Evil doers do not always appear as such... they are oft more crafty and cunning than Fox's kin. I do not warn you of this to frighten you, but to see that you are aware of the dangers and become prepared for them."

"But Wolf knows I am thus or else he would not have known to... but I thought it was only the pendant and now..." She lowers her head, muttering to herself. Cuin`Kraath leans in to kiss the top of her head. "I feel that between Wolf, whomever you may trust at the Mage Guild, and myself... we may help you learn what you must know to handle this gift and protect yourself from such manipulations as I described. I am both concerned and pleased that these powers, which I first saw hint of in Manxra, seem to have grown stronger in each generation. Here at this end of Siobhan's line and mine, this gift is quite pronounced indeed, magnified through your association with Ancient Wolf perhaps."

Wenn's mind was ticking off things, putting together bits of information as Kraath spoke his thoughts aloud. Finally she caught up with him. "End of your line?" She shook her head, pressed her hand lightly on his arm then smiled brightly up to him. "I am not the end of your line nor Siobhan's, m'lord Cuin`Kraath."

His brows raised in question "No? But I had thought..." He looked into her face and shook his head. "No?"

Wenn giggled lightly. "No... I have a daughter. That is, Wolf and I have a daughter. We have a son as well, Simon, though by choice and not by birth. And Elandra... is ours by blood."

Cuin`Kraath drew his hand up to his chest and slowly curled his fingers into a fist over his heart, as though he thought he might have to pound it to get it beating again. He swallowed hard and shook his head quite slowly as he read her eyes to see her truth. "But then..." He slowly turned from Wenn and looked up into the night skies then closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. His voice, when he found it, was quiet, almost for his own ears alone, though maybe for Siobhan's too.

"I only just learned that the last of the assassins had been killed... and the blood hunt was called to an end. Defending against their final throes, I'd lost track of you, even of the Stone Warren... it took much time for me to find you again and decide how I should contact you. I had been told you had married but…" He lowered his head. He was unsure his legs would continue to support him.

"If there is a child between you and the Ancient One..." He turned to Wenn slowly and looked down to her with a weak but growing smile, his warm golden brown eyes sparkling with moisture. He reached his arms around her and drew her into a tight hug, which she gladly returned. "... then -my- line has been secured again within the House of Wolf... and The House of Red Wolf continues on..." He sighed softly as he lowered his head to kiss the top of Wenn's then rested his cheek there.

Wenn whispered against his chest with her arms wrapped around his waist, "Yes... I see it every day. The House of Red Wolf is the bane of her brother's existence..." Wenn giggled lightly "And has a taste for chocolate cookies."

Cuin`Kraath's choked voice whispered. "We are are not the last."

Wenn leaned back and looked up to him, her eyes smiling "No… and you must come home to the Keep with me... to meet the latest." He nodded with a smile.

~~~ Legacy ~~~

After parting thanks to Gorath and farewells to the Pack, Cuin`Kraath and Wenn shifted to their wolf forms and traveled at a leisurely pace toward Wolf Keep. Morning's bright sun was shining on the large stone structure as a large red wolf and his smaller shadow approached. Kraath looked up at the looming profile of the Keep and grinned a decidedly wolfish grin. **Seems you have done well for yourself, my daughter.... and so has the Old Wolf, hm?** Wenndolyne snickered and hurried them through the main gate then onward til they entered the great hall. She was so excited that she hardly greeted the Chamberlain or made introductions before she shifted back to her human form and Kraath followed suit.

Cuin`Kraath stood still a moment just inside the great hall, feeling rather awkward indoors and in Ancient Wolf's residence. He had been so long out of touch with such things. Quite distractedly he looked about until his ears caught raised voices from somewhere in the Keep. The place already seemed to him a huge vault of echoing voices from staff and now there was this new, louder disturbance.

Suddenly a shrill shriek, as only a little girl can accomplish, came pelting down the stair in the form of Elandra, hotly pursued by Rachel. The poor elven girl was tucking her hair back behind her ear with an exasperated expression. Elandra was stark naked, red curls flying about and emerald green eyes flashing a look over her shoulder to see if her caretaker was still on her heels.

Wenn giggled then covered it quickly before her errant daughter might catch it. Elandra had the grace and agility of the wolf even with her short little human legs. She outpaced Rachel easily as she dashed about the hall, around, between and even under furniture. "NONONONONO!" she yelled, not missing a pace in her flight.

"And here comes my Angel now… acting much less than angelic at the moment." Wenn grinned, still trying not to laugh aloud. Cuin`Kraath shook off a shiver, prompted by Elandra's shrill pitch zipping like lightning up his spine. Having the sharp ears of a wolf is not always an advantage. Still, he managed a smile at the scene.

Elandra held Rachel at bay with the dining table between them as the young woman tried to quietly persuade the screamer to put on clothes. Wenn cleared her throat, "My my... Having some difficulty are we?" then sneaked up behind Elandra and scooped her into her arms. Bright emerald green eyes went wide at her mother's seemingly magical appearance, then Elandra began to thrash her arms and legs, though not enough to injure. "I don't WANT a dwess!"

Cuin`Kraath was now more than smiling, in fact, could hardly contain his laughter. He coughed against a fist to cover, lest he spoil any impending discipline. Rachel and the little dress she held were now catching a glare of obvious disdain from Elandra while Wenn tried to settle her. "Sssshhhh sh-sh-sh Elandra... We have company and I think clothing would be appropriate, no?

Wenn nodded to Rachel to come around while standing Elandra on the dining table. Elandra didn't lower her volume in the least. "BUT I WANT A VEST AND PANTS AND A BOW!! AND I WANT MY HAIR IN A BWAID AND..." Her thrashing and shrieking became proportionately more pronounced as Rachel approached with the dreaded dress.

Standing back from the fracas, Cuin`Kraath blinked, his face contorted into something of a grimace. The little girl shrieks were nearly deafening to his sensitive ears. He hadn't any notion how the child could hear Wenn's whispers to her in a rather firm and terse tone. "I think that is enough yelling. I will discuss clothing WHEN you can speak to me in a normal voice." Wenn was no longer amused, Kraath noted, and he arched a brow. Spirited as the child may be, he dared guess Wenndolyne shant be crossed.

Eventually Elandra realized the presence of another person in the room... and a man at that. Given that and her mother's tone of voice, the thrashing stopped and she tossed her hair over her shoulder with a wiggle. Her eyes strayed over Wenn's shoulder to the man and she fluttered her lashes at him, adding a shy little smile while speaking to Wenn. "I want to be a huntwess, momma."

Cuin`Kraath's whole body seemed to relax as the volume in the hall returned to normal. He grinned to the little girl and shook his head slowly. He'd nearly forgotten the quicksilver flow of a woman's moods. Elandra continued to speak to Wenn, though looking around her at the stranger. "Wache wouldn't let me... she wanted to put that icky dwess on an' then take me out to sit in the gawden. We always go sit in the gawden evewy day we sit thewe and it's BOWING."

Wenndolyne brushed back curls from Elandra's face, then gave her a mild but warning look. Elandra took part of the hint, no more yelling. She leaned toward Wenn's ear with a conspiratorial whisper. "I want to be a HUNTWESS" then turned her little naked body with exaggerated stealth, pretending she had a bow and arrow, intent on stalking her imaginary prey the entire length of the grand dining table.

A few paces away she was stopped in her tracks. "Elandra…" There was no room in Wenn's tone for playing just then, but Elandra did not lower her 'bow and arrow' when she turned to see what her mother wanted. Instead, the bow was now pointed at Rachel, with Elandra winking both eyes alternately in her aim, tongue poked out on her lip to steady it. Despite this obvious concentration, she managed to see Wenn's finger curl at her and bid her return, within reach. Reluctantly the make-believe bow was lowered and Elandra returned to stand before Wenn, the picture of innocence. "Yes, momma?"

Wenndolyne arched a brow and stated matter-of-factly. "We'll wear a SLIP. At least til we decide what else will get you through the day, hm?" Elandra blinked as Rachel handed Wenn the little white silk slip then took that opportunity, or excuse, to sneak away to the kitchen. Elandra started winding up to rebel but then glanced at the stranger and sighed. She put her arms up in the air and waited for the slip to be tossed over her head, while mumbling "Can't be a HUNTWESS in a syip." Then she tried to correct the word "suhllllip...suhlllip."

With the slip gathered up, Wenn reached to shuffle it over Elandra's head. She paused a moment to draw the little face closer for a kiss to her cheek and a whisper "Perhaps we shall remedy that in a moment but first I have someone I want you to meet... yes, slip..." Elandra donned a proud smile at her accomplishment as well as for the benefit of the man she now regarded fully.

Picking Elandra up under her arms and whirling her, Wenn turned them both to face Cuin`Kraath as she set her down to stand. Elandra's smile to Kraath was as winning as ever a little girl could manage, understudy to Simon, no doubt. Wenn's smile to him was somewhat apologetic then she made to introduce the two while Elandra backed up into her skirts, suddenly very shy with her head bowed. "This is…", Wenn started to speak but then was at a loss for how to introduce him.

Cuin`Kraath looked from Wenn to Elandra then bowed exaggeratedly to Elandra directly. "I am something of a grandfather, shall we say? Cuin`Kraath... Pleased to meet you m'lady." A pair of emerald eyes blinked as they met soft golden brown ones and Elandra's shyness was all but forgotten. "Gwand…gwandfathew?" She was thoughtful for a moment then shook her head. "I don't have any of those." Wenn and Kraath both grinned as Wenn brushed her fingers through Elandra's curls. "Seems you do now, my Angel." Elandra stared at him in wide-eyed wonder, thinking he must obviously be some magical creature appearing from nowhere, special name and all. She repeated in a whisper "Gwandfathewr…"

Wenndolyne's smile grew warmer and she patted Elandra's shoulder softly "Won't you tell him who YOU are?" To which Elandra nodded and stepped forward, at least a tiny bit. "I'm 'landra...Tsimon's sistew." Then addressed him as an afterthought. "…sir Gwandfatherr." Trying so hard to say the R right, as Simon's teasing had often told her she should do.

Kraath stepped in and knelt before Elandra taking her little hand in his, running his thumb lightly over her tiny fingers then drew it up for a gentle kiss. As he looked into her face again, his voice caught in his throat. "So very pleased to meet you, m'lady Elandra." Then he added with a soft smile "…Granddaughter." Elandra's smile was bright and genuine then she looked up quickly to Wenn "I get a new name??" The adults laughed lightly as her upturned face awaited an answer. Wenn gave her a nod. "Yes, my Angel… A little girl who has a grandfather…" She swallowed then smiled softly to Cuin`Kraath "… is oft called a granddaughter."

Sitting back on one foot, Cuin`Kraath sighed softly. He looked from mother to daughter then back and met Wenn's soft gaze with a long slow blink and a smile. As they exchanged a silent moment, Elandra tried out her new extra name. "Gwandawterrr…" then she turned her attention back to Kraath. Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowed to slits and her little hands went to her hips. She eyed him with much suspicion, as though there may have been some conspiracy here, demanding that he look at her. "Can a gwandawter be a huntwess too?" Her question was quite serious.

Cuin`Kraath's foot slipped from beneath him as he laughed and he sat on the stone floor. "Yes, my dearest, yes! She may be anything she likes." His chuckle was warm and infectious. Thrilled with his answer, Elandra jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a bear hug. He hesitated a moment then slipped his arms around her warmly, taking in her scent in a long deep breath. Yes, yesss, he thought, Siobhan's line, and his line. He could sense, even without properly testing her, this child would easily have the power of both.

Elandra leaned back from the hug, standing, she was nearly face to face with Cuin`Kraath as he sat on the floor. She leaned in a moment to scent him, then looked thoughtfully into his face with a blink. "You a woof too?" He smiled warmly to her "Yes, I am of Red Wolf's House." Elandra regarded his hair seriously for the first time. She timidly curled her fingers around a long strand of it that lay across his shoulder. She looked to Wenn then toyed absently with a few of her own curls, then back to his auburn hair in her hand.

When Elandra's gaze drifted back up to his face and his warm golden brown eyes, her emerald eyes sparkled. She informed him proudly. "My DADDY is a woof. He is THE woof." Cuin`Kraath nodded to her with a soft smile. "Aye, I should like to meet him someday too. Do you like being a wolf?" She glanced at her mother again, then grinned back to him and nodded rapidly. "I like to wun! And wun and wun and…"

Before either Wenn or Kraath really knew what happened, Elandra turned in her little silk slip and ran across the great hall. In mid stride, her small form was shrouded in bright light, then without a pause in her gait as the light faded, a small reddish wolf pup continued on her path. As the two adults looked on, Elandra stopped suddenly and sniffed at the floor. **MOUSE!** her thought came to them both with some force.

While Elandra proceeded to track her supposed prey, Wenn's hand went to her own stomach. She turned her head. Her face contorted in a grimace, whispering a request Elandra would not likely heed. "Please don't catch and eat it." Cuin`Kraath chuckled as he rose from the floor and stepped to Wenn. His hand lightly brushed her flushed cheek. He leaned in to kiss her furrowed brow, though he was still quite amused. "Well, she IS a huntress, after all."

"Yes, the hunt, always the hunt. I rather enjoy the excitement of the run but…" Wenn swallowed and turned to sit rather heavily in one of the chairs at the dining table. Kraath had to keep somewhat behind her so she wouldn't see him biting his lip to keep from laughing. Still, she was bound to notice the humor in his voice as his hand gently pulled back her hair from her down-turned face. "Wenndolyne, please sift through your pouch of stones for me once again?"

She assumed this was just a distraction, though grateful for it all the same. She knew he could also hear Elandra's thoughts as she scampered about, little paws sliding on the smooth stone floor. **Huntwesss! I am Huntwesss! You are mouse! Mine! You are pwey! You are DINNEW!** It would have been funny to Wenn if she was not in danger of losing the breakfast she didn't have.

Finally, she drew up the pouch of stones into her lap, set out her journal and the spellbook, laying them on the table. As always, the pouch was still full, though now only stones. Her fingers sifted idly through them. Oddly the Amethyst stone was no longer at the top, but soon five smaller stones separated from the rest into her hand and she extracted them. Kraath sat in the chair next to Wenn and slipped the stones from her upturned palm as she held them out to him. She was looking at them intently, but thinking she might already know what they meant.

He nodded, "Aye, daughter…" is all he said as he turned the stones in his own palm now, two tiny bits of amber which he had placed in the pouch himself while it was in his possession, an emerald, a smaller amethyst… and one other. "Hmmm…" Wenn looked at the fifth stone curiously at first then smiled as she recalled its name. It was a neutral color, something like ivory, and a true stone, not a gem precisely, though this one had unusual silver veining through it. She looked up to Cuin`Kraath. "Elk stone." He smiled and nodded "Aye, elhaz, a stone of magic, protection, even luck. Not unlike the rune that shares the name." He chuckled. "Amazing what one can learn in the company of the Stone Warren over a few centuries." Wenn laughed lightly with him. "Particularly with Othala, ugly she may be, but she knows runes and stones as well." He smiled in agreement.

Cuin`Kraath lay the stones on the table and began to shift them into different patterns, pushing them about with his fingertips. He was quiet and thoughtful for a moment during which time a little red wolf pup brushed her mother's leg. Wenn was afraid to look down, fearing there may be a rodent tail hanging from her daughter's muzzle. **No mouse.** came a tired and sighed thought from Elandra as sleepy emerald eyes looked up and blinked. Wenn scooped her up into her lap and gently brushed through her fur. **There are many days of hunting ahead of you, Angel.** she thought softly then began humming a lullaby. Ere long, little pup snores and whimpers accompanied Wenn' s soft humming.

Smiling at the little wolf, Kraath asked quietly, "Simon is her brother's name, you said?" Wenn sighed softly "Aye, my little love Simon." Again there were a few moments of quiet between them before he finished his thought. "I think this stone must be him then." Without pausing for her confirmation, "You know, I was something of a silversmith at one time." He looks to Wenn with a warm smile and she catches his thought. She grins back. "A pendant is nearly what got me into all this is the first place. It certainly bonded me into this life surely enough." She looked down to her hand stroking lightly along Elandra's back. "Seems fitting she should have one of her own."

Cuin`Kraath reached over and gently ran his fingers over Elandra's ears, eliciting a happy little shivered whimper from the sleeping wolf pup. "It shall be done then, an artifact for who she is…" He then looked up to Wenn's face, seeing once again the woman his Manxra likely grew up to be and so much more. This Daughter of the Stones, of Siobhan's line, of his line… had brought his House into the House of Wolf again. "… and who were are." Wenn smiled warmly and just nodded.