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The corridor was bustling with Mrr'tani going from one task to another, and after the first time Strong Soul was here, she'd learned the rhythm. It helped that the steps in this intricate dance were already mapped out in her head moments before any of them were made. It made it easier for her to adjust her own path around those that needed to get where they were going more than she did. Though she was starting to notice something even deeper than just the prediction of where the others were going to be.

She'd made connections with most of the residents of the fleet when she'd first arrived and the Mrr'tani on the tug were all bound to her as well so all around her the Mrr'ouwffi burned bright, linking her to the Mrr'tani and them to her. She knew intimately the power that the links could have if she chose to focus on them and use them as she did during the attack on the Ferret, but what she was starting to see was how much difference there was just being linked together. Where almost every Mrr'tani would have said something was missing deep inside, they would never have been able to tell anyone what that something was. Only the very old Mrr'tani would have known that it was the connection. It made her wonder just how Stargazer had survived so long without it.

A happy side effect was the way that the residents of Mss'ranaw went about their business. There wasn't the press of bodies against one another as she'd felt in New Mecca, nor was there the awkward dance of two Mrr'tani meeting and trying to avoid one another in their hurry. Everything flowed without stopping. There were no bottlenecks, and all around her there was a sense of pure rightness about the world.

She hardly noticed when she found herself outside the door to the quarters she was seeking and she drew up short with a quiet laugh and a look around to see if anyone had noticed her almost running into the hatch. It seemed, though, that everyone around her was too busy about their own day and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It wouldn't do to be the chosen one and be seen bumping into things, after all.

Behind the door, two presences awaited her, their energy jagged and jittery. They knew that she was coming, and they anticipated her, but it was a mixed sensation. There was excitement, anxiety and even a touch of fear. Strong Soul had grown used to the complex feelings that bombarded her whenever she was alone with someone new. They couldn't help it, all they had to rely on was the old legends and the stories of their parents and grandparents.

These two, though, at least had more than the usual. They were residents here when Strong Soul was here last, so they had already experienced the Mrr'ouwff, though not nearly as directly as some others. The ones that had were the ones that they would have learned from when they started to manifest the gifts. Still, every Frr'a'narr'ah lived in a subtle state of fear these days, mostly encouraged by the torrent of the same emotions from all around them. Everyone knew what became of Mothers in this galaxy, and while things were changing, it was hard to change emotions so quickly.

With a smile of her own, remembering her own confusion and fear at her awakening, she lifted her hand and gently knocked on the plastisteel door. The fur muffled the sharp knock as she intended, making the sound less intrusive and the slightest bit more intimate. It was only a second before the door opened, not even long enough for her to lower her hand from the knock.

She flicked her good ear and smiled at the form that greeted her behind the door. Even here, she was reminded often of her small stature as even the new Frr'a'narr'ah who stood there was a hand higher than her. It didn't decrease the youthful look in her eyes, though, something that reminded Strong Soul of First Spark the first time they'd met. The rest of her was very different, however. She bore the swirls and stars in her fur patterns of the River clan and even if one couldn't see the patterns, the tail behind the girl, slightly shorter and flatter than Strong Soul's own very long narrow one, would have given it away. The girl's eyes were iridescent blue, something that Strong Soul had never seen before in any other Mrr'tani.

"Good day," she said, lowering her arm to her side.

"Keeper of Hearts," the Mrr'tanah breathed, bowing deeply as she stepped inside, away from the door. "Please come in."

"Thank you," Strong Soul said simply, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. The interior of the room was darker than the hallway, but not by much. Though there was definitely another presence in the room, pressing against her mind almost stronger than the one she had already seen, she couldn't seem to lay eyes on any other forms.

"Please, stand up," Strong Soul said gently, abandoning her search for the moment. "And you may call me Strong Soul. I prefer it to Keeper of Hearts among friends."

The girl straightened, her eyes wide. She let her arms settle to her sides where her hands began playing idly with the silky material that made up her dress. Her ears were on high alert and her tail swished behind her.

"Be at ease," Strong Soul said, modulating her voice to put as much calming energy into it as she could. She found she had to take a breath of her own to steady her nerves. Whether it was her own or inspired by the rigid stillness of the Mrr'tanah in front of her, she could hardly say. "What is your name, Frr'a'narr'ah?"

"I'm..." the girl's voice petered off and the rest came out as a squeak, but she recovered a moment after. "I'm Sun Dancer."

"It is good to meet you, Sun Dancer. Thank you for having me in your home."

"You are welcome any time, Keeper... um... Strong Soul."

"I understand you have a sister as well. Is she here?"

"She has just awoken," Sun Dancer explained, gesturing Strong Soul to a plainly adorned couch against one of the walls. "I'll go and get her."

Strong Soul nodded and smiled at the retreating form. She couldn't blame the girls for their feelings. After all, with everything she'd heard about herself during her travels, she hardly believed that she could even live up to it all. To have someone that was venerated so deeply in their home could not be easy on them.

Their home was as sparsely furnished as any on the fleet, mostly items scrounged from different ships that made their way here. All of it was utilitarian, but somehow it seemed comfortable and well loved, even though it was also very well used. Along one wall, there was a small kitchen, or at least what could be called one, as it really only had enough space to make tea. Most meals on Mss'ranaw were communal affairs in the large and usually crowded galleys on each level. When mealtimes came around, the Mrr'tani stopped in the galley for whichever floor they happened to be on.

The Frr'a'narr'ahn had two rooms to their quarters, and it was through the door to the second room that they both emerged a very short time after, Sun Dancer in front of another Mrr'tanah who looked almost exactly like her save the color of her eyes. Her sister's eyes were an even deeper amethyst than Night Star's.

"Strong Soul, may I present my sister, Moon Walker," Sun Dancer said, her voice as formal as she could make it.

"Good day, Moon Walker," Strong Soul said, standing at their introduction. "Again, thank you both for allowing me to visit your home."

Strong Soul looked around the seating area, and like the rest of their quarters, the twins had set it up to be perfectly functional for them. There was no space wasted, so the only seating was the couch. She smiled softly and gestured for them to take it while she settled herself on the floor facing it. She chuckled at the emotions that flowed so openly from them.

"Don't worry," she assured them, "I actually prefer sitting on the ground if I can. I was a gamekeeper before I was set free, and I don't find it uncomfortable to sit without a chair. In fact, if you know of any trees anywhere around here, I'd love to sit in one again."

The twins returned her smile and their shoulders slumped ever so slightly as their emotions eased in Strong Soul's mind. Each shrugging at the other, they sat on the couch, hands tidily folded in their laps.

"Fire Thrower tells me that you have the gifts," Strong Soul started. Might as well get the uncomfortable topic out of the way right off. No sense in putting off the reason for her visit. "If you will permit me, I would like to see if she's correct."

"What do you mean?" Sun Dancer asked. Moon Walker was silent beside her and leaned into her sister, her eyes staring hard at Strong Soul, though there was no animosity.

"I wish to join with you as I have done with First Spark. It doesn't hurt, I promise. In fact, I think you'll find that you feel more complete when it happens."

"There are stories," Moon Walker finally said, "about you being able to take over others' minds. That you take away their free will."

"I'm afraid that those stories are true," Strong Soul sighed. "However, while it is something I can do, it is something I very dearly dislike doing, and something I would never do with a free Mrr'tani, let alone a Frr'a'narr'ah."

"Then what will happen?" Sun Dancer asked.

"I wish only to touch your minds, to join them with my own and those of your people. There are River Clan Mrr'tani here who ache for the touch of your mind, and I wish to let you see them."

"Can you do that for only one of us?"

Strong Soul smiled softly, her eyes taking in Moon Walker's form next to Sun Dancer, the girl almost curled up against her sister. She didn't need to say anything for Strong Soul to understand what was being asked of her.

"To be honest, I don't know. I've only joined with one other Frr'a'narr'ah before. With you being as close as you are, I'm not certain I can keep you both separate for long, but I will certainly try."

She gestured to them both.

"Come, join me here and we will adventure together."

They moved almost as a unit, both of them sliding off the couch and onto the floor. When Sun Dancer was settled, Strong Soul reached out and took her hands.

"Close your eyes and simply be. Just allow the joining to happen," she instructed, letting her own eyes close after she saw Sun Dancer nod.

In the darkness behind her eyes, she reached out along the link that had opened between her and Sun Dancer. Up until now, it was just like any of the other Mrr'owffi, simply there, no different than any others. But once she began to follow it to its source, it grew stronger and brighter, with the same feeling as the Mrr'ouwff between her and First Spark. Her heart leapt when she finally found the source and opened her mind to Sun Dancer. She didn't pull, didn't force the other mind in any way, simply opened to it and allowed her to explore as she wanted, at her own pace.

Her exhilaration was echoed by Sun Dancer's mind and together, they joined in the familiar feeling of the Joining, something she was quite used to by now. The sheer joy that was coming from Sun Dancer, though, made her see the Joining anew, through fresh eyes who had never experienced it before. More than reminding her, it took her back to the first time she'd felt the Joining with Night Star.

The other Mrr'ouwffi, between her and her companions beckoned brighter when they all felt the energy of the Joining, but with a flex of her will, she kept them from overwhelming and joining in yet. Sun Dancer needed her time to orient herself and experience it with just her and Strong Soul.

Do you see now? Strong Soul asked.

This is... Sun Dancer didn't have the words to finish the thought, and in her mind, Strong Soul chuckled lightly.

It's right. It's perfect, she suggested. May I include Moon Walker?

Please, Sun Dancer pleaded. She needs this.

Strong Soul nodded and opened her mind further, ensuring that Sun Dancer could feel everything she was doing. There was no mystery about what was going on. This was teaching as much as it was simply Joining. She found Moon Walker's thread and began following it, handing it to Sun Dancer before she reached the source.

She will trust you more, Strong Soul said as she passed the control to Sun Dancer.

Together, they opened the Mrr'ouwff even wider, accepting a shocked and fearful Moon Walker into the Joining. Strong Soul watched as Sun Dancer enfolded the ever so slightly younger girl in her warm and happy mind until she could fully experience everything. Little by little, the twins relaxed their tight control over their minds, a control that Strong Soul knew only too well. Once their guard was relaxed a bit more, Strong Soul expanded the Joining, letting them fully experience the link.

When she felt they were ready, she let go of her own control over the beating waves of her companions' minds and allowed them to enter as well. For what seemed like eternity and only seconds at the same time, they swam in the absolute bliss that Strong Soul had come to associate with the Joining. All too soon, though, it was time to return and they slowly brought their bodies' walls back around their minds and with a breath, all three of them opened their eyes.

"Fire Thrower was right," Strong Soul said. "You are indeed Frr'a'narr'ahn."

"What do we do now?" Moon Walker asked.

"For now, I can only tell you that the Mrr'ouwffi will happen whether you want them to or not. Here you are safe, and you may let them happen as they will. But I have something I must ask of you."

"Anything, Keeper of Hearts. We will always do as you ask," Sun Dancer breathed.

"Do not do something simply because I ask it, Sun Dancer. It must always be your decision. Otherwise I am no different than the humans."

"Then ask, Strong Soul," Moon Walker said.

"I'd like you to come with us on our next missions. You will help liberate a thousand Mrr'tani, some of them River Clan, some of other clans."

"We assumed you would ask us. We thought that was the reason for your visit," Sun Dancer answered. "We already decided that we would follow you."

"Then I look forward to traveling with you both. We will be leaving in four days, and you will travel with me and First Spark on the Pride."