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Rand waited until K'erith had finished drawing the pentagram. It was a tad lopsided, but she doubted that she could have drawn better. She was a terrible artist.

"Come on in, Pheaura. We won't bite." She directed Pheaura to almost the center of the pentagram and had her kneel there. Cymarron lit the candles, poured a bit of wax on the ground to bind them and hold them steady on the symbol. In the center, she placed the skull alter that was filled with blood salt.

The salt was their connection to the earth. In the other skull, Cymarron had set the herbs burning. The hurbs would clear the area of any bad or negitive auras. The red candles would call to good spirits, while the black would drive the bad away.

"K'erith, if you could stand at the South end, and Cymarron at the North end with the censer. This might take a long time....so be prepared to stand." She picked up the bone athume and took her brothers hand. A quick p***k of the finger, and she had the drop of blood that she needed. She smeared the blood arcoss her forehead, for ocne though, her skin did not absorb it.

Then Elias walked in. "Ah! Elias! Would you help out as well? I could use someone on the East cardial point. It will help spread the call out in all directions.

She knelt in front of Peaura. "Are you ready? Once this starts...you will have complete access to my mind. You'll know everything I have felt, everything I have thought, everytihng I have done. You'll know me inside and out. Are you ready?"

"Does life seem more real or less now that you seem to puzzle over such a simple question. What is existance if you are nothing more than a leech, as you seem to be dead. Cymarron can activily create more life, so when hea eats someone, he is not only sustaining himself, but future offspring as well, where as you do not. That would make him a survior and you a murderer."

The elf stood. "There are matters I must attended to. Good evening." He turned and walked from the kitchen.

Cymarron took his position as instructed. the censer irritated his nose, but he held it and woudl make sure it burned as it was supposed to. his eyes moved to Elias, but only momentarily...then he became almost as stone. only his tail moved, swaying gently back and forth behind him. the rest of him was still as the grave.

Rand took a deep breath. "All of you are probably going to experience backwash; Pheaura will amplifiy my thoughts and feelings, the pentagram will spread them outwards, through you all, and around. You might pick up things...emtions, memories."

She took the athume, thrust it into the alter, breaking it and scattering the salts. She was singing an unfamiliar tune, a tantra to help her focus her mind. She doubt that she had all th word right and out memoriezed...but it helped none the less. She took Pheaura's hands, placed them on her temples.

"Close your eyes, and pcik up on my thoughts." Rand took a deep breath, focused on sending her energies outside of her body, beliveing that she was doing it. The blood on her forehead bubbled, and evaporated. The candle flames grew high but not hot. The elements of the earth gathered themselves, helped Rand on her journey. Then suddenly without warning, her mind was exposed.

Every animal within a fifteen mile radious would understand every single littel thing she had ever done or thought. They would either hear here call and answer, or ignore it.

The backwash hit him..and his eyes narrowed. he let the memories and emotions rush through like heavy wind or rushing water, not allowing hismelf to focus in on them or amplify them with his own. but her tantra did start a low rumbling, a bass counternote to her voice. another way to help her with this. the censer he swayed lightly, letting the smoke spread out some, and giving the burning plants the oxygen to remain burning through this ritual.

Rand was completely exposed. She picked up little things here and there but changes inside her came from her brothers. The physicle transformation that hadn't happned durning the last ritual was happening now. Her haird grew longer, les silver, more grey. Her canines grew, became fangs. Her ears stretched, became cat-like and (to her later horror) relaized that she had grown a tail. Her muscles thickened, her eyes became bigger, her pupils became slits.

But she felt none of it, although the process must have looked very odd. Then...everytihng went white.

a stone ampitheatre, an alter, a red rose, thousands of souls, the old man standing out. Cymarron to the left of her, Elias to the reight. Behind them, K'erith and Pheaura. A little yellow animal, she could see it clearly now, it was a foxsquirrel. It stopped, hissed, and scared off a bear. It jumped high and took a falcon down, rendering a wing usless. It was feirce, tiny, and full fo spirit."

Rand swalloed, feeling as if her mind had expandid to the very ends of the earth. She felt the presence of bears, birds, a couple of cats... But when she finally opened her eyes it was the foxsquirrel she say. It tilted it's head as if to say, I'm here, now what do you want. Rand stared at it, not really know what to do next. The book had never said what to do with the familiar once she got it.

"Um......I think we're done. You can all relax."

He looked at Raven..and couldn't help the smile. she had become more vah like. a tail, her eyes. hair had become softer gray than silver and much longer. though he wouldn't call her ears catlike..more like large elvish to his eyes. and her musclature was heavier, stronger. Was he the only one of the three to not undergo a physical transformation?

the familiar he found overly cute. not impressive as he thought it woudl be, but cute.

"Yes, Raven..I think we are done. it is an...interesting animal you have summoned."

he looked at Elias..who had wanted words with him.

Elias looked at his bother and smiled, "This bonding of ours may have had more effects that we could have known." Elias said as he removed his glove from his right hand to expose the bright emerald had that was his own, it was the hand of a serpent. "Any thoughts on why my hand grew back much to fast and like this?" Elias said as he flzed his hand.