To Walk Through a Dream Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven With Wavering Footsteps Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Stone Song Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three A Tale of Winter Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Destiny Inescapable Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Epilogue The Cycle's Continuing Beginnings Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Two Spirits Akin

[A/N: The Mother of all Disclaimers: You know, part of the reason these disclaimers get so insanely long is that I write them *while* I'm writing the story. I'll put a bit in before I've even started writing the story (like I am now) then keep adding to it as it occurs to me that I have more things to say along the course of the story. Of course if you've any sense, you've learned to skip over my disclaimers by now in the knowledge that they're really just long pointless ramblings... As always, my thanks to Shiri for her characters, her inspiration, her presence, and herself. I am proud to now consider myself a part of a community who have stolen away an animated image copyrighted by Michael Eisner and turned him into a living breathing person, the essence of whom belongs to us all (and whom Michael Eisner, I am happy to say, cannot make money off of). As you can see from the title, this is part three of a story, and part 7 (or 9) of the Rayven DreamWalker tales thus far. In truth, I must admit I titled this story 'Beginnings' because it is my belief that all things end at the beginning, and this was originally intended to be the last tale of Rayven DreamWalker. I have since been convinced otherwise by a certain very persuasive sister, though she did not realize at the time that it was even necessary.] Beginnings (III) Chapter Seven First there was pain, then around the muddy distortion of pain the colours began to swirl into focus; blue, purple edged with gold, and a deeper red-violet. The DreamWalker slowly opened her eyes and three familiar images accompanied the colours. Melisande, Jehan, and Clopin were standing over her, their worry a dark brown flitting around the tent in a disorienting fashion. She struggled to sit up and the physical world imposed itself upon her in the form of more pain. Then the colours were spiraling away into darkness once more. Melisande bit her lower lip as she watched the DreamWalker fall unconscious again, then moved aside as Lira finally arrived and leaned over the still form, making soft mutterings to herself as she went to work. Clopin hovered around the bed even after Lira had shooed him away, and finally she ordered Jehan to take the gypsy king out of the tent entirely. He grumbled a great deal as he was led out, and Jehan cast a glance over his shoulder at Melisande before the tent flap fell shut. Then she was alone with the healer and her patient. Feeling out of place and unwanted, she was about to leave when Lira suddenly turned and addressed her. "So you just found her in the catacombs like this?" Melisande moved toward the bed again. "Well...I heard her fall in the tunnel, and then when I followed the sound she was just laying there." She was unsettled by the crease in Lira's brow. The healer woman looked as though she were trying to puzzle out some difficult riddle. Hesitantly she ventured to interrupt the other woman's thoughts. "Is she...ill?" Lira's brow smoothed as she turned to her bag of herbs and continued her work again. "Not ill exactly. Not with a sickness anyway...just...exhausted. I doubt she's eaten or slept in days." "I don't think she *does* sleep..." The healer dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. "rested then." Her face began to fall into the concentrated frown again. "And from the looks of it she's been traveling like that for some time now." Melisande sat down next to the bed and watched Lira sorting through medicines. "You look.....confused......?" "It's just I thought she had more sense than to let herself fall into such a state. Unless she's being hunted by something....or someone." ~*~ "Out!" Lira waved her hands in Clopin's face and fixed him with a glare until he finally sighed and folded his arms, resigned to her demands. The glare continued a moment longer before the healer turned and went into the tent again, muttering to herself "Honestly Clopin. If you have any care for her at all, then you'll let her rest...." Clopin sighed again and fixed an annoyed look on his features, but quickly gave it up when he realized the only person watching was a cloaked figure several tents away. He approached the man and took a seat beside him, drawing out his puppet on one hand and flicking the man's hood back with it. Kheperu did not seem to mind. Clopin studied the man in silence for several minutes before his impatience compelled him to speak. "How can you just sit there and stare at the tent knowing she's in there!?! She came looking for you, didn't she? And now that she's here you haven't even come near her!" Kheperu shrugged calmly in response. Clopin made an exasperated noise in his throat and turned to watch the tent as well, drawing his knees up and hugging them to himself. "Do you even know why she's looking for you? Is this some pre-arranged meeting?" He turned his head slightly to see the reply, which was a nodded 'no'. Clopin turned away again in disgust. "It's for you she's traveled back here from who knows where, and gotten herself ill in the process." The Egyptian cleared his throat and spoke softly and slowly in Rom "I did not...call her. Did not know she was looking for....me. until ....lately." Clopin retained his frown and continued staring at the tent. "If you knew she was coming, you could have done something! Gone to meet her, or at least kept her from falling unconscious in the sewage!" The foreign man shrugged again. "I did not know ..of that. I knew only she searched." The frown was turned on Kheperu as Clopin gave up staring at the tent. "But now you do know, so why are you out here?!" "Not yet time. She .... Will call." The Egyptian frowned faintly at the ground, as if confused by his own words. After a moment he rose abruptly and walked away, leaving the Gypsy King to stare bewildered after him. Chapter Eight