GO WEST

Chapter 2: "Goin' Mobile"

More than anything, Danielle was enjoying the scenery. Some of the journey had reminded her of the endless plains, vast forests, and immense mountain ranges of Asgard, but seen from the ground, now, rather than the air. She'd forgotten how much she missed her own world. Asgard was filled with majestic and awe-inspiring sights, but Asgard was not her true place. These mountains, and these forests... they were hers.

They had barely crossed the Colorado state line, and she was already getting excited. She and Warlock had been talking all morning, Danielle spending most of that time explaining local sights and phenomena. Her alien friend was proving to be a welcome travelling partner. He had carried on the driving all through the night, letting Dani stretch out and sleep in the cab of the truck, and when morning came, he'd had breakfast ready for her, plundered from their travel supplies and even cooked for her by a tiny electrical stove of his making. Dani had remarked that Warlock should consider the career option of an RV, and this, of course, led to discussions of what RVs were, and why they were used. Warlock was politely baffled by the concept of vacation, as to him, there were only active and dormant periods, and work and recreation were only parts of that activity. The idea of recreational activity being the antithesis of work activity was just a concept he had difficulty grasping.

By the time they made the interchange from I-80 to I-78 and headed into her home state, though, the topic had turned to her childhood, brought up first by her mother and father in their mountain home near Boulder, and later by her grandfather, Black Eagle, on the reservation. It was here, living with her grandfather, that she had learned more about the mental powers that plagued her, as well as her friendship with the animals. Experts on mutant powers referred to this as animal empathy, but Dani secretly thought of it as a gift of her Cheyenne ancestry. After all, Black Eagle had not only shared this particular gift, but it had been he who brought her into the wild to talk to the animals those many years ago. He was gone now, but Dani still had his teachings to guide her.

"Self envies ChieFrienDani the presence of parent-entity BlackEagle," Warlock commented, his voice coming from the vicinity of the steering wheel. "Self envies human-entities, for ties between parent and offspring."

"Well, it's not always like that," Dani shrugged. "Some kids wind up with lousy, unfeeling parents, and I suppose vice versa. After all, you heard about how Doug's father flipped out and threatened to disown him when he found out Doug was a mutant, right?"

"FrienDoug remains reticent on stated point. However, self has noted friendRictor make occasional references to 'Papa,' presumably his father-entity, friendRahne has often remarked desire to find identity of her father-entity, and frienDani has continued contact with mother- and father-entities."

"Well, that's the other side. I'm lucky: I love my folks, they love me, and I had my grandfather for the years that they were missing. I've always had support from them, and in some ways, that's helped me to be independent. Now, take Rahne as a counterexample. She never knew her parents, and didn't have any kind of a home life at all. I swear, I love the girl to death, but she clings. She clings to her friends, and especially to a boyfriend. She clung to her prince in Asgard, she clung to Doug, and she clings to Rictor. I guess she's waited all her life to have someone like that to lean on. Doug's kind of the same way, but he just... evolved differently.

"Anyway, it's not like your world. Not all fathers kill their children here, like you said yesterday."

"Self expresses continued relief at differences between newhome and Techworld."

"Uh huh," Dani grinned. "We've been working hard to make you feel like an earthling, Warlock. I hope we've helped."

"Observation: Assistance of self's friends has been paramount in self's continued development."

Dani yawned. "Good to hear."

"FrienDani expresses signs of fatigue. Shall self resume control of vehicle?"

"I'm fine, Warlock, really. I didn't sleep well, is all."

"Self expresses apologies. Did self fail to provide comfort for sleep?"

"No, no, silly, you did just fine. I'm just excited about seeing my folks again. It's been years, you know, and most of that time, I didn't even have the chance to call them on the phone, or write a letter. No postal carriers cross the Bifrost Bridge, you know."

"All the same, considering value of cargo, particularly the safety of friends DaniandBrightwind, self would prefer to resume control."

Dani smiled at this. "That's sweet, Warlock. Okay. I suppose you're best suited for it anyway, in this case."

"Self is aware of all traffic laws, and may compensate for any terrain and speed changes."

"All yours, then," she shrugged, letting go of the wheel.

Dani unfastened her safety belt, scooted over to the passenger's side of the cab, and then buckled herself back in. This was a formality, of course, as in the event of a crash, Warlock had some safety features at the ready to put airbags and seat belts to shame.

She opened up her case, which was lying in the floor, and pulled out her old Fender acoustic. "Could you find a radio station to play, 'Lock? I could use some practice time."

"Of course, frienDani." Speakers came to life with a mix of static and several distant, indiscernible broadcasts. "Query: preference of station?"

"Whichever one's playing Dylan," she said absently, tuning her higher strings.

After a few moments, Warlock narrowed the broadcast to a single channel, which was playing "Tangled Up in Blue." Dani grinned and joined in, first getting the chord changes in mind, and then singing along with the latter verses as she grew more comfortable. She was still a bit rusty, but she was coming along nicely, she liked to think.

When the song ended, to be followed by a Jimi Hendrix song she didn't even want to consider trying to emulate, Warlock asked her a question. "Query: How did frienDani know that entity BobDylan would be broadcast on local station?"

"Warlock, no matter where you are, there's always a station playing Dylan."

"Self is not familiar with this human custom."

She laughed out loud. "Okay, maybe not anywhere, but often enough for me."

After listening for a while, she decided to give Hendrix a go after all. It was acoustic versus electric, but she followed him as best she could. All the same, she was relieved when it was done. "Come on," she told the radio, "give me one I know."

The DJ chose that moment to come on, of course. "KRKY, classic rock, broadcasting all over the Rockies. We've heard from Jimi Hendrix, and before that Bob Dylan and Head East. We've got a request coming in -- a pretty strange one, too, but I couldn't pass it up. I just got a call from California, and this kid told me some friends of his are driving through the area, and could probably use some good travelling music. So to Dani and Dave, if you're listening, here's a double-shot from the Who, on KRKY."

Dani's jaw dropped as Pete Townshend's guitar came over the speakers, playing "Goin' Mobile." The surprised look turned into a grin, and then she began to laugh hysterically.

"Alarm!" Warlock cried out. "Is frienDani alright?"

She calmed herself down into a fit of giggles. "I'm fine. Oh, I love ya, Doug. Still looking out for us, eh?"

"Self expresses confusion. How could frienDoug know that self and frienDani would be listening to station-KRKY at present time?"

"Doug and I know each other pretty well, 'Lock. He and I are both big classic rock fans. Besides, this is just the kind of thing he loves to do. If it doesn't work, no one will be the worse, but on the off chance it does, my day is made. And it did, and it was. Only Doug would go to such lengths to surprise us like this."

She joined in on the second verse, adding her full-throated lyrics to Pete's, filling the cab with sound. What she lacked in his skill and accuracy she made up for with enthusiasm. After it was done, she made a mental note to practice this one -- it would be a fun one for her repertoire.

The second part of the double-shot opened with another distinctive acoustic guitar riff, and again, she laughed out loud. "Doug, you are simply too much!"

"Query: Identify song, please."

"It's called 'Love Ain't for Keepin'.' What's that expression he used to use..? 'A perfect metaphor for our lives.'"

"Self expresses continued confusion, frienDani."

"Oh, I don't know how to explain it. Doug likes music a lot, and so do I. He's good at spotting meanings in songs that I'd understand. This is just one of many."

"Self has difficulty interpreting music. Words of present song suggest sub-type 'love ballad,' but style and title are contradictory."

"Then don't analyze and interpret. Just enjoy it."

Warlock listened to her play for a while, but could not contain his questions. "FreinDani?"

"Yeah?"

"Self lacks much pertinent knowledge in field of human interpersonal relations, but self recollects great affection between selfriends DougandDani, which has seemingly faded over time. Query: for what reason?"

She let a soft laugh escape. "Doug and I are really good friends. That's all. Things haven't faded, they've just... evolved."

"Self has noted, however, that activities and mannerisms in past months at times exceeded parameters of 'friendship,' by self's understanding of the term."

"Like I said, we're really good friends."

"If frienDani is reticent regarding subject matter, self will abandon topic of discussion."

"No, no, no, it's..." She paused and sighed. "I didn't know if anyone had really noticed. Yeah, for a while there, we were seriously considering taking things further. In some senses, we already had: we'd never been that close back when we were with the original team. But it was just too weird to continue. He was rebounding from Rahne, and I was rebounding from... well... from my whole experience in Asgard. At that point in time, we needed each other -- we both needed a friendly face and an understanding heart from our past. And we were there for each other, but we both realized that it wasn't something that would last. Sometimes, there's nothing that can screw up a friendship more than putting romance into it, and he knew that as well as I. We decided to quit while we were ahead, and we've been closer than ever since then. More like big sister, little brother: that kind of thing."

Warlock had listened politely, but was none the better for this explanation. "As stated, self lacks much pertinent knowledge in field of human interpersonal relations."

"Probably from hanging around with Doug," Dani grinned. "Sometimes it seemed like he had a different girlfriend every week. Let's see, there was Kitty, there was Rahne... even X'ian for a little while... I think he and Jennifer were Making Moves for a while, and now he acts like he's trying not to fall for Marie-Ange... That boy is a mess. It's probably why he and I get along so well these days."

"Self lacked understanding of actions of frienDoug," Warlock agreed. "Self believed relationship between friends DougandRahne to be permanent, but self was mistaken."

"Ah, I don't know," she shrugged. "My money was always on him and Illyana getting together, for some reason. There was some... chemistry, I guess. But now she's... what, nine years old and living in Russia, so I don't see him waiting for her."

"Observation: FrienDoug did not take news of friendIllyana's reversion to youth well."

"Well, in some ways, none of us did, Warlock," she sighed. "I know it was best for her, to be able to go back to Russia and never have to worry about growing up to be a demon sorceress, but all the same, I miss the Illyana we knew. And I miss Sam, and X'ian, and Amara, and Bobby... I wish sometimes that I'd come back from Asgard with you way back when. I might have been able to keep that Cable jerk from breaking up the team."

"Self observes that wishing to change the unchangeable is a common trait among humans."

Dani chuckled at this. "That's true. Doug and I have talked about that a lot lately."

The conversation was brought to an abrupt halt by the sound of a siren behind them, accompanied by flashing red and blue lights in the side mirrors. She looked at the empty driver's seat and panicked. It had been so long since they'd seen another car that she didn't even expect that a cop would show up.

"Oh, hell. Warlock, pull over nice and slow. And make a human shape for the driver's seat."

"Affirmative, frienDani." As instructed, he pulled them off to the side of the freeway, coming to a halt. "Self was not exceeding speed limit, however."

"Well, he probably got suspicious that no one was driving. Damn. My fault. Quick, make a body!"

The seat on the driver's side rose up into the outline of a human being, which Warlock then filled with detail. Blue jeans, a black T-shirt, close-cut black hair topping his smooth, pleasant face, muscles playing beneath his chocolate-colored skin.

"Warlock, not that one!!" she hissed. "Do another one!"

It was too late, though, as the officer had already approached the side of the truck. "Good afternoon," he nodded, his face stern and businesslike.

"Afternoon, officer," Warlock smiled, doing his best human voice. "What seems to be the trouble?"

The cop looked past Warlock to see Danielle behind him, and he gave her a curt nod. "Routine stop, sir. I'm afraid I'm going to need to take a look in your trailer."

Dani felt the blood leave her face. "What for?" she demanded.

"There've been some livestock thefts 'round the area recently, and we've been authorized to check out any large vehicles passing through."

"Officer, we've just driven here from New York," Dani tried to explain. "We're on our way to Boulder with our horse. We don't know anything about any livestock thefts."

"Then you've no reason not to show me what's in the trailer, ma'am," he said in an almost bored voice. "If you'd just step outside?"

Dani and Warlock exchanged glances as the officer went back around the side of the truck. "Query: This is self's chosen human shape. Did self err?"

"No, I guess not, but it's just that we've got more than our share of redneck cops in this state, and we're giving him a black man and an indian woman to deal with. Some of 'em would take us in for that alone, but when that guy sees Brightwind..."

Even as they got out of the truck, Warlock detaching himself from his main structure, Dani was already forming a plan. She'd take advantage of his surprise at seeing Brightwind, then hit him with his greatest fear and run like hell. Warlock could change the shape of the truck and trailer easily, and they could get away.

The cop was waiting at the back of the trailer, patiently. Dani gave him something of a smile, then slowly reached up and opened the top halves of the rear trailer doors. Maybe if he just saw Brightwind's tail, he'd realize there was no way any livestock would fit in there with him, and he'd leave them alone.

Instead, Brightwind poked his head out and playfully tried to eat the officer's cap.

"Whoa, easy there, big guy," the cop said, taking his cap back and smiling up at the stallion. "Holy cow, he's a big one, ain't he?"

Dani was still trying to figure out how Brightwind had managed to turn around in the narrow confines of the trailer. "Uh, yeah, he's a definite prize-winner. We're real proud of him back home."

"Alright, just lead him out, so I can check out the inside."

Warlock and Dani traded another confused look, then Dani opened the trailer doors the rest of the way. She was waiting for that moment of surprise before she reacted.

That moment never came. Brightwind stepped down out of the trailer, fanned out his wings, and walked a few steps along the shoulder of the freeway, led by Warlock. The officer reacted only by reaching up and patting Brightwind on his muscular flank. Brightwind shook himself, and seemed to puff out his mane, making it stick almost straight up from his neck.

The officer let out a low whistle. His attitude had made a drastic change in mere seconds. "Yeah, he's a beauty. So d'you breed clydesdales, or is he your only one?"

"Oh, he's... one of a kind, alright," Dani smiled. Was the man blind? Or did gigantic winged horses not faze him?

"Well, I'll just check the trailer," he nodded, more to himself than to them. He then proceeded to make a somewhat half-hearted search. Dani noticed several cars drive by, but none seemed to notice Brightwind at all.

At length, the cop emerged from the trailer and smiled at them. "All checks out. Sorry to have disturbed you folks, but we can't be too careful 'round here."

"Uh, yeah, no problem," Dani smiled back, trying not to let her confusion show.

"Drive safe, now!" he waved, getting back into his patrol car and driving off.

Dani looked up at Brightwind. She could swear he was looking smugly pleased with himself.

"Something you're not telling me, here?" she asked.

"Pardon, frienDani?"

"No, it's nothing," she said to Warlock. "Come on, let's get back on the road."

McAudry House, La Jolla CA 2:17 pm PDT

Compared to his highly customized PC, Doug's laptop computer was something straight out of prehistoric times. Using it for his hacking work was like trying to pick a lock with a stone axe, but until Warlock arrived with all of their stuff, that axe was all he had.

Things just required a little more patience. The Saturday afternoon found Doug alone in the house; he'd awakened last, and by the time he was up, Ric and Rahne had already disappeared, presumably taking in the local sights. Deciding to get an early start on his work, he'd plugged the modem jack into the separate phone line in his father's office, then brought the laptop out via a long extension cord, and was sitting out in the courtyard area, in the shade of one of the small trees, near the empty swimming pool.

Things were going slowly, but speed was not of the essence. For once, there was time to relax, let his power get into a groove, and get it all right the first time. This was delicate work, after all.

He'd been working for about forty minutes when Rictor and Rahne came back, and found him. Ric was dressed in bermudas and sandals, and Rahne had wrapped herself in a towel, presumably covering her swimsuit. "Hey, guys. Where've you been?"

At first, he'd thought Rahne might be either sunburned or flustered from the heat of the day. It became apparent, however, that she was blushing. She gave Doug an accusing look.

"We -- ah -- decided to head down that trail down the street that goes out to the beach," Ric explained.

"Oh," Doug nodded, though their attire alone would have explained that. Then, realization dawned. "Oh," he repeated. "Oh... Didn't I tell you two about Black's Beach?"

Rahne gave him a trite, sarcastic smile. "No, Douglas, ye didna' tell us."

Doug found himself caught between being embarrassed for them and laughing out loud. "Oh. And you went down... that trail? Oh. Oops. Yeah, that way goes to the 'clothing optional' section."

"We figured that," Ric nodded. He seemed to find the situation more humorous than Rahne did.

"There's a different path that goes to the clothed section. I'll show you later, if you want. You should be thankful you didn't end up in the nude-only part."

"How fortunate for us," Rahne growled. She was still blushing, and it occurred to Doug that they'd been gone an awfully long time to have just walked down the trail and back. There was no way, though, that Rahne would have participated in that optional rule...

He decided to change the subject. "Everything's just about finished. The five of us will be officially ready for registration soon as I get this last bit done. Our pseudonyms are set, and we're officially enrolled." Ric and Rahne took a look at his screen, where he brought up data on the five of them, as they would be known in the school. Aaron Douglas McAudry for Doug, Erica Danielle Blackeagle for Dani, Kenna MacTaggert for Rahne, Ricardo Torres for Ric, and David Merlin Henning for Warlock.

"Hey, don't I get a middle name?" Ric asked.

"Well, you never mentioned one. What would you like?"

Ric gave it a moment's thought. "How about 'Manuel?'"

Both Doug and Rahne made a face. "You sure?" Doug asked.

"Hey, what's wrong with Manuel?" Ric demanded, defensively.

"We've got some bad mem'ries with that name, Ric," Rahne explained. "But if ye really want it..."

"Yeah, put it in," Ric insisted.

Doug started typing. "Oookay. Locked and loaded. We're all set to register later in the week."

"I must admit t'feelin' guilty," Rahne said, crossing her arms. "It doesna' feel right, cheatin' our way inta' this school."

"If it helps," Doug told her, "I didn't have to lie about any of us. With our test scores, and the classes we took at Xavier's, we'd have been accepted so fast, your head would spin. And I didn't crowd anyone else out to make room for us. Lots of people are dropped from the enrollment before the semester begins -- usually freshmen who applied to multiple colleges and decided to go to one of the other ones that accepted them instead. All I did was falsify the information of where we took our classes, and made it appear that the info was already verified, so that no one will check up on it."

Rahne sighed. "I know, but, it seems that we're startin' off this new life on the wrong foot by doin' this."

"Baby, if we tried to tell the truth, we'd be dead," Ric shrugged.

"I know it's not the best start," Doug insisted, "but from here out, we're on our own, and we'll be competing with everyone else."

She nodded, but still wasn't sure. For one, Doug must have done something about Ric's checkered past, to cover up the fact that he had only learned to read earlier that year... How much of their new, honest life would have to be built on lies?

Highway 36, north of Denver, CO 6:11 pm

After a quick pass through the greater metropolitan area of Denver, Warlock had guided them through two more freeway interchanges, and then north, deep into the Rocky mountains, and away from the city.

"Denver, Colorado," Dani remarked at length. "Home in some ways, but I'd forgotten just how ugly it is."

Warlock looked over at her from the driver's side. He'd kept a human form active since the incident with the cop, just in case. "Self expresses surprise. Self believed frienDani would be happy to see homecity."

"Yeah, yeah, but... Denver's one of those cities that just never should have been built, if you ask me. Or rather, it never should have gotten this big. It's like a big brown smear on the mountains."

"High density of human populace is similar to selfhome Techworld," Warlock noted. "Crowded roads are analogous to traffic through lattice structures."

"Give me the mountains anyday. Whoops! That's our turnoff."

They exited from the freeway south of Boulder, and began taking a series of increasingly winding and narrow roads, through the green and brown and grey of the Rockies. Danielle rolled down her window and let the good mountain air into the cab. "Getting there," she grinned, taking a deep breath. "I missed this."

Warlock could not help but notice how quickly the civilization of the freeway had become the raw, natural beauty of the mountains. Even he, an alien to this world, found the sight spectacular. "Impressive," was the only word he could find.

"Wait 'til you see the homestead," Dani said then. "Our own little valley, mountains to climb all around you, blue skies and clean air..." A thought seemed to strike her. "Hey, Warlock, how much do you know about short-wave radio?"

"Self has studied all forms of human communication extensively."

"Could you imitate a CB radio, then?"

"Of course, frienDani."

As Warlock went to work forming a radio, raising an antenna and working out a microphone, Dani leaned across the cab and gave his human part a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Warlock. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Journey would have been possible without self. FrienDani would be required to rent truck and trailer, and..."

"No, 'Lock, that's just an expression. I just... wanted to say thanks for all you've done. You've been doing all these... useful things for us over the past months, and I don't want to take you for granted. Does that make any sense?"

"Self acts out of affection for self's friends, of course."

She smiled and nodded. "Best reason."

"And self is happy to be useful to self's friends."

"I just hope we can all return the favor one of these days."

Warlock handed her the microphone for the newly-installed radio. "Self is ready to broadcast."

"Thanks," she said again, bending to flip on the radio and tune in the desired channel. "Pegasus to Rainbow Valley, come in," she transmitted. "Repeat, this is Pegasus to Rainbow Valley, come in and come on."

There was static for a while, and Dani frowned. Her folks usually had the radio in the barn tuned to this channel. Maybe no one was close enough to hear.

She noticed Warlock watching her intently. Even so, he never missed a turn in the road. "What is it? Does that sound funny? 'Pegasus' is us, and 'Rainbow Valley' is the ranch."

"Self understands," Warlock nodded. "Self has seen program 'Dukes of Hazzard' many times on television."

She sighed. "One of these days, 'Lock, we're going to get you away from that TV set..." She pressed the button on the microphone again. "Hey, one more time! This is Pegasus, on the road to Rainbow Valley. Anyone home up there?"

This time, there was a response. "This is Rainbow Valley, Pegasus. You're coming in loud and clear. Welcome home, little spirit!"

"Dad!" she said without transmitting. She then pressed the button to respond. "Thanks, Rainbow Valley. We're down the road, ETA about... oh, ten minutes."

"We'll be waiting, Pegasus," her father replied. "How many speed laws did you break to get here so fast?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. The cargo's getting a little antsy, if you know what I mean."

"10-4, Pegasus. We've got his stall in the barn all ready."

"Wonderful. See you in a few, then! Pegasus out."

"Rainbow Valley out."

Dani switched off the radio, still smiling widely. "You've never met my folks, have you?" she asked Warlock.

"Negative, frienDani. Self expresses anticipation of introduction."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll like you just fine. Any friend of mine, and all that."

They drove on in silence for a while. "Hey, Warlock," Dani asked at last.

"Self listens, frienDani."

"I've been meaning to ask. You've had a lot of human shapes in the past few years, right?"

"Self has assumed sixty-seven distinct human identities in time with selfriendNewMutants."

She nodded. "So, why did you choose this one to use now?"

He looked over at her. "Is current form displeasing to frienDani?"

"No, not at all," she replied, shaking her head. She actually found Warlock's new shape quite attractive. "You look fine. I was just wondering... why did you decide to be black?"

"Does frienDani disapprove?"

"Oh, no, of course not!" she insisted. "It's just like I told you before. You're opening yourself up to a lot of prejudice and reflex bigotry that way. There are a lot of racist people in the world, chum."

"Agreed," said Warlock. "Luckily, self's friends are not included."

Dani snorted. "You should have met me six years ago."

Warlock gave her a confused look. "Query: Clarification, please?"

"I was the worst kind of bigot," she explained. "The retributive type, answering prejudice with a little of my own. I hated white people as a reflex, even when I found out I was a mutant: yet another minority. And I was in this minority with all these white people. That skewed my sense of racial perception just a little, but I'll tell you what: you don't know just how hard it was for me, at first, being in the New Mutants. Sam, Illyana, Amara and Doug were all blonde-haired, blue-eyed Anglos as far as I could tell, and it took me a long while to get over those gut reactions I used to have. Part of me wanted to hate them, but I just couldn't do it. They were great people."

At this, Warlock looked a bit shocked. "Self was not aware."

"I have to give the professor some credit," she admitted. "All of his lessons about equality, and living in peace, regardless of race, really hit home. Usually, he was talking about humans and mutants, but the same goes for whites, blacks, asians, hispanics, even injuns like me. Everybody."

"In part, this is why self has chosen self's current form," Warlock replied. "Self was unique among technoids, possessing emotion and desire to flee selfhome. Among humans, self was again unique, as a mutant. Self has since learned much from human culture. Self has particularly noted common misperceptions of race, and those who stand against said fear and prejudice. Self admires human entities such as Martin Luther King, for standing against perceptions of majority. Self has read teachings of said leaders, and self chose current form as reminder to self and others that stated teachings must not be ignored or forgotten."

Now it was Dani's turn to be surprised. "Warlock, that's... that's some of the weirdest logic I've ever heard in my life, but I think I like it. So... you choose to be black... because you can be?"

"Correct, frienDani."

"You know, you never cease to amaze me."

"Self is black, and self is proud."

Dani burst out laughing. "Hey, it works for me."

A mile or so later, they reached the main gates to the Rainbow Valley Ranch. Warlock carefully drove through, and up a narrow gravel road into the hills. After cresting the next rise, they had arrived.

Danielle let a soft sigh escape her as she looked down into the valley. No matter how many places she'd lived in her twenty-one years, this was the home she'd always remember. The fenced pastures with the horses, the stately old ranch house, barn and stables, the trees, the fields, the mountains surrounding them on all sides... She'd come home.

William and Peg Lonestar, Dani's parents, were waiting for them as they pulled up in front of the ranch house. Dani could barely wait until the truck stopped before she opened the door, jumped out, and ran up into her father's embrace. "Hi, Papa," she grinned, holding him tightly.

"Welcome back, sweetheart," her father said, holding her at arms' length before letting his wife embrace their daughter. "Great Spirit, I think you've grown!"

As Dani hugged her mother, she was suddenly conscious of the fact that she was all but towering over her. She was nearly as tall as her father, even. "Ah, it's all that clean air in the Aerie," she shrugged. "It does wonders for the physique."

"I can imagine," Peg smiled. "You look wonderful! How was the trip?"

Dani noticed that Warlock was standing behind them, keeping a good, respectful distance. She beckoned him over. "Mom, Dad, I want you to meet that friend I was telling you about."

"Glad to meet you," William smiled, reaching out to shake Warlock's hand. "I'm William Lonestar. This is my wife, Peg."

Warlock opened his mouth to speak, but paused. Plain English was still something of a task for him. "A pleasure to meet you both as well," he said. "My... given name was Warlock, but I would be... honored if you would call me by my chosen name of David."

William and Peg exchanged glances, and both nodded. "The pleasure's all ours, David," Peg said, "and the honor, too. Any friend of Dani's is welcome here."

"My thanks," Warlock nodded. "Dani, once Brightwind is taken from the trailer, shall I continue journey to San Diego?"

"Son, you've just arrived!" William exclaimed. "Won't you stay for dinner at least?"

Dani laughed. "Well... he doesn't really eat, Dad. But at least stay a little while, Dave. There's no rush. The others can wait a few more hours for you."

"Agreed, Dani, but we should remove Brightwind soon."

"You've got a point," she agreed. "I think he's been caged a little too long."

The four went around to the back of the trailer, and Dani and Warlock opened the doors. Brightwind poked his head out, took a look around, and then stepped down, the gravel crunching beneath his huge hooves. The stallion turned to face Danielle's parents, bowed his head once to them, and then turned and galloped off, taking to the air as quickly as he could.

"Spirits," William whispered. "I'd forgotten how beautiful he was."

"After that drive, he probably won't come down for hours," Dani sighed, shielding her eyes against the sun as she watched him fly deeper into the mountains. Concentrating on her mental link, she sent a thought to her mount. "And when you do come down, you and I are having a little talk."

"Let's all go inside," Peg suggested. "I'll make some iced tea, and you can tell us all about your trip."

University Towne Center, La Jolla CA 7:04 pm PDT

It was going to be one homecoming after another for at least the first few days back on the west coast, so Doug decided to get some of them done now and give Rahne and Rictor some time to be alone. It would certainly be a relief when Dani and Warlock arrived. At least then, he'd have someone he could talk to without having to choose his words so frequently.

The UTC mall in La Jolla had grown, of course, as malls generally do, but some things remained the same. He wandered through the huge indoor food court, where several fast food restaurants overlooked an ice skating rink, and eventually found his way to his former home-away-from-home, the Yellow Brick Road arcade.

Electronic noises assaulted his ears as he stepped into the arcade, where kids from pre-adolescence to college-age and beyond were pumping their quarters into the machines. Doug took it all in appreciatively. If places of this kind were rated by noise, the Road would be right on top.

He wove between the games and players, inspecting each game in turn. It had been a while since he'd been to an arcade, and he wanted to see what was new. What he found was something of a parallel to his own life. Rather than the variety of space games, fantasy games, shoot-em-up games and driving games, it seemed that every single new machine was one of those Street-Fighter-clone one-person-slugs-it-out-with-another games. It was a somewhat depressing trend. Better simulated violence than the real thing, though.

"Can I help you find something?" an apron-clad worker asked him, having noticed his confusion.

"Yeah, do you guys have 'Gauntlet' here?"

"'Gauntlet?' Sorry, man, we took that one out a couple of years a... Oh, my God... Doug?!"

Doug got a better look at the worker. He had frizzy brown hair, and a full and equally frizzy beard now, but there was no mistaking that astonished grin. "Harris?! Holy smoke, Harris, you look like a hippie!"

Harris grinned and clasped Doug's hand. "Yeah, and you're still looking like Mr. Young Republican, blondie. I knew it had to be you the second you mentioned 'Gauntlet.' Only you would still want to play that game."

"What, are you working here now? Is that some kind of dream come true, or what?"

"Hey, with all the hours we wasted in here during our 'misspent youth,' I figured I might as well start getting paid for it. C'mon over here; I can barely hear you."

Doug followed Harris to the beat-up old wooden counter near the front of the arcade. "Is Jim still running the place?"

"As smoothly as ever," Harris snorted. "Want a job? We've just lost three people."

"Actually, don't laugh, I just might take you up on that offer."

"That'd be cool. So what blew you back into town, man? It's been years!"

Doug almost didn't know how to respond. Here was one of his oldest friends, and Harris didn't have any clue about Xavier's, or the New Mutants, or probably even the fact that Doug had spent the better part of the past three years shut in a coffin and buried. "I... moved back out here to go to school at UCSD. I'm living in the old house with some of my friends from back east."

"Sweet," Harris nodded. "I officially welcome you to the Bilkus Reamus, then. The way the rates keep climbing, we'll be lucky if we ever graduate from that place. What're you majoring in?"

"Uh, Linguistics for sure, and maybe general Humanities or Music."

Harris smiled. "Linguistics, eh? You always were good at those."

"It's a knack."

Suddenly, a small beeper attached to Doug's jeans added its noise to that of the games. Doug checked the readout.

"A beeper?" Harris laughed. "An on-the-move nineties kinda guy, eh Doug?"

"Yeah. Shit. I really need to take this call. Do you have my old phone number? It's still the same."

"I think I've got it in the computer at home somewhere."

"Great. Give me a call or stop by sometime! I've really gotta mosey. Take it easy, man!"

"You too, Doug!" Harris waved as Doug made for the exit. "I'll tell Jim you're interested in the job!"

Doug left the bustling food court for the relative quiet of the mall itself, looking for a payphone. In the meantime, he took the beeper (one of Warlock's 'modules,' in fact) in his hand and reformed it into a small high-frequency transmitter. Once he found a phone that was out of the way, he checked its number, then transmitted that number to a similar module on the phone at home, redirecting the call. Instant call forwarding.

Two seconds later, the phone rang. Doug picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Doug!"

"Hi, Dani!"

"How goes it?"

"It goes, that's for sure. How's the road treating you?"

Rather than the deck, or the uncooperative beach below, Rahne and Rictor spent this sunset on the cliffs. They weren't really watching the sun, though, as their attentions were taken by what seemed to be a single, sustained kiss.

Rahne loved to kiss. It was certainly easier now that she didn't have to worry about her fangs getting in the way all the time.

After a long while, they broke, and took a mutual deep breath. Rahne let it out into a sigh, and looked up into his dark eyes with a loving smile. "Och, did ye feel the earth move?"

"Uh, yeah," Ric said, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. My fault."

Rainbow Valley Ranch, five minutes later

Dani stretched in her chair, holding the phone with her shoulder. "Yeah, Warlock's already headed out. He should get there sometime tomorrow, traffic willing. He'll head west into Utah and just catch the 15, straight into San Diego."

"That's cool," Doug replied. "I hope he doesn't get bored."

"Well, I convinced him to do what I do and play the radio really loud the whole way. Of course, he'll be the radio, but it might still work. Speaking of which, thanks for the request, you sneak!"

Doug laughed. "You mean you heard it? Geez, I never thought it would get through. I had to call the area operators three times before I could convince one of 'em to look up the local classic rock station for me."

"Yeah, we heard it, alright. Nice choices."

"Glad you liked 'em. So what's your plan?"

"I'll be here visiting the folks for most of the day tomorrow, then Brightwind and I'll head out in the afternoon. I figure we'll pitch tent somewhere around Lake Powell, then head out at dawn, and meet you at the ranch sometime in the afternoon."

"Sounds like a plan to me. We'll be there to meet you."

"Okay. Give Rahne a hug for me, okay?"

"If I can get her away from Ric, sure."

She laughed at this. "You've got a point. Ah, well. See you soon, okay?"

"Definitely. Hopefully as soon as possible. You have to save me from them."

Dani laughed at his melodramatic tone, but sympathized. It couldn't possibly be easy for him, being alone in the house with those two. "Buck up, chum. Warlock'll be there to rescue you tomorrow, and I'll be there Tuesday."

"My hero."

"Heroine."

"Whatever."

"Hang up the phone, Doug," she laughed again.

"Right. Take care."

"I will. 'Bye."

She switched off the phone (her folks had joined the nineties and bought a cordless while she was away), rose, stretched again, and yawned hugely.

There was a tap at the door, and then her mother pushed it open. "I thought you'd be asleep," she commented. "You looked about ready to pass out at the dinner table."

"I'm sorry, Mom; I'm just bushed. I don't think I've had a decent night's sleep for a while now."

Dani sat at the end of her bed, and her mother took the chair. "Is there something else wrong? You looked a little strange, and your father and I were worried."

"No, nothing's wrong. I feel fine."

Peg gave her daughter a Motherly Look, and Dani reconsidered. "It's nothing to worry about, really."

"Try me. Mothers like to worry."

Dani sighed. "I don't know. I kept looking around the place and thinking that something had changed: something I couldn't put my finger on. Then I got to thinking that maybe I've changed."

Her mother made a bemused face. "Other than the fact that you've grown at least three or four inches and have a body like a weightlifter? I swear, sweetheart, you look like you spent the whole two years you were gone locked in a gym."

"Yeah, so everyone's noticed," she nodded with another sigh. "It must have been something about living with the Valkyries for all that time. It made me... I don't know, more heroic, or something. I think maybe being in Asgard for that long a time just... does this to people. All the riding, archery and sword training probably didn't hurt, either."

Peg nodded. "When Rahne wrote us and told us about how you needed to stay there with your... sisters, we hoped it would be good for you."

"Maybe. But like I said, it seems like every time I come back to this place, I've made some kind of fundamental change, and I don't feel... like I fit."

When Dani did not continue, Peg got up from the chair and sat next to her daughter. "Danielle, of course you feel different. You've grown up. But whatever it is you think you are -- mutant, valkyrie, heroine -- you'll always be our daughter, and you'll always be welcome here. That won't ever change."

"Are you sure?" Dani asked, her voice darkening.

"Honey, you being a mutant never changed anything, and you becoming a valkyrie didn't change it. What's happened that could ever make you doubt that?"

For a moment, Dani very nearly told her. Instead, though, she told a different truth. "I don't even feel human anymore, sometimes. I've seen death hundreds upon thousands of times, now, and... I feel like I'm getting numb, almost like I'm accustomed to it. Sometimes it feels like I don't know how to be alive..."

"But you are alive," Peg insisted. "You're alive, we're alive, and your friends waiting for you in California are alive. And life is good, and long, but never long enough to forget how it feels. You still know, sweetheart. You just have to remind yourself sometimes."

Dani nodded, leaning against her mother (which felt strange, considering their difference in stature). Perhaps that was why she'd enjoyed this road trip so much. Perhaps that was why she and Doug had become so close; after his return, Doug had been more alive than ever before, and she both envied this and wanted to share it.

After a while, Peg got up, and kissed Dani on the forehead. "Get some sleep, child. You have another long day ahead of you."

"I know. I'm sorry I can't stay longer."

"You can always come back. We'll be here."

Peg opened the door and was about to walk out, but Dani's voice made her look back. "Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

She still couldn't bring herself to say everything, but she had to get some of it, at least, off her chest. "There was a... ceremony... while I was at the Aerie with the Valkrior. An induction ceremony, to make me one of them, once and for all."

Peg leaned against the door frame and nodded. "Go on."

"Brightwind choosing me wasn't enough. They needed to seal a bond between me and the sisters, and..." She couldn't shut out memories of the event, and the night that had followed -- fire and blood, equal parts pleasure and pain -- but she couldn't tell this story yet. "What it comes down to is that I really don't know what I've become. They may have made me into one of them. That could explain the growth spurt, anyway. But if that's true... Mom, I think I might not be... mortal... anymore."

Mother and daughter looked at one another for a long while, and at last, Peg spoke. "Go to sleep, honey."

She closed the door, leaving Danielle alone with her memories.

McAudry house, 10:44 pm PDT

Already, Doug was coming to the realization that sharing a bathroom with Rictor was going to be something of an experience.

Doug had eventually given up on waiting for Ric to finish brushing his teeth and so forth, and had gone down to the hall bathroom to do the same. By the time he got back to his room, Ric was still at it. He didn't even want to think of how long Ric would spend in the shower every morning.

In spite of the late start to the day, Doug was still exhausted from the past week, and he was more than ready for bed. Switching off the main lights, he climbed into bed, keeping a small lamp lit on his dresser to give him enough light to read by. He still had a few stories to go in his COLLECTED CHEKHOV anthology (in the original Russian, of course).

After about two pages, though, his eyes were blurring. He set the book on the bedside dresser, and switched off the lamp.

Ric was finally finished in the bathroom, as became apparent when he opened the door that led into Doug's room and poked his head through. "Yo, Doug. You asleep?"

"Just about."

"Cool. I won't bug ya, then. 'Night, man."

"G'night, Ric."

Ric closed the door, and Doug heard the opening and closing of the opposite door, to Ric's own room.

The silence returned again, and Doug sat with his eyes open, the only light in the room coming from the LED readout of his alarm clock. Not even the window above his bed admitted any illumination. He could almost fall asleep without even closing his eyes.

It's said that when some senses lack input, the others become more responsive to compensate. Perhaps that was why, in the still blackness of the room, Doug heard the door open and latch close, and the soft footfalls that padded from Ric's room, down the hallway, to the main corridor. There was the creak and click of the "secret" door, and then silence again. It didn't take much thought to realize where Ric was going.

Doug watched as twenty minutes passed on his clock, ruling out the possibility that Ric had been stepping out to raid the fridge.

He really didn't know what to think. He knew that Rahne liked to be close, and he wouldn't be surprised at all if she and Ric had ever slept in the same bed. He also knew that Rahne's convictions were strong enough that sleeping was all they would do. But he also knew that Rahne clung to the man she loved; if Ric were to insist that they take things further, which would win out? Her convictions, or her willingness to please him? And how many times could Ric sleep next to her without wanting more than this?

Part of him knew that these decisions were not his to make, but all the same, he prayed to anyone who might be listening that Rahne would do what was best. If Ric were to try to take advantage of her, though...

He didn't know what he'd do. Frankly, he didn't want to know. He didn't want it to be his problem anymore. Rahne was his friend, and that was where it ended. She could take care of herself. Couldn't she?

In spite of everything, he was a long time falling asleep.

Rainbow Valley Ranch, some time later

Dani awakened quickly, but it was not the usual jolt of interrupted sleep. She wasn't even sure what it was that had awakened her, as she didn't feel startled, and hadn't been having a disturbing dream. There was just something... different about the room.

She stirred very slightly, looked around the darkness, and froze.

Someone was in the room with her.

The only light was that of the moon and stars, filtered through her window, but that was enough to give her an outline. Someone was sitting in her chair. The build and hair were wrong for either of her parents, and she could not make out any features of the face. It seemed to be watching her, though.

Dani found herself wishing she had some way of defending herself. Before her power had atrophied, she could have conjured herself a weapon and made it solid, but she no longer had that particular ability. Still, she could give a convincing display. Concentrating on how good her old spirit-spear would feel in her hands, she quickly sat up in bed and activated her power. An illusion of her spear appeared in her hands, and she pointed it at the figure. "Who's there?"

"It's only me," replied a rich male voice.

She wanted to ask him to specify, but asked "What are you doing in here?" instead.

"Watching you sleep."

Dani kicked off her covers and stood very carefully, never taking her eyes from him. As her sight adjusted, she could see that he was a well-muscled, shirtless man with dark skin and white hair, apparently cut into a mohawk. For a moment, he put her in mind of Storm, as she had once looked, but this was definitely not Storm. "Warlock, if that's you, I'm going to kick your ass for scaring me like this."

"I'm afraid I must disappoint you, then," he smiled. "I am not Warlock. But you have nothing to fear from me, Mistress. I only wish to watch you sleep."

"Okay, then you'll just stay right there," Dani nodded, making a cautious circle around him, grabbing her robe as she made her way to the door. "Don't go anywhere, now."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Mistress."

Dani opened her door, stepped through, then closed it behind her. For a moment, she stood there, but then she dispersed the illusion of her spear and ran barefoot down the hall to her parents' room, gathering her robe around her.

Upon reaching their door, however, she pulled up short, remembering the man's eyes. She'd seen those eyes before.

Still not entirely sure if she were awake or dreaming, Dani descended the steps to the ground floor, then stepped outside the house, the chill of the evening biting her bare legs. A small part of her mind screamed that she was leaving an unknown man in the house with her parents, but the greater part was taken with a hunch, that was growing more with each moment that passed. Something very strange was going on.

She entered the barn, looking for Brightwind. The stallion was still in his stall, where she had left him. He looked over at her and ruffled his wings in greeting.

"Hi," she said, somewhat hesitantly. She stepped up beside the stall and looked closely at her mount. His white mane stood almost straight up from his neck, as always, and his eyes...

"Brightwind," she said, very carefully, "you're my mount, my friend, and my protector, right?"

Without waiting for an answer (since even as unique as Brightwind was, he could not speak), she went on. "We're bonded, right? Valkyrie and mount. Friends. So... if, hypothetically, something life-threatening or otherwise bad were happening to me, you'd know, and you'd protect me, right?"

Brightwind lowered his head to her once, nodding in assent.

"Great. So... you'd know... right away... if there were something wrong?"

Another nod.

"And you'd let me know first thing, right?"

Another.

"Right," Dani nodded herself, then. She looked into Brightwind's eyes for a few seconds, then sighed. "Okay. Just checking. G'night."

She closed the barn door behind her and considered her options. Lacking any, she decided to go back to her room and try to figure out what the hell was going on.

Quietly, she padded up the stairs, down the hall, and up to the door of her room. She opened the door just a crack, and took a look. He was no longer in her chair.

This could have been good or bad, considering. Dani opened the door the rest of the way and scanned the room, looking around for him, and trying to feel her way around with her psychic power. Neither sense detected anything out of the ordinary.

She sat down on the side of her bed and tried to come up with a few more options. Then, with sudden dread, she realized there was one place in the room she hadn't checked.

Turning slowly and looking behind her, she saw that he was lying next to her, the covers pulled up to his neck. He appeared to be asleep.

She studied the features of his broad face for a while before it occurred to her to be scared. His narrow crest of long, thick white hair fell over one eye, making it difficult to tell if he were really asleep. His expression was one of blissful peace, not hostile or threatening in the slightest. And he was impossibly handsome.

Still feeling as though she were walking on a continuous sheet of thin ice, Dani stood, and left the room again, heading back around to the barn.

Again, Brightwind looked over at her in greeting.

"So... You're sure nothing's wrong? Everything's cool? Status quo?"

The stallion did his best to look quizzical at this continued line of questioning.

She stepped closer. "You know what's going on, don't you?"

Brightwind nodded again. Dani could have sworn he was smiling.

"And you're not going to tell me, are you?"

Another nod, and a lifting of the wings that might have been a shrug.

Dani picked up a handful of hay and threw it at him, but somehow, she was smiling. "Fine. See if you get an apple tomorrow."

She made the walk back from the barn to the house. Everything still had that odd quality to it -- in spite of the weirdness of these events, she was making every move with a clarity of thought that amazed her. Maybe she was dreaming after all.

By the time she reached her room, the mystery man was still in her bed. It didn't really surprise her, though. Not much would, by this time.

She sat down in the chair he'd occupied a few minutes before, and watched him. It briefly occurred to her that their roles had been reversed.

Then, as quickly as her clarity of thought had come to her, it left, and she felt suddenly very sleepy. She closed her eyes, all the while questioning. If this were a dream, how could she be falling asleep again?

She could still see the room, even in her sleeping state, from the vantage of her chair. She watched as the man stirred on her bed, then rose, looked over at her and smiled, then crossed the room, kneeling before her and looking into her eyes. (Eyes? But her eyes were closed!)

"Do not be afraid, Mistress," he said, taking her hand and smiling. "You know that I would never harm you."

And she did. No instinct was screaming at her to run, or to fight. In this dreamlike state, she knew that she could trust him: that she had trusted him, with her life, and with her soul and spirit.

"Who are you?" she asked him again.

"Come," he said in reply. "Let us fly."

And then she was in the stable, with Brightwind. The stallion fanned his wings out and reared, kicking the air with his hooves. But Dani looked at him and saw only the face of this dream, the mane blending in with the crest of white hair, the horselike features becoming those of her handsome, dark-skinned stranger, and the eyes... Only the eyes were unchanged.

She climbed onto Brightwind's back, and the stallion leaped into the air, the barn vanishing around them, giving way to a swirling, wheeling field of starry sky and thin, wispy clouds. She flew on the back of her trusted steed, and at the same time walked through the night sky with the stranger. The actions were one and the same.

Taking the man's face in her hands and forcing him to look at her, she peered into his dark eyes, and saw more depth to them than the infinite sky around them. But whose face was it? Did she touch flesh, or fine white horsehair?

"You're Brightwind," she said. "Both of you..."

"I am what you see, beloved Moonstar," he whispered in reply.

"I don't know if I believe what I'm seeing," she breathed, shaking her head.

"Then believe your own words. I am your mount, your friend, and your protector."

"How come I've never seen you like this before?"

His smile widened, and he spread his arms to either side. "It is a shape you find pleasing, is it not?"

She nodded, numbly. "Very. But how..? Is my power going wonky on me again? Am I having another one of those power-feedback dreams where my greatest fears and desires come to haunt me?"

"I do not haunt you, Moonstar. And this is not a dream." He reached out with one hand and traced the outline of her face with his fingertips. His touch was very real in the dreamlike state. "You see in me what you wish to see, framed in your belief. Few mortals see beyond the mundane, to know my true appearance, and fewer still may choose what they see. It is my nature, beloved, to be to each pair of eyes only that which they wish to behold."

Dani nodded, her breath coming quickly. "So you are some form of... desire of mine? Beautiful. Well, I guess that's a relief."

He placed his hands on his hips and laughed loudly, muscles moving fluidly beneath his dark skin. "Moonstar," he chided. "Have you so little faith in your own heart? Are you so afraid of what you feel?"

"Maybe."

"Then look to yourself, Valkyrie," he said, his voice suddenly calm and forceful all at once. "I am what you believe me to be, but what is it you believe yourself to be?"

The scene changed to a battlefield, where Dani, encased in armor and bristling with weapons and steel, fought off the minions of the goddess Hela for the right to take the soul of a fallen warrior to Valhalla. She was a warrior, true to her forefathers' legacy. She fought with passion, and with abandon. She fought because she was born to, and because she was chosen to.

Then there was Mirage, co-leader of the New Mutants, offering guidance and strategy to her team... her friends. She saw them all, even those who had gone their own way, and felt their trust, their devotion, and even their love. She fought then, as now, with passion and abandon, for a cause which had been made hers by an accident of birth. But was the cause any less just?

Asgard again, this time the Aerie, home of the Valkrior, and she watched this time as an outside observer. It was the night of the ceremony of induction, and the celebration that followed. She had felt that she would never recover from the trials, but that night, with her sisters, she feasted, she danced, she sang, and made music well into the night, and when the revelry was over, she...

Tears came to Dani's eyes as she saw her again. Mist, her spirit-sister, who, like Dani, was an outsider brought among the sisterhood by the choice of her mount. She hadn't known how much this would hurt; how much leaving the Aerie would affect her. She'd expected the pain of missing her sisters, but nothing like the gut-wrenching agony this memory brought in its wake. "Brightwind, STOP IT! I don't want to see this!"

"Do you doubt yourself, then?"

"Of course I do, dammit!" she growled, whirling on his human manifestation. "The last few years, there are times it feels like I've been on auto-pilot, just letting things happen to me that change me forever! I didn't choose to be a mutant, I didn't choose to become a Valkyrie, I didn't ask to be possessed by Hela and try to kill Lord Odin! And even if I did choose to stay in Asgard, I didn't know being in the Aerie would... would... change me like this!"

"Were your experiences so horrible, then?"

Dani shook her head fiercely, remembering it all... fire and blood, steel and sweat, pleasure and pain... "What happened, happened. I can't change that. And some of it I wouldn't, but still, I don't just want to be the sum of those experiences. I want to know what I am, and to know that it's my choice!"

"You fear what your experiences have made you."

"Damn right I do. Everything happened so fast, and with such a sense of being the only thing that could have happened, that... I could never come to terms with any of it. Who knows, I might eventually get to like being... like the others. But in my own time, and on my own terms."

Brightwind looked heavenward, his white mane shaking in the chill winds, and he smiled. "At last, Moonstar, you speak with sense."

She pulled a blank, and stared at him. "'At last?'"

"Beloved, do you not see that this is what I have wished for you all along?"

"I guess I don't."

He smiled, his perfect white teeth contrasting with the color of his skin. For a moment, Dani was put in mind of Warlock's newest incarnation. "We are reflections, you and I, and what we see is determined by faith. A human is no more likely to see a winged horse than beyond the end of his own nose. Only those who would believe in such a thing -- one such as you, or your mother or father, or your mutant friends, who are firm believers in the impossible, as you know -- shall ever see me. I am what their perception makes me, and I am to you what your perception has made me."

"You told me this before," Dani nodded. She tried to be irritated, as this would help shut off the other emotions within.

"Yes, beloved, but turn that perception inward. This, I beg of you. Look at yourself as you would look at me, and become what you envision. Do not forget or deny your experiences, or your emotions, as this is only self-delusion. Fate strikes more often than you may know. But only you may choose how those experiences and twists of fate change you. You mold your own image, Moonstar, and no one else can do this for you, as much as you may feel pulled by the outside."

He took her by the shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Look within. What is it you wish to be? Only you shall know, and shall choose."

Dani closed her eyes, thinking of his words. Who was she, indeed?

"I am Danielle Erica Moonstar. I am Cheyenne, and the blood of the Human Beings still runs in my veins. I am... I am a student... a student of the world, and I want to be a teacher, like my mother. Like... my friends. I have known the ways of war, and wish to know the ways of peace, so that there may be balance. And if I may teach this peace, then my life will be lived well."

She opened her eyes again, to see that Brightwind, both the stallion and the man, was still looking into her eyes. "The rest, I'll decide on as I go," she finished. I'll make my decisions when I'm ready."

Brightwind smiled again, this time softly and... proudly? "Then believe in what you have said. Only then may you achieve what you wish."

He took her in his arms (she felt the brush of his feathered wings and the warmth of his bare skin both in this embrace) and held her to him.

"If that's what I am..." she whispered, "what does this make you?"

He laughed softly. "What I have always been, Moonstar. Your mount," here he kissed her cheek, "your protector," a kiss to the other cheek, "and your friend." He finished with another kiss, this one to her forehead. Dani felt each one like an electrical jolt.

"You trying to add 'lover' to that list?" she asked, hoarsely.

Another laugh. "Only if that is what you would see in me."

She shook her head. "I can't. I've got to get myself sorted out before I can start having those kinds of thoughts again. After what happened to me and Doug..." she sighed. "I felt afterwards like I'd used him, just trying to convince myself of who... and what... I was. It's a good thing we stopped it before it got momentum. I... couldn't do that again, Brightwind, to you or anyone. Or to myself."

"Learning your own identity is a task like no other," he reminded her, "and it is not always an easy one. I do hope, though, that you will turn to me with your troubles, as in the past. You and I are bonded, Mistress, and I will share your burdens."

She returned his embrace, then, holding him tightly. "I'll remember. I promise."

"Then wake, beloved. See... the sun is rising..."

Still mounted on her cherished steed, still holding her friend and protector, she watched from their vantage among the stars as the sun rose above the distant horizon, giving its light to the world below.
 
 

She awakened quickly, and with a very definite jolt of consciousness.

Early sunlight shone through her windows, causing her to blink furiously, trying to focus. There had been a sound, as well.

The sound repeated, and she recognized it as a tapping at her door. "Who is it?" she asked vaguely, looking around the room for Brightwind. He was nowhere to be seen.

The door opened, and her father peeked in. "'Morning, youngster. Your mother and I have breakfast just about ready downstairs. Are you awake enough to join us?"

She returned his smile. "'Course I am, Papa. I'll be right down, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded, retreating back into the hall and closing the door behind him.

For a while, Dani just lay in bed and thought. Had it all been a dream, then? Had her power manifested in her sleep, as she'd suspected? Or was it all real?

Where did reality fit in, anyway? Who was to say what was real and not? She closed her eyes, and could still feel the tingling from his lips upon her face, or the reassuring presence of his arms around her. Were these feelings real?

Real or not, the experience had given her a lot to think about. How would she let this experience affect her?

For the first time in years, she felt that the choice was hers again.

She touched minds with Brightwind, down in the stable, and sent him thoughts of greetings, of love, and of thanks, all of which were returned by his own thoughts. Bolstered by his mental touch, and by the fact that while every choice was hers, she would not have to make them alone, Dani got out of bed, stretched, and prepared to face the new day. There was still a long way to go.
 
 

Next: "Watershed"
 
 

This story (c) 1993, 1999 Jeremy Bottroff

"Goin' Mobile" performed by The Who, words and music by Peter Townshend, (c) 1971, 1999 Towser Tunes, BMI, from the album WHO'S NEXT

Amara Aquila (Magma), Black Eagle, Brightwind, Cable, Marie-Ange Colbert (Tarot), Sam Guthrie (Cannonball), Roberto DaCosta (Sunspot), Hrimhari the Wolf-Prince, Peg and William Lonestar, X'ian Coy Manh (Karma), Mist, Danielle Moonstar (Mirage), Ororo Munroe (Storm), Katherine "Kitty" Pryde (Shadowcat), Douglas Ramsey (Cypher), Illyana Rasputin (Magik), Rictor, Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), Jennifer Stavros (Roulette), Warlock, Charles Xavier (Professor X), New Mutants, Rainbow Valley Ranch, and Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters created by and (c) 1999 Marvel Entertainment Group

Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Head East are, of course, real musicians, lifted shamelessly for soundtrack purposes

Harris Finkelstein is the first in a series of Tuckerizations: real people from the author's life written into the story for no good reason, except to say "hi" just in case they happen to be reading. Harris is a fellow the author worked with in an Isla Vista arcade back in the early nineties, and is (c) himself.

"The Gauntlet" (c) 1999 Atari (it's got a cool new sequel now, too!)

"The Dukes of Hazzard" (c) 1999 Warner Brothers

Black's Beach (clothing optional section and all), the University of California at San Diego, University Towne Center and the Yellow Brick Road arcade are all real places in the La Jolla area. See 'em all!