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"I never expected... oh Terra girl, I've missed you so much." He pulled her into a tight hug.

"I've missed you too daddy. But really, I've been fine." Terra hugged him back then looked up into his face. "We need to do something to stop this mindless fighting."

Dorian spoke up then. "Terra is right. We have both lost too many of our people to this hatred. It is time for peace between us."

"I don't represent the human faction as a whole Terra, you know that." John replied, rather skeptical of the success of his daughter's dream.

"No, but you are very influential. You have pull and they respect you. They will listen to you." Terra pleaded.

What happened next seemed to take a lifetime, but actually occurred in a few seconds. One of the younger men of John's party became uncomfortable and impatient. "Screw this, just kill them all!" He raised his gun, which was pointed at Dorian, and fired.

"NO!" Terra screamed and without hesitating jumped in front of her lover. The bullet, which would have hit Dorian in the stomach, went straight into her heart.

"Terra!" John and Dorian screamed in unison. Dorian reached out as his woman fell into his arms, while John shot the other man in the shoulder.

"Terra, I could have taken it! I could have taken the bullet baby! Why'd you do it?" Dorian was holding her close, rocking her back and forth.

"No... more... bloodshed." Terra coughed blood as she looked into his beloved face. Tears stained her cheeks as she felt herself fading. Then, smiling up at her warrior, she exhaled for the last time in his arms.

Dorian roared, loud and sorrow filled, into the air as he held his love. "Terra!"

John fell to his knees. "No, this can't be happening. I just got you back Terra girl." Both of them looked at each other then, and John saw in the tiger's eyes, the same anguish that had invaded his heart when he saw his daughter fall. This tiger had loved his daughter. Tears ran down their faces together and dripped onto her precious cheeks. Both were startled when they noticed Terra's body had started to glow.

"What's happening to her?" Dorian asked as Terra's body began to float upward out of his arms.

"I don't know." John said equally as confused.

Terra rose up off of the ground the bullet slowly but surely, pushing from her skin, the wound closing. The glowing became a bright blue and white light surrounding her body. Then with a burst of magic, Terra gasped in a breath, her eyes opening wide as wings of light erupted from her back. As the light died down to a glow, everyone could see that she was alive again. She looked around at the tigers and humans alike and frowned. She raised her hands and everyone holding a weapon cried out as their weapons became red hot. They dropped them quickly, gazing at her in fear and awe. She smiled down at Dorian and her father as she softly landed on the ground.

"Terra girl, you're alive! Thank God, but how is this possible sweetie?" John was beyond grateful, as evident in the moisture in his eyes, but he didn't understand one bit.

Terra looked back to Dorian. "You were right my love. I do have Arcane in me. My mother was an Arcane tigress."

"That's impossible. You're mother was human Terra." John replied, his heart being tossed around within him.

"No daddy. That was the form she chose because she loved you. She wanted to be with you so she changed herself into a human. But her true form... was this." With her explanation her body began to reshape. Fur sprouted on her body as it ripped from the confining dress. Then, before them all, she stood as a tigress. She walked to her father then. "Mother wanted me to give you a message. No more fighting." She held out her hand and in it was a locket; a locket that her mother had been buried with.

John grasped the locket and his composure collapsed then and there. He held it to his heart as he cried. "Evolette, my beloved Evolette."

Terra held compassion in her gaze for her father but she turned back to Dorian who wasted no time pulling her into his arms. "My sweet Terra. I thought I'd lost you."

"For a minute there you did. But my mother had saved the last of her magic to give to me. I think she knew this would happen one day. She also knew that it would awaken my powers." She nuzzled into his chest before changing back into a human.

"I love you Terra. I don't ever want to feel like that again." Dorian didn't want to let her go, but finally relented when she pushed on his chest.

"I love you too Dorian. Right now I need to tend to the wounded. I've learned that I can do so much. One thing is, I can heal!" Her eyes sparkled when she told him and eagerly approached the young man who'd shot her, much to Dorian's dismay. "What's your name?"

"J- Jordan." The man replied shakily, holding his wounded shoulder and eyeing the very angry tiger male behind her.

Terra reached her hand out, ignoring the man's widening eyes. She held her hand over the wound and summoned her newly found magic. The white hot glow appeared on him now as the bullet came out of his skin, just as it had hers, and the wound began to close.

"Thank you." Jordan said in an awed voice.

"You're welcome, but remember this, if you ever try to hurt my Dorian again, I can put it back and so much more. Am I clear?" Terra asked with deadly sincerity.

"Yes ma'am." Jordan got to his feet and let the other astounded men observe his now healed shoulder.

Terra again returned her attention to her warrior. "Take me to all the wounded."

By now, all of the tigers had been cut loose, and weapons had been put away. After she got another dress put on, at Dorian's insistence, Terra began healing the wounded men and women. Suddenly, Alondra came running up to her.

"Terra, come quickly, it's Victor!" she yelled as she began to pull Terra along. "We found him when we went looking for the sentries. The other was unhurt, but Victor took a direct hit."

Terra followed her some distance into the forest, before they found Victor. He was lying on the forest floor gripping his chest as blood poured from several wounds. It looked as though he'd been hit by one of the explosions. She knelt by his side and stroked his face. "Shh, it's okay Victor. You're going to be fine."

He coughed blood and tried to laugh. "Please, I know what's happening. Don't try to sugar coat it."

Without another word Terra held her hands over the worst of his injuries and summoned her magic. The warmth flowed from her into his flesh and began to mend his tattered body.

Victor's eyes were wide as he watched his wounds close in front of him. He looked to Terra who was glowing like a white flame, and knew it was true; she was Arcane.

When Terra was finished, Victor was whole again. Not even a single new scar remained. "There now, I told you you'd be okay."

Victor examined his body, running his hands over where the wounds used to be. A moment ago, he had been able to see inside his chest, now he was solid again. "A miracle, Terra, you're a miracle."

Terra had a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, I'm a miracle now, am I? Oh how quickly your opinion of me changes."

He smiled at her teasing, then took her hand. "I swear from this day on, I will help protect you with my life."

Terra sobered at that. "Victor, you don't have to pledge yourself to me. I saw that I could help, so I did, that's all."

"You practically brought me back from death." Victor exclaimed.

"Then just be my friend, okay?" Terra stood and waited for him to join her.

"Alright Terra, but if anyone threatens you, they're dead." He stated with a growl.

She sighed and shook her head as she and Alondra turned to head back to the village. Victor was close behind, still picking up his fallen blades.