Fevered Hearts: Meet the Morning Star Clan

Raised by the Shaman Quanto, the Morning Stars are all survivors of the spirit fever and possess special abilities. Growing up in isolation on Quanto's mountain in far west Texas, they don't always observe the social niceties, but they are loyal and they are fierce. When you take on one, you face them all.

Marshal of Hel Dorado

Quanto Morning Star – Of mixed tribe descent, Quanto's gift as a shaman includes the ability to dream walk. Powerful images of fever outbreaks sent him on many spirit quests, each time, he returned with a survivor. Driven from his own tribe, he settled atop a distant mountain and built a home and a life for the children he set out to raise. His patience and wisdom offer even those with the most volatile of gifts confidence to overcome.

Wyatt – Little is known about the eldest of Quanto's 'children' except that Wyatt is extremely dangerous. He possesses one blue eye and one green. A chill fills the air when he is too close, and as much as his siblings love him, they know better than to cross him. The family saying is that when Wyatt rides, death follows.  His relationship with Quanto extends far deeper than son to father, because he is also Quanto's champion and protector.

Cody – Cody's earliest memories are of a small town in the middle of a Louisiana swamp. When the spirit fever killed everyone around him, four year old Cody survived his illness and transformed into a wolf to survive. When Quanto came for him, the young wolf attacked the shaman, but eventually Quanto was able to lure him out and bring him home.  For most of his life, Cody struggled with his wolf—the beast side of his nature often rising to ascendance when he was threatened. The wolf also believed his adopted sister "Scarlett" was his destined mate. When she married another, he went off to die, but met a gypsy named Mariska who helped unite man and wolf for the first time. Cody's fiercely loyal to his family and closest to his "brothers" Jimmy and later Kid.  His ability to wolf shift is transmittable to humans through his bite.

Brave Are the Lonely

Jimmy – The sharpshooter keeps his gift under wraps. Just a few months younger than Cody, these two hot heads actually get along with each other better than the rest of their family. Jimmy never believed he was fevered until sometime in his teen years. He enjoys wood carving and whittling as a hobby. When Scarlett married into the Kane family, he along with a few of the other brothers moved to Dorado to keep an eye on their sister.

Buck – Unlike all of his siblings, Buck is Quanto's son by blood. His mother died when he was young, in circumstances not described as yet. Like his shaman father, Buck has the ability to dream walk and often provides the communication link to their father and each other when they are away. Though he is the son of a shaman, Buck shows no shamanistic leanings, preferring to rely on hard physical work. He, along with Jimmy, Noah, and Cody now reside at the Flying K and have their own residence.

Noah – Born into slavery, Quanto discovered Noah as the lone survivor of the spirit fever which devastated his plantation home.  The six year old's gifts were apparent from the beginning, he can heal most injuries—even those otherwise considered life threatening. The worse the injury or illness, the harder it is for him. Noah's devotion to his family is matched only by his determination to save others. The least combative of the brothers, they are protective of his gift to keep others from exploiting him.

Ike – Gifted with the ability to make things grow, little is known about Ike's origin. He is a pacifist among his brothers, preferring to tend the land. He chose to remain on the mountain with Quanto and Wyatt when his siblings moved to Dorado to be closer to Scarlett.

Micah & Mrs Miller

Rudy – The youngest of the seven brothers, Rudy's ability to phase through solid objects led to many pranks. He also helped them rob banks when the brothers determined they needed gold to save Quanto's mountain. He can phase up to one person at a time and pass them through the solid objects with him. Rudy chose to remain on the mountain with Ike, Quanto and Wyatt as well.

Scarlett – Rescued by Quanto as an infant, Scarlett was the only survivor of the fever outbreak near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Her volatile firestarting ability is directly tied to her emotional state. Because anger and pain could lead to a firestorm, she was often coddled by her siblings and father as she grew up in near total isolation on his  mountain. As a young woman, Scarlett longed to see the rest of the world—finally tagging along with her brothers for 'adventure.'  Arrested by Sam Kane for robbing gold from a bank, Scarlett struggled to keep her gift a secret and to return to her family, but fell in love with the Marshal along the way.  Scarlett's greatest fear is to lose control and hurt those around her.  Her marriage to Sam united their families.  

Read more about the Morning Stars, Kanes and Fevered Hearts at Heather's website.