The nightmares were getting worse with still no relief in sight.  Kehan had
tried everything he could think of in ridding him of these nightmares.  He
tried some herbal remedies, but those just prolonged the inevitable.  The
Healers at the Warren had tried other things as well but with little
success.  He was going out of his mind and the lack of sleep didn't make his
job any easier at the Warren.  Because of his skills learned on the streets
and with Broadsnouts gang, he quickly became a helper at the blacksmiths
shop and also participated in treks into the NomadLands.  
The shop was busy again and Kehan could only catch up with what the
Blacksmith wanted him to do.  He was a giant of a man, one you wouldn't want
to cross paths with in a dark, or for that matter, a lit alley.  Although he
was a forboding character, his demeanor out of the shop was one of profound
friendliness.  His rouguish looks brought most of the women to the
blacksmith whenever they entered the tavern.  Though he had his share of
women flocking to him as well, he couldn't help but look for Kendra.  Her
looks and the graceful way she had walked had been his only source of sanity
these days.  Raissa had said that she was going to be here, but so far he
hadn't spotted her.  

It was one of those nights again, the warren celebrating another mating
flight.  <Man, they do know how to party whenever someone gets a piece>,
Kehan said sarcastically to himself as he made his way to the corner booth,
far away from anyone.  Tonight he just wanted to relax, have a couple of
ales, and go back to his apartment for another long night in his bed.  But,
as luck would have it, he woudn't be alone tonight.  

A man of about 27 walked up to Kehan.  He was a little lanky looking with
his hair already turning grey.  He had seen this guy before on his treks
into the NomadLands so he casually offered a seat, not really wanting to but
out of politeness.  The man agreed, ordered two more ales from the barmaid
and began to tell Kehan about another trek into the NomadLands.

"Count me in," said Kehan after sipping his ale.

"I knew I could count on you Kehan.  You are quickly becoming an asset to
this warren and to WarrenLady Cynthia.  Without these treks into the Lands
we wouldn't know anything about our surroundings."  The man peered into his
eyes.  "Anything I could help you out with tonite?  Perhaps a young woman to
keep those nightmares of yours away tonight?"

"No, no thank you.  I've tried that already.  All it does is make it worse
for the woman I am with that night.  Not many can handle a grown man
litteraly crying in his sleep."  Kehan sipped his ale, then decided to
finish it in a long draw of it, asked when they were going to start out,
thanked him for the ale and walked out.

The night was another long one for him.  The nightmares now becoming almost
painful to him.  This one was once again about Kendra and him just walking
together in a field, hand in hand, and watching the dragons fill the skies
for a mating flight.  They decided to just sit back and watch the spectacle
from the field.  They laid back with Kendra lying in his arms watching the
magesty of the dragons flying, trying to catch up with the lone female.
They started to kiss.  Her lips parting as they began to make love.  The sky
grew darker, the trees began to bend in obediance to the wind as it grew
stronger, literally ripping the leaves from their branches.  The grass
became brown then there was no grass to be felt underneath.  The two of them
stopped and quickly got dressed.  They started to run, hand in hand toward
the warren.  Kehan tripped and fell down.  Kendra kept running without him.
Kehan cried out for Kendra to come back, but the wind had made it almost
impossible to hear anything.  Quickly she dissapeared as the dust from the
ground began to sting his eyes.  He wiped them as best he could, trying to
get some sort of bearing.  He felt the ground open up for him as he fell
into......

"HELP ME!!!!!"  Kehan screamed.  He woke with a start and then got up to get
a glass of water.  Looking at himself he decided to get started on packing
for the week long trek into the DragonLands.  This meant that he needed to
tell the Blacksmith that he wouldn't be around.  Though sometimes he would
look down at him and explain to him that his first obligation was to his
shop, he conceeded and let him go with no hard feelings.  

***Three Days Into The Trek***

<It's so flat around here>, Kehan said to himself as he walked with the rest
of the group.  The group was made up of a cartographer (whatever that is,
Kehan said to himself) a couple who's specialty was to look for herbs for
healing, and three men-at-arms, of which Kehan was a part of.  Long walks
into unknown territory was almost peaceful to him.  He didn't need to do
much except hunt for food and keep watch at night.  They rotated in four
hour shifts whenever watching over the camp.  This way they all got a
restful nights sleep.  Well, everyone except Kehan.

One paticular night he had the early watch.  He sharpened his fathers sword
again and again, wanting a nice clean edge to it in case anything came into
camp.  Sharpening the sword he was approached by his relief.

"My shift, get some sleep Kehan.  Looks like you could use some."

"Yea, got any to spare?"  Kehan said, laughing a bit and walking away.

He made his bedroll as far away from the others as he could.  He preferred
to sleep with everyone else, but in his present state he didn't want to wake
the othes up.  <Why disturb the others sleep?> He thought to himself.  With
a little cringe, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He and Kendra were riding a horse this time.  They were happy and were
riding toward an outcropping where they could see the whole valley.  The sun
went down directly in front of them as they sat together, eating a picnic
dinner Kendra had made for him.  They wrapped up in a blacket and just sat
there cuddling.  The sun set and the world was transformed into wonderous
purples and reds.  Watching the setting sun they didn't realize a long black
tendril was also coming from the sun.  It suddenly lashed out at Kendra,
wrapping it's tendril around her, squeezing her and taking her away from
Kehan.  He screamed and started to hack at the tendril, but everytime he
hacked at it, more came from the wound.  He started to try to pry the black
tentacle from around Kendra all the while screams were comiong from her
mouth.  Kehan could feel that her very life was being sucked out from her by
this thing.  Frantically trying to do anything, he started to beat the thing
with his bear hands. 

 "YOU WILL NEVER TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!"  He shouted to the tentacle.  Tears
welling up inside of him, somehow knowing it was fruitless to continue, but
doing so out of sheer love. 

"KEHAN!!!  KEHAN DO SOMETHING!"  Kendra shouted.

"I....I...I'M TRYING TO!"

"KEHAN, I....I.....I........L...LOVE  YOUUUuuuuuuuu."  Kendra slipped into
the blackness of the tentacle.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  Kehan shouted.

<Kehan, I can help you>

"What?"


Submitted for your reading pleasure,

Kahn

(Kehan and Jade)


 


	"Therefore with the same necessity with which the stone falls to the earth,
the hungry wolf buries it's fangs in the flesh of it's prey, without the
possibility of the knowledge that it itself is the destroyed as well as the
destroyer."
	-Schopenheuer