(Morning before Tymor's mating flight) 
******************************

As the hurries through their meal, Lenna started filling Katrina in 
on how the Warren was run. She told her about the people living there 
but mostly about the problems they'd been having with the Nomads and 
now with the band of rouge dragonriders in the area.

"We don't know who they are or where they came from," she told her 
new patrol partner as they ate their meal. "They could be riders who 
have left or been banished from some Warren, or wilders out for some 
fun. All we do know about then is that they violate everything the 
Warren's stand for. While we're here trying to protect the lands and 
the people who live here, these damn riders are using their dragons 
to take what they want and are terrorizing the nomads when they try 
to refuse them.

"What's being done about them?" Katrina asked frowning.

"There's not much we can do if we can't find a trace of them soon." 
Lenna told her as she lifted her cup to take a sip of the warm 
coffee. "The patrols haven't turned up anything we can use. And 
it's driving us all crazy."

"I'll bet."

The blond looked up to see her new friend frowning. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering why the Warrenlady asked me if I could read and 
write?" she said. "I hope she's not thinking about sticking me in 
an office somewhere and not letting me join a wing."

Lenna laughed. " I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure it won't be 
anything bad. Cynthia's always been a fair person."

They both grew quiet as they finished their meal. Then still having 
a few minutes to kill before Katrina was due to meet with the 
Warrenlady, Lenna told the girl that she had one more days grace to 
spend learning her way around the Warren proper.

"To day is my grace day," she explained. "No patrols today, but 
we're on the early shift tomorrow."

"That's nice," Katrina's lips turned up in a sort of half smile. 
"It'll give me a day or so to set up my apartment. Providing the
Warrenlady's job doesn't take all day."

"I'm sure it won't," Lenna grinned. "I'll walk you back over there 
and then wait outside for you. If you have time later, I'll give 
you the nickel tour of the Warren so you'll at least know your way 
around. Just have your dragon contact my Blanchie and let me know."

--------------

She was sitting on the green leaning against her lavender dragon, 
waiting for Katrina when the challenging roar of the mating dragon 
filled the air.

"Someone's going to get luck," she smiled and rose to her feet to 
take a look. <<Who love?>>

<The new Queen, Tymor,> Blanchie informed her.

<<Tymor!! But she's much too young!!>> Lenna sent the worried 
thought to her other half. <<Are you sure?>>

<I'm sure,> was the reply. <A dragon knows when their rider is 
ready, do not fear.>

Damn! She thought and worried anyway despite her dragons assurance. 
They were talking about Brisse. About the young girl her brother 
Dan'yar had falling in love with. She's not ready! Not when she's 
still trying to deal with everything else that's happened to her 
lately.

Lenna's eye glanced over towards the door way leading into the 
Warren offices when it opened and Brisse stepped outside into the 
sunlight. Seconds later she was surrounded by the male riders of 
those dragons in the air trying to be the first to win the new 
young Queen.

Her blue eyes opened wide in shock as she caught sight of the 
red-head who'd been sharing her bed as of late. B'rand. Her love. 
He was there amoung those srounding the queenrider.

"NO!!!" she cried and started forward, towards him. She had to 
put a stop to this. How could he do this to her!!

Hands grabbed her and held her back. She pulled against them, 
struggling to escape, but it did no good.

"Damn it Lenna!! What in the hell do you think you're doing?" 
Lonnie's voice penetrated the anger clouding her mind, and she 
turned on him fighting to break his hold.

With her foot she tried to hook it around his ankle and trip 
him up.. but he was ready for that move and avoided it.

"LET ME GO!!! LONNIE," she screamed at him as tear began to fall 
down her cheeks. "I have to stop him!! I can't let B'rand do 
this!!"

"He has no choice!! It's a mating flight," he yelled back at her 
while avoiding the knee to the groin she tried to hit him with 
next.

Forcibly he turned her away from him and then pulled her back hard 
against his body. Reaching out he grabbed her wrist cross ways and 
pinned them up against her chest to keep her immobile. 

"Stop it Lenna!!" he shouted, but she continues to struggle against 
his hold. "Damn it !! I said STOP!!"

Just then she saw B'rand reach for Brisse. Saw their lips meet and 
stopped her struggles as the young queenrider moved her hands up 
into the red hair Lenna loved so much. She stood there, forced to 
watch her lover carrying off the other woman. 

"No!!!" she cried softly, her body seemed to sag against that of her
brothers. All her fight gone now. "No." 

"Lenna it's the dragon's," Lonnie's voice grew soft. "It doesn't mean
anything. I don't understand why you're acting this way. You've been through
this before."

As her tears continued to fall, she slowly shook her head. "You're 
wrong Lonnie," she told him, her eyes still focused on the trail 
when B'rand had led Brisse away for sight. "I've never had to go 
through anything like this before. I've never had to watch the man 
I love go off...to make love with another woman."

Lonnie turned her around and pulled her into his arms. He hadn't 
realized that his twins feelings for the man had gone that deep. 
He'd meant to offer her what comfort he could when he suddenly 
felt himself falling over backwards.

"Lenna..." he growled as he got up quickly and started after her, 
thinking she still meant to follow the pair lost in their mating 
passion.
When she turned towards the lavender dragon laying on the green near 
by instead, he put on a burst of speed. But it wasn't enough. Lenna 
had mounted Blanchie and the two were airborne before he could call
Meritanth to block them. Seconds later he stood by helpless as the 
two blinked out.

<<Meri!! Can you tell where they went?>> he sent the frantic cry to 
his dragon. <<Did you get anything from Blanchie or Lenna before 
they teleported away?>>

<No my human,> the dragon said sadly. <Nothing at all. I tried.>

"Great!!" he shouted, unaware of those still around watching him. 
But when he calmed down enough to look around his eyes caught sight 
of his older brother standing off to the side of the crowd. On the 
mans face was a look of pure torment. 

In his attempted to keep his twin from making the worst mistake of 
her years, Lonnie had forgotten all about Dan'yar. Gods!! The man 
must be going out of his mind with worry right now.

*******

They popped into the air above a sandy beach inside the Telnor 
domain. A peaceful little stretch of land where Lenna always came 
when she needed time to get away from her family and think. The 
one place that always settled her.

As Blanchie landed, this time the dragon knew her rider would find 
no peace in this place. Her head was filled with self loathing 
thoughts that would take sometime to deal through. Never before had 
the dragon ever felt these kind of thoughts from her rider. And it 
worried her.

<My human, what is so wrong with Rook winning the Queen?> she asked, clearly
not understanding her riders anger. <It is good that we will 
have hatchlings soon in this place. Surely there can't be anything 
wrong with that? Can there?>

<<But why did it have to be B'rand and Rook?>> Lenna cried softly 
as she moved to the waters edge and sat down. <<Why?>>

<Because he was the most worthy.> Blanchie replied puzzled. <As he 
will be when I rise to mate soon. If he is quick enough to catch me.>

<<It's not the samething,>> the girl moaned. <<I keep picturing 
them.. together.. seeing B'rand do all the things to her, to bring 
her pleasure that he does to me. I don't want to think about it but 
it won't leave my mind.>>

She stood up then and began to undress. Tearing at her clothes until 
she stood naked and then she walked into the warm water and began to 
swim with long angry stokes that carried her away from the shore.

Even in the chilly season the water here was always warn enough to 
swim in. At one time she had decided a warm spring fed into it at 
some point, but she'd never looked. At the moment she could have 
cared less. All she wanted to do was swim until she was to tired 
to think.

Thinking hurt to damn much. 

Sometime later, she climbed back onto the shore and gathered her 
clothes together before dressing. Then she walked over to where
Blanchie laid in a hollow she had made in the sand as she kept 
an eye on her rider.

<Are we going home now?>

<<I can't. Not now.>> the girl said. <<Not after I behaved like 
a jealous little landbound twit. B'rand will never forgive me when
 he finds out. Besides... maybe he won't want me anymore...>>

'Gods please!!! Don't let that be the case. Don't let B'rand stop 
loving me. I need him to much.' He'd become the center of her world 
and she couldn't think of a life without him in it. 

She laid down, and cuddled into a hollow near her dragons front claw.
Exhausted by her swim, and the tears she still cried, Lenna  was 
asleep within minutes.

--------------------------------

Don't know how long she'll be asleep.... but it might be some time. 
She won't be home if anyone comes looking for her anytime soon. 
She's feeling a *little* foolish about the way she acted, and is 
almost afraid to face B'rand right now, but then again... she's 
never been in love before...

****Submitted by: *********
Barbara (a.k.a.
Lenna & Blanchie,  Lonnie & Meritanth