Ankara and M'yer gathered the lichens off of the rocks near the oasis.  It
was hard work on their fingers which were being scraped raw on the stone, but
they were soon finished having gathered a large sack full of the lichen that
produced a deep red dye when mixed with sulfur.
 Ankara told M'yer all about her childhood while they worked, about her life
with her parents in the nomad weavers tribe.  M'yer told her about growing up
in a warren like Keldarra.  He told her about his impressing his dragon
Dotarth and about the relationship between man and dragon.  They had been
sitting in the shade of the oasis for a couple of hours at least when Ankara
realized that M'yer was sun burned on his shoulders, which were already
turning pink.  She dragged him to the pool side ignoring his protests and made
him take his shirt off, she then began to spread a thin layer of mud on his
shoulders and back with gentle massaging strokes.  M'yer instantly relaxed
under her touch and she began to be aroused by his muscular shoulders and the
feeling of the slippery mud under her fingers.
  She was wondering what the customs of the dragon riders dictated was
acceptable at this point and decided that she shouldn't move to quickly.  She
would let him decide how fast to move this relationship.  She smiled at him
and asked him if he felt better and he nodded.
 "Yes, I feel great now, but your filthy!  Look at all that mud, maybe we
should go for a swim to clean you off?"  He grinned mischievously at the
shocked look on her face. "you can wear your clothes if you want, they will
cool off soon enough in this desert heat," and he picked her up and tossed her
in ignoring her squeal of surprise. 
 She was soon up splashing him and he laughed and jumped in with her, they
splashed around for a while in the small oasis pool, many times she felt his
body slide against hers and she shivered with suppressed desire.
 That's the odd thing about desire, just when you try not to feel it or at
least respond to it is when you are most sensitive to it.  She found M'yer
quite appealing, and she believed time would prove that he found her just as
attractive.  M'yer dove under water and came up inches away from her, she
stood looking into his face nervous and surprised. 
  "We should be getting back" He whispered "I don't want people to worry about
us."
She nodded and they both got out of the pool and began to dry off.
  She was standing up on the edge of the oasis wringing out her hair when
Dotarth gave a snort sound. She turned around to look at him over her shoulder
when suddenly something impacted into her and she had a nautious moment as she
was swooped into the air and helplessly watched the ground moving under her
feet as she was taken higher and higher into the air and suddenly she felt the
air get colder and she realized that they had moved, they were no longer over
the desert, but now they flew over mountains and a river winded its way far
below.  She tried to reach out her mind and talk to Dotarth the way that she
had heard the other dragon before but she heard no response.  They were far
behind and she was being carried away yet again by fate.
 
    How ironic she thought, just when I have found a group of people I really
liked I am being carried off to be eaten by this giant lizard.  She looked up
at the dragon for the first time that was carrying her in its foreclaws, It
was a creamy yellow and it had brilliant yellow eyes. 

She reached out with her mind towards the beast and yelled <<What do you want
with me?>> 

The creature bent its head around slightly to look at her with curious eyes
and reply <<We have questions for you little one>>
 
<<Who is we?  You mean your not going to eat me?>> she felt the dragon
equivalent of a giggle.

<<No IM not, unless you refuse to answer>> The dragon was joking she could
sense it but she still felt uneasy.

  Finally they landed, and Ankara was held up by one leg by the large yellow
dragon, and she had a view of the female rider dismount and she saw a group of
people run towards them.  Some of them looked to be nomads and some of them
looked like dragon riders.  "Put me down!" she yelled, and the dragon dropped
her.  She landed on her head and rolled over and sat up wincing.  "I didn't
mean drop me you big oaf" she growled at the dragon, and she heard a wicked
male laugh.
 Everyone spun around in surprise and scurried out of the way as a man in
black stepped forward.  He walked towards her with an assured step and grabbed
her by the throat and picked her up and looked at her closely. 

"What is the meaning of this Renata?  I said to get a Cleft dragon rider, this
woman is a nomad!"  He looked at the woman who had dismounted from the yellow
dragon with eyes that could easily burn holes through dragon hide.  "Can't you
idiots do anything right?"

 She looked back at him with fury, her face contorting and rippling with anger
she was not succeeding in suppressing.  "IM an idiot now am I?  I wasn't the
one who sent the others back to the cave and nearly had us all captured by the
cleft riders!  Your the idiot!" she hissed at him "And I would be able to do
this much easier without your help thank you very much!"

  The man in black stood unmoving and silent looking her in the eyes, Ankara
noticed a bead of sweat run down the woman's face but she didn't move a
muscle.  Everyone in the crowd watched silently holding there breath, suddenly
the man in black struck her hard across the face causing her whole body to
slump.  He spun on his heel and dragged Ankara after him to his tent ignoring
the crowds hushed whispers behind his back.