Feysal
(At the training session)

   >>There was scattered laughter from one side of the group.  Then he
repeated himself in the Nomad language and the other half of the group
laughed.  M'yer reflected that his lectures might get long in a hurry.

"Now we're going to begin to teach you more," P'ker said.

"Now we will fly with our dragons?" Feysal asked.

"That comes later," M'yer replied.  "They aren't big enough yet."

"Then what is there to learn?"

"They have to learn how to run," P'ker answered.

"They don't know how to run?" Nikol asked, the surprise evident in his tone.
>>

     Feysal shot a sideways glance at Falorin.  *You don't know how to run?*
he asked.

     The blue dragon thought about it for a moment.  [I don't really know,] he
admitted.  [Never tried it before.  Sounds like fun, though.]

     And so, under M'yer's and P'ker's direction, the newly-joined riders were
soon standing on the sidelines watching their dragons racing from one end of
the training field to the other.  Feysal sighed, watching his companion and
the other dragons each trying to outrun the others.  They looked so...so
*ungainly,* he thought, compared to the graceful, flowing strides of the
horses he had always loved to watch as they thundered across the wide plains
of his homeland.  He wondered if Falorin could ever be so graceful.  From the
looks of things, he doubted it.

     P'ker, seeing the look on the young nomad's face, stepped up alongside
him.  "Dragons aren't really built for running," he explained.  "And these
young ones will get more coordinated as they get older."

     Feysal shook his head.  "If dragons are not built to run, then why do
they need to run now?" he asked, mystified.

     "To strengthen their legs," P'ker explained.  "Those legs will be
carrying a lot more weight very soon, and the leg muscles are extremely
important in both takeoffs and landings."

     "I will accept your word in this," Feysal told the older rider.  "Perhaps
also useful for pursuing enemies who go in places where dragons cannot fly.
Man can run under tree, or into canyon too narrow for dragon to fly."

     "Man?" P'ker asked, puzzled.  "Feysal, just what do think we do here at
Cleft Warren?"

     "Tribe of Cleft Warren is powerful," Feysal reasoned.  "Destroyed
Jhezrael, which I believed to be all-powerful."  The young Nomad grinned
fiercely at P'ker.  With dragons as our ally, Cleft Warren can raid other
tribes at will."

     P'ker's eyes widened.  "Feysal, didn't *anyone* explain to you that Cleft
Warren is not a Nomad tribe?  We don't...*raid* anyone!"

     "Dragons and riders of Jhezrael did this," Feysal told him.  "So did
other dragons and riders of which my tribe heard tales.   Will new dragons and
riders be allowed to conduct raid on our own as soon as dragons fly?"

     "No!" said a frustrated P'ker.  

     Feysal sighed.  "Just *small* raid?  No killing...but we would bring back
many prizes, perhaps even woman fit to be chunor..."

     "M'yer!"  P'ker said, urgently motioning his partner to join him.  "I
think we're going to need to do a *lot* of work with this one!"

(Alton - looks like M'yer and P'ker have quite a job ahead of them!)

* * * * * * * *
Renata
(day of the mating flight, somewhere in the Nomadlands)

>> He heard himself telling about the experience.  About waking and finding
himself with the old Nomad, about the small cave, about her father and his
dragon.  She just looked at him, a mix of sympathy and pain.  He guessed the
pain was for the missing father, and the thought of him.

   >>"I see,"  was all she said when he had finished.  "And my father told you
to prepare?"

     >>He nodded.  "Then there is hope.  We will have to find a wilder with
eggs, though.  I am not going back to the warren, I will not be without you."
He pulled the meat off the fire and started to cut it for him and her.

     >>Vega took to the air, he guessed to hunt.  She took her meat and ate
it, a smile rising to her face.  "That is okay, I am Rita now.  Renata died in
the battle."  She then told him of the thing that was done for her.  C'aranth
could hardly believe what he was hearing.  She was technically dead, and so
she was not banished anymore, as banishment was to end of your days. So by the
rules she was free.

     >>"If you are to be a new person, we should give you a new look.  I have
dyes at home, we can change the color of your hair, perhaps cut it."  He
touched her hair, hating to have to removed the beautiful spun gold on her
head.

     >>Renata frowned.  "Well, I can go with the dye...but as to cutting?
Lets see how it looks with just the dye-job first."

     When Vega returned shortly, the two of them mounted and flew back to the
cave C'aranth had been occupying.  The tall swordsman quickly began to delve
through his things, and laid aside the herbs that he would need to mix in
order to make the dye.  Then, using a wooden bowl and a smooth rock that
functioned as a pestle, he set to work while Renata watched.

     "C'aranth...I know you don't want to go back to Cleft," she said, "but I
need to go back at least for a short time.  I need to tell Cynthia what's
happened, and also to deliver a message from J'errid."

     "I will come with you, then," he replied, as he added a pinch of another
herb to the mixture.  "But I must begin my search quickly."

     "I understand," she told him.  "Vega and I will help you."

     He nodded wordlessly and continued at his work.  When the mixture was
ready, the two of them walked to a nearby stream and she wet her hair before
he applied the mixture and began to rub it in.

     "Smells awful," she said, wrinkling her nose.  "And I thought dragon-oil
was bad!"

     "The smell will not stay," he assured her.  "Only the color."

     Soon he was done, and Renata now sported a flowing mane of raven-black
hair.  "How do I look?" she asked.

     C'aranth smiled just a bit.  "Like Rita...of Cleft Warren."

     It took some time for her hair to dry properly, so the sun was dipping
toward the western horizon by the time they were ready to return to Cleft.
When the yellow dragon teleported in over the warren, they found themselves
having to join a queue of  dragons that were circling in to land on both the
upper and lower greens.  

     *What's going on,* Renata asked her dragon.

     [Mating flight,] Vega told her.  [These are the ones who lost.]

     When she told C'aranth, he asked who had flown.  "Trissana," she told
him, after asking Vega and relaying the answer.

     "Ah," said C'aranth, nodding slowly.  "This may be trouble.  Perhaps I
need to have a talk with Trevor before we depart."

     "Oh...I see what you mean," she agreed, remembering that Trissana was
crossjoined to a male rider, and that at her young age this was probably her
first mating flight.  "That first mating flight can be a bit rough on a
crossjoined pair.  C'aranth...Berainna never flew to mate, did she?"

     "No," he replied, giving his head a small shake.  "We had
an...understanding."

     She decided not to press him further on something he clearly wasn't
prepared to talk about, so they rode in silence until Vega finally found a
spot to land.  She and C'aranth dismounted while Vega moved away to make room
for others to come in.  It took them only a short time to locate Cynthia in
her office.  The Warrenlady had a decidedly worried look on her face.

     "Warrenlady?" she asked.  "Is something wrong?

     Cynthia turned to look at them, with a surprised expression on her face.
"C'aranth, where have you been?" she asked.  "And I don't think I know..." She
looked more closely, and then her expression grew even more surprised.
"Renata??  What happened?  Your hair...?"

     Renata sighed.  "Warrenlady, I have a message from Wingleader J'errid.
He says that he is expected to recover, though perhaps not fully - and that he
will return here as quickly as Shaithos is capable of flying again."

       The next part was the hard one, but she drew strength from C'aranth's
presence at her side.  She cleared her throat nervously and continued.  "I was
also asked to give you a message from both J'errid and Wingleader Mc'Key of
Geode Warren.  The message is that...that Renata and her dragon were both
killed in the wraith battle."

      "I am very...sorry...to hear about Renata's...death," she said
guardedly.  "And you are...?"

     "Rita," she replied.  "I would...like to apply to be a...a rider at your
warren."

(Tag Alton - what does Cynthia make of all this?  Darren, Renata's long-term
goal is to be a rider at Cleft - but she will help C'aranth in his search.)

* * * * * * * *
Trissana
(somewhere near the warren)

     She had never experienced anything like this, or at least not quite in
this way.  The only time another dragon had touched her in this way, it had
been through the use of brutal force and against her will, and all she had
felt was fear and loathing.  But this...she shrieked in ecstasy as Bohoc's
steady, skillful thrusts drove her to new heights of passion.

     Finally it was over, and the two of them lay exhausted against each
other.  [Oh, Bohoc] she said.  [That was wonderful...I never thought it would
be. You are the most wonderful dragon I have ever met!  I feel so ashamed of
the way I acted earlier.]

     Bohoc nuzzled her tenderly.  [You acted in the only way you could have,]
he told her.  [Mating must be desired by both dragons, or it is not a mating.
The black dragon gave you no choice...do you see the difference?]  

     [I do now,] she said, nuzzling him back.  [Thank you.]

     The two dragons roused themselves long enough to splash a bit in the
stream, then winged their way back to Cleft for a much needed rest.  As they
glided in over the warren, Triss saw Vonn looking up anxiously at her from
below.

     [Triss, are you...all right?] the albino asked worriedly.

     [I am,] she replied.   [Thank you for trying to help me, Vonn.]  She had,
of course, sensed Vonn's efforts on her behalf earlier.

     [Well, I couldn't just stand by without trying to help you,] Vonn
replied.  [Just as I wished that someone had been near enough to help me
when...] 

     Vonn didn't continue, and Triss knew better than to ask further.  Only
she and Vonn could each truly understand what the other had endured.  Instead,
she turned to Bohoc.  [Let us go to my apartment,] she suggested.  [It is at
ground level, so our riders will be able to come and see us if they wish.]

     [I thought you two might be hungry,] Tergath told them.  [I brought you a
very nice buck.  Its here on the green waiting for you.]

     Triss and Bohoc settled happily to the ground, and at once set to work in
taking Tergath up on his offer of the buck.

* * * * * * * *
Trevor
(Andahar's apartment)

     Trevor lay back on the bed, panting.  He was drenched in sweat, and in
the dim light could see that Andahar was also.  The mating passion of the
dragons had faded, and both riders were themselves again.

     "How are you?" Andahar asked, a look of concern on his face.

     Trevor nodded weakly.  "I'm fine."  Truly, he didn't know what to think
right at the moment.  Perhaps later, when his thoughts were clearer he would
know, but right now he was just taking things a minute at a time.

     Andahar's golden eyes gazed into his.  "Earlier, we did what riders do at
times like this.  What do you...feel now?"

     Trevor sighed.  "Grateful," he said.  "This could have been very bad, if
not for you and Bohoc.  You know that, don't you?"

     "Yes," the Nomad agreed.  "They might both have died.  I was afraid for
them both."

    "I didn't understand what she was feeling," Trevor told him.  "I should
have figured it out earlier.  As it turned out, it was nearly too late.  But
I..."

     "Yes?" Andahar prompted.

     "I...hoped that you and Bohoc...would win," Trevor admitted.  "Another
dragon would have probably just followed his mating instincts...but I counted
on Bohoc knowing her well enough to go easy with her until she understood what
she truly wanted.  And he did....you both did."

     And as to what had occurred between the two riders...well, it had
happened, and the world hadn't come to an end as he'd once thought it would.
Andahar, like his dragon, had understood what was needed.  And that was all
that Trevor needed to know for the moment.  He had a lot of thinking to do,
but he forced himself to put that off until later.

     "Shall we go and show the others that we're still alive?" he suggested.

* * * * * * * *

     Trevor spotted Cynthia on the green just as Trissana and Bohoc were
landing.  He hurried over to her, taking her hand and kissing her cheek
tenderly.  "I'm all right," he whispered.

     Cynthia squeezed his hand and released it.  She then walked the few steps
to where Andahar stood, and kissed him on the cheek.  "Thank you," she said.

     He nodded slightly.  "You are welcome," he said.

     Cynthia turned back to Trevor.  "Let's go home and get dressed.  We still
have an announcement to make."

     Trevor agreed, but first went over to Andahar.  Placing his hands on the
young Nomad's shoulders, he whispered, "We'll talk later, all right?"

     "Yes," Andahar agreed.

     Then Trevor hurried back to Cynthia.  "Let's go," he told her.  Hand in
hand, they walked back to the apartment.

     "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

     "For what?" he asked, stopping.

     "For not being there...not being able to help you...when you needed me."
He saw that her eyes were moist, and quickly pulled her into his embrace.

     "Oh, gods, Cynthia...please, there wasn't anything you could have done!
Just as I couldn't do anything when Syren and Tergath..."

     "But that was different!" she protested.  "That was..."

     He placed a finger against her lips.   "Cynthia, we both knew that
morning up on the green when I accepted Triss as my dragon that this day would
come.  Oh, if things had gone differently, I might have avoided it this time,
but...it would have happened sooner or later.  And...when I was there, facing
all of those male riders...it was knowing that you were there behind me that
gave me the courage to go on and do what I had to do."

     "I know," she said.  "But I knew that this was the day you'd dreaded for
so long...and it happened so unexpectedly.  No one thought Triss was ready to
rise."

    He drew her tightly against him, reveling in the delicious warmth of her
body where they touched.  "I don't know what I'm feeling," he admitted to her,
as he had done earlier with Andahar.  "After what M'del did to me, I thought
that...that participating in something like that would be the end of me.  But
it wasn't...any more than it was for Triss.  I don't understand...gods, I wish
I did..."

     "Maybe we'll all understand things better after we've had a bit of time
to think it through," she told him, pressing her cheek against his.  "Come on,
Mapmaker, let's get dressed for dinner.  You've got an important job to do
tonight."

(Alton? :)

* * * * * * * *
Trissana

    Triss suggested that they use her apartment - well, actually
Syren's...since it was at ground level and would allow their riders to come
and see them later.   Syren came out to meet them, and graciously allowed them
to use her bed since Trissana's own hadn't been added yet.   The two of them
climbed up onto the queen's huge bed, cuddling together contentedly.

     Syren poked her head in through the entrance.  [I'll be right outside,]
she told them.  [I will have Leis tell his rider bring some of that bad-
smelling ointment for sore muscles.  I have a feeling it may be needed.] 

     [Hmmph!] said Bohoc.  [Surely you do not think that *I* need such a
thing!  Why, I could still cuddle all night!  With both of you at once!]

     Triss giggled.  [I had no idea you were so energetic, Bohoc!]

     Syren grinned as well.  [Well, since you did offer,] the queen decided,
stepping back up onto her bed and lying down so that Bohoc was sandwiched
between the two of them.  [This is certainly better than sleeping out on the
ledge, even though it may be a bit crowded.]

     [You *did* promise me that you'd teach me how to be a proper cuddler,]
Triss reminded Bohoc smugly.  [Here is your chance!]

     [And you cannot neglect your queen, either!] Syren said teasingly.  [I
think you are about to become a very busy dragon!]

{Alton, Arlene, feel free to add, of course. :)

********


Submitted by:

John

Trevor & Trissana
Kellie & Varie
Feysal and Falorin
Renata & Vega

Cleft Warren

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