[Cleft Warren - Day 3]

"Ready?" P'ker asked.  When Feysal nodded, he yelled, "Heave!"  The two
of them swung the sandbag toward the growing wall and it sailed in a
gentle arc toward the others.

They turned around and took another bag from M'yer.  As they moved over
a few feet P'ker reconsidered his attitude toward the young Nomad.
Feysal might have a bit of a problem with authority, but he was more
than capable of getting a job done when he had to.

They tossed the next bag on the wall, and turned to find M'yer walking
past them.  He climbed up the wall of bags, slipping slightly from the
mud on his boots.  He reached the top and looked down the other side.
"I think this is all we'll need for now," he said.

"How deep is the water?" P'ker asked.

"Only about half way up the dike," M'yer replied, "What's that?  About 2
feet?"

P'ker looked at the dike and nodded, "Two feet.  Maybe a little more."

"Water coming through," Feysal said as he pointed to a tiny stream
dripping from the corner of one of the lower bags.

P'ker stepped over and looked at it, "He's right.  It isn't completely
tight."

"I didn't expect it to be," M'yer answered as he hopped down from the
dike with a muddy splash.  "We should go help evacuating the Nomads from
their village."

"We should get them to the upper green first."

M'yer turned to Feysal, "Get the others and the hatchlings.  Go to the
upper green.  Help if you can up there."

Feysal nodded his understanding and trotted over to where the other
riders were clustered awaiting more instructions.

P'ker and M'yer walked away from the dike to where their dragons waited
for them.  They mounted and took to the air for the short flight to the
river bank.

****
[Far to the south]

Syren lay in the warm grass rolled over on her back with her legs tucked
up close to her body enjoying the sunshine.  Trissana ambled up to her
and looked her over. *What are you doing,* she asked.

*Sunning myself,* Syren replied lazily.

*Aren't you upside down?*

*I decided to try this.  The grass is very soft,* Syren said lifting her
head from the grass to look at Trissana, *You should try it.*

Triss considered it for a moment and replied, *Ok.*  She settled onto
the ground, tucked her wings in close to her body and rolled over.  More
precisely she rolled half way over before bumping into Syren.  *Sorry,*
she said as both dragons tried to squirm out of each other's way.

Syren closed her eyes and was drifting on the edge of sleep when she
heard her name.  *Yes, Trissana?*

*Yes what?* Triss replied.

*You just called me.*

*No I didn't.*

*Syren!*

*You just did it again,* Syren said opening one eye and looking at
Trissana.

*It wasn't me,* she said, *I heard it too.*

*Syren!* the call was a bit stronger this time.

*It sounds like Meritanth,* Trissana said.

Syren sighed, rolled over and sat up, *Yes?* she replied.

*My rider is so happy we found you,* he said, *We've been looking for
you and your rider for a while.*

*Well, tell your rider that she isn't here.  She and Trissana's rider
went for a walk a few hours ago.*

*My rider says you have to contact her.  He needs to speak to her.*

***
[Village of the Hanan tribe]

"Let me take that and get you to safety," T'by said reaching for the
bundle Jinam carried in his arms.

Jinam jerked the bundle away from T'by causing the young rider to slip
in the mud and almost fall.  "I ride myself," he insisted.

"Have it your way," T'by relented and he stalked off in search of
someone else to help.

Jinam watched him go and chided himself for behaving so.  The young
dragonridah was only trying to help, but Jinam could not entrust sacred
items to anyone else.  They were his responsibility.

His daughted trotted up to him on her roan mare leading his black
stallion behind.  He took a moment for fasten the deer skin wrapped
bundle to the saddle before taking the reigns from her and swinging up
on th horse's back.

"We will go around the back side of the hill and up the slope to the
high ground," he explained to her.

She nodded, wheeled her horse around and trotted along the rushing river
bank.

What happened next, Jinam could not be sure.  The horse appeared to
stumble, and slip in the mud.  The mare managed to catch her balance,
but her rider was not so lucky.  She tumbled into the rushing river.

Jinam watched in horror as his daughter was carried downstream by the
swift current, "Benna!" he shouted before diving in after her.

****
[In a sunny meadow]

"She loves me, she loves me not," Trevor intoned as he plucked petals
from a flower.

Cynthia sat across the flower from him and did a quick count of the
remaining petals.  "Give me that," she said reaching out and snatching
it from him.

"Hey," he responded while making a grab for the flower.

She turned her body away from him and adjusted the petal count while he
grabbed wildly for it.  Satisfied, she turned back and handed him the
flower, "Here you go," she said with a smile.

He took it from her with a slight glare, and prepared to pluck.  He
furrowed his brow and asked, "Now where was I?"

"She loves me," Cynthia replied primly.

He plucked the petal off and stopped before pulling the next one, "It
looks like we've got company."

Cynthia followed his gaze toward where three dragons were flying toward
them.  The three landed and one rider dismounted.

Trevor rose from the grass and helped Cynthia to her feet.  "Lonnie?"
she asked as they approached him.

"I'm so glad I found you," he said quickly, "You won't believe what's
happening back at the Warren."

"And that would be?" Cynthia prompted him.

NRPG:
First vacation, then a heat wave, and now I'm wrestling with a job
offer.  I believe the world is conspiring to stifle my creativity.
(Side note: We had a room mate in college who was a bit paranoid.  The
problem was that we really were out to get him.  We couldn't figure out
what to call his condition, but we settled on justifiable paranoia.)

Well, I hate to admit this, but I can't for the life of me remember
Jinam's daughter's name.  I looked through old posts and couldn't find
it.  If any of you know, please let me know.  Either way, she and he
need saving... [Note to Katrina: Maybe a brief list of NPCs would be a
helpful thing...]

Barb: So, does Lonnie have a tale to tell, or what.

Katrina: You picked a heck of a time for a mating flight.

Kris, Gabrielle, Katherine and Mike:  So, the hatchlings are alone in a
storm.  Something interesting is bound to happen, right?

I think that'a all for now.  I'll keep you updated on RL events...

Respectfully submitted,
Warrenlady Cynthia - Cleft Warren
Alton Reich
--
    Alton & Elizabeth Reich
     alton.reich@snet.net
"Love is born with solar flares / From two magnetic poles /
It moves toward a higher plane / Where two halves make two wholes"
-- Rush, The Speed of Love




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