After getting over the embarrassment of being caught naked in the training
barracks, Mentorn took a walk, trying to think out his future. He really did
need to leave this place. If his pursuers caught up with him, it could get
pretty messy and he now had a chance to be able to loose them for good.
Dragons - *his* dragon - could teleport, leaving no trace of the
destination. He had also gathered that they could teleport vast distances.
This gave him the opportunity he had been seeking.

It would take time, however, for the young dragon to learn that skill. Time
was one thing he could no longer afford to offer anyone. He and Brazen would
have to leave, and the sooner the better.

[..]

His only option would be to take a cart and transport Brazen away from the
Warren. In isolation in the surrounding countryside, he had no doubt he
could protect them both. But here, in the Warren, it was too easy for
someone to take him by surprise. He might even be able to 'turn the tables'
and hunt his enemies down like dogs. But they would send more... and more...
until eventually they caught up with him.

He had gathered that the Warren had a command structure. Groups of riders
assembled into Wings and the WingLeaders reported to the WarrenLady. He
wasn't assigned to a Wing and wasn't even really part of the Warren. That
meant he reported to *no one*, which was just how he liked it! He could
leave whenever he wanted to go and nobody would miss him.

He had been wandering around and contemplating for a long time in between
trips to feed Brazen who was still eating a huge amount of food. Mentorn was
a skilled hunter and had no worries about them becoming hungry. The only
concern was how to get away quickly. He would have to use a cart, as he had
planned. He'd buy one of those. The easiest getaway would be the river, but
he needed a larger boat and would probably have to steal one.

Dusk was not too far away and so he made his way over to the store fronts.
He met an old man, working outside his shop.

"How much do you think you're wagon is worth?" he asked the old man.

"Oh, I don't know," the man's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "I'd say maybe 2
pieces of gold or thereabouts."

"I'll give you 20 pieces of gold if you give me the wagon, the horse and ask
me no questions."

He held out a small purse, which the man took. He tested each coin and found
it to be the genuine article.

"They're all yours," he grinned. "I didn't catch your name Sir?"

"I didn't throw it... No questions, remember?"

"Of course, of course... Is there anything else you might need?"

"No thanks. Just get your load out of my wagon quickly!"

The man hurriedly unloaded his stores while Mentorn simply watched him and
smiled. Darkness had completely descended now and he drove the wagon to a
relatively secluded spot where Brazen had already gone. The young dragon
grumbled about being loaded into the wagon.

<I'm not some piece of cargo!> he whined, <I am Brazen, Bronze dragon of
Cleft.>

<I have already told you, I can't stay here and that means you can't either.
We will make our way to another Warren. Once you are ready to teleport, we
can go anywhere we want.>

He decided he'd better leave a note, so that no one came searching. He
quickly made his way back to the barracks and scribbled a hasty goodbye.
Getting back to Brazen, he mounted the wagon, covering the already large
dragon with a tarpaulin sheet, and drove off into the night, his hood pulled
over his face.

No one bothered the wagon... it was a familiar sight to the riders of Cleft,
going to and fro, laden with goods. Soon, they were clear of the Warren and
riding along the open road. Mentorn plotted their way to the river where he
had seen several boats of the size he might need while still in his own
small craft. Finding something he liked, the young man hopped off the
wagon's seat and gave the boat a quick inspection. No one was about and the
dragon was able to lumber aboard, much to his distaste. Casting away the
mooring lines, Mentorn took the boat into the currents of the river and
drifted downstream.

NRPG:

This is a short post marking my exit from Cleft. A new character needs to
develop and I think I have a better chance of doing that somewhere a little
more active. I write with most of you elsewhere, so I'll still 'see' you
all.

Good luck at Cleft,

Peter Shillan,
aka

Mentorn and Brazen, Nomadic Travellers, Leaving Cleft Warren.

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