[The night of the fight with Leigh]

Tair'n sat brooding in the apartment, a mug of the bitter ale Velara had
so favoured at arm's reach.

He glanced up as R'ven walked in.  "Hi, Ven."

"Hello yourself." R'ven walked over to the table and glanced into the mug,
noting how empty it was.  "Where's Cal'an?"

"Asleep.  He still tires out pretty easy."

R'ven nodded, poured himself a mug and seated himself across from Tair'n.
They both sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts.

"I hear you pulled a fast one on C'nis today."

R'ven nodded. "Didn't have the desired results.  The man has no remorse."

"Hm."

"I heard you had quite a party yourself."

Tair'n nodded.  "Norin.  I think she might go for a three-way sometime."

"That could be interesting."

They fell into silence again.  Tair'n downed the rest of his mug and
refilled it.

"You okay?" R'ven asked.

The Alpha wingleader sighed.  "She thought she owned me, Ven.  I don't
understand it.  She was jealous."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Tair'n shrugged.  "You know I can't handle jealousy in a lover.  It leads
to nothing but trouble, anger, and mistrust."  He sighed.  "I guess it's
over.  I thought it was going so well."

R'ven was there, holding him before the tears had completely spilled from
his eyes.  "It's okay, Tai.  It'll be okay."

Eventually, R'ven led him off to bed and to a night of gentle, reassuring
lovemaking. 

******

[The following day]

"Well," R'ven said sourly, "what do we do to distract the whole warren?"

Tair'n looked up from his breakfast roll and grinned.  "What's the only
thing that ever distracts a whole warren?"

"A queen mating flight?"

"Besides that."

R'ven thought.  "A wraith attack."

"Right."

"You're going to stage a wraith attack?!"

"No.  Just a drill."

R'ven smiled.  "I like it."

******

"Okay, folks, it's been some time since the wings have worked together and
if we had a wraith attack now, we would be in terrible trouble. 
Therefore, we're having a drill.  I want everyone in this warren at the
post they would be at for an actual wraith attack." 

Tair'n watched as people scrambled-- the unjoined heading for the coal
bins, child-care areas, medical center, and so on while the wings
assembled and took off to the appointed area where the "wraith attack" was
happening to run drills.

<Okay, Amadith, tell T'rell it's all clear.>

******

[That night]

The day had been an exciting one, with the drill, fight between the two
queens, and other things.  Now he was flat on the bed as R'ven's fingers
worked their way across his back, finding all the knots and slowly working
them out.

"Mm.  Yeah, right there..."

R'ven paused at the sound of the knocking.  "Who could that be?"

"Dunno."  <Amadith, who's at the door?>

<It is the woman you mated with the other day.>

Tair'n sat up.  "It's Norin."  He walked naked through the apartment to
the front door.  He threw it open and waited for her to finish her
inspection before speaking.  "It's late Norin..."

"You know what I want," she told him, skipping the small talk. "I need it
bad... can I come in?"

Tair'n smiled and stepped back, motioning her in.  "We need to be a little
quieter than we were the other day.  Cal'an's asleep."

She nodded and followed him down the hall to the bedroom, where R'ven lay
on the bed, a knowing smile on his face.

******

Norin lay sprawled on their large bed, sleeping the sleep of one who has
been thoroughly and completely sated.  R'ven and Tair'n curled together
watching the rise and fall of her breasts.

"We need to do this more often," R'ven said and Tair'n could hear the
smile in his voice, "I'm getting out of practice."

"Can't have that," Tair'n answered.

"Absolutely not."  R'ven's arms slipped around his mate and his hands
began a slow exploration.  "But we never got to make love to each other."

"Mmmm...  I didn't want to freak her out too much.  It was her first time,
after all, and she is landboud."  He adjusted his position to make R'ven's
explorations easier.  "Besides, I'd've thought she'd wear you out."

"Are you calling me an old man?" R'ven asked, laughter in his voice.

"Something like that."

"Well, this 'old man' has something to give you, if you're not too
exhausted..."

Their motions on the bed woke Norin.  Tair'n saw her eyes go wide as she
realised what she was witnessing, and then her mouth opened as if to
scream.  He pulled her into a kiss, silencing her as R'ven's thrusts grew
harder and more urgent.  He directed her hand downward, wrapping it around
his manhood and began echoing R'ven's rhythm.

She silently mouthed the words, "Oh, gods," but continued to stroke him
until both men cried out almost in unison.  As the two collapsed, gasping
for breath, she slid from the bed and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

"Oh gods..." gasp... "I think we..." gasp... "went too... far with her."

"You may... be right..." R'ven answered.

Tair'n slipped out from under his lover.  "I'll... go talk to her."

[NRPG: Well, Barb?]

******

[Morning]

Tair'n took an opportunity to peer, from a safe distance, at the clutch
his dragon had sired.  He counted them.  Then he counted them again.
Still not trusting his judgement, he did it once more.  "Forty-nine...
fifty."  He stood staring in shock.  "Fifty?"

Cal'an nodded.  "That's what I count."

<It's all because *I* was the one who flew her,> Amadith preened.

<Yeah, right.  I don't remember Jenna laying fifty eggs when you flew
her.>

<Kalindeth is young and fertile.>

<You could say that again!  I've never heard of a clutch over forty. 
Hell, that clutch of Kaeryth's at Keldarra a couple-three years ago of
forty, *and* a queen egg, was almost unheard of.  But this is *fifty* and
a queen egg.  It's a wonder Kalindeth carried them this long!  It's a
wonder it didn't kill her.>

<There is a celebration at the dining hall.>

<I'll bet there is.>

"I've heard there's already a member of the bard's college coming to
record this spectacular event in song.  And the Order of Darra is claiming
it's a sign, though I have yet to hear whether it's a good sign or a bad
sign."

Tair'n turned and nodded to W'roan.  "And where did you hear all this, oh
wise one?"

W'roan grinned.  "In the Dining Hall.  I went to find someone to take my
patrol this morning."

"Why?  Are you sick?" Cal'an asked, studying his father's former lover
critically.

W'roan shook his head.  "No, Sinia pulled a wing muscle, so she's on rest
for a couple of days."

Tair'n nodded.  "I'll see if I can get someone for your patrol tomorrow,
then.  I assume you found someone for today?"

"Yup.  Had breakfast?"

"Just going to head there from here."

******

[Cal'an]

"You wanna go to the hatching cavern after classes and oil Troy and Lindy
again?" Ja'dain asked him.

"Sure.  That was fun."

"It gives us practice for when we get our own," Ja'dain answered, smiling.

"I'm not going to have my own," Cal'an answered, seriously.

Ja'dain stopped eating and looked at his friend.  "Why not?"

"Because of the bleeding.  I heard Herin say I wouldn't live long enough
to join."

"That's stupid," Ja'dain answered.  "You're not going to die.  You're
going to live a long time and we'll be friends forever."

Cal'an smiled.  "Yeah.  And we'll be patrol partners!"

"No!  I'll be the Alpha Wingleader and you'll be my second!"

"Hey, I wanna be the Alpha Wingleader!"

"We can't *both* be the Alpha Wingleader, so you have to be my second."

"No, you'll be *my* second!"

Ja'dain considered this problem.  "I know!  We'll share.  I'll be the
wingleader one day and you can it the next day.  How about that?"

Cal'an stuck out his hand.  "Deal!"

******

[Tair'n]

He stood on the green, watching Alpha Wing drill.  The wing had gone a bit
lax during Rayrem's tenure, but not all that badly.  She'd been a good
leader for them.

<My rider, Victroy says you are to meet her rider, and Zenith, Spraroe and
Banta's rider, in her office after lunch.  It is to discuss the new
wingleader for Gamma Wing.>

Tair'n sighed.  He knew he was going to have to deal with her sooner or
later-- he was the Alpha Wingleader and she was the warrenlady, after
all-- but he had hoped it would be later.

******

[After lunch]

As luck would have it, he was the first one in her office.

"You wanted to see me, Warrenlady Jayleigh?" he asked, his face masking
his emotions.

"Yes, Tair'n, please have a seat.  The others will be joining me shortly,"
she answered, coldly.

He sat and they didn't speak another word to each other as the others
arrived.

"All right," Jayleigh said, starting the meeting.  "We're here to discuss
possible replacements for the Gamma Wingleader position.  My thinking is
to give it to T'rell."

"T'rell!" Tair'n exclaimed.  "But he's new here.  He doesn't know our
tactics and he doesn't know our people.  Hell, he isn't even serving in a
wing right now.  I don't think he's a very good choice."

She regarded him coolly.  "Your disapproval is noted, Tair'n.  Does anyone
else think this is a bad idea?"

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Tair'n and Amadith

---

 Lynette R. F. Cowper <lcowper@indy.net>, INWO Line Editor