*Danika*

[Breakfast, dining hall, day after the deaths & the party]

Danika sat alone, enjoying her sweet rolls and coffee while deep in
thought. She kept thinking over the mating flight, now days past, but
there were things about it that troubled her.

She saw R'ven enter the dining hall and called him over to her. "Da!
Can I talk to you a bit?"

"Sure, kitten. What about?" R'ven pulled up a chair to the table and
looked critically at his daughter's choice of morning repast.

"The mating flight." Danika blushed and stirred her coffee, which was
already well stirred, nervously.

"Nika, dear, maybe you need to talk to someone else about this.
Another female, perhaps."

Danika looked up at him with troubled turquoise eyes. "But I really
don't have anyone to talk to, Da. If Mum were alive..." her voice
trailed off as her eyes misted at the thought of her beloved mother
who died so horribly, the woman who had been her best friend as well
as her mother.

"So what is it about the mating flight that troubles you?" R'ven
asked, his voice soft and kind.

"Well, Lindy thinks it's the superior quality of male dragons here,
and Amadith is not doing anything to convince her otherwise, but..."
she paused, not sure how to continue.

"Yes, dear?" R'ven prompted.

"But," she continued, "The mating with Tair'n was a lot more...
intense... rougher, for lack of a better word, than the one back at
Epion."

"I'm sorry 'Nika," R'ven began.

The queenrider shook her head. "No, that's not it," she leaned closer
and said in a low voice, "I liked it that way." She leaned back as
R'ven digested her meaning and continued in a normal volume, "Also,
I've noticed... it seems that Tair'n is avoiding me ever since the
mating flight. You wouldn't know why, would you? Did I do something
wrong?"

[[NRPG: Tag Lea! And Lyn, if you wish to join in this, feel free to
have Tair'n come to the table at this point.]]

***

[Later, after Jayleigh and T'rell return]

<Victroy says she and her rider brought back a new searchling.>

<Oh, they have?> The queenrider smiled knowingly, sharing her queen's
joy that candidates were being found to join with their yet unlaid
eggs.

<Can we go meet her?> Kalindeth asked, as eager as a dragon who was
carrying her first clutch.

<Silly thing, you've laid eggs before.>

<Only once, and that was back at Epion, this is the first time here,>
the gold and silver queen replied.

<Of course we can go meet her,> Danika chuckled, <Is now soon enough
for you?>

***

Danika entered the searchling barracks and knocked on the door to the
new girl's room.

The door was opened by a blond girl, about three years older and half
a foot taller than the petite young queenrider. 

Danika introduced herself. "Hello, Marialla! I'm Danika, the junior
queenrider here. I heard you arrived and thought I would come say
hello and offer to show you around the warren."

"That was quick!" Marialla replied.

"Dragon gossip," the petite young queenrider grinned, "Kalindeth is
eager to meet you, too."

"Who is Kalindeth?"

"Affectionately called Lindy, she's my dragon. She just mated a few
days ago and is anxious to meet the first candidate to join with her
eggs. Come on, I'll introduce you."

[NRPG: Tag Dianne! Welcome to Daere, feel free to ask Danika whatever
you want.]

***

*Fae'Rhee*

<T'rell, are you free?> the wilder called out to the mind of the new
searchling trainer.

<For now, what did you think of yesterday? You never said.>

<It was wonderful! Fantastic! Teach me more please!> Fae'Rhee
responded enthusiastically.

<Meet me at the dining hall after dinner.> T'rell replied.

*******

NRPG: Tag, John! Fae'Rhee will be waiting at the dining hall eagerly.
She'll be full of questions. :)

Sorry that this is so short, trying to catch up and no new plotlines
have come to mind. :/





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