"T'rell, what is it?" Marialla asked, leaning forward to look past T'rell
at the warren.  "Are we under attack again?"

     "No," he said, sighing.  He hated to tell her this, knowing how it would
hurt her.  But this wasn't the sort of thing you could hide.
"Marialla...Kalindreth says Danika is dying.  They're...leaving now...rather
than wait for the end."

     He saw Marialla's eyes grow wide in shock.  "Oh T'rell," she cried,
resting her head against his back as he reached his arm around to hold her.
"Now I...I can never ask her to forgive me!"

     "Hush now," he said as softly as he could and still be heard over the
rush of wind as they angled down toward the green.  "There's nothing to
forgive...there never was."  He suspected that if anyone needed forgiveness in
that matter it was C'nis, not Marialla, but he knew that it would do no good
to say so to her.

     "Why can't I believe that?" she sobbed as she pressed herself against
him.  "I should have asked her before...now I'll never have the chance!"

     He pulled her closer to him.  "You forgave me without being asked," he
said.  "I'm sure Danika did the same for you."

     They both looked up to see the silver and gold queen take to the air, the
limp form of her rider cradled gently in her foreclaws.  With a last cry of
farewell, Kalindreth vanished forever just as Flerrion touched down on the
green.

     Marialla pressed herself against him, sobbing, as Flerrion added his own
keening howls to the to those of the other dragons.

     The sights, sounds and smells that were unusual to the warren and
especially 
to Marialla filled the air.  So much disarray, the keening of the dragons
and the 
smell of the burnt dragon filled the air.  Mari shivered.  She felt
slightly ill at the 
smell.  She was tired an knew that she needed rest.  The day had been full
of hard 
work and emotional strain.

     "I need to sleep." she said to T'rell.  She knew he had plenty to do
and she really 
needed rest.

     "Let me walk you back to the barricks." he said as he realized that
the color had 
left her cheeks.

     "No, you have other things to do.  I can manage." she said as she
attempted to 
smile, without much success.

     "Don't argue with your Trainer.  Remember it's up to me whether you
stand on 
the sands or not." he said as he gently touched her cheek and smiled.

     She smiled back. He seemed to always make her feel better.  Even now.  
She nodded in agreement.

     "How could I say 'no' to my trainer."  she took his arm and the two
walked 
to the barricks.

     Mari didn't want to say good-bye to T'rell.  She always felt safe with
him and she was very uncomfortable with what had happened.  But she knew
that she could sit and talk to him for hours even though she was exhausted.

     "Thank you, T'rell.  You were right, it did help me to get away for
awhile.  I only wish we could of ended the day without the news recieved."
She said as the tears trickled down her cheek again.

     T'rell wiped a tear from her cheek.  She leaned towards him and kissed
him lightly on his cheek and turned quickly and went into her room, not
waiting to see his response to the kiss. Her feelings were growing stronger
for him and she wasn't quite sure if he shared them.

     She slipped her clothes off and pulled on a night shirt and sat on the
edge of the bed. Even though she was exhausted she wasn't sure she would be
able to sleep knowing that she would never be able to talk to Danika again.
 She leaned back on her pillow as the thoughts continued to flood her mind.
Danika had been her first friend at Daere and look how she treated
her....but she hadn't know.  She had never seen Danika and C'nis together
that appeared to be anything but friendship.  But maybe she just didn't
want to see it, at the time. Her thoughts continued to race through her
mind as she began to drift off tho sleep and begin to dream.

    The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly.  So many friendly
faces.  Danika was there...but it wasn't Daere....but just the same she was
showing Mari around.  It was a familiar place and Mari knew that she ought
to recognize it.  It was so vibrant and so beautiful.  It was a special
place that started to make her feel uncomfortable.  But it was a place of
much happiness for Marialla.  She just couldn't seem to figure out why.

     "Mari, isn't Loman beautiful, everything is so bright here." Danika
said to her.

     Mari screamed "Noooo." and ran in a directions where there were
several small cabins. "Mamma, Pappa, Adriella.  Where are you I need to
find you.  You need to leave this place.  Everything began to darken...it
was night and the flames were shooting out the sides of buildings.  The
smoke was thick and black.  Mari continued to call for her family.  She
couldn't find them, where we're they.

     "Mari," it was Danika again, "You might as well stop looking for them,
you'll see them again...they're with me now.  You'll all join me someday.
All of your new friends just like your old ones are with me."

      She started to scream...she couldn't stop.  She blamed herself for
not being able to find her parents and her little sister.  She blamed
herself for not really talking to Danika.  Would it be her fault too if
something happened to T'rell, Kayla, or Realee.  Or any of her other
friends she had made since coming to Daere Warren.

     She awoke to find herself in T'rell's arms.  "Mari, shhh...what's
wrong?"  He asked as he tried to comfort her.

     She already felt better, because he was near. "A bad dream, a very bad
dream...but that's all it was." she responded to his question.

***********************************************************************
NRPG: Is T'rell gonna believe Mari, that it was "Just a bad dream"?  BTW
Happy Birthday John. :)