Part one of the Daere Saga........


*** Warrenlady's Approval ***



Jayleigh looked up from her usual pile of paperwork as T'rell walked into
her office. "I hear you've been busy," she remarked.

"How'd you know?" T'rell asked.

"Troy's been hearing odd snippets from the other dragons," she replied. "She
passes things like that along to me. So, do you want to tell me what 
you're up to?"

"All right," he said, sitting down on the couch across the room from her
desk. "When Tair'n and Norin almost bought the farm in that wraith attack, I
realized that we needed something we hadn't had."

"More dragon?" Jayleigh asked. "Say, about 100 more?"

"Well, that too," T'rell agreed. "But what I had in mind was a special
squadron of Gamma Wing...one that would be on call whenever quick action is 
needed, like it was at the lake.  For things like that, it takes too long to
get a whole wing assembled to go out. I'd use mainly my own riders from
Gamma, but we could rotate riders from some of the other wings through there
on a temporary basis, to give them the training. So, what do you think of my
idea?"

Leigh sat back in her chair eyeing him carefully. She knew about his
personal problems with Des'ry, and while he had never let it effect his wing
before now, she wondered what had change with that to bring him here to her
office to talk about it.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Gamma already have a flight like the
one you're talking about?" she asked, and he saw the brief flash of sadness
that came into her eyes before she could hide it. "Gerald... had started a
group like that before..."

T'rell nodded his head, lips curving downwards in a frown. "He did and it
started out as a good idea... but without the proper leadership... Well...
Des'ry... he's..." his hands came up in a *see what you have* gesture. 

"So you're telling me that you don't think Des'ry can cut it anymore?" she
asked bowling her head slightly to hide her smile. She understood why T'rell
felt the way he did about the man more then he would believe. Had he demoted
the man on the spot the day that bastard Da'ntray and his evil followers had
attack the Warren, Jayleigh would have backed him to the nines. But for some
reason he had decided to give the man a second chance.

And Leigh had heard the rumor's of Des'ry fighting T'rell each step of the
way, and trying to get others to fight him also. Though T'rell had never
come to her and put in a formal complaint about the man. He'd had reason
enough to do so.

Des'ry had out lived his usefulness in Daere. She knew he had been close to
Gerald and would have followed the man anywhere... but his constant
bickering with T'rell was getting on everyone's nerves, and bespoke no good
to the Warren's defenses. Something had to be done. Was that why T'rell was
here now? To finally *DO* something?

The man's slow actions because of a misplaced loyalty to a dead man, had
cost the Warren greatly. The death of a Queenrider and her Queen. Danika and
her queen Kalindeth. Her own Queen has suffered also when nearly her entire
clutch of eggs had been destroyed and her queen egg stolen.

Yes Leigh knew why T'rell had no respect for the man, for she felt the same
way, but it wasn't her policy to interfere with her Wingleader's decisions
on running their Wings, unless they came to her asking for help.

"You know I was surprised when you didn't relieve him of command right then
and there," Leigh told the man sitting across from her. She always did feel
she could speak her feelings to this man. 
"I would have backed you to the wall and not felt any regrets in doing so."

T'rell sat there on the couch, legs spread out before him, arms folded over
his chest and gave her a half grin, half frown.

"The timing was all wrong back then. I wasn't asked to lead Gamma until
after that raid if you remember correctly so I didn't have the authority to
release him at the time."

"Then why didn't you after you took over Gamma?"

"Like I said... the timing was all wrong," he repeated. "None of the riders
knew me all that well. Back then as I was new here," he explained. "I had to
give them all a chance to get used to me and the change in command, and I
think it's gone well."

"Despite Des'ry trying to undermine you every step of the way," Leigh
quipped heatedly, picking up her coffee cup and took a sip to keep her from
saying anything more. 

"Well now we won't have to worry about him any longer," the Gamma Wingleader
informed her, with a *I know something you don't know* twinkle in his eyes.
"I'm fact I wouldn't be surprised if he comes in here and asks for a
transfer to another Warren with in the day..... He ah... Resigned from his
position just a little while ago....."

"And you reluctantly agreed to accept it?" she grinned back at him.

"Hell no. There was no reluctant to it," he admitted strongly. "In fact it
was all I could do not to jump up in the air and cheer... But as I'd just
poured the coffee in the cup I was holding at the time... I didn't want to
spill it."

That sent Leigh to laughing. "Oh you... get out of here and go form your new
wing... Just make sure you ask the other Wingleader's before you take half
their riders."

Leigh was grinning as T'rell left her office, but the grin faded as she
remembered all that had been lost that day. She had cared a great deal for
the lost Queenrider... more so since she was R'ven's own daughter.

She took a deep breath and resigned the past to the back of her mind. She
had a Lord coming into the Warren in two days time and needed to have
something to show for him to see when he got there. 

Not that she had much to do since Mari had already done most of the paper
work. And done a wonderful job of getting all the information together. 

What she was really doing was putting off thinking about what she wanted to
do with Tair'n? Did she really want to try and get back with him now that
they finally started working things out... 

She had heard... about him going out to the lake to *talk* with that little
bitch Norin... and the ensuing mating flight that had taken place. 

At first she had wondered why Tair'n had gone after the woman. Had they made
plans to meet? Had he lied to her about the things he had said to her. She
had been angered to find out that he had gone to the bitch, and even angrier
that the two of them had made love.

That was until Ja'ks had filled her in on all that had happened. Starting
with his seeing Norin out by the lake when she should have been on patrol.
(Leigh promised herself she would find out what punishment Tair'n had given
the girl for that dereliction of duty.) Ja'ks had gone on to tell her that
it was he, who had informed Tair'n of where the girl was.

"It's the only reason he went out there to meet with her Jays," her brother
told her.

Leigh had to give Tair'n the benefit of doubt... even if she hadn't like it
very much. 

WHY!! Did it have to be the one woman Leigh would most like to see the back
of heading *Out* of the Warren. But even as she dreamed of transferring
Norin out of Daere she knew she would never release her on an unsuspecting
Warren anywhere else. She was stuck with the bitch.

After sometime she finally shoved the paper work she'd finally gotten around
to reading away from her and decided to head on over to the dining hall for
dinner.

Tell the truth even to yourself my girl, she chided herself as she left her
office and stopped by Tonya's to pick up her daughter. 'You're after some
nice company and hope D'Alatar's there to talk to.

Funny how that man was first in her mind when she should be thinking of
Tai... As it turned out neither man was there when she arrived and after
taking her time eating, she finally decided neither was going to show up.

A bit disappointed not to have company, Leigh took time to enjoy her meal.
Several people came by to have a word with her and tell her all about their
part in the wraith battle... Well she did ask them how they were doing, and
if some took that as an invitation to boast... Well she had only herself to
blame and sat there ohooing and ahhing when she felt it was needed.

<<Troy. Dear...>> she started to ask at one point but the queen knowing her
rider as well as she did after their long association answered her before
Leigh could form the entire question.

<Amadith's rider is at home with his hatching and Zenith's rider... and
Raven's rider is sharing good feelings with Chamelle's rider... I don't
think they'd be happy if you disturbed them now.....>

<<So when did *that* happen?>> Leigh wanted to know, not understanding how
this could upset her. They were friends after all, not lovers. So why did it
hurt that D'Altar had found someone other then herself to spend some time
with. He was a very handsome man, but then so was that new rider Alexis, and
the thought of him spending time with someone didn't even phase her at all.

<Who knows with you humans,> came the queens bored reply. <Now if you're
finished with you're questioning... I was enjoying a cuddle with Flerrion.>

After figuring she had spent enough time in the hall to cause people to give
her strange looks, she gathered up her daughter and started for home... but
on the way an idea came to her.

"Well my dear heart, how would you like to go by and see your father?" she
asked Vena and when the little one gurgled sweetly back up at her, Leigh
took that as sign that her daughter liked the idea. 

So she switch directions and started off on her way to Tair'n's.

"Hey'a Cal'an," she grinned down at the boy who answered the door. 

"Hi Leigh. Jadain's not here. He went on home to study for a test in
school," the boy told her after returning her greeting.

"Well it's not Jadain I've come to see," Leigh admitted after being invited
in. "I thought you and your dad might like to spend a little time with your
sister. How's about it?"

"Cool," Cal'an leaned his head a bit to the side and made a face at Vena.
She gurgled back at him with a noise that sounded like a baby laugh. "Hey I
think she likes me!"

"Well she should since you are her brother after all. Want to hold her?"

"Better not... She's so small and I might hurt her," Cal'an shook his head
slowly, but didn't take his eyes off his sister. 

"Here... there's nothing to it," Leigh said dropping Vena down to his level.
"Hold her like this and you won't hurt her at all... that's it... make sure
you support her head... that's the most important thing about holding a new
baby... See it's not so bad."

"Hey I'm holding her!" Cal'an looked up at Leigh and the smile on his face
was one of the nieces she'd ever seen coming from him.

"Well how about letting her father or God-father have a chance young man,"
R'ven said, coming up behind the boy to lay a hand on his shoulder, then
flashed Leigh a charming smile. "No hogging the little one just because
she's your sister."

"I just got her wait your turn!" Cal'an joked with his father's mate.

"Well maybe you'd be more comfortable holding her in the living room," R'ven
advised. "We're forgetting our manners leaving Leigh out here in the hall way."

"Oh yeah," Cal'an as if suddenly remembering he hadn't invited Leigh inside
did so now. "Come on... Dad's waiting in the living room."

She found Tair'n half laying across the couch when she entered the room and
suddenly felt a bit foolish for just stopping by with so weak an excuse...
then told herself she was just being silly. 

"I thought I'd bring Vena by to see her father," she told him after he'd
offered her a seat next to him on the couch.......

(tag Lynn..... Tai want a bit of company?)

===================  

Nrpg: Part one of my Daere saga..... More to come..... Ja'ks... Kayla.....

***Submitted by: **** 

Jayleigh & Viktroy ( Warrenlady of Daere)
Daere Warren

Aka
Barbara