NRPG: Sorry I'm sending this again, but since it has to do with B'rin, I'm
going to CC it to Telnor as well. Sorry to all you that get it twice.


~~was a really pretty day, she thinks. How about going to the lake?~~

   * * *

~~watches as the dark dragon plays in the water, just enjoying her
surroundings.  Such a pretty place; but she has to keep an eye out for those
dragonriders. They could come at a moments notice....~~

   * * *

~~"Marcail!" the voice booms at her, and she turns to see his face staring
at her, fear in his eyes.  "We've been betrayed!"~~

   * * * * * *

Marcail sat up in bed suddenly, disoriented.  Automatically, her hand
fumbled to the side of her bed, getting the pen and paper there to write
down the dream.  "Lake, blue, beautiful, trees around it" she tried to think
of more, then wrote down "near dragonriders, partly surrounded by cliffs".
She felt like screaming; the image was already fading away. She read what
she wrote, trying to call back up the image again, but failed, and the
remainder of the dream slipped through her grasp.

<Marcail> a plaintative whine sounded in her head <I itch!>

*I'm coming Blaysa* she said absently, standing up and getting ready.

<Blaysa?> came the inquiring thought.  <Who is that?>

Puzzled, she said *Aren't you....* She trailed off: this was Gossimer.  *I
called you Blaysa, didn't I? You're Gossimer.*

<Who is Blaysa?> the little dragonet asked again, itching forgotten
momentarilary.

She remembered the dark dragon in her dream suddenly, and the surroundings
came flashing back at her.  What had Arwin said yesterday? That she'd been
joined to a dragon before?

*I think....she was my old dragon* Marcail wondered out loud. 

<You had a dragon before me?> Gossimer thought puzzledly.  <Is that possible?>

*I don't know. I see it is, or else we wouldn't be together.*

<Well, anyway> Gossimer stated, changing the subject <I'm itchy. Now, do I
have to find you again, or will you come--->

*I'm coming, I'm coming!* Marcail thought back, smiling.  She ran the brush
through her hair once, smoothed down her clothes, then headed out towards
her dragon.

It took a little longer than it had yesterday to oil and feed her dragon.
Following what V'dar had told all of them the previous night, she liberally
applied the smelly oil (she reminded herself to bring some perfume later to
rub in it) onto the scaly skin, making sure to get into all the crevases and
broken skin.  Around her, other hatchlings had come out and were doing the
same. It was mid morning, probably around ten or eleven o'clock, and the
warren was already bustling with activity.  Marcail listened to the
conversations around her, and discovered something interesting.

"Yeah, they found her earlier this morning," one of the new dragonriders
next to her said to another nearby.  "The warrenlady had taken a fall of
some sorts, and she and her dragon were unconscious. Her leg was burned too."

"Whose, the warrenlady's or the dragons?" the second asked.

"The warrenlady's, you fool. Will you let me finish?" He paused, then
continued. "The burn wasn't wraith, and they think she might have found a
wild dragon, or maybe a rogue dragon, since her own dragon certainly didn't
do it."

"Do they know who did it?"

"What did I just say? They don't know, you dimwit!"

Marcail shook her head as she heard the scuffling behind her, indicating a
fight. Boys, she thought dryly.  *Did you know about that?* she thought
instead to Gossimer.

<I'd heard that they'd been found, but not about the burned leg.>  Then she
shifted slightly. <You missed a spot.>

Marcail sighed and oiled/itched the missed part, wishing her dragon could
stay the size she'd been the previous day forever.

<No!  I want to be big and strong, and fly faster than all those pesky males
in the mating flights.> Then, she added evilly <And so I can push you around.>

*You did that yesterday, darling* Marcail thought dryly, but just hugged the
little dragon and finished oiling her. They then went over to the feeding
pens, and got the strips of meat for Gossimer. The light dragon stared
wistfully at the penned animals, and Marcail just smiled. *Not yet.*

<I know, but soon?>

*Soon* Marcail promised.

They finished eating, and went off to find V'dar. Marcail suspected there
would be a lesson today, since most were new to the dragon business.  Sure
enough, she was right; as she came to the barracks, a large group of newly
joined were sitting down, listening to V'dar as he talked. Trying not to be
conspicuous, Marcail sat down near the back, hoping he hadn't missed her
when he'd started.


NRPG: So, what's the lesson about? I'd say this is about noon, give or take
half an hour.


The class broke up, each heading their own way, about an hour or so later.
Marcail watched the hatchlings and their riders wander off, and couldn't
think of anything to do. She wasn't hungery; she'd eaten too much at the
party the previous night, and she still felt rather queasy when she thought
of food, so the Dining Hall was out of the question.

*Gossimer, would you mind if I just explored a bit?* she asked her dragon,
which was following her around.

<That's fine> the little dragonet answered.  <I'm tired anyway.>

*Thanks* Marcail thought, putting her dragon comfortably away to nap before
she headed out to wander.

***A couple hours later***

The warren was simply laid out: the hatching grounds in the center, and the
rest surrounding the main cavern. It wasn't exactly easy navigating some of
the streets, and she tended to stay away from the back alleys, mindful of
her last excursion there. She visited numerous shops and stores, obviously
landbound since from what she remembered of warrens everything was free, and
frequented a couple bars, never lingering in any of them.

Curious about something, she travelled to the edge of the warren, looking
outside the confines of the warren. What she saw surprised her: she had
expected to see out here what she'd seen in her dream. However, it was
completely opposite. Where her dream had been green and rather lush, this
landscape was barren except for a few hardy trees and bushes, and mostly
rock. She thought she could see a lake far away, but wasn't sure; but she
knew that bull-shaped mountain wasn't from her dream.  I must have dreamed
of someplace else, she thought in wonderment.

She wasn't expecting the dragon to materialize nearby her, so when it did,
she jumped slightly.  Probably another warren dragon, she thought, ignoring
it for a moment; until it started hurtling to the ground almost too fast,
and something fell off the side.  The dragon landed nimbly on the ground
next to the figure, nudging it gently.  Marcail watched somewhat shocked,
then hastily went over to the pair.

She kept a watchful eye on the dragon, not knowing what it would do. The
thought struck her that this might be the pair that had attacked the
warrenlady; but the thought only lasted until she saw the rider. He was only
a child!

Sincerely doubting, and hoping, that this pair wasn't a rogue pair, she
rushed to beside the boy-rider and checked him out for any injuries. He was
unconscious, but besides a small bruise beginning to show on the back of his
shoulder from where he'd hit the ground he seemed fine. She glanced once at
the large dragon next to her, then picked the boy up carefully.

*Gossimer, wake up* she thought to her still-sleeping dragon.

<Wha...What is it?> came the sleepy reply.

*I need you to tell one of the dragons, preferably V'dar's, that I found
someone outside the warren. He's unconscious, and he's a dragonrider.*

<Could he be the one who attacked the warrenlady?> Gossimer asked as
Tekelote asked her the same question.

*I don't believe so* Marcail answered, heading back for the warren.  *He
looks only to be about 15 or so.  Tell V'dar to meet me outside the warren
entrance, the southern one. I'm headed there now.*

Submitted by

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~ Sarah Pearson (isolinde@cwnet.com)            ~
* Lyonnia/Dianthus *TELNOR*; Rezsia/Jezebel     *
~ *DAERE*; Tanya/Poldera *WHITERIVER*;          ~
* Cynedra/Jakob*the dog*/Louie*the ferret*      *
~ *MYSTERRA*; Leanna Vere *USS MAGELLAN*;       ~
* Marcail/Gossamer *GEODE*; Linaya *RALENGARDE  *
~ http://www.linux.sfasu.edu/xfiles/xfrpg.html  ~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Reality is the only obstacle to happiness."  -Anonymous-

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