The bright morning sunlight pierced U'rik's window.  His closed
eyes 
     slowly squinted as he passed from the dream world into awakening.
At 
     this altitude the morning sunlight was always so much brighter.  He

     opened his eyes just a little and slowly a little bit more until he

     could be considered up for the day.  He breathed deeply of the
crisp, 
     clear, air.  The air was thinner too.  His lungs still hadn't fully

     gotten used to that.  After stretching his muscles slowly and 
     deliberatly with no wasted movement.  He sat up and moved his feet
to 
     the floor.  He was always weakest just when he got up in the
morning.
     
     His hands moved to the ever present bowl of powder on his bed
table. 
     He took just a pinch and put it a glass, which he then filled with 
     water.  The effervescence brought bubbles to the surface.  He
brought 
     the glass to his lips and let the vapor waft into his nostrils
before 
     downing the potion with a gulp.
     
     The effects were near instantaneous.  A tremendous warmth started
in 
     his stomach and began to flow outward to all corners of his body.
He 
     slowly felt his body tingle like every muscle had fallen asleep and

     was just now being woken up.  He stretched some more and allowed 
     himself a sly grin as he anticipated what had come to be the
funnest 
     part of his morning ritual.  Taking deep breaths he cleared his
mind 
     of any extraneous thoughts save the one of his still sleeping
dragon.  
     He focused all his concentration on one single thought.
     
     <WAKE UP!!> he mentally shouted to Cedric.
     
     <ARRRRRRRAGH, why must you always do that!> a now very awake, very 
     angry red dragon shouted back.
     
     <If I can't sleep in, I very well can't let you either, can I?>
U'rik 
     laughed.
     
     <If you didn't want a window you should have asked for a room
without 
     one.>
     
     <Getting up with the sun is good for you, besides, you said some of

     the other dragons were getting together for dragonball this morning

     and I thought it would be good for you to participate>
     
     <You know I'm not strong enough to compete for very long, we tire 
     easily, remember?>
     
     U'rik knew as well as Cedric, that their inadequacies were
something 
     neither one of them could ever forget. <I've made a time-release
drug 
     that should get you through the game, it won't make you a
superdragon, 
     but it will most certainly level the playing field.>
     
     U'rik wanted very much to be accepted at the warren as one of their

     own.  He knew it would be that much harder if his dragon wasn't.
     
     Cedric had sensed his thoughts almost before U'rik had thought
them. 
     <All right already, I'll do it.  But only if you promise to let me
get 
     up on my own tomorrow.>
     
     <Deal> U'rik said, and went to get the drug.
     
     Soon after, U'rik was standing and laughing as Cedric wrestled the 
     ball from a teal dragon and bounded off down the field. He couldn't

     help but say, <I told you this would good for you>
     
     <Can't you see I'm busy>  Cedric huffed back.
     
     "Quite a site isn't it"  Liam said beside him.
     
     U'rik turned to look at him. "It's just nice to see U'rik having
some 
     fun for a change.  He's an introvert, but once he comes out of his 
     shell he can be a lot of fun."
     
     "I know what you mean," Liam said.  "Care to join me in the dining 
     hall?"
     
     "Sure," already having Cedric participate was paying off, giving
the 
     two of them something to start a conversation with.  They continued
to 
     talk as they wandered toward the hall and came up to a young girl
who 
     was also captivated by the game going on.
     
     ***NRPG: Carolyn's stuff, sorry for the severe backpost***
     
     "Can you believe it," she muttered.
     
     "It is quite a sight," some one laughed to her left.
     
     She hadn't meant for her comment to be over heard, but smiled up at

     the tall blond headed man standing there.
     
     "Ever seen anything like it kid?" he asked grinning as he watched
the 
     ball being passed around. Then she noticed him turn to say
something 
     to the man standing next to him.
     
     "Hey U'rik I'll bet you for the cost of a dinner in town that the 
     teal's team is going to win."
     
     Kid huh? Ghost frowned as the man turned from her without a second 
     thought.
     
     ***NRPG: without reposting all the rest of Carolyns story, Mc'Key 
     comes and clues Liam and U'rik in that the "girl" is really Ghost, 
     his mate.  The entire group decides to have dinner together
     
     ***Back to My stuff
     
     The group continued to chat after getting their dinner.  They were 
     interested in U'rik's drugs and medicines, particulary his art of 
     dragon healing.  Having been awhile since U'rik had a captive
audience, 
     he warmed up for an indepth discussion on the topic he loved most
to 
     talk about.
     
     "...it wasn't until I became joined that the dragon healing really 
     became a priority with me.  Having Cedric able to directly
communicate 
     his needs to me has enabled me to really understand what makes
dragons 
     tick."
     
     Looking at some of the blank stares he was getting, U'rik noticed
that 
     perhaps he had run off at the mouth a tad too much.  Particularly
Liam, 
     whose mind was clearly elsewhere.
     
     ***NRPG:Now to some of Kate's stuff***
     
     Liam suddenly says, "Ghost, Mc'key, would you be willing to help me
out 
     with a little problem?"
     
     "That depends on what kind of problem it is?"
     
     "It's Lasher, he's got the self esteem of a garden slug.  He's
never 
     had to socalize with strangers before and he's worried.  I was 
     wondering if you could talk your dragons into helping me pull him
out 
     of his shell. Nothing too rough though.  He does have limitations."
     
     "Not for long."  Urik added.  It made him feel even better that his
dragon 
     wasn't the only one having problems fitting in.
     
     Liam grinned.  "Urik says he's got some sort of concoction that
will 
     strengthen Lasher's heart."
     
     "He'll still never be a combat dragon, but he'll be able to play 
     dragonball."  The white hair man smiled softy.
     
     Sincerly, 
     Randy Meissner
     U'rik/Cedric, Geode Warren
     
     NRPG:
     Carolyn, Kate: Sorry for taking such an absurd amount of time to 
     return the tag.  I've been pretty lazy this summer.  I'll try
harder.