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?" Key answered and looked back
at Ghost with a wink.
     
"It's Lasher, he's got the self esteem of a garden slug.  He's never had to
socialize 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." U'rik added. It made him feel even better that his dragon
wasn't the only one having problems fitting in.
     
Liam grinned.  "U'rik 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.

<<Kiki dear... would you and Vas mind showing Lasher around the area?>> 
the girl sent a quick message to her pink dragon. <<You know show him the
sights and maybe take him by the lake you two like so much to visit for a
swim.>>

<That would be fun!> Kikeane told her rider and then there was silence 
for a moment while the Pink conversed with her ledge mate. <Vas agrees...
he's asking Lasher right now and he's agreed to go with us.>

<<Thank you my love... but please remember if Lasher starts to look tired
then bring him back to the Warren.>>

"Well that's settled then," Ghost turned and smiled at those sitting at 
the table with them. "Kiki and Vas are going to take Lasher on the grand
tour of the area and top it off with a relaxing swim in their lake."

She saw U'rik look over at her with a bit of concern in his eyes and 
assured him that Kiki and Vas both had orders to keep and eye on Lasher 
and to bring hm back if he showed any signs of fatigue.

"They won't let him know they are watching him, so don't worry that he'll
feel bad or anything like that," she assured him and saw him relax. 

"I just want him to fit in and make some friends of his own," U'rik told them.

"Well like Liam said it won't be long now. He's already been making
friends... or didn't he tell you? don't worry so much, he'll be fine 
here."

Dinner progressed and they were joined by others. A band got up on the 
stage and began to play. Mc'key turned to Ghost and offered her his hand
asking if she'd like to dance. That seemed to get the ball rolling and 
soon every one was dancing and having fun.

Ghost made sure she danced with Liam and U'rik too, not wanting them to 
feel left out, but she didn't need to worry. Several of the other female
riders made it know that they too would like to dance and didn't have any
worries about asking the men to dance.

By the time the evening was over and they were on their way home, Ghost 
was sure that some of the worries both men might have felt about fitting 
in had been put to rest. 

"I think Betta likes U'rik just a little," Ghost giggled as they walked
home. "Did you see the way she kept coming by and asking him to dance?"


"Are you sure she wasn't doing it because you asked her too?" Key grinned
down at her. 

"Oh maybe the first time," she admitted, wondering how he had known she
asked her friend to ask the rider to dance. "But after that she was on her
own and able to pick out her own dance partners. She just found she liked
dancing with him."

They walked for a while saying little, just enjoying being with each 
other. The moon was shining brightly in the skies above lighting there 
way as they drew up to their dragons and mounted for the short rider 
home.

once inside and the dragons saddles taken care of and put away, the 
wondered on inside where Key poured them both a last glass of wine. 

"I wonder how the new transfer is settling in?" he commented as he pulled
her down on to the couch and into his arms. 

"Maybe we can look her up in the morning and have breakfast with her," 
Ghost muttered drowsily as she cuddled against his warmth. It had been a
long day and she for one was tired. 

"Sounds like a good idea," her mate agreed, but Ghost never heard is 
words because she'd already fallen asleep. 

Key picked his mate up gently and carried her into their bed room. Where 
he slowly, so not to wake her, undressed her and placed her under the
covers, before planting a tender kiss on her forehead. Then he turned 
and went back into the living room and picked up the files he'd brought 
home to work on and settled in for an hour of paper work.

Lorna
********

With her head bowed and her eyes facing downward, she didn't realize at
first that they had been brought into a large cave. Not until she heard 
the sound of a dragon roaring and dared to lift her eyes a bit to see 
what was going on. 

Fear filled her when she saw the many dragons in the cave and the one
bejeweled one belonging to the Chosen One. She wanted to turn and run... 
no matter how bad they would beat her when they finally caught up to her, 
it would be better then the fait waiting for them right here and now.

She had tried to obey them. But somehow her teachers must have decided 
she hadn't tried hard enough for now they were going to be given tot he
dragons to eat.

She thought of begging for a second chance.. but knew it wouldn't be worth it. 

So great was her fear, she couldn't move. Her body seemed to freeze up 
and the only thing she could focus on was the great beast standing across
the way. She didn't even notice her teacher yanking on her arm to get her 
to move forward until she felt the back of his hand slapping her face. 
Not once but three times before she became aware that there was anyone 
or thing in the cave besides the beasts.

<Do not worry my love.. they will not eat you. I will not allow it to
happen. You are for me and I am for you. The dragons know that and will 
not harm you.>

Loran looked around to try and find out who had spoken to her, but saw 
no one paying much mind to her. just her teacher who was readying his 
hand for another blow. 

She lowered her head quickly, assuming the right air of obedience and 
that seemed to satisfy him. the next blow never came, but his words 
echoed in her mind. 

"You do what I tell you to do and you may live," he hissed in her ear 
as he pulled her deeper into the cave. "Anything else and I'll make sure 
you suffer greatly before you die."

She believed him. But made no more fight when she suddenly found herself
beside the other two standing in front of several huge eggs. 

The biggest one suddenly began to rock and before she could even think to
move, it split right down the middle into two halves. A wet, bedraggled 
form rolled out in front of the girls.

The girl on her right screamed as the little dragon stumbled towards 
them. Loran saw the other girl brake and  run, just as the queen lunged
again. A claw snaked out, grabbed at the leg of the first girl and she
screamed again as the claw ripped the flash along the inside of her calf. 

The dragon  was in a bad way, it was easy to see; it had caught a claw 
on the inside of its wing and couldn't get it loose. It mewled it's fear
even as the Loran moved forward to help her. 

<<I'm only going to help you. do not be afraid little one.>> she crooned
over and over, both aloud and in her mind. <<You would not let the 
dragons eat me... is it not right that I help you now?>>

She gently pulled at the hatchling claw and then applied more pressure 
when at first she couldn't budge it. 

<<I'm sorry if I hurt you but there's no other way," Loran looked up 
into the hatchling startling blue eyes and everything around her froze 
in time.

<It is now how it should be. You are mine and I am yours forever,> the 
tiny hatchling; only because she was not yet as large as the other 
dragons in the cave, told her and butter her head closer to her new life
mate for caresses. <We will never be alone as long as we have eachother.>

Feelings of love, happiness, understanding, concern and admiration, 
flooded Loran's mind and then great pains of hunger nearly knock her 
rocking to the sands. 

<I am hungry...so very hungry...> the thought kept repeating it's self 
over and over in her mind until Loran knew she had to do something to 
help this poor starving creature. 

She turned and faces the first man she saw holding a bucket full of meat
scraps. So fresh that the red of blood was spilling over the sides of the
pail and dripping to the ground where it made the dark spots in the beige
color of the sands. 

"She's hungry and requires that meat!" she spoke up without remembering 
that she was no better then a slave here in this place and was rewarded 
by the quick lash of the overseer's whip. The dragon moaned, a mixture of
fear and hunger. Slowly, the girl plead for the meat, and it was given to her.

She feed the small pieces to the hatchling as quick as the dragon could 
take it, fearing that the meat would be taken from them at any time. Just 
as her own food had been taken on to many numerous occasions to count. 

When the bucket was empty, she was filled with deep loving thoughts. At
first she tried to fight them off thinking it was a trick made up by her
teachers and the overseers, but when the feelings changed to sadness and
loss, she quickly opened a small part of her heart she'd kept hidden and
returned the warm feelings, while warning 
Sphene (how she knew the hatchlings name, she did not know) not to let 
it be known.

The teachers had thought to drive all of her spirit away, and they had
succeed for the most part, but there was still one small bit of her 
humanity still buried deep inside her where she allowed no one to go. 
If the teachers ever found out, they would seek to drive it from her 
will.

She heard a dragon roar out and then heard the little metallic Queen 
beside her answer the roar. Hands gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet. 

"Bring the girl and the hatchling to me," the Chosen One ordered and 
Loran found herself being propelled by the arm to stand before him. 
Before her overseer could react, she knelt down in front of the Chosen 
One and bowed her head.

She felt Sphene beside her as the green hatchling buried her head in her
human's side.

"What is her name?" the Chosen One asked her.

Loran tried to steal a quick look at her teacher to see if answering 
him was permissible, when he hit her up side the head for being to slow.

"Answer your Lord girl!" the man snapped heatedly.

"Sphene. Her name is Sphene." She answered quickly fearing a second 
blow. Then knelt there wondering what was going to happen next.


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

Loran: 18, blond, worn long, deep blue eyes that seem to large for her 
face. 5'5". Seems to small for her frame because of being nearly starved 
for the past few months.

Was taken from her parents farm while out working the fields one day 
and ended up as a slave. 

Her dragon Queen, Sphene is the only ray of hope and light in her life 
right now.

Sphene: hatchling, metallic green. More like six or seven different 
tones of green mixed together. Her eyes are a very startling shade of 
deep blue, that tend to deepen when she upset, or grow lighter when 
she's hungry.

*****Submitted by: ******

Ghost & Kikeane
Loran & her new hatchling Queen, Sphene.

Geode Warren

aka 
Barbara