May 26th
On the beach..

Piper wandered along the beach alone, thinking, or trying not to.
S'brogh was such an interesting man, and he had left no question in
her mind that he found her interesting too.

And yet, on one face seemed to haunt her dreams, waking and sleeping.
The arms that held her close in the cave, back in Norwall, the man who
had crept to her bed the night before she had fled to Jasra Warren.
Why, oh, why could she not forget about Devon.  He must be happy with
his family, now, the dark haired girl thought, she should forget him.

"It was just a mating flight!"  Piper said, outloud to the rolling
waves.  Her heart was not convinced.

Suddenly, she heard the clear tones of a flute drifting across the
sand and followed the sound. At first, the song seemed to be written
about Devon.... but then it changed... or so Piper hoped.

>The song was about a rider who had lost his memory.  In search for a recovery, he left the lands looking for answers.  Little by little he began to remember his past, and his dragon that he loved very dearly.  He tried to return, but it had been too late, his dragon has killed himself in despair.  The man became overwhelmed with sadness, and killed himself once he heard the news.  

"No!"  Piper whispered, almost a moan, when the girl played the part
that Piper knew too well. No, Devon could not be dead, he had to live!

>Shalyn stopped playing once she heard some noise behind her.  There was someone there, she wondered the person had been there very long.  The noise certainly scared her, and she turned around to see who was there...

"Oh!" Piper said, as the girl turned, a wary look in her eyes.  "I
didn't mean to frighten you.  Please... play again... it's
beautiful..."  Piper paused, reaching into her dress pocket.  "I..
could I play with you?"  she asked, drawing out a small pipe.

Shalyn nodded and lifted the flute back to her lips, and began to play
a merrier tune, an old familiar song, and Piper joined in, the sound
of her pipe a bit more shrill than Shalyn's flute.  And yet as the
mute girl played, Piper followed at first, and then began to weave a
counter-melody to the song.  And both were accompanied by the rolling
sea.

Finally, as tune after tune danced over the sand, the sun started to
drift over down into the west.  "It must be nearly supper time,"
Piper said finally.  "We should go back."

Shalyn nodded and made a motion with her hands.  

Piper wasn't sure what it meant, but she said,  "Thank you for letting
me play with you.  You play beautifully."

The girl smiled a bit shyly and made a motion that looked like a
dragon flying through the air and then pointed at Piper.

"Yes, I have a dragon.  There will be a hatching soon.  Would you like
a dragon?"

Shalyn didn't answer, she just looked at Piper who finally smiled and
they walked back to the Warren in a comfortable silence.


The Dining Hall

As Shalin and Piper neared the hall, the smells of the evening meal
greeted them.  

"Oh! I'm hungry!" Piper said, and Shalyn nodded.  Both girls started
to hurry, but suddenly, Piper stopped short.

*I want to hunt!* Bishvilea commanded her rider.  *Now!*

*Bish! We can hunt tomorrow.  It's late!*  Piper thought back to her
dragon, hoping to put her off.

*Now!*  The little red gold dragon seemed nervous to Piper, odd,
somehow, but she wasn't sure in what way.

*Let me grab some food and we'll go!*  Piper thought back, hurrying
quickly toward the Dining hall.  

Quickly grabbing some bread and cheese, she saw Shalyn coming in the
door frowning slightly.

"Oh, Shalyn, I'm sorry!"  Piper said, suddenly realizing how rude she
had been. "My dragon is hungry and not being her normal patient self
tonight..."

*PIPER... Hurry! I'm hungry!*  the dragon thought.  *Hurry!*

"I'm sorry.. I have to go!"  Piper said, hurrying away, the feeling of
urgency catching up to her.

Running toward her dragon who lit on the green, she passed S'brogh
without a word and leaped onto her dragon and took to the sky.  

A little ways away there was a woods, near the foothills of the
encircling mountains.  Bishvilea let her rider down, without a thought
and sprang away once more.  

A herd of deer sprang away as the dragon approached and dove, grasping
one in it's talons and breaking it's back.  Bishvilea landed just a
short distance away and tore at the deer, devouring it quickly.

*Bishvilea, what is the matter with you!*  Piper said, fear filling
one part of her mind, desperate hunger and urgency filling another, a
raw, aching hunger that wasn't totally unknown to the young girl.
*Bishvilea! Answer me!*  

The dragon's eyes swirled, almost madly, and she bounded into the sky
once more flying farther this time, flying toward the deer that had
slowed only a little.

A second kill she brought back, devouring it, tearing great chunks of
the warm, bloody meat from the carcass.  And then she roared.

And Piper screamed,  "NO! NO! Bishvilea, NO!"    

The flutter of dragon wings surrounded the girl on the hillside as the
male dragons of the warren followed the short distance with their
riders, all in a madness that frightened and yet devoured the young
girl.

Bishvilea roared and flew! Flying madly, taunting the males, slowing,
dropping then rushing forward at the last moment, and finally just
flying hard... flying... 

Piper's mind was blank, the men gathering around her and Aleipha too,
her arms stretched outward, as Penthos flew, the small blue male
passing many of the larger dragons.  

One by one the men of the Warren fell away, till only two were left,
and Aleipha dancing around Piper, and Piper dancing with them, her
face flushed and her breath fast.  

And then there was another there.. someone new... someone that hadn't
been there before... and then another man left the dance... and
another... and Aleipha's eyes flashed with fury at the man, but
Piper's eyes where closed and didn't see who lifted her from feet and
took her away from the crowd, alone for their dragon dance.


Respectfully submitted,
Piper and Bishvilea

NRPG:  hmmmmm curiouser and curiouser. :)

Actually, I have discussed this flight with the 'Winner' and a post is
in the works in the next few days.  Please, if I haven't discussed
this with you, don't make your character the 'Winner' of the mating
flight. 

Thanks :)

Louise


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