"And why should we listen to you?" the first Captain had asked eyeing both
boys with suspicion. "We're more likely to come back and find everything
gone once you and your friends here rip us off when our backs are turned."

"I'm a dragonrider now Captain Chessmen...."

"We both are," Ojean cut off whatever else Gus would have said... They
didn't need to aggravate this man too. "I just took letter's to Lords Grouty
and Jester with warning about the storm from Tara, Warrenlady of Jasra..."

"And how did she come to believe a hurricane was on it's way young man?"

"Because the weather watcher at the Warren told her so.."

"Weather watcher huh?" the man eyed him warily. "that wouldn't happen to be
a man by the name of Bertram would it?"

"I do believe so," Ojean replied and saw the mans expression turn from
suspicion to something more akin to fear. 

"Good enough for me," the man said then turned back to someone standing
behind him. "Batten down the hatches and get this boat ready to ride out the
storm. I want every man woman and child who doesn't have to be here inside
the meeting hall out of the way."

"The meeting all Chessman?"

"It's made of stone so it'll be the safest place for them to be if the 'cane
does hit here." He turned back to the boys. "We thank you for the warning
and will try to spread it around to as many of the ships as we can."

"We'll help," Ojean offered.

"Yea why not," Gus agreed wondering why he was letting Ojean get him into this.

"Just tell them I sent you or they might not believe it when they see the
little street rat here.."

"I ain't no street rat!" Gus growled. "I'm a dragonrider!"

..... 

The two boys worked hard getting the message to as many people as they
could. Most believed them once Chessmen's name came up and that of Bertram's
who people seem to know and trust. 

There were some thought who held back. Those fearing what their Lord would
do when they disobeyed his orders to head to sea. 

<My rider.. we have to get them all inside now!!> Teewith's sudden thought
entered his mind. 

<<Is the 'cane about to hit?>> Ojean asked fearing the worse and then
hearing it.

<<Wraiths!! They are attacking a ship out at sea and our riders tell me that
some of them are breaking off and heading this way!!! Our riders are trying
to stop them but a few have gotten by them... >

"What's wrong now?" Gus grabbed his arm when he hadn't responded to the boys
first three questions.

"Wraiths...Tee just told me that there are Wraiths attacking a ship at sea
and some of them are heading this way! We have to warn everyone to get
inside the meeting hall!"

He took off heading back down the row of ships yelling out his warning as he
headed towards Chessmen's ship. 

"What's he yelling about now!"

"I don't see any wraiths!!"

"The kids snapped!"

No one was paying him any mind until he made it back to the gang plank
leading onto Chessmen's ship. The sea man caught him as he stumbled and
righted him.

"Wooo.. what's your hurry?"

"Wraiths!! My dragon just got word that ..." he finished his story in a rush
and Chessmen wasn't quite convinced until he saw the bluish-green dragon
land up near the meeting hall. 

"You have to make them all listen and get inside!" Ojean cried clutching the
mans arm as he pointed sea word. "Look!! Tell me now that I'm making it up!!"

"Oh shit!" the sea captain muttered and began to shout orders to his men.
"Everyone leave off what your doing and get your asses into the meeting
hall!! You who can make sure them who need help gets inside...

There weren't that many.. maybe about twenty or so... But Ojean knew what
needed to be done. Though he'd trained with a wing, he'd never been called
upon to fight before.. Hadn't been allowed but now was not the time to
remember that.

"Where you going!" Gus caught up to him just as he was about to mount Teewith. 

"I've got to try and give these people some more time to get inside!" he
shouted above the wind. 

"You don't mean..? Man you're crazy! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Ojean shrugged off the hand holding him and turned to face his friend. "I
have to try! Don't you see! It might be the only chance we have right now!"

"By getting yourself killed! No way."

"I have too.." Ojean was scared enough to wetting, but he was a dragonrider
and these people needed his help. 

"Tee said others are coming to help," he lied smoothly. "So I won't be out
there that long... you just make sure everyone gets inside and make sure
they have someone by the doors and windows with torches. Fire kills these
things..."

"No way!! If there are others coming then you can just wait with the rest of
us here!" Gus grabbed again for the boys arm, but Ojean was ready for him
this time. He leaned back against Teewith and then dropped his body weight
down and swept out with his leg, knocking Gus off his feet. Then before the
boy could recover, he was on Tee's back and had given the beast the order to
lift.

"You're right!" he shouted downwards as they lifted up. "It is all in the feet!"

He was scared.. More scared then the time he and Cill had been kidnapped by
Owlean and K'leev. He didn't know what he was going to do but he just knew
he had to try something. 

The wraiths were ahead of them now. Not five dragonlengths from them and
Ojean could feel Teewith filling his lunges getting ready to breath out his
first gust of flame.

<<Tee I'm sorry...>>

<We are who we are,> came the dragons calm reminder. <And we must do what we
were made to do. Do not fear we will be fine. Help comes!!>

Help! Riders from the Warren had arrived. Around twelve of them that he
could see. Ojean put out a telepathic call to the others he saw arrowing up
towards them from the north, Not knowing if it would work or not. So far his
talent was dubious at best with dragons he didn't know to well, but was
shocked to hear back from a dragon he did not know.

<* We are here little one.. You were very brave to want to fight them, but
we will deal with these now. You two are need back on the ground to help the
humans. *> the big black dragon told him, and it was then that Ojean noticed
that not one of the dragons held a rider. 

Wilders!! Come to help! Now could that be? And why?

<<But.. but...>>
  
<* They are our enemies too. Should we stand by and watch them destroy...
No.. My children are now joined with human's at the Warren and we take care
of the enemy now for them who take care of my children! *>

<<You're children?>> Ojean was confused. Then he remembered the eggs from
the last hatching had been from a wilder Queen who'd come to them.. with a
big black dragon in tow.. and asked for their help just before she had
died... <<May the Gods fly with you. I will let your children know that
their father honors them this day.>>

He gave Teewith the order to land again and the two barely made it to the
ground in one piece as the winds of the approaching hurricane were now
hitting with ferocious speed. 

"Get him inside here!!" Someone shouted above the wind and grabbed his arm
to turn him around to point at a big stone building. "He should just about
fit inside the doors lad. Keep him out of the worse of it."

Ojean nodded his thanks and past the order on to his dragon. Then when he
moved to follow him he saw Gus running towards him. 

"You stupid dumb kid! You'd better be glad you're alive or I would have
killed you for doing something so mind dead stupid!!"

"I'm glad to see you too Gus," Ojean smiled, as they moved inside the
building and out of the worse of the storms winds. 

"Glad hell! I'm just relieved I don't have to be the one to tell Tara and
your sister that you went and got yourself killed!!"

"Gus you'll never guess who those dragons are?"

"What now you want me to play guessing games?" he placed his hand up on
Ojean's forehead to make sue he wasn't running a temp... But Ojean knocked
it away. 

"It's him!! Loki's father!!"

[[So Kate how would Gus feel about Loki's father showing up to save them :)]]

The storm outside was raging ferociously now. If it wasn't the hurricane
then something darn close Ojean thought as they sat around listing to the
sounds of objects hitting the sides of the warehouse. 

He knew from the link between Tee and the black wilder that more wraiths had
joined the first lot and the battle was still going on. So far only the
enemy was dying, but a few of the Wilders had taken some harm. 

Tee was also keeping him advised of the battle going on out at sea and he
felt restless, moody and useless. He should be doing something besides
sitting in a safe place while others around him were fighting for their lives.

<We will have our time,> Tee's calming voice told him. <But we must wait
until the time is right... We will know when that is.>

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Ojean turned to look at Gus.

"I thought I heard someone cry out," the other boy said and got up to go to
the door. "There.. I heard it again."

"It's probably just the wind kid," a seaman said and waved him to sit back
down. "Wind sounds that way sometimes when it blows."

"It wasn't the wind," Gus insisted. "Someone's still out there, and I'm
gonna go take a look."

He was at the door and before anyone could stop him, he had it opened and
was outside scanning the area. That's when he saw the pale yellow piece of
material beneath a pile of crates that the wind had blown over. Beneath it
he could see a small leg sticking out and knew someone was trapped under it.
A child by the size of the limb. 

Ojean now beside him heard the child's cries this time, but before he could
move to help Gus, who had taken off towards the child, someone had grabbed
his arm and held him back.

"But we have to help!" He cried struggling against the man's hold on him. 

"We will kid, but not you.. you'd be of no help to them right now being so
small yourself." The man told him, understanding how the boy must be
feeling. But just them two big seamen pushed past him and were out the door
on their was to help Gus who they could see was having problems removing the
crates. 

Ojean and the man watched as the others arrived. Saw them speaking and then
Gus nod as the men moved to take hold of the crates pinning the child down.
Then saw Gus drop down on his knees and work his body into the small opening
the men had created. 

Ojean held his breath as he watched. Seconds seemed like hours until he saw
Gus reappear. And in his arms was the body of a small child, her arms
wrapped tightly around the boys neck as he moved away from the crates that
had trapped her. 

He only waited long enough for the men to release their hold on the burden,
then the men moved on either side of him and helped him and the child who
refused to let go her death grip on his neck, back to the safety of the
stone warehouse. 

They had just about made it when out of the corner of his eyes, Ojean saw
something move and fear gripped him as he recognized the gray floating body
of a wraith. 

Before he could shout out and warn them of the danger they were in, flame
erupted and the wraith was no longer a threat.

<* I could do no less them save the chosen human of my son, *> he heard the
thought from the big black before he flew off again. 

<<I'm sure he would thank you if he could.>>

They got the big bay doors shut finally and then the only sound that could
be heard was the whimpering of the child.

Ojean watched his friend. Amazed to be seeing this side of the boy as he
comforted the child. A little girl no more then three... But then he knew he
shouldn't have been surprised. 

"Boys a hero you know," one of the seamen commented as he too watched the
others. "Chessman will want to thank him himself when this is over. The
little girl is his granddaughter."

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

Okay.. I didn't mean to make Gus sound like such a goodie goodie.. but hey..
He likes kids... He can get back to being himself after the kids mother
comes to get her....

The black dragon was Smoke if you didn't know... and he brought along a few
of his friends when it was known that the Warren had all they could handle
out at sea... Wisp who is in Jasra still but who can not go out and fight
himself for reasons dealing with blowing his cover...let his dragon know he
was needed and sent him to help where he himself couldn't.

I didn't figure the 'cane had hit just yet.. but had 'cane like weather
hitting the town... Who knows where it really hits when it makes up it's
mind..... 

I figure Gus and Ojean will head back when the weather calms down enough for
Tee to fly again.....

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

Ojean & Teewith
Jasra Warren

aka Barbara