(Evening, Day 5 - Dining Hall)

     Tara and Vignette had returned to the dining hall shortly after Jerram 
and Saul had departed, since the freshening breeze coming off the ocean had 
begun to make it uncomfortably cool down on the beach.  The temperature might 
have been warmer in the dining hall, but it did nothing to relieve the chill 
that had settled over Tara's thoughts.

     Vignette had refused her offer to take Evelle's place here.  Jasra was 
to be closed, its riders and dragons scattered to the four winds.  All that 
Tara had done to try and save it had been in vain.

     "Dragonlady, I simply do not understand," said Tara, as the two of them 
sat at a small table in a corner.  "Your note said that...that you wanted me 
to be Evelle's junior queenrider."

     Vignette quirked an eyebrow at her.  "You've gotten in the habit of 
reading other peoples' mail?" she asked.

     "Considering that its intended recipient and her queen were already 
dead, I didn't think it mattered," she pointed out.  "And why didn't...why 
didn't you tell me the truth about why you were sending me here?  Why did you 
tell me that Varaenna and I were just coming here for a two-week vacation?"

     Vignette chuckled softly to herself.  "Well, would you have come 
otherwise?  Would you have deserted that detestable family of yours?"

    "Yes," Tara replied.

     "Easy to say now," Vignette reminded her, "that they've shown their true 
colors.  And before you even ask....yes, I did suspect that you and Varaenna 
were in danger from them.  I just didn't expect that it would come this 
quickly, or that your brother would be the target.  It appears that I made my 
attempt to get you out of Ismene none too soon."

     "Ansel might have died, Vignette," said Tara, shaking her head slowly.  
"Why couldn't you have *warned* me if you knew this would happen?"

     The Dragonlady laid her hand over the younger queenrider's own.  
"Because you would never have believed me," she said.  "It took a near 
catastrophe to make you see that your parents would *never* again accept you 
as their daughter so long as Varaenna lives."

     "Well, you have your wish,  then," said Tara.  "I've broken my ties to 
them, all except my brother Ansel, who's here now.  But why, then, won't you 
reconsider your decision to close Jasra Warren?  Vignette, I can do it, I 
know I can!  I know I'm not that old or experienced, but Evelle was younger 
still..."

     "And Evelle is *dead,* Tara!" Vignette said forcefully.  "Murdered in 
the middle of a hatching, for the gods' sakes!  And Bithena before 
her...who's death, and that of her queen, was never explained to my 
satisfaction.  What I said in my letter to Evelle was true...you *would* have 
made her an excellent junior queenrider...and, had you outlived her, an 
excellent warrenlady.  I had hoped that you would...well, that you would fall 
in love with the place, as Evelle did, and wish to stay of your own accord."

     "I did," Tara said softly.  "And I do."

     Vignette squeezed Tara's hand.  "But when I sent you here, I had no idea 
of the danger!  Tara, queens and queenriders are *not* expendable, and we've 
lost too many already.  The day you came here, I had you stop at Epion to 
tell them of Danika's death.   Then Evelle was murdered...and now, Phaedra of 
Geode is incapacitated, maybe permanently.  Tara, that's nearly a quarter of 
our queen dragons and their riders lost within only a few weeks!"

     "Vignette, I'm willing to take the risk!" Tara protested.  "So is 
Varaenna!  Vignette, Evelle's death may not even have anything to do with 
Jasra...the assassin that Wynn captured may have followed her from Keldarra.  
Isn't it worth at least taking the risk in order to keep a warren from 
disappearing forever?"

     "I know you are willing," said Vignette, as she and Tara turned to see 
Shawnee, Saul, and Jerram approaching with a youngster that Tara didn't 
recognize.  "But I cannot be."  

* * * * * * * *
Varaenna
(the hatching cavern)

     The white-silver queen had been humming softly to occupy herself, having 
little else to do at the moment.  She'd been *so* looking forward to spending 
time sunning herself on the beach when she got here, splashing in the cool 
waters, playing with the friendly dolphins...

     And instead, here she was stuck in a gloomy hatching cavern that didn't 
look that much different from the one at Ismene where she had herself 
hatched, and which she'd spent all too much time in during the intervening 
years.  Everyone else got to go out and have fun...even her own rider had 
headed down to the beach and left her to sit and guard these eggs that 
weren't even her own...

     Suddenly, a movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention.  She 
abruptly stopped humming and shifted her gaze.  There it was again...one of 
the eggs rocked just slightly.   She brought her head down to where she could 
touch that particular egg with the tip of her nose.  

     [Loki, are you doing that on purpose?] she inquired, calling the unborn 
dragonet by the name she'd given him.  She'd named all the dragonets, since 
their true dam, Valema, hadn't lived long enough after clutching to do so.   
The egg didn't respond to her question, but then she cocked her head and 
thought for a second - if the dragonet was *able* to rock the egg like that, 
then that could only mean that...

     Varaenna's joyful trumpeting rang throughout the warren.

* * * * * * * *
~snip from Barb's post~

"And so I think it would be best for all concerned if this place that hasn't 
had much luck.. is closed down and the riders sent to other locations that 
might better use them." the Dragonlady was saying just as they took their 
seats. 

"I disagree M'lady," Shawnee spoke up. "I mean I know my family and I have
just arrived here in Jasra... but what of the people who call these lands
home? Don't they have the same right as others living near the other Warrens
to feel they are being protected by the dragonriders.

 "I mean they were promised protection and have from what I heard, kept to
their part of the contract by the tithes they had given. Can we do nothing
less for them then to fill our part of it? We have here a group of riders
and their families.. who are both willing and have the need to stay here and
fight for what they believe in. Why I bet there isn't a rider here who would
want to leave if you asked them."

Others around her agreed, but she saw the woman wasn't satisfied. 

"Well that may be good but there is still the bit about..."

Whatever argument the Dragonlady might have made was cut off when a very
loud draconic roar filled the air and was answered by every other dragon
within. 

"The Eggs!!" someone shouted. 

"Their hatching!! Quick get the searchlings!! The Eggs are hatching!!"

Shawnee watched as Saul reached for Lynnie and then turned to help her up.
Aarin was still with his grandmother so she followed her mate knowing her
son was fine and they started to follow the others to the hatching cave.

Up ahead she caught sight of the boy Gus being pulled along by the hand
Jerram had circling the boys arm. Gus didn't look to happy but there was
nothing he could do. 

Then she saw Danis with the Warrenlady's brother and couldn't help but grin
when she saw the bewilder look on the girls face. 

~end snip~

(Ansel)

     "C'mon Danis!" he cried, grabbing her by the hand and drawing her toward 
the hatching cavern.  "We've got to hurry!"

     "Hurry where?" Danis asked, bewildered.  "What's going on?"

     "The eggs are hatching!" he explained excitedly.  "Varaenna told me so!  
She said that we should both come running!"

     He knew, of course, that Danis wouldn't really understand any of this - 
she came from a place where dragons were nothing but legends.  Of course, 
this was only the second hatching that he himself had been to.  The first, at 
Ismene, was the one where Varaenna had hatched and joined to his sister.  But 
he remembered that long-ago day clearly, and remembered how happy he'd been 
for Tara's sake...and how much he'd wished that he'd been old enough to be 
picked.  Maybe today...maybe...

     As they entered the hatching cavern, he could see the immense shape of 
the silver-white queen standing proudly behind the cluster of eggs.  Her head 
was raised high, and she was humming a soft melody - a song of welcome for 
the about-to-be-born dragonets.  Near her stood another dragon, even larger 
than Varaenna herself.  Another queen, this one a beautiful rose-gold color.  
He realized that this was the Empress Darath, whom he'd seen at the Ismene 
hatching.  And then, from the corner of his eye, he saw the Dragonlady 
herself appear among the crowds that were filling the stands.  His sister was 
with her, and a number of other dragonriders.

     The eggs were rocking wildly under the eyes of the candidates.  Ansel 
could feel his heart pounding wildly...was one of these for him?

~snip from Barb's post~

 Saul and Shawnee wondered at the look on the Dragonlady's face when the
Queen egg cracked wide open and the little beast took only seconds to find
her chosen human. They all laughed at the antics of the beast as the joining
to place, but still Shawnee wondered why Vignette looked like she'd been
tricked.. that was it. that's what the look on the woman's face reminded her
of and Shawnee couldn't help but feel sorry for Tara when the *look* was
turned on her. 

"She didn't tell Vignette about the queen egg did she?" Shawnee turned and
muttered to Saul who was beside her holding her hand.

"No.. she wanted to save that as another argument."

"Well I don't think the woman is to happy about not being told," Shawnee
mused as she watched the woman saying something to Tara and saw the girl
blushing. 

~end snip~

(Tara)

     Despite her resolution not to, she couldn't keep herself from nervously 
scanning the tiers surrounding the hatching sands as the eggs began to crack. 
 Evelle had stood at this very spot when the assassin's arrow had found her.  
What if she was wrong, and the attack on Evelle *was* part of some plot 
against Jasra.  She and the Dragonlady, standing right here together, would 
make a pair of very tempting targets.  From the corners of her eye, she could 
see several riders...taking up strategic positions from which they could 
better observe the crowd and react to any hostile moves.

     "I always wonder how she does that," Vignette said.

     "Does what?" Tara asked.

     "Your queen," the Dragonlady replied.  "How she sings like that.  It 
sounds like a dozen people humming in harmony, with a couple of musical 
instruments thrown in for good measure.  There has to be some sort of magical 
enhancement there."

       "I think so,"  Tara agreed.  "Too bad other dragons haven't been able 
to learn it."   She smiled, remembering how Varaenna had tried to teach both 
Darath and Seydor how to sing like she did.  Neither of the other dragons had 
ever been able to even come closer than a series of discordant grunts and 
growls.   Seydor had kept on trying, though, until his rider told him to have 
mercy on the warren and give it up.

     "Tara," said Vignette, "is there something you forgot to tell me about 
this hatching?"

     Tara came out of her reverie and turned to the Dragonlady.  "Forgotten?"

     "Like the small detail that there was a *queen* in that wilder's 
clutch?" Vignette prompted.

     "No, I didn't forget," said Tara.  "I asked Jerram to tell you about the 
eggs when he came to Ismene to tell you about what happened to my brother."

     "Ah," said Vignette.  "That's him down there, isn't he?"

     "Yes, it is," she replied, leaning forward to see Ansel better amidst 
the crowd.  She was glad that he'd brought Danis along, too.  The girl had a 
strong affinity, maybe even strong enough to attract the newborn queen who 
was just beginning her search.  Or maybe it would be Katya, who was standing 
near her.  She'd also make a very good queenrider, Tara thought.

    *Varaenna, who's she going for?* Tara asked excitedly.

     [Well, how should I know?] the queen asked, amused.  [All I know is that 
as soon as this is over, I'm out of here!  Beach and sun, here I come!]

     *Dear, its night out there,* Tara reminded her.

     [Oh...drat,] said the disappointed queen.

     She felt Vignette's hand on her arm.  "Tara look, she's chosen!"  And 
simultaneously, the crowd broke out into wild cheers for Jasra's newest queen 
and her rider.

(Louise, over to you! :)

* * * * * * * *
Ansel

     In the press of bodies as everyone had tried to crowd in around the 
eggs, he'd gotten separated from Danis.  Then everything got confused as one 
egg after the other cracked open.  Before he knew it, the dragonets were 
among the candidates, their heads swaying back and forth as they each looked 
for that one special boy or girl who would be their chosen lifemate.  

     One dragonet seemed to be coming right for him, and he tensed in 
disbelief.  Could it be...?

     But at the last moment, the dragonet veered off and joined with another 
boy.  And then he heard the wild cheers - the queen had chosen!  There were 
people between them, so he couldn't see who the lucky girl was.  But as he 
looked around, he saw that all of the dragonets had hatched...the queen had, 
it seemed, been the last to join.   Ansel swallowed a lump in his throat.  
He'd had such high hopes....but none of the dragonets had found him 
acceptable.    He wondered what Tara and the others would think of his 
failure.

     Without waiting to see who had joined to the queen, Ansel slipped 
quietly off to the side, and into the corridor that led back out of the 
hatching cavern.   He wondered what he'd do with himself now.  There was no 
place for him back at the village, where he'd most likely be killed if he 
ever showed his face there again.  Now, it was looking doubtful that there 
was a place for him at the warren either.  He leaned back against the wall 
and waited, unsure of what to do next.

(NRPG: I imagine Ansel will be here for a bit, if anyone wants to run into 
him)

* * * * * * * *     
Jerram
(after the hatching)

>"So.. What's your friends name?" Shawnee joined Gus a little while later.

>"Loki.. He said his name was Loki," the boy's eyes shown with incredible
amazement and joy. "Is he really all mine?"

>"Yup. All yours. He's a fine looking dragon and my Doshy says he'll grow up
to be a fine fighting beast."

>"Well sometimes I still find myself amazed," a voice said from behind them
and Shawnee looked to see a grinning Jerram standing there. "So the street
rat got himself a dragon huh? Who'd have thunk it?"

>Gus bristled.  "Got a problem with that?"

>"No, not at all, boy.  Its strangely fitting - the runt of the litter with 
the runt of the litter."

>Gus flicked a glance at Jerram's much larger dragon.

>"Well," she drawled, "y'know what they say.  Big and stupid..."

     Jerram laughed, giving Gus a swat on the rear.  "Oh, I can't wait to see 
*you* in training!"

     "Who takes care of that here?" Saul asked.  "Training, I mean."

     "I don't know," Jerram admitted.  "I always did the sword training at 
Ismene, but as far as overall rider training here...I think it was Wynn, and 
he's not here anymore."

     "Training!" Gus demanded.  "I don't need no training!  Neither does 
Loki!"

      Shawnee rolled her eyes.  "Oh, we've got a live one here!"

     Jerram shrugged.  "Well, I suppose that's all right," he said.  "If you 
feel that you're ready to assume your full duties as a dragonrider, you can 
just take the equivalency test to prove that you're proficient enough."

     "Test?" Gus asked, suspiciously.  "What test is that?"

     "Oh, it's pretty simple," Jerram assured him, giving Saul and Shawnee a 
wink.  "We lock you in a room with a dozen wraiths, and judge your success by 
what sort of shape you're in when you make it out."

     Saul cleared his throat, and put on his most serious look.  "Of course, 
if they dissolve you, you flunk," he said.

     "Would he get to retake the test later, then?" Shawnee asked, trying to 
sound serious while covering her mouth with a hand to hide her smile.

     "Is this on the level?" Gus demanded suspiciously.

     "No," said Jerram, "but we figured you wouldn't want to talk about the 
upcoming days of relentless toil that lie ahead of you as you learn your new 
profession."

     "At least not until *after* the party," Saul put in.

     "And speaking of which," said Jerram, "if I know these people here at 
Jasra, they'll have had the preparations underway for the hatching party from 
the moment the dragons started roaring.  Shall we go?"

(Katrina? Over to you.)

* * * * * * * *
Tara

     As she and Vignette made their way across the sands to congratulate the 
new queenrider, she saw Katya standing on the sands alone.  Tara knew how 
much another failure to join would have affected her, and stopped to put her 
hands on the girl's shoulders.

     "Katya, I'm sorry," said Tara.  "There'll be other times, you know."

     "I know, queenrider," said Katya.  "I'll be all right...really."

     Vignette placed a hand on Tara's shoulder.  "Katya, you are the one who 
helped the injured wilder queen with her laying of this clutch?"

     Katya blinked in surprise.  "Y-yes, Dragonlady.  How did...how did you 
know."

     Vignette smiled kindly.  "My dear, Varaenna was here while you were 
doing it...and, of course, it was one of the first things she told Darath 
about when we arrived earlier."

     Tara smiled.  "You did manage to make quite an impression on her," she 
told Katya.

     "Tara is right, there will be other hatchings," Vignette continued.  
"But the warrens have need of people with your specific talents, whether or 
not they're joined.  How would you like to train to be a dragonhealer?"

     Katya's eyes went wide.  "A...dragonhealer?  Me?"

     Vignette nodded.  "As it just so happens, the healer college has an 
opening for a new trainee.  From what I've heard, you're just the person to 
fill that slot."

     "It would be a great opportunity," Tara said.  She wanted to tell Katya 
that she could always return to Jasra after finishing her training, but knew 
that at this point she couldn't promise that there would *be* a Jasra by then.

     Katya hesitated only a moment.  "Yes, Dragonlady, thank you!  I will!"

     "I don't believe you'll regret your decision," said Vignette.  "Can you 
have your things packed tonight?  I'm sure Tara can spare a rider to take you 
in the morning.  I'll write a letter of referral to the Master Healer tonight 
to send with you."

     Katya's gloom had lifted considerably, as Tara could well imagine that 
it might.  As she watched the girl rush off to her quarters, she shouted 
after her.  "And don't forget the party!"

     Seeing Katya had also reminded her of Ansel, who she knew hadn't joined. 
 *Varaenna, is Ansel still in the cavern?*

     [No, he left right after Thalia joined to her rider.]

     Tara sighed, wishing she could go and look for him, but knowing that she 
couldn't right now.  *All right, love.  But would you mind talking to him?  
Tell him that it's all right?*

     [Of course I will.]

     "And now, I'd like to meet your new queenrider," Vignette prompted her.

NRPG:

     Louise - I didn't write anything directly involving Danis, so you'd be 
free to handle her joining however you want.

     Justin & Christine - Are Peren and Samika back at the warren, or still 
away as of late on day 5?  Should we write them as being at the hatching or 
the party?

     All - next up will be the hatching party...and it'll be there that the 
future of Jasra is decided!  That *is* why we invited the Dragonlady, after 
all. :)

Submitted by:

John

Tara & Varaenna
Jerram & Seydor
Ansel

Jasra Warren

Trevor & Trissana, Cleft Warren
T'rell & Flerrion, Daere Warren