Tara 

Things were happening too fast...one moment she'd been sitting with her queen in the hatching cavern trying to come up with an answer to her dilemna regarding Captain Dolfis, , and the next her queen had leaped up and gone running outside as though she'd lost her mind..bellowing something about another queen, and repeating over and over the phrase, [How dare she??] 

After narrowly avoiding being flattened when Sabbith tripped over himself in his haste to try and bring back the queen, she'd headed off at a full run in the direction the two dragons had gone - down toward the beach. Once there, she'd seen the reason for Varaenna's agitation - her own queen and a seadragon queen were facing each other across a short space of beach, 
with Jerram, Gus, and Loki caught in the middle. She was too far away to intervene, and Varaenna refused to listen to her. She hurried down the path, hoping that Sabbith could separate the two...she had no idea of what the sight of two queens *fighting* with one another would do to the other dragons of the warren!

Fortunately, by the time she managed to arrive on the scene, Loki had calmed the wilder and Sabbith was trying to get Varaenna back to where she belonged. She then spotted Dolfis, looking somewhat the worse for wear. She strode over to him. 

/snip from Katrina's post/ 

The wilder eventually began to slink back into the waters, most of her little ones with her. Dolfis did notice that one blue-ish dragon seemed determined 
to remain at Ansel's side. He grinned. Looks like I lost a new crewman, he thought amiably. He lifted his hand from the young rider's shoulder, the danger was past, he needn't protect the boy any longer. And now, with the excitement beginning to die down, he had to face that it was past time he saw the warrenlady. He turned to head toward her office, only to find her behind him. 

"It seems, Dolfis, that we have much to talk about." 
Dolfis nodded and put himself at her disposal. She headed past him towards her own dragon. 
/end snip/ 

"Tara," said Jerram quietly, falling into step beside her. "He saved Ansel, or so Seyd tells me." 

Tara stopped. "He did" 

Jerram nodded. "Seyd got it from Ansel. Dolfis risked himself to save Ansel from that wilder, and almost got killed in the process. He distracted the queen so she'd chase him instead of Ansel, and Loki snatched him up just before she'd have gotten him." 

Tara turned to look at the Seathief, seeing him in a way she hadnât before.  She wanted to express her gratitude to him, but knew that now wasn't the time or place. "Captain Dolfis," she called out, hoping he hadn't heard Jerram's words, "please meet me in my 
office in half an hour. You'll have your answer then." 

Dolfis nodded. "I'll be there," he answered. 

Now Tara stalked up to her queen, her eyes blazing. 

*Just WHAT did you think you were doing??* she demanded. [Do you hate being in the hatching cavern so much that you'd rather get yourself killed to 
avoid it??* Varaenna had always had this ridiculous notion that a queen should ãlead from the front, and this time it had almost caused a disaster. 

[She had NO business being anywhere near MY warren!] the queen said, her mindvoice almost a roar. 

*And YOU had NO business putting yourself in danger!!* Tara almost screamed. [This warren has already lost one senior queen! If you go and get yourself killed, there won't BE any warren anymore!! The Dragonlady will 
close it down faster than you could say...* 

The feel of a strong hand on her shoulder broke her concentration. She turned and found herself looking at Kay. 

*This isnât helping!* he signed. *You can't expect your queen to calm down until you do!* 

"But she had no right to jeopardize..." Tara began, then cut herself off. Kay was right. Varaenna was angry beyond the point of being rational, and Tara's own anger would do nothing but make things worse, like throwing hot oil on a blazing fire. And, conversely, Varaenna's anger would have the same effect on Tara's own mood. A vicious circle, truly, and Tara knew she'd 
have to be the one to break it. 

She nodded to Kay. "Sorry," she said. "She's not normally this bad-tempered. It must have something to do with the other queen laying her clutch so close to the warren, and Varaenna being so close to laying herself Some territorial thing having to do with the eggs, I don't know...this has never happened before." 

*Look farther down the beach,* Kay signed. *That might help your mood, and hers.* 

Tara glanced in the direction Kay pointed and saw Ansel with Corwin and Syngnath and...one of the seadragon hatchlings? She watched them for a moment before the import of what she was seeing hit her. She turned to Kay, her eyes wide. "Ansel...he's...they're...?" 

Kay nodded, smiling. *Sabbith says they are,* he signed. *Fayloth told him, and he should know, being the searcher's dragon.* 

Tara wanted to shout for joy. *Varaenna, did you hear that?* she asked. *Ansel's JOINED!!* 

[To a wilder!!] the queen cried, outraged. [He was supposed to join with one of MY offspring!!] 

Varaenna's hot anger hit Tara like a hammer, almost making her cringe. Again she felt Kay's supporting grasp on her shoulder. 

*Let Sabbith handle her,* he suggested. *He's very good at such things. Let her get over this before you try to talk to her again.* 

"I suppose I'd better," she agreed, watching as the red dragon nudged the reluctant queen to get her moving back toward the hatching cavern. She resisted at 
first, and it took a sharp order from Tara to make her comply. 

"I hope he succeeds," Tara told Kay as the two of them watched the dragons go. "Her temper is spilling over onto me, and I really donât want to deal with 
Dolfis in this state. Tell Sabbith to do whatever he needs to do to break her out of this!" 

*I'm sure he will,* Kay told her. 

The situation at the beach seemed to be well in hand, so Tara wondered how she should spend the time between now and her meeting with Dolfis. Her first instinct was to run and congratulate Ansel and his new dragon, but she forced herself not to. She'd felt Varaenna's resentment toward her rival's hatchling, and was afraid 
that going to see them now would make Sabbith's job all the more difficult. 

"Jerram," she said, turning to look at the swordmaster, "I think we should have a Hatching Party tonight for Ansel and his new dragon!  Could you see that the dining hall staff gets things ready?" 

Jerram grinned.  ãIâll tell them to have everything ready in two hours.  Where are you going now?ä 

"To go and do something where being bad tempered will be an advantage," she told him, then turned to Kay again.  ãLooks like we may have to make that dinner I owe you a *late-night* dinner.ä

 Kay smiled reassuringly at her. *I was sort of hoping for that anyway,* he signed. 

* * * * * * * * 
/snip from Kris' post/ 

"Step back from the door, Slime!" a gruff voice responded, "Tara's here to see you." 

Devon did as he was instructed, scratching at the scruff on his face, before running his hands through his greasy hair. It was about time, now maybe he'd 
know what the heck was going on! He'd been attacked and they locked him up! It wasn't fair! 

The door clicked open and the gruff-voiced man walked in with a large sword poised ready .. followed by Tara. 

"Tara." Devon's voice was filled with relief. "They've locked me up here .. and I've done nothing wrong. I was attacked!" 

He clutched his head, trying to drive out the pain so he could talk to her. 

"You were drunk on duty, Devon." Tara said firmly. "That is not acceptable behavior." 

"I was NOT drunk!" he said indignantly .. then from Tara's look, he dropped his head, "Okay I had a bit to drink. But I was doing my job! I tried to stop the creeps, but a group of them jumped me! Ask Xanith!" 
/end snip/ 

"I had Varaenna talk to Xanith earlier," she replied coldly. "He wouldn't tell her a thing. It seems to me, Devon, that if you're telling the truth your dragon would leap to your defense. The fact that he doesn't 
speaks volumes!" 

Devon turned angrily away from her. "Then there's nothing really for me to say, is there?" he asked. "You're going to believe what you want to 
believe!" 

"I *don't* want to believe that one of my riders is spending all his time hitting the bottle," she said. "But from everything I've heard, that's 
exactly what you've been doing! Damn it all, if you *were* sober last night, it would be the only night that you *have* been sober since Piper died!!" 

"Piper's got nothing to do with this!!" he cried, turning to glare at her, his eyes wide. 

"Devon, Piper has *everything* to do with it!" Tara snapped. "She's gone, and there's nothing you can do to bring her back!! Drinking yourself to death certainly isn't going to do it!" 

"Leave her out of this!" he cried. 

"I can't, because you won't!" Tara retorted. "Well, I've got news for you...you won't find her in the bottom of a bottle, no matter how many of them you drain!" 

"You don't understand..." he said. 

"I understand all too well," she said. "I understand that you're going to drink yourself to death at this rate...or get yourself killed by being too hung over to function properly in a wraith attack. I do *not* think that Piper would approve of this...nor, I suspect, does your dragon. Or have you forgotten about him?"

ãThatâs...between Xanith and me...!ä Devon said uncertainly.

Taraâs face hardened.  ãDevon, I could have you punished very severely for dereliction of duty...including keeping you locked up right here, without your bottle to comfort you, until Iâm convinced that youâre off the booze!  If I donât, it will be only because youâve managed to somehow convince me that you will never...*ever*...drink anything stronger than water as long as you live.  Because thatâs the only way youâre ever going to save yourself from your addiction!ä 

(Tag Kris - a pretty chilling prospect for Devon, eh?) 

* * * * * * * * 
Varaenna 

Accompanied...or rather, herded...by Sabbith, the white-silver queen finally reached the hatching cavern. She did not, as some queens did, get excessively wide around the middle when she got close to her laying time - in fact, on the outside she looked scarcely different than she had before the mating flight. Nor did the clutch she was carrying make her awkward or 
ungainly...but the *weight* was still there, making it difficult for her to fly. Too much walking did tire her, though, and her legs still hurt from leaping to the sand in front of the wilder queen. 

She didn't really notice any of that, though. All that mattered to her was that a strange queen had laid a clutch at *her* warren...had threatened her rider's clutchmate...and then, if all of this wasn't bad enough, one of the wilder's hatchlings had *joined* with her rider's clutchmate! And then, to top it all off, her rider had yelled at her. All in all, the queen was having a very bad day. 

She stopped at the entrance, glaring angrily at the dim interior. She felt Sabbith nudge her gently from behind. [Come on, we're almost there!] he said cheerfully. 

[Lovely,] she growled, slowly making her way inside. [My favorite place.] 

[Well...it will be,] Sabbith offered helpfully. [Once your clutch is laid, I'm sure you'll feel differently.] 

Varaenna sighed, and began pacing back and forth. [I can't believe this...the nerve of her, the absolute *nerve*...] 

[Well...she had to lay her clutch somewhere,] Sabbith said. [Maybe she didn't know there was a warren here...] 

Varaenna stopped pacing for a moment and glared at Sabbith, who hung his head a bit. [Hmmph!] she said, and resumed her pacing. 

[Varaenna, you're making me dizzy just watching you!] Sabbith protested after a few moments. [You need to be resting!] 

[Rest??] she demanded, stopping in place. [A whole wing of dragons here, and I have to go out and deal with that wilder queen myself!  How can I get any rest when I have to do everything myself??]

Sabbith tactfully decided not to point out that Jasraâs ãwhole wing of dragonsä could have dealt with the problem much more easily had her presence on the beach not complicated things. [Well, your rider thinks you should be resting right now...for your eggs, you know.]

[And she canât tell me this herself?] the queen demanded, resuming her pacing yet again.

[You need to be calm so that she can be calm,] he said loudly. [She told my rider this.]

The queen rolled her eyes, and walked over to sit next to Sabbith. [All right, I'm not pacing any more....satisfied?] 

[Well, I guess this is a little better,] he said dubiously, watching her lower herself slowly to the sand.  He moved up next to her and tried to cuddle as she lay there lashing her tail angrily.  But she remained so tense that he found it to be like trying to cuddle with a boulder. [You know, now that *she* is gone, you could relax a bit,] he suggested, giving her shoulder a playful nudge with his nose.

[Hmph!] she growled, slapping her tail down so hard that it sent a fine spray of beach sand showering down onto Sabbith.

(Well Kris, I'd say that Sabbith's got his work cut out for him... :) 

* * * * * * * * 
Ansel 
(hatchling barracks) 

/snip from Arlene's post/ 

Ansel sat down on the edge of a currently vacant bunk and looked around him amazed. "So, you mean I'm a dragonrider now?" 

"Looks like it, Lad." Corwin said as he pulled out some clean, dry clothes. 

The little seadragon curled up in the sand on the dragon side of the chamber. 

"He says he wishes the sand was wet?" Ansel looked up surprised. 

"Yah, Sy always says that, too. I think seadragons like damp nests, unlike their landdragon cousins." Corwin answered as he stripped off his wet clothes, getting ready to take his shower. 

"He's hungry." Ansel looked up surprised. 

At that moment, as if reading his mind, Danis followed by Elly and Lainie, came in each carrying a bucket of meat. 

"We brought your hatchling something to eat...." Danis's eyes widened in surprise as she caught site of Corwin standing near the shower, bare naked. 

Elly quickly stepped in front of the other two, but she was too short to block their view. And what a view it was! 

The two women behind her giggled and nudged each other 

"Oh, pardon us," Lainie exclaimed in mock distress. 

Corwin grinned, not even attempting to cover himself. "You ladies are just in time. Ansel was just saying that Khamorray is hungry. Now if you'll 
excuse me, I was about to shower this salt off me." 

"Don't hurry off on our account," Danis grinned. 

"I'm certainly glad we weren't late, aren't you Elly?" Lainie commented to Corwin's retreating posterior. 

Elly elbowed her sister, "You'll be late -- the late Lainie -- if you don't keep quiet." 

Lainie started to giggle and then the three dissolved into a fit of laughter. 

Khamorray, however, smelling the meat, interrupted further comments by reminding them all of his presence. The three women then helped Ansel feed his hatchling, which helped cement their bond. 
/end snip/

*Not so fast!* Ansel chuckled, as he and the others kept the hatchling supplied with a continuous supply of meat. *You'll get a bellyache, if you don't slow down.* 

[I don't care,] Khamorray said smugly. [I'm hungry!] 

*Did you eat this much after you hatched?* Ansel asked Syngnath, who sat nearby watching the warren's newest addition decimate the bucketful of meat the women had brought. 

[Um, I think so,] Syngnath replied. [I remember that I was very hungry...] 

"Ansel, how does it feel to be a dragonrider?" Danis asked. 

"It feels...wonderful," he told her. Khamorray, picking up on the pleasant feelings coming from Ansel's mind, stopped gobbling the meat and snuggled himself up against the boy's side. 

[I like it here,] the hatchling decided, after giving the barracks a thorough visual inspection. [We will be very happy together, my Ansel!] 

*I know we will, my little Khamorray,* Ansel replied, stroking the little seadragon's neck. 

Just then, Jerram entered. "Ah, there you are!" he said, grinning from ear to ear. He stooped down so that he was eye level with Khamorray. The hatchling regarded him curiously. "I see we've got another new recruit to 
train, eh?" 

"Wouldn't want you to feel like you're out of a job as soon as you graduate our group," Lainie giggled. 

Jerram sighed. "Well, the truth is, I'll only be doing the basic training this time around." 

"Really?" asked Corwin, stepping out of the shower and beginning to towel himself off. "You're stepping down as trainer?" 

"Well, hopefully soon, but not yet," Jerram told him. "The truth is, I'm not all that qualified to train a seadragon and his rider - as Iâm sure youâve noticed.. I can train Ansel and Khamorray  to about the point where I've gotten you, Corwin, but after that we need someone who knows more about seadragons and their special needs. An expert on seadragons, in other words." 

Elly and Corwin exchanged glances. "Has Wade come back, then?" Elly asked. 

Jerram shook his head. "No, unfortunately not." 

Lainie looked thoughtful. "But we don't have any other seadragons here at Jasra...and none of the other warrens could have any at all, because they're not anywhere near the water. That just leaves Corwin..." 

Jerram nodded. "Yes, that it does. Corwin, I think it's pretty safe to say that you've just found your patrol partner." 

"Wow, did you hear that, Corwin!?" Ansel asked excitedly, startling Khamorray awake. The hatchling 
had just begun to doze off after filling his belly. 

Corwin smiled too, but his look was more guarded. "Jerram...I'm nobody's idea of an expert on seadragons! I'm brand new at this!" 

"Then you can both learn together," said Jerram, twirling his mustache. "Oh, and by the way...there's going to be a Hatching Party in the dining hall 
in an hour. Everyone's invited, of course!"

* * * * * * * *
Tara
(Warrenladyâs office)

     Tara took a deep breath to steady herself.  She had blocked Varaenna out as much as was possible, but she could still feel the queenâs sulky mood at the fringes of her own mind.  She hoped that Sabbith could do something, at least by the time the party started, for Anselâs sake if not her own.

      Just then there came a knock at the door.  ãCome in,ä she said.  The door opened and Dolfis Seathief entered.

     ãWarrenlady,ä he said, bowing.  ãIs this a good time to talk?ä

     She nodded wearily.  ãHave a seat,ä she told him.  Once heâd done so, she began to pace slowly back and forth in front of her desk.  ãCaptain Dolfis, you come with remarkably good references, for a pirate.ä

     ãSo youâve done some research on me,ä he said, nodding.  ãI expected no less.ä

     ãI have yet to find an instance in which youâve killed someone in the commission of one of your robberies,ä she went on.  ãStill, I have to be upfront with you.  I disapprove of what you do for a living.  You may be the oceangoing equivalent of a Îgentleman bandit,â who holds rigorously to his own peculiar code of honor, but the fact is that you commit crimes on a routine basis.  You prey on the merchant shipping that is the very lifeblood of the offshore islands, of Cabral, and of Jasra itself.ä

     Dolfis nodded slowly, regarding her intently.  ãGo on,ä he said.

     ãVery well,ä she said.  ãThe warren is required under the Contract to be impartial in its dealings with the landbound...we provide the same services to all, those services being protection from wraiths and wild dragons which the landbound cannot cope with unaided.  We also provide aid of other kinds, as and when we are able, to the landbound...such as we did with the settlements surrounding the warren during the recent hurricane.  We would expect the landbound to do no less for us if one of our riders or dragons were in need of assistance, and they were in a position to extend it.ä

     ãWarrenlady, if youâre going to refuse my request, I wish you would do so,ä he said.  ãIâve heard similar speeches before, believe me, though never from a Warrenlady.ä

     Tara sighed.  ãForgive me...Iâm afraid my queen is in a rather agitated state right now, and my own temper is a bit frayed.  Iâll dispense with the lectures, then.  Captain, an hour ago I would have told you that the warrenâs position as an impartial protector of the landbound would render it impossible for me to agree to your request - because in assisting you to repair your vessel, we would thereby be responsible for any future depredations on your part against the merchant sailors who also look to us for protection.ä

     ãBut not now?ä he asked, puzzled.

     She shook her head.  ãThere is another principle here, that of repaying a good deed...one favor in return for another, if you will.  A short time ago, you saved my brotherâs life, and for that I am very grateful.  But more importantly, from the warrenâs point of view, your action in saving him has given us a unique dragon and rider pair that we needed very badly.  You have, therefore, done the warren a service of tremendous proportions.  And I am, therefore, now willing to reciprocate.  Captain Dolfis, you may repair your vessel here, with all the assistance we can give you...with the understanding that this in no way obligates the warren should you come here in similar need again.ä  She sat down at her desk and faced the pirate captain.  ãNow, tell us what you need.ä

(Tag Kate)

(NRPG:  Anyone who wants to, feel free to get the party underway!)

Submitted by:

John

Warrenlady Tara & Varaenna
Jerram & Seydor
Ansel & Khamorray

Jasra Warren