[DL] Darlea

Darlea felt a hand on her shoulder, "I see you've been watching the flight.
Did you notice who won?" She recognized the voice at once and wasn't
surprised when she turned to see the smirk on the face behind her. "I told
you he'd hurt you, Darlea."

"What are you talking about, V'rdeen? It was a marvelous flight. Other then
the one dragon getting hurt. But that happens on occasion. It didn't look
serious from here." said Darlea.

"But he's with her right now." V'rdeen said incredulously "He's making love
to her right this moment. Now you've lost him."

Darlea burst out laughing. "V'rdeen, it's that kind of thinking that got you
in trouble in the first place. This will not change my relationship with
Almiron."

"You'll see, Darlea, it will eat away at you. Just give it time." V'rdeen
walked away from her, sure in his belief that he had been right about
Almiron all along. Darlea continued to chuckle at the thought as she watched
V'rdeen take a seat along at a table.

"What was that all about?" Asked Sheltie filling Darlea's cup with more tea.

"V'rdeen has some strange notion that I should be jealous over Almiron's
dragon winning the mating flight just now." Darlea told her.

Sheltie stared out the window. "He won another. I'm sorry, Darlea, but I
told you..."

"Not you too, mama." Darlea shook her head, biting the words that threatened
to come out, *I'm not like you, mama.*

Suddenly Makayla's choked cry thundered into her head, <Darshan's rider's
been wounded!>

<What!> Darlea's mind cried.

<Almiron's dying! Darshan is panicked!>

Darlea's face went white. Sheltie grabbed the girl to keep her from falling
over, "Darlea, what's wrong?"

"Almiron's d... been hurt, seriously." She put the word 'dying' out of her
mind. She couldn't believe he would die... not with all his healing powers.
It had to be Darshan's panic that brought such a word to Makayla.

<I must go to him.> Makayla cried out.

<No!> said Darlea, maintaining some calm as she watched several dragonriders
quickly get up and run to their waiting dragons. <There will be too many
there. Wait Makayla.>

[DL] Salinda

For the moment the 'morning after' preparation was forgotten in the sudden
fear Salinda felt from Dencia. The red dragon had been relaxing, and
enjoying being wrapped around the body of the winner of her recent flight
when he had suddenly began panicking. The panic spread throughout the dragon
population like wildfire.

Dencia had contacted her rider first, though she had known it wouldn't be
long before everyone knew and would be there to help the wounded man. And
sure enough she was correct.

Salinda followed Kyven out and jumped on the back of his dragon with him,
not sure what she planned to do once she got there. They were not the first
to arrive, but Kyven quickly jumped off Aethnod and rushed to take care of
his friend. Salinda stood back, not wanting to see what was going on, but
being unable to tear her eyes away. It was hard to believe what was happening.

Her tears began to flow again. She backed up slowly, then turned and ran
away from the scene. It wasn't long before she heard her dragon's gentle
cry, <Salinda... Salinda?>

Salinda tearfully ran to her dragon and buried her head in the dragon's warm
hide. She climbed on her dragon's back, <Back to the Warren, Dencia. To the
apartment. Hurry, please.>

Dencia obeyed her riders tortured cry, <What's wrong, Salinda? Why are you
so sad? Is it because of *him*> Both dragon and rider knew she was not
talking about Almiron, but another man. One who had hurt her deeply.

--Darlea & Makayla
--Salinda & Dencia
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Kristen and Scott Gant
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sgant/gant.htm
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