"A what?!?!" David remarked, still irked by the dragon sneaking up on 
him.  He would have to train harder than usual when Ames got back from 
meeting with the DragonLady.
M'ressan shook his head and laughed.  "A telepath.  In other words, you 
can talk to more than one dragon, and probably to me also."
"Ye mean that this des not happen reqularly?" David said, feeling the 
stares of the other new dragonriders on him.
		*Why are you embarressed?* Kaylin asked
David shrugged the question off for now.

"That's right.  I am the only other one here at Keldarra." M'ressan 
answered with another laugh.  "But we will train privately for that.  For 
now," He said, raising his voice,"we will begin our lessons!"

The rest of the afternoon was routine, the newbies listening to M'ressan 
closely.  They cleaned the Dragons for the first time, Kaylin enjoying 
the water and brushes against his scales.  He doused David with water 
once, and David fell into the puddle laughing.  After the lessons were 
over however, the sun was already close to the western mountains.  
Daylight was fading fast.  

M'ressan dismissed the class for dinner then bed.  Tomorrow would start 
early.  Before everyone could leave though, he called David aside.  
"David, can I have a word with you?" 

David nodded, and motioned for Kaylin to follow.  The Dragon nodded, and 
walked gracefully with the young dragonrider.  
"Yes sir?" He said, a quzical look on his face.

"David, you're going to have extra training than the rest."  He answered, 
sitting on the grass.  David sat with him as Kaylin wandered over to 
Alanth, looking up at the full grown dragon with wonder.

"It tis' because of this telepathy, isn't et?" David said, more of a 
statement than a question.

"Yes.  And tonight will be our first class." M'ressan informed him.  "You 
have got to learn how to control it.  Being an empath is a great gift, 
and it helps out more in battles than you would think.  In fact, empaths 
usually end up as wing leaders because of it."

David sat, absorbing everything.  The news didn't shock the young man 
though.  

"I was determined t' be a wingleader anyways." He said matter-of-factly.
"That es me nature."

"Good." M'ressan said in approval.  At least he has drive.  "The first 
thing you must do is learn concentration, and how to focus your 
thoughts..." 

The session went quickly, David picking up on the principles to 
controlling telepathy right away.  He had the mind and concentration down 
pat, and the focus almost perfectly.  All he really needed was practise.  

"David, how is it that you....um....picked up on these excercises so 
quickly?" M'ressan asked as the lesson ended.  "It usually takes empaths 
months to learn that kind of concentration."

"When one learns Sirado, t'e first thing that es taught es focus and 
concentration."  David said, and got up.  "If ye will excuse me sir, I've 
got t' practice before all t'e light es gone."

M'ressan, confused but accepting, nodded his realease to David and got 
up.

David began going over the Siardo fighting forms on the grass, and 
quickly added Sirado'ka.  His swords cut the air cleanly, the blades 
seeming to sing as they moved.  For ten years he had been studying Sirado 
and it's forms while learning the craft of Metalworking, and he would not 
let up in his practise, Dragonrider or not......


      /\     /^---_---^\     /\       "I think, therefore I am.  Yet        
     /  \    > |_\ /_| <    /  \       when my characters think, are they 
    /    \   |         |   /    \      also?"  
   /      \   \  o o  /   /      \    "Dragons exist my friend, for the sheer
  /        \  |\_____/|  /        \    fact that in all cultures they are
 |          \ | \/ \/ | /          |   present, weather separated by land
     ----------       ----------       sea or air."----  Justin Almeida