Marrid Green

     Tarranx backwinged to a smooth landing in the center of the
Marrid green, where T'rend was waiting with Grall.  As Mukale got
off of the grey dragon, the older rider approached him. "Grall
here tells me that you are M'kale.  I'm T'rend."

     The young man returned T'rends easy grin.  "Actually, it's
Mukale, but Tarranx calls me M'kale."

     T'rend chortled.  "Ah, give it up lad.  I used to be Terrend
before I joined with Grall.  Your dragon has a mind of his own."

     Mukale laughed along with him.  "Why do dragons sometimes
shorten names anyway?"

     T'rend shrugged.  ^Simpler.^ Tarranx elucidated promptly. 
The boy laughed harder.  As the two continued snickered, Sky and
Shard arrived on their dragons, and soon all of them sat down to
plan their explorations.

     "Wh-what are we going t-to use to c-capture wraiths w-with?"
began Shard.

     T'rend smiled wryly.  "I don't think we are quite ready to
capture one yet.  Actually, Waylene tells me she is still rather
skitish about it.  But if we can get started, I don't think it
will be long before she lets us bring one in for study."

     Shard looked annoyed that his plans to start collecting
wraiths as if they were pictures.  "What!?  How l-l-long are we
going t-to wait to t-take these things seriously?"

     T'rend turned to the younger rider.  "Control yourself!  We
do take them seriously.  That's why we are beginning these
scouting trips.  But have you been cleared for flight by
D'ssarian?"

     "Of course I have."

     "Good.  I think that we could organize a flight tomarrow,
don't you?"

     Shard acted as if he were about to protest further, but
settled down as Sky began speaking.  "While its true that we
would learn more about wraiths if we caught one, I think we could
learn something without chancing it."

     Mukale nodded at the girl's reasoning.  It was much like his
own, although part of his reluctance to immediately follow
Chard's headstrong plan was that he still feared what the wraiths
could do to them.  "There's a lot of wasteland to cover." he
considered.  "We aren't going to cover it all in a day... or a
month, for that matter.  If tomorrow we started scouting, say...
south of the Warren, it would give us a starting point."

     T'rend nodded agreement.  "You two youngsters are making
sense.  Let us meet here in the morning at first light."

     Mukale stood up as the others did.  As each rider mounted
their dragon, he noticed that Tarranx was watching Sarathain.
^What is it, Scales?^

     ^We talk.^ commented the grey dragon. ^Sarathain is most
unusual.^

     ^So is his rider.^ added Mukale. ^A very wize little girl.^

     Tarranx turned his head to glance at his rider. ^She is
little younger or smaller than you, M'kale.^ he reminded the boy.

     Mukale laughed. ^So she is.  She is the perfect size and age
for a girl.^ His laughter subsided as he watched the girl climb
aboard the big orange and red dragon.  "Sky, would you like to
speak further about how we should search tomorrow?"

     Sky looked down from where she sat atop Thain.  "If you
wish.  Though it doesn't seem like there's much that needs to be
planned.  We go out.  We look.  We tell what we see."

     The ex-caravan boy looked up at the young dragonrider.  Her
short reddish hair partially covered her eyes, but he could see
that they were blue.  "Oh, tactics and stuff.  Seems to me that
you've thought some on what we should do."

     Sky considered his remark.  "Come to my Apartment.  Thain
says that yours is cramped."

     ^It is not.^ protested Tarranx to Mukale. ^Its just that
Sarathain is very large.^

     Mukale responded to neither assessment of his chosen home,
but swarmed about Tarranx, checking the saddle straps as he did
so.  His participation in the rescue of Diana and Malk had
convinced him that he should have a sound saddle for all future
rides.  "Ok, Scales, lets go talk with Sky."

     With a powerful sweap of his wings, Tarranx launched himself
into the low overcast. ^You speak with the girl.  I will talk
with Sarathain.^ Mukale didn't know how to respond to this, as
was quite for the remainder of the short flight to Sky's ledge.

     The charcoal dragon was settling to the shelf in front of
Sky's cave when he spoke again. ^Chaldecony and his rider are
going to begin searching today.^

     "He can't!" shouted Sky.  "Its too cloudy.  The dragons
couldn't see any distance on a day like today."

     "How are we going to stop him?" asked Mukale.  "He's going
to go whether we follow him or not."

     Sky was frozen in indecision.  "What can we do?"

     Mukale looked upward, where Chaldecony banked in lazy
circles, inviting the two of them to follow.  "We have to go
along to keep him out of trouble.  Tarranx, contact T'rend's blue
and let him know what Shard is planning to do."

     ^We follow?^

     "Yes!"

Apprehensively Submitted,

Mukale and Tarranx

::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::
::=::=::      http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/~meckardt/       ::=::=::
::=::=::         [madmike@gladstone.uoregon.edu]         ::=::=::
::=::=::            [meckardt@cs.uoregon.edu]            ::=::=::
::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::

NRPG: That should keep things in order.  Mukale is NOT going to go wandering off
w/o letting anyone know where he's going, nor let anyone else he is working with do
so. :) 

Glory, Mukale has noticed some of Sky's feminine attributes, though he still hasn't
come to realize that she is an attractive young lady.


                Mike Eckardt
                 (He's mad.  Mad!  MAD I say!!!)