Minty and Trey had just finished their regular patrol when the news of the
attack on Carie and Fiera swept round the Warren....


*Fiera is in danger!*  Kirimith said in alarm,   *She's being attacked by
Wraiths.....*


Minty looked towards her partner, and his nod told her that he already knew
what was going on.


"The attack is near to the new hatching cavern." he called across to her as
he too tried to settle his dragon's uneasiness.  "The rest of the wing
should be here.... Ah here comes David now."


Kaylin'sha settled to the Green, and David began organising the wing
without a pause.  


>"You all have your partners, remember to cover.  Our primary es t'protect 
>te'queen at all costs!" He called out, "Let's go!" And as Kaylin took to 
>the air, the wing followed in close formation.  After they were in 
>position, he let out the command.  'Teleport.'


<..>


The scene was chaotic, but Trey and Minty soon fell into the well worn
drill pattern that was drummed into all Marrid's riders.  They flamed and
turned, turned and flamed.....  *Kaylin says to watch Koroth's blindside
more.*  Kiri said as she moved her position.


*Lazir departs...*  Kirimith keened quietly, as she concentrated on
reducing two more Wraiths to a fine mist of black soot.   The pair
continued to fight with renewed energy..... payment in kind would be
exacted.....


<..>


Scene:  Margate


She slipped from Kirimith's back rubbing smoke from her eyes with a grubby
fist, unknowingly smearing soot across her face.  The destruction was
appalling... bodies lay all around amid piles of burning debris.  She
searched the wreckage for David, spotting him as he came towards her....


>"Are ye all right?" He asked, holding her to him dearly.  He ran a hand 
>through her hair, looking into her deep purple eyes.
>
>"Yes, I'm fine." She said, and returned the embrace.  "You're not hurt, 
>are you?" She asked, already looking him over for any injuries.
   
>He shook his head, and turned to look around.  Sarathain lay over by what 
>was left of a bonfire, a saddened look over his face.  Z'lec was 
>crouching near him, and a small form on the ground infront of him.
>"My god..." David whispered, realizing who the person was.
>
>Minty saw the expression on David's face and followed his gaze, stopping 
>when her eyes took in the large orange and red dragon.  "Oh no..."
>
>Suddenly, the dragon moved, and nuzzled his rider carefully.  The love 
>and compassion apparent in the creatures lost eyes.  David began to move 
>towards him, slowly, his voice inaudible.  "No... don't..." but the 
>dragon paid no heed, and took to the air.  A deafening roar erupted in 
>the air, and for a second as David looked on, Sarathain hovered in the 
>air right infront of the setting sun.  His scales erupted in a halo of 
>fire, his form seeming to become some draconic part of the life giving 
>orb in the sky, and then vasnished.
>
>David fell to his knees, the dying echo of the dragons roar vibrating 
>through his head and the negative image of his body burned temporarily 
>into his pupils.  Tears began to run down his face, and he could feel Minty 
>embrace him as he shook his head, "Why?" He asked, but not to her.  Not 
>to any person or any god.  Just why.


Unable to answer his anguished question she simply held him close, rocking
him gently as he cried.  Z'lec carefully covered Sky's body, trying to give
her some dignity, though  Minty could still see the outline of her poor
burnt body beneath the cloak he used.


Mukale's arrival pulled David from his grief, and he moved to intercept the
young man before he could reach down and remove the cloak.


>David grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away from the the figure in the
dust.  >"Ye can do naut for her now, lad.  She's past t'pain."

> Mukale struggled feebly in David's grip, anxious to go to his
>love and see that no, it was a lie, she was really all right.  Sky
>couldn't be dead.  She couldn't!
>
> Z'lec's hand landed on his free shoulder, urging him to face away
>from remains.  "Sky wanted you to know that she loved you." he said in
>an awkward voice.  "It was the land thing she said."
>
> It was too much.  The reality of it all hit him like a flaming
>Dragon.  Mukale found himself crying, something he had not done for
>years.  The unspoken sympathy of the older riders only seemed to make
>it worse.


"I'll take care of him ."  Minty said, her voice full of her own unshed
tears.  "I'll take him back to the Warren on Kirimith."


"That will be a big help."  Z'lec told her, gratefully  "David and I will
get things sorted out here and then we'll bring Sky's body back with us."
He shot a concerned look at the sobbing Mukale   "Perhaps you should take
him to the Med centre and get C'tain to take a look at him."


"I don't think he needs that kind of help, Z'lec."  she shook her head
slightly  "He just needs a quiet place to grieve .  I'll take him back to
his apartment and make sure he's alright..."


With a quick nod Z'lec turned back to David, and the sorrow-filled task
before them.  Minty touched Mukale's arm gently to gain his attention, and
he looked at her in a daze....


"I'm going to take you home now"  she told him, not sure whether he was
really aware of where he was  "Kiri will take us both...."


"Why Minty?  Why did she have to die that way?"  he turned pleading eyes in
her direction, and for the second time that day she had to admit she didn't
know the answer  "We hadn't even started yet.... and I never even told her
I loved her...."


She drew him towards where Kirimith and Kaylin were lying on either side of
Tarranx, their sympathy for his riders distress evident, and helped into
her saddle before climbing up behind him.


*Take us back to Marrid Kiri.*  Minty thought at her dragon  *Back to
Tarranx's ledge... and ask Tarranx to follow us.*


*Done...*  Kiri answered as she took to the air.....


<..>


Minty watched Mukale through the doorway while she bustled around his
kitchen preparing tea.


"Has he moved at all since ye brought him home?"  David asked her as he too
watched Mukale dejected figure  "Has he said anything?"


"He's just sat there with his face in his hands ever since I sat him
there."  Minty sighed, as she poured the tea she'd been preparing into cups
 "He won't move, refuses to talk... I don't want to leave him on his own in
this state."


"I went t' see C'tain before I came to see how he was."  he removed a small
phial from his pocket and handed it to her.  "He said t' give this t' him
t' help him t' sleep.  Might be best don't ye think?"


<..>


While David settled a very sleepy Mukale into bed, Minty tidied the
apartment.  She picked up Mukale's flying jacket from its resting place on
the floor, admiring the delicate stitching on the back....  Smoothing the
creases, she carefully hung it over the back of a chair knowing he'd want
to take good care of it in the days ahead... it was the only thing he had
left of Sky.


<..>


Kirimith landed heavily on the ledge outside their apartment and waited
patiently as the two slid from her back.  When they were both safely on
their own feet, she lumbered in to join Kaylin in their sandy bed, settling
next to him with a sigh.....


"Come on love."  Minty took David's hand, urging inside  "I'll just change
out of these filthy clothes and I'll get us something to eat.


She kicked off her shoes, and walked through the bedroom to change.
Shedding her clothes in an untidy heap, she rummaged through the dresser
for something comfortable to wear while she was preparing a quick meal for
them.  She finally settled on one of David's shirts,  rolling the sleeves
up so they wouldn't cover her hands and interfere with her movements.  She
bent over to pick up her dirty clothes, and caught a glimpse of white
beneath the edge of the bed.  


Dumping the clothes into the hamper, she knelt and retrieved the object
Curiously she unfolded the  paper and began reading.....


<..>


"David?  What's this all about?"  she asked as she re-entered the main room
with the letter in her hand.....


Submitted by


Araminta, Kirimith's rider 
-- 
Mint,  the voice and soul of

Timi Caplain  FO   USS Javelin       Caliban & Lute,          Dragon Lands
Lillith the Mage     Broken Lands     Minty, Kirimith's rider  Dragon Lands
                       
Naomi, QueenRider to Amethyst, Norwall's WarrenLady,  Dragon Lands

http://www.netkonect.co.uk/l/lovers/mint/norwall.html