From: "Mint" <mint@saqnet.co.uk>

[Breeze]

>"Who d'ye be?" David asked the young man.  He just looked at David for a
>second in puzzlement, but answered.
>
>"I'm Breeze."
>
>"I'm David, Minty's mate." He walked over to him.  "I think ye'd better
>explain how ye knew her lad..."

Breeze shook his head.  "I don't know her."  he told the angry young
man in front of him.  "Only her dragon. Sort of."  

The anger faded from David's eyes as he accepted the truth in Breeze's
words.

"Kirimith?  How could ye know Kiri and no' her rider?"  David asked
with a puzzled frown "Explain ye'sel."

"I was riding into Wellcot with my father ..."  Breeze began

"Wellcot."  David interrupted.  "We were there a while ago visitin wi'
friends.  We left t' dragons on t' outskirts of t' town."

"It's not a big place." Breeze nodded  "Dragons aren't frequent
visitors so there's been no need for a landing site nearer to the
centre of town, and besides ...  an hour's walk will get you from one
side of town to the other.   Anyway as I was saying. I was riding into
Wellcot with my father when we  passed two dragons and one of them
startled me by speaking to me.  We didn't have time for much of a chat
..."  

David grinned at the undertone of amazement and longing in young man's
voice, and nodded for him to continue.

"Well that's it really."  Breeze said  "Kirimith spoke to me and seemed
to know me but I never got  the chance to ask her any questions.  My
father was anxious to get to where we were supposed to be and the
dragons were gone when we passed by on our way home.  I tried to forget
the meeting but the questions it raised in my mind just nagged at me
until I couldn't think of anything else.  Mam could see I wouldn't
settle down until I had some answers so when the carnival passed
through Wellcot she urged me to join them and take the opportunity to
get to Marrid."

"And so here ye be."  David said when he'd finished.

"I know it seems crazy to you..."   Breeze began

"No.  Et's a perfectly natural thing t' do.... chase a dragon across t'
countryside."  David said with amusement.  "I'd do t' same en yer
shoes. 'Specially ef it t'were Kirimith."

David looked at the unconscious, dark blue dragon still slumped on the
grass and sobered quickly.  There was still the mystery of what had
happened to Minty and Kirmith to solve .... and more importantly...
Zael to find. 

Breeze saw the look of distraction that entered David's eyes as he
contacted his dragon and excused himself quickly.  There would be other
times to talk with the dragonrider ... especially as it looked as if
he, Breeze, would be staying at Marrid!  

He was looking forward to this evening's meeting with Tr'etram.

[Later - dining hall]

A quick look round told him that he was way too early.  There were only
one or two dragonriders eating at the scattered tables in the large
dining hall.  That'll teach me to be so eager he thought ruefully as he
helped himself to a mug of mulled cider and then settled himself at a
table near the door so that he wouldn't miss Tr'etram's entrance.  

<..>

Only only been sitting there for a short while when a soft pair of
hands covered his eyes and a husky voice whispered "Guess who?" in his
ear.

"Krista?"  Breeze grinned.  "Salynn?  Ilsa?"

The hands covering his eyes withdrew and  Tina sank into the
chair next to him.

"Did you forget me that easily?"  she pouted, laughingly

"Nope." Breeze shook his head and laughed easily.  "How could I ever
forget a beautiful green-eyed witch such as you?"

The woman chuckled contentedly and almost purred in satisfaction at his
answer.  Her soft laughter sent shivers chasing down his spine as he
remembered their previous encounter.  The feel of her warm body
pressing close to him,  the delicate scent of her in his nostrils, the
taste of her lips as they parted under his.  She might be promiscuous
and she was definitely NOT the kind of  'nice' girl his mother would
have approved, but there was something wickedly wanton about her that
evoked passion and longing in a man.

"Drink?"  he asked in a husky whisper, all thoughts of his anticipated
meeting with Tr'tram fleeing from his mind.  "Maybe we could spend the
rest of the evening together?"

"Why not."  she shrugged carelessly  "There's nothing better to do."


[Next morning]

He tucked his shirt into the waistband of his pants and buckled his
belt then tiptoed quietly into the kitchen and quickly gulped down two
glasses of cold water in quick succession.  The icy water sent a spike
of pain stabbing through his forehead and he groaned softly.  He had
the mother of all hangovers, and all because he'd tried, stupidly, to
keep up with Tina's seemingly endless capacity for alcoholic drink.

"Going somewhere?"  a sleepy voice asked softly from behind him  

Breeze turned to face Tina.  

She was delightfully tousled, sleepy and beautiful and he could feel
his manhood stirring as he caught a glimpse of one rosy nipple peeking
through the careless folds of the thin sheet that draped her delicious
curves.  He groaned softly, his aching head echoing the fevered
pounding of his heart.  

"You weren't just going to run out on me were you?" Her eyes drifted
downwards and she grinned at the evidence of his arousal.

"I need some air."  he muttered with painful embarrasment as he edged
his way past her.  

Her tinkling laughter followed him as he fled towards the door.

<NRPG:  James - I'll leave it to you to decide if he spent the night in
Tina's bed on on her couch *g*>


*****
[Minty]


There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in."  she called, still drowsy and warmly floating from the
sedative she'd been given to calm her frantic efforts to leave the med
centre to go look for her lost baby.  

Perhaps it was David with the news that Zael had been found she thought
as she sat up eagerly.  Her arms longed to gather the baby to her 
and her breasts were aching and uncomfortable with the need to feel his
small mouth suckling at her nipple.

She pushed her tangled curls away from her flushed cheeks and winced
slightly as he fingers caught the tender flesh of her torn earlobe. 
She remembered Zael's small fist clutching at her ear as she climbed up
into Kiri's saddle, and the pain as he'd ripped the tiny gold earring
from it's place.  She could even remember his gurgle of laughter as
she'd gently scolded him for hurting her.  

Where was he?  she thought distractedly.  Why hadn't David brought him
to her yet?  Perhaps this was David at the door now.

"Come in."  she called again.

She slumped in disappointment as the door was pushed open and a
stranger entered.

"I just came to see how you are and to give you these."  the stranger
told her.  "My name's Breeze. I was there when your dragon brought you
back yesterday."

"Did they find Zael?"  Minty asked Breeze as she took the
flowers he offered and laid them carelessly on the bedside table.  "Is
there any sign of what happened to him?  Where's David?"

"I haven't heard anything." Breeze patted her hand in sympathy.  "I'm
sure he'll be found soon though. I wanted to ask you a few questions
about your dragon if I may. I wanted to know why she spoke to me in
Wellcot? And why she seemed to know me?  "

"Why hasn't someone found him yet?"  Minty asked, her voice high with
hysterical fear for the baby's safety.  "He's only a baby and he needs
me.  Anything could have happened to him. Why aren't they out looking
for him?  Why aren't you out there looking for him?" she demanded
unreasonably.  "He could be hurt or lying dead somewhere and all you
can do is ask me stupid questions." 

She picked up the first object that came to hand and threw it at his
head.Breeze ducked to avoid the hairbrush that came flying at him, and
backed away form the bed as Minty's tone rose into shrill anger.

"Stop bothering me with questions and find my son."  she screamed as
she searched for something more to throw at the retreating figure. 
"Get out of here and find him before it's too late.  If he dies it'll
be all your fault"

Her raised voice and angry tone roused the medical staff and before he
knew it an angry staffer was berating him and soothing Minty's yells.

"I told you not to upset her."   the staffer said angrily as she eased
Minty back against the pillows and deftly administered a sedative to
the sobbing woman.  "Get out of here and don't come back."

"But I only wanted to ask a few questions...."  Minty heard Breeze
protest as the sedative took effect and she floated down into darkness

******
[Breeze]

How  in the Lands had she managed to go from reasonable woman to
attacking virago in the space of seconds?  he asked himself as he
rapidly exited the med centre. 

Maybe he hadn't been too diplomatic, expecting her to answer his
questions when all she could think of was her missing child, he
admitted inwardly.  Any woman had the right to be angry at a stranger
as crass and selfish as he'd been when she was so clearly upset and
worried.  And at least she HAD been worried and concerned for the
safety of her son. 

Which was more than could be said of his own mother, he thought
bitterly.  Minty was desperate to have her son back but -his- mother
had abandoned him without thought or care and as far as he knew her
conscience had never troubled her.... at least she'd never taken the
time to look for him and assure herself that he was safe and well.  

Why had she abandoned him in the forest? What could have driven her to
leave him to die so far from any human habitation? How could any woman
do that to a helpless baby, he wondered.    Why hadn't she simply left
him somewhere in town... at a guild or a crafthall ... somewhere he'd
be found quickly. 

His eyes were bleak as he thought on the unknown woman that had given
him life. He'd never be able to forgive her for what she'd done. 

Some things were beyond forgiveness.

<..>

There was a bugling sound filling the air and people were hurrying
towards a cave mouth in the cliffside.  

<The hatching.>  *They're hatching*  ~Hatching~  a chorus of dragon
voices broadcast joyfully.

Still not quite believing that telepathy was real, and distrusting the
voices he could hear so loudly in his head Breeze stopped a running
child and demanded  "What's going on?"  

"The eggs are hatching."  the youngster told him, hopping from foot to
foot in his eagerness to be on his way to the happy event.  "Let me go
mister or I'll miss it."

Breeze let the boy's arm go and watched him race away.  

He was supposed to be in the hatching cavern standing as a candidate so
why was he standing here with his heart in his mouth instead of
following that child?  Didn't he WANT to join with his very own dragon?

For a second he was frozen in place.

Then Breeze too was sprinting rapidly towards the hatching ground.

*****
[Minty]

A long while later she drifted back to consciousness and another soft
knock on the door.

David!  This time it *would* be David come to bring their son back to
her.  She knew it would. It just had to be David and Zael!

>"Are ye awake love?"  her mate asked as he entered the room.

>"Yes." Minty replied, a look of hope on her face.  "Did you find him?"
>
>David sat down and shook his head.  "Not yet.  The eggs are hatching, so
>most of the patrols are being called in."  He sighed deeply, and took hold
>of his mate's hands.  "But we will find him, I have no doubt of that."
>
>Minty nodded.  David noticed some new flowers along with the ones he had
>brought her the previous day.
>
>"Who do those be from?" He asked, his face managing a grin.
>
>"Some young man called Breeze." She replied, "He came in, said hi, dropped
>them off, and left." She shrugged in embarassment, remembering the tirade she'd 
launched at the poor unsuspecting young man.

>
>"D'ye know him from somewhere?" 

Was she imagining things or was there a gleam of suspicion in David's
eyes?

>
>"No, I've never seen him before in my life..." she hurriedly assured him.  "He..."

A knock at the door interrupted her attempt to tell David that Breeze
had seemed more interested in Kirimith than in her and the staffer
who'd shooed Breeze out entered the room

"Don't stay too long."  the woman warned David.  "She's had enough
upset for one morning."

"What happened?"  David asked 

"I was just about to tell you."  Minty said quietly.  She sent a
pleading look to the waiting staffer and sighed with relief when the
woman left the room.  " I got a little angry with that young man,
Breeze.  And I threw something at him..."

David grinned broadly at that.

"It's not funny love."  Minty said hanging her head in shame.  "I could
have hurt him and he'd really done nothing wrong.  Just asked questions
that didn't seem to be important to me."

"He's been asking t' same questions since he arrived here wi' t'
carnival t' day before yesterday."  David told her. "About Kirimith
seeming to know him."

"The carnival arrived three days ago love."  Minty said  "You're
getting the days confused."

David shook his head.  "No love, you're t' confused one. They came in
t' day before yesterday.  Ye left t' visit me family yesterday morning
..."

Minty clutched at David's arm in sudden panic, her face ashen.

"You're mistaken ... you must be!  I spent nearly two days with your
family at Keldarra, love.  Your mother wouldn't hear of me leaving
until your father and sisters had seen Zael and they weren't in the
warren when I arrived.  I left to come home late yesterday afternoon
... the day AFTER I arrived."

"That esn't possible."  David told her gently, a frown of concern
furrowing his brow as he urged her to lie back on the pillows.  "Ye
were gone only a few hours..."

"Ask them."  Minty said stubbornly.  She batted his hands aside and
scrambled from the bed to stand before him.  "Go ahead and ask them if
you don't believe me. Why should I lie to you?"

"I didna say ye were lying, just confused."  David began

"Ask them!"  Minty said in a trembling voice.  "ASK THEM!"

<Tag Justin :)>

******
[Breeze]

The hubbub of dragon's voices as they sought their partners was a
little overwhelming. But as each new rider found his dragon the babble
of competing voices in his mind grew quieter and quieter until just one
small voice was finally all he could hear.

*Hello Breeze.* a loving voice filled his mind.  *I'm really very very
hungry.*  It said wistfully.  *Would you mind getting me some of that
delicous smelling meat that the others are eating?  If it's not too
much trouble that is?*

Breeze looked down into the bright gooseberry green eyes of the small
purple dragonet and smiled as he reached for the bucket that a helper
passed to him.  He held it under the dragonet's nose and laughed
joyfully as the small creature immediately began gobbling the meat as
if it were last meal he'd ever have.

*I'm very, very hungry.*  the dragonet apologised in a muffled voice as
he continued to gulp the meat.

*I'm sure I would be hungry too if I'd been cooped up inside an egg for
weeks and weeks.*  Breeze replied as he stroked the soft hide of the
dragonet's neck and back.  

The dragonet paused to stare solemnly up at his new partner for a
moment.

*Hello dragon.*  Breeze grinned as he stared back.

*Hello human.*  the dragonet tilted his head to one side and then
closed one sparkling eye in a comical wink.  *I'm Saskia and I think
we're going to have fun.*

submitted by

Minty & Kirimith
Breeze & Saskia


NRPG Addition to Breeze's bio as follows:
Dragon:  Saskia
Colour:  Purple body and legs, turquoise wings, gooseberry green eyes




 




-- 
Mint,  the voice and soul of

Timi Caplain  Unassigned            Caliban, Lute's human  Dragon Lands  
Lillith the Mage    Broken Lands    Minty, Kirimith's rider    Dragon Lands                  
Naomi, QueenRider to Amethyst, Norwall's WarrenLady,  Dragon Lands

ICQ #5814808
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5902
http://www.dragonfire.net/~Mint/

PGP Public key: http://www.dragonfire.net/~Mint/Mint.asc



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