[Talitha]

'Lith slipped off Prisma's back, and was startled when the rainbow-hued
white abruptly took wing.

<< And where are you going? >>

< You haven't spent time with anyone, so I'm making sure you do, > her
dragon told her saucily.  < *I'm* going to go to the far ridge... >

<< And gossip your heart out, I'm sure. >>  'Lith shook her head.  << Silly
dragon! >>

Prisma's mental laugher echoed in her mind as she made her way into Trey's
apartment.

"You're just in time!" the Hatchling Trainer and Searcher said as she walked
in, laying plates of something that smelled wonderful on the table, and she
smiled slightly, bracing herself against similar memories that still had
bite.

"It smells wonderful.  Thanks for inviting me.  Dining hall food is great,
of course..."

"But it loses something when cooked for the entire population?"

'Lith laughed, startling herself.  "Yes."

He seated her, then himself and they began eating.

"So...  you were telling me that flight books are common in Xylian?"

"Mmmm."  She swallowed, nodding.  "Yes.  New innovations are added, of
course, but when we train -- it's nice to have.  You may have noticed the
illustrations..."

They went on to discuss the methods that might be used to indicate moves,
from airspeed to altitude and location of the Wraith in question.

"Your people are very careful about how they train their riders, aren't
they?"

'Lith shrugged.  "It's different there, Trey.  The DragonLady is far away,
and it's dangerous to go to other Warrens.  If we were to lose a lot of
people, there isn't a new supply from elsewhere.  If we had problems and the
Warrenlady needed help, if we got one or two riders from other Warren's it'd
be a miracle.  There's a limited supply of dragons, and we're stretched
quite thin."

"How so? I think you mentioned two fighting wings."

She studied him for a moment.  It was a serious question and one that was
hard to explain to those who didn't live near the shifting borders.
Everyone here knew there were ugly things in the Wastes, aside from the
rampaging Wild dragon -- assuming one went on a rampage.  In general they
seemed more fond of staying elsewhere.  No, it was that which came in...

"It's something that doesn't seem to plague you here, in this pocket.  The
Wastes breed... monsters.  Sometimes -- too frequently, at least on the
plateau -- a lot of them, and they make their way over the mountains.  Bad
enough to have the random attack by a wild dragon -- nasty as that is and as
horrible as it is to deal with -- but creatures, usually more or less
mindless, after food, that can raven at will if they don't go unchecked.
Though it isn't our -- their -- primary job to deal with such things, the
Warren is always patrolling for them, so they can inform the proper
authorities.  And there's always a flight or so of dragons assigned to the
Protectionary Forces in case they are needed to fight."

'Lith didn't add anything about the precariousness of life in the far
reaches of the Eos plateau.  Given the grave consideration in Trey's eyes,
she wasn't sure she had to.

"That's how... that's how Maelwith died."  She forced herself to say the
words, to acknowledge the reality of it.  "It was...  I don't know what it
was, not really.  Something large came over the eastern mountains and
destroyed Breydona and most of the garrison there.  One of the survivors
said it was like a dragon, kind of, in form, but it was strangely like a
Wraith in attributes.  Physical weapons did little or nothing to it... but
flame did.  He and Kalanath were the first dragon and rider on the scene,
and they engaged it.  Flame worked wonders, but they hadn't loaded up on
coal, they had gone to give a message to the garrison commander.  They
killed it -- whatever it was.  But not before being so hurt that Kalanath...
They think Kalanath was trying to come to the Warren.  They didn't
reappear."

"I'm sorry."  Trey was standing in front of her and she hadn't seen him
move.

"So am I."  He touched her hand, and slowly she began to cry.

[Tag if you want it, Lyn]

-----
NRPG -- more later, after I get home from work.

Respectfully submitted,
Jill E. Flansburg
Talitha and Prisma
Marrid Warren
DragonLands

             X-FILES                         DRAGONLANDS
Director, X-Files Division           Rhiannon, WarrenLady  *Xylian*
Sterling Kincaid, TL, ECHO           Elswyth and Aedra   *Keldarra*
Damien Cunningham, Forensics         Katla and Satinka *Whiteriver*
Xan X. Xavier, Trainer               Zera and Mazel       *Norwall*

                        Visit the XFRPG Web Site:
                http://www.steele.ml.org/~wiggly/xfiles/

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                         Vasaris, the Fuzzy Dragon
   Jill E. Flansburg                |              vasaris@az.com
   CS HMC 1994                      |  jflansbu@muddcs.cs.hmc.edu
   History, WWU 199?                |  vasaris@divcom.umop-ap.com
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