Nrpg: 
Well I hate to do this to you all, but this is going to be Koda's good-bye
post. RL and not enough time to keep up are to blame... Sorry...
==============================

** A Matter Of Family **

"Koda there's a rider here looking for you," Billy told the tiny healer just
as she exited a patience room. "Said he has a message for you from Daere
Warren."

Daere... that would mean T'rell, for he was the only one she knew from there
since Martyn had left to join her here in Xylian.

"Bring him to my office would you and see about getting us something to
drink?" she smiled at her friend.

"As well as a meal for you," he shot her a look, knowing she hadn't eaten
since that morning. Billy had started taking Martyn's warnings over her
health seriously and made sure she ate regular meals during the day and kept
her from over doing things so she wouldn't get overly tired.

Moments later there was a knocking sound at her door, and Billy came in with
another man behind him. 

"Koda this is the Rider from Daere Warren I was telling you about," Billy
said as he showed the man into her office. 

"Thank you Billy," she smiled warmly and then offered the man a seat as
Billy backed out of the room. 

"Billy said you had a message for me" she asked as the man took the seat she
offered. 

"Yes man. Wingleader T'rell gave it to me himself and asked that I bring it
here to you," he said and handed it over. "He said I was to wait for your
answer." 

She was intrigued now. Why would T'rell be sending her a message? Only one
way to find out. She slid her nail under the flap and pulled it back, then
pulled out the single sheet of paper that was inside the envelope. 

	Koda,
	Des and Foxys have been hurt. The healers here think she will be okay, but
they are a bit concerned that she hasn't woken up at this point. I'll keep
you advised as to how she is doing so you won't worry to much.
		Your friend always,
		T'rell

Des... Now what was she doing in Daere? The last Koda had heard about her
cousin was that the girl was still living safely in Falagand with B'nair
none the wiser about the relationship between the two, healer and rider. For
if she had known that Koda and Des were related, the woman would have made
live miserable for the girl. 

What she was doing in Daere didn't matter right. Des was hurt and bad enough
that T'rell thought he didn't spell it out, she should know. 

"Do you have to go back right away?" she asked the rider who had been
waiting patiently as she read the note.

"Not right away, but T'rell told me not to make a vacation out of it," the
rider grinned.

"Ever the Wingleader our T'rell is," Koda quipped. "Believe me with
everything happening around here right now, this isn't someplace you'd want
to take a vacation in." Now she was frowning.

"Look we don't have a whole lot of space here for visitors at the moment,
but we have a spear bed in my daughters room that you're welcome to sleep in
tonight. I need to talk to my mate about this before I can give you an....."

An explosion rocked the office around them and Koda was on her feet heading
out of her office even before the dust could settle.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!!" she shouted as she ran down the hallway towards the door
leading outside.

"Rock slide!" Billy yelled back at her before disappearing into one of the
exam rooms.  Koda followed him inside.

"We need to set things up in case there're any injured," she said but saw
Billy throwing things inside a small bag.

"Rhia and a few others are trapped in the hatching cave..." he explained.
There's a way inside so I'm going and will help out if any of them are injured.

"Good..." Koda said moving over towards some cabinets where supplies were
stored. "Take this rider with you and see if he can help any."

The Daere rider followed the Xylian healer out of the hall and when they
arrived at the spot Billy knew about others were already beginning to arrive. 

"Look, my dragon says Sarilyn should be here soon with others, so I need you
to stay here and help them when they arrive," Billy told the Daere rider.
"I'm going on in to check on the people inside for injuries."

Before the rider could say anything the healer was gone.

[[ Sorry to be skipping things here... but I need to do something with
Koda.....Please fill in as needed...]

[[  MUCH later that night  ]]

Koda was just setting the table and talking to the rider from Daere when
Martyn arrived home. She went to him and looped her arm through his as she
led him into the living room and made the introductions. 

"I've had a note from T'rell, that's what he's doing here, and I've invited
him to use Talera's room for the night since there isn't anywhere else he
could stay. She can sleep in with us for the night," she told her mate.
"I've just about got dinner ready, so let me put it out then I'll tell you
what T'rell wrote to me about."

After dinner, the rider from Daere as if sensing the healer woman wanted to
speak to her mate in private, excused himself and told them he was going to
go on and get some sleep.

"I'll see if you have an answer for me in the morning healer Koda," he said
and then left them alone.

"This Des," Martyn started after the man was gone. "She is important to you
I take it?"

Yes... she's not only my cousin, but my friend as well... We sort of grew up
together," Koda explained. "I think T'rell figures she's worse off then he
letting on in the note because he wouldn't have written me if she'd only
suffered a slight cut."

"So you want to go to Daere to find out for sure?" he asked, pulling her
down onto the couch next to him and looping his arm around her shoulder.

She nodded. "I know I'd be leaving them short handed around here... But
she's family... I'll go crazy if anything happened to her and I wasn't there..."

"Then you have to go," he agreed. "You know if you don't you'll stay around
here worry about her all the time and that's not good for you. Go... Make sure."

"What about you?" she asked. "Will you come with me?"

	[ tag John ]

The next morning Koda was waiting at the table drinking the tea Martyn had
started her on, when the rider from Daere finally came into the room.

"Sleep well?" she asked, getting up to offer him a cup. "I'm afraid I don't
have any coffee made, but if you want some we can always go over to the
dining hall for breakfast. If not I can cook you something here."

"Just so long as you're a better cook then Warrenlady Jayleigh," the man
quipped and said, "Inside joke," when he saw her confusion "Have you an
answer for T'rell Healer Koda?"

She nodded, placing his cup in front of him , then turned back for his plate.

"This is good!" he beamed after taking the first bite."

"Thank you, I have always enjoyed cooking..." she threw him a smile, but hen
it faded. "I'm going back to Daere with you to give T'rell my answer in person."

"He figured you might, whatever the question was," the rider aid between
bites. "I guess that's why he had me stay. So I could show you the way back.
Show you the safest pockets to take where they magic still exists. I know
cause I used to be from around here... Up Geode way until I got a hankering
to travel some."

She sat back down and picked up her own cup. "Well I'll be ready to go this
afternoon," she told him. "I have to see a few people first and make some
arrangements for other healers to take over some of my cases while I'm gone."

"Think I'll just have me a look around the area while I'm waiting on you
then, if you think it'll be all right?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't be," she told him. "But if you have any
problems just have your dragon contact Ribbon... she's my dragon... and I'll
come running to help."

Koda got dressed and headed for the med center first. Once there she told
the head healer that she would be leaving for a few days to go check on an
injured family member, then she called Billy into her office to tell him
herself that she was going to be gone.

"I'll need you to help out with my patients while I'm gone and look after
things for me," she told him and then explained why she was leaving.

"Will do Koda," he grinned at her, and she knew she'd miss him while she was
gone. He'd been the one bright spot around the place since she'd gotten
here. Not counting Martyn who was everything to her. She still couldn't
believe sometimes how deeply in love they were. Martyn was the best thing
that had ever happen to her... Next to Talera, her daughter. Both were miracles.

The two of them hugged briefly, then Billy left and Koda glance around her
office and began packing things she thought she would need in a bag. Her
medical equipment was the first to be placed inside for she never went
anywhere without. One never knew when something might be needed.

Half a day later she arrived in the early morning of Daere Warren's day, and
was immediately taken to the medical center where she was introduced to
Heron, the Head healer in Daere Warren.

"Yes T'rell said you might be showing up to check on your cousin Healer
Lakoda..." the older man grinned warmly and led her down the hall. "I'm to
tell him when you arrive, so if you'll excuse me a moment I'll have..."

"He knows I'm here," she told Heron.

"But you've only just arrived and said yourself that you can here first,"
Heron looked confused.

"Well you see I have this dragon... Her name is Ribbon and her and T'rell's
dragon Flerrion have always been friends... and well..."

"Your Ribbon has already told Flerrion that you're here and he's told his
rider."

"To tell you the truth... I think she told them both... By the way... My
mate Martyn should be joining me soon..."

Heron nodded, "I know Martyn well from his time here in Daere... Good man.
So he took himself a mate huh? And a pretty one at that if you don't mind me
saying so," he told her. "Now if you'll follow me I'll tale you in to see
your cousin... But I should warn you ... there's a rider in there with her
who... refused to leave after they brought her in... Ja'ks is a good man and
seems to care for her ... and since he's the Warrenlady's brother... We
allowed him to stay." 

He was there. A Tall dark headed man seated beside Des's bed when they
arrived. Koda walked past him and headed for the bed to assure herself that
Des was still breathing before she turned to ask.....

"Did she awake any time during the night?" the woman asked turning her head
to look at him.

He shook his head no, then looked at Heron. 

"Ja'ks this is Healer Lakoda by way of Marrid Warren, but lately of Xylian
because of the problems they're having in Marrid with the shift in the
magic." Heron told him, making the introductions. "T'rell sent word to her
last night after Des was brought in... Healer Lakoda is the young lady's
cousin."

So that was why she looked familiar. He could see the resemblance now when
he looked for it, even though this healers hair was almost a yellowish blond. 

"Did the dragonhealer's have any word on Foxys?" Ja'ks asked looking to
Heron for the answer. As Sprarroe was asleep at the moment he couldn't get
any information out of his dragon.

"My dragon Ribbon is out with Foxys right now, checking on her," Lakoda told
him after overhearing the question. "She says Foxy should be fine with a
little rest... And that a dragon named Flerrion brought her something to eat
because your Queen told him to..."

"That's Troy for you," Ja'ks grinned. "Always thinking of the good of her
dragons."

It was then that he noticed the baby the healer was holding in her arms, and
thought it looked about the same age as his niece, Vena.

"Know what to do with one of these?" she asked with an amused glint in her eyes.

"Admirer them from a distance and run like heck when their nappies are
dirty," he answered with a mock shiver that made Heron chuckle. 

"Don't let him fool you. His sister has two children and Ja'ks here has had
to change his fair share of Nappies."

"Tattle-tale," Ja'ks scowled at the man.

"Well here then," Koda said handing him her daughter. "You can make yourself
useful while I look Des over, and I won't make you leave the room while I'm
doing so since Heron here already warned be about you." 

"Just make sure she's going to be all right..." he told her.

"I will..." Koda said, taking a good look at him for the first time and she
couldn't help but notice how his eyes kept going back to Des's face. She
guessed correctly that the man had feelings for her cousin. "But don't you
worry to much... Our family is noted for our hard heads."

He took the baby, but looking at the healer, he allowed his lips to slowly
turn up in a grin. He was going to like this woman.

Satisfied that the man did know a thing or two about holding a baby, Koda
turned back to her cousin and began to look her over.....

	

================  

Nrpg:
Lakoda is going to be stay in Daere.....Sorry all but I had to many games
going and had to cut some down..... Thanks for letting me play here in the
mean time.....

****Submitted by: *****

Ja'ks & Sprarroe (Beta Wingleader) Daere Warren
Lakoda & Ribbon (Healer) Marrid/Xylian Warren
Heron (Head Healer) Daere Warren
Daere Warren/Marrid/Xylian Warrens 

Aka
Barbara

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