Meena (Just before Demee's scream)
****

Vonn settled on the green, and Meena slid off. She couldn't say she was
entirely unhappy at not having found any sign of D'gerrit. It had still
been an interesting afternoon and all of the young riders had learned a lot
about patrolling. 

She noticed T'grat heading towards her. "Did you find anything?"

"No," she said and noticed T'grat chuckling at her. "What?"

"You're as bad as me. I told Naomi it was pointless."

"I searched diligently, T'grat. Honest. I had Vonn calling for Orobos as
well as the two young ones." Meena said, wanting to prove that she'd really
tried despite how she felt about the man.

"I know, Meena," he said, then his face turned into a frown. "Guess we'd
best go make plans for where to search next."

"How long are we going to search? You know if he doesn't want to be found,
we aren't going to find him," Meena complained.

T'grat shrugged, "I know."

Together the two headed toward Naomi's office. Lacey and Darrkon were
already there, having reported the same news about D'gerrit and Orobos as
they had to report. Naomi sighed, "Well, where else can we look?"

As the discussion ensued, Naomi suddenly became very quiet and her eyes
widened. Then she put her hands to her head, wincing in pain.

>"Naomi?"  T'grat and Meena showed concern  "Are you OK?  What's wrong......."

>"A child...."  she gasped in pain, tears rolling down pale cheeks  "He's
so frightened...  I can't..... dragons... why would he be afraid of
dragons...."

Within seconds the dragons on the green began bellowing  with rage.

<Vonn?> Meena called to her dragon.

<Wild dragons! They're coming and they've .. We've got to stop him! He's
got Demee!> Vonn's thought screeched in her head.

Meena paled at the dragon's panicking, <What!?>

<A wild dragon has taken Demee .. he's so scared!>

>"Demee!"  Meena screamed in anguish  "Demee...Vonn says Demee is in
trouble..."  

>She raced frantically for her dragon, but T'grat caught her and held her.
She beat her fists against his chest, twisting and turning to escape,
screaming curses.....

>"he's in danger... let me go damn you... I have to get to him.... Vonn!
Help him....."

Meena tried again to escape T'grat's strong grasp, <Vonn, go .. please go
..> she called desperately to her dragon.

<I'm going!> Vonn called back and Meena stopped fighting as the enormity of
the situation hit her. "Demee .." she sobbed.

>"Let her go T'grat..."  Naomi staggered to her feet.  "I'll take care of
her... you go help her son.... come on Meena.... T'grat will bring him back
safe....."

Meena felt the T'grat's strong grasp give way to Naomi's more gentle
soothing one.

>Naomi waved T'grat away as she led the sobbing girl to a bench.

>"They'll bring them back safely..... Demee will be safe.... Demee will be
just fine...." she held her close, rocking her gently, "But why didn't you
tell someone that Demee was a telepath?"

Meena turned her tearstained face to Naomi, a harsh sob catching in her
throat. It took her a moment to register the fact that the child Naomi had
been speaking of was Demee. She immediately began to shake her head .. to
deny once again that Demee was telepathic. But she realized that Demee's
telepathy had reached the Warren. She collapsed unable to bear her own
weight any longer on her shaky legs. It was over .. it was all out. Naomi
knew now .. everyone would know ..

>"I didn't want him to be different.  I kept hoping that I could ignore it
and it would go away.... but it didn't go away, it just kept getting
stronger every day. I wanted to keep him a baby for just a little while
longer...."  

>She buried her face in Naomi shoulder, and Naomi patted her back gently,
trying to offer the distraught mother what little comfort she could.

>"What did you think would happen to him if you told us Meena?" Naomi asked
quietly  "What did you think we'd do to him that frightened you so?" 

>"I don't really know.... nothing.... oh I'm confused.... where's Demee?" 

She looked at Naomi's calming eyes and sighed, "I was so afraid .. I don't
want Harkon to find out." She said darkly.

"Harkon doesn't matter, Meena. He still can't get his hands on your son.
I've promised you that." Naomi brushed a stray hair out of Meena's face.

>Meena looked upwards, to the battle raging high overhead. "What's taking
them so long Naomi?  Why don't they bring him back to me?  Why can't Vonn
tell me what's happening?......"

<Vonn .. where is he.>

<I can't go, Meena.> The dragon moaned miserably.<Amethyst ordered me to
stay.> 

Meena's head sunk lower. She couldn't expect Vonn to break orders from a
queen dragon .. especially one that happened to be her mother. <That's
alright, love. Perhaps it's better .. they'll find him .. they have to.>
Amethyst maintained strong bonds with her offspring, and from the oldest to
the youngest, they listened to her.

"Come on, Meena let's get you to the medical center." The Warrenlady said
gently pulling the young woman up.

"I'm not sick, Naomi .. I don't want to go anywhere until Demee is home."
Meena said refusing to move from that spot until Demee was safe.

Naomi nodded compassionately, "I understand. But the first place they are
going to take him is to the medical center anyway. You know Lilliana is
going to want to see him straight away."

Meena considered the Warrenlady's words and finally gave in nodding. She
allowed Naomi to lead her out. As they walked she moaned, the tears
starting anew. She couldn't believe this was happening. If only she'd gone
on the picnic with them .. If she hadn't been out on that futile search for
that evil D'gerrit!

Greta
****

Greta watched from the path below as the Warren dragon's converged on the
encroaching wild dragon. Almost immediately the keening started as they
began protecting their home.

"They sound so sad, mama," whispered Alyne.

Greta nodded, looking at the tear-stained face of the her daughter, her own
heart breaking at the sound the dragons made as dragon battled dragon.
"It'll be okay, Sweetie. Let's get back." They began moving quickly toward
the Warren again. They were almost there, and Greta could breath easier
once they were back with in the bowl of the Warren. 

She noticed a blood-red dragon heading toward the forest were they had been
having their picnic. She immediately felt better, knowing that soon Hered
and Demee would be safe as well.

Demee
****

The three year old continued to scream in terror as the dragons battled
around him, "Maaaaamaaaaa! Vaaaaaaaah!" It was all a jumble to him and he
couldn't tell who was who .. all he wanted was to be home and safe.

As the claw of the second dragon surrounded him he heard, <It's alright,
you'll be safe soon.>  Demee's crying subsided a bit and turned his
tear-stained face to try and see who was talking to him. Maybe it was one
of his dragon-friends who was going to take him back to him mama.

A large head bobbed down to look at him. And Demee's eyes widened slightly,
not recognizing this dragon. 

>< Who are you? > the boy asked, his eyes wide.

>< I am Haroc little one. > He didn't wonder at the child's ability to
communicate with him. < I will take you home. >

<I wanna go home.> the little boy moaned.

>Haroc spotted a small plateau on the rocky away from the line of fire and
was above it and hovering a moment later. Gently he set the detached limb
and the child down and banked left and away before landing.

Demee moved quickly, breaking away from the severed claw of his kidnapper.
It was then that he noticed that Haroc had a rider. The rider reached out
and Demee gladly accepted his hand, allowing himself to be hauled up and
place on the dragons back. This was a much more comfortable place to be on
a dragon rather then in the dragons claw, Demee decided. 

He twisted around to look at the man and was horrified to see that he was
hurt. 

>"Hurting!" Demee cried out when he saw the blistered and peeling skin
running from the dragonrider's face down his left side to just above his
high boots. H'tor's eyes flared in alarm but when he looked down at the boy
and saw the concern in his young face he smiled.

>"I'm fine lad," H'tor said as Haroc launched himself skyward once more.
"You were very brave. Let's go home now. You've had a busy day."

>Demee smiled joyfully and turned forward again to snuggle himself against
the warm dragonrider. He rested his cold hands between the folds of the
man's crossed arms holding him securely. After a busy day, he suddenly felt
very safe.

The little boy relaxed in the warm grasp of the dragonrider and within a
few moments he had fallen asleep, finally leaving behind the traumatic
events of the day. 

Meena
****

Meena shifted uncomfortably on the cot. Lillian had restricted her to it in
order to keep the young woman from pacing and driving her and the other
medics crazy.

<He's got Demee!> came Vonn's excited call.  

"He's been found!" Meena cried as she stood up from the cot, running
quickly to the door of the medical center, where she could see the albino
Vonn already soaring in the air to meet the approaching dragon carrying Demee.

Lilliana quickly followed her. The healer knew she couldn't stop the woman
from being there to see her son as they brought him in, and she made no
move to stop her. The two stood watching the sky with bated breath as the
Blood red glided gracefully down, landing near the medical center.

<Vonn, who is that?> Meena asked not recognizing the dragon or the rider.

<It's Haroc and his rider. They are new to Norwall.> Vonn told her.

As the rider slid off his dragon carrying the sleeping child carefully,
Meena rushed over to him letting her eye drink in the sight of her sweet
sleeping baby. "Oh Demee," she breathed.

H'tor held the boy out to her and she gladly scooped him up in her arms.
Demee opened his eyes giggling happily as he saw his mother. He threw his
arms tightly around her neck as Lilliana tried to get a look at him.

Meena looked at the man who had rescued her child and whispered, "Thank
you. Thank you!"

The man nodded. Lilliana pulled Meena toward the building. "Take him inside
so I can look at him." She turned to H'tor seeing his blistered skin, "I've
got some salve that will help that."

Greta
****

Panting heavily, Greta continued to pull her children toward the medical
center where she saw a blood-red dragon lying comfortably in the dirt. She
also spotting Meena being handed her son.

She breathed a sigh of relief; Hered and Demee were safe. "Meena!" she
called in-between breaths. The three adults turned to see her coming and
Lilliana motioned to a couple of her staff to hurry out and help the tired
and dirty Greta and her two equally dirty children.

"Just relax," said Lilliana wrapping her arm around the woman and the
others picked up the two children, "Get them into the medical center and
check for smoke inhalation," she ordered.

"I'm okay," said Greta breathing heavily. "We weren't in the fire long. But
Hered and Demee, they're okay?"

"Demee's fine. We haven't seen Hered." Said Lilliana.

Meena joined them concern on her face, "Where is he, Greta?"

"He went after Demee. I thought since you had Demee .."  Greta coughed
slightly, "The fire .. the woods are on fire from the dragons .. what if
he's in there!"

Regards,
Meena & Vonn
****
NRPG: I'm sure the dragons in the air can see the fire, but the probably
don't know Hered's in there. I'm not sure how we can get him out, but if
anyone has any suggestions :}:}

Kristen

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Kristen Gant
(AKA: Darlea & Makayla,  Waylene & Aura, Meena & Vonn, 
Kalewyn & Sabbith, Saul & Fayloth)
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sgant/kris.htm