Scene:  The temporary camp near the remains of Fairlight.  Early 
Morning. Day after the attack.

Kaelanori secured her long braid with a scrap of leather cord.  This 
past week had been one she would be happy to forget.  First she gets 
stuck catering to that fat pig of a merchant, then the town crumbles 
around her ears.  Not that it was much of a town to begin with.  She 
smoothed her blouse, wishing for a mirror.   "At least it will be over 
soon."  She murmered to herself.  Today she would get out of this pile 
of rubble.  Today she would see her new home.  Norwall Warren.   

She couldn't help but smile.  This disaster had given her the oportunity 
of a lifetime.  No one back at home would expect her to have lived 
through this.  After all she wasn't supposed to leave for another two 
days.  That meant no one would bother looking for her.  She owed a 
signifigant amount of money to the bathhouse.  All the girls did, that's 
how they kept you working, trapped in a spiral of dept.   

She lifted her nightgown from the small pallet she had been given as a 
bed.  Folding it quickly she shoved it into her small trunk.  There was 
a larger trunk sitting outside her tiny tent.  She'd had to do some 
smooth talking to even get this individual tent, but it had been worth 
it.  Her ride would be showing up any minute, and she wanted to be 
ready.  She snapped the locks of the small trunk and crawled out of the 
tent.  Her larger trunk was still sitting just outside the entrance.  
She set her small trunck on top of the larger one and sat down to wait.  
She smoothed her shirt again.  She hadn't been this nervous in years.  
Scanning the sky Kaelanori wondered what was taking that man.  She 
wanted to get this over with.

She didn't have to wait long, the ebony dragon she was waiting for 
saored over her head. She watched as he lazily circled over her head.  
He turned and glided towards a clearing next to her tent.  He dipped 
smoothly, and angled his body back.  Thrusting his hind legs forward as 
his powerful wings backpedaled, easing himself to the ground.  The great 
blacks every movement exuded power and grace.  Kaelanori stood in awe of 
the great beast.  The rider slide off of his dragons back and strode 
over to her tent.  She recognized him as the man she had been waiting 
for, now only if she could remember his name... "M'lent?"  She 
questioned, immediatly hating the timidness in her voice.  For some 
reason this man alway made her feel like a six year old who had been 
caught with her hands in the pie.  It wasn't his attitude, for he was 
alway friendly.  She pushed the question from her mind, knowing she 
would not find an answer.

The older man nodded, "Are you ready to go Kaelanori?  I want to get all 
the searchlings to the warren this morning."  She frowned, she wasn't 
used to being 'just one of the group'. 
 
 "Yes I'm ready." She picked up her smaller trunk, and he hefted the 
larger one.

"It was lucky for you that you were traveling when the slide struck," 
M'lent comented.  "Yes," She mumbled, she didn't want to discuss _why_ 
she had been traveling, so she quickly changed the subject.  "How many 
searchlings are there, besides me?"

Oh, just a couple.  A girl, Tara, and a boy, Jaslem.  They were both 
orphaned , and injured, in the slide.  They have the afinity, and no 
where to live, so they will stay at the warren.  Tara will stand at the 
next hatching with you, but Jaslem will have to wait until there are 
more eggs on the sands."  His answer was laced with sorrow.  Kaelanori 
wondered why he was saddened, as well as why there were not enough eggs. 

She wondered for a moment if she should press the issue, which obviously 
pained him, even if he tried to hide it.  She decided to try for a 
little more info.  "Why aren't there enough eggs for Jaslem?"

His face tightened.  By now they had reached his dragon and he busied 
himself securing her trunck to the saddle while he answered.  "The eggs 
were attacked by a rouge dragon, they were all destroyed except for one.  
The one remaining egg is a queen, and Jaslem is not the type to join a 
queen."  His voice was strained, it was obvious he was upset about the 
loss of the eggs.  These dragonriders looked like a tight knit group, 
she would have to keep that in mind.  The fact that there waws only one 
egg brough up another problem.  Not everyone joined, she needed a backup 
plan, incase she couldn't join...

When the trunks were secure M'lent offered her his hand.  She swallowed 
hard and eyed the large dragon.  Would it really let her just climb on 
it's back.  M'lent smiled gently.  "It really is the quickest way."  

She nodded, not wanting him to think she was frightened.  SHe ignored 
his hand and steeling herself, climbed up to the saddle.  AS she eased 
herslef onto the broad back her heart pounded in her ears.  She was 
sitting on a dragon, a creature that could snap her in half with a 
single bite.  A rush of adrenilin set her nerves on fire.  M'lent 
climbed up after her.  He showed her how to tighten the straps that held 
her firmly in the saddle.  At his suggestion she wrapped her arms 
tightly around his waist.  She gasped as the dragon rocked back on his 
hind legs, his muscles bunching beneath her.  His powerful thrust 
pressed Kaelanori deep into the saddle.  Unconciously she tightened her 
grip on M'lent's waist.  The thrill of the whipping wind and the ground 
dwindling beneath them made her dizzy with excitment. 

"Hold on," M'lent shouted.  They leveled off and then the world 
vanished.  For a brief frightening moment there was nothing, then the 
world righted itself.  They were once again floating through the air, 
only the terrain wasn't the same.  They were now over a volcanic crater.  
The dragons slowly began his decent.  It only took a few moments for him 
to settle on the ground.  

"That was quick." Kaelanori commented breathlessly.  

M'lent grinned.  "Let's get you settled in the searchlings barracks."  
He helped her out of the saddle, and began pulling off her trunks.  She 
sttod quietly watching the acticity on the green.  "So this is home." 
She whispered.  She had expected more, after the ride she found Norwall 
rather anti-climactic.  Dissapointed she only half lissened as M'lent 
gave her a quick rundown of where everything was and led her into the 
cave that held the searchling barracks.  She would do a bit of wandering 
later.  

She follwed M'lent through the narrow halls.  The silence of the 
barracks was unnerving.  "Where is everyone?" she asked.

"we don't have many searchlings right now, and with the situation the 
way it is, we won't be getting very many."  He obviously didn't want to 
talk about the situation so Kaelanori changed the subject.

"No offense, but M'lent is an odd name.  I don't believe I have ever 
heard anyone with a name like that before.  How did you come by it?" 

The older man smiled happy for the change.  "I wasn't born with it.  
Many dragonriders choose to shorten their names upon joining.  Or more 
acurately they have them shortened.  Many dragons don't like fussing 
with long names."  

Kaelanori's eyes lit up as she turned that bit of information over in 
her mind.  A name change might be just the thing to truly sever her ties 
with her former life...  If she joined.  She chewed on her lip, she 
didn't like leaving the most important part of her plan up to chance.  

NRPG: Well she's at the warren.   I'll be writing more soon, but if 
anyone wants to say hi, she'll be wandering around later on.  I know 
that it's jumping ahead a bit to the next day, but I figured it wouldn't 
be too big a jump.  Oh yeah, please forgive any spelling mistakes, 
Hotmail's spellcheck has a nasty habit of eating posts.

Submitted by...
Katherine Heath
Kaelanori and nobody  :(
Searchling at Norwall Warren

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