The day after moving into the apartment she shared with Ga'brin, Tera 
still couldn't believe her good luck.  Two weeks ago she was miserably 
living in her families Inn, singing by night and slaving away to that 
bitch her father had married.

How life had changed for her.

She spent the morning  going through all the Warren's stores with her 
mate's mother, Sarrine and his sister, Abbien who'd invited herself 
along at the last minute.

"She wants to check you out herself," Sarrine had told Tera when the 
two women had first been introduced. "To see for herself if you're 
good enough for her older brother."


After spending the morning shopping and gossiping about different 
people around the Warren, Tera found herself taking a liking to the 
young healer.

The rest of the afternoon Tera had spent fixing up the apartment, 
adding colorful pillows and other nic-nacs to the rooms to give them 
a lived in look. Sarrine had found a  tan, gold and brown blanked 
that fitted the over sized bed as if it had been made for it. Tera 
had found some pieces of material to match that she was going to 
make throw pillows to give the bed an added flare.

She was just finishing up when Sundellath told her that Sunburst's 
rider wanted to know if they could come over and see her new 
apartment.

< Can we go? I'd like to see where my friends are going to be 
living, > Sundellath asked, her thought excited.

>> Sure, why not? << Tera replied, she really did want to see her 
friends new apartment, and find out if there was any truth to the 
dragon's gossip about what happened at the beach party.

Layla's apartment wasn't very far away, so Tera didn't bother to 
saddle up for the short flight. There was plenty of room for 
Sundellath to land beside the two headed dragon, making Tera wonder 
if her friend had planed on that. She smiled.

Tera barely had just enough time to dismount form the blue, before 
the girls were bestowing upon Sundee one of their special hugs. 

"Yo Laya, What's up," she called from the door way as she took a 
glance around the sparsely furnished room.

"So what do you think of my place?" Laya asked as she appeared in 
though the bedroom door. "Isn't it just wonderful!!"

"What I've seen of it looks great," Tera replied with a smile 
dancing in her green eyes. "When do I get to see the rest of it?"

They talked for over an hour about the way their lives had changed 
since coming to the Warren. Tera told her about the being attacked 
the other night and what had happened afterwards.

"If F'gon hadn't shown up when he did, I might not be here talking 
to you right now," Tera told her friend. "Ga'brin was so upset, 
that he's arranged it with Master Dirk, for F'gon to start teaching 
me self defense. Just the basics to start with but I'll feel a whole 
lot better knowing more than I did before."

An idea suddenly came to her, "You know it might not be a bad idea 
for all of us newly joined females to learn. You never know when 
it'll come in handy."

"I'd be more than willing to learn," Laya had replied, then just as 
quickly changed the subject. "So....now that you know what it's all 
about," she smiled wickedly, "What did you think about last night?"
********
Over the next week Tera's life had gone through a lot more changes. 
Her days were spent practicing with Alpha wing, learning all about 
flight patterns and tactics. Her nights were spent making love to 
Ga'brin. For the first time in her life that she could remember 
Tera was totally happy. Except for those few times she'd had that 
dream about Trap. The one about teleporting.

She had been both nervous and detremended with her own first 
teleporting lesson. At no time did she fail to give Sundellath the 
clearest picture of where they were to go before giving the command 
to go. Both dragon and rider had  come through fine.

Her friendship with Laya was growing stronger each day. As was her 
friendship with Kay and Lyonnia. Tera found herself beginning to 
care for the red headed girl as she would have a younger sister. 

F'gon proved to be a good choice for a patrol partner. He was easy 
going and friendly once he came to realize that Ga'brin and the 
rest of his family had excepted him as a more than a friend. He 
hadn't cared that he rode the female. After that he even began to 
open up to them.

Several times Tera had sat out on the green, watching while the two 
men she trusted her life to, went through and practiced their self 
defense forms. Executing each deadly move with the grace and beauty 
of a dancer preforming on a stage.

Of Danielle, Tera had seen very little. Flying with different 
fighting wings, didn't help matters. They did manage to find some 
time to sit and talk together. Once they even got to preform a few 
songs together during the evenings entertainment. Tera enjoyed 
singing with Danielle almost as much as she enjoyed singing with 
Ga'brin. The voices of the two women blended so well together.

One day, about a week after moving into the apartment, Tera 
noticed they were running short of a few supplies. She decided 
to take a quick trip down to the stores before her mate got home. 

>> Sundee, will you ask Preston to ask Ga'brin if it would be 
okay to invite a few people over for dinner to night?"<< It sounded 
like fun. And besides they hadn't yet had anyone except Sarrine, 
Tahlaya, and Ga'brin's patrol partner C'rispin.

< Preston said it was okay with Ga'brin. > Sundee reported back. 
< He will be home soon to help you if you need it. >

>> No I won't but please ask him to bring Ben'sar with him. I don't 
get to see his brother all that much.<< Tera smiled, she had been
 looking for just such an excuse to get Ben'sar and Lyonnia in the 
same place for the two of them to meet. 

She had just come out of one of the stores with her arms ladened 
down with packages when she went to turn a corner and ran smack 
dab into a hard solid form.

Strong hand came out to steady her when she would have fallen, but
 her packages were left scattered on the ground. Thankfully nothing 
looked as if it had broken.

Her rescuer turned out to be a man of about her own age. Ruggedly 
handsome with black curly hair, But it was the sparkling light in 
his green eyes, that sent a fleeting memory of another man through 
her mind.

"Steady now," the man said smoothly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tera gave a little laugh,  "but I'm not so sure I can 
say the same with my bags."

"Here let me help you pick them up," the man offered and bent down 
to retrieve them, handing them back up to Tera.

"Tera, there you are! Sundellath told the girls I'd find you here."

The two on the ground turned as one to see who the new comer was. 
Tera's face broke out into a big smile as she recognized Laya 
striding towards them. "I thought I'd see if I could give you 
any help"

Tera was so happy to see her friend that she didn't see the 
stunned expression that came across the black haired man's 
face. Almost abruptly he thrust the last package onto the pile 
in her arms, and just as abruptly turned and walked away without 
a word. But not before Tera had seen a strange almost hateful 
look in his green eyes.

"What just happened here?" Laya asked, a puzzled expression on her 
face. "I've never seen Sandor act that rude before."

"I have no idea," Tera replied, thinking about the hate she thought 
she had seen in his eyes, and deciding she had been wrong. "But if 
you find out....let me know"

As one they turned to each other and shrugged, them they both 
broke out in giggles,  as Laya took half the packages from Tera 
and they began to walk back toward their awaiting dragons.

Tera spent much of that night at dinner watching how Lyonnia and 
Ben'sar seemed to hit it off. Well it would be good for them to 
get to know each other now....For she was certain that Ben'sar 
would fine his dragon at the next hatching, (she hoped, but knew 
only the dragon's knew for sure)  let the two of them have a head 
start getting to know each other now.

The next morning, Sundellath told her rider that Sabbith and 
Dianthus had just left for their first patrol. Tera was thinking 
about how lucky they were.

Less than an hour later, Danielle on Violet, and Kay on Sabbith 
popped back into the air above the warren. H'nry's dragon Dalanth 
was riderless and Lyonnia's blue was no where to be seen.

>> Sundee where's Lyonnia and Dianthus,"<< Tera knew something 
had gone horribly wrong... >> "Why is Dalanth riderless?" <<

< Dianthus rider was taken by a green that appeared out of the sky 
and then went between...and Dalanth's rider stayed when the bandit 
who rides the green said the girl would be released if all other 
dragons left. 

>> SO WHERE IS SHE???<< Tera screamed.

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

Barbara
Voice of:
Tera & Sundellath (Telnor)
Ga'brin & Preston (Telnor)
And "The Shadow" 
Dragonlands


(nrpg: Well I think I'm finally caught up with Tera *grin*
Now we get to go on and have some fun!!!!!