Day 23:

Kitty woke up and absentmindedly reached on the bed beside her, only
finding empty space. "Gods, it wasn't a dream!" she groaned as the
reality sunk in.

<You're needed at the office> Shandra informed her.

<I know, what else is new?> she replied dejectedly.

<What's wrong with you?> the silver and gold queen responded on picking
up her rider's irritibility.

<Where's Kay?> Kattibrie snapped in curt reply.

<He's in the med center with Violet's rider. Shall I send for him?>

"No!" Kattibrie verbalized her abrupt response to the helpful queen.

<Testy today?> 

"Yes!" Kitty hurriedly shoved on her clothes and ran a comb through her
hair before decending the stairs down to the offices.

***

**Later**

Her stomach rumbled in protest, startling the petite queenrider.

<You need to eat,> Calishandra reminded her.

<What's the point?> Kattibrie sighed.

<You are worrying me! You need to eat!> the young queen insisted.

"Alright already!" Kattibrie hollered, slamming the ledger closed, and
hurried out to the dining hall.

***

** Dining Hall **

Kitty was sipping her coffee when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She
looked up to see a young woman standing before her.

"May I sit here?" The girl's voice had a curious quality to it.

Kattibrie frowned, coming out of her reverie.

"My name is Eleanora, may I sit here?" the girl said again, her voice
still unusually flat.

Kattibrie slapped her forehead, feeling extremely stupid as she realized
why the girl's speech was so odd. This was the new girl she'd heard
about. *Of course you can. I've been meaning to meet with you anyhow.
Please sit, I'm Kattibrie, junior queenrider. Calishandra is my queen,*
she signed.

The girl set down her tray and took a seat, *Are you deaf, too?* the
girl asked.

*No, I am hearing. But Kay, my mate...* Kattibrie looked down as she
tried to fight back tears. *He is deaf,* she continued, *He taught me.*

***

**Hatching Cavern**

>Abby sighed.  "We'll have to surgically remove them."

Kattibrie's heart went in her throat, remove the eggs? Could that be
done? She continued to listen as Ophelia and Abby discussed the senior
queen's predicament.

>"T'nral's is chronic.  All her layings would be like this in the future.
>It's my suggestion that she be sterilised to avoid that pain.  I'm sorry,
>Ophelia."

Kattibrie's eyes widened in horror. It never occured to her before that
a queen might need sterilized. Ye gods! That would mean Ophelia would no
longer be a queenrider, which would mean that Laria would become
Warrenlady... 

>"Ophelia?"
>
>"When would you need to do this?"
>
>"Well, it would be easiest to do while we were in there removing the eggs
>anyway..."
>
>Ophelia nodded.  "I can't let her suffer through this again.  And I can't
>make the warren live through hatchings like you've described."  She paused
>and took a breath.  "I'll... I'll approve the sterilisation."  Her fingers
>traced along Beryth's side as tears sprang to her eyes.  How would Beryth
>accept such a fate?  She turned away then and met the eyes of her most
>junior queenrider.  "Oh, Kitty..." she said, and could say no more.

Kitty wrapped her arms around the elder queenrider, "I'm so sorry," she
murmurred, tears falling down her own face. "I'm so sorry."

***

NRPG: Well, tag to Katrina and Lyn. Sorry, I know this post sucks. I am
really burning out here, and have no idea what to write. I can't even
follow what is going on with the battles and such, even with the help of
timelines.


                \=/,         _-===-_-====-_-===-_-==========-_-====-_
                |  @___oo   (    Submitted by:                        )
      /\  /\   / (___,,,}_--=    Jacqueline "Morgan" Allgood          )
     ) /^\) ^\/ _)        =__    morgie@iquest.net                     )
     )   /^\/   _)          (_                                         )
     )   _ /  / _)            (      The heart and soul of:           )
 /\  )/\/ ||  | )_)            (_    Xanthia/Maxima of Whiteriver     )
<  >      |(,,) )__)             (   Kattibrie/Calishandra of Telnor )
 ||      /    \)___)\             (_                                 )
 | \____(      )___) )___           -==-_____-=====-_____-=====-___==
  \______(_______;;; __;;;

Morgan's World http://members.xoom.com/Morgie/

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