[NRPG: I'm doing a LOT of catching up in this post, please bear with me]

[a while back, Chrysthal's mating flight]

The 'Fish watched the flight avidly, with an intensity that made Kalyth 
shudder.

*Oh, that was lovely*  Aurum sighed *It looked like SUCH fun*  

The dragon was unusually silent for the rest of the day

************************

[a while back, when Shawnee first came to the Warren]

"She's very nice," said Shawnee.

"Umm hmm," Saul agreed taking another bite of his dinner. Then he spotted
another familiar face across the dining hall. "Ah ha. I have someone to
introduce you to. And this one doesn't necessarily agree with your brother
about me."

>"What?" Shawnee teased, "Someone who isn't fond of you, Saul?"

>"You'd be surprised how many people are not fond of me, Sweet Shawnee." He
grinned.

>"Because you take their money playing cards?"

>Saul grinned slyly, "Among other things." He said cryptically.

>He led her over to a table where a tall, pale young woman sat. "Good
evening, Sweet Kalyth."

Kalyth automatically echoed this to Aurum.  Sweet Kalyth indeed!  Then 
again, she was female, and she had noticed that Saul acted as if the 
world would collapse if he should fail to address anything female by Sweet 
something.  She wondered if he would call the 'Fish "Sweet Aurum" after 
she dumped HIM in the lake.

*Oh, a newcomer, be nice Kalyth!*  Aurum sounded excited.

>Kalyth looked up at him with her steel blue eyes, and smiled slightly. She
nodded at him and the young woman with him. "I'd like to introduce you to
Shawnee. She's only just arrived in the Warren."

Kalyth had a quite vivid memory of how she arrived here.

>"Did he drag you here, too?" She said with a wry lift to her lips.

>"He dragged you here?" she asked looked at Saul whose eyes were still 
smiling.

Ah, no she wasn't.  It must have been Kalyth's lucky day that Saul 
decided to change practices that morning.

>Kalyth raised an eyebrow at Whiteriver's searcher. "I wasn't very happy
about it then .. but now .. I guess it wasn't such a bad thing."

*HEY!* Aurum sounded offended.  Kalyth realized that she needed to make a 
midnight swim as a part of tonight's plans.  Again.

>Shawnee looked a little confused, but Saul quickly intervened, "I brought
Shawnee here so that her little brother and sister could get the care they
needed. And now thanks to B'ril, they are."

>"Your brother and sister are sick?" Kalyth asked.

>"They were," Shawnee told her, "But now that they've had the healer's
looking after them, Ojean and Fawna are so much better. 

*Isn't Fawna such a pretty name?* Aurum prompted.

"Fawna is such a pretty name," Kalyth obediently  told her. "How old is she?

>"She's six years old, and she's as pretty as her name sounds," the 
girl's face softened as she spoke about the little angle in the med 
center. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her, but 
thanks to Saul for bringing her here, I don't have to think about it."

*Oh, you have something in common!  Whatever would you have done if Saul 
hadn't brought you here to me?*  The 'Fish sounded unbearable smug.  
Kalyth took the chance for a bit of revenge.  She was already going to 
get soaked that night, anyway.

>"Tell me," the light-haired girl leaned closer, a mischievous glint 
colored her blue eyes. "Did he ask you if you wanted to come here, or 
did he just take over and tell you, you were coming with him?"

Kalyth made a point of echoing this comment back to Aurum.  The 'Fish was 
NOT amused.  Kalyth relaxed a little for the first time since she 
realized her parents were drugging her.

>Shawnee's cheeks colored as her mind recalled the events that had 
taken place that night. Her eyes caught Saul's, a smug little smile lingered
on his lips as he too waited for her to answer.

>"With my sister Fawna so sick at the time, I really didn't have much 
of a choice. Getting her the help she needed was all that was important 
to me at the time." 

>Kalyth let out a hardy laugh, "Which is just a polite way of saying 
that he didn't give you a choice in the matter."

*Kalyth, you know how to laugh?  You have a sense of humor?*  Aurum 
sounded genuinely surprized.

*I just don't find being dunked in a lake particularly funny.*

>"Would you have me leaving two gravely ill children to the mercy's of 
their own fate?" Saul looked hurt at the girl's teasing. "Why even you 
know I'm not that heartless."

Heartless wasn't the word she would use to describe Saul, but Kalyth was 
in a good mood, and decided to try to tease a little.  She had noticed 
the protective way Saul looked at Shawnee.

>"No Saul, you're not," Kalyth grinned. "But I'll bet it didn't hurt 
that they had a pretty sister who was just the right age now did it."

*Kalyth?!*

>The right age for *what* Shawnee wondered, but before she could voice 
the question, the man beside her spoke. 

>"I'll have you know that Shawnee has a job with Barry over at the tailor
shop," Saul told the other rider. "She's quite good with a needle and thread
too. Maybe you should go by sometime and see what she could make 
up for you. Something in a softer tone Sweet Kalyth might look good on you."

Saul's revenge.  Ah well.  It wasn't a bad idea, thought.  There might be 
something a bit more suitable for constant dunkings in the lake.

>"I just might do that," She said as she got up to say her good-byes. 
"It was nice meeting you Shawnee, I hope to see you around again soon 
and that your brother and sister get better quickly."

>"Thank you," Shawnee smiled in return, "It was nice meeting you too. 
Maybe one day you could tell me the story of how you came to the 
Warren." 

>"Maybe one day I will," Kalyth flashed a brief smile Saul's way when 
she heard him groan. "Maybe I will. Night all"

>"Night," the other two said.

Kalyth went to bed dry that night.  The change made her nervous, 
especially as Aurum seemed unusually pleased about something.  Then 
again, it was much nicer oiling the dragon wearing dry clothing.  The 
smell though.  Kalyth wrinkled her nose.  One of these days she HAD to 
get around to doing something about it.

[NRPG:  The original oil contains herbs that her parents used to 
"camoflage" the smell of the stuff her parents used for mind control, 
and, coincidentally, Thorin's formula smells even more like it. Since I 
haven't written in a few years, I thought this needed some explanation.

Thanks again for giving me/kalyth a chance to have something along the lines
of a sense of humor!! =)]


****************************************************************************

>        After trying to get some sleep for an hour or so Pa'gan got out of
bed. The thought of his misreading Trinale's emotion bothered him deeply and
he wondered if she would ever talk to him again.

<.......>

>        As the last of the wax was cut through he placed the knife on the
stone ledge next to him and slowly opened the box. There gleaming in the
light of the near full moon laid what his priestess, his first lover had
given him on the night she ushered him into manhood. A flute. Her very own
ritual flute that she had used to call to the Gods and spirits, called to
them in song.


>        Slowly Pa'gan raised the flute to his trembling lips.....and played.

Kalyth had had an interesting day.  In the middle of flight, she had the 
oddest certaintly that Aurum was in the mood for a dip in the lake...Kalyth
style.  She quickly grabbed tightly to the harness with a death grip as 
the 'Fish went into a complicated series of rolls and tumbles.  Kalyth 
thought she might get air sick, but for a change, she didn't get wet.

The 'Fish was not happy about this.  The contest, or "game" as Aurum put 
it later, went on for several hours, providing entertainment to any who 
looked up.  Finally, the orange dragon gave up, and let her rider return 
to the ground.  Aurum then proceeded to sulk for the rest of the day.

After many hours of attempting to sooth the dragon, Kalyth gave up, 
picked up her harp, and went off to seek some tranquility.  Far away, in 
another part of the warren, Kalyth tuned her harp and played.

Aurum fidgeted, this was boring; they could be going on a midnight flight 
and Kalyth just sat there playing with that thing.

She started to say something to cajole Kalyth into doing something more 
interesting.

*Don't you dare!*

*Lute?* Aurum was startled.

*I'm listening to them play*

*Them who?*

*I'll tell you later if you don't interrupt her*

Aurum sat back, and planned her next adventure while passing away the time.
 
[NRPG: just thought Kalyth would give Pa'gan company of sorts, Kalyth 
doesn't hear him play.
*****************************
[Some generic time about 2 days from the present, so that it doesn't 
overlap.]

Kalyth had finally had enough.  She was going to do SOMETHING about the 
scent of the dragon's oil.  It looked like she would be using it for the 
rest of her life, and she didn't know how much longer she could tolerate it.

She knocked on Trinale's door.

"Come in"

As Kalyth came in, Trinale waved her to a seat.

"What can I do for you, Kalyth?"

"I was wondering if it would be possible for Aurum and I to go off for a 
few days to gather some herbs and minerals."

Trinale frowned slightly.  "I don't think there's a problem with that.  
What do you want them for?  I have a few herbs in my garden, and I'm sure 
Thorin would have most of the rest."

"I wanted to alter the scent of the oil the used for the dragon's 
skins....it brings back bad memories."

Trinale looked as if she was about to start to ask about that, then, 
apparently noticing the set look on Kalyth's face, seemed to decide to wait 
until the rider was more comfortable with the warren.

Instead, she cautiously asked about the oil Thorin used.

Kalyth blanched at Thorin's name.  "The scent he used is closer to what I 
wish to forget, " she whispered.

"I see," Trinale looked thoughtful.  "Go ahead and gather the materials 
you need."

"Thank you, Warrenlady,"  Kalyth stood up, paused at the door, then left.

Trinale looked at the door thoughtfully as Kalyth left.

[NRPG: Kat, sorry if I put thoughts in Trinale's head, I tried to give 
enough room that if Trinale would think/act in a different manner, that you 
would be free to do so.  I just wanted to give Kalyth SOMETHING to do to 
get her back up to the present, and still explain her/my absence.


Ok, that's about as much up to date as I'm going to get.  Sorry about the 
huge delay in posting, but i've been involved in a futile effort to pass 
my qualifying exams =( ]