Where was he? Shouldn't he have been back by now? 

For the twentieth time in the last forty minutes, Shawnee pushed 
aside the curtain and looked outside. Still no sign of her handsome
dragonrider could she see.

Letting the curtain fall back into position, she lowered herself 
down on to the couch and tried to keep her tears from falling. 
Taking several deep breaths she fought back the panic that was 
threatening to over come her. 

He had to know by now about the boy. His son. What was he feeling.

Confusion? Denial?

She had to find him. Weather he knew it or not, he needed her. This 
was something he shouldn't have to go through alone and she loved 
him enough to forget about her own sadness for his sake and be there 
for him.
 
Getting p she hurried into the bed room and dressed in the first 
thing she grabbed. Then she rushed from the apartment, only to 
remember that she had no idea where he would be. Where had he gone 
when he didn't come back to her.

Fayloth was still in his customary spot on the green near her door. 
The place he'd claimed as his when ever Ojean was home from school 
and the blue wasn't occupied else where with his rider. She ran up 
to him and stopped near his great head.

"Fayloth, I don't know if you can hear me or not," she said as the 
blue eyed her. "But your rider must be hurting right now and I want 
to help him. Please... help me find him!!" 

She reached out to stroke his great nose, as if trying to transmit 
some of the urgency of her feeling to the beast, and could have 
kissed him when he raised his head and turned as if pointing off 
in the right direction.

"I should go that way?" she asked not really expecting and answer, 
but when the dragon turned back to her and brought his nose down to 
gently push against her she didn't think twice but hurried off in 
the direction the blue and pushed her.

Trying to think what was located near there she soon saw the beauty 
of the waterfall come into her sight. Only today it's beauty meant 
nothing to her. Nothing mattered to her at the moment except finding 
Saul.

"Shawnee?"

She heard the voice calling after her but didn't stop until someone 
came up behind her and grabbed her arm stopping her.

"What's your rush girl?" She turned to se L'rian standing there a 
worried expression on his face. "Are you all right? You're white as 
a sheet."

"I'm find really, but I have to find Saul," she told the red-headed 
partner of her loves. "It's important. Have you seen him in the last 
half hour or so?"

"Why no," he frowned. "Not that I can recall."

She turned her head away and looked around, his hand on her arm made 
her look back. 

"What's wrong? You can tell me you know. Even if my friend wasn't 
bestowed by your beautiful face, You could still come to me if you 
needed anything. I hope you know that."

"I do L'rian," she said met his eyes. "But right now it's Saul I'm 
worried about. I have to find him."

"What could possibly wrong with Saul?" he asked. "He was in great 
spirits this morning."

"As much as I wish I could tell you... I can't," she whispered. He 
would understand too. But it wasn't up to her to tell him.

"Shawnee?"

"Please L'rian, I've got to find him," she pleaded for his help.

Their eyes met and he studied her face before asking. "It's that 
important to you?"

"He's that important to me!!!!"

His eyes took on that glassy look that she had come to recognize in 
Saul as a rider talking with his dragon. After a second or two he 
turned to her.

"Fayloth said his riders mind is confused," he said. 

"Ask him where his rider is? "She pleaded again. "Tell him I only 
want to help him."

"Shawnee is Saul in some kind of trouble?" the older man asked.

"No, it's nothing like that," she replied.

"Your fainting last night in the hall... are you pregnant and did 
you tell him if you are?

She cringed and looked away, not wanting him to see the pain and 
hurt his question had cause her to feel. 

"No."

"Too bad," he sighed and then, "He's near the waterfall. If you 
need me, I'll be there for you."

"Oh thank you!!" she cried and reached up to kiss his cheek. "Thank 
you." Then she was off hurrying to the spot that brought back good 
memories for her.

------

He was there, sitting on the ground with his head bowed over arms 
wrapped around drawl up knees. His back was to her so she was able 
to stand there and watch him for a minute before she stated walking 
towards him.

Without a word she knelt on the ground behind him and wrapped her 
arms around him, her head came to rest on his shoulder.

"You knew." he asked without turning around, but his hand reached 
for hers and held onto it.

"I wasn't sure," she told him. "Not until I saw them in the dining 
hall last night. It's there in his eyes. I think I knew it from the 
first time I saw him, but it was only after you'd joined us and I 
saw him again when I was getting your dinner....." Her voice trailed 
off. 

"Gods Shawnee... " his voice broke, full of emotion and all she could 
do was hold him in her arms. And hope her support would be enough.

------------------
(Kris: She'll be there for him... what ever he needs. She will be 
trying to hide her own feelings from him. So he doesn't know how 
much his having a child already having a child hurts.. 

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

Barbara (a.k.a. ......

Shawnee & her Siblings
(and soon her dragon:)
Whiteriver Warren