>"Pa'gan!" she screamed in recognition and glee, and hurries toward the
>young man lumbering toward her.
>
>As they embraced he swept her off her feet as if she weighed nothing at
>all, and then set her down again. His kisses were as full of passion as she
>remembered yet also just as sweet and tender, his arms as strong yet
>gentle. This, yes this, was her Pa'gan in the flesh. A fact she could
>hardly believe herself. She had refused for so long to believe him dead,
>and now at long last her prayers had been answered.
>
>Aradia felt so very euphoric, as did Pa'gan. Suddenly she felt Pagan go
>limp in her arms. Alarmed, she eased him down to the ground and started
>inspecting for wounds. His leg was covered in blood and desperately she
>used her hands to try to staunch the flow, as the concerned panther cub
>licked his face. "Please, by all the gods, no!" she screamed in panic,
>"Goddess, don't take him away from me! I just found him..." the young woman
>dissolved into tears of angry frustration.
>
>"Won't somebody help him, please!?!" she cried out in desperation, still
>doing all she could to hold the wound closed.

Tanya sprang foward, not noticing if Trinale was with her and headed to the
side of the man.  Looking down, she could see his old wound had ripped open,
the stitches biting through the skin and shredding the edges.  She watched
as the woman kept trying to close the wound, using her hands to pinch the
edges together.

>Looking down at the ashen young man, Aradia pleads through her sobs,
>"Pa'gan, I love you. Please don't die."

Tanya tried to pay no heed to what the woman was saying, but it still struck
her to her core.  She hoped, desperately, that this woman from Pa'gan's past
wouldn't destroy the bond, however small, she held on the large man.

Then Trinale was beside them, staring closely at the wound.  "He needs a
medic, badly," she stated, bending down on her knees and using a piece of
cloth to staunch the flow of the blood.  "Tanya, go straight to the hospital
and get some able bodied men and medics to take Pa'gan.  Tell them to hurry."

Tanya hesitated, looking at the man, not wanting to leave his side.  When
Trinale saw she was still there, she shouted, "Go!" 

Tanya jumped at the exclamation, then decided that, however much she might
not like it, the two women could take care of the man and took off down the
meadow, straight for the hospital.

In a few minutes, she was at the hospital, telling B'ril everything.  "The
stitches in his leg ripped, and he's bleeding badly---"

"I knew this would happen!" the older medic growled out.  He signalled four
men, obviously medics themselves by their dress, to follow him as they
headed for the trio in the field.

They got there within five minutes of when Pa'gan had collapsed, and the men
carefully picked up the large man, who began to fight in their grasp, making
it hard for them to keep their grips.  The woman Aradia hurried over to
Pa'gan and whispered something into his ear; instantly, he calmed down and
quieted, and Tanya felt a surge of jealousy flow through her. She ignored it
this time, however; such thoughts were for later.

As the man was carried back to the hospital, seemingly delerious from the
pain, Trinale, Tanya, and Aradia stayed by his side, not leaving until B'ril
ordered them away threatening force if necessary. Trinale backed away, and
after a moment so did Tanya, knowing B'ril meant what he said. Aracadia,
however, wouldn't back down whatsoever and had to be practically forcibly
pulled away from the wounded man. After a little while of cooling down, they
each sat down to await the word of the situation.

Submitted by

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~ Sarah Pearson (isolinde@cwnet.com)            ~
* Lyonnia/Dianthus *TELNOR*; Rezsia/Jezebel     *
~ *DAERE*; Tanya/Poldera *WHITERIVER*;          ~
* Cynedra/Jakob*the dog*/Louie*the ferret*      *
~ *MYSTERRA*; Leanna Vere *USS MAGELLAN*;       ~
* Marcail/Gossamer *GEODE*; Linaya *RALENGARDE  *
~ http://www.linux.sfasu.edu/xfiles/xfrpg.html  ~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Reality is the only obstacle to happiness."  -Anonymous-