<Faith>


>Chance laughed at him.  "What he means is, you're an incredibly brave young 
>woman, and he was so impressed that he made you something to recognize 
>that... and... since it's boring to sit alone, he thought you might at least 
>like something to play with or look at besides these four walls."


The box that Derry placed into Faith's lap wasn't *that* large, but it was
heavy.  Faith looked from Derry's expectant face to Chance and back again,
then she reached out to stroke the surface of the wooden container, her
fingers lingering over a knothole in the grain.


"It's a very nice box."  Faith said, with a hesitant smile  "I could keep
my treasures in it and it's not too big to be hidden away safely...."


She was confused when Chance ruffled her hair and laughed merrily.  


"She thinks I made the BOX."  Derry said rolling his eyes in mock sadness.
"I'm hurt!  Alas.....there fly my dreams of being recognised as *the* most
brilliant artist in all the Lands. I shall never lift another chisel or
file again...."


"Don't tease her so."  Chance told him when she realised that Faith was
convinced that Derry was seriously upset at her mistake.  "Here...."


Chance reached across and flipped the lid open, and Faith could only stare,
round-eyed at the astonishment of treasures revealed within.  For a long
moment her hands remained still on the coverlet... then, with a mind of
their own, her fingers were absorbed in prodding and stroking and coveting
all of Derry's wondrous creations.


"If there's anything there you like you're more than welcome to it."  Derry
said softly as he watched the small girl's eyes dart from carving to carving 


Faith's face was lit by a huge smile   "Really?"  she asked 


"Really."  Derry nodded  "And if you'd like to help me choose something for
Lorelei and Jennifer that would be a big help."


<..>


Faith set aside a carving of a rearing horse with a tiny figure clinging to
it's back for Jennifer.  And for Lorelei she chose a figurine of a graceful
woman wearing a long flowing gown.  


"She looks just like a princess."  she explained when Chance asked  " And
Lorelei doesn't believe in princesses.  If she sees this she'll have to
believe in them!"


Her hand kept straying to a tiny carving that she'd set to one side... a
small dragon curled in sleep, with it's tail curved over it's nose... she'd
been touching it longingly all the time she was choosing gifts for the
other two girls.


>"What's this one?" asked Faith, as she gently took an exquisitely carved 
>rose from near the back of the box.  She didn't notice him flushing or 
>Katla's amused glance.  Her fingers trailed gently over the satin-smooth 
>outer petals, that rocked slightly as she pressed against it.
>
>"It's a rose... if you twist the head gently, it opens to about 3/4 full 
>bloom."
>
>"Really?"  She grinned, trying it.  "Oh!  Wow!"
>
>"I'm glad you like it --"


"Could I have this one?  I mean..." 


She flushed, torn between her love of the dragon carving, and eagerness to
do something to help her father in his courtship of Trinale. 

"Actually, I want to give it to my dad." she confessed in a rush  "He's
having dinner with Trinale tonight, and this would be such a neat gift for
him to give her."


Derry nodded and smiled affably.  "Sure.  I wasn't sure who I was going to
give it to... after all mama and Chance have lots of my carvings."


"You mean it?  Wow!"  Faith grinned at them, but her eyes followed the
small dragon until it was hidden within the box once more, then she sighed
with regret.  Her dad would never know the sacrifice she'd made so that he
could give Trinale *THE* perfect gift.


>A knock came at the door.  Chance looked up, suddenly grateful for the 
>interruption.  It was one of the healers on duty.  "Time's up."
>
>Derry nodded and packed up, keeping a light flow of inconsequential chatter 
>going with Faith as Chance made her way to the door.
>
>"G'night, Faith.  Sleep well." Chance waved from the door.
>
>"See you later, Faith.  Sleep well."  Derry ruffled her hair gently and left.


**********
<Daimon - early morning>


He propped himself up on one elbow and watched her sleep.  Her youthful
innocence was belied by the passion with which she'd surrendered to him the
previous evening.  A spasm of remembered pleasure washed over him and he
could feel himself hardening with desire once more..... 


He touched her gently and she snuggled against him with small sound of
contentment.  He kissed the bare shoulder that rose from beneath the sheet,
nuzzling into her neck to nip at the soft skin there.  Sliding his hand
over her hip and along her thigh, he sought entrance to her secret warmth,
and she arched her back to allow him access, a groan escaping her lips.
Her eyes flickered open and he smiled as a deep blush spread across her
skin.  She was so delightful in her innocence and so exciting!


He gazed into her eyes, and frowned when he saw confusion and fear there
instead of the sleepy desire he'd expected.  She pulled away from his
caressing hands.


>"Whats wrong?" Daimon asked gently, concern on his face.
>
>"Last night...." Trinale's voice trailed off as she remembered how she had
>responded to his touch.
>
>"Didn't you enjoy it?" Daimon asked, worriedly.


Had he hurt her with his eagerness?    Had he mistaken her groans of pain
for moans of pleasure?  Or was she disgusted by the pleasure they'd shared?
 Was she shamed by their lovemaking?    Was she just too polite to shout
and scream at him for what had happened between them?


>"Oh yes!" Trinale replied "Its just that...." her voice trailed off again.
>
>"Its just what?" Daimon looked at her thoughtfully.


>"Well, its just that..." Trinale looked at him, worried that she might
>hurt him "I don't think I love you!" she blurted out.  


The shock of her words was a physical pain slicing into his heart. As he
struggled to make sense of what she'd said he searched her face for any
hint of what was going through her mind.  Was she after revenge for the
times he'd flirted with other women?  

He pushed that thought aside as unworthy of her!  That wasn't her way and
she'd never given him reason to think it was.  She was up front and open
about everything she did.


His thoughts still in chaos he fought to keep his face calm, and his voice
even as he assured her that he understood, and that there had been no
promises exchanged between them.


>"I mean, I wanted to because it felt good and I wanted to know what it felt
>like to make love without the dragon lust, and I do like you....." 


Her voice trailed away and she looked up at him.  She chewed at her lower
lip nervously as she waited for his reaction,  and he felt his heart lurch
as he looked into her worried green eyes.  So serious, so beautiful and so
very young.  And there lay the problem!  


He loved her!  And she was much too young to be involved with someone as
old as he was.  Gods!  Faith was only a few years younger than Trinale.....
and woe betide any man who tried to climb into Faith's bed when she was
just 16!  She needed someone closer to her own age, someone she could learn
with.  Someone like the young man he'd seen her with so much recently... 


"I'm very flattered that you trusted me enough to experiment with."  he
told her gently  "And I hope the experience lived up to your expectations.
But it was never going to be more than that... an experience."  He reached
out to smooth her untidy curls away from her face.  "It was good between
us, but you need someone who can give you the commitment and love that you
deserve.  


"I like you a lot Trinale, but that's as far as it goes."


The relief that spread across her face was worth the lie!


***********
<Caliban>


*Lute!*  Cali prodded the snoring dragon  *Wakey wakey... time to go.
C'mon Lute you lazy lump... we're late enough already!!*


Cali hastily pulled her other boot on as Lute finally opened one sleepy eye
to peer at her in disgust.  With a huge snort, Lute heaved herself up and
then shook herself vigorously, scattering sand everywhere.  


*Hey....*  


Cali hopped backwards trying to avoid as much of the flying sand as
possible.... she didn't have time to change since she was supposed have
been at the lake with the trainees five minutes ago.  She brushed the grit
from her hair and clothes and glared at the grumbling dragon.  


*What's the matter with you this morning Lute?*  Cali asked as she hastily
buckled the saddle in place and climbed up.  


*I'm  hungry and tired.*  Lute complained crossly  *And you interrupted a
very strange dream I was having and now I'll never know who won......*


Lute lurched towards the ledge and then dropped from the edge like a stone.
 Cali clutched at the harness with both hands, her head snapping back on
her neck as Lute flipped her wings open.  


*Tired I could understand.  But hungry?*  Cali loosened the grip she had on
the straps and relaxed slightly when Lute's stomach-lurching descent turned
into a long slow glide.  *You only ate last night Lute!  You can't be
hungry again surely.*


*I'm hungry.*  Lute repeated sullenly, as she angled towards the lake
*Very hungry!*


*Alright love.*  Cali soothed the irritable dragon  *I won't need you for a
while.  Once you've dropped me you can go hunting.  But not too far away or
too long.*


Lute landed a short distance from the lake, and Cali slid down hurriedly,
skipping away quickly as Lute launched herself skywards as soon as Cali's
feet were on the ground.  Cali caught a hint of fierce hunger, then Lute's
thoughts faded into the distance as she 'ported away.


<..>


The morning passed quickly as one by one the trainees followed Futhark and
Aradia in taking their first flights.  Cali tried hard to concentrate on
everything that was going on around her, but even after she'd killed and
devoured two wild deer, Lute's humour didn't improve much and she radiated
a constant gnawing hunger that had Cali's own stomach rumbling angrily.


With great effort she kept her temper in check while she was warning
Shawnee about her dragon's antics.  It wasn't Doshayne's or Futhark's or
any of the other hatchlings that had her out of sorts.


*For the love of.....*  Cali finally scolded Lute  *Can't you keep your
stomach under control.  Look... we're about to take a meal break... go kill
another deer or something or I'm going to be taking someone's head off this
afternoon!*


*Grouch!*  Lute snorted as she took off once more for her favourite hunting
place.


***********
<Daimon - Med centre>


He listened to Faith's prattling with only half his attention, the other
half given over to that morning's conversation with Trinale.  She'd relaxed
once he'd told her what she'd needed to hear, and she'd been very gracious
to him as he'd showered and dressed.  He'd even managed to act normally as
she'd extended a warm invitation to bring Faith to dinner once she was
released from the med centre.


"You're not listening to me Dad!"  Faith complained  "I've asked you five
times now how Trinale liked the pastries but you're just sitting there with
that really moony look on your face."


"I'm sorry sweetheart."  Daimon said as he pulled the little girl onto his
lap  "I've had other things to think about.  Trinale loved the pastries...
especially when I told her they were your idea.  She wanted to give you
something for being so clever in ferreting out her secrets but I told her
your head was swollen enough as it was!  So she persuaded me to accept
this....."  He kissed Faith soundly on the cheek  "... on your behalf."


Faith giggled and wriggled off his lap once more.  She went to the dresser
beside her bed and removed the carved rose she'd placed there with great
care the evening before.


"Well you're not to tell her that this was my idea."  she scolded her
father  as she held the perfect flower out for his inspection  "If you want
to impress her properly then she has to think it was your idea to get her
this."


"Where did this come from Faith?"  


The subtle perfume that rose from the finely carved petals was light and
fresh and very definitely Trinale.  Whoever had made the rose had taken
enormous trouble to get it just right.


"Where did it come from Faith?"  he asked again  


"Derry and his sister came to visit me last night while you were having
dinner."  


Eagerly Faith told him of the previous evening's visit and how Derry had
asked for her advice as to which pieces were most suitable for Lorelei and
Jennifer, and how he had said that she could pick anything she wanted for
herself.


"... and when I saw how beautiful the rose was I knew it would make a
perfect gift for Trinale."  


She looked at him for his approval and he nodded quickly.  "It could almost
have been made especially for her."  he said quietly, thoughtfully


He looked at his daughter's small face, shining with excitement at her own
cleverness, and he hugged her tightly to him.  


"Ouch!  You're hurting me Da"  she complained as she struggled to breathe,
wriggling uncomfortably in his tight grip.


"Sorry darling."  he loosened his grip but didn't let her go  "I love you
very much and I know you meant well.... but I can't give that to Trinale.
That's meant to be given to someone very special, someone you love very
much... and I don't feel that way about Trinale."


He could see that she didn't believe him, that she intended to argue with
him, but he forestalled her with his next words.


"And Trinale doesn't feel that way about me either!"  he said decisively
"So you see it would be a waste for me to give that rose to Trinale.  I
think you should give it back to Derry before we leave Whiteriver."


The flash of pity in her eyes was immediately replaced with confused surprise.


"Leave?"  Faith's voice rose to a shrill squeak  "We can't leave Da!  I
like it here and all my friends are here... "


"We've already stayed here far longer than I'd intended."  Daimon answered
"And a lot of the others in the troupe are restless and ready to move on.
Come on Faith...."


He tried to hug her but she pulled away from him stiffly, angrily.


"You did something to make her send us away! I know you did!  It's not
fair!"  Faith's eyes filled with tears and she dashed them away quickly
"Why do we always have to go just when I've made friends?  I HATE YOU...."


She dashed from the room, heedless of the people she crashed into in her
headlong flight.  With a heavy heart Daimon followed her retreating figure,
apologising to those she'd bumped or pushed as she ran.  


It was never easy to leave a place... but this time it was going to be much
more difficult for the both of them.  She'd be leaving behind some good
friends and happy memories, and he.... this time he'd be leaving his heart
behind.


*********
<Caliban - early evening - dining hall>


She was still trying to assuage the hunger pangs that had been plaguing her
all day.... Lute had a lot to answer for when she returned from yet another
hunt!.... when a shadow fell across the table she was seated at.


>"Cali .." Thorin said hesitantly.
>
>She turned her blue eyes on the man in front of her, and smiled, "Hi,
>what's up?"
>
>"I need to speak to you  .. about Areena." 
>
>"Sure, what ever I can do to help."
>
>"Well, before K'rine got sick, he told me that because of her size she'd
>never be able to carry me on her back .. I understand that." he said
>quickly, the frowned, "But she doesn't. She says she can carry me .. and
>well, when she asked me to talk to you I couldn't turn her down."


Cali finished the last mouthful of her tea, and stood up.  


"Hm... I know how hard it can be to refuse your dragon something once she's
set her mind on it."  She chuckled thinking of Lute's constant nagging
about being oiled.  Then she started towards the doors with Thorin close
behind her  "K'rine said she was too small to carry you but she disagrees,
eh?  Well let's go take a look at her and see shall we?"


<..>


They were barely half way across the green when an eerily mournful keening
began.  


*Lute?"  Cali reached out to her dragon, fighting to hold back tears as the
awful loneliness of the dragon's call drilled into her  *Who IS that?*


*Reekor says that his human is gravely injured.*


Cali looked round and saw Pag'an's obsidian dragon land a short distance
away, and then Futhark's red and blue shape was hurtling downwards to land
beside him, and other people were beginning to congregate around the two.


"I'll just get my kit."  Thorin said as he picked up his pace  "If
Pa'agan's as badly hurt as Areena thinks then I'll need it.  Will Lute mind
giving me a ride?"


"She'll be ready when you are."  Cali assured him  "She's already on her
way in."  As she spoke she spotted the cream coloured dragon landing not
far from Reekor and Futhark.  "She's just trying to persuade Reekor to tell
her where Pa'gan is...."


Reekor and Futhark took to the air again, this time coming in to land a
short distance from the hatchling barracks.  Cali could see the tiny figure
of Aradia slide from the smaller dragon's back and dash into the open doors
of the barracks... then minutes later she emerged swinging a pack.


*Reekor refuses to allow anyone but Futhark to follow him to where his
rider is.*  Lute told her in sudden indignation  *He won't give me an image
to use....*


*Stop Futhark!*  Cali started running to where Aradia was just climbing
back up on her dragon's back.  *Stop him Lute!  They've never even
attempted to teleport before!!  Warn him how dangerous it can be.  Persuade
them to wait until Thorin gets here and we can take Aradia with us......*


*They don't hear me.*  Lute told her as the other two dragons took to the
air, and seconds later disappeared from view.  


Damn!  Cali stopped running.  Breathing heavily she let fly a string of
colourful curses.  What the hell did the woman think she was doing taking a
 hatchling.... one who had no experience of teleporting and who only taken
his first flight that day... into unknown dangers!  


<..>


She was back at the entrance to the hatching cavern by the time Thorin came
hurrying up with his medical bag in hand.  She took a few moments to
explain what had happened, still seething angrily at Aradia's apparent
failure to think of the possible consequences to her half-trained dragon.


"There's nothing I can do about it until she gets back."  she eventually
sighed  "But you can bet I'll have more than a few words to say about
endangering her dragon when she does reappear!  Of all the half-baked,
incompetent ....."


<..>


Cali nodded courteously to the large lavendar queen, then moved towards the
smaller dragon nestled into the sandy hollow they shared.  Chrysthal
settled herself to watch with quiet amusement as Areena rose to her feet
and made herself seem as tall as possible.


The 'tiny' dragon was no longer quite as tiny as she had been.  Closer in
size to a 3 day old hatchling than a full grown adult perhaps, but there
were definite signs that she was making progress. Slow progress, but
progress nonetheless.  


She had Th'rin ask Areena to stretch out and then paced the dragon's full
length from nose to tail..... 


"Would you ask her to extend her....  Thank you Areena."  


Cali smiled as the eager dragon's shimmering wings were unfurled for her to
examine.  With gentle fingers she probed at the flight muscles and tendons,
kneaded the heavy chest muscles and then stretched the wing sail to it's
limit before allowing it to snap back into position.


"Well?"  Th'rin asked as she moved away, and gestured for Areena to fold
her wings again. 


"There's no reason for her not to fly on her own whenever she wants to."
Cali said slowly  "In fact if she doesn't start doing so on a much more
regular basis her flight muscles are are to gradually waste away.  As to
carrying you on her back... that depends on how badly she wants it."


Areena's ears pricked up and Cali had to laugh at the solemnly attentive
look on the dragon's face.


"Why didn't K'rine work with the two of you after Areena was hatched?"
Cali asked quietly.  "Why didn't you push him to get him to show you what
you needed to know?"


"I always got the impression that K'rine thought it would be a waste of
time to even try."  Th'rin shrugged  "When he told me that she'd never be
big enough to carry me he seemed to be relieved that he wouldn't need to
have anything more to do with us."


"Hm... I always had a lot of respect for K'rine, but now I'm not so sure he
deserved all of it!  So tell me... how badly does she think she wants to
carry you in flight? Badly enough to risk ridicule from some of the riders
who feel the same way as your father and K'rine did?  Badly enough to work
with the trainees I have at the moment and not mind that they're already
bigger than she is?  


"If you're both really determined to do this, seriously determined,  then
I'll expect you to be there for training with the others first thing
tomorrow morning." 


<Tag Kris!>


<Early morning>


Gnawing hunger woke her.  Her belly rumbled alarmingly as she rolled out of
bed and almost ran into the kitchen to snatch a handful of fruit and cram
into into her mouth.  Juice dripped from her chin as she chewed and
swallowed, before stuffing more into her mouth.  She heard Lute stirring in
the outer chamber, and the gut-wrenching hunger surged through her once
more, before being suppressed slightly as the dragon came to full
consciousness.  


*Not again Lute!*  Cali shuddered as muted hunger pangs rolled through her
*You ate enough yesterday to feed two dragons for a week... and I ate for 6!*


*I'm hungry!*  Lute growled with a faint trace of hostility  *I need to hunt.*


Cali spat the half chewed mouthful into the trash and rinsed her mouth with
water, then headed for her bedroom to dress.


*Five minutes*  she promised  *Just give me give minutes and you can drop
me off on the green before you go hunting.  And if you're still hungry when
you get back I'm going to have one of the medics take a look at you!*


<..>


Lute disappeared into the distance of the hunger receded with her.  Feeling
better now that she wasn't constantly assaulted by Lute's greed, Cali
started towards the lake for an early swim.  


<..>


The mournful keening bounced off the cliffs and bluffs of the Warren as one
by one the other dragons picked up Futhark's grief for Reekor.  The scarlet
and blue dragon dropped down to land on the green,  and a crowd began to
gather around. As Aradia slipped from his back willing hands reached out to
help her as she released the ropes that held Pag'an's lifeless body and
gently eased him to the ground.


Cali took on look at the woman's tearstained cheeks and haunted eyes, and
bit back the harsh words she'd meant to say.  Now was not the time for
recriminations.  Instead she began urging the crowd to go about their
business so that Aradia coud have some privacy in her grief.....


***********
<Faith - late morning>


She dragged her bare toes through the grass as she walked, wondering why
every adult she passed looked so sad.  Had they heard that she and her
father were leaving and were sad about that?  Perhaps if Trinale knew she'd
let them stay and then she wouldn't have to leave all her friends behind
again.  


"Why such a long face, Faith?"  a concerned voice suddenly asked behind her


Faith whirled in fright,  then sighed heavily when she saw Chance standing
there.  She looked at the rose she'd been clutching tightly ever since
she's left their wagon, then held it out for the older girl to take.


"Da said I should give this back to your brother before we leave."  she
said in a rush  "But I couldn't find him anywhere.  So if you could give it
to him for me...."

<Tag Jill!>

********
<Caliban - med centre>


"Do you think you could just check her over for me?"  Cali begged when
she'd finished explaining to Th'rin about Lute's recent overwhelming
hunger.  "I'm just concerned that she may have something wrong with her and
that's what's causing her to be so hungry.  Could she have picked up a
parasite or something?"

<Tag Kris!>

Submitted by

Caliban & Lute
Daimon & Faith


NRPG  Sorry for the epic... it ran away with me slightly  :) :)  I think
I've covered everything... if I haven't I'll make up for it in my next post.
-- 
Mint,  the voice and soul of

Timi Caplain  FO  USS Javelin      Caliban, Lute's human  Dragon Lands  
Lillith the Mage    Broken Lands    Minty, Kirimith's rider    Dragon Lands
                 
Naomi, QueenRider to Amethyst, Norwall's WarrenLady,  Dragon Lands

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5902
http://www.dragonfire.net/~Mint/