<Daimon>


>"Listen FRIEND", Pa'gan said in a low growl but loud enough for Trinale to
>hear as well as Derry, "I don't know why you attacked me! But where I come
>from we don't go around attacking people for NO reason and especially from
>behind. No I suggest you just lay there in the dirt before you really get
>hurt. I have my hands full as it is.......and I HATE violence!"


Daimon flew through the air, the breath forced from his body as he landed
flat on his back.  For someone who hated violence he was doing a very poor
job of controlling his violent impulses, Daimon thought fuzzily as he
fought to draw air into his battered chest.  He rolled to his hands and
knees, his vision unravelling at the edges as the lack of oxygen began to
make itself felt.....


Finally he managed to gasp in air easing the pain hammering at his empty
lungs.  He heard Pa'gan's growl/yell of rage through the loud rushing sound
in his ears, but he had to concentrate on taking small shallow breaths to
ease the ache in his chest.


Dimly he heard Pa'gan's continued arrogant ranting... Gods the man was a
boor!  He wasn't even giving Trinale the opportunity to answer the
accusations he flung at her.....


By the time Daimon had recovered enough to be sure of being able to stand,
Pa'gan had raced away into the darkness.


"Are you alright?"  Trinale's voice asked him as he stood up  "Are you hurt?"


He looked from her to Derry, then forced a grin through the pain he felt in
his ribs.


"Just my pride."  he managed a faint laugh at the feeble joke  "Maybe I
better go."


>"Both of you were terrific. I am sorry I dragged either of you into this."
>Trinale hung her head, ashamedly. She can't belive how out of control
>things had gotten. She was supposed to be Warrenlady, keep control of the
>warren and she couldn't even keep control over situations in her own
>personal life.


Derry slipped his arm around Trinale's waist and squeezed her, while Daimon
stood there uncomfortably aware that he wanted to be the one with the right
to hold her, comfort her...


"I was just glad I was there to help"  he said awkwardly "Now if you will
excuse me...." 


He limped away, cursing himself mentally for getting involved in the
affairs of the Queenrider.  


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


Cali was torn between running after Thorin to offer him sympathy and
staying to help Merissa.  Undecided about the best course of action, and
still depressed by her brother's earlier disappointment, the last thing she
needed was K'leev's bullying laughter grating on her ears.  All the hurt
and anger she felt for her brother bubbled up, within her.... This *man*
had a dragon while her brother had been left standing alone!  This *man*
who ridiculed his son because it made him feel important


Without thinking about it she turned on him.


"It's easy to be a man when all that's involved is getting drunk, and
bullying your mate and children."  Cali hissed angrily "That's the easy
part that even you can manage K'leev.... you're even good at it..."


Without another word, and ignoring K'leev's gasp of rage,  she turned and
walked steadily towards the doors.  Buoyed by her anger she managed to
reach the safety of the outside before she burst into tears...


<Morning>


She woke to the sound of mournful keening, and was groping for her clothes
even as she prodded at Lute's still half-sleeping mind for details of what
was going on.



*I don't know Cali.*  Lute admitted  *Reekor says only that there is great
danger for everyone in the Warren and that we should assemble on the
training fields as soon as possible.*


*Reekor?*  Cali asked as she hopped about on one leg trying to get her
pants on without ending up on the floor.  *What in the world could have
happened to cause him to make that amount of noise....*


She shrugged into her shirt, picked up her boots and hurriedly went out to
Lute's quarters.  Lute was already waiting on the outside ledge, and Cali
quickly climbed up onto her back... directing her to fly down to the
training ground to join the other dragons that were already filling the
sky.....


**********
<Daimon>


"Da!  Da!... c'mon Da!  Wake up!"  Faith shouted in his ear  "There's
something wrong with the dragons Da...."  


Faith jumped onto the bed, landing partly across his still sore ribcage,
and he hissed in pain as he lifted her off and set her back on her feet.
The unearthly wailing sound that filled the air, set his teeth on edge, and
Faith obviously wasn't the only one who had been disturbed by the sound.
The sound of voices outside told him that half the encampment was awake and
looking to him to for answers. He dressed hurriedly and went outside to
find out just what was going on....


"Steve... you come with me and we'll see what's happening and whether we
can help.  The rest of you stay here to defend the wagons." 


They started towards the Warren....


<..>


They followed the sound and the other people streaming through the Warren
towards the training grounds.  The area around the temporary platform that
they'd erected a few days before was thronged with puzzled faces, the crowd
muttering about danger to the Warren, riders and Landbound alike.  Daimon
cursed aloud when he saw who stood there waiting....


A gap opened in the crowd and Trinale stepped to the front, eyes firmly
fixed on the steps that led upwards


>Just before Trinale reached the bottom of the stairs Pa'gan began to
>speak. "Last night.....many things went wrong for a lot of people. Many
>things were taken not as they were meant. But now I do have a few things to
>say and I want no mistake about it. First....I apologize for the way I got
>you all here but in a way was the truth."
> 
> Pa'gan paused to look at the crowd and then continued. "It would seem that
> I made a lot of you mad with a comment I made towards one of the women I
> love. Yes I made a drunken JOVIAL remark about making love to both of the
> women I love at one time. We nomads are not like you warren borns. We do
> not hide our feelings."


Ye Gods!  Daimon looked at Trinale's face frozen in outrage and
embarrassment and his hands clenched into fists.  Was there no end to the
arrogance of the man.


>"I by no means claim to be perfect.....far from it. But I will tell you
> this .....you people can not even be honest with yourselves let alone with
> one another. You can not even be true to your own desires!"
> 
> Pa'gan looked directly at Trinale and then let his eyes wonder to Thorin.
> "You can not even be proud of your own children," Pa'gan 's eyes locked on
> K'leev for a moment, "And you put up with drunken bullies that torment
> those smaller than themselves and on women who can not defend themselves
> and even worse when it is their own spouses and offspring."


Daimon gave a contemptuous snort at that.  The man was a hypocrite...
standing there accusing people of being drunken bullies when he'd done
exactly the same last night...... laying into Trinale the way he had!


>Trinale started up the stairs in anger but Pa'gan's voice once again
>stopped her on the stairs. "And when someone tells you they will respect
>your wishes.....you turn it against them."
>
>The crowd got even more quiet at that point as Pa'gan's eyes moved away
>from Trinale yet again. "And you ALL have the guts to call ME an animal!"
>
>Pa'gan was visibly shaking with anger at this point. "I tell you
>all.......WE ARE NOT THE ANIMALS HERE!"
>
>Pa'gan's eyes found Aradia. "We.......WE NOMADS.......WE OF AR NEAHM!"
>Pa'gan sighed, "We are not the animals.....barbarians.....heathens you
>accuse us of being. I think you should look at yourself be accusing anyone
>else."
>
>With that Trinale was up the rest of the stairs shaking with anger too
>tongue tied to speak.
>
>Pa'gan's eyes were still locked on Aradia and a tear escaped his left eye
>and another threatened to roll down from his right as he mouthed the words
>"I love you".
>
>"To show all of you," he continued as he took his eyes from Aradia and
>looked again over the crowd, "that we nomads are of an honorable
>race.........there is an old and sacred tradition among my people. Trinale
>speaks for you all does she not?"
>
>A loud and clear cheer at the young Dragon Ladies name was heard
>throughout the warren.
>
>"Then it is she that shall act for you all."

>Pa'gan drew his sword and stuck it into the wooden platform and then
>leaned his bow across the hilt. He then moved in front of Trinale and
kneeled.
>
>Trinale's anger turned to confusion as she watched the giant of a man
>kneel before her.
>
>Pa'gan withdrew a dagger that no one in the warren had ever seen. He then
>cut open the front of his armor and pulled it open exposing his muscular
>bare chest. Next he placed the dagger tip just above his heart and sunk the
>tip in ever so slightly.
>
>"If my honest expressions of my emotions have truly offended you and you
>believe that was my intent," Pa'gan reached out for Trinale's hand and
>placed it on the handle of the dagger, "Then push and end my life and your
>humiliation!"


Daimon growled with disgust. For this... this charade... he'd raised the
entire population of the Warren!  He hadn't seen such self-indulgent
melodrama since Faith finally grew out of throwing tantrums when she
couldn't get her own way.  

He didn't stop to see Trinale's reaction ... he just turned and walked
away.....


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


Cali listened to what Pa'gan had to say, puzzled by some of the references
he made.  Who in their right minds would call him an animal.... Someone
with a death wish perhaps?  And what had any of this to do with Thorin?
She gasped along with the rest of the crowd when Pa'gan held the knife to
his chest for Trinale to plunge it in... an then sighed with relief when
the Queenrider tossed the knife away.


>"Show is over, everyone please go home or to your duties.
>Aradia and Pa'gan I wish to see in my office."  Trinale called loudly as
she started for her office.


It took a while for the crowd to start drifting away, everyone had their
own opinions to add to the general discussion, but finally they started
leaving.  As the area cleared, Cali could see that only the newly-joined
from the previous day were left standing chattering in a group, and she
hurried over to them to greet them and introduce herself.


"Hi.  Most of you already know me... but for those who don't I'm Caliban
and I'm going to be showing you how to care for your new dragonets."  she
told them


"But I thought Kyrine was trainer?"  one of the older Warren bred riders said


"He's sick, so you get me instead."  Cali grinned  "I don't bite and I'm
not a hard task-master.  Just take notice and follow what I say and we'll
get along just fine.  Now first things first... The most important thing in
your life as of this moment is your dragon....."


She looked around at the young men and women in front of her, and smiled at
the almost identical looks of pride and love on each of their faces.


"So can anyone tell me the most important thing in their dragonets life
right now?" she asked them with a smile


"Us?"  someone offered tentatively


"Nope."  she laughed as she shook her head  "Their stomachs."


The trainees grinned, remembering the raging appetite each of their dragons
had already displayed.


"At this stage they're really only stomachs on legs."  She gathered the
trainees up and started to lead them back to the hatchlings barracks  "And
right now how many of you are getting hunger signals from them?"  Half a
dozen hands shot up. "You'll find that all they'll want to do for the first
few days is eat, sleep and grow....."


"Cocquyt is already twice the size he was when he was hatched."  A sandy
haired boy said as they reached the barracks.    She pushed open the doors
and the keening hunger calls of newly hatched dragonets could be heard.
The trainees quickly scattered to feed and soothe their charges, with
instructions to present themselves and their dragons on the training field
in half and hour.

<NRPG  Tag to all the newly-joined.  Training in bathing, oiling and
general care is on the agenda>


<..>


She moved from group to group, giving a quick tip on how to bathe a dragon
without getting soaked through, or how *not*  to become as oily as the
dragonet being oiled.  Most of the trainees were quick to pick things up,
and very willing to learn.  She smiled at their eager, attentive faces as
she walked among them answering their questions.


*We have visitors.*  Lute told her as she lifted her wing high so that Cali
could demonstrate which muscle groups were important in flying.


*Oh!   Who?*  Cali looked round quickly, spotting two dragons patiently
waiting with their riders for her to finish.  


*Zena and Kirimith from Marrid.*  Lute said as she obligingly extended a
wing so that the trainees could see the structure of the flight surfaces.
*Something about those creatures you found a while ago.*


*Tell them I won't be long.*  Cali said


<NRPG  Any questions?>


"OK....everybody grab some lunch."  she said finally  "It's important that
you remember to feed yourself as well your dragons.  It won't be good for
them if you get sick and can't take care of them... so take care of
yourself too.  I know that's easier said than done... but their appetites
will ease off in a few days and then you'll be able to concentrate on all
the myriad other things that make up the life of a dragon rider."


A few lingered to ask questions, but finally she was free to satisfy her
curiosity about the Marrid riders.


"Hi."  she said as she approached  "I'm Cali.  Lute said you wanted to talk
to me."


Submitted by

Caliban & Lute
Daimon & child


NRPG  Kat... I'll let you get the bit from Marrid posted before I go any
further with this.

-- 
Mint,  the voice and soul of

Timi Caplain  FO   USS Javelin       T'Beth  CMO/Coun  USS Magellan
Lillith the Mage     Broken Lands     Minty, Kirimith's rider  Dragon Lands 
                          Caliban, Lute's human       Dragon Lands  
Naomi, QueenRider to Amethyst, Norwall's WarrenLady,  Dragon Lands

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