** With Shawnee in the hatchling barracks, early morning **

>"May I?" Aradia asked, reaching toward Shawnee's hurt face.
>
>"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"It's a gift of mine, a healing ability it's only happened a couple of
times; once with Pa'gan and his eye, another time with Merissa."

The blond woman looked at Aradia askance.

"I promise it won't hurt," Aradia reassured, mentally appending the
thought, <You, at least.> Not that she minded, for the young priestess
lived to help others or she wouldn't have offered, but the memory of the
pain of the last two healings was far too fresh in her mind.

Shawnee nodded and allowed the priestess to touch her with one  her
tingling hands. But suddenly something went awry. Aradia flinched as the
tingling reversed directions, sending a bolt of pain through her arm and up
into her head. Aradia cried out in pain and pulled her hand away quickly. 

Looking at Shawnee, Aradia saw that the younger woman was completely
unaffected by her attempt to heal her. This had never happened before! Had
she somehow displeased her gods, Aradia wondered.

"I'm sorry, it didn't work... I don't know what happened..." Aradia babbled.

Shawnee was looking at Aradia curiously. Aradia wanted to flee, but she
still needed to help the poor girl.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself, letting her anxiety flow away
into the earth beneath her feet. She had to think of Shawnee first, then
figure out what went wrong.

Aradia smiled weakly, "Well, I may not be much help where your bruises are
concerned, but maybe I can help by listening? You look troubled, dear, and
I consider you a friend. If you need to talk..."

Tears welled up in Shawnee's eyes and the blond dragonrider told the
priestess about how K'leev attacked her.

Aradia's heart went out to the young woman. No man should ever treat a
woman so. Physical pleasures should be given freely, and are never to be
taken by another. It made her blood boil to think of the dragonrider named
K'leev. She remembered well her first encounter with the brute, when he
came and insulted Thorin and his new dragon Areena. She could feel his
negativity at that time and it about made her ill.

Aradia put her arms around the young woman in a gentle embrace. 

"You're going to be fine. I promise, you'll be just fine," Aradia reassured
her friend.

*******

** Later that morning, Trinale's office **

>"I hope I don't offend, but I am very confused..."
>
>"What about?"
>
>"Well, your ways are so different. You were so offended by Pa'gan and me.
>All I did was try to kiss you... and yet you end up in the bushes with
>Shawnee's Saul and Shawnee comes in the the barracks this morning with her
>face all bruised and says K'leev tried to rape her."

Aradia made no attempt to hide her distress. She was under too much strain
this morning to worry about such things, and the matter at hand was too
important.

>Trinale sighed. "First off, why are you here and not in training with
>Futhark?"
>
>"I woke up early and already fed and oiled him. Cali said I could have a
>few extra minutes after we all grabbed breakfast this morning, while the
>others caught up." Aradia replied.
>
>Trinale nodded. "Ok, I just didn't want to interfere in your training."
>She looked at the other woman before her. "As to K'leev, I am still
>investigating and it will be dealt with." Trianle's voice was tight with
>surpressed anger. "How is Shawnee this morning?"

Aradia took another deep breath to get a handle on the rage she felt toward
K'leev at that moment. Subconsciously her hand wandered down to the handle
of her own personal dagger, which she had sheathed and attached to her belt
before leaving the hatchling barracks. No more would she wander the warren
unarmed, at least not while this man K'leev still was about.

>"She is hurt, and confused and angry" Aradia said "But she is strong."
>
>Trinale nodded. "Now as to Saul and myself.....didn't you know that
>Cricket flew to mate last evening?"

Aradia shook her head slowly, then she remembered how deep in thought she
had been the evening before, she was so introspective she hadn't even heard
her dragon's voice at first, a thing which had both irritated and amused
Futhark.

>Aradia's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, the mating flights!" She now
>understood. "And Fayloth won?"

Aradia was beginning to understand that which Shawnee hadn't expressed to
her. Clearly these mating flights were as complicated for humans as they
were simple for dragons.

>Trinale nodded. "I don't think this is helping Saul and Shawnee's
>relationship though. I hear there are problems." She sighed.
>
>Aradia nodded. "Shawnee seemed upset about a number of things this
>morning."
>
>Trinale looked at Aradia. "I know how she feels. All these feelings and
>everything that is happening is so cunfusing to me."
>
>Aradia nodded understandingly. "You will come to terms with them."
>
>Trinale looked doubtful. "Its just that I want a relationship like my
>parents. No matter what, they come back together. I know I feel attraction
>to Derry and to Daimon both." 

<And Pa'gan,> Aradia thought to herself, though she felt it wiser to keep
quiet about that. It was nothing more than the emotional way Trinale had
reacted to everything Pa'gan had said and done the past few days that made
her draw that conclusion. Aradia could sense emotions, but she certainly
wasn't a mind reader.

She paused and then looked up at Aradia "And then I feel something for you.
That both puzzles me and frightens me slightly. I just don't know what to do."

Aradia quirked an eyebrow in surprise. Yes, she knew had felt the
warrenlady's feelings, but it was more the fact that Trinale was owning up
to them honestly that Aradia found amazing.

"Feelings are just feelings, neither good nor bad," Aradia explained,
smiling softly. "I must say I am glad to see you being honest about your
feelings, it is pleasantly refreshing after the last few days."

"Look, Trinale, you are young. Yes, you are the warrenlady but you are
still just entering your womanhood. You need to give yourself time, and
patience. Enjoy the feelings, but be responsible and honest about them so
that nobody gets hurt."

"As to the last couple of days, I think we can chalk it up to cultural
differences. We will do our best to learn warren ways, but I would like you
to try to be understanding of our ways, too, to avoid further conflict. If
there is a problem in the future let's talk about it first before letting
emotions flair, okay?" Aradia smiled softly at Trinale again.

"Now, in the spirit of friendship, I'd like to give you a hug. Just a hug,"
Aradia reassured Trinale.

Trinale came around from behind her desk and Aradia wrapped her arms around
the girl, holding her comfortingly.

******

** In the dining hall **

Aradia chose to eat her lunch at a table alone after going back and tending
to Futhark again after her meeting with Trinale. She felt emotionally and
physically spent after dealing with Shawnee and Trinale and taking care of
Futhark. Soon he would be flying and be able to feed himself, Aradia
remembered from the lesson that morning. The thought was reassuring.

Aradia worried also about Pa'gan as she picked at the meal on her plate. As
much as she trusted him, she couldn't get over a sense of foreboding that
was creeping through her bones as she thought of her beloved. Her hand
subconsciously drifted down to her belly and she thought of the life she
carried within her, Pa'gan's child. 

<Pa'gan, you just have to come back!> Aradia thought, brush away a tear
that crept up out of nowhere.

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

NRPG: Aradia is in the dining hall at lunch for anyone who wants to sit
with her. She won't turn anyone away who either needs her or wants to help
her. Actually, she could use a friend right now.




                \=/,         _-===-_-====-_-===-_-==========-_-====-_
                |  @___oo   (    Submitted by:                        )
      /\  /\   / (___,,,}_--=    Jacqueline "Morgan" Allgood          )
     ) /^\) ^\/ _)        =__                                          )
     )   /^\/   _)          (_                                         )
     )   _ /  / _)            (      Danika/Kalindeth of Daere        )
 /\  )/\/ ||  | )_)            (_    Aradia/Futhark of Whiteriver     )
<  >      |(,,) )__)             (   Kattibrie/Calishandra of Telnor )
 ||      /    \)___)\             (_ Yasmine/Starlin of Marrid       )
 | \____(      )___) )___           -==-_____-=====-_____-=====-___==
  \______(_______;;; __;;;