>"No .." he whispered when he finally realized he'd been
>holding his breath.
>
>"Aradia?" he fell to his knees in front of the girl grabbing her shoulders.

<Tell him I am Xanthia, not Aradia!> the redhead told the small white
dragon. She felt startled panic at the unexpected contact with this man.

>"HEY!" she said irritably, pushing him away.

She was relieved when he backed off, maybe this one would understand.

<Relax! that's my rider, Th'rin!> Areena interjected, <You just startled him.>

<He startled me! Did you tell him I'm not Aradia?>

<Yes, I did>

>There was something different about her. Something that wasn't Aradia .. "I
>.. I'm sorry. It's just .. you look so much like a friend of mine."

Well, at least he wasn't calling her Aradia anymore. Who was this Aradia
person anyway?

>Racine came up behind them, "Th'rin I'm going to go on home, I'm worried
>about Mara."
>
>He looked up at her, startled, "Oh Gods, I'm sorry Racine. I said I'd walk
>you home."
>
>She shook her head, recognizing the face of the girl as well. Not that
>she'd known Aradia well, but she'd seen her around. And she knew Th'rin had
>been close to her. "I'll be fine. You stay."
>
>She turned and headed off and Th'rin turned back to the girl, "You ..
>you're name is Xanthia?"

"Yes. And you are Th'rin."

"Yes how did you know?" Th'rin replied.

"Areena told me. She's nice. All dragons are nice to talk to."

"You talk to dragons???"  Th'rin asked.

"Yes, doesn't everyone here?"

"Well, we all can talk to our dragons, but not everyone can talk to all the
dragons. Though, Trinale can."

"I can talk to Trinale, too. Like with dragons," Xanthia nodded.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Xanthia spoke again and asked
the question burning on her mind. "Who is this Aradia? Tell me about her."

The two sat down on the ground and Th'rin began to tell her about Aradia.
"She was a friend. She died recently, as did her mate. And when I first saw
you..."

"Saw a ghost?" the corners of Xanthia's mouth turned up into the beginnings
of a smile, and there was even more resemblance between her and the
deceased Aradia.

"Tell me more."

"Well..." Th'rin thought a moment before beginning, "She was a Bear nomad,
and not really like anyone here..."

"My Da and Mum were Bear Nomads!" Xanthia piped up, childlike  in her
excitement at a connection between her and the dead woman everyone kept
mistaking her for. Her  half-smile turned into a full grin and blue eyes
danced gleefully in the moonlight, now warm like crystals than cold as ice. 

She pulled her knife from it's sheath. "See," Xanthia continued, as if
showing off a favorite toy, "This is what my Da left me, when he left me
with Corra. It's a Bear Nomad knife. It's mine."

Th'rin's jaw dropped to the ground. "Yours??? It's identical to..."

Before he could finish Areena interrupted him, <Shouldn't we get back to
Merissa and Oberon?>

"Xanthia," Th'rin apologized, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. We must talk
more later. I have something I want to show you."

"Later?" Xanthia asked, confused by the indefinite postponement.

"Tomorrow, maybe?" Th'rin told her. "I'm a healer, but I usually work nights."

"Tomorrow," Xanthia nodded in agreement, wondering what he had to show her.
She didn't like surprises, but this had been a night full of the unexpected.

******

Xanthia returned to the searchling barracks and was pleased to find that
everyone was asleep. She found a cot off in the corner, and set down her
sack of belongings and rifled through it til she found her teddy bear. She
curled up and drifted off, dreaming of dragons and identical twins.

Some time later she was awoken by a joyful trumpeting.

<What was that?> Xanthia asked Chrysthal, the metallic purple queen dragon
that belonged to Merissa.

<The hatchlings are back!>

<Hatchlings?>

<Human hatchlings, Ojean and Cill, they were kidnapped but they are back!>

<And you are happy?> Xanthia asked, trying to understand what was going on.

<Very happy!> the purple queen replied.

<Oh. Can I sleep now?> Xanthia rubbed her eyes and yawned sleepily.

<Yes,> Chrysthal chuckled, <You can sleep, it's still late at night.>

Xanthia curled up again with her bear. It was nice to be able to have a
dragon to reassure you when you were frightened, she thought as sleep took
over her tired body.

******

** Morning **

Xanthia opened her sack and began to look for a change of clothes. She
didn't see any in her sack, and began to get frustrated, tossing books in
all directions.

"Bad, bad, bad!" she chanted angrily, hitting herself in the head as
punishment.

Merissa, the woman who rode the queen Chrysthal, came in the barracks to
see what the fuss was about.

"Hey, what's the matter here?" Merissa said, capturing the redhead's hands
to keep her from hurting herself.

Xanthia wrestled to get loose, but Merissa just kept a tight hold until the
young woman had calmed down enough to quit fighting her.

Xanthia glared icily at the woman holding her. "No clothes!" she explained.

"Ah... we can fix that," Merissa said soothingly, "But I think we need to
pick up all these books."

Xanthia looked around her, and was ashamed at what she'd done in a fit of
rage. "Sorry..." she apologized turning her eyes to the ground.

"Everyone gets mad," Merissa said, accepting the apology, "Come now, let's
pick these up."

Xanthia started walking across the room, picking up the books she had
tossed about, and inspected each one to make sure it was undamaged,
mentally apologizing to each one as if it were an old friend.

******

"Are you hungry?" Merissa asked when they were finished.

Xanthia nodded emphatically. These rages often left her either exhausted or
with a ravenous appetite.

"Why don't you go join the others in the dining hall. I am sure they are
still serving breakfast."

"No money to buy breakfast," Xanthia confessed, looking disappointed.

"You don't need to pay for your meals here. Most things here you won't need
money for," Merissa explained.

"Oh," Xanthia replied, not knowing what else to say. This was a strange
place, this warren. But she was hungry, so she ran off for the dining hall.

As Xanthia walked she heard a tremendous roar of dragons, a different sound
from earlier. She looked up in awe as she saw a parade of dragons, all
following one teal dragon.

<What is going on???> she wondered.

<A mating flight,> Lute explained.

<Oh,> Aradia replied, not really understanding, but satisfied with the
short explanation nevertheless.

[[NRPG: If anyone wants to interact with Xanthia in the dining hall, they
can. She'll likely be sitting by herself, not one to usually sit with
anyone.]]
******

** After breakfast **

Xanthia returned to the searchling barracks and searched through her sack
for her surgical tools. She was going to find this med center and see if
they needed any help.

She looked up from her sack of belongings as she heard the noise of someone
entering quietly.

"Merissa?" Xanthia asked, recognizing the queenrider.

"I brought you some clothes. I thought they might fit you."

"Clean?" Xanthia asked, the childlike smile emerging once again.

"Yes, they are."

Xanthia rushed forward and snatched one dresses and inspected it carefully.
She rubbed it against her face and smiled even broader, "Soft... No itchies!"

She hastily tore off her flannel shirt and her cotton skirt and put on the
dress she had in her hands. The clothes felt wonderful, and they fit
perfectly. Xanthia smiled and turned an awkward pirouette to feel the skirt
of the dress flow about her body, then clapped her hands gleefully in
approval.

"Very pretty," Merissa confirmed.

******

** Noontime, med center **

Xanthia was familiarizing herself with where everything was in the med
center, when she saw a disturbance down the hall, a woman fainting and
being put on a stretcher. She hurried down the hall to see if she could be
of assistance.

>"I'll help. I'm a healer," he heard the remarkably familiar voice say. He
>looked up and was struck dumb by image of Aradia in front of him.
>
><It's Xanthia .. remember.> Areena nudged him, quite happy as she curled up
>with the large black dragon she had missed so much. Sometimes her riders
>thoughts came to her at the most inappropriate moments.
>
>"Xanthia .." he repeated.

Very good, he remembered, Xanthia thought, relieved at not being called
Aradia yet again.

<I reminded him,> Areena told her, <It's hard for him, he liked Aradia a
lot. Aradia was also a healer here.>

>She nodded, "I'm a healer too."
>
>Th'rin nodded, "Okay."
>
>Xanthia moved to take Merissa's place and help carry the fainted woman into
>the exam room. "She's pregnant." The girl said.
>
>"Obviously, "Th'rin commented.
>
>"She's pregnant?" Merissa asked. She'd thought the woman looked a bit
>heavier. It was only then that she noticed the tell tale bulge beginning to
>emerge from the woman's abdomen. "Oh dear .."
>
>"Where do you keep the Giatiam Sodium." Xanthia asked as she began moving
>bottles of powder around in the cupboards.
>
>"I'll get it,"Th'rin said moving to push her back. "Stay with Racine."
>
>He pulled out the smelling salts, which were safe for pregnant women and
>handed them to Xanthia. Then he began to monitor her vital signs.

Xanthia waved the salts under the woman's nose, wondering if all warren
women fainted so easily. But then this one was pregnant.

>Racine coughed and waved the offensive powder away from her face.
>"K'leev.." she sputtered.
>
>"It's okay," Th'rin assured her. "He's not going to get Cill."
>
>"Cill!" She pushed up and Th'rin and Xanthia both pushed her back down.

At least she wasn't hollering Aradia's name, Xanthia thought sardonically,
as she held the woman down. 

>"Shawnee's with Cill, she's safe. Let's check you and your baby over first."

Xanthia had already gotten a syringe to draw blood with. Tests needed to be
done to make sure that the woman and her baby were going to be all right.

Th'rin and Racine looked at her anxiously. 

"I know what I am doing. We need a complete blood count, make sure you
aren't anemic," Xanthia told them.

Th'rin nodded in agreement as this was common procedure and Racine held out
her arm. The redheaded girl deftly tied a belt about the woman's arm,
inserted the needle, and filled the syringe with blood. She put a cotton
ball to the puncture wound and took off the tourniquet, instructing Racine
to bend her arm up.

"That didn't hurt a bit!" the patient said in surprise.

"I'm good at healing," Xanthia said; not a brag, just a statement of fact.

******

After they were done with Racine, Xanthia went out to see what else she
could find to help out with. As she walked down the hall she heard a
panicked scream.

>"Shawnee!!!"

Xanthia spun about hearing the panic in the man's voice, and saw him
cradling a very pregnant woman with light blond hair.

>"My baby!!" she cried. "It's to early...it's too early...."

"I'm a healer. Let me help," the redhead said, glad to be offering her
services again.

Both the man and the woman looked like they'd seen a ghost. Aradia, again,
Xanthia suspected.

"Take her in this room," she pointed at the nearest cubicle.

"Get Clarissa Saul!!!" she cried. "It's to soon for the baby to come."

Xanthia pointed to the bed where the shocked man laid down the woman he was
holding.

"Saul!!" the blond on the bed looked over at her mate. Her hands clenching
his shirt as another spasm it her.

"Don't know Clarissa. But I am here. I know about maternity and birthing,"
Xanthia said, after the patient had been installed on the bed. She was
already beginning her examination, checking vitals and feeling the
contractions with her hands. She then injected the woman with a sedative.

"I want Clarissa..." Shawnee sobbed... she knew the female healer who had
looked after since the day she found out about the baby. She didn't see the
needle that entered her arm but felt her body relaxing.

"What was that, Saul asked the redhead who so resembled his mate's deceased
friend.

Just something to relax her. Not good for her to panic."

"Want Clarissa..." the blond mumbled...

"Wanted Aradia but she's not here no more..." her words were slurred.
"She's gone... but.. if she's gone... who'd I see...." Another pain ripped
through her...."Saul!!" 

Another pain ripped through her...."Saul!!" 

"It's all right love... the healer is here to help you... let her help
Sweet Shawnee.."

"Saw her Saul..." Shawnee mumbled again.

"Saw who?" he asked confused

While the two were talking, Xanthia rummaged through the herbal tinctures
in the in the room, and mixed up a prescription for the young woman. 

"Here. Drink. Tastes bad, but will stop the contractions," Xanthia ordered.

The blond laid there making no more to take the cup from the redheads hand.
Her aqua colored eyes were starting at the healers face, or trying to bring
it in to focus....The man standing beside her took the cup and moved it to
the woman's mouth.

"Shawnee love you have to drink this," he coaxed softly. "Please love it'll
help with the baby." 

He moved his arm around behind her and helped her to sit up. "That's it love."

"Drink, please," Xanthia insisted.

"Saul... they lied to me," she frowned. "They told me Aradia was dead... no
wait...I saw her dead... didn't I?" She looked confused. "But if she's
really dead... then how could I see her here...."

Saul turned to the redhead, and whispered so only Xanthia could hear,
"Pretend you're Aradia, please. So she'll drink the potion."

"Not Aradia," Xanthia frowned, "Xanthia. But if you think it will work...."
The redhead shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't good at lying, but the woman
was delusional so maybe it would be easier. Once the drug wore off and the
crisis over they could straighten it out.

"Shawnee, I'm here for you, I'm your friend. Please drink this," Xanthia
said, smiling at the woman.

"Had so many plans for our babies..." Shawnee began to cry softly. "Why did
you leave me Aradia...Why didn't you stay so we could watch out babies grow
together...."

"But I am right here. See?" Xanthia said, "My baby is fine, and yours will
be too, if you drink the medicine for me."

Shawnee drank deeply of the foul tasting stuff Saul kept pressing on her
and then turned back to where she could see the outline of red
hair...."You've come back... i knew you wouldn't leave us."

"This is where I belong," Xanthia said with conviction, as this she felt
was not a lie.

"...where you belong...." the blonds words faded out as the drug took effect.

"Will she be alright now?" Saul asked as the door opened and Clarissa came
running in. She took a quick glance at the red head beside her and then
turned her attentions on the woman on the bed.

Xanthia felt the woman's abdomen, the contractions already calming, and
nodded.

Clarissa examined her friend, and the array of bottles that made up the
prescription Shawnee was given.

"Her breathing back to normal, her contractions have slowed....What
happened here Saul?" the healer asked and then turned and couldn't help but
stare at the redheaded woman standing on the other side of the bed.

"Aradia..." the name was out of her mouth before she could stop it, and she
saw the other woman frown slightly.

"Not Aradia. Xanthia. I am a healer." Xanthia frowned at having to explain
this yet again.

"She's the one who got Shawnee's labor to stop," Saul spoke up.
"I...we...Have much to thank her for."

"Good work," she said to Xanthia. She didn't know when she would get used
to the resemblance, but the girl seemed to be just as knowledgeable in
healing as the dead Aradia.

Xanthia nodded and in acknowledgement of the compliment and blushed
brightly. She was unused to words of praise and didn't know how to take
them. She was just glad the woman and her unborn child would be all right.
But she worried about the lie, and how it would be taken later when the
truth was known. She only hoped that the woman would not remember.

"Didn't like lying," Xanthia said, frowning.

"Lying?" Clarissa asked with a raised eyebrow.

******

NRPG: Well, this seems a good stopping point. Tag Kris! 

BTW, the scene with Shawnee and Xanthia was co-written with Barb in IRC.
Thanks for the help, Barb. 
                \=/,         _-===-_-====-_-===-_-==========-_-====-_
                |  @___oo   (    Submitted by:                        )
      /\  /\   / (___,,,}_--=    Jacqueline "Morgan" Allgood          )
     ) /^\) ^\/ _)        =__                                          )
     )   /^\/   _)          (_                                         )
     )   _ /  / _)            (      Danika/Kalindeth of Daere        )
 /\  )/\/ ||  | )_)            (_    Xanthia of Whiteriver            )
<  >      |(,,) )__)             (   Kattibrie/Calishandra of Telnor )
 ||      /    \)___)\             (_ Yasmine/Starlin of Marrid       )
 | \____(      )___) )___           -==-_____-=====-_____-=====-___==
  \______(_______;;; __;;;