[Katla]

The large prisoner growled as he saw her through the small window in the
door, "OWLEAN!!!" He roared, "If I ever get my hands on you!"

"Oh, shut up you malingering whoreson." Katla snapped, as Owlean glared
back through the bars, uncowed.  "Don't bother describing how much you'd
like to rape her, she'd enjoy it too much."

"Bitch!"

"Now is that any way to talk to the girl who kept your daughter from being
raped by sadistic bastards like you?"  Katla turned, leaning into her
crutches as she turned a black look on K'leev.  "If not for me, this
putrescent harlot's plans would have worked...  Tell me, was that diseased
hole between her legs worth it?"

A screech came from behind her and Katla smiled coldly, looking over her
shoulder.  "Oh, were you listening, Owlean?  Be glad *I'm* not the one who
has your adjudication, because I'd have that gaping maw sewn shut.  It
might be interesting to see you to try and go through life without being
able to use it to control the men around you...  Of course you'd still have
your mouth..."  Katla considered it, and then laughed.  "I wonder how well
you'd use it if your tongue were cut out?  I wonder if the king would
listen to me if I asked him to do it..."

Owlean gasped, and Katla's smile turned nasty.  "Oh, and don't get the idea
that you can get away from this and come back for those kids, Owlean.  My
father has already submitted a petition for the guardianship of Ojee and
Fawna, if the Warren doesn't claim them first.  He'll turn it over to
Shawnee any time she asks, and you won't have even the slightest stain of
legality for trying to take them."

Turning to leave, Chance deliberately caught K'leev's eyes, bestowing a
beatific smile on him.  "You're too shortsighted, K'leev...  Owlean will
suffer much more if she lives...  And I'll do everything I can to see to
that."

A string of curses poured from Owlean's mouth and Katla laughed as she
walked away.  *Gods* but that had felt good.

<< 'Tinka? >>

< Yes, my human? >

<< Where's Trinale? >>

< Out here, with Cricket and me and Lev. >

<< Where's Derry? >>

< I don't know.  Lev says he's preparing a surprise. >

Katla raised an eyebrow and headed for the hatching grounds.

"Hey Trinale!"

"Hi, Chance."  Trinale smiled at her, but her eyes seemed to be sort of
sad.

"What's wrong?"  Katla managed to make it across the sand without too many
problems and Cricket only glared at her a little.  Katla bobbed a small
curtsey to the beautiful queen, smiling.  "Sorry, no posies right now, but
I'll get one later, I promise."

"I..." Trinale bit her lip.

"C'mon, Trinale.  Is it something about Derry?"

In an instant, the air that made her the WarrenLady disappeared and a
young, confused girl nodded.  Katla held out a hand to Trinale and pulled
the girl into her arms for a comforting hug.

"You don't have to tell me, but maybe it will help...  What's wrong?"

[Tag, Kat]

----
[Derry]

Blowing the last bit of wood-dust off of the top of the box, Derry examined
his handiwork.  It was just about ready...  the surface of the wood was
like silk, begging to be touched.  The bas-relief of bramble vines entwined
in complex knotwork enchanted the eye, and even Derry, who was his own
worst enemy when it came to appreciating his work, thought it looked
reasonably good.

Gently, he opened the box, lining the inside with wine-dark velvet, richly
brocaded silk with traceries of gold and silver.  Upon it he placed the
rose he'd carved for Trinale, and it glowed against it's bedding like a
jewel.  He included a small glass vial, etched with flowers in a small
pocket of the lining.  It was filled with attar of roses, made from his
mother's special recipe and the roses from her garden.

He caressed the petals gently before closing the box.

<* Lev? *>

<~ Yes, my rider? ~>

<* Can Cricket spare Trinale for a little while?  I've got a surprise for
her... *>

It was a surprise he hoped she liked.  It had taken a fair amount of work
to create a level enough surface for a table in a secluded little area by
the lake...  He'd asked the kitchen for some of Trinale's favorite foods...
He'd convinced a couple of the kitchen helpers to bring it out when sunset
came.


-----
[Levka]

<~ Cricket? ~>

<% Yes, Levka? %>

<~ My rider want's to know if you can spare yours for a little while. ~> 
He was almost bouncing.  He knew about the flower Derry had made, and if he
was going to give it to Trinale, it was almost certain that Derry was going
to ask the question he had wanted to before Trinale had mated with Daimon. 
<~ He has a surprise for her. ~>

<% Is it a good surprise? %> Cricket asked, her eyes not leaving her eggs,
and Lev snuggled against her.

<~ I think so.  I think he wants to ask her something.  He's been working
very hard all afternoon, thinking about her. ~>

<% Hmmmph.  I need her here... %>

<~ I'll help you watch, and Katla should be here soon with more flowers for
you...  She loves you as much as we do and will help too... ~>

<% That's true... %>

<~ Please?  I think she should go... I think he might make her very happy
tonight... ~>


-----
[Derry]

He waited by the lake, having changed into a more formal outfit and smiled
brightly when Trinale arrived.

"You are so beautiful..." he said, taking her hands and bringing them to
his mouth in a gentlemanly kiss.

"What's going on?  Cricket and Levka were very mysterious...  They won't
even tell 'Tinka what's going on..."

"It's a surprise..."  Derry tugged on her hands and led her back to a
little area where a little table sat, covered in pristine white linen with
a pair of bravely burning white candles.

"Oh!"  Trinale's smile warmed him to the soul and she pressed a kiss
against his cheek.  "It's wonderful Derry...  Thank you!"

He smiled.  "But this isn't all, my lady...  Please, sit..."

She sat down, blue eyes shining and he handed her the bramble box and
watched her open it.

"Ohhh..." she breathed, bringing the rose out with gentle fingers. 
Bringing it to her nose, Trinale inhaled the delicate scent and smiled. 
"It even smells like a rose!  Derry, where did you find this?"

Derry flushed slightly.  "I... umm...  I made it...  For you."

"It's beautiful."

"Keep looking," he encouraged her and she looked down in the box, pulling
out the vial of fragrance, a delighted smile lighting her face.  She
glanced up at him and he gestured for her to continue, and her fingers
brushed across the surface of the velvet, searching.

"What's this?"  She pulled a band of woven silver and burnished gold.

"It's a ring."  He knelt before her and held her hands gently.  "Were we
among the LandBound, I'd use it to ask you to marry me, but since we're
not...  Will you be my mate, Trinale?  I doubt you care about acres of land
or mounds of gold, but I can offer you my heart and boundless devotion... 
I love you."

[A rather extensive tag for Kat ;)]

----
NRPG --
Kat, Chance will understand if Trinale doesn't want to discuss the problem
with her...  Lev gave Derry a bit of a clue, but mostly Derry has a problem
just sleeping with Trinale when he loves her without having a bit more of a
commitment...  And food will be arriving shortly.

I know you're busy, so it'll wait... Or just email me some ideas for her
response and I'll send 'em on thru to morning, anyway :)

Barb -- hope you don't mind about the petition for offical guardianship,
but Katla's obsessive about details like that.

Note:  The rose's petals are carved of red-blonde wood of varying 
darkness, and they've been sanded and oiled to a satiny, touchable finish. 
There's a spot in the center that rose oil has been placed into to give it 
a delicate fragrance as well.  It goes from a 1/4 bloom to a 3/4 bloom, and
has very sharp thorns. 

Respectfully Submitted,
Jill E. Flansburg
Katla and Derry
Whiteriver

                 X-FILES                         DRAGONLANDS

  Assistant Director                     Rhiannon, WarrenLady  *Xylian*
  Sterling Kincaid, Team Leader, ECHO    Elswyth and Aedra   *Keldarra*
  Damien Cunningham, UD DELTA            Katla and Satinka *Whiteriver*
  Xan X. Xavier, Trainer, Classroom A    Zera and Mazel       *Norwall*

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			      Vasaris, the Fuzzy Dragon
       Jill E. Flansburg	    |		            vasaris@az.com
       CS HMC 1994	          |		jflansbu@muddcs.cs.hmc.edu
       History, WWU 199?          |		vasaris@divcom.umop-ap.com
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