Moira woke and rubbed her eyes, glancing about the room. Yesterday had been
quite a day with meeting so many people, and she had thoroughly explored
the Warren. Shaking her head in amazement she climbed out of bed and began
her morning ritual of getting ready for the day. She picked out some dark
somber colors, thinking back on the funeral service that had been held the
night before. She hadn't attended, not wanting to intrude since she had
not known the man who died. As she brushed her hair and got ready to go
and seek some breakfast, she reflected on what had happened to the healer.
"It could happen to me, if I join with a dragon." She mused. Laying down 
her brush she shrugged off the melancholy thoughts, telling herself that
all life had it's pros and cons. The con to being joined with a dragon
was that you faced danger. It would still be worth it. 

A knock on the door caught her attention, Xanthia again perhaps? Moira
had searched the room last night to make sure she wouldn't have any more
visitors seeking lost items, but had turned up little but a couple of 
shirt buttons and some lint. She went to the door and opened it, glancing
outside.

A young red haired woman stood outside the door and introduced herself.
"Hello, I am Trinale, Warrenlady here...would you care to have breakfast
with me and tell me a little about yourself, Moira?"

This young woman was the WarrenLady? She didn't look to be any older 
than Moira herself. Moira quickly smoothed her hair one last time and
stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. Glancing from 
edge of her vision she looked at the woman standing next to her she
found herself wondering if all Warren business was done over breakfast,
remembering her meeting yesterday with Merissa. She stifled a smile nodded
the queenrider, indicating for her to lead the way.
*************

Moira ate quietly and recounted the information Merissa had given her
the day before, and had a couple of questions about her explorations
the day before. Trinale had asked her some questions about what she 
liked to do and her hobbies, but she really didn't have any answers.
At the guild all there had ever been for her was work and taking care
of her mother. Trinale seemed to know the Warren inside and out, and 
Moira felt her heart flutter when the young woman told her that she
had lived in the Warren all her life. 

She quickly pulled the scroll with her father's picture from her belt 
and showed it to Trinale. "Have you ever seen him?"

Trinale looked at the picture carefully. "He seems vaguely familiar, 
but I have no idea from where or who he is. Where did you get this
painting? It's very unusual."

Moira took a deep breath and gently touched the edge of the fabric. 
"It's done with clothing on some old canvas. The man is my father,
his name is F'ran. I haven't seen him in over twelve years. He was
from this Warren."

Trinale shook her head. "I would have been about 4 last time you saw
him then, which is probably why he might seem familiar but I don't know
him. You don't know what happened to him?"

"I always figured he took a mate here at the Warren and stopped coming
to see us." Moira said quietly as she rolled up the canvas and tucked
it back into her belt pouch. Trinale watched the process done with
gentle careful deliberation and realized how important this search was
to the young woman. 

"I don't think that would be a likely reason, maybe he moved to another
Warren!" Trinale said. "You could ask my Mother, Caitlin. I'm sure she'd
remember him." Trinale gave directions to the apartments to the dark haired
young woman, surprised at how well she had acquainted herself with the 
Warren layout on such short notice. 

Finishing up her porridge, Moira neatly stacked her dishes and glanced
at the sunlight outside. "Did you need anything else of me?" She asked
Trinale, "If not I really should be getting to Barry's."

"No, everything's fine, go ahead! Just remember, if you have some 
questions or something comes up, come find me or Merissa. And good luck
on your search for your father." Trinale watched as the young woman
quickly walked across the cafeteria and headed towards the shops area.

<You are puzzled by something> Cricket said to her.

<The picture she showed me, for some reason her father looked
familiar to me, but I don't remember anyone named F'ran. And those
eyes! Those look very familar." Shrugging, Trinale stacked her dishes
and headed off to her next appointment of the day.
*******************

Today Barry had a number of young women in the shop being fitted for
various articles of clothing. Moira worked quietly, measuring hem lengths
and inseams and listening to the chatter going on about her. This was
so very different from making the standard cut clothing back at the 
guild, but she was enjoying it immensely. During a lull in custom, Barry
brought Moira some refreshing tea and asked, "Have you given any thought
to what you will wear at the Hatching?" 

Moira blinked and looked directly at the tailor. "Wear at the Hatching?"
She echoed, then shrank in on  herself slightly. "Are there special clothes
for the Hatching?" She asked as she looked down at the floor, wondering how
on earth she would get up the money to buy new clothes. 
She was startled by a quiet chuckle and then Barry dropped a bundle
of beautiful dark blue velvet cloth on the table next to her. She glanced
up hesitantly, wondering what was going on.

"I've quite a bit of this left over from commissioned dresses for a
party that Lord Fowler threw not long ago, I've been wondering what to
do with it. With your coloring I think we could could make a splendid
outfit for you." He raised his hands and shook his head at the beginning
of her protest. "I know, normally searchlings earn very little as the
Warren is providing food and board while you await the hatching, but 
your skills are exceptional, you will be able to help me with a number of
things that the average searchling wouldn't have been able to. Besides,
I can pick you out of a crowd of searchlings more easily on the sands
if you are dressed in this lovely blue." 

Moira reached out and gently ran her fingers over the silky smooth texture
of the velvet, imagining a tunic with some silver embroderiey on the lapels
and sleeves. Glancing up she had to blink to stop the tear from 
running down her face. "You're going to come and see me at the Hatching?"
She asked.

"Well, I certainly want to see the dragon that will be swiping my best
assistant yet away from me!" He answered with a laugh. He carefully 
picked up the fabric and placed it on a high shelf. "We'll begin working on
it later this afternoon when the custom will be quieter, but for now
it's time for lunch." Taking the tea cup from her hand he shoo'd her out
the door, smiling at the faintly bewildered look on the young woman's face.
Suddenly a grin broke across her features, and leaning over she placed a
quick kiss on the tailor's cheek and then took off running for
the cafeteria. Chuckling, he put his lunch sign in the window and 
prepared to go and find food himself.
************
Moira had rushed through lunch then dashed up the stairs to the apartments
inhabited by Trinale's mother, Caitlin. Smoothing her hair and
straightening her tunic she rapped gently on the door, curtseying when
an older woman with Trinale's features but dark hair answered the door.

"Forgive my disturbing you Rider Caitlin. My name is Moira of the Weaver's
Guild. Trinale said that I could come and ask you a question." Moira said
as politely as she could, folding her hands in front of her. "I can come
back at another time if this is inconvienent. " *Please please please, let
me come in now!* she thought frantically.

Caitlin opened the door wider and chuckled at the young woman's formality.
Must be Landborn, the newest searchling Saul had brought from Killaglen.
"Of course my dear, come in, please! And call me Caitlin, we don't often
stand on formality around here." She carefully ushered the tall young woman
in and seated her on the couch, then brought some tea and sat down with
her. "Now, you are the new searchling, aren't you, that Saul brought
from Killaglen? Such a lovely young lady! You will have to get used to 
introducing yourself as Moira from WhiteRiver Warren soon though, I should
imagine! What can I help you with dear?"

Moira winced inside as she realized her error, but there wasn't much to do
about it now. Taking a deep breath she pulled her picture from her belt
pouch and smoothed it out on the table between them, saying. "I'm seeking
my father, he was a rider at this Warren 12 years ago, I've not seen him
since then. Trinale said you might know him, she thought he looked
familiar." Moira took a deep breath and glanced up at the woman's face as
she handed the picture to Caitlin.

Caitlin looked at the earnest young woman staring at her so hopefully and
felt sadness pierce her heart. She didn't even have to look at the picture
to know this girl had to be F'ran's daughter, no one else had eyes like
that. The girl looked at her worriedly then gently touched the picture,
adding "that is his dragon in the background his name was..."

"Fazul." Caitlin finished the sentance, glancing down at the picture. It
was an excellent rendering of F'ran, obviously done with painstaking care.

"You know them then? Where are they? Did they go to another Warren?" Moira
nearly jumped to her feet, but struggled to keep her composure. Finally,
she would have the answer!

Caitlin set the painting down and took the young woman's hands and smoothed
her hair. "No one knew about you dear, or someone would have
come to tell you. " She said quietly.

"Tell me what?" Moira asked, confused. Caitlin seemed so sad suddenly.

"F'ran passed on 12 years ago. We never did find out what happened, he
was out flying patrol when suddenly all the dragon were in an uproar,
saying that F'ran was dead and Fazul was gone. Riders went out searching
where he had been but no one had any more information than that. It's still
a mystery to this day. " Caitlin watched as the young woman took a
deep breath her face so still. She put an arm around the young girl's
shoulder. "I'm so sorry, you have missed him haven't you?" She said gently.

Moira felt as though she were frozen. Dead? He had died. All these years
she had watched for him, but he was gone and she'd never known. She thought
of her mother, wasting of grief, and felt a scream building up inside. She
took a deep breath and swallowed, then picked up her painting and tucked it
away out of habit. In a dream she looked at the concerned face of Caitlin
and nodded in answer to the question. "This explains so much, why he just
suddenly stopped coming. We never knew why, I thought he had found a mate
and..." Moira trailed off. Standing rather shakily, she went through the
process of thanking Caitlin for her help and reassuring the older woman she
was all right, and that she was needed at the tailor's shops.  

In a daze she calmly made her way downstairs and through the crowds of
people, wandering aimlessly as her mind ran in circles. She soon found
herself walking along a quiet stream, with no one about. Her legs suddenly
gave way and she collapsed to the ground, sitting and feeling the tears
course down her face like a flood. Curling into a ball, she let the grief
consume her. 

********************
If anyone wants to come along and find her, go ahead, otherwise she'll
probably pull herself back together in a few hours and make her way back to
her quarters....

Rhi
moira