<<NRPG: This co-written by Jeanette and Kristen>>

Ashelle & Tevel
***

Ashelle and Tevel was having a rather nice time with their conversation,
learning about their dreams and hopes for the future. Their talk had turned
to Tevel's worries about not joining with a dragon, and Ashelle was about
to answer when Oaklah let out a scream in her mind.

<< Wraiths!!! >>

Ashelle jumped up so quickly that Tevel almost lost his balance as he shot
to his feet. "What, Ashelle? What's the matter?"

Suddenly the sky erupted with two dragons trumpeting the alarm. *Wraith
attack at Killaglen!*

"Wraiths! But I don't know...." Her face went pale and she grabbed his arm.
"At Killaglen!! They're attacking our home!!"

She took off at a run, Tevel keeping pace alongside her as she headed
towards the coal bins. Oaklah was trumpeting with aggravation as she was
having to wait in line for the others to feed first. "Patience, love!
You'll get your coal, just wait!"

She chuckled as she glanced over at Tevel. "She gets impatient at times.
She's sort of willful."

He nodded, his mind drifting back to home .. his mother had a stone cellar
for protection. But he remembered the last wraith attack on Killaglen ..
he'd had to drag her down there! She hadn't wanted to sacrifice their home.
Now he wasn't there to make sure she was safe ..

>Trinale headed for the coal bins to help out as well. She would head for
>the med center shortly when the injured started to be transported back.
>She was almost to the coal bins when she saw a large green dragon, she
>knew very well, fall to the ground and a scream erupted from her mother.
>"Ariel!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Trinale ran forward as did Meredwyn.
>Trinale reached for Ariel's mind as the dragons began to keen the loss of
>one of their own, Trinale realized that somehow Ariel had died. Her arms
>went around her mother who was sobbing hysterically. "No, Ariel,
>no....don't leave me...."

The scream brought both Ashelle and Tevel up short. Ashelle looked on in
shock as Ariel fell over, and wondered what was going on. She looked around
trying to see whatever had attacked the green... then saw Trinale hugging
her mother.

"What... what is going on?! What happened to Ariel?"

Tevel looked at the dragon. She wasn't moving and her color had paled.
Whatever had happened, it didn't look good for the dragon .. or for some of
the other dragons either.

>Suddenly Trinale noticed other dragons staggering as well. Some of them
>immediately dying, others collapsing as did their riders.

>Something was wrong. What was happening? Then it hit her just as W'lam
>came running forward.

>"The coal! Don't let the dragons eat the coal!" W'lam screamed and ran to
>stand in front of the coal bins, trying to throw his slight frame in the
>way of the dragons who were still around the coal bins. "The coal is
>poisoned! The Lady's followers hit the coal bins somehow!"

>Trinale looked in horror at the number of dragons lying on the ground,
>trying to determine how many were dead, and how many were still alive.

Ashelle all but howled with the aggravation of it. Caitlin was her
friend...was teaching her to sing, had helped her feel welcome when she
first got here. Others, some she knew, some she didn't, all falling over or
mourning lost dragons. She buried her head against Tevel's chest for a
moment trying to drown out the sad keening.

>Trinale watched in horror as one young man, G'rald, took out his knife and
>plunged it home into his chest, unable to live with his dragons death. She
>watched as his life blood drained from him as he fell to the ground,
>relief showing in his eyes, just before he died.

Gripping Tevel's sleeve desperately, Ashelle bit her lip hard to keep from
crying as she caught G'rald's actions. Would she ever do that?? *Could*
she?

>At that moment, Trinale turned back to her mother, lying very still on
>Ariels lifeless form.

>"Mother?" Trinale whispered, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.
>Then her eyes saw the shallow rising and falling of Caitlins chest, her
>eyes glazed over. She was alive, but she was not responding. Trinale
>cradled her in her arms as chaos continued to erupt around her.

>"No......" Trianale just kept whispering over and over...."No...."

Ashelle tore her thoughts and attention from the scene unfolding before
her, and headed for Oaklah. She was more relieved than anyone could guess
that Oaklah had never gotten any coal from the bin. At least she'd be able
to flame a bit without it.

"Tevel, come on! You can ride with me!"

"Me?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, we've got to get to Killaglen .. your mother's there right?"

He nodded dumbly for a moment. Go to Killaglen? He'd not considered it ..
but here he had the opportunity.

Ashelle vaulted up the harness to Oaklah's back, and reached to heave Tevel
up after her. After making sure that he was securely strapped in, and
double checking her own harness straps, she had Oaklah launch, and they
immediately teleported to the place they both called home.

Oaklah bugled defiantly as they headed towards Ashelle's home first, as
that was the first place she'd arrived. She was happy to see that there
were riders already there and got the message that things were all right
there.

"Where is your home, Tevel? We can go there next!"

"North side of town .. near the Mill."

Ashelle nodded and soon they were racing through the air. "That one!" Tevel
yelled into her hear as the wind raced by. He pointed toward one of the
small houses, "The one with big tree .."

Again the girl nodded and aimed for the house. Wraith drew near to the
dragon, but Oaklah spat short bursts of flame at them and dodged as she
raced for her Target.

Olivia Lyion
***

Olivia had run around her small house sealing all her valuables in the
stone urns and pulling all the shutters closed. The wooden shutters
wouldn't do much to stop a wraith if it was determined, but it might hide
the fact that there was anything to discover ..

But there was little she could do for the small goat shed she kept in the
back for her one and only Goat, Daisy. It was nearly a given that the shed
and all of Daisy's food, which she'd just purchased two days ago, would be
gone as soon as the vile creatures made it to this side of town.

She had gotten the stubborn goat into the cellar and knew she should get in
herself and lock it up. But the thought of letting those creatures have all
that grain she'd just gotten, rankled her to no end, so she ran up and
threw open the lid of the storage bin and grabbed the first bag. There were
only 5 bags .. 5 trips.. she could do it.

And she almost did she was just pulling the fifth bag out when she heard
the screams of a horse who had broken out of his gate and now was running
for all he was worth to escape a group of wraiths chasing him down. Horror
hit her as she froze, staring at the shadowy image. She'd never seen one up
close before ..

A single wraith broke from the group and circled around the woman and
headed for the final bag of grain. "NO!" Liv shouted and grabbed a broom
and began slashing at the creature. The broom went through the wraith
harmlessly and Liv's eyes widened as suddenly she was staring at not one ..
but TWO creatures. Her broom had split the thing and now there were two of
them!

She spun as they moved toward her, and ran to house throwing open the door
and moving the broom so it's dry bristles lay in the fire pit. It ignited
brightly and she waved it at the approaching wraiths. They backed out of
the house quickly.

"Oh so you don't like fire do you!" she shouted at them and chased them out
of the house, forgetting that she would be safer inside in her glee at
seeing the creatures run.

She looked like a mad woman running across the yard waving a flaming broom.

Tevel & Ashelle
***

"That's her!" Tevel shouted as he watched the woman running around with a
flaming broom. Gods! What was she thinking .. didn't she know how much
danger she was in. Even more so then she realized for both he and Ashelle
saw the large ground of wraiths coming at her from behind.

"MOTHER!" Tevel yelled, though they were still to far for her to hear.

Oaklah darted toward the wraiths and Tevel prayed the dragon had enough
flame to save his mother. He watched as Liv spun at the approaching wraiths
and screamed as they began to envelop her.

Oaklah roared and flame shot from her mouth scaring the wraiths away from
their prey. Liv dropped to the ground, "Mom!"

"Hold on!" Ashelle shouted back as Oaklah dove and drove the attacking
wraiths off with the last of her flame.

When they were gone, Ashelle had Oaklah settle down on the road. Tevel
jumped down and ran to his mother, "Mom! Mom.. are you alright?"

Liv nodded slowly. "I'll be okay .. it .. barely hurts .."

Tevel shook his head, "We've got to get you to a healer." He picked her up
and hurried back to Ashelle, "She's got some wraith burns we've got to get
her to a healer."

Ashelle nodded and they quickly remounted Oaklah and headed back to the
warren.

***

Oaklah landed with a gentle thump outside the med center, and Ashelle
helped Tevel down, while carefully having Oaklah go to a fully prone
position so that he could lift his mother off.

"Get her inside, Tevel, I think that Th'rin's is on duty. He'll take good
care of her. I have to go again."

Tevel hesitated only a bit, and looked up at Ashelle curiously. "Go? Where to?"

"I still have a duty to fight, Tevel. I didn't fly the last time. I can't
let the Warren down again. I'll be back again soon, I promise. I may not
even be needed, but I can't take the chance. I'll visit you both just as
soon as I return."

Nodding, Tevel gave Ashelle a grateful smile, and turned to the med center
entrance. He turned back and gave a worried one. "You be careful, all
right?"

As Oaklah launched, she smiled at Tevel and nodded. "I will. You care for
your mother. I'll see you soon."

Ashelle
***

Oaklah burst back onto the scene, and Ashelle felt very relieved to see
that everything was under control. She got the word that she could go back
to the Warren, and saluted. As Oaklah turned, she headed towards the woods
to have a fast look before teleporting back. And Oaklah let out a scream.

<< More wraiths!! I don't think I have enough flame!! >>

Ashelle dived, trying to take refuge in the trees as she and Oaklah were
surrounded. Oaklah let out another scream, this time of pain, and her wing
buckled. Both rider and dragon crashed to the ground taking out a few tree
branches as they fell.

Luckily, the wraiths were flamed or otherwise distracted, and didn't
pursue. But the other riders had already left after the fight was over,
each thinking that Oaklah had simply teleported after diving for the trees.

And when they arrived back at the Warren, no one thought to check on her.

Tevel
***

Tevel watched as Th'rin worked over his mother, and waited for Ashelle to
return. He was very worried about her out there on her own .. and he did
want her to meet his mother.

Time passed and many of the other riders came in for various and sundry
wounds, but no sign of Ashelle. Where was she? Finally, he asked one of the
others. "Did you see Ashelle when she came back?"

"No .. Check with Derry, he'd know if she'd reported back or not."

Tevel nodded and went in search of the wingleader. "Where's the
wingleader?" he asked of one rider who pointed him in one direction, but
before he could find Derry he ran into his father. T'jellan looked more
pale then usual and there was a haunted look in his eyes, "Dad, are you all
right?"

"Tevel .. your mother .. they say, she'd here."

He nodded, "She'll be okay though. Ashelle and Oaklah got there in time.
But now I can't find Ashelle or the wingleader."

"Ashelle hasn't returned?"

Tevel shook his head and watched as his father's face took on that blank
look that meant he was talking to Grunth. T'jellan's face turned into a
frown, "Grunth can't find Oaklah .. and he says the wingleader's getting
worried since she hasn't reported back yet."

"We've got to do something!" he said.

"Derry'll take care of it."

"We can't wait.. anything could have happened to her. We've got to find her!"

"Derry will make sure she's located. There isn't anything I can do."

"You have a dragon. We can go back to Killaglen and find her!" Tevel shouted.

"I can't! I haven't been cleared to fly." T'jellan protested.

"We've got to .. Please .. please help me find her." Tevel begged, looking
his father squarely in the eye. "Please, I love her .. I can't lose her .."

T'jellan stared at his son for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, let's go ..
but you'll have to explain it to Th'rin when we get back."

"I will." Tevel assured him, "Thank you."

Regards,
Ashelle & Oaklah
Tevel
Olivia Lyion
T'jellan & Grunth
***
NRPG: I'm sure Derry would get together a search once it was clear that
Ashelle, not having reported in, was not in the Warren. So anyone that
wants to help, please feel free :) I'm not sure how badly hurt Ashelle is..
but I'm assuming Oaklah can't fly .. having torn up her wing in her
dive/fall ..

Kristen
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       \oo/     Kristen Gant
        ~~      (AKA: Darlea & Makayla, Keldarra Warren, Courier
                      Waylene & Aura, Marrid Warren, Warrenlady
                      Meena & Vonn, Norwall Warren, Wingleader
                      Kalewyn & Sabbith, Telnor Warren, Dragonrider
                      Saul & Fayloth, Whiteriver Warren, Searcher
                      Merybelle Barmen, City of Ralengarde, Innkeeper
                      Ce'lot & Britche, Xylain Warren, Wingleader
                http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sgant/Kris/kris.htm
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