>Saul moved quickly, grabbing the man and pulling him away from the girl,
>"Have you gone mad! Can't you see you're scaring her!"

Xanthia flinched at the loud voice, even in her relief that the man was off
of her. Terror still wracked through her, making her even more sensitive to
the world around her.She cried pathetically, unable to do or say anything
else.

A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the side. Xanthia whimpered,
feeling too week to resist. Comforting female voices caressed her ears,
though she couldn't grasp what they were saying or who was with her. So
confused, and scared.

<Take it easy, we won't let him hurt you anymore,> Trinale's mind voice
pierced through the mental fog, a comforting anchor in a sea of confusion
and fear.
"Don't you hear her crying?" someone hollered.

Xanthia flinched at the harsh voice and whimpered then more yelling ensued.

"She's mine! You can't take her from me!" 

Next sound Xanthia heard was a crash, a horrible sound, and then crying.
But it wasn't just her crying, it was someone else in the room.

<Sh...> Trinale's mind voice soothed again, <It's over. He won't be hurting
anyone for a long time.>

Xanthia curled up in a ball, rocking and humming a tuneless hum to herself,
craving the stimulation it brought her fretful mind. She tried but she
couldn't make it stop. Her mind kept going over the terrifying ordeal again
and again, feeding her terror. 

Then it became too much to handle and she stopped rocking and humming. She
just sat then, still as could be, sobbing to herself, totally oblivious to
anything going on around her, but totally aware of her own inner torment.

Small hands grasped Xanthia's hands and helped her up. 

<It's Trinale,> the mind voice belonging to the hands said, <I'm going take
you to the med center now. It's all right.>

Xanthia was unable to even mentally respond. She just followed Trinale's
lead, mutely following where she was led and mounting the dragon with the
queenrider's help.

*****

She was aware of the feeling of flight, the sensation of the cool mountain
air flowing through her long red hair. She vaguely sensed the mental
reassurances that kept coming from the warrenlady.

Then the bright lights and the smells that only belonged in the med center.
She knew the smells so well. Tarnus root, valagrium, colaria, and many
other aromatic herbs that were common to any healing facility.

She heard voices. She knew not what they said, just that they were talking
about her as she heard her name mentioned by the owners of the voices.

She felt something pulling on her scalp. It pulled the same way again and
again. Sutures, she thought, putting a logical purpose to the sensation of
the pulling. Tears streamed silently from her eyes at the discomfort of
having her head stitched.

"Xanthia," she heard her name again, but knew this time she was being
spoken to. This time the voice was louder, purposeful. "Xanthia, we're
going to keep you here overnight, okay? Put this gown on for us and then
I'd like you to try to get some sleep."

"Sleep," Xanthia echoed, but did not move to take the gown. She just stared
ahead blankly, not comprehending a word of what was said.

She heard the voices talking again, and then felt someone undressing her
and putting the gown on her, then easing her down onto the bed.

"Sleep," Xanthia repeated again.

"Yes, sleep, close your eyes and get some rest," the voice said to her
before darkening some of the lights in the room.

*****

Xanthia awoke the next morning with a start, memories of the night before
flooding back on her.

"Good morning, feeling better today?" Clarissa greeted the redhead when she
saw Xanthia wake up suddenly.

"Better," Xanthia said, nodding slowly and looking about her surroundings
uncertainly.

"You're in the med center, Trinale brought you in last night. Quite a scare
you had,"

Xanthia nodded slowly again, as she remembered. She started sobbing into
her hands, "Keep him away!" she begged the healer.

Clarissa shook her head, "He won't get anywhere near you, I promise."

"Promise?" Xanthia asked with the hopeful look of a small child.

"Yes, I promise. Cross my heart."

"Where's Th'rin?" Xanthia asked, looking about for the healer she was more
familiar with.

"He's off duty now. Would you like something to help take the edge off the
stress?" the female healer asked Xanthia.

Th'rin popped his head in the door, "Did I hear my name?"

"Th'rin!" Xanthia exclaimed, holding her arms out wide for a hug and
smiling broadly. She had a great fondness for the young man and liked his
hugs.

"I thought you'd left by now," Clarissa said to Th'rin.

"I was just leaving," Th'rin shrugged.

"Hugs!" Xanthia insisted.

The male healer obliged her, "How are you doing this morning?" he asked the
redhead.

"I was just asking Xanthia if she'd like anything for her stress," Clarissa
said, trying to bring things back on track.

Xanthia nodded, "Holocenth's Herbal, page 236," she said, indicating the
page on which there was the recipe for a mild but highly effective
anti-anxiety elixir.

*****
NRPG: Tag Kris!
*****

Xanthia left the Med Center and bumped straight into a small black and red
dragon.

<Sorry!> Xanthia apologized, not recognizing the hatchling.

<It's me, Maxima!> the hatchling told her.

<You're bigger!> Xanthia's eyebrows raised in amazement. Indeed, the
hatchling was twice the size as when she was hatched.

<I've been eating. Ashelle's been feeding me and Oaklah. I've missed you!>
the black and red hatchling rubbed her head against her rider as if she
were a house cat.

Xanthia giggled at Maxima and hugged her tightly. <I've missed you too! I'm
glad to be home.>

*****

NRPG: Well, this seemed a nice warm fuzzy moment to end it on. 

Xanthia will be at training that morning, for anyone who wants to interact
with her. Expect Maxima to be a bit guardy, though.

Kris, I know that Xanthia gets under Th'rin's skin with all her rearranging
of the Med Center, but she seems oblivious to that... To her he's her
friend. She'll probably want to see her nephew sometime that day, too.

Kris and Barb, she'll also want to see Saul and Shawnee's new baby, make
sure it's all right.

Rest? This girl doesn't know the meaning of the word. :)















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