*Lisha*

*Lisha*

She brushed her hair thoroughly. Never had any head been brushed so
well. She was preparing for a difficult day. Today she would go back
on patrol. Shawnee was gone, she'd have a new patrol partner. She
wondered who that would be. And how they would look at her.

She stood up before the full length mirror and inspected herself
carefully from all sides. Was it obvious? Could anyone tell the way
her body had just been mutilated?

<You look marvelous,> Hyacinth flattered her rider.

<NOT! Look at me! I'm lopsided!> Lisha fussed. <No man in their right
mind... No! No *person* in their right mind would ever want to look at
me.>

<Is it always about men?>

<Yes! I mean no! I mean... Men want a whole woman. I was*all* woman. I
was beautiful. And now... now I'm only half a woman,> Lisha pouted.

<Stupid human nonsense if you ask me,> Hyacinth scoffed.

***

Lisha knocked on the door to the wingleader's office, and waited until
she heard him call, "Come in," before opening the door and shyly
entering the room. Shy, what a new sensation. Lisha had never had a
shy day in her life, not until this.

"Lisha. What can I do for you?" Derry greeted her.

That didn't sound to offensive. She raised her eyes up off the ground
slowly and gulped as she saw that the wingleader wasn't alone. No, not
him!

"R'han!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her chest
protectively. It was the first time she'd seen him since that night
she'd found that awful lump... or rather, he had.

R'han's eyes drifted down and locked in on her chest, and then quickly
diverted. This time it was his turn to look at the ground. "Lisha...
I... um... sorry... I didn't know. Hope you're better soon," he
mumbled, exiting quickly.

"Lisha?" Derry inquired, seeing the young woman cringe in front of him
at the sound of the door shutting.

"Um... I need to talk to you... about a new partner. You know, since
Shawnee's gone." Lisha stammered, still looking at the ground.

[[Tag Jill]]

***

*Xanthia*

"I can't!" Xanthia protested to Th'rin, who was doing his best to get
the younger healer to cooperate with the physical therapy plan, just
as Corra walked through the door.

"Can't never got anything done," Corra stated matter-of-factly.

Xanthia fumed while the older healer pulled Th'rin aside. It was
useless. What sense was it working a crippled leg? She hated having
Corra here. She thought she was rid of the old biddy's meddling when
she left Tilharnon. And on top of that Corra and Th'rin were
conspiring together. She could *hear* them!

"At least she's talking now," Corra consoled Th'rin. That's more than
she'd do for me earlier. And look at the fire in those eyes, she's got
a lot of fight in her whether she knows it or not."

"I heard that!" Xanthia shot back from the bed.

"Truth hurt, girl?" Corra retorted.

"What's the point?" Xanthia pouted.

"The point is that there are a lot of people here that care about you,
and if you won't do it for yourself, do it for them." Corra stated
bluntly.

"Like who?" Xanthia spat.

"Me for one," Th'rin answered, "And Corra, and Moira."

"She's been asking about you. You two should visit with each other,"
Corra interjected."

"And Tarv'renon," Th'rin brought up, "Who has been here every day
checking on you."

"I bet..." Xanthia glared at Th'rin.

"Xanthia! That will be enough of that attitude!" Corra warned, full of
maternal indignation.

Th'rin flushed, "Honest, he has been worried sick. Least you can do is
let him see you. And there's Katla..."

A knock sounded on the door, and Corra opened it despite Xanthia's
protestations while Th'rin tried to cajole Xanthia into doing her
exercises.

In walked a young woman on crutches. "Th'rin, there's a courier here
from Tinobal for you," Katla announced, and worked her way to the
chair by the bed.

A smile came to Th'rin's face. "Thanks, Katla. We'll leave you two to
visit. Corra?" He gestured toward the door.

[[Tag Jill!]]

***

*Corra*

"I didn't know there was another cripple here," Corra said quietly as
they walked toward Th'rin's office.

"Katla? She's anything but. She's one of our best dragonriders."

"Dragonrider? But I thought..." Corra mused.

Th'rin shrugged, "The dragon chooses, somehow they know who they want.
And truthfully, she is one of our best."

"How well does she know our girl?"

"There's a kind of closeness there," Th'rin remembered how Katla was
the only one to calm Xanthia after the rape.

Corra nodded, "She could be useful with working with Xanthia, if our
girl looks on Katla as a friend that is."

***

Th'rin opened the office door and the two entered. He made short work
of signing the paperwork and sending the courier on his way.

"Let's see what we've got," Th'rin opened the first box and pulled out
two wooden crutches with leather forearm cuffs.

"Nice. She won't have to worry about dropping them when using her
hands," Corra commented.

Th'rin then opened the second box and extracted the metal and leather
contrivance. He noted the locking mechanism at the knee hinge and
experimented with it. Locked straight gave the brace stability for
walking; unlocked allowed for the knee to bend for sitting.

"How do you think she'll react to these?" Corra asked cautiously.

[[Tag Kris]]

***

*Lisha*

Lisha sat in the dining hall, picking at her dinner when a flush came
over her. Fear set in at the same moment as recognition.

<Hyacinth! You didn't tell me it was your time!> the raven haired
young woman queried anxiously.

<You were sick, I didn't want to bother you,> The deep red female
responded.

A moment later Hyacinth's challenge echoed through the warren,
enticing males from every quarter. 

What am I going to do??? Lisha panicked. But it was too late, the bond
was so strong and the instinctive pull moved her to rise up out of her
seat and walk out onto the green.

As the burgundy dragon danced in the sky, crying her challenge to all
again and again, so Lisha danced her seductive dance on the ground. As
males of all colors chased Hyacinth above, so did the riders of the
males gather about the dark-haired woman on the ground, each caught up
in the rapture of the mating flight.

<You can't catch me!> Hyacinth taunted.

"You can't catch me!" Lisha echoed aloud.

<You're not worthy!> Hyacinth crowed at each male that nearly caught
her.

"You're not worthy!" Lisha cried simultaneously to the mostly male
crowd about her.

Suddenly Onyx's obsidian form overtook that of the burgundy female.

<You *are* worthy!> Hyacinth cried to the black.

"You are worthy!" Lisha echoed as a tall slender blond swept her off
her feet and carried her away.

[Tag Wendon!]

***

{{After}}

Her stomach rumbled, reminding Lisha of how many hours had passed
since the mating flight began, and suddenly Lisha was aware of the man
beside her on the bed.

<Hyacinth?> 

<I'm fine. I'm wonderful!> Hyacinth crooned as she basked in the
afterglow. <I'm cuddling with Onyx.>

Lisha looked back at the large blond and  the same moment as she
marveled how attractive he was and wondered why she hadn't noticed him
before she realized she was naked and shame set in.

"I'm sorry..." Lisha babbled, covering up. She winced as she realized
that by now he knew, whether she hid it or not, and the shame
deepened. Never before had Lisha ever felt shame when in the arms of a
man, let alone after a mating flight.

"I'm so sorry..." She repeated again.

***

NRPG: Tag Wendon! Have fun.

Kris, Corra will likely have questions... Have fun. ;> 

Kris and Jill, Good luck to Th'rin, Corra, and Katla with dealing with
Xanthia! ;> Anyone else want to help get her out of her attitude?

                \=/,         _-===-_-===-_-===-_-=======-_-===-_
                |  @___oo   (    Submitted by:                  )
      /\  /\   / (___,,,}_--=    Jacqueline "Morgan" Allgood    )
     ) /^\) ^\/ _)        =__    morgie@iquest.net               )
     )   /^\/   _)          (_                                   )
     )   _ /  / _)            (   The heart and soul of:          )
 /\  )/\/ ||  | )_)            (_  Xanthia/Maxima of Whiteriver   )
<  >      |(,,) )__)             ( Kattibrie/Calishandra of Telnor )
 ||      /    \)___)\             (_                              )
 | \____(      )___) )___           -==-_____-====-_____-===-___==
  \______(_______;;; __;;;

Morgan's World http://members.xoom.com/Morgie/

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Reach me by ICQ. My ICQ# is 28792949 
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