"What now, child...  The eggs are hatching... go find your dragon!"

The words echoed in Tryllis's head.  "Your dragon!"  She didn't have a
dragon.  They couldn't know if she would ever have a dragon.  Why had he
said 'your dragon?'  She didn't understand.  She stumbled over the
sands, uncertain, glancing from one egg, just cracking, to another, only
shards spread across the sands.  The eggs were hatching;  she just
wished she knew what she was doing here.

<Looking for me> she heard.  She glanced wildly around.  No, she didn't
hear it;  there was no one near her even looking in her direction.  She
glanced from one enrapt expression to another, watching the other
searchlings watch the dragons.  Did they think they would find a
dragon?  Did they want to?

She moved on, her steps slowing.  What was she doing here?  She didn't
even think she wanted a dragon.  Her brother had had a dragon, and--

<You don't want me?>  It was a tone of desolation:  wistful sadness
mixed with a shred of disbelief and a quiver of uncertainty.  Tryllis
stopped.  "What?" she called out, her gaze searching for whoever had
said that.

<You don't want me.>  It was a statement now, completely hopeless. 
Tryllis felt that hopelessness entering herself, and she squeezed her
eyes shut against the images that she knew would have to come with such
an emotion.  They came, but not what she had been expecting.  

She saw an egg crack...a dragon the color of dew drenched violets
emerge...the dragon taking a first tentative step...the dragon stopping,
staring across the sands at a young woman stumbling across the sand in
her direction...the dragon beginning to move again...

Tryllis opened her eyes, and found herself face to face with that violet
colored dragon.  <I am Allyeniara.  I want you.  Please say that you
want me.>  The tone pleaded, begging for a chance to show love.

"Oh, Ara," Tryllis said, imediately shortening the name, as she already
felt familiar enough with Allyeniara's presence to take such liberties.
"Of course I want you."  She flung her arms around the dragon's neck,
/her/ dragon's neck, tears, joyful and yet strangely sorrowful, falling
unheaded to the hot sands.

As images of joy and of joining flooded her mind, she let them flow over
a bond she seemed to instinctively understand to share them with Ara. 
And when they changed to images of death for a swift second as she
couldn't help recalling her brother, she shared that too.  And felt
comfort.


A light tap on her shoulder brought her back to the present.  A large
bowl, filled with hunks of meat, was presented to her, and she was too
bemused to even glance up to see who was giving it too her.  <Oh, meat. 
May I have some?> Ara asked.  Tryllis smiled.  

"Of course.  You don't think it's for me, do you?" she asked tenderly as
she held the meat out to her dragon.  

<Don't you want it?  It is good meat> Ara sent back, vigorously chewing
the first hunk.  <I think you would like it.  Try!>

Tryllis looked down at the meat and wrinkled her nose.  "No thank you,
dear one.  I think I'll pass for now."

Ara flicked her wings in a gesture surprisingly reminiscent of a shrug,
then delicately lifted another hunk of meat from the bowl.  <If you're
sure.>


Tryllis was too busy paying attention to Allyeniara to pay attention to
anything else, but slowly the busy feeling around her faded, and she
looked up to find all the dragons paired, and all the eggs hatched,
except for one, which showed no signs of hatching.  For a moment, her
gaze lingered on that egg, curious, but then she was distracted again.

"All right, children...  it's time to head down to the hatchling
barracks...  I know the little ones are hungry...  Not to worry, there's
more food when we get down there..."

Tryllis nodded, and turned back to Ara, only to find the dragon already
following.  Probably attracted by the mention of food, Tryllis thought
with a bubble of mental laughter.

<It is the first food I have ever had,> Ara sent, dignity layering her
tone.

"Yes, dear one," Tryllis murmured softly.  "Anything you say."  She
smiled, and felt Ara's mental laughter in reply as the pair obediently
joined the line of dragons and newly joined riders on the way to the
hatchling barracks.


Ara yawned.  Tryllis smiled.  "Tired?" she questioned softly.  

<Tired,> Ara agreed.

"Go to sleep, then," Tryllis suggested.

<I don't want to.>

"Why not?"

<Then I cannot talk to you.>

"I'll still be here when you wake up, you know."

<Promise?>

"Promise."

Ara yawned again.  <I want to talk to you now.>

"You'll enjoy it more later, after you've slept."

<Will I?>

"Well..."

Another voice broke in, firm, but soft enough to not seem to interrupt: 
"You two doing okay?"

Tryllis looked up to see the man who had seemed to be in charge of all
the hatchling, H'lie, she thought his name was.  She nodded to him,
replying, her voice soft and revealing little, "Yes, thank you."

H'lie nodded.  "The food will be kept over there," he gestured toward a
storage container, "If she gets hungry again later.  We'll cover
everything else tomorrow, so be sure to be up on time.  Until then,
you're as free as she lets you be."  

H'lie and Tryllis both looked over at Allyeniara, who rewarded this
scrutiny with a soft, sleepy sigh.  H'lie grinned.  "Looks like she's
just about asleep.  There's a party tonight, if you'd like to go."  And
with that he moved off toward the next pair.

Tryllis nodded at H'lie as he moved away, then looked back at Ara.  "You
are just about asleep, aren't you?" she asked softly.  Deep sleepy
breathing was her only reply.  "Completely asleep, I mean," Tryllis
corrected herself wryly, then pushed herself to her feet.  She wasn't
sure she wanted to go to the party, but a short walk would give her time
to think things over a bit.


Fifteen minutes later, Tryllis was lost.  She had walked out of the
hatchling barracks, found a corridor, turned, and then turned a few
minutes later, and a couple of turns after that realized she didn't know
where she had turned before.  So she simply went on, not in the mood to
worry about being lost when there were so many other things to think
about.  Like Allyeniara.  She was wonderful, but...

Tryllis stopped, becoming aware of noise and light coming from a room in
front of her.  It must be the party, she thought, moving forward with
the intention of just looking in to see what was going on.  She paused
in the doorway, looking around, stunned by the busy bustle as much as
anything, after her quiet walk through mostly deserted hallways.  They
must all be in here, Tryllis thought as she glanced around.

She jerked slightly as a woman appeared next to her, her approach
unnoticed by Tryllis in her distraction.  "Hi.  I'm Nineve, the head
healer.  I don't think we've met before... would you like some cider? 
Z'ril has a real touch for it..."

Tryllis hesitated.  She didn't really want to join in the party;  she
didn't really want to deal with all these people right now, but it might
be rude to refuse.  "Umm... yes, I think."  The young woman took the
cider.  "I'm Tryllis.  What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, it's a party... You're supposed to have fun... meet people..." 
Nineve smiled.  "Come on -- let me introduce you to Ilara, the junior
queenrider..."

Tryllis shrugged and followed after the quickly talking and quickly
moving woman, hanging back slightly.  Junior queenrider?  That sounded
sort of important.  She didn't want to bother anyone.  Though if Nineve
thought she should meet the junior queenrider...

Tryllis quickened her step a bit as she realized Nineve was still
talking, her attention slowly pulled from her thoughts by Nineve's
chatter.  The pair slowly weaved their way through the crowded room
until Nineve stopped in front of a group of people.

Tryllis shyly nodded at them all as Nineve introduced her, then looked
up to catch each of their names as they were introduced in turn.


NRPG:  Quick question...I assume the day numbers are arbitrary, just
starting somewhere so people have an idea of time frame?

Also, what are DragonLands dragons like?  Scales or smooth skin?  Do
they need to be oiled?  How big are they when they hatch?  How long does
it take them to reach full size and strength?  Or, in general, how
closely are they related to Pern dragons, if anyone is familiar with
that world? (which I have some knowledge of, at least as interpretted by
PernMUSH)

I have included a quick mini bio for Ara;  was I supposed to send the
bio for Tryllis out to the list at some point?

And I guess that's all the questions I have for now... :)


Bio--Allyeniara
GENDER: Female RACE: Dragon 
APPEARANCE: Deep violet in coloring, delicately structured.  Moves
gracefully.  Small for a dragon, but very quick.
PERSONALITY:  Mercurial.  Jumps from one emotion to another quickly, and
often jumps to conclusions in the same way, and without evidence.  


Respectfully submitted,
Francis Campion
Tryllis Artinor & Allyeniara, Xylian Warren
eng281@umslvma.umsl.edu

         _____)\
         )   ,~ \             > >>     >>>>        >>>>
     /\    )/ | \\~*~^;~.,  />  >  >   >          >
    /  \,.-  )'  ,~~(_,-'   \>>   >    >>>        >
   /_____     ,~'~.            > >     > rancis    >>>>ampion
   \     \,~~'    \)

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