Message 3669
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Date: Mon Mar 7, 2005 9:29 am
Subject: [DL-N] Purple Morning
Day 8, Dawn
Cherry jolted awake in her bed at the medical center. The room was
dark, though she could see the rectangle of light marking the door to
the hallway outside. There was no window but she knew in her bones it
was dawn. Something today was different. There was a feeling in the air
that she didn't quite recognize, but couldn't ignore. It felt like
someone had put her skin on inside out so that everything that touched
her, from her night chemise to the bed sheets seemed to rub her the
wrong way. Usually feelings like this meant a big storm was coming in,
but the tension building in the air was slightly different.
Crawling out of bed, she didn't bother with her dress as she cracked
the door open and peeked into the corridor. There was no one in the
hallway so she stepped into the lamplit corridor. Padding barefoot
towards the nurse's desk, hoping to find Gemma, she was disappointed
to see the night nurse had stepped out somewhere. She was really
feeling weird now and wondered if all the excitement of the past couple
of days wasn't catching up to her.
Maybe it was just a storm brewing. She'd look outside and see. The
front door was just around the corner from the nurse's station.
Silently she padded towards it, snagging a cloak from the row of hooks
by the door as she passed them. The door was heavy as she pulled it
open, and as she stepped outside, a stiff, cool breeze ruffled her
chemise, and she quickly slipped the cloak on. The cloudy sky was
purpling slightly in the pre-dawn light but it would probably be a good
while before the sun peeked over the lip of the cliffs and showered
down into the bowl valley that housed Norwall Warren.
People were at their usual tasks, with a couple pairs of dragons and
riders readying for patrol on the Green. Many other were heading for
the dining hall to grab breakfast. She turned towards the dragons and
started off across the vast spread of newly greening young grass
without quite knowing why. A couple of the riders looked askew at her
as she passed through the patrol pairs gathered on the assembly spot
and kept moving towards the far wall. The large opening in the rock
wall beckoned with a flickering golden light. Following the passageway,
she stepped into the huge cavern.
Rows of benches, set at an angle, almost like stairs, were carved from
the rock of the walls, as though an audience would be watching whatever
occurred here, and torches circled the round room. In the center,
looming huge and impossibly gorgeous was a metallic gold dragon, curled
around a batch of colored rocks. Cherry caught her breath at the sight.
The torchlight flickered off the scales of the gorgeous dragon, and she
was so large compared to some of the dragons she'd seen. It had to be
Queen Malani.
Cherry knew suddenly that she shouldn't be here. She'd heard a lot
lately about Malani and her eggs. Cherry fixed her eyes on the large
colored rocks near the queen, realizing suddenly what those must be.
That odd feeling surged in her stomach again and she stepped forward
onto the hot sands, drawn against her will towards the eggs. It was so
hot in here. She dropped the cloak and kept walking. She saw the eggs
more clearly now, noting the pebbled texture of them and the way the
firelight gleamed on their colors. One of them was rocking on the
sands.
Something else shifted too. Cherry heard a slithering sound and saw
movement out of the corner of her eye as the Queen lifted her great
golden head and looked down at her with shiny black eyes. She paused in
mid-step, stiff was fear, and sure she would be burned alive by the
huge golden queen. But then the purplish egg rocked again, and Cherry
suddenly didn't care about the sand burning her feet or the queen
dragon looking on. Something cracked, the sound loud to her ears, and
moving closer, she could see on the purplish egg a dark line running
across the surface. It rocked again and the crack widened. A piece
broke outward and a small claw reached through the opening and grasped
the edge. Nearby, other eggs started rocking, but Cherry was focused on
the purple egg, and more importantly, the small nose poking out of it.
The nose withdrew and another section of the egg burst outward as it
reappeared.
Using its nose to break the egg, like chicks use their beaks, was the
dim thought that registered in Cherry's mind. And another thought
registered immediately after, but it wasn't her own. [Not
chick...dragon.] The oddest feeling in the world, to have a thought and
know it wasn't yours. The top of the shell burst backwards and hung
from the thin membrane. The small damp dragon rocked forward and
tumbled out of the open shell onto the sands. Cherry hurried forward
and dropped to her knees beside it, sure it was injured after that
tumble. [Not it....her....Kaanette] Except Kaanette sounded in her head
like 'Con-et'. The dragonet managed to get itself up on all fours
and her tiny wings. Her belly and underwings were a deep burnished
golden yellow, vividly contrasting the deep purple of her back, head,
tail, and top of the wings. The dragonet raised her head and looked up
at Cherry with dark solemn eyes. [Mine!]
Respectfully submitted by,
Cherry and Kaanette
Aka Bianca Payne
Message 3670
From: Chris Weeda <weeda@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Date: Mon Mar 7, 2005 1:46 pm
Subject: [DL-N] Get Your Motor Running
<Day 6 evening>
Dargis watched Delilah walk into the kitchen, having taken both his and
Cherry=E2=80=99s order. He was brought back to the table by Cherry,
=E2=80=9CSo what=E2=80=99s her
story?=E2=80=9D
Dargis glanced back to see if he could catch sight of her again, but
she had
disappeared into the back area, =E2=80=9CWell,
she=E2=80=99s=E2=80=A6.um=E2=80=A6misunderstood.=E2=80=9D
Cherry continued fixating him with a questioning look and he sighed as
he tried
to find the right words, =E2=80=9CPeople think of her one way when she
really isn=E2=80=99t.
She=E2=80=99s been a friend to me and I know how nice she can be.=E2=80=9D
He started to continue but Delilah had come back, placing their
respective
orders in front of them, so the conversation would have to wait until
later.
<Day 7 evening>
Dargis sat in his apartment in the sand where D=E2=80=99lion was laying,
the
gardener=E2=80=99s head resting up against the yellow dragon=E2=80=99s
flank. The day had
been rather exhausting, having spent the majority of it working the
gardens and
making sure that all those who were assigned to the duty were not
shirking it.
He knew that it wasn=E2=80=99t glamorous work and nobody enjoyed it
nearly as much as
he did, but it emphasized the importance of working together to
accomplish
something greater. Strange as it was, working in the gardens built a
sense of
camaraderie and teamwork. It also enabled Dargis to catch up on the
stories and
gossip that was floating around the warren. Searchlings always managed
to pick
up on the most interesting tidbits.
The tales of what were being found in the caves were wide and varied.
Everything from spirits of the dead to ancient buried treasure to
glowing swords
were supposedly coming from the place. Dargis didn=E2=80=99t take too
much stock in
it. He thought that the caves should be left well enough alone, or at
least
leave it to scholars.
Two recent bodies in the warren did concern him, though. One in his
garden was
bad enough but two? It brought up all sorts of questions that Dargis
didn=E2=80=99t
want to dwell upon. The idea that a cold-blooded killer was among them
didn=E2=80=99t
sit well with the gardener, not at all. Worse still, what if there was
more
than one?
He hoped that at least one killer would be put away when they put the
one
called Ranker on trial. He was none too happy about that one. If there
was any
justice, that one would be put away or put to death for his crimes.
He had also heard the possibility that there might be some sort of
romance
between Freya and Jale. He felt a slight twinge at that one but if it
was true,
then good for them. With all the tragedy and awfulness that seemed to
be
plaguing the warren lately, a little love and tenderness was definitely
welcome.
**And what about love and tenderness for you?**
<A question for the ages, but not right now. I=E2=80=99m just too flat
out tired to
even think about something like that.>
**Which means that you have been thinking about it.**
<You know I have. Just been hard to get used to the fact that love and
that
sort of thing is much freer here than back where I was born.>
**As I recall one of the reasons your parents were glad you had been
chosen was
because you might actually =E2=80=98get some=E2=80=99**
Dargis blushed a little at that. The last time he had visited his
parents they
had indeed said that, <That=E2=80=99s true, but with everything else
going on, I
don=E2=80=99t know that I have the time.>
**It isn=E2=80=99t like you need that much time. Just have to find a
woman willing
to spread her thighs for you and away you go. Given your striking good
looks I
suspect there are plenty that would gladly do so.**
Still a little read, Dargis nodded, <True enough. If it does come to
that, I
don=E2=80=99t have nearly as much an objection to it as before. But
still, right now
I=E2=80=99m just tired.>
**Well, all you need is one part to be standing straight and=E2=80=A6.**
<Nope, too tired. Maybe tomorr=E2=80=A6.>
Dargis=E2=80=99 head lolled over against D=E2=80=99lion=E2=80=99s side,
exhaustion finally
claiming him. The dragon shifted his weight some, wrapping a wing over
Dargis=E2=80=99 sleeping form protectively before going to sleep
himself. If tomorrow
was what he said, thought the dragon, then tomorrow he=E2=80=99ll be
exhausted for a
completely different reason=E2=80=A6
Submitted by
Dargis and D=E2=80=99lion
AKA Chris Weeda
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