There are 2 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [DL-D] A Little Help Here?
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. [DL-N] Chaos and the fear of flames
From: "Carina Norris" <crinklywhiskers_99@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 15:52:26 -0400
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-D] A Little Help Here?
Day 107
Morning
<Roxie, I really think you should have waited for me!> Zanne grumbled,
trying to see around S'laze's side, and wi****ng she'd led the way. Her
rider was going into a hole and they didn't even know what was down it!
<I'm fine, Zanne. Just a little further!> Roxie didn't like the
splatter marks on the wall as she climbed. She could barely make it out
in the dim light from the sputtering torch below and the torch that
Alton held in his hand above, but she was fairly certain that it was
blood.
"Looks like Alden bounced a few times on his way down!" Roxie called
up. Her stomach tightened as her hand encountered a particularly wet
spot.
A moment later she touched the solid ground. Quickly she scooped up
the
guttering torch, steadying the flickering light. She could see Alden.
He had come to rest in a pile of... something. "****!"
"What? Is Alden okay?" Alton yelled down.
Roxie held her nose, "He's landed in a huge pile of ****! Can't be
dragon... it smells too awful." She didn't want to move him, but she
needed to know if he were okay. She stuck the end of the torch into
the
soft pile right next to Alden. He was breathing, and he looked like
he'd received several good gashes along the way down. "He's alive!
Someone throw down some cloth -- he'll need bandages!"
Something landed with a thud beside Roxie, who had already torn off
part
of her own ****rt to start bandaging the boy. She noticed when she
began
to clean Alden off that the foul smelling pile that the boy was resting
in was still warm.
Alden was bleeding freely from a gash in his head. That explained the
amount of blood, and the reason the poor boy was unconscious. She
wrapped that wound first, before looking for any others. "Amazing..."
She muttered before calling up to those waiting anxiously above. "I
don't think he's broken anything... at least nothing looks out of
place,
and I don't see any bones!"
She began to tear some more cloth for the minor wounds when she thought
she heard something moving, "Umm... guys... I don't think we're alone
down here!" Perhaps the owner of the large pile of dung had decided to
return?
<My rider needs help!> Zanne cried out, as she felt the cold fear
gripping Roxie. She and S'laze hurried on, coming to the large cavern
where the others had gathered. <Please, please... can you not help
her?> Zanne pushed her nose to the edge of the precipice and peered
down into the dimly lit hole.
Flerrion moved forward to nuzzle the distraught smaller dragon and
offered some assurances that the humans seemed to have things under
control.
"I've got the worst of his wounds bandaged. I'm going to try and come
up..." Roxie called from the depths. She pulled Alden over closer to
where the rope ended. But the rope didn't come close to touching the
ground, and she couldn't lift Alden and try to grasp the rope at the
same time. What could she do?
<Flerrion! She can't hold onto the rope and bring up that boy! You
have to help her!> Zanne whimpered.
Flerrion looked down into the hole. It didn't look that deep, but it
was too narrow for a dragon his size to fit down. Perhaps his tail
might reach? He turned around and slowly lowered his tail into the
hole, while telling Zanne, <Ask your rider if she can get a hold of my
tail? Perhaps she can hold on to that?>
Roxie shook her head in frustration, though no one would see her. <No,
tell Flerrion it's about a half a dragon's tail too far away!>
<Half a dragon's tail?> Zanne turned to Flerrion, <Can you hold onto
my
back legs and maybe if I go down into the hole I can pull my rider and
that boy out? Please??>
Flerrion wasn't exactly sure it would work, <Maybe if the other
dragons
hold onto me, and I hold onto you... Well, we just have to try it,
don't
we? After all... there are riders down there, at least, well, one of
them is a rider, your rider, and the other a potential rider and...
they
need rescuing and I am a hero, after all and that's what heroes do....>
<Yes! Let's try it!> Zanne exclaimed, enthusiastically and sent the
mental image to the other dragons.
Zanne reached over the edge, wrapping her tail around the crimson
dragon, and Flerrion grabbed her back legs. Then Chamelle took one
side, Ishtar the other, and S'laze the tail end of Flerrion and they
lowered Zanne into the hole.
Jacks, unable to help, looked down into the hole and watched the
progress from the other side.
<I'm coming my rider!> Zanne called out, unnecessarily as her head and
shoulders appeared above the woman.
Roxie realizing what the dragons were about to do called to her
bondmate: <Zanne! Don't! I think something is down here!> She
imagined Zanne plummeting into the hole, cru****ng her and Alden to a
pulp, or... getting stuck as the hole narrowed and being there at the
mercy of whatever lurked in the shadows of this cavern.
<My rider thinks there might be something down there! Everyone be
quiet!
If it's a wyvern, we don't want to draw any attention to ourselves!>
Zanne's claws tried to find purchase on the rock wall, as Flerrion
lowered her down, a bit faster than she had anticipated, <Flerrion,
slow
down!>
The dragons tried to hold onto Flerrion, as he slid forward, his back
claws scrabbling for footing. Chamelle and Ishtar were having
difficulty finding something of Flerrion's to hold onto, and S'laze was
grasping his tail, but was sliding forward herself.
Chamelle suddenly lost her grip, and as Roxie had feared, Zanne came
slipping down into the hole, rather too quickly.
<Slow down! Stop!! STOPPPP!> But it was just a little too late, and
Zanne's muzzle buried itself in the pile of dung, only moments after
Roxie managed to hurl herself and Alden out of the way.
<Have you stopped?> Flerrion asked, solicitously.
<Yeah,> Zanne grumbled, as she pushed up with her front legs and shook
her head, sending the foul smelling stuff flying.
Roxie, cried out, and covered her head, as the stuff splattered on the
wall above her, her cry drawing the attention of the owner of the pile.
<There you are my rider!> Zanne swung her muzzle toward Roxie. <I can
take you back up now...> She reached out with one of her front claws
and took Roxie up in it.
<But what about Alden?> Roxie looked back at the young man, <He's the
reason I'm down here!>
Zanne, balancing on one claw to keep her muzzle from going back into
the
muck, couldn't quite figure out how to reach the injured searchling.
<Flerrion, you need to raise me up, just a little bit.>
Flerrion tried to back up, but his claws only scraped on the hard rocky
surface. <Umm... a little help here?>
The other dragons obliged and pulled.
<NO! Too fast!> Zanne swung free from the ground and bounced against
the cave wall, just managing to ****eld her rider from hitting. <Darn,
I
can't reach Alden. Lower me down again, but only a little bit!>
Slowly, the other dragons lowered Zanne. This time she did stop a few
feet above the dung pile and was able to snag Alden in her other claw.
As soon as she had him, the other dragons began to back up again.
They had gotten about half-way up, when S'laze's grip on Flerrion's
tail
slipped. Feeling himself beginning to slide forward, Flerrion attempted
to grab onto something and s****d his tail around Chamelle. Chamelle,
startled by the tail's whipping around her, momentarily lost her grip
as
well, and for a heart-stopping moment, before S'laze and Chamelle
regained their hold, Roxie screamed, as Zanne dropped back down several
feet.
The creature in the dark, hearing a second scream, crept back along the
tunnel, sniffing the air. It smelled fresh meat -- and dragons!
<Stop! I hear something!> Zanne fearfully called out to the dragons
above.
Everyone paused to listen. There was definitely something moving down
one of the tunnels. Zanne could sense something malevolent as well.
The light from Alton's torch flickered and bobbed as the boy began to
tremble. He, too, felt the evil presence, as did Weya, who gently put
her arm around his shoulders and murmured, "Courage! The dragons will
get your brother up!"
<It's a wyvern! I just know it is! Hurry! Get us out of here!> Zanne
called as she dangled head down in the hole.
Unable to help pull Zanne out, Jacks looked down into the hole, keeping
a look out for the wyvern. <Hurry! I don't like the smell of this!>
<You don't like the smell?!> Zanne snorted, indignantly, <Well, how
would you have liked having your nose in a pile of...>
<No, I mean, I don't like the looks of things from this end,> Jacks
amended.
<Well, I never! I always thought my tail end was rather good looking!>
Zanne pouted.
<That's not what... Oh, never mind. Flerrion, just hurry! I can hear
it coming!> Jacks called.
<Yes, yes, we're going as fast as we can. Don't want to drop them, you
know.> Flerrion replied, good naturedly.
Zanne could feel the top of the ledge, as her tail slip up over it,
then
her back feet were touching. <Yes! Almost there, my rider! Almost
there!>
Roxie felt nauseated and light headed, as they swung above the pit. Her
senses were overwhelmed by the fear that was being projected at them by
the wyvern below. <Hurry!>
Jacks could see something coming. It was a darker shadow among the
shadows below, evil emanating from its being. The eyes were ****ny
pools
of hatred, glaring up at him. Hatred that Jacks reflected back at the
wyvern below. Jacks's growl started deep within him, a rumble that you
could feel as well as hear.
The wyvern saw the small female dragon and tiny humans in the
precarious
position and it readied for an attack, its acidic saliva dripping from
its mouth, to make inky, poisonous pools on the rocks at its feet. It
only needed to be a tiny bit closer to spit that foul liquid on its
victims.
Jacks roared out a warning, deafening the poor humans and dragons.
Flerrion, however, found new strength as he realized the danger, and
pulled with all of his might, popping Zanne over the edge just as Jacks
sent out a stream of fire aimed down at the attacking wyvern.
With a scream, the wyvern ducked back down the tunnel, but not after
the
dragon's flame had scorched it.
The flame had also lit the pools of liquid below and, illuminated by
the
dancing firelight, bones of various animals -- and humans -- could be
seen scattered about the floor of the wyvern's lair. Alton and Weya,
only got the briefest of glances, however, as the heat of Jacks' flame
drove them back from the edge of the precipice.
Zanne was stretched out on her belly, still clutching her rider and
Alden in her foreclaws. She opened first the one claw, releasing
Roxie,
and then gently opened the other to lay Alden down on the rocks beside
Weya and Alton.
[TAG: Katie! Are they safe yet? Or is there another way for the
wyvern
to come after them?]
----
Summary:
Day 107
Morning
Roxie climbs down into the pit to try to rescue Alden. Unable to climb
back out with the injured boy, her dragon, Zanne comes to her aid.
Soliciting Flerrion, Chamelle, Ishtar and S'laze to help, Zanne is
lowered into the hole in an attempt to reach her rider and Alden.
After
a few frightening events, they manage to pull Zanne and the two humans
out of the hole, while Jacks flames the attacking wyvern.
Respectfully submitted by:
Arlene Jacobs
AKA
Roxie and Zanne
with thanks to John Pepper for his help in coming up with workable, and
funny scenarios.
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:29:02 +0100
From: "Carina Norris" <crinklywhiskers_99@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-N] Chaos and the fear of flames
Day 9, early morning
Jeneve treasured the quiet of these early mornings. Especially on
mornings after a good party, only those that absolutely had to be were
up and about, and Jeneve could sit quietly and think.
And she had plenty to think about. Cupping a steaming mug of coffee in
her hands, her mind went back to the previous day's events. With the
eggs hatched and the dragons newly bonded, Malani had calmed slightly.
Her pride in her babies had blunted her grief at the loss of their
clutch-mates, though Jeneve could still feel the underlying sadness in
every thought she recieved from the golden queen. But, so proud was
Malani of her little ones, she even attempted to 'protect' them from
their newly-joined riders whenever they came near.
*They *do* love you* Jeneve had had to reassure her, when her bond-mate
wailed that her babies were leaving her. *They just love their riders
as well, in a different way.*
The dragon seemed unconvinced, but anything was better than the
slightly unhinged reptile that had become scarily familiar to Jeneve
over the past weeks.
The furore with Justin in the hatching cavern also weighed on the
warrenlady's mind. To have Justin behind bars was no bad thing -
hopefully his wife and Sara would be allowed to blossom with him
removed from the picture. But the previous day's events reminded her
again of Malani's delicate mental state. Would she really have killed
Justin? Jeneve believed so.
Suddenly, from her basket on Jeneve's desk, Risky arched her back and
hissed, looking warily around the room.
Putting down her coffee, the warrenlady reached over to the tiny cat.
"What's up, little one?" she asked. "Spitting at fairies? That's not
like you."
Reluctantly, the cat settled down under her mistresses' stroking, but
her fur still bristled with tension.
Then the ground lurched. The dragon lily Dargis had given Jeneve
crashed from its place on the windowsill, and Risky and her basket flew
in opposite directions as the little cat scooted out the door. Pens,
pencils and paperwork - and the cup of coffee - skittered across the
table. Frantically, Jeneve reached out to grab what she could - Risky,
the coffee, the pens... Risky was gone in an instant, the pens
scattered, but miraculously the coffee didn't spill.
'Strange, that...' thought Jeneve, though her mind was too occupied to
realise that *she* had been behind the saving of the mug.
She grabbed the edge of the desk to keep her footing, but as soon as it
had begun, the tremor was over.
She walked over to the smashed flowerpot by the window.
"Oh dear," she whispered, scooping up a handful of earth. The pot was
smashed, but the lily could be saved, she thought.
But there were more im****tant things to be done. The chaos in her
office was minor, but other warrenfolk might not have gotten off so
lightly. People would be frightened.
And the kitchens! Horrifying images of upturned cooking pots and
smashed ovens filled her vision. Flames everywhere, the pictures
swirling together with her memories of the fiery death of her baby
sister.
*No fires!* she prayed, silently.
Bravely, her lips set into a thin, trembling line, she set off towards
the kitchens.
Respectfully submitted
Carina
for
Jeneve
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