There are 4 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [DL-N] A little black spitfire
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. [DL-C] Two Swords Crossing
From: "Barbara Matthews" <carolyn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
3. [DL-C] Lunch With Fahteh (JP)
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
4. [DL-C] Wurm Considerations
From: "Simon Gale" <s.gale@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 08:39:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-N] A little black spitfire
Day 9, Early morning, hatching cavern
Sure now that Lily was okay, Mallory finally heard the surrounding
commotion and looked up just as the giant gold dragon bore down on her
and Lily. Her instincts screamed danger, told her to run from the
angry mother dragon, but she couldn't leave Lily.
*Moma! Stop it!* Lily twisted out of Mallory's arms to turn and face
the distraught queen. Too late. Malani pulled her claws into a balled
fist and knocked down the human who'd taken her baby from her.
Mallory flew backwards and landed hard on her back on the firm ground
near the cavern entrance. Her head smacked the packed dirt with a
flash of white pain, and she clenched her teeth against the dull throb
that started immediately. She propped herself up on her elbows,
knowing she had to get up, had to protect Lily.
Lily was being herded back to the other hatchlings across the cave by
the big gold dragon. Mallory sat up, forced herself to her feet.
[Mallory! Mallory! Are you hurt?] Lily cried in her mind, and she
could see the tiny black try to scramble over her mother's foreclaws
and dodge around the golden queen's body. Malani swung her tail around
to block the black's path and just kept ****ging her forward towards the
others.
Lily dug her claws into the sands and flared her tiny wings. [Moma,
NO!!!] She stopped, twisted around, and looked up at the big beautiful
face. [Moma, you hurt my Mallory. I have to make sure she is okay.
Let me go. LET ME GO!] Irridescent blues and greens and purples
flashed along the little black scales as the baby dragon flared
aggressively, puffing her chest up, ready to take on her mother if it
she had to. Nothing was going to keep her from Mallory. Nothing and
no one.
<Tag Carina>
Respectfully submitted by,
Mallory and Lily
aka Bianca Payne
Summary
Early Morning, Day 9, post quake
Malani rushes to save her baby and knocks down Mallory, then tries to
herd Lily back to the others. Lily turns and flares, demanding her
mother let her go check on Mallory.
---------------------------------
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[This message contained attachments]
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 20:19:04 +0600
From: "Barbara Matthews" <carolyn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-C] Two Swords Crossing
Lenna-Reain
"I swear her birth mark looks more like two swords crossing every time
I see
it," Lenna, rider of the purple dragon, Blanchie, commented out loud as
she
watched the little daughter of Reain trying to craw across her bathing
mat.
"It's a sure sign that she will grow up to be a true warrior. She will
bring
honor to your home."
Reain, who had been disposing of the muddy jumper her daughter had been
wearing
before said bath, gave a slow sad smile as she reentered the room with
a clean
set of clothes for the baby. "Daughter will be what daughter will be.
She free
to chose. Living in Warren make her free," the younger woman's voice
was soft
but firm as she spoke from her heart. "She will need to learn skills of
Warrior
since father is like...," She stopped to use one of Lenna's favorite
insults
when talking about the Tall Nomad who had broken Reain's heart. "...
Honorless
Toad with no tail who wallow in mud."
She still felt the pain and burn of the rejection every time Andahar's
last
words crossed her mind. How could he believe that she would share her
sleep
mat with anyone but him! When had she ever shown an interest in any
other male
besides him. She didn't want to believe that he could really be so
cruel to
her and thought he'd come around to admit that the baby she had carried
was
his...But it never happened. In fact he'd been flaunting that... woman
around
the warren and always seemed to be where she was near. Yes Andahar
could be
very cruel.
"Don't think about it Reain," Lenna said softly. She could always tell
when
the events of the day Andahar walked all over the young nomad woman's
heart
crossed her mind. The day Reain had taken Andahar's family sword and
had gone
off to kill herself because the man had stripped her bare of everything
she
had held dear and left her heart shattered on the ground.
The stupid man would listen to no one when they told him how wrong he
had been
to treat Reain that way. But he wouldn't listen. Mr. *I'm so above
everyone
else* had ignored Reain from that day on and didn't even want to hear
about
his daughter when she had finally been born.
Lenna had been with Reain that day. She had even been allowed in the
delivery
room with her when her time came around. Knowing something about
healing dragons,
the human healer had allowed her to witness the birth. Not that he
could have
stopped her from being there if he had tried... She was just glad it
hadn't
come to that.
"It is not that which I think of," the younger nomad woman admitted.
"Maybe
some, but is worry I feel if Andahar comes to believe Kenziah is his
daughter."
Lenna gave a short snort. "Do not worry little sister. He will have me
to deal
with if he ever tries to take your daughter from you. I would make his
life
miserable if he ever tried anything like that."
Reain finally smiled. A small smile, but Lenna felt better seeing it.
"Now you try and get some sleep while your daughter allows you to," she
said
and motioned to the baby fast asleep on the mat. "I'm going to go get
myself
something to eat and then go get my son. If you need me I'm only a
dragon call
away."
....
Lenna / Trevor - mid-day
Trevor sat down with some food while he waited for the meal that
Cynthia had
wanted. The warrenlady was tired of "med-center food" and had
requested something
from the dining hall, and of course Trevor had agreed to bring it.
"So how's it going papa?" Lenna teased as she swung down on to the
bench next
to Trevor and set her lunch tray down before her.
Trevor started at hearing that word. "It still feels strange being
called that,"
he said, shaking his head. "I'm still adjusting."
"What's to adjust to?" Lenna asked with a smirk. "For the last five
years you've
had a dragon following you around who thinks she's your teenage
daughter..."
"Yeah, I know," he admitted. "But at least in her case, I don't need
to worry
about changing diapers." He looked distinctly worried at the prospect
of having
to do that. "But it's going well, I brought my grandmother from
Keldarra -
she's with my mother now, I'm sure they're reminiscing about old times
- and
I just came from seeing Cynthia and the babies. Mother said little
K'rald has
my face, but to be truthful I can't see it. To me, babies tend to look
more
like other babies than they do grownups."
"Typical thing for a man to say," Lenna remarked. "And I guess you
can't even
see the resemblance that little Bahb has to..."
"And how would you know?" Trevor teased. "Have you even been over to
see them
yet?"
"No.. I haven't," she gave him a knowing grin. "But you know you can't
keep
secrets around a Warren when a dragon's involved. Word traveled faster
then
a wraith can fly."
She saw him wince. "Oh don't be that way. Is Triss upset about the
babies?"
"No, she's very happy they're here," he said. "She seems to think
she's going
to get to babysit them from time to time, though I'm not sure just how
THAT
would work out. But seriously, I think Cynthia would love to have you
come
over. She loves to have visitors, and S'lomon tries to keep the
numbers to
a minimum. But, if you don't think you could make your way past
S'lomon..."
"I'll just remind him that he needs to keep in my good graces for the
next time
he calls me out to help treat an injured dragon," she quipped. "And
besides..
I'm family. If that doesn't count for anything then I'll just be my own
sweet
self and charm him into letting me in."
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"What?" Lenna's big blue eyes opened wide in mock surprise. "You don't
think
I can be charming."
"Just behave yourself," Trevor warned.
"Trevor... You do me wrong," she grinned as only Lenna could. "I'll be
a perfect
lady around your son. He's sort of like a nephew to me you know, since
my brother
and your mother are mates."
Trevor noticed her grin, and wondered about it.
"Maybe I'll write Dan'yar in Telnor and ask him to make you one of the
papooses
he made for me to carry Rand around in when he was smaller. That way
you can
take him out and about with you."
"Just one?" he tried to joke. "How will Bahb get around."
"I'm sure her *Father* will think of something," Lenna said with a
slight bitterness
in her tone she couldn't keep out. Trevor frowned, but she ignored him.
"But
then again, knowing how he treats his other child, what's to say he
won't ignore
this one too. I'm surprised he's still talking to your mate since she
*DID*
sleep with someone else beside His all Mightiness. Or is that okay
since she
is an Honorable and im****tant person who can do things for him where
Reain can't?"
"What do you mean?" Trevor looked questioningly at Lenna.
"Andahar may deny he's the father of her baby, but I know Reain isn't
the type
to sleep with anyone else." Lenna told him. "And I can't wait until the
day
he finds out the truth about little Kenzie and I hope Reain tells him
where
to stick it and everyone sees him for the self centered pig he really
is!! That
one has no respect at all for women."
Trevor rolled his eyes, and took a bite of his lunch and mumbled
something unintelligible.
<SNIP>
(Saren and Jacin) approached the entrance to the dining hall while they
were
talking and she looked around with interest as they entered. Quickly
getting
something to eat, she hauled Jacin over to a table with her and sat
down. Once
he'd sat down as well, she smiled. "So. Tell me about your most
recent experiments
while I eat."
Jacin smiled slightly in return. She was one of the few people who was
willing
to listen to him talk about the experiments without looking bored or
having
her eyes glaze over. "Alright. But after you eat, you'll need to see
the quartermaster,
Alania, and get yourself a place to stay."
<END SNIP>
"Well, before I do that, I need to find a rider named." Saren reached
into
a pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment and glanced at
the name
written on the front, "Lenna. Do you know her?"
Jacin frowned, "No, but I only just arrived myself, you know."
The woman at the next table suddenly turned around. "Did you just say.
Lenna?"
Saren nodded, "Yes, do you know her?"
"Well, yes. That's me!"
"Oh! Well, this is for you!" Saren handed the woman the letter.
Lenna looked at the name and smiled, "Oh, it's from my mother! So
you're from
Telnor?" She placed it in her breast pocket thinking to read it later
on.
Saren nodded, "Yes, I am. My name is Saren."
"Very nice to meet you. This is Trevor, our resident Map-maker."
Saren smiled and nodded to Trevor in greeting. "Oh, and this is Jacin.
He's
just transferred from Telnor."
[TAG: Josh and Steph]
A server came up with a tray covered with a towel and placed it in
front of
Trevor with a smile. Trevor smiled and thanked the server and turned
to the
others, "I really need to get going. I have to bring this to Cynthia.
Lenna,
do you want to come along?"
"Sure. I want to see the baby," she beamed and turn to bid the two new
comers
good bye before moving into step with Trevor.
They arrived at the healers hall without arguing about Andahar again,
and Lenna
was please to see that the smile on Cynthia's face wasn't just for the
food
her mate had brought her.
"Come to see my little ones?" the warrenlady asked when she saw her old
friend
enter the room behind her mate.
"I couldn't resist," Lenna smiled warmly as she moved around Trevor to
stand
next to the bed where Cynthia laid with the little girl in her arms.
"It'll
give me something to write to mother about when I reply to the letter
she sent
along with the Telnor rider who arrived a bit ago."
Trevor left after making an excuse about having to go check on his
mother and
grandmother and about that time, Cynthia noticed that Bohb's nappy was
wet and
in need of a change.
"Where is the nurse when I need her," Cynthia moaned and Lenna laughed.
"Here.. Let me change her."
"Are you sure? I can call the nurse."
"No.. it's not a bother. It's not like I haven't done this before," the
younger
woman took the baby from her friends arms and moved across the long
room to
where the changing table stood. She laid Bohb down and was barely able
to hold
bad the string of angry words that entered her mind when she saw the
small birthmark
on the outside of the little girls leg.
Two swords crossing. A perfect match to the birthmark she had just seen
on little
Kenziah's leg not an hour ago. If she hadn't been completely sure that
Kenzie
was Andahar's daughter before, she was now. There could be no way in
hell that
two babies born of different fathers would have the same birthmark.
"Lenna?" Cynthia called out when it seemed to be taking Lenna a long
time to
change the nappy. "Is everything okay?"
She had to fight hard not to let her surprise and anger show in her
tone when
she answered. "Almost done... there... but I'm afraid your daughter is
now asleep
and your son is awake. Should I bring him to you and lay her in her
crib?"
"Please," Cynthia gave a small chuckle. "I seems as soon as I finish
feeding
one the other wants something to eat too."
Lenna took one last look at the little girl as she laid her down to
sleep, then
picked up the boy. Composing her face, she walked back and genteelly
handed
Cynthia her son. "Get used to it.. They are hungry all the time."
Her head was spinning with her discovery. What was she going to do.
Should she
tell anyone. Reain would need to know. That way she could prove her
honor was
intact and Andahar was blowing smoke. But would she use the
information?
She didn't really know what to do. If only Dan'yar or her mother were
here so
she could talk it over with one of them. Oh why did they have to decide
to move
back to Telnor now!!
They talked for a while and Lenna ogled over the baby boy, and thought
she had
asked after the girl child, she was slightly relived to hear that the
little
girl was off with one of the nurses.. Or so she thought until she
looked up
and saw the bastard Nomad who how broke Reain's heart enter the room
holding
the baby. The smile left her face and she seethed with anger when she
saw him
lift the baby up and plant a soft gentle kiss on her forehead.
It sicken her to see him treating the child with such love and
tenderness, after
the way he treated Reain and her baby. He hadn't even come to check on
Reain
or ask about the baby once since she had been born. Several times
though, she
had witnessed the look of contempt on his stony face when he'd watch
Reain enter
a room. Both before and after she had given birth to Kenziah. She has
wanted
to wipe that look off his face with her fist.
"Is something wrong Lenna?" Cynthia asked when she notice Lenna had
gone quiet.
Looking up at the girl, Cynthia noticed Lenna had that look in her eyes
that
being a long time friend of the family, she has come to know only to
well.
Her eyes followed the path Lenna's were looking just in time to see
Andahar
enter the door at the far side of the room and pick up his daughter in
his strong
hands.
"Lenna.... Please... Not now," Cynthia said softly, so that her words
only reached
Lenna's ears.
"I'll try to behave but it makes me angry to see that Jack Ass treating
the
baby that way when he won't even acknowledge Kenziah, his daughter with
Reain.
"It's not Bohb's fault you don't like her father so please do take it
out on
her." Her friend almost begged.
"I would never treat an innocent child that way because I have no
respect for
her father," Lenna told her, never taking her eyes off the Nomad, even
as he
handed the baby off to the nurse who's arrived to settle her in. "But
it's not
easy knowing that poor little girl as a bastard for a father." The last
she
said loud enough to be heard by the man walking towards them.
Andahar might have answered her insult with one of his own but Cynthia
spoke
up before he could.
"Stop it Lenna. I will not have *my* children upset! Nor do I want to
hear you
say any more about Andahar. He's been wonderful throughout this whole
thing.
Bohb loves him already. He's very good with her."
"Good for Bohb," Lenna said in a sharp quiet tone. "To bad his other
daughter
will never know *how good he is* since this son of a dung-beetle
decided to
thrown her away alongside her mother when he dumped her when Reain
finally stopped
acting like Andahar's pet little slave."
"Reain Nomad woman, she over stepped place and brought dishonor to the
cave
of Andahar too many times for me to forgive," he finally spoke up for
himself
and his words angered Lenna even more. "I forgave her each time until
she sleep
with other man. That I could not forgive. The dishonor was to great."
Lenna had to fight hard to keep her anger in check. If she had had a
weapon
with her, she might have tried to run him through for the lies he said
of Reain.
"If you only knew you bastard." She thought as she pictured the two
birthmarks
side by side in her mind. "The dishonor was all yours."
"One day Andahar, even you will have to admit that you are the father
of Reain's
baby," Lenna voice was cold now with suppressed emotion. "One day you
will have
to admit that you were wrong and will want to see your daughter, and I
hope
on that day Reain will have the guts to tell you to go striate to hell.
Reain
is worth twenty of you. It is you who have no honor. You who thinks he
some
Great Big Whoop-dee-do and that all women should bow at your feet...
You are
not worthy enough to be that little angel's father."
She got up, turned to apologize to Cynthia, and started for the door.
She had
to get out of there.
"I could almost wish now that Reain *had* slept with another man," was
Lenna's
parting shot. "That way Kenziah would never have to learn what a real
coward
her father really was."
**** Submitted by: *********
Barbara Matthews
Aka: Lenna & Blanchie
Aka: Reain & Sylois
With help from Arleen Jacobs (as Andahar in some parts)
And from John Pepper (as Trevor & Trissana)
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 00:29:57 -0400
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-C] Lunch With Fahteh (JP)
Day 3
Afternoon
After talking with the other wingleaders about the discovery that
Param's icy breath caused the Nadusi to withdraw, Andahar returned to
Alania's office and insisted that Alania accompany him for a late
lunch.
She had claimed to be too busy, but he had convinced her to take a
break. Andahar put his arm around Alania's shoulder as they left the
quartermaster's office.
They walked towards the dining hall, and Andahar heard a small,
familiar
voice behind them say in the Nomad tongue:
"Madeh! Look there is Fahteh, can I go see him?"
Reain shook her head, "No, we are going to the dining hall. You can..."
Andahar stopped and turned around to glare at Reain, and interrupted
her. "Jasi, you can come to me."
"May I, Mateh?" Jasi looked up at her mother.
Reain, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice, looked at her older
daughter and said, "Jasi you must first eat lunch, then you can go
with... him."
Andahar's arm tightened around Alania, "We are going to eat lunch.
Jasi,
you
can come eat with us."
Reain looked directly at Andahar, her younger baby cradled in her arm.
"Jasa
benna will eat with me! She may see you when she is finished!" Putting
her
hand on Jasi's back, she guided the girl around Andahar and Alania and
into
the dining hall, leaving Andahar seething.
"What was that all about?" Alania asked.
Andahar muttered, "Honorless woman! Now teaches benna to dishonor me."
.......
Jasi looked back at her Fahteh as her madeh led her inside. She could
see he
was upset and worried that he was mad at her.
She had heard the rumors from a boy in her class about her Fahteh's new
baby daughter and worried that he would no longer love her now that he
had a *real* daughter of his own. Bonasur, had told her it had happen
to
him. His madeh had become mates with a new dragonrider and his old
fahteh never came around to see him and never spent any time doing
things with him like he used to.
Jasi told him her fahteh loved her and would always do things with her.
He wouldn't stop just because he had a new baby. But after seeing the
look on Fahteh's face when they entered the dining hall... Jasi wasn't
so sure. Could Bonasur be right?
She was quiet as Reain led her through the lunch line and took her own
tray
when her madeh handed it to her and then followed her to a table and
placed
it before her as she sat down.
Madeh was quiet too and didn't smile except when she moved Kenziah to
her other shoulder. After they sat down Jasi saw her madeh looking at
something across the room and her eyes looked sad. They looked sad a
lot
of the time since Fahteh moved out of their home. Did he move out
because she herself had done something? Maybe she wasn't a good
daughter
to him.
"Madeh..." Jasi started to ask her mother about it but Reain cut her
off
with a short replay.
"Not now Jasi.. eat your lunch."
Madeh never spoke to her like that, and Jasi felt like crying. Maybe
now
that Madeh had a new baby of her own... maybe she didn't want Jasi...
but then she felt her madeh's hand on her arm and looked up to see her
madeh smiling at her in their own special way.
"Benna Jasi, alah je. (forgive me my daughter) I did not mean to speak
to you in that way," Reain said in a soft musical voice that calmed her
daughter's fears... Almost.
"Madeh... is Fahteh upset with me?" she dared to ask, as she snuck a
look over at the table where her fahteh was sitting with that woman.
"No my flower. Why do you ask that?" Suddenly Reain could see the hurt
in her daughter's eyes and wondered if her actions had caused that look
to be there.
"Bonasur said that Fahteh will not love Jasi no more," the young girl
told
her in a voice just above a whisper. "He say now that Fahteh has Real
daughter, he will no longer lover Jasi and do things with her. Is it
true madeh?"
Reain was horrified. And very angry with this Bonasur, as well as
herself.
While she herself had been deeply hurt by ... him... Jasi should not be
made to suffer. Reain needed to curb her own feelings and remember that
Andahar had always been good to Jasi. She hadn't been their problem.
Andahar's stubborn pigheaded pride was. No, Reain would not make her
daughter suffer for it. She would NOT use her daughter to get back at
Andahar even if ever fiber inside of her cried out to do so.
She swallowed her anger at the man for her daughter's sake.
"Jasi.." Reain reached out to cup her daughter's chin so that she was
looking at her. "Jasi.. Andahar was... 'Upset' with me for a reason you
are too young to understand right now. But never with you jasa-benna.
He
loved you with all his heart and prides you above all his horses. I was
wrong to let my own hurt cause you to feel that he did not love you. He
loves you very much."
"But he was upset when we entered here," the little girl told her.
"He was upset yes," Reain nodded her head. "But he was upset with madeh
because I wanted you to eat with me and he wanted you to eat with him.
"
"Why can't we eat together like we used to?" Jasi wanted to know.
"Because Andahar.. " She was about to call him a *bad* word.. but
stopped herself just in time. "We both love you even if we do not speak
to each other... But it is not because of you.. Why don't you take your
tray over to where your Fahteh is. I am sure it will make you both
happy."
Jasi's face brighten. "Oh can I really?"
Reain forced herself to smile. "Yes, really you may. Kenziah and I will
miss
your company, but we'll get by."
Jasi leaned over and kissed her madeh on the cheek then picked up her
tray and started towards her Fahteh's table.
Reain watched her until she arrived at the other table saw Andahar turn
to look down at the girl, then saw his lips smiling with a joy that
stung her heart as she remembered a time when he had once smiled at her
that way. She watched a second longer and saw Andahar raise his head
and
look in her direction.
His expression was slightly different than it had been earlier when
regarding her. He nodded once at Reain in acknowledgement, she
believed
of her "gift", though he was in truth, only recognizing that she had
given in to his demand.
She turned back to her own meal then and settled in to wait for her
daughter
to come back after their meal.
Reain was getting upset. Jasi should have been back some time ago, but
Andahar was playing one of his stupid games with by making their lunch
longer then it needed to be. She needed to get Kenziah back for her nap
and she was getting very tired herself. She knew she wouldn't be able
to
sleep for long because Jasi would be there and want some of her
attention. The nap would have to wait.
Then she felt a small hand touch her arm and looked down to see her
daughter
standing there. The young girl's face was lit up in a beautiful smile.
"Mateh, Fahteh has asked if I may go with him to meet my new little
sister.
May I please? Fahteh say I must ask you first."
Reain could tell the girl was excited and didn't want to ruin her joy.
Even
if it cut deep within her own heart. How could Andahar be so cruel.
Reain smiled down at Jasi and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, you
may, but please ask Fahteh to have Bohoc tell Sylois when you are ready
to come home."
She watched with some misgivings as her daughter almost skipped in
excitement to get back to her father's table. A weird feeling past over
her as if.. something was going to happen. But she knew Andahar would
protect Jasi with his life. Maybe it was just because she was tired.
Maybe a nap was just what she was in need of.
Gathering Kenziah, she got up and walked out of the dining hall to
where
Sylois was waiting.
<If you are ready my love, could you please take us home?>
<<We are to wait here for a few minutes my rider>> Sylois told her.
<<Blanchie's rider is sending a *sitter* to come home with us to help
watch out hatchling so you can get some sleep. She will come check on
us
later.>>
And so Reain went home and got her nap...
That is until Sylois woke her up with some upsetting news...
---
Andahar/Jasi
"Fahteh what is name of my new sister?" Jasi asked as she skipped along
beside her father.
"Her name is Bahb. It is honorable nomad name." Andahar answered the
little girl.
"What is Bahb like? Will she like me, do you think? And can I hold
her!!
Jasi will be careful! Jasi is very careful when she holds Kenziah." The
little girl asked question after question in her excitement.
Andahar felt his teeth clench at the mention of Kenziah, Reain's other
daughter. It still ached that Reain would be as honorless as Saleh and
try to pass off another man's baby as his. He could see the confusion
on
poor Jasi's face. "If Bahb's mother says it is all right, then you
may."
Jasi reached up to put her hand in his. She was so excited. Two new
babies now. She was going to be a good big sister. Her Fahteh would be
so proud of her.
She didn't think they were ever going to get to the healers hall where
her baby sister was, but finally they did. Her Fahteh took her over to
a
chair and told her to have a seat.
Andahar slipped into Cynthia's room, and noticing that Lenna was there
next
to Cynthia, he went to the cradle where Bahb was sleeping. He gently
lifted
the baby into his arms and kissed her on the forehead. He held her
close, marveling at how small, but perfect, she was.
A nurse came in and clicked her tongue in disapproval, while she took
the baby from Andahar's arms and put her back in the cradle.
[SNIP]
"But it's not easy knowing that poor little girl has a bastard for a
father." The last she said loud enough to be heard by the man walking
towards them.
Andahar might have answered her insult with one of his own but Cynthia
spoke
up before he could.
"Stop it Lenna. I will not have *my* children upset! Nor do I want to
hear you say any more about Andahar. He's been wonderful throughout
this
whole thing. Bahb loves him already. He's very good with her."
"Good for Bahb," Lenna said in a sharp quiet tone. "To bad his other
daughter will never know *how good he is* since this son of a
dung-beetle decided to thrown her away alongside her mother when he
dumped her when Reain finally stopped acting like Andahar's pet little
slave."
"Reain is Nomad woman, she over stepped place and brought dishonor to
the cave of Andahar too many times for me to forgive," he finally spoke
up for himself and his words angered Lenna even more. "I forgave her
each time until she sleep with other man. That I could not forgive. The
dishonor was to great."
"One day Andahar, even you will have to admit that you are the father
of
Reain's baby," Lenna voice was cold now with suppressed emotion. "One
day you will have to admit that you were wrong and will want to see
your
daughter, and I hope on that day Reain will have the guts to tell you
to
go straight to hell. Reain is worth twenty of you. It is you who have
no
honor. You who thinks he some Great Big Whoop-dee-do and that all women
should bow at your feet... You are not worthy enough to be that little
angel's father."
She got up, turned to apologize to Cynthia, and started for the door.
She had to get out of there.
[END SNIP]
Andahar seethed as he watched Lenna leave, but he knew that she was
only
a dragonrider and didn't really understand honor, or how Reain had hurt
him. With thoughts of Reain he recalled little Jasi waiting just
outside. He inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly, letting his anger at
Lenna and Reain go. No point in upsetting Cynthia.
"Cynthia, I have brought Jaliase to meet her sister. May she come in?"
Cynthia's eyes examined Andahar for a moment, as if trying to determine
his
feelings. He was so hard to read sometimes. But when he mentioned
bringing
Jasi, she smiled, "Of course!"
She waited being as good as she could while Fahteh entered the door to
the other room and was relived when he came back and motioned for her
to
follow him back inside. She saw the Warrenlady in the room and bent
deep
from the waist like she had been taught to show the woman respect. Then
when she felt her fahteh's hand on her shoulder she looked up and
followed him over to the crib where her sister laid.
"She's so beautiful," Jasi said softly. "So tiny. Like Kenziah was when
she
born."
"She is nothing like Kenziah," Andahar muttered, and thought, Bahb was
his
own daughter, his own blood.
"Oh but she is fahteh," Jasi insisted. "Look... is the very same mark
Kenziah has on her leg. They are almost like twins. Both have mark
Auntie Lenna say mean mark of Warrior. Bahb and Kenziah have same
mark."
Andahar's heart stopped cold. His finger reached out and traced the
small mark on the baby's thigh. His other hand absentmindedly traced
the same birthmark on his own. "Both have same mark?"
"Yes, Fahteh," Jasi nodded her head. "Both have same mark. Both will be
great warriors!!"
"It is mark of blessing of Anavasha," Andahar murmured softly, "Most of
family have same mark." Could it be that Kenziah was his daughter?
Reain had not lied to him! The gods would certainly curse him for his
dishonor toward her. "Come, Jasi, time to take you home."
Jasi nodded, her face still aglow at being allowed to visit with her
new
baby sister. She smiled shyly at Cynthia, when Andahar went to say
farewell to the warrenlady.
Bohoc was waiting for them as they left the medical center. He had
bespoken Sylois to inform her rider that Andahar was returning Jasi.
Jasi loved the green dragon and hugged his snout before her Fahteh
helped her up onto his back. The ride to Reain's apartment was over
much too quick for Jasi, who enjoyed the few moments she shared with
Andahar, held tight in his strong arms.
Sylois was not on the ledge when they arrived, and a strange nomad
woman
was waiting. She bowed to Andahar and said, "I am... babysitter...
Reain is not here. Andahar is to leave Jasi with me."
Andahar frowned, "I want to see Kenziah."
Jasi's eyes lit up, "I will show you!" She took Andahar's hand and
pulled him inside to where the baby was playing on a mat on the floor.
"Look! Same mark, just as I said!"
Andahar kneeled down and stared at the little girl. She had the mark,
and more, she had his eyes. Anyone looking at her would have known...
as would he have, if he'd taken the time to look! He felt a deep shame
flow over him. "She is... beautiful."
<Bohoc! Where is Sylois? Where is her rider? I must find them.>
---
TAG: Barb
---
Summary:
Day 3
Afternoon
Andahar and Alania go to lunch, where they run into Reain and her
daughters. Reain allows Jasi to have lunch with Andahar, after which
Andahar takes the little girl to meet her new baby sister, Bahb.
Andahar gets an earful from Lenna who is visiting Cynthia before
bringing Jasi in to meet Bahb. Jasi notices that Bahb has the same
birthmark as her other little sister, Kenziah. Andahar takes Jasi home
and sees Kenziah, and agrees she has the mark of Anavasha, and she even
has his eyes. He goes in search of Reain who is not at home.
--
Respectfully submitted by:
Arlene Jacobs
AKA
Andahar, rider of Bohoc
And
Barbara Matthews
AKA
Reain, rider of Sylois
Lenna, rider of Blanchie
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:44:24 +1000
From: "Simon Gale" <s.gale@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-C] Wurm Considerations
Day 3
Evening
The wurm was angry. Rage seethed inside its belly for the first time in
many long centuries. Today it had been bested by one of the puny
offspring of its own race's most cowardly of lines. The descendants of
these long-forgotten wurms, these 'dragons' as they now called
themselves, had deformed and mutated greatly since those ancient days.
Or at least enough that their abilities had surprised the wurm, enough
to cause it to retreat to *****s what it was now up against.
These dragons had advanced greatly since the wurm's own time, when they
had been weak-winged variants of its own eclectically skilled and
formed race. They could fly proficiently now, their flame-breath was
common amongst their species instead of an isolated instance and their
telepathic abilities had increased tenfold. And at least one of them
was able to breath ice. That had been the biggest surprise. Flame and
acid breath had often been seen amongst its long-departed family, but
ice breath was a new development. And cold was not something the wurm
enjoyed. It preferred the hot, arid regions and the deep, volcanic
caverns for its haunts. Heat and plentitudes of it was this wurm's
liking, not the cold of winter.
It ****fted angrily at the thought of the cold, its scales rasping
together as its coiled lengths moved against each other. At the moment
the wurm was in a massive cavern, deep within the earth. A wide and
dark lake lay at the lower end of this cavern, its entire surface
boiling as superheated water rose from a deep volcanic connection even
further below the earth. It was warm, it was dark and it was peaceful.
And so it was the wurm's current dwelling.
Settling into stillness again the great beast resumed its deliberate
thoughts. It had not survived its entire race and thousands of years
through simple dumb luck. The intelligence that flickered behind the
glassy black eyes was a great one indeed, cunning and brutally
efficient. In the beginning, when the wurm had been young and
inexperienced, this cunning had been the only thing that kept it alive
amongst its cannibalistic brothers and sisters. Later in its adult
years, when the wurm realised that its preferred food source was
declining in population faster than it grew, it had applied its
intelligence and cunning to the control of the major factor affecting
this troubling statistic...notably, the extermination of all other
alpha predators that considered humans food. Notably...the other
members of its own race. The fact that it was alive today and its race
extinct stood testament to the extent of this cunning.
The impressive pro****tions and abilities of the wurm itself also stood
as notches on the measuring stick of its mind. Its race had a unique
ability to 'absorb' the qualities and abilities of one of their own
kind, simply by eating the wurm whose abilities they wanted to absorb.
This was the reason a hatching was such a vicious event, for as each
hatchling came out if its egg, it knew these things and it knew that it
had to eat of its fellow offspring or be eaten for its own abilities.
This wurm had come out of its egg and instantly sunk its teeth into the
nearest sibling. The poisoned fangs that were its own primary ability
pumped venom into the unfortunate sister and in mere minutes, she was
dead. And swallowed whole in less time than that. From then the wurm
had stalked through the hatching caves, hunting down its siblings until
it was the only one left.
In the later years when the time came for it to hunt down the others of
its race, it had used the ever-increasing, stolen abilities of those it
killed and ate to kill and eat more and more of its own kind. The final
result was the supreme convergence of abilities and attributes in this
magnificent creature that now was the only living remnant of that
species. It had skin that could not be pierced by any steel, rock or
fang and that shed extremes of heat like wax in water. It had big,
black, glossy eyes that read the landscape as an intricately detailed
tapestry of heat and cold. It also had a triple-forked tongue that
could taste the air and smell things far beyond its range of vision.
Its mouth was ringed with sharp teeth and crowned by two fangs, each
fang three feet long at full extension and as thick as a man's calf at
the root. These were set within a broad head, wide at the mouth and
with the eyes set halfway back, behind the mouth. It had a highly
complex poison system, that it could spray out as a gas-like mist or
inject directly with its sabre-like fangs. Its internal organs could
mix and formulate this poison for specific purposes and specific
species at will, although this did take some time. The wurm was also
capable of holding its breath for extended periods of time, able to
shut its body down in a hibernative state and able to control its
bodily needs as needed. Along with its poison mist, it could also
breath superheated gases. It was extremely quick and its reactions were
razor sharp. And it was massive. By far the biggest wurm creation had
ever seen, it was around 30 feet at its widest. Length-wise, it was
over 2000 feet long. And behind this nigh invincible body lurked the
great mind that had orchestrated the extinction bar-one of the greatest
predators this world had ever known.
This brutal intelligence was now applied to the problem of the dragons
and those of their number with icy breath. Cold would have no lasting
effects on the wurm other than to slow it down a little, but it was
uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable. The thing that occupied the
wurm's thoughts the most though, was the large numbers of dragons out
there in the world. In the time it had spent on the surface, it had
seen many of their kind. The wurm had also slipped in upon dragonkind's
telepathic abilities, due to their relatively noisy communications. Its
own telepathic abilities were considerably more refined than these
dragons, due mostly to the many long years of experience it had had.
Through consequent careful eavesdropping, the wurm had discerned that
there were several large encampments of dragons scattered throughout
the world these days. It had also discerned that there was some kind of
special relation****p between these dragons and humans. It didn't really
care about this, but it was an interesting fact to stow away in its
massive memory to be of potential use one day. This wurm had learnt
many times in the past that the smallest piece of information can often
be the most crucial.
It lay in complete stillness, a massive black mass coiled on the rocky
ground, its great mind working over these problems. Nothing had yet
defeated this wurm...and it didn't plan on changed that statistic. Time
was something it had plenty of. There was no need to rush anything and
it would spend as much time as it needed planning its cunning plans.
When next it met with the dragons and their human companions, there
would be an altogether different outcome than from their last
meeting...
* * *
Summary:
Nadusi retreats to its cavern where it ponders icy new developments and
its smaller cousins. A little of its history is revealed.
Submitted by:
Simon Gale
(Memnon and Rage)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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