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1. [DL-J] Questions and MORE Questions (JP)
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 23:27:09 -0500
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Questions and MORE Questions (JP)
Day 2
Afternoon
Shomashi looked around him, bewildered by the double perspective on
life. His new friend bumped up against his leg, still delighted that
Shomashi had not died in the fall from the larger dragon who had been
carrying him, but then Kataani were a lot stronger than they appeared,
and a fall into water was a welcome release not a death sentence as it
would have been to a mere human.
The humans seemed to want him to go with them, but Shomashi wasn't sure
what was expected of him.
"So am I your prisoner now?" Shomashi asked softly of the young
dragonrider.
Ansel knew a few words of the Kataani's language, and so was able to
understand at least the basic concept of what he was trying to ask.
"No,
not prisoner," he said in haltingly in the other's language. "One of
us
now. Part of this place."
Shomashi looked around the warren. He had spent all of his life under
the ocean, and all of this... air... was disconcerting. There was
nothing pushing back when you moved, and you certainly couldn't just
push off and glide to where you wanted to go, you had to walk!
Ansel motioned for Shomashi to follow him. "Come on, let's go over to
the med center with them. We need to have them check you over for any
injuries." He had Khamorray say the same to the hatchling...between
them, he was sure the soldier would understand. He probably wouldn't
like it, but they'd take it one step at a time.
Shomashi understood and nodded. He knew the rules. If you'd been
injured you needed to be cleared before they put you back to work. He
wondered briefly what type of work they'd set him to since he was
obviously stuck here. His own wouldn't take him back with... he looked
suddenly around stopping in his tracks. "Sazerac!?" The small
seadragon was no longer bumping along at his heels.
He grabbed Ansel's arm, "Sazerac!"
Ansel knew he had to be talking about the hatchling, and a moment later
Khamorray confirmed the name. "He must be around here somewhere," he
told Shomashi. If nothing else, he couldn't fly, and couldn't walk
very
fast. But if he headed toward the water, that could be a problem.
Especially with Kataani soldiers just offshore." He turned and looked
urgently at Shomashi. "You must call to him...make sure he does not go
into the water!!"
Shomashi looked around and in an eerie sound that brought the hairs on
your arms to attention, he called out "Sssazzzzeraaaac!" It was
definitely a sound that would carry underwater, but above, in the open
air, it was like nails on a chalk board.
"Do it with your mind," Ansel said. Seeing that Shomashi didn't
understand, he pointed first at his mouth, and then shook his head.
Then he pointed at his forehead and gestured outward from there.
"Don't
talk, think at him." He repeated the gesture, hoping the soldier would
understand the few words Ansel knew in their language.
Confusion suddenly brightened as understanding dawned, and he muttered
softly while closing his eyes and screwing up his face in
concentration,
"{Sazerac... where are you?}"
{Why, I'm here! And you don't have to think so loudly.}
Shomashi opened his eyes in surprise and grinned at Ansel. Then he
looked around as if expecting to see the little dragon right in front
of
him. When he didn't a look of concern again crossed his face, {You are
where?! I do not see you!}
{I have found a new friend. She is like my dam! Her name is Kethriss
and she is very pretty.... her rider isn't too bad either from what I
can tell of your kind.}
Ansel conferred with Khamorray. "Khamorray says they're over by the
barracks," he told Shomashi. "That's where you'll be staying for
awhile. Sazerac will be fine over there with Kethriss, she'll keep him
from getting into any trouble. We need to get you over to the med
center to get checked out first."
Shomashi shook his head, "Barracks?" The word was not something he was
familiar with. "And where are we going? Mud Center?" He asked but he
followed Ansel, as he didn't know where else he would go.
---
Outside the hatchling barracks, Kethriss had settled herself down onto
the sand to regard the hatchling before her. <Hello little one,> she
told Sazerac, a tinge of humor in her mindvoice. <And where is your
rider?>
{Hello! You are pretty. Almost as pretty as my dam!} Sazerac stated
as
his huge, shiny, orange eyes peered out of his little sea-green face.
{And... I don't know where my rider is. What are you doing here?
Where
is here, anyway? This looks like a nice place to sleep. I like this
place. Lots of dragons! Do you like this place?}
Kethriss smiled at the little one, moving her head in closer to peer at
him more closely. <So many questions,> she said. <Well, let's
see...your rider is not far from here, according to Khamorray, heading
for the med center. As for what I am doing here...I live here, as you
will too, now. Where you are is called Jasra Warren, which is as good
a
name as any, I suppose. And I am glad that you think this looks like a
good place to sleep, because this is where you will be spending
tonight,
and quite a few nights to come! And yes, there are lots of dragons,
and
I do like it here. Any more questions?> She moved her head down to
get
a better look at him.
Sazerac gaped, trying to take it all in, and then bounced happily, {Oh,
you aren't only very pretty... you are very smart, too! I'm hungry...
can I eat? Do you catch your own fish? Can you show me how? Can I go
swimming? Should we go to the *mud* center and find my rider? Do you
think he'd like to go swimming? Does your rider like to go swimming?}
Sazerac paused as he began to look around, {Why are those dragons
different? Do they like to swim? I really am hungry!}
Kethriss laughed. <My, you ask a lot of questions, don't you?> She
made a mental note to make sure this little one got to know
Khamorray...if nothing else, it would illustrate to Khamorray how he
sometimes sounded to others! <Let's see...yes, you can eat right
now...in fact, I will show you how! And then, we can go to the...er,
mud-center...and see your rider. And those other dragons are different
because they aren't seadragons like us...you'll notice they don't have
our colors, or these shiny black strips on their sides, or the webbbed
paws.> She held up one of hers to illustrate. <Of course, the biggest
difference is that they're at home in the sky, rather than in the water
like we are...though some of them do swim, just not as well as we can.>
She took a mental breath. <Any other questions before I show you how
to
catch fish?>
Sazerac might have asked more questions but he saw SeaLandia coming
their way. {Ooo! Kethriss? Can you teach SeaLandia about catching
fish, too? Can she come with us? Please?} His little face turned up
to
look pleadingly into Kethriss's and his eyes looked twice as large as
before.
[tag Raemonda -- will SeaLandia join them?]
---
Summary:
Day 2
Afternoon
Ansel tells Shomashi that he is not a prisoner, but a dragonrider, and
takes him to the medical center. But along the way, they lose Sazerac,
and Shomashi panics. Sazerac finds Kethriss and attaches himself to
her, asking her dozens of questions, (while complaining that he is
hungry). Kethriss answers patiently, and then agrees to take Sazerac
to
catch fish. As they head out, they run into SeaLandia, and Sazerac
begs
Kethriss to take her, too.
---
Respectfully submitted by
John Pepper
AKA
Ansel and Khamorray
Tanami and Kethriss
And
Arlene Jacobs
AKA
Shomashi and Sazerac
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