Numair looked down at the little dragon, "Where is she?" He asked miffed, was Diane out when he just got back from a trip to his tower. Where could she be?
Suddenly he noticed that the dragon was a sulky gray color, he picked her up, "I'm sorry I missed you too. Want to see the king?"
The dragon trilled happily as they traipsed down the hall to the kings chambers. Numair and Skysong found the King in his chamber looking over some papers. "You're majesty." Said Numair bowing to his king.
"Numair!?" Exclaimed Jonathan, "Where have you been? What took you so long that trip should have taken you two weeks you've been gone for an entire month. Daine is gone! She thought you were dead when you didn't sent word or even call to me."
"Where did she go? I went to my tower. I was only going to my tower." Worry filled his eyes. "Did she go to the tower? Where is she?"
Alanna entered the room, "Numair? You're back? You're alive thank the goddess! Did Diane find you?"
"I didn't see her at all." Said Numair, "I have to go out again."
"No," said the King kindly, "She'll only come back while you're away and want to go out and find you."
Alanna stared at them, "Don't men think? Numair, you have a focus. You can find her."
"Mithros, Mynoss, and Shakith! How stupid of me I'll go look for her now."
****
Meanwhile the girl they spoke of was not exactly a girl anymore. She was a mongrel dog in the village of pirates swoop. She didn't remember what she was. She was a dog and that was all she knew.
It had happened a week ago she had shape shifted into a dog to try and get a sent of her love Numair. Suddenly horse hooves were descending on her head and instantly Daine no longer remembered she was a human.
She was a small terrier all white except for her ears. After a week in the village she was tiered hungry and dirty. One day an important type man was walking into the village from the large stone den. With him were some pups one large one and two little ones that looked alike. They were on horses and they scared her she was running away when the large pup called to her softly offering her a piece of meat.
She cowered and let him come to her and took the meat. She saw the large man disapproved and tried to call the pup back. But the pup ignored it's father. Daine went on her back to show that she was harmless.
So she ended up in the stone den with the pups and pack leader. They cleaned her and finally she was fed after a week of starving.
****
A month after Daine found a home with the Cooper's Alanna came home sullen and hopeless. George met her when she came in he was about to tell her about their new addition when he saw her red and puffy eyes.
"What's wrong lass?" he asked taking her in his arms.
"Daine's missing George, we think she's dead. Numair's going crazy, they had to lock him up. He tried to breakout and we had to put him in a room where the walls absorb his magic. It's horrible. They're letting him out today, I just couldn't see him like that." She sobbed into George's arms.
Just then a little white dog ran up and began to jump up and down trying to get George to pay attention to her! "Bark!"
"Who's this?" Alanna asked sniffing.
"Well we named her Reba, we found her in the village. Poor lass was starved."
"Oh, she's a doll."
****
A week later that time in his room in the palace Numair was crying. Not just crying but sobbing. His love was gone and some how it was his fault. All his fault.
The chamber door opened and the King entered. His eyes teared up at the sight of his friend. The mage had once done anything to keep his hair straight and make it behave, but now it hung loose and greasy around his head. His clothing were nothing like his silk cloths he usually wore, now it was only a simple black shirt, tunic and breeches.
Numair looked up from his bed, oh go away, he thought as he threw a pillow at him.
"Numair! Come on, you have to get out. Alanna and George invited you to Pirate's swoop. It's rude of you not to go."
"Rude!? RUDE? I'm in mourning and they invite me to a place where we were together?"
"You have to go I order you!"
"Fine! I'll go now!" He shifted into a hawk and flew out the window.
"Now why would he do something stupid like shape shift for nothing?" Jon muttered sorrowfully looking at the room where the missing Skysong used to sleep, where the dead Diane used to eat, and where the mad Numair once studied magic.
****
Days later a black hawk collapsed in the forest near the sea. A little dog found it and picked it up by a wing and dragged the limp bird back to her home.
The little white dog was dragging the hawk into Pirate Swoop and into the stables when Thom saw it. "Reba!" he took the hawk from the little dog that yipped happily at the boy as they ran up the stairs to the observation tower.
Panting Thom called to his mother, "Ma! Reba got another hurt animal!"
Alanna rushed into the stairwell and took the hawk into her hands. "George!" She roared, scaring Thom with the fear in her voice.
"What my dear?" George asked running in.
"It's Numair and he's almost dead!"
Suddenly he noticed that the dragon was a sulky gray color, he picked her up, "I'm sorry I missed you too. Want to see the king?"
The dragon trilled happily as they traipsed down the hall to the kings chambers. Numair and Skysong found the King in his chamber looking over some papers. "You're majesty." Said Numair bowing to his king.
"Numair!?" Exclaimed Jonathan, "Where have you been? What took you so long that trip should have taken you two weeks you've been gone for an entire month. Daine is gone! She thought you were dead when you didn't sent word or even call to me."
"Where did she go? I went to my tower. I was only going to my tower." Worry filled his eyes. "Did she go to the tower? Where is she?"
Alanna entered the room, "Numair? You're back? You're alive thank the goddess! Did Diane find you?"
"I didn't see her at all." Said Numair, "I have to go out again."
"No," said the King kindly, "She'll only come back while you're away and want to go out and find you."
Alanna stared at them, "Don't men think? Numair, you have a focus. You can find her."
"Mithros, Mynoss, and Shakith! How stupid of me I'll go look for her now."
****
Meanwhile the girl they spoke of was not exactly a girl anymore. She was a mongrel dog in the village of pirates swoop. She didn't remember what she was. She was a dog and that was all she knew.
It had happened a week ago she had shape shifted into a dog to try and get a sent of her love Numair. Suddenly horse hooves were descending on her head and instantly Daine no longer remembered she was a human.
She was a small terrier all white except for her ears. After a week in the village she was tiered hungry and dirty. One day an important type man was walking into the village from the large stone den. With him were some pups one large one and two little ones that looked alike. They were on horses and they scared her she was running away when the large pup called to her softly offering her a piece of meat.
She cowered and let him come to her and took the meat. She saw the large man disapproved and tried to call the pup back. But the pup ignored it's father. Daine went on her back to show that she was harmless.
So she ended up in the stone den with the pups and pack leader. They cleaned her and finally she was fed after a week of starving.
****
A month after Daine found a home with the Cooper's Alanna came home sullen and hopeless. George met her when she came in he was about to tell her about their new addition when he saw her red and puffy eyes.
"What's wrong lass?" he asked taking her in his arms.
"Daine's missing George, we think she's dead. Numair's going crazy, they had to lock him up. He tried to breakout and we had to put him in a room where the walls absorb his magic. It's horrible. They're letting him out today, I just couldn't see him like that." She sobbed into George's arms.
Just then a little white dog ran up and began to jump up and down trying to get George to pay attention to her! "Bark!"
"Who's this?" Alanna asked sniffing.
"Well we named her Reba, we found her in the village. Poor lass was starved."
"Oh, she's a doll."
****
A week later that time in his room in the palace Numair was crying. Not just crying but sobbing. His love was gone and some how it was his fault. All his fault.
The chamber door opened and the King entered. His eyes teared up at the sight of his friend. The mage had once done anything to keep his hair straight and make it behave, but now it hung loose and greasy around his head. His clothing were nothing like his silk cloths he usually wore, now it was only a simple black shirt, tunic and breeches.
Numair looked up from his bed, oh go away, he thought as he threw a pillow at him.
"Numair! Come on, you have to get out. Alanna and George invited you to Pirate's swoop. It's rude of you not to go."
"Rude!? RUDE? I'm in mourning and they invite me to a place where we were together?"
"You have to go I order you!"
"Fine! I'll go now!" He shifted into a hawk and flew out the window.
"Now why would he do something stupid like shape shift for nothing?" Jon muttered sorrowfully looking at the room where the missing Skysong used to sleep, where the dead Diane used to eat, and where the mad Numair once studied magic.
****
Days later a black hawk collapsed in the forest near the sea. A little dog found it and picked it up by a wing and dragged the limp bird back to her home.
The little white dog was dragging the hawk into Pirate Swoop and into the stables when Thom saw it. "Reba!" he took the hawk from the little dog that yipped happily at the boy as they ran up the stairs to the observation tower.
Panting Thom called to his mother, "Ma! Reba got another hurt animal!"
Alanna rushed into the stairwell and took the hawk into her hands. "George!" She roared, scaring Thom with the fear in her voice.
"What my dear?" George asked running in.
"It's Numair and he's almost dead!"