A young teenager with brown curly hair mounted up on her pony. In her arms she carried a young dragon with immature wings and a twelve inch tail. Hanging from the girl's neck was a silver claw much like the dragon's own claws. The girl's hair was in disarray, and her clothes were torn. Bird droppings covered her, and indeed several birds were clinging to her clothes
and hair.
"Now, now." soothed the girl, stroking the trembling birds. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
A tall man strode up to her. "Trying to escape your teacher, Daine?" asked the man, eyes dancing.
"Don't tease, Numair." the girl replied gravely. "Something frightened these birds, and I'm going to find out what. Something feels wrong.
"Come along, magelet, surely you knew I would accompany you!"
"Somethings wrong." Daine frowned, perplexed.
"Last time you felt 'something wrong' we just barely escaped a party of hurroks," Numair observed mildly. "What does it feel like this time?"
Daine closed her eyes. "Not Stormwings, nor hurroks... I would say spindrens." She shuddered. Numair put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"We are more than able to handle spindrens." he reminded her, eyes kind. Daine nodded. She knew how to handle those horrible spider/human immortals.
Daine shot an arrow from her powerful bow. Once, twice, three times she shot; and each time she shot, a spindren went down. To her left, Numair cried out in Old Thak; two spindrens turned to ice and began to melt. The remaining spindren Daine's pony fell upon, kicking the monster repeatedly with her hooves.
"There." Numair panted. "Thats the last of them... isn't it?" he asked the gasping girl.
"It had better be." the girl said with a shudder. "I'm going back to the palace and taking a nice, looooong bath!"
"Mistress Verilidaine," a young woman in the garb of a maid began, "My lord Iver wishes to speak to you about the winged horses that attacked his fief yesterday."
Daine stared at her in dismay. "I can't see him in these dirty clothes! I need to change, bathe, and..."
"I'm afraid its out of the question, ma'am." the maid said firmly. Suddenly the dragon drew herself up and made a soft cooing sound, her eyes glowing silver. The maidservant and Daine stared at her.
"Whats wrong, Kitt... eek!" Curl by curl Daine's hair was neatening itself. Her clothes erased creases, and the mess the birds had left on her was evaporating. In a moment Daine looked just as fresh and clean as she had when she started out the day newly garbed.
For a long while the two women just stood and stared at the dragon, who blinked innocently back at them. Finally the maidservant, never once taking
her eyes off Kitten, inquired, "Did you know she could do that?"
"No."
"Well, now you can face His Lordship feeling CLEAN." Laughing and talking, the two women headed for the palace.
and hair.
"Now, now." soothed the girl, stroking the trembling birds. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
A tall man strode up to her. "Trying to escape your teacher, Daine?" asked the man, eyes dancing.
"Don't tease, Numair." the girl replied gravely. "Something frightened these birds, and I'm going to find out what. Something feels wrong.
"Come along, magelet, surely you knew I would accompany you!"
"Somethings wrong." Daine frowned, perplexed.
"Last time you felt 'something wrong' we just barely escaped a party of hurroks," Numair observed mildly. "What does it feel like this time?"
Daine closed her eyes. "Not Stormwings, nor hurroks... I would say spindrens." She shuddered. Numair put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"We are more than able to handle spindrens." he reminded her, eyes kind. Daine nodded. She knew how to handle those horrible spider/human immortals.
Daine shot an arrow from her powerful bow. Once, twice, three times she shot; and each time she shot, a spindren went down. To her left, Numair cried out in Old Thak; two spindrens turned to ice and began to melt. The remaining spindren Daine's pony fell upon, kicking the monster repeatedly with her hooves.
"There." Numair panted. "Thats the last of them... isn't it?" he asked the gasping girl.
"It had better be." the girl said with a shudder. "I'm going back to the palace and taking a nice, looooong bath!"
"Mistress Verilidaine," a young woman in the garb of a maid began, "My lord Iver wishes to speak to you about the winged horses that attacked his fief yesterday."
Daine stared at her in dismay. "I can't see him in these dirty clothes! I need to change, bathe, and..."
"I'm afraid its out of the question, ma'am." the maid said firmly. Suddenly the dragon drew herself up and made a soft cooing sound, her eyes glowing silver. The maidservant and Daine stared at her.
"Whats wrong, Kitt... eek!" Curl by curl Daine's hair was neatening itself. Her clothes erased creases, and the mess the birds had left on her was evaporating. In a moment Daine looked just as fresh and clean as she had when she started out the day newly garbed.
For a long while the two women just stood and stared at the dragon, who blinked innocently back at them. Finally the maidservant, never once taking
her eyes off Kitten, inquired, "Did you know she could do that?"
"No."
"Well, now you can face His Lordship feeling CLEAN." Laughing and talking, the two women headed for the palace.