Chapter 22 Out and About
Anwell's Colloquialisms, violence
Annalisa awoke shortly after dawn, kissed Lao on the cheek, who was still asleep, slid out of her warm bed and padded quietly into the bathing room. She slid into the warm bath, luxuriating in the feel of the nice warm water. She quickly bathed and washed her hair, got out and dried off. She worked at getting her long, almost white hair dried and the snarls and knots worked out. She dressed carefully in her new clothing that was hers by right of being a dragonrider. She loved the feel of the fabrics and leathers. It was a far cry from what she had left at Bezel's hold. After tying her hair back in a thong, she leaned over the bed and kissed Lao again, because she could, and hurried down the stone steps to the dining area for breakfast.
Today. Today she was finally learning to fly coordinates. The other queenriders were going with her! She was so excited she could hardly eat. She sat and fiddled with her creamed wheat bowl, stirring it around and around. She gulped down her fruit juice so fast she almost choked. She coughed and spluttered and then burst out laughing at her own nerves. She bounced out of her seat and got more fruit juice. She was returning to her seat when Torene and M'hall came in. Torene slid into the spot next to Annalisa while M'hall got a tray and breakfast for himself and his wife from Tarrie. Tarrie nodded to M'hall, who returned the gesture. It was still very early yet, and Tarrie, although awake and functioning, was not a talkative early morning person, and she knew her Weyrleaders were okay with that, since they used this time for finishing up and readying their plans for the day.
"Ready to go, aren't you!" Torene said to the young woman who could barely sit still, "Was that you I heard coughing?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow. Since there wasn't anyone else in the dining area, it had to have been Annalisa, and she nodded, ducking her head sheepishly.
"I could barely sleep, I can barely sit still, I'm choking on spit! I'm dying to go!" The young woman burst out all at once. It was the most animated the two Wehrleaders had seen Annalisa since she stood on the Hatching Ground a mere two years ago and Impressed Ragath. They both burst out laughing.
"Who else will be coming?"Annalisa asked, forcing herself to calm down a little and eat a few bites of the now-congealed creamed wheat. She gave up and pushed the bowl away.
"I think it will be Uloa, Jean and us," Torene said as she assisted M'hall in taking plates and bowls off the tray and setting it aside.
"Oh! I love Uloa! Oh, I love Jean, too, but Uloa, she's my favorite besides you," Annalisa said ingeniously, looking over at Torene with a shy smile.
After eating, they were cleaning up their area when Julie walked into the dining area and on into the kitchen prep area. She disappeared down the cold room steps and right out of Torene's mind as Torene spoke to Alaranth to come to the cavern floor and get her and Annalisa.
The beautiful golden dragon drifted down into the bowl and picked up the two girls. As she lifted off, Uloa's dragon Elliath drifted down beneath her and picked up Uloa and Jean. The other two queenriders' dragons met them at the rim, where Annalisa slid from Alaranth and mounted Ragath. Jean dismounted from Elliath and mounted her own golden dragon, Greth.
"We've been practicing," Annalisa proudly told the other queen riders as they sat in the early morning sunshine, stroking their beautiful rides. The four riders were awed as they looked at each dragon's golden color. Alaranth was a deep, burnished gold bordering on the color of bronze, with areas of her underbelly, chest and head a touch lighter. Elliath was a bright gold, with yellow-white gold under her wings and along the sides of her tail. Greteth was a classic gold, vibrant and gorgeous with areas of darker golden bronze under her wings and above her eyes. The youngest female there, Ragath, was a light coppery gold, eye-catching with its rose undertones.
"What have you been practicing?" Uloa asked Annalisa indulgently. She had always enjoyed younger people, and having lost both parents, a brother and three sisters in a freak landslide accident on their home stakes, she truly enjoyed talking with Annalisa, who was guileless and genuine.
"Well," Annalisa amended, "I have been practicing and Tonya and Tawny have been quizzing me. You know," and here Annalisa turned more squarely to face Uloa, "I am so glad both my friends Impressed. The pre-hatchlings must have known they were twins and wanted to stay together!"
Uloa chuckled, "The dragonets had no way of knowing the girls were related."
"But…" and here Annalisa hesitated, then plunged on, "Halleth knew that Beralas was carrying twins and that Torene…" here the girl stopped. She looked at Torene.
"Wait. What did you say? Jean interrupted Annalisa.
"Did I hear you correctly?" Uloa asked at the same time.
Both older women looked over at Torene, who lifted her left shoulder and tipped her head left. A big grin spread over her face and she nodded to Annalisa, who was looking stricken.
"Sorry ladies! Things have been quite crazy busy around here and I flat forgot to tell you. It's true. The dragons know what sex and how many babies we are carrying in our wombs. They don't know how they know, but they do, much like knowing when birth is imminent," Torene laughed at the other queenriders expressions. "Close your mouth, Uloa. Don't look so dazed, Jean!"
"But, but," Jean sputtered.
"I found out last week. Talking to Beralas. Halleth told her! Now that's the surprise, I think. Why would a male dragon know?"
"But how is that even possible?" Uloa asked, leaning out to look her golden dragon in the eye. Those eyes. Those wonderfully, multifaceted eyes, looking deep into her. Uloa asked of Elliath, Is this something all dragons know? Her dragon turned her head and brushed her beloved rider's knee with the side of her face. Yes, Elliath responded, If we had known you humans were unaware of this information, we would have shared it with you. Her golden suddenly had an itch and rubbed her eyelid against the soft leather riding trousers. Why is this information unavailable to you? Uloa reached out her hand and Elliath turned her eyelid into Uloa's fingertips for a good scratch.
"Why isn't this information available to us?" Uloa voiced the question to her fellow riders that her dragon had just posed to her.
"Why don't we know?" Torene rephrased the question. "I truly don't know, do you Jean?" Torene turned to Jean, who was her elder by several years.
"Hey! I also don't have children, nor am I medically inclined!" Jean retorted, "Greta may know, but I doubt it. It is just something only a few women have had the luck of knowing. You didn't know, did you, Torene, with Toreal?"
Torene studied on the question for a bit. Had she known? With one hundred percent certainty?
"No," she said slowly, "I had an inkling, but no definitive solid feeling that I was carrying a boy."
"I wonder if this was enhanced by Kitti Ping, or overlooked," Uloa said.
"I think it is more interesting that Rementh is modifying Julie's obnoxious behavior," Torene said, and had barely finished her sentence when Jean and Uloa both pounced.
"What?"
"How so?!"
Well," Torene hesitated. She thought about what she had learned, and checked herself to see if it would be considered a breach of confidence. But she had already brought it up and so decided to come clean. Besides, these queenriders kept confidences.
When she had finished her recital of her conversations with Rementh, Torene looked each queenrider in the eye and quietly asked them not to embarrass Julie or Rementh.
She got nods from all three. "And, if anyone else comes up with questions, please refer them to me." Again, affirmative nods.
"How did you get so…so empathetic, so intuitive?" Annalisa asked, "I was breathless with the way Nora cried out about not suiciding and broke away from her blackness with you helping her. Awestruck."
"Yes, please tell us," Jean said, "If I recall correctly, you are the baby of your family. Most babies are spoiled rotten."
Torene laughed at that, nodding, "Yes, I am the youngest, and my sibs think I am spoiled!" Then she sobered, and said, "Before my father became a miner on Pern, he was a psychologist on Earth. A very thoughtful student of the human psyche, and how people manifest their inner feelings and turmoil without saying a word. We would have discussions about his patients. Even from an early age, I was empathetic and my father fostered that in me." Torene paused. "I've been watching Nora since Tenneth died; I was surprised and so very glad that Kristo was found and brought her out of her wanderings. But it is still very hard on her, here at the Weyr, where it happened. I've had discussions with my father, of course, and with Bichἀrd. They agreed that Nora's best option for a more complete recovery is moving away from Benden. Possibly the warmth of Isla will help her stay warmer on the outside and help the blackness inside fade. That we don't know for sure. Neither do we know whether or not the little fire lizards can help with their winning ways." Torene paused again. She looked over her shoulder and saw the Weyrlingmaster bringing the new crop of young riders and their dragons onto the drilling area to the north of the caldron opening.
"Let's get our first destination pictured, okay?" Torene motioned towards the class moving in their direction.
"Can we choose somewhere other than our birth hold for our destination? Annalisa asked in a small voice, not looking at her fellow riders.
Brianth and M'hall have checked the hold she came from. She was a prisoner there, Alaranth murmured to Torene. Torene stiffened slightly, then relaxed.
"Of course," Torene smiled gently at Annalisa, "Would you like to check in on the Anwells?"
The other two riders looked at Torene askance and Torene gave just the tiniest shake of her head and mouthed later while she awaited 'Lis' response.
"Yes, please," the young girl said gratefully, finally looking up and giving a small smile.
"Alright, then, visualize the lush green of Anwell Hold," Torene said, giving them all a clear picture of the Hold from the curve of the road away from the barn. They did not want to spook any beasts, so the image included the rail fencing at the forest edge.
The four golden dragons went aloft almost as one, and winked into between. They winked out of between to a very strange and disturbing sight. Two men were holding the arms of a struggling young woman while a third was attempting to disrobe the girl. As the queenriders began their descent as quickly as possible, the left hand man was attempting to keep his hand over the girl's mouth, but she kept shifting. Suddenly, she stilled her thrashing and the man clamped his hand tightly over her mouth, which she promptly bit. Swearing and dropping his hand momentarily was enough for the girl, whom Annalisa identified by screaming, "Bran!"
The girl threw her head up, screaming, "Da! DA!" Immediately the man in front of Bran backhanded her heavily across the mouth. The girl sagged heavily and the man on the left lost his one-handed grip on the girl's arm and from her crouched position, she doubled up her fist and straight armed it right up the nose of the man in front of her. He crumpled to the ground, dead of a broken neck and cartilage in the brain.
The queen riders were off their dragons before they had truly landed and were racing across the yard towards the struggling, thrashing, threesome. From the woods, they heard an ungodly harsh, guttural roar that even the dragons turned to face, standing erect and opening their wings.
The women had almost reached the struggling people, who seemed oblivious to their presence, when a magnificent sorrel stallion flashed in front of them. They scrambled out of the way and watched in horrified fascination as the little landowner launched himself from the running stallion right into the face of the man on the left side of Bran, while his stallion grabbed the other man by his upper arm, shaking him like a dog shakes a rat.
The men never had a chance. Anwell's hands around the first man's throat, at the speed in which he was hit, broke his neck and as he fell backwards over the log at the side of the road, his back was broken, too. The man who had been rag-dolled against the stallion's hard head had multiple fractures of the head and neck, and he died instantly as a result of those injuries. The stallion dropped him like the ragdoll he had become and turned back to his master to receive a word of praise.
Torene turned to the three bronzes at the creek edge and she quickly spoke to them, asking them to please stay. They each acknowledged the voice in their head and joined the queen dragons that came to meet them and console them.
Bran, half naked and crying shakily, sat down on another log, with her back to her dead attacker. Her father and Annalisa on either side of her, holding her gently.
Jean and Uloa stood, dumbfounded. They had never witnessed such violence perpetrated on other human beings. The only traumatic things they had ever seen were Thread related, which was horrifying enough, but these were humans attacking humans, who were attacked by both human and animal, and it was just too much to take in.
Torene hurried over to the three people sitting on the log, "Bran, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" She stood in front of those sitting, then, feeling uncomfortable, not being able to see their faces, she dropped to her haunches, one knee going to the ground. "Anwell, thank goodness you heard!"
The movement and conversation of the others broke the hold the surreal scene had on the other two queenriders, and they converged on the others, kneeling down and adding their sympathy and kind care to that of Torene and Annalisa's.
"Yes," Bran acknowledged, somewhat shakily, but sitting up straighter, "Yes, thank God Daddy heard me, and you, Annalisa," she said, turning to the young queenrider who had become such a friend to the family during the short two years she had been at Benden, "Thank you for your yell, too," and gave the young woman a heartfelt hug.
"Am jus glad we ha' wit-nusses, dis tam" Anwell said, looking over at the three adult queenriders.
"Witnesses?" Jean exclaimed, "why would you need witnesses? Oh, shells of the first eggs! Has this happened before?" her voice went up to a squeak.
"Yes!" Bran asserted, "Darian and I were out here with mother inside. We were digging up and moving grubs when these same three dragonriders landed and tried to carry both Darian and myself off! Mother ran them off with her long handled metal plate oven paddle! They almost outran their dragons!"
Bran had regained her equilibrium again and was justly proud of her mother's prowess with such a benign 'weapon' as her oven paddle.
"Why wasn't this brought to the Benden Weyrleaders?" Uloa asked, the frown on her face beginning to look like a storm was amassing in her usually lovely dark eyes.
"T'was no need" Anwell said, "ma swee' Sherri-girl runned dem off, lak Bran sez." The old man shrugged. "Dat tam, dem fellers act'd lak dey onned ma fambly, an' got demselfs runned off."
"But.." Uloa began.
"Bu NUTtin," Anwell declared, "we hannel ar problems ar ownsef!"
Torene touched Anwell on the knee from her spot at his feet, "And so you should have, Anwell. But if you had alerted Benden, we might have been able to correct such aberrant behavior.."
"Lak ah sez," Anwell maintained, his attitude of 'what's done is done', "glad youse wuz here ta see it fo ya ownselfs, but dey won be tryin to force demseves on ma children agin!"
"Alright!" Jean said succinctly, turning to Torene, "I think you need to contact M'hall, alert him to the situation, run through eligible, highly motivated men for the three bronzes,, check with Sean and Sorka to see if they even think it'll work and …oh. You already did."
Torene gave a little smile as M'hall with Counselor Carter arrived on Brianth, followed closely by Sean and his father in law, Red Hanrahan on Carenath, Sorka and her mother, Mairi on Faranth and last but not least, Jess and Bichard on Halleth.
All four dragons settled onto the grass next to the other dragons, everyone dismounted and walked across the short space to where the rest of the group congregated around Bran, settling on chairs that Annalisa and Uloa had brought from inside the hold. They tried to not look at the three dragonriders who still lay where they had fallen.
Torene took the lead and asked first for the new arrivals to glance at the slain men and their positions to the side of the hold, and then that the slain men be moved to around the side of the cave, out of immediate sight of the road and front door.
Then she recited the sequence of events and at the end of the recital, she glanced at the other three queenriders. They affirmed her sequence. Then she said, "Anwell and his hold have had trouble with Derevan, Granerd and Brian before today's incident, and I think we all know of the near attack on queenrider Julie, which her dragon, Rementh, averted."
"Say that again, Torene, please," Red said to his grandson's wife. "You did say that these three men had attempted a rape on a queenrider and that her dragon stopped the attack? How so?"
"Sorry you were unaware of this, any of you who don't know the particulars," M'hall said, nodding to his wife, for he had direct testimony of the events from Lane. "Lane reported to me that Brian, Granerd and Derevan had intended to take Julie, one right after the other, if one of their dragons caught Rementh. But Lane's dragon Barth, caught Rementh, and while the other three were deciding how to best Lane, and have their way with Julie, Rementh went between from the lakeside at Skyview Lake to under the canopy of trees where the humans were and just disappeared again, with Julie."
All the dragonriders gasped at the sheer folly of Rementh doing such a thing, but they were awed, too. They had never done anything like that with their dragons, afraid to risk their wonderful companions with a possible mis-calculation.
M'hall took up the recital of events again, saying, "Julie was reluctant to say anything when I asked her about this. It wasn't until I told her that she would only be corroborating Lane's account that she concurred." Here he paused, and as he expected, Sean's eyebrows shot up and he said derisively, "Queenrider Julie, you're telling me that NUMBWEED Julie, that Julie was reluctant to revile someone?"
"Yes, Sean," M'hall said, "Julie, rider of Rementh, whom we have had so much trouble with, was certain no one would believe her or Lane if they told such a tale. I have more on her situation, but this is not the time."
Sean and Sorka nodded, acknowledging that now was not the time for Weyr problems. It was citizenry time.
The group heard a team of horses coming up the trace, harness jingling and hooves clattering along the hard packed earth and glanced down the road to see Sherilayn driving the four wheeled carriage with the younger Anwell children returning from the marshy field at the bottom of their property where they had been harvesting greens, medicinal herbs, withies for basket making and various other nuts and berries.
Sherilayn pulled up across the road from the group, and seeing her daughter's torn clothing, quickly clucked to the horses and drove them on up to the other side of the cave residence, thankful that the younger children had fallen asleep on the ride back up the hill.
At the hidden side entrance next to the storage caves, she stopped the horses and started issuing requests:
"Bendak, Brenae, please see to the horses. Denali, Shane, wake up your brothers and get them inside and washed up, please. Go quickly and get snacks and drinks for your brothers and sisters, Bruce, and take them to the middle cave until we come and get you, please. If you saw anything, don't say anything to the younger children, please. Keep to the middle cave, do not go out front to the group, please. I will bring them up and we will go into the kitchen," Sherilayn leveled a straight look at each of her children. Then smiled slightly, "I trust you to do as you've been asked."
"Yes, mama," Bruce answered for them all, his little shirtless torso tanned from many days in the sun. He jumped down from the wagon and scurried inside. He had a lot of fruit, buns, muffins, water and juice to get.
Bendak held a hand out to his mother, who stepped gracefully down from the carriage, pulling the brake as she did so.
She left her lovely, dear crew to their duties and went down the narrow opening to a small cave, walked across, turned right and went into what she had called the middle cave, through that into another short passage. There, she moved the heavy tapestry aside and entered the main living area of the cave system, hurried across to the front opening of the cave and went out to greet her welcome but uninvited guests.
The gathering in the yard had gotten to their feet and were headed towards the dwelling opening, Annalisa, Bran and Torene, arm in arm with Bran in the middle. Annalisa had brought out a cloth she had found in the kitchen of the dwelling and had given it to Bran to cover her top half.
The men had discreetly trailed behind the women, allowing Bran a bit of privacy in her disarray.
Sherilayn met them at the doorway with a blanket for her eldest daughter, sure of what had transpired. The enormity of the attack brought a weakness to Bran that she hated feeling, but she broke free from Torene and Annalisa and fell into her mother's arms, sobbing again. Sherilayn wrapped her dear girl into her embrace with the blanket bringing added warmth and security. Both turned from the doorway, Sherilayn with a backward glance over her shoulder at Torene, who nodded.
Anwell came in next and headed straight away to the head of the long table in the dining/meeting area of the cave and spread his arms wide in the unmistakable welcome gesture and invitation to sit. The older couples ranged themselves on either side of Anwell, leaving the younger people, mostly dragonriders, to congregate at the lower end.
Sherilayn came back in, followed by Dane, her oldest son. Dane went immediately through the kitchen and down the steps to the cold storage area of the cave and brought back a huge tray with jugs of cold milk, cold buttermilk and raw fresh fruit juice. As Sherilayn went to the kitchen, Annalisa jumped up and followed her, then helped her bring in two trays full of baked biscuits, cookies and sweet breads. In short order, the three had laid out a repast worthy of a large banquet.
Bran, fully dressed and cleaned up and under control of herself again, went to the kitchen area and brought out small spreader knives and small crocks of thickened sweet cream and berry jams to spread on the biscuits and breads.
"Okay, now, Sherilayn, dear, please sit," Red said, motioning to the two eldest children, young adults actually, into their chairs as well.
Bringing Sherilayn and the older Anwell children up to date on the happenings at her hold in her absence took only a few short minutes, then Torene took up the narrative again, telling the assembled that she had spoken to the three bronze dragons and that they were amenable to trying new partners after seeing the lack of moral character in their previous riders.
"What caused the dragons not to suicide when their riders died? I thought that was 'the thing.' That the bond was so tight, one could not or would not live without the other," Cabot Carter asked the dragonriders.
"Didn't suicide," M'hall said abruptly, ready to leave it at that.
"I kilt one o dem," Anwell said at the same time, "Bran kilt her 'tacker and Domingo kilt da las one o'dem."
"Domingo?" Bichard queried. He knew the horse had been involved somehow, but had somehow totally missed the narrative of 'the stallion shook one to death.'
"Ma stud," Anwell said, "he been da pa of all ma new babies dis' ear."
"Magnificent horse," Red said, nodding at Anwell, "I'd like to talk to you about him later, Anwell."
"Sure, sure," the bewhiskered old gentleman said.
"So we have three bronze dragons currently without riders," Sean said slowly, feeling his way through the myriad of thoughts spinning in his head, "and you say we have a few young men willing to try to make a new Impression with them, try to forge a new lifelong bond with the dragons, is that correct?"
"Yes," his son said, "And I think the sooner the better. These are young people who have stood on the hatching floor before. We don't know for sure if this will work, but because the previous men were of faulty moral character, the dragons seem willing to try, and I think we should give them the opportunity."
Cabot Carter had been absorbing all this, and he caught M'hall's eye.
"This is the first time we non-dragon riders have heard of this," the man said, with a slight frown on his face, "Has this happened before?"
Sean shook his head, "Cabot, we have only five generations of dragons on the ground, and we learn something new about them everyday. Such as the dragon averting a horrific crime by intervening herself-as in the case with Rementh. We recently found out that our dragons know what sex our expectant mothers are carrying when we humans don't even know that! Kitti Ping either left a lot of the original programming alone or made an incredible amount of changes!"
The assembled people were quiet for several moments, then Cabot spoke again, "How do we know what these dragons will do since their riders are deceased? Won't they just shed the 'shackles' of this 'linkage' and head out for parts unknown?" Several people nodded in agreement and there was an undercurrent of murmuring.
Sean and M'hall both shook their heads.
"Torene can speak and hear any dragon on Pern," Sean said, and looked at M'hall, who added, "And because their riders did not suicide, they are willing to try another connection with a human. They were embarrassed, if you will, about what their human counterparts were doing. Kitti Ping did leave them with an insatiable need for human companionship. At least that is what Pol Nieto and Bay Tarkington-Nieto said. And it seems to be bearing out."
Red concurred, "Kitti had asked me about that. Could she enhance the need she found for companionship to be specific to human beings, and apparently succeeded. I have never seen such devotion from an animal for a human as I see between our dragons and their human counterparts."
The group pondered all the information received and finally, Mairi said, "Well, I see no need to wait. We have dragons needing humans, and humans awaiting dragons! Let's get this going as soon as possible!"
All agreed. They also agreed to ten o'clock the following morning to attempt their experiment.
Torene turned to Annalisa and asked the young woman if she would please go with Jean and Uloa back to Benden Weyr, while she, M'hall, Sean and Sorka corralled the three bronzes and took them to Fort Weyr. Annalisa readily agreed, knowing that she and Ragath would be in the way if she insisted on going with Torene, plus, she wanted to see if Lao was still 'hers'!
The younger Weyrleaders assisted the First Weyrleaders in getting the three dragons quickly, quietly and unseen to Fort. There were plenty of shallow caves, big enough for the dragons, that were not in the weyr proper. And it was agreed that the four of them would be the only ones aware until they saw how well the non-dragonriders coming to the event handled the trial of Impression again.
Torene and M'hall bid their elders goodbye and went straight back to Benden. Too excited and wound up to try to sleep just because it was past time, they sought the company of their peers in the lower cavern, much to the surprise and delight of the folks they found there.
Boris and Tarrie, Jess, Jean, Uloa and T'mas, Annalisa, who was beginning to fade fast, Shih Lao, Genteely and Regent were all sitting around a large table in the outer cavern that had been put there for just the purpose it was being used for-congregating.
"We have heard about your adventures at the Anwell hold!" Boris said as the pair approached, "What an absolutely horrible thing! We are so glad you queens got there in time!"
All four queenriders shook their heads, and Annalisa said, rather loudly as if astounded she was speaking up, "We told you B'ris, Bran's dad, Anwell, and his stallion, Domingo, did the actual rescuing! Weren't you listening?"
Torene hid a smile behind her hand as Boris stared at Annalisa, then remarked, "Uh, I was busy with Tarrie," he murmured, and Tarrie blushed knowing that they had been caught 'necking' and really not paying close attention, then raised her chin, proud that she and Boris were among the 'producing pairs' again.
"Then, when we got back," Jean said excitedly, "we were given other news from right here at Benden! T'man's little mottled colored dragon, Maleth, died unexpectedly today! The medical team, unused to dealing with dragon specimens, did not know what happened to the little guy! T'man did not suicide, of course. Isn't that perfect? Now we have five males who can stand. By the way, where are the dragons?"
"Fort," M'hall said succinctly, hoping to cut off more questions and conversation about what had transpired at the Anwell place today, "We will be having the two sets meet tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, and I am glad we have another candidate to add to the choices, but sad about his dragon."
In a pensive voice, Jess said, "Do you think it'll work, M'hall, Torene? We've had five generations of dragons over the last ten years. Is there information out there that we don't know about our dragons?"
Torene and M'hall looked at each other, then at the other three queenriders, and they all burst out laughing.
"I didn't think it was a funny question!" Jess said, a little annoyed that his question had been laughed at.
Torene reached out and touched his hand as it rested on the table with his partially filled mug. "Jess, we are so overwhelmed with new things that our dragons have revealed in the last four days that we had to laugh! Not at you, dear, but at the sentence! Did you know that Halleth spoke to Berales about her pregnancy? Yes? Okay. Were you also aware that we women don't know what we are carrying during our pregnancy?" Torene was banking on the fact that Jess was a bachelor.
"Uh, no," Jess hesitated and then decided to learn more. "But, then again, I've not been around many pregnant women during their pregnancy, except now with Beralas."
"Well, we women are clueless, so why do dragons know? We don't know and Kitti isn't telling!" Torene said, "We do have five generations of dragons on the ground, and I think we have gotten complacent with the amazing gift Kitti Ping has given us and maybe, just maybe, we need to start delving into what our beautiful creatures know and what they don't!"
That set everyone to chattering excitedly, which broke up the impromptu meeting and they all went up the main stone stairway, separated at the top and went their separate ways to go to sleep with their wonderful dragon-friends close. 5444 words/15 ppgs