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"Hatchlings are extremely volunerable during there first few months. Just until they are big enough to tend to themselves when you are not around," explained Relena as she rose from the sofa. She walked over to Gwen and picked up the dragon that gave a whine of protest from being out of its rider's arms. Holding it up high, Relena gave the hatchling a good look over as she study its features.

"wings are a bit small, talons are curved nicely, spikes are alright," muttered Relena. "All and all, a sucessful hatch. Physical feartures, such as wings, talons, spikes, scales, and so forth, will grow out in time. As a hatchling, a dragon can have health characteristics, or bad, but that can change draistically. It only counts once they are full grown. At the moment, your hatchling looks health, we shall see if it lasts with the changes that will definitely come."

Relena looked over to Gwen, "so where exactly do you intend on putting your new hatching and how do you plan on tending to it...hm?"

"Well," started Relena, "...if the Spire will have you. Here would be the best place."

*Month and Half Passes*

As Relena said, Kaida stayed in the spire since then. Gwen would come and see Kaida everyday and listen intendly to whatever Relena said. Too Relena, the young rider and dragon were still far to young to begin any training. Besides, was the world not a place were dragons and the riders needed to become warriors to survive? She had been thrown into war and battle, and wished to keep Gwen and Kaida far from it as best she could. However, that didn't mean the two would be novices for much longer!

Once again, Gwen and Kaida were in her tucked away home deep within the Spire's mountain range. The dragon was larger than Gwen small frame but still half the size need to be considered a mature. The dragon was still a good three months from being able to ride and another month from breathing fire. Gwen was currently grooming Kaida's scaled form as Relena had taught a month ago to keep her dragon in an healther state.

Relena, right now, had the purring from the dragon zoned out from her mind. The passed hour had been nothing else. Perhaps it was time to ask the two to move their grooming time outside!!

Suddenly Relena's head reared up from the novice chant book she was studying to train Gwen on shortly, her eyes narrowing as she stared off into nothing seemingly. Her pupils lengthen into the form of a dragon's as quiet growl rumbled from her. Someone was in Carvahall that was not suppose to be and this someone had to travel through the Spire to get to village. Speaking off! "Spire," echoed Relena voice through the cave she called home. Her tone held the sense of a mother scolding a child that was just caught hiddening something it should most definitely not!

Relena arched her head to the side, in the direction of Gwen and Kaida that had jumped before freezing in spot due to Relena outburst. She wasn't exactly directing her outburst to them, but listening to the Spire that was responsing as she thought of what to do with them in this type of situation. A slight, animalistic, cry began to echo back in respond to Relena call. "You what," hollered Relena, "Next time...put aside your vandata and tell me when someone get through!"

Relena bolted from the sofa and turned fully to Kaida and Gwen, "You two...had anything been out of the ordinary around you! Anything at all. Even the smallest thing."


((I am responding to the post from Morti about his puppet))

"The Anuna River, south of Carvahall," questioned Relena, "...and what did this person look like? Were they alone? A traveler perhaps?"

It took a lot of will and help of a world near death to get past the Spire. The Spire was one of the few things that still had a great deal of the past still running in its veins. The fact that the Spire hid this important piece of information did not sit well with Relena. The Spire was not one to hold a grudge or play protector over Relena. It was here job to protect it! Gwen may think this being to be normal, but Relena knew it was far from anything but normal.

"A friend...of mine," echoed Relena with curiousity in her voice. "Very well. You two,...stay here," Relena pointed with her index finger to the ground as she strooded past the them, "Don't leave until I come back."

Friend or not, it was a stranger that was not look kindly upon in Carvahall. Strangers were rarely friendly and kind. Relena exited the cave and turned her head to the sky, "Protect them, ask questions later..." A gentle wind answer her back before she turned and head into a smaller cave opening near by. Moments later a pearly white draft horse galloped out of the opening and into the woods heading in the direction of Carvahall. Relena rode on its back.

"Ride, old friend."


((Continue in Carvahall))

"Pack your things and wait for me on the eastern border of the Spire. We are going for a trip. Pack for a long ride."

Relena's voiced echoed throughout the cave that Gwen and Kaida remained in as she order. The eastern border of Spire was on the side of the mountain range the faced the Du WeldenVarden Forest. Many believe that the Spire and WeldenVarden were quarreling sisters for both were nearly equally dangerous. Many also believe that it was a game between the massive land parts to see who could scare and kill the most.



*Outside in the Spire*

Deep within the woods, unknown even to the Spire, stood lone dark figure. The cloak that was wrapped around the being covered it from head to toe. Still, sharp, long blacken, talons could be seen poking out from the cloak sleeves. They twitched every now and then as being's head tilted in odd directions while it stared at the Cave opening relentlessly. Despite that it form stuck out like sore thumb in the snowy terrain, the being was unseen. A shield hid him easily as he listen to the echoing females voice.

"Oh my...what a young pretty thing that rider is...," hissed the being, "How I would love to get to know her better..." A long, snake-like, tongue darted out from the hood of the cloak and flicked in the air before disappearing once again. "I wandered, I wandered, oh where, oh where, might your friend, your interesting friend, be planning on you three going? Oh how, your friend interests me. So familiar she is to me...but I can't quite place her. Her smell is not enough, perhaps I should go to the town to see her up close...hm...? Maybe after, I see this young rider up close." Again the tongue darted out once more. The being sniffed, another scolding and giving it orders. "Or neither," muttered the dark being as it began to sway slightly remaining where it was as order now," Oh how I wanted to get to know them on a more personal level."

The dark figure grinned wildly, "Oh my...shy are we?"

The dark figure began to follow the young rider and her dragon as both ran through the mountains but the Spire had locked onto him. It had used the dragons sudden awareness to fine him. After all, he was hiddening from the Spire more than the girl and dragon.

A large tree root broke free from the ground and whipped up in the air above the figure. He merely grinned wide as the root came crashing down on top of him. His crushed form turned into a mushroom cloud of black ash that poofed out from under the root that was wiggling around angurily now. His sinister laughter echoed through the mountain range that was trembling with rage at being denied the kill it seeked.

"Run rider, run! I will enjoy our meeting that will soon come to past!!!! Haaa-haaaah..."

As Gwen and Kaida took off through the Spire, branches and roots moved from their path, clearing a way for them. The Spire was giving them the direct and quickest route to where they needed to go. Behind them, the mountains suddenly became thick with trees and plants making it impossible to turn back or be followed.

Relena soared across the mountains in a steady, but fast pace. Her head was low as her eys scan the Spire closely, searching for the disturbence from earlier. It would appear that the Spire had already dealt with it or at least detoured it greatly. She was now focusing in on the call from Gwen.

She had been shocked, amazing, and...slightly proud of the young girls accomplishment when she heard the call from such a distance. Her magic was growing a bit faster that most at her level, for someone to call like that would not be an easy task at such an age. Perhaps Gwen had a unique gene that made telepathic calls like that much easier for her than most others. After all, there were many unique genes out there that made certain talents or attributes easier for others.

A few minutes later Relena spotted the two youths nearing the edge of the eastern border of the Spire. She performed an nose dive to the ground after she got ahead of them bit. She roared aloud to have them notice her coming are she came up on the ground fast. Spreading her wings out wide at the last minute Relena's form jerked up in the air a few feet before landing on the ground safely after a small ten foot fall.

Wipping her tail around the Puppets waist she, bit gentler than before, removed him from her back as he went to the ground on the oppose side of her from Gwen and Kaida. She shook her body involuntary to remove the feeling of having the oldity on the middle of her shoulder blades. Just didn't feel right in her opinion! How did the dragons get use to that foreign feeling and weight?

Relena turned slightly to Gwen and Kaida and lowered her head to them. "Very impressive little one," she complimented kindly to Gwen, giving a nod to Kaida, "You made good time as well." She looked at Kaida noticing the lack of items and other materials for the trip on her back. She hadn't exactly given alot of time for them get everything up before telling them to start moving. It would be a talent she would work on later with them. She looked back at Gwen, "For the mean time you will have to get use to riding on Kaida's back...without a saddle for now. If you have to walk, it will be a very long trip indeed," explained Relena, "Even if she is not able to fly with you on her back, she is still faster on the ground...even in a simple walk. She is just not strong enough to carry you in the air yet."

((Continue from Carvahall))