| The red headed girl blinked against the sudden exposure to sunlight as she left the dimly lit hall and entered the courtyard. Raising an arm to block out some of the light, the girl made her way quickly across the stone flooring of the outdoor yard, and hissed as her bare feet touched the heated pavement. She hadn�t expected it to be so warm out, not today. It had rained constantly for the past few sevendays, and the air had been cool and damp. Mist had settled over the tiny Vralon Hold, and with it came a different kind of cold, a gloomy one, that oppressed and annoyed. The girl was no exception to these feelings, and had spent days pent up in the Hold, lashing out on anyone who bothered to cross her. Foul weather always made her usually non-existent temper flare. Foul weather forced inactivity on the girl, and made her restless and bored. But today the sun had woken her up, peeking into her window and brightening the room. Its gentle touch warmed the room, and Raeniel was beside herself with joy. She would have gone mad if she�d had to stay another day in this stone cage! And today was perfect�.just the day to hunt for fire-lizard eggs. Not that she much wanted one for herself. Raeniel had no use for the tiny creatures that everyone else seemed to have. Even queens were such a common occurrence that Raeniel didn�t bother to be interested in them. What was the point of having one if yours was indiscernible from everyone else�s? Raeniel preferred to be original and stand out a bit from everyone else. But Lashini would love a little flit of her own�. Lashini was Raeniel�s little sister, Raeniel�s poor little sister. Lashini had been affected since birth by an inability to use her legs. The Healer�s hadn�t been able to do anything for the pretty young girl, and so Lashini spent her life indoors, in a chair. Lashini would spend hours sitting around in one spot until someone thought enough to move her to another place where she could sit for hours, and the cycle could go on. Raeniel hated this treatment of her little sister, thinking of what she would do with such stillness. Raeniel didn�t understand how some people could grow used to being inactive, and even how some people could enjoy it. But Raeniel did admire her sister�s silent bravery of the condition that should have killed her. Whenever possible, Raeniel would take Lashini out and they would have �adventures� together. At least they were adventures to Lashini, the nine-turn-old child adored going to the pond and pole fishing. Raeniel knew Lashini would love a fire-lizard; a creature that Lashini could revel in, and be entertained by when Raeniel left. Raeniel knew she would leave. She knew it in her soul that Vralon Hold couldn�t keep her. She doubted anything could, but for these past few turns she�d stayed for Lashini. How would Lashini survive without her big sister Raeniel? Raeniel hadn�t left for the guilt of leaving the handicapped child. Then the idea had dawned on her, find Lashini a fire-lizard! This idea had come to her the first day of the rainy, mist filled storms, and had caused Raeniel to be even more frustrated than usual under such circumstances. So Raeniel woke early on that sun-filled day, and headed towards the nearby beaches and caves in Search of a fire-lizard egg. She didn�t tell Lashini she was going�the younger girl would have instantly realized why Raeniel was gifting her with such a present. Lashini sensed Raeniel�s restlessness as much as Raeniel did. Lashini would rather have Raeniel stay than have all the fire-lizards in the world. Raeniel didn�t let herself think about that. Should have worn shoes! The redheaded Raeniel cursed at herself as she stepped off the stony courtyard. Her feet burned now, and she imagined dragon hatching sands couldn�t be hotter. The loose flowing tunic and trous she was wearing was perfect for the heat, and she�d assumed it�d be warm enough to justify going barefoot as well. Too warm for that apparently, but it was too late now to go back and get sandals. She�d just have to make do with it, down by the ocean would be cooler anyway, and that sand wouldn�t burn her feet so much. She walked/hopped her way past the gates of her father�s tiny farming Hold, and past the small clump of trees that was affectionately referred to as �The Forest�. Passing the small pond where she so often took Lashini, Raeniel stopped to peer into the water�s reflective surface. It wasn�t often that she considered how she looked, and as she peered at herself, Raeniel could almost see a pretty person there. Of course everyone saw themselves as pretty, no matter how ugly they may be, but Raeniel swore she could see something of her dead mother�s beauty salvaged on her own face. The girl smiled at the thought, and continued on her way. continue...... |