Welcome to Gaia! ::

Entry 1

Sunny practically leaped into the house. She glanced around excitedly, spied her brother who was trying to keep cool in the corner, and she jumped on him.

Ray sputtered and tried to push off his clinging sister. "Get off, Ali! Get off!"

"Nooooo," Sunny laughed. "I have news. I've come back from the clinic. Everything's official, Ray. I'm pregnant!"

Ray stared at her evenly for a moment. "I see. What the hell are you doing jumping on me, then?!"

"I'm happy."

"Well, get off me so we can talk!"

Sunny laughed and climbed into an adjacent chair. "Talk, Ray."

"I still think you're an idiot for doing this."

"Of course you do."

"But... I guess there's no turning back, now." He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You look good, though."

"Do I glow?" Sunny teased.

He snorted. "I wouldn't know what that's supposed to look like."


Sunny's Journal, Entry 1

Well, this is it. I'm really pregnant. I didn't think I'd ever be pregnant. Ever. I mean that.

I feel strange. Not sick. At least, I'm not morning sick yet, and I hope I'm not ever. But the idea that I'm carrying a tiny person inside me just baffles me. Hell, I come from a species that lays eggs. Live birth is sort of weird for me...

Ray told me a bit ago that's precisely why I shouldn't be doing this; I may be, for all purposes, now human, but as far as we know, no dragon has ever tried to reproduce like this.

Gah. I don't care what Ray says.


Ray's Journal, Entry 1

I dunno what Ali thinks she's doing, really. I'm worried this whole mess is going to put her in danger. I mean, childbirth isn't exactly easy, and I can't imagine it's any better when you're supposed to be oviparous.

...okay. Fine. I can't wait to see the baby. It's this whole pregnancy thing that worries me.



Entry 2

"Ali... what are you doing?"

"Barbecueing. What's it look like?" Sunny sipped a tall glass of milk and leaned against the wall of the house, where it was shady.

"It's..." Ray made a face. "It's ten in the morning."

"Is it?" She seemed distracted.

"Yes, it is." He opened the barbecue to discover a pair of very large steaks. "Are you planning on eating all that or is one for me?"

"Well, I can throw on another one for you if you want."

Ray's scowl deepened. "I'll pass. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm... eating for two?"

"You're only a few days pregnant, Ali. Come on. Embryos don't eat that much."

"How do you know?"

They jostle and wrestle a little bit, and Ray backs off. "This isn't fair. I can't fight a pregnant woman."

Sunny grins broadly. "Ah, my secret weapon."

"It's not going to be secret that much longer."

"Hush." Sunny flipped the steaks over. They were lightly seared and probably quite rare inside, the way Sunny has always liked her steaks.

"I really don't get it," Ray sighed at last. "You had scrambled eggs two hours ago."

"Well, I'm starving now," Sunny said with a shrug. "Absolutely ravenous. Pass me the pepper, there."

Ray did so, and Sunny sprinkled it generously over the meat. She closed the barbecue again and sighed. "Whew. Is it ever hot."

"I think it's cooling down some."

"Yeah. Some." Ray eyed his sister nervously. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Ray. Stop fussing. I'm perfectly capable of using the barbecue."

"That's not... exactly what I meant." Ray shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'm just about to head out, here." He hugged his sister with one arm and went to grab his bike. Sunny watched him go, wondering what the hell Ray was talking about. She shrugged a shoulder and turned her attention back to the much more interesting, in her mind, the matter of steak.

Entry 3

Ray returned later to find Sunny hunkered down in the cool basement with a trashy science fiction novel. He knew it was trashy because he'd tried to read it once; it had a lot of lesbians in it. Sunny had said once she thought this was hysterical, because it had been written by a man.

She also had a poached egg sandwich and a glass of orange juice.

"What, did you run out of steak?"

"No," Sunny sniffed. "Not yet. Do we still have those moose steaks in the bottom of the freezer?"

"I think so. Leave something for me, okay?"

"Mmm. I'll try to restrain myself. How was Other?"

"I never said I was going to see him."

"You don't have to." Sunny grinned. "Have fun with your boyfriend?"

"...Ignoring you now." Ray sat down heavily beside her, and the sofa squeaked. He winced. "We really need a new couch, here."

"Nah, this one's comfy, and it only squeaks there." She shrugged a shoulder, mopping up egg yolk with a scrap of toast. "You're pretty irritable today, Ray."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Yes, you are," Sunny laughed. "Honestly. What's bugging you?"

Ray winced. "What do you think is bothering me?" He made a stabbing gesture with one finger at Sunny's belly.

She frowned. "Don't start. Not again. This is my choice. It's too late to argue about it now."

"I guess." He slumped. "I'm not playing the proud father in the delivery room, though."

"No one expected you to!" Sunny nudged him in the ribs. "Ray, please..."

"I'll behave," he grumbled. He poked Sunny's stomach, and she giggled ticklishly. "Hey, you! That's my sister you're in. You better behave yourself. I won't have you getting her hurt."

Sunny raised an eyebrow. "Is that what this is about?"

"Maybe a little." Ray stood, hunching his shoulders. "Look, you gotta be careful, Ali..."

"I'm not made of glass, Ray."

"No, but you're pregnant. You're not even properly egg-heavy, but you're pregnant! What sort of crazy person are you to do such a thing to yourself? You have no idea what's going to happen, and you have no idea what happens if a shapechanged dragon tries to have children."

Sunny looked away. "You think I'm not aware of that?"

"If you know, then why are you doing this?"

"I've told you my reasons before. Because I don't want our race to die completely. Because I simply want to have a child and this may be the only chance I'll ever have. Why is that hard to understand?"

"It isn't," Ray admitted.

"Then, just trust me. For god's sake, just trust me and Dr. Kamiki. I'm sure it'll be okay." Sunny twisted her fingers in the hem of shirt, hoping she was right.

Entry 4

Sunny whizzed home in a rush, burst into the cool basement, and dropped an envelope into Ray's lap. He glared up at her; he had been in the process of making another of his wire-and-bead projects. He set his tools and equipment aside for a moment.

"What's this? You're not pregnant again, are you?"

"No, stupid. Read it."

Ray opened the envelope, and scanned it quickly. "You passed!"

"I sort of froze on the exam, but I passed anyway. Ray, I'm going to do this. I'm really going to get into automotive mechanics. All I need is someone to apprentice me now... erm." She poked at her belly uncertainly. "Maybe I'll have to wait a bit."

"Maybe that's why the field is predominantly male."

"Shut up." Sunny flicked him on the nose and snatched up her transcript. "Well. I'm... I'm hungry. Very hungry. Do you want to make me an omelette?"

"I'm busy," Ray said pointedly.

"Fine, fine..."

Sunny's Journal, Entry 2

Errrr. I forgot that I can't make omelettes to save my life. They turn into egg-and-cheese glop. It still tastes okay... but Betty Crocker I ain't.

I'm sure I'm going to be such a great role model for my child.

That's only half joking. Maybe Ray's right about this. Maybe I don't know what I'm doing, and this is all a bad idea, and...

I really ought to stop listening to him. What parent ever knows exactly what they're doing? All I can do, all I could ever hope to do, is my best.

I'm starving. I've bugged Ray into going out to a local buffalo farm with me to pick up some cheap meat (cutting out the middleman). Mmmm.

So we're leaving now. I guess I'd better finish this up.



Entry 5

"Ali, where... are you wearing my pants?"

Sunny grinned at Ray sheepishly. "Yes. Mine don't fit."

"How can they not fit?" Ray scowled.

Sunny smoothed out the front of her shirt. "I'm showing, see? At least it seems so... although it's really, really early... Anyway, I needed something to wear while I went looking for bigger clothes, and your jeans don't have as much of a waist as mine do. I mean, I have hardly any waist anyway, but..."

"Well, do you have something to wear now?"

"Yeah."

"Then get out of my jeans. Ali, how on earth can you be showing? It's way too early. Unless you're having some sort of mutant freak baby."

She scowled. "Don't talk about my baby that way."

"I'm joking!"

"So'm'I. Ray, I don't know... maybe something isn't right." Sunny's forehead creased, little dimples appearing most unattractively above her eyebrows. "Maybe this is some sort of unforseen complication from the cross-species thing. Oh... oh... oh god..."

Ray hugged his sister, suddenly alarmed at her sobbing. "Shhh. Ali, I'm sure it's okay. Right?"

"Right," she sniffed.

"If you're really worried, maybe you should go see Dr. Kamiki..."

Entry 6

Ray took a long look at his sister, sitting upside-down in a chair. "What are you doing?"

"Watching TV. And chewing ice."

"Upside-down?"

"My feet hurt."

"Ali, that doesn't even make any sense."

"Who said it had to?" She sat up properly, snuggling back into the chair. Her face was flushed from the heat.

He sat down beside her. "Did you talk to the doctor yet?"

"Oh, not yet."

"Why not?"

"I haven't had a chance." She stretched. "You want to pass me that bag of peanuts? I'm still starving."

Ray passed it. "Please, Ali..."

"Are you really that worried about me?" she asked through a mouthful of peanuts.

"Yeah, I am. Sue me." Ray snagged a handful of peanuts from her and settled down to nibble them. "And hell, if there really is a baby in there, there's no good in it dying."

Sunny blinked. "My god, Ray, that's the first positive thing you've said about this whole thing, I swear."

Ray scowled at her.



Entry 7

She swept through the house in an old sarong and loose shirt, her feet hitting the ground hard. Sunny banged hard on Ray's bedroom door. "Ray, get out here now."

When he answered, sleepily blinking and yawning, he stared at her levelly. "What?"

"Look at me," she ordered.

"You're wearing a skirt. Huh. Haven't seen you do that in a while."

She stamped irritably. "Wake up, Ray."

Ray blinked a few times. "Ali... you're huge!"

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, not exactly huge... but bigger than yesterday."

"Then I'm not imagining it... I... it was the first thing I found that fit, Ray..."

Ray shook his head. "I'm getting dressed. Then, we are going right to the clinic. Something is not right."

"No kidding. But hurry up."

Taken from the Clinic.



Entry 8

When Sunny and Ray returned home, the former cradling her egg tightly to her chest, Ray was chuckling. "An egg. Go figure."

"Yes, yes. Now shut up. Ray, do me a favour and bring the space heater up from the basement. I'll be in the baby's room."

Ray grimaces but complies; it's been hot recently but he understands the need. Sunny hums some Sinatra softly as she climbs the stairs to the baby's room.

The room is warm and sunny anyway; baby dragons are more susceptible to cold than their elders, and Sunny chose this room with that in mind. The room is not finished or furnished yet; the only furniture is an old, soft couch in the corner.

Sunny takes some soft blankets down from the top shelf in the closet, and curls up on the couch, mumbling sleepily to the egg as she holds it protectively to her belly. On a deep and instinctual level, she knows two things: the egg must not leave her sight, and it must be kept as warm as possible. Normally, her tribe would lay two to five eggs in a sandy cave warmed by volcanic activity, as near as was safe and the heat bearable, but here, with her single egg and warm summer weather and the space heater which Ray should be bringing, the only natural urge left to follow is the one to sleep, wrapped around the egg to warm it with her body and to protect it.

When Ray does come with the space heater, his sister is deep asleep and dead to the world. He smirks slightly, plugs in the heater, and turns it up to full power. "Sleep well, Ali. And you too, little one."

He shuts the door. There are things he needs to attend to.

Entry 9

"The good Scarecrow was much distressed by the thought that his little friend was about to suffer the fate of Ozma and the rest of their prty; but while he sat in gloomy reverie a shrill voice suddenly cried:
"'Kut, kut, ku-ka-daw-kutt! Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt!'
"The Nome King nearly jumped off his seat, he was so startled.
"Good gracious! What's that?' he yelled.
"'Why, it's Billina,' said the Scarecrow.
"'What do you mean by making a noie like that?' shouted the King, angrily, as the yellow hen came from under the throne and strutted proudly about the room.
"'I've got a right to cackle, I guess,' replied Billina. 'I've just laid my egg.'
"'What! Laid an egg! In my throne room! How dare you do such a thing?' asked the the King, in a voice of fury.
"'I lay eggs wherever I happen to be,' said the hen, ruffling her feathers and then shaking them into place.'"

Ray was listening from the doorway, an amused expression on his face. Sunny was so sleepy she hadn't noticed him come into the nursery. "What are you doing?"

"Reading to the baby," Sunny yawned. She was still half-asleep, still curled around the egg in the hot, thick room. "Are you doubting my choice of reading material?"

"Maybe, yes."

"Poo on you."

"'But--thunder-ation! Don't you know that eggs are poison?' roared the King, while his rock-colored eyes stuck out in great terror.
"'Poison! well, I declare,' said Billina, indignantly. "I'll have you know all my eggs are warranted strictly fresh and up to date. Poison, indeed!'"

"Do I want to know exactly what you're reading?"

"Ozma of Oz." Sunny giggled. "Must start somewhere."

"'You don't understand,' retorted the little monarch, nervously. 'Eggs belong only to the outside world--to the world on the earth's surface, where you came from. Here, in my underground kingdom, they are rank poison, as I said, and we Nomes can't bear them around.'
"'Well, you'll have to bear this one around,' declared Billina; 'for I've laid it.'
"'Where?' asked the King.
"'Under your throne,' said the hen."

"Ali, you're a nut. So much for all the great draconic lore, and--"

"I'll get to it. Just not when I'm so sleepy." She patted the egg beside her. "Don't worry. I wouldn't dream of naming you Billina."

"I really hope not."

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Are you hungry, Ali? I was going to throw a few steaks on."

Sunny stretched and rearranged the blankets around the egg. "I suppose. As long as I don't have to get up right now."

Ray grinned and nodded. "You won't have to leave it, promise." He slipped out into the much cooler hallway.

Sunny stared after Ray a moment, her gaze unfocused, before she yawned again and turned back to the slim green book.

"The King jumped three feet into the air, so anxious was he to get away from the throne.
"'Take it away! Take it away at once!' he shouted.
"'I can't,' said Billina. 'I haven't any hands.'"

Entry 10

Sleepy.

Generations of dragon females of Sunny's tribe had laid their eggs and fallen into a state of near-sleep for a few months. Sunny was deeply tempted to do the same, but was fighting the urge. She didn't think a human body could take that sort of treatment.

In the hot room, she lay in shorts and a tank top, curled around her egg. The sofa fabric was dry under her fingers, and in her state of half-sleep she could almost imagine that she, like so many of her foremothers, had descended into a deep, deep cavern, deep enough to be warmed by subterranean fires, her claws scratching through sand and pebbles, the faint sound of dripping water somewhere distant. Thinking this reminded her of her own hatching day. She remembered it only vaguely, but she could imagine the smell of her mother, her brother, and the sand. The sand had quickly coated her still-moist body. She had stumbled blindly until she had collided with Ray, and they had scrabbled angrily at each other until Mother, with the draconic equivalent of a laugh, had separated them.

Sunny had slipped into a state where she was no longer sure if she was remembering or imagining. She shook herself to wake up a little, and ran a hand over the eggshell.

She closed her eyes, remembering. There was one thing told by all mothers to all unhatched children. The words waited on her tongue; it had been a long time since she had spoken them or heard them, but she knew them.

"I sing the song of the lore of our people," she mumbled, rather sing-song, then added apologetically, "I'm trapped with English because my throat can't make the right sounds, now, and I don't know if you'll be able to make them either. But what I will tell you you haven't heard, though you will hear it again. Our people know this deep in their hearts and their heads, and pass it to our children.

"In the days before song we were a vicious people, a violent people, who fought each other and all who would oppose us. We were animals. When we learned song, we were able to speak to each other, and pass our stories down, and we learned the joy of company, of friendship, of love.

"You, my child, are born of a tribe with roots that trace back to the first Singers and Tellers of Tales, and to the Dark Times that came before. Know this, and be proud in the fact that your ancestors were among those who brought peace to our race. The Song, our language, is good. Honour it. Speak it, and whatever other tongue you may learn, well.

"You, my child, are born of a tribe of Fire. The heat of our hearts and bellies will warm us. When you are hatched and grown and the spark you carry becomes flame, you will feel it. You will not fear the cold. The Flame is good. Honour it. Use it responsibly, and well."

Sunny paused. She didn't know how true that would be for her child, but it was how the Lore went.

"You, my child, are born of a tribe of Sky. We have been gifted with wings, and our hearts will always call to the sky. When--if," she corrected herself suddenly, "if you take that first flight, take joy in it. The Wind is good. Honour it. Fly long and far and well.

"You, my child, are born of a tribe of Collectors. Build your treasure well, hold it secret, and never take what can never be rightfully yours. We find; we do not steal. Collecting is good. Honour it. Build your collection well.

"You, my child, are born of a tribe of Hunters. Take joy in the hunt and the chase, but do not be cruel. Hunt only what you will eat. All life feeds upon death in some way, and it is the way of the world. When dead, your own body will feed the universe, so respect your prey. The Hunt is good. Honour it. Hunt well."

Sunny felt suddenly hesitant about the ritual; for a half-dragon child, how much of this would even apply? She couldn't stop now. She was nearly done, and had to finish it.

"You, my child, have much to learn about the world, and you will learn. There are many stories you have to hear, and you will hear them. There are many things you have to do, and you will do them. You will experience much, and live much, and love much. I, as your mother, promise you this."

Sunny kissed the egg fondly. "Know that I love you. Sleep, little one."

She shook herself again, and sat up. It had suddenly occurred to her that she was hungry, and thirsty. Not willing to leave the egg alone for any length of time (one bit of instinct she could not fight), she wrapped it in a fleece blanket, and headed out into the rest of the house.

The air in the hallway felt cool on her face after the heat of the nursery.

Entry 11

Giggling to herself a little, feeling sort of silly about the Lore earlier (tradition or not, it isn't a full dragon baby), Sunny lurked in the kitchen, hefting the egg in one arm while she poured chocolate soy milk with the other.

Ray peeked in. "There you are, Ali. I was looking all over for you."

"You didn't expect me to get up for weeks, did you?"

"Not really, no. I made you something."

Ray handed over a cloth object. It was grey corderoy, lined with soft, warm, powder blue fleece. There were straps and buckles and zippers.

Sunny took it and looked at it carefully. "Um. Don't take this the wrong way, Ray... but what is it?"

"You know those baby carriers they make for newborns?" Ray took it back and held it up to demonstrate. "The ones that hold the baby against your chest? I took one of them and filled up what would be holes for the baby's legs and put all this fleece in to keep it warm. It's an egg carrier, now. You can actually go places and the egg will stay warm and safe and with you."

Sunny laughed suddenly. "Clever!" She inspected the carrier a moment with maternal suspicion, found it sturdy, and lowered her egg into it. Ray showed her how the buckles went and helped her strap it on.

She giggled suddenly. "I look pregnant again. But thanks, Ray."



Entry 12

Sunny curled up with the book and the egg in the hot nursery. "We'll have to get a proper crib eventually, I suppose... for when you do hatch. Well...

"If you don't mind my saying so," remarked the snake, "it seems to me that your education has been neglected. First you have a mother who calls you Wart, just as if you wre one of those vulgar Bufonidae, and then you can't distinguish a T. Natrix wen you see him. Did you never have a mother?"

'As a matter of fact, I didn't."

"Bufonidae" means toad, by the way," Sunny interjects. "You'll see one. I promise."

"Oh, I am sorry," exclaimed the snake. "I hope I haven't hurt your feelings. Do you mean to say you never had anybody to teach you the Legends and Dreams and that?"

"Never."

"You poor newt. What do you do then when you hibernate?"

"I suppose I just go to sleep."

"And not dream?"

"No," said the Wart. "I don't think so. Not much."

It turned out that T. Natrix was an affectionate and tender-hearted creature, for it now shed a small, clear tear--through its nose--and exclaimed indignantly, "What a shame! Fancy the poor little reptile crawling into its lonely hole for all thos emonths with not a mother to remember, and not a single Dream to keep it company. I suppose they haven't even taught you History?"

"I always loved that." Sunny interrupts herself again, looking thoughtful. "Stories are important that way. I always thought so. I suppose you'll have to make up your own mind, love. I don't know very many people who don't like stories, though."

When Ray peeked in to check later, Sunny was half asleep but still reading.

"H. Sapiens had come meanwhile. He also had suffered from the terror of the Kangaroo. In order to protect himself from its rapine, he had developed a sub-class called H. Sapiens armatus, a class which was concealed in metal scales and carried a lance by means of which it defended itself against the Dinosauria."

"That's nonsense, you realise. That's something the storyteller has made up. There were never humans and dinosaurs together."

Ray grinned but said nothing, and Sunny continued, oblivious to him.

"This sub-class had perfected an order called H. Sapiens armatus georgius sanctus, which was sufficiently unobservant to classify all the Dinosaurs together as its enemies.

"Atlantosaurus thrust out her neck, and thought with triumph of her unborn children. She had never killed in he life, and these, the future, would perpetuate a vegetarian race. She heard the clank of H. Sapiens armatus georgius sanctus, and turned the comely reptile head towards him her kindly curiosity."

"Go on," said the Wart.

"He killed her, of course," concluded the serpent with sudden brevity, turning its own head away. "She was a reptile of my race."

"I am sorry," said the Wart. "I don't know what to say."

"There is nothing, dear," said the patient serpent, "that you can say. Perhaps I had better tell you a Legend or Dream, to change the subject."

"Ali," Ray said suddenly.

Sunny jumped. "Ray, don't do that. I had no idea you were there."

"I didn't think you did. Come on down for supper, right?"

"Yeah." Sunny set the book aside. "Coming."

Entry 25

Ray paced around the kitchen, mumbling. He twisted the beads of his necklace.

What was he supposed to do? Since deciding she was no longer speaking to him, Sunny had curled up in the nursery, coming out only for trips to the bathroom. She wasn't eating much.

He'd tried bringing her food but she wouldn't touch it.



"Ohhh...."

Sunny wraps a blanket around the new child, and cuddles her to her chest. "My daughter. My daughter."

The baby paws at Sunny's cheek, exhausted from her first, great act in life: hatching.

"Bronwen. My little wyrm, the name I give you is Bronwen." Sunny barely whispers, stroking Bronwen's ears with a finger. "I leave you to find your second name. Oh, Bronnie."

Bronwen blinks up at her mother, and purrs.

Entry 26

Sunny bathed Bronwen with a warm sponge, the baby watching and purring peacefully as she allowed this to occur.

Then... wait. There was an unpleasant feeling in the pit of Bronwen's stomach. She opened her mouth and howled.

It was the mewling cry of a dragonling, not a human baby. "Hush, Bronnie." Sunny wrapped the baby in a warm towel, and held her daughter close to her chest. Bronwen whimpered and mewled pitifully.

"Hungry, of course," Sunny mused. "But... you have no teeth. My dear, you're supposed to have your first set of teeth. Maybe it's because you're half human, wyrmling? Well, I had formula and bottles ready. All sorts of nutrients. And... given your father, that might be best for you."

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Sunny carried the wailing wyrmling down the stairs and into the kitchen. She warmed a bottle of formula, and offered the n****e to Bronwen. Bronnie gummed away on the bottle n****e a bit, discovered a spurt of something delicious, and sucked away. She grasped instinctively with her front paws, digging her baby-sharp claws into her mother's hand. Sunny winced.

"Well, I'm glad you like that. I hope you do well on it."

Ray's footsteps came down the hall. He stood in the doorway. "Ali, I know you're not talking to me, but I swear I heard--"

"C'mon. Come meet your neice." Unable to be angry, she smiled at him.

Ray sat down next to his sister. "She doesn't look human at all," he said in surprise.

"No. She has no teeth, though, like a human baby. Her name is Bronwen."

"It's a good name."

Bronwen's green eyes quested around the room, seeking for Ray but unable to focus properly yet.

Ray tickled Bronnie's ears. "Hey, Ali? She has your nose."





Entry 27

Sunny stared at the gifts that were beginning to clutter up the nursery in slight dismay. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, she left Bronwen's room and walked down the hall, patting the wyrmling on the back. Bronwen tightened her claws into her mother's shoulder and let out a soft burp.

Bronwen seemed more alert than the human newborns Sunny had known, which was to be expected. She was still far more helpless than any dragon hatchling.

The baby let out a soft, mewling noise, and Sunny shifted the child in her arms. Bronwen purred softly and promptly fell asleep.

"You don't do much other than eat and sleep, now, do you?" Sunny grinned, amused.

Entry 28

Sunny huddled on the living room couch. Bronwen was not asleep, nor hungry, but wide awake and fussing. Sunny held her daughter in her arms, mumbling soothingly while the little wyrmling squirmed and batted at the air with her claws.

A few nights of sleeplessness had left their toll; Sunny had dark bags under her eyes, and she was prone to walking into things.

Bronwen whimpered and waved her arms and smacked her mother on the arm, leaving a shallow scratch.

"Ow. Was that really necessary?" Sunny picked Bronwen up under her arms, and the wyrmling fidgeted. "You, my dear, are full of beans."

Bronwen wailed and gripped tightly with her clawed hands. Sunny winced. "I think I'm going to cut your nails. That's what I'm going to do, yes."

Entry 29

Sunny had set down Bronwen on a quilt on the floor. While Sunny caught up on her reading, the wyrmling squirmed and babbled to herself.

When Ray came in later, he took this in for a moment. "Where did Bronwen get that doll?" he asked at last.



"Hm? That? It was a present."

Bronwen chewed fiercely away at the plushie's arm, unable to do any damage without teeth.

"She really likes it," Sunny said with an easy shrug, and turned back to the book.



Entry 30

Sunny eyed the shelf of toys idly. It was getting full. Goodness.

She hefted Bronwen on her shoulder, and carried her daughter down the hall to the bathroom. Bathtime!

Bronwen mumbled and gurgled importantly, digging her claws into her mother's shoulder, while her tail wiggled.

Sunny filled the little baby tub with warm water, and set Bronnie in it. Bronwen startled at the water, and started wailing crankily.

"Shhh," Sunny soothed, and started humming. Bronwen whimpered and scratched at her mother's hand deep enough to break the skin; Sunny hissed through her teeth.

A sturdy washcloth was all that was necessary to clean Bronwen's dark grey scales. In a few patches, the skin was already starting to peel a bit as the wyrmling grew. Babies always grew so fast...

Bronwen bit at the washcloth and chewed away contentedly for a moment before Sunny managed to retrieve it. Her wings stretched and flapped, splashing water. Bronwen startled, and began to howl again.

"Oh, you cranky little thing," Sunny chided. "You did that yourself, even if you don't realise it yet." She gathered the now-clean little baby into her arms, and wrapped her in a soft red towel. Bronwen sucked on it while Sunny applied a bit of baby oil to the half-shed scales, and reflected upon the fact that as a wyrmling herself, she'd never had any such luxury. Of course, she'd also understood enough to know to scratch it off, which Bronwen didn't seem to, and had other dragons with proper claws to help her out.

Hopefully, Bronnie would be a little less cranky when she wasn't itchy.

Still with Bronwen wrapped in the towel, Sunny made her way down the hall to fetch a bottle of formula.

Entry 31

"Ack, Bronnie. It's a spoon, not a chew toy."

Sunny retrieved the spoon from her daughter's claws again and dipped it into the applesauce. The wyrmling complained noisily and fussed. "Yes, I am fully aware that you are hungry. However, formula is certainly not the diet of choice for a wyrmling, but you don't have any teeth, so we're experimenting, aren't we? Now... we were up to the applesauce."

Bronwen cleaned the spoon, and licked her muzzle experimentally. She squealed.

"Liked that, did you?" Sunny looked through the jars. "All right. So you like pretty much everything I've offered. Except the puréed peaches, and I really don't blame you. I hate peaches." She scratched behind Bronnie's ear. "Definitely my daughter. Now..."

Bronwen wailed impatiently and held out her arms. Sunny gave her a taste of creamed corn, which settled her down.

Entry 32

Bronwen lay on her stomach at her mother's feet, chewing on the corner of a blanket and growling. Sunny was deeply involved in a book entitled "Dragon's Egg," which, despite its title, had nothing to do with dragons and was actually a rather outdated and slightly impossible bit of science fiction about the lifeforms on the surface of a neutron star.

"Ali," Ray said suddenly. He had been sitting across the room silently for some time after he had switched off his music.

She glanced up and blinked at her brother. "Yeah?"

"Are you still angry with me?"

Sunny sighed. "No. Not really. Although I must admit I'm hoping Bronwen takes as long as possible to learn how to walk."

"You think Eldila's gonna believe she's not fully dragon?"

"I don't know. And frankly, I don't care." She sighed and set the book aside. Bronwen latched onto her mother's big toe and gummed it happily. "There's nothing he can do to her or to me, now, short of killing us outright, and I don't believe he'll do that."

"Not him."

"Of course not."

Bronwen squealed and purred; Sunny glanced down and discovered that the wyrmling had discovered how to heave herself across the floor with her front paws, dragging her body behind her.

"But... I guess she will learn to walk sooner than I want her to," Sunny sighed. She scooped the squirming dragonling into her arms, ignoring Bronwen's fierce little claws.

Entry 33

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Sunny sighed. The house was childproofed, hopefully. Bronwen was hardly active enough to be into everything, but she was suddenly mobile--even if dragging herself around by her front paws was no decent way to move--and it had seemed inevitable that eventually, quite likely soon, she would be into things.

Ray snickered. "You're crazy."

"I'm paranoid, which is a very different thing."

Bronwen began to howl, having woken up from her nap. Sunny smirked. "Time to test it, I guess."

Entry 49

"Muh-hum. Muhma." Bronwen tugged at Sunny's pant leg. "Woss 'daddee'?"

"A daddy?" Sunny hadn't been looking forward to this question. She scooped Bronwen up into her arms. "A daddy is like a mommy, but a boy. Why do you ask?"

"Ca-wrus."

"Cyrus. I see." There didn't seem to be any follow-up of "why don't I have a daddy," at least not yet, and Sunny was relieved.

"Woss dwragon?"

"Well, you're a dragon, Bronnie, and I'm a dragon. Wings and tail and scales and horns. That's a dragon."

Bronnie thought this over. "No skalz," she argued.

Er, complications. "Not now. I used to. I still have horns, though."

"Muhmee horn!" Bronnie reached up to touch Sunny's silvery horns, and tugged on them. Sunny winced slightly. "Paretty."

"Any other questions?" Sunny would rather deal with the infamous "where babies come from" than "why don't I look like you, mommy" but questions must be answered.

"No!" Bronwen clenched a fist around Sunny's necklace, a chunk of rhodonite on a black cord. "Ma-hine."

"Nuh-uh. That's Mummy's."





Entry 50

Bronwen inspected her new toys curiously. "Ca-wrus?"

"That's right. Cyrus gave them to you. You should say thank you when you see him again." Sunny inspected the windchimes. "We'll hang this in your window, okay? It'll make nice music."

"Woss it?" Bronnie pointed to the egg.

"That's an egg. It's your egg. It's named Spunky." Sunny had to suppress a giggle.

"Eat?"

"No, don't eat it." Sunny put the egg carefully into Bronwen's hands. "Inside the egg is a baby animal. We'll take really good care of the egg, and it will hatch open, and you'll have a pet."

Bronwen blinked. "Egg?"

"You came from an egg, too, Bronwen."

"No!"

"Yes," Sunny laughed, "you did. Like this one, but bigger. We'll put it in a warm safe place, and you can watch it until he's born."

Bronwen blinked. Eggs were food. This was very silly. "Pet? Spunky?"

"His name is Spunky. Yes. He came with the name."

"Spunkegg." Bronwen squealed in delight. "Pet!"



Entry 51

"Chibi Ray?!"

Sunny stifled a grin. "Calm down. I'm sure it's meant as a compliment."

Ray fumed. "That... that thing... playing with my niece... is named after me. It's insulting."

"Now, now. Bronnie likes him, and he looks pretty scary but he's a sweetheart. Like his namesake."

"Careful, Ali..."

Sunny tossed her head and poked Ray in the ribs.

In the next room, Bronnie could be heard leading the little dragonet around. "Chibi, thass couch. Soff." Chibi snorted like a puppy. The dragonet seemed very puppy-ish. "Chibi, thass Muh-hum fish. No touch."

Sunny burst out laughing again. Ray scowled.



Entry 52

Ray drew the curtains aside. "Um. Ali, come here. We have company."

"Oh? Good or bad?" Sunny went to the front window, and peered out to see the figure coming up the path. She burst out laughing, smothered it hastily. Bronwen blinked confusedly.

It was soon after that there was a powerful knock upon the door. Sunny scooped up Bronwen and followed Ray to the front hall.

Ray threw the door open, and Sunny again strangled a laugh in her throat. "Crestrider, this is a surprise."

"Sundragyn, Firebrand," grinned the visitor. To say she was tall was a gross understatement. She was somewhere around nine feet in height, powerfully muscled and sturdily-built, a giantess. Her pallid skin was patched with a few flecks of pale blue scales. From the back of her shoulders stretched a pair of blue, membranous and rather fin-like wings, and a scaled tail curved down the back of her legs. Her ears were something between horn and fin, and her hair, a blue-tinted blonde, grew only in a long, mohawk-like mane down the centre of her skull, lying in a long ponytail down her back.

"You know you're welcome to use our first names."

"Very well, Bennali, but you know you're welcome to call me Cona. I came to see this darling little child I've heard so much about." She chucked Bronwen under the chin.

"You've heard?" Ray asked.

"Everyone knows, Raynakre. Secrets have never lasted in the Tribe."

"No, they never have," Sunny laughed. "Come sit down, Cona." Her neck ached staring up at this draconic giant.

Cona Crestrider of Last Home was a peculiar person. She was, indeed, a dragon, with a broad flat tail and fin-like wings and a pale blue colour that suggested that she had ended up at the end of a genetic lineage thick with ancestors of the Mediterranean Amphibious race. Last Home, being a tribe of outcasts and liberals, had an interesting genetic pool. Cona had also been unlucky enough to lack magical ability, and when the Tribe had taken to human shape and scattered, this gargantuan, half-and-half form had been the best Cona had been able to achieve.

Bronwen simply stared at this massive woman, not quite sure what to think.

They sat in the living room. Cona took up most of the sofa. Bronwen clung to her mother's leg.

"Woss it?" she asked plaintively, pointing. Cona grinned.

"Bronnie, this is Mum's and Uncle Ray's friend Cona. Cona, this is my daughter Bronwen."

"Hello, Bronwen."

"Hallo." Bronnie released her grip on Sunny's leg, curiosity overcoming anxiety.

"Half dragon, is she?"

"Yes."

"I tell you, Bennali, there's a lot of jealousy over this." Cona laughed. "A few of the younger females are considering hunting down a willing human male. I doubt it will come to anything. Eldila still manages to keep a tight grip on us all, even if we are scattered."

Sunny grimaced. "He was pretty angry at me."

"Well, of course he was."

Bronwen let go of Sunny's leg at last and stepped up to Cona, eyeing the vertically flat, broad tail, a tail meant for swimming, a tail like a crocodile's. "Hi Cona. I Bwronnie."

"Very nice to meet you." Cona offered her hand to shake Bronwen's tiny, dwarfed paw. "Say, um, Bennali, Raynakre... I have a favour to ask." She tapped her fingers together. "I wasn't exactly planning on staying long, but, um, can I spend the night? This place is thick with slayers, and I'm... er, not exactly inconspicious." She blushed.

"Well, yeah, Cona," Ray said at once. "You're Tribe."

"Really? It's no trouble? Um." Cona helped Bronwen up onto her lap,and the little wyrmling squealed as she inspected this strange new person's scaled arms. "I'll be gone tomorrow. I really don't think I was seen arriving. Has it been bad?"

"We've had a few problems," Sunny admitted. "Nothing we couldn't handle. Bronwen did raise a few alarms."

Cona nodded solemnly. "Fire and ash, Bennali, you never struck me as the suicidal type."

Entry 53

"Mmmcoffee."

"Woss it?!"

"It's coffee."

"I twry?"

"No, Bronnie."

Bronwen snorted sulkily and Sunny shrugged. She blinked over the coffee.

"Whar Cohna?"

"Cona is. Um. I don't know where she is. Maybe she left already."

"Say bye?"

"Maybe she forgot."

"Morning," Ray yawned as he came into the kitchen. "Ah, good. Coffee."

He sat down with his own cup, and for a while no one said anything. Bronwen played with her animal crackers.

There was a scream. It was a masculine scream, a yelp of terror. Before Sunny had a chance to react to this, the kitchen door burst open, and Cona ducked inside.

"I found this," she said scornfully, "skulking in the bushes." She held it at arm's length and gave it a shake.

"I was not skulking," said the offending object. It was Atiao, dangling above the ground by a firm grip on his neck. "I was coming to visit. I was on the path. I dropped my keys. Put me down!"

Sunny sighed. It was too early for this. "Cona, it's all right. Put him down."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Cona set A'o down gently on the ground, and smoothed out his hair with a massive hand. He winced.

"Um," he said. "Um. I just wanted to... um."

"What is it?" Sunny sighed and scooped up Bronwen. "Bronnie, you remember A'o, right?"

"Hayo."

"Close enough. Um." A'o scratched his head. "Um. I just... can I lie low here for a few days? Someone theorized that you were warned, and, um, Momma thinks it's me, and she's on the warpath."

Sunny glanced at Ray, who was twitching with suppressed rage. "I suppose it would be all right."

"I'll deal with her," Cona offered cheerfully.

"You want to deal with Dymin Ekeli alone?" Sunny pointed out.

"Oh, her. No. No, I like living. Wait. You mean... he's... her son?!" She pointed at Atiao with a jabbing finger. He blushed.

"Uh, yes. I am."

"This scrawny, blushing, long-haired hippie is the famed Atiao Ekeli Wyrmslayer?"

"Yes, he is," Sunny provided, as Cona didn't seem to be paying much attention to A'o anymore.

"Are you nuts, Bennali?"

"Yes, she is."

"You stay out of this, Ray. You'd hardly be the first to tell me so, Cona." Sunny sighed. "He's a friend. I can trust him."

"He's a slayer. They don't change." Cona made a swipe at him, though A'o saw it coming and was across the room in an instant. "Oh, you're fast, little man, but not fast enough..." She turned quickly and upturned a few chairs, thanks to her huge size.

"Cona, stop now, you'll demolish my kitchen." Sunny stepped between. "A'o is a friend. Really. I've known him a while, and I've put my life in his hands several times. He hasn't failed me."

"Hayo!" Bronwen struggled until her mother put her down, and she scampered across the linoleum to A'o's feet. "Member Hayo."

Cona ran her fingers through her hair. "Fine. Bennali, I won't interfere in your business, but this can't end well. Be careful." She enveloped Sunny in a too-large, bone-cracking hug. "I guess I'm off now."

Ray waited until Cona had gone, then spoke up. "I think she's right, you know."

Atiao, who was at this point holding Bronwen in his arms, looked up unnerved. "Um."

"Even if he doesn't betray us himself, which is very likely, his dear old mother is out looking for him. Dymin Ekeli Deathmonger. Ekeli Vivisector. Blooddrinker. Eggsplitter."

"You really call her that?" Atiao asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Sunny admitted. "Those are the nicer ones. The other names for her we can't say in front of Bronwen."

"Blooddrinker?" He looked slightly ill.

"That story is probably, mostly untrue. I think. I hope." Sunny shrugged.

"And you want to keep his son here."

"The house is in my name," Sunny reminded him. She turned to Atiao. "What about Helos? And that friend of yours, Kye?"

"My mother isn't after them. She's pretending Helos doesn't exist and I'm not sure she has a clue who Kye is. They're safe. I'm the one who has to worry. Please. Sunny, you really are the only place I have to go right now. I've come here without anything more than the clothes on my back. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"You can stay. For a while." Sunny put a hand on his shoulder, ignoring Ray's sputtering.

Entry 54

Bronwen lay in her crib, curled on her side, staring at the wall. She could hear her mother and Uncle Ray discussing something in the next room. Had to do with that Hayo person. Hm.

Well, she'd been practicing and now was as good a time as ever.

Bronnie easily lifted herself over the crib bars, and climbed down. Freedom! Thusly liberated, she fled from the nursery, scrambling down the hallway.

She paused. The door of the room nearest the stairs was open. It wasn't usually. Bronwen scampered up to it and peered inside.

It was that Hayo person! Pleased to discover him, she let out a squeal and ran across to climb up onto the bed beside him. "Hayo!"

He grinned. "Hey, Bronnie. I thought you were having your nap."

"No nahp. Woss it?" She peered over his shoulder at a small picture he held in his hands.

"It's a photo. A picture of me and my brother. See? That's him. His name is Helos."

"Woss 'brother'?"

'Hayo' looked puzzled for a moment. "A brother is, um... well, someone who has the same mother and father as you. Your uncle Ray is your mother's brother."

Bronwen thought. "Oh," she said at last, remembering a few discussions along this line with other children. Damien had mentioned a sister. Cyrus had mentioned Rhiannon's father. It was all very complicated. Bronnie had a mother and an uncle, and as far as she was concerned, that was the way all families should be.

Something clicked in her mind. "Uncle Wray sez Hayo bahd."

"Does he?" He sighed so unhappily that Bronwen was muchly alarmed by this. She hugged his arm.

"Ma-hum like Hayo."

"That's good."

"Bwronnie like Hayo."

"Well, good."

"Um," said Ray from the doorway. Bronwen blinked up at her uncle, and gave a happy squeal. Ray scowled at Atiao, and turned away.

Entry 55

"Don't worry. I'll keep a close eye on Ray."

"If you say so."

Sunny clucked her tongue and jabbed A'o in the chest with a finger. "Do you know what most etymologists believe is the root of the word 'dragon'?"

Atiao raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Drakôn. Greek. Related to the verb meaning to stare."

"...and your point is?"

"I never miss anything."

"Right. Okay, then."

Sunny laughed easily. "Relax. Really. The world isn't so bad." She flopped back onto the guest room bed, curled herself around her sleeping daughter.

"I hope you're right."

"Trust me. I've lived a long time, and I've seen a lot of s**t. Some days the bad stuff outnumbers the good, and other days it's the good stuff in control." She sighed, stroking the back of Bronwen's neck. The little dragon purred without waking. "Ray's still hung up on the bad stuff."

"My life hasn't really seemed so good so far," A'o groused.

"A'o, listen for a moment." Sunny stretched a hand idly up towards the ceiling. "Don't beat yourself up. Dragonslaying wasn't your fault. It was the idea of someone a very long time ago. Do you think I don't know what it's like to have family expectations?"

A'o stared at Sunny. "I guess not."

"Now, I'm not going to lie. There have been wicked dragons, just as there are wicked humans. Unfortunately, many humans are perfectly happy to lump all dragon in under 'evil,' and there are plenty of dragons willing to do the same when it comes to humans. We're all people."

"Sometimes, Sunny, I do think you were very foolish, trusting me the way you did."

"I'm very naive and gullible. Ask anyone."

"Sunny. I'm trying to be serious."

"So am I. And I worry about Bronwen, not being one thing or the other. I don't know if she'll be able to breathe fire, or fly, or shapeshift, or anything. But there isn't anything I can do about it. She's her and I'm me and you're you and that's all we have. Hell, that's all anyone has." Sunny sighed.

"Bronnie said," A'o said hesitantly, "that according to Ray, I'm 'bad.'"

"She did?"

"She went on to tell me that she and you like me."

"Har. Really, A'o, I will keep an eye on Ray. I am not my brother's keeper, but I can certainly kick his a** if he tries anything stupid."

Entry 56

Bronwen began to scream bloody murder, very suddenly, from her room.

Sunny had put her down for her nap about an hour earlier, and she burst out of her own bedroom in a rush. That was not a cranky-waking-up-cry.

She nearly collided with Ray in her rush. "It's that slayer, I tell you," he growled.

"Don't jump to conclusions," she snapped back.

"I'm over here," A'o supplied, from down the hall. He looked as baffled as anyone.

Sunny shook Ray off and poked her head into Bronwen's room. Bronwen was sitting in her crib, pointing at the nearby dresser, and shrieking her head off. Nothing seemed to be apparently wrong.

"Oh, hush, hush, darling." Sunny scooped her daughter up into her arms. "What's wrong? Bad dream?"

"Eggy BWROKE," Bronwen wailed, still pointing.

Sunny bent to look. On the dresser she had put the egg named Spunky, where Bronnie could see it and it would be safe, and sure enough, the egg had broken open. Lying in the middle of the eggshell shrapnel was a small, spotty lizard, blinking up in obvious alarm.

"No, no," Sunny soothed. She scooped Spunky up in one hand. "It's not broken. It hatched. Didn't I tell you something would hatch from it?"

Bronwen sniffled and looked at Spunky uneasily; the gecko blinked back at her. "Hatch?"

"Yes, he grew inside the egg, and now he's born, and he doesn't need the egg anymore, so he broke it when he hatched. That's how you were born, too. Here, you hold him. Be careful, now. He's just a baby."

Bronwen took Spunky into her hands with exaggerated care. The gecko huddled between her claws and blinked up at her.

"Spunky! Cute!" Fright forgotten, Bronwen watched Spunky in pure delight.

"Told you I didn't do anything," A'o muttered.

"Shut up," Ray scowled.

Entry 57

"Stowry."

Sunny peered over the top of her comic book, and grinned. "I'm sorry, did you want something?"

"Stowry!" Bronwen bounced up and down in excitement.

"That's not how we ask for things, remember?"

"Stowry peez?"

"Better." Sunny put down the comic and slid it away. "What sort of story did you want?"

Bronwen crawled across the couch and into her mother's lap. "Dwraggin."

"A story about a dragon?"

"Yesh, muhm. Peez?"

Sunny grinned. "Okay. Let me think." An old tale sprang to her mind, and she grinned wider. "Once, a very very long time ago, there was a family of dragons who lived by the sea."

"Woss dat?"

"What's the sea? Hmm. Well, it's a very large amount of water, so big you can't see the other end of it. It's cold and salty, and it's where sharks and whales live."

"Oh." Bronwen gave this some thought.

"Now," Sunny continued, "they lived by the sea, and they swam in the sea and they caught fish to eat, and at night they slept in a cave on the beach. And one day, one of the mummy dragons laid an egg, and out of that hatched a little baby dragon."

"Yay!" Bronnie shrieked, and clapped her hands.

"Now, the little baby dragon had one horn here," Sunny touched Bronwen's left horn with a finger, "and one here," she indicated the right horn, "but she also had one right here," and she touched the horn on Bronwen's nose. Bronnie giggled. "None of the other dragons had ever seen a dragon with three horns, before, and they didn't know what to think. Still, she was a cute little bundle of scales and they all loved her to death."

"She balack?"

"Mmm. No, I think she was blue and green."

"Why?"

"Because that's what colour she was. Now, the little dragon was named Eisseja."

"Eesja?"

"Close enough," Sunny laughed. "Eisseja grew up a little, just like you're doing. And one day, she was out exploring by the edge of the ocean and she found a big, shiny rock. It was yellow, and very pretty, and she'd never seen anything like it before. So, she took it home to show the others. The old dragons told her that it was a piece of gold, and she was very lucky to have found it."

"Gode?"

"Yep, gold. Eisseja took the gold to her special hiding place and took good care of it."

"Ooo."

Sunny grinned, pleased. "One day, not too long after that, a monster from far away came."

"Woss look like?"

"Well, it was very, very big, bigger than any of the dragons, and it had five heads. It had fur on body and feathers on its heads and scales on its tail. It had big, scary sharp teeth, and big, scary sharp claws, and a big, sharp spike on the end of its tail."

Bronwen's eyes went wide, and she shivered.

"Is this too scary?"

"No!"

"Okay... the monster went up to the oldest, wisest, smartest dragon, and said," Sunny dropped her voice an octave, as low as she could speak, "'I AM GOING TO EAT YOU UP.'"

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes! The old dragon said, 'Go away. We don't want any monsters here, and there are many more of us than there are of you. If you try to eat us, we'll fight you!' And the monster said, 'I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU. I'M GONNA EAT YOU ALL UP.' And then the monster opened all of its mouths open really wide, and it swallowed the old, wise dragon."

Bronwen's mouth hung open. "Oh no!"

"Are you sure this isn't too scary?"

"Tell stowry, muhm!"

"Okay. All the dragons were really scared, and they ran away into their cave and curled up together and tried to figure out what they were going to do. Since they'd lost the oldest, wisest dragon, the strongest and bravest dragon stepped foward and volunteered to go fight the monster. 'I'm not afraid!' he said, and before anyone could stop him, out he went, and GULP, the monster swallowed him up, too. And then, no one knew what to do, except for..."

"Eesja!"

"Except for Eisseja, yes. She crept down to her secret place, and found her beautiful, shiny piece of gold. And she took it out to the monster, and she said, 'Don't eat me, please! I have a present for you!' The monster looked at her really carefully, because it was confused. It reached out to take the gold, but Eisseja took it back. 'Nu-uh!' she said, 'first you have to say please.'

"'WHAT IS IT?' the monster asked, and Eisseja answered, "It's the most wonderful, delicious food, ever. Only we know the secret of it, and if you eat us all up, no one will ever make it again. 'IS IT DELICIOUS?' asked the monster, and Eisseja said, 'It's so good that if you eat it once, you'll never be able to eat anything else ever because it's so much more delicious than everything else in the world.'"

"Gode is wrock," Bronwen said sagely.

"Yes, but the monster didn't know that. It said, 'GIVE IT TO US. GIVE IT TO US PLEASE.' Eisseja threw it towards them and all five heads began to fight over who got to eat it, until the monster had bitten off all of its head but one, and that one ducked down to eat the gold. It was so greedy it swallowed it whole, and the gold got stuck in its throat. The monster couldn't swallow anything anymore, let alone eat an entire dragon. It roared and yelled, but Eisseja hid behind a rock, and it couldn't eat her up, so it had to go away."

"Yay!"

"Yay! The other dragons came out of the cave, and cheered for Eisseja, because she had been so brave and clever. And ever since then, all dragons have believed that three horns," Sunny tapped Bronnie's horns again, "is good luck." She kissed her daughter between the eyes. "The end."

Sunny glanced up to see Ray lurking in the doorway. He looked disapproving, but she scowled at him and shooed him away.

Entry 58

"All right, that's ENOUGH." Sunny burst into the living room, juggling Bronwen on her hip, followed by Coya the little Porcelain, who'd brought A'o note requesting help.

Ray looked up, a trace of guilt on his anger-creased features; A'o crawled out from behind the sofa. A'o sported a fresh black eye, among other wounds, and Ray was bleeding from a cut on his cheek.

Sunny sighed. "Coya, go take Bronwen upstairs, please."

The porcelain blinked up, responding that she would although she was terribly alarmed by Sunny's obvious anger. Everyone's anger, actually. Things had not been quite this bad when she left...

"Later, Coya. Please. I can only deal with one thing at a time right now."

Coya nodded and poked Bronwen. Both disappeared up the stairs. Sunny turned back to Ray and Atiao, and she scowled.

"This is ridiculous. You are both grown men. Why can't you at like it?"

"I was just--" A'o began.

"I don't care." Sunny's voice peaked into a shriek on the final word. "I don't care who started it, I don't care what's happened, but it stops now. Honestly, the moment I turn my back on you two you're at each other's throats." She took a deep breath. "Atiao, go put some ice on your eye. I can't lecture you. However, I can dig the hell into my brother," she hissed the word, "and that's what I'm going to do."

"Give it up, Ali..."

"Shut up. We're talking. Now." She grabbed him by the arm, touched a fresh bruise, and he winced. Sunny was too angry to release her grip; she led him out of the room into the corridor. She could faintly hear Atiao move into the kitchen.

Eyes narrowed and teeth bared, Sunny backed Ray up against the wall. "What exactly do you have your crest up for? You've been acting screwy for days, but I, in my foolishness, trust you not to kill anything while I'm gone for an hour, tops, and you can't even do that!"

Ray scowled back at her. "I am so fed up with you, Ali. You're going around like there's nothing to worry about, and you're telling Bronnie stories about five-headed monsters that, it's suspected, never existed in the first place, when we have a perfectly real monster under this roof."

"What, A'o?" Sunny scoffed. "Are you nuts? He's harmless. He's gone so funny in the head lately it's a wonder to me that no one's had him committed. He's neurotic. He's afraid to squish spiders because they might turn around to make friends. He is, and I repeat this for emphasis, completely harmless. Why can't you just let him be?"

"He tried to kill me, Ali. He tried to kill you, too, if you'd remember that. And you're letting him under the same roof as your daughter!"

Sunny sighed, her fingers pressed to her temples. "And you tried to kill him. Many times. Now you're even."

Ray shook his head. When he s poke at last, his voice was very low. "Ali, the first time I met him, I thought he'd killed you. Later, I found out he nearly had. I don't understand how you can forgive him, and how the hell can you expect me to forgive him, too?"

She closed her eyes. "It's more complicated that that."

"How?"

"I promised A'o I wouldn't speak of it."

"Oh, for chrissakes, Ali."

"I'm serious. If you want to know, go ask him about the dragonbane."

Sunny got caught upstairs. She wasn't quite sure she heard the knock, and leaned out the window to see if she had, indeed heard something.

She gave a whoop and turned away from the window. "Hey, Bronnie, come downstairs with me, okay? We have company?"

"Who?"

"You'll see."

Sunny scooped Bronwen up in her arms, and up onto her shoulders. Bronnie clung to her mother's horns as they swept down the stairs, through the living room, into the foyer.

Sunny swung the door open, laughing a little. "You better be who I think you are, otherwise I'm going to look very silly, Sosi."



"Pleasure to meet you, Riven." Sunny extends a hand to be shaken. "I've heard of the Fa'e... it's an honour to finally be introduced to one."

Bronwen's eyes go round as saucers when the Fa'e is brought to her attention. "Purple," she states at last, at a bit of a loss.

Sunny looks a little embarrassed. "This would be Bronwen, my daughter, yes. Not something I ever expected, but... Gaia is a strange place."



Bronwen looks a little taken aback. Her? Special? "I guess. Purple is pretty. Want down, muhm." Sunny lets her daughter down, and Bronnie pokes gently at Riven with a claw.

Sunny blinks suddenly, flustered. "Oh! Honestly, here were are, standing in the door. Come in, come in. Can I get you tea? Or coffee? Or something?"



Sunny grins. "The kitchen's through here," she says, waving for them to follow.

Bronnie stares up at Riven. "How...?" She tries poking him once more, to see if he'll phase out again. Very strange.





((Makes sense to me.))

Sunny raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment. "I... see." She sets a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table. "Something interesting must've happened. Okay."

Bronnie pouts. "I want to. Does it hurt?" She pokes the wall a few more times, unsuccessfully. At Sosi's words she glances back at the grown-ups, then at Riven.

"Riven is BIG," she proclaims. "Not little."



"Not yet," Bronnie says decisively. "I will," she adds, and flaps her wings firmly a few times. "I fly REALLY HIGH." If Sunny hears that, she pretends not to. Bronwen inspects Riven carefully. "You have wings too." She tries to touch them.

"Ray. Ray, well." Sunny sighs. "Well, we haven't killed each other yet. So we're still living with each other. Out of loneliness, I suppose." She shrugs as she pours the water into the white-and-blue teapot, and then the tea into the cups. "What can I say? He's family. He's doing okay. He's gone off... rock-hunting, I think, for the afternoon. We've had a small fight, and he's avoiding me." She sets Sosi's tea on the table. "Riven, are you going to want tea?"



"But you float," Bronwen points out. This Riven person is a very odd and intriguing creature... deserves more study... "That's like flying." Poke. Poke, poke.

Sunny puts her hand against her chest in mock amazement. "I'm shocked. I would never do that, Sosi. At least not to you." She grins, pours out a third cup of tea, and sets it on the table for Riven when he wants it. She slides into a chair, sipping from her own cup.



Sunny shakes her head. "She's half-dragon. And... well... actually, she didn't look like that a few days ago, even. She discovered how to shift. On her own." There is pride in her voice, but also a touch of regret that she had no part in it, and that she couldn't help. "She looked, well, like a typical wyrmling. A little on the small side, but typical." She shrugs. "I suppose fairly soon I'll have to help her figure out how to shift on purpose. I really thought that if she had that ability, she'd come by it later, but Bronnie has been one surprise after another, really."

Bronwen trails along behind Riven, and climbs up into the chair next to him. She reaches for a cookie, and gnaws on it, her eyes never leaving him.

After a moment's thought, she attempts to dip her cookie in Riven's tea.



Bronwen looks excited. "Pleez? Pleez, mum?"

Sunny grins. "It's fine. Go right ahead." She waves a hand leisurely and sips down the last of her tea.



Bronwen giggles and runs outside, eager to see these "interesting things." She's also eager to just get a chance to further investigate Riven. Bonus!

Sunny stifles a giggle behind her hand. "Sosi... not that I'm not glad to see you... but... if they're gone now, can I ask how you've managed to settle down anywhere long enough to raise a kid?"



((I've read it. 3nodding Erm, I'm going to have to get off for a bit... eek... I will return! Hopefully. Yes.))

"Yes, pleez." Bronnie looks around, but doesn't see anything. "Where are they? Are they in.. inbel.. visbable?" She stammers over the hard word a moment, and looks proud at her small success.

Sunny tilts her head. "Oh, my. Sosi..." She offers her hand. "I wish I'd known you were here. I would've... I don't know... offered some sort... of support... or something." She grimaces at herself.

((I've read it. 3nodding Erm, I'm going to have to get off for a bit... eek... I will return! Hopefully. Yes.))

"Yes, pleez." Bronnie looks around, but doesn't see anything. "Where are they? Are they in.. inbel.. visbable?" She stammers over the hard word a moment, and looks proud at her small success.

Sunny tilts her head. "Oh, my. Sosi..." She offers her hand. "I wish I'd known you were here. I would've... I don't know... offered some sort... of support... or something." She grimaces at herself.

Sunny nods, slowly. "I see. Sosi, you know I won't tell Riven if you don't wish it, but... I suspect you're still a very, very strong person. You always have been."

Bronwen stares, filled with awe. "S'pretty," she says, eyeing the flashing crystal with a purely draconic eye. "Where it come from?"



"No worries. Losing things like that is never easy. If I can offer a sympathic ear, heck, it's the least I can do." Sunny smirks, a little sadly. "The very, very least."

Bronwen obediently takes a step or two back, hands behind her, eyes still wide and watching Aeintor carefully. She folds her wings back, a trifle uneasy, but any caution is overcome by intense curiosity.



"I'll keep that in mind," Sunny smiles. "I've missed you. It's been so long since I've seen you. At least it seems like forever." She pours herself some more tea.


Bronwen giggles as it tickles her wings. "Very pretty," she tells it. "I Bronnie." Her tail curls from side to side, while she looks the syreut in the eye. She looks up at Riven questioningly. "What is it?" Overwhelmed with the urge to touch everything and discover what it feels like, she reaches out to pat it, wondering.



((That's fine.))

"Sounds lovely. I'd love to see it." Sunny grins. "I will have to make a point of coming to visit one of these days, then."


Bronnie cooed at the touch of the Syreut's fur. "I like it." She giggles at the eye-blinking: four eyes! How neat. She blinks her own eyes at it, one finger in her mouth as she laughs.



"Yes! Yes pleez!" Bronwen claps her hands. "It so PRETTY. And it float, like you." Her wings unfold and refold as she fidgets excitedly. "It have big ears," she adds thoughtfully. "Big, funny ears." She giggles. "But pretty."



Bronwen took a moment to inspect this odd creature. It was, she considered, quite pretty, though not as pretty as the syreut. "Ummm. Okay. Mister Santar, you can..." She looks around quizzically. "You can pick me flower. Not those flowers, dere," she points, "'cause those mum's flowers. One of those." She gestures towards a few flowering weeds growing in the middle of the lawn.



((Heh, don't worry about it too much...))

Bronwen squeals and giggles as she steps back. She picks up the whole plant, dirtclod and all. "Thank you Mister Santar," she giggles. "It very pretty flower. I give to Mum."



"Next time," Bronnie agrees. She stands up, brushing herself off. "I want to meet all your friends. They're funny."

Sunny grinned. "Thank you! Mmm, they smell good. You really didn't need to..." Nevertheless, she takes a quick taste of one of them, smiling semi-guiltily.



((Heck, I'm slow myself, caught between turkey and working full time.))

Bronwen sticks her fingers in her mouth and giggles. "We go inside now?" It's none-too-warm, after all.


"Dinner! Oh, what a wonderful idea. We'll definitely keep that in mind." Sunny rises, too, stretching a little.



"Anytime, Sosi," Sunny smiles. "That's what I'm for."

"Lots of fun," Bronwen confirms, most pleased. "You go now?" She pouts a little.

"Riven can't stay forever, Bronnie. I'm sure we can see him again, soon."

"Really?"

"Well, that's what Sosiqui and I have been talking about, a little."

Sunny hugs Sosi tightly in goodbye, and closes the door while Bronnie runs to the front window to watch them leave and wave, noticed or not.

Entry 87

Ray felt the piece of hematite in his pocket as he approached Eldila's cottage. He stared at the ground in front of him, while Bronnie ran through the woods, wings half-outstretched. Hematite is cold and heavy, more like metal than stone, but brittle. It was real. Nothing else was.

He wasn't looking forward to this.

"I see a house, Uncle Ray. Is that where we're going?"

Ray's head snapped up. "Yup, that's it. Slow down and walk with me, Bronnie."

"Kay. Can I knock?"

"When we get there, sure."

Ray couldn't shake the uncustomary cold feeling in his chest, like all his inner fire had gone out on him. That was ridiculous; a human shape couldn't hold the fire, but that's what it felt like. Bronnie knocked on the door.

"Suivi?" Ray said, politely using Eldila's second name. "Are you here?"

"Come in." The door creaked open, and shut behind them without Eldila doing more than wave a hand. "I wasn't expecting you, Raynakre, and Odin tells me he has not seen your sister." The raven in the window croaked importantly.

Ray made a slight face. "Bennali didn't feel it wise to leave at the moment."

"Oh?" Eldila narrowed his eyes.

"We've had another addition to the family," Ray said hesitantly. He set the chunk of hematite on the table with a click.

"I got a big sister!" Bronwen added helpfully.

"Ah," Eldila said, understanding. "Bennali and her transients. Sit down, sit down. I can't say I'm pleased, but Bronwen is here nonetheless. And I have not spoken with you in a very long time, Raynakre."

Ray bowed his head. He sat opposite Eldila. "Suivi--"

"Why so formal? You've never felt it necessary to use my second name, before. We are blood, after all, however distantly."

"Eldila, then. I guess I'm nervous."

"Bronwen, come here for a second."

Bronnie approached Eldila rather hesitantly, staring into the blind eyes with open curiousity.

"Do you remember me, child?"

"Not really."

"Well, you were very young." Eldila touched her face. "Oh! You have changed, since you were last here. You have learned to shift."

"Yup." There was pride in her voice.

"Could you shift for me now, then?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It hurts and I won't," Bronnie said sulkily. She crossed her arms.

"Ali and I have tried, Eldila, but she refuses to shift on purpose," Ray said.

Eldila clucked his tongue. "A shame, but she is a child, yet. We can only hope she will learn, in time. Bronwen, my dear, you may take the piece of hematite from the table. It's a gift for you."

"Thank you," Bronnie said. She plucked it from the table, admired it a moment, and dropped it into her pocket, where it clinked with a few pretty pebbles she had picked up along the way.



"I have a friend here," Eldila said, taking the raven from the window. "His name is Odin." He transferred Odin onto Bronnie's shoulder; she staggered slightly under the weight of the bird. "I would like to speak with your Uncle for a while. Would you like to go explore the woods until we're done?"

"Okay," Bronwen agreed readily, and hurried out the door, Odin flying after her.

Eldila listened to Bronnie and his familiar leave, and he sighed heavily. "Raynakre, repeat for me what you said when last we spoke face-to-face."

"But--"

"Repeat for me."

Ray sighed and stared at the ground. "'I will attempt to keep my sister from giving herself away.' But--"

"Did it not occur to you that allowing your sister to have a child would be a great giveaway?"

"Of course! But I had no way to stop her, Eldila. You know how Ali is."

"Yes. Yes, I do." The elder sighed. "While I have nothing but respect and approval for Bennali's capacity for love, she should not have had a child. It was a foolish thing. This entire area has become extremely dangerous for our people. Dragonslayers are looking for you, and your sister, and your neice. Bronwen is a charming child, and in another time I would have been pleased to welcome her into the Tribe. But there is no more Tribe, and her presence puts us all in danger."

"What do you suggest?" Ray asked in a low voice.

"I suggest nothing. Bronwen is here now. Many of us came to Gaia simply because it was safer, but it isn't any longer. This is not entirely the fault of Bennali and Bronwen, of course. We would have been found eventually. Still, this has hastened events." Eldila grimaced.

"Ali isn't the only one to blame. I've been careless, too," Ray admitted.

"As have we all. I counsel caution, Raynakre. There is, I am very much afraid, nothing else to do."

Entry 88

An otherwise quiet conversation was suddenly interrupted as Odin swept in through the open window, and Bronnie burst in through the door. Eldila turned his sightless eyes to the raven familiar, and rose to his feet.

"What is it?" Ray asked.

"No time, no time," Eldila snapped. He reached for his staff, and used it to feel his way across the room. Ray watched as the elder moved his hand over the floor; cracks spread over the planks in a neat square. He pried the top up, and pointed into the darkness below with the end of his staff.

"Down there. Now."

"But--"

"Raynakre," Eldila snarled, "this is no time to argue. You and Bronwen must hide. Now."

Ray scooped up Bronnie, who was beginning to whimper, and he crawled down into the darkness. The trap door shut behind them.

"I'm scared," Bronnie whispered. Her eyes glimmered faintly in the dark, something that had always vaguely unnerved Ray.

"Shhh. I'm sure everything is okay," he assured her, though his own heart beat hard. "Just sit quiet."

They sat down on the ground; it felt like packed earth. Above, so soft and distant it sounded a lifetime away, were the sounds of footsteps: Eldila's soft, shuffling steps, with the tap of his staff.

voices

and other steps

not Eldila's

stranger's steps

sound of wings

slice of metal

thunk of wood

and

and

and then

a mighty roar, unlike anything Ray had heard

crumbling silence.

Bronwen whimpered and clung to Ray; he held her tight, afraid to move.

Entry 89

"What was that sound?" Bronnie whispered.

"I don't know. Bronnie, I'm going to need to look around for a moment. Are you going to be okay by yourself in the dark?"

"I'm not scared of the dark, Uncle Ray," she said crossly.

"Fine, then. That's great. I'm going to have to let go of you, now."

She whimpered.

"Take out that piece of hematite Eldila gave you, Bronnie. Hold on to it." Ray smoothed Bronnie's hair back, felt her fumbling in her pocket.

"S'cold."

"Yep. Hold onto it tight, and I'm going to go look around."

"Okay."

Ray pulled away gently. "I'm just feeling my way around," he explained, hoping that the sound of his voice would reassure her.

"I want a story."

"Um. Okay. I'm not so good at stories." He cast around in his mind, latched upon the first thing that occurred to him. "Well, once, a long time ago, there was a dragon who was very good at magic. That doesn't happen very often. It almost never happens." Ray encountered a wall and swore to himself. "And this dragon really liked showing off, so the elders sent him on a long trip." Another wall. Damn. This room was not very large. "The dragon went all the way to the other end of the world, and he met a human princess who was captured by an evil human wizard."

"Why?" Bronnie sounded calmer.

"Oh, he wanted to her to marry him or something like that. I forget." Third wall. Great. And still no sign of a door. "Anyway, the dragon rescued the princess, and she thanked him, and he took her home. He took on a human shape and went into her kingdom to meet the King and Queen." Fourth wall. Well. No way out that way. "The King didn't know he was a dragon, and asked him to marry the princess, and the dragon said no and left."

"That's not a very good story," Bronwen told him critically.

"Yeah, well, I'm not good at stories." Ray felt the feeling; he could just barely brush it with his fingertips, and it occurred to him that after all that feeling around, he wasn't sure where the trap door was.

He tried not to sigh, and glanced towards where he knew Bronwen was, saw her faintly gleaming eyes watching him.

"Um. Bronnie?"

"Yes?"

"Can you see me?"

"Yuh-huh."

Ray couldn't see a thing; the only difference in having his eyes open and closed was the faint moonshine glow of his niece's eyes. That had always unnerved him. "You can see all around this room?"

"Yeah." Bronnie's voice took on a nervous tone. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's very, very good."

Entry 90

For now, Ray was not going to question this. Yes, it was odd, but for now, it was a godsend, and that sort of thing should never be investigated too closely until it doesn't matter any more.

"Can you see where the door we came in is?"

"Uh-huh. It's right there."

Ray paused. "Er, Bronnie. I can't see where you're pointing."

Bronwen gave a little-girl-sigh, and Ray saw the light of her eyes come near; still, he jumped a little when she touched his hand. She pulled him across the room, slowly, and brought him to a stop.

"It's right above us," she said.

Ray reached up, and felt with the tips of his fingers. He couldn't find anything at first, but--there! It was the tiny crack of the trapdoor. Ray tried to push it open, but discovered a problem.

"Is something wrong, Uncle Ray?"

"I'm too short," he mused.

"You're not short. You're tall."

"To you, maybe, but I'm not, really. Bronnie, do you think you could push it if you were on my shoulders?"

"I could try."

Carefully, for fear of cracking her head on the roof, Ray pulled Bronwen up onto her shoulders. Ray could hear the scratch of her claws on the trapdoor, and slowly, the door swung open, revealing not the dim indoor light of a house, but full daylight. A scattering of rubble filtered down, and Ray tried not to sneeze.

"I'm going to lift you up, Bronnie. I want you to climb out, okay?"

"Okay."

With wings folded tightly, in a scramble of claws and a flick of her tail, Bronwen scrambled up.

"Ohhhhhh," she breathed.

Ray's heart did double-time. "Bronnie? Is everything okay up there?"

"Everything went thwwwwump."

Wondering what this meant, Ray gave a terrific jump upwards, his hands shifting in form slightly; he crawled up after his niece, leaving deep claw-grooves in the wooden floor. He stood, and straightened his clothes, and looked around.

Everything had gone "thwwwwump." Almost nothing remained of the house's walls, save a few bricks where the corners had been. Brick and stone and tile had been powdered, wood had been splintered, the remains of dishes lay like seashells over the ground, crunching underfoot.

"Eldila?" Ray called. Bronwen moved closer to him and clung to his hand. "Anyone?"

They crunched over the remains. It was like a hurricane had hit the house, but left the forest untouched. There were black feathers in the wreckage. Bronnie slipped her hand out of Ray's.

"Don't go far," Ray warned uneasily.

"I won't."

Ray bent to the rubble, inspecting a piece of metal. It looked uncannily like a piece of a sword blade, one which had shattered like glass. There were a few more pieces, and not far... Ray's eyes fell upon the cracked hilt.

Now, a dragon has no real use for a sword. Some, like his own sister, may collect them for their beauty, and may have a vague notion how to use some of them, but in a tight situation, Sunny and any other dragon would prefer to go in with claws and teeth. Eldila, being a sorcerer, had even less need for such a crude weapon. In all likelihood, it had been Eldila who had caused the tiny windstorm, or whatever it had been that had levelled the house.

And Ray was also fairly sure that Eldila had never even had any interest in swords.

He picked up the hilt to inspect it more closely. Ray could admire it from a craftsman's point of view as well as for the allure dragons loved. There were some marks on it, half-obscured by age and dust. Ray squinted at it a moment.

The knot in his stomach tightened suddenly, convulsively, and he let the hilt drop. No dragon would keep a sword like that in his collection, however beautiful it was. That sword had, undoubtedly, belonged to a slayer.

"Uncle Ray. I found something. They're all over." Bronnie tugged at his arm insistently. She held out her hand. In the palm glistened several little objects, the size of a fingernail, and so pale a blue that they just barely escaped being white.

"Put them on the ground," Ray croaked. "Now."

"Uncle Ray?"

"Now."

Bronwen dropped them hurriedly; they fluttered down to rest amongst the sword shards. Her eyes grew wide, but she did not speak.

"Do you know what those are?"

"They look like scales."

"They are scales." Ray swallowed; the lump in his throat was almost painful. "Come on, Bronnie. We should leave this place now."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Don't argue. Hurry."

He couldn't bring himself to tell her that they were Eldila's scales.

Entry 91

"Muuuuuum." Bronnie latched onto Sunny's legs from behind. "Mum, we went on the train, and we saw Eldila, and he gave me a shiny rock, and everything went thwwwwump, and I missed you!"

"I missed you, too." Sunny put down the knife she was using to chop vegetables, wiped her hands on her jeans, and scooped her daughter up. "Have fun?"

"Yup." Bronwen fumbled for the piece of hematite. "See? Isn't it pretty?"

"Very pretty." Sunny glanced away from her daughter to her brother. "Ray, what's up? You look awful. Didn't you sleep last night?"

Ray was quite pale and fidgety. "Not much," he admitted.

"Put me down, Mum. I wanna go say hi to Glee."

"She's upstairs." Sunny waited until Bronnie had left the room, claws scraping the linoleum. "Something up?"

"Something up?" Ray repeated. "Oh, you don't know the half of it. Ali, Eldila's gone."

"Bronnie said--"

"Oh, we met him. Then he shoved us in the cellar and the house exploded."

"What?!"

Ray lowered his voice. "No bodies, Ali, but there were scales all over the place. Signs of a slayer, too."

"You see signs like that everywhere," Sunny reminded him sobrely.

"It was a sword. The remains of one, anyhow."

Sunny turned back to the broccoli and kept chopping. "This is Eldila we're talking about. We can't jump to conclusions."

"Like it or not, whatever happened there, Last Home's without a High Elder, now."

"Last Home hardly exists anymore." Sunny raised a hand. "No, no, I know, Ray. I'll contact them. I don't want to. Things have been dangerous lately. But if we need to, then we'll have a tribal council in my damn living room."

"Looks like we might need to," Ray scowled.

Entry 92

They have begun to arrive.

When that ran through Sunny's head, she was thinking of that bit in the beginning of The Hobbit when Bilbo begins to be overrun with dwarves. She was feeling a bit like Bilbo herself, though she knew the arranged date was some days off. The mounting stress was enough that she'd woken up to sore elbows and feet, and found small silvery scales there, tender and itchy and irritated.

Still, here was a very familiar face standing in the doorway.

Siikal raised a finger to eye level, pointed at Sunny, and said in cheery tones, "You, Bennali, are insane."

"So I'm told. Siikal, what are you doing here? The tribal council isn't for three more days."

She grinned widely. "Came to help. I think I'm closer than most other people, and I couldn't imagine you attempting to cook for everyone by yourself. We know Ray's useless at a stove."

"I'm better than I was!" Ray hollered from the next room.

Sunny grinned back at Siikal. "Well, come in, come in. Any help I can get at this point is appreciated."

Siikal Roseash was taller and more slender than Sunny, her hair a bright flame-red. She was built like a plank, angular and twiggy. Her eyes were golden, and across her face were what at first glance might appear to be extraordinarily large, dark freckles, but were, on closer inspection, a spattering of scales, chocolate brown, which glittered slightly. A few more similarly spangled her arms and back. At the top and centre of her forehead was a small stubby horn, golden-coloured. As she followed Sunny into the kitchen, she leaned against the doorframe and grinned winningly at Ray.

He blushed very slightly and concentrated on stirring the pot.

"Why are we having a council, anyway? We're not due for one for another, what, three, four years? And Eldila should call it." Siikal sank into a chair at the kitchen table.

"I really don't want to explain it more than once," Ray grunted. "You'll have to wait."

Bronwen peered around the corner of the wall; Siikal saw this and beamed. "And hello! You must be Bronwen. I've heard about you."

Sunny rolled her eyes. The amount of tribal gossip was ridiculous at times.

"Yup. Hi." Bronwen came across the kitchen, and stood before Siikal, bobbing on the balls of her feet.

"I'm Siikal."

"Hi, Siikal. You have a horn."

"Sure do. So do you."

Bronnie fingered the end of one of her horns thoughtfully. "You got scales, too. Are you a dragon?"

"Aren't you smart? I am. Just like you and your mom and your uncle." Siikal turned to Sunny and asked thoughtfully, "Does she shapeshift at all, or is this her only shape?"

"I can shift!" Bronnie jumped in as Sunny was opening her mouth. "But I don't want to. It hurts."

"So it does. But you're a pretty young lady." Siikal looked curiously at Sunny, who was making miserable faces.

"She does it by accident," Sunny declared regretfully.

"Ah!" Siikal laughed. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, then, if you can do it even by accident."

Bronwen beamed importantly. Sunny just put her head in her hands.

Entry 93

Bronwen was horribly bored.

The living room was packed with all sorts of people. Some of them looked regular, and some of them had horns of various types and numbers, and some had scales, and a few had wings and tails, but they were all dragons, all of them. None of them seemed much younger than Mum and Uncle Ray. There was all sorts of food all over the living room. A lot of it was meat; Glee was off hiding, and Bronnie wanted to go hide with her, because it was all so terribly boring. However, Mum had been firm.

Lots of people had fussed over her, looking her over carefully, asking Mum about Bronnie's other shape, and occassionally asking if Bronnie would change for them, which she wouldn't.

So Bronnie sat in the corner, legs swinging, while Mum and Uncle Ray told everyone about Eldila and Eldila's house.

"Gaia isn't safe anymore. We came here because it was, but it isn't."

"You're not suggesting we leave Gaia?"

"No, too many of us have settled here," Mum argued. "We have lives here. I, for one, am not willing to uproot myself again."

"We've lost Eldila. We've lost our High Elder," said an old woman. "We can't stay here now."

"Edila wouldn't have counselled running," someone else said.

It was boring. It was beyond boring. Bronnie would have given up her entire collection of shiny stones to get away from here and go do something interesting.

Well, maybe not all of them.

"We need a new High Elder," Uncle Ray said. "That much is clear."

"Latanya Lastclaw is the eldest, now."

The old woman who had spoken before shook her head. "I'm not qualified. I don't have the gift of words Eldila did."

"There won't ever be another Elder like Eldila Suivi."

Murmurs of agreement filled the room. Bronnie tried not to yawn.

Mum put her head in her hands. "We've been at this for two hours. I don't think we're going to reach an agreement today. We've slung blame around, and we've argued."

"And you want your living room back?" someone laughed.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

A few people laughed.

Bronnie wiggled in her chair. She leaned back and looked at the shadows on the wall. She liked the way the shadows looked. They were coming off of a potted plant, and were all vague and spooky. Much more interesting than all this boring grownup talk.

Entry 94

Bronnie was exceedingly annoyed.

Uncle Ray seemed to have forgotten entirely about that whole flying-lesson-thing. Only one thing to do.

There was little garage on the side of the house, really more of a shack. Using the woodpile, Bronnie pulled herself upon to the icy roof.

She wobbled a bit, recovered, and moved on.

Bronnie stood, unsteadily, upon the peak of the garage/shack roof, and spread her wings. I'll do this just like Uncle Ray said, and then everyone will be so surprised.

With this smug thought, Bronwen jumped.

She faltered a bit, caught herself, managed to gain some air. Clumsily, she struggled through the air, wings straining. It was really hard work; she'd forgotten about that.

Her left wing snagged on a branch; it hurt. A lot. Bronnie screeched and tried to fly on, but the moment's hesitation had cost her.

She landed with a crunch in a wet, icy patch of snow, for the moment too stunned to react.

"BRONWEN," came a shriek. Sunny was running out from the house, without a coat or boots or anything, worn sheepskin moccassins slipping on the icy ground.

"I flew, Mum!"

"Are you okay?" Sunny scooped her daughter up into her arms. "Don't DO that to me, Bronnie. Look at me. Did you hit your head at all?"

"I landed on my bum," Bronnie said. She stretched out her wings to prove this point, and saw something on the snow below.

The snow was bright red.

She looked a little higher, and saw a gash along her left wing, bleeding heavily. Bronwen began to scream.

Sunny carried the screaming, panicking girl into the house, set her on the kitchen counter, and dabbed at the cut with a clean washcloth. Bronnie kept shrieking, the pitch increasing every time Sunny took off the cloth to re-wet it, exposing the cut.

"What's--"

"Ray, get the first aid kit."

Ray blinked momentarily, turned and ran.

In a moment, Sunny had wrapped some gauze around the torn wing membrane. The branch had caught Bronnie on the wingspar, and the flesh had torn a little. Nothing serious, but with the great number of blood vessels in that part of the body, pumping to keep them warm, it had bled a lot.

"See? Look, all better." Sunny kissed Bronnie on the nose. Bronnie sniffled. "Now. Do you want to tell me what you were doing?"

"I was flying," Bronnie said quietly. "Like Uncle Ray showed me."

"Oh, really." Sunny gave Ray a warning look; he grinned sheepishly and fled the kitchen. "I don't want you to try anything like that without me or Uncle Ray, okay?"

"That's what Uncle Ray said," Bronwen moped, "but I think he forgot."

Entry 95

Sunny removed the bandage from Bronnie's wing. "There, would you look at that? I think it's all better."

"There's a mark," Bronnie observed. She curved her wing inwards in an attempt to see it closer.

"It's a scar."

"What's a scar?"

"A scar is a mark that sometimes appears after you cut yourself. Like this one, see?" Sunny showed Bronwen the thin pink scar between forefinger and thumb on her left hand.

Bronnie inspected this, and her own. "They don't look the same."

"Well, mine's an old scar, and yours is new. Yours might even go away. Sometimes scars go away."

"Yours isn't going to go away?"

"I don't think so, Bronnie. It's been there a long time. Since before you were born, actually."

"You think mine will go away?"

"I'm not sure. We kept that cut nice and clean, so it might." Sunny scooped Bronwen up into her arms. "Now, my little wiggly lizard, we need to talk."

"Am I in trouble?"

"Not yet. But you might be if you don't listen." Sunny poked Bronnie on the nose. "Your wing may be better now, and it might not hurt anymore, but that doesn't mean you can go flying again."

Bronwen stuck her lower lip out. "Why not?"

"Because you weren't supposed to be doing that by yourself, anyway. I talked to your uncle, and he told me everything." Sunny smirked. "Bronnie, Bronnie, Bronnie... I saw you from the window. I think you'll be very good some day. But not right now. It isn't safe for you to fly."

"But I'll learn, and then it'll be safe."

"That's not really what I meant." Sunny sighed.

"But I'm a dragon. I'm s'posed to fly. Aren't I?"

"You are indeed. Not all dragons fly, or even have wings, but I fly, and your uncle flies, and most of our family flies."

"Can dragons really breathe fire, like on TV?"

"Some can. Your uncle's better at it than I am."

"I never saw you do it."

"I never needed to." Sunny snuggled Bronwen tight.

"Will I be able to breathe fire?"

"I don't know. But I don't think you should try. Human shapes can't breathe fire, and if you tried, you might burn up your throat. And that would hurt."

"Oh." Eyes widened. "Okay, I won't."

"Any other questions, while I'm at it?"

Bronwen looked thoughtful. "Um.... not now. Later." She kissed Sunny on the nose, and got down to go play.

Entry 96

"Mum."

"Yup." Sunny peered into the fish tank and sprinkled some food in. "What can I do for you?"

"Do I have a daddy?"

Sunny winced. She put down the fish food slowly and deliberately. She did not turn around.

"Mum?"

"Honey. Honey honey honey. Come here." Sunny sat down on the couch and pulled Bronnie into her lap. "Now. Remember I said that it takes two people to make a baby?"

"Yeah." Bronwen looked at her mother curiously.

"Well, I had someone else help me do that. I wanted to have a daughter very very very much. And the man who helped me would, I guess, be your daddy. But I don't know him, little newt. I never met him."

Bronwen frowned, thinking. "Then how did he help?"

"Well. Er. Okay, the man's body makes a special little seed when he wants to have a baby, and the little seed goes inside the mommy's body, and it finds another special little seed that the mommy's body makes, and it grows into a baby. Or, for you, into an egg. When the baby is all ready, then it comes out of the mommy's body and it's born."

"Ooh." Bronnie tilted her head.

"The man who gave me the seed to make you gave his little seed to a special place for ladies who want to be mommies to go. I took the seed, and had it put in my body, and it grew into you." Sunny was beginning to lose the awkwardness a little.

"Was my daddy a big strong dragon?"

"Er." All self-confidence just went out the window. "He wasn't a dragon. He was human."

"Oh." Bronnie looked absolutely crushed. "So I'm not a real dragon?"

"You're very much a real dragon. You're just special." Sunny hugged her daughter closely. "Any other questions?"

"How does the seed get into the mommy?" Bronwen asked after a moment. "Did you have to eat it?"

Sunny tried really hard not to laugh.


Some time later, Ray came into the living room, and found Sunny lying, stunned, on the couch. "Er, Ali?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind telling me why your daughter just came up to me and asked me if I had a p***s?"

Sunny laughed so hard she fell off the couch.

Entry 97

"Bronwen. Bronnnnniieeeee." Sunny peered under her daughter's bed. There wasn't a sign of the girl anywhere.

"Come on out, little wiggly lizard." She expected to get at least a giggle out of Bronnie--that nickname usually did--but there was nothing.

Sunny left Bronnie's room. She rapped on Ray's bedroom door. "Ray. You seen Bronnie?"

"I was asleep!" he yelled back, sort of groggily.

"That means no?"

"That mean go away."

Sunny shrugged and headed down the hallway. "Bronnniiieeee. Want some waffles?"

Still nothing. Well, Sunny couldn't think of anything else other than, "Look! Shiny!" but that also happened to be what she said when she saw an item in FFVII. So nevermind that.

She stood in the middle of the living room, wondering what to do, when Ray came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You're obsessing. You've become maternal."

"Nu-uh."

"She's a kid. Don't you remember the stuff we got up to when we were kids? Probably lots worse than anything she can get up to."

"She's gone!"

"She's hiding." Ray gave his sister a grin. "Odds are, she can hear us fine and is enjoying the big deal you're making."

Sunny glared at him. "Make me sausages."

Ray blinked. "Okay."

"There will be no sausages for hiding little girls."

"Oh. Okay."

They went to the kitchen.

Entry 98

Bronwen was in the basement. She was lurking around amongst the boxes, in the dark, claws scrabbling along the ground, wings folded to her scaly back.

She'd woken up, once more, as a dragon.

She could hear her mother and her uncle calling her, but she wasn't hungry and she didn't feel like coming out.

The door at the top of the stairs opened.

Footsteps came down the steps; the stairs creaked. Bronnie skittered around to hide behind boxes.

Sunny hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, listening. "Bronnie? Are you down here?"

Bronwen did not move.

Sunny frowned slightly; Bronnie saw this, even in the dark, and she suppressed a giggle.

Sunny moved through the basement towards the deep freeze; Bronnie followed. As the freezer opened up, Bronwen leaped upon her mother from behind.

Sunny screamed, Bronnie clung.

"Er, is everything all right down there?" Ray called.

"Fine. Just fine. I found Bronwen." Sunny looked at Bronnie warily. "And what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm hiding."

"Why are you hiding?"

Bronwen scratched her muzzle idly. "Well, you said that people are scared of dragons. So I'm hiding until I turn back so I don't scare people."

"You're being silly."

"Yep."

Sunny scooped the wyrmling into her arms, and Bronwen crawled onto her mother's back. "Bronnie, you really should try to learn to shift when you want to. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the clinic today."

"But I'll scare people! I don't want to scare people." Bronwen giggled.

Sunny rolled her eyes as she dug sausages out of the freezer. "You scared me just fine. Bronnie, your friends have seen you as a dragon, right? So come upstairs."

Having had her previous argument shot down, Bronnie tried a different tactic. "I like the dark."

"I'm glad. Come have breakfast."

Entry 99

Bronwen was flopped over the arm of the sofa in the living room. She hadn't moved for a very long time. She didn't feel very well.

"Lunch, Bronnie?"

Bronnie gave a grunt and snuggled into the couch cushions. Still in the dragon shape she'd woken up in a few days earlier, she had spent most of yesterday experimenting with things she could do better in this shape.

So far, she'd discovered she could climb and hide better. She suspected she could fly better, too, but... stupid Mum and her stupid rules.

"Bronnie?"

"Not hungry."

Sunny came and sat down on the sofa. "Something bothering you?"

"Noooo."

"Need a hug?"

"Mmm-hm."

Sunny started to cuddle up next to her daughter, and paused. She ran her fingers down Bronwen's scaly neck. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No. I feel sick."

"Sick how?"

"Hot. And tired. And icky." Bronnie screwed up her nose and began to sob, big hot dragon tears forming in her eyes.

"Shhh, shhh." Sunny scooped up Bronwen carefully; the girl's skin was almost too hot to touch. "We're going to put you in the bath, okay? A nice cool bath. It'll make you feel better. Then, when you're feeling cooled down, we'll get you something nice and cold to drink. And maybe some ice cream."

Bronwen sniffled. "Ice cream? Really?"

"Yeah. Nice and cold and sweet."

Entry 100 -- Let's throw a party for this. Whee.

"Ali?"

Sunny stopped to stare at Ray; she flopped against the wall. "I'm fussing, aren't I?"

"A little." Ray shrugged. "Do you want to hear my verdict?"

"Please. I'm too nervous to decide one way or another."

"I... I don't think it's a regular fever." Ray waved Sunny away from Bronnie's closed bedroom door. They moved down the hall. "I'm sure it's not. But... it's not like any fire heat I've ever heard of."

Sunny closed her eyes. "That's what I thought, too. Damn. I was hoping I was seeing things that didn't exist. I wish Eldila were here. He'd know what to do."

Ray shrugged. "We need someone, I think, but there isn't anyone."

"It could just be that... well, it's not being a usual fire heat because she's not full dragon."

"Could be."

"Oh, Ray. What have I done?" Sunny sat down on the floor, and buried her face in her knees. "She's not going to be built for firebreathing. Even in her dragon shape she's not quite properly dragon. If this is her fire coming... and it doesn't work right... she's going to die. My little girl is going to die because her mother is an idiot who never thought of these things until it was too late."

"Ali, come on downstairs." Ray shot a nervous look at Bronnie's door. "We don't want her to hear you."

Ray sat his sister down in the kitchen, and put a bottle of beer in front of her. She twisted off the cap reflexively, then set the beer aside and didn't touch it.

"You're jumping to conclusions, you know. She is not going to die. Don't be stupid. Does Bronnie act like anyone about to die? She's just thrilled with this whole eating-ice-cream-in-bed thing."

Sunny wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "Maybe."

"We'll keep an eye on her, like we have been. And you know your old friend Aidan? The healer-wizardy-guy?"

She sniffed. "Yeah?"

"Maybe you ought to keep him on speed dial."

Entry 101

Bronwen was feeling slightly better. She still felt uncomfortably hot, but she got ice cream. Ice cream in bed! That was almost worth it all.

Mum was usually in the room, or Uncle Ray. There were candles set out around the room, but none of them lit. There was also a bucket of water, which Bronnie did not understand the point of. At this point, Mum was there, and she was asleep. Bronwen was stretched out on top of her bed, licking the last little bit of ice cream out of the bowl, and sort of missing having proper hands, but not knowing how to change back... she was sort of stuck.

With an unhappy sigh, Bronnie crawled over the bed, fetched a picture book from the shelf, and set it out to read. She couldn't read, at least not more than very simple words. Like "a." Still, there were pretty pictures, and she knew the story by heart anyway.

After a moment or two of reading, Bronnie pushed the book aside and flopped on her tummy. She was feeling uncomfortable. Not simply hot, but uncomfortable. She squeaked.

Her mum woke up. "Bronnie? Everything okay?"

Bronnie didn't answer. She was watching the shadows on the walls. They were climbing up towards the roof, like they had that time Bronnie had knocked the lamp in the living room over.

"Oh... oh my," Sunny said.

Bronwen was not frightened. She watched the shadows with bright eyes. She was feeling extremely hot, but she hardly noticed this.

Sunny put one hand on the bucket of water.

In a moment, the shadows swooped down, condensed. They looked like fire, though that was clearly impossible.

And at once, every candle in the room lit. Sunny had had them on hand for Bronnie to light if she needed to expel a little flame, but... this had not been what had been expected.

The shadows crept back down into their proper place; Bronwen looked around herself with a certain amount of satisfaction.

"I made the candles light," she announced. "Didn't I?"

"I think you did." Sunny was trying to go over the sperm donation profile in her head. Shadow manipulation? Hadn't it said something about that? Bronnie had internal fire, that was clear, but without the proper insides to breathe it out, and with a funny sort of ancestry...

Sunny wasn't really sure what had happened, but her daughter was alive and well.

Shadow fire. It was very strange.

"Did you make the shadows move?"

"I... I think so." Bronnie peered up at a shadow on the wall. It flickered, looking like flame, though it was still a shadow. It was almost like a shadow of a flame, were something like that even possible. Bronnie giggled at it. "I feel lots better now."

Sunny rubbed the side of her head. "Um. Okay. You do realise you're going to have to be careful about that, now. If you can light things on fire. Like the candles."

"It was weird, Mum. I had to light something on fire, there. I... had to."

Sunny nodded. "First fire for any little dragon is like that."

Bronnie tilted her head. "Shouldn't I be breathing it?"

"I guess you can't breathe fire." Sunny decided she'd try to figure it all out later.

Entry 104

"Got it?"

"Almost."

"Careful, Bronnie. We don't need you or the tree to fall."

"I won't."

The star, made of glitter-covered silver wire, found its way onto the top of the tree, and Sunny put her daughter back on the ground.

Bronwen was in her human shape again. Sunny was despairing of ever having her daughter learn to do it properly.

"Now what?" Bronnie asked.

Sunny gave the Christmas tree a careful gaze. "Well. It's all decorated. And we don't have anything to put under it yet. I'm going to sit back and enjoy it."

Bronwen snuggled herself in next to her mother to gaze at the tree, while Sunny took out her knitting.

Ray gave a snort. "You've become so domestic, Ali."

"If you are referring to my knitting, I will advise you to keep your mouth shut," Sunny said without looking up. "If you make fun of my knitting, who will be doing the work on your motorbike? I certainly won't."

Ray didn't answer except with a grunt.

"Santa Claus... comes down the chimney," Bronnie said after a moment, "and brings presents, and stuffs the stockings?"

"Yup."

"What are stockings?"

"Socks."

Bronwen thought this over. "My socks aren't very big."

"They also have holes in them."

"That's not my fault," she sulked.

"I suppose not." Sunny shrugged easily. She'd attempted a few times to file down Bronnie's claws a few times, at least for the sake of the floors, and the socks, and bedsheets, but it hadn't gone well. "We'll have special stockings. Really really big ones."

"Big as Uncle Ray's feet?"

"HEY!"

"Bigger," Sunny smirked.

Entry 105

Bronnie sat underneath the Christmas tree and peered up at.

It was very... sparkly. And shiny. She liked the tinsel, and the big glass balls, and there was a sparkly metal snowflake up near the top.

It was very pretty.

Bronwen glanced around cautiously.

She stood on tiptoe, and reached, but she wasn't tall enough. Not nearly. She jumped, and couldn't quite make it.

Bronnie extended her wings a little, and jumped, bringing her wings down as she did so. She got a little more altitude, but she still wasn't high enough. The tree got bumped and it jingled a little.

After a cautious pause while she waited to see if anyone was going to come, Bronnie made another attempt. It didn't go any better.

She climbed up onto the arm of the chair, and tried to reach it. No good.

Bronnie made a face at the little snowflake. She only wanted to look at it. She reached and strained and wiiiiished and...

... her fingers grazed it. She snatched it off the tree, and flopped down into the chair, investigating it.

It was like aluminum foil, but it was much thicker and it was gold.

It was even sort of bendy, but Bronnie didn't want to ruin it.

.... she wasn't really sure what to do with it now.

She hung it on the tree, not anywhere near where it had been, and went off to go find something else to do.

Entry 108

Sunny eyed the Christmas tree warily.

She was certain that some of the ornaments had moved. Ray had claimed innocence, and that really only left Bronnie...

But most of them, Bronwen couldn''t reach.

It was a puzzle.

Entry 109

In the after-Christmas buzz, Ray curled up on the couch with spiked coffee, Sunny did a rather frustrating Monet puzzle at the table, and Bronnie crawled under the Christmas tree with her stuffed spider, listening to music on her headphones.

Bronwen took off her headphones eventually, and crept over to her mother. She tugged on Sunny''s sleeve. "Mum."

"Mmm?"

"I asked Santa to bring Glee back but he didn''t."

Sunny fitted a piece in, her brow creased with concentration. "I don''t think Santa can control that sort of thing, Bronnie. Glee has to finish what she''s doing."

"I want her back."

"So do I." Sunny pulled Bronnie up onto her lap, and hugged.

"But she missed CHRISTMAS."

Entry 112

Ga''yagas padded along worriedly behind Amano and Bronwen. The pard was reasonably sure this was a Bad Idea, but being unable to voice his concerns, he had to content himself with following along behind his mistress and the tanaki.

Amano, who did not seem at all bothered by the cold, looked around the clearing and grinned wildly. "I think this is a good place to try to fly. Now. I think maybe you should just jump up and flap your wings really hard, right?"

"That doesn''t work," Bronnie argued. "I tried it. It''s different than that."

"Well, maybe the big kitty will help us?"

Ga''yagas snorted and sat down in the snow, his wings folded.

"Maybe not. Bad kitty," the tanaki mumbled. "Okay. Well, you try to fly, and I''ll catch you if you fall, okay?"

Bronnie, beaming and red-faced, nodded, and extended her wings. With a shaky jump, and some scrambling wing beats, she climbed into the air and swooped clumsily around. "I''m doing it!"

She could feel the cold air moving over her wings, her heart was beating violently in her chest, her lungs were burning... but it felt good. She was meant to fly; it was why she had wings, of course!

Amano stumbled around in the snow under her, holding out his arms.

Ga''yagas was becoming increasingly concerned. This was not a good idea, but he didn''t dare leave to fetch help. He scrambled around after Amano and Bronnie''s erratic path, ignoring the snow and ice encrusted in his paws.

They were getting near the road.

Bronwen was aware she was not allowed near the road, but the air was clear of trees, here; Amano followed her along the pavement, giggling.

The wind changed suddenly, and Bronnie, unused to such things, spiralled out of control. She shrieked, collided with a tree, and fell into the ditch at the side of the road.

Amano ran over; Ga''yagas beat him there and nuzzled at the little girl uneasily. She was alive, breathing, but had had a bump on the head.

"Oooooohhhh," Amano murmured. "I don''t think this is good. Miss Bronnie? Miss Bronnie I think we should go inside now."

"Is everything okay here?"

A pick-up truck, a battered blue crew-cab, had pulled up alongside them, and a pretty, middle-aged woman had stepped out, her breath steaming in the air.

"She fell," Amano mumbled.

"Poor Bronwen," cooed the lady. She knelt by Bronnie''s side, and checked her over. "She''ll be okay. Maybe I should take her to emergency."

Ga''yagas snarled. Amano bapped him on the nose. "Bad kitty. Where''s... emergency?"

"In town. It''s all right, I know Bronwen''s family quite well." She smiled warmly as she scooped the unconscious dragongirl into her arms, and moved cautiously away from Ga''yagas. "I''m Bronnie''s Auntie. You tell Bennali that. I''ll write you a note to give to her."

"Oh, okay." Amano was greatly relieved; he exhaled and rocked on his feet.

The lady put Bronwen into the back seat of her truck, and pulled a fleecy blanket over her. She scribbled a note in a wire-ring notebook, ripped it out, folded it, and handed it to Amano. "Now, you be sure to deliver that so she knows where to find us."

"Okay, Bronnie''s aunt," Amano grinned. "I''m glad you were here to help."

"So am I," the lady smiled.

Ga''yagas, tail twitching, snarled, and got whacked in the face again; Amano had a powerful fist.

The woman got into her truck and drove off; Amano ran off towards the house, clutching the note proudly.

Ga''yagas hesitated a moment or two, then spread his wings and took off after the truck.

Entry 113

It wasn''t until some time later that Sunny began to realise her daughter was missing.

She went around the house, calling, more annoyed than anything. She was digging around in the kitchen junk drawer for a flashlight to help her look around the dark basement, when Amano wandered into the room.

"You seen Bronnie?" she asked him. She did not expect an answer.

"Ohhhhhh," Amano said after a moment. "I forgot."

Sunny stopped. She turned around. "What?"

"Miss Bronnie and I went outside, and she hit her head." Amano grinned sheepishly and twiddled his fingers. "She went all asleep-like."

"WHAT?!"

"But it''s okay," the tanuki said hurriedly. "Her aunt came and took her to Emergency."

Sunny put a hand on her chest. She drew a deep breath. "Bronwen," she said, very softly, "does not have an aunt."

"Oh," said Amano.

Sunny found she was tugging at her hair, and made herself stop. Great-aunts, yes, but there wasn''t anyone she could think of who would do something like that. In a close-knit tribe, everyone looked out for everyone else, but no sane dragon would do such a thing like this.

"She gave me a note," the tanuki said suddenly. He reached into his robe and pulled out the wrinkled notebook paper. "I forgot."

Sunny took it, trembling.



"Is everything okay?" Amano asked cautiously.

Sunny began to moan, to wail, and then somehow she was screaming hysterically, over and over, unable to stop.