Chapter 4

Raimi tapped lightly on the front door, Trink muttering about early morning people opened the door, "they be all sleepin, come in quiet like." Raimi nodded padding in silently, she smelled food and her stomach rumbled but she ignored it "where does one purchase food supplies?" Trink stroked his beard, he had also heard her stomach rumbling, "well now that be in the village, the general store is where yea want to be going, Laurel she has an account there just tell them to put it on her tab." Raimi nodded her thanks and turned to go "hold on now, the store ain't open yet won't be for an hour why don't yea have a bite of breakfast with me, old Trink hates to eat alone." Raimi nodded and followed Trink into the dining room, Trink asked her if she wanted tea or coffee, shaking her head Raimi told him that she preferred water, it was much better for a dragon, healthier. Trink chortled "welll now I meself prefer a good ale in the mornin's but Laurel she sure does frown on it." Raimi chuckled at the funny little man with the bow in his beard. Raimi ate silently listening to the little man prattle on about this and that, finishing her meal she thanked him, at the door she asked him to give Laurel her thanks also, opening the door she almost stepped on Revanche who quickly moved out of the dragoness's way. Revanche smiled saying good morning, Raimi said good morning, she stopped when Trink asked her if she knew what to buy at the store, Raimi chuckled "no damned idea at all but I'm sure I'll figure it out if its cookable or edible." Trink and Revanche watched her pad down the drive, then take flight, Revanche handed Trink a folder "hold onto these for me Trink, I think I'll go lend her a hand." Trink watched Revanche leave with a thoughtful look on his face.

Just outside of town Raimi landed and changed into her human form, with long strides she walked the rest of the way into the center of the village, ignoring the curious looks on people's faces. After looking in a few windows she found the store she wanted, opening the door she walked in, Mrs. Whitaker looked up in surprise never having seen this woman before, with a leery glance at the long bow and arrow filled quiver, she asked the woman if she could help her, Raimi nodded briskly "I need food supplies" with a tentative smile Mrs. Whitaker asked what sort of food supplies, Raimi frowned looking at the shelves. Revanche walking in smiled at Mrs. Whitaker, who smiled back in recognition "she needs the basic staples to set up housekeeping, Mrs.W" he told her. Raimi looked at Revanche but said nothing as Mrs. Whitaker started putting all sorts of things on the counter, with a frown Raimi looked at the growing pile "do I really require all this?" Mrs. Whitaker smiled kindly "do you know how to cook? my dear." Raimi shook her head, Revanche laughed, Raimi turned on her heels and headed for the door. Revanche grabbed Raimi by her upper arm "I didn't mean to upset you, come get your stuff, Mrs. W can add a cook book." Raimi simply looked at Revanche's hand on her arm then up at his face, her eyes filled with fury "if you ever touch me again without permission, I'll cut off your hand and shove it up your nose making sure it fits first" she said with deadly calm. Revanche slowly took his hand off Raimi's arm. "Mrs. W why don't you package that all up, toss in a cookbook, I'll send it on to Raimi's place, put it on Zinmer's account." Mrs. W who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes suddenly smiled "ohhhh is this one of the new dragons? how wonderful, everyone is so pleased to hear we have new company." Revanche nodded frowning as Raimi walked back over to the counter, pulling up her shirt sleeve, she took a wicked looking dagger from a sheath on her forearm "the stones in this should be more then enough to cover the cost of these food things." Mrs. Whitaker stared at the dagger that was now sticking point down into her counter, she saw Revanche nodding, so smiled and said it would be more then enough. Raimi nodded "my name is Raimi, you will please start an account in that name." Mrs. Whitaker nodded again, quickly packaging everything up afraid of what the woman might stick in her counter next time, Raimi watched the packages disappear one by one, she thanked Mrs. Whitaker and Revanche then strode out of the store. Outside Raimi took several deep breaths, then quickly left the village. Mrs. Whitaker turned to Revanche "why the stones in that dagger would pay for several years worth of supplies but she didn't give me the chance to say anything." Revanche sighed "I'll talk to her Mrs. W don't worry about it, just put the dagger away somewhere safe, she may want to reclaim it one day." Revanche returned to the Manor House frowning and upset with himself at how attracted he had been to the woman Raimi.

Revanche had Laurel sign the final purchase papers on the new property, Laurel after talking to him for five minutes realized he hadn't heard a word she had said, with a chuckle she got up and waved her hand in his face, with a start he blinked and looked at her "your head was soaring in the clouds Re." Revanche chuckled, picking up the papers he put them in a pouch and sent them on to London to Tetly's. Alex with a chuckle stuck his head in the book room door "Revanche, I think Zara is hanging from the chandelier waiting for you to walk by." With a laugh Revanche stood up "never let it be said I kept a lady waiting." Alex and Laurel laughed, Alex squeezed Laurel hand saying quietly "I think being home has helped him a lot." Laurel nodded with a smile. Zara shrieked wildly as she dropped down on Revanche but at the last minute he turned into a dragon and she went sliding down his long neck over his back and flying off his tail, the two played for the longest time, Revanche laughing just as much as Zara.

Natalie sat with Shelaw asking her how she was getting along, pleased to see the dragons settling in so well, Bitsy unable to contain herself any longer flew over to watch the small dragons building their nest in the trees. She was amazed at the nest, it seemed to cover the upper half of two trees, like a wren's covered nest but much larger, it blended in so well with the trees if you were not specifically looking for it you would miss it all together. Strut his hands on his hips glowered at Bitsy "what's the matter you've never seen a dragons nest before?" Bitsy shook her head "actually no, I've never seen anything like this before, it's quite fascinating, may I look inside?" Strut snorted "it's not mine, you need to ask Ailysh and Toledoes." Bitsy gave him an inquiring look "where is yours?" Strut shrugged "I'll build mine after their all done, he wanted something for Ailysh to be safe in."

Shelaw smiled and said quietly to Natalie "the young Strut has a small part of his heart filled with kindness, just that it always shocks him when he finds it, so he hides it away again before he has to look too closely at it." Ailysh gave Bitsy a frightened little smile motioning her into the nest, Bitsy not making any sudden moves went into the nest, there was one large room, another small one and what looked like a half done second one, the inside was covered with tightly packed moss, it felt so snuggly and cozy inside. Bitsy for a moment thought of her old Oak tree and the home she had made for herself inside. Coming out of the nest Bitsy found herself face to face with Toledoes, Ailysh quickly reached out and touched his paw "I asked her inside, she is kind and good" he moved aside letting Bitsy pass watching her the whole time. Strut snorted at Bitsy "you were almost a goner there, good thing Ailysh said something." Bitsy smiled sweetly "oh you think so?" Strut put his hands on his hips "you think you can take on a woodland dragon?" Still smiling Bitsy told Strut to try and touch her, flying over with an attitude Strut reached out and tried to grab Bitsy by the arm, with a yowl he pulled his paw back from the burning blue light that surrounded her, with a bright smile Bitsy commented as she went to sit with Natalie and Shelaw "that was just a small sample of what I can do." Strut stared at his paw for a moment then went back to his tree. Ailysh watching from her nest smiled a little to herself, she liked this small winged woman.

Natalie sipped her tea then casually asked Shelaw what she knew about Raimi, Shelaw glanced at the trees then said smoothly "it is a fine day, will you walk with me, I have not yet gotten over the thrill of feeling the sun on my face, I hope I never do." Natalie and Bitsy walked down the path with Shelaw "why do you seek knowledge of Raimi?" Natalie thought over her answer for a moment "I feel such anger and fear in her, she fights simply asking a favor, all of you are full dragon, yet she is half human, it made me curious to know more about her, but not in a mean or nasty way. I understand yesterday she went over to Bitsy's and rode a horse many thought unridable looking like a Valkyrie of old." Shelaw curled up in the long grass her head resting on her paws "I will relate what I know, which is not all that much, because I feel what I say will not reach ears that need not hear" her eyes glancing up towards her lair. Both Bitsy and Natalie sat down to listen to what Shelaw had to say.

"Raimi was cast out as a hatchling for her human side, she was spurned and ridiculed by others, she was taken in by a group of women, what you might here call amazons, wild warrior women, for fifteen long summers she learned from them to be as you saw, a warrior, a fighter, with bow, lance, knife, sword or a garrote. These women lived on their horses, they rarely stayed in one place long, camping by rivers or at the foot of mountains, rarely did they enter towns or villages preferring to live by themselves. Then the demons that killed our world came, the amazons joined in the fight to stop them, little did they know how fruitless a battle it would be. The battle for our world lasted many years, filled with death and deprivation, the amazons that were not butchered on the fighting field were chained together and drug from town to town, put on platforms for exhibition, used before one and all by the male demons who were now their masters, before public auction they were cruelly branded with the mark of the masters so they would never forget who defeated them. I can only assume during this time Raimi dared not turn to her dragon form for surely she would have been cut down instantly as was any dragons that were caught, for in that day dragons had magic and fought long and hard with it. Morpaw found Raimi freezing and starving in the hills, covered with ice dragging a heavy chain that was shackled to her ankle behind her, a bloody sword in her hand looking like a wild animal in human form, that day she turned to her dragoness form and except for three times that I can remember she never became her human self again. She has never spoken of those days to anyone, unfortunately one of those times she changed to her human self to bathe Strut saw the mark and knew of the amazons and their terrible tale, it was thrust into her face yesterday, that she bore a brand and yet wished to be human again. I fear we have lost our young Raimi because of this, she has marked her territory with the sign of no trespass from what Renlock told my sweet Morpaw and I early this morning." Bitsy shook her head "do you ever get tired of that Strut?" Shelaw chuckled "oh yes many times but we know that one day he will lose his fear and with it he will lose his wevrils tongue that bites so cruelly, but I fear it has bitten Raimi one to many times."