This is for Delaney (DAGrant), a relatively new artist who is growing quickly into the fantasy genre. She does some really wicked post work and plays in the material room. I like all of her work but I really was amazed at her piece "The Matron and her Knight" ----- Ingrid had been the first to head Anna's song, although Anna wasn't sure that the wily crow had not come as much for Millicent's mournful yowl. Those two were so tight that Anna often wondered if they really thought Anna was the leader of their little gang or if it was up for grabs between the two of them. Of course Anna had known that Ingrid had not come to the temple with them, but the old bird had a mind of her own and Anna had of course been more worried about George. Ingrid sat perched on the Elven rock and looked back at where she had just flown in. She gave a croak, hopped up and down, and started bobbing her head. Then she glared at Anna and tossed her head back towards where she had come, several times, as if to say.... stop that silly racket and look where I'm pointing, dam it! Anna listened to Ingrid. She stopped and as if on cue the wind died. As the leaves silently fell to Anna's feet she took a long look along Ingrid's sight line. In the far distance, was a tiny speck. Was it one of Ingrid's friends playing a trick on her? A few moments more and she could see a little figure, bobbing up and down like a chickadee with each wing beat, but this red and black critter was clearly no chickadee! And it was making a beeline right for her! Oh, hoooo, at least the little bastard proved to have good hearing as he had heard her song from a distance of several kilometers. He must have been listening for her, testing her will to come back and get him. She took that to be a good sign. George was gonna be trouble, for sure, but now she knew that though he was gonna be stubborn, that he would listen to her. A few minutes more and George was at the Elven Craigs and on a collision course for her outreached arm. Anna burst out laughing at his uncontrolled bobbing-weaving flight! But she wasn't going to let her joy distract her from her mission. Not now. She was having no more of George's hard to get game. So when he was within a few meters of her and she could feel his wing beats she nailed him with a big puff of dragon dust that she kept concealed in small pouch in her sleeve. Dragon dust was to reptiles what catnip was to felines. Absolutely irresistible! This time George never veered off; never changed course. A twist of his tiny wings and a few backflaps and he made an almost perfect two point landing on her forearm. Almost perfect because as he grabbed onto her arm the sleeve of her tunic twisted and with a chirp he did a face plant right into her shoulder! The dragon dust mighta had something to do with it. Anna grimiced as the little blighters claws dug deep into her arm and resisted the urge to grab him by the scruff of his scrawny neck - as you would an errant kitten. Young dragon kits don't take well to rough handling. But before Anna could grab him George let go, did an acrobatic flip and then gracefully fluttered down onto her shoulder. Then he stuck his head in her ear and gave her a lick with his rough as rawhide tongue. Anna had to giggle at the nerve of the cheeky little bastard to be giving her a big wet kiss after all the worry he had caused her! Oh he was gonna be a brat alright. But right now she was just damn glad to have the little bugger back. Anna had just gotten through her first big challenge of raising a dragon; she had gotten her fly boy back! Previous

"Come back to Me!"