A stunned silence settled over Oehler until finally he asked, "What isss a yellow Indefra? And a Kjanli'eyr?" The beasts all had settled back to rest on a ridge not too far away, so Oehler felt he had a little more of an advantage against his kidnappers. "You've...never had anyone Searched from this planet?" M'naz asked, looking a little incredulous. Shaking his head, Oehler turned to look at the three creatures. "I have never even ssseen the likesss of your escortsss." Letting out a humph of surprise, Zana said,"It's not often we find a planet that hasn't seen our dragons, or had someone Searched off of it." Finally tired of the pain in his arm and leg, Oehler pulled out the three bolts, to the slight shock of the three that hovered around him. Reaching into a pouch hidden behind his chest plate, he removed several sprigs of an herb and pressed them down into the wounds. Instantly, the bleeding stopped and the cuts drew slightly closed. "We are from a planet called Lao Daemia, where dragons such as these are factors of life. When a clutch of eggs is laid by a female, Searchers are sent out to find suitable bonders for the hatchlings. All three of us agree that you are a suitable bonder." A grumble from F'ran's direction indicated he didn't quite agree with that last statement.

"Ssso, if I agree to thisss, you will take me away to bond one of those?" Oehler turned and pointed at the three dragons. "Yes, bond a dragon. You will have to stay until it grows up, then you can return here if you like." Thinking, Oehler tapped the front of his helmet with a claw. "These dragonsss are capable of leaving thisss world...it might be my chance to escape the end." He rose up and extended a hand to M'naz, "I will go with you and be Sssearched, but you must allow me to return to my radim and collect a few thingsss." Grabbing his hand and shaking, M'naz smiled and nodded to Falaath. "He can take you down there." "I must not be ssseen. Asss you can tell, there are those who wish to kill me." I can land inside the exterior walls, or if there is a place large enough inside, I can go between and land there. Oehler turned, quite surprised to have a new voice in his head. "Well, the outer wallsss are far too narrow for sssomething of your sssize to land in, but the Nesting Hall isss wide and high enough for you to do whatever between isss." Oehler gestured with a hand as he spoke, indicating that the outer walls did fit much closer to the entrance than it seemed. Falaath nodded and helped M'naz to board. "You two wait here for us. That battle still sounds like it's going full force down there, and I don't want any more than is necessary to get near it." Oehler mounted awkwardly and held onto the leather straps.

"Now, betweening isn't as simple as it might seem. It's cold and black and unfeeling, and I can't properly describe how you'll feel. Just don't let go and know that you're safe. Think of what this hall looks like." M'naz explained as Falaath took off and stayed low to the ground. Once the dragon had the image, he went between. Oehler found the black place where he ended up quite peaceful, and was more startled when they left it than when they entered. His eyes fought to adjust to the bright Nesting Hall as he leapt off and quickly ran down a corridor. "I'll be right back!" he called as he left. Falaath looked down at the sand he was standing on and noticed small, blueish shards scattered across it. M'naz, it looks like a Hatching took place here... "I know, but perhaps these people are themselves born from eggs..."

Oehler ran down the halls, calling out, "Keelie! Come here!" Eventually, the blue rukel sauntered out of the kitchens, licking her chops. "What are you doing inside? Shouldn't you be out senselessly shedding blood?" she asked. Oehler scooped her up and ran back to the Nesting Halls quickly. "Hey! At least have the decency to tell me where we're going!" "No time now, we'll talk when we get off thisss planet." Keelie stopped struggling and looked up at him. "We're getting off? And you thought enough of me to come and get me before leaving? Oh Oehler, I'm touched!" She placed a paw to her chest in mock-awe. Rolling his eyes, Oehler slid to a stop on the sands in the Hall and leapt easily onto the dragons back. "Go, now!" Deciding not to ask why he was so urgent, M'naz told Falaath to take off. Very luckily, the hall was long enough and high enough for the blue to actually gain a little altitude before he betweened and hovered over Sylenth and Maleeth. Anticipating his arrival, Zana and F'ran were already mounted and the dragons quickly took off. Casting one last glance at the turmoil brewing beneath him, Oehler grinned. "Goodbye, and have fun fighting yourselvesss to death my friendsss! I won't missss you, and I certainly won't be coming back."

At Kjanli'eyr...

Upon arriving at Kjanli'eyr, Oehler's mind was filled with thoughts of escape. He allowed them to take him too be healed, because untended wounds would slow him down. "This place is very...unusual." Keelie remarked as she watched a group of younglings playing around a body of water. Water was what fascinated Oehler, for he had never seen such a large amount of it. The waves crashed in and the younglings ran shrieking among them, diving under or leaping above. "Isss that...an ocean?" he asked M'naz. The man looked at him oddly and said, "Yes, it's the sea. Have you never seen an ocean before?" He shook his head. "Most of the water on Wareiph'a hasss been boiled off. There isss barely enough in the atmosphere to sssupport life anymore. But, I alwaysss heard legendsss that long ago, the sssalt flatsss far sssouth were vast oceansss full of life."

M'naz nodded and eyes Oehler as he greedily took in all of the surroundings. Dragons of every shape, size and color flew in and out of the Eyr, most with people astride them. "They're like great tiawor..." the rukel breathed, her emerald-green eyes fixed on a huge shining silver dragon flying overhead towards the ocean and disappearing. "Oh no, they are ssso much more than tiawor...they are intelligent, powerful, god-like even..." He trailed off as an old memory surfaced. An image of the former High Protector, still young and strong filled his mind. Standing in the forge, face lit by the orange flames and full of excitement and hope... "An impressive sssteed of fire and wing, ssseemingly both God and mortal flesh."

Abruptly he turned and began walking toward the Eyr. M'naz had to jog to keep up with Oehler's pace. "Would you like me to show you your quarters?" he asked. "Yesss, please..." Oehler nodded in a distracted way and tugged Keelie off his shoulder. "You and I must talk once we are inside." he whispered. She nodded and didn't say a word, just settled cat-like into the curve of his arm and closed her eyes. From the moment she had hatched, Keelie had been his closest and most trusted advisor, even Estsam hadn't heard the things he told her. M'naz led them to an empty dorm, and ushered them in. "If you need anything, just ask someone and they will be glad to help you. Supper is in a few hours." Once he'd left, Oehler used his axe to jam the door shut and pressed his head against it, listening for anyone outside.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Keelie had made herself comfortable on the bed and was now idly flicking her plumed tail to-and-fro. Pulling his helmet off and tenderly setting it in a chair, Oehler wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. "There are sssome thingsss that I'm not sssure you remember about the past. Right after you were born, I recieved my helmet..." "I remember that." she cut in. "Do you remember sssomething the High Protector told me...no, it wasss before my helmet wasss forged. Yesss, the day after..." She shrugged and looked at him expectantly, clearing her throat.

" Oh, well, the High Protector told me that Estsam and another female had been keeping their eyesss on me, ssso to ssspeak. He sssaid that they had forseen a great creature in my future. To put it in hisss wordsss, 'An impressive sssteed of fire and wing, ssseemingly both God and mortal flesh'. When we arrived here, I noticed that these great beastsss fit that perfectly. They are ridden by the people here, fly and breathe fire. To Wareipheansss, they would most definately ssseem god-like once they ssspoke." Sssince they touch the ground, they are also of mortal flesh, because in mythsss no god ever allowed their feet to be sssoiled by our barren planet'sss dust." Keelie blinked, and looked up at Oehler.

"You can't run then, it's your fate." Clenching his fists, he had to silently agree. Wareipheans believed highly in fate, that it was unavoidable. He sighed and stood, pacing the room. "Come, letsss go explore thisss place. It might take my mind off thingsss." Putting his helmet back on, Oehler considered leaving his axe in the room. Carrying it around here might not be as harmless as it was on Wareiph'a. Keelie settled herself on his shoulder and Oehler opened the door to peek outside. There weren't many people around, perhaps it was time for a meal or evening rest. Leaving his room, Oehler turned and headed for the first exit he saw, and found himself in the middle of a lush field that was teeming with wildlife. A low rumble reminded Oehler that he hadn't eaten since morning. "You don't think they would mind me hunting out here, do you?" he asked Keelie. "Just don't eat something that appears to be a pet, like those little creatures that look like dragons but are smaller." Nodding, Oehler turned his face into the wind, breathing in the many scents that perfumed the air. Suddenly, a flash of red in his peripheral vision. It was a small, fast creature that poked it's head up and regarded Oehler with burning red eyes.

It chittered angrily and disappeared back into the tall grass, it's vivid red and orange tail moving above the grass like a shark's fin. Poised to attack, Oehler watched closely as it approached and showed it's face just a few feet from Oehler. It leapt with surprising speet toward Oehler's face and attached itself to his helmet, snarling something fierce and causing Keelie to jump from his shoulder with a yelp and be swallowed by the grass. "What isss thisss thing'sss problem?" Oehler grunted as he tried to dislodge the madly chattering animal. "He thinks we are invading his territory! He keeps saying that 'There's not enough food for me and I won't let you take what's left'" The rukel's voice floated from the grass.

Prying the thing from his helmet, Oehler saw how thin he was, his coat dull and matted in some places. "Thisss looksss like an abandoned pet to me, hisss coat isss to bright to be camoflage." Finding Keelie in the sea of grass and still holding the struggling animal, Oehler turned back to the Eyr to find the kitchen. A cook offered him a bowl of fresh meat and a brush to comb out the animal's fur while it ate. "He says his name is Tuli, and he thanks you." Keelie said after a while, when all of their bellies were full. "And he want's to know...if he can stay." Tuli looked up at him hopefully, very clearly not wanting to return to the wilderness. "Yesss, he may ssstay." Oehler responded after a few minutes. It was just fate, and so was this dragon. He couldn't avoid any of it, so why fight?