A dialogue opened and written by Eagle of Arabia
(Cadence@inQuo.net), and Lex (donnie@azstarnet.com).
                        *     Eagle     *
     Lex, impressed but not willing to be outdone, she tightened
the slack from her wings, and began to rise -- going for
altitude. She waited for the right moment...
     Then she found it... the perfect updraft of warm air. She
flared her wings into it, and tipped forward. She rushed forward
even faster this time, beating her wings slightly to keep the
acceleration.
     Below, Eagle watched her curve far overhead and pass him by
again.
     "Hmm. I've got heavier wings, you know!" Lex dropped back a
bit, before she started to break a sweat. Eagle caught up, and
began climbing and diving around her, flying circles around her.
"There's more to it than speed! Catch me like th..."
     His words trailed off, as his eyes were watching the ground
far below. Lex followed his gaze, but from this high up she
couldn't see much more than several rolling hills carpeted in
grass and haycorn, with occasional small flowers and bushes which
had rolled their petals closed for the night.
     "What?" Lex asked.
     "Did you see that?"
     Suspecting a trick, she shook her head. After a moment,
Eagle suddenly pointed a talon down at the hills below. "There!"
     "What?"
     Eagle had already begun to circle lower. Lex dived down
after him.
     The Greater Moon was not visible tonight, vanished from the
sky as it did every month, but the Lesser Moon was gibbous
crescent, enough pale mauve light to see Eagle as he moved in
tight circles like a Kite.
     As they drew nearer, Lex began to think she was seeing
things, when the shadows below appeared to move under the night
sky.
     Eagle had good eyes.
     The dark forms appeared to be hunched over, moving in a line
across the landscape. Lex tipped next to Eagle's ear, unable to
swing as tightly as he did in his arc.
     "What are they?" she whispered.
     "I do not know. The elder humans have spun tales about
creatures which devour gargoyle eggs. Those things are called
Gnomes, and have lots of black spikes all over their bodies." he
answered.
                         *     Lex     *
     "They eat,"  She choked on her words, "Gargoyle eggs?"  She
looked a bit pale.  How could they do that?  He pointed to a spot
where they could land and be unnoticed. Lex agreed and they went.
     They landed behind a few brushes and watched.  They could
see many egg shells, and goo from the egg, and.....
     Both Lex and Eagle turned away.  They saw some body parts
and such lying around.  They looked at each other, both with the
same sickened look in their eyes.
     "What do we do?"  Lex asked.  Eagle looked back at the
scene, then back at Lex.
     "Should we call yer friends?"  He asked.  Lex shook her
head.
     "Too far away, too little time.  Maybe we should stop them
now before they get anymore....Where did they get the eggs from
anyway?"  She looked back at them, listening to the sickening
slurping, and weird tongue. Then, suddenly, the gnomes all became
quiet.  And they saw why. Somehow, they had been spotted.  The
gnomes smacked their lips as they saw the gargoyles.  Food.  Lex
and Eagle could see it written on their faces.  
        "Let's get outta here!  We gotta glide...."  Eagle said.
        "Can't."  Lex said.  "Nowhere to take off from!"  They
both thought the same thing then and took off in a sprint.  But
the gnomes easily caught up, and were suddenly in FRONT of them. 

Lex and Eagle stopped dead in their tracks and stood back to
back, rotating slowly, battle ready.
        "What now?"  Lex yelled.  Eagle shook his head. 
        "Um, I-I..."  He lunged forward and knocked three down in
one leap.
        "An open spot!! Let's go!!"  He tried to sprint through
the
open spot, but was grabbed on either side by five monsters.
        "What?!?"  Lex didn't hear.  She let down her guard and
turned to see Eagle being knocked unconscious by the monsters. 
Suddenly, she felt the cold, slimy hands wrap around her neck,
covering her mouth, covering her all over.  She tried to scream,
but it was pointless.  She was forced to the ground.  She somehow
managed to loosen her hand and reach for Eagle, who was slowly
losing his consciousness.  She suddenly felt a stab of screaming
pain as one of the spikes struck the back of her neck, injecting
a poison of some sort.  And then, all went black......
                        *     Eagle     *
     Someone was calling his name.
     Eagle shook the darkness from his mind, and bolted upright.
His joints were sore from laying on the ground. He choked on his
breath for a moment, before gaining some semblance of the proper
functioning of his respiratory system.
     "Good, you are awake, child." the voice said.
     Eagle blinked. It was dark, but already his eyes were
switching over to look for heat in the sheer blackness before
him. In the dark, he could make out two plumes of heat in a cold,
musty chamber. One lay by his feat. Eagle carefully touched it.
It responded with quick breathing and violent shaking.
     It was Lex.
     "Sister! What is wrong?!!!" Eagle nearly cried out with
concern. Lex did not answer, only continued to shake, wide eyed.
     "It is poison." the mysterious voice explained.
     "Poison? Will she be alright? Who are you?"
     The other plume of heat in the room approached them. It was
at least four time's Eagle's height, and as wide as two castle
towers. Eagle could see a glow from it's eyes.
     "My name is not important. Do your kind have names?"
     Eagle stirred uncomfortably. Eagle remembered some magics
could take control of your mind if you gave them your name. He
did not speak.
     "It does not matter. How did you come upon those Gnomes?"
     "They were eating gargoyle eggs." Eagle replied, shivering
at the memory. "What are we doing here? Who are you?"
     "Such impatience, young one!"
     "She's been poisoned! I have my reasons to be impatient."
     "Then choose which you shall deal with first. Do you wish to
cure her first, or learn about me?"
     "Cure her."
     "Then come with me."
     The figure turned, and the sound of claws grating on stone
could be heard. The profile of the creature revealed large
leathery wings, and a long tail. Eagle knew it could not be
human. However, he could not even place the voice as male or
female.
     As gently and forcefully as he could manage, Eagle knelt
down beside his rookery sister, and scooped her up in his arms.
He turned to follow the other.
     "Did you save us?" Eagle asked.
     "I did." the voice answered.
     "Where are we going?"
     "To the earthen spring far below the mountain. The lake
below is a possession to the elements of the earth, and contains
magics proof against the poisons of the Gnomes. Hurry! Time may
be critical to save your friend."
     The figure spread it's massive wings, and dived down a long
downward tunnel in what appeared to be glassy smooth stone.
     Looking down the pit, all boyish bravados of being a faster
of better flyer vanished. It would take all he had to follow the
figure down this crevice.
     Eagle jumped, flared his wings, and gently drifted down the
tunnel. The stone sped by, as he kept a tight circle. His weight
heavier than usual, because of his shivering passenger. Soon, he
caught up with the diving figure. They must have been falling for
a long time, for they were now falling at the same rate.
     The figure burst down a side tunnel, faster than Eagle could
react, and he came to a stop by digging his talons into the side
of the crevice. Sparks flew, and a noise like the scraping of
glass was heard. With only one hand holding Lex, he climbed after
their benefactor.
     The new chamber was level, and had a slight wind favoring
the direction they were travelling. So, Eagle flared his wings,
and glided down this chamber with his passenger.
     They arrived at a small pool in the ground, where their
benefactor already stood by the shore. It stood in full display,
and it's shape was obvious.
     It was a dragon.
     "Quickly!" it's voice was heard, filled with anxiety, "Get
her into the water!"
     Eagle waded into the pool with his sister in hand,
submerging her body in the waters, save her head only. Her ears
drooped and her tail was limp. Eagle became very anxious for her.
The dragon held a paw in the air over them.
     "Benecari te du va le unum
               Te cal murai te set del una
                    Shaloc aqueta dun elementa
                         Recova!" The dragon chanted. "Gargoyle?"
     Eagle looked at the dragon with a mixed expression of
caution and anxiety.
     "Would you be willing to give your life for this other?"
     "I would give my life for any of my brothers or sisters."
Eagle answered resolutely.
     "Very well then. The spell is cast!" The dragon exclaimed.
     Suddenly the dragon leaped, and plunged both of the
gargoyles down below the surface of the water.
     Eagle had the sensation of magic, and of being spun about in
the water. He could feel Lex nearby, as though somehow their
feelings were for a moment shared.
     Eagle broke the surface, Lex still in his arms. His feathers
were a positive mess, and he shook them.
     Lex had grown still.
     Concerned, Eagle laid her out on a small mound in the center
of the lake. She moaned softly as he did so.
     The dragon surfaced a moment later, shaking water in all
directions. "That," it announced, "was an exceptionally nasty
Gnome."
     "Is she well?" Eagle asked, cupping one of her paws in his.
     "Are you?"
     "Yes, but..."
     "Then she is well. She lost much of her life-force, and you
gave a part of yours to replenish it. As long as you are well,
she will be also, and vice versa."
     Eagle watched her sleep with mixed emotions. They were both
under an incredible spell! Eagle could hardly contain his
excitement, and his fear.
     "You had other questions for me?"
     Eagle swallowed. "Uh, yes. Who... who are you? Why would you
help gargoyles?"
     "I am the Nightfall Dragon. Whoever fights the Gnomes is my
ally. Those were your own kind being destroyed, and you were
ready to fight valiantly for them. What other reason did I need?
No honorable creature would not give aid in such a desperate
plight."
     Eagle nodded. The Nightfall Dragon, his magic training had
taught him, was a very powerful sorceress, and was know to have
an only partially trustable reputation. Sometimes she had been
known for great acts of charity, and at other times she had done
great wrongs.
     "What payment... do you wish of us... in return?" Lex's
shaky voice was heard. Eagle let go of her hand, so as not to
seem presumptuous, and offered to help her to her feet.
     "Do you wish to stop those Gnome's attacks on your people's
eggs?" The Nightfall Dragon inquired. Eagle nodded. "Then stop
them. Destroy those Gnomes. This is all I ask -- that is payment
in full."
     Still not trusting her completely, Eagle bowed his thanks.
     "The Gnomes reside in a lair to the eastern south." The
dragon said. She then turned, and vanished into the mouth of
another cave, leaving Lex and Eagle alone in the dark.
     Upon reaching the shore, Eagle held out a hand to aid Lex.
"I can do it." she returned defiantly, footing her way across the
water's bank.
     "You... you are still alive..." Eagle asked, dumbfounded.
     "Of course I am. Did you think I am as bad a warrior as
that?"
     "Of course not... I only meant..."
     "Nevermind that." Lex interrupted him. "We must find out
where those... BEASTS are getting those eggs. We must kill those
filthy ravagers!"
     Eagle nodded. "Lead on."
     Lex turned, and glided down the passageway the Nightfall
Dragon had taken, her pawprints still visible heat marks on the
floor. Eagle followed.
                         *     Lex     *
(eee that was good.  I'll hafta sit here and think a while. 
Hmmmmm.........)

        "So we have a Macbeth/Demona deal going on?"  Lex asked
as they glided.  Eagle smirked at her question.
        "Yeah, but promise you won't hunt me to death?"  He
asked.
        "Deal, as long as you don't hunt me."  She smiled. 
"...and, thanx."
        "No problem."  He replied.  "You would have done the
sa..."  Like before, something caught his attention.  He squinted
to get a better look. Lex could only follow his gaze, but after a
minute of searching, she saw.
        There was a cave down below, dimly lit.  They both perked
their ears straight up and could hear the distant wailing of the
creatures.   It sounded joyous, kind of like, a party.  The two
swooped down and quietly landed in front of the cave.  They
peered inside and once again were sickened by the sights.
        "I really don't wanna see that anymore."  Lex whispered. 
Eagle agreed.  But, despite the scene, they forced themselves to
look again, and saw something they did not notice at first....
The cave looked like a rookery.  There were at least a dozen
gargoyle eggs, and hundreds of shells lying around. 
        "How are we going to defeat these guys?"  Lex asked. 
Eagle shook his head.
        "I have no idea."  He looked back into the cave, thinking
very hard, Lex the same.  
        "What we really need to think of is to get those eggs to
safety." Lex said.
        "I'll distract them, you get the eggs."  And before Lex
could say anything else, Eagle jumped into the cave, yelling. 
The Gnomes stopped what they were doing and looked at the yelling
gargoyle, the look of pure pleasure crossing their faces.  Then,
as quickly as he ran in, Eagle ran out, every single Gnome
chasing him.
         Lex plastered herself against the cave wall, making
herself as small as she could.  When finally the gnomes stopped
coming out of the cave and were out of sight, Lex ran into the
cave.  She looked at the eggs, some were almost fully reproduced,
others just starting their 10-year cycle.  She carefully grabbed
as many eggs as she could in her arms, a total of six eggs. 
There were twelve eggs in the cave so she figured two runs then
she could help Eagle.  She quietly ran out of the cave.

        Eagle ran as fast as his legs would allow.  He saw a very
high tree just up ahead so he figure he could climb it and fly to
safety.  He was almost there....
        He suddenly felt a slimy hand wrap around his neck, then
wrap around his body.  These gnomes were fast!!  He tried to pull
away, and managed, but then was caught again.  He was forced down
to the ground onto his back.  His wings were held tightly down,
so tight they were beginning to ache.  His arms restrained so
that
he could not move so much as an inch.  Not only were these freaks
FAST, they were strong too. 
        Eagle struggled and struggled, but he found that with
every movement they tightened their grip.  Finally, he felt
himself growing a little faint from the lack of air and the over
use of energy.  He looked up to see a black spike above his head.

Eagle softly cursed under his breath.  He felt his head being
rolled to the side exposing his neck.  He tried to fight it, but
it was to no avail.  Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his neck
as the spike went through.  And then he felt dizzy, and then he
felt
nothing....

        Lex was setting down the last six eggs in a secluded area
far away from the cave.  She nestled them together and figured
they were safe for at least until Eagle and she defeated those
monsters.  She arose from her kneeling position when she felt a
sharp pain in her neck.  She fell back to her knees and covered
the pain with her paw.  Then, she felt a slice of pain surging
through her.  Something was wrong, wrong with Eagle.

        Lex forced herself up and working very hard, followed the
direction in which the gnomes and Eagle fled.  She saw the gnomes
returning to their cave.  Lex hid behind a tree, gasping for
air....this pain felt oddly familiar...
        After they were all gone, Lex contin