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Temih watched her daughters as they romped through the Healing Den, carefree and just as dangerous as their father. Ivo was nowhere to be found, but Temih was at ease with or without him. He was quite unpredictable anyway, so it was best that they ...

"We're going now," Temih called to her daughters. They both stopped chatting with the locals, and looked at their mother as though she were insane.

"We've talked about this," Temih sighed. "You wanted to see my home - it's going to be yours, and it'll be a good learning experience."

Mihve slunk to her mother's side, growing shorter as she did so, and finally dropping to all fours as a dark-furred cheetah. Tovih on the other hand strode quickly into her mother's area and looked around.

"Kelssyroth can't carry all three of us, can she?"

"Of course not," Temih said, "especially not with Tyssix on board too."

Tovih immediately brightened and looked past her mother's shoulder. There, in the main hall, it looked as though Tys and her mother were having a row. Probably about ... She tilted her ear, and sure enough heard the distinct strains of 'you're not old enough' or something similar. It was nice that her own mother would never have given them such guff. It was almost as though Temih wanted them out of the nest and out of her hair.

What a surprise.

They gathered around in the wide 'lobby' chamber, where many dragons could roost or wander, fly or walk, and not worry about even brushing a wingtip. It didn't look like Tessrabia wanted her daughter Tys to go anywhere. At last, they all heard Tyssix's loud, "I wouldn't know! I don't have a family to take care of! And if it were up to you, I never would!"

She stomped over to the trio of Kin women and the spotted dragoness, and resolutely refused to move. Eventually of course, everything was jolted even farther out of whack - as Mihve shifted back into her Kin shape, a bunch of Zekirans showed up.

They were entrancing, that was for sure. Some of them were spotted, but they had odd colors to their fur. Some had catlike bodies, but an upright torso - a cat'taur. They all also wanted to go to Planet Twenty to 'help'.

As everyone got to know one another, briefly anyway, it was finally agreed, Viridia said it best, "We have been wandering through space and time for a very very long time. We're tired of living in a starship - and we've found ourselves a planet that might suit our needs long term." Viridia said. "If those living around us on Planet Twenty agree, then we will set up a colony there. We've already begun diplomatic efforts on other portions of the world, but our ties will be closest to the Kin of this tribe." She waved a dark hand (it looked just like Baeris' only it was nearly charcoal black, Tyssix noticed - how odd.) at Temih, who nodded and grinned broadly.

"They're going to be helping out, like you. My daughters and I are ... obliged." The Kin of twelve and one (- now twelve and ... how many?) laughed. Tovih and Mihve finally understood how important their roles really were.

It took another half dozen dragons - some brought by the Zekirans - to get everyone out and off the Healing Den once and for all.

Of course, they swore they would return, but Tys and Cryten were coming along anyway. How far could they get?

***

Planet Twenty was surely the most beautiful place that Tovih had ever seen. She relished every minute standing atop the Plateau's landing area, and admired the batch of lovely dragons that the Tribe seemed to have aquired over their tenure on other worlds.

Their father had explained a bit better than Temih could, about why it had been important to draw everyone to other worlds, instead of just one. The genetic pool of their Tribe was an example: they were all unrelated, but there was only the one lonely female.

Tovih absently wondered into her sister's mind, 'Do you think that father had something to do with finding all those Zekirans for the Tribe?'

'Nah,' Was Mihve's response. 'He's way too lazy for that. I think it was one of the Sangers, though.'

Tovih laughed to herself, and they walked behind Omaciyu and Temih on their way into the depths of the cool, dark Plateau.

They seemed to walk for hours, really. The place was gigantic, but their little bit of it was reminiscent of the Healing Den for its stone walls and endless corridors of rock. It was all natural caverns and switchbacks, though, not carved and not made of cement anywhere.

And there was something more, that both sisters knew right away would put them at ease.

There were minds down below, near the plains. Kin, Cheetah. Tribe. Their tribe.

They made a big show of meeting everyone in turn, looking over each of the males - they were all males anyway, Temih the only female hence the name Twelve and One of course - and judging by the reactions they got, the girls were going to be very popular.

***

It hardly took any time for Tovih to find her place in the Tribe. Since she wasn't a shifter, anyone could help her learn the ways and means of prowling in the sun without casting a shadow, which of the many animals they would be hunting were best for what sort of meal, and which weapons she could freely take from someone without getting yelled at.

Mihve was a bit slower to adjust - her life in the Healing Den had been nothing shy of pampered of course. But with Tyssix there she finally realized that it was no more harsh living in the Plateau than it was camping out in the lower areas of the Den for a while longer than usual.

Of course it was while Tovih was hunting that she and Irole first paired off. It was a big group. Who would notice? And who among the group would stop them? Irole found Tovih to be wildly attractive, and told her so repeatedly as he chased her to the brookside. They had to use that chilled water to clean up a lot, after their tussle in the muddy reed-banks.

And Mihve? It was no big surprise that Ihnala latched himself onto her like a burr in one's tail. He was enfatuated with shapeshifting - and though he could never learn to do it himself, he would certainly surround himself with it.

His big dragon Cerdansampith was proof of that, wasn't he?

So it came as no surprise to find that within two years of their arrival, both sisters had born children to their Kin lovers. It was Mihve first, and then Tovih by a month later.

While they were caring for their little year-olds Mihn and Terol, and helping out in the infirmary-den as their mother bore the Tribe their first true full-blooded Kin child, they knew that Tyssix and her brother would come back from their jaunt to other planets with dragons.

And both of them longed for that day themselves.

***

When Mihn and Terol were just over four years old, as the twins celebrated their twenty-second birthday, Kelssyroth came to them privately on the top of the Plateau.

I believe it is time for you to follow, you are old enough - and you have to admit that your offspring are holding their own among the Tribe. She bespoke to them.

With a shared grin, the girls hugged their mother's dragon tightly. Temih was down below, tying knots in the fringe of a pair of hair-ties she was giving the girls. She knew that her dragon had searched the pair, naturally.

Shortly they would leave and come back - and meanwhile their children would be tended by the menfolk if only for a little while.

"Where are we to go?" Asked Mihve, sitting upon Kelssyroth's back, and looking at her sister who was riding her mate's dragon Felinruad.

"I've been thinking, that Lantessama Isle is sadly under-represented in the Tribe's wings," Tovih said. They shortly took off, but continued their conversation mentally. 'But I think you should go there. I want something... a bit bolder.'

'You would,' Mihve said, 'but I agree - Lantessama's got some very cool dragons.'

They came from the Nexus over the shimmering Isle, and dropped Mihve off. There, she would have to wait just a while - but she learned of the lovely two-toned female on the sands, and her two lovely mates!

Temih watched her burly daughter thinking hard about where she was to go. It was a tough decision to make, really.

Suddenly, as though a dragon had thought to her from somewhere in the Nexus, Tovih perked her ears up and said, "Ring of Fire!" Startling Irole and making Felinruad chuckle.

They have a frenzy flight out on the sands. It is... highly unusual, to say the least. Said the dragon. Perhaps you ought to go there. Indeed.

"Then it's settled, we'll pick you up if you don't come home right away," Temih laughed. That was the way of things with dragons who could hop through time and space. They would worry if the girls were out too long - but they would never stop them from wandering.

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