"Why are we here? Where is this place anyway?" Tyssix asked, as they had come out from the Nexus in a brightly sunlit area overlooking some strange buildings. A busy street surrounded the area.

Several ufo-shaped saucers and a pair of F14's passed overhead, and then were followed by a trio of brightly colored, flame-trailing superheroes.

"Ah. This is Carramba High." Cryten said. He had been there one time, before they split up, but he was too young to start his education there. Now, he didn't seem to need it.

"And...." Tyssix said, "we're here because?"

"Because it looks like Xen is here. Ah - down there." Cryten pointed down at the track, where a series of people were lined up and there was a lot of cheering.

"Looks like a race," Tyssix said. "Who won?"

"The guy in the middle. And look, there's Xenrai. And Kalkin." Cryten commented.

"What are you guys doing here?" Asked a woman, who turned out to have a tall mohawk and a fairly brightly colored - one might say spangled - dragon behind her. Kelssyroth seemed somewhat more interested in the male dragon, than talking to the humans.

"We're looking for our brother," Cryten said. "He's down there."

"Oh, Xen is your brother - obviously, xen is your brother why else would you all have spots, duh Dom -" she spoke half under her breath. "He's become very popular with the track team. He's been here for about a month. Have you seen him working?"

"Nope, but I can guess," Tyssix said. "Are they wrapping things up? Because we are supposed to be heading to the Healing Den."

She assumed that since Dominique Talshoy - the woman with the mohawk - had a dragon, she knew what that meant. Fortunately, she thought right.

"Almost done. Look, they're awarding the medals and all. They'll be done in a minute. Ooh, say, you're searched. That's why."

Presumably, Dominique's brown (red and white starry) dragon related that fact. "Congratulations. Myself, I kind of came across Gallimim and Ringeth here on accident. I had to learn the hard way all about dragons and such. But then I found my way here too, with him."

"Gallimim?" Cryten said, "that's...."

"He's an old dragon. I'm an old woman. Can't you tell?" Dominique laughed heartily, she hardly looked a day over thirty - if that. She had an odd scar on her neck, but that was about the only sign that she was mature beyond the pair of half-cheetahs.

When the track and field work was done for the afternoon, the groups of people who did or did not want to look at the dragons split accordingly. Crazy Doc Sanger - Kalkin sort of - came along with those that did, of course, and he brought Xenrai with him.

The look on Xen's face was priceless. "Cryten! Tyss! How are you!?" He bolted to their side, and grappled with them. "Are you enjoying your field trip?"

"Field trip - heh," Tyssix said. "Well, if you count having a - hey that's right, you're an uncle! Her name is Xyma! You'll see her - when you come with us back to Planet Twenty next time."

It didn't take long to explain the whole situation, and to get Dominique's big brown ready to take him along. They were going home, after all.

***

At the Den, things were sedate and kind of dim. Nothing was going on, that afternoon - and how they could immediately tell it was that time of day was really none of anyone's business. It was their birth place, they always knew what time it was.

"You are looking well," Baeris told them - all. She looked over all her grandchildren and smiled broadly. "I've been told that you are a mother. Have you sent any kind of word to Tessrabia? No. You haven't. You will be in Big Trouble."

But there was no threat in her voice. To her grandchildren, suddenly, Baeris was aglow. There was something very different here - and Cryten realized but said nothing.

"Why aren't you teaching at Carramba High too?" Xenrai asked. "I mean, I bet you could even teach a course on dragon anatomy or something."

"I could, but then I would not have time for myself." Baeris said. That was new, she rarely made time for herself unless there was absoultely good reason and nothing else planned for a while.

They eventually made their way into the records and computer room. "Now, Dulath has told me that you are supposed to be bonding. Is that right."

"Why, don't you think we should?" Xenrai said.

"I think you should have quite a long time ago, but perhaps the right dragons had not come along for you yet. Now, perhaps they have. We shall see."

Baeris watched her grandkits go through the same databases that so many others had looked at. The elves, the Kin, countless Dawnlight kids... Mages and other dragons and all. Now, her own blood relatives were finally chasing down their inheritance.

Where to? Where would they go?

"Look - there are openings at a really great looking nest!" Tyssix said. "A bunch of mates and lots of eggs."

"A frenzy?" Baeris asked. But Tyssix shook her head.

"Nope, Cy Dragonstake hosted some already-mated pairs." She showed off a list of the parents - they were known to Baeris in vague and close up ways.

"Are all of you to head there, then?" Baeris asked.

Cryten tilted his head. "I don't know, should we all?"

"I want to," Tyssix said. "It looks great."

"And I do too," Xenrai. "If you're looking somewhere else, I can't stop you. I know that much."

They laughed. Cryten searched a bit more, and found something he was interested in.

"Ryslen," Cryten said simply. "I want to go there. You guys hang at Cy, and we'll meet back here. How is that?"

"You just want to get rid of me," Tyssix said.

"That is because you are a pest," Cryten said, half grinning.

"I haven't gotten over the 'uncle' thing yet," Xenrai muttered.

"So, you're going to split up again," Baeris said. "Well you should pack a little first. Remember this is a civilized place you're going to, Cryten. You need to brush that... stuff... out of your fur."

"I have stuff in my fur?!" Cryten exclaimed, and rushed off to get a comb. Laughing, the other siblings watched each other and finally broke down into a hug and cry session.

"I missed you!" Tyssix said.

"I missed you more," Xenrai stated, but Tyssix tugged on his tail.

"You know I was gone more than two years my time, right?" She said, and Xenrai gave a start.

"No, I hadn't realized that. You could have sent something to us."

"But you were busy, and now we're the same age. Hah." Tyssix giggled.

"Off with you," Baeris said, "I think there is a group coming in, and I want to be ready for them. When you come back I'll have to tranquilize your mother. She'll be having a fit."

"You are so just like her," Tyssix said to Xenrai as they went off to pack their own goods.

"I am not," he said.

"Are too."