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He caught a flash ofup fro shelf

The Green advanced, covering her sister with her own bulk

He couldn’t fight the he could use the elbow of his injured forelih it pained hi shelf If they tried to jue when they alighted

The Gray yapped down at hi to the cave floor The Copper gnawed at thehis bloodstream from the sed hunks of tissue

The Gray’s head disappeared, and the battle fury left the Copper He felt cold, alone, and wandered over to the trickle and lapped a little water He cooled his injured li He crept closer so he could catch the end of the song:

…and the long years of dragonhood are sure to be thine

He tried to cli li Mother’s soft throatand half prruht this time, but to be by Mother, safe and warreat tail dropped over the edge and pushed hihts of her neck

"No, little one, Auron has won the egg shelf If you coain he will kill you"

He tried to reply, but the only noises he seemed to be able to ain:

"Fwhy?"

"I’ You are an outcast You ainst the base of the egg shelf, cold and alone

No pleasant dream, this

Chapter 2

Loneliness was a constant cohout the day, gnawing at hiht as he dreamed of warm, rich feasts Loneliness would not be so easily seen off

Only loneliness is e sharp and dreadful cold

The outcast rhyg shelf

He , tucked into a crack lest the Gray attack hiain with a pounce and a triumphant squawk, he felt an odd tickle at his tail A wide, flat thing, rather like his tongue save for a questing projection that stuck up fro by the direction it slurped--had touched his tail and recoiled

He fell on it without really knohat he was doing and tore it open as he landed It still writhed, so he batted it about so off the head It ht, wet safety, and he instinctively sed

It tasted vile and slimy, but filled his belly He ate the other half and suffered no ill effects save for a hunger that caer drove hied, empty, and loneliness forced hi shelf

He explored the cave fro shelf to the entrance hole, knew its drains and its hollows and its patches of shining green on waste and bat droppings

Often he clung to the side of the egg shelf, straining to pick up ht the rest of her clutch Stories, lessons, songs, rhy shelf whenever she didn’t sleep

The Gray was named Auron, he knew His noisy sisters were Wistala and Jizara

And then he htening in the quiet hich hetrail in the hope of another epheh the cave wall had shifted next to hi shelf

He keened up at Father, tried to form words, sat up on his hindquarters and yapped until his head swam

Father stared at his stiff,shelf He had to dodge Father’s swinging tail by retreating into a crevice