Search Story of Nuadha Nuadha pushed his white hair from his face and glared at the flit hovering above the book. He wasn't supposed to be in the study to begin with, and with the flit making all the noise she was, he was gonna be in for it if he wasn't careful. "Just give me the book!" He pleaded, trying to snatch it and earning a bleeding streak down his hand. The flit creeled smugly and spit fire at him before taking up her cry. "Come on!" As angry footsteps sounded outside the door, Nuadha glared at the flit and ran. His white hair made him easily recognizable, and he really didn't feel like having someone knock on his door at four in the morning just because they could. With a sigh, Nuadha cursed the little flit for ruining his chance to snatch the book and starting planning another time to get into the study without notice. It wouldn't be too hard, as the Lordling was always out and about, but he wasn't supposed to be down that wing, let along in that room. His mother would be furious if she ever found out, to say the least. "How many times have I told you not to intrude on their good graces as it is?" She'd scream, throwing things at him as she prettied herself up to go and sleep around with a few more people. Nuadha scratched the stubble on his neck and sighed. As he and his siblings had grown up, it seemed that she had become even more child-like, depending on her children for food and a clean house. It wasn't pretty when she didn't get what she wanted. Nuadha was a bastard. He always had been, and he always would be. He didn't know who his father was, but whoever he was, Nuadha thanked the good spirits that he had taken after him and not his mother. His mother was beautiful and all, but the white hair and blue eyes seemed to remind her of something she'd rather forget, and for the most part, Nuadha was left to do as he pleased. For the most part. His siblings, or three of them, at least, were the bastard children of the Clan Leader's oldest son, and so they got a nice little house and a job for each of them as long as they kept out of sight and mind. The heir was married to a lovely woman, and their children didn't need to be influenced by the bastards of their father's former life. Nuadha snorted. Yeah, right. For a while, a man had lived in the house with them, being the father figure of his mother's thirteen children, but after his own three had gotten past their fourth year, he took them and left. Nuadha didn't blame him. His mother was mean and abusive to those who weren't paying her, and even he'd tried to get away on more than one occasion. It hadn't worked too well, and he hadn't bothered trying again. Instead, he immersed himself in the books he could find, sharpening his wit as he learned how to be a healer. He still hadn't told his mother, and the longer she didn't know, the better. His twin sister's flit, a small green thing that loved to chirp in people's ears until they went mad or tried to choke the poor thing, landed on his shoulder and crooned, begging for food as she dug her claws in behind his ear. "Ow!" He said softly, pulling her from his shoulder and holding her tightly in his hand. He dug out a piece of bread from his lunch and gave it to her, letting her go as she trilled a thanks and took off. Niaha, his twin, stood in the door, her slight frame nicely set off by a dress she had just finished making and her white hair pulled back from her face, setting off the high cheek bones that made both she and Nuadha look so finely made, even scholarly. The only real difference of the two was their build. Nuadha's face was obviously more masculine, his voice a deep baritone, and his shoulder's were broader, though not overly so. His arms were lean with muscles, and his legs hard from running. Niaha was lean as well, muscled as much as her brother, though she also had womanly curves that enticed so many men. Nuadha had the scars to prove that point, as well. No sister of his would take the same path of their mother. Not if he could help it. "Mother's not back yet." She said simply, her higher, alto voice ringing clear through the still air. "And this is supposed to surprise me?" Nuadha said grimly, kissing her lightly on the cheek and scooping up their youngest sister, mussing her dark hair. Besides Nuadha and Niaha, all of their siblings had dark hair and eyes, their complexions deep and tiny squashed noses sitting on their round faces. Nuadha smiled as his sister ran her finger down his long nose, giggling when he tried to bite her finger. "She was supposed to be back this morning." Niaha said, more sharply than normal. Nuadha put his sister down and listened more closely. Even in the profession she was in, his mother was never late coming home. She liked her rest. "No flit mail, or a note?" Nuadha asked calmly, thinking back to the times she had been late before. He had a sinking feeling in his gut. "No." Niaha said softly, closing the door and shooing their sibling out the back to play. "I'm sure there's an explanation." "There always is." Niaha said sadly, sinking into a chair and sighing. She was the eldest daughter, and the prettiest, but seeing as the next oldest was ten, she had her work cut out for her. Her mother made sure of that. "And most like it will end up our fault." Nuadha said with a frown, moving one of his books under cover and wondering which brother or sister had found and moved it. Niaha smiled and shook her head. "She will find out." "I look forward to the day." Nuadha said with a laugh, sitting down by a window and looking out. His eyes widened in surprise and he jumped up, Niaha following a step behind him. "What do you think you're doing?" Nuadha bellowed, running across the lawn and pushing the smaller siblings behind him. Niaha stood, staring in shock at the dragon landed in their backyard. "Nuadha? Niaha? I'm T'ron. I knew your mother." "That's great. What's your point?" Nuadha asked, picking up his little sister and holding her as her lip quivered, the bottom one stuck out as tears welled in her brown eyes. "Well, I don't expect you to care for all your siblings." T'ron said, frowning as another dragon landed and another rider approached. "And why would you take them now. We've done just fine as it is. Our mother will not be pleased." Niaha said defensively, stepping beside Nuadha and frowning right back. "You don't know?" T'ron asked, giving a helpless look to his partner. "They don't know?" His partner shrugged and started playing games with a couple of the younger ones, getting them closer and closer to the dragons. "Don't know what?" Nuadha asked slowly, shifting his sister and rocking her back and forth. "She's not coming back. Someone offered her a place to stay and she was gone. I though you knew. She said she was going to tell you." "You saw her." Niaha said flatly. "She was at the Caer I stay at. I do believe that the one you're holding is a good friend of mine's. Can't say for sure though." "What's your point? So she's not coming back? What else is new?" "Well, a couple of us from the Caer happen to think we might have some kids here, and want them to stay with us." "That's ridiculous." Niaha said, crossing her arms under her breasts and glaring at the man. "Is it?" Nuadha asked softly, looking from his sister to the man standing across from them. "You obviously don't want all of them, and what if they aren't yours?" "They can stay with us. And we know that any of ours would be under the age of twelve." "That leaves seven of us here." Niaha said angrily, Nuadha placing a calming arm on hers and shaking his head. "We can't just let you take them." He argued, studying the six youngest with sad eyes. "We won't leave you with all them." T'ron said with a shake of his head. "That's not fair to you." "It's not to you either, just picking up six kids you don't know." "So we'll pick up seven and take them, and leave six." Nuadha shushed Niaha's reply and frowned. To take an extra person along would mean they wanted someone who knew all six and could control them. It wouldn't be the younger three of the six, which left he and Niaha and Jerome, and Jerome had a good apprenticing job that Nuadha had found for him. "Niaha?" He asked quietly, watching her face with quick eyes. She was sad, and yet she was thrilled. She would finally have a chance to open up a shop if he took the younger six, but to allow her twin to leave..... "Go." She whispered, kissing the sister he was holding and sighing. "But if anything happens to them...." "Nuadha's coming? Good. He can stand while we're getting used to them." "Excuse me?" Nuadha said, turning to stare at T'ron. "That's not part of the agreement." "It is now." T'ron said with a grin, picking up Nuadha's brother and walking towards the dragon. "Congrats." Niaha said with a sad smile. "I'll never bond. And we'll come visit, I promise." "I know you will." Niaha said with a knowing smile. Nuadha grinned back. He was going to bond! Nuadha is a bonder at the Healing Den