"Ever heard of girls coming of age, Serna?" The elementalist asked quietly.

"No, can't say I have," The Shield Maiden admitted openly, "What's that?"

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies," The Swordsman cut in, "But do you REALLY think NOW is a good time for a conversation on the birds and the bees?"

The elementalist burst out laughing this time. "MWHAA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Birds and the bees?" Serna asked no one in particular, "What do they have to do with hormones? And what are hormones anyway? Caliaphy, your answer was as cryptic as any thing Dungeon Master would say."

"Serna, we know you have a crush on Willow. You have feelings for him don't you, more than just friendship? And that deary is just the beginning of you blossoming into womanhood." Alyson smirked.

Serna looked a little sheepish as she responded, "I admit. I do like Willow. A lot. I've always had feelings for him. But if this is how blossoming into womanhood starts I can't wait to see how it ends."

"Oh, it starts when your in your early teens and doesn't end until your late forties, give or take. At least that's how it is for us humans." The elementalist added.

"Are you getting 'twitter-pated,' Serna?" Caliaphy giggled.

"I guess so," The Shield Maiden replied uncertainly, "Whatever that means. I mean, I like Willow. I think he is dreamy. Is that being 'twitter-pated' as you call it, Caliaphy?"

"It ends with the birds and the bees, Serna, the birds and the bees," Irzen replied, "And if you're REALLY lucky it might end with a ring on your finger."

"Meh, ring, schming! Elves don't use rings as a way to bind two people together that I do know, and some of Alyson's friends back on Earth call it hand fasting where a single ribbon usually red, is draped in a criscross pattern over both the man and lady's hands symbolizing to each other a life long commitment, and soon they make babies. Awww! Babies are soooooooooo cute!" The fairy boasted.

"Yeah! They are," Serna agreed with a warm smile at her dimunitive friend.

The elementalist leaned forward on the back of the rage drake that was Lazheros and scratched the sides of his scaled neck.

The cavalry and the party with all the towns folk could now see the city of Westfall in the distance. A fairly large city with its stables and pastures of the greatest horses in the entire kingdom lay just to the east of the natural rock walls. The gates were manned and patrolled on a regularly basis. Many sighs of relief came from the impromptu caravan of refugees seeking protection of the invading horde.

"Not bad," Irzen remarked as he viewed the city before him, "It's defensible. Strong high walls too. If the horde comes here and if your people are adequately provisioned, you should be able to hold out here for quite some time."

The elven captain looked at the drow cautiously, "I understand a city like this is not what you're accustomed to?"

"On the contrary," The Swordsman corrected the Captain, "I've visited my fair share of such cities in my day. Sometimes my visits have been friendly, other times my visits have been hostile, and still other times profitable. I am just making note of my surroundings and the defensive capability of your city. It is good to be aware of these things should the horde come this way."

About a hundred yards from the southern gate, the towns folk dismounted the elk and deer that allowed them to faster travel. Each of them bowed slightly with a blessing of Corellon Larethian, and Rillifane Rallathil to send the animals back to the wilds.

The elementalist also dismounted as the rage drake reared upwards and assumed the form of the bronze man again.

Irzen dismounted from Billy's back and affectionately patted the war goat on its flanks, "Thanks for the ride, Billy, it was greatly appreciated."