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 Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:59 am
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:12 pm
Never Would Have Thought....
A Search Story
There were some things in life that continued on in an orderly fashion, and others that one just had to expect would cause a ruckus. Ghilani had never been a scheming fellow, but even he would own up to having at least some sort of life plan. He'd intended, at least, to study with master Enilion for a good long while before finally walking the tables into Journeyman status, then perhaps explore a little down South. He'd heard some fascinating rumors abut the Dawn Sisters, and would like to witness the phenomenon for himself, even though he knew every starsmith worth his or her salt would be studying them to deduce their strange arrangement and behaviors. He didn't have the drive to be the first to figure out why they did what they did, but he would certainly like to know that why... and if possible, have a hand in the discovery if nothing else. Even he remembered reading the Records of the ninth pass, when Master Wansor had the help of holders, crafters, and dragonriders alike to classify and map the nearest celestial bodies. He also made use of certain Ancient discoveries, like the one at Benden Weyr and Fort Hold, where a far viewer was first found and then replicated by the handy smiths at Telgar. His Master had one, which he kept in a velvet lined wooden case next to him at all times. LIke his forbearers, Ghilani believed in teamwork to accomplish goals, and would do everything in his power to assist his craftmaster in the next step forward! But even the best laid plans of mice and men are laid to waste before the powers of fate and destiny. And this morning was certainly one of the greatest opportunities and calamities of his young life.
A bluerider arrived at Ista Hold early, and was quickly ushered into the main hold. As with most boys his age, Ghilani had rushed out to catch a glimpse of the mighty blue dragon, startled into silence when he recognized the beast from the last Gather he had attended nearly a turn before. The dragon was unmistakable, given his deep sapphire blue hide and the bright electric blue dapples fading to a creamy seafoam along his underbelly. Likewise, the scare the dragon had given him at the Gather was equally unforgettable, and his mind couldn't stop spinning with the possibilities of such a visit. Certainly the riders he had played dice with were nice enough, and quite surprised by his lack of hostility. But he hadn't thought himself memorable enough, even if the Blue had sniffed him top to bottom. The bluerider had laughed it off at the time, as had the rest of them, right before convincing him to join them down in the dance square.
Was it possible that the rider was here for him? Had the sniffing meant something after all?
Those thoughts ran like a torrent through the young starsmith's thoughts, continuing all the way through the rider's reappearance and the subsequent summoning of all youths of the appropriate age. He couldn't think for the fear of the 'if's' involved. What if he HAD been remembered? How had the bluerider known where to find him? What if he was making all of this up? What is he wasn't chosen? What if the dragon ate him? What would he DO? So many unanswerable questions, since he daren't utter a word as he lined up with the rest to be presented to the dragonrider. He could sense the tension in the air, and noted with the small part of his mind that took note of everything, that certain hold and craft troublemakers were absent, as were those the loudest in their declamations against dragonriders and their tyranny of the great Holds. Ghilani had never partaken in the recent rumblings against the dragonmen, since he was quite secure in his craft-knowledge that Thread would indeed come again. Intervals were as predictable as the sunset once you stopped being blinded by marks, and he had been taught the Harper songs just as well as every other youngster. That certain folks chose to ignore the warnings of the Harpercraft, Starcraft and the dragonriders worried him, but his Master had chalked it up succinctly the last time he had asked. When Thread fell, both their craft, and Harpers, and the dragonmen would be vindicated. Until then, patience.
Patience was hard though, especially when one was a young 19 turns and ready to grab life by the horns.
Never more so was that true then when it came to waiting for the bluerider and his beast to survey the assembled. His very breath seemed frozen in a lump somewhere in his nether regions, while his heart was beating furiously in his throat. He'd never once considered being a dragonrider, not even in his darker moments when he thought he just wasn't ever going to make it as a Starsmith. Four turns and he was still an apprentice while all of his yearmates were now Journeyman, and one was almost at masterclass. For four years he was tutored, babied even, and led around by the hand in a subject he thought he knew inside out. At the Gather, he had been moping, he was man enough to admit it now, but even then he had scarcely thought he'd follow any other path. The dragon's antics hadn't dawned on him until this very moment, when he felt a terrible anticipation and true yearning to leave. Desperately he wanted to fly unfettered, realize the potential he knew he had, and finally make something of himself. Shards, hadn't Master Enilion promised him that, and then in the same breath reminded him that fate had a funny way of showing up at the oddest of times?
Would this be one of those oddest of times?
As the bluerider approached, he was certain every thought must have been apparent on his face, for the man... J'set if he remembered correctly, smiled ever briefly at him and winked in encouragement before once again turning back to the others with a look of bored indifference. Hellfires, how was he supposed to interpret that? Was the man teasing him? Had the dragon only been teasing at the Gather? Could what appeared to be encouragement could actually be some subtle joke between man and dragon..? His mind was whirling with assumptions and counter assumptions, all of which were vying to shape how he interpreted this situation. As Master Enilion has suspected, Ghilani did indeed have a sharp intellect, but had a tendency to let his emotions and adolescent insecurities take the reins. His fear of disappointing his master kept him from speaking up, just the same as his fear of stepping out on a limb now kept him frozen and terrified in the face of a spectacular opportunity. His breath was coming shorter now, and he could feel a tight squeezing in his chest...
Calm down. We know you.
The words, unbidden and as cool as an Upper Telgar spring, immediately stayed the panic attack, drawing his attention up to the great blue. The dragon, whose name he did not know, affected ignorance and appeared to be paying a great deal of attention to a girl his rider was talking too. Blinking back a hazing in his eyes, Ghilani did his best to regain control of his shattered nerves. In retrospect, he couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to go so out of control. Never in his life had his emotions taken him on such a wild ride, and if he had anything to say about it, they never would again. Drawing a deep breath, even if it shook a little, the young starsmith managed to smile at the Bluerider when he finally reached him. The remnants of the panic attack left his hands shaking a little, so he firmly clasped them behind his back, doing his best to stand straight and tall before the Dragonrider.
"So I've a promise to keep youngster. Hope you'll still be smiling when I ask you to come with me to Ista Weyr." The rider said, a slight quirk at the corners of his mouth betraying the bored facade he had been trying to cultivate with the other young men and women. He hadn't wanted to single this particular lad out right away, but his blue wouldn't stop clamoring about the sheer emotion the boy was radiating outward. Obviously he wasn't as sensitive on the receiving end, though J'set figured that would change soon enough if the boy Impressed. He himself wasn't much of a receptive Empath, but even he could feel the sheer relief pouring out of the boy. Patiently though, he waited for the spoken affirmative, lest some other factors came into play. One never knew with the Holder's and Craftsmen these days, though the lad's open friendliness the Turn previous gave the bluerider a certain amount of smug satisfaction at knowing he'd be right in the end.
'Lani supposed he should have been stunned, but after the last few panic stricken moments, he found that he just didn't have the energy to do anything more then just smile broadly and nod. Never would he have thought this would be the outcome of the morning, but he wasn't going to question Fate when when she came knocking and was wearing such attractive clothing.
"I'll still be smiling sir."
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 4:23 pm
This is Ista...!
And that is just Florian...
He shouldn't have been as shocked as he was by the crush of people cramming into the tiny Weyr. Overcrowding was a rampant pandemic all across the Northern Continent, with the smaller Holds like Ista and Igen (who also had precious few resources) showing the worse signs. Yet as he shifted uncomfortably on his cramped cot in the candidate barracks, Ghilani found that his thoughts were definetly taking a turn for the worse. He'd grown up on Ista Island, and was quite used to the heat, but the heavy stink in the air from the sheer number of dubiously washed male bodies was beginning to grate on his nerves.
tbc
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 5:20 pm
On Dragon Wings
Impression
Ignobly, Ghilani had been basking in the summer rays with Tada on his bare chest when the call came.
All at once he found himself on his feet, uncertain of how he had gotten to them so fast, until his sunbaked mind finally caught up with the rest of him as he sprinted to the candidate quarters. Florian would know, he was a Healer and had Stood before after all, so Ghilani wasted no time trying to locate his missing friend after he had thrown on the white robe passed down from candidates before him. Florian had wisely taken his robe with him when he reported to the Healer quarters for duty that morning, and had left Roco here in their room. Tada, for her part, had taken to the air at the first sign of movement from him, and had followed him doggedly all the way to his cot. Now Ghilani took a moment to look her square in the eyes. "Stay here Tada, with Roco. " Then he turned to the brown who had been asleep on Florian's pillow. "Both of you STAY here!" He emphasized the command that both knew, and was gratified when Tada promptly sat, folding her wings neatly along her spine. Smiling down at her, he scratched her along her eye ridges once, then turned and swiftly skate out the door.
Florian almost missed the call, since he was neck deep in pharmaceuticals in the Weyr's stillroom. The thick stone walls and comforting coolness was a soothing balm on the temper that often flared within him when the air grew hot. Blessedly, one of the apprentices came rushing in to tell him the news, and without so much as a second glance, he hurried after her, grabbing his white robe off the back of a chair as he did. Without modesty, he stripped off his outer tunic and undershirt, leaving on only his trousers and pulling on the robe as he ran to the Hatching Sands. Vaguely he wondered if Ghilani knew, but he figured that the cheerful starsmith would likely be one of the first to know, given how in sync his green firelizard was with emotions on smaller scale.
- - -
As with the candidate lessons, the pair arrived almost simultaneously, though Florian did move off a ways rather then crowd in close with the young starsmith. Ghilani found that he didn't mind, especially not with the great Queen hovering above and a squat looking egg breaking shell. It was a green, and Ghilani found himself smiling faintly at the color comparison between the newly hatched female and his own green firelizard...
... But the comparison stopped there when the green dragonet promptly mauled one of the young women in her way and proceeded through the girls as if she didn't see any of them. Frozen, he could only watch as the green finally did stop, only to demand something of her new rider. Ghilani noticed with a start that the chosen of the little killer was Tseka, the girl he had met outside the kitchens that one day. Understandably, he wasn't certain if he was happy for her...
Forcing himself to look away, Ghilani made a quiet, solemn vow to get out of the way of any approaching dragonets if they did not look interested... a vow that was aided by his current position at the back of the group of male candidates. He saw Florian start towards the wounded girl, he was Healer afterall, but stopped when one of the attending Healer's waved him off. Turning away when it appeared the situation was well in hand, Ghilani couldn't see the eggs very clearly, so he missed the actually breaking shell of his future dragon...
..As it was, the little brown had to force his way to the back before he could get to Ghilani.
Gh'lan, your Khunoth is so hungry. But don't feed him the bad bits of meat. Just the good parts. I'll know. But I'm hungry. Feed me now!
Blinking, Gh'lan just stared down at the brown stupidly, until the speckled creature took a warning snap at his hand.
Feed me now!
Instantly Gh'lan's brown eyes hardened and he frowned down at the dragonet... a rarity in and of itself. "I'll have have none of those teeth showing Khunoth, you need only ask me nicely." He said, placing his hands on his hips. The brown looked up at him belligerently for a moment, but Gh'lan kept staring him down until the hatchling finally gave a little in his body posture.
..Please?
That was enough for a start, and a bright smile radiated down at the hatchling from his rider. "Of course! You'll have the pick of the bunch!"
- - -
Florian watched his roommate Impress with mixed sympathy and pleasure. In a way he could appreciate what good Ghilani's good nature would do for the grumpy brown, but he felt that the dragon would temper the rider and perhaps instill a bit of competitive spirit into the boy. Smiling to himself, he turned back to watch the rest of the hatching. "Time will tell." he mumbled to no one in particular.
- - -
Patiently, Florian waited for the Impression of the Queen before exiting the Sands. He was not necessarily disappointed, though even he could admit to the twinge of envy that struck him as he watched the loves truck expression on the faces of new and old riders alike, he was instead in a state of readiness. There would be no more Hatchings, no more weeks of waiting and agonizing over what would Hatch, and would he become a Dragonrider. His life was his own know, in a way that he hadn't realized it could be.
He was free.
Though his physical body lacked wings to soar the skies, he felt both his heart and his mind clear from a dense fog of indecision and uncertainty. Now he could return to the Healer Hall without reservation, study for the rest of his Journeyman years, and perhaps return here as something more then he had been. A craftmaster, uniquely prepared and willing to treat even the most gruesome of dragon wounds simply because he could. The works uncovered in the oldest Crafthalls had revealed a great deal of lost knowledge, and he hoped to find amongst the strangely preserved records some form of history into Dragonkind. Some long forgotten teaching hide that told their story, from the inside out, and gave the Healercraft new insights into Healing and preserving the great beasts of legends that defended the planet. So he left the Sands, not with his head bent low in defeat, but with a strong step and a uplifted chin. He knew his true purpose now, and he was ready.
Ghilani, now Gh'lan, had fed Khunoth only the choicest bits of wherry leg, and had managed to persuade the brown hatchling to follow him back to the Sands to await his friend and former roommate. Naturally, Khunoth had resisted, but Gh'lan could not shake the feeling that he was needed, so he went anyway... certain that Khunoth would follow and that Florian would be waiting.
Florian was not waiting, but Gh'lan and his brown did manage to reach the entrance before he did, and the younger lad's voice pulled him out of his revelry with a laugh when the Healer almost walked right past them. "Here I thought I'd either have to convince you that Impression was real, or console you in misery.... but my friend... you look better then I have ever seen!" He meant it of course, as he meant everything he said, and Florian could only smile at him. Khunoth took that pause to rumble deep in his belly and nudge his new rider's hand, earning a gentle grin from Gh'lan and a chuckle from Florian.
"Best run back and finish feeding him Ghil... err Gh'lan. And rest assured, you have not seen nor heard the last from me, and I expect your first long trip between together will be to visit me while I study at the Fort Healer Hall!" Florian said, bending to one knee to salute the little brown. "And you look after each other." He added, rising back to his full height.
Khunoth quirked his head curiously to the side, but he sensed the link between his rider and this young man, so he kept any sarcastic remarks to himself. Despite appearances, he did love his rider, and anyone important to Gh'lan would forever be important to Khunoth. Gh'lan noticed his brown's restraint, and his smile broadened as he started to turn away. "Alright then! We'll be seeing you soon, since I'm sure both Khunoth and I will be the first to fly!" He said, waving to Florian as the Healer journeyman flagged down a departing bluerider to take him back to his room to pack up before heading back to the Healer Hall.
I'll hold you to that ridermine. Be prepared. Khunoth added later, once his belly was finally full and he thought he might possibly be satisfied.
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:15 pm
Truth and Truthiness
Gh'lan calls bullshit on a weyrling Khunoth's geocentric theory.
This will be fun. Stems from the what do you feed a 400 pound parrot joke. (answer, whatever he damn well wants!)
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 7:14 am
It's All About ME!
A small collection of WTF moments, brought to you by a pair of Istan Senior Weyrlings.
"Khunoth."
...Silence.
"Wherry head."
...Silence.
"Pipsqueak."
...Silence
"Dinner!"
WHERE?!?!
And thus did Gh'lan learn his dragon's true name.
- - -
"So, these flying straps... have you ever seen anything like'em before Khunoth?" Despite having ridden adragonback a few times, Gh'lan was sad to say that he wasn't as familiar with the safety devices as he should be. The current pair he was holding had a shiny black finish, and were a bit small... untutored though he was... he was pretty sure these were not supposed to be dragon-riding straps...
That is a dumb question. If course I know what riding straps look like, I am a dragon. Khunoth assured his rider haughtily. Briefly, Gh'lan considered disputing that, given Khunoth's age and their latest assignment by the Weyrlingmaster. Gh'lan had taken it upon himself to investigate beyond the necessary to keep his promise to Khunoth that they would be the first on the wing, so here he was. In the Tanner shop. With not another soul in sight and a mountain of leather pieces strung out all around him in varying states of completion. Of course, with Khunoth outside prompting him, Gh'lan couldn't very well retreat in confusion now... so he'd grabbed the first set that caught his eye and made a dash for it. Being of a basic good nature, Gh'lan had mentally promised to bring them back as soon as possible... and sternly reminded Khunoth that they were NOT going airborne today. Just getting a head start on the rest of the class, that they were!
"I dunno Khu, these seem really strange." The young brownrider said, holding up the dubious assortment of thin leather strips and metal rings for the brown to see. Blinking his big faceted eyes, Khunoth leaned forward to sniff at them, before snorting in disgust. They smell funny. And they look too small to fit around a dragon neck. He finally concluded, sitting back on his haunches primly. Then, as he watched Gh'lan hold them at arms length to study the contraption, an idea dawned on the young brown. I think they are human riding straps. They look about your size. He said cheerfully, immensely pleased with himself for figuring it out.
Gh'aln, what is wrong? You look pale?
"I'm taking these back NOW!"
And thus did Gh'lan learn that life in the Weyr was very different indeed.
- - -
The full moon was shinning.
The firelizard was fast asleep.
And here he was, waist deep in hot water.
Ironically, relaxing in a spring fed pool of hot water wasn't as bad a concept as Gh'lan had first envisioned. He'd been awfully tense these past few months as Khunoth grew. Between the backbreaking work of scrubbing and oiling his fastidious brown daily, along with keeping up with his little green firelizard... the former starsmith found that he hadn't gotten much personal time. What time he had managed to steal from the claws of sleep was mostly spent talking to his brown, which wasn't all that surprising. Gh'lan was swiftly coming to terms with the fact that Khunoth was a fairly innovative dragon, and had an opinion on pretty much everything.
Finally though, the pair had earned their wings, and were allowed to take short straight-flight trips around Ista Island to familiarize themselves with it. During one such escapade, Khunoth had commented on a particularly good thermal rising from a densely wooded slope. Curious, Gh'lan had directed the brown to land, and discovered a veritable treasure trove of hot springs dotting the southern face of an old vegetation covered volcano. The area was above a small hold of fisherman, and the springs were liberally spaced apart. Some areas even looked a bit manicured, as if someone had purposefully cultivated the bushes and trees for privacy screens. Sadly, neither were prepared to indulge in a quick dip, so dragon and rider had returned to the Weyr bursting with plans for a night time run. Gh'lan was a little surprised about Khunoth's enthusiasm, since he was quite sure the brown wouldn't fit in any of the pools, but when asked... Khunoth only rumbled deep in his chest and sent a mental image of a dragon basking in the steam. Laughing, Gh'lan left him to that image, and hurriedly gathered a small pack of necessities.
Upon arrival, Gh'lan shed his riding gear with a reckless abandon he'd have never used in daylight, retaining only a loin cloth for his fine craftbred sensibilities sake. Quickly, he realized that some pools were warmer then others, and it was after moving from the first one (which was a bit too cool) that he heard a scurrying in the bushes below. Startled, but confident it was probably just some critter (or Tada, who had vanished from his shoulder at some point) the brownrider eased himself into a warmer pool not far from where Khunoth was curled around the edge of the hottest spring. The dragon looked about ready to doze off, and bathed as he was in the moonlit misty steam, Gh'lan was momentarily absorbed by the rugged beauty that was dragonkind.
Unfortunately, the scurrying turned out to be something far more substantial then one green firelizard, and Khunoth wasn't the only one fully illuminated by moonlight.
Somewhere between dozing off and admiring his dragon, Gh'lan heard the most wher-awful shriek... followed quickly by shouts of outrage and surprise. Stirred from his revelry, he made a grab for a jacket that wasn't there, coming fully awake to the realization that he had left his clothing strewn about the small rocky clearing.. and that the shouting was definitely human. KHUNOTH!
Yes?
Shardit! Cover for me! I need to reach my jacket and pants before somebody comes up here! Distinctly, he heard the dragon yawn.
Don't worry, they already know we are here.
"What are you-"
"RIDER! IDENTIFY YOURSELF FOR YOUR TOMBSTONE!"
... and thus did Gh'lan remember that some holders still had separate outdoor baths for men and women.
- - -
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 9:42 pm
Follow Me.
With adulthood, comes wisdom. With wisdom...who the hell are you kidding?
Another short story on what happens when you cross a grumpy Brown Dragon with a proddy Green Lizard. Humans, beware.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:40 pm
Black. Blacker. Blackest.
A collection of corny pub jokes brought to you by your favorite improv. comedian
No Gh'lan. Just. No.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:36 pm
Retrieving the Lost
In which Florian makes his reappearance
A rather long two part story set after Florian heads south and meets the rather belligerent opposition of the Southern Lord Holder's staff... and then has to be rescued by an old friend. Bollocks.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:38 pm
Retrieving the Lost II
In which Florian makes his reappearance.
Part two, wherein Gh'lan and Fline duke it out as craftsmen. With mud. Slung mud. No grubs were hurt in the making of this story.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:32 am
Crack Dust
Wherein Gh'lan makes a solid decision.
Quote: It wasn't often that Gh'lan made really big choices really quickly, but no one can say that he was caught sitting down when the opportunity arose to leave Ista for (proverbially) greener pastures. If only he had known...
The rumor mill was running full throttle by the time Gh'lan had made his way down to the dining hall. Grossly embellished recitals of Favan's temper towards the unknown runner were flying, and while he had to laugh at a few of them, the brownrider chose to avoid joining any one particular conversation. Dinner was foremost on his mind, and given the recent plague of spoiled food and dirty linens, he was hellbent on acquiring something decent this evening!
Khunoth was a slow burning presence in the back of his mind, but when queried, the brown wouldn't come out and say what was bothering him. At length, Gh'lan decided that the dragon rumor-chain must be buzzing just as the human contingent of the Weyr was. For all his big talk, the brown kept to himself socially, choosing his companions just as carefully as he did his prey.
tbc...
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:16 pm
Brawler
In which Florian makes Gh'lan's life difficult.
Fresh off the dragon, and Florian has already acquainted himself with the worst Igen Weyr has to offer. Luckily for Gh'lan, he's right on hand to lend his friend some elbow grease when the Healer jumps to the aid of an ill-tempered Igen dragonrider. Needless to say, Gh'lan is not amused... especially when the b*****d wakes up.
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