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 Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:37 pm
Once the girl was gone, C’ren was able to relax a little. Or at least take comfort that there was no longer someone sweating behind him. He slid down Ceylith once more, moving around to stroke the dragon’s face and nose. Ceylith crooned happily at the attention, pleased that her rider had taken her advice and didn’t let this Candidate get away. While the Green dragon had no way of knowing who would and wouldn’t Impress, she had a good feeling about this one. Even if she didn’t Impress, she would be a credit to the Weyr with that dedication to duty, that passion for doing what she had promised.
She reminds me of you, C’ren. she said eventually, still nosing her rider.
Only if I had my brain eaten out by Thread, he replied, giving his dragon a playful bop on the nose. Their moment of fun was lost soon, however, since an outsider soon arrived. C’ren lost whatever playfulness he had been expressing and eyed the newcomer warily, as if she might be insane enough to attack a dragonrider and his dragon. The woman, plump and cheerful, looked like someone’s mother; she had aged well enough, even though her rounded belly hinted that she ate a bit more than she needed to. She smiled happily enough at the pair and held a small tray. Without a warning to the rider’s arrival, Ulbreen’s wife, Kimale, didn’t have much time to gather something, but the Greenrider would be offered what they could: namely, clean water, some wine, if he wished, and a real delicacy: fresh fruit from Bwanan Hold.
“Greetings, Greenrider!” she said in a cheerful tone. “We weren’t expecting to see one of your status here. Please, make yourself at home!” Inwardly, she burst to know what the rider had been doing with Kallista, but she held her tongue. One heard rumors about Dragonriders, after all…
“Thank you, but it is not necessary,” C’ren’s smooth answer came. It was a clear dismissal, one that Kimale couldn’t really ignore. “What do you know of Kallista?” he asked after a moment of silence.
The woman merely shrugged before tucking away an errant strand of her graying hair. “She’s a Runner, sir, and a good one. She’s never left a duty undone as far as I know.” She shut up quickly as the girl herself appeared. Respectfully, Kimale made to move away.
“Wait. Please, leave the water.” The rider turned his attention to Kallista once more. “You’ll want to take a drink. We won’t be able to go between to get to your station. I’ve never been there. You didn’t drink at Bwanan Hold.”
That was mostly Ceylith speaking, dressed up in C’ren’s words. The green herself was enchanted by the water’s edge and waded out into the shallows, watching the ripples with fascination. Occasionally, she attempted to bite the waves, forgetting the salty taste of the water. It still felt nice, after all this heat. Even after the extreme coldness of between, the heat got to Ceylith quickly. She let out a friendly greeting at Kallista though and romped towards her rather like a bit puppy. She even shook water everywhere.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:15 pm
Kallista wrinkled her nose in amusement as she watched the green play in the waves. Did dragons get a chance to play or only in brief moments like this? For a moment, the mental image of her relaxing with a green as beautiful as Ceylith flashed across her mind's eye. Giving herself a little shake, Kallista met C'ren eyes as he offered her a drink. He had come to quickly realize that it was in his manner to be standoffish towards everyone, not just her.
Giving Kimale a small and a wave, Kallista took the cup and allowed herself a nice, long drink. The water itself was pure and tasty, surprising since the hold was so close to the sea. Trying to think about how long it took her to go from Yetketh to Sandy Bend, the Runner realized that they might be flying for a while and chose not to fill her bladder. Instead, she grabbed one of the fruits that Kimale had left behind and placed it into her bag. She took a moment to stretch her legs since she would be sitting for a while then turned back to C'ren.
"I am ready, sir. Sandy Bend Station is very easy to find. We just follow the river upstream. It is about a day's run for me but I am sure that it will take Ceylith only a few hours maybe a little longer to reach the Station. You can not miss it, the building are made out of stone that was found at the river's bend."
Patiently, Kallista waited for Ceylith to finish her amusement. She even laughed when she was pelted with water from the green shaking herself off like a majestic, overgrown puppy.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:11 pm
If C’ren felt guilty about his behavior towards Kallista, it didn’t show in his gray eyes. Then again, he clearly wasn’t very expressive, so perhaps he did feel a little guilty. He didn’t hold eye contact for very long, since Ceylith was a good-deal more interesting than some teenage girl. While Kallista drank her fill, C’ren kept an eye on the green dragon, making sure she didn’t break any boats or anything. She didn’t mean any harm, of course; she never did. It was tempting to let Ceylith play in the water a little while longer, but she had to keep up her energy, if she was to make this flight.
The sudden shower was less than welcome, honestly. For a moment, he simply looked surprised before sending a half-glare over at his excited dragon. “I always knew you’d be a bundle of trouble,” he went on in his world-weary tone. “Come on, Ceylith… you’ll have plenty of time to play when we get back to the Weyr.”
The dragon chortled and tossed her head a little, amused by the reactions of both the humans she had showered with water. The laughing girl was especially amusing, in her opinion. It was a pretty sound. She was sorely tempted to go back into the water and bring back more, but she knew C’ren had a point; they had to hurry back to the Weyr. Besides, she was eager to get back into the sky.
Not that she had to make C’ren’s life easy. When the rider started climbing up, the dragon snaked her head around and briefly poked her nose into his back. When he turned to glare at her, Ceylith pretended to be completely innocent, looking up at the sky or the ground.
It was her. I swear it was. Her chortling, however, gave her away. Well, that and the sheer logic of it.
“Just a bundle of trouble… come on up, then. Let’s see how long this flight will take.” C'ren settled on Ceylith's back, patiently waiting for Kallista once more.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:28 pm
If the open sea bothered Kallista, and it did, she did not let it show. The antics of the green dragon calmed her down slightly. Watching rider and dragon interact allowed Kallista a chance to see how strong the bond between the two mates were and something inside of her clenched.
Thankfully, as she explained to C'ren, they would not be flying over open water but instead heading inland and towards the north. Without hesitation, she climbed up the forelimb that Ceylith offered to her and settled once more behind C'ren. Making sure her bag was secure, she tapped C'ren politely on the shoulder.
"I am ready, Rider C'ren. I hope the flight does not tire you too much, Ceylith. Though such an agile beast like yourself will probably have no troubles at all." Kallista paid the green a compliment. Bracing herself as the green launched upwards into the air, the runner took in the sight of the sea waters sparkling in the sunlight. "Such an amazing sight."
As Ceylith winged herself around in the right direction, the land lay about before them. Ista was not known for its forests... In fact, most of the trees and plant life, unless cultivated, were small shrubs and low, spread out to absorb as much light and water as possible. The river was like a blue snake sliding its way over the land, leaving pockets of sandy beaches or shaped rocks and boulders in its wake. This was the first time Kallista had ever seen anything from any sort of height and it was amazing. Trying to keep her mouth shut and her eyes open, she didn't realize she was leaning into C'ren.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:55 pm
Ceylith, of course, beamed under the compliment, looking as pleased as a Queen with two golden eggs. C’ren knew better; agility had little to do with stamina and he was acutely aware of his dragon’s shortcomings. She was fast and agile, but her stamina was lower than the average Green’s.
I like her, she announced to C’ren. You could take a few lessons in etiquette from her.
C’ren resisted the urge to sigh. Of course the dragon liked her… Ceylith liked everyone and everything, it felt like. But, perhaps, he would make an effort to be nicer to this girl, if only because of his dragon’s desires. The Green’s wings pumped again and then the small Hold was getting even smaller as they took off. It was a good thing they weren’t flying over open sea; C’ren knew that the best chance they had was to simply ride the wind. The sea lacked that for the most part. Luckily, it was a warm and lazy day with plenty of warm updrafts. Only the occasional flap of wings was necessary to stay in the air.
Ceylith was absolutely enchanted by the lay of the land and especially the river below. It was like a blue ribbon, allowed to lazily wind around the region. It was just so tempting to go fast, to try and race the waters below. It was a lost race, Ceylith knew, but that wasn’t the point: the point was to simply enjoy it. The only thing holding her back was the fact that one of her riders was unused to sudden increases in speed.
Also there was a long journey ahead of them. For his part, C’ren merely tried to avoid feeling too uncomfortable about having the teenage girl pressing against his back. He leaned forward as best he could, trying to put as much space between them as possible. It was a lost battle, however, since he had told her to hang on and everything. The ride was, for the most part, without incident. Once Ceylith had caught sight of a wild wherry and attempted to chase after it until C’ren reminded her of her duty. Still, it was a brief burst of speed, one that would allow Kallista to truly appreciate the sheer agility of a Green. Some hours later, when the sun was starting to go down, the Station came into sight. Ceylith’s landing was nowhere near as graceful as it normally was, since the Green was tiring by now.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:54 pm
Though sitting was not necessarily a tiresome event, flying was and Kallista was not used to being in one position for so long. Her arms and legs were starting to ache; it was not unlike sitting on a runner beast but the longest she had ever ridden was a couple of hours. The journey, though on dragon back, still took about five hours.
When Ceylith had taken off to chase a wherry, Kallista squealed. Not with fear but with excitement. She did not squeeze with her legs, like C'ren had warned her, but instead held onto him slightly tighter. Finally, the unmistakable buildings of Sandy Bend Station appeared on the horizon. There was an open space right in front of the Station entrance. By the time that they had landed, a crowd had gathered. Runners had spotted the green a while back and well... As the runner ran... The news reached the Station very quickly.
Station Master Byrand was waiting outside with his three sons for the dragon rider to land. His eyes widened when he noticed Kallista sitting atop the green's back. For a moment, he had a brief flash of his dead wife's image and then replaced it with a look of interest but not yet one of hospitality.
"Hail, Green rider! I am Station Master Byrand of Sandy Bend Runner Station. I see you carry my daughter on your dragon's back. Tell me, is there anything wrong or anything that I can assist you with?"
Kallista waved happily from Ceylith's back. "Hail father! All is well! My runs were completed and I have both Calcatran and Ulbreen's payments as well as their signatures completing the contracts."
Without hesitation, she slide down off of Ceylith and raced up to her father, acting like a young girl instead of the teen that she was, her face flustered and showing her glee. Turning around to face her friends and family that had gathered close by, she announced her news. "I have been Searched!"
Her younger brother, Nejeran crowed. "No way! You can't be Searched! You are a girl!"
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:12 pm
Five hours of non-stop flying… it would take poor Ceylith a moment to get her breath back. The fact that they could travel between to get to the Weyr would be a small forgiveness; as much as C’ren hated the realm of oblivion or whatever it was, he had to admit it was useful. He slid down soon after Kallista, feeling considerably less sore than her. The man and his sons were spared a moment’s notice, at least long enough for the rider to introduce himself. “C’ren of Green Ceylith,” he said simply. “Here on Search. More or less.”
Look at them, C’ren! They’re so tiny! And they look like her in some ways! Ceylith mentally squealed with glee at the sight of children, momentarily ignoring her exhaustion. Hmm… she had to wonder if any of them might be suitable… well, it was worth a try. After all, one of the children was acceptable, so maybe the others would also pass muster. Oblivious to the fear that her movements could cause, she sidled closer to the family, trying to get a better look.
Ugh. Families. C’ren preferred to avoid the whole tearful goodbyes and that sort of thing, but they were inevitable in this business. For the most part, he ignored Kallista’s announcement and merely did his best to look relaxed. His façade failed at her younger brother’s words, a hint that the dragonrider wasn’t quite at home with certain sorts of injustice. “We’ve got one Gold egg on the Sands and probably at least twenty Greens. Plenty of reasons for a girl to go there,” he said mildly, despite his inward seething. “Never mind the number of Blues who might prefer a woman rider. Or even Browns. Stranger things have happened.”
Ceylith mentally frowned and her eyes momentarily swirled with yellow, the color of anxiety. Her rider was upset, even if he didn’t show it. She moved away from the family quickly, back to C’ren once more and nuzzling his shoulder quietly. Or trying to. It was so much easier when she was smaller, she had to admit. C’ren absentmindedly patted the nose, but kept most of his focus on the small group of family and friends.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:30 pm
Considering that her younger brother was only about nine turns, Kallista merely laughed and ruffled his hair. She waited for the chatter to die down and for C'ren to introduce himself before turning back to her father.
Byrad looked C'ren and Ceylith over for a moment. Riders would always have higher rank, no matter who they were or what color they rode. His dark brown eyes took in the sight of the green dragon moving to check his other children out despite appearing weary.
"Hadden! Go fetch some fresh bread and a cup of klah for rider C'ren. Sir, does your dragon need a meal? It is not a problem to spare a wherry or a sheep for her to snack on. The beast fields are directly behind the station."
Kallista looked back and forth between her father and C'ren. Solemnly, she reached into her bag and handed over the two marks along with her signed hides. Pleased as she was to have completed her runs so quickly, she was also anxious to get to the Weyr. After all, the green said that there was not a lot of time. "Father. I wish to go to the Weyr. I want to accept being Searched. There are no petitions for me, are there?"
Byrad slowly shook his head, all the while keeping his eyes on C'ren and watching his reactions. The green had moved back close to her rider, almost deferring to the much smaller man. When Hadden returned with a tray ladened with bread, klah, and a small bowl of water and towel, Byrad merely nodded. He knew were his duty lay and it was definitely with Ista.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:55 pm
“The klah and fresh bread is not necessary. And…” C’ren paused for a moment, going into a mental conversation with Ceylith to see if she was hungry or not. She was a tad peckish, but C’ren had a shrewd idea that allowing her to spill blood and guts all over the place would not be a good way to convince Kallista’s father to let her go to the Weyr. “Ceylith is merely thirsty. She’ll be fine after a brief stop at the river. Thank you for the offer.” For once, he almost sounded grateful; he didn’t care so much about the food and drink offered to him, but he did like it when others acknowledged the fact that the dragon might be hungry.
You should’ve accepted the food, C’ren. You’re hungry. I know it. The nose insistently shoved at the rider’s shoulder. Aside from the pats and scratches, the rider was more interested in the family’s reaction for now. At least they were keeping a respectful distance from the pair; that helped him from getting too anxious.
And there was no way that he missed the father’s eyes. And it was really beginning to annoy, actually. “Should I twirl around too? I have to admit, I’m not much of a twirler, but since you’re so interested…” if sarcasm was an actual solid, it would’ve been dripping from his voice right then and there, making messy little puddles at his feet. “Kallista, if you’re to come along, you better pack quickly. No pets except for firelizards, by the way; you won’t have time to take care of it anyway. Take only what you need: that’ll be mostly clothes. Go on, hurry up. The Candidatemaster is a lot less patient than I am.”
Nothing in the other ones? he asked, referring to the other children.
Ceylith paused to think about that for a moment before slowing shaking her head. No. Not this time. Just her.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:09 pm
Station Master Byrad had to admit to himself that this was the rudest rider he had ever come across. If not for the fact that the man was a dragon rider, the older, more experienced might have said something completely out of line.
"You will find, Green Rider C'ren, that if you check Weyr records, this station has always be loyal to Ista Weyr first and Ista Hold second. I shall assume that your remarks are due to the long journey you have had and will have heading back." Bowing slightly, the man returned his gaze to his only daughter.
"Go and be Searched. Make us proud and don't forget to send word..."
With that, he waved for the others to head back into the Station and go back to their tasks. Kallista's youngest brother started to sniffle but managed to keep a clean face.
"Don't worry! I shall always make sure to send a message to you by runner. And in a few years, you can take my place and travel all over Ista just like I did." Kissing him on the head, Kallista ran into the station to her meager room and through a bunch of clothes into a sack. She emptied her small savings... Just over three marks and grabbed several smaller items, like her knife, a firestarter, and a small sketch of her mother. Racing back out to the open yard, she waved goodbye to her two older brothers and people she was familiar with before stopping in front of C'ren. "I will send you a message just before the Hatching! I hope you can come and see me stand!"
Turning back to C'ren, she nodded at him. "I am ready. Let's go."
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:29 pm
“Feel free to assume whatever you like,” C’ren said smoothly, as if it made no difference to him. Loyalty sure didn’t seem to make a difference in his behavior; he was rude all the same. Or at least prickly. Ceylith let out a small unhappy noise, a sign that she wasn’t entirely pleased with her rider. Still, there wasn’t really anything she could do about it. The dragon let out a gust of a sigh, wishing that she could convince C’ren to be more pleasant. It would make their travels a whole lot easier. Not to mention Weyr-life in general, seeing as it was impossible to go anywhere without running into someone. While Kallista hurried off to collect her belongings, C’ren busied himself with, once again, checking the straps. Now that they were going to go between, the straps were absolutely essential.
Mostly, he tried not to think of when he had been Searched. His cothold hadn’t been much different from this place, in a way. Admittedly, it had been involved in farming rather than runners, but the basic idea remained the same: a few close-knit families all living in the same place. It was strange to think about how far he had come.
By the time Kallista was ready, C’ren had already climbed up onto Ceylith’s back once more. She still had to go to the river to drink, but he simply felt better on dragonback. For one thing, it meant he could actually look down on others. For another, it kept him away from others. “Alright. Come on up then.”
Once Kallista was, once again, safely seated behind her rider, Ceylith ambled towards the stream nearby and took a long drink, slaking her thirst. Then she was off in the air, soaring over the station and allowing Kallista one last look at her home from the air. Then it was between once more, that realm of icy darkness. C’ren tried to ignore the way that the cold seemed to seep into his very bones, leaving a cloying feeling on his skin.
One. Two. Three.
Three heartbeats later and the trio was over Ista Weyr. Other dragons moved: sapphire Blues, deep Bowns, even a coppery Bonze here and there. And, everywhere, the emerald glint of Greens, all flitting about with one thing in mind: to get ready for the Hatching. Spotting a good landing spot in the Weyrbowl, Ceylith gracefully settled on the ground, shaking herself slightly to get rid of the icy tendrils of between.
C’ren slid down first this time, giving Ceylith an affectionate pat on the leg. “Good job, Ceylith. Wonderful work. Kallista, the Candidate barracks are over there. Someone there should be able to tell you where you belong. And good luck with the Hatching.” There was, once again, the briefest ghost of a smile on his face before it vanished.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:43 pm
Just as before, Kallista managed the journey between fairly well... Even if she did hold her breath again. Part of her was a little stung by the way that C'ren had treated her family and the other holders but she would have to get over that. In a Weyr this large, his burly attitude was probably just one of many she would encounter. Especially if she Impressed.
As soon as Ceylith landed, C'ren down and patted her on the leg. At last, Kallista caught a real glimpse of the rider and smiled softly to herself. Sliding down and holding her meager belonging close, she looked in the direction of the Candidate Barracks. Approaching strangers would be no problem to her and giving Ceylith a bow, Kallista looked over at C'ren.
"Thank you for the chance and for bringing me with you. If I Impress, I am sure I will see you more often. If I do not, then...well...if you ever need use of a Runner, just request me. Take care, Rider C'ren. Fly well, Ceylith."
Before she could say anything else that would embarrass herself or the rider, Kallista ran off in the direction of the Baracks, hopefully to start a new life.
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