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~ You're thinking of her again. ~ Faceted eyes whirled a mirthful green as the Bronze lowered his head to his rider's side. Z'fer growled and shoved at his dragon's nose with no effect.

"Get out of my head." So he'd been thinking of her. So what? Maybe it was nice to remember the last moment of happiness he'd had before the sharding Wherhandlers had killed his Weyrwoman and left him to seek shelter at another Weyr. Even if that moment of happiness had resulted in him being 'politely escorted' out of the Gather area and 'strongly urged' to return to his tent. He was no young buck to pine longingly after a lost love. But going over the memories of that dance, and the kiss afterwards. He couldn't help but hope the feisty young woman had survived the take-over, if only so he could wring her neck himself.

~ That's a little impossible if you remember Mine. ~ Even with the images of the past couple sevendays still lingering in his memory, and the wounds still healing in his hide, Calanoth couldn't be persuaded into a solemn state of mind. The move to the tropical weyr had Calanoth too happy to be sad. Sure there was over crowding problems, but all the new dragons! New Greens, new Queens, even Hatchlings! Trine's latest clutch were still young enough to have the hatchling obsessed bronze giddy. ~ You know what you need? You need to swim in the lake. It'll make you feel better. ~ He nudged Z'fer in the general direction of the nearest shore.

Z'fer snorted but patted the bronze hide anyways. It didn't matter what mood he was in or what he needed, Calanoth would always make him happy just by being there. "You're thinking of yourself big guy. Those wounds have you twitching worse than when you were a hatchling."

~ The water will do you good too mine. Your leg is still hurting. ~ A nuzzle and a tinge of yellow revealed Calanoth's actual concern for his rider. The tall man was still limping, his calf bandaged tight where the gold wher had tore into him.

"Alright alright let's get going. It's not like I can do much else at the moment." He had no sweetsand and only a spare brush from the remnants of Trine's supplies but it would be enough to relieve Calanoth of the worst of his itching. Z'fer retrieved them from his small pile of toiletries, the only things he could call his own after losing Malvren. It burned him up inside to think of some traitorous rider or worse a Handler living in his weyr, wearing his clothes and using his bed. He'd make everyone of them pay under pain of fire!

~ Hatchlings!! ~ The delighted crow disrupted his thoughts as he looked up to see Calanoth charging towards the water, bugling like an idiot blue towards a smaller silver dragon.

"Calanoth you dimglow!" Z'fer leapt into a clumsy lope, favoring his injured leg even as he chased after the large bronze. The wherry brained dragon could accidentally trample someone running about like that! Not to mention he looked ridiculous with his wings half mantled. Dragons were not meant to run on all fours. A flash of red caught Z'fer's eye, bright against the dusky shine of the young Silver's hide. Z'fer slowed to a halt, not beliving his eyes. What under the double suns was SHE doing here. "You?!" He barked out towards that figment of his imagination.

"Wha- Hey WAIT!" Z'fer hadn't expected her to flee like a startled runner. He changed direction across the sand and closed some of the distance between them. The silver was partially forgotten, his significance near her not registering to the Bronze rider.

Meanwhile Calanoth slowed and splashed into the water, his wings and neck drooping as the hatchling and His fled. He hadn't meant to scare the weyrling! He just wanted to swim with them...the warm freshwater lake was a joyous change from Malvren's salty shores. Though now that he'd paused, with all that had happened maybe charging towards them hadn't been his most brilliant idea.

Z'fer's leg burned as he ran, barely closed wounds beginning to seep as he ran after her. She was NOT getting away this time! He thanked Faranth that she was slowed by the water and her clothes, a well timed leap sent his form straight into her hers, bowling her over into the warm shallows, murky with churned sand. He crouched above her, trying to ignore the sharp needle-like pains of sand getting under his bandages. "You!" He growled, a savage grin on his face. "You gave me a lot of grief last I saw you!"

Z'fer's satisfaction at having finally captured her was short lived. He narrowed his eyes with suspicion. She shouldn't be the one grinning right now. He'd caught Her. "Pleasure my as--Shards and Shells!" He cried out, rolling off of her and out of the way of the charging dragon. He rolled to one knee, his injured leg propped out to the side and his good beneath him, ready to rise to his feet at a moment's notice. Dragon's didn't attack humans! Unless their rider's life was threatened and even then it took a lot to drive one against that instinctual limitation. Why was this silver charging him over a young girl? His head whipped back to Hekate laying in the water. "You're a Sharding RIDER?!"

Calanoth reared his head back at the young silver's loud cry. The sight of him barreling down upon Z'fer spurred the bronze into motion, his larger size making short work of what distance was between them. He bellowed and spread his wings, making the most of his size. Tinges of orange filtered into his gaze. He'd fought off one Weyrling and he wasn't about to let another harm His. ~ You will STOP! ~

Calanoth snorted eyes whirling redder with the little one's continued aggression. ~ I don't want Yours Silver. But you will Not harm Mine. ~ Calanoth's voice was quiet but commanding as he lowered his head to Devith's level, lips curled back just the slightest over long fangs. Prideful little silvers or not Calanoth was a Wingleader and a Bronze. He WOULD be listened to.

Z'fer rose from his kneeling position, hand hovering over his belt knife. If this dragon wanted a fight he'd get one. Wounded or not Z'fer had fought a little of everything in the past few sevenday. Pulling a knife on a dragon while once completely unheard of, was almost instinctive by now. Self preservation ruled everyone now. As he put weight on the injured leg again he gave an involuntary cry of pain, the knee folding beneath him and sending him back to the water. He growled with pain and agitation, rage and pain filled eyes still on the silver and his deceitful, beautiful rider. "Sharding tunnelsnake...never should have danced with you." He muttered. "Who am I?" He spoke louder to be heard over the growling dragons. "Ask your Rider! She knows exactly who I am! Though I obviously have no idea who she is!"

~ He is Mine and you will stand down if you know what's good for you and yours. We intended you no harm. ~ Calanoth took another step closer, angling his body towards Z'fer protectively. Devith could puff up all he wanted. Calanoth would always be larger.

"I could call you a lot worse than that girl." Z'fer growled and rather than let his pride get injured any further, shoved himself back to his feet, ignoring the lightheaded rush that came from standing so fast. Maybe he wasn't healing as well as he had thought. He didn't try to walk though. Last thing he needed was to collapse again in front of her. Her dragon was already giving him a rather condescending look that made his stomach twist in disgust. Her Dragon! Scorch the girl he'd never met one that was more trouble and he'd only spent a candlemark or two at most in her presence!

The way she put it though made him look like the bad guy...~ We are not the bad guys Mine. I did not charge her and you couldn't very well speak quietly at that distance.~ Calanoth was firm in his private defense of their actions.

~ Yeah but I did tackle her and almost draw my knife. ~

~ She ran. You were threatened. Only reasonable for you to do so. ~ Calanoth folded his wings but didn't drop his guard. He turned his ever bluer gaze back to Devith. ~ If yours hadn't run like a frightened wherry then mine wouldn't have needed to give chase. We hadn't expected to meet you here. Or to learn that she was a rider as well. Now, even with my girth, there seems to be enough lake for us both to bathe isn't there? ~

Z'fer's eyes regained focus as the short conversation ended. He met her amber stare and flashes of unwanted memory arose to distract his thoughts. Angry as he was she was still to sharding interesting to ignore. "I'm standing. Who are you?"

Firelizards...their appearance did nothing for Z'fer's mood. They payed him no mind so he did the same. "Hekate." he repeated her name, it was the same she'd given him that night, when he'd asked her nature. If her dragon had in fact been there then he certainly didn't notice. Though the rate at which Silvers grew meant it was quite possible. His brow furrowed as she continued her introduction. The silver from Brakiath's clutch? He'd heard about her latest clutch, word had spread like wildfire that the ailing Queen had birthed a remarkably small clutch with 5 living atypicals. Part of that rumor also included a nicely exaggerated account of the shocking Impression made by the last dragon to hatch. "You're the drudge." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

Z'fer waved off her offer of help, the pain from his leg deflating his anger somewhat. There was no venom in his next words. "The one good thing about this weyr is the warm waters...and Cal needs his bath."

Calanoth shifted his weight side to side for a moment, fussing with some internal dilemma before addressing Hekate directly. ~ Help mine into deeper waters if you will. He won't tell you how bad his leg is. ~ He trotted himself out into the blue lake, his great chest heaving a happy sigh as the water took his weight. He arched his neck towards Devith concern in his voice. ~ Did your sister not make it? ~ Many dragons had been lost at Malvren, he didn't expect Trine to have made it through without their own deaths.

Firelizards...If he wasn't stuck with two of them he'd start to hate the little buggers. Just plain annoying is what they were. Still, Hekate's anger at being called a drudge was interesting and something to file away for later. He watched her storm into the water, his scowl shifting lightly as the corners of his lips rose. He was surprised then when she returned, just as angry and grabbed him by the arm. He stumbled forward, startled and swearing as his torn calf complained at the abuse. He didn't resist as she dragged him deeper into the water. Tempers high or not, having her so close again wasn't altogether unpleasant. He had to remind himself that he was still angry over being left alone at the Gather, attacked by her dragon, accused of assault, and lied to.

Calanoth nodded to Hekate, stretching his own wings out to float them on the surface as he sunk his neck below the water. Headknobs and nostrils broke the surface as the ripples and dark water of the lake set his eyes glowing through their inner lid. ~ A Wher? I will join you then. I owe them a few myself. One for every scar on my hide. ~ Eyes whirled red and claws flexed on imagined prey. While some of his wounds were from dragon claws, he wouldn't forgive those nasty beasts for what they had done. His Queen was dead. Slain by their leader. Even Calanoth's jaws made an audible click beneath the water's surface.

Z'fer left the water lift him up, feeling at home in it's cool embrace. He'd been born for the sea and while this wasn't exactly salt water, it was familiar and comforting to float so effortlessly. He leaned back, just using the slightest arm movements to keep his head above water. "No you don't want to mess with that. It's nothing girls should see. Just let me soak."

He cast his eyes sideways at her. "So my little dancing flit, how does the daughter of a trader turn drudge then dragonrider?"

"Nah. Now I know where you are. Calanoth could find you." Even though he'd told her no she began to undress his leg anyways. As the bandages peeled away the torn surface of his calf seeped little trails of red into the water. The deep and narrow punctures where a wher hatchling had bit into his flesh had yet to fully close over. He hissed as the fresh water hit them. "I do make it a point of knowing what I'm dealing with, given the current situation." As much as he'd like to trust her, it seemed rather far fetched for one as young as her to have had so many lives already. He, like the other Wingleaders and their Weyrleader R'hix, had a duty to protect those riders that remained from Malvren. Trust wasn't something he could give lightly anymore.

Calanoth chuckled as the silver crawled up on his back. Vague memories of this happening before teased his mind but he couldn't recall them clearly. ~ Mine cares for me well but one can only do so much for Threadscores and claw marks. I am still quite handsome and the scars do not bother me. ~ He kept his body still, looking up at the little green flit. He blew bubbles into the water and rumbled like the old mountain's sometimes do.