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 Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:34 pm
Another hot day meant a bath for Kibeth and Malcarreth with an oiling afterward. The crimson received an oiling at least twice a day to keep her from cracking (or that's what a worried rider told herself). While small and physically not at her peak, Kibeth nevertheless looked round for a dragon, though no where near a certain blue sibling. The water looked quite bright against her hide, the puppy-like dragon barreling into the water with abandon.
"That isn't how we get clean!" Rochelle yelled from the side of the water. She scowled after her dragon, hands on her hips. The heat had her in her bathing top and fitted shorts, feet bare with her weyrling knots on top of a discarded shirt. She learned early that wearing nice clothes during these times led to clothes not quite pristine. She had soap and two sponges by her feet, two bottle of oil next to them and a bucket of rags.
Pouting is so unattractive, Kibeth trilled to her blue brother and his rider along with her own. She sank into the water and splashed, red head poking up to stare at them with bright blue eyes. Swim time now. Oiling later. Swim with me, brother.
"Malcarreth, you have permission to shove her head under like a puppy." Rochelle groused, her head whipping to the side to shoot her friend a Look.
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:44 pm
Malcarreth was around the length of the crimson, but not quite as round and yet more hale. That was what you got for being one of the old colours. The spotted blue had been swimming, paddling at least with his gruffly adoring rider hovering nearby to help if the little blue got into trouble. He didn't, and paddled over to his sister. he commented with a chirp, flailing a wing to splash water up at C'tis.
C'tis scowled. "Well don't blame me when your hide hurts then, you stupid little animal." C'tis then turned to Rochelle and shrugged his broad, bare shoulders; much like his friend he had shed a lot of clothes for this and was just wearing a pair of shorts. "Dragons," he said simply, because that said everything.
----------------
Up above a behemoth circled, casting a wide shadow intermittently over the warm kind shallows. she asked of the two weyrlings. Ber was swimming now, and this was why it was in the forefront of her mind that it was a good thing. Build strength all over, with less stress on the body than you got on land.
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:02 pm
Hyweth had been watching from not so far away, having been bathing only a moment before she had noticed the weyrlings. She remembered little of the hatching--indeed, the upset over stolen eggs had been all but forgotten. Still, a vague memory brought her attention to them. These were hers. The crimson made her way to the two weyrlings, amused at their antics. The water will help strengthen your legs and wings, she informed them as she approached. It keeps you cool and clean.
Are you enjoying your swim? She raised her gaze to study their riders for a brief moment. Yours do not seem quite so pleased. The crimson paused, and then added, You both are strong. My clutch has done well.
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:17 pm
They're probably impatient because they remember everything. Kibeth snorted her derision for her rider. She did not paddle or flail as much as Malcarreth did, bobbing in the water. She kept herself afloat, head cocked up to peer at the large green above. My rider is an idiot but she will not let us drown.
A pause. Then: Probably.
The crimson dunked her head in the water again, little wings flailed as a signal that, no, she'd not passed on into the watery depths. It came as a surprise for her to hear a rather strange voice in her head, one she'd not heard before, and Kibeth looked up abruptly.
Hyweth received a rather curious blink. Probably has. So's Beraths. Probably not. She didn't much care about anyone but her rider, the two blues, and maybe probably their riders.
---
"Dragons." She agreed, grumbling. The arms on her hips crossed over her chest in only half-irritation but... dragons. All of a sudden, two females, her eyes first to the sky and then back into the waters. She blinked, once, and furrowed her eyebrows. "Berath and... isn't that the clutch mother? Hy-something?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:47 am
C'tis watched the approach of the crimson with some scepticism. On the one hand he had nothing against her and she had clutched Malcarreth, but on the other hand he was C'tis which is to say he was a suspicious standoffish b*****d. As she drew near he nodded slightly to Rochelle. "Hyweth," he supplied, being one of those gifted few who was pretty good with names. "Rider's name is... J'len. Don't see her about though." Having communicated with his friend he graced the dragon with a nod of acknowledgement. He supposed there was no point in being rude. Malcarreth shared with Kibeth and Berath, his mental voice tinged with amusement. Abruptly somebody else was giving him more or less the same advice as Berath; the small blue turned his head and looked up at the approaching crimson. Kibeth would be that big one day; what an odd thought. he said speaking 'aloud' so that any dragon in the vicinity could hear, pleased that somebody else recognised it.... Her clutch? he nudged his rider privately. C'tis replied, swiping water over his dragon's head.
Malcarreth snorted, blinked, and swiped his wing again to send another little wave towards his bondmate. he added, 'aloud' again now.
---------------
The sight of Hyweth approaching her hatchlings made Berath's eyes flash yellow. No. Oh no, those were hers! She knew that they really belonged to the crimson, thought about it often enough that it hadn't slipped her mind, but they were hers! If they talked to Hyweth they might decide they liked her more.
Berath tucked her wings in and plunged towards the beach like a rock.
<- I know. It's important to you. Just... try to relax. There's no reason why they can't think of both of you as mothers if things work out like that.>
Bereck was right. Berath's eyes shifted back to blue as she landed with an earth-shaking thud, and she tried to push her worries out of her mind. They could share... she didn't want to share but she could if she had to. HerHatchlings were not going to desert her, not any of them. It would be alright. she greeted politely, and more or less warmly. It was nothing to the whirling blue-eyed look she turned onto the hatchlings though; a deep purr rumbled in her chest and she padded out into the shallow water to dip her muzzle down to them.
---------------
C'tis looked up at the green and tried not to feel slightly jealous at being left out of the terms of endearment and adoring tones. Wasn't like he knew the dragon, and wasn't like he was one of her adopted babies so why should she be all gooey over him? "Hi." See, he could be polite but dismissive too.
Berath's tones had not, in fact, been dismissive in the least; they had been rather fond, but C'tis was - as above - a suspicious b*****d given to thinking the worst of most people.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 2:45 pm
Berath's? What was her crimson daughter talking about Berath for? Why-- Mine. My clutch has been confused. They speak as if greens can clutch. The crimson reported, rather fretfully. What human had told her hatchlings differently? Why did they act as if they did not know her? They had to! They had to! It'd been Hyweth that'd fretted over missing eggs. Hyweth that had kept them safe. She had watched over them! She had looked forward to meeting them! What--why were--this wasn't right!
Greens cannot clutch. Only golds and crimsons. Hyweth patiently explained. You are mine. You are strong. I am pleased. She lowered her head to press her nose to the weyrling crimson's hide. It is nice to see you doing so well, Kibeth. Ah, she'd known her clutch would prosper!
Of course. Mine are the best, Hyweth agreed quite easily with Malcarreth. Of course they were. They were hers, and that made them the best.
Hyweth responded to Berath much more coldly. Why do my hatchlings believe they belong to you? she demanded fiercely. Tell them the truth! The truth! Tell them. They are mine. I took care of them! I clutched them!
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 3:45 pm
Kibeth sneezed with C'tis and Mal's little splash antics. She squirmed, amused beyond belief despite her desire to be a Big Serious Dragon - a lovely day, bright sun, Hers in a (relatively) good mood. Everything was good. Of course I won't tell them. Last thing we need is for them to get a big head.
All well and good, especially with this fellow crimson there and talking. Kibeth arched her neck, poked back at berath with her muzzle with familiar affection. Rochelle liked the green and had impressed the importance of that on Kibeth without ordering her to do the same but Kibeth found the large female to be one of the more intelligent of her species although much too nice for her own good. At least she had the fierce human to protect her. Berath, she knew, would bite if people tried to hurt them despite all of that fiddly no-hurting human thing.
Mother, She said in pleasant tones (for Kibeth). We're teachi--
Then Hyweth saying no, they could not have who they wanted for their parent. In fact, Hyweth telling her what to do. What to think. Then, this big red beast she'd not remember for fish or flies touching her.
Kibeth shrieked with indignation, her eyes flared red and orange in her rage. Her jaws snapped and the dragonet jumped at the fellow crimson as well as she could when chest deep in water, head snaking out and teeth trying to find flesh. I didn't say you could touch me. I don't know you, don't you dare tell me what to do and touch me! Even angry, she kept her mind voice snarling and quiet, cold when she tried to hurt someone. Rage could be soft.
Lucky for Hyweth, then, that Kibeth didn't hear anything she said to Berath. (And quite possibly, luckily she was still very young, weak by virtue of being an atypical, and already a bit tired from the day. It made her not the strongest of beasts but still angry.)
Rochelle leaned on C'tis when she heard his tone to Berath. She waved at the large green with a bright grin, head tilting up to continue it aimed at C'tis. The swell of hissing anger hit her, the girl all but stumbling back with the force of feeling.
She saw Kibeth jump at the clutchmother at the same time as she began to run to the shoreline, yelling. "Kibeth! Stop it!"
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:13 pm
Berath's response was a horrible heartbroken wail, and eyes whirling yellow and grey. She did not give ground however, in fact she moved forward and mantled her huge wings over the hatchlings and their riders. she cried desperately, her voice reaching all dragons in the area. theirs! They do not belong to you, or anyone, but they are my hatchlings! You clutched them, but they are my children!> She hardly noticed Kibeth lunge at Hyweth; her fear that she might lose what she had yearned for all her life blotted everything else out. Sharing as HerHealer had suggested would not happen. Hyweth would take them from her. Hyweth would make them hate her for pretending she could be a mother. She was just a green, she should not have-
<Enough!> Bereck cut in more harshly than perhaps he should have but the fury singing in his veins like fire burned away the gentleness he might have liked to show his distressed bondmate. he continued, tones intense and controlled now. beast thinks she can address you like that she is sorely mistaken. You are not 'just' an anything either so don't you dare even think that again!> As he spoke the scarred healer was making for the little gathering; he moved swifter in the water than he could on land, and was pushing himself harder than he had since the revolution to boot. He was going to reach them and he was going to make the crimson stop hurting Berath. If there were other sides of the argument - which of course there were - he was blind to them in his anger. Berath was hurting. He was going to make that stop. The right and wrong of the situation did not matter; nothing but his goal did.
-------------
C'tis looked down at Rochelle and started to smile a bit. He abruptly stopped when Kibeth launched herself at Hyweth. "What the shaff-!" And then there was the confused second hand message through Malcarreth; it left him with the certainty that he had missed an important bit of the conversation, and what almost felt like a headache at the sudden information dump. Shaking his head rapidly to try to clear it he focused his attention on the dragons; not a damn thing he could do for the moment so far as he could see. How the shaff had things exploded this quickly? Was this how it looked to other people when he lost his temper?
Malcarreth's cry came at more or less the same moment as Rochelle's and he paddled forward furiously, trying to place himself between the two red dragons. He was rather distracted however by Berath's sudden outburst; what had he missed? Hyweth must have spoken to her in private, and judging by what the green said he would not have liked it. Belong? Shaff that! As for the rest, well, of course Berath was their mother. Technically Hyweth was as well - he understood this now - but it to the distraught green not the furious crimson that he felt loyalty at that moment.
C'tis blinked and then started to scowl; what Malcarreth focused on first was what he felt most strongly, and so more than anything else he was left with the impression that he had just been called a possession. This was, of course, not the case. C'tis was not famed for his ability to remain calm and seek further information.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:42 pm
Hyweth was so shocked at the immediate attack by her crimson daughter that she only had time to move. Furious red eyes ebbed to gray in an instant. No longer angry, but rather feeling betrayed, the crimson turned to look at Malcarreth. Do you not remember? Can you remember nothing from inside your shell? How I cared for you? Have you not seen me watching you? I have looked forward to getting to know you. And now...You've been stolen away. You see another as your mother. The crimson moved into slightly deeper waters. This was terrible. She had thought Berath a friend--and the green had gone and done this. She felt betrayed.
She felt she should have been important enough to her clutch to be remembered. She had been the voice addressing each of her eggs. She had been the one desperately wanting to look for her missing eggs, despite Hatteth's insistance that she stay and look after the others.
I never called them a possession, Hyweth retorted, setting gray eyes on Berath. You are behaving as if they are. You cannot clutch, and so you have stolen mine. I may not have another. I hadn't clutched before. I asked for your help. You have done worse than those who stole my eggs. You have stolen their love. It is not right for them to call you mother. The crimson hesitated, lashing her tail. But. But if they care for you so much that they would attack another dragon--their own clutch mother-- I will not interfere. The crimson's tone was sad. She had so looked forward to getting to know her hatchlings. This meeting made it perfectly clear that they hadn't felt the same way about her.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:13 pm
There was nothing to steal! Kibeth growled, her muzzled peeled back to reveal baby teeth and a low, constant rumble. We're dragons and were in a shell. The only one I remember since then is Berath. If you've been staring at us, that's creepy. She did not cover her teeth or shy away, though her wings flagged some at the effort of staying afloat, angry, and thrashing started to hit her.
Rochelle sloshed in deeper during her dragons rant, grumbling at the pull of the water. She grabbed at the crimson, arms wrapped close as she tried to pull Kibeth back away from the crimson and more towards Berath, the healers dragon more than equipped to hold her up.
Are you insane?!
I don't belong to her. She says we're hers. We aren't anyones. Kibeth flopped against her, still growling quietly. She hissed at the way Hyweth looked at Berath, how that tail lashed. You better not be saying anything nasty to her.
"Oh, good grief. Is that what this is about? Dragons have sex with their ichor-relatives, so it's not like bio--oof." She sagged down as Kibeth's weight finally occurred to her and the glasscrafter sunk down. "Uuuugh, Kibs, you're way too big. Ber? You okay?"
Talking to dragons. Way to go, Rochelle.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:44 am
Malcarreth said dryly on general broadcast, The small blue paused, receiving more information from C'tis. As he thought however he sank, and then surfaced flailing in an undignified manner and snorting water. Trying to pretend it hadn't happened he paddled to a depth where he could stand up. He looked over at the other hatchling and chirped before looking back at Hyweth. He could understand why Hyweth was upset, and he didn't feel good about her pain but, well, life was like that; a b***h. It was more of a surprise when things went well than when they went badly.
Berath replied 'aloud', her eyes still whirling yellow and grey. stolen from you! I love them, and they love me. You can't claim ownership of another's feelings and I know I can't clutch and I know you will again!> Not right. Not right for them to call her mother. Was it? anything and you don't appreciate it! You have other hatchlings, and you'll have more and... and... and you can interfere all you like! I don't need you to be all magnanimous at me, and I don't need your permission to act as I see fit and neither do they!>
Berath was not alright, and hadn't really registered that fact that Rochelle had addressed her for a few moments. When she did her huge scarred head swung around and she gave another horrible wail of distress. she insisted directly to Rochelle. She was unnatural. She shouldn't even have these desires.
stop? I'm coming!> As fast as he could anyway; he was getting tired, but he could see the pair of dragons now. A small cloud of firelizards buzzing around in some distress marked the healer's progress before he would otherwise have been noticeable.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:50 pm
Hyweth seemed to calm at Malcarreth's words, having ignored Kibeth almost entirely. So. If I spend time with you often, you will be mine, also? the crimson asked, a ripple of green making its way into the slow whirl of gray. The crimson was hopeful; was the little blue offering her a chance to get to know him? If she hasn't stolen you, I still have a chance to become close to you. I would like that.
She would like that very much indeed. Even if her crimson daughter was not interested in getting to know her--maybe Malcarreth was. I apologize for not making a proper first impression on the both of you. I feel my upset is just. Crimsons clutch rarely. We are not like golds, clutching constantly. You are my hatchlings... I clutched you. You do not belong to me--you belong to yours, just as they belong to you. And yet you are mine. Even if you will not acknowledge it, even if you do not remember it.
The crimson raised her head to glance at Berath. Why do you act like the others can replace these? Did the others replace those missing, when others had stolen them? Did you not share my distress? Did you not see it? If I took these from you now, I would be like those that stole mine were. Was it alright for them to steal my eggs, because they had none? Why is it right for you then, to take them from me now? Why? Because you have no hatchlings? This can be said for those who stole my eggs. They had none, and so they took them. My mate brought them back. Do you not think that was wrong? Do you think they should have been allowed to keep them? The crimson paused, lashing her tail. The memory of the theft was mostly based on her rider's thoughts on the event. Hyweth only knew what she gleaned from J'len's mind.
Did Berath really think crimsons had it so much better? Do you believe this so firmly? the crimson asked. You did not have to stay on the sands, worrying about missing eggs. You did not have to wait anxiously for word back. You do not rise four times a turn, each time failing to clutch when there are those saying how we are burdens.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:56 am
So you know, Malcarreth, the female that clutched us sounds like a horrible beast and I do wish it would go away. Kibeth hissed from her humans hold, a soft, slow sound. She wished all sorts of violent thoughts, terrible painful things, but with her rider there, the baby managed to still the anger. Rochelle was supposed to be the easy to anger one, not her. She did not like how this silly herdbeast of a dragon thought her distance-staring and ability to spit out eggs made her more worthy of their affections than Berath.
Rochelle winced at Berath's wail so near to her. She shifted, Kibeth tucked up under one arm with her own strength quickly ebbing - only the water letting Kibeth bob a bit kept them both up. The glasscrafter threw her arm around the greens muzzle in a face hug, squeezing and making soft shushing noises.
"It's not wrong, Berath. You're a good dragon," Rochelle squeezed at her, doing her best to stifle that intense surge of rage at the crimson causing the kind green all of this distress. "No one can make Mal and Kibs do anything and C'is and I would throw a shitfit if anyone tried. I dunno what she's telling you - but Kibeth is right, she should probably shut up. You aren't wrong. You're lovely. I promised you when we talked about Impressing, you probably don't remember, but I said I'd like you to watch over any dragon I Impressed like it was yours."
Well, not verbatim. Bereck wouldn't mind a bit of word smudging, all things considered. Rochelle leaned and Kibeth, smushed against scarred green and pliant tan, grumbled.
She chirped back at Malcarreth, long overdue, and probably stifled by the two women she'd been held close to. Perhaps our intelligence skipped a generation. I will bite her again if she doesn't stop making Berath feel bad for being nice to us. We could ask her clutchmother provided she can think of a name without rifling through her riders memories or anothers. Though it's rather impressive how her selfishness and sharp words could cause such distress. Crackdusting dim glow. the little red paused, her mind voice turning tired from her thrashing. she's rather distasteful.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 8:17 am
Malcarreth replied, his voice still measured but starting to go cold. what you're saying to her but from what I'm getting from her side it's vile.> Eyes beginning to go orange Malcarreth glared up at the adult crimson. right to us. I am not yours.>
Beginning to scowl C'tis moved back over to his dragon and folded his arms across his bare chest as Rochelle moved over to Berath. "Hey, wide load!" he snapped up at the crimson. "Yes, I'm talking to you, you nasty red dung smear; how about you drop it? You're not making any friends for yourself."
As the crimson continued to speak Berath's powerful body started trembling as two conflicting instincts battled within her. The first was to flee, to escape the horrible things being said to her. The second was to launch herself at Hyweth and rip her apart so that she couldn't start saying any of those things to HerHatchlings. When Rochelle came and wrapped her arms around her muzzle the green keened, and tried to believe what she was saying. She hadn't done anything wrong, she hadn't set out to hurt anyone!
Berath was trying to keep her voice somewhat calm like HerHachlings were, but she was failing miserably. was stealing but I have not stolen them! Of course they shouldn't have been allowed to keep the eggs but they are not eggs anymore and I have not taken them from you. I have shown them love and they have accepted it, and returned it, I haven't done anything wrong!> She couldn't bear this. She hadn't done anything wrong, and she shouldn't feel like she had!... But she did. She was also starting to feel angry, angry and guilty both at once. she went on, a bit of snap entering her tones now. choice Hyweth, you could have been anything, and this is what you chose. You chose the anxious wait, you chose to endure what some might say. I didn't choose. I'm just a lowly common green; there are those who would say I am disposable, because there are plenty more where I came from. I never had a choice in that.> If not for that wher, perhaps they would have joined the revolution. If they had, perhaps they would have managed to steal Belcarrath and Kibeth and Malcarreth. It was an awful thing to think, but she was starting to find it hard to care whether or not Hyweth was hurt. They would all be happier away from blind entitled beasts like this.
At that point a small green firelizard shot overhead, circled, and came in to land neatly on Rochelle's shoulder in order to nuzzle up to Berath's face. Vena crooned softly and gave the dragon's face a lick; she didn't understand what was going on in the least, but she understood that her friend was hurting and she wanted to make that stop.
Bereck meanwhile had slowed somewhat; he wasn't fit enough to keep up a sprint swim for long no matter how angry he was. Though his progress had slowed his determination and fury hadn't faded. Nobody treated his Berath like that. Nobody.
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:15 am
Hyweth could not see why her reasoning was distressing Berath so. But you have stolen them, she said. You have stolen their love. And they will never feel the same way towards me as they do you. It is unfair. You have stolen them. I wanted to know them. To love them. Why do you act as if this makes me cruel? Why do you react so badly to my wanting to know them? They are mine! And if they aren’t now, they were mine, and I still want to know them. To love them. And you act as if you’re the victim! I am not saying you cannot see them! I said I would not take them from you! I am not a thief. I am not you. I am not those who would steal eggs. Vile, horrible creatures, they were. You--
The crimson hesitated. You were my friend. I was grateful for your help. I was frightened. I respected you. I do not think you are a lowly green. Greens are respected by many! Bronzes fly greens when they will not fly me. I clutched greens, and I was proud! Proud! They will be strong. They will be powerful dragons one day. For theirs to be proud of. I do not think you are disposable! Stop acting as if I am especially cruel! You are making the hatchlings see me as a monster. I am not saying things to hurt you, Berath! I did not choose to be crimson! Do you think I would not have chosen to be gold? One who can clutch every turn without fail? One who does not face mockery? Neither of us had a choice in what we hatched as. I had a choice later--yes. It was a difficult choice. She glanced over to Kibeth and Malcarreth only briefly. At times I felt it was the wrong choice. My rider felt it was the wrong choice, when we failed each time. You do not have to live with that failure.
Hyweth at last turned to study Malcarreth. I have said nothing wrong, she said at once. I do not mean to hurt her. She is taking my words badly. I do not want to hurt her. She was my friend. I am not cruel, Malcarreth. I would not take you from her. I--want to know you, too. I feel it is unfair that she was able to get to know you first, when I waited to know you. Perhaps Suunath would not have cared--but I am not her.
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