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 Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:54 am
It had now been a few months since the lost dragons had returned to the Weyr with their new riders, all save for two. A brown had turned on those he owed his loyalty to, and the gold... the gold had simply remained where she was. Kleos had to confess she had been baffled by that, and that when Kindra had sought to bring her back to the Weyr she had returned alone. She had presumed that any girl would leap at the chance to be a weyrwoman, to have such power and luxury afforded to them. She had in fact been angry that the girl like the rider of the brown had turned her back on the Weyr. Before too long however it had occurred to her that unlike those who went seeking the eggs and Impressed them away from the Weyr, Natai had never been a candidate and had not asked to Impress. Her loyalty, it seemed, lay elsewhere and she could not be faulted for that.
Not wishing to muddy the waters Kleos had opted to stay away from the little hold that was now host to a growing gold, but as the weeks passed it became increasingly clear that Natai had no intention of leaving and therefore there was no harm in visiting her. Caring for a growing dragon was taxing, and a lady should not have to go through that alone.
So it was that scarred woman and scarred dragon flew towards the hold, having taken the long way rather than ask for a between point. It was a nice day, and good to just stretch their wings for once. As they drew near Morith bugled a proud greeting and opened her mind to address the glimmer of gold she could see down below.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:16 pm
That glimmer of gold moved across the area outside of the Hold at an unusually quick pace. Iachixth decided that morning to go running and to practice that flying thing with Natai. Her rider put down the stipulation of no getting into the air - or attempting - and she would ride with her. So they ran outside of the hold, legs too long for her to be fully comfortable with yet and her gait slightly uneven. Natai clutched onto her with straps made by her father and based off of what she took note of when the other dragonriders visited her.
Iachixth ran with the joy of a newly freed foal, her wings partially outstretched and head down low as she sped up further. Natai felt light on her back, a small clinging figure that laughed louder than Iachixth heard previously. Usually Hers was small and quiet, smiling with expressions that never quite reached her eyes. Now she laughed, loudly, in the air with her head back and teeth bright.
As far as the gold dragon was concerned, this would be a very good day.
The running came to a very sudden stop when a voice called down to her, female and very much not one of the ones Iachixth remembered meeting in the past. She skidded to a halt with a curious chirp, leaving deep furrows in the ground as she did so. Natai yelped and tightened her legs, flinging herself at Iachixth to clutch onto her further with tight fingers.
"What are you doing?" She squeaked. Iachixth craned her head up and squealed up at the sky, her slim frame squirming once more on the ground. Natai huffed.
There is a new friend up there. Iachixth reached out to the crimson high above, her voice lilting and pleased. We do! We are running but we will stay still if you want to land and talk to us. I am Iachixth! Mine is Natai and she is trying not to fall off.
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:04 pm
Moriath replied with a deep rumble of amusement, swooping down to fly over the gold at a height of about twice her own length. The young female looked healthy, and was clearly fit enough. Moraith banked her wings, lifting a little higher into the air again and beginning to fly a wide circle around the Weyrling pair. the crimson added after a few moments,
Kleos pursed her lips and shook her head slightly; healthy they might be but they were out here alone without tuition. She gathered some riders visited regularly but how often she didn't know, nor did she know how much they did for the girl and her dragon. If only they could persuade her to come to the Weyr... perhaps if she could find out what had happened to put her off she could remedy the situation.
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:22 pm
Oooh, I've seen those. We should get those, Natai. She spoke to both Moriath and Natai, bugling cheerfully. They slowed to a stop as Moriath began to dip and swoop, her head cocking up to peer up at them. You should land and we should talk and it will be very fun. We like help. We're not mean, I promise.
"No matter what they've been told," Natai muttered under her breath. She squirmed from Iachixth carefully once they'd stopped running. A slow stretch popped her back and quieted her enough to look up at the circling Crimson pair. She paused, squinted, and raised her hand in a wave.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:10 pm
Circling once more Moriath slow, swooped, and touched down with a heavy thump. Tucking her wings in by her flanks the heavily scarred crimson too jogged to a halt and inclined her head slightly to the other female with a soft rumble.
Kleos meanwhile released herself from the straps and slid lightly to the ground. Straightening up and folding her hands behind her back the wingleader, as scarred as her bondmate, approached the younger pair. Coming to a halt she swept a deep bow and then came back to her formal resting stance. "Well met, good lady," she echoed.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:34 pm
Iachixth squirmed closer to the crimson, her large head stretching closer to sniff at Moriath. She chirped cheerfully. Are we sisters? Are you older? I'm bigger. Iachixth flicked her tail and cocked her head again. What happened to you? You're all scarred. I like them. They're pretty.
Natai blinked. Kleos stood like a soldier, had the appearance of one. She settled on her usual polite smile, eyes flickering over the other woman. "You may certainly call me Natai, Wingleader." The title took a second of concentration; Natai needed to pluck it from Iachixths memory of the last few minutes and place the title of the dragon with the woman. "Are you from Trine or the Wherholds?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:42 pm
Well! This young one was friendly! Moriath almost chirped with pleased surprise as the gold investigated her and made no move to dissuade her. she clarified,
"Please then, call me Kleos," Kleos replied with a smile. "I am not here on a formal mission, I was merely curious. I hail from Trine Weyr, though Moriath was clutched at Malvren. We moved here after the events of the revolution." And the less she thought of that failure and the treachery of the revolutionists the better! For a few moments as those sour thoughts ran though her head her lips pursed, but as she pushed them away again Kleos found another smile. "Your Iachixth runs rather well! I gather Moriath was offering to assist the two of you in the way of riding straps? Allow me to offer my own help on the matter; I would be pleased to see such a fine young dragons as yours properly equipped." How lovely they were together! Such dark skin contrasted against such a rich golden hide; it was enough to send a shiver down any spine that truly appreciated beauty. The young woman was taller than she, but slighter and elegant rather than curvaceous. Stunning, quite stunning indeed.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:55 pm
Oh! Like how I call Mother Mother when she is a human and dark and I am a dragon and...bright? Shiny? She calls me shiny. She says it doesn't make me special. I think I'm special because I am a bug. Iachixth flapped a wing currently not near her rider and mentally beamed. I could do it faster when I was small, though, but I'm sure you can do it very fast. You are the first I've met.
Iachixth considered this for a moment and declared: We can be bugs together! If you want. Natai says making people be things is wrong.
Malvren. Trine. It only then sunk in that the woman had a red dragon with her, not an oddly colored brown. Her shoulders relaxed and her smile warmed to be more genuine. "I hope I'm safe in assuming that you won't be explaining the benefits of leaving atypical colors in the eggs during Hatching then. We will get along just fine." Natai nodded and patted Iachixths hide, her fingers going to the base of that long throat to touch the leather there. "That would be...lovely, really. We've had some assistance with them but attempts to duplicate have failed. My family isn't one for leathercrafting."
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 2:11 pm
Moraith agreed with a mental laugh and feeling of warm pleasure for the other dragon. she went on as she stretched out her pinions, Flexing her wings a couple more times Moriath proceeding to flap as fast as she could, powerful muscles making great gusts of wind. She could feel Kleos' anger rise - not at these two - but she ignored it in favour of the young female. Let the humans have their conversation while the dragons held their own.
Kleos went tense at Natai's words and then shook her head sharply. "No my La- Natai. Please forgive my slip. The practice is entirely despicable, and tantamount to leaving a man to drown when saving him risked your own life not at all." Deep breath in, and then sharply out. N'mol had visited and Kindra had visited; which of the Benden barbarians had told her how they allowed dragons to die in their shells?
"Forgive me," Kleos repeated, "it is a rather... emotive subject for me, as I am sure you can understand. Yes, we should be glad to assist. I can have an old harness fetched forthwith, it ought to just fit your bondmate I believe. I can also lead you through the measurements you will need to take to have your own made, and supply a pattern for your local leatherworker to work to."
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 2:27 pm
Iachixth squeaked again, pleased, and then it melted to a croon of appreciation. I have seen Berath fly! She is smaller than you even but scarred too and she is very nice. ... I don't know if she can be called 'little', though. She is very wide. No disapproval tainted her words - merely excitement, pleasure to be talking about her friend. Iachixth crooned once more. Oh yes, we like them! She is very, very nice and she helped Natai learn how to not kill me by accident. We promised that once I could fly, we would go and visit them. We can visit you too.
Natai wanted to spill her guts. The desire to open up and blurt out the entire conversation from the condescending tone to the discussion of her son, what sounded like threats to iachixth, it nearly overwhelmed her. Her own lips pressed closed to keep from making this sort of infantile mistake; she did not know Kleos from any other rider yet save for a brief discussion in the last few moments.
"We discussed how Iachixth was the last of a long line and that there was a chance her mother could not clutch another Gold," She said with calm enough that surprised even her. Natai looked to Moriath and her strength, her battle scars, and then back to Kleoa. "I asked, what about the other females? My trader friend told me another color could clutch. I did not take the response kindly. My answer may have been a little... terse, as it goes. Your example makes it sound as if the man had a choice to be in the water - this is leaving toddlers in a deep bathtub and only raising the ones strong enough to climb out, rather then assist the others."
Natai straightened her shirt and nodded, forcing herself to smile once again. "I would love to learn how to measure her for a proper fit. Numbers are good. She's been trying to learn how to fly lately and if she learns how to get off the ground without another dragon here, I ought to be there with her just in case."
She thinks I am going to crash.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 2:39 pm
Berath? Humm. Moriath did not recall such a dragon and so she reached for Kleos' memories. Ah. Yes. Big green, bleeding, standing guard over the infirmary. Kleos had given her rider a firelizard egg when Moss clutched, and the frail old man had seemed pleased. Moriath said to explain her moments of silence. the crimson rumbled and shuffled her wings, Male she could imagine crashing because they were trying to show off, foolish beasts, but not females.
Kleos scowled and shook her head. "Benden sets too much store by its bloodline, and long traditions. I think perhaps you analogy is more apt, they-" Another shake of her head. "I simply cannot comprehend it." Thank the stars she had been searched to Malvren not one of the old Weyrs. "Your friend spoke correctly," she continued, voice and stance just beginning to relax a little again at the more pleasant subject matter. "It is crimsons who can clutch, if they never chew firestone in order to fight the Thread effectively. Moriath and I chose the path of the warrior, but many choose the path of the mother. A crimson named Hyweth clutched at the same time as Sunnath in fact and produced many strong children, including a crimson daughter of her own. Sunnath too produced a crimson in fact, and her rider broke open its shell. What that says I am not certain, she was I believe coerced, but at least it meant that young one was allowed a chance at life."
What else had they been speaking of? Oh! Yes, of course, harnesses. "There is a simple method to work out the lengths you need in leather based upon the measurements," Kleos nodded. "Mine are a standard length these days but I do recall the way to work it out."
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:42 am
They come often enough that I don't forget them. Other dragons, I need to think through Natai to remember. they're very nice though. Iachixth paused and cocked her head, inching even closer to bump her muzzle against Moriath's cheerfully. I'm going to try to fly for real soon. Then we can go anywhere. It'll be an adventure. I don't know what a brick shithouse is, though, but if it means big then she is very much, yes.
Thin fingers hooked together again. "Perhaps Suunanth's other daughter will choose the life of a clutcher and carry on Bendens fine name," She murmured and brightened a bit more, her eyes crinkled at the corners. "I'm sure Kindra would be pleased with that. Coerced or not, if the other hatchlings are like Suunanth she at least has very strong children. But - harnesses! Yes. It would be lovely. But..."
Natai frowned delicately and looked to Suunanth. "I'm afraid I didn't bring anything to write with. Perhaps next time? I haven't met a female Wingleader before. The only women riders I've spoken with have been the goldriders and Mercy."
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 2:14 pm
Moriath agreed with a rumble before turning her head to the sky, sifting gently through Kleos' mind to find the memory of her first flight. It was coloured by her rider's experience but there it was, bright and clear. she said after a moment, Such freedom was a little enviable, but she wouldn't swap her life and her position for it. Much better that she had to suffer fools and had the chance to direct them into less foolish actions. Kleos actually chuckled softly at that and nodded. "Perhaps so! I doubt Kindra would think much of it... but it is not her decision to make, nor the young crimson's responsibility to please her." It was a deeply personal choice, one she still remembered Moraith agonizing over. She herself had always wished to fight, but her beloved's bone deep belief in herself had made her sure she would clutch the finest dragons in the land. If they had chosen so where would they be now? They would be nobodies, slave to Moriath's flights and subservient to less noble riders. Moriath asked her rider, sounding a little surprised. she continued, thoughtful now, would have been great... but yes, far better to be as we are. Even if we had remained only wingriders I would rather see you happy, Kleos love.>Kleos turned to look at her dragon, smiling softly for a moment. She truly was fortunate to have met her beautiful winged blood red warrior. Turning back to Natai she nodded again, her expression becoming slightly more serious. "There are few of us. I am not sure how many more there are in the world at present, there might be one or two at other Weyrs who have had the fortune to Impress browns. At Malvren, historically, and now at Trine at least women have more of a chance; crimson and silver as well as brown. Has the Impression of dragons been explained to you?" She didn't honestly know how much Natai would know. When she herself had gone to Malvren she had believed that females Impressed only female dragons and men only males! Great stars, what a lifetime ago that felt to her now.
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