Back to the Candidate Page Impressed at Dawn Sisters Weyr

Ab'el and Lastineth's Den

"You're a big girl now, Lasti, let's get you prettied up for this." Ab'el said, scrubbing down the emerald hide of his dragon. Lastineth lolled her head around, blissfully enjoying the bath. When you say that, do you mean it? That I will be pretty? Or big? "How about pretty big?" Ab'el laughed. Lastineth fortunately didn't get the joke. She was a big green, and her eating habits had never quite calmed down from her hatchling stage. She could now take down a wherry by herself, but she often didn't know what to do with herself afterwards. It feels so... dirty! It always feels like I should be... I do not know... Using utensils or something. Like those things you use to eat. Especially when we camp out with the other weyrlings. I like that. I like the little fire you make. "I hate camping with a passion, Lastineth, and so do you." Do I? Oh! I do! Sorry! I forgot. I thought that it would be nice to have a quick meal on the way to the next one. Is that okay? "Lastineth!" Ab'el cried out, as the dragon turned every which way. "Ever since you've learned to fly, you've been such a mess! Then you complain, and then I have to clean you. If you want to go camping..." he shuddered, "then go without me!" I cannot do that! I do not remember where to go! Ab'el muttered, "good..." and continued scrubbing.

"So she's been ... just flying around, and you've been letting her?" The weyrlingmaster at Dawn Sisters looked at A'bel and the dark skinned man shrugged. "It's ... very messy, that fire stone. You know, sir, that tunic could use a little sprucing up. I could--" "You could have told me that she was skipping her firestone, A'bel. She's not going to be of much use in a wing right now. Unless you fancy using a flame thrower tank yourself." A'bel's eyes widened. He hadn't even begun to think about the repercussions of Lastineth not being on Firestone. The last thing he wanted was someone -- particularly a wing leader or the weyrling master -- to think that he was shirking his duties to Pern! What about MY duty to Pern!? I wish to show him that I'm just perfectly fit to be an egg-layer, A'bel. A'bel looked at his green, who stood looking rather more regal than she'd been while he was getting taken down a notch by the weyrling master. "She wants to Fly in a mating flight first, sir. And you know these dragons... You can't tell them no!"

"Will you look at that!" A'bel said, and Lastineth dropped her head to look. What are we seeing, my rider? I cannot see anything but some silly flitters. "That's what we're looking at! Drop down there, try not to squish them." Lastineth did as she was bid. The beach near Rohlen Hold was packed with flitters who had laid their eggs, and those eggs were now apparently hatching in droves! A'bel got to the ground and gingerly picked his way through the dunes until he got to a good spot. There, he saw a number of pale eggs twitching. The sand dappling their surfaces bounced and fell off. The dark skinned young man reached into a pouch and took out some scraps of meat -- there were always scraps of meat when Lastineth was around. Then right when one nearest him broke shell, A'bel reached out with a hunk of meat! Only to find that this golden monster had snatched his finger! "Owch!" See, they are nothing but trouble. "She'll earn her keep," A'bel said, nursing his wounded finger, but treasuring the color of the beautiful shining gold flitter. "Satinelle, that's her name. Just like the most beautiful satins and silks at the Hold. Let's get back, Lastineth, I want to see if a healer can fix this cut..."