Bauden
:Story::Search::Hatching::Weyrling::Adult:
:Moon Shadow Weyr::Tripaldi Weyr

B’den was worried about Naysi. The two of them had grown to be friends since both of them had transferred to Tripaldi, but he found all his attempts at being light-hearted and easy with her foiled. She seemed unable to relax entirely in his presence and of late she’d been particularly touchy. Today he’d finally learned why...

B’den watched in shock as the Weyrleader grounded Naysi and Halurath and she actually seemed to be challenging him on it. F’rol practically sneered at her as his eyes roved over her slender, well-muscled form and before B’den knew what he was doing he’d dismounted and begun walking over to them. He arrived just in time to hear the Weyrleader’s cutting retort to Naysi’s apparent confusion over why she was being grounded.

“You heard me, you’re grounded. I can’t have a proddy dragon in my wings distracting the males and attacking them for no reason. You’re staying behind until after that dragon of yours gets it into her mind to stop teasing everyone and actually rise. That’s an order.”

With that F’rol had walked away and Naysi made as if she would follow him, such a look of anger on her face that B’den knew that was the last thing she needed to do. He jumped to her rescue, one arm going about her slender waist and holding her tight against him as he whispered a caution to her. “You don’t want to get kicked out of the Weyr and if you challenge him now you will. Just do as he says and enjoy the time off. You’ll be in a better mood when he lets you come back. Trust me.”

Naysi seemed to have no idea what the Weyrleader had said about Halurath and she shrugged him off with a snarl. But she didn’t persist in pursuing the Weyrleader, instead remounting Halurath and returning to her lair.

That had been this morning and B’den sighed now as he and Croluth flashed between and back to Tripaldi from riding sweeps. B’den could still remember the wonderful feeling of having Naysi pressed against him as he held her back from chasing after F’rol. He shook his head and silently told Croluth to land so he could get something to eat. He saw the Weyrleader heading for the flight boards and delayed his quest for food in favor of following the man. He didn’t trust the Weyrleader any more than anyone else at Tripaldi did, but until Frinaith rose again they were stuck with the odious man.

B’den watched as F’rol wrote something on the flight board and as soon as the Weyrleader was out of sight he went to see what it was. His brow creased as if in pain as he saw that the Weyrleader had scrawled Naysi and Halurath up on the board. He didn’t dare put Croluth down to chase her, Naysi would never forgive him and he’d lose whatever rocky friendship they had. But he did owe it to her to let her know that she was officially on the flight board.

His meal temporarily forgotten he had Croluth take him to Halurath’s ledge and he walked inside to find Naysi sitting motionless and scowling in one of her chairs. He cringed, his mind racing, his pulse quickening as he once again remembered the feel of her pressed against him. Before he could stop himself he had opened his mouth, “Naysi,” but he caught himself, unable to brave her anger in confessing how he felt about her. He sighed and turned to go, but as he neared the exit he remembered what he’d come for. “Your name’s on the flight board. I didn’t put it there, I assume F’rol did. I thought you should know.”

With that he left, remounting Croluth and together they returned to their own weyr. His stomach grumbled at him but he was in no mood for food as he dragged himself into the weyr and collapsed on his bed. Croluth crooned in concern from the stone couch but B’den ignored him as he drifted into a restless sleep.