Karonil
:Story::Search::Candidate::Hatching::Weyrling::Adult:
:Dark Moon Weyr::Tripaldi Weyr

K’var dropped Karonil off in the weyrbowl and told him where to go to sign up. There were only two spots left in Gold Ofirath’s clutch and Karonil penciled his name into one of them. He then found his way to the candidate barracks and found himself a bed. He tucked his things away and was suddenly overcome with a spell of dizziness. He sat down hard on the bed, his brown eyes glazing over a bit.

Just then another candidate came into the room. He saw Karonil almost collapse back on the bed and rushed over. “Hey, you alright, man?”

“Fine,” said Karonil, a bit dazed. “I just felt a little dizzy there for a moment.”

“Shards man,” said the candidate, looking him up and down, “it’s no wonder. You look like you haven’t eaten in days.”

“I haven’t,” replied Karonil, looking up at the young man.

“Come with me then, we’ll go beg something to eat from the kitchens.”

Karonil got unsteadily to his feet and followed the young man out the door.

“I’m Taleran by the way,” said the young man as they walked. “If you have any questions about anything Weyr related I grew up in a Weyr and would be glad to answer them for you.”

“Thanks,” replied Karonil, taking in the young man’s dress for the first time. Taleran certainly did look like he belonged in the Weyr. “I’m Karonil.”

“Nice to meet you Karonil,” said Taleran and then turned his attention to the cooks as they entered the kitchens. “Hey, I don’t suppose we could get some food for this starving young man, could we?”

“You couldn’t possibly be starving, Taleran,” said a nearby cook then saw Karonil standing slightly behind Taleran, looking rather gaunt and shaky. “Oh my! Come here young man, I’ll fix you something.”

The cook bustled Karonil into a chair at a small table and Taleran sat down opposite him. Before long the cook came back with a plate heaped high with all sorts of food. Karonil started eating slowly, not tasting a bite, but knowing he would need his strength for the upcoming hatching. Taleran fell silent, looking around the kitchen and Karonil ate slowly, pondering his situation.

He wondered if being a dragonrider would truly be as magical as all dragonriders tried to make it. But his father was right, though he missed Deisah so much at times he thought he’d stop breathing for the pain it caused, he didn’t want to die. If having a dragon would give him a reason to live he was all for it. Perhaps his dragon would sire a clutch and he could live out his dream of fatherhood vicariously through the dragon. That was assuming of course that he impressed...