A’finar and R’pton burst out of between with their new found friends, a number of blue riders with a few greens and browns in tow. Below them set in the colors of late spring of the Northern Continent sat a large dragon shaped bowl.
“By the first egg!...” A’finar whistled though the warm wind whipped it away. This is a grand thing, Acro! Just like the others said! the brightly colored green, Alinth rumbled happily as she did a loop that she knew A’finar loved to do when not being held back by “higher command.”
Why those browns had to come along, I’ll never no, the dark blue Lith commented, And warn us next time before you do that, as well as be careful, sister. You always make mine and my rider’s heart stop when you perform stunts like that. The young green seemed to shrug off her brother’s wishes and sashayed across the sky flirting with the males who’d come to take a look at what was to be their home in two turns.
“She’ll be impossible till she has her first flight you know, Lith,” R’pton noted verbally as he watched the green carefully and sighed with a small smile. Whoa to those who try to catch her. I’ll hurt the brown you try for her! Easy handsome, she’s got a bit till she flies! The blue nodded sternly still eyeing the brown with annoyance. The playful crow from Alinth brought all eyes back to their destination; For R’pton and Lith their eyes came back to the lightly colored bright green. Let’s show her what you can do, Lith! R’pton smirked, quite out of character for him.
Alith back winged in startlement as Lith suddenly bolted past her with his rider whooping. A’finar looked after his long time friend upon the blue in confusion. That’s not like R’pton. Interesting technique my brother, Lith, has. the dragon commented watching the dark blue form do twists and turns in the air, heading towards the Weyr Lake which was shaped like a dragon wing and fed by a water fall; oddly one side of the lake seemed to steam. The watched the friends for a few more minutes before another word was spoken.
Camoth says they’re trying to show us up! the little green snorted gathering herself. Well they can’t do that to the best in the class of Katadon’s first clutch! A’finar growled playfully feeling his green getting ready to dive. The duo went to work showing their skill.
“Look, Katzy, here they come,” R’pton commented to one of the female blue riders. Lith had once again taken to wing and was gliding across the lake by this time and watched Alinth’s image in the crystal clear waters.
Katzy watched the aerial display and whistled.
“Shells they’re good!” the female blue rider replied in awe, “They could give me and my Balaroth a run for our marks in goofing off. FARANTH! I’ve never seen that move done! They must be killers in their wing!”
“They fight with a flamethrower, they’re not aloud to be so rash in Threadfall,” R’pton replied with a grim chuckle, “That’s how Alinth got that scaring on her flanks… Lith at the time shouldn’t have done it but we betweened it down to them and took them back to Katadon Weyr. It took her five sevendays to recover from that.” At that moment Alinth skimmed the Weyr Lake at top speed missing clipping Lith’s right wing with her own by mere inches. R’pton growled at the dragon’s antics though he admired the lovely green. She’d never hit me, don’t worry R’pton… I know her moves better than anyone. Lith seemed to smile as he turned gently to follow his clutch mate towards the beach where she landed in a flurry of wings and sand.
“Ha! You’re lookin’ at the next winners of the spring event!” A’finar whooped as Alinth bulged her hide glowing brightly.
“She seems to be getting pretty proddy,” Katzy mentioned cocking her head at the green rider. A’finar smirked and took careful steps towards the shorter woman.
“Oh, interested in our health?” he paused before smiling at winking at the female blue rider, “Or in her flight and me?” Katzy blinked and shook her head unsure of the flirt.
“I was just stating a fact, A’finar, I have no interest in you,” Katzy replied and the green rider faked looking very sad.
“She doesn’t like me,” he whimpered.
“Oh give it up, Acro, she means she doesn’t see you like you see most men,” R’pton grunted. A’finar looked at his long time friend and one time lover.
“Jealous?” he grinned at the blue rider. R’pton turned ignoring the question though a shy blush shone brightly upon his face. He was saved as one of the brown riders who’d been helping with the Weyr from nearly the beginning announced that he’d be leading them on the tour. It was nearly two hours later that the riders of the Weyr to be assembled again upon the Weyrbowl. Above them the dragons sunned themselves, Alinth glowing on the edge where a number of blues were settled near her. A few browns tried to inch their way over but the furious growls of her brother Lith caused them to keep their distance.
“Let’s go see the holds, it would be good to know a bit about the places we’ll be protecting,” one of the bronze riders commented.
“Ah, you just wanna see your old stopping grounds, T’lcin!” a gold rider growled at the bronze rider.
“Oh, and you don’t Gemtia?” Katzy asked with a smirk. The tall gold rider mock glared at the blue rider yet finally chuckled.
“I wanna see Bigahomla again,” a green rider smiled as he inched his way between the bronze and gold riders.
“Well, you’re the only one here who knows where that hold is, F’link so you’ll lead there,” another bronze rider stated, “But I think it would be logical to have us go to the nearest hold first and make our way around.”
“So we go to our home of Kutou Hold then, G’rumon?” T’lcin asked. The bronze rider with a totally shaven head nodded.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” R’pton replied softly. An arm was layed gently around his shoulder and A’finar smiled down at the shorter man at the same time a replying, “What are we waiting for, it sounds like fun to me!” With a shrill whistle from one of the rider the dragons glided down to collect their riders. With in moments they were in flight once again circling the Weyr. As the last dragon joined their Weyrmates in the air the group disappeared between.
It was nearing dinner time when the riders arrived at the hold farthest away from the would be Weyr, Raku Sea Hold. Katzy was in the lead with her fun loving blue, Balaroth. In the time that they’d been on their little jaunt the rider’s blue fire lizard, Squan, had also appeared along with them. The hold was a flurry of activity as the wing of dragons landed on the beaches just outside the hold. Dolphins squeaked just off shore and as the dragons took to the fire heights above the sea hold the occupants of the hold came forth to greet the new riders.
“You think there’s a few fire lizard clutches around here?” R’pton asked no one in particular in a soft voice.
“Only one way to know,” A’finar smirked and pulled his friend towards Katzy where she was talking with a woman in her 4th decade, “Katzy!, Hey Katz! Any ‘lizard clutches around here?” The soft spoken blue on the blue rider’s shoulder screeched at him.
“Call ‘em just ‘lizards again, A’frinar and Squan will be after you…” she paused for a moment then decided to smirk, “or I could lock you in a room with Tana.” The green rider flinched, head heard about the woman whom Katzy was possibly mortal enemies with and he didn’t wish to be in a room with her ever. She more than likely wouldn’t be able to take his jokes.
“In that case,” he smiled and bowed to her and her friend, “any fire lizard eggs about that my friend and I could possibly get our hands on?” Katzy’s friend surprisingly was the one who answered.
“Actually we do, green rider,” she smiled brightly and looked at Katzy who grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry, Jonie, this is A’finar, green Alinth’s rider, and R’pton, blue Lith’s rider,” Katzy smiled, “A’finar, R’pton, let me introduce to you Jonie, Master Dolphineer at Raku Sea Hold.” The two homosexual riders bowed to the woman.
“As I said, there is a clutch that was found just a short time ago by one of my apprentices,” she smiled as she lead them down the beach a ways, towards the docks that were made specifically for the Dolpineercraft. The two riders brightened and didn’t really notice as Katzy left them to her old mentor, “A gold clutch, he told me… odd for a gold to leave her clutch unattended.” The Master Dolpineer shrugged absently as she opened a door to a stone shed and carefully opened a glow.
The two riders blinked at the heat that greeted them.
“It almost feels like the hatching grounds in here,” A’finar breathed squinting at the heat.
“Well there’s your reason, Acro,” R’pton replied pointing at twelve cream colored eggs that lay quietly in the sands.
“You each may have one,” Jonie smiled, “but watch out for my daughter, she’s quite the envious type.”
“Who’s your daughter,” A’finar asked picking up an egg at the same time as R’pton gathered his own. Jonie paused for a moment before leading them out of the hut.
“Tana,” she replied shortly. The two riders stared at the Dolphineer’s back but before they could say anything more the two eggs they had started to shake violently. Jonie was ready to help them immediately.
“Here, take this!” she ordered handing them a large pouch. The two riders pulled at the bag carefully open. As the eggs started to crack, they found the pouch filled with meat rolls small enough that a newly hatched fire lizard would be less likely to choke on the food. The two riders were quick to seated themselves on the ground just as the shells fell about the hatchlings and to the ground. A’finar and R’pton found themselves gripped by the pain of hunger and started stuffing the hatchlings before they knew what colors they had impressed.
Crealing lightly in their arms before curling up to sleep two greens looked at them with red eyes flicked with blue. One was lighter than the other. They’re small, Lith commented to his rider. They look like mini mes, Alinth snorted as she looked through her riders eyes. A’finar chuckled, though she sounded insulted he was sure his beauty of a green was very happy for them.
“Aski,” R’pton smiled softly at the medium shaded green who slept easily in his snort arms.
“This one’s gonna be named, Citren,” A’finar smiled as he tickled his light green fire lizard’s chin. The duo sat there for a moment longer before their stomachs growled simultaneously. Jonie chuckled as she walked back towards them, the only evidence at what she’d been doing being the form of three dolphins breaking the surface of the water as the traveled towards deeper waters.
“Let’s get you two fed as well,” she smiled, “They won’t wake for about two hours now and Lord Technado should have quite a feast ready for you and your friends.”
“Thank you, Master Jonie,” A’finar smiled careful not to disturb, Citren.
“For the fire lizards,” R’pton finished. The Master Dolphineer nodded her welcome and lead them to the main hold. Above, in the fire heights, Alinth glowed, her light green hide almost looking white.
A few hours later in Ryslen Weyr Alinth took to flight!