Of course, he knew that his friends were going to be okay. But... D'lon and the others were brave and rode adult dragons. Most of the younger ones, the weyrlings, still remained in the safety of the weyr since they were not expert enough to survive fighting.
Karyle made sketches to pass the time. Though he had been here only to check up on his friends and the Alabaster weyrhold's inhabitants -- and their impressed dragons -- he had abruptly been Searched by one of the local dragons!
It was a surprise to him, totally knocked him back! But when he finally did run into D'lon and G'ed and J'zin and the rest, most of them simply looked at him, looked at their dragons as if they were listening to their private conversations, and then told him "of course you're searched."
Like it was an expected thing. Like being the Lord Holder's son wasn't enough?
Karyle resigned himself to learning something new. Shoveling firestone. It was hard work, but because his father had always encouraged such things, he learned to do it, do it well, and even come to enjoy it. In the short month he had been at Aden weyr, Karyle had gotten into the routine of the weyrling classes, learning about theories on thread fall, making harnesses, repairing clothing, and the all important firestone catching drills. He'd become stronger for it, and he continually wrote home to tell his father about it.
Engell was there, this day, having flown in riding with Ger'in and his brown Nerimenth. It was just in time, too, just barely before thread began to fall. Nerimenth and his rider were called up to fly with the local wing, and proved once again that their Alabaster training would always be compatable with every weyr around it.
Finally, after several sketches of dragons, riders and even one of the canines around the weyr, the candidates were hurriedly called in to the hatching sands!
Just barely after having arrived, then, two eggs cracked open! The green stayed on her turf just a moment longer, because the brown that came slightly first hissed at her!
'He was just being irritable,' Karyle thought to himself. He seemed quite sure, too. Because then the dragon, strong dark brown skin shining with the wetness still from his shell, came right to him!
In fact he came so fast, that he just bowled Karyle right over!
You! I want it to be you! I do not want anything or any one to come between us! And food! I must have some food! You do not understand how much I want it! And you! I have seen you, waited for you, and now you are here with me! I am joyful!
"Yenitoth, you want me? Well, all right, but you must get off of me!" Karyle said, happily. They exited to the feasting area beside the hatching sands, and there, he saw his father.
"Dad! You won't believe this!" Karyle yelled, happy and ready to jump into his father's arms. Engell's grin of pleasure at seeing his boy for the first time in more than a month broadened out into a laughing smile.
"Shouldn't you be thinking of a new name, son?" Engell asked, and Karyle's sudden jolt was almost like having dropped a cat onto a sheet of water. He looked frantically at his dragon, who calmly but eagerly supplied him with an answer.
You are K'yle, now. I can remember that. Where is the food!
"You're such a giant!" K'yle said, snugging the riding straps down around Yenitoth's neck ridge. "I don't know how you got so big!"
Yes you do, I ate and shed. You told me you wanted me to grow up big and strong!
"And you are," K'yle laughed. "Now, I want you to remember what we learned about going between. I'm going to send us home."
But... We are home!
"Aden is your birth place, but Alabaster is our home, Yeni. Remember?"
Oh! That pretty place with the tower! I remember you dreamed about it often. I will enjoy seeing that place!
K'yle smirked to himself. His father would be very proud of him. Bringing home a strong sturdy brown like Yenitoth. He'd only seen the dragon three times, and not recently enough to be really impressed by his size.
With a call to the other dragons, Yenitoth trumpeted loudly that he was on his way.
They circled the weyr once before going between, and arrived at Alabaster with the same trumpet of glee!
