"I don't see why we have to come here." Kiya pouted as Bynnkyth gracefully glided down into the Weyrbowl of Adanuk Weyr.
Weyrling training. It's good to get training from the place where you hatched, but it's better to be trained by the place you're going to fly. The golden weyrling gracefully set down in the weyrbowl. They'd already gone through basic weyrling training, how to fly, between, care for you life mate and such, and now they were here to learn manuevering from the people they would be working with.
"Where do you think I'm supposed to go?" Kiya looked around somewhat helplessly. Adanuk was definately not the biggest Weyr on Pern, but it was unfamiliar to her. Chijou, her golden flit, happily chirped and went to mingle with some other flits she saw near by.
Bynnkyth, with her usual amount of subtly, asked the first dragon she came across. Hey you, whitey, we're new here. Where are we supposed to go?
The white and gold dragoness made her way over to Bynnkyth and Kiya, her eyes turning an amused shade of blue. My name is Mandaleth, youngling. And you would come to see me and my rider.
Kiya cringed as she saw the dragon approach. She knew that Bynnkyth had said something to the white/gold, but she wasn't sure what, or why the dragon was coming over to her. "Umm..By?"
Chijou quickly returned to her mistress when she saw the new dragon approaching. She chirped once or twice at the white/gold as if to warn her off, but the dragon was obviously not that easily scared. A moment of thought passed between the dragon and the flit and Chjou happily accepted the white/gold as if she was Kiya's own. The golden flit flew to the dragoness' shoulder and sat there as if to tell Kiya that the white queen was okay.
The gold dragon seemed more insulted than embarrassed by her previous behaviour. This white is supposedly the Weyrling Master.
Mandaleth, luckily, was slow to anger and although she was slightly annoyed with the proddy golden weyrling, she managed to keep her temper. Fine. I will find Takisha and we will return to our weyr. Ask another dragon, perhaps more politely, where you should go and I will see you later. Without giving Bynnkyth the chance to respond, Mandaleth leapt into the air and flew to her dragon ledge, taking the willing Chijou with her.
Bynnkyth snorted. Think's she's the queen of this Weyr does she? We'll show her.
Nothing! We'll show her nothing, love! If she is the Weyrling Master, you could have just got us in a lot of trouble!! Kiya quickly began counted ledges over and ledges up. We're going to go there and you're going to be respectful!!
The young gold snorted again. Prissy white. The dragon finally turned her attention back to her rider. You'll never find it once you get in there by counting ledges. It's like a maze!
"I'm good at puzzles." Kiya finished her calculations and headed for the main entrance to the Weyr.
Bynnkyth sighed. You'll just get lost and end up wandering around their all night!!
"It's not my fault you didn't ask for directions." Kiya quickly began climbing stairs. "Besides, she took my flit."
Stubborn. Bynnkyth headed off in the direction of the feeding grounds while her rider was going galavanting around the Weyr.
You're really one to talk. Kiya smiled as Chijou returned to her, bearing pictures of the Weyrling Master's weyr. I'll find it.
* * * Takisha sighed and leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. As Weyrling Master it was her job to find spots for the weyrling's once they graduated and with this new gold Mandaleth had just told her about, and a new bronze that Magika'd mentioned, the wings were getting a little tight. She stretched her neck and sighed again, impatiently. "Are you sure you didn't scare her off Manda? It's been candlemarks!!"
The white gold turned her head from the pages on Takisha's desk to look at her rider. She wouldn't have been scared off. The dragon turned to continue scanning the lists. She was one of the few dragons who could actually read. She might be too prideful to come back to us though...maybe we should ask Hyth...
Takisha glared at her lifemate. "I hate proddy weyrlings!!"
Mandaleth smiled, knowing full well that teaching weyrling classes was definately not what Takisha had planned to do with the rest of her life. But the dragon also knew that her rider was one of the best and she had an obligation to pass her knowledge onto the younger generation. Hyth? She reached out with her mind for the Sr. Queen of Adanuk to see if the two new riders had been by them yet.
A knock on the door preceeded the queen's answer by only a few instants. What?
Mandaleth watched as the door was openned and the rider of the impatient golden weyrling from earlier that day entered the room. Never mind.
Kiya beamed as she saw the gold white in the weyr behind the silver-haired woman in the doorway. "I'm Kiya, rider of golden weyrling Bynnkyth and your lifemate told us to meet you here." Chijou quickly cheeped a greeting to the Mandaleth, but didn't leave Kiya's shoulder. She began playfully nipping at her mistress' ear, slightly annoyed that they'd just been walking for the last few hours and dinner had come and gone. Kiya swatted at her head and eventually just picked Chijou up and held her in her hands. Thanks Chi. Way to make a first impression.
The firelizard, too silly to understand sarcasm, chirpped happily at the attention she was gettting and allowed Kiya to stroke her stomach.
Takisha raised an eyebrow and tried to keep from smiling. "Oh? Really? Mandaleth did mention something about a new weyrling coming to see me, but that was several hours ago. We figured she'd decided not to come."
Kiya smiled, gritting her back teeth. "Your Mandaleth was also kind enough to fly off without leaving directions, so I had to find it by myself."
"You could have asked someone else for directions." Takisha wondered if the girl was simple.
"I could have, but I didn't need to. I found you." Kiya couldn't help sounding a little pleased with herself.
"You went knocking on every door in the Weyr and by process of elimination you found me. Congrats." Takisha was now positive the girl was either simple or crazy.
"Actually this is the first door I knocked on. I counted the ledges to where Mandaleth landed and then I figured out where your door would be from the inside." Kiya tried to refrain from snapping at this woman. Chijou realized Kiya's pent up temper and chirped angrily at the Weyrling Master.
Takisha laughed. "You navigated the Weyr by what it looks like on the outside?" Kiya nodded. "You're crazier than I thought! No wonder it took so long! This place is built like a labyrinth!"
Kiya sighed, tired from all the walking, stair climbing and muttering she'd done to herself as she tried to locate the Weyrling Master's room. "Tell me about it." She couldn't help smiling at herself, just a little.
And I'm the one who made a bad first impression. Bynnkyth landed on Mandaleth's dragon ledge. 'Least she didn't think I was crazy.
Quiet you. Kiya dropped Chijou, letting the firelizard catch herself and, with an indignant chirp, fly to Bynnkyth's shoulder.
Takisha smiled. "You're more stubborn than your dragon," She picked up the pen and wrote 'Kiya and Bynnkyth' in neat script just beneath Tenkou Wing, under 'Candy and Akarath'. "Magika'll love you."
Kiya was confused, but she didn't bother saying anything. Takisha had no problem continuing right on. "I'll show you to your weyr, you'll be partnered with Roza and Miurath, Eden and Alasyth and Almara and Yisminth for right now. Weyrling's don't get their own rooms, they share. Mandaleth can show Bynnkyth to the dragon ledge." The silver-haired girl couldn't help smiling as the two dragons left. "We'll be along shortly, if we don't get lost."
Although she smiled at her own folly again, Kiya's true feelings were displayed by Chijou, who without rhyme or reason nipped Takisha's finger really hard as she walked.
* * *
Read Kiya's candidate story.
Read Kiya's hatchling story.
Kiya impressed Bynnkyth at Mountain's Note Weyr.
Kiya impressed Chijou at Dark Moon Weyr.
Background from Enchanted Backgrounds.