Telobre Exersice Rider

The white chirpped happly and projected vissions of other fire lizards and a clutch of dragons eggs. Telobre, for that is what he was called, smiled wildly at the eggs. His flit had known him well in the two turns that they'd been together. Telobre was considered Dragon mad in a friendly way by most everyone he met. Like most every child on Pern he wished to be a dragonrider, to never have to be lonely, to talk with a friend who would most always understand him.

It was quite a surprise to the young man two turns back though when he found that his sister, Kare, had been searched by Talor Cliff Weyr. Telobre was both excited for his sister but at the same time a bit down hardend, his sister would get a chance to live his life long dream and though there'd been many openings still, the searchdragons hadn't done much more than glance at him.

A few sevendays later his sister stood on the sands for a white clutch. To everybody's surprise, the first dragonet to hatch was a large sized white. It was quickly found that the white was female as she was also the first to impress, and impressed to Kare. For a time, Telobre seemed a bit angery at his sister for impressing though he was very proud of the fact that she did. Feeling bad, when Kare's Oroth learned how to fly with her between, the young girl and her dragon made a trip to Sapphire Weyr and returned with a fire lizard egg as a gift. Apoligies and thanks were given by Telobre about the whole thing and just as they were about to part ways for a time the little egg hatched out Murcurus.

The boy fumbled for the small bag of treats he kept on himself for Murcurus. Finding the bag after a moment he handed the little flit a few scraps of meat. The silvery flit chirpped happly and practicly enhaled the scraps. Telobre smiled, giving his runnerbeast a quick tap with his heals at the same time as presure from his legs that sent the beast into an easy canter.

Two hours later Telobre and his father, Rentelo, lead the caravan of runnerbeasts and herdbeasts into the bowl of Sapphire Weyr. Father and son dismounted at the same time with ease as a tall woman aprouched them. Both bowed out of respect for the very young woman: Weyrwoman Jewel.

"It's good to have you back, Beastmaster Retelo," Jewel smiled at Telobre's father, "Forgive my Rith for not being here to meet you. You see she's on the sands with her latest clutch, they should be hatching in the next few days. It would be an honor if you'd stay for the hatching."

Telobre looked to his father hopefuly. They hadn't seen a hatching sense Kare'd impressed. Perhaps he'd be able to see one again if only to remember his impression of Mercurus. Retelo's large forehead creased in thought.

Please, dad! Please say yes! I'd love to see a hatching again... to admire all those who impress! Oh please say yes, father. Please! the 18 turn old young man pleaded sighlently in his mind.

Retelo pulled at his chin thoughtfuly, "Well, I don't know... we have been traveling for quite some time. Not like when your a dragonback, takes a sevenday or so to travel here on foot even more when ya' got runnerbeast and herdbeast ta keep in line," the Beastmaster pause for a moment and then smiled, "Well why not? I sappose ya' have a few extra weyrs to keep me an' my people housed. But as for my beasts?"

"You could always board them at Sapphire Hold, Retelo," Jewel smiled, "I'm sure they'd be glad to board them for the short time till the hatching of my Rith eggs."

"Thank you for your hospitalities, Weyrwoman," Retelo replied with a bow, "we really apriate the offer."

Telobre nodded in agreement, "It's quite an honor, Weyrwoman Jewel," a coy smile lightly played across the young man's features, as his father went to tell the rest of their party the good news, "Forgive me for being so forward, Jewel, but would it be too much if I took a look at the eggs. My flit here, Murcurus, showed me mental pictures of the eggs. I'd like to see them through my own eyes if that's no trouble."

Jewel meirly nodded and led the way. Telobre quickly handed the raines of his runner to a stable hand near by and followed the quickly moving woman. Moments later he found himself looking at the green gold that was Rith. He was amazed at her size as he always was. The queen green slept in a soft slumber and Jewel watched her bonded with a love that Telobre only wished he could truely understand.

His sister had that look when she would look at her white Oroth. Kare's friends, who were all riders, would have it as well when they looked to their weyrmates. The only thing close Telobre had to that was his silvery white fire lizard, Murcurus. Thinking of that the young man stroked his fire lizard's head lovingly.

Unconsciencly Telobre had started walking out onto the sands and suddenly felt the solid surface of an egg under his right hand. The 18 turn old boy looked at the shell in shock, yet reveled in the warmth of it. He felt the contents in it stir slightly at his touch in that short moment. The next thing Telobre knew, Rith wide awake and moving towards him in a menacing way.

Get away from my eggs, you're not to touch them! Telobre heard the voice of the slightly angered mother in his head. The young boy inmediatly started backing up, careful not to knock into any of the eggs, yet stumbling the whole way. He realized later that he had probably also come too close to the gold egg of the clutch. True Rith had been around it but he'd also only been about ten or so paces away from Rith.

"I'm sorry, Rith," Telobre babbled out his apoligy as the green gold continued to bare down on him, "I didn't mean to go and touch one of the eggs, I didn't even realize I'd gone that far onto the sands." The boy looked to Jewel for help and the Weyrwoman chuckled slightly giving her lifemate a few words of cofirt. Rith's eyes returned to a mildly amused blue green and she walked back over her clutch.

"She's forgiven you, Telobre," Jewel smiled having only eyes for her green gold, "But I'd suggest you not come to the hatching grounds again until the humming begins."

Telobre nodded his understanding and thanks. He remembered the humming from his sister's day of impression. It was musical yet it was not, at some points it was haunting yet very beautiful. The harpers' songs of the dragons and their impressions did them no justice, that was the only way Telobre could even try to explane the empathy he had for dragon kind.

With a wave to Jewel, he walked off to find his father and the rest of their band.

A few days later...

Telobre woke from one of his random acts of sleep to Murcurus screaching at him and a thrumming he could feel through the walls and into his bones. THE HATCHING! was the only thought that came to the young exercise rider as he quickly slipped on a deep blue pair of riding pants and a black vest. He some how manged to run down the hall way of the Weyr while slipping on his riding boots without falling.

The son of Beastmaster Retelo ran into the stands and found a seat quickly, not too high up in the tires yet not so low that he wouldn't be able to see everything at once. He watched as the eggs wabbled violently and he remembered the day he had impressed Murcurus whom had found his perch on the rider soon after he'd settled into his tire. Now the only thought on his mind was who of the canidates would be the lucky ones to impress.

Telobre watched as egg after egg hatched and impressed to a boy or girl. Oh to impress a dragon, what a great thing that would be. Seven eggs hatched, not much time between their hatchings and making of the impressions. The seventh egg to hatch was a white.

"Just like you, Murcurus," Telobre commented to his flit. The silvery white fire lizard chirpped as he pointed out that it wasn't fully true. "Oh, you're right, it's a female," Telobre winked as his fire lizard. Something deep inside him at that time gentaly tugged at his heart as if tugging him down to the sands. He walked down watching the next five dragons to hatch impress. Something tugged harder at him as he neared the bottom tier. Two eggs cracked open revieling a blue and a brown.