Varshanth sighed and said, “I am bored B’tan.” He yawned and looked over at his rider, who was sitting at a desk at the far end of the room. “Can we go down to the lake or to the feeding grounds?”

B’tan shrugged and said, “I really have to get this done Varshanth. We can go once I’ve finished though ok?”

The brown sighed again and asked, “What are you working on?”

The brownrider looked back at his dragon and said, “I’m helping the fledglingmaster with something. I should be done soon though. All I had to do was write up a list of the dragoners in our fleet and grade them based on performance.”

Varshanth warbled and asked, “What did you give yourself?”

B’tan smiled and said, “I can’t tell you that.” He pushed the papers away and then stood up, walking towards his dragon. “Ok let’s get out of here.”

“You are done?” Varshanth asked his rider as he stood up and stretched his wings.

B’tan shrugged and said, “I need a break. I’ll finish it when we return.”

“Are we to go to the lake?” Varshanth asked as his ridr climbed up onto his back.

B’tan shrugged and said, “I don’t really know. You want to go somewhere different today?”

The brown warbled and asked, “Where were you thinking of going rider-mine?”

His rider looked around the Caer and then said, “Let’s just go exploring today. I want to go somewhere that we’ve never been before, how about you?”

Varshanth crooned and said, “That sounds like a good idea but where shall we go?”

B’tan thought abut this as his dragon walked out onto their ledge and then said, “Why don’t we head out to the mountains? We’ve never been there and I’ve heard there are jewels hidden in the caverns.”

“Shall we bring Jiah along?” He asked as he looked towards his rider’s caerlizard, who was currently asleep on one of the chairs.

B’tan nodded and said, “Yes, she might be able to find us some of the gems. She’s got a good eye for things that shine.” He called his lizard over and once she was perched on his shoulder he instructed Varshanth to take off.

Varshanth dove from the ledge and spread his wings, letting the warm afternoon air lift him higher into the sky. “Eastward correct?” Varshanth asked his rider.

B’tan nodded and pointed in the direction of the mountains, which he could see vaguely. “Yes we’ll head east but don’t transfer because we’ve never been there before.”

Varshanth nodded and flew towards the mountain, his wings carrying him faster than B’tan had remembered. “Have your wings always been this strong?” B’tan asked as he looked back, seeing how much distance they had already covered.

Varshanth shrugged slightly and said, “I have been working my wings more than before. I will need wings that are able to carry me for a long period of time as well as carry me there fast later on.”

“Do you mean while we are flying in the fleets?” B’tan asked, not really following his dragon’s line of thought.

“Well that as well but I was thinking more along the lines of mating flights,” he stated as his wings pushed him forward again.

B’tan smiled and asked, “Who’s the lucky girl?”

Varshanth snorted and said, “I am merely preparing for a later time in my life. There is currently no female that I wish to chase.”

“You’re a bad liar Varsh,” B’tan said as he watched the mountains loom higher into the sky.

The brown warbled and said, “I will tell you what I am thinking when we reach the mountains.”

B’tan smiled and said, “Well then let’s see how fast these wings can take us there.”

Varshanth warbled and flew faster, covering about four hundred feet in a few moments. “I think that you’ll have a good chance in whatever flight you enter Varsh. You could probably even out fly the female that you’ll be chasing.”

“That probably wouldn’t be desirable B’tan,” Varshanth commented as he slowed his pace a little and looked for a spot to land near the base of the mountain, which they had just reached.

“I know that Varsh, I was exaggerating.” He looked around the base of the mountain as well but then looked around the middle of the mountain, where the caverns were. “Hey, land there Varsh,” he said as he pointed to a cavern with a small ledge.

Varshanth did as he was told, landing on the ledge and letting his rider dismount. The brown looked around and then asked, “Where do you think the jewels are?”

B’tan shrugged and lifted his arm and pictured gems in his mind. Jiah, who had climbed down onto her owner’s forearm, warbled and took off, flying down one of the passages in the cavern.

“She shouldn’t take too long,” Varshanth said as he sat down, looking at his rider.

B’tan nodded and said, “While she’s gone you can tell me who you’re thinking of chasing.”

Varshanth nodded slightly and said, “Alright rider-mine. I am thinking of chasing at Caer Brynmor for one.”

B’tan nodded and smiled, saying “good choice, and who might you be flying?”

The brown was quiet for a moment and then he said, I wish to fly the most beautiful female on all of Alskyr B’tan. Her name is Abirith and I wish to enter her flight when we return.”

“Abirith?” B’tan asked, trying to figure out who his dragon was talking about. “What color is she and where is she from?”

“She is the absolute perfect shade of silver and she was hatched on the dunes of Caer Brynmor.”

B’tan shook his head, still having no idea who his dragon was talking about. “Who rides her?” He asked his dragon.

Varshanth repositioned himself and then said, “her rider is Kesava. She is pretty as well rider-mine.”

“Kesava? Yes I think I’ve met her a couple times, and you’re right she is very pretty, but also very nice. She’s not all looks and no brains. I will assume her dragon is the same way?”

Varshanth nodded and said, “Yes they are both very intelligent as well as very nice. Do you agree with my choice B’tan?”

B’tan nodded and said, “Yes I completely agree with your choice. I’ll sign you up as soon as we return to the Caer. However, right now let’s go see how Jiah is doing.”

B’tan walked farther into the cavern and called out Jiah’s name. The caerlizard warbled, her call echoing through the passages. She flew towards him, a large jewel clutched in her front claws. She dropped her prize into the palm of his hand and warbled triumphantly.

He patted her head and then looked at the gem, which seemed to be completely flawless. “Where did you find this?” B’tan asked Jiah.

The little caerlizard pulled on her owner’s shirt and warbled, picturing an entire cavern wall covered in gems.

B’tan followed Jiah as she flew down the passageways and stopped dead when he reached the spot where Jiah found the gem she had just given him.

The eastern wall of the cavern was, quite literally, covered in gems that poked out of the wall at certain points, almost as if they were trying to escape the wall’s tight grasp.

B’tan walked up to the wall, put his hand over one of the gems, and started to dig it out. “Jiah I need your help,” he said as he realized that the jewels were in the wall tighter than he had first thought.

Jiah warbled and flew over to her owner, helping to excavate a large red gem, most likely a garnet or a ruby. When they had finally loosened it up B’tan pulled it out of the wall, gasping as he saw that is was about half the size of his fist.

“This is amazing,” he commented as he set to work on another. With Jiah’s help he uncovered three larger, flawless gems. “Let’s call it quits Jiah,” he said as his pet started to claw at another one.

Jiah crooned in question but followed her owner as he started to head back towards the ledge.

“Did you find anything else?” Varshanth asked when his rider returned.

B’tan smiled and pulled the gems out of his various pockets so that his dragon could see them. “Beautiful aren’t they?”

Varshanth crooned as he looked them over. “I like that one, the one that looks like a dragon’s eye. What is that gem called?”

B’tan put the other gems away and continued to look at the one his dragon was talking about. “It’s called an opal. I’m particularly fond of this one as well.”

“Perhaps Kesava will feel the same way,” Varshanth said softly.

B’tan looked up at his dragon and smiled. “Perhaps she will Varsh, perhaps she will.”