CHAPTER TWO.
Title:A Candidates Life.
Cymerin almost staggered into the Lower Caverns and lowered his aching body gingerly into a chair. Rain his devoted shadow sat at his feet voicing a worried whine, his liquid brown eyes fixed in concern on Cymerin's face.
N'prel hurried into the Lower Caverns to grab a quick bite to eat before he and Uriluth were scheduled to do the afternoon Sweep of the eastern side. Uriluth's harnesses were slung over his shoulder as he walked. Lucky, his ever present shadow at his heels as he stopped at the side table. As he was filling up his favourite mug with klah and grabbing some rolls he noticed a young lad sitting at one of the tables. The weary set to his shoulders and the way he was rubbing at his neck, as well as the very new Candidate knots told him all he needed to know.
Cymerin smiled tiredly as he leaned down, wincing slightly, to stroke the small canine's side. "I'm alright Rain, i won't die yet although they seem to be doing their best to." Cymerin said wearily, but his brown eyes twinkled with amusment at his prediciment. "Nobody ever told me this would be so hard but then it;s an Apprenticeship of sorts."
"Oh you'll soon wish they would just kill you." N'prel said in some amusement as he lowered himself into the chair across setting down his tray and putting sweetner into his klah. Lucky trotting after him sat at his feet, panting gently as she caught her breathe.
Cymerin covered his surprise as he sat up slowly to regard the rider sitting across from him. His smile grew into a grin as the rider's words registered. "Really?" He replied dryly.
"Oh yes. Sweetner?" N'prel replied, raising an eyebrow as he paused over the second cup of klah he'd thoughtfully brought with him.
"Who brought you in and how long have you been here?" N'prel asked curiously as he regarded the young Candidate.
"Myla's Olath Searched me and brought me back here a few days back. I'm still getting lost in this maze of a place. I came from the healer hall at Black Rock Hold." Cymerin replied, the pride in his voice at being Searched evident.
"I know Olath and Myla, Olath is a good Search dragon." N'prel commented, stirring his klah and taking a sip.
Rain got up and wandered over to investigate the small black puppy and the two of them sniffed at each other warily until tails wagging they seemed satisfied with each other and returning to sit at their person's feet.
"That little black misfit is Lucky, i rescued her from some louts trying to drown her in a stream." N'prel said, gesturing to the puppy gazing adoringly up at him.
Cymerin gasped, his eye widening in horror as he regarded the small black puppy, offering his knuckles for her sniff, which she did polietly. "Oh no that's terrible. It's good thing you found her then. This is Rain, he has a similair nasty story somebody abandoned him and i found him."
"Hello Rain, nice to meet you." N'prel said, as he too leaned over offering his own knuckles for the white canine to sniff. Rain sniffed his knuckles and licked at him gently.
Cymerin was nodding to N'prel to indicate he wanted sweetner added, watching as the rider added a couple of spoonfulls and handed it over for Cymerin to stirr. Slowly he stirred and blew on it gently before sipping it just as carefully. He nearly sighed as the soothing tendrils of the hot drink curled around his insides.
N'prel grinned in amusement at the lad's prediciment remembering his own Candidatacy. "Talk to the Headwoman she will give you a scented massage oil she has and if you as nicely enough she'll even rub it in for you. It'll help those muscle aches and strains." He commented sympathetically. "I'm N'prel by the way, my dragon's Uriluth."
Cymerin grinned back, unable to resist responding to the friendly man sitting across from him. "I'll keep that in mind N'prel, i think i'm going to need it. I believe i am very soft. I have only been here a few days and i feel like i've been beaten with a blunt object."
"Yeah it feels like that at first. Then you Impress and your time as a Candidate feels like nothing compared to Weyrlinghood." N'prel said with a chuckle as he sipped at his klah.
"Oh Faranth, don't tell me that!" Cymerin replied with a shudder, his light brown eyes closing as he grimaced. "I don't imagine i can get much stiffer or ache more then i do at the moment."
"I'm Cymerin by the way, newly made Candidate and former healer apprentice. How far a humble apprentice as come." He added, his brown eyes merry sharing his amusement at his prediciment.
"What chores have they got you on these days?" N'prel asked curiously sipping at his klah and taking a bite of his buttered roll, he remembered endless days washing dishes, filling firestone sacks and helping riders wash their dragons.
Cymerin sighed as he pushed his memory to remember. "Today? Or the whole seven day?" He inquired wryly.
N'prel laughed at Cymerin's woeful expression and wry tone. "Today for now will do me. When i was a Candidate i spent alot of time washing dishes and filling firestone sacks. It was all something of a blurr i'm afraid." He mused, as he took another bite, chewed and swallowed, washing it down with another mouthful of klah.
"Well this morning i spent mucking out the stables and helping the healers distill numbweed. I still can't feel three of my fingers and the rest of my muscles think i've beat them up severly. This afternoon i have to go to a several lectures and finally i'm to help with the evening meal." Cymerin answered, rubbing at his stiff and aching shoulder as he sad it. At his feet Rain once again whined his concern for his person, nudging his knees.
"He thinks im dying too." Cymerin joked, pushing dark blonde curls out of his eyes as he took another long gulp of klah.
"Like i said, wait and see if you Impress then you'll know what the word sore and tired means." N'prel joked back. "I have to go now, but would you like to meet my dragon?" N'prel said, aware that he had to go as he stuffed the last of his roll in his mouth and downed the rest of his klah. Getting up he picked up his tray and walked over to place his tray with the rest of the dirty ones and ma
"Sure, i'd love to." Cymerin said, as he stood up swallowing the last of his own klah as he followed the taller rider out of the Lower Caverns their canine's at their heels.
Uriluth love would you come down here please, i would like you to meet somebody." N'prel called to his dragon, surprised to find him awake.
:Of corse i am awake, we have duties to do. I come.: Uriluth answered, a little indiginatly that his rider was expecting him to be asleep as he responded to his rider.
Cymerin watched in awe as a slate blue dragon glided over to them and landed a polite distance away from them.
"Cymerin this is Uriluth, Uriluth meet Candidate Cymerin." N'prel said, introducing them as he walked up to his dragon and stroked the large, wedge shaped head that lowered to meet him.
"Hi." Cymerin said a little shyly, as he followed N'prel up to the dragon and watched in awe as the dragon inclined his head, crooning a greeting, his jewelled eyes whirling a gentle blue-green as he regarded him. Rain followed him sniffing cautiously at the large blue dragon, sneezing abruptly and shaking himself nonchalanty as if satisfied with the dargon.
"Scratch his neck ridge, he loves it." N'prel suggested, as he demonstrated Uriluth crooned, leaning into his rider's scratching fingers his eyes closed in bliss.
Cymerin followed N'prel's instructions and gently scratched the eyeride, surprised again at the softness of the blue hide under his fingers and the spicy smell that came from him. He was delighted and quietly enchanted when the dragon continued to croon his pleasure at such a simply seeming caress to him.
: He is a nice. I like him.: Uriluth commented on a sigh of pleasure.
N'prel grinned at his dragon. You like anybody that does this. He teased.
Uriluth chose to ignore his rider and focus on the gentle fingers that continued to scratch at his eyeriges.
"Would you like to help me get him harnessed up? Has anybody shown you how to do this yet?" N'prel asked, as he pulled Uriluth's harnesses from his shoulder and began to harness him up as the blue dragon waited patiently.
"No i haven't, but i would like to learn." Cymerin replied, watching with interest as N'prel dealt with the harder harness and half instructed, half guited him on how to put on the rest. Once done Cymerin stepped back to admire the blue dragon all harnessed up and ready to go.
"Feel free to come and see him whenever you like." N'prel offered good-naturedly, as the boy pulled away from his dragon and stared at him in surprise.
"You would let me do that?" Cymerin asked, surprised.
"Of corse, he likes you, i like you, even Lucky likes you." N'prel replied with a chuckle, his eyes merry. "Speaking of that, would you mind if i left Lucky in your care for a few hours? She really doesn't like me going away from her, but we must follow our duties and she understands that now." N'prel added.
"Sure, of corse i'll look after her for you. Just come and collect her whenver your finished. I will come and see Uriluth whenever i can then, thank you for your invitation." Cymerin said, pleased and surprised that the dragonrider was leaving his canine with him and had invited him to come see Uriluth whenever he wanted to. His day was vastly improving! He thought to himself as he watched Uriluth crouch and wait for N'prel to climb up his shoulder and swing himself into place. N'prel grinnned down at the blonde haired Candidate as his dragon sprang into the air and glided lazily away.
Cymerin stayed where he was Lucky whining softly as the blue dragon launched himself into the air and glided lazily up and out of the weyr. If he squinted and strained his eyes to the maximum he could just see the faint figure of the dragon as it winked /Between/. Oh to have a dragon of his own and oh to be able to fly and go /Between/. He mused as he turned and made his way tiredly back to his chores, the two canines at his heels.
