Black Dragon
Chapter 2: The hatching
[*Disclaimer* I do not own characters (except for a select few) or any storylines from the wonderful works of Anne McCaffery]
(Author note: Thanks for all of the reviews so far. It's very helpful and sorry for my mistakes, like misspelling weyr I haven't read the stories for a while and as for the format thing, I have already had problems with that. But I'll try a different approach this time. Thank you for your time.
Shizriu woke in his sleeping furs with his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the excitement and tension starting to get heavier as the sounds of preparation for the guests and dinner. He felt his stomach drop as he realized that he was going to be on the Hatching Grounds. He never thought that it would ever happen. As Shizriu was walking to the upper levels of the Weyr he ran into Manora who grabbed him by the wrist and started to drag him to the dining hall.
"Let's get going, you're already late to wake up. After you eat you are to get dressed for the Impressions." Manora said while seating him at the table.
Shizriu grabbed the mug of klah that was put in front of him. As he sipped it he then started to eat. After he finished he got up and walked back toward the lower levels and got dressed, just as Manora told him to. Suddenly, the Weyr was filled with such a strong hum that Shizriu had to start running. He was met half way by F'lar and was then grabbed firmly by the wrist and was taken aloft on the back of the huge bronze Mnementh and was flown to the hatching grounds. F'lar gave him a little shove and he landed on the grounds.
Shizriu waited patiently as the humming in the Weyr was louder. He looked behind him and noticed that there were people that were filing into their seats to witness the Impression. Then, there was a loud crack, which had startled all of the audience who were not Dragonriders. He chuckled slightly and then turned to see there were two browns that were crawling along the sands. He stepped courteously aside; as they were taught to do since dragons would choose to stop by you if they wanted to be with you. There was a voice that seemed to be coming from inside his head. He couldn't decide what it was saying. But he could hear it. Then as if someone had lifted the barrier from the source of the voice he heard,
"Fooooood. Huuuungry." The voice pleaded.
"Which dragon are you young one?" Shizriu asked in a even and calm voice.
"My name is Razar, and I am black… or I think that's the color" The voice said.
Shizriu was shocked and noticed that the black egg had opened and there was a small black dragon looking up at him. He picked up the young dragon and took him away swiftly toward the feeding grounds as they had been taught, since it was wise to feed your dragon after it hatches, yet not too much. After Shizriu fed Razar the young beast then inquired,
"You never told me your name."
Shizriu then thought about it. Dragonriders usually shortened their names as they obtain their dragons. He thought of many different ways to do it. At first it was going to be S'iu. But he felt that was too short. Then, S'ziu. But he felt that it didn't suit him. Finally he thought of the one he liked best.
"My name is S'riu, my young friend." S'riu said in a satisfied voice.
"I like it, and I like you. May I stay around?" The young black dragon asked.
"You are welcome to stay with me. As long as you promise to be by my side, and be my friend for life. And as long as I can confide all of my trust in you as we fly to burn Thread out of the skies of Pern." S'riu told Razar.
"I promise. And besides, I'm way too attached to you to ever leave you." Razar replied.
S'riu smiled widely as he looked down at Razar, who was slightly bigger than a bronze but smaller that a golden dragon at this size. F'lar called for S'riu and waved his hand to follow. When they reached F'lar's weyr, he was nervous that he had done something wrong for Impressing a black dragon. F'lar sat down and offered S'riu a seat.
"Have you thought of a name for yourself, Shizriu?" F'lar asked.
S'riu gulped and nodded then stated, "I'm S'riu now."
F'lar smirked and nodded. "And what is the young one's name?" He asked gestering the now fearful black dragon, hiding his face in the folds of S'riu's tunic.
"He said that his name is Razar." S'riu felt that he could breathe since it seemed that he was not in trouble as he thought he was.
S'riu sat and obediently listened to what F'lar had to say about regular oiling of his dragon and the proper care he needed. Then F'lar dismissed him. S'riu started to walk out of the room as F'lar then remembered to tell S'riu that he now was to live in a weyr and not the lower caverns of the Weyr. F'lar then walked S'riu to an empty weyr and then started to leave.
"Wait, Lord F'lar" S'riu said. "Isn't it extremely strange that I have a BLACK dragon? Not a regular brown or blue?"
F'lar smiled slightly, "Worry about that later, ok? I'll explain everything after everyone else has had their own weyr assigned to them." And with that, F'lar left S'riu to his thoughts.