CDs Listened to while writing this chapter: GODSMACK- Godsmack (1998), Awake (2001), Faceless (2003), & IV (2006); STAIND- Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), & Chapter V (2005); EMINEM- Curtain Call: The Hits (2005); JOSH GROBAN-Josh Groban (2001) & Closer (2003); NICKELBACK- All the Right Reasons (2005); MATCHBOX TWENTY- More Than You Think You Are (2002); GREEN DAY- Nimrod (1997) & American Idiot (2004); SEETHER - Karma & Effect (2005) [Yes, it took that long for me to write...I'm a perfectionist, after all...
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Chapter One: Eire Weyr, Sorna Weyr, Current Pass 1.14.3475-1.16.3475
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K'ralli watched with slight amusement as his weyrmate bathed her dragon in the ocean near their makeshift weyr. K'ralli was tall, standing at an even six feet and six inches, but Tamarin, his mate, stood nearly as tall as he was, which delighted him--he'd never seen a woman that he didn't have to lean so far down just to kiss. K'ralli suddenly broke into a slight smirk as Anudith, Tamarin's large green, managed to soak her rider in the cool seawater. He knew that Tamarin would be frustrated with Anudith's antics when she returned to their weyr, which caused him to smirk a little more.
And what, pray tell, are you smirking about? Kyubith, K'ralli's brown, asked, noticing his rider's near-grin and feeling the man's sudden humor. Anu is just playing with her rider...as I recall, I do the same with you, Kiral, the large brown added, using his rider's old nickname that now only the two dragons and Tamarin were allowed to use. Kyubith was nearly the size of a medium-sized bronze, unusually bright, and had what most would call a deformity in the wing department. The brown dragon's wings were longer and broader than most, which was an advantage during Threadfall, as the seemingly ungainly wings made the big brown faster and more maneuverable in the air. This added speed and maneuverability are also what helped the brown catch Anudith every time she rose since her first flight...was it four or five Turns ago...?
Oh, nothing, Kyu...don't worry about it, K'ralli answered, still staring at his beloved weyrmate. He loved everything about her--the way her fire-gold hair sparkled in the sunlight, the way there was nothing but love for him in her ice-blue eyes, even down to the way she moved and behaved. He took the time to glance over to Anudith, whose deep forest hide was made even darker from being wet. The flecks of a lighter color, which people from back on Old Terra would identify with a stone called 'jade', in the green's hide stood out even more because of this. He could easily see why his brown lad was obsessed with the younger green--she was nearly as big as some of the larger blues weyred at Eire, and she was faster and more clever than greens normally were.
Another quick glance brought K'ralli's gaze upon his own dragon, who was casually lounging in the sand nearby, having already had his bath and swim. Kyubith's hide was a light tan in color--a perfect contrast to his mate's dark-tinted hide--with flecks of a deep chocolate color splashed throughout. K'ralli always thought that this made an interesting effect--being a former Artist, it always seemed to him that someone took a bucket of paint and threw it on the dragon's skin. The brown was rather large for his color--he was nearly as big as most bronzes on Pern, with very nearly the intelligence to match. Just as his attention was fully set on the brown, Kyubith glanced at his rider before turning his attention back to his green.
You do realize that you were staring at her, don't you? Kyubith asked his rider, his mental tone dripping with sarcasm. The brown had a dry sense of humor, if any at all--that was just one of the many things that rider and dragon shared. Seriously, what were you smirking about earlier?
Nothing at all, Kyubith...drop it, K'ralli said warningly to his dragon as Tamarin walked up, Anudith prancing smugly behind her. "Did you have fun, dear one?" he asked, smirking again as he gently wrapped his arms around his weyrmate's shoulders.
"If you call getting nearly drowned 'fun'..." Tamarin muttered, glancing at Anudith with a jovial glint in her pale blue eyes. "What were you thinking about, K'ralli? You looked awful pensive," she asked as she relaxed a little into her weyrmate's embrace. She could never understand how in all of Pern, K'ralli fell for her. She relaxed even more when K'ralli tightened his hold.
"Hmm...just thinking of how lucky I am to have you for a weyrmate," the answer came in a slight whisper in Tamarin's ear, which made her shudder slightly from the feel of K'ralli's warm breath on her skin. He chuckled slightly as he tightened his hold even more and began to lightly nuzzle her ear. "I was thinking, love...how about you, me, Arallin, and T'bias go to Drake's Lake for a little while? Just to spend some time together?"
"You only want Arallin and T'bias to go because Arallin's your sister, right?" Tamarin asked, her voice faltering slightly from K'ralli's nuzzling. The brownrider always knew what to say to get her to agree with him, even if it went against her better judgement. Anudith had always told her that even though K'ralli was good for her, he would more than likely be the thing that undid her one day. One thing that Tamarin always hid from her dragon, with considerable difficulty, was that K'ralli was her undoing the day that she Impressed the green.
"Well, I have to keep my promise to my mother to watch out for Arallin. And besides, T'bias and Arallin enjoy spending time with us," K'ralli replied, his voice soft and calming. "You know that T'bias sees me as kind of an older brother, as well as a role model, for all that I'm just a brownrider, where he Impressed that bronze of his..."
"Some role model, you light wing," Tamarin muttered, turning herself around so that she was facing K'ralli, his emerald-hued eyes locking onto her ice-colored ones. "You always did seem to be more the kind to Impress a blue instead of a brown--or so the older riders tell me."
"But you're glad that I Impressed Kyubith instead of some scatter-brained blue that would have given Anu hardly any companionship...?" he asked, his voice slightly pleading for her to agree. He knew that riders older than he was, as well as riders with dragons the same age as his Kyubith, always said that they figured him for a bluerider rather than the rider of one of the largest, if not the largest, browns on Pern. He also knew that Kyubith was never really interested in the greens until Anudith was hatched and began to grow. K'ralli himself was beginning to wonder, before Anudith's hatching, if something was wrong with Kyubith--the brown was five Turns old back then and by all means should have been very interested in greens, but he never bothered to participate in any mating flights. Kyubith always said that none of the greens that had hatched then interested him, but the moment Anudith stepped out of the Hatching Grounds, Tamarin in tow, the brown dragon was instantly fascinated by the dark-tinted green.
"My love, you know full well that any dragon you Impressed would have been more than enough companionship for Anu," Tamarin started, slightly concerned by K'ralli's question. "But Anu said that she has been fascinated with Kyubith, and no other dragon on Pern, her whole life. She used to think it was because I was so enthralled with you, but she knows better now, I believe." A slightly wistful smile played its way across the woman's lips at a sudden memory. "Besides, I was more afraid of Kyubith not flying Anudith than the actual fact that it was her first mating flight!"
"By the way, won't it be time for Anu to rise again in a sevenday or so...?" K'ralli inquired, a sly smirk gracing his tanned face. He knew that no matter which dragons challenged his Kyubith for the right to mate with Anudith, the brown would valiantly defeat them. Kyubith had even outlasted several needy bronzes to fly the green, so he was more than confident in his role as Tamarin's hopelessly devoted weyrmate.
"Obviously not within the next two sevendays, Kiral..." Tamarin muttered as she unwillingly stepped out of K'ralli's embrace. "Besides, that's not something I'll willingly admit," she added, smirking slightly before turning and walking towards their weyr. "So, when are we planning this little pleasure trip, love?"
"I was thinking that we wait a few Falls before going...I heard that there will be two or three Gathers in about a month, so we could slip away then--the watchrider will simply think that we are off to one of the Gathers, so they'll think nothing of it." He couldn't help but follow Tamarin as she walked to the well of fresh water outside the weyr and watch her draw out water for her bath. The woman was covered in salt from a combination of the seawater and sweat, as was he, so a bath for both of them, or at least a shower, was neccessary before heading to the Weyr complex so that K'ralli could speak with his Wingleader, who also happened to be the Weyrleader of Eire, A'rek. K'ralli had always admired A'rek as a Weyrleader--he was much better at keeping the Weyr in good spirits than R'ken, who was not only Eire's previous Weyrleader, but also A'rek's father. Not that the brownrider had anything against R'ken--he was Tamarin's Wingleader, after all--but the old bronzerider and his dragon, Kallanth, were getting up in years, so K'ralli was sure that R'ken would soon retire himself from Threadfall.
"Seeing as we're going up to the complex, I should probably talk with R'ken about the next Fall," Tamarin noted as she dragged the water bucket to the large tub. "I dread having to risk Anu again in two days, as always," she muttered as she poured the cool water into the tub, glancing back at K'ralli. "You should join me, Kiral--you have to be clean when you present yourself to A'rek. He wouldn't mind, really--it's Kalusia who'd have a fit about A'rek's wingriders not being clean." Tamarin's voice suddenly grew slightly cold at the mention of the Weyrwoman, which set K'ralli's mind going.
"Sounds to me like you don't approve of our Weyrwoman, my love," K'ralli muttered as he grabbed another full bucket of water for the bath. "I know you don't really think of her as the epitome of a Weyrwoman, but Kalusia really does try her best. And she is your sister, no matter how the two of you may or may not regret it."
You still have the vocabulary of a Harper, Kyubith commented, opening one blue-green eye a slit. How is it that after eleven Turns of being my rider, you still manage to sound like the Harper you used to be...?
Well, Kyu...it's as Master Rorius says--"Once a Harper, always a Harper". And besides, I really got more training for Artistry than Harpering, K'ralli replied as he dumped the water into the tub. "Tammie, just be grateful that we have Kalusia as a Weyrwoman, rather than that hot-head Alema," he added to Tamarin as she poured the last of the water into the tub.
"You know that Alema's not really a hot-head, K'ralli...it's just that there are a lot of problems with weyrlings at Sorna," she replied as she eased her long hair out of the loose braid she had tied it up in previous to bathing Anudith.
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"Alema, dear heart, calm yourself. You know that the weyrlings just enjoy messing with your head," K'len said as he watched his weyrmate, Alema, pacing throughout their weyr. "Besides, it's D'kal's job to keep them in line, isn't it?" D'kal, the old brownrider, was given the job of Weyrlingmaster by the previous Weyrleader several Turns ago; by all means, the man had done his job until just recently, when Alema became Weyrwoman in her mother's stead. Mysath, Linella's queen, refused to rise last Turn, so Alema, as the next-oldest queenrider, became Weyrwoman.
"Not that D'kal and Ryucheth don't do a good job, mind you," Alema started, pausing in her pacing to stare at her mate. "It's just that some of the more reckless weyrlings will actually try to fight Thread when they've been told hundreds of times that their dragons aren't old enough!"
"Who? I'd like to teach these younger ones a lesson or two," K'len asked, his amber-colored eyes suddenly narrowing in slight anger.
"M'kin, for one--he thinks that just because he Impressed a bronze, he can do whatever he wants. He even believes that as soon as his Urith is mature enough to mate, he'll be able to do anything."
"Foolish young weyrlings...if only I could knock some sense into that young troublemaker..." K'len muttered, his eyes glancing from the doorway to his weyrmate and back. He knew that Alema did not really approve of M'kin anyway, what with M'kin being his son by another woman, whereas to this day, Alema had not become pregnant with his son herself. They had a daughter, a charming girl who took more of her looks from her father, who had already stood for Impression and come out the proud rider of the queen dragon from Zointh's last clutch, though K'len and Alema would have been proud of Anama even if she had Impressed a green, or not Impressed at all.
"Well, one can certainly tell that he's his father's son," Alema muttered jokingly, smiling slightly towards K'len. "Besides, he'll learn soon enough that Urith isn't invulnerable...We'll just have to wait and see if he learns this the easy way or the hard way." Alema hoped that K'len would see that she approved of M'kin--she understood that they hadn't known each other at the time the boy was conceived, so she had nothing to hold against him. "By the way, love...do you remember when the next Fall is scheduled? In all the trouble the weyrlings are causing me, it seems to have slipped my mind."
"You're lucky to have an understanding man like myself as your Weyrleader," K'len muttered, chuckling slightly. "If my memory serves me right--and it normally does--the next Fall for this Weyr is scheduled in four days."
"Hopefully M'kin won't put himself and that bronze of his into any danger for this Fall," Alema muttered, glancing towards the weyrling barracks. She could easily point out Urith in the throng of young dragons--the bronze's light-toned hide stood out among the darker bronzes of the clutch. She could faintly see M'kin sitting next to his dozing bronze, his arm lightly draped over Urith's neck. It reminded her of how she was with Scyth for about two or three Turns after the golden queen had cracked her shell. She smiled slightly when M'kin glanced in their direction and waved slightly. She knew that the young man was hoping that his father could see him, and be proud of him for Impressing a bronze. "In fact, I'll go have a talk with the lad right now."
A few minutes later saw Alema standing right behind M'kin, aware that the boy didn't even know that she was there. She quietly reached out and tapped the young rider's shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise and slight fear. A slight laugh escaped from Alema's lips as the younger bronzerider glared slightly at her, but the look in his amber eyes told her that he was amused by her somewhat childish actions. "So, young man, are you going to pull some reckless, wher-headed stunt this coming Fall...?" she asked him, her tone suddenly serious. "K'len and I are getting angry that you're constantly risking not only your life, but Urith's as well, pulling your stunts in Fall."
"That last one was mine and Uri's last, Alema," M'kin replied, glancing nervously towards the Weyrleaders' quarters. This gesture, M'kin knew, would get the Weyrwoman to think that he was worried about his father's disapproval of his actions--which he was. In truth, Urith had told him that he was scared that something might happen to M'kin during one of said stunts. It was just like Urith to worry about his rider, but honestly care less about his own. The bronzerider always told the young dragon that his constant worrying about him would lead to the dragon himself getting hurt somehow, but Urith always shrugged it off.
"If you are so sure of that, young M'kin of Sorna," Alema muttered as she turned and began to walk away. "But be warned...you pull another stunt like that, you'll be getting the full extent of your Weyrleaders' wrath."
M'kin glanced towards the WeyrlingMaster, old D'kal, for moral support, but the brownrider just gave him a look just said that the younger rider deserved whatever was coming to him. The young man decided to just drop it and talk with his friends a little more before the training started. His best friend, Tarlinel, had yet to Impress, but he had another three Turns before he was too old. Besides that, Iana's Orinth had a clutch hardening on the Sands at that very moment. He was hoping that Tarlinel would Impress at least a brown--he didn't want his friend to Impress a foolish blue or a sex-crazed green. But until then, he had his other friends, plus new friends that he made in the Weyrling Barracks. Anama, the new queenrider and his own half-sister, was busy with her own lessons with Alema and the other two queenriders, Iana and Kelra.
A sudden change in his line of thought brought M'kin's mind to wonder if K'len would approve of his growing fondness for Kalira, who was one of the junior weyrwomen at Ista Weyr to the north. A quick shake of his head brought the young rider to his senses--being a junior weyrwoman, Kalira could be weyrmates with bronzeriders from other Weyrs. He quickly decided, with Urith's bold agreement, that he would attend golden Mesuth's next flight after his bronze matured enough to fly the queen dragon.
M'kin, Roketh says that by then, you may not even care about Kalira any longer, Urith interrupted the young man's line of thought sheepishly.
Well, he only says that because K'len says it, I'm sure. In any case, Kalira promised to come visit when she and Mesuth could find the time. We, my bronze lad, are going to visit them as soon as we can, which will more than likely be in a sevenday, after the next Fall, M'kin assured his growing bronze, who already was a fraction larger than his clutchmates.
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"Alegar, for the Egg's sake, sit yourself down and catch your breath before speaking more!" Tasior, Lord of the recently founded Lunas Seahold, told the Harper as he pulled a more comfortable chair up to his large desk and gestured the slightly older man to settle himself. The Harper had rushed in, completely unannounced and out of breath, which had startled the young Lord into dropping the glass of fruit juice he had been sipping at. As he made his way around his desk, Tasior made short work of sweeping up the shards of glass that glittered on the wooden floor.
"Tasior, my friend, you do not understand the severity of the situation, I'm afraid," the Harper muttered, pulling a kerchief out of the pocket of the light vest he wore and gently dabbing the sweat off his face. He was twenty-five, barely six Turns older than Tasior, but he was one of the rare cases in Harpering history where someone who by all means should be a journeyman had such an intellect that the Masterharper himself had the man in question elevated to the rank of Master. Alegar watched for a moment as Tasior's light green-blue eyes scanned his face, knowing what the younger man would find there. The man knew full well that his normally gentle face was suddenly twisted slightly in surprise, and that his light silver eyes were wide with worry. "I have just received a message, sent by fire-lizard, from Journeywoman Azana at Monaco Bay. She states here in this note that Thread, which isn't due to fall in Monaco until tomorrow, is falling now! Do you understand what in Faranth's name this means?" As Alegar spoke, his hands started their litany of flitting about as he spoke, something that only happened when he spoke about something of grave importance. He was posted to Igen Seahold, which was Tasior's home Hold, before he transferred to help his friend with his new project, and he remembered that every time he made some sort of important speech in his old Master's stead, his hands would start flitting around him. It was a curious habit to him, but to his old Master, it was a slight nuisance.
"Master Alegar, if Thread is falling early there in Monaco, it could very well happen here at Lunas. With the dragons' uncanny habit of bespeaking one another instantly, I'm sure the Weyrs are already aware of this fact, but I am having Krendi send a message over to Keltinos of Eire Hold at once. Old Kelti deserves to know of the possibility of Thread falling early." 'Old Kelti' was Tasior's favored nickname for the Eire Holder, even though Keltinos was barely three Turns older than him. Eire Hold, much like his own Lunas Seahold, were fairly new, just founded and the Hold proper built within the last Turn. Before that, Eire Weyr protected only forest and a few Runner stations situated here and there. "My memory of scouring the old Records for Father is growing loose, Alegar...Has Thread fallen earlier than expected before?" the young Lord asked as his bronze fire-lizard, Krendi, fluttered into the room, ready to receive his message. Tasior quickly rolled his message up, placed it into its carrying case, and tied the case to Krendi's foreleg before ordering the little bronze to convey the message to Keltinos of Eire Hold. The two Lords often relayed messages to one another, so Krendi knew the other Lord's face by memory.
Alegar's eyes sparkled slightly as the little miniature dragon winked between. "To be truthful, Lord Tasior, incidents like this have indeed happened before. I read in the Harper Hall Archives, back when I was a mere apprentice, that Thread can fall between mere hours early to a few days ahead of schedule. I suppose it's Thread's way of keeping our dragonrider protectors on their toes, as it were," the Harper answered, a slight smile playing its way across his face. "In any case, knowing Weyrleader A'rek, he'll send one of his reliable riders out here to make sure Lunas is prepared for even an early Threadfall. I would expect either his Wingsecond K'ralli, T'bias, or young K'nar to arrive here tomorrow." The man's voice gave away his hope that it would be K'nar who would arrive at the Hold, not the brown or bronze riders. He had a strong fondness--no, he'll be truthful, a love--for the bluerider that he had not felt in a long time. He had recently sent a request to Master Rorius stating that since Eire Weyr's old Harper had recently passed away, that he be sent to the Weyr in his place. Rorius didn't know of Alegar's love for the bluerider, so he wouldn't see a reason to deny him, and he could be as close to K'nar as he could.
Tasior, seeing the longing look in his Harper friend's eyes, gave the man an understanding smile from across the desk. "I'll send Krendi to the Weyr when he gets back with a request for K'nar to come, if you wish." He laughed slightly as the Harper's silver eyes lit up at the kind gesture and quickly departed the room. Soon after, Krendi arrived from his previous mission, giving his friend a smug look that could only mean that the young fire-lizard had told old Kelti's older bronze lizard off. "Well, Krendi...It seems I have another message for you to send. Master Alegar wishes K'nar, that young rascal of a bluerider, to come inspect the Hold tomorrow, so I'm sending you off with a request for just that to Weyrleader A'rek," he told the little bronze as he sent a mental image of Eire Weyr and its dark-skinned Leader. "Be on your way, Krendi...Time is of the essence!"
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K'ralli sauntered into the Weyr complex, his usual slight smirk gracing his face as every rider greeted him in some way. He knew it was because he was A'rek's Wingsecond, not to mention the Weyrleader's most trusted rider, more than anything, but it still felt nice to be well liked in the Weyr. He quickly glanced back as Tamarin, wearing one of her finer khaki trousers and a light blue tunic that accented her pale-colored eyes, nervously walked into the room. She knew that she'd be welcomed, being a kind-hearted girl and K'ralli's sole weyrmate, but she still couldn't help but be her usual shy self. The brownrider quickly grabbed his weyrmate's hand and pulled her closer to him, if only to guide her on her way to her Wingleader.
"K'ralli!" the tenor voice of one of his fellow wingmen, K'nar, rose up above the crowd. Like K'ralli, the bluerider usually was among the first in the Weyr to hear any news. "I just heard something from one of the Monaco Bay blueriders that you may not like."
"You mean about Thread falling there a day early?" K'ralli asked, glancing at the younger rider as he walked up. "Yes, I already knew. My childhood friend K'nai is a brownrider at Monaco Bay. His Rokhaenth bespoke Kyubith on my way here and told him of the situation. I take it you wish to perform the inspection on Lunas Seahold?" The older dragonrider knew about the budding relationship between K'nar and the Master Harper at Lunas, Alegar. He also knew that A'rek trusted the young rider enough to send him to ensure that one of the Holds was prepared enough for a surprise Threadfall, and that K'nar would more than likely make some time to be with Alegar before returning to the Weyr, but would not shy away from his duties.
The bluerider's merry black eyes nearly glittered with new-found happiness. "You'd talk to A'rek for me, then?" K'nar was a handsome man, K'ralli could not deny that. The young dragonrider was tall, nearly as tall as K'ralli--which often made the older man wonder if K'nar could possibly over-burden Ryodanth, which was ludicrous--with eyes often likened to black diamonds by men and women alike. His golden-blonde hair was a direct contrast to his dark eyes, and his medium-toned skin seemed to be the median between them. K'nar had a kind face with gentle features that didn't really stand out--another thing that made people think that K'ralli and the bluerider were somehow related. K'nar and K'ralli both didn't support that claim. K'ralli was Hold-bred from Igen, and K'nar was Craft-bred from Paradise River--so if the two were related, it would be if one of K'ralli's male relatives had traveled to Paradise River and either stayed there or had a one night stand with one of the Hold women. Either scenario was highly unlikely, so K'ralli always deviated from that subject.
K'ralli's slight laugh seemed to catch K'nar by surprise. "K'nar, I don't need to talk to him for you! He trusts you and knows that you'll gather the information necessary to ensure the Seahold's safety before you become too...pre-occupied..." and K'ralli grinned when the bluerider's tanned skin flushed, "in Master Alegar's quarters to return. And I myself trust that you'll have Ryodanth tell at least Kyubith, if not Sulith or one of the queens, about the readiness of the Hold beforehand?" K'ralli could tell from the young man's vigorous nod that he would and dismissed him as he and Tamarin reached R'ken. "And now, R'ken, I leave my undeniably beautiful weyrmate in your capable hands. Make sure no one else tries to seduce her away from me!" he told the bronzerider jovially as he walked away. He smiled a little bit as he turned his head to look at his lover and noticed her blush--it was all too easy to make the greenrider blush when Anudith was close to rising.
"Ah, K'ralli, I was just about to have Sulith ask you to come see me," A'rek greeted K'ralli with a half-hug as the younger brownrider walked up to him and the small group of queenriders. The man's usually bright eyes were dimmed with a sense of gravity that K'ralli had only seen a few times. "I heard about Monaco Bay, and I personally agree with K'jin--if Thread continues to do this, it'll end up taking some of the less-prepared Holds and Crafthalls by surprise. I want either you or T'bias to check on Eire and Trelig Holds. I assume that K'nar wishes to check up on Alegar, so I'm allowing him to check on Lunas." A slight sigh escaped the young Weyrleader's lips at the mention of the young Master Harper. "I heard that Alegar is requesting Rorius to transfer him to our Weyr, so that he'll have more time with that scamp. Hopefully that'll happen--I don't like seeing K'nar so...distracted...during Threadfall. It makes it easier for him to make mistakes that way."
K'ralli quickly ran through the remaining two Lords Holder in his mind as he was making his decision. Keltinos of Eire Hold was a calm and capable Lord, not to mention easy to get along with. He had come South from Keroon to make a living for himself instead of blindly going along with what his father told him to do. Kami of Trelig, on the other hand, was more of a volatile sort, ready to blame A'rek for just about anything. The slightly older Lord Holder had come down from Tillek, but apparently had spent his fostering in Bitra, which accounted for the slight temper the man seemed to barely be able to keep under control. He quickly decided that he, being an ex-Harper and capable of dealing with such personalities as Lord Kami, and that it would be a better choice to send T'bias the the easy-going Keltinos. Not that T'bias couldn't handle Kami--the bronzerider was an ex-Harper himself--but he was less used to such volatile behaviors. "I've got it all figured out, A'rek. Make sure that T'bias goes to Lord Keltinos, and I'll attempt to cool Lord Kami's head for you. Hopefully, Lady Maen will be well enough after her latest birth to assist me in calming her volcanic rock of a spouse."
The bronzerider gave a slight laugh at the unintended joke. "You honestly think that of old Kami? I must say, K'ralli, you should freeze your Harper tongue before speaking so to the Trelig Lord. Such eloquent words would surely send the man right off the deep end." With that, A'rek gave his Wingsecond a hearty thump on the shoulder before returning to the conversation Kalusia was having with Shinaldra, the next-oldest queenrider in the Weyr. From the sound of it, they were having a heated discussion about Niremu's new-found obsession with young Kelini of Eire Hold. The young Holder was rather attractive, but was still young, only fourteen Turns of age. Of course, with the upcoming Search by Sorna Weyr for their new clutch, the boy could possibly become a dragonrider. Of course, being a Lord Holder's son didn't guarantee a bronze dragonet Impression--the boy could just as easily attract a young brown to him, or even a blue or green if he had homosexual tendencies. K'ralli decided to leave before he was drug into the talk and went to search for T'bias. It didn't take him long to find him--he was almost always talking with R'ken about Threadfall a few days prior to the event that dragonriders dedicated their lives to. "T'bias, we really must talk," he told the young bronzerider as he grabbed T'bias' shoulder and drug him into a far corner of the kitchen.
"K'ralli, what is it? Can't it wait...?" T'bias asked, calmly letting himself be led away from an important conversation. He knew that the older man wouldn't interrupt the two Wingleaders unless it was something of utmost importance, but it was still irritating when he did so. He and R'ken were considering the extent of the injuries in the upcoming Fall when he had suddenly been pulled away by the Wingsecond. The bronzerider's amber eyes flashed with anger before quickly settling back into their usual jovial glitter.
"No, T'bias, it cannot. Didn't your friend O'kil tell you? Didn't Nakuth bespeak Raidrath?" K'ralli's questions came one after another, not even giving T'bias the time to answer before another took its place. "No, I'm sure that Nakuth did...if not him, one of the other Monaco bronzes. In any case, you are to report to Eire Hold first thing in the morning to inspect for any signs of ill-preparation for Threadfall--especially early Threadfall." K'ralli paused, waiting for the bronzerider to assess the situation. He nodded slightly when the younger rider's eyes widened slightly in acknoweldgment. "I will go to Trelig Hold and see to it that old stick-in-the-mud Kami doesn't find some way to fault us dragonriders for Thread falling earlier than scheduled. He'll be indignant, I'm sure, seeing as it's his Hold that's scheduled for Threadfall next."
"Don't worry about it, K'ralli--I'm sure that your smooth Harper's tongue will keep Lord Kami from blaming us, and especially from blaming A'rek and Kalusia. I'm glad you decided to take Lord Kami, because I know if I went to Trelig, I'd end up throttling the man. At least Lord Keltinos knows what dragons, and their riders, are capable and incapable of. And I take it I'll be correct in assuming that rascal K'nar is headed for Lunas Seahold in the morning?" T'bias sighed and shook his head slightly when K'ralli nodded. "As long as he informs one of us before anything distracts him." He knew K'ralli's silent response from the look in his emerald-hued eyes--You mean before Alegar distracts him.
The bluerider and the Master Harper had been seeing each other ever since Lunas was founded and, until just recently when the Weyr's own Harper succumbed to a disease and was found dead in his quarters, were very content with K'nar making scheduled visits to the Seahold. After that, K'nar and Alegar were desperate to be as close to each other as possible. Being a Seahold, Lunas was in no real need of a watchrider--the Hold was situated within a cliff face, with only one way in and out of the Hold proper--so K'nar couldn't volunteer to be the Hold's watchrider. Alegar had come up with a rather practical solution to the problem--he had requested to be moved to Eire Weyr, to take up the position left by the now-deceased Master Larkan. This allowed the two men to be near each other, as well for Alegar to continue doing the thing he did best--Harpering. T'bias remembered the silver-eyed Harper from his days as an apprentice--like himself, Alegar was Craft-bred and quite adept at Harpering. If K'ralli hadn't been Searched by Igen Weyr and Impressed Kyubith, Master Rorius had once told him, he would have acheived early Mastery as well.
I have already told Tarinth and Arallin of tomorrow morning's mission, Toby, Raidrath's tenor voice informed his rider, the bronze's mental voice brimming with amusement. Tarinth asked me if they could accompany us, seeing as it's starting to get obvious that Anudith is getting proddy. The bronze knew that Anudith and Tarinth were close, and that the two greens didn't really spend that much time around the other green dragons in the Weyr.
Well, Aidra, tell Tarinth that it'll do her some good to be with the other greens tomorrow. Besides, she and Anudith both need to take a break from hanging around us males--they'll more than likely start to drift away from their mates! Of course, T'bias was kidding, for he knew that Anudith and Kyubith were besotted with each other, as were Tarinth and Raidrath. Raidrath had flown a couple of queens in his time at Fort Weyr, but their riders preferred their previous weyrmates to him, so he had decided to take Fort's Headwoman's Assistant, Menala, up on her offer to be weyrmates with him. T'bias had gotten one child out of the pairing, Ainala, who would be old enough to stand at a Hatching in about four Turns. T'bias had already considered having his daughter sent to Eire, but Raidrath had always told him that Menala would prefer their child to stay on at Fort until she Impressed and was out of the Weyrling barracks.
The bronze's chuckle in his mind interrupted T'bias' thoughts. He knew what the dragon would tell him--that Tarinth said she wouldn't stray from the light-toned bronze dragon's side. In any case, Toby, Ara was wondering if you and her could spend a quiet night in your weyr tonight. I already told her that it was okay with you, but I would feel better after having actually asked you.
Of course it would be okay with me, Aidra. You know as well as Ara that I would love nothing more than to enjoy her company tonight, what with Thread falling in two days or sooner. I'm willing to bet that Thread will start falling when K'ralli and Kyubith are at Trelig...that should be a nice surprise for that wherry-minded Kami, T'bias told his bronze as he quietly snuck off towards his weyr, where he knew that Arallin, his weyrmate, would be waiting for him.
Arallin was a beautiful woman, but her beauty didn't stand out as much as Tamarin's or Kalusia's, which made her all the more beautiful to him. She was about an inch taller than T'bias was, which always surprised him, with beautiful almond-shaped eyes the color of brilliant sapphires. Her red-brown hair, which tumbled down in waves to the middle of her back, was as soft, if not softer, than the finest silk that Pern had to offer in his opinion. The moment he laid eyes on her, he knew that she was special, and both he and Arallin hoped to have children soon. He knew that Arallin wanted a son, and about a Turn after Ainala was born, T'bias longed for a son himself.
They are, as you probably have guessed, already in the weyr. And about Ainala...maybe we could go to Fort and talk to Menala about it...? Raidrath suggested as T'bias drew closer to the weyr and saw both bronze and green dragons on the ledge high above. Seeing the two dragons together always made the man think of light and shadow--the green was much darker toned than the bronze, making her look like a greenish shadow whenever she was next to her weyrmate. He watched with a hint of pride as Tarinth reached up and nuzzled Raidrath's long neck. He walked up and nodded to the two dragons in greeting, knowing that he could have spoken to them, but it would have alerted Arallin to his arrival, and he wanted to surprise her.
She's bathing, so that'll be more than easy, Toby, Tarinth told him, her eyes seemingly glittering with amusement. Tarinth approved of the man, which made her rider happy...besides, the man was good for Arallin.
T'bias nodded to the green and slowly walked into the weyr, trying to be as quiet as possible. He glanced into the bathing room to make sure that Arallin either wasn't watching for him or was to engrossed in her bath that she wouldn't notice him. She was leaning back against the edge with her eyes closed--if he could remain quiet enough, he could sneak up behind her and surprise her. He slowly, careful not to trip on the various articles of furniture that had been moved around in the sleeping room, slipped into the bathing room and behind his weyrmate's head. T'bias gently kissed Arallin and laughed when she jumped slightly.
"Toby, I thought it was clear that you were not to scare me like that!" Arallin muttered, smiling slightly at her weyrmate. "And seeing as I know that Tari knew about this, I'm surprised that I didn't know you were here! But in any case, I'm done with my bath," she said as she eased her way out of the big tub, grabbing a towel from its nearby peg and wrapping it around herself. She took just enough time to kiss the bronzerider before taking another towel and beginning the arduous task of drying her quickly-growing hair. "I need to trim my hair a bit...It's getting too long."
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Chapter Two will be up A.S.A.P...I have schoolwork and many pets to take care of, so please bear with me for just a little...
--Selrekla