Disclaimer: I don't own Pern. I do, however own many of the characters in this story.
Chapter Six: Family and Friends
"The only reason I stayed so long was that Hayatch needed me. I am the only one who can control her mating flight and these dragon-people needed a queen to fly far and long. Only a girl who had Impressed a queen can link to her during a flight and keep her from eating to much. The last time the others tried to force a queen to blood, not gorge she nearly wounded another queen- fatally.
"These are kind folk; I do not want their race to go extinct. They may soon; the queens produce small clutches and very rarely any new queens. Blue, green, bronze, gold or brown. All of them are dying. Slowly, but in the end the deaths will outweigh the births- or hatchings, I suppose.
"Hayatch will not rise for at least another half year; I will not be needed until then. She can bear the separation now, as can I." As she spoke her sister stood still, listening. Vyrania blinked when she turned back to groom the gray mare.
"I want to see mother again; to hear her sing, to hear a harper play. The dragon-people are incredible, but they have no music or songs I can comprehend. Just for a little while; maybe a sevenday, maybe less. I want to see the family and all our friends. Just for a little while."
Virika spent the day playing with Hayatch and explaining to her what she intended and why. Her queen's pain and horror was hard, but she understood. Family played a very important role in the dragon-people's life.
The three humans finally left the next day when the sun had cleared the horizon but not yet had a chance to heat the South to its extreme. Sadly Hayatch, Kilatch, Satch and Daymitch (the brown who had taught the girl their style of fighting) watched them fade into the forest. Kilatch placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder to express her sorrow and to comfort the younger queen. Hayatch bore the hardest load of the dragon-people. While others had befriended Virika, she had Impressed the girl. Each step they took away from each other was a little blow to her, and she knew that Virika felt it also.
I shall return; do not fear! And we can always mind-speak, the human reassured Hayatch.
I know, the queen thought back, but it us hard. Look up at the moons every night we are gone, as soon as they rise. I will look also and we will be together in our thoughts, if not truly.
000
It was the afternoon the next day when Virika, Vyrania and Eleneir arrived at the small camp; the elder girl walked, so the two riders slowed to her speed. Eleneir's mother, Dasaneir was gathering redfruit from the trees a dragonlength or two away from the tent she currently lived in with Eleneir, her husband Eleirlan and her daughter, little Dasamirlan.
She disappeared into her house with the bundle of redfruit. Eleirlan came from the back of the house after a moment, where the stables for his runnerbeasts were, leading a mare swollen with pregnancy to the horse trough for a drink. Following above him, so as not to startle the heavy black horse, was little brown fire lizard Morning; it was he who first spotted the three returning travelers and alerted his owner with cries of excitement.
Dasaneir came out of the house again, drying her hands on a cloth, with Morning's mate, green Twilight. She saw Virika and froze, eyes wide and jaw slack; it was a looser expression than Eleirlan's stare as he scratched the black mare's white face-blaze.
"So ye weren't carried off to serve as a pretty drudge, Virika," he said when his son and the older girl's sister dismounted. Then Eleirlan's face broke out in a broad grin and he took up Virika in a hug that all but broke her back.
"Where've you been, lass? We all but stormed the Weyr to find you! And now you come dancin' back, cool as can be." He let her go, still grinning foolishly.
"That's a fair long tale, and I shan't have time to tell it all." I won't tell any of my real tale, she resolved. The three had come up with a story in which they found her wandering in the jungle; she would say that Dragonracer had dumped her somewhere in the forest and she had gone the wrong way to find the beach; nearly the exact opposite direction she had wanted to go to find the hold. She had wandered in the forest for a few sevendays, and a long time back she had found the beach again, up in the direction they had come from. Then she had been forced to wait until they returned. After that she would say that she had eventually caught up with Eleneir and Vyrania, and they had brought her back.
"Well, you go say how do you do to your own family, and then you drag all of them over to our house and we'll have a great big diner ready." Dasaneir had come up, and now she gave her little friend a hug just as fierce as Eleirlan's. "I'll cook enough for you to eat yourself sick- you're too skinny after wandering about in the wilds for so long."
Virika grinned and nodded eagerly. She had existed for the last half-Turn on fruits, vegetables, fish and the occasional wherry or heardbeast. It would be nice to had red meat, cooked and dressed as she loved.
She said her farewells and took her leave with Vyrania. Their home was not too many dragonlengths farther, and they arrived swiftly on foot; Vyrania had returned the runnerbeast she had used to her proper family. First to spy them was again a fire lizard- their elder brother's green. Glitter put up such a fuss from her perch on the roof that Virika reached with her mind and told her to be quiet. And the little creature obeyed.
Virika stopped dead in astonishment. How could she now control her brother Darrinel.'s fire lizard? It wasn't possible- no, he must have silenced the little creature, at the same time as she had wished her quiet.
The first human to respond to their presence was their littlest sister, at three Turns old. Kurit was sitting on the sand before the tent door-flap. She looked up when the green screamed, saw Virika and shrieked her glee at having her sister back. Clapping her hands and giggling madly she raced to meet them, and nearly fell flat on her face. Her eldest sister scooped her up and hugged her tight until the small child wriggled.
"I'm back, Kurit," she whispered into the young girl's sun streaked brown hair as she held on to Virika. For now.
000
Later, after the small feast at Eleneir's house, Virika and her mother, Virisail, her sisters Vyrania, Kurit and Golisail, her father Golikai and her elder brother Darrinel returned to their own home, full and content only to fall into bed. Virika only removed her boots before tumbling on to her small bed in the space she shared with her sisters.
A minute passed. She wasn't asleep, though she was so tired she felt she was dead. It was strange not to had Hayatch by her side; they had been together for half a Turn, and she was used to being with the dragon-person all of the time.
One more minute crept by. It was stuffy, so she sighed, got up and opened the cloth flap wider. The night noises did not disturb her sisters, only her. She put her hands over her ears but it would be hard to keep them that way until she was fully asleep.
Another minute. Virika's bed was nearly too soft after sleeping in that cave for the past half-Turn. The moons were going to rise soon. They reminded her of the promise she and Hayatch shared.
Look up at the moons every night we are gone, as soon as they rise. I will look also and we will be together in our thoughts.
Virika crawled out of bed and crept down to the beach, waiting as the moons began to clear the horizon, clear in the starry skies. A brushing of thought touched hers, and she knew that Hayatch was looking at the moons as well. In turn the young woman touched her friend's mind.
"Hello, friend," she whispered, and gazed at the moons again.
"Hello." The voice startled her, and she spun. Hayatch stood just above the waves on the beach. Virika frowned, not happy to see that her friend had ventured so close to human dwellings.
About to scold her friend she sighed instead. The queen would prove more stubborn than a mean heardbeast if she tried to get her to fly away again. Virika smiled, got up and gave her friend a hug. "It is good to see you."
"And you." Hayatch hugged her human friend back, towering over her.
"Virika? Who's that?" came a voice suddenly. It was Darrinel, with Glitter on his shoulder.
