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Post by zen on Oct 19, 2010 16:29:18 GMT -5
Nothing in a Weyr was fun and games as far as Zorenh was concerned. The girls were all overly emotional, the guys were all full of how they were going to be dragonriders. The adults only spoke to you when there was a chore to be done. He found it hard to make friends. He looked over to where Ziza had been sitting, but that moment was gone, too, thanks to an old woman with the lungs of a dragon.
It was my idea.
Zorenh spun away in a circle, dipping his head, as if insects had invaded his brain through his ears. "You enjoy that, don't you," he chided the ribs of Mnoranth. He shook his head rapidly back and forth. Every time Mnoranth spoke to him there seemed to be an empty spot when he was silent. "How do you get used to that," he asked R'enh. He looked into the huge eye of the bronze and raised his eyebrow.
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Post by R'enh and Mnoranth on Oct 20, 2010 15:09:24 GMT -5
The boy spun away and R'enh chuckled like Mnoranth had before. The reaction was a bit comical.
"How do you get used to that,"
"Gradually" he said but he couldn't quite keep the humor out of his voice.
Mnoranth's eyes were whirling with happiness as his pressed back against him. R'enh's duties took so much more of his time. Hidework never seemed to end no matter how much time he spent on it. The simple pleasures were escaping him and it wasn't fair.
"Go grab a jacket." he said, then remembering the woman who'd screamed at Zorenh earlier he added. "And If anyone tries to stop you, tell them I said so."
He went to where Mnoranth's harness lay over a rock and after a quick inspection began the process of buckling it on.
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Post by zen on Oct 20, 2010 15:44:50 GMT -5
"Gradually"
He made a face at the laughter, but couldn't help grinning at the thought of riding on the big bronze. As soon as R'enh told him to get a jacket, he was off like a shot. He ran down the hill and back to the weyr, zipping past his fosterer, the woman from before. She yelled after him, following him to his alcove. He was throwing clothing left and right, mixing dirty with clean. "What are you doing," she shouted at him. Several other kids gathered around, looking in. "He's lost his mind," one of them said, "and can't find it in the filth of his things."
"Shut up," Zorenh said, his voice muffled as he dove deeper into a pile.
The woman bent over and started picking up various items, sniffing them and putting them into two piles. "These," she indicated the larger of the two piles, "should have been sent to the drudges."
"Uh huh..."
"Zorenh..."
He lifted his head, pulling out the jacket. "I know, I know... but this is important."
"Not as important as your chores."
He gave a short, frustrated sigh, "what if I told you a dragonrider wants me to ride with him."
"I'd say you have spent too much time in the sun."
Zorenh put the jacket on. It was still a bit big around the shoulders. "What if I told you it was the Weyrleader."
The other kids began talking all at once, some moaning the fairness of the situation.
"I'll be back later," he waved, not willing to take the chance that she was going to stop him. As he ran past his fostermates, he gave them a cheesy grin. He would pay later.
Sprinting back up the hill, slightly out of breath, he stopped almost in the spot he had vacated minutes before. "Ready," he said. Though he still thought little of dragons, the opportunity to ride one was a frequent dream of everyone in the Weyr. He knew several Candidates who had been fortunate enough to catch rides, but he had had his feet firmly planted on the ground since birth. Even when they traveled to the new Weyr, he had been on one of the "boats"... more like a floating mess, actually. His main job was to keep bailing as he watched one of the greens pulling the contraption along during the journey. That, and throwing up almost constantly, had been his existence until they arrived at the new land. He looked up at Mnoranth's eye. Did the beast ever stop watching him?
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Post by R'enh and Mnoranth on Oct 21, 2010 21:18:24 GMT -5
R’enh hadn’t quite finished with the harness when the boy can skidding back.
"Ready,"
He turned to look as he buckled the final buckle and saw faces peeking out of the lower caverns entrance and voices bubbling up. Children’s voices were complaining about getting a turn and how it wasn’t fair. A woman’s voice shushed them from the dark of the doorway.
The woman from earlier stood with them with a rather startled look on her face. He nodded toward her and then asked. “Is that your fostermother?”
He didn’t wait for the answer as Mnoranth extended his leg and R’enh scrambled up his side demonstrating the use of the various parts of the harness so the young man could get up himself without feeling embarrassed by being ‘helped.’
Under the eyes of the admiring children Mnoranth posed and preened extending his wings before folding them again with a snap.
“Show off” said R’enh with a snort as he waited for Zorenh to join him.
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Post by zen on Oct 23, 2010 9:21:23 GMT -5
“Is that your fostermother?”
Zorenh grunted an affirmative. "Not much different from my mom," he said. "Only cares about you when chores need to be done or she needs you out of the house for her next conquest."
He watched what R'enh did, then he began to climb up, stopping only for a moment when Mnoranth stretched his wings. Extended, they made the dragon even more impressive and Zorenh happily watched the expressions of the other kids. He tried hard not to smile in triumph as he continued up onto the dragon. Settling into place, he looked down and was surprised at how high up they really were. He could feel his heart rate increasing with anticipation of the flight and he buttoned up his jacket. Several buttons were missing and the leather was cracked in various places. R'enh's showed wear, but it was well-tended.
He looked at the patches on the fabric covering his own legs, and at the fruit juice stains on his hands from his moment with Ziza. Suddenly, he didn't feel worthy to be riding with the Weyrleader. He thought about the mess in his alcove where he had pulled the jacket from a pile of clothing. A rider's jacket didn't deserve such treatment. His lip curled at the thought. Having been passed up for Impression, he was not a dragonrider. Not yet. His hand reached out and touched the tough smoothness of Mnoranth's hide. He was lost in thought as his fingers absently caressed the dragon.
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Post by R'enh and Mnoranth on Oct 24, 2010 13:35:53 GMT -5
R’enh hadn’t missed the state of the boys clothes. He knew the weaver population had been decimated by the disaster as much as any craft by they boys clothing was almost threadbare.
"Not much different from my mom," he said. "Only cares about you when chores need to be done or she needs you out of the house for her next conquest."
He didn’t look back but waited for his passenger to mount behind him before tossing the passenger strap around him in a practiced move and securing him to his own riding belt and Mnoranth. ‘Wouldn’t do to have him fall off in mid flight’ he thought.
He looked straight ahead and asked “So, was your mother a dragonrider?”
As the final strap was secured in place he could feel Mnoranth gather himself to spring into the air and his lips curved in a smile. Suddenly they were airborne and the giant sails of bronze wings bore them higher into the afternoon sky. It had been a long time since they’d lifted off like this just for the joy of flight.
Up and up they rose higher and higher until they could see the entire Weyr spread below them. The young watch dragon called to them as they swept across the heights. They banked to the right and Mnoranth climbed again and soared upward on a thermal.
“Now” he said and Mnoranth began a series of aerobatics that had thrilled them both from the time they’d been Senior Weyrlings. He filled with laughter as the rolled and dove.
“You alright back there?” he asked with a grin.
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Post by zen on Oct 26, 2010 10:41:15 GMT -5
“So, was your mother a dragonrider?”
"Yeah, so was my Dad." His eyes bored into the back of R'enh. If the man heard, he didn't show any reaction as Mnoranth rose up into the air. Zorenh's heart went into his throat and he tried not to look down, but the urge was too strong. He watched the Weyr disappear below them as all of his senses fired up with new discoveries. He could feel the differences in temperature as they flew into a thermal and out again, he could hear the wind rushing past his ears, the sound of Mnoranth's wings, the whipping of the great tail. It was a rush unlike any he had felt in his short life thus far.
As Mnoranth banked into the first of many acrobatic maneuvers, Zorenh reached forward automatically, clutching onto R'enh's sides. After the first maneuver, he realized what he was doing and whipped his hands away as if he had touched white hot metal. Unsteady without the support, he gripped onto the strap, his knuckles white. Several organs inside of his body were protesting the rapid changes in gravity and pressure, making the ride a bit of an anatomical endurance test. "Hold it in, hold it in," he kept telling himself with gritted teeth. He didn't realize he was saying it out loud.
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Post by R'enh and Mnoranth on Oct 28, 2010 20:00:15 GMT -5
"Yeah, so was my Dad."
He closed his eyes a moment knowing now beyond a doubt that this young man was his son. ‘Oh Zora, why didn’t you ever tell me? I would have been a father to him if I’d known.’
He thought back, knowing they were both so young at the time. “Shards” he murmured he was so proud of both, of his boys. Renhick at eleven was typical of his age with adventures with his friends in the lower caverns chasing tunnel snakes. At just six turns Eaderenh liked to follow him around and imitate him. R’enh got a kick out of the little one. He only hoped their big brother could at least become a friend.
He’d made sure they knew who he was and that he cared about them and their wellbeing. Even though Eaderenh was fostered now with Meadeth flying in B’lor’s wing, R’enh made sure he had what he needed.
From the looks Zorenh’s clothing, he needed at least a decent jacket for sure. His old one was better than what the boy had on at the moment.
The joy of the flight was enhanced by realizing this was probably Zorenh’s first flight dragonback. He realized he was overdoing the aerobatics a bit when hands grabbed his waist then left as though they were burned.
"Hold it in, hold it in,"
He bit his lip and couldn’t help himself. “Now” he said with the picture of the star stones firmly in his mind.
The blackness of /between/ engulfed them. The blackness where you could neither hear nor feel, the nothingness lasted only as long as it would take to cough three times then they broke into the sun again, hovering over the eye rock. They began a slow glide toward the mouth of the Weyrleaders weyr.
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Post by zen on Oct 29, 2010 8:31:16 GMT -5
After the last maneuver, Zorenh's little mantra intensified.
"Do you think you could-"
And then, there was nothingness. The boy's eyes went wide, his pupils dilating to the extreme, trying to find even the tiniest shimmer of light... but there was none. He didn't dare speak, for fear that his words would be swallowed by the maw of the darkness. His chant forgotten, he had no need to worry, as every sphincter in his body contracted with the cold. He could feel the skin on his face get tight and every breath he took in was painful. It was almost impossible to breathe, the body trying to protect itself from the frigid assault. Was he dead? He tried not to panic. His hand reached out and gripped the back of R'enh's jacket just to be sure the man was still there.
Then, they were back in the sun. He blinked and relaxed as he realized what had happened. He had been /between/! Suddenly, he felt a warmth spread underneath him. "Ah shards," he muttered, knowing what had happened. "Not here... not with him." Shards, shards, shards! He let go of his grip on R'enh's jacket and looked down at his pants. Shards!
"Um..."
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Post by R'enh and Mnoranth on Oct 29, 2010 23:37:01 GMT -5
The reaction to the first time /between/ didn’t surprise R’enh in the least. It had happened to him as well the first time. He chuckled silently as they touched gently down on the lip of his weyr and shadows reached across the weyrbowl below.
He didn’t release his food “Ha ha, no he didn’t did he” R’enh answered his bronze with no little pride. “I thought for sure he would the way you were looping around.”
Mnoranth trotted a few steps to his couch and R’enh swung is leg over to slide expertly to the raised leg then he jumped down. “Come on down” he said. He didn’t intend to embarrass the boy. “There should be plenty to eat.”
He walked toward the inner weyr turning glows as he went and soft light filled the rooms.
“Maram!” he called.
He reached into a chest at the foot of his bed and pulled out some well worn leathers. They were clean and in good repair but soft with good use. He smiled at Zorenh. “You look about my size.” He said “Take these, I don’t need them anymore.” Then he grabbed a shirt and tossed both to the kid.
Through the doorway he could see the table with food all laid out.
“Maram, I brought someone with me for dinner.”
He pointed to another door with his head as he pulled off his jacket and hung it on a hook. “You can wash up in there.”
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Post by zen on Nov 2, 2010 21:37:20 GMT -5
Zorenh was mumbling curses the entire flight back, not really enjoying the return trip. He had embarrassed himself immensely. If he returned back to his own weyr like this... he looked down at the area where his legs met his body and saw the wetness. His fostermates would never let him live it down. As they landed, he looked up, more than a little surprised as to where they were.
“Come on down. There should be plenty to eat.”
He covered himself as best he could. Who would think of eating at a time like this. Zorenh wanted to crawl into a tunnel snake's hole and just disappear.
“Maram!”
His eyes got big and he let out a small yell. There was no way the weyrwoman was going to see him like this! Shards, what was R'enh thinking?! Suddenly, clothing fell into his arms and R'enh pointed to where he could wash and change. A genuine smile formed on his face. "Thanks."
“Maram, I brought someone with me for dinner.”
Is that really what he had said? He was having a meal in the weyr of the two most influential individuals in the--
He realized he'd better start cleaning up. Running, he quickly made himself reasonably clean and dry, then he slipped into the leathers. He stood there for a moment, shirtless, his hands caressing the soft leather. It moved as he did, not binding anywhere. "Wow," he muttered, as he did a deep knee bend and the leather moved like a second skin. The sound of dishes on a table brought him back to the reality at hand and he grabbed the shirt and donned it quickly.
End Zorenh
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