A large burst of fire spewed from the equally large bronze dragon that was Gintath. Cr’tomin held back his amazement at the blast his bondmate had put forth and instead looked for where the next clump of fake Thread would fall from next. Gintath beat his wings proudly but was back to work quickly at his rider’s mental commands. Back and up a length, Gintath. On it, Crav, the dragon replied turning quickly to blast away the practice pieces of Thread that were being thrown down from above by the only gold rider and rainbow rider in the clutch. Cr’tomin felt his mount’s neck lurch as he readied to breath fire once again.
Moments before the flame a bronze and a blue fire lizard suddenly appeared in front of the flaming bronze. Cr’tomin went wide-eyed as he recognized the bronze as his own while the blue only looked vaguely familiar. Either way he feared for the duo’s safety as they were in the direct path of Gintath’s flame. Before the bronze rider could warn his dragon the bronze let his flame fly. The fake Thread was seared and as far as Cr’tomin could tell so were the fire lizards. Zatmon! He and his little friend are fine. They betweened themselves to safety before the flames were a foot from my muzzle. Thank, Faranth. What were they doing here? Zatmon knows that this is a test day for us. He’s a fire lizard, he forgets, the arrogant bronze shrugged.
A sharp whistle came from the ground bellow and soon Gintath followed up with the commented intended. We are done now, the Weyrling Master wants us on the ground. Is he angry with us? There was a pause as the dragon questioned the Weyrling Master’s dragon and gentle turned to descend. He did not see the incident. They say that those two were lucky… some of my clutch mates warned them. Cr’tomin didn’t quite feel reassured by these words… it just meant that the Weyrling Master knew about it now.
Upon landed, Cr’tomin whipped off his helmet and goggles, then dismounted rapidly. Gintath lowered his head in concern for the way his rider was feeling. Shouldn’t you be proud, Cr’tomin? We did well today. Far better than any blues or browns in our class. I’m not sure the Weyrling Master will see it that way… Aside from that, remember, some of the greens that decided to flame instead of clutch did much better than you. Gintath snorted at the jab, his pride was his life, something he did not have in common with his rider. Cr’tomin chuckled and stroked the large bronze muzzle that was stilled pointed in his direction.
As he waited for the Weyrling Master to approach him on his performance he spotted Zatmon and the blue who had nearly been fried moments earlier. The two were acting as if it had never happened and were playing with other fire lizards of the Weyr.
“You and Gintath did well, Cr’tomin,” the Weyrling Master told him with only a twitch of a smile, “Now if we can get you working right we might be able to make you Wingleader or Wingsecond material. You and your bronze may go.”
“Thank you, sir,” Cr’tomin replied giving a shallow bow. Next to him, Gintath rumbled his own thanks and the weyrmates started to walk towards the weyrling barracks Just think, Gintath, in a few more months we’ll have graduated to full fledged riders and get our own weyr. Are we going to leave Moon Shadow Weyr then? the bronze asked causing his rider to stop. He’d nearly forgotten that he was on the lists to join up at the new Weyr that Katzy’s cousin and a fellow bronze rider, G’rumon, bronze Malbath’s rider, had been working on in secret up until a turn an a half earlier. The Weyr had finally been named back then, they were to call it Seiryuu Weyr. Cr’tomin and Gintath would be one of the first riding pairs to be a part of the Weyr.
“I don’t know how I nearly forgot, my heart,” Cr’tomin replied. At the thought of the Weyr his heart ached. He knew Katzy was supposed to be joining the Weyr herself but now with what had happened back on the day of Gintath’s hatching he wasn’t so sure she’d be there. He’d written her nearly everyday for two months, always asking how she and her blue dragon Balaroth and her blue fire lizard Squan were. Always hinting or even asking about the kiss… Always wanting, waiting for a reply. Slowly he stopped writing her all together. She could have at least written me to tell me stop writing her. I don’t even know if she’s still alive with Dawnsisters Weyr’s residents being so sick now. You have read the reports that come in everyday, she and her dragon are not among the list of sick or dead. She’s not on any list, my love. Gintath hung his head a bit at the low mood his rider had just put him in.
Shall we go for a swim? It is hot and we should cool ourselves, Gintath suggested the moment the got to the entrance to the Weyrling Barracks, That and I feel the need to be cleaned and oiled… my skin is getting dry. Ooo, being picky today, my bronze? The large bronze gave his rider a dragonic grin and nosed his rider into the barracks to get the items needed to swim and do the chore of cleaning Gintath.
“This was much easier when you were younger, you know that,” Cr’tomin growled at his nearly full size bronze as he scrubbed away the flaking skin of the honey shaded bronze. On the higher reaches of the bronze a number of fire lizards, including Zatmon and the blue from earlier, were working diligently to do the same as the bronze rider. Between the group they were nearly done. Not for the first time did Cr’tomin take a curious look at the blue flit as if trying to remember something. With a trill the blue launched himself off Gintath’s shoulder and, seeming to say good bye first, disappeared between. Just as the blue was going between the bronze rider noticed that the identification collar around the blue’s neck was bright green and blue in color.
“He must belong to one of the riders who is already considered a rider of Seiryuu,” Cr’tomin commented aloud to which Gintath bobbed his head. Oil now I believe. Cr’tomin made a face at his bronze but grinned in the end and followed his lifemate out of the water. He was soon brushing oil into the dragon’s firm skin.
As he worked, Cr’tomin thought back to his candidate days in which Katzy still sent him letters through her fire lizard. They had learned early on that some candidates liked to take a look at letters if they were left out in the open. They quickly devised a plan to get Katzy’s letters to him without others taking a peek by have Squan silently come into the barracks and leave it either under Cr’tomin’s pillow on his cot or in the draw of his small bed side table. Cr’tomin sighed heavily, not even noticing that he had a large gob of oil on his chest. He was remembering Katzy’s smile, something he dearly missed.
That and her trouble making it seems, Gintath interrupted the man’s daydream. Cr’tomin didn’t reply but did whip the oil he had dropped on himself off. The image of Katzy was still fresh in his mind. He still chuckled at all the trouble the girl had caused Tana back at Raku Sea Hold both before she’d impressed and after. He remembered the mischievous gleam that had always been in her eyes. He remembered the kindness she showed to others, and the respect she had earned from many… It was still a mystery to him as to how he had not fully realized he’d fallen for the girl two turns his junior but it didn’t really matter. He missed her, and wished he could be with her.
She rides blue, how would it ever be able to work out for the two of you. Sure, spoil my dreams… but there has to be a way we can be together. Those riders who both ride the same gender are not supposed to be together.
“Who says?!?” Cr’tomin growled whipping oil at his dragon in anger. Gintath flinched at his rider’s anger more than the odd application of the itch relieving oil. Cr’tomin winced as he regretted what he had done saying, “I’m really sorry, Gintath. I shouldn’t have thrown anything at you… I’m just still frustrated at this even though it’s been nearly two turns.” I understand, my rider. Maybe there is a way… I cannot think of it though. Perhaps you will be able to in time, the bronze began to open his wings at that moment, I am well oiled now. I’m off to sun. I shall see you after I take a nap. A nap… that sounds like a plan.
As Gintath took to the air, Cr’tomin walked back into the water and proceeded to wash himself of the oil. He was yawning as he entered the barracks ten minutes later, drying his head with a towel. Wiggling a finger in his right ear he threw the towel into a nearby hamper. Suddenly he heard a flapping of something leathery causing him to yelp having not expected the nose. The next moment he saw the blue from earlier zip past his head and out the barracks entrance with a chitter.
“What was that about?” the bronze rider asked aloud as he sat down on his bed. Shrugging it off he swung his legs up onto the bed and plopped his head down into his feathery pillow with a soft crunch sound. Crunch? Cr’tomin sat up again picked up his pillow, there sat a small folded sheet of hide. The bronze rider looked at it for nearly a minute without picking it up, looking at it as if it might bite him if he touched it or disappear if he reached out to try and read it.
With a shake of his head, Cr’tomin picked up the hide. Carefully he unfolded it and slowly he read the short letter that was scribed in a handwriting he had nearly forgotten.
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Dear Cr’tomin, Sorry for not replying to your letters. Balaroth and I have transferred to Talor Cliff Weyr at the moment with many of the other Seiryuu Weyr riders. I with a few of the others will be moving into the weyrs soon to get it ready for the opening gather so I won’t be able to write much… but I would like to hear what’s going on at Moon Shadow Weyr and with your Weyrling Training. I hope Gintath is well. I’ll write again later if I find the time. Just because I don’t answer doesn’t mean you should keep sending me letters. If I don’t write again before your graduation day, I’ll see you some where around then if not at Seiryuu Weyr itself. Sincerely, Katzy |
Cr’tomin’s heart skipped a beat at the end of the message. Katzy was alive and well. She had transferred Weyrs but that was better than hearing she was dead. He read the letter over again five more times. It may have been short but it had been something he had longed to read for the past eighteen months. It was as he was wondering for a split second as to when the letter was delivered that he realized the blue fire lizard who had left had been Squan. The usually silent blue had to have only just left it. What caused Katzy to finally reply, Cr’tomin didn’t know.
He rolled over and opened his bedside table, pulling out a hide and a charcoal stick. He smiled as he started to write whispering out loud his own dictation, “Dear, Katzy, It has been a while hasn’t it….”
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