This is insane. The pink-haired teenager couldn't stop that thought from floating through her head. I can't believe I'm standing inside an asteroid waiting for dragons to hatch. She shook her head back and forth slowly and looked at her friends standing around her. I guess as long as we all go crazy together...
Her eyes were immediately drawn towards the first eggs to crack open. A rainbow coloured dragon, a green-gray and a beautiful golden black. Candy watched in amazement as the girl and guy who impressed the first two hatchlings seemed so touched. She saw their emotion in their eyes and wondered what it'd feel like to be that attatched to someone. As soon as she thought of that she became homesick again. She watched the golden, black striped creature make her way across the sands, but she couldn't stop thinking about her mother and her sister.
The dragon was a very pale yellow-golden shade, but her skin too was laced with black stripes along her neck, back and tail, and the edges of her wings. She creeled loudly, raising her head up and shaking off the sand from it.
Candy, I know you are here. I want to see you now. You did not know I was going to choose you, did you? The dragon's eyes were whirling blue. Candy could tell she was amused.
Stunned, she bolted out of her group of friends, and around the waiting people, until she got to the big dragoness. Candy’s eyes were huge. "I – didn't. No, I didn’t know Akarath, but that’s okay. I so wish..." She wasn't sure exactly what she was trying to say. The emotions were clogging up her throat and she felt like she might start to cry.
You wish your mother and sister would be here. Candy as slightly surprised as she realized that the dragon had read her mind, but she the feeling of closeness was so strong that she didn't mind at all.
Candy nodded and smiled. She spoke to her lifemate with her mind. My life started over the moment I left my house to go to that silly party. I would't have missed you for the world Akarath!!
The dragoness seemed to find this statement agreeable. She nodded and started to lead her new rider towards the kitchen's and her first meal. I wouldn't have missed you for the world either.
"So most people on this Pern planet that we're going to fight this stuff called Thread?" Candy couldn't believe what her lifemate was saying. She could hear the dragon's laughter in her mind. She playfully swatted the hatchling. "What's so funny?"
Normally you would be teaching me about the way the world works instead of the other way around. Although rather proud, Candy soon discovered that Akarath had a good sense of humour. They were alone in their room, or weyr as the others kept calling it.
Candy smirked. "I could tell you all about how the world works...except maybe how physics works...it's just this Pern place that's confusing. I was just getting used to the way this asteroid thing runs."
Do you want to stay here? Akarath's laid her head in Candy's lap. I'm sure you could ask Masterhealer Baeris to stay.
Candy began to scratch Akarath's eyeridges. "A'diar's already invited us all back to Adanuk Weyr, even though that Magika-lady seemed less than exstatic at the thought." Candy looked around the rock room. "Besides, if this Pern has an outdoors, I'm all for it. I'm beginning to hate rock with a passion."
Akarath eyes whirled deep blue. It's hatching.
"What about the hatching?" That entire night was etched into Candy's memory.
Not my hatching. The firelizard egg. It's hatching. Akarath walked to the fireplace and nudged at the pot with her nose. It's about time too. All his clutchmate have already hatched and impressed to your friends.
Candy, having already heard from her nine other friends what a firelizard hatching was like, knew exactly what to do. She grabbed the leftover meat from Akarath's last meal and knelt beside the pot. She fished the egg out of the sand and watched as a small orange nose poked itself out of the shell. An orange body quickly followed, a pair of light-orange wings and an orange tail. As soon as the creature opened her mouth to creel, Candy stuffed some meat in it.
Akarath laid beside her rider on the floor. She sniffed at the creature and snorted. It's cute. What's her name?
Candy looked slightly surprised. "I don't know...I thought you guys named yourselves."
Not firelizards. Akarath laughed. I will name her though, if you want.
Candy stroked the creature's orange hide. "Go ahead."
There was a moment of silence, during which Candy later found out that Akarath was talking to the other dragons. Nenriki. The golden hatchling announced the name with the same amount of pride as if she'd clutched the egg herself.
Candy smiled. "That's a beautiful name."
Akarath bugled as she faught her way through the mass of dragons. Coming through! Watch out! Beat it! Move! Out of my way!!
Hyth, who Candy had quickly learned was supposed to be in charge here, bugled and chased after Akarath. Candy couldn't help smirking. She knew the Weyrwoman on Hyth's back was not going to be a amused by her behaviour, but she couldn't help it. Neither her, nor Akarath, really enjoyed this silly flying in formation thing.
Candy could feel Akarath's amusement as she relayed a message from the larger gold. Hyth says Magika says on the ground now.
Candy laughed and brushed a strand of pink hair out of her eyes. "Let's go then."
Akarath quickly dropped out of formation, startling the other queens flying beside her. Candy laughed as her dragon touched ground and Nenriki appeared to meet her.
"Hey." The orange firelizard landed on Candy's forearm and pecked her cheek. It was a trick Candy'd taught her. It looked like Nenriki had given Candy a kiss.
Akarath fanned her large wings and waited for Hyth to get to the ground. Since the Sr. Queen wasn't going to nosedive, like Akarath had, it took her a little longer.
They could hear Magika's voice from a good distance away. "I told you once, I told you twice, I told you a thousand times!! We fly in formation!! We do it for a reason!! If you don't fly in formation you won't fly!!" The Weyrwoman had been fairly leniant the first few times the two had goofed off, but now she was a little upset.
"Okay!" Candy quickly agreed, knowing it was best just to agree when she was in a mood like this.
Magika took a deep breath, realized she was overreacting slightly and tried to impart the wisdom of a formation to the girl again. "We fly in formation so you don't miss getting any of the Thread. If any of the Thread was to touch ground, or anything else for that matter, we lose. We lose wild animals, trees, grass, anything living!"
"I know." Candy sighed. She had problems believing this Thread stuff was really that bad. She'd never seen it before.
"No you don't know!!" Magika tried to keep her temper. "Maybe when you do know you'll fly in formation!!"
"What's up with you?" She knew she was supposed to have respect for this older woman, but she'd also known Magika and lived near her for the last three years. She usually wasn't this excitable.
"Nothing...just something with Mystic and the Warren...and Hyakuhei..." Magika sighed and saw Serri approaching her full run. "And know you'll get to experience it first hand. Stay near me! I'll watch your back okay?"
"How do you know she's going to tell you about Thread?" Candy wondered as she mounted Akarath again.
Magika smirked, reverted to her old, sarcastic self. "All bad things always happen at once."
"That was..." Candy wasn't sure if she knew a word to discribe the experience of fighting Thread. Nenriki sat on her shoulder and pecked at her ear, glad to have her master back. Candy swatted at her firelizard and continued up the stairs towards her weyr. Her official new weyr. As soon as they'd landed after the fight Magika'd shook her hand and welcomed her to the Tenkou Wing. Akarath was using the dragonledge to enter her new home and by the time Candy arrived, the gold/black/yellow had already curled up on her dragon couch.
Nenriki rubbed her head against Candy's. The firelizard wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she knew that something was bothering Candy. Candy smiled softly and plucked the orange flit off her shoulder. She rubbed Nenriki's belly and sat down on the edge of the dragoncouch.
I guess we owe Magika an apology.
"Yeah," Candy agreed, leaning back against Akarath. "That was..." Once again she couldn't think of a word.
Akarath smiled. She understood exactly what Candy was not saying. All your friends survived their first fight too.
"Good." Candy couldn't believe how exhausted she was. Nenriki was asleep in her lap. She watched the sleeping creature and couldn't help thinking of April, her little sister.
Akarath stirred, recognizing Candy's homesickness and not exactly sure what to do about it. She loved Candy and wanted her to be happy, but if Candy ever went home, she wouldn't be able to be near her any more. Candy... She trailed off, unsure of what to say. The dragon knew that Candy knew how she felt, but she also felt like she needed to express something in words.
Candy smiled. "What do you think April learned in school today?" Candy stared out across the room and out across the dragonledge into the night.
Akarath didn't reply, she only nudged her rider with her head.
Candy rubbed her lifemate's neck. "I hope she learns better than I did."
Akarath still didn't know what to say.
"I just wished I'd said good-bye."
Do you want to go back? Akarath finally suggested. I could take you.
Candy smiled. "Nope."
Akarath was actually startled. You don't?
"Nope. I'd miss you way too much. I know I get homesick sometimes Kar, but I wouldn't trade you for anything. I'd die without you. It's like..." Candy couldn't think of a word strong enough to describe the bond she had with her dragon.
Akarath's eyes whirled deep blue. She understood exactly what Candy was not saying. I know.
Go Back...
Candy impressed Akarath at The Healing Den.
Nenriki is a special halloween flit from The Healing Den.
Background from All Hallow's Eve Backgrounds.
