Michelle and Joshuth

This is insane. Michelle stood in open-mouthed excitement as she watched the dragons hatch. This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!! I must be insane!! She was smiling, basically at nothing, and she knew her friends must think she was off her rocker but this was just too cool!! These were real dragons, live, breathing dragons. And Michelle was only a few short feet away from them.

She clenched and unclenched her fists in excitement as she remembered her grandmother's last words to her. Never pass up a chance to meet something that doesn't exist. She smiled and bit her lip, praying that one of the dragons would notice her. I didn't. I won't ever again. Oh please...just let there be a partner out there for me.

As intent as she was on the eggs, a thought crept into her mind and pulled her away from her dreams of flying dragonback. I wonder if Nana has ever really seen a dragon? The thought of her grandmother talking with one of these marvelous creatures was not beyond the realm of possibilities in Michelle's mind. She imagined her Nana, armed to the teeth, fighting this Thread stuff. The image made her smile...and made her almost miss the biggest meeting of her life.

A loud, almost cat-like mewling noise drew her attention back to a tiny purple hatchling sitting on the sands about twenty feet in front of her. For a moment Michelle was stunned silly. The purple dragon was exactly as she had seen in her dream...aside from the fact that it was much smaller. Michelle, overwhelmed by the power of impression, ran to the purple hatching and threw her arms around him. "It was you, I dreamed about you Joshuth!! Nana was right!! She knew..."

The purple hatchling nuzzled her as she began crying. I dreamed about you too. I did not know how to dream until then.

Michelle knelt in front of her hatchling, but kept one hand on him...just in case he decided to become a figment of her imagination. "Dreams are very important...my Nana taught me to read them..." Michelle smiled as she realized the multiple opportunities to further her skill in this new place. "Let me teach you."

* * *

I am not being immature about this Michelle. The purple weyrling set himself delicately down on his dragoncouch. It is a perfectly logical and appropriate concern.

Joshuth always sounded years older than he really was...then again, dragons did mature much faster than humans did. "You have no reason to be concerned at all. So you're a little bit smaller than your brothers and sisters. It's no big deal."

The dragon snorted. A little smaller? Michelle I am much smaller than them. I'm a midgit!!

"And why are you so concerned about it?" Michelle sat on the edge of the dragoncouch and put her arm around her, well, tiny lifemate. "I don't consider you any less the dragon because of it."

Joshuth sighed and laid his head in Michelle's lap. The mere fact that he could still do that comfortably well his many of his clutchmates couldn't made him upset all over again. You don't. But I'm sure they do.

Michelle began to stroke Joshuth's eyeridges, knowing very well that he was acting like a typical child, comparing himself to his brothers. "You're different than them Joshuth. It's like comparing apples and oranges." She smirked to herself, remembering her Nana telling her the exact same thing whenever she compared herself to others. "You're unique. What they think...or look like doesn't matter." She smiled, sensing that he was coming round to her side. "Besides, I like you this size."

Joshuth didn't seem very comforted. No you don't. You think I'm too small.

Michelle couldn't believe Joshuth would think that of her. She was shocked that he could suspect that she thought anything ill of him. "I don't know where you got that idea Josh...I love you. You're the best thing that happened to me."

I know that... The dragon pulled away from her and walked to the dragonledge. But you wish I was bigger...I'm too small for you...

"You are not!" Michelle's feelings were being to get hurt. "Why would I wish that..."

The violet dragon cut her off. Because all your friends are learning how to fly right now and I can't even lift you. The dragon flopped down on the ledge and let his head hang down. You keep dreaming about flying...

Michelle was silent...partly in shock...partly because Joshuth was right. She had dreamed about soaring through the clouds alot in the last couple of days. Joshuth and Michelle always shared their dreams...but she hadn't told him this one...he must have picked it up through their link. Michelle sighed as miraculously she knew exactly how to deal with this situation. She walked out to the ledge and sat down beside her lifemate. "It's along way down."

Joshuth looked at her like she was crazy, he knew she was planning something though. Yes...

"If I wanted to get down, I'd have two choices...right? Jump or find the stairs and walk down."

If I was bigger you'd have three choices... Joshuth was still pouting.

"If I jumped, I'd die...walking takes longer, but it's a lot safer."

Joshuth sighed...wishing his rider would get to the point. True...

"When I stood on the balcony at my nana's house and looked down...I had two choices...only one option. Now I sit on a dragonledge with my lifemate...two choices...only one option. Why should I feel resentful if I can't fly down? Why should I be angry if the only change in situation is I'm with someone I love? Darien travels the ocean with Megmentenith...do I wish you could swim? Talkinith moves at speeds no one could imagine...do I wish you could run?" Michelle smiled and hugged her lifemate. "I love you for who you are Joshuth...and what you are. I love your size...I like being able to hug you...and have your head in my lap. I may dream of flying...but I dream of lots of stuff...two weeks ago I dreamed one of nana's cookies was attacking me..." She smirked. "Not all of my dreams I want to come true...and not all of my dreams will. But as long as you are with me, I will be content."

Joshuth nuzzled Michelle. I will try to be content.

Michelle rubbed his head and grinned. "Besides...I get it easy when it comes to bath time."

The purple dragon snorted and knocked her with his head, careful not to knock her off though. Maybe I'll roll in the mud then to make it more challenging.

She laughed. "You go do that and I'll meet you at the lake."

Joshuth bugled happily and leapt from the ledge to glide down to the lake...Michelle watched him for a minute, just making sure of something. She smiled as he landed and turned back to her weyr. Everything was okay...she wasn't jealous anymore.

"JOSHUTH!!" The purple dragon was waiting for her at the lake, but was unprepared for her to come running from the corridor frantically yelling his name.

What? He ran to her, anxiously waiting for the news.

Michelle stopped dead. "You really rolled in the mud..."

The dragon smiled. Of course...did you think I was joking?

"Joshuth..." Michelle sighed, anticipating how long this would take to clean up.

You had important news... Joshuth reminded her. Or so I gathered from the frantic run down here.

"Oh yeah!" The sight of her dirty lifemate had momentarily de-railed her train of thought. "That flit egg I got is rocking."

That means it's hatching. Joshuth didn't think he needed to be explaining this to Michelle. Of the ten earthlings who'd come here she was the one who'd adapted quickest.

"I know that!" Michelle began racing to the kitchens. "I just thought you'd like to know!" She quickly grabbed some scraps of meat off a cutting board and began racing back to her weyr. Joshuth, being able to fly, beat her there.

Michelle smiled as she set the meat down and watched the little egg rock harder and harder. "You do realize this little creature is going to think you're a brown."

Well he should have timed his birth better. Joshuth was a little grumpy that he was going to be meeting his rider's flit looking like something the wher dragged in.

"Her." Michelle saw a glit of gold between fragments of shell. "She should have timed her birth better..."

My mistake... Joshuth watched with amazement as the little creature broke free of her shell. Within seconds a golden firelizard was sitting in Michelle's hands.

"What should I call her?" Michelle fed the tiny creature bits of meat and smiled as she felt it's mind reach for hers. She welcomed the tiny creature with her thoughts. The gold blinked at her and then continued to feast.

I don't know... Joshuth felt odd to have someone else in Michelle's mind with him, but he wasn't really worried. He wasn't selfish enough to want Michelle all to himself.

"How about Elada?" Michelle stroked the gold's head. "It was my great-grandmother's name."

I think it's beautiful. The purple snuggled up right beside Michelle, and for once was glad for his size. He could get very close to her without crusing her or making her uncomfortable. It was a very beautiful picture...rider and dragon watching the newly hatched Elada eat.

"Joshuth?"

Yes Michelle?

"You smell really bad."

Michelle impressed Joshuth at The Healing Den.
Elada's picture is from The Healing Den.
Read about her on earth.
Background from All Hallow's Eve Backgrounds.