V'oz and Ispiranth
Shards’ sake rider-mine. Ispiranth backwinged quickly and sank from the sky. We’re in the air!! Above the Weyr!
V’oz stared at the reins in his hands like he’d never seen them before. "But I don’t have wings..."
I DO!! Ispiranth muttered several other rude, yet appropriate comments.
Letaemyth, the midnight forest dragoness who was acting as the weyrling blue’s mentor, began a lazy circle as she descended a lot slower. What did I tell you about swearing?
Ispiranth was mad and didn’t care what the older dragon thought.Shut up. He was travelling faster than he should have been to make a safe landing, but it was either a risky fast landing or V’oz falling. Ispiranth landed heavily, hurting his left back leg. He swore again as V’oz practically fell from the saddle onto Treaj.
"My Treaj!! I was kidnapped by some flying beast!" The completely insane man wrapped his arms around the runner’s neck. Ispiranth could have sworn that the horse looked apologetic as he nuzzled the man.
Gaevo, the little blue flit sat forgotten on rock and creeled. Unfortunately, Treaj was the only one V’oz knew today. The bluerider and his runner headed off for the fields. As Letaemyth landed, much more gracefully, in the Weyrbowl, Ehzeia leapt from her mount’s back to make sure V’oz didn’t disappear.
Gaevo creeled again and flew to the dragonsaddle still on Ispiranth’s back.
The blue dragon grudgingly let the flit knew that he remembered him so the tiny blue thing would be quiet. The flit, realizing that Ispiranth was not in a mood to fool around, disappeared between, off to follow his master, even if that master didn’t remember his existence.
Ispiranth snorted, eyes whirling his usual pink, an anger tinged with sadness, a sadness tinged with anger. Stupid flitter. He’s not worth the effort.
Letaemyth nuzzled the much smaller blue in sympathy. Even though she was much older, she was his friend. Don’t say that Isp. You don’t really want to abandon V’oz.
Maybe I do. Ispiranth snorted again. He was covered in sweat from the flight and panicked dive and the dragonsaddle was making him itchy. Of course there was no one to take it off for him, no one to scratch his back, no one to bathe him... Maybe I could find a better rider.
There was no conviction behind those words and the midnight forest knew that. She made a rumbling noise deep in her throat to show her sympathy, but sensed that the weyrling blue did not want to be touched again. He can still hear you. Don’t even think that.
I hope he hears that!! The blue weryling roared and leapt into the sky. His takeoff was considerably hampered by his injured leg and as a result he landed only a few metres from where he left. DAMN!!!
Letaemyth’s eyes whirled a soft purple. She felt pity for her younger friend, hated to see him hurt. Lie down. The midnight forest dragoness began to nudge his side with her head. Let me help you.
I don’t need anyone’s help! I’m fine! Tae! Trying to step away from the larger dragon only resulted in Ispiranth putting pressure on his sore leg and collapsing to the ground. With a sigh, he rolled onto his right side. What are you doing?
Letaemyth examined the contraption that held the dragon saddle on. It was a series of buckles that would be extremely difficult for a dragon to undo, but not completely impossible. Helping you. Clamping her teeth around the leather, the dragoness used her tongue to fiddle with the buckle. See, you don’t need a rider.
Ispiranth rumbled. That tickles Tae!
What? This? The midnight forest abandoned the buckle and rubbed her rough tongue along Ispiranth’s soft belly.
The blue dragon laughed out loud and rolled away from the larger dragoness, managing to wriggle out of the loosened saddle at the same time. I thought you were my friend!
The other dragons in the Weyr weren’t exactly sure what to make of Letaemyth and Ispiranth. They figured that Letaemyth was acting in a motherly fashion, but dragons didn’t take care of their own young, their riders did. Letaemyth didn’t care what any of the other dragons thought. I am Isp. I am.
The blue dragon sighed, slightly cheered, but still upset. Care for a bath?
The midnight forest nuzzled the younger dragon. Sure. A spark of mischievousness flashing in her eyes. If you’ll help me get out of this dragonsaddle...
"There’s my precious little Isp!" V’oz clicked his tongue at his lifemate, acting as if he’d been searching for hours, when he probably had only just remembered that he was bonded to the creature.
Have a good time with Treaj rider-mine? The dragon had promised himself that this time he’d give V’oz a good talking too, but found that as soon as V’oz’s attention was on the blue weyrling, the dragon was loathe to do anything to disturb it.
"Treaj?" V’oz was genuinely confused. "Treaj, who? Was I supposed to meet this man?"
No. The blue weyrling nuzzled his rider, enjoyed a moment of complete happiness as he knew he was the only thing on V’oz’s mind. I just thought you said you were going out with him, I must have been mistaken.
V’oz smiled and rubbed Ispiranth’s eyeridges. "My dear-heart." When V’oz knew Ispiranth existed, the man poured all his love out to the little creature. Which made the times when he forgot Ispiranth even harder. "So young and yet so grown up."
Not completely grown up! Ispiranth was trying not to cry. I still need you rider-mine! I will always need you!
"And I will always be here love."
Ispiranth sighed sadly, knowing that it was a bold-faced lie. I know. The words were hollow.
"Really?" Magika was waiting for Ehzeia to say ‘got ya!’ and then they could both have a good laugh.
"Dead serious." Ehzeia touched a cut on her arm and winced. "He’s either the fastest study around or..." The Searchrider and Asst. Weyrling Master let the sentence hang.
Magika could guess where it was going before. "He’s ridden before."
Ehzeia realized the idea was insane as soon as Magika said it out loud. "Impossible. He’d either die of grief if his mount was killed, or..."
"Go crazy?" Magika suggested with a smirk.
"Weyrwoman." Ehzeia used the Important Voice she used with the young weyrlings. "It’s impossible. What Weyr would let a grief-stricken insane ex-rider run around? Besides, I’ve known him for turns and he’s never even mentioned a dragon."
Magika sighed. "You’re probably right." The Weyrwoman stretched. "How’s Ispiranth?"
Ehzeia sighed. "Not well. V’oz only remembers the blue half of the time, and it’s beginning to put a strain on their relationship. Tae tells me..." Ehzeia shook her head sadly. "I can’t even say what Tae tells me..."
"Isp is going to leave him." Magika cursed the day she ever met the insane man.
Ehzeia nodded sadly and blinked back tears. "That can’t happen Magika! It just can’t! It would completely demolish any sanity V’oz has left!! I know this sounds completely crazy, but that man in the sanest he’s ever been. Half the time he knows who he is, what he’s doing and why he’s here. That’s 50% of the time Weyrwoman!! That’s amazing for him!" Ehzeia collapsed into a chair across from her superior. "He’s getting better. Really. If only Isp can hold on, wait."
Magika sighed. The Weyrwoman was unsure of what to do. She couldn’t imagine herself ever forgetting Hyth. The gold was a part of her. It’d be like forgetting I had a right arm...
And imagine how that arm feels being forgotten. The golden dragoness shared in Magika’s worries.
Poor Isp. Magika realized that Ehzeia was responding to Letaemyth and decided to give the girl a moment to finish the conversation. Can’t you talk to the blue?
He doesn’t like me. But don’t worry, Letaemyth is taking good care of him....
Because V’oz isn’t.
Nobody had spoken those words out loud, but they were heard by the two humans and two dragons perfectly. What right do I have to force the blue to stay with a rider who neglects him? What right do I have to put Ispiranth through that torture?
Hyth sighed. You couldn’t force Ispiranth to stay with V’oz anymore than you could force the sun out of the heavens rider-mine.
Magika knew Hyth was deeply disturbed by this talk of dragons abandoning riders because she used the affectionate nickname. Magika was normally called much less flattering by her lifemate, and the title ‘rider-mine’ said without a sarcastic slur worried her. Has a dragon ever abandoned their rider before? Is it possible?
I don’t know.
Ehzeia, obviously having picked up the gist of the Weyrwoman’s thoughts from her Letaemyth sighed. "Ispiranth has to stay, he just has to." She clenched her fists. "Can’t he see? He’s the only thing keeping V’oz alive."
"Gaevo? Where are you my precious flitter?" V’oz wandered off in search of the blue firelizard, temporarily forgetting the blue dragon.
Ispiranth sighed and rested his head on the dragoncouch. Keeping a mental tether on his rider to make sure V’oz didn’t get himself into trouble, the blue let the rest of his aching body relax.
As V’oz finally drifted off to sleep, Ispiranth checked for Gaevo and Treaj and then informed Letaemyth that the runner had not been fed. The midnight forest promised it would be taken care of. As she started to inquire after his own health, Ispiranth told her he was asleep and ignored any further questions.
The blue dragon went to sleep with an aching back leg, a gurgling stomach, his hide in desperate need of a good oiling, a neglected cut from the dragonsaddle, and a broken heart.
Read V’oz’s hatchling story. Read V’oz’s candidate story.
V'oz impressed Ispiranth at Talor Cliff Weyr.
Treaj's picture is from Beach Shards Weyr.
Gaevo's picture is from Keandyn Weyr.
Background from Morion Designs.