Sigleth paced her ledge restlessly, pausing now and then to peer anxiously out over the weyrbowl. Where in Faranth's name was Shale and what was taking her so sharding long? How long could it possibly take to eat?
The queen sat down and roared her frustration. Why did humans have to eat so often anyway? As far as Sigleth was concerned, it was a complete waste of time to eat any more often than once a sevenday.
Shale! Sigleth called angrily to her rider, pacing again. Shale where are you?
In the dining hall, Shale cringed at the tone of her queen's demand. I'm eating just like I said I would be, she explained patiently. Did you need something?
Not really, Sigleth admitted, annoyed that she had no reason. I just wanted to know why you were taking so long about eating.
Shale chuckled. I'm not taking any longer to eat than I usually do, Sig. I'll finish up quickly and come up sooner, if that's what you'd like, she replied a bit bemusedly.
Yes, please do, Sigleth replied, a bit less restless now that Shale was coming back. But not completely at ease either. She watched a chain of trundle bugs skitter across her ledge, squishing them lazily with a paw for no reason other than that they happened to be there.
When Shale finally arrived, Sigleth was so restless she had gone back to her Weyrlinghood habit of chewing on a peice of leather. She looked very odd, Shale noted, a full grown queen on her ledge, chewing away like a herd-beast on a scrap of leather. What's the matter, Sig? Shale asked, leaning up against the gold's immense side.
Nothing's the matter! Sigleth snapped a little more harshly than she had meant to. What makes you say something's the matter? I'm not acting any differently than I always do!
Suddenly Sigleth's behavior clicked into place in Shale's mind. She hadn't been sure if Sigleth would ever rise again after her disastrous clutch at Xaviea. A very experienced dragonhealer told her that the chance was slim. But it seemed that time really did heal all wounds, for here was Sigleth, proddy as any gold who was about to rise. Sig, Shale asked the gold, not daring to hope. Are you feeling proddy?
I am most certainly not proddy! Sigleth thundered. What makes you say I'm proddy! Just because I'm frustrated doesn't mean I'm proddy!
Shale smiled inwardly. Sigleth was proddy alright. The thought of another flight made Shale's stomach turn a bit, but Sigleth was long overdue to rise again, and as it was a queen's duty to rise and lay eggs, so it was a queenrider's duty to help her by not resisting a Flight.
I'll go sign you up on the Flight Board just in case, Shale suggested. It can't hurt to be up there. I'm sure Kasiese and Polanith won't mind.
I wouldn't rise here even if I were proddy, which, by the way, I'm not, Sigleth scoffed. I'm not waiting for Polanith to move herself from the Sands to clutch.
Where would you like to rise then, y'know, if you were proddy, even though you aren't, Shale insisted.
Where did that green go? The one that the white caught? Sigleth asked, trying to recall the green's name and the name of the weyr but finding herself at a loss.
Quith went back to Ryslen, Shale replied. But you're going to have an even longer wait there. They've got a very large clutch on the Sands right now.
I want to rise and I want to rise at Ryslen and I will rise at Ryslen! Sigleth declared, bugling a challenge to anyone who dared challenge her descision.
But I thought you weren't proddy, Shale asked with a grin and was rewarded with a glare from her queen.