One Week (Alikai and Andrilla's Searching!)

[Jay Kitten]

Run, run, run. Running was life, and it wasn't that unfamiliar to not only the Runner of the duo, but to his counterpart as well. Alikai had been on the run for about a week now, after those nobles from Ruatha Hold had caught up to them near Fort. Right now, they were bee-lining for the coast, trying to catch a ship to dodge their pursuers, hopefully even able to commandeer a smaller vessel so that Andrilla could pilot them herself to wherever they wished to go. But that thought was cut off as an arrow nearly impacted his shoulder, instead whizzing passed and impaling a tree next to him as he ducked right and under one of the tree's many branches. He had to jump a hurdle next, leaping over a small bush to continue his flight away from the archers on Runnerback. Ironic, to him, that his title carried the same weight as that of a beast meant to carry. But again his thought was pushed aside as he dived for Andrilla, knowing she was the next target, his fleet feet taking him to her and knocking her off of her's with the full weight of his body.

They both landed in the brush, on the slant of a hill leading down toward the base of the coastline, where they could see a small fisher's Hold along the glittering blue water. Southern Boll must have been a few day's walk from here, from what he could tell by the look of the Hold below them, but what could he really tell when that image was soon followed by blue-and-white sky? They tumbled more and more, until they finally bounded to a stop and he got up, tugging the girl with him. Their pursuers had broken off, unable to breach the treeline with their larger beasts.

"C'mon, we lost 'em!" he breathed heavily, knowing that his partner would likely be much more winded than he was, they had been on their feet evading detection for the last candlemark or so, and by now she was likely running out of steam. He wasn't against the idea of carrying her, as his panting was heavy but nowhere near his limit... They just had to get out of here!

The crossbow on his back rattled as he shifted to look back up the hill from whence they had come, and he could hear the shouting voices of the men chasing after them, they were planning to cut them off on the next path from what he could tell. They would do better to head slightly North, try to evade them. A lucky break that he could get this kind of information on the wind, they hadn't been so lucky with his last hunch.

After pulling her to her feet, Alikai tugged at Andrilla's hand, all but dragging her Northward, along the treeline of the coast, toward some of the outlying Holder's dwellings.

[Cait]

There were times when Andrilla was certain that Alikai could run the breadth of Pern without stopping on those long, lean legs of his. She, however was not graced with the spindly legs of a newborn foal and though she'd honed her body over the turns in order to keep up with Ali, she was far better at hiding and climbing than out distancing. It had been a sevenday since she'd launched herself from a second story window, screaming like a crazed person, to drop on the head of one of the men that had cornered Alikai. A crossbow and an egg pot had been their loot and a Lord Holder their victim. They'd been hounded ever since, running until Andrilla couldn't run and then hiding until she'd caught her breath. They'd made it all the way to Fort and were aiming for the coast where she'd disguise herself as a lad the best she could and get them on a ship beforee their persuers caught up.

At least that had been the plan until the guards had picked up runnerbeasts in fort. She heard the twang of bow releasing it's arrow and Alikai veered off and leapt over a low bush. Rage exploded through her veins; they'd fired at him! Even as her stride shortened and she slowed, she glanced over her shoulder, ignoring the stitch in her side and her pale eyes sparked with her emotion. Before she could slow enough to turn, however, Alikai came hurtling across the path and slammed into her side. Together they crashed through brush and then for a frightening moment she was suspened in the air, a view of the cloud dappled sky before her. She hit on her shoukder first then curled protectively around the heavy leather stachel strapped across her chest. When she finally came to a hault she contemplated just laying there, sprawled on her back with sand leaking out of the satchel. However, Alikai beckoned so she staggered to her feet, got her bearings and was surprised to find that they'd taken a rather unorthodox shortcut to the shore.

Andrilla took a quick moment to check the eggs and was truly surprised to find them undamaged; the same could not be said about her body. Gritting her teeth and checking on her knives with her spare hand she lurched after Ali as he pulled her Northward. She was already coming up with a story since there would be no time to don a disguise. Perhaps they'd be handfasted and eloping to escape her foul uncle. It'd worked once before.

[Jay Kitten]

As soon as they had pulled away from the forest, Alikai let them take a break and they hid in a small cave-like alcove that somebody had been using as shelter for their supplies. Among the boxes and crates and barrels he pulled the girl, and let her go when he found a suitable spot to sit down, leaning against the crate and then grinning up at his partner. He hoisted the crossbow from his back and checked it, it was still fine, though it had a bit of dirt and a small knot of grass caught in one of it's arms. He pulled it out and rubbed it clean again.

"We did it again, Andy," he said quietly, and looked to the girl to see if she was okay. She seemed sweaty, tired, just like usual. "And the eggs? Are they okay?" he asked, peeking over one of the boxes to check if they were followed. He didn't see anything, so he removed the quiver of bolts from his back as well, laying them nearby atop a barrel. He pulled a rag from his pack and wiped it down, checking the string and the fletching of the bolts. Pristine. Perfect. The bow itself was Lemosian wood, hand-carved from a strong and inflexible tree, with steel arms bolted into place and fused in fire. The wood itself was likely treated to be fireproof in the forging, he had heard of such techniques... It was carved along it's side with an etching of some kind of beast resembling a dragon, though he wasn't sure what it was. It was running, that was all he knew, and it looked dangerous. Even the trigger was masterwork, it's springs tightened and the release mechanism unlike anything he'd seen before. Truly somebody's work of ingenuity.

Peering across the bit of darkness that prevailed in the storage area, he looked Andrilla over once more.

"Them eggs... Were they really worth it? I mean, I know we are needin' food lately but two eggs hardly seems worth the time, girly." It still played through in his mind, she had broken away from him when they had broken in to the Lord's den. A sevenday ago, they had done it. She had said to him 'you get your's, there is something I want too,' and off she had gone, away into a different corridor in the chambers, and come back about five minutes later with a couple of shiny little eggs in a silver casing. They had looked expensive, but he had no idea what they possibly could be, or if they were even worth the time...

[Cait]

Andrilla's heart was pounding against her ribcage as she slipped behind the crates with Alikai. Her face what red and she looked and probably smelled a right mess. Shoving at the hair that had escaped the tie at the back of her neck, she slumped against one of the crates and readjusted the satchel. They'd done it again alright; taken what they wanted. From those who could afford to lose it and been run out of town. "Aye, they're fine."

Reaching up she grabbed a fistful of Ali's tunic and tugged, fully intending on inspecting him for damage. They'd fired an arrow at him after all and then the tumble. By virtue of nature she tucked into a neater ball than he ever could with his long spindly limbs. Though it was dark she quickly discerned that he was more or less unharmed like herself though her aching body cried her a liar. Tipping her head back and making a conscious effort to slow her breathing, she groped about until she found the waterskin on her person and drak liberally from it before wiping her mouth across the back of her hand and hold it out to Alikai who was playing with his new toy.

"They're no' fer eatin' you twit. My Pa used to tell stories...afore. Stories 'bout firelizards. I think they be firelizard eggs. Heard rumors that the fancy Lord got them as a gift for his daughters. We can fetch a goodly price for 'em I think, an' the. Case too." She slipped the padded case from her satchel and flicked the latch; the two eggs were almost identical in size and coloring though she didn't know if they were large or small having never seen an egg before and only a fleeting glimpse of a firelizard as a girl. "They might not hatch though, should probably unload 'em afore they start smellin'"

[Jay Kitten]

The male grumbled as he was examined, which was typical, he didn't really tell her when he was wounded and he wasn't one to complain about pain much. She knew him well enough to know that it was necessary, but when she let him go he slumped back down and rested some more. But soon his partner mentioned what the eggs actually were, and his eyes held a new glint that was much more interested in the eggs now that he had heard money mentioned.

"You think we can getta good price?" he questioned, scratching his head. "I'd be willin' ta bet that they aren't even good." He rolled his eyes as she mentioned them starting to rot, and then looked out of the alcove toward the sea. It had been a few minutes now and he hadn't heard a single hoof coming from nearby, he was sure that their redirection and low-laying had worked.

"We'd best get movin' soon, it'll be dark in a few, and we'd be smart ta make the boats if'n we want to be on 'em before sundown. Rukbat no wait for us." He grinned and stood, hauling his things back over his shoulder before he checked again to see who was out there. It looked deserted, really, and so he stepped free of the shelter and took a glance skyward. Nothin', just a few clouds.

"C'mon. An' keep quiet, never know what we'll be findin' 'round here." Alikai started down the dock, waving for Andrilla to follow.

[Shoki]

“You sure Quiorith?” R’le was, naturally, riding on the Cloud. Burn was clinging to his shirt, not chewing on anything yet. The Jr. Weyrleader, gah, he could never get used to thinking of himself as that. The proof was in the paper work though. He was using some of his free time at Quiorith’s request. The dragon wanted to personally see to there being a good enough selection for Orikeath’s hatching. He likely would have done the same for Orylth’s if he hadn’t already seen how many candidates there were for the eggs. He was proud of being a father, something R’le was glad for.

Yes. We will fly fast. The Cloud wanted to try for a little longer. R’le was amiable to it, and the Cloud quickly sped across the sky, both of them enjoying the rush of air, as well as being together. There was a lot of time of just roamin’ around, waiting for the sudden whiplash that was Quiorith finding something he liked.

It was some time before it came. Burn had started on his collar, and he had snuck the flitter some food to stop that. He always carried food on a flight, it was second nature now. But he was properly in his seat when suddenly Quiorith made a couple sharp turns and then hovered.

Somewhere here.

“Specific.” R’le looked down below, to see what was going on. Lots of trees. Maybe a cave. He looked around for a good spot, but it seemed like he was going to deal with finding whoever it was mostly on his own. “There is a good spot to set down.” It wasn’t too far from the point at which Quiorith had stopped over. The Cloud made a beeline and set down perfectly, as they had practiced. It wasn’t bad here. R’le slipped off, and straightened his gear before Quiorith moved his head, looking precisely to where R’le was about to head. Okay then. He started walking, Burn migrating to the man’s shoulder, still having some meat to chew on. R’le wondered idely about giving him som tree sap to chew on sometime.

He looked around and found himself going toward the cave, looked like someone was using. He spotted at least one figure and put on a wide grin.

“Hello, hello! I’m R’le of Cloud Quiorith. I’ve a come ‘a searching. Would you please come with me?”

[Cait]

Andrilla snorted and slid her fingers over the smooth surface of the eggs. they were still warm the the touch and so long as they kept them warm, even if they were duds it would be enough to fool a person. "I could get someone t' buy 'em fer five a piece easy. Maybe more." Of course she'd have to do some research in the next hold they came across, see what eggs were going for and then find a buyer. It would be worth it thoughpAli surely wasn't going to sell his new toy and they needed Marks for food and supplies.

Closing the lid, she slid the case back into her satchel and hauled herself up to trot after Ali. Her legs and various other parts of her were sore but she'd long since learned to ignore the pain and work through it.She reached the mouth of the cave as Ali paused and looked around. When he left their hiding spot she slipped into his place and looked around as well. Something caught her eye and she looked up the frowned. Nothing. But there was something making her uneasy and she looked to Ali who was creeping along the dock towards the shore. Hissing, she waved for him to come back just as a chunk of the cloudy sky dropped to land on the beach. Her eyes went wide and she cast about for something, anything that might help. There was an old boat anchor attached to a frayed bit of rope and a fishing net in disrepair. Neither would work. Then the rider dismounted and hailed Alikai, saying something about Searching. She might not know much about dragons but she knew about Searches. A dragon had come to their hold once and taken a lad...he'd never returned. Frantic, pale eyes finally anded on a boat hook and she snatched it up before returning to the shadowed mouth of the cave. They'd been in tight spots before but this...this was going to take some good old fashioned luck!

[Jay Kitten]

As soon as he heard a voice, instinctively he ducked behind a crate and drew the crossbow, flipping the lock off and pointing it over the wooden box, at the Rider.

"Stay back! Who're ya workin' for?" He didn't care if this guy was a Rider or not, nor did he know anything at all about Searching. He wanted to find out what this guy could possibly want from him before he was going to go anywhere.

"You with 'em Holders what's been chasin' us?" he questioned, his accented voice playing over the fact that he wasn't from this region, but had come from elsewhere entirely. He refrained from looking back at Andrilla, knowing that even just that glance would give away her position. She could look after herself for a minute, he was sure.

"Stay back, Rider! I'mma good shot!"

He didn't seem to want to go anywhere, but such was the life of Searchriders, they always had it hard with the ones who were untrusting.

[Shoki]

R’le never took the stupid grin off his face. But he did chuckle. “Quiorith are you sure we don’t have enough?”

So imagine you have a baby girl someday and she wants to date. Are you going to just say ‘good enough’ to whoever?

R’le laughed. Quiorith knew right where to get him. “Aw man, guess I have to deal with this. Anyway, I’m from Rainbow Mists Weyr. They are the only people I’m ‘with’. And I don’t know what Holders you are talking about.” There were knives on him but he ignored them entirely. The cross bow didn’t seem to phase him either. “Look, I wouldn’t ask, but Quiorith wants to see you and he’s reeeeeaaallly keen on having good candidates for the Queen hatching coming up. If it makes you feel any better you can keep on pointing the cross bow at me while you go.” Burn was the most nervous one, R’le looked extremely relaxed. Too relaxed some might say. “Look, I can’t, and won’t force you to do anything. That’s not what I do. I just let Quiorith look you over and he tells me whether or not I can offer you a choice.” He smirked a little more. “It worked out pretty good for me, but it is a choice none the less.” He waited patiently, the Flame crawling around the man’s back. Idly he wondered what the Holders were trying to do to this guy’s home. They wanted the room for some reason? He couldn’t say.

Why do you volunteer To be a hostage?

Because aren’t I just great at being one?

[Cait]

Andrilla's eyes were fixed on the dragonrider as Alikai darted behind a crate, seeking out weapons and for any sign that he was going to go after Ali. As far as she could tell, the man, who was far too clean to be trusted, simply smiled. Simled!

He was up to something.

With slow movements, she removed the satchel from where it was draped across her chest and set it aside. There was no point in revealing her presence just yet, but if she could get closer to the both of them she might be of more use. There was no way out of cave without being seen though if she could make it the few yards to the water there was hope. She could slip into the water and under the dock and around to the other side and provide a distraction if necessary. Maybe if she could just...

Choice?

[Jay Kitten]

Alikai seemed to hesitate, and frowned. This guy did seem more or less friendly, if not a bit too friendly... But he wasn't the type not to trust somebody who didn't seem to be suspicious. He stepped from around the crate, and made a small motion with his hand toward Andrilla, having noticed in his peripherals that she was readying up. She would recognize the sign to hold, but he was sure R'le wouldn't. Just in case, he added the sign to the motion of his hand as he adjusted the crossbow and stepped forward.

"If yer only fixin' to have a look, then look you may. But you touch, n' yer a gonner." Just to threaten moreso, he pulled the string back even more on the crossbow, latching it to the next hook back in the firing mechanism. He moved toward the dragon, until he was about six or so meters from the beast, his sight still trained on R'le.

"Not seein' yer point in jus' lookin' at me," he stated, again his words heavy with his accent same as Andrilla's voice. He spared a glance back toward her now, as he was in a position to do so, she was still hidden and could easily surprise the rider if she really needed to, it would just require a quick sprint or a thrown object. Good enough for him, once they were surprised he could fire without problem.

"Take yer look an' get to steppin', I ain't got all day." They had stolen goods, he wasn't trying to keep himself near the Rider for a prolonged period.

[Shoki]

R’le kept a smile on his face as he got what Quiorith wanted. The Cloud adjusted his wings slightly and his eyes whirled as he examined the person in front of him. R’le never quite understood what Quiorith was looking for, but his track record had a hunter or two in there. Which was odd, R’le wasn’t like that at all. Probably. There was a long pause, before the boy got impatient. Quiorith flicked his tail, displeased.

Weird.

“Hmm?”

Nothing. First thing first. He’s good. Ask. R’le turned to the dragon and raised an eyebrow. He sounded a little odd. It was possible he was a bit on edge, considering what had happened before. So he did as the Cloud wanted. After all, he didn’t want to stress out the dragon. He had enough to worry about.

“Well then. Quiorith wants to know if you would like to stand for the hatching we have up at Rainbow Mists Weyr? Should be soon. That is, if you wanted to be a dragon rider.” R’le grinned again, rather pleased. He didn’t notice Quiorith’s attention was split at the moment. The Cloud was just figuring out what exactly was so weird. “We’d have a place for you up there.”