You summoned? (Ghost/open)

[Cait]

3073.13.14 | Just past noon | The Road
The song

It had been a long, sometimes hard ride since Saddyr Vrishna had elected Saddyris and her cousin Dyranor to act as his delegates to the Weyrwoman of Rainbow Mists. Unable to go himself or send his eldest son and heir it was up to Dyranor--who would one day be leader, Faranth willing--and Saddyris to act as his eyes and ears and inform him of the situation at the Weyr. After all, it wasn’t exactly a common thing for a Weyr to seek help outside their own and they hadn’t even been told what the situation was. After several days riding, their draftstock runners and strides longer than your average common runner, they arrived at the Weyr several days before Turnover.

Their runners had to be left at a boarding stable at Cliffside Sea Hold who often did business with the Vrishna Clan as even the most well-trained, docile beast would go mad in the presence of dragons. A fear-crazed draft runner was not something anyone wanted to encounter. Together the trio made their way on the one hour walk from hold to Weyr. Two canines, both the shaggy-coated gold and black herding variety, ranged along ahead and behind the small group while an insanely, almost painfully bright and large firelizard danced in the warm air currents above. She was neon rainbow Poica and answered to Saddyris Oneri, the dark-haired girl at the lead.

Being a scout, the young woman’s senses were on alert as she peered to either side of the road, her bow in hand and strung. It was to be a long walk, but it didn’t have to pass in silence. Smiling, she glanced over at Mobrey and began to whistle the start of a wordless tune; a tune that Poica quickly picked up on. The Rainbow certainly loved her music and it was a wonder that she hadn’t been born a pink. Even the canines seemed to respond to the tune and Mud barked, dancing excitedly as his tongue lolled from his mouth.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Mobrey was still adjusting to walking, as compared to riding. His gait was slightly stiff-limbed, and his legs didn’t want to stay straight, they were still trying to bow slightly, which was no surprise, Palavaris, being a half-draftstock runnerbeast, had a broad back, so after a few days of almost constant riding, Mobrey’s legs were used to being spread enough to straddle that wide back.

He’d been watching their surroundings with interest, though not with the same degree of alertness that possessed his adopted sister, Saddyris. Glancing over at her, he happened to catch her eye right as she started whistling. He met her smile with one of his own, and joined in, though his whistling wasn’t very good, so he mostly just hummed. That Mobrey was aware of, the song had no words, but it was one of his favorites all the same.

Up ahead, Karatos joined Mud in the dancing. At only about a Turn old, Karatos was still smaller than his sire, particularly as far as breadth of shoulder was concerned. Of course, Mobrey was still over half a foot shorter than Saddyris, and wasn’t likely to grow much either, so in that, the canines were still a reflection of their respective humans.

Mobrey hummed through the song one full time in unison with Saddyris, then lowered the pitch of his humming by about a third. His voice hadn’t broken yet, so he couldn’t go down a full octave, but the third provided a nice harmony, and on some parts he could deepen his voice to be a fifth below the main line of the song that Saddyris whistled. The trip was going to be a lot more enjoyable like this.

[Cait]

Saddyris flashed a grin at her little brother as he hummed along then switch to the traditional singing of the song and slung her bow crosswise over her chest she laughed as Karatos joined his sire in a playful romp while a flitter perhaps half Poica’s size launched from Dyranor’s shoulder and let out an off-key croon as he joined in the dance, not nearly as graceful as his neon sister though his bicolored wings certainly added to the strange sight.

As the tempo of the song increased and Saddyris began to snap in syncopation, she glanced sideways at Dyranor to find that he’d cracked a grin and had altered his gait to fit the tune. Raising her voice, she slowed to a halt right in the middle of the road and began to dip and sway as she snapped, kicking one leg up part way then spinning. The dance just looked silly without her skirts on, but appearances mattered far less than having fun with her family.

Noticing that the humans had stopped, Mud barked again and bounded over, jumping about on his hind legs as Saddyris continued to sing and dance, her green eyes sparkling with delight. If they had to miss the festivities down south they would just have to make their own! Above head, Poica and Suiauthon echoed the merriment of their handlers, attracting the attention of a nearby wild fair of firelizards who came to investigate the strange happenings on The Road and tentatively, one by one, began to join in the aerial fun.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Mobrey was grinning so broadly that he could hardly keep humming the correct pitches. He didn’t really know why he was so happy, in an intellectual sense there was no reason for the feeling, but then, feelings have never truly been a full part of that cold bed of logic known as the intellect. Perhaps the joy had something to do with the antics of the firelizards, or perhaps it was simply due to the vibrant colors and presence of others to sing with, or perhaps due to some unknown force which had just decided that today was a day to be happy.

He joined Saddyris in snapping the syncopation, then started to stomp the beat when she stopped and began dancing. He glanced across at Dyranor, who had likewise stopped and begun to stomp the beat. They continued in like vein, as Mud came bounding over and seemed to try and join Saddyris in the dancing.

That got Mobrey to laugh aloud, the sound startling a few of the wild flitts so that they almost left, only to return immediately, as Mobrey began humming once more. Mobrey shot another quick grin across at Dyranor, and, unable to resist any longer, he threw up his own leg and sprang nimbly into the air, joining the dance. It didn’t matter that they were trying to get somewhere, didn’t matter that dancing was not the reason that they had set out, first from the Caravan and then, not even a full hour past, from Cliff-Side Sea Hold. All that mattered was the dance itself, the pulse of the song directing the motion of his body.

On the far side of Saddyris, Dyranor clapped twice, and started a backdrop dance, designed to highlight a dancer in the front of a group. Mobrey, recognizing the signal, promptly joined in Dyranor’s backdrop, so that Saddyris was highlighted in front of them, as though they were back with the Caravan, dancing with others for the entertainment of watcher and dancer alike.

Karatos leaped around some, tongue wagging around, but he didn’t actually get close enough that it appeared he was dancing. Instead, he leapt upwards, twisting through the air as though he were one of the now swooping and diving firelizards, instead of a simple canine.

[Cait]

What a sight they likely made to anyone else who happened down the road or over it. Three young people singing and dancing for no apparent reason in the middle of the road, a pair of shaggy canines bouncing around them and a pair of peculiar firelizards dancing above them, lending to the song. And did any of them care? No, not really. They were caravaners, used to strange looks and rude comments. Theirs was a lifestyle not many understood, especially in a society where living without Hold was considered not only unsafe but stupid as well.

Before long, however, Saddyris dissolved into laughter at the antics of both canine and firelizard and continuing her dance, she spun in circles, orbiting Mud as he continued to hop about on his hind legs.

Yes, they would look positively insane to any who encountered them.

Meanwhile Dyranor smirked and continued his dancing before darting forward and grabbing hold of his cousin’s hand and spinning her about like a top. If she’d been wearing her colorful skirts it would’ve been quite the sight, but as it was, it was just a wonder how she managed to keep from getting sick.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

The three of them might very well have looked insane, but though Mobrey was certainly capable of being serious, seriousness wasn’t all it was thought to be, and so he didn’t particularly care that he was laughing as Mud danced about, Saddyris circling him. Besides, it wasn’t as though there were any outsiders nearby to observe them, and so why should a little fact like how they might look to someone else cause any concern on Mobrey’s part?

Mobrey started laughing even harder when Dyranor darted away from the line that the two of them had formed, only to snag Saddyris’s hand and spin her about. It was a shame his sister wasn’t wearing skirts, as she would have if dancing around the fire back at with the Caravan, because than that twirl would have been simply brilliant. Mobrey promptly vowed to himself that he would find a way to perform dances with his sister and their cousin once they reached the Weyr; surely there’d be some occasions when dancing would be wholly appropriate. Even if there weren’t any such occasions, that was certainly no reason to refrain from all dancing, now was it?

A series of shadows passed across the sun, and Mobrey looked up in surprise. A group, or rather, Wing, of dragons was just passing overhead, for some reason heading to the Weyr ahead by straight flight, rather than by going between.

Mobrey whooped, exhilaration of life and joy filling the sound. He’d always enjoyed hearing about dragons, and perhaps if he left the Caravan, not that he thought that very likely, he wouldn’t mind being one. Of course, you couldn’t Impress once you got older, but, he could at least learn more about dragons when they reached the Weyr.