Alone, yet not? (open, 2 weeks after Hatching)

[summerrain]

She could see it in their eyes. They were surprised that she had Impressed to her Picosith. It still mystified herself as well. She was the youngest in the history of Rainbow Mists Weyr to have Impressed to a dragon. She had shared their feelings, but had gotten past them after a few days. Now, two sevendays had passed. Their looks had changed from surprise to curiosity. What was it that made a child of such young age appealing to a Hatchling? Especially a child who had no prior knowledge of what happened at Hatchings.

Tera stretched, laying on her stomach with a scroll in front of her. She rolled onto her back, putting her hands behind her head. She had been assigned to one of the larger rooms, with older female Weyrlings, specifically because of her age. She was only twelve, after all. But it was known that the fact that the child only Impressed to a fighting female with a possibility of Clutching that made many people in the Weyr relieved. A Queen or sub-Queen dragon Rose at least once every Turn, once they reached maturity. Picosith, as a Wood, only Rose once every four Turns. By Picosith's first Flight, Tera could very well be mature enough to deal with the effects of Flightlust without suffering any permanent emotional trauma.

TeraMine, what are you doing? asked the voice in her head.

"I'm supposed to be studying this, but I really don't wanna," Tera replied.

TeraMine, you know that you are supposed to do more than the Chosens of my Clutchmates, the Wood scolded softly. She had grown quite fast in her two sevendays since her Hatching, but she was still going to be on the small side of the scale. Tera didn't mind though. She liked the smaller dragon better. You have more to make up than the other humans do.

"Ya don't need to remind me," Tera groaned. She rolled back onto her stomach, looking at the scroll on the bed before her. She sighed and rolled it up, placing it lightly on the table next to the bed. She put her chin in her hands, propping herself up on her elbows.

TeraMine, what is wrong? asked Picosith as a sudden sadness flooded the bond between the two.

"I... I miss mama..." Tera replied softly, laying her arms in front of her. She sighed again. "Picosith, you don't need your mother in order to survive... You learn from the WeyrlingMaster, as I do. But... Maybe it'll be easier to show you." She closed her eyes, remembering her parents.

A woman, much like Tera, stood in a doorway, calling. Three children stood next to Tera, who's eyes were seen through now. The children seemed to vanish as Tera ran up a set of steps to her mother, who embraced her lovingly.

Next was the three of them sitting down to dinner, one of the few times her father had been home. They were talking and laughing, though the sound seemed muffled, like a Harper's song heard from far away.

The next was of Tera standing next to her mother, her small hand warm in her mother's large one, watching as a ship left the port. Tera's eyes streamed with tears, watching her father leave. Again.

Then was the fateful letter that brought her to Rainbow Mists. Family always supported each other, especially when sharing the same Craft.

Humans need their mother to survive, Picosith realized. Tera nodded, tears slipping silently down her cheeks again. What is it that binds a human mother with her young?

"Love," Tera said simply, wiping her cheeks on the blanket. "But mama doesn't live here... She had to go home just two days after you Chose me. Mama has to go take care of the house for when papa comes back from his SeaTrader duties. I... I'm alone here..."

TeraMine, you're never alone. Your Picosith is always here for you. Always.

Tera smiled slightly. "You're right," she said, agreeing with her LifeMate. "Thank you Picosith. You'll always be my friend, that I know." She embraced the little Wood, then went back to the scroll. "I really need to get this done..."

[Shoki]

We need to do that again soon! Quimyenth was still slightly wet, but not so much that she was dripping on the Bowl. You should go swimming too! It's so much fun! Maybe we can get others to come. You said a group is more fun, yes?

"Of course a group is more fun. Come on, we got to head back. You sure you are dry?" Mau looked at the Green, who shook her wings again before nodding quickly. The action made her smile, just like before. "Alright. Well let's see if we can get back before Beat shows up and has to hunt us down." The pair trotted into the caverns and then toward their barrack. Once they got closer the pair slowed to a walking pace, Mau double checking to make sure Qui wasn't dripping everywhere. She wasn't so Mau poked her head into the barrack looking inside to see how Tera was doing.

"Hey. How ya doing Tera?" Mau grinned, showing off her crooked smile before coming in. Qui followed, a bit more subdued then usual. She had gotten quite the run around from her swim and it seemed that she was tired. For the time being. It wouldn't be long before her body caught up with her spirit.

Hello Picosith! Have you tried swimming? It's quite fun. The green's eyes were whirling with excitement, something that was not out of the norm at all.

[summerrain]

Picosith looked up as her Clutchmate entered the room. Tera waved absently, making herself focus on the scroll.

I haven't yet, Quimyenth, Picosith responded. Though, TeraMine keeps insisting that I will one day have to try eating fish.

"Well, that's what the scroll says!" Tera spoke up. "It says that Wood dragons, like you, Rise once every four Turns, and go after fish instead of herdbeasts."

Herdbeasts... Yuck. Picosith's eyes swirled with mixed colors. Just the thought of getting her claws caught in the hide of one of those lumbering creatures made her shudder. I much prefer the selection of fruits the cooks provide me with. Tera didn't even try to hide her smile. The emotions would flow over their mental link anyway.

"Mau, maybe you can help," Tera said after a moment. "I remember some of the songs the Harpers sang, but most of the old ones only speak of five dragon colors. Green, Blue, Brown, Bronze, and Gold. I understand those well enough, but it's the newer ones that I'm having trouble with." She pointed to a sketch of a Starlight dragon. "These, for instance. I remember the Starlight dragonet that's Clutchmate to Picosith and Quimyenth... Their mother seemed to favor the Starlight over the others. Is that normal?"

The little girl appeared to have adapted well to Weyrling lifestyle, once she'd gotten over the shock of Impressing to Picosith her first day in the Weyr. Everyone had seemed surprised and shocked.

What else does that scroll say about Wood dragons? Picosith asked.

"It says that you Rise once every four Turns, and that you can Clutch up to five eggs!" Tera read to her Bonded. "But there's something else here... If a Wood has chewed firestone, the number of... vi... via...viable eggs lessens by fourty percent." She slowed when sounding out viable as she had not happened across that word before. "Viable... Does that mean the number of good eggs?"

I like the idea of being able to have eggs, came Picosith's voice. Already, her motherly nature was showing. Especially in the ways she spoke with Hers. TeraMine, the choice is yours though.

"We don't have to worry about that for at least a season and a half," Tera retorted. "Come on. Gimme a break..." She sighed and began rolling the scroll up. "There are just too many different colors of dragons now for it to make much sense..."

[Shoki]

Mau continued smiling at Tera's absent minded wave. Looks like she was working hard. Mau would have to work just as hard to keep up and still have time for all of her little projects.

You should try it. It's fun. That and the fish are very good at swimming. You'll have to work hard to catch them. From the comment it seemed that she had tried her had at catching one while one her little swimming trip. Maybe it will be tasty? Quimyenth was certainly not a Wood dragon. She had certainly tried some of what her vegetarian sister ate on a daily basis, but figured she just wasn't built for that. She did take some pride in the fact that she had tried it, as did Mau. Still, Qui preferred red meat.

Mau walked over to get a better look at the scroll and what Tera was pointing to. Ah, the dragonet with a hide like the night sky. It certainly was a pretty one. Mau was close to one of the worse people to ask about the less famous dragons, but she did remember something about this one, at least in how it related to the hatching. "Starlight, that's the sorta queen? I think they get pretty big and have large clutches. So I guess it would be the closest thing to a queen at our hatching?" The dark haired girl was quite aware that she had lucked out about dragons. She knew from the start where exactly Quimyenth fell in the order of things. "I can't say if I remember the Gold preferring her over the others but I was kinda muddled that day so I coulda missed it."

Mau nodded when Tera tried to pin down the meaning of 'viable'. Basically right. From context it sounded like Tera was talking about firestone, and again, it was something that wasn't a decision for Mau and Qui. Green dragons fought well and clutches would probably be tiny anyway, so Greens chewed stone. At the last comment Mau grinned.
"Oh yes, lots of colors. But they are all so pretty and interesting. I didn't know about Wood dragons before I came here, but now I have to say, its nice to know there are some vegetarian dragons."

[summerrain]

Tera sighed as Mau spoke about the Starlight dragon. "If it can Clutch, the scrolls make no mention of it," she said. "That would be something important to know. Any female dragon that can have eggs is an important part, just as the fighter dragons do." She had her eyes closed, as if reciting from memory. Which, in fact, she was. She had to take extra lessons to make up for what she hadn't learned before she Impressed Picosith, and as such was learning it all pretty quickly. "A Clutching female is the future of the Weyr. Without a Clutching female, be her a Queen, sub-Queen, or a fighter with a high likelihood of Clutching better fighters, without a Clutching female, dragonkind would not survive." She shook her head. "I'm not really sure what it all means."

Perhaps I will, Picosith answered her Clutchmate. But as of yet, TeraMine needs to study. Her attention was caught by a robin in the window, and she found herself gliding over from the bed. She watched the red creature, noticing how the feathers were a different color on the breast of the bird. Then the robin flew off, and Picosith found herself agitated. She hadn't finished examining the creature! It was so much like a dragon, and so different at the same time! And the color! What a beautiful shine the feathers had!

"I wonder what it would be like to Impress a Gold..." Tera mused. "Or maybe a Silver. Those are beautiful."

But they stand out too much among the trees, Picosith piped up.

"I don't think their hides are meant to protect them from anything," Tera told the dragonet with a laugh. "They're meant to attract the eyes of Bronzes and other King dragons." Picosith huffed and wandered to the little bed that had been provided for her. It was already hard for the both of them to share the same bed. "But Silver dragons are even rarer than Gold ones... It would be incredible to witness the Hatching of one!" She was excited by the prospect of seeing something that was supposed to be rarer even than a Gold Queen.

[Shoki]

"Sometimes I wonder about those scrolls. Sometimes they don't list stuff like that because a lot of the time its up to the rider and dragoness if there is a clutch. I think anyway. I pretty sure Starlights are sub queen though." Mau shrugged. She needed to study more. When she heard Tera quoting her lessons she smiled again. "True. Clutching dragons are needed to keep dragons going. But of course we need fighters to keep the thread away." She gave Qui a little pat, who was rather pleased to be reference like this.

Ah, yes. Perhaps I should push Mau to her studies as well... The green dragonet looked at the dark haired rider intently, who in turn looked sheepish.

"Heavy responsibility from what I hear. Pretty hides though." Mau smiled then got suddenly serious for a moment when Tera spoke on what Gold hides could protect them from. "Actually, If I remember my history right, Golds are nothing to sneeze at when it comes to a fight. Some of the harpers I know like nothing better then to tell the heroic tale of The Golden Queen and her fight with the Deathwing. I hear its all very true, though I imagine some of it is stretched out a little." She rather liked that one, mostly because as a kid she loved the idea of the bad guy getting redeemed at the end. Still, didn't mean she knew any more about Lifewings.

[summerrain]

Tera nodded. "True, but you'd think that they'd at least mention the option," she replied. "That's what they do with Wood dragons. And female DarkBlues as well. It even mentions this one dragon, an Aurora, that's only found at Ice Stone Weyr, which sounds a lot more like a sub-Queen to me." She sighed. "If Statlights can Clutch, then the scrolls need updating."

According to the elder Dragon, who's rider is apparently the teacher of our Chosens, Tera is supposed to take extra lessons, Picosith told Qui. You might not remember, but TeraMine wasn't with the other humans. Tera was up in the Stands, behind the barrier meant to keep us from hurting anyone else. Basically, Tera had more to study than the others.

Tera modded. "Well, the girls who Impress to a Gold are the Weyrwomen," she said, as if it was common knowledge. "And that wasn't at all what I meant. Golds can't hide among the trees. Their hides are too metalic and shiny. They may have enourmous claws, but there are few dragons who can match the ability of a Wood to blend in with the trees."

Tera suddenly became quiet, eyes darker than before. She rolled up the scroll and pushed it away, sighing. Picosith... I want to see mama again... she told the dragon silently. Picosith turned to Hers and glided over to the bed. She let out a soft croon, and then nuzzled the little girl. I... I wanna go home... Back to the coast... A sudden image of her home along the coast of CliffSide Sea Hold appeared, as she had known it. It made Picosith want to go there, to see for herself the white spray of the ocean waves crashing on the cliffs. She felt the longing in the heart of Hers, and it echoed in her own. "I... I miss mama and papa..." the child muttered softly. Of course, it was easy to forget just how young she truly was. She had never parted from her mother for long, though her father had been away more often than not. She had grown used to her mother's constant presence. Having that presence ripped away from her was terrible. She had her aunt Sanata nearby, but that just wasn't the same.

[Shoki]

Mau shrugged. "I can't say that I know whose in charge of that, maybe best to mention it to someone. Maybe I'll ask the Weyrling Master later?"

Can't say I remember that. Mau was not in the stands, so I didn't look at them. It seemed fairly straightforward for Quimyenth. No need looking if your life partner wasn't there. Still, Mau doesn't know a lot about dragon colors. She told me before that she only knew the big five before coming and one of her friends acquainted her with Crimsons here. She could do with more looking at the scrolls.

Mau caught Tera's mood quickly, getting quiet. Qui only picked it up once She noticed her rider's mood and Picosith's whirling eyes. What had happened? What had she missed? Mau moved slight to the side, thinking on the soft words that hung in the air. It was something that Mau hadn't really thought about. She herself was used to moving to new places, and even if she was away from her family she had grown so used to long distance relationships that it hadn't bothered her. For someone who was younger and hadn't moved as much, she could see how hard it must be.

"Um, Maybe you want to write them a letter? I know it can't be as good as seeing them, but I always feel better after writing one. I could try to get Beat to deliver it for you. I mean if you want." Mau looked a little hopeful, but her mood was still subdued.