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Post by Kitari on Jun 4, 2010 14:01:40 GMT -5
The musty smells of hay and runner filled the air, as T'ryis eyed the beasts available for public use around the Weyr. It was one of the things that had annoyed him most about his forced 'Search'; he had left everything he'd once owned behind at his Hold. Although he'd had ample opportunity since Impression to stop by with Wickhath and pick up his belongings, T'ryis had been loathe to return to the Hold he had, in a sense, abandoned. Yes, his Search had been forced, but becoming a dragonrider had been his choice. Now his father had lost the son he had envisioned becoming Lord Holder after him. With A'clayr also at the Weyr, there were no heirs left.
Thus, T'ryis was, at present, without a runnerbeast. He had been quite fond of the creatures and owned a number back at his Hold. Of course, the young man reminded himself, he couldn't have retrieved those particular belongings even if he'd wanted to. The only way to bring a beast to the Weyr without frightening it to death would be to arrange transport over the land, and that would be an expensive and complicated matter indeed. So, he must choose from the public stock and hope that the beast wasn't too unpleasant.
After a moment's more consideration, the brownrider strode forward to a roan gelding. He looked the beast over a final time, opened the stall, and extended his hand for the roan to explore. Warm breath brushed against his fingertips, and the roan's ears flicked; he was, it seemed, acceptable. That settled, T'ryis promptly set to work saddling the runner. The beast was in surprisingly good condition, young and spry without any obvious impairments. Perhaps the ride wouldn't be too disappointing after all.
As he worked, T'ryis found himself reminiscing on his former life, when this activity had been so familiar. Since Impressing Wickhath, the only creature he'd been saddling was his dragon. Riding a runner used to make him feel free, but now he could fly. How could the two ever compare? And yet, it would be nice to re-acquaint himself with an activity he used to enjoy so much. Also, T'ryis was forced to add, he was very much looking forward to the company that would be joining him on this ride: Ravyna, if she remembered...
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Post by B'kay on Jun 4, 2010 19:17:44 GMT -5
But why cannot I come with you, Mine? the little green, perched above on her ledge, pleaded one more time. I promise not to eat them!
Ravyna chuckled as her eager walk increased to a trot. Because, my own love, as bright as runners can be, they're not bright enough to understand that. I'd rather come back from this ride with all four runner legs ... and both of mine ... unbroken. You enjoy the sun!
Igrainth grumbled and turned her thoughts outward. Ravyna caught a side-impression of her green calling out to Wickhath, to see if he would like to join her on the ledge.
The greenrider smiled, even more pleased, for her dragon was as smitten with the brown, as Ravyna was with--
She gasped and stopped suddenly, halting her thoughts mid-stride. Even though there was no one there to see her blush, the girl made sure she got her emotions under control before moving on. "The runners," she whispered to herself, "Think about the runners--"
Which she did, at least till she rounded the corner of the stable entrance and saw T'ryis there, looking as handsome as ever ... even moreso, for his expression was soft as he looked admiringly on the roan gelding he'd chosen for their ride.
Ravyna sighed and chided herself. These schoolgirl reactions were simply not her style.
"Hello, there! Nice choice!" she called lightly, and moved toward the black filly who nickered to her from the corner stall. "Have you met Shadow?" she asked, trying to recall if she'd ever found the time to introduce T'ryis to her runners. "When I first came here, I had Renegade, the little bay stallion who lives over by the breeding shed, and my grey mare, Vision." As she talked, she had moved Shadow out of her stall and tethered her in the aisle, and was running a soft brush over her coat before saddling. "Vision was pregnant, and Shadow's the result of that." She grinned, her eyes flashing, her cheeks flushed with pleasure. It felt so good to be with the beasts again ... she had such little time since Impressing Igrainth to spend with the runners. She deliberately failed to mention to T'ryis that the mare, Vision, had in fact been ... um, appropriated ... in payment for some difficulties imposed upon her by a certain Lord Holder. Her hands paused in grooming, as the memory caused her to realize how incredibly much had changed ... how much she had changed ... since Igrainth came into her life.
"Shadow's a bit on the green side," she said, and once again missed good old C'train, who had always managed to see that the filly's training was progressing well even though Ravyna didn't have time. "She really needs this experience and exercise," she chuckled as she tossed the saddle over the sleek black back and girthed it up firmly. She grinned at T'ryis from beneath the filly's neck as she positioned the bridle in place, and the runner obligingly lowered her head to be fitted. "Let's hope she remembers how to behave herself!"
She paused suddenly, realizing she was babbling on excitedly, her pride in the filly causing her to forget herself. A smile still on her lips, she stroked the jet face lovingly, and buttoned her lip, hoping to give T'ryis a chance to get a word in edge-wise!
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Post by Kitari on Jun 8, 2010 13:48:48 GMT -5
He was just making the last adjustments, cinching the saddle just a little bit tighter, when the light streaming through the open door was momentarily blocked by a figure entering the Stables. The movement caught T'ryis's eye instantly and drew his gaze upward to meet Ravyna's. Silhouetted as she was by the light from outside, the dark hue of her hair seemed all the more rich, like a velvet shadow against Rukbat's harsh brilliance. Brown eyes caught the light and flashed as she strode into the Stables, long legs carrying her with a graceful sway. T'ryis's stomach gave a little flutter as he watched her walk past. Every time he saw her was like seeing her for the first time, as he was struck anew by how beautiful she was.
And how wherry-headed he was! T'ryis uttered a quiet but quick hello when he realized she had greeted him and he had failed to respond. What a dimglow he must look like, staring at her with a dazed expression on his face. So much for the dignified son of a Lord Holder; he was behaving more like a slow-witted drudge.
Luckily for the brownrider, Ravyna seemed not to notice that he had failed to respond promptly, or at all, for that matter, as she continued to describe her runners. She left him no chance to answer her question or even make a comment, so constant was her stream of words. T'ryis quickly overcame his own chagrin and arched a brow ever-so-slightly, wondering if the greenrider was feeling a bit nervous herself. But no - the self-assured young woman he had met in these very Stables was unflappable. She was just proud of her runnerbeasts, that was all. T'ryis was the only one here plagued by self-doubt and an awkward tongue when the other was around.
As the young man was leading his runner out of the stall, he realized that the stream of words had suddenly ceased. Quickly, he turned to meet Ravyna's expectant eyes, trying to remember everything she'd covered that he should now respond to. Ah yes, the question first.
"Actually, I have met your runners, though not the newest member of the herd," he replied, gesturing towards Shadow. "Do you remember? It was also the first time I met you and Igrainth. Aclaryn, ah, A'clayr and I were about to borrow your runners for a ride…" A sudden wash of guilt caused his words to falter. 'Borrow' wasn't quite the right word.
"Well, actually, we were going to steal them," he said in a rush. This had been kept secret for far too long. "I never told you, but I was going to run away that day."
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Post by B'kay on Jun 9, 2010 9:10:36 GMT -5
His words seemed to come to her on a time delay, as if she were under water. The words would hit the surface and slow, the sight of him above shimmering through the dusty stable air as if she were a drowning woman looking up at her rescuer. At the light in his eyes.
"... Do you remember?"
And then they registered, and her cheeks turned pink. How could she have forgotten! Of course, T'ryis and A'clayr, Renegade and Vision.... Wait.
Stealing?
Running away?
Ravyna's heart stopped. She fought the urge to run to him, throw her arms around his neck, and shout....
"Run away? Oh, T'ryis, I'm so, so glad you didn't...."
The words had come out, of their own accord, not in a shout, but in a barely audible whisper, forcing their way through the lump in her throat that had tried to keep them back.
It took a few breaths for her to realize she'd actually spoken, and how foolish she must look and sound, standing there at the far end of the stable aisle. The distance was so awkward, so ... childish. She sighed, frustrated with herself.
The black filly, growing bored with inactivity, pressed her face against Ravyna's back and gave her a shove that sent her stumbling forward. The greenrider quickly forced herself into a less precarious stride, and walked slowly, the sound of self-satisfied hoofbeats following, to stand before T'ryis.
"It seems like a lifetime ago," she said quietly, gazing into his dark eyes.
Shadow reached around her rider, and offered her muzzle to the roan, nostril to nostril in an equine hello.
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Post by Kitari on Jun 10, 2010 21:56:09 GMT -5
T'ryis was cringing inwardly, expecting shock and even outrage at the confession. Nevertheless, he held Ravyna's eyes and prepared to accept whatever judgment fell his way. It had been a mistake, but he would own up to it. Better late than never; his dignity would allow no less.
As expected, shock registered on the greenrider's face, and T'ryis felt his heart begin to sink. In the next breath, however, her heartwrenching whisper left him utterly still, and a cold fist closed about his gut. Sudden warmth bloomed, quenching the cold and spreading through his veins to leave him lightheaded and fuzzy. She was terrified at the very thought of him leaving. It was awful and yet…so wonderful. He had never expected her to respond that way. Never expected anyone to care...
She was stumbling forward, pushed by her frisky horse, and the moment was shattered. The tendrils of warmth lingered on, however, and T'ryis ducked his head, fiddling with his horse's bridle. When Ravyna came to a stop before him, he raised his gaze once more.
A lifetime. It was a fitting description. He may as well have begun a new life when he Impressed Wickhath, for he'd left behind everything of his old life. Slowly, the trappings of Lord Holder's son were falling away, and he was being shaped in new ways to fit his current role. It was bizarre and yet liberating to shed old inhibitions and explore new freedoms. He was a dragonrider now, as strange as the title still felt. Strange yet fitting, as if it was the role he'd always been meant to play.
His eyes dropped again, breaking the connection with Ravyna. T'ryis turned to the gelding, running his hand along its arching neck as it reached to greet the filly. "It was you and Igrainth. That's why I decided to stay. I have the both of you to thank for that."
And I as well, Wickhath added, projecting to both Igrainth and his. The brown dragon had just settled lightly onto the green's ledge, a little late but still glad to accept her invitation.
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Post by B'kay on Jun 11, 2010 9:58:33 GMT -5
"Igrainth," the greenrider said softly, and smiled, sparks of memory lighting her eyes. "I think perhaps it was more her than me," she added with a chuckle, remembering how smitten the little green was with her new friend. "I think she knew, somehow, all along, that you would Impress--"
She halted there, and her cheeks colored slightly, for she had been about to say, "-- her mate". What audacity the heart often feels, she thought silently, even too silently for her green to pick up. One can never assume such things with dragons.
Her expression clouded, as a persistent worry tried to surface. Igrainth. She was unique among dragons in so many ways, though Ravyna often told herself that much of that uniqueness was simply imagined by the mind of a devoted rider. However, in one thing she was most obviously different. Ravyna tried not to think about it, but at moments like this, it always made an attempt to shadow her.... She turned her thoughts to the day, and tried to stuff the old concern back down where it belonged.
Having suitably greeted her day's exercise partner, Shadow began to fidget and pull, edging toward the stable opening. Ravyna, shaken out of the worries that were attempting to spoil her lovely morning, was relieved by the distraction.
"Easy, lass," Ravyna whispered, and smiled at T'ryis as she turned toward the open air. "Someone's impatient to be moving."
Igrainth, the lithe green of her days and nights, her dreams and nightmares, sent her rider a feeling of deep contentment, and Ravyna knew that she was at that moment sidling up to Wickhath, to soak in his warmth, more pleasant even than the warmth of the morning sun.
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Post by Kitari on Jun 17, 2010 21:57:13 GMT -5
((Sorry if this is blah. I feel rather dazed myself...may be the heat!))
As he gazed down into her brown eyes, remembering that first night they'd met, T'ryis was suddenly aware of how close they were. She was standing before him; all he had to was reach out, and he would touch her. He found that he couldn't look away, trapped in the moment of old memories and new feelings. It was very unlike him, the thought occurred in the back of his mind, to so lose his self-control like this. To be unable to move, to want nothing more than to gaze into those eyes forever.
She spoke, and his trance was broken, carrying him back to the present. Quickly, he turned his gaze to the horse fidgeting beside him, stroking the gelding's neck to soothe him. "It was like Igrainth saw right through me," he murmured. The thought still stirred mixed feelings in him, both unnerving and wonderful all at once. "If she hadn't intervened, I wouldn't have Impressed. I never knew what she saw in me that caused her to speak, but I am honoured that she did so even today..." He was completely unaware of Ravyna's unfinished thought, the words she might have spoken. Instead, he turned back to her in time to catch the shadow that flitted across her features.
Before he could ask what was troubling her, Ravyna was smiling again and suggesting that they begin their ride. Rather sheepishly, T'ryis realized that they had been standing in the Stables with saddled and ready-to-go runners for some time now. "Right," he stated suddenly, snapping out of his reverie and straightening. He led the gelding quickly from the Stables, wondering all the while what Ravyna must be thinking of him. He had stood there like a dazed fool, wasting her time while all she wanted was to begin their ride.
Mounting the gelding, T'ryis turned to see if Ravyna was ready as well. His old composure was back, expression slightly cool and distanced, eyes shadowed. The Lord Holder's son was determined not to act like a wherry in front of the greenrider any longer. He was a gentleman, for Faranth's sake. A noble and dignified gentleman who............
......was suddenly on the ground!
Truly dazed now, T'ryis lay crumpled on the floor of the Bowl, gazing up at the blue oval above. His blurry thoughts registered the saddle now hanging under the gelding's stomach as it trotted forward a few steps, and the brownrider realized that he must not have cinched it tight enough, after all. No doubt he was distracted when Ravyna entered the Stables. So much for dignity.
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Post by B'kay on Jun 18, 2010 9:22:49 GMT -5
Ravyna noticed a vague discomfort flash across T'ryis's expression as he turned to lead the runner from the stable. Had her worries about Igrainth shown on her face enough to make him uncomfortable? He'd been gazing at her in a way that simply melted her a moment before --
Her distraction as she swung lightly to Shadow's back kept her silent. Then, she chided herself. Her heart imagined all sorts of silly things around T'ryis, after all. She was probably just worrying for nothing. Determined to make the best of this moment, of this morning, she decided to challenge the brownrider to a playful race to the tunnel entrance.
"I'll race--" she began, turning toward him -- but he was gone!
At that same instant she heard the thud and looked down as the gelding stepped carefully away, his saddle hanging.
"Oh! T'ryis!" she leapt down and moved quickly to his side, her instincts engaged, her mind clouded, the words coming out without her even realizing what she was saying: "My love, are you hurt?"
Hmmmmmm? Igrainth's sleepy conscious rose in her mind, Mine? Wickhath's? T'ryis? He is hurt! I come!
"No, wait!" she said aloud and in her thoughts, "I'll call you if we need you, being trampled by a petrified runner would not be a good thing right now!"
It occurred to her that the dangling saddle might spook the runner as well, but she could not tear herself from T'ryis's side to remedy that situation. Her hands instinctively, gently, went to his own, clasping them, shaking all the while.
And then, sudden calm in the confusion as she realized not what she herself, but what her dragon had said. She sought his eyes, still looking for signs of pain, and shared her comfort in a whisper, "T'ryis. She called you T'ryis."
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Post by Kitari on Jul 5, 2010 16:09:31 GMT -5
The world was spinning, the circle of sky above rotating in dizzying circles, as T'ryis lay flat on his back. A black cloud interrupted the startling blue of the sky, rotating along with the other objects as it loomed above him. For a moment, the brownrider thought to fend off this intruding darkness, but his hand only raised a few inches before falling back to his side. As if the spinning weren't enough, the young man's mind was also being bombarded by voices on all sides. Words such as 'love' and 'hurt' and 'mine' flitted through his brain, some caught by his ears but others seeming to appear from nowhere. It was confusing at best and downright painful at its worst, as he attempted to sort through the chaos of it all.
Suddenly, a hand gripped his, and it acted as an anchor to secure his place in the world. The sky stopped spinning, the ache in his head faded to a dull throb, and voices became distinct and attached to familiar friends. Wickhath was anxiously probing his rider's mind, trying to find some sense in there, and fighting to keep down his panic. He was heeding the warning that had originally been sent to Igrainth, though he desperately wanted to soar to his's rescue. Reassuring the brown became T'ryis's first priority, as he found he could form words in his mind once more. I'm all right, heart. His thoughts were slow and methodical at first, but it quickly became easier. Just whacked my head a little, don’t think it's too bad…
Realizing he should actually evaluate the extent of his injury, T'ryis raised his free hand slowly to feel along the back of his head. No blood, thankfully. Just a very hard smack, then.
Next, his eyes focused on the black cloud, which wasn't a cloud at all. "Ravyna?" he asked weakly, even though he knew it was her. A moment later, as his memory returned, a wave of embarrassment flooded through the brownrider and he sat up abruptly. "I'm fine - augh!" T'ryis moaned, lying back down again quickly. Everything had started to spin again, and the throbbing had sharpened in pitch. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recall the last thing she'd said. Her earlier speech had been lost in the jumble of Wickhath's, unfortunately, but the last… Something about calling him T'ryis. Well, why was that so strange? It was his name after all.
"Igrainth?" he gasped in surprise, as the realization came suddenly to him. "Do you mean Igrainth?" The thought of another dragon speaking his name helped to quell the queasiness rising in his gut. He had always known the green held an unusual affection towards him (though he'd never understood why), but for her to actually speak his name…that was an honour beyond words. Slowly, T'ryis levered himself into a sitting position, taking care not to rush it. He looked to Ravyna, wondering what she would think of the whole situation. After all, she might not like the idea of her dragon speaking his name...
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Post by B'kay on Jul 7, 2010 9:29:01 GMT -5
Ravyna, already concerned, became even more worried when T'ryis failed to respond right away. She gripped his hand more tightly and leaned forward, running a hand through his hair, peering into his eyes.
"Did you--" she began, as he spoke her name and tried to sit, and then moaned and slumped back to the ground. "Oh--"
She was just wondering if she should perhaps call to the dragons, debating on whether to leave him long enough to lead the runners to a nearby paddock and unsaddle them first for safety's sake, when he sat again.
She quickly slipped an arm around his shoulders, hoping to add some support to his efforts. Leaning back, she attempted to examine the back of his head, looking for bleeding.
"Igrainth?" he said.
Warmth once again filtered through her concern as she smiled and nodded. "Yes, Igrainth called you by name," she whispered, close to his ear. "Your head, do you think you cut it? Maybe we should bring you to the healers. Does anything else hurt? I can call the dragons, and move the runners to the paddock." Even as she said the words, the thought of letting him go, even for a moment, disturbed her. She tightened her arm around him protectively, almost possessively. Somewhere inside, her actions registered, and the old Ravyna, the independent, the forever-unattached, tried to voice a complaint deep in her gut. She told it to shut up and lightly kissed the side of T'ryis' head.
Another voice, one warm and sweet and oh so green, chuckled approvingly in her mind.
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