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Post by M'kel on Jun 16, 2010 16:19:24 GMT -5
((Continued from: "Nuffin' to do, Bored Toddler" thread in Healing Caverns))
As the wave of relief passed over Gaylen's features at his offer to care for the toddler, R'tivor was glad he'd made the decision. He smiled to further reassure the bluerider that he was sincere. An afternoon with Rannell couldn't be nearly as bad as poring over old records, which seemed to be what he would have been helping the Healer with if he'd stayed. The greenrider nodded absently as Gaylen explained her predicament, then stepped over to the washbasin, as requested. He winced slightly at the thought of those sticky fingers getting on his nice blue tunic; it was a very good idea to wash them, indeed.
Next came the toys, of course, for no toddler can spend an evening at the beach without those. R'tivor looked around uncertainly at first, then solved the problem quickly by stepping over to Aramunith. "How would you like to ride the pretty green dragon?" he asked the toddler, hoisting him up experimentally onto the Weyrling's back. At her current size, the fall wouldn't be too far if Rannell slipped, so R'tivor hoped Gaylen would be all right with it. He cast her an inquisitive glance to see if she objected, keeping his hands raised to steady Rannell.
"You don't mind, do you, Ara?" he asked quietly. He hadn't really expected his darling green to be opposed to the idea, but it was important to him to ask.
Not at all. Aramunith wiggled experimentally, twisting her head around to gaze at Rannell with considering eyes. He is a little heavier than the little cousin, but not too much. I will go slowly, but tell him to hold on!
R'tivor grinned at the excited greens and blues whirling in his beloved's eyes. "Aramunith says hold on, Rannell!"
Satisfied with that, the greenrider loaded up his arms with all of the proferred tools of entertainment, ducked as Wizzerd whizzed over his head, and led his unlikely group from the Healing Caverns to the beach. Sprite snorted slightly at Wizzerd's antics during the journey, alighting on R'tivor's shoulders and striking her most dignified pose. Once they reached the shoreline, Aramunith promptly settled onto a warm patch of sand, both to make it easier for R'tivor to retrieve Rannell and to soak in the heat.
"All right," R'tivor said, dropping his armload of toys in the sand and looking up at Rukbat's bright orb in the sky. His reservations had vanished completely by now; he would never have had the opportunity to enjoy such a lovely afternoon if not for Rannell! "Are you ready to come down, do you think?" he asked the toddler.
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 17, 2010 17:45:57 GMT -5
To Rannell, the only creatures more exciting than firelizards were dragons. When his Gammy had given a smile and nod of permission to R'tivor, and he'd been lifted onto Aramunith's back, the child had actually been speechless with rapture ... for a few minutes.
"I rided A'bamf and I rided Gwaliff wiv' my Gammy and Pappa," he jabbered as they approached the warm sands. His little hands gripped Aramunith's neck ridges tightly, loosening every so often to give the young green a stroke. "But Auntie Aury's lellow d'agon don't like me berry muts. She won' let me ride her. Auntie Aury tell'd me she said I was'it digny-flied. But I fink I like Moonis best, she jussa right size!"
Ranny went momentarily silent when they stopped and the dragon settled into the sand. Her movements rocked him side to side. He gripped tightly and giggled.
This was the best ride ever!
For a moment, when R'tivor offered to help him down, disappointment shadowed the child's eyes. However, Wizzerd dove for the sand and began digging furiously, coming up with a proud chirrup and a tiny, opalescent shell.
"Pretty!" Ranny said with a laugh. He threw his leg over Aramunith's back, and began to slide down her shoulder --
-- much faster than he'd planned for!
The slide quickly became a fall, as Ranny threw his arms backward with a frightened squeal and sped spread-eagle toward the sand.
Wizzerd screeched a warning and shot toward Hers, eyes sparking red!
(ooc: mischievous grin, have fun translating rapid-fire toddlerbabble.... )
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Post by M'kel on Jun 17, 2010 22:19:12 GMT -5
The toddler's constant stream of speech kept R'tivor grinning the whole walk to the beach. He put in an occasional, "Is that so?" and "Wow", though he doubted that his input mattered much to Rannell. The little boy seemed happy to share his thoughts with the world regardless of who was listening. And regardless of who could understand them, the Weyrling added belatedly, as he struggled to keep up with what Rannell was trying to communicate. It wasn't a surprise at all to the lad that a gold would be so snooty, which was the only word he could think of to describe it. Then again, R'tivor had to remind himself that Aramunith was a very unique dragon. Her sweet demeanour extended to humans beside her rider, which was very unusual. It made him love her all the more.
When they had reached the beach, and Aramunith had settled into the sand, R'tivor could tell that Rannell wasn't thrilled about the idea of getting off her right away. As the little boy's brow creased with disappointment, R'tivor turned away, just for a moment. He had looked to the ocean, which was sparkling like a gem under Rukbat's light, when Rannell's laugh and Wizzerd's screech brought him 'round. It had only been for a moment, but a moment's distraction was long enough, and there was the toddler, dropping to the sand. Although Aramunith's back was low enough that Rannell shouldn't be too hurt by the fall, R'tivor reacted instinctively. His turn towards Aramunith fluidly transformed into a dive, and ended in an unimpressive faceplant. The coarse, gritty sand scratched at his cheeks and arms from below, but the weight crushing his forearms from above came as a relief. Even if he hadn't scooped the boy out of mid-air, as planned, at least he'd broken his fall!
Just like Trilia had broken his, R'tivor thought with a groan. He'd scarcely healed from that incident, his broken arm just now mended, and a fresh ribbon of pain shot up its length from this graceful endeavour.
"Are you okay?" he mumbled, raising a sand-coated face to stare up at Rannell. Oh, Gaylen would have his hide if the boy had gotten hurt. Worse than chores in the Healing Caverns, he would be stuck mucking out the Stables for sevendays, or changing dim glows for Turns! Since he was a dimglow himself, perhaps that would be appropriate.
What happened? Aramunith asked in surprise, standing and turning to see what all the commotion was about. In doing so, she inadvertently sprayed sand over the pair, further adding to R'tivor's misery. So used to her rider's ease in mounting and dismounting for their lessons, she didn't understand that the smaller boy was too young to land easily on his feet, like R'tivor could. Her rider sent her a wave of reassurance, though he wasn't so confident himself that everything was okay.
Meanwhile, Sprite was flitting around through the air after Wizzerd as if it was all the other green's fault. Hadn't she gotten hers all excited about that white shiny? Now look what had happened!
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 18, 2010 9:37:36 GMT -5
The ground did not hit him with as big a bump as it should have, and Rannell realized quickly that he was in R'tivor's arms. Still, his lower lip jutted in a pout and he began to sniffle. Tears welled in the corners of his green eyes, trying to decide if it was time to cry, even though nothing hurt.
Then, he looked into R'tivor's face and saw both the covering of sand, which twitched the lips momentarily into a sideways grin, and something else....
The greenrider's expression was not happy. He was not laughing about the sand on his face. There was ... he had seen pain before. He had seen people's faces in pain. Horrible pain. Memory flashed back into his young mind, memory that happier times at the Weyr had nearly buried beneath them.
He began to whimper, not for himself, but for the pain in his friend's eyes. "Is you o'tay?" he repeated R'tivor's query. "Do you gots a boo boo?" His little face clouded with shadows that no three-turner should every have to wear.
He reached a chubby hand to gently brush some of the sand off his friend's cheek, just as a shower of the stuff landed all over them.
He blinked, a fist going to his eye, for some of the grit had gone right into the bright green orb. He rubbed, whining.
"I gots dirt in my eye, Re-vor," the little voice said as the whine broke off in a sob. "Do you gots a boo boo, too?"
He tried to sniffle back the tears that were starting to run from his nose, and added, "I torry, I was jus' tryin' to get down like'a big riders do!"
Wizzerd, meanwhile, was shrieking in fear, trying to avoid the angry flitter who scolded her so loudly. She dove through the shower of sand, and wedged herself up as close as she could between the Big Cousin's forelegs. Peering out, she pressed herself against Aramunith's chest, and chattered back at Sprite, her shiny shell forgotten in all the confusion.
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Post by M'kel on Jun 23, 2010 16:50:39 GMT -5
R'tivor was just spitting sand out of his mouth when a small, chubby hand reached out and brushed the clinging particles from his face. Surprised, he looked to the toddler, who seemed relatively unhurt but unhappy nonetheless. He was just beginning to nod in answer to the tot's query about whether he was okay, when the wave of sand hit. R'tivor was immediately on guard; while Rannell had only been unhappy about the fall, he might be very upset with the sand spray.
Sure enough, the toddler cried out in pain and rubbed at his eye, while big tears began to roll down his round cheeks. It was heartbreaking to see Rannell so distressed, though R'tivor could never guess what memories were contributing to his pain. The greenrider's response was immediate. Brushing his own discomfort aside (his arm wasn't really that bad), he pushed himself into a sitting position and brought the toddler into his arms.
"It's okay, Rannell," he murmured, doing his best to soothe the little boy. "I wasn't hurt at all, just surprised. You did a good job getting off Aramunith; she was just a little too high for you. In a few Turns, you'll be just like the big riders. You'll see!" R'tivor tried to inject some cheery enthusiasm into his tone, hoping to turn the toddler's mood around. "Is your eye any better now or does it still hurt? Maybe a dragon kiss would make it feel better?"
With that, he shot a pleading look up at Aramunith. The little green's pointed head was hovering over the pair, eyes whirling yellow with concern. I didn't mean to hurt him! she told her rider, obviously very upset by this turn of events.
I know you didn't, heart. He's just very little. But you can help him feel better. Sensing Aramunith's eagerness to assist, he sent her an image of what he was hoping for, and although she was slightly confused by the gesture, the green leaned forward obligingly to touch the tip of her snout gently against the toddler's head. That task completed, and hopefully having ended the toddler's tears, Aramunith turned her attention to the remaining disturbance: that of the battling green flitts. She sent Sprite such a stern warning that the green's screeches cut off mid-stream, and the flitt dropped immediately from the sky to land meekly on R'tivor's shoulder. To Wizzerd, she sent assurance that the little green was not to blame. Everything had just been a misfortunate accident.
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jun 24, 2010 17:53:21 GMT -5
There are several nice things about tears. One of the nicest is that, when a little eye is full of sand, tears help to wash that little eye clean. Thus, by the time Rannell had a chance to really think about the fact that he was hurting, he really wasn't any more.
Between R'tivor's hug, and Aramunith's lovely dragon kiss, though the tears still filled the child's eyes, his lips had curved into a smile. He reached up and kissed the greenrider on the cheek.
"You guys hugged and kissed me all better," he reached out toward Aramunith, a look of sheer adoration on his face, "Alllllll better!"
As Sprite landed on R'tivor's shoulder, Wizzerd, taking comfort and reassurance from the Big Cousin, cautiously left the shelter of the dragon's chest, and returned to her favorite perch on Ranny's head. She tilted her head toward the older green flitt as if to keep one eye on her, and chirped a note of appreciation toward Aramunith.
Ranny, still smiling, sighed happily and looked around. His toys were there in the sand, waiting for a good afternoon of digging, but the breeze had picked up, and when you are three turns old, breezes often whisper of adventure.
"Can we go fo'a walk?" he asked, pointing down the beach. He could see the water rippling on the sand, along a stretch where it sparkled white in the sun. The beach narrowed there, and the fingers of the ocean reached toward a rocky outcropping. There were many large hollows in the rocks that contained more of the pure white sand, and seaweed was draped here and there as if the outcrop was under water during the highest tides.
The child stood, curiosity pulling him forward. "I want to see dose rocks, Re-Vor. See? Da san' is like little san'boxes in da rocks."
Without waiting for his friend's response, Ranny grabbed a pail and a shovel and headed down the beach.
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Post by M'kel on Jul 12, 2010 13:54:43 GMT -5
As R'tivor looked on with hopeful and anxious eyes, he watched the effects of his hug and Aramunith's kiss sink in. Rannell's tears stopped, and the little boy gave him the heart-melting smile only a toddler can give, followed by a kiss on his cheek! The greenrider was shocked for a moment, unused to such shows of affection (not to mention the overly-friendly ways of young ones), but then he smiled back.
Aramunith, in turn, reached out her snout to nuzzle Rannell's extended hand, her eyes whirling a brilliant blue now that she had helped to soothe his pain. She gave a low rumble and blew out a puff of air over his curly head, before stepping carefully away from the pair to avoid doing them more harm. Can I go swim now, mine? she inquired, pausing hesitantly on the beach.
R'tivor nodded absently, his attention on the toddler for now, and the green dragon waded eagerly into the water. "Yes, we can go for a walk if you'd like," he replied to Rannell's query. It seemed his answer was quite unnecessary, however, as the little boy had already taken off with pail and shovel in hand, meandering cheerfully towards his 'san'boxes'. The greenrider leapt to his feet, surprised at how quickly a toddler could move when he had a destination in mind, and scooped up the rest of the supplies Gaylen had loaded him with for the afternoon. Then, he jogged through the sand to catch up with Rannell and grinned down at the little boy.
"Where would you like to stop? How about this one?" he asked, pointing to a 'san'box' located close to the ocean. He wanted to be able to keep an eye on both Ara and Rannell, if possible, and the lithe green was bobbing to the surface every once in a while in just that location. "Would you like to make a sandhold, Rannell?" It had been a long time since he'd made such a creation himself, and R'tivor found himself unexpectedly excited by the idea of shaping the sand! Hopefully, he'd be a little more skilled at it now than when he was Rannell's age.
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jul 14, 2010 14:05:49 GMT -5
Rannell had his eyes set on a "san'box" several levels up in the rocks. He could only see a portion of it, as it was partly hidden by an outcropping, and that was probably the main reason it appealed to him. Little minds expand to the ends of the universe when imagination kicks in, and Ranny was imagining that particular collection of sand must go on forever just around the bend, and be filled with all sorts of treasures to dig for.
Then, R'tivor stopped near one closer to the water.
Ranny's eyes flickered to the best san'box on the beach, and back to the one that seemed to hold very little mystery in comparison, and was about to complain, when R'tivor said a simply magical word.
"Sandholds".
His green eyes sparkled with excitement, and he clambered into the indicated sand, tugged off his shoes and stockings, tossed them out of the pit, and held up his shovel and pail to his friend.
"Make me a BIG san'hold, Re'vor! Gammy t'ies to make san'holds, but hers awways falls down. You can make a BIG one, and we can dig a hole and put water in and we can have a san'hold by a lake!"
Even as he looked expectantly at his greenrider friend, the grin broadening across his little face, however, the mind under that curly golden mop was storing the Mystery San'box away for future reference.
Wizzerd, who had been alternately lighting on Ranny's head, and hopping into the air for little soaring surveys of her surroundings, dove into the sand and began to dig gleefully.
Ranny giggled. "Wizzerd 'tarting to dig the lake!"
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Post by M'kel on Jul 29, 2010 16:47:40 GMT -5
((OMG sorry I've been so awful keeping up. Been labouring away on scholarship applications for the past while during my work breaks…))
As R'tivor waited expectantly for the young toddler's reaction, he was rewarded with the enthusiasm he'd hoped for, as Rannell practically leapt into the indicated 'san'box' and readied himself for the sandhold building. The greenrider paused, considering the toddler's now bare feet, then shrugged and followed suit. He tucked his stockings carefully into his boots and set them aside, digging his toes into the sand and grinning at the pleasant yet gritty warmth.
"Okay!" he declared cheerfully. "I'll help you make the biggest sandhold you've ever seen!" With that, R'tivor took hold of the proffered pail and shovel. He was getting a little carried away, practically taking over the project even, but the greenrider was determined to make Rannell a brilliant sandhold. Promptly, the lad moved to the shoreline to collect moistened sand and pack it into the bucket. He returned quickly with the first load and tipped the bucket over, carefully wiggling it so that the packed sand would retain its shape once he lifted the pail free.
"What do you think of that?" he asked smugly, pleased with the progress so far. Unfortunately, Wizzerd's enthusiastic digging was spraying sand a little too close to his budding sandhold, so the greenrider waved a hand at the green to shoo her off. Just then, a glint of white in the sand caught his eye, and R'tivor was inspired.
"Hey Rannell, how about you collect some pretty white shells to decorate our sandhold?" he asked, holding up the specimen for example. There! He was better at this babysitting thing than he thought he would be. He'd just come up with a way for Rannell to be involved in the making of the sandhold, without risking the toddler toppling it with too much enthusiasm. "So you look for those, and I'll get more sand!" With that, the lad trudged off to the water's edge once more. He began filling the pail, more slowly this time, as Sprite got it in her head to help out. The little green was causing more chaos than she was helping, however, and as a result, R'tivor's back was turned for quite some time...
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Post by **Auria (etc)** on Jul 29, 2010 20:16:42 GMT -5
Rannell's green eyes grew wider and brighter as R'tivor worked on the sandhold. When he removed the pail and revealed its magnificence, the toddler squealed in delight and applauded, sandy hands spraying grit into his hair and down his shirtfront. He giggled and Wizzerd took to the air, doing aerial somersaults in excitement over the marvelous feat of architecture.
"S'ells! SeeS'ells!" the little guy shouted with a laugh, thinking his friend Re'vor was simply a genius, as the greenrider held up the shiny white object. Wizzerd landed on Ranny's head, stretching out her neck to inspect it approvingly, before the babysitter wandered toward the shore for more wet sand.
Ranny loved sees'ells, and was very good at collecting them. "I get lotsa dem," he called back over his shoulder as he began digging about for more of the shinies. He found one, with Wizzerd's help, in the san'box they had been playing in, and laid it carefully next to its match near the sandhold.
After digging about for a moment, Wizzerd chattered a complaint, and moved toward the next sand-filled impression slightly higher up the rocks. Rannell was climbing over the edge of the pit to follow her when his tummy rumbled.
He stopped and dug through the sacks and packs his Grammy had sent along, knowing he would find the ever present snack bag. Sure enough, there it was, filled with sweet biscuits. Grabbing two cookies in each hand, he tucked them into his tunic pockets, stuffed a fifth into his mouth, and scrambled after Wizzerd, who was already digging furiously in the higher patch of sand.
The pair found a few shells there, which joined the cookies in the pocket. Satisfied that they'd depleted that particular patch of sand, the toddler and the flitter quickly moved onward, and upward.
Pockets full of shells and biscuit crumbles, Ranny and Wizzerd rounded a higher outcropping of rock, looking for yet another sand pit in which to hunt for treasure.
What they found instead caused the boy to pause as a barrage of fear and pain shot over him. Wizzerd cried out.
"Oh, oh!" Rannell cried out softly, and rushed forward, bruising tender bare feet on the rocks, and digging furiously into his pockets....
[dot ... dot ... dot]
It was only a few minutes later that the pair appeared around the rocks again, Ranny weeping from the pain in his belly and the pain of his feet, and Wizzerd crying out frantically.
"Re'Vor! Re'Vor!" the boy screamed between sobs, holding the front of his tunic up in an awkward position. "RE'VOR! HELP HELP! I ran outta COOKIES!"
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