Watching Rukbat Rise

[M'kel]

It was dawn, and Retivor was up with Rukbat, as usual. He had slipped from the Candidates' Quarters and out of the Weyr entirely, through the tunnel and out into the Valley. There, he had settled onto a patch of dried old grass to gaze out over the ocean below. Sprite, his little green flitter, had been reticent to wake at first. She had never been the early riser he was, enjoying her beauty sleep far too much. He had carried her along, and she was awake now, perched peacefully on his raised knee. Her brightly whirling eyes were also fixed on the ocean below, until she turned to Retivor and chirped gently. He loved the time with her as much as the peacefulness of rising with the world, before everyone else.

His life had changed quite drastically of late, but this, at least, was constant. It didn't matter where he went, for there was always a glade, a lake, or, now, an ocean to slip away to. Retivor had grown up in the mountains, with a new valley to explore over every hill, and it didn't matter how far he went from that old life; Pern's natural beauty always had something new to offer.

That didn't mean he was entirely secure with this change in position, however. To be honest, Retivor had been quite content at the Herder Hall. He was following in his Father's footsteps, rising easily through his Apprenticeship. Now, he was at the only Weyr on Pern, a Weyr that didn't exist a few Turns ago. He couldn't deny it: the thought of Impressing a dragon of his own was beyond tempting. It seemed selfish to want a gigantic version of his own sweet Sprite, for he already felt undeserving of her affection. Still, every Pernese child dreamed of dragons, and Retivor was no exception. It would be...wonderful, to have that bond.

Weyr life was different, there was no denying that. He had gone from working with Herdbeasts every day to cleaning tables and other drudgework. It was rather surprising how the Weyr treated its candidates, its future dragonriders. Perhaps the strategy was to humble those who would some day rise above the rest of Pern. Either way, Retivor wasn't exactly enjoying that facet of this new life. In regards to the other candidates, well, Retivor was the one being reticent in that area. It was difficult being uprooted from the familiar. He hadn't had any close friends at the Hall, but it had been comfortable there.

"This isn't so bad, hm, my sweet?" he murmured, reaching to stroke along Sprite's arching neck. She chirruped happily in resonse, whirling eyes a radiant sky blue.

[Tealah]

And the blessed silence of dawn was broken.

The sharp yap-growl of a canine no longer a puppy and not quite an adult snapped out quite close, and was naturally followed soon thereafter by the canine. The beast was walking stiff-legged, black and tan fur bristling, teeth bared threateningly at this boy who'd invaded his valley.

The canine was, equally naturally, followed closely by a tumbling blur of human youth. Niera, still unused to the new length her legs had acquired even in the past month, had misjudged a step when racing after her canine and ended up sprawling. "Oof," as the breath was temporarily driven from her, and then a wheezing "Tipri, don't eat them!" as she scrambled to her knees and managed to dive on the canine. A short scuffle, and then Tipri grudgingly settled down. "Hoo, boy," the dusty, dirt-smudged girl exclaimed. "Sorry 'bout that, don't know what's into him lately, he's being such a knothead he is. It's not the first time he's seen a 'lizard but you'd think it was, wouldn't you?"

She flailed about for a second, managing to mostly de-dust herself but making the smudges worse in the process. "Bleeh, oh well. Oh hey, do I know you? I don't think we've met, are you new? Do you work in the stable or something? Oh! Are you a CANDIDATE?? I'll bet you are, you look like one." The girl looked distinctly pleased at having deduced so cleverly. And then she remembered the little firelizard "OH! She's so pretty, does she have a name? Is she nice? Can I pet her?"

Ah, the whirlwind that is Niera.

[M'kel]

The low growl that sounded behind him caused the hairs to raise on the back of Retivor's neck, immediately dispersing his peaceful mood. Images of wild felines creeping out of the jungle to pounce on him from behind filled his frantic mind, even though felines didn't typically growl, and his heart began to pound feverishly in his chest. With achingly slow and cautious movements, he shifted to turn and face the hunter, certain of his pending doom...

Well, Sprite would have none of that! With a screech, she launched herself into the air, winging straight for the canine in a blur of emerald green. When another figure shot into the Valley and threw itself at the canine, however, Sprite disappeared between immediately in surprise, reappearing above Retivor's head and flitting about in anxious circles, chattering all the while.

When Sprite had winged off towards the attacker, Retivor had been spurred into action of his own, leaping to his feet and finally facing the beast that growled its threat to his life. The ensuing scuffle, between human and canine rather than flitter and canine, as he'd expected to find, caused the lad to pause. He watched with wide eyes as a young girl subdued the scruffy canine, dusted herself off, and turned to him with a steady stream of comments and questions. His mouth slowly fell open, at a complete loss for words, as she drew to a finish and gazed up at him expectantly.

"Uh..." Retivor stammered, shaking his head quickly to clear his thoughts and try to sort through everything the young girl had just said. "Yeah, I am a candidate." He faltered, still struggling to adapt to her 'whirlwind' () of energy. He hadn't known anyone could talk so fast!

"I'm Retivor, and this is Sprite," he added slowly, gesturing upward at the green who was still circling his head and chittering away. "She's, um, I guess your canine scared her." Retivor was careful not to add that the canine had scared him of course! "Sprite, it's okay!" he directed upward, raising his arm to try and coax her down. She chittered more loudly for a moment before acquiescing and settling reluctantly on his arm. From there, she continued with a wild stream of upset sounds. What a rude beast to scare hers like that!

"I'm sure she'll let you pet her, when she calms down," Retivor continued, cautiously reaching out to stroke the flitt himself. "Are you a candidate, too?" Suddenly realizing how shaken he must still look, the lad forced himself to relax, smiling warmly at the girl. He didn't want to scare off another candidate, if she was one!

[Tealah]

Niera regarded the flitter with wide-eyed fascination. "Oh yeah, I don't blame her for being scared, if I didn't know my Tipri I'd be scared too, specially since he's so much bigger than her, yeah. But Tipri, he just likes to think he's fierce." She threw a scowl at the sulky canine, and just as quickly turned back to beam at the 'lizard. "Hii, there, Sprite," she said in a singsong voice. "Aren't you just the prettiest, most gorgeous green who ever lived?"

She capered around a moment, her arms out like wings. "Didja see her fly at Tipri, all like so? It was just the bravest, PRETTIEST thing I ever did see. Wouldn't it be great to be a 'lizard? I think it would be." Then she registered his question about whether she was a Candidate. "Me? Oh no, not me, not yet. I just turned old enough the last sevenday. What's it like, issit fun?"

(lol, didn't really have muse for Niera today but I wanted to get it done anyway. )

[M'kel]

Retivor couldn't help but grin at the girl's open admiration as she gazed at Sprite. The green, in turn, began to relax, sensing the attention focused on her. She tilted her head consideringly, giving her wings a little flutter. This was much better. No angry beasts attacking her, simply someone quietly admiring her beauty!

The lad restrained a chuckle at this stream of thoughts and emotions pouring from Sprite, continuing to stroke her. "She's just cautious, is all. I guess we weren't expecting company this early in the morning, and especially not canine company. I thought for a moment your Tipri might be wild..." He paused, then narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name...?"

As the young girl began to spin around, arms extended, Retivor grinned. "Yeah, it would be pretty neat being a fire lizard. I think Sprite enjoys it." The green chirped in agreement.

In response to her queries regarding candidacy, Retivor shrugged. "I haven't been one very long, myself. Mostly, it's a lot of chores." He grimaced at that. "But they say it'll be worth it once the Hatching comes!" Retivor smiled in excitement at the thought. "So why are you here, if you're not a candidate I mean? Do your parents work here?"

[Tealah]

Niera nodded sagely at Retivor's words about the firelizard being cautious. "'fi were that little, I'd be cautious too, I would." Pfft, yeah, like Niera would ever be cautious. If Tipri were human, he would have rolled his eyes at that. Niera, cautious?! Too funny.

Blissfully unaware of the hilarity her comment would have caused her canine companion, Niera grinned at Retivor and stuck her hand out to shake his - her dusty, dirt-smeared hand. "I'm Niera, spawn of traders and terror of the Weyr. Leastways, that's what the kitchen folk are al'ays telling me."

She looked a little wary when he asked why she was here, and what her parents did. "Er, my parents don't live at the Weyr. They're traders, they are, so they're al'ays roaming." Not to mention that they were long, long dead in this time. "I'm here fer m'educations, and t'be a Candidate if the dragons think I can." Granted, her parents had assumed her "educations" would involve her being apprenticed somewhere, and in a different time. But really, she wasn't lying, precisely.

[M'kel]

Niera's boldly proclaimed title and the flair with which she thrust forward her dirt-smeared paw was too much for Retivor, and the lad had to fight hard to smother a burst of laughter. Instead, a short chuckle rolled out, followed by the lad's own hand, and he gripped the young girl's in greeting. He was hardly put off by dirt, having tended herdbeasts for much of his life, but he did wipe his hand on his tunic as surreptitiously as possible afterward. Truly, he was more concerned about what the canine might have picked up and passed to the girl while wrestling than anything she could have happened into on her own.

"Terror of the Weyr, hm?" he smiled appreciatively, wondering briefly what she'd done to earn such a title from the Lower Caverns workers. "Well it is an honour to meet you, Miss Terror. I certainly hope that Sprite and I will not be your next victims, but I'll understand if we must."

Retivor nodded sagely as she described how she had come to be at the Weyr, though he was rather surprised that the Weyr had been willing to take in a Trader's daughter for study with the Weyr's harper when there were already countless 'brats to be tended. "You mean the dragons haven't checked to see if you have potential to be a candidate yet?" He'd understand if she had been tested, proved to be a possibility, and then was waiting until reaching the appropriate age for becoming a candidate. This was rather strange, though...

"No matter," he murmured hastily, not wanting to upset the girl. "I'm sure the dragons would be happy to have you stand at their next Clutch. And if not, there's no reason you'd have to leave the Weyr! I think. They have plenty of work for someone who'd want to stay..." He stopped abruptly, biting his lip. Was he just making it worse? That's great, Retivor, crush the poor girl's dreams but try to comfort her with reassurances that she could stay at the Weyr as a drudge or something equally as distasteful...

[Tealah]

Niera waved her hand dismissively when Retivor said his bit about him and prite not being her next victims, though she did grin. "Th'just saying that t'be nice, I bet. I'm not important enough t'be a real Terror, see? Just a kind of wee little terror." She giggled. "'magine it's a'cause I don't wear dresses and walk all snooty like t'other girls, an' a'cause I climb trees and race runners. Don't really see what's so Terrorable about that, though." She ruminated on that a second before registering his second question.

"Oh, well, as fer that now. I was young enough when I came to the Weyr that the dragons could only tell that maybe I could stand and maybe I couldn't, nothin' real specific y'know? It didn't really matter as much before, a'cause there were plenty that were the right age already an' all. An' I haven't really been, y'know, really around dragons that could tell that sort of thing." In fact, she'd been studiously avoiding dragons and dragonriders until she were old enough to Stand, out of the irrational fear that they'd recognize her and send her back before then. Of course, she was oblivious to the fact that this Weyr hadn't really been around long enough for her to have been so much too young to be Searched here.

She grinned again at his awkward reassurances. How nice of him to be worried about her feelings. "Oh, I know that I might not get to Stand an' all. Way I figger, th' Weyr needs all sorts'a people around to run, not just dragonriders.

[M'kel]

As Niera described the very qualities that had earned her such a title amongst the Lower Caverns workers, Retivor couldn't help but chuckle appreciatively, shaking his head. "Well, I'm glad you aren't snooty, and that you ride runners and climb trees! I think more girls could use an outlook like yours. Life is no fun if you spend it tied up in a dress or chained to the Kitchens. Faranth knows I love climbing trees!"

Retivor paused, gaze turning rather thoughtful, as he added in a lower, more confidential tone, "Y'know, there weren't very many trees where I grew up. Mostly shrubs and a few stunted conifers; we were very high up in the mountains, you see. That's why I love this Valley." He swept his arm around to encompass everything before them. "It's beautiful."

As Niera went on to explain why she hadn't been considered by a Searchdragon yet, the young lad caught that note of hesitation in her voice and pursed his lips consideringly. "Of course, the Weyr needs plenty of qualified people to help out, other than dragonriders. I'm sure you'd enjoy any of those jobs..." he assured her, wishing he could offer more comfort.

"If you'd like," Retivor added suddenly on impulse, "I'll go with you when you want to find a Searchdragon." He glanced up at Sprite and then back at the girl. "Who knows! I may be good luck!"