Past Memories -- And Something Else?

[M'kel]

((Post # 700! WOOT! lol))

The Weyr had finally quieted down for the night, and many of the Weyrfolk had retired to their beds. The Night Watch would be heading out soon to guard the Weyr while it slept, and Retivor was slightly anxious about that. However, he had Sprite with him, and she would surely warn him if any wher decided he was an intruder, and it was unlikely the whers would be meandering over to the Lake. Their duties kept them near the entrance to the Weyr, so the candidate should be left mostly undisturbed.

Which was exactly what he wanted, this calm night, as the young lad gazed out over the smooth Lake waters. In the darkness, with the trees on the other side virtually invisible, the Lake almost looked like the one back home. The one he had visited on evenings, just like this, to meet with his friend.

Well, that was long ago, and not something he should really be thinking about. Especially considering what had happened the last time he visited that lake before leaving for the Crafthall.

Still, it drew him. Undeniably so. The good memories gave him reason to reflect, and the bad ones were important to remember. He would not make the same mistake again.

The water was too still. Retivor cast around before finding a small stone, then tossed it into the water. He watched the ripples spread, diminish, and disappear. On his shoulder, Sprite's head began to droop against his. With a smile, he reached up to stroke along her tail draped down his arm. "Maybe we should go to bed now," he murmured, although he made no move to rise. There was something keeping him at the Lake unusually late, this night.

[Cilnah]

Mind numbing. Cold. Nothing. This was the place known as between, the place where he and his dragon had spent several long stretches. Pushing until the boy's lungs were screaming, and his head was lolling. Until he was sure that his existence would simply cease. And then they would be out again, and the pain and glory of feeling would return with a rush of air into his lungs. The relief he felt then was indescribable. But then, so was the irresistible urge to go again. To get the journey over with.

All of this flashed through, K'nte's mind as the seconds ticked by in his latest jump between. This one was seeming to drag, longer and longer until he knew with absolute certainty that this was the last. Shelath never pushed himself or His this hard without a reason. And so, with a rush of air and the soft crack of returning to the world, the boy looked down on a deserted, silent Bowl, a lake just under him. The night was quiet, and he briefly wondered what time it was as the Brown settled in near silence on the shore, not noticing the figure of another not far down the lakeside. "Is this it, then?" he asked softly to his companion, looking around futily, as if somehow the ones he was looking for would be there the instant he appeared.

Beside him, the big Brown gave a deep, rumbling laugh as he shook the last of the numbness from his wings, and let His slip to the ground. He watched as the boy took a few hesitant steps before feeling came back to his limbs, then nodded.

This is it, K'nte-mine. We are done with our journey.[/color]

[M'kel]

Even Retivor's eyes were starting to droop, and he was feeling the need to rise and find his bed, when a strange swishing sound came from above. The lad froze, a shiver running down his spine at the sound, and Sprite perked up immediately on his shoulder. She peered around, whirling eyes penetrating deeper into the darkness than his blue eyes could. The crunching sound of sand accompanied an image from Sprite: a shadowy dragon landing just down the shoreline.

Quickly, Retivor rose. He stood for a moment, unsure. If this was a Sweeprider returning from duty, he would have expected them to go straight to their weyr for bed. And if they'd wanted something from the Lower Caverns first, they would have landed closer to there. So, he decided, it must be a dragonrider seeking the very thing Retivor was: quiet and solitude.

A soft voice sounded in the distance, the words carried closer by the water. Retivor strained slightly to catch them, then felt ashamed for it. The rider was obviously speaking to his dragon, not expecting anyone else to be around to hear. The dragon, in turn, gave a rumbling response, a deep sound that nearly made Retivor jump.

As the rider jumped down from his dragon and began to wander in the candidate's direction, the young man realized he couldn't just slip away now. The movement might catch either dragon or rider's attention, and then they'd want to know who'd been creeping around while they thought they were alone.

Thus, Retivor took a deep breath and strode forward a few steps. "Hey," he called softly, hoping he didn't startle the pair too much. "I'm sorry to interrupt. I was just heading to bed anyways, so the Lake is all yours, if you want..."

[Cilnah]

K’nte, having turned back to his Brown and taken a few steps toward him with the intention of climbing back upon his broad back, nearly jumped out of his skin when a soft voice sounded behind him. Shelath swung his head in the direction of the sound, and looked with the intention of finding this time, quickly focusing on the boy as His turned to face the unknown person. It was dark enough and silent enough that he had thought himself alone here. Though, after realizing that he couldn’t see the boy clearly, he was forced to take a few steps forward to get a good look at him. It was then that he saw the flit on his shoulder, and a slight grin lit his face. Not a guard then. And maybe, just maybe, he’d know his way around here.

That was when he spoke, and K’nte couldn’t help a soft laugh, which was echoed by the Brown behind, though the second was loud enough to shudder the ground beneath. The big dragon, sensing that he might be making the boy nervous, tried to downsize, folding in his wings and lowering his head until he appeared to be peering over His’ shoulder. “If anyone is interrupting here, I’m pretty sure it’s us,” K’nte answered amiably, waving off the concern. “Though, if you’re headed back inside, it would be great if you could show me the way.” His gaze shifted to the little Green perched on the boy’s shoulder. “If not, I quite understand. We’ll just wait until it is light again.”

At saying ‘we’, he gestured back towards Shelath. The brown was going on seven years old, and was extremely large, the size of a runt bronze. If someone took the time to notice, it would be fairly obvious that he wasn’t from any of the hatchings since the founding of this weyr. Though…. K'nte wouldn’t know that, would he, having just arrived, and not knowing the time frame he was currently in. His mind wandered in that direction. What was the name of this place? How many dragons were here? Who was the Weyrwoman? Who could he find that would know his siblings? How would they react when they saw him? All questions that he didn't yet have answers to...

ooc://Sorry it's kind of short. >.<

[M'kel]

The dragon's and rider's reactions to his call were noticeable, even in the shadows, and Retivor winced slightly at startling them. As the brownrider turned to him, the candidate shuffled his feet uncomfortably, rather intimidated by being the focus of a dragonrider's attention, especially one of apparent rank. Ah, who was he kidding...any dragonrider was intimidating. They all had that majestic force about them that encompassed even more than the imposing dragons looming over their shoulders.

Yet, as the brownrider drew closer, Retivor realized that the other young man was not nearly as tall and impressive as first appearances would suggest. They might even be the same height, and though his face was drenched in shadow, the brownrider's expression seemed friendly enough.

Rather reassured by these superficial observations, Retivor took a deep breath and tried not to let his eyes keep slipping past the brownrider to the monstrous dragon beyond. Distracted as he was, it took the candidate a moment to realize that something the dragonrider had said didn't quite make sense.

"Sorry," he sputtered, shaking his head as if he'd heard wrong, "Show you the way?" The lad was at a complete loss. This dragonrider wanted a candidate to escort him into the Weyr proper? Either the man was playing some kind of a game, wanting to demonstrate his power by having a candidate perform a menial task, or he was drunk, or...

Tired of these random musings, Retivor finally blurted out, "Why do you need me to show you the way?" He flushed abruptly at such an impertinent query, wondering if he would find his chore load doubled by morning. You never could tell with these dragonriders; supporters of the old Weyrwoman's rule could be just as cruel as she once was.

"I mean, I can, I'll take you inside," Retivor added quickly. Sprite was beginning to flare her wings, sensing his discomfort, and he was eager to avoid bringing down more ire on himself.