Post by Kitari on Jul 16, 2008 14:04:17 GMT -5
The Lordling was oblivious to the others around him, mind and heart aware only of the green dragon whose whirling eyes gazed into his own. He closed his eyes for a moment as the warm breath crossed his fingertips, feeling a shiver in his spine as the warmth seemed to blossom, spreading down his arm and throughout his body. The relaxation it brought was comparable to that in a sweet dream, for only at night could the stress of the day vanish. It was all-encompassing and profound, stirring soft emotions long dormant in this hardened soul.
Treylis felt a shift in the snout beneath his palm, and he opened his eyes, letting his hand fall to his side as the green shifted closer. She nuzzled his cheek, much like a runnerbeast did to demonstrate affection, and yet this held so much more than a simple beast's affection for its master. This was a gesture between equals, between more than equals, almost like that between...
'Friend.' The eyes that had half-closed widened suddenly, and Treylis tensed in surprise, though the relaxation did not leave him entirely. For a moment he gazed at the dragon, wondering if he had imagined the word. Had it drifted into his mind of its own accord, since he had been thinking along those lines? Had he been driven mad by his entrapment? Or was it possible that dragons not only understood humans, but that they could communicate with them using actual words... Such intelligence in a creature was beyond imagining.
A flutter began in his stomach; it held a desire stronger than any he had ever felt, even more so than his longing to become Lord Holder. That childish fancy every Pernese youth held was reawakened, yet it was far deeper than that immature desire for adventure and prowess. To be bonded to such an intelligent creature, to be comforted in his every woe, to know that despite the trials of the day, there was one being on Pern who believed in him... Treylis was surprised by the sudden flash of jealousy he experienced, for Ravyna was unbelievably lucky to have Igrainth.
"Thank you," he murmured, feeling utterly lacking in that plain response. Treylis bit his lip in an uncharacteristic show of uncertainty, but the words came remarkably easily. "I would very much like…for us to be friends."
Treylis felt a shift in the snout beneath his palm, and he opened his eyes, letting his hand fall to his side as the green shifted closer. She nuzzled his cheek, much like a runnerbeast did to demonstrate affection, and yet this held so much more than a simple beast's affection for its master. This was a gesture between equals, between more than equals, almost like that between...
'Friend.' The eyes that had half-closed widened suddenly, and Treylis tensed in surprise, though the relaxation did not leave him entirely. For a moment he gazed at the dragon, wondering if he had imagined the word. Had it drifted into his mind of its own accord, since he had been thinking along those lines? Had he been driven mad by his entrapment? Or was it possible that dragons not only understood humans, but that they could communicate with them using actual words... Such intelligence in a creature was beyond imagining.
A flutter began in his stomach; it held a desire stronger than any he had ever felt, even more so than his longing to become Lord Holder. That childish fancy every Pernese youth held was reawakened, yet it was far deeper than that immature desire for adventure and prowess. To be bonded to such an intelligent creature, to be comforted in his every woe, to know that despite the trials of the day, there was one being on Pern who believed in him... Treylis was surprised by the sudden flash of jealousy he experienced, for Ravyna was unbelievably lucky to have Igrainth.
"Thank you," he murmured, feeling utterly lacking in that plain response. Treylis bit his lip in an uncharacteristic show of uncertainty, but the words came remarkably easily. "I would very much like…for us to be friends."