For one thing, there were the wings. Now, winged humans weren't actually all that rare.** It was kinda useful when you lived in a high, tree-city with no stairs. But most people didn't get a tail, too.
"Why do you want a tail?" Altair was saying.
"Why not?" Daman answered, grinning inwardly.
"Why would you want one? There's no point." Altair was confused.
Lili laughed. "He just likes it cause it makes him look more like a demon."
He grinned. It was an old joke between them. It wasn't his fault his name just happened to mean demon. Might as well have fun with it.
Lili explained to Altair what a demon was, then turned to Daman. "Two out of three, Daman. Now you just need the horns."
Daman laughed. "Naw, I'm already a psi*, it would be pointless."
"Never stopped you before..." Altair grumbled. "Hey! What's that?"
Daman glanced up. Two strangers had suddenly appeared, out of seemingly nowhere. They looked like Dimar, but all Daman could see in the dwindling light were their outlines. It was obvious they were fighting.
"You coming, Daman?" Altair said, Lili on his back. Daman realized they were going to find out what was happening.
"Sure, maybe I'll actually get to use these things."
Daman grabbed the tail of the other dragon, just before it, too, disappeared, taking Daman with it.
He didn't get far before he came upon another one of the dragons. Or, to be precise, he stepped on it's tail. The green dragon reared up, roaring in pain. It turned it's head to glare at Daman.
"Umm, Sorry?" Daman siad nervously.
"What's going on, Dresynith?" Daman watched as a young woman stepped out from behind the dragon.
She stopped and stared at Daman. "An offworlder, I presume?"
Daman blinked. "A what?"
The woman nodded. "Definitely an offworlder."
He stepped on my tail!
"Hey! I said I was sorry! I didn't see you, I was sorta preoccupied with trying to figure out what happened."
The woman stared at him. "You heard Dresynith?"
Daman blinked. "Yeah."
"My name's Maira, and the green over there is Dresynith. what's your name?" She said.
"Daman. Coud you tell where I am?"
She nodded. "You're outside of Lantessama Weyr on Pern. Say! You wouldn't happen to know a girl with long, black hair, has a silver streak in it, would you?"
Daman nodded. That was definitely Lili.
"Great! We just found her shortly before you. Come with me and we'll explain everything to you.
"Gah! What is that?" He yelled, backing away.
"That's a fire lizard. You must be an offworlder." He turned to see a young boy behind him. "Those eggs must be hatching soon. If you can steal an egg and hatch it, they make great pets."
Daman looked at the tiny golden flit, worrying over her eggs. He started thinking...
He burst back into the room where Lili was, his arms full with four rocking flit eggs, and a bowl of meat for the hatchlings balanced on his tail. And Altair said there was no point...
Lili looked at the eggs suspiciously. "What are those?"
"Flit eggs!" He said cheerfully. "I hear they make great pets. Here!" He handed two of the eggs to Lili, grabbing the bowl as one of his own eggs hatched, displaying a creeling white head.
Daman grinned, the white ones were supposed to be really rare. He was so busy with his white, trying to find a name for him, that he never noticed the gold flit steal away to Lili until it was too late. He looked up, seeing Lili with three baby fire lizards, while he had one.
"Hey! That was mine!" He yelled.
"Well, apparently she's mine now." Daman glared at her.
"Fine then, see you when the clutch hatches." He grinned evilly. "Oh, by the way. I took the liberty of signing the both of us up to stand."
He ran out of the room as he heard Lili yelling. "WHAAAAAAATTT!?!?!?!?!?"
*Dimar's are large, dragon-like creatures that are native to the planet Dimar. They are easily as intelligent as humans, and share cities with them. They have scales, and fur, mainly on their backs and on their belly.
**Barryds are giant, living tree-cities. They were built by the Dimar and thus, don't have any stairs. Often, the only way to get around is by flying. Through a form of genetic engineering known as Waters, They can change just about anyhting about them, most often color. Humans often pay Nila, the currency on Dimar, to get wings.
*Humans that have a small amount of psychic abilities are known as psi's. Dimars naturally have these abilities. They use their horns to communicate telepathically, rather than as a natural weapon.