"But he's going to have my hide if you're late!"
W'ick glared at the young boy, who then made himself scarce. If it was to inform the weyrling master that W'ick would be slightly late to their class, or just out of his sight, W'ick really didn't much care.
All he cared about at the moment was his dragon, and his flight gear.
"This will be the best entrance ever," W'ick said to Koanth who grumbled a bit on his couch.
But you are putting things over your head! I like your head! It is white and everyone else's isn't!
"I know, you can tell me apart in a crowd," the dark man smirked. He then donned a helmet with a blue top and a black bottom over his white short-curled hair. "What do you think?"
You look like you are ready to fall off my back! Let us go! I wish to fly.
"You've always wished to fly, my friend!"
You are awake now! Koanth bespoke happily. I told little Cheeper that you would be all right!
"Seeeee! Riiiderrrr not swim!" The dolphin bobbed up into the wave which W'ick was carried upon. Koanth sat on the sand some short distance away, and watched as his rider was deposited before him, all soaked and somewhat bruised from his fall into the water.
You're a great rider, my friend, but a lousy swimmer. Do you not remember the weyrleader telling you it would be a bad storm? Even I remember that!
"Shut up," W'ick spat out seawater from his mouth. "Where are we?"
Far away, we'll be going to the weyr soon. Our home weyr again. The pride in the dragon's mind said that he'd been paying attention to W'ick's boastful talk about Blackstone.
"Well, the sooner the better," W'ick grumbled.
Not if you are wet and cold! You will die between!
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. You'll have to wait then." He looked at the dolphin and held out his hand to scratch him. They grey creature pipped and laughed, turned over and allowed the rider to scratch a hard to reach place.
"Thaaaaanks!" Cheeper said, and then was gone with the waves.
"Never been with a dolphin before, wow..." W'ick said, awed. "Now, I guess I could start a fire or something..."
Or you could let me --
"Don't even think about it!"
Are you done complaining yet? Came a dragon's voice from above. Then, a large Bronze -- no, make that huge Bronze -- came into view. You will be welcome if you can just get off your backside. So says my rider.
"And who would that be?" W'ick said, annoyed. The Bronze landed and from his smooth back came a familiar blond-haired man.
"That would be me," H'lis said, smiling. "You're welcome to come along with us to the wing meeting, too. Since you're in. You and R'iel."
"The wing."
"The wing, yes."
"Which would be... what again?"
"The Shadow wing. We don't talk about it."
"Ah, that's probably why I haven't heard about it."
W'ick and H'lis kicked around old jokes and bad puns until the wet rider was not longer soaked, and then mounted up. His ride with the Shadow wing was only second to the Shard's Spine wing he had also joined! How could you be in two at once?
How could you not?
