Ki'yeal yawned and stretched his arms high over his head. He waited for the satisfying pop as his shoulders rolled away the tension from a long night of sleeping on the ground. Muscles coiled and tensed in his back, shifting freely when the young man relaxed. Beneath him pumped the powerful wings of a large, blue dragon, sleek and defined from his years of work. The wind whipped up around the pair, tossing Ki'yeal's cape in the high breeze and tickling the edges of Yath's wide wing sails. The blue dragon rumbled low in his throat, snapping his tines to their full extent and gliding on the warm thermal that shot up from the ground.
Where to next? Ki'yeal inquired lightly of his bond. Wide, calloused hands rested on the blue's neck ridges, attentive to the subtle shifts in the muscles as Yath turned his head this way and that. They flew over a wide, grassy plain, heedless of what time or even day it was. Such things didn't matter. They were flying for the mere joy of it, as they had been since their journey began.
Lao Daemia was nice but the Weyrs of the Old World interest me. Perhaps Ryslen? Yath returned in deep, resonating tones. For such a large and gentle blue, one wouldn't expect his voice to sound like the ominous toll on an oversized gong that it was. Everything about him was overpowering; coils of steely muscles rippling across his form; a dark, thick hide, built up from years in the tropical atmosphere of the Warren; a mental calm that was as deep as the bottoms of the ocean. And yet, you couldn't find a politer dragon in all of the Nexus.
No... Ryslen's in the midst of their second Flurry. Besides, the Serach Rider chuckled lightly, I'd rather avoid Dungar right now. He probably curses Cali' and Terra even in his sleep.
The Old World dragon responded with a brassy laugh of his own. Terra would not be pleased with that. His eyes whirled a mirthful shade of blue, two tones lighter then his hide. Only around his rider did he feel free to laugh and joke.
I wonder how Myia's doing though. The rider's thoughts drifted to the amber haired woman whom had been around the Warren almost as long as himself. She had an air about her of someone too strong to be deterred by 'normal' enemies. Myia was fierce, kind, and had been Ki'yeal's friend for many years. He had left a few months after her mate had vanished from the Nexus. Thus he worried about her still. Of all the Warren riders, aside from her brother, he had been closest to her.
Yath rumbled low in his chest, turning his head slightly so that a single, faceted eye found his rider. The firelizards tell me that Senorith flew in the Flurry and was caught by Releith. Myia is happy with L'ken.
The assurance in his bond's voice brought a smile to Ki'yeal's face. Though Yath rarely talked to other dragons, he had multitudes of friends among the flits. One little gold seemed especially attached to him.
Ki'yeal's golden Aritak flitted and buzzed through the air, occasionally sweeping around Yath's wide wings to check on her owner. She chirped imperiously at the blue rider, as if commanding him to stay put. She was the bold one of the trio, always first to act when a situation arose. Many a time Ki'yeal had been forced to physically restrain her, lest she claw out the eyes of whomever had been foolish enough to annoy her human.
Sunlight glinted off her golden wings as she swooped close to Yath's thick neck, chirruping questions at the large blue. Yath responded with another low rumble, satisfying the flit's questions and ridding them of her presence for a few minutes more. Ki'yeal chuckled, watching Aritak dive down to pester a group of wild flits sunning themselves on a protruding rock.
So... His mental voice drifted easily into Yath's consciousness as Ki'yeal studied the fields below. You still haven't told me where you want to go.
There was a long period of silence as the meloncoly blue thought of the many places he knew would be accepting of visitors. Many of the Old World Weyrs were unknown to him. His own had vanished into between and new ones continued to pop up everyday. Not long ago he had been informed of a new flight happening at Seiryuu. A stout-hearted white whom had lost her mate not long ago. I believe I would like to travel to Seiryuu Weyr again.
Oh? Ki'yeal's mental voice held an upraised note of curiousity. They had been to Seiryuu for a previous flight, so he hadn't expected Yath to want to return so soon. Who's flight is it?
White Oroth, ridden by Kare. The brown-sized blue responded almost hesitantly. Oroth had been another to loss her mate when Andromeda Weyr had suddenly disappeared into the Null between dimensions. They had met the pair of females before. When visiting Myia after the last Flurry, Yath's gaze had happened to fall upon a small white as pure as the snow around her. It would be foolish to say he had 'fallen in love' with her at that moment, but she had certainly caught his eye. Yet, Yath being the recluse that he was, he had disdained from speaking to her, and so had left Ryslen without so much as learning the name of the white dragoness. He'd learned it later, through Senorith. The gold-white queen had a mind to remember all the other mothers who had clutched with her.
Ki'yeal lapsed into silence after his bond had revealed that name. He knew the background information on Kare, about the loss of her mate and her subsequent silence. After seeing Myia's reaction to R'tek's disappearence, he didn't expect Kare to be any more ready and willing for a new mate then Myia. He doubted she even wanted this flight to happen. Senorith had been the one to convince Myia to attend the second Flurry, so Ki'yeal suspected that it was the same case with Oroth. Yet there was no denying that Oroth's flight was going to happen, whether Kare liked it or not. She needed males to chase and, Ki'yeal supposed, there was no harm in trying. Maybe his knowledge of her pain would give him a bit of edge over the competition.
Ki'yeal blinked, as if coming out of a daze. He could feel Yath's mind as the large blue attempted to descipher his thoughts, much of it without success. The blue rider smiled, forming a firm image of Seiryuu Weyr in his mind. Alright. Let's go to Seiryuu.
* * * Every muscle in Ki'yeal's body seemed to freeze instantly when they came through between and appeared over Seiryuu Weyr. Being a man of the tropics, he had trouble believing the weather could be anything but balmy and warm. He was quickly reminded of just how cold some climates got when the chill wind sweeping across Seiryuu cut into him like a frozen blade. Though Seiryuu was only into its first few months of winter, the fluffy flakes of snow touched Ki'yeal like a thousand needles of ice. His hands gripped Yath's saddle with all the strength of a seizure. His eyes doubled in size, staring blankly ahead as Yath, undaunted by the cold, began a slow spiral down. One thought persisted through the rider's mind, quickly breaking Yath's calm concentration with the force of a hammer on glass. COLD!!
I thought you remembered Seiryuu, rider-mine. The blue sounded puzzled, but then again, his thick hide prevented him from feeling the excrutiating cold Ki'yeal was. Though he was slightly chilled, seen in a faint ripple of shivers across his neck, Yath did not feel that the weather bore as much concern as his rider showed.
Yath! Ki'yeal shut his eyes and tried desperately to restrain the chattering of his teeth. He hadn't been planning another trip to Seiryuu, so hadn't prepared his wardrobe accordingly. Currently, the muscular blue rider only wore a light, cotton shirt, tanned leather pants, and his customary blue cape. His riding gear, a wherhide vest, gloves, and a riding helmet, provided some protectiong against the cold, but not much. Not nearly enough to keep the ppor man from believing his very blood was turning to ice. You have a thick hide to protect you. I don't. Get me down on the ground now. I'm FREEZING! Ki'yeal nearly shouted into Yath's mind. He didn't mean to sound angry, but the direness of his position left him lacking a few manners.
The large dragon rumbled and oblidged, dropping into a steep dive. His wings cut close against his sides and his legs pulled up tightly to his chest. Ki'yeal pressed himself bodily against his bond's warm neck ridges, praying he adjusted to this winter atmosphere before his thoughts froze in his mind. It felt very much like they would. With the cold wind turned into a galeforce by Yath's descent, Ki'yeal could only hope it ended soon. He didn't dare open his eyes, lest the suddenly biting snowflakes tear at his delicate irises.
At last, Yath landed and Ki'yeal literally leapt from his side. While the blue wandered off to introduce himself to beautiful white rose for whom he had come, Ki'yeal made a mad dash for the Weyr. He didn't stop until he was well within the cozy walls of Seiryuu, feeling at last returning to his fingers with a tingling fire. He began to strip off his gloves, rubbing his chapped hands together for warmth, as he walked the hallways. He had some experience with the Weyr's layout, so finding the Flight Sign-Up Office wouldn't prove too difficult. It was while he was on his way there that he was stopped by a cheerful voice calling out his name.
The blue rider turned, raising a hand in greeting as Quachir, the Weyrwoman, approached him. It had been her dragon's flight that had brought him here last. He'd managed to at least get to know the short statured, yet proud, woman in the time he'd spent here before and after the flight.
"This place is too cold to be natural." He commented after the greetings had been exchanged. Quachir laughed, looking up at him with a teasing grin.
"Depends on who you ask." She replied, her voice pleasently light. "Seiryuu's perfectly fine to me, but I feel I should be melting into a puddle every time I go to the Warren."
"Not melt, just tan." Ki'yeal returned with a mirthful grin. His piercing green eyes blazed with the fiery charm of any man born with Audil blood, warming the torch-lit tunnels. It was a gift of their family, at least on the men's side. Dashingly dark almond tan, either red or black hair -or, in Ki'yeal's case, a mixture of the two- and such bright eyes that they seemed to rival the sun. Aaron had been a lady's man in his day, using his looks and social wiles to turn every head he passed. When he'd met Mystic though, all other women seemed to cease to exist in his mind. Chris, Ki'yeal and Aaron's eldest brother, spent all his times with books and only happened to meet his wife by a chance of fate. Or rather, her getting fed up with his shy games and finally dragging him off on an offical date. Ki'yeal was far to reserved to go charming women all over town, and too quiet to gain the attention of a woman like Kiarra, Chris' wife. Though women did swoon when he smiled, he seemed oblivious to them. Another Audil trait. He, like the fantasizing youth that he was, believed there was one person out there for everyone. He had yet to find his.
"So what brings to Seiryuu again?" Quachir asked as she accompanied him down the hall. Where ever she was headed was on the same path as him. She glanced up the few inches that separated them, another smile on her lips. "I saw Yath dropping like a rock outside, but I guess that was your doing."
"Yeah... forgot about the cold." Ki'yeal explained with a sheepish laugh. His tone changed to a non-chalant lightness when he spoke next. "Actually, me and Yath are here for another flight. Yath's interested in white Oroth."
"Really? Well, Oroth will be happy to have another chaser." Quachir replied. The conversation seemed to end there, though Ki'yeal was struggling with a question on his mind. He didn't want to pry too deep, but he had to know.
"Is- uh... Is Kare still not talking?" He blurted out in a quiet, meek quiry. One hand came up to rub the back of his neck sub-consciously as he spoke. It was a habit of his when he got nervous.
Quachir looked up, studying his face a moment. She noted the furrowing of his thin brow, and the clouded guardedness of his eyes. "She's saying a little." The Weyrwoman admitted. "She's still very upset by V'nor's death. How'd you know about it?"
"Myia told me." Ki'yeal said with a shrug. "She found out not long after she heard of R'tek's death. It... kinda got around pretty fast."
Quachir gave a long, slow nod to this and said no more. Nor did Ki'yeal. Though the question had been an innocent one, he couldn't help but feel at least a little guilty for asking it.
When it came time for the two to part ways, Quachir paused and looked up at Ki'yeal with a scrutizing gaze. "Be nice to her, alright?" She said simply, and to this Ki'yeal nodded. The Weyrwoman left, disappearing around the corner of another tunnel. Ki'yeal turned to face the door to the Flight Sign-Up Office. He was mildly surprised to be here already, but he hadn't really been paying attention to the passage of time. Calmly ignoring the flutter of nerves in his stomach, the blue rider pushed open the door and entered in.
* * * The next day, Ki'yeal sat complacently in a far corner of the dining hall, his back resting against the wall and one foot supported on the bench. The other dangled over the edge, stretched out full length with his heel caught on the ground. There were very few other occupants of the giant eating room due to the time of day, so Ki'yeal felt safe in taking out his panpipes for a little while. He rarely played around people he didn't know. Pipes weren't considered to be a 'manly' intsrument, so he felt so much as mentioning he had them to other people. Though he could also sing a deep baritone very well, the eerie, hollow music the pipes produced was pleasing to him.
A song began to float up from the careful gliding of his fingers over the holes. Soft and slow, its tendrils of sound snaked through the air like a veil of sleep over dreamer's eyes. Ki'yeal's eyes closed as he was drawn deeper into the melody. Rhythmic, arpeggiated cords lay out before him in his solitary sense of awareness, rising and falling by the willing of his deft fingers. An air soprano joined his level base, followed closely by the distant hum of an earthy, deep baritone. The trio were separate from each other, yet physically so close. Aritak sat on Ki'yeal's shoulder while Yath lay on an open, snowy ledge outside the main Weyr entrance. Each sang or played for themselves, lost to the world around them. Ki'yeal was most so, pulled deeply in by the tune that lilted through the air and enraptured his mind.
It was an old Tris'Hath folk song, and so known well to the twenty-five year old rider. Most of the words that accompanied it were in elven. Ki'yeal had only been patient enough to descipher the chorus before he gave up completely. It was beautiful in its native tongue, even without understanding. The notes he knew off by heart. Simplistic and flowing, they had been easy to follow when he'd first learned them almost five years ago. And still he was awed by the emotions they evoked.
Ki'yeal's peace of mind was interrupted abruptly as his two compatriots suddenly ceased their adjoining songs. There was an urgent push in the rider's mind, tinged by the back image of a large, blue figure. Ki'yeal, slightly annoyed, drew himself away from the song long enough to hear whatever Yath had to say.
Kare is in the room. The blue stated bluntly. He was rarely so direct, but he felt his rider would like to stop before he made a fool of himself and completely ignored the woman who's flight he was attending.
Ki'yeal's breath left him abruptly as the realization hit that Kare was in the room and could have very well been listening to him without his knowledge. He cursed his fumbling fingers, thinking it ironic that they refused to work now, as he quickly tucked his pipes into a concealed case on his belt. Green eyes flashed across the room beneath waves of uncooperative red-black bangs. He bolted upright when he saw the brown-haired woman as she was walking, straight-backed, towards the exit. It appeared she had only come in for a snack and, though she'd been present for much of Ki'yeal's song, had taken no heed of the Warren rider.
"Kare!" Ki'yeal called out before he could bite his tongue into silence. His heart sank in dismay as she paused and turned to face him. He'd been hoping she hadn't heard, yet he did want to talk to her. Eons seemed to pass before he could convince his limbs to move. He knew his cheeks were burning, though it only darkened the tan of his face and made his freckles stand out like stars. He felt himself stand and cover the distance between them in a few lengthened steps, but didn't really register the movements.
Her face was ingrained in his mind as he drew closer. She bore such a striking resemblance to Myia; in the stoic stare of her green-gray eyes, the firm line of her thin lips, and even her height. Ki'yeal was only six feet tall, though standing next to Kare, that left nearly a foot between them. Yet as short as she was, the sheer power radiating from her stance left him feeling like an ant. He noticed this best when he came to stand in front of her, his mouth hanging slightly open as if the words he wanted to speak had died on his lips.
"Uh..." He managed to breath at last, wide green eyes held captive by her impassionate stare. He'd been meaning to talk to her, specifically about one thing, yet now that she was here, he was speechless. There was a sense in the air about him that she was waiting, rather impatiently, and that his voice just didn't want to work. He sucked in a breath, forcing the words off his tongue, even if they didn't make sense. "Hi... my name's Ki'yeal. I'm- uh... my bond's participating in Oroth's flight." He waited for a response, and got none. Without a thought, his hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "I just... I wanted to tell you..." He started again lamely. The once carefree blue rider was finding it very difficult to talk to someone who had all the liveliness of a statue. Ki'yeal forced himself to look at her eyes, and again he was reminded of Myia. The pain had been like a ghost behind her cool, brown irises. What luster there had been was drained. It was the same with Kare.
His voice suddenly gained strength and purpose. His resolve hardened and he returned her stare without a twitch of nervousness. "If Yath wins, I don't expect... you don't have to do anything you don't want to." As soon as the words had been said, he felt relieved. There was still a tense knot roiling about in his stomach, but the worst of it was gone.
Kare watched him mutely, then turned without a sound and left the dining hall. Ki'yeal had expected nothing less.
Well done, rider-mine. Yath commented with a true note of admiration in his voice. He had attempted to talk to the green-sized white Oroth the day before. Needless to say, he had not been so easy to overcome his fear of speaking. For a few moments, he had stood before her, staring blankly. When she'd peevishly asked what he wanted, he'd stumbled over an introduction for all of five seconds before hurriedly coming up with the excuse that his rider needed him. It had taken him only a few seconds to get his large, embarrassed butt out of there and back into a far corner of their temporary weyr.
Yeah, now it's your turn. Think you can actually talk to Oroth this time? There was a laughing relief in Ki'yeal's voice. He stood staring at the door through which Kare had disappeared, a vacant fogginess in his eyes. His hands moved to his pockets, and the nerves that had been set on edge by Kare's presence relaxed.
There was a long pause in which Ki'yeal knew his bond was ducking his head in meek chargin once again. Can't I just wait until the flight? It was funny to hear the ocean-deep voice arranged in such a lowly and quiet tone. Yath, for all his size and strength, had the will power of a mouse.
No. Ki'yeal laughed. You want her to get to know you, don't you?
Yes... The large blue sighed gustily. Though he was distant from his rider, the heavy breath of air carried on his mental tones and reached Ki'yeal's senses. I'm just afraid of what she'll think of me. There are many other dragons here that wish to chase her. Many of them are far better suited to this then I. The dragon's voice dropped to a self-defeating depression.
In the dining room, Ki'yeal shook his head. There were times where Yath's meekness was polite, and often funny, and then there were times like this. Yath had been the one to want to start this journey, but soon into it, he'd lost whatever nerve he'd gained. Yath was not a socially strong person.
Ki'yeal glanced up as a loud twittering distracted him from his bond. There was a flash of humour in his eyes, and a light smile on his lips. At least these two are getting along. He thought privately as he watched his golden Aritak chase Kare's bronze Conrim through the air in a playful game of tag. It was perhaps the only time he'd seen his tiny golden terror not trying to attack whomever had moved in on her territory.
Name: Ki'yeal Audil
Age: 25 years
Height: 6'
Hair Colour: blackish-red
Eye Colour: green
Ki'yeal and Yath are chasing at Seiryuu Weyr.
Read Ki'yeal's story here.
Yath is from: Xaviea Weyr (closed)
Aritak is from: Demnen Weyr (closed)