| "You do realize love, that your hide will be completely muddy before you get out of that pond." Moree eyed her golden beauty skeptically, and laughed as the young dragoness snorted with indifference and plunged headfirst back into the muddy abyss of Summer Creek Pond. It was there first excursion, on their own, going between and coming out somewhere of their own choosing. Technically the weyrlings weren't supposed to be doing this yet, but queen and rare riders always got certain privleges over the "normal" ranks. Moree smiled as she remembered being told that if Alsyth wanted to try, there was a rider willing to teach them the tricks of between. Unfortunately for Moree, the only image she could cleary give Alsyth, of a place that was within a close distance to Moon Shadow, was this muddy pond surrounded by half-dead trees and hills covered with hidden hotsprings. Moree had heard fire lizards bred here often; their eggs kept warm by the near-boiling water of the moutain pools, but she'd never seen one. Don't know why you'd want to. Alsyth said matter-of-factly. You have me, and I'm all you'll need. What can a little flitter do that I can't do? "Well for one..." Moree began, but was aprubtly cut off as Alsyth growled a rebuke at the arguement. Nothing, that's what! I'm far wiser, and infinatly more useful, than a silly little winged snake! They don't even think properly. Alsyth snorted again, and waded out of the pond. And now I'm muddy...We should go somewhere so I can get clean. "I told you you'd get dirty." Moree said, laughing inside at her dragon. Alsyth had the traditional queen personality, and although many other riders, maimly green and brown riders, found that annoying, Moree found it humorous. Which was probably why she was decided worthy of this gold's affections anyway at the hatching. The first sevenday with Alsyth had been pure and sweet, and then the haugtiness of the little gold turned to outright arrogance and Moree missed her innocent little hatchling. But she'd learned, as all queenriders must, that there's nothing you can do to change your dragon; and you wouldn't want to if you could. That was the challenge in riding a "higher" dragon, and most blue and green riders never really understood. Their dragons could have a wider range of personalities, but mostly their dragons retained a spot of their young minds, bronzes and queens never did. You don't love me then? Alsyth asked absentmindedly, and Moree could tell the gold was getting bored, and a little distressed as well. "Of course Ally!" Moree said fervantly, and hopped through the squelching mud to hug her dirty dragoness. Moree ignored how she backed away looking dirtier than Alsyth, and slid up on the gold's neck. "How could you think I don't love you? You're closest to my heart my dear. Didn't you want me when no one else did? Aren't you the one who made my wildest dreams come true?" Moree smiled, and held on as Alsyth pumped her body upward into the sky. She was still a bit gangly, a bit akward, but she already was larger than a brown dragon. Moree had hopes for her to be a huge queen, but doubted that would be possible. I suppose so. Alsyth said grumpily and then queried for a picture of where they were going now. "Back to Moon Shadow I suppose." Moree said absently, sending her dragon a picture of the Weyr. But when Alsyth got the picture, she knew it wasn't Sidra. She didn't mention it though..she was tired, and hungry, and trusted Moree to know what they were doing. Alsyth blinked between. ---------------------------------------------- Moree panicked when she realized the image she'd sent Alsyth wasn't Moon Shadow, it wasn't anything she recognized. She screamed as Alsyth ducked between, begging the gold to stop. It was too late, and Moree felt her dragon's reassuring presence as they held between for what seemed an eternity. As they appeared in the sky and out of the black murder Moree was so sure she'd put them in, both dragon and rider gulped for air. Moree because she had been so frightened, Alsyth because Moree's fright had made her forget to take a breath before going between. See? Alsyth said. We're fine. But this isn't our Weyr. Where are we? Alsyth grumbled angrily, she had been looking forward to rinsing clean in the Weyrlake, eating a nice fat wherry buck or three, and then going to sleep. Now her plans were ruined, because she knew Moree would want to land at this strange place. "I have no idea." Moree said, confused and distraught. How could this be a real place? Maybe this was what happened when you died between, you just came out in a place you visioned. But, no, that didn't make much sense. Moree sighed, and told Alsyth to circle into the Weyrbowl. The watchdragon asks who we are. Alsyth said lazily, and Moree didn't hear her queen answer. I don't answer to lowly browns. Alsyth explained, and drifted lazily downwards. Moree rolled her eyes, and watched as a resident queen, glared up from the hatching ground and bugled warningly. Moree could see a few riders coming out into the Weyrbowl, pointing upwards and shouting. Alsyth rumbled with laughter. They're asking their dragons to order me to name myself and my rider! Alsyth trumpeted loudly, and made her downward spirals wider, to show she didn't plan on obeying anyone. "That's not funny Ally!" Moree screeched, and clenching her teeth she back up her words with all the strength she could muster. "Tell them who we are, and don't get arrogant with me Al, I'm as tired and hungry as you are, and the more you cooperate the sooner we can go home!" Alsyth hissed in defiance, but complied. Alsyth told Moree that the watchdragon was beign snippy with her, and the Sr. Queen was angry for having disturbed the clutch. She has every right to be. Where are we anyway? DawnSisters. Alsyth replied, and Moree braced herself as Alsyth landed, nearly perfectly (but still with the bounciness of a leggy weyrling) into the Weyrbowl. Riders came pooring from all directions, and Moree stayed atop Alsyth, muttering apologies and excused until a woman, probably the Weyrwoman, pushed her way through. "Now who's this?" She asked loudly, and people shrank away from her. Moree shrunk away from this woman too, and Moree never shrank away from anybody. "Er, I'm sorry Weyrwoman, but I'm Moree.....we accidently came here..." "Accidently came here?" The Weyrwoman, tall, dark haired, with intense, snappish, brown eyes glared accusingly at the uninvited pair. "Er..yes, well, see..I made a mistake when I told Alsyth to go between and I...oh..I.." "That's dangerous business." The Weyrwoman said, and smiled secretly to herself, thanking her own golden queen. Certain people were drawn to this Weyr, and the Weyrwoman, Amera, secretly suspected it was the Sr. Queen's doing. People would just pop up and say their dragons saw this place, or they saw it in their minds the night before. Everyone was so busy complaining about how there weren't enough riders...and well...dragons have a way of making their riders shut up and stop whining. "I know." Moree burst out, and heaved a sigh. "I've never even been here before, so I don't know how this could be a real place. Alsyth told me this place is called DawnSisters?" "True." The Weyrwoman smiled, and motioned Moree to climb down. "And I'm Amera." A loud roar from the hatching grounds took everyone by surprise, and Moree saw Amera grimace. "That's Karoth, our Sr. Queen. You'll have to ignore her temper, if ignoring such a thing is possible." Amera said dryly. Amera winced, and Moree could see she was having a fine time explaining that remark to her dragon. But Alsyth chose that moment to roar a challenge across the bowl at Karoth, and Karoth's mighty shriek caused several more dragons, from their weyrs and from the heights, to trumpet distressingly. This was how queens behaved if they were about to fight one another. She is presuming to order me! Alsyth cried, and although her loud calls nowhere near matched the matured Karoth's, they still sounded frightening nonetheless. Moree couldn't begin to make Alsyth quiet herself as she berated the Sr. Queen vocally. This is her Weyr Alsyth! Let her be! You're causing trouble and a scene, and this will get back to Moon Shadow mark my words! Moree's mental orders were lost on her weyrling, who, even under the orders of a Sr. Queen, didn't obey. "Enough!" Amera yelled, and Karoth immediately stopped her cried of injustice and Moree heard the rumblings of what sounded like an angry bronze. Bronzes had distinct vocal patterns, since their chest cavities were larger and all. Alsyth continued to grumble, but several dragons, bronzes, browns, blues and greens, had come to perch on the heights and all seemed to be warning Alsyth to be quiet. Moree sensed the fear in her gold, and was just as glad when Amera came up and asked Moree if she'd mind a flit being sent to let Weyrwoman Kayrasa know the young queenrider was safe. "Yes." Moree breathed, and could actually feel the silent whispers of people around her. This girl couldn't control her dragon, how was that possible? It was revolting to them to see a weak person in such a position of power. Moree didn't bother telling them that was the first time Alsyth had ever openly disobeyed orders given to her. Moree inside was too angry to care what everyone else thought. Alsyth, you are in for it. I'll have Laureth catch you and beat you in true human fashion if you ever, ever, think of doing something like that again! It's not my fault! Alsyth complained, but Moree heard her voice whiney and fearful, and knew Alsyth, although large and arrogant, was still a child and still had to learn some things. It is so love. Moree said, and told her dragon to behave and wait in the Weyrbowl while she talked to the Weyrwoman. Can I at least bathe? Alsyth asked, and Moree forced herself not to smile, Alsyth was in trouble afterall, and said it was fine. There was an unspoke Weyr rule, and that Weyrlakes and a few herdbeasts from the herds were public property to all dragonriders, as long as they had no ill intentions to the Weyr where those things resided. "Now Moree. That was a horrible display out there...and I don't put it all on your own gold, what did you call her ? Alsyth? Yes, that's right...I blame Karoth too. She's been overly broody lately. But tell me child.. Oh, Zacia!" Amera waved to a woman wearing wingrider knots, and Moree stood akwardly beside the Weyrwoman. Moree was taller than Amera, who was certainly tall herself, but she felt like a giant next to this tiny Zacia. "So this is the girl with the angry dragon?" Zacia said teasingly, and her ever perceptive self noted how Moree's cheeks turned red with a mixture of indignation and humiliation. "I'm sorry about that." Moree said, and then lifted her chin. She'd been told before, she was a queenrider, and shouldn't bow before all who sought to judge her. She needed to learn to be as arrogant as Alsyth. Moree failed miserably, and heard Alsyth laughing at her. "No need to apologize." Amera said, and told Zacia to get one of her flits to deliver a message about Moree. Zacia winked, and scurried off. "Now then, where were we? Ah yes, now Moree, tell me, do you often have trouble like that with your Alsyth?" "No." Moree answered truthfully, and Amera nodded. "Can you ask her why she didn't obey the Sr. Queen? Or why she didn't feel the need to express her intentions when she came from between?" Moree did, and didn't get a satisfactory answer. "She only said she didn't need to do either one." "I see." Amera said, her dark eyes gleaming. Moree felt strangely connected to the Weyrwoman. If circumstances had been less akward, and Moree perhaps a little older, or Amera younger, the two probably would be fast friends. "Alright then Moree, here's the deal. Karoth is angry now, so I'm going to make this offer on my own. Go back to Moon Shadow girl, finish your training, and learn to get Alsyth to respect and obey orders!" "Of course." Moree said, and bowed her head slightly. Amera laughed. "I'm no Lady Holder, Moree, there's no need to show that kind of respect to me. But there's something else I want to ask you, and I hope you feel guilty enough, or something enough, to agree." Moree cocked her head curiously. "What is it?" She asked, and hoped the Weyrwoman wasn't going to demand Alsyth never come back to DawnSisters. Moree didn't feel particularly attached to this Weyr, but how must it feel to be a Queenrider, and banned from another's Weyr? "Nothing grave child, just that you come back here when your Alsyth is grown and ready to fly. Join our Queen's Wing, be a rider here at DawnSisters. We have so few riders as it is....A large, young, breeding queen with a personality like yours would be most welcome. And I've been dying to get a Moon Shadow dragon into this Weyr for ages. They're descended from those of Talor Cliff, you knew that? Good, but that entire line is known for their excellence. It would help seal some ties between this Weyr and yours too." "Like the 'diplomatic' weddings of the Holders?" Moree said good naturedly, happy and content to come back here in a few months to stay. "Marrying off their daughters to cement alliances; trading off you weyrlings to do the same?" Moree chuckled, and she felt Alsyth flare up at her again. None of that love. We're coming back, and I'll have no more tantrums like the one today. Behave Alsyth, I'm sure we'll be just fine here. Think, maybe you could even be Weyrwoman second! Wouldn't you like that? To be second only to the senior queen? I'd rather be the sr. queen. Alsyth retorted, but Moree could feel the contentness in Alsyth as well. She looked up at Amera, and smiled. "Deal." |