Talen the Candidate (at Andromeda Weyr)

    "Does not!"

     "Does too!"

     Talen sighed. Bredul and Shrina were at each other again and they had only been together for about an hour. He couldn't even remember what they were arguing about anymore, so he figured it was probably time to put an end to it.

     Slowly rising from his precarious perch on a rickety old stoll, he walked over to them and used a few soothing words to get them both calmed down. Just when he thought they might've stopped for a while, in rushed his golden-coated canine Kayne, followed closely by a chittering brown fire lizard. The two raced around the room a few times and the chaos they were generating started his siblings all over again. Smacking the base of his palm against his forehead in frustration, he grabbed up the crossbow lying by the door and left the building.

     Once outside he headed for the stables and saddled his frisky buckskin stallion for a ride. The forests around Uyaniu Hold were known for their excellent game and the kitchens could always use more meat. Besides, he needed to clear his head.All the pent-up emotions of two years at the Harper Hall needed to be released and hunting was good for that.

     As he rode out of the hold he strung his crossbow and began reviewing just where he had gotten his anger and his inability at expressing it. When he was little he had been the calm and cool middle child. Trying to help his parents as much as he could, he also had to serve as diplomat between his older brother and younger sister. That was when he had started hunting. Soon he had become one of the best hunters in the hold as well as the harpers' son, but this had never really turned his head. He had always been a bit humble by nature. He just kept it up, along with his training to be a harper like his parents.

     When Bredul had gone to the Harper Hall things settled down a bit. Shrina had no one to spar with so she became calmer and less prone to tantrums. That gave him the time he needed for more studying and taking care of his newly acquired brown flit, Gedno.

     The next year he had followed his brother to the Harper Hall and had to suffer countless jibes from some of the other apprentices. He had been able to smooth over many of these, but they still stung. He had really missed his hunting then, but Bredul had helped him out. Without Shrina around he had settled down too.

     So now here he was riding through a part of the forest he didn't remember with two wherrys he hadn't known he'd shot slung across Quenshin's back. Pulling back on the reins, he dismounted in a clearing and considered his options.

Forgetting about his anger for a moment, Talen comforted his little friend and reassured him that it was alright. Then he had the flit lead him back to the hold. He really shouldn't get so exasperated with his siblings. They couldn't help it and it was up to him to see that they stayed civil. At least, that was what he believed. So, back to his duties as a diplomat.