Keele jumped out of bed, she had things to do that day. It was not dawn yet, but a faint glow from the horiezen promised a spectacular opening to the day. Keele put on an old shirt of her father's that hung about her thin shoulders losely, and an old skirt of her sister Kaline. She slipped on her boots, and slide out of the door and headed toward the beach.She stopped at the kitchen to get an apple on her way and grinned as the juices dripped down her chin. She wipped it away hurriedly, ashamed of her aweful manners. She could have kicked herself. She was 15 and had the table manners of a 5 turn old!
Keele grinned with satisfaction as she walked down the beach. The waves rocked against the shores making her heart leap with a thrill that she could not discribe. She tore her gaze away from the currents and towards the sides and the cliffs, searching for something, the thing that all hold kids dream of finding, a ungaurded fire lizard nest.
Well, the hope of that was slim if it was a golds, they rarely left their nests alone. A greens might, they were not as maternal as the golds. She didn't care what color she impressed, if she found one, all she wanted was to impress on.
Keele paused, and turned to see a man walking a few yards behind her. She didn't recognize him, and she knew all those who lived in the small hold of her birth.
"Hello." He said, waving a greeting. He was tall heavey set man. His sharp eyes seemed to take in everything about her, from her wind tossed mouse brown hair to her torn aprine. She could feel the blood riseing to her checks under his scruttney. "What's your name?" He asked her, as if she was a little child.
"What is it to you?" She snapped. She didn't have time for this! Her parents would notice that she was gone at any momemnt, and when they did and she was not around she would be in a great deal of trouble. And she wanted to find a clutch.
He straighted his shoulders. "It might be something and it might not." His manner was assuming and that irritated her. It irritated her a lot.
"Who are you?" She said bluntly. Then she felt the color rising even more.
He cut her off with a grin. "I'm L'ran."
Keele stared up at him, up meaning that that was the only way that she could. She was at least a head and shoulders shorter then him and he was nt a very tall man. She felt all the color drain away from her face, she had been rude to a dragonrider! She felt all the sting of what surely he must take as an insult and she knew that he would go and tell someone and then there would be hell to pay once she got back home.
"Don't be alarmed." he must have sensed her confussion. "I'm used to it. and you were not that bad, really."
"I'm so, so sorry! I'm just-"
"Was searching for a wild flitter clutch." He finished with a grin. Keele gasped, how did he know that? He laughed again, not so pretenciously as before. "A lot of kids do it nowadays." He explained.
"Oh." She replied.
"So . . . " He said after a long awkward pause. "Have you ever dreamed of being a dragon rider?" He didn't sound mocking. Keele was rather taken aback. Was he toying with her again?
"Every kid has a dream." She replied after a moments reflection. "Well, your dream might come true." He said, clapping her on the back. It was then she relized that she was searched.
