"Ugh..." A'dric ran his hand through his now short, red hair and cringed. He didn't mind fighting Thread, if this was the price for being with Katzeth he was more than willing to pay. He did mind feeling like something Sarusar had caught, dragged home and then chewed on for a couple of hours before abandoning. He moaned, but his moan was lost amid the hundreds of moans that were escaping from the throats of Adanuk's inhabitants. Everyone was dirty, sweaty and tired.
Stop complaining. You didn't do any work. Katzeth stretched and fanned his wings. I'm going to dunk myself in the Weyr lake. I expect you sometime after you're finished with Mala.... The bronze's eyes twirled faster, letting his rider know that he knew exactly what A'dric was thinking about. A'dric had been a little surprised that Katzeth was so calm with the idea of him and Mala being together. He was very surprised that Katzeth made such sacrifices so he could be with her. Katzeth was definitely not known for his patience in anything. The bronze began to wander off towards the lake, swishing his tail in a pleased sort of way.
A'dric shivered with the thought of having to scrub Katzeth's massive hide, partially because it would require a lot of effort, and partially because he still wasn't fond of hanging around the water. In the Weyr lake with Katzeth, the fear didn't grip him quite so tightly, but it still remained, a small twinge in his gut, filling his mind with visions of the angry sea every time he looked away from his lifemate and into the deeper water.
"Hey!" Mark, one of the riders in A'dric's wing, waved as he walked over. "The rest of the wing was planning on zipping down to the ocean. He smirked. "There's a rumour that Daichi Wing is already down there without their swimsuits." He nudged the other rider knowingly.
A'dric grinned. "Sounds like it's your funeral."
Mark raised a brow, was going to make a joke about A'dric wanting to sneak off to see one of the male wings, but realised it was probably a bad idea. He shrugged. "Don't think it's worth the risk?"
"No." Mala interrupted, relieved to find her lover wasn't dead after the fight, annoyed to find him dallying here with his friends when she'd told him to come find her as soon as he was done. "It's not worth the risk." She crossed her arms and glared.
A'dric over-emphasized his sigh and shrugged. "Not worth the risk."
Mark, very glad he hadn't made any lewd comments earlier, smiled. "I think what you mean is not worth the effort." He dashingly kissed Mala's hand and caught sight of his friend. "Jeremy!" He ran off to scrounge up a team brave enough to spy on Tamika and her wing. A'dric didn't think he'd have much luck. He'd heard that gold's were very protective of their riders.
A'dric turned to Mala and attempted to kiss her, but she dodged it. "Did you say no to him because you know I'd flay you, or because you're still scared of the water?"
A'dric, who was kind of hoping to just slip into a warm bath with the Assistant Headwoman and not talk about anything for a good long while, sighed. He was planning on lying to her right now, but he didn't consider it a lie, as Mala would see through it the moment he uttered it. "You'd flay me."
Mala smacked him in the arm hard. "Liar! I can't believe it! After everything I've told you! After everything Katzeth has told you! After realizing that bad things can happen to you without water, still! Still you persist in this foolish, stupid, childish..." Mala trailed off, realising her words were not having the desired effect. Instead of blushing with embarrassment, A'dric was walking over to great Sarusar, who was overjoyed to be let outside again. Mala fumed. "You're not even listening to me!!"
A'dric let the big cat jump up on him and rest his front paws on A'dric's shoulders. Sarusar was taller than he was. "I am too listening. I'm just waiting for you to finish your rant and then I'll say, ‛I know. I'm sorry. I'll try harder.' and then we can go have the bath I've been dreaming about since I got in the air. We can't be too long, Katzeth's waiting."
Mala glared. She more than glared. She redefined the word ‛glare'. "So you expect me to just mosey on up to your weyr with you and hurry up?"
A'dric realised he might have made a tiny mistake in phrasing the last part of his reply. "No, of course not. I was just...."
"Being an inconsiderate male?" Mala raised a brow, still glaring steadily.
"Mala, please. I meant..." Sarusar began to nudge A'dric in the back with his head. The fact that he was losing his balance and likely to fall on his head, made any argument he tried to put forward seem a little ridiculous.
"C'mon!" Mala grabbed his arm and began dragging him towards the stairs. A'dric made a few feeble protests along the way to his weyr, but he'd learned along time ago that Mala was an Assistant Headwoman and not used to being thwarted. It was always better for one's health, and sanity, just to follow along. All the way to his weyr, he was a little confused about what was happening. He seriously doubted that Mala was still planning on spending the night with him, but he couldn't figure out why she was dragging him to his weyr instead of just storming off. Maybe she wanted to yell at him in private.
He quickly figured out exactly what was going on when Mala flung open his door, grabbed his kit for cleaning Katzeth and threw it at him. "Oh no..."
"Oh yes!" Mala stormed to the dragonledge. "Call Katzeth!"
"He's already at the lake...we could just walk down to..."
"Call. Katzeth." Somehow Mala could be perfectly understood even though her teeth were clenched so tightly it was making her jaw ache.
A'dric gave Mala his most pathetic look, praying to prey on her sympathies. He had absolutely no luck. Katzeth.
Rider-mine? The dragon was sufficiently confused to hear from his rider. Lose Mala?
Just about. Come to the dragonledge.
Why? Katzeth hauled himself out of the lake and shook the water from him wings and mane.
Because I think Mala's going to kill me and I want witnesses.
Katzeth was amused. You should have just went with Mark. The bronze dragon leapt gracefully into the air, giving a brief shower to everything beneath him.
Yeah right. A'dric gave one last pleading look at Mala, who completely ignored him. Sarusar, tired from his long day of attempting to cause multiple levels of chaos, curled up on A'dric's bed and went to sleep. The cat was so large he took up the entire bed, meaning that unless A'dric wanted to risk annoying the beast he'd be sleeping with Katzeth again.
Katzeth landed gracefully on the dragonledge, nodding his head in greeting to Mala. Where are we going?
"The Weyrlake?" A'dric spoke out loud, wishing Mala would confirm his answer, knowing she would not.
"The ocean." She corrected, pulling herself up onto Katzeth's back unassisted. She'd spent her whole life around dragons, and knew more about them than some rider's did.
A'dric hung his head and climbed up in front of her. "You heard the lady. The ocean."
Katzeth's eyes whirled deep blue. You were right. She is going to kill you.
Funny Katzeth. Very funny.
* * * "See? Everthing's fine." Mala had calmed down a lot once they had actually arrived at the beach. Once A'dric was standing on the sand his face went white and his eyes went wide. Mala began to think that maybe a gentler approach was required. She'd removed her shoes and socks and then hiked her skirt up to mid-thigh. A'dric hadn't even bothered looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the moving water. She walked out a few feet, so the water was just about at her knees and called to him.
A'dric finally pulled his gaze away from the water and turned it to his friend. He shook his head. "No."
"C'mon A'dric." Mala regretted yelling at him earlier. "Just come out this far."
A'dric shook his head again. "No." He was quiet for a minute, terrified. "Please come back Mala."
Mala smiled. "You don't have to worry about me A'dric. First off, I can swim. Second, I'm only up to my knees. Just come out this far tonight and then we'll go back."
A'dric shook his head again. He wouldn't set foot in that water for anything. The lake was different, the lake was small, calm, tame water. The ocean was something else entirely, it was a whole new level of water. It wasn't calm or tame. It was angry. He didn't care what Mala had told him about learning to live with his past. He didn't care what Katzeth had told him about always being there. He didn't even remember the dreams he'd used to have of Katzeth bathing in the ocean. He knew he had to leave. "Mala come back."
Mala sighed, and realized that this was not going to work. "Okay." She began to walk back slowly, to A'dric's never ending relief.
This is ridiculous. Katzeth, characteristically lost patience with the whole endeavour. I'll show you everything's fine! The dragon leapt into the air and plunged into the water a good distance out.
A'dric screamed. It wasn't a bellow, like men normally scream in anger. It wasn't shriek, like men normally scream in pain. It was a pure, loud, piercing scream from a man who was terrified he was going to lose his lifemate. Mala heard the sound and cringed, clapping her hands over her ears, but keeping her eyes on the waves that concealed the bronze dragon.
A'dric ran out of breath, inhaled quickly, but didn't scream again. Katzeth wasn't coming up. "Katzeth!" A'dric shrieked terrified. There was no response from the bronze. "KATZETH!!" A'dric, for the first time in his life, plunged willingly into the water. He'd learned to swim, once, long ago, and apparently this information resurfaced itself from the depths of his mind in his hour of need. He swam towards the place where Katzeth had disappeared, not sure exactly what he was supposed to do, but knowing he needed to be there. The water pelted him and tried to force him under, but he was not going to die without finding his lifemate.
Mala was shocked by A'dric's reaction, thought about going in after him, but changed her mind. Even when she panicked she thought clearly. Even if A'dric got out to Katzeth, he couldn't save the bronze by himself. Mala remembered what Mark had said about Daichi Wing and prayed he had not been misinformed. Taking a deep breath, Mala began to shriek with an intensity and a frequency that only a panicked woman could pull off. She began running along the beach towards the cove that the rider's normally bathed in, not bothering to pick up her shoes. Her feet were cut by the rocks and it was hard to run and shriek, but somehow she managed.
A'dric called telepathically as he swam. KATZETH?!? FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING ANSWER ME!!!
Rider-mine? The voice was weak. Everything's fuzzy....
Swim to the surface!! Memories of his father's swimming lessons decided to take this moment to resurface themselves. Just stay still for a moment and let yourself float upwards, then swim that way!
Katzeth was quiet for a moment, causing A'dric no end of panic. The dragon seemed oddly calm for a beast confused and completely submerged by water. Suddenly, a twinge of fear that wasn't his own entered A'dric's mind. I can't breathe!! Rider-mine, I can't breathe! The dragon seemed genuinely shocked by this revelation.
A'dric realised the dragon didn't know where he was. Katzeth! You're underwater. You have to get to the surface!
Rider-mine... Katzeth's telepathic voice grew fainter and then disappeared.
A'dric was left treading water far away from the shore praying. Please Katzeth. I can't lose you. He was running out of energy, and began to find it difficult to stay above the water himself. He was panting, gasping for air, and instead he was getting water. I knew it... A'dric slipped beneath the water and began to lose consciousness.
"Got him!" Strong hands pulled A'dric out of the water and onto a green dragon's back. A'dric inhaled quickly, wondering briefly what the hell had happened. Miarra just grinned. "He's alive."
A'dric's eyes snapped open and he struggled to sit up without losing his balance, Miarra clutched at him and kept him on her green Tynith's back. "Whoa. Calm down. I've got you."
"Katzeth." A'dric couldn't manage another word without gasping for more air.
Miarra pointed just to the left of them, where a bronze head and upper body were visible draped over Megmentonith's large black/bronze body. "Darien's got him. Don't worry. Let's get you back to shore." Miarra kept both of her arms wrapped around her charge as Tynith tried to make the ride as smooth as possible.
The moment the sand was under his feet again, A'dric felt instantly better. Unfortunately that didn't save him from being practically attacked by Celeste. She straightened him up and began a quick examination without even bothering to ask any of the normal questions healers ask, like ‛what happened?' and ‛where does it hurt?'. She nodded to herself, smiled at him and then trudged off into the water to meet the incoming Katzeth. A'dric was left standing stunned for all of half a second before Mala tackled him. He fell to his back in the sand with Mala's arms wrapped around his neck.
"God Ser I'm so sorry!" To A'dric's surprise, she was crying.
He patted her on the back in a half-hearted sort of way. "It's okay."
"No it's not! I almost killed you." Mala was still sobbing.
A'dric was still trying to catch his breath. "Mala, I'm fine... Katzeth."
"Is going to be fine." Celeste interrupted the conversation even though it was unlikely she could hear it from where she was standing examining the bronze dragon. "He just dove too deep. Got a bad knock on the head. He'll wake up tomorrow with the mother of all headaches wondering how he got home."
A'dric sighed and put his arms around Mala. "It's alright now. You didn't almost kill me. It did."
Mala wiped her eyes and felt slightly stupid. Something about almost losing the man she was in love with did that to her. "Let's just go back to the Weyr, okay?"
A'dric grinned. "Okay." He then froze as Katzeth regained enough sense to bespeak again.
Rider-mine? The bronze dragon seemed to have trouble focussing his eyes, but Celeste told him that would go away.
A'dric turned to face his bond. Yes?
My head hurts.
I figured it would.
I messed up, didn't I?
Just a little.
The bronze dragon managed to get to his feet with Megmentonith's help. Let's not come back here, okay?
A'dric smiled and had the feeling he wouldn't be having nightmares about this ever again. Okay. Neither him, nor Katzeth were ever going near water other than the Weyrlake again. Everything was finally going to be okay.
Mala helped him to his feet and then almost fell. A'dric, and Celeste of course, realized that there was something wrong with her feet. She attempted to wave them both off. "Just a little scraped from the rocks. Nothing bad."
A'dric ignored her protests and lifted her to his arms, not letting anyone know how surprised he was to actually have the strength to lift himself let alone her. He began to walk towards the Weyr, Katzeth, still dazed, walking along behind.
Mala rested her head against his chest. "We're both dirty from the sea water. Maybe we should have that bath when we get back to your weyr."
A'dric's mind reeled at the possibilities. Maybe things were going to be better than okay.
* * *
A’dric impressed Katzeth at Seiryuu Weyr.
Background is from Myrror Images.