Mikellen looked around the crowded table and smiled. His hand of cards was the worst it could possibly be, but he'd won the last three hands easily. Maybe he could bluff his way out of this one. He watched as the stakes got higher and higher and higher. Okay, his inner voice told him. Time to get out.. He threw his hand face down on the table. "Sorry guys, I'm out." He payed up and sat back to watch.
He breathed a sigh of relief at getting out in time. The four guys who were still in were betting over 1,000 marks on this game. Three of them were willing, the fourth looked squeemish. He obviously didn't have the cash. Mikellen pityed the fool. He was going to get himself killed.
"Ante up." One of the men demanded.
The fourth guy flinched. "I don't exactly have the cash..."
That's a good way to get yourself killed. Mikellen thought.
The squeemish guy continued. "...but I got this." He pulled a firelizard egg out from under his shirt. "Valued high, my friends. From Blue Star Weyr. I've had two people examine it. Look how small it is. Money says it's a white, very rare."
The other men looked at him dubiously, but they were gamblers, theives and thugs. This was probably their only chance to ever get a firelizard. They considered it and deemed it worthy of the stack.
Mikellen smiled. He'd dropped out of the hand, but not out of the game. He got a good idea. "Hey fellas. Before you stick it on that cold, pile of cash, stop and think. Whites are supposed to be delicate and fragile. The egg needs warmth. Since I'm not in the hand, I'll hold it. That way it's fair." The four stooges proved their stupidity by agreeing with him. The egg was given to Mikellen, who stuck it down his shirt and secured it there. The game went on.
Everyone was tense. There was a lot riding on one hand of cards. Slowly one by one they showed their hands. The winner was announced. One man jumped for joy and collected his cash. The other sobbed over fortunes lost. By the time anyone thought about the egg, Mikellen was gone.
Mikellen hummed a little tune as he walked towards the next Hold. The tiny firelizard egg was still safely beneath his shirt. Mikellen was content to know it was there. "Don't worry little egg. I'm not as dumb as they were." Mikellen didn't feel bad about stealing the egg. He doubted that the people at Blue Star Weyr would just hand the guy an egg. Especially if they thought it was a white. Besides, he decided. I'd be a better master for it. I'd be nicer to it. I did the little egg a favour. Convinced he was doing the right thing, Mikellen decided to stop for lunch.
He ate a bit of dried wherry meat and drank some water and thought of good names for a white firelizard.
Snow? Ice? His thought were interupted by a something down his shirt. He jumped to his feet and almost dropped the egg. What the...? I swear something was moving down my.... He came to a sudden realization. The egg!. He quickly cut up more dried wherry meat, hoping it would be enough for the firelizard. Considering the egg was so small, he thought he'd be fine.
The little egg started to vibrate and then crack and just when Mikellen thought he'd get the first sight of his little white, a bronze head popped out. It creeled and screeched for help and food. Mikellen astonished to see bronze and not white, sat in a stuper. When the little creature finally walked over and bit him and the meat, he came to himself. He sighed, but figured a bronze was still pretty good. And it was the smallest bronze he'd ever seen.
He looked at the little hatchling feeding. "Well, I guess that's the way it is. No one really knows what colour's in an egg, firelizard or dragon. It's a gamble..." He smiled at the creature curled up in his arms, asleep. "And that's what I'll call you. Gamble."
In response to hearing his name for the first time, Gamble burped and rolled over.
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