 Tanzer sputtered and tried to clear the water from his eyes. "Who's there?" he yelled a challenge, though his view was still slightly watery. Singer's snarl told him that someone was there, but she didn't care to tell him who. The gold could be willful at the most inconvenient of times. "Ho there!" a man's deep voice called out. Tanzer's eyes had cleared by now, and he could make out a green dragon standing, half imersed, in water two lengths from him. "Did Tilcanth splash you?" now Tanzer could see a man, clad in a bathing cloth, who had been blocked from view by the green dragon. Tanzer smiled weakly. "Not very much. I'm used to being splashed anyway, though I've never had the honor of being drenched by a dragon." The man chuckled as he strode throught the water over to Tanzer. "It's no honor, believe me." The greenrider's words were rewarded with a thorough drennching from a sweep of his green's wings. "I'm T'lin, green Tilcath's rider of Dark Moon Weyr," he introduced himself, extending a dripping hand. "Merry meet T'lin," Tanzer replied, gripping the rider's hand heartily . "I'm Tanzer of North Beach Cothold." "Likewise," T'lin nodded. "Funny name for a Southern cothold," he remarked with a grin. Tanzer shrugged. "I've always thought so too. We're north of the larger hold, so I guess someone dubbed us North Beach and it just sort of stuck." "Makes sense if you think about it," T'lin agreed. A cold breeze, heavy with the scents of the morninh meal, caused both T'lin and Tanzer to shiver. "Would you like to come back to the cothold for some klah and meatrolls?" Tanzer offered politely. "I'm sure my mother won't mind such esteemed company." "Who would refuse a warm cup of klah after such a soaking?" T'lin accepted with a grin. "Will anyone in your family object to Tilcanth coming too? She could stay here if she needs to..." "There is a path large enough for a dragon," Tanzer replied after a moment. "And I don't see what harm their could be in letting her curl up outside." That being decided upon, the three started out, Singer having been sent ahead to warn of the extra mouths to feed. They reached the cothold quickly, Tilcanth announcing their arrival with a bugle. Anzeila came running out immediatly, first embracing her son while scolding him for his absence and making them worry and then, straightening, approached T'lin. "We welcome you to our cothold, dragonrider. I am Anzeila." "Merry meet Anzeila," T'lin replied curteously. "I'm T'lin, green Tilcanth's rider of Dark Moon Weyr." Anzeila nodded. "Well don't stand out here any longer, you're both drenched to the bone. T'lin, go in and down the hall on the left. The first room your right is a guest room, you'll find dry clothes in there and we can dry out those wet flying leathers. Tanzer, go to your quarters and change." Tanzer hastily departed, lest his mother insist on particular garb, and threw on the first clean tunic and trousers he could find. When he got back to the kitchens, T'lin was already seated at the table, talking quietly with his parents. His father looked strained and his mother looked fearful. What had the greenrider been telling them? Tanzer wondered breifly. All three looked up when Tanzer entered. "Ah Tanzer," his father called, patting the seat beside him, "we've been discussing you. Have a seat." "Discussing me?" Tanzer queried as he slid into the chair. "T'lin," his father began, "or rather, T'lin's green, has decided that you would make a good candidate to stand at Dark Moon Weyr. Would you like to go?" Tanzer gaped. Searched? T'lin hadn't said anything about being a Searchrider, but then any dragon could have an intuition. Tanzer's dark eyes flicked from his father to T'lin and back to his Father. "Can I really?" he asked, trying to keep his excitement from his voice but failing miserably. "Of course you may," his father replied with a chuckle. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't intend to let you go." Tanzer smiled. "Of course not." |