I grinned proudly at Rioalnaar who grinned back.
"They need names." He reminded me.
I stroked the little amber - he was smaller than a green - and smiled.
"Ayukay for the amber and Neiden for the bronze-gold." I informed him.
Neiden warbled proudly and batted his wings.
Unlike Ayukay, he was not tired.
He seemed to have a lot of energy in his large bronze body.
Sinn'deai let out a frightened squeal as shadows fell over the egg shards.
Another fire lizard squealed and a shadow slowly grew until a brown fire lizard fell right in front of me.
His wings were in tatters and bloody.
He was a real mess and half dead.
His tormenter?
The green I had tried to Impress.
I glared up and threw a rock at the green, who screamed in rage and went between.
I turned back to the brown and nudged food towards him.
He croaked weakly and I picked him up gently, stuffing the meat down his throat.
"Riy, could you send Sinn for some bandages?" I asked, surprised by the calm of my voice.
Seconds later the white returned.
My fellow candidate handed me the bandages as I asked for them and I gently - and inexpertly - wrapped the brown's wounds.
All the while, I kept stuffing food down his gullet.
When I had bandaged up his wings as best I could, I wrapped him in my sweater.
He looked up at me adoringly and crooned.
I looked at his wrapped wings and smiled suddenly.
"Don't worry, Detrenim, I'll keep you safe." I whispered.
Neiden snorted as if to say the moment was corny.
I laughed and put the bronze-gold on my shoulder.
Ayukay climbed up my front and clung to my collar and shoulder.
I stood up and they swayed yet managed to hold on.
Detrenim nudged my stomach with his nose and crooned happily.
Rioalnaar and I headed back to the Hall.
However, I soon got bored.
My classes were not going to start until the next day and I did not want to be locked up inside.
So, I went back outside.
Neiden had wrapped his considerable length around my arm.
Detrenim was in the big pouch-pocket of my sweater and Ayukay was on my shoulder.
I decided I had better find someone to help my little brown, since he was an ugly shade of gray.
Go me, I figured out that my fire lizard was not healthy.
He was only half-dead.
It took me only a short period of time to find the resident Healer.
It took about three times that to walk the long path to the Hold and up to the Weyr.
Lucky for me I remembered to take Detrenim out of my pouch-pocket and cradle him in my arms.
Or was it lucky for him?
Either way, it made his injuries stay at that high number.
I found the mage easily - even though she was on her break - and walked up to her.
"Are you Healer Ryiyai?" I asked.
"That I am, who are you?" The mage asked.
"Shailey, candidate at the F.G.P.C." I answered proudly.
"Could you have a look at Detrenim?
He's supposed to be brown... I think."
The Healer laughed slightly and took the little brown from me.
After a few minutes, she looked up at me.
"He'll never fly." She informed me.
"His inside spars are too damaged to be repaired for flight.
In fact, most of their length will have to be removed for him to be comfortable."
"Just help him so that he's not in pain." I answered.
"I've heard that a gold-rider here has a non-flying bronze, so Detrenim will manage."
My fire lizard looked at me piteously and I smiled, stroking his eye ridges.
"I can't fly either, Detrenim, so we can stay on the ground together."
He crooned softly at that.
So, the mage worked her magic on my little pet and handed him delicately back to me.
"He's not to try flying, ever.
He can maybe hop a bit, but his wingsails will never be strong enough to support him.
I've cut his wingspars down to the longest size they can be."
I bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Weyr Healer." I said, then smirked as Detrenim leaned against me.
I did not, however, return to the Hall.
Instead, I wandered around the Weyr.
I saw tiny gold Flynnth and could not help but smile to myself.
"I feel like I'm dreaming." I muttered to my trio, earning a sharp nip from Ayukay to convince me I was not.
"Oww! Hey, I know I'm not but it's hard to believe that four hours ago I was on Earth!"
A dragon appeared overhead with a happy bugle to those around her.
I instantly recognized her.
How could I not?
She was also speaking loudly enough for even me to hear.
They thought they were rid of me! The bronze said with a smirk.
Far from it!
Hello, Flynnth, I've come for a visit!
The pale gold snorted.
The bronze landed in the bowl not too far from me.
I saw a young woman dismount and pat her dragon.
"Try to keep it down, will you?
Already all of Falas knows you're here." She muttered, though I could hear.
A small bronze appeared in front of me, chittering madly.
I glared him in the eye and he quieted, suddenly looking fearful.
I smirked.
"Don't you chitter at me, you little annoyance." I said firmly.
"Go bother someone who won't squish you."
Neiden smirked at the much-smaller bronze who was bonded to the Rurachi of Enzan Shi's Deragonray.
I looked around at the Weyr when the little creature left me alone.
"You know how to handle an annoying fire lizard like him." An older version of my voice observed.
"It's not very difficult." I said defiantly, moving Detrenim to a perch on the shoulder opposite Ayukay so I could cross my arms in a commanding pose.
The Rurachi raised an eyebrow.
"You've three." She stated.
"Quite a lot for a nobody from Earth."
"A bronze is quite something for a nobody from Pern." I retaliated, stroking an agitated Neiden who clung to my folded arms, hissing at the woman.
The bronze dragon smirked.
I like this kid already. She announced.
She's the first I've seen since you became Rurachi - except for the other Council members - who's stood up to you.
I grinned.
"You may have gone down in history as the most annoying to Impress at Falas in the tenth Pass, but I'm going to be the most annoying in the eleventh and tenth."
"Good luck there, kid." The Rurachi said with a superior expression.
She could probably beat you, mine. Akyoth said unhelpfully.
"Well, I have important buisness to attend to." The Rurachi said loudly.
"If you'll excuse me."
As she walked off, I could not help but grin.
"Does that buisness include getting your butt kicked by a small gold dragon?" I inquired softly before heading back to the Hall.
Neiden smirked and sent her an image of Flynnth literally kicking the Rurachi's behind.
Ayukay sniggered mentally at that, then sneezed and nearly fell off my shoulder.
I helped him back on and Detrenim showed me an image of myself at Enzan Shi.
I shrugged.
"Sure, I'll go live at the Deragonray when I graduate.
Why shouldn't I?"
My life on Earth was already fading from my memory.
It was like I was actually becoming somebody here.
I had a bolder personality around these people and I knew that, someday, I would not regret my decision to come.
Still, it did not keep me from feeling miserable when I entered my room again.
The other bed was still empty and I felt a pang of homesickness.
Okay, so I tried to put a brave face on things.
It never lasted long outside of public eyes.
I sighed and sat down on my bed, missing my home.
Had my parents noticed I was gone yet?
What would they think if I came home with flying lizards?
I looked at my trio.
Or would they simply vanish.
Ayukay bit my ear to get my attention and gave me a clear image of an egg hatching and me running towards it.
I smiled and stroked him to soothe him.
They thought I would Impress.
If I did, I would make myself a new life.
If I did not, I would go back home.
