Post by tarra on Jan 4, 2010 19:46:38 GMT -5
Killed in the Wasteland Invasion
Name: Juliya
Age: 30 turns [b. April 2984]
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Heterosexual, if anything. Primarily uninterested.
Rank: Greenrider / HAD (Level III)
Wing: Centurio
Physical Appearance:
Tall and slender is Juliya, built lanky and with a somewhat muscular figure that makes her look more boyish than feminine. Coupled with the fact that she does not possess much in the way of feminine curves, it can often be confusing for people to regard her for the first time. Whether or not she would be described as pretty is primarily in the eye of the beholder, for nothing about her is exceptionally eye-catching. She has an oval face with highly defined cheekbones and wide eyes. Her lips are also defined, naturally larger than most people's would be, and she has a small nose with a readily noticeable bump on the bridge from where her nose was broken when she was younger. She possesses small, thin wrists and ankles that would make her petite, and probably more dainty, if not for the fact that her muscle toning is visible when she's wearing short sleeves. This toning helps to create an illusion of physical strength that is highlighted by her naturally tall and graceful figure. Her most blatant flaw is her teeth, for she has a slight gap between the front two that she would prefer to think of as charming.
As far as coloring goes, Juliya does not possess any extraordinary features, either, though she is not outright plain. Her hair is a light brown with honey-colored highlights that almost seem to shine gold when the light hits it just right, and her hair falls in short, straight locks to the bottoms of her shoulder blades. Most of the time, her hair is held back in a tight braid, severe and out of her face completely. Her eyes are a plain hazel with more green than brown, though depending on the lighting and what she is wearing they can seem to lean toward either color. Wider than most people's, her eyes can be somewhat intimidating if only because Juliya always meets people's eyes when addressing them. No part of her is reluctant in that. She has a natural tan, leaning startlingly close to brown due to how much time she spent outside of Ista as a child and to the natural coloring of most people from the region. Several scars criss-cross up her back, old and faded, from beatings when she was younger, and she has a very obvious threadscore scar on her right wrist.
Personality
Juliya is, in a nutshell, an actress. Outwardly she presents herself as polite, diplomatic, somewhat soft spoken, even shy. She always addresses people with formality, title first and name, if she can help it, and she rarely speaks first unless she feels she has something very important to say. She feigns the role of sweet, innocent hold-bred girl almost at all times; someone who needs protecting, not a protector. She has mastered the art of schooling her face to a perfect calm, so that she looks as though she's lost or confused, when really, she's not. Her voice is melodious and she usually is capable of lying with her tone, or at least making her voice belie what she really feels.
But she is not the type of person to hold back her opinions, either. Just because she's diplomatic doesn't mean she's a doormat, and while she's always very eloquent in how she speaks, she's also very much the type to stand by her convictions. No one pushes Juliya around, even though they might think they have. She doesn't do anything unless she really wants to do it - she's extremely smart. She's a natural tactician and her intelligence helps with that. Others might see her as pretty and not worth more than eye candy, due to how polite and formal she usually is when dealing with people, and that's the impression Juliya likes giving off. She's not a liar by nature but she believes deception has its virtues, especially when dealing with other people - being underestimated gives her an advantage, especially in debates. People are more likely to be surprised by the fact that she knows what she's talking about if she comes off as a pretty airhead most of the time. Not that she gets into debates often because Juliya does not intentionally provoke fights, but she's fully capable of finishing one once it starts.
Inside, past the polite and diplomatic exterior, Juliya's a natural athlete and tom-boy; she likes to rough-house with the boys, get dirty and climb things. She was raised with the impression that young ladies don't do these things, so she taught herself to hide this behavior to the best of her abilities - hence developing her skills as an actress. She's mischievous to a fault, never cruel but definitely playful, the type to hide your leathers while you're bathing until you ask nicely for them back. She's also passive aggressive, more the type to do something sneaky than outright lash out in any way. She likes to come off as innocent, but she isn't, not really. She's a very independent and dynamic young woman with a natural charisma, when she puts her mind to it, and she makes a good friend despite her habit of pretending to be more sweet and kind than she is. She's a very good listener, and she's wise beyond her years, though she's not the most patient person inwardly. On the outside she might seem like she has the patience of a saint, but inside she gets angry and agitated quickly, and she doesn't accept anything as out of her grasp. She thinks she can take on the world, and she's just headstrong enough to try, even though no one may know it but her.
1. Before the dragons
Juliya was born as the oldest of seven children at Ista Hold. Her mother and father were a married couple who were not exceptionally close, though her father treated her mother with a distinct respect that most men at the Hold would not have granted a woman of her status with. Juliya was the couple's only daughter, and she was primarily ignored by her father, but her mother taught her from an early age the art of subtlety and manipulation, a necessity for a woman in the north who actually wanted a life outside of being used. Her early Turns were primarily spent with her mother, though she made a few friends. Her brothers were often busy with her beastcrafter father, and she saw very little of them, which was just as well because they did not want anything to do with her and she wanted nothing from them. She did speak to her father from time to time, but her mother was the most important person in her life.
The older she became, the more Juliya became aware of the state of the Hold she grew up in. While Ista, being distant from the two northern Weyrs enough to be less affected by their fighting, was far less chaotic as the Holds nearest to them, women were treated primarily as slaves, and unworthy of speaking. Raised as she was, this bothered her considerably, and she began stepping in to protect the younger females than herself from the beatings many of them sustained. More than once she was carted to healers for bruises and broken bones due to her indiscretion, for while she was not rude or hot tempered, few were willing to tolerate anyone trying to intervene, but most especially a woman. She was fortunate, though, for she was diplomatic enough to not get herself beaten for her own actions, and unlike several of the Hold girls, she was never raped. She managed to survive well enough, even earn the respect of many of the lower ranking men in the hold. She was taught by the Hold Harper as many of the residents were, and by the time she was fifteen, her looks and reputation for being able to talk her way out of situations most people wouldn't be able to handle drew the attention of Ista's Lord Holder, or more specifically, his son. Mostly against her wishes, Juliya was set to marry him in the spring following her fifteenth birthday.
Three sevendays before she was to be married, a Searchrider from Fort arrived. Grenostith had clutched on the Sands and women and men were needed to stand; no one with potential would be exempt! Juliya was one of the group to be Searched - much to the Lord Holder's annoyance - and though at first she resisted (not wanting to actually leave what could be a particularly beneficial arrangement for herself; she'd heard what happened to women at those Weyrs and wanted no part of it!), the blue dragon asked her to come. And who was she to resist a dragon's plea? She knew enough about dragons to know that they did not just bespeak anyone. So, against the wishes of her parents and the Lord Holder, as well as her own judgment, she went with the bluerider to Fort Weyr.
2. Dragonspeech
When she got there, though, Juliya was surprised to find that it was not just the Searchrider's blue who would bespeak her. Many of the lower ranking dragons would speak to her, more so than she ever imagined, and the sevendays she spent as a candidate were primarily taken up by her learning about the Weyr from the dragons themselves. Rarely did a brown bespeak her, though, and no bronzes or golds would give her the time of day, for she was just a candidate, likely not worth their notice. But she could hear them talking to one another, too - a fact that left her very curious. By the time the hatching came, Juliya decided that her ability to hear the dragons must be a closely guarded secret; she was regarded with enough hostility by everyone there to make her uncomfortable as it was, but the concept of anyone finding out she could do something so rare was enough to frighten her. She told not a soul, and the dragons she conversed with were low enough in rank that they recognized - and perhaps understood - her position.
Finally the day of the Hatching arrived, and Juliya stood with a group of girls. The females were primarily searched as queen candidates, but it was not the queen from the clutch that approached Juliya. Rather, a green hatchling came up to her, choosing her above the rest despite the massive crowd of girls surrounding her - and she was Juliya to Green Eriannath forever more.
Weyrling training was exceptionally difficult for Juliya and Eriannath, simply because the girl could hear the instructions before anyone else, and it took all of her effort not to act on them immediately. But those early Turns were useful in teaching her that despite the fact that she could hear the dragons, she couldn't always listen to them. She had to wait. Eriannath was a quick study, and the two learned fast that failure at learning things quickly was not tolerated. For the most part, Juliya kept to herself, as her secret was too much for anyone else to be expected to be expected to keep. The pair graduated normally and was transferred to a fighting wing near immediately.
3. Mortal Wings
Unfortunately, the fighting wing did more than just fight Thread. Thread didn't bother Juliya, for Eriannath was quick in the sky, fast to turn and good at dodging. It was fighting Benden wings that caused Juliya to break after only one or two times out in the field. She always found excuses to avoid having to fight, as the sounds of the dragons dying was enough to make her wish she'd get injured badly to avoid having to do so. Eriannath's worry for her finally caused Juliya to cave, and she approached the leader of her Wing in secret about a transfer to the Queen's wing for threadfighting. And she got it, although for the months that followed, Juliya was not sure that the price was worth it in the end. She was in debt to her former Wingleader for the entire Turn that followed, until Grenostith flew again and he was demoted by the new Weyrleader. Even then, though, Juliya felt considerable relief at her transfer, and she went to extreme lengths to avoid angering Kamerai in order to stay on the Queen's wing. They never fought dragons and though their threadfighting was limited, it was far better than being tormented by the voices of dragons before they went between. She would have nightmares about that for Turns to come.
Juliya and Eriannath remained on the Queen's wing for nine turns, arguably as one of the most stable wingriders at Fort, and her secret was guarded carefully. She avoided entering any relationships while at Fort, as it was Juliya's goal to avoid becoming close to someone who could be taken away from her on a whim, as rumours said Kamerai was won't to do. Eriannath was rarely caught by the same dragon twice in a row, and Juliya kept herself from forming very many attachments. One person she did grow fond of quickly was a candidate from Igen by the name of Fianni. Fianni was able to hear all the dragons as well - and though she did not know Juliya could do it, she was not nearly as discreet as the greenrider. She happily told everyone at the Weyr about her ability. And within two sevendays of her arrival, Fianni was dead; died in her sleep.
At first, Juliya thought that Fianni had been injured before her arrival. It happened, sometimes, with girls who were particularly outspoken. Sad as it was, Juliya had become accustomed to the turnover rate of women at the Weyr. Those who didn't die often became drudges. Few Impressed and managed to survive. It was a sad thing, but nothing she could prevent. However, Fianni's death was more than just an accident, Juliya discovered. She was in the kitchens sneaking food late one night when she overheard several of the bronzeriders whispering about how Kamerai had poisoned the girl in her sleep out of jealousy for her being able to speak to all of the dragons. Having been in Kamerai's wing for Turns, she knew how vindictive the Weyrwoman could be. And so it was that she made a decision: She could no longer stay at Fort. If it came out that she was able to hear all dragons, she would be killed, and her wonderful Eriannath with her. That was unacceptable.
She made her escape early in the morning, leaving to go on what she claimed was Sweeps. Having been reliable for eleven turns, no one thought anything of it... and Juliya did not go on her sweeps; she left to Selenitas, where she hoped she'd be safe from the wars of the north, and the dangers that came with them.
4. Selenitas
And for a time, it seemed, she had indeed escaped. Selenitas was for most part a Weyr at peace, not war, and here Juliya found herself able to relax, though never completely. Old fears died hard, and some were destined to remain forever. Her ability with dragons was one of these: having kept the secret for so long, she continued to do so out of pure habit (and caution). One or two riders found out, not least of all T'rid and his bronze Corinth, but beyond that handful the secret remained a secret. She met other Northern riders, refugees or defectors from both Fort and Benden; and wary though Juliya was of them at first, she soon came to realize that most were as scarred or as scared as she had been when they left their old Weyrs for Selenitas.
Coming to the South also brought with it the chance to impress a firelizard. Juliya was fortunate to Impress two at her first hatching, and though she was also present at a salamandyr hatching she found no more pets, and was in fact happy with what she had. Her two, a blue and a brown, were named Rain and Shine respectively. True to their names they saw her through rain and shine with their usual cheerful antics together - until the time of the firelizard plague. Rain took ill with it, and despite Juliya's best efforts he died a week later, leaving both Shine and the greenrider numb with grief. The brown recovered soon enough, though he still keened softly whenever his bonded brought up the memory; but it would be weeks before Juliya herself could bring up the thought of the gregarious little blue without thinking that he was still around.
Sadly, however, the peace was not an unbroken one. In 3010, soon after she had joined Selenitas, Benden made a savage attack on the Selenitas queens during ThreadFall, and Juliya was drawn in to help. She made it out without too much damage to her mental health, but the loss of the gold weyrlings Paryal and Aezanth devastated her as much as it did anyone else. There was precious little time to mourn as Benden struck again that same year, making a dedicated attempt to execute the Selenitas Weyrwomen on the Hatching Sands. That was thawted, but the next turn brought the poisoning of Shmee, and even as Kaegan became Senior Weyrwoman, Juliya and Eriannath could not help but note that their new home was steadily, inevitably, being drawn into the conflicts that plagued the North.
Worse was yet to come in 3012, with the epic battle that would become known in future turns as the Seige of Selenitas. Like many other riders, Juliya scrambled from her weyr fighting for her life in theatchaos; but the sheer mental onslaught of so many dragons' agonies would prove too much in the end. She eventually collapsed screaming with her head in both hands, and the last thing she saw before darkness took her was the looming bulk of Eriannath, standing over her in snarling defiance of the invaders.
5. Awakening
Much of what happened after that was a blank. A long, slow blank punctuated only by bright flashes of memory: eating, drinking, stroking a big green dragon slowly (very slowly) with an oily brush, a voice in her mind telling her she was going to be alright and wouldn't she just move that brush a bit more to the side...
It was a long time before Juliya came back into herself enough to realise what had happened. The horrible cacophony of so many wounded and dying dragons had driven her nearly insane, leaving her in a near-catatonic state. She had been capable of seeing to her needs; but her eyes, others told her later, had been blank, and she had only done what was needed for Eriannath and herself when she was told to do so. It was a bad time, and particularly so for the forlorn green, who took to watching over her rider like a queen dragon watches over her first clutch. Eriannath became so protective she was nearly aggressive in deciding who might or might not interact with her rider, often watching those who approached with mantled wings and glaring eyes. She frightened more than one healer in those early days, and eventually only those whom the green knew well would even dare to approach the dazed Juliya to get her to eat or drink.
But when the greenrider had recovered enough to begin speaking her mind again, she managed to get a leave of absence approved and took Eriannath and Shine with her to Blossom Hold. There they whiled the days away as Juliya slowly recovered both her health an her spirits. The deep emotional trauma had left its mark on her physical health as well; and it took time for her stamina to recover, for her to stop feeling so tired all the time. Long walks in the countryside and distance flights on Eriannath to deliver to odd message helped too. In this way they missed several major events back at Selenitas, not least of all the Southern Fever epidemic and Fort's attack in their attempts to track down the survivors of the High Reaches genocide. If Eriannath ever knew anything of such things, or of T'rid's disappearance and Corinth's betweening for that matter- well, it was never mentioned, or at least not to Juliya. Her rider's mental health was her utmost priority, and the big green had no intention of allowing anything to break the growing strength of the greenrider's recovery.
It was in April of 3014 when Juliya finally felt enough like her old self to consider returning to the Weyr. Having spent nearly a turn at Blosson Hold, she was beginning to miss her old friends and haunts in Selenitas, and was hungry for news of all that had happened in her absence. Eriannath, when prompted, refused to give any updates: it might have been that she truly had not kept up with the other dragons from afar, but it was ust as likely that she did not want to be the one to update her rider on all the tragedies that had befallen Selenitas in her absence. So it was with both hope and trepidation that Juliya took leave of her by now good friends in Blossom Hold, and embarked on the quick trip between back to Selenitas...
Name: Eriannath (AIR ee ah NAH th)
Color: Green (467D3B)
Age: 15 turns [b. May 2999]
Physical Description:
Built lean is this green, and for her color she is surprisingly 'long' as a result, though large would never be an accurate description of her. She has an almost serpentine look to her, with long and thin wings that are powerful enough to hold her and her rider in the air, though she is clearly not designed for long and drawn out flights. No, these thin wings and her long whippy figure give Eriannath an advantage on twisting and turning that the larger colors lack, while more speed than many greens possess due to sheer wingpower. She will never have the endurance of a blue or green, but Eriannath is no slouch in the sky, and she jumps between faster than most greens can due to an immense amount of practice as she flew in a queen's wing for Turns.
Eriannath has a very strange color, too, even for a green. A base coat of dark, hunter green makes up her hide, and colors her snout and tail intricately, but her body looks as though some invisible hand moved to sew tiny cross-stitch patterns of light, delicate grass-green over her, spirals that resemble powdering of color smeared to and fro. Where one pattern ends, another begins, giving her an almost rough look to her hide. Coupled with the pale edgings of her wings and back ridges, Eriannath makes up a mottled mixture of many shades of green. The basest of her coloring is best described as hunter green with seafoam green splashes down her body.
Personality:
The people who say greens are all flirtatious could not be more wrong when it comes to Eriannath. While she is anything but unfriendly, flirtatious would be an extremely inaccurate description for the green dragon. She talks to every dragon as equals, with an unusual dignity and poise for her color. She is respectful to everyone, but with a certain distance, as if she can't quite decide what she thinks of the people she meets. Once she spends enough time around other dragons, she might be willing to open up more, but she will never be as warm and friendly as people seem to expect greens to be. Rather, she prefers to observe from the sidelines and analyze, take in what others do from a distance. She's very introspective, even if her memory is poor. Her Turns at Fort taught her the virtue of spending her time alone, and Juliya's own secrecy has rubbed off on her. She rarely speaks to anyone but her rider; only those who can speak to all dragons are treated differently.
With Juliya, though, and people like her whom she trusts (and it takes a long time for Eriannath to form attachments due to how quickly they could and often were severed at Fort), she displays a more playful personality. She is very much the type of dragon to make silly comments just to make her rider laugh, but she'd never show that to a perfect stranger, or try it with dragons she barely knows. Her formality hides a more sweet demeanor that only the people she cares the most about will ever get to see. She is also an exceptional listener. If not for her considerate nature, Juliya likely would have gone insane over the Turns, and her patience helps keep her rider in line - perhaps fortunately, since Juliya's naturally manipulative streak could be detrimental to her. In other words... Eriannath is the air to Juliya's earth; she is the light-hearted, creative one, while Juliya is the more down-to-earth and focused... most of the time.
Name: Shine
Color: Brown
Age: 3 turns [b. December 3010]
Physical Description:
Shine's build is typical of many browns: solid and sturdy, with definitive muscle and masculine bulk over the shoulders, neck and flanks. He is slightly smaller than the average brown, with a chunkiness than reminds one of a wher but at the same time make him seem cute and chubby. His colouring is a soft woody shade of brown, with lighter brown dapples dancing over his neck, shoulders, back and flanks and down the tip of his tail.
Personality:
True to his cheerful appearance, Shine is a friendly, bubbly little soul who seems to think the best of everyone and enjoys the company of anything that moves: from people to other firelizards to dragons and whers that don't mind him afoot. He is playful as well, and quite the handful for Juliya when he decides to go rolling in the mud or wrestling in the bushes with other firelizards of similar disposition. Despite his friendliness, however, the turns of violence with attempted murders and dragon fighting in Selenitas have also made him very protective of Juliya, and he will defend her fiercely with tooth and claw from anyone who might try to harm her.
2008
Dragonriders (Threadfall 1/25) - Jan 25 2008
Thinking Too Much? - Feb 11 2008
When luck turns bad (Tirea's clutch hatching) - Jan 25 2008
I disagree! (Dael's clutch) - Feb 15 2008
Cyclone Wing Drills - Aug 4 2008
It's just a little pinch - Aug 4 2008
Cyclone Wing Drills #2 - Aug 17 2008
Doing Nothing for a Day - Aug 24 2008
Inner Fire (Eriannath's Flight) - Sep 25 2008
A round of applause - Sep 29 2008
2010
Pass me some memories
The Rider
Name: Juliya
Age: 30 turns [b. April 2984]
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Heterosexual, if anything. Primarily uninterested.
Rank: Greenrider / HAD (Level III)
Wing: Centurio
Physical Appearance:
Tall and slender is Juliya, built lanky and with a somewhat muscular figure that makes her look more boyish than feminine. Coupled with the fact that she does not possess much in the way of feminine curves, it can often be confusing for people to regard her for the first time. Whether or not she would be described as pretty is primarily in the eye of the beholder, for nothing about her is exceptionally eye-catching. She has an oval face with highly defined cheekbones and wide eyes. Her lips are also defined, naturally larger than most people's would be, and she has a small nose with a readily noticeable bump on the bridge from where her nose was broken when she was younger. She possesses small, thin wrists and ankles that would make her petite, and probably more dainty, if not for the fact that her muscle toning is visible when she's wearing short sleeves. This toning helps to create an illusion of physical strength that is highlighted by her naturally tall and graceful figure. Her most blatant flaw is her teeth, for she has a slight gap between the front two that she would prefer to think of as charming.
As far as coloring goes, Juliya does not possess any extraordinary features, either, though she is not outright plain. Her hair is a light brown with honey-colored highlights that almost seem to shine gold when the light hits it just right, and her hair falls in short, straight locks to the bottoms of her shoulder blades. Most of the time, her hair is held back in a tight braid, severe and out of her face completely. Her eyes are a plain hazel with more green than brown, though depending on the lighting and what she is wearing they can seem to lean toward either color. Wider than most people's, her eyes can be somewhat intimidating if only because Juliya always meets people's eyes when addressing them. No part of her is reluctant in that. She has a natural tan, leaning startlingly close to brown due to how much time she spent outside of Ista as a child and to the natural coloring of most people from the region. Several scars criss-cross up her back, old and faded, from beatings when she was younger, and she has a very obvious threadscore scar on her right wrist.
Personality
Juliya is, in a nutshell, an actress. Outwardly she presents herself as polite, diplomatic, somewhat soft spoken, even shy. She always addresses people with formality, title first and name, if she can help it, and she rarely speaks first unless she feels she has something very important to say. She feigns the role of sweet, innocent hold-bred girl almost at all times; someone who needs protecting, not a protector. She has mastered the art of schooling her face to a perfect calm, so that she looks as though she's lost or confused, when really, she's not. Her voice is melodious and she usually is capable of lying with her tone, or at least making her voice belie what she really feels.
But she is not the type of person to hold back her opinions, either. Just because she's diplomatic doesn't mean she's a doormat, and while she's always very eloquent in how she speaks, she's also very much the type to stand by her convictions. No one pushes Juliya around, even though they might think they have. She doesn't do anything unless she really wants to do it - she's extremely smart. She's a natural tactician and her intelligence helps with that. Others might see her as pretty and not worth more than eye candy, due to how polite and formal she usually is when dealing with people, and that's the impression Juliya likes giving off. She's not a liar by nature but she believes deception has its virtues, especially when dealing with other people - being underestimated gives her an advantage, especially in debates. People are more likely to be surprised by the fact that she knows what she's talking about if she comes off as a pretty airhead most of the time. Not that she gets into debates often because Juliya does not intentionally provoke fights, but she's fully capable of finishing one once it starts.
Inside, past the polite and diplomatic exterior, Juliya's a natural athlete and tom-boy; she likes to rough-house with the boys, get dirty and climb things. She was raised with the impression that young ladies don't do these things, so she taught herself to hide this behavior to the best of her abilities - hence developing her skills as an actress. She's mischievous to a fault, never cruel but definitely playful, the type to hide your leathers while you're bathing until you ask nicely for them back. She's also passive aggressive, more the type to do something sneaky than outright lash out in any way. She likes to come off as innocent, but she isn't, not really. She's a very independent and dynamic young woman with a natural charisma, when she puts her mind to it, and she makes a good friend despite her habit of pretending to be more sweet and kind than she is. She's a very good listener, and she's wise beyond her years, though she's not the most patient person inwardly. On the outside she might seem like she has the patience of a saint, but inside she gets angry and agitated quickly, and she doesn't accept anything as out of her grasp. She thinks she can take on the world, and she's just headstrong enough to try, even though no one may know it but her.
The Prequel
1. Before the dragons
Juliya was born as the oldest of seven children at Ista Hold. Her mother and father were a married couple who were not exceptionally close, though her father treated her mother with a distinct respect that most men at the Hold would not have granted a woman of her status with. Juliya was the couple's only daughter, and she was primarily ignored by her father, but her mother taught her from an early age the art of subtlety and manipulation, a necessity for a woman in the north who actually wanted a life outside of being used. Her early Turns were primarily spent with her mother, though she made a few friends. Her brothers were often busy with her beastcrafter father, and she saw very little of them, which was just as well because they did not want anything to do with her and she wanted nothing from them. She did speak to her father from time to time, but her mother was the most important person in her life.
The older she became, the more Juliya became aware of the state of the Hold she grew up in. While Ista, being distant from the two northern Weyrs enough to be less affected by their fighting, was far less chaotic as the Holds nearest to them, women were treated primarily as slaves, and unworthy of speaking. Raised as she was, this bothered her considerably, and she began stepping in to protect the younger females than herself from the beatings many of them sustained. More than once she was carted to healers for bruises and broken bones due to her indiscretion, for while she was not rude or hot tempered, few were willing to tolerate anyone trying to intervene, but most especially a woman. She was fortunate, though, for she was diplomatic enough to not get herself beaten for her own actions, and unlike several of the Hold girls, she was never raped. She managed to survive well enough, even earn the respect of many of the lower ranking men in the hold. She was taught by the Hold Harper as many of the residents were, and by the time she was fifteen, her looks and reputation for being able to talk her way out of situations most people wouldn't be able to handle drew the attention of Ista's Lord Holder, or more specifically, his son. Mostly against her wishes, Juliya was set to marry him in the spring following her fifteenth birthday.
Three sevendays before she was to be married, a Searchrider from Fort arrived. Grenostith had clutched on the Sands and women and men were needed to stand; no one with potential would be exempt! Juliya was one of the group to be Searched - much to the Lord Holder's annoyance - and though at first she resisted (not wanting to actually leave what could be a particularly beneficial arrangement for herself; she'd heard what happened to women at those Weyrs and wanted no part of it!), the blue dragon asked her to come. And who was she to resist a dragon's plea? She knew enough about dragons to know that they did not just bespeak anyone. So, against the wishes of her parents and the Lord Holder, as well as her own judgment, she went with the bluerider to Fort Weyr.
2. Dragonspeech
When she got there, though, Juliya was surprised to find that it was not just the Searchrider's blue who would bespeak her. Many of the lower ranking dragons would speak to her, more so than she ever imagined, and the sevendays she spent as a candidate were primarily taken up by her learning about the Weyr from the dragons themselves. Rarely did a brown bespeak her, though, and no bronzes or golds would give her the time of day, for she was just a candidate, likely not worth their notice. But she could hear them talking to one another, too - a fact that left her very curious. By the time the hatching came, Juliya decided that her ability to hear the dragons must be a closely guarded secret; she was regarded with enough hostility by everyone there to make her uncomfortable as it was, but the concept of anyone finding out she could do something so rare was enough to frighten her. She told not a soul, and the dragons she conversed with were low enough in rank that they recognized - and perhaps understood - her position.
Finally the day of the Hatching arrived, and Juliya stood with a group of girls. The females were primarily searched as queen candidates, but it was not the queen from the clutch that approached Juliya. Rather, a green hatchling came up to her, choosing her above the rest despite the massive crowd of girls surrounding her - and she was Juliya to Green Eriannath forever more.
Weyrling training was exceptionally difficult for Juliya and Eriannath, simply because the girl could hear the instructions before anyone else, and it took all of her effort not to act on them immediately. But those early Turns were useful in teaching her that despite the fact that she could hear the dragons, she couldn't always listen to them. She had to wait. Eriannath was a quick study, and the two learned fast that failure at learning things quickly was not tolerated. For the most part, Juliya kept to herself, as her secret was too much for anyone else to be expected to be expected to keep. The pair graduated normally and was transferred to a fighting wing near immediately.
3. Mortal Wings
Unfortunately, the fighting wing did more than just fight Thread. Thread didn't bother Juliya, for Eriannath was quick in the sky, fast to turn and good at dodging. It was fighting Benden wings that caused Juliya to break after only one or two times out in the field. She always found excuses to avoid having to fight, as the sounds of the dragons dying was enough to make her wish she'd get injured badly to avoid having to do so. Eriannath's worry for her finally caused Juliya to cave, and she approached the leader of her Wing in secret about a transfer to the Queen's wing for threadfighting. And she got it, although for the months that followed, Juliya was not sure that the price was worth it in the end. She was in debt to her former Wingleader for the entire Turn that followed, until Grenostith flew again and he was demoted by the new Weyrleader. Even then, though, Juliya felt considerable relief at her transfer, and she went to extreme lengths to avoid angering Kamerai in order to stay on the Queen's wing. They never fought dragons and though their threadfighting was limited, it was far better than being tormented by the voices of dragons before they went between. She would have nightmares about that for Turns to come.
Juliya and Eriannath remained on the Queen's wing for nine turns, arguably as one of the most stable wingriders at Fort, and her secret was guarded carefully. She avoided entering any relationships while at Fort, as it was Juliya's goal to avoid becoming close to someone who could be taken away from her on a whim, as rumours said Kamerai was won't to do. Eriannath was rarely caught by the same dragon twice in a row, and Juliya kept herself from forming very many attachments. One person she did grow fond of quickly was a candidate from Igen by the name of Fianni. Fianni was able to hear all the dragons as well - and though she did not know Juliya could do it, she was not nearly as discreet as the greenrider. She happily told everyone at the Weyr about her ability. And within two sevendays of her arrival, Fianni was dead; died in her sleep.
At first, Juliya thought that Fianni had been injured before her arrival. It happened, sometimes, with girls who were particularly outspoken. Sad as it was, Juliya had become accustomed to the turnover rate of women at the Weyr. Those who didn't die often became drudges. Few Impressed and managed to survive. It was a sad thing, but nothing she could prevent. However, Fianni's death was more than just an accident, Juliya discovered. She was in the kitchens sneaking food late one night when she overheard several of the bronzeriders whispering about how Kamerai had poisoned the girl in her sleep out of jealousy for her being able to speak to all of the dragons. Having been in Kamerai's wing for Turns, she knew how vindictive the Weyrwoman could be. And so it was that she made a decision: She could no longer stay at Fort. If it came out that she was able to hear all dragons, she would be killed, and her wonderful Eriannath with her. That was unacceptable.
She made her escape early in the morning, leaving to go on what she claimed was Sweeps. Having been reliable for eleven turns, no one thought anything of it... and Juliya did not go on her sweeps; she left to Selenitas, where she hoped she'd be safe from the wars of the north, and the dangers that came with them.
4. Selenitas
And for a time, it seemed, she had indeed escaped. Selenitas was for most part a Weyr at peace, not war, and here Juliya found herself able to relax, though never completely. Old fears died hard, and some were destined to remain forever. Her ability with dragons was one of these: having kept the secret for so long, she continued to do so out of pure habit (and caution). One or two riders found out, not least of all T'rid and his bronze Corinth, but beyond that handful the secret remained a secret. She met other Northern riders, refugees or defectors from both Fort and Benden; and wary though Juliya was of them at first, she soon came to realize that most were as scarred or as scared as she had been when they left their old Weyrs for Selenitas.
Coming to the South also brought with it the chance to impress a firelizard. Juliya was fortunate to Impress two at her first hatching, and though she was also present at a salamandyr hatching she found no more pets, and was in fact happy with what she had. Her two, a blue and a brown, were named Rain and Shine respectively. True to their names they saw her through rain and shine with their usual cheerful antics together - until the time of the firelizard plague. Rain took ill with it, and despite Juliya's best efforts he died a week later, leaving both Shine and the greenrider numb with grief. The brown recovered soon enough, though he still keened softly whenever his bonded brought up the memory; but it would be weeks before Juliya herself could bring up the thought of the gregarious little blue without thinking that he was still around.
Sadly, however, the peace was not an unbroken one. In 3010, soon after she had joined Selenitas, Benden made a savage attack on the Selenitas queens during ThreadFall, and Juliya was drawn in to help. She made it out without too much damage to her mental health, but the loss of the gold weyrlings Paryal and Aezanth devastated her as much as it did anyone else. There was precious little time to mourn as Benden struck again that same year, making a dedicated attempt to execute the Selenitas Weyrwomen on the Hatching Sands. That was thawted, but the next turn brought the poisoning of Shmee, and even as Kaegan became Senior Weyrwoman, Juliya and Eriannath could not help but note that their new home was steadily, inevitably, being drawn into the conflicts that plagued the North.
Worse was yet to come in 3012, with the epic battle that would become known in future turns as the Seige of Selenitas. Like many other riders, Juliya scrambled from her weyr fighting for her life in theatchaos; but the sheer mental onslaught of so many dragons' agonies would prove too much in the end. She eventually collapsed screaming with her head in both hands, and the last thing she saw before darkness took her was the looming bulk of Eriannath, standing over her in snarling defiance of the invaders.
5. Awakening
Much of what happened after that was a blank. A long, slow blank punctuated only by bright flashes of memory: eating, drinking, stroking a big green dragon slowly (very slowly) with an oily brush, a voice in her mind telling her she was going to be alright and wouldn't she just move that brush a bit more to the side...
It was a long time before Juliya came back into herself enough to realise what had happened. The horrible cacophony of so many wounded and dying dragons had driven her nearly insane, leaving her in a near-catatonic state. She had been capable of seeing to her needs; but her eyes, others told her later, had been blank, and she had only done what was needed for Eriannath and herself when she was told to do so. It was a bad time, and particularly so for the forlorn green, who took to watching over her rider like a queen dragon watches over her first clutch. Eriannath became so protective she was nearly aggressive in deciding who might or might not interact with her rider, often watching those who approached with mantled wings and glaring eyes. She frightened more than one healer in those early days, and eventually only those whom the green knew well would even dare to approach the dazed Juliya to get her to eat or drink.
But when the greenrider had recovered enough to begin speaking her mind again, she managed to get a leave of absence approved and took Eriannath and Shine with her to Blossom Hold. There they whiled the days away as Juliya slowly recovered both her health an her spirits. The deep emotional trauma had left its mark on her physical health as well; and it took time for her stamina to recover, for her to stop feeling so tired all the time. Long walks in the countryside and distance flights on Eriannath to deliver to odd message helped too. In this way they missed several major events back at Selenitas, not least of all the Southern Fever epidemic and Fort's attack in their attempts to track down the survivors of the High Reaches genocide. If Eriannath ever knew anything of such things, or of T'rid's disappearance and Corinth's betweening for that matter- well, it was never mentioned, or at least not to Juliya. Her rider's mental health was her utmost priority, and the big green had no intention of allowing anything to break the growing strength of the greenrider's recovery.
It was in April of 3014 when Juliya finally felt enough like her old self to consider returning to the Weyr. Having spent nearly a turn at Blosson Hold, she was beginning to miss her old friends and haunts in Selenitas, and was hungry for news of all that had happened in her absence. Eriannath, when prompted, refused to give any updates: it might have been that she truly had not kept up with the other dragons from afar, but it was ust as likely that she did not want to be the one to update her rider on all the tragedies that had befallen Selenitas in her absence. So it was with both hope and trepidation that Juliya took leave of her by now good friends in Blossom Hold, and embarked on the quick trip between back to Selenitas...
The Dragon
Name: Eriannath (AIR ee ah NAH th)
Color: Green (467D3B)
Age: 15 turns [b. May 2999]
Physical Description:
Built lean is this green, and for her color she is surprisingly 'long' as a result, though large would never be an accurate description of her. She has an almost serpentine look to her, with long and thin wings that are powerful enough to hold her and her rider in the air, though she is clearly not designed for long and drawn out flights. No, these thin wings and her long whippy figure give Eriannath an advantage on twisting and turning that the larger colors lack, while more speed than many greens possess due to sheer wingpower. She will never have the endurance of a blue or green, but Eriannath is no slouch in the sky, and she jumps between faster than most greens can due to an immense amount of practice as she flew in a queen's wing for Turns.
Eriannath has a very strange color, too, even for a green. A base coat of dark, hunter green makes up her hide, and colors her snout and tail intricately, but her body looks as though some invisible hand moved to sew tiny cross-stitch patterns of light, delicate grass-green over her, spirals that resemble powdering of color smeared to and fro. Where one pattern ends, another begins, giving her an almost rough look to her hide. Coupled with the pale edgings of her wings and back ridges, Eriannath makes up a mottled mixture of many shades of green. The basest of her coloring is best described as hunter green with seafoam green splashes down her body.
Personality:
The people who say greens are all flirtatious could not be more wrong when it comes to Eriannath. While she is anything but unfriendly, flirtatious would be an extremely inaccurate description for the green dragon. She talks to every dragon as equals, with an unusual dignity and poise for her color. She is respectful to everyone, but with a certain distance, as if she can't quite decide what she thinks of the people she meets. Once she spends enough time around other dragons, she might be willing to open up more, but she will never be as warm and friendly as people seem to expect greens to be. Rather, she prefers to observe from the sidelines and analyze, take in what others do from a distance. She's very introspective, even if her memory is poor. Her Turns at Fort taught her the virtue of spending her time alone, and Juliya's own secrecy has rubbed off on her. She rarely speaks to anyone but her rider; only those who can speak to all dragons are treated differently.
With Juliya, though, and people like her whom she trusts (and it takes a long time for Eriannath to form attachments due to how quickly they could and often were severed at Fort), she displays a more playful personality. She is very much the type of dragon to make silly comments just to make her rider laugh, but she'd never show that to a perfect stranger, or try it with dragons she barely knows. Her formality hides a more sweet demeanor that only the people she cares the most about will ever get to see. She is also an exceptional listener. If not for her considerate nature, Juliya likely would have gone insane over the Turns, and her patience helps keep her rider in line - perhaps fortunately, since Juliya's naturally manipulative streak could be detrimental to her. In other words... Eriannath is the air to Juliya's earth; she is the light-hearted, creative one, while Juliya is the more down-to-earth and focused... most of the time.
The Firelizard
Name: Shine
Color: Brown
Age: 3 turns [b. December 3010]
Physical Description:
Shine's build is typical of many browns: solid and sturdy, with definitive muscle and masculine bulk over the shoulders, neck and flanks. He is slightly smaller than the average brown, with a chunkiness than reminds one of a wher but at the same time make him seem cute and chubby. His colouring is a soft woody shade of brown, with lighter brown dapples dancing over his neck, shoulders, back and flanks and down the tip of his tail.
Personality:
True to his cheerful appearance, Shine is a friendly, bubbly little soul who seems to think the best of everyone and enjoys the company of anything that moves: from people to other firelizards to dragons and whers that don't mind him afoot. He is playful as well, and quite the handful for Juliya when he decides to go rolling in the mud or wrestling in the bushes with other firelizards of similar disposition. Despite his friendliness, however, the turns of violence with attempted murders and dragon fighting in Selenitas have also made him very protective of Juliya, and he will defend her fiercely with tooth and claw from anyone who might try to harm her.
The Story continues...
2008
Dragonriders (Threadfall 1/25) - Jan 25 2008
Thinking Too Much? - Feb 11 2008
When luck turns bad (Tirea's clutch hatching) - Jan 25 2008
I disagree! (Dael's clutch) - Feb 15 2008
Cyclone Wing Drills - Aug 4 2008
It's just a little pinch - Aug 4 2008
Cyclone Wing Drills #2 - Aug 17 2008
Doing Nothing for a Day - Aug 24 2008
Inner Fire (Eriannath's Flight) - Sep 25 2008
A round of applause - Sep 29 2008
2010
Pass me some memories
Thanks for pointing that out - I was having trouble discerning the exact times. Ember was a huge help with finding the threads Juliya has been in, but even with her help it was difficult to match times 