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Post by neeuqtar on Oct 7, 2008 9:36:24 GMT -5
((Post here to be Searched by P'tol and Llath))
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Post by felina on Oct 8, 2008 7:35:02 GMT -5
Niera pushed through the underbrush in disgust, knowing full well how horrendous the little bits of leaves sticking to her sweaty arms made her look. As though sweating at all wasn't bad enough to begin with. She was hot, tired, and thirsty. At the very least she wasn't really hungry; the fruit growing practically everywhere saw to that, and luckily none of it had turned out to be poisonous.
Aside from the abundant foodstuffs, though, the Southern continent was so ridiculously inhospitable that she had to wonder why anyone would ever want to live there. The flybys bit, the flies bit, and she had to worry that even the trundlebugs would bite. The heat was murderously oppressive, the air had so much water in it she felt like she was swimming more than walking, the ground was boggy, the sun burned, and even some of the plants stung when she brushed against them.
"Beautiful place, they promised. Sharding land of milk and honey, they claimed. 'Ah, well we'll jes be sittin' ya down here now. Holds'rnt too far away. Ye'll be gettin' there by nightfall, sure as sunshine.' Crackdust, the lot of it," she muttered angrily. She'd already spent one night out in the jungle, and it hadn't been a pleasant one. Every other sound had made her jump up trying to figure out what dangerous predator it came from, though none had turned out to be any more than a crawlie or treehopper looking for a late snack. It was all the fault of those lying sailors, and their exorbitant prices; Niera had paid every Mark to her name for passage, and they hadn't even the decency to set her off where one could see a Hold.
She wouldn't find it surprising at all if she was as far from civilization as she could possibly be on this sharding continent. In any event, she had absolutely zero idea where she was, no more idea than she did why there was a pair of blinking blue eyes looking at her from the branches of a tall tree. Niera blinked back.
"Yer lost, aren'cha?" A little boy swung down from a rope that had apparently been what gave him access to the tree in the first place, grabbing a ripe purple fruit on his way down. "So why're ya lost, huh? Tryin' ta find the Hold? 'Cause yer lookin' in the wrong place, ya know."
Indignant, Niera stood a little taller, exercising the only advantage she really had against the little monster: her considerable height. "I ain't lost. I just ain't got noplace to go is all."
"Liar. You weren't lookin' up, and everyone knows that's the only place to look 'round these parts. Look up, the Hold's up there, ya know."
Niera shook her head. Such a stupid little boy. "You can't build a Hold in a-" she left off as she saw the platforms high above her head. "You live in trees. That's just silly."
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Post by neeuqtar on Oct 9, 2008 13:01:14 GMT -5
Llath, P'tol reflected, was probably a terrible pick for a Searchdragon. She was insanely sensitive, it was true... but scared of people. Very very scared. And this was their first time out... hopefully over time Llath would get over the people, but she was likely to flip the first time people swarmed her. And the second time. And on and on the the nth time. Literally. I believe in you, P'tol said cheerfully to his dragon, knowing how much reassurance she needed at all times. Her wingbeats became a bit more exuberant.
And then she froze. In the air. Luckily, she froze wings out, so they glided, rather than plummeted. A moment later, she un-froze, shakily trying to hover and failing. I feel one!! she cried, excited. Bright bright light! Pretty![/i] She folded her wings without another thought, whooshing down towards the trees.
Llath! P'tol shrieked. The dragon ignored him, backwinging right above the treeline and settling into a canopy. A canopy which was, he realized, one of the few untenanted ones in the area.
"Who built a Hold in the trees?!" he wondered aloud. Llath ignored him.
She's here. Find her?
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Post by felina on Oct 9, 2008 13:37:58 GMT -5
Excited shouts floated down from above, followed considerably more slowly by the people and occasional fire lizard or salamandyr that had been the source of them. Niera could only gape as they came through doors in the largest trees, or clambered down rope ladders and even the branches of the trees themselves. Trees. They didn't belong in this world at all, not at these proportions, and certainly not with people living in them. Everyone knew that Holds were underground or in a mountain! These Southerners really were off their rockers.
A blue fire lizard settled itself around the boy's neck and nibbled softly on his ear. "There's a green dragon landin' about now. That's why everyone's gettin' excited and all. Don't come by these parts often. I'm gonna go find out what for. See ya!" He scampered off, and disappeared into the small crowd of people before she could say anything.
As though she'd needed any more proof that these Southerners were mad. One didn't run towards Riders. If they valued their lives, they'd be sprinting in the opposite direction and hoping the Rider didn't choose to pursue with their dragon. Still, if she stayed in the back, she wouldn't be the first target, and she did want to see what all the fuss was about. Or, better yet, she reasoned as she pushed to the middle of the group waiting for what was definitely a Green to land, she could just be one of many faces, neither too close to be a simple target nor standing out as one who would possibly have reason to distrust them.
If there was one thing Niera had learned over the years, it was how to survive. Granted, that was about all she had learned.
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Post by neeuqtar on Oct 9, 2008 15:57:28 GMT -5
The shouts of excitement were immediate, followed rapidly by a horde of firelizards. And, surprisingly enough, salamandyrs--clearly a couple had gone wild from one of the gold's Clutches, and bred, or Impressed to someone who moved around a lot. Please please find her? Llath asked, voice shrinking. She hadn't really thought about anything except finding the shining beacon here. Landing in a tree was clear proof of that... at least she was a small dragon! The greenrider unbuckled himself from Llath's riding straps, them shimmied down her back and tail to land on one of the upper branches, Llath's vivid green tailtip flicking nervously above his head. Naima, predictably, was hissing at all the curious flitters (and in the process almost strangling him with her tail).
What does she look like? P'tol asked, scanning the growing crowd. There was a lot of them.
I don't know, Llath replied. She poked her head down through the canopy, eyes yellow in worry, bright against her hide. She's... over over over there![/i] the green said after a moment, mind-voice full of excitement as the yellow was whirled away with a strong green-blue, bright and swirling quickly with the strength of her emotion, only flashes of yellow nerves showing through as people murmured and pointed at the dragon in the tree. P'tol scanned the area Llath had indicated. The only female in the area was, well... she was no beacon. Pretty, but filthy.
"Hey, you!" he called, pointing at the girl who looked like she'd survived a healthy week or so in the jungle. Was she even a part of the Hold? He guessed not, by the way she held herself and the style of her clothing, so different from the loose, light garments worn by Southern natives. "Northern girl!" He raised one eyebrow. "My dragon says you're a 'beacon.' If you've nowhere to go, would you like to come to the Weyr?" P'tol paused a moment, then clarified, wanting to get out of there as fast as possible. He hated when he was the center of attention... but Llath hated it worse. So he'd do it for her. "We're on Search."
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Post by felina on Oct 10, 2008 13:33:37 GMT -5
The dragon's eyes weren't the color Niera had expected, not the blue-green of content, but yellow. She was... afraid? Since when were dragons afraid of people; wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? Still, her time in Benden had taught her at least how to recognize what a dragon's emotional state was, and the green was certainly anxious, and not just because she was hungry or responding to some other physical need. The fact was oddly comforting, that the green and possibly her Rider were more afraid of the other people than the people were of the pair. Niera shrugged and started to walk away; she didn't want to know what a dragon did when it got scared.
Then she heard someone addressing a person who was apparently named 'Northern girl'. Her, most likely. She snorted and half-turned back towards the Rider, self-consciously trying to pull twigs off of the side he couldn't see. "For starters, even us unworthy Northerners got names, we ain't got a whole continent of people named 'girl'. Mine happens to be Niera. Second of all, what if I have got someplace else to go?" It was almost a physical pain, not immediately jumping on this chance she'd been waiting for since she realized that being 'just a stable girl' wasn't ever going to be enough for her.
The chance to Impress her Gold beckoned to her, and she fought against every part of her that wanted to go kiss that repulsive man on the lips and beg him to take her, right then, without a second thought. She'd seen too many die at the hands of Riders, though, to trust that quickly, however much she knew that she not only wanted to, but needed to.
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Post by neeuqtar on Oct 13, 2008 8:15:40 GMT -5
P'tol was glad to be able to focus his attention on one person. The combined attention of the group of holders and their pets made his skin wrinkle in distaste--he was not one to stay long in a place which didn't often see dragons. Neither he nor Llath could withstand the scrutiny for too long. He slid down along the branch, sitting with his back against the trunk and swinging one leg idly as he listened to Niera's words. Some of the holders had left, but many more were still pointing to him and Llath and holding their own, excited conversations.
"Well, you don't have to come if you don't want to," P'tol said carefully. "If you're heading somewhere, Llath and I are willing to transport you there so you don't have to trek the jungle. Or, conversely, you can continue your long walk." He shrugged lightly.
I don't don't don't DO NOT want to carry her, Mine, Llath complained fearfully.
Don't worry, Llath-love, P'tol reassured her. Niera won't hurt you. She's a nice girl, remember? A bright light.
"Either way, it's up to you. Llath thinks you're well-suited to a dragon, but nobody will force you to come to the Weyr if you don't so desire."
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