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Post by binker on Nov 27, 2008 18:43:04 GMT -5
The land was so dry, devoid of the usual moisture that insured plant growth. As the plants shriveled, the animals who fed off the grass thinned and died out. And the predators were getting more and more desperate for food...
Desperation was what had led Pepsi from his usual position in the forest, was what made him hunt for the river he knew was so close. He had been wandering for days with limited water, his gums rubbery and dry and lips cracked. Thirsty, he was just so thirsty. The people, they had water. Plenty of water. They wouldn't miss a few mouthfuls of it now, would they?
Still, Pepsi knew the world was not a safe place, knew this better than most anyone. He would not go out in broad daylight for his drink, no... He had to wait. Climbing a tree for the relative safety the boughs offered, he was forced to sit and stare at the object of his desire as the sun rose to the top of the sky. How long would it take?
Minutes trickled by and felt like hours, hours felt like days. He felt so woozy despite the shade of the tree protecting him from much of Rukbat's rays; he wasn't used to being without water for so long. But his usual watering hole had shriveled and finally dried up, so he was out of options. So he sat... And he sat...
Finally, he couldn't take it any more. No one seemed to be around, the sun was setting, and he was /so/ thirsty! He clambered down from his hiding spot, keeping his body low to the ground as he crept towards the oblivious river. It just kept bubbling happily, oblivious of it's fate...
Finally Pepsi struck, head dipping to fully submerge for a few brief moments before he came up for air. As soon as his lungs filled his head was back at the water's edge, tongue coming out to lap at the water as eyes drifted shut. Bliss, complete and utter bliss... Soothing his cracked lips and sliding down his throat like cool velvet. He drank deep, ignroign the part that told him to slow down before he choked or puked. He never knew when he would be scared away from the water's edge, so he took advantage while he could.
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Post by nightingale on Nov 27, 2008 22:09:24 GMT -5
A small, grey pebble flashed against the hazy summer sky, arcing smoothly before before hitting the surface of the river with a small 'plunk'. Saeo huffed, and kicked another of the small, jagged projectiles from the riverbank, sending it to join it's brother beneath the slow moving current. Boredom gnawed painfully at her senses, sending restless tremors through her body that demanded stimulation that kicking rocks into a river simply couldn't provide. Never in her life had she dreamed it possible to be bored as a candidate, but with the hatching still over a month away, lessons on hold and Raylin confined to quarters with a sprained ankle, she found herself wondering if she would go insane before she ever got the chance to glimpse a dragon's egg. That would certainly be unfortunate...but then, if one was insane, would it they even realize how unfortunate their situation was?
"I fancy that there are quite a number of very happy lunatics..."
She murmured to herself, letting out a small sigh and jumping off of the small rocky ledge she had been perched on. She was sure to give the ground beneath her a good stomping when she landed to release some of her nervous energy. By the egg, how was she going to keep herself occupied until Raylin's ankle- Suddenly, Saeo realized that there was a human figure crouched by the riverside. She paused for a moment, just to be sure that was she was was correct, before acting on what was always her first impulse when surprised -saying hello.
"Oh, good afternoon."
She said, her expression curious as she wondered why the young man had his face stuck in the water. Was he checking himself out? Unlikely. Moving water didn't have the same reflective quality that still water did. Who was he though? Surely not a candidate, for she would have recognized his uniform if he was. One of the drudges perhaps? She tucked a strand of oak brown hair that had been tickling her cheek behind her ear. Maybe it would have been best to ponder all of these things before she had called her greeting...but then, whomever this person was, he did deserve a hello, didn't he?
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Post by binker on Nov 27, 2008 22:36:57 GMT -5
What was that? Stomping? There it was again, loud noise. Blue eyes flashed as noise rang out, the fine hairs on the back of his neck rising as he recognized the noise as human. Instincitvely his mind blanked out, the fight or flee mechanism triggered. But as he looked at her, she didn't look like much. Had he really been so desperate for water that he had overlooked this loud girl?
In response to her greeting, Pepsi growled- a low, feral noise. He leapt up in a liquid move, almost serpentine as he growled again, baring his teeth at the candidate in warning. It was all the precaution he would give Saeo, because he was leaping forward, unsheathing the wicked blade that hung at his side.
He was in front of her in the briefest of second, blade slicing through the air in front of her, not quite close enough to cut skin. He was trying to scare her off before he actually went in fro the kill; he knew all too well now how a body could incite the Weyr in to a manhunt. He couldn't have that to deal with as well, he wasn't sure how long he could hide from dragon eyes.
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Post by nightingale on Nov 27, 2008 23:24:41 GMT -5
Scared was precisely what Saeo was. Unfortunately, there was a definite malfunction in her fight or flight reflex commonly known as either courage or stupidity. Sure, the guy in front of her had a mad gleam in his eye and a dagger that he waving around in a manner that suggested he was egger to see the colour of her insides, but turning and running was just asking to be chased down and stabbed in the back. She'd rather be stabbed in the front thanks, so she would at least have the chance to spit in the face of whomever had decided to rob her of her chance at a dragon.
Oh who was she kidding? She couldn't spit in his guy's face any more than she would force her paralyzed muscles to move her out of harm's way. Well, maybe if she could fix her eyes on him as she died he might at least take some serious mental scarring from watching them glaze over. That might take some of the sting out of dying at seventeen just for saying hello...
"I-I d-don't mean any ha-arm.."
The girl stammered, lifting her hands to the level of her eyes in a gesture of surrender. She was trembling visibly, her grey eyes wide as she was forced to lean her weight against the tree behind her to keep from falling over as adrenaline flooded her senses.
"Please...I-I didn't mean to...to upset you...please...put your weapon down."
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Post by weaving on Nov 27, 2008 23:36:33 GMT -5
Evening was the perfect time to practice. Most were off eating or finishing up chores, leaving the banks of the river free from unwanted company. The walk would be good for her as well, seeing as her preferred spot was rather far from the weyr. While it was possible to fly with Amith, the green had a tendency to land in the middle of the river, inevitably soaking Lennae entirely. Such antics might be fine in the middle of the day, but in the evening things didn’t dry nearly as fast and Lennae didn’t feel much like moving about in wet clothing. Therefore she walked and met Amith there instead. The green enjoyed watching, though she wasn’t much one for violence. She had a suspicion that Amith simply didn’t trust Lennae by herself. Frankly, Lennae didn’t know if she could trust herself to be alone either.
Almost there love. Pushing back a stray lock of hair, Lennae ducked out of the way of an errant branch. The river was just beyond the last group of trees; she could hear the sound of the water rushing along. Vaguely she thought she heard the sound of a voice and so she paused, straining her ears in an attempt to see if she had heard correctly the first time. Amith, is anyone else there?
There are two people, a boy and a girl… Amith’s voice sounded confused, though Lennae was merely annoyed. Candidates most likely, probably meeting for a little secret tryst. Well, not on her watch. She didn’t care why they were there, she simply wanted them gone. They could go and enjoy themselves anywhere and they just had to choose her spot. Well, she wasn’t planning on giving up so easily, no sir. Her hand moved to grip the handle of the knife she had tucked in her belt. A little threat wouldn’t hurt them if it came down to it, though she doubted it would. Candidates wouldn’t disrespect a dragonrider like that.
Exiting the trees, Lennae stepped out just in time to see the man pull out a sword and charge at the woman. She stood there for a moment, eyes widened slightly in surprise. Well, this was hardly the sight she had expected to walk in on. Quick as a flash, Amith descended from the sky, swooping low over Pepsi and Saeo’s head before landing in the river with a splash. Then she was climbing out and onto the bank, coming up behind Pepsi, eyes whirling with alarm and anger and a low rumble building up in her throat. While not a very intimidating dragon, Amith was doing her best to scare this strange man, unfurling her wings to make herself appear even more intimidating.
Just as quickly Lennae had pulled out her knife. While it was quite small in comparison to Pepsi’s much longer blade, all she needed was a good angle and she would be able to throw it. In a fluid motion she stepped to the right, enabling her to avoid Saeo, and let the blade fly. She’d had descent aim in the past, but a turn of no practice could very easily change that. She could only hope that the blade hit it’s intended mark, Pepsi’s sword arm.
Unfortunately hoping wasn’t enough. And so, rather than stand and wait to see what would happen, Lennae simply ran forward, grabbing at Saeo in an attempt to yank her out of the way. She wondered if all this was even worth it. After all, the girl hadn’t tried to get out of the way. Vaguely, her mind flashed back to her earlier assumption. She’d heard of folks who liked it rough. Kinky was the term often used to describe it. What if that was what they were doing and she had misinterpreted it completely? She felt her cheeks growing warm and brushed the thought aside just as quickly as it had come. A life or death situation was hardly the time to be thinking of THAT.
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Post by binker on Nov 27, 2008 23:56:02 GMT -5
Pepsi growled, frustrated that this girl had neither ran nor tried to fight back. Stupid softling! Didn't she have any sense of survival in that hollow head of hers? He was about to snarl at her again, perhaps actually cut her when he felt the wind above him move. He moved away from Saeo to stare at the emerging dragon in disbelief; a wherry-brained girl like /this/ commanded one of the Weyr beasts!?
No, there was another. It was almost a sense he had, the ability to detect nearby animals and humans. He twisted and brought his knife up, deflecting the thrown knife. It tore through his shirt and broke skin, but Pepsi was good at ignoring pain, especially when there was a /dragon/ in front of him.
He snarled unhappily, nearly radiating his displeasure on every bandwith as he glared towards the woman pulling the annoying girl away, before he returned his attention towards the beast that deserved it. A dragon was far bigger than anything he had ever dealt with, even larger than the felines that roamed the jungle...
He looked at the knife that had been thrown at him, currently embedded in a tree, and quickly yanked it from the wood, holding both weapons in front of him in defense for whatever the dragon could throw at him. He might go down, but he was going to make this dragon remember him if he couldn't bring her down with him! He snarled, literally bristling as he awaited another attack. With a creature like a dragon, there was no way he was going to make the first move... Even if this certain dragon was by far one of the smaller beasts he had seen.
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Post by nightingale on Nov 28, 2008 15:50:32 GMT -5
Saeo wasn't sure what to think as Amith decended into the river to her left. In fact, she didn't really consider herself capable of thinking at all anymore. All that her mind offered her was a swelling rush of relief and the fervent belief that a more beautiful, strong and gracious dragon had never existed. She was suprised and frightened as she suddenly felt Lennae's firm grip on her arm, and stumbled gracelessly to the woman's side as it was given a sharp tug. A greenrider. The thought was numb an ineffectual as it fluttered in the back of her mind, migling with the adrenaline masked pain in her shoulder and arm. But that young man over there -what on Pern was he doing? Didn't he realize that this was a dragon he was looking at?
"Don't, don't hurt him!"
She found herself crying in alarm, her wide grey eyes flashing between her savior and the impending fight.
"I-it's my fault! I startled him and, just...please!'
Saeo had some to the weyr to fight Thread, not her fellow man. The idea of seeing another human being get hurt was absolutely abhorant -terrifying even! She didn't care who this knife weilding maniac was, but surely it wasn't their place to judge weather he lived or died? But the greenrider -oh she wouldn't tell her dragon to strike at him, would she? But what else could they do? Let him run off into the jungle to ambush some other candidate? Oh, she had no idea what the proper course of action, but surely violence wasn't it!
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Nov 28, 2008 17:14:42 GMT -5
Zesa was, for the first time, away from her clutch, laid in the Infirmary a sevenday previously. Yes, it was day, but the young queen had elicited a promise from Hers to guard the clutch on the grounds that she would enjoy herself outdoors, and the gold flitter was only too eager to agree. Shards, but it got boring cooped up there day after day, even if there were always eggs to rearrange, people to watch, things to gather around her clutch. It was simply - unfulfilling. She wanted the sun, the warm water, the wind over her wings, and she wanted it desperately - had wanted it, for a while. Now that Hers was guarding the clutch, ocassionally offering her warm, reassuring thoughts, Zesa was beyond ecstatic to be soaring, free and unlimited by walls or stone, again.
The young queen skimmed over the water of the river, following the sparkling silver-blue snake as she glided, first lazily, following the wind and looping, silently, and then speeding up till her wings protested the sheer speed at which she danced across the water, the wind and momentum giving her enough speed to twist agilely around a bend in the river with her wings closed to her sides, till she dropped and one foretalon was dipped in the cool river, sending up a spurt of the silver liquid in her wake before she rose again, arcing her back in sheer delight before -
Wait. What was that? The queen stopped mid-roll, plummeting briefly before she caught herself again, leaving the river's path to land on a branch of a tree near the three people and the dragon, head cocked, eyes sparkling in her curiosity as she eyed the three. The girl, the Candidate, she remembered from the Infirmary; the Greenrider she was not familiar with but - she was, surely, from the Weyr. She had an air of - of something, around her, that spoke of Selenitas. And...this boy. Young man, truly. He...the queen chirped in distress as she watched the scene play out. Had he just - just snarled, at the dragon? Why? And now he was threatening her with the sharp knives? What was he doing?
Zesa hesitated, eyes sparkling in confusion, but Saeo's outburst drew an automatic reaction from the young fire lizard. Often she'd comforted patients in the infirmary, and the Candidate's cry was undeniably distressed. The gold dropped from her branch, gliding to the Candidate's shoulder and landing delicately, her tail draped lightly around the girl's throat as she fluted reassuringly, running her head lightly along Saeo's jaw. Now - who had made her angry? Didn't they see she was scared, why were they still - ? Instinctively assuming that the man with the knives was behind the trouble, Zesa hissed quietly, rattling her pinions in a warning as she glanced at Amith, the hiss fading and becoming a questioning chirrup.
And then - wait! The queen stiffened, leaving Saeo's shoulder to return to a low-hanging branch. Was he bleeding? What? How? He was the one with the knives, after all. He had cut himself? Why would he do that? With a distressed keen, Zesa flicked another questioning glance at Amith, pressing herself against the tree branch and digging her claws into the bark.
Wouldn't someone just tell her what was going on here? She was so confused.
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Post by weaving on Nov 28, 2008 19:25:23 GMT -5
“Oh hush. That was no killing strike I threw, not that it matters now. My aim is hardly what it used to be.” Lennae spared a glance at the candidate she had just rescued, her expression clearly one of confusion and exasperation. This girl had nearly gotten herself gutted and now she was asking that her attacker not be harmed? Not that it much mattered. If Pepsi so much as gave Amith one scratch, Lennae would wring the feral man from limb to limb even if it killed her. He couldn’t possibly be that stupid though. Surely the blades he brandished at the green were merely a bluff.
The landing of Zesa distracted Lennae for a moment. This girl had impressed a queen firelizard? Why hadn’t she bothered to command the creature to call for help? The thought that the firelizard might not even be Saeo’s didn’t bother to cross her mind. “Gather your wits girl. Why didn’t you use your ‘lizard to call for help as soon as this started. No matter now I suppose.” Snorting, Lennae stepped forward, eyes narrowed as she approached Pepsi.
Zesa’s arrival caught Amith’s attention as well. Little cousin, why are you here? I don’t think that this is very safe. Though her gaze never left Pepsi, Amith’s mental attention was focused on the gold flitter who seemed to be looking to her for an explanation.
“Drop your weapons and stop threatening my Amith. There’s a hundred more bigger than her less than three seconds away and they’d all be willing to take a piece out of you if you so much as scratch her.” A bit of an exaggeration, but Lennae was taking no chances. Until he put down that sword and her knife, she wouldn’t relax in the slightest.
Amith drew back slightly in surprise as this strange man wielded his blades at her face. Never had she met someone who had physically threatened her and so the actions of Pepsi confused her. Curious, she extended her neck forward again, keeping out of striking distance.
Why is he threatening me? I do not want to hurt him. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Amith sounded almost sad as she spoke to Lennae, who, despite the situation, nearly smiled at the green’s words. Amith was still so innocent to the evils of the world, even after spending a turn in High Reaches. Not trying to be intimidating any longer, she furled her wings and came out of her crouch, leaving her head low to better study Pepsi. He didn’t really want to hurt her, did he?
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Post by binker on Nov 28, 2008 19:56:04 GMT -5
Those stupid humans were babbling at each other now! Pepsi was starting to get annoyed; not because of the noise, but because he couldn't understand any but the most limited of words. Don't, he knew that word, didn't he? Don't... Ah! It meant not to do something! He nearly preened at his intelligence, but now was certainly not the time to do it. Later, definitely... He'd have to wrack his mind to see what over words he remembered as well.
He glared at Amith, but the dragon really wasn't doing anything. It was big, yes, but it was just standing there like a big green boulder. His mind started to sort her out of the two boxes he labeled everything in to, switching her from the 'threat' side and tossing her in the 'not worth his time' slot. He bared his teeth at the dragon, but when nothing happened, he quickly dismissed her. There were better things to focus on...
Like a firelizard. He perked in blatant interest in the little creature, though his thoughts were anything but kind towards little Zesa. His thrist quenched, he was starting to feel hungry... His whole day had been spent in a tree, after all, instead of hunting for food like what was typical for the wildling. Firelizard would taste just fine right now, and this one was one of the larger colors as well.
But before he could go after his newly-found meal, that female was talking to him! His confusion was visible as he stared at her blankly, mind trying to decode any of the words and... Nope. She was just making random noises to his ears. But since he didn't quite like her tone he snarled again, turning his body so he could keep an eye on both girls and dragon. This would probably have been a good time for another much /saner/ person to run for it, but Pepsi was stubborn to a fault. He never ran from a battle... He may retreat, but he never gave up the fight.
Besides, that one female would probably decide to sic her dragon on his tail, something he didn't need. Though he could no doubt lose the large beast in the denser forest, it might mean that the Weyr would be looking for him. And Pepsi would need to come back here for water until this sudden dryness passed over...
"Go!" Hah, another word he knew; wasn't he smart? Oh and didn't he know it too. He pointed the newly-acquired knife towards the Weyr, making sure to back it up with another savage snarl. "GO!" Hopefully they had enough brains in their heads to get his message. It was, after all, one of his most elegant... It would surely send them running for home.
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Post by nightingale on Dec 1, 2008 13:12:01 GMT -5
Saeo dropped her head sheepishly under Lennae's harsh gaze, misery hidden beneath a curtain of oak brown hair that gathered around her face like a shroud. Don't tell the nice greenrider how to do her job Saeo, she scolded herself, after all you're just- The sound of wingbeats close to her ear set the girl's head jerking up in alarm. She raised her eyes just in time to attach a smear of iridescent gold to the delicate weight that settled itself on her shoulder.
"Zesa?"
She asked incredulously, holding perfectly still as she felt the flight-cool hide of the creature's serpentine neck caressing her throat. What on earth was the queen firelizard doing away from the infirmary? From the way Raylin had been describing it, it would have taken indoor threadfall to stir the proud new mother from her clutch. So engrossed with curiosity was she, that Saeo almost missed hearing Lennae's comment.
"Huh? No-no she isn't..."
The protest died in the candidate's throat before she could finish it. She was already being considered a silly girl from all angles, so what was the point in protesting assault when you were on trial for murder? None really -but then, the young man near the riverbank was shouting at them again. Wait, that was a word, wasn't it? Go? Well, he could speak, but surely this fellow was either a fool or severely mentally handicapped. Just who did he think he was? Attacking girls out walking by the riverside and waving stolen weaponry at dragons! It was as if he'd been raised by wild canines... Wait, that was an idea worth exploring.
"I don't think he understands what we're saying."
The girl told Lennae, her eyes not wavering from Pepsi's crouched from as she inched her hand toward the carrying satchel on her hip.
"Please ma'am, if we could just try a little experiment I'd be ever so grateful. I think I might know how we can do this peacefully...here."
She removed a strip of dried meat from her pouch an offered it to the rider, her expression nervous and quietly pleading as she chanced a small glance in the woman's direction.
"Just sit down on the grass here with me and we'll have a little picnic... Zesa? Would you care for some?"
She lowered herself slowly to the dry grass and tore a second strip of the travel jerky in half, holding it aloft so that both Zesa and Pepsi could get a good look at it.
"Animals get nervous and aggressive when the land gets dry."
She explained to Lennae, doing her level best to keep her voice soft and even as she beckoned to the golden firelizard perched nearby
"Judging by what the holders have been saying about the drought and even just looking at him, I'm guessing that the hunting isn't very good in this area. You know how cranky men get when they're hungry."
She allowed a small, nervous chuckle to sneak between her lips before once again falling silent.
"Please, call your dragon to us. If he tries anything then I won't object to any course of action you choose to take but please...can we just try it this way?"
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Avu
Weyrleader Ce'thian Rider A'emi Handler Sena Harper Matteo Weyrbrat Riaren
Posts: 2,439
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Post by Avu on Dec 1, 2008 16:26:37 GMT -5
Zesa's head cocked first one way, then the other, the queen clearly struggling to understand the exchange between Greenrider, Candidate, and - and - that man. Her curiosity was blatantly obvious, as was her lack of fear in Pepsi, for there was only confusion, melding with the previous joy, in her gaze. Where they arguing? Vaguely, she recognized that the Candidate-girl she recognized, Saeo, had said her name, and she answered in a quiet croon, reassuring and she shifted her weight from all four limbs to her hind two, rearing slightly off the branch as the wind shifted, a gust of air blowing the scents to her. Yes. Those two definitely smelled of the Weyr, one more prominently than others due to her dragon-bonded - and that one. What did he smell like?
Funny. Like - like out here. Zesa tipped her head to one side, flicking her tail again around the branch at Amith's comment to her. Not safe? Of course it was safe. Fire lizards could go between in the blink of an eye; why wouldn't it be safe? Her clutch was safe; she was in no danger; the girl was upset and needed comforting - what wasn't safe? Perhaps there was a threat to the girl, or the dragon's Bonded, but the draconic creatures were certainly fine, were they not? Zesa answered with a soft hum, flashing the green a clearly proud image of her clutch, Meira next to it - see? That was why she was out here. She wanted to stretch her wings, and Hers was guarding her lovely, lovely clutch. Another curious trill emerged from the flitter as she glanced pointedly at Pepsi. She wanted to know what he was. What he was doing. Why he was so close to the Weyr, and yet not a part of said Weyr.
An almost querulous scold emerging from her at his outburst. Go? Humph. As if he had any right to order them around - and in such a carrying tone! - so close to their home, the Weyr! The queen flared her wings, uttering a nearly silent hiss of reproach, eyes flashing in brief irritation. So loud. So, so loud. The Weyr was loud, too, and she'd come looking for somewhere quiet where she could dance on the winds - not be squeaked and squalled at by someone unable to appreciate the benefits of a quiet, reasonable conversation. Tsk! Hers was always quiet. Why couldn't people be more like Hers?
The queen's gaze resettled on Saeo, head tilting as she eyed the girl's motions. Was that - meat? What was she doing? Zesa fell silent, pressing her fragile wings against her sleek golden body, watching the girl and ocassionally sparing Lennae, Pepsi, or Amith another glance. At the offer to her, Zesa paused, considering. She wasn't hungry. But...perhaps the loud boy wouldn't be loud anymore if he was full? Was that it? Was he hungry? Lots of things - the little human hatchlings - were loud when they were hungry (and just about every other time) - maybe that was it. Zesa launched herself from her branch, looping to snag the meat and then carry it swiftly into the air above Pepsi, uttering a warning warble as she dropped it, just in front of the young man, as she had been trained to do in the Infirmary, clearly expecting him to catch it.
Whether or not he did was lost to the flitter as dark brown wings blotted out the sun, a greeting rumble to Amith and then a higher croon to Zesa echoing in the sleek brown's chest. Hello, Amith. Hello, little cousin. Leweleth dropped his wings to land near the river, tucking them carefully to avoid the trees as the brown backwinged, settling down and tilting his head to study the group curiously. A Candidate, Amith's, and a - a - a - whatever he was. The brown's Rider, T'kal, vaulted down from the brown's neck a minute later, after he'd unstrapped himself, flicking Lennae a slight grin. He recognized her, yes he did. Hard to forget anyone from High Reaches Weyr, after all.
The Brownrider ran his hands through his hair, nodding a greeting to Saeo and Pepsi - though his eyes did falter, their brilliant golden depths flickering in a brief confusion, over the wilding - and leaning absently against one of Leweleth's forelegs. "Leweleth and I are on sweep," he stated explanitorily, giving the large brown an affectionate pat on the foreleg. "And what are sweepriders for but to pick up strays, hmm? I can't stay long, but I figured I'd drop in just so I could truthfully say I didn't leave any strays untended." With a mild shrug, as Leweleth shifted, he sat on the brown's foot, glancing at Pepsi's conspicious lack of knots. "Who's he?" came the blunt question, T'kal gesturing at Pepsi as Leweleth's head came around to study the boy, nostrils flaring as the brown snorted, letting Zesa land on one of his neck ridges.
What a funny kid.
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Post by weaving on Dec 2, 2008 23:07:08 GMT -5
Lennae glanced at Saeo, wide-eyed. This man, boy, wildthing, whatever, was threatening them and telling them to leave and she was suggesting that they eat lunch instead? Well, either way, she wasn’t going to leave without her knife, and as the girl further explained her thinking, the greenrider figured that it wouldn’t hurt. At the very least, it would distract him and confuse him enough to convince him to give her knife back and to stop threatening random folks from the weyr. One of these days he might threaten one of the riders from Benden or Fort and Lennae had a feeling that that scene wouldn’t end too well for Pepsi.
“Alright, we’ll try it your way. Can’t hurt any bit at least.” So saying, Lennae took a seat opposite from Saeo, taking the proffered strip of meat. She nibbled at it, though she wasn’t very hungry, and she made certain to keep a careful eye on Pepsi. She trusted him about as far as she could throw Amith. Speaking of Amith, the green had cautiously made her way over to where Lennae sat and was now sprawled out as close as she could get to her rider. She too watched Pepsi, though with curiosity rather than caution and sadness. She simply couldn’t fathom why he would want to hurt her.
Leweleth, hello. Amith brightened at the sound of her clutchbrother’s voice. They had been together at High Reaches, mourning the loss of their rider’s when Lennae and T’kal began playing with the drugs in the north. Her words alerted Lennae to the arrival of another, even as the brown and rider landed. She rose to her feet to greet the pair, a return smile flickering on her lips in response to T’kal’s.
“He’s a menace.” Lennae stated just as bluntly, her words angry though she tried to hold it back. He had threatened her Amith, who would never hurt a fly. “I came here to find him attacking this girl, aiming a blade for her belly. Seems like he’s been living on his own in the forest or something. At any rate, he’s fearless. Threatened Amith too, despite the fact that she could swallow him.” The thought of Amith hurting anything had Lennae laughing quietly, even as Amith protested indignantly with an I would never! for all to hear.
Watch out, he might try to hurt you too. I don’t know why though. You and I are very nice. Why would anyone want to hurt us? Amith watched Leweleth worriedly as he studied Pepsi closer. She didn’t want anyone to end up hurt, but it was very difficult when people kept threatening each other.
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Post by binker on Dec 3, 2008 20:38:27 GMT -5
Pepsi blinked, confused as the others began... Sitting down? What did they think they were /doing/!? Were they so numb that they couldn't even understand their language? He was thinking about giving one or the other a wound to get them running as they chattered uselessly at each other, but paused at the sight of food. Food!
He watched them, his thought turning from killing them to attacking. He was always hungry these days, with everything so shriveled and withered, but now there was a woman waving food around in front of him... Briefly, he wondered how a human would taste; all other predators he had tasted were rather foul, and he doubted it would be any different for these two... Though a Firelizard would be a good meal, too.
His interests turned towards the mentioned little winged tid-bit as she flew down, snagging the meat. Hey! /He/ had wanted to steal that! It didn't seem to matter though, since Zesa was now zooming right towards him with a cry. Thinking she was trying to buzz him Pepsi crouched with a growl, ready to try and bat her from the sky when she released the meat she held. Food!
He snatched it from the air, eyes flicking towards Saeo and Lennae in warning as he gripped his new prize. But, seeing as they were not getting up, he soon backed a bit away and gnawed at his food. It tasted different, kinda funny, but not in a completely bad way... Pepsi had eaten worse, definitely. He could find himself getting used to the taste.
Distracted by eating, he was surprised when Leweleth came in to view, jumping and hissing before he back-pedaled, heading for the trees. Big dragon, big dragon! He bared his teeth and snarled with the best of felines, keeping a tight grip on his knife. The people were chattering again, but they kept looking towards him... And that one with the little dragon, she didn't sound happy.
Pepsi didn't run away, but he knew when to beat a retreat. So when Leweleth turned to regard him Pepsi gave one last vicious hiss before he whirled, diving back in to the forest and fleeing.
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Post by nightingale on Dec 3, 2008 20:57:01 GMT -5
An emotive gurgle of barely restrained fury bubbled up in Saeo's throat, and she pressed both hands against her face ina futile attempt to stifle it. So close! They had been so close to calming the psychotic little bastard down! And now this damn sweeprider or whatever he called himself had just sent him off and running lagain like a frightened wherry!
"Well this is just fantastic."
She spat, an uncharacteristic bitterness creeping it's way into her voice as she hugged her knees to her chest.
"Now we have some murderous, starving teenaged boy running about in the jungles! How on earth are we supposed to catch him now?"
The concept of setting a human sized snare crossed her mind breifly. Well, searching on dragonback wasn't an option if he was going to stick to the brushland, so surely some kind of trap would be necessary? She didn't need to be a dragonrider to know that leaving him running about this close to the weyr was a dangerous idea. In the end, someone was bound to get hurt.
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