Beginning of the End [Kysseh]

[randi]

I tire of this game, informed the young blue after a period of silence between him and his bond. The head of the lad lifted, turning to where Fortith lay behind him, though he could not, in good conscience, ever recommend to anyone that they let the dragon sit behind them. Shaking his head, L'ron chose to let the subject drop again, returning to watching the nearby river with a fascination worthy of a living creature. It was too hot to argue with the dragon.

The game was obvious to the both of them, though L'ron skirted its discussion just enough to make sure that Fortith kept "playing". The blue had agreed to behave himself for some time after the Hatching, and had been true to his word, though that didn't stop him from darkly commenting every time the chance presented itself. Anyone who had seen the human part of the bond before Impression and after would have marked a change, though possibly not entirely sure of what exactly had changed. His eyes were the most likely betrayer, cold and unfeeling as the dead, faint shadows marking beneath them. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since Fortith had been drugged. Since his mind held clarity, the nightmares had returned, more violent than ever.

I fail to see a point for me to continue. The only person who would get in trouble would be you, Fortith reminded him, smugness certain in his voice. As if he were supposed to be controlled by his bonded. He had the weyrling under his control since their first lesson. A purring thrum emitted from his throat, L'ron shaking his head.

"But you don't want me to be punished," he reminded quietly, as though someone might be listening. He was always quiet in these conversations. Again, he cast a glance backwards, smirking slightly.

While Fortith was absolutely delightful in want, that thought had always kept him "good" in action. He hated the thought of someone other than him controlling His. Hated it with every cell in his body. They have you doing chores anyways, L'ron had missed them last time, exhausted from an overdrive of images, thoughts from the other end of their link. It was so tiring. What's a little more?

He was fighting a losing battle, but luckily for him, the conversation didn't have to be finished, mostly for the dragon's sudden attention as a green firelizard alighted nearby. The blue had gotten up from his sunning position almost instantly, moving with a light step towards the unsuspecting creature with a feline-like movement. L'ron watching with his unfeeling gaze, feeling the shadow of Fortith press upon him as he drew closer to his prey.

[kysseh]

A piercing shriek resounded throughout, and a green dragon flipped over in midair for a brief instant before righting herself, smugly pleased at having shattered the peace. Tanith had been itching to disturb the relative quiet around the river and had finally given into the temptation, and even as she swooped down to find a suitable place to drop off Hers for a bit of sun, there was a certain extra flare to her movements that displayed her pleasure with her own accomplishment.

The green spied an area that would do to land in, growling quietly as she made for the ground. It was occupied, unfortunately, but the occupants were just an insignificant little weyrling and His. They would defer before her. She alighted near a sunwarmed rock, a good dragonlength between her and the other pair. See? There is someone else here for me to bother. Now you can have sleep. the dragon informed Hers, as the woman unstrapped herself and slid off.

"Overgrown idiot flit," Aliscia informed her dragon, more than a little annoyed that she could not get decent solitude with the malepair in the vicinity. She made it patently clear that she was ignoring them both and settled her petite form on the rock, watching as her dragon, riding straps still in place, sauntered closer to investigate. "Play nice or I'll restrict you to the ledge for a sevenday."

Tanith ignored Hers, of course, too intent on looking at the pair. The blue weyrling was still very young and small, and that made him a lovely target of opportunity for a green with a temper to vent. She let out a low growl as she approached him, watching him stalk the firelizard. The temptation was too great, and she let out a bugle with the intent of frightening off his prey. Oh, but this would be a good game, to bother him and His! She stopped a short distance away, preening noticeably. Silly weyrling... thinking he could have all the fun!

[randi]

The first shriek was tolerable. The green flitter lived around a Weyr, she was privy to a ton of noises made by the larger creatures. Fortith didn't spare a single glance towards those who had arrived, as they were not more important than making this miniature version of what he ignored scream like she was going to die, which he fully intended to take care of once she ceased to amuse him.

L'ron, however, was immediatly interested in what was near. Did the stupid green have to make that much of a racket? Thankfully, it did something to lift the shadow pushing on his brain. He noted that the older 'rider ignored him, but he figured it just as well. She'd be sure to hear the dumb animal's screeches and then be all over him. 'Control your dragon,' 'make him do what's right'. Damn blue didn't listen to him.

However, the green dragon was getting closer to Fortith, drawing L'ron attention. His bonded would try to hurt anything, even though it was clear that the green could, and would, he'd wager, eat the stupid youngling. He wondered if she was one of the ditzy greens, and imagined such a huge creature intimidated by the weyrling and covered his mouth to contain his laugh.

He was being growled at. Wonderful. Ignoring the green took patience that he did not usually possess. He would have his prey. Lowering himself, his muscles coiled tightly as he prepared to pounce when the idiot of a creature trumpeted, the small green thing taking wing instantly and popping between, oblivious to the real danger. Fortith's eyes immediatly whirled red, his attention turning to the green. Oh, yes, he was done playing. Satisfied? He hissed quietly, aware of her size, and also that she would move slower than him.

[kysseh]

Tanith let out a triumphant snort, lashing her thick tail back and forth in an obvious display of glee. Intelligent green, one; idiot blue, zero. The poor weyrling had no idea whom he was trifling with, and she slightly flared out her wings, lowering her head to watch him a bit better. She was very, very small for even a green, but size mattered little when one had compensations for it. The dragon tilted her battlescarred head to one side to watch him more easily, very excited by the side of red whirling eyes. Oh, she had struck a nerve, had she? Excellent! She had been spoiling for a fight for awhile.

Ignoring Aliscia's silent admonishment to leave off, Tanith padded a few paces closer, snaking her head back and forth on her neck, eyes whirling a quick blue-green in her excitement. Hardly. You barely offered up a hiss. I was hoping for something a little more reactive. she said with just a touch of petulance to her mental voice. She wanted a fight! Why wouldn't these soft little weyrlings ever make a strike at her?! They were brought up to think the world was all nice and loved them, apparently. Well, she was about to dispel that erroneous notion, oh yes! Really, is that the best use of energy you can think of, hunting something that stupid? There is no sport and no fun in it. she said peevishly. Weyrlings were the easiest to pick on.

Aliscia turned her head enough to note that the teen was watching her green dragon. She briefly considered warning the boy that Tanith had a mean streak a goldlength wide, but she opted to not. He probably could recognize her scars as clawmarks and not Threadscore, for the most part. She had not become a prized fighter by being a dainty little acrobat. No, Aliscia's Tanith was a bully and a snake, through and through. Unless, of course, Aliscia's wellbeing was at stake or the green was proddy. Then all bets were off. Sighing, the greenrider set her head back down and stared upwards at the sky to watch the clouds, idly watching the formations in the hopes that something would catch her attention.

[randi]

He was still being peered at by the scarred green, and it made him only angrier. She didn't care in the slightest that she had messed up his game, not that Fortith particularly knew why she should. He found himself agreeing with His, she was probably a dumb green, it certainly explained the scars, and would be nagging at him endlessly for trying to hurt the poor, defenseless flitter.

The blue didn't like being approached, but he was quickly trying to figure out the fastest way to dart around her. Since mauling a firelizard in the same fashion, he had always been curious if tearing behind the wing of a dragon would hinder them, and now seemed like an excellent chance to find out. Her words, however, made him confused, but he shook it off. She wanted reaction? He'd give it to her. His muscles began to tighten again, his focus working quickly. Do you have any better suggestions?

Tucking his wings in, Fortith lunged towards the green, leaping at her front right leg swiftly, striking it with his claws as he attempted to leap higher and strike at her wing, only to slip on her hide and fall back to the ground, giving her a chance to strike back unintentionally. Maybe that was more satisfying.

L'ron felt what he could only say was a flash of red, turning his head. The firelizard was not crying out, and for Fortith to kill anything without making is howl in misery was completely unlike him. He saw Fortith fall off from his strike, blinking. What had his sharding blue done?! He felt compelled to yell, but really, all he wanted to do was shrink back. That green was scarred. She could, and might, eat Fortith. Fortith, stop. He tried, for once, to put himself in command, but he was met with a quick glance and a growl.

Stay out of this.

[kysseh]

The moment Tanith saw the little weyrling starting to tense, she instinctively knew what was coming. Her wings tucked in tight for safety, and she splayed her forelegs on the ground, arching her back and neck in a clearly aggressive posture that should have told any sensible creature to back off before havoc was wrought upon them. This blue obviously lacked such sense, for he looked like he was about to attack her, a Benden-born and -raised green with enough anger and experience to smite him with a single blow. Little sharding idiot!

Before she could point out the obvious flaws in his tactics, she saw him tuck his wings in, and then he was striking at her. His lunge could have been easily avoided, but she feared little about his clumsy behaviors. His claws left rakes across her shoulder, but his attempts to get at her wing failed quite miserably. The scratches to her shoulder merely stung, and she ignored the ichor trickling lightly from the wounds. Tanith gave an irritable hiss and glared down at the weyrling on the ground. Is that the best you can do?! she asked, highly offended by his puny attempts at damage. She formed a fist with one forefoot and attempted to thump him with it. Who taught you how to fight?! A spineless little flitter?! You are pathetic. Get up!

Seeing the boy watching his dragon, Aliscia let out a light snort. She was well used to Tanith's aggressive tendencies, and the green did not seem aggravated enough to do serious damage in response. If anything, she would just nitpick and humiliate the blue into submission... or try to, at least. The greenrider cared little. "Don't bother. Like stopping a herdbeast stampede," she brusquely told the boy before going back to her perusal of the clouds. The badly scarred side of her face was turned toward the boy, so she was comfortable in the fact that he was probably completely put off by her appearance. Good. The last thing she needed was a horny weyrling, thinking her a young teen, trying to paw at her. She was armed, after all, but her form of 'dangerous' did not require weapons. Weapons were just more useful and less messy.

Satisfied that the blue weyrling was going to get the message sooner or later, Tanith relaxed her posture and arched her neck to get a better look at the little brat. He had guts, but he was ridiculously unschooled in the fine art of causing misery. Selenitas Weyr obviously undervalued such skills. No appreciable forms of fighting were taught, and the dragons seemed ridiculously unable to defend themselves. A weyr of soft little hatchlings, this was! But, it was good for Hers, so the green could only grumble silently about that issue.

[randi]

After her display of preparing to defend, Fortith was nothing short of shocked when no pain hit his body. He wouldn't have minded, of course. Fortith had never been truly hurt other than the curse of his clumsy growing body, but even those small glimpses were equally as wonderful as the screams he attempted to steal every chance he got. Pain, he had found, was an art, either in the giving or receiving.

Her hiss was met with an overall body shake. If she was going to hit him, she would have done it already. The young dragon looked at her marks, unsatisfied. His claws were still too weak to do much damage. He'd have to remedy that. Fortith met her glare with one of his own, listening carefully. No, he growled, standing firm against her thump. He would have preferred a slash, solid hits weren't as enjoyable.

Nobody taught me, he hissed deeply. The only one capable for doing anything in that area would be I'mny, but the sharding Weyrlingmaster was as useless as everyone else in the Weyr, and he should be the one teaching.

Aware that he was being spoke to drew L'ron out of his anger, and his tiny shard of worry, looking towards the green's rider. She looked pretty bad off, and he felt bad for her due to her scars. Other than that, she looked fairly young to his eye, but he figured, by her distraction, she wouldn't want to talk to him. He was fine with being left alone anyways. "Very hard and very painful?" He asked with amusement, sitting near the river's side, leaning back to get comfortable, his eyes closing. The teen closed his eyes, listening to the water and trying to ignore Fortith's dilemma not very far away.

She was loosening up. His pose remained firm, expecting a surprise attack or some such female device. Fortith watched her carefully, waiting for the slightest twitch to give way to movement and an opening. Perhaps his teeth could do what his claws could not.

[kysseh]

Tanith watched the weyrling archly as he shook himself, snorting softly at his growl. He had guts, and he had aggression. Tanith prized both of those values, and she saw potential in the hatchling, which was probably the only reason why she had not completely mauled him for his audacity in striking her. That, or her cycle was making her mood swing very unpredictably. Who knew? She did not, and Aliscia certainly as not interested in finding out either. Thus, the green just regarded him in silence for a moment.

Pity. This weyr thinks little of fighting skills or the ways to torture. The dragons here are soft. she said scornfully, and her tone implied that she grouped him in amongst that pathetic group of weaklings. Yes, he was pathetic now. But maybe he could be molded....

Don't, Tanny... Aliscia said warningly and privately to her dragon, sitting upright on the rock to glare over at the green as the dragon considered her options. She knew that Tanith was wavering between snapping his neck or approving of his audacity and lack of fear. The boy's amused query resulted in him receiving a stern look. "I would not laugh, boy," she snapped. "She's killed far bigger dragons than him, and neither of us have had much remorse about it entirely. You're lucky she's in a rare mood, or he'd have his back broken already." Truth be told, the greenrider was not sure why Tanith was even giving the weyrling a chance. The green's thoughts were a fast-moving chaos of musings, of which there seemed to be no one central order. Not to her, anyway.

Tanith, however, seemed to have decided. I suppose it is excusable, then, if you were not taught. she stated mildly before angling her body lightly and lashing at him with her tail to keep him on his toes. Yes, it was better to keep him alert. That meant he was paying attention and would always be a source of amusement to her. Amusement... which Tanith had so precious little of these days. It does not change the fact that you are stupid and weak. Trying to attack upward like that is futile. Downward is easier but puts your belly exposed to claws and teeth. She was tempted to appropriately demonstrate, but that would have ended all of the amusement. No, she wanted to keep him around to play with for a bit, and Hers would not let her kill the little hatchling.

You can leave off watching. You may strike once, but I am faster, and I know better how to keep /you/ more cautious of me than I of you. she said testily as she looked down her scarred green nose at the little weyrling. Stupid hatchling. Do you have a name? She would ignore it, anyway, but Hers was curious. He was now 'hatchling', and thus he would always be.... for as long as Tanith's average draconic memory could stretch, that was.

[randi]

Her silence made him uncomfortable. As much as he was fond of not being absolutely killed, he was less fond of not knowing what was going on. The green was thinking something, surely, and that was dangerous. He was beginning to think she wasn't as dumb a beast as he had anticipated. Seeing as Sitieth had proven to be of little use, he could use someone smart to be on his side.

Her answer surprised Fortith, though he felt certain anger at being included with those buffoons. He was soft as a matter of little chance of practice. In what few instances he had, his bonded had stood in the way with that irritating agreement. They are foolish. He did not consider him among the weak. Without training, he would learn, though his hide might bear more scars than hers in time. As for being killed? Not him, not in a million years.

L'ron heard the woman nearby sit up, cracking an eye open to glance over at her. She was glaring at her green, and he decided to leave her to it. If the green was thinking about killing Fortith, there was not a thing he could do about it except wait for the blinding pain and the shadow to vanish from his life. The idea was not enticing, but the strong headed dragon would do what he would, and there was little that the world, not to mention the human, could do to stop him. Being snapped at made him sit up, turning to look at her, a frown on his face. "Listen. He does what he will. There is not a thing I can do to stop him. I don't doubt that your green could end him, nor that she would were she in any other mood. I can do nothing to stop him from being him, and, for that, I apologize." He was getting fed up with the people assuming he had any control over what Fortith did, but he attempted to keep his voice controlled and civil.

Fortith didn't want to be excused, he wanted to be taught. Yet, his Weyr failed him in that, an inexcusable offense. He caught the movement and braced himself against her tail lash, skidding into the ground, grunting slightly. However, he wasn't shaken for long, able to lash back out with another clawed attack before her tail had retreated, though he admitted it to be little less than his last. He'd have to start sharpening his claws.

Attacking down, good. He'd keep that in mind, though he had no idea why he felt drawn to the larger green. However, he did spot one problem. You're bigger than me. How am I supposed to attack downwards if I do not have the luxury of being bigger or flight? His useless wings irked him. He moved well enough on land, had enough speed and power to suit his purposes of fighting small game, but he was meant to be in the air. The fact he lacked the ability hurt him.

Fine. He would stop watching her, not because he feared her, but because he wanted her to keep talking. He had abided with His's stupid rule long enough, he could continue. Fortith. And yours? If she was going to insult him, he might as well have a better name in his mind than 'Green'.

[kysseh]

The little hatchling refused to let himself be grouped with the idiots, and Tanith was still undecided as to whether to commend or buffet him. Either way would be satisfying; which was moreso tended to vary depending on her current mood. In the end, she decided he was not a completely useless piece of blue dragonmeat, simply a mostly useless one.

Shaking her head, Aliscia turned her eyes skyward and let out a sigh of exasperation. "Don't apologize to me for the fact that your idiot mindmate is going to get destroyed. Learn to fix it. You don't force control. You force reason. Sharding stupid weyrlings here," she said, grumbling the last bit under her breath as she flopped herself back down on her back. For once, the normally unreactive greenrider had switched roles with her restive dragon and was being the snarky one. Tanith was actually well-behaved, which made her rider strongly suspect that something was up. She knew Tanith well enough to know that something was going on, and she kept her mind touching Tanith's to see if she could determine what it was. Shards, but she hated these whiny little Selenitas weyrlings... never could figure out a thing on their own.

Tanith was satisfied that he was rattled by the attack, though the light scratches across her tail were a bit annoying. She glared at them and then at him, wishing he would just learn and do a little better so she could appropriately retaliate. His question was met with a disdainful snort, and she tossed her head, settling herself back a bit on her haunches. By learning that you have four legs. If you can not figure it out from there, then you are far more stupid than I thought. she told the weyrling archly, filing his name away for future reference. Fortith.... ridiculous name. I am Tanith, and that is AlisciaMine. Yours had better not anger her. She is armed. Really, Hers needed little in the way of weapons to defend herself from attack.

She eyed him critically, flaring out her wings and flapping them once before tucking them back in, contemplating. He could not fly yet?! He was far old enough to get himself aloft, but it appears that Selenitas taught their weyrlings very, very late. Pity. He would have been a fine ally in the air if he could actually get airborne. You still have not learned to Fly? It is not hard, you know. she said, her eyes whirling more quickly in her wickedness whilst Aliscia gave her a scathing look.

[randi]

L'ron shook his head. "I was apologizing for him being an idiot. As for trying to reason with him, it's impossible." He wasn't exaggerating. Fortith didn't care what punishment came to his frame. All games stopped when his life was threatened, but he could tell when it wasn't serious. L'ron had threatened lamely once to throw himself from the waterfall if the blue failed to cease driving him crazy, but the statement had been met with a rumbling laughter. If Fortith actually feared death, L'ron hadn't the slightest clue. The first few times L'ron had kicked or hit his dragon as a joke, he had done it lightly, only to be taunted into a state where pulling his attacks was an impossible state. Fortith liked pain, and it made finding an appropriate punishment for the dragon alone nearly impossible.

Fortith got some small satisfaction at her annoyance between him and his scratches, though he felt unhappy that he couldn't do worse. At her comment, he puffed up the slightest bit. She gave him credits for some form of intelligence, and he would take that as being a compliment for now. The presentation of her name was welcomed, glancing over at their bondeds with mild interest. If he's not smart enough to either not anger her or hide, he deserves what's coming, Fortith said without too much concern for His. L'ron was smarter than that, he hoped.

Her comment about flight hurt. He had thought about trying, but hadn't known where to start, and certainly hadn't had a reliable source to ask. He wanted to, wanted to be airborne like he was meant to be, wanted to be deadly there as he could be down here. Oh really? Fortith snapped slightly, hoping she would enlighten him without becoming aware that he was fishing for information to be used in his spare time to learn before the others. He would perfect the art before the other idiots were even started, with luck.

[kysseh]

Well, it was now exceedingly obvious to Aliscia who the dominant one was in the relationship between the boy and his masochistic--and sadistic--blue. She cared little if the dragon got swatted, though the inhabitants of the weyr would raise a protest if her Tanith took to frequent mauling or the occasional killing of dragons. She needed to keep the green on a shorter leash, but at the moment, she was not in the mood for it. She snorted lightly and shook her head, remaining absent from further conversation on the matter. Let the dragons sort out their respective issues on their own. She was in no mood to intervene, and since the boy had not the spine nor the wit to do so, Tanith would just have to deal with the weyrling. Only if deathblows were involved would Aliscia call a halt.

Seeing that Hers was in no mood to put a stop to her activities, Tanith's rumbling became deeper, her eyes whirling a bit quicker. Oh, but this had so much potential... torturing this little blue with an ego that far outstripped his frame. She saw that he puffed up a bit and lightly swatted at him with one wing when he made the error of turning his head. Yes, that would teach him. Always, always, always should the opponent be watched. She quickly retracted the appendage, snorting lightly at his seemingly uncaring attitude toward His. Mine does not credit him with much sense. She thinks he is stupid. I agree.

His snappish tone delighted the green even more, and she lightly tossed her scarred head, one eye on him at all times. She was not about to pick up any new markings today, not when Hers was in a foul enough mood as it was. More injuries to her already-scarred body made Aliscia upset, and Aliscia being upset made for less flying time. Tanith was not about to lose her flying time over some stupid weyrling's desperate need to fly. Obviously, that topic was a sensitive one, and Tanith immediately pounced on the opportunity. She could have much fun with this, in teasing and taunting and dangling.

Of course it is simple. Find a height with thermals and spread your wings. Even a dimglow can manage from there. Her tone was scathing, colored with amusement. That pitiful little weyrling... he was going to dash himself to pieces in trying to learn to fly. A pity she would not be present to witness the entertaining moment...

[randi]

The swatting made him aware again of Tanith's nearness. He would not make the mistake of being distracted again. L'ron could take care of himself, but, in the meantime, he had met a legitimately smart dragon that he wasn't about to waste. One he shook off the feeling of the hit, he realized he had been too slow for another defensive swipe with his weak claws, but he was comfortable with that. The shot at His didn't bother him in the slightest. Sitieth had questioned his choice, but L'ron was his. Affection did not reign between them in the slightest, but Fortith would back his Impression to his death. He has more sense than you likely think, Fortith had heard the thoughts that ran through the head. Cold, calculating, pessimistic. Only recently had they entered into Fortith's realm of darkness, but they still gave way. He had the sense to leave his dragon alone and hold his tongue: that was enough on its own.

He listened to her, aware that she was delighting in his misery, which was well enough for Fortith. He logged the information back in his mind, eager to try. There was a hill he knew of, a place he could practice without being seen. He would master the true medium of travel soon enough, without the green's help. His tail lashed as he thought, his eyes constantly on her, waiting for her to begin their fight again, as he expected it to happen. She seemed exciting enough, which would make this interesting.

L'ron, who had gotten comfortable on the shore, had dozed off, and Fortith felt the need to invade the sleep of his bonded again, though he knew the boy would be long before slipping into the dreaming state Fortith knew by heart. Such an odd boy. They both knew the other's knowledge, both were aware that L'ron might be able to halt it. It was like a game of endurance, and Fortith enjoyed it overly.

[kysseh]

The lack of response was disappointing, to say the least, but at least the little blue was starting to come around. He was not a completely wasted lump of dragonflesh, and Tanith almost wished he was big enough to be a proper opponent. Picking on weyrlings was only fun when they were capable of fighting back. Otherwise, it was just passing entertainment on the way to bigger, better things such as the destruction of large, obnoxious greens... and bronzes. She hated bronzes... usually. Some were not quite as uselessly bossy as others.

Still, it was quite funny to watch the blue attempt to defend his choice of Mine's. She thought his choice rather pitiful. Stupid little boy, that one, she reckoned. He could not hold his own against Hers or against anything remotely dangerous. Tanith was almost tempted to have a go at him if only because it would anger the blue hatchling. Ridiculous little hatchling, trying to defend such a pathetic bonded. He seemed agitated, and he was watching her closely. Good! The hatchling could learn to never lose his focus. For all the distractions that there were present, Tanith's primary focus was always the weyrling. He was pathetic, to be sure, but he was not to be ignored. He still had plenty of potential for danger... and great fun. If you insist, Hatchling... she said, though her 'tone' clearly implied her serious doubts and great amusement.

Aliscia seemed to sense that there was little more violence to be forthcoming for the moment, so she took it upon herself to relax again, noting that L'ron seemed particularly unconcerned as well. The boy was sleeping, or appeared to be so, at least. If he could relax in the presence of their sparring mindmates, then Aliscia felt no danger coming from the blue weyrling. Or... she hoped so. Tanith could be most vicious when aggressed at, though she seemed more amused than threatened at the current state of affairs.