Just some words without meaning (::Reibear)

[rii]

Snows were almost melted. There were patches here and there, shaded under the branches of trees just starting to bud with the arrival of spring. The days were still a cry off from pleasant; the wind still held the bite of winter, and likely would until Summer set in. On a personal scale, Cathias didn't care much for Spring. The ground was always wet, so even a simple walk require thick boots, pants, and it would be a few months yet before Cathias could ditch the worn jacket. Gloves might have been a good idea, but they made his fingers clumsy. So he kept his hands stuffed into the warm confines of his pockets as he trudged along the path leading out of the hollowed volcano and out into one of the forested vales surrounding the weyr.

It was strange to call this weyr home, but after four years Cathias knew the trails almost as well as the ones back at Fort. Cathias made a small noise in the back of his throat reminiscent of a growl, lifting a hand scratch the bridge of his nose as he expelled the weighed thoughts from taking hold of his mind. It wasn't the first time the pain of nostalgia tried to darken his mood. Not today. Cathias glanced up at the clear blue sky, repeating to himself that he would not dwell on the past. It was nice out (relatively speaking) and he finally had a break from chores. He'd decided he was going to spend it doing something he liked, and not hanging around a bunch of people that tended to get on his nerves more often than not. Or maybe it was just this week; it'd been a rough one. His neck hurt, his shoulders hurt, his damn everything hurt.

He was turning into a crotchety old man at the age of sixteen. Fantastic.

Cathias picked his way along the trees, kicking his foot at the fall branches until he found one to his liking. Dry enough to whittle, and whittle he would. It didn't take long for Cathias to find a suitable clearing in the woods. A lichen covered boulder served as a perch, one Cathias mounted with crossed legs. Sunlight caught the flash of metal as Cathias made the draw and set to work peeling away thin, curling layers of wood. With each draw of the knife Cathias felt his mind clear. The only sound around him that of the metal sliding through the wood and excited trill of birds returning from their southern get-aways.

It was peaceful, until..

Crunch.

Cathias's hands paused mid-stroke, and the dark-haired candidate lifted his head only slightly. What moved up were his eyes, looking unamused as they scanned the thin trunks ahead of him. No one there, which mean someone (or maybe a thing) was behind him. Cathias twirled his blade before shifting to glance over his shoulder. Hello?

[Rei]

The albino had finished his meal not too long ago and had just finished cleaning the blood from his pristine white hide. There were benefits to looking like a large snow drift it seemed. Ambushing prey was so much easier. Lketh decided that he quite preferred their mountainous home to that of the jungles previous. Not that he remembered much of the other place at this point. Besides the fact that he had once lived there and the visits they took to see his bonded’s sibling anyway. Giving an expansive yawn he blinked his clear eyelid over his pale pink whirling eye and craned his neck as his body shifted to a more comfortable position on the melting snow. By the time they got back to the weyr he might need a bath. What with all the mud. The male had never been one to turn up his nose at a little mud or dirt however. Sometimes he loved it. Made excellent sunblock. It was then that his flared nostrils caught a scent other than that of the trees, dirt, and animals around him. This scent was clearly human and not that of his either. Intriguing. He did not sense the mind of another dragon around.

The albino lowered his head onto his forepaws and curled into himself, slowing his breathing and closing his whirling pink eyes. Falling back into the mimicry of a bank of snow. He was camouflaged perfectly all things considered. There was nothing about him that was not white or transparent after all, from tip of his tail to nose, wing sails to talons. Lketh stayed still as the human’s scent grew closer and closer and the sounds of his approach became louder and louder. Then, finally, it stopped. The albino risked opening one eye the barest trace and caught sight of the back of a young human perched on a boulder not more than a dragon length or so away. Curious. The male tilted his lowered head slightly and simply watched as the young thing took knife to the wood in his hand. He stayed there for a time completely still until he felt the need to shift and his tail accidentally caught the edge of a fallen log, causing the rotten piece of wood to crunch and crumble in on itself. Lketh froze but the boy had already glanced over his shoulder and no doubt caught the whirling red of his eyes, stark and loud against the backdrop of white that his body represented.

Ever so slowly the albino dragon raised his head and crooned a slow and soft note as greeting. He hoped he had not startled the boy really. Carefully the albino beast started to uncoil from his position and rise. Looking much like he was being crafted from the snow around him or perhaps the mist that still lay coiled around the deeper parts of the valley at this time of the year. It was only when he’d finally risen to his feet that the wild call came from the forest around them. Lketh snorted loudly his nostrils flaring as his whirling eyes bled a deeper red and his maw parted so that he could utter a soft growl of warning. A warning his bonded of course refused to heed.

The young man burst from his cover in the trees waving his bow like a wild man and leaping at Lketh, the feathers he had sewn into the sleeves of his wher hide jacket fluttering as he leapt at the albino’s neck. The dragon hissed playfully and reared up on hind legs his tail lashing and sending snow flying in an arc towards his bonded. When Er’ani raised his arm to keep the slush from his eyes the albino curled in his talons and knocked his bonded to the ground with a forepaw those same claws then gently pinning the man to the snow as he spoke calmly to his soulmate. Er’animine we have company and you will scare him acting half your real age. Please extend to him my apologies for your behavior. The pale dragon concluded before his attention again fixed upon Cathias and he rumbled softly.

Er’ani sputtered and glared up at his dragon before tilting his head far enough back that he could view the person Lketh was referring too. “Oh. Hi there. As soon as this beast removes himself from my person I’ll kick him for you.” Snorting Lketh raised his forepaw and settled back on his haunches his tail tip flicking once at Er’ani before he stilled. Brushing himself off the albinorider sat up and stuck his tongue out at his dragon. “Big bully.”

[rii]

Oh.

Hazel eyes swept along the mound of white bearing a set of red eyes. He wasn't sure how he over-looked that considering dragonskin didn't look anything like snow, and at this point in the season the drifts didn't get that high. At any rate, Cathias would blame it on being mentally occupied with his own thoughts and that white dragons were not something he would deem as a threat. The croon certainly sounded friendly enough and Cathias took it as sign the albino wasn't bothered by the unexpected company. Cathias didn't mind either, for one the dragon wasn't talking to him. Company that was silent was much preferred to loud and obnoxious.As if on cue, in swung wild man to disrupt the peace. Cathias couldn't help but blankly stare at the other two.

It wasn't a sense of awe that kept his attention attached to the rider. The days of being a boy and feeling envious of the bond between rider and dragon were long over. What captivated Cathias was the sheer lack of maturity. Dragonriders were suppose to men (and to a lesser extent women) that could be respected when looked upon. All Cathias saw was a fool. Oh, but he knew the rules. His gaze briefly settled on the rider's knots, lightly scoffing at the classification of blue rider. It was amazing, in a cynical sort of way which really meant down right absurd, that Cathias had to respect these men that acted like undisciplined weyrbrats.

Cathias brow arched as the man spoke. Jadedly he scratched at the side of his head with the dull edge of his knife. He wondered briefly if he looked like he was five, because the guy was certainly talking down to him as if he was the child in the situation. "Dragon wasn't bothering me."

Couldn't say as much for the rider.

Turning back to the stick in his hand, Cathias carved off another strip of bark to reveal the pale wood beneath. In his own little world again, although he had not forgotten the odd pair behind him. He gazed down at the wood curls circling his feet, loathed to get up and walk away from the spot he'd chosen as a work bench. This little grove of budding trees and chorusing birds was suppose to be his little sanctuary for the small bit of time he had to himself. It was meaningful, in it's own way, that he had to walk all the way there to find it. Then to have it ruined by some childish rider..

"Hypothetically," Cathias mused, glancing up at the sky but not back at the rider. "Are you one of those people that would bother someone further if they strongly hinted that your company was not desirable?"

[Rei]

Well he wasn’t much of a friendly sort was he? Er’ani openly thought, a mild frown crossing his features as he examined the young man perched on his boulder not too far away. Not so much as even a hi, or an offer of a name. Didn’t even ask Lketh’s name either, just referred to him as ‘dragon’. Now if that wasn’t rude he didn’t know what was. So what if Lketh was the only albino dragon ever? Didn’t mean everyone knew his name. The man was borderline irritated really. What was with kids these days and their lack of respect? Lketh couldn’t help but rumble in amusement at that thought.

You are a fine one to complain about lack of respect. The pale creature commented his red eyes whirling a touch faster in their humor. You still act like a child most of the time. The dark haired man turned back to his dragon and grinned. Scary to think that I have my own kids now huh? Don’t remind me. The dragon said with a complete lack of humor before gathering his feet under himself again. Can’t you just for once let sleeping dogs lie and leave the boy alone? We have clearly disturbed him.

Er’ani was distracted from replying by Cathias’ voice and this time he did get irritated. “Sucks for you maybe, but yep.” He replied to the candidate his dark eyes dancing with humor. “I make my living driving people crazy enough to want to stab me with sharp pointy objects.” A loud and very audible sigh came from Lketh before the end of his tail wound loosely around his bonded’s waist. He didn’t need words to convey the warning. Simply a pulse across the bond and after a brief stare down the albinorider snorted. “Thankfully my personal conscience is always nagging me to take the straight and narrow. He says he apologizes for my abhorrent behavior by the way.” Wrinkling his nose he turned back to Lketh. “Abhorrent? Really? You’ve been reading again haven’t you? I swear to Faranth out of all the oddities you have, that one has to be the worst. Fate likes to make me feel stupid. Who ever heard of a dragon who could actually read.”

Lketh simply chirped and nudged his bonded in the shoulder before dipping his head towards Cathias and moving towards the swollen mountain stream that ran through the middle of the valley. In the summer months it would likely dry up to almost nothing but for now it was deep and wide from the massive amount of snowmelt. He didn’t look back or speak but his tail tip flicked at his rider in a clear indication for him to come. Maybe for once his rider would obey. Doubtful. But it was worth a try before he was forced to cart the man off.

Er’ani glanced once at Lketh and then decided to ignore him. “So you just destroying that stick for the sake of it or do you actually have a plan in mind?” He resisted adding the next thought. Which was something to the effect of, by the way who pissed in your klah this morning?

[rii]

The instant the flood of words came pouring out of Er'ani's mouth, Cathias wanted to tune them out. His hazel eyes turned up to the sky to concentrate of the clarity of the blue color, even the small mounds of white clouds couldn't mar the vast, open space. He knew better than to speak poorly toward those deemed his superiors. It just became so hard to smile and fake it when a good handful of the riders he interacted with had a clear lack of self-discipline. They were not men he could look up to and respect. How could he ever grown to trust such morons at his side in a flight. The war was over, Cathias knew, but that had been his environment. His childhood. The bond between the riders on a wings had seemed so strong – to be able to trust another person with your very life. Camaraderie. Brotherhood.

When Cathias looked at Er'ani, he saw none of those things.

The candidate rubbed thoughtfully at the white scarring on the corner of his lips. It always felt strange. The scar was minimal, but at times if felt as if he was missing an entire chunk of his mouth. The skin didn't stretch right whenever he smiled or frowned. It was enough to make him subconscious about it. He had earned it from speaking his less than polite thoughts to an older candidate. The mark remained with him as a silent reminder that some things were better left unspoken. There were dozen things he wanted to reply with to the rider's foolish words - mostly things of a condescending nature. Such as who in their right mind made an obvious nuisance of themselves to the point of making people want to gut said annoyance. And what kind of man needed to rely on a dragon to make the right choices.

Cathias considered the whittled branch in his hand, tempted to flat out ignore the bluerider in hopes that ignoring him would make him leave. A matter Cathias must have debated for some time because the white dragon was wandering off. A curious creature. An oddity. Cathias wouldn't inquire about the beast. One of the last things he wanted to do was make the rider's apparent ego swell with pride, or appear that he was envious the man was bonded to a dragon at all. Most candidates often seemed so wistful.

Drat, the rider was not leaving with the dragon. Goodbye white conscious.
Fingers curled around the branch, lifting it up as if it was some great source of awe. The rider behind him was really grasping for straws if he attempting to insult with those words.

Are you going to stand there like a dung pile, or are you going to say something actually worth listening to?

Patience, Cathias reminded himself.

It depends, are you going to duck with I throw it at your face?

It was a struggle to think of something neutral to say to the biggot. Cathias wasn't in the mood to fake a conversation. The branch went flying, not toward rider or dragon, but toward a tree trunk. The collision made a hollow clunk. Cathias stared at the branch now nestled in the mound of soggy leaves. He stood a second later, wiping his blade across his thigh before he turned to eye Er'ani. The other male was a tall fellow.

You're an idiot.

Does being a dragon rider mean nothing to you? You act like a child and the dragon is toy.

He still couldn't find anything to say to the rider. His jaw tensed as he silently ground his teeth, the next words were almost too difficult to speak. Yet Cathias managed it all in a pleasantly neutral tone, "Were you hunting?"

[Rei]

Er’ani actually tightened his grip on his bow when the boy threw the stick. To his credit however he didn’t move to draw and arrow from the quiver sitting on his back. It was a reaction born of turns of acting first and asking questions later. One didn’t live in war by reacting last. No, Er’ani had not wanted to kill as many as he had. He hadn’t even wanted to fight in the first place. Lketh had been far less emotional about it. The albino had been like a reaper bringing death on the field. Strict precision and the duty to kill was all he worried about. There had been a target on their backs after all and there had been no time for questions and no room for thought. The albinorider still found himself wondering all the what ifs at times. What if he hadn’t needed to kill that bluerider? What if he had let that woman live? His dragon had no such problems. Sometimes the man wondered why that never bothered Lketh. To have no moral issues or hang ups at all. For everything to just be strictly this or that with no room for further emotion. He was connected to the beast and so he understood the way the dragon thought but it just seemed so…odd sometimes, how eerily calm the white always was. It seemed a blessing and yet a curse.

While his mind was on that tangent Er’ani had started to relax a little, his grip on his weapon loosening as his dark eyes flicked back to Cathias. A brief look of surprise crossed the young man’s features. He had expected the little twerp just to stalk away after this fit of pique but no. Instead he uttered a question and in a decent tone too. Running a hand through his unruly hair the rider managed something of a smile even if it was a bit awkward. “I suppose you could say that? One of us was anyway. I was practicing my shot till he was done.” Er’ani smoothed out some of the feathers fixed to the sleeves of his jacket. “Still looking for some decent sized ducks or a nice wherry though. Running low on decent feathers again.” He continued as he flicked the end of one of the arrows by way of explanation.

Deciding that he had had about enough of playing awkward the albinorider pushed on. “Do you do any hunting? I don’t do that much to be honest. Maybe it’s kind of silly but I’ve really had my fill of living targets. Unless I need it for something it just seems so…pointless.” With a shrug he stowed away his bow and took a deep breath of the air. “Er’ani of Albino Lketh. You would be?”

Lketh had been aware as always of his bonded’s mind and emotions and his attention only flickered briefly to the man when he began to think of the killing time again. Silly man. He need not think of it so often anymore. But he supposed that was the problem with humans. They never stopped thinking. Dipping his head towards the water the albino dragon took a long drink from the chilled stream and then lifted his head to gaze at the songbirds bravely scolding him in their nearby tree. His pink eyes swirled in a placidly slow manner as he watched them flit from branch to branch his tail lazily curling about his haunches. Such loud things they were for things so tiny. Risking a glance back at the humans he snorted softly. They looked like two porcupines in a stare down still.

[rii]

Cathias absently watched the movement of hand through disheveled hair. A contrast to his own short cut. It was almost surreal to find the quirks paralleling in personality; to visually see how much in appearance they did not mesh. Er'ani's carefree spirit — noticeable in the strange plumage the rider sported, in the young rider's lackadaisical movements, his thick, untrained tongue – reminded Cathias of the story of High Reaches. He'd been taught about it in his lessons; about the dragonriders that thought they could just run off and live a hedonistic lifestyle. They left the responsibilities to everyone else while they reaped the rewards. When judgment came upon them, they were too weak to put up a fight. That is what happened to riders who didn't discipline themselves, who didn't work and work hard. They became weak – and weakness to the weyr. All of this Cathias reflected on in the brief moment Er'ani's hair. It was so unruly. He wondered if Er'ani was somehow a descendent of the deceased riders of High Reaches.

"They're still south," Cathias absently found himself responding to what Er'ani neither asked, but perhaps hinted toward. The rider made his own arrows. It intrigued Cathias, merely because he liked to see how all things were done at least once so he could retain the knowledge. He, of course, wouldn't inquire directly about the hobby. His interest might be mistaken for the earnest nature of a child. "The larger birds," He explained further. "The white ones with black tips I hear are the best for fletching. They are still south from the winter, but should be returning to the lakes around here to nest."

At the question of hunting, Cathias turned his gaze aside. No, he didn't hunt. Why would he need to hunt when his means were provided by the weyr. Taking down an animals for sport felt wrong - like a waste. Cathias kept his opinions to himself, again touching at the scarring on his lips before he shook his head at Er'ani in a final response. Not that his answer mattered, Er'ani had asked it and then went on to talk about himself - not waiting for a reply from Cathias. The candidate's lips tugged downward at the rider's choice in wording. Perhaps it was an over-active mind at work once again, but Cathias couldn't help but hear the duality in phrase 'living targets'. No doubt this Er'ani had sighted some of those arrows at people Cathias had once admired. May have even put an end to some of them.

Cathias couldn't help but wonder (and not for the first time) who was/were the rider(s) responsible for his parent's death.

The darkness lingered in at the corner of Cathias's hazel eyes. He extended his hand to Er'ani, a fluid motion that didn't betray the uncomfortable stiffness on the inside. His nerves feel like metal rods, and every move takes twice the amount of effort. Regardless, he holds his hand out to the rider in a silent offer. It would require Er'ani coming closer, and because of that, Cathias would show his own trust toward the rider he didn't particularly feel fond about. A truce, or an agreement to be civil; Cathias didn't bother to define the action in his own head.

"Cathias. I'm a candidate." He debated on mentioning that he was Fortian, but decided to let the matter go unsaid. The whole mixing up the weyrs felt like an effort to erase everyone's origins. It likely worked for some. Cathias was just stubborn. "At least I think I am?" His lips quirked, just smallest curves at the corner of his lips to suggest he was making a joke. "I was banned from standing the last few clutches, but I think the next time around I am allowed on the sands."

He didn't sound all that excited about it. Cathias gaze trailed over to where Lketh had gone. It did cross his musing from time to time, wondering what it felt like to be eternally bonded to another. "How long have you been a rider?"

[Rei]

Er’ani blinked at the younger man as he spoke and almost opened his mouth to comment but at the last moment decided better of it and just listened. Ah he was talking of the big water birds he had stumbled upon last summer sometime. With a small grin he nodded. Great. When it started getting a bit warmer he’d have to take another trip down there to see if he couldn’t get some for their feathers. He was pretty sure that Calypso and Lketh wouldn’t be averse to taking care of the leftovers and maybe he’d try a bit of the meat too and see if it was any good. He could even bring the kid with him maybe as a sort of thank you. If he stopped being such a downer anyway.

With that thought Er’ani’s dark eyes raised back to the candidate and he actually blinked in surprise when the hand was extended towards him. Still the rider didn’t hesitate even if he did wonder what the story was behind the slightly subdued look behind the candidates gaze. Striding forward the albinorider firmly grasped the candidates hand with a grin and shook it. “Well met Cathias.” A sort of humor danced in his dark colored eyes as the boy added onto the introduction and he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “Been there. What did you do? I was pretty much the worst kid anyone could have ever taught candidate lessons to at Benden. My brother was the perfect one.” With an amused grin he chuckled again. “Really he still is. That much at least hasn’t changed.” Nothing the direction Cathias’ gaze had taken Er’ani turned to look at Lketh again. The albino had his head canted as he chirped back to the birds and the young man couldn’t help but smile.

Turning back to Cathias he turned pensive. “Umm let’s see. Lketh and I will have been partners for eight turns this summer.” Tilting his head he looked back at the albino again. “Man. I really doesn’t seem like it’s been only eight turns. Feels like I’ve known him forever. He was so small when he was hatched and all wobbly and practically transparent he was so weak. His hatching was…well it was terrifying and probably one of the most earth shattering things I have ever been through.” A visible shudder ran through the rider’s frame and Lketh’s head snapped from the birds to look at the pair his eyes whirling in brighter reds as he crooned a low note to which Er’ani responded with a smile and a wrinkle of his nose. “He says that I was as white as him and pretty brave for a quivering boy.” Sticking his tongue playfully out at Lketh he turned back to Cathias. “But yeah eight turns this June. What color are you hoping to impress? Personally I wanted a brown but now I can’t imagine why I did.” With a shrug he offered the boy another easy smile. “What brought you so far out here by yourself anyway?” He added, letting a bit of his curiosity out in his tone.