Gather Goodies

[Aurelia]

Gather Goodies

The sultry tune of a lap harp, intricately carved with Lemos wood and skillfully played by a journeyman harper, wove sonorously through the balmy Fort air. Busy chatter from buyers, craftspeople, holders, and riders floated about. One dark-haired man bought apprentice-made leather boots at a Tanner stall, while a young scamp darted through the milling throngs, snatching a mark here or there to buy a bubbly pie. Near the dancing square lounged four figures, clad in well-made riding leathers. One was tall and lanky, another stout with a chest muscled like a herdbeast. The third was bright-eyed and mischievous, while the last was tanned and lean. They held goblets of fine Benden wine, and the lanky one sipped decorously as tanned one talked.

"I remember a time when no queen was allowed outside the Weyr if she was going to rise. Better for us if Sharanth is out of the Weyr, so we've got a better chance at flying her....", he commented.

The lanky youth listened half-heartedly. R'kalt, rider of bronze Quimanth, had a good amount of respect for his other riders, but not when it came to brown riders. He was a bronze rider - why should he have to listen to a mere brown rider, and a wingrider at that, not even a Wingleader? One blue eye strayed to the dusty dancing floor, where a quick jig had just been done. The other bright-eyed young rider caught his eye and grinned. Z'gar, rider of bronze Libarth, felt the same way as R'kalt. They were only stuck with the lesser H'yos and the stout, vexing, P'tranel until they were sufficiently drunk to not care. Their small browns, Jilgonth and Iridith, would be able to keep watch of their riders after that. R'kalt and Z'gar's wingleader, W'dest, rider of bronze Alabith, had just told them to keep the drunk riders from going between without coordinates.

R'kalt stared into his goblet of Benden white. He, too, was glad that Sharanth had come out of the Weyr today. Her rider, Yariva, was a young girl that R'kalt had his eye on, and, if golden Sharanth were to rise while at the Weyr, he knew that he and Quimanth have no chance at catching her. There were a lot of many more experienced riders there - like the well-loved wingleader J'sorlin, rider of bronze Tulgrinth. Also, if Quimanth caught Sharanth, he would be made Weyrleader - never a bad bargain. This was because the Weyr's oldest queen, Doratta's golden Lurmeth, had failed to rise the past Turn, so Yariva and Sharanth, the oldest junior pair, would be Weyrwomen when Sharanth next rose. The old Weyrleader, T'lor, rider of bronze Kondath, stepped down, leaving the way open for a newer, younger Leader. But, this way, if Sharanth were out of the Weyr when she rose, Quimanth would have a much better chance of flying her than the other bronzes.

He straightened suddenly as H'yos started to totter, eyes glazed with the acidic Tillek wine. Clapping one hand on the shorrter man's shoulder, he told him, "I'll be off, then." He gestured at Z'gar, and the two young riders strode off into the throng.

"Shards!" swore Z'gar, his dark eyes flashing merrily. "I thought we'd never be rid of them!"

R'kalt chuckled. "Me, too. I'm glad that those brownriders are drunk. Now, we can get down to business."

Z'gar raised a brown brow querulously. "And that would be...."

R'kalt replied, "Finding Yavira, of course. We've got to know when Sharanth...."

Just then, a blood-curdling shriek wrent the warm Fort air like a farmer's scythe through a wheat field A giant mass of gold hurtled through the air, great gilded wings flapping. Sharanth, a gleaming gold, landed into the pen of prized Nabolese herdbeasts. She sank her fangs into one beast, her quivering blonde rider nearby, not letting her queen blood and keeping a firm control on her.

Quimanth! She rises!, R'kalt shouted mentally to his bronze.

The bronze's deep tone replied, I come. Libarth comes, too.

Screaming her fury at not being able to eat, Sharanth plunged on another two beasts simultaneously. Trumpeting, two bronzes flew in off the Hold heights. R'kalt smiled smugly. His Quimanth was much the better bronze among the two. Quimanth would fly Sharanth - there was no doubt in his mind about that.

Just then, two slight brown shapes flew in from the Heights. Landing next to the two bronzes, eyes whirling, they focused on the glowing, blooding queen. Z'gar's eyes widened, but R'kalt told him, "Don't worry. Those two runnerbeasts couldn't catch a baby wherry, let alone a full-blooded queen." Z'gar laughed nervously, and focused on Sharanth.

Sharanth began to glow even brighter, and, with a furious bugle, launched into the air. Trumpeting, the bronzes and browns followed her, screaming their triumph at following their queen. Yavira swayed, supported by Fort's Lady Holder, Krannie. R'kalt closed his eyes. Weyrmate to Yavira and Weyrleader of Fort - that's what he would be.

He could feel Quimanth's wing-beats as he tried to catch Sharanth. Catch her, Quimanth!, he cried.

For a second, there was no response. R'kalt opened his eyes, frowning. Quimanth?

Then, he heard Quimanth's desperate, gasping tone. Can't catch her...flying too fast...must....rest...

R'kalt's eyes widened. Glancing up into the bright blue sky, he saw a big bronze shape drop back from the chase of the golden queen and drift back to the ground. The exhausted Quimanth landed with a thud on the Heights. R'kalt sprinted over to the Heights, his immediate concern for his bronze. Quimanth? Are you all right? What happened? You said you could outfly any beast...

Quimanth, bronze lids fluttering, responded, I tried. Really, I did. She was just...too fast...

R'kalt, having reached Quimanth, stroked his dragon's eye ridges. That's okay. You tried your best. So, Libarth will fly her?

Quimanth's mental tone was pensive. I don't know. Libarth seemed to be tiring, too.

Looking over to where Yavira had stood, supported by Krannie, he no longer saw her. Searching anxiously for Z'gar, he found his friend and fellow bronze rider consoling a sad Libarth across the Heights. His blue pupils widened. It couldn't be!

Quimanth trumpeted, a loud bugle. Jilgonth flew Sharanth. His rider is the new Weyrleader!

R'kalt's jaw went slacked. Jilgonth? H'yos' little brown? Could a brown fly a queen, let alone so miniscule and inferior a one?

Quimanth replied in response to his rider's thoughts, Sharanth fancied Jilgonth. I don't know why a queen would fancy a brown. This is an outrage!

Sighed R'kalt, "I know. But, what can we do?"

Resignedly, Quimanth responded, Nothing. All hail the new Weyrleader!

[Aurelia]

I'll be doing a new chapter on Jilgonth/Sharanth's clutch soon, never fear!

[Aurelia]

[/B]CENTER]Chapter 2: Impression Day[/CENTER]

*This is in progress**

The day of Sharanth's clutch Hatching at Fort Weyr, sired by brown Jilgonth, dawned bright and sunny. The herdbeasts bellowed from the Bowl; riders gathered Candidates; and the Dawn Sisters beamed down upon all Pern. R'kalt, rider of bronze Quimanth, who had failed to fly Sharanth, sat miserably in his weyr.

So, the clutch Hatches today, eh?, he bitterly asked his drowsing bronze.

Yes, it does. It's a paltry clutch - yet with a queen egg in it! You shouldn't be so bitter about it - there's always next time Sharanth rises, intoned the bronze, nuzzling his rider.

True, commented R'kalt, but once the queen gets a preference for a dragon, she might not be flown again by a different one. How could a brown have flown a queen?

Quimanth considered this, then responded, It's not unprecedented, you know. I remember listening in on your Weyr History lessons with Weyrlingmaster L'zai - his dragon, bronze Kaldith, always listened in, too. Last Pass, T'ralf's brown Fridilth flew Banra's gold Jidath, but, then again, Jidath was only a junior queen.

R'kalt smiled and scratched his bronze's eye ridges. How many're in the clutch?

Quimanth gave a mental draconic snort. Too small. It may have a queen egg in it, but we don't need another queen - we've already got three. There're twenty-two eggs in total. Probably only two bronzes.

R'kalt raised his brows. Only two bronzes? Jays, that's not a lot!

Quimanth replied, I know. We need more. How a brown could've flown a queen..... Just then, Quimanth rose his head and began to hum, his green-gold hide shimmering. It hatches! Sharanth's clutch Hatches! We must get to the Sands!

Hopping onto Quimanth's back and fastening his riding leathers, Quimanth soared off his weyr ledge and glided into the Hatching Cavern. Great golden Sharanth lay curled on the warm Sands, her great, faceted eyes resting on the golden queen egg. Brown Jilgonth rested on the ledge above his weyrmate, and their riders stood nearby. Dismounting, R'kalt joined the other bronzeriders.

Two other bronzeriders, G'kand, Velliarth's rider, and N'bram, Dagarth''s rider, stood near R'kalt. Red-faced G'kand commented, "Don't see that this'll be too good of a clutch. Only a few bronzes, Vellie says."

Chimed in wiry N'bram, "Dag agrees with your bronzes, fellows. Only two bronzes, he thinks. Sharanth's right proud of it, though. Her first clutch as a senior queen produced a queen egg....that's an accomplishment in itself, I s'pose."

The humming increased in fervor, and the white-faced, white-clad Candidates hurried onto the Sands. Four girls - slender Jaloma from Igen Sea Hold; plump Adelle from the Tannercrafthall; petite Mallia, daughter of bluerider J'lot, Yanneth's weyrmate; and muscular Basiry, daughter of Lord Begran and Lady Tyonne of Fort Hold.

Suddenly, a rocking egg cracked, revealing a moist blue dragonet. A sigh went up from the crowd - a bronze was the best clutch portent. The little blue toddled over to a short Harper lad, who cried, "His name is Halorth!"

Despite the blue Hatching first, the crowd cheered at the lifelong bonding. Two more nearby eggs split, revealing a brown and a green. The brown moved decisively to a Weaver boy, and the green hopped over to Rolgin, now, R'gin.

Several more eggs cracked, all containing more blue or green dragonets. The dragonets found their lifepartners quickly. As more eggs rocked, two bronze dragonets emerged. Dripping in egg fluids, they creeled, then moved to their partners, choosing Tasin of Telgar Weyr and Jagri of Lemos Hold.

R'kalt began to notice that the queen egg, smaller than most queen eggs usually were, was not rocking. Nudging N'bram, he pointed. "Shouldn't the egg be cracking soon?"

N'bram's dark brows knit. "Should be. Queen eggs usually crack last or near the end. But the clutch is almost spent."

R'kalt frowned, and asked, Quimanth? Is aught amiss with the gold egg?

The bronze dragon replied, It hatches. Or it tries to.

R'kalt could see the egg rocked slightly, but not enough to hatch. Jamira, the slender Igen girl, noticed the same thing - the hatchling was too weak to get itself out. She began to pull away at the gold encasing of the egg, trying to expose the weak little queen. Throwing the other shards away, she found a tiny, but living, queen dragonet. The little dragonet lifted her head to Jamira, and Impression was made. Said the girl incredulously, "Her name is Sudarith!"