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The running girl is about 18 turns,
blond and tall. She athletically built, making it almost logic that she
should be running. Her feet placed themselves on the rocky underground like
she was part mountain goat. Her arms pumped rhythmically with her striding
legs. Her head steady on her neck. Her glazy blue eyes scanning the ground
in front of her. She was rushing home, leaping over streams and making her
way through bushes.
Amy wished she would soon be home. Her mother had asked
her to be on time for once, but she had forgotten it. Again! She always did
this. Why she didn't know. Today was her birthday and she knew her mother
had been planning it for months! She had prepared something big. Amy
clenched her teeth together as she almost twisted her ankle in a hole she
hadn't seen in time.
Finally she reached the path that would take her home. The sky was an angry
red telling her just how late she was. At long last she could spot her home
in the distance. Something was off. There were a lot of people in the
garden, somehow she had expected that. But there also was a big hump of
green that didn't fit into the landscape. It hadn't been there this morning.
She came home exhausted and panting. There was no way she would be able to
sneak past her mother to her room, anyways, all those people were waiting to
see her. Carefully she went to the back of the house hoping her mother
wouldn't scold her with all those people present.
"There's our little miss birthday girl!"
Clearly she had been wrong, the sound of her mother's voice didn't predict
much good.
"Yes mother?" she asked casually.
"I told you to be on time for once in your life!" she said.
"Mom, you know I tried, I just forgot." she tried.
"Well maybe you will be on time for something more important, like
let's say a hatching?"
Was her mother kidding?
"Wha?" she said.
"You heard me right. It was not easy getting a Searchrider here so she
could check you out and make your lifelong dream come true." her mother
said, nodding and waving her arms above her head.
"You did? You are the best mom ever!" Amy shouted and hugged her
mother so tight she could hardly breath.
"Anyone call me?" A woman said, "My name is Quara and my
dragon's name is Dimenth."
So that had been the strange green hump in the yard.
"I think you're quite suited, luckily for you, you get summoned for a
hatching." Quara winked.
"Oh, I can? Really?" Amy asked, almost dancing.
"Yes. We'll leave at the end of the party, you are packed and ready to
go."
"I know you will be good for the
Weyr." her mother said, as the stars shone brightly above.
"Thanks again mom." Amy said, looking longingly at the green
dragon.
"Be sure to visit now and again, I don't want you forgetting me!"
her mother said, hugging her again.
"I won't."
"Everyone ready? Deminth says she is going to cry if you hug her one
more time." Quara said.
Mother and daughter wiped away some tears. Amy was helped onto the dragon
while her mother watched and waved.
"To Tiynarea Dimenth!"
Quara said, "to Home."
HATCHING!
The morning was misty and moist, but that
was part of the beauty of Tiynarea. It is astonishing how many different
ways misty mornings can be. And this particular misty morning would urn out
to be the happiest in Amy's live. There was a hatching waiting to happen
before the end of the day, and the knowing afterwards that the event was to
take place had griffed every single detail into Amy's mind.
She would never forget them and neither would she forget how Veredth hatch,
one dragon from three greens who bounded to different corners of the
hatching sands, and Veredt on a clear path towards her.
Veredth, the darker half of a twin, waited for her sister to bond and then
came to Amy, and nudged her in the leg. She looked up hopefully at her
chosen rider. The girl belt over slightly and rubbed the hatchling’s
eyeridges and said, “Don’t look at me like I’m not going to accept you
Veredth, you know I wouldn’t do that.” The hatchling warbled happily and
nuzzled against her new rider again.
"Thank you, Amy... one more thing, where is
the food?"
Veredth
WEYRLING
Veredth spread her wings and felt the wind pass around her. Her eyes were
closed as she retained the pose, tail gently swaying in the breeze.
"Perfect!" Amy called out excited, "We'll be flying in no
time."
"I can hardly wait!" the voice
of her green echoed in her mind, "Why can't we
go now?"
"And what? Drop of a cliff?"
"Well, I would soar..."
"It's the possibility of smacking down that frightens me." Amy
winked, "I don't want to lose you."
"I know what I can do. And I know my wings are
strong enough to fly."
"We'll ask the instructor later today."
"Now." Veredth insisted.
"Ok, now." Amy sighed and followed her dragon to the weyrling
trainer, knowing very well that Veredth would be flying before the day was
over, there was no stopping the green if she had an idea in her head.
ADULT
"Do you want to fly, Veredth?" Amy asked.
"Why do you ask?" the green
answered with a question.
"Well, now that greens can fly since so many dragons are leaving Pern
with their alien bonds, shouldn't that be something you want. A thing you
weren't permitted to do and now you CAN do it."
"And everyone's doing it... I think I will let
the flight issue rest." Veredth said deeply, "In
fact, greens have never been forbidden to rise, they just did not lay eggs
afterwards. And is that something I want to do right now? Being stuffed in a
hot cavern with sand up into my nostrils waiting for some eggs to hatch? Not
likely. No, I want to see the world, more, I want to see the Universe!"
"Slow down!" Amy laughed, "But I get it, no flights as of
yet."
"You do." Veredth replied
smugly.
Lantessama
Isle
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