The Hatching
It was a rainy day at Ryslen when Nynaeveth finally announced her clutch to hatch. Emili looked up, is eyes knowing now. Living at Ryslen he had seen a lot of humans and other sentient beings walk around. If no-one understood you you could always plead you came from some unknown planet. Onyco had been right. He had been wrong.
Emili sighed when he thought of Onyco. He had long ago relinquished the possibility of ever fooling the dragons. What did it matter if he was alien? So were half of the other candidates. But Onyco was still busy concocting her little schemes and had little time for him. Maybe because he wasn't that small little nerd with an attitude anymore. Emili had been very busy with his appearance and attitude. He was more himself now, a role he was glad to play. His hair had been cut shorter and was more manageable. His glasses and crooked teeth were still there, but he was working on the latter and the glasses he was thinking of throwing away. He didn't need them nor would anyone miss them.
Emili got up and went to the hatching grounds. Onyco was nowhere to be seen. Emili shrugged. Maybe her mindread abilities had told her the right dragon wasn't in this clutch. Although he wasn't certain she could actually hear the dragons. Mindreading was a skill to know human thoughts, not something as exotic as a dragon. Emili liked that about them... mystery.
The first egg hatched revealing a light red knobless hatchling. Emili knew exactly what he was. He had been studying the dragons closely when he had first come to Ryslen It had been one of Onyco's exercises for him. "Knowledge." she had said, "The one thing vital to succeed."
The next to hatch was a bright red and then a brown. The next egg drew Emili's attention. The hatchling inside got out and dived into the sound, making quite a show of sneaking toward him. Emili didn't know what to laugh about first. The way the red reminded him about himself a few weeks ago or that the crowd really didn't see him. Only then did Emili notice he had stopped time, making the strange feeling of impression linger between them. 
Hesitant, Emili turned the time back on and exchanged knowing glances with the red hatchling.
"Sevromath..." he said, and then silently: "You have a lot to learn, but I can teach you all I know."
The red dragon nodded and left the hatching grounds with him. 

Red Sevromath

Weyrling Training
Emili was busy learning Sevromath the tricks of the trade. Not the dragon trade, Emili was still far from an expert in dragon business... No they were training in the Stealth skill. Sevromath was a skilled sneaker now. Not even the watchdragons saw them when they went out. They had practiced long and hard on near-dead-teleportation. Sevromath's between skills and Emili's unexpected gift of navigation -must be all those punches he threw at bullies that ended up in hitting the ground that made him now where it was- had simplified the thing, but it was still dangerous.
"Ok, Sev, I want you to appear right above that mountain peak."
"How far?"
"Try an inch if you feel up to it."
This was mighty dangerous. A metre above the ground went flawlessly now, but Emili still remembered the time they had had to dig out Sevromath's tail. Luckily they had gone between to a grassy plain and not a stoney mountain.
"I'm up to it." Sev said, more sure of himself than knowing he was ready.
Emili prayed for a miracle and closed his eyes. If he died now his life was over. No returns, just blackness. At least Sev would be with him.
"You can open your eyes now."
"Are we intact?"
Emili could feel the look on his dragons face beforehe saw it. A bit hurt and a lot of pride. Sev would be walking on air the following days. Of course, Emili would too, if he had managed this jump.
"How about a reward if I'm so good?" Sevromath asked.
"You won't let it go, now do you?"
"No, you don't reward me enough. Can have nasty psychological consequences."
"Are you sure you haven't been listening to Onyco again?"
"I am very sure. She doesn't like me much."
"She's just jealous... and alone. I haven't been around her much."
"You shouldn't the way she treats you."
"She means well."
Sev was silent.
"How about a swim." Emili suggested.
"I'm there!" Sev shouted as he grabbed Emili and went between. Emili endured the cold for the short moment of travelling. They came out above the lake, inches above. Sev chuckled and dropped him in the lake. After the cold of between the cold of the lake was less, but still cold enough to make him shiver.
"You could have warned me!"
"But then it wouldn't have been fun anymore!"

Adult
"Hatching!" Someone yelled.
Emili quickly watched and saw Onyco head for the hatching sands. She and about 25 other candidates. Her chances were slim, but Emili was confident she would once impress. Probably high too, she was used to bossing people around.
Emili ran outside when Onyco entered the hatching sands and called Sevromath. They had been there every time. Watching from behind big blocks at the entrance at first. But now they just flew between to the highest ledges where there were rarely other dragon-viewers.
Emili looked down and saw Onyco looking. And not just dreamy, no she had seen something that had drawn her attention. Most importantly, she was looking toward them.
"Sevromath!" he whispered.
"Yes?"
"Are any of your body parts visible?"
The dragon started his list: "Head, no, Wings, no, Tail, n... oops."
"Pull it in when she looks down again."
The hatching started. Onyco looked to the eggs, seeming to forget about the tail. Her mind must be stressed from all the waiting, Emili thought. Of course she couldn't come up to see if they were there without drawing attention to herself. Emili grinned. As if anyone would be shocked.
Another egg hatched and a night cream came out. The light purple from before picking her rider quickly. The Cream seemed to be having a few problems.
"She's scared." Sevromath interfered.
"Why?"
"She's stuck.Can't walk to her chosen and more importantly to the food."
"So that's what's really important."
"Well we need to stay alive to remain with our bonds."
Emili smiled. It was true of course. But Sev had worked his way around the question so well it almost seemed like he had practiced it.
"Look! She's calling Onyco!" Sev suddenly told him.
Surprised Emili looked down. Sev had averted his attention long enough for him to miss the magic moment. He hadn't done it on purpose, but Emili was disappointed about missing Onyco's big moment.
"We can go talk to her after the hatching."
"No..." Emili said, "I don't know if she wants to see us anyway."
Sevromath shrugged. It was Emili's call.

First Flight
Sevromath sighed. Emili, picking up that very unusual sound coming from his dragon's airways looked at his bond.
"What's wrong Sev?"
"Nothing. I'm bored, that's all."
"Anything in particular you'd like to do."
"There is one thing. But I'm not sure if we, or that is, you can."
"Ask and I'll tell you."
"I'd like to fly. A dragoness."
"You mean the thing that happens to humans when the dragons fly? Is that the problem? This body is real you know."
Emili stroked through his short brown hair and glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His face looked more normal now that his teeth had been corrected. Not as vermin-like as it used to be. He still couldn't be considered handsome, but he looked regular.
"That's one part..."
"What's the other?"
"Maybe you had someone else in mind?"
"I don't have anyone in mind. I haven't romantically approached any of the women here yet. Besides! You know that. And if I'd fall for one of them, you could always fly her dragon."
"Oh... ok." Sev said, not even mentioning the weird relation his rider seemed to share with Onyco. Apparently it wasn't love or even friendship. It was weird.
"What are you thinking about?"
"The dragoness I want to fly." Sev said, quickly finding the best suited answer for the question. He had gotten quite good at this. Even so that Emili didn't even get suspicious anymore.
"Who is it?"
"Remember our trip to Abri?"
Emili remembered it, it had been one excited night. The first night they had ever tried betweening from inside their cavern. The experiment had been a minor success. They had gotten to Abri ok, the road back had been harder. Emili hadn't allowed Sevromath to go between back to their cavern. In stead they had had to sneak past the watchriders. They had come close to being caught.
"Remember the beautiful white-purple dragon that flew in right behind us?"
"Yeah, the one that nearly caught us in the act."
"She's perfect."
"I guess. What's her rider like?"
Emili tried to think back about the woman he had seen on the back of the dragoness. She had been young, a teenager. He didn't look much older. And in fact he had only had this body for 6 years now so no-one could accuse him of being to old for her. Long curling red hair had formed a nice contrast to the twilight of the evening and the white of her dragon.
"Can you handle her?" Sevromath asked.
"The rider Calleta?"
"She can have quite a temper."
Coming from Sevromath that could mean anything. She could be a proud feminist, a crazed devil worshipper or a flight attendant. Emili wondered which it was.
"Angry." Sevromath helped.
"She doesn't look like it."
"She has been learning to control it."
"Well... I was around Onyco for a long time. I think I can manage angry. And bossy."
"True."

Sevromanth is flying White-Purple Riishinith at Abri

Emili impressed at Ryslen Weyr
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