Ren & Roni

"Hey RONNY!" Ren called and ran.
"Damnit! It's ROH-NI!" Roni called back and started chasing the little twit that had dared to call her by that truly atrocious  name. If she could smack her parents for naming her a name that could be ridiculed this easily, she would have. Alas her name had also been the name of her great grandmother, a wise woman who'd practically raised her mother. She'd also been the one to start up her family's printing business.
So there was absolutely no way she could tell her parents she didn't like her name. Why couldn't her great granny be called something normal? Or even, why couldn't her parents have called her Veronica, the more lengthy version her name was derived from. Or Vera or Vica. Or anything else besides Roni.
But then she didn't look like a Veronica. That name was too sophisticated for her. She did look like a 'Ronny' though. Even at 16 she still had the figure of a boy, tall with not a single curve on her. She kept her hair short too because it was easier to work that way. Maybe she would look more feminine if she grew out her brown hair, but it tended to be dry, so maybe it would just look sickly.

Ren raced across the roads and heard Roni behind him. He was a year younger than her and because she already helped in her parent's company she had very little time to take the time to just hang out with him. But this trick got her every time.
Ren knew he wouldn't be able to stay ahead for long. Roni's physique was far better than his, plus his legs were shorter and that made a huge difference when running. He could already feel his body starting to fight for more air to keep working. he panted and his heart bashed into his ribs. The dust that flew up from the road hit him in the eyes and his vision blurred.
To avoid accidents, Ren hurled himself of the road into the meadows. He'd still see a cow in front of him. Or he hoped he would. Behind him Roni knew he was getting tired and she yelled: "I'm going to catch you!"
"As if!" he called back.
Giving everything he had, Ren spurted forward, but his effort came too late. Roni tackled him, making the both of them go down. Roni, bigger, heavier and older, easily got to sit squarely on Ren's back. He was still panting and laying flat on his stomach with a girl on his back didn't really help.
"I give." he wheezed.
"You won't call me that again?"
"You mean 'Ronny'?" Ren grinned evilly.
"You!" Roni called out and started pouncing his back, placing her knees along side him so he could at least get some air.
"Hey! I'm hurt here!" Ren laughed and tried to turn around so he could throw her off his back. But Roni had him pinned. There was only one thing he could do now. Straining his arms he started to tickle Roni. When that didn't work he pinched her.
Roni screamed and that momentary lapse of attention was enough for Ren to struggle free. He was about to return the beating to her when a load rustling coming from the forest reached them.
Before their eyes the head of a blue dragon poked out of the trees. The dragon snorted, sneezed and then blinked his eyes.
"It's just kids."
"And here I was trying to take a nap." the man joining the dragon from the forest said. "Rigelth, are they any good?"
"They might work."
Baffled the two teenagers looked at the scene before them. Just what was happening?
"Congratulations, you've been searched." Cerin smiled.

~***~

HATCHING
The first clutch after a relative quiet time in Darkling Dawn was about to hatch. Eggs were rocking, candidates and spectators filed in while the proud mother-dragon watched.
The first eggs were rocking now, and it wasn't long before one of the dragons inside fought its way out, and soon it was joined by three more. The first egg contained a tiny, pale green dragonet, who stumbled towards the candidates while the other three--a green, a blue, and a brown--were still breaking out of their shells.
It was the blue that moved swiftly toward Ren, proclaiming:
"My name is Hashuith."
 

It had been a few weeks since Teyumeth's clutch had hatched, and the Dragonry was starting to fall into a lull again. It was a welcome surprise, then, when the next clutch chose to hatch. Nine candidates were ushered onto the sands as the eggs rocked around their mother, Shonakasen, sitting in the middle.
Before long there was a crack as the first egg hatched. A pair of slender wings came out first, glistening with silver membranes. The hatchling's red body soon became visible as she struggled out of her egg. With a final kick, she removed the egg shell and climbed to two unsteady feet.
The candidates watched hopefully as she turned her head, but they were disappointed when the hatchling chose to sponsor in stead of bond.
With all the candidates distracted by a very peculiar hatchling who hinted at ruling the world, another two eggs had hatched, while another showed signs of cracking any second now. The tiny green-silver that hatched from that second egg, scratched an itch nonchalantly and didn't appear to notice any of the candidates, until her mother shoved her impatiently towards them. "Oh," she said, nonplussed, looking as though she was noticing them for the first time. She showed no hesitation in finding her bond, however, and went straight to Roni.
"Yep, you're the one for me, Roni. Come on, I'm getting a little tired of all these people around us."
A small smile playing about her lips, Roni said, "Okay, Shezare," and lead her new dragon to the kitchens.

Name: Shezare
Breed: Dragon Whorling/Atuan mutt/Hathian
Gender: Female
Color: Green-Silver
Abilities: Telepathy, Teleportation, Verbal Speech, Tele-kinesis, Heightened Sense of Hearing
Personality: A playful, pleasant-minded dragon, she is quite friendly and outgoing. She always seems to have her her head in the clouds, dreaming things inside her head instead of paying attention to what's around her--but despite that, she pays a lot more attention than she lets on and has a very good memory.

~***~

TRAINING
Roni walked around Darkling Dawn trying to cool down from another emotional explosion. Why did that brat one year her junior mess up her mind so much? And he'd even impressed before her. She fumed again.
"I'm better than Hashuith, aren't I?" Shezare asked.
"Way better, but that' snot the point."
"You got the better dragon, so you won."
"But he's younger than me AND he impressed first."
Shezarre smiled, "Seems like you're jealous, though Hashuith really is a pleasant dragon. I wonder why you don't like Ren."
"He's annoying." Roni argued, "He teases me."
This response made Shezare laugh again, but she would not tell Roni what was so funny about it. In stead she said: "There's something around."
"Human?"
"No... animal."
Roni looked around but she did not see anything. She also did not hear any sounds. But no, there it was again, a small rustling that could almost be mistaken for the wind.
"Can you tell me where?"
"To your left, low down." Shezare said, "It seems to be in trouble."
Roni picked up the pace after those words and turned to her left. Lowdown meant the ground and really there was only one place the animal could be. Crouching Roni crept behind the boxes and started looking. Her eyes weren't used to the darkness and at first she did not spot anything.
Miow...
"A cat?" Roni said.
"That could be it. It's very young so it doesn't have much self-awareness." Shezare shrugged.
Roni felt around and indeed did her hands stumble upon something soft and furry. Carefully she took it out and carried it into the light.
The kitten was entirely black with jade-green eyes. It was asleep and felt vaguely cold. Roni had owned cats before, but never as a pet. She knew however that this one was too small to be away from it's mother.
"What do I do?" she asked herself.
"Ask Ren to help you, I'm sure he would."

Rumi
(Adopted from Darkling Dawn)

~***~

ADULTS
Shezare flicked her wings and felt irritated. Really, her rider was clueless. Roni had been around Ren from their childhood and maybe it clogged up her view because the girl did not even realise she had a perfectly fine mate in front of her.
Worse, Shezare felt she'd need to rise soon. With the way things were going it would be an open flight. Shezare really didn't want to go through the hassle. After all she liked Hashuith too. Why should she get the hopes up for a bunch of other males which might dislike her for it later?
"We could always give them a push." Hashuith whispered in her mind.
Shezare giggled and replied: "You're so naughty."
"Hey, I know some of the dragons that are after you. Allow me to be jealous and worried. There's some real competition between them."
"It feels good to be fawned over." Shezare sighed.
"I'll fawn with all my might." Hashuith said, scratching one of her itchy spots with his tail, "See?"
"You're wonderful." Shezare said.
"So. Let's get along with the push." Hashuith chuckled.
Roni wondered what was up with Shezare, but she did not really stop to think about why her dragon had asked her to go on a flying trip over the forest. Maybe Shezare had sensed that she was accumulating stress again and that a picnic was what she needed to unwind.
Shezare had dropped her off at a clearing saying she'd go for a swim until Roni had picked enough berries. Then she'd return and they'd go to the beach.
Suddenly though Roni saw Shezare fly overhead. She hadn't called her, so maybe the dragon had gotten bored. Roni tried to signal her position when another dragon flew over right behind Shezare. An unusual heat drew through Roni's body and she had to seek strength from a tree to keep up.
What was going on?
Sounds around her made her realise she wasn't alone in these woods. Another human was nearby, shouting as well.
"Hey! Here!" she called hoping to find help.
Before her the foliage split and Ren ran into view. He looked haggard himself and his face was red from running. Or was it the heat she felt?
"Roni?" Ren asked.
"What's happening?"
"They're having a mating flight." Ren said dumbfounded, "You didn't know? I thought it was strange when I didn't see you."
"Shezare rose?"
"I was happy you said you wanted a closed flight with Hashuith though. I was sure you hated me no matter how much I tried to help you."
"With you?"
"Wait... You didn't know?"
"Shezare!" Roni called, trying to get her dragon to reply.
"What. You so like him." the faint reply came through, "Now enjoy! I will too."

~***~
Ren and Roni impressed at Darkling Dawn
Lantessama Isle