The Beginning

Br'son lifted his face to the sky, watching the trio of dragons grow smaller and smaller against the blue.  Without warning, they disappeared between, back to the familiar comforts of home at Eastern Weyr.  

The home that had been Br'son's from his first breath until this very moment.  The home that would forever after be closed to him.  

I am here, Yllaveth said softly, her tone uncharacteristically tentative in Br'son's mind.  The young man shook his sandy blond head once and turned his blue eyes toward the center of his life, his Titan queen.  

So you are, Br'son replied silently, his lips curving in the smile that belonged to Yllaveth alone.  And if you're here, then this must be home.  For wherever you are, that is where I am meant to be,

Naturally, the queen replied, her tone reverting to a much more usual mix of self-satisfaction and assurance.  She arched her neck slightly, letting the heat play over the shining blue-grey of her hide.  The heat, at least, is nice, she added.  I think we will be quite comfortable here.  I am sure the others will agree.

I am certain they will, if you inform them that they are to do so, Br'son teased back.  His Yllaveth was under no illusions about her place in the world.  When she wanted something just so... just so it became.  He reached out and stroked what he could reach of her foreleg, taking one more moment to gather strength from her love before turning to address the dragons and riders who stood with him on this arid plateau in the middle of nowhere.  

"Well," he said brightly.  "Rumor has it that our cave system is down in this canyon here," he said, pointing to a deep slash in the ground not far away.  "I suppose we should probably start exploring... find some place to set up weyrs, at least for tonight."

As he spoke, the young queenrider cut his eyes toward one of the women standing nearby.  Sidran, rider of Cobalt Gaveth, was as lovely as she was competent, and her dragon was Yllaveth's mate, besides.  Br'son hoped his voice didn't reflect quite as much insecurity as he felt, but he definitely wanted her input here.  Surely she had some idea of how to start.

Sidran busied herself setting Gaveth's straps to rights, refusing to watch their "escort" leave. Her cobalt partner dismissed them immediately, turning instead to survey what they had been left with and not displeased with the result.

What? she asked, aware something had snagged his interest.

Something is... he tilted his head, listening, his tail thrashing once before he stilled it. There is something. Dissatisfied, he lapsed into silence again, and Sidran filed it away to deal with in a bit.

Right now Br'son was talking, and she trained her eyes on him while he did so. Gaveth had caught Yllaveth, and they were in this together. Whatever 'this' became. "That sounds right to me. Divide into groups and get set up for quarters, food, and hunting. Gaveth and I can take a group across the north face, there. Br'son, Yllaveth might want to ensure there's something large enough for a hatching ground first?" Then at worst, at least they'd know either how much work they had to prioritize to get ready for their queen - their only queen, ancestors above, since they were on their own and the bloody between if she'd let those smug bastards win - or they'd have a big enough space to store some dragonpairs for a few nights. "Casriel, you lead for the south face."

It was both an olive branch and a bit of a goad. Technically Sidran wasn't in charge, but she'd rather give Casriel a responsibility than have the woman glare at her and take one upon herself. And it wasn't as though the other woman weren't capable.

Gaveth made a low noise, but thankfully he was far more intent on whatever was in the canyon than starting a fight with any of the other cobalts.

"D'kan can run sweeps and see what the hunting looks like, and then H'den and Allie, how do you feel about getting something set up so we can all eat when we're ready?"

She looked back to Br'son and smiled warmly. "How does that sound, Weyrsenior?" He was their queenrider, and if they were going to make this work, they were going to have to be a team. And for that, titles mattered. And building a partnership. No time like the present.

Casriel turned from where she had been watching the escorts leave, the cold and sinking feeling in her guts somewhat mollified by the given task at hand.

'Slink back to Eastern Weyr, all of you old guard. Someday...you will rue the day you ever let us out of your sight.' her thoughts hissed and then a cool voice wiped the fury from her mind and the cold feeling vanished completely, leaving only a echo of the loneliness before.

Do not let their decision vex you. It was in haste and will ultimately be their undoing. Come, we have a duty and a directive.

[[Indeed.]] Casriel said and reached out to stroke the plum dark cobalt hide of her dragon. Maraxith rumbled low in his throat and Casriel pushed herself onto his massive foreleg and then settled on her dragon's neck.

"It will be our pleasure." Casriel replied, tossing her blond hair from her face as she secured her helmet. Maraxith's eyes whirled from orange speckled red to something more toward green.

"What would you like us to do?" Ashrah asked. Hesriath rumbled and her eyes whirled a fast yellow, the scarlet anxious from the move. Ashrah was frustrated by the fact they would risk moving her so close to rising but everyone had been sent.

I will be fine, my love. It is not as if they sent us forward with no males. Hesriath said, giving Galvanth and Maraxith both very appraising looks. Casriel caught the exchange and lifted her chin to the scarlet rider.

"You're with me, Ashrah. Lets see what the south face holds. Casriel said. lifting her arm and beckoning with her wrist. Cool green-blue eyes flicked to Sidran to see if the other cobalt rider would gain say her but Ashrah moved to join her. She would have liked to take H'den and D'kan instead of the heart wrenching Ashrah. The whole business with her dead weyrmate and her recently Impressed son was a headache, especially since Zashfellen had Impressed a bronze. H'den had potential and D'kan was her man through and through. She just needed an opportunity to secure the loyalties of the male scarlet rider.

How could they just leave like that? Alannah wondered as she watched their escort disappear between, her eyes widening as she realized they really were just dropping the 'mutants' off.  Didn't they want to stay at least long enough to make sure their charges had settled in properly?  Wouldn't they worry how well they fared after the first night?  Or even in getting to the point that they could sleep?

What if they were attacked by felines?  Or beset by raiders?  Or…

We do not need them.  We are dragonriders, too, and we will start this new Weyr without their help.

Sighing, Allie drew her gaze back down and away from the spot where the trio of other dragons had winked out.  Of course, Fiammath was right, but that didn't make it any easier to bear at the moment.  Unless one, or all, of them was willing to return to Eastern right now, there was nothing they could do for the time being.  Because, even though she rather thought it a poorly disguised attempt to get rid of the 'mutants', they'd been sent here to do a job-- to open a new Weyr.  It was their duty to remain and carry out those orders.  And dragonriders always carried out their duties, right?

Wanting to kick something to vent some of her frustration, the scarlet rider looked down at her feet to see if there were any convenient rocks.  But she was distracted by Br'son finally speaking, his words reminding her that whatever they needed, be it food, shelter, or water, it wasn't going to be readily available here as it had been at Eastern.  They would have to work for it… and she was in no way looking forward to doing so for the most basic needs.

"Yeah, okay," she finally told Sidran in response to the cobalt rider's directions.  While it hadn't quite been an order, Allie knew it wasn't really a request, either.  But at least she got to work with H'den, who could usually be counted on to get a job done.  And hopefully he'd have some ideas of just where they should start.

Br'son felt a flood of relief as Sidran did exactly as he'd hoped and started issuing orders.  Not that he wasn't willing to live up to his position... but he was younger than almost everyone, and newly graduated besides.  Queenrider he may be, but he certainly didn't have the automatic authority of a weyrwoman...

Although what was that that Sidran had called him?  Weyrsenior?   Was that to be his new title?  

"Weyrsenior?" he asked with a tiny smile.  "Is that what we're calling me?  I suppose it's more appropriate than 'Weyrwoman,'" he conceded.  "All of that sounds great to me... and Yllaveth.  We'll go down to the river level and check out the caves."

Bring someone with us, Yllaveth said suddenly, Gaveth noticed something, and I feel something as well.  I will not have you put at risk, my rider.  Bring an escort.  


"Um, Br'son said, in response to this prompting from Yllaveth.  "Yllaveth brings up a good point.  We don't know what's down here.  I don't want anyone going anywhere alone, please.  Not even just with your dragon.  At least bring someone who can go for help if necessary.  There could be wildlife... or whatever." He looked around at the riders present, hoping someone would step up to go with him.  He didn't particularly want to have to choose his own partner, nor did he want to steal away a rider that either of the Cobalts had wanted for their team.

A thought, my lovely one. Have Hesriath's go with our lovely Titan Queen. With your ready show to give support to our Weyrsenior, no doubt the rider will find favor with your thoughtful efforts. In time Hesriath's might also thank you for allow her to show her usefulness to our Weyrsenior. }} Maraxith crooned.


Casriel watched Br'son and favored him with an admiring smile. A thought came to her then and a warmth spread in the bottom of her belly. Better to be helpful, in their most dire situation.

"Ashrah, on second thought go with Weyrsenior Br'son and aid him. You will have a good eye for any spaces that might be good for weyrling barracks and four pairs of eyes are better than two when it comes to finding a suitable place for our future generations to hatch. If that pleases you, Weyrsenior." Casriel said and her eyes met Br'sons softly.

"I...um..yes Wingsecond." Ashrah said, nodding her head. Hesriath rumbled happily to Yllaveth, somewhat comforted by the proximity of the Titan. Ashrah felt off balance and crossed to Br'son, hazel eyes flicking to his knots and back to his face. They had no proper leadership but tradition dictated that he was their equivalent of Senior Weyrwoman. Sidran was acting Weyrleader by virtue of being the rider of the dragon that flown Yllaveth and Casriel had been elavated to a Wingsecond's knots back at Eastern. Even now the knots hung from her shoulder, pressed and finely maintained. Casriel's eyes might be soft for Br'son but they were cool and clear as a glass when Ashrah met the cobalt rider's gaze. Ashrah had spent all her life following protocol, hoping for a Weyrling Master's knots. She did as Casriel bade her for the moment.

"Shall we, sir? Ashrah asked, straightening suddenly. They had things to accomplish and better they be done by night fall.

H'den would have volunteered to go with Br'son over coaxing Allie, but he had no interest in getting between Sidran and Casriel, and ignoring the former's not-exactly-order to look like he was currying favor with the latter, or even their...Br'son (the word Weyrsenior felt odd and unwieldy in his head; he wondered how long Sidran had been sitting on that one)...Not today.

"Be careful out there," he said with a quick smile, then turned to Allie and gave her just as quick a grin. "Want to bet how much of the 'supplies' they sent us with are any good at all?"

At least they could start a fire, hunt up some game? It had never been his favorite thing, but he'd kept himself busy while Nimath fed.

Nimath turned her head, dissatisfied with something and unsure what, exactly, it was. Call if you need anything, she offered Hesriath and Yllaveth, feeling out of sorts and so projecting only sunny good cheer. We will be there in a moment if you call.

Sidran would have answered Br'son, but Casriel and Ashrah moved into the moment and she just smiled at him again, turning toward Siona. "Let's put some of your observational skills to work finding homes for us all." It was more invite than order, but she knew the quartzrider would be picking up things already, and she'd eventually want to know more about what Siona saw.

Br'son shot a quick smile in Ashrah's direction.  He was, at least, a bit more familiar with the Scarletrider than the others, thanks to her work with the Weyrling wing.  "Seems a bit odd, you calling me sir," he said as he lifted a hand to the others and turned his upper body back toward Yllaveth.  "Three days ago, you were one of my instructors... and now here we are.  Whereever here might be," he added, with a bit of dryness to his tone.  

He pulled himself up into place on Yllaveth's neck, using his wiry upper body strength.  It felt good to do something a bit physical... and if Sidran noticed?  So much the better.  

Thank you for coming with us, Yllaveth said to Hesirath on a private channel as Br'son got settled and strapped in.  I am uneasy, though I know not why.  I am uneasy, though I know not why.  I do not feel as if we are alone here, in this strange place.  He knows and trusts your rider, which makes him more comfortable as well.  How do you fare?  I know you are close to your time to fly.  This sudden timing was hard on us all.  

A bit of scathing heat, there, in the Titan's tone, directed at those who would abandon them to exile so fully and heartlessly.  

((Vivid, I'm going to split Br'son and Ashrah off into a different thread for ease of use, ok?  Look for that one, though you can reply here first if you want))

***

Siona snapped off a somewhat ironically intended salute in answer to Sidran's words.  "Lolath and I are standing by for whatever you need, Weyrleader," she said, her lips twisting in a wry little smile as she very deliberately used that title.  "Nice work on 'Weyrsenior', by the way.  I was wondering how we were going to get around the tiny obstacle of our 'Weyrwoman' not being a woman at all."

You should not tease Gaveth's rider.  She wants only to get us safe for the night.  Lolath said gently into her rider's mind.  

I highly doubt that, love of mine, Siona replied to her dragon.  She's too intelligent and ambitious not to see this as the opportunity that it is... and Gaveth did fly our only queen.  Sidran's first and most pressing desire may be to see us all safe... but there is more going on behind that lovely face.  This will be interesting to watch, the Quartzrider said, not for the first time.  

"I wasn't shown our location on a map or anything, but I thought I remembered someone saying something about hot springs in the area?" Siona said out loud, for the benefit of the group that remained nearby.  "This is somewhat desert-ish country, which means it's likely to get cold after dark.  My suggestion would be to find these springs and make sure we have heat and clean water.  We've got tents and gear.  We can all weyr together if we find an area large enough.  The more the dragons stay together, the less likely we are to be troubled by wildlife, I would imagine."

Ashrah chuckled, a deep and hearty sound for the young Titan rider was correct. Three days ago she had been assisting him in lessons and now, the world had changed, turning them all on their collective heads. She smiled in kind, shaking her head a little as she looked at the wide open space around them.

"It does and," Ashrah lowered her voice and leaned forward. "It 'sir'-ing you consistently will make you uncomfortable, I will reserve it to when we are in the presence of others."

He was thriving, she noticed. Easily pulling himself onto Yllaveth's neck showed that Br'son had not skipping his physical training. That pleased Ashrah and she comforted herself in the sight of his dedication. He was absolutely correct, she had helped train him. Now he was graduated, his queen having reached adult hood. Ashrah felt a flush of pride and her smile grew broad, the doubt and uncertainly in her eyes ebbing a trifle.

Confidence is hard to inspire when facing an unknown situation and I would not be giving you truth if I did not say our situation is a tad dire. I thank you for your empathy, dear Yllaveth. It is good to have worked with you and your rider in the time we had been given. You have grown well.

All trace of yellow fled from Hesriath's eyes and their slowed their frantic whirling. A deep, loving blood saturated her faceted eyes, whirling with light green. She was proud of all the young ones.

That is truth but the need will wait a little while until I am settled. Stress delays such urges and at least, in this case, we may play that to our advantage.
**
Casriel would hear no more, especially after Siona's snappy salute. "Acting Weyrleader." she wanted to retort but their was no need. It would accomplish none of their goals to simmer and sulk like a child over words. Words would not hold the wine of the day. Only action would be their chalice.

"Keep your wits about you. Maraxith will listen out if anyone needs assistance.

Maraxith rumbled an ascent and then gathered his massive, dark frame up to leap skyward. Casriel felt they would get a good look of the land below from above and while she was sure Maraxith was large enough to disable one hungry feline, a group of them could possible overwhelm even her powerful cobalt.

((Note to any folks with riders approved later than opening weekend - you can and should assume Sidran would have either given your rider a not-exactly-order as well, or they would have been tapped into a group, but definitely weren't ignored or left totally unspoken for. Whether they decided to join or not is a whole other thing...))

Sidran smiled again, glancing after Br'son as Yllaveth launched. "I've been thinking about it - just takes a queen to lead, and I have a lot of faith in titaniums." She didn't worry about saying too much to Siona, though perhaps she should; the other rider had a knack for picking up what people meant, anyway, and this was no secret to be jealously guarded.

And why not move neatly around the Weyrleader issue, for the moment? Conversations with Br'son would have to wait, and they weren't going to figure anything out on this ledge.

"Hot springs sound like a plan - we can keep an eye out for bigger openings. Lolath good at noting heat sources?" As she spoke she stretched briefly and turned back to Gaveth, who was staring fixedly at nothing she could see, his calm too tense to disturb with an unnecessary question at the moment. If it were serious, the cobalt would say. Or react.

Siona snorted softly.  "As much as any dragon," she said.  People sometimes tended to think that quartzes were somehow mystically endowed with all kinds of talents and powers that other dragons didn't exhibit.  This was, of course, entirely untrue.  For whatever reason, they just exhibited a particular intensification of normal draconic empathy.  

But I can feel heat as much as the next dragon, Lolath reminded her rider tartly.  Gaveth, we will go wherever you like.  My rider is feeling particularly funny today.

Siona laughed.  "Called to task by my own dragon.  Apparently we're on spring spotting duty.  Anyone care to join in?"

"We don't all know her special insight, do we?" Sidran asked, pitching her voice to carry back to the quartzrider but not much further. She thought she'd pieced it together, but who could tell? Siona kept her secrets, and so Sidran smiled again as she mounted. "Worth a try."

Gaveth pulled his attention back to the quartz, his tail lashing once. They are all slightly off, he said, an agreement of sorts, turning his eyes back to the canyon. We will take the north face, and find what is to be found.

With Lolath and the rest of the group, he knew they'd locate what they needed. Because they needed it. Things were that simple, no matter the discomfort prickling against his mind.

Alannah shook her head in response to H'den's comment, her lips turning up faintly.  It was clearly more of a grimace than a smile, though, her unhappiness at being dumped off away from the only home she'd known obvious.  "One of us might end up a little richer, but I doubt we could count it as a win," she groused.

Running a hand through her hair and eyeing the terrain around them, she then asked, "Ah, so where do you think we should start?"  It was too bad this wasn't an already established Hold or Weyr that was just empty-- it would have been so much easier to just find the kitchens and start cleaning or setting up or whatever else needed to be done.  Instead, they were starting completely from scratch.  

No hearth for cook fires, no store rooms already set up to hold their supplies.  No… benches and tables?  Just what were they going to do about those?  Were any of the other riders who'd been left here woodworkers?  Somehow she doubted it, but someone could always surprise her.

Should we scout for wherries or other animals?, Fiammath asked Nimath, much more of a decisive go-getter than her rider.   I see none within easy reach.  In fact, she'd been eyeing the terrain since they landed.  But nothing had presented itself.  Still, she had the strange sense it might be lurking not too far away, if they only took the time to go look.

"Let's look at what they sent us, bet or no. I'm hoping for jerky and fruit, because then we don't have to cook anything. But I suppose we can build up a big fire, and at worst we have a bonfire and go fishing." H'den enjoyed fishing, as far as that went, though he didn't have a rod or a net. Surely some of their fellow riders had been hold boys and girls, foraging around in the roots and rivers of their homes.

Another group hunts, Nimath said, staring after them before turning an assessing look at the trees nearby. Build a fire, eh? Maybe she and Fiammath could pull down some trees, which would be fun and keep them from leaving their riders unattended. Her talons tensed in interest, especially when H'den didn't immediately check her. What do you think about bringing a few of those back?

Watching the riders blink between to return to Eastern Weyr, Scai's features deteriorated into a scowl with his brow drawn together fiercely. It should have been expected though, being abandoned here, given the circumstances. They, the unorthodox of their kind, were discarded so easily, just as he had been by those around him in the past, before coming to the Weyr. The whole situation only validated his reasons for that habit of distrust he had, reminding him of when he'd been sent south by his father so that he could be kept at a safe distance, not being able to tarnish his father's good reputation from here -and of course, all the while, being taught a tough lesson in survival. Of course, that wasn't the story that most people heard about him. Only Casriel knew anything about the real reasons he'd come south, so no one else would know just how bad it hurt him to be kicked out a second time. D'kan felt utterly rejected.

Staring off into the sky where their fellow riders had previously been, D'kan's eyes welled full of tears. 

Right when he thought he'd found his place in the world... 

He should have seen it coming.


Gritting his teeth with determination, it was a welcome thing to feel a wave of love and acceptance wash over him as Galventh responded to his distress, only there was little at that point that could have actually consoled him. Inside his chest, D'kan's heart raged with pent up anger. 

Picking up a stone then, D'kan let out an angry cry, hurling it as far as he could into the open. 

The young man said nothing after that, but it was obvious that he fumed as he'd turned back to face the rest of them, eyes flashing their defiance. Only the fact that they'd all been left in the same situation compelled him to listen to anything Sidran had to say, as she doled out orders in order to organize the group. And for a while he only stood there, leveling that defiant stare on her. Outside of circumstantial necessity, he had little reason to want to trust her or anyone else here. That was, except for that one person who he had come to care for.

Steeling himself with a gradually deepening sense of resolve to do as Sidran had bid him, the Cobalt rider turned to watch Casriel, gauging her reactions from a distance. Given his respect for the woman, her entire response to the situation would determine just how cooperative he became. And for now, it seemed as though his friend was set on being obliging the others. 

Whirling away from the group, leaving them to discuss things on their own, D'kan scaled up the side of his dragon to settle on the Cobalt's neck ridge. He didn't mind flying a sweep of the area to check out possible hunting grounds, but when he got back, he had his own plans. It was probably better that he was alone for a while anyway. In the skies, it was easier to clear his head. So, before anyone could protest, D'kan had Galventh assure Casriel of where he was going, giving his lifemate the okay when he was ready to take off.

Leaving the others to their own devices, the great Cobalt launched himself skyward, giving a roar, his massive hind-claws leaving scars in the firmament behind him.


[ooc: >D  im not typing for the dragon yet bc tnite later or tomorrow imma get on the other computer finally and try to fix his fade text hehe. ]

"I'm sure they'd send us with the toughest jerky and moldiest fruit if they did," Allie muttered with a shake of her head.  It hadn't occurred to her to wish for something so easy-- she was too busy dwelling on the insult dealt to all of them in being kicked out of Eastern.  She doubted those who'd been tasked with preparing their supplies would have thought along the lines her fellow scarlet rider had, though.  "A fire will be nice, even if we don't need it to cook with.  I wish I'd thought to grab a… sack of meat rolls or something before we left, though."  

Gesturing for him to lead on towards the supply crates that had been stacked off to the side, she said, "If nothing else, we can burn the crates when we're done.  Stack 'em up nice and tall so you can see the bonfire all the way from Eastern."

Fiammath cocked her head, eyeing the trees Nimath indicated.  Those will make an even taller fire than the crates, the scarlet agreed.  My rider thinks they should see the fire in Eastern and be impressed.  It wasn't exactly what Alannah had intended for those at their former home to feel upon seeing a large tower of flames, but it was close enough.

"There's a plan," H'den replied, face going still and intense for a moment. "Maybe drop the flaming crates back in their airspace." A joke. Probably. He wondered if their senior bloody gold had inhibited all their dragons from going between back to Eastern. "Tough jerky we can soak, and moldy fruit we can throw back. Right? Let's dig in."

Yes. Nimath considered that and decided it an entirely solid plan. That will show them we won't be hidden, or lost. Let's go pick the tallest ones and we'll have them back before our riders even need them.

Alannah cocked her head faintly as she tried to determine whether the other scarlet rider was indeed joking or not.  She didn't really think he meant it, but then again, he wasn't laughing.

Not that she'd protest if he decided to actually try dropping flaming crates over Eastern…  But being brave enough to help him was another story.

"Yeah, I guess," she finally shrugged noncommittally.  She did follow him towards the crates, though, and chose one at random to try hauling off the stack so she could open it up.

Fiammath rumbled her agreement and eyed the trees for another moment, deciding which she would go for first.  I will take the two there on the right, beside the large rock.  Unspoken was the thought that if Nimath would start from the left, they could meet in the middle.  Divide and conquer, and the task would go more quickly.

Nimath agreed with enthusiastic wordlessness, and forged toward the trees with her usual sinuous grace.

H'den paused to watch the two scarlet dragons go, then decided to let it happen. "Let me know if you need a hand," he said in Allie's direction, though he didn't think she would. Opening the crates was easy enough - not as though Eastern had sent very many at all.