Admin
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brect[M:-2154]
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Post by Admin on Aug 30, 2010 18:15:44 GMT -5
I never said,
This would be easy,
I let her go when,
She said she was leaving.
It was the middle of the afternoon. With summer just around the corner, it was boiling hot. However, a milling group on a lawn of dried, withering grass by the lake had the perfect solution to the day's growing problem with heat. They were about to begin a lesson in swimming, an interest idea given recent dangers. In fact, they were probably the lucky ones. The majority of the Weyr had no place to go to escape the heat, the waters inside the holding's bowl off limits without due cause and dangerous to boot. At long last, after much necessary planning, swimming lessons were finally about to start. A large group had assembled, a nice set for their small Weyr. While others had been concerned with a great deal of matters related and unrelated to the monster in the lake, one individual had long been focusing on this single effort to fight back.
K'ber was working up his nerve to go ahead and speak while Detritath stood off to the side, towering over all others who were present. Weyrlings had been asked to leave their dragonets in the barrack or under the care of someone else. There were still eight or nine assembled dragons, but the King towered over them with his bulk, perfect posture, and large size. Already, the stately, reserved creature had counted heads, making sure that their number was appropriate for the list they had been given. He had only allowed a small allowance for absences. While he did believe firmly in punctuality and timeliness, he also believed in the importance of what his rider was doing. This would be a legacy for safety that would last. Unfortunately, K'ber had no such grand visions of the importance of what he was doing. It was hard enough to speak.
"Alright, so we're going to get started!" His voice, deep and slightly raspy, boomed over the assembled masses. He raised his hand and waved to get everyone's attention. The newly appointed wingleader was trying to be objective. After all, he now had an image to maintain. Sadly, he had never been very good at image maintaining. He was good at being productive and getting things done. He was good at swimming. That was why he was standing there, trying to take charge. "So, first off, I'm K'ber. I'm the swimming instructor. B'wie and L'sd are my assistants. If they tell you to do something, please do it." He did his best to smile, but the gesture really did not reach his face. Instead, he simply shifted his weight between his feet and straightened up a bit. He felt awkward just standing there. Not having a shirt on didn't help.
"Now, everyone needs to find a ride." The young ironrider's awkwardness abated slightly. Introducing himself had not been a comfortable task for him, but explaining what needed to be done wasn't so hard. It was a gift that Detritath, silent but supportive with his presence, had given him. "Sjanseth can take about one person. Tabeyiith can take a couple. Detritath and I can take three or four. There are other riders in the group, if they'd go ahead and raise their hands." He waited for the indicated individuals, a handful of people, ranging from wingriders to wingseconds, to make themselves known. Then he finished his brief explanation of what was happening. "Please find someone to take you! We'll be moving up the river." He was polite about it, but it was an order. He had authority and manners; he was a nice sort of fellow.
Turning around to follow his own instructions, K'ber waved a few people over as he strode up to Detritath. In a practiced motion, the iron knelt down and his young rider leaped up onto his back. He reached over to help his passengers and then settled them snugly into the straps. Briefly, he raised his dark eyes to scan the scene around them. Once he was sure that everyone was accounted for, he turned his attention forward. Sensing that fact, Detritath knelt down. With a powerful surge of muscle and wing, he launched himself in the air and rose like a graceless lump of stone, heading straight up. He crest the rim and turned towards where the river ran down the continued slopes of the Weyr's rocky island. Taking the lead as he had been born to do, he took off, gliding with an undeniable force towards the spot that they had carefully selected.
So whisper softly,
And don't forget,
To tell me how you feel,
In five words or less. |
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Post by mangonumnum on Aug 30, 2010 21:18:05 GMT -5
Today was the day. L'sd had to admit, he was nervous. He splashed his face with cold water, smiling at how refreshing it was. It was really getting hot. He was glad, it allowed him to wear his favorite outfit: shorts. Just shorts. And with this completed, he strode out to meet K'ber and B'wie. The group was ready, he was pretty sure. L'sd was excited, as was Tabeyiith. The blue was stretching his wings in the rays of Rukbat. He looked at the two dragons of the others. The Iron was large and in-charge, so clam and cool and collected. The white was so tiny. Tabeyiith hadn't seen too many whites so it was a new experience.
L'sd watched their students gather. His arms were crossed loosely over his bare chest and he gave a friendly smile to all those that passed by him and gave him eye contact. The butterflies in his stomach began to return and he felt Tabeyiith reach out to him mentally to comfort him. K'ber soon began introducing the two assistants. L'sd gave a small motion with his hand when his name was called so that the students who didn't know who he was could know which one he was.
After K'ber was done talking, L'sd moved over to Tabeyiith, waving over the first couple of people who wanted to ride with Tabeyiith. It wasn't like it was a big deal. It was just a quick trip up the river. The blue was excited though. He got to show everyone what he could do! L'sd climbed up easily enough and then hung over the side, helping the first two people to arrive up. You good to go, Tab? he asked, slapping the blue's side affectionately.
Yes, Mine! I can handle all these people!/ he said, waggling his tail slightly with excitement. With Detritath launching into air, Tabeyiith followed, taking his passengers carefully up the river.
---
"You have to stay here, ok?" Ch'ko called to Paixioth as he threw on a random pair of shorts. He didn't put a shirt on, revealing his scrawny, boyish chest.
I will stay here, Mine. Because this is the rules. But you need to behave the bronze grumbled. This was too dangerous a situation for His to mess around. He couldn't lose His. It would be too unbearable a pain.
"I'll be good." Ch'ko grumbled, "I'll be swimming so it will be lots of fun!" Ch'ko grinned and ran out of the barracks. Ch'ko had swum before, but only a little bit. After the incident at Bitra Weyr, he stayed away from beaches. Too much sand. He was excited to swim and learn something new. And he'd probably splash around a little as well...
Ch'ko stood near the front as he got there early. He stood through the speech, but was bouncing the whole time. Ooooh, which dragon should he pick? He decided the Iron might be lots of fun. Even if it looked like a stiff, boring dragon. Despite that fact, he took off running after K'ber and allowed the rider to help him up on the Iron's back, hopping up and down on the Iron's back.
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Reky
Alphahandler
rekyct[M:-999]
SO PRO
Posts: 1,554
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Post by Reky on Aug 31, 2010 11:00:58 GMT -5
So came the day that Kesviry had been dreading and excited for at the same time. Swimming lessons. She'd been signed up on the list for quite some time, and it had been in the back of her mind, taunting her. She'd never learned to swim. Shells, she hadn't ever been outside long enough to teach herself. It hadn't exactly been on her priorities list. With the disappearances in the lake, though, she had decided it would be for the best. Her morbid curiosity with the subject had her thinking about it all the time. How could it happen? Even if she hadn't been at the scene of the crime since the first incident, word spread fast, and she held true to her original theory. There was something in the lake. Some sort of carnivorous creature.
KesviryMine, stop thinking! Ah! You're missing instructions! If you don't pay attention you'll do something wrong and die, Karath whined. She nudged Hers' back with her fuchsia snout.
I won't die, Kes said firmly, but she turned her attention to K'ber anyways, catching the last little bit of his speech. There were some people with lingering hands in the air, and she didn't quite know why. She mentally shrugged it off and silently moved to clamber up onto blue Tabeyiith behind L'sd. They were moving up the river and needed people to fly. Karath could do it well enough, but most of the weyrlings were staying behind and K'ber had said 'riders,' which Kesviry and Karath were not.
Karath's worried, pessimistic comments came to Kesviry's mind as soon as the girl was airborne, but she deflected them with logic and reason. Karath tossed in an out-of-place remark, too. Oh, KesviryMine, you'll do so well in swimming, you know, if you don't let the water eat you. You're good at everything, because you're Mine! I picked the best one. It made Kes feel terribly warm inside, but she focused on staying on Tabeyiith. They were almost there, anyways.
---
He was early. Too early for comfort. Why had he listened to F'lan and came so early like this? There was nothing to do! All of these people started showing up, but he didn't recognize any of them. Well... he did, because he'd seen them around, but he didn't know their names or what they were like or anything of the sort. There was an awful flip-floppy feeling in his stomach, less like butterflies and more like big, fat caterpillars. He wasn't looking forward to this. It wasn't going to end well - he just knew it. X'ni thought it would be good for him, though. Make him manlier and braver. Would it?
The worst part was that he was sure he used to know how to swim, when he was younger, maybe five. He'd lived on a boat (which was a vague memory by now), after all! But he couldn't remember a darn thing. Water was scary. There were scary things in it, and it totally crashed his boat once upon a time. Emrin and water weren't on good terms. He wished they were, because then this would be easier and there would be less grubs in his tummy, but they weren't, so this was going to suck.
He listened really hard to K'ber. He heard everything he said. The problem was, as soon as everyone started moving, he had no idea what to do. He just sort of... stood there, confused. There were already people on the dragons that K'ber mentioned by name. There were some people who had put there hands up, but... who were they again? Did they already have too many people? How would he know? What if he got left behind? X'ni would kill him! Or he'd have to walk there... That would take a long time. Agh! He... he should probably find a ride...
He could have put more effort into it. Instead, he just spun around rather hopelessly, looking for an opportunity. If only he knew what one actually looked like. [/blockquote] |
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Post by purnip on Aug 31, 2010 23:02:53 GMT -5
It wasn't too early for B'wie, for it was up to debate what early even meant for the man who took power naps instead of sleeping like a normal person. Whether or not he would have been hired for the position he managed to miraculously obtain {despite his 'smidge above average' at best swimming abilities}, he would have been here by the lake as he was. It became his temporary weyr; that thicket there just a few safe paces away from the water's edge. He'd have to hide himself at night, for it was severely frowned upon to be caught prowling around outside the weyr. O course now was when he started taking his longer naps during the dark hours, more so like any normal human being. You can't see much of what's going on in the water in such darkness after all. Not to mention the fact that it was extremely dangerous.
But he was there, perhaps before anyone else managed to arrive. The Whiterider was stretching and getting ready for whatever exercises K'ber planned for the lot of them. He could see some of the early arrivals on the other end of the lake. With a small grin, he paused in his stretching and glanced about for Sjanseth. The White was standing just behind him, yawning big.
"Today's the day, Seth. We've got kiddies to teach," he said ever too enthusiastically. Really, it was just too early for Sjanseth to match that. His reply was etched with the very same weariness he felt.
He hasn't chosen you for that, you know. Another yawn interrupted him before he could continue. I'm curious why he didn't pick someone more fitting.
B'wie managed to fake being hurt by what his dragon was saying, though he understood what Sjanseth was getting at. Even he himself realized he was not the most eligible swimmer of all the applicants. Having spent a lot of time by this lake, he had witnessed probably about four people requesting interviews from the Ironrider. He couldn't have been a better swimmer than all of them, could he? If so, this weyr's in a sorry state.
"Well, it's us he's got. I'm going to have to put some faith in that man. After all, he is in charge."
The two were on their way over as more students arrived. Surrounded by a few young dragons, Sjanseth felt small. Even the smaller of the young ones were starting to rival his height. He rose his neck up as high as he could without looking silly and stood as straight as possible. He could be a proud beast in certain circumstances. Surrounded by this many people, all casting eyes his way not only because of his color this time, he couldn't help but become a little self-conscious. Meanwhile B'wie simply stood on the outskirts of the group with his hands on his hips, seizing the day as if he were the proud father of it. Even though most of his intentions were selfish, he felt good providing this public service. He was tired of watching people die. It never sat well with him, no matter how skilled he was at taking a step back from life's messy parts.
They stayed relatively quiet throughout K'ber's introductions and instructions, B'wie waving a hand in the air in a cool fashion when he was being called. Sjanseth wasn't paying a whole lot of attention himself, but when the Ironrider mentioned that he would only be able to carry one extra person {in comparison to Tabeyith's two and Detritath's three of four} he seemed to sigh. Seems like no matter how big you make yourself look, you're never going to fool anyone. The White lowered his head, stricken with a tad bit of shame before the intro was over and students were on the move. B'wie came to him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Think you can carry a kid?"
I can carry two. He lifted a wing to point it at Emrin, who was looking a little confused. B'wie recognized him as one of the early arrivals, mostly because he looked to be the youngest. Him and one more.
The man frowned at his dragon, knowing full well that the White had trouble enough carrying two adults. "You can carry one. Don't wear yourself out, man!" Another pat to the dragon's shoulder and B'wie spun on his heel to approach the young lad that Sjanseth pointed out. "Hello there! I'm B'wie! You can come with me if you'd like!" He wasn't sure if Emrin could hear amidst the commotion.
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Post by matsi on Sept 7, 2010 20:45:38 GMT -5
Catori was bubbiling with excitement as she wandered towards the lake. Sure, it was early for her, but it was well worth it! She was eager to see other people, and do something different for a change. It was hard for her to leave Koketeth, for the little green did not appreciate being left behind during such a gathering. The Green had given Catori an earfull as she prepared to leave their room.
CatoriMine, what if I get hungry? Or lonley? Koketeth complained and questioned as she watched Catori prepare to leave.
You just ate, you won't get hungry, and you will just have to wait for me! I'm sorry Koketeth! Catori made sure to kiss the tip of Koketeth's nose, earning a purring sound, as she walked out the door.
Even now, as she stood there, listening to the Ironrider speak, she could feel Koketeth's mind. She was still upset, and kept their connection strong. Catori couldn't help but grin at her actions and anger.
She was so focused on her young dragon's thoughts that she almost missed the loading of the people onto dragon backs. She took a deep breath and shoved the thoughts away as she approched the first dragon she saw, the Iron. She grinned like a kid in a sweets shop as she was helped onto the massive beast. She watched as a boy bounced happily, which only made her grin more.
Mine will not replace me, right? Koketeth's thoughts rubbed Catori's mind.
Oh Koketeth, You are my only one! Now don't worry!
~~~~~
Mine, Wake up Mine. You need to go swimming, remember? Ayarth crooned to Azra from his ledge. His quickly growing build was bulky as he lay there like a cold puppy. His eyes glittered light grey as he spoke to his, waiting for her to move.
''I don't want to go, Ayarth! I don't like water,'' Azra complained as she slowly sat up from her bed. She had been awake for some time, just laying there, hoping that Ayarth had forgotten about the swimming lessons.
I want Mine safe. To be safe, you must learn to swim! Go, AzraMine![/i] The black crooned in a demanding, but also reassuring mind-voice. He lifted his head and looked to the sky, his own thoughts moving behind Azra's radar.
Realizing that she would not win the arguement, Azra got up and began to get ready. Her commotion awoke Carlos, the black flitter, who was soon flying around her head, chattering and crooning. Azra laughed as she watched the excited black flitter. He seemed to think that he was going with her! Silly thing!
''Oh, Carlos, you must stay here with Ayarth!'' She said as the black landed on her shoulder and she pet his soft head. He looked almost hurt as she grabbed him and placed him back on the bed.
''Stay,'' She said softly. She then turned and headed out of the room. As she shut the door, her heart strings were tugged as Carlos let out upset cries, but was soon quieted by a hum from Ayarth.
Be careful, Mine,[/i]
I will be, Ayarth,
Azra was surprised on how many people there were! It made her heart race and her eyes widen. She did not like the feeling that she had no where to run to. No matter where she turned, people were there, and they could watch her. Chills ran up and down her spine and she shrank as she lowered her head and only wanted to dissappear.
She listened to the iron rider with her head low. She did not look at him, or anyone for that matter. She was too afraid to move once he gave the command to find a dragon to ride to the swimming place.
AzraMine, you need to move.
She didn't reply to Ayarth as she slowly lifted her eyes and looked around. Who was she supposed to go to?
Azra?[/i] Ayarth's tone grew questioning and worried.
I don't know who to go to,
She earned an annoyed twinge from Ayarth as he growled slightly in her mind. He said nothing more, deciding to let her figure it out on her own.
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Nia
Sr. Weyrwoman
niact[M:-790]
Posts: 991
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Post by Nia on Sept 7, 2010 22:24:55 GMT -5
This was so not a good thing to do. Swimming? He didn't need to swim... and he wasn't scared, or anything like that... he just didn't think it was necessary. He'd never had to swim before....
But miiiinnnne! Swimming is so romantic, don't you think? [/i] Upiditath crooned, shoving her face close to her Rider's, who shrank away out of habit, Besiiiides, Kerath promised to meet us there...![/i] C'elin blushed deeply at the name, feeling uncomfortable. He had planned to learn how to swim with W'al, but... he still really wasn't sure. What about those things in the river? That Ironrider can take care of it~[/i] Upiditath replied to his unsure thoughts, All those males will be around, just waiting to catch... um... the scary lake monster![/i] C'elin gave a sigh and rubbed his arms, still feeilng unsure. But Upiditath-- No buts! W'al will be soooo disappointed if you don't show up![/i] The Green goaded, sneaking in a giggle. With a sigh, the light-haired Greenrider climbed on to his dragon. I just know something bad is going to happen... he muttered, but Upiditath just giggled as she took off towards the river. It was sure to be an interesting day, at least.... It didn't take all that long for them to get to the meeting place, and as soon as Upiditath's feet hit the ground C'elin felt nauseous. He felt self-conscious, and looked around nervously for W'al. "Um... if anyone else needs a-" Helloooooo~~[/i] Upiditath sent out her flirty greeting to all the (male) dragons there, then turned her attention back to Hers. Come on, Mine! Be louder about it! These people need rides~[/i] the way she said it made it sound almost dirty, and C'elin felt himself blush self-consciously. Trying to ignore the fact that he was extremely red, C'elin tried again. "If... if anyone needs a ride, Upiditath has plenty of room," he volunteered, his voice shakey, but a bit louder than before, at least. Upiditath gave a small noise of protest. Don't make it sound like I'm fat![/i][/blockquote][/size] |
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Admin
Administrator
brect[M:-2154]
Posts: 3,754
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Post by Admin on Sept 10, 2010 1:03:38 GMT -5
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things we're not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that.
W'al was lurking. He wasn't really good at it. As soon as he noticed C'elin, he started staring like a teenage boy. He barely noticed when they were dismissed to start hauling passengers up the river. He just tried to catch the greenrider's gaze. Then he waved eagerly, grinning from ear to ear. He had promised to meet his awkward C'elin there and started towards the boy. However, a bemused Kerath got in the way. He had been lurking too. Actually, he had been sunbathing, but he had returned to answer the call to provide rides. You can talk later. Rivers are very romantic. Right now, you must be responsible; the purple informed him, full of mocking nobility. Rolling his eyes, W'al patted his dragon on the shoulder and then turned to scan what he could still see of the crowd. A lot of people had already found their way onto a dragon.
However, there was one girl just standing off to the side, a young weyrling, W'al believed. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he wandered over towards, a big grin on her face. Like a dog, Kerath followed him. "We can give you a ride. We all should hurry so we can follow K'ber;" he said to Azra, tone gentle. As far as he knew, she was probably nicer than most of his graduated weyrling class. No need to go scaring her. Behind him, Kerath knelt, eyes swirling cheerfully. W'al turned just to scramble up. Then he offered a hand to help Azra up. There really was no time to waste and Kerath certainly wasn't waiting. W'al only had enough time to wave again at C'elin before the purple darted into the air in pursuit of Detritath, wheeling artfully through the air on his long wings. Out of kindness, W'al made sure to hold onto to Azra to keep her in place.
At the river site, a location with wide, flat banks, Detritath dropped like a stone and landed first. Forcing himself not to glance back, K'ber helped Catori, one of his passengers, and the others down from his dragon first. Then he slid down himself and checked on the others' progress. Everyone was making good time. If all dragons will just stand back with me when they've deposited their riders, that would be most helpful; Detritath announced, sidling his way off of the embankment. Having landed and deposited his two passengers, Kerath joined him, radiating cheerfulness as he hopped along. This seemed like a good occasion to him. W'al was standing by, hanging vaguely around the weyrling he had assisted but also looking for C'elin. He was very bad at subtly. K'ber waited for the final dragon to land, but he didn't wait any longer than that.
"If everyone would please form a line along the riverbank! Don't enter the water yet;" the young wingleader ordered, sounding quite firm on the second part. His eyes hunted for L'sd and B'wie; he nodded to the pair of them. He needed them to keep an eye on everyone. Once his orders were issued and people seemed to be obeying, he peeled off and lunged into the water, diving into the swirling depths. He gave it a good thirty seconds, fully submerged into the water. Drama wasn't his forte, but he could remember teaching techniques used on him by far stricter teachers. Finally, he surfaced. "That is a bad way to get in the water unless you know exactly what's in it. Right now, we obviously don't." There was a definite double meaning to that line. "Now, I want you to step into the water until you are up to your waist. No further."
We're marchin' on,
We're marchin' on,
For all of the plans we made,
There isn't a flag I'd wave. |
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Post by matsi on Sept 11, 2010 11:52:39 GMT -5
Azra jumped as a voice spoke to her and her eyes widened as she looked at the purple rider, frightened. She looked at the purple, tense, then back at its rider. She watched, un-moving as W'al crawled onto the purple beasts back and then held a hand to her. She was hesitant, and slightly shaking.
Oh, AzraMine, just go,
Ayarth's voice was slightly annoyed as he spoke to her. His annoyance was enough to get her moving. She accepted W'al's helping hand nervously, and climbed onto the back of the purple. She looked at the purple hide benieth her. It was quite a pretty color, she had to admit, he was pretty colored.
You like your black, though, right? Ayarth's voice was slightly uneasy as he noticed Azra admiring the purple.
Of course I do, Ayarth. You are the only one for me,[/b] She replied to the Black. Ayarth, now reassured, silenced again.
Azra stiffened again as the dragon took flight and W'al held onto her. She wanted to shy away from him, but had no where to shy away to. She could feel her heart racing, and her face turning red as her muscles shook slightly.
~~~~~~
Once the iron landed, Catori slid off of him with the help of K'ber. She couldn't help but grin happily, not only because she got to ride on an Iron, but for K'ber's help.
Oh Mine! He is an Iron Rider too! Koketeth's soft voice giggled through Catori's mind.
We are too young still, Koketeth. Remember what we were told? Catori smiled more as she stretched, her eyes out of focus as she conversed with the young Green.
Yes, Yes, I know, A heavy sigh followed Koketeth's response as she silenced to pout. Catori had to hold in a laugh as she tried to focus in on what the Iron Rider was saying. It took her a moment to realize what he had said, and only then did she begin to move to the river bank. She stood there, looking into the water with a small smile. Her smile slightly faded after a moment, but it didn't have time to turn into a frown, for K'ber had given his next set of instructions. She began to slide into the water with a slowly growing grin.
IT'S COLD! Catori giggled to Koketeth, who was still pouting. The little green didn't reply, and Catori continued to wade into the water. She stopped at her knees at first, trying to get used to the water tempature. Goosebumps formed on her arms as a shiver ran up her spine. She proceeded to move forward. She stood on her tiptoes as the water began to reach up her innerthighs, making her grin slightly more and shiver. The water was almost uncomfortable on her innerthigh as it got higher up. She finally, after much chills and shivers, got to the place where water was on her waist. She seemed very proud of herself as she stood there, looking into the water.
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Sept 18, 2010 21:54:26 GMT -5
It was a lazy afternoon. One that was, according to T'lar of purple Feeroneth, perfect for napping, perfect for wasting away under the furs. Putting it that way made it seem a little less than entertaining, but... He was a growing man, and he did need his sleep. So, with Feeroneth delegated to waking him up when the time rolled around for swimming lessons, T'lar had gone to sleep.
And that was, of course, why they were going to be late. With Feeroneth in charge of when they were getting there, of course they were going to be 'fashionably late.' And it wasn't like T'lar had specifically told the purple that they couldn't be fashionably late. So, as the time passed and the time for swimming lessons rolled around, Feeroneth kept a not so careful track of the time, eyes whirling lazily as His slept, the dreams of the one that he had chosen pulling at him, threatening to drag him under.
Careful control kept the purple from sleeping with His, however. While being fashionably late was perfectly fine and more than acceptable from a being such as himself, being well and truly late was not going to work. Less than a quarter of a candlemark. That was the margin of error. But it had to be significant enough that everyone would notice his arrival. Feeroneth crooned lazily at the thought, tail twitching against the earth.
Time passed, time that Feeroneth kept a very careful track of until his mind at last reached for His. All right, T'larMine. It is time to get up. [/i] The purple crooned, eyes whirling at a rapid pace as His groaned unhappily. Obviously, His didn't want to get up. But that wasn't going to work. Come oooon![/i] His voice painfully obnoxious to the young man, T'lar glowered at Fee, who merely hummed lazily. Slowly, reluctantly, T'lar slid from bed, blinking blearily. "All right, all right." he stared balefully at the purple who'd dragged him from his sleep before stalking over to the wardrobe, grabbing clothes that were met with a rumble of approval by the purple who shared his life but would do the job for the whole swimming thing. The thought made T'lar shudder. He hated water, but Feeroneth had persuaded him that it would be a good idea. How? He wasn't entirely sure. Once into the clothes, however, T'lar ambled over to Feeroneth's side, scrambling onto the purple's back and allowing the small sub-king to launch himself into the air. When they arrived at the lake, betweening to hover and then land, everyone else was packing up and migrating towards the river, where the actual swimming lessons would be held. They had succeeded, then, in being fashionably late. The swimming lessons had already begun to head towards the river, and Feeroneth followed the massive Iron towards where they were headed. The whole being fashionably late thing had its drawbacks; he and His weren't exactly sure what was going on. Feeroneth, could you direct Mine and I to where we should be right now?[/i] the voice of the black that brushed against Feeroneth's mind was both mannerly and familiar; Veejarth. Amara, T'lar's younger sister's, black. We're heading towards the river![/i] Feeroneth answered Vee quickly, settling daintily on the ground as he answered the black, passing a quick image of where they were right then along to the black. Thank you, Feeroneth![/i] The answer was quick and as mannerly as ever, and soon enough, Veejarth appeared in the air near the river, Amara perched on his back. They had very nearly missed the swimming lesson that had Amara's heart pounding in her chest right then. She was scared of swimming, particularly scared of the creature that lurked in the water. It had taken quite a bit for Veejarth to convince her that she wanted to be there, and once that Vee had pulled it off, he'd contacted Feeroneth and they'd ended up here, definitely late but at least there. Sliding quietly from Veejarth's back, chewing on the inside of her lip as she slunk forward, standing off to the side but close enough that she could hear K'ber's words. The Ironrider was their instructor for the day. It was important that she was polite to him. It will be all right, AmaraMine.[/i] Veejarth's voice was kind as he stared up at the sky, eyes whirling slowly. He was interested in what His was doing, but the clouds reminded him of something... They were distracting for the dreamy black, but he was mannerly, always keeping tabs on His. T'lar made his way down to the river as well, listening carefully to K'ber's words. If everyone would please form a line along the riverbank! Don't enter the water yet; there was a pause, and then the man dove into the water, resurfacing quickly before he went on. That is a bad way to get in the water unless you know exactly what's in it. Right now, we obviously don't. Now, I want you to step into the water until you are up to your waist. No further. And finally he was done talking, allowing them to follow his instructions. Carefully, T'lar slid into the water, an expression of disgust on his face as the water touched his skin. A shiver rippled through his body as he glowered darkly at the water, sliding forward. The current tugged at him, reminding him very clearly of why he absolutely hated the water. Slinking forward, he stopped when the water was several inches shy of his waist. Not at all interested in going any further, T'lar crossed his arms and glowered out across the water. Why had he let Fee persuade him to do this? Sharding dragon! Meanwhile, Amara very cautiously slid into the water, imagination on overdrive. What if the lake monster had migrated into the water? What if it attacked while they were walking out in the water? What if the current dragged someone under and drowned them? What if, what if, what if? Scaring herself quite easily as she slid forward, the current pressing against her legs like Cobble, Amara trembled like a leaf in the breeze. What if the lake monster really had moved into the river and was waiting to attack? ...After that thought, it was all she could do not to whirl around and sprint out of the water. Finally, though, she'd reached the point where the water reached up to her waist. You'll make sure that nothing happens to me, right Vee?Of course, AmaraMine.[/i] the black's voice reached her quickly as he assured her. He wouldn't let her get hurt. She was His, so of course he would protect her. If the lake monster showed up, he and His would prove to the whole of Pern what small people could do. And with that, Veejarth was distracted, mind wandering along the path of what might happen if the lake monster dared migrate up into the river...[/size][/blockquote] |
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Reky
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Post by Reky on Sept 20, 2010 12:12:24 GMT -5
Kesviry filtered out everything that wasn't orders or Karath's voice. When Tabeyiith landed, she silently dismounted (and stumbled), and waited for further instruction. She neatly fell into line, stood straight with the same posture she always had, and almost immediately found her nails digging into her palms. She was nervous. She had been before, but now, with the water so close to her, the feeling was magnified. Sure, she had bathed Karath many a time in the lake. She wasn't hydrophobic. But the prospect of actually learning to swim was the frightening one. She was scared of failure. What if she drowned? Or got eaten? She stopped herself. Karath's mindset was getting into hers.
KesviryMine, how is it going? I can still see you! Hello, KesviryMine!
Kesviry saw the tiny pink dot that was Karath wave its wings in greeting. Then, she pried her eyes away and back to where K'ber had disappeared under the water. Her heart caught when he didn't surface right away. A quick glance backward confirmed that Detritath wasn't worrying, so she didn't need to, either. K'ber popped back up and explained their next step. Kesviry took a deep breath and waded, cautiously, into the water.
Oh, KesviryMine, are you in the water now? Be careful! You'll get eaten. The water will eat you and crush you and all that. Eeeek! KesviryMine, start swimming or you'll die! Swim! Swim!
Shut up, Karath! Kes snapped. She was already nervous enough!
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Emrin just barely realized that B'wie was calling to him. It took a moment or two of wide-eye blinking, but eventually the little blonde weyrbrat gave an intelligible answer.
"O-oh, um, yes please? Thank you! Ummm," and he shuffled over to Sjanseth and awkwardly got up onto the white. The next flight, dismount and lining-up was spent in silence as he battled the grubs in his tummy. The water was so... so... big! And he was tiny! And he didn't have any muscles at all. Didn't you need muscles to swim? Rats could swim and Rats had muscles. Emrin knew that very well from all the times the stupid dog jumped on him or smacked him with his tail. Why hadn't he learned to swim from Rats before? Now he had to do it in a big group where everyone could see him doing really poorly! This was awful. Why had he let F'lan talk him into signing up? Why?
He felt really short in this stupid line, too. Wasn't he supposed to be getting a growth spurt soon? Why hadn't he got it already? It would have made him feel better about this. Instead, it just got worse and worse. As the group waded into the lake, Emrin was the first to stop since he got to waist-level fastest. Standing farther back from K'ber than most, he had a terribly saddened face on. He felt terrible! And the water was cold! He wanted to back out right now - this was too hard. But then he'd look like a wimp and X'ni would make fun of him again... He swallowed hard.
"Am... am I doin' it right?" he squeaked, needing the confirmation right now. What he got as an immediate reaction, though, wasn't what he was looking for. A bulky orange firelizard had landed on his head, tugged at his hair, and then proceeded to hug his cranium. She cooed lovingly.
Emrin knew she wasn't here just because she loved him. Well, she did, but she also loved everyone else and loved X'ni the most. She must have been here on business... That stupid X'ni probably sent her! He was probably watching from his weyr and wanted to know which one was him! Emrin shook his head violently, but Honey still hugged. "Honey, go away!" he snapped, but Honey still hugged. Entirely embarrassed, he reached up and grabbed her and pulled her off (which pulled out bits of his hair, too) and threw her before she could latch onto his arm instead. She squeaked and betweened out of fright. Hopefully she'd stay away now.
Face beet red, Emrin put all of his nervous attention on K'ber. [/blockquote] |
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Post by purnip on Sept 20, 2010 14:52:35 GMT -5
Normally B'wie was comfortable with the silent types, but he really felt like talking someone's head off this morning. So even though the young Emrin wasn't likely to understand much of what he said, mainly due to how fast he was talking against the wind, the Whiterider chattered about how excited he was to see the weyr making progress and taking steps towards preventing further accidents, etc, etc.
From the moment they had taken off after K'ber and Detritath, Sjanseth was just as quiet as their little passenger, disgruntled that he had been fooled into taking such a light weight on his back. He could have taken two! Why did everyone underestimate his capability? Sure, it would have been tough, but he had dealt with tough before. He had to climb mountains with his rider! He had to fly for hours on end, no breaks in between! Another child would have been easy for him to take, but the Iron's massive bulk and even the young Blue that towered over him won favor in the eyes of their guests. Who'd think to ride the back of a tiny White anyhow? So needless to say, he was both hurt and upset. It wasn't likely that he'd come out of this foul mood until later when it would suddenly peel away and reveal a tired enthusiasm that had spent the last several hours trying to make an appearance. Such was the disorder that was Sjanseth. And B'wie loved every bit of it.
They landed and Sjanseth deposited Emrin with such care that you'd think he loved the boy as he loved his rider {sometimes}. If someone was going to be the least bit willing to ride him, he might as well treat that someone with love and care. That'd make the others jealous. 'Oh! We should have ridden on that beast! He's so adept and clean!' Clean indeed. The most spotless White in all of Dalibor.
Sliding off his dragon's back, aware of Sjanseth's sour mood despite his usual ambivalence, B'wie leaned against the White's shoulder for a moment to slip in a word of encouragement before he would accompany the class. Or at least that was what he planned to do. His grin was slowly fading as he listened to K'ber give the kids an order to enter the water waist-deep. Though they weren't at the site where the murders have been taking place, it was unsettling to see people in the water again. "Perhaps we should have taken them to the beach, where the water isn't the same. Whatever killed those riders might be a denizen of the lake...this water's properties are not far off from what it's used to," he muttered. He was apprehensive about speaking this opinion. K'ber had blown him off in the past and it was quite embarrassing. Whenever something of that nature occurred, B'wie was discouraged to come forth with his theories.
Detritath is calling us aside. If you worry for the children, keep close to them, but do not enter the water. Sjanseth was already upset, so when he was clear about his rider not entering the water, he said so in such a final manner that anyone in their right mind would obey. Still, he had a feeling no matter how serious he was in his demand, B'wie would throw caution to the wind the moment something started to happen. His rider was on his feet again and he removed his coat. Sjanseth would be taking it so that it couldn't get damaged. The dragon dipped his head slightly and made his way to the Iron. He purposefully placed himself on the edge of the gathering however, so he would be as close as he could be to the students. Knowing that B'wie would be stupid enough to dive in after a victim, Sjanseth preferred to be the one to reach it first. Whatever was killing the humans couldn't be much larger than himself.
Joining L'sd on the shore, B'wie kept a keen eye on the water around the students rather than the students themselves. He felt this could be the best opportunity to catch more than a glimpse or a clue of what their monster could be. He wondered if he was expected to wade in as well and he glanced to Sjanseth, who growled and shook his head.
If I must, I must. Don't worry about me. I know exactly what to do! Sort of. He already had the one clever idea of using his spectacles as a weapon. Go for the eyes, he thought, because a creature ought to give up if it can't seen. Unless it was a shipfish. Apparently they relied on sound. Ears then. Hopefully he could find ears on whatever this was. B'wie took a few steps into the water, but he didn't let the water rise any higher than his mid-thighs. He believed it was better to have an advantageous spot on higher ground in case anything happened to the others. Perhaps I should have brought a bit of rope... Oh hindsight...
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Admin
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brect[M:-2154]
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Post by Admin on Sept 20, 2010 20:36:59 GMT -5
You've gotta swim,
Swim for your life,
Swim for the music,
That saves you.
"Alright, now, take two more steps. We're just going to start with treading water." Kicking a little harder, K'ber raised his torso farther out of the water, demonstrating what he meant by sweeping his arms gently back and forth. "If you touch bottom, you lose. Your arms keep you steady and you kick your legs together. Like a pair of sewing scissors." The timeless words fell easily into his grasp. He had been taught the same things, turns ago, back when he'd been an apprentice. Technically, he still was one, though he guessed he would walk the tables if he ever went back and tried his hand at the tasks of a journeyman. Glancing up at L'sd and B'wie on the shore, he made sure that they were paying attention. Then he surveyed the students for a bit, offering quiet corrections in only the worst cases. They had a lot to cover.
K'ber opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could get out a word, he was rudely interrupted. Something surged passed his elbow, tickling at his feet. Another form stirred in the water. The first lunged out at C'elin, mouth wide. The huge fish was stopped short, its brother pushing rudely past. It wiggled its way out of the shallows and W'al, a strangled cry in his throat, hurried to try and throw himself in front of the boy. One, two, three, maybe four? The fish swirled in a frenzy, K'ber in their midst, treading water, hands curling into suicidal fists. After their strike, however, they disappeared into the water, their sleek bodies only noticeable when they crested the waves, eying the humans with their beady eyes, hunger in their gaze. It turns out that the upper river hadn't been safe, but their enemies had finally made themselves known.
In truth, the giant fish was actually a little small, no larger than the greater species that could be found in the sea. They shouldn't have been capable of consuming a fully grown human. However, if they were of those ocean varieties, they wouldn't have been interested and their was definitely blood lust in their eyes as the snapped at their chosen targets. They had thin, blunted teeth, designed for grabbing and quickly consuming. Thin, tendril-like spines spread out from their body, not quite get completely formed, cutting the water around them. One day, the three or four giant fish would be able to easily gobble up a human with ease, the speed they would one day possess already noticeable in their movements. They were simply juveniles, a few weeks, or months, who knew, from reaching adulthood. Two or three of them were black. The last was greenish.
Detritath and Kerath were surging forward, intent on the lurking forms of the fish. They were circling, trying to catch at least one of the scrambling humans. They were not experienced hunters, but this prey was so clumsy in the water! They did not need their abandoning mother! However, their confidence would not be broken by the dragons, for it turns out that these little creatures, previously content to lurk where they belonged in the untouched portions of the western waters, had their own enemies. Many things had been bred where the humans of the landing had not ventured. One of the fish reared up, its black, scaly skin glistening in the light of Rukbat, its mouth wide as it gulped in surprise and pain. An insectoid creature had firmly attached itself to the offending beast's head, its segmented body glistening like brass.
The other fish were suffering the same fate. It turned out that there were four. They beached themselves next to perfectly good pieces of prey, thirty or forty of the insects scuttling over them. In truth, the giant bugs weren't actually insects. Their segmented bodies varied, the plating thicker on a smaller, bluish set that seemed particularly intent on the greenish fish and nearly solid on a pinkish variety that were mostly settling for nipping at wiggling tails. Their legs were encased in shells and came in quite the multitude, but they were not truly insects. They were an organism fittingly special for Pern. Soon enough, the fish were reduced to bleeding chunks of flesh. The insects seemed quite happy to continue to feed on their nasty foes, but Kerath picked up one of the fish and insects scattered. Detritath grabbed another dying fish.
The insects that had been forced from their food curled into balls as they fall, bouncing harmlessly against the ground before they uncurled. They looked like giant pills when they did that, big chunky potatoes, or fruits, in the case of the brighter colors in their number. The pinks and blues had more trouble with the process, but their friends seemed content to wait for them. The group of thirty or so individuals came together, chattering at each other in a quiet, humming language. Then, slowly, they turned as one to regard the humans who stood around them, their glassy, faceted eyes a shimmery, grayish black. At the front was a single, mottled, amber creature, the largest in their number, larger than a fully grown flitter. K'ber stared at the amber bug, mouth agape. He had forgotten his orders. Kerath and Detritath savored their fishy meal.
You gotta swim,
And swim when it hurts,
The whole world is watching,
You haven't come this far. |
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Post by purnip on Sept 20, 2010 21:30:01 GMT -5
If one of the creatures didn't brush past K'ber, B'wie might have been the first to notice their presence. Instead the Ironrider's sudden movement, followed by the sounds of shuffling just before all that yelling started, had claimed the Whiterider's attention.
He was being attacked by the unseen enemy, just as feared. One of the creatures, which revealed itself to look an awful lot like a ghastly fish, reared up to attack a young man. W'al rose to the boy's defense, and B'wie stopped his staring at the carnivorous beasts and tried to help all the students get out of the water as quick as possible. It was the least he could do, having the higher ground as he had carefully thought to keep. Sjanseth joined in his rider's task, launching himself into the water to try and make a barrier of himself to keep the fish away from the people. He too tried to snap at the slippery things as the other two larger dragons, but he had no luck snagging one. They were quick in their element, whereas Sjanseth was clearly at a disadvantage. They weren't large fish, but he wondered if four adults would be capable of overwhelming him. He kept trying however, knowing that he was not going to be able to catch one this way but hoping he could all the while through some fluke. His rider would prize these new creatures and study them meticulously. It could be really useful in determining a way to exterminate the lot of them.
But it seemed as if nature had plans for these watery demons. The fish were no longer trying to escape the dragons or find ways around them. Something was interfering with their raid. A hiss, or a gulp, or some gurgling sound, and Sjanseth spotted the one black fish with a strange creature plastered to its face. The White retreated a few steps, watching as the fish that were once fearlessly attacking the humans began to beach themselves. They were crawling in those strange insectoid creatures, different in their colors just as firelizards and dragons were from one another. But the dragon felt no kinship to these peculiar creatures. He was grateful, to an extent, that they had interfered. If they hadn't, someone could have gotten hurt. Not to mention that they had dragged their murderers out of the water and presented them before the victims like a peace offering. Well, it was something like that. A suicide attempt that turned out to be a blessing.
B'wie was breathless, too busy saving lives to notice the new species of insect-like creatures. The students weren't far enough into the water to take too long to get out. One had to remember, many of the people taking this class couldn't swim, so they must have been more than willing to get out as soon as there was a sign of trouble. He was relieved to see no dragons rising to the sky to go between, and he could only hope that none of the dragonless had slipped away as well. On the shore, hands on his knees as he caught his breath, he looked to where everyone seemed to start gathering. The fish that had been attacking the group were upon the shore...or what was left of them. Upon them and about them were some fascinating creatures he had yet to see in his lifetime. He forgot his weariness altogether and jogged over to stand beside K'ber, pausing the moment he saw the insectoid creatures regroup into a small army before them. He eyed them, noting their peculiar shapes and their various colors. He could see in them an intelligence, but how much they might have possessed was unknown. Sjanseth shook the water off him once he was out of the river, making his way to the fish and snatching a half eaten one up. He was tempted to eat it, but seeing that the other dragons were intent on doing the same, he decided it would be better to save it for Dalibor. To study the enemy. He glanced to the strange scuttling creatures and hoped they wouldn't mind. He didn't want to be next on their menu. A grand lot of them like that could put a dent in him. He might be able to fly, but if they could catch the slippery fast fish, it wouldn't be much of an effort for them to overwhelm him. Fish in his mouth, he watched the new creatures cautiously, making no movement aside from breathing.
"What...what...?" B'wie was about to ask a few of the obvious questions, but the main one was answered for him as Sjanseth relayed that memory of the brass insect-monster on the fish's face. It was then the Whiterider realized that they must have been a natural predator of this new species of fish. He gazed upon them in wonderment, like a child being exposed to a starlit sky for the first time. Two new creatures in one day. One the foe he had been tracking down for months and the other a friend perhaps. The way they chattered and stood before the group, likely making the same determinations, B'wie could only start to believe that they must have been just as surprised to see a bunch of humans as they were of seeing a bunch of...whatever they were.
He glanced to K'ber only to see that shocked expression. Yes, B'wie felt a bit of the same thing, but all on the inside. He could move. He could speak. He wanted to know what it was that saved them, and if they may do it again someday. How common were they and where did they come from? Could they survive at the lake in the weyr?
The Whiterider took a small step forward, giving a small bow of his head to the amber mottled creature that stood at the front of the group. He couldn't help but smile the whole time. It was an exciting day indeed. "Thank you. You are quite the fascinating species." B'wie paused, unsure of what to say next. How well could they receive what he was saying? "Can you understand me? We mean absolutely no harm." He stood still, maintaining his most friendly posture. Sjanseth watched the foreign creatures with a spring ready to his step. If they dared to lunge for his rider, he would be upon them.
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Reky
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Post by Reky on Sept 20, 2010 21:37:43 GMT -5
Kesviry was quick to follow K'ber's orders despite her nervousness. There was only one proper way to go about this, and that was to do what her teachers said and jump right into it. She took a few steps forward, standing on the tips of her toes, and then on nothing. Her heart thudded in her chest. Then, she let it all go. She slipped into her own world, letting the water flow around her, letting all the other noises disappear. She kicked her legs like she was told and made wide motions with her arms. She couldn't feel the bottom of the lake, so she figured she was doing it properly.
How is it going, KesviryMine? Karath asked sweetly.
Good... I suppose, Kes replied. There were a few more moments of silence from the other end, and then,
K... KesviryMine! KesviryMine, what's going on? Why is everyone moving? Is something going wrong?! KesviryMine! Don't die! Pleasepleaseplease! Ohhh, I love you too much!
Kesviry's eyes had focused back on reality right away and, as Karath unleashed her verbal distress in Kes' mind, the girl clambered awkwardly out of the water. It was all a blur - all she saw was other people leaving and followed suit. It was only when she was back up on the shore, dirt sticking to her wet feet, that she had time to look at the cause of the commotion.
At first, she felt sick. It was frightening. There was no other word for it. Second, she began to feel a sense of smugness, however weak it was. She had known it from the start. There had been some sort of creature in the water. There had never been a better way to explain it. Third, she felt overwhelming, morbid curiosity. Why were these fishes only showing themselves now? How had they gotten to the lake in the first place? Why were there no record of them ever before? They were disgusting - ugly, covered in tentacles, full of teeth. The sick feeling came back, as well as an appreciation for her life. She'd just narrowly avoided them. Doe eyes wide, she looked over to Karath, far by the lake. The pink was prancing around nervously, apparently too stunned to speak.
It was with a stunned, blank expression that Kesviry watched the following events. Her wide eyes lingered on the horde of crustaceans, glossed over.
---
Emrin didn't want to go further into the water. What if he drowned because he couldn't touch the bottom? That wouldn't be good at all. He was at a loss as to what to do. If he didn't go further in, he couldn't do the exercise. Would K'bar kick him out of the class? Wait, his name wasn't even K'bar, was it? It was something else. It would be super embarrassing to get kicked out by what's-his-name for not doing the right thing. So, Emrin came up with a solution. He'd jump and practice where he was, so he could still touch if he needed to!
He couldn't keep up the actions for very long before his feet touched again, what with the entirety of his upper body still above the water. Once, he was kicking so violently that his foot connected with a rock hidden in the sand and he cried out with surprise pain. It would take a long time before he got used to this whole swimming business, but... he wasn't going to give up! That was silly, and it would make him look like a wuss. Well, he was a wuss, but he was trying not to be. Sort of. He wasn't trying very hard.
All hopes of being able to swim in deeper water were quickly stomped on. Stunned, the boy looked at K'ber and W'al and C'elin and-- FISH. Big, huge, scary fish! Oh shells! He screamed (he couldn't help it!) and acted upon his very first instinct: run! Luckily, his feet were still on the ground and he wasn't far from the shore. Running through water was hard, but it was only a few steps to safety. The allure of how scary the scene was had him turning around once he was a fair distance from the water to watch, horrified. W-wait... the fish were being attacked! By bugs in shells! He felt his stomach clench and turn like he was going to be ill.
The fish were killed and beached. Emrin, white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf, watched every terrifying moment. The dragons ate up the fish, and the bug... things... all fell down and curled up. Then, they stood in a big group, and... well. Emrin could barely comprehend it. He wanted to get out of here! But he also didn't. This was really scary, but it was also really cool. Wasn't he trying to be manlier and braver, too? He was! Swallowing his queasiness, he took a few steps forward and crouched down, looking at the big shelly bugs. The rider of the white he'd rode to the upper river even spoke to the bugs. Emrin looked up at B'wie, then back at the bugs.
"Um, yeah," he murmured, "What he said." [/blockquote] |
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Oct 1, 2010 20:16:09 GMT -5
Tread water. The instructions from K'ber were carefully created for people unused to swimming and that definitely helped Amara. Like sewing scissors. Okay, she could do that. Taking a deep breath, Amara did her best to control her rapidly beating heart. The current tugged at her legs like a cat, seeming intent on pulling her under and dragging her some place where she would be food for whatever lurked in the lake. But she could do this.
She took two small, timid steps forward, eyes wide before starting to move her arms back and forth in the water, staring blankly at K'ber and following the motions of his arms and legs in her own body. Sweep the arms back and forth, kick the legs 'like sewing scissors', Amara followed timidly. She wasn't a strong swimmer, and probably never would be. But after today, she'd hopefully be able to at least pull off not drowning. Maybe. But first she'd tread water. There was a hint of a competitive streak to her stubborn refusal to keep her from touching the ground. She was drifting a bit with the current.
T'lar had meanwhile taken two much larger steps. He wasn't going to look scared. He wasn't going to be less than any of these people. Wrinkling his nose in disgust at the thought, T'lar followed K'ber's instructions silently. He swept his arms from side to side like a windshield wiper, slow and steady, while he kicked his legs like a pair of swimming scissors. Eventually, this would be better. He didn't like the water, though. It seemed ready to drag him under and sweep him away from the world until he drowned.
Amara, the dreamy one, the easily scared one, let out a piercing shriek when the first fish appeared, lunging at C'elin. She didn't even know the greenrider, but her wild imagination immediately leaped to the thought that were all going to die! Whatever these things were, they'd eat all of them! And she'd never see Jasra of P'rth or any of her friends again. Frozen in fear, Amara whimpered to herself, flailing her arms not too effectively in the water. In the panicked moment, the paltry bits of knowledge that she'd gained from K'ber so far deserted her and the only thing that she was doing was panicking in the water. She didn't even think to run, to flee.
And T'lar wasn't taking it much better. He yelped in fear when the first fish appeared, lunging at C'elin, pulling up when another fish lunged past it. Oh, for the love of Faranth... They were all going to die! Twisting around in the water, T'lar moved towards the shore, seeming to move unbearably slowly as the fish swept through the water together, seeming to multiply. There had been one, then two, and now was there three? Or four? He couldn't tell and all he wanted to do was get out of the water.
Dragging himself onto the shore as the first of the bugs latched onto the fish, T'lar ran for Feeroneth. Almost cowering against the purple's legs, he watched what happened next. There was only a vague hint of concern about his little sister as he stared at the fish as they beached themselves. "Suicide?" he questioned of his purple, looking for the purple's input in the situation. I don't know. It's not very fashionable, though. They're just bloody hunks of meat now... Ew. [/i] If a dragon could have wrinkled his nose, Feeroneth would have. Instead, he just stepped back, purely disgusted by it all. Ew! The fish were beaching themselves, Amara noticed. She had been a bit slow on the uptake, and the moment that the fish were gone, she lunged for the shore, eyes wide as ever as she flat out sprinted towards Veejarth's side. The black, who had definitely looked on edge and ready to lunge for the water should His be threatened, relaxed as His raced for his side. I told you that you would not get hurt, AmaraMine.[/i] His voice had never been more comforting to the girl as she cowered against his leg, distinctly terrified by what had happened. What was happening? The fish had stopped attacking. They were beached on the edge of the water. But something had stopped them. And what if that something wanted to kill them too, like the fish had? Were they doomed to just be prey for the rest of their lives at the Weyr? Terror washed through her mind just as the first few bug things gathered in front of K'ber. She'd hardly noticed them before. Veejarth stared at the bug things, eyes whirling curiously. He hadn't forgotten about His, but these were interesting. Look, AmaraMine.[/i] Veejarth crooned, staring at the creatures. Look at how interesting those things are![/i] What exactly were they? His wild imagination had no trouble supplying that; they were the creatures that hunted these fish, highly specialized predators that lived in the seas and hunted the biggest creatures in the sea whenever they got hungry. Whether or not the information was accurate didn't matter. It satisfied the black for a bit of time as he shifted closer to His. Curiosity drew Amara's gaze from the ground, where it had locked when the first vestiges of fear had touched her mind. Now, curiosity was killing the cat. She stared at the things, eyes widening. What were they? They didn't look like anything she'd ever seen before. In fact, they looked . . . new. New and special and amazing. This was actually pretty interesting! If very nervewracking. If these little insect things could kill the . . . things (she was reluctant to apply a familiar name to the fish), they'd be able to handle people easily. She didn't want to die! T'lar stared at the strange creatures as well. They were . . . interesting. They looked a bit like insects, but not at all like anything he'd ever seen before. They weren't as scary as the fish and as T'lar gathered his composure once more, he stared at the creatures. Hmm... Interesting. Interesting... T'lar tilted his head to the side, eyes curious as he eyed the things. They seemed organized, intelligent. Sort of like firelizards, but very different. It was hard to describe it, but they looked smart. Feeroneth stared at the creatures for a bit as well. They were ugly little things. They certainly didn't compare to him, to his gorgeous lavender hide. I don't like them, T'larMine.[/i] Feeroneth spoke decidedly, People will think them to be more awesome than me.[/i] His eyes whirled with darker colors and the purple pulled back a bit from the creatures. He definitely didn't like these new things. Not one bit. But T'lar was interested in them, Veejarth thought they were pretty interesting and Amara was scared of them.[/size][/blockquote] |
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Post by matsi on Oct 3, 2010 18:57:35 GMT -5
Azra wasn't even in the water yet when K'ber gave his instructions. She frowned with heavy fear, tears threatening her eyes as she krept towards the water. She went in to her ankles, then stopped, looking at the others with scared eyes. She could do this. She had to. Taking a deep breath, she stepped further into the water, until the cool, clear liquid was up to her waist. She had to look around again, trying to convence herself that all was alright. Not much was really helping her situation, but she finally managed to follower K'ber's orders, or lessons. She tried to steady her breathing as she started to kick her legs and wave her arms. A soft whimper echoed from her as her body sank slightly so that her chin dipped into the water. She stretched her neck out and kicked harder, looking more like a flailing fish than anything as she tried to push her head out of the water again. She kept whimpering as she treaded the water.
Catori was having better luck than Azra. The young, newly impressed green rider followed K'ber's instructions with excitement. She bounded forward into the water until she almost couldn't touch then began to kick her legs steadily. Her arms began to push at the water, frantically at first, then more relaxed as she began to get the hang of treading. Her eyes glittered happily as a small giggle escaped her. She sank briefly as she got too sure of herself, but she soon regained control of treading.
A flash of color glinted in the corner of Catori's eyes as she treaded. A startled shreik made Catori loose focus and go under the water for a second then climb towards the bank with a frantically beating heart. She looked around with fear and caught sight of fish eyeing people with hunger and blood lust. She took a few nervous steps back as she watched the fish. Were those the things taking the people further down the river?
The startled shriek only made Azra scream in fear and leap out of the water. Frightened tears leaked from her eyes as she saw a fish leap towards a green rider, who it was, she didn't take note of it. She was startled beyond belief and only wanted Ayarth with her now. She was going to be drowned by these fish! She just knew it!
AzraMine! Stay calm. They will protect you Mine. If they don't-[/b] The black growled slightly as he tried to calm himself, and comfort his. Azra sniffled with fear and slowly backed onto the bank as the fish began to beach themselves. Her back touched something warm, and her hand grabbed onto it tightly. She didn't realize that it was the young Purple rider, T'lar, but she didn't care who it was. All she knew and cared about was they they were not fish or what ever was now attacking the fish.
Catori's startle soon shifted into intrest as the fish beached themselves. She stopped her retreat and looked at the creatures as something else made an apperance. Bugs? Were they insects? She wasn't really sure, but she sure wanted to know! She shifted herself to get a better look at the creatures with wide eyes.
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Admin
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Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2010 23:19:33 GMT -5
On your mark,
Get set, let’s go,
You got to move on,
Before she explodes.
In response to his words, one of the brassy, metallic bugs, only slightly smaller than their amber leader, let out an ungodly hiss at B'wie. Ignoring the whiterider, the amber shuffled back into the midst of her people. The others gave her space. In the blink of an eye, suddenly, there were eggs. Half curled, the mottled female displayed a pouch on her stomach, one that none of the others seemed to have. Twenty-seven eggs sat in a messy mound. There were others, stuck awkwardly against the amber mother, but they did not appear healthy or ready to lay. Once the clutching was done, the amber shuffled back. With a faint popping noise, one of the eggs immediately burst open, revealing a miniature of one of the pink bugs. That was why the eggs had been laid. They were ready to hatch. The pillie bugs didn't wish to stand on land for long.
Unlike the adults, the pink baby pillie with her glassy, undivided back seemed to have no issue with B'wie. In fact, she flopped right up to him, having absolutely no grace on land. She crawled onto his leg and attached herself firmly there, secreting some sort of sticky substance from her abdomen. Mwhrrrr! She produced a happy purring nose, radiating pleasure at her choice. For a moment, W'al stood firmly where he was, body intertwined awkwardly around C'elin. Then he giggle. "I think she loves you, B'wie;" he chuckled. As if in revenge, another hatchling bug wiggled his way out of the mass of eggs and adults and came to fix himself all the way up on the purplerider's chest. The blue looked extremely pleased with himself, as a bug can be. Mrrrrr! His voice was deeper and more sedate than the pink's tone, conveying a laziness.
K'ber was still staring in shock. However, the little babies were multiplying and some of them had happily entered the water, swimming easily. He suddenly found himself with two of the pillie creatures attached to his arms. Whr! The first was one of the brass types. He charged forward with reckless abandon until he was firmly affixed to the appendage of his choice. They he proceeded to stare about in a paranoid manner, shooting beady glowers over at his sibling who had dared to join him on his person of choice. Mrp! The dainty pink wiggled her plated rump with glee, even though the rest of her body was cemented to the young rider's flesh. He stared down at the tiny, flexible creatures. Then he smiled. Detritath didn't comment, but black Piteous popped up to examine his new siblings. He wasn't sure that he approved of them.
The adult pillies had backed down. Even the amber, their mother, did not seem too interested in the youths as they wiggled off to choose these odd humans. An ability that for thousands of years been left dormant, in firelizards and in them, had been awakened in those little creatures. Frantically pulling herself up onto the grass, a third pink clung to Emrin with all her might. Ma; was her quiet, little squeal of affection. The baby bugs didn't exactly know what they were doing, but it came naturally to them, their bodies readily sealing the bond with the secretion they would have used to cling to their uncles and parents as they were carried to the safety of watery nests. They were not intelligent in the sense of flitters and dragons and whers, but they carried pieces of the lower empathy granted to portions of the Pernese ecosystem.
A green, perfectly camouflaged with her shell mottled in a variety of shades, made her way methodically passed a variety of her siblings, many of which had fallen on their backs. She picked her way right up to C'elin, weaving around W'al, who was tickling at his dozing blue. She didn't stop at his foot or legs. Instead, she climbed all the way up to his shoulder. Prrrr! It was then that K'ber was rocked by one single image, the combined effort of his little pair. Water. They wanted to be all the way in the water. It felt better. Carefully, he submerged them, glancing at Detritath, who was unable to assist from lack of knowledge. "Uh, I think they like it in the water;" he called quietly. More pillie bugs were hatching and scrambling about, but already many of the adults had returned to the waters. Only the amber and a few others remained.
Everybody out of the water,
Up on dry land,
Take what you can,
Cause’ you won’t be here again. |
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Post by matsi on Oct 4, 2010 14:28:59 GMT -5
Azra was almost disgusted. They were bugs. She shivered as she stayed planted where she was, grasping the person behind her with tight hands. Why were they sticking themselves to the riders? It wasn't natural! Her brown eyes watched the adults for a while, but soon they were focused on the young that now were scattering around.
I really hope they don't come near me, She said silently to the one strong thing that she loved. Ayarth hummed slightly, a small dragonic chuckle of his.
AzraMine, They are not harming anyone. You will be alright! But, in bad news, Carlos escaped me, Mine
Azra was slightly distracted by Ayarth's 'bad news', but soon shook her head and focused back on the little insect creatures. She didn't care what her Black said. She didn't want it to come near her.
Catori watched the little creatures with glittering eyes. They were so CUTE! She didn't care what they were, they were just the cutest little wiggiling things!
Cuter than me, Mine? Koketeth's voice rang sleepily into Catori's mind. She jumped slightly, caught off gaurd by the small voice, but only smiled more.
Of course not, Koket. Now Shush! I'm paying attention! A soft, excited giggle escaped Catori as she watched a little pinkish bug attach itself to B'wie. The little creature seemed to be so love sick! What would possess it to do that? Curiosity was bubbiling again as she watched the young creatures move about.
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Post by purnip on Oct 4, 2010 15:45:25 GMT -5
B'wie flinched when he was hissed at, half-expecting to be attacked for his forward approach. Yes, in retrospect he was just a little too friendly with the unfamiliar critters, but in his heightened sense of curiosity fear was replaced with stupid bravery. The mottled pillie disregarded him however, backing into her private army before exposing a tiny clutch of eggs. They were deposited there, as if discarded like the Whiterider's greeting had been, and the amber was clearly bearing more that weren't ready to be added to the collection just yet. Perhaps she had understood him, or perhaps not completely, but she did not mobilize her army or send them scuttling away. She made a sort of offering to the group instead.
But the Whiterider didn't dare to approach. He really hadn't had much of a chance. The eggs were hatching, no further incubation required. Sjanseth's glance kept darting from the pill-bugs to his rider, his own curiosity slowly getting the better of him. No, he recognized this scenario. About three different breeds of Pernese inhabitants underwent this practice. Those pillie eggs were going to hatch and the creatures would attempt to find humans to bond to. The White wasn't sure how to respond to that. He wouldn't be jealous of these...things. He didn't harbor any offense towards them. They just haven't managed to earn his trust yet. Having recently watched them strip the flesh off of those fish in a matter of seconds, he was reasonably intimidated by their strength in numbers. In the water they were warriors of the deep, just as dragons were the warriors of the sky and whers were warriors of the land. They had their strengths and their differences that set them apart. Sjanseth was willing to be tolerant of them however, or at least until one of them decided to hurt his or any of his rider's students.
A tiny pink pillie was the first to hatch, and it wriggled and flopped its way towards the Whiterider before quickly scampering up to his knee. B'wie startled and fought the urge to laugh, for he was very ticklish and the pink creature's little legs had that sort of effect. He didn't think himself to be in any danger all the while, though he had to admit that he was rather confused so far. Whereas the mottled mother was completely indifferent to him, the pillie baby that clung to his leg seemed to adore him. She made a strange Mwhrrrr! noise that rumbled like a feline's purr, just before she seemed to secrete this sticky substance onto his leg. The Whiterider was fixed on her, laughing rather nervously. He felt like a odd duck being called 'daddy' by a stray babe. It was a predicament he couldn't have predicted five minutes ago if you'd have given him all month to come up with it. Did he just Impress? Or was he being mistaken for family? How unlikely is that--he looks absolutely nothing like the pink pillie's cousins.
W'al's comment made the Whiterider smirk up at him almost proudly, but there was no doubt that he was still in the process of trying to figure this thing out. He glanced back at the pink pillie and wondered if it was safe to give her back a gentle stroke. He had no idea how sensitive her baby shell was at infancy and he didn't want to cause her any permanent damage. She might be one of the very warriors they needed to solve their great lake predicament. The next individual he regarded, most naturally, was Sjanseth. The White was staring at the pillies that hatched on their backs, struggling to get onto their feet with their many legs treading air. While he was disturbed by this behavior, he was just as intrigued. Part of him wanted to stomp them, yet another part wanted to aid them to their feet {or feel the tickle of those legs on his nose}. In this awkward phase it was easy for him to pull his attention away long enough to feel his rider looking at him. His dragonic discomfort was easily apparent. Sjanseth never hesitated to make faces. These creatures are awfully peculiar. What? What is that? One of them has claimed you!
Yeah, I know, B'wie thought, still smiling through his confusion in case others needed the support. Or the pillie. She didn't deserve to be treated like a pest. "I...I'm not sure what to do with it." He said this aloud, then glancing to those who had also started inheriting these odd aquatic insects. Maybe they knew. It looked like W'al ended up getting one not long after his smart comment, as K'ber ended up with two. Multiples...just like firelizards. He wondered what else they might have shared with flitters. They were different in color and some even differently segmented. His little pillie, if it was his, was not divided like some of the other colors tended to be.
K'ber had an answer to everything didn't he, claiming that they might just need to be submerged in the water. B'wie watched as the Ironrider obliged to the requests of his duo, hesitating before he forced himself to move on over and do the same. In the meantime, he witnessed the departure of many of the adult pillies and was able to give a small sigh of relief at the knowledge that they were still about. He didn't want to enter the water again only to be attacked by those fish. Sjanseth was extremely uncomfortable watching his rider get back in the water. He left the side of his dragon cousins to make sure that he could still keep close to B'wie. The White followed his into the water, though the bespeckled man did not enter any more than waist-deep. It was just enough to submerge the pink pillie that latched on to him. He hoped she wasn't about to practice any leech-like behavior. He had been attacked by leech-creatures once before, on one of his less successful expeditions. He was nearly pale with blood loss before Sjanseth could pluck him out of the river. It was a less than pleasant experience.
Since there wasn't much to do in the water, being afraid to move too much with the pillie attached to his leg, B'wie returned his attention to the hatching on shore, curious as to those pillies that stayed behind with the large amber-mottled one. They must have been close family, or her personal protectors. She was probably at her most vulnerable state, just as a lizard, wher, or dragon in similar positions. He then wondered if this group was the very first, if in a long time, that has ever managed to befriend them. It could have ended very differently. His greeting could have ended with the lot of those pillies taking him down to fill up the tummies of their hatchlings. How dumb he would have felt if he were to die that way. He was sorry and he wasn't, just because it worked out for him despite the lack of foresight he had given at the time.
I didn't sense any hostility among them, or I would have stopped you before you started to thank them, Sjanseth replied starkly. But I would appreciate it if you gave your actions more thought. If they were hostile, they could have devoured you in seconds. I wouldn't have been able to save you.
Yes, yes. It wasn't a brilliant idea. I wonder what's next though? Are they ours or...are they just using us to get to the water safetly? He couldn't pick up any empathetic traces from the pink pillie on his leg. Either her lone signals weren't strong enough or the images were too abstract for B'wie's mind to organize properly with so many thoughts tying up his mental circuits. The idea of dissecting one of the creatures suddenly felt like it was out of the question. The pink pillie seemed to trust him quite a bit. It wouldn't have been kind to take her apart in the name of science. Plus, she would be very useful down at the lake. Now that the murderers were identified, B'wie had no more interest in them. They were no longer mysterious and unknown. Sure, he could use one or two to examine closely.
I took one of the carcasses aside and asked the others not to eat what was left of it. It may still be marred beyond recognition by now, the White droned, a tad nauseous from the memory of fish-stench and picked guts.
That'll do splendidly. I'm sure we can use the remains to determine what the fish might look like with tissue so we can send out the proper warnings to other weyrs. We may not be the only ones who will have to contend with these creatures. They do look rather familiar however.
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Reky
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Post by Reky on Oct 5, 2010 17:56:07 GMT -5
Emrin was glad the bug had replied to the whiterider man, and not to him. That hiss was scary. He couldn't guarantee exactly what he'd have done if the hiss was directed at him, but it would have included something along the lines on unbecoming yelps, or a flushing of his cheeks, or maybe peeing his pants. Luckily, he got to avoid all that. He already looked like a big wimp as it was! What with all the running out of the water, and all the shivering... Shells, he was still shivering! His lower half was wet (which, he supposed, would have hidden any wet marks if he had peed himself) and cold, plus... he was scared. He was trying to be brave and talk to the bugs and be up close, but that just made him even more nervous.
Then, his eyes shot open to the size of dinnerplates and he felt his stomach squirm. Where had those eggs just come from? Did that bug just lay them? Right in front of his eyes? He swallowed hard. That was disgusting! Horrified, he couldn't do anything but stare as tons of tiny bugs hatched and crawled out and latched onto people. His imagination was running wild. They were sucking out their blood! Their brains! Everything inside them! They were giving them cooties and diseases! Oh, shells! He had to get out of here--
And then one was attached to him with an affectionate, Ma.
Emrin swallowed, blinked, swallowed again. Ma? Had it called him 'ma,' like... mama? Mother? He wasn't its mother! That was impossible. Its mother was the big ambery one in the middle. With his dinnerplate eyes, he stared at the tiny creature. What was he supposed to call it? Bug? Ugly? He needed to tell it to go away, but... it was cute. It deserved a name that was cute and pink, didn't it?
He took a deep breath.
"Look, uh... Mitzi..." he said, slowly, thinking. 'Mitzi' sounded girly and pink, right? "Um. Can you leave? Please? Let go?"
The little bug didn't seem to want to move, though. Ma, she squeaked.
Where Emrin was trying to deal with his wild fright in a grown-up way, Kesviry was translating hers into calculated thoughts. Interesting. It seemed that the crustaceans, or insects, or whatever they were classified as, were claiming humans as their own. Multiples went to K'ber, even. Were they Impressing like firelizards, then? In her mind, Karath asked endless questions about Kesviry's safety and the goings-on of the "swimming lesson," but Kes simply cast a soothing glance in the prancing pink's way and said, It's alright, Karath. Calm down.
The fact that the little blonde was talking to the bug on his arm really sparked her quiet interest. She licked her lips. She wanted to ask him how he felt, to know if they really were Impressing, or if they were talking telepathically and she was only hearing half of a conversation, but she was shy. She wanted to, and she didn't at the same time. There weren't going to be any answers from staying silent, though, so quietly she crouched beside him.
"Is... is it talking to you?" she said, oddly quiet, stumbling on her words. Emrin turned his head to stare at her, instead of the bug.
"Mitzi?" he said, practically yelling compared to the shy weyrling. "Oh, no way! She's just sticking to me an' won't get off! She keeps saying 'ma' like she loves me, though, but she isn't talking."
Well. They weren't talking. Kesviry looked back at the many little scuttling creatures, some moving back into the water, and decided not to ask the boy any more questions. He seemed more preoccupied with trying to shake the pink pillie off his arm, anyways. [/blockquote] |
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Oct 8, 2010 9:40:08 GMT -5
Maybe, if T'lar hadn't been distracted by the . . . bug things, he would have noticed the girl lunging up to him and latching onto him. Instead, it came as a nasty surprise. "Get. Off. Me." he snarled, pulling back from the blackrider's grip. He would take revenge for this later. Did she think she could get away with making him look stupid?
Anger danced through his mind as he stubbornly wriggled backwards, doing his best to get away from the blackrider. Weyrling or not, she had no right to latch onto him like he was some sort of protector or something. Really. He didn't like this one sharding bit. "Get off!" he growled again, glaring at the girl who was blocking nearly his entire view of the lake. He wanted to see what was going on too!
A soft giggle reached his ears, and T'lar twisted to glare at his sister, who was watching them and looking highly amused. "Oh, hush it." He snapped at the girl, who promptly fell silent, looking crestfallen at the way that her brother had snapped at her. Like he cared. Snorting, T'lar went back to work on getting out of Azra's clutches.
T'larMine, look. [/i] The feminine voice of his gossipy purple brushed across his mind. The bug thing is . . . laying eggs? This'll be the talk of the weyr, and you know what? Hah! We were there![/i] Feeroneth fell silent immediately after this, eyes whirling. Suddenly, he liked these little pillies. They would give him something to gossip about for ages. And then the first egg hatched. Mine, the eggs are hatching! And they seem to be Impressing![/i] Oh! This was so interesting! Even if he didn't like them because they would take attention away from his gorgeous hide, they were interesting! He'd be able to talk and talk about these things for ages! Feeroneth's tail twitched in delight as the pillies began to Impress. Hah! They were sticking themselves to Theirs! It was good that one hadn't chosen His; His would look simply terrible with all of that goo or whatever it was on his clothes. The fact that his clothes couldn't get much worse looking had yet to occur to Feeroneth. Luckily, T'lar would be spared that for a while at least. Ugh! Why couldn't he just see what was going on? Doubling his efforts to get away from the younger weyrling as Feeroneth relayed what was happening, T'lar railed mentally. He'd never get to see the pillies Impressing! Why? Because this stupid girl was so easily scared that she was clinging to him! He'd get revenge for this later... He really would. Amara, after T'lar had snapped at her, had retreated closer to Veejarth's hide to watch it all. Her eyes followed what was happening with an avid curiosity; the pillies were laying . . . eggs? Well, only the one was. She seemed to have a pouch for eggs, unlike any of the others. Well, Amara assumed it was a she. She looked like a she, laying eggs like that. Did males lay eggs? She didn't think so, but... Maybe these things were just weird? Anyhow, the eggs were popping open to reveal baby pillies. "They're kinda cute..." she commented mentally to Veejarth, eying them curiously. After the first one hurried up to B'wie and stuck itself (herself?) to his leg, whatever the pillies were doing by sticking themselves to people's legs was in full swing; two of them attached themselves to K'ber, one to a purplerider and one to the bronzerider from Kalith's last clutch. Hmm... What were they doing? Veejarth watched as well, tilting his head to the side like a curious cat (Cobble was rubbing off on him, it seemed). Perhaps they are claiming people as their own. Impressing, even. Or maybe they are . . . . doing something.[/i] he finished lamely, eying the pillies with a guarded interest. Whatever they were, the weyr owed them a lot of lives. No one would ever know how many people the fish would have killed if these pillies hadn't saved them. So yeah. They probably owed these little things a lot.[/size][/blockquote] |
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Admin
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Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2010 18:48:02 GMT -5
No hope in the air,
No hope in the water.
Not even for me,
Your last serving daughter.
The amber bug's eggs continued to hatch and the tiny, immature creatures scrambled about the sands. However, other events were also transpiring. The pillies who had left, going back to the water, had returned, bringing a gift for their young. Apparently, the upper river was half for different reasons than K'ber had thought. The pillies seemed intelligent, in their own way, and more than capable of taking on anything as large as a wher. A fishy shape loomed in the water and up popped one floundering murderer, several brasses attached to its gills and a good dozen pillie bugs herding it onto the shore where their queen's children lay. K'ber's pair wiggled excitedly. However, they were still attached his skin and unable to move freely. Oddly though, his ability to comprehend their slippery, odd, formless thoughts was getting noticeably better.
While K'ber tried to puzzle out the multitude of oddities and keep his pair submerged, more hatchling pillies were finding humans satisfactory for their needs. B'wie being the closest, he quickly made several more new friends. Two, actually, as the second wasn't agreeable to any newcomers. The first was a mottled brown fellow, not more than bit bigger than the pink the whiterider already had. He was quiet but twined energetically up the man's leg. The second, a pale silvery gray individual, was more the size of K'ber's brass, thought very lean. She stuck herself to B'wie's hip and hissed possessively. Ksss! The brown settled halfway up his chest and cemented himself there with a chortling noise of amusement. Chachacha! As B'wie's pink reflect the joviality, their mirrored, but still so inhuman, emotions were made clearer.
W'al got an additional one in no time flat, but the next individual scrambled over to C'elin. It seemed that the pillies enjoyed bonding in twos and threes; they liked humans, at least as babies, but they enjoyed their own company as well. After all, they did appear to be designed to hunt in numbers. W'al's new companion was a dignified black with a matted shine who made only the barest of greetings. Kr. He ignored the blue already attached to the purplerider, causing the blue to ignore him in turn. W'al ignored them both, busy checking on C'elin, who now had two of the insectoid creatures as well. His first green had been joined by a little amber, no bigger than the brass babies yet but she raged inwardly and outwardly, exuding her dominance to her new owner. Mi! W'al smiled helpfully. Ambers were like golds, weren't they?
A second brass wiggled his way out of his many brothers and sisters. His color was darker than that of K'ber's brass companion, but it made the pale circular mark on his forehead more noticeable. It looked rather like a crown, but the edges were rough and uneven. Upon close examination of K'ber's metallic friend or one of the kingly wilds, the same mark could be found, but the newly hatched brass was the only one with a crown so plainly marked upon his head. He moved slowly, but he appeared to know who he wanted. There wasn't any real reasoning to it, but he wasn't stupid and he could select a human off of whatever arbitrary reason he had. He affixed himself to Kesviry's leg. The only noise he made was a resigned sigh. Siii. A wiggly little brown had come to claim the pinkrider's second leg. Kichakichakukucrabri!
Two more blacks were making their way across the ground, moving at a steady pace. They were quiet creatures, but they acted with the dignity that befitted their moderate size. Maybe they weren't as large as the dragons, but they had never been born to know that dragons existed. Flitters were stored somewhere in their limited communal memory, but they were greater than such fluttery creatures in the water. What better place was there to hunt than rivers and oceans? One of the blacks, only distinguishable because he was slightly more shiny than the other, selected Catori, making his way up to her shoulder to cling there. Br. The second made it all the way to Azra. Sensing her discomfort, he settled for making himself comfortable on her left knee. He wanted to be the gentleman as much as a bug could, greeting her quietly. Crbi.
A blue and a green, the classic pair in dragons, now expressed in bug form, traveled together across the ground, the blue helping the quiet, mottled green along when she stumbled. They were not well designed for walking, the blue with extra scaling on his back and the green with puny legs, so they filled their new bonded's mind with relief when they finally reach her, cementing themselves to Amara's ankles. The green quickly introduced herself, if her chattering, barely audible from her maw, nothing too different from a very beakish muzzle, was a greeting. Kikikiiii. The blue, a very somber character, chattered only in response to her. Mrr. The bugs were starting to thin again. The newest beached fish, which didn't look so threatening anymore, was bare of pillies and only the amber and a few babies remained. The others had left.
Why fear death, be scared of living?
Our hearts are small and ever thinning.
There is no hope of ever of winning.
So why fear death, be scared of living? |
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Post by purnip on Oct 9, 2010 21:58:51 GMT -5
Apparently he wasn't far enough from the action to be forgotten, because shortly after he had starting watching the pillies on shore again from the water this time, two must have scuttled after him. He could feel a tickling again on his opposite leg, carefully lifting it off the ground so he could see what it was. Unlike the pink pillie on his left leg, the one on his right was brown. The Whiterider gave a nervous laugh before carefully putting his leg down, but soon enough the brown was on the move upward as yet another pillie was scrambling up the same leg. He could hear the silvery one make a hissing sound, even partially submerged as she was, and the brown that finally took higher ground on his chest make a strange sound not unlike chortling.
Sjanseth was just about to pluck his rider out of the water until he realized that more pillies were the cause of B'wie's distress. Suddenly he found himself liking these creatures less and less. One was fine, maybe even two, but three? How many of these insects were going to cling to his rider? He wasn't getting jealous or anything...well...maybe a little. He simply didn't think giving is rider that much responsibility was a great idea. Though it seemed like these creatures were very adept at caring for themselves, the dragon couldn't help but worry about them and his rider. That's quite enough, I think. As much as I hate to say it, you should step back into the water more. He wanted his rider to be charged with no more responsibility.
"That's alright. I don't think the silver one will let anyone else stick to me," the Whiterider said anxiously, taking slow robotic steps backwards to place more distance between himself and the clutch. Just in case.
The silver one, largest of the three, started to shiver, followed by the pink one. The brown did not join his sisters right away, but instead purred with a declaratory Chhha. It was a friendly, short sound, but a peculiar feeling swept the Whiterider. He was starting to understand it as he watched the adult pillies return with a full fish carcass. The three were probably hungry now, as any hatchling would be. But was it safe for him to just walk over there while the carcass was so close to the remaining eggs? He didn't want to evoke the wrath of the swarm. He did remember Sjanseth telling him of a carcass he had put aside for later. B'wie didn't want to have to use it, but he preferred to exercise more caution now that most of the excitement was over. "Seth, would you be a dear and fetch the carcass you saved for me? I believe this lot needs to be fed..."
Must I? I saved it for you. I can't catch one myself, the White complained, moving not an inch from where he stood. And I shant leave you in the water alone. Wait until they finish hatching and then approach the offering their families have made. Keep your fish.
B'wie sighed, feeling a collective disappointment dance over him as three pairs of beady eyes stared soulfully up at him. Even the silver-gray one managed to put a needy face on. They probably thought it a shame that big uncle Seth wasn't going to bring them something to eat. That, or they sensed that B'wie was hesitating to go anywhere himself. He didn't know how important it was to keep the pillies underwater at this stage in their lives and he didn't want to offend the amber one laying the last of her eggs. The three pillies started to make noise again. The pink started it with a constant Mwhrrrr...mwhrrr...mwhrrr... and the silvery gray one pitched in with a more demanding Kirrr! Kirrr!. The brown started chortling again before he chimed in with a few Kirkirkirkir's of his own. The little choir was not only trying to appeal to their human totem, but to the big white creature staring ever so intently at them.
"I don't know, Seth. It looks like they're counting on you. If you're quick about it, I should be fine. With all these peculiar creatures about, I bet the fish won't set a fin in these waters until the commotion settles." B'wie smiled up at the White, trying his best to appeal to the dragon's better nature. Meanwhile the pillies tried calling out a little louder to help their cause.
The dragon grumbled, shifted on his feet a bit in indecision, and finally made a noise very similar to a 'harumph' before jerking away and stomping towards the bush where he put the fish. As if the pillies knew they had persuaded their 'uncle' successfully, they calmed down and the pink one started to make tiny bubbles. The brown one cheerfully kept his place as the silver gray one watched her sister warily.
It was then that the Whiterider had a chance to notice more of the details. These pillies were very likely to Impress {if that was what this ceremony was supposed to be like} in numbers. Some people had three like he did, but no one seemed to just have one anymore. They were all of various colors and sizes, sometimes in different shapes too. His brown and pink one were about the same size, but his silver one was larger than them and leaner than the brass ones. But it didn't seem like they had a simple ranking system among them. It looked as if each color were designed for specific tasks, all equally important. He had been watching how the pillies brought in the food for the youngsters and how they were organized. They were very intelligent too, though perhaps not as bright as firelizards. They were more vocal however. Tons more. They just didn't say anything comprehensible, and so far they couldn't even project a proper image without teamwork. But B'wie did sense their desperation for food. He was quite excited to have been a part of this event, though he had no idea what he would do afterwards. There was no guidebook to raising these pillies. He didn't even know how long he'd have to linger in the water. It seemed as if these creatures were aquatic anyways. Even the adults didn't stay on land for long. How was this going to affect him for the next few weeks? His smile was disappearing as he finally thought about it. Since Sjanseth grew up, he's never had to care for little ones before. Anyways, Seth was practically a grown dragon in a dragonet's body back then. As he waited for his dragon to retrieve the fish he had set aside, B'wie watched what he believed would soon be the end of this hatching. Then he was sure someone would start to help him investigate the next few steps of raising these bug-like beings.
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Post by matsi on Oct 10, 2010 20:59:25 GMT -5
Catori watched in amazement. She didn't understand what they were, or what they could do to these people they were binding themselves to, but she was sure that knowlage would come in time. They were all, well, most of them, were very unique and interesting to watch, and the sounds! Oh! How the sounds reminded her of the purring of a cat.
When she saw the black bug things walking, she smiled. They moved almost awkwardly. She wondered whom would be chosen by these little ones. When one of them began to crawl up her leg, then torso, up to her shoulder, Catori let out a startled squeak as she watched it.
Br.
She looked at the black with wildly surprised eyes. She then let out a loud excited squeal.
''OHH! LOOK AT YOU! ARN'T YOU JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE THING!?'' She crooned loudly as she danced around with her eyes locked on the creature on her shoulder. She danced wildly, her arms and legs flailing around like a deranged primate.
OH! YOU ARE SO DARK AND BEAUTIFUL! But-'' She paused, stopping mid dance to look at the pillie on her shoulder.
''Is your gender like that of a dragon? Are you a Male? OH I HOPE SO! I WILL NAME YOU ONYX! AND YOU WILL BE MY ONYX!'' She was wild as she admired the pillie.
Azra too was watching the insect like creatures as the two blacks moved. She was scared, creeped out by their movements. What were they? If they could destroy those fish, then why couldn't they destroy them? These dark questions piled into her thoughts as she watched it get closer.
Ayarth... She said silently with fear as tears began to threaten breaking in her eyes.
AzraMine, Have they harmed anyone yet?
No,
Then why fear?
Ayarth had a point. They wern't attacking anything or anyone yet, but they could, couldn't they? As the Pillie began to climb up her leg, she was too frightened to move. As it latched onto her, she sniffled in her fright.
Chbr It crooned. A soft sound. She blinked and looked down at the creature. It was happy. Maybe Ayarth was right...
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Oct 10, 2010 21:44:50 GMT -5
The other pillies were diving into the water, Amara noted. The adults vanished for a short while, returning with . . . another fish? With a muffled noise of fear, she pressed herself against Veejarth's hide, unaware of the Impressions that went on as the murderous creature beached itself, pillies attached to its gills. Ugh. She shuddered and stared at the huge fish. This was what had killed so many people. All of these fish. It was kind of disturbing, really. How had they gotten there? How many more were there? Would the pillies get rid of them all or were they just trying to make the weyrfolk feel safe? Would they all be fishfood later on when the fish that the pillies had neglected to catch (if they had neglected to catch any) attacked once more?
Amara shivered at the thought and being unable to press herself closer to Veejarth, merely trembled. "Vee... How many more fish do you think are out there?" She trusted him to tell her that there were none left, that the pillies had caught them all and that that was the end of this reign of terror. These fish weren't a nameless terror anymore, but they could still strike fear into a timid dreamer's heart.
In answer, the black stared at the hunk of meat that had once been a fish. None, I would imagine. [/i] he answered smoothly, The pillies would have made short work of them. I think that we are done with these fish for now.[/i] That was the assurance that Veejarth offered her, curling his tail as he spoke. He wasn't sure that the fish were all gone, but it was likely that they were. He nodded once at the thought and let his thoughts trail off to watch the pillies. They were rather interesting. Two more go to B'wie.[/i] Veejarth reported to His, taking advantage of his longer neck to get a better view of what was going on. Another goes to W'al and two go to Kesviry, a weyrling.[/i] Rumbling with pleasure that he remembered who the girl was, Veejarth paused in his reports. Was it really important that they knew who each of the pillies had gone to? Probably not. As long as he knew that many of the people from the swimming lessons had gotten one, they were good. The Impression of the two black pillies was therefore unnoticed as Veejarth twitched his tail against the earth, rumbling comfortingly. His was more than a bit nervous as she glanced from the dead fish to the pillies that had killed them and back again. They hadn't really noticed the approach of the blue and the green pillies as they traveled together, one helping the other. It was only when they drew closer to Amara that the change in tone to Veejarth's rumble alerted her to them and when her gaze settled on them (having first flitted towards the lake), she gave a soft gasp. They were moving closer towards her. She would have backed up farther, but that would have meant leaving Veejarth's comforting bulk. Instead, she hoped that these new things weren't going to touch her. They were scary new things. She wasn't sure that she liked them. And they really shouldn't be coming near her. No. Not at all. That made them look even scarier. The blue and the green reached her far too quickly. Eying them cautiously as they reached up to her and cemented themselves to her ankles. Relief washed through her mind, a comforting feeling. It made it hard to be scared when they were so relieved to see her. Kikikiiii. The green chirped in introduction. Mrr. They came in quick succession, the green much more chatty than the blue. "Kiki." She stared at the green, christening it with a slow smile. "And . . . Blue." She liked that name. Kiki and Blue. Blue and Kiki. Whatever she wanted. Shall we put them in the water like K'ber said to?[/i] Veejarth spoke, eying the creatures cautiously. He wasn't sure that he liked them. They weren't threats, but... Why hadn't they gotten involved sooner with all of the fish things? He tilted his head curiously at the thought as Amara slowly moved forward with the awkward new weights on her ankles. Once she reached the water, she stepped cautiously into the water, allowing Kiki and Blue to get wet. Just like K'ber said, right? Ki! Came Kiki's pleased voice. Blue didn't say a thing. Blue wasn't very chatty, was he? Meanwhile, Azra wasn't reacting to T'lar. This rapidly infuriated the Purplerider, who glowered darkly at the younger girl who had latched onto him. She was sharding annoying! T'lar's eyes were narrowed in pure disgust as he again pulled back. Feeroneth flicked his tail in annoyance. T'larMine, you look very foolish. Just look comfortable, all right?[/i] And with that pearl of wisdom, Feeroneth fell silent, wriggling so that he could eye the pillies, committing every detail of their hatchings to his memory. He would remember this, for sure. This would be the talk of the weyr and he had been there! Sure, His hadn't Impressed to a pillie yet, but he would! And then Feeroneth would have two things to gossip about! Hah! Let those who hadn't come feel stupid! Feeroneth swished his tail in delight, peering at the blue and the green pillies who had trundled towards His' clutchsibling. Two pillies Impress to Amara.[/i] Feeroneth informed His. Amara? T'lar, who had paused in his struggles against the tight grip of Azra, twisted his head to peer at his sister. Indeed, she had migrated to the water and now stood with her ankles submerged in the water, looking like a total fool. He was sure that she didn't care, though. That was one of the many weird things about her. The girl whose death grip hadn't loosened a bit sniffled softly. T'lar jolted in her grip and eyed the girl. Quickly, his gaze settled on the shiny black pillie that had attached itself to her. Wait. How had that worked? How had she, this unworthy creature who clung to him like this, Impressed to one of those pillie things before him? Hmph. That wasn't going to do. He was T'lar, a Purplerider. He deserved more than some lowly, timid weyrling. Hmph. Snorting in disgust, T'lar stopped struggling in her grip. This really wasn't going to work. If he was going to be able to survive after this, he needed to Impress to a pillie. Was he the only one so far that hadn't Impressed to a pillie? I think you are.[/i] Feeroneth answered with a twitch of his tail. No, His was right, this wasn't going to work. It wasn't all about appearances, but how would they look when they were the only ones who had not Impressed to one of those pillies? There wouldn't be half as much to gossip about. Feeroneth tilted his head at this, rumbling his distaste to himself. He didn't want to be the laughingstock of the weyr, as he would surely be if he was the only dragon whose person had not been chosen by a pillie. That wouldn't be good! As internally dramatic as ever, Feeroneth lowered his head in a display of a lack of concern to cleanse his claws, which were quite dirty. No, that would do as little as His not being chosen by one of those pillie things.[/size][/blockquote] |
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