***
Thaia and Abalone had never been this close together since childhood. They pressed up close to the rider of the big brown they rode upon, suddenly happy to have each other's company. But worry thrilled through Thaia's chest - not the kind that would normally be found in a non-rider's heart though.
No. She was worried that her current construction job on the west side of Chagga's port would either go unfinished or be done shabbily. Go figure. The girl's mind was in the clouds for half the time she worked, and now that her body was found there, she had her mind on the ground again.
"We're ready to head through the Nexus, so hold on tightly. Don't worry about falling off or breathing. It's fine." The rider stated, and Thaia nodded, behind her Abalone gave a little tug indicating that she too heard him. "It's a longer trip than typically teleporting, though. Just close your eyes if you want. Have you memorized your return point?" He asked - and suddenly both young women were confused. The rider laughed, "just testing you. You'll need to learn, when you bond. You'll come back here, I hope!"
"Not if we'd have to put up with that kind of joke again!" Thaia muttered, and Abalone giggled.
Momentarily, after both the browns had gotten off the isle and into the air, the riders signalled their dragons to fly through the Nexus, toward their destination.
***
The first time that Thaia had ridden a dragon, was years and years before she was aware of how special that event was considered. Her father being a blue rider, she was always keenly intent on how the dragon's wings spread, which muscles moved in what order... This from a four year old. She was always good at engineering and balance.
Wick's blue, Koanth, was young and very pretty. Thaia clung on expertly, even raising her hands in joy when they soared.
She is brave, Koanth commented to Wick. But she will wait for her dragon to come to her. I wonder where that will be.
We'll know someday, Wick responded. Thaia did not know they spoke of her, while she giggled and watched the ground far below. Of course - she was also looking at the contours of the land and how a farm house could be put there - or there - or there...
***
When the duo of browns went through the Nexus, it was both frightening and familiar to the girls. Cicero also knew this feeling - like a lurching fall in a dream, where you'd wake up wondering how you could have survived such a thing.
It was dark, quiet, almost stifling to the girls, Cicero might have felt a little numbness creeping in around the edges, something hot and observant. These things normally went ignored by other riders, those all born from the Old World certainly didn't think much of the Nexus as a location itself. But Thaia almost thought she saw something in the faint static beyond reach... It flickered out of her vision, or perhaps turned it's back, or maybe had never been there. She didn't mention it when they came out of the Nexus anyway.
The bright light over Tripaldi's hidden end brought winces and then a squeal of delight to the young women. The place was large, at least as large as the Kshau isle itself, and filled with dragon kind. Beautiful colors on the dragons, two-toned of almost every description rested by a lake.
"Those are the whiny males," Said the rider, as they passed over the lake and his dragon trumpeted their arrival. "They lost the flights - but most of their riders wanted to see the results, and some of them brought candidates with them when they came back."
"Like you?" Thaia asked, and Abalone nudged her in the ribs.
"No, Noth and I didn't participate here..." He laughed. Axel was the rider's name, they learned as they descended to the ledges for visiting dragons. "The flight was only for duocolored and unusual ones. And no matter how weird he might be," Axel patted the big brown's shoulder and Noth gave off a trill, "he's not really all that different from any other brown." He paused, and then tossed his head, "except that you're mine, yes, Noth."
Axel helped the girls down, and gave a wave to the other brown rider, Baron on Sorinth, to see if he needed any help getting their goods down. Sorinth was gigantic, in Thaia's eyes.
"What kind of dragon do you think we'd bond?" Thaia asked Axel as they dragged their baggage into the temporary barracks. "If we bond, I mean."
"Oh, you'll bond," Axel said, winking. He was not unattractive, big and burly like his dragon - and his skin was just as dark. Abalone looked at the way her sister had taken to this rider, and rolled her eyes walking away. "But it's hard to say," Axel continued as he hefted expertly one bag over his shoulder and took another under his arm. "There are many eggs on the sands and hardly a plain colored sire or dam in sight."
The registration process for the candidates was short - surprising to Cicero. They did not really have to explain where they had come from, at least three dragons from the Kshau protectorate had participated in the flights here for these very females. When they were given their assigned rooms, Cicero to share one with another young man, and the sisters to have their own semi-private digs together, they were then led down to the egg chamber itself.
The 'tour guide' of sorts was a harried worker - he obviously was still working on the interiors of some of the dens. "You know, later on, if you need some help with the barracks, I'd be happy to help," Thaia said.
Abalone thought she was getting way too friendly with all the guys. Muttering to herself, she said, "I hope you bond a male dragon, you flirt. That'd give you something to think about..."
Cicero gave a little chuckle, "that's no way to talk about your sister," he put his arm over her shoulder in that friendly overbearing way he had. She suddenly loved him again.
"Well if I don't, who will?" Abalone laughed. Together, the trio looked over the sets of eggs on the sands. The lovely gold, and two green-mixes guarded their clutches with varying degrees of annoyance at being interrupted.
"I wonder which will have our dragons," Thaia asked no one in particular.
Only time would tell, now that they were at the sands...
(( from act-bond.html ))
When the time came, everyone was awake. The whole side of Tripaldi that had been waiting for this moment was ready. The eggs were hatching, and the dragons were humming. It was a beautiful sound. It was a tearful, memory wrenching sound - especially for Abalone.
But she was smiling, just like Cicero and her sister Thaia, on their way to the sands of Tripaldi.
"Everyone is watching," Abalone said, breathless. "I can't do this..."
"Of course you can," Cicero said. "There will be a dragon for you, this time. I promise."
"You don't choose for me," Abalone said, worried more than she had been in days. "The dragons do... I just hope..."
"Shh - it's hatching!" Thaia said, entranced by the first egg on the sands to burst open. Cicero stood as close as he could to the girls, but the male and female candidates were often separated for the dragons to more easily choose. The silver and blue hatchling that sprang eagerly from his shell paraded himself around the boys, letting each of them get a good look at him. Then, he inspected them - seemingly unimpressed.
So he walked up to Thaia. Well, he bolted away from the boys after snubbing them, and almost ploughed over a couple girls in the process.
Hungry. Boy am I hungry. I guess I worked up an appetite.
Thaia laughed - suddenly relieved that she - SHE had bonded FIRST! That apparently galled a lot of the boys. "Well if you're done taunting the males we can go feed you, Tentreth."
Sounds good to me, my one. Then you can show me how these little wings of mine are supposed to make me fly.
***
***
(from unposted thaia2)
Thaia and Tentreth practiced hard and diligently. On Alskyr there would be fewer emergencies to tend to, but she wanted to be prepared for them in any case. C'ero would handle the real tough stuff. Because of course he was "the guy" and really had that ego thing going for him.
But what about Tentreth's guy needs? He was male, through and through. Always hungry, always looking into nooks and crannies to see if there was anything else to find. He was really a handful, especially before he learned to fly. But once he did, he could go for hours swiftly diving through the air chasing flitters or other such activities.
Eventually though it was time to return to their home. Dawnlight awaited, and things would be changing when they arrived.
For one thing, Thaia and others were placed on a construction duty that made a lot of sense - they would be putting together a dragon den structure for those people who bonded from Dawnlight proper, and didn't want to live in the high peak of Blackstone Isle. They had an unlimited budget, and with the dragons to help, of course, they could move large amounts of heavy equipment and supplies much easier than if they had to rely upon normal transport.
And at least here on Alskyr, they weren't going to be given any grief about not fighting thread or whatever. They would do this until the dens were finished - but Tentreth had another plan... ((linked to siang-flurry but that isn't up either sorry))
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