Dozats on the other hand has always taken his own sweet time. Like his father, deliberate in his movements as well as his thoughts. Some thought him to be a bit slow-witted, but his mind is very keen indeed. It is not really any disability which slows him down, but his interest in everything around him.
When he was only 5 turns old, Dozats managed to get himself stuck in a half-frozen stream. It was one of the few times he actually rushed anywhere, and see where it got him? Wedged half-in half-out of a blisteringly cold waterway, where his siblings had just scampered across themselves. His oldest brother Dovek assisted him out, knowing that if he allowed his young brother to freeze to death, or drown, he would never hear the end of it.
Dozats choice of a shaved head is his only vanity. It is half in a pre-emptive strike, since his hair never grew in anything other than fits and starts of messy-brown. He knows he is rather ugly, with a round nose and a pulled-down lower lip. His small shining black eyes usually sweep slowly around a room before he decides what to do in it. His little round ears poke almost directly away from his head. He has managed to keep from getting too many scars on his tanned skin, though his back is oddly mottled with birthmarks making his skin look hard and somewhat crusty. He believes that no girl will ever find him truly handsome to look at, so he has concentrated on making himself handy otherwise.
Dozats is nearly 16 turns old, and has a gift for planning and drawing objects. Complex machinery and even architecture come easily to him, and the things he makes with his slow deliberate fingers are truly wonderful.
With the advent of machinery and electricity near his home, and the spread of information about how to use it, Dozats is almost palpably excited. Whenever he gets to see steam engines in action, he almost bounces with joy.
Almost.
"Dozats, it's time to get outside! There is a search rider, and he's not going to wait all day long for you to crawl out of your den!"
"He can search the others first, it's all right with me," Dozats ground out slowly. His voice was already half-deep, but every once in a while it managed to squeek or scratch high. Fortunately this was not one of those times. If it managed to break while he was in front of the Search rider, he would probably just up and die. It would be his final embarrassment.
Dozats swept the dust from his clothing carefully, and then walked to the leather door flap. It still amused him greatly that though they lived in a day when technology was pounding out tools and paper, metal works and all, they couldn't afford to destroy good wood for a nice door. Hinges were found everywhere today. He'd even pressed out a couple beautifully scribed ones himself.
But they were for a Lord's House, and forbid that anyone less than a House tirant get anything nice like a hinged door. Dozats pondered this while he slowly slipped by the attendant, who was already red-faced from waiting.
"Look, can't you just for once in your life run somewhere? Like everyone else?"
"Last time I did that," Dozats calmly replied, "I almost got frozen to death. Frozen stream broke. Brothers and sisters managed to weaken the ice enough for me to slide through running. Running isn't for me, is it?"
Taken a bit down by this information, the attendant twitched and pointed down the well-lit hallway. "Just go out to the courtyard. There is a dragon, his rider, and everyone else of impression age. Join them before he leaves."
"So much energy put out for just me..." Dozats smirked, and paced down the hallway. His movements might have been a bit faster than normal, but to the attendant, he was slower than a turtle...
Outside, the sun was setting. The Guild hall was blocking the sunset from being seen, directly, which disappointed Dozats. He might have enjoyed watching a nice sunset. He was rarely given the opportunity, since his dorm was set near the center of the building.
It wouldn't have mattered if he had gotten there early or late. One child had already been selected, but he was trembling and crying and putting up such a tremendous fight! Dozats furrowed his thin eyebrows. Why would anyone want to refuse Search by a dragon rider?
Then the dragon beyond moved his sapphire head away from the protesting child, around to where Dozats had just exited the building. Without warning, the blue slipped over to him, shoulder standing at least another foot taller than the young smith.
The rider who was busy trying to hold the other boy's arms to his side while he attempted to calm him, just abruptly stopped that action and disgustedly left him behind while turning to Dozats.
"Yes, really?" He asked, and seemed to be speaking to his dragon. "I see. Well, if that's true, then let's ask him, shall we?"
"Ask him what, sir?" Said Dozats, carefully.
"Ask you, how old you are, and if you're going to refuse to be brought to Vella Crean?"
"I am almost sixteen turns old, sir," Dozats said, "and I certainly would never refuse a flight anywhere. I hope that I wouldn't slow you down, though. I'm not known for my speedy entrances."
"I can see that," the rider muttered. "Well, my dragon tells me you have qualities he thinks would be fine upon a dragon like him."
"I would be honored to find out for sure, sir." Dozats replied, a smile spreading thickly across his wide face.
With all the energy around him at the hatching, Dozats was almost unwilling to bustle into the huge egg chamber. But then, something magical happened. The eggs began to open up and the hatchlings filled the air with their cries (along with everyone else's cheering, of course). One egg hatched, a green sized teal-and-yellow dragon. But... this was not a green, nor a yellow if there was such a thing, nor even a blue. It was...
Dozats! You are my rider, not anyone else's. But I do not feel like hurrying.
"Oh, I understand, Kamekoth." Dozats replied, as the pair strolled toward one another and finally off the sands to find some food. "I wonder how anyone's going to understand that you're a MALE green?"
Kamekoth lounged around as usual, though he looked a bit perkier today.
I will be able to fly soon, you know. It will be loads of fun. You just wait.
"I wait all the time," Dozats laughed, while tightening a bolt on a device, "and I know you're strong enough to fly now. Do you want to go out and see?" His eyebrow curled up and Kamekoth raised his head.
Do you mean it? Do you think you want to too?
"I do, let me get my things put away first..."
Aww, that'll take forever!
The green-yellow-blue dragon lounged around, his tail flopping like a cat's on the ledge.
I will take us home, right? You know where to show me to go, don't you?
"I do, I'm almost done..."
Dozats my friend, you have been packing your devices for days now. Are you not done yet?
Dozats looked up from his work bench and laughed, "I'll never really be done, you know Kamekoth! It's always in progress, what I do!"
Kamekoth sighed, and went back to sleep. It would be a while before they returned to the Kshau Protectorate!
