Laketime and Sunshine

[vovkulak]

(OOC: I'm new to this stuff, so no one make fun . my first few posts will probably suck, so I apologize in advance).

M'hal sat underneath the dark tree, his nose buried inside a thick skin. His eyes scanned the page hurriedly, as he flipped pages every few seconds. A smile creased his face as he read through a page, trying to supress a laugh. Failing, he bellowed out loud, his laughter echoeing over the waters.

Bradlith jumped up, snorting in response.

Sorry, my friend, M'hal said, his smile disappearing. I didn't mean to wake you.

You could have woken up every dragon from here to the next world, Bradlith responded, his eyes glowering darkly.

M'hal shook his head and turned back to his skin, flipping the page over delicately. He surpressed a laugh again as his eyes scanned over the page. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Bradlith placing his head back down, his eyes closing.

M'hal placed his skin down, his eyes looking out over the vast lake. He breathed in deeply, and let it out, a deep sigh. He looked back over at Bradlith.

Beautiful day, is it not?

Bradlith snorted loudly, puffs of air whisping out from his nose, floating up gracefully towards the sky. It's only beautiful to you. Bradlith replied, a low rumble roaring from his throat.

M'hal sighed once more and picked up his skin. But he couldn't seem to concentrate, and placed it back down, now starting to fidget a little. He absently started to play with the ring on his finger, twirling it around and around. Finally, the ring flew off, and rolled downwards towards the beach. Cursing himself silently, M'hal jumped up, his skin falling off his lap, and started after his ring.

[Wolf]

The lake, the place where her position in the Weyr didn’t seem to matter, nor did her duties or responsibilities; here she could let everything slip away and remember what it was like to just be a normal everyday girl. Being a Jr. Weyrwoman was her wildest dream fulfilled, yet she suspected it was only normal for her to think of her childhood days where she was able to be more carefree. A life without Serinth, to her, was no life at all. The Gold dragon was her best and truest friend, plus she knew that Serinth would be by her side until the end of time. The Weyr was slowly growing, and this was a definite blessing. They needed more riders, no one could dispute against that, and they would have plenty more once the new Weyrlings graduated. ‘Serinth’s clutch will bring many more also,’ she thought privately to herself. She rested a hand on Serinth’s neck, walking side by side with her. Her gaze went from her bonded to the lake, watching the sun’s ray’s sparkle off of its surface, the sight bringing a smile to her face. Her hand slid from Serinth’s hide and she walked a bit ahead, looking down at her feet while she again thought of Serinth’s first Flight. She’d thought of it so many times in this single day, as much as she’d tried to occupy her thoughts with other matters of a more immediate pressing concern, her efforts had thus far been to no avail.

She didn’t at all notice M’hal in pursuit of his ring, or his Brown resting up on the sands, too wrapped up in her own thoughts. As per usual, it was Serinth whom noticed that they were not alone. She was delighted by the presence of others, especially since she’d never seen them before. The idea of having two new friends created a blue-green whirl in her faceted eyes. Too focused up on studying the Brown, she feared that she’d be too late to warn her rider of the collision.
Mine, look out! she bugled, fearful of what the outcome may be.

Wolf, oblivious that she was standing right in M’hal’s way, had stopped in notice of the Brown dragon. ‘Odd, I’ve never seen him before, and where could his rider be?’ If only she knew.

[vovkulak]

M'hal swore to himself heavily as he ran after his ring. It didn't seem to stop, the silver ring kept rolling along the sand, sending bits of sand everywhere. M'hal leaped a few feet, jumping over the retreating ring.

He didn't happen to notice the girl in front of him.

With a huge sound that sounded like thunder, M'hal collided into the girl.

The impact sent him down onto his butt, stunned. His ring slid to a stop beside him, and he smiled as he picked it up and placed it back onto his finger. His smile then faded as he looked at the girl he had run over.

"I'm so sorry," he said hastily, struggling to get up. He got onto his feet and ran over to the girl. "Are you okay?"

[Wolf]

Wolf was unable to stop the collision from happening, her dragon’s warning cry not having reached her head in time. So, instead, she ended-up flat on her back; staring up at the blue sky. “Shards,” she swore, turning her head to the side just in time to see her attacker racing on over. She sounded a bit muddled at first, having landed hard. ‘At least the sands warm...’ “I consider myself fine always, as long as I’m still living,” she teased. Sitting-up she got a better look at him, squinting her eyes against the sun to better see his face. “You new here?” she asked, bits of sand throughout her dirty blond hair. His handsome features didn’t go unnoticed, even with the sun’s glare, and she found her body tensing up a bit. “I’m, ah... not going to lie. One heck of a way to meet someone, bowling them over like that,” Wolf laughed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, placing her palms over them in a loose hold.

Mine, are you all right? Serinth’s voice was doused with alarm, and she stood perfectly still, watching both rider’s curiously.
Yes, I’m all right bud, no need to fret. Just a fall.
I dislike taking tumbles... Serinth mumbled, lowering her head. Her eye turned on the Brown, and it was then she remembered her manners.

Hello there, she greeted him pleasantly, heading straight in to introductions, I’m Gold Serinth, and my rider here is Jr. Weyrwoman Wolf. Send my greetings also to Your’s, and I welcome you both to Dark Moon Weyr. Serinth, well not the largest of Gold’s, was still clearly a Queen and was thus treated as such. Hopefully Bradlith was not immune to her gentle persona.

[vovkulak]

Bradlith snorted, his eyes opening a touch to look at the newcomers. He had noticed the collision, but had not bothered to look up. M'hal was always clusmy like that, and Bradlith had gotten used to it over time. He lifted his head up from his massive talons and lowered his head towards the newcomer.

Hello, I am Brown Bradlith. That clumsy fool over there is M'hal.. Bradlith yawned massively. He lugged his body up, struggling in the hot sand. He finally managed to gain the upper hand, and he stood up, walking slowly towards M'hal. He stopped near Gold Serinth, a small rumble of amusement playing in his stomach as he watched M'hal struggle with words.

M'hal looked down at the girl, his eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment. "I am so sorry," he repeated, holding his hand out. "My ring slipped from my finger, and I was chasing it, and this sounds totally stupid," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his head with his other hand. He shrugged and looked down at Wolf. "I'm M'hal," he said, his hand still held out.

Bradlith snorted, trying to contain his laughter. Or you can call him Kluztilla he said.

M'hal flushed a deep red and turned towards Bradlith, his eyes flushed with anger. "Be quiet you," he hissed. He turned his attention back to Wolf. "Are you alright?"

[Wolf]

Serinth, seeming pleased with his response, went over to stand by him. Something about him interested her, and her continuing to speak to him in a welcoming manner was evidence of this. Oh, Mine is clumsy also, they will get along then; seeing as they’ve already found a similar interest, Serinth joked. She’d picked up on her rider’s sense of humour and developed one of her own. Wolf watched her dragon move to Bradlith’s side before zoning back in to M’hal. Wolf felt a smirk playing up on her lips, taking his offered hand. When pulled up she began to dust off her trousers, feeling quite embarrassed to be seen looking unkempt. “Do not apologize Brownrider, I too should have been watching where I was going.” She felt that formalities were in order; it was the polite thing after all. She extended her hand to him this time, “Mine’s for a different reason,” she said; chuckling all the while. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Jr. Weyrwoman Wolf, and that beast over there is my Gold, Serinth.” She found him respectful, and that was a quality she admired. She looked over to Serinth when the dragon roared out in a raucous form of laughter. “What’s got her so riled up I wonder?” When she looked back to M’hal she shrugged her shoulders, raising her arms a bit for a comical effect. Then her hands, when lowered, slapped against her legs.

If Mine had heard your comment she’d no doubt be laughing too. When M’hal turned to his dragon in anger Wolf knew that Bradlith must have said something unkind. Wolf put a hand lightly over her mouth, her body gently racking due to her snickers. “Wow,” she said, delaying her answer to his question. “You two must really get along great, much like my brother and his own Brown.” She then remembered and replied: “And yes, I’m quite all right.” It was now that she noticed the color in his cheeks changed, had he been blushing because of his dragon’s comment? She blinked, studying his face; becoming unaware that she was doing so. “Y-yes, it happens to the best of us!” she hollered nervously, referring to the whole ‘bumping into others’ incident. “In any case,” she said, trying to divert his attention from how foolish she’d sounded, “How do you like Dark Moon Weyr so far?” She appeared intent on his answer.

[vovkulak]

M'hal rubbed the back of his neck, and straightened himself up, squaring his shoulders. Being polite and respectful, he bowed a little. "It's nice to meet you," he said, his head still bowed a little. He raised himself up, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "You're the first person I have run into around these parts," he replied, answering her question. "I quite like it here, though I'm not too sure about Bradlith." He gestured over his shoulder towards Bradlith, who snorted in response.

Speak for yourself, he replied, looking over to Gold Serinth. He bowed his head a little towards Wolf, in a sign of greeting.

Bradlith strutted over to M'hal and butted him gently in the side, sending M'hal down into the sand.

M'hal regained himself quickly and turned on his dragon, playfully shoving him back. He dusted himself off and turned back to Wolf, shaking his head. After so many months, he was used to his dragon not listening to him. He turned to Wolf. "Don't mind Bradlith, he's a little strange at times." He threw a look over to Bradlith and raised an eyebrow. He turned his attention back to Wolf. "How long have you and your dragon been around here?" he asked.

[Wolf]

Wolf watched as he bowed, accepting his show of respect with a nod. When he was standing back up at full height she nodded also to Bradlith. “The first person, you don’t say? Well, I’m glad that I could be the first one to greet a new transfer rider. We could really use the extra bodies, our Weyr is not all that large in numbers.” “Why, is he used to Southern?” she asked, not knowing of Bradlith’s past history. When the dragon came up to his rider and butted him, Wolf watched him fall, doing her best to suppress her laughter. “No need to ever repay me, that just about did it.”

“Well, Serinth and I have always been at Dark Moon. There’s only the Sr. Weyrwoman, and then I. There’s never been any need for us to transfer anywhere else.” She looked around, taking in her surroundings. Her cheeks took on a bit more color from the heat, “I really love it here, I hope you will too. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” She still had on her riding gear, her wher-hide jacket keeping her incredibly warm. Serinth, still having on her riding straps, was eager to get them off.
Some help? Serinth asked, wanting to go for a swim.
“Yes, of course I’ll help,” she told her out loud. She held up a single finger in front of her face, the signal for “one minute.” She didn’t want to just walk off on the poor boy. Then, she went over to her dragon and proceeded to take off all the presently unnecessary equipment.
Ah, much better, Serinth said for all to hear, launching herself into the air once Wolf had taken a few steps back. The Gold flew low over the water, making sharp turns so that her wings tips created ripples on the lake’s surface. She bugled, not to Wolf, but to Bradlith.

Join me, I’ll race you! I promise it’ll be fun, she sent. Energetic was the perfect word to describe the young Queen, but Wolf wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Well, I’d say Serinth is challenging your Bradlith to a friendly competition,” Wolf explained to M’hal. Serinth had told her, with much excitement. She ungracefully plopped down on to the sands, extending her legs out before her. Again when she looked up at him, the sun was beaming up on her face. “Sit-if you want that is...” She reached her arms out behind her for upper-body support. ‘Maybe they’d been intending on leaving soon, I hope not.’ Wolf rarely liked doing things alone, she was naturally a people person, and Serinth always cherished time spent with her own kin.

[vovkulak]

M'hal sat down hesitantly, slowly lowering himself to the ground. He blushed a little at the little show Bradlith had put on. I will get you back, friend, don't you worry about it, he whispered to himself in his head, knowing Bradlith could hear him. He turned back to Wolf and smiled, nodding. "Bradlith is very used to Southern, actually. How about Serinth? What is she used to?" he asked curiously, running his fingers through the sand, letting the drops of sand fall through his fingers rapidly. He watched the sand sift through his fingers, and he smiled. "She's a beauty," he said. "More than I can say of my dragon." He finished, scowling a little.

Bradlith walked over to the edge of the lake a little, feeling the wind blow onto his body. He chortled and nodded slowly. I guess a little racing won't hurt me. he said, lowering himself to the ground. Within seconds, his wings spread out and he launched himself off the sand, joining Serinth in the air. He looked down at M'hal, letting a small roar of content escape his lips. Can't catch me up here, can you? he teased, launching himself even higher into the air. He quickly caught up to Serinth, gliding now. Where would you like to race to? he asked, energy starting to pour out of him. Now he was eager. Very eager. His wings spread open vastly, as he glided along the lake's surface.

M'hal cocked his head and looked up at the two dragons. "Who do you think will win?" he asked, letting a small smile of amusement creep up on his lips. If it was one thing he enjoyed, it was a good, fun bet. He held his hand up to his eyes, cutting out the suns rays. "Bradlith is far too lazy to win. He can hardly fly fast enough." M'hal said, laughing heartily to himself.

Bradlith growled low in his throat. I heard that. he replied. Normally he would have swooped down and playfully attacked M'hal, but with the wind blowing into his face, Bradlith felt almost serene. He closed his eyes as he let his wings do the driving for him, allowing his senses to take over as they guided his way.

I was hoping you would, M'hal replied back, a bemused smile still on his face. He turned back to Wolf and shifted to that he was facing her fully. He clapped his hands onto his knees. "So, how long have you been in these parts?" he asked, changing the subject.

[Wolf]

“Seeing as we’ve never been anywhere else, Dark Moon,” Wolf chuckled. She tilted her head a bit while observing him, beginning to wonder if Bradlith was unhappy. “Thank you, I love her very much. Bradlith,” she began, now looking at the Brown, “is a beautiful dragon also. Don’t be so down on him,” she scolded him playfully. She kept an eye on Serinth, her gaze flickering to the Gold every now and then. She knew that she could take care of herself, but still, she was young. She didn’t know this pair all that well, so it was only proper of her to be wary at first.

Serinth snorted derisively, looking up at the Brown. I’m quite fast, I’m sure you’ll find. Wolf began to study Serinth, furrowing her brows while considering her dragon’s behaviour. “Well, well, she’s being quite the competitive one. Usually she’s not. I guess there’s a first time for everything.” When she turned back to M’hal she wore a huge grin.
See if you can even keep up, Serinth challenged him, her tail lashing out behind her before she dove into the watery depths. She didn’t go very deep before she took a sharp turn to the left, propelling herself through the water, giving a strong pump of her wings to gain speed. Then, creating a fair-sized wave, she shot up out of the water. Droplets of water cascaded down her body, splashes of water having gone off in all directions. Behind she left little ripples, the sea life appearing undisturbed by her presence. She went high, high, high, into the sky; from the ground she was a speck. She swerved in and out of the clouds, bugling triumphantly. She didn’t even bother to look behind her, knowing that she’d be aware when and if Bradlith was there. Wolf couldn’t help but have her attention drawn away to her dragon yet again, “Magnificent,” she uttered to herself quietly, the word hanging in the air. Serinth never ceased to amaze her; she was always in awe of her, every day. She wondered if a person could admire a dragon, for if they could, she did. When Serinth disappeared behind another cloud Wolf snapped out of it,

“I know that Serinth always gives it her all,” Wolf said, finding that M’hal and she were laughing together. “Her heart breaks easily,” Wolf added, signalling with her eyes to where her dragon was, up in the sky. Deciding to let Serinth be to better get to know M’hal, she fully turned to him also, it again being the polite thing to do. “I’ve been here for...” she counted out the time on her left hand. “Well, since I was just entering my teen years really. I’m seventeen now,” she explained to him. “Before coming to Dark Moon I didn’t really have much of a life.” She shrugged her shoulders by way of expressing that it wasn’t something she really gave much thought to anymore. “It’s a long story besides.” The last thing she wanted to do was bore him with her history. “What about you, where did you grow-up?” she asked; wondering if most of his time had been spent at Southern, had he been a Weyrbrat perhaps? She wished she had been; she thought her younger days would’ve probably turned out far better had she been one.

[vovkulak]

Bradlith snorted at Serinth, his wings starting to flap furiously as he started to propel off the ground. He dove forwards, rocketing into the sky, trying to follow after Serinth. He lowered himself towards the water, his tail grazing the surface. Water spit in all different directions, spitting onto his body, and only then did the dragon realize he was hot after spending a day in the sand with his human. He lowered his head towards the surface, his tongue lapping up some of the water as he flew along. After getting as much as he could, he lifted his head towards the sky and propelled himself upwards, towards Serinth. You are fast,[/color] he commented, with admiration. He laughed, a low cough in his throat.

M'hal looked up at his dragon, his hand covering over his eyes as he strained to see Bradlith over the rays of the sun. He smiled proudly and turned his gaze to Wolf. "I'm not too hard on him," he said, replying to her earlier comment. "He's used to it." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "He can just be so stubborn sometimes." M'hal was attempting to sound angry, but a silly grin broke off across his face, and he shook his head. "I'm from Southern Weyr," he answered, his left hand sifting through the sand. "And by the way, I happen to like long stories." He grinned again, wiping his bangs from his eyes. "I didn't have much of a life either." He pointed with his free hand up to where Bradlith was swaying in the clouds, still trying to catch up to Serinth. "This dragon saved me, really. I may be a little hard on him, but he's the best friend I've ever had." His grin faded and he cleared his throat. "Have, I mean." He looked back at Wolf, a fake smile playing at his lips.

Bradlith extended his neck a little, a low grumble playing in his throat. He finally came up to Serinth's side, his wings flapping rapidly as he tried to keep pace. See, I can keep up he said. Then he fell behind, his wings slowing a bit. He growled low to himself and dove down towards the water again, hoping to cut Serinth off.

[Wolf]

Serinth seemed pleased that Bradlith thought her fast! She enjoyed a good compliment about as much as the next Gold-able to hear the admiration in the Bronze’s voice-while knowing how to be humble. Thank you, you are quite fast yourself, she complimented him in return, not wanting to be rude, even if in truth she didn’t think he was as fast as she. When he dove down, making to cut her off, she caught on to his little plan, or so she thought. Instead of going that way, she did a full one-eighty turn and headed off the other way. Her raucous laughter filled the air, and Wolf began laughing herself, Serinth letting her in on what was going on. Keep up indeed! Serinth teased. She loved to play jokes.

She tried to recall times when Serinth had been stubborn, most of the time she was agreeable. The only time she’d argued was when it concerned Wolf’s own safety. “I’m sure he’ll come around, most dragons do, if only to please their riders.” She knew this to be true, for she’d seen and heard many cases where dragons put their riders as top priority in their lives. Actually, most dragons did, including hers! “You do like long stories? Well, I’m glad to hear that. Perhaps I’ll have to fill you in then some time,” she told him, not thinking that her own story was appropriate conversation material for a first meeting. “Southern, you don’t say? It’s a fine Weyr, to be sure. How’s the heat, I’m guessing you’re used to it?” She had been told that Southern beaches were a great vacationing spot for dragon and rider since it was most often times rather vacant, and the sweet fruit that could be found there was hard to resist. Her mouth was practically watering just at the thought of it. She nodded, able to perfectly sympathize with him when it came to his dragon being his best friend. “Yes, Serinth is mine; I understand just how you feel. I don’t know what I’d do without her, she’s a part of me, and most times I think literally.”
Yes, indeed I am a part of you. Don’t you forget it Mine, Serinth added happily, having directed the comment at the trio, so that all could hear. Wolf shrugged a shoulder, giving M’hal a knowing look, “See?” She smacked both of her hands against her legs. “Well, in any case, a dragon is the most loyal of friends one can ever have, that’s for sure. I’m close with my brother also. He’s a Brownrider here, R’xis. We impressed together, it was a once in a lifetime experience.” She wondered if he had any siblings, “Are you close to any family? I only just found R’xis last year; we’d been separated for a very long time.” She then shut her mouth quickly and made a zippering motion over her lips. “That’s part of my story,” she added in a quieter voice.
Having R’xis with her now was like a dream come true. She bet that few treated their sisters quite as good as he treated her. He made her a part of his world; all the decisions he made in his life usually involved her in some way, for he always considered how she’d feel about his choices. Got to love R’xis.