Chasing the Night to Day (L'nik, Shahera and dragons)

[demon_pachabel]

"I just don't want him to push himself to get out there, then realize he doesn't have the strength to get back," L'nik admitted. Hessianth snorted at the suggestion in his head, clearly offended. Like exhaustion would be the end of me! He'd fly the entire distance of Pern three times over if he had to! Harrumph! It was thinking like that which made the rider nervous to begin with - but he'd never fault his lifemate for it. At least one of them was out there being fearless.

He hadn't sat down before Shahera was back up again, though he did offer her a hand to help her back up to her feet. "Which means, the least amount of effort issss...." L'nik couldn't help but try the most obvious places first - though it almost seemed like it was doing it not as a serious search, but perhaps to humor the sneaky little dragons. "Maybe they got inspired by all our talk of flying and just flew off to another continent, off to find new riders?" he said it loud enough that Hessianth huffed in their hiding place.

I would never! Therianth would never! he protested, nudging the green with his shoulder. Though that would have been a really good way to hide too... he informed her privately.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Shahera took the hand up and smiled. She didn’t bother to dust off her clothes as she stood next to L’nik. “We could always go back to the barracks to sleep. If they have gone off to find new riders then we might as well sleep some before having to explain it to Liat.” She could feel in the back of her head Therianth’s mix of amusement and affronted indignation that Hers would even suggest Therianth would want someone else.

That wouldn’t have been hiding though! To hide we have to be present… Therianth informed Hessianth. These games had Rules after all. Shahera had been firm in teaching them to Therianth. A thought struck her though. Would you really leave Western?

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

“I wonder how we’d even explain that - ‘Yes, Liat, you see it was all a mistake and they’ve both realized it!’” if it had been a real situation, he imagined Liat would have been furious about it all. Then again, it would have caused a different sort of concern as well. Maybe they wouldn’t have gotten in trouble at all. Hessianth thrummed in the water next to Therianth, clearly displeased by his rider’s thoughts. “Definitely better to sleep on it,” he finally said, starting to walk back towards the path that lead back to the barracks.

To travel, if L’nik so wanted it. But this is his home, and he loves it. and it went without saying that Hessianth loved L’nik with all of his two hearts. The boy was his and that he would so casually joke that he - the dragon the boy had waited so openly and hopefully for - would simply move on? He was offended! As L’nik moved to leave, though, the fun of hiding seemed to lose it’s charm immediately and the brown all but bolted from the water with a concerned kreel to run up behind his rider and butting his head firmly in the middle of his back, sending him toppling forward and onto his face.

L’nik rolled over to look up at Hessianth with a half smile. “Oh! You came back!” he teased. Hessianth simply huffed. The game was no fun if they didn’t come looking!

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Good. I would be sad if you left.Therianth was close behind Hessianth as he came out of the water and ran up to Shahera. I hid! I hid so well! Did you see? Did you? Shahera patted the wet dragon fondly. “I did see that I could not see you.” She assured her dragon.

Why are you on the ground? Therianth asked L’nik as she nosed him. Get up. Get UP. We came to play! No laying around. Come on Hessianth! And she was running again, full tilt down the beach, wings out and tail waving merrily in the air.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Therianth reaching out to his L'nik briefly stirred Hessianth's possessiveness, though the moment was quickly lost as his beloved stroked the back of his dark head, the brown leaning into his rider affectionately. "Alright, alright, I'm getting up!" L'nik laughed as he pushed himself up to his feet, patting Hessianth on the shoulder before the brown went tearing down the sands after the green. I'll beat you to the other end! he challenged - and he was quicker than a brown his size should have been.

"Maybe they'll wear each other out," L'nik suggested with a dry laugh, though it seemed unlikely. "Grandpa's been letting me play with scrap leather and I'm trying to make something that could stand up to two playful dragons playing tug-o-war on it." So far, all that had been seen of it was the young man being dragged by one of these straps across the Weyrbowl - for those who had seen his attempts.

Faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Let’s see! Therianth sped up a little. Hessianth was larger and faster but she had a head start. Who know who would get there first. She was completely oblivious to the fact that she had intruded some when talking to L’nik. She didn’t really understand other dragon’s hesitancy about talking to people besides their riders. How else do you talk to them? It was so SLOW to go through Hers.

“Oh!” Shahera’s eyes lit up with the idea of tug-o-war. “That sounds marvelous.” Shahera sighed a little. “When she was small I could keep up. Now? I have to invent new games to wear her out every other day. Tug-o-war with another dragon. She would love that.” She watched as the dragons started fading from view in the dark. “At least we don’t actually have to worry about them disappearing on us.”

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

L'nik nodded as he walked after the two racing dragons. There was no point trying to keep up with them, anyways. "Right now I have a strap that won't snap when he's pulling my weight around, but I'm sure if I had two dragons pulling on it, it would snap within the candlemark," which that was assuming they played gently. L'nik could so clearly picture Hessianth, with his muscular bulk already so pronounced, giving it a good solid tug and a loud snap following afterwards. "If you think Therianth would enjoy getting to work through a few of them, I'd love the second set of teeth," he clacked his own for emphasis before laughing.

There was no doubt that Therianth would outpace Hessianth once they were finally in the air - and oh, did he ache to fly and flame and rip their very enemy out of the sky and crunch it between his teeth with a desire that could only be called instinct. But on the ground - well, with a head start, he was only so much faster than she was, and closing up a gap was only a matter of being bigger than her. So it wouldn't be an easily gained difference at this age. Very well! he still sounded thrilled by the challenge, and L'nik could almost feel the throb of the brown pushing himself.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Shahera laughed. “She would love to get to try to destroy them. It would be a delightful new adventure for her.” She wandered after L’nik for a moment before laughing again. She grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the waves. “Come on. We can’t let them have all the fun. Let’s go swimming!” Night swimming was not something she had tried before. No time like the present.

Therianth loved the feeling of the air rushing past her. The sand was a little different to run on than the usual packed earth but that didn’t slow her down. She howled, loud and long. It was an amazing thing to be out at night and simply able to run without having to stop. Fly must be even better. I can see the end! Are you even close? She teased lightly, no malice involved. She didn’t care if he beat her, simply that he played.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

At least the two could could wear each other down. Hessianth may not have been as full of energy, but he had drive and stubbornness, and a tired dragon didn't fuss quite as much when forced to sit through lessons he didn't have a particular mind for. That had been L'nik's initial intention, anyways. He didn't put up much of a fight as Shahera took his hand, running along after her. "Might as well!" he agreed readily, though he kept the thought about how it would likely be the last time they could for a while after they got in trouble for it to himself. Hessianth thought that was too funny, and the brown's mirth rung through his head as he tossed off his boots and pulled off his shirt.

Hessianth joined Therianth in her howling, or at least as close as a dragon could get to it. He stretched his wings in some bastardization of flapping, already eager to be off the ground and in the air, but without the training or muscle strength to make much of an attempt at it yet. If you looked back, you'd see! he countered, a powerful push of his legs bumping his head against one of her hind haunches before his draconic laughter filled the air.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Therianth giggled at Hessianth. If I looked back I would slow down! She did a little jump at the bump. You are fast! But now quite fast enough! She cackled as she reached the end mere feet ahead of Hessianth. Then she turned and pounced on him trying to knock him over, playfully growling.

Shahera was delighted when L’nik agreed easily to her suggestion. With so many people she would have had to convince them it was the good idea it was. She began stripping down to skin, though she was careful to try and keep her clothing hiding her knives. There were only two today but she didn’t want to have to come up with an excuse for wandering around secretly armed in the middle of the night. Quite quickly she was standing naked on the beach as she saw no reason to get any of her clothing wet yet, if at all. After all they could always air dry.  

[demon_pachabel]

It was all good humor with Hessianth, who didn't seem to pout too hard about his loss in their race across the beach. Perhaps he was justifying it with her lead, or perhaps he didn't actually mind it at all! With as young as they both were, Therianth's pounce was still enough to knock him over - or perhaps he let her - all laughter as he playfully snarled back at her, pushing his front legs up against her torso in some mocking gesture of wrestling.

The opposite side of the beach suddenly looked very interesting to L'nik, who for his part decided that his trousers were going to stay on. Not that there was going to be much to see in the dark water, but it simply felt more proper to the young man. Maybe was just a bit of a prude. There were plenty of reasons for his actions - and his pointed lack of eye contact all of a sudden as he went splashing into the shallows of the beach. The tide was good an active, at least, and his mother had always deemed that safe enough. "Water isn't all that cold yet!" he announced, as though somehow that would have more of an effect on Shahera than himself.

He certainly thought it did.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Shahera’s happy laugh carried out across the water as she started in. “It isn’t like it ever gets really cold. Can you imagine swimming at High Reaches?” She moved past L’nik into the water, and then turned to look at him. “We are swimming, not wading. Come.” She was at least now covered by water. Probably to L’nik’s relief, she mused. She hadn’t meant to make the man uncomfortable. She just completely and utterly lacked modesty. The knocking him off kilter was simply a benefit.

Therianth rolled over to Hessianth’s other side and then bounced back to her feet. She snapped at him playfully, missing by almost half a foot, and began to circle the male dragon. She was trying to figure out what game to play next.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Do you think they can swim in High Reaches?" L'nik countered. Not everybody he'd met from High Reaches had been what he'd expected from the Weyr, but they'd certainly bundled up the way he'd expected them to. He had this image in his head of their Weyr nestled up in these perfectly snow-topped mountains and everybody looking cold and miserable all the time. He relaxed as she moved deeper into the dark water, finally losing interest in whatever was over on the horizon line in the other direction (Darkness, it was darkness) and pushing out into the deeper water with her. It felt nice.

It took a bit more effort for Hessianth to roll back up to his feet, and he snapped back as he stumbled up, moving to circle in the opposite direction like two wild felines having a stand off, his tail flicking back and forth.

faesinger

 

[faesinger]

Shahera moved towards L’nik. She hadn’t missed his sudden lack of interest in the previously oh so fascinating horizon. Her smile might have been a bit more predatory than strictly appropriate to the situation. But she didn’t act on anything. Yet. “I would assume so. Though maybe they just splash around really poorly. Can’t imagine they get a lot of practice.” She splashed water at him in emphasis. “Unless they like the cold…could be possible.”

Therinath darted forward to bat at Hessianth’s nose lightly before darting back out of range. She dropped down into the classic ‘play’ crouch and waited.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

It was really easy to focus on anything that was above the water right then, even if the back of his mind was very aware of how much of an awkward-boy-defense-mechanism that was. "I guess they do have a lake," and there was always the possibility that the place wasn't nearly as cold as L'nik suspected it was. Still, as she drew closer to him he couldn't help but move slightly back, as if he suspected she wasn't doing it on purpose.

The brown peeped with surprise when Therianth swatted at his nose, jumping back slightly before laughing and mimicking her play-bow, shuffling his weight back and forth in the sand. After a moment, he pounced, bumping his head against hers before jumping off to another side and resuming the same playful bow-and-shuffle.

faesinger