Horror and incredulity tore through the very fabric of his being- a staccato counterpoint to Tosk's normally aloof and cool demeanour. It had been less than a candlemark since he had seen the blond/violet-haired man Impress, and he still believed his mismatched eyes.

/Kitori. Here./

{You seem surprised, Mine... Did you not expect your clutchmate to be worthy of my kin?}

Tosk shook his head as he descended the steps of the stands, having watched the last of Esurienth and Phylideth's children Impress out of duty. Why had Kitori not told him he was coming? Or that he was here? Had Tosk been so busy as to live Weyrlife as a ghost might, drifting from duty to duty? Did Ada know? Was this some joke? And poor Scarra, and Kitokki... Were they okay? Surviving in Rivercrest? His heart wrenched, then filled with a hot, blinding anger. He saw red.

{Tosk.}

Something curled around him, pulling him back, forcing him into a quiet container of coiled force. Tosk's feet froze as he glanced backwards, watching Ussurianth settle behind him. He was an examplary dragon, far beyond his imagining...

He turned his attention back towards the feeding tables in the distance, watching his brother feed a bronze of his own. It was jarring- like an echo of a past he had now forgotten... Guilt pushed away the anger... Hadn't he... Left as well?

/I told him to stay and watch over them. I trusted him./

{And deny him this moment? This bond?} Ussurianth's voice crept into his mind, soft and gentle where once it had been quiet and retreating.

No. Of course Tosk would never want that. Not willingly.

So he waited. The dragonets were bottomless pits of hunger. He'd forgotten how much they ate as babies. He retreated to his dragon's head, stroking Ussurianth's headknobs in silence, lost in thought. It wasn't long until the wiry, lean Weyrling approached.

"I should have said something."

"Yes." Tosk answered, a bite of his earlier anger lingering in his words.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"That's a real terrible idea for a surprise."

Kitori grinned. His dragon shuffled sleepily from behind him, lifting his head curiously to stare at Ussurianth. The tiger-striped bronze lowered his own, sniffing at the younger one as if in judgement.

"This is Auriath." Kito introduced the striped bronze, a fond, heart-warming smile on his face.

"Why did you leave them?" Tosk's words were cold and abrupt, cutting across the new-found love brought by Impression. Kito started, as if slapped.

"You left us too." He hissed, stung. "You gave us money and left. You traded your family for a dragon. A /dragon/. Don't you dare criticise me for following your path and finding my own." His words were like ice- where Tosk's fury ran hot, Kito's cold, snappy tones brought winter to the western continent.

"You left Tokki in charge." Tosk retorted, anger flashing in his eyes. He felt like he was losing control of the situation. The problem... No, his feelings were becoming unmanageable. He didn't want to lose his temper.

"Of course not." Kito's expression darkened, and he would have rolled his eyes were they not filled with anger. "Do you really think any of us were in charge? Scarra has been running the house since before you left. Did you actually think you were the harper? She's an actual /harper/ for Faranth's sake, with a good head on her shoulders. She doesn't need brawn to keep us safe."

"People would take advantage of her."

"They would /try/. She's more fierce than any of us." Kitori stiffened. He withdrew slightly, reassuring the young dragon beside him whose eyes were turning yellow with worry and fear.

Tosk deflated. Scarra was tough, but she was young and her heart was soft... Tokki was a daydreamer whose creativity and passion distanced him from reality. He and Kito- as the eldest- had been the barriers against the harsh realities of Rivercrest survival... "They're okay?"

"Last I checked. I only left recently." Tones had returned to normal, but there was still a frosty formality between them. Neither brother met each other's gaze. "I would love to meet Aunt Ada properly. I think I glimpsed her in the meal room one morning... I need to meet her and her green, and introduce them to Auriath..." Jovial warmth had returned to his voice once more. Tosk nodded absent-mindedly, thinking of the complications surrounding his family. Maybe if the youngest were Searched... But then that would bring them even closer to the past. Everything was getting tangled and confusing.

"I need to go bathe and oil him before he falls asleep on me. I hope our next conversation is more pleasant." Kito gave his brother a wry smile, and Tosk responded with a mono-syllabic /mmm/ of agreement.

{His dragon was interesting. Certainly one to watch.} Ussurianth mused, watching the new pair depart.

/Do you think you'd ever become a Search dragon?/ Tosk asked, reaching once more to pat his dragon, although this was more to comfort himself.

{Perhaps. I will consider the notion...} Cryptic as ever.