Wishing for Normal
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Devin, Yvonne
Date Posted: 9th March 2024
Characters: Reyela, Cosani
Description: Cosani congratulates Reyela on Impressing Brandith
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 18 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Cyradis, N'vanik, J'ackt, Kadira
As soon as the Wing took a break for lunch, Cosani hurried over to the weyrling barracks where the new riders were feeding their tiny dragons. "Reyela!" She called to her friend. "Congratulations!"
Reyela turned at the sound of her name and broke into a giant grin. "Eeee! Cosani, I Impressed!" She waved the older greenrider over with bloodied hands as her own tiny, baby green dragon looked on with curiosity. "Come meet Brandith!"
"I'm sorry I didn't congratulate you sooner," Cosani said as she crossed the last few feet. "But with everything that happened, well . . ." She waved a hand, the vague gesture encompassing the poisoning, the chaos, and the cancelled Feast.
Reyela's buoyant grin dimmed. "I'm just glad that everything's turning out all right." Beside her, Brandith nudged her elbow and Reyela turned to stroke her tiny head. Her lifemate had finally arrived and their big day was overshadowed by terror and grief. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd had to work hard to keep the feeling of being overlooked and cheated of her moment from overwhelming the joy of Impressing. "I'm really glad you came. This is Brandith."
"Hello Brandith." Cosani held her hand out toward the little hatchling. "I'm Shalith's rider. You have a very pretty name."
**She is another dragonrider,** Reyela thought carefully. For as long as she could remember she'd practiced forming words in her mind and trying to 'push' them into the world in preparation to speak with a dragon-- and now a dragon could hear her!
Brandith pushed her nose against Cosani's palm. }:She smells like a dragon I do not know. Shalith? It is different from my clutchmates.:{ The baby dragon turned her head quizzically to examine Cosani. }:Will she feed me?:{
Reyela smiled. "Maybe. I mean-- shells, I meant to say that in my head!" She reached for the meat bucket. "Brandith wants to know if you'll feed her too. She's so hungry."
Cosani chuckled. "I did a lot of talking out loud too. Takes a while to get used to." She reached into the meat bucket, holding back a grimace at touching raw, bloody meat. It was worth it for the privilege of feeding a hatchling. "I'd be honored to feed you, Brandith," she said as she offered the small chunk of meat.
**Why don't you introduce yourself?** Cosani asked her green who was crouched nearby, watching the young dragons and riders.
}:Hello Brandith. I am Shalith. Mine is friends with yours. She is very happy you chose her friend.:{
}:I am very happy I chose my friend too!:{ Brandith gently nipped at the meat in Cosani's palm. }:She is smart and I like her very much, and she feeds me when I am hungry.:{
Cosani smiled at the little green's dainty eating and reached for another piece. "How are you doing with . . . all the stuff that happened?" She asked Reyela.
The weyrling paused. Her aunt had nearly been poisoned, there'd been fellis in the buckets of meat for the baby dragons, and the Feast had been cancelled so she couldn't celebrate her new life like she ought to have. If she thought about it, there was a tempest of rage and fear within her. But she couldn't, not when Brandith needed her to be calm. Brandith was so little. So she plastered on a smile and made herself pretend. "I'm fine. The important thing is that I Impressed."
"Yeah, it makes everything else seem less important." Cosani gently stroked Brandith's head as she fed the hatchling more meat.
}:Are you making friends with my rider?:{ Shalith asked.
}:Yes, I like her. She is feeding me! She must feed you too, you are very lucky!:{ Brandith chirped. Her eyes were a gentle blue but starting to close. }:I think I am done eating...:{
"She says she's done," Reyela relayed. "She is so hungry until she's not."
Cosani laughed. "I remember that phase." It was hard to imagine Shalith had once been that small. She was now one of the largest greens in the Weyr.
Brandith nudged her nose against Cosani one last time, then curled up and closed her eyes. }:Your rider should come back and visit me again,:{ she told Shalith sleepily.
Reyela couldn't help but smile fondly at her dragon. "Only a day out of her shell... sometimes I wish she'd stay pocket sized forever. But also I can't wait to fly with her. I am so happy she found me. I just hate that it was... a bad day overall."
"The Weyrleader will take care of the people responsible." Cosani wished she could do something about it too. "At least no one died." It was horrifying to think about how bad things could have been.
}:Brandith likes you,:{ Shalith said, interrupting her rider's dark thoughts.
"But my aunt could have. Or her baby." Reyela's voice was soft, and she knelt next to Brandith to stroke the sleeping dragon's soft hide. "N'vanik had better take care of them."
"I can't imagine him letting anyone get away with this." It was one of those rare times Cosani wished they were closer so she could go ask him for details. Though maybe she could pry some information out of J'ackt . . . she hadn't missed him standing next to the Weyrleaders like a guard through the whole Hatching.
Reyela sighed. "I'm glad that you came to see us."
"Of course I did, silly!" Cosani nudged her, trying to shake off thoughts of danger and revenge.
Reyela nudged Cosani back. "I've heard _nothing_ down here in the Weyrling Barracks except the sounds of chopping meat and yawning dragonets. There has to be some gossip unrelated to what happened at the Hatching. Fill me in?" She could use the distraction.
"Well it's only been a _day_." Cosani frowned thoughtfully. Pretty much everything she'd heard since yesterday had been about the Hatching. "It was a couple sevendays ago but did you hear about that girl who Impressed blue at Dragonsfall?"
"I did! It's so strange!" Reyela shook her head. "I half wondered if some woman would Impress a blue dragon here. Dragons are so strange sometimes. Honestly, I wish that this Hatching's drama _was_ a woman Impressing a blue, instead of what actually happened."
"Ugh, yeah. But maybe next time. Or maybe we'll get a woman Impressing a brown!" Cosani laughed. "Or else just a nice, normal Hatching."
"I think I'd prefer a nice, normal Hatching." Reyela looked at her little sleeping dragon. The next set of Candidates who Impressed deserved it.
Last updated on the March 14th 2024