Winged Puppies
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: Halyonix, Sia
Date Posted: 26th February 2025
Characters: Nosarre, Katora
Description: Nosarre and Katora chat over meal prep
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 25 of Turn 12
Mentioned:
Notes:
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So far, Katora had been able to avoid some of the prissier girls of the class, aside from during lessons, but it didn't matter then because everyone was paying attention to the Weyrlingmaster and not picking fights with each other. Or getting into other trouble somehow.
But this morning was the exception. Saoirth was early to rise for her feeding and so was Kiziolth, if Katora remembered the dragon's name right. How awkward was this going to be, Katora wondered, as she and Saoirth strode calmly toward the buckets and meat.
Nosarre's knife sliced through the meat and hit the table with a resounding thunk, thunk, thunk, then scraped against it as she pushed chunks of bloody meat into the bucket. Kiziolth waited nearby, staring at the bucket intently. Wrentley sat on the table at Nosarre's elbow, snapping up scraps she tossed his way.
Kiziolth perked up when she caught sight of Saoirth, and it was that excitement that made Nosarre's eyes raise from her work. Her frown deepened as she placed who it was, though she shifted over slightly to give Katora space.
}: Good morning, sister, :{ Saoirth said to Kiziolth as she placidly sat next to her clutchmate, awaiting her breakfast with regal patience. Bark, Katora's brown firelizard, landed on the workstation area and made his characteristic barking sound at Wrentley as a hello.
Well, time to see how this went. "Good morning," Katora said to Nosarre.
}: Good morning! :{ Kiziolth chirped, then looked surprised at the sound that noise that came from her throat. }: Oh goodness. Was that me? :{
"Good morning." Nosarre said dismissively. She lowered the bucket down for Kiziolth, who immediately and clumsily knocked it over in her excitement.
Katora had to smile at that, mostly because it was cute but also because she was certain how much it annoyed Nosarre. She deftly cut up a handful and then began feeding chunk by chunk to Saoirth. "Saoirth hates eating out of the bucket," she said conversationally to Nosarre, whether she cared or not. "I think she's afraid of getting her head stuck in it."
}: I'm not afraid of that, :{ Saoirth informed her rider as she chewed quickly. }: The bucket makes it hard to see the food. :{
"Kiziolth isn't getting the chance to nip my fingers, whether she likes it or not." Nosarre said.
}: I would never!:{ Kiziolth exclaimed with an undignified chirrup through a mouth full of meat. Nosarre wrinkled her nose in distaste and the green straightened, trying her best to look like the demure dragon her rider wanted and failing miserably.
"Well, it's a good thing that their teeth haven't come in yet," Katora said. "It's more like gumming at this point but it's still not fun. Saoirth hasn't done that to me yet. Though she did step on my foot the other morning." Maybe if she commiserated, Nosarre would be less...prissy. Katora doubted it.
Nosarre scraped her knife across the table again, pushing another pile of neatly diced meat toward Kiziolth, who was still chewing with exaggerated careā"her version of proving she was _definitely_ not the sort of dragon to nip fingers. Nosarre remained unconvinced. "The teeth will come in eventually and she won't have a habit of trying to eat from my fingers." She said.
She glanced down at Saoirth, who sat with so much more grace and patience than her own bumbling green. "Saoirth seems well mannered." The words were stiff, but she meant them.
Katora couldn't help the swell of pride that filled her chest. "She is," she said. "I thought that green dragons...well, everyone always talks about how graceful gold dragons are but they never say the same thing about green dragons. Just that they're fast. At least, that's what I've always heard. It's nice to be proven wrong."
Nosarre hummed noncommittally, watching as Kiziolth clumsily fished another chunk of meat from the bucket with her blunt snout, nearly knocking it over again. "And our gold classmate has none to speak of."
That brought a giggle from Katora. "Not at all," she agreed conspiratorially. "Maybe she'll grow out of it? I hope Saoirth doesn't. But I bet Kiziolth will. I mean, in a good way. They're all really just like winged puppies at this point. And you know how puppies can be."
"Kiziolth is not a pet," Nosarre said. "She should be smarter than some canine in a kennel." She shouldn't need careful training on how to sit and stand the same way Wrentley had. She was supposed to be better and smarter than that. Instead, she had this gangly mess of wings and limbs.
Kiziolth's eyes darkened just a little in distress and Nosarre could feel the hurt radiating from her mind, a dull ache of disappointment in herself.
"Well, she _is_ smart," Katora pointed out. "She can talk, for one. She knows her name, for two. Canines can be taught their name and bark to communicate but it's not the same as a dragon. And she'll learn a lot more words than a canine ever will. She's just...uncoordinated right now, like a puppy."
"Hmph." Nosarre pursed her lips and bit back what she _did_ want to say. "She'll get better." She said instead, firmly. "And that's enough breakfast. It'll be hard enough getting her in and out of the summer lake as it is. We'll see you there."
"See you there," Katora answered. Well, the conversation hadn't gone _entirely_ bad. So that was a win, she supposed.
Last updated on the March 4th 2025