Can You Return A Dragon?

Writers: Aaron, Halyonix
Date Posted: 1st April 2025

Characters: Z'renh, C'uren
Description: C'uren unexpectedly gives Z'renh more things to think about
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 10 of Turn 12

Notes:
~~~~~~

"Z'renh! My friend! How are we today? Good, yes?" C'uren greeted brightly as he and Roeth approached the feeding area that afternoon.

"Don't worry," said Z'renh. "Adamanth won't steal Roeth's lunch." He wished he knew how C'uren managed to be so cheerful all the time.

"Oh, I was not worried about that, my friend. Roeth here knows how to share with his bronze brothers if need be. They've got so much growing to do! Though I swear that Roeth is growing overnight. Is Adamanth doing that too?"

"I think I can see him growing right now. Or hear him. Maybe that's what keeps me up at night." Z'renh certainly looked like he had not slept much in a while.

"I, for one, am counting down the days until they can fly! Won't that be grand? The sky will be ours!" Even though he was running low on sleep as well (weren't they all?), C'uren's enthusiasm was still unfettered.

"Yeah..." Z'renh thought he would be more excited. But when C'uren mentioned it, he found he was not looking forward to it. And then when he realized this, he felt an emptiness where he might have hoped that Adamanth would have challenged him. Asked him why he was not looking forward to flying together.

But Adamanth was not really listening to him. Not to his feelings, anyway.

"I'm sure it will be."

"Oh, ho, what is this?" C'uren asked. "A dour note in your tone, my friend? Why?! If it's Thread you're worried about, don't! Our dragons will handle that just fine, just fine. They know what to do up there! Trust them and we'll all be drinking wine by nightfall when it's over."

"I think I might need something a little stronger," Z'renh sighed. It was not fighting Thread he was worried about. It was fighting Adamanth. Would he listen if Z'renh gave him instructions in the air? Would he listen to their leaders? Would he listen if Z'renh sent him an image to go between? Or would he go his own way and get them both lost forever?

The fledgling brownrider laughed again, oblivious to all of Z'renh's inner thoughts. "Stronger? You are a black cloud today, my friend. You know what we Seacrafters say? 'Don't borrow trouble, it'll find you soon enough.' Well, I tend to leave off that second part. Who wants to focus on that, right? I'll deal with it when it finds me. But it has to find me first!" He clapped Z'renh on the shoulder. "Find _us_ first! We will be quick, you and I. Trouble won't catch us!"

Despite everything, Z'renh could not help but grin-- at least a little. C'uren's joyful attitude was something to be envious of, even if it was not quite infectious enough to overcome the trouble that had already found him.

"Do you miss the sea?"

Z'renh did. The sea, the sand, the _sun_. He missed it all.

"I miss the _adventure_ of the sea," C'uren admitted. "But not just the sea. But we are on a new adventure, my friend! A greater adventure, if you will. With our dragons, we'll be able to travel anywhere -- deepest ocean, highest mountain, darkest cave. And save Pern from Thread!"

Saving Pern from Thread was a given, that was true. But Z'renh found himself unable to imagine Adamanth taking him anywhere just because he wanted to go there. He could certainly imagine Adamanth telling him what he would not do. He would be able, but not likely willing. He had no time for such trivial things as leisure. Play. So the only flying Z'renh really believed he would be doing was drilling and fighting.

Drilling. Fighting. Over and over. With not much else to look forward to.

"Yeah..." There was no admitting it. No world in which he could tell anyone why he felt so lost.

"You do not seem so thrilled about that, my friend," C'uren said with another laugh. "Maybe you should talk to the Weyrlingmasters. See if you can go back to being a Candidate." It was a joke because even C'uren knew that there was no way to do that.

Z'renh wondered -- not for the first time -- if it would not have been better for Adamanth if he had never come to Dragonsfall. This was, however, the first time that he wondered whether C'uren was being sincere with his cheerful schtick. That one felt like it was meant to hurt.

"Maybe."

There were other ways out of this. One way, anyway. But it was not really something Z'renh wanted. And he could not bear to do it to Adamanth, even if he did want it for himself.

He glanced at the bronze, but if he was listening to Z'renh's unvoiced thoughts, he did not show it, nor did he answer them. He never did. Z'renh gently probed his mind, looking for any unvoiced thoughts Adamanth might be having. But there was nothing in particular on his mind. He was eating. He was content. Or... at least, he was not upset.

Z'renh was not sure he could remember him ever really being _happy_, _joyful_, apart from that very first moment of Impression.

Perhaps they really were meant for each other.

}:You are meant for me,:{ said Adamanth, at last. Perhaps that last thought was close enough to voiced for him. Z'renh was not sure whether it was meant to be reassuring or merely possessive.

"Hm."

C'uren burst into laughter. "I'm joking, my friend, I'm joking!" He slapped Z'renh on the shoulder, giggling. "Oh, did you believe me? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Who would want to return their _dragon_?" This was followed by another bout of uproarious laughter.

Z'renh did not want to return Adamanth. That much was clear to him the moment C'uren put it into so many words. But that did not stop him from wondering whether he truly deserved him. Or what he had to do to start deserving him.

He did his best to chuckle along, but it still sounded forced.

"Of course. No harm done." That earned him another chuckle and light slap on the shoulder from the brownrider.

"Now, let's get these growing beauties fed and oiled so we can try to stay awake through our next boring class," C'uren said.

Last updated on the April 15th 2025

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Can You Return A Dragon?