Serpents of the South

Writers: Corrin, Duskdog, Halyonix, Kane, Shawna, Sia, Steel
Date Posted: 27th February 2026

Characters: M'kadja, Cirina, Viseya, Aydhara, E'shren, D'ltero, P'yanka, T'thalin, Z'brech
Description: The new weyrlings go down to the lake for their first bath.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 21 of Turn 12

M'kadja

Aydhara

P'yanka

The first morning of weyrlinghood was chaos. Akadja--M’kadja--now, was up at dawn with the other thirty-eight new riders, scrambling to butcher meat to feed their dragons before herding them down to the lakeshore for their first baths.

The spring air outside bit cold and clean, washed by the storm that had battered the world through the night. The great lake now churned under a dull grey sky, its surface broken by wind. The water was somewhat calmer in the bay directly in front of the Weyr, but small waves still lapped the shore, chest high on a new hatchling.

But Melciroth did not hesitate.

While some of his siblings balked at the water, lowering their heads to sniff or stretching a cautious foreclaw toward the rippling surface, the bronze charged straight in, snapping at a swell as it surged past.

}: I caught it! :{ he crowed, throwing back his head, the water streaming through his clenched teeth and running down his gleaming neck.

“You caught it,” M’kadja agreed, unable to keep the besotted pride out of his voice as he stepped into the water after his dragon, bucket of sweetsand in hand.

It wasn’t Saejith who was balking at the cold water of the lake, but his rider. Cirina had just dared to take a few steps into the chilly water when Melciroth splashed past her exuberantly, eliciting a shriek from the redhead. “Oy, watchit, that’s cold!”

}:I like it.:{ Saejith raised himself up on his back legs to splash down next to her, further soaking his rider.

“Everyone, see those flags? Stay on this side of the flags,” Viseya was pacing along the shoreline, watching the weyrlings. “Out there is where the giant lake snakes live. I will not save you from the giant snakes.”

Cirina’s eyes went wide, and she looked towards M’kadja, “There aren’t giant snakes, are there?”

“Never heard of ‘em. Sounds like a Harper tale,” he scoffed dismissively. Nevermind he'd been at Barrier Lake less than a month.

Pumoth trudged towards the water in her own sweet time, each step like a negotiation to P’yanka who stayed glued to her side. He didn’t want to be the last one there but Pumoth’s belly hung low, her tail dragging a lazy line in the sand like she might just flop any moment if they lost momentum.

}: Sleepy, :{ Pumoth declared, and every nerve in P’yanka’s body snapped to attention. The last thing he needed was the plump green deciding it was nap time. It hadn’t taken him long to realise there was no waking her till she was good and ready.

“Oh no no no, absolutely not!” P’yanka set his shoulder against her rump and pushed.

}:We will protect everyone from the lake snakes, won’t we T’thalin?!:{ Roxarith bugled and plowed straight into the Lake right past his closest clutchmate.

His rider winced at how _cold_ the water was, though at least it woke him up a little. “... No, we are _not_, um… fighting a lake snake. Is… is that a thing to be concerned for?”

M’kadja resisted the urge to roll his eyes at T’thalin’s stuttering question. Despite scoffing a moment ago, he now looked for Aydhara-- for any Barrier Lake accomplice that might back him up. “Wait, I remember now… There _is_ a Harper tale. The Serpents of the South. It must be about here. You better watch out, Tathalin. They can taste fear in the water.”

He barely cared to mask the sarcasm in his voice.

If Aydhara was one thing, it was dependable in the face of a good grift. "You mean you don't know about lake serpents? I thought you were from the South." She asked from the shoreline. Her bucket of soapsand and brush were set down at her feet. Rath had barrelled through the water, hot on Melciroth's heels, until his feet no longer touched the ground and he paddled determinedly after the larger dragons that waded deeper in. Aydhara made no move to try and call him back.

"Sometimes, if you watch carefully enough around the center of the lake, you can see one coming up for air. It drags its prey under and drowns it."

T'thalin looked uneasy at that. He glanced around swiftly at their other classmates, not quite sure, before he swallowed and stayed where he was. Just in case. **Roxarith.** he called.

A pause, and then he added quietly, “My name is T’thalin now. Not, um, Tathalin.”

}:We will protect you!:{ Roxarith only declared, and spread small wings. }:If we all work together we can hunt it!:{

“_T’thalin_,” E’shren said, emphasis on the name and with a reproachful side-eye at M’kadja, “They’re just screwing with you. There’s no lake snakes.”

}:There could be,:{ Isarvyth mused, sliding into the water smoothly, a bit of a “lake snake,” himself. }:Can we really say for sure? But I would think that, if they ever existed, they would have all been eaten by dragons by now.:{

Huffing in mild outrage, Pumoth finally allowed herself to be nudged forward enough to end up a few steps into shallow water. The moment the waves lapped her chest, she folded and sat down with a heavy plop and P’yanka stood there dripping, shivering, and a little breathless, staring as she planted herself in the surf.

“That will do.. I guess?” he said a little skeptically, having entirely missed the ‘lake snake’ saga.

}: I'm a lake snake! :{ Rath exclaimed from his new spot, paddling dangerously close to one of the flags that marked the out of bounds. He took a deep breath and disappeared underwater with several huge splashes. He bobbed back to the surface again a few paces away, paddling with the intensity of a baby hunter.

"Me? _Never_." Aydhara said, holding a hand to her heart. "I was surprised myself. I knew about the monsters in the ocean around Tillek when we first transferred north. I might've stayed north if I'd known about the lake serpents."

P’yanka blinked, trying to appear nonchalant while his imagination ran wild with thick tunnelsnake creatures crawling around the lake’s depths. Suddenly the shallows looked even less appealing.

“Aydhara,” Viseya called out warningly, “watch your dragon. We’re staying on THIS side of the flags.”

"I am watching him." Aydhara said smartly, though Rath paddled in a short half-circle to come back within bounds.

“Oh, you two are the worst,” Cirina said, rolling her eyes at Aydhara. “Saejith, you stay close. We don’t need you floating out to sea.”

}:It’s not a sea, it’s a lake.:{ The little blue protested.

Uncertain about what came next, but glad it wasn’t Pumoth swimming off somewhere, P’yanka crouched down and, glancing around self-consciously to see if he was doing it right, started scooping handfuls of water over her hide.

}: Incoming! :{ Helanth squealed in warning as he dashed at top speed towards the water, took a big leap, and came down with a splash awfully close to Roxarith and Melciroth. He did not resurface immediately, instead swimming underwater and nipping at his siblings’ paws. }: I’m the lake snake! Rawr! :{

“Spoilsport.” M’kadja snorted at E’shren’s corrections, unapologetic. “Let him use the sense he was born with. Might shake off the rust.”

Melciroth was wading back towards shore and M'kadja--he had ventured deep with Rath and a few others in tow--when Helanth leapt in.

}: And I am the Melciroth! :{ declared the bronze. Less than half a day old, his mind-voice was already rich and resonant, but his accompanying trumpet was still small and squeaky. He pounced at the nipping shadow. }: No lake snake scares _me_! :{

}:Lake snake!:{ Roxarith bugled, squeaky himself, and hopped smartly forward, accidentally splashing Pumoth as he dodged Helanth's ambush. }:We will defeat you, Helanth.:{ He added, determinedly, and joined Melciroth in chasing at the shadow.

T'thalin ducked his head a little, then rallied. “... Fair.” he conceded. “I mean… We’d be warned, if there was actually dragon danger.”

Pumoth squealed in outraged surprise, wrenched from her doze. She toppled backwards, and though still quite small by dragon standards, her flailing limbs sent up a splash that drenched P’yanka from feet to chest.

For a moment, the pudgy green trashed awkwardly, wings flapping without effect. P’yanka leapt to shove her upright, thinking she’s about to drown in ankle-deep water, and earned a kick to the gut for his trouble because Pumoth was up, fixing Roxarith with a look that promised retribution.

Reluctance vanished. She lunged forward, charging into deeper water after her clutchmate.

Aydhara snickered. "Smooth, P."

}: Yeah, get him!:{ Rath called as he paddled closer. }: Show him what's what! :{ He didn't know what that meant, either, but Aydhara had asked him to stop calling Roxarith a weenie and hadn't provided a suitable alternative.

Assistant Z’brech caught Viseya’s eye and sighed. Forget herding felines, it was herding dragonets and their children that was the true headache. It was clear already that this was going to be a long and messy first bath…

Viseya just grinned, then shouted, “WEYRLINGS. FIVE MINUTES TO BATH INSPECTION.”

Last updated on the February 28th 2026

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Serpents of the South