Chap. 11 Meeting an Oldtimer

Chap 11 Meeting an Oldtimer

K'ndar had never felt so strange. He still had contact with Raventh. But the brown dragonet was thinking purely as a dragon as he flew away, accompanied by several other dragonets and adult dragons. They were taking the young dragons out to teach them how to hunt.

Raventh was uncharacteristically silent. That worried K'ndar. Until now, he hadn't realized the depth of the bond between them. How quickly he'd grown dependent on hearing that voice, the one that lived intertwined with the one he was born with. How badly he missed it.

It being rest day, he was free from classes. He didn't want to stay in the barracks, looking at Raventh's empty couch. So he wandered down to the bathing lake, where several dragons were swimming or playing in the water.

He noticed a large but lanky dragon, stretched out in the warm sun.  He'd been so busy he'd not had a chance to meet everyone in the weyr, which had a large population. He'd never seen this particular dragon before.

He walked closer to the dragon. It was almost yellow. Could he be ill? The dragon yawned, exposing teeth worn to stubs from years of chewing firestone.

Ah, that was it. The dragon wasn't ill, he was just a very old bronze. Age accounted for his condition, too. Despite obviously being in fairly good health, the dragon looked bony. His hide bore long healed scars from Thread scores.

Like an old runner, he thought, knowing that no matter how well cared for, when a runner grew very old, they lost weight and condition.

"Who's that?" came a voice from the rocks surrounding the lake. K'ndar turned to see an old man, huddled on a boulder despite the warm day.

"K'ndar, sir."

"K'ndar. K'ndar. Ah, yes, I remember that name, K'ndar. You ride a blue dragon, but I can't remember his name."

K'ndar looked closer at the man. His face was a deeply lined map of years of thread falls. There was something odd about the man's eyes.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but I'm just a Weyrling, and my dragon, Raventh, is a brown."

He sat down next to the man. There was an aura of antiquity about him.  

"Nay, nay, I've not completely lost my mind. You rode in the left rear wing from Telgar Weyr before we came forward."

K'ndar suddenly understood. This man was an Oldtimer, residing at his weyr.

"Here, lad, stand in front of me so I can see you better."

K'ndar did as directed, a bit nervously. The man reached forward and taking his arm, drew him close. The rheumy eyes searched his for several long, uncomfortable moments. Then he released K'ndar.

"I've made a mistake, lad. You aren't K'ellar from my time."

"No, sir, I'm sorry. You were at Telgar Weyr?"

"Aye, until the cold bit into my bones. My back is no longer what it should be. Healer told me living at Southern would probably add years to us, and looks like she was right. Me and Menkarth, ah, we could tell some stories, we could," he said, motioning in the general direction of the lounging bronze.

"He's in good condition, sir, considering he's how old?"

The man raised his face to the sun, thinking.

"What year is it?" he asked, after several moments. K'ndar knew he'd be better off saying the year in old timer terms, rather than Aivas's re-calibration.

"45, sir."

The man blinked in disbelief. "Forty five. Forty five? Incredible."

He shook his head. "Doing the math is hard, these days. I think that would make Menkarth-65 Years.  We Impressed when I was 20."

"We were the best team, K'allar, the best, even though we never were made Weyrleader. My good Menkarth never flew a gold. But he had his share of greens, he did," laughing. 

The bronze rumbled in agreement. It sounded like a laugh.

The man rummaged around in his mind, deciding which long trod path of memory to take.  

"Had to leave Southern, though. I couldn't stand the Weyrwoman, Kylara?  Southern's weather did us good, but I'd sooner freeze to death than spend another moment in the same weyr as her. So I transferred here. Maybe that's why Menkarth never flew her gold-couldn't bring himself to it. Didn't want me having anything to do with t' old sow."

K'ndar had never met a man so old.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I didn't catch your name," he asked.

"My name? My name. Huh. I've not been asked my name in a very long time. N'orald, it is. I was born in the depths of the worst Crom winter in memory. Snow up to your hips, I was told, and me mum dying not long afterwards. Me dad brought me up, wet nursed by his sister."

"I don't think I've ever seen snow that deep. I don't think I'd ever want to. It doesn't snow that often where I’m from and I'm glad, because I don't like it one bit," K'ndar said.

"What brings you here today, boy?"

"Today? Or recently?"

"Today, yesterday, it matters not."

"Oh, I was Impressed a few months ago. My Raventh is out with the other dragons. He usually talks my ear off but he's not said a word to me in a while. Guess I'm walking around to keep myself from worrying myself sick."

The man stopped, cocking his head. He was listening to his dragon.

"Menkarth said to not worry. He said Raventh is too busy right now to tell you that he's enjoying himself."

K'ndar felt hurt. Why didn't Raventh tell him himself?"

As if he'd heard his thoughts, N'orald said, "Don't worry, lad. He's got a lot of experienced adults with him. Dragons are a lot like old men like me. Sometimes they just want to be with other dragons."

He got stiffly to his feet, leaning backwards to stretch his spine.

"Time for us to head back to our weyr, L'anmar. It's been good to talk to someone from Telgar."

K'ndar, not wishing to embarrass the man by correcting him, asked, "Do you need help getting back to your weyr?"

"Nay, lad. I've help. I’m blind as a daylight wher. But my Menkarth will take me home. He's the best, you know. We were the best team, R'anard, the best. Despite the fact that he never flew a gold."

He walked slowly to the bronze, who rose and dropped a knee.  With the ease of long years of practice, the man mounted. The bronze turned his head back towards K'ndar, eyes whirling blue. As they walked off, the man called back to him, "Remember that, lad. Sometimes dragons just want to be with other dragons."