Chap. 34 The Ride on Raventh

Chap 34  The ride on Raventh

"So, my little sister," K'ndar said, as they left the horse barn, "a promise is a promise. Are you ready for a dragon ride?"

Glyena almost jumped for joy. "Yes, yes, yes!" she shrieked.

"But wait! I forgot something. Meet me at the dining hall."

She ran off. He walked to the hall, wondering. 

She returned shortly without explanation.

"Let's go," she said, turning to the cliff weyrs.

"No, this way," he said, pulling her arm.

"Don't you live in the cliff?"

"No. I live in a beach weyr. It's next to the ocean. Which you can see…right…now."

They exited the bowl to see…the sea.

She stopped in amazement. When they'd flown in for his Impression, it had been raining, and the sea hidden by fog. 

She, like he'd been a year before, was astonished by the ocean before them. They'd been born and raised on the steppe, where the ocean was that of green grass. The tides were high so the water was fairly close and the strand covered with wrack and sea creatures.

"It's…it's so big. It's so big," she said, after a few moments. "Do you live outside?"

"No," he laughed, "although sometimes it's warm enough that you could. No, see those thatched buildings over there? The one at the end is mine." 

They stopped before his weyr, thatch roofed and structure of lightwood. There was a couch for Raventh, but he usually slept outside, in a bowl he'd made in the sand.

"This is nice. I think I would like to live in a house like this. But don't you get wet? From the…water?"

"Waves. No, see that line down there, that's called the strand. It's where the tide stops.  And you'd be amazed at how well the thatch roof sheds rain. I'm dry as can be inside, even when it's raining." 

"The..tide?"

"It's a complicated subject and I'll talk with you later about it. For now, let's go flying."

Raventh, please come meet my sister. She is like a clutchmate, but younger. She would like a ride on your back, please

The brown came out of their weyr. Glyena was surprised at his size.

"Oh, he's so beautiful! He's a deep dark bay!!" she cried.

Where is her dragon?

What do you mean?

Isn't she a dragon rider?

No.

Perhaps I am wrong. She seems to be a rider

Are you saying she could be a dragonrider?

Maybe. We have never searched. But I think she is a rider. I will ask Banarth

He looked at his sister in a new light. It'd never occurred to him that she, too, might be Impressible.

"Would you want to be a dragon rider?" he asked her.

"Right now, right? Yes, yes!" 

"No, I mean…when you are old enough to be Searched," he said. 

The thought had clearly never occurred to her, but she had always, like him, been enamored of dragons. 

"I…I don't know. I never thought of it."

Banarth says that we should have her meet the Weyrleader. But not now. Banarth says D'nis is very busy.

I trust your judgement, my heart. If you think she is, she probably is. But she is too young right now.

"Raventh thought you were a dragon rider," he said to her. 

She laughed, bubbling with joy. "I can ride anything. Just watch me," she crowed. 

"Help me harness him, then, and we will see," he said, laughing, too. 

He taught her how to harness the brown. 

"Okay, I need some help, she said.

"Help?"

"I made something for Raventh."

"Made"? 

I don’t know. She said she made something for you.

????

She produced a leather strap. "I made him a collar. Like for dogs. But it's for a dragon, so it's long. I it's long enough. I hope it fits."

She handed it to him. It was good leather, perfectly tanned. She'd woven Raventh's name into it, with a contrasting color of leather.

"You made this?" he asked, pleased and impressed.

She puffed up a little. "I did. I like making things out of leather."

"Well, I've never heard of a dragon wearing a collar, but…why don't you ask Raventh if he would like it?

"Just…say it?"

"Yes. He understands, but he can't speak, so he'll talk to me and then I'll tell you what he says."

She looked up at an expectant-and curious-Raventh.

"Raventh, I made a collar for you. It's special, it has your name on it."

The brown lowered his head, eyes whirling a mix of green and blue as he examined the collar in her hand. K'ndar noted how big he was, compared to his sister. He had grown a lot in a year. 

What is a 'collar'?

"He asks, what is a collar? He is always asking the meaning of words. He likes to learn. He knows a lot, now, a LOT."

She pondered, then pointed at K'ndar's neck. 

"See the choker necklace on K'ndar's neck? That's a collar. This is a collar just for dragons."

I LIKE THAT!! No other dragon has a collar!

Not that I know of. She made it for you. Special. 

"He likes it. Are you going to put it on him?"

She stood, open mouthed, for a moment. Then she said,

"Raventh, please lower your head so I can put it on your neck, like K'ndars."

The dragon obligingly lowered his head to almost ground level. She carefully placed the collar around his neck, between the pointed ridges just behind his head, making sure the buckle was secure and 'Raventh' was readable to the rider.

"There. Is that pinching?"

Pinching?

Pinch means what you feel if  I make the harness too tight. Is it uncomfortable or hurtful?

No

"He says 'no'. It looks very, very nice on him. Thank you, Glyena."

Raventh raised his head, arching his neck, wishing he could see how it looked on him. 

How do I look?

"He asks, how does he look?"

"Handsome!" she cried, and then astonished them both by saying, "all the girl dragons will like you."

They both laughed. Raventh rumbled, laughing too

Handsome! Yes! I like being handsome. Tell her 'thank you' and do we go flying now?"

"You just repeated what he says all the time.  Yes, Raventh, you are very handsome and everyone, even my sister, knows that all the girl dragons like you." 

"And now, he says, Thank you, and he wants to take you flying. Let's go!"