29.May.13, 10:09 PM
Besulth continued to pick over his herdbeast, tossing unwanted scraps to the side; the brown was a discerning eater when trying to prove a point. As he ate, he entertained himself by stealing surreptitious glances at the green feasting across the field. His tail twitched from side to side, interested. I wonder if she shows her mates the same enthusiasm. Perhaps I'll chase next time she rises, find out.
Forced to attach T'rielle to the unpleasant reality of green flights, C'vir cringed. You wouldn't do anything to put your perfect hide at risk.
I could persuade her to be gentle.
Doubtful, the rider responded, mindvoice lowered in distraction. He knew T'rielle as well-adjusted and upbeat, but suspected all male greenriders of harboring some defective quality: a pre-existing fault that inspired the Impression, or a defect that developed out of the shared bond. Perhaps Caxith's savagery reflected some aspect of T'rielle that the man preferred to keep hidden; Katila was full of greenriders with a quiet penchant for violence. If his nature at all mirrored his green's...
He doesn't have it in him, the brown interjected, never hesitant to pass judgment on a person's character. Even if he did, what he does in private is his own. You don't share his bed.
Caxith's quirks saved him from deeper contemplation. The brownrider, trying to imagine circumstances in which Besulth could be compared to a fish and coming up short, snorted. "Besulth refuses to get near water. Bathing him is an ordeal. I'm not sure he can swim anymore. If he was under water for two minutes, it'd be because he drowned."
I'm built for air, not water, the brown clarified for the benefit of both men. But I like to watch. I'm sure Caxith looks lovely, slicked down and glistening.
"Disregard that," C'vir muttered, directing his thoughts away from the mental images the brown was entertaining. Besulth returned to the nibble at his herdbeast, satisfaction at having rattled his rider giving way to silence.
"No," he remarked to T'rielle, lips tipped downward. "I avoid the unpredictable. Getting out of bed in the morning is adventure enough."
An old man before his time, the brown lamented publicly, never one to let an opportunity pass by. He needs someone to shake him up a bit.
What I need is to keep you muzzled.
Forced to attach T'rielle to the unpleasant reality of green flights, C'vir cringed. You wouldn't do anything to put your perfect hide at risk.
Doubtful, the rider responded, mindvoice lowered in distraction. He knew T'rielle as well-adjusted and upbeat, but suspected all male greenriders of harboring some defective quality: a pre-existing fault that inspired the Impression, or a defect that developed out of the shared bond. Perhaps Caxith's savagery reflected some aspect of T'rielle that the man preferred to keep hidden; Katila was full of greenriders with a quiet penchant for violence. If his nature at all mirrored his green's...
Caxith's quirks saved him from deeper contemplation. The brownrider, trying to imagine circumstances in which Besulth could be compared to a fish and coming up short, snorted. "Besulth refuses to get near water. Bathing him is an ordeal. I'm not sure he can swim anymore. If he was under water for two minutes, it'd be because he drowned."
"Disregard that," C'vir muttered, directing his thoughts away from the mental images the brown was entertaining. Besulth returned to the nibble at his herdbeast, satisfaction at having rattled his rider giving way to silence.
"No," he remarked to T'rielle, lips tipped downward. "I avoid the unpredictable. Getting out of bed in the morning is adventure enough."
What I need is to keep you muzzled.