16.Oct.17, 06:25 AM
He remembered how excited he had been when it was announced they were moving North again. I was someplace new, unexplored by him or any of his friends since they were all born in the South after the plague. They had spent so much time together discussing what it'd be like, what animals they'd see, what the weather would be like, and how much freedom they'd have.
The reality wasn't nearly as exciting.
Sure, a real Weyr was pretty cool at first but Ayontay soon realized that living inside a deep crater was a bit boring. Not nearly as green as Katila and with the lack of surrounding forest, he almost felt suffocated with the rock about to close in on him. It was nice not to worry about as many wild animals sneaking about though.
Still, he found his groove, enjoying settling in with everyone else, something that wasn't always easy given his young age and how much of Katila's population had been settled before he was born or old enough to lend a hand. Now, he had a purpose and while he was still too young for some labour-intensive tasks, Ayontay went around helping everyone that needed it and still sneaking off to play with his friends when he could get away with it.
When the decision to open two more Weyrs came, thanks to too many gold dragons and their territorial nature when clutching, Ayontay wasn't sure what to think. They'd always been a tight community but with new people coming in regularly to Stand and frequent Hatchings, it made sense to spread out. He had waited to see how the dragonriders were being split up before telling his mom his feelings on the matter. His dad was bluerider R'nd --sometimes it felt like everyone he knew had the man for a dad -- and like most of his kids, R'nd didn't know about him. He liked it that way though, after seeing T'ryn bumble his way through the confession he was R'nd's son and the awkward relationship they had. Ayontay was okay with observing from a far and learning who his dad truly was without filters or attempts to be what he thought he should be.
So when R'nd was assigned to stay at Telgar, Ayontay wanted to stay as well. He kind of liked the idea of going to the new Weyr to explore again and help set it up the way it should be, but Telgar was home now. His mom gave him an exasperated look when he tried to explain how he wanted one thing but the other was just as good until she finally agreed that packing up and moving again was too much and she was fine where she was.
The decision was made even better when some firelizards started clutching and he was given one both as a reward for how much help he had been over the years and to help him adjust to the idea of bonding to a dragon when he started to Stand.
Even better still, his little egg that he pampered and looked after as much as he could without actually carrying it with everywhere he went, was that it hatched a few days before the official moves to Ista and Fort. Ayontay laughed with glee when a little blue firelizard appeared and gasped at the sensation he felt when the little fellow accepted him and they bonded. He could only imagine what it'd be like with an actual dragon! This, however, was good enough for him, and he fed the hungry little creature while thinking up a name.
He'd been called a shadow a lot over the years because he wasn't always the most outgoing, happy to tag along and not always speak up. So, that's what he decided his new little friend would be called since firelizards were known to follow along even during awkward encounters.
It was still mid-evening, not too late to head out for a bit and after calling to his mom where he was going, Ayontay dashed outside and down to see Madiquel, who already had her own firelizard. He hoped Clover and Shadow would get along well. Not that it would matter soon, though. Madiquel was moving to Fort with her ex-bronzerider father since he was going to coach the new Weyrleader on how to run the place. R'dare and R'dal were going as well. At least they had dragons and could come visit or bring him there, but it wouldn't be quite the same as being able to run to their door at any given time and pester them. It was his fault, he knew that. He chose staying close to his estranged father instead of begging to follow his friends to Fort.
As he reached Madiquel's door, Ayontay decided that he'd give shadowing R'nd a bit more time, maybe tell him who he is, and then when he was a bit older, move to Fort and start Standing at the clutches there. Someone had to be there when Madiquel decided to as well. She was nervous about it and still had years before being allowed. Having a friend with her would make it easier.
And with that all planned out, he lightly called out her name, not wanting to disturb Jajojin in case he was having a bad day and waited for her to come out or invite him in. He couldn't wait to see her reaction to Shadow!
The reality wasn't nearly as exciting.
Sure, a real Weyr was pretty cool at first but Ayontay soon realized that living inside a deep crater was a bit boring. Not nearly as green as Katila and with the lack of surrounding forest, he almost felt suffocated with the rock about to close in on him. It was nice not to worry about as many wild animals sneaking about though.
Still, he found his groove, enjoying settling in with everyone else, something that wasn't always easy given his young age and how much of Katila's population had been settled before he was born or old enough to lend a hand. Now, he had a purpose and while he was still too young for some labour-intensive tasks, Ayontay went around helping everyone that needed it and still sneaking off to play with his friends when he could get away with it.
When the decision to open two more Weyrs came, thanks to too many gold dragons and their territorial nature when clutching, Ayontay wasn't sure what to think. They'd always been a tight community but with new people coming in regularly to Stand and frequent Hatchings, it made sense to spread out. He had waited to see how the dragonriders were being split up before telling his mom his feelings on the matter. His dad was bluerider R'nd --sometimes it felt like everyone he knew had the man for a dad -- and like most of his kids, R'nd didn't know about him. He liked it that way though, after seeing T'ryn bumble his way through the confession he was R'nd's son and the awkward relationship they had. Ayontay was okay with observing from a far and learning who his dad truly was without filters or attempts to be what he thought he should be.
So when R'nd was assigned to stay at Telgar, Ayontay wanted to stay as well. He kind of liked the idea of going to the new Weyr to explore again and help set it up the way it should be, but Telgar was home now. His mom gave him an exasperated look when he tried to explain how he wanted one thing but the other was just as good until she finally agreed that packing up and moving again was too much and she was fine where she was.
The decision was made even better when some firelizards started clutching and he was given one both as a reward for how much help he had been over the years and to help him adjust to the idea of bonding to a dragon when he started to Stand.
Even better still, his little egg that he pampered and looked after as much as he could without actually carrying it with everywhere he went, was that it hatched a few days before the official moves to Ista and Fort. Ayontay laughed with glee when a little blue firelizard appeared and gasped at the sensation he felt when the little fellow accepted him and they bonded. He could only imagine what it'd be like with an actual dragon! This, however, was good enough for him, and he fed the hungry little creature while thinking up a name.
He'd been called a shadow a lot over the years because he wasn't always the most outgoing, happy to tag along and not always speak up. So, that's what he decided his new little friend would be called since firelizards were known to follow along even during awkward encounters.
It was still mid-evening, not too late to head out for a bit and after calling to his mom where he was going, Ayontay dashed outside and down to see Madiquel, who already had her own firelizard. He hoped Clover and Shadow would get along well. Not that it would matter soon, though. Madiquel was moving to Fort with her ex-bronzerider father since he was going to coach the new Weyrleader on how to run the place. R'dare and R'dal were going as well. At least they had dragons and could come visit or bring him there, but it wouldn't be quite the same as being able to run to their door at any given time and pester them. It was his fault, he knew that. He chose staying close to his estranged father instead of begging to follow his friends to Fort.
As he reached Madiquel's door, Ayontay decided that he'd give shadowing R'nd a bit more time, maybe tell him who he is, and then when he was a bit older, move to Fort and start Standing at the clutches there. Someone had to be there when Madiquel decided to as well. She was nervous about it and still had years before being allowed. Having a friend with her would make it easier.
And with that all planned out, he lightly called out her name, not wanting to disturb Jajojin in case he was having a bad day and waited for her to come out or invite him in. He couldn't wait to see her reaction to Shadow!