Libertas Weyr

[Twilight]

Two figures crept through the Weyr Mountains, both far too young to be out there but neither of them cared. Talon wanted adventure, Talosk wanted food, and so they compromised and went hunting in the mountains. Talosk was getting hungrier but she didn't let it show, maybe because it was her nature or maybe it was because where they were in the dead of night. They hadn't found anything for either of them to eat, but they were on the train of some wild porcine. The hoof prints were buried deep in the ground and fairly fresh, Talon knew this because the dirt was dark and soft, not firm and dry like everything else.

Talon, Talosk knows you think this is fun. But I think something wrong here, Talosk had slowed down and was looking around more carefully than before. "What do you-- get down!" Talon and Talosk both bolt for the shadows of the trees as a massive blue dragon flew over them. They were not allowed here as wherlings, so they would get into serious trouble if they were caught. It was a good thing Talosk was so darkly colored, because she grew twice as fast as her siblings and hiding would have been difficult for a bright colored wher.

Once the dragon was gone, they started back through the trail of tracks till they finally found the porcine a half hour later. It was a small group, two adults and a bunch of babies. Talon pressed his back against the nearest tree, gripping a long knife, and Talosk lowered her body into a stalking position. Now? Talosk asked, not removing her red eyes from her prey, Not yet... almost... Talon was waiting for one of them to move a bit closer. A small baby porcine wandered in their direction in search of food or maybe catching their scent and wanting to investigate. Now! both the wher and handler sprang forward after their prey.

The porcine scattered, but one baby was to slow and Talosk caught it. But while she had it, she wasn't sure what to do with it. It cried while between her jaws, and Talosk started pawing at it while it moved around wildly. Talon smiled and walked up to Talosk, "Are you going to eat it, or play with--" Watch out! Talon howl in pain as fire flared up his leg and he was nearly knocked completely over by an enraged adult porcine. It seemed the cries of the baby didn't go unanswered and the pig gored Talon in the leg with his sharp tusk. Talosk cried too, feeling the sharp stab in her own leg as Her's was injured; this caused her to drop her little toy prize and both the porcine ran away quickly.

[Wolf Tears]

(OOC- SAY WHAT LATE? OF COURSE NOT.)



Brushing the fire-lizards off of her shoulders- she didn’t need their weight right now- Erik climbed forward and called out to her wher. "Wait... up!"

Myserikordask slowed her black-and-golden steps, glancing over her shoulder, and her words said that if she were human, she would be smirking. Only one of them was tired here; the obsidian was as energetic as when they started, even if her feet were a little sore. Okay, a lot sore, but Erik wasn’t about to know that, and neither was anyone else. Is ErikMine tired? Trail too hard?

Panting, Erik scrambled to catch up, glaring the whole way; speaking with her mind rather than her voice, so as to save breath, she snapped, Of course not!

Then why falling over? Mysk snorted and started walking faster again, although noticeably slower than before. She had not missed the shift from verbal to mental speech, and as much as she enjoyed giving her human a hard time, they were finally on good enough terms again that she didn't really want to kill her.

Erik growled, a low sound that was not quite in place coming from a human throat, but which was also a habit that she had never really felt like breaking- even though Yailee tended to bat her face with her wings when she did it, like now. Erik brushed the green away so she could glare at her obsidian, still growling. Because, bright one, we’ve been up one side of this mountain and down the other, and when people do that sort of thing, they tend to get tired. Capishe? Erik was a girl who tended to take pride on keeping herself in shape (she had to, because, well- okay, because she liked fighting people); the suggestion that she wasn’t pricked her dignity.

The obsidian tossed her head. Humans strange creatures. Why two legs? Four much more efficient. As if to prove this, Myserikordask ran ahead again, the gold glimmer of her hide fading into the shadows like the sound of her steps, which grew quicker as they grew fainter, until they entirely left Erik’s hearing. Zenobi, barking excitedly, chased after her; his barking was louder than Mysk’s footsteps, but it, too, faded away after a moment.

With a snort, Erik pulled up short and stopped, crossing her arms and setting a stubborn expression on her face. (Spork, with a relieved-sounding trill, flopped down on top of her head; Erik muttered “If you’re too lazy to fly it, then go home,” and brushed him away, Yailee scolded him for being rude, and finally, with an injured squawk, he popped between.) If Mysk was going to be like that, then she would, too. That wher was just going to have to slow down if she wanted to get anywhere.

ErikMine, hurry up!

Myserikordalitar couldn’t see her wher, obviously, but she could imagine the “if-I-were-a-human-I-would-so-be-rolling-my-eyes-at-you” glare that she was being given. Being human, she didn’t have to return it; she simply did roll her eyes. No. You can come back here and quit being a-

No, I mean hurry NOW. Is trouble.

“FOR THE LOVE OF FARANTH!” Erik screamed, kicking a tree as she did so and wondering if her voice, as well as her words, would reach her wher. Do you carry trouble with you? Shards, Mysk, every time I turn around...! Before the thought was finished she was running, slipping through the trees in the general direction her wher had gone. Myserikordask, on the other end of the connection, was pulling, guiding Erik toward her.

She didn’t notice them until Mysk screamed at her that she was going to run into them.

“For the love of Faranth,” she muttered again, eyes scanning the scene: bleeding boy, young wher, porcine tracks in the ground. “You idiots. Wherlings aren’t supposed to be out here for a reason.” Suddenly the tone of her voice changed, and she grinned shamelessly. “Nor, technically, am I. They think I’m old enough to fight Thread, but too young to be out here, even with Mysk- and Zen, and Yailee, and Spork. Weird, huh? Look, good on you folks for getting out unnoticed.”

For unofficial assistant wherlingmaster, ErikMine very irresponsible, Myserikordask told the three of them with a slight shake of her head. Her voice carried an amused smirk in it, too, though, and it was obvious that it wasn’t really a reprimand. Talosk, yes, and Talosk's?

“Mysk, you know perfectly well who they are.” Erik was about to say something else, but she stopped and shook her head. “Whatever. Look, how bad is that-” she nodded to the blood on Talon’s leg- “and would you rather fix it up without going to the infirmary, or make up some lie about how you got it?”

Myserikordalitar! Mysk only ever used Erik’s full name when scolding.

“What? It’s not like we can just say that they’re breaking the rules!”

[Twilight]

Talosk was the first to notice the bigger wher come, and once she pointed it out to Talon he wondered how he missed her. The golden tinge in the obsidian’s hide was very unique at that time, Talon hadn’t run into a gold-obsidian at all in the whole Weyr and Hold other than Mysk. Was it a nickname Mysk, or was her bond to Erik really that weak? Their bond strong. Perfect bond like most Queens. Only she a night queen, and not obnoxious bright one! “Talosk where did you ever hear such talk? Certainly not from me,” Talon suddenly hugged the wher, Talon proud of you, Talosk hummed happily.

Suddenly a girl nearly tripped over them!

When she accused them of being idiots, Talon and Talosk both adopted bored looks and said in unison, “Idiots we may be, but staying in the Weyr and Hold is boring.” Talosk’s tongue flicked out a few times during that sentence, allowing Talon’s voice to be heard over her’s during some parts of the sentences. When he tone changed Talon smiled and added, “Thanks, but it really is not hard to get out of the Weyr when your wher went from the size of a white to the size of a bronze in half the time other wherlings take to grow. Weyrfolk think she is past wherling age if they had no wher or dragon,” Talon reached over and scratched Talosk’s eyeridges, making her tremble in joy before turning to Mysk. Myserikordask, night-Queen, Talosk said before shaking her head, No, not Queen; Queens idiots. Morons. Talosk needs better words for Myserikordask… Talon smiled at his wher’s confusion, “I think Talosk likes you, Mys—“ Myserikordask, Myserikordask! Her name not Mysk, it Myserikordask! “I think they call her Mysk, because her name is a mouthful,” Talon said to Talosk, who was tapping her tail against the ground and letting her tongue flickering in and out of his mouth; deep in thought trying to find the right word to describe Mysk.

Humans irresponsible, yes, but that why they have great whers. Responsible humans get irresponsible whers, like golds. Golds only have size in their favor, no brain! Talosk said happily before inclining her head to the side, gazing at Mysk's gold-tinged hide. Why you have gold in hide? Surely you deserve better, much much better; not lowly gold! While Talosk moved up toward the obsidian to check for a ‘more worthy’ color, Talon turned his attention to the handler, "I would rather not lie if we go to the Infirmary. What's the worst they can do to me if I left the Weyr to explore?"

[Wolf Tears]

Erik laughed happily, amused by the wherlings' response. "True enough, true enough." No one else would accept that as a reasonable excuse, but... well, this was Erik. She was young, and while she was pretty responsible, she also had a certain disregard for rules that she considered pointless. This- the whole idea that wherlings and weyrlings shouldn't be out here on their own- was one of those. She had said that there was a reason for it, and that was true- but it didn't mean she liked the reason. Sure, it was dangerous out here, but it was becoming dangerous to be at the Weyr, too, and what was life worth if it was safe and boring?

Ah! Myserikordask snorted and tossed her head, baring her teeth in an odd parody of a smile. Talosk not like queens either, then? Good. About time someone else had some sense. Golds been unopposed too long, too long...

Erik snorted and shook her head, making her look amazingly similar to her wher. "Looks like they're both pretty pleased with meeting each other, actually. And Mysk is fine, by the way; we both prefer our nicknames. It's harder to screw up four letters than sixteen." Although, she added to herself with a grin that showed a bit more of her teeth than it probably ought to, as a tool for confusing people, her name was quite a good one...

Erik's smile faded into something noticeably closer to normality as she watched Mysk blink, apparently suprised by the iolite's question. Is reminder, the dark queen said after a moment, flicking her tail in a gesture of certainty. Is so that golds not forget and think themselves total rulers. Otherwise, might forget and think other queens, all other whers, worthless. Not that they don't already, the obsidian added, pulling her lips back in a true snarl; there was no hint of amusement or pleasure in her face, and red seeped into her eyes. Will show them different. Waikask not live forever; will get old like Asistesk. Me and Mine much younger; will have time. Will prove superiority to young-golds who already think themselves better than everyone.

"Mysk, are you being a conspirator again?" Erik nudged the wher's paw with her foot, a gesture that easily could have been a kick, and Myserikordask snorted again, allowing herself to calm down. With a nod, Erik turned back to Talon and frowned, considering his question. "You know, I don't really know," she said with a frown. "It depends on who finds you and which authority figure you get stuck dealing with. I've only gotten caught out here once, and it was after wherlinghood, so I ranked the brownhandler that found us and he couldn't do anything." Stupid fifteen-Turn rule. At least they didn't enforce it for her like they did for dragonriders- she would have killed someone if they'd told her that she wasn't allowed to fight Thread for two Turns after she was a full-ranking member of the wher wings. "Rethe and Rethesk are Wherlingasters right now, yes?

Yes, Erik is right.

Erik grimaced. She was fond of the redhandler, mostly because he didn’t take any nonsense from anyone; unfortunately, it was also a trait that was singularly unhelpful when it came to getting in trouble. You probably won’t be allowed to leave the Weyr at all, and you’re certain to get the worst chores that can get flung at you. They might delay your graduation- that happened to a green pair in my class. You’re hurt, though; that may help you.” She stared down at the wound; Erik was no medic, but the wound didn’t look too bad. “How much does that hurt?”