Green Dragons and the Ways of the World - Chapter 4

Nov 28, 2014 14:35

Chapter Summary: Yay, it's another Hatching! And a bit of Ren's past starts coming to light...


Over the next few months as Akayath grew egg heavy, their riders definitely grew closer to the other. They were almost inseperable, which amused their dragons immensely. The only time they weren’t was in the morning, of which the two disagreed when morning should start. Ren was an early riser, and always had been. M’haru preferred a slightly longer rest, though he would reluctantly rise earlier if Ren managed to coax him in certain ways.

In the early morning light, Ren walked out into the dragon’s part of the weyr, intending on bathing and oiling Akayath before he roused M’haru for breakfast. He blinked to find only one dragon, and that was Hiroth. “Where’s Akayath?” He asked the blue dragon. Occasionally Hiroth would answer him, which was strange to hear a voice other than Akayath’s in his head. He realized belatedly he could have asked his own dragon where she was, and promptly did so.

Hatching ground. Was the short, not quite all there answer she gave him.

“You’re clutching?” Ren choked out. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I didn’t see the point of waking you up. This is in a dragon’s nature, after all. Ren couldn’t argue with that, but he still would have liked to have been informed.

“Hiroth, would you mind taking me to the hatching ground?” Ren asked him. Hiroth stared at his rider’s mate for a moment before offering his foreleg. Ren climbed up to the last set of neck ridges, and Hiroth took off and made the short jaunt to the hatching ground, where he landed in front of the lowest level of the stands to let Ren off of him. “Thank you.” Ren told the blue dragon. “I’ll have Akayath bespeak you when I’m ready to leave.”

Hiroth made a snort in answer, and returned to their weyr.

I don’t see why you need to be here. Akayath pointed out.

“Because someone needs to count the clutch, and it usually falls to the dragon’s rider.” Ren pointed out to her. “How many have you laid so far?”

Akayath turned, and revealed a small group of seven eggs so far. I don’t think I’m finished yet. She informed her rider.

“It’s fine.” Ren said, smiling a bit. “I’ll stay until you are. Unless you don’t want me to?”

Please do. Akayath sounded a bit plaintive in her tone. She had started laying in the pre-dawn hours, and it had rattled her a little. She knew that she hadn’t wanted to awaken her rider for this, though maybe she should have. She shifted positions, and yet another egg appeared.

Ren was amazed at how a female body, dragon or human, could push such large objects out of tiny holes in their bodies. He settled in to wait for the laying to be over.

A few hours later, Hiroth brought M’haru who had the presence of mind to bring Ren some food and drink.

“I was beginning to think I was going to miss breakfast.” Ren said, accepting the mug of klah gratefully.

“How many eggs?” M’haru asked.

“Ten so far. She’s not sure if she’s done laying or not.”

“It is her first clutch. I guess you can’t tell unless you’ve expierenced it before, huh?” M’haru commented, sitting down and handing Ren a sweet roll.

“I suppose not.” Ren agreed, watching as Hiroth perched at the high entrance to the hatching grounds, watching his mate with what seemed like a draconic smirk. “Still smug, is he?”

“Beyond.” M’haru agreed. “The reality of the eggs just made it worse.” Ren chuckled at that.

Down on the sand, Akayath rolled the now twelve eggs into a small cluster. I think I’m done now. She told her rider.

“Twelve is a fairly good clutch.” Ren said, looking down at the eggs. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Pretty average for a green, really.” M’haru said. Ren punched him lightly in the arm. “Yes, a good clutch.” He restated, trying to save himself. He might be sleeping with his dragon that night....

“Good to know the rider isn’t as smug as the dragon.” Ren said, smiling a little and standing up, stretching. “Well, I would assume she’s done laying. She’s fallen asleep.”

“That’s how I’d like to be.” M’haru grumbled. Ren offered his hand to his weyrmate, pulling him to his feet.

“There’s plenty of time for that later. If you’ll return the dishes to the lower caverns, I need to make my report to the Weyrwoman.” Ren said, not entirely dreading this. Perhaps some of Akayath’s maternal instinct was rubbing off on him. Not enough that he wanted to seek out a woman to bear him children, as the thought still disgusted him. At least he could vicariously have the expierence through his dragon.

Five weeks later, the eggs had hardened considerably, and a small group of candidates had been assembled for Akayath’s eggs. Preparations for the hatching feast had started earlier in the morning.

They will hatch today. Akayath told her rider.

Are you certain of that? Ren asked her.

Of course.

For once in his life, M’haru was awake early. He observed his weyrmate as he spoke with his dragon. Ren’s auburn hair was getting a tad on the long-ish side again. M’haru reached over and brushed some strands out of Ren’s eyes.

“She says they’ll hatch today.” Ren told him. M’haru nuzzled into Ren’s long, elegant neck.

“Shall we have a...private...celebration before they do?” M’haru grinned as he pressed up against Ren.

“You’re incorrigible.” Ren told the other man, but smiled and let himself be swept away with M’haru’s idea of a private celebration.

Ren had just stepped out of the bathing pool when the humming began. Since this wasn’t a queen’s clutch, only the family members of the candidates would be attending the hatching. It certainly would make it that much easier on Ren during the feast.

“Wonderful timing.” M’haru said, standing by Hiroth’s side, waiting for Ren. “You know, I didn’t think I’d ever sit in such a place of honor.”

Ren chuckled. “Nor I.” He commented, thinking about sitting where several Weyrleaders had sat during hatchings of the many years the Weyrs had been in existence. Since greens became breeding dragons again, all the Weyrs had adopted that the riders of the parent dragons should sit in the seats of honor on the days of their dragon’s eggs hatching. Climbing to Hiroth’s back and settling in behind M’haru, he assured Akayath that they were coming to witness the hatching.

The candidates were already on the sands, and their families in the spectator stand. Hiroth dropped his riders off in front of the seats of honor, and flew up to the ledge to join in the choir of humming dragons. Some of the spectators looked shocked that the couple that took the seats normally occupied by a man and a woman to be occupied by two men. A murmur went through the crowd, but Ren ignored it. He had gotten used to the looks, the stares, and the occasional unkind words over the years. And, somehow, since the moment Hiroth had caught her during her mating flight, the murmurings did not bother him. Ren sat up a bit straighter, waiting to see which shell would crack first.

The eggs rocked back and forth with the effort of the dragonets trying to break out. A loud crack came from one of the eggs, and a brown dragonet creeled it’s hunger towards the candidates as he sought his partner. Another and another shell cracked simutanously. A blue and a green broke out, along with more cracks until all twelve eggs had broken, and the young dragons went with their new riders to be fed and settled. The candidates that didn’t impress walked off the hot sands. Some looked disappointed, others looked relieved that they hadn’t Impressed.

Ren looked at M’haru. “I suppose we should go congratulate the new weyrlings, huh?” M’haru nodded as Hiroth landed in front of them.

Akayath? Ren asked his dragon.

I will eat - neatly! She reassured her rider. Ren chuckled.

I tried to get you to do that three days ago!

The eggs could have hatched three days ago while I was away from them.

Ren tried to comtemplate that logic, but just shook his head and mounted behind M’haru on Hiroth. “She’s going to eat. Neatly, she promises.” He murmured into M’haru ear, who snorted.

Hiroth’s large wings scooped the air, and lifted them away from the warm sands of the Hatching Ground. “To the new weyrlings, please, Hiroth.” Ren requested. The response was a shart turn to take them to the cavern where the small dragons were getting their first taste of raw meat. Ren dismounted from Hiroth, his hand still on M’haru’s as he touched the ground. “You can go on, if you wish.”

“You’re more white than the legendary Ruth.” M’haru told him, sliding off his dragon’s neck as well. He took hold of Ren’s arm, and guided him to the new dragonpairs.

Ren cleared his throat. The humans looked over towards him. “As the rider of your dragons’ mother, I’d like to congratulate you all on Impressing today.” That felt really strange to say. “I hope you appreciate what an honor it is, even if your dragons weren’t hatched from a queen. It makes them no less of a dragon.” He espied the boy that impressed the lone bronze from the clutch. Ren smiled. “After all, even a green can produce a bronze.” The young man grinned at the green rider, and patted the nuzzle of his new lifelong friend. “I don’t really have anything else to say.”

The new riders gave him a small, polite round of applause. Ren smiled. He couldn’t feel any sort of contempt coming from the small group, so apparently none were resentful. That was a small relief.

“Pretty good.” M’haru said. “Now comes the real test.” He said, once again taking Ren’s arm and guiding him to the lower caverns where the festivities had started.

“This really isn’t as difficult as I feared.” Ren told him.

“Just wait until you meet with the hidebound holders that are afraid of green riders such as yourself.” M’haru murmured in his mate’s ear. Ren frowned. “They do exist, so...be prepared for that possibility.” Ren nodded. They entered into the caverns arm in arm, and were herded to the head table, where upon Ren was seated next to the Weyrwoman, and M’haru next to the Weyrleader.

Nirosa smiled at Ren. “You’ve done quite well so far.” She told him quietly.

“I’m sure Hiroth thinks the same of himself.” Ren leaned over and grinned down at M’haru. “With a bronze in that clutch.”

Nirosa laughed. “I’m sure that blue is beside himself for that. I take it you’ve spoken to the new weyrlings?” Ren nodded. “Good, good. Any negative responses?”

“None that I picked up on.” He said, scanning the room. He caught sight of some of the new riders coming in, after having settled their dragons in for the sleep that would aid in their digestion. He smiled at Nirosa. “I think I’ve managed to shed the stigma since she rose. That, or M’haru’s attitude of not caring what others think has permeated me somewhat.”

“You were raised in a hold, weren’t you?” Nirosa asked. Ren nodded. “You had that stigma on you before you Impressed.”

“How....how did you know?”

“I may not know every rider and dragon in the Weyr, but I do know what goes on around here.” Nirosa told him. “I knew when you and Hitomi arrived, you weren’t just escaping from the Rebellion. You were meant to be the next heir, weren’t you?”

Ren stared at the Weyrwoman. How did she know so much of their past?

“And then Hitomi Impressed Bellanth.” He said. “I was glad for her. The plan was to wait until the uprising was over, then return to claim our home. Being the only male child, the pressure was on me to produce heirs.” Ren chuckled, despite the slight blanching his skin took. “I much prefer being Akayath’s rider than being a Holder. And while it does reinforce what I’ve always known about myself, it’s also a relief.”

“I can imagine.” Nirosa said. “We’re glad to have you in our Weyr. Though I understand if you still want to leave.”

“Unless you’ve found some firestone?” Ren asked. Nirosa shook her head. “Then if I left, not only would I have to worry about shelter, but a place for Akayath to clutch, a way to keep the clutch warm, and finding candidates for her eggs. I don’t think I could do that all on my own.” He admitted. “I know M’haru would like to leave as well, but it’s more because he thinks he’s not welcome.”

“He may have been a brat in his younger years, but he is a rider now, and belongs with us as well.” Nirosa said. Ren nodded. He wasn’t sure how he could convince M’haru of that, but it was nice to know that they were welcomed and accepted in the Weyr at least.

Outside a silvery mist quietly descended upon the plains.

Chapter Five

!nanowrimo, yanagi renji, niou masaharu, # original characters

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