Sleepily, he yawned and entered the weyr. Then he stopped. Sitting there, curled up on his bed, was a tiny, green dragon hatchling, fast asleep.
Al'os stared at the dragon, and ever so slowly, he turned to face the stone dragon bed where Crolteth was sleeping. "Crolteth."
The blue's eyes flickered open a little too fast for him to have actually been sleeping, and he raised his head to look at his rider. Yes?
Wearily, Al'os frowned and pointed at the hatchling on his bed. "What's that?"
Crolteth's eyes flickered with amusement. It's a dragon, Al'os. A hatchling. He said condescendingly.
"I know that." Al'os snapped. "But what's it doing on my bed?" He was tired, and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. Instead, he was arguing with his dragon. Al'os was not at his most amiable.
Crolteth blinked, and he looked at the hatchling with pride. She's my daughter. Her name's Nydarjarth, and she said she wanted to come live at Darkling Dawn. I thought we could bring her back with us.
Al'os stared at his dragon, then at the hatchling, and groaned. "I suppose you expect me to take care of her as well?"
But Al'os, she's my daughter...Crolteth's eyes whirled as he looked at his rider forlornly.
Al'os sighed, defeated. There was no way he could compete against Crolteth's puppy eyes look, especially when he was almost asleep on his feet. "Alright, but after tonight, she sleeps with you." He grumbled as he grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bed and lay down on the floor beside Crolteth.
Crolteth crooned and looked at his daughter. Cautiously, Nydarjarth cracked open one eye, and seeing Al'os was asleep, she crooned. Crolteth snickered. See? Told you it would work.
Gender: Female
Size: Lauocan [24 meters]
Color: Green
Bonded to: Unbonded
Dam: Green Vinyath
Sire: Blue Crolteth
Personality: Nydarjarth is rather obedient and curious. She is child-like in manner, easily distracted but brought back to task by a simple warning. She is likely to wander off after a butterfly or anything that she wishes to investigate further. However, she will always obey the person - or dragon or anything else - that she has identified as her 'caretaker' of sorts.
Nydarjarth practically squealed when she saw the gift her father's rider had brought her. Al'os patted the green's head while holding the flitter egg in his other hand. "Here you are, Nyda'." He said, grinning.
Crolteth watched as Nydarjarth, very carefully, took the egg in her mouth and trotted off. Then he looked at his rider knowingly. So, what happened to the annoying dragon-child who would take up all your time and get in your way? The blue asked.
Al'os looked up at his dragon with a frown. "What are you talking about?"
Oh, she's got you wrapped around her little claw. Crolteth chuckled.
That make Al'os scowl. "Oh, be quiet, you." He grumbled.
Nydarjarth watched over her egg religiously, making sure absolutely nothing happened to it that could harm it. Late one night, the egg began to rock, and the green weyrling woke up both Al'os and Crolteth with her excited ramblings. They watched in amusement as the egg hatched.
Slowly, a gleaming wet head appeared, followed quickly by the rest of the body as the hatchling creeled hungrily. Nydarjarth crowed in joy. A bronze! Look, Dad, I got a bronze fire lizard!
Crolteth chuckled. We can see that, Nyda'. He pointed out. What are you going to name him?
Nydarjarth screwed her eyes up in concentration. I think I'll call him...Dart.
"That's a good name." Al'os grinned.
Thank you so much, Uncle Al'os! Nydarjarth crooned and enveloped the rider in a dragon hug. As Nyda' was already slightly larger than him, he was knocked off his feet and fell to the ground with a dragon weyrling on his stomach.
Crolteth was practically beside himself with laughter.
She jumped off the ledge and flew down to the feeding grounds, where she could already see her father Crolteth eating his own breakfast. The cattle and wherries were in a tizzy, milling around anxiously, no doubt due to the feeding dragon in their midst.
Crolteth looked up from his meal as she approached. Hello there, Nyda'. He said. Did you get any sleep last night with that overactive flitter? He asked dryly, eyeing the bronze flit.
A little. She replied lightly. Have you found a place yet? She asked eagerly.
She was referring to a place to stand. She had always dreamed of bonding and as soon as she was old enough, she had set out searching for the place she wanted to stand. Her father and his rider had taken it upon themselves to help her decide, knowing of far more worlds than she.
Crolteth sighed. Not yet. Although, it occurs to me, this would be a lot easier to do if you told us what you wanted.
I don't know yet. But when I do see it, I'll know. Nydarjarth explained.
Well, Crolteth said, finishing his meal, We're going to Star City Dragonry today. He said. Then he grimaced. We haven't gone there before, because it's pretty different from Pern, or Darkling Dawn, for that matter.
Nydarjarth cocked her head thoughtfully. Really? Okay, well, I think I'll go with you this time. She decided, cheerful as ever. This place sounds interesting.
Nydarjarth was not disappointed when they arrived at Star City. The only thing more varied than its residents were the dragons. Some were wingless, some had patterns with everything from tiger stripes to panda markings, and others were clearly hybrids of dragons from other places. On top of that, both the dragons and the other inhabitants had everything from metal spikes on their heads to tattoos, and even cyborg limbs on some!
Fascinated with the dragons and their 'cyborware', Nydarjarth quickly decided to hang around for a while. And, while she was here, she reasoned, she might as well sign up as a candidate for the clutches in the public Hatching Bays...
Bonded to: Nydarjarth
Gender: Female
Colour: Blood-marked Green
Breed: Vella Crean Blood Court
Abilities: Elemental magic cast with blood as as a reagent. Telepathy. Teleporation. Verbal speech.
Size: Green-sized
Height: 21'0"
Genetic Rating: Not Available
Personality: "Evil" might describe Zhoqueiath, but it is an imprecise evil... she isn't an evil mastermind type, nor is she a crazed scientist type, nor is she the type to be a schoolyard bully. Her cruelty is much more subtle, and usually concealed: she is the kind who will create a collection of dragonfly wings, but only dragonfly wings which she has pulled off herself. Any wrongs made to her are repaid, tenfold... but five or even ten years later, when the one who slighted her no longer even remembers her face.
Cyborware: Zhoqueiath may redeem one minor cyborware token upon adult-hood.
