Alberith never doubted himself for a second, unaware that the gold had initially set her sights elsewhere. He knew himself to be the greatest. When the inexperienced maiden collided with him and named

When the gold swept tantalizingly near to speak to address him, Alberith bellowed his answer with all the bravado his youth could muster. ((Why bother to consider that which is inevitable? You and I s

K'el flinched to realize someone was speaking to and had touched him, and then was surprised a second time to find S'ryll's familiar face. It was inevitable, of course, that they would be rivals for t

If there was anyone who hated to be left out, Andorath unknowingly echoed some of the same resentment that bubbled in A'shran. Young though she was and suppressed emotionally from the excitement of Ny

Alberith would have been grinning had dragons the capability, eager to prove himself, eager to perform for an audience. His muscles went taut as he crouched, watching the gold shoot upward from the pe

Alberith was made for this. A watchful eye lingered on Nykantiath throughout the week, carefully observing her hide from afar as it transformed into that blazing golden beacon. The font from which he

High in the air, Travath screamed. Pain was like electricity in his body, removing the last vestiges of flightlust. Eyes blazing red in fear and fury, ichor leaking from the many lacerations and punct

Travath hesitated for a fraction of a moment, boxed in by dragons on nearly all sides despite his maneuvering. Every attempt to get close brought him nearer the males as well and so many of them seeme

Against the larger Arolosian dragons, Travath had little hope of winning if the contest lay it brute strength and stamina. By SEF standards, he was a pristine example of their genetic influences, larg

Travath was ready when the time came for he had been watching Ponth from afar many days running. He saw her leap into the sky and felt the thrill of the Chase build inside him. Doing as he was told, h

Elowyn leaped at the opportunity in Lisilia's invitation. It felt like ages since they'd last seen one another - though it had truly only been a handful of months - and she was eager to be in her dear

His office? The person Garatt was terrified by was an adult? Listening to the boy's tearful explanation of the threats made him bristle with anger, but it was glimpsing the caning marks across Garatt'

"No one's gonna send you anywhere, I promise." Tolfast addressed him very seriously, kneeling before the nigh-trembling child. He wanted so badly to pick the boy up in his arms for a solid hug, but do

Tolfast moved to the cookstove, lighting the stove from a tinderbox kept on the shelf nearby and starting to pour water from a skin into the kettle. He was quite ready to hear about missed essays, so

Tilly wasn't properly dissuaded until the boy swatted gently in her direction. She didn't understand why she wasn't allowed to sniff this smell, a perfectly ordinary fact-finding mission to the little

Tilly was overjoyed for the attention, dancing in place with her forelegs and thick, little tail wagging in the manner she'd learned from growing-up around Shep. No food was fine because pets were to

Tolfast immediately felt a wave of relief even if Garatt's agreement had required coaxing, and the smile that then lit his bearded face was broadly genuine. He didn't bother offering to carry the bag,

"Garatt, listen to me," Tolfast said firmly, his smile waning. Everything about this screamed wrong and he had to do something about it. "Everything is going to be alright, I won't let anyone take you

The way Garatt seemed suddenly overwhelmed by fear at his invitation made Tolfast's stomach twist. "Hey, woah now. Easy there, lad. I won't make you go nowhere you don't want to," he replied, settling

Tolfast may not have been the most perceptive person on Pern, but he could practically smell this lie. The sight of those splotches coloring the boy's skin made him worried, and that the boy tried to