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

"I know you wouldn't, lad," Tolfast replied, kneeling when he reached the boy - both in order to be on his level and to present a less intimidating posture. "You've never made me think you'd be anythi

Blinking away his astonishment, Tolfast gave a thoughtful frown at the scene before him. Tilly had ceased her jumping, sensing that this wasn't the time for play after all, and retreated back behind T

Tolfast wasn't certain what to expect, but he was a man who preferred to be prepared for all scenarios. He could barely see the shape that bolted toward the fence even with the glow basket. This is wh

Tilly may have been a young green wher prone to playfulness and inattention, but she took her "job" as nightwatch very seriously. On a long tether that let her sit near the entrance to the stables wit

That was not the response Calyse had been anticipating. Perhaps her expectations were a little irrational given the new change of rank, but it was difficult to drop habits earns as a Candidate require

Lan had ready a Healer's examination gown for when the boy had finished removing the ruined clothes. He did not turn away for the disrobing process, though his eyes stayed only on the wounds revealed

((Hear that? Neither of us will be allowed to starve, that one will make sure we are fed.)) Andorath sidled closer to Rusalth, acknowledging Cheironth only as a useful tool. The piece of meat flung in

Cool blue eyes shifted toward the unfamiliar man that had stopped to address her, instantly stiffening at the stranger's approach. At first glance, he was well-dressed and the sort of handsome that ma

Lan had watched everything happen from the sidelines, maintaining a mask of calm composure even as the candidates began filing off the Sands. It was difficult to see, death, but it always filled him w

The elation Calyse felt to find Kashara with her in the new Weyrling class, Asheran's familiar voice drew an annoyed glare over her shoulder at the approaching boy and his bronze. His bronze! "You are