A Dragon's Appetite (open)

[Thorn]

Granzth spiraled down to the ground, stopping long enough to let J'lan and Galen jump down before shooting off to the pens and the beasts that lived there.

J'lan sat on a rock, grinning at Galen's wide-eyed expression. 'Impressive, isn't he?'

Galen nodded, his eyes still fixed on the sight of Granzth eagerly tearing into his prey. 'Are all dragons so hungry, Papa?'

'Some, yes, but not all. Granzth had a much larger appetite when he was young than he does now. It evens out as they grow, but a gold Queen will always have a much larger appetite than a bronze does.'

Galen nodded and climbed up onto the rock next to his father. The boy loved Granzth, taking every opportunity that he got to go riding with his father and the bronze dragon. He hoped, someday, to have a dragon of his own, maybe even a bronze.

J'lan glanced at his son and grinned. Reaching over, he rubbed the top of the boy's head, messing his mop of black hair even more than it had been before. 'You'll have a dragon someday, Galen. I'm sure of it.'

[Kitsuneko]

Laila had grown up on a farm that raised a few herdbeasts as well as crops. Granted, her family's beasts had been used more for milk and studding than slaughter, but she had always had a bit of a soft spot for cattle and goats. Once her chores for the day had been completed, she often took to wandering around the Weyr, exploring what was supposed to be her new home, and today her wandering had taken her past the herdbeast pens that were kept for dragons' meals.

One large cow was standing beside the line of fence, grazing amiably, so she leaned over the fence to watch. She wasn't expecting the beast to approach her, but though all the herdbeasts were justifiably terrified of dragons, this one at least did not seem to have the same fear of humans. She timidly reached out to pet the cow's nose.

Chaos quickly broke out among the herdbeasts as a bronze dragon dived down to hunt. The cow Laila had been watching gave a startled snort and ambled away to join the rest of the alarmed herd--or at least the herdbeasts that had survived the dragon's hunt. Sure, Laila could be sentimental about the beasts, but she had to admire the bronze dragon as well. It was the first time she'd been able to get as close a glimpse at one of the big bronzes since she'd arrived; the dragons who had searched her and brought her to Trelis had all been blues or greens.

Of course, the candidate had noticed the bronze's rider as well; Laila was close enough to hear a bit of what he was saying--enough to know he was talking with his boy. She stayed where she was, though, not wanting to bother the bronzerider, and trying not to eavesdrop (not that she was hidden at all). She watched the bronze hunt and devour his kill, thankful that she was not a squeamish person. "He is pretty impressive," Laila said in a soft voice, though there was enough of a wind to possibly carry it further than she intended.

[Thorn]

J'lan heard the comment and grinned over at the girl. She didn't look much younger than Jisene, the girl that he and his Wing had brought back to the Weyr just over nine days before.

'Most of the bronzes are impressive, yes. Granzth is one of the older ones. I am J'lan, and this is my son, Galen.' His eyes watched the girl levelly, as he ran through the different candidates that had arrived recently, trying to think if he'd heard yet of this girl. Nothing came to mind, however, so she must be a very recent arrival.

'Papa, look out! Granzth is coming back!' Galen pulled J'lan down a couple of inches, just as the dragon flew past for another helping of the cows in the pen.

Granzth, mind how you go! You almost scalped us, that time!

I did no such thing, J'lan. When I have eaten these, I will be happy to sleep on the ledge just here.

You and that ledge! I wonder sometimes that you bonded with that ledge instead of me!

The bronze dragon fixed one large eye on J'lan, its facets swirling with amusement. I cannot bruise a ledge's chin, J'lan. Think of all the amusement that would have cost me if I had.

With that, the dragon returned to his meal, leaving J'lan to shake his head at the allusion to how the dragon often got him to stop working by tugging his chair out from beneath him. He'd lost count of the amount of blackened chins he'd ended up with.

[Kitsuneko]

Despite her best efforts, Laila jumped when the bronzerider spoke up, and a blush crept onto her face. She hadn't actually meant to actually address him, but now that she apparently had... "Pleased to meet you, sir. My name is Laila. I'm afraid I was only brought in as a dragon candidate very recently; I haven't met many residents of the Weyr yet." She gave a small, short curtsy to J'lan, and a moment later, bowed her head to acknowledge Galen as well.

Laila gave a gasp as the bronze dragon flew over their heads, and then went after the herdbeasts again. As the bronze returned to his meal, Laila sighed. "You must feel very lucky. I hope I'll have a dragon companion one day as well."

Not that she wanted, nor expected, a bronze, really; bronzes were for men and Laila wasn't sure it was even possible for one to bond to a woman. She certainly didn't consider herself the..."type" of woman who Impressed male dragons. Just because she didn't want a bronze herself didn't mean she couldn't feel a twinge of jealousy at the bond J'lan and his dragon undoubtedly shared.

[Thorn]

J'lan grinned at her. She was politer than Jisene was, that was for certain. Jisene had a habit of speaking her mind and damning the consequences. 'J'lan is fine, Laila. And I do feel lucky, for many reasons. Granzth is but one of them. This fine weather is another-it's not often we get such beauty in the rainy season.'

He stood and stretched, his shirt outlining his chest and, beneath it, the scars he'd received from Granzth the day of his hatching. Suddenly, Galen threw himself on J'lan from behind, and the rider laughed, a deep, booming sound as he twisted and caught the boy before he could slide off again.

'Galen, were you trying to make me jump again...?' The boy nodded, smiling happily, and J'lan promptly held him upside down, shaking him gently to make him laugh before setting him on his feet. 'Why don't you go and say hello to Laila, Galen...? You never know, she might tell you about life outside the Weyr. Make sure you ask nicely, though.'

Galen's eyes widened in wonder. He loved hearing about outside life! Turning his gaze on Laila, however, he hesitated. She was new, and he didn't know her yet... should he do as his father said...? Or should he leave Laila alone...? She seemed nice enough...

[Kitsuneko]

"J'lan, then." Laila nodded, though she shifted a little uncomfortably at addressing someone of rank so familiarly. She already knew the Weyr tended to be more relaxed about that kind of thing than her home Hold, but well, she supposed she wasn't used to it yet. A part of her still balked at not saying "my lord" or at least "sir". She glanced up at the sky and smiled. "Yes, it is pretty lucky it hasn't rained, isn't it?"

Then of course, young Galen was leaping onto his father from behind, causing Laila to burst into badly-stifled giggles. She stopped when she heard her name mentioned, though. She put a smile back onto her face for the child, though truth be told, that wasn't very difficult. "Hello, Galen. The only place I can talk about in detail is the area around Apolla Hold, but I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have." She stood, trying to look friendly and unimposing, and waited for Galen's response.

[Thorn]

Galen's eyes widened in happiness as he quickly looked up at J'lan, who nodded, grinning.

'Go on, then, Galen. Ask her something. But remember, be polite!' J'lan looked up at Laila, giving her a quick, grateful smile. Not many people paid attention to the children in the Weyr, and J'lan was one of the few that did.

He watched as Galen ran over to Laila, already asking numerous questions.

'Do you really not live in caves? And, and aren't bonded with dragons? Do you not have to clean out the dragons' latrines...?' He would have continued asking questions, but J'lan quickly intervened, stopping the continuous flow.

'Galen! One question at a time! Give her a chance, lad.' he chuckled as the boy attempted to look repentant.

[Kitsuneko]

Laila grinned at the boy's exuberance and curiosity. It had been a while since any of her younger siblings were quite that young; she had barely been more than a child herself by then, so she wasn't particularly experienced when it came to interacting with children on a child-to-adult level rather than child-to-child. She tried her best to be honest and welcoming, though, and besides, he was a pretty cute kid.

"Well, let me see...Let's handle those one at a time, alright? No, we don't live in caves...at least, I didn't grow up in one. Some parts of the main Hold are built into mountain caverns, but I grew up on the outskirts. Our houses were still built out of thick, solid stone, though, so we were kept safe from Thread." She shivered at the mention of Thread. She was still holdbred through and through, and she had hidden away in the stone buildings safely during Threadfall. She wasn't as brave and daring as some of the other Hold children, who would try to sneak glances out of the shuttered windows when the adults weren't watching closely enough. Hmm, that would be another thing she would have to get used to, if she planned to be a rider someday.

She smiled widely. "Nope, no dragons at all. No dragon latrine cleaning either, thankfully, though I think the herdbeast pens are almost as bad." She wrinkled her nose distastefully and then continued, "I think the closest we had to dragons at the Hold were a few people with fire lizards."

[Thorn]

Galen's eyes were so wide by this point that J'lan thought they might just pop out of the boy's head! He tried to keep from laughing at the sight-despite the boy's young age, he was already growing up fast. Too fast, as far as J'lan was concerned.

It wasn't that long ago that he'd had to care for Galen night and day, taking him almost everywhere with him-apart from the Threadfall. That was something he'd refused to do-it was far too dangerous.

He tuned back in to the conversation just in time to hear Galen say: 'I keep asking Papa for a fire lizard, but he says I'm too young for one.'

'Whoa, there, Galen, that's not what I said at all!' J'lan smiled ruefully as he joined the two. 'A fire lizard takes a lot of care and attention, almost as much as a dragon. What I meant was that when you were a bit older, you were more than welcome to have one, just not yet.'

Galen's face fell, and he sighed. Granzth, help me out here. He's latched onto the fire lizard argument again.

Granzth lifted his head and snorted at them, speaking so that everyone there could hear. Galen, if you can wash me from head to tail tip, then your father will keep the promise he's made before and let you have a fire lizard. But! And here he focused one eye on the young boy. You will have to care for it completely on your own, understand?

J'lan sighed in relief. It was a deal they'd discussed in the past, and Galen had agreed to it at the time, and it looked as if he was going to agree to it now-and then demand the chance to try.

'Yes, Granzth. Can I try now, Papa...? Please...?'

'Granzth is trying to sleep right now, Galen. Maybe later today.' J'lan sent a wave of relief filled gratitude to Granzth, which was followed by a wave of amusement from the bronze dragon.

[Kitsuneko]

Laila was amused as the watched the interactions between Galen and his father. She was a little surprised that they were so close; her parents had always told her that dragonriders didn't have "normal" families and that their children were raised by strangers. While she had seen enough to know that there was some truth to that, at least in some cases, there was clearly a great deal more diversity in the Weyr than her own family had guessed.

"I don't have a fire lizard, either. At least you're not alone." She would have liked to have gotten a pet, but well, once again, her upbringing worked against her. Her parents had discouraged their children from wasting time hunting for eggs, as they weren't exactly common where they lived, and they couldn't have afforded to buy any egg except the smallest of a green's clutch, which would have probably wound up being a dud, anyway.

Laila was astonished to hear the bronze dragon address her as well as Galen. She didn't know they could do that! Of course, he was really talking to Galen and not her, but it was still a surprise to her. She was sure it showed on her face. "I didn't know dragons talked to non-riders," she explained in a soft voice. She glanced at the large dragon with interest. "How long does it take to wash him?" It must have been a lot of work; she could see why J'lan used it to deflect Galen's pleas for a fire lizard. She doubted a five turn old was up to it.

[Thorn]

J'lan chuckled. 'It's not very common, but any dragon could do it if they wanted. Although, Granzth has said that it is easier to contact people that haven't been bonded yet, such as you and Galen. With some who's bonded, he can just speak to the person's dragon.'

He would have said more, only Galen chose that moment to wrap his arms around J'lan's leg. 'Papa, please, can I try...?' The boy stared up at him, his green eyes shining eagerly, and J'lan felt his heart melt.

The boy was just too much like his mother at times. J'lan sighed. 'That's up to Granzth, Galen. You'll have to ask him.' Ruefully, he rubbed the back of his head with one hand. Galen knew just the right way around him, unfortunately, whereas Granzth was a little firmer.

The dragon snorted his amusement and curled up tighter. He's your son, J'lan. Not mine.

[Kitsuneko]

Laila smiled. "That's interesting. It's not at all what I would have expected. I've been learning all kinds of new things since I came to Trelis." New colors, new customs, new people; it could all be overwhelming--and she didn't even have to deal with candidate lessons or dragon eggs, yet. Neither of the golds had even flown yet.

Bringing her mind back to the present, she watched Galen beg his father for a chance to wash a dragon by himself. She stepped closer to J'lan, and said in a soft voice so as not to let Galen overhear, "You don't think he could actually do it, at his age, do you? It seems like an awful lot of work, but he does seem pretty determined..."

[Thorn]

J'lan sighed. "No, he's too young. I'll likely give in later, but in the end it's Granzth he'll be bathing." His gaze flicked up to the relaxed bronze dragon on his ledge.

"Granzth will let him have a go, at least. The most he'll be able to do is half of his side, and even that would be a stretch. Still, each time he tries he gets a little more done. And to a better quality, too. By the time he's a candidate, he'll be an expert at washing a dragon's hide."

Galen frowned up at his father, and would have spoken if J'lan hadn't scooped him up without warning. He tossed the boy up, caught him so that he was upside down for a moment, and then sat him on his shoulders, making the boy laugh with delight.

"All right, Galen, you can try. But only when Granzth says you can, understand?"

"Yes, Papa!" Galen tugged lightly on J'lan's hair, making him wince slightly.

[Kitsuneko]

Laila nodded. "That makes sense. I guess he doesn't have you entirely wrapped around his little finger, huh?" she added with a hesitant grin. J'lan seemed easy-going enough to take a little teasing, but she had just met him...

She straightened her back, becoming a little more serious. "Actually, I think that's pretty clever, helping to train him to follow in your footsteps. He seems lucky to have a father like you." It was certainly a different type of relationship than she had with her own parents. She loved her parents, but they were quite serious, and very much overworked with so many children, especially when she and her siblings were younger.

[Thorn]

J'lan smiled at her. On his shoulders, Galen had dozed off, slumped so that his cheek was on top of his father's head. It always amazed J'lan how quickly the boy could fall asleep, and this was a perfect example of that quickness.

"My parents never wanted anything to do with me. As far as they were concerned, I was something that shouldn't even exist." His gaze moved up to Galen, fast asleep and, to J'lan's exasperation, already drooling.

"I don't want that for Galen. He deserves a proper childhood, even if his mother's not around."