Boldly Go

Writers: Halyonix, Len
Date Posted: 14th January 2025

Characters: S'vin, Katora
Description: S'vin Searches Katora
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 3, day 1 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned Chioneth

The caravan was stopped at Amber Hills Hold for the sevenday to restock and trade. Katora looked forward to not being on the road for a few days, mostly because she wanted a proper hot bath, but mostly because she had heard of the runner stock here and how good it was. Her father had promised her a runner soon -- why not now? She was sixteen and going out more with patrols, learning how to hunt wherries -- she could do all of that better on her own runner!

She knew it probably wasn’t going to happen during this stop. But she could at least look at the runners and get an idea about which size she wanted, right?

With the boxes unloaded and opened for the residents to see, Katora sat back and let the adults begin their bargaining. One of Katora’s aunts had set up her jewelry wares -- wrapped wire around semiprecious stones. These were always a hit with the women and men looking to court a lover. Katora took notice of which boys approached and which stayed away. _She_ wasn’t looking to be courted but it was certainly fun to flirt with the single ones while they were there for the sevenday.

The bustle of business paused briefly as a blue dragon landed on the other side of the courtyard. Because everyone didn’t suddenly flock to its side, Katora figured that dragons were pretty frequent to Amber Hills. Dragons didn’t have business with Traders, not usually, and if one of them did, they were going to talk to the head of the caravan. So she was content to sit on her box and watch it from afar. Hopefully it didn’t spook the draybeasts.

S’vin slapped his gloves on his thigh after he loosened the riding straps. They had just been here a sevenday ago, but Kadeth wanted one more look. ** what do you think?** There weren’t many clustered about them, but after the barrage of Searchdragons that had already been here, it was no surprise.

}:I feel…something:{

**Yes?**

}:Stay on me:{ With a funny half hop, half glide, Kadeth moved closer to where a caravan had set up shop.

"Hey! Watch the wings!" one of Katora's aunts cautioned the approaching dragon. "Tamo, move that box over there so it doesn't trip. Where's it going?"

"Never seen a dragon interested in jewelry," someone else quipped with a laugh. "You've got yourself all kinds of customers, Merla!"

Katora slipped off her box to help one of her brothers roll back some large weavings before the dragon stepped on them. "Aren't they supposed to be...obedient or something? Aware of how big they are?" she remarked dryly to her brother. Dragons had never bothered the caravan's wares before. Why was it so interested in them now?

}:There!:{ Kadeth stuck his nose in the girl’s face.

S’vin looked down at the tall child. “Fancy Standing for that gold egg?”

Other girls would have screamed at having a dragon so close to them. Katora, though _keenly_ aware of the dragon's size, stared right back at those jeweled eyes, bravado covering her fear. One of her brothers came to stand beside her, boosting her courage threefold. "A gold egg?" he asked as Katora took in the dragon's features.

"Chioneth has laid a gold egg," S'vin told the man as he slid down Kadeth's shoulder. "My blue here thinks you might be a good choice for the little queen."

Katora turned her gaze towards S'vin. Her expression was intensely thoughtful, even as her brother babbled on excitedly about the honor and how she should take it. "A dragonrider in the family would be a big boon!" he pointed out. Katora looked back at Kadeth, still so close, as she continued to mull it over. More of her family began gathering, with her brother relaying the dragonrider's words. She'd always loved being a Trader. The open road called to her. But the sky? She hadn't thought of that. Voices swirled around her, pinging at her thoughts but it all boiled down to the flutters in Katora's stomach, the feeling that this was the start of something, the seed, the opportunity for more.

Should she do it?

Boldly, she placed her hand on Kadeth's snout. It was softer than she thought it would be! As she looked into those faceted eyes, she decided to pursue those flutters, that feeling that she should see where this adventure would lead. "I accept," she said, clearly and calmly. Belatedly, she realized she probably should have asked her parents for permission but when she looked over at them, they were beaming at her words so she figured she didn't need to ask now.

Katora turned back to S'vin. "When do I need to be at the Weyr? The caravan doesn't travel that way much and I don't have a runner." Yet. That would have to wait for longer now. Maybe never. But what was a runner compared to a dragon? No, she was getting ahead of herself. Weren't plenty of Candidates left without a dragon after each Hatching? Chances were it'd be her.

"I've been taking a few back with me as I go. It's important to get all the girls that have been Searched to the Weyr as soon as we can so you can get the right amount of candidate training before the egg hatch."

Kadeth crooned and his eyes whirled green. }:She's a good one, I like her.:{

"Kadeth says you're a strong choice for our gold egg."

"So now?" Katora asked, even as her brother pushed her forward a little bit. She shot him a sharp look but she noticed someone else darting off, presumably on a mission. Even before the dragonrider answered her, the adults were pushing her to go then, eager to have her start this new chapter. "I guess now," she said to herself, looking around as family kissed the top of her head, ruffled her hair, touched her shoulder. A cousin thrust a bag of clothes into her hands. She hefted it over her shoulder. Bravely meeting S'vin's eyes, she said, "Then we go."

“Okay then.” He grinned back to her, “I was about your age when I Impressed this little guy here.” He patted Kadeth, and then lead out a hand to help the girl up. Turning to her parents, he asked, “Will you be staying here for a bit or moving on? I can try to find you and bring you to the Hatching, if you wish to go.” He had a strong feeling about this one.

Katora did not agree wtih the dragonrider's assessment of little, given that the dragon could have easily bitten her in half. He must be saying it as a joke, she decided as she used his hand to get onboard. It was her first time riding a dragon and it felt uncomfortable, like he was just a shade too large for her legs. Would her own dragon feel this way?

"We'll be heading south towards Opal Cove," her father answered. "Passing right past the Weyr, actually! Katora, you send Bark to us and if we're close enough, we'll race some runners out. Or maybe we'll just park at the Weyr for a sevenday in case. Wouldn't want to burden you, rider. You've got important things to do."

With that the small blue took to the sky. S'vin glanced down at the family, hoping they'd be able to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last updated on the January 25th 2025

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