A Midnight Snack (2/2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Aaron, Halyonix, Shawna, Sia, Steel
Date Posted: 1st January 2026
Characters: L'leb, S'ros, T'thalin, Cirina, Aydhara, D'ltero
Description: Tymborikath's babies eat food for the first time.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 20 of Turn 12
}: Wait for me! :{ Helanth shouted at his blue brothers, unaware that they were fighting and not playing. When they were separated, he skidded to a stop, wings drooping. }: Oh, it’s not fun time? Boo. Okay, I guess I’ll eat then. :{
D’ltero, his rider, was hurrying to keep up in his shredded-robe-turned-makeshift-skirt. “Hold up, Helanth! Wow, you’re a ball of energy,” he called, grinning broadly. “Hi there, excuse us, just need a bucket of meat, yep, one right here, got it,” D’ltero added, giving a running commentary of everything as he tried to wrangle skirt and hatchling, while said hatchling hopped up and down in excitement. “Here we go, Hel boy. Eat up.”
Rath's attention was now turned towards his own bucket and the blue firelizard that had his head stuck in the bucket, inhale-gobbling his food with an urgency of a feline pretending it's never been fed. He squawked indignantly and rushed back towards the bucket. }: Stop stealing my food! :{ He wailed.
"Slate- no!" Aydhara grabbed the firelizard before Rath could reach him, hauling him up and over her head just in case the blue tried to hop. Slate shrieked indignantly and flailed uselessly in her hands, though didn't have the common sense to /between/ away.
“Aren't you hungry?” L’leb asked Aurelth as they finally made it off the Sands. He had waited with rapt attention while L’leb had done his best to get _some_ of the sand and snot off of his robe at the edge where the sand gave way to stone. The texture of the gritty grains on his hands in contrast with the slick wet of the ooze was fascinating, and Aurelth focused all his attention on the sensations. The weight of that Priority from the brown was like a quilt that had been stuffed gravid with tiny sunwarmed pebbles, a strong, toasty, pressing embrace atop L’leb.
Eventually, he simply decided to throw the robe away. It was not as though he needed it anymore. Unfortunately, there were still a few wet spots on his shirt where the goo had seeped through. Icky.
}:I am starving,:{ Aurelth announced far too cheerfully. }:But I was busy. Now we are free to continue. Look. My sisters and brothers.:{ He sauntered, maybe even prowled over, as though he were hunting the meat bucket.
Or was he hunting his clutchmates?
}:Fancy seeing you here,:{ he greeted Saejith, brushing his side against the blue with wings folded tightly atop him.
L’leb rushed forward, drumming thunkily on the side of his meat bucket. He was liable to get bitten if baby dragons reacted anything like other sharptoothed creatures when someone got too close to their food. And if these others were as impulsive as Aurelth.
}:Hello!:{ Saejith greeted Aurelth cheerfully enough, since it in no way interrupted his attempts to empty his meat bucket and fill his ravenous belly. }:This bucket is mine, but I’m sure yours can find you one.:{
Cirina was oblivious to anything but the blue as she patiently handed him one chunk of meat at a time, making him show her he’d swallowed and his mouth was empty before she offered the next, and not at all caring that her dress was becoming ruined at this point from the combination of sand, egg goop, ichor, and now blood.
}: Not mine! :{ Rath exclaimed. He hadn't been paying attention, really, but he was adamant that no one was going to take his bucket.
"Nobody wants your bucket!" Aydhara said. "The more dramatic you are, the longer it's going to take to actually _feed_ you!" With a protesting squawk, she stuffed Slate underneath one arm and reached for a fistful of meat to stuff in Rath's face.
Eventually she looked up and caught sight of D'ltero and snorted. "I hope you're wearing clean undies, Dal." She teased. "That robe is one slip away from showing way too much.”
“Oh, then, you _definitely_ missed the show on the Sands,” D’ltero said with a chuckle.
L’leb breathed a sigh of relief as the blue did not object to Aurelth’s invasion of space. Especially considering whom he belonged to.
}:Don’t worry, love. I won’t steal your food. See? My rider brought me some. L’leb-- look how Saejith’s rider feeds him so lovingly. Won’t you treat me so dearly?:{
“W-well, yes, of course!” L’leb immediately stuffed a hunk of meat into Aurelth’s gob.
}:Mm. Yes. Yes, this is delightful. Can you taste it? So… juicy and savory and salty and… just the right amount of squish and give" do you feel that on my gums? And the way it fills my belly. Absolutely exquisite. You'll try some, won't you?:{
“I can practically taste it now.” With as strongly as Aurelth was pushing his experience into L’leb’s own mind, he was not sure he could have avoided it-- though he expected it would not have been quite so enjoyable if he tasted it with his own tongue.
His eyes kept darting to Cirina. She would notice him eventually… but he decided it would be too awkward to try to get her attention now.
}:Oh? Saejith, my rider knows yours. He did not expect to see her here any more than he expected me, but his expectations are far too pedestrian. He should get ready for the unexpected.:{
}:Oh?:{ This brought Saejith’s head around to actually look at which of his siblings this was.
Cirina’s eyes suddenly jerked up, looking at L’leb finally, “What are YOU doing here?” Her tone was accusatory, as if she weren’t the one who actually didn’t belong. “Didn’t you go home to Leaky Lagoon?” It was called something like that.
“Er… Y-yeah.” What use was there in correcting her? “I was here visiting my brother, he-- he was… is? one of the technicians who helped build this place. His friend had a friend, and he Searched me again, and I just thought, you know, why not watch the Hatching from up close? Since I was going to be here anyway…”
}:And the rest is history,:{ said Aurelth to Saejith.
“You… don’t sound happy to see me. I was so excited for you when I saw you get your dragon.”
Cirina rolled her eyes, “We broke up, you decided you didn’t want to be a dragonrider anyway, and went home. It’s weird you’re here now,” she pointed out. Her smile returned when she looked back over to Saejith, “Yeah, look how perfect he is. We’re going to be the best pair.” She moved like she was going to hug the blue, then looked at her bloody hands and went back to feeding him instead. “You want to hurry up and feed your brown,” she advised. “We still have to get them cleaned up before they fall asleep on us, and they will.”
}:He should listen,:{ Saejith advised Aurelth, }:She's an expert; she's done this before.:{ Rather than sounding jealous, the blue sounded smug that he’d nabbed himself a rider with experience. }:She has a brown friend named Aeoluth whose rider got hurt.:{
L’leb quietly fed Aurelth another hunk of meat.
}:Be weird,:{ said the brown. }:I like it.:{
**I don’t think I have much choice.**
}:Good.:{
):Why are you all so determined to _fight_-- oh, you’ve stopped. Good.:( Roxarith said, turning his head to regard both Rath and Saejith skeptically. ):You should care more about your food, and not getting your riders in trouble.:{
T’thalin winced immediately. “Roxarith! L-leave them alone! We aren’t… aren’t in charge.” A glance at Aydhara. “... Sorry?”
}:Nonsense!:{ Roxarih huffed, nudging at him again. }:We are bronze. It is our duty to be a good example. You think so, don’t you?:{
“... Just eat.” T’thalin said, and fed Roxarith another handful.
}: You check yourself before you wreck yourself.:{ Rath called back. }: Or you'll be next, Roxarith.:{
"You better be sorry." Aydhara said. With a bloody fistful of meat and a trapped firelizard in her armpit, she didn't look all that intimidating, but Rath's adamance had her hackles rising, "Tell your stupid bronze to mind his own business."
}:Oh, I’d quite like to hear what he has to say next,:{ said Aurelth. }:Rath seems so aptly named, it makes one wonder where our names come from. Do we choose them? I don't remember.:{
“D-don’t remember? You’ve only just hatched,” L’leb muttered.
Aurelth made a very impressive imitation of a human shrug.
Roxarith's head snapped up, and he hissed.
“D-don't call Roxarith stupid!” T'thalin objected, stung despite himself as the bronze's affront flowed into him. “I'm-- We aren't th- the ones who caused a commotion!” He'd _apologized_ for Roxarith's intrusion.
}:How dare your rider insult mine!:{ Roxarith growled at Rath. }:Clearly the ones with wrecked manners is you and she! I only told you not to fight Saejith!:{
“Roxarith, _no_.” T’thalin blurted, insistent. “Don’t fight, you just told them not to fight.”
Saejith, confident he was doing nothing wrong as Cirina finished feeding him his bucket of meat, simply ignored Roxarith, since he couldn’t possibly be talking to him. He was, after all, a very good boy.
“Aydhara,” Cirina tried to distract her friend, “I don’t know where I can go to clean up. Can you point me?” She waggled blood stained fingers.
Rath growled. He would have bared his teeth, if he had any. Instead it was a much-less intimidating showing of gums. }: You wanna go? :{
"But you have to finish it, do you? Mind yourself." Aydhara said. The distraction sort-of worked, and she looked over to Cirina, confused. "Oh. Uh. The Weyrling Barracks, probably. Make S'ros take you. The lake is warm enough for them to bathe in, but a wipe-down with a bucket and a brush is probably enough until tomorrow."
S’ros appeared with a charming smile upon hearing his name.
“I can show you where to go!”
}:Go _where_?:{ Roxarith wanted to know. }:I am eating, and so are you. I do not want to leave Mine. He is Mine.:{
T'thalin winced, just a little bit. “Just… don't call Roxarith stupid.” He repeated. “We were… well. He was trying to help. … Sorry.”
"Good." Aydhara said, too forcefully. Rath snorted in agreement.
Last updated on the February 7th 2026