Cooling Off

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 21st June 2007

Characters: Traelyn, U'kaiah
Description: Trae and U'kaiah take time to play in the snow
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 27 of Turn 4

His back was to her. Foolish. Very, very foolish... Grinning, Traelyn
gathered the soft, fluffy snow in her hands, packing it into a decently
large ball. He was too trusting. He should know better--especially
with her! And before U'kaiah could get the chance to turn around and
see what her devious plan was, she threw the snowball, hitting him
square between his shoulderblades.

"Oh, you're in for it now, Weyrwoman," he grinned, spinning around to
face her. "And you've got no Nyith to protect you out here!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared. You've got me shakin' in my boots!" she laughed,
scooping up another pile of snow and backing away from him, dark eyes
gleaming with mischief. This was exactly what she had needed today: a
chance to get out of the Hatching Grounds for a little while and
just...play. It was almost as if she was five Turns old again as she
threw all her cares to the cold wind whipping around them. It wasn't
something she got to do often. And it felt sharding good.

"You're just a little piece of Thread to me," he growled, eying her as
he reached down for a mound of snow.

"A little piece of Thread can still burrow," she taunted, circling
around him.

"But every Thread must _die_!" U'kaiah lifted the mound over his head
and chased after her, laughing.

With a shriek, she tore away from him. Snow flew up behind her as she
scurried as fast as she could across the slippery surface. Ducking
around, she threw her own snowball blindly, hoping that the male grunt
she heard signaled her success. "C'mon, U'kaiah! Is that all you got?
Just threats?"

"Oh, you're in for it now!" he grinned wrapping his arms around her and
pulling her to the ground.

Snarling playfully, she rolled him over until she was on top. "You
know, you keep saying that to me! You have yet to actually _hit_ me
with a snowball."

"Stop thinking small," he chuckled, rolling her over. It was way too
cold to be laying in the snow, especially since she was wearing his
wherhide jacket! Picking up a large handful of snow he threw it
straight in her face.

"Shards!" she yelped as the ice stung her cheeks. And here she thought
her face couldn't be any colder! She whipped her head from side to
side, blinking blearily up at him, lashes dripping with melting snow.
"You son of a tunnel snake," she growled, burying her hands into the
snow at her hips and bringing them up, rubbing all of the white stuff
into his dark curls.

"Do you know _nothing_ about playing in the snow?" U'kaiah pulled up
another mound of snow in one hand with a wicked grin. With the other he
reached for the top of her collar and began stuff in the snow inside.

Writhing, she shoved him over onto his side and took advantage of his
surprise to straddle his hips tightly. "I know enough!" she gasped with
a laugh, imperiously piling snow on top of him--and stuffing his face
like
he had so devotedly stuffed hers.

"That's the spirit!" he sputtered, reaching up to tickle her sides.
Shards, that snow was cold sliding between the buttons of his shirt.

More laughing gasps erupted from her, and she blindly tried to capture
his hands in hers to still the awful torment. "_U'kaiah_!"

He did not give up his attack. "How is it I'm the one with my back in
the snow, my jacket on _you_, and yet I'm still winning?"

With a desperate swiftness, Traelyn finally caught his hands, pressing
them tightly against her ribs. "I'm far from losing!" she panted,
staring, riled, down into his eyes. "I only lose if I give up, and I'm
not giving up!"

He narrowed his eyes as a slow, appreciative smile spread across his
face. She certainly had a lot of spirit. That was what really made a
goldrider. "You lose when I decide you lose." With a quick twist of
the wrist he reversed their positions and had her hands his grip.
Rolling her over, he pinned her body under the weight of his. Lifting
her arms over her head, crossing them at the wrist, he locked them with
one large hand while the other reached for another fist full of snow.

"Don't you dare," she growled softly, dark eyes gleaming with fire as
they flickered from his hand to his face. "I'm warning you,
Uzrakaiah..."

"What do you think you can do to me, Traelyn?" he asked, eyebrow raised
challengingly.

The use of her full name startled her, warmed her, and she bared her
teeth at him in something vaguely resembling a grin. "I can do many
things to you, love." The soft, suggestive words were out of her mouth
before she could stop them, and she clamped her jaw shut, muscles
tightening. Shards and shells...

U'kaiah really didn't know what to say to that. Was she joking? Or was
she being serious? Shards, they had been joking around like old times
one moment, everything seemingly back to normal, and now suddenly
everything turned confusing once again. Before they could fall into
another awkward silence, he summoned up a chuckled as the fist full of
snow was rubbed into her hair. "Do something about _that_, 'love'."

Forcing a grin, she pushed his hands away from her. "I'm going to catch
my death if you keep doing that!" She had seen that flicker of
recognition in his eyes. That confusion. Shards, why had she said
that? What on Pern possessed her to do it, especially when they were
trying to sharding re-establish where they stood with one another?

He was about to say something when they were both blasted by a gust of
snow as Kalamath backwinged beside them. "Shards, that went right in my
ear," U'kaiah laughed as he got to his feet. Reaching down,
he helped her up. "He says he's full and he wants to go back down to
our weyr. Do we want a ride?"

"Of course we do! It sure beats tramping through even more snow!"

He vaulted up onto the bronzes neck and reached down to give her a hand
up. "Come on, you can take a nice hot bath to warm up."

"That'll be nice," she murmured against his neck, grasping onto his
waist when Kalamath suddenly launched himself from the ground into the
gray, snowy skies. Despite the fierce winds determined to blow him off
course, the bronze's descent and landing were quite controlled, and
Traelyn let out a sigh when the shelter of the weyr enveloped them in
warmth. "I can't wait to get into that steaming bathing pool of yours,"
she told him with
a lazy smile as she slid down Kalamath's side.

"At least you had a bit of protection from the cold," he said rolling
his eyes as he pulled the wet tunic up over his head. Luckily the shirt
under it had kept him warm, if not completely dry.

She gave him an impish look as she shrugged out of his thick wherhide
jacket. "Thank you, U'kaiah." Reaching over, she hung the jacket on
one of the spare pegs to let it air out. Sighing again, she
stretched, then tilted her head to the side to crack her neck. Wincing,
she placed a hand to the straining muscle, and her eyes fluttered open
in
shock. "Oh, shards!"

"What?"

"I sharding lost my necklace." Her hands fumbled down her body,
searching for any hint of the silver chain or pendant. Then she checked
her pockets, and then the pockets of U'kaiah's jacket. Nothing. She
turned to look out beyond the opening of Kalamath's weyr, the muscles in
her jaw tightening once more. "It must've fallen off when we were
rolling
around out there. Shards."

"This time I get to wear this," he said, taking the wherhide coat from
her hands. "Go ahead and get warm. I'll find it for you before it gets
dark." Besides, he had a feeling he could use the time to think.

Last updated on the July 1st 2007

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Cooling Off