Empty Sands

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 13th September 2007

Characters: T'mahl, E'naer
Description: T'mahl tells E'naer the news of their Impressed candidates at Dolphin Cove Weyr.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 8 of Turn 4

"I just received an update. It seems our Impressed Candidates have settled in well at Dolphin Cove." T'mahl handed the greenrider the rolled hide. He knew his Third would like to have news of their former charges. Of all the Weyrling staff, it had seemed E'naer had been around the longest and had known many of them well.

E'naer nodded and took the hide, reading it thru. "I'm surprised how many of them impressed and who did and who didn't," he commented.

"Yes, so was I. I hope there are no hard feelings between them and those left Standing." T"mahl could only imagine the grief of being left on the Sands. It was a pain he had been lucky enough to never experience.

"I hope so too. Some of the Dolphin Cove's own candidates may feel like ours were stealing their dragons. Especially since some of our lads impressed bronzes," E'naer said.

"Only the one," T'mahl pointed out on the list of Candidates now training under Dolphin Cove. "But several browns. It's a pity. We could have used them here."

"Yes, " E'naer said thoughtfully, "Naemor, N'mor impressed the bronze.
And he was first one to hatch. Quite a feat. He's young lad, how he managed to get into to the group sent to Dolphin Cove hold? They were supposed to be older candidates?" he asked.

"He had... special circumstances. It hasn't been easy for the boy after his father died. He's had some family trouble. He thought a change might do him good. It seems he was right." Though T'mahl now regretted the loss. N'mor would make a fine bronzerider. It saddened him that he would not teach him. Especially with the lad so young. He could have helped him through some of the tougher issues of Impressing a bronze at such an age.

E'naer nodded. "I remember the Headwoman mentioned some hassle between him and some other candidate. I had to pull few of them aside, obvious green- and blueriders, and give them a lecture of what is proper and what is not. Just because you're in weyr, doesn't give you a permission to harrass people who doesn't want your attention. I pointed out at there are enough willing partners, so they can leave alone those who don't want advances from another male."

T'mahl nodded. He had heard that story too. "Hopefully he will fit in smoothly." Afterall, he was going to be a weyrling for some time. It wasn't always easy.

"Yeah," E'naer grunted.

The Weyrlingmaster sighed as he looked down at the list on the table between them. "Shards, E'naer... If a gold doesn't rise soon..."
Dragonsfall might find themselves in the same predicament Dolphin Cove is in - fifteen-Turn-olds going off to battle Thread. Some of them too young even for their dragons to mate for the first time.

"Maybe if we kindly asked the golds to mate..." E'naer said, half joking, half serious.

T'mahl snorted. "If bronzes had any sway over gold's cycles they would have both risen by now. Twice at least."

"And River Bluff weyr has a gold egg..." E'naer said bit enviously.

"I'd settle for _any_ egg at the moment," the bronzerider sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "I don't know how much longer we can go without replacing the riders we've lost. Soon you and I will be in the sky, E'naer." The very thought made his palms start to sweat.

**Would that be so bad?** E'naer wondered. Outwards he just shrugged.

Last updated on the September 13th 2007

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