Catching a Sunbow

Writers: Ambrosia, Jane
Date Posted: 14th April 2008

Characters: Dawtrey, Lineal
Description: Dawtrey makes acquaintance with Sungazer Captain Lineal and a gold firelizard
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 9, day 8 of Turn 4

"I'm sorry," the tall, good-looking man said hurrying up to the boy -
man, Lineal corrected himself, realising that the other's lack of height wasn't an indication of his age. "Her name's Sunbow," he said of the gold firelizard hovering in the other man's face, "and she thinks everybody's her friend."

Dawtrey drew back, nervous but fascinated at the flurry of wings and talons so near his countenance. He couldn't help but stare at the graceful creature as she twisted and dipped effortlessly in the air above him. Finally realizing he was being addressed, he tore his gaze away from the shimmering flit to turn to her master. "Oh, um, no problem, really." He paused, feeling he should say more. "In my experience, beasts of all sorts are friends. She's quite a sight."

"She _is_ pretty, isn't she?" He finally managed to get the little gold creature to settle on his forearm and then winced as she steadied herself with needle-sharp talons. "She's not mine; she's my wife's -
er - friend." Rahon had lectured him at length about not acting as if Sunbow was 'owned'. Impression, it seemed, even of firelizards, was not the same as ownership.

The corner of Dawtrey's mouth twitched with amusement. Though he was well-acquainted with all manner of runners and other beasts, he was not as familiar with the habits of firelizards. He tried to recall what he'd heard about these dragons-in-miniature. Despite his usual reticence with strangers (unless the talk centered around runners), he was curious about the golden queen. "So um, if I may ask, is your wife's friend trained to do her bidding - er uh, has she learned to convey 'favors' of friendship?"

"Luckily Sunbow is very clever," Lineal said, nodding at the firelizard as the little queen turned her whirling eyes on him, "and _tries_ to help out whenever she can. She's carried a few messages ... Mainly from one side of the riverboat to the other."

Dawtrey pushed his forelock away from his eyes, as he peered more intently at Sunbow. Now that he had enough distance so he could get a better look at her, he admired her well-balanced limbs and the faint dappling on her hindquarters... or whatever one called the backside of a fire-lizard. It reminded him of the colouring of a grey stallion his neighbor once had come cover the mares at his stable. Fine young runner, that one was. Even threw a well-muscled, nearly white mare, with dark eyes... Suddenly it occurred to him that he had again rudely let the conversation lapse.

He cleared his throat and twisted his lips into a half-grin as he looked back up as his conversation partner, quite a pleasant seeming man, it occurred to him suddenly. "So we needn't worry that they'll replace our Runners as messengers - either the two-legged or the mounted four-legged type. I'm pretty partial to the latter, y'see.
Spend most 'a my days with 'em. Name's Dawtrey, Jr. Journeyman Beastcrafter." He extended a work-roughened hand. "You work on a riverboat, y'say?"

"Indeed I do," Lineal said, taking the other man's hand. "The Sungazer," he waved a hand back towards the dock area.

Following the seaman's gesture, Dawtrey took in the magnificent craft. "That's some vessel you got there." He paused and thought for a moment. "Mostly passengers, or also trade?"

"The whole lower deck is cargo, but for the boilers and engines. The upper deck is passenger staterooms."

"Staterooms... those sound important." **Now that's kind of a dumb thing to say** he chided himself inwardly. But he had no idea where to begin with engines or boilers, whatever those were. Maybe had something to do with the steam, he guessed. Hoping to cover his ignorance of all things nautical, he continued, "So uh, do you get lots of int'resting passengers?"

"We get a range of passengers, from Holders to families of farm workers. Whoever needs to travel usually comes with us. The staterooms aren't particularly important, it's just what we call the rooms. They're not very big - compared to what you Hold and Hall folk are used to."

"Hnh," Dawtrey chuckled with another half-smile. "You haven't seen stableboys' barracks then I wager. 'A course, we don't spend much time there... the stable is our living room, and the outdoors is where our hearts lie. I've felt no greater joy, I don't believe, than that thrill of freedom as you race across a sea of grasses on a finely tuned young stallion, towards a horizon red with dawn."

Shards, what had gotten into him, going on like that? he wondered, looking away and trying to keep the red from rising into his cheeks.
Opening up to strangers like this, that wasn't his way... though this particular stranger had an air about him, that drew him in somehow, inexplicably. Still, the man probably thought he'd flipped his shell.
He thought fast.

"Prob'ly not so different from what it's like on the river, eh?" he glanced sideways up at the lofty captain.

"Probably more like being at sea," Lineal said, thinking that he did occasionally miss the wider horizons of his former life. "But the river's challenging in its own way."

"Perhaps I'll have to come along and try it out sometime, travelling by water," the young journeyman thought aloud. " 'Specially if it might mean getting a closer look at what your little gold friend can do!"

"Passengers are always welcome," Lineal said. "And who knows? We might need the help of somebody with some training experience in teaching her how to behave!"

Last updated on the April 17th 2008

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Catching a Sunbow