Morning sun cast a golden sheen upon the floor, and across Hellitamath's green face as she slumbered. With a grunt in complaint at the sudden light, she curled her neck around and buried her head under her wing. "Come on, up sleepy head! You've slept in for the past sevenday, I'd like to not be late today please." Rowe rubbed the top of her dragons head as she finished getting dressed.
Errgh, why do you not want to be late? You won't be if you hurry. You don't need me to leave the weyr with you, do you?
"No, not unless I'm going to walk home. I thought you wanted to meet my family?" Pulling on warm clothes, Rowe stopped to catch the sudden flicker of excitement that ran across the half-exposed face of Hellitamath.
We get to go to your house now? The green-white practically jumped up, almost whacking her head on the high ceiling. "Yes love, I've been talking about it for weeks and you don't remember on the day we leave? Maybe some of that forgetfulness that is spoken of in greens has leaked into your ears." Keel screeched her odd call in what could only be called a laugh as she fluttered from where she'd spent the night, wrapped up on Rowe's blankets. Roxy was still asleep in her padded bed by the door, oblivious.
If you'll excuse me I must go eat something before the trip! Hellitamath called in her usually perky voice as she shifted to the ledge. Spreading her wings, she leapt from the feeding grounds, trumpeting in joy on the way and scaring half the heardbeasts to the other side of the pen. "When are you going to learn that hunting is normally done silently!" Rowe called after her.
Having been up for at least three hours already, she'd already eaten and bathed. Because of her excitement of showing her parents the beautiful dragon that had chosen her, Rowe had only slept a few hours anyway. In the past she'd sent a few letters with Prynne, but she'd been careful about telling her parents what she'd Impressed. They knew she had in fact Impressed, and that it wasn't gold. Being her parents, they probably thought she'd Impressed a green, which wasn't exactly false. They'd just never heard of the more fantastic colors that existed. When they'd learned that there were white and black dragons on Pern, her father had thought that the person talking was lying while her mother had thought that it was some kind of illness that made them that color. Would they be surprised when they saw Helli!
Going home would only be the first step in a tour of Pern that Rowe and her dragon were to make before settling on a weyr. Rowe was still trying to find out the mystery of her past and she wanted to fly around to see if she recognized some of the older abandoned settlements. Where ever she was from, it wouldn't be far from where she grew up, according to the dreams.
Okay, all ready!
She jumped when Hellitamath broke into her thoughts, sitting eagerly in the door that connected Rowe's room to her weyr. "Geez, a little warning so you don't give me a heart attack, Helli." Rowe taunted. "Go out onto the ledge and I'll put on your straps. Hellitamath responded immediately, almost wiggling like Roxy when she was excited. With practiced precision, Rowe hooked on the flying straps and settled into her place, whistling for Roxy. The canine came after awhile, dragging her bed along with her.
I think she wants to take it with her.
A fellow canine breeder Rowe had met at this weyr had made that for Roxy, stuffed with wherry feathers and made from soft heardbeast hide. "Oh, I totally forgot about that! I hope it can be rolled up..." She unhooked herself and leapt down next to Roxy, taking the bed and rolling into a tight cylinder and tying it next to her bedroll. "There, safe and sound." Rowe re-mounted her dragon and again whistled for Roxy. Now experienced and used to riding a dragon, Roxy allowed Hellitamath to give her a lift up and jumped in front of Rowe. A number of people had helped make a riding harness for Roxy, a pair of atrocious goggles that worked like a charm and a cap like thing to keep her ears warm. She looked quite funny with them on but they all worked.
Keel and Prynne hurried to Rowe, hiding in her riding jacket as Hellitamath took off into the sky, bugling again. Rowe thought back to what her tiny home would look like, how Rukbat would be situated in the morning sky and sent the image to Hellitamath just before the jump between.
Your home is pretty, there are so many canines! Hellitamath exclaimed once they had come from between. "Yes, didn't I tell you what my father does for a living?" No, what does he do? Rowe chuckled as Hellitamath back-winged into a landing out of sight from the kennels, she didn't want to send the animals into a frenzy because of Helli, and she wanted her visit to be a surprise. "He breeds canines, hunting ones to be exact. Out here they don't get many dragons so people use them to seek out prey." Once unstrapped and her "helmet" and goggles has been removed, Roxy leapt with zeal off of the dragons back, Rowe sliding after her. The canine was full of excitement at being home, smelling familiar smells and some new, for they'd been gone awhile.
"Stay here Helli, I'll go up to the house and bring my parents to you." Rowe reached up and stroked Hellitamath's nose. "Keep your wings closed too, I want them to be very surprised."
Have they not seen a green-white dragon before?
"Nope, my parents were astonished to hear that your dam was black! We get very little news from the outside world here, my father would probably have a heart attack if he ever came across Falas."
I don't want to give your father a heart attack... Hellitamath murmured. "You won't, dearheart! I was only joking." By now Roxy whined from where she sat, at the exit of the little clearing they'd landed in. "I'm coming, keep your hair on." Rowe gave Helli a final goodbye pat on the nose before turning and heading toward the house. Once she was in sight, the kennels erupted in a barking fury, canines of all shapes and sizes scrabbled to get a view of the intruder. Roxy barked in return, her hackles rising. All the commotion sent Keel and Prynne between and caused the front door to be whipped open. "Who the ruddy hell...Rowe?" It was Reiss, looking disheveled and half-dressed. "Rowe! It's you!" Turning back into the house, he called for his wife and son. "Denasha, Rail, come see who it..." Before he could finish, Rowe had thrown her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Oh daddy, I missed you so much!"
Chuckling, he gave her a one-armed hug and said, "We've missed you too, dear." Roxy came pelting into the house, doing her unusual "dance" on her hind legs in joy. "Is that Roxy?" came a voice from inside. "That must mean..Rowie!" Railian tackled Rowe as soon as she released her father, lifting her up in a bear hug. "Rail, I can't breathe." she laughed. He set her down, grinning. "Wow, I can hardly believe you're here. It's been, what 5, 6 turns?" Rowe smiled back and looked over his shoulder as her mother came from the kitchen presumably, for she was wiping her hands on a towel. "I could have sworn I saw Roxy run into the garden..." she murmured before turning to see Rowe. "Ah! I knew it!" she exclaimed, hugging her foster-daughter. "I've missed all of you guys..." Rowe wheezed, being crushed again by her mother.
"Well, where is she?" Rail asked, sticking his head out the door. "Who- oh, you mean my dragon? I asked her to land in the clearing so she wouldn't send the kennels into an uproar. Come, she's very excited to meet you!" Gesturing out the door and setting hers and Roxy's riding gear onto the ground by the door, Rowe led her family around a line of trees where they set eyes on Hellitamath, her wings tightly clasped to her sides as Rowe had asked. "Oh my...she's beautiful!" her mother breathed as she gazed up into Helli's eyes, slightly glowing in the darker wood. "Sound dragon, she looks well exercised." Reiss said, his eye's sparkling. Rail narrowed his eyes and said softly, "She's a lot larger than any green I've ever seen." Grinning mischievously, Rowe told him, "That's because she's not your average green. Show them, Hellitamath." Rumbling with joy, Helli obediently spread her wings, showing them their pearly-white undersides. "A green with white wings!" Reiss practically shouted. "Rares are more varied than you would think, Daddy." Rowe smiled as Hellitamath lowered her head to be rubbed.
"I suppose, after Rail's black flit." he mother said, reaching out to stroke Hellitamath's shoulder. "May I?" The green-white turned to regard her with sparkling blue eyes, and dipped her head in consent. Denasha touched the soft hide, "It seems so rough to the eye, but it's like runner fur almost. Shells! I left dinner on the fire, let's get back inside before it's cold." She quickly shepherded her husband and son inside, looking back at Rowe. "I'll be in in a minute, let me get Helli settled."
Your family is nice, and very astute. the dragon preened. "Can you find a place to sleep out here? I think there is a nice hollow near the window to my room that would fit you, with soft earth." I will find a place, you go and visit. I know you've missed them. Helli rumbled and butted Rowe's shoulder gently with her muzzle. Kissing her goodnight, Rowe ran to the now brightly lit hold with Keel and Prynne, just recently returned from where ever they had hidden, trailing behind.