"Watch where you're flying Kel!" Kassandra shouted over the whipping wind as her dragon, Kelekonath, dove straight into a large pack of weyrlings preforming maneuvers.

Why? They'll move, I'll make 'em! She let out her whistling bugle, almost like a shriek as she dove. "Agh! Can't you make your dragon even bugle right?" the other weyrlings shouted as the plowed though. "Sorry!" she shouted back. Kassandra even caught a few of the complaints from the dragons. She could hear all dragons speaking, whether they wanted her to or not. It was her "gift". Kelekonath dropped into a shaky landing spiral and shrieked again to get the Weyrlingmaster's dragon to move.

Kelekonath, Kassandra, come see the Weyrlingmaster immediately! he bellowed. Kassandra quickly dismounted Kelekonath, her face burning. The whole class stopped as they approached the Weyrlingmaster.

"Kassandra, you have to keep your dragon under control. She should do exactly what you tell her to do in flight." The green-blue snorted and rolled her eyes at this and pawed the ground like an anxious runner. "I'm sorry sir, she said that she knew what she was doing." Kassandra quickly tried to explain and went off on a long, nervous babble until Kelekonath gently butted her shoulder with her nose.

He's not mad at us, Kassie. He's laughing!

When Kassandra looked up, the Weyrlingmaster was chuckling softly. "Don't worry, child. Many a dragon has taken off with many a weyrling, I was only giving you a hard time! Don't take criticism so seriously." Being trained to take every bit of criticism and every observation of her form in her weapons mastery training as if it were critical, this was a hard concept for Kassandra to grasp. "Now, let me get to the real reason I asked you to come here. I've been listening to your dragon when she bugles, and I've noticed that it hasn't matured to a full, loud trumpet. You should go see the dragonhealers about this right after class." "Does that mean that there could be something wrong with her?" she asked worriedly. He shook his head, "No, no...she might just be a late bloomer. But I won't just give you the rosy side of it now, she could be partially mute. Some dragons can still make a whistling noise and maybe a low roar when they have this condition. It's not life-threatening, nor will it impede her ability to fight Thread, we just always like to know about the dragon's health and if there are any genetic defects."

How dare you accuse my mother and father of having bad genes! You, of all people should know that they are among the best this planet has to offer!

Kelekonath shouted this at the top of her mind-voice for all to hear. Kassandra covered her ears out of reflex, astounded. She never knew of such fierce loyalty in her green-blue."I didn't mean any insult to your parents!" the Weyrlingmaster shouted back. Still angry, the green-blue stamped about, roaring her muffled roar, eyes whirling a fiery red-orange. "Calm down! Just fly to the Healing hall." Kassandra urged. Without looking back, Kelekonath took off, flying just as angrily as she felt.

Once at the Healing hall, Kelekonath had calmed down enough to see that the Weyrlingmaster meant no harm, and lay with her mouth wide open so that the masterhealer could do his work. "Well, from what I can see, she is about half mute. One of her vocal chords is paralyzed." He took a step back, rubbing his hands on a cloth. "You can close your mouth now." With a relieved sigh, the green-blue closed her mouth and worked her jaw to relax the muscles. "Is she going to be this way all her life?" Kassandra asked, fighting to keep from wringing her hands. "Can you tell how it happened?" The healer sat down at a desk and began writing something down as he spoke. "Well, it could have been that way from birth, it could be cause by a traumatic injury to the neck......or it could just be something she'll grow out of." He looked up and smiled. "But it's nothing to be too concerned about, if she grows out of it or not. There are many dragons who are mute, just as there are many people who are."

Ask him if I could pass it on to my offspring. "She wants to know if it could be passed on to her children." He shook his head. "It's not genetic, it's just a fluke happening. Like I said, she could grow out of it...or it could get worse and make her totally mute." "Thank you for you time." Kassandra shook his hand and left with Kelekonath up to their weyr."

So I'll never be able to bugle right?she asked forlornly. "Like the healer said, you won't pass it on and it's nobody's fault." Kassandra was sprawled on the bed, looking at an upside down Kelekonath.

I know, but I still feel...different. Like I guess what you must feel.

"See? This makes us all the more alike." Kelekonath let out a mock shudder.

I'm more like you? Maybe there is a problem.

"Kelekonath!" Kassandra sat up and threw her pillow at the green-blue who knocked it back with her fore paw, whistling what could only be considered as a laugh.