Sweet Dreams

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 16th April 2006

Characters: K'far, Firsa
Description: K'far visits the stables hoping to go riding, but Firsa isn'tin the mood
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 6 of Turn 3

K'far opened the stable door and was greeted by the smells and sounds of runners. Shards but he had missed that. He walked down the rows of runners, and smiled as Leaf leaned his head over his door, almost as if to greet the brownrider. "Well, hello there," he said as he reached out to rub the great snout affectionately. "Did you miss me? I brought you a treat."
Reaching into his pocked he pulled out a small redfruit he had lifted from the dinning hall and offered it to the runner. "You like these, now, don't you?"

The runner reached out and delicately lifted the redfruit from
K'far's palm, and then promptly bit it in two with a fearsome
*crunch!* Half fell onto the floor.

"You'll have to pick it up for him." Firsa had stepped out from her office and was leaning against the wall of Rainy's stall. There was straw in her hair and huge dark circles beneath her eyes, and she looked half smothered by the large, threadbare sweater she wore. "He'll complain otherwise."

"Well, we can't have that, now can we," he chuckled as he reached down for the piece of half eaten fruit. The brownrider looked over at her as Leaf mauled the piece already in his mouth. "You... forgive me for saying so but you look terrible. Everything all right?"

"Perfectly." Firsa smiled. "It's foaling season, remember? I was up all night with a cranky mare."

"And did she foal?" he asked curiously as Leaf took the second half from him greedily.

The Beastcrafter nodded. "One healthy chestnut colt, knobby knees and all." The little foals were especially dear to her; their long gangly legs and whiskered muzzles made her heart melt, and if she had the choice she'd watch them for candlemarks.

"Is he here?" K'far asked, his curiosity piqued.

Firsa pushed away from the wall and gestured for him to follow her. She led him down the length of the stables back into the cliff and stopped at a large box stall near the end. Inside, on a bed of fresh straw was a tired looking chestnut mare, her gawky colt at her side. She pricked her ears at their approach and the foal watched them through bright, curious eyes. Firsa smiled at the pair and wrapped her hands around the iron bars. "He doesn't have a name yet."

"Shards," K'far breathed. "I haven't seen one that small before," he admitted, a bit awestruck that handsome creatures like Leaf started out as small little gangly things with such large, curious eyes.

"His dam's small too, but he'll grow." The mare in question whuffed at the pair and turned to face them, turning her head slightly so that she could see them both properly. Watchful. "They grow quickly."

"Like dragons," he said with a nostalgic smile. "Torth wasn't so much bigger than him the day he Hatched."

"No, I imagine he wasn't," Firsa said quietly.

They were both silent for a moment as they watched the little runner as he explored the world around him with twitching ears, flaring nostrils and large roving eyes. "I suppose you're used to babies by now," he said breaking the silence.

"Only babies like this." Firsa's smile faded a little and she stepped back from the stall. "But you were here for a ride. I'll get Leaf saddled for you, but you'll have to ride alone. It's been a long night."

"Aw, don't worry about it," he said with a wave of his hand. "Today is obviously not a good day. I guess I was looking for human company as much as a ride."

"You sure you don't want to go out?" Firsa asked, a bit skeptical.

"Is it really so bad if I just wanted to talk to you?" he asked
turning to lean back against the stall door and look at her.

The Journeywoman sighed and rubbed a hand against her eyes. She was too tired for this sort of thing; K'far confused her. Was he what he said he was? Did it matter? "No. But I thought you wanted to goriding."

"I do. But I'd rather have company. Today is not a good day for
riding, obviously. But I'd love to have a chat. Maybe... I could help you somehow if you're busy?" Shards, but he just hated the lack of human company his life had enjoyed before all the rumors hadstarted flying.

"Unless you can sleep a few candlemarks for me, there really isn't anything to do around here except muck out stalls with the
apprentices. I'm going to bed. And it's early - won't your drills be starting soon?"

"Right," he said with a knowing nod. "Of course." Of course... "Just bad timing..."

Firsa yawned hugely and started back down the hall toward the exit. K'far made her feel like she was kicking a puppy. Or a foal. Half way down she stopped and turned. "Well? Aren't you coming?"

"Um... You want me to walk you back to the Weyr?" he asked, confused by her sudden reversal.

She snorted. So much for philanthropy. She was too tired for games. "Unless you want to walk back by yourself."

The brownrider didn't hesitate to push himself off the wall and fall into step beside the stablemaster. "So how many mares are ready to foal?" he asked, trying to make light conversation for the walk back, gratefully it wasn't a total brush off after all.

"Four of mine. Over two hundred in the feeding pens." As soon as he joined her, Firsa wished he'd go away. She quickened her pace; at least he was tall enough to keep up with her. "The latter mostly take care of themselves."

"I didn't realize the Weyr had so many runners," K'far snorted as he kept up with the journeyman. "What do we do with all of them?"

"Feed them to your dragons."

"Well, there is that," K'far nodded. "They do need to eat to fly Thread."

That was self-evident. And the conversation was banal. Firsa wondered if she could get away with asking him straight out if he'd killed Nineba, and if she did, if he'd tell her the truth... she stuck her hands in her pockets to keep them warm as they walked. "Most dragonmen don't ride runners after they Impress."

"Well, I wasn't planning on it myself," K'far chuckled. "I had never ridden a runner before. My head was full of only dragons when I was a boy."

"Why did you start?"

"A hold-bred candidate girl with fiery red hair named Eilali," the brownrider said with a slight smile. "She wanted to ride runners with someone, and I wanted to impress her. I failed miserably."

Firsa arched an eyebrow. "At riding, or impressing women?"

"Riding for sure, and certainly _that_ woman. But by the time I
finally gave up, I realized I really liked riding, for all that I was terrible at it."

"I guess that's why you fell off," Firsa said dryly.

"Oh yes. At first I couldn't manage to stay on long before
practically killing myself," he laughed. "But I think I've improved a little since then."

"Perhaps. Those cuts on your cheek have healed quickly," she said, casting him a sidelong look. When he'd come back from the stables the night that Nineba had been there, he'd was late and said the scratches happened when he fell off Leaf.

"Well, they weren't so deep," he shrugged, suddenly reminded of that night as well.

"Ah." They reached the entrance to the Weyr, which was a good thing since Firsa didn't know what else to say. She stopped and hid a yawn behind her hand. "Well, this is where we part company. Have a good rest of your morning, K'far."

"And sleep well to you, Firsa," he said with a nod. "Thank you for the walk. Sweet dreams."

His voice followed her up the stairs and all the way to her weyr
door. Firsa paused with her hand on the knob. Sweet dreams... but
maybe not yet. K'far's wasn't the only voice that rang in her head. Nineba's diary sang a siren song all of its own. Sweet dreams. She wondered if he'd ever said that to Nineba, and shivered.

Last updated on the April 18th 2006

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Sweet Dreams