Riverside Egg Hunting

Writers: AL, Sia
Date Posted: 30th September 2025

Characters: Aydhara, Meledei
Description: Aydhara and Meledei go hunting for firelizard eggs
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr, Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 7, day 4 of Turn 12

Aydhara

Aydhan heard a rustle. She looked up from the latest batch of hidework on tithe supplies. It wasn't Tymborikath or Avicath settling on the ledge-- Avicath was getting his forced fitness routine and Tymborikath was out watching the boats again.

Then she heard it. The faintest chitter. A familiar, irritating chitter.

She realized that her stupid trash lizard wasn't trying to gently pet her as she worked. She thought, for the briefest moment, that the darn thing was pulling items out of the trash again (hence his name) but there were as yet no wrappers littering her floor. He always owned up to his misdeeds by delivering them straight to her.

Then she heard the creak of cupboards and the shushing noises of a person. She rose from the desk and crept out into the main living area. Sure enough, her brown firelizard was hunched on the stone countertop, wings puffed. And directly next to Dingus, was Aydhara, caught in the act of stealing a bottle of wine from the cabinet. Slate sat on her shoulder, wings also half-unfurled and chittering, prepared to defend his person.

"Have you ever considered that you could probably steal wine from the Lower Caverns?" Aydhan asked.

"It's usually at this point that I do." Aydhara replied.

"And why do you need an entire bottle of wine right at noontime?"

Aydhara looked chagrined. "Because Meledei will be here soon and it's evening there. We're going out looking for firelizard nests."

Aydhan looked momentarily surprised, then smiled. "I think you know more people across the southern continent than I do. Here." She pulled out a much smaller bottle and passed it over, taking the larger one from Aydhara's hands. "She's already coming to get you, she doesn't need to drop you off again, completely sauced right before dinner. And grab some snacks from the kitchens, at least."

"Oh. Sure. Thanks." Aydhara looked at the bottle. "I better get going, she's going to be here soon."

Aydhara did have a small basket of snacks to go with the wine by the time Meledei arrived. She'd been on the lookout for Elleth's teeny form. "Welcome to Barrier Lake!" She said cheerily, "Have you been before?"

Meledei hadn’t even had a chance to dismount when the young woman greeted her. A grin spread over the face of the goldrider as she unlaced her straps before sliding down to the ground. “Hi Aydhara! No, I haven’t. It’s my first time.” And she was going to go firelizard hunting. That right there would be an adventure, even if she didn’t find any. “Are we sticking close to the Weyr?”

Aydhara frowned a little, thoughtfully. "Do you _want_ to stay close to the Weyr? We can do a quick tour before we go, if you want. I forgot that you transferred back from the North. Barrier Lake probably wasn't high on the list of places to quickly visualize, huh? We're too far South for firelizard nests right now. I was thinking close to Sunstone Seahold, or the beaches along the old River Bluff Ruins."

“Honestly, we can stay close or explore elsewhere. I’m pretty open. You’re the guide, so just tell me what we’re going to do.” Meledei gave orders when necessary, but to be a good dragonrider, one had to know how to receive them. Aydhara was the leader in their little adventure, and she was happy to go along for the ride.

"Why don't we do the riverside along Emerald Falls?" Aydhara asked. "You would know a good spot since that's your area, right? I feel like I've been beachcombing the entirety of Sunstone Seahold and Jade Harbour. A change of scenery might be nice!"

“That sounds like a great idea to me!” Craning her neck, Meledei glanced up at the sun’s position. It was around half past noon there, if she were to guess, and Dolphin Cove was about seven hours ahead. “Go get dressed for /between/, and then we can go!” Fortunately, the next day was a rest day, and Meledei had a feeling she was going to need to sleep in.

*****

The two blinked out of /between/ over a large river of deep blue, with silver-gold dancing over the surface from where the rays of the sun fell upon it. It reminded Meledei of the colour of Elleth’s hide. Angling down toward the ground, the creature in question landed upon the bank where the sinewy line of water cut through large swaths of trees, and settled comfortably into its bed. There, the river ran slow, but steady, and Meledei studied the surface with a knowing eye. It looked slow, at least, but beneath, the waters were likely moving far more quickly and powerfully than one would expect. If anyone were to suggest a swim, she would advise against it.

Undoing the straps, Meledei swung down from her lifemate and offered Aydhara a hand for assistance if she desired. Around them, some of the sounds of the forest had quieted with the arrival of the dragon, but soon enough, once Elleth settled down, they would return in full force. “I elected not to go too close to hold.” She explained once Aydhara was on the ground. “A visiting dragon attracts too much attention.” Especially a gold.

"Good call." Aydhara said. She didn't _need_ a hand down-- she was used to climbing all over Avicath, who was much bigger and rounder than Elleth-- but she took the hand anyway. "Your adoring fans would scare the firelizards away. They like the sandy areas, or soft soil. Amidst the brush too, I think. Anywhere they can bury them and keep them hidden from predators and firelizard hunters."

“And it’s nicer for us too.” Although Meledei loved people, she didn’t always need a swarm surrounding her. That wasn’t the cas eat Dolphin Cove, or necessarily anywhere else, but Weyrs, in general, had a lot of people. Sometimes, it was nice to get away to somewhere quieter, that that place certainly hit the spot. “How often do you go hunting for firelizards?”

"As often as I can. Or, not often enough. Depends on the day." Aydhara said brightly. "When someone can take me. Dad found our first clutch of eggs and he's been busy caring for his gold and Mom's brown, and getting all that weight off Avicath before Mom's dragon rises…" She paused for a moment, realizing she'd been rambling. "Casmari's indulged me a few times, but we didn't do a lot of firelizard hunting."

“Ah, your father wants to make sure his dragon catches your mother’s?” Meledei glanced over at the young woman, an eyebrow arching upward. Dragonflights meant that even if you were with someone in a relationship, there might be a time you were intimate physically with another. When caught in dragonlust, you weren’t exactly yourself, and it was simply a part of being a Rider. Outside of that, however, Meledei desired faithfulness, but that was also something that wasn’t as common in the Weyr. When a flight was over, it was supposed to be over. Had she been in a relationship with someone, she would have left as soon as it ended. However, previous partners didn’t want to hold to that. So be it. If she couldn’t have someone who didn’t love her enough to make that choice, it wasn’t worth having. “Does Avicath not chase other dragons?”

Aydhara shrugged. "Nah, it'd look bad if his fat dragon couldn't keep up with all the other bronzes. Avicath's won before, but I think it's less than what Dad says. I don't think he's winning a lot of green flights, but honestly I don't look up to go check. Every so often one of them comes to the barracks to bother us and it's obviously because the other one is _indisposed_, but it's been a lot less since we've moved. Mom must be busier than she thought as a 'Second and the women must have better standards here than at High Reaches." She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows back, clearly teasing and not griping about her parents.

Meledei smirked and shook her head. From the get go, Aydhara made a positive impression on her, and she hoped the woman would someday Impress. Maybe even a gold - and not just because her mother was a goldrider and her father a bronze. “But he’s working on things so he can catch his Weyrmate. Good for him. Now…” She paused, her eyes darting about and looking for a good spot where a firelizard might lay eggs. “You’re the firelizard master here. Where do we start?”

Meledei would eventually learn that she was the only one who wished a gold dragon for Aydhara. For now, though for now Aydhara pretended to flip her hair at the flattery. "Let's try along the riverbank. Keep an eye out for any turned up sand or soil. They like to bury them more than the dragons do."

Last updated on the October 3rd 2025

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Riverside Egg Hunting