Notes on Impression (2/2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Corrin, Duskdog
Date Posted: 11th March 2026
Characters: M'kadja, N'dhavi
Description: The correspondence of two holdless-turned-dragonriders
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr, Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 20 of Turn 12
Notes: Happens over the course of several days.
N’dhavi’s letter went unanswered for several days as M’kadja hurried from feeding to washing to oiling to sleep, all according to the rhythm of his hatchling’s needs. There wasn’t much room in his life or his thoughts for anyone but him and Melciroth. His brilliant, beautiful, bold Melciroth. He’d reached a level of devotion and distraction that would have frightened him if he’d only understood it before Impression, but now that he was in its grips he hardly thought to question it. Not with Melciroth looking to him with utter trust and… love. Not when M’kadja could feel the truth of it.
It was over a sevenday before he remembered to write.
It was after the last feeding and shortly before bed. The small window when M’kadja wasn’t in class, or caring for Melciroth, or soused on sensations of sleepiness from his new bond. He’d refound his brother’s letter earlier that evening while cleaning his alcove before the daily inspection. Now he reread it, flipped it over, and began to respond:
“I pass out whenever Melciroth does. It’s insane. Worse than being drunk. But he’s amazing. Brave and fierce and smart too. I didn’t think they’d be so smart. He’s mad now. He ‘heard’ that. He’s mad I thought he’d be like a flit, but I did.
It’s hard to keep my thoughts to myself. They say it gets easier.
I’m taking the eleede M’kadja. A’kadja is pointless. Doesn’t sound like a dragonrider. The M is for Melciroth.
Tathalin impressed too. Can’t believe it. Bronze! Hasn’t changed him at all. He’s still a stammering mess. Don’t know what that dragon saw in him.”
M’kadja paused, reviewing his message so far. His new name, Tathalin. Melciroth. He wasn't missing anything, so to speak, yet he was missing a lot. Melciroth. There was so much more to say, but the words got jumbled up between his head and his hand. So he moved on.
“You’ll between first. Come visit when you can. You need to meet Melciroth.”
And after a second’s thought he added a cheeky drawing of his own. It was hairier and veinier than realistic.
“And that bitch can suck on THIS”
Satisfied, he rolled the message up and whistled Dagger over.
---
N’dhavi didn’t fault his brother for not replying immediately; it hadn’t been that long since he’d been in those newly-Impressed shoes himself, after all, and it wasn’t like he had a lot of time to give even now, either.
When Dagger appeared, though, he retrieved the message and unrolled it eagerly, face stretching into a wicked grin by the time he reached the illustration at the end. If only there was some way to pass it on to her without incriminating himself or Ak-- M’kadja…
Instead, he tucked it safely into his things, then grabbed something new to write on. The Weyr seemed to have an endless amount of writing supplies when it came to assigning them hidework in class, so they could stand to lose a page for a letter.
(He’d have to remember to take advantage of the Weyr’s bounty more. Maybe when he could get out, he’d take some bread out to break up and toss to the fish in the lake, just because why not? Nobody here was going to starve without one more roll. Maybe he’d get himself an extra blanket from stores. Wait, why hadn’t that occurred to him before now? He could have _two_ blankets!)
He thought for a moment, then wrote:
“Good call on the name -- I think A’kadja still sounds good, but what’s the point if it’s not DIFFERENT, right? Now that you’re different I mean.
It’s wild how smart they are, right? And it makes me feel stupid to say it now, because it just seems so OBVIOUS now that Malzyveth is in my head. He’s not mad about it right now. Just disappointed ha ha. He thinks I’m too good to be thinking dumb stuff. And I am, but come on -- how was I supposed to know?? He doesn’t understand that there was a N’dhavi before Malzyveth existed. It’s like how babies think you can’t see them because they can’t see you. They’re like old man babies or something.
I’ll visit as soon as I can. We should start thinking about what we’re going to do when we graduate. Like the very first thing. I was thinking maybe go to a gather up north or somewhere new, and pick up some girls, and see what we can get out of the merchants just flashing our knots around.
Kick T’thalin’s ass please -- there can only be one alpha bronze. Write back when you can.”
N’dhavi rolled it up and tied it carefully to Lurk’s leg, then sent him off.
---
A gather up north. M’kadja grinned at the prospect. He had begun to relish the notoriety of being a holdless dragonrider--bronzerider--at Dragonsfall and Barrier Lake, but it _would_ be delicious to go where no one could possibly know his past; where he would just be Melciroth’s rider and they could see how far that got him. By then, Melciroth would be full grown, massive like his sire and brilliant as the sun. M’kadja would have a plush flight jacket with matching bronze buttons and--
He began to write furiously, “Absolutely YES to a trip North. Not one of the major holds and not a tiny backwater, but something in between. Can you imagine our arrival? TWO bronzeriders! We can bring them some random ass fruit from the south too. They’ll lose their fecking minds. Then, when we’re there…”
Last updated on the April 1st 2026