Found Family
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: Yvonne, Sia
Date Posted: 21st April 2026
Characters: Ketlyn, Aydhara
Description: Ketlyn and Varinth meet Rath
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 23 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Aydhan, N'kayden, Kemmin, J'nic, N'kevyn
It was getting just past lunchtime for the newest weyrlings, and warm enough that Aydhara grabbed a bucket and a brush and herded Rath down to the lakeside for his first full bath. It was slow going-- the baby blue needed to investigate every rock and person along the path, and of course he had to stop and preen when folks inevitably paused to let him pass.
**You ham.** Aydhara teased, and Rath didn't entirely know what that meant but he just blinked his bright green eyes at her too. **Keep an eye out for Varinth and Aberath, won't you?**
He'd already seen Aberath before, and Rath's head perked up at the thought of someone new. }: Varinth! :{ He called. }: Come over and bring your rider. We want to see you!:{
Varinth, who was dozing on her ledge, woke up with a light snort. }:Some weyrling wants to see you,:{ she told Ketlyn. }:I think he is being quite demanding.:{
Some weyrling - that had to be Aydhara! Ketlyn dropped the flight jacket she was patching and grabbed her coat. **Lets go!**
}:Must we?:{ Varinth rose and stretched on her ledge, careful to flex each toe individually and curling her tongue as she yawned. }:We should not go just because someone says go.:{
**Don’t be such a stick in the mud!** Ketlyn clambered aboard her dragon’s neck, feeling a thrill to be riding without straps. It still felt novel. **You’ll like Rath. You like Aydhara!**
Varinth grumbled as she took off from her ledge and flew to the Weyrlake, where she landed on the beach near to where the young dragons were exploring the water’s edge. Ketlyn slid down from her dragon’s neck with a small squeal and threw herself at Aydhara for a hug. “Faranth, he’s already growing!”
Aydhara shrieked and squeezed Ketlyn tight. "Isn't he such a strapping boy?!" She said proudly, though perhaps the better term at this point was big and fat. He was still eating what seemed like his weight in herdbeast multiple times a day, after all, and of course it made sense that his primary shape was 'round'.
Rath warbled excitedly and waddle-hopped along with his rider. There was a flash of jealousy in the hug, which was quickly remedied by a quiet 'oh!' from Aydhara and pulling away from the touch. Once the immediate threat was over, he hopped closer to Varinth. }: Hello! You're bigger than I thought you'd be.:{
}:You are smaller than I thought you would be,:{ she told him, touching his snout with her own. Her irritation was softening, forgotten in the face of his obvious good nature.
}: I'm going to be very big.:{ He told her confidently, because Aydhara told him he would be. He tried to make himself bigger for emphasis, puffing out his fat chest and ruffling his wings.
Meanwhile, her rider had kept talking, oblivious to Rath’s jealousy. “He’s huge, and it looks like he’s going to get huge-r. Bigger? Larger.” Ketlyn thought ‘rounder’ and kept it to herself. “How’s the weyrling barracks? It must be so _full_ with two Clutches getting trained at once.”
"It is, but they've moved into their own weyrs so it's only packed during class time. I'd be frazzled if I was J'nic." Aydhara said, though she hadn't thought about just _not_ giving the Weyrlingstaff a hard time. "Rath is going to be _enormous_. Flying is going to be so much fun, I can't wait."
“It is so much fun, and so much better when it's your own dragon.” With Varinth she never felt like she was about to fall off. “How excited is Rath to fly?”
"Very. He flaps his wings when he runs like he's about to take off. He's going to be in the air in no time." Aydhara said fondly, as if blissfully unaware that he might _not_ be able to achieve that much liftoff anytime soon. "That's enough about me. How are you doing? I'll have a blue dragon big enough to throw Kemmin in the lake soon, so that's at least one problem fixed for you."
“I swear he’s in the lake half the time anyway,” Ketlyn said with a laugh. “He wants to be a sailor, now. He’s trying to convince me to take him cliff diving somewhere with bigger cliffs but if he breaks his neck my mother will _never_ forgive me. I wish my mother was more like yours,” she blurted, then looked down at her hands. “You’re lucky.”
"That's because you've only met her when she's on her best behavior." Aydhara said lightly, though she pulled Ketlyn into another tight hug and squeezed until Rath complained. "I'll bring her to your weyr the next time Dad brings home a date and you can entertain her."
Ketlyn’s eyes went wide. “Only if you go smooth things over with _my_ mother the next time I have to go home!”
"Deal. I've always wondered what Southern holdfolk would think of me, unmarried and wearing pants." Aydhara said with too much cheer for the smirk that grew across her face. "Especially with a blue. Do you think they'll assume I like girls because of Rath, or would I have to tell them?"
Ketlyn thought for a moment. “Honestly, because of Rath’s blue hide you could tell them that you liked wherries and they’d believe you. They’ll have no idea what to think. If my mother stops talking long enough _to_ think.”
"Excellent, it's a date." Aydhara said. Then, quieter, she added, "You know, you have your own family here. That's not Kemmin, I mean."
Ketlyn froze in shock, but then a smile bloomed across her face that was almost too big to bear. “You really mean that?”
"Of course! The best part of the Weyr is that you get to make your own family." Aydhara said. "And you're welcome in my weyr anytime you need to get away. Once I have one, anyway. I'd say go crash at N'kayden's, but his weyr is gross. And I swapped the sweetener for salt in his room a few days ago. I don't know if he's noticed."
Ketlyn threw her arms around Aydhara in a giant hug. “And you’re welcome in mine, in case you need a night away from all the snoring.”
Aydhara hugged her back just as fiercely, at least until Rath squawked indignantly and rushed back over. **Oh, stop it, you jealous boy!**
}: You stop it!!:{ He complained.
Aydhara ignored him. Instead, she said, "I might just take you up on that. N'kayden wouldn't dare mess with your weyr."
“He’d better not,” Ketlyn said with a laugh. “What are you doing this rest day? I could sneak us a couple bottles of beer and we could go sit by the lake and Varinth can teach Rath how to swim?”
"Oh, I'd cancel all my plans for that." Aydhara said excitedly, though she didn't have any plans. "Watching Rath splash around is well worth it, believe me."
“Perfect. You, me, a couple bottles of beer and the best dragons in the Weyr.” Ketlyn linked her arm through Aydhara’s. “I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.”
Last updated on the May 1st 2026