The Life of a Wingrider

Writers: Elyriel, Jane
Date Posted: 6th March 2009

Characters: T'marek, K'hetah
Description: T'marek helps K'hetah get back to his weyr.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 8 of Turn 5

**Would you ask one of the weyrlings to come and get me?** K'hetah asked with what he considered was amazing restraint.

The bronze wallowing in the warm tropical waters of the bay eventually responded to his lifemate but his mental tone was lazy and disinterested. }:I could ask Iriketh. He has finished swimming.:{

**I'd prefer a weyrling.**

It was one thing to ask a weyrling who had been assigned to such a duty but quite another to disturb a wingrider on his restday.

}:I have asked already,:{ Loeth said, indifferent to his rider's wishes on the subject.

~ ~ ~

He'd managed to avoid Zelle for once. It had become a game of sorts. And today... at least so far, he'd won. Closing his eyes, the brownrider sighed softly as he settled in for that nap he'd been thinking of since Iriketh had decided he wanted to go swimming.

}:Loeth's rider has requested your assistance.:{ Iriketh's deep voice filtered through his rider's mind.

One brow popped up as the eyelid followed, exposing one eye to the bright daylight. "He what?" T'marek asked both verbally and mentally.

}:Loeth's rider has requested your assistance.:{ Iriketh repeated.

Sighing heavily, T'marek pushed himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Fine, let's go." With a frown, he mounted the brown and flew the short distance to where he'd seen Loeth last. Climbing down he headed toward his Wingleader. "You needed something, sir?" T'marek asked, barely hiding his desire to be just about anywhere else.

"Er -" It was, without doubt, embarrassing to admit one's dragon was being difficult but he couldn't off-hand think of any other way of explaining things. Or perhaps he shouldn't? No, he definitely needed to make it clear it wasn't him treating a senior brownrider on a par with a weyrling doing elevator duty. "Loeth thought Iriketh might be willing to take me up to my weyr but perhaps he didn't inquire if Iriketh's rider was available."

Eyes rounding slightly, the brownrider looked at his Wingleader as if he'd just grown a second head. "You need me to fly you up to your weyr?" He asked in disbelief, then realized who it was he was talking to. Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Very well, sir, Iriketh and I are at your service."

"There's -" What was the point in changing his mind and refusing now? The rider and dragon's rest time were already disturbed. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"No inconvenience, sir." T'marek lied, stepping back so the bronzerider had room to rise. "Iriketh is ready whenever you are." Inwardly the brownrider wondered why exactly Loeth couldn't fly his rider but it wasn't his place to question. His place was to do as his Wingleader ordered.

**This is _not_ what I wanted,** K'hetah told his floating bronze as he approached the brown dragon.

}:Iriketh didn't say he minded when I asked him.:{

"I'm ready," the bronzerider told T'marek, his thoughts for his bronze more pithy.

With a nod, T'marek turned toward his lifemate. **Did you know why he asked for our help?** The brownrider asked.

}:Of course.:{ Iriketh replied without even a hint of apology. }:You weren't busy so I told Loeth we'd take his rider back to his weyr.:{

**Great... you could have told me.**

}:I did. I told you Loeth's rider needed our assistance. And he does.:{

With a sigh and a shake of his head, T'marek bit back a terse reply. Once they got to the waiting brown, he waited for his Wingleader to mount first.

"Thanks," K'hetah found himself saying, still more embarrassed than he could remembering being in recent Turns. Loeth was going to have to spend more time out of that water if this was what it was doing to his brain. "I live up there. By Zelle, if you know where she lives." The greenrider was far more sociable than he was and it was more likely that T'marek knew where she lived than where his Wingleader did.

A flicker of surprise flashed across the brownrider's face, then he nodded. "I know the general area." He hadn't been to the greenrider's weyr but he knew about where it was.

Climbing up on the brown, T'marek checked his Wingleader's straps out of habit, then frowned as he realized what he'd done. With a quick clearing of his throat they were in the air, Iriketh taking them aloft as if he carried a precious, breakable cargo. **He's not going to break.** He told his lifemate.

}:I know.:{ Was the brown's only reply but he didn't modify his flight.

"To the left and below Zelle's weyr there," K'hetah said above the light wind noise.

With a nod, the brownrider instructed his lifemate and the three of them landed as gentle as Iriketh could. Rolling his eyes, T'marek mentally shook his head. "Here we are, sir."

"Thank you, T'marek. And you, Iriketh," the bronzerider added, suspecting that he was never going to be able to apologize enough for this to the brownrider. He dismounted and stepped well out of the dragon's turning space.

"Any time, sir." T'marek said, actually managing it with a straight face. "Iriketh says it was an honor." A mental prodding from his lifemate caused him to scowl briefly, but the expression was fleeting. "And that if you ever need our assistance again to just let us know."

"Er - I hope not to have to," K'hetah said, determined to make sure it never happened again. "But thank you."

With a nod, the brownrider had his lifemate prepare to take off, then turned to look at his Wingleader one last time. "If there isn't anything else, permission to be dismissed, sir."

"Of course. Go." K'hetah waved the brownrider away, moving further out of wing range though most dragons just dropped from this ledge since there was nothing below it but sea.

Last updated on the March 14th 2009

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The Life of a Wingrider