The water lapped eagerly about the girl's ankles as she stood in the thin layer of water that seems to somehow seperate ground and water, the peaceful and neutral common ground of the two. The warm sand beckoned with the hope of a firelizard's clutch, the occasional glimmer of a flit being its speaker. The water seemed to be saying 'come play' with its gentle, rythmic lapping, drawing her to the ocean. But there was the sand...

Without a thought, Trisk dove into the water, scraping her hand along the sand before surfacing about twenty feet out for a gulp of air. The water was beautiful, it was her playmate whenever she couldn't convince any of her siblings to come and play in the water with her. The water itself was good enough. But the dolphins made it even better.

She had discovered them one day whenever she was about ten, five Turns ago. She'd been swimming out further than she had intended, but knew full and well that she could get back. Trisk took to water like a fish. She started to swim back, but was intercepted by the dolphins. At first she had been astounded to see them, but then realized that she should've known it. After all, there was a dolphineer hall not ten miles away, and the dolphins had to have room to play.

The sea was boundless. Okay, so it was, but not so boundless as was the land that she despised and no longer held her back. And all that held her away from the depths of the water was her own inability. But the dolphins had a cure for that, and would take her out whenever she asked them to. It was all one big game, to see who would have to return to the land first. Inevitably it was Trisk, because after several candlemarks in the water her skin was wrinkled and she was waterlogged. At that time she had to return home.

Perhaps if Trisk had lived in a small cotholding she would have been missed, but being in a Seahold where many of the children were prompted to become dolphineers, it was accepted. And besides, what could they say if she returned with a sackful of spiderclaws?

It was at this task that she set herself to as she returned to shore that day, a bit sad about not seeing the dolphins today. They were usually there every day...

A sharp squealing interupted her train of thought whenever the bag was nearly full, and Trisk's head jerked up, surprised to see a dragon that could loosely be called a bronze hovering over the ocean, the dolphins jumping beside it, squealing in delight.

Tossing the sack on the ground, Trisk dove into the water again, stroking out to the dragon quickly, and was met halfway by one of the dolphins, Res. "It's from somwhere else!" The dolphin explained in his amazingly accurate pronunciation, squealing again. "From a place called..." He paused for a moment. "Dane-Och."

That peaked Trisk's intrest even higher, and she paddled out some more, approaching the dragon with interest. "Who are you?" she questioned, "And where are you and your dragon from? I have the right to know what Weyr you hail from. Danoch Weyr? That's what Res said."

The rider chuckled softly. "I am K'brin of Cathair Fionabhainn, and this is my copper Retegrith." He smiled again. "And we are from the planet Danach. I suppose that your dolphin friend didn't relay it to you entirely correct."

Trisk stiffened slightly. "Ris knows exactly what he's doing, and he's not used to anything like this! He did just fine, and don't you insult him!" Her green eyes blazed angrily, and she tossed her dripping brown hair over her shoulder. "So you'd better explain yourself."

K'brin seemed to realize this time that he wasn't dealing with a girl who wasn't going to be caught up in his looks. "Fine, I am originally from Pern, but whenever I transferred to White River Weyr, there was an explosion and I ended up on Danach. Luckily Retegrith remembers some of the relay points, so we managed to make it back here. We're looking for bonders for abandoned dragons, and I was hoping to find one for the green Klewaeth here in the ocean." He smiled wistfuly. "She loves the sea. But since you already have a dolphin partner, I'll be on my wa..."

"I don't have a dolphin!" Trisk exclaimed sharply. "Ris is paired up with a real doplhineer at the hall. I come from the Wind-Side Seahold, and I love the water." She looked at K'brin imploringly. "And you said pair with an abandoned green... Are you sure that she loves the water?"

The copper-rider sighed impatiently. "Yes, I'm sure, otherwise I wouldn't say it," he said impatiently. "And Retegrith says that you'd have a good chance with her. So are you going to come, or are you going to sit here and complain and doubt my reasoning?" He seemed extremely angry at her seemingly insubordinate actions.

"I'll come!" The anxiousness was obvious in her voice. "And there's no need to bother anyone, because Ris will relay the message to my mother. You don't really have to ask her." Trisk knew full and well that her mother might not approve of her going to a differant planet. Trisk had always seen them in the skies, but never thought that life existed on other planets.

He looked a bit skeptical, but Retegrith rumbled, and landed in the water with a soft splash. "Fine," he said softly. "You can come with us. Go ahead and get on Retegrith. We're leaving now."

Trisk clambored aboard quickly and easily, relaying to Ris exactly what needed to be told to her mother. With that, Retegrith flapped his wings a few times, then rose into the air. It didn't take but a few moments before he was high in the air, and then they went between.

Five seconds later Trisk was yelling with the cold, and there was a brilliant sunset coming over the horizon. Much to her surprise, it didn't disappear in a few moments. "Why didn't you warn me?" she demanded, whirling on K'brin. "Why didn't you tell me that it was going to be that cold?"

"Because Klewaeth would love you if you showed up wet," he laughed, taking off his coat and handing it to her. Shivering, Trisk placed it over her shoulders, then slid down from Retegrith's back, landing hard on the ledge that protruded from the stone cliff.

K'brin led her wordlessly down a long corridor, stopping before a large cavern. "Now, get ready," he said softly, opening the creaking door.

Trisk gasped as she stepped in, staring in horror at the three dragons, two of which were curled up together, while one blue was huddled off on his own. "That's Klewaeth," K'brin said softly, and Trisk looked at the green with amazement in her eyes.

"Klewaeth," she whispered softly, stepping toward the green and corageously laying one still damp hand on the dragon's neck.

As soon as the dampness touched the dragon's neck, her head swiveled around, and Trisk gasped softly as the dragon looked her up from top to bottom. You've been swimming, the green said softly, obviously turning something over in her mind.

Trisk held her breath, waiting for the dragon to say something more.

Do you like swimming? Klewaeth asked in a louder tone. I love swimming. I used to swim all the time with my old rider. But I wouldn't ever take her back.

"I'd take you out to the weyrlake if you'd let me," Trisk replied softly. "Do you want to come? I know that you might not want to, but that's okay if you don't. I could feed you, too, if you felt like it."

Klewaeth hestiated. I think that food would be very nice. And a swim in the weyrlake would be perfect, if I could. Will you please take me?

Trisk laughed softly, embracing the cathairlet. "I wouldn't take anyone else, Klewaeth."

Look at the stupid blues, Klewaeth spat angrily. They all think that they're special and that they're just as good as the browns are, but they need to get a grip on things. Blue. Ugh.

Trisk looked up at her dragon from her position in the shallow waters of the weyrlake at Tarizal. She and Klewaeth had made the jump not long ago, and were now back on Pern. It was comforting to be back, for sure. And now Klewaeth was almost an adult. "Why don't you like the blues, Kle?"

Klewaeth dove into the water quickly. Linyao wanted a blue. The ugly, horrid things. I just despise them. Why she wanted one, I don't know.

Trisk realized quickly that she had said something that might not be good. "I'm sorry, Klewaeth. I didn't know, and I'm really, really sorry." With that, Trisk quickly stroked out more towards Klewaeth, thankful for the warm day that had melted the typical layer of ice on the Tarizal weyrlake. That was the main problem with Tarizal, but the Weyrwoman Setsanu often let the rider and dragon go out to a nearby beach.

Klewaeth surfaced next to Trisk. It is okay, ridermine. You didn't know, and besides, I'm glad to have found you. Linyao wasn't good enough for me, anyways. Maybe she went and found herself a blue. Although I pity her if she did.

"I feel sorry for anyone who wouldn't want you," Trisk replied, wrapping her arms around Klewaeth's neck. "And I'm glad that you waited for me."



"Well, Kle, this is it!" Trisk said to her green as the dragon landed in the Morning Star weyrbowl. She had made arrangements with the current Weyrling, J'gon, about Klewaeth rising. The Cathairess of Fionabhainn had told her that Klewaeth was definately going to be able to rise, probably because she'd been with Linyao for a long time, and since she'd been older, she had handled the shock better. "What do you think?"

Klewaeth sniffed haughtily. I don't see why we had to come here to rise. And anyways, what makes you think that I'm going to rise? That blue had better get AWAY!

Trisk laughed. "I think that the only problem will be making sure that no blues chase you. After all, I doubt that you'd let one of them catch you, anyways."

They will not catch me nor chase me! I don't want any of the stupid blues in my flight, Trisk! If you put them in, then I'll go back to Tarizal without you.

"Well, aren't we proddy today?" Trisk asked, scratching Klewaeth's eyeridge as she dimsmounted. "Don't worry, I'm sure that it can be arranved."

Klewaeth's eyes flashed as a blue inched towards her, trying not to catch her attention. You had better be able to.

Trisk bonded to the green Klewaeth at Cathair Fionabhainn
Klewaeth is rising at Morning Star Weyr.