Name: Yared

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Hair: black, done in long twisted locks, some tipped with fancy beads and metal clips

Eyes: copper orange, large and kindly

Skin: medium to dark brown, has freckles across his nose and cheeks, and tattooing common to his family line in violet over his chest, shoulders, upper back, and upper arms - these indicate his family lineages and will be embellished if and when he has a family

Build/Height: slender and lean, muscular, around 6'1"

Job: shepherd, animal maintenance

Skills: pleased with his abilities to govern animals, Yared learned much from both of his parents and keeps tabs on individual creatures as well as overall health and patterns of the herds. He applies this information to people, draks, tourists, and even enemies, and is very good at reading signs of passage, even if hidden. He's spotted infiltrators well before they get close to the Castle's area, thanks to noticing things slightly out of place while herding

Hobbies: is adept with stringed instruments and light singing, enjoys singing to his sheep and goats and they seem to respond to him when he does

Personality: kind hearted and observant, he is generally happy with being on his own, though he does well in small groups or family gatherings

Pet: has a lovely 'Star' colored blue and gold faery drak from Baskar named Kambi - 'wire'

Family: animal handler Aib'n - father and Hamala who is a recordskeeper, one younger brother named Mered

"I'm very proud of you, son," Aib'n had a broad smile, and it was echoed on Yared's face. "To be Judged fit for a drak is quite an honor."

"One I'm sure that your brother will share, some day," Pascal nodded toward the slightly-younger herder. That boy straightened up and saluted, and then laughed.

"But if I am Judged," Mered said, "who will tend the herds?"

"There's always the chance that you'd do it on drak-back," Pascal said. "If you don't have it in you to be a knight, riders often return to their duties only with a drak to help them out."

Both brothers nodded deeply, and their parents presented the elder son with his travel pack. It was little different from his daily or weekly pack - he'd spend time on the rolling hills making sure that nothing ate their goats and sheep, so he would know how to use a bed roll and protective torches. But this pack also had nicer clothing tucked into it, and even - "you put my strings in here! Thank you! I might have forgotten to do it!" Yared bowed to his mother, who had clearly been the one to root through his messy chest of drawers to find the coils of wrapped metal strings. His akonting wouldn't sound very good without them!

Once ready, having bid farewell to his few friends in the village, Pascal brought him over to his tall Night. "Umundsul will tell you if anything is wrong, so just do what seems natural, get on his shoulders."

The drak was more than large enough to fit two riders, and as Pascal gave a hand sign to his drak companion, the gold and black put his forepaws on the ground, offering enough space to flip onto like a tree branch. Pascal nodded and turned to the parents, gave them a thumbs-up. "I'll seat myself behind you, so hold on to your pack."

Yared almost asked 'how am I meant to hold both the drak and the pack' but he realized: his knees and legs would do that work, he hunkered down again as though over a broad tree branch. He'd never been on a drak, and rarely upon a racer, but he had once clung to a big tree branch when a flash flood threatened to drown the meadow - and a pack didn't squirm or try to flee as that goat did!

"You're a natural at this," Pascal said, and Yared did feel the young Judge's hips moving around to get the best grip. "Now, Umun, up we go! Baskar!"

Had he been where Pascal sat, Yared would have felt the bunching of the drak's shoulders and forewings, but he caught the motion anyway when they reached into the air. Yup it wasn't much different from the great winds and swaying of that branch... Only it would be much farther to fall if they-

"Not Bassskar," Umundsul said, slightly turning to glance at the pair while they got used to his aerial gait, "Bassskar iss under threat. Drakholm iss where we will go."

"I--" Pascal started to say, but the drak new best about that. "Well then, Drakholm it is?" He leaned closer to Yared's ear, "hold on tightly, we'll be there in a moment."

"Should I --"

"Keep your eyes open, you'll see something amazing!" Pascal laughed. The drak was opening his Passage, and Yared saw day turn to night in that strange large swirl.

Because while it was mid-morning here near Dun Keiba, it was mid-evening nearer Baskar - or wherever this Drakholm was situated! They were moving half a world away in an instant! He did keep his eyes open, this was something that a lot of other riders couldn't or wouldn't do, and Pascal made a note of that fact. He'd hand off some information to the locals to help them figure out how best to teach this new potential rider, and that would feature on it, certainly. Also that he was easily educated, learned fast, and had a knack for animals like his father clearly did. It was unlikely that Yared would become a true knight, more that he would be remarkably good for perimeter defense and keeping those animals safer than ever with a drak by his side.

But that would certainly require him to pair first!

They reached this Drakholm and Pascal had to hold his tongue a bit... "Interesting choice of location for this..." but he helped Yared get settled and registered to the local roster.

Soon enough, Yared was asking about the creatures found in this colder, northerly location. He'd spotted someone who had a basket of eggs - and at first wanted to trade for something to eat... But no, these were fairy drak eggs! He did trade - a song from his local village, for one of them. As it hatched into a very pretty blue with gold markings, he was informed this was a 'star' color? Yared had never heard of that! He fed it, and as it made musical little chirps Yared appraised its usefulness. "I heard you liked the strings," he said to the little thing, "humming along with them when I strummed, they're made of wire, and you have little wire-lines on your wings. Kambi, that's your name."

So Yared and Kambi would become known for the next few days as an enjoyable pair, one a lot hungrier than the other... Until the Feast was announced!

***

He wasn't really prepared for the amount of interaction that he'd be doing at this party. He did tend to stick closer to a couple locals he'd become familiar with, but they weren't among those who would bond tonight. When the draklings finally paraded themselves out to the party, he got the chance to meet each one of them. Some were friendlier or more energetic than others, but one did keep coming around, until finally the draks were encouraged to set their pair bond into a more official record.

He could hear this drak's thoughts, clearly, but also they had enjoyed more chat of how to tend animals - ones which this little drak truly wanted to see! They would return to Dun Keiba's hillsides, and probably begin a life of monitoring the area, but for now it was more time to celebrate, and learn how to roll Talsask's name off of his tongue.

***

Drak Information and Pedigree

Kavsk/fire/Baskar) [Malavor/earth/Baskar + Teskay/wind/Baskar - obviously this name doesn't fit the normal Drak style] + Kyensa/rain/Baskar