Back to the Candidate Page

Name: Ashka	Name: Vaitris
Gender: Female	Gender: Female
Age: 17	Age: 18
Species: Horse (claims Unicorn genes)	Species: Otter
Job: Lady - why have a 'job'?	Job: Handmaid - literally
Training: Light-based and Air Magic, high society mingling, appraisal, Hair style	Training: Attending her Lady, sewing, cleaning, conversation, gilding (hooves), other service-oriented skills
Dragon: Glowing Pale Blue (f) Airyath	Dragon: Small Brown (f) Eladith
Firelizard: Brown Link	Firelizard: Green Lettuce
Bonded at: Lantessama Weyr

The wait at Lantessama was much shorter than the pair thought it would be. Lettuce and Link seemed to enjoy themselves at dinner time, and managed to keep quiet while Ashka and Vaitris were in their classes.

Then, about three weeks after their arrival, the hatching was announced by a loud bellowing and a hurried scamper through the halls.

Vaitris had noticed the presence of another pair of 'furs' and shapeshifters had also come to the classes - but the unicorn (who Vaitris knew her mistress truly wanted to find out more about) hadn't been very sociable.

When they were led to the sands, Vaitris was hemming and hawing over her mistress' hair. "You've hardly even gotten dressed! Slow down!"

But they didn't really want to miss anything. They were actually the first ones there on the sands. The mysterious unicorn man showed up later - and Ashka did indeed watch him intently.

But it was nothing compared to the attention she devoted to the egg which she felt most close to. "I like this one," she said. But it wouldn't matter, because the dragons inside the eggs chose, not the other way around.

Shortly, a big dark egg was shaking but it wasn't the first to hatch! A bellow from another portion of the sands brought everyone's eyes to a sparkling pale blue hatchling.

Hello Ashka, I'm Airyath! She bespoke - changing the idea that blues were male. She attempted to flap her wings and get over to Ashka, but instead managed to gallumph over several eggs and cause a round of laughter.

Oops! I didn't mean to - I guess I can't fly yet!

There was a wistfulness in her voice, something that Ashka knew she would never have to part with. She didn't need a husband - she needed only Airyath.

"Not to worry my sweet, I'm an air mage - we'll get you flying in no time." They exited the sands, because this little blue was hungry!

Several dragons hatched - including a beautiful bronze, and a glowing green. A blue came out, then another couple greens. Two more eggs broke open, showing a very tiny brown who spun herself around - yes, her - to get a look at everyone left, before deciding on Vaitris.

Don't be surprised, Vaitris. My name is Eladith.

"Well, they did tell us that browns were male - Link's male, and he's brown..." Vaitris laughed, but she had to clear her eyes from the tears that had formed.

Now, she too knew the closeness of a bond which could never be broken - she and Ashka would never leave their bonds. They'd heard awful things about hatchlings which were left on the sands alone or unbonded, or abandoned after their bond - usually they died!

Well no such thing was going to happen with them!

The dragons were growing up quickly. The glowing blue and pale burnished brown flew together as a team, and quickly got a reputation among the other riders.

It didn't hurt that Ashka was an air mage. She could predict where they could best soar in the air, and when it came time to practice the dangerous teleportation moves she was first in line.

Vaitris cautioned her from showing off, and certainly from trying to help the dragon do the stunt.

"It's her day, I know..." Ashka sighed. "And she's learned very well. I just don't want any accidents to happen..."

"Like the accident that brought us here?" Vaitris grinned, her brown female almost seeming to laugh beyond in the line of dragons.

"Should we try heading back home?" Vaitris asked her Lady when it came time to realize their dragons were grown up. Half the others in the clutch had already been sent on their way to their respective weyrs or dens, so now this left the pair of 'morphs with a dilemma.

They could stay at Lantessama, or they could go home to impress their friends.

They would have to do that anyway. It was just the very thing to keep their interest up in even going home at all. If they didn't do it now, they'd never bother! The pair and their wonderful dragons would just keep wandering around teleporting from world to world.

Not that that was a bad thing! Airyath insisted that she be shown off to the family - to prove that she was better by far than any old husband that could be forced on her rider.

And Vaitris could hardly stop Eladith from wanting to see the countrysides and sights that their world would offer. It never bothered Ashka that her bond was of a "lower" ranking than her handmaid's, after all, she was glowing! They were both females - that was odd in itself, so they couldn't be compared to their normal counterparts anyway.

Besides, no one would know, if they were to go back home. All anyone would ever hear was that this was the right pair for them.

Wonder what happens when Ashka's glowing blue comes up against a certain Ryslen Sapphire and his ornery black-unicorn rider?