Dragon Rider Play

"Aghhhhhh!" Jeremiah groaned. "But I am terrible with names, and you know it!" None the less, Jeremiah pondered to come up with a good name for his new companion.

"I know," Tithenor said with a calm smile.

Meanwhile, a worried Pat was dragging - perhaps literally, she wasn't paying attention - Luke with her as she tried to find Tithenor and Jeremiah.  The Wild Island was last on her list and she was heading that way now, Luke in tow whether he wanted to come or not.  She'd lost two of her mates, she wasn't losing a third!

Jeremiah playfully glared at the elf and pondered some more, his mind still drawing a blank.

Luke didn't mind following Pat. He simply played with Warrior some. "They'll turn up, Pat." Luke tried to assure his friend. "They probably haven't gotten too far."

Erika tried to climb up Jeremiah, wanting to get a look at the little thing now that it was a friend and not food.

"You have no idea what kind of trouble those two can get themselves into!" Pat snapped, running toward where they normally met Blackwater.  Spotting the two she saught, she suddenly slammed on the breaks.  "There you are!"

Jeremiah balanced himself a bit better and let Erika climb on him. "You're starting to get a little heavy for that." He chuckled softly to his dragon. He looked up. "Hi, Pat. I kind of made a new friend." He carefully showed her the little creature snuggled into his shoulder.

Blackwater calmly greeted Pat and Luke. "And now... the team is all here." He sat back down and started a new song.

Nightshade slinked behind Pat and Luke, her form graceful. The dragon had honed more on moving silently and without disturbing anything when she moved, like a shadow.

"You should sit down so she doesn't tear your shoulders off," Pat blurted to Jeremiah.  "What is that?  Where were you?  You were missed over class."
"Hello, Pat, it is good to see you, as well," Tithenor said with a trace of amusement.
"Right.  Hi, Tithenor.  Professor," Pat said with a hurried bow.

Warrior trotted up behind them, panting tiredly.  So much running!!

Jeremiah sat down carefully. "It's a..... uhhhhh....." He sighed. "I forgot what she is, but she doesn't have a family, and will die without one. Erika found her, and I can't think of a name for the little bugger."

Mellon nudged Warrior a greeting when he saw his friend.

"Kinkajou," Tithenor supplied as Erika climbed into Jeremiah's lap and gently snuffled the ball of fluff.

"Can I see?" Pat asked hopefully.  "Just don't call her bugger or something stupid like that."

Warrior let out a huge sigh and flopped onto the ground.  He was tired already!  Still, he reached out and licked Mellon's knee in greeting.

"Kinkajou." Jeremiah repeated. He carefully moved his new friend so Pat could see, softly crooning that it was all right, and that Pat was a friend. "What about Kink?" He asked Pat.

Mellon groomed his friend while he rested. Why was Warrior already tired? Did he not sleep?

The little furball shifted uncertainly, nervous, but trusting Jeremiah not to drop her.  Her strong little fingers gripped his hand as she sniffed at Pat.  She smelled interesting.
"She is adorable!" Pat breathed, letting the kinkajou smell her then stroking her head. "So soft, too!  I think you can do better than Kink, Jeremiah."

Warrior started telling Mellon, grumbling about how Pat had dragged him all over the islands looking for Tithenor and Jeremiah.  Warrior was not built for lots of running!

Jeremiah sighed and tried to come up with a different name. It was hard! "Maybe I'll wait until I learn more about her personality first..."

Melloraumo kept grooming his friend. Mellon was sure that Warrior ran the best, because wasn't Warrior the best?

"That's probably a good idea," Pat agreed.
The little kinkajou apparently got tired of being admired and carefully climbed along Jeremiah's arm and started trying to climb into his shirt.

Warrior purred at the compliment and nuzzled Mellon.  Mellon was better than Warrior!

Jeremiah let her. He wasn't wearing his leather chest piece today, since he disliked how it rubbed against his still healing wounds. "Well.... She's definitely soft..."

Mellon purred at his friend. Nah, he thought Warrior was better.

It has been a couple of months since we last checked in with our dragon riders.  The dragons are now all large enough to ride (at least those dragons that grow big enough to ride), and now it is time to teach them how to fly with a person on their backs.  They have done a little training with the rider sitting while the dragon walks around, but now it is time to actually ride them!  All of the professors and the Headmaster are present the day of their first flight, but Blackwaters and Anterrion will be doing the main teaching with Grumbledorf supervising.

Pat stood grooming her beautiful Nightshade, cooing to her as she shined her feathers and carefully removed a couple of loose ones.  Today was the day!  "I haven't been this excited and nervous since the day I left home!" Pat confided in her dragon.  She grinned, scratching Nightshade in her favorite spots.
Pat was no longer the gangly weakling she once was.  Yes, she was still much weaker than the majority of the boys here, but now she was lean with whip-like strength.  She was a scrappy fighter who could give as good as she got, so even when she lost her opponents tended to limp away rather than laugh at her.  The only ones who still beat her without exception were Tithenor and Jeremiah.
Pat smiled fondly at the thought of her teammates, her clanmates.  Tithenor was still very much the leader of their little clan, a father figure of sorts, looking after all of them and making certain Luke didn't blow them up even while he encouraged the young human.  Luke still made his inventions when he wasn't teaching Warrior new tricks, and they were getting better and better.  As for Jeremiah... They had spent the last couple of months stealing little private moments to themselves.  They never... ahem... and Pat was in no rush at all to go that far!  And the thought of Jeremiah was still enough to make her giddy with happiness.  The only ones who knew her secret were Tithenor - who seemed to be ignoring the fact - and Jeremiah - who seemed to quite like the fact.
"It's almost time," Pat said, noticing the line of boys heading toward the mess hall.  "Breakfast first, then we ride!"

Blackwater walked through the forest with Loam, simply remembering. This time of year made him happy. He remembered the first day he rode upon Loam, and the sheer joy and exileration of it. Each year here, he always felt it anew as he watched the student's faces light up at the thrill of the first ride.

Jeremiah woke up early to make sure Erika was all groomed and polished pretty. He wiped his brow and admired his handiwork. "Well, little lady, you're looking mighty fine now. More like a goddess than a lady." He laughed. He still called his dragon "little lady," but she was bigger than him now, or at least heavier with muscle mass. Still, Jeremiah played with her and made sure she was well looked after. Upon seeing the time, he picked up his things and sprinted to the mess hall, hair disorderly. He didn't have time to brush it he had been so focused on Erika.

Luke was already in the hall, tinkering once more. In the spanse of time they knew him, Luke has already grown a bit, on the cusp of being a man now. He was smart, and visited Lucius almost to the point of being a bother he was that eager to learn any and everything the professor was willing to teach and share.

"Jeremiah!" Pat called as she caught up to him.  She slowed and laughed.  "Your hair is worse than a bird's nest."  She reached up and playfully messed his hair even more.  "You didn't brush it this morning, did you?"

Jeremiah smiled and turned to Pat when she called out his name and laughed. "Nope. I was making sure Erika looked like a queen. Her scales and spines are all cleaned and polished to the point I can almost see myself in them!"

"Only almost?" Pat teased him, running her hands through his hair quickly to tame his hair.  "There.  That's better!  Now let's go find Luke and Tithenor.  I know Luke's already in there."

Jeremiah laughed. "Thanks, but three gold says Tithenor will still scold me for looking unkept." He betted.

"That's hardly a fair bet.  He knows more about hair than I-A girl from a rich family," Pat laughed, quickly correcting herself.

Jeremiah laughed. "Hey, at least someone in our clan knows how to be fancy and proper if need be."

"Good point," Pat agreed as they went through the food line.  She hurried over to Luke and slid in next to him.  "Good morning!  Are you ready?"

Luke grinned. "Am I? I was up half the night rereading all of the books I could on flying a dragon!" He laughed. "How about you two?"

Jeremiah smiled. "I am really excited. Seen Tithenor yet?"

Luke shook his head. "Not yet."

"Uke, you aren't going to be able to prepare yourself for the amazingness of flying by reading a book," Pat laughed.  "It can only be experienced!"  She looked around.  "I wonder where Tithenor is?"