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 Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 12:59 pm
 It amazed Yunara how her little queen could eat so much. The young woman, who had never been known as a great eater, was put to shame by Ardoxshoth would greedily accepted every morsel of meet that her rider offered her. Thankfully she was used to butchering herdbeasts, for she had certainly done so in the kitchens before, but to see it all vanish as quickly as she put it out? It was fortunate indeed that she had been chopping it into small pieces, for there might have been danger of choking if not.
Up to her elbows in blood and... well, other things, Yunara tried to keep her queen from overeating. Thankfully, it seemed that Ardoxshoth was inclined to slow down a little and be a bit picky, now that the great hunger in that bottomless pit she called a belly had subsided slightly. Yunara had awakened with a twisting hunger in her stomach that was not usual for her, only to find that it was Ardoxshoth who had been convinced she was starving.
I was starving, she insisted, and then raised her blood stained muzzle as she felt a presence nearby. Grandmother, she greeted, totally unabashed in her boldness. Yunara could scarcely believe that the little queen did not feel an ounce of shame when addressing the foremost queen in all of High Reaches. Why should I be ashamed? She is my grandmother. And she was Sparkly.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 3:20 pm
Hatchings were always a joyous time for the Weyr, and to have not one, but two queens resting on the Sands meant that High Reaches was due for quite an influx of young dragonets. Even Zheria could not resist the sight of the newest fighters, and their first days of life were ever rewarding. She was not a particularly maternal being, but even she could not resist pausing to watch the Weyr's newest darlings.
Two in particular were young ladies she would like to get to know all the better--for what Weyrwoman didn't wish to know those who might work with and for her? To have not one, but two, young queens was quite a rarity indeed--though not wholly singular. Clutch records did show dual gold's peppered throughout the history of Pern... Part of her supposed Thread's return might well have something to do with it, but at the end of the day, it mattered not. There were two new queens, and High Reaches all the better for it. No matter that their father was a brown.
The winter morning was cold. Eveleth desired a drink, and to be fed--but had insisted they take the longer path, if only so she might ause to observe the little ones during their breakfast. Surely, there would be a handful of them out and about. So it was, the senior queen, along with Hers wrapped up in fur-lined garments, made their way into the snowy Bowl. Eveleth had not intended to draw too near, so as not to distract them from their duties, or put any of Theirs ill-at-ease... but one little golden darling was wisely perceptive.
Ardoxshoth, She greeted in return, allowing her green-blue gaze to focus on her golden great-granddaughter. Zheria had long learned not to be overly-surprised at a dragon's choices--though neither Ara nor Yunara were weyrbred, she was certain they would make admirable queen riders. Both girls, she had heard, were hard-working and that was certainly what a Weyr during a Pass needed. There were others, of course, who were... a bit less capable in terms of reliability, so Zheria would never denounce a capable woman as a match.
How much bigger you've grown. Eveleth complimented. Though she was not, perhaps, noticeably larger to the untrained eye, the growth spurts would come quickly--and the itching that came with it! Come, let me get a better look at you. The queen asked, stretching out her neck so she might best observe the little gold from all angles.
Surely, Z'von would not object. She would quite look a look at all of the little ones eating--though Zheria doubted they had the time for all that. She was a queen who was not unapproachable--though many seemed to steer clear of her. Though she was a firm queen, who had expectations of how her Weyr might be run, and how the dragons in it respond to her--she would not turn away someone who had the gall to approach her--no matter their age or color.
Zheria, certainly, would not hold up Yunara from her tasks too long--but she did give the girl a nod in greeting. "You'll be able to chop a carcass in your sleep by the time the month's through," she mused. She remembered those days... Some things would never changed.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 3:43 pm
The infant queen allowed Yunara a moment to clean off her blood stained muzzle before she ambled over to where her grandmother stood, reaching up to nuzzle at her. Her eyes whirled with happy blues and loving purple, indicative of the familial devotion that both of Anakumath's golden daughters seemed to share. Am I very big? the little queen asked, doing the draconic equivalent of a twirl, that her great-grandmother could better admire her new size. It was, one must allow, slightly larger than the first time they had met.
Positively delighted to be in Eveleth's company, the baby nuzzled against her again. Were you as big as I am, once? she asked, settling into a delicately regal pose, or as close as the infant could manage. Why shouldn't she have a nice chat with the great queen, indeed? Eveleth was resplendent, truly among the most lovely of the Sparkly crowd.
Amazed by Ardoxshoth's gumption, yet not disapproving of it, Yunara cleaned off her own bloody hands, and then executed a deep curtsy to the senior Weyrwoman. "Lady Zheria," she murmured, and then met the woman's gaze. "I think you must be right. It's already becoming familiar, as it is." It had been what, a day? Yet it was true, she already was growing accustomed to the chore. There was something a little comforting about it, too, for so many other things were outside of her experience.
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:45 am
Eveleth was not disapproving of the little gold's gumption. She might have been the senior queen of the Weyr, but she was not completely unapproachable. In fact, her pride did enjoy being made much of, and it was clear the newest little queen understood that she stood in the presence of greatness. While she would have liked to have gotten to peek at Damahath as well, she was not in a rush enough to hurry through the meeting.
You're certainly one of the largest in your clutch, and shall dwarf many of them as the days go on. Never mind that, as far as baby gold's went, Damahath and Ardoxshoth were on the smaller end. It was possible they would make it up with time--but even at their smallest, they would still be one of the largest dragon types on Pern. Even a small, adult queen was still terribly large. IOh my. I think I saw you sprout just a little more, right now! How sensible of you. The older gold humored the dragonet, her eyes whirling a soft green-blue. Why shouldn't she? Babies were always delightful, especially when everything about the world was still so new.
They would all grow up quickly, after all. That, Eveleth knew only too well.
I was as small as you were, once--though perhaps not quite as delicate or petite. I don't remember much of my days as a Hatchling, but I do remember being made much of. Have you been getting on well as leader of your clutch, along with your sister? The fact that twins had been hatched was incredibly rare, but a joy all the same. To Eveleth, she couldn't imagine having to share the spotlight with another queen--but she had little doubt Ardoxshoth and Damahath would make do. They had no choice, after all.
Zheria was amused by her queen's antic, but she was in no wish to hurry Eveleth away. It was rare the queen found herself indulging baby dragonets that were not her own; they had time to linger for now, and it allowed her a few moments to better get to know Yunara. She would certainly like to better know Ara as well--and she would, in time.
"No need for such formality," she corrected with a smile. "We are both weyrwomen, after all. Zheria shall suffice." While she appreciated the distinction, Yunara was a woman of rank herself--even if she was but a weyrling now. They would be working together from here on out, along with the rest of the gold riders--and hopefully with far less trouble than some.
From what she understood, both Ara and Yunara had solid backgrounds. She hoped they might both prove to be reliable. "Thankfully, it won't be too long before they're able to simply feed on the carcass themselves." But it would still be a few months before the weyrlings were strong enough to chew through bone and digest the harder bits. "I trust you're settling into your new position as a rider well enough?"
She knew who Yunara was, as she made it a point to know everyone within her Weyr. That she was from the lower Caverns did not bother Zheria one bit. She was Nabolese, after all--and understood what it was like coming up from nothing. "A bit of a change with Ardoxoshoth, I'd imagine." Though Eveleth didn't remember much of her weyrlinghood, Zheria certainly did. Those first days were nothing but bliss and amazement--even now, after all that they'd gone through, after all their Turns together, Zheria still sometimes was amazed to wake up with such a dragon at her side.
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