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 Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 2:02 pm
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With a wet plop, Tokki emptied the last batch of numbweed gel into the barrel, using a small cup to scoop it from the ceramic cauldron. The cup scraped against the container, and the young Journeyman Herbalist pulled a face at the teeth-gritting sound. He had to get every drop of goo into the barrel, though -- it was for Western Weyr, and with Thread back and due to fall soon (he thought he'd heard Master Gunben say) they would need all the numbweed they could get. Fellis too, he realized, and went to pull a clay jug of fellis from the shelves of the small yet mostly tidy workroom. It hadn't been specifically requested, but the Weyr would be needing it. All the while he was humming and softly muttering his thoughts aloud, as though there was someone else around listening. There wasn't, of course; it was just his way.
Tokki shoved the jug into a leather bag and tied it off tightly, then fastened the lid to the barrel and lashed it securely shut. "There. Oh, the fellis." Placing the jug on top of the barrel, he rummaged around for more rope and tied the bag to the barrel with about fifty more knots than were necessary. Better safe than sorry! He knew it was just a short hop Between from the small rural cothold to the Weyr, but he didn't want to take any chances of it falling off and breaking.
Now to get it outside and ready. Tokki studied his handiwork with some concern; clearly he hadn't thought this through. Master Gunben usually took care of the shipments of medicinals to the Weyr, and to Western Hold, but he was away delivering supplies to… well, to Western Hold, so Tokki was on his own today. He'd just have to get the delivery dragon's rider to help, he supposed. With some effort, he walked the barrel to the doorway of the workshop, then slid around it to go outside and wait.
It was a pleasant day, with a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the klah tree, and Tokki took off his work gloves and shoved them into a pocket of his trousers. Ruffling his mass of dark brown dreadlocks, he looked up at the crystal-clear sky and smiled. Maybe he'd go work in the garden later, after the shipment was picked up. Yeah, that's what he'd do. He sighed happily. It was hard work, but a good life.
magnadearel Here you go! Have fun! <3 |
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 2:51 pm
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It was a day too beautiful to be kept inside or weyr bound. Not that you could keep a gold the size of Killakeeth inside anywhere except the hatching sands. Vosin decided today wasn't worth sticking around on. If anyone really needed her they would simply call Killakeeth. She grabbed her light flying gear and harness. "Come my beauty. Let's show you off." The red headed woman called as she approached the dozing gold. Dozing or sleeping was one of Killakeeth's favorite occupations.
The large robust dragon opened an eye and watched her rider approach with a determined step. Her eye whirling a slow green. Is this a "Search" or a Search? Her tone giving a different favor to the same word. One meant she'd have to actually work, and one was more a pretext for them to get out of the weyr. Killakeeth was probably one of the more well traveled golds, barring unaffiliated golds.
"Oh I think Search." She grinned and winked, then waited for the dragon to pull herself from the hot sands. Vosin got the harness on fast as a wink, then pulled on her light gear. The dragon turned her head back to watch her rider, I take it you don't plan to go far today? The woman pursed her lips. "Aye, I figure we haven't been local in awhile. Couldn't hurt and it'll stretch your wings. I just want an easy relaxed flight." Anything she could loaf along on was perfectly fine by her, although doing a quick hop between would be shorter, an easy flight wasn't bad and she enjoyed it. Particularly if there were appropriate admirers.
"I'm sure there will be." If anyone could find a crowd willing to gawk at her, Killakeeth was a master. Soon enough, they were on wing. Killakeeth circled the weyr a couple times, then struck out. Her large wings carrying them effortlessly through the blue sky. Vosin simply enjoyed the flight. The wind was cooler up here, but not too cold, and she enjoyed it rushing through her braid, whipping it behind her. Killakeeth hummed with pleasure as well as she flew.
They had been flying for a couple of hours, when she spotted a random hold. It didn't look familiar to her and she brought her rider's attention to it. What about down there Vosin? The woman gave her assent, as she tried to figure out why the place seemed familiar. Killakeeth gave a roar to announce her arrival as she began her descent. None would miss her. Soon there after, the gold landed with a thunder of wings. With a flick, she settled her wings across her back and looked around with interest.
Vosin slid down her shoulder and walked to her head waiting for the usual leader to approach and she could make her reasons know.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 3:25 pm
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A golden glint in the sky caught Tokki's eye. Tilting his head in curiosity, he watched as it neared, growing bigger… and bigger… and bigger, until he saw it was a dragon. A massive gold dragon! Tokki could only stare, eyes huge, as the golden beast circled over the fields of the cothold, then she roared and he jumped. Yes, this was really a gold dragon! He continued to stare as the dragon backwinged to a landing, the wind thus created flattening the grass and wildflowers and blowing at his clothes and hair, and forcing him to squint. When he opened his eyes again, the gold's rider had dismounted and approached, stopping at the dragon's head. He'd never seen a dragon so big and so shiny, especially up close like this. "Oh," he muttered to himself. "Guess I should go say… something." He didn't know what exactly he'd say -- Master Gunben usually handled these things.
So he pulled his headband down, smoothed back his dreads, and put the headband back again before walking toward the dragon and her rider. "Um, hi," he waved. "I'm, uh, Tokki. You looking for Master Gunben? He's away to Western Hold." He stopped and paused, studying the gently whirling eyes of the gold. Then he remembered himself. "Oh! Are you here to pick up the shipment of numbweed? I threw some fellis in there too -- figure you could use it."
Tokki tilted his head again as he looked at the rider. Why did she seem familiar?
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 4:48 pm
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Tokki blinked in confusion at the goldrider. She wasn't there to pick up the numbweed? She was on Search? He sort of knew what that was. "Um, sure, I'd be happy to show you around. My name's Tokki, by the way -- I'm Master Gunben's Journeyman Herbalist. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Vosin and Killakeeth," and he bowed at the large gold dragon. "Follow me," he added with a smile and a wave of his hand.
"We're just a small cothold," Tokki started as he headed for the stone workshop. "It's mostly just me and Master Gunben and a couple of drudges to help us in the fields. We grow medicinals -- numbweed and fellis, of course, but also hazel and ging and a bunch of others. Master Gunben's an Herbalist too." The excitement was growing in his voice as he spoke about the plants;. "I've only been a Journeyman for couple Turns, but it's really important work we do here. And necessary work, what with Thread back and all. We supply a lot of numbweed for both the Weyr and the Healers at Western Hold."
He opened the door to the workshop and held it for her. "This is where the work happens. Please pardon the smell," he said with a slightly lopsided, sheepish grin.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 10:22 pm
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Many holders were usually surprised to find a gold searchrider had landed on their doorsteps. Vosin was use to it by now, and noted the moment of confused expression on the boy's face. They might be initially confused, but she was generally remembered in the future!
Thank you Tokki. We are pleased to be here." She smiled as she listened to him ramble on about the place. It was enlightening. One fact did worry her. If it was as small as he said, then they probably wouldn't be here long. The woman expressed her doubts to her dragon. I'm not sure if we'll find anyone here, Killakeeth. There isn't much of a selection for a bedazzling beauty like you to pick from. All the fields they had made the place seem larger than it was.
She let none of her thoughts show through. "For which we are very grateful of!" Vosin flashed a grin at the young man. "I've done my share of prepping, and it's a dirty deed, but someone must do it." She calmly strolled into the room, prepared for the wave of stink that hit her. She took a good look around as she waited for him to enter and show her the way.
Outside, Killakeeth settled down to lounge practically where she'd landed. Right where no one could possible miss her. Wings crisp to her back and tail tucked around her haunches, she surveyed all that went on around her.
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 8:14 am
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Tokki nodded and laughed. "It is a dirty deed, that's for sure." He seemed oblivious to the fact that he rather smelled of numbweed himself; the stink was enough to get into everything. "That's why we keep the processing out here in the workshop." Pointing around to the various objects in the room, he continued excitedly babbling. "So here's the workbench where we process fellis and other plants, we keep our HNO3 canisters out here for just in case, in the pantry there are extra jugs of stuff already prepared for use. My favorite thing though is outside."
Opening a second door, he walked outside into a field of bushes about half as high as he was tall. "Our fields. Numbweed as far as the eye can see!" he grinned like a proud father. "We have a stand of fellis trees there, ging trees for their sticky sap, needlethorn bushes, ash trees, and hazel bushes. We -- I rather, I have my own klah tree right here," and he happily patted the trunk of a slender tree next to the stone house." Nothing like fresh klah."
He glanced over his shoulder at the big gold relaxing in the grassy field next to the numbweed bushes. "Killakeeth sure is pretty," he remarked, completely changing the subject. "I've never seen a gold dragon, well not up close like this. I've heard talk of 'metallics' and stuff, but it's true, she really does shine like metal almost." Grinning at Vosin, he shrugged. "I've only ridden on a dragon once, when I was assigned here from Healer Hall."
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2018 12:22 pm
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Tokki jumped slightly at the voice in his mind. He'd never been spoken to by a dragon before, nevermind a gold. He didn't know how he should reply to Killakeeth -- speak, think the words, how? Choosing to speak out loud, he replied, "Sure, I'd love another ride -- wait, what?" What did she mean by a ride that doesn't end up back at the small cothold?
Confused, he turned to Vosin. "Um, Killakeeth wants to take me on a ride that doesn't come back here," he asked. "Did you hear her? What did she mean by that? I don't want to offend her…"
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:45 am
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"W-wait," Tokki stammered, more than a bit intimidated by Killakeeth's statement. It was rude, and potentially dangerous, to refuse a gold, but… "Become a candidate? To be a dragonrider? Me?"
Tokki's world was completely turned upside down now. He was an Herbalist, a Healer. A simple farmboy. He wasn't dragonrider material; he hadn't even thought about becoming a dragonrider, like ever, not even in his wildest childhood fantasies. And yet, here were Killakeeth and now Vosin, telling him he could become one. What was he to do?
"Um, I'd have to let my master know… He won't be happy, but the will of a dragon I suppose takes precedence, right?" The young Herbalist was as much talking to himself as he was speaking to Vosin. He thought for a few seconds in silence. "Would -- would I be able to continue my work at the Weyr? Growing numbweed and things? I want to serve," he told the goldrider. "But I only know the one way to do it."
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 7:30 pm
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Tokki shifted his gaze between Vosin and big golden Killakeeth, contemplating the offer and his options. How could he best serve Pern? Because that was what it came down to: how he could help his fellow Pernese in the most effective way. Was it as an Herbalist and Healer, boiling numbweed for Hold and Weyr? Or was it as a dragonrider, dealing directly with the scourge of Thread? As he thought, he realized that maybe he could do both -- fight Thread as a dragonrider, and in his down time continue his work as an Herbalist.
He looked straight into Killakeeth's gently whirling eyes. "I'll do it," he said with a determined nod. "I accept your offer to come back to the Weyr with you." Glancing at Vosin, he gave her a small smile. "I can't refuse a gold," he shrugged. "And I think I'd be able to contribute even better if I was right there at the Weyr. It sure would limit having to fly out and collect numbweed shipments."
Thinking further, he turned to Vosin. "I also think I'd like to come with you today. Master Gunben would understand, if anyone would -- he'll be able to get another Journeyman from Healer Hall easily. It kind of happens these days." He shrugged again. "Would it be okay if I gathered my things and wrote a note for Master Gunben before we leave?"
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