[Statistics] [Candidate] [Hatchling] [Weyrling] [Adult]

“Father, I’m going out,” Erriba yelled over her shoulder as she grabbed a jacket off a hook. “I’ll be back ‘fore supper.”

The young half-elf slipped out the door of the home she shared with her father and scampered along the cobbled streets, her elbow length strawberry blond hair flying out behind her.

Her stormy blue eyes searched the streets for a familiar face. Where was he? Elijah wasn’t at their usual meeting place by the central fountain and Erriba swore. He was late. Again. She sat herself huffily on a bench and tapped her foot impatiently. They’d miss it altogether if he didn’t arrive soon!

A week or so before, Erriba and Elijah had been exploring the local woods and come across a wyvern nest. The eggs were very near hatching, and, after asking subtle questions to the local wyvern specialist, had decided that they would hatch in about a week. Today was the day, and they’d miss the hatching if that darned boy didn’t turn up soon!

“Erriba! I’m here, let’s go!” Elijah yelled as he skidded in front of his friend. He gave no opportunity for beratings, Erriba noted annoyedly. But there was no time for stopping. She sighed and raced after the retreating form of the human.

With no trouble, Erriba caught up to the boy and was soon ahead of him. Running was her best sport - aside from climbing trees, of course.

“Where is it?” Eli asked when they realised they were going round in circles. Erriba groaned.

“I thought you knew the way!” she scolded. Although she loved the boy like a brother and had to admit he was her best of best friends, he was _so_ aggravating sometimes. “Come on, I think it’s this way.”

The pair moved through the scrub for the better part of an hour until they finally found the location where the wyvern nest had last been seen. As soon as the landmarks got familiar again, they had started being very careful. A nesting wyvern can be _very_ vicious.

As the nesting site came into view, Erriba put out a hand to stop her companion. “Shh,” she whispered, pointing. She got down on all fours, Elijah doing the same, and slowly crept towards it. As she got near enough to see into the mound, she sighed. It was empty, except for a few shard of broken shell. “We’re too late.” The glare that she threw at Eli spoke volumes. “Come on, Eli. Let’s go.”

The human boy sighed, feeling just a little guilty. He shook his head and rose to his knees. Erriba was just about to stand up, when he suddenly gasped and pulled her back down again. She was about to voice a loud complaint, when he slammed a hand over her mouth and pointed with his other. Erriba’s eyes followed his finger and she suddenly cried out. On the ground, less than a draconspan away from them lay the mangled body of a red and black wyvern.

Forgetting her fear, Erriba pushed Eli’s hand away and stumbled towards the still form. It was horribly wounded. The sinewy neck was bent at an impossible angle, it’s fiery black and red hide torn beyond recognition. Erriba gagged at the stench of death that permeated the site. How long had the poor thing been lying here?

Suddenly a thought hit her. There were two eggs in the nest when they had last visited. Now they had either been eaten or had both hatched. Where were the hatchlings? Baby wyverns couldn’t survive on their own for very long.

“We have to find them,” Erriba said, forgetting that Elijah couldn’t understand what she was talking about. “Come on, Eli! We have to save them!”

The girl seemed intent on finding whatever it was she wanted to find, so Eli shrugged and started after her.

After a few hours at the least of searching, Eli had grasped what they were looking for. The missing baby wyverns. Personally, he thought it was foolish to expect two newly hatched wyverns to be able to survive on their own, but Erriba seemed bent on searching all the same.

As they reached a small valley, Erriba called a sudden halt. She put her fingers to her lips and pointed down the crater. Huddled up against a fallen tree were two tiny wyverns. One was mourning softly, it’s hollow cries calling out it’s mother. The other lay still at it’s feet.

“Come on,” Erriba whispered, hardly audible. Wyverns have excellent hearing.

They crept silently down the slope and slowly made their way towards the babies. As they reached close enough for them to hear or smell them, they stopped and sat down. Erriba seemed to know what she was doing, so Elijah shrugged and once again did as she did.

Another hour passed, and Erriba did not take her eyes off the young wyverns. Elijah was getting impatient - so was his stomach. Erriba glanced at him from time to time, and he was forced to stay where he was and do as she told: he didn’t know the way home.

As the second hour came to a close, Erriba finally smiled exultantly. Her plan had worked. Wyverns are naturally curious by nature and the one who was still stumbling around - they had assumed the other was dead - tentatively crept towards the strange creatures with the unknown smell.

Erriba motioned for Eli to stay put and imitated the wyvern as best she could. Crawling on all fours, she stayed at it’s level and crept towards it. When they were only a few meters away, the wyvern stopped. It cocked it’s head winsomely and cheeped. Erriba didn’t know wyverns cheeped, but it did all the same. She smiled at it, careful not to show her teeth - that would be considered a threat. She considered herself lucky the over-protective mother wasn’t around. Being careful not to make any sudden movements, Erriba reached out her hand for the baby to sniff. At first it backed away, not quite sure what to make of the strange creature, but soon realised it was a gesture of friendship. Being bright as it was, it imitated the gesture and moved it’s forearm out from under it’s graceful body to stretch out and touch her finger with its. 

Erriba felt a jolt go through her as it did so. She felt her mind meld with it’s, and suddenly felt an impulse to rush forward and hug it. She didn’t, however. That would only startle it. It, however, decided that it wanted to investigate more. It crept forward, less tentatively now that it knew she meant no harm, and waddled around her body, touching, examining her closely. She smiled, felt happy with the choice it had made.

“Hello,” she said quietly. She had heard wyverns could communicate. Perhaps this one could tell her it’s name.

“Hello,’ it replied. 

Erriba smiled. Pointing to herself, she said “Erriba.”

“Er’ba,” it repeated.

She pointed to it and cocked her head questioningly.

“Ena,” she said slowly.

The baby wyvern paused in front of Erriba’s face and reached out a finger to gently touch her nose. Erriba’s face suddenly cracked into a huge smile, startling the little creature.

Ena screeched, and jumped backwards. “What Er’ba do?” she demanded sceptically. Apparently, wyverns had developed a language very similar to the language of the surrounding humanoids.

“Hush, Ena. I’m not hurting you. See?” She reached out a finger and touched the little wyvern’s eye-ridge, scratching gently. After some initial trepidation, Ena realised that it felt good, and leant into the caress.

“Er’ba nice,” Ena decided and promptly curled up in her new friend’s arms. Erriba was so overjoyed with the new experience, she had totally forgotten about Elijah. Stunned, the boy had waited where he was told not long before and stared on with awe and a little jealousy. Now that the initial meeting was over, he slowly rose and approached the pair.

“Wow” was all he said, gazing down at the sleeping wyvern. Erriba looked up at him, a smile covering every inch of her face.

“Her name’s Ena,” she announced.

Eli shook his head in disbelief and slowly lowered himself to sit next to his friend. The new addition was smaller than any wyvern he had ever seen, but then he hadn’t seen very many baby wyverns. Her sinewy body was curled up in Erriba’s lap, the tail winding tightly around her ankle. Her velvety body was a beautiful shimmering silver. She breathed regularly, her slender chest heaving slightly. Elijah sighed. He was happy for his friend, and hers, but his happiness was tinged with jealousy. Then he remembered. The other one. The one that had not moved for the past two hours. Could there be a chance...?

“Erriba,” he whispered, careful not to frighten the fiery bundle in her lap, “I’m going to the other one.” She nodded, then turned her attention back to Ena.

Slowly, quietly, Eli made his way towards the fallen log, and the other hatchling. It lay still, unmoving. Was that a flutter? Was that an indrawn breath? Did it just twitch it’s tail? Eli knelt softly by the little thing and shakingly put his hand on it’s chest. For a long minute he sat, frozen, his hand laid softly on it’s chest. For a long minute, there was no movement. A weak shudder sent shivers of hope through Elijah. A breath. It was alive!

He quickly turned the limp form onto it’s side to help breathing, and gently pressed on it’s chest to aid the heart. Not knowing why he was doing it, or where it had come from, Elijah administered basic first aid to the creature. After half an hour, nothing had changed. About every minute, a dull ‘thud’ notified him that it was still alive.

Elijah blocked everything out of his mind, focusing his entire concentration on the infant wyvern before him. Thus, he did not hear to see the girl walking up behind him, nor the wyvern coiled loosely around her neck.

“Eli?” The voice sounded very far off. So far, that the boy didn’t even blink. “Eli! Wake up!” This time it was louder, but his concentration on the wyvern was so intense, he managed to ignore it. Suddenly, he was physically shaken from his concentration.

“Stop it!” he yelled, then immediately felt sorry for the angry outburst.

“Oh, sorry. You just go on with ... what _are_ you doing?”

“Trying to help this little wyvern.” He once more put his hand on the surprisingly warm chest, but a screech from behind him startled him again.

“No!” Ena leaped down from her perch and scampered between Elijah and the wyvern. Turning her wedge-shaped head, she hissed wildly, “Leave him!”

“Ena!” Erriba ran to stop a inevitable injury. “Eli is a friend!”

“Eli hurt Sian,” she explained.

“No, Ena,” Elijah countered. “I’m helping him.”

Ena hissed some more and shook her head no. “Sian sleeps.”

Sleeps? But he was hardly breathing. He would have to be ... “Do wyvern’s hibernate?” he asked Erriba abruptly.

She paused in thought then said at length, “I think so.”

That would explain it! Sian was hibernating until he had a reason to wake - like bonding someone! I am such an idiot. “I’m sorry, Ena. I didn’t know he was sleeping. Are you going to sleep too?” he asked on an impulse.

“Now Er’ba here,” she replied as if that explained everything. “Sian wake soon.”

They took Ena on her word, and stayed beside Sian until late that evening. Ena refused to let them take him back with them and neither of them particularly wanted to leave him alone. Soon, however, they seemed to have no choice. The sun finally dropped below the horizon and darkness leapt up to hide all in view.

“We have to go,” Erriba finally said mournfully. “Our parents will be fitting! We can’t stay out here through the night. I’m sorry Ena.”

But the little wyvern didn’t reply. She simply nodded her draconic head and seemed to smile to herself over some unknown fact.

“Ena...” She didn’t get to finish her sentence, for the little wyvern who still lay at their feet suddenly sat up and moved around like nothing had happened. With big curious eyes, Sian looked up at Eli and grunted.

“Hello,” he said.

Eli was stunned. The creature whom they had thought would not live out the next minute had just sad hello to him.

“Hello.”

Erriba and Elijah eventually managed to get going towards home, their new pets wrapped around their shoulders, long tails swinging down backs. Ena and Sian seemed to chatter all the way, but neither made a sound. Erriba and Elijah had never had close contact with a wyvern, and so did not realise that they could speak mentally. They would soon find out.

When the lights of Trebinje finally came into view, Erriba suddenly worried about how her father would react to the introduction of a wyvern. They hadn’t the best reputation. Well, she thought, He’d better get used to it, because I’m not giving up my Ena without a fight.

Elijah split off down a side-street, saying his farewells until the morning. Erriba continued down the main roadway until she came to the small house she called home. Taking in a deep breath, she opened the front door and stepped inside.

“Father, I’m home,” she called into the hallway. A very angry face popped out of one of the doorways and glowered.

“Erriba, by the Gods, where have you been?” he thundered. Then his face took on the more pathetic, worried look that parents often adopt. “I’ve been worried sick, darling.”

“I’m sorry, Father. We .. ah .. found something.” She attempted to get to it gently, but the newly hatched wyvern hanging on her neck sort of gave her away.

“I can see that.” He was taking it extremely well. He purposely walked towards his daughter and sighed. “A wyvern,” he stated.

Erriba nodded, unable to trust her voice. Was he curious? He didn’t look all _that_ angry. “Her name is Ena, Father.”

Aorun sighed. “I suppose we’ll have to find somewhere for her to sleep.” 

Sleep? We’re keeping her! He doesn’t mind! Erriba could have done backflips. “Oh, Father, thankyou!” She ran up to her human father and hugged him with all her might, careful not to squash the little creature on her shoulder. 

Ena, though, didn’t want to be left out. “Hello,” she greeted him simply after the embrace ended. 

Aorun seemed a little startled, but smiled. “I am Ena.” Her speech was getting better by the moment.

“Hello Ena, I am Aorun.”

“Ar'n,” Ena repeated with a curt nod of her head.

Over the next few days, discussion changed from the newest addition to the family back to the same thing father and daughter had been discussing for the past week.

Erriba had been chosen to stand for a dragon clutch - but, and this was the issue, this clutch was a little far away for Aorun's liking. In fact, it wasn't on Titan, and it wasn't on Penna - but a world known as Pern.

It was not unheard of for youths of Penna and it's moon to be stolen away to this Pern place. In fact there were several worlds which claimed Searching-rights on Penna and Titan. This time, it was Erriba who they wanted. The rider had given them a two weeks to decide, and would be back on the morrow. Something had to be done.

"Do you want to go?" the human man asked his daughter simply. "I mean _really_ want to go."

Erriba thought hard, her brows furrowing with the effort. The simple answer was; Yes. She really wanted to go. She really wanted to bond with one of the beautiful Pernese dragons. She really wanted to travel between worlds and discover new and amazing people and places. And she admitted to herself that right now, all she could think about were the benefits. 

What if wyverns weren't permitted on this Pern? What would happen to Ena? What if she hated it there? What if she didn't bond with a dragon - could she come back home or was it a one-way trip?

But despite all this, she simply couldn't allow herself to give up such an opportunity. How many people on the entire of the planet were offered such? There was no question. She had to do it. She would do it.

"Yes."

Aorun looked hard at his daughter, and he knew she was being truthful. Not only to him, but to herself. He nodded briefly. They were silent for a long moment, then the man said quietly, "I'll miss you, baby."

Erriba took a deep breath. "Me too." But the smile that split her face told volumes.