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"I don't know where the Feeding Grounds are," Lorana said apologetically.
"Peh! Some Weyrwoman you'll make!" the other returned. "Didn't bother to
listen
to the orientation, did you? Too high and mighty. Expect the rest of us to
look
after you, do you?"
"No, I-"
"It's not as though we all don't have our own dragons to look after-" At this
point a large queen burst into air above them, hovering near the other woman.
Arith took one fearful look up at the full-grown queen, gave a wistful chirp,
was answered by an encouraging bellow, and promptly disappeared herself.
In a moment, Lorana could feel Arith's pleasure as she made her first kill,
and
she saw an image of the Feeding Grounds in her mind's eye. She looked up at
the
large queen, certain that she was the source of Arith's inspiration, and said
with relief, "Thank you."
My pleasure, the queen responded, settling gently on the ground beside her
rider. Your little one was quite agitated.
I'm sorry, Lorana apologized. I hadn't expected to Impress her. She got a
feeling of amused tolerance from the queen. I'm Lorana.
I know, the queen responded. I am Minith.
"You talk to other dragons?" Minith's rider asked, shocked.
"Oh, yes," Lorana said, forgetting that this was not a common trait among the
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weyrfolk. The look on the other rider's face quickly disabused her. Trying to
be
civil-after all, the queen had helped Arith to the Feeding Grounds-Lorana
stretched out her hand and said, "I'm Lorana."
The other eyed her hand dubiously but did not take it. "Tullea, Weyrwoman
second," she said, still looking like she'd just bitten into a bitterfruit.
"Salina asked me to check on you," she added in a tone that made it clear
what
she thought of that imposition.
"That was very kind of Salina," Lorana replied, desperately trying to place
the
name but failing. She knew she'd heard it before, but she was too groggy to
dredge up the memory.
"You don't know who she is, do you?" Tullea asked accusingly.
"Her Breth is Arith's dam," Lorana temporized, feeling overwhelmed by the
other
woman's manner.
"Salina is the senior Weyrwoman," Tullea snapped. "Don't you know anything?"
She
didn't give Lorana time to respond before continuing, "Well, obviously you
don't. I can't see what sort of help you'll ever be. Perhaps it would be best
if-"
Minith erupted in a loud disapproving roar, cutting Tullea off. Tullea looked
up
at her dragon, her eyes softening somewhat.
"Now look what you've done, you've upset her."
"I'm sorry," Lorana muttered. Silently, she said to Minith, My apologies,
gold
dragon.
Minith gave Lorana a pert nod, eyes whirling red-green.
Lorana turned her attention to Arith, partly out of desperation. Are you all
done?
One more, please! The dragonet pleaded.
Lorana couldn't help smiling. "Very well, silly," she said aloud.
"If your dragon gorges, don't come to me!" Tullea said, climbing up to
Minith's
neck. "I've better things to deal with."
With a great bound of her hind legs, Minith leaped into the air and beat her
way
up out of the Bowl. Once clear she blinked out of existence between.
Lorana watched the maneuver with her eyes wide. The adult queen was so
graceful
and her movements so beautiful.
Soon I'll be able to do that, Lorana marveled to herself, her thoughts going
back to her splendid Arith. She had discovered with her fire-lizards that
they
knew how to go between from the moment they were born. Training them to come
back, to go where she wanted, had taken many months of hard work. She knew
from
the Teaching Ballads that Arith had the same innate talent-in fact, she had
just
demonstrated it by going between to the Feeding Grounds-but it would take
careful training over several Turns for Lorana to be able to ride her
precious
gold between to places of her own choosing.
Still, she entertained visions of rising into the air, blinking into the cold
between and out again-anywhere on Pern.
Her heart gave a lurch as she realized the vistas her newfound freedom
offered.
She reached out with her mind to her dragon and made her presence tenderly
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felt.
A rebounding wave of affection swept back to her from Arith. Lorana's vision
suddenly misted as her eyes brimmed with joyful tears.
A moment later, she felt Arith quench her thirst with the hot blood of a
herdbeast, felt her dragonet rend the flesh of the small beast, and felt her
swallow without so much as a bite.
Chew! Lorana told her sternly.
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