The Whistle

Writers: Jane, Vix
Date Posted: 4th May 2007

Characters: R'haran, K'sper
Description: R'haran gets help from K'sper to find Tibby's lost whistle.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 27 of Turn 4

The little hand tugged at the nearest set of trousers, and a question was asked of the wearer. It was a long, detailed question, with a rising intonation. It was clearly a question, but the words weren't clear at all.

K'sper stooped slightly, his face coming within eye range of the child.
"Uh. . . I don't know what you're saying."

"He wants to know if you have his whistle," R'haran said, catching up with the two Turn old as the youngster started repeating his question of the brownrider.

"Oh." The young man said the word softly, then sadly shook his head.
"No, sorry."

"He's very good at talking, if only he used the same words as we do,"
R'haran said with a smile for the brownrider. Then he looked down into the charming face of the little two Turn old. Dark hair and bright blue eyes in a now rounded, smiling face. Tibby made friends wherever he went. "Are you going to let go of this brownrider's trousers now?"

"No."

The older man looked up at the other dragonrider. "Sometimes the words are all too clear!"

The brownrider looked down at the child and shrugged. "If you don't let go, I can't pick you up so that we can look around and figure out where your whistle might be."

Tibby let go immediately, making it clear that he understood better than he spoke. He lifted his arms into the air in to let the man know he was ready to be picked up. Of all the children Tibby was the most comfortable being cared for by a variety of people because he had never known any different. His mother had died in childbirth so there had never been a sole caregiver in his young life.

"It's a small wooden whistle," R'haran explained. "About a hand span long and it makes a terrible noise when mis-used - as Tibby's recently been proving."

K'sper reached to hold under the child's arms and swung Tibby to his hip. "That sounds like one I had when I was small. I think my sister tired of the racket and hid it, though she never admitted to that." He looked the child in the eye. "Can you remember where you had it last?"

"On the floor," Tibby said clearly, pointing downward to the floor of the dining cavern.

"When he does that it makes me wonder why everything he says isn't that clear. Under this table, you mean?" the greenrider asked the toddler.

"No."

"I'm sure that _he_ knows what he means all of the time," reflected the brownrider. "Tibby, did you have on the floor in _this_ room?"

Tibby nodded and started to squirm around, trying to look over his own shoulder.

"This is apparently what being a father is all about," R'haran said, crouching down and trying to look along the floor which was a forest of table and chair legs. "Do you have children, K'sper?"

"No, none, though I visit my sister and spend time with my niece as often as possible." He turned his body so that Tibby could comfortably look around. "Where do you want me to go, little one?"

Whatever the word was it was an order in some imaginary dialect, but since it was accompanied by a pointed finger the meaning was clear.

"Don't let us hold you up if you're busy," R'haran suggested with a smile for the young man who had been so summarily kidnapped by a person a quarter of his size.

"I have a little bit of time." Though K'sper spoke to the other rider, his attention was focused on where he was walking, still toting the child, his eyes scanning the area for the whistle. "Just tell me when to stop."

"STOP!" The instruction was followed a moment later by: "GO!"

"Uh-oh. That seems a little too much like a game." R'haran straightened to waggle a finger at the boy. "The whistle, remember?"

K'sper nodded at Tibby. "Maybe we can play that game some other time, but right now we need to find your whistle." He continued walking slowly, still looking about. "Are you sure this is the direction?"

R'haran, still walking around at a lean, trying to look under tables without looking too ridiculous, caught sight of something between the legs of two chairs.

"Tibby? What about down here?"

The brownrider looked in that direction as well. He spoke while lowering the child to the floor. "I think maybe I'd better put you down now."

Tibby sighed, making R'haran smile since it was a perfect mimicry of Tibby's eldest sister Sahna, and allowed himself to be put down.

"Look," R'haran said, pointing between the chair legs. "Is that it, do you think?"

Lowering himself to a squat, K'sper peered where the other rider pointed. "That might be it, Tibby - and you can reach it better than either of us."

The boy crawled forward and then jammed his arm between the heavy legs of the chair. He called out in triumph and then squirmed. R'haran interpreted the second garbled call and hauled the boy out by his britches. Clasped in the small hand was a little wooden whistle.

K'sper grinned at him. "Good job, Tibby! I knew you could find it - you just had to think about where you'd been."

Tibby's smile lit his round face and allied with the dark hair and bright blue eyes he made a charming picture - then ruined it by putting the whistle to his lips and blowing.

"Argh!" R'haran scooped the boy up in his arms. "I'll thank you for your help by saving you from this, K'sper," the harper greenrider said, backing away. "This one is showing no signs of being destined for my craft."

A pained look covered the brownrider's face. "You're . . . welcome. And I just remembered something I need to do." He turned and started in the opposite direction. "Far away from here."

Last updated on the May 6th 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

The Whistle