A New Voyage (Part 1 of 3)

Writers: Anaria, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th August 2011

Characters: K'hetah, Jylanya
Description: K'hetah takes Jylanya for a little excursion that ends up being more than either expected.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 1 of Turn 6

Jylanya

Jylanya was very good at focusing on the task at hand... usually. This
week had seemed quite different for some reason and she could put her
finger on exactly why. She'd never found herself thinking constantly
about a man before, not like this. The sound of his voice or the
twinkle in his eye. They seemed to rise up at the oddest times and
she'd find herself staring out the window and chewing on her stylus.

Well at least today would be different she told herself when she got
out of bed that morning. Today was restday and he had promised her a
flight somewhere to see if she could get over her fear of that awful
nothing of/between/ well enough to take an actual trip somewhere.
He'd told her when to meet him and to dress warmly.

Even in the heat here she put on the warmest dress she had. He'd said
he would bring a jacket for her. She emerged on the top of the cliff
overlooking the small bay and looked around hopeful that he hadn't
forgotten his promise.

K'hetah had tried to plan for everything before their trip. He'd
gotten a set of straps tailored for two out of his storage chest, and
he'd brought an extra riding jacket and helmet up from the lower
caverns. He'd packed a small picnic lunch, some blankets, and an
herbal tea that was good for calming the nerves. He checked an double
checked to make certain he had everything that he could possibly need,
before mounting Loeth, and coasting down to the Dolphin Hall.

His plans for the day were to take her to a small cove nearby, which
was full of lush vegetation, and where Dolphins frequently frolicked
and played. It was only about a candlemark from Dolphin Cove, so if
things went poorly and Jylanya couldn't handle going/between/ twice,
they could just fly straight.

He saw her standing on the cliff, and gave Loeth the direction to land
nearby, but not so close as to startle her too much. She hasn't seen
Loeth up close yet, and K'hetah suspected she'd be a bit intimidated
by his size. He dismounted easily, and strode over to Jylanya's side,
a reassuring grin on his face. "Good morning, Jylanya," he said.

Other than some of the gatherings at the Weyr, Jylanya had spent most
of her time there inside. She'd peeked at the hatching but hadn't
gotten near the dragons. The only dragon she'd really seen up close
had been D'cal's and he'd seemed immense to her. But Loeth dwarfed the
blue. Her hand rose involuntarily to her throat **I can do this.** She
smiled a welcome. "Good morning K'hetah." Her eyes trailed back to the
giant dragon behind him. "My he's big."

Were K'hetah a lesser man, he'd have made a clever innuendo. But he
wasn't, so he let the statement lie. "Jylanya, this is Loeth. Loeth,
meet Jylanya," the bronze dragon laid his head down before the
Headwoman, careful to move slowly since she seemed to be nervous. He
surveyed her with a whirling blue/green eye.

}:I like her. You should spend more time with her. At the Dolphin
Hall,:{ Loeth commented.

She screwed up her courage and walked toward dragon without a clue to
K'hetah's inner thoughts. She smiled as she got closer. "Hello Loeth,"
she said and reached out a hand to touch him. The bronze hide glowed
with health and if felt like suede, not at all what she expected.
She'd been so frightened her first time that she'd basically tried
hard to deny the experience altogether. She did remember the cinnamon
like fragrance, but this was mixed with the smells of the sea.
Probably because he liked to swim so much.

"Thank you very much for giving me a ride today." She rubbed her hand
up and down his snout like she would a runner. He was nothing like a
runner.

"He's very handsome," she said to K'hetah.

Loeth's eyes whirled a happy blue/green, and K'hetah smiled. "He says
thank you, and that he will do his very best to make certain that you
get there as safely as possible," K'hetah said. He grabbed the spare
jacket he had from Loeth's back, and handed it and the helmet over to
Jylanya. "That will help keep you warm while we're/between/, and will
help with the wind in your eyes as well. It's easier if you can see
clearly."

She took the jacket and slipped it on then reached for the helmet. She
smiled up into his serious eyes. "You both make me feel safe."

"Well I'm glad for it," K'hetah said, mounting Loeth quickly. he
strapped himself in, then learned down to offer Jylana his hand. "Use
his foreleg as a step to boost you up. Trust me, you don't have to
worry about hurting him."

She reached up for his hand and tried to put her feet right where
she'd seen his go as she climbed up behind him. The bronze was_much_
larger than the blue she'd ridden before but she was finally settled
in the seat behind K'hetah. She didn't quite know what to do with the
straps though.

K'hetah turned around and showed her how to buckle the straps, so when
they rode together in the future - when, not if - she would be
prepared. He then checked them all over, and gave her hand a
reassuring squeeze. This close, it was hard for him to ignore the fact
that she smelled good - like the flowers that surrounded the Dolphin
Hall. "Just tell me when you're ready to take off."

She was all snugged in behind him and he'd strapped her in and double
checked the straps. She watched him carefully then when he turned back
she took a deep breath to try and calm her thumping heart. Then she
leaned forward and put her arms around him like she'd done with D'cal.
But this time it seemed to effect her differently. She smiled and said
"I'm ready."

Last updated on the September 2nd 2011

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A New Voyage (Part 1 of 3)