The holder and his wife, with two round eyed children, watched and waved as the three dragons ascended and disappeared.
Kira sat in the shallows at the edge of the lake, idly swishing her hand as she watched the antics of the littlies who were making a game of splashing each other and laughing uproariously as they did so.
The noisy larking about of the toddlers barely intruded on her feeling of tranquility. She was feeling relaxed for the first time in days, content after a time of restlessness and inability to concentrate, having had a good nights sleep and bolstered by the good spirits and unequivocal love of her tiny charges. She jumped as she was deluged in drops of water by an overzealous girl.
"Calm down, calm down." The toddler laughed so much she fell over, bouncing back up as quickly as she'd fallen. She looked so comical and beamed at Kira so winningly that she didn't have the heart to reprimand her. "Play carefully, you don't want to drown," she admonished gently.
Two blues and one green dragon appeared in the blue sky above the Weyr, and spiralled down to land in the bowl.
>>Well, that was fruitless<< remarked K'sien, pulling off his headgear.
~~Maybe not~~
>>How so, wise one?<< he quipped back.
~~There's one here - the brown one sitting in the lake~~
K'sien glanced in that direction, followed by the gazes of Sivonna and T'lina. All they could see was babies splashing about.
~~My eyes are longer than yours~~ teased Miroth.
K'sien ran his hand through the flattened mop of curls framing his face. >>So you never stop teling me.<<
Linueth and the other blue remained in the bowl as the riders crossed to the lakeside, Miroth accompanying them.
~~After all, I found her~~ Without a trace of smugness, K'sien thought.
>>How did I get such a dragon?<<
~~You deserved me~~ Miroth refused to rise to the bait.
"Doesn't look that much like a prospective rider." K'sien remarked in an aside to his cohorts as they neared the lake's edge.
~~She IS the one~~ reprimanded the blue.
>>Alright, alright!<<
Kira leaned back, exposing as much of herself as she could to the early afternoon sun, whilst still keeping a vigilant eye on the littlies, and nearly fell right back as she was hailed by someone right behind her.
She looked up to see a man with a halo of curls, flanked by a petite blonde and a readheaded woman. Wherhide! she thought, they're riders! And then she noticed the blue dragon with them.
She jumped up in confusion as the toddlers leapt around in excitement. "Dragon, dragon, dragon," they chanted. Miroth waded into the shallows and the littlies swarmed all over him.
"I'm so sorry," hastened Kira. "They all want to be riders when they grow up. That, or dragons! Get off!" she warned the children.
"It's alright," reassured K'sien. "Though they're a bit young to be searched, Miroth."
At the mention of search Kira was immediately flustered. She'd dallied with the idea of being a rider since her day with K'dan, remembering what he'd said brought up other less pleasant memories, and she pushed him firmly from her mind. She held her breath as the bluerider continued to speak.
"Miroth here thinks you'd make a rider," said K'sien.
~~She will~~ was the dry reply. ~~When have I ever been wrong?~~
>>There's always a first time. She's a bit unsure.<<
~~No. It will be the making of her~~ Miroth stated firmly.
Kira was on tenterhooks as the obvious rider/dragon exchange took place.
T'lina smiled reassuringly. "Miroth knows." she said. "Consider yourself searched."
