It is a wonderful spring day at Jerdan Weyr. All the plants are in full bloom. It is the perfect temperature for a nice walk around the Bowl. You pause by the lake as a light breeze springs up to take what little humidity there is away. You sit down on the grass which is still damp from the morning dew, but you don't mind at all because of the beautiful day the weather is promising. You dip your feet in the cool water and relax. You think for a moment. There aren't any Falls today either. That makes it all the better. You rest in the grass, and you're quickly overpowered by sleep.
There is a mighty splash, and suddenly you are soaked to the bone with water. You open your eyes. It is mid-morning now. You sit up to find the culprit. You think it was probably one of those troublesome new candidates that was brought in a couple of days ago. You look around, and all you can see is a streak of green. Suddenly a blonde headed girl appears over the hill. You recognize her as Azura. You can hear her shouting in the distance.
"Ionath! Come back please," she pleads with her dragon. The green weyrling obeys and lands about a foot away from you.
"I'm sorry I upset you, Azura, but I spotted our friend over here and came to say hello, " Ionath apologizes to her frantic rider. Azura hurries over. She takes one look at you and laughs.
"So this is how you greet our friend, Ionath," she says with mock reproachfulness. She turns to you. "Are you okay. Well, of course you're okay. I mean you're fine except you're soaked. You can come to my weyr and change into some dry clothes," she says helping you up.
"Azura, is our friend mad at me? I really didn't mean to splash so much water. I was just so excited to see our friend here," Ionath says worried. She walks over to you and rubs against your shoulder in apology.
You look down at the little green. "Why is she doing that," you ask Azura curiously.
Azura laughs at your question. "She is asking you for your forgiveness," she says looking from you to the green weyrling.
"Oh, I see," you say casually. You look up at the green and rub her eyeridges. You then turn back to Azura. "You can let her know that she is still in my good favor." Azura relates the message to her dragon.
"That's great," Ionath exclaims to her rider.
Azura laughs at her dragon's reaction. "She wants to thank you for your forgiveness," she says with her dark blue eyes sparkling.
"Really? That's the first time I have been thanked by a dragon. Normally, I thank them," you say smiling at the green. There is a moment of silence.
"Come on," she says grabbing your hand. "You're going to get sick out here in those wet clothes."
You break away and stop. "What about Ionath," you asked hurt that Azura would leave her dragon behind.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She'll meet us at the weyr along with Kilren and Kairia. Now, come on."
She leads you by the arm to the Lower Caverns. She picks up a pitcher of klah there and starts off again. You walk down the hallway that leads to the weyrs and up a flight of steps. You finally reach Azura's weyr. It is a small but tidy weyr. There are very few furnishings besides the bed and the stone couch.
You are greeted by three different trills as Azura walks in behind you. Blue Kilren and Green Kairia fly in and land on Azura's shoulders while Ionath walks in and goes to her couch. Azura begins stroking the two fire-lizards.
You finally decide to ask Azura a question that you have been wondering about. "Azura," you ask kindly, "what were you doing at the lake before Ionath took off?"
"Oh, I had just finished bathing her." She pauses for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I didn't get the chance to oil her before she took off," she says giggling.
"May I help you," you ask her as you look at Ionath. You realize that you sounded very rude since you were not invited to help. You correct yourself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so rude."
"Oh, that's okay. I was about to ask you if you would like to help me anyway. I mean Ionath keeps getting bigger, and although I have two fire-lizards to help, it is still a big job. Well," she says going over to a shelf and getting down a bottle of oil, "are you going to help me?"
"Of course I'm going to help you. I would never miss the chance to help a dragonrider," you say following Azura to the couch.
"Great! Do you know how to oil a dragon properly," she asks curiously.
"No, I don't. I've never oiled a dragon or even a fire-lizard," you say a bit ashamed.
"Alright. I'll show you how," she says not at all bothered by your lack of knowledge. She takes the bottle and pours a bit of the fragrant oil onto a thin crack in Ionath's hide. "Now, don't use too much. Only use enough to coat the crack lightly," she instructs you. You listen intently as she continues the procedure. "Now, all you have to do is rub the oil into the crack."
"Okay, I think I got it," you say a bit shakily. Azura hands you the bottle and motions for you to take a turn. "Oh, I couldn't. I would mess it all up," you say trying to hand the bottle back to Azura.
"Oh, come on. Give it a try. You'll never know if you can do it if you never try," she says pushing the bottle into your hand. She points to a small crack in the middle of Ionath's back. "Why don't you try that one first. It looks pretty small."
You nod dumbly while Azura guides you. "Now, hold the bottle steady. That's it. Pour some along the crack, but don't pour too much. There you go!"
You follow her instructions until you have a thin coat of oil along the line. "What do I do now," you ask trying to remember her earlier instructions, but you keep drawing a blank.
"Now, take the tip of your finger and rub the oil into the crack. There now you've got the hang of it. That's great for a first time," she says smiling.
"Really," you ask doubtfully.
"Really it is," she says truthfully. "The first time I tried I broke the bottle and wound up with more oil on me than on Ionath. While I was changing, the weyrling master had to try to bathe Ionath off. It was terrible,"she says frowning on the memory. "Well, let's get this finished."
You, Azura, and her two fire-lizards set about the task at hand. It doesn't take very long until the job is completed. You look out the window it is midday now. You look at Azura sorrowfully. "I am very sorry, but I must leave. There are tasks that are still waiting to be done."
"I understand. I hope to see you soon," she says leading you to the door. "But, good-bye for now."
You say your final good-byes and walk down hall to do the many things that are still waiting to be done. But, before you start away you promise yourself that you will visit Azura in the near future if you can.
Name: Azura
Age: 17 turns
Dragon: Green Ionath
Sire: Blue Atlantith
Dam: Green Saivith
Birthplace: Jerdan Weyr
