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'And just where have you been, Auren?'
the large mid-age woman demanded. 'In the woods,' the slender boy replied. 'The woods,' she repeated, and one could hear the snear in her words. 'When I needed you here to watch the littles? Honestly Auren, you don't ever look to your responsibilities.' 'But Momma, I did my choirs before I went,' he stammered in protest. 'Aye, you did, but I could have used your help with your younger brothers and sisters,' she complained. 'What about Erek,' he asked. 'He could of watched them.' 'Really Auren, you know your younger brother's studying with the journeyman Smith. It's important for his future. You know that,' she explained exasperatedly. ('Yeah, hanging out with the journeyman is loads more important than exploring the wonders and secrets of the woods,') thought Auren. He barely managed to not roll his eyes. He hadn't forgotten the last boxing his ears got quite that quickly. 'Yes Momma, I know Momma. I can watch them now,' he suggested, raking a hand through his red-gold hair. 'Don't need you NOW,' she said. 'I needed you before.' Never-the-less, she moved about the kitchen supervising the drudges and didn't have much time to spare the littles. As she was obviously still very busy, Auren gathered his younger brothers and sisters and took them outside and out of his mother's way. She barely glanced up from tasting the stew as he got them headed out the kitchen's side door to the small courtyard. Outside, free once more from the oppressive bustle of the hold, Auren felt a subconscious weight lift from his shoulders, and he smiled at his younger siblings. Picking up his littlest sister under the arms he twirled around and around, spinning till he was dizzy and she was laughing histerically with delight. He finally gave in the the pleading of the others and took turns twirling the rest till he could barely stand, the world spun so. Laughing he collapsed on the cool, flat stones near the outside water pump. 'Story,' begged the littlest. 'Yes, story. Tell us a story Auren,' the others took up the chant. 'Okay, okay,' Auren shushed them with a slightly nervous glance toward the door back into the kitchen. 'What shall it be,' he pretended to think. 'Goblins,' asked one. 'No Sun Elves,' begged another. 'Dragons,' said the eldest boy. 'No, fire lizards,' asserted the youngest boy. 'The Forest,' said the youngest girl. 'Hm....' Auren thought for just a minute more, his blue eyes shining. 'A tale of fire lizards, goblins, and the forest, eh? Very well. Not long ago, as I was hunting for early bread fruit in the upper hills I chanced to hear a strange cry. The cry repeated itself and as I turned to look....' Auren held his audience captive for well over a candlemark before Erek came out the kitchen door looking rather cross. He came over to where Auren was holding court and put his large squarish hands on his bony hips, pushing his lip out and scowling at his slender older brother. 'Mama wants you to bring the littles inside,' he finally said as he turned to the pump and began washing the grime from his hands and arms. Having already cleaned the unavoidable evidence of his treks through the woods from his face, hands, and clothes, Auren gathered his flock of younger brothers and sisters and herded them inside. Erek turned to scowl blackly at Auren, but Auren pretended not to notice. ('Don't know what his problem is, he's the favorite after all. Not my fault I was born first.') Once back inside the kitchen, Auren supervised the unavoidably noisy and messy choir of getting little kids to wash up for the evening meal. Once done, he then escorted his band to the dining hall(cavern?) and seated his charges at their end of the 'L' shaped configuration of tables. Making sure they didn't fight amounst themselves first, he then stuck his head baack in the kithecn to see if Mama needed any help. She shooed him back out and he checked on his band of hoodlems before turning around and getting handed a tray of finger fooods designed to keep the hungry diners from chewing on their plates. After making several trips back and forth from the kitchens, Auren was finally able to sit and grab a bite as his mother and the drudges swept in with the main courses of the meal. Looking across the hall, Auren couldn't help but notice that his younger brother Erek was sitting with some older gentlemen already well into his meal. ('Typical') thought Auren, not real surprised. Just then he had to turn and break up an insiped food fight between his two youngest brothers. The next day dawned early and bright, and as Thread wasn't due to fall for another day and a-half, Auren stood on a rise a short distance from the main hold entrance and breathed in the clean, clear fragrances of a new day. He'd been up since before dawn getting his choirs done, and was just contemplating a short hike into the woods to investigae a likely grove of nut trees when a burly short figure came trudging up the short hill toward him. 'Mama says you'd better stick around today. We're expecting visitors,' Erek sneared at Auren. Auren didn't let the dismay show on his face, but he did squint at his stubby brother. ('At least bringing the message got him out of bed before he usually rises') Auren thought. ('Candle marks before') he thought with recovering spirit. 'What kind of visitors,' Auren asked politely. His restraint bothered Erek for some reason. 'Don't know,' Erek groused. 'But you're to get back to the hold and put something respectable on,' he managed to snear. As Auren was wearing a clean and serviseable outfit suitable for climbing and generally exploring in, he guessed that to mean the fancy clothes that he kept way down in the bottom of his clothes chest. ('I don't see why I've got to where those things,') he thought with disgust he found hard to conceal from Erek as they both headed back to the hold. ('I mean I changed out of the things I did my choirs in.') A sigh escaped him and Erek darted a triumphant look at him. Fighting to keep all emotion off his face Auren sprinted up the stairs to the room he shared with Erek. He'd already changed clothes by the time Erek puffed his way into the room. ('6 flights of stairs sure take a lot out of him (the apprentice smith?)') thought Auren as he chose which belt to go with his outfit. Finished dressing he politely went to see if his mother needed help with the littles. By the time he'd helped her get them dressed and organized, he could hear a ruckus being made out in the front courtyard. Herding his siblings down the stairs and out into the front courtyard took most of his attention, but Auren didn't miss Erek standing with some crafters and acting as if he belonged in their illustrious group. Everyone was milling about and Auren was just beginning to wander what in Pern was going on when 3 dragons came out of between. Two browns and a blue. They settled in the cleared space before the hold and folded their wings nearly in unison. The dragons' riders slid expertly from their backs and walked toward the welcoming group moving to meet them. They spoke a while to Auren's father, the holder, and his mother and then turned to the milling children. One of the Uncles organized them into lines and Auren soon found himself being regarded by gently laughing grey eyes. 'Relax youngster, we don't bite,' said one of the brown riders. Just then the blue's rider stopped before Erek and regarded the (stocky) youngster with a measuring eye. ('Oh, no, not him,') thought Auren. ('He'll be impossible if he becomes a dragon rider. I'll never hear the end of it. Wasn't it bad enough that Momma and everyone else always compares me to Erek. Always asking 'why can't you be like Erek, with a goal in your life.' I couldn't stand it if they started asking why even a dragon couldn't find merit in me. What am I going to do? What's wrong with a love of exploring. Why can't anyone understand... what?') (( 'I said, I like exploring, too,' )) said a voice in Auren's head. With baffled eyes, Auren looked up dazzedly at the laughing grey eyes of the brown's rider as he called to the blue's rider. 'This one, eh? He certainly looks the part of a dragon rider, with that crown of flaming hair,' laughed the man, taking Auren's arm and gently steering him toward the dragons. The last thing Auren saw as he looked at his beloved forests from the dizzying height of several dragon lengths in the air, was his brother Erek complaining about Auren always getting what he wanted. Then Auren was between and thought no more of Erek, at least for a long time to come. Auren is a candidate at Dawn Sisters Weyr Hopeful's weyr Auren's journal
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