Gil Goes Wandering (1/3)

Writers: Devin, Estelle
Date Posted: 1st February 2025
Series: Guarding Gil

Characters: Gilbek, Tr'vel, Terella, C'nal, D'stan
Description: Tr'vel's guarding of Gil is interrupted when Eboroth decides to chase a green
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 6 of Turn 12

Tr'vel

Gil leaned forward, stretching as far as he could until he felt the pull
of the scars on his back. Today's exercise was to be a slow jog, much to
his relief, and the sky was scattered with light clouds which kept off
the worst of the heat.

He reminded himself once again to take it easy. **Or it'll be back to
swimming.** Though he still refused to strip off altogether, he didn't
feel quite as self-conscious as he had the first time. Was he growing
used to the Weyr?

Tr'vel was stretching too, since it had become routine to exercise along
with Gil when it was his turn to watch the prisoner. The scream of a
rising green was so common in the Weyr Tr'vel didn't pay any attention
to it until a wave of lust hit him.

**Eboroth, what are you doing?!?**

}:She's so pretty. I want her!:{ The small blue's single eye was fixed
on the glowing green.

Tr'vel clenched his fists. **You can't. I have to watch him!** If
Eboroth refused, his only other option was to take his dragon out of the
Weyr, and that would also leave Gil unsupervised. Unless he took Gil
with him, and Tr'vel didn't want to consider how angry the Weyrleader
would be if he took a prisoner out of the Weyr without permission.

He desperately grasped for another idea as he fought the dragonlust and
his lifemate's will. **Call Terella and D'stan. See if they can come
watch. Call them now!**

After a moment, Terella's green replied to Eboroth. }:They are coming.
My rider says five minutes?:{

Meanwhile, Gil relaxed his stretch and straightened. His brow creased as
he noticed Tr'vel's expression. "Is everything all right?"

**Five minutes?!?** The green could go up any second. "Eboroth is
chasing," Tr'vel growled out. "Terella is coming to watch you. Stay. Here."

"What? Chasing who - oh." Gil glanced over at the feeding pens, his eyes
widening. He'd heard about mating flights, of course, but he'd never
seen someone in the grips of one, not up close.

He glanced sideways at the bluerider and his lip twitched in merriment.
"Aha, now's my chance to escape!"

Tr'vel thought he _might_ be joking, but arguing with Eboroth and
trying to think through the dragonlust made it hard to be sure. "You'd
better not." The green's cry echoed off the Weyr and she launched
skyward. Tr'vel drew a sharp breath as Eboroth's mind _pulled_ at him,
and there was nothing for him to do but stumble toward the green's
rider as his dragon took off after the object of his desire.

Gil watched him go, in amazement that a dragon's desire could have such
a powerful effect on his rider. Ever since they'd first met, Tr'vel had
guarded him with scrupulous care, yet now he'd left him alone in the
heart of the Weyr. What must that be like? If Eboroth won, would he
disappear with the green's rider, whoever it might be?

He glanced across the Bowl to the road leading south, but tempting as it
was, he knew that making a run for it now wouldn't be a good idea. It
was broad daylight and the land around the Weyr was open enough that
they could hunt him down easily - and even if he did make it, he didn't
have any supplies, or so much as a knife. He wouldn't last long as a
holdless man without preparation.

The sensible thing to do would be to wait until Terella arrived, but
something in Gil rebelled at being told to stay as if he was a canine or
a toddler. If he was going to make a plan to escape, this was an
opportunity to explore the Weyr without a rider watching his every move.
He glanced around to see if the greenrider, or anyone else from
Lightning Wing was in sight. Then he quietly followed a group of
weyrfolk heading in to the caverns through the main entrance.

Word had passed through some of the retired riders and C'nal ended up
being the first one to land in the Bowl. He scanned the area,
confused. }:Did you get the prisoner?:{ Normyth asked Terella's green.
}:He is not here.:{

}:No, we have just come from the beach,:{ Julath replied as she landed
close by. Her rider dismounted and shaded her eyes as she looked around
her, her frown deepening.

**This is where Eboroth said, right?**

}:He said to watch the man who was here,:{ the green replied. }:But he
was quite distracted.:{

D'stan came jogging up, the grin on his face at Tr'vel's predicament
fading when he saw Terella's face. "What's wrong? Did Tr'vel ask you to
watch too?" He frowned. "Where are they?"

"Well, Tr'vel must be over there." Terella pointed to the distant group
gathered around the green's rider. "But I can't see Gil. Maybe he's
still in his weyr and they wanted us to bring him here?"

"Crackdust," C'nal said as he slid down Normyth's shoulder. "The
little whershit's run off!"

"Or he...hasn't." Terella glanced worriedly over at the young dragons
outside the weyrling barracks. Thankfully, they seemed undisturbed.

"Hold on, let's not panic. He might be in the latrine," D'stan
suggested. "Or maybe he wanted to get some water."

"All right." Terella ran a hand through her damp grey curls. "I'll check
his weyr. C'nal, can you take Normyth up above the Weyr and see if you
can see any sign of him - and D'stan, you start looking in the Lower
Caverns. We'll come and join you if we can't find him."

C'nal gave a sharp nod and climbed back up on his brown. As they took
off, he gave Normyth as clear a picture of Gil as he could, relying on
the dragon's keen eyes to spot the prisoner. First they went up to the
heights and scanned the Bowl, then they glided down over the beach and
along the road that led to the harbor. If Gil had gone into the dense
forest . . .they might never be able to find him.

Julath followed Normyth up, then curved away around the cliffs to
approach the sea-side weyrs where Gil was kept at night. She landed
neatly on the ledge and Terella slid down, her eyes narrowing as she
looked into the shadowed interior. "Gil? Are you there?"

It only took a moment or two to confirm that the small weyr was empty.
She hurried back out again, her heart beginning to race. **Quick, back
to the Bowl.** She couldn't help thinking of the harm Gil could do if he
was loose in the Weyr. What if he went after the Weyrwoman, or one of
the goldriders? Perhaps it had been a mistake to leave D'stan, he wasn't
as young as he had been... **Ask Normyth if he's seen anything.**

}:No sign of the prisoner,:{ the brown reported. }:We go to the harbor
and then we will return.:{ C'nal didn't think the man could've made it
that far in a few minutes, even at a run, but better to be sure.

**Tell him to hurry back.** They landed and she headed for the entrance
to the dining cavern, where she found D'stan talking to a drudge.

"He's not in the nearest latrine or the bathing room, or the kitchens,"
he reported once the woman had gone back to her work. "I've been asking
around. A couple of people think they saw a fair-haired man wandering
about, but no one's sure."

Terella ran a hand through her hair. The Weyr was a warren of caverns
and passages; he could be anywhere by now. "We should check by the
Weyrwoman's office and the other goldriders. Hopefully C'nal will be
back soon." He would be the best able to subdue Gil if they needed to,
though she hoped it wouldn't come to that. Tr'vel would be even better,
but she doubted he was going to be in any mood to help search, one way
or the other.

Last updated on the February 11th 2025

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