Stringfall

Writers: Eimi, Dana
Date Posted: 1st August 2005

Characters: Traelyn, U'kaiah, Kaiafel
Description: Traelyn comes upon U'kaiah and his son in a playful moment
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 15 of Turn 3

Swooping down, Nyith caught another air thermal, and then sharply angled her wings so the cold drafts would carry her to where she wanted to go.

}:Kalamath is there,:{ the queen told her rider before she warbled a greeting to the bronze. Backwinging, Nyith gracefully landed on the ledge. She primly arched her golden neck and touched a friendly nose to Kalamath's before she caressed it briefly down his neck.

**Flirt,** Trae chuckled as she took off her helmet. Shaking the loose tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid back from her eyes, she unlatched herself and smoothly dismounted.

}:He likes me and I like him,:{ came the young queen's arch reply as she airly rustled her wings. Then she settled herself beside the bronze, her tail curling neatly around her feet.

Traelyn just grinned and hung her helmet on one of the pegs. **Of course.** Then she began to make her way inside to U'kaiah's main living quarters.

The scene she came upon was probably one that she would never have expected to see. A little boy with curly black hair sat straddling a chair in the middle of the room, apparently throwing out orders directed towards the sofa. "Y'lek, watch yourself! You're running low on firestone! Kalamath, tell the weyrling master we need more stone! Quickly! There is another clump, Kalamath, go get it! T'mur, I think the wind is shifting! We need to change our formation!"

A small wad of colored strings came catapulting over the back of the sofa.

"Kalamath, look! It's a really big one! Let's get it!" The boy cried as he leaned in the chair/dragon towards it. "Nice flame there Kalamath! You are the best dragon on Pern!"

Another wad of string was launched fly high in the air as the black, curly head of U'kaiah came peeking up over the sofa, his eyes skywards and his hand pointed at the colorful menace that threatened to join it's fellow on a heap at the feet of the boys chair. "Weyrleader K'fel! More Thread is coming! There's too many of them! You have to save us!"

"I'll get it, Wingleader U'kaiah!" The boy shrieked as he "dove" towards the string. "Be careful Kalamath! Watch your hide!"

It was then, as U'kaiah's eyes followed the progression of the "Threads" towards the floor that his eyes met the goldriders.

And Traelyn was grinning. "Is it safe for me to come in, Wingleader U'kaiah? Or should I wait until this Fall is over?"

"I think our fearless Weyrleader will take care of the Thread." He said with a sheepish smile pointing to the little boy on the chair.

The child turned his eyes towards Traelyn. "I'm Weyrleader K'fel," he said by way of greeting. "You can be a greenrider if you like."

U'kaiah smiled apologetically at the goldrider.

"A greenrider, hmm? Am I in your Wing then?" she asked the boy as she came into the room.

}:A greenrider? A _green_rider?:{ Nyith's tone was almost indignant.

**He's just playing a game, dear heart. Don't take it personally,** she laughed.

The gold rumbled once and then went silent. Trae's eyes flickered from the boy to her friend, and the look she gave him was tenderly amused.

"You can be in Jaela's wing. We need someone in the queen's wing," the boy said with authority.

U'kaiah returned her smile. "Do you think you could handle being in the Queen's wing, Trae?"

"I _think_ so, Wingleader." **He never told me he had a son! They look so alike...**

"You will need a dragon," the boy said as he patted his wooden "Kalamath". "Da, can you get her a dragon?"

"Certainly Weyrleader," the bronzerider replied with a smart salute. He gave Trae one more smile before he walked towards the table to retrieve a chair.

"Actually, my name isn't K'fel," the boy admitted in a rather loud whisper, "My name is Kaiafel."

"Nice to meet you, Kaiafel," she whispered back. "And you can call me Trae, okay?"

"Okay," he answered. "You can put her dragon next to mine," Kaiafel directed as U'kaiah returned with the chair.

"But son, the Queens Wing is lower than the Weyrleader's wing when we fly Thread." U'kaiah replied indulgently.

"Da, it's just pretend." The boy answered. He rolled his deep brown eyes at Trae. "You can sit here."

Once U'kaiah had placed the chair in the correct spot, Traelyn went over and straddled her "dragon". "You'd better not score me on purpose," she murmured in playful warning to the bronzerider as he passed her, pointing at the colorful "Threads".

"What would be the point? You wouldn't let me treat them, would you?" U'kaiah asked, grinning up at her from the floor where he was quickly retrieving strings.

"That depends," she grinned back. "Do you have _any_ kind of healer training?"

"First aid only." He said with a sad shaking of his head. "But, though I haven't had specific _training_, I am expert at massage and anatomy."

"Do you need riding straps, Greenrider Trae?" Kaiafel's voice chirped in. "I have riding straps on my dragon. Da, do you have more riding straps?"

"Some riding straps might be a good idea, Weyrleader," Traelyn agreed, grinning at her new, offical "title".

"I think I have another pair of old ones laying around." U'kaiah grinned at Trae. He always knew she would be good with children. It was... touching to see how she humored the boy. He obediently went to find the straps.

"You put on the straps like this." Kaiafel carefully demonstrated how to fasten the straps. "Have you ever riden a dragon before?"

"Once or twice. And I must say, I've enjoyed the experience very much!"

Kaiafel bent his head backwards to look at his father. "Oh, Da! Can you help her put on her riding straps?"

"I think she knows how to do it for herself, son." He answered with an amused smile.

"But you should do it for her. You can do it right." Kaiafel leaned towards Trae. "My Da always says that safety is very important. So I will have him show you how to do them. He is better at it than I am."

U'kaiah shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile. "He _is_ the Weyrleader, you know."

"And we certainly can't disobey the Weyrleader's orders! So go on, show me how it's done, U'kaiah. Do you need me to get off my dragon?"

"No, I think I can reach around. I have long arms, you know." He quickly fastened the straps to the chair/dragon. With a conspiritory wink to Trae, he fastened the straps around her. "What do you think, Weyrleader? Will that do?"

"Yeah, that will do. Now go back around the sofa and get ready, Wingleader!" Kaiafel reached over and patted Trae's hand. "Don't be scared, greenrider. I will be right here to help you. And if you do really well this time, maybe next time you can pretend to be my Weyrwoman."

It took all of her will not to laugh. The boy was _just_ like his Papa! "Then I'll make sure I do really well today," she told the boy solemnly, placing her other hand over his briefly as if to seal the promise. Then, catching U'kaiah looking up at her, she winked.

He winked back and then gave his son a smile. The boy really did look ready to go out and rid the world of Thread. Who knew, perhaps he was seeing the future of the Weyr right there in the middle of his living area. Little boys who brave Thread on chairs grew up to be men on dragons someday. U'kaiah just hoped he could live to see that day. But for now, he had a job to do. Ducking back behind the couch he let the first wad of string fly and chuckled silently as he heard Kaiafel's rousing calls.

"Come on greenrider No time for fear! Fly, Kalamath! Get that Thread!"

Last updated on the August 28th 2005

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Stringfall