At Last

Writers: Clancey, Jane
Date Posted: 3rd December 2007

Characters: K'hetah, J'darin
Description: K'hetah arrives at Dolphin Cove Weyr and reports to J'darin.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 9 of Turn 4

J'darin

The bronze dragon was lightly loaded for the task he was on, but that suited the dragon (because bristling with odd shaped bales and baskets was not his idea of making a good first impression) and his rider (who simply didn't care for clutter and had been glad of the opportunity to dispose of what little had crept into his life since his last move).

Their approach to the Weyr was exemplary; appearing at the correct height above the broken-sided volcano, returning the greetings of the watch dragon, landing neatly on the sandy floor of the Bowl not too far from the entrance to the Weyrleader's office. The tall dark-haired man unfastened the light riding straps and dismounted, taking only a moment to look around at his new home.

He had visited the place before. It would be a rare bronzerider that wasn't at least superficially familiar with every Weyr on Pern, but in this case superficial knowledge was all he had. A few messages, some transport duty, all in the early days of Dolphin Cove's settlement.
Light-coloured eyes surveyed the cliff walls of the Weyrbowl, and then glanced out through the lost quadrant of the caldera. A beach and the sea.

His rather ordinary features were lit by a grin he couldn't suppress.
What a change!

Nevertheless there was more to the move than warm weather and pretty scenery and he reluctantly turned toward the cliffs to identify the office of the Dolphin Cove Weyrleader, between the Hatching Grounds and the dining cavern. Before he moved away from Loeth's side he couldn't resist glancing back over his shoulder at the bay. It certainly was an incredible view.

The frown remained as he settled another stack of hides to the 'done' pile. He hid a yawn behind his hand, shaking his head. They had flown Thread yesterday fairly well, but still were short in all Wings.
More injuries were reported and that was the stack of hides he took out next. His least favorite day after Thread activity, cataloging injuries.

Thankfully, no dragons had keened yesterday.

Oak appeared just then, distracting him easily enough from a reluctantly undertaken duty. He was chittering about a strange big bronze one in the Weyrbowl.

Memory struck, having been lost in the rush of a Thread fighting day yesterday.

Today he was getting a new Wingleader! At LAST. A deep sigh of relief and he jumped to his feet. He had corresponded with this rider
- K'hetah was his name - and his Weyrleader back in the North, and was very impressed with his record. He was an experienced Wingleader, and ready for a change, it seemed. J'darin had sent out requests to all the Weyrs for bronzeriders, Wingleaders in particular. No one had been willing to spare one for months.

Hasaarth's challenge to a strange bronze sounded just as J'darin crossed the threshold of his office and went out into the Weyrbowl to greet his new Wingleader.

**Easy Hasaarth. That is our new Wingleader, and his dragon Loeth.**

}:I have told him this is my Weyr and Nyith is my queen. Nicely. But I also told him they were welcome.:{ The last was added a bit sheepishly, if dragons could sound so.

Laughing, and ignoring his dragon for the moment, J'darin raised his hand to wave to K'hetah. "Welcome, you must be K'hetah." was his greeting as they met near his bronze.

"Indeed." K'hetah saluted the Weyrleader as he approached. "And the very un-threatening Loeth." There was a twinkle of amusement in his eye for the challenge from the Weyrleader's bronze. Loeth's mental rumblings protested the comment but that only caused his rider's amusement to deepen.

"You'll have to forgive Hasaarth, K'hetah. Nyith is his first queen mate, and he is quite protective of her." He smiled in welcome, and beckoned him on with him, toward his office. "I'm quite pleased to have you and Loeth. I hope you both come to enjoy Dolphin Cove as your home soon."

Returning to his office, the two bronzeriders took up seats as J'darin got a pitcher of klah and a pitcher of cooled juice out, offering the choice to his new Wingleader.

"Juice, please. Perhaps I'll get used to drinking klah in this weather
- in time." K'hetah was glad he'd taken the time to remove his jacket before seating himself. The office was cooler than standing in the bright day outside but still much warmer than it had been in the mountain summer he had left behind in the North of Pern.

J'darin nodded in understanding. "I Impressed at Dragonsfall and flew with the Wings there until transferring here as Weyrlingmaster Second, so I understand a bit of the difference in temperatures!" Pouring juice for him, he took klah for himself.

"Thank you for being willing to come South, K'hetah. This Weyr has had several struggles in the last turn, and we are short of experienced bronzeriders. " He waved toward the outside, over K'hetah's shoulder.
"We've rebuilt, and we have a class of weyrlings in training right now, but we're short everywhere, not just bronzeriders." He paused to consider K'deren, and was disappointed all over again for the loyal brownrider.

"Your new wing has been without a bronzerider Wingleader for months.
It has been under the very able command of your Wingsecond, brownrider K'deren and his Donneth in all that time. But I need to stabilize that Wing, and so here you are." He smiled again, wondering where this bronzerider fell in Weyr politics. Traditional? Either?

"Is there a reason that I need to be aware of for not confirming the Wingsecond as Wingleader?" K'hetah asked mildly. If it was a dragon colour issue he could accept that; dragons took on most the burden of flying Threadfall and recognised levels of authority among themselves that naturally made having bronze Wingleaders easier than having browns.
However, browns had been successful in the role at times and if there was some particular trait that made Cyclone's Wingsecond unsuitable then he would prefer to know it.

The smile faded, J'darin's Weyrleader face showing itself for the first time. It was going to sound foolish, perhaps, saying it out loud, but it needed to be said.

"I want a bronze in that role. It simply makes more sense, if we have a good, talented bronze pair, to give them the spot. K'deren is a wonderful Wingsecond and his brown has even sired a clutch of weyrlings here a turn or so ago. We have young bronzeriders coming up, being trained, and I want bronze leaders for them to follow, as well." He paused, looking intently at K'hetah. "I need a bronze there, but any bronze put there will have a tough act to follow in K'deren." K'deren would never believe J'darin uttered those words, would he?

"I'll do my best," K'hetah murmured, though he thought that an unnecessary promise. "Is there likely to be a problem with my transfer in? Or am I a better solution than a native bronzerider in this situation?"

J'darin shook his head at that comment, ticking off bronzeriders on his fingers. "We have only very few other bronzeriders with the experience and age to be even a Wingsecond, never mind a Wingleader.
Over half of my bronze population has riders under 20 turns. Br'nick is my Wingsecond, and showed no desire to move into the open spot, and Y'sani was my former Weyrlingmaster. He and I do not agree on a fundamental decision I made after the Storm, and it makes it impossible to support him for any leadership roles at the moment. The rest of my bronzeriders are young, and getting younger all the time, it seems." He paused, wondering what _this_ rider would think of J'darin's current age limit on entering the fighting Wings.

"So, no, you are my only choice, and you have been long overdue, frankly."

K'hetah smiled, having moved in a matter of days after offering to fill the vacancy in the Southern Continent Weyr. The Weyrleader didn't mean the speed of his relocation, though, and he said lightly: "We got here as soon as we could."

A faint chuckle was J'darin's response, though his practical lifemate was even now haranguing him in his mind to stop worrying.

"Its been a struggle, K'hetah. K'deren will not resent you for coming; he will resent me for not giving him the Wing. If it had not been so long... " He sighed, shaking his head again.

"Regardless, it was my decision, and I find that I look forward to some new bronze influence at our Weyr. These weyrfolk are remarkable, K'hetah. They survive tragedy after tragedy, deal with a very hidebound Weyrleader and a new Weyrwoman all in one turn, and you would never know it to look at them. Without them, I could not keep Pern safe. All I ask is that you, in turn, help me keep them safe."
The intensity he was known for wreathed around him like smoke.
J'darin's smiles were much fewer in between than they had been before the storm. Maurgen remained the surest way to get a smile from him, though his Weyrwoman could, at times, if they spent time together.

"As I said," K'hetah reiterated gently, "I'll do my best."

Last updated on the December 8th 2007

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