Temka curled up comfortably with Aenaiyeth, the yellow hatchling dragon slumbering contently. Aenaiyeth was gleaming with health and definitely well oiled: Temka made sure of that. It was only a few days after she'd Impressed and the need to change had made her feel like someone wearing clothes that were too tight.
She was amazingly grateful that the link to her bond was as strong as ever even in this form, and that the confident little yellow shared her independent nature and didn't mind that Temka was lax in socialising with the other weyrlings and their dragonets. For a lot of her life, Temka had felt alone, and having a soulmate,
a lifemate like this really made a difference to her. She smiled a wolfish smile, and tenderly nuzzled the dormant hatchling.
Aenaiyeth flapped frantically, as she finally got off the ground, with Temka cheering from below. The half-grown weyrling dragon still had a while to go before she could fight Thread and bear her rider between but she was learning quickly and growing stronger by the minute. Aenaiyeth was an intelligent and assertive
dragon, and she soon noticed that her bond was spending more time human and sociable, although she could hardly know that it was Impressing her that had made such a difference to Temka's life. For her, life was sheer fun and she would ceratinly become one of the most agile dragons ever, in her mind at least. As she settled down to a
slightly awkward glide, her werewolf bond encouraging her mentally, she felt extremely proud, and it was probably natural that at that point she was buffeted by a slight gust of wind and had to make a clumsy crash landing. It was progress anyway. As Temka rushed over to her to check she was alright and nearly tripped over in anxiety, Aenaiyeth
reassured her bond, and the world, that she was quite all right and doing magnificently. It was true.
Temka gripped the fighting-straps hard as Aenaiyeth flipped over in mid-air, rolling and twisting, then pulling her wings in for a screaming dive and a difficult landing. Aenaiyeth, claws scoring grooves into the ground as she slid to a halt, almost seemed to grin
What do you think, ridermine? Can I fly, or CAN I FLY? Temka stared at her dragon Do you really mean that? I thought something was wrong! Of course not. I was doing fine! You worry way too much! I suppose I do. But I'd hate to lose you.Oh, come on. Like that's going to happen
Aenaiyeth sunnily replied. She was as cheerful and assertive as... as a very cheerful and assertive thing, Temka thought. The day she'd Impressed 'yeth had been the best day of her life, she thought tenderly, the best day of my life.
