"Why don't you go and check on the runners, Kealat?" The young man of 15 Turns mimicked in a high voice as he strode along to the stables. "Why don't you go and see if any of the canines need taking care of, Kealat?" He dropped back down to his normal voice. "It's obvious. They hate me."
That wouldn't of been an understatement. Kealat was known well throughout Centar Beasthold as someone who "just wasn't quite normal." In other words, he was a bisexual, and often found himself being rejected because of that. In truth, he couldn't blame them.
The tall Apprentice ran one hand through his mouse-brown hair, casting his eyes over the runners as he entered the stables. "Well, Surprise, you sure are acting strange today," He said, stroking the gelding's blaze. "But then again, I suppose that isn't too strange for you." The chestnut gelding had thrown a jockey in his first race after impeccable workouts. He continued to change from sweet to viscious for the rest of his life, but no one wanted to put him down. When Surprise was in a good mood, he raced at top speeds.
Wandering down the row of stalls, Kealat would stop occasionaly to stroke a runner's head, and gently rubbed behind one of the filly's ears, because she loved it whenever someone did that. All of the runners were acting a little bit nervous, some of the more jittery ones sidestepping as Kealat tried to stroke and calm them.
"Well, what's the matter?" He asked Vix, one of the mares who was usually quite calm as her eyes rolled back and she pinned her ears against her head. "Girl, what's the matter?"
She whinnied again, and Kealat walked slowly out of the stables, wondering what under the Red Star could be causing that.
He bumped into Eavin, one of the female Apprentices who hadn't snubbed him for his "strangeness." "Kealat, there's a Searchrider here from Dark Moon Weyr! Isn't that amazing?"
Kealat said nothing. What did Searchriders think that they were doing, coming to a Beastcraft Hall? Some of those runners had races in less than a sevenday, and it was going to traumatize them to no end... With his luck, Surprise wouldn't accept a jockey and wouldn't race.
He trudged along to the line of eager Apprentices, with a few Journeymen and Women sprinkled in that hadn't been posted yet. The bluerider was female, and that set Kealat back a bit. Of course, he knew that made it easier for males with mixed preferances like himself, because the ones like him bonded, for the most part, to greens.
The bluerider cast her eyes up and down the row, as did the huge dragon. Cheche, The blue said to his rider, I think that I've found us a Candidate for Sorkith's clutch. Kealat.
Cheche nodded almost imperceptably. "Okay, Raimith," She said, patting the green's hide. "Kealat," She said in a louder voice, "Would you please come here to speak with me?"
Confused, Kealat walked slowly to Cheche. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm pretty sure that you've made a mistake. I'm... differant, I suppose you could say," He muttered softly, to where only dragon and rider could hear it.
Cheche laughed, and Kealat felt embaressed. "Boy, don't you know anything? Weyrmorals are a bit... Well, I suppose that you could say they're looser than all of these morals you have at the Holds and Halls. You would suffer no humiliation if you would join other Candidates in standing for the green Sorkith's clutch. No one cares at the Weyr."
A soft smile spread across Kealat's face. "Well, with an offer like that, I don't think that I could refuse," He said softly, and strode off to go and collect his things to take to Dark Moon.
Looking down at the BeastCraft hall, which had been his home for as long as he could remember, Kealat could of laughed with joy. He felt nothing about leaving his old home. In fact, it was a rather welcome change. He was leaving to stand as a Candidate in a place that wouldn't reject him for what he was...
What could be better?
Dark Moon Weyr
Hatchling
K'lat smiled down at Naadinath, wondering why he could of felt any regrets for coming to Dark Moon. I don't know why, either, Naadinath agreed. She was a rather vain little green, but K'lat never would of traded her for anything. K'lat, what do you think of Sorynth's rider and Balaveth's rider?
"Any reason, Naadin?" He inquired curiously. V'nan and Armine were, as a matter of fact, the two riders in his weyrling class that he was swaying back and forth between. Liking V'nan would of meant that he "wasn't normal," but would Armine really like a boy that rode a green?
No reason. But Armine has to like you, because I chose you! the green said loudly, butting K'lat softly with her nose.
"Thanks, girl," K'lat whispered, leaning down to embrace his dragonet. "You're the only girl that I'm really worried about!"
"Nad!" K'lat yelled sharply as the green leaned foreward to pluck a piece of firestone out of one of the bluerider weyrling's hands. "That's not yours, girl," he said, and quickly apologized to the bluerider, who happened to be Nya. He felt himself blushing slightly, but she didn't seem to notice.
K'lat, I wasn't going to chew it, I just wanted to look at it, Naadinath said haughtily. I already told you that I wanted to clutch, anyways.
K'lat smiled softly, and nodded. He'd been all for fighting Thread in the Weyrling Wing, but Naadinath had wanted to clutch, and K'lat wasn't going to deny his lifemate anything that she wanted. Besides, he thought with a sideways glance at Nya, there would be more female blue and brownriders chasing if Naadinath was to clutch.
"Don't worry, Nad, I trust you. I just didn't want you to take that blue's firestone," he said, and Naadinath sighed, rubbing her headknob up against K'lat's arm.
"Shardit," K'lat whispered softly to himself. Then louder. "Shardit, shardit, shardit!" Naadinath looked down at him worriedly. "Naadinath, you can't be serious, can you, dear?"
Why, of course I am serious, rider-mine! It's not my fault that I'm the best green in my clutch and the first one to rise! Naadinath replied huffily. Besides, K'lat, weren't you saying that you wished that you could find a weyrmate?
K'lat groaned deeply. "I meant a male weyr-mate, Naadinath. There are no other male greenriders from my clutch, and most of the ones here are too old for me, anyways. It wouldn't work."
I'sen and blue Ceruth at Tarizal.
"What?" K'lat was wondering what on Pern his dragon could be talking about. Riders and blues at Tarizal Weyr... It was relatively new, compared to Dark Moon.
I'sen on blue Ceruth at Tarizal. He's like you, likes both his own kind and girls. He's a bit older than you, Impressed from one of Dark Moon Weyr's clutches about seven Turns back, I believe. He was younger than you whenever you Impressed, though, so I think that the age differance is about five turns. Azala has asked you if you wanted to transfer; now you can tell her yes.
K'lat gaped. "You know, Naadinath, I don't think that I ever could of wished for any other dragon, you know that?"
Naadinath smiled smugly. What can I say? I am, after all, the best of my clutch.
