Z'ran and Crusath

This is the story of how Z'ran Impressed Crusath.(©SunBlind)
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"Zoran, how could you!" a woman's shrill voice echoed throughout the halls. "I reminded you a million times and you still forgot to bring your sister her soup. She's too sick to do it herself." Zoran looked down at the floor knowing that if he told his aunt that the reason he forgot was because he was day dreaming about dragons again that she'd really explode. "Sorry," was all he could come up with, "It won't happen again." The woman glared at the skinny black haired boy before her, "Where have I heard that before. Let me guess, you were off in that dream world again weren't you. When will you learn that you are too old for that now?" She threw up her hands in despair and left the young man to his thoughts.

Zoran sat down on the small cot in the corner of the room, then changed his mind and decided to go for a walk. He wasn't sure where he was heading but it didn't really matter - in his mind he was flying a dragon. Not just any dragon, the largest one ever hatched. This dragon's flame was greater than any other, they could char thread from the sky by themselves, they were that good. Of course dreams are like that, he knew. He'd probably never impress even though he had lived in the weyr most of his life. At least he could pretend to fly a dragon in his dreams.

As he walked he wondered what it would be like to be telepathically connected to a magnificent a creature as a dragon. Even in his day dreams he couldn't really picture it too well. Imagine having someone know all your most private thoughts! At least someone would listen to him then. They wouldn't even let him have a firelizard to keep him company!

He wasn't really forgetful, Zoran told himself. When it was something important the weyr's riders knew they could depend on him. But things like soup for his sister tended to slip his mind, and those were the things his aunt always asked him to remember.

He was near the hatching grounds now and wondered if he dared to take a peek. Queen's generally didn't like it when people intruded on their privacy. He sighed and turned away not wanting to let his imagination tell him what the Weyrwoman would do to him if she found him here. He wondered idly if his sister ever did get her soup. He headed off towards the kitchen to make sure, he wasn't going to get his aunt angry at him twice in one day.

As he walked in he saw a large bowl filled with some of the warm sand sitting on the table unattended. Zoran quietly went over and looked inside. There were fire-lizard eggs! As no one was taking care of them, he gently turned them over, covered them with the sand, brought the whole thing near the fire and held it in his lap. Just then the Weyrleader walked in. "I can't believe that no one was watching the eggs! They might have died!" he shouted. He saw Zoran holding them by the fire and calmed down. "For that young man I think you should be allowed to keep one for yourself, what do you think?"

Zoran was so happy he could say nothing, but then a loud thrumming began to vibrate through his body. "The Hatching!", announced the Weyrleader, then seemed to study Zoran for a minute. "How would you like to try your chances, boy? I've always had my eye on you and the other riders seem to agree with me," he said looking at A'ton, a fellow bronze rider who had followed him in. "Hurry now," A'ton winked as they headed towards the sands.

Zoran had been to many Hatchings in his life but never as a candidate. He felt like someone else was moving his legs, forcing him to walk out onto the hot sands which he didn't feel. He squeezed in the group of candidates circled around the clutch of eggs. "What am I doing here?" he thought. None of his daydreams had ever been this real!

The egg nearest him started rocking and broke almost immediately. The boy next to him rushed over, grabbed the bronze dragonet's head and stared at its eyes. The dragon blinked, the boy blinked, and nothing happened. The dragonet opened its mouth and let out a small screech, pushing the boy down to the sand.

"Don't do that!" Zoran yelled at the little dragon. "You could have hurt him!" The bronze looked at Zoran, seeming to consider his words for a moment, then lowered its head as if asking to be forgiven. "I didn't mean to yell," Zoran said coming up to the dragonet, taking its head in his hands. The dragon looked into his eyes, ~He wasn't the one I wanted.~ the dragonet said clearly in Zoran's head. ~My name is Crusath.~

From the look of the boys around him, Zoran realized he had Impressed the bronze Crusath. At last he could understand the bond between dragon and rider. Never had he imagined it would be like this. Now that the link was there he almost couldn't remember living with out it, and knew he wouldn't be able to anymore. ~I'm hungry.~

Z'ran finished feeding his hungry dragon when the Weyrleader rushed in. "Today is a busy day no? Quick, down to the kitchen unless you want to miss the fire-lizard I promised you. And I always keep my word."

The two men and a clumsy dragon rushed into the kitchen where all the eggs seems to be in motion. "Pick one," the Weyrleader said.

"Which one, I don't deserve a gold or a bronze!" Z'ran hesistated over the eggs.

"Just take one, it's impossible to tell anyway," the man picked up an egg and shoved it into Z'ran's hand. He watched in wonder as the egg rocked in quite the same way that Crusath's did just a few hours before. Someone placed a bowl full of meat nearby. Soon a little head peeked out then the whole little creature crawled free crying pitiously for food which Z'ran immediatly started shoving into its face.

~I wasn't like that when I hatched!~ Crusath said proudly. ~I was quiet, and strong, and brave, and.....~ "You were also a lot bigger," Z'ran reminded him. "Plus you are a dragon." ~Of course~ came the reply.

"Quick, catch it!"
"Somebody feed her before she gets away!"
"Hey! She bit me!"

Z'ran looked up to see a golden flash zip by his head and get caught up in his hair. The fire-lizard screeched as she tried to disentagle her claws. With his first lizard sleeping with a full belly in his lap, Z'ran reached up to shove some food into the wild gold's face before she got free. "Quick, whoever this belongs to, take her," he said.

"Too late," a rider laughed, "Though it serves that Lord Holder right for taking his time getting here. What did he think, that she'd wait for his High and Mighty?" The rider frowned then, "Is that another one in your lap?" When Z'ran nodded he fumed out of the room muttering how could a boy with a dragonet Impress TWO fire-lizards while a wingleader had only one - and the boy had a gold one at that!

"Well, what are you going to call them." It was Crysta, rider of green Lilth and owner of gold fire-lizard Prissa.

"Umm, well I guess the green will be called Lessi, since I've always loved hearing about stories about Lessa and her gold Ramoth. The gold here is Fawen; just because it sounds sort of little queen like," Z'ran replied looking at the green in his lap and the gold in the crook of his arm, their eyes tight shut.

Crysta laughed, "Two females - have fun!" Then she placed a blanket over his shoulders as he had fallen fast asleep.

Stats:
Name: Crusath
Rider: Z'ran
Color: Bronze (male)
Parents: Gold Taziath x ???
Weyr: (agency closed)
November 8, 1998