his finding [treyvin's memories]

[tovaana]

Treyvin; to-be-candidate, age 13 turns

“You almost got that done?”

Treyvin’s blue eyes skirted up quickly at the noise of boots and the approaching impatience. The man was in a hurry it seemed – their little boat was going to go out with their fishing nets and Treyvin had been in charge of mending said nets. Treyvin simply gave a weak smile and gave a small nod. He knew the man was probably impatient because it looked like Treyvin wasn’t working on what he’d been delegated. His long fingers put the piece of wood down and sheathed his knife. He’d been working on carving a ship fish, like the ones he would sometimes see at sunrise or sunset.

He gathered the nets in his arms before standing and then awkwardly stood with the gathered nets that were folded as he had been instructed to. “Yeah, here.”

The man looked dubious. He was about to counter the boy, probably ask if he had actually done the work, but Treyvin slipped and answered the emotion before it became words. “Yeah, I mended them all – and then some. I even added a few lines where there were larger gaps from heavier loads, so they should be able to handle your loads better I think.” The man’s face was slightly flustered and Treyvin realized what he had done and remembered that people didn’t like when you jumped to conclusions… like assuming that the man was about to ask what he had done.

“Uhmm, here…” He mumbled, giving the nets over that started to dangle from the sheer size and weight. The man stood there a moment longer then ordered him stop meddling with the wood and to find real orders. He wanted to tell the man that he had been ordered to practice his carving skills, but knew better of it. He simply nodded, gathered the wood piece, and then ran off down the docks, wood clumping under his light tread.

As he thought, there wouldn’t be more for him to do that day until the next shipment came in afternoon. Again, as he thought, he was instructed to continue practicing his woodworking. He’d been working at the docks with boats for a little over a year and he was tired of being looked at as incompetent. Treyvin knew he was ready to be entrusted to more – and since he’d made a year mark, he soon would be… except for a visitor that showed up later that day.

Treyvin had been sitting at his place at the high docks, wood chips falling into the calm ocean under him, when he felt the awe and excitement emanating from others – before he heard the word spreading across the docks… Dragon!

Dragonriders came occasionally and it was exciting, but he never felt comfortable enough to approach visiting dragons and riders, because they usually had enough people gathering and crowding. He sighed, chipping away a crude design of a ship fish. The tail was almost ready to be carved with more detail and to be sanded down.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but a crowd of people approached the docks, a dragon with them – but lingered behind when they got closer to the docks. The flurry of emotions had him turn his head at the crowd who were excitedly talking and showing goods that they had gotten in and others that they were trading out. His blue eyes blinked at the group, but turned to the dragon out of curiosity and felt his stomach lurch as he realized that it’s neck was curved so that its wedge shape head was facing him. The dragon was a Green – a darker green marking the underside and muzzle.

Treyvin looked away and down at his hands, but didn’t go back to carving right away. Feelings were a nebulous thing, but he had started to realize that people felt the same feelings in different ways, giving them a sort of flavor or identity. The flavor of sailors and traders – was different than the mixed curiosity and excitement that he assumed was coming from the larger source of dragon or rider – or both? He clutched the wooden figure in his hand and handle of his knife in the other.

It was nothing, it meant nothing; but then why did he have the funny feeling that the sudden noise of people walking the docks was headed in his direction? He quickly went back to chipping away the fins of the ship fish, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the battle of feelings of the group of approaching people and his own feelings. Had he done something wrong? There was a lot of confusion coming from the group, which blended with his own.

“Excuse me, young man?”

He didn’t look right away, hoping that the words weren’t for him. “That’s Treyvin.” A man muttered, clearly as confused as Treyvin was about the attention of the rider.

“Treyvin, is it? I’m Kenessia.”

He finally looked up to see the young and pretty brunette on the stairs that came up to where he was. He glanced at the crowd who was making him feel nervous with their curious and dubious emotions. He looked back to the kind hazel eyes who was watching him.

“I’m a dragon rider from Mavros Weyr.” She continued when he did not respond to her introduction. She glanced back at her green, motioning with her hand and arm toward solid ground. He blinked at her, glancing at the crowds again, then back to her. He didn’t recognize the name of the weyr, but that wasn’t what was worrying him.

“Nimiath, my Green – she’d like to meet you.” A pause, he had looked quickly back at his hands with his crudely chipped away shipfish. The invite itself wasn’t what made him uncomfortable, it was the eyes of the others that were there. "Would that be okay?"

“Well, boy – speak up!” It was the rare woman’s voice among the group.

“Sure…” He muttered, feeling that perhaps he hadn't done something wrong... but his thirteen year old mind couldn't fathom why a dragon rider would want to talk to him, of all people at the hold.

[tovaana]

After the third glance at the crowd she seemed to take the hint that the group was making him entirely nervous. She quietly and gracefully excused them as Treyvin stood up, avoiding everyone’s gazes – except for the dragon’s across the way. He was drawn to them again, as they had been drawn to him. It was even more boggling that the rider had said that the dragon wanted to meet him – he hadn’t ever thought of them with thoughts and desires of their own.

He stopped a good distance away from the dragon, but the rider continued to pass him to reach her dragon. She touched her darker green nose and looked back at Treyvin.

“What’re you making?” She asked, instead of carrying on the previous conversation. It took him of guard, almost dropping the piece of wood as he brought it up so she could see.

“I’m not done yet,” he insisted before she could cast judgement on the piece. “It’s going to be a shipfish…” He wasn’t sure what else to say, glancing up at the dragon. “Have you seen one before?”

The girl grinned, twisting her body a bit more to face him, her hands still cradling her dragon’s face. “Yes, a few times. I spent a lot of my life on the southern continent – which was probably why I was drawn here…” She paused, considering him while she did. He felt her apprehension and her nerves and wondered why she should be nervous around him. He was just a boy… “And I’m glad I did – it’s a glad occurrence when Nimiath senses potential in someone to be a dragonrider candidate.” She said, watching Treyvin carefully.

He stared at her with his intense blue eyes, biting the insides of his cheeks to keep his own nerves down. But he paused at her last words, staring at her – as if he could see hope rising off the two of them. “Uhm…” He blinked, not wanting to be assuming, but also the silence seemed to speak for itself. “Me?” He managed, glancing around to see if anyone had snuck back in on their conversation. He wondered for a moment if the dragon could sense his abilities to sense feelings, or if that was separate than the ability to impress to a dragon. He stopped his curiosity there, not wanting to look like a fool trying to explain what he could do if he was wrong.

Now Kenessia let go of her green to face the boy who was clearly in shock. She didn’t want to scare him off – and he looked like he was about to flee. He seemed young – hopefully not too young, but with the way he was handling the knife seemed to nimble for a child less than 12 turns… Still, she should check. Last thing she needed was to bring a candidate that was too young.

“Yes.” She confirmed. She didn’t want to pry too much too quickly. “Would you like to pet Nimiath? She said that she wouldn’t mind.”

Maybe he was nervous, but he wasn’t totally out of his senses. The polite part of him parted way for the curious adventurous Treyvin, who eagerly accepted and approached the dragon. He’d been sure to read the dragon’s feelings, which oddly felt similar to the rider’s feelings. Being the first time he’d ever touched a dragon, it distracted him from the conversation they had been having – and the idea of being a dragon rider candidate hadn’t had time to sink in.

“What’re you thinking about?” She asked, watching his face as his fingers traced the smooth hide of the dragon.

“It’s so soft.” He nearly whispered, remembering suddenly that the rider was still there.

“Yeah, they are. How old are you Treyvin?”

He blinked, taken aback by the personal question, but answered - because that’s what you did when an adult asked a question. “Thirteen turns…” He mumbled, stepping back away from the dragon. “Thank you for letting me pet your dragon.”

“Don’t thank me, thank her.”

He blinked at her kind eyes and amused face. He took another step or two back so that the green could bend her neck toward him. “Uhm… thank you Nimiath.”

You’re welcome, Treyvin.

His eyes grew as large as dinner plates as the consciousness brushed against his own – but also a wave of calmness and kindness that he hadn’t expected.

“Treyvin, do you think we could meet your parents?”

He was quiet and focusing on his breathing, stunned from the sensation of a dragon ‘speaking’ to him. She didn’t ask again, letting him figure out his feelings.

“Yeah, I mean… it’s just my mom. But she should be back soon from the fields.” He tore his eyes away from the green dragon. “Why?” Usually he avoided this word, but he was having a hard time making a connection between their interest in him and speaking to his mom.

“Well… have you ever thought you’d want to be a dragon rider? Or have interest?” Speaking to young candidates was different, she liked including the parents. She knew he wasn’t very young, he could hold his own in a conversation, but still – he didn’t want to give the boy too much hope if his mother didn’t want him to leave for some reason or another.

“No…” He said. There was a sudden sort of sadness or desperateness that came from the rider and dragon. It took him a moment to remedy his answer, realizing what it may imply. “No, I haven’t thought about it… but, maybe I’d like to know more?”

Relief. He wasn’t sure he’d felt it so strongly from anyone before.

“Maybe I can tell you more on the way to your home?” She suggested. They walked and talked about dragons, what it would mean being a dragon candidate – that it didn’t mean he would impress – but that his training would shift from working with boats to learning about dragons. At this part he stopped walking and it took Kenessia a step or two to realize he had fallen behind. She looked back at him as he stared at the ground.

“No more… no more boats? Or ocean?” He glanced up and back at Nimiath. He wasn’t sure if he could make that sort of trade – and he knew about trades. Treyvin would listen in to conversations between traders, bartering with goods. Even if the goods were not there, there was some sort of down payment or assurement that the other party would be satisfied… but in this sort of trade, he would give up working with boats with the chance that he would not impress to a dragon… the trade didn’t seem fair really.

“There’s an ocean at Mavros – we’re an island really. During your free time you can do whatever you want – so if you want to be at the docks, you can.”

That was a little better. He started walking again, feeling the nerves of the dragonrider and his own mix. “This way – we’re almost there.” He said, kicking at a rock in the way as they went.

[tovaana]

When they got to their small home, Treyvin was disappointed that his mother was already there. Why would he not want her to be home? Did he hope the dragon rider would get bored and leave? He wasn’t sure he was interested in the change and leaving his home, but on the other hand… adventure seemed to be calling him. He couldn’t help but think of his father somewhere out on the ocean having adventures… He guessed that he’d been almost everywhere, would that mean he had visited Mavros even? But Treyvin also knew there were places far away that Southern traded less with – was Mavros one of those?

“Mother…” He called, hearing her work in the small dining area. Their home was quaint, but it worked for their situation – even with multiple kids running about. They were all considerably younger than he, and he’d never been interested in the man his mother had found. He liked to think his father was the only one, though it was far from reality.

“There’s a dragon rider here to see you.” He said loud enough that he knew she could hear him. He plopped on a wooden chair and offered Kenessia to sit down also. The green dragon couldn’t follow and had flown off to find a clearing to wait.

“Oh?” His mother chimed in surprise, her head poking out around the corner. “One second, I’m just finishing this stew.” So, that was the smell. His mother was always experimenting with different herbs, so even if they ate a stew every night, it was never the same.

She brought it out and offered the rider an early supper. There was light chatter before they started talking about dragons and candidacy. It seemed to be all going smoothly, though his mother’s creased forehead and sadness that he felt coming from her contradicted the way she was telling him that Treyvin should go.

Go. Leave Southern hold. It was finally hitting home – had he hoped his mother would disagree.

“You don’t want me to leave!” He accused his mother, hitting the table with his hand – thoroughly frustrated.

“Well, no.” His mother said, glancing nervously at the rider, as if Treyvin had let it slip that he had a gift for feeling how others were feelings. “But, Kenessia says that her dragon was strongly impressed that you may have a chance of impressing. It’s a unique opportunity.” She paused, considering her son with tired eyes. “And you have a lot to give to the world, no matter where that is. If you stay, or if you go with Kenessia.”

It seemed so sudden… Like a sea bird coming down and scooping him out of the water – but this sea bird was a dragon, and on top of that dragon, a rider. He also knew they weren’t going to eat him… but he had heard stories about Weyrs, how it was different…

“I don’t have to go.” He stated, his bowl of stew untouched.

“No, you don’t.” Kenessia said in a soft tone. “But, both Nimiath and I would hope you would. All of Mavros hopes you do too.” She offered him a smile that he did not return, he was too deep in thought, trying desperately to ignore the feelings from the rider and his mother.

“I need… I need to go on a walk.” He said, standing up suddenly and leaving without being excused. He had to get away from them and their feelings of hope and mother’s pride, but also sadness. He ran and ran until their feelings were faint blurs in his mind, like faded paint. With a sigh his body relaxed and he hugged himself as he walked in the silence of the growing dimness of the day.

By the time he got back from his walk it was dark. The sun left the land with humid warmth, but the ocean’s breeze was cold when it found him and chased him to the heat of his home. When he entered his mother and Kenessia were in the same spot as if they had never left the spot. Both looked up at him, but did not speak, waiting for him to speak.

“I’ll go.” He said quietly, prepared for their emotions that bombarded him from the announcement. He had already worked out what the emotions would be from the way they were acting before he had gone on his walk.

And that was that, he prepared the few things that were his – and he was off. Flying. Southern Hold getting smaller and smaller. Kenessia tried to prepare him for the nothingness of between… but it had not been adequate. The only soothing part of the whole thing was that he couldn’t feel. It was rare for him not to feel feelings, but in the between, they were all absent besides his own. It was odd to have not said good bye to his few friends in Southern, but he knew there were only a couple that would really care… mostly it would be to show off that he had been searched by a dragon rider. He, Treyvin, could be a dragon rider. There would be many boys that would have been envious and would be soon when they found out he was going and gone.

Searched. She had searched him out. Really though, he had had to search and find it within himself to leave. He still wasn’t sure if he made the right choice.