Post by Zen on Nov 27, 2019 2:43:29 GMT -5
Several months before Careful What You Wish For
His son was just shy of four turns now. His mother had been gone since he’d been weaned, but Treyjen always made sure to visit the boy each time they came back to Tillek, and his own mother doted on him as well when she got the chance. He was grateful for Reyloran and his wife, his brother’s family gave his son a steady home while he was too young for sea travel. It would be different if his mother was among Treyjen’s crew to look after him, but as it was he still needed a good deal of looking after and Treyjen certainly couldn’t do it himself out at sea. He was looking forward to the day he could bring the boy sailing with him, though. A few more turns and it ought to be safe enough. He disliked that his son would get a later start at sea life than he’d had himself, but there wasn’t much to be done about it. He’d had his mother at sea to watch over him and Gildrey didn’t have that luxury.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t start learning.
With a couple days ashore already under his belt, drinking with friends from his crew, he’d decided it was about time he headed for Rey’s home to see his son. He might have had a little to drink so maybe it didn’t quite occur to him that it might be a little too late to be taking a boy of three turns out into the night, but then when else was he supposed to learn about the stars?
When he showed up at Reyloran’s door, he was apparently being a tad too loud for his brother quickly hushed him. “The children’re already’n bed, Treyjen, please keep it down,” his brother sighed in exasperation.
“Bah!” he waved a hand dismissively, “Where’s my son?”
Reyloran frowned, “In bed.”
“Well how’s he meant t’learn the stars if he’s not awake t’see em?”
“He hardly needs t’learn about them now, Treyjen, he’ll have plenty of time when he’s older-”
“Bah!” Treyjen said once more, pushing past his brother just as the boy in question came running toward him.
“Daddy!”
“There’s my little shipfish!”
Reyloran frowned at the both of them as Treyjen leaned down to embrace his son, lifted him into his arms, “You’re s’pose t’be asleep, Gildrey.”
Gildrey peered over his father’s shoulder at his uncle, sheepish, “But I heared daddy.”
Treyjen grinned and ruffled the boy’s hair, “Don’t y’worry. You’n me’re gonna spend a bit’a time together.”
Reyloran sighed again, but Treyjen was the boy’s father and he wasn’t about to tell him what he could or could not do with his own son, “Just try t’keep it down when y’come back, will ya?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Treyjen murmured, carrying the boy back out the door where Reyloran shut it behind them.
Gildrey rubbed at his eyes sleepily, “Where’re we goin, daddy?”
“Not far,” Treyjen told him, settling them behind the house where Reyloran lived, shifting slightly so his son was tucked at his side, inside his long coat, so he’d stay warm in the chill night air. Gildrey rested his head on his father’s chest and looked up at him curiously, but Treyjen gestured above them, “Y’ever look at the stars, shipfish?” Gildrey’s blue gaze shifted up to the dark expanse of sky above them and he shook his head slightly. “Y’oughta start. Here, y’see those stars there?” Treyjen traced them with one finger, arm outstretched, “See how they look like a dragon? There, the wing, and down there, the tail, even ends’n a fork.”
“I see it!” Gildrey replied with childish enthusiasm.
Treyjen smiled softly, “And that bright star there, that’s the Dragon’s Eye. That’s one’a the most important stars’n the sky.”
“Why?” the boy looked up at his father again.
“Because that star leads y’north, no matter where y’are on Pern, if y’can see that star, y’know where north is,” Treyjen explained.
Gildrey seemed to think about that for a moment, “... What’s norf?”
Treyjen chuckled, “North is one’a the four directions y’need to know for navigating, so y’know where you’re going when you’re out at sea.” He pointed northward, where the Dragon’s Eye star was, and toward each of the cardinal directions in turn, “North, East, South, and West. If y’know where North is, y’can figure out where all the others are. And do y’know how we remember the order of the four directions?” Gildrey shook his head, and looking down at him Treyjen could tell it was a little over his head, but he was still clearly eager to know the answer. As if he were imparting a great secret, he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “Never Eat Stinky Whers.”
Gildrey giggled at that, “That’s silly, daddy.” Absently, he stroked the boy’s hair, looking back up at the stars. Gildrey snuggled a bit closer and yawned, “Are there any more aminals up there?”
“Mm,” he agreed, reaching up to trace another, “Over there’s the runnerbeast. See how it’s rearing up? And down there is the shipfish-”
“Shipfish!?” the boy perked up at the name of the creature his father was so fond of calling him by.
Treyjen laughed softly, “Indeed. There’s the nose and the eye, and there we can see it blowing water. We can only see half of it during this season, but later’n the turn you’ll be able t’see the whole body. Throughout the turn it slowly leaps up into the sky and back down below the horizon again. Sometimes y’can’t see it at all.”
Gildrey frowned, “But I don’t wannit t’go away….”
Treyjen wrapped an arm around the child comfortingly, “Don’t y’worry. Even if it goes away a while, it’ll always come back.”
“Like you, daddy?” Gildrey looked up at him and Treyjen studied his son’s face for a few quiet moments, then wrapped him in both arms and gave him a squeeze that made him giggle.
“Like me,” he agreed, “And one day you’ll get t’go away with me, and y’won’t have t’worry about me going away ever again.”
“When?” Gildrey looked up at him hopefully.
Treyjen sighed, “Not for a few more turns, I’m afraid. Y’gotta get a bit bigger. But until then y’get t’stay with your uncle Rey, so y’should enjoy that while y’can. Y’won’t get t’see them near as much once y’start traveling with me.”
Gildrey nodded at that, for his cousins were certainly good playmates, and not getting to see them every day would be a big change, even if he would get to see his father every day instead. He yawned again, “Will y’show me more star aminals, daddy?”
Treyjen laid back, “A’right. Lessee….” It was not much longer, after pointing out the winding tunnelsnake and the nesting wherry, that the boy fell asleep at his side. Shifting carefully, he managed to get his son into his arms and push to his feet. Maybe he was a bit young for this, but Treyjen had limited time to spend with his son until he got older. He didn’t mind repeating the lesson. Reyloran had waited up for him and let him back in to put the boy into his bed. He sat there at his son’s side, watching his peaceful dreaming, and wished the turns would pass a bit faster.
