Charanth had his head down and was observing the effort.
Branuth says she ordered it. She’s swimming free of his back.
Charanth sounded amused, too, and K’vin chuckled.
That was much more dignified.
Branuth says it was easier on him, too, but he doesn t think he should
do the same back at Telgar.
Not with the water that cold this time of year.
We can now land? Branuth says the sun is warm.
I thought you wanted to hunL Later. NOW I want to get warm all over.
Charanth’s preference was almost unanimous as the dragons spread out on
both the pebbled beach and the shore line which was covered with a shrub
that, when bruised by large dragon bodies, gave off a rich pungent odour
which was not at all unpleasant.
Tisha had some of the weyrfolk off finding kindling and stones to make
camp-fires, and to see what fruits might be ripe, and another group set
to fish where boulders had tumbled down in to the Sea like a breakwater.
I’m going for a long swim,’ Zulaya called out to him as he and Charanth
glided to a landing. She was already stripping off her jacket.
Meranath wants one, too.” She touched down long enough to strip off the
rest of her clothing, which she left in a neat pile on a boulder before
making her way to the water.
What about the grubs?” They’ll wait,’ she yelled over her shoulder,
wading out until the water was deep enough for swimming.
We don t have to go find gnbs now, do we? asked Charanth plaintively,
and the eyes he turned up to his rider whirled with a yellow anxiety.
No, we don’t,’ K’vin said. Grubs were an excuse to leave the Weyr for
a few days.
He shucked his clothes and dragon and rider joined the others in the
warm Azovian waters.
It might not have pleased K’vin to learn that almost every rider
procrastinated over the stated objective of the journey south: grubs
were, in fact, probably the last thing on anyone’s mind. Sunning,
swimming in the pleasant waters, hunting for dragons and food-gathering
for humans took precedence and space and time for absolute privacy.
P’tero and M’leng asked permission of V’last, their wing leader to take
their dragons hunting.
Remember what K’vin told you about the sport creatures down here,’
V’last said, serving the same warning to the other riders wishing to
hunt their dragons.
P’tero and M’leng nodded obediently but, as soon as they left the
clearing where their wing had landed on the Malay River, they laughed at
the very notion that any creature could be dangerous to their dragons.
It’s really hot here,’ M’leng said, glancing back at the river.
We’ll be hotter after we’ve hunted the dragons,’ said P’tero.
But once that’s done, we really don’t have to do another thing until
dinner.” So let’s not come back here until just before,’ M’leng
suggested, laughing recklessly. Or we’ll end up having to hunt or fish
or gather.
There’re enough weyrfolk with us to do all that – and enjoy,’ P’tero
said, rather condescendingly. Let’s get out of here.” He made a
running jump and neatly vaulted onto Ormonth’s blue back. M’leng
simultaneously boarded green Sith.
What shall we go after?” M’leng asked.
Whatever we see first,’ P’tero replied and pumped his arm to send them
both aloft. M’leng preferred him to be leader.
They didn’t have far to go to see grazing herds of runner beasts,
smaller than the ones they were accustomed to seeing in the Holds. But
when they also saw other dragons in the sky, gliding in to hunt, P’tera
signalled M’leng to fly on in a south-westerly direction. They hadn’t
gone very far before both found it necessary to strip off their flying
jackets, and then their shirts which were winter weight anyhow. P’tero
admired M’leng’s compact body. The green rider was small boned which
had always delighted P’tero, with a surprisingly strong and agile wiry
frame. He was also winter-white, right to his collar. He looked so
funny, as if he had two different skins.
Then the blue rider became fascinated with the tropical terrain around
them, subtly different from the north’s warmer Holds. Nerat was rain