Kenist Miana Stories: Earth and Air

Terynesa rapped on the door with hard claws, then sat back to wait. She was a little nervous, and more than a little curious: she wasn't entirely sure why Fedalamar had invited her to his rooms that afternoon. Not that she minded, of course, but he was being so closed-mouthed that she wanted fervently to find out what was going on. There was nothing like silence to fuel her need to know.

Despite her fear that she would see less of her former tutor now that he was no longer actively teaching her, he had actually sought her out four times, now, in the past two weeks, just to share a particularly good meal or talk about a neat stone he'd found for a while. Given that she had sought him out almost as often, she was beginning to feel quite happy with the current state of affairs. It was rather like they were friends, now, though Fedalamar acted grumpy whenever he thought she might be taking it for granted that he liked her. But then, he always acted like that.

Usually what he wanted was pretty straight-forward, though: he'd approach her and either start up a conversation, pull a stone out of a pouch or the fur of his back to show off, or just fall in walking beside her. Today he hadn't even shown his face, he'd sent her a message inviting her to his den. There was no reason, not even a mention of something to eat, or needing to ask her something. If he weren't so infernally self-sufficient she might have worried about him; as it was, she was just dying of curiosity, and he was taking far too long to open the door!

When it finally swung inwards, revealing the irritable face of her former teacher, she exclaimed cheerfully, "Took you long enough! So what's the big surprise?"

Fedalamar snorted at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Your big, mysterious reason for wanting me over," Terynesa prodded, stepping inside as he moved aside to admit her. He'd long since enlarged the door to his rooms so she could fit without having to crouch or shift, once she hit her second major growth spurt and was suddenly towering over him. Well, really, she'd done it, as one of her first major stone-workings, as well as her very first act of difficult plant magic, forcing the wooden door to grow. He'd done nothing but watch and nod when she'd completed the task.

"It's not mysterious," he ground at her. His irritated expression was tinged slightly, she noticed, with confusion. "It's them."

When he opened one wing to point with a pinion, Terynesa finally realized they weren't alone. Perched on the arm of his enkeyn-sized sofa, looking very small on the large piece of furniture, was a blue and white sa'enkeyn. Kneeling on the floor in front of the sofa was a very large, brown horse-- only he had paws, pitch black eyes that somehow managed to look intelligent, and the spots on his legs and rump were green rather than a natural brown. These were Fedalamar's friends-- his only ones, as far as Terynesa knew-- Edeledare, and Sashna'kyanar, an amanayr. She hadn't met them more than a handful of times, but she liked them both well enough. Edeledare was a quiet sort, gentle and wise-seeming, and Sashna liked everybody.

She grinned at the two of them. "Hey, guys!"

"Hello," Edeledare replied politely as Fedalamar shut the door behind her.

"Hey, Tery," Sashna said, swishing his tail at her lazily.

"It's good of you to join us," Edeledare continued. "I hope we will not take up much of your time."

"Well, sure," Terynesa said with a dismissive flick of her tail. She sat on the cushion Fedalamar had brought in for her, as about the same time she outgrew his door she also outgrew his furniture. "Time's something I've got plenty of." Fedalamar himself slumped around behind her and settled on the other side of the couch from the sa'enkeyn, doing his best to look like he wasn't paying any attention at all. She grinned at him, and he hrmphed at her, before asking, "What's on your mind that you want me for?"

"Terynesa, you're the only person we know who's bonded," Edeledare began, putting slight emphasis on the last word.

"Well, there's a couple kids in craiche," Sashna corrected. "But they're babies, and they're enkeyn, so it's sort of different."

"And you... want to know what it's like?" Terynesa guessed.

"If you don't mind sharing," Edeledare nodded politely.

"Well, no, I don't mind." She scratched idly at one ear, thinking. "I've never really had to try and explain it before," she warned. "And I've never really been without it, except for a couple minutes right after I hatched. But I'll do my best."

"That's all we can ask," Edeledare assured her, and she heaved a sigh, trying to organize her thoughts.

"Well," she began, "you're never alone, as long as your bond's not, you know, gone somewhere and blocking you. Koae does that sometimes, he thinks there's some things I shouldn't have to know about." She snorted at the thought; he still treated her like a baby, sometimes. "But it's still not so bad, even then, because I always know he's coming back. Don't think it's like having someone who perfectly understands you, though," she warned, "or that you'll never have fights. All it means it you'll be more unhappy until you fix things, because of that bond."

"Well, that's more incentive to fix things, I guess, right?" Sashna grinned, ears perked with more attentiveness than he usually showed, the lazy thing.

"Well, unless you're feeling spiteful," Tery grinned, back. "Every now and then I want Koae to feel bad for making me feel bad... but that doesn't really last long."

"Doubt either of you will have that particular urge," Fedalamar grunted.

"One never knows, Fedalamar," Edeledare replied peaceably. "Even the kindest has his bad moments." He turned his blue eyes on Terynesa again. "One of your siblings chose not to bond, and from what I can tell, many other dragons choose not to bond." She was impressed; he had really done his research. "Do you ever regret choosing to bond?"

"Never," she answered immediately. "I love Koae. He's like-- my dad and best friend and big brother all rolled into one. I miss him when he goes off and leaves me here, but I think it's worth it when he is here, or when he takes me with him." She smiled a bit. "Especially when he takes me with him. But then, I like adventures."

Sashna chuckled at her, and Fedalamar snorted softly, probably in exasperated agreement. She'd bored him before with her daydreams of adventure, fortune, fame, and making a difference in the world-- or just a world.

"So what's this about, anyway?" she asked, looking between Edeledare and Sashna'kyanar. "You guys planning on going and finding yourselves bonds, or something?"

"Perhaps," Edeledare said enigmatically, doing his level best to look mysterious. Then again, knowing him, he might not even have been trying.

"Well, he is," Sashna smiled, much less enigmatically. "I'm just listening in out of curiosity, really. I can't imagine many of those bonding critters are interested in hooking up with an herbivore who's going to feel ill every time they catch themselves some dinner."

Terynesa blinked at him, then started to grin. "Well, it's not as if you have to watch," she told him. "But you know, there's more than just dragons out there, Sashna."

"That are interested in bonding?" the amanayr asked, ears perked again. Apparently he was more interested in the idea than he'd been letting on. "Do tell."

"I can do better than tell, if you're actually serious about bonding." In fact, she had an idea already, a world she and Koae had visited together not a month ago.

Sashna skewed his ears uncertainly, an uncharacteristic expression for him. "I don't know, I hadn't thought about it seriously, really. I didn't think it would be likely, for me. I mean, come on, a lot of you big toothy critters look at someone like me and think 'food'."

"I do not," Fedalamar ground in irritable protest.

"You're different," Sashna snorted at him amiably. "You eat more rock than meat."

"Well, you don't have to decide immediately," Tery coaxed. "I'll just take you someplace, you can look around, maybe meet some of the potentials... see what you think."

"Hmmmm." Sashna wasn't usually one to think very long on a subject, so it wasn't surprising when, a minute of silence later, he gave his mane a vigorous shake. "Might as well! When do we leave?"

Terynesa laughed. "As long as it's before Koae gets back from his trip and can forbid me to go, whenever you like! I know just the place, too. You'll love it."

And, she expected, he'd love the residents, too.