Barkley and green Hanguanth
The Road So Far!
It all began at Jessaf Hold, in the protectorate of Madellon Weyr, for Barkley – a young woman of 18 Turns, dreaming of becoming a green rider.
Barkley was born the daughter of a modest cotholder at Jessaf Hold, working alongside her widowed father to work their allotted land, and help bring up her young twin siblings, Albon and Gettie. And in early 102, when a green rider, N'jol, and his Kistrith came to Jessaf in search of candidates for Madellon Weyr's hardening clutch, Barkley didn't even present herself as a hopeful. Yet it was Barkley that Kistrith singled out among all those young people. She almost didn't accept Search – anxious not to abandon her father. But he insisted, revealing that his late wife, Barkley's mother, had always dreamed of being a dragonrider – and gifting Barkley with her blue feather pendant as a lucky charm.
As a candidate, Barkley was assigned a bunkmate – Erilde, a quiet young woman from the Lower Caverns fearing a second unsuccessful Hatching, who would soon become her closest friend in the Weyr. She also got to know many of her fellow candidates, including the Weyrbred twins Leover and Leoguy; Zielaph, the nephew of a Madellon bronze rider; and Arina, a level-headed young woman from Jessaf who'd stood at the previous Hatching.
But she also made an enemy – Auciet, a snobby and superior Holdbred girl – who took a firm disliking to Barkley! Backed up by her crony Cedranne, Auciet became the thorn in Barkley's side throughout the sevendays of candidacy.
Hatching Day
The dragons' hum woke Erilde and Barkley on 102.03.17. Following a brief run-in with Auciet, the pair joined the rest of the candidates for a morning lecture. The Weyrlingmaster, L'stev, gave the whole cohort – increased by three late Searchees to a total of thirty-five – strict instructions about pre-Hatching preparations, including eating, drinking, bathing – and in some cases, getting a decent haircut – and then turned the group loose for the morning. Before Barkley left, Erilde asked her to make enquiries about any dragonrider heritage she herself might possess, to give her confidence a boost before the Hatching.
The one-armed green rider and the thieving queen
Immediately on leaving the candidate barracks, Barkley was flagged down by M'shen – a green rider with one arm, a fire-lizard queen – and a problem. His queen, Squiffy, had stolen several pieces of the Weyrwoman's jewellery, and hidden it around the Weyr. M'shen recruited Barkley to find it. Despite Barkley's best efforts, though, she didn't manage to complete and return the jewellery set before the Hatching.
Respecting her elders
In the Weyr's kitchen gardens, Barkley encountered R'hren, a former Weyrleader of Madellon, now peacefully retired to potter among his beloved plants. R'hren asked Barkley to help him track down the ingredients for a warming salve to help his elderly bronze, Staamath, with his arthritic forepaws. Barkley duly located the components of R'hren's salve, winning the old bronze rider's approval in the process.
Hot stuff
Madellon's kitchen was the source of the hotfruit R'hren had sent Barkley to find for his warming salve. Headwoman Crauva handed one over immediately she asked for it, pleased to be helping such an august figure as the old Weyrleader.
Eggs and baskets
A visit to the Archives led to a meeting with Tarshe, Madellon's Weyrwoman Second. When Barkley expressed an interested in looking up some Weyr records, Tarshe offered her the loan of a glowbasket – on the proviso that she return it afterwards. Which – mindful of not offending such an important personage of the Weyr – Barkley did!
Weyrbrat by name...
A run-in with a Weyrbrat – Terzon, whom Auciet had paid to cause Barkley trouble – resulted in an unfortunate public incident. All too aware of being shaken down, Barkley gave the kid a shove – in front of a number of witnesses – doing nothing for her reputation!
A blue lady
Coming across T'gala, Pern's only female blue rider, bathing her Heppeth in the lake, Barkley offered her assistance – which T'gala gladly accepted. Getting some first-hand advice about what it took for T'gala to Impress a blue dragon was an opportunity Barkley didn't want to pass up.
The Hatching
When it came to the Hatching, Barkley had to wait a little while before the grey-splashed beige egg Hatched to reveal the dark teal-green dragonet who would choose her, naming herself Hanguanth.
A friend bereft
But to Barkley's dismay, Erilde wasn't as fortunate. No dragonet showed an interest in her, and she was left among the candidates remaining unmatched at the end of the Hatching.
Whatever happened to Auciet?
Sadly, there was at least one fly in the numbweed. Auciet Impressed an unusually aggressive grass-green hatchling, making them Barkley and Hanguanth's new classmates. (On the bright side, at least Cedranne didn't Impress!)
After the Hatching
"Hanguanth" by Chris S. Baily
The Weyrlingmaster was the first to congratulate Barkley on her Impression, but it was N'jol, delighted that his most humble candidate had Impressed, who stepped in to help with the immediate matter of Hanguanth's first meal. That was the first moment Barkley had truly grasped that Erilde wasn't going to be a weyrling alongside her – a truth that hit hard. In Erilde's absence, Arina, who'd Impressed a cloudy-green dragonet, Chanth – was a welcome friendly face.
It wasn't long before Hanguanth's personality started to become evident. The teal-green dragonet, inquisitive about everything from the instant of her hatching, also proved to be an especially sweet-natured and kind character.
With both dragonets full to bursting with fresh meat, the newly minted dragonpairs left the Hatching sands for their new home: the weyrling barracks.
Big sister
Another friend Barkley made along the way – a young Weyrbred candidate, Brithie, whom Barkley had encountered in a sudden crisis of confidence directly before the Hatching – hailed Barkley at the barracks – crediting her with her successful Impression of a tiny bottle-green dragonet, Epatanth!
Meeting the Weyrleader
As Barkley and Arina wiped the worst of the blood and sand from their tired new dragonets, the Weyrleader, T'gat, came to inspect both girls' dragonets and to ask after their names. Barkley was proud to introduce Hanguanth to the Weyrleader – and to give him her full new name: Barkley, rider of green Hanguanth!
Following their audience with the Weyrleader, and the application of oily rags to relieve Hanguanth's and Chanth's newborn itchiness, Barkley and Arina headed into the girls' barracks to claim the billets that would be theirs for the next Turn. Choosing adjacent cots, the two new weyrlings got their dragonets settled on the couches that they would take months to grow into. But there was no time for them to sit and admire their new dragons. The Weyrlingmaster soon came along to give them their new weyrling shoulder-knots, before chivvying them off to the Hatching feast!
The Hatching feast
Barkley and Arina soon went their separate ways to find family and friends. Many of the riders and Weyrfolk Barkley had helped during the day greeted her with warm congratulations as she hunted through the throng – but, at last, she found her family.
Barkley's father almost couldn't believe his daughter's good fortune, completely thrilled to be the father of a dragonrider. And he was even more starstruck when the Weyrleaders came to drink a toast to Barkley and Hanguanth.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Barkley, and it came as a relief when the Weyrlingmaster ordered all the new weyrlings back to the barracks for a good night's sleep. But en route to bed, Barkley was flagged down by a Weyrbrat, Emry, bringing the message that Weyrwoman Second Tarshe wanted to see her in the Archives.
Setting the record straight
Tarshe, tasked by the Weyrwoman with converting candidate documentation into weyrling records, went through Barkley's background with her – including much of what she had got up to on the morning of the Hatching – for good and ill. She offered Barkley some advice about paying attention to her new classmates and surroundings, lest she fall foul of the Weyrlingmaster's penchant for snap quizzes, and made some observations on Hanguanth.
A close encounter
On her way back to the barracks , Barkley had two peculiar encounters – first, with Tarshe's queen, Berzunth, who seemed quite agitated by one of the visiting dragons on the Rim; and then with a mysterious hooded figure, smelling strongly of what Barkley would later realise was firestone, who called her by name – and gave her a curious wooden box.
"The Watchful Queen" by Chris S. Baily
Back at the barracks, Barkley decided, on balance, not to tell the Weyrlingmaster about the stranger.
Returning at last to Hanguanth – billeted between Arina's Chanth and a very large green dragonet – Barkley was too tired to examine the strange wooden box very closely, and put it in her clothes' chest for later examination. But even as she went to sleep – a dragonrider at last, her green beside her – Barkley was struck with a deep sense of foreboding. Who was the mysterious dragonrider in the hooded cloak? And what was the significance of the strange wooden box?
Barkley and Hanguanth's story will continue in Dragonchoice: Weyrling, coming soon!
Barkley's achievements
Achievement Unlocked:
CARRY ON WAYWARD SON
I travelled The Road So Far!
Achievement Unlocked:
OUR ROB, OR ROSS
I received a mysterious box!
Achievement Unlocked:
A HORSE WITH A NAME
I have a name and it's a good name and I don't need to fix my name. Probably.
Achievement Unlocked:
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Hanguanth and I make a very strong match!
Achievement Unlocked:
EBONY AND IVORY
Hanguanth and I agreed on something very important!
Achievement Unlocked:
IN TUNE
Hanguanth and I agreed on something quite important!
Achievement Unlocked:
ENEMY MINE
Hanguanth and Naisseth took against each other!