Shipwrecked on the Sandy Beaches

[sigma]

“ACK!HACK!ARGH!” came several guttural coughs from the half drowned harper. He was still coughing up seawater that had filled his lungs not too long before. On the swim to the shore he was able to hack up most of it in order to breathe once more, but he could still feel some liquid sloshing about in his lungs. He was able to get the last of it out and was now able to take in air properly.

Walther sprawled on to his back; his body slightly sinking into the clean white sand as he greedily swallowed the wonderful air in. He should have been dead…

-No one should be able to live with their lungs full of water, right?- he thought as finally took in his surroundings. The sky was a painful bright color of blue in contrast to the tragedy that had just happened. -Are there any other survivors? I can’t be the only one right?- he thought as he struggled to sit up. He looked around the beach he crawled onto. Nothing, but floating driftwood from the Dawning Sister and seashells was on its sandy shores. He slowly stood to his feet and looked out into the vast ocean. No one… It was eerily quiet for all the noise he was bombarded with not a few hours ago. He let out an exhausted sigh as he brushed off the sand.

No food, no supplies, and all the crew of the transport ship nowhere to be found. Well he should say most likely dead. That explosion was massive and probably was heard from even in land. Hmmmmm… Maybe someone who lives nearby heard it. Was he near any civilization?

He decided to walk along the beach in hopes of finding others that might have survived. He hoped so… Then another horrible thought crossed his mind.

“Great Shells and Stars!!! My records!!” They were all gone. Three turns of solid work lost to the sea. Tears were already springing to his eyes at all that information lost. He didn’t know anyone personal from the crew, but was sad that it appears that they might have all perished. Yet his scrolls were very dear to him. So much effort, research, and scribing! Gone, gone forever…

He found a near by rock that was off the shore and sat down it. He felt so defeated he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He was Harper, not a jungle tracker. How was he going to survive? Was he going to fail the Hall and never reach Skysong Weyr?

[spaceman]

A lithe shape emerged from the jungle, draconic but unusually small, jet black against the white sands. Taikoth's eyes whirled multicolored -- hostility at the scent and sight of an intruder, but also curiosity.

He does not look like a threat.. O'sa, astride her dragon's neck, leaned down and gave the supple hide an affectionate rub. Taikoth was hardly taller at the shoulder than a large runnerbeast, which made it easier for her to navigate through the dense jungle. The two had slipped down to the beach to investigate the source of the strange noise of the explosion. Just in case it was a serious threat, they went by land rather than air for superior stealth -- the silhouette of a dragon in flight, even one of diminiutive size, was distinctive and unmistakable. And just now, they observed the harper clambering his way out of the sea.

He could be a mutant. Perhaps he caused the explosion. But no, he doesn't look like much, does he? A rare burst of amused blue emerged amidst the rainbow of conflicting emotions in her eyes. More like a drowned wherry.

Moving forward, Taikoth growled softly to announce her presence to this strange boy. At the same time, O'sa spoke. "To judge from the flotsam here, you're lucky to be alive." She did not dismount yet, but gestured to indicate the splintered driftwood and other debris still floating gently on the tide. "Have a name, boy? Or did you strike your head in the wreck?"

[sigma]

Walther leapt to his feet with a frightened squeak and immediately fell on his face after getting tangled in his long limbs. The growl came out of nowhere for the harper and he flailed about to turn himself upright to see what caused it. He stared up at the Black dragon, blinking rapidly as if his mind couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. He also heard the rider's inquiry and only cocked his head to the side.

"Huh? Ahhh... Oh!" he looked back to the sea and the debris. "Yes! Yes, it was bad...I'm still not entirely sure what happened..." he said in a distant voice as if lost in the struggle to pull up memories of all that chaos. Look of sadness flickered across his emerald eyes as he stared out into the sea.

"Who am I? Oh yes!" he awkwardly struggled to his feet and gave a nervous, but friendly smile. "I'm your Weyr's sponge!" Walther blinked when he realized that didn't make any sense. "I mean I'm here to soak in new information, I mean I'm a scriber-no I'm your scribe-I mean-" he was getting all his words jumbled. He was trying to word it as the MasterHarper had told him his task would be. The man had such a way with words that Walther could never hope to speak with his clumsy lips. He sighed in exasperation as he gave up in trying to be harper elegant with his words.

"I...am Journeyman Walther from HarperHall." he said as he hung his shoulders in shame. Some harper he was to mess up words. He reached into his vest and pulled out his last pair of specs. He had lost both of his back-ups in the wreck and now must be sure he didn't lose these last pair. He dried them off using the bottom of his shirt and placed them on his face.

"A black dragon?" he said as his mind and eyes fully focused on the Taikoth. "Black?!" he said in a much higher octave and fumbled with his cloths' pockets. -Pen, pen, pen....Paper, pen, hide, anything!!- he thought frantically as he spun about in spot trying to find something to write with and on. "Shards!" he cursed as he remembered that he had lost all his supplies. How was he suppose to do his job if he didn't have any tools to work with and here was one of subjects ready to be recorded.

((Fun Fact: What the MasterHarper actually said to Walther. "You, Walther shall go to south and learn as much as you can about the new mutations. Both dragon and human alike. They are making new history for Pern and they must be recorded for future generations! You shall soak up as much information as you can and archive it. You shall become a sponge so you can give voice to this new generation."))

[spaceman]

Taikoth snorted. All right, if this one's a Fort spy, he's either incompetent or a stunningly good actor.

O'sa chuckled softly. Harper. If he's telling the truth... the Harpers are still neutral, as far as I know. We should take him back to Asmyra. She and J'no can figure out what to do with him -- no use leaving him out on the beach.

The black dragon took another few steps towards the nervous-looking young man, close enough now to inspect him fully. While he seemed fascinated by her, she was equally intent on studying him. Taikoth paced a full circle around him, sniffing curiously at his odd blue garb and nudging lightly at him. While a dragon's sense of smell wasn't especially keen, there was still something odd -- he smelled like seawater, of course, but below that something faint and smoky. The explosion, no doubt. What an odd human he was, all these words to convey such a simple meaning.

O'sa's expression hardened slightly when he made a note of her dragon's color. "Yes," she replied dryly. "How clever of you to notice her color. We are O'sa and Taikoth, of Skysong Weyr... home of the mutants, as you're doubtless already aware." Her words were sharp, almost biting on the word mutants. But her body language and expression were not as hostile as they might have been. As long as she was seated on her dragon, and he was unarmed on the ground, she held the upper hand in this little arrangement and that suited her fine.

[sigma]

Walther blinked in surprise as Taikoth circled him, looking over. He resisted the urge to turn with the dragon wanting to examine the enchanting creature some more. He resided to turning his head about, keeping his eyes on her. He gave light chuckle as Taikoth nudged him, for he was fiercely ticklish.

"Oh my!" he said softly laughing, enthralled with the dragon. This was the first time he was ever this close to a dragon and to be touched by one. He reached out his hand to her snout, his fingertips grazing on fine inky hide. He did not want to offend for he had read records that dragons like to be given full respect. He wasn't sure how not to appear rude to the creature, but was hoping she didn't find him to brazen for his barely touch.

"Then...," he trailed as he was clearly still distracted by Taikoth. " I am in the right place." he looked up at O'sa finally with a small smile. He was a bit perplex by her harsh tone, but he could only suppose she was just weary of strangers. People with these new abilities were not treated always kindly up north, so her bitterness could be understood.

"I was sent here by the Masterharper of Pern." he said his voice sounding slightly more sure. He reached into his other vest pocket and pulled out a wax sealed scroll that had the HaperHall crest upon it. It was water logged but still intact so it wasn't completely ruined. "I am to give this to the Weyrwoman of Skysong Weyr." He held out the paper to O'sa.

[spaceman]

"Hmmm." O'sa took the scroll from him, examined the wax seal, then nodded briskly when she was satisfied that it was the genuine crest. Tucking it away for safekeeping, she noticed him reaching out to Taikoth, and braced herself -- either to keep her seat, or give the black a sharp mental reprimand, as needed. The volatile dragon was unpredictable in her responses to people. Taikoth, however, simply eyed Walther for a moment, then butted her head roughly against his hand and giving an odd rumbling croon.

"That's interesting," the rider murmured, half to herself. "She doesn't hate you, which is unusual." O'sa was no Searchrider, but she made a mental note to have one of them take a look at the boy. Wasn't that one of the signs of potential candidacy, that dragons took a shine to you? And they needed more live bodies on the sands anyway.

At any rate, first things first, she had to get him back to the Weyr. Leaning down, she extended her arm to him, an offer to help him climb aboard. "Up you get, then, Harper. We'll take you to the Weyr. You don't get airsick, do you? Only we've just had a bath this morning and we don't fancy having to take another at the moment..."

[sigma]

Walther beamed in delight as he gently petted the dragon's head. Her hide is so soft! I wonder why no one mentions that in the records about dragons. he thought, making a mental note to write down himself once he got hold of some paper. He looked at O'sa curiously when she mentioned that Taikoth doesn't hate him. Dragons can hate people? I thought they were nice to everyone. Maybe these new colors have different personalities from the original five colors. he thought looking at the black dragon with respectful awe. Paper, paper, paper! He must have some to write down all this new information he was learning.

"Thank very much rider O'sa and black Taikoth." he said taking her offered hand to lift himself up on the small dragon. "A-airsick?I-i-i-I don't think so..." his voice trailed off as he realized he was about to go very high off the safe ground.