The Shed 15

a reply to: Night Star

That is very kind of you. (Can you hear it coming?)
But. Through all of life we must learn and grow continuously. Our only aspiration should be towards expanding our mind/spirit. And we can not do that in a vacuum. We need each other as mirrors, sounding boards.
An allegory.
I am meandering through the woods and a fallen tree is in my path.
Do I demand the tree move so I can pass, do I turn around offended or do I figure out how to cross it?
The tree is in its silent way teaching me a lesson.
It didn't say "You are a BAD person for wanting to go this way" it said, "Listen, I am a challenge that will help you "become".

When I learned my trade, my teachers, who had much more wisdom than I, taught me a very essential lesson. Learn, listen observe, learn and never stop learning from any one and any thing. The minute you start thinking you have reached perfection, you are dead. Done. It is the utmost arrogance.
And this applies to all my life experience.
But I have observed here, in the US, that people are extremely reluctant to explore any thing new. They are very protective of their inherent conceptions. It must be a cultural attitude.
And they adamantly abstain from open criticism.
This is a continuous source of frustration for me, being assertive, straight forward and appreciative of open dialog.

This is my "Friday"/week-end.

a reply to: LucidWarrior


Nah. Can't be that.

How are you tonight? OMG< your story!!!! Be right back.

originally posted by: LucidWarrior
Though I do feel like pointing out that all the negative bashing can be picked apart for the essence of a critique and all the negativity left at the door.

Ahh you have much more courage than I.
I run like a little rabbit when I hear the clamoring of trolls.
But this does challenge me to pay closer attention to these out bursts.

a reply to: WalkInSilence

Perfect.

a reply to: Night Star

Hehe. I'm excellent. Phones almost dead but gonna post a poem if I can. LOL I was like, hmm wonder when?

Wis I'm glad my words could give you that

OMG Lucid, that poem left me breathless! I replied! I'm also leaving the link here to remind others to go check it out! That is exactly what I meant about the type of writing I am drawn to and love so much. Wis has written some amazing pieces in the past, though they are few and far between and I wish she would write more!

Yes you Wis!

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: WalkInSilence

What on earth? I swear the pixies are at play tonight. How did I miss your post????????

I'm sorry Wis, I am angry with myself that I get confused so easily sometimes. Damned meds! There is one that is known for making people forgetful and confused and I need it otherwise I would get that sharp burning pain like I'm being branded and it can be excruciating.


Are we discussing the writing conversation? People don't always understand me. Whatever I said, was not to hinder one's growth as a writer. In the past I have received PM's from others who felt less than adequate and didn't want to write. I know how that feels and didn't want a new person coming in to feel intimidated, so I told my story about when I was on the writers site to encourage folks who may want to write but are afraid to. When I write, I just want to tell a story. Maybe I am doing my best or someone else is doing their best even having read helpful hints here and there and that's as good as it will get.

It's like going to school. Some kids are more intelligent than others even though the less intelligent one is trying their best.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

a reply to: Night Star

Sorry if I offended anyone.

That is always a consideration when offering critique. If a person is offended by critique then I will simply not offer anymore.

Ok, the first long bit is the forward followed by Chapter 1. It will take a while to format it all.

P

A SYMBIOTIC BOND

Forward THE SEARCH FOR LOVE

Enough! I have mourned. I have mourned for ten years. Oh Kirra, we loved, we loved for a time equivalent to three of your lifetimes. You were and always will be my first love. There were just too many wraiths, and yet, we saved multitudes of innocents. I was not the only Great Dragon to lose my beloved that dark night. Half of my Flight died. Four Great Dragons and six Riders out of ten Pairs, yet, we did as was right. Other Pairs mourned our losses and sent admiration for our conduct. The Great Queens were sorrowful at the losses, but impressed by the outcome. Every Wraith destroyed by talon and Arcane Fire!

It is time. I am a Great Dragon, a Silver at that! With Kirra, we were Flight Leaders. Now I am incomplete, a shadow. It is time to find another Rider. Yes Kirra, you would have told me to stop wasting time many years ago, but it takes time to put aside the Bond of pure love, of pure joy that we shared, that all Pairs share. Yes, it is time.

I sent my mind to my Weyr Queen and told her of my decision and where I was headed. It lifted her spirits. She had been concerned and yet, out of respect for the Bond that was lost, she would never have interfered. Such is grief to a Great Dragon.

I was fit. As I took wing, I realized I had subconsciously been preparing for some time. Getting back into shape physically and mentally. I climbed using Arcane Power to assist. Lesser avian species could fly, but only Great Dragons could race sounds on the wind. The joy of Arcane flight. Yes, I was ready, joy had returned to my soul!

At altitude, I set an Arcane Shield to enclose a sphere of air for the journey. It had been two hundred and forty two years since I had visited Terra. I wonder if they had progressed at all. Well, no need for wonderment, I would know soon enough.

Careful calculation for the first leg and I Transferred. The absence of everything. I toyed with the idea of making shifting light patterns, Kirra had loved those to replace the void of nothingness when we slipped between worlds. But she is gone and I am here.

I came out of the Transfer above the plane of the solar system, located the third planet, cloaked out of habit and to keep within the suggested Rules of Conduct and Transferred high above the Southern Polar region. I realized that I was heading for the same general area that I had found Kirra. It was a fitting tribute to my lost beloved.

I concentrated and cleansed the air and myself of any pathogens before terminating my Shield. I scanned for the mental signature of a Ressalon Artificial Intelligence and quickly found her. Her task was to monitor Terra.
I linked our minds, “Nautilus, it is I, Lerinth, Silver Great Dragon, searching for a Rider.”

She replied very quickly, “Greetings Lerinth, I will be happy to aid your search in any way possible. When was the last time you visited Earth?”

I replied, “Two hundred and forty two years ago.”

She chuckled, “I am sending you some data, you are in for a little surprise, they have progressed. Are you going to start in the same area that you found Kirra?”

It was no surprise that Naughty remembered. AIs never forget. She had been here for well over a thousand years running as a submerged craft all that time. Yet her thoughts were warming to the spirit.
“Yes, I thought I would start in the same little town!”

She chuckled again, sending, “Town no longer. It is a city with over five million Humans. Sending a data stream including language update! Send to me if you have needs, any need at all!”

I processed the data stream. Language update was an easy one. Flying machines! They have flying machines? Land transport machines, oh, cars, trucks and busses, with a caution to avoid getting hit by one when in alternate forms. Weapons to watch for. Suggested rules. Cautions on technology that record audio and sight. Satellites that see and record! Well, they have been busy little Humans. Sadly, they were still killing each other and in greater numbers. Atomic weapons? Why? Oh, mutually assured destruction. What utterly evil mind thought up that insane concept? Oh well, each society has its quirks I suppose. There it is, suggested animal forms for various regions. Suggested alternative form for Australia was a German shepherd dog.

Personally I preferred the big cats on this planet but a dog it had to be. Apparently Australia had no big cats. That would explain why people got upset last time. That thought amused me. I checked my Cloaking Spell and made the short Transfer to the city. I landed in a large well kept area of grass bordering a river. The data suggested it was park lands meant for recreational activities. A little concentration to get the alternative form in my mind, followed by an application of Power for the shift.

I shook myself. Hmm, didn’t feel too bad. Fairly large form, fast, good powerful jaw for combat, tearing teeth, toenails for grip, not bad at all! I laid down under a tree. I swapped my Cloaking Spell for an Arcane Aversion Field. My Cloak took effort to maintain while an Aversion Spell was set and forget. Humans would not register my presence, in fact their eyes would not look straight at me. I was not invisible but close to it. Their cameras would see me, but the Human mind would not.

I started scanning for young Human minds with Arcane signatures. I didn’t mind if the Arcane abilities were active or latent. These things were within my power to change. It took a while, the only interruption was to hunt. Large birds that lived on the river were easy prey. A mental stun so they did not suffer, a thank you to their spirit for the meal and a quick death. They were quite tasty. The river provided drinking water, my needs were met very well.

I came across suitable minds every now and again. If they were happy in their existence I probed no further. It was unthinkable to take a child away from a loving home. That was not what I was looking for. There were unhappy children, in fact, many of them. None of these had the greatness of mind that I was searching for. Still, five million minds is a lot to scan and choose from.

On the fourth night, I found her. Female of course, thirteen years old and what a mind! Extreme intelligence, Arcane Power to die for, dormant but so were all of them. The potential was awesome. Yet, a gentle caring disposition. Her name was Sophia. Nice name! But so sad, living with an absence of love that damaged her spirit.

I waited till she slept before properly entering her mind. Once in, I sent her into a deep untroubled sleep. She had no one! Her parents had died, her Father in a war, her Mother from illness. She was classified as a State Ward. Didn’t this society know how to care for orphaned children! I thought they may have figured it out in two hundred and forty two years but, no, they still hadn’t a clue.

They had this child in a motel room while they tried to find long term care. Who would do that! She missed cuddles. Her carer was appointed by the State. Sophia’s last carer had been nice, this new one was a waste of skin. It did not take long to probe her mind and even less time to fall hopelessly in love with her! I went through her most recent memories looking for a way to make a first approach.

I withdrew from her mind and started a fast measured run. I only stopped my measured pace once, to remove prickles from my paws. They gave me an idea. I used telekinesis to bunch up a few of them and transferred them to the void. It took half the night but by morning I was in position in a small park that she would walk through on her way to a place of learning, called a school.

I contacted Naughty to gain any insights she thought necessary. Not only did she give me insights but she accessed the Humans’ data systems and provided a run down on everything they had written about Sophia. They were so wrong on so many levels it showed they had not really progressed at all. Certainly they had technically progressed, but on the important level of Human interactions they had really gone backwards. It was a de-evolution of their species.

Right on time Sophia started crossing the park. I retrieved the prickles from the void and inserted then in my right paw. I limped across the park in front of her. She said, “Hey, you’re hurt, come here doggy, I won’t hurt you!” I stopped and laid down. She approached with a little caution and once she deemed me safe, she carefully removed all the thorns and checked all my paws for completeness.

I rested my head on her right shoulder and gave her a hug! She burst into tears and hugged back. It took her a while to stop crying and I just continued the hug. She needed it so badly. I walked her to the school gate before she thanked me and shooed me off.

I met her at the school gate after school and we spent a long time playing in the park. It took me a while to get the hang of the game of fetch but she seemed to like it. We also had a lot of cuddle time. She seemed to make a decision and we left the park together.

As we approached the Motel, she took me to a back door and asked very politely, if I would sit and wait. I followed her with my mind as she went in the front door and then to her room. A very short time later she sneaked me into her room and we spent time cuddling. She was very good at cuddling and rubbing behind my ears.

I had to hide when her meal was delivered. She shared it with me! All the while she talked. She was epically lonely. Such loneliness for a child was destructive and yet, she had not yet given in to despair. Still, without help, it would not be too much longer. Any entities spirit is only so strong at such a tender age!

Hours later, she finally gave me the opening I was waiting for.

She sighed and said, “I wish we could stay together forever. I wish that just once, someone would ask me what I wanted. Is it so hard for adults to listen! I am just a problem to them, an inconvenience! I wish you could talk! Hell, I wish I knew your name. You’re gorgeous! I wish I could keep you!”

I answered telepathically, “Sophia, my name is Lerinth. You can keep me, but I am not what I appear to be. If you will trust me for a few moments, I could show you wonders! Would you honor me by trusting for a few moments? You will come to no harm, in fact, I would die to protect you!”

She just sat their stunned, while her mind and aura did somersaults and spun in circles for a few minutes. Then she simply said, “Show me, please.” We were sitting on the bed when I Transferred us to the Park Lands under a full moon. It was late at night and we were alone. I walked a little away and shifted to my true form. In her system of measurement I was thirteen meters long with a wingspan to match. I rested my head on the ground right next to her and we talked. It took Sophia a while for the shock to wear off, but it did, to be replaced by wonder. We talked the night away. We talked of her, we talked of me. We talked of my loss and we talked of hers. We discussed her desires and eventually, when I thought she was ready, we discussed mine.

She accepted my offer with a joy that was so pure of thought, that I felt humble in this child’s presence. Before sunrise I sent my thanks to Naughty for the help, along with everything I knew of Sophia so that she could monitor this city for any complications arising from our Pairing. I added a message to be passed on to the only people that Sophia had an emotional connection with.

Explaining to Sophia as we went, I had her mount me and sit. I first armored myself, by sending Filaments from my hide to encase my whole form. Next, I sent tendrils slowly snaking out of my hide and secured her feet and legs. The process continued as more tendrils formed a seat for her and then a short backrest. I sent her an image and she leant forward and placed her hands where I wanted them. More dark silver tendrils snaked around her hands and arms. I continued until filaments covered her whole body and clear filaments covered her face.

I sent, “My filaments will provide the air that you need so have no concerns. You and I are now covered in what Great Dragons refer to as Filament Armor. It is the form my hide takes in battle and provides protection against most threats. You can easily move most of your body at will.”

With Sophia secure on my back, we left Earth for our new life, where love, at the deepest levels possible, was the norm, not the exception. Soon, our minds would be permanently linked, as one, and with my protection, no one would ever harm this child again. Well, they would not live to tell the tale if they tried.

The return journey through the void of nothingness was easy. Since I knew exactly where I wanted to be, only a single Transfer was required. Sophia surprised me with her calmness. Most humans are apprehensive on their first Transfer, some are terrified! The total absence of sensory input was disconcerting to say the least, the void being well named! Not so for Sophia, she found it relaxing and she was simply curious! Her thoughts were comparing the experience with floating on a calm ocean!

It was daylight as we appeared in the skies of Winnowaan. This planet was the home of the Ressalon Ninth Fleet and had been for just over three thousand years. I had been hatched here and only left when called on for missions or battle or to visit friends on other Ressalon worlds. This was an elegantly beautiful garden of a planet, occupied primarily in the temperate zones. The equatorial areas were extremely hot with little life and a penchant for serious storms with legendary lightning that Great Dragons wisely avoided.

I set a gentle glide to lose altitude while allowing Sophia some time to find joy in her surroundings. She was experiencing curiosity, wonder and excitement overlaid with a tiny amount of apprehension. She was handling it all remarkably well. The sky had a greenish tinge compared to Earth’s and the clouds followed suit as we passed through one of the few dotting the sky. She was not fearful, she loved it!

So that was the forward from Lerinth's POV.

The rest of the book is in first person from the POV of Sophia.

Chapter 1 A NEW BEGINNING

I was getting tired. I realized that I had been awake for twenty four hours straight. Instead of sleeping, we had talked the night away. The journey here took just a few minutes. It was relaxing in a weird sort of way. Now I was on another planet! Me, Sophia, riding on the back of a huge Silver Great Dragon. A thought flitted through my mind, maybe I was destined to be a snack or a virgin sacrifice, so many movie themes to choose from and yet, Lerinth seemed so kind and gentle. I could feel the honesty in her mind.

When we talked for the whole night, I felt her anger as I talked about my Care Worker. I would not want to be on the receiving end of that sort of anger. Probably comes complete with fire. The thought of riding a Great Dragon into battle was a little scary but, I was just so lonely. Dad had died in a war. He had been a war correspondent until the bloody stupid US air force had dropped a bomb on the wrong hotel. Then only three years later, Mum had died from cancer. It was awful, watching as she slowly, bit by bit, died. That was two long years ago. I had become a State Ward and what a joke that turned out to be. Wasn’t in one place long enough to make many friends and every time I did, I was moved without being able to say goodbye. They told me it was for my own good. That’s what I hated the most, the damn stupid lies, like, it wasn’t half obvious, but they didn’t care, just lies and more lies to make it easier for them.

Now I was here. Well, I made my decision based on Lerinth’s promises so, live or die, I was going to give this a go. Sometimes I felt as if death was a friend, so I didn’t mind much if that was what would happen. Lerinth sent a wave of love and concern my way and as it washed over my mind, I returned to the here and now and started looking around. We were gliding towards a city, or was it? It looked like a fantasy castle with seven pointy turrets. It sat on a high bluff above a wide river and it was very tall.

Lerinth sent, “This is the planet Winnowaan and that is Winno Weyr. Winno Weyr is a Weyr Ship, a huge Star Ship, landed on her tail that provides an instant city. It can be heavily Shielded or moved at any time to avoid the worst that nature can throw at us. At one thousand six hundred metres tall, with a central core of four hundred and forty metres wide and two hundred and forty metres deep, it is shaped as an elongated octagon. On the six smaller sides are the attached Turrets. Those are almost the full height of the central core and each one provides one hundred and eighty levels of living space for Great Dragons.”

I smiled at the awesome sight as Lerinth continued, “Two thousand Great Dragons and eleven thousand Humans make Winno Weyr their home. The Weyr Ship itself is aware. Winno is the name of the Artificial Intelligence, or AI, that is the ship. As I have a body, wings and talons, he has his central core, his turrets and a great array of shields partnered with the best energy weapons that Ressalon can produce. Never, in all of Ressalon’s history, has a Weyr Ship been taken by force or lost in battle. Sophia, welcome to your new home!”

As we flew closer I heard another mind. I could not understand the language but I had the impression that while the message itself was bleak, the laughter that accompanied the thought was anything but bleak.

Lerinth replied, “It is I, Lerinth, Great Silver Dragon. I have a new rider with me, she is young. Please, until she adapts, give the humor a miss, Sorinth.”

Sorinth answered but of course I could not understand it. He did sound a little contrite. I asked, “What did he say?”

Lerinth replied, “Did you hear Sorinth?”

I answered, “Um, yes, sorry! Is it wrong to hear what other Dragons think?”

Lerinth sent waves of calmness and love overlaid with, “No Sophia, it is actually wonderful. Not many Riders can hear the thoughts of other Great Dragons. You are full of very pleasant surprises. Sorinth is bored and when bored he tends to joke around. He asked, ‘Who approaches Winno Weyr?’ That is the standard challenge but then he added, ‘Advance and be charred.’ One of these days he will say the wrong thing at the wrong time, but we all have our quirks and guard duty is always boring because no one in their right mind would attack a Weyr Ship.”

She paused and continued, “OK, they are ready for us. Because you come from a different world you need to go through a process to ensure that all of the micro-organisms that you carry are not harmful to others. Please do not be afraid, I will be right next to you and I will explain every little step and why it is necessary. Ask any questions and as many as you wish.”

I thought back, “We do similar things when going between countries on Earth. This will not be scary. I am not five years old.”
We transferred into a huge room within the ship city. I guess the room needed to be huge because there was a beautiful and huge, Golden Dragon sitting there with, I assumed, a Rider. I say assumed because the Rider was covered in armor.

“Sophia, this is our Weyr Queen, Naleeth and Rodene her Rider. Just as you are now a Silver Rider, Rodene is a Queen Rider. Rodene is in Battle Armor just in case we brought something dangerous with us. Now, if it is OK with you, we need you to take off all of your clothes and lay down on the scanner bed.”

Well, that was easy enough. I was a little nervous at being naked but I understood they needed to scan me. As I undressed, the Queen Rider took my clothes and placed them in what looked like a set of drawers. She was very particular how she arranged them. Once I was ready, I went and laid down on what Lerinth thought of as a bed. Although it had rounded sides, I thought it looked a little like a coffin with its high sides and lid. It was also very big.

Lerinth chuckled and sent, “It is a Life Support Capsule. When it is closed, it can maintain an injured Human or Warrior in stasis until Healers arrive. It can also be used as an escape capsule in almost any environment including space. In this application, we use its scanner array to determine what microscopic organisms you are carrying as well as detecting any health issues that need attention. There is nothing to worry about, Sophia.”

I relaxed while the Capsule did its job and it ended with a tingling sensation over and seemingly through my body. Rodene was next to me when it finished and she touched a button on her left wrist to retract her helmet. She looked about forty but I could be decades off, I was never good at estimating ages.

“You’re just a few decades off my love, Rodene has lived for over six hundred and fifty of your years. A long life is one of the benefits of riding a Great Dragon.”

I remembered Lerinth telling me that while we were still on Earth but hundreds of years? I hadn’t thought of living that long. It seemed like a good idea though. I really wanted to ask a question but thought better of it. It seemed though, that I had a lot to learn about telepathy.

Lerinth sent a wave of love and thought, “Kirra and I were together for an amount of time equal to three of your lifetimes. Sophia, there is no question that will come between us, not ever. Ask anything. There will always be truth between us. Telepathy does not allow lies to exist. Answer me this please, is there anything I cannot ask you?”

I thought for a few moments before replying, “No there is not. It is going to take me a while to get used to this. I have never been this close to someone before. Only my Mum and Dad really loved me but even they weren’t inside my mind.”

Lerinth replied, “We have as long as you need. You can set the pace. Now, Rodene has a drink for you. It contains what you may call nano-bots and they end up swimming in your blood stream. Think of them as tiny robots. With those in your system running in conjunction with Battle Armor that we will arrange tomorrow, you will never have to go through this procedure again. You will also never get sick from a virus or anything similar. Then we can go to our Weyr.”

I drank the liquid, it had a honey taste, well, sort of anyway. I bowed to the Queen Dragon and Queen Rider. Lerinth transformed to her dog form and we walked out of the room to a large corridor. To my way of thinking it was more like a really long room but if Dragons had to use it, I suppose it had to be wide.

At first I was bemused but I started to get a little edgy. That was enough for Lerinth to notice as she asked, “What is wrong Sophia?” I said, “I think you forgot something.” Lerinth asked, “What have I forgotten?”

I went back to being bemused. I suppose Great Dragons don’t really care but I was feeling uncomfortable so I said, “You forgot my clothes. I am naked. We could run into someone!”

I felt Lerinth’s emotions fall and with great concern she thought, “Oh Sophia, I am so sorry. I know of your nudity taboo but I have no real concept of how it works. Your clothes are being checked and cleaned as are your belongings in your backpack. I thought you would like to see something of this Weyr Ship, but I was obviously wrong. None of the races that make up Ressalon have such a taboo so I have no experience with this. Riders mostly wear clothes for adornment or protection but are free to wear nothing if they so choose. Stand close to me and I will Transfer us direct to our very private Weyr.”

We Transferred to this huge room. It was as big as a couple of school gymnasiums. I just turned around in a circle to take it all in, it was so big! Lerinth thought, “This is what you may think of as the living room.” The whole room had polished walls in some sort of stone finish but there were no joins anywhere, it just flowed together.

Coming off this room were a few smaller areas and Lerinth took me on a tour. There was a sleeping area with a very low bed for me and what Lerinth called a couch for her. It looked to me as if the floor itself had been shaped for her. There was a bathroom with a bath or you could call it a small swimming pool maybe, since it was so big. A meals area for me and a whole big room just for me to study in or whatever else I needed it for. There was lots of storage space as well.

After I had looked for a while Lerinth asked, “Is it OK? We can have it redecorated if you would like. It would be no problem, I just want you to be happy. Think about it for a while.” I was not sure if I should be awed or if perhaps I should just go back to being bemused. Considering what I was used to, it almost seemed too big but then, Lerinth needed to live here as well, so I supposed that everything was as it should be. I yawned. The low bed was looking very inviting!

Lerinth transformed back to her Dragon form and thought, “Sophia, come here please.” The request had an image with it so I walked over to her and cuddled her nose. That was all I could reach! She was warm and sent a wave of love and concern.

She sent, “You have reservations about this. While you are using humor to mask them, your thoughts of being used as a meal for me or as a virgin sacrifice have some basis in fear. I need to be certain that you want to be my Rider as opposed to, ‘this is simply better than the situation I was in’. I have not yet taken the final step, that of a merger of our minds that provides a shared love and trust like no other bonding. It is a symbiotic relationship we would share. I can delay this until you are ready but the final step of Pair Bonding cannot be undone. Do you need more time?”

I thought about the question before replying, “My Mum always said that if it seemed too good to be true, then it probably was and Dad always said that there was a sucker born every minute. This is way too good to be true. What you have already shared is so damn wonderful, it is breaking my heart but, well, why me? I am just a problem to everyone, just a file. Why the hell do you want me? I am not special, just … a sad little girl.”

I paused for a moment and then asked, “You can see into my mind, why can’t I see into yours?” Lerinth’s mind entered mine and suddenly I could see into hers. A vast mind that was overwhelming. I had never been into someone else’s mind before. It was a little scary but as I looked around my fear diminished. She loved me. It seemed like a sea of love just waiting to engulf me.

She saw me in an utterly different way to the way I thought of myself. She saw extreme intelligence, she saw awesome potential and she saw Arcane Power that excited her for the possibilities of what I might achieve. I wasn’t sure what that meant but she obviously did. She saw my gentle caring disposition that no one else noticed and she truly thought that was the most important aspect of who I was. She even liked my name.

Tears started running down my cheeks. I could not believe how damn lucky I was. In my mind it was like a dam bursting as I realized that I wanted this with every tiny part of who I was. I said, “Lerinth, do it please, I want love and cuddles again, I want this, I want you and the love you offer. Join us now … please!”

It was like our minds just flowed together. I became a part of her mind and she became a part of mine. Every little thing I had ever done wrong, every little lie, every little childish deception was there in plain view. She just smiled at them and then put them aside. I now knew how she saw me and she had not lied, not in the tiniest bit. Her love did not engulf me, it became a part of me. I reached out, finally able to fully trust her and with that mental admission I flowed into her. My love for her was released and I felt it infuse her mind. She shuddered in relief and pleasure.

I saw her real fear that I would refuse the Bonding just evaporate. She had actually been really scared that I would not choose her. I saw her love of Kirra. I realized then that Kirra had been a truly wonderful person and one who’s memory I could respect deeply.

For the first time in a very long time I felt that I was home, that I was loved and cared for by someone that knew me intimately. The merger became deeper. Together we celebrated my parents and the love they had had for me.

When it was completed we were as one, together at last and with the merger, a new exciting and loving beginning where we would face the future together. We had a Bond where only death could part us.

I pulled all of the fur rugs from the low bed and dropped them between Lerinth’s front legs. With the two of us still deeply merged, I laid down and drifted off to sleep.



Chapter 2 A NEW WAY OF LEARNING

I awoke to a feeling of intense love. “You slept very soundly my Rider. I liked your dreams, I was in one of them!” I rolled onto my back to see Lerinth’s right eye looking straight at me. I snuggled a little deeper into the furs, not yet willing to rise.

Lerinth continued, “That feels so nice snuggling into the furs. I have missed a Riders little pleasures and now I am so honored to have you as my Rider. I love you and I feel your love for me. I am just so happy! Now, I have a few little things to explain to you. There are many benefits to being a Rider, you will discover them as we progress. While we are now Pair Bonded for life, it takes time for us both to discover and meet the needs of each other.”

I liked the sound of that and smiled in contentment as she continued, “One of the benefits you would call, your education. We do not have a school and you do not need to learn in the way you are used to. We could if you wanted to. I could have books printed for you and I could find a classroom and even a teacher for you.”

Her mind smiled as she continued, “But perhaps you could try it our way for a while and see if it is more to your liking. We learnt our teaching methods from Warriors.” Lerinth paused and thoughts of Warriors filled my mind. A feline species that could run on four legs or two. When standing they stood two and a half metres tall. Their caring disposition and a core belief in clan, family and children given generation by generation. When called upon or threatened though, they were awesome in combat, able to use ancient and modern weapons, armored or not as the situation dictated. A telepathic species, one of four that made up Ressalon. The more I thought, the more information became available to me right down to the biology of the species and their history spanning eleven thousand years. I was speechless!

Lerinth continued, “I teach as you sleep, placing the information into you mind with total accuracy, very deep in your long term memory centers. I taught you a great deal last night and I enjoyed it immensely. If you start having headaches we will need to slow down, time and experience will give us an idea of how much you can take at one time. The speed of your progress is entirely up to you. I also altered some of your mind’s pathways. You now have a perfect memory. If you intend to remember something, you will. Now, you need to use the bathroom. We will see how well you can use the information I placed in your mind last night. I concentrated on those small things that will ease your transition into our society.”

I laughed. As soon as Lerinth mentioned the word ‘bathroom’ the situation became somewhat urgent. I rolled out of the furs and headed for the bathroom. I knew exactly what to do. As I approached the appropriate wall, the toilet slid out for me. After I finished the toilet washed and dried my nether regions. I realized that the learning part was a whole lot easier but I still needed to experience things before I could completely understand.

I dove into the small pool and as I surfaced I said, “Weyr, wash please.” I knew it was a sonic enhanced pool, but knowing the name and feeling it were two different things. As I lay floating on my back my body felt exceedingly clean. I stayed for a few minutes before walking up the steps and waiting while the dryer did its thing. It felt like a small current of air. I thought some more but while I knew how to make it work, I did not have any information on how it worked.

Lerinth thought, “I do not know either and the same can be said for most of the technology we use. A few Riders would likely know, the information is there for those curious souls that enquire but frankly, I do not have an interest in such things.”

Lerinth paused until I was in front of her. I cuddled her snout as she continued, “Now, Queen Rider Rodene is approaching with some food for you. She also brings your clothes. One of Winno’s Shells is with her. As I thought of the word ‘Shell,’ some more information, just sort of, appeared in my mind. I grinned. This was just so wicked! A shell in this context was a robotic copy of an animal that Ressalon Artificial intelligences often used to interact with others.

“Firstly, should I have them wait outside until you are dressed or is it OK for them to see you naked for a short time? I made a mistake yesterday, I try never to make the same mistake twice, especially where you are concerned.”

I answered, “It is fine, I do not mind. I have met her before and she is a woman. I would get very nervous if it was a group of boys though.”
More information surfaced. AIs were considered sentient life forms. They could love and care deeply just as I could but they did not in any way experience sexuality. Seemed safe to me. A chime sounded. Without thinking about it I identified it as the door bell and simply said, “Come in!”

The door opened by itself and Queen Rider Rodene entered. Next to her walked a dark blue cat. It was really huge! On its back, over the hind quarters, was what looked like a cannon, with three barrels. It looked very much like a cat, but an alien cat. Nothing about it was quite right.

The snout was different as were the ears. The legs were OK, but the paws where very flat. It had teeth similar to what I had seen once in a museum. Those teeth had belonged to a stuffed saber tooth tiger. This cat was likely about as big! He also had the normal, for me, two eyes but he had a crystal in the middle of its fore head. In my mind I felt Lerinth, but another mind was also simply observing. I assumed it was Queen Naleeth.

I didn’t know how to act so I just stood still and waited. It was too late when I thought I probably should have bowed or something. They were followed by what looked like a little sled, well, sort of, as it just floated in midair behind them.

Queen Rider Rodene simply walked right up to me and knelt down on both knees. She smiled warmly and in my mind, I sensed her deep caring nature fully directed at me. She said, “I hope you slept well Sophia, Rider of Lerinth. When the occasion is formal a small bow is customary. On a friendly visit such as this, I would prefer if you simply use my name, Rodene. Naleeth also prefers simple forms of address. Respect has to be earned and yet our rank needs to be acknowledged. That acknowledgement and respect comes from your mind, through Naleeth’s mind, to me. Soon, Lerinth will teach you the various forms of address common to our society. There are no wrong ways, so do not be concerned.”

She smiled and waited for my mind to catch up before continuing, “Naleeth is a Queen Great Dragon and together as the Weyr Queen Pair, we have the responsibility and the care of this Weyr Ship community. A Weyr Ship community just about runs itself so my primary duties are mainly to solve problems, negotiate any disputes and generally to care for those members that have a need. At this moment, you are my main concern. It is important to the whole community that you settle in and make the adjustments to a very different society than you are used to.”

She paused again while I made sense of what she had said. I felt a wave of deep abiding caring overlaid with love from all three of the minds. This was so very different to the so called ‘care system’ back on Earth.

Lerinth thought, “I should hope so!”

I froze in place as my mind had a huge epitaph moment. I turned to Lerinth and just about exploded, “How did you do that! In one night!” My mind was still reeling from the surprise, “In one night, while I slept, you taught me a whole language! I didn’t notice until now. I have been speaking your language since I woke up haven’t I? Without even noticing! That is the wickedest thing I have ever heard of.”

Everyone chuckled as I walked over to Lerinth and hugged her. She sent a wave of amused love to help me calm down. “It is how we learn and how we teach Riders and Dragonets. I was wondering how long it would take before you noticed. There is still a very slight and very lovely accent.” Lerinth showed me where in my mind she had placed the controls for language. To me it seemed almost like a switch that I could mentally tab to switch between them. It was wicked!

Rodene went to the sled and brought over my bath robe. Not only was it clean, a few minor stains had vanished as well. It was one of the last things my Dad had given me. He had been working in Vietnam and had bought one for him and one each for both Mum and I. They were made out of silk with embroidered twin golden dragons.

Rodene held it as I put it on saying, “This is very nice. Very apt too!” She paused as a burst of communication went between the Great Dragon minds and continued, “Ah, I see, it is very special to you as well. After you have had breakfast we will go and get you sufficient clothes for your needs and perhaps some to meet your desires as well. This should keep you covered to meet the needs of your taboo and also allow you to try on clothes if you wish to, since it is easy to slip it on and off. Sophia, I do not understand your taboo, so please speak up if I am not meeting the needs you have. Remember always, our society respects and celebrates these differences. No one wants you to conform, we are all individuals.”

As I contemplated those rather profound words, she put a tray in front of me. Of course the tray somehow just floated there. She explained that she had three sample trays of food and drinks normally eaten at breakfast and I could try everything until I was full. Winno would take notes of what I liked. I felt Winno’s mind join the mental link. As I started eating I was also thinking. I realized that some very important people were all concerned for my welfare and it was very nice, very unexpected and a little overwhelming.

Rodene cupped my face between bites and said, “Sophia, this is how it should be! You deserve to be loved and to have others care for you and in turn you will care for others as we all do. This is normal, what your previous life was like, was simply wrong!”

I had to stop while the lump in my throat went down. Rodene leant over and gave me a small cuddle adding, “We have a system to meet the needs of those who sadly lose their parents. It is rare in our society but it does happen. Would it be OK if I took up the role of your parents for now?”
I nodded not trusting myself to speak and hugged back. I asked, “What if I do something wrong or break your laws? I have no idea what any of your laws are. I don’t want to disappoint anyone here.”

It was Winno that answered, “Hello Sophia, be welcome here. You know who and what I am. As you slept, I received a great deal of data from Nautilus. I now have some understanding of the society you came from. If you wish, I would like to stay with you until you choose otherwise. I thought this form would be pleasing. My consideration was, that it may offer a feeling of safety since this is a Defense Shell and is heavily armed and shielded. However I also have small ones, you may choose if you wish. While you consider that, understand that we do not have laws as you think of them. It seems to me that Earth’s societies makes new laws on a whim. I cannot understand why. Surely if they made the right laws in the first place they would not need to continually make new ones. In our society, all you need to do, is simply respect the people within this society and not harm anyone. From what I know of you, that will come naturally.”

Silence ensued for a while as I ate. I went through one and a half trays before I was full. It was a little strange, I knew I was full but I was also still hungry.

Lerinth thought, “You are full my Rider, I am hungry. We feel each other’s hunger. While I go and eat you can go and find some clothes. Stay with Rodene and Winno. You are well protected and you need to meet others in our society. When you have finished, I will be here or I will join you. I prefer resting after a meal. Go, I will hear you always.” She felt my agreement and went to the rear of our quarters. The wall simply dissolved and she was standing on a large ledge. Then she spread her wings and dropped off. Information sprang to my mind. What looked like the rear wall was in fact a force shield combined with a holographic projection that I could change at will. The ledge was actually an open airlock that would close if necessary to seal the opening.

a reply to: pheonix358

Yay!!!!! I was so happy to return and see this!! I could easily picture myself being the young girl and bonding with the majestic dragon. Beautiful story! I wonder what kind of adventures await them. Do you offer this book in print? I have too many medical bills right now, but I must have this enchanting book eventually. Wonderfully written of course!


Don't worry about critiquing the works of others. I would ask them first though if they would appreciate some constructive criticism.


Love your story Pheonix and I appreciate that you shared it here so everyone can enjoy it! Thank you so much! Hugs! I know you like hugs and I do too.

Well, have at it folks.

But it does show how first person POV can work. Can take a bit of getting used too and only works well for some stories ... mainly those with one primary character.

Incidentally, if anyone wants to see how editing can alter a work, the original story is here on ATS.

Here 'tis

Note that the heroes name changed from Natalie to Sophia since I had used the name Natalie by the time I got around to writing this book.

Any questions ... feel free to ask.

P

a reply to: Night Star

Do you offer this book in print?

Sadly no! But I can set you up with a great (free) E-book reader that can be used on most platforms.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

I have a kindle on my computer. It's just that when I get on the computer I am so busy here, at facebook catching up with friends and family, on youtube watching movies. I still have to finish JustMike's book. Maybe I will break down and get it on kindle, but I so love a real book to hold in my hands. I have to be more disciplined and set time aside for reading. I used to read every single day.

a reply to: Night Star

A really good book will just push all of those other things to one side. Happens to me a lot.

P

a reply to: Night Star

Hey you didn't offend anyone. Wis was just trying to tell you that, while she appreciates how much you loathe to offend anyone, that when one is serious about being a writer, one is willing to undergo that possibility, because without anyone critiquing your work you might never notice what you could change to get better. Like if you were trying to learn how to build a car. If you mess up you might not even know you messed up, or if you do you might not know how, or if you do you might not know how to fix it or even just not able to. So you need someone to come along and say, "hey, when you did this, that was where you messed up" or"if you did this instead, that would work out a whole lot better. It's essential to growth

However I want to just go ahead and affirm you right now because support is just as vital. When you're trying to build an engine it can be so easy to get so frustrated and not be able to work even when you've got someone or a bunch of them telling you how to fix it. Even telling yourself how to fix it. All that person needs is support. To be looked at with a caring and gentle eye and to be told with love and sincerity that they did an awesome job, that even if it wasn't perfect it is still good enough- and hey, look how hard they tried! This can be so much more worth than any advice because advice can be forgotten or disregarded, it has to be used... While love, freely given, oushes us, expands us and invites us to change and grow.

I just... It can be hard to admit you need someone to keep you doing your best. And it's even harder to out that burden on someone, your whole weight, and expect them to support you.

This is how love spans the distance between lovers and friends. Because that's what love is I think, mutual vulnerability and support. This is also what the poem I had mentioned writing was about, love that is.

I, kinda got sidetracked there.