Chap. 327 The Kopje Cave
He had no name for it, but K’ndar was on vacation.
Pern’s culture had a ‘rest day’ every week, but if one had livestock, or worked a ship, or fought thread, if one was on duty, or at sea, it mattered not that ‘today’ was a rest day. Animals still had to be fed and mucked out, meals still needed cooking, harvests brought in before rains set in. Many Pernese went their entire lives without even knowing what a rest day was.
Working at Landing entailed more brain work than physical labor. It had introduced him to the unbelievable luxury of a day off.
Raylan called it a sabbatical, he thought, and said I had time off coming. He’d finally grown accustomed to the idea that a day off meant just what it said-where he had ‘nothing’ to do that involved work. He’d lain awake the night before, wondering where to go, what to do.
Of all the places I’ve seen since I’ve been a dragonrider and now, a staff member of Landing, where do I want to go?
Well, duh. His favorite spot on the steppe, a day’s ride horseback from his family’s cothold.
That won’t take long, now, he thought, smiling.
I see in your mind where we are going, but I have never been there, have I? Raventh asked.
No. In fact, it’s been a very long time since I’ve been there. Before I was Searched, I would ride out to the steppe just to get away from my father for a few days. I found a cave in the hills. I’d ride there, having packed some food, there’s a stream to drink from, and I’d watch the herds from it. It was nice. I never made a cairn-I hadn’t any idea what that meant, then, but here, I’ll push the rock formation. See it?
I do. Once we get there, I’d like to hunt.
There’s plenty of game, or there was. Let’s go.
They came out of between in the bright sunshine. Raventh circled over a large kopje.
It had been a very long time since I’ve been here, he thought. Trees growing in the gnarled toes of the kopje had seemingly tripled in height.
It looks so different from the air. It feels like the right place but where is the rock formation? Where is it? Suddenly it looks like every other kopje on the steppe, did I make a mistake?
No. I can see it Raventh said.He obligingly gained enough altitude to give him airspace and hovered, pushing the image back.
Yes. I should know better than to question your ability to navigate-or your eyesight! You have far better eyesight than any human.
I do. I see the cave.
Land, please?
The brown dragon set his wings and landed with a gentle thump.
Yes. Now that he was level with the cave, the memories crashed into his mind.
This was my private domain, he thought. When I was about to retaliate against my father’s bullying and abuse-the only thing that kept me from stabbing him in his sleep was knowing Lord Dorn would behead me for murder-Mum would calm me. She’d say “Go. Ride Jordan to your secret place. I’ll send some meals with you. Come back when you’ve cooled down. I’ve already lost Sandriss to him, I don’t want to lose you, too.”
She’d take my face in her hands, and pull my head down enough for her to kiss my forehead. There’d be love in her eyes, clouded with a darkness. Now I know what it was-heartbreak, and an immense sadness. Now I know he would clobber her for ‘letting me run off when I had chores.”
His heart grew hot, remembering the bitter days of growing up under Hanliss’s tyranny. Why I didn’t lay him out cold and then light out, like Sandriss did, I don’t know. Yes, I do. It was to divert some of Hanliss’s abuse back onto me.
I feel your anger and pain. He was an evil human.
He was K’ndar agreed, part of his mind again impressed at how Raventh’s vocabulary and understanding of human emotions had grown. Every day, he gets smarter.
But now he is dead. I know from your memories your dam is happy, now.
Yes, she is.
But right now, you are not.
What?
When you think of him, you grow angry. Your mind seethes, it is looking for something to attack. It bothers me because I cannot stop you, I cannot comfort you. Even Siskin gets upset.
Siskin landed atop Raventh’s head and whickered an agreement. K’ndar froze, his jaw dropped.
Your sire is dead. You still think of him as if he were alive. He is dried bones. Nothing but worms eat dried bones. He is done. He can never hurt you again. Please stop thinking of him. Think of us, me and Siskin. We want you to be happy.
How in the world did a dragon become as much a counselor as Oscoral?
He remembered asking Oscoral how he always managed to cut to the core of a problem.
“All the answers are inside you, K’ndar. I’m just here to help you drag them out into the light,” he’d said.
He could feel Raventh, waiting patiently in his mind, as he tussled with the anger, the resentment, the fury of what his father had done.
He sighed.
You are right. I get angry because of what he should have been he never tried to be. He took so much from me.
But now he cannot. You have me. You have Siskin. You are my brother. Forget the sire. Live now. Be happy now.
He felt Raventh’s love encompass his heart, like his mother’s warm hands on his cheeks.
He had no words for what Raventh was to him. He leaned forward and hugged Raventh’s warm, strong neck. He felt a weight leave his shoulders.
I’m on off time. Look at this beautiful steppe. I should be happy. I AM happy.
If all the beatings he gave me was the price I had to pay for you, Raventh, it was worth it. Thank you.
Raventh smiled in his mind.
Siskin’s chittering drew his attention. The blue fire lizard was swirling above his head, trying to understand a scent coming from the cave.
He dismounted. By the stars, it has been a very long time since I was out here last! Look at that tree, it’s just grown so big!
A cold wind rattled the tree’s bare branches. It was the only sound. An awesome feeling of solitude settled on his soul. Ah, my beloved steppe. So many find you barren and even frightening. But for me, you’ve given me solace and peace. Here I can throw my eye over the horizon and my spirit follows.
Riding horseback would take most of the day to reach the cave. Immersing himself into the vast wilderness allowed his mind to stop ruminating and become just another animal.
On a cold day like this, I’d bring Jordan into the cave. Between him and a small fire, I’d be warm all night.
He’d been astonished to learn that some people were afraid of the vast emptiness of the steppe. Afraid of the steppe? Pffft. There’s people who set out on the ocean in a tiny boat, and the steppe is just a dry ocean, but without seasickness, he grinned inwardly.
At night, the air would cool, but the solid rock of the kopje would retain the sun’s heat for a very long time. The grass would give off a special scent, and as the stars came out, the night creatures would emerge, clicking and beeping. I’d hear Jordan grazing, sometimes he’d stay out all night. The nightflyers would swoop so close to my head I’d worry they’d hit me, but they never did. There was one creature, one he’d never seen but what his family called a ‘doink’, after its call that sounded like raindrops hitting a metal plate. No one had ever seen the caller. Was it an insect? A nocturnal avian or saurian?
Sometimes he’d wake, his heart pounding as he heard some animal snuffling about at the entrance. Jordan’s reaction would always tell him whether he should be concerned or not.
The wind picked up, a definite bite to it.
I can make a fire, he thought, but will I need to? Raventh’s body heat will be plenty to warm up this small a cave-if he fit!
By the egg, I don’t know if you’ll fit in the cave!
Do I need to be in the cave?
No, I guess not. But let’s see if you fit.
Wait. Send Siskin in.
??? I’ve never had anything in there before.
It’s never wise to go into a cave that you’ve never been in before. This isn’t the weyr.
But…he stopped. It’d been years since he’d been in the cave, and Raventh never had.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about any animal, it’s that their senses are far more reliable than mine. There is no reason for me to doubt Raventh’s judgment.
You are right. Does he know what he’s scenting?
No. Nor do I. I’ve never scented it before. It’s coming from the cave.
“Siskin!” he called.
The blue fire lizard chittered and landed on his shoulder.
“Go into the cave. Send me images.”
The blue cocked his head, then lifted his wings to allow the wind to loft him. He flew to the entrance to the cave and hovered, uncertain. After several moments of indecision, he entered the cave.
He swirled around at the top of the cavern until his eyes adjusted to the darkened interior. He found a safe perch at the top of the cave.
He scents nightflyers
The fire lizard began to send images. He was surrounded by a living carpet of tiny saurians, the nocturnal insectivores clinging to the walls of the cavern. They were common to Pern, sometimes blocking the light of the moons as they hunted the night skies. They’d routinely usurp unused portions of a weyr. He well remembered having to shovel out their copious excretions when he was a Weyrling.
The nightflyers clicked at Siskin’s intrusion but made way for him.
The blue scanned the floor of the cave as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior.
Immediately, he saw white bones. Femurs, half a rib cage, vertebrae. Something’s been denning here, he thought. The wind shifted and now he could smell long dead creatures, coupled with the pong of nightflyer dung.
Siskin saw something moving in the back of the cave. He swooped down to get a closer look.
An animal looked up at him. It was curled around a clutch of eggs.
What in the world was that? he wondered.
As if hearing him, the animal got up, still staring at Siskin. Siskin perched atop a head high spike of volcanic rock.
I recognize that spike, K’ndar thought, I’d hang my bridle on it. But what in the world is the animal?
The animal hissed at Siskin. The blue fire lizard opened his wings to make himself appear larger. Undismayed, the animal approached the pinnacle-and suddenly leaped at him, long talons slashing at the fire lizard.
Siskin shrieked and vanished.
He reappeared in the sky above Raventh’s head, chittering in fear.
The animal appeared at the entrance to the cave. Seeing Raventh, it halted, snarling, and lashing it’s long tail.
He suddenly realized how vulnerable he was, on the ground.
Get back on me. If it comes at me, I’ll push it.
Without taking his eyes off the beast, K’ndar felt behind him. Raventh had a knee bent for him.
Don’t take your eyes off it until I’m aboard. Then back up.
Back up? Should I launch?
Be ready to, but I don’t think it’s going to come at us.
He felt the riding straps and quicker than he would ever have believed possible, he climbed back aboard Raventh. He felt safer from his high perch. Siskin chittered and landed atop Raventh’s head. Raventh backed up, feeling his way with his tail.
What is it? I’ve never seen it before.
I don’t know.
Should I push it?
K’ndar felt himself pulled in two directions. Raventh could hurt it, but he’d seen it curled around eggs, it was probably a female.
He could feel Raventh waiting for the answer.
Don’t push her. I don’t think she’s going to come any closer.
The animal’s tail lashing slowed as Raventh put some distance between them. After several tense moments, she sat down. He got the distinct impression she was just as amazed at the sight of a human and a dragon as he was at her. He also realized that she was intelligent enough to know that it wasn’t a good idea to attack a dragon many times her size.
What IS this animal? How is it I’ve never seen it before? I don’t have a clue what it is.
My camera, he thought, I need to get a picture of this beast.
At the same time, his mind went into Biologist mode.
Six legged, so native. Definitely saurian, her eggs proving it. Forelegs are muscular with long talons, curved. She carries them close to her body, they aren’t used for transportation. Back four legs appear to be solely for cursorial movement. Long tail, almost as long as a cheetahs, maybe it’s used for tight turns? Short neck with a stout head, and when she hissed I could see fangs. She’s the size of a good sized dog. Body is a uniform tan color, pale stripes over the entire body. Even the tail is striped. No spikes anywhere. The ears are small and mobile. Eyes appear to be yellow.
I bet my boots she’s a predator. And she’s intelligent. She’s sizing us up.
He found the camera and took several pictures of her.
Just then his datalink, buried in his backpack, loudly called his name.
The animal bolted, running past Raventh before he could react. He watched as she fled onto the steppe. He’d never seen anything other than a pronghorn or a cheetah run that fast.
“Shabash, not right now!” he shouted. He fumbled for the datalink, excoriating himself for not shutting the damned thing off. I’m on sabbatical, damn it. But he’d been badgered for so long by several people to Always Be Reachable that he’d finally learned to leave it on.
“K’ndar here, who calls?”
“K’ndar! It’s Glyena! Where are you?”
Exasperated, he almost lost his temper.
“Gly. I can’t talk right now, okay?”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No! It’s just, well, Gly. Look. I’ll call you tonight, okay? I’m busy.”
“Doing what?”
He made the decision without thinking. I’m obviously not going to be staying in the cave tonight.
“Egg collecting.”
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