Wildstorm drifted around the place, wondering at it's size and craftsmanship. Humans - mostly anyway - did this? She was impressed truly, that the space of Ryslen accented its airy quality, while keeping everyone warm and dry. Tresis would hate that - he loved to have the elements right on him.
She did too, but there was a time and place for everything, right?
She met up with Cryten, who had bonded to a simply beautiful tricolor dragon. Wildstorm watched him as he took the multicolored pastel and silver dragon up again in formation with the other young dragons. Kaalerith was gorgeous, that was certain. Almost as pretty as his rider...
Wildstorm had already been chastised by Cryten, because of course they couldn't get as close as she'd like (or he'd like to) until their dragons were adults or at least past their youngest stages. It would be too confusing to the dragonets if they were inundated with the telepathic overload of love or sex.
The Zekiran actually knew just exactly what that meant. It somewhat surprised Cryten when Wildstorm's immediate change in 'pace' toward him took hold. When she was a young child? Tresis was all over any woman he could find, and he never quite realized how much emotional overspill he gave - especially to his own offspring. Her mother Nocturne knew, but wasn't nearly strong enough mentally to prevent it.
That was so long ago, though. And to Wildstorm there were so many new feelings and people - Ryslen was busy with folks who had powers far beyond Human. She listened in to dragon speaking, to the private thoughts of vampires, and to Cryten, who didn't realize that she could. She hadn't before, but their connection was plain as day now.
What was also plain as day, was that today, one or more of the nests was going to hatch! The crooning that filled the halls of Ryslen followed a brief blast of telepathic communication among the dragons, so intense and so subtle at the same time. Even the dragons didn't seem to know they did it.
The eggs were rolling a bit, and the big batch of candidates were brought in. It was a small nest, only seven eggs. So only about a third of the folks here might pair off. Wildstorm examined the eggs, but then her gaze was brought back to the parents. They were so pretty - brilliantly swirled colors, and so handsome!
The first of the eggs broke, loudly, and with grace the male inside bonded to a hesitant and sad looking feline type. Another male hatched and then shortly, for some reason, it began to storm outside.
Not just like, a little rain. But lightning, 'effect' rain. Someone was doing this on purpose. For that reason, because she was distracted, Wildstorm didn't see the vampire Hotohori bond to his lovely dark dragon. Nor, in fact, did she see the elfin Azalia bond to her silver shaded female.
But she did definitely see a large female hatch - she'd long since known which parts of a mental command led to what in the sky- Tresis always loved to dance and swirl with his storms, but all it took was a mere flick of the mind to cause the giant bolts of lightning that came down now. The coppery colored Choshanya did not bond, she chose to be solo.
In the meantime, though, Wildstorm sought out the weathershaper. He was up there somewhere, watching - but he was just as amazed at the hatchlings as everyone else, and patently refused to let Wildstorm catch his eye.
In a moment, however, a breeze brushed her hair across her vision, and Wildstorm followed the long strands back to the sands, where she saw another egg hatch. There was but one left after that. But she wasn't interested in that one. Not at all. For this one shook and showed off a rainbow-winged stormy colored female, and one which sprang out as graceful as a grown cat.
She strode up to Wildstorm, choosing her among all the rest of the gathered people. Wildstorm, I have chosen you above all others. Though you can fly, together we will soar.
Wildstorm heard the colorful storm-rainbow voice in her mind like it was the only voice she'd ever heard before. Grinning widely, she realized she'd bonded a beautiful and unique dragon - like her father's, but so unlike any other dragon in any world!
"Her name is Keluanya!" Wildstorm stated to the group. She showed Keluanya where the bonded were meant to go for their meal - Kelu was hungry and didn't even know it.
Up in the stands, Cryten also beamed with happiness. This would be very interesting indeed...
***
"Oh, what a beautiful little dragon!"
Wildstorm was getting kind of tired of hearing that, and Keluanya was also a bit sick of it. She knew she was a perfectly beautiful dragon. And she was not little! Not any more, of course! She'd grown into a fledge of medium size, though she would not really be huge by any means.
She didn't need to be. She was a prism storm. And Wildstorm flew beside her as she learned to master the winds. Ryslen was an exceptionally good place to learn to fly, with the bowl safe and secure.
Cryten's dragon was slowing in his growth as well, not quite an adult, yet far more than a fledge at this stage. The cheetah-kin-type watched Wildstorm with interest now. Her dragon would be interested in mating, soon. And of course, that would mean that they could ... well, in private anyway...
Or, as Wildstorm liked, up in the air on strong gusts of air. Which was pretty cool. Cryten thought that riding Kaalerith was great, but equally great was this experience of being lifted by telekinetic energy. Wildstorm obliged him every time they could be given a moment's rest from their studies or training.
"Some day," Wildstorm said with a grin and a purr in her voice, as they watched Kaal and Kelu down below playing in the river, "we'll get to say 'oh what beautiful little dragons they have', you know?"
"I do know," Cryten said. They snuggled up, a hundred feet above the treetops...
***
Keluanya had grown tremendously in the year that they spent at Ryslen. She was bigger than a green, but not much more than a blue's typcial size. That didn't matter to anyone really, she was a magnificent dragoness, and was fierce. She was also really - really - annoyed with the fledge trainer at Ryslen at the moment.
"I'm telling you you're going to wear the harness and you'll learn to like it! Shiny hide or no, you're going to ride with a safety on." He gruffly announced. The rest of the group with their multicolored dragons mulled around and wondered if they maybe could slip out - because he wasn't done ranting, and Wildstorm and Kelu were hardly done complaining.
"Keluanya does not need a harness. I do not need a harness to remain on my dragon's back!" Wildstorm protested. They had flown for weeks, and even started to anticipate nexus travel, before the class officially began.
"Everyone needs to know their training, how to make and fix a harness, and how to use it properly!"
"Hello! I can fly!" Wildstorm said, lifting herself up into the air. It was hardly a big deal for her, but it still took some people by surprise.
"It doesn't matter! What if you're rendered unconscious?"
Wildstorm's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. "Hel-looo! Immortal! I've been known to fall off of skyscrapers or space ships, and be okay - I'm okay now! Kelu does not want to wear a harness and she will not be forced to. We do not need that kind of thing."
The weyrling trainer grumbled some more, and then waved his big hand at her, "fine. Whatever. But if you don't pass all the rest of the exams you're going to have to do it my way."
Wildstorm grinned widely, because there was hardly a way she could fail. Hello - telepath...
***
It wasn't much longer, though, before everyone was ready to go. The big party announcing that everyone was an adult - go your own way - was on, people were milling about and chatting and trading information for where their homes were. Among them, dragons stood or flew above.
Keluanya and the big pastel morning Kaalerith remained near each other on the ground at their favorite streamside play place. Wildstorm and Cryten said their farewells and then walked away from the party sure they would be back some day.
"I've got something for you, I saw them and I thought you should have them. Here," Cryten said, unabashedly grinning, "happy graduation."
Wildstorm took the wrapped packages and opened the small
one first. She was happy - it was a little leather shirt. 
"It's so cute!" She said. Then she noticed how small it really was - it would fit, but it was covering nearly nothing. "And I see why you want me to wear it..."
"Open the other one, then," Cryten said. His anticipation of this moment grew.
Wildstorm dropped the paper wrapping on the ground, letting it flutter into the grasses. A beautiful shimmering silk and satin dress unfolded from the packaging, first a sky blue portion, then a slate, then green and vibrant yellow.
"It made me think of Kelu," Crtyten said. "And it's a nice long dress so you won't have to worry about your tail being uncomfortable in it."
He needn't have said anything - Wildstorm actually had tears in her eyes for the first time in centuries.
"It's so pretty -- I can't - we're going to have to show off some time, you know, to your mother. I can wear this. It'll impress her."
"I think you're right," Cryten said. "But for now? Let's go - Planet Twenty and a load of dust awaits us. You might want to put that in a sack - or maybe I'll carry it, since Kaalerith has a harness on and I can strap it down."
He grinned madly, as they walked to their dragons and left Ryslen - they would indeed, be back.
