Incoming (Tag: Sher)

[franny]

01.10.3189
(added by Sher)

Nasa hated traveling at the slow speed of the traders as they ambled toward the weyr. She hated the snow also. All around her the snow seemed to gather in drifts and banks, and the river was almost frozen over except for the middle. A cold and thin sliver of water rushed through the middle of the ice that coated the banks of the river. She hated the cold!

All of them were bundled up against the cold and wore snow shoes for better movement over the thick snow.

"Um, Nasa, I brought you some food," it was the head trader's son, Nicoln. She could tell he liked her, but Nasa didn't want to encourage someone so low as a trader's son. She did everything he could to push him away.

"Thanks," she made her voice ice cold and took the food, never looking at the dark brown haired 16 year old next to her. She looked ahead and kept walking. She would be glad to reach the weyr. She should never have come with the traders. She should have demanded transport from a dragon. She was Kadia's daughter after all.

"I thought you might like to know, we're getting close to the weyr," that annoying Nicoln was still trying to speak to her.

"Good," was all she said. She continued to stare off into the distance, and she thought she might see the volcano, but maybe that was only wishful thinking.

"Don't you have anything better to do than stare at me?" she snapped at the man next to her. He annoyed her so much with his silent starring.

"Um, well no," Faranth, would he not take a hint and leave her alone?

"If you want you can come to our caravan, it is warm inside and you wouldn't have to walk," did he think she was a weak female or something? By Faranth she was a gold rider's daughter!

"I want to see the weyr, and I enjoy walking. You can go enjoy the caravan," maybe that would get rid of him.

"Well, if your sure then I'll walk with you. Your not used to this cold, and people get lost out here. I know a couple trader's who lost toes to Pern's winters," would he just shut up and go away?

"I'm fine. I know about winter, I've lived at Telgar most of my life," she wanted to scream. Why were some guys so annoying?

"But you've never traveled in the winter before," that was it.

"Can't you take a hint! Go away! I don't want you so just leave me alone!" of course, everyone heard her yell at him. He seemed shocked by her sudden outburst.

"If you can't treat my son well, you can have punishment chores," that was Nicoln's father, Kynard. She never wanted to travel with these filthy traders again.

" I paid my fare, and I want to be left alone right now," she spoke through gritted teeth.

"You also agreed to follow our rules, and we took you into our caravan. That means you are punished by our rules too," Kynard spoke sternly, as if talking to a child.

Nasa simply nodded agreement, praying they would leave. Kynard walked off again, but Nicoln still walked beside her. She decided to ignore him. Maybe he would leaver her alone if she ignored him.

[Sher]

The hard-packed snow crunched under Fidget's feet. The vivacious stallion was moving forward steadily enough, but the backward cant of his ears spoke of mild distaste. This was not the black-and-white paint runner's favorite travel weather, and he wasn't used to being restrained to match the pace of a caravan. He shook his head, rattling the head straps, and snorted out a puff of steamy breath.

The tall canine striding along at his side fell back briefly, pausing to glance back toward their human counterpart, before trotting to catch up. Rip was a large example of his breed- one already known for its size- but the runner was more comfortable around the tan-marked black dog than other runners. The dog could be intentionally intimidating- just not toward the runner. They were Pack, in his eyes, but that didn't mean they were affectionate with one another.

Furin, Shifty Trader extraordinaire, was keeping pace with the cart his runner was hitched to with a light heart. The last member of their troupe rode in the hood of his fur-lined parka, curled up and quite warm. Bronze Escort was probably asleep; it was hard to tell by the quiet breaths, the little fellow was not often excited, about anything.

The foursome was nearer to the front of the caravan than what they should have been, all things considered. The rank-conscious traders ranged in their regard for Furin; some had a sneaking admiration for his self-sufficiency. Others were openly scornful of his lonely ways. He had been preparing to pass them up completely and break his own trail- but for an interesting discovery.

Kadia's daughter traveled with the traders.

Furin hadn't known her initially, of course; he prided himself on knowing who all the important folk were, like Holder families down to the second cousins, or Weyrleaders themselves. Weyrleaders' children weren't usually important until they reached adulthood. Casual inquiries about recent gossip had drawn out the name Saranasa, and then his unwitting informant had pointed out the girl stalking along. Oh, Furin recognized that stride. She was upset about something, he was sure of it. Confirmed when Nasa's outburst cut through the background noise of a winter caravan.

The shifty trader's calculating mind wondered just what sort of reward there might be for someone delivering the girl safely to her mother at Sunset Weyr. Bandits were just as prevalent in wintertime as any other. A few paces ahead of him, Rip paused again to glance back at his master, brush tail briefly waving when their eyes met. "Good boy," Furin murmured. The human hastened his step, giving the dog the gestured command to guard so he would not follow his person and possibly lead Fidget into the path of a wagon.

Furin came up behind Kynard, cutting slightly between him and the girl, without saying a word, but he gave the younger fellow a measuring glance before turning his eyes to Nasa. He had no idea if her scathing words earlier had been earned by misconduct. His presence might make the young man uncomfortable enough to back away, but then, it was entirely possible he'd feel a need to "protect" Saranasa from the Shifty Trader. He didn't have the best reputation, after all, though mostly it was blown out of proportion by folks envious of his prosperity.