[Rider] Ar'ad of Bronze Turoth [Approved]

[SilverLutz]

Name: Ar'ad (formerly Arbrendad)
Age: 42
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Weyr: Western
Rider Rank: Wingrider
Previous Rank/Craft: Candidate
Physical Description: Ar'ad has a dark complexion thanks to having been born in a desert. His skin is a warm brown, his eyes a deep, rich umber, and his short, tightly curled hair jet black. His eyes are lined by crows feet and he generally has a very tired look about him, making him look older than his 42 Turns. The bit of grey starting to show at his temples doesn't help much, nor do the scars from riding on a dragon for the majority of his life. His frame hints at a once strong man struck by misfortune - his clothing hangs a bit baggy off his shoulders and hips, bones a bit more pronounced than they should be, and he has the overall feel of a knickknack someone left on a shelf to collect dust. Nothing about him is overly eye-catching, though when he truly smiles he looks about ten Turns younger. When he stands up straight he tops out at 6'2 and when he's healthy he has the body of an athlete, strong and toned from years on a dragon. His attire - when not on dragonback - is more reminiscent of his homeland with long, flowing robes. Although Western Weyr is warmer than High Reaches, Ar'ad wears his robes and cloaks out of nostalgia rather than to stay cool. He's used to far more intense heat than anything Western has to offer.
Personality: Ar'ad is tired. The most joyous period of his life is far behind him, leaving him almost a ghost of what he used to be. The pain of the past has left him nostalgic for better days and he frequently thinks of those he lost, of the time when life wasn't so complicated, and sometimes it's hard to drag his thoughts away from what was back to what is. Despite his longing for things gone by, Ar'ad does go through his daily life as he should without getting lost in his memories and has quite the reputation of being a dependable man. If you ask him to do something he will see it done to the best of his ability. He always has his wing's back in the sky and tries hard to be the first one to arrive and training and the last one to leave.

Ar'ad is a good person to go to for advice if only because he doesn't beat around the bush in giving answers. He will said what needs to be said in a way that isn't offensive or blunt and can take the sting out of a much-needed reprimand. Although he's not in a position of leadership, he does take to the younger riders quite well and takes a tiny bit of pleasure in playing wing father. At the same time, he knows he isn't the most fun to be around all the time as he's prone to falling silent and letting his thoughts wander and he generally finds himself alone with only Turoth for company. His bronze dragon is his rock and he loves Turoth with all his heart, but Ar'ad is the type of person who craves the closeness of others even if it's something as simple as reading in the same room. His gloomy nature eventually puts off the more cheerful folks, leaving him lonely and lost in his thoughts again.

Despite his longing for the past and his low moods, Ar'ad persists. He gets up every morning, he does his chores, he performs for his wing, he fights Thread, he has three meals a day, and he goes to sleep. There is a force within him pushing him on, making him never give in to the darkness that always seems to be lurking at the edge of his mind. He often attributes his doggedness to Turoth, but his dragon has insisted that the will to keep on keeping on is there within Ar'ad himself. The bronze certainly helps him continue marching on, but Ar'ad possesses the desire to continue his duties as long as his heart will allow him to.
Positive Trait List Honest, dependable, persistent
Negative Trait List Wistful, lonely, melancholy
History: Arbrendad was born to a nomadic family of firelizard breeders. He had one older brother, Tagorinad, who was three years his elder and to whom he looked up to as soon as he opened his eyes. The two brothers grew up side by side with Tagorinad leading the way and Arbrendad following in his footsteps. His brother was his idol, everything Tagorinad did Arbrendad wanted to do as well. Tagorinad had a way with firelizards, even those that weren't Impressed at birth seemed to flock to him, and Arbrendad was always in awe of his elder brother. Arbrendad himself didn't have much luck with firelizards, always getting bit and scratched by the firelizards that belonged to his family. He was content to watch Tagorinad work his magic on the little lizards, enjoying the tricks and games the older boy played with the shining creatures.

The family traveled in a long, circular path that brought them by various holds during various points of the year. They'd set up shop for a few weeks while their firelizards laid their clutches to sell their eggs, then move on. Arbrendad was used to life on the road and enjoyed visiting the various holds and weyrs, getting to see different ways of living. As he grew older he began to gain interest in the much larger creatures flying through the sky and his daydreams shifted from firelizard training to dragon riding. Of course Tagorinad had a similar dream and he was very vocal about it, touting how he'd be just as good with dragons as he was with their smaller relatives. His golden queen and hoard of bronze flits always chittered their approval and Arbrendad could only agree - surely his brother would ride astride a mighty bronze, the awe and wonder of those around him. Arbrendad's own daydreams were far more humble, a green or sometimes a blue under him as he soared through the sky. It was with great surprise and delight that on their yearly pass by the defunct Igen Weyr on their way through the desert in which Arbrendad had been born that they found a Weyrless gold had laid her clutch. The active Weyrs had been alerted and both brothers begged their parents to stay while this exciting event was going on. There was enough activity at the Weyr that their parents agreed and they settled in to wait for the hatching.

The first egg finally shook one warm, bright day and the word was sent out to all those that hadn't already gathered. Arbrendad and Tagorinad had both been approached a week or so prior by representatives from both Western and High Reaches asking them if they'd like to Stand with the other Candidates they were scraping together from their own Weyrs and the Holds around them. Both brothers had excitedly said yes and had been given as much tutelage as they could get as to how to behave on the sands, what to do if a baby went on a rampage, and other life-saving and proper techniques. The brothers found themselves in white robes and sandals as the first dragon made her appearance, a little green who trumpeted her freedom to those gathered.

The Hatching wasn't terribly overwhelming. The dragonets were well-behaved, they were all hatching without much of a problem, and the two brothers eagerly awaited their fates. Arbrendad hoped that at least Tagorinad would Impress, always happy to see the most important person in his life get whatever he wanted, and it seemed that it was to be the case as a splotchy bronze dragon finally disentangled himself from his shell and sauntered over to the two without any particular hurry. Tagorinad stood up a bit taller, his confident grin on his face, ready to greet his new life partner. The bronze, however, took one look at him and turned his shining head to Arbrendad instead.

Arbrendadmine, don't think so little of yourself. You are worthy of me, after all. Would you bring your Turoth off these Sands now so I may eat? That shell was very thick and I'm very hungry. Arbrendad stood still as stone, shocked beyond belief as the bronze's eyes whirled with rainbows and his mind and soul were flooded with thoughts and feelings that were not his own. Easy confidence, a relaxed undertone to all the excitement, a painful hunger gnawing at his belly, and with a stifled 'of course' he knelt before his beautiful bronze to draw him into his arms, not at all caring about the goop getting on his robes.

Beside him Tagorinad also stood speechless, but there was not an ounce of happiness for his brother on his face. When Arbrendad lifted his head to share in the elation with Tagorinad, all he saw was anger, jealousy, and disbelief. He instantly felt his good mood deflate and he wanted to do nothing more than to apologize to his brother, to ask Turoth if they could wait to see if one of his brothers might select Arbrendad's own, but it was a tiny green dragon who shimmied up to Tagorinad shyly. Arbrendad watched as his brother turned to the small creature - beautiful and delicate, her pattern was stunning and intricate, a jewel among dragons - and held his breath as they conversed silently. The hope on the little green's face was instantly dashed as his brother said one word - 'no' - and turned from the dragon.

Arbrendad felt any bit of happiness fade from him as the little green paled, her wings drooping at the rejection, and his head rattled with the enraged bellow of the queen above them. Turoth spread his small wings to protect Arbrendad from whatever followed, sand flying and the ground shaking as the queen shifted from her position, shouts of fear from the other Candidates as she tried to get to her offspring before it was too late. But the damage had been done and it was Arbrendad, not Tagorinad, who watched as the perfect little green disappeared from sight, never to return.

Everything was a bit of a confusing blur after that. Tagorinad left the Sands, dragons called their pain and loss to the skies, even Turoth kreeled in pain at the loss of his sister. Arbrendad couldn't believe his brother had turned away his life mate, had looked at him with such hatred...the pain from Turoth only emphasized his own ache and loss, and it was with a numb mind and body that he finally fed his own partner and returned to his parents. There was a brownrider waiting for him there, though, and with the promise that his parents could come and visit him at Western, he was whisked off on dragonback to a new life far from what he knew.

The next few months were a struggle. Ar'ad - he had finally taken a new name after a week or so - was so overwhelmed with schoolwork, taking care of his rapidly growing bronze, and the betrayal of his brother not only to him, but to the perfect little green that he could barely eat or sleep. Turoth tried to soothe him but it was difficult for the little dragon who had to share the emotions his rider felt. They grew together in their year as weyrlings both physically and mentally, in strength and in skill, but the pit in Ar'ad's stomach seemed to grow with each passing day. Where was Tagorinad now? Did he regret rejecting the small green? Did he hate Ar'ad for Impressing the bronze Tagorinad had clearly thought was for him? The vicious cycle of questions didn't stop, not even after his parents finally made it to the Weyr for a visit after two years. Tagorinad wasn't with them and when Ar'ad asked after him hesitantly, they didn't reply. His father had simply shaken his head, his mother had made a quiet, pained noise before removing herself from the room for a few minutes. Ar'ad never spoke of his brother after that day to anyone other than Turoth who tried to help his rider as best he could, even suggesting he visit a mindhealer. Ar'ad refused, however, and continued on with his duties.

Life went on. Ar'ad grew comfortable in his new environment and his new work even though he still had a heavy heart. Turoth did his best to keep his rider happy and together they worked hard for their home. Ar'ad did love being able to be so helpful and with Turoth's impressive size and strength they were of great assistance around the Weyr. The biggest honor came during one of Vimiath's flights, though. Turoth was lucky enough to catch her and together they clutched a wonderful group of dragons. Turoth couldn't have been more proud and Ar'ad's chest swelled with true happiness that he hadn't felt in ages as he watched his dragon's children break through their shells. He had been to enough hatchings now that they were no longer traumatic for him and this one could never be, not with so much joy flooding him.

It was a little over a decade later when Thread returned. Up until then Ar'ad and Turoth had taken training seriously but with no sense of urgency, but when they flew together in that first Threadfall they both knew that this was no longer for fitness or sport. Training would be imperative now if they wanted to survive. As apathetic as Ar'ad could be about life he did have a wonderful partner to live for and now his life had purpose - to protect Pern from its old enemy once more. They threw everything they had into their training to ensure they wouldn't be the weak link and fought every fall with all their hearts. During Threadfall about one year ago they were struck down by a large clump of Thread and had to return to the Weyr for immediate attention. Ar'ad had taken the worst of the hit and ended up in the healer's care for weeks. His weakened state left his immune system in shambles and it was soon after he was released from the wing that he caught a terrible bout of the flu. It ravaged him for weeks and put him back in the healer's wing for days at a time, returning just when he thought he was on the mend. His body suffered for it and when he finally was healed he had lost a significant amount of weight. Although he has been cleared for fighting Thread once more he's not back to his full form, still lacking the muscle he once had. He's focused on getting back to his old self completely to ensure Turoth isn't left with a lame rider.
Other: Always Gold - Radical Face - theme song. Adoptable approved here.

DRAGON
Name: Turoth
Age: 27
Color: Bronze
Size: 46'
Physical Description: Turoth is, in a word, big. Huge. Gargantuan even. While hitting the maximum length for dragons of his color, Turoth is also very tall and broad chested. Aside from his size there's nothing remarkable about him. His markings and color are subtle and understated, he's reasonably proportioned, and only has a few scars to show for the golds he's chased and the Thread he's fought.
Personality: If you looked up 'gentle giant' in the Pernese dictionary, Turoth's portrait would be there beside it. Turoth is a calm, kind dragon who is always looking out for those around him. He enjoys doting on others - especially Ar'ad - and making them feel special. He is a horrible flirt among golds and greens alike, though he's only ever chased the former, and to his fellow male dragons he is respectable and dependable. He takes care not to step on toes (literally and figuratively) and has no time for posturing or displays of dominance. If there is a dragon he doesn't care for he simply avoids them, not wishing to stir the pot or cause drama. Turoth is a lover of calmness, serenity, and peace, and the only time he will fight is with his Ar'ad against the age-old enemy of Pern or for a golden queen. Otherwise he will happily bow to whomever demands his obedience and submission.
Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment: Link