[PRP] Like Mother, Like Daughter (Damahath + Anakumath)

[demon_pachabel]

The days after Threadfall always felt more taxing than those leading up to it - and it was always because of the injuries. While Martirae had much work in the record's room to devote herself to (part of which was again looking at the newly minted additions to the clutch charts with no small amount of pride), Anakumath had busied herself in one of the tasks she was best suited to: soothing the anguish of her injured fellows. It hadn't been a rough fall - at least not by comparison - there were still howls of anguish left in throats that she tended to devotedly.

Someday, it would easily be one of her own there, needing their mother's touch, and the little notion left her longing for the little ones who no longer could be tucked safely under a wing. At least not in an entire assembly. One at a time, always - even those who would outgrow her by leaps and bounds. In a few more months, she'd be guiding her golden daughters in doing much the same as she was. It was easy to imagine them both at it.

But even when her task completed, that pulling longing for one of her little darlings, if not all of them, twisted at her hearts and sent Anakumath in a small circuit of the places she had always frequented in their early lessons - the feeding pen, the barracks, a peek at the lake. Surely, in one of those places, she'd find someone darling to soothe that feeling with. Oh, they really did clutch, hatch, and grow so quickly.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

From the first, Damahath had felt it was her duty to seek out and succor the weak and wounded dragons of the weyr, even desiring to leave her own hatching feast to visit with hurt siblings and candidates (though that had not ended up happening and the incident was long lost in her memory). Still, after every Fall her hearts tugged toward the infirmary and she had to be reminded by her Ara that it was too soon. Ara's suggestion that they go to the store rooms and check on supplies to make sure that there would be plenty for the infirmary fell completely flat and Damahath politely declined, saying that Ara was welcome to do so, but counting items on shelves was not where her talents lay.

Go off with you then, Ara said. But mind you stay away from the infirmary. It's me who will get the hiding if you go peeking.

Nobody at the Weyr had ever hided Ara, or even threatened to do so, which was one of the many ways in which Weyr life was superior to being a drudge in a hold, but the reminder that Ara would be held responsible for any skirting of rules on Damahath's had the intended effect. Not that Damahath was much of a rule breaker. It was just this particular rule she found irksome and difficult to obey. For a moment it crossed her mind that if Ara did find herself injured, her dragon would probably be allowed into the infirmary, but the thought of Ara hurt in any way made the young gold's eyes whirl in distress. She would be good and find something else to do with herself.

Damahath took herself to the lake, carrying herself with deliberate care. It was expected that she would set an example for all the dragons in the Weyr, which meant her bearing ought to be regal, even if she didn't always feel particularly regal, personally. Right now, for instance, she felt sulky, and the idea of splashing around in the lake was appealing. She could let out her temper by beating on the water and it would just look like she was swimming awkwardly. She was already in the water, thrashing it soundly with tail and teeth when it occurred to her that someone might mistake her movements for the flails of a drowning dragonet. If that happened, she might just die. Of embarrassment.

Naturally, it was in that moment that she looked up and saw her mother's golden figure nearby. She hoped that Anakumath hadn't noticed her display of temper!

Mama! she called, making sure that there wasn't even a hint of alarm in her voice. There would be no need for her mother to worry that one of her golden girls was about to drown. She stretched the truth a little bit to add, I'm so pleased to see you!

She was always pleased to see her mother. It wasn't a lie. She just wished her mother hadn't been there to witness the closest thing to a temper tantrum Damahath was likely to throw. This was why, Damahath reminded herself as she paddled closer to her mother, decorum was so important.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

The sound of her daughter's voice put an extra dose of urgency into Anakumath's step - not concern, but a desire to see her not-so-little-anymore darling as Damahath paddled closer in the water. If she'd noticed or noted the tantrum, she made no mention of it.

Hello, my love, she greeted, overflowing with adoration as she leaned her head out to nuzzle her child. I am glad the feeling is mutual - I've missed you. Like all of her siblings, Damahath was growing so quickly and even a few days away made it feel like she'd missed so much. Soon enough, however, Damahath, Ardoxshoth, and their riders would be spending more of their time with her and her Martirae for their lessons.

Would you mind if I stayed with you for a time? Or do you have other plans for the time being? she'd never intrude on sorely needed alone time if her dear needed it. She knew that packed barracks could be trying for some.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Damahath returned her mother's nuzzled greeting and began to make her way to the shallowest waters of the lake until she could put her feet down and touch the bottom and walk to join her mother on the shore. By the time she waded onto land, her eyes were their usual serene shade of teal. She was an even-keeled dragon, not really prone to displays of temper or holding onto things, including bad moods. Moderation in all things was an important part of her personal philosophy, though she wouldn't be able to put it in those words for a while yet.

I would be very happy to have you stay with me, Damahath assured her mother, meaning it. Ara is counting things in the storerooms, which I'm very bad at because my tail and wings are not made for the kind of small spaces humans like to store things in.

A few sevendays ago, just at the edge of her memory, Damahath could recall standing on her hindlegs to look at a shelf above eyelevel, overbalancing, and instinctively flaring her wings to compensate, and in the process snagging what felt like dozens of the Weyr's nondescript, common property bathing sheets. By the time she'd disentangled herself, Ara had lots of folding to do. Ara had been very understanding about the whole thing, and completely calm about having to restore order to the closet, but Damahath had felt bad creating extra work for her, and had been avoiding taking part in similar activities ever since.

What have you been doing? she asked, standing far enough away from her mother that she wouldn't have to look straight up to see her face, but not so far distant that she could actually take in all of her mother's figure without turning her head.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

A rumble of amusement vibrated through Anakumath as she settled in the sand to be as close as her large size would allow. Ah, it has been a very long time since I could fit into any room inside of the Weyr, a few turns, sure, but life was full of many things and she didn't count time in days the way the humans did. In heartbreaks and loves and so many more things, time passed so oddly it was impossible to believe it moved consistently. Even the barracks had felt like a tight fit by the time she and Martirae had been moved into a weyr of their own. Now the ledge felt awfully large whenever her mate was not upon it with her.

My Martirae is tending to records, she says they fade and smudge and she likes to make sure they are accurate. Anakumath answered to Damahath's question, While she is busy with that, I was with some of our fellows who were injured during Threadfall, Anakumath's own hide was still knitting from wounds not even a few months old at this time, but she tolerated them well. Some need extra company and support and I am happy to see they get it so that they heal better.

Had Damahath come off as more delicately sensitive, Anakumath would have perhaps tiptoed around that a bit more. But it was a task all golds would see to in time, and she had no doubts her darling would handle that one well.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Damahath looked up and down her mother's immense form and her eyes shone a brilliant cerulean of good humor, something like the smile humans exchanged at a shared joke. It was clear that Anakumath spoke the truth, and would not fit inside the Weyr at all anymore. She wondered if she would someday be as large as her mother, and if so, when she would reach the point where coming inside was no longer an option. In the forgotten recesses of her memory, there was a dragonhealer performing her first physical examination after she hatched, telling Ara that as a twin who had shared an egg with another gold, there was a chance she would always be on the smaller side for a gold. Damahath had long ago forgotten that conversation, as had Ara, though it would cross their minds in the future as she reached maturity and her size remained diminutive. At any rate, Damahath found nothing wrong with her current size, nor that of her mother. She was just amused by the thought of her mother picking her way among humans in the close indoor spaces of the Weyr.

Records sounded like more tasks to which humans were better suited than dragons, and Damahath was far too young to see the value in them. Ara would one day discover how amazing it was that records were more than the ledgers kept for stores and accounts, and that to be recorded was, in a way, to become immortal, and she would marvel that she, herself, was now part of the Weyr's records and remembered in that form for turns beyond her death. It was more than she had ever thought to hope for before she Impressed Damahath. It was the sort of thing that Damahath took for granted, and thus found of little interest. Visiting the injured, on the other hand, was a much better use of a dragon's time.

Oh, were you really? Damahath asked, her mental voice practically quivering with enthusiasm. That is exactly what I would like to be doing. Do you think I could come with you the next time? I would not be in the way at all, and I feel so strongly that I might be a help.

It was highly appropriate, Damahath felt, that her mother should have just come from the task Damahath, herself, wished to be at, and she wondered whether, if her mother said she could, she might be allowed to actually do it. She was certainly willing to work that angle, at any rate. She felt that she was ready to help!

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

How little it surprised Anakumath to find out her little one was eager to put herself to such a kind task - Damahath was, after all, her daughter, and Anakumath liked to think all of her children were cut out of such kind cloth.

We can talk to Dhremorath and make sure it is all right first, but I would love to have you there. I know you would be a welcome balm to many of them while Anakumath knew she could have some sway with a golden hide, she respected the opinion of the older dragon - and he knew her children in a more professional capacity and could tell her their readiness for such things with less biased head. Soon enough your Ara will learn how to tend to dragons as well, a very important task, when a fallen dragon's first caretaker upon being safely delivered to the ground was often the goldrider who had done so. It wasn't an enjoyable thing, in that injury was miserable, but she could be proud of the work.

Tell me, do you comfort your more nervous siblings during Threadfall? Anakumath felt she already knew the answer, of course, but she truly wanted to know what her little ones got up to while they were still so young as to not do more active chores during Threadfall.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Thank you, Damahath said politely, but she visibly wilted when her mother mentioned Dhremorath. It wasn't a really obvious wilt - a dragon does have her pride, after all - but it was definitely a wilt. She knew what Dhremorath would say: she was too young, she might become overwhelmed, and so on and so forth. Damahath liked to think that she was made of sterner stuff than that, but in truth she wondered, particularly since she knew she was definitely the less assertive, less bold twin. In any event, she knew that asking Dhremorath would not go her way. But there's no need to trouble anyone about it. I'm sure when it is appropriate, Dhremorath will let me know. She was trying so hard not to sound sullen, but she there was still a bit of a mopey slumpishness in her mental voice.

Damahath considered how best to answer her mother, because it wasn't all that simple. Some of her sibings genuinely didn't need comforting, and others didn't want it. There were a few who would admit to being anxious, and to those she was always more than happy to devote her time and attention, but she had no more experience of Threadfall than they, and could only offer platitudes. Eventually she concluded, As much as I can. I don't want to force anything on anyone, and there are a lot of...strong personalities among my siblings.

Sometimes, on the most private mental channel they could form, Ara would opine that while dragons were surely the most magnificent creatures in the world, some of them would benefit from a swat on the behind or a flick on the ear. The latter had confused Damahath at first, since dragons didn't have external ears to flick, but Ara had demonstrated on her own ear what that felt like, and then Damahath had understood. Not sharing Ara's awe of her kind, Damahath went one step further, and thought that there might have been one or two of her siblings who were deserving of sterner discipline. Neither she nor Ara thought it was right for weyrlings to take their training anything less than seriously, even when they struggled, but they were both of a forgiving, unassuming nature, and so they rarely spoke up or held it against those who didn't quite meet their standards of behavior. Mostly, Damahath was relieved that she would not be in a position to enforce that sort of thing for a long time, if ever.

How do humans know how to tend to dragons? Damahath asked, switching to a subject that was less likely to have her accidentally tattling on one of her siblings.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Anakumath hummed softly over her daughters slight distress over her answer, leaning out to touch her nose against Damahath's head. He will not know how ready you feel to help unless we ask, darling of my hearts. I am certain he would not be troubled by the question. Even if it resulted in gentle compromises of meetings with less distressed dragons who never the less would be in need of the gentle balm of an attentive gold - no matter their youth. So, she tucked away the thought for once her visiting times with her daughter were over. Certainly, it would also serve as an excuse to see how her little ones were doing - as much as it pained her, Dhremorath did know more of the day to day technicalities of their progress than she did even as she tried to reach out and give them all the emotional support she could.

I understand - many of my own clutchmates were the same. It is good you are available to those who may need you and it is very similar to the care we take of those in the healer's care. she seemed appeased with this answer, not prying into the choice words that had been used. She and Elzebuth had clutched many strong minded, independent little ones alongside their less assured and even needier darlings. Idly, she wondered after the particularly needy Lufianth and how perhaps she could have used a little of her sister's extra care and love.

The change in topic was accepted graciously. That is a fair question. The first to have such knowledge to pass down did have to get it somewhere, now didn't he? I would imagine much of it was told to him by his - or hers. But I will admit I am not certain if I would have known how to handle things such as thicktail on my own. No, she could have appealed for her hide to be oiled a little more, or an itchy spot to be scrubbed more carefully, but other biology was far beyond her own concerns.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Damahath did not share her mother's confidence that Dhremorath would allow her anywhere near the infirmary, but she agreed that there was no harm in asking, or at least making her interest known. Much of her life had been determined since the moment her golden hide cleared the shards of her egg - that was what it meant to be a golden dragon - but she knew that beyond duty and expectation there was some room for personal desires, and her personal desire was to help others and offer support wherever she could. Right now, that meant she was focused on the idea of helping in the infirmary, but in time she would find other avenues where she could also be of use, particularly as Ara grew more familiar with the idea of being a dragonrider and they both learned what they liked best and least of their lives in the Weyr.

Were they really? Damahath asked. She knew her mother had been part of a very large clutch with two golds, a bit like Damahath. (Or was it two clutches? Sometimes she forgot those sorts of details.) It was difficult for her to frame her next question, as she was reluctant to ask outright which of her aunts and uncles were the most difficult to deal with, and how her mother dealt with them anyway. Which ones are the...um...who do you think gives you the strongest opposite opinions? How do you get along with them?

Damahath's eyes were a contented blue, accepting Ana's response about humans teaching each other how best to care for dragons. There were a lot of things that humans knew which amazed Damahath. Sometimes because they were just so incredibly useful, and other times for the exact opposite reason. Her happy blue took on a sad shading as she realized that probably the dragonhealers who taught Ara and her fellow weyrlings, as well as the riders of old, probably learned a lot about dragons from dragons being hurt. But they couldn't study dead dragons. Dragons went between to die. That was something she would have to ask Ara about later. She didn't want her mother to think she was morbid.

It seems like there's so much to learn before we grow up and have to just know everything, she said softly, and maybe a little anxiously. She had been born with a massive amount of innate knowledge about how the Weyr worked and being a dragon and all of those important things, but whenever she spoke to older dragons she felt like she knew next to nothing, and she only had two short turns before she would be counted as an adult and expected to take her place among the other adult dragons of the Weyr. It was a little bit daunting. Through their bond, she felt Ara's wordless comfort and love and drew calm from it. Will they really be able to teach us everything we need to know in time?

demon_pachabel

I'm so sorry this took me forever and a half. I just found the reply I'd half-typed up in a Google Doc.