Born a Vagrant, Still a Vagrant [Tags: Aztlatli]

The reconnaissance efforts by Weyr and Hold combined, for the sake of tracking down the whereabouts of rebel camps, seemed to have been successful -at least in some sense. They'd come across at least one camp that seemed to have been inhabited fairly recently, and the signs all seemed to support the theory that the Chorong had had some presence there. So, it was likely that that had been the source of the raiders who'd been terrorizing the caravans headed back and forth between Igen and Southern Telgar Hold. But apparently, the combined Telgar-Fort efforts to cull out the traitors had been working. There had been no recent raids on the caravans, and some Traders even suggested that they felt safe again on the roads -all thanks to the Hold Guard and the increasingly frequent presence of Dragonmen in the area.

After the last reconnaissance mission then, information was passed on to Rihan and Rihan in turn had alerted his uncle at Southern Telgar Hold. An entire Squad Division had been dispatched to those areas to further investigate but when nothing substantial came of it, they all returned home, leaving nothing but more questions in their wake. The Chorong had definitely been there -and recently- but their disappearance from the camps had been sudden it seemed. Cleanup had been a l ittlle sloppy, though perhaps they anticipated returning at some point, to the area? Or did it mean that the rebels had simply left clues behind, which were meant to be found by them, and lead them astray? In Toshiro's mind, it was all too convenient that they had managed to find a common raider with a map detailing camp locations. Whatever the case might be however, in the mean time, where had the rebels and raiders gone to?

Had they crawled back into nearby cotholds or managed to hide themselves right under their noses at Southern? Toshiro wasn't allowed to venture there unless absolutely necessary, as long as the Guard was still looking for him, so it would be hard to looking into whether or not the rebels had hidden themselves there. In any case, Rihan could share his suspicions with his uncle and let the Southern Telgar Holder look into the matter more, on his own. For now, then, Toshiro would have to pursue leads that might lead to further discovery of their whereabouts outside of the fortressed walls of the Hold; which meant that at least for now, he'd be inspecting caravans personally.

Another concern that had crossed the guardsman's mind was what if this had all been a distraction to keep their eyes averted from something else that they weren't supposed to see, perhaps? That possibility, like any other, had yet to be confirmed, but it was still just as likely that they were laying low after all of the Rider sweeps around the immediate Igen Weyr area and crackdown on infiltration into the Weyr itself.


Having been allowed to travel with the caravan, paying them for passage through the region, Toshiro joined them as a commoner, a vagrant who'd been straying between cotholds, supported by their hospitality and doing work here and there to repay them. It was funny to him perhaps, that it was most often farm work, though one man had asked him to lend a hand on a smith's shop to help shoe some runners while his son was ill. It seemed like a completely different lifetime since the time he'd tilled the land on his own, and maintained a small plot of land for he and his wife. The memories of that time were not distant however, and it hadn't taken him long to remember how to tend to the plants and the ground that they grew upon. This had at some point drawn some curiosity about his knowledge of the subject, but he could do little more than give some scant admission that in some turns past, he had once worked land of his own. About that, nothing more could be said, and anything about his involvement in the guard he kept to himself, as he traveled. There was no use in raising suspicions.

Upon the arrival of the trader's caravan headed for Igen, Toshiro paid them the marks required, taking his pack of belongings with him, his weapons and a bundle of food that had been made by the cothold's womenfolk. Left with a warm feeling of acceptance, he promised himself that the next time he passed this way, he would stop here again.

Hoisting his bag into the back of a smaller, covered wagon with two other passengers, Toshiro had pretended to nap while he was with them, but after a while, jumped off the back of the wagon to walk alongside it, to keep himself from getting too restless. Throughout much of the day, things had been withouot event, though, as the sun crossed the point of its zenith in the sky -perhaps no more than two candlemarks after- they were about to stop for an afternoon meal while resting and watering the animals when the shadow of dragons floated over them.

Gazing skyward, Toshiro found himself searching for dragons that he had come to know from Fort, but at first glance, didn't think that these were any that he'd met in the past. Though, with many of Fort's riders dedicated to the restoration now of Ista Weyr, Telgar had put more manpower into assisting with patrols over Igen Weyr area. They were allowed to stop periodically to ensure that everything was alright with the caravan -that they hadn't run into any trouble along the road- but it was encouraged that this be done with caution, given that there were both the possibility of raiders still on the road and the fact that dragons easily spooked the dreybeasts and other animals traveling with the caravans. So, if they didn't want to irritate the traders, it was best to at least land where the dragons wouldn't frighten the herdbeasts.

The Caravan Master's call could be heard then, to slow the train of wagons, at which point a man on runnerback turned back and darted down the line of them, issuing the same signal. Toshiro followed the man with his eyes, but then brought his attention forward again, wondering if this were just a normal patrol. It appeared as though they'd landed ahead, just around the next bend.

Gradually, the entire train came to a stop, and people began jumping out of the wagons, making ready for a meal. Feed bags were brought by children for the runners and dreybeasts. Not liking the feeling that he was the only one with nothing to busy himself, Toshiro jogged up to the head of the train to see if they'd stopped because they expected Riders to come.

Niefryth flew into the headwind with gentle flaps of her wings, favoring the wind to pick up smells that her rider couldn't, allowing their range of site to increase greatly. Aztlatli perched, alert, atop her green peering through her helmet at the area around her. She favored this job over most of the others at the weyr. Her training prepared her to notice the small details, some that many other riders and people would look over.

This shift had been rather dull as compared to others, but Aztlatli was almost glad of it. The past few months had been rather busy what with the hurricane and Chorong outbreaks, but perhaps the weyr had been spoiling her? Aztlatli sighed, bored out of her mind. Should we just call it a day, Nie? She patted the green on her jade neck with a sigh. Yeah, she was spoiled by the weyr and its constant source of adventure and amusement, so a day without anything happening on her patrol seemed extraordinarily boring.

Is flying with me not fun? the dragon rumbled her laughter, doing a barrel roll to wake her partner. Azlatli laughed as the dragon righted herself, shrugging off her jacket to be more comfortable. Well... its pos- There is a caravan to the east of us. I see it, Niefryth, good spotting. Let's land in the slight clearing up ahead of them. Also please bespeak our patrol leader and let him know our position and relay that we will pass along word if assistance is needed? The dragon rumbled her assent and banked to spiral down low over the caravan and into the clearing.

Niefryth's feet hit the ground with a thump as she ran a few feet forward to still the momentum of flying. Niefryth had never liked hovering, and Aztlatli had never gotten used to her bonded's landing. You call that smooth Azt teased, unbuckling her legs from their saddle straps before taking off her helmet. She slid down off her dragon's side landing in a roll and standing up smoothly. Two other riders landed near her and hopped off their dragons.

"Bored as well," She joked, shaking her hair from its tight bun. As the riders joked back, laughing, two runners from the caravan came up to find them. "We are on patrol from Telgar. Can you take us to your caravan master?" They assented and began leading their way back, the three riders at their heals. Her patrol leader took the lead in the conversation then, allowing the two riders to scan the crowd and surrounding area for potential threats.

Aztlatli moseyed about the lead caravan looking at the people busying themselves with food and play but then her eyes hit something - someone familiar and her jaw almost dropped. "Shiro?!"

The small group of dragons from Telgar, which flew in a patrol over the forested region just west of Igen Weyr, had the entire routine down pat. They had been flying the patrols more frequently since the discovery of rebels within Igen Weyr itself, really cracking down on helping secure the roads that led caravans with Tithe and trade goods through the mountain pass, there. It was nice to know that their patrols had been making an impact, because as they stopped periodically to check the condition of the caravans as they entered the areas patrolled, they could inquire after any troubles that had been encountered along the way. Eventually, any suspicious or troublesome reports would make it back to the Hold Guard, who could act to further safeguard the region.


Dismounting the rosewood Brown where he landed beside his clutchmate, E'den unbuttoned his own riding jacket, though did not completely remove it, before moving alongside Aztlatli, matching her stride. The group of them were soon upon the Caravan, which had slowed to a stop before rounding the bend that might bring dragons in sight of the dreybeasts. Of course, as their patrol leader approached the lead wagon, the caravan master came to join them.

Watching Aztlatli bypass the first of the caravan group to poke her nose about the other wagons, E'den decided it would be better if he tagged along beside her, in case something were to happen. Though, to him, that should have been an ironic thought given the fact that the Greenrider had always proven more skillful in combative situations. With weapons and words. Still, he couldn't deny that the want to be there for her in a time of need overruled the illogical reasoning that he of all people might be able to save her, should any situation turn dangerous.

Thus, regardless of that fact, E'den trotted up beside her again, looking for any signs of suspicious activity amoungst the caravaners and their cargo. The Brownrider was shocked then, when Aztlatli called out -but not to him.




Toshiro had hardly strayed from the lead wagon when he thought he heard his name. And when the shrill noise of the woman's cry reached his ears, he nearly jumped.

Who would be calling my name? No one should know of my whereabouts. Wondering to himself, the Guardsman considered the voice, deciding whether or not he recognized it before he was finally able to locate its source. A woman -clearly one of the dragonriders- was standing, staring his way and looking hopeful with that apparent light of recognition in her eyes. Searching her face, he finally understood. Aztlatli wouldn't have known his whereabouts, nor possibly that he was still hiding from the law, but she had been his friend in the past and that was how she greeted him now. It had simply been by chance that they'd run into one another.

Squaring himself to her, Toshiro neither smiled nor rushed to be with her -though she might have expected as much from the young man whose face in the past, rarely held expressions of happiness.  

Closing the distance between them, the guardsman quickly gauged the Brownrider at her side before his eyes fell on her again.

"Aztlatli."

The name was spoken with clear recognition, but perhaps the reminiscence brought with it had not been so welcome. For Toshiro, probably much like Aztlatli, that time had been filled with painful memories.

"You're a dragonrider, now, huh?"  

Running a hand back through his hair, Toshiro wondered how long ago it must have been since she'd been living at the Weyr? It had been at almost ten turns since they'd seen one another. And in a way, Toshiro felt a little guilt creep up on him for not having had the chance to say goodbye to her. It had been in Turn 494 that Toshiro had suddenly disappeared fro the Inn that they'd taken residence in.

Of course, little did he know that very shortly after, she herself, had gone her own way. Still, not knowing anything of her life since that time, he wondered if she must have thought he'd been killed in battle or left for dead somewhere, unbeknownst to anyone. For some reason, those thoughts made him want to apologize to the girl, given their history together. Somehow, he felt as though he owed her at least some sort of explanation.

After all, he had at least in some aspect, been her mentor for a while. Or at the very least, one of the few friends he could say that he'd ever made in those earlier turns.

Aztlatli shook her head at the friend following her. As much as he was a nuisance some times, she did find his wont to try to protect her endearing and a tad funny. As much as she'd tried to train him for fighting, he'd never had the need to learn like she did. In that regards, seeing her old mentor and one of her few friends came as a shock to her.

They stood staring at each other for a few seconds before he closed the gap.

"Aztlatli... you're a dragonrider now huh?" She threw out her fist catching him on his shoulder.

"Ten turns... ten turns since we last saw each other and all I get is a 'you're a rider now'" she mimicked his voice. "What is this? You actually got hit? Prison made you soft old man." She broke out in a grin, and her hand reached out to his shoulder pulling him into a hug. He was one of the few people she had no walls around. "I'm sorry I called out your name, but you shocked me. How did you escape?" Her face flushed as she looked back at her wingmate.

"E'den... this needs to be an absolute secret. Do you understand E'den... no one can know who this is." She looked back at Shiro. "Do you need any help? I am here for you, friend."

Toshiro


Not expecting her exuberant hail, Toshiro accepted Aztlatli's punch to the arm, letting it disarm him of the usual cautious attitude he carried around others; that was, until she began requesting an explanation.

There were still people around, and the caravan master was still nearby, speaking with the winglead they'd arrived with. It would do no good to have such a discussion overheard. Not that he was the sort to walk around with loose lips about things that were still classified information anyway. Well, even if the situation were still not fully under control and thereby information dispersed on a strictly need to know basis, Toshiro had still never been the type to talk about his missions. Though, Aztlatli probably had no idea that it was all still being resolved. Even as they spoke.

In light of her words then, and the unexpected hug, Toshiro let rise a wry smirk on his lips before answering her first question. He wasn't sure that he wanted to indulge she -or the rider beside her- with anything more than that. So, rubbing his arm, he spoke, "Well you don't have the kind of malicious intent I'm usually trying to avoid." There was no real reason to avoid her hit, then. But still, just her showing up all of a sudden had set him off guard. It was certainly a pleasant surprise though.


Glancing furtively around them, Toshiro was glad to see that no one seemed to be paying any special attention to what went on between them aside from the curious looks from some that were more in awe over the presence of dragonriders. Special surprise indeed. And unfortunately it would likely just draw unwanted attention his way, but there was little he could do about that.

Once more, Toshiro glanced past Aztlatli to E'den, not sure what to make of his personality, but the young man didn't have the kind of look in his eyes that made him a fighter. That didn't mean he couldn't bring misfortune in other ways though; and Toshiro didn't want to be responsible for the death of a Rider.

Aztlatli seemed to trust him though, and that should count for something, but Toshiro had been forced to become extra cautious lately given his circumstances; and Azt had just put him in a very precarious situation. And even if there was a way for her to help, he could not call on a Rider for his own personal needs. There were protocol concerning weyr-hold interferences to consider, and the fact that pulling valuable Riders into the fray unnecessarily could cause his Lord Holder more trouble than he was forced to deal with already.

"Aztlatli..." Her name was spoken hesitantly, but soon he was going on, seeming to ignore her last words. More like, he was hoping they'd go unnoticed by the other rider. So, as he started up again, it was with a smile, some of the tension having left his shoulders again. "Something you probably haven't heard about me recently: I have a fiance. We'll be married when I am able to return home. I'll be on the road just a little while longer. When we have it planned, I'll send you an invitation."

Pausing briefly, he went on to ask, "Which Weyr do you fly with?"




E'den


E'den could only stand by and watch as his wingmate started off warmly in greeting to her old acquaintance. He was dying to know how she knew him.

The guy looked kind of shady and didn't seem to be very impressive. Even he himself could have dodged a shoulder-punch from Aztlatli. Though, the girl had admittedly proven herself better than him probably more than a million times, when it came to one-on-one sparring. In E'den's mind however, he just had issue with hitting girls. Even if they were sparring partners, and Aztlatli knew very well how to defend herself, it just didn't seem kosher. This guy, Toshiro, must feel the same way.

Anyway, he didn't look like he could beat someone up if he tried.


The Brownrider continued to be somewhat clueless as to who the man was until Azt turned to him all conspiratorially. It clicked then what she must have been talking about, as he realized that 'Toshiro' was the name being circulated in the case of the Lord Holder's son's death. And it wasn't just any 'Toshiro' -not that he knew anyone else with the name- but this had been the same Toshiro who'd been responsible for perhaps innumerable assassinations during the rebellion.

Stunned into silence, E'den's expression would have told them both that he now realized who her 'friend' was. Shooting Aztlatli with a dubious glare, E'den continued not to approve of thee situation, though saying nothing, as the two shared in conversation.



[errrr that's all the muse got for now! ^.^]