• • The History of NeiShai and Deranek • •

Shared History

NeiShai and Deranek come from a long line of nomadic people who live in the deserts of the Northern Continent. Their parents were killed during Threadfall, when they were caught unawares before they could find shelter. After that, Shai and Deran travelled ever southward to leave their old lives behind. They took a boat down South, finally setting up shop at local, weekly gathers to make and sell their wares. Their Northern peers had been skilled and creative, and with tanners, jewelers, and weavers alike to teach the siblings, a comfortable profit was made making and selling whatever was in demand.

Deranek and NeiShai were found by the search dragon Luculeth at their most recent station, located near Lazuli Weyr. This was the very same market brownrider T'ki often came to for his herbs and Luculeth's "sea-fluffs." Being a search dragon, Luculeth recognized candidate material in both brother and sister, and sure enough, they each Impressed a dragon in the very next Hatching.

NeiShai's History

In the months preceeding the Double-Hatching shared by Queen Inth and Green Riyath, NeiShai busied herself in the lower caverns in between preparation for that Hatching. There was much to learn about Weyr-life: how dragons live, eat, and work, and how people work together in a Weyr and look out for one another. In that time, she made a few new friends and she also acquired chronic "dishpan hands."

The Double-Hatching was Shai's first, and would be by far the most magical in the years to come, she was sure. She watched her friends and peers Impress before her very eyes, her feeling of joy she savored as the Hatching went on. Riyath's were the first to hatch, then Inth's. Once she nearly Impressed a little green and was utterly dismayed, until Inth's little queen chose her!

Haenaedavith, to T'ki's amazement, seemed to bring NeiShai, who'd changed her name to Nisha, utter contentment. To many, the new responsibility of a queen dragon may seem overwhelming. But Nisha took it gladly. Unbeknownst to T'ki, impressing a dragon, *any* dragon, had been what she had ultimately been waiting for in the years since her parents' death. It was her chance to leave her old life and memories far behind her.

Deranek's History

Deranek, literally the little busy-body he is, spent most of his time while waiting for the Hatching in the Lower Caverns. The Headwoman, Byani, gave him a tiny little room near the kitchens that was just large enough for a pallet, trunk for all his clothing and supplies, and Taksher's perch. His first Weyr-side Threadfall was especially exciting, despite all the casualties incurred that day. Like most people in the lower caverns, he finds the preparation of numbweed particularly foul, though he doesn't mind other tasks such as cutting up meat and tubers, sweeping, or scraping klah. His sister would heartily disagree, maintaining that day-old cereal mash stuck to the cauldron is much worse.

When his chores were done, he would most likely be out hunting with Taksher, or pestering T'ki up in his weyr. However, his capacity to concentrate astounds even those closest to him, and T'ki's herb stash is organized like never before because of it.

Despite the potential Luculeth had seen in young Deranek, not many people believed he would Impress any time soon, as he was only eleven Turns old. By the time of the Hatching, Deranek had come to accept that it might be years yet before he would Impress, if ever. But he has always liked Weyr-life and would have been happy around dragons with or without one of his own.

On the day of the Double-Hatching, Deran sat up near the very top of the Hatching Cavern, where the Dragons fly in. He sat with T'ki's brown, nearly-black Luculeth, and D'nelen's bronze Korinth. Some might say he never would have Impressed on that day if it weren't for a certain jungle cat named Talameki, who like all mortal beings, much to her private chagrin, had made a mistake and mistook dragon eggs for gigantic firelizard eggs. Quick to the scene, Deran and later T'ki had been busy arguing over an egg with Tala when little Themeth fell at his feet.

Themeth turned out to be the draconic version of Deranek, quick to speak, eager to learn, and completely optimistic. He will never get to be very large for a blue, as the boy now D'rak will never grow to be very tall.