To Be A Rider - a Rengar adventure.

  As soon as I saw the message at Ssrydens, I knew it was meant for me.  A tingling feeling ran down my spine as I read it.
'Energetic Gessiki to work as hatcher.  Must be patient and willing to work unusual hours.'
Quickly I checked the name: 'ToHassa : Speedwind'.  I hadn't heard of ToHassa, but the name Speedwind - those fierce, whirling wind-storms - sounded very likely.  It had to be what I was looking for.
  Leaving the meeting place as quickly as I could without attracting attention, I found my Guri, Sandracer.  Sensing my excitement with his usual awareness, the great lizard waited only long enough for me to unhook him and grab his handles before he took off, running upright.
  A Guri has only two paces.  It can walk on four legs,  which is slow, but energy-saving for long journeys, or it can rear up on its hind legs and run at amazing speed.  To ride a Guri upright and out of control is a terrifying experience.  Had I been more enthusiastic about learning to be a Gureen, a Guri rider, I might have been able to take control then, but I had never really wanted to ride a Guri, particularly just then.
  It was lucky for me that Sandracer knew to head straight home, and even luckier that he had learnt never to run through the camp.  Rather than go to the tents themselves, he stopped at the edge of the Guri herd.  The hardest part of Guri riding is staying on at the end of a run, as it is impossible to slow down first without losing the momentum which kept the animal upright.  I failed.  Sandracer stopped sharply, dropping onto four legs, and I shot over his head, made an unfortunate half-flip in midair, and came crashing down on the base of my tail.  The sand was soft, but not soft enough, and the pain was excruciating.
  A loud whoop rang out behind me.  "Oh!  That was classic!"  My heart sank.  Ssangen.  She rode up behind me, leapt off her Guri and slapped me heartily across my back just where it hurt the most, her claws screeching against my scales.  "Absolutely brilliant!  Keep it up Gussam!"  I cringed in embarrassment and frustration, knowing that she could easily keep on until the day was over.  Happily, a young Guri chose that moment to start wandering off, and I waited for it to get some distance away before pointing it out.  Hissing in frustration, Ssangen bounded after it.
  Limping and fuming, I unstrapped Sandracer, left him to join the others and made my way into the camp. I was only supposed to go into the camp to put away the riding handles and get any gear I needed for my assigned afternoon duty.  I deliberately passed the guard-rider slowly, as though concentrating on remembering some important message.  As soon as I was out of sight however, I started moving as fast as I could.
  In my tent I rummaged frantically through my large but organised pile of 'findings'.  My habit of keeping anything I found had earned me many jibes and won me several enemies in ToAsscam, but there were occasions when I was eternally grateful to that habit.  Triumphantly I retrieved a whole, if scratched, writing-stone and a broken char-stick.  Quickly I scraped it into a sharper point against the scales of my palm, where the black marks were least likely to be noticed, and began to write.
'I write in reply to your message at Ssrydens.  I would very much like the job.  Please advise.  Gussam.
  ToAsscam : Sharpeye'
  I finished the name of my To and lead Guri, picked up the polished stone and left my tent, holding it carefully so as not to smudge it.  The area was deserted of course, but I was still cautious as I headed for Asscam's sleep-tent, in the very centre of the camp.  To my joy and relief, he had left Flit behind.  The Lani hissed, baring her fangs and flaring her wings as I entered.  I was unconcerned, knowing that her poison glands had been removed for safety.
  Moving slowly towards her, I called her name repeatedly in my most soothing tone.  I had always had a way with Lani, the winged serpents who are thought to be descended from the same ancestors as Dregi, although they are much more primitive.  This was another talent which earned me the disapproval of Asscam.  Our leader seems to have an unreasonable dislike of all winged creatures, despite the necessity of owning a Lani for communication.
  Recognising me, Flit sank down into a more relaxed position.  Relieved I looked around for the leather bag which would contain Asscam's char-cloth.  As he was supposed to authorise all messages, he owned the only one.  I found, it, and pressed my stone into it, sealing the message in message-water.
  "C'mere Flit!" I called, extending my arm.  She flew over and wrapped her body, limbless apart from the magnificent double-wings and the tiny stubs of hind legs, around my fore-arm.  I dropped the message-stone into the little pouch attached to her body and carried her outside.  Raising my arm as high as I could, I cried "Speedwind, Flit!  Go to Speedwind!"
  She spread her impressive wings and soared upward.  High above my head, she paused to find her destination.  I held my breath, sure she would be spotted by the guard-riders.  Then she turned towards the Guri herd and began flying at incredible speed.  I winced, afraid that if the guards didn't see her, a Guri watcher still might.
  Then I realised how long I had taken.  Urgently I bounded back to my tent, trying to remember what my afternoon duty was, grabbed my gear as fast as I could, and left the camp to find Asscam.  I was lucky he hadn't finished his rounds.  He was talking to the last guard, as I came up trying hard not to pant.  I kept my charred hand firmly closed.
  "Oh, here's our message reader now," he said with the tone of malicious pleasure that he always used to me.  I think he did it to keep me nervous, never sure what I had done.  This time of course, I was well aware of what I had done, and I just prayed that he wasn't.
  Apparently he wasn't.  I gave my report, ate with the rest of the To, and did my afternoon duty with no problems.  I couldn't shake my fears, though.  The worst ones were realised when we all returned for the before-night meal.
  "Has anyone seen Flit?" demanded Asscam, and his eyes were on me.  I felt a jolt of terror, but struggled to remain calm.  After all, I was the one who liked the Lani most.  It was natural that he should expect me to know.  I made puzzled, noncommittal noises with everyone else, and he said no more about it.  Then I realised what I hadn't thought of before in my haste.  When she came back, Flit would go straight to Asscam's sleep-tent, still carrying whatever reply she had.
  Indeed, just after everyone had dispersed to various tents, Flit passed overhed as I was putting out the fire and carefully burying the ashes.  I yelped out her name, and she came willingly to my arm.  Fumbling to open the message-pouch, I brought out the same stone I had put in - with the same message.  With the sour taste of despair in my mouth, I unthinkingly slipped it back in.  Realising my mistake, I went to retrieve it...
  "Ah, Gussam, you've found that Lani of mine!"  Before I could react, Flit left me and flew to her master's arm.  With a faint frown, the Gessiki reached for the pouch, feeling it.  Then he turned his eyes back to me.  I seemed to be frozen in place.  Still frowning, he reached for the pouch...
  I fled.  I wasn't thinking, I didn't take anything besides the gear on the gear-band around my waist, I don't even know how I managed to get Sandracer, strap on his handles, and get away before the alarm was raised.  As we ran, I had the presence of mind to direct him to find Speedwind.
  I didn't get control of Sandracer until the sun started setting.  As it got colder, his cold blood did too.  Unfortunately, so did mine.  As he began to falter, I spotted a low cavelet formed by some stone slabs leaning against each other.  Squeezing the right handle caused pressure against the Guri's neck, and he veered left.  It was some distance to the cave, and by the time we got there it was dark.  We only just made it.  Sandracer collapsed into the entrance.  I was thrown off and hit the ground at the back of the cave.  We were both asleep almost instantly.
  I woke up as the sun rose and flooded the world with warmth.  Sandracer was gone.  Not even the handles, which I hadn't taken off, were there.  The night before, I hadn't had time to think about the warm-blooded night-hunters.  Now it was too late.
  I mourned silently for a long time.  I might not have liked Guri-riding, but when you are paired with an animal, you always become attached to them.  Then I went to stand outside the little cave.  (I have heard that it is possible to tell direction from the sun, although I have no idea how.  Certainly I have never needed to.  It isn't known how yet, but all Guri, Lani and Dregi have the uncanny ability to find any other of the three species, just by knowing the animal's name.  In a land where everything is sand and rocks, and a strong breeze can change an entire landscape, we Gessiki have always relied on them for finding places.) With no Guri, I was lost.
  I considered my options.  If I started walking, I had a chance of finding either ToAsscam or ToHassa.  However, if I didn't find them I could be left without shelter at nightfall, easy prey.  I couldn't remember which way I had approached from.  On the other hand, if I stayed there was even less chance of being found by the stationary camps, and I was still completely defenceless at night.  Resolved, I set off in a random direction.
  After walking all day, with no food and only the water from the water pouch on my belt, I hadn't found anyone, and was still utterly lost.  The sun sank, and I curled up on the sand, eyes half-closed.  I was so limp that I didn't react when the dark shape of a night-hunter approached.  Suddenly another form came screaming down and drove it off, then turned to me.  I closed my eyes, and fell asleep waiting to die.
  I woke at sunrise with a sharp, furry face a short distance from my own.  With a shriek, I scrambled backwards.  The other also drew back, whining in confusion, as if to say what's wrong, I just want to be friends, why are you scared?  I stopped and stared.  The animal stood on two legs, and was about half as big again as me, while its wings were as long each.  It was covered with short, off-white fur, but it appeared pale yellow, because its skin was deep golden.  The wings had no fur, so they shone gold.  As my fear dissipated, the creature chirped hopefully.  I had encountered my first Dregi.
  After I got over my surprise, I approached it carefully.  It suddenly occurred to me as I was stroking its silky pelt that no wild Dregi would act like this towards a Gessiki.  This must be a young tame one who had wandered off.  From ToHassa?  Still crooning to it, I leapt onto its back.  It started slightly, but accepted me.  Definitely tame.  I didn't know the animal's name, but it seemed to like me enough to hopefully go where I told it.  Riding a Dregi should basically be the same as riding a Guri, I figured.
  It wasn't.  The initial upward surge left me winded in the sand.  I was more cautious after that.  Eventually we got things worked out, and battered but triumphant we soared in to land at a large camp, with many Dregi being watched nearby.  That is, I was battered.  As we landed, various Gessiki came bounding, bombarding me with surprised questions.  Then they fell silent and allowed a large Gessiki through.
  He regarded me with an unreadable expression, but when he spoke he seemed kind enough.  "So, our Brightwing has come back to us, and brought a young friend, too."
  "Please, Sarkay," I said respectfully, not wanting to be discourteous, but needing to explain myself before he judged me.  "I was coming in answer to your message at Ssrydens, but my Guri was killed by a night-hunter, and then this one found me."
  Hassa looked startled, then impressed.  "You were alone in the desert at night?"
  "Yes, Hassa Sarkay."
  "Well," he said in a faintly amused voice, "I hate to sound harsh, but it's probably just as well you don't have a Guri anymore.  We can't have one of those constantly around the Dregi."
  That took a moment to sink in.  "You...you're taking me?"  A wild hope flared.
  "I think I'll have to.  You're the first Gessiki who has come in person.  Others sent Lani, but Speedwind won't let the critters near him long enough for us to get the messages."  He cast an exasperated glance at the Dregi herd.  "We really need to move on, but we couldn't leave without someone to look after the new eggs."
  He paused to gaze at Brightwing with affection.  "Besides, that Brightwing seems to have taken quite a liking to you, and we can't lose him.  Speedwind's own stock, he is."
  I stared at him, then at the beautiful Dregi.  "You mean...he's mine?"
  "Sure is," and Hassa dropped his jaw in laughter as I threw myself onto Brightwing in a fierce hug.
  "Oh Brightwing," I promised him, too soft for anyone to hear, "I'll be the best Dregeen ever."

Reading Notes.

  All Rengarin species end in 'I', both singular and plural, but only 'the Four species' - Gessiki and those they work with - get capitals.
  The 'u' sound in Gussam is the same as in 'put'.
  Ssangen has a hard 'g' sound.
  The 'a' sound in Rengar is the same as in 'rare'.

(c) Copyright Hespa.
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