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Dragon's Future--Chapter 9 d

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"We're not alone, Wyeth," he called.

"I know, but it is okay.  It is Glendyn and Wyden."

Ruskya looked at Wyeth.  Unfortunately there was no way out of the cave without meeting the other rider.  Ruskya seemed to know that Glendyn didn't want to have company, but there was no helping it.  Ruskya decided to let Glendyn know they were here.

He first tried to get an idea where Glendyn was.  He was outside at the archway.  It was almost as if he was debating coming in or not.

Ruskya called to him, "Glendyn, go ahead and come in."

"Ruskya," the call came back, "what are you doing here?"

"Wyeth brought me out.  I didn't want to scare you; so thought you should know we were here."

Ruskya felt the nod that Glendyn gave and sensed the rider moving forward.  He let the older rider be with his thoughts throughout the passage way and even when he first stepped into the cave.  Ruskya could tell that Glendyn was struggling with memories.

Glendyn walked right to the center fire pit and knelt down.

"How often did we talk right here?" he asked.  "It was like when he was a child and we would go camping, only I was the one with the wife then."

Glendyn fell silent.  Ruskya didn't think the older rider knew he had talked out loud.  He let the rider gather his thoughts.  Glendyn stood and walked over to a side nest that Ruskya hadn't noticed.  

"The only nest to stay in tack.  It's not much to look at after twenty-two winters, but it once held the hope of the colony—Calamadyn twin dragons.  What went wrong?  Why do the dragons not mate?  It has been too many years for me to keep this up.  Too many generations have gone by."

Ruskya pondered that and wondered how old Glendyn was.  It was news to him that Glendyn had a wife at one time.  He wondered what had happened to her.  He asked questions that were thought provoking and that Ruskya and Wyeth had just been discussing earlier.

Finally, Glendyn turned to Ruskya.  "Ruskya, my son," he said as he walked back to the young rider, "you are the hope of this generation of riders.  If you cannot figure out how to change things, then the riders will die here."

Ruskya was shocked.  What did Glendyn mean?

"I mean that the dragons are dying out.  Our dragons are not mating like they should be.  If the dragons don't mate, there are no new dragons.  If there are no new dragons, then Kyn is the last of the riders.  I will not take another youngling for a single dragon.  It is not worth it for the youngling.  He does not have the companionship he needs.  Kyn is doing okay because he is a Calamadyn twin.  In being a twin, he can communicate with all of us.  It seems that Calamadyn twins don't need the other companions that normal children do."

Ruskya understood then what Wyeth was saying earlier.  "Maybe that is true of Calamadyn dragons also, honored rider."

Glendyn thought it over, "You mean that the dragons have their companion in their twin and don't need a mate?  I hadn't thought of that."

"Neither had I," Ruskya admitted.  "It was Wyeth who saw that."

"We need to find something to change things.  I think Carryl will help.  Will you work with her?"

Ruskya swallowed then nodded, "Sure.  She wanted to come out to Philippi Canyon, but I told Duskya they should come together and with another dragon."

Glendyn nodded, "I felt someone up at the other end of the canyon."

There was silence for a while, then Ruskya decided to ask Glendyn about some of the things that had bothered him.

"Glendyn," he started, "do you mind if I ask you some personal questions?"

Glendyn shook his head, "Go ahead, son."

Ruskya smiled.  He noticed that was coming more and more often from Glendyn, and he liked to be called son by him.

"I was wondering about the connection between my parents and you."

"What about it?"  Glendyn encouraged him.

"Mother said she could always get you to do as she wished when they were children much to father's dismay.  You then just said that the times around the camp fire pit were like when Father was little.  You also mentioned a wife."

Glendyn was silent but nodded his head.

"Ruskya, you deserve to know this.  Your parents were my niece and nephew."

Ruskya stared at him, "But they said no one in my family had been a rider!"

Glendyn shook his head, "They would have.  My brother was your great-grandfather.  When I was chosen as a rider, and he wasn't, he didn't want anything to do with riders.  He forbid me to come around his family.  I accepted it like a fool.  I was too interested in dragons and the colony.  I didn't need family."

"Many winters passed.  My brother was killed in an accident. I decided I could go into Woolpren for the burial.   I met a girl there.  She was pretty, kind, and understood as much as a non-rider could, the ways of a rider.  After a winter, I married her.  We never had any children.  It was a pain for Caralyn.  She loved children.  She was a healer, like Carryl.  She helped at many births.  One such birth was your mother's.  Unfortunately, after the birth, your mother's mother died.  Caralyn wanted to adopt your mother, but your grandfather would not hear of it.  He did let us help out around the place.  Yes, your mother could have just about anything she wanted from Caralyn and me.  The world revolved around her.  As your mother grew, she met Ardyn.  Her contact, brought me back into contact with my great-nephew.  I never told Ardyn at first that he was my nephew.  I just let him like me for being me.  Even from the beginning though, he seemed to like the idea of dragons.  When he found out I was a rider, he wanted to meet Wyden.  I was a little leery about that, but finally he cajoled me into it.  Actually, it was Meredyth asking me for him that broke my resolve."

He paused in the telling for a while, then continued.  "Looking back, maybe it would have been better if I hadn't introduced him to Wyden, but then you wouldn't be here either."  He smiled and put his hand on Ruskya's shoulder.

"Well, he immediately won Wyden's heart, and soon all the dragons were clamoring for him to stay.  It was shortly after he joined the colony as nest keeper, that my Caralyn died.  I mourned her, as did your mother and father.  Some of the other riders criticized me for marrying a non-rider and said, not to my face, that it was only just.  I shut my heart away that day.  I wasn't going to let anyone else get that close to me again.  Your parents had a way about them that broke down that barrier.  Yet, when your father died, I withdrew from the world around me.  I hurt your mother in the process.  Something I had vowed I would never do.  I ignored her for the next eight winters.  I often wanted to go see her when I was in the village, but I let my responsibilities as rider and trainer get in the way.

"I didn't see her until the day Duskya opened the tapestry of your home.  It was a shock to say the least.  That was when I promised her to take care of you both.  After all you were family.  If Caralyn had her way, you would have been my grandson and my great-great-nephew at the same time.  Talk about a confused child," he chuckled.

"You didn't need that confusion to begin with.  I think you can handle it now.  Your mother asked that I share with you also.  I came out here to try to think.  So, do you think badly of me?"

"Badly, why?  You did what you thought best.  I-I just, I never thought that you were that old.  I always thought of you the same age as Father."

Glendyn laughed a full-hearted laugh.  "No son, I am not the same age as your father, although my body is the same age as he was when he died.  Riders' bodies stop aging at thirty-six winters when their dragons reach full maturity.  To tell a rider's age, you have to judge their dragon's age.  The larger the dragon, the older the dragon."

"Glendyn," Ruskya said almost in awe, "then the turquoise dragon is another generation past Wyden."

Glendyn nodded.  "He is.  He has seen many winters.  His rider is very cunning from what I gathered from the trials he set out for you."

"Wyeth and I think he came here after the trials with Kyle.  Then got stuck here in the storm."

"What makes you say that?"  Glendyn inquired.

"Wyeth found a scale.  I found a boot print similar to Kyle's and the fire pit has been used."

Glendyn knelt down and looked at the pit.  "You're right.  It was used last night, but not this morning.  Where is that scale that Wyeth found?"

Ruskya and Glendyn walked over to where Wyeth had found the scale.  It was still on top of the ground in plain sight.  Glendyn bent down, picked it up, and examined it.  

"It is a normal scale.  No strange markings, or disease seems to be on it.  Nevertheless, I think I will keep it to be safe.  I hear the others are coming this way.  Should we go meet them, son?"

Ruskya swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded.  He couldn't talk if he wanted to.  Glendyn bent over and gave Ruskya a hug.  Ruskya responded and hugged him back.  Glendyn might not be the father Ruskya had lost, but he was still family.

"Thank you, Glendyn.  You know, you will have to tell Duskya, or she will feel left out."

"That's the problem with Calamadyn twins," he laughed.  "Let's go meet your sister and tell her her family is growing."

Ruskya smiled.  It was good to have family.  He also thought talking to Glendyn about mates, might not be such a bad idea after all.  There were still questions roaming through his head, but for now they could wait.  He was going to enjoy each day as it came.  He also resolved to find out who the turquoise dragon was and what he had done with his father.
Chapter 9: A trip to Philippi Canyon

Ruskya learns about Glendyn's history.

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