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The Star Stones. Waaaaay up at the top edge of the bowl. Thaesa stands at the bottom, looking straight up at her goal. The air is cool and dry, the faintest of cooling breezes ruffling the dust across the ground behind her. The Southern girl's expression is determined as she absentmindedly lifts each foot to slip off her shoes and socks. For once, the bright, chipper candidate doesn't have a sunny grin plastered on her face, her expression on of concentration as she approaches the cliff face and jumps, hooking her fingertips into a small crevice and pulling herself up until she can cram her toes into another.
And so Thae climbs. Sometimes seemingly a millimeter at a time. Sometimes by a whole foot. Was this how Sriella thought she would climb? Probably not, but stairs, no matter how long and how steep, aren't any fun! Stairs are boring. A vertical climb, however, just her against the inevitable pull of gravity with nothing between her and a horrific, sudden stop should she lose her grip and fall? This is fun.
Wiry muscles start to burn with exertion, the tug and pull of Thae defying gravity to pull herself up the bowl wall inch by inch, fingers and toes wedged into cracks and clinging to bumps and imperfections worn into the wall.
Will she still be able to do this after the Hatching? Will she risk a fall that could injure or even kill her if she makes one little mistake? Will she still be the same carefree, fearless little girl that she has been her entire life?
Or will nothing really change? Maybe she'll end up with a dragon that likes to climb as much as she does? A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth, right hand reaching for another fingerhold as a bead of sweat rolls down the side of her neck. Wouldn't that be something? For a moment, she imagines exactly what that would be like: A lithe, wiry dragon scrabbling up the rocks beside her, a safety net she has never had before to catch her when she inevitably falls...
Another reach for a toe hold to push her up just a little higher, the stretch and burn of exertion as she drags herself along the cliff face. She clings to the rock like a spinner, seemingly effortless as she pulls herself further up while her mind churns with possibilities. Visions of a future with a dragon of her own to spend the rest of her life with. A handsome blue or brown; a lovely, brave green to soar with and touch the sky. A partner for life to fly with and flame Thread.
A partner to help her save people and protect those she loves.