Childlike Companion Bronze Petryth

Playful strings of burnished copper twine their way around sturdy headknobs and muzzle to cascade playfully over cinnamon neckridges, washing whimsically over a small yet stocky torso; the whimsical play of colouring defies a bullish build. Gilded aureate twines with tawny russet in a haphazard mix, enfolding brawny torso, meeting darker chestnut at his belly and running down robust haunches to colour over-large wheaten feet, marked by talons of gaudy brass. Hints of wheat merge with ginger to trace a path down a solid tail, entwining it in childlike designs. A rich swathe of brandy stains uneven wings, striations of champagne and straw tracing merry paths across near translucent sails.


Egg Name and Description

Erubescent Liquid Egg


Hatching Message

Ripples wash across claret's smooth surface, creating sudden disturbance where peace reigned so recently. With an audible crack, a section of shell flies through the air, a foot appearing, covered thickly in liquid. With a sort of shiver, the egg crumbles, shell segments falling away to reveal a small, stocky bronze.


Impression Message

In the space of a heartbeat, the shouts and cries of the sands die away, replaced by a strong, steady sound: thud- thud, thud-thud, thud-thud. It's your heartbeat. Or is it someone else's? The outward sensation of a heavy, draconic foot upon your own is matched by inward confusion: a hint of woodsmoke, of berries, a snatch of a rowdy melody, the feeling of a heavy wind buffeting at your mind. Suddenly, childlike laughter sounds, chiming gleefully as a warmth floods your extremities, a joyful young baritone proclaiming enthusiastically: « Ezemial! I've found you! Now, can we find some food? I am Petryth! »


Personality

Your Petryth is an eternal child – he takes a child's delight in laughing, loving, singing, investigating and in throwing himself fully into every experience life presents him with. He's always up for a laugh, always ready to be in on a joke, and now and then fails to think right through to the consequences of his actions. He's based on Peregrin Took, one of the hobbits in Lord of the Rings. He has a hobbit's delight in all things, and like hobbits, might sometimes be more than a little underestimated. Light- hearted he may be, but stupid he is not. Petryth is fiercely loyal; he will follow you into any situation, see you through any danger, and harbours within him a heart of great daring.

Like a hobbit, however, he won't reveal his inner strength without a reason of some sort. If he needs to, he'll prove himself the staunchest of allies, a defender in all circumstances and a force to be reckoned with. For the most part, he's light-hearted and fun- loving, with a woefully short attention span upon occasion. Unlike his clutchmates, Vaerlanth and Aesiveth, Petryth has little interest in being in the limelight – he'll provide a gratifyingly amazed audience for them at times, but is just as likely to offend, by failing to display even the slightest interest in them at others. He loves to play – in water, in mud, in the air. He'll always be up for one quick spin around the weyr before bedtime, always interested in splashing down at the beach, and unfortunately capable of finding mud just about anywhere he goes. He loves his food, and considers himself a connoisseur of all things edible – he's quite likely to plan his meals around the latest intelligence regarding the feeding grounds. News of a new shipment of particularly delectable herdbeasts? Better eat now, even if it is a day or two early. Eating is particularly important for Petryth – he'll indulge himself until he's fit only to roll back home to his weyr, if you don't keep an eye on him. There's little point in trying to get his attention while he's eating, either. An absent-minded « Mmmmm?» is all you're likely to get in return. Watch out also for a propensity to compose short ditties about whatever he's eating, in appreciation of fine flavour, interesting texture or depressing stringiness. « I think there's nothing like a feast, of really yummy, young herdbeast. Sadly this departed buck, is stringy, mangy and generally yuck.. » If they're really good, anyone happening to pass by will be treated to a performance.

Now, all dragons have quirks, some more unusual than others. What else would you expect of Petryth, though, other than a really unusual collection? One of the worst is his hobbit-like tendency towards the collecting of ‘mathoms’. That is, a tendency to want to collect interesting things of absolutely no use, which will then be either kept indefinitely, or swapped for something equally useless. It might be all right, though, if it were just useless things. It's not, though. It's sparkly, shiny things. Petryth has inherited this one from his dam, Ysmalath, who's legendarily obsessive about collecting hats. Petryth is almost incapable of passing something interesting and shiny by without trying to make it his own. It does not matter whether this shiny thing is an interesting rock or a Lady Holder's brooch. You're in for some interesting times ahead. He also loves watching the sparkle of the sun on the sea. While Zippith, his sire, is known for night-time flights out across the still sea, to watch the stars being reflected, Petryth will make his trips ocean-ward during the day, to watch the sun reflecting at him off the little ripples in the water. It's almost inevitable that now and again he's going to forget himself, and dive-bomb the water in pursuit of the sparkles.

When it comes to your weyr, he's going to want to keep it jam-packed full of interesting things – almost all of them colourful and sparkly. He'll want you to get your hands on as many mirrors as possible… he'll even want a chandelier, for the way it reflects light. If you express thoughts of a spacious and elegant weyr, you'll meet with a response that could take hours – a list off all his possessions, and the reason why he needs to keep every single one. This will frequently make interesting listening, as he's got a dragon's memory, and usually won't actually recall where he got most of his things from. He'll make it all up.

Your weyr isn't the only thing he's going to want to decorate, either. He's got a terribly habit of wanting to make you over, for fun and profit. You're down because a girl doesn't like you? A makeover is the answer? Thinking about heading to a gather? Not without a new look! Bored? We'll have you fixed up in no time! With a sense of wonder, optimism, humour and a love of all things sparkly, Petryth will always have some idea he's trying to suggest. If your hair were different, if you had leathers covered in sparkles, if your pants were of a different cut, if you had leathers covered in sparkles, if you tried a sombrero, like the weyrleader wears, if your leathers were covered in sparkles… he'll have you made-over before you can blink if you're not eternally on your guard.

Petryth will always be of the opinion that you'd be better off with a weyrmate – particularly if he could find one that would be generally approving in the sparkly-things stakes. When he remembers that this is one of his aims in life, (usually the most inconvenient and embarrassing times), he will inquire of other dragons as to the possibility of their lifemate as a potential partner, often rather publicly. You're going to be doing fairly well if you can make it through without the odd weyr-wide announcement. One of the main reasons for his enthusiasm in this area is the possibility of children – certainly, you'll probably sire one or two anyway, he's sure, but a full-time weyrmate would have to improve the odds. Petryth views children as the ultimate playmates, and will frequently be found entertaining the children of the weyr. One problem with his strategy, though, is the fact that he'll never really understand that you need a /female/ weyrmate to produce children. Watch out for him propositioning male riders.

One final area to touch on is that of flights. Petryth has a chronic inability to take these things seriously. Listen for cries of « Wheee…… ooh, watch out!» in the middle of these otherwise serious events. The time he spends playing on the weyr's thermals will usually pay off, keeping him at least among the forerunners, if not always the winner.

Your Petryth is truly something special, and someone out of the ordinary. He's a loyal ally, a fearsome foe, and will never leave you to stand alone. He's also a playful, laughing, charmingly optimistic dragon, eternally childlike and loving. Life with him won't always be easy, (you try explaining to a Masterfisher why you just dive-bombed the sea, in the middle of a very profitable shoal of fish), but it'll always be entertaining.

Growing Up
Petryth is a stocky, solid dragon, smallish for a bronze. His most distinguishing feature, unquestionably, is the size of his feet. Blessed, or cursed, with hobbit-style large feet, it'll take him a little more practice than usual to adjust to them. Get used to picking him up from tumbles, and expect one or two minor injuries as he goes tip over tail. Eventually he'll learn, but those feet will be a major source of trouble. They'll also be his itchiest spot – he'll develop the habit of trying out a kind of dancing shuffle, as he tries to run his itchy soles over the ground in search of relief. You'll be the proud owner of Pern's only tap- dancing dragon! His other, terribly, terribly itchy spot will be an awkward one. Right between his wings, where you might say his shoulder blades meet – that one's going to be a killer, and you'll get used to rushing away from whatever you're doing to answer cries of « It iiiiitches! Quick, it iiiiitches! » His love of food will also, as one might imagine, cause a few problems. A weyrling who likes to stuff himself at every opportunity is a weyrling who's going to end up in trouble sooner or later, despite every warning the weyrlingmasters can offer. Many weyrlings manage to avoid it, but helping your dragon purge is going to be an unpleasant experience you'll revisit more than once. Unfortunately, draconic memory is going to work against you. Petryth will no sooner have escaped the discomfort that comes with overeating than he'll be planning his next meal. Have fun!

Why
Why not? You're perfect for each other! Petryth will never grow up, and he needs someone to remind him now and again of what'll happen if he eats ‘second breakfast’, followed by elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. He doesn't just need a foil, though – he needs a partner. He sees within you the loyalty, sense of fun and generosity he treasures above all else. He sees a companion for his adventures, a thoughtful head to counter his impetuous one and a personality which both matches and compliments his own.


Mindvoice

Layers of oak, berry and hay. Petryth's mind is reminiscent of all things natural. Imagine a walk through the countryside, and you're halfway there. Hints of nuts and berries are underpinned by a touch of woodsmoke, the scent of flowers in spring will meet with the scent of newly mown grass. Those are the colours he chooses, too. Nothing too bright or gaudy, except in moments of extreme excitement – the finding of a new shiny treasure is likely to be announced with shiny mental visuals. Otherwise he prefers browns, greens, the rich, warm claret of his egg.


Inspiration

The theme for this egg clutch was ‘World’s Biggest', and Petryth's egg was based upon The Big Bottle (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~arundell/bottle.htm). Petryth is based upon Peregrin Took, from the series The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.


Credits

Name Childlike Companion Bronze Petryth
Dam Gold Ysmalath
Sire Bronze Zippith
Created By R'yn, egg by Lydiere
Impressee Ez'ial (Ezemial)
Hatched 08 September 2002
Ista Weyr
PernWorld MUSH

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