Appearance: Oci is a young man with tanned skin and fairly odd hair and eyes. The former changes from red to a paler, almost blonde red depending on the quality of the light, and it is a large enough change that it is definitely the hair reacting to the light. His eyes do the same thing, but change from red-brown to peachy coloured. His hair is left loose and wild, and flows all the way down to his waist. It is probably his most handsome feature, as the rest of Ocithuandhe isn't all that much to talk about. Despite this, he is built quite bulky in the sense that he could probably move boulders or smash cement blocks with his head if he wanted to.

Personality: Ocithuandhe commands a certain amount of respect, if not adulation. Maybe respect is too strong a word: Oci is a curiosity, and most people will pay attention to him just because he is so big and powerful looking. Think a cross between Conan the Barbarian from a classic Frazetta painting and Arnold Schwarzenegger in his earlier films. GET TO DA CHOPPAH!

In any case, Oci is exceptionally good at training and caring for dragons, as he's been indebted to a Dragonmaster since he was born. He knows the ins and outs not only of practical care, but of the strategy used in every aspect of a dragon's life. Contrary to popular belief, Oci isn't as dumb as a brick, even though he has never had formal schooling. What most take for bravery or sheer stupidity, Oci takes as carefully planned actions that run on pure gut instinct. When he jumps into a ring with a raging dragon and manages to calm it down, he's not relying on blind luck so much as all of the little quirks he studied and practiced with.

For all his homely appearance and somewhat odd behavior, Oci does manage to catch the occasional lady's eye. Considering that he's relatively fertile, this is probably a good thing, as he would one day like to settle down with a large family of his own -- if he can work off his own debt, that is. He dreams of a day when he can be free and in control of his own life.

***

"These offworld dragons are all the rage," Dragonmaster Kshyhar said, waving his blue-green tinted hand around at the gathering of them. He was never really part of the group that went offworld, Ocithuandhe knew that much, because he was almost always around the older man. He'd technically broken the laws by having Oci work when he was young, Oci knew this but said nothing. His affinity for dragons was far stronger than any urge he had to get Raised when he was too young to handle living on his own. Orphaned, both his parents had been killed while they were still Bayaran - but both his parents had been used by Breeders to produce new Dragonmasters. Oci was alone in the world, save for the dragons, and his Master.

So Oci knew that old Kshyhar wanted to be around these other masters, the way he gazed at their odd, highly intelligent dragons told him everything. But he wasn't very good with the people - Kshyhar was full of himself, and though a brave master who sent many dragons to victory over the Aliens, he was hardly a match for these who rode their dragons into those battles. It wasn't just a matter of bravery, it was that these riders rode, they didn't just command dumb animals. Their partnership was something that Oci wanted to taste.

Freedom was also something he did want to taste, soon too. He was old enough now that he should have paid off his debt, but Kshyhar wasn't very good at Membayar work and kept terrible records. When one of the 'true riders' as Oci called them looked it all up, she decided that while Oci was indeed still indebted to the man, he only had a small amount to work off. There was sadly no 'going rate' for dragon mastery yet, though, so he'd have to work it out how much any given task would earn.

Kshyhar was at least smart enough not to try pulling the old 'room and board costs more than your services net you' trick, certainly not after the lovely dark-green skinned woman went through his records. Whatever they were up to, those riders were intent on having Oci be one of them - if not his Master.

And that was fine, because Ocithuandhe was a good match for them. While he wasn't as well rounded, he was confident and quick on his feet and in his mind. He wasn't a showoff, not after that one accident in the Stone Dragon pit. He learned quickly from that event, as he added to his own debt with a broken arm and therapy for the Atasenne who was trampled...

So these Riders, they took Oci to a place that had many, many dragons. Some were feathery, like the Forest dragons, some had large wings like the Skys, but they all were four-footed, something that the Zekiran dragons didn't have except for mutations. They also had the exotic ability to move between worlds, spaces, teleporting themselves and whatever they carried.

This took Oci by surprise, but he kept his head about it. It was cold, there between worlds. To his credit, he didn't question this event, he knew that there were other worlds, and that this place, Nidus Corona, was one of them. Perhaps it was even a place you could see in the brilliant night sky over his plainsland home. He realized too, that his home, where Kshyhar held land and raised dragons, would be perfect for these flighted creatures. Windy, open ... hills nearby to roost and oversee things.

That is all very fine and well but I cannot fly yet. You will help me fly. The voice was in his head, it was so exotic, echoed twice - once with a rumbling and again with a whimper. Oci stared at the hatchling, there were others around, squirmy things with too many heads to go around - and some were very violent toward their nestmates. This one was bigger than many, not as large as a few, and had three heads. The central one gazed at him with brilliant red-orange eyes, and purposefully stepped out of his shell. Oci knew that this dragon - hydra, whatever it was called - would far prefer to eat the siblings below its feet as he walked toward him.

"We will, Gwymauth," the name had appeared with the sound of his mind, "we will fly and you will get to tear into our enemies as much as you like!"

This seemed to make the young hydragon quite happy. He was made even happier when he was given a place to roost and his rider was settled comfortably next to him. Their trip home to Zekira was a little tense, as Gwymauth wanted to hold on to the dragon they rode by all his teeth, which was quite uncomfortable for everyone.

Karif was a Zone of smallish proportion but epic landscapes. A large wind farm powered the electrical plants, and Steeds flew regularly in their organized races and flocked when they were able. They almost stopped doing so - because Gwymauth's first attempt to eat one almost succeeded. This netted Oci another year worth of debt. But that was fine - he didn't much care for Steeds anyway, because they were so... above everything. And while Gwymauth was fierce and proud, it was because he was fully capable of taking down an adult Steed before he'd even fledged.

"You'll have to keep that creature away from the flight lanes," one Penjagan said, snooty on his own Steed that had the same nose as he did. "Or else you'll wind up Budak before you're a dragon master."

"Well you'll want to keep your Steed away from my creature, since this is my master's land," Oci shot back, and for once the higher-ranked man realized his mistake. Everything was moot when the raid sirens rang out, though - Steeds were hardly capable of keeping up with the fast jet planes and attack vehicles. Dragons were their fearsome enemy: ripped from the very aliens' minds, this primal enemy was brought to life on Zekira to defend their world.

It seemed oddly ironic to Oci that his own defender was not even from this world.

But it was fine. Gwymauth and he would go on to do greater things. Once fledged, Gwymauth took down not one but two jet fighters at once: one by landing on it so hard it fell from the sky, and another while he fell, he blasted with his triple headed flame burst. It would not be very long now, with rewards coming in from land holders and fans around the world who watched these things remotely, before Oci would be his own master.

***

Of course, this story wouldn't be complete without mentioning the other Hydragon that Oci found... Though she prefers not to be bothered about it.

She's only got one head, a fact which her bronze brother nagged her about constantly. And as a miniscule little thing, hardly up to Ocithuandhe's shoulder herself, little Mecenth took to shunning her 'master' for a while. Once he realized that she was still in need of attention and training, however, he took pains to include her in their activities whether Gwymauth wanted her there or not.

As far as her usefulness in battle... well, not so much. However, rather than trying to find a spot for Gwymauth to land at a party or Holder's place, the Steed-sized green was just perfect for normal transportation - much more impressive than any Steed, however, because she almost always decided to announce herself with a gout of flame before landing...

NEXT

***

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