Ruth (dragon)
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In Anne McCaffrey's fictional Dragonriders of Pern books, Ruth was a dragon that played a central role in several of the novels.
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[edit] Hatching
Ruth was a dragon from Ramoth's Clutch, hatched at Benden Weyr, and Impressed by the young Lord Jaxom. He came from a small egg that did not hatch with the others. After the main Hatching had taken place, the Weyrfolk left the egg, assuming it was dead. Jaxom however, saw the egg rocking, and leaped in to the Hatching Ground, helping the dragonet inside to break the tough shell. The reason for its inability to hatch was that it was a runt, too small and weak to break the unusually tough egg. As Jaxom freed the dragon, he inadvertently Impressed Ruth, becoming the first Lord Holder to Impress a dragon.
[edit] Politics
After Impression, the Council decided that it had no problem with the young Lord having Impressed, as Ruth was not expected to live past a few Turns. At this point, Lord Warder Lytol was in charge of Ruatha Hold, as Jaxom was too young to take charge. When it became clear that Ruth would not die prematurely, the Benden Weyrleaders, Lessa and F'lar, carefully guided the dragon and Lord so as to avoid the animosity of the Lord Holders. After a while, it was decided that Jaxom was allowed to fly on Ruth, and was trained in going between.
[edit] After Hatching
Jaxom, angry and not being allowed to take Hold of Ruatha, or become a Dragonrider, rebelled and attempted to teach Ruth to chew firestone, with some success. He discovered the draconic ability to travel through time while practicing going between, as well as Ruth's innate ability to orient himself in time. These secret sessions ended when he was caught in ThreadFall, and the Weyrfolk consented to give him firestone training.
[edit] Unique Traits
In addition to his small size, Ruth is notable for his hide, which though commonly regarded as white, appears to be composed of pale hues from all dragons. It is possible that Ruth is a neuter, and indeed, "he" has never shown interest in mating. In addition to his physical attributes, Ruth is known for his unusual willingness to speak with humans besides his own rider, his close and friendly relationship with firelizards, as well as his long memory and heightened intelligence. He also has a heightened ability to travel "between" to different times with accuracy exceeding that of any other dragon.
