Master Dragonehealer Madif

Gender:	Male
Age:	59
Current Location:	Brondir Weyr
Rank:	Master
Physical Description:	Madif is 5' 10" tall, a stocky man, with greying hair, which he keeps short and neat. He has broad shoulders and a muscled physique from his turns of tending the huge dragons. His blue eyes look out at the world from a face lined with turns of care. He was a handsome man in his youth, but life has robbed him of much of his joy, his face echoes this. Not given to fancy clothing, Madif usually wears trousers and tunic, plain and simple, with his Masters Knots worn with pride on his shoulder.
Personality:	Madif is, to put it mildly, grumpy. He likes things done. He likes things done _his_ way, and _now_, thankyou very much. He doesn't tolerate tomfoolery, he dislikes jokes and pranks. Dragonhealing is his life, he takes his profession very seriously indeed, after all, if the dragons can't fly, then they can't protect Pern, can they? The man _does_ have a sense of humour, although it rarely shows itself. When it does, he laughs his deep, throaty chuckle and no one around him can help but laugh too.
History:	Madif was born at Ista Weyr to rider parents, the result of a green flight. He was much loved by his mother, although she had to put him in the creche to be raised as she simply didn't have time to devote to her young son. She visited him most days and he adored her. His father he saw less frequently, but he was never in any doubt that his parents loved him. He had 1 full brother, 1 full sister, 3 half brothers, and 2 half sisters. At the age of 12 he was accepted into the Healer Hall, to begin training with them but it was very quickly discovered that he was specifically suited to healing animals, especially dragonkind, with whom he seemed to enjoy a special rapport. He returned to the Weyr to train with the Dragonhealers there and studied hard to make Journeyman at the age of 18. His love of dragons ran deep and he always harboured the secret dream that he might, one day, impress. His dream came true when, the day after his 19th birthingday, he attended a hatching at Ista. He was waiting at the edge of the sands, with the other dragonhealers, to check over any of the new hatchlings that should require it, when he heard a soft voice in his mind telling him that he should leave the other dragons, how could he possibly tend to their needs when he, Targanth, was so very hungry? Looking up, Madif saw a small brown dragonet looking up at him, eyes whirling, and impression occured. Madif was amazed, delighted, awestruck. He entered weyrling training joyfully, meaning to pick up his healer training again once Targanth and he were a fully fledged pair. It was in their 10th month that the accident happened. Targanth was chasing a green, the first time this had happened. Madif had gone to the flight rooms, a little pleased, a little wary, and Targanth had given chase happily. He was whirling and Wheeling after the green, performing acrobatics, showing off more than a little, trying to attract the sweet little green. Not watching what he was doing, or where he was going, Targanth misjudged his manoevres and collided with the steep rocky ridge at the far end of the Weyr. He plummeted, unable to open his right wing, to the ground. The impact killed him instantly. Madif, reacting to his dragons accident in the flight rooms, fainted and was taken swiftly to the infirmary, where he spent the next few sevendays while the healers tried everything they could think of to try to pull him out of the depression which threatened to pull him under. He lost the desire to live for a while, but slowly, very slowly, he regained his strength. To everyone's surprise, he decided to continue with dragonhealing. He couldn't bear to be away from dragonkind, despite his awful loss. He immersed himself in his work, accepting several assignments as a Journeyman, travelling the length and breadth of Pern, visiting every Weyr. It was during his time at Telgar that he met and married his only true love, Sanniah. She was a gentle soul who understood his pain. She travelled with him from then on, producing 3 healthy sons. On their return to Ista, in his 41st turn, he was made Master. His pride in his mastery was dimmed only by his pride in his family. His eyes still held a shadow though, which would never be erased. Two of his sons went on to impress at Ista, M'nah impressed a blue, and S'dif impressed a brown, which caused Madif's heart to contract a little, but, on the whole he was happy for his sons. They and their dragons thrived, and are still at Ista, although as the overcrowding there becomes more and more of a problem, there is an increasing chance that they might transfer to Brondir sometime soon. His third son, Shammuel, followed his fathers footsteps and became a dragonhealer, making it to Journeyman at 19. He is currently travelling in the north, working at Fort. Madif continued at Ista for a while, liking the familiarity, feeling settled, until the new overflow Weyr, Brondir, was founded. They needed Weyr personnel of all types and ranks and, as he was 'getting on a bit', he and his Sanniah decided to make the move South. And so they arrived at Brondir and helped to organise and set up the infirmary there.
Pets:	None

Craft Information
Craft Name:	Dragonhealing
Strengths / Weaknesses:	He is devoted to the dragons, has a talent for helping them, he seems to know what they need. His only weakness is his temper, which is short and fiery.