Admin
Administrator 
brect[M:-2154]
Posts: 3,754
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Post by Admin on Jun 29, 2011 3:51:06 GMT -5
And don't be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,
Ge's just a sheep underneath those teeth,
And don't be afraid of the Wicked Witch,
She ain't so bad, she ain't no bitch.
It was a sunny day in late summer, a few clouds putting their way across the blue sky. The light was there, bright and illuminating, but it was even rather than overwhelming. It was the perfect day and W'al greeted it with a grin. Kerath walked up to join his rider on their weyr's ledge, dressed in his hide of moderate purple and his straps. They surveyed the bowl and lit sky together for a few moments, all smiles and happiness. Then W'al reminded Kerath and himself of business; he grabbed onto one of his purple's straps and swung up onto the dragon's back. Spreading his wings, Kerath joyfully took to the air. He did so love to fly. He prolonged his time in the sky by dipping and soaring, riding the wind like a rollercoaster and dragging W'al along for the ride. W'al didn't mind, so long as Kerath remembered what they were doing. He did. Skystalkers! East field!
The weyrling-mastering purple got in a few more dips and dives before he finally came into a steep descent and then a loping halt on the field near the candidates' barrack. W'al did not dismount; he patted his dragon's neck and simply waited. While they were farther from their normal meeting place and little advanced notice had been given in any sort of schedule, as W'al tended to just leave gaps when he needed them because he believed in plans made up on the spot to suit the individual, it didn't take long for his half-and-a-bit-grown class to arrive. Fahra certainly wasted no time in popping up with Eriputh. The green came from the rim in a sweeping dive, her rider perched atop the young dragon's back and even above the straps that she wore. Fahra waved cheerfully at W'al, grinning from ear to ear, and W'al waved back. He smiled at all of them.
"Today you're going to get to between for the first time! We've been working on visualization since your dragons were wee little lads and lassies, so I'm hoping that this should go off without a hitch." Hoping was probably not the right word, though it was also probably more realistic. W'al had never lost a student, but he knew others who had. However, while he meant no disrespect to them, he was more confident than that, wasn't he? Yes, he was! "No, not hoping! I know you'll all do great." Kerath tipped back his head and bugled his exuberant agreement to the clear sky high above them. W'al laughed. The lesson in front of them was a serious one, but it seemed important to have them all be relaxed. There was no point in losing the fact that this was a landmark in their lives to a sea of pomp and circumstance. This would be a happy day!
"Kerath is going to give all of your dragons a point of reference. Then they're going to give it to you, you're going to give it back to them, and then they're going to give it back to you. Heck, give it to a friend too. You both need to know it back to front and you both need to be able to show the other." W'al explained. Kerath stepped up after that, his rider reclining languidly on his back as he spoke. He started by broadcasting the image to the young minds that surrounded them. It was a picture of the north side of the bowl, a dominating aerial shot of the main entrance to the hatching caverns from above the rim. No tricky flying when you came out. No easily misplaced features in the image. You will need to focus very hard on the image when you want to between. Your rider should be focusing too, though it isn't that hard. You just have to be high enough.
W'al gave them a few minutes after that to share and get comfortable with the picture, his eyes raking over their straps while he waited. It would be embarrassing if one of them fell off their dragon during between training of all things! Once enough time had passed and he gauged the crowd to be ready, W'al straightened. "Who wants to go first?" There was an immediate response. Eriputh strode forward, Fahra waving avidly on her back. The greenweyrling had fixed her riding straps so that she was actually in them already, so he could not fault her there. He met her eyes, quirking one eyebrow, and she waggled her eyebrows back at him. Yep, she was going first, what was he going to do about it? Nothing, aside for give her a few reminds. He nodded, giving her his permission. "Remember to focus on the image completely."
"I know, I know;" Fahra replied, behaving exactly like the overconfident, nagged teenager she was. Eriputh spread her wings and took off before more words could be exchanged, though she was sure that staying on the ground would have allowed plenty of opportunities for a little chaos. However, Fahra wanted to show off a little so they could then go back and watch the show, so away they went. Eriputh rose and rose, Fahra constantly gauging the distance. Then she signaled her green, fixing the picture of the northern section of the bowl in her mind. Eriputh focused and then promptly disappeared. Three coughs were counted, three moments in time, and the Weyrwoman's sister reappeared. Grinning smugly, for she knew that she and her rock star green could do it, Fahra mock bowed to the other assembled weyrlings as Eriputh turned and flew back.
Just as her straps had been on properly by the time she'd volunteered to go, her straps were off by the time Eriputh touched the ground. She leaped off, tumbled, rolled, and floundered back onto her feet. She knew W'al was watching her, waiting for the next volunteer to possibly step up, but so was Eriputh and it hardly mattered to her. Flushed red from the wind on her cheeks, she raced right up to F'ton, poking him in the side, partially out of eagerness and partially because it would bother him. "Come on, this is your moment! Go next! I'm suuurreee you can do it;" she drawled, mischief in her eyes. The boy and his iron weren't the best fliers; she wanted to see them try to between. She didn't think they would kill themselves or anything, but watching Poseith try to orient himself would be great fun. Eriputh certainly concurred with this as a source of amusement.
Little Riding Hood is such a flirt,
She got Miss Muffet all up her skirt,
Hansel and Gretel never made it home,
They got some cooking to do of their own. |
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Lan
Weyrlingmaster 
lanct[M:-1025]
Nomming ALL the kidpets!
Posts: 1,266 
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Post by Lan on Jun 29, 2011 19:50:45 GMT -5
East field; Poseith relayed the message to F'ton, watching his rider with his usually calm, swirling blue eyes. The weyrling nodded, adding one more cut to his wooden carving before promptly getting ready. Riding straps were arranged and riding gear, not a task to cough at with the iron's very large size. So they weren't the first ones out, but certainly not the last either.
Poseith glided over the lake, having mastered gliding with some help from his classmate Eriputh, although when he backwinged to come in for a landing he was still rather awkward looking. He hit the ground a bit hard, his wings stretched out to its full, giant span as he balanced himself. F'ton didn't mind, though. Poseith was a large dragon, still growing into his full length and not quite proportionate to himself yet. As his growth slowed down and he leveled out, the iron would become more graceful, just as the adolescent dolphins he helped his father train. Poseith seemed highly unaffected as well; a bit bashful, perhaps, but not too bothered. He had worked tirelessly to become even as skilled as he was at flying and there was no reason to be bothered by something one had worked hard to achieve.
As F'ton heard the lesson plan for the day he couldn't help but swallow hard. Between? First time going between? He had been once before and it was not the most pleasant of experiences. But maybe, with his dragon at his side, it wouldn't be quite so bad? He trusted Poseith fully. The iron had shared ever bit of his life for the past turn; every memory and muscle and family letter they had experienced together. Even so, it was still a bit of a daunting experience. It wasn't impossible or even rare for weyrlings to die in between training. If they didn't do this right, there was a chance he and his dragon would never see the light of day again.
Fahra and Eriputh went first and F'ton watched with anxious anticipation. Three coughs, they had been told... Three coughs and then if they didn't come back they were gone. He counted the seconds. Sweat prickled his brow. He could feel his pulse in his ears. Just before a deep fear gripped his stomach, though, they had returned again. Stale air expelled itself from his lungs as he breathed freely again. Poseith looked at his rider and F'ton tried not to blush. His worry may not have been out of the ordinary, but the fact that he was embarrassed of the worry bothered him. He wouldn't have long to think about it, though. As soon as they had landed the greenpair were upon him.
"Come on, this is your moment! Go next! I'm suuurreee you can do it;" F'ton flinched away from Fahra's pokings, a tiny sheepish grin brightening his mostly unemotional countenance. The cogwheels of his brain started turning and Poseith, too, seemed to be considering the idea. They go next? They'd get the nervous wreck-ness over with. Boy and dragon looked to each other and nodded. Yes; this sounded like a good idea. F'ton smiled a bit wider at Fahra and nodded his head, then the ironpair stepped forward together to volunteer themselves as the next to attempt the drill.
-
F'ton checked his straps as he sat atop Poseith's back, biting his tongue in his cheek as the reality of what was happening began to catch up with him. When he was ready he paused, taking deep breaths to calm himself, then he looked to W'al. He nodded, face unmoving as stone, and Poseith relayed the message to Kerath that they were ready. At the signal to go, the iron stretched out his great wings and crouched low. Both rider and dragon drew a breath. Then, suddenly, Poseith launched himself into the air and swept his wings on his first downbeat. It wasn't the most graceful take-off, but as they gained more altitude the bumpiness of the ride leveled out. Poseith hovered in the air, receiving the image from Kerath. He relayed it to F'ton, who relayed it back, and together they each tried to hold the image in their own minds.
Ready?
Ready.
Each drew another breath and then they winked out of vision.
Darkness engulfed them. Nothingness. It drew F'ton's breath from his lungs and the infinite numbness covered his skin like a blanket. Three coughs. Three coughs and that would be all. Even his physical link with Poseith seemed absent. Only the mental connection remained. That mental connection and the image of the Northern Bowl filled both minds and kept them bound to each other. The coldness pierced F'ton's riding gear. And then, suddenly, a light filled in from behind his eyelids and fresh air rushed around him. F'ton opened his eyes.
They had made it; they are at the Northern Rim. Poseith trumpted triumphantly. See, F'ton? We did it.
-
Poseith glided in for a landing back where the rest of the weyrlings were gathered and landed with only a fraction more of grace than the last time. F'ton lowered himself down from the iron's back, a smile plastered on his face. They had done it. Unlike the disaster of their first flying lesson they had gone between without a hitch. He bowed to W'al and then took a place by Fahra's side again, that dumb smile still on his face. |
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Boo
Jr. Weyrwoman
booct[M:-425]
Shirath: THOSE aren't spirit fingers... THESE ARE SPIRIT FINGERS!!!
Posts: 1,917
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Post by Boo on Jun 30, 2011 5:12:07 GMT -5
It seemed that since he had impressed the young blue he had come to find a new fate. He was to be a rider. In all his time as a baker, serving the riders of the Weyr he would never have considered that, one day, a greenrider would search him let alone that he would actually impress. He was truly accustomed to accepting whatever would come. Never had he expected this.
Thith ith ridiculouth. The Weyrlingmathter ith calling uth to the Eatht Field. I thuppothe it ith important then. It ith quite far tho we mutht leave now.
Z’is nodded and climbed into the riding straps on his dragon. His dragon… It was strange to think it. Hephaeth had flown him out around the lake earlier wanting to practice his skills. Unfortunately, Hephaeth wasn’t really all that… balanced was perhaps the kindest word for it. He ambled around awkwardly and even in the air his large wings seemed difficult to manage. Well, Z’is had faith in the blue, that he would accomplish the tasks required of him. Hephaeth waited until his rider was secure and then leapt into the air, wobbling a little as he banked around to the bowl.
It took them a short while to arrive considering how cautiously Hephaeth flew as though concerned he would fall from the sky. It wasn’t even that far to the assigned field but Hephaeth just struggled with flying swiftly. Z’is had confidence that he would grow accustomed to his body eventually.
Hephaeth soared around a little while before finally gliding down to the ground, stumbling and scuffing the ground as he landed. It was bumpy but at least he hadn’t fallen over like he was wont to do on occasion. Z’is remained on the dragon’s back, nodding his greeting to the Weyrlingmaster. He soothed the surly emotions he was feeling from the dragon. The blue seemed rather disheartened by the fact he had landed so poorly especially when he had seen his brother’s landing from the sky. He wrapped his wings about himself and listened to the instructions.
That ith going to be tough Z’ithMine.
We’ll be fine. Came the quiet reassurance from his rider.
Z’is nodded with some nerves and fixed the image in his mind. Both dragon and rider worked to concentrate on the image of the Northern Bowl. Z’is would not fail in this. He looked over anxiously as the green Weyrling volunteered to go first. The pair leapt into the sky and blinked seemingly from existence.
Z’is glanced to his side at some of the other Weyrlings and say anxiety on their faces. The green burst back into sight and Z’is was abruptly aware he had been holding his breath. He exhaled slowly and then watched the iron step forward. He went over everything they had been told in his head. Only three seconds or they would be gone. They had to focus all their attention on the image.
He stared at the sky as the iron flew upwards and disappeared just as his green sister had. This time he expected the iron would return. He wasn’t feeling a sense of foreboding this time but still some concern.
Yes! Another one had done it!
He volunteered himself next, raising his hand without saying a word. He sent the image to Hephaeth who promptly sent it back. The blue then soared into the air, wobbling once again and flew upwards.
Ready?
Of courthe
Z’is couldn’t help smiling as Hephaeth went between
Nothing could have prepared him for what he felt. The darkness seemed to engulf them and Z’is felt fear. It hurt to breathe as he drew in the cold air of between. It seemed there was absolutely nothing binding him to this world. He pushed the fear from his mind.
One.
It almost seemed as though he was falling but he pushed himself ever harder, concentrating on the image of the Northern Bowl. They would succeed. He would never allow anything to happen to Hephaeth.
Two.
He urged Hephaeth forward forcing the blue to feel as much confidence as he could. They could do this. His dragon was intelligent and strong. Just focus. He concentrated his mind on the image and felt Hephaeth do the same.
Three.
The light hit him and Z’is shielded his eyes. He took a few short breaths and then laughed. That was easy! He punched the air with his fist once and then calmed down. They had overshot their target a little but they had survived!
That was… He didn’t even know what to say.
I know.
He felt understanding through their bond as they soared awkwardly back to the other Weyrlings and Hephaeth stumbled his way into a landing.
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