New Horizons (Wavewalker lesson)

[4horseshowgirl4]

Like it or not, F'del was still sick. Like it or not, the Sr. Weyrlings needed to have their lessons. And, like it or not, B'nyur was going to have to teach them how to go between.

He was not exactly enthralled with the prospect. He was a Healer, not a Weyrlingmaster, and it was up to him to guide the Weyrlings through the most dangerous aspect of dragonriding. He knew many of the Weyrlings almost as friends, but as students, he'd really only done one lesson with him, a lesson that required more guidance than actual teaching. The group already knew how to make and put on riding straps, and the dragons were already flying well. All he'd had to do was basically give them permission to get on! But this... this was different. He didn't know which of the Weyrlings were having problems with sending images, or ones that couldn't be trusted to pay attention. It worried him. He would rather that F'del do it! But the Weyrlingmaster was suffering from withdrawal from his fellis addiction; B'nyur simply didn't know how long it took someone to recover from that. He had to do it.

{Oveth, call the Weyrlings, please,} B'nyur said, getting on the Blue's back as they glided out of the infirmary and towards the Weyrling barracks. Hello again, Sr. Weyrlings! It is Oveth again. Altith's is still sick, so Mine will be taking your lesson. You are learning how to go between today! Hurry on out, I know you don't want to miss this one!

[/color] Oveth landed outside of the barracks, and B'nyur slid off, heart pounding nervously. So much could go wrong in this lesson!

As the first Weyrlings began to come out of the barracks, B'nyur said, "Welcome, welcome, everybody. As your dragons have probably told you, we're learning how to go between today, which, as you probably know, is hugely dependent on using and transmitting images. While we wait for everyone to get here, we're going to play a version of 'messenger.' I will give Oveth an image, and he will send that image to one of your dragons. Your dragons will share it with you, and then pass it along to another dragon. When it gets back to Oveth, it should be the exact same image. Then, someone else will start it again. Okay, sound fun?" B'nyur wanted to make this somewhat difficult to test their capabilities; he gave Oveth an image of a place that he knew very well, so if there was any mistake, he'd see it, but that the Weyrlings probably did not: the Healerhall.

Hello, Detritath! Here you go![/color] Oveth said, sending the image to the Iron. B'nyur leaned against Oveth, running through the lesson plan in his head. He hoped it didn't take everyone too long to get there; it was late in the morning, rather later than most Weyrling lessons, but B'nyur didn't want sleepiness to fog anyone's minds. This was too important, and too hazardous.

Avalle of Gold Callistath
K'ber of Iron Detritath
L'ven of Bronze Valleth
Durian of Brown Mesreath
F'let of Purple Doppelith
Animatora of White Zucherroth
Kyrillion of Blue Ripariath
Quinslie of Blue Esketh
G'can of Blue Tecarracath
Sol of Cyan Eccolath
Meta of Cyan Topeth
O'ris of Cyan Rhyolith
Lynx of Green Gneith
Kailea of Green Succoth- lost between
T'zar of Green Brecciaeth
R'ori of Green Vediameth
Pratyba of Pink Oorth
I'nar of Pink Coath- lost between
A'nar of Pink Zyyenikkichikith- lost between
Edwa of Pink Baserath
Felicia of Black Dellauouth
K'mar of Black Nektuth
Chelo of Black Seiseth
[/right][/font]

[Admin]

It's not your fault, it can't be your fault,
That I let you crawl inside my head,
Cause you know my places, and know that face,
But I hate this taste, don't you?

K'ber was drying water out of his hair, which, even though he made sure to keep it cut short, was wild and shaggy. He'd kept his swim with Detritath short for the morning, just a little dip after breakfast, then gone to the barracks after that to change. Detritath sat on his bed, curled up with his nose and tail held tight to his body, so that his rider could move around and black Piteous could continue to sleep in his corner undisturbed. Their room was no longer very comfortable for him, or comfortable at all, in truth. The brown haired weyrling was quick to notice when the iron started to rise, stopping and looking towards him. Lesson; he said, explaining it all in that one word. Grinning faintly, the boy checked to make sure that Detritath still had his riding straps on right, and pulled a shirt over his head. He grabbed his lined flight jacket and slipped on his boots as he headed for the door. His bulky iron wiggled out ahead of him.

The iron lost some interest when B'nyur, who was still doing their lessons since F'del was sick, would be having them do a game. He understood it was important, but he settled down to wait for everyone to assemble. He blinked his outer lids slowly as Oveth sent him the image first. They had been first; they often were. The picture was of some building. K'ber was much more eager, excited and mutely terrified, as he did not get properly terrified unless he wanted to have Detritath give him a very short, pointed lecture about why it wasn't necessary and he was sure everything would go off without a hitch, for the idea of going between. He focused on the image that the iron gave him. They shared it for a minute, considering it in the fraction of a moment it took for them to share something. They saw it together, even as the other saw it. They could explain any question, sharpen any detail, as one. The magic of a rider and dragon's bond was well personified in their silent natures and ways.

Here you go, Esketh; Detritath told the blue politely. He made sure that the image, whole and unbroken, got to him, so that he would be able to see it exactly as it had been given to him. He was good with images. His preference to silence and few words had meant he had cultivated the use of other means, of his scant feelings and the details he remembered. He had a good memory. He forgot few things. K'ber smiled, leaning against his foreleg. They would do this lesson well. His confidence had significantly grown as of late. He was as quiet as ever. He was not a social butterfly, and it was doubtful he would ever bloom into one. But he knew he could be a good dragonrider. He knew that they would go between with ease. Watching the others, losing who had the picture for awhile till they figured out that Callistath had picked it up, they recalled it with perfect clarity.

No of course you don't, of course you don't,
You said life is peachy without me,
No of course you don't, of course you don't,
You said life is peachy without me.

[Nia]

Well, it was no longer comfortable for Callistath and Avalle (especially Callistath) to lounge around in their room anymore, so Avalle was laying against the now very large Gold outside by the Weyrlake. It was becomming their favorite napping spot, since their room was so small that it made Callistath grumpy and the last thing anyone wanted was a grumpy Gold. But they hadn't brought it up, figuring that they'd get their real room when they got it. No need to require special treatment or anything, Avalle didn't want to seem arrogant by moving to her real room before all the others.

I've already said that it is not arrogant for me to require a bigger room. You will not seem like a bad person for wanting me to have space,

[/i] Callistath said, wrapping her tail around herself, though being careful not to crush Avalle with it. Yeah yeah, I know, but... I dunno, I'm sure we'll get new rooms soon. Detriath and Valleth are probably feeling the same way, she said, mentally noting Callistath's reaction to the King's names... or more like the lack of a reaction. She didn't feel much towards them, and Avalle felt nothing beyond friendship towards their riders. She wondered if that would be a problem....

They relaxed by the lake for a while, until Callistath informed Avalle of the lesson. The girl jumped up and climbed on to Callistath, quickly checking to make sure the straps hadn't shifted while the Gold was laying down. They arrived at the lesson and landed a few ways away from everyone else to give Callistath enough place to land. This game didn't sound too hard. Just passing a picture. Callistath liked her words, she liked to phrase them and discover new ones, but she wasn't bad with pictures either. One of the other dragons passed the picture to her and she whirled it around in both their minds for a moment, clearly picturing it in Avalle's as well as her own. It is your turn, Vediameth,[/i] she passed the picture along to the lithe Green.

--------

R'ori was fast asleep in his room once again. But the difference this time was that Vediameth had finally picked up on Her's laziness and was also about to doze off. Mine... don't waste the whole day sleeping....[/i] she sent drozily through to R'ori's mind, but he muttered something incomprehensible and rolled on to his side. I know you're awake,[/i] she added, shaking her wedge-shaped head to try and drive R'ori's sleep from her mind.

She began to doze back off to sleep as R'ori did, but was instantly awake when the call from Oveth came. Time to wake for real, mine. We have lessons,[/i] Vediameth nudged the boy awake with her mind, and he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes and smoothing down his hair, which was currently standing up in many different directions. It took him a long time to get himself and Vediameth ready, but after a while he stumbled towards his Green and managed to climb on top of her without falling off. Lucky for both of them, Vediameth had shaken off all the sleep and was perfectly able in the air. R'ori clung to her, his eyes drooping drozily even in the air.

The pair landed easily, no longer awkward about it. Vediameth had almost reached her full size and was not really awkward with her body anymore. The two of them listened to Oveth and B'nyur respectively, waiting their turn to get the image. Vediameth had not really been expecting Callistath to pass it to her, as they didn't talk much, and her surprise echoed to R'ori, who blinked a few times before dropping back against Vediameth to fall asleep again. Here, Oorth,[/i] Vediameth passed the picture to the Pink.[/blockquote][/size]

[4horseshowgirl4]

Pratyba was not generally one to get up earlier than she had to, and, to her pleasant surprise, she hadn't been forcibly aroused for lessons or chores that morning. Rukbat's beams had already filled her room by the time she had awaken, stretching and thinking about breakfast. Oorth, a moment before flopped down on the floor, fast asleep, like a fat pink rug, was instantly satient, her nose at Pratyba's. Can I come? Pleaseohplease!

[/color] she pleaded, snorting dragon breath on Pratyba's face and causing the girl to wrinkle her nose at the odor. {You don't really fit in the kitchens anymore...} Pratyba started, but she paused when she saw Oorth's gently whirling eyes, silently begging. {Oh, shard it, why not? Might as well give people something to talk about!} she said, rolling out of bed.

Oh, wait, lesson time![/color] Oorth said suddenly right as the pair was squeezing through the doorway, twirling around so suddenly that her long, heavy tail tripped Pratyba, who, predicably, fell flat on her face. Silly PratybaMine! Get up, we're going between today so you need to harness me up![/color] Pratyba scrambled to her feet, throwing on the riding straps. Oorth began to move out of the barracks again, but she paused when she realized Hers wasn't following her. Pratyba was rummaging around in her trunk for something. What are you doing, Mine?[/color] she asked, curious, sticking her muzzle into the trunk. "Aha!" Pratyba said triumphantly, pulling out a rather old-looking, very stale sweetroll. She sniffed it once hesitantly before tearing into it with her teeth. "What? How can I be expected to go safely between when my mind is on my stomach?" Oorth nodded. That made sense.

Oorth bounded outside, Pratyba skipping along behind her. It was too short a distance to bother flying; Oveth and B'nyur were right there. Wait... Oveth and B'nyur? {You didn't tell me they were taking the lesson again!} Pratyba said in surprise to the Pink. You didn't ask![/color] she shot back. Pratyba bowed exuberantly to B'nyur. "I'm sorry to hear about poor F'del, but it's nice to see you again!" she chirped, before the pair took their place by R'ori. Vediameth was friendly, not like intimidating Callistath or wordless Detritath.

A moment later, the image was passed to Oorth. Ooh, Mine, what is this place? Are we going to visit it today? I can't wait to go between! We'll get to explore lots of fun places and have lots of adventures! Where do you think we'll go today? I want to go out onto the plains to chase the renegades away! They cause too much trouble. But they would flee from me! I'm ferocious! Remember how I killed off those herdbeasts, Mine? Ooh, Mine! Let's go...[/color] Pratyba cut her off. {Focus!} she said, stifling a laugh. Oh, right! Here's the image![/color] Oorth said, flashing it to Pratyba. {Looks like a Crafthall!} Pratyba said. {Knowing B'nyur, probably the Healerhall. Now, pass it on!}

Miraculously, the image passed from Oorth's mind to Dellauouth's without being flawed. The Black then passed it to Valleth.

---

Lesson, Mine![/color] Valleth said, from his position near the herdbeast pens. L'ven was far away, in the kitchens, trying to get his chores out of the way so he'd have time to fly with Valleth that afternoon. He dropped the sponge he was using to scrub the tables, smiled apologetically to the drudge in charge, and scurried to the Weyrling barracks, where Valleth met him. Valleth waited outside; he tried to stay out of the cramped building as much as he could nowadays, even sleeping under the stars when the weather was nice enough. {What's the lesson today, Valleth? Flying in wings?} L'ven asked, grabbing his riding straps. No, between![/color] Valleth replied, his tone nonchalant enough, but L'ven could feel his excitement. L'ven smiled, grabbing a thick coat on his way out.

L'ven buckled on the riding straps, already forced to use the middle holes to fit them around Valleth. {By the first egg! It's only been a season since I made these! Give it another and I'll have to make you another set!} L'ven exclaimed, feigning annoyance but truly pleased at his dragon's rapid growth. Big was good. Valleth knelt, and L'ven swung on easily, a contrast to his attempt at getting on last lesson! It was a pathetically short distance to fly, but Valleth was far more graceful in the air than he was on land, and he wanted to make only the best impression. He landed and settled next to Callistath. The Bronze was about to make his typical adoring greeting to the young Gold, but L'ven cut him off.

{Keep your mind on the lesson for once, will you? I don't want to be kept from going between just because your head is wired to your --} Then, suddenly, an image flashed in L'ven's head, of a great building that much resembled his childhood home of the Harperhall, except it wasn't. See, Mine, I can focus.[/color] Valleth said, smirking slightly. L'ven rolled his eyes. {Beautiful. Now pass it along like a good dragon.} Valleth sent it to Ripariath, as pristine as he'd received it. Despite L'ven's taunts, it would not be Valleth who messed it up! He was too good for that! [/right][/font]

[kyrillion]

Kyrillion and Ripariath had woken early, something they had been making a habit of in the past weeks. The two had been up in the air at every opportunity, now that they had been cleared to fly together. All that swimming with Detritath and Gneith been good exercise for the blue, but now that he had the option, he much preferred stretching his wings in the cool morning air. Or evening air, or noontime air. Whenever there weren't chores to be done or lessons to attend. All of the practice was slowly morphing him into a graceful and powerful flier, his stamina steadily increasing so that it was no longer any effort to support his rider in the sky for long periods of time. And it was no chore for Kyril to accompany him, either. She loved flying as much as he did; the addictive adrenaline rush and the sense of absolute freedom and liberation. Every day they ventured further from the Weyr, exploring scenery and seeing the sights, mapping out the landscape and practicing tricks and maneuvers. They were a driven pair; now that they could fly, why not put some effort in and become good at it?

It was luck that put them near the weyr when Oveth's call went out. Low over the ocean, trying to see how close he could come to the waves and still stay aloft, the summons interrupted Rip's intent concentration, and he backwinged quickly, gaining altitude so as not to spill himself or his rider into the seas. He relayed the message to Kyril immediately. And so, hair damp from ocean spray, she waved to Chelo and Seiseth, who were flying nearby.

We shall see you and Yours back at the Weyr![/color] Ripariath called cheerfully, before turning neatly in the air and heading in that direction. By the time he winged his way down into the bowl, most of the class had already gathered, and he quickly touched down next to Valleth. Dismounting, Kyril nodded a silent greeting first to B'nyur, then to her fellow weyrlings.

They listened intently as the stand-in Weyrlingmaster explained the purpose of the game; though they were excited to learn to go between, neither wanted to risk getting lost there. It was a sobering topic, and they would not permit themselves to be distracted. They watched quietly as the image was passed down the line, waiting patiently for their turn, and it wasn’t long before Valleth was transmitting it to them.

Those who came before them had done a good job of preserving the picture. Kyril, metalsmith that she was, had always been big on attention to detail and noticing the little things. Guiding Ripariath, she made sure they had every aspect of the building firmly in their mind's eye and were leaving out nothing, before they passed it on to the next in line.
Here you are, Seiseth.[/size]

[Birdy]

Seiseth looked down at the ocean, he would have preferred flying over land but it was safer for His wasn’t it? If by some odd turn of events she were to fall she would land in water. Yeah but from this height it wouldn’t be much better then land, Chelo replied absently. They were soaring high over the ocean, much unlike Kyril and her Blue who seemed to be testing their luck with the waves. The black turned downward heading towards the other pair. Chelo found herself much more comfortable riding the black now. After flying with him almost every day she had learned not to freak out when Seiseth changed directions suddenly and the black had become more accustomed to the extra weight.
There’s a lesson Mine, the black’s voice broke the silence as he leveled off a few dragonlengths away from Ripariath. Chelo grinned, What are we learning today? she asked as the black turned towards the weyr, a nod in the blue’s direction. between he replied they were nearly there now. The black landed carefully in the bowl taking a spot next to Ripariath.
Are you nervous? Chelo asked as she watched the picture go around the group. We have to focus, the dragon said. Chelo focused on the picture that had appeared in her Mind. Once they pair was sure they had everything detail the black turned to the next in line.
Here, Succoth

[Kila]

Late in the morning, Sol felt an eerie chill thrill her spine. It was a natural reaction now to look to Eccolath, from whom she often felt most interesting and queer emotions and sensations. Indeed, the now not so little Cyan had her head raised and cocked slightly to the side in the familiar way that Sol knew she did when she was listening to other dragons bespeak her. The young rider watched her curiously, wondering what news would elicit such a reaction.

SolMine, today we go between Eccolath eventually relayed, pulling herself slowly away from her imaginary conversation partner in front of her. Her eyes and thoughts, as always, swirled with daydreams, but Sol now sensed and saw in them a sort of thrilling fear and challenge. They were going to do something dangerous today. Like each new thing they learned, Eccolath already had a trove of ideas about what it would be like- all adventurous and romantic.

What are we waiting for, then?

As usual, Sol and Eccolath were not the first, nor the last. They arrived in plenty of time to hear B'nyur, who was again standing in for F'del, speak. He did not lace his words with threats of impending doom if they botched their task, but Sol did not need him to to be aware of the gravity of the situation.

The image that was relayed to them was one that most of the Weyr knew well and one that was not surprising for Oveth to have picked. Be ready, Mine; Eccolath cautioned when it was close to her time to have the specific image relayed. Both rider and dragon concentrated, opening their minds and waiting. The picture first touched Eccolath's mind and then was relayed with sparkling clarity to Sol. The young woman could see the hall as clear as day, even though they were facing away from it. Wow, Ecco, it's so clear, she marvelled. Of course- I have pictures in my head all day.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Oveth received the image back from Eccolath and flashed it back to B'nyur, who carefully verified that it was as perfect as it had been when he'd given it to Detritath. It was, fortunately, which eased the nervous knot in B'nyur's chest slightly. He gave Oveth a new image to pass around as they waited for the last of the Wavewalkers to arrive. When the last of the stragglers had ambled in, B'nyur stepped forward slightly to get their attention.

"Hello, everyone!" he began. "It seems that you all are doing fine on image transmitting. Between is hugely dependent on your ability to use images and hold them in your head, even when faced with the cold and airlessness of between. All of you have been between, correct?" He figured that all of them had, since, obviously, they must have been brought to the Western Continent adragonback, but he had to make sure. "So, you all know what it's like. To those of you that brought coats," he continued, nodding to K'ber and L'ven, "you'll be glad you did, and to those who didn't, go and grab them!" He smiled when, predictably, Pratyba was the first to break ranks and dash back to the Weyrling barracks.

He waited a moment for everyone to come back. I probably should have told them to bring their coats the first time,

[/color] Oveth said, pointing out the obvious. {And I should have told you to tell them. I guess it's pretty obvious that we don't do this too often,} B'nyur replied, rubbing the Blue's shoulder. Finally, the last of the Weyrlings came back, coats in hand.

"Now, everyone get on your dragons, and fly to the place in the Weyrbowl that you know best or a small feature in it that sticks in your mind particularly well. Remember that you must be in the air in this place. For example, Oveth and I would choose our garden on the rim of the Weyrbowl-- we could recall the image of that place easily. Space yourselves out now, and spend a few minutes memorizing everything about where you are, details and all. This will be the place to which you will between, so make sure you know it perfectly. I think you all know what happens when you screw up between." He gave them a warning look, then waved his hand to tell them to get to it. He, too, mounted Oveth and flew among the Weyrlings, guiding them and answering questions.

After several minutes, they were scattered all over the Weyrbowl, so B'nyur had Oveth give them their next instructions. Okay, follow us! We're going to fly a little ways away from the Weyrbowl and between back![/color] With that, he swooped around and followed the slowly lowering walls of the Weyrbowl until they were out on open land. B'nyur urged Oveth faster; even the bigger dragons should be able to keep up to a swifter pace by now. They would soon have to whenever F'del was feeling better and they started to learn how to fly in a wing.

Oveth landed when Dalibor was just a small feature in this distance. "Alright, now, going between is pretty simple, and it will become easy very fast, but it is absolutely essential that you do it correctly. Now, get the image you just memorized back in your head. When it is your turn, have Yours send the image to Oveth, who will send it to me to verify that it is correct. You all were perfect while playing messenger, so I don't think there will be any problems there. Then, take off and get several dragonlengths into the air, and with you and your dragon both holding your image in your head, go to the Weyrbowl. Don't fly, just go. It comes instinctually to dragons, so all you will do is sit there, holding on to that image in your head like it's your mother, and don't panic. When you're at the Weyrbowl, make your way back to the ground. If you're comfortable, ask Oveth for an image of where we are, he'll give you one, and between back to us. If not, we'll all fly back to the Weyrbowl to meet up with you afterwards, and I'll help you with getting your confidence up in between in an additional lesson tomorrow. Okay, who wants to go first?"

Ooc: In your post, just say that Oveth verified the image, and go for it. [/right][/font]

[Nia]

Avalle cursed silently at the mention of coats, angry that she hadn't thought to grab one too. The Kingriders had! She blushed in slight embarrassment and ran towards the Barracks along with the other Weyrlings who hadn't brought a coat. Well, at least it wasn't just her. But shard it, she was a Queenrider, right?! Shouldn't she know these things?! But it didn't matter much, as no one was paying attention anyway, and she returned to Callistath with her coat clutched in her arms. I cannot reprimand you because I neglected to remember as well,

[/i] Callistath said as Avalle waited for the dragon to scold her. That one comment cheered up the brunette, as it seemed the Gold wasn't as perfect as she seemed. Good, perfection was boring.

She mounted Callistath with ease, no longer afraid to fly as she had been only a week or two ago. The Gold was big, sure, but she would never drop Avalle and it insulted the Gold to even think that. They flew to the Weyrbowl (Avalle with her eyes open, of course) and decided to memorize the place they had just come from, the area of the lake that they had been dozing off in moments before. You got it? Avalle asked after a little while, and was faintly surprised when Callistath sent her a perfect image of exactly what she was looking at. It was kind of strange, so the girl laughed. Of course I have. And you have as well,[/i] Callistath said with faint amusement in her tone as she began to follow Oveth away from their little spot.

Both of them listened as B'nyur explained, both with the image of their area near the lake firmly in their minds. Avalle felt her heart's pace begin to quicken, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She and Callistath went to that area a lot, so it was easy to remember. And Avalle had faith in Callistath, and the Gold had faith in her! They could do this. There seemed to be a bit of a pause after B'nyur spoke, no one seemed to want to go first. Okay, fine! She could go first, no problem! Callistath sent the image to Oveth, who quickly verified it.

Are you ready?[/i] Callistath asked Hers. Of course I am! Even her mind voice was kind of shakey, but Avalle held tightly on to Callistath and kept the image firmly in her mind. She felt her chest tighten as her dragon jumped up, but kept the image in her mind and squinted her eyes shut again. She hesitantly opened them and was able to see the blackness of between for a small moment before they reappeared in the air, over their favorite spot around the lake. Avalle couldn't help the grin that spread across her face at their success. "We did it!" she exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air, and her nerves eased away. Indeed,[/i] Callistath agreed, hovering above their spot for a few moments and watching as some of the other dragons appeared off in the distance.

We should try going back to Oveth, Avalle hesitantly suggested, not quite full of confidence yet, but more practice would be good for them. Callistath silently agreed and asked Oveth for the picture of where he was. When the picture arrived, Avalle pictured it in her own mind for a few minutes before saying, Okay, let's go. Callistath jumped up into the air again, and then reappeared in the air near Oveth. "That was great!" she praided the Gold, patting her neck affectionately. Between and all the awful stories about it still kind of scared the girl, but it did come very naturally to Callistath, so she wasn't nearly as nervous as she had been.[/size][/blockquote]

[Admin]

Click clack, shimmer 'n shine,
Everybody's in a line now,
Dressed up to the nines now, baby.

Detritath passed on the second image Oveth gave him like he was tossing a hot potato, briefly cluing his rider in before he sent it off. He could do it well. He could do it better - faster, clearer, stronger! K'ber gave him a little smile. He patted the leg he leaned against, just a small motion only using the fingers so that his finely, smoothly callused palm never moved. They waited patiently, stolid as ever, when a good collection of the others ran off to fetch their coats when B'nyur addressed them and mentioned they'd be needed. He refrained from tugging at the one he'd brought, or looking over at L'ven, who had also thought to bring one. No jealousy. No anger. No resentment. Their silence was their beauty.

Fingers curled around straps. Feet gentle against a proffered leg covered in soft hide. K'ber had the hang of climbing aboard his bulky beast, though he was still ever growing which meant it was a new challenge every day. They were flying. Detritath launched upward, motions deft from his expanding experience as he pulled air underneath his wings. They needed a reference point, B'nyur had said. It only took a moment for them to decide. The iron swooped out over the lake. At its end, a waterfall made an odd pool, feeding the great body of water, feeding the Weyr. They stared at it. One pair of brown eyes and one pair of swirling blue surveyed the sight. Rocky features and crystalline shores were memorized, by both of them, and combined and confirmed through them. When Oveth called, Detritath turned, and they left it behind.

Neither looked back as they soared off. The ocean that drew closer and closer the farther they went from the high bowl of the Weyr was of more interest to K'ber, and Detritath stretched out long, bent on keeping perfect stride to Oveth. The iron swooped down after the blue, and landed. He was still hardly light at it, but he looked more comfortable; his rider stayed on easily, though he was a bit jarred by the motion. Callistath and Avalle volunteered after a moment of silence that followed B'nyur's explanation to them. He watched them take off, and disappear. He looked down again, and fidgeted with his jacket, buttoning it. His stomach twisted, not nervously but rather prickly, as the minutes stretched on over them.

Then, the gold and her rider were back! He smiled. Detritath watched Callistath, eyes reflecting a flicker of gold at her sudden return. The iron took off. He didn't ask K'ber. The boy didn't mind. He drew out the image, and passed it to the iron, who already knew it. He passed it to Oveth, who verified it. Then he rose, higher and higher, till nothing stood around him. A moment hung. K'ber could hear his breathing. In. Out. In. Out. It never faltered. No fear. No regret. No desperation. No foreboding. There was just his breathing, and the still picture of a cascade of water in his mind. It looked muted, just fixed there with no sparkling mist or rippling fall of movement. It was just one moment. It was separate from what his eyes saw, but it was all that he saw. In. Out. In. Out. Life was just water and breath, and Detritath. He was always there.

Even when everything vanished, he was there. K'ber knew he was there even as a numbness pervaded his body. The world went dark, because there was no more world. He was in the void that was between. It wasn't anything; it was nothing. His breath wouldn't go; he could feel it stuck inside his body as cold clipped at him. With it quieted for those moments, he felt his heart from where it had hidden behind it. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. It was just three slow heartbeats, and the world reappeared. Detritath glided forward, and mist fell onto them as the waterfall loomed.

The iron swung back around, giving his rider, who was hugging his neck, a glance. The brunette straightened up, and grinned at the still young dragon. Oveth gave Detritath a picture a moment later. He showed his rider. He concentrated on it, and memorized it. Then he gave it back to the iron, so they both saw it the same. In. Out. In. Out. He would hear his breath, even when he couldn't in the black void, on the other side. They blinked out again. It only felt like an instance that time. The unknown was known. They appeared back above the others, hide flashing silver as light suddenly hit it.

And, if you're not, it doesn't matter,
Baby, take what you got and,
Just go dancing, you'll feel better.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Oveth passed around a second image, which Oorth managed to pass around with only a moment's distraction of how wonderful it was going to be when they could go and have grand adventures in all these places! Pratyba couldn't help but laugh at Hers. {It's going to be a small miracle if we live through this!} Pratyba said light-heartedly. While they probably won the award for Pair Most Likely To Get Lost Between, neither girl nor dragon was honestly worried about the upcoming task. Now, whether this was due to their confidence in their skill or their complete inability to take anything seriously was undecided.

When B'nyur told them to go fetch their coats, Pratyba was scampering off almost before the words had finished coming out of his mouth. Coat... coat... hmm, it was still too early in autumn to warrant bringing the thing out yet, so where had she put the sharding thing after last winter...? She dived into her trunk, most of her torso out of view as she furiously dug through her trunk, throwing clothes and other belongings all over their room. To her dismay, the coat was not there, so she checked under her bed, under Sol's bed, behind the door, under the mattress. Finally, she found it in Sol's trunk. How it got there, she had no idea. Well, that didn't matter, she had the thing now.

She sprinted back outside, puffing by the time she reached Oorth's side again. She leaped up on Oorth, so used to scrambling on the Pink's back without straps that she didn't have to use them to get on the small dragon's back (though she would never tell B'nyur that!). She paid just enough attention to B'nyur's words to get a general idea of what they were supposed to do. In a moment, Oorth leaped into the air, twisting and rolling as she ascended, playing in the currents. They took a few more moments than they should have getting to their places than they should have; they were just having too much fun flying together to get their minds on the task assigned to them.

Finally, after they had flown off some of their excess energy, they hovered above the stone by the lake where Oorth had nearly pushed Teslana in the water and Pratyba had fallen in preventing that. She grinned at the fond memory. She spent a few seconds memorizing the image, prodding Oorth and making her do the same. It wasn't hard, though; Pratyba really didn't understand why they were spending so much time doing this. Once you had it, you had it! Still, she was beginning to feel a slight flutter of nervousness in her stomach. Mine! Oorth said in mock horror that hers would be afraid of anything, sensing her fear immediately. Pratyba laughed, slapping Oorth's shoulder, the tinge of anxiety gone in an instant.

Finally, finally, it was time to go. Oorth shot off like a bullet at Oveth's summons without bothering to warn Pratyba, and as the girl hadn't bothered to, you know, actually use the lap belt and other straps they were supposed to, she nearly tumbled head over teakettle off of Oorth's rear. Thankfully, her legs caught on the Pink's wing joints and she was able to scoot back into position, whooping in joy. Oorth was lithe and quick, and she easily reached the front of the line and threatened to even pass Oveth before Pratyba managed to convince her to move at a more comfortable pace for everyone. Oorth resisted her like a high-spirited runner unwilling to back off of a gallop, but eventually slowed her speed.

After a few minutes, they landed in a rough circle around Oveth. Oorth tucked her wings to her side and dropped like a stone for the last few feet, a mischievous glint in her eyes. As the Pink had planned, Pratyba was severely jolted, rolling off of her dragon and landing face first in the dirt with a protesting 'Mmph!' Oorth rumbled in amusement as Pratyba jumped to her feet and scrambled back on as fast as she could, trying to muffle her own laughter. {I'll get you for that, just wait, I'm going to...} she swore silently to Oorth. However, before she could finish the thought, B'nyur was telling them how to go between. Pratyba actually bothered to listen; this was fairly important information, after all.

When Callistath and then Detritath went between to the Weyrbowl and back safely, Pratyba had already grown impatient. Sure, logically L'ven should go next, but she did not want to wait another candlemark for the rest of her class to go! She stepped forward, ordering Oorth to send Oveth the image. He verified it, telling her that B'nyur wished her luck. Pratyba grinned and saluted B'nyur and the rest of their class before Oorth leapt up in the air. Immediately, they went between, arriving a few seconds later in the Weyrbowl. Instantly, they demanded an image from Oveth. Just as easily, they went back. Upon their rearrival, Pratyba threw her arms in the air, shouting joyfully, "It's a miracle! We made it out alive!"

[/font]

[Admin]

I'll be back, don't try and follow me,
I'll return as soon as possible,
See I'm tryin' to find my place,
It might not be here where I feel safe,
We all learn to make mistakes.

That was really cool, Oorth! I can definitely do that too. Don't worry a bit, A'nar. I wonder what it's like. You've never shared the one time or whatever you've done this! I bet this time will be better. You can tell me all about it later though! Let's go. As the other pink safely landed, Zyyenikkichikith chattered away, as unstoppable as ever, to her and took off. On her back, A'nar looked exasperated, but he was trying to focus. It was all the effort he could find to convince her to remember to send their reference to Oveth, and to make it clear to him that the blue had verified it. The hot pink finally finished her endless stream of thoughts, and then they were gone between. She picked up talking again, to Oveth for the picture, as soon as they broke into light again, not even stopping to note they were where they should have been.

Again, A'nar got her to concentrate. She focused her attention on the image she'd been given, and they were back above the other weyrlings. She was slow to descend, spiraling down at an agonizing rate. She was busy talking and talking to A'nar, and anyone she might have caught looking at her as they obviously needed to be included. She never really got to the ground. Landing would require her having to concentrate more, and not talk, due to her not being the most elegant of dragons. So, she just made it seem as if she was going down, and dropped about an inch for every circle she made. A'nar didn't force her to go faster; he didn't look at all grumpy at her, in fact. The chilly trips between had left him feeling mighty . He was so proud of being a rider right then, even if it was to his annoyance of a lovely, amazing beast.

With both of the other rosy colored girls of the clutch having successfully gone and returned, Coath leaped eagerly into the air at Zyyenikkichikith's return. I'nar wasn't quite so enthusiastic, but few could be as enthusiastic as the softly colored young dragon. Her eyes swirled quick with brilliant shades of green and yellow as she looked to Oveth. She sent him, along with all the fondness she had for it, an image of one of the hatching cavern's entrances. She was so pleased when he said that it was good. Breathing deep, she spread her wings wide, and she disappeared. She let out a triumphant call, a little, cute bugle, as she appeared in the skies of the Weyr. The sun never felt so good! The world was so brilliant in color! She was never more alive, all happiness. She had no words for it! She drew in deep again. She loved air, like Detritath's did.

Succoth rose immediately after Coath had gone. Kailea smiled nervously on her back, sheepish of the forwardness of her lifemate. The brilliant green had no patience. There had been enough time for the pink to get there safely. She could go! Things were going too slowly! She was sharp with Oveth as she sent him the image of the location, a spot on the rim of the bowl, that they had picked. She was even snippy, without actually speaking more, when he verified it. She wasted not a moment. Well, she did wait one. Her rider was nervous. She assured her, blunt but truthful, which the girl could appreciate from at least the green. Then, she blinked between, and urged the darkness to last less time - not three coughs, two, two! It didn't work, but she was still satisfied when she came out of the void where she wished. She and Kailea were safe and sound.

That was when darkness overwhelmed the world. Coath had waited after she'd gotten the image from Oveth. Succoth demanded it quicker, and didn't wait a moment. They both jumped between only a breath apart. They collided as they came out, two of their wings entangling. They almost broke free, but Zyennikkichikith was still hanging about in the air. They both were too close to the pink. They were one entangled mass in the air, scrambling at each other and digging at flesh. Coath was screaming, and reached desperately for anything. The first thing she thought of was between. She floundered into it, and dragged Succoth along with her. For a moment, the third dragonet was still there, but she was falling, confused and desperate. She followed her sisters. A moment hung. None of them appeared.

An iron had watched as his three sisters had died. He keened. He mourned them, though he didn't feel enough to miss them. It wasn't practical to do so, since he hadn't know them well. His rider, young and shaggy haired, leaned against him, disbelieving and horrified by the sight he'd witnessed. He still sat perched atop his dragon, after he'd just taken his first trip between. He could feel the death thrum in his body. It shook him deeply, to the core.

A copper, aware of every dragon of her Weyr, knew the instant the last of that trio wouldn't return. None of them would ever appeared again. She thundered to her feet, standing on her ledge, where she had been basking in the fall sun. A keen rocked her body. She mourned the loss of three of her children. Her rider ran, jaw tight to disguise her sudden wave of frantic desperation, and leaned over the crib of her own child, checking to see him there safe and asleep.

A purple felt the pain of losing three so young, and keened. His rider had been sitting nearby, perched on a chair, and he looked skyward. His chest clenched. He gritted his teeth. The loss of the dragonets drew out haunting memories and thoughts in them, memories from their own time as weyrlings and considerations to the seven that were in their care. Faranth, three, all at once? He shook his head, standing. Neither of them had a place to go though.

A yellow felt that pain of all these others, and joined in the keen. Her rider stirred groggily in his sleep, some lower cavern girl wrapped up in his arms, but he did not wake. The smirk he'd been wearing, even in his sleep, simply turned to a frown. He knew something was wrong, but the dragon didn't wake him. He didn't need to know when the pain was most intense. It was not her pain, and it was not his. She just shared it, trying to give comfort.

I'm just one of those ghosts,
Traveling endlessly,
Don't need no roads,
In fact they follow me,
And we just go in circles.

[4horseshowgirl4]

Callistath was the first to try between. If anything, B'nyur was more nervous than Avalle could be. If she could just prove that his teaching could get at least one Weyrling through between alive... that would help. As Callistath rose in the air and sent her image to Oveth to be verified, the knot in B'nyur's chest tightened and his heart began to race. He was afraid for all of them. He was a practical man; if they got scorched practicing flaming or one of the Weyrlings fell off of their dragon in the air, well, at least he could fix that. But if someone got lost between, there was no way to fix that. Come on, Avalle! he thought, eyes watching her intensely. And then... they were gone. For several fearful seconds, it would not be known whether the Queenpair had made it or not. Oh, he was an idiot. Why had he let them go first? What if he lost them?! Yes, if any of them died it would be a tragedy... but there was no denying their importance to the Weyr. B'nyur was kicking himself. What had he done?!

Mine! It's fine! Callistath's asking to come back now!

[/color] Oveth said quickly, reaching out for B'nyur's mind, touching it soothingly. B'nyur refused to relax until he saw the Goldpair safely appear back above them, apparently none worse for the wear. Then, the knot in his chest loosened slightly, but he was far from mellow. Callistath was an intelligent, dignified dragon and Avalle could be trusted to focus, but there were a few in the group who he would rather never be trusted to go between on their own, and in a class of twenty-three, what were the odds that everyone could perform as well as the Goldpair?

Don't be negative, you're making me worry, too![/color] Oveth said unhappily, before verifying Detritath's image and sending the Ironpair on their way. B'nyur was not too worried about them; they, too, could be trusted to handle themselves, and so he was not surprised when they asked Oveth for the image back and arrived without a scratch. But then, Pratyba and Oorth stepped forward, and the knot tightened once again. Now, this pair... he would really prefer that Pratyba learned to between by giving Oveth images, so if she screwed up, his experience would save her, until he was confident in her abilities. Again, he regretted not thinking this through more, but he hadn't been given much warning that he had to teach again... and, anyway, it would be too embarrassing for the Pinkpair at this point to be pulled aside for private lessons before they were allowed between after Avalle and K'ber had already managed it successfully. But still, embarrassed was better than dead...

Give them a chance, Mine![/color] Oveth said brightly, verifying their image and wishing them luck. {Forgive me for worrying about their lives!} he returned irritably, but, in that time, they had gone to the Weyrbowl and back successfully. He couldn't help but laugh at Pratyba's comment, as it was uncannily along the same lines as what he had been thinking. Now that the worst was over (or so he thought), he began to relax again, letting Oveth do his job verifying images without saying anything. He began to smile a little bit. Maybe he would get them through this successfully. If Pratyba and Oorth, the class clowns, survived, why shouldn't the rest of them?

So maybe it was his fault for not calling Zyyenikkichikith out of the air when she returned from between, or noticing that Oveth had given Succoth and Coath their return images at nearly the same time. Maybe it was Oveth's fault for giving all the returning pairs the exact same coordinates and forgetting to space them out. Maybe it was both of their faults for getting complacent and not paying the strictest attention to the Weyrlings, for not being in the air and ready to pull the three young dragonesses apart when they got entangled. But wherever the fault lay, the fact was inescapable: before anyone could realize it, six lives were gone forever.

"NO!"[/i] B'nyur shouted, running to the spot beneath where they had disappeared, dragging each other to their deaths, as if he could still reach them in time to save them. "No, no, no!" he cried, tears beginning to stream down his face, as if the denial of the fact would make it go away. They were gone... gone forever. He screamed after them again, but they were beyond hearing him. Despite all, his worst nightmare had come true. He had lost them. It was his fault. He turned to the Weyrlings, choking out the words, "Fly back to the Weyr. For those who did not go, g-get someone to t-teach you later. Y-you have n-new weyrs of your own... it is p-posted in the b-barracks. M-move out s-soon." As if getting those instructions out had taken the very last of his spirit, he fell against Oveth, tears streaming down the Blue's leg. He had failed them. The Blue sent up a keen, high and sweet as his voice always was, but pained... representing not only his own terrible grief at six lives wiped out, but His's, too. He keened again before turning his head down to blow air gently in B'nyur's ear, trying to comfort him despite it all.

---

Oorth did not have a chance to thank Zyyenkkichikith and bask in her achievement before it was time for the other Pinkpair to take their turn. As they left, Coath and Succoth following shortly, Oorth landed lightly and they walked back to the group, Pratyba still sitting astride her dragon. They turned to face B'nyur again, just in time to catch that awful sight. They were tangled, all of them... and then they were gone. A terrible sound wracked Oorth's body, something she had not heard since she had left Southern. A death keen. Pratyba screamed in disbelief, shock, and then, grief. She had not known any of the other Weyrlings well, but death was death. She buried her face in her hands and Oorth hung her head. There was nothing to be said. They could draw scarce comfort from each other's presence, but no words could possibly ease the pain. Terrible. Just terrible.

---

The Bronzepair had stepped forward to take their turn after Succoth and Hers, one waiting impatiently for their return, another quite happy to have a few more moments before going between. Above their heads, a sudden flash of movement and color caught their attention, and they saw the two Pinks and the Green get tangled in each other. Valleth leapt into the air to help sort out the mess before cooler-headed L'ven could protest, but before the ponderous Bronze could get his massive bulk in motion, Coath dragged them all between. Valleth landed with a heavy thud, not bothering to be dainty about it and L'ven not bothering to care, their eyes glued on the spot where they had disappeared. It was Valleth who realized it before L'ven, and he let out a wretched keen. L'ven remained silent, shocked but reluctant to show it, discreetly wiping away the tears that spitefully rolled down his cheeks.[/right][/font]

[kyrillion]

Ripariath and Kyrillion waited quietly for their turn, patient in this as in everything else. However, Kyril could easily sense her blue's concern; though he was confident in his ability to between without incident, he had always been protective of his rider. He could hardly bear the thought that soon he would be the one putting her in harms way, even if it was a risk all weyrlings took in the course of their training. For a moment he considered asking her to stay behind - let him attempt it by himself, first. Surely she could direct him as easily from the ground as she could in the air...?

Nonsense. Kyril placed a steadying, comforting hand on the blue's neck, both amused and exasperated by the thoughts she was picking up from him. She took a moment to summon up all of the confidence, the unequivocal trust she placed in her dragon, and let those feelings wash over him. She had unconditional faith in his abilities. As long as she was with him, he could not possibly get lost between - for, as he had already affirmed, he could never endanger her. And, while this did not fully quiet Ripariath's fears, it transformed his reluctance into steely determination. He was Kyrillion's protector, and he would do her proud when it came time for them to fly!

Eyes whirling contentedly, the blue focused again on the lesson, watching as Callistath took to the skies, followed closely by Detritath. For the first time Kyril felt a little pang of worry - these were her classmates, after all, and her friends. She refused to worry for herself (more for Rip's sake than her own), but she couldn't help but fear for the safety of her fellow weyrlings. Particularly her friends, Lynx and K'ber. This time, it was Ripariath who offered up some comfort, watching as first the gold and then the iron blinked between.

They will be fine, Mine. Wait and see.[/color] And, sure enough, they were soon back with the group, obviously unharmed. Kyril breathed a sigh of relief, and watched as Oorth took her turn, followed by Zyyenikkichikith, Coath, and Succoth. Everything appeared to be going well; the two pinks arrived back safely,and where wheeling back down to the others - that's when something went terribly wrong. The bluepair watched, shocked, as the three sets of weyrlings collided mid-air. Kyril couldn't help the cry of alarm that escaped her, and she wasted no time vaulting to Ripariath's back. He was in the air in an instant, eyes whirling a distressed orange, intent on helping his sisters even as they dropped like stones out of the sky. And then they were gone, and a terrible silence was left in their wake.

The silence lasted only a moment; even as he wheeled around, soaring higher and scouring the air where his clutchmates had been only moments ago, a terribe keening rose to join the dragon's collective lament, shaking him and his rider to the core. The terrible sound sent a shudder through Kyrillion as surely as the awful sight she'd just been witness to, and she clung to Rip's neck, hugging him fiercely. She was unable to stop the maelstrom of emotions that rose in her, but for once it hardly occurred to her to try. Sadness, shock, horror... Six lives lost, just like that.

They stayed airborne, allowing the familiar sensation of flight to soothe them, and watching balefully as B'nyur and Oveth fled. It wasn't their fault; but if Kyril had been in their position, she was sure the sense of responsibility would have been terrible. Silently, she railed at the injustice of it all. She knew full well that life wasn't fair, but this... there was no rhyme or reason to this. Just tragedy.

[kia]

Rhyolith and Gneith showed up with their Mines for the lessons. They played the game of passing the image around with the rest of the peers. Gneith enjoyed it, because she did not want to give up the image easily. But, after some gently persuasion from Lynx, Gneith passed it onto another of her fellow dragons. Rhyolith did not waste time receiving the image, keeping it, and then passing it onto the next dragon. She was not one for jokes and humor. She was the serious sort unlike her two siblings who seem to have their heads in the clouds. Then, the call was for them to climb on their dragon`s backs and take their first trip between. O`ris felt rather nervous at first, holding onto Rhyolith tightly. Lynx tried to take it with stride as she took her place. Eventually, they were given their instructions to go between. Both Riders made the jump for it and then came back successfully. O`ris felt proud of himself. Rhyolith and him had done it. They were on their way to becoming a real DragonRider and Dragon pair. So this is what it felt like every time Lira came from between. It was odd and interesting. As for Lynx, it gave her a thrill and adrenaline from excitement. She wanted to try again, but thought it best to wait for further instructions. After all, she did not want anything to happen to her like those poor Weyrlings that made their mistake going between the first time.

(( Sorry. Short because I have not been keeping up due to busy-ness. Please excuse this as I was trying my best. Will do better in the future, I hope. ))

[Kila]

Sol was the second to break ranks to go and fetch a coat, beaten only, of course, by her very own roommate. As Pratyba tore about their barrack Sol did the same, the two moving like destructive mirror images- flipping mattresses and and throwing clothes thither and nigh. Don't take too long, Mine; Eccolath yawned from outside, her attention already drifting. Be right back, Ecco! Sol replied, at last pulling her own jacket with a triumphant flourish out from the crack between Pratyba's bed and the wall. How do all out things get so entangled? she wondered as she tore back outside.

B'nyur, the angel that he was, had waited for Sol and Pratyba to begin talking again. He always did. Sol beamed at him as she regained her breath. Eccolath sidled over and lay her head against Sol's thigh so the girl could feel her bonded's quiet hum of excitement. It was finally time for them to go between.

Where do you want to go, Ecco?" Sol asked, eager but terrified to make any mistake. Between was a horrible place. I like all the places in the Weyrbowl. I can picture them all, Eccolath said proudly. But how about the lake? Sol mounted up eagerly and in no time at all the happy pair was soaring through the air above the lake. The presence of sunshine comforted them both. Eccolath could at least create fantastical nightmares about the cold and pitch black, but Sol just didn't care for it. We did it, love! Great job! Sol cheered, bending forward and wrapping her arms around Eccolath's neck.

Oveth says we're to follow him now so we can between back here, Eccolath rumbled, reveling in Sol and her own perfect happiness and ready to do more. Learning was such a great joy- how could anyone not like classes? So let's go, Sol urged her on with a laugh, and they followed the friendly Blue out into open land. Oveth was going faster than usual, so Eccolath had to soar forward rather than meander, but it did not phase her.

The pair landed and hung eagerly on B'nuyr's word. Sol fidgeted on Eccolath's back as they waited for their turn. When Pratyba and Oorth successfully made it there and back Sol cheered uproariously, Eccolath even adding in a happy roar. Sol was incredibly relieved that her friend had made it back alive.

But the bliss of the day was quickly shattered- in little more than three breaths. One of the Weyrlings was impatient and jumped between two quickly. Sol could only assume that they had collided in the void, for when they reappeared in the 'bowl they were tangled up in one another. The sweet, talkative little Pink that was one of Eccolath's clutchsisters was right in their path and was soon caught up in the skein. The three dragonetts screeched as they fell and clawed the air. Sol watched on in horror. He face had drained of color the moment she saw their predicament, and atop of Eccolath she had lost the ability to speak or move. Her heart twisted and her throat ached in fear, and as suddenly as they had appeared-

they were gone.

Eccolath let out a pained, child-like keen beneath her, and Sol crumpled forward, wrapping her arms around the Cyan's neck again and clinging for her life. To hold both herself and Eccolath together so they would not literally fall apart. Sol was empathetic and cared for everyone around her, as was her bonded, so their grief combined was almost overwhelming.

Eccolath crouched down and continued to keen her broken heart. How could this happen to her brother and sisters? Why hadn't they been more careful when between was so scary and full of monsters and troubles? They would never be able to soar by her side or fight in the name of their beloved Weyr now. Hush.... hush... Sol shushed her comfortingly as clear tears of her on spilled over her eyes and poured down her face, landing on the beautiful cyan hide. It's okay. It will be okay. Comforting Eccolath, putting someone else in need before herself, gave Sol just enough composure not to break down completely. No one else was faring much better, but they did not seem to notice the others around them. The day that had begun with such promise had ended in tragedy. Three of Dalibor's young Weyrling, with such potential, had made examples of how hard and dangerous the life of a dragonrider could be.


O'sho felt a wave of pain wash over even before the dragons began to keen. He unconsciously put a hand over his heart to contain it as he looked sharply to the sky. Daidoroth's loud, mourning keen grew like a low wail and resounded throughout the Weyr. It spoke multitudes of sorrow and disbelief- of loss and pain. O'sho ran to the edge of his ledge and, leaning against the great Bronze with his head raised to the sky, saw that the other dragons were joining in as well. He flew done the stone steps wordlessly to Fajra's weyr and went straight to where Osro lay. His mother was already there- motivated by the same fear and concern to look at him and make sure that their child was safe just as he had been. The Weyrleaders could rest reassured of their own offspring, but Daidoroth and Kalith were not so lucky.