Rebel Yell {Freedomfighter Lesson}

[Admin]

Rise up and take the power back, it's time that,
The fat cats had a heart attack, you know that,
Their time is coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend.

Up and at 'em, dragonets! Wake your riders! Report out here; Kerath told the seven new weyrling dragons. W'al perched atop a boulder a few dragonlengths from the barrack, with the purple bulk of his dragon framing him. He was a youthful figure, grinning from ear to ear with happiness at the early morning light. He was well aware, even if he didn't dwell on it, that his new life as a weyrlingmaster wasn't going to be an easy one. Most of the weyrlings would be a little younger than him, but D'lios would be older. It wasn't going to be easy to order them around; he wasn't the ordering sort. However, the Weyrwoman doubtlessly thought he had some skills that would make him suited for handling the small class, so handle it he was. Anyway, Kerath was endlessly excited at the idea of teaching the interesting renegade children.

"Congratulations on your Impressions last night! In case you didn't hear, your class is being called the Freedomfighters. I'm going to your weyrlingmaster for the next turn and a half. My name is W'al, and this is Kerath;" he began, once the probably sleep deprived boys and singular girl had assembled. Hello; the purple greeted all the little dragons cheerfully, examining each with his well trained eyes. He was good at deciphering behaviors; it was a quirk for his natural curiosity. "Let's start with the simple rules of being a weyrling. You will listen and obey all full riders; the older weyrlings do not count but it would be best to respect them, especially given they have a Queen amongst them. You will remain celibate until you graduate;" he said, ending that phrase with a quick glance towards C'elin and Upiditath, though he had mainly kept his gaze gliding amongst the seven. "Your dragons are your only priority. You will attend lessons and do your chores;" he finished. He was somber for a moment, then he grinned.

"You'll have lectures from a healer on dragon anatomy later, but today we're just learning about how to care for your hatchlings, as they can't quite care for themselves;" he said, picking up a new tangent. He hopped off his rocky perch, and started to pace before them, thumbs hooked in the back pockets of his breeches as he ambled from side to side. "There are a set of carcasses over there - you can thank the other weyrlings for killing the ones you got last night, and Kerath for these. You're welcome, eat well; the purple interjected with laughter in his tone. "You will need to cut off strips, about hand length, for them. Feed them until you can feel that they're full. We'll be working on that connection once they're fed, since we'll all be going down to the lake and I'll be showing you how to bath them. After that, you'll be able to eat."

"These are your roommates. Get with them to introduce yourselves and start feeding your dragonets;" he said. He'd memorized the pairings. It hadn't been that hard. They were sensible. "Teslana and Irath get a room to themselves; they can team up with any of the other pairs. D'lios and Perbiath are with V'lin and Socordiath. N'tal and Gulath are with A'tra and Avartiath. C'elin and Upiditath are with K'lay and Invidiath. Get to it! I'll be watching;" he smirked, and moved his eyebrows up and down in a knowing fashion, making sure to look at all of them to see if he might unnerve them a bit with his joking. "Feel free to ask me any questions;" he concluded, giving up his silly act of being the scary, watching weyrlingmaster. He, whistling, and Kerath, just happy, followed them all across to the tables with the carcasses.

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious.

[arratra]

A'tra rubbed at his eyes as he led the black dragon towards the carcasses.
Margras had perched himself on Avartiath's head, clearly on the lookout for any tasty scraps.
Avartiath seemed to have collected the blue flit, as his own eyes were whirling in a light shade of that same colour.
A'traMine, He said, "What is that funny string of rocks you have?
It's just a momento of which Weyrs I've been to, A'tra replied, Nothing important or particularly precious.
Oh, so you just keep it for the memories?
Yes. But you need to stop hoarding stuff, Avartiath, A'tra said, Margras and the glows are bad enough. You can't go collecting stuff that belongs to other people. That will only get you into trouble.
OK, Mine. I'll only take precious things that don't belong to others.
That included MY possessions, A'tra said firmly, Unless I say so. Some of them I need.

A'tra drew his knife as he stepped up to one of the carcasses, deftly skinning a section of it and then shaving a small amount of meat off.
Thank you, Avartiath said graciously as he took the meat, moving it around in his mouth, both savouring the flavour and arranging it so that it could be easily swallowed.

[jack]

V'lin and Socordiath had been one of the first to arrive, the brunette wide awake and itching for work--he'd been shooed away from fiddling with glows earlier and was a bit on edge because of it--and the Blue lazily ambling along with his nose attached to V'lin's lower back and his eyes closed. As the others drifted in, V'lin grew steadily more antsy, unconsciously tugging on his fingers and bits of clothing with the need for activity.
Relax, V'linMine. Socordiath mumbled at last, gently tugging on the weyrling's shirt, Its okay to not be busy.
V'lin glanced down at the Blue, who stared up at him with loving, sleepy eyes. A subtle smile tugged at his lips and he knelt at the Blue's side, very gently scratching the creature's eye ridges. Socordiath gave a soft sigh of pleasure and curled up partially in the boy's lap, nuzzling his stomach before closing his eyes for a quick nap.

While Socordiath dozed, the other Freedomfighters arrived, V'lin watching with a wary, antsy stare that was a thousand times calmer than it had been in years. He looked out especially for C'elin, and gave a subtle frown when he didn't catch sight of the blond before the Purplerider began to speak. Listening intently, he no longer searched for his lone friend, his fingers on Socordiath's neck a bit less confident than they had been. Socordiath merely hummed and nuzzled His, relaxing further when he felt the muscles loosen beneath his nose.

The pairs were called and V'lin shrunk back when he realized he not only would not be rooming with C'elin, but be living with someone he'd never met. Someone the renegades had brought. Someone who did not appear all that friendly. He glanced at the future brownrider warily, Socordiath opening one eye when the boy's fingers curled against his hide. He turned his gaze to the Brown absently, staring unblinkingly at the creature as though daring him to be a threat, without thinking he seriously would become one.
I think we should go to eat, Mine. He crooned outloud, gently nudging the boy, Yours is happy to nap with you, but he's hungrier than sleepy.

V'lin snapped to attention at the Blue's words, and he nodded almost mechanically, rising to his feet with a servant's skill before walking promptly to the corpses. Socordiath followed a bit slower, watching the boy's slave-like walk with mild disapproval. He said nothing, but took his position at his side quickly, nudging him hard enough to force V'lin off his path. The boy gave a soft squeak of surprise and flailed to keep his balance, giving the dragon a wide-eyed stare. Socoridath met his stare with a blandly patient one of his own, his tail flicking absently in his innocence.

Against his own thought process, V'lin smiled. His smile grew more when he caught himself smiling, and a soft laugh slid unbidden from his throat. Soft eyes widened in surprise at the sound, but he merely smiled very slightly and made his way on to the table, setting to work with mechanical precision. Socordiath's eyes whirled with victory as he plopped down beside the other, taking the pieces he was handed with slow patience. He had all the time in the world, after all.

[Nia]

C'elin was fast asleep, and instead of sleeping on the couch that had been provided for her, Upiditath had opted to sleep with her head on the boy's chest, making it impossible for him to move at all during the night which had been rather uncomfortable. Not to mention that he felt very awkward and twitchy nervous when anyone slept near him, his own dragon or not. But he hadn't had a seizure or spazzed out like he usually did, so the blond took that as a good sign. Not that Upiditath would move anyway....

The Green's head drozily lifted from Her's chest as Kerath woke up the seven newly hatched dragons, which in turn woke up C'elin, who had grown to be a very light sleeper for obvious reasons. Mineee~! It's time to get uupppp~ Kerath wants us!

[/i] Upiditath's mental voice was full of affection as she woke Hers. C'elin sat up, rubbing his pale eyes. Upiditath nudged him in an attempt to make him move faster, she wanted to see her clutchmates again! Especially Perbiath and Socordiath and Gulath and Avatriath....

Though he shuddered involuntarily at Upiditath's thoughts, C'elin got up and dressed. Upiditath decided that instead of just walking straight that she had to circle and rub up against C'elin as she walked, throwing the light boy off and occassionally almost toppling him over. "C-can't you just walk normally?" he asked her with a slightly embarrassed smile, though his "rebuke" wasn't said in a mean way. But it's more fun this way![/i] she replied innocently, circling Hers again.

Due to Upiditath's refusal to stop, C'elin arrived just as W'al started speaking. He spotted V'lin a little ways away, but also noticed that the other Weyrling was rather focused on their new Weyrling Master and decided not to approach him yet. Upiditath nuzzled his leg affectionately as he listened, and though the blond felt extremely awkward he tried his best to ignore it and focus on W'al. It seemed like Upiditath was enjoying his awkwardness, as though she'd made a game about how embarrassed she could make Hers. And of course, the Weyrling Master's obvious glance at them while mentioning "celibacy" made C'elin blush even more and look at the ground. I-it's not like it was his fault...!

A faint panicky thought ran through his mind when he heard who V'lin was rooming with. The Lord Holder. The arrogant, rude Lord Holder. You shouldn't think that way about Perbiath's Mine like that... he won't like you very much,[/i] Upiditath said wisely, looking up at him with her whirling eyes. W-well, um... it won't matter, C'elin dismissed it, praying that if Upiditath rose (and he could already tell she was going to as soon as possible) Perbiath would NOT chase her. Oh Faranth that was a bad thought, and C'elin changed his focus to the lesson.

Ignoring the room assignments (he didn't know who K'lay was, anyway...) C'elin followed V'lin to the tables, and set up his own pieces next to his friend, "Hey, sorry I kind of arrived late," he really wasn't sure why he was appologizing to V'lin for being late when he probably should have appologized to the Weyrling Master. Oh, hello Socordiath,[/i] Upiditath greeted the Blue coyly in a way that made C'elin resist the urge to shudder again. Miiinneee you can't do that all the time! If the Mines think you are weird then their dragons will not chase me,[/i] Upiditath said with a sort of mental pout, wrapping her tail around his legs. C'elin chose not to respond.[/blockquote][/size]

[kia]

N`tal grumbled in his sleep. He felt something touching his feet, and he wanted to kick whatever it was. It was probably a bug or some wind caressing his skin. He could ignore it, except the feeling was continuous in motion, not a simple and constant motion. He groaned again until he felt something clamp around his foot. That did it! He sat up quickly, ready to yell and smack the living shit out of whatever was messing with him and his body. It was at that moment he was looking in whirling orange eyes on a dark blue body. N`tal groaned again and laid back, staring at the ceiling. The creature moved over to his side and nuzzled his arm, the orange still in the eyes. That was right. Last night, his life had completely changed. One moment he was staring at a Black dragon belong to a Renegade Rider, and the next moment he was being shoved out onto some Sands to stand and Impress. And, indeed, he had Impressed. To the strangest Blue dragon on this side of Pern. He had almost gotten his head gnawed off by his gluttonous Gulath. He chuckled to himself. Yeah, he liked that.

Mine, the WeyrlingMaster wants to see all of us. Besides, I am hungry again. I want food. And your foot tastes horrible. I want real meat, Gulath said, staring at his Mine.

N`tal sighed and sat up, moving his feet to the side to get up and put his shirt on. He still like sleeping without a shirt on, no matter where he went. He looked over at Gulath and his pleading eyes. "We are going to work on this appetite of yours. If we don`t, you might just eat all of Pern and cause starvation. Wait! That is not a bad idea!" He grinned to himself and put his puts on. He stood up, checking the feel of them, and walked over to his bed. He pulled a sword out from under the mattress and tied it to a pant loop. He was stuck in a Weyr full of unknown people and that made him feel uncomfortable. Besides, the fact that he was stuck here made it worse for him. He growled under his breath. "Come on, Gulath. Time for lessons, I guess. But keep this in mind: No one is friend. They are all enemies. Trust only those I trust, got it?"

If I do, will I get food?

N`tal sighed and led the dragon outside. He stood in the back, not feeling like socializing. He listened carefully, crossing his arms, listening about what future lessons they would be having and to the current lesson. He was about to head up to the meat to cut it when he heard room assignments. He stopped, realizing that he was going to have a roommate. He closed his eyes, growled, and began to rub his temples. His day just got worse.

Food! Gulath shouted, running towards the meat that was laying out for the Weyrlings and their dragons. That snapped N`tal out of his meditation. "Gulath! Get back here! You`ll choke!" he shouted, making the Blue stop and looked at him. N`tal approached the meat and checked the knives. The knife was sharp right now, but it would dull eventually. This Weyr needed some knives or better smiths to make them for them. He rolled his eyes and began cutting away at the meat, ignoring everyone around him.

[kyrillion]

Teslana had slept well after the Hatching, and for the first time in more than a week. Often plagued by insomnia, it seemed that Impression (especially to a dragon like Irath) had taken quite a lot out of her, mentally and physically. She'd been out like a light almost the instant she'd found an empty room in the barracks and, thankfully, Irath had been just as tired as she. If the green had decided another mauling was in order, the girl doubted she'd have had enough energy to stop her.

She hadn't even had the chance to dwell on the fact that there wouldn't be a Hatching Feast. She had been disappointed, sure. In the past when she'd envisioned Impressing, it had always included all the honor and prestige that accompanied Weyr Hatchings. Feasting and celebrations, the whole nine yards; none of which would be awarded to a renegade clutch. She understood the reasons for that, of course. But she was allowed to feel a bit cheated, surely?

In any event, by the time Kerath summoned the new weyrlings Irath had long been awake. Sometime during the night she had crawled onto the cot with Tesla and curled up at her new rider's feet. When she had had enough of sleeping (she hadn't needed much) she had kept watch over Hers. Hers was innocent, and could rarely see the bad in any of her fellow humanlings, and for this reason she needed protecting. Irath, fierce and angry, was a fitting guardian. For hours now she had stared out at the early-morning light, challenging any force to try and hurt her Tesla. She would enjoy killing anyone who dared attempt it.

When she heard the purple's summons, she knew it was time to wake Hers. She was reluctant to; she knew already how much Tesla needed the sleep. But Hers would not want to miss lessons - as easily-angered as Irath was, she did not want to see Tesla upset, and certainly not angry herself. It wasn't right; Irath was the angry one. That was the way it was meant to be.

Nosing the golden, gangly girl in the shoulder didn't have any effect, however, and Irath's perpetually red eyes whirled in irritation. Another nudge. Nothing. Mine. ..... Mine! Huffing and growling she straightened up and prodded Tesla with a paw, careful to keep her claws from doing any unintentional damage. I think I would like to kill that sniveling Avartiath now, Mine. You remember how he stole pieces of my egg after I hatched? I think I shall have my revenge now, TeslanaMine.[/color]

That did the trick. Struggling into the land of the living, limbs flailing as though she were trying to fight off some unseen opponent, Tesla gasped and her emerald eyes shot open. Taking a moment to gauge her surroundings, her dragon's words soon registered, and she sat up with surprising speed for someone who'd only moments ago been fast asleep. Throwing her arms around Irath's army-green neck and going dead-weight, she doubted that her efforts would impeed the green if she did, indeed, head off at that moment to carry out her threat.

"Irath, no! No killing, and I mean that! We didn't get a chance to talk much yesterday, but there are going to have to be some rules..."
Do not worry, TeslaMine. I was only joking.[/color]
"I'm serious! You can't go around - ...oh. What? Why on earth would you do that, you silly creature? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
I am not silly. I knew the best way to wake you, did I not? And now that you are awake we may go to our first lesson. I am hungry again, and I would like to eat sometime today...
"All right, all right. Thank you. You are far too clever for your own good, you know."
Irath merely snorted her response, and moved to sit by the door while hers got ready. It didn't take Tesla long; clean clothes, a quick brushing of golden-brown hair, and then they were headed outside where most of their fellow Weyrlings were already gathered.

"Good morning, W'al!" Her greeting was cheerful enough, and there was a bright smile on her face - still, she made sure she and Irath stood a bit removed from the group. She wasn't entirely reassured that Irath wasn't going to go after Avartiath, after all. Or any one of her brothers and sisters, for that matter. She listened to the Weyrlingmaster's instructions, and made an effort not to let her mind wander. Not only was it important to learn to be good rider, but she didn't trust Irath by herself. And if she let her imagination run away with her, the green would be more or less free to do what she pleased. Which would probably not be good. It was probably for the best that they weren't being roomed with anyone, as well.

It was difficult, but she managed not to be distracted by the clouds or the wind or thoughts of her future as a dragonrider, and soon enough they were being released to feed their new lifemates. Tesla had never cut up a carcass before, and she wasn't sure she'd be good with a knife, either. Still, new experiences were good things! And she could feel how hungry Irath was. One of the boys had gone off by himself, and he looked like he was pretty good with a knife. She knew the dragon was Gulath, but for some reason she couldn't remember the boy's name. Which was absolutely unheard of. Tesla's memory never failed her! Perhaps she'd never known his name - it was the only thing that made sense, really. Grinning, she marched right up to where he was working and hesitantly grabbed another knife, staring with mute curiosity and a bit of unease at the carcasses. Irath's olive-green head snaked up to try and snag a bite off the table, but Tesla deftly smacked her on the nose, and the dragon reluctantly relented. To N'tal, she offered a bright smile, just for him, and greeted.
"Good morning! It is a good morning, isn't it? I think so. There aren't really any bad mornings at Dalibor - you'll see that for yourself. You're new here, aren't you? My name is Tesla. I can show you around later if you like, it'll be difficult to find your way around for the first few days..."
Though it was a rather long greeting, it wasn't an energetic tirade by any means. She just wasn't the hyper-active sort. Her words were slow and precise, as warm and friendly as her smile.

Irath, for her part, eyed Gulath warily. Gulath had already Impressed by the time Irath had hatched, and she wasn't quite sure about him. Still, he hadn't yet done anything to get on her bad side, and though the green was very easily-angered, she wouldn't usually lash out without a catalyst. For now, she reserved judgment on the gluttonous blue.[/size]

[kia]

Mine, Mine, look! Irath and hers are coming this way. Do you think she is bringing me more food? Gulath asked, his eyes whirling in shades of blues to show his excitement.

N`tal glanced to the side slightly to see the girl coming their way. He turned his head back, continued to cut the meat skillfully, his fingers sliding over the knife without being cut. The feel of the knife in his hands felt so good, so comfortable, so at ease. He could feel all his lessons coming back to him, how they made the hilt, the blade, and the shape. Most of the impurities were removed while the metal was heated and beatened, and the metal must have come from somewhere in the North. That had to explained the dull color of it, perhaps. Then again, there was usually weak metal in every part of Pern. But it was up to Metalsmiths like him to find it. The thought of the fire burning hotly, being made to heat the metal, made N`tal arch his shoulders back, the feeling of pain running down his back. The scars were still there from the beatings and punishments. They had been the beginning of his wrath, but it had also been the beginning of his distrust with other humans.

N`tal saw something move in the corner of his eyes. He slowly stopped cutting the meat and looked over. He nearly jumped when he saw a hand fly to smack something (Irath`s nose) and saw a smiling looking at him. "Good morning! It is a good..." He blinked, his face full of confusion at this- this- this happy human. She was in such a good mood, giving her name, telling him Dalibor was a good place, and offering to help him find his way around her. He blinked again, trying to figure out what to say to her, this person named Tesla.

He finally looked away, his hands returning to cutting meat for Gulath, who continued to eat is more quickly than N`tal could cut it. "Look, I did not come here. I was forced here by those Renegade Riders. I had no ambition to be a Rider before now. I was simply a person caught in the wrong moment. But, since I am here now and I have Impressed to this gluttonous dragon, I have no desire to get to know any of you Weyrlings or Riders or anyone of Dalibor for that fact. So, I would appreciate it if you would stop talking to me," N`tal replied, his eyes hard on the meat in his hand.

Gulath watched his Mine as he waited for the food to be offered. He was so very hungry. He looked at Irath. Can I have the rest of your food if you do not want the rest? he asked her, hoping she would agree. If not, maybe I can go raid the Rider`s kitchens. That would be fun. Why do humans have to make food smell so good and be soo tempting?

[kyrillion]

Tesla was, to say the least, quite taken aback by the boy's the reaction. How rude! And so very abrasive, when she'd been nothing but polite... But then, if she'd been scooped up by some weyrless dragon and dropped in the middle of a Hatching she might be a bit crabby, too. She'd thought all of the Candidates the Renegades had brought were in some way connected with them. It was frankly shocking to think that they had nabbed some poor eligible boy right off the streets. Not to mention in very bad taste.

Her smile never faltered, and N'tal would want to be thanking his lucky stars for that. For the moment his less-than-friendly greeting was witnessed by Irath, her crimson eyes began to churn that much faster. She was looking blatantly hostile now, much as she had after she'd first hatched. If that rotten humanling dared to hurt her Tesla's feelings she would kill him with her very own claws!

It wasn't long before her rider caught on to those particular thoughts, however, and another swat to the nose took the green off guard. Tesla grinned, studiously ignoring the glare Irath sent her, and privately very pleased with herself. It seemed she'd found some tactic that got through to her dragon, though she wondered how long it would be effective. Huffing to herself, the green turned her attention back to the food that Hers was still attempting to cut up, and was interrupted a moment later by N'tal's blue.

How dare he suggest she give him some of her food. Bristling, a low growl erupted from her throat. She was about to show Gulath precisely what she thought of his suggestion when a foot clamped down on her tail and a mind clamped down on those impulses. Tesla knew in the future she'd have to be more strong-willed if she wanted to have any hope of controlling Irath, but for now her meager effort seemed to do the trick. Especially since, privately, the green was rather intrigued with this idea of raiding the kitchens. Not for food, of course - she didn't want any rotten human food. But scaring people was rather fun; she'd discovered that almost the moment she'd hatched. Snorting disdainfully at Gulath, she turned up her nose at him and for a while didn't say anything more. Then, in a tone of voice that suggested she didn't really care about the answer, said:
Raid the kitchens? Would you really do that?[/color] And then, a moment later: And you shouldn't eat so much. You will get fat, and have a difficult time flying Yours out of here, since he seems so eager to leave...[/color] Though she was still rather indifferent to Gulath, it was clear she did not like N'tal very much.

Tesla, on the other hand, was struggling to cut meat quickly from the carcass. She could sense how hungry Irath was, and though she worked with knives in the kitchen, occasionally, the extent of her experience consisted of slicing vegetables and fruits. Working with a carcass was a lot trickier, especially since the sight of the body made her just a tad queasy. She wasn't even sure she was holding the sharding knife right...

A long silence had stretched between the two Weyrlings now, and though N'tal had been asked to be left alone, she was having a difficult time biting her tongue. It wasn't long before she was trying to strike up a conversation again, though she did make a conscious effort to be concise. She didn't think the boy would appreciate rambling.
"Hasn't anyone told you that Weyrling training lasts at least a turn and half? You can't very well go through it without getting to know someone." She wanted to tell him that he was, in fact, very lucky that the renegades had brought him here. She wanted to tell him how wonderful a place Dalibor was, and that he should be grateful to have an opportunity like this one... But she refrained. He'd only think she was lecturing him, and he probably wouldn't react well. Instead she stuck with a topic she thought was probably safe. Cheery smile still in place, she asked: "Are you at least going to tell me your name?"[/size]

[Birdy]

Wake up K’layMine,
The pink butted Hers in the stomach. She looked him for a moment before butting him again. Up! The boy’s eyes flew open and he found himself staring into Invidiath’s whirling eyes. Why was she waking him up so early? “Good morning,” he said tiredly, sitting up. Invidiath watched him impatiently. I hunger the Pink said. And Kerath wants the weyrlings outside she added as though it was an afterthought. K’lay stared at the dragonet an amused look on his face, “You could have mentioned that first,” he said with a laugh. The pink shook her wedge shaped head. I hunger, that is more important. “I’m sure there will be food there Invidiath,” K’lay said, with a smile. I hope so Invidiath said calming down as K’lay patted her on the head.

As soon as Hers was dressed and acceptable, well as acceptable as he’d ever be, she followed him out the door. Her whirling eyes spied others heading towards the lesson, they were going to get there first! She sped up, using her head to push Hers faster towards the Purple dragon. “What are you…?” K’lay asked, surprised at her sudden urgency. They’re going to get there before us Invidiath said, continuing to push Hers until they were standing with the other Weyrlings. K’lay sighed, he didn’t see why that was such a bad thing but….

Invidiath sat next Hers as W’al gave his speech. K’lay was paying close attention to the man, he couldn’t remember his name and hoped he would say it again before they were dismissed to find their roommates. He didn’t. Invidiath nudged Hers, We’re rooming with Upiditath’s Mine... she said, personally she would have rather had a room of her own like Irath and Hers. “Where are they? K’lay asked, he wasn’t sure what this C’elin looked like or what color his dragon was. Upiditath is green Invidiath said hotly, eyes whirling enviously. K’lay grinned, “Be happy you’re Pink, it stands out,” he said. Invidiath turned to stare at her hide, it was rather bright. None of the other weyrlings had hides like hers, she thought. But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing was it? But then everyone will be looking at me, the Pink complained, looking around to find Upiditath.

It didn’t take her long to find her, she was already flirting with Socordiath. Invidiath gritted her teeth, Upiditath and Hers are over there she said in a strange voice. K’lay turned to look, it seemed that there was already someone at the table with the Greenrider. But wasn’t he…? Shrugging, he started towards the table Invidiath walking somewhat behind him. He smiled politely to the two boys there, thinking that he’s better feed Invidiath before introducing himself. With a glance at their dragonets he turned his focus to the herdbeast and started cutting neat slices from the herdbeast, his days working in the kitchen coming back to him.

Invidiath snapped up the meat greedily watching the green dragonet out of the corner of her eyes. Good morning Upiditath, Scocodiath she said once her initial hunger had been satisfied. K'lay then turned to the other two at the table. "Hi!" he said brightly sticking out his hand. "I'm Kala- er, K'lay."

[arratra]

A'tra's head turned slightly as he surveyed his classmates.
"Whoa there!" he said, moving over to the weyrling that Avartiath identified as Irath, "You're going to cut yourself. Place your forfinger and thumb on each side of the blade, and you'll have finer control over the knife."
Avartiath sniffed at the carcass, and the piece His had been in the process of cutting. Swallowing the piece he already had, he gripped it in his jaws, and pulled it off, his eyes whirling blue.
A'traMine is trying to help Yours, he informed Irath as A'tra moved back to his own carcass, You do not want Yours to be hurt, do you?
He then cast an eye over their roommates.
Do not let Gulath eat me, he said to His, in all seriousness, despite the fact that A'tra had to stop cutting meat to stifle a chuckle, Although His seems shy...

[Kila]

In his first moments of being called to a state of awareness by someone other than himself, D'lios found himself rather annoyed. Perbiath, who had nudged him and had sensed even this small flash of emotion, recoiled with indignation. Mine! he rebuked the man harshly, head-butting him in what he thought was a righteously just manner, We are being called to report outside.

The Lord Holder had had no time to alter his reaction to being awoken before suffering a blow from his young, prideful lifemate. Suddenly now preoccupied with the resulting pain, he failed to see the ironic similarity between Perbiath's reaction to anything other than admiration and his own.

The two had fallen asleep in the Candidate Barracks after being hastily and somewhat resentfully hurried there the evening before. Both Perbiath and D'lios were overwhelmingly happy to be with one another, but neither made the approach to express it. While both males would have been moved enough to cuddle, D'lios laid himself on the cot and Perbiath settled down regally by his side.

The state of the lodgings for one of such standing as himself was undignified and completely unacceptable- even in his dizzying state of triumph he had seen that. After being the initial shock and distaste, which Perbiath quickly picked up on and mirrored, D'lios had pushed the matter aside so that he might focus on the his long-term goals. He was no happy, not at all, but he would not let them see. They would have no reason to see him as anything other than a model rider-to-be.

We are expected, Perbiath reminded His when he did nothing other then touch the place he had been assaulted. What? It had merely been a love tap. His or not, Perbiath would not have him react to him in such a way as he did. Besides, there was no doubt an audience waiting for him outside. He leapt gracefully from the bed and strutted over to the door, where he paused and looked at D'lios pointedly.

Again, the pair was much alike. Perbiath, you will not physically assault me again, D'lios said firmly, rising with dignity. He was not so offended, though, that he could not relish the sensation of speaking silently. To his very own dragon. At last. He was older than the others, yes, but it did not inhibit his internal awe and fascination with the bond that he and Perbiath had formed. Because he had observed and researched and planned and schemed for so long he appreciated it more.

Perbiath responded with silence, refusing to be cowed so easily, and continued to stare. It was obvious that this relationship would be a long power struggle and a formidable combination.

D'lios took the needed time to make himself presentable- for he always turned his most handsome cheek to the public eye- and joined Perbiath at the door. They would not be late (ever), for even with his upkeep D'lios was a timely man. Leaving the room and their brief argument behind, the two strolled to the Weyrbowl. Perbiath bounced along with excitement and even D'lios felt a subtle thrill of excitement. He was finally going to experience Weyr life and custom, not just study it. He glanced down at Perbiath fondly. He was a fine creature- the finest. D'lios' chest swelled with pride. Don't flounce about so, Perbiath, it is quite undignified. Walk with a purpose, but not as though you are a slave to it. Be always on your own agenda, he advised, and the sharp little Brown immediately altered his practice.

Perbiath showed off his new and improved walk (and of course his handsome self) as he joined his clutchsiblings. He acknowledged them all and allowed them to bask in his glory, but did not address them, standing close and only paying heed to His Own. He tried to listen with carefully crafted passive disinterest to the big Purple and his, but he was merely a hatchling and his curiosity got the better of him. The Purple, Kerath towered over him (for now), but he wasn't as big as his mother had been. And surely Kerath's wasn't nearly as good as His. Not everyone could share his impeccable taste.

D'lios joined the group with a deliberately friendly air. He was sure that most of the children there had some strong opinion of them, whether warranted or their own or not, but he would not make enemies by being brash. If anything, the only reason the people here would be able to dislike him would be that he was so charming they couldn't stand it. He listened closely to W'al's instructions, standing with his arms loosely crossed and nodding here and there in confirmation, and then turned and strode calmly towards the carcass when they were dismissed, Perbiath flowing effortlessly to his side. So like-minded were the two that they would find they did not need to speak to sync.

Their partners, it seemed, had beaten them to the meat and were already engaged in their task. Naturally D'lios despised the fact that he would have to share a room with someone. Surely the barracks were large enough that they could spread out. It seemed so diminishing. But he pushed it aside as well. Socordiath is a Blue, Perbiath stated simply as they approached. His rich voice betrayed a bit of snobbishness and superiority, as if just stating his future roommate's inferior color lifted him higher in light of the gap. He inherently knew the color caste that was a Weyr. Yes, as you are a Brown. Put it aside, D'lios advised.

"V'lin? Hello," D'lios said with geniality as he came up beside the younger Weyrling. "And Socordiath I assume. I am D'lios, Lord Holder of Western, and this is Perbiath." He indicated his bonded with a smile. Perbiath imitated him, giving a toothy grin and bowing his head ever so slightly. His seemed to advocate peace, even though Socordiath was beneath him. It was okay, he supposed, as long as everyone was aware of it. And why shouldn't they get along? Socordiath was from his same clutch after all. Their mother had made it quite clear that she wanted them to stick together and watch out for one another- that they needed to. Perbiath puffed up a little at his revelation: it would of course fall to him to make sure that all of his clutchsiblings were safe and well looked-after. Hello, Socordiath! he said with renewed interest. How fun it could be to play with and look after his brother!

Mine, Perbiath said, another important thing coming to the forefront of his mind. Feed me.

Logically, D'lios replied. It was their task, after all. He was certainly going to have to get used to hearing orders. Even from his new lifemate they did not seem entirely tolerable, but D'lios had the sneaking suspicion that Perbiath's tone would never change. For a being only a day old he already had an excessive amount of confidence.... and pride.

[Admin]

She's a rebel,
She's a saint,
She's salt of the earth,
And she's dangerous.

The group appeared to have a bit of trouble getting in groups and following directions. He would need to work on that. A group of four and a group of three were not what he'd asked for them to do in his instructions. He'd wanted two groups of two and a group of three. W'al let it go. He focused on watching the group interact, picking out instigators. He winced when D'lios pulled rank, joining up with Socordiath, who was with Invidiath and Upiditath. He would need to talk to that man, though, maybe for the time, it would alright. He would let it be for then. The new weyrling would need to focus on learning to care for his new dragon. Perhaps he would become more modest with the work that would be required of him. The weyrlingmaster shook his head, eyes sweeping the assembled group again. Perhaps he would be more modest when he learned a warder had been left in his place. Perhaps he would be modest when he realized every rider still outranked him. The purplerider was certainly hoping for 'modest', actually, and not just 'more modest'. D'lios had no modesty with which to build upon.

Everything was under control. Gulath's rider had kept him from choking. Neither of the greens had jumped anyone, which would have been for entirely different reasons depending on which might have been draw into such an action. All the dragonets looked like they'd been fed, though, doubtlessly, once they'd gotten some sleep, they'd wake up hungry later. W'al smiled at them, fond memories of being a weyrling coming to his mind. Kerath was just happy to watch them. He hardly remembered being young. He'd never really grown up much to begin with, always running off with ideas. Still, he knew his job. He was far from stupid. The world was explained in his wandering but focused mind. He knew what to do.

Attention, everyone. Give your riders a mental prod. Mentally; the slender purple cajoled, tone sincere and convincing. He wasn't a commander, never a king of any sort. However, he doubted a single one of the young creatures would pick up on the training he'd asked for in his words. None of them would understand what their bonds meant they could do, though they would know better than their riders. That was why they needed to start. W'al's smile quirked. He gave Kerath a pat, though he felt he could take a bit of credit. They, after all, were well aware of some of the limitless bounds of their relationship. He waited, patiently, for the weyrlings and their dragonets to be looking towards their watchful presence.

"Now that everyone has been fed enough; he began, choosing his words carefully though they tumbled from his tongue with ease. "We'll be heading over to the lake. You will be running;" he continued, entirely mild. A short jog was something he couldn't have them complaining about. It would be nothing compared to drilling wing formations. He liked running himself, so he had trouble seeing why he should feel bad for thinking they needed to do it. "I will be right with you. The dragonets, should they not mind, will walk with Kerath. It will be awkward for them to run, given they are not at the comfortable state halfway between hatching and adulthood where they can move easily on the ground for travel. They will be able to see you the entire time, as they will be behind;" he explained.

With just a nod, W'al briefly rolled his shoulders and then he set off at an easy jog. He was skinny, young, energetic, and fit. It was nothing to him. He made sure to keep it slow, making it so that it should have been no hard task for any of the weyrlings. It was just faster than any of them could walk. The lake wasn't that far away anyway, only a brief, entirely flat and visible stretch a quarter of the way across the bowl of the Weyr. Kerath ambled a few steps, paused, glanced at all the dragonets, counted them, and called them to come along. Don't stay behind. Keep up with me, or be ahead, towards your riders; he told them, voice happy and kindly. He hopped on along. He was the perfect example of the awkwardness a fully grown dragon could have with being on the ground. His long limbs weren't curved to make the proper motions.

At the shore of the lake, eight buckets, filled with brushes and soapy sand, and eight jars of oil sat high up on the slope. W'al stopped behind them, briefly taking the time to check on and steady out his breath from the light run. Kerath herded the dragonets over after him, to join their riders, and sidled over towards his own rider and the lake. Once everyone was assembled once again in their little group, the young weyrlingmaster straightened up. "Cleaning dragons is rather simple but interesting business. You just need to scrub them down with what's in those buckets - there's one for each of you, and me. However, you have a squirming beast who can both help and hinder you. It's a unique sort of thing. That's what makes it perfect for you to work on connecting with your dragons."

"Talk to them. Use your mind. Tell them about yourself. Listen to them. Feel for it. Know what you should do. Try, and you'll pinpoint what I mean. Once you're done scrubbing them down and they're rinsed off, have them shake off a bit. I advise away from you. Then, oil them. Do it off the beach, unless you want to have to wash them again! Just rub it into their hide. Focus on the joints, the tail, and along the spine and neck;" he explained to him, grinning wide when he wanted to emphasis a trick for what they needed to do. "Once you're finished, and finished right, you can go eat;" he finished. With a bugle, Kerath lunged into the air, and flapped lazily a couple times. He made it look so easy. Off the ground, he was all grace and strength. He folded his wings and dropped into the cool water when he got out where it was deep.

Shaking his head, W'al waded in after his dragon. He only paused to kick off his boots, shoving his socks into them after to leave them too. He took a bucket in hand with a dip and a skip. He was whistling again, happy as could be. He hardly looked much like a weyrlingmaster. However, he was destined to be there longer than any of the weyrlings and he knew that. He took it all in step. Of course, he expected to still be eating breakfast at a reasonable hour. He thought this little bit would go easily. With any luck, they wouldn't need much supervision, and would just end up doing it all and leaving. He didn't think he'd need to check over all of their work. He hated hovering. He was simply liable to check up with all of them later, or maybe just skip through the barrack that evening, when all the dragonets were napping. Some trickery fit him well.

She's a rebel,
Vigilante,
Missing link on the brink,
Of destruction.

[arratra]

Avartiath was rather torn between staying with His, and following Kerath's instructions.
Sensing this, A'tra smiled, and nodded. Stay with Kerath, he said, Collect the knowledge he has to offer.
Avartiath, appeased, stayed near Kerath, stumbling along, with his wings spread wide to keep his balance.

A'tra, coming from a family of Traders, had better endurance than most, easily keeping up with W'al, and arriving at the buckets with a simple smile.

Avartiath waddled right into the water, having heard W'al's instructions, and having decided to carry them out immediately.
A'tra picked up his buckets, and followed. He began scrubbing Avartiath, who obligingly answered the small mental nudges of His, without either of them realising what was happening. Margras decided to help himself to a free bathing while he helped them both, and grabbed some of the scrubbing sands, and began scrubbing Avartiath's other side, chirping to himself as A'tra laughed, and Avartiath could not contain a chuckle of his own.

[kia]

N`tal was about to reply, telling the girl how to hold the knife and then to leave him alone again, when they other boy Weyrling (apparent his roommate, he figured) told the girl how to hold the knife. He snorted, slicing away at more meat and feeding it to Gulath. They dragon was eating more pieces than any of the other dragons. N`tal grumbled with annoyance. He would work on Gulath gluttonous issues.

The Blue looked at Irath. Yes, raid the kitchens since Mine is refusing to give me any more meat. We can do that after the run with Kerath. It would be fun! And as for Mine, I go wherever he wants to go. I will follow wherever his mind and heart leads him too, Gulath said, following in line with Kerath.

N`tal rolled his eyes when it was announced that they were to go running. He put the knife down and picked up pace toward the back of the group. He was not going to be in the middle of anything, though it seemed like that Tesla girl wanted him to be. He would have to keep his eye on her if he was going to avoid her.

[kyrillion]

Luckily, A'tra intervened before Tesla could do herself any harm, and holding the knife his way certainly did help. Smiling, she thanked him before returning to the task of feeding Irath - and the green thought it was about time, too. The girl was aware all the while that her dragon was having some sort of private conversation with Gulath, and it unnerved her that she could not hear what they were saying. As well it should have.

Soon enough, Irath was full and the weyrlingmaster was calling them to the lake. A jog sounded fun; Tesla wasn't the fastest around, but she enjoyed a good run, and the short distance to the lake wouldn't be any problem. Setting down the knife and stepping away from the table, she placed a hand on Irath's head and looked into her whirling crimson eyes.

Be... good. Ok? Yeah, like that was going to work.
But Irath merely flicked her tail, amused, and gave her rider a full-of-teeth dragon smile.
Certainly, TeslanaMine.
...
If Tesla had been worried before, it was nothing compared to the unease she was feeling now. Whatever had her dragon in such a cheery mood could hardly be good for her rider, or for the Weyr at large for that matter. Deciding that it was best to put it out of her mind, for now - there was still a lesson on, after all - she turned and took off after the class, despite being particularly nervous about leaving Irath on her own.

The jog and the time alone did her a world of good, though. With no wrathful green to worry about (surely Kerath could keep her from killing anyone?) she was free to let her mind wander, and she did so promptly. Her imaginings were tempered only by the sound of her footsteps, each representing a number, and they subtracted and added and multiplied and took the square root of one another on a whim, as if they had minds of their own. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen... By the time she reached the shore of the lake, half a dozen stories were spinning and weaving in her mind, painting garish and brightly-colored pictures over the real world, which seemed so much dimmer in comparison. Purple-and-yellow striped flowers sprang right up out of the ground, spiraling into the sky and growing feathers for leaves. A cute, furry creature never before seen on Pern manifested horns and fangs and breathed fire at a cubed-root-of-fifty-four that floated lazily past. All sorts of craziness, all over the weyr, and it made its creator smile.

Far behind her, now, and striding nonchalantly next to Gulath, Irath could sense these strange thoughts of Hers and was more than a little puzzled. At times she even thought she could see these stories and images that Tesla was dreaming up, and though she knew very well they weren't real, it was nevertheless unnerving. Unbeknownst to her rider, the pictures and images provided a sufficient distraction from her anger, even when some of her clutchmates bumped into her in their haste to follow Kerath.

Trying to shut Tesla out completely, she lost track of where she was going and ended up bumping into the blue at her side - gently, but enough to give her a start, and she snarled menacingly at him. Watch where you are going, Gulath. Though the words sounded snappy, and were backed up by a show of teeth, they were said more out of some perceived obligation to be hostile. She really had no quarrel with Gulath - in fact, she was eager to hear more about this idea of his. Raiding the kitchens! At least one of her siblings had a backbone.

We shall have to wait until Ours are out of the way. They will try to stop us. Perhaps after the lesson they shall go back to the barracks - all of the humanlings seem tired still. We will go with them, and sneak away when they fall asleep.[/color] She said all of this frankly, as if it were simply practical, and not some devious scheme worth being excited about or worried over. And she was working on the assumption that their riders would be sleeping after the lesson... But they could hardly stay awake forever. And whenever they did sleep, Irath would be ready; and if Gulath wasn't, she'd drag him out of the barracks herself. Sending the blue a sideways glance, there might even have been a moment where some greens and blues bled into those eyes of hers... But then she stumbled, thinking she was about to step on a large fluorescent spider when it was really only Tesla's imagination running away with her, and the moment was gone.

Three-hundred and three, three-hundred and four... They had reached the shore of the lake at last, and Tesla slid to a stop towards the back of the class. She was still next to that blue rider that had seemed so annoyed with her, but she didn't try and pick up their conversation (if you could call it that) again. She did send him a friendly smile, though; he seemed like he could use some cheering up.

W'al gave them their instructions, and soon enough she was finding a fairly secluded spot along the water's edge to bathe Irath; though she would have loved to have talked with some of her classmates and gotten to know them better, she thought it was probably best to keep Irath away from the main group. The green, for her part, was more than happy to relax in the water, and later direct Hers to the spots that most needed oiling and scratching. She had no qualms about being pampered, and certainly wasn't going to make her rider's job any more difficult.

[Kila]

D'lios looked up with mild curiosity at Perbiath. The little Brown seemed to be concentrating immensely and had gotten, if that was his aim, the oldest Weyrling's attention. What are you doing, Perbiath? D'lios inquired. You're making quite a face. Please stop. Perbiath did stop at once, recoiling in alarm at the thought that his handsome little face might be looking funny. Before he had time to explain that he was trying to do some sort of 'mental prod' like Kerath had instructed, W'al began to speak again.

Apparently, they would be running. D'lios's frowned ever so slightly before wiping his face of expression. He had never read about Weyrlings being forced to run in their lessons. Training and being fit was important, of course, but this was a lesson, not a drill or a punishment. It was not a problem of his not being able to run, for being in shape was only a small part of what made him attractive, but that the idea was distasteful to him. Here he was running about like a wherry with a bunch of children. But he would bear it with equanimity.

Mine! Won't this be fun? Perbiath trilled, far more entertained by the idea than his rider and too excited, in his youth, to pick up on the others hidden feelings. Everyone will get to look at me!

Yes, Perbiath. Let's go. Stay with the others, D'lios agreed, using his dragon's excitement as a cover for his own lack thereof. Perbiath didn't need to be told twice. With his newfound sense of glamorous duty to look after his clutchsiblings as his mother had sad when she parted, he tore over to Kerath and stood proudly at the head of the group. D'lios likewise joined the others and made the run, doing so with no trouble and with great form.

Perbiath joined him shortly after they arrived at the lakefront, all fired up from the little trip. D'lios groaned inwardly when he heard of the next task they were to do with His in such a state. A bath? Yes! Wash me, Mine, Perbiath demanded, absolutely beside himself. Once bathed and oiled no one would be able to take their eyes off of him.

There was a reason D'lios did not surround himself with small children. D'lios did not particularly like small children. Perbiath was behaving like a small child. Perbaith, calm yourself, and do not try to boss me so. I will not have it, D'lios admonished him before he moved to pick up the bucket. The two squared off again, staring the other down and trying to push their own way. That the two were so alike was both a blessing and a curse to them. Eventually, because his attention span was limited, Perbiath relented and stopped thrashing about. He did not bow his head in shame or anything of the sorts, however; rather he carried on, more calmly, as if nothing had happened.

D'lios, as always, was dressed in finery. It was more simple than his usual elegant wear, but more expensive than anything the weyrfolk wore. Unfastening his shirt, he pulled it off and tossed it to what he hoped was a safe part of the ground. It was a shame he was going to get everything else wet, but he could have more clothes sent here, or even made, as if it were nothing. It was not like he couldn't afford it, and he was determined to be positive.

With bucket in hand, D'lios waded into the water. Perbaith paddled regally in after him. Having come from a noble family, D'lios was not sure he had ever swam in a lake in his like. The pretentious part of him screamed that it was low and unsanitary, but his bolstered cheerful front told him that it was rather fun. Come here, now, and I'll have you clean in no time, he called to Perbaith, who happily complied. Menial physical labor was far from D'lios's forte, but Perbiath was his- close to being him- and he always liked to keep his things and himself nice. He smiled when Perbiath crooned with pleasure, in love with the way the sandsoap scratched against his hide when His scrubbed.

He was not so enraptured, that he missed the chance to speak with his sister while D'lios worked. She was such a lovely, attentive little Green who always paid him the attention he surely deserved. Hello, Upiditath. Does the water suit you well? he crooned to her.

[Nia]

As soon as K'lay approached, C'elin immediately felt horrible for abandoning his actual roommate. His weird, motherly instincts towards V'lin weren't misplaced, but he shouldn't just ignore his actual roommate. He also had broken the rules of the lesson and looked guiltily away from W'al, feeling bad for creating such a large group, as even D'lios had joined them. Oops, this was all his fault, wasn't it? He probably should have just kept to the groups. C'elin flashed V'lin an apologetic smile... he knew the other boy didn't like crowds, though four was kind of pushing it to be called a "crowd".

After the dragons had all been fed, C'elin smiled weakly at K'lay. "Hello, K'lay. I'm C'elin," he introduced himself to his new roommate, someone he'd never seen before. C'elin felt really unsure about leaving V'lin alone with D'lios, but there wasn't anything he could do. Upiditath could not be trusted to room with a male dragon, she really, really couldn't. And C'elin did not want something like an illicit dragon romance on his hands. Hello, Invidiath-sister!

[/i] Upiditath greeted the Pink cheerily, We're going to be living together! Won't that be fun?[/i] she commented, though it was very obvious that she would have much prefered to room with Perbiath and His. Please don't think things like that, Upiditath. Please, C'elin hastily warned the dragon, praying once again that Perbiath would not be the one to eventually catch Upiditath when she rose.

C'elin began to follow W'al when he announced they would be running, and Upiditath kept up the best she could. She was lucky that she was so well proportioned, because it made running a lot easier than it was for some of the others. It wasn't all that long of a jog, and C'elin kind of enjoyed the little bit of exercise. When they got the lake C'elin listened closely and glanced at Upiditath. Don't worry Mine, I'll stay still so you can make me pretty![/i] she answered his unasked question, and C'elin picked up a bucket. He decided to keep a bit to himself, as W'al had said they should use this time to learn everythin about their newly Impressed dragonets.

Eventually C'elin and Upiditath stopped talking to each other as the blond became more and more engrossed in his work. That was fine with Upiditath, as she let her mind wander to the male dragons around her, inspecting them and their riders, finding no flaw in any of them. However, her thoughts were cut short by... Perbiath! He was talking to her! She giggled mentally to him in what she thought was a very flirtatious way. I think it suits me very, very well, Perbiath~[/i] she crooned, swishing her tail a bit to show off. But I still don't look nearly as good as you,[/i] she had to add, admiring the Brown.

C'elin continued working and tried to block out Upiditath's excited thoughts about Perbiath. Oh shards, why was he making it worse? C'elin made it a point not to look anywhere but the dragon's hide he was scrubbing.[/blockquote][/size]

[Kila]

D'lios chose to overlook this conversation between Perbiath and his sister and continue to scrub him. He needed to know how to do this well and do it thoroughly. As soon as he was done they could get out of the water and move on to something else.

Perbiath, however, was pleased to be talking to Upiditath and even more pleased when she began to show off for him. It meant she liked him. He puffed out his chest a little and fluttered his wings. Perbiath, be still, D'lios ordered, pushing his wings carefully to the side. Perbiath ignored him. And now Upiditath was complimenting him! He did like her- she was a good sister. He basked in her admiration.

Why thank you, sistermine, he crooned, showing off as best he could while still in D'lios's grasp. How clever and kind you are.

D'lios rolled his eyes and finished hastily. He did not like that the bonded of the dragonett with whom Perbiath was flirting was a boy. He simply refused to think about flights just yet. There was a lot he had gotten himself into by impressing the young Brown.

Enough out of you, D'lios said, rising with Perbiath tucked firmly under his arm. The dragonett angrily voiced his complaints as D'lios exited the lake and procured some oil to begin the next step of their lesson. The complaints fell on deaf ears and Perbiath was reduced to sulking as dignified as possible in the grass. The oil felt just fabulous on his hide, though, and his anger melted away as he crooned with pleasure. He was even more excited by the brilliant effect that the oil had on the physical appearance of his hide. He made eyes at Upiditath and displayed himself proudly when D'lios wasn't watching.

[arratra]

Avartiath clambered out of the water as soon as A'tra and Margras were done scrubbing him.
"Av! Get back here!" A'tra yelled, "We still have to rinse you!"
Oops. Sorry, A'tramine, Avartiath said, jumping back into the water, and rinsing himself thoroughly.

Together, the three left the water, and A'tra, again with Margras' help, started to oil Avartiath, who hummed in pleasure as the oil was rubbed into his hide.
Oh.... that feels so good, Avartiath said, lidding his eyes.
Glad you like it.