Trigger Trap Thrill {Freedomfighters}

[Admin]

For the first time,
Maybe I'm wrong,
But I'm feeling right.
Where I belong.

Fan forth, Freedomfighters. Not at all very much like a proper weylingmaster aside from some vague fatherly quality to his idiocy, W'al giggled and grinned at his dragon's alliteration. They enjoyed being back after their brief absence to run errands for the Weyrwoman, who seemed to be favoring them for grunt work as of late. He hadn't a clue why, but he was enjoying his new position. It was rewarding. Meet Mine and I at the shore of the waterfall pool nearest the barrack. Tell yours to bring a jacket and a correct set of straps; Kerath continued. His rider and him shared a glance, green eyes meeting swirling blue-green eyes. There was a distinct emphasis on 'correct' straps. Having just been learning how to make the harnesses and with every sprouting dragonets, it seemed like an important reminder to make to their students.

W'al briefly ran his hands over the leather that wrapped around Kerath's chest and lower neck, more by habits built on his own training than out of nerves. That settled, he leaned against the reclined purple. His shoulders and back were braced against the soft hide, his legs crossed and stuck out in front of him. His arms hung lazily at his sides. Neither of them had any issue in waiting for their minions to assemble. They even took a moment once their motley crew was together to survey the group. Six boys, some of which were more of men than he knew he was, and one girl. One brown with more ego to him than a good set of bronzes, two warped blues, two unnerving greens, one twisted pink, and one possessive black. It was just the two of them, a purple and a young rider, and all of them. W'al smiled. Kerath rumbled a greeting.

"Hello everyone! You'll be flying today. I'm sure all of your dragonets have been able to now. I've seen a couple of them. However, it's natural for them. Dragons can walk from hatching, and they aren't even meant to walk. Today, you get to fly with them. It's going to be fun. Always is;" the purplerider begin, slowly standing up properly from his leaning position. He paced a few steps in front them, still inspecting them though his eyes held no accusation or judgment. "To start, each of you need to come and pass by me. I'll check to make sure that your riding straps are on properly and fit right. If they don't, they'll end up hurting your dragon, and they're getting rather big, aren't they? No one wants an upset fifteen foot ball of muscle." None of the dragonets were as large as the fully grown purple, but they were all well bigger than whers, and those could do damage. "So, come on, Kerath will say a few things while I look you over."

The purple picked up flawlessly as his rider set to inspecting riding straps for proper fit and function. It will be awkward to carry Yours. Grays of your age, only around eight feet long, can usually manage one person. You are quite strong. However, it will not be comfortable. You must always remember that they are there. You must pay attention to them. You must comfort them. Be careful. Kerath was thorough and clear. Focused intently on them for signs of reactions and with the challenge of their job presented before him, he worked quite well in the position. Satisfied, he settled back to wait for his rider to inspect the last weyrling in the little line to come up to have his straps inspected. He gave the group a sniff.

W'al took a step back, up against the purple's side. "Other than a couple of adjustments, we're good! Let's get this started!" He had plenty of energy. He looked quite excited. With one hand, he dug in the pocket of his pants, tugging at his lined jacket as he pulled a pouch of something out. "For fun, we'll go off at random, one at a time, just a short trip around the bowl." He jammed his hand into the pouch and pulled out a single slip of paper. "First, N'tal and Gulath!" He waited for the pair to be safely in the air, momentarily tensing at the sight of them taking off, and then he drew another slip. "Second, A'tra and Avartiath!" Five more times, he waited and pulled out a piece from the bag. "V'lin and Socordiath . . . K'lay and Invidiath . . . Teslana and Irath . . . C'elin and Upiditath . . . D'lios and Perbiath!" Once the last pair were up, he scrambled onto Kerath and they launched gracefully upward in pursuit. Exhilarated, the purple twisted slightly, showing off, and bugled. Grinning, W'al gave him a slap to make him stop.

Looking at you,
Holding my breath,
For once in my life,
I'm scared to death.

[arratra]

Avartiath took to the air flawlessly, his oversized wings catching an updraft and sending the two of them soaring upwards, A'tra howling in exhilaration.
They flew once around the Weyr bowl, before Avartiath set down so gently that A'tra didn't even feel the bump.

Margras abruptly appeared holding a glow, chittering almost as if in triumph.
"What have you done this time?" A'tra said, his tone exasperated.
After a moment, he chuckled as Margras showed him the prank he had played; he had filled a berry shell with water, then sealed it up. He had then dropped it onto the head of a weyrbrat. A bit of harmless, if wet, fun.

[kia]

Gulath stood still as his Mine made sure the straps and saddle were in place. N`tal looked up at Gulath, but N`tal`s facial expressions at the dragon had changed. Ever since the Blue had stood up for himself at that Copper`s Clutch, N`tal had come to better respect Gulath. And Gulath had become much more confident in his abilities. While the dragon still battled with the fact that he was hungrier more often than other dragons, Gulath was starting to control his voracious appetite. The name Gluttonous Gulath was not longer an insult in the dragon`s mind, but merely a playful nickname because he was a gluttonous dragon. N`tal checked over the Blue several more times before nodding. He stood by Gulath`s side, his fingers ever ready at his side, ready to grab his sword if it ever came to it, as W`al walked by Gulath and checked the pair`s straps. Now that they had approval, N`tal climbed up Gulath`s back and looked at the others. Gulath appeared to be the second largest of his class, coming in just under Perbiath`s size since Perbiath was a Brown. N`tal smirked at this thought. We are a strong pair, N`tal nodded, which his dragon responded with whirling green eyes. Yes, we are. Are you still sure about wanting to leave Dalibor? the dragon asked. N`tal nodded. Yes, I am. Especially now that you are the perfect dragon. The Renegades will surely take us in. After all, you are the son of their Queen and we have lived here enough to get secrets to them.

N`tal and Gulath were called first to fly into the air. N`tal grinned, not with excitement, but it seemed with evil intentions. Gulath flapped his wings and rose in the air, slowly at first, before gaining some speed and height. N`tal was not afraid. He was curious. He looked around himself, staying firmly in his set, only turning his eyes and head. The Weyr was big, but not too impressive. After all, N`tal had discovered many secret places in this Weyr all to easily. He knew for a fact some vulnerable points on how to enter the Weyr, places he was not going to reveal just yet. Look at Kerath, Gulath pointed out. N`tal turned his head in time to see Kerath showing off to the Weyrlings and dragons, a feat that gained no clapping or excitement from N`tal, only a roll of the eyes. Somewhere, in the back of N`tal`s mind, he wonder if this could be their chance to escape. They were flying now, and N`tal did know how to tie on straps for the saddle, and N`tal only owned his sword and pets, so there was really nothing holding him back. Yes, what would happen if they tried he thought... But there was only one thing that WAS keeping them back. Learning how to between, which was quickly pointed out by Gulath and brought on a set of mental curses. Gulath was only grateful that the curses were no longer aimed at him.

[Birdy]

Invidiath nudged Hers. He was being slow. Too slow! K'lay! the dragon said roughly, nearly pinning him to the wall with her head. The boy let out a muffled cry. "I'm sorry! I was distracted!" he squeaked, patting the dragon's pink hide. Why does everyone else have fast Mines? They are always the first to get to lessons and food, she said accusingly, moving back her had so Hers wouldn’t suffocate. “Thanks,” K’lay wheezed, happy to see she had actually started to realized that he need to breathe on a regular basis. “Wait lesson?” he said after a moment of catching his breath. “You never told me there was a lesson!” Franticly he pulled on a shirt at ran into the bathroom. Invidiath was outside, obviously not realizing that that might have been the reason for Her’s slower pace. It’s flying you know. You need your straps, the pink said impatiently, then, taking matter into her own hands- er claws, she dug the leather strips out the pile of K’lay’s things on his side of the room.
K’lay walked out to find Invidiath with the straps in her mouth. The straps he had slaved over and worked to make perfect, he definantly didn’t want to be falling off. “Vidi!” he said hurriedly, using her pet name in his hurry. Invidiath rumbled happily, she did like her pet name. Besides K’lay (on a good day), it was one of the only thing she did like. Dropping the straps, the pink slipped out the door, the end of her long tail just disappearing out of sight when K’lay picked up the straps and followed her.
They arrived near last, to Invidiath’s great displeasure but K’lay shushed her and listened to the weyrling master (whose name he still couldn’t recall). He had been looking forward to this for a while, flying. He’d tried to spend his free time watching the dragons go to and fro in the weyr but Invidiath had demanded his attention. Literally. The pink would get hissy (more than usual) whenever he focused too much time on another dragon. Or person. Or anything in general really.
Why are we near the end? Invidiath said as they got ready to fly. “It was random Vidi, and we’re fourth in a group of seven. That nowhere near the end,” K’lay said absently, focusing on making sure the straps were tight enough.

[Kila]

D’lios and Perbiath arrived promptly with the correct requested items in hand. Before impressing and coming to Dalibor he had studied dragon lore and practice extensively. For an outsider he was pretty close to an expert, thanks to all the additional information and experience he was able to amass because of his position as Lord Holder. Knowledge and practice, he found, however, were two entirely different creatures. While he knew what was coming and had carefully studied most of what he was taught, he was not always able to do it easily. It was frustrating at first, but he was determined. Each new thing they learned he practiced and repeated until he and Perbiath had it down to perfection. It was a lot of extra work and they had little to no leisure time, but D’lios needed to be on top of things, and the first thing he needed to be at the top of was his class.

So, the straps that he had fashioned were the last of a long, continually improving line and fit Perbiath perfectly. Trial and error had been hammered out of them, and he was confident that they would not let him fall. Even if for some reason they did fail him, Perbiath would not. His jacket was made of fine material, though it was not so obviously expensive and flashy as some of the clothes he had worn before coming here, and lined with warm fur so he would not be cold when they went between. D’lios and Perbiath often practiced ahead, practicing flying before they were told to for example, but jumping in and out of the cold void of their world was not something that D’lios would let Perbiath do. He could undoubtedly be an arrogant and confident man, but three of the Weyrlings from the clutch above Perbiath’s had been lost not too long ago. The tragedy had wreaked the Weyr with sorrow and inspired fear in the minds and hearts of those who were still learning and practicing. It was as it should be: betweening was nothing to sniff at, and even D’lios was not prepared to do that.

After W’al had checked and approved their straps, the sins began to take to the air- some more easily than others. Look, MineOwn, we are last so that we can watch and make sure everyone does it properly, Perbaith lorded as his clutchsiblings took off one by one. He would have preferred to go first so that everyone could see him, but being last was second best because he could keep an eye on his precious, misunderstood brothers and sisters. Best for last, D’lios agreed with a fondness previously not to be found in his character. He did realize how much of a slow but sure change the big-hearted Brown was having on him. Even if he did he would never admit it. Denial seemed to be a trend among those in power on this continent.

Perbiath bugled and took off with no trouble at all. He had done this before with HisOwn, who insisted that they have a thorough grasp on all that they do. At times all the work was annoying, for it was certainly tedious to drill over and over again, but when they arrived at lessons and were able to perform for their Weyrling Master and for his clutchsiblings without err it was all worth it. The rush of the air past them was exhilarating, and they felt more one and together than ever up in the sky. Perbiath crooned lovingly to D’lios who patted him fondly on the neck in return.

[kyrillion]

Tesla had been pleasantly surprised to realize that Irath, for once, was excited about the day's lesson. She could certainly identify with the feeling; though she was a bit nervous, herself, the prospect of flying with her green was a marvelous one. They had been waiting rather impatiently for this day to come. She had been quick to locate their latest set of riding straps upon receiving Kerath's summons (not the best-made straps around, but they fit Irath well enough), and then the pair had been dashing across the weyrbowl to join their class. Even the green seemed a bit more up-beat than usual, her eyes a tornado of crimson and her fangs bared in a draconic smile.

Tesla listened attentively to W'al as he went around checking the straps, finding it easy, for once, to keep herself focused on the task at hand - and even Irath gave Kerath her mostly undivided attention, though she was even more impatient than Tesla to take to the air. When at last their turn came around, Tesla eagerly, if awkwardly, scrambled onto her dragon's back. It took some doing, and a bit of squirming on the human's part - the girl had never ridden a runnerbeast before, and so had no experience with this sort of thing. An exasperated huff from her dragon and a TeslanaMine! You are making this more difficult than it has to be...[/color] later, though, and the girl was sitting astride her green and beaming, hands clutching reflexively at the straps.

Irath, amused and, dare I say, cheery in spite of herself, gave another snort, and took the opportunity to stretch her wings while she and Hers watched their clutchsiblings go before them. When at last their turn came, the green didn't wait for a signal from Hers - she let out a tremendous roar, rocked back on her haunches, and launched herself and her rider into the air. It wasn't the most graceful of take-offs, but Irath's broad, muscled wings checked their descent back to earth easily enough, and propelled them ruthlessly higher. Tesla, unprepared, clung to the green's back and let out a quiet, frightened shriek. The ground fell away beneath them (it felt like her stomach did, too) and the sudden onslaught of wind tugged her hair from the loose ponytail she'd tied it back in. It billowed behind her, a river of golden-brown, and the sensation made her laugh gleefully.

Irath, exasperated by such conflicting emotions - she could feel Tesla's unease as they rose higher into the sky, and the thrill of adrenaline as the girl peered at the bowl below them - reluctantly leveled off, and fell into place behind K'lay and Invidiath. I will not let you fall, TeslanaMine.[/color] And then, because she wanted to show Hers just how much fun flying could be (and maybe get her revenge for that sharding firelizard Hatching), Irath pulled her wings in and veered off to the right, outside of the group where she could speed up without fear of colliding with her fellow weyrlings. Order and authority be damned!

And speed up she did. Hang on, TeslanaMine![/color] Angling down to pick up some momentum, she gave a tremendous pump of her wings. Oh, Irath, I wish you wouldn't... But Tesla's protests seemed half-hearted, and her cry this time was one of exhilaration as her green turned what was supposed to be a tame first flight into a sort of roller-coaster ride. She only vaguely registered Kerath, taking to the air at the rear of the group, and her shriek of exultation gradually melted into laughter. Oh, Irath, you're going to get us into trouble! But for once, she didn't mind. Irath swung back and forth across the bowl, gaining speed, rising and then falling, all the time exercising just enough control over the chaos to ensure that Hers was safe - even if it didn't feel that way for Tesla. For perhaps the first time, she was willingly letting Irath take the lead, and the frightening, glorious thrill ride that was the result had been worth it. They had a ways to go before they would be able to work well as a team - but this, she thought, was a good first step.

[Admin]

But it could be so simple,
You were thinking,
Life should be that simple,
Who would have thought it.

Kerath, for a moment, hovered as he reached their destination, fondly making sure that all of their charges landed safely. Then he swooped down. Irath, please don't do that too often; he chided the violent green gently as he settled lightly on the ground, proving that he had been paying attention. Neither him or W'al minded so much. It was simple their job to keep the seven young dragons from straining themselves too much. Languidly, he knelt. None of the dragonets had size on him yet. While Perbiath would eventually outstrip him, his little class would always be his little class for the most part. Giving the purple's shoulder a pat, W'al slipped off his side. He would have been fine with getting down with his dragon standing, but he didn't mind the distance being shortened. It meant he could land with a bit more of a show to it.

"That's enough for now. Not too much to do today. You are allowed to fly as you wish now, but remember that you have to be responsible for yourselves about it. If either of you feels tired, don't try. Avoid strain. Stretching is good. Also, stay in the bowl. Don't go more than the length of Kerath above the rim, and do not cross even an inch outside;" he told them with a grin. He didn't say any of it strictly, but he laid out the rules firmly. They would have freedom. He was more than willing to give it them. However, they would only keep it if they followed the rules. He wasn't having any of them killing themselves. "We'll keep expanding on this from here on out for a while. We'll start seeing about covering some wing formations;" he continued, voice growing in mild excitement to suggest that it was all going to be great fun for them.

"Which reminds me! You're all in the weyrlings' wing now. Officially, we're all under the Wavewalkers at this moment, but they're about to graduate. Kerath and I are in charge. We'll fly as wingleader. D'lios and Perbiath and V'lin and Socordiath will be our wingseconds." It hadn't been easy for him to pick out who was going to take up the two wingsecond slots. He had considered keeping the brownrider and his dragon from the position, given that the two weren't going to have the position after graduation since they would return to Western. Yet, the two were capable enough. After that, it had been easier. Both of the blues in the group had their flaws, but Socordiath was capable, somewhere in there. V'lin showed more leadership potential over N'tal. He was hoping his approach had been right. "Congratulations!"

Kerath let loose a trumpet of his own congratulations, to all of the weyrlings. W'al chuckled, giving the purple a pat. They weren't a sober pair. "Now, last thing! You're moving out of the barracks! No more roommates. You can all celebrate later;" he told them, with a slightly knowing grin. With the dragons almost half grown and given their temperaments, he was sincerely thinking, in the nicest way, that it was for the best they would be given more space. "Your weyr assignments are posted up in the barrack. Teslana, K'lay, C'elin, yours are on the lower side of the bowl. N'tal, V'lin, yours are up over the wher quarters. A'tra, you've been put up in the middle, over the storage rooms. D'lios, you and Perbiath have been given temporary quarters in a medium weyr near the kitchens;" he explained, indicating the right sections of the bowl.

"Now, scoot. You don't have to be moved out today. You've actually got a month, but I can't see why you'd want to stay! Kerath and I may tease you if we see you hanging about the barracks outside of lessons;" he said, voice joking. Kerath rumbled with fake agreement and laughter. In truth, they probably might actual teasing them, but he generally remembered his manners. Waving his hands, he indicated for them to get moving, before lounging back against the purple. Neither of them was in a hurry to move. They were more than willing to help, if someone felt inclined to ask them, or to answer any questions. Just standing there seemed fine as well. For W'al, anyway. Kerath rustled his wings. As if an eager young weyrling himself, he wanted to get back into the air. He always felt awkward on the ground. W'al gave him a soothing scratch.

Cause at the end of the day,
It's still as simple as it seems,
It is all so simple,
Just deal with it.

[arratra]

A'tra pulled a mock salute, laughing to himself. "Come on," he told Avartiath, "Let's get our stuff together and get moving."

A'traMine? Avartiath said, looking at His, Does this mean that Gulath will be going soon?
Huh?
Gulath and His mean to go to the renegades, Avartiath explained, looking up at His, I remember how you expected the renegades to take us with them... but they didn't. Gulath and His were disappointed about it. They want to go find them.
As long as they don't attack us or the weyr, we have no reason to attack them, A'tra said, frowning, We'd best just leave them be. It's unlikely I'd be able to convince him anyway.

[kia]

Look at Irath and her Mine, Mine!

N`tal turned his head to look at the Green and her Rider as they rose into the air. It seemed as if he and Gulath were not the only ones who thought of flying freely and without control. In fact, as N`tal grinned with some sort of pleasure at seeing Irath pulling stunt, N`tal eyes were watching Tesla carefully. The girl that bothered him. The girl that followed him. The girl that was always so sharding positive despite things. The girl... wait, had her hair shined like that before? N`tal blinked a few times. Why was... he thinking of how shiny her hair was in the sun and when the wind was blowing it around her face. Why was he even thinking about her. He turned his head away and stared at the riding straps in his hand. Why did he even remember her name. He only remembered W`al because he was their "teacher" and D`lios because he had been a Lord Holder. But Tesla. Why?

Mine, are you ok? Kerath just told Irath to stop and has landed, Gulath said, following the Purple`s lead in landing since his Mine was not replying.

But, just as quickly had Gulath landed that N`tal`s head jerked up, his eyes glowering with rage that he now held for the WeyrlingMaster. That dimglow had picked V`lin and his smaller-than-Gulath Blue over them to be Wingseconds. Even Gulath, despite his passiveness most of the time, was angered by this as his red eyes were very apparent. N`tal growled under his breath. They were better than V`lin and his Blue. V`lin was submissive, weak, and barely spoke at all! There was not leadership qualities in THAT person! Even though N`tal was aggressive and tended to volatile, at least he could act. That and N`tal would not be done in by some boy and his slothful dragon. N`tal turned his head and glowered at V`lin, as if marking the boy for revenge. Then he turned to look at W`al. "You should have kept me closer to keep an eye on me," he muttered, storming off to the Barracks to move his things. He had so few things, so it would take only a day.

Gulath, in return, did the same as his Mine, but this time to Kerath. He growled lowly and bared his teeth at Socordiath and Kerath, obviously as displeased as his Mine. He turned and walked over to Irath as soon as the Green had landed, preferring to stay in her company while N`tal went to gather their things. Irath! Did you here that! He chose that lazy Socordiath over me! Me, who is stronger, braver, and obviously bigger than that little Blue. Even you would make a better Weingsecond than that stupid Blue! he said, drawing support of the Green to his side. He was not happy. Normally things would not bother him, but this had clearly angered him. Kerath and Socordiath were now his enemies and rivals. He would not be outdone by such a small Blue.

N`tal appeared out of the gave, his sword more apparent around his waste and the Fire Lizards all draped around him. He glared once more at W`al and V`lin, remembering the boy`s face so he could exact his revenge when he was needed. He turned away and headed toward the weyrs that he had been assigned to. "Come along, Gulath. It is apparent that our skills are not wanted or noticed here," he said, quickly walking off.

Gulath looked at Irath and seemed to bow his head to her. Take care, Irath. Until we meet next time, he said, following after his Mine and Rider.

[Nia]

Mine, we are going to be late! Late late late!

[/i] Upiditath whined, wiggling around, with so much energy she seemed like she would never sit still. Late late late late late![/i] She continued, though she'd ended up sounding more like she was singing about lateness than actually letting Hers know that they were late. She was enjoying her song while C'elin got ready. He was just having a rather hard time finding his jacket, though he knew it was around here somewhere. He was tempted to just give up and go without it, but that wouldn't be very good, would it? C'elin didn't want to look stupid. So he kept digging around his half of the room he shared with K'lay for this jacket.

Late late late late,[/i] Upiditath continued, perfectly happy to just sit and wiggle around on her couch until C'elin finally found his jacket. We wouldn't have been so late if you'd helped me, the boy informed her, but Upiditath just giggled. I didn't want to dirty my hide! Perbiath and Socordiath and Gulath and Avartiath and Perbiath will be there![/i] C'elin decided not to point out that she'd said Perbiath twice, the flirty Green probably hadn't even noticed. He just sighed and walked out of the Barracks, Upiditath following close behind, still humming her "late" song in his mind.

They were the last to get there, and Upiditath crooned quick greetings to all the dragons there, though she gave the males (even Kerath) an especially flirtatious tone. Not that they had much time to respond to her, as W'al began instructing right away. Finally! They were going to fly! C'elin was extremely excited, as was Upiditath. Yaayy! Yay yay yay! I get to carry you mine! I do! All by myself![/i] Upiditath chattered as C'elin adjusted her straps, though occassionally she'd whine about how tight they were and he'd quickly fix it to calm her down. After they were all strapped and the order was given out, C'elin got in line and took off after Teslana and Irath did. Upiditath wasn't worried at all about her ability to carry C'elin without dropping him and happily took to the air, excitedly soaring around the Weyrbowl with very little problems, though C'elin was still rather frightened, he was able to handle it quite well. After all, he'd been through much worse.

Landing, however, was a whole other problem. Upiditath didn't take C'elin's need for comfort in at all and slammed into the ground the way she normally landed, resulting in C'elin almost falling off. Upiditath! You have to be more careful! You're flying with me now, you can't be careless! But the pretty Green just laughed. You wouldn't fall! I wouldn't let you fall, minemineee![/i] And that seemed to be all Upiditath needed to have confidence in her abilities. C'elin sighed, but didn't push it. She was rather difficult to deal with sometimes.

While some people were pretty upset about W'al chosing V'lin, C'elin was extremely happy for his friend. He approached the other boy with a grin. "Great job, V'lin! I knew you had it in you to be a Wingsecond," he congratulated, not at all upset that he hadn't been chosen. Of course he wasn't going to... Upiditath was.... not Wingsecond material. At all. He wasn't even sure she was threadfighter material, she was distracted by the male dragons. But that was okay... she'd get better with time. He was sure of it.[/blockquote][/size]

[Kila]

Perbiath touched down smartly after Kerath and all his clutchsiblings- the caboose of the flying line. Very pleased with himself, he stood still long enough for D’lios to dismount and then turned with his Rider to listen to W’al. The Purple Rider had nothing but good news for them. D’lios and Perbiath were both delighted, D’lios in a much more reserved way, that they were free to practice flying around the Weyrbowl as they pleased, regardless of the fact that they would have anyways. The walls will not be able to hold me! Perbiath declared, throwing out his wings and raising his head to the sky as if to plan his escape. No they won’t, D’lios agreed with a chuckle.

But the news got better. Everyone perked up at the mention of Wing formations and W’al’s announcement made even D’lios break out into an uncharacteristically frank smile. Wingseconds! he beamed, clapping Perbiath on his back. He had known that they could not lead the Wing because they were only Weyrlings, though the position was desirable. It was a good start. Perbiath danced around, hardly able to contain his excitement. Did you hear, Mine? We will be able to lead my brothers and sisters to victory! Congratulations, everyone! Yes. Calm down, be dignified now, Perbiath, D’lios said, trying to still him but not overly bothered by the display. At least his better half was contained outside of himself.

The move from the barracks into their own Weyr was welcome news as well. That boy that he had been forced to room with…. He didn’t think they’d ever even spoken to each other. Naturally they were assigned to the largest weyr of the class, which Perbiath managed to admire silently, preening loftily to keep himself from dancing or gloating. One boy did not seem too pleased by the new arrangements, but D’lios was not concerned as he stormed off. Come along, Perbiath, let’s go find our new quarters.

[kyrillion]

Tesla was rather surprised when Kerath's scolding, gentle as it was, did not provoke Irath's anger. The green had never been one to act submissive in any form, and likely never would be - even so, she acknowledged the purple's request with a soft bugle. It wasn't acquiesance, but it was certainly more than her rider had expected.

Sensing Tesla's surprised, Irath's mindvoice took on a rare tone of amusement.
He is concerned for your safety, riderMine. That does not anger me. If you rode anyone but me, I would be concerned, too. But I know that I can keep you safe.[/color]
The green sounded so self-assured, and so uncharacteristically reasonable, that Tesla could only laugh, relieved and happy at her dragon's sentiments. Her green was maturing, if only a little - it could only be a good thing.

Following behind the purple, Irath touched down behind the rest of the class with a dull thud - not a particularly graceful landing, but it was a solid one. There wasn't any awkward hopping or skidding from residual momentum. Immediately, two pink firelizards materialized before them, and settled themselves upon Tesla's shoulders, the one chattering inanely and the other quietly nuzzling the girl's cheek. Irath huffed, almightily annoyed, and made sure the two obnoxious creatures got an up-close view of her fangs. They quieted immediately.

The group listened with at least a semblence of attentiveness as W'al named the new wingseconds - D'lios was the obvious choice, of course, and Tesla was happy enough for V'lin. Though she did not really know the boy, herself, she knew that C'elin thought quite highly of him - and she had a soft spot for timid C'elin, secret partner-in-crime along with Pratyba. It was Irath who immediately sensed the problem.

The pair watched N'tal and Gulath's outbursts, one surprised and confused and the other falling back on her reserve of anger. When Gulath approached her, Irath surprised her rider yet again by ignoring a perceived insult. Even you would make a better wingsecond, Gulath had said, and both dragon and rider had viewed it as a sort put-down, or at the very least a back-handed compliment. But Irath, after a brief moment of indignation, put it out of her mind and came to her friend's defense.

Of course I would![/color] Was all she said of the matter before moving on. But the title should have gone to you. You are the boldest of us. I am sorry Kerath and His could not see that.[/color] Her eyes were whirling bright blood-red in sympathetic outrage. Tesla, still floundering in surprise and bemusement - not only about N'tal's obvious anger, which she couldn't understand, but now at Irath's use of I'm sorry as well - watched with wide eyes as N'tal returned with his firelizards and a sword. Coil, spying N'tal's blue 'lizard , was predictably besotted, and would have gone to chatter with him immediately had Irath not stopped her with a menacing snarl. Irath looked on sullenly as the blue and his rider took their leave; Tesla was still trying to figure out the source of his discontentment. She couldn't fathom why being wingsecond of the weyrling wing had been so important to the boy, but she felt bad for him nonetheless. Feeling Irath's anger rising to the surface, she hastily asserted control again. Come on, you. Let's get moved in to our new weyr.[/size]