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Writers: Avery, Yvonne
Date Posted: 31st January 2015

Characters: Alina, L'pin
Description: L'pin evaluated Imarith's solo flying and Alina's newly sewn riding straps.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 20 of Turn 7

Alina

Imarith opened her wings and leaped into the sky, and although Alina had her eyes closed, she saw everything. Felt the way the air gathered beneath Imarith's wingsails, the way her tail held her balance, the exhilaration of looking _up_ and seeing nothing but space and freedom and clouds and this was what it meant to be a dragon--!

**Come down now, please,** Alina said quietly.

Imarith resisted, her desire to fly making her hate the ground. But Alina had her down fairly quickly anyway, the dragonet hunching her shoulders and wrapping her tail around herself in a very obvious pout. }:I am good at flying. I am meant to fly!:{

**Yes, and L'pin and Chaneth will help you fly even better.** Alina opened her eyes and turned to her teacher. "She-- I hope that was all right?"

"She cleared the ground well and didn't scrape her wingtips on leap. That's an excellent start. Nor was she over-correcting and destabilizing. Especially with the smaller colors, that's a real risk the first few flights."

The weyrling beamed in relief. Imarith had been practicing flying while she was in class, and although it had worried her that her dragon was flexing her wings unsupervised, it had clearly paid off. The only downside was that it was soon time for them to fly together... and although she loved watching the ground spiral away through Imarith's eyes, Alina wasn't sure if she wanted to experience it for herself. The joy was tinged by dread about what would happen next-- first mating flights, then Thread. Both were terrifying, although... "She'll be able to hunt on her own soon, then?"

"Indeed she will. That'll be a load off, won't it? It can be unsettling watching and feeling for the first time, though. There's a difference between seeing them eat the raw meat that's already dead, and feeling them tear something up."

}:I cannot wait to tear something up.:{ Imarith flexed her claws and left furrows in the dirt.

Alina shrugged at that. "It won't be the first time I've seen a beast die." And it would be a small price to pay to not have to walk over to the feeding pens all the time and watch Imarith choose a dead ovine from a hanging shed. The smell of dried blood turned her stomach, and the insects...!

A weyrlinghood memory struck him. "That first day of feeding Chaneth was the first time I had," he admitted. "I came from a relatively soft Hall life, and the only dead animals I knew were what you found on your plate at mealtime. I turned green and nearly passed out."

Alina giggled a little. "The only time it was ever an issue was when Elana and I made a pet of one of the baby porcines, and then had to help when it was time to put him up for winter. We didn't forgive Father for _months_. But Oinker did taste good as bacon!"

"I don't think I could have done that. See, it gave you a leg over many of the other candidates - including many of the weyrbred ones."

}:Riders are silly about food,:{ Chaneth commented to Imarith.

}:I love food,:{ Imarith said dreamily. }:I could eat food every day and every night.:{

"How are you doing with the accelerated pace? New weyrs, first paired flights soon, it's a tumultuous month."

Alina shrugged and looked down at her feet. Even though L'pin said she'd be better off than many of the other candidates when it came time for their dragons to kill, she still felt left behind when it came to everything else. Tumultuous barely covered it. "I'm looking forward to my own weyr."

"Were you in communal living in the hold you came from? Some people find living alone to be a shock," he warned gently. "But I remember how excited I was for my first weyr. Any thoughts on where you'd like it to be?"

"I'm not sure. I hadn't thought that far ahead," she said after a moment. And even if she had always shared space with her sister, getting away from the snoring, giggle gaggle of other weyrling girls was going to be divine. "I know Imarith is looking forward to it too."

"She's tired of being around the others, or she's growing out of the wallows?" The latter was usually complained about by the metallic colors first, but the barracks just weren't sized to have weyrlings until they graduated.

"I think she's a little territorial and wants her own space." That sentiment the green dragonet probably echoed from her rider. "But I think she's also copying some of the larger dragons and she _says_ she is too big."

}:I _am_ too big for the tiny wallows,:{ Imarith said primly.

**You just hush, you're not!** Alina shot back. **You fit just fine.**

"Chaneth had that problem, but you've seen how large he is."

The blue preened at that. }:Big and strong.:{

He looked at the green, who seemed from the outside to be sitting calmly. "She's within the average range so far, but you might have one of the wallows for the smaller greens. They can be variable."

"She fits just fine." Alina gave her dragon a warning look.

Imarith faked a yawn in return, exposing a set of perfectly white, perfectly sharp teeth. }:See how sleepy I am? I am sleepy because my wallow is too small. I will sleep better with a bigger wallow.:{

"We'll see how she grows in her own space and hunting her own food," he told her.

Chaneth assessed the little green. }:Up to flying again?:{ he asked.

Imarith sprang to her feet. }:Yes! I am ready! I want to fly!:{

"You should put the straps on her," L'pin suggested. "I can check over how it looks and she can get used to the feel."

"All right." The straps, at least, she was quite proud of. Repairing harnesses and yolks for the runners by the fireside over the winter months had given her an edge, especially since some of the other weyrlings had never held an awl or sewn leather in their lives. It didn't take long to get the straps on the green, and Alina took a step back to admire her handiwork. Even, sturdy stitches that almost looked decorative held bits together that weren't buckled, and she'd made them thick and sturdy. They had to be, if she wasn't going to fall off.

He walked around the green, taking his time to check out the straps, tugging and testing. They were indeed fine work.

"These might be the best of the lot," he told her with a smile. "Have you practiced sitting her in them yet?"

Alina beamed at the complement, although her smile quickly faded. "No. I thought we ought to wait for class..."

"If you'd prefer to," he said. "But really, it's okay."

Imarith turned to her rider, her eyes whirling with excitement. }:Try! We are meant to fly together.:{

The weyrling took a deep breath, then nodded. She hesitantly put her hands on the riding straps, feeling the heat from her dragon's hide and the softness of her handiwork. Then, with a final glance at L'pin, she pulled herself onto Imarith's back.

It was nothing like mounting a runner. Imarith moved to catch her weight with an almost uncanny precision. The dragon's shoulder wasn't much higher than a pony's back at this point, and she didn't have as much girth. But as soon as Alina's weight was settled, Imarith spread her wings and bugled her pleasure.

}:_This_ is right!:{

Alina felt herself smile as she surveyed the weyrbowl from the back of _her_ dragon. It did feel right.

He couldn't help but smile warmly when he saw it. "You look like a proper dragonrider. Soon, you two will fly," he reassured them.

Imarith spread her wings proudly and hopped in place as Alina's stomach flip-flopped. "Yeah," she said after a moment. For good or ill, soon she and her dragon would fly together... with everything that entailed.

Last updated on the February 11th 2015

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