Eager to Fly (2/2)

Writers: Aaron, Avery, Devin, Duskdog, Halyonix, Len, Sia, Steel, Suzee
Date Posted: 24th September 2024

Characters: R'lor, Ç'pier, V'tian, Sh'del, L'fael, O'dyn, O'rosin, J'lor, Saedyna, C'rand, Zelah, B'lyse, Tirraze
Description: The Weyrlings take their first flights!
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 12 of Turn 11

R'lor

Saedyna was excited to fly but also nervous, especially after O'rosin nearly fell off his dragon. }:I would never put you in danger like that,:{ Avarith insisted. }:I am here to protect you!:{

It was the surge of confidence she needed, so when the Weyrlingmaster looked around for the next volunteer, Saedyna raised her hand.

"Saedyna and Avarith," R'lor said with a little smile. "Make sure your straps are secure and then check with me before taking off."

She nodded, heart beating fast as she climbed onto Avarith's neck. She checked three times before telling the Weyrlingmaster they were ready. He gave them the okay and then with a jolt, Avarith left the ground.

One wingbeat, then two, and Saedyna forgot all her worry. They were flying! She was riding her own dragon! Her perfect, lovely Avarith wobbled just a bit and then righted herself. }:This is fun!:{

Saedyna felt the green's desire to keep flying. **We have to land now.** She didn't want to either, but she didn't want to get in trouble. Avarith shifted position and glided back down. She skidded a moment in the sandy ground of the Bowl before coming to a stop.

Not perfect, but R'lor didn't expect perfection on the first try. "Well done. Who'd like to go next?"

C'rand cleared his throat. "We'll go, sir."

}:We should have gone _first_,:{ Berlinarth rumbled, still clearly unhappy that his rider had insisted on waiting and watching a few classmates first. C'rand was a cautious sort, and while the brown wouldn't have considered himself _impulsive_, well... he was a young dragon, yet. }:Did you see the embarrassment Aeoluth made of himself? Ridiculous. Shameful. Absolute dishonor.:{

C'rand was used to his dragon's opinions by now, and ignored his grousing as he double and triple-checked his straps. Berlinarth would never forgive him if he embarrassed them.. but then, that was part of why he had decided to observe the others, first. His own mistakes were lessons, but the mistakes of others made for cheaper knowledge. When he felt they were ready, he gave a somber thumb's up to R'lor. **Ready, Berl?**

}:Hatched ready,:{ the brown replied with a sniff, gathering himself and launching into the air.

Wow.

C'rand had only actually ridden a dragon a couple of times -- seldom enough that this would have been an exciting experience even if he had been astride someone else's dragon. But here he was, on the back of his _own_ dragon, his Berlinarth, whose chest was swelling with pride and excitement in this moment, too, despite his attempts to pretend that this was all very simple and matter-of-fact for him. There was nothing quite like this: the wind on his cheeks, his lifemate's sturdy body beneath him, promising that he would never let him fall.

It was over all too quickly. Berlinarth took great care in trying for a graceful landing, but he was a big dragon not really meant for such delicacy without more practice. He came down a little too hard, jolting C'rand in his seat forcefully enough to make him lose his breath for a moment. Not that he still had a lot of breath to lose after actually flying for the first time. He grasped his chest instinctively, then breathed deep, looking up at the weyrlingmasters with a wind-reddened grin and flashing another -- more excited, this time -- thumb's up.

}:No errors next time,:{ Berlinarth promised, stiffening with embarrassment. }:NONE!:{

"A little rough on the landing, but good job overall." R'lor smiled at the pair before turning to the rest of the class. "Do I have any other volunteers?"

While Riamorth was dancing like he had to use the latrine next to Tirraze, she watched the others. She somehow seemed to put it out of her mind that this was something she was meant to participate in as well, so she said nothing.

Azureth repeated R'lor's question for B'lyse, but he, too, was so used to not speaking up and to dealing with having slightly modified instruction due to his broken arm, he forgot that it had at last healed enough to be rid of its splint and sling. He would simply wait until R'lor told him what to do. That was easier than volunteering and then being told he had to wait anyway.

}:I want to go, please can we go?:{ Nymeiath asked as soon as the weyrlingmasters asked for who wanted to go first. The green had often begged to go first when the dragonets were doing practice flights to get ready for their riders, and she loved the rush of wind under her wings, and she just couldn't _wait_ to share it with her rider!

**No, not first,** Zelah said, knowing she was the reasonable half of the pair. **I want to see how others do. I don't want to do it wrong and hurt us.**

Her caution was well-rewarded, given seeing a classmate make such a foolish mistake. While the weyrlingmasters handled the consequences, she turned away from it and ran her finger under the straps she'd made, testing fit and security one final time.

}:It's good because you made it. We're ready,:{ Nymeiath said.

**We are ready,** Zelah agreed, _knowing_ she'd do better than O'rosin had. After C'rand and Saedyna, she raised her hand. "I'll go."

}:Finally!:{ Nymeiath said. }:It's looked _sooooo_ fun that they've all been going, and you're going to love being on my back!:{

She stepped up and smartly saluted the weyrlingmasters, mounted up and let them check over her strappings in the same way as she'd just done, confident they'd find no flaws. Once given the approval to go off, she took a deep breath and gave her green the signal.

Nymeiath bunched her hips and jumped upwards, clearing the ground and beating her wings to climb into the sky. Zelah felt the wind rush against her cheeks and felt the ground drop below her and looked down to see it receding away and everything that had looked so big around her look smaller. Only Nymeiath's body holding hers seemed real, everything else was dreamlike, inconsequential. She was free, finally _free_ of what had held her back.

}:We can go higher! See, look -:{ And Nymeiath took another big wingbeat up as though she wanted to clear the height of the whole weyrbowl and keep arrowing into the sky.

**No! We go lower, back down, and land gracefully. Look, you want to show the weyrlingmasters' dragons just how pretty you land and how good we did, see?** Zelah encouraged, trying to spin her control positively for Nymeiath and not crush her by yelling at her.

}:All right...but I want to go higher again, soon. Please?:{

**When they tell us we can,** Zelah said. **For now, we have to be good and patient, okay?**

The green stuck the landing perfectly without a wobble, and she slipped off Nymeiath's back, publicly beaming at their accomplishment, privately hoping they looked okay.

"Well done, Zelah and Nymeiath." R'lor looked over the remaining Weyrlings. His gaze fell on Tirraze, but he didn't want her to feel singled out, so he turned to B'lyse instead. "B'lyse and Azureth, you're next."

}:The instructor says we are next,:{ the blue relayed. B'lyse nodded and carefully checked the straps -- of course, he had seen what happened with O'rosin -- and then nodded. When he had the go ahead, he nudged Azureth.

}:How do we know who wins? Farthest? Highest? Gentlest touchdown?:{

**It's not a competition.**

}:Well, no, obviously, but how do I win?:{

**Let's shoot for gentlest touchdown.**

With that in mind, Azureth went no higher than required, nor any farther, so that he would be traveling slowly enough to alight on the ground as though he had merely been walking the whole way.

That was the plan, anyway. When he touched down, his back left foot slipped in the sandy dirt. It did not cause him any more trouble than a brief wobble, but that was enough for him to feel he could not say he had stuck the landing.

}:Drat!:{

**That was... that was amazing.** B'lyse had been laughing the whole way. He almost never laughed out loud.

}:Aha! That's it! I won because I made you laugh!:{

**You sure did, buddy.**

Now the Weyrlingmaster did turn to the female bluerider. "Tirraze and Riamorth, you're next."

Tirraze continued to stare blankly for a moment until Riamorth nudged her, and she stumbled at the audden jolt.

"Oh. Right. That's us." She climbed up while Riamorth practically vibrated with restrained excitement. She checked each strap twice, though it was difficult with Riamorth fidgeting.

"You have to hold still." Tirraze stroked his neck, and he laid his belly onto the ground while his head and tail remained erect. Once they got the go ahead, he sprang forward like a pounce and leaped into the air.

He wobbled left and right and nearly crashed into the ground, but he caught the air and launched himself upward with a trumphant bugle.

"We can't go any higher."

Tirraze could feel how much the blue wanted to keep going, but with a whiny whimper, he capitulated and returned to the ground.

He hit the sand running with several hops, two skips, and a jump and a half before finally coming to a stop. Tirraze did not look the slightest bit frazzled. She stroked Riamorth's hide and hugged him.

"Needs some work, but that was decent enough," R'lor said. There were many pairs left to go, and he hoped there wouldn't be any other major mishaps. There was always at least one, and he hoped that O'rosin was the worst of it for today.

Last updated on the October 6th 2024

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Eager to Fly (2/2)