Appreciated

Writers: Jane, Paula
Date Posted: 5th January 2007

Characters: U'das, Jh'slaen
Description: U'das speaks to Jh'slaen about the young man's theories.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 16 of Turn 4

The young greenrider tacked around the large group of older dragonriders standing, gossiping, at the end of a table and instead made his way cautiously toward his goal. If he could just get to the last seat at the table that looked like it was nearly full of parents and children he might be able to get to eat a meal in peace. Never mind the children -
he was used to that since his home until he was Searched had been inhabited by a seething mass of small nieces and nephews. What he wasn't used to was being cornered and lectured while he attempted to eat. It was a sure way to put him off his food and if it kept up much longer he was going to have to change the fastening on his riding straps.

U'das had a whole table for himself. It was a perk or curse of his rank, not everyone wanted to sit and eat with his wingleader. It sometimes made him lonely. Seeing the greenrider looking for table, he gestured and called: "There's room in this corner."

Jh'slaen threw one final, desperate look toward the noisy family table and then, finding a smile he murmured thanks and set his plate and cup down on the table. He eased into the seat opposite the Torrent Wing Wingleader and accepted that this was going to be another meal he wasn't going to get through. "How are you today, sir? And Zackariath?"

"We're fine. You?" U'das replied briefly because he had his mouth full.

"Also fine, thank you." There, the pleasantries were over. Perhaps they would just eat now? Jh'slaen didn't think there was much chance of that but concentrated on his food in case luck was with him.

U'das let the young man eat in peace for a while, at least until he had done with most of his food. "So, Jh'slaen, I heard you've caused a quite a stir and aggravated some of the older generations riders," the wingleader remarked casually.

"I expressed an opinion, sir, to one of my peers. I think people cause their own aggravation, sometimes."

"So they do. What is this opinion then?" U'das replied and asked curiously.

The young man sighed and pushed his plate away. "I said that there was a difference between those riders that Impressed before the Pass was even imagined and those who've Impressed during it. We knew exactly what we were agreeing to do but the older riders ... they Impressed for totally different reasons. If it's true that dragons were bred to protect Pern from Thread, then we're the 'pure' dragonriders; we Impressed knowing we would face this one thing that our lifemates were bred to do. People who Impressed before ... they're facing Thread now because of a decision they made without realising what it would mean later." He eyed the Wingleader, trying to gauge his reaction. "What I _didn't_ say was that us younger ones were better - just different."

"You actually have a point there," U'das said thoughtfully. "You and I, we did impress in totally different Perns. When I impressed, the plague was running rampart and the weyrhold had barely enough healthy youngsters to cover the small clutch. Thread was just an ancient legend.
And the plague wasn't the kind of enemy a Dragonrider could fight. You can't flame a disease. So, our only contribution was to take healers and supplies from place to place." He took a sip from his drink and continued: "When you impressed, was it two turns ago? We already had learned how to fight Thread and could teach you to do it right. I can remember the first few Falls of this Pass. They were horrible. Chaos, nobody really knew what to do, no proper wing patterns, and those we had been practising...just fell apart 'cause they weren't practical. So many riders died." Including his beloved weyrmate. U'das closed his eyes against the painful memory.

"I'm sorry," Jh'slaen said, guessing that the memories were very immediate for the older man. "You had huge changes to face - and most of those still here managed to rise to the occasion. That's one generation. We're the next. Knowing about Threadfall, we Impressed.
It's a kind of commitment that should be appreciated, just as we need to appreciate your very different circumstances." As he finished speaking he realised that he was probably digging himself in deeper, though the Torrent Wingleader's words and tone hadn't been angry or argumentative.
"Just my opinion," he mumbled.

"Every one of us should be appreciated. Young and old. We are all need and we all have skills the wings need."

"Yes. The skills we have now ought to be the same, even if our personal attitudes are not." He smiled. "And there will be another generation, soon, that have never known anything but the Pass. To them, when the Interval comes -" _if_ it came, "-it will be as unnatural to them as having to learn to fight Thread was to your generation."

"Yes, those won't know anything but fighting Thread. Well, every generation has its own challenges," U'das said. He smiled, the boy's opinions did made sense but he could see how someone could take them as insulting to the older riders.

Jh'slaen grinned and reached out for his plate, feeling like finishing a meal for the first time in days.

Last updated on the January 6th 2007

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