Very Soon Now

Writers: Jane, Stasha
Date Posted: 3rd April 2008

Characters: M'delon, R'haran
Description: M'delon talks to R'haran about his upcoming first flight on Valinth.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 15 of Turn 4

It was only five months since he had left the weyrlingmaster's staff, but already R'haran felt like a stranger when he looked around the faces of the weyrlings as they left the cavern after the last lesson of the day.

Tall, short, light-haired and dark. He knew the faces, and some of the names, simply because that was his talent. These days, though, he didn't know anything about the people behind the faces and names.

M'delon ran passed the older rider at first, completely oblivious to the greenrider as he followed his friends out to the lakes, but then he felt the incline to look back. The greenrider was hauntingly familiar, M'delon thought as his eyes scanned the old man's aging face and stock of silver hair. It did not take much for M'delon to realize who he was. He took one more glance at his friends, before he turned back to the R'haran. "Can I help you, sir?" he dipped his head respectfully to the greenrider as he approached.

"Mmm? Oh, no. M'delon, isn't it?" the harper greenrider said smiling at the young man. "How is Valinth doing?"

"Oh, well," M'delon glanced at the ledge where Valinth neatly sat, watching his rider curiously. "He's doing pretty well," he turned back to R'haran with a hand running through his thick dark blond hair.
"We'll be flying soon too," he added on an eager note.

"And that's always a great milestone in a weyrling's life. Has anybody in your class flown, yet?"

"No," M'delon shook his head. "First flights are in the next sevenday.
But Valinth'll be ready," and so would he. "They just started flying this sevenday though. E'naer said it's to strengthen their wings."

"When you think about how much the wings grow, compared to the growth of the body, it's not surprising they need strengthening," R'haran agreed.
"Do you know the order of the flights yet?" If he remembered back to his own long-ago weyrlinghood there had been all sorts of bets laid on who would be the first deemed ready to fly.

He wished he knew, but he shook his head. "I think Valinth might be first, because he's is one of the biggest browns in the clutch, either that or he'll be really close to first. We'll know in the next sevenday." Then he found himself wondering "When did you start flying?"

"In my class? I was third," he said, thinking that even if he had not had his perfect memory he would not have forgotten that. "The greens went first then, because they matured faster."

"Well, no green is bigger than Valinth. We measured him a few days ago and he reached almost half a dragon's length. Not even the biggest green is as big as him," M'delon beamed proudly as he turned a loving eye to Valinth. He was happy to speak with the greenrider, something about him made M'delon feel comfortable, and he never felt at ease with adults.

"But greens don't have so much growing to do," the Weyrharper said with a smile and a partisanship for the colour of his own lifemate. "From hatching to maturity is a smaller change than for a brown dragon."

M'delon could understand that. "So are you going to come back to the barracks again to train us?"

"No. Though I enjoyed that, but no. I'm just here to see one of the staff members - and to indulge my curiosity about how you are all getting on."

M'delon was actually hoping that he would, and found himself slightly disappointed. He was enjoying the brief conversation that he was having with the greenrider, and wished maybe he could talk to him a little more. "Will you at least watch when we start fly in the next sevenday?"

"I will," the greenrider promised. "You might not be aware of it at the time but a lot of people do like to watch. Especially riders. It's like Impression - a moment no-one ever forgets from their own training."

M'delon cast a glance at Valinth who leaped from the cliffs and began to glide down. Impression. There were days that M'delon could barely believe that he made it this far, especially with Valinth there every step of the way. Impressing Valinth had become the most impacting moment of his life, and now he was going to fly with him.

}:We'll fly soon:{ the brown thought back to his rider with his own yearnings.

Yes they would, very soon now.

Valinth nearly stumbled in the snow as he landed, but he managed with a hope and a skip until he steadied himself. }:I want to clean up with Sabianth and Besaneth:{ He continued on with a little more demand. He knew what he wanted.

The weyrling could only laugh at the brown before he glanced back at R'haran. "I hope you'll be there, but now I have to go now. Valinth wants to swim with his friends," he remarked with an affectionate grin for his dragon.

"Good luck with your flight and enjoy your swim. Both of you."

Last updated on the April 5th 2008

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Very Soon Now