Eager to Fly (1/2)

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

It took longer than usual to quiet the Weyrlings down and the excitement was clear on many faces. Today they were going to take their first flights! "Remember that as fun as this might seem, this is also serious business," R'lor said. "You must watch your dragon for any sign of strain or injury. Don't let them push themselves. And you'll follow our instructions exactly or you'll be sitting out and watching your classmates, do you understand?" He glanced around to see a few nods and murmurs.

"Alright. Who wants to go first?"

"Would it help if I demonstrated?" Ç'pier offered. He was not sure whether he would be expected to go, but if he was, he wanted to get it out of the way first rather than appear to be showing any of the younger ones up by going later.

}:Oh, oh, I want to go first!:{ Indith exulted, even bouncing a little. }:Tell me we can go first!{

V'tian hesitated, torn between volunteering and avoiding it. "I..."

}:We can go first!:{ Indith announced gleefully.

**Indith!!** V'tian snapped.

R'lor glanced over at C'pier and thought a moment. "You can go last."

}:Indith is eager,:{ Kularth told his rider with a hint of amusement.

A green first, that seemed like a good idea. "V'tian and Indith, you can go first. Mount up and check your straps."

Sh’del looked over to the eager green with a small grin on his face. This lesson was always the best one, with young dragon and rider first got a taste of flight together.

L’fael watched on, softly rubbing Sojanth’s eye ridges to keep her from getting annoyed with any of her clutch mates.

V'tian, singled out (by his own dragon no less!) and now having felt the eyes of everyone else on him, too. took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, turning to climb aboard Indith, who spread her wings and crouched. ** Okay, fine. ** he told her.

}:Yes!!!:{ Indith exulted, and leapt.

The ground fell away from them, and Indith's joy bled into V'tian's surprise and unexpected excitement and then back again.

When she touched down again, Indith was practically vibrating in place, eyes whirling delightedly as she let out a triumphant bugle. She did it! She did it! And her rider was ** happy ** too!!

"... That... That was.. We *did* it. Indith." The young man breathed.

R'lor watched with a critical eye. "Well done. Who'd like to go next?"

Not to be outdone, or considered too young to be a real rider, O'dyn's hand snapped up. "US!" he practically shouted. "...sir."

Sh’del eyed the boy’s flight straps, making sure he was strapped down well. Catching R’lor’s eye, he raised his hand saying it was clear for O’dyn. “Go when you and your blue are ready, there’s no rush.”

O'dyn had worked really, really hard on his straps -- R'ayl had helped! -- and he checked them one more time as he got into position. "Okay," he exhaled, bolstering himself inwardly. "Okay." He thumped his fist lightly on Genireth's neckridge. "Okay. Let's fly!" There was a mighty spring to the blue's leap, then the all-important first sweep of summer sky wings, and then another, and then another, and then...

"WE'RE FLYING!" shouted O'dyn at the top of his little lungs. Genireth warbled as well, banked with only a slight wobble to readjust for the new weight of his rider, and then aimed for a landing. O'dyn could feel his dragon's muscles working to land _just so_ and then...they were back on the ground, Genireth's neck arched proudly and O'dyn doing an excited dance in his straps. "We did it, we did it, we did it, we did it," he chanted.

"That you did," R'lor said with a little smile. "Who's our next volunteer?"

Aeoluth was _ready_. Ever since they'd gathered, ever since O'rosin took out the fresh, simply made riding straps. He wiggled excitedly and impatiently, which only made the entire process take twice as long as the leathers slipped out of O'rosin's hands more than once. It took more than a little prompting to get the brown to stand still enough to get the last pieces together, and even so Aeoluth shifted from foot to foot in impatience as O'rosin tried to check his work.

}: Us. Us. Please? :{ He asked plaintively.

**You know if we go now, you'll have to sit and wait and watch everyone else go.**

A short pause. }: Yes.:{

Well. All right. O'rosin raised his hand when R'lor asked. "I'm ready, sir." He wasn't, but he could only hold off for so long anyway. He triple-checked his straps, and Aeoluth had the forethought to crouch to help O'rosin clamber up. He still wasn't used to even sitting aboard. He'd never even been on a runnerbeast before, and Aeoluth was already taller than two runnerbeasts.

He had barely gotten himself seated when Aeoluth gathered himself onto his hindquarters and leapt into the air. O'rosin's shout was nearly lost to the beat of the brown's powerful wings as they shot upwards. He scrambled to grab onto the straps in front of him in the split second between wingbeats, and up they were going again. The ground disappearing underneath them, a terrifying distance to tumble.

Then, as quickly as they shot up, Aeoluth started a rough descent. For the longest second of his life, O'rosin was airborne, unseated, with only his hands clutching the straps in front of him connecting him to his dragon. And then he was back in his place on Aeoluth's neck and barrelling too fast down to Pern.

Aeoluth landed harder than he should, jolting O'rosin hard again and sent him tumbling. He finally lost his grip on the straps, though managed to grab the piece along Aeoluth's side to right himself before he hit the ground. He managed to land on his feet, though the shock of it radiated up from his heels through his legs and back. He dropped onto a seated position before he ever knew it with Aeoluth's suddenly anxious face pressed against his torso.

"I wouldn't be upset if you had just _waited_!" He exclaimed as he tried to shove the brown head away. Aeoluth crooned and shuffled anxiously in place.

"O'rosin!" R'lor ran up to him, furious and worried. "What happened?"

}:Your rider was not secure,:{ Kularth told the young brown. }:He could have been hurt!:{

}: I didn't mean to!:{ Aeoluth said. Then, to his rider, }: Are you hurt? You hurt. :{

"Aeoluth took off before I strapped in." O'rosin said. He managed to get the dumb brown head off of him, though he was scratching his eyeridges to soothe him. He stayed sat on the ground, unsure if his feet would hold him. "Then he panicked and came down too hard. I'm fine. I'm fine!" The last bit was clearly just for Aeoluth.

"Lie still," J'lor told the Weyrling after the dragon had moved off of him. "Let me check you out." J'lor was a trained healer with a specialty in Mindhealing but he was very familiar with broken bones. He ran his hands quickly over arms and legs and then began feeling for other things. He didn't think the kid had a head injury as he hadn't lost consciousness. "Okay, he said. Looks like nothing is broken but you were very lucky." He looked at R'lor. "I want him to see the healers in case there are internal injuries."

R'lor nodded. "If the healers clear you, you'll come back and watch for the rest of the day. Then after classes you can work with J'lor to practice strapping yourself in over and over until you can do it in your sleep and Aeoluth learns how to wait."

"Yes, sir." O'rosin said. He didn't have much optimism that it would, aside from wearing him out and making Aeoluth even more jittery. He waited until J'lor was done before slowly getting to his feet and turning for the Infirmary, Aeoluth close behind him.

J'lor walked next to O'rosin ready to catch him if he showed any signs of distress. He was very sure Urlene would find anything he'd missed.

The Weyrlingmaster waited a moment and turned back to the class. "And that's why you need to make sure your straps are secure before you take off. Who wants to prove they can do it correctly?"

Sh’del pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten before opening his mouth. There was always one. “Next weyrling who isn’t ready when they say they are gets a month of latrine duty.” He waved at the nearest weyrling to get ready.

That weyrling was L’fael. Already Sojanth’s eyes were whirling red with annoyance at her clutchmates.

**Ready?**

}:Born ready…and they think it’s greens that are idiots.:{ Sojanth snorted her impression of that.

As she was one of the smallest of the weyrlings, it wasn’t hard for L’fael to climb onto her shoulders. He felt Sh’del’s hand on his lower leg, as if the Weyrlingmaster 2nd would hold him down if he tried to go before he was strapped in. He was a huge man, L’fael didn’t dare try to disobey.

He tied himself onto the straps so new they shown with oil. **Ready to try?**

}:Of course:{ Sojanth was confident.

Sh’del nodded at the lad and let go of his leg. L’fael patted Sojanth, feeling her crouch down, her muscles tensed under his legs and bum. With a mighty release she lept into the air, her oversized wings finally being used to their full advantage. L’fael’s head snapped back at the power of her upward thrust. Another flap of her wings and they were flying, much higher than the others had gone. Her slight body and large wings allowed her to glide with ease. L’fael looked down at the ground so far away, feeling elation. They were flying!

All too soon, she folded her wings and came to a graceful landing just in front of Kularth.

**Well done Sojanth!** L’fael leaned over to give his lifemate a hug.

Last updated on the October 6th 2024

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Eager to Fly (1/2)