From the Mouths of Babes

Writers: Estelle, Halyonix
Date Posted: 16th July 2025

Characters: R'ayl, V'dryn
Description: R'ayl meets V'dryn while waiting at Barrier Lake and shares some tips on weyrling training
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 2, day 18 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Talryne, Kapera

R'ayl stood by Delorth, gently scratching the blue's eye-ridges as Talryne disappeared into the Infirmary. They were both subdued by thoughts of the Weyrwoman - the former Weyrwoman - who she was visiting, and the young rider made an effort to lift his low spirits so he wouldn't pass them on to his dragon.

**We have a little time to wait here. Should I take the straps off so you can swim?** He looked across to where the bay was just visible behind a large, smart new building. Perhaps he could get some klah in there, but it was a warm, sunny day and he was tempted to explore. The other times he'd been here, he'd only had a few minutes, waiting for a passenger or for supplies to transport.

}:I think I'll just rest on the heights. I don't want to be all wet when Loseth's friend needs me.:{

**All right.** R'ayl smiled and stood back as Delorth took wing for the cliff heights. Then he followed his dragon, heading for the shore around the bay.

V'dryn ambled behind a growing Zhomoth, who was heading for the same shoreline for a quick bath. The weyrling bluerider was lost in thought, mostly about the recent tragedy, and was not paying his usual attention to people nearby. It wasn't until Zhomoth grunted to catch his attention that he looked up. "Hello," he said to R'ayl, fairly certain that this was not one of their riders. Definitely not one of the other weyrlings with, judging by the other rider's youth.

"Hello." R'ayl nodded shyly and nearly walked on, but the young blue caught his eye. He was reminded of how Delorth had looked at that age - growing fast, halfway between clumsy hatchling and sleek, graceful dragon. "He's beautiful." He realized suddenly that he'd better identify himself, given all that had happened at both their Weyrs. "I'm R'ayl, rider of Delorth. Of Dolphin Cove."

The weyrling bluerider offered his hand. "V'dryn, of Zhomoth," he introduced. He tilted his head to the side curiously. "What brings Dolphin Cove here?"

"Transporting a passenger to the infirmary," R'ayl explained, taking the other rider's hand to return the greeting. "A friend, visiting..." He hesitated, unsure how to refer to the former Weyrwoman. "Lady Kapera. I thought I'd look around while I'm waiting," he went on quickly, not wanting to dwell on painful matters. "This Weyr is very beautiful and I've never had the chance before."

V'dryn looked away for a moment at the mention of the Weyrwoman. Beside him, Zhomoth made a sad sound. "It is beautiful," he quietly agreed with R'ayl a moment later. "Too bad it is currently draped in tragedy."

"I'm sorry." R'ayl felt the words were inadequate. The death of a dragon in Fall was hard enough, but there was an extra agony in a senseless killing - and of the Weyr's Queen. He hated to think that this Weyr would experience the sorrow and dread that Dolphin Cove had, after the losses of the last Turn. He looked over at the young dragon. "Was Zhomoth from her clutch?"

"Yes," V'dryn answered with a nod. He put a hand on Zhomoth's shoulder. "They don't all have a permanent concept of mother like we do but being so young, it was harder on them. I feel as though the first death we humans go through also hits with the same punch when we're young."

"That's true." A sudden memory surfaced, of the first death he'd seen - the cothold, the old shed, his father, grey and cold. R'ayl shook his head, forcing himself not to think of it for the sake of his dragon, who didn't deserve to share that image. "But I'm sure he and his clutchmates will grow up to be a credit to her." His rather serious expression brightened as he remembered the days of his training, when Delorth had been small. "It won't be long before you're flying together."

That brought a sparkle of hope to the weyrling's golden-brown eyes. "Sometimes I think Zhomoth is looking forward to it more than I am," he admitted. "Any advice you can spare on that? Or on weyrlinghood in general? I would appreciate it."

"For flying?" R'ayl thought back to his first, tentative glide across the Weyrbowl. "When we started flying, even though Delorth really wanted to be first, we held back and watched the others. When it was our turn we'd already seen how it was done. He didn't stumble even a bit when he landed," he said proudly. "So that can help. But with /between/, it was different. He volunteered us to go first. It was terrifying, but looking back on it, we couldn't have learned much from watching other pairs disappear. It was better to get it done than to wait and suffer."

R'ayl couldn't be more than fifteen Turns but there was already a wisdom in his words that V'dryn knew he could use. "I think we will do that. Go first, rather than wait," he agreed thoughtfully. Zhomoth rumbled in accord. "Thank you for sharing that."

"No problem." It felt good to help a fellow bluerider out, and he'd hardly even noticed how odd it felt giving advice to an older boy. Perhaps after nearly a Turn as a weyrlingstaff assistant, he was getting used to it. "Can I ask something in return? I've got a bit of time before my passenger has to return. Is there anything you'd suggest for me to see while I'm here?"

V'dryn thought about this for a moment. "From Dolphin Cove you said? Then none of the seaholds would be of interest to you, being already so close to water. There's Amethyst Cliff Hold, at the border of our territory. Beautiful cliffs. Some of them are fun to scale if you're into that. Or, if nothing else, it's a lovely view of the mountains."

"I've never tried scaling a cliff," R'ayl admitted. He knew some of the riders back at Dolphin Cove did, and wondered if he'd ever get the chance. "But perhaps I'd better not go that far off. What about close to the Weyr? There's a hold nearby, right?"

The blue weyrling scratched his chin as he tried to recall the area around them. "Garnet Valley should be just to our south. I haven't been there but I bet you could find a good vista." Zhomoth's head swung low so that V'dryn could scratch it. "We'll be flying together soon enough so we'll learn all of the reference points."

"That's the best part." Memorizing coordinates had been hard work, particularly for the big farming holds in Emerald Falls which didn't have much to distinguish them, but the reward was getting to go there in an instant. "Oh, here's another tip. When you're learning to visualize, often there's a clue in the name of the place to what it should look like. Emerald Falls by a waterfall, Green Valley in a valley - and Barrier Lake, of course. I always wondered if the people who founded those places were trying to be helpful to dragonriders."

There was a curiously thoughtful look from the other bluerider. "You...might be on to something," he remarked. "Certainly better than some of the names that they use in the North. Aside from...what do they call it? Red Butte?"

"Yes, that one's hard to forget, but besides High Reaches, you don't get much help from the names of the northern Weyrs. For those it's better to rely on rhymes or teaching ballads. Anyway, you'll soon get the hang of it," R'ayl said, lest he sound discouraging. "You get used to picking out the most important features, and then you learn to read sketches and coordinates from other riders. And for the rest, your Zhomoth will know what to do. Delorth told me it was easy."

"It is within their natural instincts," V'dryn agreed. Zhomoth made a rumbling sound that sounded like he was also in agreement. V'dryn reached up to pat his mount's head. "We should be getting along to class. It was nice meeting you, R'ayl. Perhaps when we're cleared to fly /between/, we can come visit you."

"I'd like that. I could show you around the Weyr," R'ayl suggested, a little diffidently, but the thought that another dragonrider might want to visit him warmed him inside. "But wear light clothing. It's very warm!"

Waving goodbye to V'dryn, he set off to wander around the bay, gazing up at the cliffs where dragons basked in the warm sunlight and thinking how marvelous it was, that only a few short Turns ago, there had been nothing here but an old, abandoned mine.

Last updated on the July 21st 2025

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From the Mouths of Babes