Something a Little Different
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Emma, Jane
Date Posted: 2nd January 2008
Characters: K'deren, K'hetah
Description: K'deren has a suggestion for his new Wingleader.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 17 of Turn 4
The drills had gone well for the past few days, which meant that it might be time to try something different, or at least that was the case in K'deren's experience. Which was why, after a visit to the archives, and armed with a sheaf of hides, he went back to his office hoping to catch K'hetah.
The Wingleader had just settled onto his chair, leaning back, getting it balanced, and was cautiously reaching out for the piece of paper on his otherwise empty desk when his Wingsecond appeared in the doorway of their shared office.
K'hetah eyed the hides the man was carrying with suspicion. "They aren't going to land on my desk, are they?"
"Possibly," was the reply as K'deren dumped the pile on his desk. The brownrider pulled out his chair and pulled the stack closer to him. "I was wondering about trying something a little different in drills, and chased up something from the archives to look at." Some riders could be very territorial about drills and formations, relying on the fact that it has worked in the past. But as they'd learnt, and fast, thread wasn't predictable and you needed to be pre-active at times rather than a belated reaction.
"Oh?" With a sigh the Wingleader put down his piece of paper and leaned forward to set the chair back on all four legs. "Drills, or drills and in Threadfall?"
"Just drills to start with, but it might be worth investigating if they can be used in fall. I looked up some records that were brought from Thayan Peak's archive, I'm not sure which Pass they date from, only that they are old."
"Last Pass, surely? Could hide have lasted any longer? Unless they've been copied." K'hetah sighed and got to his feet. He might as well look while the hides were on his Wingsecond's desk, thus sparing his own from clutter.
K'deren spread out the first of the hides, using an ink pot to hold one side, and a book for the other. "It looks similar to one of our formations we use now, but the difference is here," and he pointed to the diagram. "At this point, the browns stay forward instead of dropping back, and the greens come through to allow any of the blues that change over time to do so."
"Not many of those in our Wing," K'hetah said. Sometimes a blue dragon would change at half-Fall like a green did because he was small and lacking stamina, or sometimes simply to even up the number leaving and arriving.
"We'll still need to try it. And look," continued K'deren. "Those blues then provide the cover for the greens in turn, then the browns drop back."
"Hmm. We could try, I suppose. See how it works in drills." The Wingleader grinned. "Likely with a flurry of wings and not much coordination."
"It might be interesting to try it, at least it would provide some variation."
"Two wings of thought on that," the bronzerider pointed out.
"Unsettling people versus preventing boredom. But I'll take your advice on it, since you know the people better than I do."
"It occurred to me that way too," admitted K'deren. "I think that a little surprise won't hurt people."
"All right. Well -" He peered at the hide again. "Do you think we could try this with two dragons - three with Eleada. Just so we know its flyable before we ask the wing to do it?"
"Not a problem," replied the Wingsecond. "I'm sure she'll be only to pleased to help us."
"Tomorrow, then, after the midday meal? We can let the rest of the Wing stand down."
"I'll let Eleada know."
K'hetah handed the hide back to his Wingsecond. "Once you've finished with it I'd like to study it." He glanced at the rest of the stack that the brownrider had bought from the archives and grimaced. "Just that one. Not all of them."
"Of course, I need to look at these as well, but I think they'll be pretty much the same as our current ones."
"You look, then," the Wingleader said, glad that the other man was all but volunteering, "and tell me if there's anything we should look at together."
"Will do," replied K'deren as he gently lifted the items he'd used to spread the first hide, which he folded carefully again, before taking the next one from the stack.
Last updated on the January 4th 2008