Dragons Don't Know Fences

Xanadu Weyr - Feeding Grounds
Sparse trees are scattered through this field on the western edge of the forest, not far north of the clearing. The pen extends partly up the hills to the southwest, and the trees grow sparser the further west one goes. Within the large corral are a variety of beasts - ovines, bovines, and wherries - free to roam and graze. The appearance of a dragon may send them one way or the other to try and escape. A small pond is set near one corner of the enclosure, and at times it reflects the low, bordering mountains.
Just at the forest's edge, set under the tree line, is a guest weyr for use in mating flights, a simple cottage made of weathered planking and grey stones.


The sun is high in the sky, and the weyr is hard at work. Teinon included! It seems that SOMEONE has crushed a section of the feeding ground fence. Now… No one is saying that it was definitely one of the weyrling dragons, buuuuut, well. They ARE the ones with the least experience on the feeding grounds. So the real culprit is most definitely going to be blaming the weyrlings. In any case, Teinon has a box of tools and some scrap wood, and he's hard at work hammering away at a replacement slat to cover the missing section.

Among the things that no one is saying is that, as potential dragons to blame go, the one that was flinging rocks around with his tail seems like a pretty good target. No one would imply that his target practice could have gone terribly awry, and certainly no one would think that particular weyrling was responsible for the mess. Certainly not. No one is saying that it was definitely Varequoth.

Certainly Teinon is not saying that. *rimshot*

Certainly not the soft-spoken Blue dragon, who is growing big enough that C'iel has just a little trouble keeping up with him. They might not be coming down to hunt, necessarily? Or perhaps another run is in order. But while they ponder this, he would take in the sight of the wrecked fence and wince. "… I hope that doesn't happen too often," he meanders allowed, followed by an earthy rumble of agreement.

Euclath comes bounding up to that fence and noses in, curiously investigating. « What happened here? » He directs the question to Meion, who interprets somewhat loosely as she follows behind. "Euclath would like to know if it's okay if he looks arounda little at what happened here.."
The hammering ceases as a dragon comes bounding up to the scene of the crime. The last thing anyone wants is a dragon accidentally getting bonked on the nose. At least, it's the last thing Teinon wants. C'iel just gets a shrug and a kind of long-suffering smile. As for Euclath… Well, Tei steps back a little, and gives an elaborate sweep of his hand to welcome the investigation. With that excuse to take a break, he drops the hammer and stands off to the side to get a drink of water from a container kept on hand for just that purpose.

D'lei comes along a trail with a disgruntled wherry tucked under one arm. It's alternately making muffled squawks and trying (and failing) to claw at him through his jacket, the combination of which has the Weyrleader with a crooked half-smile of only-kind-of-amuse-ment as he makes for those feeding pens and… "Aha." He just saw the hole in the fence! And thus, he is enlightened.

C'iel winces and smiles in a way of pure apology. «You can probably tell how big it was…» Ceru inclines to his brother, the draconic detective. Certainly rocks, dragons, and hoofbeasts all made different kinds of impacts! Though at the moment he is merely sitting and casting shade, he draws in a breath as D'lei approaches with something squawking and delicious. "… ah feel like if it was Ceru, we'd want to fix it." The Blue just sort of looks over, eyes half-lidded. As if he would ever do such a thing.

Euclath stares at it, with the "encouragement" from his brother. He might have been inclined to just examine, but now he's been effectively challenged to make // meaningful observations //! Which, he is rapidly discovering, he has no idea whatsoever how to make. « Ah! Yes, it looks like… Something very large, probably. Maybe. »

Teinon looks over when he sees D'lei on the approach with the wherry. He grimaces and sets his water down so he can trot over to help with the wherry wrastlin. Presumably the dragons will be enough to deter any other animals from approaching the fence. As he's on the approach to D'lei, he makes a gesture to take the wherry, though his expression is questioning. If the weyrleader declines the help, he'll get out of the way.

D'lei is quite willing to pass over that wherry to Teinon. "Don't know exactly where it belongs, but it certainly isn't our office," he says, and grins. "I'd say we should get a screen for next time we open the window, but honestly… I feel like this thing'd just have flown straight through it even if we had one." Once he's managed to get the indignant creature passed off, he brushes off his jacket.

C'iel can't help but overhear some of this and smirk into the back of his hand. "If only we ~could~ come up with Wherrydoors…" And indeed, the 'locals' may seem wary of the blue pair, depending on which herd they call home. Ceruadharth rumbles, and roars. For nostalgia's sake. «… all clear.» He says, as if there were a point to it and the clear air freedom were not just settling in. «I wonder what all ~can~ take down a fence…»

Euclath examines the gap in the fence very intently, until he feels prepared to make some mostly-not-baseless-maybe statements. « It looks like there was a small break, then a big one. » He points the evidence out to Meion - some of the splintered boards that are broken look like they were broken before they were torn off the fence - maybe something damaged the fence, and then some of the herdbeasts inside took advantage to stage a breakout?

Teinon takes the wherry with care that the claws situation merits. He grins apologetically at D'lei, but hauls the thing back to the pen. It's all going well until Ceruadharth had to go and roar. The wherry pretty much loses his mind, and Teinon is not…. /un/startled. In the fumble that ensues, the wherry takes a bit of a chunk out of the herder's hand, slips free, and starts making a bee-line in the direction opposite of the dragon. Ouch.

Apparently, dragons aren't actually ideal guards for holes in the feeding-pen fence. Or ideal detectives about just why it happened! D'lei is unruffled by the roar - he does live with Leirith - but he winces as he sees Teinon bitten in the ensuing scuffle. He ignores the fleeing wherry - it'll end up somewhere, and either returned (again) or eaten (as is its destiny), but he strides toward the herder with an intent of seeing just how bad that injury may be.
[Xanadu Weyr] Nessalyn licks Risali.

C'iel and Ceruadharth simultaneously flinch, though for perhaps for different reasons. «I—oh dear. I am dreadfully sorry… should I chase it down?» If a massive scaley creature can fret and knit claws, he'd be the one to do it. The rider in the meantime does join D'lei in inspecting Teinon and hoping it isn't TOO Bad. « … I suppose not.» Frown. He considers his brother's hypothesis. «Everything keeps breaking,» he laments.

Meion notices the reaction that dragon-roaring can elicit with the herds, and she's quick to Euclath's side with a reassuring palm on his shoulder and a strong mental indication that now is a good time to keep voices inside heads. The little blue looks up at the startling wherries and herdbeasts, but he's not well-enough attuned to the reactions of People to realize that Teinon has been injured. So he's rapidly back to his investigation, metaphorical deerstalker perched atop his head as he tries to work out how the fence was breached to begin with.

Teinon lets the wherry go, himself… Mostly because his hand is bleeding. He eyes it, inspecting the damage with some irritation. He's already got a handkerchief out to wrap around it when he realizes that D'lei and C'iel are both on the way over. He waves them off, but then his hand is busy twisting up the handkerchief to keep pressure on the wound.

D'lei doesn't try to grab at Teinon, but he doesn't step away, either. "You'll want to get that disinfected. Wherry-mouths are pits of bacteria, and you'd have a hard time talking with your hand swollen and stiff." He glances to the fence, and the dragons with it, then back to the herder. "You have someone else who can take this over, or should I make the weyrlings practice keeping watch?"

C'iel gives his shoulder-satchel a gentle shake. "I have a couple first aid things on me if they'll do," he offers. "I was carrying them around before…" Well, before Ceru. And before all the perils of having a growing dragon who is still learning mindfulness. The big blue stays still, though he's watching the pair with a look like distant rain. He triiies to focus on Euclath's curiosity for the moment..

Euclath is rooting around in the remnants of fence-posts and pieces, putting Meion to work holding things up for his inspection when dragon-claws prove insufficiently dextrous to the task of finding the things he'd like to see. « These boards seem like they've been here a long time! Should they have been replaced? Was the fence worn-out? » Or does Euclath just not have a very good sense of what things look like, when they sit in the weather for a long time?

Teinon wrinkles his nose and eyes the offending hand. For a brief moment, he's at a loss, but then C'iel offers first aid, and Tei snaps with the non-injured hand, points at him, and smiles. First aid, very good! He holds out the handkerchief-wrapped hand to allow inspection. And if he shoots a mildly affronted look toward Euclath… Well, the dragon /did/ just kind of imply he hadn't been doing his job properly.

D'lei hehs as C'iel comes in with a third suggestion, with a nod as Teinon accepts it. "Need any help?" he asks the bluerider, and grins. "I may not be a table, but I can pretend." He holds out his two hands together. He gives a glance over to Euclath and Meion as they inspect the fallen fence. "You should try comparing it to some of the other fences, see how it matches up."

C'iel is used to treating small injuries, not CAUSING them. Well. Ceruadharth, and only inadvertently, but apparently guilt has a way of seeping around. There's a hurried jitteryness to the way he opens his bag and starts sorting through. "Well, we don't want to put your arm to sleep, or turn you red… ahh…" He looks quite sheepishly to D'lei. "If you don't mind! Though it's just some antiseptic and a bandage. If you're going to be needing stitches I'll be beside myself…" Fuss, fuss. He nods and reaches over, carefully directing Teinon to the right spot. "Put pressure.. here, if you would? And hold for a bit…"

While that's going on Ceru considers D'lei, and then Euclath in turn. «It was probably not too worn out until something smacked into it a few times..» Some things get stronger with age, too!
Euclath files away this new knowledge, trying to act like this isn't the first time he's ever really looked at a fence in more than cursory detail. « Well, then it's probably okay. » After all, Ceru said so, and that's a perfectly good excuse for him to not make enemies by insulting the maintenance of the weyr. Meion reaches down and notes a spot where there's woolly fur caught on the loose edges of a board. "Looks like whatever broke, one of the ovines pushed through, and that's probably what broke it worse.."

Teinon starts to look a bit sheepish with the Weyrleader serving as impromptu human table and C'iel making such a fuss. Before following directions, he claps C'iel on the shoulder to get his attention, makes an 'ok' symbol with a solemn wink, then a thumbs up, then claps him on the shoulder again. If that doesn't get the point across… C'iel will just have to figure it out himself. His hands are pretty busy after that following instructions to put pressure as directed.

D'lei grins, and nods, seeming quite at ease acting like a junior apprentice healer instead of a Weyrleader. He's got this! Where 'this' is the equipment. Well, okay, C'iel is the one who had it to start, but now D'lei has it to hold, and C'iel has this in terms of actually providing the treatment. And, because D'lei is not actually a junior apprentice healer and can multi-task, he nods to Meion. "Wonder if it went back in after, or the rest of the flock followed it out…"

C'iel flinches at the clap, and then laughs, softening a bit. Water under the bridge? Right, right, everything's alright. "If that's the case, then there's a whole bunch of ovines or sommat roaming around out there… does that mean rustling?" The treatment doesn't sting THAT much, and the worst part is the cleaning. Once he's finish dabbing and smearing and returning to wind with a PROPER bandage and not wasting a nice kerchief (though it might be stained already) he takes his time getting it on. D'lei probably isn't holding onto things or handing them TOO long, either. "A bit more cooperative and less… frightful than some of my patients I've had." Sure. People are just… little dragons. He gently teases with a laugh, giving it a quick look over. "Not deep enough to need sewed, thankfully… might let someone take over the hammer for a bit though." He flushes a bit as he frees D'lei of his nurse duties. "So. Do we need to chase down some wooly friends?"

Meion looks down at the scrap of wool, as Euclath prowls around the edges of he pen. "I'm guessing they could be anywhere, inside or out. Probably better to wait until we hear report of them, and assume the best, otherwise." Euclath looks up at the fencing, section by section. « The rest of the fence seems strong. Once this section is fixed, nothing should get through. »
Teinon shakes his head at all this talk of the ovines escaping, but otherwise he keeps still so that

C'iel can do his job. When he's finally freed, he inspects the work, then gives a little nod. With the unbandaged hand, he touches his chin and then extends a palm toward the dragonhealer. As for chasing down escaped animals, he shakes his head and waves off that idea. Instead, he points at his eyes, then points to the fence. Hopefully they got the message! He doesn't even try to explain his attention. He just makes that chin-touching gesture again and turns to head off for whatever outbuilding might find another herder on duty.

D'lei half-smiles at Teinon's head-shake, with a bit of a shrug of his own and then a nod to Meion. "Yeah. There's no point chasing off after the unknown when it's likely enough to just wander into someone's house and make itself known." Like that wherry did in his office! "Or else return because it got lonely." Sheep! They're like that. D'lei bundles the last of the supplies back to C'iel, then grins. "Looks like you two get to practice guard duty for a bit, though." Which is, apparently, what he took from Teinon's gestures. "Keep things under control and all while he gets help." Or maybe abandons them. Who knows?

C'iel's shoulders fall as he relaxes just a bit, seeing Teinon on the way. "That could have been a lot worse," he says. "A little guard duty for that I don't mind. Uhm.. I mean, only one of us probably needs to stay, if you get the temptation to explore more?" The dragonhealer nods. He'd probably do it HIMSELF if he didn't think that he wouldn't stand a chance against even one surly and determined sheep. He nods. "Guard duty works." It's close to… whatever they were after in the first place. «I wonder if we couldn't see them from above? Or maybe they'd look too small..» Or they'd look like clouds, and they would get confused.

Euclath considers on guard-based options, then plants himself across the broken section of fence. « I can wait here until someone fixes the fence. If they try to come through, I will eat them. » Meion looks like she's going to say something, before she laughs and realizes it's a joke. "Yes. Eat them, definitely."

"You may be a wall, rather than a fence…" D'lei muses to Euclath as the blue takes up a position. "Still, I think it'll serve the same. Functionally equivalent and all." He grins, then looks to the riders. "I should be getting back to meetings… if it's too long a wait, just let me know." The power of dragons, and their mental message-passing! D'lei lifts his hand in a wave-salute sort of thing, and heads off to duties. Non-fence ones. Probably.


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