Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Beach
With a gentler slope to the water from the main beach and the way it is cut in like a cove, this is the most sheltered spot for bathing. The sand is the same white hue, there are just as many — or perhaps more — scattered shells. From here, one has a beautiful view across the lake, a scene more often tranquil than not.
With the season still on the cold side, this particular late morning is no exception. Snow still lingers about, most of the shallow pools of water or any puddles frozen thick. Which means the beach will be next to deserted and the weyrling beach even more tranquil. Well… it WAS tranquil. The Weyrlings have been practicing hard, not only physically but mentally in preparation for this all important lesson: mounted flight. The day has come and V'dim has likely prepared them for it, sending them through their usual routines while the AWLMs worked on preparing the weyrling beach for the first attempts. Here, where it is sheltered and there is little to no pressure to "preform" for their first tries. If they fail, well… only their fellow weyrlings and the Weyrlingmasters will be privy to it.
All is ready now and the call goes out for the Weyrlings to assemble. V'dim lurks nearby, his eyes missing little to nothing in the proceedings but the Weyrlingmaster is more the observer today. It will be the Assistants taking most of the lesson under them and Anoryn is among them, with Rysith lounging nearby. When the first Weyrlings approach, the aged greenrider calls out. "Alright Weyrlings! Big day!" Cue a broad, slightly crooked grin. "Straps should be on and ready for inspection! Get to your stretching too if you haven't already! And don't any of you so much as dare set foot to start mounting up before we clear you! You'll regret it. Won't they, Mur'dah?" Anoryn pauses for a moment to flash a wry grin to the young brownrider. Riiiight? "Line up!"
Mur'dah stands beside Kalsuoth, jacket buttoned, hands deep in his pockets as he surveys the Weyrlings approaching. Not all of them today, these are just the ones V'dim has cleared as being 'ready'. "Right, for sure." He's been a bit more chipper since Darsce awoke, but something still lingers in his eyes until he shakes it off and rubs a hand over his face. "I'll start over here," he says, gesturing to one end of the short line.
Kera trots next to Moncerath, more like trailing in the green's wake, as young dragon bounds towards the weyrling beach. Her straps are in place, well tended, but not cinched up tight yet. Mon warbles an excited greeting to her clutchmates and the older dragons scattered about and the weyrling catches up as the call to 'line up' and pay attention is given. Hurrying to her dragonmate's side, she sends a salute to Anoryn and then to Mur'dah, V'dim she misses for the time being. "G'morning ma'am, sir." Then she goes to checking over Moncerath's straps, making sure she didn't forget anything, hopefully.
Anoryn chuckles heartily, especially when some of the Weyrlings shift uneasily. Aha! Taking note to watch those ones closely, she'll nod her head to Mur'dah. "Good. I'll take the rest. Hello Moncerath and Kera. You're both looking well," she greets with a warm and fond smile while the pair move into the brown rider's line. Pushing some of her greyed hair back behind her ears, will clasp her hands together and chafe them. Both in an anticipatory gesture and… well, maybe she's cold. "Alright! So it's pretty straight forwards. You get cleared for mounting up, you buckle in and you go and stand by the markers over there." Anoryn points to where Rysith lounges by one end of the beach, a marked pole stuck into the ground as a "start" point. "One at a time today. No rushing! You go when you feel ready. Take off, three good strong wingbeats to gain a low altitude, level out and glide and land. No pressure, no stress. And no going beyond the other markers!" The aged greenrider points again to where another set of poles have been set out some distance towards the main beach. "If you're successful in landing, you'll be permitted to fly back but wait on our signal. Understood? Any questions?"
Mur'dah moves forward towards Kera and Moncerath first, dipping his head in reply to the salute. Pausing to listen to Anoryn, he moves forward to begin the straps check when the older AWLM is finished, since he doesn't want to distract anyone from hearing the important instructions being given.
Kera pauses and fidgeting with Moncerath's straps, turning her attention to the aged greenrider when she begins explaining how the lesson will proceed. Looking to where Rysith lounges near a marker, then along the beach to another one in the distance. Nodding to herself, she grins up to her dragonmate, giving the green's shoulder an affectionate smack. "You heard'er Mon. Limber up some more." Her head shakes a time or time and she smirks "No, jumping back and forth while telling me to find my sock doesn't count." Moncerath snorts with a toss of her muzzle, but doesn't ease a bit away from the others in line and goes throw her stretches anyway. Kera keeps an eye on her, watching the new straps as the dragon's movements loosen them a little. She'll see to tightening them when the warming up is done of coarse. Her attention darts around the beach as the other weyrlings see to their own warming up dragonmates. Noticing Mur'dah coming towards this end of the line, she calls Moncerath back to her, starting to cinch the straps snugly before they are checked.
Anoryn nods her head, satisfied when the few questions asked of her are answered swiftly. Now it's on to the inspections! Leaving Mur'dah to handle Kera, she will still pause to watch as Moncerath warms up. Smiling, she'll call out some encouragement. "Good work! And good luck." Motioning for Mur'dah to go ahead and leaving it in his hands to clear Kera and Moncerath, Anoryn will move on to another pair. Which, to judge from the change in the AWLM's tone, haven't quite done enough to get the okay. Tsk, tsk.
Mur'dah checks the straps and grins. "Alright, up you go," he encourages. "Have her stretch out for me, and then move on over to the markers. Wait your turn though."
Kera steps back while all the strapping and buckles are looked over by the brownrider, her gaze taking in the flurry of warming up dragons and the other weyrlings giving final tugs to this strap or that one. She winces and huddles deeper into her jacket briefly as a stinging chill accompanies the sudden breeze coming off the water. Mur'dah gives the all clear, and a grin flashes from him to her large winged dragonmate. "Alright Moncerath. Just from marker to marker, anything more will get us in trouble…" Mur'dah gets a look that pretty much says 'Well, here goes.' Taking a deep breath then letting it out, she starts up. Thankfully, Moncerath is being most accomadating by lowering to the ground as much as she can. Using the straps to draw herself up, she plops down and starts eyeing the straps from the new perspective. Gah! Where do all these things go again? Large wings sweep upwards and downwards slowly as Kera hooks on and makes a few tightening adjustments. Giving another salute to the older riders, the greenling pair waddle their way towards the end of the marker line.
Anoryn will make her rounds of the other Weyrlings, the few also cleared for today's late morning lesson. After a few stern words with one pair to remember some crucial step or another, she clears them and sets them to be next after Kera. Then another pair are cleared and so on. Soon they'll have a line of readied weyrling pairs and if all should go as planned, they'll get to rotate through a few rounds and gain some confidence. Stepping to Mur'dah's side, Anoryn will cross her arms over her chest while Kera and Moncerath move to the starting markers. "Think it'll go smoothly?" she mutters under her breath to the brownrider. Her blue eyes never leave the greenling pair though and once they signal they're ready, Anoryn will lift her hand up and then down into the gesture that clears them to proceed. Take off!
Mur'dah makes the rest of his rounds as well, before moving over to stand beside Anoryn, his hands in his pockets. "I hope it does, or V'dim will have our asses," he murmurs, with a little smirk.
Kera braces a hand on Moncerath's neck as the stretching motions shift her about some. She's not going anywhere though, those straps are cinched as snugly as she could tug them. Peering along the row of waiting pairs, she sends a few thumbs up to and encouraging nods. Mon's stretching as slowed a bit now, consisting now mainly of slow wing swoops or sweeps, but she rocks back and forth, in what could be nervous energy. The motions start distracting Kera though and then she leaning down and giving the green's neck a half hug, which she rubs for a few seconds before leaning back up. "Everything's gonna be fine Mon. You're jumps are great, and your landings are awesome." She works to keep her dragonmate calm, yea, she's not nervous at all, not one bit. Glances slip from one weyrling pair to another, at least she's not the only one with a case of nerves today. At least they aren't first in line. She turns her attention to the weyrlingmasters as they seem to meet up again.
Kera reaches up to fasten her jacket up higher, feeling the breeze more so now that she's not using the dragon as a windblock, as the first in line is given the go ahead. Watching the blue pair critically, not for flaws, but for pointers when her and Mon's time comes up. Grinning as the blue leaps upwards and wing his way up, then glide towards the 'landing' marker, she claps with the others when the Dorry and Toth land. "bouncy and springy when we land." she mutters that softly to herself as one by one, other weyrlings take to the sky for the first time. Then it's her turn. Already? "Alright, just like you've done every day Mon." Looking over and making sure it's her turn, Kera urges her dragonmate to the marker. Overlarge wings are stretched out a time or two more before the green takes her crouching stance and leaps upwards. Hands grip the straps tightly as wings grab the air and push the green pair up. Only enough time for a breath or two before Moncerath is gliding down to a bouncy double hop landing at the far marker. Hardly enough time for the weyrling to recemeber how nervous she was.
"Oh, he's not that bad." Anoryn drawls to Mur'dah with a quick wink though she does dart a look over her shoulder to where the Weyrlingmaster is still lurking close to observe. Hey, boss? Looking back to the brownrider at her side, she'll give his shoulder a slight nudge. "I'm sure they'll do just fine. We'll do fine. I've been through this enough times and you've a good head on your shoulders. We'll get this lot into shape yet!" And then the weyrling pairs are off! One pair, two pair, three pair and down the line until Kera and Moncerath have their turn and a successful one at that! Rysith warbles encouragingly in her gruff way and Anoryn cups her gloved hands to the side's of her mouth. "Alright, Kera! Have Moncerath fly back now!" Just as the other Weyrlings have before her.
Mur'dah smirks a bit, nodding his head and returning Anoryn's nudge. "Oh, I've no doubt about that." He watches, applauding as the Weyrlings take their first flights, one at a time.
Kera leans down to hug her dragonmate the best she can in all these straps. "Perfect! as usual." heaping praise on her dragonmate. A quick checking over of the straps then Moncerath is shifting around for a second pass. Already limbered up, she does flex her wings before assuming her take-off crouch. Kera is jarred slightly from the leap, but the ride smooths out quickly. A few seconds pass, barely having time to peer down at the beach before the green's large sails are backwinging to land in a bouncing hop.
Anoryn chuckles again to Mur'dah's answer, giving him a long sideways glance before her attention focuses back on the Weyrlings. Words of praise are called, as well as correction and encouragement. Everyone progresses at their own pace and for some this morning's introduction goes very well. For others… there is definite room for improvement. Notes are taken, likely to be compared to those of V'dim's later. The Weyrlingmaster is watching too! Always watching. "Good work, Kera and Moncerath!" Anoryn calls as they return, offering a broad and warm smile. "You two feeling pretty good? You've seem to have the basics of it down. Best to have a little rest now though and if there's time we'll allow another run before calling it a day. So far as I can tell though, you two are clear for flight now!" FREEDOM! Err… kind of. Training is going to become a lot more intense though in the next few days for the greenling pair and all of that gleams in the humour behind Anoryn's eyes. "Well done, both of you." she offers in praise again before excusing herself. She's off to tend to the others and monitor who has gone and how many times. More notes, more observations and more to learn and practice upon until at last the call is given for the lesson to wrap up and the Weyrling's free for a few candlemarks to relax and perhaps even celebrate a little before their studies and training resume for the later portion of the day.