Xanadu Weyr - Feeding Grounds
A large portion of the eastern edge of the meadow has been fenced off, the corralling on three sides is located on the rolling meadow, while the fourth is located a short way up on the eastern hills. Within the large corral are a variety of beasts - ovines, bovines, and wherries - milling around, though 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 overhead, bright but not terribly warm, and the snow on the ground reflects the sunlight. In the feeding pen, a small group of herdbeasts huddle together for warmth, their coats grown long and shaggy. Soriana leans against the fence, bundled up in jacket and fuzzy hat and watching them. On the post next to her sits Haruhi, alternately staring at the herdbeasts and chirping complainingly to Sori. She wants one. Now, please. The please is implied.
Anyone out and about today is well bundled up, this includes Idrissa whom is wandering on towards the feeding grounds for one reason or another. Her pair of firelizards are settled upon her shoulders, Ripley huddled a little closer to her as if he was trying to stay warm. Once Willow has spotted Haruhi the little green chirrups out and is off, fluttering over to the gold and lands upon the post next to the other firelizard. "Hey Soriana." Rissa offers once she is closer.
Haruhi turns to look at Willow, and chirps to her, projecting images of mauled herdbeasts and mighty feasts! … not that any are actually forthcoming. A flicker of her mind brushes against Ripley as well, and then she turns to stare once more at those herdbeasts. If by will alone a gold firelizard can make a herdbeast drop dead, that'll be happening just about… now.
Shardit. No such luck.
Soriana turns at the sound of the voice and waves. "Heya!" she calls back. "Come to check on the herds?"
Ripley deals with the little attention from Haruhi, the blue is rather grumpy for a firelizard and only curls up more upon Idrissa's shoulder, his head tucking under a scared up wing. "Don't mind him, I think his grumpy cause of the weather." Rissa offers while she pauses next to Sori and peers at the herd curiously. "Just off wandering, Willow kept sending pictures of the ara so figured I'd come see what for. Guess she was loney with just me and Ripley." Willow trills out softly while looking at the herdbeasts as if two firelizards staring them down will help make one drop dead, sure it is bound to work out!
Soriana shakes her head. "It's Ripley. He's always grumpy," she says, then nods. "I'm supposed to be taking notes for a project… but maybe it's too cold for any of the dragons to be hungry." She sighs, then reaches out to pet Haruhi, who arches into the touch, then curls her tail around Willow's and resumes her staring. Double firelizard action! Those shaggy herdbeasts will drop any minute now, and they'll have some lunch.
It's never too cold to go hunting! It's just about timing is all to actually catch a dragon in the act. Most of them are okay with eating once every two or three days, depending on how much they eat in one sitting. While riders don't have to really be around to watch their lifemate's eat, it goes without saying that when a dragon has the desire to eat and his rider is on his back, the rider really has no choice in the matter. That's where Lan comes in, mounted on Zhaoth as the brown takes a dip toward the feeding grounds, at least granting the time to allow Lan off before he explodes back up into the sky with wing spars flaring and sails snapping against the crisp air. Vaulting over the fence line, Lan removes himself from the field before the beasts start to scatter underneath the shadow of Zhaoth, the brown picky enough to circle a bit until he decides on whose for dinner.
Idrissa grins and nods while she looks back towards the herd. "Maybe. I can't say I've ever actually seen a dragon out hunting during winter." Though has she ever looked, or been out here to watch? Most likely not, well it is rather cold after all. "Maybe if they wish hard enough one will drop over?" Sure that is possible but not likely. Willow chirrups out as she settles in close to Haruhi, the green getting all comfy as she continues to glare daggers at one fuzzy beast. The sudden appearch of a dragon will at least put to ease the answer on if dragons eat when it is cold. "Well, I think it is safe to say they eat in when it gets really cold." Rissa lets her bright green gaze follow after the brown as it moves low eough for someone to hop off and then the dragon is off again.
Soriana chuckles, glancing at the gold and green again and reaching over to give Willow a share of the petting as well. "Nah, they do," says Soriana. "Just-" Aha! She stops mid-sentence as Zhaoth enters view, shading her eyes against the sun as she looks up at the brown. "There we go," she says, and reaches for a notebook and pencil, taking a few quick notes before looking up again and waving to Lan as he escapes the pen. Haruhi perks right up as those beasts begin to scatter, and trills happily. The dragon will hunt one for her! That's definitely what Zhaoth is doing there. Yep. Definitely.
Lan spots some sight seers as he comes up the trail from where he was dropped off, upon closing ground to them, he recognizes them and gives both a curious look, "Whar ye two doin out 'ere in the cold?" The brownrider approaches with a shrug into own flight jacket, tugging on his scarf a bit to fix up the wrap it has around his neck. Brows lift uptoward the sky, to note where his lifemate is. Taking his sweet time and stirring up the group of beasts, some who are bleating miserably, as if constantly tormented by dragons. Either way, once Zhaoth has his target in sight, he descends slowly, circling back and forth, corralling the beasts in one direction and then the next simply by his relation to them in the air. The herd breaks under the looming threat and when that happens he veers to the smaller group, wings down beating rapidly to draw his descent to a dive, talons reaching out and poised for the attack. Suddenly, wingtips balance out before folding back, so that his large brown frame comes crashing down on a large male fodder beast, cracking it's back and killing it instantly. Lan's gaze draws back to the girls, "Dun think ye be wantin ta see whar he does with it now…" a warning for the blood and gore about to come about.
Idrissa watches curiously at the 'show' so to speak at what happens out in the pen. She doesn't often come out to see such things. "What you making notes on Sori?" While she wasn't fully sure who it was that was with the not hunting dragon the voice gives it away now. "Hello Ers'lan." As to what they are doing here? A soft ah escapes her and she peers around before shrugging slightly. "I went for a walk and wandered upon Soriana." Willow chitters and shifts on her paws as she watches closely at the whole dragon going after the beast and bringing it down quickly. At the warring Rissa can't help but peer back towards the pen watching quietly for a few moments before looking away.
Soriana lifts up her notebook in answer to Idrissa and Ers'lan both. "Homework," says the trainee dragonhealer. "We're starting the class on hunting injuries." After that explanation, she turns her attention back to Zhaoth, watching him fly and seeing how the herdbeasts scatter in fright, how he takes his time to pick one out, to cut it off from the main bulk of the herd. She draws in a breath as he comes in for the dive, caught up in the thrill of watching for just a moment or three - it doesn't take more than a moment or three - and then lets it out again as he beast crumples, lowering her gaze to the notebook to scribble down a few of her observations. There's probably a paper to be written on this, or at least an oral report to be given. Haruhi watches from her perch, wings spreading eagerly as her excited yellow eyes trace the brown's movements. Oh, yes! There's her prize. She trills out joyously as he strikes, and launches herself into the air to fly toward him as another firelizard, a brown one, appears from between broadcasting confusion. Huh? He's not hunting. Haruhi points mentally to Zhaoth and his prey. All browns are alike, right? Firelizard or dragon, same thing. A boy hunted! (For her!) Toral sighs mentally, and flicks his wings to glide his way to Sori's shoulder and perch there. She reaches up to pet him, and smiles to Lan's warning. "I've seen dragons eat before."
Zhaoth has three of his own little additions to contend with, so he's fairly used to the little ones coming in to feast on scraps or on the kill itself. Thus, Zhaoth doesn't put up a stink if Haruhi comes to join him, in fact, the brown will make sure that as he starts to tear into the kill not to disrupt Haruhi. Sexy, Lan's gold, comes chittering in from between with some jealousy in toe and try to get her own little hunk, Lan's browns, aren't anywhere to be seen. Lan seems to be disinterested in the whole process by which Zhaoth goes into ripping into the meat, eating the heart and liver in one good chomp. Zhaoth's tail swings and sways happily as he feasts on the large beast. As for the girls, Lan nods at their answers, peering over to see what Soriana's jotting down before asking, "Ye'd ave a better opportunity ta look fer injuries with a weyrlin class. Fort be havin a class up thar 'n Eastern be having one soon to." Xanadu's classes have well since grown up and proven themselves.
"I'm sorta glad that I don't have to do this sort of homework all the time." Idrissa offers making a face at the thought. Well she does work with runners so this shouldn't be a total surprise. She watches for a few moments as the brown goes about getting into the kill before she has to look away, a soft cough escaping her. Willow is quick to follow after Haruhi, the green fluttering and hophops upon one end of the kill once there. She may be little but she has no problem darting this way and that to find some food. Ripley sits up, scared wing is tucked close to his side with a faint hissy rasp escaping him, other than that bit of movement he doesn't try to follow.
Haruhi swoops in on the kill without a single thought that Zhaoth might do other than oblige her, though as she gets close, Soriana looks up with a moment's concern to make sure the brown doesn't mind. Fortunately, he doesn't, and Sori looks back to Lan as her gold digs in. The arrival of Sexy makes little difference to Haruhi's air of certainty, though she deigns to chirp to the other gold between bites. Soriana's notes seem to mostly be about points of contact and angle of attack, and she nods at the mention of the weyrlings. "That's next sevenday. This time, we're supposed to observe an experienced dragon. Sort of a compare and contrast thing." She hehs to Idrissa, then. "It's all the classes at Ierne. You'd probably have the same if you were at the Beastcraft Hall." But then she wouldn't be here! And so what if that misses the point of Rissa's soft and sometimes squeamish heart. Details. Soriana looks back to Lan, and nods. "I've been to Fort a few times already to see their weyrlings… I hope I get to see Eastern's hatching. I heard it can't be far off now."
Lan acknowledges the answers he gets with a head bob, though his eyes are already looking down the way back to the Weyr. "Excuse me gals, reckon thar be somethin I be needin ta see to…" Of course Zhaoth will continue to feast and likely take down the next beast, but this time from a ground attack, running after them or some sort of pounce that will land him another meal.
Idrissa ehs softly and peers over to Sori at that bit on the Beastcraft Hall. "Good point." She ponders for a moment. "I wonder if I should try to take some classes at the hall…" Well if Soriana can do it at Irene then why can't she? It is an idea! As for that squeamish heart of hers she will totally NOT admit it, well at least not at first! She turns her head to look at the grumpy Ripley on her shoulder. "I'll get you something when we get back to the Weyr. Or maybe Willow will bring you something." It is possible! "I wonder when Eastern's hatching will happen. I haven't actually had the chance to see one." Well at least one that have more then two eggs. "Maybe we can go see it together."
"The hard part's just getting back and forth," Sori says to Idrissa. "I mean, I can do it because there's a lot of riders in dragonhealing." Go figure. It certainly doesn't hurt that she lives at the secondary campus, either. She tilts her head curiously to Ripley. "Hungry, huh?" she asks, and Toral seems to think the question's for him, too, because he answers it by flapping up and making his way to the carcass Zhaoth's nearly demolished and nibbling on the scraps as the dragon goes off to other hunts. Sori's notebook is put to use again as she keeps on eye on that, but she does nod to Rissa. "We can try, but it's not like they give much warning." She grins, recalling the late night rousing of that one where the two of them stood.
Idrissa nods slightly, well it seems Soriana brings up a very good point there! "I'll have to look into it. See how many riders go out that way and so forth." She would like to get back and forth after all! "He is hungrey, but ever since everything with his wing getting hurt he hasn't been able to fly well. Not that he did to start with." Ripley is a strange litle blue after all. A glance is sent back towards Zhaoth once he is chasing down another beast. "I wonder how much hey can eat at time."
Soriana nods her agreement. Being stranded at the Hall for weeks or months would be… well, Idrissa'd get awful lonely. She'd have to make new friends or something. Sori frowns at the answer about Ripley. "I'd been hoping he'd recover more, but…" she sighs. "Wing injuries are tough. And it's harder to work on a firelizard." They're just so teeny! Still. She watches the blue for a moment, frowning, until her question is drawn back to the pen and Zhaoth. "Oh, a dragon his size… as many as four or five if he's really hungry. It depends how often he's eating and what he's been doing in the meantime."
Sure make 'new' friends, because Idrissa is /so/ good at making them! The girl would bearly talk to anyone, other then the runners and other animals she would be a sight to see. "I know, I was hoping he would heal better but… He is fine just how he is." Well having two flying firelizards would be nice at times but she will just make due! "Really?… Is that a lot or no?"
Soriana nods to Idrissa. "Yeah, I suppose so," she says of Ripley, though she gives that wing a critical look. "Nah, I mean… five isn't that much if he hasn't eaten for a sevenday." She grins a bit. "You've seen how firelizards stuff themselves sometimes, dragons are the same except they're bigger so they can space it out." Speaking of stuffed firelizards, now that Haruhi's gotten what she wants, she wanders off to a warm sprawling spot. Toral, on the other hand, comes winging back toward the others once he's eaten his fill. He wasn't all that hungry, but he does have a gobbet of meat in his talons, and he's headed for Idrissa's shoulder with it. A good provider is him. …even if Haruhi never does bother to say thank you. Ah, well. He knows his duty to the fair.
Ripley eyes Soriana for a few moments, seems the blue could almost 'sense' that look he was getting. HissHisss escapes him, which makes Rissa poke at him. "Don't hiss at her." Is grumbled out faintly to the blue lizard. "I suppose that makes sense. That is wild though if one really thinks about it. Runners eat a lot but dragons eat lots and lots more." Well that makes sense as dragon are /so/ much bigger then runners! At the food getting brought to Ripley theblue lifts his head, a faint croon escaping him as he seems a bit surprized at this. Someone is feeding him! Finally!! As for not saying thanks the blue does send many images and 'thoughts' to Toral.
Toral croons warmly to Ripley, and responds with pleased thoughts of his own before flying back to perch on Sori's shoulder and groom the meat-bits from his talons. Soriana chuckles to Ripley's hissing, but leaves the little blue alone. "So long as it doesn't hurt him," she says, then nods. "If runners were the size of dragons, they'd eat entire forests."
Idrissa watches while Ripley digs into the meaty bits that Toral has been so nice to bring him, so it seems the blue really was hungrey! "I think it hurts him sometimes. I get images of the feline an that day." She pauses before a faint sigh escapes her. "I put some numbweed on it an it seems to help." At the thought of runner sized dragons gain she makes a face. "I can just imagen cleaning up and mucking after a runner that size.. Just ewwww."
"Yeah, numbweed's good," says Soriana. "If you can get him to stretch it, that's probably good too." She glances out at Zhaoth again, and makes a few more notes, then stretches and puts her notebook away. "Think I'd better head back inside before my fingers freeze off," she says. "Y'wanna come with?"
Idrissa hums and ohs before nodding. "Ya, not a bad idea to me. I think its gotten colder since standing here." Which hasn't been all that long! "I'll have to try and see if he'll let me work on that, or get him to do it himself." Willow flutters her way back over and settles against her shoulder, the little green has a rather full belly and is rather content and a piece that was brought back is given to Ripley. Rissa turns and starts to head back down the trail, rubbing at her hands some as she goes.