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.
Myra strides to the beach ahead of, or perhaps in search of, the weyrlings from Igen. "Flight lesson! Learning to fly with a rider! All Weyrlings, gather round!" she calls, grinning as Ailath glides in overhead to land on the shore, carrying her straps awkwardly in her talons. "Ah, excellent Ailath, knew I'd forgotten something." the woman notes, though she does cock her head at her green. She knows full well Ailath was just showing off, she /could/ have just called Myra to get the straps.
"Looks like we're right on time," J'rezi comments to his awkwardly-thin bronze, shooting an impish grin at his partner-in-crime. Ciniterrath lets himself settle into the sand on the beach, occasionally reaching forwards with his muzzle to nudge and sniff at the riding straps haphazardly tossed on the beach right by his forepaws. "No, I don't think sand will ruin 'em. Not if they're just sitting there for a minute," the young boy reassures his bronze with a reassuring nod, though just to be safe, he picks up the straps and drapes them over Ciniterrath's shoulders.
Laera and Kereth come up from the weyrling barracks, she still walks with a little bit of a limp from her ordeal with the felines, but she is no longer using a cane or crutches. She is carrying a pair of simple set of straps in her hand, already well used from the looks of them and not for flying purposes. Long story. The pair finally make it to the beach and Kereth croons to his clutchsib before looking over to the weyrlingmaster and her dragon.
Myra waits for the weyrlings to show up and pay attention, then waves Ailath forwards. "I know you've all been drilled on straps, on how to put them on and take them off, but we're doing it /again/. Yes." she has Ailath's extra sturdy straps at the ready, lifting them over her shoulder before draping them over Ailath's neck. "Make sure every buckle is secure, every knot strong, every strap flat. It needs to be snug, but not too tight, we don't want it to slip off, or cut off circulation!" she instructs, doing as she says as she puts the straps on Ailath. "You should be able to fit two fingers under the straps comfortably, no more, no less." she notes, demonstrating this, too. "Alright, now it's your turn! I'll be inspecting your work before we proceed."
Laera and Kereth's arrival is met with a tolerant glance and rumble from the dark, dull, and burnt bronze — though J'rezi grins widely and waves to his classmate. "Feeling better?" He asks, in reference to the feline incident, though he can see for himself that Laera is certainly improving. As Myra begins her instructions for the Weyrlings, J'rezi falls quiet and leans against Ciniterrath's shoulder to listen. "Yes, again," J'rezi says patiently to his bronze, who snorts with the beginning hints of frustration at the monotonous task of putting on and taking off the straps. "I know we've already done it a bunch of times," the boy says, his voice patient but colorful with amusement as he hefts the straps up and onto his bronze. "But, practice makes perfect, and we don't want any mishaps to happen, right?" He logically retorts, Ciniterrath hesitating a moment before relucantly rumbling his agreement. Running his hands over the straps, J'rezi does just as he's been trained. He checks every buckle, cinch, and strap — making sure that the allowed space of two fingerwidths is between the straps and his bronze's hide. Once satisfied that he's successfully put the straps on his dragon, J'rezi steps to Ciniterrath's left shoulder to wait for Myra's check, and hopefully subsequent approval.
Laera nods to the weyrlingmaster before turning to Kereth who lowers his head to allow the straps to be put on. She moves to either side of him, adjusting the buckles, setting the leather in the best position, hand sliding beneath the straps to make sure not to snug. "Raise your wings Kereth, let me know if any restriction.." The young blue raises his wings as if in flight then lowers then with a warble. Laera then motions him to stands as she grabs hold of the strap, letting him rise with her hanging from them then lower to the ground. "Well that should not fall of , eh?" She says with a pat to Kereth's chest. Laera grins over to J'rezi and nods, "Yeah, just twinges a bit now and then, but they reckon that will sort it self out."
Myra nods approval at J'rezi's handling of his lifemate, smiling a little at Ailath. She starts walking between the two weyrlings now, occasionally tugging at a strap here, or a buckle there, to test for strength. Laera's used straps make her go "Hmm…" but, she doesn't find any fault with them other than that. "Okay, now, into the water!" Wait, what? Ailath certainly doesn't hesitate, splashing forth until she's half-submerged, nor does Myra, soon following. But, with straps on? Apparently.
Ciniterrath needs no encouragement; as soon as Myra and Ailath have deemed his straps worthy, the bronze stands and shoves his nose into J'rezi's back, clearly insisting that the boy join him for their swim. "Should we go, too?" J'rezi asks, but Ciniterrath doesn't wait for the answers before he hop-trots into the water, his lithe form clearly more agile and at home anywhere but on land. J'rezi glances to the water hopefully, almost wistfully, his gaze resting on his lifemate with adoration and admiration both. "Swimming would probably make your leg feel better," J'rezi says with a sly glance from the water to Laera, his bright hazel eyes sparkling with unadulterated glee.
As the green leads the charge Kereth and Laera are soon to follow, they are little waterbugs after all especially Laera raised in dolphincrafthall. She gets out of her cargo pants, leaving them in a bundle on the beach before diving out into the water after Kereth wearing just small shorts and a tank top. The four healing puncture wounds evident on her thigh. "Yeah, I reckon, I about went mad while the sutures were in and couldn't swim." Kereth quickly makes it out to where Myra and her green have swam, Laera quickly catching up behind.
Myra chuckles at the weyrlings' reactions, particularly Ciniterrath's and J'rezi's. She does frown a little at Laera's leg, just now realising perhaps she should've checked that first… But, it was fine, so she shrugs, and gestures to Ailath. "We'll be mounting from here, to begin with, it's easier than mounting from the ground, less distance to cover." she notes with a chuckle, before climbing aboard Ailath. "Mount up, then we'll fly a short distance, /on my mark/, and return to the water to dismount." she instructs, with a big grin. She knows how eagerly these later lessons are anticipated, after all. "Do /NOT/ over-do it. If your dragon seems to be tiring, /land/, there is no penalty for stopping early, only for pushing too far."
Listening to the rest of Myra's instructions only causes the grin on J'rezi's face to broaden — if that is at all possible. Submerged to the waist, with Ciniterrath beside him, both their pairs of eyes are turned to the Weyrlingmaster as she speaks. But as the gears in their minds turn, and both males come to the realization that they'll be doing manned flight today, J'rezi lets out a whoop of excitement and Ciniterrath throws his head back, muzzle torn open as his throat visibly vibrates, a rich and brassy bugle erupting to display his enthusiasm for this lesson. "Think you can do this, with all that?" J'rezi asks as he swings up aboard his bronze, glancing to Laera as he straps himself to his dragon. As his eyes focus on Laera, it's obvious that he's more concerned about the well-being of his classmate than anything else. Ciniterrath, although, is obviously focused on one, and only one thing. The bronze has moved to slightly deeper water, the waves gently lapping about mid-thigh, his wings held half-cocked and his gaze resting anxiously on Myra and Ailath, waiting for the signal to GO!
As the point of this lesson is made clear Laera grins with excitement and looks over to J'rezi, "We are gonna be riders now!" She exclaims as she swims to Kereth side. She has mounted a few times, but with her leg, no doubt a little thankful for the water mounting. In the shallows Kereth raises his leg for a step and Laera swims up to him, grabbing the straps and pulling her up that step, then over his back. All confidence and no hesitation. She was born to do this, He was born to do this. At his clutchsibs enthusiastic call, Kereth calls back with a deeper warble then before, not quite chimes but organ pipes, still melodic but with a more solid sound. "I could do this if that Feline took my whole leg, this is what we are!" Laera calls back boldly as she settles on her lifemate, buckling the straps around her with ease, in her small things. Only Laera.
You swing up onto Ailath's neck, gripping the straps tightly.
Myra grins, the excitement of the weyrlings is quite contagious. But, as the experienced rider, it's her job to keep them at a safe level of enthusiasm. "Obviously, we won't always be mounting from the water, it's just easier the first time. You're free to practice mounting and dismounting, from water and on land, at your leisure." she encourages, because that's a fairly safe activity. "Now, you've done unmanned flight, the same principles are at work here. The straps may seem a little uncomfortable for your lifemates, so we'll take it easy. Fly out to sea, three wingbeats, like so." Ailath does as Myra's asking, as she asks, "First wingbeat - out of the water. Second wingbeat - fly! Third wingbeat - glide back into the water, then turn back to shore." Once Ailath comes to a rest, Myra calls, "Now, you do it!"
Away from Ailath, Kereth warbles over to Ailath, before looking over his shoulder to make sure his rider is ready. From the look on her face she could probably fly herself if she flapped her wings hard enough. "Let's do it Kereth, let's fly like we were meant to." She leans over his neck as he extends his wings and lowers himself slightly in the water before springing out of the water on the first wing beat. While he has been a hopeless hunter, flying has always seemed to come so easily to him and it is no less different now. Another Wingbeat…glide out over the water and Laera is raising her hands from the strap and just enjoying the ride. Another wingbeat and higher before turning and gliding back down to the water once more. His legs are extended as he reaches out for a landing, splashing only a little as he lands. Laera is pumping her hand in the air enthusiastically before leaning forward to wrap her arms as best she can around her lifemate's neck, "We did it!"
Away from Ailath, The water makes mounting and dismounting smooth and effortless, something that small and short J'rezi appreciate immensely. Ciniterrath, already nigh full-grown, might be difficult to mount on land, especially since J'rezi is so young and so small. But, having mounted and strapped himself in, the young bronzerider is ready and rarin' to go! His eyes sparkle with an inner delight matched with a wide grin, focus given entirely to Myra as she instructs them. There's nothing that J'rezi wants to miss; he wants his first flight with his lifemate to be as perfect and memorable as it can be. Unsurprisingly, it's nothing less. On the signal, Ciniterrath lifts his wings high and sweeps them down and back, lifting his massive, and bony, body from the waters. As droplets fall, like a miniature monsoon, back to the ocean, Ciniterrath once more sweeps his wings - resulting in an easy and low glide over the waves. J'rezi lets his hands slide away from gripping the riding straps, patting the side of his bronze's neck in reassurance. "We're flying!" he exclaims, his voice shrill with glee. With one final sweep of his wide and massive wings, Ciniterrath turns and levels out, smoothly landing nearly right where he had been before. His eyes shooting back and forth between Myra and Laera, J'rezi can't seem to decide on who to brag to first — "We flew!" he says simply, impish grin seemingly permanently etched on his boyish face.
Myra watches carefully as Kereth takes off with Laera aboard, her expression one of thought, as if she's looking for something, anything, that needs work. "That you did!" she finally calls, with a shake of her head. "Though, you might want to rein it in just a little, he did seem to be drifting upwards a tad." Though, really, he's the sort of weyrling dragon most flight lecturers can only dream of, apparently. Shame about the hunting, though. J'rezi's total glee is noted, with a chuckle, though Myra is watching Ciniterrath carefully for signs of over-extending. "Rest a moment, then do the same back to shore - one wingbeat, up, two wingbeats, fly, three wingbeats, glide to land, in the water as before." That's three total as before, not one, then two, then three. "Then dismount, that'll be enough for now." she calls, though that's never the most favoured instruction, to give or to recieve. Still, this, like all exercises, will need to be practiced. This time, Ailath remains still, letting the weyrlings go first.
Away from Ailath, Kereth looks back up Ailath and Myra as he lets his wings fold back to his body, then flare out again. There is definately a 'let's do that again' look about him. At the criticisms Laera nods seriously , "Yes Ma'am, will watch for that. I think he figured I would be heavier and was overcompensating." She says with a laugh and pats Kereth's shoulder as he warbles back at her. «I just wanted to fly you high! You weigh nothing!» He exclaims and Laera just winces as the real truth comes out. At the direction Kerethh again follows the procedure as before, launching with his legs and a strong wing beat, flying out over the water with another, this time not flying so high, then settling down with a light splash in the shallows and the sound of a triumphant organ pipe bugle!
Away from Ailath, "Again?" J'rezi asks, eyes going wide as they're given the opportunity to fly together once more. "Just like we should be," the boy comments wistfully to his bronze, his voice soft so that the comment remains intimate, from lifemate to lifemate. "You ready to do it again?" J'rezi asks, an infectious grin spreadin across his face like rampant wildfire, unable to be contained or restrained. Ciniterrath is all too eager to respond with an affirmative bugle, his brassy voice ringing out over the waters with all the strength of a smith's hammer striking against an anvil, the distinctive metal-on-metal ring reverberating powerfully. "Then, let's go!" With that, Ciniterrath sweeps his wings down again, his wingtips dragging slightly as he rises, creating miniature whirlpools. The big bronze lets his bony and spindly body hang above the air for a minute, but his second wingsweep carries him closer to land than previously. J'rezi grins as he feels the muscles rippling underneath him, bursting with pride and adoration that he and /his/ bronze are flying together. Reluctant the bronze is, however, to return to the water with his rider. « We should not be restricted, » Ciniterrath complains, hints of irritated orange and red peeking through the calm green-blue of his rapidly whirling eyes. "I agree, but she /is/ the Weyrlingmaster, and y'know they'll tan our hides both if we don't do as she says," J'rezi regretfully informs his bronze, who wistfully gazes across the open land before reluctantly sweeping his wings and gliding into a gentle descent back to the water. "He's just really anxious to fly more, with me," J'rezi explains, emphasizing his last words, his eyes fierce with determination, but yet gentle as he looks to Ciniterrath.
Myra watches the weyrlings carefully, smiling slightly and nodding as Kereth flies lower, then turning her attention to Ciniterrath and J'rezi. "And fly he will. But if you don't keep him reined in, he'll do himself an injury, and then he won't be able to fly at all." For a little while. Shouldn't she add for a little while? It doesn't seem like she's going to… Once satisfied, she gives Ailath the order to go to shore, rather than land in the water, and she dismounts there. Ah, the privileges of riding an adult dragon. Aaand, here comes the wind-up lecture! "As with unmanned flight, you are encouraged to practice this, and, as with manned flight, only a little bit each day. Adding an average of one wing beat per day is a good start, after a couple of weeks you can step that up to two, and so on… If you need to fly along the shore instead of out to sea and back, then do so. Once you feel secure about mounting and dismounting, and landing, you can do this on land as well." Landing on land, what a novelty! "If you're not sure, you're not ready."
Away from Ailath, Kereth's neck> Laera seems reluctant to dismount just yet as she leans over Kereth's shoulder and pats him. Her emerald gaze shifts over to the Weyrlingmaster with a grin on her face. "I can't wait to show my mothers and my sister and Liraeth.." She starts rattling off a few more names, her face bright with excitement. She is now a Rider. What she is meant to be. She grins over at her fellow Weyrling and pumps her hand in the air, "That was so great…you looked good up there as well." Kereth gives a low warble to his brother, «We fly well together!» As the weyrlingmaster speaks Laera turns her attention back to the woman and nods to woman, "Yes ma'am." She says with a bounce of her head and a grin on her lips, "That was so fun.." Kereth lowers himself finally in the deeper water so his rider can dismount. Which she does not quite so gracefully as she got up…with a canonball off his shoulder.
Away from Ailath, "Oh, you don't have to tell me twice!" J'rezi assures Myra with an easy smile, his body relaxing atop his bronze's neck. "I don't want him to get hurt, 'cause then it'll just be longer before we're in the skies together," the boy says with a fond pat of Ciniterrath's neck — though, the bronze doesn't necessarily have the same patience or understanding that his rider does. « I would not be hurt if we flew again. I am large and strong enough to carry you. You are small. » Ciniterrath continues his protest, rambling on with reasons to prove his point. "Yeah, I know Cin. But, if you did get hurt, I'd never forgive myself." With that, the bronze resigns himself to a clearly disappointed rumble, lowering his body closer to the waves so his rider may slip into the waters. "We'll wait, even if I have to hold him down the Pern with my bare hands," J'rezi assures Myra with a giggle, glancing to his bronze to see if his attempted joke has lightened the bronze's mood. Nope, not really.
You release the straps, reluctantly, and swing down from Ailath's neck.
Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Beach
Myra chuckles, and looks to the weyrlings, with a smile. "Ah, Ailath was /very/ eager to fly, and not just in a straight line. I'll be watching." she warns, though in a light tone. "Both of you are fairly light, it's true, but until your dragons are /completely/ grown, you're still building muscle. And even then. So, take it easy, muscle damage while they're still growing can be disastrous." She may be exaggerating slightly, but still, damage of any sort is never a good thing. She deftly unbuckles Ailath's straps, sliding them off of the green's neck to the sand. "You /will/ be able to practice this, and before long you'll be flying well, and ready for between. All I ask is that you be /patient/, and take it /slowly/." She apparently can not stress that enough.
Laera finally makes her way out of the water, her clothes well and truely clinging to her. Perhaps the first weyrling to do first flight in basically their underthings. She wrings out her blonde hair as she listens to the windup lecture, Kereth coming out of the water behind her, letting the water roll off him into the sand. "Kereth loves to fly, but I promise I won't do anything to hurt him." She assures the woman soberly before she grins again, "I just can't wait to show Liraeth most of all!" Her mother's dragon. Her emerald gaze is positively bright with enthusiasm. She looks over to her fellow weyrling and giggles at his discussion with his own lifemate.
Shaking his head, J'rezi's curls bounce as the loose the water, droplets flying in every which way. His shirt is shucked, preferring to go topless than attempt to wring out the water. Ciniterrath makes his way out of the water, however reluctant to admit that the lesson is complete. The young boy reaches up to grab the straps around his bronze's neck and shoulders, unbuckling and uncinching until he can remove them with a swift *yank!* Draping the straps multiple times over his arm, J'rezi turns to Myra and Laera, offering both women a platonic smile.
Myra glances up at Ailath, then frowns, and shakes her head, waving her hand at the green to just wait a moment already. "I, ah." she begins, her train of thought now thoroughly derailed by her lifemate, who, admittedly, looks smug about it. "Talk amongst yourselves." she finishes lamely, gesturing to the weyrlings and dragons. "Practice is always good, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing!" is her parting call, before she rushes off. Well, as fast as one can 'rush' while lugging double strength straps. Admittedly, only green-sized straps, but they're /double strength/, which means double width and weight. «You can keep at it, but be careful!» Ailath calls, before launching and flying after her lifemate. Is she saying 'be careful' as in 'don't get injured' or as in 'don't get caught'? Probably a little of both. If Myra knew…
Laera runlimps over to her classmate and swings her arms around him with a big ol grin on her lips."We did it!" And then a big planted smooch right on the lips if allowed before releasing. Platonic and all, but enthusiastic. She giggles and dances in the sand looking up to her lifemate who is watching her curiously, «Of course we did it!» He says as if she had any doubt! At the Weyrlingmaster's directions and those of her dragon Kereth gives a warble of assent. «I will be careful, never hurt my Laera!» Laera just grins and nods, "Yes Ma'am!"
The smooch is allowed, though not necessarily welcomed by the young boy. Nevertheless, his eyes go wide as the young woman throws her arms around him, her lips momentarily pressed to his with enthusiasm and excitement about their most recent achievement. "Yeah," he murmurs, a bit dazed (think TV sitcom, first kiss!) "We did fly," J'rezi goes on, his voice rising in decibel level as his confidence resurges, Ciniterrath encouraging his rider with a comforting nudge and rumble. « We will take our time, » the large and sickly-thin bronze finally relents and agrees, his voice breaking into Ailath's mind with a sudden spark of embers, hot reds and oranges displaying his willingness to obey, but only because /J'rezi/ said so.
Laera is pretty much oblivious to her effect on the boy a turn younger than her. Just a kiss! Of course she always seems to be casual with personal interactions with anyone. Once she released the boy she goes to hunt down her pants , deposited on the sands before the lesson. Limping perhaps a little more then before from the strain of the lesson, gripping onto the dragon and stuff. Retrieving her pants she folds them over her arm and limps back plopping down into the sand next to her rider, still a big wide grin on her face, "I can't wait to go up again."