Monaco Bay Weyr - Weyrling Beach
The mouth of the paradise river is broad, the water sluggish, as it finally reaches the sea. Though the far shore is relatively wild, with trees marching nearly up to the sandy banks, the near shore has been cleared and tamed. Stands of rushes dot the bank, intersped with low shrubs and dune-crawlers. The bank itself is gently sloped, with a well-lit stone path running the length between the lazy river and the great stone dome of the Weyr's caverns. There are several places where the bank has been scooped away altogether, presumably by draconic means given the regular shapes, to form shallow pools of warm, brackish water. One of these, nearest the exit from the weyrling barracks, has been roped off for use solely by young dragons and their new riders. There's even a lifeguard stand built up to allow a weyrlingmaster to keep a careful eye on the draconic playground, and a mesh net erected across the mouth of the pool's inlet to keep most things from being accidentally swept out to sea.
There comes a time in every dragon's life when the wings that protrude from their shoulders become more than just an awkward appendage - all those exercises have not been for nothing, and regardless of how some of the weyrlings might feel about the potential of getting dragonsick there is only one thing left to do. Fly. Small groups, usually only two or three at a time, have been being summoned to the beach and today is no exception. At least there are no visible gouges in the sand from previous lessons, though rumour likely will have spread quickly that one brown sprained a wing by landing badly and had to spend some time in the infirmary.
Garouth's definitely been doing those exercises with conviction and determination, though it's done nothing to change the tattered edges to his wings… just build the muscles. At least the frayed appearance of them hasn't gotten worse? And even the concerned dragonhealers have had to admit that the tissue has been kept well-oiled and seems healthy enough, despite how it looks. His wings are folded close to his body for the moment as he follows D'lei to the beach, though once they arrive Garouth will take a moment to stretch - first with his chest down and his tail curved out, and then standing again with his wings spread to their full span. Ready? Of course he is!
Big wings meant bigger problems for Kith, whom had only been thorough enough to exercise her wing muscles from constant motivation from Quinn. With word of a Brown being injured from the first attempts at flying, the greenrider had insisted that "practice makes perfect" and had persisted in making Kith work at it just a bit harder. The results? Unknown, as Kith had stubbornly refused to take wing each time the pair had been out on the training yard. The reason? It just wasn't the right time. Or so Kith had declared. So, when the groups are called out again, Quinn is leading her green onto the beach in a routine that seems to be clockwork by now. The little green is holding her wings aloft, but her constant questioning of Quinn's mood is evident as the blonde-haired woman lets out a sigh. "Maybe today?" She seems to ask noone in particular.
Kaylis is lurking near the water, Grellith doing likewise though as per usual he's looking for shells that might be of interest and not showing any of the obvious excitement of the human half of the pairing. No sooner have the weyrlings emerged then Kay's practically bounding over to meet them. "Today's the day!" Yes, she's excited. "I hope you've been practising because today's the day." She pauses a moment, rewinding the conversation in her head to confirm that, yes, she already said that. it's shrugged off quickly though. "We'll be taking things nice and slow. Just a flap and glide at first and then we'll work up something a bit more strenuous. Don't worry if they don't get it right, that's why we're out here where they can have a softer landing. All good?"
"Sure is," D'lei agrees to Kaylis with a grin. He glances to Garouth - aww yeah, stretching those wings to their fullest - with a slight widening of that grin, and then on to Quinn and from there to Kith, looking between the two with a measure of curiosity for their silent interaction before he looks back to Kaylis to listen. Garouth tucks his wings again as he does the same, eyes tinted golden with focus as he listens, and D'lei nods. "Practically just a jump! Only… wing-assisted." Right, Garouth? Nothing more! (Yet.)
Quinn sighs again. While everyone might be excited over this, she's not had the greatest of faith in her lifemate being ready to fly at all. The young green seems not to listen to Kaylis for she's busy watching Grellith instead, fascinated by his hunt for shells. Turning towards Kith, Quinn reaches out and draws her lifemate's attention back once again with a light stroke along her oiled jade hide. There's some form of unspoken communication between the pair as Kith turns her head back to regard her rider, but then softly croons and lightly butts her snout against the woman's chest. With a slight smile, Quinn steps away and moves over to stand closer to D'lei. "I hope we're ready. Kith says she'll try." She nods to the bronzerider but then turns her attention to Kaylis again following her response.
"Trying is the best anyone can ask for, Quinn." Kaylis replies, that massive smile on her face not dipping any at all. "Okay so we'll have… hold on a second." It comes then, that obvious moment of mind-to-mind contact, and a very reluctant Grelltih moves away from the water. "Okay so we'll have Grellith demonstrate then you get to have a go. D'lei, you will go first. Okay? Um… I should warn you Grellith is a bit… he's not the best to demonstrate really, but when it comes to analysing things there's none better so… just go with it." Indeed it seems that no sooner has the brown been distracted then he's twitching restlessly and looking around for something else to do. It takes another moment of prodding from Kaylis to get his mind back on the task at hand - a quick run down the beach, a hop, wings spread, and glide to a perfect landing. The bit where he hurries back to what he was doing before probably wasn't part of the demonstration.
D'lei nods to Kaylis, Garouth taking a step forward even if he does wait around for Grellith's… demonstration. Fortunately for the bronze, the older brown is at least fast about it! Rushed, one might even say, and while D'lei manages to not laugh at that hurried hop-flap of demonstration, it's a near thing. Garouth lifts his head as he watches, following it with a snort before he takes a further step forward. "…just a small one," D'lei re-iterates for his bronze, to which Garouth doesn't seem to bother making a reply. He jogs forward, wings half-spread as he does, then leaps into the air - so far so good, this part he's done before in both sanctioned practice and his own attempts at self-improvement. Now… the wings spread fully to catch that air, the instincts of a dragon taking hold as his shoulder-muscles beat down. A flap! Another one! …D'lei has that look of focus, a lowering of his brows as Garouth makes a third beat of his wings before he reluctantly shifts to a glide.
Quinn tucks her hands into the pockets of her hide pants, listening to Kaylis' explaination, then joining in watching Grellith demonstrate. It takes her own mental prodding to keep Kith invested in watching too, but once the demonstration is done and the Brown returns to his shells? Kith just keeps on watching, as if fascinated by what he might find. Giving her lifemate another gentle stroke, Quinn has to gently remind her lifemate the importance of watching others, and so when Garouth takes his turn, the green settles down to watch as well, her own wings still arched away from her sitting form. There's a tense moment where Quinn holds her breath as the bronze takes his running leap, but when he finally seems airborne for those few seconds, the woman is clapping loudly. "Good job Garouth!" She calls out with a relieved grin. Kith seems to bugle as well in delight at her clutchbrother's ability.
Kaylis's excitement seems to turn to worry at some point right about Garouth's second flap. "No nononono. One flap. Don't let him strain things." She hurries across to D'lei, not stopping talking as she goes, "Make sure he doesn't hurt. Even a little. He might well try to hide it from you, but you should know him well enough by now to know." She doesn't actually say 'oh dear' but it's written across her face. At least Grellith seems to be interested by something other than the shells for the moment. « Interesting. Wonder if all bronzes ignore instruction. Hope infirmary big enough. Still small, should fit. »
D'lei nods to Kaylis absently - it's not that /he's/ ignoring the instructions, it's just that he's trying to get /Garouth/ to actually listen to the AWLM's concerns instead of just his own urges and Quinn's praise! His brow-furrowed focus turns to relief as Garouth actually lands. It's not a perfect touchdown - he hits with one hindleg first, with a little hop before the rest of his legs catch up to it and he settles, drawing his wings back in against his body with a motion whose smoothness is perhaps over-exaggerated, just to prove he is perfectly well in control of his body. Everything is fine! Worriers. Garouth pads around back toward where he started with a look of unconcern as D'lei offers an apologetic look to Kaylis. "Sorry." Not that his dragon shares the rider's opinion! « If it does not, that is a failure of the infirmary. Besides… I am fine. » Though D'lei is giving him the double-extra-intent stare as he tries to make /sure/ of that…
Upon seeing Kaylis turn to worry, Quinn furrows her brows and ceases her clapping fairly quickly. Garouth didn't look as if he was straining himself, but then again it would be D'lei who knew for certain whether he was. Kith doesn't seem at all concerned and still croons happily to her sibling as he comes in for his gliding land. « You looked like a true hunter! Did you have any problems? Did it feel good? » The excited green is hungry for information and goes trotting over to the bronze as soon as he returns. Any concern for his wellbeing is washed away in the flowery-scented mindvoice that tries to brush against that brooding darkness that is Garouth's mind. Quinn, although not moving, nods to D'lei too. "Is he okay?"
Kaylis is quick to fix the smile back on, though this time it's obviously forced. "No, no, it's fine. So long as he's not hurt. He does need to learn to listen though, he can't just do this own thing once he's in a wing and he could have been… but he wasn't… but…" deep breath "It's all fine. This time. Check him over and make sure there's nothing feels wrong, even if he won't tell you about it." Another deep breath follows, and then she looks over to Quinn. "Ready? Remember… one flap and gliiiiide."
Garouth lowers his head from its proud posture to nuzzle Kith as she comes toward him. Shadows creep beneath the flowery scents, their leading edge shaped like dragon-wings in flight. « It is good. It is our nature. » The wind in his mind picks up for a moment, the sound of a distant howl carried by that gust, and a deeper darkness enfolds Kith with its touch. « We will fly far. » D'lei nods to Kaylis, with a glance to Quinn and a quicker nod of assurance before returning his gaze to the AWLM. "Yeah. I'll check him." Just to be double sure! He turns to jog over that way, while Garouth gives Kith another nuzzle. « I will watch you. » And, while he does, he'll also spread wings and let D'lei give them a full inspection. So obedient! …now that he's done what he wanted, anyhow.
Quinn blinks when Kaylis turns to her, almost forgetting that she and her lifemate were here for the very same reasons. With a firm nod, Quinn relays the message to her lifemate, whom promptly shakes her well-oiled hide off and moves into a position where she can take a running start. Holding her breath, Quinn glances over Garouth and D'lei a final time before turning to watch Kith's attempt. Usually it was around this point when the green would decide that, no, today wouldn't be a good day to fly. However, today there is a more excited whirl to Kith's blue multi-faceted eyes and her wings quiver just a little as she crouches. Then, suddenly, she's off! It's hardly a sprint - Garouth was probably faster, but the difference comes from her massive wings slowing her down. Still, it's not enough to stop the little green as, after gaining enough momentum, those honeysuckle-tipped wings arch out to their full length and are brought down with force in time with one big leap to send her airborne. Woosh! Kith goes soaring upwards in one long motion, her body streamlined as she gains height until suddenly there's no more air to climb and instead the wings are spread out again, aiding the green in a rather dainty and graceful descent towards the sands again.
Kaylis's reaction this time is one of joy. "Yes, yesyes! Good Quinn! Keep her steady, don't let her wings dip to one side or she'll veer off course." Grellith again offers his own commentary, or should that be… evaluation. « Interesting. Large wings should slow progress, but good flight. Wonder if common with fast greens. Must check. » "Once she lands go and check her over, make sure she's not strained anything. It's not uncommon for a stumble to mean a broken claw so you have to be very careful. Infected claws are not fun for anyone."
Garouth's head moves, watching Kith as he promised. A shimmer in motion as she runs along the sands and then - a leap! He croons as he sees her reach for the skies, the moon rising to the heavens! The deep thrum in his throat echoes, reverberating as he watches her fly, that eager soar turning to an elegant glide that will have that green moon set down upon the earth once more. D'lei pauses his inspection to watch as well - in part simply to do so, in part because it'll e easier to get Garouth to do his next stretch for inspection once he's done observing his clutchmate… and it's not like it's going to take long, given that (unlike certain bronzes) she's actually obeying the "one flap" rule. "Nice…" he says with a grin that starts looking at Kith and then goes to Quinn, and then a prod for Garouth's side to get the bronze to give him the next muscle-group for inspection.
Quinn is quite unaware that she's suddenly jogging after her lifemate, as if that soaring feeling was infectious! Eyes trained on her lifemate, Quinn offers only reassurance and compliments to her lifemate whom proudly seems to display her ability to descend, sweeping downwards in a steady motion to the sand and landing with a splash in the shore's shallows and a trot afterwards to carry herself back onto the warmer and dry sands. It's not a perfect landing, but it'll do. « I had to make sure it was perfect before anyone saw it! » Kith announces happily, the evident pride in her mindvoice as she approaches Quinn. The woman reaches up to hug her lifemate's head and chuckle. "She's fine." Quinn states, looking over to to Kaylis and nodding. « Did I reach the moon that time? » Kith asks her clutchbrother.
"Check her over anyway." It's not quite an order, but it's definitely more than a suggestion no matter how softly it's spoken. "She could easily be too excited to notice any little pains just now, and if nothing else it helps with the whole remembering the physiology so that when something does happen, and it will eventually nobody's ever completely injury free, then you'll be better placed to tell the dragonhealers what's wrong." Kaylis pauses, looking proudly between both pairings as if they were actually hers, "If Garouth is physically fine, and willing to do as he's told this time, he can go again."
« Not quite. » The deep darkness of Garouth's mind curls in a cold wind that brings shadow in its wake, a spiral reaching up but fading before it reaches that goal. « When you reach the moon, you will know. » He's certain of that, even if he lacks a mental picture of /what/ to share. Still, she'll know. How could she not? Garouth has another rumble for his sister, lowering his head as D'lei prompts him to do so and get his neck-muscles checked over… still good. D'lei looks to Kaylis and nods before looking back to Garouth. "Well? Can you show control?" Is that a challenge? …why yes, yes it is. Garouth lifts his head again, meeting D'lei's gaze. « Of course. » He takes a few steps, situating himself for another run. « One flap. » The hardest challenge of all: holding back! Garouth runs, a dash along the shore and then… a leap! A flap! And then - against all odds - a glide, the tattered edges of his wings fluttering as he soars back to earth after that too-short flight.
Quinn nods to Kaylis and turns back to Kith, exchanging words to determine whether there were any problems. After a pause Quinn furrows her brows and moves around to Kith's side, looking over the green's shoulder area and where her wings joined at the spot. "She says this area hurts a bit. Something like cramp.. ?" Not being a total expert on dragon anatomy just yet, Quinn looks to their AWLM for advice. Kith, however, is more interested in her brother and she is soon pulling away to watch Garouth's second attempt at a flight. Her wings raise again into that not-quite-folded position but with a slight tremble to her sails this time, indicating some kind of irritation or discomfort. « You didn't reach the moon either. We will need practice! » Kith croons, obviously masking the injury she may be sporting.
Kaylis's whoop of joy at Garouth's actually behaving is tempered very quickly by Quinn's mention of pain, clearly torn between wanting to praise one and fret over the other. There's a brief, a very brief, "Oh good job." but it's Quinn that really has her attention. "In her shoulder? How bad?" There's a second of contact with Grellith, a message passed on, and then her attention fully focusses on Quinn again. "Best to not risk straining it any more, we really should get a dragonhealer to give her a quick look over. If it's only a strain we're fine, it happens a lot, a day or so of rest and she'll be ready to go again."
Isanath senses that the strange geometries of Grellith’s mental landscape ooze into the edges of thought. « The little green hurts. Cannot do much with what I have here. Must request assistance. »
Isanath projects to Grellith « I will see what I can do. Summon the healers as well, they will be able to do what we cannot. »
Isanath projects to Kith … The gentle susurrus of fine silk precedes the rich warmth of Isanath's mind touch. « Are you hurt, little one? Do you need me to dampen the pain so you can reach the healers? »
Isanath senses that a cool rush of water greets the probing mind, serving as a response. « I can walk. » There's a small ripple of pain which fluctuates through the deep pool of Kith's mind, but it fades quickly. »
Garouth's landing is a little better this time too. Probably because he's not trying to do more than he should, but the practice doesn't hurt either. D'lei nods, relieved at his bronze's behaving himself, with a moment's smile before he hears what Quinn has to say about Kith and gets a concerned look instead. Garouth rumbles to his sister, turning toward her. « We will. Even if we do not reach the moon… I like flying. » He pads closer, settling his own gaze on that shoulder though staying enough out of the way to let the humans inspect. « It is in my nature. » Which, for Garouth at least, is all the explanation he needs. D'lei steps closer, going to inspect Garouth's wings again for strain with the reminder from Kith that it's important… though also with some distraction as he watches to see how that goes for the green.
"She says it twinges a bit but it's more annoying than painful." Quinn frowns regardless as she inspects the joint for any visible damage, but Kith seems to be good at holding her composure. The Green still seems more curious about her brother's efforts and she agrees wholeheartedly on the flying remark. « I like to fly too. We can practice every day! » There's a pause as the green seems to take on-board a second mindvoice, in which time Quinn looks back to Kaylis. "Can you tell if there's any damage?"
Kaylis shakes her head, "Not really. Will she let me touch her? If there's no swelling then we should be okay, but I don't want her trying again just in case. We really need to get a dragonhealer to look at her. Steeleth had torn the muscle pretty badly so his was obvious." She approaches carefully, respectfully, waiting for some sort of reply before even thinking about laying a hand on the little green.
Isanath projects to Kith « Don't be stubborn, that will only end in further injury. » Though blunt there's a gentleness to Isanath's voice. Slowly, like a blanket, her presence imposes itself, pushing the pain down a notch. « You must see a healer. This is not a suggestion. »
Isanath senses that a secondary ripple follows the first, although it comes with greater impact upon the surface of the pool which is Kith's mind. « Grellith's rider is here. Must the dragonhealer come too? » It's almost like a protest, but Kith's mind seems to eventually recede into submission. « Can they come quickly? »
« We can. We shall. » Garouth spreads his wings, ready to take to the skies! …then lowers them again to let D'lei finish looking them over, the bronzerider careful now as Kith's example serves as a warning of what could happen. But… Garouth seems okay, and so D'lei lets his attention linger on Kith again. "Do you want me to go get one?" he asks as Kaylis brings up the dragonhealers, his gaze going between the three of them. "Or did Grellith already ask?" He glances toward the brown, seeing if he's still with his shells or what.
Kith seems to not protest to Kaylis' request, and even settles down on the sandy beach with her afflicted wing arched out at an angle to permit the AWLM to see. Perhaps her willingness comes from Quinn's persuasion, or some other factor entirely. Quinn choose to settle down by the green's head, her expression now one of concern. "Do you want me to fetch anything from the barracks for her?" A glance is given towards D'lei at his question, and then back to Kaylis.
"He told… wait… you told Isanath?" Kaylis seems surprised at first, but it's quickly dismissed with a chuckle. "They're on the way." She moves quickly, giving only the briefest of touches that seems to confirm her fears. "She's definitely going to be grounded for a few days, I think. See here? It's beginning to swell." Glancing back over her shoulder she calls over to the other weyrling pair, "D'lei? He did really well, so let him have a rest. I think we'll be a while with the healers, though if Quinn is fine with it you're welcome to stay. A learning experience for us all."
Isanath projects to Kith « They are on their way. » Formal, but gentle, the touch never fades. « Do not worry, you will be fine. Just relax. »
Kith projects to Isanath « Thankyou. Will they be able to fix it? It is beginning to hurt. »
D'lei starts to nod to Kaylis, then tilts his head curiously before he gives a heh as he looks back to Kith, that trace of amusement brief and giving way to concern again. "I wouldn't mind seeing…" he says, though he glances to Quinn to make sure she's okay with it. "After all, I'm sure Garouth's going to get himself into trouble sooner or later." The bronze merely takes a seat for himself, sitting and curling his tail around his legs… though when D'lei glances back to him, he lowers his head enough that his rider can rub underneath his chin for a moment. « There are dangers. » His tone is soft, serious. « We will have to be careful. » Maybe he'll actually learn to follow instructions from this experience, who knows?
Kith seems more than content to have Garouth linger for 'moral support' and upon being notified of this, Quinn gives a small nod to the bronzerider. "She's more than happy to have Garouth around for company. She'd probably protest if you tried to leave." The woman lightly chuckles, running her hand across Kith's nose before glancing around to where Kaylis is indicating. Furrowing her brows, Quinn looks back to her lifemate and gently runs her palm over the green's muzzle. « It is beginning to hurt. Why do the healers take so long? »
Isanath projects to Kith « Of course. » Isanath is nothing if not certain of this fact, a bright twinkle of ruby adding its own little emphasis. At the mention of it hurting she exerts a little more mental pressure, dampening the pain a little further though not taking it away entirely. « You can withstand this. You are strong. »
Grellith is a silent watcher in this drama, but clearly not uninterested - quite the opposite in fact for he's studying things closely, even moving so that he can get a better look. Kaylis is the one that seems to be fretting the most, though the sound of running feet does herald the arrival of proper help in the form of two dragonhealers and copious amounts of numbweed.
D'lei hehs, nodding to Quinn. "Can't have that. Got to keep the patient comfortable, right?" He gives Garouth another scritch as he turns his gaze back to Kith, watching her with concern as they await the dragonhealers. The bronze's mind slips closer to that of his sister, the chill of his thoughts creeping in like frost and… seeking that pain to numb it, though his instincts are only a partial guide, the urge to help unaided by either training or practice. Still, whether it actually helps with the pain or not, his thoughts are most assuredly there with hers. « They will come. » Or else he'll bring them here himself!
Dragons and healers and wingstrain, Oh My! At least with the arrival of the professionals Kaylis can relax a little, and after a time her charges can be returned to the barracks in… mostly… one piece - rightly or not she'll count it as a success.