A Sight To Sea [The World Above Weyrlings Lesson]

When: 10am - 2pm, 5th of Mid Winter, 231 AL
Where: Starts at Weyrling Barracks, progresses to the Southern Lake
Who: All the Weyrlings, WLM G'rem, 2 official WLMAs, 15 volunteer riders.
Approximate Dragonet Sizes: Golds: 3'7. Bronzes: 3'6. Blues: 3'4. Greens: 3'3.

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G'rem was smugly pleased with himself this morning. He had just come back from the southern lake and suitably tested that it was quite cold. Perfect. His feet were only just passing the tingly stage in his boots, even with two pairs of thick socks and the thick lining of the shoes. The notice had been put up in the Weyrling Barracks for a few days now and he had no doubt that the Weyrlings would be excited to finally do something other than feed, bathe and oil their dragons or have to attend lectures.

There had been a test on their knowledge the day before, marking the end of their second month of weyrlinghood. It was all very simple information, things any rider worth their salt could recall at the drop of a hat; how, what and when to feed your dragon, the correct way to bathe and oil them as well as basic Weyr hierarchy. The results were mainly pleasing to G'rem, though some gave him great cause to frown. Further investigation via other dragons and riders had alerted him to the fact that a certain Weyrling was feeding his dragon things like meat rolls and some were still feeding the growing dragons more than twice a day. That would be dealt with today.

Standing at the entrance to the Weyrling Barracks he stared at the three who had already arrived; Greenriders Fayleri and Corraidhin and Bluerider Vialden. He gave them a curt nod, their early arrival showed their good time management skills as well as their knowledge of his keen sense of punctuality. Absently he tapped his stick on the ground, watching as the majority of his class arrived along with his two assistants and a handful of volunteers.

It is time. Remenath observed, his gaze dropping from the low winter sun to observe his rider. G'rem cleared his throat and he took a step forward, his stick thudding into the ground to command everyone's attention.

"As was noted on the bulletin, we are going to the southern lake today," he paused, letting the groans from the Weyrlings disipate. "Your dragons are not large enough to walk the journey, nor are they able to fly yet. These volunteers have offered to help ferry your dragons down. Luckily for you, you get to ride on the dragons too. Latecomers however, will walk until a dragon has completed its flight south."

G'rem stared at the class as laughter tittered through them, there were a scant few missing from their presense, most obviously the treasured Goldrider. The Weyrling Master had no desire to give Jada any slack just for riding a Gold. As a Weyrling, she would be treated like the rest of them until Krypth was older.

Once the class had settled he went about assigning a weyrling to each volunteer, careful to note the size of each rider's dragon. When he came to B'jin and Par'a linked arm in arm he sighed, of course they wanted to help. "Visltine will ride with myself and Remenath. Oruth will be flown south by Larrikith and Grith." He decided. "No funny stuff." He muttered to the Greenriders as they beamed at him.

---

Alright. PC Weyrlings may choose either an NPC to fly them down that they can control for their post, or team up with a PC rider. PC riders may elect to take an NPC Weyrling south. Limit of 5 PC riders.

Post your arrival and flight down to the lake! G'rem will be flying down at the front so you can assume he's there when you arrive. :)

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Played by Featherpirate

For once, Valerian had decided not to round up the troublemakers he called friends and left the barracks alone with only Veeth trotting along beside him. He didn’t think any of them would be late since they had ample notice about the special class and the dragonets, for the most part, seemed keen on helping their bonded stay on task. Of course there were times when some of them wanted to play or have extra oiling and it resulted in being late with punishments issued. Given this was a special class and G’rem was always in a bad mood, Valerian had decided he didn’t need to wait around this time and wandered off to the appointed gathering area without worrying about anyone but himself. It felt odd to do that again. Since arriving at Katila there always seemed to be someone to keep in check or drag around as punishment for their own dragging of him about.

He arrived a few minutes before G’rem started the lesson and relief washed through him. He really was improving on the speed it took to oil the little blue hide. When he saw B’jin and Larrikith in the line-up of what was soon revealed as the volunteers for ferrying the young weyrlings around, Valerian didn’t know if he should smile and acknowledge the green pair or ignore him. He was still hurting from Larrikith deeming him unworthy of communication anymore despite the time that had passed. So he settled on a compromise by giving a nod of acknowledgement to the rider but said nothing to the dragon. Veeth, of course, couldn’t stop himself from jumping around to get their attention before calling over greetings. Valerian didn’t stop him since he knew he had his own odd assortment of friends, some of which being questionable in the eyes of others, and didn’t care so Veeth was welcomed to speak with Larrikith. It made it a bit easier to ignore her when he did cross paths with B’jin anyway.

After realizing he wasn’t going to be able to pick who flew him down to the lake, Valerian could only hold his breath and hope it wasn’t going to be Larrikith. While he was convinced luck would be against him, it held out and a bluerider was assigned to the task. That worked. It didn’t matter if he recognized the man or not so long as they were a competent flyer. “Okay, Veeth. I think the best way to do it is for me to go up first and then he’ll help pass you up to me.” Despite all of the lessons he had attended since even before the hatching and living surrounded by dragons, Valerian didn’t think helping a dragonet up atop a larger dragon was covered. So he just went with winging it and the ‘real’ bluerider nodded his agreement to the plan and bent down to help Veeth up.

Veeth, however, was learning from his bonded and knew there was a better way to get up thanks to thinking outside of the box of normality. No, he said simply, any bite to that one word that may have been there, lost to the adorable pitch of his mindvoice, I know of an easier way! His usual habit of using too many manners was lacking that afternoon and Valerian wondered who was becoming the bad influence on his impressionable little blue. It didn’t bother him so much that Veeth was relaxing a bit more but it was something he had grown used to. When Veeth took off with a running start, angled for the blue’s tail, Valerian smirked and shook his head. He should have known that running up the tail and along the back would be how Veeth chose to get up since he had already proven his skill at achieving such a thing and his comfort with sleeping atop another dragon.

“Well, there you go,” he said with a shrug to the amused bluerider who was shaking his head and chuckling. It was Valerian’s turn to mount though he didn’t follow his dragonet’s example, choosing to get up the more traditional way. Once all three of them were secure, the blue took off, Veeth chirping softly his delight at flying while Valerian focused on keeping them both safe.

When they finally landed with Veeth going down the same way he went up, Valerian couldn’t help but check G’rem for his reaction to the clever little blue’s method. Did it really matter though? They got there safely for whatever lesson they were forced to stay awake for this time. Too bad it wasn’t warmer and they weren’t there for leisure. A swim or even just a nap on the beach sounded nice right then.

As one of the dragonriders assigned to the task of helping G'rem with his weyrling class - in fact, he'd even volunteered! - J'dan was positively abuzz with anticipation and excitement, which reflected in the bright blue eyes that followed the proceedings with more interest and awareness than his fellow riders had likely seen from him in months. After stifling a particularly giggle-like laugh at G'rem's gruff but predictable announcement that latecomers would be punished in his usual merciless fashion, J'dan turned his attention to the weyrling who had been granted the dubious honor of flying with him and Temsaith. He peered down at the man from atop said dragon, whose eyes swirled with unpromising sparks of orange, a clear sign of his annoyance with the whole situation.

Why did you volunteer us for this? I have better things to do than cart around babies. Temsaith complained privately to his bonded. He was, as usual, rather unhappy with the idea of playing ferry for anyone, and he liked to think he would have outright refused were it not for the sheer force of the rare joy and excitement radiating from his lifemate every time the man had thought about this chance to finally meet the busy weyrlings and their hatchlings up close and personal. After all, Temsaith was a kind dragon, and like all kind dragons he hated to see his human pout... but that didn't mean he had relinquished his right to make a fuss about the whole thing.

J'dan, however, was not the least bit deterred by the dragon's sour attitude, for his already good mood had already  soared into the skies at the sight of the adorable little blue hatchling that waddled up beside the young man who would soon be his passenger. Just LOOK at him, Temsaith! How can you deny that precious little face?! And besides, no, you don't.

Even as he carried out this private argument with his dragon, the young bluerider beamed down at Valerian. "Come on up!" he called, though it didn't seem to occur to him to offer any immediate advice on how to do so.

I doubt they know how, Temsaith grumbled with impatience, again electing not to share these thoughts with anyone but his rider.

What do you mean they don't know how? J'dan whirled around to stare the dragon in the eyes with obvious bafflement, which surely must have looked mysterious to Valerian - were he not probably already used to slightly off-hinged dragonriders carrying on private conversations with their beasts, comical gestures and all.

This slight oversight proved to be not a problem at all, for after a running start the clever little hatchling was already shimmying his way up the much larger blue's tail, who turned to hiss at the sudden unexpected sting of tiny talons on his hide. Impudent little creature! What sort of beasts was this baby associating with, to have ended up with so little manners or respect for his elders? I did not give you permission to run all up and down my back, little one. Try to remember that you have claws, Temsaith scolded the precocious hatchling, this time choosing not to keep his thoughts private, so that everyone - the little thing's bonded included - would be aware of just how inconvenienced he was.

At this - combined with Valerian's ho-hum shrug at the tiny dragon's antics - J'dan's courteously subdued chuckling broke into outright belly laughter as he slapped his beast's shoulder in an affectionate reprimand. "Nevermind my Temsaith, he's just in a bad mood!" J'dan managed to stave off his mirth long enough to help Valerian climb up from the blue's reluctantly offered foreleg. "He has been since I forced him to put on his straps this morning. You're welcome by the way, he usually doesn't wear them. He was hoping I'd forget, almost did too," the bluerider interrupted his rambling long enough to flash a friendly, high-beam grin at Valerian, who was probably only just now realizing how much trouble he'd gotten himself into by managing to dodge a ride with Larrikith.

If Valerian were to react negatively to this high-energy greeting, however, J'dan wouldn't see it - in the next instant he was signaling to his blue to take to the skies, hardly giving the weyrling enough time to secure himself into the straps that the talkative young man was apparently so proud of having remembered.

Temsaith only grumbled, vocally this time, in a low rumble that originated from somewhere deep in his chest - but his rider could feel the beast's relief at finally being allowed to get on with it as if it were a tangible thing. For all his stubborn reluctance, the blue nevertheless remembered to fly slowly and carefully for the benefit of the precious hatchling and the inexperienced dragonrider-to-be on his back. The dull flight might have ruined his mood even further, but the dragon was trying to frame it as its own challenge - to arrive at the lake with minimal bumps and shocks, finally ending in a silky-smooth landing after a gentle corkscrew glide down to the lake's edge.

Temsaith's patience was rewarded when the little dragon scurried down his tail with a touch more caution than before. At least, J'dan wisely advised his crabby beast to consider it a reward. The man still grinned with amusement even as the great multi-faceted eyes followed the much smaller creature's every move with the look of a quietly vengeful older sibling who was just waiting for his little brother to get a scolding from their parents. Or in this case, G'rem.

It was cold today, for M’bal anyway. Having been raised in the heart of Igen he was one of the few that lived in Katila that found the ‘warm’ weather on the cooler side of things. Nevermind the awful humidity that simply ruined his hair almost all year round. Smoothing it down yet again he glanced around. Of those that had volunteered he was the only Bronzerider, which in itself was shocking enough. Didn’t he have anything better to do with himself? Apparently not.

By the time the majority of the class had turned up M’bal gave G’rem a knowing stare as he commenced the lesson. While every other pairing had a moment of thought, there was none as he said: “Allendris and Vyaniorth to fly with M’bal and Bronze Gugaroth.” M’bal concealed his petty smirk as he watched the weyrling he had been ‘assigned’, discreetly palming something into G’rem’s hand as he passed.

Behind him Gugaroth gave a bright trill, oblivious to his rider’s plotting he reached his nose down towards the little Bronze that he had been assigned to transport. Hi! I’m Gugaroth! You must be Vyaniorth. He greeted the young dragon eagerly, his deep blue eyes whirling as he inspected the miniature version of himself. Giving him a little sniff he deemed Vyaniorth clean enough to ride upon him and gave a little bounce of excitement. This will be fun! You get to fly while you’re so little! One day when you’re big just like I am, we can fly together without our riders! Gugaroth decided, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was the smallest Bronze in the Weyr.

‘Now don’t scare the little one Gugaroth. Give him a chance to talk too.’ M’bal sent, hearing his dragon’s excited babble. Tugging his coat straight he held out a hand to Allendris in greeting. “Good to meet you Allendris. Let’s get your fella loaded up first.” He offered, motioning for Gugaroth to lie flat on the ground. The Bronze did so, folding his wings loosely beside him. “Now I think... let’s try this.” Mounting his dragon he turned to face the rear of the Bronze and reached down, indicating that Allendris should hand his dragon up to M’bal. “He can sit behind the saddle, which he can hold onto or bite if he feels unsteady.” I’ll fly very smoothly so you don’t slip! Gugaroth piped up, eager to prove himself capable of this unusual task.

With the baby Bronze on board M’bal spun around, holding his hand out to Allendris while Gugaroth extended his foreleg as a step. Hauling the slender man up he stifled a laugh, did he look so awkward when he was a fresh Weyrling? That would have to be fixed. “Alright, clip this here and here,” he paused, waiting as Allendris strapped himself in, “and we’re off!”

Gugaroth stood, spreading his wings out and being careful not to disturb Vyaniorth on his back. Wary of his charge the Bronze decided to take off after running forward a few steps, opposed to a stand-still leap into the air which would most likely lose Vyaniorth from his back. It wasn’t entirely smooth, though M’bal was proud of his dragon’s solution.

The flight wasn’t especially eventful, though in this situation that was definitely a good thing. M’bal spent most of it sussing out Allendris as a person; where did he come from, how long had he been here, etc. He tried his best not to turn up his nose too visibly at the weyrling’s previous education and forced himself to look past it. This was his chance to groom a new Bronzerider into the perfect supporter, he couldn’t stuff up this first impression! As they swept in for a gentle landing M’bal turned slightly, giving a light eyeroll as he spoke. “I’m sorry if your dragon is bored numb or something... Gugaroth is a very chatty beast to the other Bronzes.” He slapped Gugaroth’s side as he spoke, reassuring him that his chattyness was fine.

That was fun! Maybe we could do it again sometime soon? Gugaroth chirped, asking M’bal as well as Allendris and Vyaniorth. Once they had all dismounted he bounced up and down, eyeing the lake excitedly. Oh can I M’bal? M’bal laughed, reaching up to take the riding gear off of his Bronze before it all got soaked and he had to fly back to the Weyr with a wet ass. Gugaroth gave an excited squeal as he leapt into the air, speeding forward and diving into the lake. Thankfully he was far enough in that those on the shore would only get a slight wave touching their feet and no splash.

Allendris had arrived punctually, his hair tied neatly back and dressed in unusually subdued clothing that served as a clear indication of his suspicion that with a classroom location like 'the lake,' the day's lessons promised more than just a simple lecture or a test of their knowledge. And while he could have been surprised that a bronzerider had chosen to volunteer himself to attend to a weyrling lesson (and additionally that a man of what he could assume to be some rank was assigned to him with seemingly so little hesitation), it didn't occur to the bronze weyrling that this should be anything out of the ordinary. Though Remelant had apparently not earned himself the honor of transport on a gilded, glittering hide - he could feel the other weyrling pair's pointedly frigid glare at the back of his head even now - it seemed only natural that at least one great metallic beast should be called upon to tend to his younger siblings. Not that little Krypth would have appreciated the gesture, but Vyaniorth, for his part, seemed as appropriately impressed with the older dragon's size and splendor as much as he was taken aback by Gugaroth's unprecedented friendliness.

After a moment's pause and a slight tilting of his head, as if momentarily considering the possible repercussions of associating himself with such an indiscriminating beast, Vyaniorth finally seemed to decide that he found the larger bronze's exuberance and nearly overbearing chattiness rather amusing for its unexpectedness. The larger beast's hide might have resembled his in its eye-catching sheen, but other than that the proud little dragonet drew the immediate conclusion that the two of them had little else in common. Hoth was so different, and Ronarth was so different, and Gugaroth was so different! That alone interested Vyaniorth just enough for him to readily accept Gugaroth's happily rambling away in his mind with his own cheerful warble of greeting. And besides, the older bronze's excitement was only stoking the fires of his own eagerness to feel the wind on his hide for the very first time. Even if he was just hitching a ride, he was still quite keen to get up there!

Hello, Gugaroth! the bronzeling greeted, his mind-voice as cool and silky as ever, despite the fact that the little creature was ready to start dancing circles in his impatience to proceed onwards to the fun bits that the elder dragon had promised.

There was just one thing.

After all, Vyaniorth didn't want anyone getting confused, least of all another of his bronze kin.

I hope the day I am allowed fly beside you comes soon, but actually I think I am going to be much, much, much bigger th--

Allendris coughed, the sound masking Vyaniorth's small chirp of suprise as the man delivered his best approximation of a mental kick to his bonded, which miraculously cut the dragonet's imminent faux pas short despite the fact that the future dragonrider was still perfecting the art. Or perhaps it had been his sudden grip on the growing beast's headknob that had done the trick. Either way, with offense to a fully grown bronze dragon (however diminutive, when compared to the others at Katila Weyr) hopefully averted, the tall young man allowed said grip to soften into a fond stroke of the small, lustrous head as he gave M'bal a polite smile and a very formal bow of greeting. "I am very sorry to inconvenience you this morning, but we really do appreciate your and Gugaroth's help. Don't we, Vyaniorth?"

The bronzeling, upon being hefted up into his bonded's arms (with no small amount of effort, but with life at the Weyr as it was Allendris suspected he was indeed getting stronger) and subsequently up to M'bal's outstretched arms at the bronzerider's urgings, answered with an eager Does this mean we get to fly soon?!

Once Vyaniorth had scrambled aboard the much larger dragon's back, Allendris was next to join them, and it occurred to him quite suddenly, as he stared at Gugaroth's outstretched foreleg with what he had to admit was a bit of trepidation, that this ride upon the bronze dragon would only be the second time in his adult life that he had ever been a-dragonback. Moreover, his first time had been with Larrikith, whose tiny size hardly compared to even this modestly built bronze. He imagined one could easily take a tumble from little Larrikith's back and hardly sustain any serious injury. Gugaroth, however...

Well. Now was not the time for hesitation, the dragonrider-to-be urged himself as he stepped up and climbed aboard with M'bal's help. Moreover, Allendris reminded himself, if Vyaniorth really was going to grow as massive as he was constantly promising everyone he would, then he was probably going to have to get well-accustomed to heights.

Still. Once situated, Allendris was sure to make extra-certain that the riding straps were secure as M'bal showed him what to clip onto where. Vyaniorth, utterly fearless, sent his reassurances to his bonded, and despite his prior unease Allendris found himself sharing in some of the little dragon's thrill as the larger bronze took off into a running start and finally launched himself into the air.

Though he was distracted throughout the ride by both the as-yet unfamiliar feeling of the wind whipping against his face and also by the sheer, unadulterated joy coursing over his bond with Vyaniorth, Allendris did his best to entertain M'bal's interest about his past and his present at Katila Weyr. The man's line of questioning did sound suspiciously like an interview, but the former glass-smith was willing to write off the bronzerider's seeming nosiness and simple curiousity regarding one of the two men who would soon be joining his ranks. That sort of drive to know as much as he could about his current situation and his peers matched his own, and indeed Allendris was sure to add in a few of his own questions to M'bal when and where he could, though always politely phrased and never too personal.

Upon their gentle glide back to solid ground and M'bal's apology, Allendris smiled at Vyaniorth, who looked and felt about as far from bored as a dragonet could possibly get. "I don't know what they've been chatting about, but Vy is just thrilled to be in the air. Dragons are really made to fly, aren't they?"

There was a hint of envy in the younger man's voice as he spoke, as he wondered if and when he might ever feel as purely at ease at such death-defying heights and speeds as Vyaniorth and even M'bal seemed to be. But then, Allendris silently reassured himself, perhaps soaring through the skies atop your own dragon was a wholly different experience from hitching a ride on another's, no matter how careful and smooth Gugaroth had courteously made his flight. Vyaniorth seemed to echo these sentiments, chiming in privately to his bonded with cheerful confidence, Flying with me will be so much better. I promise you that.

In due time they had all dismounted, and after the weyrling pair had given their words of gratitude to Gugaroth for his smooth flying, Vyaniorth watched with envy - and Allendris with some measurable shock - as the boulder-sized beast  happily launched himself into the lake.

What are we doing? Pisoth asked curiously, as they waited for instructions. Is this going to be fun?

"Maybe?" Echlerov wasn't really sure if was going to be or not, but at least it was going to be different from what they had been doing. Different was good.

I see Veeth, and... Echlerov shook his head. "Focus." But. "You can talk to them when we get there." Okay.

He listened intently when G'ren explained things, and then waited to be assigned a rider. He was assigned to one of the blue riders that he didn't know very well, and he grinned brightly at him. "Thanks for doing this." He looked at Pistoth curiously, pondering how he was going to get the little blue up.

I'm going to do like Veeth! Before Echlerov could say anything, Pistoth had darted off, and then up the older blue. Are you coming? The vinter sighed. "Sorry about that. I hope he didn't hurt your blue any."

He mounted up after the blue rider did, making sure that Pisoth was in between the two riders. He didn't think the little blue would do anything, but he wanted to make sure that he was there to grab him if he did.

They took off, heading down to the lake, and Pistoth's eyes whirled in excitement. This is so much fun. Are you having fun? We are so high up. Will I get to do this? When? Do you think I'm going to get this big? Echlerov could only chuckle at his little one's rambling, knowing that he wasn't really looking for answers at the moment.

The landing was smooth, even if their dismount wasn't. Echlerov hadn't been willing to let Pistoth attempt to go down the same way that he had gotten up, and had had the blue rider pass him down to him. Of course, Echlerov hadn't actually thought about how that would work, and so the pair ended up slipping, landing down on the ground in an uninjured pile of boy and dragon.

Let's do that again! Pistoth shook himself as he stood, and then darted off, running towards Veeth.Veeth! Veeth! He stopped just in front of Veeth and his rider, his tail twitching in excitement. I really like flying!

Echlerov sighed. "Thanks for the ride." He was sure that they would be going back with the same rider, but right now, he had to go fetch his little wayward dragon.

When Veeth was firmly on the ground once more, his excitement at flying still reaching record highs, he turned his attention back onto Temsaith. Larrikith had been impressed with his creativity and didn’t mind the way he climbed up her or that he slept on her back but the large blue before him had been whining about it since the first step taken atop his tail. When Valerian gave him a mental nudge to thank Temsaith and J’dan for the ride, Veeth crouched down, doing his best job at looking properly scolded and understanding the errors of his ways. Thank you for the ride, Temsaith. I’m sorry for climbing on you without asking first. At least he had been far more considerate with his dismount and tried to be gentle!

Valerian was still wondering about the pair he had been shoved upon. The dragon was sort of interesting with his grumping but the rider… J’dan was special, he decided. In some odd way, the rider was fascinating with the random babbling he did but it mostly irritated Valerian who preferred to speak only when necessary and with less enthusiasm about everything. Still, he had made Veeth play nice so he could only do the same, “thanks for remembering the riding straps and getting us here safely.” After Larrikith’s death-defying flying, Valerian would forever be grateful for riding straps and for a dragon that didn’t need to prove death was only a spiral away.

He was saved from further interactions with the odd blue pair when another blue joined the fray as Pistoth came galloping in. His excitement was evident and it was enough to recharge Veeth’s as he sprung up from his crouch and started to dance around. It was a lot of fun! Temsaith is a wonderful flyer as well. I wasn’t scared at all! Valerian caught the little glimpse Veeth gave the larger blue as he no doubt checked to see if he had earned any further favour with the dragon. His dragonet simply had to be friends with everyone.

Dismounting Remenath G'rem reached up to Visltine, helping the somewhat anxious weyrling down. He watched as the majority of the volunteers drifted in and landed, intrigued with how each rider and weyrling pair was handling the odd task. There wasn't yet sign of the late weyrlings, to which he glared and pursed his lips. Turning to the prompt part of the class he cleared his throat and stood with his back to the lake.

"Now, I'm sure you volunteers remember the early wing strengthening exercises of your weyrlinghood." He smirked at the few groans he earned, no doubt from riders who had had to do this in the middle of the icy northern winters. "We'll be here for a while, if you wish you can return to the Weyr until needed later." He watched as a few of the riders mounted up and eagerly left the shore. Unfazed, he turned his attention now to the weyrlings.

"Today, your dragons are going to be swimming. This is to strengthen your dragons wings with less strain. After today you will be expected to take your dragon to the west river bordering the Weyr to do this yourself in your allocated times." He paused, eyeing off the most likely weyrlings that would try to avoid such a task if left unsupervised. "So. Get your dragons into the water! They're naturally drawn to water, as you can tell," he gestured to the frolicking Gugaroth, "and they should instinctively know how to swim for the most part. Our dragons will be swimming further out as a safety measure, to make sure none of you swim out of your depth." At this, Remenath led the willing older dragons into the water, establishing a rough line in the lake where the young dragons were to not pass. Remenath stared at Gugaroth who was much further out, wondering how a Bronze could be so childish.

When the four late weyrling dragons appeared G'rem approached them, leading them down to the lake. "I need you to swim in the lake today, to make your wings good and strong. That way you get to fly quicker!" He explained to them, hiding a smile at the giddy emotions rolling off the four dragons towards him. Shooing them into the water he began to prowl along the shore, tapping the legs of a weyrling here and there.

"He's meant to swim with his wings, not paddle like a dog!" He exclaimed as he saw Teegarth doing just that. He stared at Silute, who sheepishly called out to his little Blue that he was doing it wrong.

---

Played by Featherpirate

“Looks like you get to play in the water, Veeth,” Valerian knelt beside his excited dragonet, laying a hand on Veeth’s head to help direct his attention to the task at hand and not socializing. Valerian was all for doing his own thing at his own pace but G’rem was the sort that even he didn’t want to tangle with. He’d seen Erisi get smacked with that cane often enough to know it wasn’t pleasant and he’d seen Kerrin suffer through punishments before to know the cranky old bluerider never messed around. 

Really? Excited eyes turned to the body of water where the elder dragons were already splashing about while they got into their positions to play at being obstacles for wayward dragonets. He looked up at Valerian who nodded and Veeth didn’t need any further encouragement as he went trotting towards the water. He was among the first batch of excited dragonets and while he still stopped to dip a claw in the water to test it, Veeth was still hot on the tail of his clutchmates for diving right in.

He was having so much fun! He did a little paddling like Teegarth to help get him into a more open area but Veeth was quick to change his swimming style once he heard his fellow blue get yelled at for doing it incorrectly. He experimented with wing movements, finding it a little odd at first but soon finding it to be something that felt natural and a chirp of triumph was given to any of the older dragons nearby that were paying him any attention. Feeling a bit more confident in his movements, Veeth moved in closer to a group and purposely splashed about to spray them with water before hightailing it out of there. He wanted to play with his clutchmates but didn’t need G’rem’s evil glare on him or Valerian!

From the beach, Valerian watched Veeth’s progress, proud that his dragonet was doing so well already and amused at his antics with the others. He tried to suppress a smile that would give everything away.

Vyaniorth let loose a squawk of excitement at the news that he would be allowed to join his big bronze brother in splashing about in the water, and - demonstrating a rather precocious understanding of what G'rem was asking of them - was quick to rush headlong to the shores of the lake, beating the older dragons into the water. Allendris took a quick, hesitant step to follow or stop the little beast from diving headfirst into a scolding from the strict weyrlingmaster, but upon seeing that many of the other hatchlings were soon on the bronzeling's heels, the glass-smith allowed himself to relax. After all, it simply wouldn't be practical to punish all of them... and besides that, the enthusiastic hatchlings were only proving the old bluerider right in his notion that the dragonets would be naturally drawn to the water.

"Careful, Vy," Allendris called out over the sounds of happy splashing, noticing his dragonet beginning to power away further and further towards the ring of older dragons and immediately suspecting the reason why. Besides just the proud little creature's eagerness to show off how smooth and powerful his wing-beats already were compared to some of his smaller, floundering clutchmates, anyway. "You can't go play with Gugaroth just yet."

Vyaniorth turned to send his bonded a mournful look, the dragonet having fully believed that he had already graduated from this simple lesson and now had free reign to do as he pleased.

But it's so easy, the bronzeling insisted to that very effect, an unmistakable restlessness coursing over their mental link. Fortunately, the young man was quickly becoming familiar with Vyaniorth's love of a good challenge, and he recognized that he couldn't keep the little bronze doing the same thing for very long after he'd thought he'd mastered it without some other sort of mental stimulation.

Allendris sighed, but much like Valerian, he couldn't help having to suppress a smile at the little show-boat. It was adorable in a way, since Vyaniorth clearly couldn't see just how long he had to go before he could even dream of matching his older kin in strength and skill. That was exactly why the young dragon needed guidance. And a task to keep him occupied, meanwhile, which the weyrling wisely and knowingly provided. "Then help some of the others, if you're bored."

Vyaniorth regarded his bonded for a moment with a tilted head, as if considering the validity of the man's suggestion. Evidently finding his advice acceptable, the bronzeling sent himself gliding towards a struggling green with a few wing-strokes. It's like this! he informed her graciously, demonstrating the movements he found had worked best for him. It proved useful, for his glittering wings were easy for her to see in the water. The green's success upon imitating him filled the larger of the two dragonets with immeasurable pride.

Watching quietly from the shore, Allendris worried for what he had done to Vyaniorth's burgeoning ego.

G’rem watched from the shore with his arms crossed, face stoic and unamused. While he found the splashing and general antics of the young dragonriders annoying, he didn’t actually move to stop them. Children would be children, whether they were human or dragon. They were going to splash and cut up no matter what. At least they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, though.

Remenath was more supportive. The blue lingered in the water, jeweled eyes flashing between one dragonet and the next. He never moved from this spot, but he did offer gentle words of encouragement to the young ones as they played their games.

They are young. If it doesn’t feel like work, they’ll do more of it Remenath reminded his bonded. The blue was relaxed. Let them be young while they can

G’rem quietly accepted the advice, though not without a slight snort. He knew his dragon was right and he probably shouldn’t let his sour jadedness affect him so much. He waited quietly for some time, occasionally correcting a weyrling whose dragonet’s form needed improvement, but otherwise he stayed out of their way. As Remenath predicted, they seemed much more eager for the exercise when it was disguised as play.

At length, Remenath gave a sudden, shrill bugle. It was his way of getting the weyrlings’ attention. “All right!” G’rem shouted, stepping forward and waving for their attention. “Now that they’ve gotten the motions down and gotten some practice, we’re going to do some organized swim drills. Everyone bring their dragonets to the shore and line them up!” He waved his stick wildly at the water line.

He waited impatiently for each weyrling to bring his or her (usually reluctant) dragonet to the shore. “Now then,” G’rem said, “they will all swim out to meet the adult dragons.” He motioned to Remenath and his helpers, still forming a protective line. “Have your dragonet swim there and back. It’ll be tiring for them, but that’s how we’ll measure progress. Next time, after you’ve all had a bit of practice on your own…” A pause for emphasis. If someone skipped out on swimming practice, G’rem would know!.

“…This distance should be much quicker and easier for them. Now, go!”

---

Played by Bluedragon

Krypth and Jada arrived unsurprisingly late, given that other than the first lesson (to which she had arrived half a candlemark early 'just to be sure') she had been coming in 2-3 minutes tardy (or more) for absolutely everything of any importance. It hadn't changed much since she was a Candidate, in fact; Krypth had chosen to keep her 'hands' full with this particular girl. All of the Weyrlings, it seemed, were already in the water and Krypth was incredibly agitated as she scrambled her way off of the brown-hided dragon that had been kind enough to give them a ride. It was surprising that he had, since Krypth's eyes had been faintly red-tinged and she'd been close to her short wit's end.

Krypth was so agitated at the morning's events that she was stomping her way towards the water with a sinuous twist and bared teeth. Jada stumbled along behind her, turning with enough presence of mind to thank their ferries. "I'm sorry! But I'm not the only reason we got here late."

The dragonet harrumphed, twining her way across the sand, belly low so it scraped over her hide, deliciously warmed by the sun. The water is going to be cold. I suppose it will have at least had a little warmth added to it by the motion of all the other bodies in it. That was likely to be the extent of forgiveness after Jada's sincere partial apology. After all, it was Jada's fault that she hadn't had the presence of mind to simply go to the location at which they had been instructed to meet for this lesson.

Jada looked like a shamed pup as she moved towards G'rem, meeting him as he moved their way. "I need you to swim in the lake today, to make your wings good and strong. That way you get to fly quicker!" G'rem's voice sounded stern, and Jada saw Krypth roll her eyes in her Bonded's direction.

And you made me late! Krypth darted for the water with a speed that hadn't been seen from the Gold since her Hatching. This looks very easy. I can do this. It was a pronouncement to all; they need have no fear! Krypth could do this! Splashing into the water, the dragonet promptly started floundering around like a fish out of water, multifaceted eyes trying to take in the form of the older dragons and their graceful ease. How irritating, that she wasn't already as good as they were! For the others it may have been play, but Krypth needed to catch up!

Jada squatted down, and gave G'rem a baleful look when he slapped her legs with the stick. It was very hard- was it because she'd been late? Still, she tried to correct the dragon, puppeting G'rem's words just as he'd provided them. "You're doing it wrong, dear." she explained.

I'm doing it fine. Krypth corrected them all, balefully. I haven't drowned yet, have I? Oh dear. Her legs were slapped again and Jada sprang to her feet, trying to point out one of the older dragons. Oh oh oh, she needed to correct her, but who was who? Was one supposed to beg and cajole their dragonet? Krypth was simply so stubborn!

She was saved from her anxiety by Remenath calling them all in. She thought, anyway! "Come in now, Krypth." she called, to reinforce G'rem's order.

No.

"Krypth!"

No! I'm late because of you, I need to finish my practice. Oh dear. Oh, oh dear. Jada clenched her hands together, anxiety playing over her. What would she do if Krypth didn't come in? How was she supposed to force her to come in?

"Don't make me come and get you!" she called. Krypth bugled defiantly and Jada made her decision. "Alright, I'm coming, but if I get sick-"

The dragonet promptly turned, paddling for shore. you'll get sick and scare half these poor people again. You're so irresponsible!

“Now then,” G’rem said, “they will all swim out to meet the adult dragons. Have your dragonet swim there and back. It’ll be tiring for them, but that’s how we’ll measure progress. Next time, after you’ve all had a bit of practice on your own…” it was a threat that didn't get past Krypth or her partner, and the girls gave each other a single look. Oh, there would be practicing! Krypth wasn't going to be shown up again by any of those adult dragons again, and Jada certainly wasn't going to get in trouble for letting her dragonet slack. That stick hurt!

"Go!" Jada said, and pointed.

Krypth darted, flinging herself into the water. Push. Push. Push. One wing, then the other, then both at once; the dragonet snaked her way through the chill waters with a goal firmly fixed in her mind.