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Wind and Sky and Freedom


Date:  October 27, 2008
Places:  Igen's Weyrling Training Field and Skyspace
Game:  PernMUSH
Copyright Info:  The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey 
l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright.

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Kassi's Note:  Truth is, a lot of these make-up class logs end up 
repetetive in terms of what Kassi poses.  I put them up because the
Weyrlings' experiences are individual and that's where the fun comes
from. :)  Because certain lessons were backtimed these scenes also may
be out of RL chronological order on my archive; I'm sticking them in
IC order instead.  Anyway!  On this occasion Celane and Autryth go up 
together under Kassima's watchful eye. 

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The Log:

Kassima leans against Lysseth's side, waiting for the Weyrlings to
gather--there are three or four attending this lesson. Barracks gossip has
it that Kheriath's already flown but her landings were very poor, and she
and her lifemate are already in the Field, determined to give this another
go... to stop M'dras from teasing them if nothing else.

Celane and Autryth are among the pairs that gather for this lesson, and
like always, Celane's eyes sparkle with curiosity, excitement, and
adventure... all of which seem to be rubbing off on the young dragonet as
well, who has a draconic bounce to his step, a heady bravado. As the pair
reach Kassima, Celane gives a smart salute. "Weyrlingmaster! Good afternoon!"

The other Weyrlings present salute in their turn, once they arrive. Kassima
returns them all with one brisk gesture. "G'dafternoon, Weyrlings." Lysseth
rumbles low greetings to the young dragons. Straightening up and away from
her lifemate, Kassi asks, "I presume you've all got your straps done up
properly and ready for inspection? We'll fly today," as if they didn't
know! There's a current of excitement running around, one anyone could
perceive--it makes her smile even if she's focused on the business end of
things. "But only if'n your straps would satisfy any Wingleader!"

"Yes'm, Weyrlingmaster!" Celane boasts confidently of her straps, and
Autryth trumpets back happily-- both to echo his rider's affirmative, as
well as in sheer excitement that is passing in murmurs and shouts among the
weyrlings. The new bluerider stage-whispers to a fellow weyrling, a
greenrider standing near her, "I sure /hope/ they pass inspection. I worked
so hard!" In a beat, her attention is back on Kassima, eager to hear the
next instructions.

Kassima laughs very softly for such obvious delight on Autryth's part.
Who's not a sucker for happy young dragons? She approaches the Weyrling
pairs one by one to give their straps more than a casual look-over, and
they'll be familiar with this process from the groundriding lessons; this
time, however, the testing is more strict. D-rings are twisted in their
sockets and chest straps felt for appropriate padding. Poor Elvina ends up
in a quick debate over whether those attaching straps are too long.
Finally, though, when it's over, Kassima raises her voice and assures them,
"You'll do! Nice work, there's been a lot of improvement from some of you.
Here's what we'll do. Form up in a formation by order of size, standard V,
that lets Lyss lead and we can keep an eye on you. 'Twill raise and drop
m'hand as the signal and we'll all go up at once. Circle the Bowl once,
then land. Do I need t'be reminding you t'check your airspace a'fore you
even think of taking off?"

You place one hand on Lysseth's neck and she warbles down at you fondly.
You grin and scratch her eyeridges once before climbing up onto her lower
neckridges, using the riding straps and Lysseth's thoughtfully offered
foreleg.

<*> Lysseth already stood nearly in the center of the training field, but
she moves a few paces to the side once her lifemate suits action to word
and gets herself settled--and buckled!--on the green's neck. There's plenty
of room for the younger dragons to arrange themselves in the V.

<*> Celane shakes her head. "Of course not, ma'am!" And she mounts
Autryth-- perhaps not as elegantly as one might, but passably well for a
Weyrling-- before the pair maneuver into place in the 'v' shaped formation.
It's not the most elegant affair, getting into place, but eventually
Autryth and Celane are where they belong: fairly near the front, amongst
other blues and a few greens.

<*> Celane mounts Autryth.

Kassima groans, "Weyrlingmaster, Celane. Rule one: call everyone by title,
sir or ma'am only if'n they don't mind. I mind! One extra lap around the
Bowl this evening." Elegance isn't in abundant supply among the other three
Weyrlings either, but that doesn't appear to faze Kassi much. She watches
them and waits until each is where he or she needs to be, *exactly* where
he or she needs to be, and the young dragons and young riders alike are
still. "Looking good," she calls to them as encouragement. She resettles so
she's facing forward, and there it is: the signal, Lysseth already steeling
to jump as it's given.

<*> Lysseth springs from the ground, the air from her wings churning up
dust as she takes to the skies.

You wing cautiously up into the Bowl.

Kyril> Seated atop Autryth, Celane looks a bit cross at the proclamation of
an extra lap, but does her best to not warrant /another/ one. "Yes,
Weyrlingmaster." But that's soon in the past; they're about to fly! As soon
as Lysseth is aloft, and the signal is given, the Weyrlings follow, the
eager Celane and Autryth among them. Wind! Sky! Freedom! It's all so
exhilarating.

<*> Autryth rises up from the training field.

<*> There is wind! Not too much, nothing to give them trouble, but it plays
across their wingsails and sings past riders' ears as they climb. There's
sky! It's a bright, bright blue today, brilliant with afternoon sunshine.
The Bowl's rim is a sharp contrast against it. And freedom--Lysseth
trumpets to the young dragons ascendant, welcoming them to part of their
birthright. She flies slowly as such things go, drawing out this one
circle, and not coincidentally giving the human Weyrlings the opportunity
for a good look at their home as seen from above.

<*> Autryth trumpets back, a triumphant, gleeful sound: birthright indeed!
This is where he belongs, far above the ground, above the sandy expanse of
his desert Weyr birthplace. Upon him, Celane lets out a loud whoop, a sound
not unlike her dragon's trumpet. She keeps her eyes trained for as long as
she can on that infinite sky-- don't look down, she must have been warned--
but then, as always, her curiosity wins out, and she sneaks a glance
downward at Igen... Igen, as she's never seen it before, from the back of
her own beloved lifemate.

<*> Lysseth angles her wings for a slow turn, following the curve of the
Bowl wall. None of the Weyrling pairs can stay completely silent! Whooping,
yelling, and Kassi just grins at all of it. This is one of the classes when
it's good to be a Weyrlingmaster. The younger pairs' open joy in something
she and Lyss take for granted by now brings back the memory of when it was
*new*... and Lysseth flirts a little with the passing breezes, dipping
twice, more playful than one might expect her to be. "Isn't it beautiful?"
her rider yells. "The Igen sky's another home!"

Dragon> Igen Weyrling Wing sense that Lysseth shares her own pleasure in
flight with the Weyrlings. In her mind the Bowl's rock begins to glint as
though it were carved from glass, or crystal, glowing ruddy-gold from
sunlight captured inside; her fancy makes everything below a crystal
sculpture too, even the herdbeasts. The wind is cool, but the day is warm.
Her wings are strong and theirs, while not fully developed, are no longer
weak baby-wings. Up here they have much in common: all dragons, all free!

IGEN-> A'deth says, "Awww."

<*> Seated atop Autryth, "It is indeed, Weyrlingmaster!" Celane calls out,
but the gleeful call is likely lost amidst all the other whoops, cheers,
and shouts of agreement. Autryth can't help but mimic the aerial antics of
the older dragon leading him, dipping slightly and righting himself within
the formation. Oh, this joy! To be aloft, on wing! At last!

IGEN-> Ch'ton says, "Hey, Igen!"

IGEN-> Kassima snuggles A'deth, and waffles to Ch'ton. :)

Dragon> Igen Weyrling Wing sense that Autryth sends back unbridled glee, at
first, and then manages to reel himself in, focusing and concentrating his
thoughts. What results is a slightly modified version of Lysseth's image,
from his point of view: light shining through the glass-sculpture weyr,
then refracting, tossing small rainbows throughout the minds of dragons
like a prism.

<*> Soledyth mimics Autryth, bobbling more than dipping, and of course it
catches on until the whole formation looks a little bit like a carousel,
but this once Kassima doesn't mind. They've nearly completed their circle,
anyway. She's reluctant herself to end the flight, and Lysseth is too, but
there will be tomorrow; now she slants downwards and loses altitude. The
green aims them expertly for a neat and gentle landing in the Field.

You glide over to land in the training field.

<*> Autryth backwings to land neatly.

Dragon> Igen Weyrling Wing sense that Lysseth, even while heading back to
earth, catches one of those rainbows within a prism to keep and tosses
another back to Autryth: it glitters with her own delight and her pride in
all of them.

You slide off of Lysseth's neck to land beside her easily. She rumbles,
cocking her head down at you, and you rub her eyeridges gratefully.

Autryth's landing is perhaps a bit bumpy, not altogether expertly done...
but then, he's no expert, yet. And the feeling of ground beneath feet
elicits another loud, gleeful trumpet. Almost as good as being in the air,
the successful landing!

Celane slides down Autryth's side to the ground.

Celane, too, lands on the ground with a bit of a bump, but manages to stay
on both of her feet. And the whoop that manages to let loose from her mouth
is definitely not lady-like, but altogether appropriate in terms of what
the pair have just accomplished. "Autryth! We can /fly/!!"

Kassima swings down to the ground only after the Weyrlings have dismounted.
It looks as though everyone's intact, no straps broken and dangling, no
catastrophic landing. She grins outright and gives the pairs a moment or
two to bask in it--briefly. "Check your lifemates!" she calls to the
riders. "Wings, ankles, legs! Just t'be sure, though you all did well up
there. Congratulations!"

Celane does so, patting her lifemate on the flank as she does so, peering
closely at each part of him to assure herself of his health. "Y'look good!"
She whispers to him, before, finally, scritching him on the eyeridges
fondly, a well-deserved congratulations. "We /must/ do that again sometime."

"Oh, you must," Kassima agrees. "Every day from now on for the foreseeable
future. For the rest of your lives, you'll be up in the air sometime more
days than nay. We start slow. Tomorrow you'll do a circle and a half,
mayhaps. The next day, two. A'fore you know it--" They can probably fill in
the rest with their imaginings: long, soaring flights leading them higher,
someday dulling into the tedium of drills, but not yet. Not yet. "Now you
should go soak with your lifemates in the hot spring as a well-earned
reward. Once I dismiss the class, at least. Are there any questions a'fore
I do?"

Celane's eyes widen with delight at the thought of all of that flying. As
for questions? She shakes her head vigorously. "No, Weyrlingmaster."
Careful emphasis on that last word. No additional laps for her tonight!

Kassima's soft chuckle suggests she caught the emphasis, too. "Class
dismissed, then," she tells them with a smile. "We'll see you in the air
again on the morrow."

"Tomorrow, Weyrlingmaster!" are Celane's words of farewell as she and
Autryth trot off, happily, with the rest of the class, in the direction of
the hot spring.