Weyrling Lesson 9 - Tropical

[reqqy]

Out on the practice field today, lovely. Paper for taking notes, straps, gear...that should cover it. Laurie grinned at Kalierre, who was cradling Miguel in her lap as they both sat in the grassy clearing selected for the Tropical weyrlings months before. It's too nice a day to be meeting in the classrooms, hatchlings, so come directly to the practice field if you didn't get our note! Still bring materials to take notes, and don't forget your gear! Reysalth and Phremath had gathered at one end of the clearing, since Kalierre had been asked to go over some more dragonhealing now that the weyrlings were older and would soon start participating in the weyrling wings at threadfall.

Laurie was in one of her rare practical moods, her hair pulled back in a single braid and her clothing more traditional for dragonriders - if still a bit on the tight side. Now that she was teaching permanently, she couldn't be quite so loose about it. Lead by example and all that! The Weyrlingmaster flitted from dragonpair to dragonpair as they arrived, tugging lightly on the straps and making a few comments here and there, all with a friendly smile. As soon as she finished the inspection, she would send the rider over to form a circle around Kalierre. She didn't return to her pupils immediately, allowing the dragonhealer to take over as she did a private inspection of each of the dragons' health, her face particularly solemn as she did so, making mental notes of who to talk to.

The dragonhealer, meanwhile, started the lesson. "Don't stand around me. It makes me nervous. Come, sit!" Kalierre flashed a brief smile at the young people. "Reysalth, if you please?" The green came obediently forward; Phremath had wanted to demonstrate, but, for practical reasons, Reysalth was the better choice. "For those of you who don't know, I'm the Selenitas dragonhealer. You should have learned basic dragonhealing at an earlier lesson, but I know things have been hectic, so bear with me if I tell you some things you've already heard. Most of what we cover today won't be things you yourself will treat initially, but you'll still have to note that this is a problem that I should be called for, and you'll have to care for your dragon after I see them.

"With minor cuts, treat with redwort and leave uncovered. If it doesn't heal - and dragons do heal relatively quickly compared to humans - or the cut is deeper, you need to bring your dragon to the infirmary. Deeper cuts will be sutured and you'll need to apply numbweed yourself to keep the hide moist until the stitches are removed. Fractures are uncommon, since a dragon's bones are pretty solid, but they sometimes happen. If you've been involved in a crash landing or a collision, I'll want to see them to make sure they haven't fractured anything. Swelling is a sign of fracture. Compound fractures are more obvious, as the limb will be at a strange angle or a bone may even pierce the hide. What you'll need to know is that the splints must be kept in place and bandaged tightly - I'll show you how if your dragon ever requires this - and, especially for compound fractures, the dragon will need to get a lot of rest. You also should apply numbweed at least three times a day for these injuries.

"Dragons rarely get sick, but the most common ailment is the dragon equivalent of a cold. Lots of sneezing, tons of mucus...it's not fun for rider or dragon. Sleep and water are what is most needed here, but if the sneezing absolutely refuses to go away, come see me and I'll get a tonic for your dragon that should do the trick.

"Now, Lauranna really wanted me here to talk about scoring. All of you are flying now, and, once your dragons get used to Betweening in a few months, they'll be joining the low-altitude wings during Threadfall. Minor threadscores are treated by riders. As soon as your dragon is hit by thread, you will Between to the weyr. If it's a surface wound - which you can tell because the wound will have already cauterized itself (no ichor) - you'll be treating it yourself. All you do is wash it out with water, remove any Thread residue, and rinse with redwort. It heals best by exposure to air. Sometimes ichor will seep under the hide...resulting in a raised wound that's sensitive to the touch and mild discoloration. You need to bring your dragon in to see me in that event. If the Threadscore is more serious, they'll be seen to immediately after coming out of Between in the main part of the Weyr, and you'll receive more instructions then. The important part to remember is to remain calm and comfort your dragon, not contribute to their distress.

"I'm only going to mention wings for one purpose - if there is any tearing or damage to the wing, I need to see your dragon in the infirmary as soon as possible. Dragons heal themselves remarkably swiftly, but if they're not properly treated right after the injury occurs, it could heal in such a way that your dragon will be unable to fly. This is not something you do yourself, and it's not something you leave to chance. Fortunately, almost any injury, no matter how major, will not keep your dragon Grounded so long as they're promptly and properly treated."

Weyrlingmaster Lauranna spoke quietly from the back, then, having returned sometime in the middle of the lecture. "If you have any questions for the Dragonhealer, please ask them now."

Weyrlings

T'nmor of Jedirth
S'adi of Sitieth - NPC
Q'in of Russeth
N'tian of Elleoth - NPC
A'viar of Brennath - NPC
L'ron of Fortith
T'ra of Gartoth - NPC
D'niel of Zorith - NPC
Devai of Zendreth - NPC
Janisi of Storith
Sikowy of Linoth - NPC
Fiona of Raiyth

[Kisha-Ra]

Lessons.[/color] Storith announced to her rider. It is Reysalth’s again, we are meeting outside Reysalth says. You must take things to take notes with, and our gear.[/color] Janisi smiled at her dragon’s seriousness and neglected to mention to Storith that she had read nearly all of that on the note that had been left, presumably by the weyrlingmaster, or at least by someone acting on her behalf. Alright, we’re gone. Janisi told her impatient green, forming a pile out of some paper, pens, and something to lean on with one hand and grabbing up her riding things and straps with the other. It looked like it was going to be some kind of thery lesson with a little flying later.

Out on the practice field things were a little chaotic, weyrlingmaster Lauranna, who was apparently to become their permanent teacher now, flitted from pair to pair with a friendly smile. Janisi returned the smile when the woman came over and tugged at Storith’s straps and sent Janisi off to join the circle around Kalierre.

Janisi sat as she was bid and arranged her writing things, if the topic was to be dragonhealing she wanted the best notes she could take, though she hoped Storith would always enjoy good health Janisi knew that no one, dragon or human, would get through life unscathed. That being the case she listened intently and tried to at least write legible notes, especially on threadscoring.

[kysseh]

Mine... we should hurry! Reysalth and Hers call us to the practice field! Raiyth relayed to her rider, fairly dancing around in her anticipation. The green had been absolutely thrilled to be permitted to fly with Hers, and now that this freedom was allowed them, they tended to snatch it at every opportunity. However, FionaHers was a tad on the slower side at the moment out of frustration with their bitty bronze friend, who had taken possession of one of the weyrling's boots. The result was a tug-of-war session that had Raiyth's green head moving back and forth to follow it, her feet still moving in a silly approximation of a human dance. Couldn't Hers just hurry up?! Just give him the boot, Mine. We will be late, and they will not let us fly!

The plaintive tone in her dragon's voice did not go unnoticed, but Fiona chose to continue fighting with Ego instead. Thankfully, she remembered half a meatroll she had stuffed in her pocket for a later snack, and a quick trade later, the boot was back in in her possession, as was proper. The green weyrling slipped on that last piece of gear and then went over her mental checklist. Boots, helmet, goggles... check! Riding clothes... check! She had to preen a little bit over that and the beautiful state of Raiyth's hide. She had worked all day to make the green seem that shiny. Straps, which were already on Raiyth.... and....

Wait, things for notes?! She grabbed one of her little waist pouches and stuck in some materials for taking notes. That done, the young woman took an extra minute to tie back her dark curls at the base of her neck, and then she shooed Raiyth out the door. They were quick to arrive and thankful to not be late, Raiyth moreso since she did not want to be denied the chance to get into the air. The green crooned happily at their new--and nice, both females agreed--weyrlingmaster as the woman checked her straps, and Fi gave a broad smile and practically bounced over to Kalierre for the lesson. The young woman was in a good mood, even for her, but since Raiyth was in a good enough mood to match, neither commented on the other's state of unusually high amounts of energy.

Fiona turned serious at the mention of what the lesson would be, and her notes were... well, it was unlikely that everyone would be able to read her scribbles, but they made perfect sense to her. Except... was Threadscore one word or two? She decided to write it as one; it looked nicer that way. She wished she did not have to learn about this, as the very thought of any injury to Raiyth had her wanting to burst into tears, but she knew she had to. Raiyth had had to have a few little scratches looked at, and that had been sad enough. Well, now Fiona could take care of her own mindmate for the little things, and the thought of sparing both her and Raiyth the stress of the Infirmary was cheering enough, even if the thought of injured wings was... sobering. She made a special effort to underline the part about staying calm. That would probably be the worst issue.

With you? Probably. But I know you'll learn. Raiyth pointed out in a private mental 'whisper' and with such faith in Hers that Fiona wanted to cry and hug the oh-so-patient little green. But... this was the time to focus. Cuddles could wait until later. The weyrlingmaster's statement surprised her, and she had to think for a moment. Hmm... they covered bones and cuts and scratches... Threadscore... ooh! She raised a hand and patiently waited until she had the dragonhealer's attention before putting forth the question. "I know people and runners and the like get sprains and pulled muscles. Do dragons get the same things?" As soon as it was out, she felt a bit stupid for asking, but... it was a valid question, right? She knew for a fact that a sprained ankle or a pulled thigh muscle hurt terribly in people, and if people and runners and canines and felines and all sorts of other animals got those sort of injuries.... then wouldn't dragons too?

[randi]

Outside, practice field. Grab your stuff and hurry up, Fortith had informed his bonded, a hint of agitation at the boy's slowness. A boot had been thrown, aimed at his head, which would have only served to make L'ron move slower until the blue retaliated by flicking it back, hitting him in the shoulder, causing notes to fall everywhere.

By the time they had made it outside, L'ron was almost absolutely certain they were going to be late. Being one of the final pairs to arrive had the blue huffy, though he held still for their Weyrlingmaster's inspection, tolerant simply because anything less might not allow him to continue. As the greenrider gave them the go ahead, he thumped Fortith's side which had returned to it's normal dark color instead of the mark left by Jedirth, rushing to join the group gathered around the other greenrider after flashing a quick smile to Laurie.

Sitting down near the other Weyrlings, he listened, noting that, with Fortith's tendencies, they would likely need this lesson moreso than the others. The dragon, however, scoffed at the notes he had to frustratedly write in tiny print around previously written things, I don't need this. I'll be fine. L'ron snorted. Fortith might not mind the pain, but the boy would die before he let the damn blue get hurt too badly.

The idea of flying Thread in the next few months was a bit exciting, he'd have to admit, if scary. Of course, this only caused the blue endless amounts of amusement. As if he would get scored, ha! If anything did happen, it would doubtlessly be the fault of an incompetent idiot, likely one sitting near His now. Despite Fortith's particular optimism, L'ron kept writing, nodding. Discoloration might be hard to see, he noted, for Fortith's dark hide. Turning his head slightly to get sight out of the corner of his eye on his dragon. If something does happen and a score wound starts getting really sensitive, you better tell me.

Yes, motherMine. I will also be ready to tattle when the other dragons start saying mean things, especially if they hurt my feelings. L'ron bit his tongue to keep from turning and glaring at the young dragon, his eyes turning to those around to see who would ask a question, having a feeling that, since it concerned their dragon's safety, someone would. Ah, there is was. Of course, it would be Fiona who asked the question, wouldn't it? He couldn't hold it against her. It must be nice, he supposed to be bonded to something that might care if it got hurt, or cared if their bonded did. Pity, that he'd never know.

[reqqy]

Lesson 9:
Classroom: Final Flying Leathers Inspection; Advanced Dragonhealing
Training Field: Using Air Currents; Weather Problems and Solutions; Communication Drills; Flight in Formation Theory (On Ground)

Kalierre smiled at Fiona, even as she bounced Miguel lightly on one knee. "A good question. Yes, dragons can get sprains or pulled muscles just like anyone else. Right after the initial injury, you want to keep them moving to try to work out the kinks. In general, a dragon will recover swiftly from this sort of injury without any true intervention from either rider or dragonhealers, so long as they don't sit still and let things stiffen up. If it's still sore the next morning, you can bring them in so I can check for any ligament damage. Most likely, though, it's just a nasty little sprain, and I'll give you a comfrey broth that you'll need to heat up and give to your dragon. That should take care of things well enough."

Lauranna stepped forward with a quick smile, clapping her hands together just the once to get everyone's attention. "Right! That's the dragonhealing portion of the lesson. If you didn't get everything, or have more questions, the Dragonhealer will be here after class. Before we begin, does anyone know where T'nmor and Q'in are?" The woman glanced around, frowning mildly, then shrugged. "No? Oh well." She fixed the assembled weyrlings with a bright smile. "Moving right along. If anyone didn't get the message, I've taken over your class permanently, so drop by the weyr or have your dragon contact Reysalth any time." Casting a glare at one of the greenriders, she waved impatiently at her. "Don't put those notes up yet! So where were we?

"Ah, yes. Weather. Threadfall doesn't wait for the most opportune time to fall, so we're going to be out in all kinds of weather during the rest of your weyrlinghood - and also when you start training with the wings. Can anyone tell me what weather is the absolute worst for dragonriders?" The small woman bounced on her toes, flashing smiles at everyone who ventured a guess, before she answered her own question. "Thread dies in water. That's why we don't try to flame it when it goes out over the ocean, you see. Rain helps kill Thread - so although the visibility can be poor, dragonriders generally like rain. Cold weather, too, is good, as it will generally kill Thread in the upper atmosphere. The worst possible weather situation is cloudy skies, elevated heat, and fast, nasty wind. Wind can do all kinds of crazy things with Thread, and can cause a lot of injuries, especially to larger, less manueverable dragons. If it's too strong, it can actually blow greens and blues off course."

Then she grinned. "Don't worry, though. That's why we have weyrling training! We'll be flying in times of high wind - not today, obviously, as it's gorgeous out - and we'll learn how to deal with it by doing. Now. I can bore you with hideously long lectures about how to utilize air currents, but let's play around with them and figure it out instead. See where Phremath is standing? There's a nice thermal - a pocket of swiftly rising warm air - at the base of that small hill. The rocks give it off! Anyway, Phremath is really, really good with air currents, since she can't gain altitude using her own wings, so watch closely."

Kalierre nodded to her green, and the deformed dragon leapt off the hill, her small wings immediately catching the warm air and lifting her swiftly into the sky. "We like thermals and air currents, because that means the dragons don't have to work so hard, and they can stay in the air much longer," Laurie narrated. At that point Phremath slid into a second stream of air, bearing her past the assembled weyrlings and slightly upward, her wings shifting their angle to utilize it efficiently. "Mark that spot where she left the thermal and the angle of her wings. For now, it's probably better if you ride the thermal higher, slip out, and catch the current on the way down, at least until you and your dragons get used to the feel.

"Okay! Up, up, up!" She waved at the younglings. "On with the gear. We're going to be playing with that thermal one-by-one." Even as she said this, she drew on her own helmet and goggles, beckoning Reysalth over. "Reysalth and I will spot, and Phremath will give pointers from above." Said dragon had already caught another thermal, and was now circling high above langorously. I'll be watching and giving advice. Don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure! she broadcasted, to dragons and riders alike, her bubbly tone sliding happily through everyone's minds. Phremath loved to help!

Reysalth took to the air swiftly, circling just above the hill and right outside the thermal. When the weyrlings were set, she told the first to start, shadowing each and every one to be sure no accidents happened. Phremath called out adjustments and encouragement from above, the two greens working well as a team and quite proud of the progress of the weyrlings as time went on.

[irbre]

We are late.

It wasn't exactly a reprimand, T'nmor knew, but the words stung nonetheless. Cursing silently, the bronzerweyrling scrambled awkwardly to his feet, brushing himself off. He had wanted only a few more moments of peace, and had perhaps taken those few more moments to be a bit many. "The Practice Fields, right?" he asked after a moment of silence. Jedirth merely answered with a curt nod before turning fluidly, quick steps leading him swiftly away. With a heavy sigh, T'nmor jogged after him as quickly as possible, thanking himself for at least having the forethought to equip Jedirth with his riding straps.

Although it didn't take them long to arrive, they were quite obviously late. Luckily, he seemed to catch the gist of what she was saying, and fell in behind a few others, intending to apologize for his and Jedirth's lateness when he had the chance. Just as luckily, he didn't appear to be the last as Q'in and Russeth padded past, the brown staring ahead with the single-mindedness of a shoulder, Q'in looking slightly flushed. They made their way straight to Kalierre and Phremath. Feeling even more awkward, T'nmor shifted from foot to foot, looking as though part of him wanted to follow and the other part didn't.

"I apologize for being late, Weyrlingmistress," Q'in murmured when he had approached close enough, bobbing in a quick bow before her, the blush on his cheeks flaring brighter. Russeth also stepped forward, wings rustling softly. I also apologize. It is inexcusable that we are late, he stated curtly, dipping his head to mimic his rider's action before the greenpair. He took a step backwards, but did not retreat much farther, while Q'in clambered back to his side, looking anywhere but Kalierre and Phremath.

[CRAP. I know. Enjoy this two-in-one. Dx]