Firestone

[Spirithawk]

Christae paced around the Weyrling Courtyard, waiting for the Weyrlings to show up. Kaith had sent out the message for them to arrive in full riding gear. The Queen was brooding over her clutch so Christae would not be flying on her today. Instead, she had asked Rhia and Mneith if they would carry her so that she could teach from the skies.

Christae had asked the drudges to bring several firestone sacks for the Weyrlings to put on their dragons. The dragons had been flying with weights to get them used to having a sack of stone on their sides but this time the Weyrlings would fill their own sacks from the store of firestone and place their sacks on their dragons. Over the next few days, the dragons would learn how to chew and flame. Then they would fly in formation and flame. By the end of a sevenday or so they would have a trial run.

Christae had set the women to ripping up old linen to create "Thread." Older riders would bring huge sacks of the "Thread" and drop it over the Weyrlings. They would be divided into smaller wings and each wing would be graded on how well they flew. Each individual dragon would be scored as well The more "Thread" that got through, the lower the score. The scores would help to place the Weyrlings in their wings. For a turn or two, the Weyrlings would remain in the same wing, led by an older dragonrider, to help give the other wings firestone. When the future Weyrlings from Kaith's current clutch were ready to be in a wing, they would take the Sr. W'lings place and the Sr. W'lings would be divided and placed in other wings.

Mneith spiraled in to land and Christae went to thank the brown and his rider for allowing her to ride with them today. The two women had rigged up riding straps for two riders. Christae only hoped that none of the Weyrlings scorched themselves or another rider. She had heard of dragons suiciding because their riders had been burned or dragonrider pairs being killed because of a careless dragon. She truly hoped that the Weyr would not be mourning the loss of anyone anytime soon.

[Tenma]

Today was the last lesson for the Sr. Weyrling. Miya was so excited. This was one step closer to becoming a Jr. Weyrwoman. They were so close to graduating. Miya had gotten up a bit early because she was so excited. She had been waking up early anyways, because of the extra chores assigned by the Weyrwoman due to her behavior.

She strode towards the Weyrwoman. Her head was held up proudly and her glistening hair swayed as she walked. She was dressed in her riding gear, as requested. Her helmet was in the crook of her arm.

Beside her strode her bonded. Reinath also stood tall, like she had when she was a hatchling. But things were different, now she was full grown. She was larger than the other dragons now. Her golden scalese glowed under the sun. She wore her riding straps.

The two knew it was firestone training, since that was the only lesson they hadn't learned, but there was no notice that they were not supposed to attend.

[Spirithawk]

((no scales...dragons have hide))

Christae looked up. "Good morning Miya. Reinath, you are looking well. Miya, although you will not be teaching Reinath how to chew firestone, you will be practicing with a flamethrower. You will learn on the ground first because if you cannot carry it on your back on the ground you will tire during Threadfall and will be useless to the Queen's wing." She pointed to two flamethrowers that were waiting for the Weyrwoman and the younger goldrider.

[Tenma]

((Sorry. I am part of another dragon site. That site is in the middle of a plot right now and those dragons have scales, so I am getting the sites mixed up.))

Reinath stood tall at the compliment.

Miya sighed at her bonded's attitude, though she did enjoy the praise. In truth, Miya was glad that she was still allowed to participate in the training. Though, she didn't even show this, or any other emotion. She was ready to go.

[nike]

Sh'iron walked up to Christae in full riding gear. His jacket was open, and gloves tucked into his belt. Helmet held by their straps in his right hand. The young Weyrleader had slicked his hair back so it wouldn't leak out of his helmet when he put it on. Myranenth landed down, and tucked his wings close to his body.

"See you're trying to teach these Weyrlings without me," He whispered in his mate's ear with a grin. Of course, he may, one day, have to leade these young riders into Thread. He, along with his wing, and all the other full riders, had been training with died fake "Threads" falling. So far, he, along with the rest of his Wingleaders were deciding which Weyrling would go into what Wing.

Miya would of course, be with Christae. But you needed three or more dragons to make a Queens Wing. That was why he was adding Nike with them. After all, Ruanth was too small to be in a proper Wing. The queens would be in the lowest level, and then his own wing would be in the Highest. Or, if he wasn't Weyrleader when thread would come, the Weyrleader's wing would be there.

Sh'iron nodded to Miya, and then waited for the rest of the Weyrlings. Hopefully Christae would be teaching Miya to use the flamethrower, while he and a few other Wingleaders taught the other Weyrlings to Flame. But of course, Nike would be alright, since she went through this lesson, but Ruanth had not.

††††††††††††

Nike walked in with Ruanth at her side. Her hair was pulled up, and held close to her head so it wouldn't get caught out of her helmet. A smile was on her lips as she waved to Christae, and Sh'iron. The Healer nodded to Miya, and then took a spot, waiting for the lesson to begin.

So we will learn how to flame today? Ruanth asked, nuzzling Nike's arm.
Yes. You will. Don't worry, it's not that hard. Nike replied, and stroked her white's head. She was in a good mood. Her riding gear fit her fine, and it didn't look like she was with child. But honestly, she didn't mind.

The Chores from her punshment weren't that hard. When ever she wasn't needed as a Healer, she would work on the clothes, or something else. She still ended up with a bit of freetime at night. Just enough for her to work on her own clothes, riding gear, or something she wished or needed. Though her grandmother helped her make her clothes.

[Kandarra]

((I'm gonna show up for this, because it will be one less lesson I have to do with T'rin later.))

T'rin walked up to the supposed final weyrling lesson. Amparath had gone ahead of him, and allowed T'rin some time alone.

It is okay, Amparath had said. You were taking care of your family. You missed the other lessons for a good reason.

But I wasn't here. I missed the lessons and now I have to be a weyrling with the next group.

It will be okay, Amparath repeated. His rider was growing rather angry. Maybe you should walk. Without even giving T'rin time to reply as to whether he wanted to or not, Amparath took flight, winging off to the Weyrling Courtyard.

Now T'rin was coming up on where Sh'iron, Christae, Nike and Miya stood. He bowed politely, if not a little stiffly, and stood aside from them. He was hot in his riding gear, but he made no complaint, not feeling talkative in the least. Amparath did not share his excitement over the lesson, since the bronzerider would not take it well.

[Tenma]

Miya noticed a few people walk in. She ignored Sh'iron and Nike's nod of the head. Then T'rin came. She noticed Amparath had left him and he seemed very angry. Miya didn't move, she just stood there, looking at him for a moment, then looked up at Reinath.

[Spirithawk]

Christae smiled at Sh'iron when he came in. Her eyes glanced at his lean rider's body apprecatively. She might be a Weyrwoman, but she was still a woman and Sh'iron was a well-built man. She chuckled when he accused her of trying to teach the Weyrlings without him. "I know the basics of teaching them to flame just as you do and my broody Queen won't leave her eggs so I borrowed a real flaming dragon for the day." She smirked and winked, nodding her head in the direction of the large brown nearby. "I have already taken out two flamethrowers and Rhia agreed to have Mneith carry me when Miya and Reinath are airborne. We rigged double straps for both of us. We don't want to repeat Moreta's mistake and be riding anothers dragon. That's asking for a catastrophe."

Christae turned to Miya and started to speak but then Nike entered the courtyard and then T'rin after her. "Good morning Nike, Ruanth. T'ren, Amparath, it is good to see you. Good, you will be ahead when you start lessons with the other class. Abriana will be joining you with the new Weyrlings but Rhia will begin a few classes with you on the side since you are already so much older than their dragons will be. We have decided that it would simply be too awkward. Rhia will notify you when you will be called on for lessons. She has to fit them in around her Wingsecond schedule."

The Weyrwoman then turned to the younger goldrider. "Miya, ok, first things first. We need to make sure you know how to handle a flamethrower. Traditionally you guys would all be rotated in with Weyr flamethrower crews and the ground crews from the Holds we protect but that training has been taken out of the curriculum over the years. Half of the flightless Weyrlings would be on firestone duty and the other half would be with the ground crews. Those capable of flight would be used to ferry firestone sacks to the wings and would also fly in the Queen's Wing when the Wing was short on dragons. Since you have not had that training you are probably unfamiliar with the use of a flamethrower. You must know how to handle it, know all of its parts, know how to clean it, change its tanks, and repair it before you even touch that dial to make the flame come out. Do you understand?" Christae was in her teacher mode. She was matter-of-fact, not stern or cold but not kind either. She had been using this attitude in the days that she had been taking Miya with her to learn the ways of the Weyr.

[Tenma]

Miya noticed that the Weyrwoman seemed to transform when she began the lesson on flamethrowers. Miya wasn't able to catch everything said, it was all very confusing to her. Reinath helped out by repeating some of the sentances."Yea, I think I understand. So mainly, right now, the most important thing to learn all about the flamethrower. Right?" She checked to make sure. When lessons began Miya wanted to learn all she could, but she got angry if her teacher considered her of less importance, ability, or rank.

( ( Sorry. It is late and my posts aren't nearly as long as yours. I am getting tired. ))

[Kandarra]

I told you it would be alright! Amparath said triumphantly. She was not going to let you be in class with those others.

T'rin ignored this for a moment and stepped forward to bow again to Christae. "Thank you, Weyrwoman Christae, for the trouble it will take to set up the schedule. And my thanks to Wingsecond Rhia, as well." He managed to muster a brief, semi-sincere smile before he nodded and stepped back.

I'll still be in class with the others, just not as much, T'rin grumbled to Amparath, visibly less furious but still preoccupied. Why did she have to die right then? Couldn't it have been later, when it was more convenient?

According to what you have told me and what I have heard you think, she was not the kind of woman to be convenient, Amparath said sagely, then laughed a dragon laugh.

T'rin laughed a tiny bit, too. Amparath was right. It was really a miracle he'd been excused in the middle of his training at all.

All will be well in the end. Amparath sounded confident and some of that transferred to his rider. T'rin stopped sulking and looked up for the first time since he'd learned of the "last" lesson, feeling much better about the whole thing.

[Dragon]

K'dan walked out, dressed in full riding gear. Hydrath was at his side. The pair did pretty well in lessons, despite their always rough start out. Though betweening was something he would have to get use to, he hated that feeling. He decided to himself he wouldn't do that as often, only when needed or until he got use to it. A shiver sent up his spine as he remembered that blank void of bitter, piercing cold that was devoid of any senses besides the feeling of that cold. He couldn't wait to finish his lessons as a weyrling and become a full rider.

[nike]

Sh'iron grinned. "Yes, I know. But you will only be leading a little Wing, I have a full Weyrflight for Thread. Including you. But hey, you get the whole Weyr when there is no Thread," He said and patted his Weyrwoman on her shoulder. She was beautiful, and he loved her hair.

Why doesn't that surprise me? Myranenth asked with a rumble.
Sh'iron rolled his eyes as his bronze, and then turned his attention to the few Weyrlings before him. Head tilited to one side, he looked over the three riders, not including Miya, that he would be leading one day.

"We'll just wait for everyone else," He said. "You already learned how to give your dragon softstone from their back, and the ground. And today we will learn real firestone. It won't take very long, but what will is learning to fly, hitting 'Thread' in the air." The Weyrleader grinned from his own memories.

††††††††††

Nike glanced at K'dan as he walked in, and then turned her attention back to Sh'iron once he sarted to talk. She knew how to ride a flaming dragon. Well, a green. But Ruanth may be a slight challenge. The white was smaller. Nike looked lovingly up at her dragon's head. No. Ruanth was just like any other dragon. She could fly, flame, go /between/ and speak to her rider. The only thing that set her apart was her color, size, and that she knew /when/ and /where/ she was.

[Dragon]

Nike stood next to Nike and gave her a loving wink. He looked forward to the Weyrleaders and waited for this lesson to begin. He wondered how well Hydrath would do this round. Do not worry mine. I will do exceptional I assure you. K'dan gave a smile at his dragon's words and said, ~I am sure you will~.

[Spirithawk]

"I may be only leading a little wing, but that wing is Pern's final line of defese. If anything gets through your wings, my LITTLE wing is there to clean up the mess." Her brown eyes danced with laughter. "And don't forget who will be patching up your sorry hide if you get Scored. The Queenriders are in charge of leading the Infirmary. We take care of the injured dragons." She kissed his cheek and then went to teach Miya.

"Miya, come here." She handed the girl the flamethrower and started pointing out the different parts. "Always make sure you remember your settings. This setting is for a wider flame, and this one is for a more concentrated spray. If there is a large cluster you will use the fan setting. If it is one or two Threads, you will use the concentrated stream. That way, you won't be wasting your flame. Normally a tank lasts through an entire Fall but if you need a new tank, lower your altitude and call for a Weyrling. If there is a Weyrling Gold, she will be standing by with extra tanks, but if not, there will be a Weyrling delegated to bring us tanks. You will have to learn how to change your tank in midair. Remember, we may ride Queens, but we are not impervious to Threadscore."

[Tenma]

Miya walked over to Christae when the Weyrleader called for her. She didn't mind have a small wing, in fact, she preffered it. There was less of a chance for some werry-head to mess up. Then again, she couldn't mess up, so she would have to pay attention.

When Christae was done talking she had decided that eating firestone would be easier, but this gave her a change to show everyone what she could do. "Can we still go between, like the other riders?" There probably wouldn't be need, but she had to make sure. Just in case Reinath or herself got hit.

[Spirithawk]

"We will HAVE to go /between/. Not even the fastest Queen can fly fast enough to cover the entire length and breadth of the fighting wings. We will have to jump /between/ from clump to clump of Thread that is missed. We are also in charge of catching injured dragons and riders. Sometimes a dragon's wing gets scored or his rider falls. Most of the time the straps catch a fallen rider but we still have to be there to catch the rider and help him or her get back on their dragon."

"Once Kaith's clutch has hatched, she and I will teach you how to catch a falling dragon. We will have a small blue or green volunteer dragon and you and Reinath will practice catching the "injured" dragon. We have to work fast when we are out there. Thread waits for no one and the longer a Score remains untended, the more likely it is to fester. We didn't spend time in the Infirmary yet. That will be coming soon. You will learn how to doctor all manner of wounds. Healers are expected to know about humans. Weyrwomen are expected to know everything about dragon injuries and illnesses. I will be giving you scrolls to learn. We are in charge of dragon care during Fall."

"If you see that a dragon is tiring, you are to order him or her to land. We cannot have tired riders lagging and causing foul ups or injuring their dragon. Every rider has his or her own limits. More often than not you will have brown dragons overreach themselves because they want to prove themselves as great as the bronzes. The same is for blues and greens. They do not have as much stamina and they tire just a bit faster than the bronzes and the golds. The problem with the bronzes is that they think they are great so they try to be as agile as a green or blue and wind up getting themselves scored because they don't duck fast."

"Queens need to duck Thread just like everyone else. In your /betweening/ class you learned how to duck. We will be using that knowledge." Christae was pleased that she was taking the lesson seriously.

[Tenma]

Miya was, to say the least, shocked. She thought that queenriders didn't really do that much during threadfall besides catching a bit of thread every now and then. But they had to do everything. While flaming and keeping out of thread's way, they also had to watch out for all of the other riders, catching them and making sure none were overexerting themselves.

She also couldn't believe how much she had to learn. This time, she had no questions.

[Spirithawk]

"Queen dragons are the only dragons that EVERY dragon on Pern will listen to. We cannot abuse that talent. With that talent comes great responsibility. All dragonkind looks to the Queens. If we are not strong enough to control our Queens or if our Queens are not strong enough to set an example for all of the other dragons our wings will fail and Thread will devour all that we have worked so hard to accomplish. Do you understand now why it is so important for you to learn all of this Miya?" Christae's voice was not scolding or lecturing. Her voice was almost gentle as she spoke to the younger woman. "I know this is all a bit overwhelming. I know it was extremely overwhelming for me, especially since I was being trained to become DM's WW. The old Queen had died right after the hatching and Julie was only a temporary Queenrider to help build up the dying weyr. I was thrown into all of this responsibility before Kaith had even lifted herself off the ground for her first flight, and not her mating flight either."

[Tenma]

Miya mentally smirked at the sentance about power. She did not show this on her face, especially not after the warning. She knew she had to be strong. She knew Reinath had to be strong. That was not new information for her. She didn't really care about Christae's past.

You should listen, Mine. Reinath explained.

Reinath, I do not need you lecturing me too. I get enough of that from her. Miya sighed.

One day, something unexpected will happen and you will immediantly be put in charge, ready or not. The Weyrwoman went through it, if you listen you may be able to handle it better than she.

I'm listening, I'm listening. She assured. "I understand. But, is that why you are the youngest Weyrwoman?" She always did want to know how such a young girl became Weyrwoman.

[Spirithawk]

"Yes. That is why I am the youngest Weyrwoman. The Weyrleaders were not able to agree on what to do so they sent a Queen that had flown to DM so that we would have enough eggs. Kaith was from the old Queen's last clutch. The dragonets from Julie's clutch are less than a Turn younger than Kaith, Mneith and the older ones. Siarath and Gerenanth are some of those who are from Julie's Queen."

"The old WW had died. Her Queen stayed just long enough to see her eggs hatched and then went /between/. Kaith was the sole Queen of the weyr and I, as her rider, was destined to be WW. I was WW in everything but name until Kaith's maiden flight, the flight that Reinath was conceived in. When the council finally met, I had been doing the duty of a WW for almost a Turn and a half. Julie left to return to her home weyr and Kaith was the only Queen. Some of the Weyrleaders wanted to place an older, more experienced Queenrider as WW but the decision had to be anonymous. Eventually they sent some riders to watch. They were under cover and our weyr just thought that they were transfer riders. They told the Weyrleader Council that I was handling things well and that for such a small weyr, it didn't matter. So Dark Moon was left as it was. When Kaith rose, I officially became WW."