The Hunt Begins!
Corrals -- Ista Weyr(#1253RJas)
The bright light of day shines down on the dirt of the corral floor. Roughly one-fourth the size of the bowl itself, herdbeasts are huddled trying to find whatever shade they can. A large grassy field to the western side of the corral bridges both side of the fence there. Beyond the fence, a large plateau can be found, looking off over the bay. Large troughs for water sit near the stables. The Bowl to the east is lazy and quiet in the heat of the daytime.
The dry spring season relieves Ista Island of its humidity, replacing it with light, buoyant air. This morning, clouds interrupt the sky and a nice, light breeze carries the scent of sea air.
A stable is to the south, in a low stone building built in the shade of the Weyr wall.
Obvious exits:
Stables Bowl Plateau
Naijath heads over from the plateau.
Naijath has arrived.
Noemie climbs down from Naijath's neck.
Noemie has arrived.
Though the herdbeasts are trying to crowd about in any bit of shade, Lieryth is happily crouched in the hot sunlight. Fayre is stuck along with her by association, and though the spring heat is drier than the sticky humidity of summer, there are still beads of sweat forming on her forehead. The young weyrling suddenly laughs and playfully nudges the gold with her foot. "Pssh, how am I supposed to know which deserves to be eaten? They all do, 'cause that's what they're here for. Naijath can help you pick one out when she gets here."
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth passes along an image of a welcoming fire, made up more of lingering coals than blazing logs. <>
And here Naijath is! The green and her rider approach on foot from the Plateau, and once the weyrling pair are spotted, Noemie waves cheerfully to Fayre. "Afternoon! Is Lieryth hungry? Naijath says she's starving, so I think we picked a good day for a demonstration." Once they approach, Naijath croons in welcome to the younger dragon, lowering her head to bump noses in greeting, eyes whirling a happy color.
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath takes the sparks of the smoldering coals and turns them into colorful sparkles, sending the back with a cool ocean breeze. << I will help you, of course. It will not be so bad. You will get used to it eventually. >> And she sends thoughts of succulent, juicy meat, connecting the taste to those herdbeast clustered in the shade.
"It's odd, she never feels /starving/, really. Even after she's made us run around and exercise and do all our chores and oy...I know I'm starving by the time we're done, but not her." Fayre responds with a roll of her eyes as Lieryth proudly raises up her head. "But I think I can convince her she should get some food in her belly." Delighted to see the older dragon, Lie' happily responds with her own croon and stretches her neck as far as it'll go to meet Naijath's head. Fayre chuckles at her dragon's enthusiastic response and adds, "Or at least, it looks like Naijath will be able to convince her."
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth's fiery sparks seem delighted by this new version of themselves and the blazing mass enthusiastically swirls about in that cool ocean breeze. <> Her voice trails off and her lively bonfire turns more contemplative; a fire underneath a large pot of soup, like the hearths in the living caverns.
Naijath lowers her head to make up for the lack of distance in Lieryth's neck, burbling a croon that sounds like laughter. "I'm not sure if Naijath's ever really /starving./ She may have just picked up the word from me," Noemie says. A little snort from the dragon-- she is too starving! Noemie laughs. "Okay, okay." Naijath walks a little bit away from the pen, purposefully enough as to indicate the gold should follow. And from that distance, she eyes the herdbeasts hungrily, happy eyes changing a color to match. Noemie's belly suddenly rumbles. "Well, if she can't convince Lieryth, she's sure convincing /me/!"
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath matches the breeze with the coolness of ocean waves themselves, sending them in a gentle rhythm to help lessen the weyrling's nervousness. << Blood, >> she fills in helpfully. << It will be okay. I'll show you how to do it so that they do not hurt at all. >> A beat. << And they are so tasty. >>
Lieryth's eyes, at least, betray her hunger as their cheerful blue colour becomes flecked with crimson red. Dutifully, she follows Naijath away from the pen, though her attention stays mostly on those soon-to-be victims milling around in the corrals. Once Lieryth has moved away, Fayre eagerly skips over to a spot of shade that's still near Noemie. "She's an Istan dragon, that's for sure." She notes with a nod towards the young gold. "Loves the heat even more than I do. I never knew dragons could be so...quirky, y'know? But Lie' has all sorts of particular wants. And have you met Xie's dragon yet? He's a real character!"
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth darkens the gentle waves with a bit of red once the word is filled in for her. So much for getting rid of nervousness. <> Naijath's next phrase does the trick though, and Lieryth allows the ocean to once again take on its true crystal-blue colour. <>
Naijath's eyes are still trained carefully on the herdbeasts, and she stays there, her hindlegs in a position ready to spring any moment-- but for now, still as a statue. "Istan dragons are definitely bred for sun and heat and sand," Noemie says, watching the two dragons-- then going over to the pen and perching on the fence, not far from Fayre. "Nai's the same way. Hey! Nai and Lie. Their nicknames rhyme," she observes with a grin. "I haven't met Xielar's bronze yet, but I've heard rumors about him, already. I hope to have a chance to meet the rest of the weyrlings, soon!"
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath seems amused, letting the ocean that stretches between the two dragons' minds become dappled with sunlight in the pattern of her laughter. << Ten, really? I do not need that many, either. But remember, you are growing. You must get all the nourishment you need. >> As she watches the herd, she sends an image of a specific herdbeast, a small one with a dappled flank. << Do you see this one? He is a good size for you to make your first. >>
Fayre chuckles at the rhyming realization, her hand rising to cover her laughing mouth. "Aye, they do. Maybe that's why they paired us as mentor and mentee, eh? We should make up rhyming nicknames for ourselves too, if that's the case." She responds with a grin, her hand dropping back to her side. She eyes the two dragons, one eyebrow quirking upwards at Naijath's still-as-stone stance. "Huh. I don't think Lie' will ever be able to stay as still as that. She doesn't let me stay still for long, at least." The weyrling slyly slides down the tree she's standing under and eventually plops onto the ground. "Now that she's distracted, though, I think I'll just sit and watch." A smaller smile appears on her face at the topic of her fellow weyrlings and she replies, "They're all so very interesting. I'm sure you'll bump into Xie and Malsaeth sometime or another, 'cause he's mentor is Cait and you two are real good friends."Lieryth carefully watches as Naijath comes to a still pose, but her youthful enthusiasm keeps her from following suit. Instead, she paces back and forth, keeping her attention split between the green and the herdbeasts.
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth breaks the peaceful ocean image with happy splashes in the surf. <> A lone bit of wind ripples over the waves, almost like a sigh. <> There's something like a soft tug on that image of a herdbeast, as if the young dragon is pulling the image into her reality. <>
Noemie joins in Fayre's laughter. "You know, I don't think there's a good way to make our names rhyme at all! 'Re and 'Ie? Those don't seem like great names. Maybe we'll have to make up secret code names instead, or something." She greenrider watches the two dragons, stage-whispering, "She better, or it'll throw Nai's game off! Ooh, I think she's about to spring." And so the dragon does, launching into the air and sending the herd beneath her bleating and scattering. She's already chosen her mark, though, and her whirling red eyes remain trained on it, ignoring all the others. Noemie watches for a moment, then turns back to Fayre, the spectacle quite the norm for her. "Oh, yes, Cait was one of the ones who told me about Malsaeth! We should have a mentor/mentee get-together sometime, with the four of us, or something."
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath seems pleased. << Good, good. Now, watch as I do. You may join me, or watch from the ground first. >> She sends an image of the one she's planning to go after, herself, a slightly larger yet slender creature with a darkly mottled hide.
Fayre nods thoughtfully and responds to the subject of names, "Yeah, I think we'd have to start over with new names. Oooh, I wonder what our names would be if we were males and we'd impressed? I might've been A'yre! F'yre could have been neat." She giggles and adds, "What would you be? N'mie? It sounds so cute!" She rubs her chin for a moment before continuing. "'cept it sounds kind of like enemy. You sure ain't my enemy! 'less you're hidin' somethin', that is." Her eyes widen excitedly at the mentor/mentee suggestion and she almost jumps to her feet...almost. The poor weyrling needs her sit-down rest time. "That's a great idea! Maybe once we're allowed to go to the beach and Sandbar again, our dragons could have fun in the ocean while we all grab a drink, y'know?" Lieryth curiously watches her mentor spring into the air, but she can't help but take a step back as all that bleating begins. She refuses to look away, though, and carefully keeps her eyes focused on the herd and Naijath. This is important learning!
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth entrapts the image of the larger mottled beast and her own future, notably smaller, target in a rippling hot ring of fire. <>
"Well, we /do/ have all those winnings from the hatching," Noemie points out. "We /did/ say we'd spend them at the Sandbar!" As for honorifics-- "Hmm. I think I'd be No'me. It's a whole lot quicker to say, isn't it? I think that's why everyone calls me Noe, usually. Three whole syllables is an awful lot." She grins. "Don't worry, I'm not hiding anything! I'm always an open book." In the air, Naijath circles, circles. Then dives, her dainty claws suddenly becoming deadly, grasping her prey quickly. With the quickest dart of her head, she goes for just the right place on its neck, killing it without pain. Before eating it, she raises her head, looking over towards her mentee. There! Did you see that?
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath seems extremely pleased with herself. << Did you watch me? Now I can watch you do the same. >>
"No'me. /No'me/. Hmm." Fayre mumbles to herself, playing around with the name. "Sounds kind of like 'no one's home' though, y'know? Good thing we're not boys. Er, for more reasons than just name sounds, I'd say. 'cause I wouldn't even have Lieryth if I was one!" Any mention of the Sandbar is enough to light Fayre's eyes up, but mentioning the Sandbar along with gambling winnings? Oh boy, that makes the weyrling cheerful to say the least. "That's right! I figure I should keep a few marks of my share to furnish my weyr when the time comes, but a some drinks won't hurt a little either, eh? 'course, I'll have to make sure I don't scare Lie', so I won't be drinkin' too many." Fayre's chestnut eyes casually follows Naijath as she makes her kill. The ex-assistant headwoman doesn't seem the least put off by the hunting or the blood, though Lieryth isn't quite as at ease with it. The young dragon attemps to pose like her green mentor, crouching low to the ground. Her backlimbs tense and she does a practice pounce, which takes her into the fenced area of the pens. Her eyes hone in on her small target, which has quickly fled from Naijath and her dead headbeast. Handily, it's moved in the direction of Lieryth. The gold crouches once again and...pounce! Instinct takes over and her dark claws sink into the young beast's back, but when it squeals, the dragon hesitates. Uncertainly, she loosens one claw to rake at the animal's neck, but only hard enough to scratch it and release some blood, not kill it. Finally, when it squeals out of panic and pain again, Lieryth grimly copies Naijath and bites deeply into the young herdbeast's neck. There we go.
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth grimly notes with no fanfare or images, <>
Naijath drags her kill off to one side of the pen, eating contentedly as she watches her student practice, then finally pounce and... make her kill, or try to. Try two! There. Naijath croons reassuringly between bites of juicy meat. Noemie watches, too, clapping and cheering the young gold on. "You can do it, Lieryth! Er... she probably can't hear me. But she's doing well for her very first time, don't you think?" She glances over at Fayre, curious to see what the weyrling thinks of her dragon's performance. "I could have still impressed Naijath if I were a boy," she muses, "But I'm glad I'm not. I kind of like my name the way it is. I think it's pretty."
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath tries to sound and feel more enthusiastic, for the gold's sake. << Yes, it is! Now you can join me in eating. >>
Lieryth again follows Naijath's lead, hooking one claw deep into the animal's side to drag it over towards the elder green. She looks between Naijath's feeding and her own kill for a few moments, before poking at her herdbeast with her snout. On the sidelines, Fayre nods approvingly as her dragon hunts and manages to take down her target. "Yeah, she ain't too bad at it, despite her hesitation. Think she just has to get over the killing and messy bits, 'cause worrying about that stuff just makes it longer and more messy, y'know?" She winks knowingly at Noemie and teasingly notes, "Plus, you couldn't have had all those kids with R'layn if you were a boy, eh? And aye, I like your name too."
Lieryth> I bespoke Naijath with << But...now that it is dead it is dirty from all that dragging. Is it still healthy to eat? >>
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath sounds reassuring. << Of course! >> And, as if imparting a secret, <>
Noemie grins widely as she watches the dining pair, then looks back towards Fayre. "Oh, that's true, I couldn't have! Well, maybe I would have been a father. But I like being a mother just fine. And I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but Ril. It'd be quite different, if I was a boy, too!" It's the closest to bawdy humor that Noemie usually gets, and she giggles. "So, um, speaking of being girls. Have you thought much about having to deal with flights, yet? I know your lecture isn't for some time yet, but I know I was already thinking about it nearly as soon as I impressed."
Lieryth tilts her head, peering at Naijath and all that dead carcass and meat. Well, if she insists! Finally, the young dragon begins to cut into her meal. Carefully, she carves out a few nice, neat pieces of meat to dig into. As for Fayre, she breaks her gaze from the dragons once Lieryth begins to eat and focuses on her friend. She grins widely and replies, "Must be nice to find someone to stick with through thick and thin. Ain't too common in weyrs." The young woman shrugs a shoulder casually, though her nose does crinkle up a bit. "Eh, being weyrbred means I ain't all that worried about it. Plus, Lieryth won't rise all that often. My main worry is tending to her on the sands once she does. Still, that's so exciting at the same time! More for her than for me, but it'll be neat to see her lay eggs and watch 'em hatch and all. I just don't want to wake up next to someone smelly and gross, 'specially since I'll be stuck with them at least until the ensuing eggs hatch." The mentor and mentee continue to talk as Lieryth dutifully follows Naijath's instructions and eats.
The bright light of day shines down on the dirt of the corral floor. Roughly one-fourth the size of the bowl itself, herdbeasts are huddled trying to find whatever shade they can. A large grassy field to the western side of the corral bridges both side of the fence there. Beyond the fence, a large plateau can be found, looking off over the bay. Large troughs for water sit near the stables. The Bowl to the east is lazy and quiet in the heat of the daytime.
The dry spring season relieves Ista Island of its humidity, replacing it with light, buoyant air. This morning, clouds interrupt the sky and a nice, light breeze carries the scent of sea air.
A stable is to the south, in a low stone building built in the shade of the Weyr wall.
Obvious exits:
Stables Bowl Plateau
Naijath heads over from the plateau.
Naijath has arrived.
Noemie climbs down from Naijath's neck.
Noemie has arrived.
Though the herdbeasts are trying to crowd about in any bit of shade, Lieryth is happily crouched in the hot sunlight. Fayre is stuck along with her by association, and though the spring heat is drier than the sticky humidity of summer, there are still beads of sweat forming on her forehead. The young weyrling suddenly laughs and playfully nudges the gold with her foot. "Pssh, how am I supposed to know which deserves to be eaten? They all do, 'cause that's what they're here for. Naijath can help you pick one out when she gets here."
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth passes along an image of a welcoming fire, made up more of lingering coals than blazing logs. <>
And here Naijath is! The green and her rider approach on foot from the Plateau, and once the weyrling pair are spotted, Noemie waves cheerfully to Fayre. "Afternoon! Is Lieryth hungry? Naijath says she's starving, so I think we picked a good day for a demonstration." Once they approach, Naijath croons in welcome to the younger dragon, lowering her head to bump noses in greeting, eyes whirling a happy color.
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath takes the sparks of the smoldering coals and turns them into colorful sparkles, sending the back with a cool ocean breeze. << I will help you, of course. It will not be so bad. You will get used to it eventually. >> And she sends thoughts of succulent, juicy meat, connecting the taste to those herdbeast clustered in the shade.
"It's odd, she never feels /starving/, really. Even after she's made us run around and exercise and do all our chores and oy...I know I'm starving by the time we're done, but not her." Fayre responds with a roll of her eyes as Lieryth proudly raises up her head. "But I think I can convince her she should get some food in her belly." Delighted to see the older dragon, Lie' happily responds with her own croon and stretches her neck as far as it'll go to meet Naijath's head. Fayre chuckles at her dragon's enthusiastic response and adds, "Or at least, it looks like Naijath will be able to convince her."
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth's fiery sparks seem delighted by this new version of themselves and the blazing mass enthusiastically swirls about in that cool ocean breeze. <> Her voice trails off and her lively bonfire turns more contemplative; a fire underneath a large pot of soup, like the hearths in the living caverns.
Naijath lowers her head to make up for the lack of distance in Lieryth's neck, burbling a croon that sounds like laughter. "I'm not sure if Naijath's ever really /starving./ She may have just picked up the word from me," Noemie says. A little snort from the dragon-- she is too starving! Noemie laughs. "Okay, okay." Naijath walks a little bit away from the pen, purposefully enough as to indicate the gold should follow. And from that distance, she eyes the herdbeasts hungrily, happy eyes changing a color to match. Noemie's belly suddenly rumbles. "Well, if she can't convince Lieryth, she's sure convincing /me/!"
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath matches the breeze with the coolness of ocean waves themselves, sending them in a gentle rhythm to help lessen the weyrling's nervousness. << Blood, >> she fills in helpfully. << It will be okay. I'll show you how to do it so that they do not hurt at all. >> A beat. << And they are so tasty. >>
Lieryth's eyes, at least, betray her hunger as their cheerful blue colour becomes flecked with crimson red. Dutifully, she follows Naijath away from the pen, though her attention stays mostly on those soon-to-be victims milling around in the corrals. Once Lieryth has moved away, Fayre eagerly skips over to a spot of shade that's still near Noemie. "She's an Istan dragon, that's for sure." She notes with a nod towards the young gold. "Loves the heat even more than I do. I never knew dragons could be so...quirky, y'know? But Lie' has all sorts of particular wants. And have you met Xie's dragon yet? He's a real character!"
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth darkens the gentle waves with a bit of red once the word is filled in for her. So much for getting rid of nervousness. <> Naijath's next phrase does the trick though, and Lieryth allows the ocean to once again take on its true crystal-blue colour. <>
Naijath's eyes are still trained carefully on the herdbeasts, and she stays there, her hindlegs in a position ready to spring any moment-- but for now, still as a statue. "Istan dragons are definitely bred for sun and heat and sand," Noemie says, watching the two dragons-- then going over to the pen and perching on the fence, not far from Fayre. "Nai's the same way. Hey! Nai and Lie. Their nicknames rhyme," she observes with a grin. "I haven't met Xielar's bronze yet, but I've heard rumors about him, already. I hope to have a chance to meet the rest of the weyrlings, soon!"
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath seems amused, letting the ocean that stretches between the two dragons' minds become dappled with sunlight in the pattern of her laughter. << Ten, really? I do not need that many, either. But remember, you are growing. You must get all the nourishment you need. >> As she watches the herd, she sends an image of a specific herdbeast, a small one with a dappled flank. << Do you see this one? He is a good size for you to make your first. >>
Fayre chuckles at the rhyming realization, her hand rising to cover her laughing mouth. "Aye, they do. Maybe that's why they paired us as mentor and mentee, eh? We should make up rhyming nicknames for ourselves too, if that's the case." She responds with a grin, her hand dropping back to her side. She eyes the two dragons, one eyebrow quirking upwards at Naijath's still-as-stone stance. "Huh. I don't think Lie' will ever be able to stay as still as that. She doesn't let me stay still for long, at least." The weyrling slyly slides down the tree she's standing under and eventually plops onto the ground. "Now that she's distracted, though, I think I'll just sit and watch." A smaller smile appears on her face at the topic of her fellow weyrlings and she replies, "They're all so very interesting. I'm sure you'll bump into Xie and Malsaeth sometime or another, 'cause he's mentor is Cait and you two are real good friends."Lieryth carefully watches as Naijath comes to a still pose, but her youthful enthusiasm keeps her from following suit. Instead, she paces back and forth, keeping her attention split between the green and the herdbeasts.
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth breaks the peaceful ocean image with happy splashes in the surf. <> A lone bit of wind ripples over the waves, almost like a sigh. <> There's something like a soft tug on that image of a herdbeast, as if the young dragon is pulling the image into her reality. <>
Noemie joins in Fayre's laughter. "You know, I don't think there's a good way to make our names rhyme at all! 'Re and 'Ie? Those don't seem like great names. Maybe we'll have to make up secret code names instead, or something." She greenrider watches the two dragons, stage-whispering, "She better, or it'll throw Nai's game off! Ooh, I think she's about to spring." And so the dragon does, launching into the air and sending the herd beneath her bleating and scattering. She's already chosen her mark, though, and her whirling red eyes remain trained on it, ignoring all the others. Noemie watches for a moment, then turns back to Fayre, the spectacle quite the norm for her. "Oh, yes, Cait was one of the ones who told me about Malsaeth! We should have a mentor/mentee get-together sometime, with the four of us, or something."
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath seems pleased. << Good, good. Now, watch as I do. You may join me, or watch from the ground first. >> She sends an image of the one she's planning to go after, herself, a slightly larger yet slender creature with a darkly mottled hide.
Fayre nods thoughtfully and responds to the subject of names, "Yeah, I think we'd have to start over with new names. Oooh, I wonder what our names would be if we were males and we'd impressed? I might've been A'yre! F'yre could have been neat." She giggles and adds, "What would you be? N'mie? It sounds so cute!" She rubs her chin for a moment before continuing. "'cept it sounds kind of like enemy. You sure ain't my enemy! 'less you're hidin' somethin', that is." Her eyes widen excitedly at the mentor/mentee suggestion and she almost jumps to her feet...almost. The poor weyrling needs her sit-down rest time. "That's a great idea! Maybe once we're allowed to go to the beach and Sandbar again, our dragons could have fun in the ocean while we all grab a drink, y'know?" Lieryth curiously watches her mentor spring into the air, but she can't help but take a step back as all that bleating begins. She refuses to look away, though, and carefully keeps her eyes focused on the herd and Naijath. This is important learning!
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth entrapts the image of the larger mottled beast and her own future, notably smaller, target in a rippling hot ring of fire. <>
"Well, we /do/ have all those winnings from the hatching," Noemie points out. "We /did/ say we'd spend them at the Sandbar!" As for honorifics-- "Hmm. I think I'd be No'me. It's a whole lot quicker to say, isn't it? I think that's why everyone calls me Noe, usually. Three whole syllables is an awful lot." She grins. "Don't worry, I'm not hiding anything! I'm always an open book." In the air, Naijath circles, circles. Then dives, her dainty claws suddenly becoming deadly, grasping her prey quickly. With the quickest dart of her head, she goes for just the right place on its neck, killing it without pain. Before eating it, she raises her head, looking over towards her mentee. There! Did you see that?
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath seems extremely pleased with herself. << Did you watch me? Now I can watch you do the same. >>
"No'me. /No'me/. Hmm." Fayre mumbles to herself, playing around with the name. "Sounds kind of like 'no one's home' though, y'know? Good thing we're not boys. Er, for more reasons than just name sounds, I'd say. 'cause I wouldn't even have Lieryth if I was one!" Any mention of the Sandbar is enough to light Fayre's eyes up, but mentioning the Sandbar along with gambling winnings? Oh boy, that makes the weyrling cheerful to say the least. "That's right! I figure I should keep a few marks of my share to furnish my weyr when the time comes, but a some drinks won't hurt a little either, eh? 'course, I'll have to make sure I don't scare Lie', so I won't be drinkin' too many." Fayre's chestnut eyes casually follows Naijath as she makes her kill. The ex-assistant headwoman doesn't seem the least put off by the hunting or the blood, though Lieryth isn't quite as at ease with it. The young dragon attemps to pose like her green mentor, crouching low to the ground. Her backlimbs tense and she does a practice pounce, which takes her into the fenced area of the pens. Her eyes hone in on her small target, which has quickly fled from Naijath and her dead headbeast. Handily, it's moved in the direction of Lieryth. The gold crouches once again and...pounce! Instinct takes over and her dark claws sink into the young beast's back, but when it squeals, the dragon hesitates. Uncertainly, she loosens one claw to rake at the animal's neck, but only hard enough to scratch it and release some blood, not kill it. Finally, when it squeals out of panic and pain again, Lieryth grimly copies Naijath and bites deeply into the young herdbeast's neck. There we go.
Lieryth> Naijath senses that Lieryth grimly notes with no fanfare or images, <>
Naijath drags her kill off to one side of the pen, eating contentedly as she watches her student practice, then finally pounce and... make her kill, or try to. Try two! There. Naijath croons reassuringly between bites of juicy meat. Noemie watches, too, clapping and cheering the young gold on. "You can do it, Lieryth! Er... she probably can't hear me. But she's doing well for her very first time, don't you think?" She glances over at Fayre, curious to see what the weyrling thinks of her dragon's performance. "I could have still impressed Naijath if I were a boy," she muses, "But I'm glad I'm not. I kind of like my name the way it is. I think it's pretty."
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath tries to sound and feel more enthusiastic, for the gold's sake. << Yes, it is! Now you can join me in eating. >>
Lieryth again follows Naijath's lead, hooking one claw deep into the animal's side to drag it over towards the elder green. She looks between Naijath's feeding and her own kill for a few moments, before poking at her herdbeast with her snout. On the sidelines, Fayre nods approvingly as her dragon hunts and manages to take down her target. "Yeah, she ain't too bad at it, despite her hesitation. Think she just has to get over the killing and messy bits, 'cause worrying about that stuff just makes it longer and more messy, y'know?" She winks knowingly at Noemie and teasingly notes, "Plus, you couldn't have had all those kids with R'layn if you were a boy, eh? And aye, I like your name too."
Lieryth> I bespoke Naijath with << But...now that it is dead it is dirty from all that dragging. Is it still healthy to eat? >>
Dragon> Lieryth senses that Naijath sounds reassuring. << Of course! >> And, as if imparting a secret, <>
Noemie grins widely as she watches the dining pair, then looks back towards Fayre. "Oh, that's true, I couldn't have! Well, maybe I would have been a father. But I like being a mother just fine. And I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but Ril. It'd be quite different, if I was a boy, too!" It's the closest to bawdy humor that Noemie usually gets, and she giggles. "So, um, speaking of being girls. Have you thought much about having to deal with flights, yet? I know your lecture isn't for some time yet, but I know I was already thinking about it nearly as soon as I impressed."
Lieryth tilts her head, peering at Naijath and all that dead carcass and meat. Well, if she insists! Finally, the young dragon begins to cut into her meal. Carefully, she carves out a few nice, neat pieces of meat to dig into. As for Fayre, she breaks her gaze from the dragons once Lieryth begins to eat and focuses on her friend. She grins widely and replies, "Must be nice to find someone to stick with through thick and thin. Ain't too common in weyrs." The young woman shrugs a shoulder casually, though her nose does crinkle up a bit. "Eh, being weyrbred means I ain't all that worried about it. Plus, Lieryth won't rise all that often. My main worry is tending to her on the sands once she does. Still, that's so exciting at the same time! More for her than for me, but it'll be neat to see her lay eggs and watch 'em hatch and all. I just don't want to wake up next to someone smelly and gross, 'specially since I'll be stuck with them at least until the ensuing eggs hatch." The mentor and mentee continue to talk as Lieryth dutifully follows Naijath's instructions and eats.