Chap. 14 First Flight

Chap 14  First Flight

B'rant, flanked by D'nis, the Weyrleader, watched as his class of weyrlings checked the riding straps on their dragons.

He was enjoying this day.

This was a good class, he reflected. From their first day, there'd been the normal joking, chaffing and teasing, something to be expected from young people. Today was no different, although they were all nervous and excited. Who could blame them? It was First Flight! Unlike some classes he'd taught, and unlike the Weyrling training he'd endured, there was no mean spirited-ness, no infighting or hazing (he remembered too well the hazing, allowed to go unchecked by an ineffective Master) no ambitious bronze rider trying to establish a relationship with a gold rider. Certainly, some people made excellent Thread fighters, but as human beings they were miserable failures. He'd learned from his own weyrling training to be a hands on, patient and understanding trainer. 

This class was fairly affable, with the air more of brothers and sisters rather than competitors. It wasn't always that easy.  

Was it because there had been no gold this hatch? He wasn't sure, but the girls in class 45  didn't seem to mind that they had no gold. All seemed besotted by their impressed greens. And everyone knew that greens, despite their small size, were undoubtedly the most important element of a wing. It was a well known fact that no wing ever had enough greens.  Desperately quick, they could get in under a cloud of Thread and out before the cumbersome browns or bigger queens could even react. Their only problem was a lack of stamina-but that aspect in fighting Thread was mitigated by the seemingly bottomless endurance of the blues.

A large banner, emblazoned with the Weyr's crest flapped in the breeze behind them. Its purpose was not so much a show of pride as it was a windsock, showing which way the wind was blowing, and how hard.

D'nis turned and said, "Weyrlingmaster, call your class to attention."

B'rant, enjoying this first order for the class, called out, "Class 45, attennnnnnnnntion!"

Every one of the weyrlings snapped to attention. Their dragons did not, but they all stood quietly alongside their weyrlings. For once, Raventh was silent. He was awed by the senior dragons and felt the importance of the moment.  

D'nis looked them over in the morning sunlight. Behind each of the weyrlings was a coach, a seasoned dragon rider aboard his or her dragon. Behind him, Anadarth, B'rant's brown, and Corvuth, the Weyrleader's bronze, waited, too. They all knew what today's activities would be.

"I know your Weyrlingmaster has briefed you on today's activities. It's First Flight! Now, your dragons have been flying for some time, alone, so they know how to handle themselves in flight. However, as they…and you, will learn, it's a completely different feeling for them to carry someone on their back. Those of you who are experienced horsemen will find it quite a bit like riding a horse, the difference being, horses don't jump up into the air and fly away. Although, I must admit, I remember riding a horse that jumped into the air, I fell off, and he ran away, about as fast as a dragon could fly. It was a long walk back to my hold that day. That's when I decided dragon riding was probably easier, because at least I could order my ride to return."

Everyone laughed. D'nis's leadership inspired a passionate loyalty in all his riders, most of whom would unhesitatingly follow him between without coming back.

"Today, we shall do some very easy flights, just to accustom you to what it feels like. We will do short, slow glides. Nothing fancy. I and B'rant will be in the air overhead, watching over you all, and every one of you will have a dragon rider beside you, coaching you. If at any time you feel afraid or unsafe, ask your dragon to land immediately. There is no shame in being afraid, although I doubt any of you are or will be. Anadarth, Corvuth, and your coach's dragon, will be in contact with your dragon.

Our first step will be merely to mount your dragon and just feel what it's like to be on his back. Once we are assured that you are all ready, B'rant will give the order to launch, and you will all do a glide to the end of the bowl. You will not leave the bowl.  You will all fly in a straight line, to the banner at the far end, and no further. Once you are there, you will land your dragon, turn about, and WAIT until everyone has landed. No one will launch without being ordered.

I cannot state it often enough: if you feel unsafe, or that you are going to fall off, or are afraid, LAND. Your coach will land with you and I, or B'rant will come to see what the problem may be. NO one will fly without orders, and no one will move from his or her position until you are ordered, as a class.

Are there any questions?" he asked.

There were none.

"Then let us proceed." he said, loving this part of being Weyrleader.

K'ndar's heart was pounding. He'd dreamt of this day for how long? He was both confident and yet afraid.

Don't be afraid. I will take care of you. Rastabenth says he can see you will do well. We both will. Because we are the best!

His heart swelled with Raventh's reassurance. He'd never felt such a completeness, such utter trust, as he did with Raventh. How could you tell a dragon how much you loved him?

Thank you, my brother. I am not afraid

Yes, you are. But no one knows but me. I am Raventh!! I will take care of you!

B'rant looked the class over one last time, seeing the sweaty palms, the whirling eyes of the dragons.

 They are all ready Anadarth said.

"Class! Mounnnnnnnnnnnnt UP!" B'rant called in a stentorian voice.

As one, the dragonets all dropped a knee and their riders scrambled aboard. They buckled in, as they'd been trained to, and then-did nothing.

Nothing.

B'rant and D'nis walked down the line, checking straps, buckles, dragon eyes, weyrlings faces. Their dragons checked the dragonets minds.

K'ndar felt Raventh's supple neck tense and quiver between his thighs. A horseman since childhood, his legs communicated what his dragon's muscles were doing. He forced himself to relax the death grip he had on the straps. He'd not made that mistake with reins in many years.

They did nothing. After a while, the dragonets began to get bored. The riders began to relax.

 I thought this was supposed to be First Flight day. This is not flying  Raventh said, sarcastically.

It isn't, you're right. But this is what a human does on a horse. It's to make us humans comfortable sitting on their dragon. How do I feel?

 Heavy. Strange. But you feel..  Raventh searched for the word. He had no concept of what he was trying to say.

Balanced  Rastabenth said, his weight is equal on both sides of you, yes?

 Yes. Balance? Raventh asked, filing the word away in his insatiable and fast growing vocabulary.

Balance. Later on, when fighting thread, he will move his weight one way or another, to one side or another. Sometimes all the weight will be on one side of you. It will change the way you fly.  That is when you must change yourself to keep YOUR balance. But not today. Just feel what "balance" is. You are lucky, your human knows how to balance himself. Some humans don't, at first.

?????

 Rastabenth explained 'balance' to me. You feel balanced Raventh said to K'ndar.

 I understand. I will try to always be in balance. We will learn, you and I, to be the best team

Raventh swelled with pride. He was the best brown. He had the best rider. Even when they were doing nothing.

__________________________________________________________________________

B'rant judged everyone to be ready for their first ever takeoff.

"Annnnnnnnnnnd, Launch!!" he yelled.

Raventh gathered himself and jumped skyward. At the same moment, he opened his wings and flapped.

K'ndar was thrown backwards at the unexpected thrust of Raventh's leap, but the flying straps, along with his instincts, honed by years of riding horses, immediately kicked into play. The mighty wings over his head forced drafts of wind over his shoulders. He relaxed his grip on the straps. He felt the wing muscles flexing like cables. It was like riding a horse, but a far more powerful one.

He heard a shout to his left, but concentrated on staying in the middle of his dragon.

Raventh was flying smoothly and steadily towards the banner at the other end of the bowl. Alongside on his right, C'val, on Rastabenth, was watching him closely.

"Well DONE K'ndar!" he shouted encouragingly.

Set your wings level and glide Rastabenth said to Raventh.

The wind whistled in K'ndar's ears. This was a 'slow glide?'.

Too soon, too fast! the banner was in front of them.

Land, please he said to Raventh, at the very same time as Rastabenth's identical order.

They landed with a clumsy bounce. Raventh stumbled, falling forward and catching himself with frantic wingbeats-clouting K'ndar in the head.

"Ow!!" he yelled.

 Sorry

It's okay

"You alright?" C'val called.

"Yeah, just got a knock in the head," he called back.

"Now you know why you're in a helmet. Turn around and wait," C'val said.

From somewhere, K'ndar heard giggling.

 What did you feel? Rastebenth asked Raventh.

I almost fell onto my nose!  His weight threw my balance away?

Off balance. Can you understand how to balance next time?

 I think so. Raise my wings higher?

Yes, cup them while pushing them further back. Use them to slow your speed, just like when you're about to land without a rider. Just before you land, throw your hind legs further forward and your head back.  When your hind legs touch the ground, backwing a little higher. Done properly, your forelegs won't need to be a brake. Don't worry. It will come to you Rastabenth said.

Raventh turned around. That's when they saw a green dragon on the ground, at the very beginning of the course. B'rant, D'nis, their dragons and the girl's coach were all clustered about the green. Her rider was hanging sideways, the riding straps having kept her from falling off, but making her look undignified, uncomfortable and embarrassed. The initial leap had caught her unprepared.

He heard more giggling. This time, he saw its source, a handful of young boys, hiding behind the rocks behind the banner.

But not one of the weyrlings made any disparaging remarks. The coaches spent the moments checking on 'their' weyrling.

"Now I know the reason for the straps," K'ndar thought.

"See those kids behind us, K'ndar?" C'val motioned with a backward flick of the head.

"I do. They're laughing at us."

"Aye, they're just children. No harm, really." C'val grinned.

"I bet it looked funny, my getting clonked in the head," he said, rubbing it. "I would probably have been one of them, had I been weyr bred."

Then the thrill of what had just happened burst upon him. He was grateful for the time being spent checking on the green dragon and her rider. It allowed him to process what had just occurred. To his left and right, other weyrlings on their dragons and their coaches waited in an uneven line. The faces of the weyrlings mirrored his own-an incredible joy coupled with relief.

Now he knew what to expect.

Incredible. Just that first ever flight, and even with a conk in the head, was all it took to convince him. This is what he had been born to do. Fly on the back of a dragon. HIS dragon.