[Sins & Virtues & NPC BBs] Tempting Fate - First Solo Flight

[SilverLutz]

How does he do?  

[Princess_Feylin]

Damahath had been looking forward to her first authorized attempts at solo flight for some time. Since she was a rule follower by nature, that meant that this lesson would not just be her first authorized attempt, though, but also her actual first attempt. She had been excited and a little anxious for several days leading up to it. Thankfully, her rider, Ara, had complete confidence in her young gold's abilities, and her confidence bolstered Damahath's.

This is what you are born to do, Ara reminded her with a little bit of a shimmer to her mental voice that told Damahath Ara was marveling at the fact she was bonded to a golden dragon, and admiring Damahath as much as she was supporting her. Ara did that sometimes. Just forget that she belonged here and was worthy of so much more than she'd been told.

Damahath had been torn between watching her siblings' attempts and allowing them to fail or succeed without the burden of a gold dragon's regard, but in the end she had decided it would be more appropriate to watch and offer congratulations or condolences. Unfortunately, watching had given her the impression that flight was not a skill that came as naturally as one might hope. She did her best not to think too hard on that.

Yes. And I will do well for you and the Weyr. And if I do not, then I will practice until I can, Damahath replied, willing her hearts to an even pulse as she waited for her turn to make her first go of it.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Quote:

6-10: It's difficult to get off of the ground to begin with. This requires a lot more muscle strength than you were prepared for, and by the time you're airborne, you are already pretty tired.
4. You are a sky warrior, and though tired you are not defeated. At the last second you find a thermal and rise above it all. ... Way, way above it, and... halp!

When her turn came, Damahath lined up at the starting mark, leaving Ara behind to watch her attempt from the ground. The young dragon's hearts were beating a rapid tattoo inside her chest as she toed the line and then leaped, pushing her wings sharply down to gain lift. It actually took many more powerful strokes of her wings to gain enough height that she could reasonably be said to be flying, and the effort was tiring her much faster than she anticipated, still, she was doing it!

Look at you! Ara exclaimed in her mind, her mental voice practically sparkling with awe and pleasure. You're flying!

Damahath didn't really have words to reply, but she knew Ara would feel her satisfaction through their bond. A moment later, that satisfaction became elation as a powerful, warm upthrust of air - a thermal, she remembered they were called - caught her from below and carried her higher toward the sky. All she had to do was keep her wings steady and she rose with ease, barely wobbling as she attained greater and greater heights. Now that she wasn't working so hard, Damahath could allow herself to feel all the pleasure she deserved at a successful first flight attempt.

You're really high, Ara remarked, and when she looked down Damahath could see that it was true. In fact, she was a lot higher than she wanted to be, and wasn't quite sure how to fix that, but she didn't panic. Panic was not at all Damahath's style. She reached out to the weyrlingmaster's dragon, Dhremorath, for instruction and did exactly as she was told, and ended up safely on the ground. It had been an exciting first attempt, and although not completely a success, Damahath was eager for her next go.  

[magnadearel]

Nalacko and Green Feidemeth

I'm sorry Nalamine. I didn't mean to fly so far, but I couldn't get back. The green meekly ducked her head and the duo reunited. Nala laughed and patted the head knobs of her beloved dragon. "Think nothing of it. Let's get back and have another go at it shall we? Maybe next time you'll make it even further?" Feidemeth gave a happy croon. The duo made their way back over to their class.

Feidemeth took her position in line again. Nala was a bit more calm this time as they waited. Soon enough it was their turn once more. Feidemeth flapped her wings and shoved off the ground. Once again, the green found herself completely off course. This time it wasn't as unnerving as the first.

Quote:

16: How many ways could this possibly go wrong? You've managed to throw yourself completely off course, and honestly, any solution right now seems like a good one. Roll a d4 to see what happens next:

This time the green was fully prepared! You're straying, her rider warned. I've got this! Her tongue stuck out from the corner of her mouth as she turned herself and managed to stick her landing. The plant she landed upon wasn't so lucky, but hey she landed! Feidemeth pranced back to her rider with her neck arched. Did you see me stick the landing?!

Quote:

3: Is it your hatchday, because you are killing it. Possibly literally, when it comes to the plant life you just demolished on landing, but you know what? You stuck the landing.

 

[magnadearel]

roll  

[SilverLutz]

Skurkurth lined up for round two after shaking off the bad landing. He hadn't hurt himself much and were he a more prideful dragon he might have gone off to sulk, but even in his young age he knew his showing off would probably come back to bite him in the backside. Still, was he going to do it again? You bet!

Quote:

Psh, this flying thing is smooth sailing! You don't know what all the fuss is about. Except, now that you're here it occurs to you that you don't know how to land.

Vera, it's so fun! he called out as he soared through the air, feeling invincible. Of course from an adult dragon's standpoint he was probably going about flying all wrong, expending too much energy and looking gangly and silly, but to him he was already a master. From the ground Vera could feel his jubilation and it thankfully dampened her worries for when she'd be able to join him. Her sister and her own blue had given her rides and it had become quite apparent she had a rather debilitating fear of heights. She was working on it, though, and hopefully by the time Skurkurth was large enough to carry her she'd be able to make it from the ground to the sky and back without blacking out.

Come back down, Skurkurth. Don't want to exhaust yourself.

Just to be defiant Skurkurth remained aloft a bit longer, but his wings began to burn and tire eventually. He began to turn so he could make his landing, determined to not mess up this time.

Quote:

Remembering something the Weyrlingmaster said to your rider a few days before, you use your tail to help you turn, but it's not quite enough. You end up, yep, right in the lake. Drat.

He wasn't coming in quite as fast this time but he felt like he was going to overshoot his landing area. Twitching his tail for a moment, he angled it like a rudder to try to bank in a hard circle to hopefully cut some altitude before landing. Unfortunately it worked...and sent him right into the lake. He landed with a splash and a laugh, this landing a bit less painful and a bit more fun.  

[magnadearel]

Nalacko and Green Feidemeth

Pleased with herself the green headed back to her rider. I was able to handle that one well! It didn't startle me at all. "Good job! You flew well. How are you feeling? No pain or strains?" Nala knelt down to run her hands over her young dragon's body. "How do your wings feel?" Feidemeth flicked her tail, slightly impatiently. Yup great! Nope, nope. The green glanced at the line, eager to give it one more go.

They feel great! Can I go now? Nala gave her dragon a quirky smile, but stood up and waved her off. "Be careful Feidemeth." The green paused and turned her head to gently boop her rider. Thank you for having faith in me. "Anytime." The two stood still for a moment before the green moved away for her last attempt.

Quote:

1: You start off strong, but then a gust of wind throws you off your game. Roll a d4 to see whether you're able to correct your trajectory:

Much better repaired for the start, Feidemeth started off strong. She managed to get several good flaps in before the wind threw another monkey-wrench into her flight. Luckily she'd been practicing her flapping for some time now. Feidemeth recovered, but it was almost as if her rider had predicted this. Her muscles hurt! The young green was glad this was her last attempt. She came to a slightly better landing this time, now that she'd done it a couple times.

Quote:

2: You've been doing a lot of flaps to prepare for this, and you manage to overcome this temporary hurdle, but ouch, your muscles hurt.

 

[magnadearel]

roll  

[SilverLutz]

What sort of landing do we have this time?  

[Princess_Feylin]

When her turn came again, Damahath felt she was sure to do better than the last time. Ara shared her confidence, but the human was proud of her first attempt, too. Humans, however, were not suited to flight, and so there was no way that Ara, well-meaning though she was, could understand the minutiae of bodily actions Damahath was trying to internalize and enact.

There had not been many dragonets to follow Damahath's attempt before her next one came up, but now that she had been in the air she was able to watch her siblings with a more critical gaze and learn from them. Not that she had any intention of sharing any criticism with them, since she was only trying to figure out how to improve her own performance by emulating things they did well and avoiding things that turned out poorly for them. She wished that she'd been paying that kind of attention before, too. Perhaps if she had, her first flight would have been better.

It was very good, Ara pointed out. You were pleased with yourself at first.

That was true. Damahath had been pleased with herself, and she knew she was right to be. There had been neither collisions nor injuries, and although she had needed guidance in coming off of the thermal, that wasn't the worst possible outcome, as she'd observed. She still felt it was her duty to lead by example in all things, and that included flight. It was important to her that she set a good example to her clutchmates and give them something to aspire to. It was also important that she not embarrass herself, or call too much attention. That would be very uncomfortable.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Quote:

1 - 5: You start off strong, but then a gust of wind throws you off your game. Roll a d4 to see whether you're able to correct your trajectory:
2. You've been doing a lot of flaps to prepare for this, and you manage to overcome this temporary hurdle, but ouch, your muscles hurt.

For her second attempt, Damahath resolved to be wary of thermals. It had certainly been a great relief to feel herself bolstered up by the warm air, sparing her not-yet-strong wings a great deal of effort flapping, but she had shot so high, so fast, it was alarming, and getting free of the upward stream had taken some maneuvering that she hadn't felt well-prepared for.

This time, however, it wasn't the upward wind she needed to concern herself over, but those blowing from north to south, chilling her but also making a valiant effort to bowl her over. She had to shift her trajectory, and it took a great deal of undignified flapping to overcome the force of the wind and adjust her angle so that she was slicing through it rather than being tossed about by it. This, at least, she had practiced for, and although her wings were growing heavy and weary, she knew she was doing what she was supposed to do, and she was pleased with herself. She was, however, getting tired, and so she prepared to descend.

Her descent was much easier this time, and she was very pleased with herself indeed when she alighted on the ground. Ara running over to throw her arms around her neck as much as she could was also a good thing. Her rider never stinted on praise or affection, but like Damahath, she did not care to be overly demonstrative in public. She must have been very proud of Damahath indeed, and her pride made Damahath's eyes practically glow with cerulean joy.

"You did so well!" Ara was telling her.

Damahath demurred modestly, mostly because she didn't want to tread on the tails of anyone whose flight had not gone successfully, and reminded Ara, I still have one more flight to go, though, and my wings are getting sore.  

[Princess_Feylin]

As Damahath prepared for her final flight of the day, she was interrupted by a sort of bubbling over from Ara's mind: a very clear wish that she could be flying with her dragon. Damahath shared that wish, as it turned out. Flight was amazing.

It really is, Ara agreed, startling Damahath until she realized that Ara must have been flown to the Weyr prior to Impressing. It was possible that Ara had done more flying than her dragon, Damahath thought with amusement.

You could ride along, Damahath offered. They had been working on seeing through each other's eyes and sharing other senses for some time now, and could do it without distracting each other most of the time. It shouldn't be a problem if Ara joined Damahath on this last flight of the day.

I would love that! Ara exclaimed. I want to share this with you.

Then let us fly, Damahath said, making her final leap to the sky.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Quote:

16-20: How many ways could this possibly go wrong? You've managed to throw yourself completely off course, and honestly, any solution right now seems like a good one. Roll a d4 to see what happens next:
2. You know what? Maybe this isn't so bad. Due to the copious flaps you've done in the past you're able to stay in the air, and with a little maneuvering, you even make it look like you're here on purpose. Right up until the point where you land, because oof, that wasn't something you want everyone to remember.

Both Damahath and Ara were correct in their guess that flying together would be a thrilling experience, but they were more than a little off when it came to what made it so exhilarating. From the moment Damahath got airborne, she struggled to keep herself on a simple path, preferring a safe route to one which would strain her weary wings, but the effort threw the young dragon badly off course and Ara was unable to offer any help because she had no concept of how things looked from above. They hadn't gotten to that part of their lessons yet.

Can you turn around and come back? Ara asked.

It took Damahath a moment to formulate a response that wasn't going to come across as short. I would do that if I could, but I'm not familiar with this part of the Weyr from this height.

Ara fell silent in Damahath's mind as she apparently concluded that she couldn't be of much help to Damahath except to offer her tacit support and encouragement. Damahath appreciated it, and turned her attention to getting back on course. It took so much energy to maneuver herself back into position and she hoped that no one was paying too much attention as she began to make a sloppy return to the ground, weaving and dipping.

Apparently Ara had not stopped sharing Damahath's mind, because the jerky, awkward landing made Ara shriek, evidently thinking that her dragon was going to drop out of the sky. She didn't shriek aloud, thankfully, but that made it all the louder inside Damahath's head, and alarmed the novice flyer so badly that she completely botched what remained of her landing and came to a skidding halt on the ground, scraping her chin and chest in the process.

Oh, Damahath! I'm so sorry! Ara cried, once more moving quickly to her dragon's side, this time to offer consolation and check the extent of her injuries. They were minor, truly mere scrapes, but Damahath was embarrassed despite Ara's reassurances that nobody noticed. Damahath knew that couldn't be true, no matter how much she might wish it was so.  

[Uta]

Though they hadn't quite returned to the rest of the group, Hybreoth was anxious to show off his aerial skills once more. Perhaps instead of walking back, the bronze could fly back? It was what they were meant to do, after all, and while his rider would get a workout he had every intention of pulling off his return with style and class.

He was perfection incarnate, after all. Nevermind everything that happened before.

R'him gave his bronze another thump on his shoulder. "Gonna abandon me now, are you? I see how it is," he mused aloud.

Hybreoth at least had the decency to turn his head and look him in the eye when he responded cooly, Why yes, when it suits me.
Thankfully, R'him wasn't concerned for he very clearly saw the swirl of purple against his beloved's green-blue eyes, and felt a wave of affection well up between their bond. Honestly, R'him was just as besotted now as he was upon locking eyes with him. He was a willful bronze, but thankfully, R'him could be equally willful and just as stubborn.

"Go on then," he encouraged, standing back with his arms crossed so he could watch his bronze take off.

Quote:

5: You start off strong, but then a gust of wind throws you off your game. Roll a d4 to see whether you're able to correct your trajectory:

Once again, Hybreoth bunched his muscles and threw himself into the sky. His take off was surely a sight to behold, and once again, R'him couldn't help but feel pride in watching his dragon soar. His wingflaps certainly had paid off, for he took the sky with ease and looked comfortably at home on wing.

Aren't I magnificent? He asked Heleyanth, thrumming with pleasure at his clutchmate. Someone should admire him, and why shouldn't he honor the blue with a few moments attention?

Don't get too distrac-- Too late.

The gust was sudden, and while the bronze was certain he wouldn't lose control a second time, the reality was that he was at the wind's mercy. No matter how grown up Hybreoth tried to be, he was still a young dragonet, with little grace, and even less experience--especially on the wing.

Quote:

You veer off of your intended path, angling for a small copse of trees. Try though you might, you can't maintain control and crash into the underbrush.

In his hurry to get out of the gust, the bronze tried valiantly to correct himself. He did manage to begin a descent, hoping to land not far from a small copse of trees. Unfortunately, the wind was particularly tricky, and the control he had thought he'd had came undone quickly.

Hybreoth! You okay!? R'him had already been running to meet his bronze, but as soon as the dragon completely crash-landed, he bemoaned his inability to hop between.

The dragon was quiet for a moment, even as he rolled to his feet, and shook out his wings. If he snapped at a few offending trees, and looked more than a little ridiculous with a few snapped branches and pine needles on him, it couldn't be helped. Red-eyed with annoyance, the dragon growled his displeasure.

There would be no saving face form that. The wind appears to take much pleasure in vexing me today. I shan't forget it. The bronze rumbled his grievances both to his rider and his golden sister, Ardoxshoth. For surely, she might understand his trouble.

Slowly untangling himself from the trees, the bronze shook himself free of any remaining debris. Hmph. Rude.

To Heleyanth, he took a less wounded tone. Perhaps that was the most magnificent tumble you've witnessed, too? Quite intentional, surely. His pride was wounded, but the bronze was determined to ensure he turned it around. It was not a failing if he owned it... right?

Mr Cheri

demon_pachabel

 

[Uta]

D4 for Hybreoth