So sorry for the long delay.
I've changed one word to address Starsinger's much appreciated comment. Can you find it?
F'lessan stayed at Benden Weyr the remainder of that day waiting for Melvar to wake from his ordeal. He and the other visiting riders spent several candle-marks with riders and weyrlings interested in improving their and their dragons' telekinetic Skills. Several more boy green riders were found to possess the Skill to counterbalance their dragons without help from others.
When the other visiting riders had to return to their respective Weyrs, F'lessan spent his time catching up with long-time friends and of course the Weyrleaders.
Ramoth and Mnementh practiced lifting Golanth at his request – he so wanted to sunbath on the heights with the other bronzes – and watched from the Hatching Ground entrance with their nervous riders as the big bronze glided to a less than perfect, but quite adequate landing within the bowl.
As Rukbat glided below the western horizon and Melvar showed no signs of waking – Lessa and Brekke had checked on both him and B'nor several times – F'lessan and Golanth were offered a ground level weyr.
The next morning, while Melvar ate like a newly hatched dragonet, ignoring giggling from Felesia and teasing from G'regg, G'raden and black-and-blue B'nor – Dalgarn merely smiled – F'lessan quickly realized he would get no answers to his questions until the boy's little belly was well beyond full.
Melvar finally sat back in his chair and let out a mighty belch which earned considerable admiration from the men at and near the table and an equal amount of disgust from young Felesia. After the laughter and teasing subsided, F'lessan finally began his interview with the boy.
He first congratulated the boy on his amazing dragon-like Skill, and then coaxed him into small demonstrations with a redfruit on the table. Melvar was at first hesitant to display an ability that had caused so much trouble in his past, but F'lessan listed the many ways such a Skill could be useful to anyone who could master it: moving things that might be too heavy or awkward to move with mere muscle, picking up dropped items when both hands were otherwise occupied, keeping pesky girls from getting too close. The last earned the bronze rider a fierce scowl from Felesia and a broad grin from Melvar, along with the courage to show off a bit.
While Melvar rolled the redfruit around the table and even lifted it over plates and mugs in its path, F'lessan carefully and expertly extracted the story of how Melvar had discovered his Skill. On one of the first trader caravans Melvar had travelled with, one contentious old man – at least uncle G'regg's age, said Melvar with a grin – had taken great pleasure in smacking the boy if he 'got in the way'. Melvar had quickly noticed that the man went out of his way to trip over him, so had wished the man could trip over something else. The wishing seemed to cause rocks or buckets to roll into the man's path as he approached and Melvar soon realized his ability to move things. One day though, the man surprised Melvar by popping out from behind a cart in a highly aggressive manner. Shocked, the boy had pushed the man back, causing him to fly through the air, landing so hard he'd lost his breath. Melvar had feared he'd killed the man and had gone closer to investigate. The man regained his breath with a deep, noisy intake of air, and immediately rolled to catch the young boy. Frightened again, for the man's intent then was to do far more than merely smack him – Melvar quickly explained that the look in his eyes had been murderous – Melvar had mentally kicked the man, sending him flying again, this time into thorny bushes. On hearing and seeing no signs of movement, Melvar had run. He ran for candle-marks, away from the well worn trader's track, and never knew what had happened to the mean old man, something he still felt terribly guilty about three Turns later.
"Hey!" squawked the boy as the redfruit took an unplanned detour into his lap.
The men gaped as Felesia giggled with malicious glee. "You're showing off. It's my turn!"
"I'm not showing off."
"Yes you are! Let me try."
Before long, the youngsters were challenging each other to more and more complex maneuvers with the redfruit, sending it flying around riders' heads, spinning it like a top on the table and in the air, and finally, at the weyrleader's request, all the way up to the head table where F'lar caught it and took a bite out of the rind.
"Harper Selikar is waiting on you two," said the weyrleader after wiping juice from his chin. He then bowed slightly. "And thank you for this." He held up the dripping redfruit with a taunting grin.
Felesia's nose twitched as she tried to avoid frowning while Melvar managed a respectable "You're welcome, and thank you sir," to the weyrleader.
"Before you go," said F'lessan with barely restrained nervousness – at least as far as the observers were concerned. "We at Honshu would be honored if the two of you would visit sometime soon."
Felesia drew a long, excited gasp and turned a glowing smile to Melvar's uncle. "Could we fly on Arlith?"
"You should fly on a green!" griped Melvar.
"Melvar!" G'regg was only slightly shocked at his nephew's apparent jealousy.
Arlith spoke to his rider as well as both of the children. She will far more likely fly gold.
The girl grinned far more confidently as she took hold of the shocked boy's hand and led him away. "Come on! Harper Selikar is waiting for us."
oOoOo
Within a few days, the children and Dalgarn were loaded onto Arlith and taken to Honshu. Quite a few riders from most of the Weyrs were waiting, as well as their weyrleaders.
F'lar and Lessa had been carefully sharing news with some of the other weyrleaders of the Skilled people who'd been found so far. They in turn had shared the information with their most trusted riders to aid in the search for these special people. G'dened and G'narish, the last of the Oldtimer weyrleaders, had been left out – G'narish, despite a far more open mind than G'dened, was still having considerable trouble accepting telekinesis and G'dened was far too occupied with the changes taking place at Ista Weyr– and while T'men was fully aware of the various Skills presenting themselves, none of Ista's riders had yet been informed. They had enough to deal with at present.
After a brief demonstration with a hide ball, the weyrleaders and F'lessan all adjourned to a meeting room within Honshu while the children played with the lower ranked riders and some of the nearby holder children. All the leaders present had been informed of the heightened telepathic Skills that some unnamed people had demonstrated, and all were now informed that Melvar and Felesia were also extremely telepathic. They were then filled in on the circumstances of their individual discoveries, which elicited several gasps and a few angry curses. When questions were asked about how to find and protect other such people, F'lar was at a loss – neither he nor Lessa had met anyone telepathic prior to their discovery, and Mara and Brendeen had found others using their own Skills. So, a minor deception was devised to see how the telepathic children would react to an uncomfortable situation.
The children were called into the meeting room supposedly to answer questions about their telekinetic Skills. F'lar held back Dalgarn and looked him square in the eye as he pointed to his temple.
"You and both children will be returning to Benden Weyr." He studied Dalgarn's face for several heartbeats, thinking briefly about the planned test. "Understood?" The man's slight smile convinced him that he had accepted his invitation to listen carefully to his thoughts.
"Yes, Weyrleader F'lar. Thank you for clarifying the situation."
On entering the meeting room, it was obvious to F'lar and Dalgarn that the 'plan' was already having an effect on the children. They sat close together and held hands under the big long table. F'lar motioned Dalgarn to the opposite side of the table and walked behind the children.
He put a hand on each of their shoulders and leaned down between them. "It's all right, children. These are all friends of ours, and we just have a few questions for you."
Melvar attempted a smile for the weyrleader, but Felesia's wide eyes threatened to spill tears. F'lar patted her head and moved to sit on the girl's other side.
K'van asked the first question – how had they learned of their remarkable abilities? As Melvar went through his story yet again, K'van kept looking at Felesia. Everyone else seemed quite interested in the girl as well, having trouble, so it seemed, with paying attention to Melvar's discourse. Adrea smiled at the girl as if she were a long lost child of her own. Neldama watched her closely as if full of concern. The men all looked at Felesia with differing expressions, some smiling kindly and some looking her over as if she were a prized, young runner beast, or perhaps a future gold rider.
Felesia, during Melvar's story, alternated between glancing at each of the people in the room and glaring at Dalgarn, who merely concentrated on the boy's repeated story. As Melvar finished, she buried her face into his shoulder, her whole body shaking with fear.
Melvar reached a proprietary arm around her and held her close as he glared at each of the people in the room.
Palla, usually so quiet, could take no more. "Enough! One does not need to be telepathic to see that we are frightening these poor children. Stop it now!" She, too, glared at the other weyrleaders at the table.
Melvar did not catch her hint, but had also had enough. "She goes back to Benden Weyr . . . unless you take me too!"
T'gellan bit back a laugh before managing fairly seriously, "What makes you think she would go anywhere else, young man?"
Now, Melvar knew he had been caught. He looked desperately at Dalgarn, who only smiled, and then at F'lar who smiled openly at him.
The fear in the boy's eyes tugged at F'lar's heart. "I'm sorry, Melvar, Felesia." He didn't normally like to apologize to anyone for anything, but these two frightened children deserved all the kindness he could offer. "Before you came in, we were discussing your other Skill, and there were questions about how to find others like you."
Adrea continued the explanation. "So we all thought about how much we would like to have such a precious little girl return with us to our Weyrs."
Wide eyed Felesia turned a pouty face to Southern's weyrwoman. "So you don't want me in your Weyr?"
Several at the table laughed, but Adrea smiled kindly. "I would love to have you in our Weyr, but . . ."
K'van finished for her. "Only if you so choose, Felesia. We would never forcefully separate you from your friends."
"Nor would we allow it, young lady." F'lar mockingly scolded the girl. "You're part of our family now." He touched his thighs and opened his arms in silent invitation, and soon found his lap warmed by a giggling and sniffing little girl.
Melvar, disgusted and slightly jealous, grunted. F'lar reached over and mussed his hair. "As are you, young man."
"And Dalgarn?" squeaked Felesia.
F'lar laughed, but looked at the shy man with the utmost respect. "Absolutely."
"Dalgarn, too?"
Leave it to Mirrim, thought F'lar, to sound so shocked.
"Dalgarn is skilled in many areas," began F'lar with a conspiratorial glance at Dalgarn. "His most recent occupation has been fostering young Felesia." Neither Benden weyrleader, nor Dalgarn for that matter, was ready to have his secret revealed.
While most everyone either smiled or slightly raised eyebrows, Mirrim looked even more shocked than earlier.
Felesia could not withhold comment on the green rider's thoughts. "Dalgarn would never hurt me!"
Melvar added his attempt at defending his friend. "And if he ever even thought about it, we would know."
With Mirrim appeased, somewhat, the discussion moved to telepathy, with some questions to the children regarding an individual's privacy and how they would deal with several difficult situations. The children had been schooled well by Dalgarn, G'regg, Mara and Brendeen, and even Manora and Lessa. While the situations presented this day were new – mostly dealing with issues a weyrleader might be caught thinking about –each of the children took their time considering the best course of action, or inaction. They also asked questions of Dalgarn and F'lar, out loud at Dalgarn's silent suggestion so the weyrleaders could hear their thought processes, and spoke to each other about each situation before offering final answers.
Pern's weyrleaders were all impressed with the children's fairly well developed moral standards. Pella offered that perhaps hearing other people's thoughts increased one's empathy toward them. Most agreed that having telepaths available could make relationships with Holders and others far easier. Understanding another's unspoken motivations could help negotiations run much smoother. Only Mirrim seemed uncomfortable in the presence of the children.
Melvar and Felesia were excused to return to the games outside, but at Felesia's insistence – she wanted to know why 'that lady' was afraid of them – they waited just outside Honshu Hold, pretending to be engaged in deep conversation as they focused their listening back into the meeting room.
The boring discussion covered mostly how to find others like them, and what to tell them about Benden Weyr to convince them to relocate. The adult's conversation then moved to the usefulness of such Skills, both in a Weyr and elsewhere. Finally, with considerable input from Dalgarn at F'lar's prompting, the adults discussed special handling of Skilled children. Dalgarn stressed honesty and unconditional acceptance, even when the children made inevitable mistakes.
Melvar and Felesia smiled at each other as they listened to Dalgarn's kind and loving thoughts.
"All children make mistakes," declared Mirrim.
F'lar chuckled. "These children can make some extremely . . . inconvenient mistakes. Though they've both relaxed considerably since joining us," he added with a lopsided grin.
Now, Mirrim's fear came to the surface. "How did you prepare them for mating flights?"
Dalgarn nearly choked and had to turn away from the table to collect himself.
F'lar laughed. "At first, we tried to avoid the issue by removing them from the Weyr with other children. But, on one trip to Landing, we arrived to find that some of Monoco's greens had just started their flights. The children were frantic." F'lar frowned at the memory. "So worried that someone was getting hurt. So, instead of a visit to the Library, Lessa and I took them to a private room to discuss the situation." He shook his head in memory. "It required considerably more thought on our parts about the emotional aspect of mating flights. But we finally came up with an honest, child friendly answer to their many questions."
Mirrim scowled at Dalgarn, who was studying a painting on the wall behind his chair. "What's wrong with him?"
F'lar laughed. "Our good Dalgarn is quite Hold bred. He's only been at Benden Weyr for seven months now. And having been born and raised at the Crom mines, he was never close enough to have ever experienced dragon mating flights."
J'frey chuckled. "Ah, mating flights. I must say that it took me a couple of Turns to stop blushing over the mere mention of them."
"K'van still blushes on occasion, if he isn't prepared in advance," added Adrea.
K'van turned a malicious grin to his weyrwoman. "Not like you, my dear! You still blush even when you've had plenty of notice."
T'gellan bellowed with mirth as others laughed, both at the Southern Weyrleaders and at themselves. "Dalgarn, my man," managed the Monoco weyrleader. "Don't be embarrassed about being embarrassed. You are definitely not alone. Most Weyr personnel have merely had plenty of practice in hiding their embarrassment."
Dalgarn had turned partially back to the table when J'frey had spoken, having heard the sincerity in his words, but now faced T'gellan squarely, though still with a red face. "Thank you, sir."
Outside, Melvar and Felesia grinned at each other. Melvar took the girl's hand and pulled her toward the games further out. "She wasn't afraid of us. She was afraid for us."
"I think I like her," said Felesia before taking the lead and pulling Melvar into a run. "I wonder why Dalgarn is so embarrassed."
"Because he's holdbred?"
"We're both holdbred."
"Yeah, but they're not telling us everything about mating flights," said Melvar. "Maybe we'll be embarrassed too when we learn everything."
"When we're older and wiser?" Felesia grinned, knowing how much Melvar hated that over-used explanation.
"Yeah, whenever that might be."
G'regg met them before they reached the game, and quickly learned what had distressed them in the meeting, and that everything was fine now. He began explaining the rules of the game – soccer, from the Aivas files – but Felesia corrected him on a few points. Harper Selikar had been teaching all his students the basics for months, and Felesia was a stickler for rules.
As they approached the other riders and children, G'regg bellowed at the current referee . . . with an accompanying wink. "Who's got the rule book? Felesia says the goalie can us his hands. That can't be right!"
The noticeably pregnant green rider put hands on hips as she bellowed right back at the big bronze rider. "I told you he could!"
"I want to see it in the book!"
The pretty little woman looked at Felesia and pointed at a carisak on a nearby bench. "It's in there. You find it, dear, while I keep these crazy bronze riders from cheating." Her last five words were growled at G'regg.
Melvar pulled his shocked friend toward the table while the green rider continued her tirade.
"You bronze riders just can't stand to lose, can you?"
Felesia looked shyly at Melvar. "They're just play fighting, aren't they?"
"Yup," said the boy with a knowing grin. "But she's right. Bronze riders do hate to lose. At anything!"
Felesia wound up helping to referee the game while Melvar joined the children's' team. The girl, with the encouragement of the green rider, learned a bit about confronting adults who took advantage of their size to attempt frightening smaller opponents, as did the hold children.
The weyrleaders soon joined the observers, and informed the referees that the next goal would signal meal time. Within a very short time, the ball, seemingly of its own volition, jumped straight up over the heads of the surprised players, veered toward the farthest end of the field, dropped to the ground and rolled all the way into the makeshift goal, the blue rider goalie too stunned to attempt a block.
"I didn't do it!" yelled Melvar. The goal would have counted for the children's team.
F'lar turned to glare at Felesia, whose shoulders hunched as she studied the ground at her feet. He dropped to one knee and raised her chin until their eyes met. "Felesia?"
The girl barely squeaked. "I'm hungry."
F'lar shook with laughter, hugged the girl and stood with her in his arms. He turned to the other weyrleaders and spoke loud enough for all to hear. "Goal to the referee! Meal time!"
The noon meal was served on the topmost porch under a large shade cloth. F'lar recognized it as one of the sails that had been used to shade Golanth during his recovery.
Melvar, Felesia and Dalgarn were asked to sit at a table with Benden's weyrleader, F'lessan and Tai. Both children ate as if starved – apparently telekinesis required considerable energy.
The adult dragonriders discussed all that had been transpiring at Honshu Weyrhold since the weyrleaders' last visit. A few more small holds had been established to accommodate farmers and beast handlers, and their wives and sometimes children thoroughly enjoyed helping out at Honshu's main hold. A semi-retired Master Harper had requested reassignment to teach the children, some of whom were even interested in, and helping with, the star smith duties. In addition to the sky watching at night and cataloguing during the day, the Hold had become an unofficial training ground for riders interested in developing their dragons' telekinetic abilities. And, now, efforts would be made to develop the riders' abilities as well.
When Felesia, her worst hunger satisfied, asked why telekinesis was being taught here, Tai explained that Honshu was where the draconic skill was first practiced on a large scale. That prompted questions from both children which led to a full disclosure of the incidents leading up to F'lessan and Golanth's near fatal injuries. F'lar added that Tai had been severely injured as well.
"Is that why Golanth needs help flying?" asked the little girl innocently.
F'lessan smiled sadly. "He doesn't actually need help flying, just with getting off the ground. His wings aren't strong enough to make that first down stroke. So, other dragons lift him into the air, until we can figure out how he can lift himself."
Felesia's face puckered as she thought hard about that last statement. "Why doesn't he just push the ground away?"
Everyone was so stunned and so silent as they stared at the girl, Felesia began to shrink into herself. "I'm sorry."
"That's brilliant!" declared F'lessan as his eyes lost focus. "Golanth? Did you hear that?"
A draconic shriek of terror caused everyone on the porch, except Melvar and Felesia, who chose to continue eating, to run toward the lower ledge where the dragons were resting.
F'lessan stood quickly and nearly lost his balance as his left leg gave out. "Golly! Be careful!"
Tai was quickly at his side, and they moved to the edge of the porch, F'lar at his son's other side.
The big bronze trilled with excitement as he floated higher off the ground, out of reach of desperately frantic Zaranth. The big green, Mnementh and several other dragons launched into the air and hovered around Golanth, ready to assist if necessary.
The higher Golanth floated, the faster his trill, until he slowly spread his wings and took a downward stroke . . . and began flying. The attendant dragons cleared a path for the bronze and began warbling like fire-lizards, all equally thrilled at Golanth's accomplishment.
F'lessan laughed spasmodically as tears rolled down his face. He hugged Tai while vibrating with joy and relief. "Now," he whispered to his weyrmate, "he can fly Zaranth. Without help!"
Felesia was fussed over for quite some time as Golanth repeatedly landed and pushed himself into the air. She was shuttled from lap to lap as adults commended her for helping the bronze dragon. About the time Golanth ran out of energy, Felesia's eyes began to droop, so she was passed to Dalgarn, who held and rocked her while she napped.
Melvar tried to stay awake – he was ten Turns old now! – but the day's events caught up with him as well. The boy slumped further and further against G'regg's arm until he finally fell, with his uncle's guidance, onto the bronze rider's lap.
When the children woke from their naps, and after being urged to return anytime, they were flown on Arlith to Cove Hold to meet Lytol, D'ram and Wansor. The Cove Hold residents were also fascinated with the children's briefly demonstrated abilities just as Rukbat was setting in their western sky; Lytol and D'ram because they had thought only dragons were capable of telekinesis and Wansor because he was envisioning all sorts of possibilities on Pern and beyond, though he did not speak of his visions lest he frighten such young innocents. He and the others soon realized these children could not be protected by mere silence.
"Have you ever been to space, Master Wansor?" asked Felesia.
"Me?" Wansor gaped toward the little girl. "Oh, my! Yes I have, and what a remarkable experience that was!"
"What's the Yokohama?" asked Felesia while Melvar rolled his eyes.
Wansor's dull eyes widened considerably. He had been very careful not to speak of space or his visits to the Yokohama, and was quite certain no one else had spoken of them either.
Lytol and D'ram shared a meaningful glance – both were familiar with dragons hearing thoughts, and the Benden weyrleader had mentioned that they had discovered telepathy to be not exclusively a draconic skill. Neither visiting bronze rider had said anything to suggest this little girl was Skilled in such a manner, but both were looking rather smug about her curiosity.
While Wansor explained that the Yokohama was what Pern residents called the Dawn Sister, and was easily led into the story of how the Red Star, which is actually a planet in its own right, had been diverted from its Thread-dropping path, D'ram tested his theory. He and his friends had been discussing something Lytol had called 'the devil's advocate' – a tool Lytol had said could be extremely useful in many varied discussions. He chose to practice the role by thinking about the many ways telepathically Skilled persons could be used for someone's advancement in society. Why, knowing a rival's thoughts would make it tremendously easy to best them in any contest. And, knowing a woman's thoughts would make it so much easier to win her attentions. He ceased that line of thought quickly though – this little girl was far too young to hear any more. He did however, consider the enjoyment he might find if he could ever figure out his friend Lytol's thought processes. Wouldn't it be fun to surprise the man with not so carefully veiled hints of such understanding?
Lytol conducted a test of his own. He allowed his cynical mind to wander into all the problems telepathic humans might cause in Pern's still quite conservative culture. Few people in power would appreciate knowing someone might be able to read their thoughts, and on learning that such people existed, would become even more paranoid in public, and even in their own Holds. And the Abominators would have new targets, surely – at least in their minds – created by Aivas' meddling with society. Even simple drudges might feel threatened by the possibility of anyone hearing their thoughts. Telepaths would surely be in extreme danger if their identities were known to the general public.
Dalgarn had been listening to each of their hosts, so understood the motivations behind their rather distressing thoughts. To facilitate their individual tests and those of the weyrleader and G'regg – both were enjoying D'ram's and Lytol's confusion – he pretended to be totally engrossed with Wansor's firsthand knowledge of a very popular teaching ballad.
Felesia stared wide-eyed at Lytol when his thoughts touched on the danger to telepaths. Lytol, always observant, noticed Melvar pulling at her sleeve until the girl looked at him. They seemed to stare at each other for several long seconds, during which time, the girl nodded several times at the boy. Could they both be telepathic? wondered Lytol.
Wansor might only see the children as barely discernible shadows, but his other senses had compensated over the Turns for his now nearly total blindness. "Is something wrong? I do hope I haven't frightened you with any of this." He had heard the newest teaching ballads, so couldn't understand either child being frightened.
Lytol actually smiled at the children as he thought about how people with this Skill would need to be protected. They were far too valuable to Pern's future to risk being identified. "Perhaps we could now discuss your other Skill?"
Felesia opened her mouth, but Melvar's tug on her arm caused her to look down.
F'lar laughed slightly. "It's all right, children. If we can't trust Lord Lytol, Bronze Rider D'ram and Master Starsmith Wansor with this secret, we can't trust anyone."
"Oh, I love secrets!" gushed Wansor toward the children. Then his clouded eyes went wide and his smile melted. "What secret?"
Felesia giggled while Melvar merely bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the man. Both waited for a nod from F'lar to share.
"We're tel-a-pathic," said Felesia.
"Telepathic?" Wansor's smile returned. "Oh, how wonderful! I feared perhaps my mind was failing along with my eyes."
Both children giggled at the man's humorous relief. Lytol and D'ram each suffered coughing fits, while F'lar, G'regg and Dalgarn merely smiled.
A lengthy discussion was held on telepathy and the children were asked for their opinions on how to locate others with similar Skills. Melvar simply stated that kind thoughts would attract some telepaths and Felesia said that, umm, her first friend – she had almost named Brendeen – had been calling out with her mind looking for others like her. That's how the girl had discovered she was not alone with her frightening and annoying abilities.
Further discussion developed a plan for locating other Skilled people, even by less telepathic dragonriders. The children both agreed, with Dalgarn's and G'regg's silent approval, that wondering about other telepaths and thinking about how Benden Weyr was trying to help them, and why, would definitely catch the attention of others. The adults devised a sort of password that riders could think about which a telepath could repeat to the rider if he or she wished to visit Benden Weyr.
By the time the children grew hungry again, despite generous snacks provided by Cove Hold's kitchen staff, all were satisfied with their plan to locate, relocate and organize Pern's Skilled people.
Mnementh and Arlith returned to Benden Weyr, both laden with passengers, to find the youngest dragons feeding near the beast pens. They had been 'hunting' wherries since shortly after their first flights, but were now becoming far more adept, though some still had trouble maintaining adequate flying altitude while focusing on moving targets on the ground. As the big bronzes circled down to a spot near the Living Caverns, the children and Dalgarn watched with amusement as a blue tried to catch a suddenly backtracking wherry and found himself rolling on the ground. He wasn't harmed, and did indeed manage to kill a wherry, though not the one he had been focused on. As he rolled, wings tightly folded to his back, he hit another avian and broke its neck. Unintended, though just as tasty prey in mouth, he launched out of the area and flew up to an available ledge to enjoy his hard-earned meal while allowing another clutch-mate to 'hunt'.
Mara and Klamath stood in the line of weyrlings keeping the wherries from running the entire bowl. The avians were set loose a few at a time to give the youngest dragons experience in hunting within their controlled and carefully observed environment. Once weyrlings were permitted to fly on their dragons, they would begin hunting outside the bowl with considerable assistance from older dragons and their riders.
The youngest dragons worked out amongst themselves who would hunt next. It was a good exercise in team building and cooperation. Older dragons' intervention was seldom needed now that each youngster trusted they would indeed get a chance to hunt.
Are you hungry this day, Klamath?
I ate a fat wherry yesterday. Others have more need to hunt. He turned his half-grown head toward his rider. Like you. You need to eat again.
Mara laughed. We'll eat as soon as you are all full. Watch out!
The small flock of wherries was trying to escape their confinement. Klamath turned his head with mouth agape, hissing with tongue flicking as he also spread his wings to tighten up the space between him and the next dragon. Most of the wherries screeched and ran back the direction they had come, but one small wherry, dazed or confused or perhaps resigned to the inevitable, jumped right into the brown's gaping mouth. A single snap of powerful jaws ended the poor wherry's confusion.
One guilt tinged eye turned to Mara as Klamath's jaw worked to finish his surprise meal. Now I won't need to eat tomorrow.