-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ready... Aim... Fire! Date: Not a Clue Place: Benden Weyr's Southern Bowl Game: PernMUSH Copyright Info: The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kassi's Note: They fly, they carry riders, they go *between*... what's left for the Weyrling dragons to learn? How to make julienne fries? Nyet! Firestone! T'fian and Meroth teach Kassi and Lysseth, Aphrael and Prefeth, and Maarie and Zuseth the ins and outs of firestone selecting, chewing, and flaming. Amazingly, no one gets burned to a crisp in the process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Log: You backwing for a landing. You slide off of Lysseth's neck to land beside her easily. She rumbles, cocking her head down at you, and you rub her eyeridges gratefully. Benden Weyr> T'fian says, "Where in the weyr is firestone stored?" Benden Weyr> P'tran says, "The firestone stores of course :)" Meroth warbles to the younger dragons. Tagenth lumbers into the South Bowl area from the lake shore to the southwest. Alisanda heads into the South Bowl area from the lake shore to the southwest. Prefeth warbles to Meroth! Kassima pulls her riding helmet off in a light shower of sand, grimacing a bit. She salutes Alisanda briskly. Maarie tries to look around Zuseth to see who's here now and can't see a blasted thing other than green hide. Lysseth warbles a greeting to Meroth as she folds her wings and looks around curiously. Tagenth sits down, curling his tail neatly about his legs, out of the way. Aphrael salutes Alisanda as she pulls off her riding gear. Alisanda returns the salute casually and leans back comfortably against her dragon. Maarie finishes looking over Zuseth and salultes Alisanda crisply, finally noticing her. Prefeth snorts happily, flakes of sand drifting down off his hide as he does. T'fian walks here from the north. Alisanda waves a greeting to T'fian.. Tagenth ruffles his wings slightly, then half unfurls one to preen. Kassima salutes T'fian as well, brushing a stray lock of sandy hair from her face as she does. T'fian walks over from the northern section of the bowl and pauses when he sees Alisanda. "Good evening," he says politely and then turns to the weyrlings. Maarie salultes T'fian and leans against Zuseth lightly. Aphrael looks up from the riding straps and salutes, "Good eve, sir." T'fian returns the weyrlings' salutes, smiling. "I assume you're all here because you want your dragons to learn to flame?" Aphrael chuckles ruefully, "Prefeth is as curious as me about this whole thing, sir. He even concented to come back from Boll for it." Kassima grins sheepishly. "Aye, that's a part of it, sir--sorry for the sand everywhere, by the way. Lysseth was rather excited by the prospect." Maarie laughs at Aph, "And that's a feat indeed!" Aphrael grins at Maarie, "Sure is." She winks as she strokes the blue's hide fondly. Alisanda finds a comfortable place to sit and lean against her dragons neck, watching passively, as her dragon naps. T'fian laughs. "Sorry for dragging you all the way back from Boll, but it is nice to see our weyrlings actually at Benden for a change," he grins, obviously joking, and makes his way over to the stacked pile of firestone and carefully choosing a small chunk. Aphrael chuckles as she tries to brush sand off Prefeth's hide. "It's our first taste of freedom in almost two Turns, sir." T'fian turns back to the weyrlings. "I'm sure you are all aware of the importance of firestone to a fighting dragon. Without it, we wouldn't stand much chance against thread because, as I'm also sure you know, dragons need it to flame." Kassima chuckles. "'S quite all right, sir. Lysseth can surely roll around in the sand like a deranged fire-lizard some other time." Lysseth snorts at her lifemate, sending another spray of sand flying. Tagenth extends his wings, letting the accumulated hatchling-sand fall from them, and then furls them neatly across his back again. Kassima nods. "Aye, sir," she says, turning her full attention to what T'fian is saying. T'fian shakes his head, chuckling, but doesn't comment, instead deciding to continue. "I do not know how it was discovered dragons use this--" he holds up the chunk of firestone he's holding -- "to breathe fire, but they do. It is almost instinct, so it's not difficult to teach your dragon how to chew this and produce flame, but they will need your help at first." Kassima nods again, glancing up at Lyss with a slight smile at an unheard comment before resuming her careful listening. Aphrael listens carefully, eyes on the firestone T'fian is holding. She glances up to check Prefeth is paying attention, then back. T'fian says "What you will need to do, and this will take some time to actually get right, is to learn how much firestone you should use for your dragon, learning to differentiate between pure firestone and unpure 'stone, and how long it takes your dragon to actually digest the firestone and produce flame." Kassima nods yet again, peering curiously at the stone T'fian is holding. Aphrael frowns unconsciously as listens. T'fian smiles, and looks at the 'stone he's holding. "Now, you all know what firestone is and what it looks like. You should, considering all it you've had to bag during your candidacy and weyrlingship. But it is worth going over again. It is a phosphine-bearing rock that your dragon digests in his second stomach in order to produce flame. It is found in any volcanic terrain, such as this weyr bowl, but the minecraft knows where to find the best supplies of 'stone, and we get most of our firestone from them as there's is a better quality than what we can generally find lying around." Maarie listens intently to T'fian. T'fian says "It is very important to find out how much firestone your dragon needs. Each dragon is different and uses different amounts of 'stone, so I expect you to practice flaming often as you fine-tune how much you need. Now, when we fly 'fall, a rider will feed his dragon 'stone in advance, so that when the wings arrive, the dragons' stomach is full of flame that can be used at will. But as the 'fall progesses, you will need to feed your dragon more stone as he uses up the flame." T'fian holds up the 'stone he's carrying once again. "This particular firestone, due to its small size, is suitable for Meroth here, as he's a small blue. The larger dragons: the bronzes and large browns should use a larger stone, and the smaller browns and larger blues should use a medium sized 'stone. The greens and small blues should use the smallest stone because it is easier for them to chew." T'fian looks at the weyrlings and motions them over to the pile of firestone. "Now, what I want you to do is go over to the pile and select a few suitable sized stones for your dragon." Aphrael glances around at Prefeth, as if sizing him up, then over tot he pile of firestone, mentally picking a few out. Maarie pulls back on her gloves and begins to rummage through the pile for some smaller pieces for Zuseth. Kassima surveys Lysseth for a moment, then walks over to the pile. She looks it over carefully, moving a few pieces to find the small ones she's after. Aphrael starts, then blinks, moving over to the pile and picking out some of the bits she says from afar, placing them onto the ground beside her. Maarie finally comes up with a couple of pieces in her arms that seems to be a suitabe size. Kassima finds some smaller chunks that seep appropriate, and gathers them together, hefting the pile with a slight juggle to find good balance. Aphrael eyes her bits of firestone against the other weyrlings, and picks out bits slightly larger then thiers, gathering them up and moving back to Prefeth's side, who rumbles softly, eyes a whirl. T'fian smiles to Aphrael. "You should choose larger stones than Maarie and Kassima and myself as Prefeth is a larger ragon." Aphrael smiles and offers the bits she's gathered for inspection, "Are these okay, sir?" Kassima hauls her pieces over to Lysseth, glancing at them and at her again, then nods absently as she reaffirms that they look to be about the right size. T'fian looks at Aphrael's chunks of firestone, examing them closely, and then picks out one. "This one here," he says to all the weyrlings present, "is not pure enough. Y'see these sections of reddish black areas? Firestone should be a more greyish-brown color. This particular one was pulled incorrectly from its vein and nobody noticed that they took some normal volcanic rock with it." Maarie asks, "What will happen to our dragons if they try to digest it?" Kassima nods and puts her pile on the ground to sort through it again. Finding one dubious chunk, she sets it aside and trots to the pile for another to replace it. T'fian shakes his head. "Nothing really. Their second stomachs can digest it, but it will not produce flame." Maarie nods her understanding and checks over her pieces just in case she happened to get one. Kassima returns and sets the new piece in with the rest, wiping her hands on her slacks unconciously. T'fian says "The rest are okay, Aphrael. A good size for Prefeth." He moves to examine the other weyrlings' selections and nods in satisfaction. "Okay. Now, what we're going to do is feed them to your dragons, but I want you to pay attention to how that is done." Aphrael takes the rest of her pile as sorts through it again as she and Prefeth both turn to watch T'fian and Meroth. Lysseth cranes her head to peer with interest at Meroth and T'fian, her lifemate following her gaze. T'fian pulls several chunks of firestone from the pile, and finding them all to his satisfaction, takes them over to Meroth, who obligingly opens his large mouth. T'fian tosses the chunks in one at a time and Meroth closes his mouth, chewing loudly on them. "Now, the sound of a dragon chewing rock can be a little uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it. Okay, when you feed your dragon the stone, do it one at a time at first until your dragon is accustomed to it. As your dragon is chewing, keep in contact with his mind and remind him of his second stomach as he swallows." Aphrael cringes a little, but keeps watching Meroth intently. T'fian says "This will becoming second nature after a while, but at first you have to make sure he doesn't accidentally swallow the 'stone into the wrong stomach. After your dragon swallows the stone, it'll take a little bit of time before he has the 'stone fully digested. That's another thing you'll have to keep track of: how long it takes for your dragon to digest the 'stone. Now, while we're waiting for Meroth, you should start feeding your dragon's the stone." Aphrael takes a deep breath, turning and selecting the first bit, smiling hesitantly as she places it in Prefeth's open maw. Meroth sits back on his haunches, crunching loudly for a moment before swallowing. Kassima hefts one of the rock chunks and raises one eyebrow at Lysseth, who dubiously opens her mouth and accepts the stony offering. She crunches the rock loudly, causing Kassi to wince. After awhile, the young green swallows the chewed-up remains, Kassima talking to her all during this. Prefeth chews contentedly. *crunch* *crunch*. His eyes flick from Meroth to his lifemate as he chews, swallowing noisily. Zuseth's jaw drops and Maarie puts in a piece of the firestone in her mouth. It's not long before Zuseth swallows her mouthful. Aphrael blinks as she peers at her lifemate. "He says it feels different. Different to when he eats.." Kassima has a slight grimace on her face. "Aye, Lyss agrees with him on that score--and keeps asking why it can't taste more like a nice fat wherry." T'fian smiles. "You're doing good so far. Now, when the dragon is ready to flame, he'll tell you. His first flame will be.... Yes, Aphrael, it feels a lot different than eating. Have you ever eaten sand? When you were a kid? It's similar to that. But anyways, his first flame will be very weak. It'll take a while before you know the exact amount to give your dragon to produce a strong, steady flame. When he is ready to flame, make sure he's not pointed at anybody and try to aim for some of this grass that's growing. Kill two avians with one stone, as it were," he smiles. Meroth belches, a small cloud of smoke emerging from his maw. Aphrael giggles and shakes her head, "Never eaten sand." She mutters, eyes on Prefeth, who remains still for a time, then shifts. Angelique heads into the South Bowl area from the lake shore to the southwest. Angelique blinks at the number of people and dragons. Kassima watches Lysseth carefully, who is in turn watching Prefeth with curiousity. Meroth turns away from the other dragons and their riders, turning towards a patch of green. His rider turns to look at him and nods. "Meroth is about to flame now. Watch this." Meroth warbles and then belches a powerful, thin stream of flame, incinerating the patch of grass he's aimed at. Lysseth> I bespoke Prefeth with << Why do you keep moving like that? >> Prefeth shifts again, eyes whirling fast as he tilts his head curiously, rumbling noises in his stomach. Dragon> Prefeth bespoke Lysseth with << It feels *weird* >> T'fian turns back to the weyrlings as his blue's flame tapers off (no he hasn't noticed Angelique, yet). "You and your dragons will have to learn how to control the duration of the burn, but that will come naturally as you practice." Lysseth rumbles curiously to Prefeth, cocking her head at him, then looking mildly surprised. Lysseth> I bespoke Prefeth with << You are right! This is very Strange. >> Angelique watches wide-eyed as the dragon flames for what seems like no reason. She shrugs and walks away. Prefeth lumbers over to the edge of the bowl, as he belches lightly. Aphrael blinks, "He says.." She trails off as he makes a sound like a cough, and a pitiful trickle of flame spills out, over as soon as its there. T'fian claps. "That's quite good for his first time, Aphrael." Dragon> Meroth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << You have flamed well for your first time, Prefeth. >> Angelique walks north. Aphrael shakes her head startled, "That was.. strange.." She moves over to join Prefeth, who croons lightly, trails of smoke rising from his maw. Dragon> Prefeth bespoke Benden Weyrlings with << It felt *weird*. But then the Flame came. >> Zuseth just stares at Maarie for a moment, "Yes dear, the grass. Aim for the grass over there." Zuseth turns her palel head and her mouth opens, a short spurt of flame coming out and scorching the ground, more smoke than fire all in all. Lysseth shifts uncomfortably for a moment, snorting delicately. Kassi looks up at her lifemate and points wordlessly to the grass; Lyss turns her head and makes a slight choking sound as a very weak flicker of flame singes the grass just a little before it dies. Lysseth coughs again, smoke wisps wafting from her mouth as she looks at the grass with surprise. T'fian smiles. "You've all done well for your first time. You're already well on the way to doing rope drills," he says to the three dragons. "Now, you can play with this for a while, gradually increasing the amount of stone you give your dragon. There's only one last thing to cover." Kassima thumps Lysseth enthusiastically on the shoulder. "Told you that you could do it, skydancer," she says to her dragon, who is still crossed between self-satisfaction and astonishment. Then she turns her attention back to T'fian and listens intently. T'fian says "After several hours, your dragon will have to regurgitate the components of the stone he could not digest for flame. It will come out as a greyish sludge, not very pretty to look at. Your dragon will tell you when he feels weird in his second stomach. There are bins all around the bowl that can be used for regurgitating. And that's about all there is to flaming. Quite easy, eh? Just remember to have your dragon aim away from any people or any other animal."" Dragon> Benden Weyrlings sense that Meroth warbles, proud of the younger dragons. Prefeth rumbles a second time, smoke again rising, but no flame appearing. Aphrael giggles, "He wants to try it again.." She smiles at T'fian and grins, "My thanks sir, for teaching well." T'fian chuckles. "I wouldn't say well, and Cerilla can do it better, but thank you for the compliment. And feel free to practice all you want." Lysseth houghs a weak straggle of smoke as Kassima nods agreement with Aphrael. "Aye--thank you sir, in very deed." Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Meroth croons to the young dragons and warbles to all. << The Young Ones are almost all grown up now. They have just flamed. >> Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Tagenth warbles something in a positive note. Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Laerth peers at the younger dragons. << Very good. It will not be much longer before they are flying with the rest of us >> Dragon> Benden dragons sense that Torinth burbles cheerfully. Good news. More dragons to destroy Thread. T'fian smiles. "Well, if you will excuse me, I should go see how Rosalen is doing with Telen," he says with some pride. "Like I said, you've all done very well, and soon you'll have no problems with this at all." Kassima grins. "Fare well, sir, and many thanks again." T'fian salutes the weyrlings and makes his way over to the barracks. T'fian walks off towards the Weyrling Barracks.