To Be the Very Best [Akira/Skye]

[Kitsuneko]

B'den and Kohenkyoth were up at the crack of dawn, or at least it seemed like it, after he had learned they were to get private lessons with an older dragonrider. B'den had been unsure how to feel about it when he had first heard the news; he associated 'private lessons' with a lackluster performance, and he severely disliked being less than the best he could be. They had taken pains to stay up to speed in their training, at least as much as they could, given the Rebellion's spotty training at the best of times. They'd had ample practice in flying and even a little betweening, but he supposed falling behind was almost unavoidable when they had very little guidance. Having a one-on-one lesson would probably be a good thing for them, and he'd come to realize the mentor system had more to do with the overall organization of the Rebellion than the students.

Kohenkyoth didn't see it that way. She had been used to excelling in a traditional class of weyrlings back at Trelis, and did not appreciate the haphazard way the weyrlings were trained here, and it didn't matter to her that they were understaffed or trying to work with weyrlings of different ages from many different clutches. If only we were already graduated, I'm sure we could do a better job than these oafs, the green growled as she waited beside B'den in the Training Grounds for their teachers to arrive.

B'den just smiled and set a calming hand on her neck. "Easy there, Kohenkyoth," he murmered softly. "We've got bigger plans than that, remember?" After all, why settle for being a Weyrlingmaster when the organization of the Rebel wings would allow them a good chance at making second or even first knight? B'den knew it would have been virtually impossible for a greenrider to be a wingsecond or wingleader back at Trelis; it was a large part of why he'd left, after all.

Kohenkyoth settled down with a grumble, growing impatient even though they had arrived for their lesson early. She'd been in a bad mood more often than not, of late, and though she was never a very outgoing dragon, this sort of ill temper was rare for her. B'den pushed it to the back of his mind, though, searching the skies occasionally for signs of whichever pair had been chosen to teach them what they needed to know.

[Akira]

Skye groaned loudly as she sat on her bed. She was supposed to be training some weyrling one-on-one in hopes that they will learn better. All that she knew about the pair is that it was a fellow green pair. Something that Kivith seemed rather tickled pink about. Come Mine, if you do not get dressed and ready soon we will be late. There was a bit of a whine to Kivith’s voice as she practically begged her rider to move faster. I’m sure we have plenty of time Kivith. We don’t have to be at the training grounds for at least two more hours. She yawned loudly as she spoke. But either way she got up and started getting dressed. There was no point in arguing with Kivith this early in the morning when she wasn’t even fully awake yet. So she resigned herself to getting ready.

After an hour of arguing and dragging her feet Skye was finally ready to go start her newest assignment. It was times like this that Skye wished she was back at Trelis. Alright Kivith I’m ready. Let’s get this over with as soon as possible. She was practically growling as she mounted her dragon and tightened the straps to make sure she wouldn’t fall off half way to the training grounds. Kivith crooned and shivered with excitement as she waited for her rider to get situated on her back. Alright Mine, here we go! Having barely finished speaking the little green launched herself into the air. She flew swiftly towards the training grounds, and bellowed out a loud greeting when they finally arrived. Skye sighed and wondered who she had been saddled with as her own green started to back wing and land.

[Kitsuneko]

"There they are!" B'den said, shielding his eyes against the morning sun's glare; a green dragon had appeared in the sky, heading for where they waited on the Training Grounds, and he was sure that was who their trainers were. A fellow greenrider, not bad...though truth be told, he would have preferred a bronzerider, or at a least a garnet.

It's about time, Kohenkyoth grumbled, climbing to her feet from her reclining position now that the lesson could start properly.

"Go easy on them, Kohenkyoth," B'den said with a smile. "Just because we got here early doesn't mean we can expect them to be early as well."

Kohenkyoth didn't have anything to say to that, but she did huff in slight aggravation when she recognized the green's rider. Oh great, it had to be the boring, pretty girl, too, she muttered.

Now that's unfair, B'den mentioned silently to his dragon. Now that Kivith and Skye had arrived, however, he straightened up and waved to them. "Looks like it's our lucky day," he told the other greenrider.

[Akira]

We are here Mine, and look!!! Our charges are here as well!!! Kivith’s deep, sweet voice was almost an excited squeak when she first spotted the green pair on the ground. Skye just sighed and steeled herself for whatever dimwitted twit the Rebellion had saddled her with. Ooooo look Mine, it is the handsome man you had met at the Gather! Skye would have jumped in surprise at Kivith’s words had she not been securely strapped to her dragon. She carefully schooled her emotions and her face as she started to unstrap herself. Hm yes I suppose it is. She swiftly dismounted and walked halfway over to B’den and his dragon, Kohenkyoth, Kivith happily plodding along after her. So how far are you in your lessons? What have you learned and what haven’t you learned? Skye tilted her head slightly as she spoke.

Kivith looked Kohenkyoth up and done, as if trying to figure out just how far she could push the young green, and nodding her head a little once she finished. She nodded at her rider’s questions, though she wished Skye wouldn’t have just jumped right into the lesson, after all, weren’t they supposed to get to know their charges better? Oh well, there was no backing out now. Skye crossed her arms seriously in front of her chest as she waited for B’den. She couldn’t start training them till after she figured out just how much they knew after all, there was no point in teaching them the same thing over and over again now was there? No, Skye believed that would be more harmful then helpful. She just needed to remain as patient as was possible for her.

[Kitsuneko]

Kohenkyoth got to her feet and stared straight at the other green. Now that the lesson was beginning, her personal thoughts about their teachers were pushed aside, and she was eager to prove herself.

"We are rather behind, not that that's too surprising, really," B'den admitted. "We have been practicing our flight formations, though. We've done some betweening as well, though not a whole lot; we've only been to a few places nearby, aside from Trelis territory."

Kohenkyoth snorted and added, He had me chew some firestone as well. Not often, but enough, he says. Clutches are good enough for the obsidians, I don't see why I shouldn't have one. Her tail was twitching in annoyance.

"She's already overdue for her first flight," he explained. "I didn't want to take any chances." He was sure Kohenkyoth would have made a horrible mother, anyway; she wasn't really interested in eggs, he knew, but she saw the way the obsidians got to lead and it wasn't hard for her to make the connection in her head.

[Akira]

Skye nodded seriously at B’den’s words. I wouldn’t worry too much about her being a late Riser. It doesn’t affect a dragon’s abilities, especially not a fighter’s. After all, if she had a clutch now she wouldn’t be able to fight Thread, and Faranth knows we need as many able bodied dragons as possible. After all, those clutching dragons are practically useless. She was looking Kohenkyoth up and down, trying to figure out how much she could push the young green dragoness. At least she wouldn’t have to put up with the restrictions she would have if Kohenkyoth was able to clutch. No, instead she had more room to work with the young fighter. What do you think Kivith? She looked up at her own green dragoness as she spoke. She knew that Kivith would be the one to work more closely with Kohenkyoth than herself after all.

Kivith crooned as she examined the younger green. She looks strong Mine, I would like to see how she does flying on her own first. For once the small green female was being serious instead of playful like normal. Skye nodded her head and wondered to herself just how much they had learned before they had left Trelis. Alright, have Kohenkyoth show Kivith what she knows about flying and flaming. I want you to show me just how good your memory is. I want you to draw, from memory, the stands by the Hatching Sands. She didn’t want this lesson to be easy, but she didn’t want it to be too hard either. So she had tried to think of something pretty simple to draw from memory, and the first think that had popped into her head was a picture of the Hatching Sands and the stands that surrounded the sides.

[Kitsuneko]

B'den smiled slightly and gave a nod at Skye's words. "See, Kohenkyoth? It's much better to earn your rank than be handed it because you can lay eggs, anyway," he said, only half joking.

He became a bit more serious as the conversation turned to their training, and Kohenkyoth, always being serious, just listened intently. B'den nodded to his green when they had their orders. You heard her, Kohenkyoth.

The green immediately leaped into the air. Her thickly-muscled hindquarters launched her into the air quicker than most, and her long wings helped with her speed in the air. Her overall maneuverability might have suffered, though.

While Kohenkyoth did laps in the air, B'den devoted his attention to his work. Fortunately, he was a harper with all of a harper's training, not to mention a sketchbook among the supplies in his pack, so he was sure his work would be neat and detailed, though he wasn't as familiar with Rindell's hatching sands as he would have liked. Some details of the Trelis sands, where he had Impressed Kohenkyoth might have crept in. He showed the finished image to Skye without a word, though he hoped he hadn't kept her waiting too long.

[Akira]

Kivith watched Kohenkyoth do a couple of laps before joining the younger green in the sky. You are very talented indeed! But how is your maneuverability? The little green did summersaults as she spoke, quite enjoying the chance to have someone to “play” with her. She knew she should be taking this all seriously, but what was the harm in having a little fun while teaching one’s self, one’s own limits? She crooned as she circled, dived, twisted, and summersaulted, all moves that she had learned had a double use when Thread fell. Which was probably the only reason her rider even let her play around like that. Mine says playing has no use. But how can something so nice be so bad? She wasn’t really looking for acceptance as she was looking for an explanation in terms she might understand, and who better to do that than another dragon?

Skye on the other hand was currently, “All work and no play.” Whether or not that would work out for the better in the end was still yet to be seen. She cocked her head to the side slightly as she stood next to B’den as he pulled out his sketching supplies and started to draw what she had asked him to. It wasn’t the best depiction of the Rebellions stands, but then again, she herself wasn’t all That familiar with them either, so she wouldn’t say anything about the resemblance to Trelis. Good, now what do you know about fighting Thread? Better to get a grasp about what her pupil knew about their ever threatening enemy while she still had his attention on training. She moved so that she was now standing in front of B’den, her arms crossed over her chest, as she waited for his answer.

[Kitsuneko]

Kohenkyoth's chest puffed up with pride at the praise, even if she wasn't sure exactly what she thought about this playful green who seemed to be her teacher. She did a loop in the air, trying to keep up with the tricks Kivith was doing, but she was sure she did not do as good a job. Her body just wasn't built quite the same as other greens, so she was at a natural disadvantage which made her bristle. She gave a small snort at the other green's comment. It has a use...if it will improve my training, perhaps. Otherwise, I would have no reason to waste time with it.

B'den let his arm holding his sketchbook fall to his side. Skye hadn't said much about it, but she seemed satisfied with it, so that was good enough for B'den. He wasn't surprised she was very focused and professional when "on the job," and he tended to be the same way. He faced Skye and made sure to keep his eyes on her face as he answered her. "It falls at regular intervals that can usually be predicted, giving us time to prepare for it before going into the air. We fight in wings, under the lead of the Wingleader and his wingsecond and third, or the knights, here in the Rebellion.

"As a greenrider, Kohenkyoth and I will focus more on the small and quick strands of threads while the larger colors take care of the bigger clumps. Thread is extremely dangerous if it hits us, so it's important to avoid coming in contact with it, and to get into between as soon as possible if we do."

[Akira]

Kivith watched Kohenkyoth as she tried to keep up with all of the tricks, but obviously she wasn’t having an easy time of it. She was smaller than Kohenkyoth, which gave her a slight advantage in the aerial maneuvering department. But she had to admit, Kohenkyoth was doing very well for a green her size. Let’s play a game! The little green bugled happily as she quickly dove away from Kohenkyoth. Basically this was a game of tag. Kivith would do her best to stay away from Kohenkyoth, while Kohenkyoth was supposed to try and catch the older green, whether or not it would all work out that way hadn’t even occurred to the playful green. She knew that her rider would be very displeased with her if she did anything other than give Kohenkyoth a work out, so why not do so through play?

Skye listened intently as B’den answered her question, nodding her head in approval once in a while. So he knew a bit about fighting Thread, but what else did he know? That is correct B’den. What is it that all riders, except for the queen riders, take with us into the sky when we fight thread? Also, why is it so important to never remain Between for longer than a few heartbeats? She lifted a single eyebrow quizzically as she spoke. It wouldn’t bode well for the Rebellion if they had dragons and riders in the sky who didn’t know what they were doing. If he passed this simple little quiz then he would be doing alright, but if he couldn’t answer her few simple questions then she figured she would have to start back at the beginning and reteach him everything he was supposed to do.

[Kitsuneko]

So she wasn't quite as agile as the other green. Kohenkyoth tried not to let it bother her. She probably faster in a straight sprint, anyway. There was no reason to think she wouldn't be one of the best fighters when she flew Threadfall. A game? she questioned, staring at Kivith. Was this really going to gauge Kohenkyoth's training? Still, Kivith was the teacher, so she gave a mental shrug and dived at the green, flapping her wings hard to gain as much speed as she could for a quick sprint.

"Firestone, of course," B'den answered quickly. He was hardly going to not know about that, after the big deal he'd made with Kohenkyoth getting her to chew it. He didn't fancy lugging around a flamethrower like the queenriders. "And as for the second question, the longer you spend in between, the more likely it that you'll get lost there, or otherwise be hurt by the extreme cold and airlessness."

[Akira]

Kivith crooned delightedly as the young green dove after her. She quickly summersaulted away and bugled playfully as she leveled out and started flying away from Kohenkyoth. Not only was she testing the larger green’s agility while in the air, she was also testing her speed and endurance. She had to admit though, the young Kohenkyoth was doing much better than she had expected. Yes, yes a game you see! I fly as fast as I can away and doge as quickly as possible and you chase! It is fun yes? The small green trilled with sheer joy as she flew away from the weyrling who would no doubt be much larger than herself one day. But for now Kivith had the advantage of experience, and was going to use it to train the next generation, just as her rider was doing for Kohenkyoth’s own rider.

Skye nodded approvingly at how quickly the young man answered her first question, after all, that was something even most hold bred twits knew. And what happens if you get lost Between? Also, why is it that dragons Between whenever they or their riders die? It was something that every single rider had to face sooner or later. Whether a dragon or rider died from just old age, every dragon went Between to die. She knew that it was a widely debated topic, but she wanted to know B’den’s stand on the subject. Personally she believed that dragons Betweened to escape the pain and lose that they felt after their rider died, or even just to escape the pain. That’s what had happened to her own parents after, but that wasn’t a topic she liked to dwell on for very long, and even now she couldn’t hide the pain that thinking of her parents caused.

[Kitsuneko]

Kohenkyoth resisted the urge to hiss in annoyance as she pursued the other green. She was fast, but she had a lack of experience working against her. She could tell she wasn't doing too badly though, and she tried to be content with that. Perhaps this could be useful for training, she admitted to herself, though she still wasn't ready to admit she was having fun. She had no doubt some of the turns and maneuvers she was following Kivith through would be useful when it came to dodging Thread. She didn't bother speaking to Kivith further; that would only detract from her concentration.

B'den gave a careless shrug at her next question. "You would die, presumably." That always led to the keening of surviving dragons, after all. He certainly didn't expect anyone to be able to survive the extreme cold for very long, anyway, if they were lost. "It's probably the quickest and easiest way for them to die, if they're left alone. Unlike humans, a dragon has never had to live life alone, aside from the few minutes on the Hatching Sands before Impression. I don't think their minds are built to survive without a bond, so they instinctively go between in order to rejoin their riders."

His voice was deliberately cool and calm, and he tried to keep his face passive and expressionless. He didn't really want Skye to see how uncomfortable he was with this particular topic; death involving him or his dragon was something he tried to avoid thinking about.