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 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 1:27 pm
Note: There has been some confusion over the current time line of the RP. This lesson will take place one day after the hatching, so we can get this initial lesson in. However, all of the pretaining ones will take place after the flight. It'll tie in with some of the lessons anyways. XD
(Note P II: Bystanders are welcome- but encouraged not to cause any sort of distractions. IE: Misbehaving flits. )
Quote: - Butchering; Learning to cut meat for your growing dragonet.
- Dragon hygiene; keeping their bodies well oiled, and spotting for cracks in the skin.
- Human hygiene; care of the human body- and their dorm.
- Dragon anatomy.
- Weyr etiquette.
- How to deal with an overfed dragon -------------------------------------- Well- this was it, thought Farin sitting upon a time worn stone in the center of the Weyr bowl. The newly made Weyrlings should have finished moving in all their personal belongings into their separate barracks by now, and it was time to start the first lesson. This one wouldn't be very difficult, and Farin was glad. This stuff wasn't the dangerous part- the part that would really matter for her. Right now the dragonlings were just babies stumbling over themselves, and demanding for food. And she intended to take care of one of those problems with this lesson.
'Do you have it yet, Moth?' Farin questioned her life mate, who she felt moving about somewhere far behind her.
Yes Love, I come. Farin felt a shadow pass over her from above, as the green circled the field. She landed with a large thump, spreading her wings outwards to catch the sun gently, and pressing them against her sides. She made a gurgling noise, which if Farin had not known was coming may have concerned her. The dragon swung it's head low, and in between it's jaws lay the very apparent corpse of a herd beast. The dragon let it fall and caught it once more to adjust it's position in her mouth, mindful not to dig too deeply in with her teeth.
"Well, don't eat it now." Farin chided, and Moth rumbled affectionately as she took the dead beast to the left of Farin. Another, similar dead animal had been laying to rest beside the rock, and with a thump, the dragon place the other dead animal besides the first. She snorted with pleasure- she'd managed to kill both of the herd beasts without damaging much of them. They were a bit napped from being carried in her mouth, but were for the most part clean and almost blood free.
"Very good." Farin said with a nod, and stood. She wore the same jacket across her shoulders with her arms out, but this time she set it aside on the rock. There was just a slight mental vibe that this was going to be an obnoxiously bloody occasion. After all- it would be the Weyrling's first lesson in butchery.
----
Wieth seemed to have already increased in size since hatching only a day before, and Ch'tan couldn't help but feel remarkably proud of the little bloke. He already seemed bigger then the rest of his hatch mates, which may have been due to Ch'tan's own inflated ego. Wieth didn't seem to mind the praise those as he stumbled through the grass. Ch'tan, despite his uncontrollably strange love for the bronze, was having a hard time controlling the dragon.
I'm not interested in this. Wieth simply said. Why can't you feed me?
"Because I was instructed not to." Ch'tan spoke allowed, still unable to properly transmit his thoughts to the dragon. Apparently that would come later. Besides, it felt funny having silent conversations anyways. It wasn't like his ego took a dive for possibly appearing insane.
You don't even want to go. Wieth grumbled. I don't want to go either!
"I- well-" Ch'tan explained, forcing his arms to cross about his chest. "I don't want to go. But apparently that's what the rules say and whatever."
Wieth snorted, and became distracted by a sudden flash of a firelizard flying by. Oh, mine! Look!
"Oh no Wieth, we're going to be late!" Ch'tan groaned, and tried to pull his human sized friend back onto the path. The little striped bronze grunted and squealed. "Look, I think we'll be getting you food!"
I do like food. Wieth remarked, and for the moment, followed Ch'tan again.
---
Farin noticed Ch'tan walking up the path with his bronze semi in tow. She didn't like the looks of this one, even though she felt bad to think so. She didn't like older Weyrlings. They would certainly be prone to thinking themselves better then the rest of the class. Hopefully there'd be no problems from him, or any of the other older students. Noticing a few of the others begin to arrive, Farin stood on the rock, pushing her jacket to lay on the grass below.
At once, she decided she'd begin by some sort of lecture. Before she even opened her mouth, she was already wondering exactly what to say. Dear first egg- she'd only slept with a Weyrlingmaster- not learn anything from them!
But despite her initial hesitance, she did have a lot to say. "Weyrlings- Good. Welcome to Rias. I am Farin, your Weyrlingmaster; rider of green Moth." She motioned to the rather large pale olive female, who simply whirled her eyes affectionately.
"Hopefully I'll get to know all of you by the time these two years are over, as we will be spending the next two years living with one another. From this day forward, your classmates are to be considered your wing members, and you will- and I mean will-" She spoke a bit threateningly, "treat one another with the respect earned of them. You are all dragonriders, or will be, and you have at least completed one leg of the journey."
"Unfortunately- impressing is the easiest leg of the journey. From here on out it is not your young dragon that will prepare you for life as a dragonrider. These will by far, be some of the most dangerous years of your life, as you suffer from inexperience. Those of you who can cut it, will survive. It's my hope that all of you will survive. Perhaps that's not a very uplifting thing to be telling you Weyrlings, but I'm hoping you get a sense of how important your lessons will be. If you and your dragon are not perfectly of one mind, then you will not survive as a dragonrider. But take heart, because your dragon has chosen you to be it's rider, and therefore believes you capable."
She stood, and faced the dead animals. "But first, you are in your infant stages. Your dragons are hungry, and they must be fed. Here at the Weyr we support one another- but you must learn to carry your own weight. From here on out, no one will give you the meat your dragon needs, and your dragon will be unable to hunt for some time. It's up to you to know what meat to give to your dragon, and how large to cut the pieces. If any of you have any experience in butchery previous to this, I expect you to help the others around you hold the knife and cut the animal."
She decided to take a moment to refocus her thoughts, and pointed to a pile of knives. "Please do not begin." She said, sitting down on the rock. "But gather a knife, and please separate into as equal of groups as possible. Another portion of this lesson- you must restrain your dragonet from approaching the meat. Please instruct them to stay together ten feet from this rock, and correct them if they come closer."
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 2:35 pm
N'tren listened to Farin's speech very carefully. He could see that other dragonets were very interested in the food in front of them. But there had been strict orders not to let them feed yet. Orders that Datiath did not want to understand nor comply with.
How come we must wait to eat now? Last night they let us eat all we want.
"I must learn things for the both of us, Dattie. And we must both learn patience and to control our urges." N'tren whispered as quietly as possible. He had seemed to age or mature just over the night, a new sence of responsibility settling in. He rubbed his bronze's head affectionately and continued to listen. He had been one of the first to arrive, used to early morning hours from his father's hold and working in the kitchens.
Patience? May I eat that as well? Will this take long? I am bigger than most and my stomach needs more food than them...
Trying to stiffle a giggle, N'tren looked away and pretended to cough. Farin told them to split into groups to practice carving the meat up. Some of the weyrlings looked very green and like they might be sick. He had carved many a beast for fests and fairs at his hold. Taking the knife up, N'tren moved to a group that included Kirana.
"This should be fun."
((Gotta go do some errands be back in a couple of hours!))
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 2:58 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 3:11 pm
J'riar had no objections whatsoever when he heard that he would be attending Weyrling lessons. Rather, although it seemed sort of odd for a young adult, he was enthused. He knew little to nothing about caring for dragons, only herdbeasts and such. This was a wonderful opportunity to find a way to care for his new friend--especially since there was nothing else to do at the time. When Farin seemed to have finished, J'riar nodded in confirmation, hazel eyes lazily amused at this opportunity. Certainly he wouldn't be one of the older Weyrlings thinking himself better than the rest. After all, from those he had talked too, everyone seemed to know much more about dragons than himself...but it would not matter. He would learn and one day, fly in the sky fighting Thread with the rest of the new Weyrlings.
Do you think I will be able to eat when you are done cutting, mine? Natroth questioned pitifully, his jeweled eyes whirling slowly as the dragonet swung his wedge-shaped head around to look at J'riar.
The blue rider affectionately scratched at the hatchling's eye ridge, earning a croon of pleasure. "I'm sure you will. You must wait until you are allowed to eat though. After all, it hasn't been that long since you ate..." The shaggy-haired brunette teased his dragon, who merely blinked placidly in return.
That is because I ate an hour ago. Now I am hungry again Natroth's 'voice' carried a plaintive note, earning a chuckle from his twenty-one-year-old rider.
Glancing at the knives, J'riar stepped forward to gently grasp one by the hilt, then straightened. Slowly with the air of one who wasn't going to rush to join a group, the brunette ambled over to where N'tren had joined a group, just managing to catch the other's statement.
"Yeah...don't know how some of these guys will react to having to cut up meat though." He grinned cheekily, shaking his head so some of his locks fell into his eyes. "It shouldn't be so bad when we get started..."
And suddenly, the little blue dragon moved, ungracefully attempting to follow his rider over to where the delicious smell of raw meats was stronger. Seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye, J'riar turned.
"Ahh, Natroth..." His voice was stern, carrying a hint of warning in it. Eyes whirling rather guiltily, the hatchling backed off again, looking quite out of place without his rider. Pleased that the little blue had obeyed without question, J'riar sent strong feelings of reassurance and love, smiling gently when the emotions were returned.
I do not understand why I have to wait mine...but I will wait...even if it is boring...
Chuckling, J'riar shook his head and turned his attention back to the others in his group. "I think you're right about this being fun...though, I'm glad Natroth isn't impatient just yet..."
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 5:06 pm
Mine, why do we go? The all too familiar 'voice' flooded X'lias's mind who only smiled.
"Well, we have to go to lessons." He looked back over his shoulder to the dragonet in tow as they meandered over to the growing group of fellow Weyrlings.
But I am hungry, and I itch. The little dragon whined as he followed his newly impressed rider.
X'lias frowned at Gurath for a moment beforing sighing. "Why didn't you tell me earlier that you itched, I would have put some oil on you."
Well, I wasn't itching then, but I do now. When will I get to eat? The Brown looked up at X'lias.
X'lias chuckled softly. "Still thinking about your stomach, eh? You'll get to eat soon enough."
Good. The brown halted when X'lias stopped just behind the others who had gathered. The young boy stretched his body out as his eyes caught sight of the rather dead herdbeasts. The carcasses didn't have any affect on him, he was a Healer in training after all. Blood and death didn't really bother him now, especially after the plague hit the Weyr. He had been there to hear the horrid keening of dragons as more and more of their kind went between at the death of their riders. Such thoughts caused a chill to run up his spine. That horrible keening he would never be able to forget. In fact, he had been visiting his sister when the sound of the Sr. Queen echoed through all the caverns, alerting all that the Weyrwoman had been another casualty of the horrible disease that swept through the Weyr and Holds. The sight on his sisters face had been one of both sorrow and dismay as she was the last queenrider of the Weyr as of that moment.
Mine, what's wrong? Gurath sounded very worried as he sat in front of X'lias, faceted eyes staring up at the thirteen year old.
X'lias smiled and reached out a hand to scratch an eyeridge to help calm the dragonet. "Nothing, I am fine. Just remembering something from my past." He was greeted by a loving rumble in the drgaonet's throat.
At the sound of Farin's voice, X'lias looked up from Gurath to pay more attention to what was being said. He had been right in his assumptions that they would learn to butcher a carcass today and was thankful for watching his sister do it many times. Even when she was a Weyrling they had spent a lot of their time together, or as much as she could spare between her regular Weyrling lessons, tending to Ariath and her queen lessons. X'lias had been younger then, but he wasn't any less attentive. Learning had always been one of the things that he enjoyed, he guessed that's why he chose to become a healer. The profession of a healer was always a learning experience.
He glanced at Gurath who was still content with the eyeridge scratching. "Can you stay here and wait for me?"
The dragonet leaned into the scratching, ignoring the words spoken to him before the scratching abruptly stopped with an amused grin from his lifemate. Why?
"Because you aren't allowed to eat yet."
Why?
"Because I still have to prepare your food."
Oh... The dragon appeared to be contemplating that for a moment. Alright, I will stay here. Will you be gone long? He looked up at X'lias longingly.
X'lias chuckled and shook his head before walking forward to take one of the knives. The tool felt comfortable in his hand, used to such things for when gathering herbs and plants for medicines. Now though, it would be used for something much different. The blade caught the sunlight as he looked at until his leg was roughly bumped into. Taking his eyes from the weapon the sight of Gurath in front of him only caused a smile to dance across his face. "I thought you were going to wait for me."
I was, but you were gone too long.
"I was only gone a minute!" He said with a chuckle. "Now, go back over there. I have instructions to make sure you stay away from the herdbeasts."
But...that's my food. How will I eat if I am not allowed near it? The dragonet was quite puzzled.
"Don't worry, you'll get your food. Now go on, back over there." He shooed the dragonet back over to where they had been.
Gurath looked at him and never took those faceted eyes off his rider as he watched from afar what X'lias was doing.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 5:52 pm
Good, it seemed that the Weyrlings were at least willing to listen to her instructions. The last thing she wanted was a mutiny. Farin gave a nod as the group slowly piled onto the grassy field. There were still a few lagging behind, but she decided there was no reason to not start on the first carcass. The dragonets were behaving well so far, but only so much could be expected of them. It was only a matter of time before curiosity won out- or they fell asleep. It was important that they remained awake for at least a portion of the lesson every day, or they would be less inclined to be attentive when they were older and more was called of them.
Farin moved over by the first herd beast Ch'tan sat in front of. The boy was glowering uninterestedly at his knife, but Farin decided not to pay him much attention. Most of these kids were holdings, but some of them were bound to be children who had never had any formal craft teaching. They'd lack the ambition and dedication at first- but hopefully they'd regain some of that once their dragons were more connected to them.
The woman took the knife into her hands, and slid it upwards between the gaps of her fingers. "The first thing that is important about cutting a herd beast is that they are a lot tougher then they look. It's one thing to stab something- it's another thing to cut." She touched the beast's ribcage. "You'll need to start the first cut at just the top of the breastbone, and go all the way down across the belly. You'll then make two incisions- one at the top, and one at the bottom going side to side. From there, you will be able to peel the flesh off, and cut the remaining hide away from the pieces of meat which are good for the dragon."
She put her knife down, as she did not expect to be making any cutting. This was a trail and error process, and there wouldn't be any lives taken for mistakes. If the Weyrlings wanted to make mistakes- now was the time to make them. "You'll notice that most of the dragons eat the intestines first." She remarked, although idly found this to be a rather awkward conversation. "These are good for baby dragons, but not in large portions. They're not quite able to digest the smooth tissue yet, and it's much better for them to eat parts of the shank, liver, loin, and heart if you can manage to separate it enough for all of the babies. Normally though, you'll only have to cut it in fourths and give them all to a single dragonet."
She motioned to the ribs. "The meat between the ribs is also good for them to eat, as it doesn't need to be cut up much. Remember, your dragon cannot tell when it is full- you have to choose that for him or her."
"Right now just focus with cutting the meat. One person cut for your group, and the rest look on. Then switch, and let the next person remove the skin around the area. Once the first one is open, I'll try to show you what parts I am talking about."
She concluded that with a nod of her head. As if summoned by thought of blood, Fleckin fluttered from between and onto her shoulder. She had told them to remain home for the duration of this, but as long as Vera wasn't around to aggravate him Fleckin typically was well behaved. Well. Sometimes.
He gave her a slight paw on the face, and decided he'd sun himself on the rock. Someone was bound to feed him during this lesson, and he decided to make himself ready and willing.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 6:25 pm
Kirana stood next to N'tren as Laneth flopped down next to Datiath, watching her rider with a slightly indifferent stare as Kirana sighed, kneeling next to N'tren with a slightly green look on her face, "I'm not good with blood," She whispered.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:52 pm
((Nehhhh, dun feel like switchng accounts. xp ))
Gravitating towards Kirana and N'tren, L'mur looked the herdbeast over. It was a fine specimen, and Moth had done well not to mangle it too much. "You alright, Kirana?" he asked, patting her on the back. Even if he wasn't too bothered by the carcass, if N'tren felt like taking the lead, he wouldn't complain. He nodded, listening to Farin's instructions, as well as Moth's to the dragonets.
That is the food? It looked different before, Saranth commented, her wedge-shaped head waving in the direction of the carcass.
Yes, but we have to cut it up first, the young rider explained, sensing the green's ravenous hunger. He scratched her jawline and sent her off to sit with Datiath and Laneth.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 5:15 pm
It seemed their small group was complete as L'mur and J'rar also came up to them. Some how it did not surprise N'tren to be in the company of these. He had fast friends with them; Datiath commented that he liked their dragons as well. Listening to Farin, N'tren nodded at her information. It only made since for the dragons to want to go for the easiet to eat parts first.
Is it time to eat yet? We are waiting, oh so patiently and I am oh so hungry... I wouldn't ask but it has been such a long time since I ate...
Laughing, N'tren waited to see who would grab the knife first. Kirana definately not, she already looked a little sick. The other two seemed not to care. "Silly beast, we have to listen and learn. I want to make sure that your belly is just the right amount of full."
If you say so. But all this looking is not making the food come to me any faster.
Giving a grin, N'tren grabbed the knife and looked at the other two male riders. "Anyone feel like doing the honors?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 8:21 am
Ch'tan leaned forward. No one seemed to be too interested in cutting the meat, so he decided he'd just start with his. It wasn't the first time he'd have to butcher an animal, although he wondered if Farin had weaseled a saw somewhere in that jacket, because there was no way they'd get the shank meat without first detaching the back quarters.
Is it ready yet? Wieth rumbled, and started to take a step forward.
Ch'tan turned around with a gape. "Ah- Wieth, stay. It's almost done lad." It wasn't, but he figured he could keep telling Wieth that for about another hour until he realized it wasn't coming yet. Sure enough, the little bronze gurgled, and rolled back onto his tummy.
The herd beast rather smelled. It didn't smell like rotting animal or anything- just like an animal. With a snort, he pulled the long knife steady and tried to maneuver the large animal to a more decidable cutting area. He forced the blade in at the chest bone. A small slip of blood slid out, but because the animal had been dead for around five minutes now, it did not gush from the slice. With a grunt, he pulled the blade back, slowly making sawing motions to slice the flesh down the center.
Farin leaned forward on the rock, watching the motions Ch'tan was making as he cut his meat. The other group seemed to be straggling on who would do the cutting. She pointed to N'tern, who was holding the knife. "Please, continue and cut the meat. The next person shall pull back the skin, and so forth." She noted that one of the girls was looking rather green. "Dragons can be messy, particularly when they're adults. You'll have to get used to this sight." She instructed.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 8:50 am
Nodding, N'tren proceeded to start with the cutting. It did not bother him to cut his dragon's food. Following Farin's intructions, he began to cut down and along the breastbone. This was good quality meat and he wonder if his father's small hold had provided any of this for the weyr.
Mine? Can I eat it now? I see that you are cutting some. My stomach is so empty.
As if on cue, the little bronze's stomach rumbled and his eyes whirled a slight yellow with anxiety. Crooning, he took a step towards the meat and slightly raised a claw.
"Datiath! No! We must learn first and earn our rewards later. Your stomach will soon be full."
Putting a bit of his weight into the cut, N'tren waited to see who would step up and do the pulling.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:48 pm
X'lias watched as several of the Weyrlings quickly grouped together, sharing hellos and other things that the thirteen-year-old really could care less about. Instead he turned his attention over to Ch'tan who had already begun to carve into the thick hide of the herbeast.
Walking over to the older Weyrling he shot one glance at Gurath who was keeping close attention to his rider, and the food that was being prepared. Shaking his head, the boy turned back to the dead heardbeast. He had actually forgotten how har dof a time his sister had with butchering the creatures. They weren't the easiest things to carve and Ephia wasn't a large girl, nor a physically strong one, either. X'lias began to wonder how hard of at time he'd have. Curse the beasts and their tough hides. Why couldn't they make things more simple and be a bit easier to butcher?
Ch'tan seemed to be doing a fairly decent job though. "When you're done, I'll do the skinning." X'lias said as he leaned his head towards the herbeast so the bronzerider could see him without taking his eyes off his work.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:00 pm
With a reassuring glance at Kirana, L'mur stood next to N'tren and pulled the flesh from the beast. With a few practiced tugs, the hide came away from the fat, muscle, and bones beneath.
Saranth's nose twitched. Food?.
Soon, the boy promised. Even dragons must learn patience. L'mur made a face at the mess around him, very glad he wasn't wearing anything approaching new clothing.
Will you need a bath and oiling? Saranth asked solicitously, her nose still working, peering over at her rider.
L'mur couldn't help but chuckle aloud. Stifling the laugh, he explained, A bath, certainly! People don't get oiled because we don't have hide like yours. This lightning fast exchange took barely a few seconds, and L'mur stood patiently, herdbeast skin in hand, waiting for further instruction. Or at least, what to do with the bloody hide.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 3:50 am
Kirana swallowed heavily, surpressing the trickle of bile that had rose up in her throat. "What should I do?" She asked softly as she knelt down next to L'mur and N'tren, trying her best to block out the wave of naseous that swept over her from the smell. I'll have to get used to this. No reason to be such a wimp, Kirana. Laneth needs to be feed, so I need to get used to this.
Did you say feed, ridermine? Laneth asked as she unlidded one eye, her muzzle twitching. Oh, yes. I smell it now. It is time to eat, mine?
Not yet, love. It'll still be a few minutes. Let us get them all ready for you, and then you can get. Go back to your nap, dear.
Mmmm, but I'm hungry. Not sleepy, anymore,
You'll still have to be patient, love. Play with Diatath and Saranath.
Mmm, all right... But you promise we'll eat soon? Laneth said before playfully butting into Diatath's side.
Promise.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 1:02 pm
J'riar wrinkled his nose slightly as the hide of the beast was tugged away, revealing the innards and such. "Mm, tasty..."
Meanwhile, Natroth let out a soft rumble of hunger, head swinging around to watch the other dragonets play. His tail swished from side to side, eyes whirling in curiosity.
Don't be scared; they won't eat you if you ask to play.
The blue dragon swung his head around, crooning pitifully in an attempt to persuade J'riar to let him come over there instead.
"No you don't." The brunette said firmly, shaking his head. "Go on, we'll be done soon." And with that, he turned a concerned eye on Kirana, also kneeling down. "It helps if you breath through your mouth. Then you can't smell it." He smiled reassuringly, remembering his first time near dead animals...granted, he hadn't been preparing them so a young dragon could eat, but it was sort of similar.
Natroth blinked slowly, sneezed, and cautiously moved to where the other dragonets were playing. Tentatively, one foreleg lifted off the ground, batting at Laneth with some hesitation, but with the intention of playing.
A low chuckle emerged from J'riar. "Hope they don't mind Natroth...he's such a hesitant little guy..." A fond tone had crept into his husky voice, although his eyes were fixed on the carcass. "If you need help, just ask. Though I haven't ever really cut through muscle or stuff before."
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