Welcome to Gaia! ::

She'd spent the afternoon with Nyanarau and the older goldriders while the class had bustled about with basic drilling. It wasn't that she and Anakumath didn't need to know such things, but it had been fairly clear that the drills the others learned were not the ones that she, on a non-fighting dragon, were meant to learn. Instead of such excitement, there had been a brief overview of some flight patterns, and then they'd been given a very...thorough rundown of the caravans that came to and from the Weyr and further details of how they interacted with them.

Martirae should have found it endlessly boring. Instead, she'd found an attachment to them she hadn't expected. My mother traveled on a caravan like that, she informed Anakumath, the thought all full of understanding and wonder. Anakumath had found her own connection in that her own mother did something very similar in purpose.

But lessons only lasted so long, and it would be right before evening meal that the pair could check in with anybody else. Iathe and Skerath had been an obvious one, but of course, there were others that Anakumath wanted to check in with as well. More familiar faces from their daily lessons. It seemed odd to still be feeding such a large dragon, but still, Martirae cut up her meal dutifully while the gold peered about at her fellows. The large bronze (he was already bigger than any of the others, truly) caught her eye, and she reached out to him gingerly.

How were the ground drills, Izdubath? she asked gently, looking down at Marty when the woman looked up at her with a small look that said quite clearly; 'Really?'

Oh, oh dear! Izdubath's bashfulness was mirrored by Anakumath's own, the little gold dipping her head noticeably. Had Martirae not nudged her mentally, she would have tucked her head under her wing. Had Martirae more humor about it, she probably would have laughed. But it wasn't the cute kind of bashfulness that came so rarely, but constant and chest-tightening instead.

I am certain you will grow into them soon. You didn't hurt yourself, did you? there was an obvious concern to her voice and she couldn't help but keen just a bit at the idea. When you are done eating, perhaps you can walk me through what you learned today?

The beginning was hardest, perhaps, but he was a sturdy dragon and she had no doubt in her hearts that he could overcome his obstacle. He didn't seem too downtrodden by it, at least.

Anakumath's eyes whirled green as Izdubath recounted the day, her tail swishing to one side as she pictured the group walking together, both trying to remember where it was they were going as well as what it was they were supposed to be doing. It would have been little surprise to her if everybody had been out fumbling and tripping over themselves. It sounds like a lot of hard work, but I know you will all get the hang of it before too long. Especially before you take to the air.

Normally she didn't pry into Anakumath's conversations, so Martirae almost seemed surprised when D'mon spoke to her - if her mostly neutral expression was any indication. "Not being a fighting dragon is the cost of someday clutching on the sands," even if an HO2 sprayer would do the job of not being able to flame. If keeping another dragon from falling to the earth and their death would be sufficient. "We talked about the tithes that come in - the schedule, how we track what has come in, who needs what recorded and delivered to them, and what we do once we have them. Much of it isn't something I will do, but it is important to know."