Surviving

Writers: Jane, Paula
Date Posted: 23rd March 2008

Characters: Uetia, Tey
Description: Uetia and Tey celebrate their first jump /between/.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 9 of Turn 4

Tey stopped just before she reached the entrance of the dining cavern, basking for a moment in the evening sunshine and looking up at the Star Stones set on the top of the pale cliffs. This wasn't the view of them that she had memorised, but it was a reminder of what she and Isleth had accomplished today. First jump /between/. Nothing much for a dragon, and surely not much more for a weyrbred weyrling. But it had been.

She smiled, then chuckled to herself. After the first jump there had been plenty of practises, but that moment when she had come back into the sunlight above the Weyr was one that wouldn't ever be forgotten.

Sunshine, warmth, noise, movement ... surviving.

After a moment the weyrling greenrider looked away from the Stones and continued toward the dining cavern and a meal she considered particularly well-earned.

Uetia was heaping up food to her plate. Shards, she was hungry, and cold. The chill of /between/ seemed still cling to her bones. She hadn't been able to eat anything at the morning meal, due nerves. Now she was taking it back.

"Looks like we all survived," Tey murmured with laughter in her tone as she sidled up beside the other greenrider.

"Yes, and I'm glad of it. I have to confess that I was terrified of the first /betweening/," Uetia said and added cup of steaming klah to her tray.

"Had you been /between/ much before Impressing," Tey asked, trailing along in the other weryling's wake as she selected her own meal. She didn't know that a familiarity with jumping /between/ made this first time on ones own dragon any easier, but if she asked around enough, perhaps she would figure it out.

"No, I haven't. I usually travel by ship," Uetia replied.

"But your uncle - The Wingleader? Didn't you ever go places with him and his dragon?"

"No," Uetia shook her head. "He stopped by to visit few times when he happened to be near the dolphin hall, but he never took me anywhere, and I never asked to. Guess we just didn't think about it," she said.

"Huh. Well, it was different, anyway. Being responsible for the jump makes it a whole lot more personal - more exciting and terrifying - than being a passenger, even when you have some idea what to expect."

"I had nightmares last night. I dreamed that we got lost /between/,"
Uetia said and sipped her klah. "It is a whole different thing to just to be passenger than the rider, _you_ responsible that you have the correct visualization."

"I think it will be even worse _with_ passengers," Tey said with uncharacteristic pessimism. "Imagine how responsible we'll feel _then_." The she smiled. "If Isleth and I are ever considered up to the task!"

That thought made Uetia groan.

Her table companion's response just made Tey's smile wider. "I'm enjoying everything, though. Aren't you?"

"Sort of, " Uetia shrugged. She flashed a grin. "We are senior weyrlings now."

"That wasn't the everything I was thinking of," Tey said, laughing, "though no doubt some of our class will be."

"No doubt. I heard they are planning a celebration," the larger woman said. But not Uetia, she was too big, too muscular, too ugly.

"Well, not me. My parents raised me right."

"Me neither. I'll try to catch up with my sleep," Uetia said.

"We'll be the ones who look wide awake at breakfast," Tey predicted smugly.

"And be alert on tomorrow's classes," Uetia continued.

Tey laughed. "Oh, now we sound too good to be true!"

Last updated on the March 29th 2008

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Surviving