Getting the Hang of It

Writers: Len, Paula
Date Posted: 12th December 2010

Characters: E'naer, G'wen
Description: G'wen, E'naer and Eillispeth try to get little Neath to behave and eat correctly, but she's not having any of it
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 8 of Turn 5
Notes: Note: follows 'The First Green'

The Hatching day was one of the busiest day for the Weyrling Staff.
E'naer felt like he was running around in circles, trying to get
everything ready. During the actual Hatching, he had chance to catch his
breath (he also had tears in his eyes when he watched the Impressions).
Then he was busy again, this time with the new hatchlings and their
rather overwhelmed and sometimes confused riders. Not to mention forty-
two dragon-names and rider-names to memorize! The greenrider loved
every busy minute of it.

"So, your name is G'wen now, right?" he asked the boy and grinned. "And congratulations, she's a little beauty."

The boy looked up from his Neath, blinking. "Yeah, I
suppose so. I hadn't really thought about the name change yet!" He
smiled at E'naer. "And thanks for the compliment. She's a bit big
though?" He was feeling slightly self conscious about her size.

"For a green, yes. Compared to Eillispeth or her bronze brother, she's little," E'naer grinned. "What was her name again?"

"Neath, it is," he said whilst the dragonet in question looked
over to E'naer's green and gave a sniff like she wasn't very impressed.
A small piece of egg was still stuck onto her tail and she gave it a
flick before opening her mouth for more food.

}: Hello, young one. I'm Eillispeth, I'm here to help you, :{ the older green introduced herself with a friendly tone.

"Neath, short and sweet. At least you don't have to shorten it like I do
with Eillie. Try shouting Eillispeth in a hurry!" E'naer said with
laughter in his voice.

}:I need more food!:{ Neath told the older green.

At the same time G'wen laughed at his little beauty and said to E'naer,
"yes, it's an easy one. She's demanding food from Eillispeth!"

}: She is going to be handful, that one, :{ Eillispeth predicted.

**There's always one in every Clutch.**

"She's not getting anything," E'naer grinned. "Eillie won't be bossed around by little dragonets."

Neath shifted uncomfortably and opened her mouth to sqauwk for food. }:More! I need more:{

"Oh dear," G'wen muttered. She had already eaten as much as the little brown beside them. He looked to E'naer for help.

"Well, feed her," E'naer encouraged him. "Just don't let her fall asleep
before you have reached the weyrling barrack." He grinned a bit.

"Okay, I was just worried about the 'do not overfeed them' talk.
And no, I've got to keep her awake or we'll just be stuck here until
she wakes back up." He eyed her, seriously doubting if he could carry
her if that very thing did happen.

"That doesn't relate to this very first feeding. She's starving after
using all the nutritions she had inside the egg. In way, she can't
overfeed. After that, it changes. If she eats too much she gets stomach
pains or can even throw up on you. Not something you want to happen,"
E'naer explained.

}:More!:{

"Okay, you," G'wen laughed, picking up more meat and sticking it in her
opened mouth. She swallowed without chewing first and demanded more.
G'wen eyed E'naer before saying, "I think she's not as hungry as she's
letting on, are you girl? Maybe if you chew a bit you'll find you're
not as hungry as you think."

"Don't let her swallow them whole, she can choke," E'naer cautioned and frowned.

Neath rattled her wings and sniffed at E'naer, not happy
with his words. When G'wen cautioned her and fed her one more chunk of
hidebeast, she once again swallowed it whole before opening her mouth
for more. G'wen looked to E'naer for help.

"Be firm," E'naer adviced. "He won't give you more, if you don't chew," E'naer told the green dragonet.

She gave him a baleful glare. }:I don't have to listen
to_you_:{ Giving him one more annoyed sniff, she turned back to G'wen
and begged for more food. He, in turn, gave her a doubtful pat on the
neck and gave her one more piece with another caution about chewing.
She gave the meat one half-hearted chew before swallowing and
demanding more.

**You're right, she's a handful," E'naer remarked to Eillispeth.

G'wen sighed and gave her one more caution. Not that she
was going to listen to him. When he had all those hazy daydreams of
green dragons, did he really know what he was getting himself into? He
half wished he had stayed in bed with F'neb. Sensing his unhappiness,
Neath did try to chew her food this time, before swallowing. She
leaned her head against the child's lag, crooning, aware that it didn't
bode well to strain the bond with her lifemate that was only a candlemark
old.

"You'll get a hang of of it," E'naer said encouragingly and patted the young greenrider's shoulder.

"Will I?" Suddenly the stress and excitment of the day was
weighting on the boy. He felt like curling up and sleeping for the
next 24 candlemarks. And with Neath's hunger pains over, he realised
the ones he still felt were his own, as he hadn't eaten yet. And there
was the celebration still to face, and washing and oiling Neath. He
reached down and picked at the bit of shell on her tail until it
finially came off. His contrite lifemate rubbed her head against his
face, still crooning.

**It's okay, Neath, I'm not mad at you. I'm just suddenly very very tired**

"You have whole weyrlinghood time to practice," E'naer
assured him. "After she's eaten take her to weyrling barracks to rest
and you take a nap too."

G'wen nodded at the Weyrlingmaster Third's words. He himself had enough
friends who had Impressed to know how exasting the entire Impression
was. Smiling a bit, he cupped the green's narrow face between his hands
and gave her a quick caress before looking up at E'naer. "Would I have
enough time to sleep? I think my da and T'bel want me to join them.
And I haven't even seen Cardella yet!" How could he have forgotten his
best friend? "Or Sevin! Did they impress?" He looked around for the
two but didn't see them.

"They both did, he's S'vin now. Did you know that Nadden Impresssed a
Green too? Or N'den," E'naer's grin was slightly malicious. "Look at her
eyes, she's done eating," he pointed the hatchling.

G'wn chuckled. "Nadden on a green? These little beauties
really don't have any sense, do they?" He patted Neath's head, whilst
she, in turn, yawned and visiably drooped.

"Get yourselves to the Weyrlingbarrrack before she falls sleep on her legs," E'naer said.

"Doesn't she need a bath first?" G'wen looked daubtfully over Neath, with bits of yolk and egg shell stuck on her hide.

She yawned again and looked at Eillispeth. }:You can always carry me to my new home:{

"Up to you. Perhaps it's easier to let her sleep first," E'naer replied.

}: Don't even try that. You can walk, it's not far, :{ Eillispeth's gentle voice had a steel beneath it.

Sensing she had pushed the larger green far enough, Neath leaned against G'wen and all but fell asleep right then and there. "I think she just made up my mind for me!" G'wen stood to try and coax his lifemate back to her
new wallow.

E'naer chuckled. G'wen wasn't the first or only one, who either had to carry his new lifemate or wait him/her to wake up again.

"Come on Neath," the boy said to the green. She blinked and yawned
mightily. "Come on now, I can't carry you. Don't you want to see your
home?" When she stood and leaned against him, G'wen looked to E'naer.
"How do I know which bed and wallow to take?"

"Just pick what's free," E'naer said.

"Okay." He nudged Neath to start walking and with a wave, heading off in the direction of the weyrling barracks, both him and his green weaving in
exhaustion. E'naer's attention was already turning to another pair who was waiving for his help.

Last updated on the January 22nd 2011

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Getting the Hang of It