Fort Weyr - Weyrling Barracks
The rounded ceiling of this set of barracks is high enough to accomodate growing dragons. Lining the walls lengthwise are sets of stone couches and cots for their riders. At one end of the room are cabinets holding supplies for bathing and oiling young dragons, as well as the weyrling manuals. Against the opposite wall is a table with scraps of leather and leather-working tools. Tacked up on the wall is a diagram of riding straps.
A'mar is sitting on the edge of Caldoth's couch, next to the rapidly growing blue. "See, this is your egg." he says, holding a clay egg roughly two feet tall, and one foot wide. "Well, not your -actual- egg, obviously. But it looks just like your egg."
"Very buisy, weyrling?" Comes a rumbling voice from the door. There, J'xmi stands and watches, arms folded
A'mar glances up at J'xmi, and shakes his head. "No, sir. Just showing Caldoth some of the stuff I've made. He's very curious about my craft." the boy smiles with affection and pride.
J'xmi nods "Mayhaps now is a good time for you to learn the intricracies of caring for him then."
Caldoth lifts his head curiously, and watches J'xmi. The former Talmar nods eagerly. "Oh, yes please." A'mar says, clearly very eager to learn, especially knowledge that will keep his new lifemate happy and healthy.
J'xmi smiles "well then. Go over there, get some oil and such!"
A'mar nods at J'xmi, and moves over to the oil, grabbing a bucket and filling it. "Is this right, sir?" he asks, nodding to the bucket. He wants to get this right.
J'xmi nods "Aye, perfect. Now roll your sleeves up. It is quite messy. Have Caldoth step out where its' open and spread out all his limbs and wings.
A'mar nods at J'xmi, then rolls his sleeves up as instructed, then turns to Caldoth. "You heard that, right?" he says cheerfully, then beams as Caldoth steps out of his couch and spreads his limbs and wings as ordered. "That's the way." the boy says, with pride. Such an eager young weyrling is A'mar.
J'xmi nods "Excellent. When he gets bigger this will be an asset. " he notes "Now there's a brush in there you can use. He bathed right? Excellent. Oily dirt is very ithcy
A'mar nods, and grins at Caldoth. "Very clean, sir." he says, with a nod. The boy picks up the brush, then looks at the bucket of oil, and then at the young blue dragon. "So, I brush oil on him? Like I'm painting stuff?" well, that's the closest parallel in his limited experience.
J'xmi nods "Somewhat. you push much harder. Dont worrying about bending the brush. A little light pressure, he will tell you when its' too much
A'mar nods slowly, then dips the brush in the oil, and starts to scrub at Caldoth's hide, although not as much pressure as perhaps he should be using. He looks to the blue's head, then scrubs harder. He grins. "You like that, do you?" he says, with a giggle.
J'xmi smirks a bit and pats the blues' nose "Dont fidget now. If it tickles, it should be al ittle harder. youw ant to make the oil ONE with the dragon."
A'mar nods slightly, and bends in closer to put a little bit more pressure on the brush. A little bit too much though, as Caldoth yelps. The boy relaxes slightly, although he's still putting more pressure on than before, but Cal isn't complaining.
J'xmi winces a little and leans over, his stomach hanging down as he looks at the spot "Careful now. No more than a few strokes on one spot. Afterwards you go over with a lighter layer."
A'mar nods attentively. Bobble-head A'mar! "Okay…" he says, moving along to the next spot. He giggles. "Caldoth likes it. He didn't like it when it was harder, I think I hurt him a little, but he likes it now." A'mar is rambling a little now. "Do I keep doing this once he's grown? How often do I do this?" So full of questions!
J'xmi ahhs "Good. The dragon knows when its' enough. you want to get EVERY inch of hide, even the ticklish bits. " he states "Most do it once a week. More often if he was injured. Some like it daily. "
A'mar frowns. "Do they get injured a lot?" he asks, worried. "How big is Caldoth likely to get? How do you manage if you have a bigger dragon?" More questions, yay!
J'xmi ohs "no, not at all unless you do something risky. And its a labor of love for larger dragons. Bysoth is one of the largest Bronzes. I do most of him myself, with the help of a ladder and him rolling over.
A'mar nods slowly, considering Caldoth for a long moment, then getting back to rubbing the oil on. He's on to the lighter coating already. He does giggle, more than likely at the image of a rider up on a ladder, and a dragon rolling over. "Caldoth seems kind of small, smaller than Sateerth even." Sateerth being Lunetta's blue, from the same clutch. A'mar certainly seems happy that he's impressed one of the smaller ones, although he'd love Caldoth the same regardless.
J'xmi nods "He wont' be as big as browns that is for sure. ANd I am sure weyrlings, candidates and others can help. I encourage candidates to help with riders' dragons. gets them used to it."
A'mar nods slowly, then grins. "It's one of the fun parts of candidacy, isn't it? The washing dragons part." he grins. "Course, you never have to wash a whole one on your own then, there's always at least a rider, and probably a few candidates."
J'xmi nods "aye, but its good exercise. When I had you all practice on Bysoth, it is because he is worth several hatchings all over.
A'mar nods, and grins. "I'm not sure I want anyone else to help me with Caldoth. I like having him to myself." Aww, how sweet.
J'xmi smiles "Well, then there is no problem with that. Though dont refuse help if you ever need it. The dragons' health comes first."
A'mar nods, glancing to Caldoth. "Of course. I'd never let anything happen to Caldoth!" the blue rumbles slightly, turning his head to regard his young rider. « Ye cannae promise tha'! » comes the strong Ruathan accent, to both A'mar and J'xmi. At that, the boy blushes slightly. "Well, I guess not…" he admits, sheepishly.
J'xmi blinks at that and glances to Caldoth "you should be careful doing that. not many like it." he notes at the blue. "Someone once had heart failure because a dragon spoke to him."
A'mar blinks, and blushes. "Sorry, sir. We'll work on that." he says, frowning at Caldoth slightly. Well, the blue is still very young. Caldoth hangs his head slightly, although he doesn't say anything this time. "It's okay, Cal. We'll work on it." A'mar encourages, getting back to his usual cheerful self already.
J'xmi reaches over and pats the nose with chubby fingers "Dont worry about it. All make mistakes when young. Just try your best." he rumbles, his stomach jiggling with the rumble
A'mar smiles up at J'xmi, and nods. "See, Caldoth. It's okay, we'll work on it, it's not your fault." he says, with a nod. By now, he's finished the second, lighter, coat of oil, and he turns to J'xmi. "How is that, sir?" he asks, meaning the oiling.
J'xmi nods "Aye. This is a transition of learning. You learn more now than you ever will." he hummms and steps up, reaching down to look between the dragons' tose, behind his knobs, and under his wings. Then he peers at one ey "For the face, use a soft cloth, so you dont scratch the eyes.. . and watch here, for collections of dirt and other such things." he points
A'mar nods, watching carefully as J'xmi inspects Caldoth all over. "Hehe, he says that tickles." he giggles, though he does pay attention. "Soft cloth around the eyes," he murmurs, committing it to memory. "Watch for dirt."
J'xmi nods "Aye. If you find some, just curl some cloth around your finger and brush it out gently with the folded point of the cloth. If there's obstructions in there, a dragonhealer is bets.
A'mar nods. "Okay…" he says, leaning in to examine the areas that J'xmi is talking about.
J'xmi smiles "Good. His eyes are fine though. When he goes flying he will have to be checked. Also check the nose… they dont usually ahve a snot problem but its' good to ensure there's no rocks." he kneels, grunting "Open please, Caldoth." he guestures to his mouth
A'mar nods, then turns to Caldoth, giving the blue another nod, which prompts him to open his mouth obediently.
J'xmi nows and gently tips the dragons' head "check between the teath each day. sometimes bits of meat can get stuck in there - and bone when he's older. This can cause discomfort or even infections. " he explains, pointing to the gaps "if you do see any, carefully try to remove it with a finger or wipe it out. If its' in there good, or the tooth is off color, call a dragon healer."
A'mar nods slowly, peering into Caldoth's mouth. Caldoth is being very patient really, sitting there with his mouth open.
J'xmi nods "When he learns to chew firestone, he will probably bite his tongue a few times. Dont worry terribly about that even if it bleeds. It will heal. He'll be tender.
A'mar frowns slightly, and nods. Tongue-biting is never a good thing. He really doesn't have much to say at the moment, but he's still listening.
J'xmi says "Now. Can you tell the difference between the back teeth and the front?"
A'mar frowns slightly, and peers into Caldoth's mouth. "Um…" oh, it's on the tip of his tongue… Pun intended, of course.
