I just couldn't do it. Not yet.
I had flown through space and over land in vehicles before, but for the most part of my very long life, I walked places. I am very good at walking.
Ruarth gave me his chuckling dragon laugh.
>>You should get on and do it again, V'nya. It will be good to have you on my back to see where we fly when I go between for the first time...<<
"Between," I moaned. "Now there's a thought."
>>I shall be your eyes, V'nya, it will not be so hard. You have told me about your daughter Victory, she has her own wings, and flies, does she not?<<
"Victory is different," I replied, "and not here at the present time. And... I never flew on her back!"
***
The weyrling master summoned me to his ledge, and we stood, wind catching my still-long hair.
"You need to fly, V'nya," he said, serious. "There will be Thread falling soon. And we need every Wing to be at full strength if we are to combat it properly."
I stood mutely, watching the skies. They were beautiful skies, I thought. And they would be deadly soon.
I had, in the past, been deadly. Always to a point, always for a reason... It took so much out of me, being fierce and wild, finding the weak spots and striking time after time. This, I managed to convince myself, was not so different.
"I will because we must, but I am still sad to say that I am afraid of it. I think perhaps the heat of actually flying into Thread will knock the fear out of my mind, though." I looked down at him, and he nodded.
"Good. I knew that I could count on you, V'nya. And I know that I can count on your expertise in the Healing arts, as well, can't I?"
I finally smiled, broadly.
"I used to be a well-known healer on my home... Hold," I almost said planet, I must always remind myself that not everyone knows of my origin and I perhaps do not want them to. "I will be able to fly swiftly on Ruarth, if I have to dodge Thrad on the way to fetch an injured rider."
>>You see how easy it is to decide things?<< Ruarth reminded me. I smiled.
"If anything, I must be useful to the Weyr, and keeping other more brave riders in the skies is one way I could serve. I just have this terrible vertigo when I am on anything less than solid ground!"
"Then you will have to get over it, V'nya, if you are to fly with the wing." The weyrling master was right. I couldn't do anything less than my best.
So I checked Ruarth's harness and the straps for any imperfections, and climbed onto his large hand. He brought me to his neck, and I strapped in.
>>I will fly low,<< Ruarth assured me, and I mentally nodded to him. >>Now you must get a good idea of where we are, over the ground...<<
Ruarth had been paying attention to the lessons, that was certain. He knew better than I how to plan a voyage between, and I chastised myself. I swallowed my fear and told him to take off, to get a long, low look at the Weyr's outlying hills and valleys.
It was a beautiful landscape, now that I clung on to the harness and watched it go by below me.
I had to keep looking ahead, fixing on a spot, and letting it go by. I was getting quite ill by the time Ruarth decided this lesson was over. Rather, he decided that a dip in the nearby lake would suit him just fine, and went in for a landing there.
I simply upchucked and washed off, re-checked the gear, and got back on when he was done.
I wasn't ready for swimming too...
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