As Spartanth grew, Morellihn found herself undergoing training again, this of a different sort. She still had to do hard tasks, but at least they weren't pointless. Feeding, oiling, and bathing a baby dragon was hard work, especially when Spartanth was really young. As he grew, and he grew very fast, she was required to start her weyrling training.
  Apparently this world of Pern wasn't all fun and games and snow. There were dangers here too, in the form of thread, sliver streaks that fell from the sky that burned anything it touched. A deadly menace, and the dragonriders, what she now was, were the ones that fought this danger. They fed their adult dragons firestone to give them fiery breath and flew in formations to sear the thread out of the sky. If only S'len had mentioned this before! She couldn't wait to fight this herself, with Spartanth and with her own weilding of the Power. It would be like being a Maiden of the Spear again, in a way. Who needed a spear when you had a mighty dragon!
   She had changed, that was for sure. She recalled herself long ago, back in the three-fold land, bound to her spear and angry to give it up. The spear is your husband, your child, your family, your life...
  She had given up the spear and that life, not by choice, but now her life was better because of it. Spartanth was her love now, just as the spear once was. She did look back sometimes, but not often. This was the way the dream of life had taken her.
  Training had its vigors, but it seemed nothing compared to the Wise One training she had only undergone for several days. What exhausted others did nothing to her who had grown up in desert where working all day was crucial. Though she was used to working all day in the extreme heat, not cold. 
  Some of the other candidates left and went to other weyrs, or back to their own worlds, but many stayed on. Weryling training was a must, and many wanted to stay at the famous Taylor Cliff Weyr instead of their own weyrs. There were rumors that the Weyr would be shutting down some time, and people wanted to stay as long as they could. Many of the candidates were just as unfamiliar with Pern as Morellihn was.
  She had a run-in with a particularly hard tempered inhuman goldrider named Kyohaku. Kyohaku had blue hair and icy blue eyes, as well as white feathered  wings and a tail. 
   "What are you looking at, Aiel?" Kyohaku said when Morellihn first met the strange sight up close.
   "I meant no offense." Morellihn said. It was dishonorable to start a fight with someone just because they were rude to you. She had been staring at the girl's strange features.
   "I am a warrior of the Lamiseer, not a display to to gawked at."
   "And I am a Maiden of the Spear. Be careful what words you speak." As it was dishonorable to start a fight over something trivial, it was also dishonorable to back out of a fight if someone was intent on starting one.
   "Your human strength is nothing against the mighty Lamiseer." Kyohaku  replied, flaring her wings.
   Morellihn laughed. "Walk across the Waste, endure hardships, then perhaps you will know what strength means."
   The blade like tail was at Morellihn's throat before she could blink. 
   "I could pick you up and throw you miles across your Waste, oh maiden. Do not mess with me."
   "The Aiel fear nothing, Lamiseer. You throw me, I will pick myself up again and come back for you. The Aiel die hard." Morellihn was into it now, the war likeness of her people coming out. Using small flows of air, she lifted Kyohaku a few inches off the ground. "And I could throw you as well."
    "Only because as a child I was wrenched from my home and my rightful place as a warrior of the
Blackbolts. I am not at my full potential, though I am much more powerful than you will ever be, any Lasimeer is." Kyohaku sneered,  her arrogance once again taking over her common sense. 
  Spartanth and Kyohaku's dragon began to keen softly. They did not want to see their riders hurt, and fighting distressed them.
I must follow ji-e-toh. Morellihn reasoned with her dragon. She may have left the Waste, but she was still and Aiel, and would not abandon her honor. Would you have me loose my honor? Don't worry love, she can't hurt me, and I shant hurt her. Much.
    "You're just as much of a freak as I am, with those supernatural power's of yours." Kyohaku growled. 
   "We are both freaks then." Morellihn said, staring into the icy eyes of her opponent. "Remove your tail and I will put you down. Don't make me remove it for you." 
   "You're in a fine position to carry out threats." Kyohaku moved her tail closer, into Morellihn could feel the point on her neck. She wondered how far she would go. "You do not mess with a Lamiseer."
   "It was you who began it." Morellihn replied simply, smiling. "But as you do not mess with a Lamiseer, so do you not mess with an Aiel. The Waste is not called the dying ground for no reason." 
  "Stop, stop at once!" A dragonrider, one of the weyrlingmasters who had heard the dragons' call, came running. "You are dragonriders, you are not to act like this! Farranth, i'll let the Weyrwoman have your ears for this!"
   "What can you do, human?" Kyohaku said, but she removed her tail. Morellihn released the flows of air and dropped Kyohaku on the ground. The weyrlingmaster was her elder now, and it was dishonorable to disrespect and elder. She hadn't reacted quick enough though, her oponent had ended it first, not her. If the elder had not been there, it would have been to Morellihn's honor, but becasue he gave the order and she had not acted first, it was to Morellihn's dishonor. 
  "I apologise." Morellihn said to the weyrlingmaster. "I have toh to you." She turned to Kyohaku. "And to you."
   "Whatever." The dragonrider muttered. "Some of these candidates sure are strange. Come, both of you, continue with your training. If I catch you fighting again, I will turn you in to the Sr. Queen!"
   These Pernese just didn't understand ji'e'toh. An odd people. Of course they all thought she was very odd. 
   She watched Kyohaku  a lot. She was a warrior, Morellihn liked that. She had toh towards her now, but she also respected her. If they were to dance the spears, it would be an interesting battle, and Morellihn was not certain she would be the victor. 
   They were given penace for their behavior, as expected. Nothing compared to what the Wise Ones would give, but still unpleasant work. Morellihn did it gladly, it would pay her toh towards the weyrlingmaster.
   "Don't speak to me." Kyohaku  said as they worked.
   "As you say." Morellihn said. "I will do as you say because I am in your debt."
   "Why is that?"
   "You argued well. You were the first to comply with the weyrlingmaster, and I have toh."
   "You have a very strange culture. Why would that make you in my debt?"
 Morellihn laughed. "You Pernese have no understanding of  ji'e'toh, though you do understand honor. I think you would make a good Aiel." 
  "You are a good warrior." Kyohaku  replied slowly. They were silent. But it was the beginning of a loose friendship. 

    Spartanth continued to grow, and soon his wings were able to support him and his rider in flight. Morellihn was more than eager to begin, and her first flight with her weyrling dragon was wonderful. His brown wings were still ungainly, but he took on grace the more he flew. Now weyrling training, instead of running on the ground in formations, consisted of flying in formations, practicing going between and readying for threadfighting. She had a long way to go yet, but for the meantime, life was great. She had her lovely dragon, flight's wil S'len to look forward to, her friend Kyohaku  and life amung the dragons. It didn't stay cold forever, and soon, she would be searing thread and defending her home again, just as she had before. Sometimes she still longed to run with the Maidens, but she prefered to fly with the dragons!