Extra Assistance

Writers: Estelle, Heather
Date Posted: 7th September 2025

Characters: R'ayl, By'ler
Description: By'ler and Reviath receive extra visualization practice with R'ayl
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 21 of Turn 12

By'ler

By'ler had left the general lesson from that morning frustrated. They had been working on visualizations in preparation for learning to
/between/. It was quite possibly the most important lesson he had to learn, yet he'd had difficulty creating visualizations detailed enough for Reviath to accurately interrupt them.

"Thank you for staying after," he said to R'ayl. It felt a little odd to be asking extra help from someone four Turns younger, but at this point,
By'ler was just glad for the help.

"No problem," R'ayl replied shyly. Even after more than a Turn as a weyrlingstaff assistant, he still wasn't quite used to being in the
position of teacher to the older weyrlings, and particularly not the bronzeriders who would one day outrank him. Visualization was his
favorite part of training, though, so at least he didn't feel too inadequate. "If you like, we can fly up to the cliffs by the Star Stones to practice? There's less distractions, and sometimes it helps if you can get a good look at the real thing first."

"Perfect." By'ler turned and leaped to Reviath’s neckridge. The bronze's eyes whirled with concern over his rider's feelings of frustration at their poor performance during visualizations. "I think the problem," the young bronzerider said as he and R'ayl dismounted by the Star Stones, "is that I can visualize things around Far Island perfectly, because I was raised there. I've only arrived at Dolphin Cove a fortnight before Reviath hatched. At the time, I wasn't overly concerned with memorizing the way things looked."

"It is easier at first for those who've been here all their lives." R'ayl had noticed that too. "It was the same for me, I was only here a month from being Searched until I Impressed, and it was all a blur, really. Mostly I was trying not to get lost in the caverns. But once you get this, then you'll be ahead when it comes to visualizing the other Weyrs and Holds that no-one in the class has seen before."

He raised a hand to greet the watchdragon at his post on the heights, who was watching them with a curious gaze. "If you want, Delorth and I can visualize the Star Stones first, and share the image with Reviath. That way you can get the idea, and then you can do the same for us. It's a good way to practice, as the first time you go /between/ you'll do the same with one of the Weyrlingmasters."

"Let's try it," By'ler agreed, deferring to the much younger rider's experience in the matter. }:We can do it,:{ Reviath assured By'ler, wanting to assuage the feelings of anxiety he felt in his rider.

"Okay. It helps at first if you close your eyes." R'ayl did so and let the familiar image form in his mind. He'd used the Star Stones so many times now to guide him home that it was almost automatic, but for this practice he took care to focus on the details, the way the shadows fell short and sharp in the bright morning sun, the grainy texture of the volcanic stone, the glimpse of clear blue sky through the Eye Rock. Through his bond, he felt Delorth's indefinable sense of the Stones as more than an image, but a coordinate, a place in time he could travel to. **Now share that with Reviath.**

Reviath took the crystal clear image from Delorth and then mirrored that through his bond with his rider. "Oh," By'ler said, eyes closed as he beheld the image in his mind's eye. "That's incredible, R'ayl. You've got the detail down to the texture of the stone. I had never even noticed things like that before."

"It doesn't have to be so detailed, always, for /between/." Even so, R'ayl could feel his cheeks glowing warmly with the praise. "You'll get to know how much Reviath needs, to see where he's going. But adding details never hurts." He rested the palm of his hand lightly on Delorth's side, silently thanking him. "Would you like to try now? Visualize an image and share it with Delorth and me?"

By'ler thought of the place he knew best, the entrance to the Candidate Barracks. He'd walked in and out of there so many times until impressing Reviath. He imagined the smooth, worn frame of the portal first. Then, the footpath that was well-worn by the many feet that had traveled in and out of the barracks. This he sent to Reviath, who passed it along to Delorth.

The image flowed into R'ayl's mind, full of detail and a sense of familiarity that he shared, even though he had only lived there for a few sevendays. "The Candidate barracks." He opened his eyes, smiling in recognition. "That looks great, you've got the shape of the doorway and the detail around it as well. What does Reviath think? Does he have a sense of where it is?"

}:I could go there.:{ Reviath said confidantly.

"He seems sure he understands the location of the image," By'lor said to R'ayl with the hint of a smile. He'd made more progress just now with R'ayl than in the entire Weyrling lesson earlier.

"Good, that's the most important part. Now you've got the idea, you can practice with him, or with another weyrling, like we were just doing." A thought struck R'ayl, and he winced. "Just promise you won't try it for real yet, even if Reviath thinks he can. Else the Weyrlingmasters will have us both scrubbing latrines until the end of the Pass."

"No need to worry on that front," By'ler assured R'ayl. "I've no interest in accidentally losing Reviath or myself. Thanks for your help."

"It's my job," R'ayl said, not without a little pride in his role as the Weyrlingmasters' assistant. "Shall we try a few more? Here's one from a little further off." He closed his eyes, and pictured a hold embedded into steep cliffs, narrow walkways leading down the rock face to a long pier, and and the far end, out by the water, a dolphin bell...

Last updated on the September 18th 2025

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