Adapting to a New Way of Life (Rhune)

Hyruu wrote:Rhune blinked once again as Baldirak dismissed everyone, leaving him alone and still as confused as before. The green dragon sat down, looking at the king.
"I... I will stop here. My wings... are not strong enough." he replied.
Rhune made a pause after his sentence. Visibly what happened had disturbed him, but he seemed more confused than actually shocked.
"May... May I leave? I... I need to be alone." he requested.
It wasn't the first time Rhune had made such a request, usually when he was confronted with something new like now.

A low, rumbling growl echoed through the King's throat. A sound of understanding. Baldirak nodded, "You are dismissed," he said in a slightly more serious tone than he intended or was even aware of. Habit, perhaps. By now, his stomach took a liking to mimicking his throat. Baldirak made his way to the food tables, now free as the festivities began to die down. He selected what was a surprisingly large piece of meat--surprising because the biggest pieces usually went first--and sat. The sun yawned silently as clouds covered it--soon it would descend into its den below the horizon. If the clouds would yield to it once more, the sun might feel compelled to end this lax day of celebration with an autum sky. Oranges, reds, yellows... all colors of the trees in the fall. The sky might don such an appearance, but only could it be truly enjoyed if the sky was free of obstruction. And so as the Earth King sated his hunger, he pleaded with the clouds and whatever God or Goddess that mght hear those pleas, to keep the sky clear until the sun closed its eyes.

Rhune slightly bowed at Baldirak before leaving the feast. He headed toward the small cave he had been assigned, still feeling slightly confused. It was small and without any fancy furniture, as it only was temporary. He would get a bigger and definitive cave once he would have fully recovered and could talk without problems, at the moment he needed to live close to the healer.
The green dragon settled near the entrance and lied down, letting the last rays of sun warm his scales. Every time he needed to be alone he was doing so. Letting his body in a comfortable position, with the sun rays heating his scales, while he was thinking. A lot had happened today, and two things in particular had caused great emotions to him.
First came what had caused him to go. After his attempt, he didn't expect to be praised for the progress he had made. It was right that before he might not even have been able to land without utterly crashing on the ground, now his legs were powerful enough to withstand a large fall. But what he had realized was that those dragons had been following his recovery. They weren't only praising his performance - of course, it had been mediocre - but his progress. The dragons here cared about him and wanted him to feel better. Compassion. He had learned this word, but never experienced it personally. Of course, back there everyone had so much to deal with they couldn't care about the others...
But what had really caused an impact was this hatchling he had been playing with. Just seeing an innocent hatchling, and realizing it wouldn't live a life of suffering. This had been the dream of every dragon that ever lived in this damned place. Every single parent hoped one day their sons and daughters would not face the same fate as them. And Rhune was living this. Even better, he had faced the incarnation of this hope : a small hatchling laughing. How many of them had died just to witness this?
"Mom... Dad... I did it. It's done. I am free." he muttered for himself.
Rhune could feel his eyes getting wet. But he didn't fight it. Because those weren't tears of sadness. No, Rhune was happy. And wherever his parents could be... they would probably cry like this.

Rhune stayed there until the sun finished to set. A good night of sleep would help him digesting the events of the day... as well as all the meat he had eaten. He really would have to watch this, he was so used being malnourished he was eating until his stomach couldn't hold any more. Needless to say, with this weight on his belly he fell asleep like a rock. A long and dreamless sleep.
Rhune yawned as the sun finally woke him, enjoying these minutes of inactivity before waking up. Well, more like a dozen of minutes. He finally stood up, stretching his legs and wings. Today he would continue exercising his wings. Rhune headed outside, around where the feast had taken place the previous day. He liked feeling the fresh morning air as he was training. Well, more like late morning actually. The green dragon stretched his wings, maintaining them at the horizontal. If he ever wanted to fly he had to train his endurance.

Badirak sat just inside the cave entrance, looking out at the morning sky. He had been here since just before dawn, when the last few stars to disappear were still visible. Being still a follower of Astralogy, the king rose so early everyday for prayer to the fallen Goddess. Perhaps, somehow, she was still watching the world and could still hear her Prophet. Baldirak could only wish for such a thing. It was only when he felt the pawsteps of another EarthWing that he opened his eyes. He first noticed how late in the morning it was. And then he saw Rhune standing in the clearing. He smiled lightly as he watched, glad to see Rhune eager to build his strength.

Rhune turned his head as he heard someone coming near the place he was training in. His movement was a bit sudden, as for a second his old fears kicked in. The green dragon soon relaxed as he saw it was Baldirak who was there. Of course it only could be another dragon. It couldn't be a guard. Would this ever stop?
"Oh, good morning, Baldirak." he greeted the older dragon.

"Good morning, Rhune. How are you?" he asked as he sat and looked down at the smaller EarthWing.

(Short, but I couldn't think of anything else.)

Rhune made a small nod as Baldirak inquired how he was going.
"I am fine. And you?" he replied.
The green dragon was getting used to these small sentences. He still was hesitant when expressing ideas or saying more complicated things, but he had mastered those few sentences that were common.
"I... Sorry for... yesterday." he apologized. "I... I felt... Too much."

Dirak smiled and gave a light nod himself. "I'm quite well this morning, thank you for asking. And there's no need to apologize, it was to be expected. You're not used to a lot of things, after all. Tell me, what do you plan to do today?"

Rhune felt reassured when Baldirak assured him there wasn't any problem with him having left during the event. It took the green dragon a few seconds to process the rest of the question.
"Planning? Erm, I don't know. Do I need to plan?" he asked, visibly a bit surprised by the query.
Planning his day wasn't something that felt natural for him. After all, all he was used to was following orders, so he only could do what he was assigned to do. As such Rhune was just doing things on the go, without planning anything.

The King shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just thought you might have some idea as to what you wanted to do with your day. How are your wings? Perhaps we can try some more exercises today?" Baldirak looked up at the sky as he asked this. It was clear and blue, there was a light, warm breeze; perfect for flying. Or gliding, for that matter.

Rhune blinked, once again taking a few second to process what Baldirak was saying. He was still puzzled about the previous question, feeling like having missed something. Maybe it was something he would realize later.
"Oh. I was doing... exercise, need to get my wings... stronger. They need to get stronger, before... I can fly." he replied.
As Baldirak looked at the sky, Rhune couldn't help but stare at it was well. A perfectly blue sky... He hadn't gotten the time to admire the sky before joining the Earthwings. But now he was the closest he had ever been to finally fly. At the thought his wings shivered, half opening by themselves. He was already spending most of his time training them, and were getting stronger and stronger with each passing day. The attempt of the previous day was a proof, he almost managed to glide.

The King looked back down at Rhune, he looked at his wings. And then he turned and limped away somewhere, going out of sight. He returned a few minutes later, carrying two small rocks. "Spread your wings," was all he said.

Rhune was a bit surprised as Baldirak suddenly turned and left without saying a word. The larger dragon usually was saying something when he was leaving... The green dragon decided to resume his training. He started to flex his wings, making them take different angles. He sometimes had some problems getting them the way he wanted... But a few minutes later, he got interrupted by Baldirak coming back. Rhune tilted his head, seeing the older dragon was carrying two small rocks. What was he going to do with them ?
He didn't really understand why Baldirak asked him to spread his wings, but out of reflex he obeyed without wasting a second. The green dragon spread his wings wide, as if he wanted to glide.
"Like this ?" he asked once he was done.

Using his tail, Baldirak placed one of the rocks on the ridge of Rhune's right wing. He kept it there only a moment before moving it further down, closer to the tip of the wing. He tinkered around with the placement of the rock, trying to find strong points. Finding one, he made this spot--near the centre of the wing--the permanent resting place for the rock. The King then did the same thing to the other wing.

"This will help strength your wings more. See how having the rocks where they are don't interfere with your ability to keep your wings up? In time, this should be true no matter where I place the rock. And it wouldn't matter how big or small the rock is. Obviously, of course, we'll start with these small ones. Just keep still and keep your wings spread like that for one minute, if you can."

Rhune watched as Baldirak was moving the stone along his wing. What was he doing ? Was he going to make his wings heavier ? There was no way he could keep his wings extended with that ! He was a bit surprised to see some of the positions seemed to actually make the weight more bearable than some others. He was a bit reassured as Baldirak left the rock on the position it felt the easiest for him. Well easiest was a great word... As soon as the older dragon released the rock, his wing threatened to flail, but Rhune managed to keep it extended.
He listened as Baldirak made his explanation, but due to the effort he had to make just to keep his wings extended he couldn't fully concentrate on the words and just couldn't understand a part of it. At least he understood the end. Lasting one minute like this ? It would be pretty hard considering he was already feeling tired with his right wing...
And it didn't get any better. The first two dozens of seconds were still quite easy, but from that point the green dragon felt his muscles starting to burn. He tried to hold as much as he could, frowning and being visibly concentrated, managing to resist another dozen of seconds, more seconds... Wasn't the minute already done or did it just feel like an eternity ?
At some point his muscles failed. His right wing dropped down, the rock rolling away. His left wing instantly did the same. Rhune had his two wings dropped on the ground, his muscles too painful to even get them back on his flanks. He had only held about forty seconds.
"How... how long ?" he just asked.

The King watched quietly as Rhune kept his wings up. He seemed to be concentrating. But only fourty seconds later, the smaller EarthWing's wings fell. Baldirak smiled apologetically and gently lifted Rhune's wings with his tail so he could fold them against his sides. "Fourty seconds. But that was better than I expected."

Rhune blinked as Baldirak told him he held longer than he had expected. This was something good, wasn't it ?
"Really ? Does it... mean I can... fly soon ?" he excitedly replied, his sentence cut with a mixture of breathing and searching for his words.
But the green dragon had forced too much on his wings, and even after Baldirak help him set them back on his flanks they started falling back on the ground. All to eager to hold he really went to his limits.

After the usual few seconds to understand the sentence, Rhune's face shone with joy. He would be able to fly ! And soon ! His dream would finally come true ! Rhune somehow managed to get his wings back on his flanks, all too happy about the news.
"That's... great ! But, how... how do I put the... rocks myself ?" he wondered, tilting his head.

Baldirak smiled as Rhune finally reacted to the news. "I have some time to myself in the mornings. I will help you with this training." He turned to go back to the Haven, wincing slightly as the pad of his right forepaw came into contact with one of the rocks. "Come now, let's get you to a Healer for the salve and then to breakfast."

Rhune's smile somehow got even wider as Baldirak mentioned breakfast. After all this he was starving! The green dragon energically nodded before following the larger dragon, eager to get the salve and a well deserved meal.

(Time skip I guess?)

(Sure)

((Alright got my healer so no need for NPC ^^))

After a bit of walk, Rhune and Baldirak reached the healer's den. Anyone not knowing the said healer would feel uncomfortable at its sight, but Earthwings learned to deal with the rather particular individual. The cave was rather large, allowing most of the giants to enter inside. On the outside, plants grew along the walls and a few animal skulls could be seen hanging in and there. Well the inside wasn't much different, actually. Plants grew on the walls inside the cave, giving it quite a charm. Some deer skulls and other animals were hung on the plants, some of them upside down as they worked like containers. Some shiny rocks could also be seen here and there. Among them were a few actually valuable ores, even a few gems, and some imitations made of glass. An improvised shelf was on one of the walls, with glass bottles of various sizes and contents inside.
A large and visibly comfortable nest made of feathers was set in the middle of the cave. It was delimited by a circle of shiny gems and imitations. A few bird skulls were also seen scattered around the cave, suggesting the healer had gathered all those feathers herself.
"Oh, isn't that Rhune and Baldirak! Yes, yes, come in!"
Nara appeared, fluttering in from the other end of the cave. She was really contrasting with the size of the cave, being almost bigger than Baldirak's head. Her bright and colored wings were flapping in unison, maintaining her form in the air. Her childish voice could be annoying at time, but the Earthwing had gotten used to it.
"Rhune's wings look tired. Good, tired wings are wings that worked hard, and Rhune's wings need to work hard! Rhune wants something to soothe them right?" Nara asked, tilting her head.
The constant flow that was Nara's speech always proved to be a challenge for Rhune. Hopefully most of the time she didn't bothered with complicated words.
"Erm, yes, Nara." the green dragon replied.
The smaller dragon darted farther in the cave, toward the shelf. She fluttered as she examined the bottled, stopping and grabbing one with an audible exclamation. She then came back toward Rhune, landing directly on his back. The healer started to massage the wing muscles, nodding to herself.
"Yes, hard muscles. And good muscles that grow well! Soon Rhune will be able to fly! Rhune is happy about this, right? Of course Rhune is! Here, let me relieve the tension." Nara chirped.
The healer continued to massage the green dragon's wings, softening the muscles. Some powder was falling from her wings onto the muscles she was massaging, helping release the tension in them. Nara then began applying the salve she had brought, applying it on Rhune's wing muscles. The soft heat Rhune began to feel in his muscles was rather enjoyable.
Soon enough he stopped feeling the tiredness in his wings. Nara stopped the massage, taking off and fluttering in front of the two dragons.
"And there, Rhune's wings don't feel tired anymore! But they still are tired, so Rhune will rest them until tomorrow. Did Baldirak need anything or did he just come with Rhune?" the healer asked, tilting her head.

Baldirak sat and listened as Narga talked to Rhune. He chuckled a little at the small EarthWing. "I don't need anything, Nara. I was just... Actually, if you could give me something for my leg, I would appreciate it."

Nara chirped, fluttering around the older dragon's bad leg while examinating it. She was small enough to fly between his legs without any problem. The green dragoness landed a few times, probing a muscle or shortly passage a particular point. The powder her wings emitted would already help the older dragon's muscles to relax, but her massages directed right at the points that hurt Baldirak at most would quickly dissipate any pain.
"Bad leg is good today, because today is sunny. But tomorrow, tomorrow rainy, and old leg doesn't like rain!" she said.
Nara fluttered once away inside her cave toward the shelf, musing to herself as she searched for a certain bottle. She soon found it and brought it back toward Baldirak. Opening the bottle, she applied some of the ointment that was inside on the same spots she had massaged. Baldirak would feel his muscles slowly heat and feel relaxed.
"There! Medicine will warm your leg and make it feel good. Old leg loves warmth!" Nara chirped, giving the bottle to Baldirak.

The King couldn't help hissing in pain Nara pressed against particular parts of his leg. But it eventually felt better. Baldirak smiled a little when Nara brought an ointment which warmed the muscles in his leg and made it feel even better. "Thank you, Nara." Baldirak took the bottle with his tail then turned to leave. "See you later, Rhune. I have some things to tend to now."

((Time skip/wing training montage?))