A new beginning (Private with Rii)

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Walking. Not caring about the hunger. Not caring about the exhaustion. Rhune walked forward, with the only thing he had left : determination. Walking, one step after the other. His legs felt like they were burning, but he was used to that kind of exhaustion. It was like when he was working. Except this time, his life was depending on it. Rhune was too tired to hunt, exhausted by his previous attempts at doing so. When he was with the others they could at least cooperate, and manage to catch something.
But now he was alone, walking alone, walking. He couldn't stop. If he paused he felt like he would collapse. If he collapsed he felt like he wouldn't wake up. He had been told a Tribe was living nearby, and it was his only hope - as well as his ultimate goal. If he succeeded, a new life would open for him. No more pain, no more suffering, no more prisoner, no more exhaustion, no more hunger. Everything he had dreamt of would come true. And this was what allowed him to still walk.
A noise. Did something move? Was it a prey? Could he try to catch it? More steps. Noise didn't happen again. Rhune continued, not like he had a choice. Suddenly, two dragons appeared in front of him. Out of surprise, Rhune stopped. Dragons! He had done it! They could help him out! One of the two dragons said something, but Rhune didn't understand. He was too tired for that. He opened his mouth, about to say something. But nothing came out. The ground suddenly moved up. Rhune realized his knees had in fact given up. His vision then grew blurry. He vaguely spotted green forms getting closer from him, and then his vision went black.


"Rii? Sorry to intrude. We found someone that needs your help. Baldy, should I say."
One of the guards had entered Rii's workplace, politely bowing as he did so. He didn't want to offend her after all. The second guard entered, carrying Rhune on his back. Hopefully the unconscious dragon wasn't that big for an Earthwing, making him rather easy to move.
"We found him near the border of the territory, and he just collapsed before he could say anything. He is in a really bad shape. I... I don't know what happened to him, but it seems like he had it rough..." the guard finished.
And indeed Rhune was in an horrible shape. He visibly had been starving, but not just for a while - his ribs were almost visible though the scales, clear sign that he had been malnourished for months, maybe even years. His scales even were terribly thin, probably not protecting him much. But these weren't the only worrying signs that Rhune's body was showing. His horns had visibly been cut clean, and they seem to have only started to grow back a few centimeters. His flanks were heavily marked, numerous scars being clearly visible on the scales. His wings were also scarred like this, numerous cut marks being visible. On top of that, the muscles at the base of the wing were completely atrophied, probably not having been used at all. The dragon's claws were also cut short, too dull to cut anything effectively. Whatever had happened to him, it seemed indeed extremely serious.
The guard with Rhune on the back stepped forward, awaiting instructions on what to do with the unconscious dragon.
"Shall we go and bring some meat for when he will wake up?" one of the guards suggested.

Done relaxing? she asked quickly noting the greenish male open his eyes again and gaze her direction. She smiled then stood up in the shallow end.

The pools were dug out to increase the size of the pre-existing hot springs that had been there already. The shallow end was like a beach. The water rose up to the bank as it slowly but surely dropped off into deeper water. The deep end was at least 300 feet deep, to accommodate the largest earthwings in the tribe. Because the pools were so large and so many they had to be made on the edge of the earthwing palace on the bottom floors where the springs naturally rose up out of the earth.

Rii was standing in water that was only 20 or so feet deep, and she fervently hoped that Rhune could swim.

Come here while moving your wings up and down as far as you can through the water. She ordered him to come towards the deeper water where she was floating at the surface. It was deep enough that he would only barely be able to stretch and reach with his toes.

Rhune nodded at Rii, letting out a slight sigh. He would have loved enjoying the pool longer before... before doing whatever he would be asked to do. But visibly resting time was over. Well with a bit of luck this new work wouldn't be so hard...
The green dragon blinked a few times as Rii exposed the exercise. That was quite a few words, and it took him several seconds to understand what he was supposed to do. Moving his wings up and down? Rhune guessed he could do that. The young dragon took a step forward and tried to stretch his wings. He felt like his movements were slower than what they should have been, it was hard to move through the water. As his wings were extended, Rhune tried to move them down. But the water was heavily resisting his movement, to a point it was extremely slow. But he couldn't be slow! He was asked to move his wings up and down, but right now it seemed like it wasn't moving at all! Rhune forced on his wing as much as he could, managing to get a slightly faster movement - but by the time his wing reached their bottom position Rhune was already feeling tired. He couldn't stop there, though... Rhune clenched his teeth and forced to move his wings back up as he continued to step forward. The green dragon didn't expect what happened next. Since the water was getting deeper, Rhune only had his head out of the water. But by moving his wings up, he put himself under the water. He got so surprised that he forgot to stop breathing. The pain from breathing underwater made him let out a shout... which instantly depleted his lungs from their oxygen. Rhune managed to refrain himself from breathing more water, but he needed air! The green dragon started to panic, unable to see anything as his vision was blurred and distorted by the water. But his movements weren't helping much since he didn't have the right instinct, which would have been using his wings to propel himself up. He was using his wings, though, but trying to flap his wings like he did just maintained him at the same level.

((I guess you have your answer ^^ It's the first time Rhune sees more water than a full bucket.))

(well sh--)

Rii nodded mostly to herself as Rhune advanced to her place in the water. His wing flaps weren't very strong but at least they worked a bit, and the waters weight would force those muscles to work a bit harder than if he was moving against air. That was the perfect way to start recovery.

What wasn't perfect was when he got to deeper water and Rhune's upward lift of his wings brought his head under. Rii waited a moment for his head to reappear tensing and when it became clear he wasn't going to resurface by the bubbles Rii dove under, looped herself around him, anchored her tail on the ledge, and then lifted both herself and Rhune up with her powerful muscles back to the surface. The she dragon lifted his head up with hers so that he could breath. Then, with her tail end still anchored to the ledge of the pool, Rii angled herself to the right slowly bringing Rhune and Rii back to the shallow end where she stood up again and relaxed her coils. Are you okay? Rii asked quickly.

Rhune was still panicking when he felt something coil around him and start lifting him up. It also coiled around his neck, bringing his head up. A few seconds later he felt his head surfacing. Air, at last some air! The green dragon took a deep breath, difficultly as Rii was slightly pressing against his neck and because he had swallowed quite a lot of water. But at least the panick attack stopped, and Rhune stopped moving while Rii dragged him further toward the shore. When the dragoness uncoiled him, Rhune started to violently cough, spitting some water each time he was doing so. His lungs and nose were painful from having breathed water, but other than that he seemed fine. The green dragon went limp on the shore, the episode having washed the last bit of strength he had. Did he... Did he almost die? For some reason, though, he never felt so alive after having escaped the drowning.
"I... I is fine." he replied, coughing a last time.
The green dragon then looked down, not daring to face Rii after what happened. He looked like a beaten dog that was awaiting a punition... and actually, he was expecting one. After all he couldn't manage to do what Rii had ordered him to do...

(She's not coiled around his neck, her head and neck are under his lifting his up to the air. It's only his body she's coiled around.)

Next time you get into the water where your feet can't touch the bottom keep flapping with your wings. Don't just stop when your head gets pulled under. It also helps to paddle with your paws like this. Rii shows Rhune how to paddle with her front legs in the water then sighs as she watches him. The male had his head drooping, and she felt bad seeing him like this.

Still I guess it wasn't bad for your first time swimming. Rii shrugged then let her tail weave through the water making ripples flash across the surface.

Rhune kept his head low as Rii lectured him on how to swim. While he was glad she did save him, he knew his punition would come for not being able to figure it by himself. Because that was how things worked, right? If Rii asked Rhune to do this, it was because he was supposed to know how, wasn't it?
But the green dragon got surprised as the punition didn't come. Rii even congratulated his performance, despite it being so bad. Rhune blinked in surprise, daring to look up just enough to be able to see Rii demonstrating how he could swim. The dragon felt at loss, the outcome being totally unlike what he could imagine.
"I... am not... being punished?" he asked, unable to decide how to react.

Rii waited for Rhune to get into the warm spring water watching him closely. When he blinked at her she blinked back confused as to why he was confused. Her gem-like eyes sparkled while gazing back at him, until he spoke anyway. Then she understood why he was acting the way he was.

Why should I punish you for not knowing how to swim? I feel like nearly drowning would be punishment enough if you really want to be punished. Rii answered cocking her head at him. Her fur tilted along with her head then draped itself over her scales shining wet with water.

Now come on and try again. Rii patted the top of the water splashing it a bit before dunking herself once and swimming luxuriously through the deep end. While underneath the water her form could be seen doubling back swimming like a snake back towards the shallow end where Rhune was.

Rhune watched Rii, still having his beaten puppy eyes. She was talking a bit fast for him to get everything, but... She wasn't going to punish him? Despite him not having done what she asked for? The concept was strange for him. Failing, yet not being punished... How was he supposed to know he was doing good if he wasn't punished when doing poorly? Or maybe something could happen if he did good? He was kind of frozen in thought, looking at the serpent with blinking confused eyes.
But soon enough he was given an order. Trying again... With what just happened he was a bit scared of the water. The green dragon slowly entered the water, but stood where he could feel the ground under him. He started to try and beat his wings again, the muscles starting to ache from the exercise already. But he had to step forward. He had been ordered to. And so Rhune did. This time he knew his head would get underwater, and he raised his neck as high as he could to avoid it. He managed to stay where his head barely stood out of the water, his wings flapping him up and down. The feeling was... weird, but strangely fascinating.

Rii displays a warm smile as Rhune tries once more to get into the water and swim as she had showed him. While some dragons swam exclusively with their wings and bodies other used their bodies and paws in a sort of doggy style scooping of their paws through the water beneath them. Rii herself used the body and wing method, and on occasion only the body swimming method.  Rhune, due to his body type, would benefit more from both a doggy style and wing method of swimming as she wasn't sure of how flexible his body was. However to best work his wings it was important for him only to use his wings while swimming. For now at least she was happy with the fast results.

Unlike other draogns who might have been too frightened to enter the water again after nearly drowning Rhune showed bravery by getting right back in and trying again. This time he had it right too, and Rii purred loudly so that he could hear her praise. Very good Rhune! Just like that. Eventually you will get used to the movement and it will become easier and smoother for you. She swam along beside him using only her body to ease herself through the water.

Believe it or not the movements you make here are similar to flying, only the water is thicker than the air so you must use more force than you would while flying to propel yourself up and forward or even backward. This makes your wings strong so that when the day comes that you try to fly for the first time you will have the strength and stamina for it already from swimming. Rii then swam a little farther form him so that she too could use her wings to swim and glide gracefully through the water. She however decided to fly under the water dipping beneath the male and flying in the warm wet of the hot spring. Then she reappeared at the surface to his right.

Rhune blinked again as Rii talked to him. Did she... Praise what he did? So he was doing good? The green dragon kept moving his wings, still in the area where his paws could prevent him from having his head under the water when he moved them back up. A smile spread on his maw as the realization was coming to his mind. So here failure wasn't punished, and success was praised? It felt so good to be praised! Just being told he was doing good... A really loud purr escaped his chest as he just looked at Rii, his smile now wide. This was the best order he'd been given.
He tried to listen and understand everything Rii was saying but this was way too fast for him. He feared one day he would miss an order if he kept not understanding things perfectly... But this wasn't an order. Rather, more of a guideline on how swimming was good for him. A particular point caught his attention. Rii was talking about flying. As soon as she said the word the green dragon seemed extremely interested, focusing hard to try and understand everything. He watched as she plunged into the water, using her wings to propel herself. Unlike him she was angling the wings to get forward. Rii resurfaced to his right, leaving Rhune blinking for a second.
"So... I... Flying in water?" he asked her.
His tone had something a bit different. It seemed the idea of flying was something that caught his interest. Just to try what he had seen, he angled his wings and tried flapping them. This made him swim forward, but the return movement brought him back to where he was. Uh, there was something he had missed...

Yes. Basically it's is like you are flying in the water. Rii smiled then dove under Rhune again spreading her wings to glide through the pool to the deep end. At the deep end she hovered before doing several flips then resurfacing. Her head turned to look at Rhune like a crocodile eye balling a gazelle at the waters edge.

Rhune attentively watched Rii as the snake dragon glided through the water. He was a bit too scared to dive under the water himself, but he could see Rii doing something he hadn't realized yet. At each flap of her wings, she was changing the angle. Of course! He had to angle his wings on one side to get forward, and on the other side as he raised them! The green dragon gave it a try. Flapping down, on one side... He went forward. Flapping up on the other side... And he continued to go forward!
Rhune was all too proud of his discovery, but he couldn't repeat it. He tried to flap again, but his muscles were just too tired to move. Uh oh that was bad, he hadn't been told to stop yet! Yet, his wings painfully burning under the effort, he couldn't do anything. Any other dragon would have complained since long, but Rhune was so used being forced to exhaust himself he wasn't complaining. Rii would maybe realize he really overdid it as Rhune had made a lot of effort for someone whose wing muscles were half atrophied...

Rii nodded as she watched RHune start again at swimming. To her pleasure he achieved the right balance and movement the second time around and swam correctly. However she could see that it was at great effort. Rii waited until it looked like he would sink below the water form tired wings before ordering him to stop.

You can stop now Rhune. Rest up and just relax in the water. When you feel well rested try again and repeat the process. When you get tired stop, then rest, then repeat. Understand? Rii spoke loudly as she watched him and swam around in the water herself.

When you are so tired you feel like you'll fall asleep stop and tell me and we'll go back to the healing den to dry off and you'll sleep. Rii finished glad to see improvement already even if he was only just starting out. She was always ready to swim under and lift him above the surface of the water if needed.

Rhune tilted his head at the healer's rather long orders. That was a lot to understand, and he wasn't sure he actually got it all. What he mostly got was the order to stop. Then she told him to repeat, but didn't mention when. All he could guess was that she would tell him when to start again, right ? Rhune tiredly swam toward the shallower part of the pool, and laid down where his head wouldn't be in the water anymore. The green dragon fell more than he laid down, splashing some water around him as he did. He was panting from the effort, and his wings were in a position that didn't really seem comfortable. Rhune was just too tired to really care about it though. The male started to rest, falling into what looked like a light sleep, easily disturbed by any noise that would reach his ears. It definitively looked like he had already given his all, and wouldn't do much better if he was to go in the water again.