Alyssa enters from the Living Caverns.
Elyandra enters from the Living Caverns.
Jerissa pulls out some chairs and offers you both one, taking one herself. "Now, I have no idea what Sel taught you. So please bear with me."
Elyandra gingerly lowers herself into a chair, turning her attention to Jerissa and trying not to move too much...
Alyssa sits near Elyandra, a tablet and stylus at the ready for notes.
Jerissa smiles, crossing her legs. "We're going to start with the skeleton. Do either of you know why the skeleton on a dragon doesn't break easily? Ely?"
Elyandra winces as Jerissa calls her name, "Because it's flexible?"
Jerissa nods, "Flexible yes. Anything else Alyssa?"
You say "Why is it flexible?"
Alyssa blinks. "Like Elyandra, I thought it was because of flexibility."
Jerissa nods. "Yes, but the reason for flexibility is the fact teh skeleton is made of plates that move."
Alyssa leans forward a little, clearly intrigued.
Elyandra nods, "I remember talking about Cioth's chest plate being fractured when he ran into the Star Stones."
Jerissa nods. "The rib cage is different. Its one _huge_ single bone."
Elyandra nods, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
You say "The ribcage can actually double in size though when a dragon fills the lungs fully. Watch one one time and see."
Alyssa looks down at her tablet to jot down a note. "How does it expand, Jerissa?"
Jerissa Smiles, "Well, there are cartilages and strong muscles down each side of the chest that allow it to expand. On a human the muscles are between the ribs."
Alyssa nods. "Thus providing the right amount of protection for the chest size..?"
Jerissa grins, "Yes, without the muscles and cartilage the dragon wouldn't even be able to breathe!"
Meadow swoops in from the Bowl.
Meadow chitters and parks on 'Rissa's shoulder.
Zara swoops in from the Bowl.
Jerissa giggles at Meadow, reaching up a hand to scritch her gently. "So, thats ribs. Anyone know about the leg joints? What sort of sockets are they made of?"
Elyandra hrms, "Ball and socket?
Jerissa nods at Elyandra. "Thats right. Ball and socket. Know why?"
Alyssa says quietly, "Maximum flexibility?"
Jerissa smiles and tilts her head. "Yes. If they didn't each time they landed or took off, they'd chance dislocation." She looks at you both, "You know what that is, right?"
Alyssa adds, "As in...pushing off for takeoffs and cushioning landings, perhaps?"
Meadow dashes off in search of food.
Jerissa giggles. "Yes!"
Meadow flies out to the busier Living Caverns.
Elyandra grins, "Dislocation is when the ball comes out of the socket, literally."
Jerissa nods, "I'm assured its extremely painful. You can differeniate a dislocation from a fracture by asking the rider how they're dragon feels. Intense, sickening pain is a disslocation."
Elyandra nods, "I'd heard that...." She pales a bit.
Alyssa looks a trifle unnerved by that description herself and makes a not.
Alyssa note, even
Jerissa leans back on her chair, "Both the front and rear limbs of dragons have pentadactyl, that is five-fingered, claws which are jointed much like a human's hand."
Elyandra nods.
You say "The front limbs are fitted with long, sharp talons, whilst rear ones have softer nails, although still substantially tougher than humans. Any reason on why they talons are sharp?"
Elyandra nods, "To help when killing their prey?"
Alyssa nods in agreement with Elyandra's assessment.
Jerissa smiles, "Yeah, so they can catch their prey and kill swiftly. Alyssa, you get that?"
Alyssa nods. "Yes, ma'am. I've watched dragons hunt and feed a number of times."
Elyandra grins, "Alyssa had the wonderful experience of watching Zibrith feed while I was stuck in the infirmary in my seventh month."
Jerissa nods and wrinkles her nose, "Jerissa, not ma'am. Thats Shandra, not me." She chuckles at Elyandra, "How wonderful!"
Alyssa smiles at Elyandra, then says apologetically to Jerissa, "I'm sorry...it's a habit I have for showing respect to my teachers. I'll stop," she smiles.
Jerissa chuckles and nods, "Forgiven. Now wing bones. The first two wing bones run almmost together and form the outer portion of what?"
Alyssa thinks for a long moment. "Selenay's told me that before. The lub? I can't remember the term."
Jerissa smiles and nods. "Thats the one!"
Elyandra looks from one to the other, "What's a lub?"
Alyssa looks at Jerissa for that explanation, wondering if she should say anything.
You say "The remaining two wing bones fan out from the finger joint where the inner bone is almost perpendicular to the spar bone, ending about midway between the body and the forestay finger tip" She smiles, "A lub is a seacrafters sail! We'll talk more about it when we do wings.""
Elyandra ohs and nods, looking a bit lost.
Alyssa's face mirrors Elyandra after that rather long explanation.
Jerissa looks at Elyandra, "You don't understand? OK. Which bit?"
Elyandra blinks a bit, "All of it?" She says meekly.
Jerissa smiles. "Just the wing bit?"
Alyssa nods slowly. "It made sense when Selenay showed me on Laerth's wing, but that was so long ago..."
Jerissa smiles and looks to the bowl, "Aye lump, get in here."
Amrieth waddles in from the Bowl.
Elyandra nods, "I can sew any dragon up with the best of them, but shards if I know which part of them I'm sewing...."
Alyssa looks at Elyandra. "Why do so many riders insist on calling their dragons 'lump'?"
Alyssa is smiling when she asks this, her eyes on Amrieth.
Amrieth warbles brightly and settles herself down near one of the couches. At a silent command from jerissa she extends a wing. Jerissa smiles, standing and beckoning you both over. She reaches on tiptoe and points to the shoulder joint, "The lub starts here and extends to here" she points to the forestay tip at the outer edge of the wing.
Elyandra shrugs, "Mine's no lump. She's a stubborn mound of green flesh."
Elyandra nods to Jerissa.
You say "So the first two wing bones run along the leading edge, encompassing the finger joint, here" she points to the projection, "Got that bit?"
Elyandra nods.
Alyssa nods as well, looking closely.
Jerissa smiles and ducks under Amrieth's wing. "Now the remaining two wing bones fan out from the finger joint. See how they are?" She points, "They fan all the way back to the trailing edge."
Alyssa nods again, looking unblinkingly at the wing.
Jerissa points to the bone nearest Amrieth's shoulder, "This one, is the inner bone, that one" she says to the other, "Is the midbone."
Lecture postponed...