Nightmares
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 11th April 2015
Characters: Alina
Description: Anxieties can manifest while you sleep.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 12, day 5 of Turn 7
They were flying, Imarith a green streak through the silvery grey of the clouds. Moisture hit Alina's cheeks and wept across her goggles. Imarith flamed; a bright orange that lit up the mist and illuminated the brilliant hides of the dragons around them.
They were flying Thread.
Imarith flamed again. **What are you aiming at?** Alina asked.
}:It's everywhere!:{ came the panicked reply.
Alina reached up to wipe her goggles, then gasped as she saw not cloud around them -- but silvery Thread, fine as embroidery floss on the wind. Imarith shrieked in pain as it wrapped around her wings and severed them from her body. Thread wrapped around Alina's arms and torso as they fell through the clouds to see the Weyrbowl rushing toward them. Alina screamed--
--and sat bolt upright in bed. She fumbled for the candle on the bedside table, nearly knocking the little brass candle holder off the edge as she groped for a match. Alina lit the candle with shaking hands, then sat staring into the little flame with her arms wrapped around her knees and her heart frantically trying to beat its way out of her rib cage. **It was just a nightmare.**
An all too real nightmare. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off the terror that held her pinned. She was safe; this was her bed. Tangled in her legs was her blanket. There was solid rock over her head and a clear sky tonight. Slowly her breathing became more regular, and she became aware of the unpleasant way her nightgown stuck to her sweaty back.
There was no Thread. They were safe... for now. But the class would go to its Blooding in a month's time and chances were some of them would die. Eaten away by Thread. Lost /between/. Or burned to a crisp by a Wingmate. And if she survived that, then she'd have to face the flight rooms when Imarith rose, and that was just as terrifying.
**I'm never getting to sleep now.** For the first time since leaving the Weyrling Barracks, Alina desperately wished she was surrounded by other girls. Sleeping alone was awful. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood, stretched, and plucked a blanket from the tangle on the bed. It was a mess; she must have been thrashing in her sleep as she tried to brush imaginary Thread off herself. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders she padded barefoot out through the little door that led to Imarith's ledge.
The green was asleep, but she stirred as her rider stepped outside. }:You are scared... did you have bad dreams again?:{
**Yes.** The wind on her face felt amazing. Alina hadn't known how stuffy her little weyr was until she was outside again. She crept across the ledge until she could see the stars, then sat on the cold stone and leaned her back against her dragon's warm hide. Imarith shifted until she could wrap her tail around her rider, draping its weight across Alina's legs. **I dreamed we were Threadscored.**
}:That is a silly dream. We will never be Threadscored,:{ Imarith said. }:You and I are very good flyers.:{
**Yes. We are.** It was a little surprising that it was true. Alina had thought that she'd be scared of heights, but she wasn't. Imarith was a strong flyer, deft but not overconfident in the air, and Alina was finding that she could focus on the task at hand better than some of her classmates. They would be doing rope drills and learning to flame soon enough, and it would soon become clear who would be successful and who _had_ to worry about getting 'Scored-- and it wasn't going to be them. She sighed. **Silly or not, it still was a scary dream.**
}:And not real.:{
**And not real.** The spicy, musky smell of dragon was soothing, and Alina felt her eyes start to droop again. It was near dawn; the moons had set and the morning stars were low in the sky. To the east, the black firmament was softening into a dark blue. They'd have to be awake soon to go to class. **Will you wake us up so that we won't be late for breakfast?**
}:Yes...:{ But Imarith's eyes were already closed, and the dragon's thoughts fuzzy from sleep. Alina soon followed, and dream forgotten, slept soundly until the sun broke the horizon and a new day began.
Last updated on the April 29th 2015