In Fellis Veritas

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 3rd March 2019

Characters: J'ackt, Alina
Description: Alina sneaks into the infirmary and finds a fellis-addled J'ackt.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 1 of Turn 9

J'ackt

Alina

It was past midnight when Imarith came from /between/ over the
darkened Weyr. A long sweep ride and a lengthier visit with a small
Holding to discuss tithes and share news meant that they'd returned
late. The sun had only been down for a candlemark where they'd been.
Now, it was late. **And we have early drills tomorrow,** Alina said to
Imarith, hiding a yawn behind her gloved hand.

Imarith rumbled her acknowledgement and sent a farewell to their Sweep
partner's brown dragon. Alina lifted her hand to wave as the pair
split off formation on Imarith's wingtip to find their own weyr, and
bed. **Any news from the watch dragon?**

There was a pause as Imairth turned her thoughts to the dragon at the
star stone. }:Zith's rider was attacked,:{ Imarith sent back. Alina
felt the muscles along her green's back go tense. }:He is in the
Infirmary.:{

Shock hit Alina like a splash of water to the face. **What do you
mean, attacked?!** J'ackt was a fighter - how could someone attack him
and put him in the Infirmary? Who would attack a dragonman? Someone
from his past-- Holdless, from the Hold, or a jealous lover...

Alina bit her lip. **Never mind. Let's just go back to our weyr.**

Imarith hesitated, but Alina's will prevailed and the green turned her
wings toward their ledge. }:Zith is upset,:{ Imarith said as she
landed. }:He is being watched by the gold dragons. He is worried for
his rider, but is told that he will heal.:{

**I'm worried too...** Alina sighed as she undid her riding straps and
slid from Imarith's side. **If Zith says that J'ackt will be fine,
then he'll be fine.**

Imarith nudged her nose against her rider, her eyes whirling with
concern. Alina rested her head against Imarith's side and breathed in
the spicy musk of her. J'ackt... they had almost had something.
Almost. And then... she wasn't sure what happened. Drills, Thread,
fear... he was the type of person who fought, and she... wasn't. She
sighed again, then finished pulling Imarith's straps off. **Sleep
well.**

Imarith rumbled something, then curled into a ball like a feline and
tucked her nose under her tail. Alina slung the straps over her
shoulder and entered her weyr. The straps hung from a peg by the
entrance and her riding boots sat on a small rag run beneath it. She
pulled off her jacket and hung it beside the straps, tucking her
gloves into a pocket. She hung the helmet next to her jacket, then
stepped carefully through the pitch black of her weyr to the little
table near the door and lit the glowbasket left there. Her hair itched
after being bound up for so long, so she began to methodically pluck
the pins from her braid and unwind it from around her head. It fell in
a long rope down to the middle of her back.

She stood, stretched. Pulled her tunic over her head and shucked her
pants, leaving them in an uncharacteristic puddle at the foot of her
bed. She pulled on a sleeping shift and crawled beneath her thin
blankets. Then got up and turned out the glow. She room went still.
Alina lay back down and closed her eyes. After a while, she turned
onto her side, then her back again. The braid pulled at her scalp, so
she sat up and unraveled her hair, her fingers deft in the dark.

She closed her eyes again but sleep wouldn't come. Eventually the
greenrider threw off the covers, grabbed a light wrap for her
shoulders and slipped from her weyr. The halls were silent and she
passed no one on the way to the Infirmary. At the doors she hesitated
again, but she'd come this far...

The young rider that had pulled the late guard duty nodded off in his
chair, his head to the side as a small drop of drool slid down the
side of his mouth. In his hands a hide with a short list of names
dangled, not quite loose enough to fall, but close. There was very
little movement in the infirmary, but there were soft voices near a
curtained off area.

"He seems stable." A soft male voice made the statement almost a question.

"For now." Two healers emerged, the taller blonde woman wiping her
hands as she left. "Keep an eye on his temperature and watch for any
signs of infection. With that amount of blood loss, he probably
wouldn't be able to fight it." She yawned, looking tired. "I'll inform
the Weyrleader; he'll be wanting to see him first thing he's able. Get
some sleep. We'll have a long day tomorrow." They left the immediate
area, still murmuring quietly together.

They had to be talking about J'ackt. Alina hesitated. **I shouldn't be
here.** But she slipped through the door the healers had come through
anyway. The room was quiet, the lights dim. There was only one bed,
and tucked into it was J'ackt. Her heart thumped painfully at the
sight of the stained bandages around his middle and the white of his
skin beneath his tan. She glanced at the corner where the dragonrider
was asleep on duty, then padded silently across the room to his side.

He was breathing - quick, shallow breaths, but he was breathing. Alina
pressed her hand against her heart to try try to ease the ache there.
**What happened to you?** She glanced at the sleeping guard once more,
then gently brushed back his hair and lay her hand against his
forehead. His skin was shockingly cool to the touch.

At the touch, J'ackt's eyes fluttered open. They were hazy and not
fully focused as his head turned towards her. His brow knit under her
palm, trying to grasp both the touch and her presence. "Pretty." A
faint smile lifted his lips as he murmured. "..pretty Alina dream. " He
gave a sigh and his head nudged against her palm as if trying to
nuzzle at her touch.

Alina smiled, feeling almost dizzy with relief. He sounded a bit
slurred, but with a gaping wound in his side he was probably swimming
with fellis juice. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I just... I had
to know that you were all right."

"Still sleeping." He murmured, his eyes half closed. "So pretty, my
Alina." His brow knit again and he sighed. "Not mine. Wanted her to
be...gonna weyrmate her, but.." His eyes fluttered shut and for a
moment it seemed he had fallen back into his fellis-induced slumber.
He took a shallow breath and his eyes opened again, not really seeing
her. "...don't want me."

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, stealing her breath for
moment. **Fellis juice,** she told herself. "That's not-- I, I..." Her
eyes pricked with tears. Things between them had gone so fast, and
she'd gotten scared. And then froze him out. She dashed her eyes with
the back of her hand and stole a glance at the sleeping dragonman in
the corner. "That's not true."

He made a nonsensical murmur, his words mumbled enough to be
unintelligible. He nudged with head and found the warm hand gone.
"...gone again." His brow knit as if he was trying to search something
out even as his eyes remained closed. "wanted to show her..." J'ackt
grimaced as pain leaked through the fellis, but faded as dreams
tumbled together, influenced by the voice that slipped into the fellis
dreams. "fly her...no Zith. Don't fly her...want it right..."

Her brows knit. What on Pern was he talking about? She reached out and
smoothed back his hair again, then leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"I don't mind if Zith chases Imarith."

His head turned towards her voice, and he felt the feather-light touch
of something soft. His lips lifted again at the touch. "...no..." He
knew that voice, even as soft as it was and his eyes fluttered open
again. "Alina..." He still wasn't fully aware, and his mind told him
that her presence was a dream, but his eyes were on her and her cheek
was close to his own lips. "...choose me...lo.." the words trailed
off as his eyes fluttered closed and he gave a deep sigh.

Greatly daring, she pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek. "Go to
sleep." The fellis juice had clearly addled his thinking, although it
had given her a lot to think about. She straightened and darted
another glance at the dragonman in the corner before leaving as
quietly as she'd come. The whole visit had been meant to calm the
anxiety she felt about not knowing, and now her mind was whirling more
than ever before. J'ackt wasn't usually good at talking, even when
they'd been alone together...

...his weyr. His _canine_. Alina turned her steps toward J'ackt's
weyr. There was one more thing she needed to check on before going
back to bed to try for sleep.

Last updated on the March 11th 2019

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In Fellis Veritas