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

Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall

Story Listing
Series Listing

Weyrling Training

Writers: Stasha
Date Posted: 12th March 2008

Characters: Alasha
Description: Alasha and her family ride hard away from the cothold, but they are being pursued
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 8, day 18 of Turn 4

How dare they! After everything Desamin had given them, they had gone and disappeared in the middle of the night. Oh they would pay for the injury. Rations for Nelaso and Hedona, Alasha could go with Bortalis and Ranillis and confront what ever punishment they saw fit, and Murasha... Oh, that wench suffer dearly for what she had done. He knew she was the leader of the whole thing, and that she instigated everything. He would not be surprised if she had coaxed Nelaso and Hedona to come, especially Hedona. Taking her with them was the greatest insult of all. "Bring them back!" Desamin roared out to Iriek and Demashin.

They did not hesitate to comply.

"And remember, failure is not acceptable."

"Yes Sir," Demashin stepped forward with a bow in his step. He would not let down his father.

*********

It was unmistakable as the two dark hide runners emerged from the cothold. Nelaso watched them for a moment, but he was assured that they were heading strait for them. He did not waste another minute as he climbed back down from the cliff too the trail where the others were waiting for him. "They're coming," he warned as he took the reigns of his runner from Alasha. "They're following our trail in the snow." Shards! Where was the snow when they actually needed it. "If we go now, we can still keep the two candle mark lead that we have on them, but we have to move fast."

"But they'll be able to track us where ever we go," Murasha replied in desperation.

No, they had a chance. They would not be caught. "No they won't." He mounted onto the runner and began to lead the way. He called back as he began to make his way down the trail. "Once we get to the main road it'll be harder for them to track us."

It was their only hope. Alasha patted Zephyr, who remained buried under the collar of her jacket. She projected a quick assurance that he would be safe, before she heeled the runner into a run. As Nelaso began to pick up the pace she began to drive the mare harder sending her faster down the trail. "Hold on!" she commanded her sister. Hedona only held on tighter to Alasha, fearing that she would fall off the beast.

They drove their runners harder, their speed increasing up as they road the beasts through the woods. The white snow tossed up around them, while the vegetation of the woods became nothing more than a brown blur as they road hard through the forest. Sweat was beginning to bead on Alasha's forehead now as she feared what would happen if they were found. No, she would not let that happen. She cried out to the runner, forcing her to pick up her pace. They caught up with Nelaso and his runner, with Murasha right behind them.

No, she had not come this far, Murasha thought with nothing but determination. She would not go back, not her, not Nelaso, and never her daughters. Whom ever was after them, whether it was Bortalis and Ranillis, her other two sons, or Desamin himself, they would not apprehend them. She and her remaining family would escape, and finally they would be free of Desamin!

"There's the road!" Nelaso cried out. They were so close, once they reached the road...

***********

"Shards!" Iriek looked one way and then the other. The road was too scattered with activity, and it split into three different paths. How were they supposed to find them now? They could have gone anywhere.

Demashin dismounted his runner attempting to make sense of the gibberish tracks that laid before them. Oh, Nelaso was a devious man.
Demashin stepped around the road, knowing that reading the runner tracks would do him no good, there were too many. But, he knew his brother well, he would try to out wit them both. He turned his eyes to the fork in the road. One path led to Dragonsfall Weyr, another to the main hold, and then there was... Oh, of course. "We'll go this way,"
pointed down the chosen path.

"Why that way?" Iriek questioned his brother as Demashin mounted back onto the runnerbeast. "I mean, it doesn't even lead to the weyr-"

"Which is precisely why they went that way." Iriek truly was thick, Demashin thought to himself.

Iriek studied the tracks on the ground one last time. If Demashin was wrong... but they had no time to argue. "Very well, let's go."

They wasted no more time and sent their beasts down their chosen path.

Last updated on the March 12th 2008